Saturday, August 31, 2019

The term ‘Phlebotomy’ Essay

‘Phlebotomy’ comes from the Greek word phlebos, meaning veins, and tome, meaning incision. Bloodletting is one of the humanity’s oldest medical practices, dating back thousands of years and is linked to many ancient cultures, including the Mayans, Aztecs, Egyptians and Mesopotamians. Evidence suggests bloodletting for therapeutic reasons may have begun in Egypt around 1400B.C. Tomb paintings from this time show the application of a leech to a patient. The purpose was to cure a person suffering from some kind of infirmity (leprosy, plague, pneumonia, stroke, and inflammation, pretty much anything). The patient was pierced or cut and then drained of several ounces of blood until they fainted. In ancient Greek culture, a physician named Galen of Pergamon took the practice in a more scientific direction when he discovered that arteries were filled with blood, not air. Galen’s approach to bloodletting was based on two key concepts. First, Galen believed that blood didn’t circulate, but stayed motionless in the body until it either went stagnant or was let out. Secondly, he thought the balance of the four humors (blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile) was the source of health or illness. Mapping out the blood vessels of the body, Galen would cut his patients in different areas, depending on what area he wanted to treat. For example, the right hand would be cut and drained in order to treat liver problems. He was also known to give his patients drugs in order to induce vomiting or urination. Bloodletting was also prominent in the early days of some of the world’s most practiced religions. The Talmud (a central text of Judaism) included rules for days where bloodletting could be practiced. Early Christian writings outlined which saint’s days were the best for the ritual. Bloodletting is also referenced as a treatment for fevers in some early Islamic texts. Continuing into the middle ages both surgeons and barbers were specializing in this bloody practice. Barber poles which still decorate the outsides of barber shops are a leftover tradition dating back to the days of barber bloodletting. The swirling red line on the pole represents the blood itself, the white represents the tourniquet, and the pole itself represents the stick the patient would squeeze in his/her hand in order to dilate the veins. Bloodletting as a medical procedure migrated to the Americas along with the European colonists, stretching in time from the residents of Plymouth to the Founding Fathers. Physician Benjamin Rush  (one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence) recommended bloodletting to his patients on a consistent basis. As a matter of fact, George Washington, the first U.S. president, died in 1799 from a throat infection after having 3.75 liters (9 pints) of blood removed from his body within a 10 hour period as treatment for a throat infection. The draining of 16-30 ounces (1-4 pints) of blood was typical. Blood was often caught in a shallow bowl. When the patient became faint, the â€Å"treatment† was stopped. Bleeding was often encouraged over large areas of the body by multiple incisions. By the end of the 19th century (1875-1900), Phlebotomy was declared quackery. The main process of bloodletting in 19th century medicine included the use of leeches to drain blood from a patient. During the 1830s, France imported approximately 40 million leeches for the purpose of bloodletting. Francois-Joseph-Victor Broussais, a French physician, would reportedly recommend his patients be treated with as many as 50 leeches at a time. Bloodletting, also known as venesection, managed to survive into the first part of the 20th century; it was even recommended in a 1923 edition of a textbook called The Principles and Practice of Medicine. During those days, there were four main bloodletting methods practiced by physicians. The first was the continued use of leeches as a bloodletting source. The second was called arteriotomy, a process in which the arteries in the temples would be punctured and bled. The third was phlebotomy (also known as â€Å"breathing a vein†) where a large external vein would be cut in order to draw blood. The last was scarification – a particularly stomach-turning method which involved one of a varied set of tools made for the purpose of attacking â€Å"superficial† blood vessels. Such devices included spring-loaded lancets and a circular, mutli-bladed, device known as a scarificator. The scarificator had a series of twelve blades. The device was cocked and the trigger released spring-driven rotary blades that caused many shallow cuts. The scarificator seemed more merciful than other bloodletting instruments. The reason bloodletting died comes as no surprise to modern readers that bloodletting killed far more people than it cured. Still, it wasn’t until the 19th century that members of the medical community seriously questioned  the merits of this practice. In the 1830s, Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis convincingly argued against the perceived effectiveness of phlebotomy for the treatment of pneumonia and fever. Ironically, with the gradual decline of bloodletting there was an increase of other dangerous and ineffective treatments, such as the use of electricity, elixirs and potions. These medications gained popularity for the same reason that bloodletting had in earlier times: it sometimes worked as a placebo. Because the patients believed that receiving electric shock therapy would heal their illness, the psychological factor may have been enough to actually make them feel better. As the 20th century brought a myriad of new medical knowledge, technology and medicine, however, these archaic practices (including bloodletting) died out almost entirely within a few decades. With the advent of modern medicine, bloodletting was remembered as a historical fad, similar to the guillotine as a form of death penalty. After nearly a century of new medical knowledge and leaps of progress that include the development of electron microscopes, mapping the human genome and cloning living tissue, how is it possible that the medical field is reconsidering the use of this ancient practice? The answer is fairly straightforward: Where ancient bloodletting was used to treat and prevent almost every infirmity imaginable, modern bloodletting (or phlebotomy) is used only to treat specific medical conditions of which medical research has proven the benefits. Research has shown that bloodletting could improve cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose levels for people suffering from metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a term used to describe the list of medical problems facing people who are obese, such as hypertension, insulin resistance and glucose intolerance. People with this condition are at risk for clots and strokes. Bloodletting thins down the patient’s blood, helping to prevent these problems. Perhaps the most common use for modern bloodletting is a hereditary iron-overload condition known as hemochromatosis. As iron builds in the patient’s blood, it can have a negative impact on various areas of the body, including the heart and the joints. This can eventually lead to disease and organ failure. Bloodletting, now commonly referred to as a â€Å"blood donation†, is applied as the main treatment for hemochromatosis, with patients having their blood taken on at  least an annual basis for life. There is another modern form of bloodletting worth noting, if nothing else, because it never actually went away in the first place. Leeches have continued to be used for certain medical treatments throughout the 20th century right up to the present day. Whereas leeches were formerly used to treat all sorts of injuries and sicknesses, today they are mostly used by doctors in the reattaching of severed body parts such as fingers and toes. Attaching leeches is effective because they can help to get rid of any extra blood that might start problematically flooding in the tissue. Phlebotomy plays a major role in preventive healthcare, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Although the instruments and methods used for obtaining blood in the beginning may appear crude in comparison to the instruments and methods we use today, the concept remains the same. The exception being, instead of using bloodletting as a â€Å"cure† to remove the illness we use it as a way to analyze, diagnose and treat the illness. Without phlebotomy the process of accurately diagnosing diseases and infections would be impossible.

Friday, August 30, 2019

The Banana Wars Case

1. If you were a member of the Organization of American States and its Permanent Council, with which one would you side? First of all, it depends on your vision of the problem. As for me, I can see two different approaches to this problem: * Economics; * Social. If you will take first approach into consideration, you have to choose Latin American countries, because they were discriminated by EU during long period of time. They had a quota of 2. 2 million tons with a tariff for all banana ($1,150 per ton) and former colonies had a preferential access to the EU market.Moreover, the unit-cost of production in the Caribbean is nearly 2. 5 times what it is for Latin American producers, so their product is much cheaper and easily to produce. As for social approach to this problem, you should choose the Caribbean countries, because banana exports are the mainstay of their economies, so they won’t win the competition of Latin American countries and their economies will fall down. Econ omics falls will affect lives of people in these countries, so in social approach you have to choose their side. 2. Given the WTO’s decision, what are the alternatives for the EU and the Caribbean banana growers?As for EU, they will have cheaper price for banana in their countries. But if there is a local producer inside the country, he won’t survive in this competition with Latin American countries. Taking into consideration Caribbean banana growers, their future is not very optimistic, because their banana export will continue to decline due to Latin American competition, so their workforce will seek for a new job. But mainly all of those who will lose a job won’t find a new one, because in Caribbean countries banana exports are the mainstay of their economies.So they should concentrate more on tourism, rather than banana’s export, because, as it was said in the case, the minister of tourism estimated that every acre of land used for tourism is three ti mes as profitable as one used for growing bananas. These steps will create more jobs for native people and will improve economic situation in these countries. 3. What types of strategic moves will an international marketing manager of Latin American banana exporter make? Well, first of all, he should improve export to EU after WTO’s agreement, because they have fewer tariffs, so they can compete with Caribbean countries.So, he should make some advertising in EU countries in order to win the competition and decide what amount of bananas he should exports to EU markets. Moreover, he should find out about European’s attitude to bananas from Latin American countries. If it is not good enough, he should make some things in order to improve this attitude, such as: * He should show the good quality of his product; * He should show that during the process of gathering and delivering bananas, they follow health-code standards; * He should promote this product in EU markets; * A nd so on.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Mezquita Mosque Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Mezquita Mosque - Research Paper Example It is the third largest mosque in the world and also one of the oddest, because it contains a Christian cathedral that was built inside it after the Moors got expelled in 1236. The graceful Moorish architecture combined with the triumphant Baroque cathedral memorializes in stone the conflict between Christianity and Islam that wracked Spain for 700 years. The Mezquita mosque was built in 785 and enlarged four times during the following 200 years; the cathedral was added in the 16th century. (Brockman, 2011, pg. 330) The Mezquita Mosque was founded by Abd ar-Rahman I in 785. Rahman I was the sole survivor of a tribe known as the Umayyards who fled Syria. Before Rahman I, the first Muslims who arrived to Cordoba shared la Mezquita with Christians. Rahman I bought the Christians out and started what would become a seven century dynasty of Muslim rule over Spain. After Rahman I died, he was followed by Abd ar-Rahmann II (822-52), who vastly extended the Mosque in the ninth century and un der Abd ar-Rahman III (912-61), Cordoba rose to become the largest and most prosperous city in Europe. Improvements on the Mosque continued under his son Al-Hakim II (961-76) who doubled its size and hired Greek contractors to build the new Mihrab (huge doorway used as the entrance to the Mezquita), which stands to this day. The final improvement in size, on the mosque, came under Al-Mansour (977-1002). (Ward, pg. 151) The Mezquita Mosque is a patchwork combination of all civilizations that occupied Cordoba. None, however, could bring themselves to destroy the Mosque, so each culture added their own personal touches. (Ward, pg. 151) Cordoba was probably a sophisticated center of the arts from the time of ‘Abd al-Rahman I. Chronicles suggest his keen interest in Syrian culture, which is apparently confirmed by aspects of the Mezquita. (Bloom, J.M., and Blair, S., 2009, pg. 506) The mosque began as the Christian Visigothic church of St. Vincent around 600, which was in turn buil t on the ruins of a Roman temple. In 784, the local emir bought it and began replacing it with the mosque. It got enlarged and embellished over the next two hundred years. (Brockman, 2011, pg. 331) The architectural uniqueness of the Mezquita lies in the fact that it was a revolutionary building for its time, structurally speaking. It defied precedents. Both Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock and the Great Mosque in Damascus had vertical, navelike designs, but the aim of the Mezquita mosque was to create an infinitely spacious, democratically horizontal and classic space, where the spirit could roam freely and communicate easily with God. The original space of Islamic prayer (normally the open yard of a desert home) was transformed into a 14,400 square meter metaphor for the desert itself. Men prayed side by side on the argamasa, a floor made of compact, reddish slaked lime and sand. A flat roof, decorated with gold and multicolored motifs, shaded them from the sun. The orange pati o, where the ablution fountains gurgled with water, was the oasis. The terracotta and white striped arches indicated a hallucinogenic forest of date palms, and upheld the roof with over one thousand columns, 1293 to be precise, (856 of which remain). (Ham, 2010, pg 204) Construction of the Mezquita It is almost certain that the building that

