Stem cell success Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Stem cell success - Term Paper Example This enthusiasm still is not shared by those of the religious right. This faction is opposed to embryonic stem cell research which they claim as immoral and characterize as devaluing human life, much the same as does abortion, drawing a link between the two. This discussion will provide a brief overview of stem cell research and its benefits to society, the debate surrounding the issue and the arguments for continued research. Stem cells are basically the building block cells of a human being which are capable of becoming 210 different types of tissue. Adult stem cells are found in minute numbers within most tissues, but the majority of stem cells can be obtained from the umbilical cord. There are numerous potential sources for stem cells. Embryonic stem cells originate from the inner cell of an early stage embryo. Embryonic germ cells can be collected from fetal tissue at a later stage of development. Adult stem cells can be obtained from mature tissues. â€Å"Even after complete m aturation of an organism, cells need to be replaced. A good example (of adult stem cells) is blood, but this is true for muscle and other connective tissue as well, and may be true for at least some nervous system cells† (Chapman et al, 1999). ... It has been substantiated from animal research that stem cells can be differentiated into cells that will behave appropriately in their transplanted location. For example, the transplantation of stem cells following treatments for cancer has found much success for many years. â€Å"Experiments such as the transplantation of fetal tissue into the brains of Parkinson’s patients indicate that the expectation that stem cell therapies could provide robust treatments for many human diseases is a reasonable one. It is only through controlled scientific research that the true promise will be understood† (Frankel, 1999). The moral dilemma that surrounds the prohibition of aborted fetuses is the idea of abortion itself. The former Bush administration was very conservative leaning and made it very clear that it was opposed to legal abortions, in at least most circumstances, and transferred that ideology to its prohibition of embryonic stem cell research. The concept of scientific study of the next stage of development, the fetus, which resulted from an abortion, is unthinkable. This ideology of that administration reflected the minority opinion which opposes abortion and also reflects the majority opinion that is opposed to aborted fetuses of consenting parents being used for experimentation. This reality has no basis in reason. Why would those who claim to be ‘pro-choice’ want to waste the aborted tissue? For that matter, why would pro-lifers want to witness what they believe is a living being tossed away in vain? At least its ‘life’ could have meant something to humanity in a very real way. Though president Obama reversed the Bush-era restrictions on this scientific research, conservatives continue to fight this battle in court. Last

High School Drop out Rate Essay Example for Free

High School Drop out Rate Essay Analysts agree that the rate of high school dropout in the United States has reached catastrophic levels. Credible estimates claim that more than a third of all students that join high school are likely to abandon school before completion. A look at the past decades indicates that this has been a growing trend and is yet to be arrested appropriately. This is a problem that has not been captured in the public glare due to scarcity if data. This paper will provide the available statistics on the rate of high school dropouts; provide an analysis of the possible causes and remedies. Different publications contain valid rates of dropouts; this is because of the existing differences in the definition of a dropout. There are those that graduate after completing the high school syllabus, others that graduate after completing an equivalency test of the same and those that graduate after passing other states based tests. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) compiles its data using either the event rates, status rates or the cohert rates. Events rates refer to the number of students that drop out of school annually while the status rate takes into account the total number of students that have cumulatively dropped out of school as a proportion of the total population. (National Institute on the Education of At Risks Students, 2006) Indicative reports have it that the rate of school dropout from the 1970s to the 1990s recorded a steady decline; however the rates have stabilized from the 90s to date recording an insignificant improvement. A look at the 1999 and the 2000 reports indicate that 5% of all students that had joined high school in the respective years dropped out within a year. This is in according to the available education department’s event dropout rates. The status dropout rates for 2000 indicate that â€Å"some 3. 8 million young adults were not enrolled in a high school program and had not completed high school. † (National Center for Education Statistics). Other available statistics on the dropout rates focus on the differences between gender and the racial groups. They have indicated that 5. 8% of male students are more likely to dropout compared to whose dropout rate is 4. 3%. The gender disparities in the dropout rate are witnessed across all the ethnic and racial groups with male students being the most affected. The dropout rate for the minority groups has remained higher than that of white Americans. The Latinos lead the group of the minorities with a rate of 27. 5%; African Americans have 13. 6% while the whites have a dropout rate of 7. 9%. This is according to the 1993 survey although these rates have remained fairly constant since then. (National Institute on the Education of At Risk Students, 1996) Having looked at the existing statistics, it is important to look at the reasons behind these statistics. There exists immense research on the causes of high school dropouts but it is important to point out that they focus on a variety of issues depending on the discipline. The ethnographic studies for example may focus on the issues of minorities and the social causes of their dropout. Attempts therefore to establish the specific factors are impeded by the existence of â€Å"a large variety of factors that predict or influence dropout behaviors, ranging from family background to school characteristics. † (Richard, 2002, 120) Scholars however have observed that students drop out of schools either after being ‘pushed out’ by the school environment or after being ‘pulled away’ by factors beyond the school curriculum. (Jay W. , 1999). A survey conducted on the various reasons behind the high school drop out rates revolve around vague reasons such boring classes and hard exams. These though are the pointer towards the major factors that contribute towards high school dropout rates. The causes range from academic challenges, economic, social and personal reasons One of the major ‘push out’ cause of dropout of high school can be traced to the various schools’ requirements to undertake an exit exam as the precondition for graduation. A look at the United States reveals that most states have put forth a requirement for a standardized test to mark the graduation of students from high school. Exit exams were adopted to enable states to standardize their tests and upgrade their diplomas. Where the merits of these exams have been widely noted, criticism has been leveled against them alleging that they exert too much pressure on the high school students. The basic purpose of exit exams is to ensure that the quality of the diploma is maintained, today however it is being seen as pushing students out of school, â€Å"these critics rely upon the push-out-myth- the idea that requiring students to pass exit exams forces students to drop out of high school. † (Jay P. , 2006, 127). The conclusion that stringent exam requirement may push students out of school has been reached after examining performance records and transcripts belonging to those that have dropped out. Studies have pointed out a streak of dismal performance by most of them indicating a sense of hopelessness on the drop outs. Some students have blamed the dismal performance on the lack of motivation by their teachers. Another possible cause of school dropout is peer influence. Peers are an important component to the development of an individual and also as socialization agents. It has been established that the influence of the family to the life of adolescents is fast waning and its place taken over by peers. The issue of how peers influence school drop out rate is broad and has been found to be an important factor. School dropouts have claimed to have been influenced by their peers to quit schools especially for those that had non schooling friends. This is so as peer influence has been found to either be a source of motivation or discouragement. This has been problematic as most of these have plunged into the crime world led by their peers. Working students also find it hard to cope with both tasks and most have even been found to give up education in the belief that they will resume later. Unsupportive parents have also been known to lead their children out of schools due to lack of moral support. Just like there is no single cause behind the high rates of school dropouts, there is no single remedy for the problem. It requires a multifaceted approach that incorporates both students and the teachers. It has been found that most students drop out of schools to escape the taxing nature of academics and exams. While it is not prudent to change the existing exams, it would be appropriate to put measures to ensure that the tests would not be an excuse to drive students out of school. As Marvin (2003, 215) has pointed out, â€Å"states should look for more ways to identify students at risk and consider instituting or adapting existing programs to support students before they drop out. † The best approach hence would be to incorporate a support program to help students cope with the rising challenges. This should include providing extra school tutoring and retake programs for students that perform dismally in the first attempts. This should also include introducing changes to the academic programs to ensure that they are more responsive and relevant to the student lives. The government also should roll out programs that aim towards sensitizing students on the need to stay in school. A number of factors that contribute to high rates of school dropout are social-psychological meaning that they can be eradicated through creation of awareness and general counseling. It is also important to involve students in the process of policy making to ensure that their expectations and views are incorporated and hence make them feel that they have a bigger stake in the school programs. Indeed there much has to be done to reduce the number of students that fail to complete their high school. The dropout rates indicated above are worrisome. More also needs to be done to bridge the dropout disparities across the racial groups. Students should be sensitized on the dangers of dropping out of schools especially as they are exposing themselves to the risks of unemployment as well as crime.

