English Reflective Statement

I participated in an interactive oral discussion; about the novel by Nawal El Sadawi named ‘The Woman at Point Zero’. From the interactive oral, I was able develop a new idea which I had never thought of. The idea was that the characters in the novel were two dimensional, so that the main character Firdaus is able to change, which she is not. The idea stemmed from what Ashleigh said about how Firdaus has the power of rejection using her physical body.So I said that it was a delusion for women and what Firdaus does have, is the power to change. I developed it into the concept of change for the better, i. e. the ability to change and move forward in society. For example if Firdaus looked at the situation where she was being abused by her uncle and aunt, reviewed all the problems and then found a way to make the next situation better, which would the be domestic violence received from her husband Sheikh Mahmood.All in all, in a society like Egypt in the 1970’s, fear was the most dominant way to have power, but its not removing the fear that allows the courage to change, it’s the knowledge of fear and moving forward anyway. Talking about fear, Brad brought up an interesting idea of Firdaus not being afraid of what normal people would be afraid of, but of something so delicate, eyes. He said something about how she was cautious and self conscious about being looked down upon and being watched over. Which made me ask the question, why she didn’t have the courage to change her fate, up until the moment she killed her pimp.

Health and Safety Essay

Explain how health and safety is monitored and maintained and how people in the work setting are made aware of risks and hazards and encouraged to work safely. In my placement we have a safeguarding policy but we don’t have a health and safety polices that I am aware of but the safeguarding polices is available on the schools website. Anyone is able to get on to the website and their policies. We have a sigh by the sink in the staff room say warning hot water and we have a sigh in the classrooms letting children and staff knows that the water in the tabs is drinking water we also have fire safety sign around the school. They always have meeting every month on health and safety but it is only for the main teachers. We have a fire drill twice a year so all the children and staff know where to go in case of a fire they had a fire drill last week which was good cause I did not know where to go if a fire happens so it help me cause now I know where to go if a fire happens. We always tell the children not talk to strangers and when the children are going home they are not allowed to leave an till the adults tell them that they can go cause we need to make sure that the right people are picking the children up and that they are not going off with strangers or with someone they are not meant to go home with.

Leaf Scorch Tree Disease - Prevention and Control

Leaf Scorch Tree Disease - Prevention and Control Leaf scorch is a noninfectious condition caused by an unfavorable environment - there is no virus, no fungus, no bacterium to blame. It can not be helped by chemical control so you will have to discover the underlying causal factor which can be drying winds, drought, root damage and other environmental problems. Still, infectious diseases can attack the tree and make the condition even worse. Major target trees are Japanese maple (plus several other maple species), dogwood, beech, horse chestnut, ash, oak and linden. Symptoms Early leaf scorch symptoms commonly appear as yellowing between veins or along leaf margins. The problem is not often recognized during this early stage and can be confused with anthracnose. The yellowing becomes increasingly severe and tissue dies at leaf margins and between veins. This is the stage at which injury becomes easily noticeable. Dead tissue can often appear without any previous yellowing and restricted entirely to marginal areas and tips. Cause Scorch usually is a warning that some condition has occurred or is occurring that is adversely influencing the tree. It could be that the tree is not adapting to the local climate or has been given unsuitable exposure. Many of the conditions are the result of water not making it into the leaves. These conditions could be hot, drying winds, temperatures above 90 degrees, windy and hot weather following a long wet and cloudy period, drought conditions, low humidity or drying winter winds when soil water is frozen. Control When leaf scorch is noticed, leaf tissue has usually dried past the point of recovery and the leaf will drop. This will not kill the tree. Several steps can be taken to prevent more severe damage. Deep watering will help with moisture uptake. You need to make sure lack of water is the problem as too much water can also become a problem. Spring application of a complete fertilizer may help but do not fertilize after June. If the root system of a tree has been injured, prune the top to balance the reduced root system. Conserve soil moisture by mulching trees and shrubs with rotted leaves, bark, or other material.

