Common Ground on Child Beauty Pageants Essay Example for Free

Common Ground on Child Beauty Pageants Essay I’m sure you all have seen the TV show â€Å"Toddlers in Tiaras.† It is a show about young children competing in beauty pageants to win a place in a higher ranked pageant, money, and the ownership of a winning title. Many people think differently about the show and the pageants. Some are all for the pageants and some are against them. People who are against the pageants complain that they should be eliminated because they exploit children and place them in harm’s way. They claim because of major dangers; no one under the age of eighteen should be placed in a beauty pageant. The children who are in the pageants are dressed up in adult’s clothing, have piles of make up on, and are harming their bodies. They are harming their bodies by putting the make up on and tanning. By putting make up on at such young of an age, their face ages faster. By tanning, they begin to get that urge that some adults have to tan, which makes their skin age and have wrinkles early. It also puts them at the risk of having skin cancer at an early age. They say it also appeals the children to sexual predators. When a child is half naked on stage and sometimes on TV, these sexual predators see them and may even try to meet them. Sexual predators are only part of the problem. Studies show that every child who may benefit from the competition, hundreds of others suffer damage to their self-esteem and have warped self-vision of themselves and their bodies. Many times, they use JonBenet, a young child who competed in these pageants at the age of six. She was murdered in the basement of her home by a sexual predator. The suspect claimed he became aware of her by the pageants being on television. People who are for the pageants and the TV shows claim that it brings their children fame and confidence. When a child has worked hard on a routine and they get on stage and accomplish it, there is no better reward than the applause and praise from the audience and family. Some also say that the tanning and make up does not harm their skin, it just makes them feel prettier. Someone once told me that when a person looks at themselves in the mirror, and they have their hair and make-up done, they feel better about themselves. That is what many moms claim their children feel whenever they have their make-up done, outfits on, and hair done. Moms of pageant children say that when their child has worked hard, and they have their name called on stage for a winning title, there is no happier feeling. They have worked and accomplished their goal. Call it what you want, but people have their own opinions. Some people think pageants hurt a child, and some think they help a child. Both of them could be right, depending on the child’s standpoint. If a child’s dream is to be in pageants, I would let that child fulfill their dream. What would you do? Works Cited Page Hilboldt-Stolley, Lise. Pretty Babies. Good Housekeeping 228.2 (1999): 102. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

The effect of concentration of sugar on osmotic activity

The effect of concentration of sugar on osmotic activity Scientific Theory: Osmosis is defined as the movement of water molecules through a semi- permeable membrane from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until a state of equilibrium is reached. Equilibrium is reached once enough water has moved to balance the solute concentration on both sides of the membrane. Semi-permeable membranes let small molecules such as water and oxygen to travel through it but large molecules such as proteins are prevented from going through it as it is only partially permeable. Osmosis occurs across a partially permeable membrane whenever there is a difference between the water concentrations on the two sides of the membrane. When this happens to the cells they will either become turgid if water flows into them, or flaccid if water flows out of them. In this diagram the membrane separates pure water from a solution of sucrose and water. The membrane is semi permeable, water molecules can cross it but the sucrose molecules are too large. The water solution will move from a lower concentration of solutes to one with a higher concentration of solutes. A solution with pure solutes has more molecules that are free to move about and follow their concentration gradient across the membrane; as a result there will be net movement of water across this membrane from left to right (shown by the yellow arrows on diagram above). Sugar solution has a low water potential (not many water molecules).The water potential in the solution would be lower than that in the potato cell so the net movement of water will move out of the potato through its membrane into the sugar solution and so the potatos mass will decrease. The opposite happens in water where the water potential is much higher than in the potato (almost 0). Here the net movement of water will move into the potato in order to reaching equilibrium and so the weight of the potato increases. AIM: To investigate the effect of varying concentration of a certain sugar solution on the amount of osmotic activity between the solution and two vegetables (potato and sweet potato) of the same mass. To investigate if the additional glucose in sweet potato has an effect on its mass compared to the normal potato. Preliminary work: Before I start to carry out an experiment to investigate my aim, I am going to conduct a simple experiment to verify my knowledge of osmosis. Doing this experiment will also help me to improve my main experiment. Plan: For my preliminary experiment I will be using three different solutions: sugar solution, pure water, a solution consisting of 50% water and 50% sugar solution. I will also be using potato chips which are all equal in mass. A cork borer will be used to cut out 3 potato cylinders, the mass of the potato cylinders will be Measured to make sure that they are equal in weight. Then the mass of each of the potato chip will be recorded. Next 3 measuring tubes will be placed on a test tube rack. Using a measuring cylinder tube 20ml of water, sugar solution and the solution consisting of 50% water and 50% sugar solution will be measured out and put into three different test tubes. In order to avoid any mix ups each test tube will be clearly labelled. One potato chip will be placed in each solution and left for half an hour. Afterwards the potatoes will be taken out of the solutions and their masses will be measured and recorded. Results: Starting mass (g) Mass after (g) Difference (g) Percent difference 100% Water 0.48 0.55 0.07 + 6% 50% Water and 50% sugar 0.46 0.43 +0.03 -14% 100 % Sugar 0.47 0.36 +0.11 -23% Diagram: Analysis: From the results that I have obtained, I can see a negative correlation between the concentration of the sugar in the solution and the mass of the potato chip at the end of the experiment. While the solution containing 100% sugar decreased in mass by 0.11g and the solution containing 50% sugar decreased in mass by 0.03g, the solution that contained 0% sugar increased in mass by 0.07g. This shows that in the two solutions containing sugar the mass decreased because water molecules moved out of the potato chips into the solution. The