Communication Studies Interal Assessment Essay

It is no secret that females are excelling in education and leadership at a faster rate than males. Our boys are being marginalized and girls are being considered more brilliant. This has personally grabbed my interest and consequently i have chosen to examine how well the GSAT prepares our males for high school level. For this Internal Assessment my attention will be centred on the extent to which the Grade Six Achievement Test prepares male students for academic progress and achieve in the future schools, and if the examination itself caters to their learning style. In the reflection of this assessment i will highlight some of the issues faced by males in preparation the GSAT and in the expository section of this i will discuss the issues and challenges brought out in the story, thus all contributes in achieving the purpose. Education is related to my academic interest as personally it pains my heart to see how boys in the Rockfort area and even the society at large are being marginalized. Even now, I teach a math class of about 10 students and not one of them are mails. In the future by whatever means possible i would like to make a difference in that. Having had this experience I now would like to help to offer my time and skills in assisting males preparing for GSAT or any other examination as a work related interest. Having gone through the system and being a high achiever myself I know there is a lot I have to offer which will eventually help even my own development. In all that, the purpose of the topic is t let my readers and listeners know that there are weaknesses in the GSAT that are affecting our males. Preface The purpose of the reflection is ultimately to highlight the some of the weaknesses in the GSAT that are affecting our males. It will also show the lack of preparation on getting male students ready to sit the examination. It will further look at the limitations to the curriculum in meeting the learning styles of males. The Ministry of Education on a broad scale will be the target in this story of the poor performance of the boys. The GSAT curriculum developers also will be targeted as to the reason for the poor performance of boys in the examination; they being the ones to set the structure of the examination. The setting of the story will take place in the community of Rockfort (Kingston 2). This is inclusive of a school known as the Windward Road Primary and Junior High school. Characters in the Story will communicate mainly interpersonally, but there may also be intrapersonal communication and small group communication in its minority. The point I wish to bring across in this story is that, the GSAT is not doing enough for our boys. It doesn’t meet the requirements of some the males sitting the examination. Males are rather more practically inclined, and oral in their expression. These things are to be taking into consideration when making the GSAT curriculum. Thus my final point is the GSAT is unsophisticated.

Lack of interest in mathematics Essay

This paper explores the behaviour, attitudes and beliefs of primary school pupils towards mathematics in the classroom and the impact that this may have on their mathematical ability. The study focused on year 3 pupils from a local school, some of whom took part in focus groups towards the end of the project. The children completed short worksheets, which were used to stimulate a guided discussion on what aspects of mathematics the children liked and disliked. The aim of this project was to isolate possible causes of negative attitudes towards mathematics and to discuss what their implications might be. Keywords: Primary, Attitudes, Purpose, Anxiety, Confidence, Language, Reflection Introduction Mathematicians have long held a high level of respect amongst their academic peers. Yet the subject of mathematics, although revered, remains a source of anxiety and trepidation for a large number of people. Widespread negativity towards mathematics appears in many forms, from misrepresentation in the media to the social stigma that seems to surround those who are mathematically gifted. Children often set mathematics aside as a cause for concern, despite their limited exposure to it (Hoyles 1982). It is a subject unlike most others, since it requires a considerable amount of perseverance from the individual in order to succeed. A negative attitude towards mathematics could considerably reduce a person’s willingness to persist with a problem. Without the ability to persevere, mathematical development is likely to be difficult. The purpose of this project is to determine the possible root causes of these negative attitudes towards mathematics. The study focused on Year 3 pupils from a local school, some of whom took part in focus groups. Three focus groups were carried out, each consisting of four children with similar abilities. Children were selected based on observations from previous visits. Subjects were chosen if they displayed strong feelings for or against mathematics, or if they were at the extremes of the ability range. The focus groups lasted for approximately 30 minutes and were broken into two parts. Firstly, the children were given 10 minutes to attempt four questions tailored to their ability range. The questions involved symmetry, arithmetic, a word problem and a problem solving exercise. The remaining time was used to discuss what the children felt about mathematics, using the worksheet as a focal point. It is hoped that this project will provide significant insights into why many children have a pessimistic outlook on mathematics and indicate where future research is needed. Mathematics and its apparent lack of purpose Children may find the nature of mathematics difficult to cope with as its wider reaching implications can be hard to see. Experiments are carried out for the physical sciences, From Informal Proceedings 29-1 (BSRLM) available at bsrlm.org.uk  © the author – 7 Joubert, M. (Ed.) Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics 29(1) March 2009 pictures are drawn in art class and language skills are used in everyday interactions with other people. However, mathematics has a very formal written sense about it, where activities remain intangible to the child. From the remarks I witnessed in the focus groups, it seems that children find it difficult to make a connection between the work they do on paper and its practical applications. The following transcript is taken from the high-ability focus group: Charlie: You need to be good with numeracy, say when you’re say, shopping for something – You need to work out how much you’re paying. You don’t have to be a genius at it, but you have to be quite good at it. f you’re a shopkeeper, and someone gave you like about  £20, and something was like  £15 and they didn’t know much how much to give them back. And if you didn’t know, you should learn more in your maths. It was rather surprising to see pupils across the entire ability range unable to make connections between mathematics and its many practical uses. Counting money was the only association that they were able to make, even though it had not been covered in recent work. It is interesting that the high achievers, although mathematically gifted, could not establish any more real world applications than the low achievers. However, the low achievers present more of a concern, as motivation to improve their mathematical understanding cannot be aided by their innate ability. Certainly, the children cannot be expected to make these connections without assistance from a teacher. In fact, some believe that the most effective teachers are connectionists (Askew et al. 1997), although perhaps there is currently insufficient emphasis on the practical uses of mathematics in the curriculum. Human nature does not favour futile endeavours; if a difficult task appears to have no purpose, then few will continue to follow it through. If low achievers are unable to see the wider benefits of having strong mathematical skills, then they may lack motivation, which is vital in a difficult subject such as mathematics. Understanding the purpose of mathematics should not only help to improve motivation, but could help in the actual formulation of concepts. In 1991, Harel and Tall discussed the importance of what they called ‘the necessity principle’: From Informal Proceedings 29-1 (BSRLM) available at bsrlm.org.uk  © the author – 8 Joubert, M. (Ed.) Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics 29(1) March 2009 This principle states that the subject matter has to be presented in such a way that learners can see its necessity. For if students do not see the rationale for an idea (e.g., a definition of an operation, or a symbolization for a concept), the idea would seem to them as being evoked arbitrarily; it does not become a concept of the students. (Harel and Tall, 1991 41) They believed that a notion is more likely to be abstracted successfully if the learner can acknowledge the necessity of the concept. In the context of this project, the learner needs to be aware of the purpose behind their work. For young learners, understanding the practical uses of mathematics could be sufficient to both motivate them and allow the necessity principle to be satisfied. Further research is required on this issue, as its scope may be greater than previously thought. As with all the findings in this project, the data was collected from a small sample group, and so it may be difficult to generalise to a larger population. However, based on the remarkable similarities between responses in this particular classroom and the general attitude towards mathematics in our society, I would suggest that the apparent lack of purpose in mathematics is a sentiment felt by many. Self-belief and mathematical ability Nothing was more evident during the focus groups than the lack of self-belief  shown by many of the children. Low and middle achievers quickly resigned themselves to failure, without truly attempting all of the questions on their worksheet. There was a consistent association of mathematics with ‘cleverness’, as many of the children felt not only that numeracy was harder than literacy, but that to be clever you had to be good at numeracy. In effect the children were implying that someone who excels in literacy will not be perceived as being clever unless they can display a similar exemplary ability in numeracy. As a result, children who perceived themselves to be weak felt that they would be incapable of solving harder mathematical problems. A girl from the middle-ability group remarked: Faye: I’m just going to do a simple answer, which is probably wrong. While some would say that any answer is better than no answer, Faye’s decision to give up and guess occurred before she had given any real consideration to the question. This example was typical of her low confidence in mathematics; an attitude which I believe greatly misrepresents her ability. Many of the children showed signs of anxiety whilst attempting the worksheets, shuffling awkwardly in their seats, glancing at their peers with worried expressions and making negative comments about the difficulty of the current task. Previous research into anxiety and mathematics (Hoyles, 1982) indicates that a connection may lie between an individual’s perceived ability and their level of success. The absolute nature of mathematics, where there is normally only one right answer, could add considerably to a negative attitude towards mathematics. Overall, girls expressed much lower confidence than boys, even among the high achievers. They frequently attributed success and failure to external factors, such as luck and the perceived difficulty of a question. In comparison, most boys recognised that success was due to their own ability, and that failure was caused by either a lack of effort or understanding on their part. Whilst this distinction was not absolute it did apply to the vast majority of pupils that took part in the focus groups. The difference  in attitudes towards mathematics between genders has been researched in depth by many, notably Stipek and Gralinski (1991). Although girls and boys are roughly equal in the league tables at GCSE level, there is a remarkable difference in A-level and University uptake. It is quite possible that primary school experiences are alienating girls from the subject, to the detriment of their long term mathematical development. The reason for this is currently unclear and warrants further From Informal Proceedings 29-1 (BSRLM) available at bsrlm.org.uk  © the author – 9 Joubert, M. (Ed.) Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics 29(1) March 2009 Undoubtedly, the teacher faces an uphill struggle trying to balance a diverse range of abilities and attitudes, an ever changing curriculum and strict time constraints. However, there are several outcomes of this project that should be considered by the education community. For example, it may be worth exploring how the children perceive mathematics and its uses outside of school. By improving the understanding of the uses of mathematics, pupils will hopefully see the benefits of developing strong mathematical skills for more than just academic purposes. Likewise, low self-belief is an issue that all teachers can attempt to address. We need to dispel the notion that mathematics is a subject limited to geniuses and that children of all abilities can be successful in the subject. The structure of the lesson and the time constraints of the school day should also be up for revision, as the current lesson format may not be the most efficient. The school curriculum is often subject to repetition, some of which may be avoidable with a subtle shift in lesson structure. Conclusion It is clear that children’s attitudes towards mathematics can be influenced by a wide variety of factors. This project has gone some way to identifying what a few of these factors might be, but there is still plenty of scope for future research. In particular, children’s views on practical uses of mathematics and the difference in attitudes between genders require further study. Additionally, the importance of reflection in primary education needs to be discussed in much greater detail. References Beth, E. and J. Piaget. 1966. Mathematical Epistemology and Psychology, Dordrecht: Riedel. Hoyles, C. 1982. The Pupil’s View of Mathematics Learning. Educational Studies in Mathematics 13 (4): 349-372. Dubinsky, E. 1991 Reflective Abstraction in Advanced Mathematical Thinking. In Advanced Mathematical Thinking, ed. D. Tall, 95-102. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Harel, G., and D. Tall. 1991. The general, the abstract and the generic in advanced mathematical thinking. For the Learning of Mathematics 11 (1): 38-42. Stipek, D. and H. Gralinski. 1991. Gender Differences in Children’s Achievement-Related Beliefs and Emotional Responses to Success and Failure in Mathematics. Journal of Educational Psychology 83 (3): 361-371. Askew, M., M. Brown, V. Rhodes, D. Johnson, and D. William. 1997. Effective Teachers of Numeracy: Final Report. London: Kings College. From Informal Proceedings 29-1 (BSRLM) available at bsrlm.org.uk  © the author – 12

