“But is it Art?” By Cynthia Freeland

At the present, the contemporary society has offered many and different forms and characteristics of exemplification and abstraction of the humanistic aspect of the society in the form of what is generally known as art. The said manifestations of the artistic nature of the people is viewed by many to be of no value as they do not coincide or agree with the principal guidelines of artistic consideration. On the other hand, other groups in the society claim the other way around.This difference in the interpretation and view regarding the artistic value of the emotional and concrete manifestations of the abstracted values of the people produces conflict of opinions in the art aspect of the humanity. In this spectacle of social ambiguity that the book of Cynthia Freeland entitled â€Å"But is it Art† appeals most. The book by Freeland generally perceives the contemporary artistic manifestations to be examples of the modern artistic vision of the society as related with their new n orms and social values.By exemplifying and analyzing different art forms in the modern society, Freeland claims that the modern manifestations of the humanistic aspect of the society is still considerably within the principles of artwork and are all appreciable in their own aspects. By also considering the different changes and advancement in the social development, she also claims that principles of the old art forms has not yet excluded by the present society but instead it became more vivid and artistic with the expansion beyond the past boundaries.The book of Freeland considers different aspects of the present art form in relation to the dominant social values and cultures each discussed sufficiently and intrinsically in the book. By this analysis and with incorporation of different ideas from other art critic, Freeland has developed a concept in her book describing the present mediums and manifestations of the humanistic aspect of the present society to be within the classifica tion of art in their own definition of artistic representation and expression.

Environmental Issues in Pakistan

What is Environmental Ethics? Environmental ethics is a branch of environmental philosophy that studies the ethical relationship between human beings and environment. It has given a new dimension to the conservation of natural resources. What are major Ethical Environmental Issues? The issues which cause dangers to environment with a moral perspective in them are known as ethical environmental issues. Environment has a direct or indirect effect on the way we live and ethical environmental issues arise when we ignore this fact.Hence we ought to protect our environment and solve the ethical environmental issues our earth is facing now-a-days. There are many ethical environmental issues some of them are stated below: 1. Green-house Effect. 2. Ozone Depletion. 3. Air Pollution. 4. Acid Rain. 5. Urban Run-off. 6. Land Pollution. 7. Deforestation. 8. Nuclear Development. 1. Greenhouse Effect Any gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiations in the thermal infrared range is called a greenhouse gas.The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. This process repeats over and over again, trapping the radiations in the atmosphere. This is one of the major causes of global warming. Consequences: Global warming is causing the Earth to lose its snow cover; glaciers are melting, the sea-level is rising, and a lot of arctic floral and faunal species are on the verge of extinction. 2. Ozone Depletion The ozone enveloping around the Earth is depleting in volume consistently since 1980s.This is largely due to the effect of halocarbon refrigerants (such as CFC, halons, freons, etc. ). Halocarbons (being lighter than other gases in the atmosphere) rise much higher in the atmosphere. They then photodissociate to give atomic halogens. These atoms catalyze the destruction of the ozone gas. Consequences: Depletion of the ozone can practically threaten hum an life, and life of other animals as well. The ozone layer protects us from UV rays of the sun; without the ozone layer, everyone would be susceptible to a number of skin diseases, including skin cancer. . Air Pollution Air pollution is probably one of the most dangerous effect on the environment since we cannot control the air we breathe. Vehicular traffic, smog created by the smoke emitted by vehicles and factories, volatile organic compounds, present primarily in paints and varnishes and refrigerants, all contribute to air pollution. Consequences: Air pollution affects everything; it affects plants, animals and humans. According to WHO, poor indoor air quality can lead to respiratory infections, coronary diseases, and even lung cancer.If all this is happening indoors, imagine what is happening outside. 4. Acid Rain Gases like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide can react with water to produce corresponding acids. When this happens in the atmosphere, we get rain that is of acidic. The gases mentioned above are released into the atmosphere by certain natural processes like lightning, volcanoes, etc. However, the amount of these gases released due to factories, vehicles and different industries surpasses that produced naturally. It goes beyond a level that can be tolerated by nature.Consequences: Acid rains cause stone, rocks, steel, metal to erode and paint to peel off. This means monuments, statues, bridges, buildings, all are at a risk. It also damages the skin. 5. Urban Run-off Urban run-off refers to the rainwater running off land and into water bodies. This is a natural process. However, with ever-increasing urbanization, this process affects water bodies adversely, because the run-off now carries all sorts of compounds, chemicals and particulate matter. Materials that cannot be gotten rid of are being added to wastewater and, ultimately, to water.Consequences: Urban run-off causes deposition of oil, gasoline, garbage, heavy metals (nickel, copper, lead, zinc etc. ), fertilizers and pesticides (from gardens and lawns), synthetic organic compounds, etc. ; all of which ultimately enters the food chain and causes number of health complications. It also causes destruction of Marine population. 6. Land pollution Land pollution is where our land may be as far as being contaminated. All of the bad toxic chemicals and waste, that is left or dumped on our land, causes it to become polluted.It includes trash from homes, commercial establishments, and industrial facilities, food wastes, paper, glass, textiles, and plastic objects. The toxic materials that pollute the soil can get into the human body directly by coming into contact with the skin, being washed into water sources like reservoirs and rivers, eating fruits and vegetables that have been grown in polluted soil, breathing in polluted dust or particles. Consequences: It causes problems in the respiratory system and on the skin. It also leads to birth defects and also caus es various kinds of cancers. . Deforestation Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use. Wood is a necessity and the humans need to use it. But the improper planning about forestation and new planting of trees, we are facing a severe crisis of the lack of trees. Trees are very important as they make oxygen and serve many other important purposes too. But we may face a serious shortage of trees in the years to come due to the way forests are continued to disappear (at the rate of 14 million hectares per year).Consequences: Deforestation results in less biodiversity, soil erosion, animals lose their habitat, more Global Warming because there would be less trees to collect carbon dioxide etc. 8. Nuclear Development Nuclear development is, however, beneficial but it has very much harmful aspects as well. The nuclear rods that we use in producing energy are very radioactive. They have a very long decaying period a nd hence cause threats to our environment. Consequences: It has positive consequences in the form of meeting the energy crises.On the other hand, the most alarming aspect of nuclear development are the prospective nuclear accidents that can take place. It can cause different types of cancers, many disabilities by birth, problems in the process of photosynthesis etc. Solutions to Major Ethical Environmental Issues The problems that we are facing are very serious and need to be solved at the earliest possible time. Some of the solutions that we can could come up with, keeping in view indigenous resources, behaviour of people, environmental legislation etc.So here are some of the solutions to the above mentioned problems. 1. Arranging Seminars for Awareness Arranging seminars can be very beneficial for communication with people and educating them about the various ethical environmental issues that we are facing. Such type of seminars should be held in educational institutions and indus tries to educate students, workers and other people about the graveness of these issues so that they may be understood and solved. 2. Three REs (Reduce, Recycle and Reuse)We should try to reduce the use of substances like plastic that causes environmental pollution and are recycleable. Consumption of natural resources should be made limited to as less as possible. Reducing deforestation and trying to use the recycled and other materials. 3. Abstaining from Clourofloro carbons A Harmfulness of clourofluoro carbons should be understood by the society as its increasing amount is a threat to ozone layer. People should be educated at lower scale so they may realize the importance of ozone layer.Chlorofluoro carbons are presents in some kinds of refrigeration processes, solvents, foams, aerosols etc. 4. Reducing Pollution Modernization of our societies has widely increased different types of pollution. With the increasing number of automobiles and industries, pollution has been widely inc reased. Smoke of automobiles causes air pollution. Wastes of industries are discharged into the rivers polluting the water and the land it passes by. A regular checking should be done on particularly industries to see whether they are safely discharging the wastes or not.Also, we should use the substances that causes less pollution and discharge our waste substances properly at the proper place. 5. Role of Media In the modern era, media has a very strong role in educating people and moulding their thinking into a specific direction. Highly qualified professionals should use the facility of media to bring awareness to the people about ethical environmental issues through documentaries, talk-shows and other programs. Children can be get attracted through cartoons and other children programs. References ? http://www. tutorvista. om/english/global-warming-causes ? http://socyberty. com/issues/greenhouse-gases-everyonesproblem/ ? http://maria79. tumblr. com/ ? http://www. atsdr. cdc. gov /general/theair. html ? http://www. cheatdiary. com/collegeessay/harmful-effects-of-ozonelayer-depletion/ ? http://www. udel. edu/chem/C465/senior/fall97/acid_rain/senior. html ? http://www. geography. learnontheinternet. co. uk/topics/taiga. html ? http://www. ec. gc. ca/inre-nwri/default. asp? lang=En&n=235D11EB1&offset=12&toc=hide ? http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_are_the_consequences_of_land_ pollution