Estimation of Salbutamol Sulphate and Guaiphenesin

Estimation of Salbutamol Sulphate and Guaiphenesin SIMULTANEOUS ESTIMATION OF SALBUTAMOL SULPHATE AND GUAIPHENESIN IN THEIR COMBINED LIQUID DOSAGE FORM BY HPTLC METHOD Kruti D. Bhalara, Ishwarsingh S. Rathod, Sindhu B. Ezhava, Dolarrai D. Bhalara, ABSTRACT A simple, specific, sensitive and validated high-performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of Salbutamol sulphate and Guaiphenesin. Spectro-densitometric scanning-integration was performed at an absorbance wavelength 280 nm. A TLC aluminium sheet pre coated with silica gel 60 F254 was used as the stationary phase. The mobile phase system containing Ethyl acetate: Methanol: Ammonia (25% w/v) (75: 15: 10 v/v) gave a good resolution of Salbutamol sulphate and Guaiphenesin with Rf values of 0.47 and 0.65, respectively. The calibration plot of Salbutamol sulphate exhibited good linear regression relationship (r = 0.9987) over a concentration range of 200-1000 ng/spot. The calibration plot of Guaiphenesin exhibited good polynomial regression relationship (r = 0.9997) over a concentration range of 10-50 ÃŽ ¼g/spot. Detection and quantitation limit was found to be 70 ng and 100 ng respectively, for Salbutamol sulphate and 30 ng and 50 n g, for Guaiphenesin. The proposed method was used for determination of both drugs in Ventorlin and Asthalin Syrup containing Salbutamol sulphate and Guaiphenesin with satisfactory precision (Intraday) [2.67-4.46% for Salbutamol sulphate and 2.39-4.42% for Guaiphenesin] and accuracy [100.97 ± 0.50% and 100.45  ± 0.58% RSD, for Salbutamol sulphate and Guaiphenesin respectively] INTRODUCTION Salbutamol sulpahte (SAL) is the selective prototypic ÃŽ ²2-adrenoceptor agonist. It is used as an anti-asthmatic in the treatment of bronchial asthma, bronchospasm, in the patients with reversible obstructive airway and in prevention of exercise induced bronchospasm(1-3). It may be used in uncomplicated premature labour. SAL is chemically (RS)-1-(4-hydroxy-3-hydroxy- methyl phenyl)-2-(tert-butyl amino) ethanol sulphate(2, 3). Guaiphenesin (GUA) is used as an expectorant in the symptomatic management of coughs associated with the common cold, bronchitis, pharyngitis, influenza, measles etc(1-3). It is chemically (RS)-3-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,2- propanediol(2, 3). SAL and GUA combinations are available in the market for the respiratory disorders where bronchospasm and excessive secretion of tenacious mucus are complicating factors, for example bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis emphysema. Chemical structures of GUA and SAL are shown in Figure 1. SAL (API) is official in the Indian Pharmacopoeia(2), British Pharmacopoeia(4), and US Pharmacopoeia(5), and SAL syrup and tablets are official in British Pharmacopoeia(4). GUA (API) is official in the Indian Pharmacopoeia(2), British Pharmacopoeia(4), and US Pharmacopoeia(5), and GUA tablets, capsules and injection are also official in US Pharmacopoeia(5). However, the combination of SAL and GUA is not official in any pharmacopoeia. Several methods have been reported in literature for individual estimation of the drugs but very few methods have been reported for simultaneous estimation of SAL and GUA in combined dosage form, which includes chemo metrics-assisted spectrophotometry(6), Electro kinetic chromatography and Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry(7) and Micellar electrokinetic chromatography(8). HPLC, though accurate and precise method, is time consuming, costly and requires skilled operator. Therefore the aim of this study was to develop and validate simple, specific, inexp ensive, rapid, accurate and precise High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) method for simultaneous estimation of SAL and GUA in their combined dosage form. The proposed method was successfully applied to two marketed cough syrups Ventorlin ® and Asthalin ® and the contents were determined without any interference of excipients. MATERIALS Reagents and Materials (a) Solvents: Analytical reagent grade Ethyl acetate (Finar Chemicals, India) and methanol (RFCL Limited, India) and ammonia (25% w/v) (s. d. Fine Chem Limited, India); Iso propyl alcohol (s. d. Fine Chem Limited, India); Sodium bicarbonate (s. d. Fine Chem Limited, India) (b) Standards: SAL and GUA were a gift sample from Preet Pharma, Gujarat, India. (c) Ventorlin ® syrup (GSK Pharmaceutical Ltd, India) – Batch 02053, labeled 2 mg SAL and 100 mg GUA in each 5 ml of syrup, were purchased commercially. (d) Asthalin ® syrup (Cipla Pharmaceuticals, Mumbai, India) – Batch 060305, labeled 2 mg SAL and 100 mg GUA in each 5 ml of syrup, were purchased commercially. Apparatus (a) HPTLC Plate: 20Ãâ€"20cm, percolated with silica gel 60 F254, 0.2 mm layer thickness ( E.Merck, Germany) (b) Spotting device: Linomat IV Semiautomatic sample applicator (Camag, Switzerland) (c) Chamber: Twin trough chamber for 20 Ãâ€" 10 cm (Camag) (d) Densitometer: TLC Scanner-3 linked to win CATS software (Camag). Scanner mode- absorbance-reflectance; Scanning Wavelength: 280 nm; lamp: Deuterium; measurement type: remission; measurement mode: absorption; detection mode: automatic. Scanner setting- Slit dimension: 3.00 Ãâ€" 0.1 mm (e) Syringe: 100  µl (Hamilton, Switzerland) (f) Analytical balance: Shimandzu Libror AEG – 220 balances METHODS Preparation of SAL and GUA standard solutions Stock solution of SAL (equivalent to 2 mg/ml) was prepared by dissolving 20 mg SAL pure substance in 10 ml methanol. Working stock solution of SAL (equivalent to 0.2 mg/ml) was prepared by transferring 1.0 ml of above stock solution in 10.0 ml methanol. Stock solution (10 mg/ml) of GUA was prepared by dissolving 100 mg GUA pure substance in 10.0 ml methanol, separately. These solutions were stored under refrigeration at 40C. A mixture of the drugs was prepared by transferring 1.0 ml of stock solutions of each compound to 10 ml volumetric flask and diluting to volume with methanol. (Final concentrations of SAL, 0.02 mg/ml and GUA, 1 mg/ml) Preparation of calibration curve 10-50 micro liters of standard solutions of combined standard solution of SAL (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0  µg/spot) and GUA (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50  µg/spot) and 2 sample solutions (20  µl; corresponding to 0.4  µg SAL and 20  µg GUA/spot) were applied onto a pre coated HPTLC plate using the semiautomatic sample spotter (bandwidth: 3 mm, distance between the tracks: 5 mm). The plate was developed to a distance of 45 mm in a HPTLC chamber containing the mobile phase, i.e., Ethyl acetate-methanol-ammonia (7.5+1.5+1.0 v/v/v), at 25  ± 2 0C. The plate was dried at room temperature. The substances on the silica gel layer were identified densitometrically at 280 nm. The chromatograms were scanned at 280 nm with slit dimensions of 0.1 mm Ãâ€" 3 mm; 400 nm was used as the reference wavelength for all measurements. Concentrations of the compounds chromatographed were determined from changes in the intensity of diffusely reflected light. Evaluation was via peak area with linear re gression for SAL and polynomial regression for GUA. Preparation of sample solutions A 5 ml aliquot of the Commercial syrup (Ventorlin ® or Asthalin ®) was transferred into 10 ml volumetric flask. The volume was adjusted with methanol. From this solution, 2 ml was pipetted and transferred into another 10 ml volumetric flask. The volume was adjusted to the mark with methanol. The methanolic solution was used for chromatographic analysis. (SAL 20 ÃŽ ¼g/ml and GUA 1 mg/ml) Method validation The method was validated in compliance with International Conference on Harmonization guidelines(9). (a) Specificity._ The specificity of the method was established by comparing the chromatograms and measuring the peak purities of SAL and GUA from standard and sample solutions of liquid dosage forms. The peak purity of SAL and GUA were assessed by comparing spectra obtained at the peak start (S), peak middle (M) and peak end (E) of a spot. Correlation between SAL and GUA spectra from standard and sample was also obtained. (b) Accuracy._ The accuracy of the method was determined by standard addition method and calculating the recoveries of SAL and GUA . Prequantified sample stock solution of SAL and GUA ( 1 mL equivalent to 200 µG/ml of SAL and 10mg/ml of GUA) was transferred into a series of 10 mL volumetric flasks. Known amounts of standard stock solution of SAL(0, 1,2 and 3 mL equivalent to 200, 400, 600 ng/spot ) and GUA ( 0, 1, 2 and 3 mL equivalent to 0, 10,20 and 30  µg/spot) were added to this prequantified working sample solutions and diluted up to the mark with methanol. Each solution (10  µL) was applied on plates in triplicate. The plates were developed and scanned as described above, and the recovery was calculated by measuring the peak areas and fitting these values into the regression equation of the calibration curves. (c) Precision._ The intraday and interday precision of the proposed method was determined by estimating the corresponding responses five times on the same day and on five different days over a period of one week for three different concentrations of SAL (200, 400, 600 ng/spot) and GUA (10, 20, 30  µg/spot). The repeatability of sample application was checked by repeatedly measuring the area of seven spots having same concentration of SAL (400ng/spot) and GUA (20  µg/spot) applied on the same plate, while the repeatability of measurement of peak area was checked by repeatedly measuring the area of one spot of SAL (400ng/spot) and GUA (20  µg/spot) for seven times. The results were reported in terms of RSD. (d) LOD and LOQ._ The LOD and LOQ of SAL and GUA were calculated by preparing a series of solutions containing decreasing concentrations of SAL from 0.02 to 0.004 mg/ml and GUA from 1 to 0.001 mg/ml by appropriate dilution of the stock solutions of these drugs (SAL 0.02 mg/ml and GUA 1 mg/ml). (e) Robustness._ The robustness of the method was studied by changing the composition of the mobile phase by  ± 0.2 mL of organic solvent, development distance by  ±1 cm, and temperature by  ± 2ËÅ ¡C. Determination of SAL and GUA in Liquid Dosage Form The responses of sample solutions were measured at 280 nm for quantification of SAL and GUA by the proposed method. The amount of SAL and GUA present in the sample solutions were determined by fitting the responses into the regression equation of the calibration curve for SAL and GUA, respectively. RESULT AND DISCUSSION Since both SAL and GUA have nearly same wavelength maxima, interference becomes prominent in UV-Visible spectrophotometry. Also the estimation of any component at its null point is not that much reliable as the estimation at maximum wavelength. Consecutively for highly specific methods like HPLC and HPTLC, physical separation of those substances is usually necessary before quantitative determination of those substances. So, attempt has been made to develop a validated separation technique for the separation of SAL and GUA in the mixture by HPTLC. The chromatographic conditions were adjusted in order to obtain an efficient and simple routine method. Different mobile phases were tried for the separation of the above substances. The optimized solvent system was Ethyl acetate: methanol: ammonia (25 %w/v) (7.5:1.5:1;v/v/v). The Rf values were found to be 0.47 for SAL and 0.65 for GUA. (Figure 2) The maximum wavelength of SAL was found to be 279nm-280nm and the maximum wavelength of GUA was 274nm-275nm. As both compounds have nearly same ÃŽ » max, 280 nm was selected for simultaneous scanning of SAL and GUA. In this way, SAL can be detected at low concentrations in the presence of GUA at high concentrations. Preparation of calibration curve As the concentration range of SAL is from 200 to 1000 ng, direct proportionality (linearity) of the concentration with its absorbance was obtained. Linear regression analysis is applied to analyze calibration curve of SAL. The equation is y = 3.659x + 409.8 (Figure 2) With the objective to allow simultaneous analysis by developing method in wider concentration range, non-linear regression analysis mode was utilized for estimation of GUA. Polynomial regression mode is applicable if wide concentration ranges (1:50 to 1:100) are worked out and with high amount of substance measured in non-linear detector range. The equation for calculation is y = -4.207x2 + 578.12x + 9343.48 (Figure 3) Method Validation Specificity._ The excipients present in the liquid dosage form did not interfere with the chromatographic responses of SAL and GUA as the peak purities r(S, M) = 0.997 and r (M, E) = 0.9996 for SAL and r(S, M) = 0.997 and r(M,E) = 0.9996 for GUA. Also, good correlation (r= 0.9999 for SAL and 0.9998 for GUA) were obtained between standard and sample spectra. Accuracy._ The mean recoveries obtained for SAL and GUA were 100.07 ± 0.49% and 100.04  ± 0.63% RSD , respectively. The accuracy results are shown in Table 2 Precision._ The values of RSD for intraday and interday variations were found to be in the range of 2.56-4.57% and 2.67-4.46% for SAL and 1.95-4.20% and 2.39-4.42% for GUA. RSD for repeatability of sample application were found to be 1.86 and 1.48 for SAL and GUA respectively, while the repeatability of peak area measurement was 0.47 and 0.18% for SAL and GUA respectively. LOD and LOQ._ The LOD and LOQ were 70 and 100 ng for SAL and 30 and 50 ng for GUA. Robustness._ The method was found to be robust, as the results were not significantly affected by deliberate but slight variation in the method parameters. Determination of SAL and GUA in Liquid Dosage Form The proposed HPTLC method was applied successfully for the determination of SAL and GUA in liquid dosage form. The results obtained for SAL and GUA were comparable with the corresponding labeled claim values. (Table 4) CONCLUSIONS Due to the absence of an official method for this binary mixture, the high-performance thin layer chromatographic method proposed in this article could represent an alternative to chemo metrics-assisted spectrophotometry, Electro kinetic chromatography and Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometry previously published. This method has been validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, and specificity, and has proved to be convenient and effective for the quality control of SAL and GUA in marketed syrups, with out any interference of excipients. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: We are thankful to the principal, L.M. College of Pharmacy for providing us the facility for successful completion of our project. REFERENCES 1.Klaus Flory, H. G. B. in Analytical Profiles of Drug Sunstances and Excipients, Vol. 25, pp. 121, Acedemic Press, Inc. 2.(1996) The Indian Pharmacopoeia, The Manager of Publication, Delhi. 3.Parfitt, K. (Ed.) (1999) Martindale The Complete Drug Reference, The Pharmaceutical Press, UK, The Pharmaceutical Press, UK. 4.(2007) The British Pharmacopoiea, Department of Health on behalf of the Health Ministers, London. 5.(2007) The United States Pharmacopoiea-30 NF-25. 6.El-Gindy, A., Emara, S., and Shaaban, H. (2007) J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal. 43, 973-82. 7.Pomponio, R., Gotti, R., and Hudaib, M. J. Sep. Sci. 24, 258 264. 8.D., N. L., Quiming, N. S., and Saito, Y. (2009) J. Liq. Chromatogr. Related Technol. 32, 1407 1422 9.International Conference on Harmonization (2005) Validation of Analytical Procedure Methodology (Q2R1), Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, Geneva, Switzerland Table 1. Data indicating various validation parameters of the developed method Table 2. Results of precision study for SAL and GUA determination by the proposed HPTLC method a Repeatability of sample application. b Repeatability of measurement of peak area. Table 3. Data for the recovery study of SAL and GUA Table 4. Analysis results for SAL and GUA liquid dosage forms by the proposed HPTLC methods (n=5) Figure 1. Chemical Structures of (a) SAL and (b) GUA Figure 2. Calibration curve of SAL Figure 3. Calibration curve of GUA Figure 4. (a) HPTLC chromatogram showing separation of SAL and GUA in their combined standard solution at 280 nm , with Rf 0.47 and 0.65, respectively. (b) Chromatogram showing the separation of SAL and GUA in Ventorlin Syrup. Figure 5. (a) HPTLC chromatogram showing separation of SAL and GUA in their combined standard solution at 280 nm , with Rf 0.47 and 0.65, respectively. (b) Chromatogram showing the separation of SAL and GUA in Asthalin Syrup.

