How Oil Shaped Post War World Essay

†If one commodity can claim credit for the startling advances seen in the world in the 20th century, in particular in developed industrialized countries, it was crude oil- soon to be dubbed ‘black gold’. † Oil became an influential substance in the post war times, economically and also in shaping countries’ foreign policies. Whichever countries controlled oil controlled much of the world’s policies. After the increase in industrialisation and manufacture in the post war times, oil became a ‘must have’ resource, for a nation, in order for that nation to grow economically and become a self-sustaining state. The first Bush administration reiterated the need to invade the Gulf as, â€Å"a way to defend our way of life† in the form of acquiring and maintaining the supply of cheap oil into the American interior. Post war rebuild was the main agenda as most nations fought to rebuild their states from the damages sustained during the two World Wars. A drastic rise in the demand for oil in the world became eminent and those nations that held oil resources had substantial advantage over those that did not have easy access to it. In this essay, an outline of the role oil played in shaping post war worlds will be clearly discussed showing the various policies implemented by different nations in order to acquire the imperative resource. The general change from coal energy to oil energy was a catalyst for the increase in the rate of industrialisation. According to Yergin, Industrialisation sped up rapidly between the years 1949 and 1972. With economic recovery as the main focus of most nations affected by the catastrophes of both World Wars, oil had a vital role to play in each of the nation’s policies. With oil consumption tripling in each and every state, governments had to accommodate for the low death rates which increased population, high employment demand and increase in consumption which meant more oil had to be imported in order for general recovery to be implemented. Japan, regarding the devastation of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings, is one of the most prominent in wide spread economic recovery quickly declared they were free from post war recovery in the early 1960s as a result of their adoption of oil for industry. Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was formed in Baghdad, Iraq on the 14th of September 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Its formation was largely associated with the grievances Arab nations had against the exploitive multinational Oil Companies that were gradually reducing oil prices to suit their Western home lands, had become powerful within the states they operated in and the oil companies boycott of the decree to nationalise all oil resources by Arab governments. OPEC meant to take over the oil market and have the power to decide for themselves the price and production levels of the resources that were within their nation’s interior. With the successful capture of the oil resource by the Middle East nation, came large and untimed variations in price, production levels and the general supply of crude oil to the rest of the world. United States of America and other global economies, already hard felt with other problems, were now vulnerable to Middle East oil policies which could affect their nations’ economies and social well beings. Looking into post war Iraq, Saddam Hussein’s era was characterised by the need for money to fund his expansion of uniting Arab nations into one nation under his political and Ba’athist ideologies. Hussein had Iraq export of crude oil as his main source of income however he met obstacles such as the Kuwait and United Arab Emirates (UAE) who had switched the OPEC policies to produce and sell oil at a fixed rate in order to gain demand along as a substantial profit. Kuwait and UAE were now producing more oil than agreed in Baghdad in 1960 which resulted in more supply of oil than demanded thus reducing the price of crude oil to less than $3 a barrel. Saddam’s retaliation was to threaten Kuwait and UAE with potential invasion if they did not adjust to the previously agreed policies to stabilise oil prices. Result was a Kuwait confirmation to Saddam’s demands but however led to a feud for aid funds which led to Iraqi army invasion of Kuwait. America’s invasion of Iraqi territory was highlighted as one of the most controversial foreign policies to have been implemented by the American government. The Persian Gulf War first initiated by president George H. W. Bush and the 2nd Persian Gulf War, implemented by the son of the former named president; George W. Bush formed the most debated policies of post war era. Most studies have come up with their own reasons as to why America decided to advance on Iraq with most highlighting the need to establish a constant supply of oil at a reasonable price, while others studies have put out that America wanted strategic positioning over its allies and rivals, save Russia, of oil seeking nations. Although none have been verified by the American government, it is clear that the main reason for American invasion was for the sole purpose of solidifying American position in the oil market. President George, W. Bush, the then American president, stated himself that the war was, â€Å"to defend our way of life† this could be seen as a direct implication on the need to have oil, a resource that is needed in America to support their economy. In conclusion, oil plays a vital role in shaping the world post to the World Wars. It is seemingly hard to believe that world recovery from such a devastating war could only take less than 50years leaving very little sign that there was ever a war to begin with. America remains a major power within the world with oil reserves larger than any other nation; China now boasts the world’s largest economy and Japan have recovered substantially for a nation that had very little resources to work with.

How Our Culture Glorifies One Sex Over the Other in Dating Essay

In his musings â€Å"A Note on Vulnerability and Responsibility†, Hugo Schywyzer comments, â€Å"Men, it seems, can’t distinguish being wanted as a partner and being needed as a protector and provider. † Women have always been held in high regard when it comes to dating. This is because women, through time, have always been viewed as weak and in need of protection. This view has carried over to our new era of woman empowerment and independence. These views have slowly changed over the decades though and beginning in the 1960’s, women have slowly evolved into an equal partnership with men. These days, women and men earn their place in their relationships. The glorification is no longer automatic even while you are simply dating one another. Men have traditionally held the more responsible role of being mature and more understanding in a relationship. These days though, maturity and respect in a relationship are considered a two-way street where a dating couple would rather find a common middle ground rather than the man letting the woman have her way in the relationship. Although a woman’s decision is still glorified in terms in dating, women today tend to use their prerogative to find an outlet that they both will enjoy. It is no longer just a woman who must enjoy a date these days and the women prefer it that way. Although, the continually evolving area of dating has proven that women do not necessarily have to date. It is perfectly acceptable for women to opt for independence and remain single. Women no longer like being placed on a pedestal where men seemingly glorify them for the sake of their egos. Women no longer respond in a resigned manner to sexist treatment. Women will no longer accept that she is inferior and, judged to be mentally inferior to the male. Women feel respected these days when a man listens to what she has to say and considers her suggestions. Men seem to prefer a woman who shares her thoughts because the responsibility for dating enjoyment and relationship building no longer falls squarely on the man’s shoulders. Consider my personal situation as an example. I work in the Armed Services and yet it does not affect my relationship with men. Instead of being threatened by my position, which used to be solely a man’s job, most men who know me admire me for my courage and sense of duty and responsibility. These are traits that I carry over into my personal relationships that produces a smooth flowing and open line of communication and understanding with my partner. Since we both have input into how to improve our relationship, we have built a strong bond that cannot be questioned and need not be doubted. We are equals and partners in everything we do. These days, a man is no longer relegated to the protector and provider role. This evens out the responsibility in a relationship and allows the woman to ask her man to treat her as an equal while still being vulnerable and in need of protection. It can be said that men now treat women as their equal in every way even with the limitations set in place not by man, but by Mother Nature herself. Our culture no longer dictates that we glorify one sex over the other when it comes to dating. A woman no longer needs to pretend to be vulnerable and like a porcelain doll just to make the man feel strong. Men now get their glorification by living up to their commitments and vows in a relationship. Glorification of one sex over the other is no longer the norm. The bible lectures women to be submissive to their husband, that has not been the case for decades now. These days, women have the right to say no if she feels a situation is not right for her. Men can no longer assume for example, that when he says he is moving to another state, his girlfriend or wife will automatically go with him. Women these days have more things to consider like their jobs, family, friends — unlike before when she was simply a stay at home person who was expected to do a man’s bidding. M These days, a woman’s opinion is recognized as needed and therefore must be considered. Dating these days are based on totally new sets of rules based on woman empowerment and independence. Certain sports like soccer, golf, tennis, and basketball now have equivalent female leagues. While activities such as rock climbing, handy work around the house, and car repairs, which used to be the sole realm of men have seen a fair share of women accomplishing the same tasks without the hindrances one may have ordinarily expected. Responsibility of making a relationship, or even just a simple date, work is now a shared task that no longer glorifies or spotlights one sex over the other. This I further reinforced by the mass media of today with shows such as Sex at the City, Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, and Alias. All the women on these shows equal their male counterparts in every way. The barriers of social enjoyment have been torn down by these shows and empowered women to become an active participant in choosing their life mate. These shows encourage woman to take the initiative for dating or any other companionship activity provided that she is comfortable doing so. It is okay for a woman to be aggressive to a certain degree. A woman asking a man out on a date is no longer frowned upon since men can sometimes be just as shy as the woman when asking for a date. It is okay for a woman to change her own flat tire. It is no longer an issue if a woman has more intellectual know how than men. Women like these gain the respect of the significant other who glorify the woman who earned the right to be treated equally and not because tradition and society has dictated it to be that way. Society now dictates the women prove themselves if they want to be respected. Women have proven it many times over. Women are now leading and formidable figures in the fields that were exclusively for men in the past such as politics (Hillary Clinton – senator), and business (Oprah Winfrey – Mass Media). Outline of † How Our Culture Glorifies One Sex over the Other in Dating† Lead-in – There is a belief that our culture glorifies one sex over the other when it comes to dating. Thesis – â€Å"These days our culture no longer glorifies one sex over the other in dating because all responsibilities and tasks are now a shared effort on the part of the man and woman. † Conclusion: Be it a male or female, the dating couple want to earn the respect of their partner and earn the respect and glorification that is accorded to them as a productive significant other in the dating relationship. Works Cited: Hugo Schwyzer. November 03, 2005 A Note On Vulnerability and Responsibility. Retrieved January 4, 2007 from http://hugoboy. typepad. com/hugo_schwyzer/2005/11/on_a_more_serio. html