Brief about Investment Management

Finance Brief about Investment Management Introduction Every individual saves some part of his or her income for any unforeseen situation. In addition to this, saving is also important for every person as adequate amount of money in the account after retirement will ensure a better and tension free life. But putting money just in locker is considered as dead investment as the saved amount will not grew. Further, it is also a well known fact that human being is a greedy animal (Pihlman, et. al., 2011). He wants to see his money growing in leaps and bounds and for this purpose only, instead of putting money just in the lockers, now day people are more interested in investing their capital in certain areas which gives good returns (Pihlman, et. al., 2011). In order to make quick bucks, people are investing their savings in different schemes which delivers good returns. In this regards, stock market has come up as one of the most popular areas in which people are readily investing their money on different-different stocks for getting higher returns. Putting money in savings accounts does not reap higher returns, so now day people are more interested in share market as it has generated better returns in recent past (Focardi and Fabozzi, 2004). But before investing money in the stocks of different companies, it is essential for every investor to have adequate knowledge regarding the investment management. Investment management can be defined as purchase and sale of investments within a portfolio. The area of investment management is quite wide which includes banking, budgeting activities and taxes; but in general perspective investment management refers to trading of securities and portfolio management to attain some desired goals (Pihlman, et. al., 2011). Major activities involved in investment management are: Analyzing financial statements of the companies Selection of stocks Selection of assets Implementing desired plan, and Continuous monitoring of investment activities (Fabozzi, 2008). Investment Objectives and Philosophy Objectives Below mentioned are main objectives of all the investors depending on their risk taking capabilities and stage of life: Income: The main motive behind making investment of all the investors is generating income. They consider share market as alternative source of income and invest in securities which deliver higher returns (Focardi and Fabozzi, 2004). Growth and income: Another investment object of an investor is both; capital gain and income. Most of the people dont only want extra income; rather they also want appreciation of their capital. Capital appreciation is associated with the risk taking capability of an investor. Safety: Investments are never considered to be safe as some kinds of risks are always associated with them. Still there are some investment products such as government bonds, fixed deposits which deliver low but continuous returns. People who invest in such instrument have main objective of security of their invested capital (Fabozzi, 2008). Growth: Unlike growth and income, an objective of some of the investors is only growth, that is, they do not want any income from their investment, rather just want to see their capital growing. Such investors invest in commodities, property market, gold, mutual funds, etc. Active trading / speculation: Another objective of investors is active trading or speculation of the market activities (Focardi and Fabozzi, 2004). Apart from above stated objectives, some of the other objectives of investment are tax exemption and liquidity. Philosophy Different people have different motive behind making investment in any form of instrument. Thus, investment philosophy defines certain principles on the basis of which an individual makes decision of investment (Swensen, 2009). These philosophies may vary from people to people such as: Fundamental Investing: With this philosophy, an individual or group evaluate the earnings prospects of the firm and on the basis of that makes their investment decision. Value Investing: In such kind of philosophy, investor analyzes all the stocks and identifies the companies whose stocks are undervalued. Further, such individuals believe that there are higher chances of these stocks to deliver better returns (Brentani, 2003). Growth Investing: Investors with such philosophy believe that it is beneficial to invest in those stocks which are form the emerging sectors. Products and services which are from emerging sectors have higher growth prospects and are expected to deliver returns at higher rates (Smithson, 2003). Technical Investing: These are the individuals who invest on the basis of past performance of the stock and neglect its current standing. Such investors evaluate the past data of the companies and on the basis if analysis of the data makes sell or buy decision (Kendall and Rollins, 2003). Socially Responsible Investing: Investors with such kind of philosophy looks for those stocks which actively participate in corporate social activities. They feel those companies which follows ethical business standards and stick to moral standards will produce better results in comparison to other companies (Focardi and Fabozzi, 2004). Contrarian Investing: Investors with this kind of philosophy are handful in the market. They perform just opposite kind of activity in relation to the rest of the market. There trading decisions are contradict to the majority of the market. For example, if the other investors will go for buying of certain stocks, they will go for its selling and vice versa (Pihlman, et. al., 2011). Portfolio Strategy and Asset Allocation Portfolio Strategy Investors invest in more than one stock on the basis of performance of particular stocks. Thus, combination of all the stocks is known as portfolio of stock. Portfolio strategies are not but general guidelines that help investors in strategically investing in stocks of different companies so as to meet their financial goals. It deals with designing of optimal portfolio and asset pricing. In this regards, risk return trade off is the best tool which is widely used by the investors in selection of optimal portfolio (Kendall and Rollins, 2003). Further, the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) shows that measure of sensitivity () is in proportion to the assets risk premium. Asset Allocation While putting money in any investment instrument, it is essential to properly allocate the funds in different assets. Thus asset allocation can be termed as investment strategy that helps in adequately investing money into different stocks or instruments so that the portfolio can achieve a balance between risk and reward. In other words it can be said that this strategy deals in adjusting the percentage of different assets in the portfolio as per the investment time frame, goals and risk tolerance capacity of an investor (Kendall and Rollins, 2003). Basically this strategy is adopted by the investor for diversifying its investment portfolio so that overall risk from the investment can be reduced. Return of an investment is majorly dependent on the allocation of the assets in the portfolio. Characteristics of different assets are different from each other and they perform differently in different economic scenario and market conditions. Further, different investment instruments delive r different returns and these different returns are not perfectly correlated (Kendall and Rollins, 2003). Thus, an optimal portfolio is one which is quite diversified, that is which consists of different-different investment instrument with varied characteristics so that overall risk from the investment can be reduced and still the investment reaps higher returns. Here are some of the strategies that can be used for achieving optimum assets allocation: Strategic Asset Allocation: this is the most common method of asset allocation and focuses on the concept of basic policy mix. That it, it includes stocks form each asset class based on their expected rate of returns. For example, the portfolio may consist of fifty per cent bonds with annual return of five per cent and fifty per cent stock with annual return of ten per cent so as to achieve a return of about seven and half per cent (Focardi and Fabozzi, 2004). Constant Weighting Asset Allocation: The above focus on buy and hold concept. Thus, even if the scenario changes, the portfolio remains the same. To overcome from this, one may adopt a constant weighting asset allocation approach. In this approach, the investor keeps on rebalancing the portfolio as per the changes in the economic and market conditions. For example, if some stock is not performing well and its prices are going down, investor can invest on it and other the other hand, if price of any particular stock is going up, the investor can sell that stock (Focardi and Fabozzi, 2004). As such there is not thumb rule for time of rebalancing the portfolio in strategic and constant weighting assets allocation, but generally it is advice to rebalance the portfolio when the actual value of the portfolio changes five per cent from its original value. Tactical Asset Allocation: If an investor invests for longer time duration, in such cases the above stated allocation strategies proves to be rigid (Pihlman, et. al., 2011). Therefore, sometimes it is beneficial to invest in some securities for shorter time period to practice tactical deviation and to benefit from exceptional investment opportunities. Further, this strategy brings flexibility. This is regarded as moderately active strategy but in this the investor must have knowledge of short term investment opportunity, so that later on he can again rebalance the portfolio (Pihlman, et. al., 2011). Dynamic Asset Allocation: Next strategy adopted by some of the investors is dynamic asset allocation strategy. It is also an active asset allocation strategy in which investor keeps on adjusting the proportion of different investment instruments with the rise and fall of market. Further changes in the economic conditions also force an investor to change this asset mix (Pihlman, et. al., 2011). Dynamic asset allocation strategy is just opposite of constant weighing strategy as in this strategy investors buys or hold those assets which are rising and sell those assets which are declining. For example, due to certain reasons if stock market starts declining, an investor starts selling his assets assuming that the market will fall further and similarly if stock market starts performing well, investor buys stocks with a hope that the market will continue to perform well (Focardi and Fabozzi, 2004). Insured Asset Allocation: Another asset allocation strategy which is practiced by many investors is insured asset allocation strategy. Under this strategy an investor set the base value of the stock and tries that the portfolio value does not go below the base level. As long as the value of portfolio is above the base value or is increasing, investor practices active management and tries to keep on increasing the value of the portfolio (Focardi and Fabozzi, 2004). On the other hand, if the value of the portfolio, due to some reason starts declining, investor starts investing in risk free assets such as government bonds, fixed deposit, etc. so as to limit the base level. This type of strategy is practiced by investors who want secured returns and are involved in limited active portfolio management (Pihlman, et. al., 2011). Integrated Asset Allocation: Last in this series is the integrated asset allocation strategy. Under this strategy, while deciding the elements of the portfolio, investor considers both the parameter; his economic expectation and his risk taking capabilities (Kendall and Rollins, 2003). All the above stated asset allocation strategy only considers future economic expectations of an investor and does not focus on his risk taking capacity or his investment risk tolerance. But in case of integrated asset allocation strategy, it considers various aspects of all the above stated strategies. In addition to economic expectation, it also accounts for rise and fall in stock market and risk tolerance capabilities (Focardi and Fabozzi, 2004). Among all the strategies, integrated asset allocation strategy is the broadest asset allocation strategy, but it allows investor to practice only one asset allocation strategy at a time, either dynamic asset allocation strategy or constant weighting asset a llocation strategy (Kendall and Rollins, 2003). References Fabozzi, J. F. 2008. Handbook of Finance, Financial Markets and Instruments. John Wiley Sons. Focardi, M. S. and Fabozzi, J. F. 2004. The Mathematics of Financial Modeling and Investment Management. John Wiley Sons. Pihlman, J. et. al. 2011. Investment Objectives of Sovereign Wealth Funds - a Shifting Paradigm. International Monetary Fund. Swensen, F. D. 2009. Pioneering Portfolio Management: An Unconventional Approach to Institutional Investment. Simon and Schuster. Brentani, C. 2003. Portfolio Management in Practice. Butterworth-Heinemann. Smithson, C. 2003. Credit Portfolio Management. John Wiley Sons. Kendall, I. G. and Rollins, C. S. 2003. Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO. J. Ross Publishing.