Criminological Theory Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Criminological Theory - Term Paper Example Reason for such division of ideas is attributed to the increasing crimes committed these days by hard criminals, gangs and even ordinary teenagers. In the United States, more than 1.4 million cases accounted for violent crimes and about 15,500 homicides were reported (Schaefer, 2006). History has it that several prominent people like President James Garfield, President William McKinley, and President John Kennedy were all assassinated by criminals hired or not. Actors, actresses, singers and other talented individuals were also their easy targets. The irony of being killed and to kill is that it does not select victims. Even teenager these days are linked in killing innocent victims of their age. Recently, several mass shootings took place in workplaces and schools. The massacre in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, in Virginia Tech University with almost 50 victims and in Omaha Westwood Mall shocked a majority of the American population. Such incidences created various reactions and notio ns on crime, criminals involved, and punishments accorded them. To understand criminal events, the following questions are addressed: 1. What are the causes of school shootings? 2. How theories are utilized to predict and prevent the likelihood of similar crime to occur in the future? 3. What are the recommended penalties for the criminals involved in the crime? Body Etiology Crimes happen if criminal laws are violated and that it needs for that act to be penalized. School shootings are a form of crime thus involved teenagers should be held liable for their actions whatever reasons triggered them to do so. Since school shootings became common in the United States, experts start to identify causative factors in the commission of the crime. Accordingly, they believe that one reason is the role of popular Medias such as television, films, video games, and comic books. These kinds of exposure to children and teenagers have a great impact on how they behave within the society. The study of Buckingham (2000) supports such idea in arguing that the media provides a negative influence on children. He further explained that children are no longer protected from the violent world of adults. Gone are the days where films are not as violent these days. It is a common knowledge that modern films today are full of shootings, murders, rape scenes, and other violent scenarios which in turn influence the behavior of children to become aggressive. More so if the shooting is carried out by the main character of the film. The portrayed character is then executed by children either to their family, friends or classmates in school. Children become active agents rather than victims (Chandler, 2004). Although some claim those video games makes the mind of children alert and improves visual attention, not everybody agrees to it. Experts say that such advantages are outweighed with the negative effects it gives the children. Not only video games play a role in obesity, inattentiveness i n school and poor performance but it is implicated in aggressive thoughts and feelings. Video games are good teachers thus children can learn from them easily. The study of Gentile (2009) reveals those teenagers who are exposed to violent video games show desensitization of emotions. This is because they are already used to the violent scenes in

Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Film Analysis - Essay Example Despite his parents being in the film industry, Nakamura had not explored the field until his days in college. This is when he discovered film as a tool of empowering and inspiring the community. He was an Asian-American studies student, and he created his first film â€Å"Yellow Brotherhood†, which was about a youth basketball team in Los Angeles. The team mainly composed of the children whose fathers were founders of a Japanese-American anti-gang organization of â€Å"Yellow Brotherhood†. He aimed at producing films that involved and educated the youth. He observed that, watching educative documentaries can help a student to pass an examination. He used hip-hop music as soundtracks of his films as a way of attracting the attention of the youth because Hip hop music is highly associated with the youth. His thesis project was about Chris Iijima, who was a Japanese-American folk musician and Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell both were part of the Asian American movement of the 1960s (Friedbacher & Bubert 215). The pilgrimage was the first movie to focus on the reality of the World War II concentration camp experience that was never understood by the public. It showed how the children of the victims reclaimed the World War II camps. Pilgrimage was a film that brought into light the 9/11 world by featuring interviews with the Arab-Americans of the post 9/11 era. His father and grandparents were detained at the desolate internment camp. After the war, the government, his relatives and other Japanese-American survivors of the camps never shared their experiences in the camp. They chose to keep it as a secret as they saw it was something that was not appealing to be included in a conversation (Friedbacher & Bubert 234). Nakamura hoped that Pilgrimage, would shed some light to past and present events to the youth and hence inspire them. He spent most of his first year finalizing the film and making it ready for distribution to schools and colleges.

Case Study in Exerise Psychology ( Msc ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Case Study in Exerise Psychology ( Msc ) - Essay Example One such example can be identified in the case of Client A, a 29-year old male junior project manager in a multinational software developing company for almost two years. As he needs to work for five days from Monday to Friday and for 12 hours each day, it becomes quite difficult for him to continue with adequate physical exercise on a regular basis. Moreover, Client A is required to travel away for work frequently which again provides perceived barrier to the performance of regular exercises. Client A used to perform physical exercise regularly before joining the organization. Recently, he noticed an increase in body weight and reduction in the energy and enthusiasm in work. He was also becoming more stressed at the workplace because he was no longer able to devote sufficient time to his health which in turn started hampering his performance. The organisation encourages continuous professional development of their employees including constant monitoring and counselling by the prospe ctive senior officials. In one of the counselling sessions, the senior project manager found that the client was experiencing high levels of stress as a result of not being able to make sufficient time for personal development including regular physical exercise. Thus, he advised Client A to consult a sport psychologist who would efficiently guide him in maintaining his body fitness without compromising with his job responsibilities. Key Challenges Observed in the Case It is well-identifiable from the aforementioned case that the absence of physical exercise was creating a mental pressure on Client A signifying the effect of exercise on the mental health of a person. It was stronger in the current case as a result of Client A’s previous involvement in regular practitioner of physical exercise and has already been aware of its positive affects. This in turn influences his self-determination (the will to achieve a desired goal), self-confidence (the belief to achieve a desired performance) and physical anxiety (nervousness felt by an individual regarding his/her physical ability) to a certain extent (Weinberg & Gould, 2010). Due to the decrease in these factors, he tends to display emotional outburst in the workplace and possess an increased stress level. When first employed by the organisation, he was recognised as a consistent performer which is now noticeably reducing due to his increased stress levels and the resultant behaviour. Therefore, the key challenges for the sports psychologist are to determine ways in which Client A can participate in regular physical activity without compromising with his job responsibilities. These interventions should be based within the cognitive and humanistic approaches. In this regard, analyzing the various aspects regarding Client A’s psychological influence can also be termed a key challenge. Findings of the Case According to the self-determination theory, external environmental factors have a strong influenc e on the mental health of a person which determines their readiness for physical exercise (Ryan & Deci, 2007). The readiness can be further defined as autonomy, competence and relatedness (Ryan & Deci, 2007). It is worth mentioning that the various facets of self-determination theory are intrinsically related to the (Ryan & Deci, 2007). In order to implement the theory in the real practise to identify the various psychological and cognitive factors influencing Client A’s readiness to physical exercise, the psychologist implemented repetitive

Contemporary Architecture and Ecological Knowledge Essay

Contemporary Architecture and Ecological Knowledge - Essay Example The essay "Contemporary Architecture and Ecological Knowledge" discovers the impact of ecological knowledge in molding the architecture. The effectiveness of the design in terms of incorporating ecological concepts will be evaluated, and the validity of its scientific claims, will be seen. Lastly, the new directions in this area of creative pursuit will be identified, by additional ecological knowledge. â€Å"Our duty is to translate the codes of the ecological language in a poetic way, to marry beauty with respect for the environment† (The Dirt). Such were the words of Renzo Piano, the Italian architect, while discussing ecology and architecture with the local newspaper. In his design of the Academy of Sciences building in San Francisco, Piano makes the clear decision that creating a fine balance between natural and built environment, should be the driving theme in any new building. The 400,000-sq.-ft.structure, built at the cost of $488-million, is certainly an excellent end eavor of Piano, to bring together cutting-edge technology and green design in 3- dimensional form. An aquarium, a planetarium, and a natural history museum, are part of this building. The building also houses 20 million specimens, and provides a platform for scientific research. The architect’s sensitivity towards ecology can be clearly seen in the entire design, and most impressively in the design of 2.5 acre living green roof. Although Greens roofs are no new technology, but the idea of using green roof that can generate power is new.

