Operant Conditioning Paper

Operant Conditioning Vanessa Mejias November 28, 2011 Ross Seligman PSY/390 Operant Conditioning In a world that was ruled by psychoanalytic studies, and Thorndike’s puzzle box to explain behaviorism, B. F. Skinner was a revolutionary in the world of psychology. His studies and reports on operant conditioning has not only survived ridicule and skepticism in his time but has also survived the passage of time and social evolution to incorporate his theories several decades later. By learning from and expanding upon Skinner’s schedule of reinforcement the world of social and academic learning has evolved from a puzzling act to a learned process that could be understood the world over. During his research Skinner developed a theory to modify behavior believing that behavior can be created because of a positive or negative stimulus or environment, instead of just instinctually responding to stimuli, like scratching an itch. While he did not create the foundation of behavior modification, his research allowed him to expand upon already existing theories developed by Pavlov and Thorndike. Skinner’s theory consisted of two types of behavior, respondent and operant behavior (Olsen & Hergerhahn, 2009). To go along with, and help modify unwanted behavior Skinner developed two types of conditioning. Type S also known as respondent conditioning and Type R also known as operant conditioning. Type S conditioning is the equivalent to classic conditioning as described by Pavlov and focuses primarily on the significance of the stimulus creating a preferred response or behavior (Olsen & Hergerhahn, 2009). Whereas type R conditioning is similar to Thorndike’s instrumental conditioning, by focusing upon the response after the stimulus (Olsen & Hergerhahn, 2009). The theory of operant conditioning focuses on the four types of stimuli that can elicit a response. Positive reinforcement is an act that adds to a reinforcement that will emit an increase in behavior, while negative reinforcement is an act that takes away a reinforcement that will create an increase in behavior. Whereas punishment follows the same guidelines with positive and negative punishment however the difference lies in the behavior. While reinforcement will increase behavior punishment is supposed to decrease behavior. Extinction however is the act of eliminating the reinforcement or punishment to eliminate the behavior and go back to the behavior prior to attempted modification. The differences between positive and negative reinforcements are not that profound. In actuality the similarities are sounder than the differences. Reinforcement is the act of increasing behavior, however it is the type of reinforcement used that causes the differences. If positive reinforcement is used then the stimuli will add to the behavior, for instance a dog is told to sit while the trainer pushes down on the hind side. Once the dog sits he or she is given a treat. Again the act is repeated with the same reinforcement given, so in this instance the dog is learning that once the required behavior is preformed it will receive a treat, the treat is adding to the increased and desired behavior. However, in the form of negative reinforcement a stimuli is taken away to increase the desired behavior. For instance, if a child wants a donut but will not eat their food, then the caregiver will take away the donut and tell the child they need to eat their lunch before they have their snack. In this instance the snack is taken away so that the child will increase the behavior of eating what is required before unhealthy foods. Although reinforcement, punishment and extinction all have their uses, it is debatable which is more effective. Skinner determined that punishment was not as effective as reinforcements. However the debate is whether positive or negative reinforcement is more effective. Upon review, it seems that positive and negative reinforcement has the same affect yet need to be administered under different circumstances based upon the behavior required, the environment, personality and cultural influences that play significant parts in an individual’s behavior. Throughout Skinner’s research he created a method in which behavior modification could be observed. This is called a schedule of reinforcement. Although Pavlov started to experiment with partial reinforcement with classical conditioning, it was the comprehensive research that Skinner performed that resulted in the complete understanding and effectiveness of scheduled reinforcement. An example of operant conditioning that uses scheduled reinforcement is toilet training. Toilet training incorporates operant and classical conditioning, however it is through the use of reinforcement that creates a positive outcome. During toilet training the child is introduced to the continuous reinforcement schedule, which means that every time the child controls their bladder and uses the toilet a reinforcement will be given. After a time this schedule can be altered to incorporate the fixed interval reinforcement schedule, what this means is that after a set amount of time the child will use the restroom on their own and receive a reinforcement afterwards, so the child will learn to anticipate the reinforcement prior to the use of the toilet. Once toilet training is complete the child will go from operant conditioning [using the toilet for reward], to classical conditioning [using the toilet to feel relief from the discomfort of a full bladder]. Although Skinner’s methods have been ridiculed and are abstract compared to other behaviorists’ theories, his research has allowed the field of psychology to move onto other avenues of possibilities. Whereas, Thorndike, Hull, Pavlov and other known greats have set the foundation to psychology, it was Skinner’s methods and emphasis on operant conditioning that allowed mankind to evolve in the understanding of behavior in animals and humans alike. As a result of Skinner’s radical views educators, animal trainers, psychologists, and caregivers are given hope that change in one’s behavior is attainable and eliminates the ‘blame’ method of humanity. Skinner’s work defines what it means to be ‘responsible for one’s own actions’. References Olsen, M. , & Hergerhahn, B. R. (2009). An Introduction to Theories of Learning [University of Phoenix Custom Edition eBook]. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, PSY390 website. Operant Conditioning Paper Operant Conditioning Berline Jean Baptiste PSY/390 March 4, 2013 Esther Siler-Colbert Abstract When thinking about conditioning in general, one will, most likely, refer to classical, and operant conditioning right away. Furthermore, those who study psychology will associate classical conditioning with Ivan Pavlov who was a famous Russian psychologist and operant conditioning with B. F. Skinner, who was a very influential American psychologist. Even though both types of conditioning differ greatly from each other, they are still equally significant to education.Operant Conditioning If one follows the assumptions of a behaviorist, then not all behavior is genetically determined. Since it is not, it is either a function of responded or operant conditioning. Skinner surely followed the footsteps of E. L. Thorndike, who used the term â€Å"of instrumental conditioning instead of operant†. Both, however, believed that animals and humans are capable of more complicated behavior, albe it gradually. According to Skinner, this form of learning was a conditioning one, but one that was of a different kind from the one proposed by Pavlov.For instance, in respondent behavior, one does something in a passive manner to the environment; however, in operant conditioning, one does it because somewhere in the past this kind of behavior was associated with a pleasing outcome or with trying to avoid the occurrence of an unpleasant one. Therefore, quite opposite from what respondent behavior is, this kind of operant is always conditioned. Very important to indicate that the probability of a behavior occurring again, increases or decreases with the merit of its consequences. Clearly, it can be said that one learns to colligate an action to its consequence.The bond between the action and the consequence is referred to as contingency, which further declares one’s behavior in the future (Alloy, Riskind & Manos, 2005). In Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning there are three different terms, which are needed, and they are stimulus, response, and reinforcement, and as acknowledged by Skinner on several occasions, life is full of reinforces. There are different kinds of reinforces too, such as food or sex, to which one responds instinctively. These kinds of reinforces are known as primary reinforces and do not need to be learned.However, one responds mostly to reinforce that were conditioned, referred today to as secondary reinforces (Alloy, Riskind & Manos, 2005). There are three components in operant conditioning named positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment. According to Skinner’s theory, reinforcement is a consequence that will result in a behavior repeating; punishment has the opposite effect. It is very important to know that the terms positive and negative do not refer to something being just pleasant or unpleasant but instead, they indicate if a stimulus was added or taken away.To further simplify, in positi ve reinforcement the behavior is strengthened by adding a stimulus and in negative reinforcement, the behavior is weakened by removing one. Still, it is very important to point out that negative reinforcement is very often confused with punishment. One needs to keep in mind that one kind strengthens behavior, such as the reinforcement, whereas the other one, the punishment, eliminates behavior (Alloy, Riskind & Manos, 2005). It is difficult to define clearly, which reinforcement is the most effective one.Two major factors, the organism itself and the kind of circumstances, come into play when trying to make a decision of this kind. While for some, positive reinforcement may work truly well, for others the effectiveness of a negative reinforcement might do more. In addition, the results one seeks could also influence which one might be the better choice. So for instance, if one is in a restaurant and had a great dinner, he or she will most likely leave a big tip. In this scenario, po sitive reinforcement will most likely have a greater impact than a negative one.However, one would use negative reinforcement when trying to remove something annoying, such as a loud noise. Using a seatbelt in a car will remove the annoying beep noise that is usually there when one is unbuckled. Therefore, using the seatbelt is reinforced because it removes a stimulus. In summary, it can be acknowledge that both kinds of reinforcement are very effective since they increase the chance of a future response. In addition to positive and negative reinforcement, there is also the positive and negative punishment.For instance, positive punishment can be one adding an angry voice to an argument while negative punishment can be removing privileges, which parents often do when trying to punish their children for bad behavior. Once again, what kind of reinforcement, and even punishment, is the most effective, truly depends on different aspects (Schunk, 2008). The use of operant conditioning ca n be very often observed in parents raising their children. The same can be applied to me. I am a mom of two boys, one who is almost two years old and the other who is two months old. They not only differ in their physical appearance but also in their character.It seems while negative reinforcement might work truly well on the 19 months old, it probably would not work well on my two months old when his older. Since my 19 months old is usually very active, behave extremely well, like to read his book, and due his daily learning charts if this would suddenly change, I would try to apply negative reinforcement to shape his behavior. Even though my two months old is not yet old enough to take action towards, but if he starts crying after his diaper has been change and he’s been fed then I will use positive reinforcement to shape his behavior.Knowing my 19 months old, I am assuming the only possible way to shape his behavior and have him read his book and also have him do his dail y learning charts constantly would be by having him spend more time indoors, instead of playing outside. Therefore, the choice to use negative reinforcement is the perfect one for him and for this kind of situation. If he wanted to go outside more and play, he would be able to gain more of this time back by not falling behind. Once doing so, he could go outside again and play with his friends. In this case, good behavior would decrease the time he would have to stay indoors.If my two months old decided not to stop crying and would require some attention, I would use attention to shape his behavior, which in this case would work as a positive reinforcement. Paying attention to him, showing him that I am here even when he is not being held would make him feel more secure and won’t mind lying in his swinger. In addition, depending on the situation, continuous reinforcement might not always be possible. For instance, I might not always have the time to give him all of my attentio n because I do have to share myself between him and my other son.Maybe additional strategies, such as the use of reinforcement schedules, might be necessary. There are four kinds of reinforcement schedules called fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval. In my son’s case, variable ratio might work well. He knows he will get the attention when I can; however, he won’t know when it will happen. However, if both, the positive and negative reinforcement, seem not to work, then there is the possibility of using punishment. In this case, I would take privileges away from both of them so that their behavior can be shaped (Martinez, 2010).References Alloy, L. , B. , Riskind, J. , H. & Manos, M. , J. (2005). Abnormal psychology: Current perspectives (9th. ed. ) New York, NY: The McGraw-Hills Companies Inc. Martinez, M. , E. (2010). Learning and cognition: The design of the mind. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. Olson, M. , H. & Hergenhahn , B. , R. (2009). An Introduction to theories of learning. (8th. Ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Schunk, D. , H. (2008). Learning theories: An educational perspective (5th. ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Alternative hypothesis Essay

