Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Should Marijuana Be Legalized Essay - 1372 Words
Legalization of Weed Growing up, everyone is told that, ââ¬Å"Drugs are bad for you,â⬠time and time again. Now as a kid you donââ¬â¢t really understand the reasoning behind it, but you listen to your authority figure regardless. I remember being told this my entire life and even to this very day. But as I got older I realized that people would still use drugs even though itââ¬â¢s illegal. I could never understand why someone would go against the law and jeopardize their life just to use drugs? The drug that I am talking about is marijuana, and surprisingly it is all around us. Marijuana is even referred to in todayââ¬â¢s media Mainstream media sources that people enjoy, like music, movies, and TV shows, do not even bother to leave the drug out of their system. Now being a young adult and having my own personal experience with the drug and knowing its effects on others, I wonder why itââ¬â¢s not legal. Why is it that this drug has become illegal all over the world? The debate t o legalize marijuana in the United States of America has been fought over nonstop since the existence of the drug. Marijuana has been tested and proven to provide a very positive impact on the American society for many reasons. Some of these reasons are for Americaââ¬â¢s economy, health and even crime. These reasons could very well help America thrive in the future and that is why Marijuana should be legalized in the United States of America. This naturally found plant known as marijuana is recognized all around theShow MoreRelatedShould Marijuana Be Legalized?849 Words à |à 4 Pageswhether marijuana should be legalized. Around 23 states have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use. In the state of Illinois, medicinal use of marijuana has been passed on April 17, 2013. Since January 2014, patients are able to obtain marijuana with a doctor s recommendation. The new debate is whether marijuana should be legalized for the general public as a recreational drug. Although some believe that marijuana is harmless, and that it has beneficial medicinal uses, marijuana shouldRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1715 Words à |à 7 PagesMarijuana in Society Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (ââ¬Å"Marijuanaâ⬠1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel ââ¬Å"highâ⬠or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (ââ¬Å"Marijuanaâ⬠1). Like mostRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1489 Words à |à 6 Pagescannabis plant or marijuana is intended for use of a psychoactive drug or medicine. It is used for recreational or medical uses. In some religions, marijuana is predominantly used for spiritual purposes. Cannabis is indigenous to central and south Asia. Cannabis has been scientifically proven that you can not die from smoking marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized to help people with medical benefits, econo mic benefits, and criminal benefits. In eight states, marijuana was legalized for recreationalRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1245 Words à |à 5 PagesMarijuana is a highly debatable topic that is rapidly gaining attention in society today. à Legalizing marijuana can benefit the economy of this nation through the creation of jobs, increased tax revenue, and a decrease in taxpayer money spent on law enforcement. à à Many people would outlaw alcohol, cigarettes, fast food, gambling, and tanning beds because of the harmful effects they have on members of a society, but this is the United States of America; the land of the free and we should give peopleRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1010 Words à |à 5 PagesThe legalization of marijuana became a heated political subject in the last few years. Twenty-one states in America have legalized medical marijuana. Colorado and Washington are the only states where marijuana can be purchased recreationally. Marijuana is the high THC level part of the cannabis plant, which gives users the ââ¬Å"highâ⬠feeling. There is ample evidence that supports the argument that marijuana is beneficial. The government should legalize marijuana recreationally for three main reasonsRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1231 Words à |à 5 Pagesshows the positive benefits of marijuana, it remains illegal under federal law. In recent years, numerous states have defied federal law and legalized marijuana for both recreational and medicinal use. Arizona has legalized marijuana for medical use, but it still remains illegal to use recreationally. This is absurd, as the evidence gathered over the last few decades strongly supports the notion that it is safer than alcohol, a widely available substance. Marijuana being listed as a Schedule I drugRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1350 Words à |à 6 Pagespolitics in the past decade would have to be the legalization of marijuana. The sale and production of marijuana have been legalized for medicinal uses in over twenty states and has been legalized for recreational uses in seven states. Despite the ongoing support for marijuana, it has yet to be fully legalized in the federal level due to cultural bias against ââ¬Å"potâ⬠smoking and the focus over its negative effects. However, legalizing marijuana has been proven to decrease the rate of incrimination in AmericaRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1145 Words à |à 5 PagesLegalizing Marijuana Marijuana is a drug that has been actively used for centuries. This drug can be traced back to 2737 BC by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung. He spoke about the euphoric effects of Cannabis and even referred to it as the ââ¬Å"Liberator of Sin.â⬠Since early on, marijuana was seen as a medicinal plant that was recommended for medical uses. Marijuana is currently in schedule I, which means that physicians are not allowed to prescribe it in the United States (Hart, Ksir 2013). This drugRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?997 Words à |à 4 PagesLegalize It: The Benefits of Legalizing Marijuana Should marijuana be legalized? Many Americans have been asked this question or have heard some type of news about the issue. Marijuana is commonly known as cannabis which refers to the dried up hemp plant cannabis sativa, even though marijuana is a plant and has no chemical additives it has been a tropic of controversy for many years but nowadays it is in the spotlight more than ever. For centuries, marijuana has been used by people throughout theRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized? Essay1457 Words à |à 6 PagesSHOULD MARIJUANA BE LEGALIZED? Marijuana is a drug that has sparked much controversy over the past decade as to whether or not it should be legalized. People once thought of marijuana as a bad, mind-altering drug which changes a personââ¬â¢s personality which can lead to crime and violence through selling and buying it. In the past, the majority of citizens believed that marijuana is a harmful drug that should be kept off the market and out of the hands of the public. However, a recent study conducted
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Slave Resistance - 1895 Words
Abstract Since the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade, captured Africans thought and plotted of ways to resist their bondage. After landing in America enslaved Africans resisted slavery in many forms; some of these were passive while others were more outright and violent. This essay will discuss forms of resistance used by slaves during their journey to America, as well as common forms of resistance slaves used while living on plantations. These forms of resistance were running away, slave revolts, and subtle day to day resistance. Regardless of the form of resistance used, slaves were not content living a life of bondage and used all means available to resist no matter the consequence. The transition into a life of slaveryâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Deep down the slave owners lived in the constant fear of the slaves rebelling against their lives in bondage. Slaveholders understood that as long as slavery existed so too would resistance. This is one of the reasons why slaveholders tried to improve the material conditions of the slaves. The above forms of resistance were more noticeable and sometimes violent, however, slave also resisted in subtle ways. These were known as day to day resistance. Slaves were often considered lazy and dumb by their slave owners. The image of the African slave in the Americas has left a lasting perception that all slaves were docile and eager to assimilate to the culture of their captives. The stereotypical image of a slave was that of a lazy, easy going, childlike, irresponsible, helpless, smiling, shiftless, dancing, and senseless singing slave who was content with his life as a servant. This image has transcended decades. It was b elieved that the typical African slave in the Americas did not rebel against their oppressors. This could not be further from the truth, but slaves often used this stereotype to their advantage often to get out of work and punishment. Small acts of resistance though dangerous were regular events in slave communities. ââ¬Å"The slightest command could be wrongly interpreted or carelesslyShow MoreRelatedEssay on Slavery - Slave Resistance1173 Words à |à 5 Pagescomplete myth. Most slaves were dissatisfied with their stations in life, and longed to have the right of freedom. Their owners were acutely conscious of this fact and went to great lengths to prevent slave uprisings from occurring. An example of a drastic measure would be the prohibition of slaves receiving letters. They were also not allowed to converge outside church after services, in hopes of stopping conspiracy. Yet the slaves still managed to fight back. In 1800, the first major slave rebellion wasRead MoreThe Diver se Forms Of Slave Resistance And Rebellion3083 Words à |à 13 PagesTitle: The main purpose of this research is to enumerate the diverse forms of slave resistance and rebellion, also with those specific methods of each of it .Slavery society was a unique society existed in the United States of America in the 18th and 19th centuries, a dark period full of exploitation, rudeness and oppression. By analyzing, comparing and concluding both of the efficiency and affluence of various anti-slavery attempts carriedRead MoreEssay on The Impact of Slave Resistance1752 Words à |à 8 Pages Slave resistance in the 18th century had a huge impact on the abolition of slavery. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence which was written in 1776, once wrote this famous phrase that, ââ¬Å"all men are created equal.â⬠In America, equality of humanity was long desired, sought after by slaves, and abolitionists since the first African slaves were brought over by ship to the Virginian colony in 1619. Much felt that slavery should not exist, t hat it should not be allowedRead MoreResistance and Opposition From the first slaves came resistance and rebellion in hopes of gaining700 Words à |à 3 Pages Resistance and Opposition From the first slaves came resistance and rebellion in hopes of gaining freedom or simply to make the life of their owners miserable. The African people first began to rebel in their homeland. A number of attempts were made in Africa to either stop the trade or cut it down significantly.ââ¬â¢ More attempts were made with the passing or laws preventing slave traders from trading in their village keeping that village safe. Many villages would fight against traders to keep tradingRead MoreAfrican Spirituality The Pivotal Force Of Slave Resistance1922 Words à |à 8 Pagesââ¬Å"African Spirituality the Pivotal Force of Slave Resistanceâ⬠Melvin Herskovitsââ¬â¢ 1941 publication The Myth of the Negro Past argues the survival of the African culture and its substantial influence in the lives and history of Africans in the Americas. Furthermore, Sterling Stuckey argues that not only did the African religion and culture survive the Middle Passage, it became a pivotal part of the African identity in the Americaââ¬â¢s.1With that in mind the role of African spirituality was important toRead MoreSlavery - Slave Resistance1196 Words à |à 5 Pagescomplete myth. Most slaves were dissatisfied with their stations in life, and longed to have the right of freedom. Their owners were acutely conscious of this fact and went to great lengths to prevent slave uprisings from occurring. An example of a drastic measure would be the prohibition of slaves receiving letters. They were also not allowed to converge outside church after services, in hopes of stopping conspiracy. Yet the slaves still managed to fight back. In 1800, the fi rst major slave rebellion wasRead MoreSlave Culture And Resistance Of Slavery Essay705 Words à |à 3 PagesSlave Culture and Resistance to Slavery In chapter eleven, The Peculiar Institution: Slave Culture and Resistance to Slavery written by Eric Foner the author of Give me liberty! An American History published in 2012 briefly describes the slave culture and how it was. Included will be a piece on Incidents in the life of a slave girl, written by herself in 1861. Courtesy of University of Michigan Library, Making of America. In the Resistance to Slavery Foner will demonstrate how individuals bothRead MoreResistance Of A Slave Master s Successful Dominion : Abscondment And Suicide970 Words à |à 4 Pagessupremacy in the southern United States, slaves often sought to break the chains that enabled their inhumane bondage. Most slaves were dissatisfied with the demeaning societal position forced upon them and longed to have unbounded freedom and a voice of their own. Whether a slave silently sabotaged their master by breaking their tools or pretended to be sick, violently poisoned and plotted the murder of their master, or at tempted to initiate a massive slave revolt, they ultimately aimed to diminishRead MoreThe Use Of Nonviolent Resistance By Martin Luther King Jr.1562 Words à |à 7 Pages benefits, and the circumstances in which they may or may not be justified. The first technique people can use is nonviolent resistance. There are various of reasons why some people may argue nonviolent resistance is indeed very effective and stronger and more powerful than violent resistance. To begin with, it calls out attention. When one does a nonviolent resistance, it has a very powerful meaning because the people can peacefully challenge their opponent by addressing the social problem theyRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement of the 50s and 60s1110 Words à |à 4 PagesThe leaders of the civil rights movement choose strategies of nonviolence as a tool to dismantle traditional racial segregation, discrimination, and inequality. Most followed Martin Luther King Jr. Guiding principles of nonviolence and passive resistance (cite). The leaders of the civil rights movement understood that segregation would go to any lengths to maintain the control and power over the blacks. Therefore they knew they had to show the rest of the people outside of the southern states of