Aeroflots global marketing approach in Russia & U.K Case Study

Aeroflots global marketing approach in Russia & U.K - Case Study Example No other industry is regulated such a degree on an international level. The aviation industry to still dominated by flag carriers, which have historically been molded by the political concerns of national governments but now are under threat from the low cost carriers. At a time of high competition, particularly on most profitable routes, the difficulties faced by airlines are compounded by the high exposure this industry from outside control. Volatility in fuel prices, war, international tourism, industrial action and the impact of illness such as SARS and Avian flu are some of the risks.The end of Soviet Union brought sweeping changes to the ownership and management of the industry with privatization and entry of new private businesses in the airline and airport sector. Presently only four commercial airlines -Aeroflot, Sibir, Pulkovo and UT Air - carry more than one million passengers a year. Aeroflot dominates the international market whilst in the domestic market it faces compet ition from the others (Sibir is the leading Russian domestic passenger carrier). Aeroflot provides 37.7% of the total seats supplied in the overall Russian-EU market with Lufthansa the next nearest carrier with 12.6%. As part of the privatization process, many of Aeroflot regional divisions became independent airlines and now compete with their former parent. Aeroflot is an open, joint stock company; with state owns 51% shares. Aeroflot flies to 126 destinations in 70 countries of the world. Russia has currently 215 registered airlines (267 in 2000), including 55 state-owned carriers, a number which is expected to decrease in the years to come with increased competition, more stringent governmental licensing procedures and the enforcement of higher safety requirements. Based on 2005 data, Aeroflot's share of the Russian airline market in terms of passengers carried would increase from 17% to about 35% on domestic routes and from 31% to 48% on international routes (i.e. from and to R ussia). In terms of total passengers carried on both domestic and international routes, Aeroflot will control a 41% market share vs. 23% on a stand-alone basis, with a huge gap between it and its nearest competitors - Sibir (12%), UTAir (5%) located in the oil-rich Khantimansiisk region, and VIM Avia (5%), a recently established charter carrier operating a fleet solely composed of foreign-made aircraft. Domestic expansion, in addition to bringing returns to scale, should have the effect of establishing domestic feeder routes that would ultimately provide a basis for renewed growth in Aeroflot's international business. 3. Standardization Vs. Adaptation: As a principal objective of the Russian government is to develop domestic air transport through major restructuring in order to increase efficiency and quality of services. The state would pay for the new shares with its stakes in the largest state-owned airlines: 100% state-owned Pulkovo, GTK Rossiya and Dalavia, Krasair (51%), Vladivostokavia (51%) and Sibir (25%). Aeroflot would hence end up with stakes in all of its major competitors, while the state would increase its ownership in Aeroflot. Aeroflot management and the state since late 2004 and was initially suggested as a way to increase the company's market capitalization. The larger free-float probably resulting in a higher market capitalization, the Russian flag carrier would also expand the scale of its operations on both international and domestic routes, which is important given

Economics of Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economics of Organisations - Essay Example Victor P. Goldberg (2008, pp. 1071-1084) states that the contract which was entered into between General Motors-Fisher Body (GM/FB) in the year 1919 was lawfully not enforceable. This realistic proof warranted the chronological significance of the institutional understanding of the economics of the firm founded on the minimization of transaction costs (Tirole,1988; Carlton and Perloff, 1994; Williamson, 1985; Ricketts, 1994). In a current publication of the Journal of Law and Economics (2000), law of economics of firm has received new explanations. Profounders like (Klein, 2000; Coase, 2000; Freeland, 2000; Casadesus-Masanell and Spulber, 2000;) have proposed that the leading clarification established on issues of sorting of information and transaction costs is an incorrect one. The explanation with regard to taking into account transaction costs, has failed or even neglected many other important causal factors of vertical integration. But according to Kelin (2000), the foremost hypothesis H0 is "holdup is the main rationale for vertical integration". Klein ( 2000, p 106) states that "the evidence unambiguously demonstrates that while the contract initially worked well, this contract broke down in 1925 when GM's demand for Fisher bodies increased dramatically. Fisher then refused to make the necessary capital investments required to produce bodies efficiently for GM, in particular refusing to build an important body plant close to GM production facility in Flint, Michigan. These contractual difficulties were the primary reason GM decide in 1926 to vertically integrate with Fisher Body" Whereas Coase (2000, p 15) states that Coase, alternatively, supports the idea that H0 is rejected by historical facts. To him, asset specificity is only a possible foundation for vertical integration which is not sufficiently adequate to validate vertical integration. According to him there are three reasons which stimulate arguments. They are: a. GM had only acquired 40% of the shares of FB which it had already owned. b. FB did not locate its plants far away from GM. c. Fisher Brothers did not use any incompetent methods of production. Thus it can be said that there was no holdup and thus the H0 was rejected by Coase and he suggested an alternative H1 which is: ""Asset specificity (with or without hold up) is normally handled satisfactorily with long term contracts without requiring vertical integration". According to Freeland (2000, p 35) vertical integration was "caused primarily by the desire to acquire and retain the specialized knowledge and services of the Fisher brothers". Thus Freeland also declines H0 and places more emphasis on human assets. He states that "Access to specialized human capabilities favours vertical integration which may, in turn, produce holdup situations". The H0 was also rejected by Casadesus-Masanell and Spulber (2000, 68). Conclusion: Alternatively, in more current combinings between economics of the firm and business history as in the case General Motor/Fisher Body, the previous difference still applies. Reference: 1. Crocker and Masten, 1996, "Regulation and administered contracts revisited: lessons from transaction-costs economics for public utility regulation", Journal of Regulatory Economics, 9, 5-36. 2. Carlton and Perloff, 1994, Modern

Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Leadership Coursework

Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Leadership - Coursework Example I understand your current dilemma, and I am glad that you are seeking further insight into the issue. The Kohlberg Model is of critical importance in this situation as it can help you analyze the level of ethics you should exhibit. Although the issue at hand deals with accepting a small gift from a customer, my advice to you will be applicable in other situations in the future. As an employee who has worked for the company for a long time, it is important to begin appreciating the universal ethical principle that Kohlberg described in stage 6 of his model. There is a need for an individual to examine any action in a categorical manner before proceeding with it (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2013). When acting in conformity to this stage, an individual will be displaying moral maturity because he or she will do what is right not because they are afraid of punishment, but because they realize that it is the right thing to do. In your current situation, accepting a gift from a customer even if it is of a small value is a contravention of the company’s code of ethics. In additio n, universal business ethics do not promote such behavior. Therefore, I hope you will reconsider the company’s code of ethics as well as the universal ethical principles in your effort to exhibit ethical behavior in the current situation. Notably, if you act in accordance in accordance with the sixth stage of Kohlberg Model, you will realize that it will be much easier to make ethical decisions in the future (Klikauer,

Capital Market Essay Example for Free

Capital Market Essay ~ Capital market is the market for leading and borrowing of medium and long term funds. ~ The demand for long-term funds comes from industry, trade, agriculture and government (central and state). ~ The supply for funds comes from individual savers, corporate savings, banks, insurance companies, specialized financial institutions and government. *SIGNIFICANCE: ~ A sound and efficient capital market is extremely vital for the economic development of a nation. ~ So, the significance of capital market has increased. ~ The following points clearly bring out the role and significance of capital market in India. i)CAPITAL FORMATION: ~ Capital market encourages capital formation as it ensures speedy economic development. The process of capital formation includes collection of saving effective mobilisation of these savings for productive investment. ~ Thus three distinctive inter-related activities i.e. collection of savings, mobilisation of savings and investment lead to capital formation in the country. ~ The volume of capital formation depend s on the efficiency and intensity with which these activities are carried on. ii) ECONOMIC GROWTH: ~ Capital market plays a vital role in the growth and development of an economy by channelising funds in developmental and productive investments. ~ The financial intermediaries channel funds into those investments that are more important for economic development. iii) INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT: ~ Capital market promotes industrial development and motivates industrial entrepreneurship. ~ It provides cheap, adequate and diversified funds for industrial purposes such as expansion, modernisation, technological upgradation, establishment of new units, etc. ~ It also provides services like provision of underwriting facilities, participation in equity capital, credit-rating, consultancy services, etc. vi) MODERNISATION AND REHABILITATION OF INDUSTRIES: ~ Capital markets also contribute towards modernisation and rehabilitation of industries. ~ Developmental financial institutions like IDBI, IFCI, ICICI, etc provide finance to industries to adopt modern techniques and new upgraded machinery. ~ They also participate in the equity capital of industries. v) RIVIVAL OF SICK UNITS: ~ Commercial and financial institutions provide adequate funds to viable sick unit to overcome their industrial sickness. ~ Bank and FIs may also write off a part of the loan or re-schedule the loan to offer payment flexibility to weak units. vi) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: ~ The financial intermediaries in the capital market stimulate industrial entrepreneurship by providing technical and advisory services like preparation of feasibility reports, identifying growth potential, and training entrepreneurs in project management. ~ This promotes industrial investment and leads to economic development. vii) DEVELOPMENT OF BACKWARD AREAS: ~ Capital markets provide funds for projects in backward area and facilitate their economic development. ~ Long-term funds are also provided for development projects in backward / rural areas. viii) EMPLOYMENT GENERATION: ~ Capital markets provide Direct Employment in capital market related activities like stock markets, banks and financial institutions. ~ Indirect Employment is provided in all the sectors of the economy through various funds disbursed for developmental projects. ix) FOREIGN CAPITAL: ~ Capital markets make it possible to generate foreign capital by enabling Indian firms to raise capital from overseas market through bonds and other securities. ~ Such foreign exchange funds have a great impact on the economic development of the nation. ~ Moreover, foreign direct investments (FDIs) also bring in foreign capital as well as foreign technology that leads to greater economic development. x) DEVELOPMENT OF STOCK MARKETS: ~ Capital markets lead to development of stock markets by encouraging investors to invest in shares and debentures and to trade in stocks. ~ FIIs are also allowed to deal in Indian stock exchange. xi) FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS: ~ Financial institutions play a major role in capital markets. ~ They provide medium / long term loan to industrial and other sectors and also undertake project feasibility studies and surveys. ~ They refinance commercial banks and rediscount their bills of exchange. ~ They provide merchant banking services. ~ They subscribe to equity capital of the firms. xii) INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY: ~ Capital markets provide various alternative sources of investment to the people. ~ People can invest in shares and debentures of public companies and earn good returns. xiii) INVESTMENT IN INDUSTRIAL SECURITIES: ~ Secondary market in securities encourage investors to invest in industrial securities by providing facilities for continuous, regular and ready buying and selling of these securities. ~ This facilitates industries to raise substantial funds from various sectors of the economy. xiv) RELIABLE GUIDE TO PERFORMANCE: ~ Capital market serves as a reliable guide to the performance of corporate institutions. ~ It values companies accurately and thus promotes efficiency. ~ This leads to efficient resource allocation and economic development. *CONCLUSION: ~ Thus we can say that capital markets play a crucial role in the economic development of a nation. ~ A sound and efficient capital market is one of the most instrumental factors in the development of a nation.