Binge Drinking Among College Students

Binge Drinking Among College Students Free Online Research Papers Introduction Many studies have shown that the age of onset of heavy drinking has been strongly linked to the formation of harmful drinking habits later in life (Berkowitz, 1990; Glassman, 2010). The increased levels of binge drinking and alcohol abuse reported among university students within one year of entering college may possibly point to increases in alcohol-related public health issues in the future (Kim, Chan, Chow, Fung, Cheuk, Griffiths, 2009). Research and theory have provided pertinent information about binge drinking and how prevalent the issue is among college students. Binge drinking among college students has been identified as the number one threat to campus life (Wheeler, 2009). College students today are drinking more frequently and in greater amounts than ever before (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, 2007). Dangerous amounts of alcohol consumption are simply not safe, and will most likely produce negative outcomes. The p urpose of this paper is to discuss how binge drinking is defined and measured. It will also review several studies on binge drinking and how it correlates with college students. Additionally, original research was conducted to examine the binge drinking trends of Texas State University Students. Literature Review Operationalizing â€Å"Binge Drinking† Conventionally, the criteria for assessing high-risk drinking includes: five or more drinks for males and four or more drinks for women during one sitting, event, or occasion within the previous two weeks (Glassman, 2010). Although, some research simply states five or more drinks in one sitting, which does not include the gender variable. Also, asking respondents to recall specific time frames from a night of heavy drinking may also compromise the validity of research data. Further, the five or more/four or more drinking criterion does not adequately assess the intoxication levels or more extreme levels of alcohol consumption (Glassman, 2010). Yet, others in the field recognize that men metabolize alcohol more efficiently than women and distinctions should be accounted for when measuring this behavior. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) National Advisory Council attempted to clarify the issue by defining a binge as: a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 gram percent or above. For the typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks (male) or 4 or more drinks (female) in about 2 hours† (National Institute on Alcohol and Abuse, 2004, p. 357). Prevalence of Binge Drinking Data from multiple surveys indicate that the majority of college students consume alcohol (Presley, Meilman, Lyerla, 1994). College students drink more frequently and in greater numbers than their peers who do not attend college (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, 1997). Defined as five consecutive drinks for men and four consecutive drinks for women within a two-week period, binge drinking occurs among 44% of college students, which has remained constant over time (Glassman, 2010). On average, college students consume 9.6 drinks per week. White, Kraus Swatzwelder (2006) conducted surveys at a moderate-sized state university in the northeast United States via flyers, announcements, and a web site maintained by the Psychology Department. Participants completed the anonymous surveys in exchange for credit toward completion of a research-participation requirement for introductory psychology courses. The results showed that 41% of males and 34% of females consume alcohol at or a bove the binge drink threshold. Many different environmental and social factors can influence a college students’ behavior. For example, the presence of a Greek system, student involvement in athletics, students’ residence (dorm or apartment), size of the university, alcohol outlet density and alcohol prices are all variables that can influence decisions of a student (Wheeler, 2009). Research indicates that when college students drink at these levels, their risk for alcohol related consequences increases significantly and suggest that the term â€Å"binge† is justified based on scientific evidence (Glassman, 2010). According to the Harvard School of Public Health College Study, which was conducted on 89% of the first year entrants of college, 53% of all alcohol-related injuries occurred from people who consumed one to five drinks, whereas 21% occurred from those who consumed eight or more drinks. This data was gathered from anonymous questionnaires that were sent to all students prior to the fall semester registration. Also, there is almost universal agreement among college administration and health professionals that alcohol abuse is the most widespread recreational drug used by college students, and that binge drinking is a major health problem (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 1995). Faced with this issue, and no apparent immediat e solution, in the summer of 2008, 200 college presidents proposed that lawmakers consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 years. Their efforts were dubbed the Amethyst Initiative, an idea based on the assumption that the current laws and prohibitions against drinking may actually be encouraging students to binge drink (Deas Clark, 2009). Most literature gives little evidence that lowering the drinking age will solve the binge drinking problem. However, there is considerable evidence that this action may actually intensify the issue. For example, high school students 18 years old and younger seem to be keeping pace with college peers in terms of alcohol consumption. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2004), 62% of tenth graders and 72% of twelfth graders have used alcohol and 41% of tenth graders and 55% of twelfth graders have been drunk. Also, 65% of college students who drink alcohol began drinking in high school and only 13% of college students began drinking after entering college. This data was collected from a study that was conducted in two stages. The first stage selected 148 institutions, half two-year and half four-year, with probability proportional to undergraduate enrollment. The second stage randomly sampled undergraduates in the 136 institutions that chose to participate, targeti ng 72 students from each two-year school and 56 from each four-year school. The questionnaire was mailed to 7,442 students for self-administration and completed by 4,814 (The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2007). Finally, lowering the drinking age seems to negate research on neurobiological development. The data suggests that cognitive functions, such as