Owning a Pet Essay -- Dog Cat Pets Essays Papers Personal Narrative

Owning a Pet Having a pet is a wonderful idea. Pets bring companionship, personality, and gut wrenching humor to households across the world. Having previously owned both a cat and a dog, and currently being without a pet, I began to think about getting a new furry friend. Born a dog lover, and bred into a cat lover, I had the difficult decision of choosing one of the two. When I was twenty-two years old, I answered an advertisement in the paper for free Labrador puppies. Driving up to the house, I saw all the little critters running around and having a ball of a time. I got into the pen with the pups, and finally decided on the shy runt who spent the majority of his time hiding under a board. I loved his personality and instantly knew he was the dog for me. I named him Charlie, and from that point on our master/dog relationship began. At the time I lived in a small two bedroom house with a fenced yard near Wanamaker road. Once Charlie was a full grown dog, he was the hit of the block. Charlie hardly ever barked, and was always just as happy to see the large groups of children exiting the school bus, as he was for me to arrive at home after work. Charlie had a bag full of tricks. My favorite was the Bob Dole, in which Charlie would sit and shake with his right paw, then I would give him the "Bob Dole" command, and he would immediately shake with his left paw. It was a riot, and netted Charlie about thirty pounds of treats in his lifetime. Vegas, on the other hand, was a full grown Persian cat that a friend was trying to find an adopted home for before she moved out of state. I had been around Vegas enough times to have a good idea of his personality, and I decided to help my friend out and give Vegas a try. Unlike C... ..., and none of it was as impressive or as interesting as the furry cat on the couch, not to mention the personal escort to and from the car to the door from the sweet, polite, black lab outside. But I can't really blame my guests, for Charlie and Vegas' cute faces and gestures worked their magic on me as well. And more times than naught, they got what they wanted in life. After losing Charlie in a car accident, and Vegas being returned to his rightful owner, I decided to get a new cat. A new cat would be more affordable, and fit in with my apartment house lifestyle. The ability to maintain a cats responsibilities while attending school, and spending weekends at work, is far less of a job than it would be for a new dog. The decision has proved worthwhile. Flea is doing well adapting to her new surroundings, and doing her best to avoid the lava life throws her way.

Hum 176 Wk 2 Media Convergence Worksheet

University of Phoenix Material Media Convergence Worksheet Write brief 250- to 300-word answers to each of the following: QuestionsAnswers What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to technology, and how has it affected everyday life? The term media convergence with regards to technology is defined as a process of combining together the telecommunications and computers and turning them into one electronic or digital form.The media convergence has affected our everyday life as we know it in many ways, you can now watch television shows, listen to music and shop online using your computer all without leaving the privacy of your home. Using the computer you can also communicate using the email, or chat option on the computer, eliminating the need to call from your phone. Facebook is another option that allows you to keep up with friends and family, while knowing where they are at all times.The internet is a multitasking piece of equipment that has replaced many forms of co mmunications. Hard back books have been replaced with e-books, which can be electronically downloaded from your computer. The way we watch television has also changed, there are so many things that we can do through the television. You can program your home lights and alarms from you cell phone through the television. You can also communicate through you television to others, replacing the need for a telephone.The television and the internet are just two examples of media convergence, that has changed the way we shop, communicate, listen to music, watch the news and educate ourselves, it can all be done using the computer and connecting to the internet. People actually live on the internet and are becoming less social, because there is no need to leave their home for anything. What is meant by the term media convergence with regard to business, and how has it affected everyday life?The term media convergence in regards to business is the combination of computing and information proc essing with telecommunication networks provided from magazines, music, and entertainment programs. This converging links computing, communications and content. An example would be content that has been changed through different forms of delivery, digital forms are transmitted through broadband or wireless for viewing on computer s or similar equipment, cell phones, personal digital assistants, to video recorders that connected to television (technology).Business industries (media, technology, and telecommunication) have combined and developed new ideas that can increase profit from the consumers’ growing need for â€Å"on demand content†. Many analysts view media convergence as ending of the old media and rise of the new media (industry). Some of the many changes that have affected our lives as a result of media convergences in the business industry are the way we view information, the way we do everyday tasks and our value system.As a result we now have PDA or persona l digital assistants this device is a portable electronic notebook/computer that store information, keeps notes, addresses, reminders, and has a calendar. It is a mini computer that allows you to everything that you can do with a computer using a stylus rather than the keyboard. It fits in your pocket or purse and people rely on this device in order to function in everyday life. The smartphone is also a device that people rely on and they could not perform simple duties without it.You can text, email, chat, shop, watch movies, play games, use face book and twitter all from the smart phone. This eliminates a one on one discussion with a friend or family member and takes away the personal touch of body language and having face to face conversation. What are some of the issues that result from dependency on modern media? Describe at least three issues. Some of the issues that result from dependency on modern media are the increase of becoming withdrawn from society, the loss of social skills and personal relationships with friends, family and other loved ones.Another issue that can arise as a result of dependency is the chance of becoming what is known as a â€Å"media junkie† where the modern media takes preference over anything else (losing touch with reality). The cell phone has taken away our ability to properly communicate with each other by using slang and abbreviations in place of proper English. People are becoming less active, less visible, and trusting with each other. Studies have shown that â€Å"gamers† or people who play games (game tournaments) over the internet for hours and hours without stopping are likely to lose social skills.People with addictions or dependency on modern media are similar to those of a drug addict. It has been shown to produce distress and isolation in many people who are deprived from these devices. I think that this a major concern for parents of students and this younger generation. Dependency on modern media has caused up to depend on smartphones to tell time rather than wearing a watch. We text each other to communicate rather than using the phone to talk, and as opposed to watching the new we go to face book for the latest information, replacing the family time together watching television.These are just a few examples of the issues that results from the dependency on modern media. How does media literacy help with responsible media consumption? Media literacy helps individuals develop an informed understanding the nature of mass media. This awareness will prepare you to make wiser decision concerning issues that are facing our society, results of dependency, promotion of unacceptable behavior and exploiting personal problems for profit and other serious problems that can arise as a result of media consumption.The amount of available information is overwhelming and media purposely promotes dangerous stunts, violence, even pornography. The media impacts our society through this inform ation and degrades our moral values, social values, and integrity. Media has shaped the way we live, think, communicate and our life styles. We have cars that can park themselves, we speed date, we date online, from relationships online, and the media has played a role in all of it. Media consumption is important to prevent us from falling into the snare of becoming isolated and less social.