Uncontrolled Proliferation of Cells: Lung Cancer

Uncontrolled Proliferation of Cells: Lung Cancer Exhibit the uncontrolled proliferation of cells and constant progress of malignant cells in the body. 1.6.2.1. Lung Cancer: The normal lungs tissues are composed by normal cells and they are intending to determine the right size, appropriate shape and the normal function of the lungs. In a cancerous cell, the genetic material DNA is altered by the encoding of the genes which are responsible for the transformation of normal cells into muted or cancerous cells. The lung cancer is classified into two major categories, known as small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The SCLC is exceptionally assertive, and it spreads all over the body very rapidly. A high percentage of the lung cancer patients, when diagnosed, are already in metastatic phase of the disease (48). NSCLC is the most common type oflung cancer. It usually grows and develops gradually, and progress at moderate rate as compared tosmall cell lung cancer. Therefore, it is treatable most of the times when NSCLC is diagnosed. 1.6.2.1.1. Risk Factors for Lung Cancer: Research has proposed numerous risk factors that may contribute to enhance the chances of getting lung cancer. They may include air pollution, and exposure to inorganic compounds. Additionally, family history, use of tobacco, mineral oil exposure, and occupational contact may contribute to the development of lung cancer. Furthermore in certain cases it was also observed that the previous cancer and treatment, silica interaction, inhalation of welding fumes, are also responsible for developing lung cancer in humans as well. 1.6.2.2. Blood Cancer: Blood is a unique type of body fluid. The main component of blood is plasma, which is a yellowish high viscous liquid and is more than 90% of the blood. The solid material present in the blood consist of platelets, red and white blood cells, whereas whole blood is a mixture of about 55 percent plasma and 45 percent blood cells. It has been observed that 7 to 8 percent of the total body weight is consist on blood whereas an average-sized man has about 12 pints of blood in his body, and an average-sized woman has about 9 pints of blood (49). The blood looks like a red fluid due to the presence of a great numbers of red blood cells called erythrocytes, and more than 40 – 45 % of blood volume consist of erythrocytes. The leukocytes are white blood cells and they are part of our immune system. The task of immune system is to offer defense to the body of an organism against undesirable entities present inside the body as well as in the environment. Another specialized type of white blood cells is neutrophil, which get stimulated immediately after the invasion of any foreign particles and disease causing agent to the body. Blood plasma is composed of 92% of water and 8% plasma proteins, mineral ions, glucose, clotting factors and carbon dioxide, serum albumin, lipoprotein particles, immunoglobulin electrolytes, etc. Blood plays a vital role in keeping an organism alive. If for some reason blood is not healthy enough or it is not able to perform its functions properly, the situation could be life threatening. Blood performs many different functions inside the body that include, supplying oxygen and nutrients all over the body. It has specific proteins that help in forming blood clots to avoid excessive blood loss, which is a natural mechanism for the repair of cells. In addition, it manages waste products such as urea; lactic acid and carbon dioxide by collecting from our body take them to the kidneys and liver, which sieve out harmful species from blood. Furthermore, blood normalizes and maintains normal body temperature. It also keeps the normal pH inside the body. The homeostasis mechanism remains dependent on regular circulation of blood inside the body. Blood maintains pressure inside the body in order to coup the out side pressure i.e. atmospheric pressure exerted by air and this pressure i s approximately 14lb/ sq inch (50). There are various types of blood cancer that have been discovered in human beings. The most frequent diagnosed blood cancers areleukemia, lymphoma, andmyeloma. All cellular blood components are derived fromhaematopoietic stem cells. The hematopoietic process is controlled through a series of chemical reactions, which are regulated with the support of immune system. A failure in any of these steps can lead to the uncontrolled division of immature blood cells. These types of malfunction can occur due to a variety of reasons, including spontaneous gene mutation and chromosomal aberrations and exposure to chemicals and radiations etc. Blood cancer is the result of abnormal development of bone marrow or the collapse of lymphatic system. Malignancies caused by blood cancer have shown distinct rate of augmentation that are directly associated with the type of blood cancer, and patient’s capacity of tolerance. However, rate of survival with blood cancer has dramatically increased in late 20th century due to the improvement of invasive treatment and the development of new strategies with the compliance of revolutionary medicines. Despite this fact, the timely diagnosis of blood cancer is highly manageable in these days. Like every cancer, blood cancer also starts from a single cell that has abnormal or mutant DNA in its nucleus. That muted cell divides rapidly and forms a bulk of abnormal cells. This bulk of cells, rather than maturing and completing its life cycle and following a pattern of natural death, it starts accumulating in the body of an organism until the individual is diagnosed with blood cancer. Nevertheless the causes of blood cancer remain unidentified. However, it is imperative to know the rationale explanation for the initiation of these irregularities in the bone marrow, which is the main cause of transformation of a healthy cell to cancerous cell. 1.6.2.2.1. Risk Factors for Blood Cancer: The immune system has an assigned and a prominent role endowed by nature, which is to provide protection to a body against internal and external factors that may initiate a chain of disorders and in turn can cause serious consequences for the body in the form of disease. The defective or damaged immune system cannot perform in adequate manners and therefore, in this situation, the risk of having cancer increases at the magnitude of many folds. Certain factors that can influence the immune system are exposure to viruses and chemicals. Furthermore, contaminated environment and infections have also been associated with poor defense system and, consequently, have been linked to a cause of blood cancer as well. It is also reported that there are many other cancer triggering agents such as tobacco, radiation exposure, growing older, and family history, which may also contribute to the etiology of blood cancer. Blood cancer may also be inherited but cancer usually skips generations and can be transmitted to more than one member of a family. There are two types of blood cancer; chronic type of blood cancer develops slowly over a period of years while acute cancer develops rapidly and when it diagnosed it could be too late to be cured (51). 1.6.2.3. Breast Cancer: Although it has been observed that the occurrences of cancer have considerably decreased in United States in last three decades. The breast cancer is still at the top among the other types of cancers in European nations such as Spain, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Italy (52). It has been observed that for a long period of time breast cancer was the foremost cause of death in North America and Northern Europe (53) while least number of breast cancer cases were registered in Asia and Africa. In addition, other countries such as Southern Europe and Latin America show that the number of breast cancer patients remains the same and not very distinct among the other types of cancer (54). Therefore, it is a distinguished feature that could be monitored and enable the scientist to a point where they can speculate the reasons for the existence of this type of trend. Moreover, they were being able to establish some guidelines that were helpful in determining the order of severity of the disease in these regions. Breast cancer is known to have a long latency period; there may be several decades between the initiation of the carcinogenic process and clinical detection (55). Environmental factors during embryogenesis, childhood, and adolescence may affect breast cancer occurrence in adulthood by enhancing or deterring carcinogenic processes (56). The embryo develops rapidly and toxic agents that do cross the placental barrier can have specific effects on organ development depending on the time at which the exposure occurs (57). Even though breast tissue begins to differentiate by the fourth week of development, the breast has distinct features among body parts in contrast to other body parts in that it remains relatively unchanged until puberty or later. Environment in which we live and breathe is already contaminated with various types of chemicals. These chemicals present in the environment can behave as an impersonator of certain hormones and they can impact the other chemical reactions inside the body of an organism, as well as the cell division. Some breast tumors depend on estrogen for their occurrence and progression. The chemicals and trace elements that can influence the metabolism of estrogen, prop the development of breast tumor. For example, preliminary research suggests that the exposure to an environment that is contaminated with estrogen 4-octylphenol is highly linked with the risk of breast cancer (58). In another study it was found that the metal ions in the environment are capable of promotion of DNA double-strand breaks and the process of strand-breakage is complicated however it has the ability to replicate the altered DNA. This is probably the consequence of conversion of a DNA single-strand break into double-str and breaks (59). Nevertheless, the authors have reached the consensus that the metals ions have the ability to initiate many trails that can make a cell vulnerable and expose it to toxic elements, which could increase the risk of breast cancer. Antioxidants that have selenium as an essential part of their structure can provide protection by pursuing free radicals in the upper lining of epithelial cells in the breast. 1.6.2.3.1. Risk Factors for Breast Cancer: The involvements of certain factors, which are consistently found in the history of cancer patients, are known to be as â€Å"established risk factors†. For instance, getting older and having regular menstrual periods earlier or going through menopause later in life are considered as established risk factors. Moreover, having a first baby late in life or not having any pregnancy in their life time is well known established risk factor. It was also observed that the risk was significantly elevated among those who have family history of having breast cancer in their blood relatives such as mother or sisters and the siblings of parents as well. It is also important that the breast cancer victim have the radiation exposure in their record (64). A study shows that trace elements exposure increases the risk of breast cancer occurrence as well. 1.7. Cancer and Trace Elements: The physiochemical properties of a metal greatly contribute to the determination of the toxicity of their compounds such as oxidation state, charge and ionic radii, the coordination number, ionization potential, etc. The similar physiochemical properties of a toxic metal, such as charge and size as those of essential ions, may compete for the biological binding sites of the latter and cause structural perturbations resulting in peculiar function of biochemical macromolecules. 1.7.1. Cancer and Chromium: Chromium is a human carcinogen primarily through inhalation exposure in occupational settings. Although lung cancer has been established as a consequence of hexavalent chromium exposure in smokers and nonsmokers, some cancers of other tissues of the gastrointestinal and central nervous systems have also been noticed (65). Several studies of the chrome-plating industry have demonstrated a positive relationship between cancer and exposure to chromium compounds (66). The chromium (VI) compounds are toxic and carcinogenic. These compounds have a wide range of capabilities and can contribute to the development of cancer. The bronchial tree is the major target organ for carcinogenic effects of chromium (VI) compounds. Chromium (VI) is a powerful epithelial irritant and a confirmed human carcinogen. Cancer primarily occurs following inhalation exposure and uptake in the respiratory organs. This is of great significance with respect to the subsequent risk of lung cancer in humans. IARC has stated that chromium and certain chromium compounds have shown sufficient evidences for considering the chromium as a carcinogen for humans. Moreover, the most recent carcinogenic risk of chromium and its compounds was evaluated in another study and an increased incidence of lung cancer has been observed among workers in the chromate producing industry. In addition, it was observed that the chromium alloy workers were diagnosed with lung cancer (67-69). The findings were consistent with the hypothesis that soluble hexavalent chromium compounds are potent human lung carcinogens (70). Subsequently, the same was reported by a prospective cohort study of the same cohort of 1,193 workers at small Japanese plating facilities, while a trend toward statistical significance for risk of lung cancer was seen in the chromium plating subgroup (71). Several studies have shown that chromium (VI) occupational exposure was identified as an important risk factor of lung cancer. Higher percentage of SCLC was found in chromium exposed individuals (72). 1.7.2. Cancer and Selenium: The epidemiological survey and the data collected by several scientists have irrefutably reported that selenium is an antioxidant and can be used as an inhibitor of cancer. The flux in genetic material generated by carcinogens or endogenous means has been believed to be crucial for the development of cancer. The role of selenium in a biological system as an anti-carcinogen and the extent of its protective behavior are not implausible. It has been widely recognized, and recommended that the combination of vitamin E, selenium and methionine must be taken as an essential nutrient, however the dose has the ultimate edge over the recommended theory (37). The role of selenium as an essential trace mineral in human health and disease is currently a subject of keen interest. The essential role of selenium for animals was discovered in the 1950s (73) and for humans in the 1970s (74). Selenium has shown to benefit in reducing the risk of cancer incidence and mortality in all cancers, and specifically in liver, prostate, colon-rectal and lung cancers (75). 