opposite happened with the water solution; water moved from the solution into the potato chip. Overall I was please with the results as they agreed with what I have already learned about osmosis. The results that I got also showed trends that could later be expanded in my main e experiment. Changes: Over all my preliminary experiment was a success and the results I obtained were precise and useful. However for my main experiment I am going to make some improvements so that I can get the best possible results. Firstly I am going to experiment with sweet potato chips as well as potato chips because I would like to investigate if the additional glucose in the sweet potato has an effect on its mass. In addition I am going to be using a wider selection of sugar concentrations in order to collect a larger quantity of accurate results. I am going to use water and 4 other concentrations. This will enable me to write a conclusion that is more accurate. In my preliminary experiment I only did the experiment once. I am going to repeat my main experiment three times, by doing so I will gain more confidence in my results as they will be more reliable. By repeating the experiment I will be able to identify any anomalies. Further more in my preliminary experiment I could not take the potato ch ips out of the solutions at the same time. I also encountered this problem when putting the potato chips into the solutions. For my main experiment I am going to overcome this problem by asking a few of my associates to help me put the potato chips into the solution and take them out at the same time. This will make my results more accurate and fair. Main Experiment Prediction: I predict that for the potato chip in water the mass will increase because water has a higher water potential than the potato chip so water molecules will move from the water into the potato chip, causing it to increase in weight. The opposite happens with sugar solution because sugar solution has low water potential so water molecules will move out of the potato chip into the sugar solution. Thus I predict that as the concentration of sugar in the solution increases the mass of the potato cylinders will decrease. I would expect sweet potatoes to have a lower water potential (not many water molecule) than normal potatoes, because they are sweet and therefore must have contain sugar. Hence for the sweet potato chips I predict that at first the mass of the sweet potato will increase but, as the concentration of sugar in the solution increases past the isotonic point the mass of the potato cylinders will decrease. I predict that the graphs for the both the vegetables will be similar.My prediction can be demonstrated in the following graphs: Sweet Potato Potato Safety: While I carry out this experiment, it is important to consider safety. Lack of safety in science labs can not only endanger me and my fellow class mates but can also produce poor and useless results. Following safety procedures protects the lab, its people and the environment. Safe labs also help produce effective results. These are the safety measures I took: All bags were kept well away from the area of work so that no pathways were being obstructed and the risk of someone tripping over was reduced. All stools were tucked in under the tables in order to avoid a passer-by tripping over. Both this point and the one above can prove to be fatal if the victim is holding any dangerous equipment e.g. Scalpel, acid etc. It can also cause spills. Loose hair was tied up; sleeves rolled up and head scarfs tucked away. Hair and clothing can get in the way while working. It is also dangerous and can cause spills, ruin experiments and even potentially harm me or others around me. No earphones, scarves or jewellery was worn as these can catch on equipment and cause spill or damages. Safely glasses were worn at all times to ensure our eyes were protected from and potential danger. It was made sure that the work area was clear of any unnecessary items such as reading books and folders as these can get in the way and cause accidents. Working quietly and carefully. Talking unnecessarily can be a distraction to me and others around me, when distracted it is easier to make mistakes that can not only be dangerous but can also affect my results. Chipped and cracked glass wear was not used as this could break more easily if handled a lot and create a mess. It can also cause injuries. Extreme care was taken when using equipment made of glass e.g. test tubes. Eating and drinking in the labs is forbidden as the food may come into contact with some harmful substance. This could be unsafe for the consumer. When using knifes a non-slip surface was used to cut on so that no one was injured. After finishing the experiments, I washed my hands because my hands could be contaminated with chemicals, even if they were not used by me. All equipment was safely stored away after use as leaving unwanted equipment around can cause accidents and get in the way. Accuracy and Reliability There are the tasks, which I undertook to ensure reliable and precise results were produced. To eliminate all possibilities of faulty errors; I repeated my experiment three times. In addition, I had no less than 5 different concentrations, so I obtained adequate results. In order to increase the reliability of the results, I found more precise values of mass by using an Electronic balance. When measuring the potato and sweet potato cylinders, I waited for at least 10 seconds to ensure that the figure displayed on the digital scale was not flicking. If any readings seemed anomalous, I took an additional reading just to be sure. I collaboratively, with the help of 3 other members, measured the mass of the potato and sweet potato cylinders individually. This gave more reliable results as the masses of all the potato cylinders were measured about the same time. I used pieces from the same potato and sweet potato for each of the 5 pieces in each test. I used exactly the same method for each test to make the comparison much more reliable. Equipment Goggles: These were worn for safety reasons to avoid anything from coming into contact with the eyes. Electronic balance: I used this apparatus to measure the mass of the potato and sweet potato cylinders before and after they were put in their molar solutions. Electronic balances are also more accurate that normal balances. Test tubes: These were used to hold the molar solution and the potato/ sweet potato cylinder for each molar solution for every experiment and test. Healthy potatoes: This was one of two main vegetables used for the experiment. Healthy sweet potatoes: This is the second vegetable that was used for the experiment. This vegetable was mainly used so that I could investigate if the additional glucose in sweet potato has an effect on its mass compared to the normal potato. Chopping board: This was used to cut the potato cylinders on. Using this not only kept the lad neat and tidy but also prevented injuries as it is a non-slip surface. Knife: This was used to cut the potato cylinders if the mass was too much. Timer/stop watch: This was used to time the experiment. It is also more accurate than using a clock. Paper towels: These were used to pat the potatoes dry before being measured at the end of the experiment. If