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Relation Between The Attitude And Behavior â⬠MyAssignmenthelp.com
Question: Discuss about the Relation Between The Attitude And Behavior. Answer: Introduction In this topic, the relation between the attitude and behavior is established to show how much an employee is committed to the success of the organization. It is the attitude out of the job satisfaction which frames out an employees attitude towards the organization. The importance of the attitude is highlighted in this topic and how it is an important to bring shape to an employees job satisfaction. The topic further discusses about the factors determining the job satisfaction of the employee and also the leadership of the manager to supervise how the staffs under him are committed to the success of the organization The Theories of Attitude and Behavior of the organizational theory is being described here in this topic. Attitude and behavior Attitude and behavior interact with each other which is supported by the attitude in question. A persons attitude with his co workers would influence the persons behavior. The situation is a yardstick which would determine the attitude and behavior of the person. A person generally with a positive attitude would leave a positive effect on the behavior of the person (Pratkanis et al 2014). However if the situation changes, the management might act accordingly with the change in situation. It is advisable that despite the changes of the attitude, his attitude would remain positive which would not change the form of behavior towards the coworkers. Daniel Katz has used for classifications of attitude according to the situation Knowledge: By using logic and rational mindset, are the ways also which help the people to form attitudes. When an organization use its logical power to explain the employers why the assignment is regarded important. This in further would produce positivity towards the assigned task and help the employees to frame out strategy to complete the task (Mcleod 2014). This classification determines the attitude of individual which is derived from the interest of the community. With the raise of income, employers would grow a positive attitude which might affect their behavior at different situations (Mcleod 2014). Defense by ego: People carry the tendency to utilize attitudes in order to protect their own ego which gives birth to the negativity. If the circumstances arise where the manager criticized the work of an employer without giving proper suggestions to the employer for the improvement, the latter would grow a negative attitude in him and would dismiss the manager on the ground of behaving foolishly just in order to protect their work (Mcleod 2014). Expressing value: Managers need to identify the circumstances which require the significance to the employers from the perspectives of the values (Shin, Taylor and Seo 2012). Having the awareness of the circumstances, the managers need the management in order to coincide with the vision of the organizations with the values of individuals, which as a result producing passion in the environment of the workforce. As mentioned before, attitude is a contagious disease which seems to influence the behavior of the people (Shin, Taylor and Seo 2012). Therefore, organizations must acknowledge influencing the attitude of the person and also the behavior of the person. The circumstances of a work environment, system of rewarding the employers, job satisfaction are the main components which encourages positive behaviors of the employers and the workforce of the organization as a whole (Mcleod 2014). Attitude Attitude is regarded as one of the significant factors which guides a person through the highs and lows of life. Attitude influences the person which in turn also leaves effects in the performances (Shin, Taylor and Seo 2012). Attitude in an organization leaves an impact over the people surrounding them. People having positive attitude encourages the co workers while the people having negative attitude discourages the co workers around them (Petty et al. 2014) Attitude tends to affect both the work performances of the employees and the co workers. Some attitudes tend to represent the harmful elements in the workplaces which can affect the employees performances. Attitudes can be either negative or the positive perceptions of the person, place event or a thing which are often regarded as the object of attitude. Attitudes are regarded as the judgments and they are developed on the model of ABC which stands for Affective, Behavioral and Cognitive (Greenwald et al. 2013). The response based on affective is considered as a response based on emotions which represent the preference of an individual for a particular organization. The behavioral attitude is based on the verbal form of indication or represents the typical tendency of behavior of an individual. Cognitive response represents the belief of an individual about the object. Attitudes are depended on Job Satisfaction: It is a assembly of positive or negative feelings that a person has towards the work does. Involvement in job: Actively taking part in the job and regarding the importance of the performance to the self. Commitment made to the organization: A person must carry a positive attitude in order to identify the goals of the particular organization and also a wish must be there in a person whether to maintain the membership in the organization or not (Albarracin, Johnson and Zanna 2014). Attitudes generally support people to get adjusted with their working environment. The well treatment must be given to the employees in order to make them develop the positive attitude towards the organization, management and posts that they are holding. On the other hand, however, the person who is not treated well by the organization develops gradually a negative attitude (Albarracin, Johnson and Zanna 2014). This means that the attitude give support to the employees to get adjusted to their environment in order to form basis for the behavior. Factors determining Job satisfaction Job satisfaction determines the environment of the work is the important factor of the employees job. The attitude of the employee is also determined by the job satisfaction provided to them. The job satisfaction also arises out backup provided by the HR manager to attain high performance levels (Yucel 2012). Factors which determine the job satisfaction are Organizational Factors and The personal factors The organizational factors contain Occupational level Job happiness Payment opportunities Work conditions Establishing relationship with supervisors (Yucel 2012; Eslami and Gharakhani 2012). Occupational level: If the level of the job is higher, satisfaction would be greater for the individual. The reason behind this is that a job of higher level contains good prestige and as a result the individual becomes self determined (Thomson and Phua 2012). Job happiness: If the variation of the job happiness is greater having less repetitiveness on the basis of which the task must be done, the satisfaction of the individual would be more. Opportunities for payment: Job satisfaction comes when the individual is satisfied with the good amount of payments and promotions. If the payment is done on time with the required amount, this in turn brings satisfaction to the individuals (Thomson and Phua 2012). Work conditions: the environment where the individual works is regarded as an encouraging environment if it proves to be conducive having a beautiful workplaces or the better environment. Effective managers must know about the facts that their employees want recognition in terms of the efforts they have given. The employees always look forward to allow wage discussion with the supervisors regarding the problems they are facing in the office works (Thomson and Phua 2012). As far as the personal factors are concerned, the individuals are satisfied with the jobs that suit their interest. If they are satisfied with the job, the individual achieves greater satisfaction in their working sphere (Thomson and Phua 2012). Managers responsibility It is the responsibility of the managers to look into the fact that how important to supervise how the staffs are committed. The job satisfaction of the employers enhances the employees satisfaction of job and their performances. The job satisfaction is the support of the management, job security and most importantly the effective leadership of the managers towards their staffs. The behavior of the managers is to influence give motivation and make the employees enable to contribute in their success of the organization (Goetsch and Davis 2014). The behavior of the leadership of the managers is to utilize their quality of leadership and encourage the employers to contribute in the organizations success. According to a some surveys, it has been stated that the repost which has put forwarded by the Employees stated that showing of loyalty to employees by the managers, job security and good pay for the employees are considered to important motivators for the employees in the organization. The managers are generally happy that the job satisfaction out of the organizational commitment is the sufficient salaries, job security and recognition (Nielson 2013). However, if the Manager recognizes the good performance it increases the satisfaction of the employees. In many organizations, the employers want the managers to communicate them the necessary things to the employees instead of participating as a leader. The good managers always look forward to meet the business goals and also ensure whether the employee is also depending on the same strategic vision. The good manager always tends to pinpoint the required objectives to a team who is leading a project and make sure that the employees are equally committed to the works of the project (Mowday et al. 2013). Conclusion On a concluding note it could be stated that, the importance of behavior and attitude are equally important in terms of mending the character of a person. In an organization, an attitude always works on the behavior of the person. The job satisfaction, organizational commitment and also the importance of attitude are being the important criterion for managing the behavior in the working place. The organizational factors are the determinant factors which influence the employees job satisfaction. Lastly, the managers role as a leadership is important to look into the fact that to what extent the employees are ebing commited to the success of the organization. References Albarracin, D., Johnson, B.T. and Zanna, M.P. eds., 2014.The handbook of attitudes. Psychology Press. Eslami, J. and Gharakhani, D., 2012. Organizational commitment and job satisfaction.ARPN Journal of Science and Technology,2(2), pp.85-91. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Greenwald, A.G., Brock, T.C. and Ostrom, T.M. eds., 2013.Psychological foundations of attitudes. Academic Press. McLeod, S., 2014. Attitudes and behavior.Retrieved on March,10, p.2015. Mowday, R.T., Porter, L.W. and Steers, R.M., 2013.Employeeorganization linkages: The psychology of commitment, absenteeism, and turnover. Academic press. Nielsen, K., 2013. How can we make organizational interventions work? Employees and line managers as actively crafting interventions.Human Relations,66(8), pp.1029-1050. Petty, R.E. and Krosnick, J.A., 2014.Attitude strength: Antecedents and consequences. Psychology Press. Pratkanis, A.R., Breckler, S.J. and Greenwald, A.G., 2014.Attitude structure and function. Psychology Press. Shin, J., Taylor, M.S. and Seo, M.G., 2012. Resources for change: The relationships of organizational inducements and psychological resilience to employees' attitudes and behaviors toward organizational change.Academy of Management Journal,55(3), pp.727-748. Thompson, E.R. and Phua, F.T., 2012. A brief index of affective job satisfaction.Group Organization Management,37(3), pp.275-307. Ycel, ?., 2012. Examining the relationships among job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention: An empirical study.International Journal of Business and Management,7(20), p.44.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Water Pollution Through Urban and Rural Land Use and Freshwater Allocation in New Zealand free essay sample