Federal Express Secure Shipping Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Federal Express Secure Shipping - Research Paper Example Federal Express Custom Critical offers appropriate level of secure transportation of goods through secure standard operating procedures. Federal Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Smart Post, FedEx Freight, FedEx Office, FedEx Custom Critical are the global operating units of Federal Express Corporation. The organization has effectively controlled the security issues by effective transportation and shipping strategy in international market. The customized secure services of Federal Express have provided its clients several flexible options and choices. Through secure packing and shipment, the organization has been able to monitor its shipments with much more detailing. With the help of covert devices the organization is successfully monitoring air and ground shipments. From premium airfreight to chartered aircraft, the organization has provided a solution to achieve transportation and monitoring needs. The study will reveal the shipping activities of Federal Express. Moreover, the study wi ll determine how the organization has improved shipping security for the purpose of easy and comfortable access. Securing Transport Solutions Available multi-sized charter aircraft in global market has helped the organization to bring pace in the organization’s goods delivery process in global market. Collaboration with the exclusive-use charter vehicle has helped the organization to ship goods and services in quick period of time. ... FedEx generally handles the air transportation process. For the purpose of additional security Federal Express has provided direct flight options at all transfer points in global market. Effective and in-depth communication activities with all FedEx locations, hubs and ramps have secured the international shipping services of goods (Gadman, Gadman & Cooper, 2009). Continuous shipment tracking in the air and on the ground have secured the transportation and shipping services. Sealed and dedicated container vehicle and blue urgent tape have helped the organization to identify the freights in order to ensure the security of shipping throughout the transit. FedEx Critical is the leader within the freight industry. The organization is popular for its exceptional client services, individual shipment customization and 24/7 availability of freight and goods pickup and delivery services. The organization used to pickup and deliver several differentiated products. Secured features within the B usiness Several leading companies around the globe are trying to capitalize on the potential opportunities that have been developed and created due to the globalization and modern advanced technology. Now-a-days, the service industry is achieving significant growth as the taste and preference of modern age’s customer has changed dramatically. However, transport security of global client’s critical shipment is becoming more important. The organization has provided an array of effective secure features. Federal Express has an extensive range of exclusive delivery vehicles that helped the organization to provide door-to-door direct services throughout Canada and United States. Two-way proactive

Article and Case Summaries Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article and Case Summaries - Research Paper Example in other words between what the real economy is actually especially with regard to the impact of the economy on ordinary people, on the one hand, and the use of GDP as the measure, on the other. The authors talk about the way GDP distorts reality, as when it fails to account for damage to the environment as a result of economic activities. GDP sees environmental destruction as revenue, whereas in truth damage to the environment is a loss. GDP counts social havocs, such as health problems and divorce, as gain. GDP excludes non-money transactions, such as those that occur outside of the realm of the formal economy. GDP also fails to account for the long-term fiscal damage wrought by debt on the economy, seeing consumption based on credit as a plus. The alternative measure they are proposing, termed Genuine Progress Indicator or GPI, generally addresses the shortcomings of GDP as a measure of the economy for policy and other vital public purposes (Halstead and Cobb, 1996). The alternative GPI measure has for its rationale plugging what the authors perceive as the ignored aspects of the economic reality in the GDP, as well as taking into account some vital costs that GDP now does not measure, including the environmental costs of economic activities, income distribution which is tied to economic justice, and non-money contributions to the economy, such as those that are tied to housework and to taking care of matters in the home. The authors furthermore contend that there are some of the things that GDP either does not see, or sees, but sees as positive and contributing to growth, when they actually hinder growth. GPI corrects these by counterbalancing GDP growth revenue items with cost items. The hope is that GPI will be a more accurate measure of the state of the economy, and that GPI will be a better basis for crafting policies for true growth (Halstead and Cobb, 1996). The article makes an interesting case for imputing some costs, such as environmental costs,

Global Environmental Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Environmental Issues - Essay Example US Company such as Exide Technologies export used batteries to Mexico for secondary melting. These batteries mostly contain lead. Through recycling, lead is useful. Unfortunately, lead exposure has severe effects to the health of the workers as well as the environment (Pistoia, Wiaux and Wolsky, 2014). The Exide Technologies exports lead to Mexico due to the low cost of recycling. These prompts many companies to export lead to Mexico. This brings many environmental issues. There is a difference in the regulations between US and Mexico. This leads to the question if US companies are acting in a socially and ethical way. Five environmental issues arise in these scenarios. It is unethical for US companies pollute the environment and the surrounding in order to save money (Mitchell, 2009). Ethical dilemma arises due the inferior environmental regulations in the host nations as compared to the home nation. Global climate change is an issue affecting all the nations. Resources held common by all, owned by no one are sustainable to degradation. Degradation comes by nations moving productions to low cost areas and pumping pollutants into the environment, this harms global commons. The question here is whether it is legal or ethical to carry out these activities. Lead is a poisonous gas, which is hazardous to the environment. This perspective of the US being unethical can probably say that U.S. companies should follow proper safety procedures regardless of whether they are mandated by law. Consequently, there should be an agreement between the two countries that will commit both nations to equivalent environmental regulations to avoid development of polluta nts harmful to the environment. Furthermore, a regulatory framework can be established in Mexico to close the gap in the environment performance and accurate data on performance be made available to the public, this data can include air

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 48

Journal - Essay Example Mostly, ethical practices in manufacturing organizations include taking care of the surrounding community with regard to avoiding pollution. This shows the integrity of the organization, which is usually determined by reasoning and habit to make the ethical behaviour continuous and consistent. Ethical behaviour attracts many benefits for the organization that include attracting many customers, which boosts sales and profitability, increase the human resource retention capabilities of the organization, which improves productivity, and attracting additional investors that helps in eliminating business takeover possibilities while increasing the market share. Ethical behaviour can also be said to be corporate social responsibility whose main function is to boost an organization’s image and reputation. In fact, an organization would achieve more when practicing ethically than it would when undertaking its practices unethically. This is because the contemporary world values businesses that value the environment and that protect the interests of the customers through provision of healthy products. Although at times, unethical practice may result in profit, it takes a shorter period of time before the investors start pulling out of the organization and the customers abandon the organization due to negative effect on the organization’s reputation (Ethical Behavior is Good Business, n.d). This causes extensive loss making and could lead to bankruptcy. This implies that the organization’s reputation is mainly sustained through ethical behaviour. Therefore, maintaining high principles of conduct is the best course of action for any organization so as to achieve its objectives ethically and to realize more benefits from the available

Piaget (Theorist Paper) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Piaget (Theorist ) - Research Paper Example The paper attempts to apply his theories in connection with my life and work with children. As a child, Piaget became interested in natural sciences. His observations on a rare species of albino sparrow (with pale and light skin) culminated into a paper that was published in hundreds of articles and books at the tender age of 11 years. Piaget received honorary awards from Oxford and Harvard and made numerous appearances in conferences related to childhood development and learning. Jean Piaget died at the age of 84 leaving behind countless works of publications on the theory and study of knowledge. Piaget’s Theory on Cognitive Development describes 4 major stages of development in a child (Knigga). Stages and their fundamental characteristics in a Child’s learning and brain development: Stage Characteristics Sensorimotor Stage (Birth – 2yrs) Â   A baby can demonstrate intelligent behavior before he/she is used to any kind of language. This stage is characterized by reflexes to a certain stimuli. Pre-Operational Stage (2yrs -7 yrs) This stage is characterized by logical thought processes. ’Animism’ is a characteristic feature of this particular stage. Concrete Operational Stage (7yrs -11 yrs) In the beginning of this stage, children’s ideas about different objects are formed by dominated effects of objects. Formal Operational Phase (11yrs -16yrs) This is the stage of child’s developing intelligence, initiating from the stage of adolescence. This stage is characterized by hypothetic reasoning and logical deduction. (Knigga) One of the traditional ways of establishing the theories of learning as enumerated by Piaget into our own lives is that it highlights the ways in which logical reasoning and skills change with development. The commonly studied applications in relation to a child’s development of skills or achievements (like achieving good grades in science or mathematics) can also be adjudged to the profi ciency of gaining logical reasoning skills. Another relevant aspect of the Piagetian theory is its constructiveness. When this theory is applied to social prejudices, the child’s social stereotype is unlikely to arise automatically out of those adults who are held close to the child in a specific environment. Therefore, the theory has the capacity to substantiate the constructive processes to strengthen the existing beliefs, even when counter-stereotypic information is encountered (Kail, 51-52). Piaget’s theory on ‘constructivism’ focuses on ‘how learning actually occurs’ in the growing years of a child and takes away the focus from the teachers (regarded only a facilitators or mediators) in the process of imparting education to a child. Exploring the various possibilities of the vast sphere of learning by children in the early stages of development is the crucial point of discussion in Piaget’s model of ‘Contructivism’. In most of Piaget’s work after 1940, the process of development of knowledge in a child was the prime focus of his investigation. i.e. the problem of development of knowledge. Social factors always played a pivotal role in shaping the child’s psychological build-up. Piaget always referred to social factors when he mentioned the social process of cognitive, imaginative, effective social and moral development. Piaget’s (1932/1965) extended description of socio-moral development was manifested as a movement from anomy (i.e., non-regulated by others or the self) to heteronomy (i.e.,