the potatoes were measured without being dried first then the additional liquid on the potato can cause it to increase the mass. Test tube rack: This was used to hold the test tubes. Sugar solutions (1 molar and 2 molar): These solutions were very significant for the experiment, as they, with the potato cylinders, caused osmosis to occur. Water: Used to make certain concentrations of sugar solution. Cork borer: To cut the same shape potato pieces. Measuring cylinder: To measure out certain amounts of water and sugar solution. Labels: -To labels the test tubes so it is easier to identify the contents inside each test tube. Variables: In this investigation I had three different variables: The independent variable This is a factor that can be changed. The dependant variable What you measure and what is affected in the experiment. Fixed variable- The factors you keep the same. The independent variables: I changed the concentration of the sugar solution. I used; water, 0.5 molar sugar solution ,1 molar sugar solution, 1.5 molar sugar solution and finally 2 molar sugar solution. I also changed the types of potato used (sweet potato and normal potato) The dependant variables: I measured the mass of the sweet potatoes and potatoes before placing in the solutions and after. This is something that is affected during the course of the experiment. Fixed variable: All the potatoes and sweet potatoes I used were that same in mass (0.64g). The volume of each solution in each test tube was also the same (20ml). In addition I kept the potato and sweet potatoes in the solutions for the same length of time (40 minutes) Fair test: It is only by carrying out a fair test that I can be sure that it is what I have changed (independent variable) that is affecting what I measured (dependent variable). In order to get accurate results I needed to ensure that my test was fair. Therefore in this experiment I controlled: The volume of solution in each beaker The mass of the potatoes and sweet potatoes at the start of the experiment The length of time the potatoes and sweet potatoes were left in the solution. I ensured that the potato and sweet potato cylinders were put in the solutions and taken out of the solutions at the same time. Method: Firstly get 2 test tube racks and place 5 test tubes on each rack label one test tube rack sweet potato and label the other rack potato Get some sticky labels and label each test tube with the solution it is going to contain (water, 0.5 molar, 1 molar, 1.5 molar, 2 molar,). Do this for the test tubes on both racks. Using the measuring cylinder measure out 20ml of 1 molar sugar and pour into the test tube labelled 1 molar. Then measure out 20 ml of 2 molar sugar solution and pour in to the test tube marked 2 molar. After measure out 20 ml of water and pour in to the test tube marked water Next make the different concentrations of sugar solution. (1 molar and 2 molar are already provided). -To make 0.5 molar: use the measuring cylinder to measure out 5 ml of 1 molar sugar solution and 15ml of water. Mix these together and pour into the test tube labelled 0.5 molar. To make 1.5 molar: use the measuring cylinder to measure out 15 ml of 1 molar sugar solution and 5ml of water. Mix these together and pour into the test tube labelled 1.5 molar. (Do the above 5 points for all the test tubes on both racks. By the end of point 6 you should have two test tube racks one labelled potato and the other labelled sweet potato, each rack must hold 5 test tubes, each test tube must be labelled with the solution that it holds e.g. water, 1 molarà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc.) Afterwards, get a healthy potato; make sure the skin is peeled. Using the cork borer cut out 5 potato cylinders. Using the electronic balance, weigh all the potato cylinders. They should all weigh around 0.64g. If they dont then alter them accordingly using a chopping bored and knife and place to a side. Remember to record the masses. Subsequently, get a healthy sweet potato. Once again make sure the skin has been peeled. Using the cork borer cut out 5 potato cylinders. Using the electronic balance, weigh all the sweet potato cylinders. They should all weigh around 0.64g. If they dont then alter them accordingly using a knife and a chopping bored. Remember to record the masses. Then both the sweet potato and normal potato must be put in to the solutions, each test tube must contain either 1 potato cylinder or 1 sweet potato cylinder. Make sure all the cylinders of potatoes and sweet potatoes are dropped into the solutions at the same time (ask help from classmates if needed). The timer should also be started now. (Leave the solutions in this state for 4o min) After 40 min, the potatoes and sweet potatoes must be removed from their solutions. Again, they should all be taken out at the same time (again ask for help if needed). Make sure the potato cylinders do not get mixed up; ensure that you know which cylinder came from which solution. Dry each cylinder and measure its mass one by one. Ensure that the masses are recorded once again. (All the above was repeated 2 more times to increase the reliability in my results) Diagram: Observations: During the experiment I noticed that some of the potato and sweet potato cylinders in higher concentrations of sugar started to float. In the 1.5 and 2 molar sugar solutions the potato has higher water potential that the sugar solution so water molecules from the potato cells would have moved into the sugar solution, this made the potato cylinders float to the top of the solution rather than stay at the bottom of the beaker because it became lighter. This happened after approximately 10 -15 minutes. After approximately 20 minutes the potato cell in 1 molar sugar solution started to float as well. This is because as the potato cells are losing water molecules, they gradually become lighter. The potato in water did not float, nor were there any visible changes. All the above applies to both the sweet potato and normal potato. A difference I noticed between the two types of potato was that while the potato in the 0.5 molar solution floated a slightly, the sweet potato in the 0.5 molar solution did not float at all, it remained still, similar to the potato cylinders in water. I also noticed that the potato cylinders floated higher than the sweet potato cylinders. Calculations: Below are the calculations I did to work our various aspect of the results: Percentage change in mass = Change in mass x 100 Original mass Averages = All three masses in one category added The number of different masses Change in mass = New Mass Original Mass Analysis: Both the graphs show negative correlation between the concentration of the sugar in the solution and the mass of the potato chip at the end of the experiment. It is clear from the graphs that osmosis has taken place. Potato: For the potato cylinder put in water (0% sugar) the potatoes mass has increased 21.87% form 0.64 grams to 0.73 grams, this shows that because water has a higher water potential than the potato cylinder, water molecules have moved from the water into the potato causing its weight to increase. When this happens the cell becomes turgid (hard and swollen).For the potatoes in all the other solutions (1 molar, 0.5 molar, 1.5 molar