Water pollution through urban and rural land use and freshwater allocation in New Zealand New Zealand has 425,000à kilometres of rivers and streams, almost 4,000à lakes larger than 1à hectare in size, and about 200à groundwater aquifers (Ministry for the Environment, 2010). By international standards, freshwater in New Zealand is both clean and in good supply. However, some aspects of water quality are getting worse in areas dominated by intensive land use. Demand for water is increasing, particularly in areas that are already water-stressed. Water pollution is becoming an ongoing problem for New Zealand. Both Urban and Rural land uses are creating pollution in our water and degrading the quality of our water. Growing demand for water resources in many parts of New Zealand during the last two decades has increased competition and conflicts between different stakeholders for access to scarce surface water and groundwater resources. To try to enable more sustainability in the use of our freshwater, we need to learn to balance and control how much water we use and where it is most needed. We will write a custom essay sample on Water Pollution Through Urban and Rural Land Use and Freshwater Allocation in New Zealand or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Poor or declining water quality has already created direct costs, such as the nearly $450à million allocated over the next 10 to 20 years to the clean-up of Lake Taupo, Rotorua Lakes and the Waikato River, and can constrain economic opportunities (Ministry for the Environment 2010). In New Zealand, it is increasingly recognised, including by government, that water resource allocation and water quality are issues of national importance. Agriculture is frequently portrayed by New Zealand media as a major user of water and a major contributor to worsening water quality. (R. Cullen, 2006). Ministry for the Environment (1997, p. 88) said that: ââ¬Å" Water quality is generally high around the coast, in deep lakes, and in the headwaters of most rivers, and in many cases this is maintained into lowland areas. However, water quality deteriorates in streams, rivers and lakes which drain agricultural catchments, with agricultural run-off causing elevated nutrient and sediment loads. â⬠Water Quality Water quality is a term that is based upon the characteristics of water in relation to values of what is suitable for human consumption and for all usual domestic purposes, including personal hygiene. Components of water quality include microbial, biological, chemical, and physical aspects. Microbial aspects means that drinking water should not contain bacteria that would indicate excremental pollution, the primary indicator of which are coli form bacteria that are present in the faeces of warm-blooded organisms. Biological aspects show that parasitic protozoa are also indicators of water quality. Drinking water sources that are not likely to be contaminated by fecal matter should be used where possible due to the lack of good indicators for the presence or absence of pathogenic protozoa. Chemical mean that chronic health effects are more common than acute effects because the levels of chemicals in drinking water are seldom high enough to cause acute health effects. Since there is limited evidence relating chronic human health conditions to specific drinking-water contaminants, laboratory animal studies and human data from clinical reports are used to predict adverse effects. Physical aspects of the water quality means the color, taste, and odour of water can be monitored. Inorganic compounds such as magnesium, calcium, sodium, copper, iron, and zinc are generally detected by the taste of water, and contamination with the oxygenated fuel additive MTBE has affected the taste of some water. Freshwater Allocation Growing demand for water resources in many parts of New Zealand during the last two decades has increased competition and conflicts between different stakeholders for access to scarce surface water and groundwater resources. However, while the RMA planning framework is innovative in a number of important respects, regional councils have evidently found it difficult to satisfactorily address water conflicts within the framework of the RMA. The RMA provides for regional councils to formulate policy statements and plans to allocate water resources and to allocate water to different uses under the resource consent process. The Act ties the granting of water permits for consumptive purposes to specific activities on or at particular sites. (Skelton, 2007). New Zealand needs to reduce our water usage if we want to keep the resource sustainable. According to studies completed by the Ministry for The Environment (2010), there were more than 20,500 resource consents for taking water. Around two-thirds of consents permit taking water from groundwater sources, however, the volume of water allocated from surface water sources (rivers and streams) is four times higher than from groundwater sources. In 2010, the majority of consumptive weekly allocations were for irrigation (46 per cent) and hydro generation (41 per cent). The remainder is shared among public drinking water supply, industry and stock watering. All of the volume for the hydro generation is for the Manapouri hydro take in Southland, which discharges the allocated fresh water to sea. [ (MFE, 2010) ] Use of weekly allocated water in Newà Zealand, 2010 Retrieved from http://www. mfe. govt. nz Agriculture and Freshwater Agricultural land use has a significant impact on water quality and the availability of fresh water, particularly in New Zealandââ¬â¢s lowland streams. The amount of pollution from diffuse sources, such as urban storm water, animal effluent and fertiliser run-off, has greatly increased in the past 20 years. To improve water quality farmers must learn that the effect of their management practices on water resources can have a negative effect on future generations. Managing stock levels, planting vegetation at the edge of rivers and streams (riparian planting) and other sustainable farming practices all help reduce the levels of farm effluent, excess nutrients and chemicals entering waterways. The Dairying and Clean Streams Accord was created. This is a voluntary agreement between Fonterra Co-operative Group (the largest dairy company in New Zealand), regional councils and the Ministers for the Environment and of Agriculture and Forestry. This was signed in May 2003, to try and achieve clean, healthy waterways in dairying regions (Ministry for the Environment, 2008). Urban land use and Freshwater Cities and towns exhibit some of the most intensive land use in New Zealand. It is not surprising that some of our most degraded streams are in these urban areas. Storm water runoff has the greatest effect on urban water quality and also on the flows of urban water. Action needs to be taken now to prevent further decline in water quality of urban waters, and to protect our pristine water bodies. The Government is developing national policies, such as the proposed National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management, to ensure that these objectives are met. Methods to improve discharges could include improved discharge treatment, riparian planting, wetland restoration and public education programmes, as well as improved approaches to town planning and development, such as low-impact urban design. (Ministry for the Environment, 2008) The Sustainable Water Programme of Action In 2003, the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry jointly launched the Sustainable Water Programme of Action (SWPoA) to identify priorities for government action to improve freshwater management in New Zealand. By 2007, government had approved the development of a national policy statement on freshwater, as well as two national environmental standards, including one that will ensure methods used to allocate water are geared to safeguard aquatic ecosystems. The New Zealand Governmentââ¬â¢s Sustainable Water Programme of Action was developed in response to growing concern among New Zealanders about the future sustainability of fresh water and the need for greater consistency in decision-making on freshwater management. The many Maori iwi found around the country want to protect the water of New Zealand as it is sacred to them and provides them with resources. Although the long-held connection that Maori have with freshwater resources and their role as kaitiaki in managing them has been formally recognised in New Zealand legislation and policy, there remains a gap between these initiatives and the realisation of Maori values in water-planning processes. It is essential Maori values are understood and accounted for when decisions are made regarding water allocations within these systems. In this context, then, increasing Maori involvement in freshwater management, including water allocation processes, has become a key component of the Governmentââ¬â¢s programme to improve water allocation decisions. (M Durette 2009) During my studies I have found that New Zealand has a huge problem with pollution and water use. If we want to keep the freshwater quality high and healthy, we need to seriously look into allocation of water to the different uses and balance it out in the amounts needed for each use. Personally, I think that the New Zealand government should start charging for the use of water. I think that this would be a good way to discourage people to use high amounts of unnecessary water. If we kept the water quality around where it is currently at, or even higher, it would save a lot of money that is being used to clean up the lakes in New Zealand. The pollution through rural and urban land use has to be more publicised as not many people know how much damage they are doing to the environment. If a campaign was set up to show the population what is happening to our freshwater resources, they would be more aware and informed of the situation and how they can do their part to save the resource.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
John Augustus Roebling, Builder of the Brooklyn Bridge
John Augustus Roebling, Builder of the Brooklyn Bridge John Roebling (born June 12, 1806, Mà ¼hlhausen, Saxony, Germany) didnt invent the suspension bridge, yet he is well-known for building the Brooklyn Bridge. Roebling didnt invent spun wire roping, either, yet he became wealthy by patenting processes and manufacturing cables for bridges and aqueducts. He was called a man of iron, says historian David McCullough. Roebling died July 22, 1869, at age 63, from a tetanus infection after crushing his foot on the construction site of the Brooklyn Bridge. From Germany to Pennsylvania 1824 - 1826, Polytechnic Institute, Berlin, Germany, studying architecture, engineering, bridge construction, hydraulics, and philosopy. After graduating, Roebling built roads for the Prussian government. During this period, he reportedly experienced his first suspension bridge, Die Kettenbrà ¼cke (chain bridge) over the Regnitz in Bamberg, Bavaria.1831, sailed to Philadelphia, PA with his brother Karl. They planned to migrate to western Pennsylvania and develop a farming community, although they knew nothing about farming. The brothers bought land in Butler County and developed a town eventually called Saxonburg.May 1936, married Johanna Herting, the town tailors daughter1837, Roebling became a citizen and a father. After his brother died of heatstroke while farming, Roebling began working for the State of Pennsylvania as a surveyor and engineer, where he built dams, locks, and surveyed railroad routes. Building Projects 1842, Roebling proposed that the Allegheny Portage Railroad replace their continually breaking hemp coil ropes with steel coil ropes, a method he had read about in a German magazine. Wilhelm Albert had been using wire rope for German mining companies since 1834. Roebling modified the process and received a patent.1844, Roebling won a commission to engineer a suspension aqueduct to carry canal water over the Allegheny River near Pittsburgh. The aqueduct bridge was successful from its opening in 1845 until 1861 when replaced by the railroad.1846, Smithfield Street Bridge, Pittsburgh (replaced in 1883)1847 - 1848, the Delaware Aqueduct, the oldest surviving suspension bridge in the U.S. Between 1847 and 1851 Roebling built four DH Canal aqueducts.1855, Bridge at Niagara Falls (removed 1897)1860, Sixth Street Bridge, Pittsburgh (removed 1893)1867, Cincinnati Bridge1867, Plans the Brooklyn Bridge (Roebling died during its construction)1883, Brooklyn Bridge completed under the direction of his oldest son, Washington Roebling, and his sons wife, Emily Elements of a Suspension Bridge (e.g., Delaware Aqueduct) Cables are attached to stone piersCast iron saddles sit on the cablesWrought-iron suspender rods sit on the saddles, with both ends hanging vertically from the saddleSuspenders attach to hanger plates to support part of the aqueduct or bridge deck flooring Cast iron and wrought iron were new, popular materials in the 1800s. Restoration of the Delaware Aqueduct 1980, bought by the National Park Service to be preserved as part of Upper Delaware Scenic Recreational RiverAlmost all of the existing ironwork (cables, saddles, and suspenders) are the same materials installed when the structure was built.The two suspension cables encased in red piping are made of wrought iron strands, spun on site under the direction of John Roebling in 1847.Each 8 1/2-inch diameter suspension cable carries 2,150 wires bunched into seven strands. Laboratory tests in 1983 concluded that the cable was still functional.Wrapping wires holding the cable strands in place were replaced in 1985.In 1986, the white pine wooden superstructure was reconstructed using Roeblings original plans, drawings, notes, and specifications Roeblings Wire Company In 1848, Roebling moved his family to Trenton, New Jersey to start his own business and take advantage of his patents. 