Against Working Mothers

Fatima Saucedo Mr. Lewton English 101 6 December 2012 The Value of Stay-At-Home Moms Now days, many people tend to look down at stay-at-home moms rather than working mothers. This happens to many women, making it more difficult for them to choose between their children or work. For the first time in twenty-five years, the percentage of mothers returning to the workforce has fallen from fifty-nine percent in 1998 to fifty-five percent in 2000 (Adrienne Fox, Jan. 2002). This shows that women have more of a lifestyle choice rather than an economic choice.For mothers, it is a hard decision to make, but staying at home with their children is a better choice. Children need the affection and attention of their mothers. The reason I am against working mothers is because it is important to have a motherly figure during growth, as children behave better, and daycare is not the appropriate substitution for proper motherly care. Stay-at-home mothers also have the privilege of enjoying their chil dren’s â€Å"firsts†. Their first steps, their first words, and their first haircut.Experiencing these â€Å"firsts† while giving them praise and encouragement will induce children to feel secure and wanted. According to Dr. Laurence Steinberg, a professor of physiology at Temple University in Philadelphia, good parenting helps lower the chances for anxiety, depression, eating disorders, antisocial behavior, alcohol and drug use. No mother would want their children growing up with a higher chance of these disorders or behaviors. Having a mother at home brings daughter and son to mother relationships closer, not only physically but also emotionally as well.Infants who receive enough attention †¦ from a loving adult right from the start are more likely to succeed socially and emotionally (Betty Holcomb)       It is risky for infants to be away from their moms for more than twenty hours per week. Psychologists claim babies who are separated from their moth ers may tend to act out in school, cause trouble in life, or even have poor relationships as adults (Betty Holcomb). A very important advantage a mother has is she can discipline her child more consistently when being at home.The child’s values and morals can be guided. Kids are going to behave better and act out less for attention; especially if these values and morals are enforced since newborns. Not only will they behave well in school, they will have good grades. This is because parents will be able to manage their time more effectively to be able to focus on their children’s education. The children’s homework will be making sure it is completed, with a stay-at-home mom looking out for them.In some families, it is actually less expensive for one parent to stay at home than to pay for childcare. Not only the cost of childcare is saved, there is also the issue of feeding the family. If there is a stay-at-home mom, the need for quick â€Å"take-out food† is dramatically reduced. This is usually the case for working mothers, because they are either too tired or do not have enough time to cook a meal for her family. Also, mothers do not need to worry about how their child is doing in daycare.Two studies, one by the National Institute of Child Health & Development and the other by the Institute of Child Development from the University of Minnesota have both found that children who spend all day in daycare have higher levels of stress and aggression than kids who stay at home with moms. The research in the year 2010 confirmed these results. They show that it continues to negatively impact even after they’ve reached adolescence. Just like the other studies, biological psychologist Megan Gunnar and her colleagues found stress in babies.In their research, three-month old babies who received the mother’s consistent care had less cortisol stress than those who did not (The Natural Child Project). On the other side, studies cla im that children of working mothers have more chances of being successful in life. From 1975 to 1990, the work labor force for women has grown especially for those with children (Howard Hayghe 1998). Mothers like to be independent and have a feeling of satisfaction; it makes them happier, therefore better mothers. They can’t be fulfilling happy if the know someone else is enjoying them in daycare.According to the opponents, children who are in daycare starting from one month and on have a better language and cognitive ability than children at home. Due to this they will tend to have higher reading scores as well (Peters 1997). Because it is important to have a motherly figure during growth, as children behave better, and daycare is not the appropriate substitution for proper motherly care, mothers should take in mind of staying at home with their children. Children shouldn’t be forced to a routine out of their reach. Not only will children of stay-at-home moms will be comfortable, but mom will too.

Determining Operating Systems and Software Applications

Determining Operating Systems and Software Applications BIS/320 Amazon has made a business of selling a variety media types while also making the reselling of the same media an attractive option. What better way to regain in part what you spent on media interests than to resell it and have money to put towards the next interest. As of 2004 Amazon began running the Linux operating system across the board. Amazon then became one of the largest and well known companies running the Linux operating system.As one of the largest ecommerce centered businesses with a large global customer base with high expectations of constant expansion. Currently, it is known that Amazon is running Linux servers â€Å"Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), had close to half-a-million servers already running on a Red Hat Linux variant (Vaughn, 2012). † At this time â€Å"Amazon has never officially said what it's running as EC2's base operating system, it's generally accepted that it's a customized ve rsion of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). (Vaughn, 2012)† In addition Amazon uses Xen hypervisor as host to the Linux system for virtual machines.Solaris; OpenSolaris; FreeBSD and NetBSD and Windows 2003 and 2008 are additional virtual machine instances. The multiple operating services that Amazon is currently using assist with meeting the high demand of users that browse and purchase from their sites. In using their cloud technology, EC2, it is also possible that not all information will be stored at any specific location, but is easily accessible to anyone within the company to access it. With Linux gaining popularity this will ultimately become beneficial to Amazon in their continual global expansion goals.Hardware are electrical mechanisms that is physically connected to your computer such as an electronic components and related gadgetry that input, process, output, and store data according to instructions encoded in computer programs or software (Kroenke, 2012). The Amazo n-to-buyer operating system is quite simple and uses a variety of input and output in comparison with various office based business. A difference will be the amount that is actually used verses an output or input device. The individual consumer at home using their computer will initiate the process by registering as a user , followed by inputting heir shipping and billing information which will be stored by the website’s servers. The consumer’s computer is considered the input device and the server is a storage device. Once a purchase has occurred the website will use the stored information to input the customer’s credit card information into a card reader which automatically debits the funds from the customer’s account. Card readers and scanners are widely used input devices (Kroenke, 2012). Most output devices are located at various individual merchants that use Amazon to sell their goods. Each having a database that show pending orders inputted through Amazon.These merchants will use their printers to document the order and locate the desired merchandise. Once the merchandise is located, information is then sent to the shipping department. Versatile shipping options like UPS, Fed Ex, or the U. S. Postal service are available and output devices will print things such as the bill of lading; the inventory of the packaged goods and the shipping labels with the previously entered customer’s shipping information on it. Once delivered, the merchandise is scanned via another input device called a barcode scanner.This information is then relayed to the merchant who reports a successful delivery to Amazon. A confirmation email will be sent to the customer confirming their transaction is complete. If desired the consumer can give their input on the Amazon experience via their home based computer. Amazon’s Founder and Chiefy Executive Office outlines the companies business objectives as: Increase Sales, promote the brand, creat e a loyal customer base and fiscal strength. By expanding each operational goal its gives a better understand on how the operating systems contribute to Amazon’s objective.Sales can be defined as making sure the customer gets what he wants, but also feeding in to the psychology of impulse buying. Impulse purchases can be promoted through an application Amazon employs, called the Dash. When conducting a search for a particular item the results of that search offer not only the item itself, but also similar items. There is also a feature that shows the customer what other customers, who have order this particular item of interest, have also purchased. Promotional brand occurred during Amazon’s Kindle was launched.In 2005 Bezos believed that â€Å"every book ever written in any language will be available (to the enduser) in less than sixty seconds†. (Bezos, 2009). The edict issued that the demarcation between Kindle, the device and Kindle the service be seamless to the enduser. In the four years that followed, sales have exceeded budgetary expectations. The e-mail feedback from customers is strongly positive with 26% of customer e-mails containing the word â€Å"love†. Amazon has positioned itself prominently on search engine sites so a pattern match of only a few letters will bring Amazon to the forefront.Amazon itself has become a search engine of sorts, which many people use for pricing items being considered for purchase. The brand has made Amazon not only a shopping site, but also a reference guide for benchmarking other purchases. Bezos defines customer loyalty as encouraging his staff to be â€Å"obsessed over our customers†. The computer applications used for tracking purchases as well as shipping allows customer service representatives to assist dissatisfied customers and get them to a satisfactory result. References Kroenke, D. M. (2012). MIS Essentials (2nd ed. ). : Pearson Education Thorp J. Feb 99), The Information Paradox, Retrieved from http://www. amazon. com/Information-Paradox-Realizing-Business-Technology/dp Vaughn, S. (2012, March 16). Amazon's EC2 cloud is made up of almost half-a-million servers. ZDNet. Retrieved from http://www. zdnet. com/blog/open-source/amazon-ec2-cloud-is-made-up-of-almost-half-a-million-linux-servers/10620 | Operating Systems| Horizontal-Market Applications| Vertical-Market Applications| One-of-a-Kind Market Applications| Example| Linnux, Eucalyptus(cloud), OpenStack(cloud),EC2 and Red Hat Linux†¦ for starters| | | | Description of how it is used| | | | |Typical user| Amazon draws its users from anyone that can operate a computer and has an internet connection. | | | | Advantages| Easy to use; large amounts of information can be accessed without incorporating mass amounts of storage on a single server with cloud technology; accessibility to data from any location with cloud technology. | | | | Disadvantages| Even though Amazon continues to hire developers b andwidth is still and issue. People lose data. With such a broad base of people with the ability to browse and purchase products it poses a security issue regarding