A hypothesis is a statement about the value of a population parameter. The population of interest is so large that for various reasons it would not be feasible to study all the items, or persons, in the population. Analternative to measuring or interviewing the entire population is to take a sample from the population of interest. We can, therefore, test a statement to determine whether the empirical evidence does or does not support the statement. Hypothesis testing starts with a statement, or assumption, about a population parameter – such as the population mean. As noted, this statement is referred to as a hypothesis. A hypothesis might be that the mean monthly commission of salespeople in retail computer stores is $2,000. We cannot contact all these salespeople to ascertain that the mean is in fact $2,000. The cost of locating and interviewing every computer salesperson in the whole country would be exorbitant. To test the validity of the assumption (population mean = $2,000), we must select a sample from the population consisting of all computer salespeople, calculate sample statistics, and based on certain decision rules accept or reject the hypothesis. A sample mean of $1,000 for the computer salespeople would certainly cause rejection of the hypothesis. However, suppose the sample mean is $1,995. Is that close enough to $2,000 for us to accept the assumption that the population mean is $2,000? Can we attribute the difference of $5 between the two means to sampling (chance), or is that difference statistically significant? Hypothesis testing is a procedure based on sample evidence and probability theory to determine whether the hypothesis is a reasonable statement and should not be rejected, or is unreasonable and should be rejected. The null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis The null hypothesis is a tentative assumption made about the value of a population parameter. The alternative hypothesis is a statement that will be accepted if our sample data provide us with ample evidence that the null hypothesis is false. Five-step procedure for testing a hypothesis There is a five-step procedure that systematizes hypothesis testing. The steps are: Step 1. State null and alternative hypotheses. Step 2. Select a level of significance. Step 3. Identify the test statistic. Step 4. Formulate a decision rule. Step 5. Take a sample, arrive at decision (accept H 0 or reject H 0 and accept H 1 ). The first step is to state the hypothesis to be tested. It is called the null hypothesis, designated H 0 , and read â€Å" H sub-zero†. The capital letter H stands for hypothesis, and the subscript zero implies â€Å"no difference†. The null hypothesis is set up for the purpose of either accepting or rejecting it. To put it another way, the null hypothesis is a statement that will be accepted if our sample data fail to provide us with convincing evidence that it is false. It should be emphasized at this point that if the null hypothesis is accepted based on sample data, in effect we are saying that the evidence does not allow us to reject it. We cannot state, however, that the null hypothesis is true. That means, accepting the null hypothesis does not prove that H 0 is true – to prove without any doubt that the null hypothesis is true, the population parameter would have to be known. To actually determine it, we would have to test, survey, or count every item in the population and this is usually not feasible. It should also be noted that we often begin the null hypothesis by stating: â€Å"there is no significant difference between†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . When we select a sample from a population, the sample statistic is usually different from the hypothesized population parameter. We must make a judgment about the difference: is it a significant difference, or is the difference between the sample statistic and the hypothesized population parameter due to chance (sampling)? To answer this question, we conduct a test of significance. The alternative hypothesis describes what you will believe if you reject the null hypothesis. It is often called the research hypothesis, designated H 1 , and read â€Å" H sub-one†, so the alternative hypothesis will be accepted if the sample data provide us with evidence that the null hypothesis is false. The level of significance The next step, after setting up the null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis, is to state the level of significance. It is the risk we assume of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is actually true. The level of significance is designated ï  ¡ , the Greek letter alpha. There is no one level of significance that is applied to all studies involving sampling. A decision must be made to use the 0.05 level (often stated as the 5 percent level), the 0.01 level, the 0.10 level, or any other level between 0 and 1. Traditionally, the 0.05 level is selected for customer research projects, 0.01 for quality assurance, and 0.10 for political polling – and the chosen level is the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is actually true. The test statistic The test statistic is a value, determined from sample information, used to accept or reject the null hypothesis. There are many test statistics: z , t , and others. The decision rule; acceptance and rejection regions A decision rule is simply a statement of the conditions under which the null hypothesis is accepted or rejected. To accomplish this, the sampling distribution is divided into two regions, aptly called the region of acceptance and the region of rejection. The region or area of rejection defines the location of all those values that are so large or so small that the probability of their occurrence under a true null hypothesis is rather remote. Chart 4.1 portrays the regions of acceptance and rejection for a test of significance (a one-tailed test is being applied and the 0.05 level of significance was chosen). Note in Chart 4.1: ïÆ'Ëœ The value 1.645 separates the regions of acceptance and rejection (the value 1.645 is called the critical value). ïÆ'Ëœ The area of acceptance includes the area to the left of 1.645. ïÆ'Ëœ The area of rejection is to the right of 1.645. Thus, the critical value is a number that is the dividing point between the region of acceptance and the region of rejection. Chart 4.1. Sampling distribution for the statistic z ; regions of acceptance and rejection for a right-tailed test; 0.05 level of significance

Customer Service Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Customer Service - Assignment Example The needs and requirements of the different types of customers visiting the hotel are as follows: Backpackers and Solo Travellers These travellers spend a lot of time exploring the city alone and prefer convenient amenities and services at affordable prices. They are regarded as one of the most important customers as they are regarded as one of the most important customers, which contribute highly to the hospitality industry (Capozzi, 2013). Couples They form an important part of the hotel industry and have tailor made hotel accommodation like couple and honeymoon suites. These customers also expect special types of discount and incentive packages to be offered to them (Capozzi, 2013). Families Families visiting the hotel have few specific needs, like kid friendly environment, spacious rooms, and discounts. They also require some additional amenities like booster chairs, wide stroller friendly paths and changing station (Capozzi, 2013). Corporate Customers Their requirements are very different from the individuals and services like fast speed internet access, detail to quality of hotel accommodations rooms and services, and various other service offerings (Capozzi, 2013). (b) The reliance on customer service methods like, feedback survey would be significant in improving the hotel structures, procedures and quality, which would be for the betterment of the entire organization (Capozzi, 2013). A customer feedback survey was drafted to understand the customer requirements and is provided in the appendices. (c) Service Current Policy Feed Back Evaluation Method Customer Expectations Travel services Customer is supposed to book the rental car and travel facilities six hours before the required time. It includes travel facilities only to immediate travel locations. The feedback was collected through the customer information filled in the complaint register (Chilisa, 2011). Customers want booking of travel services through telephone and also flexibility of timings. T ourist services As per the current policy only visitors of the hotels are allowed for the service and need to book the tourist service 3 months in advance. The information was collected through the feedback form during their travel visits. Customers are happy with the existing services only the timing factor poses to be a hindrance. Customers want to book the travel prior to one month instead of three months. Pubs, nightclubs and bars. The bars and the nightclubs, pubs are located separately and the timings of these facilities are 10:00 am to night 2:00 pm. The members of the hotel and the visitors are only allowed to visit the hotel. The feedback was collected through the survey conducted by the researcher. Customer wants the extension of timings of the nightclubs, pubs and bars till 3:30 pm. Catering The catering services are offered to corporate and individual customers as per advance booking. The feedback was collected through the survey polls conducted through an opinion form. The catering service needs to be upgraded as per the menu by inclusion of more menus. Membership Clubs The member ship clubs are given on the annually and half yearly basis and discounts, special privileges are provided to customers. No customer survey was conducted, but the opinion of the members was taken into general consideration. None The management has considered various changes in

Art history bibliography Annotated Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Art history - Annotated Bibliography Example The book reflects Snyder’s full insight of renaissance creativities in northern Italy by investigating its geography, benefaction, and audience anticipations. For art enthusiasts keen on â€Å"The Annunciation,† this book will deepen their knowledge of this leading artwork from the Detroit Institute of Art. The writer does an astounding work of describing the painting and the reason it is iconic and deserves remembrance for the coming few centuries. To do this, the book gets rid of the obscurity surrounding â€Å"The Annunciation† as a second tier masterpiece and lifts it to its deserving position in history. This praise can be confusing to non-professionals because they may view it as biased instead of a respect to particular renaissance works. However, this observation does not protect the several biases present in the book. For instance, Snyder is often preoccupied with the chronology of Jan van Eyck, which unbalances the rest of the volume. However, these biases to not influence or determine the analysis of â€Å"The

Ways to Improve Group Productivity within a hospital or medical Research Paper

Ways to Improve Group Productivity within a hospital or medical facility - Research Paper Example In analyzing this problems, this paper focuses on the department of admissions,the department of public relations, the department of social work, and the department of medical records which are found in an hospital organization. This paper gives an explanation on the impact of the problems under consideration, and identifies the policies which administrators within the hospital set up need to enact for purposes of ensuring efficiency in meeting the goals of the hospital organization. This is because if administrators do not develop solutions to the problems the organization faces, chances are high that the hospital might fail to provide better health care services to its customers. This paper contains suggestions ofthe best training program that could enhance group productivity. Lorenzi (2004) denotes that training is a method of continuous appraisal, since the medical staff acquires relevant skills that are essential to serve the current health care needs of the organizations custom ers. This paper has a conclusion, and it is a summary of the main points addressed in it. One of the problems facing group productivity within the hospital set up is the conflict that emanate from lack of a clear guideline on the role of members within a collaborative group. For instance, within the admissions department of the hospital, there is a group that coordinates the admission of patients, another group prepares their admission, while another group arranges for any reservation of a patients admission. These are devise roles within the admission departmentand because of a clear guideline on the role of members who are in this unit, a conflict of roles emanate. For instance, the group that coordinates the admission of patients is headed by a team leader; it is this person who assigns duties, depending on the present circumstance. A situation arises when such an individual did not report for work because of personal or official issues. Members of the group will be confused beca use nobody will assign them duties, leading to each of them carrying out tasks that were not meant for them. This therefore leads to a rise of conflict of roles, and its result is inefficiency in meeting the objectives of the admissions department (Lorenzi, 2005). To improve on this problem, it is important for the organization to develop a policy that will guide in assigning roles to the various members of its staff. To effectively implement this policy, the organization must create an office, whose main responsibility is to monitor the performance of employees in relation to their specific tasks, and how they contribute in meeting the objectives of the organization. Another major problem that arose from the research is lack of an effective communication capability amongst the various members of different groups within the hospital organization. This problem can affect all the departments of the organization, which includes the admissions department, the public relations department , the medical records department, the maintenance and engineering department and the department of social work. This is because communication is the key that drives the growth of any department of an organization. For instance, the duties of the department of public relations are to solve the problems of out and in patients. If the department lacks modernized communication gadgets such as computers, they will be unable to effectively offer this service to their customers (Kongstvedt, 1997).The reason to this argument is because of the modernization of the communication

CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY & MITIGATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY & MITIGATION - Essay Example After the consideration of these critical issues, the concept of common interest was designed. Common interest refers to a monumental step that was taken by countries to undertake collective responsibility in addressing the global warming due to increasing in industrial emissions to the atmosphere. Notably, there has been a number of international fora have tried to bring together nations to address this challenge. Vasser (2009 states that the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol came up with international obligations from each member state that would see the greenhouse gases reduce (Khare 2013). They laid down the framework for cooperation in militating against the adverse environmental pollution. Moreover, they admitted that they had different national issues to pursue, but the greenhouse effect was a unifying issue hence the shared but differentiated responsibility (Rabe 2010). One of the primary agreements was dubbed "Clean Development Mechanism" (CDM) and establishment of Green Climate Fund (GCF). Both were to lay the ground for the promotion of development free of air pollution. Besides, the nations undertook shared responsibility under the policy of CDM to reduce industrial emissions as the number priority of a healthy environment. Besides, GCF was to be channeled to developing countries to help reduce the effects of industrial emissions. Despite aggressive government to adopt legally binding policies to mitigate on the climate change, the developed countries continue to emit harmful gases. Notably, United Kingdom and recently China continued to emit undesirable levels of industrial gases to the atmosphere (LeoÃÅ' 2008). Sadly, the notion that the developed countries would spearhead climate rehabilitation is quite misleading. The United States and its proponents on climate continue to mislead other nations in the pretext

Three historical actors Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Three historical actors - Assignment Example The most spoken language is English, with Roman Catholicism as its official state religion. It’s the largest economy in the USA, with a range of industries, and has the leading sports activities in the entire country (Cooke, 2005). In this five-page paper, I am going to talk about three historical actors who played significant roles in shaping California and the reasons behind their shaping positions. Industrialization, as an actor, played significant roles in the shaping of California’s present environment, both natural and manmade, during the early 19th and 20th Century. The country went through a rapid growth through industrialization, increasing both its agricultural and industrial power. â€Å"Industrialization led to make the California economy to specialize in agriculture, oil, tourism and shipping among others, which later resulted in a rise in technological advancement† (Jakes, 17). The state improved in aerospace and electronics industry, leading to the emergence of film stars of the Hollywood, making the country attract attention from all over the world. Industrialization later resulted in high advancement levels of computers in the country, specifically in the Silicon Valley, thereby emerging as the global center for all the process of innovation and invention of computers. The discovery of oil in California, during the periods of 1848 was later enhanced by industrialization that brought in all the technological machinery that got required for the process of extracting the oil. Later on, the state got in a position to develop all the machinery needed for manufacturing the oil since it was purely crude oil. This can get attributed to the necessity of industrialization to meet the increasing oil demand by the growing population in this state. The crude oil got manufactured, and different petroleum products such as oil gas, paraffin, kerosene, diesel, among other bi-products got made (Isenberg, 11). Some of these products were

Causes and Effects in Zeitoun Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Causes and Effects in Zeitoun - Essay Example Zeitoun, as Abdulrahman is addressed in the novel, remains in the city during the storm away from his family. His experience at sea gives him an insight into his present and he knows he has been chosen for this task. The Hurricane Katrina in particular plays a vital role as it affects the lives of many characters especially Zeitoun’s. Being away from family Zeitoun struggles in the sunken city with his canoe helping people out of the mess the storm had caused and checking on his properties. Kathy meanwhile is under great pressure from her relatives who show no respect for her religious practices such as her â€Å"hijab† and urge her to have pork. Without Zeitoun she is all alone with her children in what may seem to be a hurricane, much greater than Katrina. Zeitoun continues working hard making himself available as much as he could, feeding abandoned dogs and helping the others in need. He feels that this is a task that God has deliberately put him in so he should give it his best shot. If the storm did not occur, he would have been united with his family trying to cope with their personal issues. The hurricane brought with it a test for the people of New Orleans and exposed the brutalities of the government. Kathy manages to escape from her relatives and goes to live with her Muslim friends in Phoenix with her children. Kathy and Zeitoun talk to each other through a phone connection that is still working in one of their properties. The calls suddenly stop to Kathy’s surprise and she does not hear from her husband for many days thinking he has died. Then she learns that Zeitoun and three of his friends have been arrested. Unfortunately they were accused of being terrorists. Zeitoun receives this favor from the government for helping people in the hard time during the hurricane and the brutality which follows leaves the readers to wonder what wrong Zeitoun had done to deserve such a treatment. â€Å"The country he had left thirty years ago had been a realistic place. There were political realities there, then and now, that precluded blind faith†¦ always, would work out fairly and equitably. But he had come to believe such things in the United States. Things had worked out. Difficulties had been overcome. He had worked hard and achieved success. The machinery of government functioned. †¦--the policy, the military, the prisons--that was meant to protect people like him was devouring anyone who got close.† (Egger 2010) The politics and nature seem to be working so closely in the novel that one wonders if both were part of the same plot. The hurricane and the war on terror coincided in the United States so much so that both took the lives of the innocents some way or the other. Zeitoun is forced to stay in a Guantanamo-style jail behind a bus station where he is suspected and informed by the guards that he is a terrorist; a piece of information that he himself is surprised to hear. On being returned to hi s family he looks like â€Å"a sad old man† who has lost nearly twenty pounds of weight. Zeitoun still believes that God had His way of testing him (Egger 2010). The test seems to be a two-way deal. It did not only test a random Syrian painting contractor who lived in New Orleans, it also tested the nation’s ability to protect its own people. The story of Zeitoun spells the sorry state of affairs that the nation was undergoing. What remains a mystery

Business Plan for a Real Estate Business in Bangladesh Essay Example for Free

Business Plan for a Real Estate Business in Bangladesh Essay It will make good quality flats for clients to live and enjoy lot more exclusive facilities. All these will be available at a very reasonable price. Since we believe in economies of scale. Slogan: â€Å"feel like living on heaven in every moment† Financing: To start up the business, Tk. 20 crores will be required, some additional needs to be financed by the bank. The loan will be repaid by five years. Confidentiality: This Business Plan is strictly confidential and is the property of the co-owners mentioned above. Any reproduction of the material inside will result is strictly prohibited. There has always been a good demand in the real estate market, and as the income level of the people of Bangladesh grows, that demand is surging even further. People want to buy unique, good-looking and attractive flats, but they want a good value for their money as well. That’s where we come in. We offer excellent quality flats, at reasonable prices. Another uniqueness of our business is that we have a separate line of apartments for office/bank use only. There is currently no such real estate companies in Bangladesh that offers an exclusive line of apartments. Therefore, in this segment, we can enjoy the benefits of being an oligopolist. On the other hand, we have the business-to-business prospect. Due to good economic growth, apartments are on the rise. Raihan with share of profit and loss according to ratio of equity invested. Together, we have gathered the necessary expertise required to run a real estate business. Initially, we will of course incur losses, but we plan to make profits in the fourth or fifth year. Real Estate Industry Analysis Industry Analysis: Real estate is a fixed, tangible and immovable asset in form of houses or commercial property. Real estate market involves developing, renting, selling/purchasing and renovating of these assets (houses). Market participants includes o Developers (contractors, engineers, and so on), o Facilitators (mortgage companies, real estate brokers, banks, anagement agents and so on), owners, renters (leasers) Each product (house) is unique in terms of buildings, location, and financing thus market has heterogeneous products. Transaction costs are high and the process is usually long. Though there are mobile homes, but the land underneath is till immobile, real estate is an immovable asset. Market Segmentations: The main factor that affects demand in real estate industry is demographic features. The demographic variables include population size and growth, cultural background, beliefs. However, other factors like income, price of housing, cost and availability of funds, consumer preference, supplier’s preference, price of substitutes and compliments. Future Outlook: One of the most startling statistics regarding real estate in this country, and a fact few people even realize, is that big portion of land in the Bangladesh is held either by the Government or is being used for agricultural purposes. The total farm area comprises about 62% of the total geographical area, forest area accounts for 15%, Perennial water 11% and urban area only 01%. The physical landscape is characterized by small arable fields. There are over 11 million farm holdings with more than 65 million fragments. The pattern of land ownership is highly skewed. 5% for the families having land above 7. 2 acres own 26% of the land and 70% of the families having land below 2. 5 acres own only 29% of the land. The per capita availability of crop land is at present only 0. 24 acre. Land utilization statistics indicate that 54% of the net cropped area is single cropped and area under double and triple cropping account for 72% of the gross cropped area. 20% of the total cropped areas have irrigation facilities. Yield is low i. e. rice -0. 703 metric ton per acre. Annual food deficit ranges between 1. 5 2. 0 million metric tons. Frequent natural calamities like cyclone, flood, drought, tidal bore etc. add to the shortfall of crops and livestock. What this means is that only few portion of the country is available to support all residential and commercial uses. This equates to nearly 1800 people per square mile of land by 2020. Despite the mortgage crisis and resulting financial meltdown of the last several years, these statistics seem to indicate that owning real estate in Bangladesh will continue to be a wise investment. In the very basic economic sense, there is no more land being created (limited supply) and more population density every day (increased demand). ? Economy: Growth in FY2010 was better than expected in April 2010 in Bangladesh, as a pickup in domestic demand neutralized the impact of weak expansion in exports. Inflation came in below the April projection, and the current account surplus was higher. For FY2011, this Update retains the outlook of a moderate uptick in growth, but with a slightly lower forecast for inflation and a larger fall in the current account surplus. To raise growth prospects, power and gas shortages need to be eliminated and reforms accelerated. More fundamentally, political stability will be critical to boosting growth. The bank’s Monetary Policy Statement (MPS), issued in July 2010, indicated that there may have been some diversion of private credit into consumer spending and into speculative investments in the stock market and real estate. . So we are expecting that, the economic condition in Bangladesh will be much better for business. If we also consider the given figures the scenario will be clear more.

