Assignment 1: Starbucks’ Strategy Essay

The purpose of this paper is to explore key elements for Starbuck pertaining to their success their approach to organizational culture and management’s role in the proven success it has experience globally. Next, to converse about decision-making strategies that Starbuck’s management has implemented to maintain it competitive position in the market place; share a competency that is used by management and why this particular competency assist in the company’s success regarding organizational culture. Lastly, share my opinion on long-term sustainability in the global industry; in addition could the company continue without Mr. Howard Shultz as CEO. Organizational Culture In business management it is imperative that strategies are created and implemented so the company can experience growth and increase there revenue; additionally they must consider competition advantage, short and long-term planning to continue to sustain their position in the market, include the global market if it is applicable. In looking at Starbucks as a company a global leader in their respected industry, management had to consider the business strategies previously mentioned. However, management additionally had to consider organizational culture as part as of their strategic planning, along with being culturally sensitive since they operate globally. According to research, â€Å"the concept of culture helps managers understand the hidden, complex aspects of organizational life† (Draft, 2012, p.75). When Starbuck’s management strategically design plans to for company success it requires them to look at various elements both internally and eternally. This is important because when dealing globally the must understand the beliefs, values, etc. before operating in a particular area. Furthermore, internally they have to ensure that their employees understand this information as 3 well; by doing this it will make the operation operate smoothly without any interruption to the operation. For instance, gaining an understanding observing things that are visible or tangible which can be critical to internal operation such as, observing employee, beliefs, values, and much more. This requires management to incorporate the company’s mission and vision so it will eliminate conflicts so the company can function, as management desires in order to be profitable and competitive in the industry. The other key element is to focus on external elements, which will attract consumers to their stores, which is important when competing in a global competitive market. An analysis must be conducted to understand the customer; competitor positioning, and marketing plans that will gain and allow the company to build its customer base; this may require understanding customs, symbols, locations, etc. Thus, will increase profits and reduce liabilities and risk. Based on research it describes adaptability culture in both internal and eternal segments. â€Å"Managers encourage values that support the company’s ability to rapidly detect, interpret, and translate signals from the environment into new behavior responses. (Draft, 2012, p.78). This type of understanding in organizational cultural behavior promotes achievement and consistency for Starbucks. Managerial Decisions Starbucks has been successful in their operation for many reasons because management is cognizant that customers need to feel welcomed and relaxed based on the facility layout and location. Additionally, this is back by employees who share in management’s beliefs and values. Furthermore, the company is effective because they offer a variety of products that caters to their customer base. Perhaps one of the best advantages that management offers to their customers are free services such as Wifi, reduced cost on music such as CDs and free musical downloads for electronic devices, along with diverse music that caters to all ethnic groups. Management effectiveness against their competitors depends on cost, technology, productivity, and much more. The long-term goal for any company is to increase profits and decrease there lost without compensating quantity over quality. This requires management to do business with quality producers of coffee from around the world so their customers can have a variety of good to select from. Additionally, the decision-making that management made to appeal to customers relies on technology and it has proven to be effective in their competitive advantage over the competition. Research suggests that, â€Å"technology should be acquired to support the company’s chosen competitive priorities, not just to follow the latest market fad. Also, technology may require the company to rethink its strategy† (Reid & Sanders, 2010, p.43). It is imperative that management continues to be innovative in this area because technology is always changing so they have to constantly look for ways to improve marketing, quality of products, and operational procedures. Key Management Competency A key managerial competency that managers should have at Starbucks understands that customer service and productivity enhances their capabilities as being global leader. The service that customers receive in a timely fashion will always be an important factor when operating a business, thus, having knowledgeable staff that understands the functionality of the operation will minimize wait times, products will be made to company standards, and much more. Furthermore, offering the customers more service that are free and accessible is a key capability that will help them to fit into various organizational cultures; the key is that customers are the priority; having great products; effective marketing and pricing strategies, and conducting a competitive analysis quarterly so they will know how to make adjustments that best suit the market conditions. Lastly and perhaps one of the biggest competencies management at Starbucks has and must maintain is good employees because they are an asset, they have the ability to take 5 directives, initiative, and produce a quality product that will keep customers satisfied and selecting them over the competition. These are all good competencies to have when operating a successful business globally. Long-Term Sustainability As a global leader in the coffee industry it can be said that the company has they proper structure and infrastructure to remain a leader globally even if the CEO, Mr. Howard Shultz were to be replaced. Senior management has a sound business plan in place that is long-term and it will maintain its profitability as long as the company keeps its core values, beliefs, etc. Along with this the company will have to be diverse in its operation and products. Furthermore, the business will continue to thrive as long as the employees embrace change and are given rewards to help to maintain a positive morale and atmosphere, especially