Sioux Artist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sioux Artist - Essay Example The Sioux art portrayed their culture, beliefs, visions and dreams, making their art highly valuable among themselves. One of the most interesting Sioux artworks showcased by the Denver Art museum is the Sioux headdress. This particular piece, creatively designed, has many coloured feathers that give it an interesting appeal. Ideally, the multi-feathered headdress was supposed to tower high above its wearer. It has a top, supported with a long pole and feathers on one side. The designers of the headdress were keen enough not to mix too many colours, with white feathers attached on a yellow skin, attached to the white pole. This shows the carefulness with which the designers carried out their work. Additionally, it shows how important art was to these people. Evidence of creativity and imagination in this piece is at the top. The headdress has well rounded top with a beautifully coloured lining. Two pieces of skin attached to the top dangles from the top, which would dance whenever the wearer shook his head. A hairy yellow coloured skin supports the feathers on top, making this one of the most creati vely designed Sioux artworks I have seen so

Investigation to find out whether changing Essay Example for Free

Investigation to find out whether changing Essay Air resistance is a force that acts upon any object falling through the air. It slows the rate of descent on an object with any surface area. Scientific research has found that by altering the objects surface area, the amount of air resistance either increases or decreases, changing the rate of descent. Newtons third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. My helicopter will fall to the ground because of the gravitational pull of the Earth. In reflection to Newtons law, the opposite force in the case of my experiment will be air resistance. As gravity is pulling my helicopter to the ground, air resistance is pushing up onto my helicopter, slowing its rate of descent. The rate of gravity is always the same, as the gravitational pull from the Earth is the same, so the factor in this case, which affects the rate of descent, is air resistance. Newtons second law of motion states that the acceleration an object experiences multiplied by the mass of the object is equal to the net force acting on the object. Thus, if a given force acts on two objects of different mass, the object with the larger mass will have a lower acceleration. In the case of my experiment, the rate of descent on my helicopter, multiplied by the mass of my helicopter is equal to the total amount of forces acting on it. If the forces acting on my helicopter give a net force which is zero, then my helicopter will not accelerate, it will continue moving at a constant velocity. The forces on an object falling at terminal velocity are balanced. Terminal velocity occurs when the weight of an object is balanced by the drag. Drag depends on the speed of an object- the faster it moves the greater the drag. Therefore, if one of my helicopters is moving faster than another, then it will create more air resistance. Drag also depends on the shape of an object. A streamlined object will travel much faster than another object, and they have a lower terminal velocity. We call the force of gravity on something its weight. Weight (N) = mass (kg) x gravitational field strength (N/kg) The gravitational field strength on Earth is around 10N/kg. Astronauts on the moon tried an experiment suggested by Galileo. They dropped a feather and a hammer at the same time, and they landed together. Newton also tried this experiment, dropping a coin and a feather first in air, then in a vacuum. In the air the coin landed first, but in a vacuum, they landed at the same time. The feather and the coin have a similar surface area, so when they begin to fall they should have about the same amount of drag. As they fall the air resistance on the feather soon increases to balance its weight, causing it to travel at terminal velocity. The coin, on the other hand, is heavier, so it continues to accelerate, and probably hits the ground before reaching terminal velocity. The drag force (air resistance) is always in the opposite direction to the motion. The force of gravity is equal and opposite to the drag force. I predict that by altering the surface area of the wings on my helicopter, I will be able to change the rate of descent by increasing and decreasing the air resistance of the wings. I think that if I increase the surface area of the wings, the amount of air resistance will increase, and my helicopter will take longer to reach the floor. If I decrease the surface area, there will be less air resistance, so my helicopter will travel faster. I also think that whilst doing my experiment, I may find the terminal velocity of one of my helicopters. Method: Make a helicopter out of a piece of paper. Make the wings 11cm x 3cm each, and the base 10cm x 3cm, leaving a 1. 5cm gap from the edges of the wings, like the one shown here. Fold one wing forwards, and the other backwards along the dotted line. Measure a height of 2m from the floor. Make a mark on the wall so that you know where to drop your helicopters from. Stand so that the first helicopter is level with the mark on the wall, and get another person to stand on the floor with a stop clock. Let go of the helicopter and time how long it takes to hit the floor. Record your results in a table. Repeat with the same sized helicopter 3 times, and then cut 1cm off the length of the wings. Repeat the experiment until the wings are 1cm long. To keep my experiment fair- I will use the same helicopter throughout my experiment to ensure accurate results. I will also mark a point on the wall so that I can drop my helicopters from the same height every time. Results: Analysis: My results dont show a linear pattern, the average times go down in steps, but this may have been caused by experimental errors. More of my average times are above my line of best fit than on or below it. Evaluation: I think that my experiment was fairly successful, as from my results I can see that my prediction is usually correct- reducing the surface area of the wings decreases the time it takes to get to the floor, because of the reduce in air resistance. If I was to do this experiment again, I would make another helicopter in a different way, because I think that that my results may have been in a more linear fashion if the helicopter spun more in the air.

A Worn Path :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Tattered Trail   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty, is the tale of the unstoppable love and care of a grandmother for her grandchild. The main character in the story, Phoenix Jackson, is an old black woman who makes a long journey into town to get medicine for her ill grandson. Despite the many obstacles Phoenix encounters along her journey, determination helps her to continue. I will analyze â€Å" A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty in terms of symbolism and characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, I will analyze â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty in terms of symbolism. One way symbolism was shown in the story was by the obstacles Phoenix encounters along her journey. The first obstacle Phoenix faces is when she gets herself tangled in a bush, and she does not want to tear her dress. Phoenix begins to take to the bush saying, â€Å"Thorns, you doing your appointed work. Never want to let folks pass, no sir† (Welty 389). Eventually, she frees herself from the bush. â€Å" Old eyes thought you was a pretty little green bush† (Welty 389). This shows that you should not judge from the outside and that things are not always, what they seem to be. Another obstacle she faces is when she meets the barbed wire fence. She begins to speak to herself, â€Å" she could not pay for having her arm or leg sawed off if she got caught fast where she was†(Welty 390). Again, determination helps her to continue. Phoenix’s name also shows symbolism. â€Å"As Wesley 2 most critics have noted, Phoenix Jackson’s first name links her to the Egyptian myth of the bird that renews itself periodically from its own ashes†(Bartel 45). In addition, like her name, Phoenix seems ageless. When she stops to drink water from the spring she says, â€Å"Nobody know who made this well, for it was here when I was born†(Welty 391). When she encounters the hunter and he asks her how old she is she says, â€Å"There is no telling, mister, â€Å"said, â€Å"no telling† (Welty 392). Again her age is emphasized when she goes to the doctor’s office and the nurse ask her why she never went to school. â€Å"I never did go to school, I was too old at the Surrender† (Welty 394).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Secondly, I will analyze â€Å"A Worn Path†, by Eudora Welty in terms of characters. The main character in the story is Phoenix Jackson.