Effect of Temperature on Lipase Essay Example for Free

Effect of Temperature on Lipase Essay Theory The higher the substrate concentration the more quickly product is produced (rate of reaction  increases) until enzyme saturation is reached at which time more substrate has no further effect. Enzymes such as Catalase are protein molecules which are found in living cells. They are used to speed up specific reactions in the cells. They are all very specific as each enzyme just performs one particular reaction. Catalase is an enzyme found in food such as potato and liver. It is used for removing Hydrogen Peroxide from the cells. Hydrogen Peroxide is the poisonous by-product of metabolism. Catalase speeds up the decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide into water and oxygen as shown in the equations below. It is able to speed up the decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide because the shape of its active site matches the shape of the Hydrogen Peroxide molecule. This type of reaction where a molecule is broken down into smaller pieces is called an anabolic reaction. Hypothesis The prediction would be such that as the substrate concentration increases, the rate of reaction will go up at a directly proportional rate until the solution becomes saturated with the substrate hydrogen peroxide. When this saturation point is reached, then adding extra substrate will make no difference. The rate steadily increases when more substrate is added because more of the active sites of the enzyme are being used which results in more reactions so the required amount of oxygen is made more quickly. Once the amount of substrate molecules added exceeds the number of active sites available then the rate of reaction will no longer go up. This is because the maximum number of reactions are being done at once so any extra substrate molecules have to wait until some of the active sites become available. Variables Independent Variable(s) Concentration of substrate Dependent Variable(s) Rate of enzyme activity Control Variable(s) Temperature pH Pressure Apparatus S. No Item Qty. Size, Capacity, Amount 1 Graduated cylinder 1 500mL, 500cm3 2 Metal Stand 1 3 Catalase from Chicken Liver. Pour the hydrogen peroxide solution into the test tube containing the chicken liver and immediately put the cork with a transferring tube plugged into it connecting it to a rubber tube leading to a filled inverted graduated cylinder to measure the amount of gas in mL (cm3) formed. 3. Bubbles should start to rise up the tube and the water level in the graduated cylinder should move down. 4. Record the water level after every 30 seconds for a total period of 5 minutes. 5. Do the same for 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, 12% and 14% and record the readings for them individually. When the concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide is increased, the rate of reaction increases at a directly proportional rate until the concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide reaches about 10%. If you double the concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide then the rate of reaction doubles as well. When the concentration is doubled from 8-16% the rate goes up from 1. 65-2. 97 Cm3 Oxygen produced per second, which is an increase of 1. 8 times. I would expect the rate to increase two times if the Hydrogen Peroxide concentration is increased two times because there are twice as many substrate molecules which can join onto the enzymes active sites. The reason that the number is less than two times could be put down to the fact that at 10% the Enzymes active sites may already be close to being saturated with Hydrogen Peroxide. There may also be some experimental error which causes the inaccuracies. After 10% the increase in the rate of reaction slows down. This is shown by the gradient of the graph going down. At this point virtually all the active sites are occupied so the active sites are said to be saturated with Hydrogen Peroxide. Increasing the Hydrogen Peroxide Concentration after the point of saturation has been reached will not cause the rate of reaction to go up any more. All the active sites are being used so any extra Hydrogen Peroxide molecules will have to wait until an active site becomes available. The theoretical maximum rate of reaction is when all the sites are being used but in reality this theoretical maximum is never reached due to the fact that not all the active sites are being used all the time. The substrate molecules need time to join onto the enzyme and to leave it so the maximum rate achieved is always slightly below the theoretical maximum. The time taken to fit into and leave the active site is the limiting factor in the rate of reaction. Limitations a) There is a slight delay between pouring the Hydrogen Peroxide into the catalase, putting the bung on and starting the stopwatch. This will slightly affect all the results but as I carried out all the three steps in the same way for all the experiments it should not make any difference to the overall result. b) It is also impossible to precisely measure out the amounts of Hydrogen Peroxide and catalase each time. As the scale on the pipettes shows the volume to the nearest mm3 the volume of the solutions that I used should be correct to the nearest mm3. The volume of gas in the test tube to start with is slightly affected by the amount which the bung is pushed down each time, if the bung is pushed down further then the volume in the tube will be less so the 30cm3 of gas is reached faster. c) Due to the fairly slow speed of our reactions it is only possible to measure the time of the reaction to the nearest 0. 1 second even though the stopwatch shows the measurements to the nearest 0. 01 second. d) Human errors such as inappropriate readings, time difference in readings, stopping flow of air by accidentally compressing rubber tube†¦ could also have been made

