Esther Lombardi - ThoughtCo

The Scaffold in Nathaniel Hawthrone´s The Scarlet Letter

The symbol of the scaffold evolves in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet letter is build around the symbolic scaffold. The main characters transform the scaffold from the exposition to resolution. Next the traits of the scaffold itself deteriorate throughout the novel. Finally, the scaffold is applied symbolically throughout Hawthorne’s novel. The scaffold transforms throughout the book because they are there for different reasons. In the beginning Hester Prynne is there to be punished for her sin. Her sin was that she commits adultery and cheats on her husband. She cheats on Chillingworth with Dimmesdale. She ends up getting pregnant and she has a baby girl and she names her Pearl. Because she is beautiful and because she costs a great price. She must stand on the scaffold in front of the town to reveal her sin. Its to humiliate her for what she has done. The second scene is when Hester, Pearl and Dimmesdale are all standing together and being together. It’s the first time that Dimmesdale has claimed them in public. Before this Pearl felt like he wouldn’t claim and that he was ashamed to have anything to do with her. So when they all stand up there together she feels like it’s the right way. Dimmesdale also feels like its right thing to do. She shows her approval to him by giving him a kiss. The thir d is when Chillingworth gets up on the scaffold and shows his burning sin under his clothes and it is to helps him becauseShow MoreRelatedThe Scaffold Scenes in Nathaniel Hawthrone ´s The Scarlet Letter791 Words   |  3 Pages Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is known as a psychological novel regarding humanity, sin, guilt, and a fair amount of other ambiguous concepts. One of those is the significance of the three scaffold scenes throughout the work. The scaffold scenes signify religious and moral ideas, such as sinfulness, the spiritual figures the characters each portray, and the character development achieved by public and private absolution. The first scaffold scene begins the novel. In chapters two throughRead MoreSymbolism Is The Use Of Symbols To Signify Important Meaning1305 Words   |  6 Pagesthe continual hold of the past on the present. Hawthorne focused on his Calvinist lineage and America s Calvinist ideological past, as well, in hopes of coming to terms and making sense of it. Hawthorne s writing is full of symbolic characters, settings, and objects. Hawthorne s characters and settings are not always actually important for what they are, but for what they exemplify. Hawthorne s audience finds the meanings of his symbols as they grow among his characters efforts to tell the audience

Sensing of Volatile Organic Compounds †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Sensing of Volatile Organic Compounds. Answer: Introduction In order to prepare this report the user the reviewer needs to visit the worlds worst website. Three general perspectives such as the navigation, visual affect (in terms of colour schemes, typography and page layout) and navigation/website layout/access to different web pages on the website are considered for preparing this report professionally. The report illustrates the need regarding the development practices and after analysing the website the reviewer needs to demonstrate whether the website is web responsive or not. After analysing the website if it has been found that, certain changes are required to be adapted by the system developers to improve the current situation of the system Management. Under the selected criteria, the issues that are affecting the general website guidelines will be elaborated in this report. Apart from this, in order to overcome the issues certain general recommendations are also provided in this report. Identification of issues 1 After analysing the current state of the website it has been found that navigation of a website is referred to as one of the most important aspect that might make large difference between the traditional state and the upcoming state of professional website. The resultant generated from the website navigation is strictly dependent upon the structure and labels of the website navigation. After analysing worlds worst website it can be said that the navigation of this website is quite attractive and the overall presence is quite impressive. The navigation of worlds worst website deals with Home page, the list of the worst websites developed in the year between 2005 and 2014, different bad website design approaches, different articles and web design checklist at the same time [1]. Though, the website has many positive features but on the other hand the employees and users can also be negatively impacted by the navigation of the website. It has been identified that, there is no option to t hose users who are going through the websites professionally. As the page lacks the consumer feedback part, thus the website developers will fail to meet the criteria as per the changing demand of the consumers. Apart from this there is not presence of accurate customer care number. It means that, if the consumers of the website will to know anything extra or wants to add up anything to the website then they will fail to do so. On the other hand, the navigation of the worlds worst website do not display any Google map that might display the accurate location of the users. Identification of issues 2 The second criterion for the nominated website worlds worst website is its visual affect. After going through the visual affect of the nominated website it has been found that, the visual display of the website is not that much attractive towards the consumers. The website mainly consists of the list of worst websites that has been developed in the year between 2005 and 2015 [4]. Though, the list of worst websites of 2015, are also coming soon in the website. Thus it can be concluded that the colour scheme of the website is not bad but at the same time it also maintains all the standard of the responsive web design approach. Typography is referred to as an art and technique of the type arrangement. It also includes the thoughtful and deliberate selection criteria of the arrangement of different components that are necessary to develop the website. The type face of typography holds point size, length of the lines, leading, tracking facility, kerning, colour and certain more design affects [7]. The typography of the website is well maintained. The colour combination, the line length and the design affects are quite attractive from the consumers perspectives. After considering the concept of page layout it has been found that, page layout generally holds five different segments such as header, footer, sidebar left, sidebar right and content. However, after analysing the page layout of the website it has been found that the website displays a header section, footer section and a content part [3]. However, though there is a left sidebar but there is not such right sidebar in the website. If the view size of the website changes, then the display of the website will also change accordingly. Name: Navigation/website layout/access to different web-pages on the website After considering the website of worlds worst website it has been found that the layout is not similar for all the pages. Moreover, all the components of the navigation do not have drop down option [2]. The home page has the drop down button, the year wise collection of the websites shows, a drop down button where all collection years are visible. Recommendations In order to mitigate the challenges that the website of worlds worst website is facing certain recommendations are also provided. The recommendations are as follow: Usage of white space Management: In order to make the website more attractive, the developers must, use white space in the page so that all the images and the content of the page becomes clearly visible to the users. Speed of the webpage: While, the users are willing to open one page from another, then the speed of the page in required being fast. The quick response will help to grab more number of consumers throughout the world. Usage of attractive calls to action: In order to improve the current situation of the website the developer are required to use attractive calls to action such as quick response and customer care number, invoice section etc. Conclusion From the overall discussion it has been concluded that the worlds worst website website is efficient and very much attractive to the users. From this website the users will get to know about the list of the worst websites developed by the website developers. Three different perspectives are considered for analysing and review the website professionally. The review aspects include Navigation, Visual effects in terms of colour scheme, typography and page layout and navigation. The entire resultant of the website has been elaborated in this report. References English, A.B.A.,. Recommended website.European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning, p.53. 2015 Gustafson, A.,.Adaptive web design: crafting rich experiences with progressive enhancement. New Riders. 2015 Lu, W., Wei, Z., Gu, Z.Y., Liu, T.F., Park, J., Park, J., Tian, J., Zhang, M., Zhang, Q., Gentle III, T. and Bosch, M.,. Tuning the structure and function of metalorganic frameworks via linker design.Chemical Society Reviews,43(16), pp.5561-5593. 2014 Maslowska, E., Malthouse, E.C. and Bernritter, S.F.,. Too good to be true: the role of online reviews features in probability to buy.International Journal of Advertising,36(1), pp.142-163., 2017 Melnyk, S.A., Narasimhan, R. and DeCampos, H.A Supply chain design: issues, challenges, frameworks and solutions. ., 2014. Mishra, V.K. and Prantika, A.,. Impact of Social networking/Web 2.0 features in Library management software: a case study of Koha, ILMS., 2016 Sun, Z., Huang, Q., He, T., Li, Z., Zhang, Y. and Yi, L., Multistimuli?Responsive Supramolecular Gels: Design Rationale, Recent Advances, and Perspectives.ChemPhysChem,15(12), pp.2421-2430. 2014. Zhang, M., Feng, G., Song, Z., Zhou, Y.P., Chao, H.Y., Yuan, D., Tan, T.T., Guo, Z., Hu, Z., Tang, B.Z. and Liu, B.,. Two-dimensional metalorganic framework with wide channels and responsive turn-on fluorescence for the chemical sensing of volatile organic compounds.Journal of the American Chemical Society,136(20), pp.7241-7244. 2014