Effect of Oil Price on Kuwait Stock Market Index Dissertation

Effect of Oil Price on Kuwait Stock Market Index - Dissertation Example In any country, the fact of presence or absence of oil will always have an effect on the lives of the people because there are different values that people cannot overlook in the establishing of an economy of the country. Oil in many countries in the world is the idea behind industrialization and development of transport systems, which are important aspects of life of the lives of the people. For this reason, oil in any economy has a crucial role because it influences the productivity of the different companies and organisations greatly, either in direct or indirect ways. This essentially means that every country in the world depends on oil as a source of energy to that enhances their production and growth in different perspectives because its prices affects the amount of products a company can have. The analysis of the importance of change in oil prices on the stock market of any country is possible because stock markets depend on the industrialisation and various factors that influ ence the people. The research will focus on the Kuwait Stock Market Indices and it will seek to establish the relationships that exist between the two factors of the economy (Arouri, Jawadi, and Nguyen, 137). Kuwait as a producer of oil, industries in the country have ease of access of the product because it is availed to them through other refinery companies that operate within the country. However, the issue comes in when prices rise or fall because it influences the home and foreign companies.... In this research, there will be two hypotheses; null hypothesis, which will be that Kuwait stock market index, is not affected by change in oil prices and the alternate hypothesis will be that the Kuwait Stock market index is heavily affected by change in oil prices. The Scope of the research The research will be restricted to Kuwait stock market index but to enable a comparison, the research will review the literature of the some previous researches in other oil producing countries’ stock markets indices. The research will rely on that information from different research to come up with an objective view of the idea of the influence of oil prices on the Kuwait Stock Market. Research Objective To establish the relationship between the trend of oil prices and those of Kuwait stock market indices Significance of Study The research will be used to inform the factors that cause change in indices in the stock market and will be used to make recommendations on the various things tha t the government can implement so that they can prevent losses in the stock market. The findings of this research will be important to the investors who would like to invest or who have invested in the Kuwait Stock Markets because it will give them a means to predict the indices at different times of the year. The research will be important to different banking institutions because they will be able to understand the various effects of rending money to their customers so that they can ensure ease of repayments. Literature Review In any country, the fact of presence or absence of oil will always have an effect on the lives of the people because there are

Good Members of Society Essay Example for Free

Good Members of Society Essay Some people think that parents should teach children how to be good members of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this. Discuss both these views and give your opinion Education plays an important role in our lives for shaping us to become good members in society. Nowadays, both parents and schools actively take part in the process educating their children. While some people view that the parents are primarily responsible for teaching their children to become responsible members in society, others believe that it is the responsibility of the schools. However, in my opinion, both parents and schools have a role to play in guiding children in the right path for a peaceful society. Home is the first school and parents are first teachers of ours. Because during the childhood they teach us how to speak and behave to someone in society. Other way parents own behavior is also affect to their children and they get these easily while they are child. Then they are going to be formed how they see and hear. Subsequently children will show their experience to the others what they learn from their parents. That`s why parents must be careful while they are teaching their children because they are seriously responsible from their children. Although school is the best place for the children to learn and to be o good person. At school they meet with many people and do their activities together with their classmates. Children can learn how to act and have a good attitude. Teachers, except teaching many subjects they also teach to the children how to have o good behavior with their friends, parents or neighborhoods. That`s why, parents always have a big hope from school to help them for creating their children to be o good person. In my view I think that good parents are good teachers and both of them have their own role in our society.