and 2 molar) the mass of the potatoes decreased. This shows that water molecules have moved out of the potato cell into the sugar solutions. When a cell loses water in such a way the cell become flaccid, which is the opposite of turgid. Sweet potato: For the sweet potato cylinder that was placed in water the mass increased as expected. This happened because water moved from the solution into the sweet potato. For all the other molarities, except the sweet potato placed in 0.5 molar solution, the changes were the same as for the potato. For the sweet potato placed in 0.5 molar solution the mass increased from 0.64 grams to 0.65 grams. There was a 0.01 gram increase in the mass of the sweet potato by the end of the experiment. This suggests that my prediction was correct: I expected sweet potatoes to have a lower water potential than normal potatoes because they are sweet and therefore must have contain sugar. Hence for the sweet potato chips I predicted that at first the mass of the sweet potato will increase but, as the concentration of sugar in the solution increases past the isotonic point the mass of the potato cylinders will decrease. There was a 0.01 gram increase in the mass of the sweet potato by the end of the experiment. 0.01g is extremely close to 0g. On the graph, if you look at this point, it is clear that the range bar is in between 1.56% and 0%. If there had been a 0% chang e in mass, it would mean that a state of equilibrium had been reached. This is a point where the concentration of water inside the sweet potato cell is the same as the concentration of water in the solution which the sweet potato is in. my results imply that the reason the mass of the sweet potato in the 0.5 molar sugar solution increased in because the water potential of the sweet potato was slightly lower than that of the water. As a result water molecules moved in to the sweet potato cell. The sweet potato in 1.5 molar sugar solution decreased weight because the concentration of sugar in the solution had increased passed the isotonic point (equilibrium). Conclusion: My graphs show that osmosis has taken place. There was a negative correlation between the concentration of sugar in the solution and the mass of the potato or sweet potato cell at the end of the experiment. Over all the results that I obtained have answered my aim; varying the concentration of the sugar does have an affect on the mass of the vegetable and the additional sugar in sweet potato does have an effect on its mass when compared with normal potatoes. With the results I have obtained I can conclude that the higher the concentration of sugar in the solution, the more mass the potato looses. The graph also shows that the opposite happened when the concentration of water in the solution is higher. So I can conclude this by saying: the higher that concentration of water in the solution the more mass the potato gains. This applies for both the potato and sweet potato. However because of the additional sugar in the sweet potato, the mass of the sweet potato will only decrease after the concentration of sugar in the solution increases past the isotonic point (point of equilibrium). To make full sense of the conclusion, a recap on osmosis and the affect on cells are required. When there is a high concentration of water in the solution and a plant cell with low concentration of water into water, the water would move into the plant cell by osmosis. Osmosis is defined as the movement of water molecules through a semi- permeable membrane from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until a state of equilibrium is reached. Equilibrium is reached once enough water has moved to balance the solute concentration on both sides of the membrane. Osmosis occurs across a partially permeable membrane whenever there is a difference between the water concentrations on the two sides of the membrane. When this happens to the cells they will either become turgid if water flows into them, or flaccid if water flows out of them. The results that I have obtained in this experiment support the prediction that I made using scientific theory and my preliminary experiment. Evaluation: Overall I was please with the results that I gained as they agreed with what I have already learned about osmosis. I believe I have gained reliable results, which supports the scientific theory. After making changes to my main experiment from the preliminary experiment I faced no difficulties. The equipment that I used was suitable, I managed to collect adequate data and the investigation that I organised was effective, as can be seen from my results. I was able to get enough results to come to a strong and explanative conclusion. I believe that my results were reasonably accurate as I did the experiment 3 times and found that the repeated results were mostly very close together. With these results I was able to construct two, very accurate and informative graphs. My results were free from any major anomalies that did not fit the regular pattern. However there were one or two very minor anomalies that could have been caused by the following: Some limitations or experimental errors could have occurred during the investigation, which I did not realise and could have led to some miscalculations in my results. The main limitation could have been the change in temperature of the room during the experiment. High temperatures could have altered the rate at which osmosis takes place. Another potential problem in the investigation may be tampering, as the investigation was carried out in a lab which is in constant use. This could have resulted in students playing with the apparatus, which could have affected the out come of my results. Also when drying the potato chips after the allotted time it was inevitable that they would have excess water on them, and so we dabbed them with paper towels to remove it. However, in doing this we could have removed water that was not excess, and altered our results. To make my investigation more reliable and accurate I could make some improvements. Firstly I could use a wider and more precise rage of sugar concentrations. If I did this I would have a wider range of results to work with so it would be more accurate and I would be able to come to a more secure conclusion. Another improvement I would make if repeating the experiment is to dry all the potato cylinders the same. I used paper towels to dry the potato cylinders, which caused variation between the potatoes as sum where dried more thorough and for longer than others which affects their mass, and those potato cylinders that have not been dried as much as others will have more excess water and therefore a greater mass. In the future I would develop a method to dry the potatoes in a way that is fair. Further investigations may be to investigate using lengths or shapes of potatoes, to see affect of osmosis upon them. I could do a comparative study, where I see the effects of osmosis on potatoes which have been altered to do specific breeding, e.g. grow in a hot climate, etc. I could do a study into surface area or the effects of temperature upon osmosis, to identify the best temperature in which osmosis occurs. I could also investigate the affects of osmosis on different vegetables such as aubergine, turnip, carrots.