Mcdonald Pestel and External Analysis Essay Example

Mcdonald Pestel and External Analysis Essay Example Mcdonald Pestel and External Analysis Essay Mcdonald Pestel and External Analysis Essay Globalization has made the globe considerably smaller. States lines have turned into practically a divider separating certain regions of a massive unitary community. Businesses are the one that are highly affected by this occurrence. The virtual closeness of states has made trade and commerce an international event. Together with these advances, the key standards of business are similarly taken into account. Macdonald McDonald’s is one of the worlds most well-known and valuable brands and holds a leading share in the globally branded quick service restaurant segment of the informal eating-out market in virtually every country and the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants serving more than 58 million people in more than 119 countries each day. A McDonalds restaurant is operated by a franchisee, an affiliate, or the corporation itself. The corporations revenues come from the rent, royalties and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants. McDonald’s Vision McDonald’s vision is to be the world’s best quick service restaurant experience. McDonald’s Culture McDonald’s culture is the love towards McDonald’s brand and the respecting the company values imbibed in its rich history. McDonald’s Culture McDonald’s culture is the love towards McDonald’s brand and the respecting the company values imbibed in its rich history. History of McDonald’s * Started in 1940, when two brothers, Dick and Mac McDonald opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in California. In 1954, an entrepreneur and milkshake-mixer salesman, Ray Kroc, acquired the franchise of McDonald’s * In 1961, Kroc convinced the McDonald brothers to sell the business rights to him for a sum $2. 7milion. * In 1963, the mascot Ronald McDonald was born as a part of a marketing strategy in US. Happy Meal was introduced in US in 1979. * The year 1984 was marked by the death of Ray Kroc. * In 1994, McDonald’s bagged the Catalyst Award for its program for ‘fostering leadership development in women’. * In 1996, the first INDIAN Restaurant  was opened. In 1998, the first Macdonald’s was opened in PAKISTAN * In 2003, the company launched the ‘I’m lovin’ it’ campaign. McDonalds Practices There were three factors that were chosen to outline the success of McDonald’s corporation. The first factor is globalization, which is define as closer contact between different parts of the world, with increasing possibilities of personal exchange, mutual understanding and friendship between world citizens. Diversity, the difference among people and cultures, is the second factor discussed in the paper. The final factor is ethics, which can be defined as a set of principles of right conduct. This paper explains how the McDonald Corporations uses the factors to conduct business around the world. McDonald’s in Globalization Globalization has affected almost every aspect of life in almost every nation. From economic to social to culture, this widespread exchange of goods, services and ideas have influenced changes around the world. Even though the cultural influence in globalization is of slight significance to policy makers, its power has tremendous consequences to the nations involved and its people. Food is an important element in defining culture. â€Å"Food is the oldest global carrier of culture. † Any changes in the foods that we eat, in its preparation, the way it is served and consumed diminishes the traditional beliefs of the people. External factors and Strategies Political Factors The international operations of McDonald’s are highly influenced by the individual state policies enforced by each government. For instance, there are certain groups in Europe and the United States that clamor for state actions pertaining to the health implications of eating fast food. 2005) They have indicated that harmful elements like cholesterol and adverse effects like obesity are attributable to consuming fast food products. The company is controlled by the individual policies and regulations of operations. Specific markets focus on different areas of concern such as that of health, worker protection, and environment. All these elements are seen in the government control of the licensing of the restaurants in the respective states. For instance the meat issue in India. Therefore, McDonalds deal directly with the proper authorities in the respective markets that they intend to operate in. This way, a good way of establishes good relationship with the government. So Mcdonald’s transforms its menu in different countries but the core menu remains the same. Economic factors Branches and franchises of fast food chains like McDonald’s has the tendency to experience hardship in instances where the economy of the respective states is hit by inflation and changes in the exchange rates. The customers consequently are faced with a stalemate of going over their individual budgets. Particularly, their problem depends on the response of the consumers on these fundamentals and how it could influence their general sales. In regarding the operations of the company, food chains like McDonald’s tend to import much of their raw materials into a specific territory if there is a dearth of supply. Exchange rate fluctuations will also play a significant role in the operations of the company. Hence, if a franchise operates in a particularly economically weak state, hence their products shall cost higher than the other existing products in the market, then these franchises must take on certain adjustments to maintain the economies of scale. So, McDonalds, before penetrating the market, the company carry out a well conducted market research, especially in the movements in the economic environment. The frequency of the shifts in the inflation rate as well as the fluctuations in the exchange rate affects the operations of the company socio-cultural McDonald’s indulge a particular variety of consumers with definite types of personalities. It has also been noted that the company have given the markets such as the United Kingdom, an option with regards to their dining needs. It’s been pointed out that McDonald’s has launched a sensibly valued set of food that tenders a reliable level of quality for the respective market where it operates. Additionally, those who are aged just below the bracket of thirty-five are said to be the most frequent consumers of McDonald’s franchises. The multifaceted character of business nowadays is reflected in the harsh significance of the information on the subject of the existing market. In the case of McDonald’s they establish a good system in determining the needs of the market. The company uses concepts of consumer behaviour product personality and purchasing decisions to its advantage. Before a franchise is granted to a particular market, a well drafted and comprehensive market research is conducted initially so as to establish the acts that would conform to good customs, public policies, and morals of the said state. Similarly, the McDonalds find out the shifts in areas like the consumer behaviour and purchasing patterns of the market. Fundamentally, this is the key condition for executing a suitable customer relationship management system. Technological Factors McDonald’s generates a demand for their own products. (2006) The company’s key tool for marketing is by means of television advertisements. There are similarly some claims that McDonald’s are inclined to interest the younger populations more. The existence of play spots as well as toys in meals offered by the company shows this actuality. ( 1995) Other demonstration of such a marketing strategy is apparent in the commercials of they use. They employ animated depictions of their characters like Grimace and Hamburglar. Other advertising operations employ popular celebrities to promote their products. The like   has become endorsers for McDonald’s worldwide â€Å"loving’ it† campaign. Moreover, the operations of McDonald’s have significantly been infused with new technology. Elements like the inventory system and the management of the value chain of the company allows for easy payments for their suppliers and other vendors which the individual stores in respective markets deal with. The integration of technology in the operations of McDonalds tend to add value to their products. Basically, this is manifested in the improvements on its value chain. The improvement of the nventory system as well as its supply chain allows the company to operate in an international context. McDonalds Use the internet to their advantage. The cost-effectiveness, interactivity and real-time effects of the communications are a way to find suppliers. It is also a good way to correspond with the respective McDonald’s headquarters in every state. The company also looks i nto the use of IT to enhance their inventory operations. As the operations in its inbound and outbound logistics improve, the company will expect significant savings and reduction of costs in the operations. Legal Factors There has been the recurrent bellowing in opposition to the fast food industry. This has similarly made McDonald’s apply a more careful consideration on their corporate social responsibilities. On the whole, this addressed the need of the company to form its corporate reputation to a more positive one and a more socially responsible company. Hire local counsels to deal with the legal conflicts in individual markets on which the company may encounter. This is shall ensure the company that the lawyers that will handle their legal affairs are more versed with the legal regime that would iron out certain creases on their operations. Environmental Factors The social responsibilities of McDonald’s on the state are influential to the operations of the company. These entail accusations of environmental damage. Among the reasons why they are charged with such claims is the employ of non-biodegradable substances for their drinks glasses and Styrofoam coffers for the meals. (1997) Several civic groups in Hong Kong have made actions to make the McDonald’s franchises in Hong Kong aware of the rather copious use of Styrofoam containers and the resultant abuse of the environment. 1997) further indicated that in 1995, McDonald’s Hong Kong went over the Styrofoam used by both Australia and the United States combined. McDonald Monitor the waste disposal of the company. They are trying to minimize the use of Styrofoam materials and plastic cups. Constant updating of the social corporate responsibility is imperative. This should also entail that the headquarters should take in hand a manner of internal cont rol of those that would infringe upon this company objective. Sanctions such as revoking of the franchise license or a particularly high fine should be installed to serve as a deterrent to infringement. Transformation of menu Important strategic decisions are a key factor to their success with consideration for both internal and external factors. When considering the foreign market, companies need to consider there are risks. There must be local marketing to appeal to the local consumers and also to build relationships and trust (Bateman amp; Scott, 2004). Therefore, the strategic planning for marketing has to be effective The globalization of McDonald’s has raised many debates on both sides of the issue. The pro- globalization belief is that it enhances culture rather than adulterate. Radley Balko (2003), states that â€Å"In most communities, in fact, the McDonald’s has conformed to the local culture not the other way around. The McDonald’s corporation notes that most of its overseas franchises are locally owned, and thus make efforts to buy from local communities. McDonald’s also alters its regional menus to conform to local taste. † There has been a loss of traditional values with the introduction of non traditional food into the culture of foreign countries. The types of foods are symbolic to particular regions, religions and mores. In India, to the Hindu people, the cow is considered to be sacred as part of its religion. According to the AsianInfo. org (2007), â€Å"Diversity can be found in India’s food as well as its culture, geography and climate. † â€Å"Although a number of religions exist in India, the two cultures that have influenced Indian cooking and food habits are the Hindu and the Muslim tradition. † With the introduction of non traditional foods into this society, as with many others, there are adverse effects on the traditions it tries to uphold. These are just some of the concerns which affect the issue of food culture and globalization. Many more arise as a result of the introduction of fast food restaurants like McDonald’s into diverse cultures around the world. Some changes are embraced by the population while others are seen as a threat to the way of life that has been established for centuries. Some are adverse to the idea of globalization as a hold and perceive McDonald’s as a representation of this ideal and as a result hold them responsible. The question arises; does the globalization of McDonald’s adversely or positively affect the culture of different nations? Even though there has been many changes in the eating habits of the nations influenced by the introduction of McDonalds there has been many positive aspects. With the advancement of technology and communication the world itself seem to be moving at a faster pace. The advent of fast food into foreign cultures allows the opportunity to keep up with this fast pace. Culture is ever changing and thus McDonalds marks another step in the evolution of culture with the changes in has brought about. The menu has given people a new choice over the traditional foods eaten in the past. The McDonaldized institution has really spread across continents giving rise to a number of indigenous fast food chains. There is also the case of Asianization where Asian cuisine such as Fried rice is rapidly spreading all over the world. Unemployed youth are taking advantage of the McDonaldized institution to set up fast food businesses on the streets. This can be called fast food-street food. There are good and bad sides to this phenomenon therefore we need to find out the bad sides and improve upon them. Some traditional foods may also come with problems especially in terms of health so while we criticize fast food we should also analyze some traditional food at least for their nutritional importance. Each country implements the core McDonald’s menu to which in-country management is free to add localized menu items, e. g. , the Croque McDo in France, the Chicken Maharaja Mac in India and salads in many parts of the world. Internal Factors and Strategies McDonald’s training programs McDonald’s training programs are delivered in up to 40 languages, with the primary languages being Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), English (both International/Commonwealth and U. S. ), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish for the top markets. The training materials consist of two elements: * core content which applies globally for maintaining consistent food quality and services worldwide, and * locale-specific content based on local menu items, food safety regulations and labor practices, etc. The company continues to invest and support initiatives to adapt its products and services to different locales to ensure its global brand. Fully globalized, right? Unique decisions to each country McDonald’s caters its menu in other countries to the cultures of the regions. For example, in India, the non-vegetarian menu includes chicken and fish items only (Welcome, n. d. ). Beef is not on the menu in India because are considered sacred. Global marketing decisions are no different than those made domestically but the decisions are unique to each country (Sister amp; Sister, 2005). Diverse workforce In the United States alone, McDonald’s has won numerous awards and received national recognition for diversity. Furthermore, operating on a global scale allows a company’s employees to experience working in different cultural environments. This is a good marketing strategy for recruiting employees. McDonald’s has a global core curriculum for its restaurant management (McDonald’s, 2004). Paula Doherty, a general manager states, â€Å"I’ve had incredible experience in different countries and†¦cultures†¦as a trainee manager – from Poland to Israel to the Philippines and more. Doing the job successfully has given me a real sense of achievement† . This business strategy speaks to their commitment to a diverse workforce. McDonald’s commitment to diversity is established on the foundational belief that diversity is not just a moral and ethical issue, but also a business issue (McDonald’s, 2005). Due to the global expanse of McDonald’s business, diversity has become an integral part of the internal company culture. McDonald’s has over 30,000 restaurants around the world, which means franchise owner/operators, employees, and customers represent just about every culture, religion or ethnicity on earth. In addition, McDonald’s promotes the use of local suppliers and based on their policies of diversity, expects and retains suppliers that have a similar diversity culture. Knowing and understanding the local customs and traditions of the communities where McDonald’s has established businesses, integrating people from these communities into the company, and adapting locally to the tastes and cuisines of the community, has made McDonald’s the leader in their industry. McDonald’s realizes that having diversity as an asset greatly enhances the profitability of the company. Diversity is a direct reflection of a company’s interpersonal relationships. These relationships, if positive, result in a rewarding venture. Conversely, if the relationships are negative, the company’s morale declines and if not addressed, leads to the deterioration of the company. This deterioration directly impacts the company’s income and the community’s acceptance of the business. However, McDonald’s leadership encourages diversity through their policies and programs. McDonald’s proven success with leveraging the advantages of diversity can be attributed to their core value of ethics. Ethics McDonald’s success is built on the foundation of personal and professional integrity. From the beginning, McDonald’s has based its reputation on trust and dependability, and their commitment to the community made them a household name. Founder Ray Kroc, believed in giving something back to the community in order to make the world a better place. Throughout the 1970’s, McDonald’s became involved with a lot of charity work. In 1974 established a charity called Ronald McDonald House. The purpose of this program was to provide temporary housing for the families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. Since the 70s, more than 10 million families around the world benefited from the comfort provided by Ronald McDonald Houses. Innovative programs In addition to their community involvement, McDonalds has a long-standing commitment to environmental protection. Restaurants around the world have innovative programs for recycling, resource conservation, and waste reduction. The environmental achievements of this corporation have been recognized by organizations such as the Audubon Society, Conservation International, Keep America Beautiful, the National Recycling Coalition, and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. People focus McDonalds is also an equal opportunity employer. As an equal opportunity employer McDonald’s ensures that employees and job applicants are selected, trained, and promoted without discrimination to race, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability. The company promotes their employees based on their relevant skill, talents, and performance. In support of this McDonalds promotes and sustains a working environment, which is free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and bullying. Employees are regarded as members of a team where everyones opinion is valued and respected. The Human Resources department monitors the effectiveness of the discrimination policies at regular intervals. Employees who feel that they have been treated unfairly are encouraged to use the remedies outlined in the Companys handbooks. McDonald’s ethical standards, as well as their strategies for globalization and diversity are instrumental to the overall success of the company. Here external and internal factors were discussed above that have affected McDonald’s. This was achieved by explaining what the factors are where and how McDonald’s dealt with each of the external and internal factors. The factors discussed were globalization, diversity, and ethics. The assignment illustrates how globalization is necessary for success and survival of McDonalds in the worldwide market. The paper also shows how diversity integrated people from different communities into the company, and adapted tastes and cuisines of the community. McDonalds showed ethics by being an active leader in the communities. There are many different values to the dollar around the world, many issues that have occurred in many of those regions/websites, and about 119 countries served by McDonald’s that rely on the functions of management to succeed.