Alternative Health

Medical intervention is a continuous quest for health care management. Whether conventional, complementary or alternative medicine, the aim of   health care provider is to give relief to pain or to cure illness of   their patients temporarily or permanently .Alternative medicine is a practice of medicine that prevents or treats disease or ailments without the use of drugs or undergoing diagnostic procedures. It includes chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga, use of medicinal plants, homeopathy, meditation, massage and anything that requires self awareness and belief   that the body can heal itself.The use of alternative medicine is fast growing despite the result of many clinical studies showing its side effects and adverse reactions especially when combined with other procedure. It is therefore important that health care seekers should inform their health care provider of their present condition and current treatment to prevent unfavorable interaction of different treatment modality .DISCUSSIONThe world of medicine faces a continuous challenge on how to uplift the level   of health care in the country. There are organizations that spend a lot of money to provide the best drug that can cure certain illness. Several funding companies are   searching for the best medication. Clinical trials are continuously conducting studies for the drug development. A variety of medical methods have been accepted by medical practice due to many scientific explanations for their effectiveness and most often than not,   these procedures cost a lot of money.However, absence of side effects and adverse reactions is not an assurance. There are also incidents of unsatisfied medical treatment outcome. Medical lawsuits are becoming rampant nowadays resulting to decline in conventional health visits. In accordance, several health care methods are becoming more accepted as a way of battling ailments. These factors add to the popularity of alternative medicine.Although many people in less developed countries have used alternative medicine, it has not proven to cause 100% therapeutic effect. Many medical literatures have been discussing alternative medicine with complementary medicine. It should be remembered   that alternative medicine is a practice used in place of conventional medicine while complementary medicine is an alternative medicine with concurrent use of conventional medicine.Conventional medicine is medicine practiced by professionals such as Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and other allied health professionals like physical therapist, psychologist and registered nurse. It is also known as Western medicine, orthodox, biomedicine or regular medicine.In a study conducted by Barnes and colleagues (2002), the use of complementary and alternative medicine among adults in United States has been revealed. They collected data from the noninstitutionalized population using a computer-assisted personal interview among adults age 18 and ab ove.They found out that 60% of the adults were using some form of complementary and alternative medicine. The   most commonly used   therapies were use of prayer for   health , natural products, deep breathing exercises,   meditation, chiropractic care, yoga , massage , and diet-based therapies. Ernst (2000) revealed in his research the 9% to 65% prevalence of use of complementary/alternative medicine. The given form for treatment was chiropractic in the USA but showed considerable discrepancies.The study suggests that complementary/alternative medicine therapies are frequently used and increasing. â€Å"The true prevalence of use of complementary/alternative medicine in the general population remains uncertain†.Alternative medicine has been practiced from eastern to western part of the world from 2,000-6,000 years of history (Dworkin, 2006). The definition and scope of alternative medicine is so broad that falls into one definition; a   practice of medicine which r equires self-awareness, treatment or prevention of disease without the use of expensive drugs and need not undergo through the   high cost   of   diagnostic procedures. It includes all healing approaches that do not use the conventional Western medicine.Alternative medicine includes acupuncture, aromatherapy, Ayurveda medicine, Chinese medicine, chiropractic, herbal medicine, homeopathy, massage, meditation, naturopathy, therapeutic touch and Yoga.   

Cyber-Activism and Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cyber-Activism and Democracy - Essay Example Both Republicans and Democrats agreed that majority of these young voters voted for Obama because of the contact campaign made to reach out the young voters through email and social networking sites. In fact it was as early as in February 2007 that President Nomination hopeful, Barak Obama launched his own social networking site (O'Hear, 2007). Therefore, it will be worthwhile to find out the kind of influence the cyber-activism had on the US democracy. Carr (2008) pointed out that the Obama campaign did not do anything innovative during the run up to the presidency. What it did was to tap the power of the social networking applications in the form of a mass movement and was successful in raising money, organize locally and fight out the smear campaign. Such ventures proved to be a historic milestone for the Obama campaigns, as it first ensured his win over the fellow democrat Hillary Clinton and subsequently over the Republican rival John McCain. Even after getting elected to the office Obama sought to continue the trend and argued his case to bring his Blackberry to the Oval office. The arguments from the administration about security concerns and a tradition of e-mail-free presidents did not help and Obama was successful in finding a secure way to hold on the communicator, his dependable ally during the run up to the presidency (Heussner, 2009). President Obama started off his tenure amidst uncertainty and gloom in the economy. People expected something concrete from him on this front. After 100 days in office, a survey carried out by Wall Street Journal/NBC News came out with the finding that 61 percent people approved the job Obama has done as the President (WSJ, 2009). Obama administration has been active on many fronts. The top five agendas taken up by the admin include; i. Economic Stimulus Plan: President Obama was able to convince the Congress to pass the $787 billion economic stimulus plan. Impact of the discussion taking place on social networking sites is certainly there on the steps being taken to control the damage on account of recessionary trends. While general public certainly wants that the corporate world requires a helping hand, but at the same time, it desires that the sanctity of public money should be maintained. Owing to such pressures, President Obama, blasted off the 165 million dollars largesse being offered by American International Group (AIG) to its executives in the form of bonuses. He instructed the Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to make sure that the bailout money is not misused (BBC, 2009). ii. Setting up of Green Team: The damage being done to the environment by the rising levels of industrial pollution and some of the policies of the corporate world have been a topic of discussion at almost all SNS. Besides the individuals, a number of NGOs like AVAAZ took up the matter and sent across messages to the US administration (Avaaz, 2008). This seems to have an impact on the decision making and Barak Obama came out with a team of specialists to suggest remedial measures towards protecting the environment. Obama issued strict environmental directives calling on the EPA to1 'revisit a request from California and 13

The Impact of the Arab Spring on the Economy Term Paper

The Impact of the Arab Spring on the Economy - Term Paper Example The reasons that are attributable to the protests include rampant and endemic corruption by the ruling class and the suppression of the freedom of free speech in the countries. For instance, police brutality, extra-judicial imprisonment and limited political freedom due to dictatorial regimes were common in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. Demographic structural factors such as extreme poverty, a large number of uneducated youths and unemployment caused the violent protests in Tunisia. The rapid growth of the use of social networks and internet penetration in some countries allowed citizens to have new avenues of debate and arranging public demonstrations outside regime control. In some countries, interim military governments had to be established following the violent killings and ouster of the autocratic governments and subsequent instability. Some countries affected by the Arab Spring include Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Oman, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Morocco, and Syria. According to the International Monetary Fund, the affected countries collectively incurred more than the US $ 56 billion in losses with about the US $ 35 being lost through inflation and rising business costs. The paper will discuss the impact of Arab spring in different economies (Anders 10). Protests against long-serving President Ben Ali were sparked by the acts of a young street vendor who set himself on fire due to continuous harassment by the police authorities. Though the President responded to the demonstrations through shutting down the internet, arresting the demonstrators, reshuffling his cabinet and promising more job creation, the protestors were eager to oust him out of office. Ben Ali was forced to flee the country to Saudi Arabia together with his close family.

Discuss some of the reasons why the Greeks were successful in every Essay

Discuss some of the reasons why the Greeks were successful in every major battle during the Persian Wars (490-79 BC) - Essay Example The Persian Empire under the rule of Xerxes and Darius were defeated. There was a series of battles which took place in the Persian Wars, some lost by the Greeks, and some won. Following is a short account of how the Greeks managed to win most of the battles in the Persian Wars.1i The Siege of Naxos took place in 499 BC. This battle marks the start of the Persian Wars which lasted for about fifty years. The Milesian tyrant Aristagoras had the full support of Darius the Great of the Persian Empire in the futile attempt to take over the island of Naxos in the name of the Persian Empire. This attempt of Aristagoras however failed horribly. Aristocrats who had been exiled from the island of Naxos and were looking for a way to go back to their land contacted Aristagoras. Aristagoras saw this as an opportunity to make his position in the Miletus stronger. For assistance in this matter, Darius the Great and Artaphernes the local satrap were consulted and plans were made to conquer Naxos. The Persians agreed to g on the mission of conquering Naxos and a force of 200 triremes was assigned to Megabates. The mission however soon turned out to be a complete disaster. On the way to Naxos, Aristagoras and Artaphernes broke out into a quarrel and the Naxians were informed a bout the oncoming force beforehand, quite possibly by Artaphernes. Upon the arrival of Persians at the gate of Naxos, they encountered Naxos as a city which was prepared to the fullest to undertake and go through a siege. The attackers were obliged to attack in spite of the great defense as they had travelled a long way but after four months of no success in the battlefield they ran out of money and resources and had to retreat back to Asia Minor. Aristagoras sensed that after this disaster he would no longer be appointed to rule and so he turned the people of Ionia against Darius the Great and rebelled against him. The Ionian Revolt and the failed attempt to conquer Naxos angered Darius

David Smith and the cubi series sculpture Essay

David Smith and the cubi series sculpture - Essay Example David Smith, beginning off as an artist, emerged to be one of the most influential and imaginative twentieth century American sculptors, in the process bringing American sculpture, a relatively relegated art form, to the fore of American art. He was apparently inspired and influenced by the European modernism in art, and applied the principles of cubism and abstract expressionism in developing one of the most innovative, expressive forms in a series of sculpture titled the Cubi series. David Smith, considered one of the most influential and imaginative twentieth century American sculptors, apparently inspired and influenced by European modernism in paintings, has applied the principles of cubism and abstract expressionism in developing one of the most innovative, expressive forms in a series of sculpture titled the Cubi series. "It may not be possible to reach further as an artist than David Smith did, within and outside himself,"1 wrote art critic Donald Goddard reviewing an exhibition of his works at Gagosian Gallery, New York in 2004. An attempt to know and appreciate the life and development of the artist, who purportedly reached the heights of human artistic expression, and his art, would be valuable and perhaps imperative, and in all likelihood tempting to art enthusiasts and students. David Roland Smith was born on March 9, 1906, in Decatur, Indiana; his father Harvey Martin Smith was a telephone engineer and part-time inventor and mother, Golda Stoler Smith, a schoolteacher. His inborn talent in fine arts surfaced during his young age, as he joined for a correspondence course at the Cleveland Art School during his high school years. The family moved to Ohio in 1921. In 1924 Smith attended the Ohio University; in 1925, he left the university to work as an automobile factory welder in an assembly plant, where he learnt the first lessons of welded construction and assembling, which he later vastly applied in his metal sculpture. His academic interests in arts brought him back to college, joining the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in 1926; however, soon Smith moved to Washington D.C and then to New York, to enroll at the Art Students League, where he studied painting with many celebrated artists like Richard Lahey and John Sloan and privately with Jan Matulka.2 Smith married Dorothy Dehner, a young painter at the school, in 1927. Though he worked for sometime at a sports good store and on an oil tanker, Smith returned to New York to pursue his artistic aspirations. New York's cultural life seemed fascinating and promising to the artist; Smith bought a farm in Bolton Landing, near Lake George in upstate New York; the fields, remained his seasonal resort until 1940, when he made it his home, staying there permanently, developing his farm of outdoor metal sculptures.3 David Smith's association with artists John Graham and Jan Matulka introduced him to European modernism; Smith was much influenced by cubism in art, and the welded steel sculptures of Pablo Picasso and Julio Gonzlez, the experience leaving enduring impressions in his artistic perceptions. Smith's fascination with abstract expressionism and constructivism in art fuelled his friendship with modernists of the time including Willem de Kooning, Stuart Davis, Edgar Levy, Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky, and Jean Xceron. Smith was also captivated by the jazz and modern dance, the art forms influencing him in unique ways in his creations. 4 Smith's artistic expedition ventured into sculpting in