1850, established John A. Roeblings Sons Company to manufacture wire rope. Of Roeblings seven adult children, three sons (Washington Augustus, Ferdinand William, and Charles Gustavus) would eventually work for the compnay1935 - 1936, oversaw the cable construction (spinning) for the Golden Gate Bridge1945, provided the flat wire to the inventor of the toy1952, business sold to the Colorado Fuel and Iron (CFI) Company of Pueblo, Colorado1968, the Crane Company purchased the CFI Wire rope cabling has been used in a variety of situations including suspension bridges, elevators, cable cars, ski lifts, pulleys and cranes, and mining and shipping. Roeblings U.S. Patents Patent Number 2,720, dated July 16, 1842, Method of and Machine for Manufacturing Wire RopesWhat I claim as my original invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. The process of giving to the wires and strands a uniform tension, by attaching them to equal weights which are freely suspended over pulleys during the manufacture, as described above. 2. The attaching of swivels or of pieces of annealed wire to the ends of the single wires or to the several strands, during the manufacture of a rope, for the purpose of preventing the twist of the fibers, as described above. 3. The manner of constructing the wrapping machine....and the respective parts of which are combined and arranged, as above described, and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, so as to adapt it to the particular purpose of winding wire upon wire ropes.Patent Number 4,710, dated August 26, 1846, Anchoring Suspension-Chains for BridgesMy improvement consists in a new mode of anchorage applicable to wire br idges as well as chain bridges...What I claim as my original invention and wish to secure by Letters Patent is The application of a timber foundation, in place of stone, in connection with anchor plates, to support the pressure of the anchor chains or cables against the anchor masonry of a suspension bridge for the purpose of increasing the base of that masonry, to increase the surface exposed to pressure, and to substitute wood as an elastic material in place of stone, for the bedding of the anchor plates, the timber foundation either to occupy an inclined position, where the anchor cables or chains are continued in a straight line below ground, or to be placed horizontally, when the anchor cables are curved, as exhibited in the accompanying drawing, the whole to be in substance and in its main features constructed as fully described above and exhibited in the drawing. Patent Number 4,945, dated January 26, 1847, Apparatus for Passing Suspension-Wires for Bridges Across RiversWhat I claim as my original invention, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is The application of traveling wheels, suspended and worked, either by a double endless rope, or by a single rope, across a river or valley, for the purpose of traversing the wires for the formation of wire cables, the whole to be in substance and in its main features, constructed and worked, as above described, and illustrated by the drawings. Archives and Collections for Further Research John A. Roebling Collection, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian InstitutionThe Roebling Museum, Roebling, New JerseyThe Delaware and Hudson Canal Slide Show, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior Sources The Great Bridge by David McCullough, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972, Chapter 2John Roebling, Upper Delaware, National Park ServiceRoeblings Delaware Aqueduct, National Park ServiceAllegheny Portage Railroad, History and Culture, National Park ServiceRoebling and the Brooklyn Bridge, The Library of CongressModern History of Wire Rope by Donald SayengaUnited States Patent and Trademarks Office, Department of CommerceAdditional inline photo à ©Jackie CravenAll websites accessed June 11, 2012
Friday, November 22, 2019
The Anonymous Author
The Anonymous Author I read an interesting essay recently, fully expecting to gloss it over and move on to my next email. But the theme grabbed my mind and wouldnt let go, and when that happens, when I see it matters to the writers I love, I usually convert the message into a FundsforWriters post. While fame impedes and constricts, obscurity wraps about a man like a mist; obscurity is dark, ample, and free; obscurity lets the mind take its way unimpeded. Over the obscure man is poured the merciful suffusion of darkness. None knows where he goes or comes. He may seek the truth and speak it; he alone is free; he alone is truthful; he alone is at peace. ~Virginia Woolfe Imagine being able to write without worry as to what the world thought of you? Imagine writing not caring how many books sold? Imagine just focusing on leaving your deepest thoughts on paper with no ramifications or backlash from family and friends? Virginia Woolfe said it best when she stated, the delight of having no name, but being like a wave which returns to the deep body of the sea. Oh my goodness, I could envision and embrace that feeling. Isnt that what we crave as writers? To write without repercussions? To write from our most inside place and let it loose into the world then retreat back to our inner self and write again? When we write solely for profit, our writing often suffers a bit, because we write knowing that it has to be accepted When we write solely to release our candid, sincere thoughts, and yes, Im including with fiction, we feel a sense of relief, release, and self-sustaining integrity. But we risk not making many sales. My suggestion is this . . . if you are writing as a career, then you must write somewhat for the public. However, somewhere along the way, write something that is yours. Write something that reconnects with your true being. Feel honorable and principled writing for one person, yourself. You never know . . . that might be your best work.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Special Education in General Ed classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Special Education in General Ed classroom - Essay Example If there are any areas of concern, consult with an educator, occupational therapist or low vision specialist to evaluate your pupil's school environment. These evaluations can give essential information about your pupil's areas of strength as well as areas that need support services. Educational materials should be presented against a simple background. Keep the work area uncluttered. If pupil finds light too irritating and glaring, he/she will be allowed to wear a hat and dark glasses to protect him. If the situation permits, she may come inside a room to avoid too much light. 2. Children and youth from culturally diverse groups are often under-represented in programs for students with special gifts and talents. Describe procedures, using the content provided in this course that will minimize this under-representation. Different students with different abilities and personality types learn more with varying techniques. Students low in authoritarianism, low in tendency to dichotomize, low in the need for structure, and high in the ability to tolerate frustrations have been found to learn more when the Socratic questions and answer method is used while children of different reasoning skills learn more with the discovery and expository methods. Researchers found that lo... It is worth watching carefully to find out what the smallest toys are that a child can see and play with. Then try to only play with toys that are the same size or bigger. 2. Children and youth from culturally diverse groups are often under-represented in programs for students with special gifts and talents. Describe procedures, using the content provided in this course that will minimize this under-representation. The teacher who recognizes individual differences among his pupils has an edge over those who do not recognize the same. Recognition of these variations helps the teacher maximize learning. Varying the techniques of instruction Different students with different abilities and personality types learn more with varying techniques. Students low in authoritarianism, low in tendency to dichotomize, low in the need for structure, and high in the ability to tolerate frustrations have been found to learn more when the Socratic questions and answer method is used while children of different reasoning skills learn more with the discovery and expository methods. Selection of instructional materials In choosing instructional materials, the following are some implications of individual differences. 1. "complex" and "simple" materials vary with the levels of anxiety 2. carrying the sequence of instruction 3. "visual" and "oral" methods used with students of different perceptual preferences 4. Difficulty level of instructional materials to fit the personality of learners. Researchers found that low anxious, low achieving subjects learned better when materials were sequenced in an easy-to-difficult manner, while anxious, high achieving subjects did better with materials presented in difficult-to-easy manner. Varying setting of instruction. The setting
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Home Building Industry in the United States Essay
Home Building Industry in the United States - Essay Example Housing is globally recognized as productive sector of the economy rather than a form of welfare, because "housing and economic development are closely linked" and it acts as an instrument to improve the GDP. (Housing for Economic Development, 2005). Because a healthy housing stock provides safety for employees, taxes for state and local governments, and more customers for retail and service business, house building industry helps state and regional economy to flourish. Every individual aspire to own individual dwelling unit and buying a home is a major life event. Major life events such as marriage, birth of a child, changes in employment, or retirement particularly influence the decision to purchase a house though mortgage rates, income and expected returns on investment also motivate their decision to invest in residential property. Young adults in the population constitute primary source for home buying and when there is upward trend to housing prices these first-time buyers will be more attracted to enter into homeownership under the notion that rising prices will make future purchases unaffordable. Housing is an important basic need and focus of social concern and should be viewed as one of the key elements of social policy. Some of the U.S markets may not have sufficient housing supply to accommodate the influx of new residents, while the state and local governments may lack the resources to provide supportive services. The ability of Americ a's working immigrant families to obtain decent and affordable housing has implications for the social and economic well-being of the United States. Studies found that there is a direct proportionality between housing price and homeownership, establishing that "housing market's volatility is amplified by buyers' responses to the trends in market fundamentals." (Myers & Ryu, 2008, P.17-33). Housing market provides "mechanism for equity growth, liquidity and financial flexibility for individual households, while also providing relatively safe, productive investments for institutions through secondary mortgage markets." (Housing for Economic Development, 2005). "Housing shortages have historically gone hand-in-hand with rising housing prices and rents, higher housing cost burden, lower homeownership rates, increased crowding, and longer commutes." (Landis, 2000). It is admitted that State's economy is one of the chief determinants of producing more housing units, because when the economy goes into recession housing demand falls quickly and deeply. "Economic recovery revitalizes the housing market, though expansionary peaks rarely even out the recessionary troughs." (Landis, 2000) According to Professor Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School, "the only reliable test of economic value is sustained profitability, measured by superiority in long-term return on investment" and "industry structure is a key driver of homebuilder profitability". However, he asserts that "market assessments of homebuilding stocks appear to be out of line with other industries that have similar structural characteristics." (Porter, 2003). "The conduct of monetary policy by the Federal Reserve has profound impacts on the housing sector and its contribution to the overall economy" as reducing inflationary
Sunday, November 17, 2019
African American Cinema Essay Example for Free
