Saturday, August 31, 2019

City Lights Movie Reflection Essay

A film in pantomime, I believe, means a romantic comedy where actors express their feelings by miming. The film’s story was mainly told through mime actions and the actors along with their facial expressions since it’s the only thing that is going on in a silent film, besides the sound. A pantomime uses its technique, in where a story is told using just music, sounds, and the motion and facial expressions. The scene I find memorable is where the main character firsts meets the man trying to commit suicide. I find it memorable because the same camera angle was used, and there was little camera movement. The man falling into the water and coming back out several times was shot in one take, if I remember well, and that takes lots of good acting and possibly more than one take was used for that scene. What also made the scene memorable was the lighting, because the scene might have been filmed during the night time, and the lights that were used showed the important places of the scene without showing much of the background, for example the bench had proper lighting and the place where they jumped in the water did as well. This movie’s filming is different than modern films because the shot lengths are much longer and there is little camera movement. There were few close-ups and few establishment shots. The only transitions between scenes were fade-outs and fade-ins. Shots also had to be rehearsed several times because film was very expensive and cameras were not digital so things could not be deleted on the spot or filmed over. Because of no sound, filmmakers had to rely on picking good actors, sound effects, and facial expressions. The actors play a huge part because the story can only be told through their motion and or expressions. The music had to be used to show suspense, playful/silly moments, or serious moments. The actors needed to be really well because it was really expensive for shots to be filmed more than once if not needed. The actors needed to know how to show different moods by facial expressions, movement of body, etc. This film is unique because of the long shots and the little camera movement. Charlie Chaplin did a great job at telling a story, and he did so with using few quote screens, and used them only when they were completely necessary. The storyline is also very different in this film. The opening scene of the movie also was irrelevant to the plot, and was used as an introduction to the main character and the type of person he is. I haven’t seen a single movie similar to City Lights.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Music and Film: Jaws (1975)

An opaque dorsal fin slices through the water. Camera-point-of-view on a young man splashing in the distance. The fin submerges. The sound track cranks up a notch: Dum- Dum – Dum – Dum – Dum – Dum..! Bubbles, white foam, glimpses of something large and foreboding thrashing in the waves. The music increases in its intensity: Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum..!   A red mist of blood that fogs the water. The audience in the movie theatre screams hysterically. A severed limb floats lazily to the ocean floor below. The music trails off. Dun-Dun-Dun-Dun-Dun-Dun.There have only been a handful of movies produced which contain a soundtrack that is not only instantly recognizable, but where the music also plays such an integral part in the film itself. Jaws (1975) is such a film. The movie successfully tapped into several human fears of the unknown and translated these phobias into a highly entertaining film that doesn’t talk down to its audience, nor uses viole nce gratuitously to get its point across.Commented Director Steven Spielberg:â€Å"†¦I think one of the reasons I made â€Å"Jaws† was because I was afraid of the water before I read the Peter Benchley book, and therefore I was the perfect candidate to direct this picture, because I have a tremendous amount of anxiety about the sea. Not so much about swimming pools or small ponds, but certainly about the eternal sea.I have a lot of anxiety, and my main anxiety stems from not being able to see my feet when I’m treading water. And what’s down there with me, and who’s nibbling on my toes. And I know how to express my fear cinematically. I’ve always been good at that, and I thought when â€Å"Jaws† came along, well, I   already have a tremendous fear of the ocean, and certainly a fear of sharks, and so I went to [producers] Dick Zanuck and David Brown and volunteered myself to direct the adaptation from the Benchley book†¦Ã¢â‚¬    (Excerpts from Steven Spielberg Interview)Composer John Williams — while no stranger to sound tracks for television and film (he’d already won an Oscar as music producer in 1971 for Fiddler on the Roof) — was just beginning to hit his stride on a musical odyssey that would see his movie soundtracks crack the Billboard music charts and sells millions. Almost unheard of for instrumental compositions, let alone for movie soundtracks.Williams saw something unique in the Spielberg rough-cut. He viewed the film as more  of an adventure and less as a traditional horror film. Recalled Williams in a conversation  with film producer Laurent Bouzereau:  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦This is like a pirate movie! I think we need  pirate music for this, because there’s something primal about it — but it’s also fun and  entertaining†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( Lindahl, pg1 )As the legend goes, Williams was previewing proposed music for the film on his piano, playing t he basic structure for Spielberg and Bousereau and hammering out the now famous bars of impending doom on his piano keys. Spielberg thought Williams was kidding. â€Å"dum, dum, dum-dum, dum-dum, dum-dum†   The rest as they say, is history:At first I began to laugh, and I thought, â€Å"John  has a great sense of humor!† But he was  Ã‚  serious — that was the theme for Jaws. So he  Ã‚  played it again and again, and suddenly it  seemed right. Sometimes the best ideas are  Ã‚  the most simple ones and John had found a  signature for the entire score†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  ( Lindahl, pg 1)Let it be said that the music in Jaws is effective because it’s not over used. By playing the Jaws theme only to foreshadow the presence of the shark, the music is much more effective. Several examples of this stand out. The music played in the scenes of families playing at the beach have an almost home town flavor to them. The music when the boats are setting out to capture the shark have a classical feel and one scene in particular – of a child playing in the water with a fake shark fin – has no music at all. Collectively, this contrast in musical styles plays to the audience’s advantage. They know in short order when they do hear the jaws theme that there’s no mistaking the fact that the shark is going to make an appearance.What is it about the movie Jaws and its music that sets it apart from so many other adventure and suspense films? Oddly enough, prior to the film’s premier there wasn’t a â€Å"genre’ for this type of film. Horror and suspense were considered â€Å"Category B or C†.In fact, after Jaws cracked 100 million dollars during its North American Box Office the genre of monster/animal/villain stalking its prey was firmly in place. Whose to say there’s not a little bit of Jaws in every film ranging from Rambo to Halloween? Certainly there are variations of John Willi ams film score in the above mentioned film and more.Stephen Spielberg has gone on record as saying that Jaws wouldn’t have been nearly as successful if it didn’t have the music it did. Plainly put, the music works. Would any other type of soundtrack so indelibly stamp an image on the subconscious of the  audience? Highly doubtful. The by-now famous â€Å"†¦dum, dum, dum-dum, dum-dum, dum-dum†¦Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"   creates an instant visual. But also serves as a metaphor for the shark’s excitement when it approaches its prey or when it approaches the boat of Robert Shaw.Critics can say what they will regarding John Williams score for Jaws. As a â€Å"piece of music† it is not the kind of score that allows for listening while lying down on the coach for example. It is music that conjures up images. There are several suites — if the term can be freely used – that showcase Williams versatility as a scorer of music and as a producer who kn ows how to grab his audience by the collar.When it comes to music that creates a sense of suspense and hysteria the loaded â€Å"Shark Cage Fugue† bears listening to more than once. Similar treatment is due â€Å"The Great Shark Chase† and the nearly five minutes long â€Å"Man Against Beast†, where renditions of the familiar theme appears and disappears, interwoven with the theme associated with the actual shark hunting.However, Williams’ use of Quint’s â€Å"sailor song† as a recurring theme is used to great effect as a vehicle to mark the captain's inner resolution and character. He sings it when he is in a good mood, or when he needs to conjure up his muse: â€Å"†¦Farewell and a-do to you fair Spanish ladies, farewell and a-do to you ladies in Spain†¦Ã¢â‚¬    Williams interweaves this ditty at crucial parts of the film. Most notably when his ship â€Å"The Orca† is floundering and ready to sink. The shark is waiting â€Å"out there† somewhere and Quint is running out of luck. The music again — in this case not even the theme — is used to great effect.On a more technical note, it would be impossible to discuss the impact of the Jaws soundtrack on the film, without exploring how the music itself was packaged and made available to the public as a marketing tool. Andrew Drannon provides a valuable perspective on the issued soundtrack for Jaws, as well as an astute track by track breakdown of the music on it’s latest re-issue. Drannon mentions that the original Jaws score exists in three recordings: The original LP and a 1992 CD re-issue feature about half an hour of music that Williams rearranged and re-recorded for the sole purposes of the album, and this was for a long time the only available music from the picture. Drannon delves further into the music, saying:â€Å"†¦Film score collectors have been historically  Ã‚   quite adamant in their demands for comple te releases of soundtracks, namely for the scores of John Williams, which so often leave out highlights of the music and place them into confusing suites.  To some, this may seem a bit unneeded, due to the fact that the original 35-minute LP album featured a great majority of the score, with a few of the shorter cues actually expanded into suites.Still, for the 25th anniversary of the film, Decca saw fit to rescue  the entire musical work, minus the album expansions for a 51-minute CD release. Fans will be elated due to the inclusion of almost 30 minutes of new material, including fantastic cues not used in the film, which make up for the loss of the infamous original album developments†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Andrew Drannon pg 1)The final re-issue presents the jaws soundtrack into a more cohesive listening experience.Years after the film made its debut in theatres, after countless showings on television, after a Jaws Fest even, the music ha become an institution. There have been only a handful of films where the music has much such an impact: the James Bond franchise, Enrico Morricone with â€Å"The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, and possibly the Indiana Jones series. But none make the blood curl, create a knot in one’s stomach and send a chill up the spine like John Williams soundtrack for the original summer blockbuster, Jaws.References:Spielberg, Steven. Interview excerpts, Jaws 30th Anniversary Special EditionDVD linear notes, 2005Lindahl, Andreas. Scoreviews.Com. Internet article. pg 1 1998Ibid. pg 1Drannon, Andrew. Decca Music Group Sound Tracks Review: Jaws 25th Anniversary Edition. Internet article. pg 1. 2000

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Changes in Art History with Emphasis on the Mid-Twentieth Century Essay