Integrated Marketing Communications and Social media

Integrated Marketing Communications and Social media The research focuses on two important areas, Integrated Marketing Communications and Social media. However, before reviewing them, it is vital to understand the concepts behind Media and Marketing Communication in general. This would lay a foundation for understanding both the areas covered in the research. Then the real issues: Integrated Marketing Communications and Social media will be covered. 2.1.1 Media According to Harper (2001), the term media in communication can be defined as: The storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data. It is often referred to as synonymous with mass media or news media, but may refer to a single medium used to communicate any data for any purpose. Thus, any information transmission channels or tools used for delivering marketing messages to the audience can be referred to as media. Media is synonymously used with mass media or mass communication, which Dijk (2006) depicts as a type of communication using media to distribute sound, text, and images among an audience. Mass media is an old terminology, but starting from a single medium that is print in 1500s it has grown to incorporate vast types of mediums. Caspi (1993, cited in Wilzig Avagdor, 2004) provides a four stage model of media development: 1) Inauguration where the new medium is given much public attention; 2) Institutionalization where there is widespread public adoption and routinization of the new medium; 3) Defensiveness where the power is threatened by a new medium; and 4) Adaptation the fine line differentiating between old and new medium. Since the inception of first mass media, each new media has gone through these stages and has developed its place in the media environment. With every new emerging media, the previous mediums had to co-exist with the new one at the end. In his research on mass media, Ahonen (2008) specifies a 7th mass media which is mobile. This idea was proposed in 2006. Various media content like music, videogames, tv, news, social networking, internet services and above all advertising is migrating to mobile which is making it a dominant mass media. While discussing the previous mass mediums, Ahonen regards the initial five mass mediums as unidirectional and states that it was only after internet arrived that it acted as inherent threat to all previous mass mediums. This was because internet had certain features that its predecessors did not have like interactivity, search capability, and social networking (discussed in detail later in report) and it could offer all that its predecessors offered. Therefore, cannibalization started occurring with internet. Similarly with the advent of mobile, this medium too can offer what its six predecessors could offer: one can read news, magazines, listen to radio and podcasts, watch TV, movies, play video games and above all consume all content available on internet. To a greater extent it supercedes the interactivity of the web with email and instant messaging (IM). Therefore, mobile would inherently threaten the internet. The idea of mobile being the 7th mass media is supported by Moore (2007), where he states that the historic technology revolution is setting grounds for mobile as a mass media which supports greater reach. Unlike other mass mediums, which are losing their audiences and revenues, mobile like internet is interactive; enabling it to fully capitalize on social networking and digital communities. According to Moore, mobile is the only mass media that is carried by the owner at all times and therefore 100% accuracy is possible in measuring the audience. Therefore the above researches claim that the mass media of 2000s is mobile and as with every new media that erupts, it has the power to cannibalize but not replace the previous ones. 2.1.2 Marketing Communication Engel et. al., (1994 cited in Koekemoer Bird, 2004) defines marketing communication as: the collective activities, materials and media used by a marketer to inform or remind prospective customers about a particular product offering, and to attempt to persuade them to purchase or use it. Marketing communication is the use of the media to target customers and interact with them and the basic aim of this interaction is to deliver brand and marketing messages by the use of the most effective medium. There are various marketing communication tools available to a marketer. These include: selling, advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, public relations, sponsorship, exhibitions, packaging, point of sale and merchandising, word of mouth, e-marketing and corporate identity (Smith Taylor, 2004). The marketers may use different blends of these communication mix elements depending on the strategy they want to use, but the most effective communication happens when all the tools are used appropriately and synergistically (Koekemoer Bird, 2004). Moreover, it is important to note that marketing communication has over the years changed from being unidirectional to two-way, with the consumers being more demanding and conscious of choices (Koekomoer Bird, 2004). Therefore, it can be inferred that media is the channel and marketing communication is the use of these channels to direct marketing messages efficiently to target customers. The next sections would build on to these concepts and explain the two major areas of interest, Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) and Social Media. 2.2 Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) Social media is one of the many mediums that are used as IMC tools/components in designing any marketing mix. This section aims to describe the concept of IMC, its emergence and the changing trends in IMC composition (or the communication mix). 2.2.1. Defining IMC As per Kerr Patti (2002) Kerr et. al., (2008), IMC has been one of the most controversial areas of marketing education during the past decade. While many definitions of IMC have been put forth, agreement on the disciplines constructs remains unresolved. This is because IMC is a concept that still lacks rigorous theory according to IMC authors Cornelissen Lock (Kerr, et. al., 2008). One of the much agreed definitions of IMC and the one to be used/ assumed for this research would include that given by one of the first advocates of IMC concept, Don Schultz (2004, cited in Kerr, et. al., 2008): IMC is a strategic business process used to plan, develop, execute and evaluate coordinated, measurable, persuasive brand communication programmes over time with consumers, customers, prospects, and other targeted, relevant external and internal audiences. The key difference in this definition of IMC from that of simple Marketing Communication is highlighted by use of three words: i) strategic, ii) evaluate and iii) measurable. In essence, IMC enforces use of marketing communication mix in such a way that it is strategically designed to achieve certain objectives and is also measurable to enforce accountability over marketers. These elements are also stressed on by various IMC authors (Schultz, 1996; Duncan Caywood, 1996, cited in Kerr et. al., 2008), who believe that although concept of IMC is not new, but the fact that previously marketing communication was not coordinated strategically and strategy is now deemed critical, gives this concept a new look. Another definition of IMC given by a well known author on IMC literature, Kliatchko (2005, cited in Kerr, et. al., 2008) reflects the same concept. As per the author: IMC is the concept and process of strategically managing audience-focused, channel-centered and results-driven brand communication programmes over time. This definition is a bit more specific and along with strategy and accountability it emphasis specifically on communication being channel-centered and audience-focused. The common point, however, in almost every definition of IMC is the fact that it enforces accountability over marketers and hence more and more marketers feel the need of using mediums that offer better measures of performance. Also different modes of communication are now used strategically to compliment each other. Managing and coordinating the integration of companys communication across different media and channels is an important aspect of IMC. IMC does involve a process/plan aimed at providing cons istency and impact through integration of communication via different mediums (Larich Lynagh, 2009). Moreover, Kitchen and Schultz (1997, cited in Kitchen, 1999 p. 63) believe that integrated marketing communications has significant value for the organization, specifically in lowering costs and having greater control over the marketing communications program. This is supported by Duncan and Everett (1993, cited in Kitchen, 1999 p. 63) who extend the benefits to include gaining competitive advantage through IMC. It can be generalized that the idea of IMC used in above theories/definitions revolve around a 360 degree marketing communication programs for any of the brand that is strategically designed to achieve desired objectives. Hence, it would be fair to say that IMC includes all kind of communication programs that targeted for the same objective, regardless of the medium used, be it TV, Print, Radio, Street Marketing, Social Marketing, Internet Marketing, PR, Green Marketing, or any other thing. 2.2.2. Emergence of IMC and transformation by Marketing Agencies The world-renowned management guru Peter Drucker (1955, cited in Smith Taylor, 2004) believed that any business has only two basic functions: marketing and innovation. Even though it was said more than half a century ago, but it still applies in todays world; that all marketers should be mindful of the need to measure the effectiveness of all marketing activities. The world of marketing communication has moved from big budgets and little accountability to a more demanding marketing environment where every action has to be justified with proper quantification of benefits of the actions. Earlier, the various tools of marketing communication were regarded as separate functions and were handled by experts in the relevant area. This resulted in overall marketing communications being uncoordinated and inconsistent (Koekomore Bird, 2004). This was then solved with the move towards IMC in 1980s which emphasized coordination of all tools of marketing communication (Belch Belch, 2004). Before the emergence of IMC concept, marketing communications were a lot concentrated on very few mediums of communication but then it was evolution of media management structures in agencies that brought forward the segregation of media agency experience into a) Traditional Media b) New Media. Traditional media includes mediums like television, radio, magazine, newspaper, and other options that agencies had expertise on prior the media revolution in 1980s and 1990s. On the other hand, new media comprised of other mediums like interactive, buzz street marketing, direct response, electronic, and other areas that were adopted by agencies during 1980s and 1990s to make the communication a lot more competitive (Sasser, et. al., 2007). Many companies are now realizing that effectively communicating with customers and other stakeholders involves more than traditional marketing communication tools. Marketers as well as advertising agencies are using the IMC approach and have adopted a complete marketing communication solution, which includes use of both traditional and new media. This is because with the emergence of more technological formats, the audience is being less responsive to traditional methods and the traditional formats too have become fragmented and have started targe ting specific audience (Belch Belch, 2004). Lately one of the greatest influences of this change on media has been that of Information technology. This idea is supported by Kitchen (1999) who believes that it is only with more reliance on electronic technology that concepts like interaction and integration in marketing communication has become more main stream. This transformation over the years has been described by classification of marketplaces in three categories by Schultz (1998), who is a well known author on the area of IMC. According to him these categories are: a) Historical Marketplace, b) Current Marketplace; c) 21st Century Marketplace. In Historical Marketplace marketing organization mostly had information technology, in sense of having IT departments within the organizations. In the Current Marketplace (also the second marketplace), the Channel actually became a dominant force. This was because information technology, in the form of point-of-sale systems, scanners, retail data gathering resources and the like, had given the Channel more and greater information about the consumer and the marketplace than it was available to the Marketer. The third marketplace (the 21st Century Marketplace), are those of some organizations today, but mostly it is the marketplace of the future. It is, however, the 21st Century Marketplace that is expected to bring about the greatest changes. The first two marketplaces were focused on outbound communication systems, such is, not the case with 21st Century marketplace. The communication here would be interactive. These communications would not be controlled by marketer or communication agency but by the customer. Schultz (1996, cited in Kitchen, 1999 p. 63) warned that communication technology and wider technological evolution would continue to drive integrated marketing communication and the old models of communication like homogeneity must be rethought. Its worth noticing that almost all of the new media introduced after 1980s has been digital, e.g. Internet, Mobile, Podcasts etc. This is one good reason why New Media is often used interchangeably with Digital Media in theories. New Media is associated with characteristics like interactivity and electronic (Manovich, 2002 cited in Wardrip-Fruin Montfont, 2002) which actually imply digital technology. To sum up, it can be argued that change in media management structures and move towards 360 degree integrated communication is a result of more strategic and measurable approach by companies which is nothing but the adoption of IMC. Also the advent of new media has increased the challenge for marketers, giving them more options with limited budgets and yet enforcing accountability. But have these additional options made an impact or have changed the trends in overall composition of marketing communication? The next section attempts to explore the same. 2.2.3 IMC composition Changing trends Media has undergone an extensive phase of development in the last ten years. Marketers were previously focusing on promoting their product/service through traditional mediums like TV, Radio, Newspapers, however, now the future of marketers appears to be digital as technology has become an important part of daily lives (Pall McGrath, 2009). Concepts like convergence have come in to bring more versatility in the communication mediums being used. As per Jenkins (2006) who is a renowned author on the topic of media convergence, the term convergence is defined as: Convergence represents a paradigm shift a move from medium-specific content toward content that flows across multiple media channels, toward the increased interdependence of communications systems, toward multiple ways of accessing media content, and toward ever more complex relations between top-down corporate media and bottom-up participatory culture. The concept certainly talks about making the communication mix interdependent bringing in more integration and moving towards having multiple ways of accessing media, i.e. bringing in more versatility in the marketing mix by using a mix of traditional and new media. Moreover, it refers to the behavior of media audience as being migratory, i.e. shifting to the media that can provide them their desired experience. In such an environment, consumers are actively involved in seeking new information and make connections among dispersed media content. Convergence has played its parts in shifting the trends. In the 1990s the digital media revolution paradigm suggested that new media would push aside traditional media and that internet would displace television, and by convergence it was meant that old media would be absorbed fully in emerging new media. However, the convergence paradigm proposes that old and new media would interact in ever more complex ways. New media has paved way for convergence as it has broken barriers that were separating different mediums. Since the beginning, each old medium is forced to co-exist with the emerging media. The concept of convergence indicates that the old media is not being displaced, rather their functions and status are being changed with new media options (Jenkins, 2006). Media convergence is more than simply a technological shift altering the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets and audiences. The cell phone being a telecommunication device; also allows its users to play games, download information from the internet and receive and send photographs or text messages. These functions can be performed through other media appliances too. For instance; one can listen to The Dixie Chicks through a DVD player, car radio, walkman, computer MP3 files, a web radio station or a music cable channel (Jenkins, 2004). Convergence has brought dramatic changes in the media ownership and has increased media concentration. One such example is when News Corp, owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch made its first internet purchase and bought MySpace in 2005 (BBC News, 2005). This was because it had realized that significant amount of advertising dollars were being moved from traditional to internet. Yahoo bought social networking sites Flickr, Upcoming.org and del.icio.us to enable content sharing with friends and family (PWC, 2006). Similarly, Walt Disney has become a multimedia giant since last two decades and has acquired various different media companies. It now has several film studios, printing companies, magazines, radio stations, television networks, publishing companies, and cable TV networks. This is one of the classic examples of convergence by a media company (Folkerts Stephen, 2006). Focus of marketers towards concepts like convergence and IMC have already made an impact on consumption of traditional media. More worrisome for traditional operators, however, it is the fact that an entirely new media sector has emerged over the past decade with countless new players who are both unregulated and well-funded (Therier Eskelsen, 2008). Hence, some media agencies have witnessed a trend whereby new media is becoming regular part of communication mix. According to Nielsen Wire (2009), one of the top media trends for 2010 would be that companies would have to make optimization of media convergence their top priority. Therefore, it is vital that media companies become a part of this new paradigm shift where converging old mediums with new would be required for greater returns on their investment. 2.2.4. Factors that influence IMC composition There is certainly a change in the trend of IMC composition. This section tries to explore what are some of the possible factors that may influence the composition of IMC. Study by Sonia Livingstone and Moira Bovill (1999), answers the potential reasons for evolution of digital media over the years and these factors certainly impact the composition of marketing mix too. These include: Parental fear for outdoor activities: The parents and children often explicitly link restrictions on the childs access to the world outside to increase media use within the home. A lot of parents dont want their children to go out much and then this time is spent watching TV or surfing over the internet. Income lifestyle: The usage of media is directly linked to the income level of household and their lifestyle. Working women are likely to have children who will be media-rich users. Children in reconstituted families are particularly likely to have screen entertainment media (TVlinked games machines, gameboys, PCs and television sets) that are not to be found elsewhere in the house. Children from one-parent families are more likely to have less expensive items such as books, walkmans and radios. The rise of bedroom culture: This trend evolved in the early 1980s from the European countries, significantly booming the media-rich users, where children were given access to their private TVs, computers and other media. Absence of leisure activities boredom: People that do not have a lot of social activities, engage themselves with media. Also loners are more likely than all other groups to turn to television, videos and interactive media when they are in need of excitement. Appeal of enhanced experience: The technology is becoming more interactive with each passing year. Interactivity incorporates several dimensions which characterize the changing modes of involvement with media: the exchange of roles involved in a two-way interaction; the degree of user control and management of content and timing of the interaction; thus enhancing the experience. The factors described above focus on youth by and large and this is due to the fact that technology adoption has proven to start from youngsters, because they tend to be accustomed to the new trends and are the early adopters. 2.3 Social Media