A Personal Development Plan And Career Development English Language Essay

A Personal Development Plan And Career Development English Language Essay 1. Introduction To do personal development plan, a person should know what career development is. By career development, a person can understand personal development plan and how to achieve his career development plan. To achieve something in this life we must to listen itself. Having chosen the way even if everyone criticizes, your choice is important. Simply believing others who says it is impossible will never help you choose the right career. Its important just to believe and never give up. Career development basically is more or less a lifelong process; it is an ongoing method of gaining knowledge and improvement skills which will help in establishing career plan. Its also important in knowing what direction a person is heading in, what a plan to do, what the goals are, what a person wants to accomplish when they walk out of institution. Essentially, development planning transfers to the strategic measurable purposes which the person, the community or organizations plan to satisfy within time certain amount. More often the plan for development involves the reference points based on time. It commonly also involves criteria, which will be used to estimate, whether have satisfied to the purposes actually. (EHow, 1999-2010.) In this essay Im going to write about my personal development plan, my aspiration, goals, future occupation etc and how or by which ways Im going to achieve that. What I really need to know and have. 2. The PDP A personal development plan basically means generating opportunities to think through a controlled way. It answers to what people want to achieve from their life, what kind of person they wants to be, what goals and ambitions they have, what kind of knowledge a person got or going to get it. 2.1 Career aspiration. All we know our self, idealistically we would all like to make a billion dollars but it is not going to happen. Everyone wants to have a job that they want to enjoy. If the job is not enjoyable, thats a miserable feeling where that person doesnt feel motivated. So I want to have a job that I like it, which I feel passionate about that I enjoy going to. Everyone wants to have that self satisfaction at the end of the day that we or Ive done something worthwhile. All of us need to think about own personality, jobs that suit us, that were well suited for, jobs that play up our strengths, jobs that are challenging to us also jobs that look at things that we enjoy. After my graduation I would like to work in an international oil company for a long term aspiration if I can get that opportunity. However, my chosen occupation and desired job role in long-term is to be an executive director of finance in international oil company probably in UAE, Saudi Arabia, England or in USA and certainly t o have shares of a company maybe more than that, Im planning to all this happened after 5 years or maybe a little bit later. It is impossible to become an executive director at once, but all begins with beginning posts and Im going to do that, as with a junior manager perhaps and it can be short-term. Why am I interested in an oil company? For the reason that, oil its like a black gold now days. My interest to work in this field is because one significant person in my life works in this field and I like the work and I find this especially interesting and serious enough. This occupation is always necessary for any serious company in the world. To work in this filed I should have the necessary skills for example, decision making skills, etc. But in this generation, at this time with globalization, many specialists and young graduators from different universities in the world have appeared. This situation makes it hard to get the career position, but I trust myself and I trust that, in years 5 I will be in international oil company as executive director of finance. Also by oil I can get a very good and high salary. And probably oil not going to finish until we die and people still need oil. Im planning to have a salary more than $ 30,000 or $50,000 (USD) per month after 5 years. Its possible now days in a lot of countries. For instance: in UAE, Saudi Arabia, USA, England etc. An example from job researchers show that salary in England; location is London; position is Director of finance have salary from  £130,000-160,000 per month. Another example is in USA, AMICAS salary of executive director of finance is from $119k $130k. (Glassdoor.com, 2008-2010). Essentially, an executive director of finance consist it working leads behind itself management of all money resources of the company. To manage resources and profit of a company this is a same thing that you manage with a whole company. The essence of these works, occupation consists in that supervise all arrivals and expenses of the company and how to increase the income. With what suppliers to work, conclude and solve all partnerships, well in the beginning you show to the most important director and after its decision produce all further actions and etc. An executive director has very big responsibility for that what he is doing and for his decisions. He must have good attitude and to know how to deal with customers etc. Function of the position is all director of finance are responsible for planning, directing and managing the financial, human resources and organizational roles for the municipality through following the municipal policies and actions and in agreement with federal and territorial legislation. (Job Description Director of Finance, 2005) The director of finance will organise traffic control of financial resources of the enterprise and regulation of financial relations with a view of most effective utilisation of all kinds of resources in the course of manufacture and production realisation (the goods, works, services) and receptions of the maximum profit still defines financing sources is industrial-economic activities the enterprises (budgetary financing, short-term and long-term crediting, release and acquisition of securities, leasing financing, attraction extra and use of own means). With a view of definition of an external source of financing will organise activity of workers of financial division in following directions: search of sources, estimation of cost of sources, a mark of financial risk, a parity of own and involved sources of financing. Directly carries on negotiations with commercial banks, other credit institutions and other external organisations. Besides that he is responsible for financial questio ns on a level with the director and has the right of the second signature. That kind of person who works in high positions, they have quite enough knowledge, skills, and competences especially in that particularly position or occupation where I want to be in the future. From my view, to work in that position I should have to be very qualified and have a degree or MBA knowledge or competences. Most important in this occupation we must have knowledge in economic, financial, accountant, HRM and etc. Also we should have skills which are important to know skills of presentation, communication (listening, writing, and verbal), research, leadership, problem-solving and technical skills. In the essay, what kind of job description should have the director of finance says that the official should show following skills as excellent skills of leadership, excellent skill to interpersonal, skills of building a team , well developed accounting skills, analytical and the decision of problems skills, skills of making a decision, the effective impersonal form of a verb and listening communications skills, attention to details and high level from accuracy, effective skills of organization, effective written messages skills, computer skills involving the ability to work and consult computerised financial, the payroll and the information on human resource systems, spreadsheet the table and programs of processing of texts and e-mails at a quite skilled level, stress management skills and skills of time management. (Job Description Director of Finance, 2005) All those skills are absolutely necessary, by those skills it is possible to win any contract and to influence new customers or partners if obviously they would like. When I read the book of Dale Carnegie, from my opinion he was trying to say that to deal with any important clients or customers, or to solve some problems or maybe increase popularity within a company and how to make your company very profitable. So, to make all this we must know skills of communication. With this all skills we can increase our influence, our prestige, our ability to get things done. In addition itll help to handle complaints, avoid arguments and keep our human contacts smooth and pleasant. Perhaps all this skills cannot be quite enough but we always can develop and improve our skills by training, professional development, or gaining mentoring or coaching from someone who already understands these skills. One of my strengths is communication skill, for an example, Ive applied my communication skill in my past job. I was working in marketing company before Ive started my degree, I was very much involved the customers of that company and I believe that I can even develop this skill by time. As a human being I have weaknesses and one of my weaknesses is decision making skill. Because, Ive done a lot of mistakes by making the wrong decisions in my past for instance, once I saved an amount of money at one of my primary school holidays then I wasted that money on buying a motorbike without asking permission from my family and obviously my parents were surprised plus they didnt agree because in that age its quite dangerous then I couldnt even find anyone who wanted to buy, at last I sold it with the really cheap price and I became disappointed and now Im afraid to make right decisions sometimes, but this skill fortunately is changeable by time. Its not because of lack of confidence, its prob ably for the reason that I need more knowledge to make right decisions in difficult questions. I believe that I will improve this skill very soon, since Ive made so many mistakes and I learnt them on my mistakes and Ill dont make them again. 2.2 Reflection on skills development; Within the last 12 month Ive learn presentation skill, this skill I learnt in the university by presenting lots of case studies etc. Last week Ive presented in the class, but I presented not good, cause, I wasnt prepared very well. So, I was disappointed and I learn from that event that I should improve it by doing more prepared presentations. Presentation skills include it body language, the way how I dress, the eyes are said to be the key to the soul and are therefore the first and most effective weapon in convincing the audience of my honesty, openness and confidence in the objectives of presentation, after the eyes comes the clear voice, and the two most important public speaker voice projection and variation, The average audience is very busy: they have family, schedules, cars, mortgages and although they will be trying very hard to concentrate on speech, their minds will inevitably stray, the job is to do something, anything, which captures their attention and makes a lasting i mpression upon them., be confidence , if forgot the speech no need to stop, presenter should talk maybe make some joke and make it more interesting perhaps at that time he can remember his speech and the final impression I have to make on the audience is the one they will remember. Furthermore, Im very glad to the lecturer who taught me that and I believe this skill will help me in my future chosen occupation also. I can use this skill when I present some business plans, projects to clients or both to director. Ive done once interview as  I  passed  the interview  when  I  went  on  my vacation probably  five  months  ago to  Kazakhstan, there  I  tried to  applied to a job  in a  petrol  company,  as I  passed  the interview  in  that  company  they  started to ask  me too many questions  which  I  may  even  don `t know,  and  I began  to forgetting something  and  began to  get nervous  and  then  I have rejected.  Now I  know  my mistakes, and I think  the way  to improve them. Its very important to know how to pass interviews. Knowing as much as possible about the company it can make interview more interactive and could be just what I need to get ahead in a competitive job market. So I have to make a good first impression, dress properly so that I feel confident and comfortable, then I should sit up straight and look at the interviewer, speak clearly and dont fidget, be more myself, the intervie wer wants to find out about me, also need to be friendly, polite and enthusiastic, I need to let the interviewer know that I really want that job, as well I should learn as much as I can about the company, there have some quick answers to interview questions at the ready, moreover impressions are incredibly important, one important thing is to be honest, always should to feel myself comfortable, smile, and be clever. I also notice that within the last 12 month I became more responsible, it happened when I have just arrived to Malaysia for the first time, because I came here alone and to make decision I suppose to do without anyone and Ill be the responsible for my mistakes and for any decisions. For example when I came here I even didnt know how to cook, wash, etc. but now I know how to cook some foods even know how to wash my clothes. Sometimes when I did mistakes I was responsible for all that, I need to count my money, save it and manage all my money, I was responsible for everything what I do and I still do that. In my country I was too much nervous when somebody told me bad or dirty words I immediately started to fight, but here I should control myself and keep it myself, otherwise Ill disappoint my family and will be departed. So, through all these I got one more skill which calls reasonability skill. Itll help in my part of working life to make right decision and be more responsible, confi dence for every single thing what Ill do and I have done it. 2.3 Career management action plan; 2.3.1 SWOT analysis: Strengths Weaknesses Presentation skills; Communication skills; Good in sport, particularly in Judo; Know 3 languages fluently; Became more responsible; If I decided something, Im going till the end and never give up to achieve that; Making decision skills; Not enough knowledge; Spend lots of time in internet (chatting, etc) Sometimes lazy; Time management skills; Opportunities Treats Globalization; Support from parents; Internet resources; Global competition; Globalization; Inflation; 2.3.2 Career development plan: Performance targets: After my graduation degree my three main objectives and goals in career development over the next twelve month are: finish my degree with first class certificate; to get experience while do internship in the workplace; develop my communication skill; Career goal (s): My short term career goal is to be hired in international oil company as a junior manager. Areas of Strength and weaknesses (Knowledge, skills, and competencies) Areas for Development I have knowledge in base fiancà © (diploma), and Business management (degree). I think my general strengths are my communicational skills (listening, attention, smile, language, etc.) and also Im good at presentation skills (body language, clear voice, etc.)And also If I decided something Im going until the end and never give up. My weaknesses are, not enough knowledge in my future job field, making decision skills ( to decide to make right decision, etc) To accomplish my short term as well as long term development goals of the race, I need to gain further experience and knowledge in the area of business and administration. Currently I have very limited business and management knowledge. If I want to be able to move in the field of business and maybe finance, which will be able to manage a series of questions cover all effectively. I would also like to develop my communication skills, presentation skills, and fix it all my weaknesses. Development Goals Action steps Date Evaluations To finish my degree with a first class certificate. And also to get more knowledge. Read books Financial and business books at least to finish 5 books within twelve month. Meet regularly with my mentor, for coaching regarding impact and influence competency. Ask classmates feedback, after all classes and meetings. To do more presentations in the class, January/2012 December/2011 December/2011 November/2011 Successfully finish books at 2012. Get positive feedback from my mentor. Get positive feedback from my classmates; Get positive feedback from lectures and classmates, To get experience while do internship in the workplace, Im planning to defer next semester and I have some health problems Im going back to my country next month. And Im planning to get a job. With this practise in a workplace Ill communicate with more people and ask they help and to analyse ways how theyre working. Later on Ill get some view about my future job and be easy into the milieu work also most important thing is that Ill get more practice. To find a job. Find some mentors, who will be training me in that job. Analyse the job market better. Communicate and be a friend with whole colleagues. February/2010 February/2010 April/2010 March/2010 Successfully be hired. To get experience. To get more knowledge about the job market. To be prepared for the future job. Develop my communication skills, through that I can easily communicate in the job field with presidents of that company, etc. and not only there. Reading psychological books, at least 3. Attend some communication skills trainings and seminars. December/2010 October/2010 Successfully finish all books, and get knowledge. Get feedback from seminars. Conclusion; Importance of PDP in achieving my objectives are that I should know myself, I should know my weaknesses, by that I can later work smarter in the job, be more clever and all the time improve myself. Through all this I can recognize my need skills, also develop them and by doing that Ill get the skills that will qualify me to get me in my dreaming position. PDP helps me to achieve my goals, cause I have a future plans for the long-term and short-term time. I need to be honest person and having acknowledgment about what is happening in the company about any complains and issues. So Ill be able to resolve it and I have to protect any problems which is may happen during getting this job. And as I mentioned before, by doing that Ill be able to identify my personal strength and weaknesses and be able after sometimes to fix it them.

Dinosaur Essay -- essays papers

Dinosaur Dinosaurs: Extinct or Natural Causes As geologic time goes, all the dinosaurs living on earth suddenly disappeared. How did these dominated and gigantic creatures really die? Was it a slow extinction through natural causes, or did it happen suddenly? These questions give rise to many different beliefs on how the dinosaurs disappeared over sixty-five million years ago. Something happened sixty-five million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period that was so devastating that it altered the course of life on earth. Extinction is easily defined: the birth rate fails to keep up with the death rate. However, the definition does not answer the question about the nature or causes of extinction. Since so many different causes of death of the dinosaur arose, paleontologists generally divide extinction into two main types. The first is called background extinction, or the isolated extinction of a species due to a variety of cause. Included in these background extinctions is out competition (the fight of the food), depletion of resources in a habitat, changes in climate, development or destruction of a mountain range, river channel migration, eruption of a volcano, the drying of a lake, or the destruction of a forest, grassland, or wetland habitat. The second type of extinction is called mass extinction. There are four main components: Large numbers species go extinct; many types of species go extinct; the effects are global; and the effects occur in a geologically short period of time (Encarta). The dinosaur could not have lived forever. No creature, plant, and bacteria are forever, not even Homo Sapiens. Extinction is the ultimate fate of all species. One theory on how the dinosaurs became extinc... ... environmental crisis may have spelled disaster for the dinosaurs. It had to be so sweeping that it affected countless other forms, including the dinosaurs. It is how these successful creatures were eliminated from the planet is a fascinating mystery. however, scientist cannot determine how dinosaurs really became extinct. Perhaps something fell the sky and struck the planet causing a huge dust cloud, utterly shutting out the sun and forcing the dinosaurs into extinction. But why did the little mammals survive, or the crocodiles and birds? Current evidence suggests that the sun or a â€Å"greenhouse effect† terminated the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago (Colbert). Bibliography: Colbert, Edwin Harris, 1905- Dinosaurs; Their Discovery and Their World. New York, E. P. Dutton & Co.,INC., 1961, 1st ed. Encarta Encyclopedia Article, "Dinosaur", 2001

Bradbury :: Biography Biographies

Bradbury A common theme in science fiction is outer space. Many of Bradbury's stories take place there. As critic Wayne L. Johnson observes, "For Bradbury, space is not merely a stage upon which stories of the future are played, it is what the Great Plains were to the pioneers, not just a frontier but a symbol of the future for the human race" (49). If space serves as a symbol of the future for the human race, the story "Kaleidoscope" has a large amount of symbolism. In this story, the crew of a spaceship is shot into space. "The first concussion cut the rocket up the side with a giant can opener. The men were thrown into space like a dozen wriggling silverfish. They were scattered into a dark sea; and the ship, in a million pieces, went on, a meteor swarm seeking a lost sun" (Bradbury The Stories of Ray Bradbury 143). The view expressed in "Kaleidoscope" is that although people come from one original being, they grow apart all the time. This divergent evolution is clearly expressed as each member of the crew, although separated for a short time, changes their view on the situation. The crewmen being hurled at the sun has a happy attitude, while the ones being hurled into darkness are engulfed in it. Bradbury might have not intended the reader to find this theme in the story, but it shows how creatures adapt to their environment. Another element of Bradbury's writing is robots. Wayne L. Johnson explains that "the robot represents the ultimate heart of the scientific conceit, wherein men's knowledge of the universe becomes so great that he is able to play God and create other men" (73). Robots represent the degrading value of life present in society. All of Bradbury's robot stories found in The Stories of Ray Bradbury come to unhappy endings. They are "horror stories as well as light-hearted warnings against taking robots for granted" (74). Many stories with robots are considered science fiction because robots are considered to be futuristic things. Bradbury uses robots to show the value people place on science over human beings. In "Marionettes, Inc.", two men are unhappy with their wives. One man, Braling tells the other man, Smith, that he has purchased a robot to take his place as a husband.