Art during the mid-twentieth century contained some of the most important changes art history. These explosive times were counter-balanced with explosive popular culture. More historical events, abrupt changes, and turbulence occurred from the end of World War II until the height of the Vietnam War than in any time period. Before this time, styles of art had lasted generations. In the 1960’s numerous important art movements were happening at the same time. There were variations on variations, movements inside of other movements. Therefore, because of the amount of independent and integrated pieces of movements and styles, a lot can be missed in a short paper. The amount that happened in these twenty-five years is enough to fill volumes, and so, this is just a brief scraping off the top of what during these times—the most tumultuous times in American History. INTRODUCTION: The 1940’s through the 1960’s were not only some of the most socially and politically volatile times in American History, but were the catalyst for the numerous changes in which occurred in American Popular culture during these and following years. Instead of experiencing the trauma which resulted after World War I’s end, post-World War II United States returned fairly easily back to everyday life. Although there were some problems converting from a wartime to a peacetime economy in the late 1940’s, Americans took on the task and entered the 1950’s on a very auspicious high note. During the time period after World War II, the United States experienced many changes. Technology was abundant and the rate at which new inventions, industries and technologies came about was at a rate never seen before. From a television in every home to the first computers and ultimately space flight, these two decades after World War II were crowded with advancements. S ome of the most dramatic changes came in the field of art. What was once a single, slow road of popular culture advancement branched off into thousands of smaller, faster changing roads. Some of these â€Å"roads†, which can be seen as changing styles, or movements, in art, whipped Americans through a roller coaster of change in what they saw around them. The End of World War II: The major art movement taking place in the United States directly after World War II was ther in their concept. So as we start in a new millenium, we have to ask ourselves what will be the next great movement in art? Could there be anything again as influential as the times that existed here? Only time will tell. Bibliography: Cagle, Van M., Reconstructing Pop/Subculture: Art Rock and Andy Warhol, New York: Sage Publications, 1995 Yapp, Nick, Ed. The 1950s, Chicago: Konemann, 1998 Yapp, Nick, Ed. The 1960s, Chicago: Konemann, 1998 Reed, T.V., American Popular Culture. (online) Available: http://www.wsu.edu/~amerstu/pop/tvrguide.html, February 17, 2000 Seitz, William C., Art in the Age of Aquarius, 1955-1970, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992 Alloway, Lawrence. American Pop Art, New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1974 Dynamic Movements. (online) Available: Http://library.thinkquest.org/17142/dynamic-movements/ Jansen, H.W., The History of Art, New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1997, p. 914-915 Warhol’s Reflection of the Social Times. (online) Available: Http://vc.lemoyne.edu/ant305/students/7_abarnett/page3.htm Marcel Duchamp. (online) Available: http://www.peak.org/~dadaist/English/Graphics/duchamp.html

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Strategic Thinking for Wal-Mart business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Thinking for Wal-Mart business - Essay Example According to Altier (1991, p.21), â€Å"to survive in tomorrow’s increasingly competitive world, companies are going to adopt a modus operandi that is coming to be known as strategic thinking.† Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is one of those successful industries that are using strategic thinking to achieve competitive advantage within the retailing industry. According to a retail consultant Patricia Pao, â€Å"in successful retailing, it’s usually 10% of a great idea and 90% execution, but at Wal-Mart 90% goes into strategic thinking and just 10% execution at the store level† (cited in Gogoi, n.d.). The main thrust of this paper is to examine and analyze the role and impact of strategic thinking for the competitive options of Wal-Mart. 2.0 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Wal-Mart is one of the successful retailers in terms of sales volume, revenue, and market share. This 40-year old company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962, and it dominated the local market of the United Stat es and other countries. Wal-Mart began to trade in the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NYSE: WMT and became one of the most reliable stocks because its investment risk is not alarming. The business is operating globally, and its top competitors include Target Corporation, Costco Wholesale, and Carrefour. Wal-Mart net sales in 2008 ($373.8), 2009 ($401.1) and 2010 ($405.0) are growing at lower rates, and its return on investment (ROI) is not changing nor growing at 19.3% (Walmart 2010 Annual Report, n.d.a). These figures only indicate that Wal-Mart’s performance in the past years is struggling caused by ineffective plans and techniques. Aside from internal defects, the sluggish growth can also be attributed to external elements such as intense competition (local & international) and economic instability caused by recession. As Wal-Mart’s life cycle gets into the maturity stage, the number of powerful competitors has increased because the rate of sales an d profits are high; however, the overall growth of the industry is at a very slow-paced manner. Cost at this level is lesser because of expansion and scale economies, but promotional activities need to be uplifted to make customers more knowledgeable about the product and service offerings. In fact, Wal-Mart executives have doubled their advertising expenses this year just to reach a broad group of consumers (Martin, 2011). Furthermore, Wal-Mart has experienced the most intense competition, which in turn has lowered its sales and market share. However, it remained as the world’s largest corporation based on the Global 500 and Fortune 500 annual ranking despite poor sales and market share (DuBois, 2011). In addition, it is also recognized as the most admired company because it produced a wide variety of product and services, highest-quality service to customers, and offered the lowest prices of retail goods. â€Å"CEO Bill Simon has freely admitted to Wal-Mart’s misste ps in the past, which included prematurely removing profitable products, overly aggressive rollbacks, and poor relationships with merchants† (Sun, 2010). Thus, to regain its market share and high record sales, executives have concentrated on seeking and developing new approaches through strategic thinking. They go back to the basic, but this time they are more observant to their environment and turn into an out-of-the box thinker. They have gathered as much

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Literature review about ( dose the follow up with one single physician Essay

Literature review about ( dose the follow up with one single physician at diabetic clinic improve the complaiance ) - Essay Example The compliance of diabetic patients is estimated to range from 11% to 93%. It is also estimated that around a third of the total diabetics patients fail to complete their medications. Poor compliance places the patients a t risk of continued disease and also complicates the relationship between the patient and the physician. This article looks at how compliance can depend on the way that a patient relates with the physician. It also looks at the relationship between a patient who only sees one physician and that patient with many physicians and compares their level of compliance based on these facts. It is noted that a one on one relationship is needed for patients to increase their level of compliance. This is because this will enhance better communication between the physician and the patient. Our main question is, can the level of compliance be increased if a patient only has one physician and can the level of compliance be reduced in the event where a patient has many physicians. The article tries to look at 20 articles that deal with health records and try to read and understand the relationship between having one physician and compliance. 20 articles have been looked and out of them 4 have been selected and given a critical appraisal. Introduction Diabetes is a disease that is affecting most people in the world today. Once someone has been diagnosed with diabetes it is always normal for them to come after some to the hospital or health care centers for medication and advice on how to live healthy and what to do and what not to do. When these patients come to the health facilities some hospitals will keep changing their physicians while some will just maintain one physician for every patient, meaning that a patient will only be able to see the physician that he saw on the first date and not keep changing the physician. In this research paper, 20 articles are taken and used to compare the relationship between seeing one physician and seeing different physic ians. The search strategy used in this paper is known as Framing the research question, in this type of search analysis, the question is framed and then put on the search engine for and used to search for the 20 articles. The search terminology used includes â€Å"compliance†, and â€Å"a patient with one physician†. I came up with questions such as â€Å"what is the relationship between having one diabetes patient and compliance in medicine†. Out of this I found thousands of articles and selected 20 articles which I have used for the paper. Later on I selected 4 of the articles and did a thorough analysis of them and came up with the information that will be discussed below. The four articles were selected mainly based on their content and the data that they contain. 20 articles were selected from the internet and used for analysis. There were two searches that were used, the first search was limited to the records of the past 2 years about the patient dropout while the second search was limited to the records of patients who dropped out of their medications or refused medication. The 20 articles that were used for this paper were valid to clinical relevance. It is however important to note that the reliability of the data is not guaranteed since some of the patients don’t report cases of incompliance. This is to say that compliance is lower than reported. According to Elliot (2000, p.120), a research using diabetes patients in England showed that there was 60% compliance. However

Monday, August 26, 2019

Answar these Questione Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answar these Questione - Assignment Example This led to the development of the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and the 1992 Fund Convention. These two provide a wider range of  application  on  various  aspects, as well as more flexible limits of compensation than the previous versions of the convention (The Secretariat of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, 2004). Any  individual  who has received more than 150 000 tonnes of crude oil, as well as  heavy  oil in one year, and is in a member state of the 1992 Fund Convention is  liable  to contribute to the fund. However, the levy of these contributions depends on reports of oil receipts with regards to  individual  contribution. The fact that the receiver could be a company owned by a state, a government agency, or a private company is a significant determinant of applying the  levy (International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, 2009). According to the Gard Group (2011), member states need to report to the Fund Convention the name and address of any liable person to contribute and the  amount  of contributing oil they receive in that state, yearly. The only exceptions to reporting to the Fund Convention  are associated  persons such as subsidiaries and  commonly  controlled entities. In addition, the Fund levies annual contributions to its members who  pay  a certain amount per tonne of contributing oil they  receive, so as to meet the projected expenses of the coming year (The Secretariat of the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds, 2004). In the 1992 Fund, there was a  protocol  adopted in 2003 that gave way to the establishment of the third tier of compensation on 3 March 2005, through the Supplementary Fund. The provision of the Supplementary Fund the  limitation  to paying for compensation for pollution  damage  for only the incidents that occur after the state in question accepts the Protocol. Notably, being a member of the Supplementary Fund is not a must and any

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Gun Control in the US Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gun Control in the US - Research Paper Example Between the years 1997 and 2001, there were more than 30 such incidents that took place in schools, offices, and various other places, all over US, which resulted in the deaths of 139 people and another 188 being wounded. However, it was after the Columbine High School incident, public outrage reached its peak and there was a mass outcry to bring in stringent laws for gun control. After the initial outpour of rage and massive protests against the National Rifle Association (the champion of liberal gun usage in US), things have drifted back to their original conditions. In June 2010 we find a disturbing piece of news that tells us â€Å"The US Supreme Court found Monday a Chicago handgun ban to be unconstitutional in a far-reaching ruling that makes it much harder for states and city governments to limit gun ownership† (Ogle, US Supreme Court limits gun control by states). So again its status quo and we are back to where we had started, with the court giving a free hand to all potential killers. This article will take an in-depth look at this issue of gun control and the related controversies in US. It will explore as to why US have more gun violence than other countries, and will suggest measures to reduce this peril. From various studies and reports it has been seen that almost 40% of US homes have some sort of guns or fire ammunitions in their possession. Krug, Powell and Dahlberg in their research papers have come to the conclusion that the homicide rates in the American countries is almost 2-10 times higher than any other country in the developed world (Krug, Powell and Dahlberg, 214-221). There is no doubt that violence in some form or the other is present in almost all countries worldwide, but what increases the death rate in US is the rampant presence of guns. This relation between easy availability of guns in US and the high mortality rate has been proven in their research work by the famous

