Media & Media Costs in Russia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Media & Media Costs in Russia - Essay Example Recently they have been known to show the kind of damage that can be caused by the vodka drink (Elder par. 1 ). For my target market, the television media would be more appropriate since it is still the most popular information source (TMFAR par. 3). The average cost of media has increased with the print media at a cost of 72.64 billion rubles. However, these have been raised by the introduction of internet services and social media in the country. It is because they have turned into remarkably significant fast and reliable communication tools with which information reaches a wide range of people within a short period. Nonetheless, owing to its accessibility the television still holds the first position while the internet comes third (Arapova par. 8). The means used in promotions and advertising are equally competitive with the television being the main advertising media used to reach the target market. Besides this, the sales promotions that are customarily used in Russia mainly include the internet. Most people in Russia are beginning to use the internet for different reasons (TMFAR par. 1-5). Arapova, Galina. Media freedom in the Russian regions? You must be joking†¦. Retrieved 21 March from Open democracy Russian

Short Visual Storytelling for the Web Term Paper

Short Visual Storytelling for the Web - Term Paper Example In the day to day life other visuals include variety of things from, the award winning films, the super bowl advertisements, business models and many other visual things. They all involve the commonness of someone trying to express themselves in a way. According to the phenomenon of perception, it can be said that the way the short visuals are illustrated accounts for their effectiveness or ineffectiveness in their way to be expressive (Klanten & Losowsky, 2001). To be able to appreciate the aspect of the short visual stories that are expressed in the day to day life, one has to be able to appreciate the works of people such as the great philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty in his book the phenomenon of perception. In his book Maurice expresses the realization that the way that the humans perceive is structured in a way that the body at the first instance perceives phenomena then reacts by reflecting on the particular phenomena through the mediation of perception. In his, book; The Phen omenon of Perception, Ponty appreciates the principles of the Cartesian dualism of the mind. The Cartesian dualism simply expresses that the mind and the body are the two fundamental substances that forms the universe and that the mental substance occupy a different realm. There is a relation that can be established from the Cartesian dualism and the visual story telling concepts that are established. The connection of the Cartesian dualism is the special relationship it awards to the visual literacy aspect. Visual literacy is the ability that one has and enables him to be able to engage his mind and read a picture, visual literacy therefore can be taken as an aspect whereby on is able to interpret the visual material and therefore interpreting and giving meaning to the forms of images that are presented to him or her (Gordon & Tamari, 2004 ). From the formulations of the visual story telling aspects, the devisors tend to make them in such a way that they are appealing to the viewer s they are meant for. Visual story telling are devised according to what they are meant to achieve, in a story that is meant to persuade someone to buy a product , the message is made in such an appealing way that it is able to draw the sought audience to go and get the product that the advertisement is about( Caputo, 2004). In the advertisement aspect, the appreciation of the phenomenology of perception, one mediates on the phenomena he perceives after he perceives. So according to Ponty, in advertisement is ones perception of the news that the product advertises is good and appeals to his needs, in most situation he will make a good deal of effort as to be able to acquire the product. In his book, Maurice Ponty indicated that all that one perceives in the world is gained from one’s own particular point of view; in this case this can be translated in the situation of the short visual story telling phenomena. From the perspective that one initializes corporation of thoughts i n his work, he is able to pass a certain message by the use of incorporation of though provoking elements. Through these elements, when the video gets to the general audience, the audience gets to perceive them however they deem the message is intended by the creator. The effectiveness of a visual story