Contract Law. Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contract Law. Questions - Essay Example The Advertiser Schmepsi refused to give the reward saying that it was only an advertising gimmick and 'a bit of a joke' Michael wants to know if he has contractual rights against the Schmepsi for the $30 million worth of motor cycles. According to Contract Law, an offer once accepted, it makes a binding contract between offeror and acceptor. In the above case actually the offeror is Michael and not Shemepsi for the following reasons. Generally advertisements are treated as not offers but an invitation to treat i.e. invitation to make an offer. What Schemepsi has done is only an invitation to treat by making an invitation to collect a certain number of coupons in exchange of a prize. Bold, unimaginable, and impractical orders are made in the form of advertisements deliberately to attract attention and not to really be bound by them. Who ever notices such advertisements should not be carried away by them and not make serious commitments based on them as they could always be avoided by the advertisers on the plea that they were only invitation to treat (invitation to bargain in" U.S") (invitation to offer in "India") "An inv "An invitation to treat invites another to make an offer which can be accepted or rejected. In Fisher v. Bell [1961] 1 QB 394 the court held the display of an article for sale is not an offer for sale. Similarly, Pharmaceutical Society of Gt Britain v. Boots Cash Chemists [1953] 1 QB 401 held that displaying goods for sale on a supermarket shelf was not an offer. In Partridge v.Crittenden [1968] 2 All ER 421, Partridge was convicted for offering for sale wild birds by an advertisement in a 'classified advertisements' column but the conviction was quashed since the advertisement was only an invitation to treat. In the same way in Harris v. Nickerson (1873) LR 8 QB286, a broker failed to recover damages for breach of contract after attending an advertised sale when the lots he was interested in were withdrawn. Advertisements by companies may constitute an offer. In Carlill v.Carbolic Smokeball Co. (1893), the defendants in a series of advertisements offered to pay 100 to any person who contracted influenza after using their patent 'smoke ball' three times a day for two weeks and stated that they had deposited 1000 in a bank to meet any claims. The plaintiff sued for 100 and the court held that the deposit of the 1000 indicated an intention to pay claims and that the advertisement was an offer. Brochures, pricelists and so on are invitations to treat, as are quotations" ( Judge, Stephen. Business Law (2nd ed.).New York, NY USA: Palgrave Publishers, 1999.p 113.http://site.ebrary.com/lib/britishcouncilonline/Docid=2003005&ppg=113) To understand more about the concept of Invitation to

Ganga river Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ganga river - Essay Example Here it must be noted that the whole population which lives on the river basin depends on Ganga for agricultural, domestic and industrial water consumption. Taking into account all these facts, it can be confirmed that Ganga as a geographical and cultural element, plays a very important role. To have a critical view on this role, it won’t be enough to limit the analysis to the physical, biological and environmental systems associated with the river. For any analysis to happen, it must be understood that sociologically, the river Ganga is more than a river for the people and the culture associated with it. There are a set of systems ranging from environmental to mythological which combines to constitute the landscape of the river. The objective of this essay is to analyze the role of Ganga as a socio cultural entity and to understand its changing ritualistic relationship with the community. The Geographic spread of Ganga In order to understand the cultural relevance of Ganges, it is primarily important to understand the geographic spread and details of the river. The river covers more than a quarter of the country’s landscape. It comes up to 26.3% of the total area of India (Trivedi , 2010). It is considered to be largest river basin. Ganagotri Glaciers are the primary source of origin of Ganga river. It flows through the Himalayas and flows down the country starting from Haridwar (Trivedi , 2010). Numerous tributaries join Ganga at different parts of its flow through the country. The Ganga-Brahmatutra-Meghna basin of which Ganga basin is a part stretches across to four countries including China, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. However, a major chunk of this lies in India extending up to 80% of the total basin. The river flows through the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, West Bengal Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh (Trivedi , 2010). Ganga as a sacred river The cultural landscape of the river has evolved in connection with the divine approach that the community associated with the river has linked with. To understand the socio ecological aspects in connection with the river it is important to understand the perception of the population connected with Ganga. The predominant socio religious concepts of India have considered water bodies as sacred. Rivers are perceived as â€Å"extensions and partial manifestations of gods† (Shiva, 2002). The Hindu mythology states that the existence of life on earth has been made possible due to the flow of heavenly water (Shiva, 2002). Connecting, this to the fact that, Himalayas, where The Ganga originates from is considered to be heaven, the mythological relevance of Ganga as a scared river can be assumed. The sacredness of Ganga has been nourished by the socio cultural ambience of the places through which it flows. Ganga flows through a number of scared cities including Haridwar, Rishikesh, Badrinath, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Varanasi and Alla habad. This stretch of landscape stretching across the Himalayan zone and the Indo-Gangetic plain creates an ecological system which connects to the Hindu mythology. This ecological system spreads beyond a physical space. It is a combination of natural resources, mythical concepts, religious structures, biological systems and rituals (Shiva, 2002). The Socio-cultural landscape of Ganga As mentioned earlier, the landscape of Ganga

Follow up to the previous order (Human Rights and Oil Companies) Essay

Follow up to the previous order (Human Rights and Oil Companies) - Essay Example In spite of the clear connection between ecological degradation and human suffering, human rights abuses and ecological deprivation have been regarded by most institutions and administrations as isolated concerns. Only as human rights campaigners have the tendencies to put concentration chiefly on natural resources conservation without dealing with human effects of environmental abuses. Accordingly, victims of ecological deprivation are undefended by the laws and mechanisms laid out to handle human rights violations. Human rights activism presents a crucial opportunity to tackle the issue of human impacts of ecological degradation and can serve as a catalyst for encouraging concepts and action in the actual world. Environmental setbacks are more handle to address than most believe. Every man, woman, and child has the right to a safe and healthy ecosystem. The fact is while international standards and systems have been set aside as legal ventures, implementation has always been domina ted by international relations. This paper seeks to look at the effects of oil companies in Nigeria the environment (Emeseh 45-60) According to Kalu and Ngozi (19-38), the Niger Delta in Nigeria has been the center of focus of environmentalist, human rights promoters and fair trade unionists across the globe. The trial and execution of radical environmentalist Ken-Saro-Wiwa and eight other cohorts of the Ogoni ethnic minority made universal headlines. The then non-violent protests of the Ogoni people make world-attention too. The activities of large oil firms such like Shell Elf, Agip and Mobil, amid others have caused many worries and backlash. A sequence of exploitive and fraudulent government in Nigeria have been endorsed and sustained by western administrations and oil companies, attentive on gaining from the fossils fuels that can be exploited. As individuals and transitional oil companies have been

Managing Team Conflicts Essay Example for Free

Managing Team Conflicts Essay Why do you think that Carly didn’t come to you sooner to discuss the project delays? Carly didn’t come sooner to discuss the problem delays with the supervisor because of the affective conflict that arises between her and Morris (Team Conflict: How to Manage it, n.p.). Truly, it is quite undesirable to present â€Å"human conflict† as a reason in the delay of a certain project. It is obvious that Carly was threatened by the wits that Morris have. Since Morris obtained a higher level degree than Carly, the manager seems to be insecure about her status. She sees Morris as a competitor in her position and not as a member of the team. 2. Why do you think Carly hasn’t had a conversation with Morris, or vice versa, about their differences? How do you think each of them would respond to this type of conversation? Explain. Both person (Carly and Morris) did not initiated to have a conversation regarding their differences because both parties are afraid that upon the conduct of their conversation, they might not be able to work on and come out with the proper solution to address the problem. On the conduct of the conversation, they may reach a point that both of them would be in denial regarding the delay of the project. Both people possess different personality and dealing with their differences might be a critical approach to be done. Carly, being insecure with the wits that Morris have, might put all the blame on the latter mentioned person. On the other hand, if Carly would over impose her power in the conversation, the immediate reaction of Morris would be to defend his self and try to make Carly realize that she also has a fault regarding the problem. What would happen in this conversation is that, both parties would tend to throw off their own defence regarding themselves thus, rather than solving the problem of conflict, the outcome could be to worsen the situation. What is the biggest problem with the way these team members interact? What could they do to remedy the problem? Explain. The biggest problem with these team members is that they do not know on how to deal with their own differences. Differences in terms of personality as stated above is just but common in a team. Such differences could be positively or negatively affect the team. In the case given, Carly and Morris chooses to embrace the negative side thus, bringing the project to a delay. Communication is the element that is missing in the case presented. Communicating in a constructive manner would give each person a chance to express his thoughts and ideas clearly and directly. Coupled with his expression of thoughts, respect (for each other and for the work of the team) should also be reflected (Ten Qualities of an Effective Team Player, 2005, n.p.). The scenario being pictured out in the case is that Morris seems to be tongue tied to express his thoughts while Carly is too much dominating in expressing her thoughts, thus the communication process is not working well. Another element that is lacking in the case is the quality of active listening. In order for a team to function effectively and meet its goals, every member should be a good listener. Every member should consider and listen to the ideas of other team members and should avoid biased reaction regarding the proposed ideas. Arguing or debating every idea presented would not do any help (Ten Qualities of an Effective Team Player, 2005, n.p.). Members should also be prepared and willing to hear and accept criticisms. It would be better if one would listen first and then react to have an effective conversation and get things settled. Firmness of thought is important as a team player, but one should make her mind open to what other members has to offer. Do you think Carly should continue to serve as Project Manager? Explain. Yes, Carly should continue to serve as Project Manager but she should first change her attitude in handling the job. She should note that she is part of the team. Although she has a higher position compared to the other members, it is not right to over used this power because of being threatened by others wits and guts. As a project manager she must be confident in her own capability and sees the ability of other members of the team as an asset and not as a threat. She should reassess her self and avoid being a problem-blamer. She should not look for others to fault but instead, she should look at the problems that arise as a common thing that occurs in a team. Being regarded as the project manager, she should address problems (not create problems) and bring this out for discussion with other members of the team (Ten Qualities of an Effective Team player, 2005, n.p.). Upon doing such, she would be most likely to find the right solutions for the problem. Though Carly obviously has a fault on the delay of the project, she should continue to work on as the project manager because she was given that job and trusting her that job means that she is knowledgeable enough and rightly fitted for it. 5. How would you begin to address this situation? Come up with a plan to remedy this problem and outline a plan for getting the project back on track for the January 1 release. The first action had been done, that is to talk with the persons involve in the conflict as well as with other team members. The next step would be to review to the team regarding their purpose and goal. I would be emphasizing on their role as a team in achieving the targeted goal and meet the targeted deadline. I would preferably design a team building activity that would reunite them and develop their working ability as a team. I would consistently remind them that there is no â€Å"I† in a team and that presence of conflicts is inevitable. I would also relay to them the essence of conflict management. Rules in order to lessen conflict would be implemented incorporating processes or behaviours that the group will be allowed or prohibited (Team Conflict: How to Manage it, n.p.). The following will serve as a guide in getting the project back on track for the January 1 release: Conduct Team building activity Relaying the concept of conflict and conflict management. Assess the characteristics of members in position. Assess the overall coordination of the team. Project Plan Guide Review the goal and extent of the project. Identify weaknesses and strengths in the conduct of the project. Retain strengths and address the weaknesses. Strategic Planning for the Completion of the Project Address conflict in the workplace. Set timeframe and task to be completed within a week and make sure that all materials to be used would be provided (How to Organize Successful Project Teams, n.p.). Constantly check and collaborate with the team regarding the progress of the project Acknowledge the team’s effort upon the completion of the assigned task. References AllBusiness.com, Inc. (2005, August 12). Ten Qualities of an Effective Team Player. Retrieved May 16, 2008, from http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/employee-development-team-building/8516-3.html How to Organize Successful Project Teams. Retrieved May 16, 2008, from http://www.ehow.com/how_2156392_organize-successful-project-teams.html Team Conflict: How to Manage it. Retrieved May 16, 2008, from http://www.chumans.com/skills3.htm.