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

HR Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

HR Strategy - Essay Example It meant laying off part of the work force, sometimes indiscriminately as far as the employees’ functions were concerned, amounting to a hermorrhage of critical talent the company sorely needed to recover. This time around, during the financial crisis of 2007 and the subsequent recession, human resources managers are approaching their task of rationalizing their company’s workforce with a greater view towards the subsequent repercussions. This paper shall examine how human resources planning, flexibility, and recruitment take place in the context of an economic recession. According to Goss, recessions and trade crises enhance the challenges of the international competitive environment. Emphasis in planning shifted to survival mode and generally aimed at coping, resuting in downsizing, finding greater efficiencies, building ‘leaner and fitter’ organizations. It meant lay-offs, rethinking production processes and rationalizing them, and improving managerial control mechanisms. Industries undergo a â€Å"shake-out† where some leading companies, because they were debt-ridden, fall out, new leaders (usually those less leveraged and more cash-rich) emerge, and the fittest who survive move up. Emphasis was placed on value in all expenditures. Clements reported on the result of a recent survey conducted among HR managers, directors and professionals. Some firms saw opportunity in the crisis situation, and aimed not only at coping but in taking advantage of the situation to restructure and consolidate for the eventual recovery which is sure to happen sooner or later. Organizations in general became flatter, with emphasis placed on flexibility, adaptiveness and change, decentralization and devolution of responsibility to cost and profit centres, and a hard look at the strengths and weaknesses that impacted upon the effectiveness of the organization. Management of people tended towards greater participation and commitment,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Field Report on visiting Ryton Garden Organic. sustainability issues Coursework

Field Report on visiting Ryton Garden Organic. sustainability issues - Coursework Example Expanding food markets is necessary for improving the livelihood of small scale farmers looking for ways of sustaining their livelihoods. Organic farming is part of sustainable agriculture that sustains the health of soils, people, and the ecosystem. The ecological processes, biodiversity, and local condition cycles sustain organic farming rather than agricultural inputs that have adverse effects. Organic farming combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the environment and promote good quality of life for participants. Garden organic was founded in the 1950s and is a national organizational for organic farming based in Ryton. The organization provides an organic approach to a sustainable future for the people and the planet through organic farming. Garden organic provides advice to organic farmers such as increasing the natural health of soil, choosing the right plant varieties, and producing a healthy garden through working with nature. The organization also provides fa rmers with guidelines for sustainable and efficient organic farming. Scientific research conducted by the organization aims to develop and improve techniques of organic agriculture and knowledge advancement on organic farming systems. Research also focuses on crop technology, pests, diseases, weeds, economics and markets, and soil dynamics. Garden organic also provides free resources for schools and maintains a Food for Life Partnership network for transforming the food culture into organic farming. Home composting is also promoted by the organization as a means of providing organic manure for farmers (Garden Organic, 2013). The wider society is involved through the international development program aims at promoting organic agriculture in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The program aims at improving the understanding of sustainable agriculture as a way of improving food security. The program conducts research and training on management and provides resources for poor farmers. Netw orks created in the international program organize farmers for capacity building on ecological agriculture. The program also develops organic agriculture for consumption in the domestic market and for export. The international program has been successful through farming networks created in different parts of the world. European organizations provide information and support in technological development for farming organizations in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. NGOs, governments and extension workers in the third world have improved organic farming in their constituent countries (Garden Organic, 2013). Garden Organic owns 30 individual gardens that are set in 10 acres of land. The gardens showcase composting, pest and disease control, growing fruits and vegetables, herbs, roses, shrubberies, lawns, and herbaceous plants. The gardens have a conservation area that has native trees and wildflowers. The production method showcased support the organization’s incentive of organic farming. Wildflowers and native trees support environmental conservation. The showcase also incorporates bee farming and living willow structures that complement organic agriculture. Garden organic has expanded its activities beyond the UK into Africa, Asia, and America. Crop farming has surpassed bee keeping and is the main activity for the organization. Crop farming especially vegetable and fruit production has gained popularity over other farming types

Monday, August 26, 2019

Gender in the Mediterranean community of Tunisia Research Proposal - 1

Gender in the Mediterranean community of Tunisia - Research Proposal Example Not being a really rich nation, the people of Tunisia still succeeded in transforming it into a modern society; particularly in areas a little urbanized. Having an expected life of more than 70 years and medical services accessed universally, noticeable profits are collected from the social sectors, having significant contribution to the position of women in Tunisia. Modification of constitutional legislation for promoting gender equality has been done as well, but practicing laws as well as traditions are still creating obstacles in the way of true changes in many way. (Euromed, 2010). Hard endeavors are made while the last decade was running in order to promote the gender equality by legislation as well as social and economic means. As the rates of literacy for women are increasing gradually, females are now distinctly over smarting males in various field of higher education. Females are eventually taking entry into work force and leading positions these days. Legislation is undergoing continuous updates in order to promote the equality in gender. While equality in gender is given by the country’s law and supported by the government, the patriarchal heritage of Tunisia is still in a hindering progress. In the cases of, a family and inheritance court normally ruled by shari’a law of Muslims, which in these cases imposes discrimination against women. The traditional values are being lost in the most families in Tunisia as a new generation is growing up. (Euromed, 2010; Euromed, 2009) The constitution of Tunisia says about the equality of rights as well as responsibilities among all the citizens and everyone comes equally under the laws.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

PC&D_Inc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

PC&D_Inc - Case Study Example Similarly, innovation formed part of the organization’s approaches to its successful ventures (Docenti, 1986: 1-7; Hill and Jones, 2012: 167, 168). Though the company later faced challenges into productivity, it previously had successful initiatives towards value creation. PC&D achieved value creation through innovation into quality products that were highly regarded by consumers. This for instance established the company as a national market leader. Similarly, marketing initiatives that were achieved through a strong marketing team and a determined sales team ‘added value’ to the company’s ability to generate revenues (Docenti, 1986: 1-9; Hill and Jones, 2012: 167, 168). The company’s major resource was its employees and management. While it shared same raw materials with its competitors, it was able to organize its management and employees towards successful competitive advantage. The essence of the company’s employees was demonstrated when it lost its sales team leading to declined revenues (Docenti, 1986: 1-9; Hill and Jones, 2012: 167, 168). The success that was realized by the company before its fall was therefore because of its expansion and competitive advantage strategies, its successful value creation and its resource in dedicated human

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Fundamentals of Marketing Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fundamentals of Marketing - Personal Statement Example STEEPLE analysis as an outcome that is covered in the module brings out market dynamics and marketing environment with consideration of competitors in marketing (Cant, Brink and Brijball, 2006). The learning about the dynamics and marketing environment allows of putting up strategies that enables effective competition in marketing despite the changing conditions that occur during the marketing process. Understanding on the wider environment in which marketing of an organization is done is important in marketing planning and strategy. Factors that are in the operational environment such as government policies and changes in attitudes of consumers are important in marketing as they are needed in strategies that are made in convincing consumers to use the products (Cant, Brink and Brijball, 2006). The impacts of the policies to marketing of an organization were learned. Learning was also on marketing environment. This was on strategies of other competitors and their effects on the marketing strategy of an organization. The strategy that an organization make for effective marketing competition can be affected by other competitors and flexibility to change the strategies are needed in such