Real Prison Culture And The Shawshank Redemption Sociology Essay

Real Prison Culture And The Shawshank Redemption Sociology Essay A large majority of the population will not have any knowledge of what prisons are a really like, if it was not for the movie studios and the television stations. The population acquire the knowledge about prisons through movies, documentaries, drama and action series involving actual prisons around the world as made available through these two medias. The National Geographic television channel has a program titled Lockdown where crews go inside actual prisons and film the everyday aspects of prison life. This program shows their viewers how difficult, stressful and how dangerous prisons are (National Geographic Television Production, 2010). Compared that with Hollywood movies where a director tells a story to his or her moviegoer customer. The director must ensure that he or she has included some of the real life aspects of the prison environment but he or she can exclude some of these aspects if it does not fit into the storyline. The movie Shawshank Redemption is a perfect example of this. The director, Frank Darabont did not to play the race card and allowed Andy Dufresne and Ellis Boyd Red Redding to become friends. Pending on which real life prison you look at, this might not occur. For example the program Lockdown did an episode titled Gang War. One of their film crews entered Salinas Valley State Prison in California and showed their viewers that the prison is a powder keg ready to erupt at any time because the prison is divided by racial lines (National Geographic Television Production, 2006). If a prisoner crosses these racial lines, violence will occur amongst the prisoner race and the race group he offends (National Geographic Television Production, 2010). This paper will explore the various aspects of prison life, using the movie Shawshank Redemption to show the various aspects of prison life. The following aspects of prison life will be explored: prison as a machine and its use as a form of punishment, prison adjustment on inmates and the prison c ulture. Prison Culture: A prisoner in a federal corrections institute in the United States of America by the name of Michael Santos has a website titled Prison News Blog Prison News and Commentary. Santos writes on what he has experienced while he has been incarcerated since he was 23 years old. Santos writes describing prisons and the prison subcultures as the following: Prisons are like mini communities, totally separated from the wider society. Those who live inside find cultures that differ in remarkable ways from the America that most citizens know and love (Santos, 2008). In this section of the paper the topic of prison subculture will be explored explaining culture in general, inmate subculture, the deprivation, importation models, pains of imprisonment, the different roles of inmates and the types of correction officers. Is there a difference between subculture and inmate subculture, the textbook describes the term subculture as the distinctive values, beliefs, norms, symbols, language, and ideologi es embraced by a particular group or community set apart from the larger society (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p. 131). The term inmate subculture is defined as the norms, beliefs, values, language, and ideologies by inmates within correctional institutions (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p. 131). An example of culture is the people who believe in the Roman Catholic religion. In comparison inmate subculture are people who are incarcerated at one of the federal, provincial or local correctional institutions and the social structure these inmates create and how these inmates interact with each other. Inmate subculture can be further explained by two approaches from Sykes in 1958 and then re-examined by Messinger in 1970. The first approach is the deprivation model, this model describes that prisoners experience considerable suffering and frustration attendant with the deprivation of [the daily] basic needs [a free citizen has] (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p. 132). The needs are the follow ing: freedom, time alone when you need it, you can purchase what you want and obtain the services you want, sexual relationships, independence and the feeling of being safe (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001). The above list of items can also be called the pains of imprisonment. The pains of imprisonment can be defined as the kinds of deprivations inmates experience by virtue of being in prison (Stojkovic Lovell, 1998, p. 244). This creates the inmate subculture and the social interactions between the inmates (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001). A single prisoner can function as an individual, me against the world attitude or allow themselves to integrate with the other inmates to alleviate the pains of imprisonment. (Stojkovic Lovell, 1998 and Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001). A prime of example from the movie The Shawshank Redemption is the character Andy Dufresne, Andy remains by himself until he starts to speak to Ellis Boyd Red Redding. Andy then allows himself to integrate into the inmate subc ulture and becomes friends with the warden, prison guards and other inmates. The second approach of the inmate subculture is the importation model which attributes the development of the prison subculture to the values, roles, beliefs, and inclinations that prisoners bring with them into the prison. [In short,] a prison is a microcosm of the outside society, reflection of the world outside the prison walls and not due to the pains of imprisonment (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p. 132). The importation model includes the prisoner-staff dynamic how they interact between each other. The three different types of inmates which are the following: awaiting trail, post conviction awaiting sentence and serving his or her prison sentence (Stojkovic Lovell, 1998 and Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001). The various racial groups within the prison population such as (African Americans, Latinos, Asians and Caucasians). The type of offence the inmate is in prison for and if the inmate is in prison for reoffending. The inmate subculture will be also be effected by the following: the personality differences of each of the inmates before being sentenced to prison. The hierarchy of the inmates in which the powerful ones will be on top and the weak ones will be on the bottom. The inmate sexual preference will also play a role e.g. sexual urges. Both models are very similar but the deprivation model looks at the pains of imprisonment, while the importation model looks at prison subculture and prisons are like cities in the free world. (Stojkovic Lovell, 1998 and Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001). Many examples from the movie come to light; they include the warden allowing the prisoners to work outside of the prison repairing the roof of the prison and other jobs as a work gang. The prison gang The Sisters and the leader Bogs Diamond trying to get Andy to perform oral sex on him. The last example from the movie is the economic system in prison, Ellis Boyd Red Redding gets Andy a rock hammer and two posters during Andys stay in prison. Red has to smuggle these items into the prison through the laundry area and the help of other inmates. Both the deprivation and importation models are valid theories but what an inmate does before he or she was incarcerated will have an impact on his or her behaviour while they are incarcerated in the prison system (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001). So if the inmate is an outsider before he or she were incarcerated they will be an outsider during the ir prison time. On the other hand, if the inmate does not respect authority and runs wild, he or she will be the same way in the prison system. In the prison system, inmates have established certain names for the various roles each inmate has. The term coined for this set of terms is prison argot rules (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001). The following are the roles that were seen in The Shawshank Redemption movie. The first role seen is fish. A fish implies [to] the vulnerability of the new inmate who must learn to adjust to the prison environment, in other words to sink or swim (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p.134). The movie depicts this role when Andy and the other new inmates are being unloaded from the bus and the older inmates are calling Andy and other new inmates names and making gestures about a reeling a fish in. The movie also shows the current inmates betting on which new inmate would be the first to cry the first night after lights out. Once the lights go out the current inmates start trying to make a new inmate cry. A Centre-Men are inmates that are unpopular with other inmates and these inmates attempt to ingratiate w ith the prison warden and guards (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001).The two characters in the movie are Andy and Brooks. Andy helps Warden Samuel Norton and the guards with their tax forms and investments and Brooks maintains the prison library and deliverers books to the other inmates. Both men are popular with the other inmates so they are not true centre-men because the other inmates are friendly to them. The next term is the Merchant/Peddler is an inmate who sells when he or she is in the position to give and the inmate population regards the merchant as someone who exploits his companions (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p.134). An example of a merchant/peddler in the movie is Red. He can get what you want if you are willing to pay his price for it. The last two argot terms depict in the movie is the wolf. A wolf is an inmate who take[s] on the male role in the sexual encounter [and] these individuals are very aggressive and a punk is inmate who is forced into the female sexual role. [The punk inmate] are forced into submission by wolves (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p.134). The movie portrays the character Bogs Diamond the leader of the prison gang The Sisters. Bogs and The Sisters assault Andy numerous times and one scene Bogs tries to get Andy to perform oral sex on him but does not prevail. The most important argot term in the prison world is the rat. A rat is an inmate who gives information about another inmate to prison officials in exchange for their own personal benefits, preferential treatment and the use of contraband goods (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001). Rats are the lowest of the low in the prison on the same level as rapist or child murderers. In short, if other inmates discover that someone is a rat then he or she will become an outsider in the prison. All these definitions are some of the argot rules that are part of the adjustment an inmate will have to face during their prison adjustment phase. As with inmate argot roles, correction officials (prison guards) have their own roles in terms of the different types of correction officials. The different types of officials are the following: the rule enforcer, hard liner, people worker, the synthetic officer and the loner guard (Cesaroni, 2010a). The first example is the Rule enforcer who is an officer that tends to be very rule based, inflexible officer who believes that he or she is in the prison to teach discipline. This officer is only interested in custody and control and does not want to negotiate with the inmates. Lastly this type of officer does not believe in being friendly to the inmates (Cesaroni, 2010a). The Hard liner officer is someone who is power hungry, enforces the rules very strictly, likes to punish and show their authority, this type of officer tends to be abusive and aggressive to the inmates and have a negative attitude with the inmates. He or she also identifies strongly with his or her follow officers and this type of officer has a negative attitude with the inmates and resent on having to provide any services to the inmates (Cesaroni, 2010a). The People worker officer tends to an older and experienced correctional officer. He or she relays on their verbal skills and common sense, interpersonal skills to resolve problems through mediation and not by conflicts. He or she is flexible with rules has a comfortable style with the inmates (Cesaroni, 2010a). This type of officer enjoys the challenge of dealing with the inmates and does not like being authoritarian with them (Cesaroni, 2010a). The Synthetic officer is a cross between the rule enforcer and the people worker in wh ich he or she follows the rules closely but takes each and every situation into consideration before reacting to it. This type of officer is firm but fair for each situation and they do not let themselves be taken advantage of by other correctional officers or inmates (Cesaroni, 2010a). Lastly the Loner officer, he or she strictly enforces the rules because this type of officer is afraid of being criticized. We see this type of officer with females or minorities. This officer does not want to negotiate with inmates and does not want to make mistakes while on duty. The officer enjoys working in the correctional administration part of the prisons and not rather on one-one-one relations with the inmates (Cesaroni, 2010a). Examples from the movie are the following: Warden Norton is depicted as a people worker officer at the start off of the movie when he informs the new inmates that he believes in two things, discipline and the bible but as the movie progresses the movie watcher sees Warden Norton true colours and the type of officer he really is. Norton shows that he is a hardliner officer by allowing inmate Tommy Williams to be murdered and Andy set free because of the new information that Williams has on who really murdered Andys wife and her mistress. Other examples of Norton being a hardliner officer is that he uses the inmates as inexpensive labourers and he takes bribes from other agencies who are competing on the same contracts. The last example is Captain Byron Hadley, the head officer. Hadley can be seen has a rule enforcer officer. In the movie Hadley is seen yelling, screaming, to re-establish order in the prison after the older inmate made a new inmate start to cry after lights out on Andy s first night at Shawshank. Hadley was the officer that uses his woodened asp baton on this inmate to confirm his authority with the older inmates and show it to the new inmates. Prison as a Form of Punishment and Prison as a Machine: As describe in lecture punishment is a necessary evil and when a punishment is invoked when someone is believed to have done wrong (Cesaroni, 2010b). In 1954, Andrew Flew outlined the rules of punishment. The rules of punishment are the following: there must be human suffering, as a result of a criminal offence; the offender who committed the offence is the only one being punished fourth [b]e the intentional creation of the suffering other humans in response to that offence and lastly [b]e inflicted by [an authorized governing body that created the rules and laws for the society as a whole that the offender has committed the offence in (Cesaroni, 2010b). In 1991, David Garland outlined the Sociological Perspectives on Punishment. The first perspective is the moral process. This perspective stated that punishment of the offender functions to preserve the shared values and norms of the society wishes. Punishment symbolizes and enacts moral judgements and punishment sustains solidarity and collective conscience (Cesaroni, 2010b). An example from the movie is when Andy is sentenced to two consecutive life terms. The second perspective is economic and political where a part of a wilder strategy of controlling the poor and lower classes (Cesaroni, 2010b). It is a known fact the offenders that come from poorer areas are treated harsher then people from wealthier areas. The prison system uses their inmates as a cheap labour force as seen the movie when the inmates are tarring the roof and other times seen working outside. The third perspective is power; knowledge and discipline (Garland, 1991). Power comes from the judges and the court to co nvict offenders (Cesaroni, 2010b). The prison system is setup to educate inmates and to reform these inmates. Prison Officers are the discipline in which they use in daily practice to keep order in prisons. In the movie one scene shows Warden Norton allows an officer to search Andys for illegal items but none are found but is pleased when the warden sees Andy reading the bible. Lastly cultural transformations are changes in attitude, conduct, social organization and modes of interactions (Cesaroni, 2010b). In the past 500 years there have been changes in how society handles the following sensitive issues: sex, violence, bodily functions, illness, suffering and death. Each of these sensitive issues has been moved from a public domain to a private domain (Cesaroni, 2010b). The above perspectives can explain the complicated items of prison as a form of punishment in society (Cesaroni, 2010b). The prison system has been developed to run like a well oiled machine. The prison machine system will not function correctly unless the inmates behave as the parts of the machine. Mason writes the following on the prison as a machine as a the system with its impenetrable sets of rules and regulations which grind on relentlessly. The effect of such mechanistic depiction of punishment is to highlight both the individual fight for survival and inherent process of dehumanization that comes with incarceration in the system. The monotony and regulation of prison life is most often depicted by the highly structured movement of prisoners (Mason, 2003, p. 289.) In the movie there are many examples of the above occurring. The first example is when Captain Hadley yells at an inmate you eat when youre told to eat, you shit when we say you shit, you piss when we say you piss are the set of rules and regulations which grind on relentlessly. The individual fight for survival and inherent process of dehumanization examples are the stay in the hole for Andy when he fights Bogs Diamond and the daily checks every morning by the officers before inmates go for their breakfast and the prison staff discovers Andy has escaped sometime during the night. Lastly the highly structured movement of prisoners is seen when they are being allowed out of their cells, going for meals, eating together and spending time in the yard. Prison Adjustment: When a new inmate enters a correctional institution (prison) the inmate will experience three stages of prison adjustments. The three stages are: initiation, prisonization/ institutionalization and rehabilitation. Based on Wheeler theory that prison life and culture is in a U-shaped curve (Cesaroni, 2010c). The top of the U is the entry period of the correctional institution for the inmate. This is a high stress period for an inmate regardless if they are a first timer or a repeat offender. The middle part of the U is where the prison inmate subculture is established and the inmate and is the farthest away of what they were like in the free world Cesaroni, 2010c). The last stage of the U is when the inmate is nearing the end of his or her sentence and starts to reconnect with their love ones and the outside world. This period is another stressful period for the inmate because the inmate does not know what to expect in the free world but is eagerly looking forward to it (Cesaroni, 201 0c). The initiation process according to Goffman is a radical shift in the social self. This adjustment to prison involves a psychological process (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p.130). Goffman refers this as the mortifications of self the process of adjusting to the institution requires the loss of a civilian identity and the incorporation of a new institutional identity (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p.131). This is depicted in the movie when Andy and the other new inmates are paraded in front of the older inmates and these inmates are calling them fish. The new inmates are then paraded into a dark room where Warden Norton and Captain Hadley continue this process by informing the inmates of the rule one no blasphemy and we tell you when you can do things. The inmates are told to strip down, are then hosed down with water and then are covered with a white powder. The inmates are given their prison clothes and a bible and a forced to walk through the prison naked to their cells. The text stat es that Clemmer argues that the inmates loss of autonomy encourages the inmate to identify with the prison hierarchal system that is very similar to that of the outside world (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p.131). Most of the new the inmates adjust to the prison subculture in order for these inmates to feel safe in prison environment and allowing them to learn and obey the rules of the prison (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001). Goffman describes the term total institution as a place of residence and work where a large number of like-situated individuals, cut off from the wider society for an appreciable period of time, together lead an enclosed, formally administered round of life (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p. 130). Prisons are controlling structures and social organization in which prisons functions. Clemmer coined the phrases prisonization or institutionalization. This refers to the process of socialization of an inmate into the subculture of the prison. This process includes [the] learning about the prisons subculture such as values, beliefs and behaviours that challenge the prison staff (Ishwaran Neugebauer, 2001, p. 131). An example of this is when Brooks is being released from Shawshank; Brooks did not want to leave Shawshank and was forced to do so. Brooks discovered he could not survive in the outside world after being in prison for fifty years. He killed himself by hanging himself in the halfway house after craving his name in the rafters. Offenders commit crimes mainly because they are lazy. They need to learn to work hard and be taught a new attitude toward work. (Cesaroni, 2010d). Thus last phase in the prison adjustment is the rehabilitation phase. In this phase the prison system attempts to re-educate inmates so one day they can return to the general public one day. Throughout history, a strong work ethic was directly related to a positive social behaviour. Currently, the prison systems are teaching the inmates that if you work hard, you will develop work skills that can be used in the free world (Cesaroni, 2010d). An example of this from the movie is the character Brooks, he was paroled after fifty years in Shawshank prison. The parole board got him employment with a grocery store and living in a half-way house. In the end Brooks could have been rehabilitated more to handle the stress after being in the prison system for five decades and the numerous social changes that occurred since Brooks has been in prison su ch as how common the automobile has become, electricity, how people dress. In conclusion, the Shawshank Redemption movie is the closest motion picture that depicts what prison is really like. It is a terrible place to live disconnected from the outside world. The movie also proves that all that correction officers are not the same. Some tend to be power hungry while others prefer to be loners working in the prison office. Inmate subculture is also dealt with by the movie showing the different the various types of roles prisoners have in prison. The three different stages of prison adjustment an inmate goes through while in the prison system. The stages are the initiation phase, the prisonization or institutionalization phase and the rehabilitation phase. Lastly the movie shows the prison system acting as machine and as form of punishment. The Shawshank Redemption is movie that should be watched by any student studying criminology.