The Importance of the English Language in Your Field of Expertise Essay Example for Free

The Importance of the English Language in Your Field of Expertise Essay The English Language has been a tool to bring people of different races, and cultures together. For many hundreds of years as this language has evolved and has sown its influence from continental Europe to the New World by wave of migrants and conquerors. At present, because of the power of influence by the Commonwealth Nations (those who have recognized the United Kingdom) up to these present day, the English language has been used and adopted by almost every nation as a second language. In this world of extreme globalization, cultures and nations has been crisscrossing in almost all corners of the world and they can basically to the very least speak only the most popular language used by millions of people in our world , the English language, to convey their feelings, interests, messages to one another. No other language has that influence even with the billions of Chinese People speaking their own language, they also learned to embrace the English Language to be competitive. They cannot isolate themselves to their own country since that would be very detrimental to their growth as a nation. Speaking of competitiveness, even the curriculum taught by schools has the English language as their primary medium of instruction. Every single country has adopted English to their academics. All fields, from science, history, culture, politics, and philosophy, to name a few, adopted the English language to expand their respective pursuits. In the medical field, where I am currently pursuing midwifery, English language has been the accepted communication and teaching tool for us students to grasp the concepts needed for me to know and get the necessary skills to be a midwife. The English Language has allowed the midwifery to be taught with ease to the Filipino students since most if not all of the textbooks and resources about midwifery are written in the English language. Numerous authors of these various resources have a comprehensive base of data to fully teach the science of midwifery. So it is but natural for educational institutions to adapt resources in the English language to train their midwifery students. By using instructions in English, the midwifery graduates can become very competitive as they join the workforce not only in the different health institutions in the country but in different countries as well. Globalization again has a role in here. Many workers have aspired to work abroad to give a comfortable life for their families. But in order to become worthy of working abroad, once must be efficient in skills to do his job. Such is the case in becoming a midwife. Many countries especially in the Middle East has continue to look for midwives in the Philippines to augment its workforce because they know that the Philippines are not only skilful but command the English language effectively as well. They are looking for workers that can communicate with the constituents of these foreign nations. This is the reason why foreign companies has always look up to the Philippines are a rich source of quality workers and being efficient in English is always a plus for them. Hence, the English language has surely helped and raised the quality of midwifery graduates from our country that continue to be in demand here and abroad.