OFF ROAD COMPETITION 4X4 CLIMB HILL TRUCK Research Paper

OFF ROAD COMPETITION 4X4 CLIMB HILL TRUCK - Research Paper Example The only identified drawback of the sport is that it maintains potential to jeopardize the sustainability of environmental regions where these competitions occur. This project identifies the social, cultural, economic, and environmental concerns associated with the sport to identify off road racing’s long-term viability and safety. Furthermore, the paper explores how the sport is sanctioned and regulated as a means of understand how the sport has evolved over the last 40 years. Off road racing competitions are a form of motorsports that differ from other motor vehicle competitions, such as NASCAR, which involve racing competitions utilizing paved roadways and asphalt-based tracks. Off road competitions, utilizing 4x4 vehicles, are established for hill climbing in forested regions or sand dunes by which competitors must adhere to particular rules and regulations regarding competitive activity. Though the specific rules for off road racing differ depending on the nature of the competition, the volume of competitors, and the particular sanctioning body responsible for controlling and standardizing the competitions, off road racing has become a rather widespread racing phenomenon across the United States and many other nations around the globe. When examining off road race competitions, it becomes necessary to examine the historical developments in racing to fully understand how contemporary competitions have evolved into the dynamic and challenging racing structures it is today. Furthermore, a well-developed technological infrastructure supporting off road racing has evolved that improves not only safety in off-roading, but also durability of the 4x4 vehicles utilized for competition to make the events more viable for long-term competitive entry by combatants. This paper further examines the economic issues involved with off road racing and the cultural perspectives associated with those who are engaged and fascinated by such competitions, as well as the

Friday, August 23, 2019

The Connotations of Sex Work and Prostitution by Alice Leuchtag Research Paper - 1

The Connotations of Sex Work and Prostitution by Alice Leuchtag - Research Paper Example In ‘Naked Profits’, Friend writes about the sexual revolution in the strippers’ club – Lusty Lady Theatre. The manager, Darell Davis announced that the club will be closed and the dancers bought the business for $400,000. It became the first employee-owned strip club in San Francisco & formed a labour union in 1997. This improved the morale of the current owners. They got could work with more sober customers. A meeting revealed that Lust Lady was in deep financial crisis. The rent was doubled. The dancers made reductions in their wages although they had to do another job for a living. Unionization had increased number of dancers. They were almost broke. Their several plans like ladies night, auctioning, failed. The old problem persisted – they workers always kept complaining about the management, although it was self-selected. In Garvey's writing, one can observe that the author tries to explain the readers about what exactly ‘sexual discrimina tion’ refers to and the various forms. Women face problems right from being assaulted, to the lodging of complaints and seeking for investigation against the assaulters. Many regard them as lies. They are asked if they had been raped or not and other associated questions. Repetitive questioning in front of police or stranger investigators and under the light of media make them recount the horrible experience time and again. Generally, they are also discouraged by their families due to obvious shame and alienation from society. Pelka’s text reveals the experience of a man being raped by another, but not surprisingly in the prison.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Individual And The Environment Essay Example for Free

The Individual And The Environment Essay The turn between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries brought enormous changes for the American society, and these changes are cogently reflected in the works of the most important writers of the time. In the light of Frederick Jackson Turner’s theory of the significance of the frontier in the American history, one could argue that the multiple changes that took place at this time were determined, in part, by the closing of the frontier in 1890. The ever expanding frontier had functioned as a catalyzing element for the shaping of the American culture, with its main characteristics, pragmatism and individualism. The frontier, as the limit between wilderness and civilization, may have indeed contributed to the development of pragmatism, just as the closing of the frontier affected the following cultural epoch. After the Civil War and up to the World War I, the American economy developed immensely, to the point that The United States was among the greatest world powers at the beginning of the twentieth century. This was due especially to the ever increasing industrialization of the country, to its capitalism, but also to the great number of immigrants that arrived during this period. While economically the changes were indeed positive and influenced the future of the nation, their social impact was more dramatic. As the main literary works of the time show it, the individual suffered inevitably from alienation, and was overwhelmed and oppressed by the major social and economical fluctuations of the time. Civilization however desired begun to feel as a threat for the individual who lost his sense of identity and felt as a wheel in some greater mechanism. The literary works of the time revealed the pressure that the environment now exercised over the individual. This pressure was even heavier for women, who began to feel that they were not even part of the tumultuous activity of the epoch, since they could not even play an active part in the changes they witnessed. One of the most important writers of the time were thus the early feminists, such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Kate Chopin, and a little later, Edith Wharton. Their novels put the American discriminating society on display, and point to the gender stereotypes that trapped the women into immutable and pre-established social roles. Gilman (2000) discusses the place of the women in society in her work, Women and Economics: â€Å"In spite of the power of the individual will to struggle against conditions, to resist them for a while, and sometimes to overcome them, it remains true that the human creature is affected by his environment, as is every other living thing.[†¦] To take from any community its male workers would paralyze it economically to a far greater degree than to remove its female workers[†¦] This is not owing to lack of the essential human faculties necessary to such achievements, nor to any inherent disability of sex, but to the present condition of woman, forbidding the development of this degree of economic ability. The male human being is thousands of years in advance of the female in economic status. Speaking collectively, men produce and distribute wealth; and women receive it at their hands.† As Gilman suggests, the woman was in no way able to participate in society, and was taken to be a mere recipient of what the man would provide her with. She also infers that this role is not necessarily the natural role of the woman, but actually the one that was forced on her after many centuries of gender discrimination. The women appear to be even more trapped in their environment at this point in American history. Another salient writer of the time, Henry Adams in his book entitled The Education of Henry Adams constructs a very telling image of the American individual crushed by civilization and by his social circumstances: he represents the dynamo as a great force and a symbol that replaced in the American culture the missing pieces of tradition which were respected by the Europeans, such as Venus or the Virgin. The image has feminist implications as well, as Adams (2001) compares the sexless energy of the dynamo with both the Virgin and Venus, symbols of the woman in European tradition: â€Å"All this was to American thought as though it had never existed. The true American knew something of the facts, but nothing of the feelings; he read the letter, but he never felt the law. Before this historical chasm, a mind like that of Adams felt itself helpless; he turned from the Virgin to the Dynamo as though he were a Branly coherer.† Stephen Crane also creates a memorable image of the cruel universe, which seems to care nothing for the individual existence, and which binds everything to its general laws, not minding the separate lives of the people but only the system: â€Å"A man said to the universe: Sir I exist! However, replied the universe, The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation. (Perkins, 1999) Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is perhaps one of the most remarkable works of her time for its audacity, and it accurately gives a view of the individual in general oppressed by the social, inescapable nets and alienated from his primitive, natural state, and even more emphatically, reveals the condition of the woman, which is even worse. The imagery of the novel is fraught with opposite symbols of freedom versus entrapment, and of the human and natural individual, versus the unnatural and artificial society. Edna Pontellier, the protagonist of the story, is the character who undergoes a true awakening by the end of the novel, both as a woman and as an individual who finally escapes the laws of society and returns to the purity of the natural impulses and natural feelings in a human being. As a married woman and mother of two children, Edna is supposed to fill in the role of the perfect mother as society required, which is personified in the novel by Edna’ s friend, Mrs. Adele Ratignolle. The frequent fights that Edna has with her seemingly perfect husband depict even better her pre-established role as a self-sacrificing mother, who is supposed to think of nothing else but childbirth and all the other things related to nursing. From the start, even before her awakening Edna feels the oppression of her environment, although as yet she is not able to pinpoint it to a specific cause: â€Å"An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish.†(Perkins, 1999) This unconscious feeling is not fully understood even by Edna herself, since the women were not used to thinking and feeling as individuals, and to dissent in any way from what was already prescribed as their imposed conduct. Chopin’s insistence that Edna did not fit in her society and that she did not fit the mother profile is very significant, as it points to the sense that women have to be regarded as individuals who are entitled to their own inner lives, and not limited to their nursing activities, that would eventually â€Å"efface† any trace of their personality: â€Å"In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.†(Perkins, 1999) The awakening of Edna is exactly her realization that she is a passionate human being, and moreover an individual who can relate to her environment as she chooses, and not on the basis of some foreordained laws of behavior: â€Å"Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her. This may seem like a ponderous weight of wisdom to descend upon the soul of a young woman of twenty-eightperhaps more wisdom than the Holy Ghost is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman.†(Perkins, 1999) Chopin is sharply ironical in the commentary she makes with regard to the unexpected wisdom in her character: for centuries women had been discriminated as individuals and as rational beings who could judge for themselves. The main transformation of Edna consists thus of her flaunting of all the social law, and willingly giving in to adultery to escape from the tyranny of her own husband: â€Å"To-day it is Arobin; to-morrow it will be some one else. It makes no difference to me, it doesnt matter about Leonce Pontellierbut Raoul and Etienne! (Perkins, 1999) However, in the end, before she drowns in the sea, undoubtedly a symbol of liberation, Edna achieves more than asserting her own rights and independence as a female. When she faces the sea, that is her freedom, she turns her back to the entrapping civilization and artificial society and is elated when she discovers her own nakedness, a symbol of the primitive and natural state of man: â€Å"[†¦]she stood naked in the open air, at the mercy of the sun, the breeze that beat upon her, and the waves that invited her. How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious! She felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known.†(Perkins, 1999) Thus, at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, American literature displayed the rupture between the individual and his environment, and the alienation of the human beings in the midst of the overpowering civilization. This marked the beginning of the modern, urbane era, in which the developed society is apt to destroy individuality and the basic and natural humanity of every man. Reference List: Adams, Henry (2001) The Education of Henry Adams. Bartelby.com. http://www.bartleby.com/159/25.html Gilman, Charlotte Perkins (2000) Women and Economics. The Celebration of Women’s Writing. http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/gilman/economics/economics.html Perkins Charles and Barbara Perkins (1999). The American Tradition in Literature Vol. 1. New York: Mc-Graw Hill College