Christian Tradition Essay

‘Men, women and schools of thought have reformed and/or revitalised the Christian tradition.’ How well does this statement reflect the impact on Christianity of ONE significant person or school of thought, other than Jesus? Pope John XXIII was a highly influential, religious leader in the Catholic Church, whom was elected Pope on 28th October 1958. Although he was thought to be a transitional pope, John XXIII was often addressed as the ‘good pope’ due to his significant involvement in Catholicism. He challenged the role of the Catholic Church and emphasised the importance of interfaith dialogue. John XXIII’s most significant impact is the creation of the Second Vatican Council, which taught the Catholic Church to â€Å"open the windows† to engage with the modern world. Pope John XXIII was also passionate in promoting social justice, world peace and human rights. The statement clearly defines the impact John XXIII contributed to, as he reformed and revitalised the Christian tradition to adapt to the modern world of the 1960s, as well the ecumenism of all Christian denominations. Before the opening of Vatican II on 11 October 1962, the Church was separated from the secular world, as it was considered that everything not within Christianity was corrupt. Even so, sectarianism between different Christian denominations was very strong. Mass had also been spoken in Latin since 1570, and the laity were not supposed to read the Bible, and were merely observers to the liturgy, as all the ministries were done by the clergy.1 Since 1870, no Pope had an official engagement outside the Vatican, and mostly focused within the Catholic Church, however John XXIII changed this concept completely. He worked to reform the Catholic Church by calling the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Vatican II was the first council of any sort in over 100 years, and in its course, over 2500 bishops attended the four sessions convened. Vatican II was considered â€Å"an engagement with the modern world through a Christ-centred mission†2 which completely changed the mindset and mentality of people to engage with the modern world. The renewal of the liturgy saw the involvement of the laity, as now the Tridentine Mass was translated into the vernacular. The laity were now encouraged to study the Bible, as it was also translated into vernacular language. This impacted the whole concept of Mass, as the laity could now actively participate in the celebration of the liturgy and were recognised by the Church as the people of God, through the dogmatic constitution ‘Lumen Gentium’. John XXIII demonstrated his personal engagement with the world through his own personal examples, like meeting with world leaders, visiting inmates in prisons and sick children in hospitals. John XXIII also impacted on the expression of Christianity through the acceptance of the means of media such as, film, radio and television to engage with adherents. The Catholic Church would be outdated and irrelevant to modern life, if not for Pope John XXIII’s calling for Second Vatican Council, which revitalised the whole Church to engage with the modern world. Vatican II also brought about the 21st Ecumenical Council, which included the change of attitude from hostility/sectarianism to mutual respect and acceptance of all Christian denominations. Before Vatican II, the Catholic Church was seen as the ‘one true Church’, and Protestants were called heretics, while Orthodox Christians were schismatics. The council sought to renew the life of the church and reform its structures and institutions.3 One of the aims of John XXIII was the ‘Decree of Ecumenism’ which was to promote the ‘unity of Christians’, and thus stated, â€Å"Let us place values on those things which unite us and lay aside that which separates us.†4 Pope John XXIII demonstrated this reform by meeting with the Anglican Archbishop of Cantebury and also the Orthodox Patriarch in the 1960‘s. In 1965, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches apologised to each other and lifted the mutual excommunication of the Great Schism in 1054.The Catholic Church also became involved with the World Council of Churches in 1940. John XXIII’s ecumenical reform has now impacted the interaction between Christians, as they are now encouraged to share prayer and social actions together, ending the sectarianism conflicts between Christian denominations. Interfaith dialogue was also a factor of the Vatican II, encouraging mutual respect and dialogue amongst different religious traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. In the Vatican II document ‘Nostra Aetate’, he recognised and accepted that there is the presence of truth contained in other religious traditions, and condemned ‘anti-semitism’. John XXIII’s reforms of ecumenism, unity of mankind, and interfaith dialogue has impacted and revitalised the interaction of the secular and non secular world. Pope John XXIII also appealed to the whole world to work for peace and justice, emphasising the importance of â€Å"unity among mankind†. The role of the church was also questioned, and now became a ‘servant’ to the world as the Catholic Church became aware of social issues such as human rights, unity of Christians, social justice and world peace. John XXIII revitalised the Catholic Church’s view of modern world and its relationship to it. The church now was at the service of the world rather than in opposition.5 The Catholic Church was now open to dialogue and work with other Christians, other religions and even atheistic governments such as the communists. John XXIII also encouraged all Christians to be called to discipleship, and new roles of ‘evangelisation’ and ‘word for social justice’. This is further expressed in his encyclical, ‘Mater Et Magistra’ (Mother and Teacher). ‘Mater Et Magistra’ restated the teaching of social justice, and the necessity for wealthy nations to support developing countries. The encyclical stated, â€Å"Justice and humanity demand that those countries which produce consumer goods, especially farm products†¦should come to the assistance of other countries where large sections of the population are suffering from want and hunger.†6 Another encyclical by John XXIII is ‘Pacem in Terris’ (Peace on Earth), which applied to the whole world for peace as it was on the brink of a nuclear war. ‘Pacem in Terris’ pleaded for the banning of nuclear weapons and an end to the arms race.7 Another aim for calling the Second Vatican Council was the promotion of ‘unity among mankind’. The Pope established an engagement between the Catholic Church and the modern world by his involvement in current world affairs. He met with John F. Kennedy (USA) and Khrushchev (USSR) to maintain and counsel for peace of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. John XXIII exhibited his contact with secular and non religious leaders to shape the path ahead for the common good of all. Pope John XXII was not only a significant figure in Christianity but also a highly influential figure in the world. Today, this has impacted on some Catholic organisations focusing on helping the poor and the development of third world countries. Through the 4 constitutions, 9 decrees and 3 declarations of the Vatican II, John XXIII revolutionised and challenged the traditions of triumphalism, clericalism and legalism in the Catholic church and brought participation by the laity, ecumenism, interfaith dialogue and a focus on justice and peace of the world. 8John XXIII’s reason and inspiration for his contribution come from the core Christian belief of Jesus’ commandment for love, â€Å"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.†9 and †Love your neighbour as yourself.†10 Pope John XXIII was an inspiration man who reformed and revitalised the whole Catholic Church and impacted the way liturgy is held today, the interaction between Christian denominations and other religious traditions, and the focus on social justice and peace in the Christian tradition today.