impulse control and decision making, are still developing into early adulthood (Wheeler, 2009). During this period of critical development major regions of the young adult’s brain is at risk due to the neurotoxin effects of excessive alcohol consumption. Obviously, a better alternative to lowering the drinking age is to increase research efforts designed to give a better understanding of why so many students engage in such self-destructing behavior. In seeking some answers to some of these questions, researchers have conducted studies on the motive and expectations underlying excessive drinking in the college population. Some believe that college students just do not see an issue with binge drinking. This may be because students tend to identify hangovers as the most serious consequence of excessive drinking. Others suggest that students drink in order to obtain valued outcomes or as a means of coping with stress (Crundell, 1995). Berkowitz (1990) insists that the satisfaction of social needs and peer influence are the most important factors leading to binge drinking. Research on peer influence has shown that individuals who have friends who drink are more likely to begin drinking, and that individuals who binge drink are likely to have friends who drink (Wheeler, 2009). Duncan, Biosjoly, Kremer, Levy Eccles (2005) state, â€Å" as long as individuals are free to choose their friends, it is possible that someone’s substance abuse behavior or personal characteristics associated with substance abuse are affecting his or her choice of peer group† (p. 376). According to Wheeler (2009), young adults are the heaviest drinkers in the United States. College students drink more often and in heavier amounts than people who do not attend college. This seems consistent with Crundall’s (1995) notion that alcohol consumption is a major part of the culture of college life, a so-called rite of passage into adulthood. Drinking alcohol is typically perceived by most students as part of the college experience. The college culture undoubtedly plays a role in student drinking, but some researchers may have exaggerated its effects. As Wheeler (2009) reports, â€Å"While the heaviest drinkers are at greater risk for harm, they are relatively few and generate proportionally small amounts of all drinking harms† (p. 174). This idea is supported by Weschler, Lee, Kuo, Seibring, Nelson Lee (2002), who used factor analyses and IRT analyses while conducting their studies, found that the top 17% of students in a sample of 353 undergraduate drinkers who drink alcohol heavily and frequently, consume 68% of the alcohol drank by college students. There also other shortcomings associated with the traditional high-risk drinking measure. Glassman (2010) proposes combing the five/four drinking measure with the frequency of engaging in the behavior (3 or more times in a one week period), a term he describes as â€Å"heavy and frequent† (Glassman, 2010). The research indicates that this group is most at risk for experiencing the negative consequences associated with alcohol use. Another area in which specialized research is needed involves event-specific drinking occasions among college students. For example, on a college football game day, drinking alcohol takes place for an extended period of time (usually before, during, and after a game). For these types of events, the term, â€Å"Extreme Ritualistic Alcohol Consumption† (ERAC) was created. ERAC, defined as consuming 10 or more drinks in a day by males, and 8 or more drinks for a female, constitutes an event or context-specific drinking pattern in which peopl e drink more than they would under normal circumstances (Deas et al., 2009). Methods Secondary data was used during the original research of the binge drinking trends of Texas State University students. Information was gathered in Spring of 2009, as part of a Research Methods in Criminal Justice course at Texas State University. Convenience sampling was used, which means that the sample group in the study was comprised of TSU students who were, basically, given the surveys at the convenience of the researcher. The surveyed students were anonymous, meaning there is no possible way to link the answers to any one survey to any specific student. They surveys, which were IRB approved by Texas State University, were self-administered by the students. Overall, the ending sample size was 146 Texas State students, which may limit the data due to the low number. This small sample size may not be completely representative of the Texas State University population. The survey questions vary in type, but the data gathered portrays an accurate depiction of the studentsâ€℠¢ binge drinking habits. The survey consists of 74 questions total, 11 personal drinking behavior questions, 14 binge drinking questions, 11 questions covering the survey taker’s attitude towards drinking, 9 background questions, 5 demographic questions, and 23 personal attitudes and behaviors. The possible answers varied from simply â€Å"Yes or No† to Gottfredson and Hirshi’s Low Self-Control Scale (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree). Results The sample size of this study was 146 Texas State University students. The majority of the sample, 58%, was Caucasian. Another 29% were Hispanic. The remaining 13% were another race. The sample consisted of 45% male participants and 55% female participants. The majority of the sample was 21 years and older (70%). Of these participants, only 26% are Criminal Justice majors. Juniors and Seniors represented most of the sample size (74%) of the sample, as opposed to only 26% Freshman and Sophomores. Surprisingly, only 11% of the sample stated they were a member of a traditional fraternity or sorority, and only 17% indicated they were an athlete at the university. For the purpose of this paper, fiver questions from the survey were selected, and those results were analyzed. Twenty-four percent of the surveyed students indicated they have attended school while drunk. Additionally, 80% of the participants admitted to binge drinking at a house party at some point. Only 29% of the sample indicated they have engaged in sexual intercourse after binge drinking and later regretted it. Thirty-five percent of the surveyed students have blacked out (become unconscious after consuming a large amount of alcohol) due to binge drinking. Finally, 61% of the sample did not believe the drinking age should be lowered to 18 years. The questions were also analyzed by the demographic, sex. It was found males were significantly more likely than females to attend class while drunk, binge drink at a house party, have sex with someone after binge drinking and later regret it, and black out after binge drinking (p