Noise Pollution free essay sample

Noise pollution is the disturbing or excessive noise that may harm the activity or balance of human or animal life. The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused bymachines and transportation systems, motor vehicles, aircraft, and trains. [1][2] Outdoor noise is summarized by the word environmental noise. Poor urban planning may give rise to noise pollution, since side-by-side industrial and residential buildings can result in noise pollution in the residential areas. Indoor noise is caused by machines, building activities, music performances, and especially in some workplaces. There is no great difference whether noise-induced hearing loss is brought about by outside (e. g. trains) or inside (e. g. music) noise. High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects in humans, a rise in blood pressure, and an increase in stress and vasoconstriction, and an increased incidence of coronary artery disease. In animals, noise can increase the risk of death by altering predator or prey detection and avoidance, interfere with reproduction and navigation, and contribute to permanent hearing loss. We will write a custom essay sample on Noise pollution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is extremely important that we understand how sound pollution affects us. Some of us may be suffering from the negative effects of sound pollution and not know it because they dismiss it assomething trival when it is actually not. Therefore this page will be dedicated to explaining exactly what noise pollution is about, what causes it, how to calculate sound and how fast it travels. Effects Human[edit] Noise pollution affects both health and behavior. Unwanted sound (noise) can damage psychological health. Noise pollution can cause trouble, hypertension, high stress levels,tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and other harmful effects. [3][4][5][6] Furthermore, stress and hypertension are the leading causes to health problems. [4][7] Sound becomes unwanted when it either interferes with normal activities such as sleeping, conversation, or disrupts or diminishes one’s quality of life. [8] Chronic exposure to noise may cause noise-induced hearing loss. Older males exposed to significant occupational noise demonstrate more significantly reduced hearing sensitivity than their non-exposed peers, though differences in hearing sensitivity decrease with time and the two groups are indistinguishable by age 79. A comparison of Maaban tribesmen, who were insignificantly exposed to transportation or industrial noise, to a typical U. S. population showed that chronic exposure to moderately high levels of environmental noise contributes to hearing loss. [3] High noise levels can contribute to cardiovascular effects and exposure to moderately high levels during a single eight-hour period causes a statistical rise in blood pressure of five to ten points and an increase in stress,[3] and vasoconstriction leading to theincreased blood pressure noted above, as well as to increased incidence of coronary artery disease. Noise pollution also is a cause of annoyance. A 2005 study by Spanish researchers found that in urban areas households are willing to pay approximately four Euros per decibel per year for noise reduction. [10] Wildlife[edit] Noise can have a detrimental effect on wild animals, increasing the risk of death by changing the delicate balance in predator or prey detection and avoidance, and interfering the use of the sounds in communication, especially in relation to reproduction and in navigation. Acoustic overexposure can lead to temporary or permanent loss of hearing. An impact of noise on wild animal life is the reduction of usable habitat that noisy areas may cause, which in the case of endangered species may be part of the path to extinction. Noise pollution has caused the death of certain species of whales that beachedthemselves after being exposed to the loud sound of military sonar,[12] (see also Marine mammals and sonar). Noise also makes species communicate more loudly, which is called Lombard vocal response. [13] Scientists and researchers have conducted experiments that show whales song length is longer when submarine-detectors are on. If creatures do not speak loudly enough, their voice will be masked by anthropogenic sounds. These unheard voices might be warnings, finding of prey, or preparations of net-bubbling. When one species begins speaking more loudly, it will mask other species voice, causing the whole ecosystem eventually to speak more loudly. Marine invertebrates, such as crabs (Carcinus maenas), have also been shown to be impacted by ship noise. [15][16] Larger crabs were noted to be impacted more by the sounds than smaller crabs. Repeated exposure to the sounds did lead to acclimatization. Â  European Robins living in urban environments are more likely to sing at night in places with high levels of noise pollution during the day, suggesting that they sing at night because it is quieter, and their message can propagate through the environment more clearly. [17] The same study showed that daytime noise was a stronger predictor of nocturnal singing than night-time light pollution, to which the phenomenon often is attributed. Zebra finches become less faithful to their partners when exposed to traffic noise. This could alter a populations evolutionary trajectory by selecting traits, sapping resources normally devoted to other activities and thus leading to profound genetic and evolutionary consequences. [18] CAUSES When one thinks of Unwanted Sounds or Noise Pollution, it always brings to mind images of transportation vehicles, industrial machinery, construction sites, loud speaker, big events, etc. These are very common or usual reasons of noise pollution in our internal and external surroundings. This article will give you further information about the causes of disgusting noise in our environment. Â  Public/Private Transportation Vehicle – these are one of the daily causes of noise pollution in our streets, public hi-way, etc. Why? Because in every kind of vehicle it creates disturbing sounds by starting the engines, blowing of horns, playing music from car amplifier, etc. As a result the city has now become exposed from these types of unavoidable and uncontrollable noise. 2. Industrial Machinery – there are so many various examples of industrial machinery that creates severe disturbing and hazardous sounds to the industrial workers. The multiple kinds of industrial machinery are huge generators, large compressors, cranes, furnaces, exhaust fans and many more. It is through these objects that adds distractions and complications in our ambience. 3. Construction Sites – we all know that every construction area uses huge equipments as part of their job like pay loader, crane, cement mixer, bulldozer, etc. These construction items are expected to perform vibrations and loud noise that can affect illnesses to all construction workers. 4. Loud Speaker – using loud speaker in public or private areas like residential, commercial establishment, public market, concert arena, etc. , can definitely and instantly contributes disturbing sounds in our community or environment. The sounds from the loud speakers can immediately spread in our atmosphere and undoubtedly becomes one of the causes of noise pollution. 5. Big Events – we all love celebrating big events such as birthdays, anniversaries, house parties, festivals. But, do you realize how much noise you and your special visitors can create unpleasant and very disturbing sounds in your external surroundings or neighborhood? While you and your friends are enjoying your special occasion, your angry neighborhoods are having difficulties in their sleeping hours. These are the common causes and very prominent distractions in our precious space or environment. But there are still many ways to avoid and to decrease the sounds of these unlikable and harmful sounds in your local area. With a strong understanding about the main cause of noise pollution in your area, you will surely find the perfect solution of this kind of dilemma. Measurement of Sound : The intensity of sound is measured on a scale called decibel scale or db scale. It measures the loudness of sound in terms or relative units of energy or power on a logarithm scale. The scale starts from 0 db and is considered as threshold of hearing which the human can hear. A sound of 10 db is ten times louder than 0 (zero) db and a sound of 20 db is 10 x 10 times louder and likewise a sound of 30 db is 10 x 10 x 10 times louder. Mitigation[edit] Roadway noise can be reduced by the use of noise barriers, limitation of vehicle speeds, alteration of roadway surface texture, limitation of heavy vehicles, use of traffic controls that smooth vehicle flow to reduce braking and acceleration, and tire design. An important factor in applying these strategies is a computer model for roadway noise, that is capable of addressing local topography, meteorology, traffic operations, and hypothetical mitigation. Costs of building-in mitigation can be modest, provided these solutions are sought in the planning stage of a roadway project. Aircraft noise can be reduced by using quieter jet engines. Altering flight paths and time of day runway has benefitted residents near airports. Industrial noise has been addressed since the 1930s via redesign of industrial equipment, shock mounted assemblies and physical barriers in the workplace. Legal status[edit] Main article: Noise regulation Up until the 1970s governments viewed noise as a nuisance rather than an environmental problem. In the United States, there are federal standards for highway and aircraft noise; states and local governments typically have very specific statutes on building codes, urban planning, and roadway development. Noise laws and ordinances vary widely among municipalities and indeed do not even exist in some cities. An ordinance may contain a general prohibition against making noise that is a nuisance, or it may set out specific guidelines for the level of noise allowable at certain times of the day and for certain activities. The Environmental Protection Agency retains authority to investigate and study noise and its effect, disseminate information to the public regarding noise pollution and its adverse health effects, respond to inquiries on matters related to noise, and evaluate the effectiveness of existing regulations for protecting the public health and welfare, pursuant to the Noise Control Act of 1972 and the Quiet Communities Act of 1978. Portland, Oregon instituted the first comprehensive noise code in 1975 with funding from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and HUD (Housing and Urban Development). The Portland Noise Code includes potential fines of up to $5000 per infraction and is the basis for other major U. S. and Canadian city noise ordinances. [21] Many conflicts over noise pollution are handled by negotiation between the emitter and the receiver. Escalation procedures vary by country, and may include action in conjunction with local authorities, in particular the police.

Accessibility of Mobile Phone HTC Hero by visually impaired people The WritePass Journal