Deception and Punishment in The Scarlet Letter and A Tale of Two Cities :: comparison compare contrast essays

Deception and Punishment in The Scarlet Letter and A Tale of Two Cities      Ã‚   Nathaniel Hawthorn and Charles Dickens in their novels The Scarlet Letter and A Tale of Two Cities, respectively, both use punishment for deception as a recurring theme.   Although they do so to different degrees and in dissimilar manners, both authors agree that deception is a sin that requires punishment.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Scarlet Letter, the heroine, Hester Prynne conceived a child out of wedlock.   Despite the pleas and demands of the clerical community, she did not reveal the identity of the father.   The Puritanical community in which she lived in demanded her to give up her conspirator or bear the consequences of the deed alone.   Due to her doggedness, the townsmen sentenced her to wear a scarlet letter *A* embroidered on her chest.   The A served as a symbol of her crime, was a punishment of humiliation, gave her constant shame, and reminded her of her sin.   Hester*s penalization was a prime example where deception led to negative consequences in that she would have been spared the entire encumbrance of the crime if she did not deceive the townspeople.   Although seemingly, her paramour did not escape punishment.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In fact, the father of her bastard child took a more severe sentence. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale seemed to be an upstanding, young priest.   The whole town liked him and respected him as a holy man.   Thus, his deception was much more direct and extreme when he did not confess that he impregnated Hester Prynne.   Unlike Hester, he was not publicly punished.   So although Hester overcame her ordeal and went on with her life, Dimmesdale exacted a constant, physical and mental reprobation on himself.   This inner pain was so intense that his physical health began to reflect his inner sufferings.   In the end, he redeemed himself by his confession in front of the whole town, but his long endurance of the secret took its toll and he died.   Roger Chillingworth had a similar fate.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Like Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, Hester*s husband, keeps his relation to her a secret.   Chillingworth*s deception allows him to become consumed with hatred and the desire to inflict his revenge on the one who stole his wife*s

Speech Outline on Organic Food

Choosing Organic By: Kayla Ray Informative Speech SC105: T Th 3:30 Mrs. Becker March 4, 2013 General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: I want my audience to understand the importance of purchasing and consuming organic food. Thesis: Choosing to purchase and consume organic food is a smart and healthy choice for you and your family. Formal Outline of Speech Introduction I. â€Å"The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000. † Food activist, Michael Pollan, makes this statement as the introduction to a documentary titled Food Inc. which discusses the way food is being produced today in America. A. Now, there are many choices that can be made when trying to eat healthy. 1. Eating the recommended amount of calories, eating many fruits and vegetables, getting a sandwich from subway instead of getting a hamburger from McDonalds, or drinking water instead of soda. 2. These can all be good decisions, but is it beneficial if it is not organic? Of course it can be, but is it as beneficial? II. Eating organic food can do things for your body that non organic food cannot do. A. After watching the documentary, Food Inc. I was shocked to find out how our food is being produced and handled in America. 1. Is the process of how our food is made something we need to recognize? 2. Is it better for our food to be brought up naturally by hard working farmers rather than being abused, pumped up with hormones and filled with many other chemicals? 3. The answer to these questions should potentially be yes. B. Non organic food is not only less beneficial to eat, but has the potential to harm our families. III. [Thesis] Choosing to purchase and consume organic food is a smart and healthy choice for you and your family.IV. [Preview] I’m now going to inform you of how the importance of purchasing and consuming organic food relates to each and every one of us and can improve our quality of life. (Transition) First, let’s establish exactly what organic means. Body I. Organic food is different than other food in many ways. A. According to the first nationally certified organic grocer in the U. S. , Whole Foods Market, â€Å"Organic agriculture is a production method that emphasizes the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality. 1. When growing organic produce food is rotated in such a way to keep soil rich in nutrients and optimal for supporting many years of growth and supplying optimal amounts of micronutrients and minerals. 2. When raising organic livestock the animals eat food that's free of antibiotics, growth hormones, drugs, chemicals and pesticides. They also tend to be free-range which means all year long, the livestock are allowed outside and have the option of going inside if they wish. This allows animals to get exercise and fresh air, and live a more natural existenceB. In an article titled, What’s So Great About Organic Food, Jeffre y Kluger states, Organic foods of all kinds currently represent only about 3% of the total American market, according to the most recent numbers from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, but it's a sector we all should be supporting more. 1. And it’s projected that the numbers will just continue to increase simply because people are becoming more aware of the dangers and effects non-organic food can have on you and your family. Transition) Now, we all know how important fruits and veggies are in your diet, but how healthy can they be if they are filled with chemicals? II. Well, Organic food doesn’t contain chemicals. A. Whole Foods Market describes agricultural management practices as farming that promotes healthy eco-systems and prohibits the use of genetically engineered seeds or crops, sewage sludge, long-lasting pesticides, herbicides or fungicides. B. Some of the most popular fruits and vegetables contain the highest amount of pesticides. . There are no seasons in the American supermarket, says Michael Pollan, now there are tomatoes all year round, grown halfway around the world, picked when it was green, and ripened with ethylene gas. Although it looks like a tomato, it's kind of a notional tomato. I mean, it's the idea of a tomato. a. For example, we can take a look at these red grapefruit where one is organic and the other is not. b. We can see that the organic fruit is actually red, whereas the non-organic is discolored.This is the case because the grapefruit on the left was naturally ripened and the grapefruit on the right was most likely gassed with many chemicals in order to ripen. 2. According to Whatsonmyfood. org, 88 million pounds of pesticides are applied each and every year in the U. S. That’s nearly 3 pounds per person! a. Also, they state that an average American child gets five or more servings of pesticide residues in their food and water every day! i. If I could help it I wouldn’t want my kids even being aroun d that and I definitely wouldn’t want them to be ingesting it. Transition) Now, let’s take a look at livestock because another important part of our diet is beef and poultry. III. Organic animals are raised in a way that is natural. A. Whole Foods Market describes livestock management as practices that promote healthy, humanely treated animals by providing organically-grown feed, fresh air and outdoor access while using no antibiotics or added growth hormones. B. There are obvious differences in organic and non-organic chicken. 1. Such as the organic yolks being a much brighter yellow signifying that the chicken is eating greens and bugs instead of being corn fed. . This also leads to significantly higher nutrients that are present in the yolk. 2. To add to that, we can look at the picture of the two whole chickens. Which one would you choose? a. Notice the extreme size of the one on the left due to growth hormones and corn feed. b. Then notice the thick layer of yello wish fat covering the skin†¦. GROSS! C. But the biggest issue is what we find is in our beef. Many diseases are found in non-organic beef simply because cows are not evolved to digest corn. As Michael Pollan states in an interview on www. pbs. rg, as soon as you introduce corn, the animal is liable to get sick. You start giving them antibiotics, because as soon as you give them corn, you've disturbed their digestion, and they're apt to get sick, so you then have to give them drugs. That's how you get in this whole cycle of drugs and meat. 1. In the documentary, Food Inc. , they tell a story about a boy named Kevin. a. According to Kevin’s story, published on www. foodborneillness. org, Kevin had eaten three hamburgers in the week prior to his illness and died twelve days later from E. oli O157:H7. He was only 2 years, 8 months and 1 day old. b. Also stated in the article written by Kevin’s mom, Barbara Kowalcyk, each year in the United States, thousands of America ns suffer and die from preventable foodborne illness just like Kevin. 2. If we look to my images, we can easily see how much more lean and healthy the organic meat looks compared to the non-organic. a. Grass fed beef contains less total fat and calories, 2-6 times more heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids, and more antioxidant vitamins. i. All for the betterment of your health! Transition) These differences in organic and non-organic foods are affecting us greatly in every one of our lives and should definitely be considered. Conclusion I. As I have explain to you here today, choosing organic is a smart and healthy way to greatly benefit you and your family. A. Organic produce and livestock naturally have more nutrients and even though it all many cost a little extra it will make you healthier in the long run and prevent you from becoming sick. 1. This will even out the cost and actually possibly save you money! II. The demand for organic food is growing more and more every day.When yo u buy organic you are voting for a better food system in America. A. As Troy Roush, Vice President of the American Corn Growers Association, puts it, â€Å"People have got to start demanding good, wholesome food of us, and we'll deliver. † Bibliography Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Perf. Michael Pollan, Troy Roush. Documentary, 2008. Film. â€Å"Frontline Modern Meat Interview: Michael Pollan. † PBS. PBS, n. d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. . Kluger, Jeffrey. â€Å"What's So Great About Organic Food?. † Time 176. 9 (2010): 30-40.Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. Kowalcyk, Barbara. â€Å"Kevin's Story. † Kevin's Story. Center for Foodborne Lllness Research and Prevention, 2008. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. ;http://www. foodborneillness. org/leadership/140- kevins-story. html;. â€Å"Organic Food What Does â€Å"Organic† Mean? † Organic Food | Whole Foods Market. Whole Foods Market, 2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. ;http://www. wholefoodsmarket. com/about-our- products/organic-food;. â€Å"Pesticides: A Public Problem. † What’s On My Food? Pesticide Action Network North America, 2010. Web. 09 Mar. 2013. ;http://www. whatsonmyfood. org/index. jsp;.