Analysing Descartes Meditation On First Philosophy Philosophy Essay

Analysing Descartes Meditation On First Philosophy Philosophy Essay Renà © Descartes, in his work of Meditation on First Philosophy, sets the foundation for modern philosophy. Through the distinct style of writing in first person narrative, Descartes introduces radical skepticisms, proves the existence of God, distinguishes the soul from the body, and establishes levels of certainty in knowing the material world. With the Meditations intending to be a guide to exercising intellectual understanding and practice, there is a strong connection between the literary form and philosophical content, as one supplements the other. The use of meditation and narrative is especially important in delivering and emphasizing Descartes’ arguments on first philosophy because it offers an epistemological journey for the reader to undertake and experience along with the narrator. Meditation is an introspective process that involves the mind turning back in and upon itself, withdrawing from the material world and focusing attention inward. Traditionally, works o f meditation are meant to be guides for spiritual exercises, especially in the Christian religion, and not for intellectual or philosophical purposes. However, Descartes departs from this tradition and employs meditation as a way to detach the minds from external influences, to think and analyze philosophy from the original foundations. This is emphasized in the preface to the reader, where Descartes writes â€Å"I do not advise anyone to read these things except those who have both ability and the desire to meditate seriously with me, and to withdraw their minds from the senses as well as from all prejudices† (52). This leads into Meditation One, with the introduction of method of doubt to free the mind and demolish deception. As well, meditation is aimed to achieve self-transformation, and this is demonstrated throughout work as Descartes transforms the readers’ ways of thinking and understanding. Descartes uses first person narrative to engage and relate to the read ers. As the narrator and guide, Descartes is the embodiment of the general audience, sharing many of the same characteristics and motivations as the readers. For instance, the readers can easily identify with events such as dreaming and questions such as the existence of God. With this, Descartes can take on the challenge of demonstrating how the process of self-transformation in thinking and understanding unfolds through his own experiences. He writes, â€Å"I will first of all narrate in the Meditations the very thoughts by means of which I seem to have arrived at a certain and evident knowledge of the truth† with the intention that â€Å"the same arguments that persuaded me can be useful in persuading others† (52). Therefore, the readers, when reading the Meditations, will be able to experience a similar psychological and epistemological journey in understanding first philosophy. The Meditation begins with the introduction of the method of doubt in Meditation One. R ealizing many of his former opinions are falsehoods, and how subsequent opinions are built upon them, Descartes notes the need to doubt the truth of everything, and â€Å"raze everything to the ground and began again from the original foundations, if I wanted to establish anything firm and lasting in the sciences† (59). This architectural metaphor of razing and establishing serves to introduce Descartes’ purpose in building a firm groundwork for rational scientific inquiry and modern philosophy that cannot be further doubted. Since it is not practical to show all opinions are false individually, it is sufficient to â€Å"attack straightaway those principles which supported everything,† â€Å"because undermining the foundation will cause whatever has been built upon them to crumble of its own accord† (60). And Descartes does this through three levels of doubt: perception, dreaming, and God’s deceive.