African American Cinema Essay The subject of African-Americans in Motion Pictures provides some of the most interesting studies along with the many controversial interpretations of the roles as actors they played on screen. As far back as the silent films era, African-Americans have been featured in motion pictures playing roles depicting some aspect of acting and being purveyors of a black image. The messages or themes of these movies have over the years presented a mixture of images based upon what was thought to please the viewers of each particular film. Unfortunately, many of those films showed black characters in negative stereotypical roles, which the average African-Americans would never truly identify as being like themselves. Since many of our American icons and heroes have come from our motion picture stars, we need to understand what this narrow view presented and compare it with what we presently see at our local cinema today. The movies Guess Whos Coming To Dinner (1967), Shaft (1971), Do The Right Thing (1989), Boys n the Hood (1991), and Menace to Society (1993) show a thematic style and stereotypes in the way that black films have progressed over the years. The motion picture industry was never too quick to change their approach in presenting African-Americans in realistic roles depicting social or civil conditions in an integrated context. Many of these roles required scenes showing African-Americans in positions of authority or relating to white Americans in a positive way. This Integration Period therefore brought together African-American actors with scenes along side white actors in roles showing both players dealing with racial conflict and resolution. Guess Whos Coming to Dinner was truly a unique film for its time in that Sidney Poitiers character breaks all the stereotypical views of blacks in American Cinema. In the early 1930s blacks were portrayed as lower class, slow-witted figures of entertainment, often showed in menstrual shows. Poitiers character broke all these stereotypes. 1971 brought to the big screen a successive series of superhero black or blaxploitation films. Shaft was released in 1971, and Richard Roundtree was the superman black hero detective. He was compared by many to the white James Bond. Related to Guess Whos Coming to Dinner, Shaft took it up a notch in showing a black man as a hero. Poitiers role was one to equalize whites and blacks in their roles in American cinema, but Shaft showed a black man who was an authoritative figure. Different themes can be mixed in between the two movies. They both show an intelligent black man that has a grip on reality. Both movies showed themes of how integration has struck America. They differ though on a level in that Shaft was a black dominant cast and Guess Whos Coming to Dinner was predominantly white. Do the Right Thing, Boyz n the Hood, and Menace to Society were all produced in a more modern era, hence the fact that they all have similar racial themes. The films all paint a picture of urban Black America in their time period. All three films are thought to be racially reactionary films aimed at the psyche of both black and white viewers. The movies were all a success due to the touched topics of racial situations, ethnic tensions, and human encounters of anger. The superb casts of both black and white actors made the motion picture industry aware of a newer avenue for films and race relations. African-Americans in motion pictures in todays expanding world of visual imagery can be seen on many expanding fronts. We see the making of motion pictures on subjects or themes which can be taken from history, life experiences, music, and unexplored events. Todays markets are open, and African-Americans are taking advantage of these open door opportunities. Actors and actresses are expanding their roles from stage acting to movies to TV miniseries to video cassettes or discs, and roles taken from books, plus movie soundtracks. In our world today African-American actors and actresses will always have a place in American Cinema and their future looks bright and promising.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Appearance Versus Reality in Katharine Anne Porters He :: Katharine Anne Porter He Essays
Appearance Versus Reality in Katharine Anne Porter's He So many memories came to my mind while reading this story! I grew up in a family (or at least one side of that family) who always cared and worried about what other people thought! Most obviously, the short story, "He," by Katharine Anne Porter is about appearance vs. reality and living with a disabled child. But I also believe the story is about life, the hardships of life, poverty, the innocence of children, the trust children put into their parents, the gossip of small towns, the resentment and bitterness of the hardships of life, being a mother, rural life, denial, guilt, and compassion. Most importantly, however, I believe the story is mostly about the resentment of the hardships of life and appearance vs. reality. Edgar Allan Poe once said in his "Twice Told Tales" that a writer must give her "single effect," or thesis, in the first sentence of a story or they have made a mistake. So, I always look at the first sentence of a story when I read it to see what themes it provokes. The first sentence in "He" is: Life was very hard for the Whipples (324). Throughout the story, we get a building up of just how "hard life was for the Whipples." Through all these hardships, Mrs. Whipple seems to be resentful of every problem the family must overcome. Instead of supporting her husband and her children she complains about everything and seems to worry only about herself. For example, one of the first instances of Mrs. Whipple's true feelings of resentment of having a disabled child (and the burden that creates) comes when she butchers the pig. After she slits its throat, He runs away and Mrs. Whipple thinks to herself "with a stiff face": He'd eat it all if I didn't stop him. He'd eat up every mouthful from the other two if I'd let him (327). Here, I believe Mrs. Whipple's tone is very resentful that she has a disabled child that cannot think for or take care of himself. Mrs. Whipple must always take care of Him first before anyone else since he cannot fend for himself. She "gets tired trying to keep [Him] decent" (327). This scene also shows how resentful Mrs.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Company background
In addition to the usual media (television, radio, and newspaper) for aintained an extensive advertising campaign, the company makes significant use of billboards and signage, sponsors sporting events ranging from Little League to the Olympic Games. B. Training Topic/Area Our training topic is about how to become a good coach. We will identify the coaching skill and give some demonstration to manager trainees. In this training session, we will aim to focus on four main areas.First is Introduction, it would include the company background, objective, mission and the importance of coaching. Second is the concern of how to be a good coaching which includes the coaching skill, conflict cenario preference and resolution. Third is the session for discussing of the conflict scenario such as the advantage and disadvantage. Final one is the role play, short session for presenting and correcting the coaching conflict scenario which watched before. C. Target Trainees Our target trainees are focu s on the restaurant manager in all McDonald in Hong Kong.As most of them are newer to this level, therefore this training can provide the opportunity to them to get a well understanding of their Job duties. D. Lesson objective Manager Trainees should be able to equip the effective coaching skills. We hope that t can identify the unique leadership skill which is a healthy, positive and enabling process that transforms people to higher levels of competence. Furthermore, the coaching course can let the McDonald's manager trainees understand how to become a good coaching through the role play section and demonstration.In addition, the most important objective should understand the importance of mentoring in maximizing the team performance. E. Lesson plan Subject: Coaching (McDonald) Date ; Time: 4th March,2013, 1630-1730 Venue: Room 309 Lesson: How to become a good coaching. Coach: Han Chow, Adam Ku, Katie Lee, Kevin La', Simon Lam Objectives:After this lesson, 16 Manager Trainees shoul d be able to: To equip the To understand how to become a good coaching To understand the importance of mentoring in maximizing the team performance.Topics Important points Method Media/ Materials Time Venue Trainer Introduction Company background, Objective and mission, Importance of coaching PowerPoint 3Mtn 309 Kevin How to become a good coaching Coaching Skill, Conflict Scenario Preference and Resolution PowerPoint + Video PowerPoint Nga Han Role Play Good Coaching Scenario ââ¬â 8Mtn Adam + Katie Discussion of scenario Advantage and Disadvantage of coaching scenario 6Mtn Simon F. Supplementary Information Role play scenario: McDonald manager always give some support to staff no matter staff cannot do the report well in the deadline.He will listen the reasons why the staff cannot do well instead of punish his staff. M= McDonald's Manager, S= McDonald's Staff (Aside: Mr. Ku is a manager of McDonald. Katie is a McDonald's staff. One day, Mr. Ku M:Hi, katie, we decide you to be th e holder of Mcdonload birthday party and write a report after this program, 0k? S: Sure. I am 0k. mr. ku. When do I need to complete the report and program? M: I am sure you will be able to do well in this program. You can complete it within one week. This book can give you some reference for your program.It is included some useful information and teach you how to do the program well. Hope it can help you. S: Thank you so much. Mr. Ku. I wont make you disappointed. (Aside: After 7 days, Katie finishes the report on time and hand in to Mr. Ku. ) S:Mr ku. this is my McDonald party report. M:Ok, let me check this. Did you find any problem in doing this report? Did the book give you some idea on doing the project? S: yes, I do. M:You always give us surprise, but this time, it's should not your usual performance, ou look tired, Is the working pressure too high or other thing influence you ?S: I am sorry that I could not do a perfect Job and have many mistakes in the report . lam afraid t hat i need more time to do it M: As I know you always are the good employee, i believe something make you fail. Fortunately this project is not urgent, i can give you more 4 days, but your problems do not solve that still affect the program, can you tell me? Maybe i can help you. S: My dad get sick now, i am really worry about his physical condition and my dad state, I often cannot fall asleep at night. Also, ââ¬Ëneed to go to hospital everyday, I really eel I can't sustain. For this program, I really want to do it better.M: Oh , i am sorry for that, No wonder you give me the report in your tensity, bestiring up, all things will be allright. do you want the leave to take care your father? S:Thanks a lot but I hope I follow my Jobs till the end, ââ¬Ëwill be responsible for this program I don't want to see other one handle my Jobs. M: I trust your ability and you can perform a good show, besides the time, what can i help you more? Like arrange a assistant for reducing your workl oad? S:Thank you for your support and accept my mistakes. That is a good idea, I hope he an help me handle the daily operation when I go to the hospital. epartment s:sure M: Good. In fact, everyone will face the difficult time, next time if you need help don't hide the problem that make more worst, try to talk to person who can help you, i believe they can solving the problem for you like this time. Remember, communcation is most important in a team. S: I got it! M:Good! I really expect your prefect program in the future. (Aside: After this matter, other staff members were surprise of Mr. Ku attitude and think that he is a good manager. He willing to understand his staff and accept mistakes so motivate staff to do better.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Oprahââ¬â¢s Empire and Organizational Theory, Design and Change Essay