The Debt-for-Nature Swap Essay -- Environment, Environmental, Costa Ri

The Debt-for-Nature Swap In recent decades, the issue of biodiversity loss in developing nations has captured the attention of many environmental groups in the global North. Since the vast majority of the Earth's plant and animal life lies within the borders of developing nations, efforts to protect global biodiversity through the promotion of environmental conservation have largely been focused in the global South. Because of this regional focus, financial mechanisms have been seen as an effective way for groups in the industrialized North to promote their environmental interests in the developing world. Debt-for-nature swaps, which became popular in the early 1990's, are one such mechanism in which an indebted developing nation agrees to invest in conservation projects or environmentally friendly actions in exchange for the cancellation of a portion of its foreign debt by a creditor. (Patterson, 4) "The location of much of the world's most diverse biota often forces agreements to trade-off conservation and conventional development goals." (Moran, 63) Debt-for-nature swaps take this into account and attempt to balance out the economic costs that an LDC (less developed nation) incurs when investing in environmental conservation. Debt-for-nature swaps can be implemented through either bilateral or commercial swap mechanisms. A bilateral debt swap may be assisted by an NGO but is primarily an agreement made between a creditor government and a debtor government. The creditor government forgives the debt owed to it, and in exchange the debtor government agrees to set aside a pre-determined amount of money to fund conservation programs within its borders. A commercial debt swap occurs when a transnational NGO purchases debt at ... ...." Conservation Biology 7 (1993): 140-147. Isla, Ana. "Women and 'Sustainable Development' in the Costa Rican Rainforest: Questioning the Politics of Corporate Environmentalism." Women & Environments International Magazine (Fall 2001): 30. Moran, Dominic. "Debt-swaps for hot-spots: more needed." Biodiversity Letters 2 (1994): 63-66. "National Biodiversity Institute, Costa Rica." World Resources Institute. 25 April 2004. http://www.wri.org/wri/biodiv/b34-gbs.html Patterson, Alan. "Debt for Nature Swaps and the Need for Alternatives." Environment 32 (1990): 4-12. Redford, Kent H. & Stearman, Allyn Maclean. "Forest-Dwelling Native Amazonians And the Conservation of Biodiversity: Interests in Common or in Collision?" Conservation Biology 7 (1993): 248-255. "The Structure of an Environmental Transaction: The Debt-for-Nature Swap." Land Economics

Arbitrary Defused Incitement :: essays research papers

Arbitrary Defused Incitement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Dan Greenburg’s â€Å"Sound and Fury† a decent point is made from looking at a situation that could possibly become violent. The narrator suggests that people carry a large amount of â€Å"free-floating anger,† which generates within them, ready for use at any point in time; waiting for the slightest hint of incitement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lee, a stand-up comedian, is first introduced by the narrator, who tags along with Lee where he will be the â€Å"emcee† of the night, but right before he is to go on stage a group of drunk young guys chants for a comedian they feel is the greatest, Rusty. Before he even got up to the stage, the young men were ready to cheer on for Rusty, and despite all the exertion he finally gave it up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the narrator begins to talk with him and soothe the ailments of his suffrage some of the â€Å"inebriated young men† began to trickle in and eventually noticed Lee. As events heightened a young man thought that he would want to do something about their chanting and later stepped forward closer to Lee.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The total focus started to rest entirely upon the two men â€Å"going through the motion, doing the dance,† while also the bar’s energy of aggression steadily increased with the engagement itself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was from a simple measure of conversation that the situation was disabled. When Lee asked how â€Å"the guy† of his well-being it initiated a broad topic capable of going anywhere. Then Lee nonchalantly asks what the young man was in town for, and gets an everyday answer that it was his birthday. So Lee after thinking about it threw out his hand and told him â€Å"Happy birthday.† The situation that was once so potentially volatile now was resolved completely by

Refutation: The Story of Bigger Thomas ( Native Son ) :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Darryl Pinckney’s discerning critical essay, â€Å"Richard Wright: The Unnatural History of a Native Son,† Pinckney states that all of Wright’s books contain the themes of violence, inhumanity, rage, and fear. Wright writes about these themes because he expresses, in his books, his convictions about his own struggles with racial oppression, the â€Å"brutal realities of his early life.† Pinckney claims that Wright’s works are unique for Wright’s works did not attempt to incite whites to acknowledge blacks. Wright does not write to preach that blacks are equal to whites. The characters in Wright’s works, including Bigger Thomas from Native Son, are not all pure in heart; the characters have psychological burdens and act upon their burdens. For instance, Bigger Thomas, long under racial oppression, accidentally suffocates Mary Dalton in her room for fear that he will be discriminated against and charged with the r ape of Mary Dalton. Also, according to Pinckney, although the characters of Wright’s books are under these psychological burdens, they always have â€Å"futile hopes [and] desires.