Conditions to Effectively Leverage Technology for Learning Essay

Great leaders create results, inspire others and attain goals through their shared qualities such as vision, passion, decisiveness, commitment, influence, character and cooperation. Similarly, to foster academic success, all educational stakeholders ought to have a shared vision of what the can result to be and communicate this vision among themselves. To begin with, the principal plays a multifaceted and pivotal role in setting the path that school will take. This direction should not only be positive but also productive especially to the teachers. On the side of the students, it should provide the students with a vibrant learning environment. A comprehensive program ought to be instituted to cheer up, cultivate and sustain effective leaderships of schools for the realization and speeding up the achievement of the students. So as move the student’s achievement upwards, those endowed with their academic performance that is the teachers, principals, teacher educators and even district administrators are under obligation to be accountable for the students. For instance, New York City Department of Education won the 2007 urban education Broad prize since the entire district schools had performed well. The brawny leadership by the chancellor, mayor and the teachers union contributed much to the students’ achievement. Solidarity and sharing also foster the willingness of each leadership level and even the student fraternity to share knowledge, resources and accomplishments In order to achieve the above discussed shared vision, the educational leaders ought to be adequately empowered to assure the realization of the vision. To empower them undertaking leadership trainings that will boost accountability will be essential. These leaders have also adopted implementation planning to facilitate the effectiveness of their schools and also the learning process. They incorporate digital learning resources and information and communication technologies (ICT) for the creation of multiple learning opportunities and deeper understanding and exhibition of the contents of their curriculums. Most of the New York schools have availed high speed access internets, interactive white boards, LCD projectors and improved the right of entry to rolling laptop carts. These technologies have promoted the students’ skills in communication, fostered understanding in science and math and facilitating organizational skills. Consistent and adequate funding can not be ignored since for the academic achievements of the students, money is required to training the administrators, support the ICT infrastructure, other personnel and staff development and the installation of the digital resources. Although the State’s Legislature was reluctant to allot the necessary funds so as to constitutionally provide a sound basic education to each student, a divisional appeal saw the implementation of the same. District funds have been used to mould the school administrators into instructional leaders, change agents and civic leaders. This consistent funding, of around $428 million, has led to the excellence in the public schools in the entire district. Due to the increased use of the new technology in these schools, adequate technical support and a robust technical infrastructure are important. This will ensure that these technological infrastructures support the teachers’ work in a more realistic manner. Each student should be allowed equal access to the different technologies since each of the plays a totally different role from the other. This equity should be bias-free in terms of sex, ethnicity, students with special needs and also the disadvantaged. The universal technological participation supports engaged learning thus reducing the levels of inequality. Moreover, the district schools have ensured an apparent access to electronic networks and computers for the realization of a significant change in the classrooms. On-site technical support must also be easily accessible by the teachers since the support managers are bestowed with all-time assistance troubleshooting during and after lessons. Students can hardly achieve academically or benefit from the various technologies if their teachers are not conversant with them. Support has to be availed to these educators so as to make them choose the appropriate instructional strategies and technologies appropriately. This makes sure that the teachers are very comfortable and experienced in their demonstrations of these technologies. Additionally, they can integrate the technological knowledge in their curriculum and in fostering changes in the assessment methodologies. On-going professional development assists the teachers in learning how to use the new technology. Additionally, the teachers are able to unleash to the students meaningful instructions accompanied with relevant demonstration activities in class. The on-going professional learning is vital since single workshop training can not be sufficient for the teachers to learn and understand everything about the technology. Schools-proposed learning curriculums should aim and helping the students acquire superb communication skills so as to enable them to be in their expressions. This can be achieved through pencil and paper work, audios, animations and also videos. Moreover, it should facilitate the learners’ ability to analyze and interpret data, manage and prioritize classroom tasks, develop problem solving methodologies and utilize the acquired knowledge in identifying and mitigating probable risks. So as to ensure that the learning process is student-centered, their goals, expectations, population and their learning criteria should be identified prior. This will enable the education direct their efforts in satisfying them. In gauging the understanding level of the learners, various assessment and evaluation methodologies are incorporated. This appraises both the technological applications put in place and also the achievement of the student. Furthermore, the administrators get to know the adaptability, usefulness and appropriateness of the technology. Remedial actions are then taken at a later date to streamline the students in case of deviations. This evaluation is based on the National Education Technology Standards. Besides, a community stakeholders’ committee assesses the ideas that emanate from various educational stakeholders and those committee scrutinized proposals that go through are adopted by schools in the entire district. This committee also performs equity assurance and guidance roles. Other support policies and supportive external context have been set up to further student achievement. For instance, teachers are provided with classroom computers and also have also adopted the use of electronic grade-books. This has become a requirement so as to report on the students’ attendance trends. Moreover, daily log-ins has been instituted. In other cases, students and administrators have received rewards that are based on their performances.