Margin Review Questions Essay

†¢ If they had continued, Chinese maritime voyages could have had a profound impact on the course of world history. China was the richest, most prosperous, and most technologically advanced civilization in the world at that time, and it would be reasonable to think that, if the Chinese had aggressively competed with their European counterparts, they likely would have prevailed as the preeminent maritime power in the world. This would have had profound implications for the course of world history, most likely limiting the influence of Western Europe and of Christianity on other regions of the globe and increasing Chinese cultural, economic, and political influences beyond East Asia. †¢ The usefulness of counterfactual questions is debatable. They do allow one both to highlight the role of contingency in the course of human history and to highlight the difficulty of predicting the future because of contingency. Moreover, counterfactual questions go beyond mere speculation, because they encourage students to think of what was possible in light of known historical facts. Thus a good â€Å"what if† question can help scholars think their way into historical reality and to hone their analytical skills. Still, no one can fully predict what the consequences of a change in events would have been, and in any case, the reality of the situation as it happened is the subject of history. 2. †¢ This chapter organizes societies in two ways. First, it organizes them into Paleolithic peoples, agricultural village societies, herding peoples, and established civilizations and empires. It then organizes those civilizations by region. †¢ There are other alternatives, including organization by cultural region— Chinese, Indian, Islamic, Mesoamerican, and Christian. Another possibility would have been organization through webs of connections, starting with a single society and radiating out to an exploration of its nearer and more distant contacts. 3. †¢ Several changes would undoubtedly have surprised a knowledgeable observer, including the emergence of Islam; †¢ the revival of China and Western Europe; †¢ the collapse of the Byzantine Empire; †¢ the emergence of Russia and the spread of Christianity into that region; †¢ the emergence of states in Southeast Asia; †¢ the emergence of Japan; †¢ the emergence of powerful empires in West Africa. †¢ However, some features would still be recognizable, such as the persistence of Paleolithic, agricultural village, and herding societies; †¢ the continuance, albeit at a more intense rate, of long-distance commerce and exchange; †¢ the persistence of broad cultural traditions, especially in the Mesoamerican, Andean, Chinese, European, and Indian civilizations. 4. †¢ A global traveler of the fifteenth century might have predicted that Islam, Buddhism, and perhaps Christianity would continue to spread; †¢ that the established cultural regions of China, India, the Islamic world, Christian Europe, the Andes, and Mesoamerica would continue to develop and expand; †¢ that long-distance commerce and exchange would continue to have an important impact on the development of civilizations; †¢ that empires would continue to have a growing influence on world history; †¢ that the regions occupied by Paleolithic, agricultural village, and herding societies would continue to shrink. †¢ Precisely when these predictions were made would make a difference. Before 1492, the huge impact of Western European influence on the Americas would have been difficult to predict. †¢ Before 1433, the relatively modest impact of Chinese overseas exploration would have been difficult to predict. 5. †¢ The gathering and hunting people of the northwest coast of North America possessed permanent village settlements with large and sturdy houses, considerable economic specialization, ranked societies that sometimes included slavery, chiefdoms dominated by powerful clan leaders, and extensive storage of food; none of those features were part of Australian gathering and hunting societies. 6. †¢ In West Africa, three distinct patterns of political development were taking shape among agricultural village societies, with the Yoruba people creating city-states; the kingdom of Benin taking shape as a small, highly centralized territorial state; and the Igbo peoples relying on other  institutions—title societies, women’s associations, hereditary ritual experts serving as mediators, a balance of power among kinship groups—to maintain social cohesion beyond the level of the village. †¢ In addition, the Yoruba, Bini, and Igbo peoples traded actively among themselves as well as with more distant peoples and changed from a matrilineal to a patrilineal system of tracing their descent. †¢ In the Americas, in what is now central New York State, an increased level of conflict among Iroquois peoples triggered a remarkable political innovation—a loose alliance or confederation among five Iroquois peoples based on an agreement known as the Great Law of Peace. The Iroquois League of Five Nations kept peace, adjudicated disputes, and operated by consensus. It also gave expression to values of limited government, social equality, and personal freedom. †¢ The Iroquois developed a system that gave women unusual authority. Descent was matrilineal, married couples lived with the wife’s family, and women controlled agriculture. While men were hunters, warriors, and the primary political officeholders, women selected and could depose those leaders. 7. †¢ In Central Asia, the Turkic warlord Timur constructed a significant empire that retained control of the area between Persia and Afghanistan during the fifteenth century. †¢ Timur’s conquests, however, hid a more long-term change for the pastoral peoples of Central Asia, because his was the last great military success of nomadic peoples from Central Asia; in the centuries that followed, their homelands were swallowed up in the expanding Russian and Chinese empires. †¢ In West Africa, pastoral peoples retained their independence into the late nineteenth century. †¢ Groups like the Fulbe, West Africa’s largest pastoral society, generally lived in small communities among agricultural peoples; †¢ as they migrated gradually eastward after 1000 C.E., they maintained their distinctive way of life and a sense of cultural superiority that became more pronounced as they slowly adopted Islam. †¢ Some Fulbe dropped out of a pastoral life and settled in towns, where they became highly respected religious leaders. †¢ In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Fulbe were at the center of a wave of religiously based uprisings (jihads) that greatly expanded the practice of Islam and gave rise to a series of new states ruled by the Fulbe. 8. †¢ Under the Ming dynasty, China recovered from the disruption caused by Mongol rule and the ravages of the plague to become perhaps the best-governed and most prosperous of the world’s major civilizations; †¢ it also undertook the largest and most impressive maritime expeditions the world had ever seen. 9. †¢ Political consolidation occurred in both China and Western Europe, but in China this meant a unitary and centralized government that encompassed almost the whole of its civilization, while in Europe a decidedly fragmented system of many separate, independent, and competitive states made for a sharply divided Christendom. †¢ While both experienced cultural flowering, Europe’s culture after the Renaissance was rather more different from its own recent past than Ming dynasty China was from its pre-Mongol glory. †¢ While both sent out ships to explore the wider world, their purposes in doing so were very different. 10. †¢ Chinese exploration was undertaken by an enormous fleet composed of several hundred large ships, while European explorations were undertaken by expeditions made up of a handful of small ships. †¢ European motivations for exploration included the desire for wealth from trade, the search for converts to Christianity, and the recruitment of possible Christian allies against the Muslim powers. China, by contrast, needed no military allies, required little in the way of trade, and had no desire to convert foreigners to Chinese culture or religion. †¢ The Europeans sought to monopolize by force the commerce of the Indian Ocean and violently carved out empires in the Americas; the Chinese fleet sought neither conquests nor colonies. †¢ China ended its voyages abruptly after 1433; the European explorations continued and even escalated. †¢ In terms of why China’s explorations were so different from their European counterparts, the fragmentation of political authority in Europe, unlike China’s unified empire, ensured that once begun, rivalry alone would drive Europeans to the end of the earth. †¢ Much of Europe’s elite, including merchants, monarchs, the clergy, and nobles, had an interest in overseas expansion; in China, by contrast, the emperor Yongle was the primary supporter of the Chinese voyages of exploration, and after he passed from the scene, those opposed to the  voyages prevailed within the politics of the court. †¢ The Chinese were very much aware of their own antiquity, believed strongly in the absolute superiority of their culture, and felt that, if they needed something from abroad, others would bring it to them. The Europeans also believed themselves unique; however, in material terms, they were seeking out the greater riches of the East, and they were highly conscious that Muslim power blocked easy access to these treasures and posed a military and religious threat to Europe itself. 11. †¢ The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires had Turkic origins, while the Songhay Empire did not. †¢ The Ottoman and Safavid empires ruled over the heartland of the Muslim world, where a majority of their subjects followed Islam; the Mughal and Songhay empires ruled over regions where Islam was a minority faith. †¢ The rulers of the Safavid Empire were the only ones to impose a Shia version of Islam as the official religion of the state. 12. †¢ The Inca Empire was much larger than its Aztec counterpart. †¢ The Aztec Empire controlled only part of the Mesoamerican cultural region, while at its height the Inca state encompassed practically the whole of the Andean civilization. †¢ In the Aztec realm, the Mexica rulers largely left their conquered people alone, and no elaborate administrative system arose to integrate the conquered territories or to assimilate their people to Aztec culture. The Incas, on the other hand, erected a more bureaucratic empire. †¢ The Aztec Empire extracted substantial tribute in the form of goods from its subject populations, while the Incas primarily extracted labor services from their subjects. †¢ The Aztec Empire had a system of commercial exchange that was based on merchants and free markets, whereas the Inca government played a major role in both the production and distribution of goods. †¢ The authority of the state penetrated and directed the Incas’ society and economy far more than did that of the Aztecs. 13. †¢ The ideology of state that gave human sacrifice great religious importance shaped the techniques of Aztec warfare, which put a premium on capturing prisoners rather than on killing the enemy. †¢ Priests and rulers became interdependent, with human sacrifices carried out for  political ends. †¢ Massive sacrificial rituals served to impress enemies, allies, and subjects alike with the immense power of the Aztecs and their gods. 14. †¢ The emperor was an absolute ruler and was regarded as divine.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ In theory, the state owned all land and resources.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Subjects were organized, at least in the central regions of the empire, into hierarchical units of 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, and 10,000 people, each headed by local officials, who were supervised by an Inca governor or by the emperor. †¢ An imperial office of â€Å"inspectors† checked on provincial authorities. †¢ Births, deaths, marriages, and other population data were carefully recorded. †¢ A resettlement program moved one-quarter or more of the population to new locations. †¢ Leaders of conquered peoples were required to learn Quechua, and their sons were removed to the capital of Cuzco for instruction in Inca culture and language. †¢ Subject peoples were required to acknowledge major Inca deities, although once they did so, they were largely free to carry on their own religious traditions. †¢ The Inca Empire played a major role in the production and distribution of goods. 15. †¢ They interacted through webs of empire, large-scale political systems that brought together a variety of culturally different peoples; †¢ through webs of religion that linked far-flung peoples; †¢ and through long-established patterns of trade among peoples occupying different environments and producing different goods.

Carter Racing

Carter Racing Case Study In this case, Carter Racing has to make a decision about whether or not to participate in a race with the knowledge that they have been experiencing a 29% engine failure rate. Carter Racing is a relatively new team, so they have not yet established a firm reputation. The mechanic thinks that temperature is the cause of failure, but that theory has been questioned by another of the racing team’s engineering staff. If they race and win, they could receive a $1,000,000 sponsorship from Goodstone Tires for the next season.However, on the off chance that they do win, they might ignore the engine failure problem they’ve been experiencing. Another scenario that might occur is that they may decide to race and experience an engine failure during the race. The damage of this scenario is extreme. They will have risked their driver’s life, lost any reputation they might have been building, and lost the sponsorship from Goodstone and the $500,000 oil contract they already have.Another scenario is that they withdraw, which means their reputation might be slightly damaged and they lose $50,000 that season between the lost deposit and the returned sponsorship funds. My recommendation is that Carter Racing withdraws from the race and takes the $50,000 loss for the season. This ensures that they have until the next season to resolve their engine failure issues and it gives them time to formulate a safer strategy.They should not attempt to risk their driver’s life and stake their reputation on the slim odds of winning the race. If they were to race and lose their options, the chances of recovering from that loss are very small. It’s much more difficult to react to something of this scale than it is to prevent it. If they take advantage of the time they have once they withdraw, they can come back next year with a stronger team and better odds of winning, which will surely encourage more sponsorships.