Social work and Drug Use

Drug misuse in Britain is a substantial and growing problem, with a significant and profound impact on the health and social functioning of many individuals. Parker et al (1995) highlight that: â€Å"Young people are increasingly using a wide range of drugs and alcohol at a younger age and the age of initiation into drug use appears to have lowered. † This assignment aims to discuss what drugs are and the individual effects and social implication of drug use. It will compare and contrast the different terms associated with drug misuse, for example recreational drug use and drug dependency. It will examine the consequences, advantages and disadvantages of decriminalisation and legalisation of drugs as well as the advantages and disadvantages of prescribing using heroin as an example. It will also look at theories surrounding substance misuse and will consider how social workers have been granted more flexibility in their intervention with substance misusers since shifting from the view that drug and alcohol misuse is a disease. In addition to this it will highlight existing debates concerning the recent and current drug policy in the UK. Service users who experience drug problems are often subject to stigmatisation, discrimination and marginalisation not only as a result of their substance use but also as a result of age, gender and poverty. However, Harbin and Murphy (2000, P. 23) highlight that: â€Å"Drug addiction can effect anyone without regard to race, class, gender or age. † This assignment will also look at what services and interventions, such as harm reduction strategies, are available to drug misusers and the accessibility of these services. The World Health Organisation (1981, P. 227) define a drug as: Any chemical entity or mixture of entities, other than those required for the maintenance of normal health (like food), the administration of which alters biological function and possibly structure. † Therefore this means that when legal drugs, such as headache tablets, or illegal drugs, such as cannabis, enter the bloodstream they can affect how a person feels. Drugs can be grouped into three main types: stimulants such as cocaine, depressants for example heroin, and hallucinogens such as magic mushrooms. (http://www. knowthescore. info, 2005). In addition to the different groupings the law divides drugs into three classes: A, B and C. Classification is based on the harm that specific drugs may cause to individuals, families and communities. (NHS Health Scotland, 2004, P. 10). Class A drugs include heroin, ecstasy and crack. In order for drugs to work, they must first enter the body. The main ways that a drug can be administered include: orally, smoking, snorting and injecting. How a person will react after taking drugs will depend on a number of factors such as the type of drug, how it is taken, what it is mixed with, the social context and whether the person is on other drugs at that time. Factors which may influence drug taking can be split into two broad categories: individual influences for example personality or genetics and environmental influences such as society, peer pressure or family. (Swadi, 1992, P. 156). All drugs affect the brain's limbic system irrespective of there legality. Different drugs act on different areas of the brain and alter the chemical balance and these changes are responsible for the feelings and sensations sometimes associated with drug use. (NHS Health Scotland, 2004, P. 7). Scientists call this the â€Å"reward† system. Usually, the limbic system responds to pleasurable experiences by releasing the neurotransmitter dopamine, which creates feelings of pleasure. This could explain why people go on to misuse drugs. However, some people can occasionally use drugs without developing a tolerance or withdrawal symptoms whereas other people abuse drugs by repeatedly using them to produce pleasure, alleviate stress, or avoid reality. This can lead to other drug related problems such as drug dependency. There are two types of dependency, psychological and physical. â€Å"Physical dependency occurs when the body is deprived of drugs†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. this deprivation leads to physical symptoms that vary with the drug. † Whereas â€Å"psychological dependency †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ is based more on the individual's traits (habits, lifestyle) than on the substance itself. It is the memory of the pleasure associated with the object of the dependency that the individual thinks about often and longingly. † (http://thebrain. mcgill. ca/flash. par. tml, 2002) This highlights that different drugs have different effects and will require different interventions depending on the substance being misused. Drug dependency is characterised by craving a drug so much that it has control over the person's life. For example if someone is dependent on heroin and goes without it for any length of time, they will suffer extremely unpleasant withdrawal symptoms for several days. Taking heroin will make the drug user feel ‘normal' again (Drugs Know your Stuff, 2005). In this respect the drugs are having a ‘medicinal' effect on the individual because the drug relieves the person from their withdrawal symptoms. Drug use in today's society is a problem not only for the individual but for their families and communities. Drugs: protecting families and communities (2008) supports this by saying: â€Å"The most damaging effects for communities are those caused by drug dealing, drug related crime and anti-social behaviour, which can undermine stable families and cohesive communities. † In the UK drug the social effects of addiction are most commonly associated with criminality. Drugs know your stuff (2005, P. 21) identifies that: â€Å"Every year about 40,000 people in the UK are arrested for drug offences. † An example of a drug related offence could be shoplifting. This might enable the drug user to raise money to finance their drug use. It may also be associated with the stereotypical image of young people wearing hooded tops sniffing glue or `shooting up' in shabby flats who are labelled `junkies'. However, drug use does not always fit into this image as it is not age, gender or class specific. For example, white middle class people who use cocaine as a recreational drug do not need to get involved in crime to support their drug use. Therefore drug use is not always linked to crime. This is in contrast to the view of the Governments 1998 drug strategy which had the main objective the plan to tackle drug abuse, first and foremost, as an approach of reducing crime. It focused primarily on criminality and supported drug users who had committed crimes. In addition to this, new measures were introduced under the Drugs Act (2005) where the focus is also primarily on criminality. The new Act has implemented new police powers to test for class A drugs such as heroin. These measures include â€Å"testing on arrest† which means people who are arrested for trigger offences are tested for drugs on arrest rather than when charged. The aim of this is to steer more offenders into treatment and away from crime. This will ensure that those who misuse drugs are not charged but helped to engage in treatment. However, King (2007) does not agree and believes that these measures should be discarded as they are ineffective and inefficient. As an alternative King recommends that greater use should be made of specialised drug courts. According to the recent Government drug strategy (1998) there was a particular focus on problematic drug users and links to crime because statistics showed they were responsible for 99% of the costs to society (estimated between i10 and i16 billion) 88% of which is drug related crime. (The Drugs Act, 2005) Therefore, often as an alternative to imprisonment a drug misusing offender within the criminal justice system will automatically be given priority to access treatment. Drug Treatment and Testing Orders made under Section 1A (6) of the 1991 Criminal Justice Act required offenders to attend drug treatment as a condition of a probation order. † (Hough et al, 2003, P. 6). This may cause problems because when faced with a prison sentence or a treatment programme the majority of people would most likely choose the latter even when they do not want help for their drug problems. Ironically, someone who is serious about getting help for their drug problems and has not broken the law will usually be placed on a long waiting list for treatment. Although, Tackling Drugs Changing Lives (2005) state that the average national waiting times for treatment have fallen almost three quarters since 2001; (from 9. 1 weeks in December 2001, to 2. 3 weeks in June 2007). However, this still could possibly result in non offenders slipping through the net especially since the most common referral route into treatment is self referral (NTA, 2006, P. 7). Thus possibly resulting in them not getting the treatment or support they require at that time. Therefore whilst they remain on the waiting list for treatment social workers have a responsibility to give advice on minimising harm associated with drug misuse. Government policy has prioritised criminal costs of drug use King (2007) states that the wider issues that surround drug misuse such as the effects on communities, families and health are not taken into account. Therefore advocates a harm reduction policy by saying: â€Å"Given that drugs may, and often do, cause significant harm to individuals, their family, their friends and their communities, the main aim of the law should be to reduce the amount of harm that they cause. In response to the 1998 drug strategy The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), (2007) comment, through its Commission, that drugs are a matter of health and not just crime. The Commission argues that addiction to drugs and other substances should be treated as a chronic health condition and a social problem, not just a crime or cause of crime. In addition to this they also recommended that the primary aim of the new drugs policy should be to reduce harm. The review of the National Drug Strategy in 2008 argued that the previous drugs policy did little to help the problematic drug users and to mitigate the impact on drugs in society. Professor Anthony Kings the Chairman of the RSA Commission explains that in their view drugs in society are not just about crime. They criticised the previous strategy by saying there was too much emphasis on crime and that there needed to be a shift from crime reduction and the criminal justice system onto an understanding of the more varied and complex social problems. For example the social consequences of drug use can include social exclusion. People may lose their friends and family because of the stigma that surrounds drug misuse resulting in isolation. In addition to this drug use can have an impact on living standards and may result in homelessness for example if their drug use is given priority over their household outgoings such as rent. Therefore King (2007) suggests that there should be wraparound services which include individual social needs such as employment and housing as these problems often come hand in hand with chaotic drug use. The work of Professor A King has informed the new Government drug strategy and prior to the 2008 drug strategy being unveiled it was suggested by Prime Minister Gordon Brown that the new strategy would adopt a more holistic approach when working with drug users and there would be more support for people undergoing treatment. However, when the Government's new 2008 10-year drug strategy was revealed there were proposals to shake-up the welfare system, effectively punishing drug abusers who fail to get â€Å"clean†. The Press Association (2008) highlighted that benefit payments to drug users may be reduced if they drop out of treatment. This could possibly result in people not accessing treatment for the fear of dropping out and having their income reduced. Therefore the new strategy gives no consideration to relapse. Drug relapse is a process that begins when an individual slips back into old behaviour patterns and as identified by Regan (2003) as being the most damaging characteristic of drug taking. Relapse may occur because drug users are often stereotyped and may find it hard to reintegrate back into society. Therefore this proposal may not be very effective. In addition to this if a drug misusing parent's benefits are cut and they are faced with buying food, for their children, or drugs that they are dependent on they may not necessarily be capable of making a rational decision. Cleaver et al (1999, P. 245) lends support to this by stating: â€Å"Family income may be used to satisfy parental needs. Purchasing food and clothing or paying essential household bills may be sacrificed. † However it is recognised that parental drug use may not always affect the parent's capacity to look after their children well. The British Medical Association (1997, P. 8) highlights that: â€Å"Drug use itself by parents need not constitute a risk but neglect or abuse may be associated with problem drug use and should be addressed appropriately. † However, long term drug misuse could impact on the families' living standards and possibly result in a requirement for Social Services to intervene under section 17 of The Children Act 1989. In addition to this people may resort to crime so they can afford the drugs they are dependent on. Critics of the new drug strategy say there should be more focus on treatment and less on punishment (http://drugshealthalliance. et, 2008). Therefore better strategies need to be introduced to encourage drug users into treatment. An improvement to enable this could be not giving General Practitioners the choice to avoid providing drug treatment. This would allow people to be seen straight away by their General Practitioner and not placed on long waiting lists with other agencies. All drugs, hard or soft, illegal or legal can cause social problems to some degree. Although, it is suggested that many drugs are thought to cause problems merely because they are illegal. However, The British Medical Association (1997, P. 385) highlights that: â€Å"Both the Green and White Papers, Tackling Drugs Together, rejected any arguments for legalisation or decriminalisation on the grounds that wider use and addiction are very serious risks which no responsible Government should take on behalf of its citizens. † In contrast to this view Mullis (2003, P. 3) argues that all drug laws should be abolished. The legalisation of drugs would mean that people could buy drugs but only through legal sources, thus removing a major criminal resource and reducing crime levels. The British Medical Association (1997, P386) also suggests that crime would be significantly reduced if drugs could be purchased legally and money spent on law enforcement could be spent on treatment and education. On the other hand there is evidence that drug users commit crimes for other reasons and not just to finance their habit. Many drug users are involved in crime even when they have access to drugs on prescription such as methadone. (Graham and Bowling, 1995, P. 49). Therefore the social background of the drug user may also contribute to why they commit crimes. However, even if crime was not considerably reduced, people buying drugs through legal sources would know the strength and quality of what they were using thus possibly reducing the risk of overdose. If drugs were legalised there is no evidence to indicate that crime levels would reduce. People would still need money to purchase drugs from legal sources and as highlighted by Robertson (1998, P. 209) it is uncertain that legislation would significantly reduce the cost of drugs. In addition to this alcohol and nicotine are highly addictive drugs that hold legal status. King (2007) suggests that the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) should be repealed and replaced with a Misuse of Substances Act which includes alcohol and tobacco. As well as being addictive they can also cause major health problems. For example smoking can cause chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease, strokes, and various cancers. â€Å"Some doctors have even reported that nicotine is just as addictive as heroin or cocaine, which indicates quite clearly as to how people become hooked so rapidly and stay hooked for so long. † http://www. helpwithsmoking. com/effects-of-nicotine. php) Heavy drinking is linked to suicide, murder, fatal accidents, and many fatal diseases. It can increase chances of developing cirrhosis of the liver, and it has been associated with many different types of cancers. However, the NHS Direct (2008) underline that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol will not do any physical or psychological harm. In a recent survey Lifeline publications (2007) highlig hted that approximately 114,000 people die every year from smoking tobacco. About 40,000 people die from using alcohol and the least amount of deaths occur as a result of all illegal drugs put together and is about 2,000 people. This clarifies that: â€Å"Although drug misuse poses risks to the user and others, from a health perspective it still remains a small problem in relation to the medical harm caused by alcohol and nicotine. † (The British Medical Association, 1997). Therefore it is evident that the reason why some drugs are illegal is nothing to do with dangerousness. If drug classification is based on the harm that specific drugs may cause to individuals, families and communities. NHS Health Scotland, 2004, P. 10) then unquestionably nicotine and alcohol would both be classified. However, consideration needs to be given when looking at the above figures because more