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Science Or Promote Scientific Misunderstanding Media Essay

Science Or Promote Scientific Misunderstanding Media Essay The media are the technologies used to send the news or information to everyone through mass communication. There are several types of media such as broadcast media, print media, and internet media. What are print media? Print media is a medium that using printing process to produce the text and images with ink on the paper using a printing press to send the information to people. The example of print media are newspaper, books, magazines, newsletters, leaflets and so on. Various kinds of media have become a vital sources for informing citizens including scientists about recent development of science 1. The mass media also a main component in controlling the rise and fall of social issues and the science-policy interface 2. Generally, 49 % of European reads science articles in newspapers and magazines either regularly or occasionally in the European commission 2007 survey 3. Besides, the survey also shows that the print media such as press, newspapers, and magazines are rated as seco nd trustworthy media to communicate the science 4. The print media play an important role to inform the way public understand science 5. Newspapers are an important sources to understand the science, medical reporting and the critical role of reliable information 6. They transmit the risk messages not only via the advertisements but also newspaper articles using a format that are conducive and easy to understand by the public. Many scientists view that media including print media is a pipeline to transmit the scientific messages to the public 7. Print media actually a way to stimulate public engagement in science. This is because the media like newspaper and magazines always published an accurate, short and free scientific article to help the public understanding about science development 8. The study had shown that the average length of an article in a newspaper is less than 600 words 9. Holliman, R. (2004). Media coverage of cloning: a study of media content, production and reception. Public Understanding of Science, 13(2), 107-30 Miller, D. (1999). Risk, Science and Policy: definitional struggles, information management, the media and BSE. Social Science Medicine 49, 1239-1255. Special Eurobarometer 282- summary. (2007). Scientific research in the media. European Commission. Special Eurobarometer 282, 1-42 (p.22). Wilkie, T (1996). Sources in Science: Who can we Trust? The Lancet, 347, pp. 1308-1311. Hargreaves, I., Lewis, J., and Speers, T. (2002). Towards a better map: Science, the public and the media. Economic and social Research Council. Nelkin, D. (1991). AIDS and the News Media. The Milbank Memorial Fund, New York University. Health, Society and the Milbank Quarterly, Vol. 69(2): 293-307. Tyler, T., Cook, F. (1984). The mass media and judgments of risk: Distinguishing impact on personal and societal level judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 693-708. Hargreaves, Lewis and Speers, 1-54 (p. 14). From there, print media promoting enthusiasm and engagement in science, its the media to encourage the public to find out the details of scientific study from other sources because there usually has citation of journals or scientists name in the articles. For example, the public can just google search using the scientists name or any citations shown in articles to find more information on a scientific knowledge. For example, an article 10 had published the finding of male contraceptive pill, let the public know the progress of scientists in finding the way to solve the problem of men especially for those want to control and plan the right to have a baby. From this article, the people will know whats going on in scientific fields for free and also attracted public who interested in male contraceptive pill to look out the details from other sources with the help of the researchers name mentioned in the articles. Although its just a short article, but it includes all the purpose or aim of the research, the research regarding contraceptive pills that had been going through in the recent and past, the researchers that involved and citation of a journal published. So, this was a good articles to stimulate the public engagement in science development with just a couple of minutes. The figure 1 shows a short part of an article published involving most of the criteria mentioned above.Capture.PNG Figure : A cut from an article 11 However, newspapers also a major source of risk information where the public mitigated the impact of an issue and access to their own information networks. So, print media is a risk communication tool to engage the public 12. Media help to make the risks more visible when an issue raises the public controversy 13. Controversy has always treated as a driving force for the advancement of scientific knowledge 14. The articles especially from newspapers are attempting Martin, D. (2009). Contraceptive pill for men a step closer after scientists isolate infertility gene. Daily Mail Online. Available from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1166861/Contraceptive-pill-men-step-closer-scientists-isolate-infertility-gene.html [Accessed 3 April 2009] Martin, sentence 10-14. Wakefield, S. E. L. and Elliott, S. J. (2003), Constructing the News: The Role of Local Newspapers in Environmental Risk Communication. The Professional Geographer, 55: 216-226. Campbell, P. (2011), Boundaries and risk: Media framing of assisted reproductive technologies and older mothers. Social Science Medicine, 72 (2): 265-272. Holliman, R., Thomas, J., Smidt, S., Scanlon, E., and Whitelegg, E. (eds) (2009a). Investigating science communication in the Information age: Implications for Public Engagement and Popular media. Oxford, Oxford University Press. to reflect balance, to show the pros and cons of one scientific issue. This can let the public take a scientific issue more clearly on its gain and lose. Through the print media like newspaper or magazines, press or journals, the public can have their critical reading and help to develop more opinion or feedback to a science technology. The more feedback from the public, the space for a technology to improve will be more wider. Another example is the article published recently 15. In this article, an accurate and short details of the progress of every scientist who take part had been published. The benefits of this research also stated clearly and the most important part is it mentioned this research still in progress and will be used only if the safety is confirmed. The main idea that we can see from this article is this article told the public the future research will be done by researchers (refer figure 2). Therefore, this is a good opportunity for the readers to argue whether they will support or oppose the new findings or the future researches. So, this is an effective way to raise engagement between the readers and the researchers in scientific development. A controversial or misunderstanding may start if the findings did not state clearly. Capture1.PNG Figure : A small pieces of article 16 Public perceptions are very important in shaping and changing the reaction of both individuals and social institutions to an issue 17. The amount of media coverage in science could directly reflect the interest of the public and also influence the number of public attention to the development in science 18. The media coverage and science education always treat as sources that can influence public opinions, attitudes and reaction to science 19. Actually some of the articles published in print media are an effective way to convince the reader to support the scientific research. A positive reaction of the public can raise the scientists and media profile in order to ease them to get more job opportunities , funding and also policy invitation. The other way round, if a scientific finding is opposed by the public, the scientist will be ignored or blamed which can influence their profile. Therefore, the public actually an important person to control the life of a scientist. Baker, D. (2012). Scientists find a way to kick-start infertile sperm dramatically increasing pregnancy chances. Daily Mail Online. Baker, sentence 14-17. Nelkin, p293-294 Carolyn L. F. (2012) . Science and Engineering Indicators 2012: Science and Technology: public attitudes and Understanding. Arlington VA: National Science Foundation (NSB 12-01). Royal Society (1985). The Public Understanding of Science. Royal Society, London. For example, an article about the human cloning where the progress and the decision of the authority person or organization had been stated 20. This article stated the aim of a scientists work on human cloning so that the readers can understand clearly (refer figure 3). The advantages of human cloning had been stated clearly to convince the reader so that the public will support their research which indirectly convince the authority to agree and make it legally on their research. One research can go smoothly and more success with the help of the public and also the authority. This is because it is an effective way to popularize the name of scientists and the publisher to attract more funding, the main barrier to scientists to continue their research. Well, these also an article that is shown science in a positive light which help in the development of advance science.Untitled.png Figure : A combined of few cut pieces of article 21 Books also a kind of print media that are tremendously important in science. They provide substance and structure for scientific communities in the world. Science books actually also a tool to share experiences and interact with the public. Books raise the public discussion because they play an important role in providing information, engaging different level of people and also contribute discussion of public. First, the books important in the development of science itself where it drives the science communication that involves feedback among different types of communication 22. Moreover, books are an effective way to recruit people younger generation to participate in science and the books also play an important role in the public debate which all the public issues can be discussed 23. Diary Mail. (2004). Unethical human cloning could get green light. Dairy Mail Online. Available from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-306817/Unethical-human-cloning-green-light.html. [Accessed 16 June 2004] Diary Mail, sentence 6, 12, 17 25. Holliman, R., Thomas, J., Smidt, S., Scanlon, E., and Whitelegg, E. (eds) (2009b). Practising science communication in the Information age: Theorizing Professional Practises. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Holliman et al., 2009b, Chapter 6. For example, the book Molecular Biology of the Gene written by James Watson is an important and use as a textbook worldwide 24. This book gathered together the field of molecular biology and taught the public the origin and basic techniques in the field of molecular biology. It not only educated public with more scientific knowledge but it also lets the public know what exactly the human formed by. So, science books actually a good facility to create a group of people with similar perspectives, tools and training. In addition, some of the books are in fact making arguments. For example, Evelyn Fox Kellers The feeling for the Organism, a biography of Barbara McClintock, was the part of debating about the nature of science and whether the masculine science different from feminine science in the late 20th century 25. Many questions are raised and debate among the reader and even also the author as well. But, through this argument, the reader can understand and gain more the knowledge an d also to identify clearly their role in scientific development. The news in the print media are used as building blocks for the public to understand science and to make sense of an issue. While, the print media also bring some negative impact to the development of science. There is always very little scientific information in print media. If a science stories are interested and stick in the public mind, the public will start to make some informed guesses of those issues and this finally can bring to the misunderstandings 26. Moreover, some of unsuitable headlines had been used when published in print media especially newspaper. Headlines is very important either in attracting the reader to read more on the article or lead to the misunderstanding by the reader. Some of the people especially for those who are busy and get to know the news and development of science by just read through the headlines.33.PNG Figure 27 For example, with the headline above (figure 4), What will the reader think especially the male reader when they look at this headline? Of course many will think is that men have no role in creating a baby. By just looking at the headline, the reader especially the men will feel they had been ignored by science society and is a useless person in creating a child. It brings to the misunderstanding which might influence the development of science. Although the research is beneficial to help those infertile people who wish to have their own child instead of using the sperm from a donor, but the reader might continue misunderstood of the development of artificial sperm due to the unsuitable headline. Some of the readers will continue to stick in the headlines even the contents are clearly presented or explained. So, headlines are important to influence the reader reflection. Watson, J.D. (1965). Molecular Biology of the Gene. W.A. Benjamin, New York. Comfort, N.C. (2001). The Tangeld Field: Barbara McClintocks Search for the Patterns of Genetic Control. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. Hargreaves, Lewis, and Speers, 1-58, pg 5. Marsh, B. (2001). We can create babies without men, claim scientists. Dairy Mail Online. Available from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-79711/We-create-babies-men-claim-scientists.html. [Accessed 22 October 2001]. In addition, the print media also have been suggested as a poor medium in reporting the risks associated with diseases 28. Besides, some of the publishers will distort the fate of scientific findings to attract more readers. This also promotes the scientific misunderstanding because print media was one of the trust media by the public 29. Every person relies on the media sources including print, television, and the internet to learn and respond to health risks on personal and also society level 30. Much of scientific information on the development and infectious diseases came from the mass media. For example, the West Nile Virus and avian influenza 31. Although these diseases are the headlines in print media this recent year, but the diseases still spreading and causing death. But, the articles presented are in a low degree of precision and therefore the information provided have limited usefulness to the readers 32. The poor explanation and the least content level in print media will bring to the misunderstanding as well. The reader might misunderstand that scientific issues are not important which will turn one issue more seriously and incurable at the end. In conclusion, print media is an important medium to stimulate the public engagement in science. It has actually brought more gain to the scientists who responsible for the work, the reader and also the publisher. The scientists and the publisher can attract more career development, funding invitation and also became well-known after publishing a successful article which is supported and accepted by the public. While the reader will gain more scientific knowledge of the print articles. Although the print media is an important tool to communicate or informing the public about the development of science. It is an inevitable tool of science communication that promotes the misunderstood of the science. Evensen, D.T., and Clarke, C.E. (2012). Efficacy information in media coverage of infectious disease risks: all III predicament?. Science Communication, Vol. 34(3): 392-418. Hargreaves, Lewis, and Speers, 1-64, pg 29-31. Evensen and Clarke, pg 394-398. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Questions and answers about avian influenza (bird flu) and avian influenza a (H5N1) virus. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/qa.html. Roche, J.P. and Muskavitch, M.A.T. (2003). Limited precision in print media communication of West Nile Virus Risks. Science Communication, 24(3): 353-365.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