Humorous Wedding Speech by an Old Friend of the Groom :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Humorous Wedding Speech by an Old Friend of the Groom Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen Let me first say that the bridesmaids look absolutely smashing today, and only rightly outshone by our bride, Pamela. And, I'm sure you'll agree with me gentlemen, today is a sad day for single men, as another beauty leaves the available list. And ladies, I'm sure you'll agree that today's passing by without much of a ripple. I've known Robert for the best part of twenty years and of course there are plenty of things I could tell you about what we got up to in our younger days. Unfortunately, I did consult my solicitor and he tells me that we could still face prosecution, so maybe I’ll keep things to a minimum†¦ and talk only about Robert’s positive attributes. And from time to time, Robert does exhibit some outstanding qualities of character which have earned the respect of so many of us gathered here today. He is generous to a fault – especially if it’s his own. He is exceptionally modest – although he has plenty to be modest about (or at least he did until Pamela became his girlfriend). And he is a man who always sticks by his convictions - he will remain in the wrong no matter how much he gets ridiculed for it. But perhaps Robert’s most enduring quality is his artful pillory of those about him. When on form, his wisecracks at the expense of others can be as withering to the subject as they are amusing to everyone else. Take the incident earlier today when he asked the vicar (preacher), ‘Do you charge for taking a church service?’ ‘Not a penny’ he replied. ‘From what I saw this morning, you’ve got it spot on!’ I am convinced Robert’s personality and sense of fun resulted from the games his dad played with him as a kid. He used to throw him in the air – and walk away. Needless to say, another good thing about Robert is that he can take a joke as well as. Mind you, so can Pamela, because she's taken Robert. Having been a first-hand observer of Robert for a long time I’ve seen other desirable virtues begin to emerge in him. He’s become quite entrepreneurial, and as a close friend of his I’ve been drawn into many of his wild schemes as an unwilling ally.

Censorship - Banning Books :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Literature has long been an important part of human life. We express our feelings with ink and paper; we spill out our souls on dried wood pulp. Writing has been form of release and enjoyment since the beginning of written language. You can tell a story, make yourself a hero. You can live out all your fantasies. You can explore all of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and share them with the outside world. But just because you can write, don't think you are uninhibited! It doesn't matter who you are. If you write a book, paper, or other work of choice, somebody is going to contest you. Some one isn't going to like what you have to say, and they will try to cause a stir. Don't try to deal with issues of racism, sexism, murder, sexuality, etc. That will only get you banned, barred, or burned. Controversy is a trigger for argument, so if you write about something controversial, people will have something to say about it. It doesn't matter whom the book was written for, about, or by. For example, you can't write about racism in America. We don't have any of THAT, do we!? I remember well my ex-boyfriend reading Of Mice and Men. It was required reading for his Senior English class. However, in the 1990's, this book was challenged and banned in many schools across the country. The book deals with a mentally challenged man who kills some one, and, in the end, is killed himself by his "best friend." And don't think the language was overlooked! All kids love the "Harry Potter" series. But they don't know that by reading it they are "indulging in sinful and Godless acts" or that these books are putting them on the fastest train to Hell. I own A Clockwork Orange, Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, Twelfth Night, and Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, all of which have been or are banned. What's going on here? The most frequently challenged and/or banned books in 2001 were: ? The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling, for its focus on wizardry and magic. ? Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, for using offensive language and being unsuited to age group. Censorship - Banning Books :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays Literature has long been an important part of human life. We express our feelings with ink and paper; we spill out our souls on dried wood pulp. Writing has been form of release and enjoyment since the beginning of written language. You can tell a story, make yourself a hero. You can live out all your fantasies. You can explore all of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and share them with the outside world. But just because you can write, don't think you are uninhibited! It doesn't matter who you are. If you write a book, paper, or other work of choice, somebody is going to contest you. Some one isn't going to like what you have to say, and they will try to cause a stir. Don't try to deal with issues of racism, sexism, murder, sexuality, etc. That will only get you banned, barred, or burned. Controversy is a trigger for argument, so if you write about something controversial, people will have something to say about it. It doesn't matter whom the book was written for, about, or by. For example, you can't write about racism in America. We don't have any of THAT, do we!? I remember well my ex-boyfriend reading Of Mice and Men. It was required reading for his Senior English class. However, in the 1990's, this book was challenged and banned in many schools across the country. The book deals with a mentally challenged man who kills some one, and, in the end, is killed himself by his "best friend." And don't think the language was overlooked! All kids love the "Harry Potter" series. But they don't know that by reading it they are "indulging in sinful and Godless acts" or that these books are putting them on the fastest train to Hell. I own A Clockwork Orange, Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, Twelfth Night, and Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, all of which have been or are banned. What's going on here? The most frequently challenged and/or banned books in 2001 were: ? The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling, for its focus on wizardry and magic. ? Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, for using offensive language and being unsuited to age group.

Kung Bushman Essay -- essays research papers

The !Kung Bushman Most contemporary foraging groups, such as the !Kung and other Bushman tribes, are viewed as a â€Å"primitive† people. Some have even gone as far to say that they are â€Å"the last representatives of the stone age.† While it is true that these people have the most similar culture to what we believe primitive persons to have had, the analogies they can provide us with the people of the past are very inaccurate. These comparisons are so unrivaled due to factors such as time and the wrong sense of view many people have on them. Another reason that we cannot compare the !Kung of today to the people of the past is because they are now advancing in society with the use of technology. I believe that the !Kung tribe is not comparable to the early people of their culture and that they are just the same as us minus our technology, which in no way makes them ‘primitive’ people. First of all, every culture varies in traditions over time. According to Shostak, it is t rue that the !Kung people still have traditions that have been passed down for hundreds of generations such as their poison arrows, their trance ritual, their wide knowledge of over five hundred species of plants and animals—knowing which are edible, harmful, cosmetic, and medical. Who are we to say that these traditions have not been altered in the past ten thousand years? Howell declares that the !Kung were a very studied group including their language, culture, and economic organization. Although they have been extensively studied, Howell also proclaims, â€Å"It is surely illegitimate to use them as though they are the prototypical hunter-gatherers, knowledge of whom tells us all we need to know in order to apply the ethnographic analogy to models of prehistoric life.† Wild, maniac, unsophisticated, uneducated, vulgar†¦these are all words that come to mind when I think of prehistoric or primitive. Obviously the !Kung tribe have grown with the rest of society. How are we to say what the differences of prehistoric life was to the modern day !Kung tribes? Human error would play a huge role in our â€Å"assumptions† of the !Kung. For example, we might turn around to be just as wrong as the article of the Nacirema. Obviously, there is already a misconception about the bushman. For example, in McNeil’s essay, he comments on how a woman was speaking to a bushman and demanded to see one. When he explained ... ...† The bushman are pretending to be people they are not, giving the tourists what they want. This also gives tourists the wrong impression and significantly aids in the ignorance of the !Kung. This would be devastating to their culture. Culture, after all, is associated with the changes a society goes through over time. If these ‘prisons’ were to be set up, the culture would be forced and therefore in no way a comparison to early persons. Obviously, the !Kung have a very unique culture compared to how we live our lives. They in no way, however, represent what the culture of early persons to have. They have their own culture, unique to their society, and like ours†¦ever changing. What most people consider â€Å"primitive† is an ethnocentric remark to the difference of their culture to ours. The !Kung just have their very own technology, which is very efficient seeing that they survived this long. Due to time, ignorance, and the bushman’s leanin g towards our methods, they in no way can be compared to early people by means of their culture. The !Kung Bushmen are living their own lives now, in the present, therefore they can be in no way considered ‘people of the past.’ Word Count: 1024