The Oprah Case was a brief view into the life of Oprah Winfrey and the empire she built. Born in Mississippi, Oprah had a gift for public speaking. She delved into journalism and landed her own day time TV show in Chicago. The broadcast television industry proved to be a wonderful source of revenue for Winfrey and here her empire began. Oprah then went into acting and found interest in producing. She founded Harpo, Inc. and began acquiring rights to film books. The Oprah Winfrey Show became a hit success propelling Oprah forward to be one of the worldââ¬â¢s most influential people. She launched a website, oprah.com; a magazine, O, The Magazine; and began her own network, OWN. She organized several charitable organizations around the world and is recognized as the most generous celebrity as it relates to giving away her own money. There is a component in Emotional Intelligence by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greavesââ¬â¢ book that emphasizes the need for Self Awareness. With much o f Oprah Winfreyââ¬â¢s success being attributed to not compromising her beliefs for society, Oprah has to continuously guard against being mislead or possibly used by others. Although her intentions may be good, Oprah Winfreyââ¬â¢s tendency to be hard on herself if she neglects to reach success can cloud her talent to recognize her own efforts. There are three key indicators of Self-Awareness that Oprah Winfrey utilizes in order to maintain her public image and reputation. First, Oprah exudes self-confidence in order to effectively market anything that she endorses or supports. Because of this keen awareness of her self-worth, throughout any appearance, Oprah presents her viewers with a self-assurance which enables her to voice views that her followers can assess and take into consideration. Over the years, Oprah has become a beacon for making sound decisions despite the uncertainties and pressures of the media. Next, Oprah is aware of her strengths and limits, therefore, she is able to give an accurate self-assessment and accept candid feedback. Early on in her career she was able to learn that she was not able to operate as owner, president, and CEO. Knowing this, Oprah was able to profit more in the grand scheme of things because her limit was recognized and valued. As Tim Bennett acted as the President of Oprahââ¬â¢s Harpo Productions, he was able to give Oprah a new perspective and aid in her self-development with his expertise. Lastly, Oprah has a self-deprecating sense of humor that shows she doesnââ¬â¢t take herself too seriously. This is important in the candid feedback she receives from viewers, bloggers, and other forms of news. As a person in the media, Oprah is self-aware and realizes the need to trust yourself and not let negative energy hold you back from operating at your full potential. As a steward of her brand, itââ¬â¢s safe to say that Oprah Winfrey pays close attention to the quality of her message and products. Oprah Winfrey has a great gift of compassion, tenderness, and kindness. For balance, Oprah Winfrey promotes mature self-obedience, self-management, and personal responsibility. In doing this, Oprah utilized four core competencies to build her personal brand. First, she discovered what she wanted her brand to convey and laid out a development plan for herself, which included where she was presently and future goals. Oprah Winfrey is most successful because she was able to merge her passion of journalism with expertise. Next, Oprah created her brand by positioning herself as extraordinary in her niche of talk show hosting. The point of this is to tell her audience what she values and the benefits of watching her show. Besides tangible incentives, Oprah gives advice and offers community awareness through her many projects. Then, Oprah uses communication to allow her to gain the visibility to be looked to as a guru of opinions. Oprah attracted her viewers and followers by becoming accessible through forums, book clubs, mail, and social media. Lastly, Oprah has been able to maintain her brand through constant revisits and updates. Constantly Oprah goes back to everything she has created; her O magazine, OWN network, book club and everything that she has endorsed to refresh it with current information and maintain its reputation. The mission for The Oprah Winfrey Show was ââ¬Å"to be a catalyst for the transformation in peopleââ¬â¢s lives.â⬠In keeping with core competencies, the organization was able to continue to generate revenue by using the skills and abilities in value-creation activities that allowed all of the business subunits to achieve superior quality and consumer responsiveness. Because the mission was one of empowerment, Oprahââ¬â¢s team made sure that anything that was done supported that mission and by doing so it increased intrinsic value. Oprahââ¬â¢s following knew what to expect, they enjoyed it, and they kept coming back even bringing new consumers. Oprah was known to surround herself with high performing people. The business was demanding there were constant deadlines and long hours. Many were known to work from 15-17 hours in order to keep up. They had a code of excellence and anyone who could not meet that code did not last long. The type of environment that came from this fast-paced work style is in part related to the expansion strategy. Harpo was growing rapidly due to the corporate-level strategy. Oprah had harnessed a command in the daytime TV domain and used this base to expand into new media domains through related diversification. There are so many cultural differences such as diverse communication styles, different approaches to completing task and different attitudes toward conflict. As a leader within her brand and enterprise, Oprah has mastered the art of working around cultural differences and effectively coordinating outsourcing relationships. She has conquered working with different cultures by encouraging and rewarding creativity, creating a diverse workforce and educated staff and offering support while having fun. Oprah has also effectively coordinated outsourcing relationships with her many international projects, specifically her school in Africa. Benefits of outsourcing include higher performance, a better mitigation of risk and reduced confusion and wasted time. Oprah opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in 2007 with the goal in mind of giving children who are less fortunate the chance to better themselves with a proper and suitable education. In order to effectively accomplish this goal, it was a mission of Oprahââ¬â¢s to have access and acquire the best talent. Oprah has been able to enjoy the benefits of outsourcing because of her quality commitment and reputation. Throughout Oprahââ¬â¢s career, several conflicts within her organization have risen. Although conflict is perceived negatively, some conflict is good for an organization. Conflict can be beneficial because it can overcome organizational inertia and lead to organizational learning and change. This is extremely evident when Oprahââ¬â¢s Book Club introduced A Million Little Pieces by James Frey to the public. This is a great example where Pondeyââ¬â¢s Model of Organizational Conflict is illustrated. Latent Conflict, the first stage of this model, surfaced in 2005 when Oprah introduced this book. In several ways, the work was an unconventional choice for the Book Club where potential for conflict was at a high risk. The book was a classified as a memoir, not the ordinary book for the Book Club. Freyââ¬â¢s memoir, an account of his descent into alcohol and drug addiction, offered a graphic, unsparing look at the consequences of his illness and at the long, difficult road to recovery. It was the first contemporary piece of writing that Winfrey had selected for the Book Club in more than two seasons. The second stage, Perceived Conflict, happen on January 8, 2006. The investigative web site The Smoking Gun delivered a devastating blow to Freyââ¬â¢s insistences of authenticity. The site revealed numerous instances of exaggeration in A Million Little Pieces. This brought many aware of this conflict and people began to analyze it. The conflict escalated when Oprah battled against what was being said. She stated, ââ¬Å"that the underlying message of redemption in James Freyââ¬â¢s memoir still resonates with me. And I know that it resonates with millions of other people who have read this book and will continue to read this book.â⬠In the third stage of Pondeyââ¬â¢s Model, conflict is felt. Investigative reports showed that he had exaggerated his criminal past to the point of fancy. But he had also distorted the stories of others, including two high-school classmates who died in a car crash in 1986. Marianne Sanders, the mother of one of the deceased, called Freyââ¬â¢s account ââ¬Å"flat-out lies.â⬠What began as a small problem had now escalated into a huge conflict. On January 26, 2006, these issues came to a head when the talk-show host brought Frey back onto her show. Winfrey confessed that the facts that had come out about Freyââ¬â¢s past since the scandal broke had caused her to revise her opinion of his work. ââ¬Å"I feel duped,â⬠Winfrey told Frey. ââ¬Å"But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers.â⬠Conflict had manifested. This is demonstrated in the fourth stage. In the fifth and final stage, the aftermath of the conflict is present. Conflict is resol ved in a way that leaves subunits feeling combative or cooperative. In this case, Winfrey also apologized to viewers for her own role in supporting Freyââ¬â¢s actions and attitude toward self-representation. The truth, it turned out, mattered to many people. In the aftermath of the controversy, Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, the imprint that had published Freyââ¬â¢s book, also issued an apology. Winfreyââ¬â¢s response in particular, spurred a large-scale conversation among publishers, authors, and journalists about the state of nonfiction writing. Oprah used her power and ability to manipulate decision making. She uses two tactics that has led to her success. The first tactic she uses is her ability to control the agenda. Oprah si involved in the majority, if not all, departments and committees of her empire. She likes to be on and involved in these committees and departments so that she can control business decisions, especially if the issues affect how and when to change the organizationââ¬â¢s strategy and structure. Bringing in an outside expert is the second tactic. The biggest mistake Oprah made in the beginning was that she did understand that she needed infrastructure and systems in order to run a business. And it wasnââ¬â¢t until 1994 that she actually brought in someone to be president and organize the systems. She described herself as a crazy person, trying to do it all. In 1994, Winfrey hired Tim Bennett to serve as Harpoââ¬â¢s president. 8. Infrastructure 9. Organizational Life Cycle Oprah has put up her $5.6 million Gold Coast Condo on the market, and moved to California to run her network OWN. Her condo that sits on top of a huge building in downtown Chicago can be rented for $15,000 a month. Rosie Oââ¬â¢Donnellââ¬â¢s current OWN talk show was being taped at Harpo, but no longer. The Rosie Oââ¬â¢Donnell show has been moved to New York. The move resulted in low ratings and the lack of obtaining special guest for the show. It was a constant challenge trying to get people to come to the show, so they decided to move to a location that was convenient for special guest. This was never a problem for Oprah. Therefore, Harpo Studios is dark and inactive. Possibilities of putting it up for sale to those buyers who want to have their own production facility, or to those who want to tear it down to build a high-rise building are beginning to surface. Despite struggles with OWN, Oprah.com is still successful. Whatââ¬â¢s next for Oprah? The future of the Oprah Empire is a topic that many people find may be threatened. Much of Oprahââ¬â¢s target market is the baby boomer middle class. With her target market aging and the culture of broadcast journalism changing, where does this leave Oprah? Oprahââ¬â¢s future relevance will heavily rely on the diversification of her current and future business developments. Currently worth $2.7 Billion, Oprah has plenty of cushion room to reinvest in new strategies or add to her current ventures. With the stability of her magazine and online presence, Oprah has made her name an international staple touching the homes of millions around the globe. Her integration of technology into her business model has transcended generations inviting the more tech savvy to join the ranks. The real question is about the future of OWN network. While it is experiencing difficulty now, expect it to make a transition into a network that is developing future leaders with the power of persuasion. In the future as Oprah ceases to have a world presence, her legacy will remain.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Last of the Mohicans essays
Last of the Mohicans essays I am going to be writhing an opinion based paper about the movie, "The Last of the Mohicans".It is a translation of the james fenimore coopers book that was written a long time ago. The movie is based on a dying Indian tribe that is caught in the middle of the war between the French and the British over the North American territory. The mohawks are bitter rivals with the Hurons, who are fierce and outnumber them by far. One of the french commanders asks that his daughters be put under that watch magua, a member of the Hurons, yet they did not know that Magua had connections with the British. Magua turns on the colonel in favor of the french and attempts to take the daughters hostage as a revenge for the british killing his family. This is where the Mohawks come into play by trying to rescue the girls and they do all they can to avoid Magua and the Huron so that they can bring the girls back to their father at the fort. The only problem is that the Huron act on revenge, not for the French, But for themselves. This makes their desire for the girls greater, now that they are under an eye of their rivals. This movie overall was very good though, the first 20 minutes were kind of confusing while i was trying to figure out the characters and where they belonged in the movie. The movie is somewhat violent but it is only that for one reason, its about a war so I think it is accepted that there be some blood shed. The whole movie overall was ver good even though at a few spots I felt it carried on a little to much that it should. The music in the movie was great and it fit the movie perfectly. I was only disappointed in a few points and that would have to be how the parts drug out and how the movie ended. I feel that it should have had more romantic ending rather then having her take her life but that is how it was meant to be. I would give this movie a 3.5 out of 5 stars. ...