White Blood Cells: Structure and Functions

White Blood Cells: Structure and Functions Often times, our bodies are attacked and battered by infections, diseases, bacteria, and other foreign materials which can cause great harm to our organs and bodily functions. Fortunately God has designed us with a strong and efficient system of defense. Our immune system. Among our many forms of defense within the immune system are the leucocytes, or white blood cells. They act as the bodys guards by patrolling the blood stream, seeking out any invading pathogens, and quickly alerting other leucocytes of the threat or swiftly destroying the threat themselves. In the average adult body, there are normally around seven thousand to twenty-five thousand leucocytes per drop of blood. When an infection is present, this number greatly increases in order to defeat the illness. This increase in leucocyte number is also a sign used by doctors when they look for infections. A constantly large number of leucocytes is a sign of leukemia, a type of blood caner. One who has leukemia can have up to fifty-thousand leucocytes in a single drop of blood. Leucocytes may attack the bodys invaders by either producing antibodies to overpower and overwhelm their target or by surrounding, devouring, and digesting the entire pathogen itself. Unlike regular red blood cells, white blood cells have nuclei, mitochondria, and all other normal cellular structures. Also, because white blood cells have no hemoglobin, they lack the red color of their red counterparts. White blood cells also have a significantly greater size than red blood cells but lack equality in numbers. There are five major types of leucocytes each with a different job. Neutrophils, which make up fifty-eight percent of leucocytes and are one of the bodys main forms of defense, completely ingest bacteria and destroy any cells which have been infected or turned cancerous. Eosinophils, which account for two percent of the white blood cells population, destroy parasites and play a role in allergic reactions. Basophils, one percent of leucocytes population, help with allergic reactions by releasing histamine and heparin. Monocytes, making up 4 percent of the population of white blood cells, turn into macrophages and are designed to phagocytize and digest bacteria and get rid of old, dead, and damaged cells. They are found in the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, lungs, skin, and intestine. Lymphocytes, which make up 4 percent of white blood cells, direct the bodys immune system, identify foreign bodies, and produce antibodies and cells that are specifically designed to target them. Lymphocytes , unlike other leucocytes, are produced in the lymphatic system. White blood cells are found not only in blood, but in the lymphatic system. Most of them are produced in the marrow of the bone but a few, like lymphocytes, are manufactured in the lymph nodes. The cells are rapidly produced because they have a very short life span living only a few days to a few weeks. One disease involving white blood cells is neutropenia. This condition is defined by a significant decrease in the production of neutrophils. Common symptoms of neutropenia include fevers and periodic infections. This disease decreases the bodys chance of successfully defending against an attack and increases its chance of being harmed by invading pathogens. Treatment of this disease includes treatment with antibiotics, granulocyte (white blood cell) transfusions, and treatment with anti-fungal medications to defend against disease, infection, and bacteria. Another deadly illness involving white blood cells is leukemia. This cancer of the blood, and one of the most dangerous of blood diseases, is characterized by a deadly over abundance in white blood cells. Symptoms of leukemia include swollen lymph nodes, high fevers, night sweats, frequent infections, feeling weak or tired, weight loss for no apparent reason, and pain in the bones and joints. Treatment of leukemia includes chemoth erapy, radiation therapy, and stem cell transplant. The risk in chemotherapy is the reduction of white blood cells raising the risk of serious bacterial and viral infection. Another disease involving leucocytes is agranulocytosis. This disease, far less dangerous that leukemia, is brought on by the destruction of neutrophils. Symptoms include fatigue, sleeplessness, headache, chills, and high fever. Treatments for this disease includes antibiotics, blood transfusions, and injections of fresh bone marrow. Recent studies of white blood cells have given us more incite on the details surrounding their functions. Research has also shown how the leucocytes navigate through the bodys blood stream. According to recent discovery, when organs or tissue are infected with a virus, they send out chemical beacons to the specific leucocytes which register them as a call for help. They then move towards the infected area. Further studies have also shown that white blood cells have the ability to sprout leg-like structures with adhesive points and crawl along the inside of a blood vessel like a millipede to get to an infected area. About ten of these legs attach and detach rapidly. This allows the cell to maintain constant movement along the vessel walls. It also uses these legs to grip the inner walls of the blood vessel to avoid being swept away by the blood stream. When scientists put these legs under further research, they found that they dig themselves into the wall of the blood vessel. This als o suggests that they are used as probes to search for holes and exits in the blood vessels. Scientists believe these legs have many functions such as gripping, moving, and sensing distress signals from damaged tissue. Even though we live in a world full of bacteria and pathogens, we can rest easy because we know that our Creator has designed for our bodies a strong defense against outside invaders. The complex and efficient white blood cells act as soldier cells and spear head our immune system keeping us safe, comfortable, and healthy. Without our white blood cells, we would be quite susceptible to hundreds of thousands of forms of destructive bacteria, lethal diseases, and vulnerable to many potentially deadly infections. Works Cited Page http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/circulatory/blood2.htm http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/blood/white.html www.righthealth.com

Monday, August 19, 2019

I have been asked to investigate factors that affect the depreciation :: Economics