An for Maus Essay Example

An for Maus Essay Example An for Maus Essay An for Maus Essay Essay Topic: Maus In his introduction to Art from the Ashes: A Holocaust Anthology, Laurence Lagner argues that Language, of course, has its limitations (3) when writing about the the holocaust. When witnessing the slaughter of children in Warsaw by the Nazis, Abraham Lewis wrote that there is nothing to be gained by expressing in words everything that we feel (3). Those experiencing the holocaust witnessed the limitations of language first hand, as their words were incapable of stopping the atrocities happening all around them. However, these same words, which so utterly owerless to the writer, exemplify the power of language by leaving behind a record of scenes that nothing but language could have captured for the future (4) In our contemporary context, the real limitations of language in relation to holocaust writing is not found in the first hand accounts, but rather in post-holocaust writing that attempts to apply familiar literary devices and tropes to events that are alien to the ordinary reader. Spiegelman, however, avoids using such literary cliches as heroism, hope, or the triumph of love over hate in Maus and Maus II. According to Lagner, ffective holocaust literature is an experience in unlearning (5), as both the writer and the reader must come to terms with abandoning all safe props in order to come closer to comprehending the holocaust experience. Therefore, because all cliches and conventions are abandoned in Maus and Maus II, readers are forced to confront the reality of the holocaust withou t the safety or preconceptions of the familiar, which is invaluable for helping us come to terms with and to understand an event so unthinkable. One of Spiegelmans most unconventional elements is using the form ofa graphic ovel to write a historical biography of a holocaust survivor. This form immediately places readers in an unfamiliar context, which is very effective in preparing them for the absence of familiar literary conventions. It is not difficult to find examples of individual panels in Maus and Maus II that effectively convey the raw unthinkableness of the holocaust. For me, there is one panel in particular in Maus that made me put the book down with the intention of never picking it up again. This is the seventh panel on page 108, which depicts a German soldier killing a Jewish child by swinging him by his leg and smashing him into a wall. It is not true that words unaccompanied by pictures always fail to convey Just how inhumane and unimaginable the holocaust was. For example, Lagners own description of the excremental assault a woman he interviewed endured while escaping from a Nazi round up attests to the ability of language to describe the unthinkable (6). Nevertheless, a drawing such as this one leaves nothing to the imagination. What is more, the graphic novel does not allow words to manipulate or mislead the reader. Instead, it provides a context where simple language can carry so much raw emotion without being cliche. The words accompanying this panel and the previous panel on page 108 of Maus are an example of this. The first panel reads: Some kids were screaming and screaming. They couldnt stop. The words accompanying the panel described above read: So the Germans swinged them by the legs against a wall .. .And they never anymore screamed (p. 108). I nere are no cllcnes In tnls norrenaous aeplctlon 0T tne cola- Dlooaea murder 0T children as young as two years old. When we look for some meaning in their demise, there is nothing there. According to Lagner, effective holocaust literature forces us to surrender.. the comforting notion that suffering has meaningthat is strengthens, ennobles, or redeems the human soul (p. 5). The acts of brutality that the Nazis carried out during the holocaust were not counter balanced in any manner by opposing acts of love, kindness or redemption. Instead, those subjected to its horrors, we forced into a survival mode that put individual preservation above all else. In both Maus and Maus II, there are acts of individual kindness, but these are not part ofa larger theme about community or the human condition. They are just about survival and circumstances, as is the case with Arts farther. It is clear from the two graphic novels that his surviving the holocaust was part luck and part ingenuity. The sheer luck and randomness of surviving the holocaust can be seen in the story he tells about getting stopped by a German soldier nicknamed The Shooter because he liked to randomly shoot a Jewish person everyday. The reason why the soldier did not shoot him was because of the last name, Spiegelman. The soldier knew Vladeks cousin, Haskel,who was chief of the Jewish police and collaborating with the Nazis. There are two situation involving Vladeks cousin that how there is no comfortable cliches for genuine holocaust literature. One of these situations involved Haskel helping Vladak, his wife and nephew get released from detention that would have resulted in their being taken to a concentration camp. Vladak was able to arrange for this to happen by paying his cousin to help. When Art learned this, he was shocked that Vladek had to pay his own family for help. As a result, he tells his father that even if he did not have the money, his cousin would have helped him. However, Vladak tells Art that he simply does not understand and t that time it wasnt anymore families. It was everybody to take care for himself! Another element that emerges in the Maus graphic novels is how much of a negative psychological impact the holocaust had on its survivors and on the children of its survivors. The Maus books do not glorify the holocaust by depicting Vladek as a man who survived this horrible event but learned and grew from it. Instead, the Maus books reveal that the holocaust left Vladek extremely emotionally and psychologically damaged. The fact that holocaust tainted everything that Vladek did can be seen right at the beginning of Maus. In the graphic novels first scene, we see Art as a child. In this scene, Art falls off his bicycle, but his friends do not wait for him. When he gets home, he is upset, so he tells his father what happened. With the help of how each panel is drawn and arranged, the full negative impact of the holocaust on Vkadek can be seen. When Art comes home crying, Vladek immediately starts to comfort him. In one panel, there is a close up of Vladek hugging Art, which clearly reveals how much he loves Art. However, when Art tells his father that his friends had been mean to him, the holocaust takes over. He tells Art If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week Then you could see what it is, friends! . It is clear that the holocaust had greatly ink acted Vladeks ability to be a patent. In fact, it tainted his perspective so much that it filled Art as well. This can be seen by the fact that he is writing the graphic novels as a method to try to understand his father as well as himself. The flaws that dominate Vladeks personallty are not a renectlon 0T tne reaeemlng nature 0T tne nolocaust. Instead, they are simply the result of surviving such a traumatic event.

What the sub-editor saw - Emphasis

What the sub-editor saw What the sub-editor saw Hello, Im Cathy, and Im a sub-editor (scourge of the newsroom, pedant and dictionary botherer). As such, my job is to spot inaccuracies, correct typos, clean up grammar and write headlines. I spend most of my time working at the broadsheets, where the copy is of very high quality. Even so, there are still plenty of opportunities for words to go crazy and cause mayhem, as they have a way of doing. Ill be keeping an eye out while Im on my rounds, and reporting in to Emphasis from time to time on the mistakes I find. After all, what better way to learn than from the mistakes of others? (Far less painful than ones own!) This week From triplets to tautology, the wrong Teresa to the wrong Labour politician, heres a round-up of a few corkers I spotted this week. Youve probably heard the nursery rhyme As I was going to St Ives, I met a man with seven wives; each wife held seven sacks, each sack had seven cats Well, I was reminded of that when I spotted this sentence, which features a common tautology (tautology: using multiple words to describe the same thing). Farhana Shaukat, a mother of three triplets, gave a clue as to why the pupils were queuing up outside. They get bored with the holidays, she said. Three triplets? So how many were going to St Ives three or nine? Triplets only has one meaning: three children born at the same time. The addition of three is unnecessary, but surprisingly common (along with the other favourite two twins). Its not a big mistake, by any means. But its worth avoiding even if only for the reason that some stickler will always pick you up on it otherwise (erm, yes, thats me). Health risk Moving on swiftly, we go from an extraneous word to a missing word and this time, an important one. This is a good example of how one word can completely change the meaning of a sentence. And its so easy to do, especially when youre in full flow and thinking faster than you can write. The following was very nearly published as the headline to a piece on the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. Spot the missing word. World Trade Centre attacks left rescuers and bystanders with raised risk of physical and mental health, Lancet reveals Its not only missing words that can cause mischief letters can be equally troublesome. The following sentence has a letter missing. Can you spot it? The inquiry, ordered by Teresa May, is being carried out by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary. Its an h. The home secretary is a Theresa, not a Teresa. Pah! you say. Thats just a typo, nothing to sweat over. And yes, thats fair. But a Teresa May does exist, and she has a profession that our Theresa probably wouldnt appreciate being associated with. Ahem. (Shes a porn star.) Lets play spot the letter again, in a similarly scandalous vein. This time, though, youre looking for an extra one, not a missing one. Ready? This month a 51-year-old officer will answer police bail after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public officer over alleged unauthorised leaks from the Operation Weeting phone-hacking inquiry. Misconduct in a whaaat? Madre mia! That should, needless to say, read misconduct in a public office. Brown, in the farmhouse, with the Okay, thats more than enough smut. Back to serious things. This final example is one of those mistakes that is terrifyingly easy to make when youve been working on something at length and suddenly your brain turns bad and attacks you. This came at the end of a very long and detailed story on Alistair Darlings new book, in which the words Brown and Darling occurred many times over, and always in the right place until That weekend, Brown reveals that he held a secret meeting with Miliband at a farmhouse in Essex. Grammatically, its fine. No typos, no dodgy apostrophes. So whats the problem? Simply that its wrong. It was Darling, not Brown, who revealed and attended the secret meeting and the scary truth is that no spellcheck can pick up that kind of (potentially libellous) mistake. The moral of the story? Proofread, proofread and proofread. Ideally, ask someone else to proofread for you and dont feel bad if they pick up errors. None of the mistakes Ive mentioned above were made through ignorance or stupidity simply through human error. We all make em. The best protection is knowing it. This is a guest blog post by Cathy Relf, a freelance sub-editor.