Harvard Acceptance Letter Real and Official

Harvard Acceptance Letter Real and Official SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Each year, Harvard receives nearly 40,000 applicationsfrom high school hopefuls. Only5% of them get a Harvard acceptance letter.For example, in 2015, Harvard College accepted 1,990 applicants from a record 37,307 applications for the Class of 2019. That’s a 5.3% admission rate.Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of applicants get a rejection letter. â€Å"I am very sorry to inform you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ When I was in high school, I was one of the lucky few to apply Early Action and receive an acceptance letter in the mail. This validated years of hard work and made me giddy like I'd never been before for what came after high school.Here’s my complete, official Harvard acceptance letter. Want to learn what it takes to get a Harvard admit letter yourself? Read my How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League guide. I'll take you through the philosophy behind how to become the world-class student that schools like Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford are looking for. You'll learn what it means to develop an application Spike, why being well-rounded is the path to rejection, and how to craft a compelling application yourself. Read this guide now, before it's too late. Here's a scan of the original admissions letter sent to me by the Office of Admissions at Harvard College. (Thanks to my dad for keeping it around). This is for Early Action, though I'd bet the Regular Decision letter looks similar. Even though I was admitted to my other top choice schools (Princeton, MIT, Stanford especially), I ultimately decided to attend Harvard. Unlike Princeton and MIT, it hadleading graduate schools in every discipline (medicine, law, business), which made me believe it had the broadest set of opportunities and the most diverse community. Because of my interest in medicine and science at the time, it also had the broadest, richest research community. At the end of the day, I also felt like I would regret not attending Harvard more than any other school. After this letter, I'll give you tips on what it takes for you to get an acceptance letter like this for yourself. Harvard College Office of Admissions and Financial AidByerly Hall8 Garden StreetCambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Dear Mr. Cheng, I am delighted to inform you that the Committee on Admissions has admitted you to the Class of 2009 under the Early Action program. Please accept my personal congratulations for your outstanding achievements. In recent years, nearly twenty thousand students have applied for the sixteen hundred and fifty places in the freshman class. Faced with many more talented and highly qualified candidates than it has room to admit, the Admissions Committee has taken great care to choose individuals who present extraordinary academic, extracurricular and personal strengths. In making each admission decision, the Committee keeps in mind that the excellence of Harvard College depends most of all on the talent and promise of the people assembled here, particularly our students. In voting to offer you admission, the Committee has demonstrated its firm belief that you can make important contributions during your college years and beyond. By early March, you will receive an invitation to visit Harvard from Friday, April 29, to Sunday, May 1. Our faculty and students have arranged a special welcome for you and we think the experience will be interesting and useful in making your final college choice. Of course, we would also be happy to have you visit at some other time and we hope you will make a special effort to do so if you will be unable to join us in April. Especially if you cannot come to Cambridge during the next several months, please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of help in any way. You will find our application booklet and our website (admissions.college.harvard.edu/) good sources of information about college life and we will be sending you a course catalog in the spring to help familiarize you with our academic opportunities. We are enclosing a statement about choosing a college that might be helpful. You have until May 1 to respond to our offer. However, we are enclosing with this letter a reply card for your use in case you are able to inform us of your decision before the May 1 reply date. A complete admission packet will be mailed to you in early April. We very much hope that you will decide to attend Harvard, and we look forward to having you join us in September. Yours sincerely, William R. Fitzsimmons Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid (Hope you will join us!) Want to get into Harvard or your personal top choice college? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. OK....Now What? You probably have a reason forlooking at this acceptance letter. Let me try to help you out. If you just received a rejection letter from Harvard, I'm sorry. When admissions officers say it's a really hard decision when it comes down to the wire, they're speaking the truth. The good news is that your future is almost entirely up to you. There are Harvard graduates who end upfloundering in life, and there are graduates from hundreds of other colleges (and people who don't even go to college) who end up accomplishing amazing things. You're in control of your own fate. So if you're disappointed about a Harvard rejection, I hope you pick yourself up and excel from this point forward. Here's a guide on good study habits to excel in academics. If you're in high school (or even earlier) and want to apply to Harvard, I hope this acceptance letter inspires you to want one of your own. Make no mistake, it took a lot of hard work to get to the point where I had a great chance at getting admitted to Harvard and passing their admission requirements. I had to strategize carefully and be ruthless about where I spent my time so I could balance a high GPA, challenging coursework, test scores, and demanding extracurricular activities. To help you out,I've written everything I know about succeeding in high school and college admissions. If you want your own Harvard acceptance letter, these are must-read guides: 1) How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League This is my foundational guide to help you understand what top colleges like the Ivy Leagues are looking for. Here you'll learn: what kinds of students are most attractive to Harvard and why why being well-rounded is the kiss of death in top college admissions what a Spike is and why an effective Spike will get you into every college you apply to how you can develop a Spike of your own I'm not saying it's easy, because it's not. But far too many students have the wrong idea about what kinds of students colleges are looking for. In the process, they waste far too much time on things that aren't important and do nothing to increase their chances of admission. Even worse, they end up miserable and constantly stressed. That's why I wrote this guide. Read it and you might totally change your application strategy before it's too late. 2) My Complete Successful Application to Harvard, Including Common App and Supplement To complement my "How to Get Into Harvard" guide, I share my entire college application, page by page, word for word. You'll see the exact application that the admissions committee at Harvard saw, including the Common Application, my transcript, personal essays, letters of recommendation, and Harvard supplement. I also provide commentary on every piece of my application. You'll see what was reallyimportant to get me into Harvard, and other things that weren't. You'll even see mistakes I made in my application. I've never seen anyone else provide this level of detail,so this is a special treat. 3) How to Get a 4.0 GPA and Better Grades Your coursework is one of the most important aspects of your college application. Not only do you need great grades, you need great grades in what Harvard says is "themost demanding college-preparatory program available." Thus it's no surprise that a lot of high school students are stressed out by coursework and the demands of college applications. Do you feel like you're taking too many AP courses and struggling to stay afloat? Consistently, I see that the biggest problems are with mindset, habits, and strategy.I've written a comprehensive guide with my complete set of strategies in how to excel in high school coursework. I take you through three levels of detail, from top-down: Mindset and Psychology: Do you have the confidence to know you can improve with hard work? Overall Planning and Habits: Do you get the most out of every hour? Do you understand what teachers care about, and how to give them what they want? Do you know how to combat procrastination? Individual Class Strategies: How should you be treating English and science classes differently? I learned a lot of these lessons the hard way, throughout high school and college. This is the guide I wish I had before starting high school. Take the time to read it and you might save hundreds of hours of time and get even better grades. 4) How to Get a Perfect SAT Score/ How to Get a Perfect ACT Score In addition to coursework, the other major numbers piece to your application isyour SAT/ACT score. Simply put, this number is so important because it compares you on even ground to every other high school student taking the test. Top schools like Harvard expect you to be in the top 1 percentile of the country. If you're not, you'll cast serious doubt on your academic ability. In my perfect SAT and perfect ACT guides, I share the major strategies that you'll need to get above a 2100 on the SAT and 32 on the ACT. Also, check out my series on getting perfect scores in each of the sections on the SAT/ACT: SAT 800 Series: Reading | Math | Writing- Learn important strategies to excel in each section of the SAT. ACT 36 Series: English | Math | Reading | Science - Learn how to get a perfect 36 on each section of the ACT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