1.7.3. Lung Cancer and Chromium: Industrial uses of hexavalent chromium compounds include inks, chromate pigments in dyes, anticorrosive agents to paints, and plastics. The use of chromates is tremendously increased due to the development of high technology, such as chromic acid is utilized for electroplating and ornamental purposes as well. Hexavalent chromium can also be formed when performing jobs at elevated temperature such as welding metallic objects. The high temperature favors the conversion of chromium, from one oxidation state to another oxidation state and most likely during the process of welding or coating, the chromium transforms into chromium (VI) (76). Therefore, the excess risk can be contemplated to be the result of exposure to hexavalent chromium. It is important to measure hexavalent chromium exposure and lung cancer risk along with cigarette smoking as a risk factor as well. As a whole, the chromium exposure was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer (77). Hexavalent chromium is not on ly a carcinogenic form of chromium, its adverse health effects have long been known as a risk factor as is reported by Mancuso (78-79). The International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that chromium and certain chromium compounds were known as human carcinogens (80). The Recommended Exposure Limit (REL) for hexavalent chromium is 1 g Cr/m3 (approximately 2 g CrO3/m3) (81). An elevated risk of lung cancer among workers in chromate production facilities has previously been reported. This excess risk is accepted to be the result of exposure to hexavalent chromium. However, the results of other studies indicate that moderate or heavy exposure to zinc chromate may give rise to a severe risk of developing lung cancer, but that exposure is relatively mild or lasts less than a year and may not constitute an effective risk (82). 1.7.4. Blood Cancer and Trace Elements: Bone marrow is the soft tissue located in the cavities of bones and is the source of generating all types of blood cells. It has been observed that the malfunction, nutrient deficiency and the trace elements alteration leads to a condition where the risk of cancer escalates considerably. The various types of blood cancers have been discovered, and it would be very difficult to explain all of them individually. Therefore, it is appropriate to use the general term ‘cancer’ where it permits for all types of blood cancers to be characterized without mentioning their names separately. There are multiple reasons as to why the normal bone marrow starts developing malignant cells. It has been observed that there is a depletion of bone-marrow cells due to deficiencies of trace elements (83). A study revealed remarkable alteration in thetrace elemental concentration of zinc and selenium in both pre-cancer and cancer patients as compared to the control group. In this study it was concluded that there is a critical relationship between alternation in the level oftrace elements, oxidative stress and leukoplakia (84). Another study has suggested that the trace element concentration in the blood of cancerous and controls subjects present a significant difference and it can be related distinctively to the carcinogenesis (85). For instance, copper deficiency affects various physiological characteristics that may be important in immunological defense to pathogenic challenge (86), while certain trace elements level in leukemia patients are considerably higher as compared to the normal individuals (87). Trace elements play an important role in biological processes through their action as activators or inhibitors of enzymatic reaction, or by influencing the permeability of cell membrane or by their essential role as direct anti-oxidant enzymes (88-89). Several researchers have found that the depressed antibody response is the result of deficiency of certain trace elements (90-92). Therefore, malfunctioning of the immune system which in turn creates a suitable environment for the development of leukemia and it has especially demonstrated a high negative correlation between the selenium content of soil and the mortality ofleukemia (93). 1.7.5. Breast Cancer and Trace Elements: Breast tissue is unique due to its complex hormonal influences and dramatic changes during various life events. Individual hormonal levels and metabolism are affected by environmental factors as well and some frequently used chemical and metals that have the ability to disrupt endocrine function and thus mimic the effects of estrogen (94). On a daily basis we interact with various chemicals and some of them are naturally present in our environment and others are the by-products of several industrial process. The breast is a sensitive organ and it responds to even a minor event that occurs in the form of chemical changes inside the body. However, the exposure of certain elements brings changes in the concentration levels present in our body even though these elements are indispensable for the life and also have significant importance for our livelihood. These elements play a very critical role in the body and in certain amount they are advantageous. However, their concentration variat ion may impact the gene activation and is an example of gene-environment interaction as well. For example, in a study it was mentioned that if a woman is already exposed to an organic complex known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) she still does not have an extraordinary risk of developing breast cancer. While in another research work it has been reported that if a woman shows the combination of both factors, such as if she already has been exposed to PCBs and exhibits the alteration in their CYP1A1 gene, she has immense chances to develop breast cancer in her life time (95). For example, the result of a recent study suggests that cigarette smoke exerts a dual action on the breast, with different effects in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. It is relevant because investigators found an association between environmental carcinogens and putativeendocrinedisruption and risk ofbreast cancer (96). Selenium is an important cofactor in the production of antioxidant enzymes that may influence cancer progression. However, the findings suggest that selenium intake before breast cancer diagnosis may improve breast cancer-specific survival and overall survival (97). On the other hand, the association between selenium and breast cancer has been studied and it was concluded that selenium levels were significantly lower among patients suffering from breast cancer. However contrary reports were also submitted by other researchers and they concluded that they did not find any direct relationship between selenium levels in the blood of patients and breast cancer (98). A study was conducted on Dutch women aged 55–69 years. In this study they tried to find out the association between selenium and breast cancer. The analysis was based on the diagnosis of breast cancer in various patients between one and more than three years. It was found that selenium concentration was considerably lower in the blood of individuals diagnosed earlier during follow-up process. The authors provided no evidence for an inverse association between selenium status and breast cancer (98). 1.8. Analytical Techniques: Analytical techniques are the basic tool for the analysis of chemical elements from major to smaller trace levels in variety of matrices. These tools provide complete information about the composition of a simple to complex substrate and these techniques are usually applied for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of samples of interest. There are many types of analytical techniques available for the analysis of elements in biological matrices in terms of their sensitivity and accuracy. The choice of an analytical technique is contingent to many factors, such as the nature of the problem, type of the sample, elements of interest, and moreover the attention of the analyst that dictates the end use of analytical results (99). However, there are some other traits that may also influence the use of a particular technique for the elemental analysis, for instance the principle, and instrumental limitations. Therefore, every analytical technique may not be considered appropriate for the analysis of certain elements. Moreover, the interference due to the presence of other elements and due to the instrumental technology is another important contributing factor in selection of an analytical technique, as well as the intentions of the scientist which inadvertently dictates the results the analyst would like to obtain from the experiment. A few analytical instrumental techniques are concisely discussed with their limitations and preferences over one another because of their sensitivity and accuracy for the analysis of certain trace elements in human whole blood. 1.8.1. Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometry (ICP): The Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) is a multi-elemental technique that has ensured its place with established techniques such as atomic absorption spectroscopy and x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. It has detection limits that are usually attainable at the parts per billion (ppb) levels, while most of the samples are introduced in liquid form as aqueous solutions. The technique has widespread applications in the fields of metallurgy, geology, environment, agriculture, industries, and biology. The excitation source for ICP is argon plasma that operates at atmospheric pressure and sustained by inductive coupling to a radio frequency electromagnetic field. The plasma furnishes a chemically inert, high temperature environment that is very effective for vaporization, atomization, ionization and excitation of the sample material that is injected into it. Two types of ICPs are discussed here: 1.8.1.1. Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry: The Inductive Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) is inherently a multi-element technique with two types of spectrometer configurations that are used to detect the atomic emission radiations of elements of interest. Simultaneously, Poly-chromators are used for multielement analysis and mono-chromators for sequential multi-element analysis (100). The ICP-AES consists of an excitation sources for atomic emission and a spectrometer that helps in order to detect the emission spectra. Changes in the concentration of coexistent elements may generate gradual changes in the background. These background shifts are assumed to have great importance for the determinations and are made at declining concentration levels. However the stray light may be responsible for this effect (101). The disadvantage of this technique is that some elements readily form non-emitting and refractory oxides that result in an underestimation of their concentration. 1.8.1.2 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry: In this set up, the ICP source is mounted horizontally and the sample is introduced into the plasma by standard ICP nebulization process. The mass spectrum can be recorded in a short period of time i.e. approximately one minute, and can enable the instrument to analyze the sample at a faster rate than the conventional mass spectrometric technique. The advancement in technology has made the ICP-MS more efficient, and improved its performance due to altering its design of the interface between the atmospheric plasma and the vacuum spectrometer. ICP-MS is incredibly sensitive, with its detection limits of parts per billion (ppb) for most of the elements and exhibit comparatively less spectral interferences. This technique is particularly useful in the analysis of rare earth elements, and appropriate for the analysis of the actinides. These are characterized to produce complex optical spectra. The natural applications of the ICP-MS technique include isotope ratio measurements and isotope dilution analysis as well (101). The emission techniques always presented an incomplete resolution of radiations emitted by the analyte and the back ground interferences. The high temperature supports transitions to various excited states of the atom thus the wavelength of the emission line selected for an analyte may coincide with a line emitted by another component of the sample i.e. direct spectral overlap or the two lines may be so close that they partially overlap i.e. partial or wing overlap with each other. If these lines are not disti nctively separated, the spectral interference may occur, and hence demonstrates a counterfeit level that is higher than the true concentration of the respective element. The ICP-MS is not a pertinent analyzing technique for noble gases. Similarly, halogens and some non-metals are difficult to be analyzed by setting standard parameters of this technique. In addition to that, poor sensitivity of ICP may also be observed for alkali metals. Another disadvantage of this technique is the spectral overlapping generated by the interferences of polybaric, polyatomic and doubly charged ions. As a result, elements like manganese, vanadium, and arsenic are sometimes difficult to determine with good precision at low concentration with ICP-MS. The technique imparts accuracy for solutions; therefore, sample dissolution procedures are recommended, however dissolution may involve additional steps for sample preparation and consequently add up contamination in analyte and introduce more problems to the method of analysis. Therefore, it is not recommended for high purity materials and for those samples that have low levels of elements concentration. In this technique, varieties of interference are met, such as nebulization interferences, transfer and desolvation interferences, chemical interferences, ionization interferences, and atomization and volatilization interferences (102). All interferences introduce the transformation or rotation of the calibration curve. However, ICP-MS is a technique that offers reduced spectral and isotopic interferences. 1.8.2 Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (ASV): The most sensitive analytical technique is anodic stripping technique (ASV) that is convenient and cost effective analytical method for the detection and quantization of metals in drinking water as well as in biological materials (103). The advantage of this technique is that the various metals such as Pb, Cd and Cu can be analyzed simultaneously. The ASV can be considered as a small scale electroplating experiment. The metals are present as an ion form in the solution, and are plated on an electrode by applying a negative potential that initiate deposition on it for a specific period of time. The deposition serves to concentrate the metal ion from the solution on the electrode as metal (0). For example, if the electrode is mercury, the metals often develop a form of amalgam on it. After deposition the potential is switched towards positive potential. The peaks of the current appear at a point where potential corresponds to the oxidation of metal as they are oxidized and back strippe d from the electrode into the solution. The peak height/ area can be correlated with the concentration of the metal ions in the solution. It is necessary to calibrate the procedure with the standard solutions of known quantities of respective metal ions. Along with advantages of ASV, some disadvantages are also associated with this technique as well. For instance, only mixture of metals can be analyzed, however the analysis time is longer than usually taken by spectroscopic method. In addition, the technique is extraordinary sensitive for interferences as well. It is also important to start the analysis by a profe