Understanding IQâ€Intelligence Quotient Scores

Understanding IQ- Intelligence Quotient Scores The measurement of intelligence is a contentious topic, and one that often sparks debate among educators and psychologists. Is intelligence even measurable, they ask? And if so, is its measurement important when it comes to predicting success and failure? Some who study the relevance of intelligence claim that there are many types of intelligence, and maintain that one type is not necessarily better than another. Students who have a high degree of spatial intelligence and a lower degree of verbal intelligence, for instance, can be just as successful as anybody else. The differences have more to do with determination and confidence than one single intelligence factor. But decades ago, leading educational psychologists came to accept the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) as the most acceptable single measuring stick for determining cognitive competence. So what is the IQ, anyway? The IQ is a number that ranges from 0 to 200 (plus), and it is a ratio that is derived by comparing mental age to chronological age. Actually, the intelligence quotient is defined as 100 times the Mental Age (MA) divided by the Chronological Age (CA). IQ 100 MA/CAFrom Geocities.com One of the most notable proponents of the IQ is Linda S. Gottfredson, a scientist and educator who published a highly-regarded article in Scientific American. Gottfredson asserted that Intelligence as measured by IQ tests is the single most effective predictor known of individual performance at school and on the job. Another leading figure in the study of intelligence, Dr. Arthur Jensen, Professor Emeritus of educational psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, has created a chart that spells out the practical implications of various IQ scores. For instance, Jensen stated that people with scores from: 89-100 would be employable as store clerks111-120 have the ability to become policemen and teachers121-125 should have the ability to excel as professors and managers125 and higher demonstrate skills necessary for eminent professors, executives, editors. What Is a High IQ? The average IQ is 100, so anything over 100 is higher than average. However, most models suggest that a genius IQ starts around 140. Opinions about what constitutes a high IQ actually vary from one professional to another. Where Is IQ Measured? IQ tests come in many forms and come with varied results. If you are interested in coming up with your own IQ score, you can choose from a number of free tests that are available online, or you can schedule a test with a professional educational psychologist. Sources and Suggested Reading Gottfredson, Linda S., â€Å"The General Intelligence Factor.† Scientific American November 1998. 27 June 2008.Jensen, Arthur. Straight Talk About Mental Tests. New York: The Free Press, A Division of the Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1981.

Greenpeace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Greenpeace - Essay Example It is a highly organized group with headquarters all over the world. Likewise, the organizational tier is well-defined with its members performing specific tasks within their definite department. The need to get their message across is perceptively an important part of the core goals of the association. To exemplify, even its founders have become known as writers, writing their exploits and history by authoring books. This can be deduced in the simple fact that it is inevitable that word into paper is all part of achieving their goals. Evidently, Greenpeace has its own publication and a press centre. Thus, it can be foreseen that it can be qualified within the categories defining discourse communities. At the heart of its advocacy campaigns is the need to encourage people and raise their awareness and to call for action. Environmental writing has in itself evolved tremendously over the years. It has now become a recognized genre of writing and is an integral part of the entire enviro nmental discourse. Divide still prevail over the critics in determining the viability of sometimes thought out scenarios that range up to the extremes of end of the world proportions with the most basic inclination to pacify especially nontechnical readers on its veracity. Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ is definitely a classic example of a book rousing dissention. â€Å"The success of Carson’s apocalyptic narrative spawned both criticism and imitation† (Killingsworth and Palmer 31). Since then, many authors and scientists have reacted by releasing their own texts. As a result, environmental debates had been fought not only by advocates but well with the use of science as arsenal to support claims. John Swales proposes the commonly accepted categories in understanding the defining characteristics of discourse communities. He maintains that discourse community is distinct from both speech community and speech fellowship. To determine the existence of a discourse community, six criteria must be present as a prerequisite. First, it must have a communality of interest such that there must be a shared goal among its members. Second, there are mechanisms for intercommunication that exist exemplified by a forum where there is participation within the group for members to interact. Third, the communication process is prevalent in the discourse community for a number of reasons including exchange of information and feedback including improvement. Fourth, the sustained advancement â€Å"to develop discoursal expectations† that involves suitable topics and the function of their communication that the output will elicit. Fifth, in relation to all the previous categories, there must be an inherent dynamic to enhance the terminology common to the discourse community. Finally, the expanse of the membership and a vitality to an extent that there is ample significant and proficient expertise in such a way that the discourse community su rvives despite the absence or separation of one or some of its members (212-213). Greenpeace has evolved to be a sizeable force with its presence seen in various parts of the globe in various activisms all toward environment protection. In their own words â€Å"Greenpeace is a global environmental organization† with its main office in Amsterdam and with 28 regional offices outside it spread out in more than 40 countries. Each of these headquarters are given independence in carrying out their local strategies and in finding support from donors to sustain their work (Greenpeace International, par. 1). Apart from the commonly known staple exploits of the group, it has its own

Why divorce rates are increased Annotated Bibliography

Why divorce rates are increased - Annotated Bibliography Example By using correlation method and timing-of-events model of Abbring and van den Berg (2003), the data has been analyzed. Findings show a positive association between living in populated area and risk of dissolution of marriage. Secondly, risks of divorce are higher in city because of sorting of relatively stable relationships in rural areas. The scope of this study is limited because data has been only collected from Denmark and its findings cannot be generalized. However, this study has given a deep insight to increasing divorce rate concerns in urban areas. Trend and South conducted research study to determine the societal-level correlates of divorce rate. In the quantitative methodology, regression analysis has been used to study the impact of socioeconomic development, sex ratio, female labor participation rate and religion dominance on divorce rate. The findings reveal that except religion all other variables are significantly correlated with crude divorce rate. Secondly, socioeconomic development and female labor force participation rate show a U-shape relationship with divorce. This study is very useful because data from 66 countries was collected to investigate the research question. Reference: Sakata, K., & McKenzie, C. R. (n.d.). A Time Series Analysis of the Divorce Rate in Japan Using a Precedent-Based Index. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from http://www.mssanz.org.au/MODSIM07/papers/54_s16/ATimeSeriess16_Sakata_.pdf This research study aims to examine the reasons of increasing divorce rate in Japan over the last 40 years. The time series analysis model for testing whether Coase Theorem appliers to Japanese divorce law or not has been used to analyze the annual data for period 1964-2006. By using court decisions on divorce disputes an index has been constructed through which probability of divorce rate has been calculated. The major finding of this research study

Employer-sponsored Retirement Plans Research Paper

Employer-sponsored Retirement Plans - Research Paper Example The compensation issues will have been put to rest. As a human right policy, it means that every individual’s contribution to the national development is highly valued and that this valued contribution will be equitably compensated. Moreover, for workers in the same job family, there should never be a huge disparity in pay and compensation structure especially if workers are employed under the same skill qualification (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada). In the second question, analysis established that there is a violation of Equity Pay Act on policy-capturing. This is so because studies on the over three hundred job families, there was a disparity on the point-factor in the study found out that there exists disparity in jobs with similar job content features. Such features include the level and span of supervision, education level, analytic reasoning and experience. These features clusters job families into similar compensable factors that will be used in determining point-factor pay by use of relevant weight factors. Irrespective of this methodology, it was found that there is a disparity in pay and compensation in female and race-dominated classes. This creates biases that violate the Pay Equity Act as there is no structure that sets the maintenance of such envisioned internal equity. Even after employment there is no quantitative evaluation system of the job tied to a unified wage structure that will guard against subjective in equity from occurring. These include promotion and wage increment as gender and race-based prejudices sets in and prevent upward mobility of women and workers from other minority races (Chen, 98). Specifically, the law, Equity Pay Act 1963 prohibits any gender-based discrimination in a work establishment. This is so for men and women who are working on essentially similar skill and experience. Congress, in its wisdom, contemplated equity if the

The Impacts Of Mobile Applications On The Hospitality Industry Essay

The Impacts Of Mobile Applications On The Hospitality Industry - Essay Example In other words, communication was made easier and repeated walks became a thing of the past. In a similar way, the receptionists had an easy time recording the number of guests going in and out of the respective premises (Engel, 2013). Mobile phones have as well improved communication efficiency. It is easier for a client to directly call the management to raise complaints and book appointments than with the old way of using letters (Engel, 2013). Also, almost all hospitality organizations have pages on social media and/ websites where potential clients can post comments and ask questions while sitting at their respective homes (Withiam, 2013). In the meantime, it is now possible, in many hospitality firms, to buy tickets online while sitting at home. Obviously, such clients are happy about how easy such and similar processes become and any hospitality organization that runs its operations using the manual ways of the past is considered as lagging behind times (Barnes, 2004; Hotel Ne ws Resource, 2013). Reducing operational costs Mobile technologies have gone an extra mile in reducing operational costs. Advertising costs, for instance, have been greatly cut short by the presence of social media. It is hard to find any meaningful hospitality organization without Facebook, Twitter and website to name a few (Hotel News Resource, 2013). Such social media platforms assist in reaching great numbers of potential clients from diverse background and or around the globe (Withiam, 2013). ... Mobile phones have as well improved communication efficiency. It is easier for a client to directly call the management to raise complaints and book appointments than with the old way of using letters (Engel, 2013). Also, almost all hospitality organizations have pages on social media and/ websites where potential clients can post comments and ask questions while sitting at their respective homes (Withiam, 2013). In the meantime, it is now possible, in many hospitality firms, to buy tickets online while sitting at home. Obviously, such clients are happy about how easy such and similar processes become and any hospitality organization that runs its operations using the manual ways of the past is considered as lagging behind times (Barnes, 2004; Hotel News Resource, 2013). Reducing operational costs Mobile technologies have gone an extra mile in reducing operational costs. Advertising costs, for instance, have been greatly cut short by the presence of social media. It is hard to find a ny meaningful hospitality organization without Facebook, Twitter and website to name a few (Hotel News Resource, 2013). Such social media platforms assist in reaching great numbers of potential clients from diverse background and or round the globe (Withiam, 2013). All the clients need is to know that there exists a company page or website from where he or she can learn more about the company, ask questions and post comments. All operations involving organizational performance analysis are made easy what with the use of social media commentaries, retweets and likes on Facebook (Engel, 2013). Travel costs are also greatly reduced. Aforementioned, rather than managers moving long distances just to inform other workers about