How does Shakespeare present the relationship between ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in the early part of the play Essays

How does Shakespeare present the relationship between ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in the early part of the play Essays How does Shakespeare present the relationship between ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in the early part of the play Paper How does Shakespeare present the relationship between ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in the early part of the play Paper Essay Topic: Romeo and Juliet In the 16th century a patriarchal society, where men dominated women, meant that women had very little say in marriages. When Shakespeare first introduced ‘Romeo and Juliet’ for the first time their type of relationship was unheard of and controversial. Arranged marriages were very common at the time depending on your social status and love had no meaning. Women had no rights and were viewed as the ‘property’ of the husband. Men also had no respect for women and often raided other villages for wives. At the time marrying at the age of 12 appeared to be normal, however now is frowned at, yet viewing this from an undeveloped, cultural country would still appear to be normal. Shakespeare presented relationships by the way the characters interacted, using dramatic devices and also further enhanced it with the backdrop feud. The males in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ are usually portrayed as aggressive, competitive and violent; on the other hand women being the weaker and subordinate sex are dominated by the male. ‘Tis true; and therefore women being the weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall;† From this scene you can see that women are being seen as weak and are not worth the males time so will be pushed up against the wall. Women are perceived as the males ‘property’ and are expected to listen to them without question. Also the males are the more dominant gender throughout the play. Shakespeare was presenting the play as it was; the stereotypical image of men being boisterous and women who had no right or owned anything. Shakespeare portrayed Romeo and Juliet as equal instead of the stereotypical imbalance of equality of the 16th century. At the beginning of the play you can see a disheartened Romeo. He thinks he has fallen in love with Rosaline when in actual fact he hasn’t. â€Å"Why then, O brawling love! O loving hate! † Romeo is depicted as a ‘typical Petrarchan lover’ where he loves Rosaline but she doesn’t love him back because she wanted to remain a celibate. Romeo does not actually love Rosaline as when he later meets Juliet he forgets Rosaline very quickly and shows a more passionate love towards Juliet. Shakespeare emphasises Romeo’s love by using an oxymoron, which creates a paradoxical image in the readers mind confusing them and generates a new concept or meaning. Romeo’s relationship with Juliet was love at first sight. Their love for each other was passionate instead of being forced like it usually was at the time. â€Å"If I profane with my unworthiest hand This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this†. The social context at the time meant that love marriage wasn’t common however Romeo and Juliet immediately fall in love when they first meet each other. Juliets love for Romeo is innocent as she is inexperienced in the topic of love, whereas Romeo falls in and out of love easily and immediately wants to marry her. Romeo compares Juliet to a holy shrine and offers his lips as pilgrims to kiss her. Here, Shakespeare is using religious imagery to show that their love for each other is pure and good. He is also subverting the gender roles, undermining the established social context, where the male is dominant but here Juliet is the more dominant character. The famous balcony scene from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is one of the most romantic scenes in the play. â€Å"It is the east and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon†. Here Romeo is comparing Juliet to a sun; he is saying that she is a bright angel and more beautiful than the moon. Previously Juliet was compared to a shrine and now to a sun portraying how Romeo feels for Juliet and how what position he has for Juliet in his heart. Furthermore, Shakespeare is using a metaphor to portray that everything revolves around Juliet and she is a life-force. Again, Shakespeare is subverting the gender roles; he is making Juliet the powerful character. You can see this by the positioning of Romeo, on the ground, and Juliet higher up than him, in the balcony, symbolising she is more dominant. Further proof of this is Juliet making daring actions, such as asking Romeo to marry her. To conclude the significant thing I notice is the context during which the play was written. It was ground-breaking in the sense of how Shakespeare presented relationships and gender roles and portrayed them so realistically. It was rare for such a play to be released with such passionate romance. Personally, this play has highlighted how lucky we are in the modern society, to be able to have the freedom to fall in love with who we want. However, the fact remains that this still is an on-going problem in third world countries where they are retaining the tradition of arranged marriages. So this cannot come as a shock because gender stereotypes still exist in cultural families, even though we are unaware of it living in a developed modern society.

What are the dansgers of stereotyping people Essay

What are the dansgers of stereotyping people - Essay Example Stereotyping infers a considerable amount of information about individuals beyond their apparent superficial qualities and generates expectations about their expected behavior in various situations. Stereotypes are frequently based around common aspects of a particular group including profession and occupation, sex, religious beliefs and practices, age, race and ethnicity, dressing, speech and body shape (Macrae, Stangor & Hewstone 8). There are dangers associated with stereotyping such as promoting discrimination and bias because stereotypes lack accuracy, applying stereotypes broadly such that individual characteristics are overlooked, making serious misjudgments about people and distorting the view of a particular group and consequently damaging relationships. One danger of stereotyping is that it takes on universal meaning, being applied to all members of a particular group. If this occurs with lack of accuracy, stereotyping not only becomes damaging, but also affects the way those who are thought to belong to the particular group being stereotyped are talked about and treated. It is apparent that how a group of people is seen influences in part how they are treated. Stereotypes may come to be the accepted way of thinking about members of a particular group, with no acknowledgement of diverse individual characteristics. Stereotyping can result in misunderstandings, which, if not challenged, can severely damage relationships among different groups. An example of this is the race riots and violence of 1980s (Brunsch 9).Stereotyping results in discrimination and persecution of the oppressed groups. For instance, the stereotyping of Asian Americans has led to denial of their civil rights and even homicide such as the killing of Chinese American Vincent Chin by individuals who thought he was a Japanese American (Brunsch 10). Moreover,

Why We Root For Some Antagonist Portrayed in Film, Literature and Article

Why We Root For Some Antagonist Portrayed in Film, Literature and Television - Article Example Why we root for villains and antagonists is a manifestation of morbid curiosity. Most people want to know something they rarely knew about or just heard about in whispers such that the more you deny these villains and antagonists, the more people are attracted to them. It certainly defies logic why this is so but then again the human mind is really hard to fathom. The enduring attraction of Count Dracula attests to this unusual curiosity. Villains become the fodder of speculations and conjectures but more than that, there is the abiding yearning effort to know more just for the sake of knowing; it seems knowledge is its own reward. People go to great lengths to visit his old castle in Transylvania and spend plenty of dollars there. Psychologists and sociologists attribute this unhealthy and unwholesome fascination as sort of an unexpressed death wish. Yes, people can sometimes really have this unusual and inexplicable wish which they are not even aware of. This is why black films or film noire has made a comeback in Hollywood. This death wish is the exact opposite of the survival instinct but as to why people can have this trait, nobody knows exactly. Some posit the idea this is the form of sexual inversion, a pseudo-sexual attraction of an opposite (Ellis 288). There are many plausible reasons why we root for antagonists and villains despite how much we know about their bad or undesirable side. This can be due to their being authentic. Antagonists, whether in literature, film, television, and even in real life (such as Hitler) are the kinds of people who are true to themselves, no matter what the odds are against them. Society is against them and yet they still pursue their dreams, do what they want, or persist whatever it is that drives them even if public opinion is definitely against them. Perhaps there is a hidden sense of communal grief when people prefer the macabre over what is

Men, friendship and companionship in Divine Comedy Essay

Men, friendship and companionship in Divine Comedy - Essay Example He ends his pilgrimage into vision of "the Love which moves the sun and the other stars. (Michael Novak 2003)" The dual allegory of Commedia is the progress of soul toward Heaven, and the anguish of humankind on Earth. Throughout his journey, Dante's relationship with Virgil becomes more distinct as does that of the other characters who occupy the realm. In much of Dante's work, he turns the people who he was directly or indirectly associated with in real life into characters in his work. His feelings towards them can only be understood when observing the interactions between himself and the characters. To understand how these real life characters came to be involved in his epic poem, a little of Dante's history must be explained. Living in Florence, Dante was active in both political and military life. As a youth he entered the army and held several key posts in the Florence government during the 1290's. At this time Florence was politically divided between Guelphs and Ghibellines. The Guelphs supported the church and were conservative, preferring to keep things as they were. The Ghibellines on the other hand supported the German emperor but were relieved of their governance. During this time, the Guelphs whom Dante's family was associated with took the reigns of power. Though born into a Guelph family, Dante believed the church should only involve itself in spiritual affairs and later in life he became more neutral after realizing that the church was corrupt. When the new century dawned, Dante gained position from city councilman to ambassador of Florence. In 1301 when the Black Guelph and their French allies seized control of the city his career ended. The authorities seized Dante's possessions and permane ntly banished him from Florence, threatening the death penalty upon him if he returned. From this sprang some of his misgivings about those in high positions and used their characteristics and 'sins' in his work. It is during his exile that Dante wrote new pieces of literature. Between 1307 and 1314 he began writing The Divine Comedy where Dante introduces his invention of the three-line stanza as well as himself as a character. Dante's epic poem consists of three parts, The Inferno being the first. It depicts the journey of Dante, who himself is the hero, through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. He writes in the first person enabling the reader to identify and understand deeply the truths he wished to share about the meaning of life and man's relationship with the Creator. Dante's vision stems from personal experience and expresses them through images to convey his analysis of the nature of human existence. In the poem, Dante is around about the halfway point through his life and he finds himself wandering alone in a dark forest, having lost his way on the "true path" (Spark Notes 2006). In the first lines of the Divine Comedy, Dante says "In the middle of the journey of our life I came to my senses in a dark forest, for I had lost the straight path. (123Helpme 2005) " This is the typical stereotype of today for when a person becomes "lost" or consumed in sin. The sinful life is a dark life and a sinless life is a bright, white, and pure life. Dante's coming to his senses in a dark forest symbolizes his realizing how "lost" in sin he truly is and realizes he needs to do something. He remembers nothing about how he lost his way, but here he is in a fearful dark place. Above, he notices a