General Electric GlaxoSmithKline

General Electric GlaxoSmithKline Changes in Technology That GE Has Undertaken in Product and Process General Electric (GE) built Local Growth Teams (LGT), which was a process change of the manufacturing technology that the company has always used. The new process shifts the focus of production to where the company has a high potential of selling its commodities.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on General Electric GlaxoSmithKline specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, LGT allows GE to build latest offerings, which are separate from the items that are already in its inventory. Previously, all subsidiaries of GE worked as part of the whole company; however, fresh subsidiaries under the LGT structure operate as new companies. Therefore, their interaction within the organization occurs as a form of partnership enabling them to obtain necessary resources when needed, and still maintain their autonomy for operation (White and Bruton 2-3). The com pany also introduced the concept of ecomagination. This was another method innovation in the use of technology. It merged the generation of energy and the process of manufacturing vehicles that use the spawned energy. The innovative process of production gave general electric the ability to create new opportunities, which increased its products value and their market demand (White and Bruton 4). GE also undertook product innovation changes. In the first case, the company used a system-integration approach for existing products to improve them and increase their market share. While developing LGT structures, GE used applied research methods to utilize existing knowledge, about the products in its inventory to develop first-hand products.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The up to date products by LGT improve the firm’s market position in emerging countrie s that lack a sustainable market for its traditional products. Therefore, the above example illustrates the use of systems integration as a type of innovation. For example, the company applies the same basic research that developed ultrasound machines technology to develop portable ultrasound-machines in India and China. The firm also re-engineered its work progression. Instead of controlling the processes of LGT from once central location, GE allowed all LGT to operate independently and consolidate their functions as individual companies. This ensured that the organization was deleting all unnecessary hindrances in management levels and work. The above innovation was an example of using applied technology to create altered merchandises. The company introduced new-fangled products, which lead to new opportunities in emerging markets. At the same time, the company introduced the modern process of researching and manufacturing that concentrate of its high-growth market. Combination of Technology and Management General Electric has made changes to its organization, which gives it a market advantage when using technology. The firm altered its structure where necessary like in the case of LGT. It also reviewed its personnel policies and leadership. The firm created local teams that understand the needs and challenges of specific markets. This allowed the company to come up with products that are relevant and cost-effective in their respective markets.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on General Electric GlaxoSmithKline specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The organization holds patents to various technologies and allows its local growth teams to exploit the patents and come up with new products. To achieve this objective, the firm reorganized its management roles and objectives to realign them with technology. The new orientation implied that policy and leadership bend towards a technology that fit t he business the company wants to grow in (White and Bruton 4). Strategic Concerns for GE in Future As General Electric extends its global presence, it should also seek to develop new customer relationships in its existing markets. The company should not take for granted markets where its strategies are already doing well. Technological innovations often lead to the loss of a company’s competitive advantage. For example, fresh technology might render a product obsolete or cut its production costs and force companies to reduce their prices or face the wrath of recent entrants to the market. So while GE is shifting its power to where the growth is, it should also look at existing markets that are not growing but are under threat of disruption by technology. As GE expands its manufacturing capabilities in new markets, it should also look at its capabilities more closely. Its competitors will soon copy its innovative processes of fabrication and come up with competitive outputs. T he company must ensure that the introduction of toned-down alternative products, in unknown markets, does not make it appear to be neglecting the demands, of the market. Otherwise, it might suffer a backlash on its products as consumers seek to fulfil their needs with better products from competitors. As the firm realizes high returns in new markets, it should not become a victim by defending its market share when other firms introduced superior products.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Technology and Product Changes to Monitor The firm should monitor the technologies that alter the demand of its products or render them obsolete. It should also monitor processes that tear down geographical boundaries or market barriers. These processes will either remove its competitive advantage of exclusivity or allow it to tap fresh value-creating ideas. It should look at processes that allow existing technologies to serve additional purposes, and lead to new commodities (Tidd, Pavitt and Bessant 17-21). Marketing and Technology Balance General Electric maintained a balance of its marketing efforts and technology by managing its technology and innovation as the core of its production. The company used technology to produce products of distinctive capabilities and costs. Having varied versions of the same product allowed the company to serve a wider market, including fewer traditional areas. The company also followed other technology developments within the industry but leveraged its expertise and network to create new products that eventually earn it a significant market share. GE bought technology when it realized that the development of its own technology would take time or was expensive. The firm bought other firms that already had the technology it was eyeing, or the marketing capabilities that increased its market share (White and Bruton 2-4). Special Planning Needs for GSK GSK needs to plan how to diversify its global business while it continues to simplify the operating model of the firm. The firms need to plan how to retain its competitiveness of producing new products. Therefore, it needs to reorganize its research and development area to make them more efficient. The firm needs to build an internal innovation foundation, which will support innovation. It needs processes that allow knowledge to transfer among its eight broad areas of focus. As it generates ideas and products, the firm also needs to manage them at any given time. Thus, the firm req uires an efficient evaluation process. During the planning phase, GSK needs to consider its technology and innovation strategy in relation to its dominant competitive position. It needs to look at how processes, operations and systems are influencing its capabilities. Thereafter, it should examine ways to alter its organization structure to take advantage of the knowledge for internal innovation. The company has to coordinate its operations globally to ensure the outputs for customers, stakeholders and competitors become valuable data for processing in its RD areas, which will strengthen its competitive position. Industry Trends for Consideration GSK should look at entrant companies in the eight market areas that make up its focus. The mint companies increase the competition for the existing market share and may come with new technologies, which disrupt the dominant position of GSK. In addition to checking for newcomers, the company should also observe how existent products are infl uencing the economic inefficiency that exists within the industry. When all inefficiencies cease to exist, it will no longer be profitable, for the firm to continue innovating in the particular focus area (Zahra and Ali 105-106). The firm should look at epidemic trends of neglected diseases that form the core of its research focus. The trends assist the firm to plan on the scale of resources that it should commit. The trends also provide information that might be replicable in the development of drugs for similar diseases. Above all, the company should monitor breakthroughs in treatment technologies and medical combinations. Up to date processes and products will allow the firm to introduce modern ways of using their existing technology or come up with fresh products. GSK can be innovative enough to beat its competitors in the race of introducing new products. However, the firm also needs strong retail presence to sell and grow its market share. Therefore, the company should monitor mergers and acquisitions within the production channel. It should also keenly follow the changing preferences of retailers as state requirements influenced them in their respective countries. Lastly, GSK should monitor regulatory conditions that govern the administration of health care. Often, official directives lead to the abandonment of a product in favour of another. In other cases, users develop the resistance to a specific combination of medication and require new types. The firm should look at medication resistant trends. Critical Implementation Issues The allocation of over 10 per cent of revenues on research and development was critical to the company’s development of high mid-size products. The firm needed to support its innovation and marketing efforts an appropriate financial budget to make it sustainable (Betz 51). If it had not allocated funds to develop mid-size products, then it would be exposing its strategic advantage when its successful products become obs olete. Therefore, the allocation of ten per cent of revenues, on the product, research was important in the firms diversification strategy (White and Bruton 71). Without the research and development of mid-size products, the firm would fail on its strategy of delivering more products of value. Having a constant stream of new products ensures that the firm is competitive and profitable. If it instead concentrated on a few big-size products, then it would succumb to cyclic periods of good and bad performance (Betz 51). The quest for the market leadership position in the pharmaceutical industry obliges firms to remain innovative even when they are enjoying the market dominance. Besides, new diseases and their resistance are always emerging; therefore, it is paramount that the firm allocates substantial revenue to research and development. Another critical implementation issue is the return on innovation policy. Without a criterion for justifying the development of a specific product, t he firm would waste resources on areas that do not meet its expectations. For a company generating so many products in a particular period, proper control of its inventory is important to ensure that the production resources do not go to waste (White and Bruton 72-73). Influence of Changes Made in 2008 The changes made in 2008 that created Discovery Performance Units will accelerate the implementation of the firms critical issue of competitive advantage. For example, in line with the research and development of mid-size products, DPU will reduce the organizational inefficiency associated with decision-making in large organizations. In addition, concentration on particular focus areas by the DPU will enable GSK to develop better quality products and reduce research mistakes that come with diverse interests. Funding guarantees for DPU also give them a security of tenure, which allows them to plan and implement research and development calendars without financial interruptions. The eli mination of short-term discontinuances will ensure that GSK achieve its goal of providing the best science and products to consumers. The 2008 restructuring allows the firm to continue benefiting from innovations and continue developing capacities for more novelties in the future (White and Bruton 73). After the new introductions of 2008, project management at GSK has become more decentralized. The dispersion makes the firm more adaptable to emerging trends within the industry. It allows the research to focus on different technologies without compromising the firms already dominant position in specific products. Special Evaluation Needs GSK needs to determine whether the innovations coming from its research labs, and the subsequent product developments, will be successful, in the market. The firm has to know how many products it intends to produce over a given period and offer them in the marketplace. It also needs to define the quantity of each product line. The company needs to lo ok further than sales and profits when it evaluates its long-term strategy concerns. The evaluation should focus on how its products are relating to their substitutes, in the market. GSK already has strategies for its business and needs to evaluate their effectiveness and relevance in the industry. The corporation has to know if the growth of a diversified global business contributed to its dominant position. Secondly, its strategy of delivering products of more value should be evaluated against the need for making profits. Lastly, it should evaluate its efficiency strategy to see if there are additional avenues for reducing costs or increasing value. The use of an internal innovation strategy has the most influence on how well GSK evaluates its progress. The cross-fertilization of ideas encouraged by the company is also crucial for knowledge transfer with aids decision-making within the firm. The sharing of information among departments assisted the company to reorganize its operat ions in 2008. It will continue to influence the evaluation of progress within the firm. Control Systems for GSK GSK obtains much of its competitive advantage from its human capital. Therefore, it needs human-resource system to control the exploitation of human capital (Verburg, Ortt and Dicke 54). The system would assist the firm to control the compliance of its employees and increase their commitment to its goals. The company also needs a balanced scorecard system to increase the efficiency of inter and intradepartmental transactions and services (Sisaye 37). The company has many product lines and needs a just-in-time technology (JIT) system. The system will reduce transaction costs and other costs that arise from the production, distribution and sales processes. As it continues to develop products from preventing disease, the company also needs to prevent its operations from causing harm to its environment. An environment system, which reports the organizations impact on its ecolo gy, will assist it to create more value without violating environmental laws of specific countries. Betz, Frederick. Managing Technological Innovation: Competitive Advantage from Change. 2nd ed. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons, 2003. Print. Sisaye, Seleshi. The Ecology of Management Accounting and Control Systems. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. Print. Tidd, Joseph, Keith Pavitt and John Bessant. Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change. West Sussex: John Wiley Sons, 2005. Print. Verburg, Robert, Roland Ortt and Wilhelmina Margaretha Dicke, Managing Technology and Innovation: An Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print. White, Margaret A and Garry D Bruton. The Management of Technology and Innovation: A Strategic Approach. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Zahra, Shaker A and Abbas Ali, The Impact of Innovation and Technology in The Global Marketplace. New York: International Business Press, 1994. Print.

Free Essays on Highball

HIGHBALL What is highball? An exaggeration of the truth to benefit the person that is highballing. To stretch the truth. To extend the truth to fit one’s idea of what should have been the truth in their mind. An outright LIE! You’re going to class and you see a fellow classmate and you both have Biology together. Last week you both took a test in Biology on Cell Division. Your fellow classmate asks you what you got on that test. You say, I got an â€Å"A† but in reality you really received a â€Å"B† (89). The â€Å"A† sounded better, you just highballed your fellow classmate. Your profession is to sell cars, to sell as many cars as you can on a month to month basis. Salespeople highball all the time. An example of this would be when a salesperson is asked what their yearly average is, and they respond that they average 10 units a month. In actuality this salesperson has only sold 10 units one of the months out of the whole year. The salesperson has just highballed his average so that it would sound as if he was averaging about 10 units each month. The same can go for customers. I personally have been a sales associate. I sold furniture. Many times when customers purchase furniture, it being so costly, many customers had to finance their purchases. I would take an application on the customer, which required information like how much they make a month, how much money they have to pay out a month, and collateral. All of the information being verified, but commonly a customer would tell me they make two thousand five hundred dollars a month, when in reality they make about eighteen hundred dollars a month. When verifying how many bills and the amounts they pay out on those bills, I found that most customers had highball the figures. All this just so they could get approved to purchase merchandise by financing it. Common knowledge, you would think, would keep the customer from highballing the figures to their advantage, kno... Free Essays on Highball Free Essays on Highball HIGHBALL What is highball? An exaggeration of the truth to benefit the person that is highballing. To stretch the truth. To extend the truth to fit one’s idea of what should have been the truth in their mind. An outright LIE! You’re going to class and you see a fellow classmate and you both have Biology together. Last week you both took a test in Biology on Cell Division. Your fellow classmate asks you what you got on that test. You say, I got an â€Å"A† but in reality you really received a â€Å"B† (89). The â€Å"A† sounded better, you just highballed your fellow classmate. Your profession is to sell cars, to sell as many cars as you can on a month to month basis. Salespeople highball all the time. An example of this would be when a salesperson is asked what their yearly average is, and they respond that they average 10 units a month. In actuality this salesperson has only sold 10 units one of the months out of the whole year. The salesperson has just highballed his average so that it would sound as if he was averaging about 10 units each month. The same can go for customers. I personally have been a sales associate. I sold furniture. Many times when customers purchase furniture, it being so costly, many customers had to finance their purchases. I would take an application on the customer, which required information like how much they make a month, how much money they have to pay out a month, and collateral. All of the information being verified, but commonly a customer would tell me they make two thousand five hundred dollars a month, when in reality they make about eighteen hundred dollars a month. When verifying how many bills and the amounts they pay out on those bills, I found that most customers had highball the figures. All this just so they could get approved to purchase merchandise by financing it. Common knowledge, you would think, would keep the customer from highballing the figures to their advantage, kno...