Children if convicted of a capital crime, should be given the death Essay

Children if convicted of a capital crime, should be given the death penalty - Essay Example Historically, only 2 percent of capital punishment was juvenile execution since a large number of capital punishment imposed on children was either reversed or commuted. Often public opinion is considered, but â€Å"it is critical to distinguish between judging what is cruel and unusual punishment and what should become policy for such issues as capital punishment† (Kalbeitzer & Goldstein, 174). This paper focuses on different perspectives regarding this sensitive issue. Unlike many developed countries, United States is still embracing capital punishment for serious offenders. One major objective of juvenile criminal system â€Å"is to hold juvenile offenders accountable for delinquent acts while providing treatment, rehabilitative services, and programs designed to prevent future involvement in law-violating behavior† (Cothern, 1). The juvenile court was established in Chicago in 1889 in order to protect the juvenile offenders from receiving rough treatment in the criminal justice system. The juvenile court accepted that adults and children have different developmental capacities; therefore it advocated rehabilitation as alternative for capital punishment in case of children. However due to the growing number of young people getting involved in criminal activities in the turn of this century, the juvenile justice system has become more prone towards more rigid policies and stricter punishments. It now happens that children below the age of 1 8 who have committed capital crimes are subjected to the ultimate form of punishment like the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole. Supporters of juvenile death penalty see it as a way to deter other young people from committing similar kinds of crimes, and a way to maintain public safety (Cothern, 1-2). As of 2000, more than two-third of all independent states advocate death penalty. In 1999, 30 offenders were executed other than 3,500 others who were on death row. Even

Reflective Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflective Memo - Essay Example This is why English 102 came to me as a joy as I learnt to write the various types of writing. One of the most interesting things I have learnt is writing a research proposal. I consider this very important because it will be of great use in my future academics as well as after college. I learnt the process of putting together a compelling research proposal which will easily get approval. I really hope this will help me in writing better papers in the future and that is will contribute to a productive academic life.. Learning to write a research proposal was probably one of the most interesting things which were very enlightening to me. I learnt that writing a research proposal is a process of expressing oneself and letting the public understand what is important about a certain research project. English 102 was also important in learning how to write an argumentative essay. I was able to learn how to write an effective and compelling argumentative essay, and I believe these skills will be important in especially after my days in college. I believe that the ability to achieve in life is based on one’s ability to look at issues and be able to convince people to see one’s point of view. English 102 was therefore a very important class because I leant how to write an argumentative essay, and this is a skill I believe will be important for me in my career later. This is especially because I am an idea person, and in most cases I find my position where i need to convince people why my point of view is important and probably best. Apart from argumentative writing, this class important in learning other important issues in written communication. I definitely consider myself a better communicator especially where written communication is concerned. Learning how to writ e evaluative essays for various artefacts such as movies sand other productions was interesting for me and I believe that it is helped with my analytical skills. Above everything else,

Children if convicted of a capital crime, should be given the death Essay

Children if convicted of a capital crime, should be given the death penalty - Essay Example Historically, only 2 percent of capital punishment was juvenile execution since a large number of capital punishment imposed on children was either reversed or commuted. Often public opinion is considered, but â€Å"it is critical to distinguish between judging what is cruel and unusual punishment and what should become policy for such issues as capital punishment† (Kalbeitzer & Goldstein, 174). This paper focuses on different perspectives regarding this sensitive issue. Unlike many developed countries, United States is still embracing capital punishment for serious offenders. One major objective of juvenile criminal system â€Å"is to hold juvenile offenders accountable for delinquent acts while providing treatment, rehabilitative services, and programs designed to prevent future involvement in law-violating behavior† (Cothern, 1). The juvenile court was established in Chicago in 1889 in order to protect the juvenile offenders from receiving rough treatment in the criminal justice system. The juvenile court accepted that adults and children have different developmental capacities; therefore it advocated rehabilitation as alternative for capital punishment in case of children. However due to the growing number of young people getting involved in criminal activities in the turn of this century, the juvenile justice system has become more prone towards more rigid policies and stricter punishments. It now happens that children below the age of 1 8 who have committed capital crimes are subjected to the ultimate form of punishment like the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole. Supporters of juvenile death penalty see it as a way to deter other young people from committing similar kinds of crimes, and a way to maintain public safety (Cothern, 1-2). As of 2000, more than two-third of all independent states advocate death penalty. In 1999, 30 offenders were executed other than 3,500 others who were on death row. Even

Stress and burnout Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stress and burnout - Research Paper Example Ayala (2002) further indicates that uncontrolled levels of stress can eventually lead to burnout that is detrimental to the overall productivity of employees in an organization. However, stress may be beneficial because it can lead to creativity and inventions at the workplace. Consequently, it is fundamental to discuss the effects of stress and burnout to an organization and its employees. According to Gryna (2004), burnout is a feeling that results from an extended period of stress. Continuous burnout has a hazardous effect that lowers the self-esteem of individuals while on duty. Employees begin disliking their pastime activities in the organizational context. Notably, burnout correlates with emotional instability highlighting the absence of zeal and enthusiasm. Gryna (2004) asserts that burnout is a condition that arises when an individual lacks the motivation to undertake duty. It is equally attributable to prolonged suffering. Clinically, it is complex to guesstimate the level of employee burnout. Problems associated with stress and burnout to the organization One of the major problems associated with stress and burnout is the employees incapability to produce quality results as they did in the past (Ayala, 2002). Consequently, both stress and burnout are the main inhibitors of success to organizations. These two attributes contribute to huge losses to organizations annually. Gryna (2004) affirms that organizations incur losses because of the increased levels of stress among its staff. The most widespread loss is the reduction in the level of employee’s productivity in the organization. Subsequently, stressed employees exude low morale when undertaking duties and obligations. Lack of confidence contributes to their dismal performance at work because strained employees perform poorly. According to Gryna (2004), burnout increases the rates of turnover of employees; thus, increasing the costs required to run operations in an organization. This is beca use an organization will have to incur costs when recruiting new staff to continue with operations. Moreover, organizations will have to invest in training new employees before entrusting them with duties. High turnover due to burnout affects the employees’ loyalty who may feel neglected by the management (Gryna, 2004). This will make it difficult for them to focus on organizational growth. Interestingly, employees in organizations attribute stress to several to harsh working conditions. Problems associated with stress and burnout to the employees According to Arnold, Demerouti & Wilmar (2005), burnout affects employees’ attitude leading to the deterioration of an individual’s health. Subsequently, burnout leads to financial losses. For example, an employee experiencing burnout is prone to commit errors while on duty. Additionally, there are high chances that conflict can arise in an organization when employees experiencing burnout. Stress and burnout does not o nly affect the organization’s performance but they also affect the overall wellbeing of an individual. For instance, stressed employees exude negative emotions while on duty that may influence their lives. Moreover, an employee suffering from burnout is likely to develop chronic illness that may lead to depression. Arnold, Demerouti & Wilmar (2005) indicates that chronic ailments such as type diabetes have been associated with

University Degree No Guarantee of Employment Essay Example for Free

University Degree No Guarantee of Employment Essay KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 (Bernama) Fazren, 29, has a degree in transport management but has been working as an administrative assistant at a government agency over the past four years. I have applied for many jobs, both in the civil and private sectors. When I was offered the post of an administrative assistant (at a government agency) I did not hesitate to accept even though the post is for those with SPM qualification. Getting a job is quite difficult these days, the Pahang-born clerk told this writer here. Amran obtained 7As in the 2009 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination and is now working as a nurse in a government hospital after obtaining a diploma in nursing from a government nursing college this year. When queried on why he opted for a nursing course despite having good SPM results and the opportunity to study in a university, the 22-year-old Perlis-born Amran replied, It is for economic reasons. I opted not to go to university as I believe getting a job will be difficult even after I graduated with a university degree. But with a nursing diploma, a job will be waiting for me at any government hospital or other private hospitals. It is better to start working at a young age rather than waiting for many years in order to get a job, he said. Both Amran and Fazren (not their real names) are among many Malaysian job seekers who are not particular over the choice of employment as they believe that holding a university qualification does not guarantee them a salaried job. Unemployed graduates Last May, the Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Maznah Mazlan told Parliament that some 76,200 graduates in the country were unemployed. She said that the Human Resource Ministry was trying to resolve the growing rate of unemployment in the country. In 2010, the number of unemployed graduates was 42,955 or 24. 62 per cent of 174,439 Malaysian graduates. There are 20 public universities (IPTA) in Malaysia including Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM). The country also has 60 private higher education institutions (IPTS) like Universiti Teknologi Petronass (UTP), Universiti Multi Media (MMU) and Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten). Bachelors degree According to the Higher Education Ministry, universities, university colleges and polytechnics nationwide produced 184,581 graduates last year and 44,391 or 24 per cent of them were unemployed. Based on statistics, Arts and Social Sciences graduates have the highest number of unemployment numbers, constituting 44. 5 per cent or 19,784 from the total number of unemployed graduates. Next were graduates from technical fields where 12,321 were employed, constituting 27. 7 per cent of the total number of unemployed graduates. Science graduates came in third with 7,321 which accounted for 16. 49 per cent of the total number of unemployed graduates. The ministry said that a total of 21,248 bachelors degree holders were still unemployed whereas diploma holders have the lowest unemployment rate at 3 per cent. According to industry sources, many graduates are still unemployed because the courses they studied at university do not have a wide market. Poor communication skills Human science lecturer Amien Iskandar said that one of the reasons why graduates could not secure jobs was that their qualifications do not meet market demands and requirements, thus rendering them not marketable. Another factor is the bad command of English. A good command of the English language could help graduates secure employment, especially in the private sector. To this end, there is a need to ensure that these graduates are equipped with the necessary skills so that they could be hired for employment after graduating, he said. Amien also cited poor communication skills, wrong work attitude and unrealistic expectations as other barriers in gaining employment. If you have a good command of English but cannot communicate with others due to poor attitude, (then) you may also find difficulties in being employed, he explained. Lack of technical training According to the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), the lack of industrial training is also among the factors why graduates are unemployed. Meanwhile, the Higher Education Ministry Student Development and Affairs Director, Prof Dr Mohd Fauzi Ramlan was reported by the media as saying that other factors that compounded the issue are low problem-solving skills, tendency to switch jobs or job-hopping and lack of self-confidence. He called on graduates to improve their command of the English language to boost their communication skills. (Can they expect to be employed) if they fail to convince their prospective employers on their potential, (then) their chances of getting hired are very slim, he was reported as saying. Mohd Fauzi also advised graduates to drop the negative attitude of preferring to gain jobs in their home towns. http://www. mysinchew. com/node/79072.