† At the end of Native Son, Bigger is enlightened by the way his lawyer Max treats him, with the respect of a human being. Bigger then desires nothing but to live, but he has been sentenced to death. Although Pinckney expresses many strong points in his critical essay, he also reveals weak points. For example, Pinckney mentions that Wright is neither a black leader such as Malcolm X nor a writer with any strong background in American literature, yet Pinckney implicitly states that Wright is a great writer and that one must analyze his past to understand how he is a great writer. In that perspective, he also commends Wright’s book, Native Son. He states: Native Son is unmatched in its power†¦It is not true as Baldwin claims that Bigger Thomas, the doomed, frustrated black boy, is just another stereotype†¦extreme in his wish to injure himself and do injury to others†¦ Pinckney praises Native Son as a powerful intellectual book that deals with issues of racism and oppression. He says explicitly that it is the most powerful book, but it is unclear what domain of books Pinckney is comparing Native Son with. Pinckney refutes James Baldwin’s statement about Native Son, saying that Bigger Thomas is not a mere stereotype, but an example of a stressed black boy of the racially segregated American society during the 1930s. It is true that Bigger Thomas is a victim of a racially segregated society.

Leadership Development SMART Goal Setting Essay

The purpose of this assignment is to develop a SMART-formatted goal on a selected professional leadership topic applicable to your current practice setting or future leadership development goals. This goal is about your leadership development needs, not those of the organization. The Institute of Medicine’s quality initiative has identified five core healthcare profession competencies that serve as a framework for identification of the leadership goal. Course Outcomes Completion of this assignment enables the student to meet the following course outcomes. CO 1: Apply leadership concepts, skills, and decision making in the provision of high quality nursing care, healthcare team management, and the oversight and accountability for care delivery in a variety of settings. (PO #2) CO 4: Apply concepts of leadership and team coordination to promote the achievement of safe and quality outcomes of care for diverse populations. (PO #4) CO 5: Apply improvement methods, based on data from the outcomes of care processes, to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of healthcare. (PO #8) CO 8: Apply concepts of quality and safety using structure, process, and outcome measures to identify clinical questions as the beginning process of changing current practice. (PO #8) Due Dates This assignment consists of the completion of the Leadership Development SMART Goal Setting paper. Submit assignment to the Dropbox by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. MT, by the end of Week 4. Points This assignment is worth 200 points. Directions 1. Review the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) core healthcare competencies. Choose ONE of these competencies that you would like to work on for developing a SMART goal. The five core competencies are listed below. Managing Patient-Centered Care; Working in interdisciplinary and/or interprofessional teams; Employing evidence-based practice; Applying quality improvement techniques; and Utilizing informatics. 2. Name ONE KSA (Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes) related to the specific core competency you chose above. Examples of KSAs (Knowledge, Skills and Attributes) for your Leadership Development Goal Setting include conflict resolution, becoming influential, leading change, communication about the patient, communication organization-wide, team building conversations, organizational skills, using evidence to guide your practice, initiating QI/PI endeavors, using data to help with decision making, staff education, problem solving, human resource management issues, delegation, decision making, budgeting and finance, and computer skills. Others are possible! If you have questions, please contact your instructor. 3. Create ONE leadership development goal that is in the SMART goal format. You practiced this in the Week 3 Discussion, and received valuable feedback from your instructor and peers. Please consider this as you work on this assignment. S – Specific (Who is involved in the goal, what is the goal, where will it take place?) M – Measurable (How are you going to achieve the goal?) Be specific with measureable outcomes. A – Attainable (What resources and/or experts are available to assist you with attaining your goal?) R – Realistic (Is this goal something that is realistically obtainable in professional practice?) T – Time bound (What specific dates or weeks will  you accomplish each task of your goal achievement?) Example NOT in SMART format: I will learn how to be a manager. This goal is lofty, not measurable, and unattainable in the time allotted, probably not realistic, and not time bound. Example in SMART Format: I will learn the disciplinary process of an employee who has excessive absences, by locating the organization’s attendance policy and meeting with the unit manager, reviewing peer-reviewed articles and credible websites to obtain information on the disciplinary process by Week 4 (or specified date). Note: This particular example relates to Core Competency: Managing Patient-Centered Care. This example is a SMART goal that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. S-Specific Who- Your name, or â€Å"I† What- Learn the disciplinary process of employees who have excessive absences Where- Your organization M-Measurable How: Through locating the organization’s attendance policy A-Attainable Resources and/or Expert: Meeting with the unit manager, reviewing peer-reviewed articles, and credible websites R-Realistic Realistically obtainable: Access to the organization, policies, and unit manager T-Time bound Specific dates: By Week 4 (or specific date) 4. Go to the Chamberlain library and search the databases to locate scholarly articles related to your SMART goal. Also, search for credible websites to gain insight into how to accomplish your goal. 5. Construct a plan of action to reach your Leadership SMART goal that includes identifying the attributes  needed in order to achieve your goal. Be specific by creating a timeline of when you plan on doing each action; explain how, when, and where you plan to communicate with an expert; and identify specific resources you will use to help you achieve your goal. a. Example Plan of Action for above mentioned example: Seek approval to review the organization’s policies and schedule a meeting/interview with the unit manager by _____ (fill in date). Review the policies on disciplinary action by _____ (fill in date). Review the American Nurses Association website and peer-reviewed articles in the American Journal of Nursing and Journal of Advanced Nursing by _____ (fill in date). Evaluate the findings from the above resources by _____ (fill in date). 