Histamine Stimulated Small Intestine

Histamine Stimulated Small Intestine The longitudinal smooth muscle of the guinea-pig ileum small intestine contracts in response to acetylcholine. These contractions can be reduced by the application of adenosine and related compounds. The guinea-pig ileum is innervated by the enteric, sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system. The parasympathetic and enteric fibres release acetylcholine which acts on muscarinic receptors. The action of adenosine and its receptor antagonists can be assessed by comparing electrically induced contractions via electrical field stimulation and histamine induced contractions. Electrical field stimulation contractions cause presynaptic release of acetylcholine to produce contractions where as the histamine induced contractions cause postsynaptic contractile responses. Throughout this study adenosine and its receptor antagonist actions will be investigated and compared using electrical field stimulation and histamine. The contraction of the gut In gastrointestinal smooth muscles, researches show that there are two types of muscarinic receptors types that are present as targets to the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (Okamoto et al., 2002).Acetylcholine and its derivatives produce contractions by activating muscarinic receptors. The muscarinic receptors types are known as M2 and M3. Binding Studies have portrayed that the number of M2 receptors is greater than that of the M3 receptors however functional studies have shown that M3 muscarinic receptors play a fundamental role in mediating the contractile response (Eglen et al., 1996) and the functional role of M2 exists as unclear (Clague et al., 1985). The M3 receptor is coupled with G proteins, causing activation of phospholipase C and formation of inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol, which are expected to contribute in muscarinic receptor mediated smooth muscle contractions (Unno et al., 2005). They also mediate relaxation due to the release of nitric oxide from neighbo uring endothelial cells. M3 receptors in visceral smooth muscle contribute to the smooth muscle stimulating effect of muscarinic agonists. However the muscarinic receptor most abundant in the ileum is the M2 which cause an indirect contraction of the guinea-pig ileum by preventing the relaxing effect of drugs (Ehlert and Thomas, 1995). Both muscarinic receptor subtypes are activated by acetylcholine and produce a contractile response; however they vary in their transduction mechanisms and signalling pathways. Adenosine Adenosine has numerous diverse roles in normal physiology; such roles include promoting/maintaining sleep, regulating state of encouragement as well as local neuronal excitability and coupling cerebral blood flow to energy demand (Dunwiddie and Masino, 2001). It exists free in the cytosol of all cells and is transported in and out of all cells mainly using a membrane transporter(Rang et al., 2007). Under normal conditions, adenosine is formed intracellularly as well as extracellularly (Fredholm et al., 2001). ATP is stored in vesicles and released by exocytosis. It is also available in the cytosol of cells and is taken up and released via a specific membrane transporter. Released ATP and ADP are rapidly converted to adenosine by the action of tissue nucleotides. Studies have shown that there are pathways that contribute to adenosine formation, a) by the action of adenylate kinase and cystolic 5-nucleotidase, b) formation from hydrolysis of adenosine 3, 5 phosphate and c) formation by the action of S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) hydrolase. The pharmacological effects of adenosine include smooth muscle relaxation and inhibition of nerve activity, lipolysis and platelet aggregation(Daly et al., 1983). There is evidence that stimulation or inhibition is of adenylate cyclise is involved in adenosine action and therefore it has been concluded that adenosine is mediated by cyclic AMP. Based on its ability to inhibit cell function and thus minimise the metabolic requirements of cells, one of its functions may be as a protective agent released when tissue integrity is threatened. Adenosine exerts its physiological actions activation of a number of specific cell surface receptors. There are four different adenosine receptors known as A1, A2A, A2B, and A3. Some characteristics of these receptors are presented in Figure 1a. These subtypes have been distinguished on the basis of their agonist and antagonist selectivity. They belong to the G protein-coupled receptors. Mechanism of Adenosine action Adenosine A1 receptors are negatively coupled to the inhibition of adenylate cyclase, however they can act through other pathways such as stimulation of phospholipase C, activation of potassium channels and inhibition of N-type calcium channels (Zizzo et al., 2009). A1 receptors are coupled to Gi and G0 proteins and lead to inhibition of adenylate cyclase and consequently cause a decrease in cAMP (Ranjit, 2008). Adenosine A2A and A2B are coupled for activation of adenylate cyclise whereas A3 receptors have been shown to stimulate phospholipase C and D, to inhibit adenylate cyclase and to activate ATP sensitive potassium channel (Ralevic and Burnstock, 1998). Activation of these receptors require comparatively high amounts of adenosine. A2A and A2B receptors have a high and a low affinity for adenosine respectively. Receptor Subtype A1 A2A A2B A3 Transduction mechanism Inhibits adenylyl cyclase Activates adenylyl cyclase Activates adenylyl cyclase Inhibits adenylyl cyclase Primary distribution Brain (cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus). Dorsal horn of spinal cord. Eye, adrenal gland, atria Spleen, thymus, leukocytes, blood platelets. Straitopallidal GABAergic neurons, olfactory bulb Caecum, colon, bladder Testis, mast cells Tissue functions Antinociception, Hypothermia. Sedation, Sleep, Inhibition of lipolysis, Cardio and neuroprotection Reflex tachycardia, vasodilation, inhibition of platelet aggregation, sleep protection against ischemia Relaxation of vascular and intestinal smooth muscle, cytokine production, inhibition of cell proliferation Mast cell degranulation, coronary vasodilation and protection from reperfusion Selective antagonists DPCPX PSB 36 SCH 58261 PSB 1115 potassium salt MRS 3777 hemioxalate Figure 1a: Summary of adenosine receptors. Adenosine and the enteric functions of the Gut The enteric nervous system (ENS) consists of a compilation of neurons in the gastrointestinal nervous system which is capable of functioning independently of the central nervous system. It moderates motility, secretion, microcirculation, inflammatory and immune responses of the gastrointestinal tract (Altaf and Sood, 2008). The ENS is composed of extrinsic, which consists of parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions and the intrinsic component which encloses neurons. Intestinal functions results from an interaction between the ENS, smooth muscle and the mucosal/immune system. The network is regulated by several mediators; however there is consolidating evidence that adenosine is a significant regulating agent (Bueno, 2000) (Wood, 2004). Studies show that in the small intestine adenosine and adenosine derivatives where found to inhibit cholinergic transmission in guinea-pigs via a prejunctional action on neurotransmitter release (Gustafsson et al., 1978). The action of the A1 receptor s allowed mediation of the inhibitory action of adenosine in the cholinergic transmission(Shinozuka et al., 1985) of motor neurones innervating circular and longitudinal smooth muscle however A2A receptors have been reported to reduce the cholinergic motor responses(Gustafsson et al., 1985a; Gustafsson et al., 1985b). Histamine Histamine has a role as a primary transmitter or neuromodulator and it is widely distributed within mammalian tissues. (Izzo et al., 1998). Histamine is a vasoactive substance to be identified in the body which can rapidly metabolise and holds properties of being highly polar and not diffusing readily across cell membranes or the blood-brain barrier. It is stored in mast cells and basophils of blood and has two receptors known as H1 and H2. The release of histamine could cause changes in the cardiovascular system and induce anaphylactic shock. Histamine has been shown to induce gastric acid secretion through the H2 receptors linked to cyclic AMP production in oxyntic cells. Researches show that gastric cells of the guinea-pig may have a class of binding sites for histamine which shows no relationship to adenylate cyclase and the H2 receptor. Histamine creates a spasmogenic effect on the intestine that results from H1 receptor stimulation(Guy A. and Settipane, 1988-1989). There are three histamine subtypes known as H1, H2 AND H3 and all three have been identified to be present in the guinea pig small intestine. Studies show that H1 receptor subtypes mediate the contraction of the longitudinal muscle in the small intestine (Izzo et al., 1998). However researchers also state that the effect of histamine is predominantly due to the interaction with H1 receptors located on smooth muscle cells and moderately due to the interaction H2 receptors present on myenteric plexus interneurones (Bauer and Matusak, 1988). AIMS The aim is to confirm the prejunctional action of adenosine and examine whether adenosine has the additional ability to relax the smooth muscle directly. The project will use histamine to contract the smooth muscle and the objective is to find out whether adenosine can reduce these contractions and if so is the concentration range similar to that needed to inhibit the contractions to the electrical field-stimulation? It will also be investigated what adenosine receptor subtype is involved (A1, A2A, A2B, A3 identified using selective antagonists). METHOD Animals and preparation of tissue Dunkin Hartley guinea-pigs (250g +) of male sex that had previously been fed Harlan 2040, the guinea-pig diet and ad lib filtered tap water, were obtained from Harlan UK. They were group housed and provided with grade 6 woodchip and hay bedding. Their enrichment consisted of plastic and cardboard fun tunnels, plastic igloos and gnawing blocks. Furthermore they were kept at room temperatures of 19-23 °C and at room humidity of 45-65%. They were provided with 12 hours light and 12 hours of dark lighting. The guinea-pigs were stunned by a blow to the head and sacrificed by exsanguination. Two segments of 3cm length were removed from the distal part of the small intestine, for each tissue the ends were tied with cotton threads to the tissue holder and then suspended in 20ml organ baths containing Krebs solution (composition in mM: NaCl, 118; NaHCO3, 25; Glucose, 11; KCl, 4.7; CACl2, 2.5; KH2PO4, 1.18; MgSO4, 1.18). This was aerated with 95% O2 and 5% CO2 and maintained at 37 °C. The tissues were left for 30minutes to equilibrate under a resting tension of 1g before starting the stimulation. Experimental protocol The organ baths were equipped with parallel electrodes which allowed electrical field stimulation to be transmitted at a frequency of 0.1Hz, 40V, 0.5ms pulse duration. Contractions of the ileum were measured with isometric transducers (ADInstruments Force Transducers), amplified and recorded onto a data capture system (Lab Charts on the PC). The tissues were allowed to stabilise in the organ baths in order to reach steady contractions. Figure 1b represents the experimental set up. C:UsersHomeDocumentsDSC00308.JPG Figure 1b shows the laboratory designed set up for the experiment, with a set of two organ baths. There were several parts (a-e) to the experiments to be carried out on the ileum. n is the number of ileum used throughout the experiment n=18. The number of experiments carried out on the ileum was 56. Effect of Adenosine-the experiment consisted of stimulating the tissues continuously with electrical field stimulation and adding cumulative concentrations of adenosine (10-11M 10-4M) to the organ baths and the responses were recorded. Effect of Histamine- the tissues were stimulated with histamine, cumulative concentrations of histamine (10-11M 10-4M) were added to the organ bath and responses were measured. The concentration 110-6M gave the maximum response and a steady contraction, it was used to contract the tissue with adenosine. Effect of Adenosine in the presence of Histamine- the concentration of histamine that gave the maximum and steady response was added to organ bath. The tissue was permitted to stabilise in order to reach steady