people may use alcohol and/ or tobacco because they are socially acceptable and hold legal status. If all drugs were legal, or the same amount of people who smoked used illicit drugs, then drug related deaths may significantly increase. However King (2007) suggests that the majority of people who use drugs are able to use them without harming themselves or others. Which means, according to King, the use of illegal drugs is not always harmful anymore than alcohol use is always harmful. Although it is paramount that people are still aware of the risks involved when using legal or illegal drugs. For example high impact adverts explaining the effects on all drugs as well as warning messages on alcohol similar to the messages on cigarette packets. Although King suggests that illegal drug use is not always harmful, heroin has been ranked the most dangerous drug by researchers The Lancet (2007). These finding were based on three factors which were: physical harm; potential for dependence and the impact on society such as costs to health care. Heroin dependency is an increasing problem in the UK which causes high social and criminal costs. (Stimson, 2003, P. 1) Therefore, some view prescribing the drug as a way to reduce drug-related crime and others emphasise the advantages of heroin prescribing as a way of reducing health problems, for example blood borne viruses. However prescribing heroin may have risks as well as benefits. Prescribing might attract more people into treatment. More heroin users might get help as they would be identified thus resulting in fewer untreated heroin users in the community. In addition to this prescribing would stop or reduce illicit heroin use. This would undercut the black market in illicit heroin possibly helping to phase out drug dealers. BBC News (2002) also highlights that the idea has gained favour amongst some senior police officers, who believe it could reduce the amount of drug-related crime. However General Practitioners worry that prescribing heroin would maintain the level of dependency reducing any motivation for a person to stop using the drug creating an â€Å"addict for life. Therefore this may not necessarily be the best response to drug misuse. Since we live in a drug taking society it is paramount that there are interventions available to substance misusers to help minimise any potential harm. Under the National Occupational Standards social workers have a duty to manage risk to individuals, families, carers, groups, communities, self and colleagues. Social workers can help to reduce risks by implementing harm reduction strategies. â€Å"Harm reduction policies, programmes, services and actions work to reduce the health, social and economic harms to individuals, communities and society that are associated with the use of drugs. † (UKHRA, 2005) Harm reduction has a very high profile in drug treatment programmes it aims to focus on issues such as needle exchange schemes and the risk of infection. The strategy is led primarily through the NHS and influences the Drug Action Teams (DAT). However, the strategy mainly focuses on minimising harm associated with intravenous heroin use. The NTA (2006, P. 7) highlights that: â€Å"Heroin was identified as the main problem drug for over two thirds (67 per cent) of clients receiving drug treatment. † Nevertheless, the strategy accepts that people are drug dependent and therefore consideration is given on how best to reduce harm this includes access to information and clean injecting equipment. However, information needs to be widely available, written in relevant languages, and produced in an accessible format. Without any focus on harm reduction there are issues with blood borne viruses such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis C that could be overlooked. Hepatitis C is a viral disease that destroys liver cells and can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Balkin (2004) identifies that: â€Å"Most new cases of Hepatitis C occur in people who use contaminated needles or injecting equipment for drug use. † Therefore although there are harm reduction programmes available for dug users they may not be easily accessible. For example, an intravenous heroin user who needed clean needles is not likely to travel a few miles by bus to collect them. This could result in the person using, or sharing, dirty needles which increases the risk of blood borne viruses. With this is mind it may be useful to establish if there are mobile needle exchange services available to especially in rural areas where people are often more isolated and may be less likely to travel long distances for clean needles. The advantages of this service could be that because the service comes to the people who need it, clean injecting paraphernalia is more likely to be used therefore helping to reduce the risks of blood borne viruses. However, there may be some users who might be worried about using, or not want to use, a mobile needle exchange service. This could be because of the stigma attached to drug use and they may be worried about neighbours finding out that they have a drug problem. Another service that may possibly help drug misusers to minimise harm is drug consumption rooms. However this service is currently not available in the United Kingdom. â€Å"Drug consumption rooms are places where dependent drug users are allowed to inject drugs in supervised, hygienic conditions. There are approximately 65 drug consumption rooms in operation in eight countries around the world but there are none in the UK. † (http://www. jrf. org. uk/pressroom/releases, 2006) Drug consumption rooms may help to minimise blood borne viruses and fatal overdoses. They would also help to take drug use off the streets and reduce numbers of discarded needles in public places. â€Å"Drug users who congregate in public areas or open drug scenes are often homeless and marginalised, and lack access to social and health care services. Studies suggest that severe health risks are linked to street-based injecting. † (Klee, 1995; Best et al. , 2000). Additional services within the drug consumption rooms can include needle exchange, safer injecting advice, Hepatitis B vaccines, safer sex information as well as counseling, showering and washing facilities. However, as highlighted by Drugscope (2004), there are some areas of controversy concerning drug consumption rooms. For example could the Government justify providing a service that enables people to engage legitimately in activities that are both harmful and illegal? Since drug users will take drugs regardless of there harmfulness and legality the Government should take into consideration that drug consumption rooms have potential benefits. However, if these rooms were available in the UK they might encourage people to use hard drugs or increase drug related problems in the areas where they were located. In addition to this support from communities and local services such as police would be required if the consumption rooms were to be work in communities. New or amended legislation may also be necessary since under the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) drug possession for personal use is an offense. However if drug consumption rooms were legal then would drug possession be legal? If this was not the case then there would be a contradiction between the two. Other services available within the United Kingdom for drug misusers include voluntary agencies such as drug support agencies, counselling, rehabilitation and aftercare services. Services available need to be both accessible and available to people who require them. There are many different models that can be used when working with people with addictions. However: â€Å"When working with substance misusers it is helpful to consider two different models, the ‘disease' model and the ‘wheel of change'. † (Goodman, 2007, P. 103). In the 19th century the first disease concept was established. This model considered that alcohol and drugs were evil and people who misused them were labelled victims. Therefore, alcohol and drugs addiction was starting to be seen as a disease that required treatment. In the 20th century the second disease concept evolved and alcohol consumption was once again socially acceptable. Only a small minority of individuals developed a problem with excessive drinking. However, alcohol and drug addiction was still considered as an illness that required treatment and support. Goodman (2007) highlights that the disease model works for some and is supported in self help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous. He goes on to explain that people accessing the programme are told that they have a disease which prevents them from controlling their drink or drug problem. Consequently they need to avoid former drinking associates or drinking situation. However this model has implications as the nature of the disease has never been identified. It also suggests that a person with drug or alcohol problems has no choice or control over their decision making thus taking away their personal responsibility. Dick (2006) lends support to this by saying: â€Å"Drug misuse is not a disease; it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would call that not a disease but an error of judgement. In addition to this by following the disease model there is no consideration given to other factors such as psychological, cultural and family factors which may influence why someone may misuse substances. Therefore it does not adopt a holistic approach when supporting the service user. However according to National Institute on Drug Abuse (2008) drug addiction is a brain disease and highlights that: â€Å"Although initial drug use might be voluntary, drugs of abuse have been shown to alter gene expression and brain circuitry, which in turn affect human behaviour. Once addiction develops, these brain changes interfere with an individual's ability to make voluntary decisions, leading to compulsive drug craving, seeking and use. † However, although this model will work for some people it may restrict social workers with their intervention because the model requires complete abstinence. Therefore there would be no harm reduction strategies needed such as needle exchange. The model also contradicts the General Social Care Council Codes of Practice (2002) as it does not work in an anti-oppressive manner. For example, by following the disease model approach the service user is not treated as an individual with individual needs and choices but as a person with no choice, control or autonomy over their situation because they are labelled as having a disease. In addition to this because the model does not adopt a holistic approach factors such as housing, employment and education are not taken into consideration. Although this model works for some consideration still needs to be given to the wider problems that surround drug misuse. The second model, the ‘wheel of change' was designed by Prochaska and Diclemente (1994). It was produced from work they had done with people wishing to change their smoking behaviour, it soon became evident that their theory was helpful for all addictive behaviours. It is a holistic approach and looks at areas such as housing and financial issues when supporting someone throughout the different stages of their alcohol or drug problems. Since the model is holistic it also allows social workers to work in partnership with other agencies such as housing. As far as social work practice is concerned this model is the value base of the codes of practice as it works within a positive framework promoting anti oppressive practice. In this model there is a cyclical process. It starts with a period of pre-contemplation when the service user does not know or feel that they have a problem. For those who are thinking about change they are at the contemplation stage. This is when the service user acknowledges the risks and problems caused by their behaviour and recognise the benefits of changing their behaviour. This may be when services are accessed, such as drug treatment agencies, for support. Following the period of contemplation service users who feel that change is desirable and possible begin preparing for the change. This stage of the cycle involves setting goals and making plans. Social workers can help service users by using motivational interviewing. This emphasises the empowerment of the service user and seeks to involve them in the work of changing their behaviour. It is non-judgmental, non-confrontational and non-adversarial. The approach attempts to increase the service users awareness of the potential problems caused, consequences experienced, and risks faced as a result of the drug taking behavior. However a great deal of commitment is required from the service user for this model to work. Once the goals have been established the changes need to be implemented. If plans are clear and goals are realistic they are more likely to be long lasting because service users may feel they can reach their aim. Strategies to deal with problematic situations that may arise, such as relapse, are also very important, as are rewards for success and ongoing support. Adapting to this new behaviour is a difficult period where huge support is required, such as positive encouragement, to enable the service user to move into a period of maintaining the change. However service users need to believe in the possibility of change otherwise this model will not work. For example, someone who had committed a crime for a drug related offence and chosen treatment over prison may not identify their drug use as a problem. Therefore this model would not work because they have not even pre contemplated change. The wheel of change model links with the social model and allows social worker more flexibility when working with service users who misuse substances because it is predominately about empowerment and it involves the service user. This approach helps people recognise the risks involved with their behaviour and allows them to do something about it. Conclusion Drug misuse in Britain is a substantial and growing problem. It is not only a problem for the individual but for the Government and society. Problems for the Government could include increased crime resulting in financial costs and overcrowded prisons. Problems for the individual include social exclusion, physical and mental health problems, finance and legal issues and relationship problems. Problems for society include increased crime and increased cost on resources for example treatment and rehabilitation, police and social service involvement. Therefore treating the individual would benefit society and the Government. Policies to help treat individuals should include wraparound services which include issues such as housing, legal and financial issues and should also offer good aftercare treatment. However the new 2008 10-year drug strategy focuses more on punishment than on treatment and does not take relapse into consideration. Therefore new strategies need to be introduced to encourage people into treatment. In addition to access to treatment should be made easier for non offenders because at present problematic drug users who commit offences get preferential treatment over those who also have problematic drug problems but have not committed any offences. Society place different values on drugs and although alcohol and nicotine are highly addictive drugs they hold legal status and are socially acceptable. However, although legalising all drugs may be unrealistic and could possibly encourage drug use it would allow drugs to be bought from legal sources. Therefore crime levels may reduce and people would know exactly what they were buying thus possibly preventing overdose. There is a large emphasis on harm reduction strategies, which mainly focus on heroin misuse, and although interventions such as needle exchange services are available for drug misusers they are not always easily accessible. Introducing drug consumption rooms to the United Kingdom has advantages as well as disadvantages. It is a controversial subject and has many contradictions regarding the law. However provided they were supervised and people used them the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The disease model allows social workers limited flexibility when working with service users who misuse substances as it does not adopt a holistic approach. It also links with the medical model as the individual is regarded as a victim. It suggests that a person with drug or alcohol problems has no choice or control over their decision making thus taking away their personal responsibility. In addition to this it does not take into account harm reduction as the aim of the disease model is complete abstinence. Whereas the wheel of change model takes into consideration the possibility of relapse when working with drug misusers and respects the autonomy of the service user to make their own decisions. It allows social worker more flexibility because it is predominately about empowerment and it seeks to involve the service user changing their behaviour. It adopts a holistic approach when working with people with addictions of any kind and therefore social workers work in partnership with other agencies or professionals to help support the individual with additional problems that link to their substance misuse. The wheel of change model takes into account both physical and psychological factors again allowing social workers more flexibility with their intervention. Although the disease model can work for some individuals it requires limited intervention from social workers whereas the wheel of change model adopts a holistic approach which gives social workers more flexibility when working with service users who misuse substances.