Tax avoidance,tax evasion,tax mitigiation Essay

Tax avoidance,tax evasion,tax mitigiation - Essay Example Tax avoidance and Tax evasion are two of the most common terms and concepts used and utilized by the taxpayers in escaping from payment of taxes. Learning and understanding these terms will help the taxpayers avoid criminal and civil liabilities. Tax avoidance is a means to escape from taxation, which is allowed and sanctioned by law. A taxpayer committing this will not be legally held civilly or criminally liable to the government provided it is used in good faith and within the process allowed by law, otherwise the taxpayer will be committing tax evasion which is a crime. The utilization of the means and methods sanctioned by law would enable the taxpayer reduce the amount due to be taxed. Example of tax avoidance is when the taxpayer structures his/her any legitimate transaction to save tax and such transaction is what would really appear in form. And this transaction if the taxpayer is the vendee or payee could declare this as deduction. Tax Evasion on the other hand, is reductio n or elimination of tax due by means outside the law. It is illegally committed and punishable by law. A corporation, individual and other entity may resort to means in order to avoid paying the taxes. And the means employed is always dishonest like declaring less or no income, less profits or no gains than the taxpayer actually earned or it could be committed by inflating deductions. For example, a corporation will evade tax by declaring charitable contributions of $ 2.5 million as deduction although what was actually contributed is $.5 million only. The law does not allow this and anyone caught doing this will be held criminally and civilly liable. The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion is on the tax itself. In tax avoidance, the taxpayer is legally avoiding the payment of any tax liability that is not in existence at the time. Meaning to say, there is no tax due at the moment of transaction and the taxpayer utilized method within the law so that no tax liability wou ld be incurred later or if there is, it would be less. In tax avoidance, there is already a tax due to be paid and the taxpayer resort to illegal means so that it will not be able to pay the owed tax. This type entails concealment or misrepresentation of earnings that are taxable immediately.. Tax mitigation is also similar to tax avoidance. Both resort to means not prohibited by law. Sometimes, these two concepts are used interchangeably. Tax mitigation is known as tax planning to mitigate or reduce tax liability. It is a conduct made to reduce tax liability without conducting tax avoidance or which is contrary to the intention of the Parliament. There are conducts which are allowed for tax mitigation and which are not in the case of tax avoidance. It is important in distinguishing one from the other, especially the two concepts which are tax avoidance and tax evasion because it will help the taxpayer in understanding the consequences of each conduct to reduce tax liability. Since tax avoidance is a criminal offense punishable by law, knowing the distinction would save one from committing this criminal offense while saving money from taxes without breaking the law. It will help taxpayers to arrange their affairs and keep taxes as low as possible. The tax code is confusing not only for average people but also for those knowledgeable professionals. Hence, it is important to define these two concepts so as not to fall into a criminally punishable offense. The Ramsay Principle: My understanding This principle emanated for two cases : W. T. Ramsay Ltd. v. Inland Revenue Commissioners, Eilbeck (Inspector of Taxes) v. Rawling, [1982] A.C. 300 and IRC v. Burmah Oil Co. Ltd., [1982] S.T.C. 30, H.L.(Sc.)decided by the House of Lords in connection with tax payment and schemes resorted to avoid it. In this case, the company in order to lessen the amount of taxes for the transaction of transfer of assets and payment resorted to scheme by drafting sets of documents,

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Public Administration; the constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Public Administration; the constitution - Essay Example At government level, the relations between countries have become somewhat tense due to increased terrorism and consequent allegations on the terrorist groups belonging to neighboring countries. At public level, the relations have become stronger due to increased cultural and social diversity in many countries. The article 1 of the United States constitution mainly deals with the government structure, legislative powers, legislative responsibilities of the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and constitutional and taxation activities of the states. This article provides a solid foundation on which the structure of the government is formed and legal responsibilities and restrictions are communicated to the officials. The article 2 of the constitution mainly talks about the executive and legislative powers of The President of the United States. The section 4 is a little different as it talks about the factors that can lead to the termination of services of all government officials including The

Friday, August 23, 2019

Case analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Case analysis - Assignment Example Further, the company introduced e-books which most people found convenient and were environmental friendly than print books. Therefore, the company opted to receive and reuse unwanted books, which they thought was still an appealing option for green consumer. The firm gave the community and the school a nonprofit equity stake, which offered them with high financial value in case the firm was sold or merged. In turn, this would ensure that such nonprofit partners understand that future stock alternatives were going to rely on their performance as a company in ensuring literacy level is on the raise. It is evident that as the company expanded, it had to rethink about its donation percentage since the current donation practice disadvantaged it. Therefore, the management was forced to amend the original fifteen percent of all sales because when the company expanded nationally, the average sale of university and college books started dwindling, which meant that, they were operating under a loss. The company continued to perform dismally but changes in oil and gas prices positively affected the company in the sense that the fifteen percent donation increased the firm’s gross margin. Initially, the company had thought of giving half of its profit margins to nonprofit partners such as the community and the school. However, they realized that this concept was a big problem to external investors. If they could give half of the company’s profit margins, it meant creation of lower valuation for the firm because investors would claim fifty percent of what they might have received otherwise. In turn, this would lead to inability to raise funds thus straining themselves. Better World Books donated over $ 8 million to international literacy programs via the sale of its books. Since the company sold over 10,000 copies of books on daily basis, it attained a profit margin

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Causes of corruption & its remedies Essay Example for Free

Causes of corruption its remedies Essay An act done with intent to give some advantage inconsistent with official duty and the rights of others. It includes bribery, but is more comprehensive; because an act may be corruptly done, though the advantage to be derived from it be not offered by another. Sometimes corruption is understood as something against law; such as, a contract by which the borrower agreed to pay the lender usurious interest. It is said, in such case, that it was corruptly agreed, etc. CAUSES OF CORRUPTION: The causes of corruption are many and complex. Following are some of the causes of corruption.  µ Emergence of political elite who believe in interest-oriented rather than nation-oriented programmes and policies.  µ Artificial scarcity created by the people with malevolent intentions wrecks the fabric of the economy.  µ Corruption is caused as well as increased because of the change in the value system and ethical qualities of men who administer. The old ideals of morality, service and honesty are regarded as an achronistic.  µ Tolerance of people towards corruption, complete lack of intense public outcry against corruption and the absence of strong public forum to oppose corruption allow corruption to reign over people.  µ Vast size of population coupled with widespread illiteracy and the poor economic infrastructure lead to endemic corruption in public life.  µ In a highly inflationary economy, low salaries of government officials compel them to resort to the road of corruption. Graduates from IIMs with no experience draw a far handsome salary than what government secretaries draw.  µ Complex laws and procedures alienate common people to ask for any help from government.  µ Election time is a time when corruption is at its peak level. Big industrialist fund politicians to meet high cost of election and ultimately to seek personal favour. Bribery to politicians buys influence, and bribery by politicians buys votes. In order to get elected, politicians bribe poor illiterate people, who are slogging for two times’ meal. REMEDIES OF CORRUPTION Is it possible to contain corruption in our society? Corruption is a cancer, which every Indian must strive to cure. Many new leaders when come into power declare their determination to eradicate corruption but soon they themselves become corrupt and start amassing huge wealth. Many People become materialistic and money oriented, there is no important of ethics and morals in business dealings. Many people thinking that money which coming to their pocket is good, same way many thinking that money which going out from their pocket is bad, but they don’t consider the way money traveling. This is because these kinds of people have no moral accountability to anybody; and these kind have people have full trust on money, they strongly believing that money can hold big role in their life, they believing that money can solve their current and future problems, they believing that money can give them life without problems. Some of the remedies are given below:  µ What can be remedy of corruption? It can be only possible if people can understand and start to believe the values of ethics and morality in their life. People will start to believe that their life is accountable if they really start to believe in GOD, in oneness of GOD and if they really start to live life on the way which GOD has chosen for mankind. GOD has given the wisdom to each and every human being, heart of everyone telling him/her that the way he/she following to get money is good/bad. The most important thing is person should listen and follow the good part of his heart.  µ Foolproof laws should be made so that there is no room for discretion for politicians and bureaucrats. The role of the politician should be minimized. Application of the evolved policies should be left in the hands of independent commission or authority in each area of public interest. Decision of the commission or authority should be challengeable only in the courts.  µ Cooperation of the people has to be obtained for successfully containing corruption. People should have a right to recall the elected representatives if they see them becoming indifferent to the electorate.  µ Funding of elections is at the core of political corruption. Electoral reforms are crucial in this regard. Several reforms like: State funding of election expenses for candidates; strict enforcement of statutory requirements like holding in-party elections, making political parties get their accounts audited regularly and filing income-tax returns; denying persons with criminal records a chance to contest elections, should be brought in.  µ Responsiveness, accountability and transparency are a must for a clean system. Bureaucracy, the backbone of good governance, should be made more citizen friendly, accountable, ethical and transparent.  µ More and more courts should be opened for speedy inexpensive justice so that cases don’t linger in courts for years and justice is delivered on time.  µ Local bodies, Independent of the government, like Lokpals, Lokadalats, CVCs and Vigilance Commissions should be formed to provide speedy justice with low expenses.  µ A new Fundamental Right viz. Right to Information should be introduced, which will empower the citizens to ask for the information they want. Barring some confidential information, which concerns national and international security, other information should be made available to general public as and when required. Stringent actions against corrupt officials will certainly have a deterrent impact. CONCLUSION Corruption is an intractable problem. It is like diabetes, can only be controlled, but not totally eliminated. It may not be possible to root out corruption completely at all levels but it is possible to contain it within tolerable limits. Honest and dedicated persons in public life, control over electoral expenses could be the most important prescriptions to combat corruption. Corruption has a corrosive impact on our economy. It worsens our image in international market and leads to loss of overseas opportunities. Corruption is a global problem that all countries of the world have to confront, solutions, however, can only be home grown. I used the sentence â€Å"we the common man are the solution† because we are the only reason why corruption is so popular in INDIA. We are the persons who are motivating corruption to be successful. We support corruption that is why it exits. Since we are the only person who elects ministers that are supporting corruption in INDIA. Common citizen of INDIA let us start working from now onwards with common goal of removing corruption from INDIA. Think the day when we will achieve our goal and whole world will say â€Å"INDIA IS AN DEVELOPED COUNTRY.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Overview of the Indian Economy