contractions. Once reached, cumulative concentrations of adenosine were added (10-8M 10-4M) in order to observe the responses of the ileum to adenosine in the presence of histamine. Effect of PSB36(10-8M) SCH58261(10-7M) to confirm identity of receptors being investigated, cumulative dose-response curves for induced contractions by histamine were observed for adenosine in the presence of selective antagonists, PSB36 and SCH58261. An experiment was also carried out, which involved electrical field stimulation to contract the tissue, adenosine was added in the presence of these antagonists. Effect of Atropine Atropine concentrations of 10-6M 10-7M were added to establish the effects of atropine on the electrically field stimulated ileum. For each drug that was being tested except atropine, the experiment was repeated at least six times. The tissue was washed out three times at least after an experiment was completed and was allowed to recover before another experiment was carried out. The electrical field stimulation was also switched off each time the tissue was washed out. Chemicals and drugs The drugs that were used consisted of Adenosine hemisulphate salt, Histamine diphosphate salt and Atropine sulphate salt which were all purchased from Sigma-Aldrich, Poole, UK. PSB36 and SCH58261 and DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide) were purchased from Tocris -Cookson, Bristol, UK. All drugs were dissolved in distilled water with exceptions of PSB36 AND SCH58261 which were diluted with DMSO.10ml of stock solution were made up in each case. Statistical Analysis All drug concentrations presented were final bath concentrations. The drug effects were expressed as twitch contraction (g). All data were given as means  ± S.E.M, where n represents the number of animals from which tissues were taken and on which observations were made. Inhibitory effects by adenosine in the field stimulated guinea pig ileum were measured and the responses of ileum twitch contraction were recorded for each concentration applied. This was repeated when using adenosine receptor antagonists. Adenosine responses were fitted onto concentration-response curve. Effects of histamine stimulated guinea pig ileum were also recorded. Adenosine responses and its receptor antagonist response were measured and plotted. 3.0 RESULTS a. b. Figure 2. The effect of adenosine concentrations in the guinea-pig ileum. Data are means  ±S.E.M and are expressed as an average of contractions (g). a. Representative traces showing inhibitory responses induced by adenosine. b. Concentration response curve for adenosine representing the average twitch response (g) when cumulative adenosine concentrations were added. Each point with bar represents the mean  ± S.E.M (n=6). Figure 3a: Original trace illustrating twitch response abolished by atropine 10-6M final bath concentration. b. c. Figure 3. Influences of atropine and potent and selective A1 adenosine receptor antagonist PSB36 10-7M AND 10-8M on guinea-pig ileum. b. Twitch responses of the guinea-pig ileum preparation to electrical field stimulation in the presence of PSB36 10-7M (n=6) and PSB36 10-8M (n=4), compared to twitch responses to adenosine alone. The experiments carried out were not paired. Each point with bar represents the mean  ± S.E.M. c. Contractions of the guinea-pig ileum preparation stimulated by histamine in the presence of PSB36 10-7M (n=6) and PSB36 10-8M (n=4), compared to responses to adenosine when stimulated with histamine (n=6). The experiments carried out were not paired. Each point with bar represents the mean  ± S.E.M. a. b. Figure 4. Summarises the effect of potent and selective A2A adenosine receptor antagonist SCH58261 10-7M on guinea-pig ileum. a. Twitch responses of the guinea-pig ileum preparation to electrical field stimulation in the presence of SCH58261 10-7M (n=6), compared to twitch responses to adenosine alone. The experiments carried out were not paired. Each point with bar represents the mean  ± S.E.M. b. Contractions of the guinea-pig ileum preparation stimulated by histamine in the presence of SCH58261 10-7M (n=6), compared to responses to adenosine when stimulated with histamine (n=6). The experiments carried out were not paired. Each point with bar represents the mean  ± S.E.M. Figure5a. A concentration-response curve illustrating the effects of adenosine on the guinea-pig ileum when the tissue is stimulated with histamine. . Each point with bar represents the mean  ± S.E.M (n=6). Figure 5b. Responses of the guinea-pig ileum to cumulative concentrations of histamine. Each point with bar represents the mean  ± S.E.M (n=8). Electrical field stimulated guinea-pig ileum produced reproducible twitch responses to adenosine. Adenosine concentrations ranging from 10-8M final bath concentration caused concentration dependent inhibitory effects. Administration of increasing adenosine concentrations decreased electrically evoked acetylcholine release from the cholinergic nerve endings of the ileum (Figure2). Figure 2b clearly portrays that adenosine has no effect at low final bath concentrations of 10-11M. Atropine 10-6M final bath concentration abolished the twitch responses to electrical field stimulation confirming they were produced by cholinergic nerve stimulation (Figure3). In the presence of selective A1 adenosine receptor antagonist PSB36 10-7M and 10-8M concentration and electrical field stimulation, the twitch responses to adenosine decreased, when adenosine was applied at higher concentrations, the twitch responses became smaller as acetylcholine release was inhibited and completely prevented by PSB36. Figure 3a shows the curve shifted to the right when PSB36 10-8 was administered compared to the curve of adenosine. When PSB36 10-7 was applied there is a slight shift of the curve to the right compared to the adenosine curve. The effects of the antagonist PSB36 are seen significantly at 10-8M final bath concentration as the shift of the curve is greater. The highest response the ileum produced was as at adenosine concentration of 1 x 10-8M, the responses lowered slightly at 1 x 10-6M and consequently decreased rapidly at 1 x 10-5M final bath concentrations. Histamine induces contractions in the ileum. Addition of cumulative concentrations of adenosine in the presence of PSB36 10-7M produced small responses compared to the contractions produced in the presence of PSB36 10-8M. The effect of PSB36 10-8M caused a rightward shift compared to the curve representing the effect of adenosine in the presence of histamine (Figure 3b). Electrically field stimulated ileum in the presence of the selective adenosine receptor competitive antagonist SCH58261 produced smaller responses (Figure 4a). Following administration of cumulative concentrations the responses decreased however produced no right shift in the dose response curve. Histamine excites the tissue causing it to contract and producing a high response, when adenosine is applied in the presence of SCH58261, the responses are inhibited and acetylcholine release is decreased and thus there is a decrease in the shape of the curve in Figure 4b. The results expressed in Figure 5a illustrate the inhibitory effects of adenosine in the ileum. Figure 5b illustrates the effects of histamine concentrations on the ileum. The experiment was carried out to investigate the best concentration to use so that a maximum and strong, reproducible contraction would be produced; the figure confirmed 110-6M final bath concentration to give the highest and steady contraction of the tissue. Moreover this permitted to obtain a dose-response curve for adenosine with histamine providing a suitable starting concentration for each drug at 110-8M. DISCUSSION The results of this present study show that adenosine plays an inhibitory role on muscular contractility in guinea-pig ileum. Adenosine prevents the neuroeffector transmission in guinea-pig ileum. The action of adenosine appeared to be cholinergic prejunctional in nature, this is portrayed when adenosine is applied to electrically field stimulated guinea-pig ileum(Gustafsson et al., 1985b). The action of adenosine on histamine stimulated guinea-pig ileum in the absence and presence of adenosine antagonists also indicates reduction in neuroeffector transmission however due to postjunctional action. The effect of adenosine on the guinea-pig ileum can be observed in Figure 2. Adenosine produced a dose-dependent depression on the response. It reduced the electrically evoked acetylcholine release from the ileum. A1 and A2 receptors have been reported to reduce acetylcholine release in the gastrointestinal tract(Tomaru et al., 1995). Adenosine released from neuronal endings is thought to have direct actions on smooth muscle as they illustrate relaxant neurotransmitters in the gastrointestinal tract(Storr et al., 2002). Atropine is a competitive antagonist for the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor, consequently when applied to the ileum at 10-6M final bath concentration; there is rapid inhibition of response confirming that the twitch responses were produced by cholinergic nerve stimulation. Adenosine inhibited the twitch response of the electrically stimulated guinea-pig ileum preparation, in the presence of PSB36 10-8M final bath concentration there was a right shift in the adenosine curve thus interpreting that higher concentrations were required to lower the twitch response. The general trends that Figure 3a displays is that the curves have the same form; the linear proportions of the curves are parallel. The traces help to show the changes in the response curve to adenosine and adenosine selective receptor antagonist PSB36. There is a slight fall in tension when adenosine 310-7M was applied in the presence of PSB36 10-8M; however there was a rapid decrease when adenosine 110-5M was administered causing the right shift in the Figure. Upon cumulative additions of adenosine to field stimulated guinea pig ileum the concentration required to inhibit acetylcholine release was of 310-7M, the effects diminish once concentration of adenosine 110-5M was added providing evidence that adenosine has the ability to relax smooth muscle in the ileum. Since PSB36 is a potent and selective A1 adenosine receptor antagonist, the A2A receptors increase electrically induced twitch contractions in the guinea pig ileum, which contributes to assistance of acetylcholine release (Storr et al., 2002). The effects of adenosine in the presence of PSB36 10-7M 10-8M to histamine stimulated guinea pig ileum can be observed in Figure 3b. Histamine administration to the guinea pig ileum caused a tonic histamine contraction which was followed by after-relaxation response, and application of adenosine inhibited the acetylcholine release. The ileum responses were reduced significantly with lower concentrations of adenosine in the presence of PSB36 10-7M and 10-8M compared to the concentrations of adenosine required in the electrically field stimulated ileum confirming that A1 receptors are the subtype present in the guinea pig ileum which cause the inhibition of acetylcholine release. SCH58261 did not significantly affect the position of the rightward shift however additions of cumulative adenosine concentrations caused reduction in the tension produced by the ileum. Large standard error bars can be observed in the figures, these may be due to human handling errors, i.e. micropipetting errors, administrating less or more concentration of adenosine or antagonists. Protein build up causing contamination in organ baths can also contribute to acquiring inaccurate results. Particular cells of the tissue may have become inactive at that moment of time. Furthermore it could be that the piece of thread holding the tissue may have become loose i.e. equipment errors and consequently tension was not measured accurately. It could also be due to unknown errors. Evidence that adenosine inhibits cholinergic neuroeffector transmission in the ileum by a prejunctional action on acetylcholine release can be of functional importance as adenine compounds are released during stimulation of intestinal nerves (Tomaru et al., 1995). Antagonists selective for adenosine receptors are beneficial in the research treatment of numerous conditions including cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases. In summary, the present study has confirmed the existence of presynaptic A1 receptors on the parasympathetic nerve terminals in the guinea pig ileum which upon activation causes inhibition of electrically induced neurogenic, cholinergic twitch contractions.