Accessibility of Mobile Phone HTC Hero by visually impaired people Abstract Accessibility of Mobile Phone HTC Hero by visually impaired people Abstract1. IntroductionIn this report I will investigate the issues that visually impaired people are facing when using human computer interfaces, especially with the touch screen phone HTC Hero.1.1 Physical factors associated with visually impaired people and impact on the use of technologyMaking the most of technology can have a very positive impact, helping people who are blind and partially sighted to increase their independence and more importantly feel and be as equal as normal sighted people.1.2 What is accessibility?1.3 Considerations of human physical factors when developing a mobile phone for a visually impaired person2. Review of HTC Hero2.1 Usability testing (the Heuristic evaluation)   2.1.2. Hardware2.1.2 Software2.1.3. Services2.2 Nielsens Ten Usability Heuristics3. Personal suggested improvements3.1 Audio Input and Output3.2 Tactile Input and Output3.3 Touch screen advances3.4 Introduce Mobile Magnifier3.5 Follow W3C Guidelines for Mobile Web Services4. Conclusion5. ReferencesRelated Abstract Touch screen technology has progressed a lot in the past few years and introduced a wave of various new touch screen based devices. Most of the touch screens are still not accessible to blind users, who have to take on various other ways to use them and to make them accessible. Touch screens are inaccessible to the people with visual impairment because the human computer interface technique involves the user to visually locate objects on the screen and they do not provide verbal output to communicate where controls are located on the screen or what control the user has selected. 1. Introduction The purpose of this report is to evaluate the accessibility of the HTC Hero mobile phone for visually impaired people, in particular people that have totally lost their vision (referred as blind people) and people with partially lost vision (referred as partially sighted people or partially blind). ‘The World Health Organization (WHO) defines blindness as severe sight loss, where a person is unable to see clearly how many fingers are being held up at a distance of 3m (9.8 feet) or less, even when they are wearing glasses or contact lenses. However, someone who is blind may still have some degree of vision’. Also the‘ WHO defines partial sightedness as where a person cannot clearly see how many fingers are being held up at a distance of 6m (19 feet) or less, even when they are wearing glasses or contact lenses’. The HTC Hero has touch screen technology as the main means to input and output information. Additional issues for accessibility have been brought in as touch screen technology is being introduced to interfaces. In this report I will investigate the issues that visually impaired people are facing when using human computer interfaces, especially with the touch screen phone HTC Hero. 1.1 Physical factors associated with visually impaired people and impact on the use of technology People with total or partial blindness have decreased ability to perform the activities of daily living. Total and partial blindness affect a persons ability to read, to determine the colour of items, and general day to day activities. These people must rely on memory or depend on someone else for help. Visually impaired people rely on the technology to make their daily living easier. As visually impaired people can’t see where they walk, they run the risk of falling down much more than sighted people, therefore having mobile phone can be potentially life saver. Also, visually impaired people are less likely to be doing activities like normal sighted people, so having a mobile phone is like their eyes to the world i.e. they can reach out to people at any time and feel less isolated. The technology can help visually impaired people interact with others and communicate more effectively. Also the technology can enable visual impaired people to have more access to information, become more independent and achieve their individual aims and goals in life. The market is flooded with a variety of mobile phones, but not all of them are easily usable by people with visual impairments. It is important that technology should assist visually impaired people of all ages. Making the most of technology can have a very positive impact, helping people who are blind and partially sighted to increase their independence and more importantly feel and be as equal as normal sighted people. 1.2 What is accessibility? According to Gnome, ‘Accessibility means helping people with disabilities to participate in substantial life activities. That includes work and the use of services, products, and information’. From the definition, the understanding is that accessibility is the level to which something is accessible or usable by people with disabilities. For information technology, accessibility will mean people with disabilities be able to use software, hardware and other services that are designed and available for sighted people. Software, hardware and other services should be universally designed. Article 2 from The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, says that: Universal design means the design of products, environments, programmes and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. â€Å"Universal design† shall not exclude assistive devices for particular groups of persons with disabilities where this is needed. 1.3 Considerations of human physical factors when developing a mobile phone for a visually impaired person If we compare the mobile phones from a decade ago to todays phones, we notice that mobile phones are getting more and more complicated. In the past, all input was done via a keypad which could have been used by visually impaired people, because keypads had raised dot or raised bar on the 5 key which made it easy for visually impaired person to navigate and dial a number. Nowadays, with most mobile phones we use a touch screen or buttons and interact at any time; we can browse the internet, check our emails, take pictures and chat with friends. A visually impaired person will not be able to see the screen of the mobile phone, or navigate through the touch phone’s screen. It appears that as we are getting more advanced in the technology of mobile phones the accessibility has not improved at the same rate as the advancement in the technology. A visually impaired person cannot read the screen, cannot input information or read the output on a touch screen, and there isn’t an audible device to inform where they are navigating or have touched the phone. Therefore it is very important when developing mobile phones to take into account that visually impaired people can hear, can feel different surfaces with their fingers, but cannot read and navigate via a touch screen. 2. Review of HTC Hero The HTC Hero is a small, all-in-one device that is used for communication and computing functions. It enables us to choose the applications we want to install and use, as well as personalize the range of applications to suit our needs. Picture 1: Main Screen of HTC Hero mobile phone. Source: www.htc.com/www/product/hero/overview.html (Accessed 12 Feb 2011) We can note from the main screen of the HTC Hero mobile phone (See Picture 1) that the standard keypad has been omitted and touch screen technology is used, the human computer interaction is done by touching the screen for input and output. For a person to be able to make even a phone call on HTC Hero they need to see where on the screen they are touching; in other terms, the user of the phone interacts directly by seeing what they are touching. 2.1 Usability testing (the Heuristic evaluation) The international standard ISO 9241 Part 11 (www.iso.org) defines usability as; â€Å"The extent to which a product or system can be used by users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use† Based on this definition for usability, the further understanding is that is a system or product is not accessible, consequentially is not usable to the set of users that are unable to access it. Below is a brief heuristic evaluation of the HTC Hero mobile phone, to determine if it is accessible to a visually impaired person. The heuristic evaluation is broken into three sections: Hardware Software Services    2.1.2. Hardware Hardware is the physical mobile phone Picture 2: HTC Hero. Source: engadget.com/2009/07/23/htc-hero-review/ (Accessed 12 Feb 2011) The HTC Hero is very slim, light in weight, and can be held in the palm. The phone has definite shape and definite front/back/top/bottom to inform us which way round it should be used. The visual information displayed on the main screen is in immediate contrast with the background and is clear, but visually impaired person will not be able to see it. The phone has a white track ball (see arrow on Pic. 2) and touchpad. The track ball enables movement between screens and selects some services. A visually impaired person will not be able to see on which application or screen the trackball has stopped. The HTC Hero has 6 buttons located on the bottom of the phone, their colour is in contrast with the immediate background, and a visually impaired person by touching will recognize that there are buttons. The buttons are easy to press and have a positive â€Å"click† feel when pressed (although no noise is heard), which means that a visually impaired person will know they have pressed a button but not know the output function of the button pressed as there is no Braille labeling of buttons. A visually impaired person will not be able to see that the HTC Hero is compatible with other devices such as USB cable and Wi-Fi and there are no instructions in alternative media (such as Braille or audio). 2.1.2 Software The HTC Hero supports input and output via the touchpad. The input and output methods are via touchpad and they restrain the blind or partially sighted user from accessing the mobile phone. The software does not play an audible sound when an action is committed such as pressing a button, and the visually impaired person will not know on what is the function of the button pressed. The software does have speakerphone functionality, however the visually impaired person will not know how to access and navigate it. The HTC Hero does not have tactile input or output, such as Braille, to assist visually impaired users. 2.1.3. Services Services represent applications that can be accessed by touching an icon on the screen (See picture 3). Picture 3: HTC Hero applications and services. Source: engadget.com/2009/07/23/htc-hero-review/ (Accessed 12 Feb 2011) If the user wants to make a phone call they need to touch an icon on the screen (see arrow on Picture 3) and HTC hero will display list of all contacts. (See Picture 5). Picture 4: HTC Hero – List of Contacts and numerical keyboard. Source: www.htc.com/www/product/hero/overview.html (Accessed 12 Feb 2011) From pictures 3 and 4, it is noticeable that the input commands are on a touch screen, and the visually impaired person will not be able to use these functions on the smartphone HTC Hero. The HTC Hero doesn’t have audio, Braille controls or magnifier to navigate to assist the visually impaired person to select an application or service such as the web services. Also, the web services have not been designed following the W3C guidelines for Mobile Web Best Practices. 2.2 Nielsens Ten Usability Heuristics (Taken from Nielsens website www.useit.com ) Visibility of system status Match between system and the real world User control and freedom Consistency and standards Error prevention Recognition rather than recall Flexibility and efficiency of use Aesthetic and minimalist design Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors Help and documentation 3. Personal suggested improvements The HTC Hero has excluded tactile information and there is a lack of facilities to enable visually impaired people to access the information displayed on the touch screen. There is also a lack of audible input and output which makes it inaccessible to visually impaired people. Below are several personal suggestions that could improve the accessibility and usability of the HTC Hero for visually impaired people: 3.1 Audio Input and Output Introducing a form of Audio Input and Output functionality to the software will make an enormous difference to the HTC Hero. One suggestion would be a system where the user can press an icon on the touchpad and the phone audibly informs the user which icon the have pressed and navigates them to the next logical steps. 3.2 Tactile Input and Output Adding tactile input and output functionality to the HTC Hero could potentially help visually impaired people. The system should have the option to switch Braille on and off. Although Braille literacy is very low in number (only 2% of UK blind people can read Braille) this functionality within the software should not be omitted. 3.3 Touch screen advances A major improvement on touch screen accessibility would be made by adopting the audio-haptic interface techniques to allow non-visual access to touch screen appliances, as suggested per Vanderheiden’s Talking Fingertip Technique (Vanderheiden 2010). The Talking Fingertip Technique is a touch screen that speaks the descriptive names of the controls as the user accesses the screen by touch. 3.4 Introduce Mobile Magnifier Adding an assisted device such as a Mobile Magnifier would help partially sighted people on touch screen phone of the HTC Hero. The mobile magnifier enlarges and enhances the readability of the screen. 3.5 Follow W3C Guidelines for Mobile Web Services The HTC Hero could adopt the W3C Guidelines for developing Mobile Web Services to improve the accessibility for visually impaired people. 4. Conclusion In this report I have investigated the issues of accessibility faced by visually impaired people when using human computer interface, in particular the touch screen mobile phone. I have used the example of the HTC Hero mobile phone for a case study of accessibility and usability. I have evaluated it against the current accessibility and usability guidelines. During my research, I have found several issues that should be addressed if the HTC Hero is to become accessible and usable by visually impaired people. These issues include a lack of usage of assisted devices such as: audio input and output tactile input and output magnifier for visually impaired people not following the W3C Guidelines for Mobile Web Services I have suggested several improvements to the HTC Hero that can be made by using existing technology. These suggestions for improvements include following W3C guidelines for improving accessibility for mobile phones, introducing audio input and output, tactile input and output, adoption the Vanderheiden’s Talking Fingertip Technique and possibly the adoption of mobile magnifier. Hopefully, these suggestions will help developers to add accessibility to their applications in a way that is straight forward for the developer and intuitive for the user. 5. References Definition for blindness and partial blind: nhs.uk/conditions/Visual-impairment/Pages/Introduction.aspx   (Last Accessed 12 Feb 2011). Definition of Accessibility, Gnome: http://library.gnome.org/devel/accessibility-devel-guide/stable/gad.html.en (Last Accessed 12 Feb 2011). Definition of usability: iso.org/iso/ (Last Accessed 12 Feb 2011). Mobile Magnifier, sightandsound.co.uk/products/?category=1subcat=31minorcat=8 (Last Accessed 27 Feb 2011). Pictures1, 2 3: www.htc.com/www/product/hero/overview.html (Last Accessed 12 Feb 2011). Picture 4: engadget.com/2009/07/23/htc-hero-review/ (Last Accessed 12 Feb 2011). Statistics about Braille literacy: webbie.org.uk/webbie.htm (Last Accessed 26 Feb 2011). UN convention for the rights of people with disabilities: un.org/disabilities/convention/conventionfull.shtml (Last Accessed 26 Feb 2011). Use of audio-haptic interface (Vanderheiden) http://trace.wisc.edu/docs/touchscreen/chi_conf.htm (Last Accessed 27 Feb 2011). W3C guidelines for Mobile w3.org/TR/mobile-bp/   (Last Accessed 27 Feb 2011).