What Really Caused the American Revolution

Historians have argued about the many possibilities of why the American Revolution occurred. The reason for this is that the main cause of the revolution caused other supposedly â€Å"causes of the revolution†. The most basic simplest cause of the American Revolution is merely the fact that distance weakens authority; greater distance weakens authority even more greatly. Separation from the â€Å"child† nation (Thirteen Colonies) from its mother country (Great Britain) was inevitable.During the Seven Years’ War Britain thought the colonies were acting obnoxious and were the cause of the Seven Years’ War because the war started in America. Once it tried to regain control Britain was shocked when it saw that they were losing grasp of their thirteen colonies and saw their child was growing up into an adolescent. America wasn’t really looking for independence they sought only to claim the â€Å"rights of Englishmen†, though collisions between two different views of empire came between the American colonies and their mother country; also Americans were steadily moving toward a more self-gover nment.But there were also those other supposedly â€Å"causes of the revolution† that occurred. A way Britain tried to gain back control and the ? 140 million they were in debt for defending the American colonies, imposed Navigation laws which meant that all commerce flowing to and from the colonies would be transported only in British vessels. Then there were the taxes, one which made the American colonists irate was the Stamp Act of 1765.Prime Minister George Grenville was resentful of the colonies and ordered British navy to begin enforcing the navigation laws more strictly and secured from Parliament the Sugar Act of 1764, raised duty on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies, and was the first law ever passed for raising tax revenue in the colonies for the crown. Then there was the Quartering Act of 1765, required certa in colonies to provide food and quarters for British troops. The Stamp Act of 1765 mandated the use of stamped paper or the affixing of stamps, certifying payment of tax.These stamps were required on bills of sale for about fifty trade items, certain types of commercial and legal documents, including playing cards, pamphlets, newspapers, diplomas, bills of lading, and marriage licenses. Even though the Americans weren’t being taxed as much as British people they were still outraged, they felt Grenville’s noxious legislation jeopardized the basic rights of the colonists as Englishmen. Angry American throats raised the cry â€Å"No taxation without representation! They conceded the right of Parliament to legislate about matters that affected the entire empire; they steadfastly denied the right of Parliament to impose taxes on Americans. Only their own elected colonial legislatures could legally tax them. Grenville dismissed these American protests and asserted in any ca se the Americans were represented in Parliament. He claimed that every member of Parliament represented all British subjects, even those Americans in Boston or Charleston who had never voted for a member of parliament this theory is known as â€Å"virtual representation†.The Americans didn’t like this idea at all, and truthfully didn’t really want any direct representation in Parliament. Colonists clung to no taxation without representation. Benjamin Franklin, then in London as a prominent colonial agent testified before a committee of the House of Commons. He answered varies questions very brilliantly. He pointed out that if a military force would be sent to America nobody would be found in arms â€Å"what are they then to do? They cannot force a man to take stamps who chooses to do without them. They will not find a rebellion: they may indeed make one. Colonial outcries against the detested stamp tax took various forms. The Stamp Act Congress of 1765 it was o ne more halting but significant step toward intercolonial unity. More effective was the Nonimportation Agreements against British goods. Some violence accompanied colonial protests, two groups called Sons of Liberty and Daughters of Liberty took the law into their own hands. They enforced the nonimportation agreements against violators, often they would tar and feather them, and ransacked houses of unpopular officials.About one-half of British shipping was devoted to American trade, merchants, manufacturers, and shippers suffered because of the nonimportation agreements. After a tempestuous debate Parliament repealed the Stamp Act. â€Å"Champagne Charley† Townshend could deliver the most dazzling speeches even while drunk. He persuaded Parliament to pass the Townshend Acts in 1767; most important of these new regulations was a light import duty on glass, white lead, paper, paint, and tea. He made them an indirect customs duty payable at American ports. But Americans still we ren’t fond of this and found it no different than the Stamp Act.They still were taxes and without representation. Americans found the tax on tea more irksome because an estimated 1 million people drank the beverage twice a day. The colonists once again tried the nonimportation agreements but proved to be less effective than the ones against the Stamp Act. They still took the tax less seriously mainly because it was light and indirect. Moreover they found they could smuggle the tea at a cheap price. British officials sent two regiments of troops to Boston. Many colonists felt resentment against the presence of the soldiers and taunted them unmercifully.On March 5, 1770 a crowd of about 60 townspeople attacked a crew of about ten redcoats. And without any rationalization and without orders opened fire and killed or wounded eleven â€Å"innocent† citizens. Though the redcoats only acted this way because they were under extreme provocation, one of them was hit by a club an d another was knocked down. Rebellion was still inevitable by 1773, nonimportation was weakening, and the colonists were reluctantly paying the tea tax because the legal tea was cheaper than the smuggled tea it was even cheaper than the tea in England.The British East India Company was going bankrupt because of the 17 million pounds of unsold tea. The London government would collapse and lose tax revenue very heavily. So the ministry helped the company by giving it complete control of the American tea business. Americans were outraged and felt as if they were being tricked. In Philadelphia and New York mass demonstrations forced tea-bearing ships to return to England with their cargo holds still full. The most memorable of this doing was in Boston, Massachusetts.Thomas Hutchinson, governor of Massachusetts had already felt the fury of the angry mob, when Stamp Act protestors had destroyed his home. Though he still ordered the tea ships not to leave Boston until all its cargo was unl oaded. Infuriated Bostonians disguised as Indians boarded on the ships and smashed open 342 chests of tea and dumped it into the Boston harbor. Parliament responded to the Boston Tea Party immediately. In 1774 series of acts were made. Americans called them â€Å"the massacre of American Liberty† by others as the â€Å"Intolerable Acts†, many of the chartered rights of colonial Massachusetts were swept away.And with the â€Å"Intolerable Acts† came the Quebec Act, both passed at the same time. American saw this act especially noxious, it seemed to set a dangerous precedent in America against jury trials and popular assemblies. Land speculators became alarmed; anti-Catholics became distressed to see a huge trans-Allegheny area snatched from them. All these supposedly â€Å"causes of the revolution† abraded the Americans, they were fed up so they came to a summoning of a Continental Congress in 1774.The congress came up with several dignified papers includi ng the Declaration of Rights, and appeals to other British American colonies to the king and British people. Though they weren’t looking for independence and sought merely to repeal the offensive legislation and return to the happy days before parliamentary taxation, when they were left alone. If these colonial grievances weren’t taken to consideration the Congress was to meet again. And evidently they weren’t, slowly war would creep up behind them. The British and the Americans now teetered on the brink of all-out warfare. Thus the American Revolution.

Moral, Social, and Political Philosophy Comparison Essay

Philosophy is a vast subject area to talk about. It is already known that philosophy involves the way people think about different things and how we questions things around us. The primary goal of philosophy is to obtain knowledge. To get and understanding of knowledge and question knowledge is what philosophy is all about. Philosophy has been studied by philosophers for years and every philosopher has his or her own take on what philosophy means to them. Sometimes there are agreements and sometimes there are disagreements within the philosophy community but with the debates being raised goes the rise to the knowledge that exists in philosophy. Through studies and debates philosophers have found that there are many different types of philosophy. Three very important types of philosophy are moral, social, and political philosophy. These three philosophy types are examined over and over by many philosophers. There is a lot of insight that can be learned by all three philosophy types. To get a more insight into moral, social and political philosophy one must compare and contrast the differences and similarities in the three types. Moral philosophy is the philosophical study of moral judgments- value judgments about what is virtuous or base, just or injust, morally right or wrong, morally good or bad or evil, ,morally improper or proper. (Moore-Bruder, 2005) For example, if you see an older lady with a lot of groceries in her hand then one would say it would be morally right to help the woman with her groceries. So it would be morally right to help those that are in need of help. Many philosophers study this type of moral philosophy. Asking questions about what makes something wrong or right morally. There are also three different ideas about morals which are skepticism, relativism, and subjectivism. Skepticism would be when people feel that having moral knowledge is not humanly possible. Basically we do not know what moral standards are. This means that any thing goes and there is no right or wrong belief. Relativism is the fact that different cultures have different beliefs and have differences on what is morally right or wrong. Subjectivist basically is what is right or wrong depending on what you might believe as an individual person. Within moral philosophy there is also the use of egoism which is putting your self-interest in front of everything else. The pursuit of pleasure is hedonism. (Moore-Bruder, 2005) Knowing how to seek put pleasure and embracing it is a description of this type of moral philosophy. There is also what is called social philosophy which goes hand in hand with moral philosophy. In social philosophy we bring up questions about social behavior. Basically how is the behavior of a person in different social settings? The legitimacy of different laws socially and the breakdown of revolution. There is the break down of social questions when it comes to things like demographics, culture, and science. Social philosophy helps with understanding changes and different patterns within societies. Then you have what is called political philosophy. This means finding the best form of political existence. (Moore-Bruder, 2005) It helps give an understanding to the nature of political relationships and also authority. This means that there are questions rose like â€Å"How do you determine whether someone is to go to jail or pay a fine? Such questions like that tap into the political environment of philosophy. In political philosophy it is said that the philosopher Aristotle was an ethical naturalist and because of that he was sometimes viewed as the source of natural law political theory. (Moore-Bruder, 2005) That means that there a questions are answered through natural law which is suppose to determine right or wrong. In political philosophy there are four kinds of law which are eternal law, divine law, natural law, and human law. Now eternal law is the idea that God rules over everything and divine law puts people in the direction of his or her supernatural goal which is eternal joy. Natural law is the eternal law God which could be described as happiness on earth or the natural goal of man. Last, human law is the laws that are made through the thoughts and ideas of man. These all show different aspects of political philosophy. Different rights one would have come along the lines of political philosophy. In conclusion, the depth of philosophy goes far beyond each of our understanding and that is why studying the different aspects of philosophy gives those better insights into things that are questioned. Moral philosophy deals with what is morally right or wrong in different individual’s eyes. Social philosophy deals with the social aspect of questioning social ideas and changes. Whether it is laws, science, culture, or demographics, these ideas can bring forth socially motivated questions. Last, political philosophy deals with the different political questions of what is right and wrong and how we determine this through political questioning. All three of these political philosophies are dissected through constant study and debate on what is really the basis of philosophy. Reference:Moore, B. N. , & Bruder, K. (2005(. Philosophy: The Power of Ideas (6th ed. ). Boston: McGraw-Hill (Packaged with PowerWeb). Retrieved: January 14, 2009.