Overview of the Indian Economy The Indian economy has shown a remarkable growth after the adoption of liberalization policy. The opening up of the Indian economy in the early 1990s led to increase in industrial output and simultaneously raised the inflation Rate in India. There was an immense pressure on the inflation rate due to the stupendous growth rate of employment and industrial output. The main concern of the Reserve Bank of India (the central bank) and the Ministry of Finance, Government of India was the prevalent and intermittent rise of the inflation rate. Increasing inflation rate could be detrimental to the projected growth of Indian economy. Thus, the Reserve Bank of India was putting checks and measures in various policies so as to put a stop to the rising inflation. The Indian business community and the general public were assured by the central bank that the inflationary rise was harmless but still certain apprehensions existed among them. The pricing disparity of agricultural products between the producer and end-consumer was contributing to the increasing Inflation Rate. Apart from this the steep rise of prices of food products, manufacturing products, and necessities had also catapulted the Inflation Rate. As a result of all this, the Wholesale Prices Index (WPI) of India reached 6.1% and the Cash Reserve Ratio touched 5.5% on 6th January, 2007. The Reserve Bank of India gave top priority to price stability in its recently drafted monetary policy so as to arrest the panic and discomfort amongst the Indian business circles. It also aims to sustain the stupendous rate of economic growth of India. The Reserve Bank of India raised the Cash Reserve Ratio and used it as a tool to arrest the increasing Inflation Rate. Rationalizing the pricing disparity between the producer and the consumer is the only solution to this problem. Only this will ensure inflation stabilization and thus sustainable economic growth of India. From the beginning of FY2008 the Indian economy faced a rise in the prices of vegetables, pulses and other basic food stuffs. All this was accompanied with sharp rise in the prices when the annual policy statement for 2008-09 was unveiled on April 29. Inflation increased steadily during the year, reaching 8.75% by the end of May and in June when this figure jumped to 11% then there was an alarming increase in the prices. There were many reasons for it but one of the main driving forces was reduction in government fuel subsidies, which lifted gasoline prices by an average 10%. Indeed, by July 2008, the key Indian Inflation Rate i.e. the Wholesale Price Index touched the mark of 12.6%, highest rate in past 16 years of the Indian history. This was almost three times the RBIs target of 4.1% and almost doubled as compared to last year. This continuous rise slipped back to 12.4% by mid-August. Since the beginning of 2008 combination of various internal and external factors led to steep domestic inflation and the resultant steps taken to control it in were slowing the pace of expansion. These factors included the marked rise in the international prices of oil, food, and metals, moderating the rate of capital inflows, worsening current and fiscal account deficits, increasing cost of funds, minor depreciation of the Indian rupee against the dollar, and slow growth in industrial economies. The Indian economy was at a critical juncture where policies to contain inflation and ensure macroeconomic stabilization have taken center stage. In the first quarter of FY2008 (i.e. April -June), growth rate of GDP slowed down to 7.9% from 9.2% in the corresponding prior-year quarter, for the slowest expansion in three and a half years. The most remarkable decline was in industry where growth rate fell to 6.9% this was mainly because of cutting in the manufacturing growth rate to 5.6%. The slowdown was widened when agriculture and services sector showed a negligible growth of 1.4% and 0.9% points, below their performances of the year-earlier quarter.Over the medium term, the main objective of the government was to bring down inflation to 3%. The Repo and Reverse Repo Rates remained unchanged whereas Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) was increased by 0.25 percentage points. A survey of manufacturing companies was conducted by the Reserve Bank of India in June 2008 which indicated a moderation in business optimism. This was corroborated by the composite business optimism index for July -September 2008 that was prepared by Dun and Bradstreet, which shows a decline of 11.2% as compared to the previous quarter. In July, the BBB- rating on foreign currency debt was confirmed but downgraded the viewfor Indias long -term local currency debt from stable to negative, with a noticeable deterioration in the fiscal position.Growth of the broad money supply (M3) had to be moderated in the range of 16.5 to 17 per cent. While deposits were scheduled to rise by 17% and non-food credit disbursements by banks will grow at a slow rate of 20% as compared to 22.5% in 2007-08. Credit disbursed by banks last year was less as compared to the previous period. Bank credit had grown by a scorching 30% every year for consecutively three years beginning in 2004-05. The combined budget deficits of the central and state governments have been substantially reduced over the past 5 years. This reflected sincere efforts by the government to adhere to fiscal responsibility legislation. For FY2008, the central Governments deficit is budgeted at 2.5% of GDP and the states at 2.1% (4.6% of GDP on a consolidated basis). The major factors that strengthen the appreciable fiscal consolidation from the base were a wider tax base supported by a buoyant economy and improved compliance. Two main situations that must be overcome before achieving the deficit targets for the FY2008 are: a slowing economy that may limit the revenue buoyancy seen in recent years and continuous pressure by the Central Government to raise the salaries of its employees by 21% (about 0.3% of GDP) in response to recommendations of the Sixth Central Pay Commission. Similar wage increases were announced immediately by half a dozen states and others were following the suit. On the other hand provision for these salary increases was not budgeted. EFFECTS Inflationary pressures in any economy leads to depreciation of its domestic currency. This is what our Indian economy was facing due to the running inflation and as a result Indian rupee depreciated by about 20% since April 2008. Inflation affects- 1.Common man: Inflation effects a common man in different roles such as a consumer: Products such as crude oil, fertilizers, pharmaceutical products, ores and metals, or use imported components such as Personal Computers and laptops are directly imported. Due to depreciation of the Indian Rupee all these goods became very expensive. Components in computers such as processor, hard disk drive and motherboard are also imported. Products such as mouse, keyboard and monitor also witnessed an impact on their prices due to Rupee depreciation. Inflation may rise in an economy when the input costs increase. As an investor: Depreciation of rupee makes imports of various components, capital goods and raw materials more expensive. As inputs and other equipment that are imported get costlier and reducing the profit margins. Companies that import goods in bulk and those with heavy foreign currency borrowings may be marked down in the stock market as the rupee depreciates. As a Wage-earner: During inflation this class of common man suffered a lot because of two reasons- Increase in wages and salaries failed to keep pace with the rising prices. Wages increased during inflation but there is always a time lag between the rise in price and increase in wages. As a result common man looses during the intervening period. Export companies: Due to depreciation of domestic currency exporters receive better prices for their goods and services when sold in foreign markets. Foreign Investors: Depreciation of Indian Rupee reduced the returns that foreign investors used to earn by investing in Indian companies. Depreciation of a currency triggered FII outflows. NRI investors, who previously invested their money in India under various deposit schemes due to high interest rates, started finding those schemes less attractive on account of rupee depreciation. Countrys Balance of Payments: One of the drawbacks of depreciation of Rupee is that exports become cheap in terms of foreign currency and imports become costlier. Current account deficit widened because Indian imports basically constitutes essentials such as crude oil, natural resources and many capital goods. Depreciation of Indian Rupee made the exports more competitive globally and as a result higher exports covered up the trade deficit. Farmers: The prices of the primary commodities such as minerals, diesel oil and fuel, power light and lubricants went up significantly. This disparity affected the agricultural sector in two ways- It had a restrictive effect on investments in farming and affected the production efficiency. On one hand the agricultural commodity prices were falling or stagnant and on the other hand increasing prices of agriculture inputs and other daily life commodities led to deterioration in the living standard of the farmers. Prices paid by the consumer have impacted by the cost of living of the entire value chain, which grows on the inefficient markets and this adds to the final cost of the material. For example, high energy cost itself has contributed to the increase in the cost of inputs required for agriculture besides pushing up the marketing costs of farm products. IT companies: The IT sector is amongst the highest recruiters in the Indian economy and a depreciating rupee spells good news for the sector. Bills for Information Technology companies are basically prepared in dollars or in other foreign currencies. Depreciation of the rupee increased their realizations and bodes well for their margins. The main reason for the good performance in the second quarter of Infosys Technologies and Satyam Computers was the depreciation of the Indian Rupee. An estimate suggests that a 1 per cent depreciation in the rupee expands an IT companys margins by 0.30-0.40 per cent. CONCLUSION Majority of Indias population lies close to the poverty line and inflation acts as a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬-Poor Mans Tax. More than half of the income of this group is spent on food and this effect is amplified when food prices rise. The dramatic increase in inflation will have economic as well as political implications for the Congress Government, with an election due within a year. Economic growth rate in the emerging markets have slowed down but is far from over. The BRIC countries i.e. Brazil, Russia, India and China alone account for more than 3 billion people and with consumption rate increasing every year. It is expected that the high inflation rates will be there for a long period of time which is worrying news for the Indian Government. Direct regulatory measures such as the reduction in import tariffs were adopted in order relax the supply-side pressures on various agricultural commodities. While adopting the direct measures, the Government realized that the relaxation of supply-side pressures would dampen inflationary expectations by increasing supplies in the commodities market. The RBIs attempt to control excess liquidity in the market byraising the interest rates pushed up real-estate prices as well as the commodity prices, thus fuelling inflation. A closer look at certain commodities would reveal that the prices of sugar and wheat were managed by the Government through various market intervention mechanisms. As a result the physical market’s role in effective price discovery was affected. Trade in the commodities market operated in an asymmetrical information situation from both the supply and demand sides. Hence, market operations could only benefit segments that were privy to the available information. The existing agricultural market ecosystem revolves around the traders and to some extent the producers with no say from side of consumers. Hence, at the end both consumers and producers are often at a loss. Generally, traders keep a heavy margin to compensate for the physical and financial risk involved in carrying the commodity for short as well as long term.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Steroid Use In Professional Sports Sport Essay