Explain how and why the LIGHT BULB works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Explain how and why the LIGHT BULB works - Essay Example To understand how the light bulb works one needs to know the basic physics behind light energy. Light is the energy that atoms release. It is composed of small particles or energy packets. These particles have momentum and have zero mass. These are called photons and constitute the basic unit of light. When an atom releases photons, it indicates that the electrons in that atom have become excited or possess a higher level of energy. Electrons are negatively charged particles and orbit around the nucleus of an atom. These electrons have set orbital pattern; an atom has different levels of these orbits. Each electron revolves in fixed orbit based on the energy it possesses.1 The speed and distance from the nucleus also determined on which level an electron revolves. The general principle is when an electron possesses higher energy level it is further away from the nucleus. In principle when an atom loses or gains energy this energy change is exhibited through the motions of the electrons. An electron might get a temporary boost in its energy level and jump to a higher orbit. This action is temporary, and an electron holds this position for merely a fraction of a second. And in an instant it returns to its original position. When an electron returns to its lower energy level, it releases this extra energy or a photon; this is the fundamental principle of what goes on inside lightbulb. To understand how this phenomenon is implemented in this tool we need to look at the structure of the lightbulb. Lightbulb has a simple structure. It has two metal contacts at the base connecting the ends of an electrical circuit. The metal contacts are connected to two stiff wires that are attached to a thin metal filament. This filament sits in the middle of the bulb supported by a glass mount. This filament and the connecting wires are surrounded by a glass bulb2. The glass bulb has no oxygen in it (Nobleman, 2003).

Malaysia - Mahathir politics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Malaysia - Mahathir politics - Research Paper Example These policies have created heated debates in the country and recently Prime Minister Najib Razak did appear to be taking a U-turn by introducing New Economic Model to ensure development across all regions, races, and sectors of the economy (Hooker & Othman, pp. 47-48, 2003). Before coming in power as the Prime Minister of the country, Mahathir Mohammad took a bold stance by writing the book titled â€Å"The Malay Dilemma†. He believed that the Malay Dilemma is the fact that many different ethnic groups and communities have ruled the country, learned the language of the native people, took over the resources and business of their ancestors, and exploited them for their own good throughout the Malaysian History. He believed that the Malays had become strangers and salves in their own land. They have the biggest stake in the country and the growing discontent amongst these people was the main cause of the racial riots in the country. The dilemma is that the Malays are forced to accept the systematic steps taken by the government to give them exposure in the economy and according to Mahathir; they should accept it to move forward in order to create an integrated, peaceful, and ethnically diverse Malaysian society (Cheah, pp. 301-302, 2002). During his era, Mahathir placed immense importance on Islam and Islamic principles during his regime in the country. Mahathir believed that Islam strongly stresses on equality and social justice in all lifestyles and the inability of the people to follow those and principles and the inability of the government to implement the same has remained the major cause behind the amplification of Malay Dilemma (Hunter, pp. 264-268). Mahathir gets the credit for the economic progress and development that he brought to the country, which started in the year 1990 when the previous economic policy expired. Mahathir’s National Development Policy was aimed at increasing the share of Malays in the national income to 30 percent, reducing poverty in the country, attracting foreign investment through liberalization and free market economy, improving the infrastructure in the country and others. Until 1997, the Malaysian economy grew at an annual average growth rate of 9 percent. However, the 1998 Asian financial crisis did happen to put the brakes on country’s economic growth (Khoo, 74-75, 2003). In his early years of power, Mahathir has realized that the Dakwah movement is a strong force and in order to ensure his power, he will have to focus on the same as well. Therefore, under Mahathir’s administration, the government placed great importance on Islam and with the help of Anwar Ibrahim, the financ e minister of Malaysia then, a process of Islamization started in the country with government adopting a â€Å"look east† rather than â€Å"look west† policy. In addition, this resulted in increased media coverage for Islam and Islamic issues, increasing funds for Islamic religious organizations, founding Islamic banks and Islamic insurance companies, including Islamic teachings and principles in the school curriculum and others (Mohamad, pp. 20-21, 2010; Peletz, pp. 55, 2002). As a Muslim, Mahathir held this belief that Islam is different from other religions and it is a complete code of life. Therefore, Islam should have its due interference in the matters of State as well. When Mahathir came into power, there was increasing wave of Islamism amongst the Malays who were becoming more religious and more conservative. Since they represented the biggest chunk of Mahathir’