Melodramatic stage Essay

â€Å"It isn’t so free here either, Rodolfo, like you think. I seen greenhorns sometimes get in trouble that way – they think just because girls do not go around with a shawl around her head that she isn’t strict, y’know?† Girls don’t have to wear black dresses to be strict. Know what I mean?†Ã‚  Although Eddie did not absolutely loose his temper he has forewarned Rodolfo very frankly in front of the whole of household that he should keep his distance from Catherine. â€Å"Well, I always have respect †Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I know, but in your town you wouldn’t just drag off some girl without permission, you know what I mean Marco?†Ã‚  Marco who has been quiet until now cautiously says yes, he does not want to interfere between Rodolfo and Catherine but does not want to answer Eddie ‘no’ as this would make Eddie distrustful of him, which he wants to avoid.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well he didn’t just drag her off though, Eddie.†Ã‚  Beatrice on the other hand gets fractious by this and sharply replies to Eddie, Eddie aware of her criticising force softens up but doesn’t stop. He goes on to say –  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It might be a little different here, but it is just as strict.† Rodolfo now realises Eddie’s anger for him and in a tender-hearted voice asks him-  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Did I do anything wrong.†Ã‚  Eddie now propitiates and tells him that he is not her father, but before he could finish, Beatrice ungraciously interrupts and rebukes him to be her uncle. Eddie realising her indignation keeps his temper under control, as he wants to show Rodolfo who is the person in jurisdiction of the house  Marco who has been without intervention listening to the whole matter gets up in a censurable way and asks Beatrice and Eddie to tell Rodolfo, if he has made any mistakes. Marco probably does not fully actualizes Eddie’s anger against Rodolfo yet, he thinks it is ephemeral and tries to make things more transparent and satisfy Eddie. Beatrice tells Eddie that the reason why Rodolfo and Catherine came late was because the movie ended late, but Marco tries to calm Eddie by asking Rodolfo to come home early. Eddie sensing Marco on his side tries to restrict Rodolfo’s movements and stop him going out with Catherine by saying –  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Look, kid, I am not only talking about her. The more you run around like this more chance there is that you get picked by immigration bureau†.  Beatrice senses Eddie’s intentions and again ungraciously interrupts him between his conversations and says that there is the same chance in the daytime. Until now Eddie has been attempting to make his point Non contentiously, but after being ungraciously rebuked by Beatrice, he gracelessly tells cousins that he thought they were both coming here to work and earn money, not fool around. This exceptionally strikes with Marco as he has responsibility for feeding his wife and children. Marco confirms with Eddie, that this is still the case. This embarrasses Marco, because by saying that if you are here to work than you should work, Eddie is essentially saying you can only live in my house if, you work hard and particularly mind your own business. This is of exceptional significance to Marco as he has four children and a wife who he has to send money which provides for their food and medicine, or else they would die. This is also the first awkwardness between Marco and Eddie as until now Eddie has regarded Marco as a hard working man and always respected him. Catherine who is the focal point of this entire repercussion between cousins and Eddie is now glowing with revolt against him. Catherine who is a grown up girl, who wants to be free and spend more time with Rodolfo views Eddie as someone preventing her from outside world, indeed, Eddie is obsessed with Catherine and is extremely over-protective towards her. He wants to dominate every aspect of her life, from the clothes she wears to the person she waves to and where she should go for a job. And now Catherine flushed with anger tries to disobey Eddie by inviting Rodolfo to dance with her on ‘Paper Doll’. Rodolfo, who is afraid that Eddie may make an issue of this, shows some fictional unwillingness in difference to Eddie. Beatrice countenances Rodolfo to go ahead and dance. Catherine takes Rodolfo’s hand and he stiffly rises, feeling Eddie’s eyes on his back they dance. The tension between the characters can be easily seen in their actions. Catherine’s rebellious behaviour is easily visible, when she goes to Rodolfo and takes his hand in her hand and invites him to dance. Rodolfo doesn’t easily agrees to dance, he first shows fictional unwillingness feeling Eddie’s eyes on his back, but after being inspired by Beatrice stiffly rises and goes to dance.  Eddie perceiving the tension in the house does not react to Catherine dancing with Rodolfo, but turns his head away in a very deprecate demeanour. At this point in the play, audience know that Eddie Carbone is very prophylactic towards his niece and he despises Rodolfo. This new crisis has taken a categorically different turn; Catherine is becoming more and more mutinous and Beatrice is advocating Rodolfo and Catherine. Eddie seems to be the only person secluded trying to what he thinks, protect Catherine from Rodolfo. Audience anticipate this extremity to be deciphered possibly by Beatrice. Throughout the whole play Beatrice has been impersonated by Miller as the most consequential person on Eddie Carbone, she has also actively tried to diffuse the tensions by jokes and in some contentions she has taken sides and silenced Eddie. She is also the person who is most consequential and proximate to Eddie. However, Carbone household is once again under strain, as Eddie Carbone the prophylactic, unpretentious character soon finds out that he is  Un-proficient to control his indignation, covetousness and detestation towards Rodolfo. Until now, Eddie has only been manifesting his indignation towards Rodolfo through declamation, but this melodramatically changes after Catherine, crimsoned with rebellion, disgusted with Eddie’s intervention in every countenance of her life invites Rodolfo to dance with her. This brings out an exorbitant indignation from Eddie, now we see Eddie expressing his vehemence not only through words but also through actions. After the dance, Eddie Carbone infuriated by his indignation delivers an atrocious dialogue to the whole of the household about Rodolfo.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"He’s lucky, believe me. That’s why the waterfront is no place for him. I mean like me – I can’t cook, I can’t sing, I can’t make dresses, so I’m on the waterfront. But if I could cook, if I could sing, if I could make dresses, I wouldn’t be on the water front.†Ã‚  This speech is of un-describable significance to the play. In this speech Eddie nearly exposes the whole issue in front of the whole household, by his dialogue but more by his actions. Eddie, by the end of his speech is perfunctorily twisting the newspaper in his hand in to a tight roll when it unexpectedly tears in half. This shows exasperated and how fretful Eddie has become of Rodolfo’s relationship with Catherine, and now Eddie’s indignation has reached a new level against Rodolfo and now his furore a nd ire can be seen in his actions. As seen throughout the whole play Miller uses melodramatic stage directions and often characters dramatize actions which changes the course of the whole play. For example, Eddie’s furore and ire against Rodolfo are disclosed, when Eddie rolls the newspaper in to a tight roll and then it tears in two. These types of actions not only give audiences clues of how this particular character will react to this character and to this kind of situation next time, but also gives them clues of what will happen next in the play.