How to Answer the Hypothetical Interview Question

How to Answer the Hypothetical Interview Question Pop quiz, hotshot: It’s your first day on the job, and everything is going wrong. How do you fix it? If you get this kind of question during a job interview, it can be alarming, to say the least. It feels like the interviewer is giving you a direct challenge, and if you answer incorrectly, you shall not pass. But if you are asked to solve a hypothetical problem, don’t panic. There’s a method that will help you get through it. Here’s how you can answer the hypothetical interview question.DO take a few seconds to gather yourself.First instincts may get you through in bar trivia nights or emergency situations, but this is neither. You want to make sure you’re giving a reasoned, thoughtful response. The person is testing your problem solving skills and your thinking processes, so you want to make sure you’re showing those off.DON’T blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.This isn’t Jeopardy!, and you don’t get a bonus fo r being the first to buzz in. Again, the interviewer is watching you to see how you approach something, not just the end result.DO ask questions if you need to clarify.This can also buy you a little thinking-on-your-feet time.DON’T ramble or go off on tangents.This is a nervous habit that can be tough to break, and the best way to get around that tendency is to think about this ahead of time. Sure, it’s difficult to anticipate beforehand exactly what (if any) hypothetical situations the interviewer could use, so do some general prep.Look closely at the job description. Is it heavy on client service? If so, you might be asked to talk about how to handle a sticky situation with a client or stakeholder. Is the job focused around deadlines? You might have to field a question about what to do about potentially missing one of those deadlines. It’s unlikely that the interviewer will ask you something entirely unrelated to the job you’re seeking, so the descripti on is a good place to start for anticipating such a question.DO think about your own history.The hypothetical question is a cousin to the â€Å"tell me about a time you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  question. And that’s one you should already have in your pocket ahead of interview day. Have you-specific examples of things like problem solving, communication successes, or challenges you’ve faced down. If these are at all related to the hypothetical situation posed, you can adapt. If it’s very similar, you can say, â€Å"That’s actually like a situation I had at X Corp. Here’s what I did in that scenario†¦Ã¢â‚¬ DON’T feel pressured to give a definitive answer to the problem.Talk about the process of resolving: where you would start, who you would loop in, which steps you would take to arrive at a possible solution, and then what you would do to choose the best option. The interviewer isn’t asking you to solve the problem and achieve world peace right now, she wants to see how you would approach it.The hypothetical question can be a sticky point in an interview, but if you know what they’re looking for (process) and how to lay it out (clearly and calmly), you’ll be past it and back into more familiar territory in no time.

Code-switching Among Students in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Code-switching Among Students in the UK - Essay Example This paper has been a pilot study to investigate the code-switching between English and Arabic among the Kuwaiti students in the utterances and construction level in the speech.The respondents of this study were undergraduate and postgraduate Kuwaiti students, studying in one of the UK universities programmes of both genders in different ages. The target population were from different universities, majors, and social status. The graph shows the results of the analysis. Most of the respondents do not find it a reason to code switch from Arabic to English because they want to raise audience and interest of what they are talking about with about 40 per cent said they slightly agree. There was about 25 per cent of those who disagree slightly with this fact while about 15 per cent strongly disagree. The first language of the target and sample population is Arabic, and second language is English where most of them have learned it as a compulsory subject at the age of six in the state schoo ls or earlier if they were in private schools. The quantitative method was used in this research. This was aimed at providing data for meeting the objectives of the study. This report makes a conclusion that this was a pilot study and it was aimed at finding out how the actual research will be conducted. The main aim was to find out the structure of the questions and how well they were understood by the respondents. Based on the results analyzed, most of the research questions were well understood. This is because there was no missing question that the respondents did not answer.

Poverty and how it links to globalization (Africa) Research Paper

Poverty and how it links to globalization (Africa) - Research Paper Example African countries are less likely to benefit from globalization due to the fact that they are at the lowest integration level with the rest of the world (Docquier and Hillel 690). As much as globalization can affect the growth of a region in a positive way, the case in Africa is different. For instance, African states need to maintain a strong and stable macro-economic framework as well as conducting major institutional reforms like promotion of good governance in all its angles. This paper is going to show why Africa still suffers harmful economic systems, conflict, environmental problems and population growth despite being exposed to globalization. Liberalists view globalization as the best tool of relieving poverty and providing the have-nots with a secure position from which they can make further progress in the global economy (Kacowicz 570). In Africa, the nationalists fought for independence because of economic exploitation by their various colonial powers. Despite globalization, Africans are still suppressed economically through the European Imperialism, whereby the first world countries from the west exploit the third world countries in Africa. This means that African states are still controlled by western powers through signing of trade pacts, some of which have unfavorable conditions. Most African economies depend on one a single export, which is agricultural produce; hence they lack diversification (De Janvry and Elisabeth 20). Over the past decades, the market value of Africa’s agricultural produce has been deteriorating amid the steady rising cost of imports to Africa. This shows that the current global market disadvantages these mono-economies, as they have to dramatically in order to pay for the same amount of imports. For instance, in 1962, it took two tons of sisal export in Tanzania to pay for the import of one tractor (Cooksey and Tim 1). The case was different in 1980 since Tanzania had to export six tons of sisal in order to pay for the

The Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide Essay Example for Free

The Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide Essay The Legalization of Physician Assisted Suicide Of all the controversial topics to I could have chosen to discuss, the topic of physician assisted death is one that seems to be very taboo, even to date. Oregon is the only state to successfully pass a bill legalizing the practice; this bill is called the Death With Dignity Act (DWDA). Some may confuse physician-assisted death with euthanasia, yet they are two completely different acts. Euthanasia requires a physician, or other entity, to administer a deadly concoction; physician-assisted death is at the request of a terminally ill patient, the doctor provides a prescription of lethal medication which the patient takes of their own free will when they decide the time has come. The legalization of physician-assisted suicide will open up just one more option for patients suffering from terminal illnesses and allow them to die with a little dignity. Terminally ill patients don’t have a lot of options, most suffer greatly on a day-to-day basis. The addition of just one more option to such a short list can do a lot to psychologically comfort a patient. In his essay â€Å"Physician-Assisted Death in the United States: Are the Existing Last Resorts Enough?† Timothy E. Quill outlines several aspects of physician-assisted death, specifically the fact that terminally ill patients need as many options as they can get. Terminally ill patients suffer a great deal; they know that eventually they will die. He states that there are â€Å"several ‘last resort’ options, including aggressive pain management, foregoing life-sustaining therapies, voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, and sedation to unconsciousness [†¦]† (17-22). Some of the suggested last-resort methods seem to be no better than physician-assisted suicide. Take, for example, the method of voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED); for a patient, who is already suffering from the chronic pain of illness, is it fair to ask them to add the suffering of voluntary hunger and dehydration? Sedation to unconsciousness seems to be no better of a solution; the patient is put into a comatose state until they eventually die. This solution seems to ease the suffering of the patient, yet extend the suffering of the family. Aside from VSED and sedation, to forgo life-sustaining therapies seems to be no better. If a pati ent is currently undergoing palliative care to treat symptoms that are causing them to suffer, why stop the treatment and increase the suffering rather than end  the suffering once and for all? Quill goes on to discuss the fact that the choices available to a terminally ill patient are so few that there should be no harm in adding just one more to the very short list. For example, Quill states that â€Å"some patients will need a way out, and arbitrarily withholding one important option from patients whose options are so limited seems unfair† (17-22). Quill makes the point that a patient suffering from a terminal illness will want a way out; not necessarily a way out of life, but a way out of the suffering. There are very few options for someone with chronic suffering, as relief is difficult to come by for someone who is dying. Physician-assisted suicide is just one of these options, and it’s an option that should not be overlooked. In addition, Quill goes further to state that the option of physician-assisted suicide is only an option, just one choice a patient can make about their own health care. â€Å"Most patients will be reassured by the possibility of an escape, and the vast majority will never need to activate that possibility† (17-22). This is a very powerful quote, as it brings forth the point of legalizing physician -assisted suicide doesn’t mean that the act will result in a large amount of deaths. The legalization of the act will simply add one more possibility to the list of last-resorts available to a patient. The quote also goes as far as to say that the vast majority of patients will simply be reassured that, should all other options be exhausted, there is still the possibility of a final escape; never actually needing to use it, should palliative care and hospice suffice in controlling the symptoms of suffering. With the examples provided, we can see that the need for legalizing physician-assisted death is important for patients who suffer from day today. Opening just one more option, when there are so few to choose from, will give the patients a sense of reassurance that they can still have control over their lives. Physician-assisted death is intended as a last resort option; denying the patient a final escape, when all other options have been exhausted, is unfair. Now that we’ve established that a terminally ill patient will benefit from knowing that they have the option of a final escape, let’s talk about why a patient would resort to using physician-assisted suicide. Among the most sensible reasons to end one’s life, the thought of an end to suffering comes to mind. However, we already know that end-of-life palliative care is put into place in order to help  ease the suffering and pain of a terminal illness. This is true, but when is too much? Going back to Timothy Quill, he states that â€Å"there will always be a small percentage of cases where suffering sometimes becomes unacceptably severe [†¦]† (17-22). While suffering is a constant, there are several degrees of suffering; sometimes this suffering can be easily controlled with palliative care and aggressive pain management. However, Quill notes that there are times where the suffering cannot be easily controlled, and there comes a point when it becomes simply unacceptable. When suffering reaches this point, it is time for a patient to start thinking about last resort options; looking for a way to end the suffering. A patient living with terminal cancer is, without a doub t, suffering. Palliative care and hospice care are programs put into place with no intent other than to alleviate the suffering. In her essay â€Å"Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: There is an Alternative†, Sylvia Dianne Ledger describes suffering as such, â€Å"It occurs when a person perceives the impending destruction of themselves, and it is associated with a loss of hope† (81-94). This description of human suffering is excellent when trying to advocate an end to said suffering. Ledger states that a person suffers when they sense their own destruction, when they realize that their end is near. Facing one’s own mortality is not an easy thing to do. The thought of being unable to stop your own demise can, indeed, cause great suffering. Ledger goes as far as to say that this realization of one’s own mortality is associated with a loss of hope, a sense of despair. Along with a loss of hope, there are several reasons why a patient would choose physician-assisted suicide as a last resort option. In an article titled â€Å"The Case for Physician-Assisted Suicide: How can it Possibly be Proven?† from the Journal of Medical Ethics, E Dahl and N Levy report that, according to Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act, â€Å"the most frequently reported reasons for choosing physician-assisted death under the DWDA are ‘loss of autonomy’, ‘loss of dignity’, and ‘loss of the ability to enjoy the activities that make life worth living’† (335-338). This report notes that the top reasons for a patient to choose physician-assisted suicide as the final option don’t even include an escape from the physical pain. Being terminally ill makes life simply un-enjoyable. The number one reason given for physician-assisted death is a loss of autonomy. To lose the ability to have  control over one’s life can be psychologically devastating. The loss of dignity and the ability to enjoy life came in closely behind to round out the top three reasons for wanting death as a final escape. When palliative care doesn’t sufficiently ease the pain experienced on a daily basis, last-resort options should be made available to a patient. When chronic pain and illness take away one’s ability to enjoy life, take away one’s dignity, and take away the human right of autonomy, an option to end the suffering once and for all should be made available. Even the sick deserve to maintain some semblance of their former selves and die with a little dignity. Those who are against physician-assisted suicide have a valid argument, there are always options to ease suffering and control symptoms. Both hospice and palliative care are viable options in the case of terminally ill patients. While discussing alternative options to physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, Sylvia Dianne Ledger discusses how far end-of-life care programs have come in helping the terminally ill cope with their disease. She notes that â€Å"with the rise of the hospice movement and the availability of its knowledge and experience in the control of distressing symptoms in terminal disease, there is no longer any real indication for euthanasia† (81-94). Ledger notes that both forms of end-of-life care have improved greatly over the years, becoming more and more viable when considering end-of-life options. She notes that they have improved in ease of access, becoming more available to patients through reimbursement programs due their growing popularity. Hospice and palliative care are not only more easily accessible to patients with a need for end-of-life treatment, but their mode of delivery has become more efficient; nurses can now come to nursing homes, hospitals, even patient homes, in order to provide care specific to each patient’s needs. While these programs continue to improve the quality of care they provide, Ledger notes that they also remain a standard among end-of-life care programs and that their implementation leave no room for more drastic options. With such wonderful programs in place and so easily accessible, E. Dahl and N. Levy note that the topic of physician-assisted suicide can actually lead into a discussion about other end-of-life options. They state that â€Å"a request for a  prescription can be an opportunity for a medical provider to explore with patients their fears and wishes around end of life care, and to make  patients aware of other options† (335-338). This means that when a patient believes that their suffering requires a more direct and aggressive action, perhaps suicide shouldn’t be the first option. For a patient to request aid in dying opens up the chance to discuss other options for end of life care. These options are, more often than not, palliative and hospice care. A patient has access to medication to control pain as well as a wide variety of other symptoms. Only after discussing these options should a patient consider ending their life. While discussing how talks about physician-assisted suicide have shed a new light on the palliative care option, Wesley J. Smith addresses the ideas of suicide among patients who are currently enrolled in such programs. He states that â€Å"[†¦] suicide prevention, when needed, is an essential part of the package, crucial to fulfilling a hospice’s call to value the lives and intrinsic dignity of each patient until the moment of natural death† (85-86). The argument with this phrase is that hospice care programs are aware of the suffering, and realize that patients who are already enrolled in their programs are possibly contemplating an end to their lives. He notes that suicide prevention is actually one of the many services offered by hospice programs. This service is offered because the idea of a hospice is to make a patient as comfortable as possible before their lives end of natural causes. He continues by saying that suicide prevention is crucial to maintaining the values of hospice care: to value the life and basic dignities of patients enrolled in their programs. There are several wonderful arguments for why patients should choose a long (or short) term care program over suicide, these programs are set up to control pain and other symptoms. These programs have improved greatly over the last several years, and are now able to provide better care; reimbursement programs have also become available, as both hospice and palliative care have become a very widely accepted form of last-resort treatments among the terminally ill. While end-of-life care programs are excellent, and offer relief from many of the symptoms affecting patients, these programs seem to do little to overcome the underlying issues causing a patient to desire a final escape. The biggest issue with the ever-expanding hospice and palliative care programs is a lack of manpower. Timothy Quill addresses this issue when discussing last resort options. He states that â€Å"there remain serious challenges. There are not enough skilled  palliative care clinicians to meet the growing needs [†¦]† (17-22). This is definitely a problem with the end-of-life programs which are growing rapidly. With programs such as Medicaid who are willing to reimburse patients who truly need palliative care, many more patients who are actively dying will be enrolling in these programs. If these programs are not fully prepared and staffed to meet their growing clientele, there won’t be enough nurses available to treat patients. Quill goes on to state that even if a patient is fully educated on palliative care options, enrolled, and being treated by a nurse, this may not be a reason to rule out the final escape. He notes that â€Å"all last resort options, including physician-assisted death, make sense only if excellent palliative care is already being provided† (17-22). This argument directly refutes the opposition’s view that hospice and palliative care are acceptable altern atives to physician-assisted-death. He states that the last resort options only become acceptable if all other options have been exhausted. Once a patient has enrolled in hospice care and an aggressive pain management system has been implemented, what if they continue to suffer. At this point, once palliative care has failed to control the suffering, physician-assisted death is an option that should be considered. When discussing how physician-assisted suicide has corrupted palliative care programs, Wesley J. Smith provides data which further refutes the opposition’s claim. He states that â€Å"according to the state, approximately 86 percent of people who died by swallowing poisonous overdoses under the Oregon law were receiving hospice care at the time they committed suicide† (85-86). It’s clear that the alternative to physician-assisted suicide is not doing a well-enough job of keeping patients’ suffering to a minimum. In Oregon, where physician-assisted death is legal, a vast majority of patients who take advantage of this option have already tried the alternatives. Hospice care may work, for a time, but if the suffering continues while the patient is receiving treatment to control the symptoms, there is still one option left. Through these examples it can be seen that, while hospice and palliative care are programs that are designed to control symptoms and comfort a patient in their last moments, they can’t be the absolute answer. Pain is not the only thing causing patients to suffer. A terminally ill patient who has little control over what is left of their time deserve to maintain their dignity in death;  legalizing physician-assisted suicide will give patients one last moment of control over their lives. A patient doesn’t have a lot of options when the prognosis is death, and the options on the list aren’t necessarily the best. When suggestions such as voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, or sedation into permanent unconsciousness are suggested, it seems almost unfair to deny a patient the option of a final, absolute escape. While hospice and palliative care have a come a long way, and are indeed viable programs for symptom management, there are still aspects of suffering that they cannot control. Pain is just symptom of a terminally patient. Reports of loss of autonomy, loss of dignity, and an inability to enjoy life seem to be at the top of the list when patients begin discussing the desire for death. While the arguments against physician-assisted death hold weight, and make good points, the fact remains that denying someone one last option to control their life is unfair. When someone has lost the ability to enjoy life, lost the sense of control over their own destiny, the availability of a final escape is comforting. Physician-assisted death should be legalized, in order to provide patients just one more option on a list that is so incredibly short. The simple availability of this option should, at the very least, comfort patients if they know that they have a final resort should all other possibilities be exhausted. Works Cited Dahl, E. and Levy, N. â€Å"The Case for Physician Assisted Suicide: How Can It Possibly Be Proven?† Journal of Medical Ethics 32.6 (2006): 335-338. ProQuest Research Library. 10 Apr 2012 Ledger, Sylvia Dianne. â€Å"Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: There is an Alternative.† Ethics Medicine 23.2 (2007): 81-94. ProQuest Research Library. 10 Apr 2012. Smith, Wesley J. â€Å"Assisted Suicide and the Corruption of Palliative Care.† Human Life Review 34.2 (2008): 85-86. ProQuest Research Library. 12 Apr 2012 Quill, Timothy E. â€Å"Physician-Assisted Death in the United States: Are the Existing ‘Last Resorts’ Enough?† The Hasting Center Report 38.5 (2008): 17-22. JSTOR. 10 Apr 2012