Joan Eardley - Social Realist, Neo-Romantic or Abstract Expressionist? :: Visual Arts Paintings Art

Joan Eardley - Social Realist, Neo-Romantic or Abstract Expressionist? In asking others[1] on their opinions of Joan Eardley the initial answer was usually the same; that generally Joan Eardley’s works are concocted in a realist style. Though, each of my sources, after some thought and discussion, changed their minds during the course of the debate. However, I will attempt to define Eardley’s work through personal opinion and analysis in the following essay and will hopefully finish with a fuller understanding and a more sound opinion of her work. There are very few published works on Eardley and therefore, limited ideas in print. This has proved a great advantage in the answering of this question since my primary inspiration (evidently this should always be the case) has been solely the works themselves. In addressing the definitions of the terms in question, I came to the conclusion that Eardley did in fact employ a little of each genre in her paintings. Social Realism aims for the, â€Å"...truthful, historically concrete portrayal of reality in its revolutionary development...† It also shows â€Å"idealised representations of heroic workers and soldiers, in a naturalistic style.†[2] In considering the latter part of this definition, it seems fitting to refer to Eardley’s ‘The Mixer Men’ of 1944 [Plate 1]. This painting was inspired as a result of her job as a carpenter’s assistant. The piece is full of gritty realism and is truthful in the sense that Eardley painted them through direct human contact. She slaps on the canvas a vision of how she sees these men which is in this case from behind the predominant figure. This viewpoint in reminiscent of Degas’ ‘keyhole’ effect and possibly reflects her interest in the style and composition of this impressionistic artist. This notion of personal and human contact was very important for Eardley throughout her career. She made clear that she thought the story behind her sitter was just as important as the final outcome. The fact that she was painting real pictures of real people is a key factor when looking at her paintings. She did not abide by what was thought to be socially acceptable at the time. A prime example of this was her painting of friend, Angus Neil, entitled, ‘Sleeping Nude’ of 1954-5. [Plate 2] This piece was shown at the annual exhibition of the Glasgow institute in 1955 and caused huge uproar. The very idea of a woman painting a male nude, and depicting him so blatantly and gaunt, was deemed unacceptable. The painting itself tells no lies and reflects no flattery on the sitter. The brushstrokes are reminiscent of Van Gogh and in the same way, express Eardley’s mentality at the

The Holocaust :: European Europe History

Holocaust I've thought, and thought about resistance in the Holocaust and I've come to this realization: No words or poem or detailed description can describe the level of terror and oppression that took place. I am simply going to try my best to understand a fraction of the pain that many people went through, and the lessons we can learn from what happened. If the people that died in the Holocaust had one thing to say, I think that they would say, "Life is a gift, and you're lucky to have it, don't waste it, because before you even know it, it won't be a free gift anymore." The oppressed Jews went to their physical and mental limit just to avoid death. Therefore, if we do not live our lives to the most passionate way we know how, then we are wasting the extremely valuable gift of life. I don't think it's fair to waste our life, because many people worked a lot harder than us to have life, while they were not able to have it. So by not living our lives to the fullest we are cheating them. Our lives are very short, and refusing to live them to the fullest makes them even shorter. Furthermore, we as a society must do our best, to keep people from stealing other people's lives. If life is not protected than we are giving in to death, which is the very thing the Jews fought to avoid. By not taking a stand against those who cheat others out o f their life we are in fact causing death. I don't remember who said it, but I'll always remember the quote, "Whoever forgets the past, is doomed to repeat it." If our society does not remember the suffering of the Jews, we could be sentencing ourselves to the same pain. Finally, I know that the only way to fully live life is to have life eternally through Jesus Christ. Holocaust is defined as, "the wholesale destruction and loss of life." Ultimately we will all face our own holocaust, because I know that I will someday die. Yet just as Americans came to the rescue of the Jews, Jesus Christ came to rescue me when he died for me.

Free College Admissions Essays: Train Ride :: College Admissions Essays

Train Ride The members of the Committee on Admissions seek to gain an understanding of you as a person through a written essay. This essay is your opportunity to discuss an idea that is important to you, to write about a person who has influenced you, or to describe an experience that has helped shape who you are. The committee is also interested in how you think and how you express your thoughts. Â   I ride the metro whenever I can. I've ridden all five lines into fifty different neighborhoods. Sometimes I go to my internship downtown; other days I visit the museums at the capital; but many days I travel alone, without a destination, merely to enjoy the experience. Experiences like this: A small black boy climbs down from his father's lap and walks shyly towards the young man sitting across the aisle. His attention caught by a bit of color on the man's wrist, he tugs at his cuff and looks questioningly up at him. The man is dressed in business attire - but upon rolling up his sleeve reveals a solid mass of tattoo from wrist to elbow. A smile creeps into the man's face as he watches the boy marvel at the art. I enjoy people watching. I speak to no one, I only observe everyone, and wonder about their lives. What did the man with the tattoo study in school? I hope he is some kind of artist. What kind of music does he listen to? I imagine that we listen to many of the same songs. He looks too young to have children, but does he plan to? The way he humors and smiles at the boy, I hope he does. I imagine he has younger siblings who adore their big brother. In my mind I explore the possibilities and I make up answers to my own questions. Then I move on to others, to the people who just sit alone and keep to themselves. They fascinate me the most, because their outward appearances give me so little insight into their lives. They may seem dull and anonymous to most and go unnoticed by others on the train, but I know that each person, like myself, has their story. Each person has a favorite song, a best friend, and a nickname, and each person is going somewhere.