William Blakes Songs of Innocence Essay -- essays research papers

William Blake's Songs of Innocence, â€Å"The Shepherd,† â€Å"The Echoing Green,† The Little Black Boy,† â€Å"The Blossom,† and â€Å"Laughing Song.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  William Blake wrote many poems during his lifetime. He had a set of poems called The Songs of Innocence and also a set called The songs of Experience. This paper is focusing on five poems from the Songs of Innocence, which are: â€Å"The Shepherd,† â€Å"The Echoing Green,† The Little Black Boy,† â€Å"The Blossom,† and â€Å"Laughing Song.† â€Å"The Shepherd† is a very short two stanza poem in which Blake tells about a shepherd who stays with his flock morning and night praising them. The second stanza consists of the shepherd hearing the lamb’s innocent call and the ewe’s soft reply. The shepherd watches the lambs in peace and they know that he is not.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Echoing Green† is longer than â€Å"The Shepherd.† It is a three stanza poem with an AABBCC rhyme scheme. It is about a field or park where there are birds flying and bells ringing. There are young people playing sports, while the old people are sitting under a tree talking about what they used to do on the echoing green in their youth. They stay until the little ones are weary and can no longer be merry. Then the sun goes down and the sports have to end. The sisters and brothers sit on their mothers laps and rest. No more sports are seen on the darkening green. â€Å"The Little Black Boy† is a seven stanza poem with an ABABCDCD rhyme scheme. It is about a ...

Rap :: essays research papers

Throughout the past years, rap and all other types of music artist use their music to express their views, opinions and feelings in their songs. From their lyrics, you will have a little understanding towards what they see and feel about the society. The artists should be happy because this is a freedom of speech country and they can compose any types of music to express themselves. Although there are voices saying rap music should be censored and it has been influencing youth’s mind, but is rap music negatively influencing the youths’? There is a survey from the United States saying 48% Americans think popular music should be heavily regulated and 59% Americans wanted to restrict violence in music. However, there were no studies providing evidence towards a cause and effect relationship between violence, sex and behavioral effect. Even if there are studies, artist and composer will not be concerned about the regulations and/or rules. From this ignorance, this is how v iolence in rap music begins.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rap is defined as a form of popular music developed especially in African-American urban communities and characterized by spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics with a syncopated, repetitive rhythmic accompaniment. In the early '90's, rap music was beginning to be popular, and there were two different rapper groups: the East and West Coast. The wars between these two groups were not quite obvious until East Coast rappers began to get more publicity. West Coast rappers were upset and jealous so that they started to make fun of East Coast rappers through their music. East Coast rappers made revenge at West Coast rappers and the war has continue until one day, there was voices saying the other coast had gone too far. Nonetheless, West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur had a personal feud with the East Coast rapper The Notorious B.I.G.. In one of Tupac’s song, he proclaimed he had slept with the Biggie’s wife and Notorious B.I.G. revenged by saying â€Å"stupid niggaz mess with Big Poppa, motherf**kers get roasted if you f**k wit B.

College Athletes Must be Held to the Same Standards as Full-Time Studen

Despite a tendency for institutions to be lenient with college athletes, as they enjoy the benefits of full-time-student status, they must be held to the same standards as non-athlete students. Every institution has an obligation to set attendance rules; students who attend these institutions have an obligation to abide by them, however, in actuality, professors chose whether or not they’re enforced. This may cause significant problems between other students targeting a player, rather than who is responsible, the Professor. Although institutions want their students equally treated, diversity is well accepted. Existence as a college athlete contributes to diversity as well as a substantial amount of favoritism. Issues arise pertaining to how one may view an institution as well as the institution itself, due to an athlete’s gift. Though athletics contribute to a decrease in anxiety and stress, in some cases, facts show otherwise. Furthermore, every institution has a set o f rules pertaining to attendance policies, that every student, including athletes need to follow. Most institutions have similar attendance polices. Their policies include: attending regular classes on time, fully comprehending the syllabus for every class, prompt notice to instructor regarding absences due to competition and/or travel, once a certain amount of days have been missed the student is dropped, and failure to properly communicate with instructor may result in a failing grade. Policies have acknowledged the student-athlete is fully responsible for communicating with their professors regarding their attendance. They have also acknowledged students are not entitled to a certain number of absences. Most importantly, policies have stated the importance of in... ...Q Educause Quarterly.NDP. Web. 28 November 2011. Educause Quarterly Magazine, Volume 30, Number 2. 2007. www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/clickerintheclassroomanactive/157458 Pros, Cons on pay for play: yahoo. USA Today. 31 August 2004. Web. 25 November 2014. www.usatoday.com/sports/2004-08-31-pros-cons-pay_x.htm Taylor, Donald L. "A Comparison Of College Athletic Participants And Nonparticipants Of Self-Esteem." Journal Of College Student Development 36.5 (1995): 444-51. ERIC. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. Student Athlete Class Attendance Policy: JEFFCO. Viking Intercollegiate Athletics. 14 October 2011. Web. 25 November 2014. Jefferson College Policy. www.jeffco.edu.edu/athletics/inex.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=287&Itemid=256 Worsnop, Richard L. "College Sports." CQ Researcher 26 Aug. 1994: 745-68. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.