Planarian Behavior Essay

Planaria belong to the class Turbella of the phylum Platyhelminthes. This paper depicts the behavioral reaction of Planarians to a variety of settings and compounds to better understand this particular Platyhelminthes. With a plastic syringe, it is possible to extract a sample of planaria, place into a Petri dish with enough freshwater and observe under a laboratory provided microscope. While on the microscope platform, expose your sample to light and darkness to notice the patterns of locomotion and movement throughout the conditioning tray. Probe the individuals with an object to spot any type of distinct change in response, negative or positive. Tap the side and surroundings of the dish to notice if there is any different adjustment in movement. Add sound to surrounding, noting any alter. Obtain a second sample, labeled separately, and use one dish to apply Hydrochloric Acid and the other to salt (NaCl) water. Note: Only using minimal amount or as needed. Using the tools provided, cut an individual in half to discover if the subject dies or survives. In conclusion, the Planarian makes it choice by moving towards the darkened areas, favorably. When applied to light, the individuals fled towards the edge. Any sudden object, sound, or altering didn’t affect the objects intentions. After five drops of 6 mol HCl (aq), the sample died of very quickly; however, five drops of 6 mol NaCl (aq) did not kill off near as quick. It was applied directly to the conditioning trays. Introduction Members of the phylum Platyhelminthes have a worm-like shape. The Platyhelminth has a bilateral symmetry and meets any provided situation in an â€Å"aggressive, head-on approach. Cephalization, a specialism of the anterior end of the animal, can be depicted in the gathering of sensory arrangement and cluster of nerves, also known as the ganglia or its brain, in the head region. Many of the behaviors you will see are associated to increases in mobility, higher activity, and general increase in responsiveness† (Collins, Harker 1999). Most planarians are free-living and common in freshwater environments, also found in marine and terrestrial places. Two ventral nerve cords run the length of the body. Located in the anterior end are two eyespots which possess photoreceptors to detect any form of light. Normally, a planarian contains a gastrovascular cavity that provides space for digestion tracts and the circulation of nutrient throughout the body. The mouth is located on the ventral end, which is the site for both food digestion and/or the release of bodily wastes. â€Å"Planarians are able to regenerate from essentially any type of injury and present a novel system for the study of wound responses in regeneration initiation. Planarian regeneration requires adult stem cells called neoblasts and amputation triggers two peaks in neoblast mitoses early in regeneration† (Wenemoser, Reddien 2010). Planarians are highly recognizable due to their ability to regenerate from the smallest body part. Typically vary in color from grey, brown or black. They seemingly move about on the bottom of rocks or submerged vegetation. Many are negatively phototactic, which simply means they shy away from any form of light fixture. Each worm has both male and female reproducing organs; however, they are monoecious in that they are not self-fertilizing. The most common form is asexual. They appear for function mainly as osmoregulation, the control of the levels of water and mineral salts in the blood. Planarians must constantly eliminate excess water and are carnivores that feed primarily on protozoans and other small animals. What is a Planarians reaction to a light fixture or exposed directly? Does it affect them in any way? What is the difference in responses from light and darkness? By inserting objects to the planarians path, does it alter their behavior? What about exposing them to sound or movement? Does making the water more acidic or basic affect the health and/or behavioral responses? Which is more likely to kill or harm the sample individuals? What are some distinct or unique characteristics definite in the planarian body structure that can be easily observed from a laboratory microscope? Do the individual samples favor any tests performed over the opposite stimulus? What could cause the planarians to move the way they are observed? I feel that given the ecological surroundings the planarian can be discovered, I imagine that the exposure of light will overwhelm the samples tolerance since they become adapt to living underneath rocks, plants, and other submerged vegetation in marine and freshwater environments. Inserting objects would just be like adding an obstacle course, so I’m predicting they would maneuver and meander around the objects. Acid always seems to be, in most cases, more harmful than any bases or salt compounds, for this test I will be assuming the 6 mol HCl will dramatically harm, if not kill, any planarian currently living about the conditioning tray. After the 6 mol NaCl is added to the Petri dish, I’m sure it will have an effect on them to an extent, seeing that some Planaria are capable of living in marine waters. Due to the fact that every piece of evidence available via text or online source, many testimonies have been provided that planarian individuals favor shaded as opposed to exposed areas of sun light or artificial light sources. Right away it will be easily distinguishable as to which technique will provide the most responsiveness to behavior. I don’t feel that creating any type of sound or movement that could be applied directly to the sample will alter or change the reaction of the planarians provided, since they are encompassed inside containers near such activities no matter what or where they are designated to be. I feel the most advantageous examinations will be the light versus dark and adding chemical compound to the already steady pH water provided. Materials and Methods Materials that were included in this lab include at least nine individual planarians, one metric ruler, two probing tools, one laboratory scanning microscope, three Petri dishes and lids or watch glasses, a vile of 6 mol HCl, a vile of 6 mol NaCl, a plastic pipette, one pen and/or permanent marker, and one lab notebook. Other things that could be used include a thermometer and a magnifying glass. With a dropper, we transferred planarian from the culture dish to a Petri dish and were sure to add enough water so that animal could glide freely over a small area of the dish. Next, we drew and labeled the ventral nerve cords, pharynx, eyespots, ganglia and gastrovascular cavity (see Figure 1 to identify these particular structures). To perform this experiment, we placed a petry glass on the stage of the microscope to view through the scanning lens. First, measurements were taken to note the length of the various planaria. By turning the light fixture on and off, we recorded any and all movement. Then with the three planaria, we used the probing tools to cut the planaria in half and used three of the halves that were left to observe any form of regeneration in the water provided. The other three were placed to regenerate in a separate petry dish to ensure they did not mix together. Of the remaining six planaria, we placed three in separate petry glasses. One of the glasses was used to add five drops of 6 mol HCl and the remaining petry glass was used to add five drops of 6 mol NaCl. After applying the chemicals to the water, one at a time in order for accurate and precise recording, we noted any changes in mobility, reactions, color, and/or functions. Added obstacles to the paths of some of the planarian and slowly tilted the glass back and forth to create water flow and movement. This was to ensure we created or reenacted any type of ecosystem the planaria may exist in to allow for maximum behavioral responses to different scenarios. This allowed for the most of the laboratory experiment and the more tests performed provide more precise results. Results After placing three planarians into a single petry dish, I placed the watch glass onto the stage of the microscope to first indentify body structures, organs, and gain knowledge into the ‘normal’ behavior of a single planaria. Using the metric ruler, I was able to establish the average length of the planaria to be 10 mm in length. As the light fixture remained off, I took notice that all of the planarians in the glass performed and acted in similar ways. They were free-moving, covering all surface provided within the water. After turning the lighting fixture on, each planarian scurried towards the water’s edge only to be trapped within the area provided. It appeared to me as if they were trying to evade the light in search of a more suitable and sustainable environment. Next, I used the probing tool to create an obstacle to see if they reacted any different to a new placement. Unfortunately, that was not the case; they simply went around or avoided it all together. As I came towards the adding chemicals section of the experiment, I used the tool to cut the planarian in half, to prove the theory of regeneration. The anterior end went about as if it was barely affected; however, the posterior end was quite the opposite, yet it still possessed signs of life and locomotion to an extent. Then I went ahead and used the remaining six planarian to test for any type of ability to survival when introduced to hydrochloric acid and salt water. After separating the samples into even numbered dishes, I first applied five drops of six molar HCl to the first sample. This almost simultaneously killed all of the living organisms within the dish. Next, I placed the same amount of six molar NaCl to the last dish; however this reaction was much different. After directly applying the salt water, the planaria seemed to behave abnormal, increasing they movement and livelihood. I was surprised that it didn’t kill them off as the hydrochloric acid did. It was almost as if they began to adapt or tolerate the new conditions. My only thought was that since a small percentage live in marine ecosystems, they are able to live in such conditions to an extent or within a certain limit. To my surprise they managed to live throughout the entire procedure. See Table 1 and 2 Discussions Exposing the planaria to light went as anticipated. Before the lab even began, it was very evident that these organisms were more prone to darkness; hence the reason for finding them on the underside of submerged items. â€Å"Most planarians are also light-sensitive and in some, pigmented light-sensitive cells are clumped in two cups that serve as primitive eyes† ( Kobayashi 2008). The one thing that caught my eye was how quick they were to avoid and almost escape the direct light, was as if they were in grave danger. I was rather intrigued to discover that although these animals are able to regenerate, I still was having a hard time believing they would still live for reasons of doubt; but after separating the body parts into halves, it reminded me much of an earth worm. When you go to capture an earthworm from the ground, and you accidentally break them or rip them into halves, each halve squirms away as almost if unharmed or phased. The placing of obstacles came to no surprise. Just as for any living organism, if it comes across an object in its path, the organism finds other means of getting around or avoiding all together. If it didn’t suit the planarian, it moved on. When adding the hydrochloric acid, I could only think one thing. If acid was applied to our skin or in great quantities in our ecosystem, we are exposed to a very harmful substance and more often times than not cannot tolerate a highly exposure rate. As I began to reach the final drop of acid into the dish, the organisms inside already began to show signs of death or nearing the end of life all together. The sodium chloride, however, was a different story. I didn’t really know what to expect. It could have went one of two ways, either erratically change the behavior and response to such chemicals or merely phase them at all. Much like the HCl, they weren’t used to such components and surely didn’t accept it; but even after adding all of the substance, it seemed as if the planaria were able to still find ways to adapt or tolerate expose to it. Unlike the HCl, they were able to survive. Consluion The results did prove my hypothesis correct. The planarians behavior response to light was vastly affected to the amount of exposure to direct light. There was an increase in mobility, higher activity, and general increase in responsiveness when any form of light was applied to the sample. Adding obstacles didn’t take much affect on the individuals, it simply just made an inconvenience and planned around it. By introducing hydrochloric acid and sodium chloride, it created a whole new means of survival of the fittest. The hydrochloric acid instantly killed off all the planarian exposed to the chemical, much like I predicted. The sodium chloride almost seemed as if it left the sample unharmed. In conclusion, there are several things I would also have included to this experiment for more discoveries. Things such as increase or decrease in water temperature, measuring the temperature at given times to note any changes in response to the change. Also, maybe adding other types of aqueous solutions to the mix, or perhaps compound that would change the performance of the viewed planarian, such as caffeine.