Communication Skills in Social Work | Essay

Communication Skills in Social Work | Essay In the context of Social Work practice learning  (Childrens Services Assessment Team)  and the social work role discuss a particular piece of  practice, giving consideration to the skills and models of communication and empowerment that were used. Introduction Organized under the United Kingdom’s Department of Health, Children’s Services represents a division of Social Care which is administered in each region under the auspices of the Children’s Commissioner (Children Act 2004). Children’s Services is committed to the safeguarding and rights of children through high quality services over a broad array of provisions. The Children’s Assessment Team under the Department of Health has the responsibility for the handling of children and their families who have benne either referred and or have contacted their respective Child Care agency (London Borough of Barking Dagenham, 2006). The preceding includes the offering of advice and help while ensuring that the correct decisions are rendered with regard to the urgency dictated by the circumstances along with the proper response level. The preceding represents an ‘assessment’ as carried out in each individual circumstance, which requires skills, communication and the powers to carried the aforementioned out. This examination shall look into a particular area of practice concerning Social Work in the Children’s Services Assessment Team, giving consideration to the skills, models of communication and empowerment involved. The Referral and Assessment aspect of Children’s Services represents one of the most important areas of the many services offered by this Department in that it is responsible for acting upon referrals concerning children and their families that are in need of assessment (Southwark Council, 2006). The Referral and Assessment Team provides intervention as well as support and is responsible for the initial intake process covering the assessment of need and urgency, prioritizing said cases on an individual basis (Barnett London Borough, 2006). One of the most important areas, which includes child protection, legal proceedings and that children in need are looked after, is the initial process which identifies a child in need as opposed to child protection (Wrexham County Borough, 2001). The manner in which the referral was initiated has a bearing upon the type of skill, communication and application of techniques involved. In this instance, this examination shall utilize the exampl e of an abused child that has been brought to the attention of Child Services through calls made by a concerned citizen, or other means. The data and information gathered in the initial contact, regarding the allegation, requires immediate follow up to assess the truthfulness of the allegation and thus whether further action is warranted (Barnett London Borough, 2006). Said referral can come from a number of sources, such as neighbors, teachers, school nurse, and other sources (Barnett London Borough, 2006). Once the process has been initiated the most important aspect entails the skills, and communication techniques employed. The core mission of all social work is the promotion of social justice through its practice (Healy, 1998, pp. 897-914). Within this framework, social workers are in a system that promotes collaborative approaches representing analysis and prioritization (Healy and Mulholland, 1998, pp. 3-27). Once the decision has been made to see the child in question, as a result of either the suspicion or proof regarding action being warranted, the skills in communication as well as observation come into play. Thompson (2003, pp. 10) advises that the importance of communication is that it permits us to transmit information from one person to another and it represents â€Å"†¦ a complex, multilevel event†. In communicating with children as well as adults, social workers need to be well versed in interaction that accompanies communication and contact, and the complexities entailed, as well as the messages on a verbal and non verbal plane (Thompson, 2003. pp. 10-12, 33 – 34, 182-18 3). In those instances where there is an absence of external physical evidence or medical examination, the social worker has to be able to ascertain from conversations and observations with the child as well as the adults involved regarding tone of voice, eye movements, reactions, and other behavior whether truthful replies are being given. The preceding represents areas that encompass theory as well as practice. Adams et al (1998, pp. 253-272) state that the context of social work has changed over the past twenty years as a result of new public management systems that have decreased the value of theory along with the value driven aspects involved in human social work. In the context of children’s services the Referral and Assessment Team intercede on behalf of the child through policy decisions and active support when the initial interview uncovers need, depending upon the circumstances. This aspect represents item number six under Article Two, General Function, of the Children Act 2004 (Children Act 2004). The Department of Health (2006) provides for advocacy safeguards for children to protect them from abuse as well as poor practice. This aspect provides for children themselves to be a part of the process, having and active voice that can be and is heard to participate in reaching determinations (Department of Health, 2006). Under provisions as set forth, the standards and core principles that children can expect are identified as (Department of Health, 2006): The role of children in advocacy, policy context, equal opportunities, confidentiality, publicity, accessibility, independence, complaints, procedures, and the management and governance of services The preceding along with empowerment provides the child with a real voice as well as organization that is committed to ensure their well being as found under the Children’s Services Regulations 2005 of the Children Act 2004 (Children’s Services Inspection Regulations, 2005). Through a formalized inspection, review and analysis process involving â€Å"†¦ two or more inspectorates and commissions, the process is ensured of impartiality as well as adequate oversight. Articles 2.3 under this provision sets forth â€Å"†¦ that relevant assessments, inspections, reviews, investigations and studies †¦ are conducted on cases. These measures are a part of the framework of checks and balances incorporated into the process for the safeguarding of the child who comes to the attention of Children’s Services. Empowerment also provides for the offering of assistance, counseling and advice to parents in need of help in order to safeguard a child’s well be ing. The formalized process sets forth specific guidelines in all of the indicated areas, as well as a broader scope for a matter of such national importance. Conclusion Owing to the sensitive nature of services involving children, specific case studies or references to such are not available, for the obvious reasons. Under the context of the Referral and Assessment Team of social work, a hypothetical example was used as the broad framework for the examination of practice learning and the social work role with consideration given to the skills and models of communication and empowerment. The Children Act 2004 and the Children’s Services Inspection Regulations, 2005 set forth specific procedures, guidelines and framework for the handling of child cases providing oversight safeguards through redundancy features. Each regional Council works in partnership with the departments of Education and Health, as well as other social work teams to â€Å"†¦ ensure the co-ordination of assessment of needs †¦Ã¢â‚¬  leading to the â€Å"†¦ formulation of individual care plans and support packages† (Beacon Council, 2006). The process of referral and assessment is conducted under procedures that are of course subject to the individual expertise levels of the interviewers and case workers. However the safeguards of a multi-level internal review and follow up process catches any potential instances whereby a child might slip through the system due to any number of reasons. As is the case with any process involving humans and organizations, there are those occasions when the system or the person fails, however, given the multi level review and follow up process, such mistakes do not last too long. Bibliography Adams, R., Dominelli, L., Payne, M. (1998) Social Work: Themes, Issues and Critical Debates. Houndsmills Macmillan Barnett London Borough (2006) Supporting Families Division. Retrieved on 10 December 2006 from http://www.barnet.gov.uk/index/health-social-care/children-and-family-care/supporting-families-division.htm Beacon Council (2006) Children and Families. Retrieved on 12 December 2006 from http://www.bexley.gov.uk/service/social/childrenandfamilies/disabilities.html Children Act (2004) Children Act 2004. Retrieved on 10 December 2006 from http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2004/40031b.htm#1 Children’s Services Inspection Regulations (2005) Children’s Services Inspection Regulations. Retrieved on 12 December 2006 from http://66.218.69.11/search/cache?p=uk+children%27s+services+assessment+teamfr=yfp-t-501toggle=1ei=UTF-8u=www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/Childrens%20Services%20Inspection%20Regulations%20Consultation%20Document%20-%20PDF.pdfw=uk+childrens+services+assessment+teamd=IY3kv5IFNg0Eicp=1.intl=us Department of Health (2006) Department of Health: Children’s Advocacy. Retrieved on 11 December 2006 from http://www.dh.gov.uk/Consultations/ResponsesToConsultations/ResponsesToConsultationsDocumentSummary/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4017049chk=vFWybl Healy, K. (1998) Participation and Child Protection: The Importance of Context. Vol. 28. British Journal of Social Work Healy, K., Mulholland, J. 81998) Discourse analysis and activist social work: Investigating practice processes. Vol. 25, Number 3. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare London Borough of Barking Dagenham (2006) Children’s Services Children’s Assessment Team. Retrieved on 10 December 2006 from London Borough of Barking Dagenham Southwark Council (2006) Children’s Services. Retrieved on 10 December 2006 from http://www.southwark.gov.uk/Uploads/FILE_10982.pdf Thompson, N. (2003) Communication and Language: A Handbook of Theory and Practice. Palgrave Macmillan Wrexham County Borough (2001) Assessment Framework for Children in Need and their families. September 2001. Wrexham Social Services Department, Directorate of Personal Services, Wrexham, United Kingdom Aquatic Plants: Rate Of Photosynthesis Aquatic Plants: Rate Of Photosynthesis Acid rain is a known effect of global warming, which has damaged many aquatic environments and aquatic plants throughout the world. This study investigates the effects of acid rain on an aquatic plants rate of photosynthesis. The research question is How does the change in pH of an elodeas habitat due to acid rain affect the plants rate of photosynthesis? Samples of elodea were placed into two acidic solutions, 0.01 Molar solution of nitric acid and 0.001 Molar solution of nitric acid, in a photosynthometer. The control group is water in the photosynthometer with a pH of 7. Each trial took 24 hours and the experiment was done in a high school chemistry lab near a window ledge, away from direct sunlight. After each 24 hour period, the amount of oxygen released by the plants is measured to determine the rate of photosynthesis. As the environment becomes more acidic, the elodea samples volume of oxygen release decreases. The average volume of oxygen release for the elodea samples in the control water group is 0.57 mL, 0.29 mL for the pH 4.0 group, and 0.15 for the pH 3.5 group. The results from this study suggest that there are big differences among the three groups and that acid rain negatively affects the rate of photosynthesis. 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Rationale of Study Nowadays, global warming has become a big issue on the forefront of environmental problems. Its not simply the devastation of rising temperatures all over the world but other effects as well which can be much more dangerous and harmful to the human race. One of these effects is the increase in the acidity of precipitation, or acid rain. At present, acid rain affects large parts of the United States and is especially noticeable near large cities. The annual acidity value averages at pH 4 but values as low as pH 2.1 have been observed. It is confirmed that the increased use of natural gas and development of factories have been associated with the increasing acidity of precipitation and thus, efforts had been made to rely on more clean, renewable energy sources and the development of air quality emission standards. However, not all the economic and ecological effects due to the introduction of strong acids into the natural systems are known and therefore, this study looks into one of it s many harmful effects, the acidification of freshwater ecosystems. Studies suggest that no matter how small the change in pH of any aquatic ecosystem is, large amounts of magnesium and calcium would still be lost in the vicinity affected by acid rain. As a result of the loss of these vital elements, the response and recovery of any aquatic ecosystem toward the decrease in acid deposition would be delayed significantly. Because of this, any further reduction in pH of the ecosystem will bring about exponential increases in damage to any living organism within the affected area. Just like how damage to the human immune system would lead to significant, exponentially increasing damage to the human body in the form of diseases, the damage done to the recovery mechanisms of an aquatic ecosystem due to acid rain opens up possibilities for catastrophes that could be of a far worse magnitude. One such possible disaster is the harming of aquatic plants rates of photosynthesis. Alongside the endangerment of the population of crustaceans, insects, and fish within the aquatic ecosystem, the damage done to the aquatic plants rates of photosynthesis such as Elodea Canadensiss, can be one of the worst possible effects of acid rain and global warming. This study is worthwhile in that plants are the basis of the food chain and any damage inflicted upon the process of photosynthesis in general would surely mean that our very own existence is in jeopardy. 1.2 Aim The aim of this paper is to study the effects of the change in pH of Elodea Canadensiss environment on the plants rate of photosynthesis. In a broader context, this study investigates the effects of acid rain on aquatic plants. Hence, the research question is: How does the change in pH of an elodeas freshwater habitat due to acid rain affect the plants rate of photosynthesis? The rate of photosynthesis is measured with a photosynthometer in which oxygen released from the elodea samples are collected under differing pH environments. The elodea samples are placed in differing solutions of nitric acid, which are used to simulate elodea living in freshwater habitats affected by acid rain. Because oxygen is a product of photosynthesis and is correlated to the rate of photosynthesis, oxygen is then collected from the various experimental groups. Most experiments that require the measurement of the rate of photosynthesis of a macrophyte determine the changes in oxygen concentration of the system in which the macrophyte is kept in and thus, this study is done in the most popular manner. The volume of oxygen collected from each group would then be analyzed to determine the optimal conditions for an aquatic plant to live in and the effects of acid rain on the rate of photosynthesis. 