6. Write a scholarly paper that follows APA formatting guidelines. Organize your content logically and express your thoughts clearly. Use appropriate headers to separate sections of your paper. Check for any grammar or spelling errors before submission. 7. Submit your completed NR447 Leadership Development SMART Goal paper, which should be approximately six pages (excluding title page and references) to the Week 4 Leadership SMART Goal Setting Paper Dropbox by Sunday, 11:59 p.m. MT at the end of Week 4. Grading Criteria: Leadership Development Smart Goal Setting Category Points % Description Choose ONE of the IOM core competencies to develop a SMART goal 10 5% Selects the specific IOM core competency upon which SMART goal is based. Name ONE KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Attributes) related to the ONE specific core competency 15 7% Names ONE KSA based on a specific IOM core competency noted above and describes how the KSA relates to the specific IOM core competency previously selected. Develop one specific leadership SMART goal. 55 28% Develops a professional leadership (SMART) goal, formatted correctly containing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound attributes. KSA is related to the core competency selected. Locate scholarly articles and credible websites relevant to your SMART goal. 20 10% Locates scholarly articles and credible websites related to SMART goal/KSA. Summarizes articles and websites in body of paper. Construct a plan of action for SMART goal. 80 40% Constructs a plan of action for SMART goal, identifying the attributes needed in order to achieve the goal; creates a timeline, explains how the plan will unfold, and how specific resources (articles and websites) will be utilized in effort to achieve goal. Plan is apparent in body of paper. Clarity of writing 20 10% Content is organized, logical, and with correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure are correct. APA formatting is apparent. References are properly cited within the paper; reference page includes all citations; proper title page and introduction are present and evidence of spell and grammar check is obvious. Grading Rubric for Leadership Development SMART Goal Setting Assignment Criteria Outstanding or Highest Level of Performance A Very Good or High Level of Performance B Competent or Satisfactory Level of Performance C Poor, Failing, or Unsatisfactory Level of Performance F Choose ONE of the IOM core competencies to develop a SMART goal 10 points Chooses only one IOM core competency upon which SMART goal is based. 9–10 points Chooses an IOM core competency but it is the best fit for the SMART goal. 8 points Chooses a competency but it is not an IOM core competency. 7 points Fails to choose any competency. 0–6 points Name ONE KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Attributes) related to the chosen IOM core competency. 15 points Names ONE KSA based on the chosen IOM core competency AND describes in detail how the KSA relates to the competency. 14–15 points Names ONE KSA based on the chosen competency but describes in general terms how the KSA relates to the competency. 12–13 points Names ONE KSA based on the chosen competency but does not describe, or only vaguely describes, how the KSA relates to the competency. 10–11 points Does not name a KSA. 0–9 points Develop one specific leadership SMART goal. 55 points Develops a leadership goal that is formatted correctly containing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound attributes AND it is related to the chosen competency and KSA. 51–55 points Develops a leadership goal that is formatted correctly except for one component that does not meet the SMART goal criteria, i.e., not specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, or time bound. The goal is related to the chosen competency and the KSA. 46–50 points Develops a leadership goal that is somewhat formatted correctly, but two or three components do not meet the criteria for a SMART goal, The goal is NOT related to the chosen competency OR KSA. 42–45 points Does not follow SMART goal formatting. The goal is not related to the chosen competency and/or KSA. 0–41 points Locate scholarly articles and credible websites relevant to your SMART goal. 20 points Locates at least two scholarly articles and two credible websites related to the SMART Goal and KSA chosen. Summarizes all of them thoroughly. 18–20 points Locates one scholarly article and two credible websites. OR, locates one credible website and two scholarly articles. Summaries all of them generally. 16–17 points Locates only one scholarly article and only one credible website. Summarized them but with some inaccuracy. 14–15 points Locates no scholarly sources of support. Summary is missing or inaccurate. 0–13 points Construct a plan of action for SMART goal. 80 points Constructs a detailed plan of action for achieving the SMART goal, identifying all the attributes needed in order to achieve the goal. Creates a timeline that explains how the plan will unfold. Fully describes how chosen scholarly resources (articles and websites) provide insight into achieving the goal. 74–80 points Constructs a plan of action for achieving the SMART goal but fails to include one to two of the identifying attributes needed in order to achieve the goal. Creates a general timeline. Describes only some of the chosen scholarly articles and websites to achieve the goal. 67–73 points Constructs a plan of action for achieving the SMART goal, but doesn’t speak to the identifying attributes. Fails to create a realistic timeline, or fails to explain how the plan will unfold. Does not adequately describe how chosen scholarly articles and websites will help achieve the goal. 61–66 points Constructs a plan of action that doesn’t speak to the attributes. Fails to create any timeline. Does not indicate how chosen scholarly articles and websites will achieve the goal. 0–60 points Clarity of writing 20 points Content is organized, logical, and with correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure are correct. APA formatting is apparent. References are properly cited within the paper; reference page includes all citations; proper title page and introduction are present and evidence of spell and grammar check is obvious. Less than three errors noted. 