Toyota Management Strategic Choices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Toyota Management Strategic Choices - Essay Example Great encouragement arose from the Japanese government that needed domestically produced vehicles. Toyota Motor Company was established in 1937 as a stand alone and separate company. The name of the company was changed because it was believed by the Japanese that Toyota, eight is believed a luckier number(Black & Miller, 2008). Moreover, the first car and truck by the company was produced in 1935, the model A1 and G1 respectively. An era of rapid expansion overtook the Toyota Company in 1945 when the company was permitted to sell to the United States military. At the post war times, the company made trucks for war to the military and in 1947 it made the model SA, Toyopet. The car was designed to be cheap and handle the rough terrain of postwar Japan. In the preceding two years, an SD model was successfully made and the Toyopet SF became the first popular Toyota car. In 1955, Toyota Company made the RH model with a 48 horse power and during that time, a year round closure of 8,400 car s was produced (Liker, 2004). In addition, Toyota started producing the Land cruiser, a civilian truck, in the same year. The start of Toyota international sales was characterized by the philosophy of making the production and designs of its products local, building the vehicles in the destined countries to adapt them and also stem up the long term relationships with local labor and local suppliers (Magee, 2008). The company produced the Corona, that had a relatively large interior space and extremely comfortable and had a low price and improved quality however rust was a serious drawback In business there are a category of schemes developed to analyze, maintain, and achieve competitive advantage. Two fundamental decisions accrue: to start with is whether to primarily compete on price, cost, or provide distinctive features that justify higher prices. Secondly, how broad the competitive scope or the market target is.(Pearlson & Saunders, 2010) To commence, the price (cost) leadership strategy was used, has been used and will be used in times to come for Toyota Company to obtain a competitive advantage over its rivals or competitors as Honda Motor Company and General Motors Company Limited to mention a few while maintaining profits in its business operations. The strategy advocates for the vehicles produced by the Toyota Company to always appeal to a broad section of the market at a lower cost. For instance, the Corona was lowly priced to suit the needs of the market and cover a range of customers ( Hoch, 1998) In an attempt to implement this strategy successfully, the company used exceptional efforts to reduce costs without an exclusion of features considered essential by buyers. This was by an establishment of Greenfield operations in the new countries. However, a critical cost advantage method was designed to ensure that the vehicles were so hard a task for the competitor to copy and match what Toyota Company produced. This strategy has a number of benchmarks : the marketplace is always dominated by forms of price competition and very high sensitive buyers, there are many buyers and the bargaining power is in their reach, there is a low switching cost for customers, there are few ways to achieve product differentiation that has more value to consumers and the product in the industry is the same by all sellers. (Pearlson & Saunde

It is a fundamental principle of English Law that the courts will not Essay

It is a fundamental principle of English Law that the courts will not enforce an illegal contract. Explain the law in this area - Essay Example Acceptance, on the other hand, is the agreement to the terms of an offer that transforms the offer into a legally binding contract. Acceptance involves an action on the part of the offeree. It is vital to emphasise that minors and mentally disordered people lack the capacity to enter into a legally binding agreement. Although a contract exists in many different forms, there are also some illegal contracts. These illegal contracts are those to which the principle applies. This may occur where the law forbids the contract, or where there is a violation of public policy at common law where the contract is for an illegal purpose (The Law Commission 2011). With the English law in place, the courts are not supposed to enforce any contract that is contrary to the policy of the law. The reasons for this are that the performance of a contract, as stated earlier, does not involve the breaking of a legal provision and it is not essentially a good reason for regarding the contract as invalid. Ad ditionally, there are cases where a contract does not involve the breach of any specific legal provision. The aim of the legal restrictions on contracts is varied. It is at times aimed at protecting the weaker parties against exploitation from the stronger parties. This leads to a commonality in force that is laid out to both parties (Youngs 1998, p. 378). Illegal contracts are defined as contracts or agreements that are prohibited or forbidden by a statute or illegal at common law based on the public policy (Haigh 2004, p. 158). Pritchard and Hinds (2008, p. 1) define an illegal contract as one which is based on or entails criminal wrongdoing. For instance, in the United Kingdom (UK), gaming contracts (contracts created in respect to gambling) cannot be enforced. Another important class of illegal contracts are those contracts or agreements which can be defined as unconscionable or unfair in relation to the legislation of the nation, i.e. the laws that govern the contract. For inst ance, in UK employment contracts, parties may not eliminate liability for severe injury (Haigh 2004, p. 158). In addition, the majority of employment contracts implying illegality entail schemes to defraud Inland Revenue or workers who lack the rights to work in the United Kingdom (Pritchard & Hinds 2008, p. 1). Performance of Contracts The common rule is that a party must execute what they undertook to attain the contract. However, the contracts can vary based on the mutual agreement. Alternatively, where an entity approves an appeal of the other entity, that second entity is said to have waived their right to demand performance in a way that was originally agreed. The entities are then put within the terms of the waiver, and there is the absence of consideration to support it (Haigh 2004, p. 158). Illegal Contracts It is important to state that illegality is the most puzzling area in the law of contract, and this is attributed to the fact that it lacks structure. Some authors have indicated that the law in this section is full of contradictions and altogether unsatisfactory. As aforementioned, there are contracts rendered illegal by the common law or a statute. A contract can be expressly prohibited by a statutory provision. Certain contracts or agreements are rendered illegal at common law based on the fact they would be harmful or dangerous to the society and thus contrary to public policy. The following are some of the contracts that are rendered ille