Rhetorical analysis of President Clintons September 5, 2012 speech Essay

Rhetorical analysis of President Clintons September 5, 2012 speech - Essay Example A person to take the mantle from the outgoing president. The president states that he has one person in mind meaning that the man in power already has a chosen candidate that can bring in changes into the country. Rhetorically speaking, this satisfies the audience that the person to be nominated is a person with utmost leadership qualities. By stating that the man to be nominated â€Å"life has seen great adversity and a fair share of uncertainty,† Clinton shows that the person to be nominated is a person of great experience and is capable of tackling challenges affecting citizens as a whole. President Clinton goes on to state that the person to be nominated played a key role in creating millions of jobs and in addition saving many more jobs. Through that, it is evident that the nominee is a person with great potentiality in job creation (Clinton par. 1). By job creation, chances of people getting employed increases leading to a reduction in poverty and a general rise in the c ountry’s Gross Domestic Products. Clinton is also keen to talk about the fact that creation of jobs will be a booster to American children. According to this speech, the person to be nominated burns with America inside him. In rhetoric, President Clinton states that the man possesses vast dreams that tend to build the country’s economy and boost the diversity of the country to a larger extent. The President goes further to explain that the person to be nominated had a [good sense to marry Michelle Obama]. By so saying, the President implies that the nominee has a lot of creativity and innovativeness that will be essential in the running and propelling the country to greater heights. Additionally, the country needs such a person (Jones 45). In those regards, Obama contains the prowess to lead the Democratic Party. Through explaining on how negative talk

Report of Research of HTM editors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Report of Research of HTM editors - Essay Example It supports several coding languages which gives the user the ability to create an entire website in one program. For beginners, the multi-language support allows you to see which part of your website is made up of HTML and how your CSS (cascading style sheet – or design style sheet) effects your finished page. About.com rate Komodo Edit as the best free XML editor available. It includes a lot of great features for HTML and CSS development, and extensions are available to add on languages or other useful features. 3: HTML-Kit Tools is an excellent program for experienced designers; it has a strong set of features with no frills. But it does take some time to get used to the User Interface and general navigation. It is not a WYSIWYG editor, but it does have a Preview mode where you can see code changes as you make them. Other features include color co-ordinated code indicators, and direct links to help files straight from tooltip popups that appear if you leave your cursor above a tag for a couple seconds. These make navigating unfamiliar code much easier.   Overall it is a lightweight, smooth running program that never crashes. With macros, customizable hotkeys and plug-ins available, HTML-Kit Tools can be adapted for any web project. Newcomers might find HTML-Kit Tools difficult to use, but experienced designers will be very happy with it. 4: NetObjects Fusion 11  has everything you need to build exciting interactive websites; it has earned critical praise worldwide as one of the fastest, easiest programs to build and manage Web sites. In contrast to other code-based programs, NetObjects Fusion 11 was developed for creative users: desktop publishers, graphic designers and layout specialists. From advanced Flash intros to classic HTML-based FAQ pages, NetObjects Fusion 11 can do it all. Features include WYSIWYG interface, FTP,

Six Sigma at General Electric Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Six Sigma at General Electric - Essay Example Its goal is to ensure that there are no problems with any product or service that GE provides. This is done through quarterly customer surveys and daily manufacturing checks by internal engineers (Cohen, 1997).Since the 1980s, GE has sought improvement in business-performance and profitability through various programs (Hendericks and Kelbaugh, 1998). However, in 1995, Welch decided that those programs were not enough and directed the company to undertake Six Sigma as a corporate initiative. He said that it "is the only initiative he will introduce, but it will be introduced everywhere".The introduction of Six Sigma within GE was a dramatic culture change requiring impetus from the very top. Welch's personal leadership and direction was necessary and instrumental in the rollout of Six Sigma. When the employees tried to dismiss Six Sigma as the program of the month, Welch changed the business structure at a corporate level to underscore the importance of the goal. He implemented two no table strategic changes:The concept of Six Sigma at GE deals with measuring and improving how close the company comes in delivering on what it planned to do. Six Sigma provides a way for improving processes so that the company can more efficiently and predictably produce world-class products and services. There is a five-phased methodology applied by a Six Sigma team to tackle specific problems to reach Six Sigma levels (Paul, 1999). (We note that when Six Sigma was first launched at GE Aircraft Engines, a four-step methodology (MIAC) was followed. Recently, the Define phase has been added to recognize the importance of having a well-scoped project and to be in line with the current practices across GE): (1) Phase 1 - define (D). Who are the customers and what are their priorities A Six Sigma project team identifies a project suitable for Six Sigma efforts based on business objectives as well as customer needs and feedback. As part of the definition phase, the team identifies those attributes, called CTQs (critical to quality characteristics), that the customer considers to have the most impact on quality. (2) Phase 2 - measure (M). How is the process measured and how is it performing The team identifies the key internal processes that influence CTQs and measures the defects currently generated relative to those processes. (3) Phase 3 - analyze (A). What are the most important causes of defects The team discovers why defects are generated by identifying the key variables that are most likely to create process variation. (4) Phase 4 - improve (I). How do we remove the causes of the defects The team confirms the key variables and quantifies their effects on the CTQs. It also identifies the maximum acceptable ranges of the key variables and validates a system for measuring deviations of the variables. The team modifies the process to stay within the acceptable range. (5) Phase 5 - control (C). How can we maintain the improvements Tools are put in place to ensure that under the modified

Product Survey Project Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Product Survey Project - Case Study Example The chosen hardware should be able to effectively work in harmony with the required software or soft wares to produce optimum results. The software should be capable of handling all the commands and tasks assigned with high quality design deliverance capabilities (Chen, 2006). This is a detailed documentation of acquiring IT products for an architectural firm. The preferred computer manufacturer is Hewlett-Packard. The 8gb random access memory acts as main memory where application soft wares and programs data are temporarily stored during processing. Architectural design software require high ram value i.e. 8gb high ram value reflects on the computers capability to handle memory demanding software with high graphics requirements The 750 GB hard disk purpose is storage function, its large volume helps store voluminous information that is vital to the organization and for installing many softwares (Chen, 2006). The 21inch monitor displays the design information relayed to it by the video card in the CPU. A larger monitor translates into a wider display which is a vital aspect in architectural design where detail is an essential element. The reason for the 3D printer is that is that it provides simulations that are near real and gives client a clear picture of how developed designs are likely to be when projects are executed. .web camera is to facilitate conferencing with different department without necessarily having to convene in single location (Crnkovic & Asklund, 2003). The reason for the scanner is to expedite conversion of adopted architectural design images to soft copies for storage digitally or for further developments. A design graphic card enables relaying of detailed graphics to the monitor from the central processing unit. The reason for the D-link is to facilitate the connections of all the stations in firm. The external hard disk is for securely storing vital firm information that may

Anna in the Tropics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Anna in the Tropics - Essay Example However, tragedy occurs when Juan, a lector, gets romantically involved with one of the wives of the factory men. This causes resentment and hatred towards the lectors. To add salt to an injury, Cheche’s wife leaves him for one of the lectors (Cruz, 57). It is psychological war. The hero suffers because they have good looks and are more enlightened. â€Å"Our culture [civilization] demands other sacrifices besides that of sexual gratification† (Hegel qtd in Aiello slide 29).     Ã‚   According to Hegel, tragedy occurs when there is a collision between â€Å"two goods†. Both heroes, the â€Å"two goods† end up in tragedy. From the play, the opposing goods can be loosely interpreted as follows: The lectors are supposed to teach the workers to be literate, so that they can start working with the machines in the farms. As a result of love and the tragedies they created, the workers hate them. This means that relationship within them will be sore. The adoption of machines as suggested by Cheche is not a welcome move to the workers who feel that they will lose their jobs. Conchita’s beauty causes tragedy (Cruz, 36). She leaves her husband and sleeps with Marela’s husband. In revenge, Marela sleeps with Juan. Lovers are doomed, and this affects work at the factory.   The collision between â€Å"goods†-what was originally perceived to be good-and the real turn of events, causes the misfortune at the end of the play.