I have been asked to investigate factors that affect the depreciation of cars. I have been asked to investigate factors that affect the depreciation of cars. To do this I would ideally like to collect my own data about used cars. This would be called primary data. I would have collected data on the make, model, mileage, engine size, age, price and price when new of several hundred used cars. Unfortunately this would have taken a lot of time, but the advantage would have been that it would have been reliable data which I could trust, and I could have found out exactly the information that I wanted. It would have been impossible for me to do such a large survey, however, so I had to use secondary data that I got from the CCEA website. The advantage of this was that it was quick, cheap and easy, but I can't be sure of the accuracy of these results and I don't know if any bias was involved when it was being collected. I have also found that many of the results are incomplete. From the very start, I am sure that two of these results are wrong - a Renault Laguna which costs  £50,000, and a Renault Clio that increases in value. I have deleted these results straight away. Hypothesis 1 My first hypothesis is that cars depreciate more as they get older. I used the spreadsheet on the computer to test this hypothesis, but first I had to get the age and percentage depreciation for each car, neither of which are recorded in the table. Firstly, to get the age of the cars, I subtracted the year in which they were made from 2002, the year when the data was collected. I first created a new column on the spreadsheet and called it age. Then I typed into the first box under the title the formula for age- =2002-F2 where F2 is the column for the year the car was made. This filled the box with the age of the car. I then highlighted the box, right clicked and selected copy, before highlighting all the boxes below and selecting paste special, formula. This filled in the ages for all of the cars. Next, to get the percentage depreciation, I made another column and filled it with a more complicated formula- =(I2-H2)/I2*100 where I2 is the price when new and H2 is the price now. This filled the first box in the percentage depreciation column with the appropriate value, and I copied the formula into the other boxes as before. I then highlighted these two columns and copied them into chart 2. I have been asked to investigate factors that affect the depreciation :: Economics I have been asked to investigate factors that affect the depreciation of cars. I have been asked to investigate factors that affect the depreciation of cars. To do this I would ideally like to collect my own data about used cars. This would be called primary data. I would have collected data on the make, model, mileage, engine size, age, price and price when new of several hundred used cars. Unfortunately this would have taken a lot of time, but the advantage would have been that it would have been reliable data which I could trust, and I could have found out exactly the information that I wanted. It would have been impossible for me to do such a large survey, however, so I had to use secondary data that I got from the CCEA website. The advantage of this was that it was quick, cheap and easy, but I can't be sure of the accuracy of these results and I don't know if any bias was involved when it was being collected. I have also found that many of the results are incomplete. From the very start, I am sure that two of these results are wrong - a Renault Laguna which costs  £50,000, and a Renault Clio that increases in value. I have deleted these results straight away. Hypothesis 1 My first hypothesis is that cars depreciate more as they get older. I used the spreadsheet on the computer to test this hypothesis, but first I had to get the age and percentage depreciation for each car, neither of which are recorded in the table. Firstly, to get the age of the cars, I subtracted the year in which they were made from 2002, the year when the data was collected. I first created a new column on the spreadsheet and called it age. Then I typed into the first box under the title the formula for age- =2002-F2 where F2 is the column for the year the car was made. This filled the box with the age of the car. I then highlighted the box, right clicked and selected copy, before highlighting all the boxes below and selecting paste special, formula. This filled in the ages for all of the cars. Next, to get the percentage depreciation, I made another column and filled it with a more complicated formula- =(I2-H2)/I2*100 where I2 is the price when new and H2 is the price now. This filled the first box in the percentage depreciation column with the appropriate value, and I copied the formula into the other boxes as before. I then highlighted these two columns and copied them into chart 2.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

osmosis :: essays research papers

Aim: The aim of this experiment is to investigate the movement of water into and out of plant cells by osmosis. The cells chosen for study will be taken from potato tubes as they provide a ready supply of homogeneous material. I did the investigation in two parts, the first part of my investigation was my preliminary investigation and then I did my official investigation. In both of my investigations there are several similarities, such as fair testing, variables, key variables, reliability of evidence and safety precautions. In both of my investigation there were obviously some differences which were in the method, apparatus, results and means of measuring etc. Essential Background Reading Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules across a partially permeable membrane from a high concentration of water to a low concentration of water. Movement of substances takes place through the cell membrane, which separates the different substances in the cell from its surroundings. This type of membrane allows small molecules such as water to pass through it, but it denies entry to large particles to pass. This membrane is called a partially permeable membrane. The amount of water inside a cell is called water potential. Turgor is the name given when osmosis takes place between the cytoplasm and the solution outside the cell. This happens when a plant cell is placed in a high concentrated solution of water, water then passes through the cell wall, the cell membrane, and the cytoplasm and into the vacuole. The increased pressure of water inside the vacuole is called Turgor pressure. Then the cell becomes turgid. Plasmolysis is the opposite of turgor. This happens when plant cells may be placed in a less concentrated solution of water, although this is very unlikely to happen in nature. Water passes out of the vacuole, the cytoplasm, the cell membrane and the cell wall and into the solution outside the cell. The pressure of the vacuole on the cytoplasm decreases until the cytoplasm pulls away from the cell wall. Diagrams I have illustrated the diagrams of turgor and Plasmolysis on a separate page. Fair Testing This is when the result is only related to the variable being tested. For e.g. if there are six variables, five variables must be kept identically the same and only one is changed/tested to see how this affects the outcome. This is ensuring that this investigation shall only be testing one variable (Key Variable).

Global Warming Essay -- Greenhouse Effect Climate Change

Global Warming, also known as the Greenhouse effect, is a problem everyone will soon have to face. The people of the younger generations should be educated about what Global Warming is and that it is caused due to the way people are treating the environment. Planet Earth is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old, and life on earth has existed for more than 3.5 billion years. Humans have been on earth for 2 to 3 million years. It is only been in the past 200 years people have been affected by global warming. The last 40 years have been the most damaging.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the impacts of human influences have grown, so have the risks associated with those impacts. New technologies carry increasing risks, and the scale, frequency, and impacts of disaster caused or influenced by human activity are growing tremendously. The risks to the Earth ¡Ã‚ ¦s natural systems are becoming significantly concerning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The world ¡Ã‚ ¦s population, currently 5.2 billion has grown from about 3 billion in 1960, and around 2 billion in 1925. Today it increased by almost 90 million each year, and is likely to reach 10 billion by 2025(Corson 4).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The reason we currently have an atmosphere crisis is because of human impact on the gases which make up our atmosphere. Our atmosphere, which is made up of four distinct layers blankets our planet and protects up in many way. One way it protects us if from the harmful rays the sun radiates on our planet. Each layer differs from the others in temperature, density, composition and in the way it absorbs radiation from the sun. The atmosphere itself is some 300 miles thick. The first layer is the Troposphere. It is the lowest layer and extends higher than any airplane can travel, about 6.8 miles. Air in this layer is heated by the earth itself and for every 1000 feet the temperature drops 3.5 „a F. When it reaches the top of this layer the temperature is about - 70„a f. The next layer extends to about 30 miles. It is less dense than the underlying layer. Unlike the troposphere, temperature increases with altitude. This warming is caused by a layer of ozone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ozone is a form of oxygen. The ozone absorbs most of the sun ¡Ã‚ ¦s ultraviolet radiation. This has two important effects, First, it warms the air in the stratosphere. Second, it prevents much of the harmful rays from reaching the earth surface. Tempe... ...tities of pollutants are pouring into the atmosphere , posing health threat to humans, damaging the environment and changing the Earth ¡Ã‚ ¦s climate. Historically, the air has renewed itself through interaction with vegetation and the oceans. Today, however, this process is threatened by increasing use of fossil fuels, expanding industrial production, and growing use of motor vehicles.(Corson 220)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most common and widespread pollutants currently emitted by human activities are sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds particulate. Dozens of toxic chemicals are commonly found in the air surrounding urban areas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In recent years, many industrial nations have controlled air pollution with some success. Europe and North America are now suffering serious damage from acid deposition. Increasing pollution from the growing use of motor vehicles plagues many nations. Car sales in Western industrialized nations rose 71 percent from 1970 to 1986. Sources Cited National Research Council (NRC). 1993. Research to Protect, Restore, and Manage the Environment. ("The Corson Report.") Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Do Aliens exists Essay

Many people think that aliens exist, but others do not agree. We live in a world in which everything is possible. As far as I know, according to the statistics, the public in general tend to believe that the aliens do exist. As for me I tend to consider that the aliens really exist. Let us start by considering the facts. First and foremost, almost every day we watch TV and it is absolutely normal when channels transmits the program about the Unidentified Flying Object. I think if television transmits such programs, it means that these facts are scientifically proven and then people can choose whether believe in it or not. To draw the conclusion, one can say that â€Å"something† really exist. There are a great number of facts of the UFO existence in books, the Internet and TV programs. So it’s up to everybody to decide whether to believe in it or not. I think that in future people and the aliens will even be able to cooperate with each other and make new discoveries. â€Å"Not an encounter with aliens, no. I’ve seen a UFO, about 120 miles north of Toronto, over Lake Muskoka, where I have a cottage,† he admitted. Hellyer said he and his wife had been looking at the stars when they spotted a UFO. â€Å"We watched it until our necks almost broke for about 20 minutes, and it was definitely a UFO because it could change position in the sky by three or four degrees in three or four seconds,† he said. Hellyer went on to say that when he was minister, he received plenty of â€Å"sighting reports,† though about 80 percent of them were â€Å"sights of Venus or of plasma or a dozen other things.† â€Å"But there were 15 percent or 20 percent for which there was no explanation, and they were the genuine unidentified flying objects,† he added. Hellyer said he’s hopeful someone will crack the case and share their findings with the world that aliens do exist. â€Å"There’s just so much evidence, if anybody will take time off to do a little bit of research and  study†¦There’s just a lot of information out there and it doesn’t take very long to get your hands on it.† Lots of people believe in extraterrestrial life forms, but not many can give specific details about what they look like and where they’re living. But that’s just what Paul Hellyer, the now-90-year-old former defense minister of Canada, did in his recent interview with Russia Today, claiming there are 80 different species of alien life, from places like Andromeda, Pleiades and Zeta Reticuli, and some look just like us. â€Å"The latest reports that I’ve been getting from various sources are that there are about 80 different species and some of them look just like us and they could walk down the street and you wouldn’t know if you walked past one,† said Hellyer, who served during the Cold War, who went public with his theories on extraterrestrial life in 2005, The National Post reported. â€Å"They are what we call ‘Nordic Blondes’ and also the Tall Whites who were actually working with the U.S. air force in Nevada. They’re able to get away with that; they had a couple of their ladies dressed as nuns go into Las Vegas to shop and they weren’t detected. †¦ Then there’s the Short Greys as they are called, and they are the ones you see in most of the cartoons, they have very slim arms and legs, they are very short, just a little over 5 feet, and they have a great big head and great big brown eyes. But there are different species and you have to know that they are different species and know that they all are different. If you saw the Short Greys, you’d certainly know there’s something up that you’ve never seen before, but if you saw one of the Nordic Blondes, you’d probably say, â€Å"I wonder if she’s from Denmark or somewhere.† But fear not: Hellyer said most of the aliens who have â€Å"been visiting our planet for thousands of years† are â€Å"benign and benevolent, and they do want to help us, [but] there may be one or two species which do not.† However, he does believe that these species, who have a â€Å"long history† — he said he knows of 50 reports of UFOs during the Cold War — are concerned about unconventional warfare. â€Å"Since we invented the atomic bomb and they are very concerned about that and the fact that we might use it again, and because the Cosmos is a unity and it affects not just us but other people in the Cosmos, they are very much afraid that we might be stupid enough to start using atomic weapons again, and this would be very bad for us and for them as well,† he said.