Definition and Evaluation of Holistic Grading

Definition and Evaluation of Holistic Grading Holistic grading is a method of evaluating a composition based on its overall quality. Also known as  global grading, single-impression scoring, and impressionistic grading. Developed by the Educational Testing Service, holistic grading is often used in large-scale assessments, such as college placement tests. Graders are expected to make judgments based on criteria that have been agreed upon before the start of an evaluation session. Contrast with analytic grading. Holistic grading is useful as a time-saving approach, but it does not provide students with detailed feedback. Observations Teachers who practice holistic grading refuse to break down a students essay into separate problems like punctuation and paragraphing, but base their grade on their immediate sense of the whole derived from a deliberately nonanalytical reading.(Peggy Rosenthal, Words and Values: Some Leading Words and Where They Lead Us. Oxford University Press, 1984)Holistic Grading and Peer ReviewIf the speed of grading is more important than detailed feedback, then  holistic grading is  more appropriate; it just means less feedback for the writer. Pairs or small groups can also evaluate one anothers work using this rubric. Called peer review, it gives them practice in evaluation, helps them internalize the criteria, and relieves you of the burden of grading.(Nancy Burkhalter,  Critical Thinking Now: Practical Teaching Methods for Classrooms Around the World.  Rowman Littlefield,  2016)Inductive Holistic Grading[Holistic grading] is relatively quick, efficient, reliable, and fair when ba cked by instructor experience, practice, and familiarity with the student performance range at the institution. In addition, it easily accommodates essays and assignments that demand higher-order thinking and have multiple respectable responses.With inductive holistic grading, which is suitable for small classes, you read quickly through all the responses or papers, rank each above or below the ones you have already read, from best to worst, and then group them for assigning grades. Finally, you write up descriptions of the quality of each group and then give them to students when you return their work. To personalize the feedback, you can add comments to each students sheet or highlight the most applicable parts of the appropriate description.(Linda B. Nilson, Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors, 3rd ed. Jossey-Bass, 2010) Advantages and Disadvantages of Holistic Grading- An advantage to holistic grading is that graders can evaluate many papers in a short span of time because they do not comment on or correct the students work. Advocates of this method also propose that it makes grading more objective, since students names do not appear on the papers and since the rater may not have had the student in a class . . ..Critics of the method have questioned its validity and reliability, arguing that holistic ratings are swayed by superficial factors such as length and appearance of an essay, that holistic ratings cannot be generalized beyond the group that designed the criteria for judgment, and that the agreed-upon criteria can limit the readers views on the merits of the writing they are evaluating . . ..(Edith Babin and Kimberly Harrison, Contemporary Composition Studies: A Guide to Theorists and Terms. Greenwood Press, 1999)- [H]olistic grading is  probably not the best tactic, even if it seems the ea siest and quickest. Assigning a single score, grade, or judgment leaves the student unsure about both quality and content. One simple approach is to give a composition one grade for content coverage and a separate grade for writing quality.(Robert C. Calfee and Roxanne Greitz Miller, Best Practices in Writing Assessment for Instruction.  Best Practices in Writing Instruction, 2nd ed., edited by  Steve Graham et al. Guilford Press, 2013) Holistic RubricsHolistic rubrics are the quickest way to score papers in any content area, requiring a teacher to read a paper only once. Teachers can develop rubrics by basing them on the content theyve taught and practiced; assess papers based on established criteria agreed upon by students and teachers; and give a single holistic score that indicates the quality level of the writing, ranging from deficient to competent to outstanding.(Vicki Urquhart and Monette McIver, Teaching Writing in the Content Areas. ASCD, 2005)

SDS PAGE Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

SDS PAGE - Term Paper Example -mecaptoethamol prevents oxidation of cysteines and break up disulphide bonds, Bromophenyl dye is used to help in visualizing the sample as it travels across the gel and glycerol is added to make the sample fall to the bottom. (Leamlli, 1970). Electric charge is applied across the gel to influence the movement of protein molecules to positively charged end. Principal behind SDS PAGE The structure of protein molecules to be separated has portions of negative and positive charges resulting from charged R-groups of particular amino acid and hydrophobic portions of nonpolar R-groups hence difference in shapes and sizes of protein molecules. (Hempelmann, 2008) Therefore, the first stage of SDS PAGE is to make the protein molecules linear and to ensure that there are no secondary, tertiary, or quaternary molecular structures in the sample. This is achieved by injecting the sample with SDS, which is a detergent that can dissolve the membrane and solubilise the protein molecules. Its negativ e charge overcome positive charges of protein molecules. The resulting protein is denatured, linearized, and negatively charged. The next stage in SDS PAGE is the separation process. This is based on the molecular size and weight of the molecules, sieving properties of the gel is of great assistance at this stage since protein molecules have the same charge-to-mass-ratio. The gel is not a solid but made up of series of tunnel of different diameters running from one end to the other and are scattered through the gel. (SDS PAGE, 2009) Velocity of particles moving through an electric field is directly proportional to strength of the electric field and degree of charge in the particle but inversely proportional to size of the particles and viscosity of the medium. This is the basis upon which protein of different sizes are separated. (SDS PAGE. 2009). The discontinuous pH parts of the gel come handy in aligning the proteins properly at the starting point. Laemmli gel is composed of stac ker and running gel, the running gel is buffed with Tris to pH of 8.8 with HCl; stacker gel is adjusted with Tris to pH 6.8 with HCl. The electrode buffer is adjusted to pH 8.3 using glycine and the gel is then run at a constant voltage. (Leamlli, 1970) When the power is switched on, glycine (which is a weak acid and can exist in an uncharged state as zwitterions at low pH, or in a charged state as glycinate anion at high pH) ions in the running buffer wants to move away from the negative electrode towards the sample and the stacking gel. The pH in stacking gel is low and so glycin ions lose their charge and slow down. In the stacker and sample, negatively charged mobile chloride ions move away from the cathode creating a narrow zone of very low conductance (very high electrical resistance) in the top of the stacking gel. Almost all the applied voltage is concentrated in this small zone. The very high field strength makes the negatively charged proteins to move forward. The trick, h owever, is that they can never outrun the chloride ions. If they did, they would find themselves in a region of high conductance and very low field strength and would immediately slow down. The result is that all the proteins move through the stacker in a tight

China's Economic Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

China's Economic Analysis - Research Paper Example This paper illustrates that the total fertility rate of the Chinese women, which account for the average number of children a woman in her child-bearing age can expect to have during her lifetime has also gone down to a figure of 1.4, lower than that which has been recorded for the past years Since the introduction of the one-child policy, which was designed to reduce the birth rate in China, the statistics on the birth rates have gone tremendously to lower heights. This slower growth rate in China has been matched by the aging of the population. People above the age of 60 have been on the rise and represent a significant proportion of the population. The effect of this economy is that if the trend goes on, then an increasing dependency on the young working population by the elderly will be experienced. The government too would be affected in the sense that it would have to increase its pension funding and the health care systems for the elderly. Gender disparity though poses a futur e huge challenge for China. According to its 2010 census, the male population was recorded at 51.27% of its 1.34 billion population. The females, on the other hand, accounted for a 48.73% of the total population. At present, the number of boys in China is more than that of girls by a figure recorded at 9 million. As much China remains the most populated country in the world, there exist major variations in the population densities in its different regions. The northern and the western regions only have a few million people while the eastern area has close to 1.3 billion people. The majority of the citizens live in the eastern areas in the major cities and it is concentrated towards the eastern parts of the mountains and south of the northern steppe. China has had a rise in its economic growth in the reform period and this too has led to the rise in the per capita income. Over the past decades, China as a country has exhibited dramatic economic growth which has also been accompanied by a sharp increase in income inequality. Its GDP per capita increased from 311 yuan, in 1974 within the pre-reform period to 1644 yuan in 1990 and later to 12,336 yuan in 2004 as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics. During the years 2001 to 2003, the Chinese economy was reported by the World Bank to have increased by 10% in every year through the real income of the 10% poorest people decreased, by the same report, by 2.4%.

Work and how it has changed in the past 100 years and what effect it Essay

Work and how it has changed in the past 100 years and what effect it has had on resource managers - Essay Example There is email that promises communication without delay, facebook that shows the current status of friends, colleagues and peers, and skype that allows the people to interact with one another without having to visit one another or spend money on calling one another. In the contemporary age, people do not need to pay a dime in order to communicate with one another live 24 / 7 if they pay their internet and electricity bills in time. Skype plays the role of videoconferencing in both the e-businesses as well as the brick and mortar businesses. As the name implies, the human resource department has approach to many candidates who want to be part of the firm. Human resource department is a department that supplies humans to an organization for work just like a mineral resource provides us with minerals. From time to time, as per the need of the hour, human resource department keeps hiring new employees. The employees are hired according to the gaps identified in the existing organization structure, so that it becomes stronger and more effective when the gaps thus identified are filled in. The difference between the work culture that existed 100 years ago and that which exists today is fundamentally that of the difference between a brick and mortar business and an e-business. In the conventional brick and mortar business, candidates are necessarily interviewed before their selection into the organization.