18–20 points Content is mostly organized, logical and with correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure are correct. APA formatting is apparent. References are properly cited within the paper; reference page includes all citations; proper title page and introduction are present and evidence of spell check and grammar check is obvious. Four to six errors noted. 16–17 points Content is somewhat organized, logical and with correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure are correct. APA formatting is apparent. References are properly cited within the paper; reference page  includes all citations; proper title page and introduction are present and evidence of spell check and grammar check are not obvious. Seven to 10 errors noted. 14–15 points Content is disorganized and writing has numerous grammar, spelling, or syntax errors and APA formatting errors. Spell check and grammar check are not obvious. More than 11 errors noted. 0–13 points Total Points Possible= 200 Points Earned = A quality assignment will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Bible

Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Bible The Bible is a collection of books, inspired by God, to be used as God’s revelation of Himself to us. It is God’s doorway to declare his authority over his people. Authority of the Bible is established and/or comes from its own claims. The Old Testament uses the phrase â€Å"This is what the Lord says† enough times to give any reader the understanding that it is the word of God. Because the Bible is viewed as God’s Word it is the final word concerning all issues it speaks. Inspiration is the supernatural guidance of biblical writers by the Holy Spirit.There are different theories as to how God inspired the Bible. Verbal and Plenary inspiration are two theories held by many. These are similar in the belief that they believe the Holy Spirit’s influence was so intense that each word ended up being the exact word God wanted used. Verbal inspiration is more text oriented than author oriented while Plenary holds more to author oriented rather than text oriented. I hold to the belief once taught to me by Dr. Orr that â€Å"God is God, and therefore can do anything God wants; God inspired the Bible in his own way; thus the Bible turned out exactly as God intended it†.With this belief I do not try to prove how the Bible was inspired but rather stress the Biblical support of the theories. 2 Timothy 3:16 is one of the verses most used when proving inspiration in that it tells us that all scripture is from God. In 1 Corinthians 2:9-13 we are given Paul’s view to the process of inspiration. In this verse Paul explains that the spirit revealed the things God wanted them to know so that they may understand and write what was freely given to them. As Christians we view the Bible as inerrant.Inerrancy is the belief that what God inspired in the Bible is without error. In Numbers 23:19 we are taught that God cannot lie, if this is so and the Bible was inspired by God then we are indirectly gi ven support to and definition of inerrancy. There are five common arguments for and against inerrancy of the Bible. The weakest argument is the Slippery Slope Argument. It just states that if you stop believing in the inerrancy of the Bible than you will stop believing in the teachings and end up an unbeliever. Though this may happen to a few people this is not the usual.Christians can hold to their beliefs without holding to the belief that the Bible is inerrant. The Epistemological Argument is just as weak of an argument. It states that claims of belief can only be justified by believers if scripture is without error. It states that scripture must be beyond a doubt the truth. The problem with this is that a believer should not have to rely on the belief that all scripture is without error to feel that their claim of belief is justified. The Biblical Argument is a great way to defend inerrancy.In this argument it states that the Bible teaches of its own inerrancy. We can see one of these teachings in Matthew 5:17-20. The argument against this is very weak. It argues that the Bible does not teach inerrancy because nowhere does it directly say that the Bible is inerrant, without error. This to me in no way disproves the argument just argues for arguments sake. The last and strongest is the Historical Argument. This argument states that the bible is inerrant because it has been the belief of Christians throughout history.Throughout history Christianity has not fallen as many other beliefs and cultures have. No matter how hard disbelievers try to fight scripture it still stands and is believed by many. There are many famous historical theologians that can be used to defend the inerrancy of the Bible. The argument against this is weak in that it argues that the Bible was not taught as inerrant till the 19th century. It argues that the only reason Christians began to say the Bible was inerrant was because of the need for it in apologetics.The relationship between i nspiration and inerrancy is powerful because they are united. Without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit there would be no need of inerrancy. We trust in the inerrancy of the Bible because we are taught that scripture was given to the authors by the breath of God. God is infallible and therefore the inspiration of the Bible is inerrant. When I reflect on the authority, inspiration, and inerrancy of the Bible I know that to be a committed follower of Jesus I must submit to each of these so that I may grow in my faith.