Heinrich Isaac; Research Paper

Heinrich Isaac is noted as a central figure in late 15th and early 16th century musical development. He was one of three leading composers of the Franco Flemish or Netherlandish School with Jakob Obrecht and Josquin Des Prez. Although Josquin Des Prez was undoubtedly the major figure of the middle renaissance and is most often mentioned before Heinrich Isaac, Isaac is one of several that also deserve recognition. Heinrich was born around ten years after Josquin in 1450-1455. Historians are somewhat certain he was born in Flemish Brabant, a province of Flanders#.Very little is recorded of Heinrich’s early life. It is believed that he was educated in the same area, the Low Countries, due to its excellent standards in musical education. Isaac is also noted to have been a pupil of the Florentine organist Antonio Squarcialupi. It is supposed that Heinrich had begun composing music by 1470. All of this is very hard to establish; the first documented reference to Heinrich Isaac is da ted September 15, 1484, thirty or so years after his estimated birth.This document comes from Innsbruck, southwest Austria and refers to Heinrich as a hired member of a royal choir owned by Duke Sigismund of the House of Hapsburgs. The following year Heinirch traveled to Florence. Multiple documents show that Isaac acquired a position in 1485 as a designated singer at the church Santa Maria del Fiore, commonly known as the Duomo. Heinrich Isaac was known for his close association with the Medici family. It is suspected that Lorenzo de’ Medici was responsible for Isaac’s move from Innsbruck.Heinrich maintained close ties with the family throughout his entire life. He is said to have worked for the Medicis as an organist and a musical teacher however recent findings of documentation explain that â€Å"the Medici’s organist† was a title held by another Isaac. Isaac did work with the family as a teacher and choir director. While in Florence Isaac composed a g reat deal of music including masses and motets. Some of these linked Heinrich’s association with the Medici family. Lorenzo died in 1492 and Piero inherited everything including his father’s musical groups.Isaac wrote two motets in remembrance of Lorenzo. Piero took these groups to Rome to perform for the coronation of Pope Alexander VI. This was the same time and the same pope by which Michael Angelo was commissioned to reconstruct St. Peter’s Basillica. The Medici family was banished from Florence in 1494. In 1496 Heinrich was employed by Maximilian I the newly Holy Roman emperor. In 1497 Isaac was appointed court composer of the Hapsburg empire. Payment documents impose that Isaac traveled with the court through Augsburg, Wels, and Innsbruck between 1497 and 1501.Around 1502 Heinrich traveled to the Este court in Ferrera, Italy to compete with Josquin des Prez for a position. We do have a letter from the family that reads â€Å"Isaac is a disposition among h is companions, and he will compose new works more often. It is true that Josquin composes better, but he composes when he wants to and not when one wants his to. † Recent scholarship says that Isaac never asked for the job. Heinrich was commissioned by the Constance cathedral in 1508 after traveling though Constance, Augsburg, and Florence for several years to write his outstandingly large Choralis Constatinus.Isaac returned to Florence in 1514 and died in 1517. Though most sources confirm that Isaac fled from Italy, newer historical findings suggest that Isaac actually never left Florence. Not only did Isaac not leave Florence after Lorenzo’s death but Heinrich Isaac later married a native Florentine, settled down, and became an established citizen of Florence. Isaacs’s marriage was supposedly arranged through Lorenzo Medici. Isaac was able to include both German and Italian aspects in his work, something that made him very distinct from his contemporaries.Most contemporary composers, who called themselves Florentines like he did, limited their traveling to France and Italy. Heinrich is described as one of the most prolific composers of his time. He made significant contributions to both secular and church music; of Germanic and Italian influence; of the splendor of the church and the secularism of the renaissance of which he was such a part of. â€Å"His work spanned from Flemish styled polyphony to bright Italian and French love songs, from ceremonial music expressing the pageantry and power of the church and state to rollicking songs in French,Italian and German embodying the popular, secular spirit of the Renaissance, and from rich choral textures for the church to exquisite chamber music for courtly entertainment. †# Isaacs output includes about forty Mass Ordinaries, 100 proper mass cycles (though most were published posthumously in the three- volume Choralis Constantinus), over fifty motets; and close to fifty secular songs m ade of French chansons, Italian Frottole, and a large amount of German Tenorlieder. Isaacs best known work is probably Innsbruch, ich muss dich lassen, a Tenorlieder written on the theme of a Germanic folk song.The same melody was used for the Lutheran chorale O Welt, Ich Muss Dich Lassen. Later both J. S. Bach and J. Brahms used the famed theme. Heinrich Isaac’s significance stands not only in his scope and quality but also in his influence particularly seen in Germany. Heinrich acted as an ambassador of the Netherlandish style to Germany. Heinrich had a great effect on the musical development of Germany, leading it into the mainstream European musical tradition and the further development of contrapuntal music.Heinrich’s music directly influenced German composers like Bach and Brahms who in turn influenced aspects in all of western music. As a professionally successful musician and patroned person of the three most powerful men in Europe, Heinrich Isaac’s musi c was most definitely seen and heard. Sources- The New Oxford History of Music: volume III Wikipedia Encyclopedia Britannica online www. bach-cantatas. com Absorbing Heinrich Isaac by David J Burn, Blake Wilson, And Giovanni Zanovello