Steroid Use In Professional Sports Sport Essay Steroid use in professional sports: are the punishments fair? Introduction Anabolic steroids are continually used by sporting professionals though major sporting organizations have banned their usage due to the negative attributes and effects associated with continued usage. Many nations are troubled by the increasing occurrences of usage of performance enhancing drugs exhibited by the sports people. Professional athletes and baseball players have been in the limelight especially during the summer and American Olympic Games. According to recent survey both old and seasoned sportspeople and athletes use steroids to enhance their performance. Teenagers also admit to have used the steroids at some point of their life (Paterson, 1998). A recent poll on US, about 43% of Americans believe that almost half of the athletic professionals and American Olympics athletes in the country use steroids. Since non medical usage of steroids is illegal, amendments have been advanced in the Anabolic steroid control regulations to make possessions of these drugs a federal crime. Anabolic steroids which are testosterone derivatives enable the body to quickly metabolize the ingested proteins thereby enabling quick synthesis and formation of skeletal muscle. Primarily, sports personalities have continually used the steroids in order to delay the feelings of fatigue and ultimately enabling a feeling of euphoria be exhibited. This boosts their performance levels. This document will highlight the prevalence of the vice amongst the sporting personalities and the kind of punishment advanced to the falters of the rules. With evidence from the Anabolic steroids governing bodies and major sports associations like the Olympics, NFL, NHL and the NBA, a critical analysis of the rules and penalties will be advanced. An agency referred to as World Anti- Doping has consistently maintained a list of steroids which are deemed to enhance performance like Dianabol, Anadrol, winstrol and oxandrin. Literature review Commonly abused steroids There are generally three types of steroids which are commonly abused by sports professionals. Anabolic, Cortico and androgenic steroids are available in the market though the US Government has banned their usage. Anabolic and androgenic steroids have growth and thickening effects on the users skeletal muscles, larynx, vocal chords as well as the bones while affecting a considerable loss in body fat. When taken a remarkable transformation in the body of the user is exhibited due to increased muscle bulk and general body strength. This is primarily the reason why many sports people opt to use the anabolic steroids due to increased strength and agility exhibited after continued usage (Rogak, 1992). Without a valid prescription usage and possession of anabolic steroids is illegal. The Cortico steroids are made in such a way that they mimic the function of the naturally occurring cortisone in the human body. Cortisone deals with injuries in the body by regulating inflammation in the body . The Cortico steroids are used in treatment of such illnesses as asthma, allergies and kidney diseases. Common street names advanced for these steroids include pumpers, weight trainers, Arnolds amongst others. Erythropoietin is commonly used by endurance athletes in a bid to improve on their performance. The drug works to increase the amount of red blood cells present in the body by stimulating the production and release of the red blood cells from the bone marrow. So when there are many red blood cells available in the body, a lot of oxygen is circulated in the body thereby increasing performance. Steroid use in sports The prevalence of steroid usage in sporting arena is high and stiff penalties have been advanced to the sports people found taking the drugs. Most athletes who take steroids do so in a bid to push the performance of their bodies past the limit thereby acquire a competitive advantage ahead of their opponents. Continued usage of steroids results to remarkable increase in muscle mass and strength thus giving the user a competitive edge over his opponents. Common usage of steroids is exhibited in those sporting activities which largely require a lot of strength and large size like football, baseball or wrestling as well as those requiring a lot of endurance like swimming and track athletes (Rogak, 1992). Body builders as well as individuals who fancy developed muscles largely fall prey in taking steroids. Except for the increased body strength and mass exhibited after continued usage of steroids, skill and performance of a player is not increased. It is such factors as the body size, age , diet and the frequency of training which determines the general performance of a sportsperson. Testing and Punishment procedures Every sporting agency has different procedures through which it administers testing and punishments to the players so as to determine whether they are under the influence of steroids. Though a lot of politics exists regarding the ways to administer testing of players, all stakeholders in the sporting arena acknowledge the need to test and make public the results thereby reduce the skepticisms associated with usage of steroids (Rogak, 1992). Challenges exist though, especially when players claim that a move to undertake testing will interfere with their privacy and the results may be maliciously influenced through falsely accusing the players of using steroids. Different sports have their testing procedures which they undertake. The minor league baseball players are tested for cocaine, marijuana, steroids as well as androstenedione. The first time offenders undergo education, counseling and treatment and are constantly subjected to random tests. Suspension from the league is affected to repeat offenders. NFL players are tested during the preseason with random tests being done throughout the season and offseason. A first time offender earns a four game suspension, a second offence earns six games suspension while a third offence earns a complete expulsion. For NBA, the rookies are tested four times each year with penalties of suspensions without pay being advanced to the falters. The US Olympic team has stringent testing procedures with such activities as blood doping, stimulants, alcohol, marijuana as well as mimetic being prohibited. Penalties differ depending on the substance used. Primarily the penalties range from public warnings to suspensions ranging from two to five years. Benefits of punishing steroid usage Since the inception of the Steroid control act many sports personalities involved in steroid usage have been stripped off their titles, medals and records held. Thus through the enforcement of the legislations regarding steroid usage issues of cheating as well as hollow victories have been minimized (Paterson, 1998). By not permitting the steroid users sports personalities to compete with the drug free sportspersons is a show of fairness as no competitor is given a competitive advantage over the other players. Sanctity is reverted to the sporting industry since no pressure is advanced to the drug free sportspeople to use steroids in order to continually remain competitive in their field. Constant drug testing need be upheld by all sporting bodies in order to completely deter sports people from taking the steroids while instilling stiff penalties to people found taking the drugs. Curbing Trafficking of steroids Steroids can be obtained from pharmaceutical companies without prescription. Due to the negative effects associated with the drugs most governments have banned their usage and stiff penalties are advanced to the users as well as anyone found in possession of the drugs. There are several proponents of criminalization of individuals found in possession of the drugs. Many people contend that through putting in place stiff penalties, trafficking of the steroids will be deterred (Roberts, 2005). Monitoring the internet selling sources of the steroids will help in reducing instances of influx of the drugs into the market. Relevant Government agencies need monitor such selling avenue so as to determine their source and destination. Strict controls which limit the substances produced by pharmaceutical companies will ensure that destructive drugs like steroids are not undertaken. The control act states that any individual involved in the manufacturing, distribution and dispensation of controlled substances should always register with the attorney general office (Paterson, 1998). Although this move helps in curbing the manufacture and distribution of the steroids, the booming trade of counterfeit labs which mimic the legitimate pharmaceutical companies has resulted. The black market of the steroid drugs which are substandardly manufactured has continually frustrated the Governments efforts to kick out steroids from the reach of the users. Steroids side effects Anabolic steroids are deadly drugs with massive side effects. Since the sporting personalities self administer the drugs without prescription from the physicians, damage caused on the body of a user cannot be underestimated since the right dosage and duration of medication is not adhered to (Roberts, 2005). The side effects exhibited differ between individuals depending on the length of usage, the type of drug taken, individual sensitivity as well as the dosage administered. â€Å"Roid rage â€Å"is particularly common amongst the steroid users where they portray uncontrollable behavior which is spontaneous and overly aggressive especially after they cease to use the drugs. The function of the liver is inhibited by oral use of AS. Liver Lesions have been exhibited by users of nortesterone as well as testosterone esters. The hospitalized patients of steroids have other illnesses like anemia, impotence and renal insufficiency. Usage of steroids with the 17- alpha- alkyl group cause liver turmoil (Roberts, 2005). More often than not the abnormalities are asymptomatic especially because peliosis as well as the liver tumors do not cause blood abnormalities. Continued use of steroids elicits structural changes in the formation of the heart while after discontinued usage ischemic tolerance remarkably decreases. Steroid users are at a greater risk of contracting prostrate cancer and susceptibility to getting skin infections. Since the AS is derived from testosterone, negative side effects are exhibited in the reproductive system. Decreased fertility, formation of breasts in men, irregularities in ovulation and menstrual cycle amongst women is exhibited. Thus through continued usage, males develop female characteristics whereas the females develop female characteristics. Growing children demonstrate viriliza tion, stunted growth and gynecomastia. Steroid usage affects the cardiovascular system resulting to increased blood pressure. The immune system is also affected resulting to decreased productivity of the immune system. Some less serious side effects of acne include acne, rosccea, hair loss and increased fat excretion. Instances of glucose tolerance decrease in the bodies of seasoned steroid users while the levels of insulin in the body considerably increase thus symptoms of type 2 diabetes will be exhibited. Findings and discussions Issue 1: Marion Jones imprisonment and stripping of records, medal and prizes won after 2000, September. She was an award winning track field athlete who admitted to taking performance enhancing steroids. Initially Marion Jones had denied ant involvement with drugs to the press, sports agencies and grand juries. In October, 2007 it was confirmed that Marion Jones returned the five medals she worn during the 2000 summer Olympics as was determined by the Anti doping agency of the U.S. Tim Montgomery was stripped his records after being found guilty of using steroids. He retired from sports immediately after the results were made public. The USA anti doping agency found him guilty of using the steroids as well as human growth hormones. A four year ban was imposed on him in December 2005 and consequently stripped him all the awards and records held since 2001. In 2008, Tim admitted that he took testosterone during the Sydney relay hence the reason why his team clinched the gold medal. Rule1: According to the 1990 Anabolic steroid control act, it is a criminal offence to use steroids by sports person in order to enhance athletic and cosmetic performance. Suspension and imprisonment is the ultimate punishment for the defaulters of the rule. Analysis1: The Anabolic steroid control act has placed the usage of steroids in the same class as such drugs as ketamine, LSD precursors as well as barbiturates. According to this act, Mariah Jones is guilty of possessing and using the steroids especially because she was involved in major competition events hence the reason why arrests, persecution and imprisonment was done. Tim Montgomery public admission that he used performance enhancers is a clear demonstration that the vice is deep-rooted amongst the athletes who wish to remain competitive in their various sports. The enforcement of the stipulated penalties serves to warn the users of the drugs against continued usage of steroids when undertaking major competitions. Conclusion1: it is vital that the kind of punishment advanced to sports personalities implicated in steroids use is stepped up in order to show other athletes who are already practicing and those aspiring that usage of steroids is totally unacceptable. Throughout the entire career of Marion Jones, accusations that she was involved in the usage of steroids existed but she always denied until the tests were done in 2007. Thus Marion Jones return of all awards won when she was competing under grand violation of the laid down rules. Issue 2: Ben Johnson, a well known Canadian sprinter enjoyed intense moments of fame in the 1980s especially after winning two bronze medals and a gold medal during the Olympics. During the 1987 world athletics championships and the 1988 summer Olympics he set world records for the 100m race. When traces of Stanozolol were discovered, he was disqualified thus loosing both records and the Olympic title. He was suspended from the field until 1991. After his comeback, he was again found guilty of doping with high levels of testosterone after which he was banned completely from athletics by the IAAF. Rule 2: The world Anti doping agency undertakes testing of blood samples as well as urine samples. Testing is a random and unannounced. A penalty for any offence is a two year ban from athletics competitions. Analysis 2: After the tests done at Seoul, Ben Johnson is reportedly to have denied ever doping. During the 1989 Durbin inquiry, he admitted that indeed he used the steroids under the guidance of his coach Charlie Francis who said that Johnson had always been using the steroids since 1981. Conclusion 2: The usage of steroids need be put on hold especially with the practicing athletes. If usage of steroids is to be continued, then the legitimacy of athletics will be questioned because the results produced are not naturally acquired. Since testing is random, enforcement of the laws becomes easy. Professional leagues which exhibit mysteries will be minimized and the credibility of professional leagues will not be questioned. Issue 3: Barry Bonds who was an acclaimed baseball player was implicated in steroid usage. Through association with steroid usage Barry Bonds awards and achievement in baseball were tainted. He had worn seven MVP awards and numerous homeruns and All-Stars. BALCO regulations completely withhold the usage of steroids thus the reason why Barry Bonds was not reassigned to the San Francisco giants during the 2008 baseball season. He played with the Pittsburgh pirates where his prowess was manifested without being revealed he was under the influence of steroids. Ken Caminiti is another baseball player who publicly admitted to the use of anabolic steroids. He played in the team Atlanta braves and worn three awards of Golden Gloves and the coveted 1996 MVP. His admission to the use of the steroids tainted completely the baseball profession where a common belief is held that all baseball players are indeed involved in the vice. Rule 3: Baseball players who test positive for amphetamines will be automatically tested for the second time with a second offence eliciting 25 game suspension while a third offence will elicit 80 games suspension. Analysis 3: A controversial career life of Barry Bonds was exhibited as he is notably amongst the major baseball players implicated in the usage of steroids. In the 2007, he was indicted for the evils of perjury especially since he obstructed justice when the case to determine investigation of the case and the outcome of the implications of the case. The case is still ongoing even now and its unlikely that he will be reinstated in the national team. Suspicions are high regarding the baseball players as most people believe that the players are souped with steroids in order to build on their muscles. Baseball players admit that a lot of pressure exists which forces them to take steroids especially in order to compete in the majors. Conclusion 3: Washingtons baseball commissioner has advanced several stringent measures in a bid to counter steroids. Players who fail the steroid tests will be required to miss more than a third of the seasons of the match. Due to the threat of legislations which have been spurred, players who use steroids have been put up for stiffer penalties. Stiff penalties are advanced to the players so as to limit occurrence of instances of steroid usage (Yesalis, 2000). The current penalties which are in existence include a 10 day suspension for the first offensive occurrence ,30 days for the second offence and in case of a third offence 60 days suspension is advanced. Most baseball clubs ensure that they test players during the spring training sessions with random training sessions being advanced throughout the seasons in order to ensure that players do not fall prey to the vice (Taylor, 2002). Off season testing is also advanced to the players. Several bills have been advanced in a bid to i ntensify punishments for baseball players who use steroids. Issue 4: An alleged East coast distributor of steroids was arrested with a huge stockpile of anabolic steroids. Rule 4: Non medical possession of anabolic steroids with the intention of personal use or resale is illegal. A first time possession of steroids attracts a punishment of imprisonment period of more than one year with an option of a minimum fine of $1,000. Possession with previous conviction of drugs will attract a 15 day to two years imprisonment or a fine of $2,500. People with more than two instances of charges of steroids will attract an imprisonment term of not less than 90 days and a fine of $5,000.A distributor of steroids attracts a $250,000 to $1,000,000 with an imprisonment option of up to 5 years. Analysis 4: The mere possession of steroids is punishable by law. Steroids users need be wary of the usage of the drugs because once police investigations are undertaken and athletes are found in possession of the steroids, stiff penalties are advanced. Legal penalties associate with the vice are massive as they incorporate jail terms of not less than two years. Sports people who self administer the steroids need to have a clue on the possible consequences associated with possession of the drugs. Conclusion 4: Anyone involved in the usage or in selling of steroids need to reconsider association with the drugs as this is the best way to go about it both medically and legally. The different types of steroids available in the market today do not contribute to improved performance of a sportsperson (Yesalis, 2000). Health side effects will no doubt result hence the reason stringent measures have been advanced to curb continued usage of the drugs. Conclusion The sports figures who are constantly using anabolic steroids to improve their athletic prowess encounter several side effects which ultimately shorten their lives and careers. Thus strict punishments as advanced so curb the vice especially amongst the teenagers who admit to have use the steroids at one point of their training so as to mimic the elite athletes. While many users admit increased body muscles and strength, an alarming increase in injury levels is exhibited (Taylor, 2002). Tendon and ligament injuries erupt due to the massive stress advanced by the overdeveloped muscles owing to the continue usage of steroids. Baseball players attest to the fact that rotator cuff injuries are on the increase due to the usage of steroids. In order to save the legacy of the sporting industries governments and sporting bodies need uphold the strict punishments in the sporting industry. Players need be sensitized on the dangers associated with taking the drugs as well as undertaking regular testing as its not a violation of the constitutional rights but a guard against unethical behavior of steroids abuse. Strategies like healthy nutrition as well as strength training programs need be devised to as to prevent the use of steroids amongst the sporting personalities. References Paterson, E (1998) Anabolic steroids and sports and drug testing, New York, U.S.A: Whitston Pub. Roberts, A (2005) Anabolic steroids. New York, U.S.A: Anabolic Information, LLC. Rogak, L (1992) Steroids: dangerous game. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Taylor, W (2002) Anabolic steroids and the athlete. North Carolina, U.S.A: McFarland, Yesalis, C (2000) Anabolic steroids in sport and exercise .New York, U.S.A: Human Kinetics.