1.3 Acid Rain Because the value for unpolluted precipitation is officially set at pH 5.65, the same value as distilled water, acid rain is a term that describes rain with a pH of less than 5.6. Man-made emissions of sulfur and nitrogen pollutants had always been blamed as a major cause of acid rain but a genuine cause-effect relationship has never been determined. However, it is certain that sulfur and nitrogen compounds react with the atmosphere to produce acids that would lower the pH of precipitation. There are also many natural sources of these sulfur and nitrogen compounds. For example, approximately 50 percent of atmospheric nitrogen compounds are produced by lightning discharges, which may bring about acid rain. The real importance of studying acid rain though is to study its effects on the natural ecosystems. One such ecosystem that is affected greatly by acid rain is the aquatic ecosystem. The chemical composition of lakes is heavily influenced by precipitation and many studies have suggested that acid rain has caused lake acidification. Most importantly, the changes in pH of these ecosystems due to acid rain appeared to have damaged aquatic plants metabolism, causing a decline in primary productivity. Because these aquatic plant communities are primary producers, any damage done to their metabolism mechanisms (photosynthesis) can drastically reduce the food supply and energy flow within the affected ecosystem. Thus, acid rain has the potential to reduce the supply of minerals and nutrients and endanger the existence of all organisms within an ecosystem, especially aquatic ecosystems. 1.4 Marine Photosynthesis The metabolism of plants is commonly referred to as photosynthesis. Photosynthesis involves two kinds of processes, photochemical and enzymatical, meaning that the rate of photosynthesis is a function of irradiance and enzyme activity. No enzymes are involved in the photochemical process in which the plant absorbs light in the range of 350 and 700 nm in wavelength. In this process, chlorophyll molecules absorb light and excites electrons, which go through the electron transport and end up producing ATP and NADPH. As its name implies, the photochemical process involves light and is purely chemistry. The other process is the light-independent enzymatical process of the Calvin cycle. This process occurs after the light-dependent reaction for it requires the ATP and NADPH to reduce CO2 to carbohydrate. At the start of this process, six carbon dioxide molecules attach to six 5-carbon ribulose biphosphate (RuBP) molecules to create six molecules of a 6-carbon compound. Each of these 6-carbon compounds splits into two 3-carbon molecules called phosphoglycerate (PGA). This results in 12 PGA molecules. Energy from ATP and electrons from NADPH are then needed to reduce each of these PGA molecules into twelve G3P (glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate) molecules. Finally, two of these G3P molecules are used to form one glucose molecule and the remaining ten G3P are reassembled into RuBP molecules. Marine Photosynthesis also requires CO2 to start and this CO2 is acquired when CO2 is dissolved in water. This process is represented by the following formulas: CO2 + H2O ßà   H2CO3 CO2 + OH- ßà   HCO3- The dissolved CO2 in the water can either make the water increase or decrease in pH depending on the pH, temperature, and salinity of the environment. The concentrations of carbonic acid (H2CO3) and bicarbonate (HCO3-) in the aquatic environment form a complex equilibrium, which is needed to sustain optimal living conditions for its inhabitants; the two compounds play a vital biochemical role in the pH buffering system, which strongly affects photosynthetic organisms. 1.5 Elodea Canadensis Elodea Canadensis is an aquatic vascular plant that spends its entire life cycle under the surface of a body of water. It is a perennial with a flexible branches stem and fibrous roots. Its leaves do not have petioles and they are always in groups of three to seven spread out evenly along the entire length of the stem. The species of Elodea Canadensis is commonly known as waterweed and is abundant in North and South America. However, there are 17 species of the genus Elodea and these plants are common throughout the world with use as an aquarium plant. Its use in science experiments is fairly common as well due to its strongly photosynthetic, dense chloroplast structure. When exposed to a strong light source, the oxygen bubbles given off by the plant is clearly visible. Another reason for its use in science experiments is that it is able to live enough after being cut into smaller strands to be experimented on. 2.0 Variables 2.1 Independent Variable The elodea plants are placed in 2 different nitric acid solutions of varying pH and molarity. Strands of elodea with 10 leaves each are subjected to either a 0.001 molar solution of nitric acid with a pH of 4.0 or a .01 molar solution of nitric acid with a pH of 3.5. The solution and elodea are placed into the barrel of the syringe in the photosynthometer. Litmus paper is used to measure the pH of the acid solutions. 2.2 Dependent Variable The rate of photosynthesis of the elodea samples are affected by the varying pH of the solutions they are subjected to. The rate of photosynthesis is indicated by the volume of oxygen given off by each 10 leaf elodea strand and collected in the photosynthometer over a 24 hour experiment period. 2.3 Control Variable The control variable is tap water with a pH of 7.0, a neutral solution, in the photosynthometer. It is used to determine whether or not the acidic solutions the elodea strands are tested in actually have an effect on the plants rates of photosynthesis as compared to a neutral aquatic environment. 2.4 Constants All trials are done in the same chemistry laboratory next to a window ledge, away from direct sunlight. The room and the solutions inside the syringe of the photosynthometer are kept at a constant 26.4 ° Celsius. Each elodea sample is a 10 leaf strand. The same volume of solution is used for every trial in the photosynthometer. 3.0 Procedures 3.1 Preparation before experimentation 3.1.1 Test Trials Before any definite procedure of experimentation is made, test trials needed to be done first in order to see which acid solutions would not kill elodea in a 24 hour period. Strands of elodea are placed in test tubes with 0.001 molar, 0.01 molar, and 0.1 molar nitric acid solutions and are labeled. By the end of the 24 hour period, the elodea in the test tubes with the 0.1 molar nitric acid solution died since the leaves lost all of their green color and oxygen bubbles were not released from the leaves even before the 24 hour period. This meant that the plant could not perform photosynthesis anymore and was dead. The other two elodea samples were alive and thus, the 0.001 molar and 0.01 molar nitric acid solutions were used for experimentation to mimic the effect of acid rain on an aquatic plants rate of photosynthesis. 3.1.2 Nitric Acid Solutions Preparation The 0.01 Molar solution of nitric acid is made by mixing 1 mL of a 1.0 Molar solution of nitric acid with 99 mL of tap water in a graduated cylinder. The tap water is measured with the graduated cylinder and a pipette is used to hold 1 mL of the 1.0 Molar solution of nitric acid. 1 Liter of a 0.001 Molar solution of nitric acid is prepared by mixing 1 mL of a 1.0 Molar solution of nitric acid with 999 mL of tap water in a liter plastic laboratory bottle. 1 Liter of this solution is made since it is more convenient to create a large volume of an acid solution with a low concentration than it is to create a small volume of a highly diluted acid solution. 3.1.3 Apparatus Preparation The photosynthometer is assembled by connecting a syringe to a graduated 1-cm3 pipette with a short length of rubber tubing. The length of the rubber tubing is arbitrary as long as it is tight enough to secure the syringe to the pipette, preventing any liquid from coming out of either the syringe or pipette. The apparatus is fixed in a vertical position with the test tube clamp and ring stand (Figure 1), using the test tube clamp on the syringe and connecting that to the ring stand. 3.2 Method for Experimentation with the Photosynthometer 3.2.1 Application of Elodea Sample and Solutions into the Photosynthometer Before experimentation, a sample of elodea is taken by cutting a strand of elodea with 10 leaves. The mass of the elodea is recorded and measured in order to look for patterns after experimentation. The plunger of the syringe is then removed and the elodea sample is placed into the barrel of the syringe. Since any liquid placed in the syringe with the plunger off will fall straight through and out the apparatus, the elodea sample is placed in the apparatus first before anything. 30 mL of the 0.001 Molar solution of nitric acid is then poured into the barrel of the syringe and the barrel is immediately sealed with the plunger to prevent any more liquid from leaving the apparatus. No matter what, some of the solution would still leave the apparatus with the plunger off. Therefore, 30 mL of the solution is used in the barrel so that any excess amount of the nitric acid solution could be expelled by pushing down on the plunger until 15 mL of the solution is left in the barrel of the syri nge. With the apparatus removed from the test tube clamp and the open end of the pippette pointing upwards, any trapped air inside the syringe and pipette is expelled by slowly and softyly pushing the plunger into the barrel until all of the trapped air expelled, making sure not to have any of the solution leave the pipette. 3.2.2 Maintaining Constants When the apparatus is placed back onto the test tube clamp and ring stand, the temperature of the nitric acid solution inside the barrel of the syringe is measured with an infrared thermometer and recorded. The temperature is measured to make sure that the temperature remains constant for all trials since temperature does affect the rate of photosynthesis. To maintain constant temperatures and weather conditions as well, experimentation is done in one room for all trials and begins at the same time of day. In my case, experimentation was done in the schools chemistry laboratory, which was kept at a constant 26.4 ° Celsius, at 16:00 US central time. 3.2.3 Data Collection The volume (the location of the meniscus) of the nitric acid solution in the pipette of the apparatus is measured and recorded. The time is measured and recorded as well. The elodea sample is left in the apparatus for 24 hours. After that time, the amount of oxygen the sample of elodea gave off is measured and recorded by looking at the location of the meniscus of the acid solution in the pipette. All experimental procedures are then repeated with the 0.01 Molar nitric acid solution and tap water instead of the 0.001 Molar nitric acid solution. Table 4 4.7 ANOVA test The ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) test is also used to further verify the difference of the results among the experimental groups. The result of this ANOVA test indicates whether the experimental variable (pH of the elodeas environment) causes significant difference on the elodeas rates of photosynthesis. Before the ANOVA test could be carried out, three assumptions are made: Observations are independent (the value of one observation is not correlated with the value of another observation). Observations in each group are normally distributed. Homogeneity of variances (the variance of each group is equal to the variance of any other group). The null hypothesis of this test is: there is no difference between the means of the different groups (pH 7.0, 4.0, and 3.5). Then, the statistic test is carried out to find the F ratio. F Ratio = Mean square between groups Mean square within groups If the computed F ratio is greater than the F critical value at the significance level of 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected. 5.0 Conclusion Graph 1 shows that the mean volumes of oxygen release among all the groups had significant differences. The average volume of oxygen release for the pH 4.0 group is 0.29 mL, which is about half of the mean volume of oygen release for the control group, pH 7.0, of 0.57 mL. The mean volume of oxygen release for the pH 3.5 group is 0.15 which is about half of the mean volume of oxygen release of the pH 4.0 group as well. As shown in Graph 2, this trend is shown to be of an exponential decline in mean volume of oxygen release as pH increases; as the environment becomes more acidic, the mean volume of oxygen release declines more sharply. According to Table 3, the average volume of oxygen release of the pH 4.0 group differs from the control pH 7.0 group by 49%. The average volume of oxygen release for the pH 3.5 group differs from the control pH 7.0 group by 74%. These values are large and again emphasize the significant difference of the results of the experimental groups to those of the control group. According to Table 5, ANOVA test results, there is a significant difference between the mean volumes of oxygen release between the pH 7.0 and pH 4.0 groups, as well as the pH 7.0 and pH 4.0 groups. However, there is no significant difference between the results of the pH 4.0 and pH 3.5 groups. From the ANOVA test results, the hypothesis that the elodeas rate of photosynthesis would be harmed in more acidic environments is supported. A change from an environment of pH 7.0 to pH 4.0 would greatly reduce an elodea plants rate of photosynthesis while a change from an environment of pH 4.0 to pH 3.5 would not bring about a significant reduction in an elodea plants rate of photosynthesis. The standard devation values from table 4 state on average how far the data varies from the mean. For each group, the standard devation is relatively low comparedto the averages of each trial and thus, the data collected and the methods used to collect the data is very precise. Increasing the acidity of an environment results in a number of physical, chemical, and biological changes. A chemical change that could occur is the change in the availability of carbon. With the pH of the environment at slightly acidic levels, the amount of dissolved HCO3- in the water drops. This dissolved HCO3- in the water is the plants source of carbon used for photosynthesis and it is proven that aquatic plants have the best rate of photosynthesis in slightly alkaline environments due to the availability of carbon in the dissolved HCO3-. The lower pH levels in the environment also affect the enzymes in the cells of the plant. If pH levels drop low enough, enzymes such as RuBP used in the Calvin Cycle would shut off and would no longer carry out the chemical reactions needed for photosynthesis. Not only would the acid in the environment kill the enzymes but the acid would also destroy the plant proteins, lipids, and membranes, causing plant cells to malfunction and a major redu ction in the rate of photosynthesis. Specifically, the lowered pH of the environment causes alterations in the chlorophyll molecules, which are highly essential to the process of photosynthesis. 6.0 Evaluation and Suggestions Possible random errors include the inaccuracy of the solution molarity stated, mass stated, and volume of oxygen release stated. These random errors may be caused by the inaccuracy of the measuring equipment. The equipment such as graduated cylinders and pipettes are fairly accurate though to an extent. One possible systematic error could be the different masses of each elodea sample. The mass of each strand may affect the volume of oxygen released for mass may determine the amount of chloroplast in each sample. Since each elodea sample was cut from a larger strand, this cutting may also cut each samples life. With a samples life cut short, the volume of oxygen collected from this experimentation may not truly reflect how plants act outside of these laboratory conditions. Also, the worst source of error in measuring the rate of photosynthesis with a gas collection method may be the gas storage within the leaves. If some oxygen is stored in the leaves, the oxygen collected in the photosynthometer may not fully represent the samples true rates of photosynthesis in the tested environments. Some measures that could be taken to prevent these errors could be to use more accurate equipment and using plant samples of similar mass as well as number of leaves. Total Word Count: 3,002