Friday, August 16, 2019

A Good Man is Hard to Find Analysis

â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is a short story written by Flannery O'Connor, a significant American writer and essayist. Her writing style reflects the ethnic relation in the South and her own Christian faith. The author writes in third person limited point of view to portray the tragic journey of a family who lived in Georgia in 1953. Bailey wants to take his family to Florida, but his mother, â€Å"the grandmother† disagrees with him because there's a dangerous criminal named The Misfit who is also on the way to Florida.Bailey ignores the grandmother's concern and headed to Florida. On the road, The kids and the grandmother persuade Bailey to drive them to the see a plantation which the grandmother visited when she was a lady. Unfortunately, the family gets into an accident on the desolate dust road to the plantation. The only thing the family can do is to wait for help, and it turns out that their help is none other than The Misfit and his buddies. The Misfit ord ers his buddies to take all the family members except the grandmother into the wood and shoot them.Hopelessly, the grandmother calls The Misfit her child and wants to touch him on the shoulder, but this angers The Misfit. As a result, he shoots the grandmother three times on the chest. The author uses characterization, foreshadowing, and irony to illustrate the theme that the tendency to manipulate people's actions and thoughts may introduce tragic outcomes to the love ones. In the short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† , the author applies both direct characterization and indirect characterization to exhibit the selfishness of the grandmother, the innocence of the children, and the wickedness of The Misfit .In the exposition of the story, the grandmother wants to go to Tennessee to visit her connections instead going to Florida, so she tells Bailey that he † ought to take [the kids] somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world and b e board. They have never been to east Tennessee† (O'Connor 403). From this quote the readers can perceive that the grandmother is good at manipulating her son by saying that going to Tennessee can be beneficial to the kids in order to achieve her own purpose.She also mentions that The Misfit is also on the way to Florida and she â€Å"couldn't answer to [her] conscience† (O'Connor 402) if she brings the kids to Florida. In this quote, the grandmother uses the word â€Å"conscience† to threat Bailey with the idea that he is going to put his children in danger, so he would give up the trip to Florida. In Katherine Keil's article â€Å"O'Connor's ‘Good Man is Hard to Find'†, Katherine analyzes â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and comments that â€Å"the grandmother shows her indifference for creation by selfishly manipulating and nagging to get her way on the family's vacation â€Å"(Keil 45).Keil's analysis is reasonable because through the i nteractions between the grandmother and other family members on the issue about the family trip, the grandmother is used to manipulate people's decisions by taking advantage of the vulnerable side of people's mind and being selfish without knowing it herself. The kids, John Wesley and June Star, are innocent compare to their selfish grandmother. After the family encounter The Misfit in the country, John Wesley notices that The Misfit is holding a gun, so he asks him: â€Å"‘What you got that gun for?†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(O'Connor 410).Under this kind of circumstance, probably most of the people would be quiet in order to avoid trouble, but John Wesley mentions the gun just because he is simply curious. Unfortunately, his inquiry brings The Misfit into action, and results in tragedy. Although The Misfit is not present until the final pages of the story, he influences the story from the exposition of the story when the grandmother tells Bailey that he flees from the prison, and is on the way to Florida.The author uses a clear and detailed direct characterization to portray The Misfit when he first appears in the story. The author describes him as a man whose Hair just beginning to gray and he wore silver rimmed spectacles that gave him a scholarly look. He had a long creased face and didn't have on any shirt or undershirt. He had on blue jeans that were too tight for him and was holding a black hat and a gun. (O'Connor 410) It is easy for the readers to realize that he is an antagonist from his appearance– long ceased face, unsuited clothes, holding a gun, a typical image of villains.The conversations between The Misfit and the grandmother also reveal the evil inside The Misfit. After the execution of Bailey and his son, The Misfit tells the grandmother that he † found out the crime doesn't matter. You can do one thing or you can do another, kill a man or take a tire off his car, because sooner you're going to forget what it was you done and just be punished for it†(O'Connor 414). John Desmond's, a professor of English at Whitman College made comment in his article that † the Misfit acts under the delusion that his actions are somehow good, i. e.  good for him.Since he cannot make sense of his spiritual condition, he now tries to reduce ethical mystery to a perverse pleasure-pain principle†(Desmond135). Desmond's comment reveals the characteristic of The Misfit because The Misfit's demeanor exhibits that his values is tangled, and he has developed his own philosophy, which is evil and lawless. As a result, his philosophy blinded his conscience, and make his sinful actions look naturally appropriate to himself. Besides characterization, foreshadowing is also a significant literary element throughout the story .The author uses foreshadowing to give the story its air of suspense, and to hint the outcome of the story. At the beginning of the story, the grandmother refers to the news that â€Å"The Misfit is al oose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida† (O'Connor 402). Initially, the grandmother just wants to use this scary news to threaten Bailey, and tries to change his mind. The reference to a dangerous criminal raises a sign of hazardousness. The grandmother's dress on the day of departure also foreshadows the misfortune of the family.â€Å"[S]he had on navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet†(O'Connor 404). In the book Short Stories for Students, the author of the article ‘Overview: â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ analysis that † as the family prepares to embark on their vacation, the grandmother plans her outfit with an eye toward tragedy†(Short Stories for Students 103).Wilson's analysis is fair because when people die, they usually are dressed in their best outfit, just like the grandmother is dressed in her best clothes, so its clear that the grandmother holds a pessimistic view on the family trip. On their way to Florida, the family â€Å"passed a large cotton field with five or six graves fenced in the middle of it, like a small island†(O'Connor 404). It is pretty disturbing for people who are on a family trip to see thing like graveyard, and the number of the graves clearly represent the six family members, including the baby. When the family are waiting for help after the accident, they encounter TheMisfit, who drives â€Å"a big black battered hearse-like automobile† (O'Connor 409). It is very obvious that the appearance of the car is a vigorous example of foreshadowing, which foreshadows the tragedy that is about to happen. In Arthur F. Bethea's article, he states that â€Å"O'Connor's villain is relentlessly associated with death: he worked as an undertaker , drives a black â€Å"hearse-like automobile,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(Bethea 239). Bthea's interpretation is vigorous because the image of a hearse-like automobile gives rise to a bodeful ambience which perfectly foreshadows the debut of The Misfit.Other than characterization and foreshadowing, irony is another essential literary element that helps to carry out the purpose and the theme of the whole story. Both verbal irony and situational irony are used by the author in this story to illustrate how the grandmother's manipulative behaviors lead the whole family into deadly situation. In the exposition of the story, the grandmother warns Bailey that she â€Å"wouldn't take [her] children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it â€Å"(O'Connor 402).Ironically, she is exactly the person who take the family into dangerousness when she deliberately excites the children in order to force Bailey to take them to see the plantation, where they meet The Misfit. In order to convince Bailey, the grandmother announces that taking the kids to the old plantation â€Å"would be very educational for them†(O'Connor 408). To educate the children is not the purpose of the trip to the plantation in the grandmother's mind, it is just a excuse that used to disguise her selfishness.In Stanley Renne's article he comments that the grandmother is a â€Å"blind old woman, a failed parent who has ruined her own offspring, with a false and destructive dream of the past and an equally false and destructive self-perception in the present†(Renner 127). Renne's analysis is reasonable because the grandmother always wants others to accept her idea, and force his family members to do what she thinks is right and what she thinks is good for them, but the grandmother doesn't perceive that herself is being selfish and nostalgic all the time.As a result of her selfishness and nostalgia, the grandmother ultimately brings misfortune to the family. After the car accident, the kid says: â€Å"But nobody's killed†(O'Connor 409) with great disappointment. It is very awkward that a kid could has this kind of horrible thought, and it is an example of verbal irony because at the end of the story every family member gets killed eventually. Another irony happens when the grandmother is giving her grandkids a lecture on respecting others.She announces that in the old times â€Å"children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else†(O'Connor 404), but at the same time, she saw an African American child on the roadside and says: â€Å"Oh look at that cute pickninny† (O'Connor 404). It is ironic that the grandmother is teaching her grandkids the importance of respect while she calls an African American child pickninny, which is disrespectful.In Stephen Brandy's article he analysis and describe the grandmother as a old woman who † is filled with the prejudices of her class and her time† (Brandy 110). Brandy's comment is agreeable because although the grandmother's conversations make her seems like a nice and traditional Southern old lady, her mindless insult on African Americans reveals that the racism is rooted in her mind for a very long time that even herself does not notice it, or she ignore this issue deliberately.I the short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, the author applies characterization, foreshadowing, and irony to illustrate the theme that the tendency to manipulate people's actions and thoughts may introduce tragic outcomes to the love ones. By using both direct and indirect characterization, the author is able to portray the characters in detail, and create a vivid image of interactions between characters.Foreshadowing is also a important literary element that the author applies in this short story because foreshadowing gives the story its air of suspense thus make the story more interesting and dramatic. Through both situational irony and verbal i rony, the author shows how the grandmother's character trait brings misfortune to the family, and unlock the theme of the story. Being manipulative not only distances a person from his or her family, but also could cause trouble to the love