Childhood Vaccinations: The Reality Behind the Debate

Childhood Vaccinations Brandi DeLuca Bryant & Stratton College ENGL 101 Alexis Vaughan December 17, 2012 Childhood Vaccinations Child vaccinations have become a huge debate with new expectant parents as well as parents who already have children. Should children be vaccinated? A great majority of pediatricians believe that yes, children should be vaccinated. However, there are many groups that disagree with vaccines because they believe vaccines are doing more harm than good. If that is the case, should we vaccinate our children?The choice to vaccinate our children is a choice every parent must make; there are many risks and side affects with every vaccine, but along with those risks comes the piece of mind knowing that our children are protected against a deadly disease. When a child is vaccinated, the child is administered with a vaccine that is specially made to protect them from a particular disease. The vaccine is created by using a small piece of a microbe that is dead or very w eak (Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, 2012, para. 1). By using a very small amount, it eliminates the chance of the patient getting sick.When the injection is administered, the small piece of microbe is introduced into the body’s bloodstream and into the immune system. When the two meet, the immune system creates an antibody that kills the microbe. Once that particular antibody is present within the body, it will always be on defense and ready to fight if that same microbe returns (Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, 2012, para. 1). The first vaccine in the world’s history to be created was the smallpox vaccine in the 1790s by a man named Edward Jenner (Stern & Markel, 2005, para, 1). Jenner was a country doctor who lived in Berkeley, England.This is where Jenner administered the world’s first vaccination in 1796 (Stern & Markel, 2005, para, 6). The vaccination was created by taking pus from a cowpox lesion on a milkmaid’s hand. This vaccination was than teste d on an eight-year-old named James Phipps. The child was unaffected by the vaccine and showed no signs or symptoms of smallpox. Jenner conducted twelve additional experiments all proving that vaccinations helped protect humans against infections. It took over eighteen years after Jenner created the smallpox vaccine for scientists to create new vaccines.In the 1830s after an initial generation had been vaccinated, the United States and Europe saw a decline in smallpox (Stern & Markel, 2005, para, 23). Even with the success of the new vaccination, there were people known as antivaccinationists who believed vaccines were an invasion to their privacy and bodily integrity. This is where it began, the debate over vaccinations. During the hospital stay after delivering a baby, the mother will be asked if she would like her child to receive his or her first dose of the hepatitis B vaccination. Many new mothers without hesitation will agree to this vaccine.It is being recommended by a medica l professional, why would a parent question them? Yet, many parents do considering that one-third out of the four million babies born in the United States are not vaccinated by the age of two (Aesoph, n. d. , para. 1). Vaccinations are given to children of all ages to prevent or help fight certain possibly illnesses. All childhood vaccinations are given in a series of two or more doses. Depending on the child’s age, the dose and vaccine will vary. Most children should have completed the recommended vaccine schedule by the time they are six years old.The vaccination schedule was designed to build a baby’s immune system from birth and develop as the child gets older. The first vaccination a newborn will receive is the hepatitis B vaccine, which they will typically get prior to leaving the maternity unit. The hepatitis B vaccine is given in three or four different injections over a six-month period (Department of Health and Human Services, n. d. , para. 2). The vaccine pr otects against hepatitis B, which is a contagious liver disease (Department of Health and Human Services, n. d. , para. 1). The hepatitis B vaccine is considered extremely safe and effective.By the age of six years-old a child could have received as many as ten vaccinations (Department of Health and Human Services, n. d. , para. 1). These vaccines and the dose amount required are: two to three doses of Rotavirus (RV), four doses of Pneumococcal (PCV), three doses of Inactivated Poliovirus (IPV or Polio), four doses of Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis (DTaP), three to four doses of Haemophilus Influenzea (Hib), one dose of Measels, Mumps and Rubella (MMR), two doses of Hepatitis A (HepA), one dose of Meningococcal (MCV4), and one dose of Chickenpox (Varicella) (Department of Health and Human Services, n. . , para. 1). Once a child is older than six months, it is recommended that the child receive the influenza shot as well. Not immunizing children makes them vulnerable to con tract a disease that is almost one hundred percent preventable such as rotavirus. The rotavirus vaccine protects children from gastroenteritis, which is inflammation of the stomach and intestines. When a child contracts the rotavirus disease their symptoms include watery diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and in some cases, vomiting (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011, para. ). â€Å"Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide† (CDC, 2011, para. 1). Around the world, rotavirus is responsible for over half a million deaths a year for children under the age of five (CDC, 2011, para. ). I understand that in third world counrties vaccinations are not always available, but that is over five hundred thousand children who have lost their lives to a disease that a vaccination was created to prevent this exact same problem. People known as anti-vaccinationists say that vaccines do more harm than good.How can that possible be said when over five hundred thousand lives could have been saved had they been vaccinated with the rotavirus vaccine? Association of American of Physicians & Surgeons said: Measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, and the whole panoply of childhood diseases are a far less serious threat than having a large fraction (say 10%) of a generation afflicted with learning disability and/or uncontrollable aggressive behavior because of an impassioned crusade for universal vaccination†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Public policy regarding vaccines is fundamentally flawed. It is permeated by conflicts of interest. It is based on poor scientific methodology (including studies that are too small, too short, and too limited in populations represented), which is, moreover, insulated from independent criticism. The evidence is far too poor to warrant overriding the independent judgments of patients, parents, and attending physicians, even if this were ethically or legally acceptable. (Vaccination Liberation, 2011, para. ) A doctor by the name of Richard Moskowitz was a pediatrician who after ten years of immunizing children could no longer bring himself to immunize children, even if the parents requested the vaccine (Vaccination Risk Awareness Network, 2012, para. 1). Richard Moskowitz wrote an article that was published in a journal in March of 1983. In the article that he wrote, he believed that by ridding the world of microbial species it would disrupt the balance of nature in ways no one would ever imagine.He also believed that vaccines were being created simply for the fact that the equipment is there to produce those vaccines and to show that we can manipulate the evolutionary process (Vaccination Risk Awareness Network, 2012, para. 2). When a vaccine is introduced to the body, foreign proteins or possibly live viruses are released into the bloodstream. Moskowitz believed by just that fact alone, the public is entitled to solid proof that vaccinations are safe and fully effective.If chi ldren are going to be injected with live viruses in hopes that it will someday protect them from that very same disease, proof that these vaccines pose no harm to the children needs to be presented in a very strong way. Richard Moskowitz said: Most people can readily accept the fact that at times certain laws are necessary for the public good that some of us strongly disagree with, but the issue in this case involves the wholesale introduction of foreign proteins or even live viruses into the bloodstream of entire populations. For that reason alone, the public is surely entitled to convincing proof, eyond any reasonable doubt, that artificial immunization is in fact a safe and effective procedure in no way injurious to health, and that the threat of the corresponding natural disease remains sufficiently clear and urgent to warrant vaccinating everyone, even against their will if necessary. (Vaccination Risk Awareness Network, 2012, para. 2) The choice to vaccinate a child is complet ely up to the parents. When making the decision there are two sides of the argument to look at. The parent must know all of the pros and cons to both sides of the argument before being able to make an educated decision.What the parent should know is that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates all vaccines currently in the market to make sure they are safe and effective. Prior to the vaccine being FDA approved, there are many tests that the vaccine must go through before being accepted. The FDA’s Center for Biological Evaluation and Research (CBER) is the department that is responsible for monitoring all vaccines in the United States (U. S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA], 2009, para. 1). The vaccines go through three clinical trials, all of which include human studies (FDA, 2009, para. 3).Once the vaccine has been accepted, the FDA will work side by side with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (FDA, 2009, para. 1). The FDA does this by monitoring s ide effects that a patient or parent may report to their pediatrician after a vaccination has been administered. From my personal experience as a mother to children who have been vaccinated, the most common side effect from a vaccine is a high fever that typically goes away approximately twenty-four hours after the initial injection. The FDA reports that since the beginning of vaccines, many infectious diseases have been eliminated or are now rare (FDA, 2012, para. ). Take rubella for example. In 1964 to 1965 before the rubella vaccine was considered a routine vaccine in the United States, there was an epidemic of rubella (FDA, 2012, para. 2). An estimated 20,000 newborn babies were born with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) along with the 2,100 that died shortly after birth and 11,250 miscarriages (FDA, 2012, para. 10). CRS is an infection that a fetus can contract during the first trimester while inside the womb of an infected mother (Boston Children’s Hospital, 2011, para . 2).Babies born with CRS can develop heart defects, mental retardation and deafness (FDA, 2012, para. 12). The FDA reported that â€Å"Of the 20,000 infants born with CRS, 11,600 were deaf, 3,580 were blind, and 1,800 were mentally retarded. † (FDA, 2012, para. 10). In 2010, only six cases of CRS were reported (FDA, 2012, para. 10). If the rubella vaccine was for some reason stopped, rubella would return resulting in pregnant women becoming infected and babies would possibly be born with CRS (FDA, 2012, para, 10). Deciding whether or not to have a child vaccinated is completely up to the parent.There are no federal laws that require parents to have their children vaccinated. However, all fifty states require children to have certain vaccinations if the parent wants them to attend a public school. These vaccinations must be completed prior to the child being accepted to the school. Some may see this as the government controlling the vaccination policy and forcing parents to v accinate their children against their own will. Most parents choose to send their children to school to obtain an education because they believe it is a beneficial choice for their children’s future.If a parent wants this, they must vaccinate the child or they simply are not allowed to attend school. Think about how many children attend a public school on a daily basis and all of the germs that are spread and the viruses that are passed from one child to another. Now think about if those children were not vaccinated and the amount of illnesses that a parent would have to worry about. It would no longer be a simple cold or a case of the flu; it could be rubella, hepatitis B, or even polio.By children being required to have certain vaccinations prior to attending school, can people really say that it is the government forcing us to immunize our children or are they really looking out for the best interest of the children? Of all the many debates surrounding childhood vaccines, autism is the one that most people associate with vaccinations. Autism, which is official called autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disability caused by a neurological disorder that affects the way an autistic child sees and interacts with the world around them (â€Å"What Is Autism? , 2005, para. 1). The controversy started in 1998 when a study conducted by Andrew Wakefield was published in a British journal called The Lancet (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012, para. 2). In his studies, he stated that the expected amount of children diagnosed with autism in California should have been around one hundred five to two hundred sixty-three cases, according to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Diseases (Wakefield, 1999, para. 4). The actual amount of children diagnosed was one thousand six hundred eight-five cases (Wakefield, 1999, para. 4).Wakefield backed his accusations with proof of examinations from twelve children, all of which had regressive autism (Katz, 20 11, para. 4). All twelve children were developing within normal range until symptoms of autistic behavior appeared shortly after receiving their first dose of the MMR vaccine. He claims that there is a link that the MMR vaccine is the possible cause of autism. In the study he conducted there were two test vaccine groups. One group received the MMR vaccine and the other group received any measles-containing vaccine (Wakefield, 1999, para. ). The study group that received the MMR vaccine was reported by the parents to have temporal clustering (Wakefield, 1999, para. 3). This led Wakefield to the conclusion that the MMR vaccine was the possible cause of autism. After the article was published there was a huge decline in children being immunized. Parents believed that the study was accurate and refused to have their children vaccinated resulting in multiple cases of the measles to appear in emergency rooms around America.Once word got around about the article, parents started to associa te their child’s autistic behavior with the MMR vaccine. The first MMR vaccine is administered around twelve to fifteen months; the signs of autistic behavior typically appear around fifteen to eighteen months of age (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2012, para. 2). This is what led many parents to filing lawsuits claiming the MMR vaccine caused their child to develop autism. Almost all suits at the time were thrown out due to lack of evidence.During an investigation into Wakefield’s accusation of the MMR vaccine being the root cause of autism, researchers tried to replicate Wakefield’s findings but were unable to come up with the same results. An investigation led by a journalist named Brian Deer who worked for British Medical Journal found that five of the twelve children in Wakefield’s study had shown signs of autism prior to even receiving the MMR vaccination (Katz, 2011, para. 5). Once this information was known, more information came out making it lo ok as if the Wakefield study was fraudulent in effort to make money.The investigation by Deer reported that Wakefield’s autism theory was released after Wakefield had been hired by a law firm who was preparing to file a suit against vaccine makers. The British Medical Journal reported that Wakefield was paid approximately five thousand dollars to publish a fraudulent study (Katz, 2011, para. 7). Wakefield has since denied all accusations and still stands by his study that the MMR vaccine is directly related to children being diagnosed with autism.Although the Wakefield study has been recanted by almost every magazine or journal that published the article, there are still parents who stand behind Wakefield saying that his study was accurate and believe that the MMR vaccine is the main cause for their child being autistic. Autism affects one out of every eighty-eight children in the United States and is four out of five times more common in boys than in girls (Autism Speaks Inc . , 2012, para. 1). In recent years, children being diagnosed with autism has went from ten percent up to seventeen percent (Autism Speaks Inc. 2012, para. 5). There is no clear explanation as to why more children are being diagnosed other than research has improved and there is now more awareness surrounding autism. Some could speculate that the world population continues to raise everyday meaning there are more children being vaccinated. With more children being vaccinated, more children are being diagnosed with autism. On the other hand, it could be just a coincidence and the nationwide awareness surrounding autism has made parents and pediatricians more likely to take suspicion to autistic like behavior and symptoms.Regardless the reason for more children being diagnosed, autism is a serious disorder that affects many children and even adults that struggle on the daily basis to cope with symptoms of autism. After many hours of research on childhood vaccinations and the possible effects that they may have on our children, I am going to carefully monitor the research being done on vaccines. In a world where diseases and illnesses surround us, it is very important to me to know that my children are protected from these possibly deadly diseases. In all of my research that I id, I never came across any real concrete evidence that any childhood vaccination that is currently on the market is directly related to any serious health concerns. Yes, after receiving a vaccination a child may experience a slight fever or may seem more sleepy than normal; however, I believe these symptoms are nothing compared to what could be if the child was never vaccinated. Prior to a child receiving a vaccination, the vaccine must undergo many hours of research and clinical studies to ensure that it is safe and poses no medical health concern.The government does not have any federal laws mandating that a child be vaccinated; they do, however, strongly suggest that all children receiv e the proper vaccines in the suggested time frame in the vaccine schedule created by the CDC to ensure that the vaccine is fully effective in protecting children from any serious illnesses. Every parent has the right to choose whether or not to have their child vaccinated; prior to making this decision it is very important to go over the pros and cons to ensure that they are making an educational decision in their children’s future. References Aesoph, L.M. (n. d. ). Shoot ‘em up on the debate over childhood immunization. Retrieved from http://www. healthy. net/scr/article. aspx? Id=380 Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre. (2012). What is vaccination?. Retrieved from http://microbemagic. ucc. ie/inside_guts/defence_vaccination. html American Academy of Pediatrics. (2012, October 29). MMR vaccine & autism. Retrieved from http://www2. aap. org/immunization/families/mmr. html Autism Speaks Inc. (2012). What is autism? What is autism spectrum disorder? Retrieved from http://www. autismspeaks. org/what-autism Boston Children’s Hospital. (2011).Congenital rubella syndrome. Retrieved from http://www. childrenshospital. org/az/Site605/mainpageS605P0. html Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, April 22). Rotavirus. Retrieved from http://www. cdc. gov/rotavirus/index. html Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012, November 20). What would happen if we stopped vaccinations?. Vaccines and immunizations. Retrieved from http://www. cdc. gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop. htm Department of Health and Human Services (n. d. ). Hepatitis b. Retrieved from http://www. vaccines. gov/diseases/hepatitis_b/index. html# Katz, N. (2011, January 6).Andrew Wakefield: Autism vaccine fraud or conspiracy victim? Retrieved from http://www. cbsnews. com/8301-504763_162-20027552-10391704. html Moskowitz, R. (2012). The case against immunization. Retrieved from http://vran. org/about-vaccines/general-issues/doctors-speak/the-case-against-immunizatons/ Stern, A . M. , & Markel, H. (2005, May). The history of vaccines and immunization: Familiar patterns, new challenges. 24(3), 611-621. doi: 10. 1377/hlthaff. 24. 3. 611. U. S. Food and Drug Administration. (2009, June 18). Vaccine product approval process. Vaccines, Blood and Biologics. Retrieved from http://www. fda. gov/biologics loodvaccines/developmentapprovalprocess/biologicslicenseapplicationsblaprocess/ucm133096. htm U. S. Food and Drug Administration. (2009, December 30). How does FDA assess the safety of vaccines?. Retrieved from http://www. fda. gov/AboutFDA/ Transparency/Basics/ucm194586. htm Vaccination Liberation. (2011, July 22). Lots of great vaccination quotes!. Retrieved from http://www. vaclib. org/basic/quotes. htm Wakefield, A. (1999, September 11). MMR vaccine and autism. The Lancet (354)9182, 949-950. doi: 10. 1016/S0140-6736(05)75696-8 What is autism?. (2005). Retrieved from http://www. autism-pdd. net/what-is-autism. html