Ball Playing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ball Playing - Research Paper Example Girls usually played at home, in a room or in an inner courtyard. Therefore, they had to play rather calmly. Boys played ball sports as part of their physical education in the gymnasium. The most popular kind of ball was a soft, filled, small ball but also bouncing balls existed. In ancient Rome, several obscure references exist that suggest children and adults played a game with a ball around a circle. Furthermore, there are mentions of Romans playing a ball game in which there were â€Å"a circle of players standing by and waiting.† Greek children played a game in a circle in which they caught a ball that was thrown or bounced â€Å"into the sky†. This may or may not have been the same game called â€Å"Hop-ball† by the Romans. It may also be one of the ancient Egyptian games represented on the walls of Beni-Hasssan. (Crowther, 22) The Spartans played a game that involved a circular field surrounded by a moat, called Platanistas, but apparently without a ball. The Greek game of Phainindia may have been played around a circle (Crowther, 24). A version of â€Å"Monkey i n the Middle† was played around a circle, unlike the modern version played across two sides. Clearly the geometric perfection of the circle had some influence on playing fields of ancient games, whereas in modern games only rectangles are employed. The game called ourania, also known as sky-ball, by the Greeks was likely also played by the Romans. According to research, the ball was thrown up in the air and the objective was for the players to catch it. In addition, there would be a circle within which the players would stand. However, if the ball came down within the circle it seems impossible for anyone not to catch it. Conversely, if the ball was thrown far outside the circle it would seem impossible that anyone could catch it at all. A thrown ball seems most improbable. Latin term for propelling a ball, expulsim, could apply

Popular press Article (cloud computing for E-learning) Essay

Popular press Article (cloud computing for E-learning) - Essay Example There are several categories of cloud computing. The first one is where the public get to sell their services freely on the internet, which is, referred public cloud. Amazon and Google are the largest public cloud computing service providers where users from the public domain can access. Private cloud is a characteristic where the organization offering cloud computing services host their resources with limited access from the public. A virtual cloud is where the public cloud is created to be private. Scalable and easy IT services and computing resource are the main aim of cloud computing regardless of the characteristics of the cloud services. Amazon provides virtual server instance API, which is an example of Infrastructure-as-a-Service as a Web Service. Amazon provides virtual servers and storage space for their clients. Amazon calls its Cloud model service as Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). This service is across several Operating system vendor versions such as Linux, Solaris and Window Operating system. Web development application is another form of cloud computing. Google is offering hardware services where developers upload their Python codes then they run the application. Cloud computing is compared to utility services such as electricity and water hence referred to utility computing. PaaS is a service offered in terms of software and product tools that are provided by the host company. Software are installed in a client machine via the web portal or a gateway. GoogleApps and Salesforce.com (Force.com) are an example of Platform-as-a-service. The standards for data exchange and standards for data portability currently some developers are still protecting their software and platform. The software-as-a-service in cloud computing is a model where the software product and the client interact via the front-end portal such as a

Identify the key characteristics of the health care services external Essay

Identify the key characteristics of the health care services external environment and discuss their implications for for the pro - Essay Example Whereby, external environment may involve analyzing Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats that may affect provision of health care service (SWOT analysis). On the other hand, internal environment of a health care service may involve determining hospital clients, competitors, stakeholders/collaborators as well as climate which an organization is operating in (Muller, Bezuidenhout and Jooste, 2006). External factor may include; a social, religious believes, occupation and education level may affect provision of health care services (Hitchcock, Schubert and Thomas, 2003). In addition, health campaigns via the social media may influence people behaviours towards health services. For example; health mass media may sensitize and encourage people on the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This in turn may have a significant impact on provision of health services (Moseley, 2009). Economic factors may further affect provision of health services. For example, the d iscrepancies in people levels of income may determine the accessibility of health services. Whereby, poor people may not be in a position to afford quality health services unlike the affluent. Additionally, laws and regulations may affect provision of health services because organization must observe established health standards. Hospitals and health organizations must protect the environment and ensure that people take medical insurance cover. On the contrary, internal factors may involves people believes and their core values with respect to the provision of health care services. Connectively, internal factors may further involve the level of knowledge among the people. This may significantly impact provision of health services because people with higher level of knowledge are likely to seek health services than the less knowledgeable members of the society (Muller, Bezuidenhout and Jooste, 2006). Key characteristics of the health care services external and Internal Health Care En vironment External Health Care Environment The United Kingdom health care service contains the following characteristic; population size, mandate, accountability, funding and managing performance. Population characteristic entails actions undertaken by various bodies such as strategic health authority which is responsible for a population of 2.6-7.5 million people. In addition, the primary care trust was responsible for a population of more than ninety thousand people. On the other hand, the public care trust collaborated with local authorities in provision of health. In addition the general practice and foundation trust were also involved in health population (The Change Foundation’s, 2009). Mandate involves the duties and responsibilities that system managers, commissioners and General practice should execute. For instance, system managers should not only make health plans but they should also monitor the progress of both National Health Service and Primary Care Trust. On t he contrary, health care commissioners have a duty of developing local health strategies as well as monitoring and integrating social and health services. In addition, general practice (GP) such as nurses, pharmacist therapist, opticians and dentist they have a both clinical and managerial responsibility (The Change Foundation’s, 2009). In above connection, Secretary of state for health and department of health should be accountable in quality of health and ensure close monitoring of both National

Ball Playing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ball Playing - Research Paper Example Girls usually played at home, in a room or in an inner courtyard. Therefore, they had to play rather calmly. Boys played ball sports as part of their physical education in the gymnasium. The most popular kind of ball was a soft, filled, small ball but also bouncing balls existed. In ancient Rome, several obscure references exist that suggest children and adults played a game with a ball around a circle. Furthermore, there are mentions of Romans playing a ball game in which there were â€Å"a circle of players standing by and waiting.† Greek children played a game in a circle in which they caught a ball that was thrown or bounced â€Å"into the sky†. This may or may not have been the same game called â€Å"Hop-ball† by the Romans. It may also be one of the ancient Egyptian games represented on the walls of Beni-Hasssan. (Crowther, 22) The Spartans played a game that involved a circular field surrounded by a moat, called Platanistas, but apparently without a ball. The Greek game of Phainindia may have been played around a circle (Crowther, 24). A version of â€Å"Monkey i n the Middle† was played around a circle, unlike the modern version played across two sides. Clearly the geometric perfection of the circle had some influence on playing fields of ancient games, whereas in modern games only rectangles are employed. The game called ourania, also known as sky-ball, by the Greeks was likely also played by the Romans. According to research, the ball was thrown up in the air and the objective was for the players to catch it. In addition, there would be a circle within which the players would stand. However, if the ball came down within the circle it seems impossible for anyone not to catch it. Conversely, if the ball was thrown far outside the circle it would seem impossible that anyone could catch it at all. A thrown ball seems most improbable. Latin term for propelling a ball, expulsim, could apply

Identify the key characteristics of the health care services external Essay

Identify the key characteristics of the health care services external environment and discuss their implications for for the pro - Essay Example Whereby, external environment may involve analyzing Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats that may affect provision of health care service (SWOT analysis). On the other hand, internal environment of a health care service may involve determining hospital clients, competitors, stakeholders/collaborators as well as climate which an organization is operating in (Muller, Bezuidenhout and Jooste, 2006). External factor may include; a social, religious believes, occupation and education level may affect provision of health care services (Hitchcock, Schubert and Thomas, 2003). In addition, health campaigns via the social media may influence people behaviours towards health services. For example; health mass media may sensitize and encourage people on the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This in turn may have a significant impact on provision of health services (Moseley, 2009). Economic factors may further affect provision of health services. For example, the d iscrepancies in people levels of income may determine the accessibility of health services. Whereby, poor people may not be in a position to afford quality health services unlike the affluent. Additionally, laws and regulations may affect provision of health services because organization must observe established health standards. Hospitals and health organizations must protect the environment and ensure that people take medical insurance cover. On the contrary, internal factors may involves people believes and their core values with respect to the provision of health care services. Connectively, internal factors may further involve the level of knowledge among the people. This may significantly impact provision of health services because people with higher level of knowledge are likely to seek health services than the less knowledgeable members of the society (Muller, Bezuidenhout and Jooste, 2006). Key characteristics of the health care services external and Internal Health Care En vironment External Health Care Environment The United Kingdom health care service contains the following characteristic; population size, mandate, accountability, funding and managing performance. Population characteristic entails actions undertaken by various bodies such as strategic health authority which is responsible for a population of 2.6-7.5 million people. In addition, the primary care trust was responsible for a population of more than ninety thousand people. On the other hand, the public care trust collaborated with local authorities in provision of health. In addition the general practice and foundation trust were also involved in health population (The Change Foundation’s, 2009). Mandate involves the duties and responsibilities that system managers, commissioners and General practice should execute. For instance, system managers should not only make health plans but they should also monitor the progress of both National Health Service and Primary Care Trust. On t he contrary, health care commissioners have a duty of developing local health strategies as well as monitoring and integrating social and health services. In addition, general practice (GP) such as nurses, pharmacist therapist, opticians and dentist they have a both clinical and managerial responsibility (The Change Foundation’s, 2009). In above connection, Secretary of state for health and department of health should be accountable in quality of health and ensure close monitoring of both National