The Mirror and the Lamp Essay Example for Free

The Mirror and the Lamp Essay M.H. Abrams: The Mirror and the Lamp. It is establishes between a work and three pivotal points. -The primary focus of literature/art is to instruct which brings it into the realm of education. 1. Work represents the product itself. It is called an artefact. 2. Most important thing is artificer (artist)Â  3. Taken to have a subject derived from something 4. Lastly this comprehensive quality is absorbed by people. -There are varying literary schools of thought but they exclusively choose one. Artist If the focus is on the artist, we read Hamlet but we look at Shakespeare, the creator. Biographical criticism, the perspective that the biographical criticism reflects the event, specific experiences, personal prejudices, and life are reflected in the work. So that Hamlet is a projection of Shakespeare. The danger of this approach is that it can become a fallacy. The poet is (not) the speaker. It can and cannot be the speaker, we dont separate the work from the writer. Psychological In the world of physiological, the physiological state of the artist and the manifestations of repressed needs, desires, and frustrations are reflected in the work. We move away from the work and focus on the physiological state of the artist. Universe: Social Historic The work expresses the values, issues, and concerns of the age which produced the work. Moral/Didactic From this perspective, the art should reflect an ethical perspective. If it teaches us anything, it becomes didactic. Audience: Reader Response There is no single interpretation which takes present over another. It becomes affected, tainted by our emotions, and perspectives. We arent really talking about literature, we are taking our feelings. How we interpret literature changes the work itself. Work The work should stand alone from the artist, universe, and audience. 1. Philosophical Within the realm of PC, the work reflects an idea. We eliminate the art when we just view a work from a philosophical idea. 2. Linguistic We are forced to look at syntactical use of words and the meaning of words because its purpose is communication. It becomes too scientific and we dont take into consideration the connotation, denotation, and the metaphoric aspect. 3. Formalistic The focus is on the artful and formal arrangement of language. Our focus is then on the rhetorical. -All literature should be viewed from all four points. No piece of literature will stand alone, it will have to be viewed with all for aspects.

Greek Mythology and Religion Essay Example for Free

Greek Mythology and Religion Essay Mythology is the study and interpretation of myth and the body of myths of a particular culture. Myth is a complex cultural phenomenon that can be approached from a number of viewpoints. In general, myth is a narrative that describes and portrays in symbolic language the origin of the basic elements and assumptions of a culture. Mythic narrative relates, for example, how the world began, how humans and animals were created, and how certain customs, gestures, or forms of human activities originated. Almost all cultures possess or at one time possessed and lived in terms of myths. Myths differ from fairy tales in that they refer to a time that is different from ordinary. The time sequence of myth is extraordinary- an other time the time before the conventional world came into being. Because myths refer to an extraordinary time and place and to gods and other supernatural beings and processes, they have usually been seen as aspects of religion. Because of the inclusive nature of myth, however, it can illustrate many aspects of individual and cultural life. Meaning and interpretationFrom the beginnings of Western culture, myth has presented a problem of meaning and interpretation, and a history of controversy has gathered about both the value and the status of mythology. Myth, History, and ReasonIn the Greek heritage of the West, myth or mythos has always been in tension with reason or logos, which signified the sensible and analytic mode of arriving at a true account of reality. The Greek philosophers Xenophanes, Plato, and Aristotle, for example, exalted reason and made sarcastic criticisms of myth as a proper way of knowing reality. The distinctions between reason and myth and between myth and history, although essential, were never quite absolute. Aristotle concluded that in some of the early Greek creation myths, logos and mythos overlapped. Plato used myths as metaphors and also as literary devices in developing an argument. Western Mythical TraditionsThe debate over whether myth, reason, or history best expresses the meaning of the reality of the gods, humans, and nature has continued in Western culture as a legacy from its earliest traditions. Among these traditions were the myths of the Greeks. Adopted and assimilated by the Romans, they furnished literary, philosophical, and artistic inspiration to such later periods as the Renaissance and the romantic era. The pagan tribes of Europe furnished another body of tradition. After these tribes became part of Christendom, elements of their mythologies persisted as the folkloric substratum of various European cultures. Greek religion and mythology are supernatural beliefs and ritual observances of the ancient Greeks, commonly related to a diffuse and contradictory body of stories and legends. The most notable features of this religion were many gods having different personalities having human form and feelings, the absence of any established religious rules or authoritative revelation such as, for example, the Bible, the strong use of rituals, and the government almost completely subordinating the populations religious beliefs. Apart from the mystery cults, most of the early religions in Greece are not solemn or serious in nature nor do they contain the concepts of fanaticism or mystical inspiration, which were Asian beliefs and did not appear until the Hellenistic period (about 323-146 B.C. ). At its first appearance in classical literature, Greek mythology had already received its definitive form. Some divinities were either introduced or developed more fully at a later date, but in Homers Iliad and Odyssey the major Olympian gods appear in substantially the forms they retained until paganism ceased to exist. Homer usually is considered responsible for the highly developed personifications of the gods and the comparative rationalism that characterized Greek religious thought. In general Greek gods were divided into those of heaven, earth, and sea; frequently, however, the gods governing the earth and sea constituted a single category. Principal DivinitiesThe celestial gods were thought to dwell in the sky or on Mount Olympus in Thessaly. The Earth, or chthonic (Gr. chtho n, earth), deities were thought to dwell on or under the earth, and were closely associated with the heroes and the dead. The lines separating these divine orders were indefinite, and the deities of one order were often found in another. The gods were held to be immortal; yet they were also believed to have had a beginning. They were represented as exercising control over the world and the forces of nature. Ananke, the personification of necessity, however, limited this control, to which even the gods bowed. At the head of the divine hierarchy was Zeus, the spiritual father of gods and men. His wife was Hera, queen of heaven and guardian of the sanctity of marriage. Associated with them as the chief divinities of heaven were Hephaestus, god of fire and the patron of metalworkers; Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom and war, preeminent as a civic goddess; Apollo, deity of light, poetry, and music, and his sister Artemis, goddess of wildlife and, later, of the moon; Ares, god of war, and his consort, Aphrodite, goddess of love; Hermes, the divine messenger, later, god of science and invention; and Hestia, goddess of the hearth and home. Around these greater gods and goddesses were grouped a host of lesser deities, some of whom enjoyed particular distinction in certain localities. Among them were Helios, the sun; Selene, the moon (before Artemis came into existence); the attendants of the Olympians, such as the Graces; the Muses; Iris, goddess of the rainbow; Hebe, goddess of youth and cupbearer of the gods; and Ganymede, the male counterpart of Hebe. Poseidon, the worship of whom was often accompanied by worship of his wife, Amphitrite, ruled the sea. Attending the sea gods were the Nereids, Tritons, and other minor sea deities. The chief earth deities were Hades, ruler of the underworld, and his wife, Persephone, the daughter of Demeter. Demeter herself was usually considered an Olympian, but since she was associated with producing grain and the knowledge of agriculture; she was more closely connected with the earth. Another Olympian whose functions were likewise of an earthly character was Dionysus, god of the grape and of wine. He was accompanied by satyrs, the horsetailed sylvan demigods; Sileni, the plump, bald vintage deities; and maenads, nymphs who celebrated the orgiastic rites of Dionysus. Also among the more important divinities of the Greek pantheon were Gaea, the earth mother; Asclepius, the god of healing; and Pan, the great Arcadian god of flocks, pastures, and forests. Invocation of the GodsThe ancient Greeks had a strong sense of weakness before the grand and terrifying powers of nature, and they acknowledged their dependence on the divine beings whom they believed those powers to be controlled. In general, the relations between gods and mortals were cordial, divine wrath being reserved for those who transgressed the limits assigned to human activities and who, by being proud, ambitious, or even by being too prosperous, provoked divine displeasure and brought upon themselves Nemesis, the personification of revengeful justice. The saying of the historian Herodotus, The god suffers none but himself to be proud sums up the main philosophy that influences all of classical Greek literature. The sense of human limitation was a basic feature of Greek religion; the gods, the sole source of the good or evil that fell upon mortals, were approached only by making sacrifices and giving thanks for past blessings or pleading for future favors. In front of many a street door stood a stone for Apollo Agyieus (Apollo of the Thoroughfare); in the courtyard was placed the altar of Zeus Herkeios (Zeus as the patron of family ties); at the hearth Hestia was worshiped; and bedchamber, kitchen, and storeroom each had its appropriate god. From birth to death the ancient Greek invoked the gods on every memorable occasion. Because the very existence of the government was believed to depend on divine favor, celebrations for the gods were held regularly under the supervision of high officials. Public gratitude was expressed for being unexpectedly delivered from evil happenings or for being unusually prosperous. Organization and BeliefsDespite its central position in both private and public life, Greek religion was notably lacking in an organized professional priesthood. At the sites of the mysteries, as at Eleusis, and the oracles, as at Delphi, the priests exercised great authority, but usually they were merely official representatives of the community, chosen as other officers were, or sometimes permitted to buy their position. Even when the office was hereditary or confined to a certain family, it was not regarded as conferring upon its possessor any particular knowledge of the will of the gods or any special power to constrain them. The Greeks saw no need for an intermediary between themselves and their gods. Greek ideas about the soul and the afterlife were indefinite, but it was apparently the popular belief that the soul survived the body. It either hovered about the tomb or departed to a region where it led a sad existence needing the offerings brought by relatives. The disembodied soul was also presumed to have the power of inflicting injury on the living, and proper funeral rites were held to ensure the peace and goodwill of the deceased. Within the framework of Greek worship of many gods are traces of the belief that all natural objects are endowed with spirits. Fetishism, the belief in the magical efficacy of objects employed as talismans against evil, was another feature of early Greek religion. Examples of fetishes are the sacred stones, sometimes regarded as images of specific deities, such as the pyramidal Zeus at Phlius or the rough stones called the Graces at the ruined city of Orchomenus in Boeotia. OriginsAncient Greek religion has  been the subject of speculation and research from classic times to the present. Herodotus believed that the rites of many of the gods had been derived from the Egyptians. Prodicus of Ceos (5th cent. B. C. ), a Sophist philosopher, seems to have taught that the gods were simply personifications of natural phenomena, such as the sun, moon, winds, and water. Euhemerus (370? -298 B. C. ), a historian of myths believed, and many other shared this belief, that myths were the distortions of history and that gods were the idealized heroes of the past. Modern etymology and anthropology research produced the theory that Greek religion resulted from a combination of Indo-European beliefs and ideas and customs native to the Mediterranean countries since the original inhabitants of those lands were conquered by Indo-European invaders. The basic elements of classical Greek religion were, in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, somewhat modified and supplemented by the influences of philosophy, Middle Eastern cults, and changes in popular belief (as shown, for instance, in the rise of the cult of Fortune, or Tyche). The main outlines of the official religion, however, remained unchanged. BibliographyAncient Myths, by Norma Lorre Goodrich Meridian Books (July 1994)The Greek Gods, by Bernard Evslin (August 1995)Greek Myths, by Olivia E. Coolidge (December 1949) Greek and Egyptian Mythologies, by Yves Bonnefoy (November 1992) Gods and Heroes; Story of Greek Mythology, by Michael Foss (September 1995) Funk and Wagnalls, New EncyclopediaMultipedia CD-ROM for windows.