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Use Reddit To Develop New Skills
Use Reddit To Develop New Skills Talent is funny thing, often difficult to define. Either you have it or you donââ¬â¢t. Over on the subreddit /r/photoshopbattles there are some amazing designers with lots of creativity and maybe too much free time on their hands. Regardless, this subreddit is a great example of how someone can get more experience developing professional skills in a fun way. Here is how it works:1 person posts a photo in the subreddit and then anyone has free reign to photoshop the photo however they like. The results often produce hilarious results.Here is a recent one:Just a tiger standing next to his keeperThe Original PhotoThen, one crafty individual edits the photo, suggesting something elseâ⬠¦Theyââ¬â¢re grrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat.And so it beginsâ⬠¦Of course, Calvin needs to get in the mixâ⬠¦So then the inevitable happensâ⬠¦Bet you saw this comingâ⬠¦And guess what comes nextâ⬠¦Full blown photoshop insanityCue creative chaos ensuring:I wonder if he was grrrrrrrrrrrrrreatN ow watch what some crafty person didâ⬠¦Next level creativityHere we goâ⬠¦Kaboom! Mind = blownAll photos can be found here.Well there is plenty more on this subreddit, but the point here is that you can always be developing professional skills, especially if you are thinking about what you need to have in your toolset for your next job.There all kinds of other subreddits where people can develop professional skills, such as writing prompts, HTML, and just about everything else you can think of.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Best Approach to a Nuclear Iran Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Best Approach to a Nuclear Iran - Essay Example Dore Gold writes, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦outwardly Iran wanted the peaceful use of nuclear energy, but its hidden intention, according to Ramezanzadeh, was to engage in other activities.â⬠(15)The international community is not willing to believe Iran and remains skeptical about its nuclear plan. Bush administration takes a tough stance and warns that production of nuclear weapons is on the agenda of Iran and that concern is shared by Obama administration. Gold argues about the administrationââ¬â¢s initial attitude and writes, ââ¬Å"Obamaââ¬â¢s neutrality on the developments in Iran reached its height when he declared: ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s important to understand that although there is some ferment taking place in Iran, that the difference between Ahmadinejad and Moussavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as advertised.â⬠(5) But the position is not the same now though Iran consistently denies allegations that it owns intention to develop a bomb. Gold further tenders details that ââ¬Å"â⬠¦.intelligence data indicating that Iran was also working on a nuclear warhead that could be fitted on its ballistic missiles.â⬠(35) How do the authors present these issues? The authors present the issues in a logical manner tendering facts in support of their arguments. Both of them share concern about Americaââ¬â¢s political and economic interests. They differ in details as for approach but both agree that Iranââ¬â¢s nuclear weapons program ambitions must be contained without further delay. What are their assumptions? Christopher Hemmer argues that patient diplomacy is the best approach to contain Iranââ¬â¢s nuclear program. According to him, Iran with nuclear weapons will pose challenges for the United States, but it is prudent to meet them through a policy of deterrence actively pursued, through containment and engagement and with active deliberations with Americaââ¬â¢s allies in the region. It is better to talk to Iran across t he table on a perennial basis, than challenge it through arms. Norman Podhooretz answers this question in a simple and straightforward style. He is not willing to trust Iran under any circumstances. According to him a nuclear-armed Iran is dangerous for all concerned countries and disastrous for America. Use of arms to checkmate Iran is less risky than allowing it to go scot-free with its weapon-development program. He advocates direct military intervention and destruction of Iranââ¬â¢s nuclear capabilities. What are their arguments? According to Hemmer, in pursuance the path of peaceful negotiations, America needs to look out for options like change of regime, preventive military strike, economic sanction and make appropriate evaluations about cost of action vs. costs of inaction. In any case, America cannot remain a silent spectator about the nuclear ambitions of Iran and need to take actions on an ongoing basis. Christopher Hemmer argues, ââ¬Å"The United States has three str ategic interests in the Persian Gulf: maintaining the flow of oil onto world markets, preventing any hostile state from dominating the region, and minimising any terrorist threat.â⬠(Parametersâ⬠¦) Norman Podhooretz writes, ââ¬Å"I argued that deterrence could not be relied upon with a regime rules by Islamafacist revolutionaries who not only were ready to die for their beliefs but cared less about
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Legalizing Marijuana for recreational use Research Paper
Legalizing Marijuana for recreational use - Research Paper Example Ethics, unlike law determines what is right from wrong in regards to this issue regardless of the law which may be in existence unlike law which heavily defends a legal position that has already been defined using the oratory skills. This paper proposes the justice of making marijuana legal at a federal level as a controlled substance while taking 2 standpoints where the drugs benefits is more than the associated risks and also since there are inconsistencies with the current legal policies on the issue of marijuana as compared to both legal and illegal drugs that are more dangerous. Specifically, the paper will compare benefits and risks of legalizing marijuana against those of the most common legal recreational drug that are currently being used today. In specific it will look at cigarettes and alcohol. This paper tries to avoid discussing legalization of medical marijuana since research show that12 states already have allowed the use of marijuana in medicinal purposes and today there are over 2000 legal marijuana dispensaries all over the nation. However, the possession and usage of the drug is still illegal under the federal law. Due to the popularity and historical usage of the substance, a new look needs be implemented so that this can be a legal recreational drug together or even to be made to replace alcohol and cigarette smoking. Marijuana is a dried blossom of the Cannabis Sativa and Cannabis Indica plants. It is the most regularly used illegal drug and thus is considered as being one of the most popular recreational drug in United States. Over the years there have been a lot of debates over the issue of legalizing the drugs with many individuals coming up with both positive and negative issues. In the 21st century marijuana is illegal in the United States due to concerns over violence, health related issues and crimes that are associated with marijuana. There have been some
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Ford Galaxy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
Ford Galaxy - Essay Example Ford Galaxy is a seven-seater luxury large Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) developed jointly by Ford and Volkswagen and was first introduced in 1995. During the Frankfurt Motor Show held last September 2005, the latest Ford Galaxy model was unveiled. It will be available in the market in the middle of 2006. In the Motor Industry Facts 2006 published by SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd.), total car registration in UK reached 2.4 million as of 2005. In table 1 below, Lower Medium segment remains to be the most dominant car type in the industry owning 31.2% of the market. Ford Focus, Vauxhall Astra, and Renault Megane are among the products included in this category. However, total car registration was down by 5% compared to 2004. Major factors attributed to such decline were lower consumer spending, increasing interest rates, and intense competition in the industry. Very evident in the last three years in the industry was the shift of consumer preferences in terms of car type. Share of Superminis like Corsa, Fiesta, and 206 went down by 3.9% while its alternative Lower Medium increased market share by 2.8%. Furthermore, SUVs or Dual Purpose 4x4s and MPVs increased share in the industry New car registrations can be classified as non-private (fleet and business) and private. An estimated of about 44.1% of total car registrations were categorised as private vehicles. ... In terms of non-private, 49% were contributed by business segment and the remaining 7.3% for fleet. Table 1 MPV's or minivans are slowly gaining popularity in the industry resulting to a 3-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.6% against total industry CAGR of -1.6%. However, total MPV declined by 8% which is somewhat similar to the situation of the total car industry. MPVs are also known as people carrier, multi-utility vehicle, or to some extent as minivan. A typical MPV can seat 7 people or more, relatively higher than normal sedans, and can be characterised as a family car. It is further segmented in three major categories - mini-MPV (e.g. Hyundai Matrix), compact MPV (e.g. Vauxhall Zafira), and large MPV (e.g. Ford Galaxy) depending on its body size and seating capacity. Market Needs In the survey involving 3,000 new car buyers conducted by Vauxhall Motors last 2003, reliability turned out to be the most important consideration affecting car purchase. Price which was the primary consideration in year 2002 fell to 4th position. Comfort, fuel economy, price, exterior size and space in vehicle are other leading considerations influencing car purchase in UK. Market Forecast Car registration forecast in 2006 is still negatively skewed according to SMMT. Expected new car registrations will be around 2.375 million or -2.7% compared to actual car registration in 2005. Weak economic forecast which is directly related to weakening consumer spending is considered as one of the significant deterrents in 2006. Conversely, diesel demand is predicted to increase in the coming years. Competition General target buyers for MPV are young families with children age 6 to 11 years old who want better fuel economic savings. The growing fierce
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Effect of RAS Polymorphism on Essential Blood Pressure