To Be Determined Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

To Be Determined - Essay Example Though on the surface, the poem seems to suggest a practical validation of the male superiority in the relationship under consideration, yet the underlying currents in the poem reveal a woman’s inherent superiority and finesse in the handling of love relationships. The woman in the poem is approaching the relationship with a sense of pragmatism and is well aware of the necessity of letting her male counterpart feel superior in this battle of the sexes. The monologue begins with the woman’s request for a cessation of the ongoing contention. She is intuitively aware of the fact that their quarrel has reached a precarious situation where sharp words could jeopardize the entire relationship. Ant further perusal of the logical arguments will only do an irreparable damage to the relationship. Her instinct nudges her to revert back to the agreed upon status quo so as to give the relationship a chance. Thus she yearns to drop reasoning in the favor of more fundamental and basic sensual and physical modes of communication. She in fact encourages her husband to subside to his conventional role. In this very instance of submission lies the astuteness of the woman in the sense that by succumbing to her conventional role as a woman, she is tacitly provoking her husband to do the same. As the dramatic action gets more intense and as her tone gets more submissive, superficially pointing to her unquestioning allegiance to her role, the sense of power that she commands in the relationship gets more discernable and apparent. Hence it gets really difficult to detect who is exercising the real control in the relationship. Therefore the title of the poem ‘A Woman’s Last Word’ presents a situation of ambiguity. Perhaps the woman in the poem has given up before the overpowering stature of her partner, or perhaps it is she who had the last word in the confrontation, considering the way she way she

Samaritan Woman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Samaritan Woman - Essay Example Jesus told her that he could offer her â€Å"living water and will never thirst again† and also told her of her life and all she had ever done. She then knew who he was. Leaving behind her jar of water, she ran back to the village and told everyone to go see a man who told her of everything she had ever done. In my opinion, this Samaritan woman seems to be one whose character is questionable and without moral, religious and even cultural standing. Previously, she had five husbands and was currently in an unlawful marriage. In the first century Samaria, such a marriage setup was not acceptable. Marriage and family were held in high esteem and with the utmost respect. Divorce then was not a very common occurrence. Within the family, each had roles. When it came to their cultural taboo, a Jewish man was not allowed to speak to a woman in public. Therefore, just like the twenty-first century, marriage involving the union of a man and woman is highly regarded. It is not to be dissolved indefinitely unless in cases of infidelity. However, despite divorce cases being rampant as compared to the first century, it is not wrong for a man to speak to a woman in public in this era. From a Christian perspective, a man and a woman are supposed to be legally married for their marriage setup to be lawful. Although the Samaritan woman was sinful, Jesus gave her another chance to repent and change her ways just as we today should hearken unto the word of God and change our sinful acts.

CRITICALLY DISCUSS SOME OF THE KEY ISSUES INFORMING EARLY YEARS Essay

CRITICALLY DISCUSS SOME OF THE KEY ISSUES INFORMING EARLY YEARS EDUCATION AND CARE POLICY UNDER THE NEW LABOUR GOVERNMENT - Essay Example The New Labour government came up with the third way – ‘policies’ that were being developed on what works. Power and Whitty (1999) concluded that â€Å"it might be more accurate to suggest that new labour government program is based on a combination of what’s popular and what’s easy rather than what works.† The new labour party always featured education as its first most priority. The party continued coming up with new strategies and plans. For them, education was the necessity of every individual in a nation. Through proper education system, not only the standard of state is raised but unemployment can also be prevented to some extent. The government wanted to provide quality nursery education, for example by, setting up primary schools of standard, building new schools on public and private partnership, introducing the need of new technologies, hiring more skilled and dedicated staff in schools to improve teaching methods etc. These were the policies of the party in 1997 (Labour Party Manifesto, 2001). In 2001 the party manifesto was to establish more secondary schools with different missions. The subjects like Mathematics, English, Science and Information Technology were given more importance in the curriculum. Their manifesto included creating nursery for three year olds, introducing more learning at primary schools with music and sports, and arranging more state schools. The aim of the party was to polish the talent of every child and giving them more opportunities to excel in life (Labour Party Manifesto, 2001). In the first term of their government, the Labour party changed the method of teaching with establishing primary schools. In the second term, they transformed the secondary schools in accordance with the teachers and staff of schools, and formed more specialist schools with each having a unique identity. In 2005, their manifesto was to establish an education

Samaritan Woman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Samaritan Woman - Essay Example Jesus told her that he could offer her â€Å"living water and will never thirst again† and also told her of her life and all she had ever done. She then knew who he was. Leaving behind her jar of water, she ran back to the village and told everyone to go see a man who told her of everything she had ever done. In my opinion, this Samaritan woman seems to be one whose character is questionable and without moral, religious and even cultural standing. Previously, she had five husbands and was currently in an unlawful marriage. In the first century Samaria, such a marriage setup was not acceptable. Marriage and family were held in high esteem and with the utmost respect. Divorce then was not a very common occurrence. Within the family, each had roles. When it came to their cultural taboo, a Jewish man was not allowed to speak to a woman in public. Therefore, just like the twenty-first century, marriage involving the union of a man and woman is highly regarded. It is not to be dissolved indefinitely unless in cases of infidelity. However, despite divorce cases being rampant as compared to the first century, it is not wrong for a man to speak to a woman in public in this era. From a Christian perspective, a man and a woman are supposed to be legally married for their marriage setup to be lawful. Although the Samaritan woman was sinful, Jesus gave her another chance to repent and change her ways just as we today should hearken unto the word of God and change our sinful acts.

Importance of Events in Popular Music Essay Example for Free

Importance of Events in Popular Music Essay ‘How do we determine the importance of historical events in popular music?’ Why should we determine the importance of historical events in popular music? Whats important to one fan of an artist is completely different to the views from a fan of another artist. Its not just what makes the papers , magazines and tv that matters to fans. News about artists is broadcasted in many a way in todays world, mostly because ‘stars’ and their ‘goings on’ are more important to the general public than they have ever been before. people like to look up to artists or in most cases now look down on their drug abuse or outrageous behavior and bring back the reality that we are all the same and can all go through the same tough times. Music is the most favoured thing in alot of peoples lives today. Ipods and mp3 players are something that a vast majority of people carry around with them religiously and would feel empty without. Its only human that people are interested in what their favorite artist looks like, where they come from and their general background. This however has lead to artists lives being intruded and covered across various news feeds and social networks more than ever before. General public forget that there are infact 2 sides to an artist. The side that we see when we they are on tour and their natural human side. When they are on stage they are a musician. when they are not on stage they are classed as a celebrity whether they like it or not. Quote taken straight from the second line of wikipedia when the well known name ‘Amy Winehouse’ is searched ‘Winehouse is best known for her powerful contralto vocals, substance abuse and mental health issues’ On a website such as Wikipedia its their job to write a biography on famous people. They have to include stories from each persona. The person they are writing about is a celebrity and they are a celebrity for a reason. It’s wikipedia’s job to tell everyone who they are and how they got there. After reading the article on Amy it would seem that in some instances the fact that she has been caught smoking crack and been wandering round high in public in just her bra outweigh the better points about her career. Having then come across a ‘Talk’ page that gets raised if people aren’t happy with the way something is written it would seem my points were correct about this article ‘This article covers Winehouse being photographed bloody and bruised, high, wandering in public in a bra, drug overdoses, being recorded smoking crack; it covers her health issues, her brushes with the law, in fact, every thing that has occurred over last year and a half. That the article doesnt denigrate or make judgments or pronouncements about her attests to its neutrality, not a bias.’ Straight away in this article the writer makes reference to Amy’s ‘downfalls’ making this a more noticeable point to begin with. If someone had heard a song by Amy on the radio and decided they wanted to know more about her as an artist they would be immediately switched off by the statement ‘ best known for substance abuse and mental health issues’ this leaving an even bigger dent in a ruined fan base when the fact she had drug issues could have been kept as a minor point and concluded with the fact that that piece of news happened quite a while ago and she’s doing alot better and back in the studio recording her third album. But there’s also the argument that people need to know everything about her with it being a biography about a famous person. It would be bias of wikipedia to not mention the troubled aspects of her life aswell as her achievements in the music industry. There’s more news about artists going downhill than the fact their album may have been at number one for a matter of weeks because its what the public are eager to hear about. Writers are always looking for negative points to make about musicians as it gains kudos for them, the public love to gossip about others that are in a bad way and going through hell rather than gossiping about the fact someones been at number 1 for 10 consecutive weeks. It’s like some peoples lives depend on wether Winehouse has had another drug outrage and been forced into rehab again. We only knew Miss Winehouse for a short period of time before she was swept off the our headlines to rehab. This thought pattern lead me to thinking of an artist that had been round for a longer period of time that had gone through a rough patch before their career crumbled. If we look back to a piece of musical news I found online from the 60’s the way the articles are worded sound like the writer is writing the article with respect to the artist. Talking about what is happening to the artist at the time of course but in a way that is respectful and shows that the writer appreciates the problems that the artist in question is going through and has an appreciation for the music they make. â€Å"These two cats seem to add that final dimension that was missing before in Hendrixs live music. On the Are You Experienced album, he taped over his own rhythm guitar, so as to have some sort of melody to fall back on. Larry Lee now keeps it present all the time.† The writer makes reference to the good things that have happened. Things that have changed the way the certain musicians music is written and how it has come to benefit future material. The article in question is talking about Hendrix’s gigs and his backing band and does mention the drugs he was taking at the time. The writer consistently praises Jimi and his band and only makes reference to the drugs right at the end of the article of which consists of one line. ‘The drugs were found directly on top of clothes inside his luggage. Now who puts their stash right on top? Especially well-travelled freaks like Mr. Jimi, through border crossings. When he re ­ported to the Toronto medical exam ­ining board, his body was found clean and pure. Aint a trace a shit in Jimi; but the word-of-mouth-and-press was not so clean.’ Even when making reference to the drugs the writer details the happenings in a jokey way as if to say ‘Silly ‘Ol Jimi!’ like the writer was close to Jimi or really admired him. When relating this back to todays news about stars you can tell alot has changed in the way we really appreciate musicians. The public go through years of enjoyment from an artist and their music, relating songs to their personal experiences but as soon as the star does something even as minute as forgetting to put knickers on they are slated and the writer jumps to obsurd conclusions such as the star must have forgotten to put knickers on because they had been taking drugs or drinking copious amounts of alcohol. There’s no appreciation for the artist and no respect for the way the artist feels. Jimi Hendrix died of an apparent drug overdose on the 18th September 1970. It was the death of someone who had created the backbone of RB and rock music that musicians still use today. He created so many different techniques on the electric guitar that musicians class as basics or must haves today. The drug overdose that killed him is what has urged me to talk about Jimi. I was intrigued to see how writers spoke about him once he had gone and how people still remember him today. I wanted to see wether people remembered his celebrity side more or actually did remember him for the musical legend that he was and still is today. Drugs in the psychedelic 1960’s were used by many people for recreational reasons. LSD was the drug of the century, lots of other musicians used it and fans used it to enjoy music to its full potential. That was a regular occurrence in the 1960’s but after Jimi died of a drug overdose it becomes that little bit more concerning and people wanted to s tart digging for reasons as to why he’d want to kill himself. I dont want to be a clown anymore. I dont want to be a rock and roll star, Jimi says, emphatically. The forces of contention are never addressed but their pervasiveness has taken its toll on Jimis stamina and peace of mind. Trying to remain a growing artist when a business empire has nuzzled you to its bosom takes a toughness, a shrewdness† Note the fact Jimi states â€Å"star† when he speaks. He had had enough of the stardom that being a good musician brings. His story relates to Kurt Cobains story in the way that them being celebrities and their lives being invaded all the time got far too much for them. The clown part of the quote could link to the fact that clowns are a form of entertainment and people watch their every move when they are around. Jimi Enjoyed being a musician but was sick of people consistently following him around and he wasn’t able to get time to himself. â€Å"Lest anyone forget, Lea ­cock Pennebakers Monterey Pop has immortalized his pyromaniacal affair with the guitar. Rock media bedroom talk makes him King Stud of the groupies. Stories circulate that he is rude to audi ­ences, stands up writers, hangs up photographers, that he doesnt talk.† The way the writer speaks about this problem is in a respectable way, saying pop has ruined his relationship with his guitar. They don’t slate him for wanting to just be one side of the coin. Today musicians have two personas because it seems right to be that way. Music to them is work and its a shame that they have to be followed when they’re not doing their work. When anybody else finishes work they leave and become themselves again. There’s no rules when you’re yourself. You can drink where you like, say what you want, do whatever you like, wear what you want but being a musician has its limits. The public eye is always on you, you have to be wearing the right clothes whenever you leave the house and you have to look good when you leave the house. Today you can’t just be a musician, you’re a celebrity aswell and once the celebrity lifestyle has a hold of you there’s no turning back. Looking at other articles from the 1960’s it seems that alot more was accepted at the time. Drugs such as LSD, heroin, amphetamines and cannabis were widely used in the fan world and in the musical world. In todays world drugs are much less tolerated and forces crack down alot more on them. People have generally grown up knowing that drugs are bad and not acceptable and that you should never go near them. Back in the 1960’s people were persuading others to use recreational drugs to have a good time with them. With the case being that drugs were alot more accepted in the 1960’s writers at the time had less to write about musicians lives and more about the way they perform and the way their music is put together. Jimi Hendrix’s death was a turning point for popular music. A massive gap had to be filled and for years other artists have pioneered to become the new Jimi Hendrix, a true guitar hero. His death was so shocking that people still write about him and his achievements today. The music in the 60’s was so much more important than the stardom that people seek today which is why we remember Jimi Hendrix for his Music and Not his Drug abuse like Amy Winehouse.