ones. A Good Man is Hard to Find Analysis â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† is a short story written by Flannery O'Connor, a significant American writer and essayist. Her writing style reflects the ethnic relation in the South and her own Christian faith. The author writes in third person limited point of view to portray the tragic journey of a family who lived in Georgia in 1953. Bailey wants to take his family to Florida, but his mother, â€Å"the grandmother† disagrees with him because there's a dangerous criminal named The Misfit who is also on the way to Florida.Bailey ignores the grandmother's concern and headed to Florida. On the road, The kids and the grandmother persuade Bailey to drive them to the see a plantation which the grandmother visited when she was a lady. Unfortunately, the family gets into an accident on the desolate dust road to the plantation. The only thing the family can do is to wait for help, and it turns out that their help is none other than The Misfit and his buddies. The Misfit ord ers his buddies to take all the family members except the grandmother into the wood and shoot them.Hopelessly, the grandmother calls The Misfit her child and wants to touch him on the shoulder, but this angers The Misfit. As a result, he shoots the grandmother three times on the chest. The author uses characterization, foreshadowing, and irony to illustrate the theme that the tendency to manipulate people's actions and thoughts may introduce tragic outcomes to the love ones.In the short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† , the author applies both direct characterization and indirect characterization to exhibit the selfishness of the grandmother, the innocence of the children, and the wickedness of The Misfit .In the exposition of the story, the grandmother wants to go to Tennessee to visit her connections instead going to Florida, so she tells Bailey that he † ought to take [the kids] somewhere else for a change so they would see different parts of the world and be board. They have never been to east Tennessee† (O'Connor 403). From this quote the readers can perceive that the grandmother is good at manipulating her son by saying that going to Tennessee can be beneficial to the kids in order to achieve her own purpose.She also mentions that The Misfit is also on the way to Florida and she â€Å"couldn't answer to [her] conscience† (O'Connor 402) if she brings the kids to Florida. In this quote, the grandmother uses the word â€Å"conscience† to threat Bailey with the idea that he is going to put his children in danger, so he would give up the trip to Florida.In Katherine Keil's article â€Å"O'Connor's ‘Good Man is Hard to Find'†, Katherine analyzes â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† and comments that â€Å"the grandmother shows her indifference for creation by selfishly manipulating and nagging to get her way on the family's vacation â€Å"(Keil 45).Keil's analysis is reasonable because through the int eractions between the grandmother and other family members on the issue about the family trip, the grandmother is used to manipulate people's decisions by taking advantage of the vulnerable side of people's mind and being selfish without knowing it herself. The kids, John Wesley and June Star, are innocent compare to their selfish grandmother. After the family encounter The Misfit in the country, John Wesley notices that The Misfit is holding a gun, so he asks him: â€Å"‘What you got that gun for?†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(O'Connor 410).Under this kind of circumstance, probably most of the people would be quiet in order to avoid trouble, but John Wesley mentions the gun just because he is simply curious. Unfortunately, his inquiry brings The Misfit into action, and results in tragedy. Although The Misfit is not present until the final pages of the story, he influences the story from the exposition of the story when the grandmother tells Bailey that he flees from the prison, and is on th e way to Florida.The author uses a clear and detailed direct characterization to portray The Misfit when he first appears in the story. The author describes him as a man whose Hair just beginning to gray and he wore silver rimmed spectacles that gave him a scholarly look.He had a long creased face and didn't have on any shirt or undershirt. He had on blue jeans that were too tight for him and was holding a black hat and a gun. (O'Connor 410) It is easy for the readers to realize that he is an antagonist from his appearance– long ceased face, unsuited clothes, holding a gun, a typical image of villains.The conversations between The Misfit and the grandmother also reveal the evil inside The Misfit. After the execution of Bailey and his son, The Misfit tells the grandmother that he † found out the crime doesn't matter. You can do one thing or you can do another, kill a man or take a tire off his car, because sooner you're going to forget what it was you done and just be pu nished for it†(O'Connor 414).John Desmond's, a professor of English at Whitman College made comment in his article that † the Misfit acts under the delusion that his actions are somehow good, i. e.  good for him. Since he cannot make sense of his spiritual condition, he now tries to reduce ethical mystery to a perverse pleasure-pain principle†(Desmond135).Desmond's comment reveals the characteristic of The Misfit because The Misfit's demeanor exhibits that his values is tangled, and he has developed his own philosophy, which is evil and lawless. As a result, his philosophy blinded his conscience, and make his sinful actions look naturally appropriate to himself. Besides characterization, foreshadowing is also a significant literary element throughout the story .The author uses foreshadowing to give the story its air of suspense, and to hint the outcome of the story. At the beginning of the story, the grandmother refers to the news that â€Å"The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida† (O'Connor 402). Initially, the grandmother just wants to use this scary news to threaten Bailey, and tries to change his mind. The reference to a dangerous criminal raises a sign of hazardousness. The grandmother's dress on the day of departure also foreshadows the misfortune of the family.â€Å"[S]he had on navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet†(O'Connor 404). In the book Short Stories for Students, the author of the article ‘Overview: â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ analysis that † as the family prepares to embark on their vacation, the grandmother plans her outfit with an eye toward tragedy†(Short Stories for Students 103).Wilson's analysis is fair because whe n people die, they usually are dressed in their best outfit, just like the grandmother is dressed in her best clothes, so its clear that the grandmother holds a pessimistic view on the family trip. On their way to Florida, the family â€Å"passed a large cotton field with five or six graves fenced in the middle of it, like a small island†(O'Connor 404).It is pretty disturbing for people who are on a family trip to see thing like graveyard, and the number of the graves clearly represent the six family members, including the baby. When the family are waiting for help after the accident, they encounter TheMisfit, who drives â€Å"a big black battered hearse-like automobile† (O'Connor 409). It is very obvious that the appearance of the car is a vigorous example of foreshadowing, which foreshadows the tragedy that is about to happen. In Arthur F. Bethea's article, he states that â€Å"O'Connor's villain is relentlessly associated with death: he worked as an undertaker, dri ves a black â€Å"hearse-like automobile,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ(Bethea 239). Bthea's interpretation is vigorous because the image of a hearse-like automobile gives rise to a bodeful ambience which perfectly foreshadows the debut of The Misfit.Other than characterization and foreshadowing, irony is another essential literary element that helps to carry out the purpose and the theme of the whole story. Both verbal irony and situational irony are used by the author in this story to illustrate how the grandmother's manipulative behaviors lead the whole family into deadly situation.In the exposition of the story, the grandmother warns Bailey that she â€Å"wouldn't take [her] children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it â€Å"(O'Connor 402).Ironically, she is exactly the person who take the family into dangerousness when she deliberately excites the children in order to force Bailey to take them to see the plantation, where they meet The Misfit. In order to convince Bailey , the grandmother announces that taking the kids to the old plantation â€Å"would be very educational for them†(O'Connor 408). To educate the children is not the purpose of the trip to the plantation in the grandmother's mind, it is just a excuse that used to disguise her selfishness.In Stanley Renne's article he comments that the grandmother is a â€Å"blind old woman, a failed parent who has ruined her own offspring, with a false and destructive dream of the past and an equally false and destructive self-perception in the present†(Renner 127).Renne's analysis is reasonable because the grandmother always wants others to accept her idea, and force his family members to do what she thinks is right and what she thinks is good for them, but the grandmother doesn't perceive that herself is being selfish and nostalgic all the time.As a result of her selfishness and nostalgia, the grandmother ultimately brings misfortune to the family. After the car accident, the kid says: â€Å"But nobody's killed†(O'Connor 409) with great disappointment. It is very awkward that a kid could has this kind of horrible thought, and it is an example of verbal irony because at the end of the story every family member gets killed eventually. Another irony happens when the grandmother is giving her grandkids a lecture on respecting others.She announces that in the old times â€Å"children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything else†(O'Connor 404), but at the same time, she saw an African American child on the roadside and says: â€Å"Oh look at that cute pickninny† (O'Connor 404). It is ironic that the grandmother is teaching her grandkids the importance of respect while she calls an African American child pickninny, which is disrespectful.In Stephen Brandy's article he analysis and describe the grandmother as a old woman who † is filled with the prejudices of her class and her time† (Brandy 110). Brandy 's comment is agreeable because although the grandmother's conversations make her seems like a nice and traditional Southern old lady, her mindless insult on African Americans reveals that the racism is rooted in her mind for a very long time that even herself does not notice it, or she ignore this issue deliberately.I the short story â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, the author applies characterization, foreshadowing, and irony to illustrate the theme that the tendency to manipulate people's actions and thoughts may introduce tragic outcomes to the love ones. By using both direct and indirect characterization, the author is able to portray the characters in detail, and create a vivid image of interactions between characters.Foreshadowing is also a important literary element that the author applies in this short story because foreshadowing gives the story its air of suspense thus make the story more interesting and dramatic. Through both situational irony and verbal irony, t he author shows how the grandmother's character trait brings misfortune to the family, and unlock the theme of the story. Being manipulative not only distances a person from his or her family, but also could cause trouble to the love ones.