JetBlue Airways: Starting from Scratch Essay

Before David Neeleman’s non-compete agreement with Southwest Airlines expired, he envisioned the concept of starting a low-fare airline that would combine common sense, innovation, and technology and bring the humanity back into air travel (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). In 1998, JetBlue was born. In order for David to fulfill his goal of a â€Å"do-it-right† kind of airline, he needed to recruit superior industry veterans who were willing to start from scratch and place an emphasis on employees and customers. Each of these individuals, from the President, General Counsel, CFO, and the HR director, wanted to create an airline that was fun, had integrity, was safe, and cared for their employees, plus had a passion to get it right (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). When JetBlue hired Ann Rhoades away from Southwest Airlines, she brought with her, her experience on how to set up the rules and regulations that JetBlue would use to manage its personnel. During JetBlueâ€⠄¢s beginning operations, they relied upon five core values that were emblematic of the main characteristics of the company (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). These values included safety, caring, integrity, fun, and passion. Taking into consideration these five values, JetBlue used the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) acts to determine how, where, when, and which employees would join JetBlue as team members. In order for JetBlue to become successful, they needed to abide by the equal employment opportunity laws that formed a structured path that would enable the HR department to defend their decisions legally, if challenged. JetBlue started with high integrity standards and, to this day, continues to sustain these high standards (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). When hiring or dealing with personnel issues, some of the EEO acts that JetBlue references on a daily basis include the following: the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the 1972 amendment to that act, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, amended in 1978 and 1986,  the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1 990, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004, and the Occupational Safety & Health Act of 1970, amended January 1, 2004 (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). JetBlue’s main priority is the safety of its passengers and employees. In order for JetBlue to provide safety for all of its employees, they referenced the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA, 2001) guidelines for general duty that specifically state that the employer needs to provide a safe and healthy environment for the employees to work, free from loud noises, hazards, falling and sharp objects, and containing breathable air. These are a few areas of concern for JetBlue that relate to the well-being of their employees. In addition to the noted areas, their mechanics, ground crew and pilots have received continuous training on wearing ear protection when on the tarmac at the airport. This training also provides for the ground crew to place chocks under the wheels, florescent cones for the perimeters around the plane and information on other safety gear to prevent accidents. The ground crew needs to be able to read, write and be fluent in English in order to pr ocess all safety information regarding their jobs and other areas and peers who work for JetBlue. Mechanics also have strict safety guidelines that they need to adhere to when providing maintenance to the aircraft. The most important guideline is to ground the airplane, so no static electricity will build up and discharge, causing an explosion or damage to the electronics on the plane. Pilots also have a laptop that they do safety checks with on all the systems of the airplane before takeoff (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). JetBlue’s HR department tailored each job and its wage and benefit structure to meet the needs of the individual who was hired for a specific job. When the HR department analyzed industry-standard for wages and benefits, they saw a â€Å"one-size-fits-all† attitude toward industry employees, which did not meet their expectations or standards (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). JetBlue’s strategy was to listen to their employees, and by judging the reply from their employees to the questions, they set up a customized wage and benefits packag e for each employee, tailored just for him or her. By giving the  employees a choice, this allowed them to be part of the decision-making team and to fulfill a desire from the employee to be heard. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 played a significant role in JetBlue’s structuring of its wages and benefits. This act is to equalize pay between genders at the same location. There are a couple of exceptions. One exception is that different parts of the country have different wages and cost-of-living structures, which is taken into account when hiring, and the wages are adjusted accordingly. Also, within the structure of wages, JetBlue investigated all jobs within the industry and made sure that they paid above the pay grade of each job specification (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). When word spread throughout the industry that JetBlue was paying better than the other airlines, most positions had hundreds and sometimes thousands of applicants. When they offered part-time call center reservation help and paid a dollar more per hour than most agencies, their only ad for reservation help provided them with a waiting list of over 2500 applicants. Many people wanted to work for JetBlue, but many would be denied because they were not a perfect fit in regards to the five core values of JetBlue, and some new hires were even let go because they didn’t live up to the values set forth by JetBlue’s management team (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). The Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Amended in 1978 and 19 86, are two acts that deal with age. The Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act deals with the retirement age of pilots who fly commercially for all American airlines (Federal Aviation Administration [FAA], 2007). As stated in the act, pilots who fly domestic flights can fly until their 65th birthday. If they are international flight pilots, only one pilot can be up to 65 while the other flight crew member must be below 60 years of age. This law was enacted because so many pilots were reaching retirement age and new pilots were becoming scarce. Congress took it upon themselves to write the Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots act so that pilots who were close to the retirement age of 60 years old could continue to fly for another five years. This was backed up by medical professionals who stated that there was only a slight risk in health issues by allowing these pilots to continue to fly five more years. JetBlue has instituted a program to train new pilots, making sure that their fleet is continuously running. In the next 10 years, there will be a deficit, about  85,000 airline pilots. JetBlue’s mission for their pilots is extensive training and providing safe and caring service. This act helps JetBlue retain some of their senior pilots and allows them to be diversified over a greater period of time (FAA, 2007). The best external recruitment tool that JetBlue used was selecting pilots who had a high degree of computer knowledge and also fit the conditions of the core values of JetBlue (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). A pilot who enjoys his job will tell his other pilot friends, who work for other airlines, about the benefits he received when hired at JetBlue. One of these benefits, was the paid training to learn to fly the Airbus A320, a $30,000 investment on the part of JetBlue to attract skilled and qualified pilots. Most people will not recommend someone unless they are going to be beneficial to the company. An employee does not want someone to tarnish his reputation with the company for referring a person who will not measure up. In the first year, after the hiring of pilots, they had to release 20 from JetBlue due to lack of living the core values (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Most times it is a balancing act on who will actually be a good employee or not. On the one hand you have several pilots that conform to the mission of JetBlue and then you have a few bad apples that must be purged due to the fact they did not live up to each core value: safety, integrity, caring, fun and passion. The benefit to JetBlue are pilots who are willing to do a good job and understands that the ultimate goal is safety. Once a pilot loses his vision of the core values is when JetBlue and the pilot parts company. This could cause a few issues with keeping planes in the air if a majority of pilots were disgruntled with JetBlue (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). When JetBlue started to hire their Flight Attendants, the developed three distinct categories for them. One was for college students that only lasted for a year, to gi ve them some experience, fun and travel (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Another was job-sharing, this scenario allowed two people to share a job and would allow them to balance both job and home life equally. Lastly, JetBlue offered regular full-time employment but with a twist. For Flight Attendants who worked less than 70 hours per month they would be paid a dollar more than industry standard, for those who worked more than 70 hours per month would be paid $30 per hour. JetBlue targeted colleges to recruit able bodied college students who were over 21, wanted to travel, have fun, and represented the company’s core values (Gittel &  O’Reilly, 2001). As far as the Flight Attendants, these jobs were just temporary type positions to only last between one and five years. The benefit of this position is what JetBlue would always be rotating new staff to keep the front line employees fresh but also the bad thing about this would be always constantly hiring for Flight Attendants (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). One of the best internal recruitment methods that JetBlue has available to itself is the employee database (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). This database allows manager s to see the capabilities and also who is qualified for the desired position. The employee database tracks many aspects of an employee’s career within the company such as how many days they were sick, on-time performance, over time, knowledge of the firm and its policies and procedures. Too many promotions from within results and a lack of creativity, this is why you need a balance of 80/20 of people you would promote from within. The 80% of employees would give you exceptional talent, along with 20% who would give you new ideas and the creativity to look outside the box (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Another internal method of recruitment is a physical listing placed on a board in various areas of the company, for instance including a job advertisement on an employee break room bulletin board. One of the best external recruitment methods that JetBlue uses to hire new pilots is employee referrals. Many of the pilots who fly for JetBlue are satisfied and happy because the airline covers the extensive training to fly the A320. Most pilots who are refer red to JetBlue have extensive skills in computers and are comfortable with the laptop and are the best in the field. An employee would not want to refer somebody if they were a poor candidate and have that come back on them (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Virtual job boards (such as Indeed, Hot Jobs, Monster, Career Builder) are another strong external recruitment method used by companies, as is social media, where companies have taken to looking for employees through forms of social media like Facebook and Linkedin. When JetBlue started to hire people they took into consideration the five core values as a guide to make sure that each employee was the right fit for the company (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). These core values were used as a template to judge people’s responses for desirable and undesirable behaviors. Pilots were asked to tell of an example where they were to describe a situation where a customer request went against company policy and the way that they  had resolved that issue. When mechanics were interviewed they were asked to think back when they work for another emp loyer where â€Å"integrity† was a factor in their job. One example, was a mechanic who is prepping the plane for an international flight notice that the compliance and safety of the plane was not to standards. Management pressured him to sign off, but ultimately he refused to comply with management’s request to authorize the flight, which delayed the flight. Management fired the mechanic for noncompliance. On the other hand, JetBlue hired this individual for his unwavering integrity (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). JetBlue’s goal was a diverse, selected and knowledgeable employee base that would ensure all applicants were the perfect fit before anyone was hired. People from all walks of life wanted to work for JetBlue, this included college students, the average Joe, housewives, professionals, and your everyday person looking for job (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). JetBlue’s interviewing criteria was lengthy with multiple interviews. All interviewers had to approve/sign off the job offer to each candidate that passed scrutiny. The main goal in making the potential employees go through this process was to find the employees that were â€Å"not just looking for a place to work† but an employee that wanted to be a part of a company that would recognize them as a person and not just a number. A happy and content employee is an employee who will go above and beyond t he call of duty and are more likely to stay and work for the company for years (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Performance appraisal systems are to help managers/management evaluate how well work was carried out and how it measured up with regards to the corporate goals (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). These appraisals give the necessary feedback to managers in a concise way that measures the adaptability, judgment, appearance, and attitude of the employees, team members and/or groups being evaluated, this lends itself to identifying where the successes and gaps of the developed plan needs to be revised. This type of communication, if used properly, can enhance how each manager interacts with a subordinate and how the employee receives beneficial enhancement actions to better improve him/herself on how to achieve the company’s goals (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). When setting up the performance appraisal system, there are external and internal factors that can affect the appraisal process. Among these are federal regulations that specifically target nondiscriminatory actions. In one such case, a  company was ruled against, by a federal judge, because there was sufficient evidence that indicated the use of age bias and age-based policies throughout their performance appraisal against a protected age group. Organizations must avoid any appraisal systems that targets a protected group (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Unions are often an external factor in performance appraisal systems. Most unions are set in tradition and stress seniority over any other basis for promotion or pay increase. Union can demand that a union member be promoted or given a pay increase just because he/she was there for so many months or years, not based on the idea that the person was doing his or her job and enhanced the company’s goals. Fortunately, JetBlue gave its employees the opportunity to voice their opinions and be heard, staving off a union formation (Mondy, 2012). Corporate culture is the greatest internal influence for a performance appraisal system. Many corporations find that if they want to attain employee engagement, they must give an employee a voice to effect change within their department or organization. JetBlue has this ability as they are constantly talking with their ground crew, flight attendants, pilots, and service personnel to get feedback on how well each employee in the company is doing to achieve its goal (Mondy, 2012). Many other factors that influence the evaluations of employees are as follows: 1. Leniency error – this is where the evaluator has his own set of values and rules that he assigns to set the standards by which the employee will be judged (Mondy, 2012). 2. Halo/horn error – this is where employees are judged myopically with enhanced performance reviews and horn is just the opposite, where they are judged with a negative performance review and not on their whole work performance (Mondy, 2012). 3. Similarity error – is when in an evaluator imprints his self onto the employees, ma king those employees seem like the evaluator (Mondy, 2012). 4. Low appraiser motivation – this is when an evaluator knows that this will harm the chances for the employee to receive a promotion, so they may give a false appraisal (Mondy, 2012). 5. Central tendency – this is where the evaluator gives medium appraisal’s to all employees and fails to recognize any with exceptional skills (Mondy, 2012). 6. Appraiser discomfort- this happens when a manager has difficulty in executing the appraisal system. Often times, this makes it stressful for him and the employee, and sometimes results in negative feelings toward the  company and manager from the employee’s perspective (Mondy, 2012). 7. Objectivity error – this is where an evaluator rates an employee by personal attributes, such as attitude, appearance, and personality and disregards other performance appraisal factors (Mondy, 2012). 8. Recent behavior bias – this is when an evaluator rates an employee’s behavior in the last couple weeks rather than throughout the year (Mondy, 2012). 9. Manipulation of the evaluation – evaluators control the appraisal system which allows for manipulation of said system (Mondy, 2012). When you take into account the above list of factors on a standard method of evaluation methods, there is more than one way a supervisor, manager or management can deem the employee worthless, berate him/her, praise, and/or not promote or give a raise. JetBlue has eliminated this by setting up a 360-degree feedback evaluation method, where it is not just one person’s responsibility to dictate who or when someone gets a raise, but rather, a group of the employee’s peers, supervisors, management, and sometimes, even customers give their feedback on how to give that person a helping hand, instead of beating them down with criticism (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). This system utilizes multiple methods of evaluation such as a rating scale, collaborative, 360 – degree assessment, critical incident, essay, work standards, ranking, forced distribution, behaviorally anchor rating scale, and results-based. These are a few methods that are used to determine how the employ ee integrates with the team. After all surveys or questionnaires are tabulated, they are presented to the appropriate manager or management team. The management team will go over the survey and isolate habits that have formed and put into place systems to enhance constructive ways to bring change to an individual in a positive manner. The purpose of this is to highlight the behaviors needing correction and praise areas that the employee excels in within the team atmosphere (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Performance reviews of yesteryear were usually done by the supervisors in charge of the employees. Today, up to 90% of Fortune 500 companies use some sort of 360-degree feedback evaluation. JetBlue also uses an appraisal process called â€Å"the 320-degree process† which, reflects their fleet of A320 aircraft. JetBlue and other companies that use the 360-degree programs utilize the results for training, conventional applications, succession planning, and professional development (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Eliminating or reducing errors in  the appraisal system was the goal for the 360 ° evaluation. This app raisal system provides a more unilateral assessment of a person’s character, integrity, adaptability, and performance. Also, shifting the evaluation from a manager to a whole group of peers allows for less errors as stated above and also giving the company a better chance of fighting a claim of unfairness, discrimination or any other legal issue that should arise because of an unhappy employee (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). The ultimate goal of the 360-degree evaluation method is to give the whole organization (i.e., employee, supervisor, management, customers, peers) a way to give a constructive critique for improvement (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Another advantage to a 360-degree feedback evaluation system are to evaluate employees, managers, supervisors, and administration with surveys or rating cards which are handed out to peers, customers, team members, managers, the employee, and administration. When the evaluations are complete and totaled, the management team evaluates how to help the employee and/or management towards personal or professional growth (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001) . This places the employee as the key intention of this appraisal. Actually, when both parties go over the evaluations, the employee can see that this process is not about evaluation, is for career and professional development. Bringing forth, an employee who will dedicate to improving his self-worth to the company. For management, this also proves an ideal way for managers to improve training techniques that will foster growth within the individual and organization (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Additionally, this type of feedback method also highlights the areas where the company’s training needs improving or enhancement to provide better solutions to the training for the company’s goals (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). When David Neeleman started the process to create JetBlue, he brought on several people that he thought would benefit the company. After, many strategy meetings, they came up with their five main goals: safety, caring, integrity, fun, and passion. In order, for JetBlue, to maintain their five main goals they needed a system that would allow every person in the company to have a voice (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). The preliminary management team was concerned about how they were going maintain the fun in the organization, while maintaining a safe and productive atmosphere, along with how to get all the necessary feedback to their questions. Also, they wanted to provide a convenient and  cost-effective way to satisfy their customers as they grew while maintaining the small company feel. When you look at the case study, Ann Rhodes, Executive vice president for people, was in charge of making a values-based culture to attract, develop and maintain a rapid growth achievement in personnel (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). The 360-degree feedback evaluation would give the organization the needed tools to set up their training model that would express their goals and allow them to foster change quickly and decisively to achieve this scenario. Mr. Dave Barger, the COO, wanted to create a spirit within the company that was fun for both the crew and customers. His ultimate mission was to focus on the people and to keep the company union free. Ms. Rhodes agreed with Mr. Dave Barger. They set up teams that were fluid instead of having major work rules in place that hampered the communication between management and employees or vice versa (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). The ability to pay is the most significant factor when it comes to financial compensation. JetBlue compensates its employees over and above the competitive rate, which attracts highly skilled individuals (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). The performance of an employee is a factor in compensation. If an employee does well and is motivated, this will be noticed by his employer. Resulting in better compensation (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Most companies are looking for experience this too is another factor in compensation. Experience gives the necessary tools to senior employees to handle difficult situations with leadership and performance. Many executives do not need tr aining and can meld into the job and hit the ground running (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Many companies hire young, ambitious employees with potential. Potential is another factor. They determine how much compensation is warranted by the perceived potential represented by the individual (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Today, most companies are looking for employees with seniority. Seniority is a key factor in financial compensation. The longer the employee is on the job, the more salary he or she receives a handsome salary and benefits package. This is due to the ability to multi-task within the organization (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Job requirements are a factor for compensation. A job that requires specific skills, that happen to be risky or hazardous and have tremendous responsibility, will heighten the wages of the job (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). As organizational strategy, JetBlue excelled at this  factor for compensation. JetBlue wanted rapid growth and also set higher wages than their competitors (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Discretionary benefits are a deemed gift from the company to the employee. One of these benefits is paid vacations. Vacations from a job, help rest and reinvigorate the crew members and employee so their production does not waiver (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). A growing number of companies have grouped sick time, vacation, and personal days together to form what is known as paid time off (PTO). This is a simpler way of keeping track and helping streamline the administration of days off and eliminates most of the excuses people give to get out of work. This benefit is highly praised by employees (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). On-site healthcare is becoming popular with many employers to help reduce healthcare costs (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). On-site healthcare provides assistance with minor illnesses, injuries, physical therapy, vaccinations, and follow-up care. When employers provide these types of clinics, they it helps to eliminate trips to the emergency room or the doctor’s office which can cost considerably higher (Gittel & Oâ€℠¢Reilly, 2001). Many companies see a great benefit with these on-site healthcare clinics because after implementation, the return on investment is approximately 2.5 to 1 on cost savings (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Dental and vision care have recently become popular as a discretionary employee benefit. Most employers pay for this benefit with maybe a deductible paid by the employee. Employers believe that if their employees have a nice smiling face and eyes they can see out of, they will be happier employees (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). JetBlue’s goal was to listen to the employees regarding what type of benefits they wanted and never to say no. JetBlue either met or exceeded the industry standard when it came to discretionary benefits (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Most full-time employees received the following benefits: medical, 401k, profit sharing, double time pay for holidays, and personal time off. Many of the flight attendants received medical coverage plus an additional $500 in pay to help compensate for living in NY. Pilots, dispatchers and technicians were provided with stock options. Pilots got paid training benefits and laptops for checking documents for the certification to fly the A320 Airbus (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). Customer Service agents and ground  crew were paid a dollar more than any other crew at their airport and shift differentials. Many part-time employees received the following benefits: medical, 401K, profit-sharing and double pay if they worked holidays. All benefits started from day one because Ms. Rhodes felt that a probationary period was demeaning to the employee (Gittel & O’Reilly, 2001). References Mondy, R.W. (2012). Human resource management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Gittell, J.H., & O’Reilly, C. (2001). JetBlue airways: starting from scratch [PDF]. Retrieved from http://people.westminstercollege.edu/faculty/mkoerner/00_courses/mba_650_spr_06/jetblue_airways_starting_from_scratch.pdf Occupation Safety and Health Administration. (2001). OSH Act of 1970. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owasrch.search_form?p_doc_type=OSHACT&p_toc_level=0 Federal Aviation Administration. (2007). FAA Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=10072