Monday, August 19, 2019

How Far Does Behavioral Sink Go? :: Animals Environmental Wildlife Essays

How Far Does Behavioral Sink Go? If you ask any American what behavioral sink is, they more than likely won’t be able to define the term. It seems that everyone has become subject to this mysterious term, in once sense or another. Behavioral Sink, as described by the author, Tom Wolfe in the excerpt â€Å"O Rotten Gotham† from â€Å"A Forest of Voices†, is the study of how animals relate to their environment. In one of Wolfe’s studies he speaks of this behavioral sink in New York City. He talks about how overcrowding causes this. As observed by Wolfe, New Yorkers tended to be more aggressive and cold towards one another. When driving they were found to be screaming at each other because of traffic, speeding through a crowd getting aggravated and not really knowing why. They all seemed to be greatly stressed with a tendency to foster ulcers. He also studied the effects of overcrowding in Sika deer and rats. They all showed changes in behavior, even when there was plenty of food, water, and shelter due to this lack of personal space. When an autopsy was performed on the animals, it showed that their thyroids seem to enlarge, while their bodies looked genuinely healthy. The deer seemed to die of an adrenaline shock from their thyroids, due to the stress of no personal space. Wolfe seemed to think that if you did an autopsy on the deceased people in New York City, they would show the same general signs of thyroid enlargement. The interesting connection that humans have to rats is the grouping they exhibit. The leader-rats seem to take their own groups and then the average to below average rats gather together. Human aristocrats and wealthier people, like the leader rats, tend to live in suburbs and live in quieter, nicer places. The other people, like the average to below average rats, seemed to live in smaller apartments and much more crowded, less healthy areas like the slums. The average rats showed signs of violence, aggravation, homo and bi-sexuality, and all showed increasing signs of cancer and other diseases. The interesting connection here is that by my own observations, the same things seem to be happening in the world today. How Far Does Behavioral Sink Go? :: Animals Environmental Wildlife Essays How Far Does Behavioral Sink Go? If you ask any American what behavioral sink is, they more than likely won’t be able to define the term. It seems that everyone has become subject to this mysterious term, in once sense or another. Behavioral Sink, as described by the author, Tom Wolfe in the excerpt â€Å"O Rotten Gotham† from â€Å"A Forest of Voices†, is the study of how animals relate to their environment. In one of Wolfe’s studies he speaks of this behavioral sink in New York City. He talks about how overcrowding causes this. As observed by Wolfe, New Yorkers tended to be more aggressive and cold towards one another. When driving they were found to be screaming at each other because of traffic, speeding through a crowd getting aggravated and not really knowing why. They all seemed to be greatly stressed with a tendency to foster ulcers. He also studied the effects of overcrowding in Sika deer and rats. They all showed changes in behavior, even when there was plenty of food, water, and shelter due to this lack of personal space. When an autopsy was performed on the animals, it showed that their thyroids seem to enlarge, while their bodies looked genuinely healthy. The deer seemed to die of an adrenaline shock from their thyroids, due to the stress of no personal space. Wolfe seemed to think that if you did an autopsy on the deceased people in New York City, they would show the same general signs of thyroid enlargement. The interesting connection that humans have to rats is the grouping they exhibit. The leader-rats seem to take their own groups and then the average to below average rats gather together. Human aristocrats and wealthier people, like the leader rats, tend to live in suburbs and live in quieter, nicer places. The other people, like the average to below average rats, seemed to live in smaller apartments and much more crowded, less healthy areas like the slums. The average rats showed signs of violence, aggravation, homo and bi-sexuality, and all showed increasing signs of cancer and other diseases. The interesting connection here is that by my own observations, the same things seem to be happening in the world today.