Structure And Function Of Biomolecules Biology Essay

Structure And Function Of Biomolecules Biology Essay All Biomolecules have certain functions and these molecules all have a unique structure which is why they function in these ways. These molecules are known collectively as macromolecules, these molecules are grouped into four main categories which each have there own structure. These structures are the key to the macromolecules functions as each of them do a specific task in the body. Macromolecules are grouped into carbohydrates, nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids. In most cases macromolecules are polymers, which is a long molecule which are made by linking together a large number of small, similar compounds called monomers. Polymers are formed by a dehydration reaction, this happens by the -OH group being removed from one monomer, and a hydrogen atom (H) is removed from the other monomer, then the polymer is formed (as shown in Figure 1). This reaction is also used in the linking of fatty acids to glycerol in lipids. This reaction is referred to as a condensation or dehydration reaction, because the reaction produces a water molecule from the -OH and -H groups removed, and for each monomer that is added a water molecule is given off. The opposite reaction is the hydrolysis reaction which breaks down polymer to there respective monomers. Water is added to the macromolecule splitting the bonds between the monomers and the -OH and -H are attached to form the monomers (as in Figure 2). Carbohydrates are a group of molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a molar ratio 1:2:1. Carbohydrates have a general formula of (CH2O)n, where n is the number of carbon atoms. These carbohydrates contain a lot of carbon-hydrogen bonds, which releases energy when oxidation occurs, as carbohydrates are well suited for energy storage. Sugars are some of the most important energy sources and they exist in several different forms, such as monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides are the simplest of carbohydrates, they may contain as few as three carbons but the ones that have a key role in energy storage have six carbons. Disaccharides serve as transport molecules in plants and provide nutrition in animals; they are used by plants for transporting glucose around the plant as disaccharides are not easily metabolised, but disaccharides are usually consumed by humans and animals. Polysaccharides provide energy storage, such as starch consists entirely o f ÃŽÂ ±-glucose molecules linked in a long chain. Cellulose is a structural polysaccharide which also consists of glucose linked in long chains, but these molecules are ÃŽÂ ²-glucose. Carbohydrates are used as a source of energy for processes in the body such as muscle movement (Raven et al 2008). Proteins Proteins are linear polymers made up of a combination of 20 different amino acids, which contain amino group (-NH2) as well as an acidic carboxyl group (-COOH). The specific order of amino acids determines the proteins structure and function. The amino and acid carboxyl group go through a dehydration reaction to form a peptide bond which joins the amino acids together to form proteins. Proteins have many different functions which are placed into seven categories; Enzyme catalysis, Support, Defence, Motion, Transport, Regulation and Storage. Enzyme catalysis is when enzymes which are globular proteins with a three-dimensional shape that fit around some molecules to facilitate chemical reactions (Raven et al 2008). Support proteins fibres play a structural role, these fibres include keratin in hair fibrin in blood clots and collagen which forms the matrix of skin, ligaments, tendons, and bones, and is the most abundant protein in a vertebrate body (Raven et al 2008). Defence proteins a re globular and use there shape to recognise foreign microbes and cancer cells, these cell-surface receptors are from the core of the bodys endocrine and immune system (Raven et al 2008). Muscles contract through the sliding motion of two kinds of protein filaments: actin and myosin (Raven et al 2008). A variety of globular proteins transport small molecules and ions. The transport protein Haemoglobin, for example, transports oxygen in the blood stream (Raven et al 2008). Small proteins called hormones serve as intercellular messengers in animals. Proteins also play many regulatory roles within the cell-turning on and shutting off genes during development (Raven et al 2008). Calcium and iron are stored by binding as ions to storage proteins (Raven et al 2008). Lipids Lipids are varied in structure and function, most of them are non soluble in water. Lipids have a very high proportion of nonpolar carbon-hydrogen bonds; so long chain lipids cannot fold up like a protein to sequester their nonpolar portions away from the surrounding aqueous environment. Lipids are hydrophobic so when they are exposed to water there hydrophilic (polar) sections of the lipids cluster together while the hydrophobic (nonpolar) sections gather together with the inside the polar sections to stay away from the water. Fats and oils are a type of lipid which are formed from glycerol and three fatty acids. Fatty acids are long chain hydrocarbons with a carboxylic acid (COOH) at one end. Fats and oils, also known as triglycerides, can be saturated where the fatty acids contain at least one carbon to carbon double bond or they can be unsaturated which means there are no double bonds. Phospholipids are also lipids and they are composed of a polar head, a phosphate group, glycero l, and two fatty acids. Phospholipids form the cell membranes and they use the previously mentioned method for holding together cells. The hydrophobic heads gather towards the water inside and outside the cell forming the membrane, which certain molecules can go through to get inside or outside the cell. Nucleic Acids Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides and each nucleotide is made up of a sugar, a base and a phosphate group. Nucleic acids are the information carrying devices of each cell containing the code for all proteins. There are two main forms of nucleic acid which are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). Unique among macromolecules, nucleic acids are able to serve as a template to produce a perfect replicate of it. DNA is usually found in the nucleus of cells, which contains the genetic information necessary to build specific organisms (Raven et al 2008). Cells use RNA to read the DNAs encoded information and to direct the creation of the proteins. RNA and DNA are similar in structure and consist of duplicate copies of parts of DNA. The duplicates serve as a blueprint specifying the amino acid sequences of the proteins. In addition to serving as subunits of DNA and RNA, nucleotide bases play other critical roles in the life of a cell. For example adenine is a key co mponent of the molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of a cell (Raven et al 2008). Two other important nucleotide-containing molecules are nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD). These molecules function as electron carriers in a variety of cellular processes (Raven et al 2008). So Biomolecules have certain functions which they carry out in the body because of there unique structures. These structures are unique as they contain certain bonds between molecules which are all formed in similar reactions. But the four groups of macromolecules are formed in similar reactions, dehydration and hydrolysis reactions, but they all act in different ways.

Government systems Essay -- essays research papers

An authoritarian Monarchy is a form of government in which the leader has absolute power. Under Sui Huangdi China had an authoritative monarchy. He was hated by scholars for his book burning and by peasants because he forced them to work on the Great Wall of China (Beck, pg. 109). He also set standards on weights, currency, writing, and law (Beck, pg. 109). He also built roads, and started irrigation projects (Beck, pg. 109). An advantage of his government is that he got things done to help the country economically. A benevolent monarchy/tyrant is a government where the leader has absolute power. Persia had a benevolent monarchy under Cyrus the great. When he conquered a place he treated the people living there with kindness (Beck, pg. 99). He would allow them to keep their religion and did not loot or burn down their villages (Beck, pg. 99). A theocracy is a government that is lead by a religion. The early kingdom of Israel was a theocracy. Judaism was the religion of early Israel (Beck, pg. 80). The laws of early Israel were based on the laws set by the torah. It was led by 3 kings who united the different tribes, and built a temple for their god (Beck, pg. 80). King Solomon forced his people to labor for the temple and the people revolted (Beck, pg. 80). They then split Israel into Judea and Israel (Beck, pg. 80). A confederation is a league of city states that are allies during a time of war but are otherwise independent. The Delian league was a confederation of over 200 Greek city-states. It was formed during war with Persia to fight them as one united force (Beck, pg. 133). After the league defeated Persia Athens became the leader of the league. This posed a problem because Athens used its power to control the other l... ...s oligarchy was advantageous as well because military decisions could be made quickly. An advantage of a direct democracy was that there could not be any bribery because the briber would have to bribe all 500 council members. An advantage of a republic is that all people would be taken care of even the poor since they had the right to vote and they would not vote for people who did not care about them. After reviewing all of these forms of government I would choose a republic for Iraq. A republic would meet the needs of all of the citizens. The people in Iraq are fighting over control of the government and a republic would give both parties control. Works Cited Beck, Roger. World History Patterns of Interaction United States of America: McDougal Littell, 2007 Government systems Essay -- essays research papers An authoritarian Monarchy is a form of government in which the leader has absolute power. Under Sui Huangdi China had an authoritative monarchy. He was hated by scholars for his book burning and by peasants because he forced them to work on the Great Wall of China (Beck, pg. 109). He also set standards on weights, currency, writing, and law (Beck, pg. 109). He also built roads, and started irrigation projects (Beck, pg. 109). An advantage of his government is that he got things done to help the country economically. A benevolent monarchy/tyrant is a government where the leader has absolute power. Persia had a benevolent monarchy under Cyrus the great. When he conquered a place he treated the people living there with kindness (Beck, pg. 99). He would allow them to keep their religion and did not loot or burn down their villages (Beck, pg. 99). A theocracy is a government that is lead by a religion. The early kingdom of Israel was a theocracy. Judaism was the religion of early Israel (Beck, pg. 80). The laws of early Israel were based on the laws set by the torah. It was led by 3 kings who united the different tribes, and built a temple for their god (Beck, pg. 80). King Solomon forced his people to labor for the temple and the people revolted (Beck, pg. 80). They then split Israel into Judea and Israel (Beck, pg. 80). A confederation is a league of city states that are allies during a time of war but are otherwise independent. The Delian league was a confederation of over 200 Greek city-states. It was formed during war with Persia to fight them as one united force (Beck, pg. 133). After the league defeated Persia Athens became the leader of the league. This posed a problem because Athens used its power to control the other l... ...s oligarchy was advantageous as well because military decisions could be made quickly. An advantage of a direct democracy was that there could not be any bribery because the briber would have to bribe all 500 council members. An advantage of a republic is that all people would be taken care of even the poor since they had the right to vote and they would not vote for people who did not care about them. After reviewing all of these forms of government I would choose a republic for Iraq. A republic would meet the needs of all of the citizens. The people in Iraq are fighting over control of the government and a republic would give both parties control. Works Cited Beck, Roger. World History Patterns of Interaction United States of America: McDougal Littell, 2007