Effect of RAS Polymorphism on Essential Blood Pressure Pharmacogenetic Association of RAS Polymorphism on Essential Blood Pressure in Relation to Enalapril/Lisinopril among Malay male newly diagnosed hypertensives Abstract Objective: It has been suggested that genetic backgrounds, which have an association with essential hypertension, may also determine the responsiveness to ACE inhibitor. We determined the association of angiotensin-converting enzyme (I/D, G2350A), angiotensinogen (M235T, T174M and A-6G) and renin (Bg/I and Mbo/I) gene polymorphisms with essential hypertension and the relationship between genetic variant of interest and high blood pressure response to ACE inhibitor (enalapril, lisinopril) in patients with essential hypertension subjects from Seremban, Malaysia. Methods: A newly hypertensive Malay male population (n=142) was recruited for a mono-trophy[ah1] pharmacogenetic study. Hypertensive patients were treated with ACEI drugs, particularly enalapril or lisinopril alone. We differentiated between those who controlled their HT with those who did not. Each groupââ¬â¢s characteristics were compared to determine the risk of non-controlled HT associated with RAS polymorphisms by adjusting for different variables. Results: Statistically significant associations of I, G, T and M alleles were observed with essential hypertension in I/D, G2350A, M235T, and T175M. The decrease in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure after 24 weeks of treatment of the patients carrying II, GG, and TT genotypes was greater than the groups carrying DD, AA, MM and MM genotypes. In contrast, no significant difference was shown between renin gene polymorphisms (Bg/I and MboI). Conclusions: Although this study shows a possible association of polymorphisms of RAAS genes[ah2] with the risk of non-controlled HT in ACEI-treated patients and indicates the importance of all components in this system in regulating HT, it needs to be replicated in other data sources. Keywords: Essential hypertension; renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; single-nucleotide polymorphism; ACE inhibitors; pharmacogenetic INTRODUCTION Essential hypertension (EH) is an increasingly important medical and public health issue [1]. In Malaysia, the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2013 has shown that the prevalence of hypertension in adults âⰠ¥18 years increased from 33.2% in 2006 to 35.7% in 2013 [2]. Furthermore, the prevalence increased from 42.6% to 43.5% for those >30 years old. Unfortunately, 60.6% of total hypertensives were ââ¬Å"undiagnosedâ⬠[3]. These poor rates of high blood pressure (BP) control are not explained by the lack of treatment, as one study estimated approximately 30% of treated hypertensive patients take one antihypertensive drug, 40% take two antihypertensive drugs and 30% take three or more antihypertensive drugs [4]. These data suggest that the present trial and error approach for high blood pressure management is suboptimal, and alternative approaches for identifying the optimal antihypertensive regimen in a specific patient are needed. Using genetic make-up of an indiv idual along with the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for hypertensive response offers a new preventive approach to lower adverse drug interaction risk. A renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is an important component of blood pressure regulation, and it has been suspected to be involved in hypertension [5]. Moreover, the major active peptide of the RAS is angiotensin II. Produced from the precursor molecule, angiotensinogen (AGT), via an enzyme cascade involving ACE enzyme, angiotensin II exerts numerous effects on the homeostatic regulation of blood pressure, the vast majority of which are mediated via the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) [6]. The presence of polymorphisms in the ACE, AGT and renin (REN) genes of the RAS has been associated with adverse EH changes in several studies [7,8,9]. For example, the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphisms of the ACE gene have been associated with increased blood pressure, urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and target-organ damage in hypertensive patients [10]. Moreover, ACE G2350A gene polymorphisms in exon 17 were reported as a remarkable genetic variant mostly associated through hypertension with an average increase of 3.2 mmHg in SBP by having the G allele [11]. It has been reported that the presence of A-6G polymorphism of AGT gene among Chinese hypertensives increased body weight gain in hypertensive patients [12]. The Mb/I and Bg/I polymorphisms of the REN gene have been associated with hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, aortic stiffness and exaggerated vasoconstriction; additionally, the Bg/I polymorphism in the same gene appears to confer protection against the development of microalbuminuria in patients with hypertension [13]. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of four RAS gene polymorphisms on the antihypertensive response in newly detected hypertensives receiving two ACEIs (enalapril and lisinopril). The polymorphisms investigated were A-6G, the A for G substitution of the AGT gene 6 nucleotides upstream from the start site; the ACE I/D polymorphism corresponding to an insertion or deletion of a 287bp alu repeat; and two polymorphisms of the REN gene, Bg/I and MboI and both in the coding area of intron 9. There are compelling reasons hypothesizing that variations in genes of the system may be predictive of variations in BP response. Therefore, genetic variation of the RAS has been investigated in relation to antihypertensive response to ACE inhibitors in various population and dosage (Table 1) as the most common lowering BP agent in Malaysia [14]; however, previously publications have had somewhat conflicting results elsewhere [15-19]. We hypothesized those genetic polymorphisms in RAS genes, including ACE I/D, G2350A, AGT M235T, T174M, A-6G along with REN MboI and Bg/I were associated with the incidence of EHT. Therefore, the aim of this pharmacogenetic study was to investigate the association between seven RAS gene polymorphisms of interest among 142 newly diagnosed Malay male hypertensives that never took BP medications. They were treated once daily for 24 weeks with 20 mg of enalapril or lisinopril. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patient Populations Malay male patients >18 years of age with three-generation Malay family who were newly diagnosed with essential mild-to-moderate hypertension were collected from clinics for non-communicable disease Seremban, Malaysia. The information includes age (25-60 years old), onset (25-60 years old), systolic BP > 140 mmHg and a diastolic BP > 90 mmHg on 2 consecutive visits for those untreated, absence of secondary forms of hypertension. Subjects with a history of diabetes mellitus, renal failure and major infectious disease were excluded. They had no metabolic or endocrine disorder, as well as any acute illness. They were not on any antihypertensive treatment and were drug-naive patients. Written informed consent was obtained from each patient before being included in the clinical trial, and patientââ¬â¢s identity was kept strictly confidential. A specific consent form was requested for genetic testing permission. BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION PATTERN Lifestyle Modification For patients, lifestyle modification for a period of three months was advised. The patients were seen three times during this period to assess the efficacy of the non-pharmacological management including weight loss, regular exercise, and ingestion of a high-fiber, low-fat, and low-salt diet. Follow-up Mon-trophy[ah3] Management Dispensed ACEIs (lisinopril or enalapril) on the same date for individuals have recorded. Each patient received lisinopril or enalapril (20 mg, once daily) for 24 weeks on a regular basis. Patientsââ¬â¢ BP was measured using the same device and protocol; follow-up visits were made 12 times (once per two weeks). Of the 152 patients, 10 lost to the follow-up along monitoring due to relocation, travelling and/or change of medication. Eventually 142 hypertensives (92.6%) completed the study. This subsample was divided into two groups; individuals whose HT was not controlled as the non-responded (n=35), and individuals whose HT was under control as the responded (n=107). Figure 1 presents how responded and non-responded HT groups are categorized. Fig. 1. The flowchart of sample collection. Genotyping procedures A blood sample was taken in two separate tubes; one was used for colorimetric analysis of total cholesterol (TC), high density lipid profile (HDL), low density lipid profile (LDL), triacylglycerol (TG) and fasting glucose (FBG) using Diays Commercial Kits (Diagnostic System, GmBH, D66559 Holzheim, Germany), and the other test tube contained venous blood samples collected on EDTA was subjected to DNA extraction, which was obtained from individuals in the morning after a minimum of 8 hours fasting at the time of randomization. Eventually, the samples were stored at -20à °C for further molecular and biochemical analysis. DNAs were extracted from 5 mL blood samples as explained elsewhere [20]. ACE I/D polymorphism was genotyped using DNA amplification with oligonucleotides as described elsewhere [21]. For ACE G2350A, DNA amplification followed the approach by Zhu et al. [22]. Reactions were conducted using DNA amplification in a final volume of 25 mL containing 20 pmol of each primer, 0.4 mmol/L of each deoxynucleotide triphosphate (dNTP), 2 mmol/L of MgCl2, 1XTaq buffer and one unit of NEB Taq DNA polymerase (New England Biolabs, Beverly, MA, USA). The PCR cycling conditions were carried out in an iCycler machine (BioRad Laboratories, Hercules, CA, USA). Were chosen[ah4] for genotyping using the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) approach, and the details are presented in Table 2. Eventually, DNA fragments were stained in ethidium bromide and visualized by Alpha Imager (Alpha Innotech, San Leandro, CA, USA) under ultraviolet (UV) light. Statistical Analysis SPSS 20 statistical package (SPSS, Chicago, USA) was used for analysis. Allele frequencies were calculated from the genotypes of all subjects. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was assessed by Ãâ¡2 analysis. Continuous data are presented as mean à ± SD. Differences between groups were tested by an Ãâ¡2 test for qualitative parameters and by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). All tests were two-tailed and the values of p
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