Fibonacci Sequence

Fibonacci Sequence How Does the Fibonacci Sequence Relate to Nature and Other Math Processes? Nature is all around us, and because I spend a lot of time outside I have been able to enjoy and observe all that nature has to offer. Due to the fact that I love science and discovering how everything around me functions and relates to everything else, I decided to investigate the relation that Fibonacci has with other math processes—as well as with the environment. I wanted to understand how plants know the best way to form their seeds or outer shell, and why some patterns may repeat in nature in different plants and organic materials. Thus, this exploration looks at two seemingly unrelated topics—Fibonacci and the golden ratio—both of which produce the same number, phi. While this could be mere coincidence, that possibility is negated when the fact that the number produced is irrational is introduced. It was this peculiar discovery, as well as the abundant appearances of Fibonacci in nature, that led me to choose this exploration topic. To begin, I should start by identifying what initially sparked my curiosity in this subject: a pinecone. As with many other plants, as well as fruits and vegetables, pinecones display the golden ratio. In order to better understand what I am talking about I have included a picture of a pinecone similar to the one that I first inspected. Labeled below is the noticeable spiral pattern on the pinecone. Counting the number of spirals in that direction produces the number eight, and in the other direction it produces the number thirteen while a third and tighter spiral produces twenty-one. These numbers are situational to the pinecone in the pictures, but the Fibonacci numbers as a whole are far more complex than they first appear to be. To understand the importance of these numbers it is crucial to understand the fundamentals of the Fibonacci sequence itself. The sequence usually begins with the numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 and follows an easily definable pattern. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 Start with the number 5, or the nth number in the sequence. We’ll call it n. 5 equals the two numbers before it added together: 2 + 3. Or, in broader terms, a number in the sequence is the sum of the two numbers preceding it. 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13n = n-1 + n-2 An interesting idea comes up at the mention of this formula though. = This ratio just so happens to equal a number often notated as, or phi. > 1/11Phi is greater than one, < 2/12but less than two. > 3/21.5Phi is greater than three halves, < 5/31.666but less than five thirds. > 8/51.6Phi is greater than eight fifths, < 13/81.625but less than thirteen eights. 1.6180339988†¦ You’ll notice that each fraction listed above is made up of numbers from the original seven number sequence, in other words, each pair of Fibonacci numbers creates a ratio that gets closer and closer to phi as the numbers increase. This is better shown on a graph I created, displayed below. The ratio created by these sequences as they approach phi is called the golden ratio. The golden ratio, however, is not as important to this study as the lesser known concept of the golden angle. Below is a representation of the golden ratio in relation to the golden angle, the smaller portion of the circle notated using alpha, or ÃŽ ±. ÃŽ ± = 137.507764 ° 137.5 ° The reason this conversion is necessary is because the golden angle is present in the next discussion topic: sunflowers. Or, more specifically, their seeds. Sunflowers are another great example of the appearance of Fibonacci in nature, and also led me to an interesting discovery. In order to plot the distribution of a sunflower’s seeds we need an X and a Y coordinate pair. Using the square roots from an index numbered from one to one thousand and multiplying them by the cosine of the radian of the angle alpha gives us a formula to find x, dependent on the index number used. Y can be calculated with a very similar formula, using sine instead of cosine. The equations are listed in their entirety below. When these formulas are used and input into Microsoft Excel they produce a graph similar to the following. Wow! That graph bears a striking resemblance to the original Fibonacci spirals that appeared in the pinecones, and as mentioned earlier it is not mere coincidence. While the use of the golden ratio is apparent, there is another aspect of it that I wish to address, the golden spiral. Its formulae are given by the following equations, and are readily apparent in nature as well (nautilus shells for example). In these equations is the undetermined scaling factor and is the growth factor of the spiral. In the instance of the golden spiral, is equal to the operation below. At first, these formulae appeared to be a strange smattering of numbers, and one I didn’t understand at all. However, upon noticing the appearance of a natural log in the formula for I made a connection to the letter , better known as Euler’s number, that is present in both the X and Y formulae. After thorough searches of many sources I discovered another math process that bares resemblance to the above formulae. This is Euler’s formula. It becomes increasingly apparent that its resemblance is not coincidental when the formula is transformed into the final formula shown below. While the visual similarities may be obvious when the formula is displayed as it is above, the importance of each variable can be clarified with simple explanations. is the arbitrary scaling factor, responsible for determining the scale of the spiral. dictates the rotation of the spiral, and remains constant. The in dictates the growth of the spiral, and the dictates the speed—together representing the speed of the growth of the spiral. More simply put, any given ordered pair can be found by multiplying the growth of the spiral by its rotation (as shown in the originally given formulae for finding said coordinates.) What is produced, however, after inputting over two thousand pieces of data, derived from the coordinates calculated using the formulae above, into Microsoft Excel, is shown in the graph below. After putting in the Fibonacci squares (using the original golden ratio) into the spiral its appearance and relation to Fibonacci become even clearer. Very simply put, my investigation yielded the result that the Fibonacci sequence, the golden spiral, and Euler’s number are all related to one another in nature. The results are eye opening for me, as I am beginning to realize just how much of the world is made up of math—rather than my previous belief that everything natural occurred randomly. My exploration only stemmed into plants, and while that may only have practical use in fields such as botany, all three have great value in many fields. To begin with, Fibonacci appears in bee populations, proportions of the human body, formation of cells, and possibly more practically in code and the stock market. Any of these fields could present an interesting extension to my exploration, and because they all stem from Fibonacci they all have roots in combinatorics and number theory. The implications of this are staggering! Simply the thought that all of these vastly different fields are related to one another by one sequence of numbers discovered by Leonardo of Pisa, better known as Fibonacci himself, is baffling considering that he discovered them while looking at the breeding patterns of rabbits. There are so many other areas in nature that Fibonacci appears in, and I’m so excited that I have the opportunity to discover and study them now that I know more about them. Works Cited Azad, Kalid. Intuitive Understanding Of Euler’s Formula. Better Explained. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2015. . Nature by Numbers. Eterea. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Feb. 2015. . â€Å"Spirals.† < http://faculty.smcm.edu/sgoldstine/pinecone/spirals2.gif> Wolverson, Tim. Plot a Fibonacci Spiral in Excel. Reviews and Guides. WordPress, 08 Feb. 2014. Web. Jan.-Feb. 2015. . McDonald 1