Commodity Fetishism in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence :: Edith Wharton Age Innocence Essays

Commodity Fetishism in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence Commodity fetishism is a term first coined by Karl Marx in his 1867 economic treatise, Das Kapital. It takes two words, one with a historically economic bent and another with a historically religious bent, and combines them to form a critical term describing post-industrial revolution, capitalist economies. Specifically, this term was used to describe the application of special powers or ideas to products that carried no such inherent value. In Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, old New York society is dissected as if the book were a study in cultural anthropology. One of the critical elements of this society is its emphasis on material items. From Parisian dresses to brand name cigars, this society is particularly interested in what a member owns. A brief examination of how commodities affect the creation an identity and social order in Wharton’s New York will be endeavored. But first, commodity fetishism will be defined more specifically before we can apply Marx’s ideas to the novel. The comprising elements of this term will be examined to create a general understanding of the economic and social ideas that went into its creation. The term â€Å"commodity† is often considered to be synonymous with a â€Å"good,† any produced item, such as refined sugar or textiles (Spickard). Although this seems a decent, basic definition, a commodity actually refers to something useful that can be turned to commercial or other advantage. The key point here is that a good fails to be a commodity when it no longer has a commercial advantage. A pile of gold is only a commodity if someone agrees to buy it. The term â€Å"fetish†, despite the prevalent sexual connotations of today, actually has a religious origin. A fetish is any object that is believed to have special or magical powers, often associated with animistic or shamanistic religions. Thus, to make something a fetish is to infuse an inanimate or material object with special powers above and beyond that of its physical self. The concept of commodity fetishism, then, was used by Marx to describe the over-appraisal of commodities in a capitalist economy. What is Marx saying? How can something be â€Å"worth† more than it’s worth? This occurs when the â€Å"use value,† the natural capacity to satisfy a human want, of something is of different worth than its â€Å"exchange value,† the social capacity to be exchangeable for other commodities (Wenning).

Australian Literature Essay

Good morning writers, students, and guests, welcome to the Youth Forum. Today I will be discussing the Australian identity in contemporary literature. The main question being asked today is â€Å"Does contemporary literature encourage young readers to look beyond Australian stereotypes?.† I will be discussing my point of view, which will be backed up with reasons based on evidence I have found in four different Australian contemporary literature texts. We’re in the 21st century, and right now there is such a huge variety of contemporary literature that encourages young adults to look beyond Australian stereotypes. In this speech I will discuss why I agree with contemporary literature encouraging young readers to look beyond Australian stereotypes. The reason I have chosen to agree with the statement is because of the proof of evidence I have found in the following texts: Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden, Looking for Alibandi by Melina Marchetta, The Drover’s Wife by Henry Lawson, and An Australian Short Story by Ryan O’Neill. Body The classic Australian stereotype is very narrow; a particular slang, wears cowboy hats, lives on big farms in the outback, etc. After reviewing the screenplay to looking for Alibandi, it shows a great example of the mixed cultures Australia has, and how we can adapt other cultures into our own traditions. It shows this by the Italian background in Josie’s family. The setting also brings in the city, and landmarks, backing up the claim that the whole of Australia is not an outback. The way she dresses isn’t in boots and cowboy hats but in a multi-cultural way that shows the generation she lives in, and represents her background. Tomorrow when the war began shows the underlay of the Australian stereotype. On the outside it has the average stereotype, but the personalities and emotions the characters bring, proves how much it goes beyond. The personality of an â€Å"average Australian† towards other countries is very â€Å"country aussie† but it’s more than that. The characters in this book show integrity, determination, and wellbeing. The book describes these main three characteristics, as well as many others, which gives readers the chance to understand a more realistic interpretation. Tomorrow when the war began also describes the political view of war and represents the power of a non-democratic country. Henry Lawson’s The Drovers Wife purposely took the ordinary Australians as the subject theme. He used a bush setting, and had a more realistic Australian style. But it isn’t the story itself that is indulging; the melodramatic dialogue that pushes past the Australian stereotype. It’s not the story its self, it’s the hidden meaning in the text. The Drover’s Wife both challenges and reinforces the Australian stereotype. This short story is simple. There isn’t any grand scenes or intense rhetorical indifferences. The message that this story brings is the endless bravery, hardships and perseverance that these women have. This story brings a whole new vision of Australian woman, going beyond the Australian stereotype, and brings a whole new meaning to elegance and courage. An Australian Short Story, written by Ryan O’Neill, is such an in-depth piece of literature. The story’s artistic format brings a new meaning to Australian literature, and the typical stereotype. Ryan O’Neill took a chance on this story, because he isn’t an Australian. But after living in Australia for many years, he took the time to really notice things. And with that, he chose to write what he saw and felt. And that was beyond the Australian stereotype. He chose to write in a way they almost spoke out; that everyone is human, and no matter where we come from, the details we see up close, bring a whole new perspective then the ones we see far away. Conclusion I would like to end as I begun, with the statement that Australian contemporary literature does encourage young readers to look beyond Australian stereotypes. I’ve proven this by the evidence I have found in four different texts. I think there is great promise in Australian literature because it’s always evolving, new generations of writers, with new idea that will continue to shape and change the perspective of Australians. Australian literature is written artistically, not commercially and uses inescapable words and languages to embrace the implausible delight. This is provided by virtually all literature is given a boarder understanding of people so it automatically is giving the chance for readers to look beyond stereotypes. Every character in stories are individuals, and its only the author who choses weather or not they are going to push the boundaries of the average stereotype. The only way for them not to go beyond is weather they are making a statement about the stereotype or just in face that they are poor authors.  So read up, and fill your minds with inexplicable wonder of Australian minds, and learn to understand the meaning of the way they live and the passions they desire.

Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods Essay

Our ancestors first cultivated plants some ten thousand years ago. They domesticated animals later and then selectively bred both plants and animals to meet various requirements for human food. Humans discovered natural biological processes such as fermentation of fruits and grains to make wine and beer, and yeast for baking bread. Manipulation of foods is not a new story, therefore. The latest agricultural discovery uses genetic engineering technology to modify foods. Farmers and plant breeders have been changing crop plants to improve characteristics such as size, resistance to disease and taste. Plants which grow well, have a higher yield or taste better are selected and bred from. This is still the most widely used technique for developing new varieties of a crop, and is limited by natural barriers which stop different species of organisms from breeding with each other. Genetic modification is very different to these traditional plant breeding techniques. Genetic modification is the insertion of DNA from one organism to another, usually by molecular technologies. Genetically Modified Foods (GMF) are animals or plants that have had genetic modification. This changes the characteristics of the organism, or the way it grows and develops. Jim Maryanski from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, had the following to say in an interview published on the FDA’s website. “There are hundreds of new plant varieties introduced every year in the United States, and all have been genetically modified through traditional plant breeding techniques–such as cross-fertilization of selected plants–to produce desired traits.” (Robin)Current and future GM products include:a)Food that can deliver vaccines – bananas that produce hepatitis B vaccineb)More nutritious foods – rice with increased iron and vitaminsc)Faster growing fish, fruit and nut treesd)Plants producing new plasticsIn so many respects, genetic modification is perfect for today’s society. It would help agriculturalists overcome all headaches associated with growing large crops, and basically tailor the food growth industry to mass consumption by the general population. The famous frost-resistant tomato example is perfect in illustrating this point. With a tomato that  resists frost, the season for growing them would be longer and therefore a farmer would be able to produce more tomatoes in one year than they were able to do in the past. Gene technology not only gives us the potential to select the exact characteristics we want in an organism, but it also enables us to cross species barriers. For example, we can take an insecticide-producing gene from a bacterium and insert it into a plant, making the plant resistant to insect attack. This new-found ability to cross species barriers is what makes gene technology such a powerful tool. Producing enough food for the world’s population without using up all the available land is an enormous challenge. One solution is to develop crops that yield more with fewer inputs; that are more resistant to diseases; that spoil less during storage and transport; that contain more useful nutrients; and that can grow in agricultural land that has been degraded. Gene technology gives us the potential to do this. Genetically modified foods have been available since the 1990s. The principal ingredients of GM foods currently available are derived from genetically modified soybean, maize and canola. The first commercially grown genetically modified food crop was a tomato created by Calgene called the FlavrSavr. Calgene submitted it to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for assessment in 1992; following the FDA’s determination that the FlavrSavr was, in fact, a tomato, did not constitute a health hazard, and did not need to be labeled to indicate it was genetically modified, Calgene released it into the market in 1994, where it met with little public comment. Considered to have a poor flavor, it never sold well and was off the market by 1997. However, it had improved solids contents which made it an attractive new variety for canned tomatoes. Transgenic crops are grown commercially or in field trials in over 40 countries and on 6 continents. In 2000, about 109.2 million acres (442,000 km ²) were planted with transgenic crops, the principal ones being herbicide- and insecticide-resistant soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola. Other crops grown commercially or field-tested are a sweet potato resistant to a US strain of a virus that affects one out of the more than 89 different varieties of sweet potato grown in Africa, rice with increased iron and  vitamins such as golden rice, and a variety of plants able to survive extreme weather. Between 1996 and 2001, the total surface area of land cultivated with GMOs had increased by a factor of 30, from 17,000 km ² (4.2 million acres) to 520,000 km ² (128 million acres). The value for 2002 was 145 million acres (587,000 km ²) and for 2003 was 167 million acres (676,000 km ²). Soybean crop represented 63% of total surface in 2001, maize 19%, cotton 13% and canola 5%. In 2004, the value was about 200 million acres (809,000 km ²) of which 2/3 were in the United States. In particular, Bt corn is widely grown, as are soybeans genetically designed to tolerate glyphosate herbicides. Future applications of GMOs include bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B, fish that mature more quickly, fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier, and plants that produce new plastics with unique properties. The next decade will see exponential progress in GM product development as researchers gain increasing and unprecedented access to genomic resources that are applicable to organisms beyond the scope of individual projects. Biologist Stephen Nottingham explains the risks of GMF:“Experimental trials with transgenic organisms are usually conducted strict regulations to minimize the potential spread of genetic materialÂ…Even given these regulations, however, no field trial can be said to be 100% secure. This was illustrated when flooding struck the American Midwest in July 1993 and an entire field of experimental insect-resistant maize was swept away in Iowa. Â…once released accidentally into the environment, plant material may prove difficult to recover. (Bragi)Unique ecological risks have been associated with virus-resistant transgenic crop plantsÂ…leaving crops more vulnerable to virus attack and risking the spread of virus susceptibility to other plants. Genetically modified foods are unlikely to present direct risks to human health. There are two main areas of concern:a)The possibility of allergic reactions to genetically modified foods, andb)The possibility that bacteria living in the human gut may acquire resistance to antibiotics from marker  genes present in transgenic plants. Proponents claim that a genetically-modified potato is as safe as one modified the old-fashioned way, through generations of selective breeding; biotechnology just gets the job done more quickly. Critics are concerned that mixing together genetic material from different species might produce unexpected allergic reactions in the person who eats or drinks it. For instance, if an individual consumer who is allergic to broccoli eats a banana that just happens to have a little broccoli DNA under the peel, that person might get sick. Some studies on animals indicate that consuming genetically-modified foods may cause allergic responses, compromise immune systems and inhibit organ growth, although no proven cases of widespread reactions have been definitively documented. Opponents of biotech foods want other questions answered, as well. Will re-engineering a plant or animal to serve a specific end, such as improving taste, decrease its nutritional value? Will consuming genetically-modified food products make a person more resistant to antibiotics, which are widely used to treat bacterial infections? Does consuming milk or meat from livestock that has been injected with growth hormones (a form of biotechnology that is different from genetic modification) subject consumers to early puberty, cancer, and other ailments?Since neither side has been able to provide definitive answers, the jury is still out on food safety; after all, genetic technology itself is barely decades old. So one can condense the issue into a single question: should we move forward with new technologies that might help provide higher crop yields, new and interesting types of food products, and more profits for the companies that own the technology; or play it safe and wait until we better understand the health and environmental consequences of manipulating life forms that took generations to develop?Multinational Corporations benefit because GMF can be very profitable. GMF have taken hold quickly because multinational corporations with the resources to make large financial investments in research and development can profit directly. Multinational companies can spread out the benefit and profit to many branches of their businesses. Many such corporations combine the following: an agrochemical company, a seed  company, a pharmaceutical company, a food processing company and sometimes businesses involved with veterinary products. Developments in one part of the corporation can be used t o sell products in another branch. Farmers benefit in the short term because they can grow and sell more crops with fewer problems due to weeds, pests, fungi or frost. The genetically modified seed is designed to resist these traditional enemies. Food processing companies benefit from a ready supply of raw food ingredients designed for specific processing needs. Genetically modified tomatoes and potatoes, for instance, have higher solid contents and yield more sauces and French fries. These foods take longer to ripen and rot. Thus less food is spoiled and more gets processed. Supermarkets benefit for the same reasons. The fresh produce lasts longer on the shelves and is more profitable. Consumers, to date, haven’t benefited. GMF have been developed for the convenience of the producer and processor. Yet they cost more to produce and the costs get passed along to the consumer. Eventually there will be some kind of designer novelty foods for shoppers to try. Nottingham adds that there are many other concerns including ethical questions involving animal welfare, whether DNA is actual life, and intellectual property rights and genetic resources from the Third World. (Bragi)The world’s poorest nations account for around 95.7% of the world’s genetic resources. Traditional farming practices involve farmers retaining seeds, from the harvest of one year’s crop, for planting in the following year. This practice saves money on buying seed and in itself represents a continuous selection for yield and resistance to pests and diseases. However, with genetically modified seed, royalties are payable to the companies holding the patent for the seed. Under world trade agreement rulings, farmers have to make substantial royalty payments to multinational companies if they keep seed for replanting, even if the crop happens to be native to their particular country. Genetic engineering is a valuable new technology that can develop more plentiful and nutritious foods, with great potential benefits for humanity and the environment, and this new scientific discovery needs to be implemented as quickly as possible for humanitarian reasons. As with every new scientific technology, harmful side effects of genetic engineering are inevitable and great care should be taken in its implementation, including carefully controlled long-term tests on human health and environmental impacts. All genetically engineered foods have been thoroughly tested and demonstrated to be safe before they are released into the marketplace. However, this testing is typically conducted only on rats and other animals, by the companies involved. Very little of this research has been reviewed by independent scientists and then published in scientific journals. Genetically engineered foods are usually â€Å"substantially equivalent† to other foods, with no increased risk to human health, and no need for the lengthy and expensive human testing demanded of, for example, new food additives. However, the unpredictable disruptions in normal DNA functioning caused by genetic engineering can produce unanticipated and unknown side effects for human health, including unknown and unpredictable toxins and allergens, and these possibilities can only be definitively assessed through human testing. Genetic engineering is a scientific and technological process, and its evaluation and governmental regulation should be based on purely scientific and objective criteria. To have a purely scientific evaluation of genetically engineered foods, we need more science, especially human studies and environmental studies. Moreover, purely scientific assessment of genetic engineering ignores the fact that, for many people, food has cultural, ethical and religious dimensions that must also be considered. Alan McHughen, author of Pandora’s Picnic Basket: The Potential and Hazards of Genetically Modified Foods, in the introduction he states:†Make no mistake: I am in favor of an orderly and appropriately regulated introduction of some GMOs into the environment and marketplace, and I  adamantly oppose others. There are good reasons to ban certain products of genetic technology, and good reasons to allow, with management, certain others; some may require no extraordinary regulation at all. If your opinion differs from mine after reading this book, I hope you will be able to justify, if only to yourself, why we disagree. My philosophy is to be skeptical, be critical, even cynical of claims by business interests, government agencies, and activist groups. But also keep an open mind and then decide for yourself.† (Internet 7)ThereÂ’s no doubt that the GM food supply should be closely monitored and regulated, but that doesnÂ’t mean it should all be banned. I believe that genetic engineering of plants, animals, and humans has much to offer as long as we are aware of potential benefits and side effects. And thatÂ’s true even for more traditional methods of farming, animal husbandry, and medicine. Work Sited: 1.Cummings, Michael R., and Williams S. Klug. Concepts of Genetics. New Delhi: Pearson Education, 2004. 2.Dubey, R.C. A Textbook of Biotechnology. New Delhi: S. Chand, 20063.Kumar, H.D. Modern Concepts of Biotechnology. New Delhi: Vikash Publishing House, 20034.Purohit, S. Agricultural Biotechnology. India: Agrobios, 20055.Purohit, S. Biotechnology: Fundamental and Applications. India: Agrobios, 2004Internet Reference:1.Bragi, David. “Food Savior Or Frankenfood? The Debate Over Genetically Modified Foods”. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/gate/archive/2001/06/25/healthwatch.DTL2.Robbin, Adria. “What Are We Eating?” http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f00/web1/robbin.html3.Schultz, Norman. http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/fact_finding_limits/4.Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/genetic_engineering5.Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia. http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/genetically_modified_food6.“Genetic Engineering: The Controversy”. http://www.genetic-id.com/prosncons/index.htm7.http://www.foodmuseum.com/issues.html

Effect of the Normans on Middle English essays

Effect of the Normans on Middle English essays The year 1066 had a resounding impact on the course of English history. William the First, Duke of Normandy, conquered England and took it as a stronghold in his reign. The French rule over England lasted for several centuries and brought about innumerable changes to the English state, language, culture and lifestyle. William imported French rulers to take over English government and religious posts. The French were not only the new aristocracy in England, but the new society. The English amended their language and their culture in an effort to more resemble the French and to communicate with their new lords. The English language was more changed by the Norman Conquest than by any other event in the course of English history. Middle English is defined as the four hundred year period between the Norman Conquest and the time the printing press was introduced to England in 1476. This essay will explore the specific effects that the French had on Middle English morphology, phonology, syntax, semantics and lexicon. During the period of French rule in England the standing of English as a valid language dropped substantially as French took over as the status language. Because so much of the French influence has been nativized by present-day speakers, many do not realize the impact that our language took in the years following 1066. Not one aspect of English life went untouched by the Norman presence in England, notably, its language. In addition to introducing new words into the English language, the Normans also introduced some new sounds. The English had previously had no phonemic distinction betweenf/ andv/;v/ was merely an allophone off/ that occurred between vowels. However, with the influx of French loans which began inv/ and contrasted as minimal pairs in English, this distinction made its way into Middle English: The French also influenced the adoption of several new diphthongs into English. Diphthongs are...