The Most Damnable Invention Essay Example for Free

The Most Damnable Invention Essay Dynamite is a high explosive that derives its power from a chemical called nitroglycerin and which used diatomaceous earth as its absorbent. Dynamite was invented by Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in 1866 and was then patented in 1867. Dynamite has a wide range of uses; from building demolitions to warfare and death. It was that last characteristic of dynamite that worried Nobel the most. Initially, Nobel thought that the invention of dynamite would end the possibility of future wars and possible foes would see the destructive force of dynamite and it would serve as enough of a deterrent to the point that wars would be outlawed in favor of common sense. This would not be the reality of the invention as warring countries sought new and more effective ways in which to vanquish their enemies to such a degree that the destructive forces of dynamite would be forever linked to Alfred Nobel. Nobel sought to change his epitaph from the minister of death as one French newspaper put it when confusing the death of his brother with his own. Nobel formed the Nobel Peace Prize in order to encourage peaceful and useful contributions to the human race in a personal attempt to be able to say that he too, was a force for good, despite the misuse by society, of his invention. But to say that the invention and use of dynamite has affected history, there is no doubt. In contemporary society however dynamite is used in a much more productive and peaceful way. The inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel, was born on October 21, 1833 in Stockholm Sweden. Nobel gained his fortune, not only in the invention of dynamite but also through his income as a chemist, engineer as well as the owner of a major manufacturing plant. Nobel, devoted himself to the study of explosives and especially the sale and manufacturing of nitroglycerine which had incidentally, only been discovered a few years earlier in 1847 by Asanio Sobrero, a fellow attending student at the University of Torino. Nobel would continue to be fascinated by explosions and continued to learn everything that he could about the science that surrounded it. In 1865, Nobel built the Alfred Nobel Co. Factory near Hamburg, Germany. However, it was in this factory where dynamite claimed its first casualty. This fascination would lead to an explosion that would kill Nobel’s own brother Emil in 1864. But only two short years later, Nobel was credited with the invention of dynamite and was given a patent for it in 1867. Nobel would establish factories in the United States, France and Germany as well as continue to spread his influence into his home country of Sweden. But it would be his invention of dynamite that he would be remembered for, at least while he was alive, as a force of death and destruction, an impediment to a peaceful world. And it was an association that he did not find entirely flattering. But for the time being, Nobel and the rest of the world, was forced to confront the new and threatening power of destruction that dynamite had while in the possession of the wrong people. Nobel said of his invention: â€Å"My factories may make an end to war sooner than you congresses. The day when two armies corps can annihilate each other in one second, all civilized nations, it is to be hoped, will recoil from war and discharge their troops. † If only that prediction came to fruition, there would have been a lot less victims of man’s hate and desire for destruction which, for a time, was the primary use of dynamite. The use of dynamite, upon its inception, had a wide variety of uses as more and more people looked for ways in which it could benefit themselves. After the invention of dynamite in 1867, dynamite, or as it was originally marketed as : Nobel’s Blasting Powder, rapidly gained popularity. It was marketed as a safe alternative to the explosiveness of gun powder while still being just as lethal if not more. Very quickly, Nobel could see the destructive force of his invention and kept a tight lid on his invention. However, United States business men, who were able to alter the chemical formula just enough so that they could get around the restrictions that Nobel’s patent once provided. In America, the use of dynamite would be used in order top promote sinister motives that left the entire country suspicious of the invention and which helped to increase the backlash of public opinion towards Alfred Nobel. Dynamite consists of 75% nitroglycerin, 24% diatomaceous earth and a small mixture of sodium carbonate. These mixtures are formed into sticks and wrapped into paper. The fact that dynamite is by itself a very explosive substance as well as the fact that its chemical make up can be broken down very easily over time which compromises the stability of its form. Over time, the dynamite will back into nitroglycerine which will then pool at the bottom of a storage area, thus creating a potentially damaging situation. The transportation of dynamite is very dangerous and can cause intentional or unintentional harm to a large number of victims in a wide area of space surrounding the explosion of the dynamite. In American History, there are two famous events where the use of dynamite made it possible for anarchists to promote their twisted ideology. The first was the 1888 Haymarket Square in Chicago Illinois. During the 1870’s and 1880’s. Chicago was a leading center for union activism as workers tried to organize and pool their collected influence. In 1886, labor unions were calling for a one day strike and a demonstration in Chicago. Their demands were for better working conditions and an eight hour work day. On May 1st, at the McCormick Center, two shootings and one death occurred during a riot. Three days later, a mass demonstration was organized on Haymarket Square. The mayor of Chicago sent an extra number of police which used excessive force and another riot broke out. As a result, an explosion, packed with dynamite was thrown from somewhere in the crowd. The name of the offender was not known. What was known was the fact that seven police officers died and four offenders, self proclaimed anarchists, were tried and two were hung. The bigger picture that the use of dynamite produced a wider influence than first thought. The use of dynamite helped to bring the entire establishment against the ideas of the Progressives with regard to their desire to improve their working conditions. Deep rooted fears that the country had regarding sinister elements were now proved to be correct in the minds of many Americans. However, the Haymarket Square Riot did help to organize the call among labor leaders to continue to fight the employers. Even though many of the Progressive leaders did not condone the use of violence, and even though it was not known for sure who was responsible for the throwing of the dynamite bomb, it was assumed that it was almost certainly, a member of the pro labor union forces. â€Å"However, what was seen as excessive force by the police, seemed to almost condone the actions in the minds of the most radical labor leaders. † As a result, the labor movement in Chicago and in New York specifically, gained momentum and within the next few decades, the Progressive Movement would see a surge in their influence, not only on the streets and in the factories, but also in Congress as well. This was not entirely a result of the Haymarket Square but in Chicago, in 1894, the second largest labor strike occurred in the 19th century at the Pullman Car Company on the south side of Chicago. No dynamite was used in this demonstration but many of the workers used for their motivation, the events at Haymarket Square. The second is the 1920 bombing of the Wall Street Building in downtown Manhattan. There was a feeling of suspicion among the country at that time that was prompted by a unmistakable xenophobia. Socialists groups had gained in converts and influence yet there has been no show of force until one day, in a New York City Post office, sixteen packages, addressed to prominent Senators and Congressmen and which contained: â€Å" enough dynamite to blow a man’s head off† were discovered and which confirmed deeply suspicions feelings about the anarchists within the city and their desire for revolution, the same that had occurred in Russia only three years earlier. Neither events had the desired result of anarchy that the perpetrators had hoped for. Nevertheless, it would not be long until another attempt was made to create panic to the financial and districts of America On a warm May late morning in 1920, a horse drawn wagon pulled up to the corner of Wall Street. It was a few minutes before lunch and people were getting ready to head out onto the May afternoon to eat their lunch. A large explosion occurred and the wagon was full of dynamite as well as thousands of sash weights that dug into the stone of the Wall Street buildings; the financial capital of the country. Forty people were killed and the horse had become completely disintegrated. The stock market did not close that day however and the Dow continued to rise as one of the most exciting decades the stock market had ever seen to date was officially under way. But the destructive potential of dynamite has not been restricted only to the United States and only in the distant past. In Ireland, with bombings occurring almost weekly in the 1970’s and 1980’s the deathly potential of dynamite came to the front door of the United Kingdom. There has been civil unrest in Ireland for hundreds of years as Ireland fought to gain their independence from England. When Ireland gained her independence in 1921, twenty six out of a total of thirty two counties were made their own country, independent from England. The Protestant minority, which had centralized herself in the six most Northern counties of Ireland and not wanting to lose the little influence that they had by being outnumbered and overpowered by the Catholic majority, voted to keep their allegiance to England. And a Northern Ireland, with their own currency and independent from the lower twenty six counties, remained separate. This has been fought over since 1921 but came to a head in the 1970’s and 1980’s as increased pressure to unite Ireland was coming from the political wing of Ireland Sinn Fein and their leader Gerry Adams and Martin McGinness. In the same way that Middle Eastern terrorists use violent means in order to further their cause, Sinn Fein did the same as well. It is estimated that since the Bloody Sunday Massacre on January 30, 1972 until present day, more than three thousand people, with the vast majority being innocent civilians, have been killed through bombings by the IRA and Sinn Fein and in response by the Ulster Unionists who are associated to Northern Ireland and the continuation of a separate Ireland. These terrorists would use as their weapon of choice for these bombings, dynamite. With much of it being illegally shipped by Omar Kadafe, who was sympathetic about Ireland’s plight of uniting their country and approved of its measures to achieve its goal, sent thousands of pounds of nitroglycerine as well as other materials that are used to make dynamite. Hundreds of sticks of dynamite along with a large arsenal of guns and other forms of weaponry accompanied each shipment. The targets for these bombings would usually be social settings: restaurants and pubs where it was assured that dozens of unsuspecting patrons would meet their deaths. However, the result of hundreds of these bombings throughout Ireland has actually resulted in the opposite desired effect. The IRA and Sinn Fein are considered to be on the fringe of society and the rightness of their cause, as seen through the hunger strike of Bobby Sands, an MP, has been lost. And even though Britain’s influence within Northern Ireland has decreased in the past years and peace agreement after peace agreement has been ignored by both sides, it becomes increasingly unlikely that there will ever be a united Ireland in the immediate or distant future. This is because it is now seen that recons illation by either side will, in effect, make the deaths of the thousands of victims on both sides, now be considered null and void. In this effect, the use of dynamite greatly decreased the likelihood that a true and lasting peace would ever come to Ireland. If dynamite has never been invented, there still would have been troubles in Ireland among the Catholics and Protestants and between Unionists and the IRA but the number of deaths, and therefore, the number of hurdles that would need to be overcome in order to obtain a lasting peace, would have been a mere shadow of the reality that is now facing Ireland’s peace process today. In this respect, every lover of peace and brotherhood, not only in Ireland but throughout the world, has come to regret the day that dynamite had been invented. It served as an unmistakable impediment for that portion of the world. However, there have been found some positive uses of dynamite. In the United States today, the uses of dynamite are as such: â€Å"Coal mining 67%, non metal mining 14% metal mining, 10% construction 7% and miscellaneous 3%. † At the end of the 19th century and into the 20th, coal was the country’s primary source for fuel. In order to get the coal out of the earth, dynamite blasting was required. As a result, more dynamite meant easier travel by way of ship and train which used as their chief form of fuel: coal. The shipping industry as well as the railroad which served as the number one form of cross country transportation and was second in use only to the mass transit system of the major cities, used coal as their use of fuel. Without dynamite, coal still could and was retrieved from the ground but at a snail’s pace compared to the rate that it extracted from the earth today. This has wide ranging implications and is one use of dynamite which was to the benefit of the masses. In this way, the correct and responsible use of dynamite was used to better the lives of millions of people over the decades. The importance of dynamite on the world stage has diminished from its zenith in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Dynamite has now been replaced by safer alternatives but is still used in coal mining. And with America’s push away from Middle eastern independence through their oil supply, many people are pointing to the abundance of American coal. In that respect, the importance of dynamite on the world stage might return. For the most part, contemporary societies have come to share the vision that Alfred Nobel had for his invention. However, as long as people seek to further their ideas in violent measures, dynamite still serves an attractive tool in that motive. Nuclear Weapons, bigger guns and other forms of chemical warfare have replaced the use dynamite in war. Nobel was too unrealistic about the depravity of man to think that dynamite’s destructive potential would be abandoned in favor of more peaceful measures. But with every invention that increases an army’s ability to kill, it is said that this will now outlaw war. But that has yet to happen. However, since dynamite is no longer seen as the most effective tool in warfare, its uses can now be concentrated more on its useful abilities and continue to aid in the welfare of man; Nobel’s original intent. WORKS CITED Birney, E. The Effectiveness of Dynamite. www. nchi. mlm. nih. gov. Sanger Centre Cambridge February 21, 2006 Burns, Ric The History of New York. New York: PBS Video. 1999 Bown, Stephen, The Most Damnable Invention. New York: St. Martin’s Press. 2005 Commanger, Henry Steele. Documents of American History. New York: Century Publishers. 1947 Perry, John. Endgame in Ireland. New York: PBS Video. 2001 Elistone, Mary. The Haymarket Square Riot. Chicago: University of Chicago Law Review. 1993 Marcazee, Joseph. The Use of Dynamite in History. New York: The American Journal of American History. 1999. nobelprize. org/Alfred_nobel