English Speech Against Physical Punishment of Children :: Papers

English Speech Against Physical Punishment of Children Good Morning/Afternoon ladies, gentlemen and chairperson. I am also arguing against the motion that states, this house believes that physical punishment including smacking young children is wrong. I am a firm believer that a short, sharp smack can keep children under control. This doesn’t mean they should be beaten up or even marked, but strict and fair punishment will benefit a child in the long run. Please picture this scene: a young child of around 3 years is having a temper tantrum in the middle of a busy high street because his mum won’t buy him a toy car. He tries to run away from his mother, screaming and shouting at the same time. To stop the noise the mother gives in a buys the toy car. Now ask yourself who is in charge here, the mother or the child? After all, the child gets his own way and now knows exactly what to do next time he wants something. In these circumstances, parents may have to resort to a smack to one, get the child listening and doing what they are told, two, stop the noise and temper tantrum and finally, for the child’s benefit and own safety. Also, what or who is going to stop an out of control child running out into the middle of a busy road? A quick smack is a lot less pain full then getting knocked down by a car or even a bus! There are many in favour of the government leaving the law as it stands that parents have the right to smack their children. Groups such as Family and Youth Concern feel politicians should let parents get on with bringing up their children as they see fit, and warn that any change in the law would risk turning thousands of parents into criminals. They also feel a ban on smacking would be impossible to enforce. The opposition may argue that there are other forms of punishment which are just as effective as smacking. For example, ignoring the

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Understanding Internet Taxation :: E-Commerce Web Sales Tax Essays

Understanding Internet Taxation Internet taxation means that there are taxes that are applied to things purchased on the internet and fees that are linked to Internet access. They call sales that are made over the internet â€Å"E-commerce†. This topic is very important because as the internet grows so does the taxes and the overall cost of doing business via the internet. If this issue goes out of control and things get too expensive the world isn’t going to want to pay the heavy fees to buy merchandise. The internet taxation problem came about in 1998 when the internet was just starting to warm up. Eventually, this topic of internet taxation is going to affect everybody either directly or through business or simply by trying to obtain internet access within their home.† In 1998, the federal government passed the Internet Tax Freedom Act as a part of the 1998 budget bill.† (House Research, 1998) Well, this was decided on in 1998 to have it be a tax free issue but that was only for three y ears. President Bill Clinton passes this bill right when the internet and e-commerce was taking off. (csg.org) all this bill did was make it so there wasn’t any tax for three years. It couldn’t have lasted forever. Now taxation on the internet has become an issue that is decided on from state to state. Only ten states in the country tax internet access in 1998. They are North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Delaware. (House Research 1998) The other remaining states either don’t have state tax in general or they do not tax internet access. In 1999, the committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) had a meeting and decided to go ahead and have local taxation of telecommunications and e-commerce. They said that this was due to the need for it for it locally and because there was so many rapid changes with technology and the competitiveness of e-commerce that was developing. Now let’s fast forward to 2004. â€Å"On June 28th, Michigan became the 21st state to enact legislation to comply with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement.† (See Figure 1)What the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement does is it â€Å"provides the states with a blueprint to create a simplified sal es and use tax collection system that removes the burden and cost from sellers and thus allows justification for Congress to overturn other decisions.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Hypothesis and Conclusion

Running Heading: hypothesis and conclusion Unit 4 Short Paper: Hypothesis and Conclusion Kaplan University Ashley Gramma CJ499: Bachelors Capstone in Criminal Justice Professor Christopher Elg March 12, 2013 Science proceeds by a continuous, incremental process that involves generating hypotheses, collecting evidence, testing hypotheses, reaching evidence based conclusions. (Michael, 2002). The scientific process typically involves making observations, asking questions, forming hypotheses and testing hypotheses by way of well-structured experiments. Science in Action’s Science Fair Projects & More, 2010-2011). The scientific method is steps used by many to find answers to questions they want to know. The scientific method is an approach to acquiring knowledge that contains many elements of the methods, and it tries to avoid pitfalls of any individual method used by itself. (Rybarova, 2006). Methods of inquiry are ways in which a person can know things or discover answers to th e questions. (Rybarova, 2006). What are the five scientific methods of research inquiry and how they are defined?Explain how it is applied to the research project and provide examples. Develop a hypothesis focused on the professional practices of criminal justice practitioners. Then select two methods of inquiries and how you would apply them to your hypothesis to reach a conclusion. The five scientific methods of research inquiry are question, hypothesis, experiment, data analysis, and conclusion. The question process is what I want to learn, which in this process you will decide what variables you want to change and how. Regents of the University of Minnesota, 2003-2012). Ask yourself, is it testable or non-testable? Those variables will be dependent and independent variables. A characteristic whose value may change, vary, or respond when manipulated experimentally is called a dependent variable. (Regents of the University of Minnesota, 2003-2012). Conversely, something that affec ts the characteristic of interest is called an independent variable. (Regents of the University of Minnesota, 2003-2012). The dependent variable is what you will study. Regents of the University of Minnesota, 2003-2012). Hypothesis is your thought on why it is or an educated guess. It is a possible explanation that is intended to be tested and critically evaluated. (Rybarova, 2006). Hypotheses clarify the question being addressed in an experiment, help direct the design of the experiment, and help the experimenters maintain their objectivity. (Regents of the University of Minnesota, 2003-2012). You are generating a testable prediction. (Rybarova, 2006). A method is replication or sample size, constant conditions, and control. Regents of the University of Minnesota, 2003-2012). You are evaluating the prediction by making systematic, planned observation, which involves research and data collection. (Rybarova, 2006). Then, the results, which is describing and understanding the results of an experiment are critical aspects of science. (Regents of the University of Minnesota, 2003-2012). Once you are at this step you can decide if the original hypothesis was true or false. You can use this observation to support refute, or refine the original hypothesis. (Rybarova, 2006).Finally, the conclusion which is the results you got from the research compared to the question. Did your question get the answer it want, and why or why not. Understanding and applying it to your scientific inquiry will give you a good if not the best chance to arrive at reliable, objective and credible scientific findings. (Science in Action’s Science Fair Projects & More, 2010-2011). My question is has airline safety gone to the extreme since 9/11. This question is testable. My hypothesis or prediction is that airline safety has gone to extreme since 9/11.So how will I test this theory? I would do a telephone survey with 500 customers at use at least one of the four major airports. The qu estions will evolve around the customers experience with the airline security and safety issue since 9/11. In an article written by Bill McGee in the USA TODAY stated that, â€Å"while the Transportation Security Administration's effectiveness has been hotly debated, there's no denying that the â€Å"hassle factor† of flying commercially has soured many Americans on traveling by air. † (McGee, 2012).Although the heightened airport security procedures do not directly affect airline operations, the new process has caused a noticeable subset of airline passengers who opt for different modes of transportation or skip travel entirely. (Logan, 2004). An economic study from Cornell University in 2007 showed that federal baggage screenings brought about a 6 percent reduction in passenger volume across the board, with a 9 percent reduction in the nation's busiest airports, totaling a nearly $1 billion loss for the airline industry. (Logan, 2004). Has the airlines safety gone to extreme since 9/11?Yes, they have gone to the extreme to most of the passengers whom were use the airlines. Since they have change the airline security policy they have lost quite a few passengers. These passengers have chosen to take a different travel alterative. My results have shown they that passengers have stop using the airlines as much, but does not state exactly why they do not use the airlines. References: Logan, G. (2004). The Effects of 9/11 on the Airline Industry. USA TODAY. http://traveltips. usatoday. com/effects-911-airline-industry-63890. html McGee, B. (2012).Five most significant changes in air travel since 9/11. USA TODAY. Travel. http://travel. usatoday. com/experts/mcgee/story/2012-06-27/Five-most-significant-changes-in-air-travel-since-911/55841424/1 Michael, R. (2002). Strategies for Educational Inquiry: Inquiry ; Scientific Method. Fall 2002 — Y520: 5982 http://www. indiana. edu/~educy520/sec5982/week_1/inquiry_sci_method02. pdf Regents of the Unive rsity of Minnesota. (2003-2012). The Scientific Method. http://www. monarchlab. org/mitc/Resources/StudentResearch/ScientificMethod. aspx Rybarova, D. (2006).Introduction Acquiring Knowledge, and the Scientific Method. http://www. google. com/url? sa=t;rct=j;q=;esrc=s;frm=1;source=web;cd=9;cad=rja;ved=0CGIQFjAI;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww. u. arizona. edu%2F~dusana%2Fpsych290Bpresession06%2Fnotes%2FCh1%2520Introduction%2C%2520Inquiry%2C%2520and%2520the%2520Scientific%2520method. ppt;ei=TeA_UaGqD8vZyQHD-4GQAg;usg=AFQjCNEbxy8umFWok015d60lu9H6Y8t0qw. Science in Action’s Science Fair Projects ; More. (2010-2011). The Scientific Method: The Method in the Madness! http://www. science-fair-projects-and-more. com/scientific-method. html