Cause and Effect Essay - Emergency Contraception Causes Abortion

Emergency Contraception Causes Abortion      Ã‚  Ã‚   Brown University associate professor of medicine, Ralph Miech, M.D., Ph.D., stated the abortive nature of EC in the Providence Journal on August 3, 1998: "This type of pill causes an abortion. From a pharmacologic perspective, this type of pill should be called an 'abortion-after pill'."    The question must be asked: "How is this contraception?" Women are being falsely led to believe that these pills are contraceptive in nature. But one of their common and intended modes of action is to prevent the development of the embryo, resulting in his or her death.    A major problem in this debate is the manipulation of terms. The FDA, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and abortion advocacy groups long ago endorsed a change in the definitions of "conception" and "pregnancy" to confuse the issue. Instead of equating conception with fertilization, and seeing a woman as pregnant if her body contains a living, developing embryo, they equate "conception" and "pregnancy" with the implantation of the embryo in the uterus 6 to 10 days later. Thus a drug or device that destroys the early embryo or disrupts its development is redefined as "contra-ceptive," even though it is abortifacient in nature.    The new Preven regimen and similar so-called "morning-after" pills, which can actually be taken several days after intercourse, are high doses of ordinary birth control pills containing estrogen and progestin, which have long been known to inhibit pregnancy. In response to years of pressure from some medical and advocacy groups, the FDA recommended six brands of oral contraceptive pills in high doses (Ovral, Lo/Ovral, Nordette, Levlen, Triphasil, and Tri... ...th the endometrium "could explain the majority of cases where pregnancies are prevented by the morning-after pill" (Wilks 154). Without implantation, which occurs about a week after fertilization, the embryo cannot develop and will die.    WORKS CITED    FDA Notice, 62 Fed. Reg. 861 [Feb. 25, 1997]).    Harper, C. and C. Ellertson. "Knowledge and Perceptions of Emergency Contraceptive Pills Among a College-Age Population: A Qualitative Approach." 27 Family Planning Perspectives 149 [July-August 1995].    Stubblefield, P. "Self-Administered Emergency Contraception -- A Second Chance." 339 New England Journal of Medicine 41 [July 2, 1998].    Wilks, J. A Consumer's Guide to the Pill and Other Drugs [1997]. Cites F. Grou and I. Rodrigues, "The morning-after pill: How long after?", 171 Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 1529-34 [1994].      

Homer, Alaska :: essays research papers

Where the land ends and the sea begins Homer is the hub of the lower Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, an area incomparably rich in natural wonders and recreational possibilities. The Kenai Peninsula is an Alaska in miniature, a combination of mountain and meadow, coastline and island. The backbone of the peninsula is the Kenai Mountain Range, which separates the rolling hills and salmon streams from the Gulf of Alaska and cradles the 1,000 square mile Harding Icefield, a trackless inland ocean of 3 million-year-old ice. Around Homer, rolling hills and ridges overlook Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet. Bears, wolves and moose roam the uplands; dozens of species of birds gather each spring to feed on the mudflats at the head of the bay. Until the early 1950s, Homer was accessible only by boat, airplane or driving the stony beach from Kenai. Paved road now strings together the coastal towns of Ninilchik, Anchor Point and Homer, affording impressive views of volcanic Mount Iliamna, rising more than 10,000 feet above the sea, and Mount Redoubt, which became active again in 1989 after a couple decades of slumber. Across Kachemak Bay, fabulously rich in marine life, mountains, glaciers and steep-walled fjords dramatically drop into the ocean. When wrapped in mist, the thick stands of spruce and hemlock lend an ethereal air to the secluded coves and bays. Seldovia, Nanwalek and Port Graham are ensconced in such sheltered recesses at the tip of the peninsula. The Southern Peninsula offers visitors an unparalleled blend of the wild and the picturesque, of vigorous life amid immemorial beauty, where glimpses of an eagle soaring, a salmon charging the rapids, or a sunset burnishing the mountain crests leave impressions that can never fade. Homer's population has grown to nearly 5,000 people, and the city serves as a trading and service center for nearly 10,000. It has a modern hospital, newspapers, public and commercial radio stations, a movie theater, thriving commercial and sport fishing fleets, and a high school that was honored in 1989 as one of the best in the nation. The Kachemak Bay area is the arts capital of South-central Alaska. An impressive group of professional and amateur artists provide residents with art shows, dance, music and drama throughout the year. The Homer Council on the Arts also regularly brings nationally- and internationally known performers to Homer. The area's major industry is commercial fishing, which pumps nearly $30 million a year into the local economy.

My Favourite Hobby

Good afternoon to all the judges, teachers, fellow contestants and audiences. I would grasp this honor today to tell about my favorite hobby. A hobby is a kind of amusement, an interesting pursuit which fruitfully occupies our leisure hours. There are many kinds of hobbies like collecting things, games and sports, photography, painting, reading or even gardening. Hobbies may be constructive, lucrative or even useful, but what really matters is that they provide constructive and interesting recreation. My favorite hobby is collecting stamps. I have a lovely album in which I fix the stamps.I have separate pages for each country. I also have separate pages for stamps on birds, animals, great leaders, historical movements and others. I have about 4000 stamps in all. My friends and relatives who are not stamp collectors will collect stamps for me. This has helped me to collect stamps from all over the world. I also exchange stamps with my friends. Whenever I get two or three identical sta mps, I immediately try to exchange them for one that I do not have. I have managed to collect some very rare and old stamps. Whenever the postal department issues a new stamp or a commemorative stamp, I will see that I buy them.There are many benefits from stamp collecting. The birds, fishes, dresses, people, buildings and other emblems on the stamps tell us about various countries, their culture, the lifestyles of the people and other things. It thus broadens our mental horizons and gives us a peep into history. Whenever I glance through my stamp album and look at my rare collections, I am filled with a sense of pride and joy. My hobby fills my leisure hours with interest and keeps my mind well occupied. My hobby will continue and with the passage of time, I am sure that I will have an extraordinary large stamp collection.

Effects of Too Much Technology in Children Essay

The effects of technology can be serious; from children not making it outside to ADD and ADHD. Most children spend more time in front of a television than they do playing outside with friends (â€Å"TV†). As more technology comes out every day, we have to set a limit for children. Being around too much technology can eventually affect you mentally. There are a lot of things now that could bring on ADD or ADHD, but there could be another cause. Studies have shown that technology is starting to play a major part. A study at Iowa State University showed that people who play video games for more than two hours a day have double the chances of developing an attention disorder (Pytel). Using too much technology can definitely affect someone mentally. Another setback about using too much technology is that it’s driving children away from going outside and playing with friends. Some children’s only contact with nature is through Discovery Channel or Nation Geographic Channel. You will barely ever see kids playing at the local park anymore. Not only has too much technology lead to driving kids away from nature, but also childhood obesity, laziness, and addiction to games and internet because of it. Parents need to take action and take their kids outside instead of letting them sit in front of a TV all day long (Mehta). Taking action is a must in order for kids to get away from the technological world. A big part of kids not making it outside is because of the media world advertising things electronic. Nowadays, everything from a cereal box to a TV show or commercial is advertising either a game or a TV show. Something’s advertise online virtual worlds that you can make your own â€Å"you†. Not only could this bring your child to more technology, but let them live in a virtual world and not the real world. Companies make online games that you have to tend to every day or you will lose coins or some sort of virtual money, thus bringing children even closer to the world of technology. Another thing is that television advertisements. On almost every children’s TV show there is a commercial for some video game or TV show that they just have to see. When kids see other kids, for example, playing video games online or off, they think that it’s okay to do that too. Notice that companies never set a limit on how much you can play every day. Instead of advertising video games, why don’t they start advertising getting outside and getting moving? Advertisements are a huge influence on kids. Too much technology usage can affect a child seriously. From childhood obesity and game addictions to ADD and ADHD, technology is starting to effect the next generation of tomorrow in a negative way.