Pretty Babies, Child Beauty Pageants Essay

Many of us first learned about the world of child beauty pageants when a 5  ½ year old beauty queen named JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered the day after Christmas in 1996. The child was murdered in her Boulder Colorado home and found in the basement with her hands tied, her mouth duct taped, and her throat garroted. Her death was ruled strangulation but there was also blunt force trauma to her head as well as vaginal injury (Auge, Karen, par. 13-15). Her death brought these pageants into our minds, conversations and living rooms and many people were shocked to see a child of that age made up like an adult woman, some even said like a prostitute and accused the pageants of sexualizing her and the other children. Images and videos of JonBenet with her hair curled, teased, and sprayed, wearing heavy make-up and glamorous outfits were splattered across the newsstands and she pranced across our televisions winking, flirting and dancing. Any link of her death to the pageants is speculative since the murder remains unsolved, but many people could not help but wonder how safe it was for a child to be made a spectacle of in such a fashion. This past Monday would have been JonBenets 22nd birthday. Perhaps it is time that we as a society take a good look at child beauty pageants and decide what place if any they have in the future for our daughters. JonBenet was the daughter of a wealthy businessman named John Ramsey and his wife, a former Miss West Virginia 1977, Patsy. Patsy has since passed away but John Ramsey has written a book titled â€Å"The Other Side of Suffering† and in an interview with Nightline, John has expressed his regret that JonBenet participated in the pageants. He states in the interview â€Å"Only because- that possibly (the pageants) might have drawn attention to us. † â€Å"I don’t know. But- I think for- for advice to parents is just recognize that- regardless of where you live, there could be evil around you. And don’t be naive about it. And keep your kids protected† (Chang, par. 0). He wonders now about some of the public appearances JonBenet made and if the murderer was maybe in the audience. He says â€Å"Patsy had her sitting atop a friend’s convertible in the Christmas parade waving at people lining the streets. † â€Å"Patsy’s mother later told me that a strange man approached the car during the parade and it made her uncomfortable. I think about these things now and it makes me cringe. We were so naive. I now believe with all my heart that it is not a good idea to put your child on public display. (Chang, par. 7). His words give weight to the issue at hand and initially, it seems, many people felt the same way as child pageants took a financial hit as less people wanted to be associated with the â€Å"publicly tainted industry† (Friedman, par. 5). Fifteen years after the tragic death of JonBenet the pageants have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity (Friedman, par. 6) thanks in large part to the hit show on The Learning Channel, Toddlers & Tiaras. The show is immensely popular and is now in its fourth season (IMDB, 2012). Understanding, of course that this is a television show and not a documentary, that it has been edited for drama and to create what is commonly called â€Å"good television†, the show nonetheless gives a viewer a look inside this somewhat alien world. In his interview John Ramsey stated that he had never watched the show but had caught snippets that he finds disturbing. â€Å"It is very bizarre† he states â€Å"And, it certainly- Patsy and JonBenet didn’t approach it that way. We-they just did it for fun. †(Chang, par. 5). Will the parents or the pageant officials take heed? Or will the allure of glamour and profit make them justify their actions? Watching the television show you are immediately struck by one fact; this is a southern thing. To the people who do this, none of it is strange. In fact many of the parents were overjoyed to learn they were pregnant with girls and began to buy gowns before their babies were even born. One mother who has a boy and a girl stated that she had been very upset when she found out that she was pregnant with the boy until she found out that boys could participate in pageants as well. She even stated, on television, that she had only had children so she could put them in pageants. This would seem very strange to many people, but if you watch the show you will hear statements like this over and over, often in front of the children and always on camera (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012). What is apparent is that this is truly a culture. They call themselves â€Å"Pageant People† (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012) and this encompasses not only the contestants and their families but also the judges, pageant directors and announcers and the many, many service people used by the contestants from dress designers to make-up artists and hairstylists to spray tanners and waxers and many of the girls even get facials before a pageants even though their skin cannot possibly look much younger. The popularity of this television show is evident, anyone using a search engine that types in the name of the show will be directed to literally thousands of articles, opinion pieces and fan based websites as well as many spoofs of the show starring big names like Ashley Tisdale and Tom Hanks and has enjoyed the pinnacle of success in the eyes of many, satire on Saturday Night Live. But what about the tiny stars of the show? How safe are they? Is all of this good for them? Watching the show you will see a few kids and moms that seem almost normal, of course these people never get to be the stars. The stars are the children who are bratty, who throw temper tantrums, hit their parents, try to bite other kids and just generally misbehave. The mothers who get the most airtime are of course the ones who say the meanest and most bizarre things. Who treat their children like performing monkeys and seemingly will do anything to get their small progeny to perform on stage. It is remarkable to watch a child transform in just moments from a sparkling banshee into a sweetly smiling and composed young lady, or gentleman on stage. The majority of the children featured on Toddlers & Tiaras are little girls but there are a few boys featured as well. It seems unfortunate that the more poorly behaved the people on the show are the more they are rewarded with fame. One strange family has even got their own spin-off show called, Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo (IMDB, 2012). The children often throw fits because they are being forced to do something they do not want to do. Over and over, in almost every episode the children state that they hate doing the beauty portion of the competition. For those unfamiliar with how things work it important to know that the beauty portion is the most important piece of the pageant where girls are judged on their poise, their attire, hair and make-up, and most of all their facial beauty. They are not really expected to perform at this stage of the pageant but only to walk slowly from mark to mark on the stage stopping briefly at each mark to spin and smile sweetly at the judges and the audience and slowly turn from side to side so that all spectators can take in their appearance. One little girl who was seven was criticized by a female judge for â€Å"having too much personality for beauty† although of the same girl a male judge stated that he â€Å"could not take my eyes off her†( Toddlers & Tiaras, season 4, 2012). The girl went on to win the biggest crown in the pageant and a contract with an agent. The judges of the pageants can often seem harsh and mark the children down for seemingly acceptable things for the contestants to do, given that most of the girls featured on the show are only between the ages of four and nine. A six year old was marked down because her ankle rolled. She was wearing high heels. A four year old was marked down because her fake teeth or â€Å"flipper† fell out during the beauty portion. Another girl was marked down for being too â€Å"fake†(?! ). And in one episode the little girls were competing for ten thousand dollars and some former contestants came out of retirement to compete. They were as old as twenty-one and some were doing very sexy dances; the male judge was obviously captivated and would not stop talking about the older contestants. A 20 year old won. Against little girls. (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012) You will see some moments on the show where the parents are caring and the children seem to be keeping the whole thing in perspective. One of the fathers, who has 3 children in the pageants does not allow his kids to be tanned or wear fake teeth and lashes and says some of it is â€Å"too far†. He also keeps the bills for the pageants a little lower by renting the dresses and says he preferred the natural pageants. Another one of the parents, this one a mother, laughed when her nine year old daughter’s hair fell down during the pageant, she told her she did â€Å"so good† and reassured her when she began to cry that it was okay. Then said she was just glad she got a crown (in many of the pageants every contestant gets some type of crown) and that she did not need to win the ultimate title and the little girl stated after she calmed down â€Å"win graciously, lose humbly†. Another little girl who won a high title stated that the title she had gotten was really good because â€Å"There’s a lot of girls here†¦ and they tried hard too†. One mother who had seemed very extreme during the beginning of the pageant seemed to have an epiphany at some point during the pageant and said that this would be her seven year old daughter’s last pageant and that her daughter was â€Å"beautiful on her own†. (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012). In one touching episode, a mother had only boys and it seemed that her six year old son and her had a very special relationship based on the pageants. The father, in spite of being supportive, was done with his son being in the pageants and wanted this to be his last one. The boy seemed happy to do the pageants and seemed to have a very special relationship with his mother. At the end of the show they were crying and hugging each other and it was actually hard not to be sad for them (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012) Most of the other parents are not like those ones and the majority of the scenes shown depict these women as bitter and jealous. The way they speak of the other children is disgraceful. They say mean things in front of their own kids about the other children, especially if the other children win and their daughter did not, like that the girl who won did not deserve it and often say that the pageant was unfair or rigged. One mom on the sidelines said about a girl on the stage â€Å"If she wins, she better go get some cellulite treatment done†(Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012). The little girls definitely pick up this cattiness from their mothers. Many times over these children say that they are better or prettier than the other girls. One six year old girl knew from her mother that one of the other girls was her biggest competition at the pageant. The other girl was well known for her continuing pacifier dependency and first girl said that she had a secret weapon for her opponent so she could beat her and held up a gag pacifier that had funny looking teeth on the front of it and then snickered. In one sad scene there were sister aged ten and eight who were competing in the same pageant, the eight year old stated that she was going to beat her sister and if her sister started crying she would â€Å"beat her to he ground†. When the older sister started to cry and said that it was because she was being mean the younger one told her to â€Å"Stop crying, you’re embarrassing me! † (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012). If you think the â€Å"tiger moms† would be less cruel to their own offspring you would learn that often that is not the case. Over and over when the children cry because they are hungry, tired, something being done to them hurts or they lost they are told not to cry because they are on camera or that the pageant is not over and their make-up will be ruined. One mom talking about her daughter said that she, the mom, had been better at cheerleading and that her daughter just can’t â€Å"get it† like her. Her daughter was nine. One child was forced to stop doing gymnastics because it was making her muscles too big for her costumes and her mother told her â€Å"that was sucky† when she came off stage. Over and over the children are cruelly disregarded or ignored when they state that they are in pain, feeling sick, hungry or tired. In a heart stopping scene a nine year old girl went missing in full hair and make-up and was no longer in the hotel. In every scene shown by the television show the mom was worried about her being late for her age line up and not concerned for her safety. Luckily, she was found in time, and her standing in the pageant was unaffected. That the girls often cry when they lose is no surprise when you take in that the mothers often cry or state they are going to throw up and berate their daughters for blowing on stage by forgetting to smile at the judges or forgetting part of their routine. The moms let their daughters know that they lost too if their crown is not big enough and does not come with a high title attached to it. The moms will tell their daughters who are smiling and holding a crown that they lost and the crown they have is for losers. One mom while sitting in the audience was â€Å"pissed† and going to cry and listed what the other little girls got and that her daughter didn’t get anything. No wonder the little girl had a tantrum and screamed that she wanted a crown (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012) Many of these mothers are, like Patsy Ramsey, former beauty queens themselves and will stop and nothing to ensure their daughters success in the pageant world. Sometimes it becomes so extreme that it makes the news. In 2011 ABC News did a story on a mom who gave her 8 year old daughter Botox injections because she had wrinkles (Hagan, Kunin and Ghebremedhin, par. 5). The mother was not a doctor but an esthetician, which is basically a beautician for the skin. She claims her daughter wanted to try it herself because her wrinkles bothered her. This is hopefully a rare case but more commonly these young children have their eyebrows waxed, they receive spray tans, even if they are African American or bi-racial. They have acrylic nails put on, they are fitted for fake teeth to go over their own teeth called flippers, they have hair extensions put in because often their baby fine hair either is not thick enough for the large hair-dos or not strong enough to take the heat and styling. Some of the girls have their hair bleached before a pageant. Sometimes these things hurt or are uncomfortable and the children complain. There seems to be a particular hatred amongst the little girls for the false eyelashes. Many of the girls scream and cry and beg to not have to wear them to no avail. These are typically services reserved for very high maintenance women and many adult women would not have the patience for them. The FDA has not done studies on the safety of these chemicals for use on children either. How does it feel to sit in make-up and hair for two hours for a child of say four? On pageant day the real magic begins. The girls are up early in the morning in their hotel rooms. They are fed breakfast and then the beauty regime begins. The pageants last all day and usually include several outfit changes and the performance of practiced routines. The girls, some very young, are not allowed to eat or nap so their hair and make-up do not become ruined. To make up for this, the moms have found some magic. On pageant day the girls have sugar cubes and Pixie Stix poured into their mouths all day long and are fed through a straw high caffeine and sugar drinks like Mountain Dew and some†¦ Red Bull energy drinks. There is some serious concern over the safety of these drinks (Ostrow, 2011). One mother asked her daughter before the pageant if she wanted to quit doing them. The girl nodded yes and the mom said â€Å" Let’s look at your crowns! Doesn’t that make you feel better? † (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012). One of the reasons many of the parents say they do it is often for the prizes, money, bonds and scholarships. Indeed, some of the pageants featured on the television show do boast some large prizes. But most of the parents admit that they have spent many times over what their child has received. Several of the moms admit to lying to their husbands about how much they spend and one single mom has moved in with her parents so they could continue to pay for pageants and it is common for the mothers to take a â€Å"pageant job† (Toddlers & Tiaras, 2009-2012) to cover some of the expenses. Some of the parents spend lavishly on the pageants. Many of the pageants have a top prize of only several hundred dollars yet the girls will show up in 2500$ dresses. In one episode two sisters have their very own trailer for pageant accessories that have their pictures emblazoned on the sides. One very enterprising mother has published a pageant book about her daughter, recorded a song and had a doll made in her daughters image. In an episode where they went to the Tonight Show she was saying how she was planning to get her daughter and agent and a two million dollar contract so she could quit her job and move to Hollywood. It seems as if the parents either have delusions about some pay off that will eventually come if they keep plugging away or they really have just found a very expensive habit that they justify for other reasons.