Friday, August 16, 2019

Careers in Psychology Essay

In Psychology there are so many different careers that have gained my interest because I love learning how people function, behave, and how the brain works. The first career that truly gained my full interest is Neuropsychologist. Neuropsychologists are the ones that explore not only the brain system but they also explore behavior and the relationship between the two. This is something that interests me more than I can put into words. One of the reasons I have so much interest in this type of career is because I myself have fetal alcohol syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as well as learning disorder. Being able to study the cognitive functions of the brain such as attention, language and memory I believe will eventually help me to understand more of my disabilities and how to work past them. A  Neuropsychologist is also able to evaluate people who have various types of nervous system disorders. They work closely with doctors including neurologists. Illnesses, injuries, and diseases of the brain and nervous system can affect the way a person feels, thinks, and behaves and some of the symptoms may call for a neuropsychologist. Those symptoms are memory difficulties, mood disturbances, learning difficulties as well as nervous system dysfunction. If other doctors are unable to identify the cause of a condition then they bring a neuropsychologist into help determine the diagnosis. In order to become a Neuropsychologist you have to obtain many different skills such as reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, social perceptiveness, complex problem solving, writing, speaking, science, active learning, judgement and decision making, instructing, service orientation, learning strategies, monitoring, system analysis, systems evaluation, time management, coordination and persuasion. Each and every one of these skills is just as important as one or the other. By having all these skills it will help To become successful in helping your clients. There is a lot of education involved in becoming an aspiring neuropsychologist. The first step is to earn a bachelors degree which is four years long, after that you complete a masters degree of another two years, then the last and final step is to earn a PHD or PsyD which can take another two to four years. So overall you are looking at spending 8-10 years in college if your heart is truly set on becoming a neuropsychologist. The duties and responsibilities of a neuropsychologist may vary depending on their specialties. Some Neuropsychologists, for instance work primarily as researchers. This might involve studying both healthy humans as well as animals, and those with brain injuries and or illnesses. Neuropsychologists might also work in clinical settings as well. This typically involves assessing and diagnosing patients. This can be done by observing symptoms and using sophisticated technology, such as brain scans. After successfully diagnosing a neurological problem, they can then often recommend a course of treatment which can include therapy, medication or even surgery. The neuropsychologists that are primarily concerned with research might work in private or government research facilities. Some universities might also hire  these professionals to conduct research as well as teac h a class or two. Clinical neuropsychologists might work in a number of different healthcare settings. This can include hospitals, clinics, and physicians offices. Some neuropsychologists might also choose to open private practices and treat patients in their offices or work as consultants. The second career in Psychology which really grabbed my attention more and more as I researched it and read what they do is Rehabilitation Psychologists. Rehabilitation psychologists work with stroke and accident victims and people with mental retardation and those with developmental disabilities caused by conditions such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism. I once worked with a gentleman who had a severe case of cerebral palsy and could not do anything for himself. I was always helping him from the time he woke up in the morning to the time he laid down in bed at night. The sad thing is that from one day to the next I wasn’t sure if he was going to remember me or not. If he didn’t remember me then he would lock me out of his house and he wouldn’t let me back in so most of the time I had to crawl through a tiny window. I believe I would be very good as a Rehabilitation Psychologist for many different reasons. The first reason is that those with disabilities have a soft spot in my heart because I know what its like to be looked at differently for one and for two the willingness to work past the disability is outrageous. Some people with disabilities you cannot even tell they have one because they have learned how to work past it and not let it show. This type of career works closely with public health programs to prevent disabilities including those caused by violence and substance abuse. Rehabilitiation Psychologists testify in court as expert witnesses about the causes and effects of a disability and a persons rehabilitation needs. Rehabilitation Psychologists are uniquely trained and specialized to engage in a broad range of activities including clinical practice, consultation, program development, service provision, and teaching and education training, amongst many others. I am always looking out for everyone else and trying to figure out how I can help them or do something for them to make their lives a little easier on them. In order to become a Rehabilitation Psychologist  you need to have to same type of skills as you would if you were a Neuropsychologist as well as the same path of education. This goes for many of the careers in Psychology. As for where a Rehabilitation Psychologist can work, they can open up their ow n practices, work in healthcare facilities, or in government buildings.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Sleep Deprivation of College Students

Sleep Deprivation of college students It is 11:30 in the morning and the lecture started half an hour ago. The classroom is still half empty. Although half of the class is here, they don’t look like awake. Most of them look like zombies. The above scenario is a common condition taken place in colleges. A research done by Tsui,YY, et al (2009) shows that two thirds of the participating students reported sleep deprivation. The poor sleep quality results in their zombie looks and poor attendants in lectures. Causes of Sleep deprivationDeprival of sleep strongly affects college students’ studies and personal life. Why would students have sleep deprivation? There are two main causes. Change in lifestyle First of all, the change in lifestyle strongly deranges one’s sleeping pattern. When students in Hong Kong transit from secondary school to college, they are happy about not being controlled by their parents anymore. Since in secondary school, students have a lot of pr essure from public exams and their worried parents. The parents force them to maintain a healthy lifestyle.However, after they become college students, especially for those who are living in residence halls, they would be excited to get rid of the healthy lifestyle and doing whatever they like at night time. They can hang out with friends at midnight and have parties all night long. However, before the deadlines of assignments, students would burn the midnight oil, spending several nights to finish the assignments. When their work is done, they would use the whole day for sleeping to remedy the seized sleeping hours. The upsetting schedule of sleep would induce a strong negative influence in students’ sleep-wake pattern.Once the pattern is disrupted, it will cause varies of problems towards one’s life. Pressure Another main cause of this issue is pressure. With no doubt, stress can easily keep students awake at night. College students in Hong Kong are engaged with sort s of activities, including competitions, extra-curriculum activities and part-time jobs. They want to make everything prefect, which would definitely elicit stress. It would undoubtedly make them awake at night, or even worse, they may suddenly wake up in the midnight for several times.Some of my university friends are suffering from sleep deprivation because of stress. Sometimes, they are afraid of cannot wake up on time in the morning for examinations, resulting in them cannot fall asleep even after two hours of staying on bed. Effects of sleep deprivation Sleep deprivation affects college students in many aspects. Two main effects are health problems and poor work performance. Health problem Sleep deprived has a strong influence in health. Some of the students would try to take drugs or use alcohol to help them inducing sleep. It would be likely to have a risk of addiction.Moreover, this sleeping problem will easily drive to have increasing blood pressure tremors, aching muscles, headaches, memory loss and the like. Furthermore, Melnick (2010) stated that â€Å"Researchers found that for each hour of lost sleep, levels of psychological distress rose by 5% in nearly 3,000 17-to-24-year-olds who were followed for 12 to 18 months. Overall, short sleepers were 14% more likely to report symptoms of psychological distress on a standard test, compared with people who got adequate sleep. â€Å"Most of the students would use coffee to help them stay awake at night so that they can study hard. However, it is not a wise choice.Although caffeine could be helpful for keeping people energetic during days and nights, it would cause long term impacts to their health. Poor work performance Withholding of sleep also leads to a poor work performance, it will seriously affect the performance of tests and part-time work. During sleeping, brain would review and organize the memories, it also allows body to take a rest. However, if students deprive their sleeping, it would not allow their brain to have proper re-organizing, which would conduct poor performance. What is more, a sleep deprived student will easily have delay in reaction and tendencies to make mistakes.On the contrary, according to Dean, Lowry and Manders (2010),† College students mindful of the importance of healthy sleep patterns may be able to improve their GPAs. † (P. 16). Students would definitely feel better and maximum your brain functions if they had a nice quality of sleep. Way to reduce sleep deprivation Sleep deprivation brings college students dozens of severe negative impacts. How can we get rid of it? The method is easy, change your lifestyle! It is suggested that adults should have seven to nine hours of sleep for a day. Students should avoid staying up all the night and have better planning for their time.Time management is vital for everyone, not only students. It is understood that going to college probably is the first time students will be in charge of their sl eep habits. According to Sheehan, Unseth and Xiong (2010), â€Å"Try to go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time every day. A regular sleep pattern increases your alertness during the day. † (P. 3). Going to college would be a very good chance for students to learn to control their life and time. Apart from this, some students may have trouble sleeping. Nonetheless, this is not an excuse to become an all-nighter.The suggestion for them to have a nice night sleep is relax! If there is a lot in their mind, including school works, relationships, jobs and the like, it is hard to fall asleep. Students can jot down the things on their mind and then forget about it! If there is a noise problem, students may try to use a white-noise machine to block the noise from the resident hall. â€Å"Sleep helps repair your body, reduce stress, improve memory, and keep you healthy. Lack of sleep can literally affect every aspect of your life. â€Å" (Sheehan, Unseth and Xiong, 2010 , P. 2) After knowing all those bad impacts f sleep deprivation, students should get away your bad habit of staying up late and oversleeping considering having a better health. Let’s change the lifestyle and maintain a healthy life! References Dean, K. , Lowry, M. , Manders, K. (2010). The link between sleep quantity and academic performance for the college student. Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota. Retrieved from https://www. psych. umn. edu/sentience/files/Lowry_2010. pdf Melnick, M. (2010, September 2). Lack of sleep linked with depression, weight gain and even  death. Times. Retrieved from http://healthland. ime. com/2010/09/02/lack-of-sleep-can-cause-depression-weight-gain-and-even-death/ Sheehan, E. , Unseth, T. , Xiong, M. (2010). Sleep deprivation of college students in western. Retrieved from http://www. westerntc. edu/writingcenter/pdf/samples/Business%20and%20Technical/SheehanEtAl. pdf Song, S. (2011). Sleeping your way to the top. College Writin g Skills with Readings, 8, 729-731. Tsui, YY. , Et al. (2009). A study on the sleep patterns and problems of university business students in Hong Kong. Pubmed gov. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/m/pubmed/198926541