History of the Quiché Maya - Popol Vuh

History of the Quichà © Maya - Popol Vuh The Popol Vuh (Council Book or Council Papers) is the most important sacred book of the Quichà ©; (or Kiche) Maya of the Guatemalan Highlands. The Popol Vuh is an important text for understanding Late Postclassic and Early Colonial Maya religion, myth, and history, but also because it also offers interesting glimpses into Classic Period beliefs. History of the Text The surviving text of the Popol Vuh was not written in Mayan hieroglyphics, but rather is a transliteration into European script written between 1554-1556 by someone said to have been a Quichà © nobleman. Between 1701-1703, the Spanish friar Francisco Ximenez found that version where he was stationed in Chichicastenango, copied it and translated the document into Spanish. Ximenez translation is currently stored in the Newberry Library of Chicago. There are numerous versions of the Popol Vuh in translations in various languages: the best known in English is that of Mayanist Dennis Tedlock, originally published in 1985; Low et al. (1992) compared the various English versions available in 1992 and remarked that Tedlock immersed himself in the Mayan point of view as much as he could, but by and largely picked prose rather than the poetry of the original. The Content of the Popol Vuh Now it still ripples, now it still murmurs, ripples, it still sighs, still hums and is empty under the sky (from Tedlocks 3rd edition, 1996, describing the primordial world before creation) The Popol Vuh is a narrative of the cosmogony, history, and traditions of the Kiche Maya before the Spanish conquest in 1541. That narrative is presented in three parts. The first part talks about the creation of the world and its first inhabitants; the second, probably the most famous, narrates the story of the Hero Twins, a couple of semi-gods; and the third part is the story of the Quichà © noble family dynasties. Creation Myth According to the Popol Vuh myth, at the beginning of the world, there were only the two creator gods: Gucumatz and Tepeu. These gods decided to create earth out of the primordial sea. Once the earth was created, the gods populated it with animals, but they soon realized that animals were unable to speak and therefore could not worship them. For this reason, the gods created humans and had the animals role relegated to food for humans. This generation of humans was made out of mud, and so were weak and were soon destroyed. As a third attempt, the gods created men from wood and women from reeds. These people populated the world and procreated, but they soon forgot their gods and were punished with a flood. The few who survived were transformed into monkeys. Finally, the gods decided to mold mankind from maize. This generation, which includes the present human race, is able to worship and nourish the gods. In the narration of the Popol Vuh, the creation of the people of corn is preceded by the story of the Hero Twins. The Hero Twins Story The Hero Twins, Hunahpu, and Xbalanque were the sons of Hun Hunahpu and an underworld goddess named Xquic. According to the myth, Hun Hunahpu and his twin brother Vucub Hunahpu were convinced by the lords of the underworld to play a ball game with them. They were defeated and sacrificed, and the head of Hun Hunahpu was placed on a gourd tree. Xquic escaped from the underworld and was impregnated by the blood dripping from Hun Hunahpu’s head and gave birth to the second generation of hero twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque. Hunahpu and Xbalanque lived on the earth with their grandmother, the mother of the first Hero Twins, and became great ballplayers. One day, as had happened to their father, they were invited to play a ball game with the Lords of Xibalba, the underworld, but unlike their father, they were not defeated and stood all the tests and tricks posted by the underworld gods. With a final trick, they managed to kill the Xibalba lords and to revive their father and uncle. Hunahpu and Xbalanque then reached the sky where they became the sun and moon, whereas Hun Hunahpu became the god of corn, who emerges every year  from the earth to give life to the people. The Origins of the Quichà © Dynasties The final part of the Popol Vuh narrates the story of the first people created from corn by the ancestral couple, Gucumatz and Tepeu. Among these were the founders of the Quichà © noble dynasties. They were able to praise the gods and wandered the world until they reached a mythical place where they could receive the gods into sacred bundles and take them home. The book closes with the list of the Quichà © lineages up until the 16th century. How Old is the Popol Vuh? Although early scholars believed that the living Maya had no recollection of the Popol Vuh, some groups retain considerable knowledge of the stories, and new data have led most Mayanists to accept that some form of the Popol Vuh has been central to the Maya religion at least since the Maya Late Classic Period. Some scholars such as Prudence Rice have argued for a much older date. Elements of the narrative in the Popol Vuh argues Rice, appear to predate the late Archaic separation of language families and calendars. Further, the tale of the one-legged ophidian supernatural who is associated with rain, lightning, life, and creation is associated with Maya kings and dynastic legitimacy throughout their history. Updated by  K. Kris Hirst Sources Dictionary of Archaeology.Carlsen RS, and Prechtel M. 1991. The Flowering of the Dead: An Interpretation of Highland Maya Culture. Man 26(1):23-42.Knapp BL. 1997. The Popol Vuh: Primordial Mother Participates in the Creation. Confluencia 12(2):31-48.Low D, Morley S, Goetz D, Recinos A, xe, Edmonson M, and Tedlock D. 1992. A Comparison of English translations of a Mayan text, the Popol Vuh. Studies in American Indian Literatures 4(2/3):12-34.Miller ME, and Taube K. 1997. An Illustrated Dictionary of The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. London: Thames and Hudson.Paulinyi Z. 2014. The butterfly bird god and his myth at Teotihuacan.  Ancient Mesoamerica 25(01):29-48.Rice PM. 2012. Continuities in Maya political rhetoric: Kawiils, katuns, and kennings.  Ancient Mesoamerica 23(01):103-114.Sharer RJ. 2006. The Ancient Maya. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.Tedlock D. 1982. Reading the Popol Vuh over the shoulder of a diviner and finding out whats so funny. Conjunctions 3:176-185. Tedlock D. 1996. The Popol Vuh: Definitive Edition of the Maya Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings. New York: Touchstone.Woodruff JM. 2011. Ma(r)king Popol Vuh.  Romance Notes 51(1):97-106.

Family Tree Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Family Tree - Assignment Example He wakes up really early in the morning. He drinks his coffee and reads the paper. My dad is full spirited. When he comes home from work he never fails to share his stories and anecdotes from his work. Nevertheless, he still manages to lay down his rules. If one of us fails to follow it, we sure will have a serious spanking. This is probably because he was a teacher, and now, is currently working as a superintendent of schools. His job requires him to teach the rules and at the same time follow them. On the other hand, there's my mom. My mom is of medium height, not that tall nor is she short. She has brown hair and blue eyes. My mom is a hard working and talkative woman. She prefers to stay at home to decorate the house and tend to the cooking, which my dad loves. His favorite food is muchos burritos. He would eat that every lunch that my mother brings to him in school. She loves to cook and start small projects that could potentially earn her extra income. She especially loves dancing and sewing. Her favorite pieces to work on are throw pillow cases and curtains. These are easy to make and sell at the same time. Samba is her favorite stress reliever. During her younger years, she would join contests will surely grab the award. She's really the best. Pap adores my mother; he always says "When I met your mother, I thought she was a caliente exquisite woman of an exotic beauty".

Why I am not a Vegan Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why I am not a Vegan - Personal Statement Example Discussion and facts backed up by authentic research which are presented in this paper are basically meant to illuminate the reality of the claim that we humans are naturally meant to eat meat not only because our digestive systems are well suited to break down animal protein, but also because meat bags higher position on the scale of food value than plant sources. I am proud on not to be a vegan because meat fulfils my daily energy requirements better than plant foods ever can do. I find people around me, who happen to be rigid vegetarians, munching different types of snacks all day long because their energy requirements do not get fulfilled by relying on plant sources alone like tofu, soybeans, etc. and their vigor markedly recedes consequentially. In order to meet with the amount of calories required to be consumed by a person per day, vegetarians have to cook and eat some portion out of every item from a variety of plant foods at one time while people who do not hesitate in indul ging with meat consumption do not have to go through any such trouble. One meat item is more than often found equivalent to a variety of plant foods, therefore though vegetarians may claim that relying less on meat sources can save humans from many cardiovascular disease, this also remain an open reality that saying goodbye to meat means a great decline in human energy level which gets distorted as a result of consuming vegetables low in food value. People should consume meat fearlessly because even if certain diseases are found to be linked with certain cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure and heart attacks, this issue can be ruled out easily by reducing the amount of meat consumed on daily basis, rather than quitting meat altogether and following fake vegetarian concepts like eating a meat burger can be anything close to an unethical act. One credible defending point which can be used by meat lovers against vegetarians is that plants would be extinguished today if all humans become vegetarians which would leave no food for cattle as well. â€Å"If we only consumed plants, all the farmland now used to raise livestock would have to be used to raise edible plants, which could mean no livestock† (Hayward). I am also not a vegan because eating vegetables alone can never provide me with the kind of stamina and power which is required to fight various infection and diseases by a normal human being. Research identifies that eating meat not only maintains the balance of sound body health, but it also helps one in combating against several infections by providing enough strength to a person. It also remains a reality that though many efforts are made by vegetarians to advance their cause of saving animals and relying on vegetables, meat forms a fuller source of food for humans than vegetables or other plant sources do. Meat does not happen to be a source of high quality protein alone but research shows that it does much more to enhance human health because â€Å"its loaded with other healthful goodies, including high levels of: iron; B vitamins like niacin and riboflavin that provide healthy skin and nerves as well as help digestion† (Opposing Views, Inc.). Slacking around with minimal energy but showing off by maintaining a slim body status does not seem to form a very excitable idea for me to cut down on meat and go for plant foods,