Acid Rain :: essays research papers fc

Acid Rain INTRODUCTION: Acid rain is a great problem in our world. It causes fish and plants to die in our waters. As well it causes harm to our own race as well, because we eat these fish, drink this water and eat these plants. It is a problem that we must all face together and try to get rid of. However acid rain on it's own is not the biggest problem. It cause many other problems such as aluminum poisoning. Acid Rain is deadly. WHAT IS ACID RAIN? Acid rain is all the rain, snow, mist etc that falls from the sky onto our planet that contains an unnatural acidic. It is not to be confused with uncontaminated rain that falls, for that rain is naturally slightly acidic. It is caused by today's industry. When products are manufactured many chemicals are used to create it. However because of the difficulty and cost of properly disposing of these products they are often emitted into the atmosphere with little or no treatment. The term was first considered to be important about 20 years ago when scientists in Sweden and Norway first believed that acidic rain may be causing great ecological damage to the planet. The problem was that by the time that the scientist found the problem it was already very large. Detecting an acid lake is often quite difficult. A lake does not become acid over night. It happens over a period of many years, some times decades. The changes are usually to gradual for them to be noticed early. At the beginning of the 20th century most rivers/lakes like the river Tovdal in Norway had not yet begun to die. However by 1926 local inspectors were noticing that many of the lakes were beginning to show signs of death. Fish were found dead along the banks of many rivers. As the winters ice began to melt off more and more hundreds upon hundreds more dead fish (trout in particular) were being found. It was at this time that scientist began to search for the reason. As the scientists continued to work they found many piles of dead fish, up to 5000 in one pile, further up the river. Divers were sent in to examine the bottom of the rivers. What they found were many more dead fish. Many live and dead specimens were taken back to labs across Norway. When the live specimens were examined they were found to have very little sodium in their blood. This is typical a typical symptom of acid poisoning. The acid had entered the gills of