when operating and interacting with customers daily. It is believed that long-term sustainability involves proper planning, along with this management must understand the organizational cultures both internally and externally and must be willing to adapt. Also, in order for long-term sustainability to occur management must make periodic marketing forecast and competitor analysis; always look for ways to improve and create new products; invest in better equipment and training for employees; make cost adjustments due to economic conditions, and much more. If the company continues to embrace and operate in this manner it will achieve long-term goals and objectives without the current CEO. Conclusion In closing, Starbucks is a global leader in the coffee industry and as previously mentioned, in business management it is imperative that strategies are created and implemented so the 6 company can experience growth and increase there revenue; additionally they must consider competition advantage, short and long-term planning to continue to sustain their position in the market, including the global market. One of the elements Starbuck’s understands the importance of organizational culture; the company has been successful with their management and training department to incorporate their beliefs, values, etc. into the skills needed to compete against others in the coffee industry and by doing this the company has been able to expand, and has experienced an increase in profits. This type of business philosophy is critical when continuing long-term in achieving goals and objectivities through effective business strategies. Also, management must be confident in decision-making and must be willing to adapt when there are changes in the market, this may include but is not limited to the following, making changes to symbols, slogans, etc. Finally, it is believed that Starbucks could continue to operate as a successful company if the CEO were to change. The company has a sound business plan and training program that appeal to internal and external components to organizational culture. Additionally, management in their operation comes from diverse backgrounds and the company has been able to capitalize on their innovative ideas and have implemented changes that have not only benefited the company but more importantly the customers globally. References Draft, R. (2012). Management (10th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Reid, D. & Sanders, N. (2010). Operations Management. An Integrated Approach (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Fast Food Nation Essay

Whether we like it or not, fast food and its detrimental effects have become an epidemic. For many years, people have been oblivious to the growth of the fast food industry. However, over the past three decades, the fast food industry has nearly taken over our American society; almost anywhere, one can see its vast influence. As a result, in his book, Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser portrays the influence of the industry. By implementing pathetic appeals for injustice and disgust, statistics from reputable sources, and fear of the consequences of fast food, Schlosser shows the average adult how the fast food industry is ruining American culture as a way to reform its problems. Throughout his book, Schlosser consistently tries to create an emotional appeal, particularly to one’s injustice and disgust to depict his opinion. When one hears things such as, â€Å"The hamburger habit is just about as safe†¦as getting your meat out of a garbage can† (Schlosser 195), he or she cannot help but to be disgusted. Of course no one wants to be told that he or she is eating trash. Moreover, Schlosser discusses other vomit-inducing truths such as, the numerous amounts of cannibal animals among the animals whose meat becomes the food that people eat at a fast food restaurant (202). He also talks about how every year there are millions of dead animals purchased to be fed to the animals that restaurants provide as meat (Schlosser 202). Lastly, Schlosser writes, â€Å"There is shit in the meat† (197), which immediately grabs the reader’s attention and hence shows his pathetic appeal to persuasively convey his opinion. Would anyone really want to eat a feces burger for lunch? In addition, out of 355 detailed pages, Schlosser’s statistics are omnipresent. He constantly uses them to back up his statements with evidence, even dedicating one sixth of the book to notes full of statistics with reputable sources. Although he already states his facts persuasively, they become more convincing with this use of logos. For instance, at many times, authors will make up a statement and act as if it were a true fact. However, when he writes, â€Å"There is a 100 percent turnover rate annually† (Schlosser 325) and quotes it from a published article, one can actually know the turnover rate without having to question its validity. Furthermore, when Schlosser writes about how 7. 5% of all ground beef samples are contaminated with Salmonella and quotes it from a Nationwide Microbiological survey, one does not have a hard time believing its legitimacy (Schlosser 333). One of the most persuasive strategies Schlosser uses in his book is his appeal to his audience’s consequential fears of fast food. For most people, living life is a wonderful gift and if anything could be able to take it away, people would doubtlessly avoid it. Schlosser does an effective job at listing the harmful consequences; since he clearly detests the fast food industry’s influence, he does this to help reform against the influence of it. For example, when Schlosser brings up the existence of E. coli O157:H7 in fast food, he does not simply say, â€Å"It is bad† (199). He goes on and elaborates with great detail, giving a story of a six year old boy named Alex who died because of the bug (200). Not only does he dramatize the story but he also narrates the events chronologically to draw the greatest response from the reader. Schlosser writes, â€Å"It progressed to diarrhea†¦Doctors frantically tried to save Alex’s life, drilling holes in his skull to relieve pressure, inserting tubes in his chest to keep him breathing†¦ Toward the end, Alex suffered hallucinations and dementia, no longer recognizing his mother or father† (200). These events, individually, already seem terrifying. Together, it magnifies the effect. Pathos and logos play an important role throughout Schlosser’s entire book. He is clearly against the fast food industry’s ubiquitous influence and as a result, he writes with pathetic appeals, reputable sources, and fear evoking descriptions to abolish its influence on American culture. What he writes has shown to be true; fast food has had a negative effect on society. While fast food may have some benefits, it’s detrimental in the long run. Day by day, the influence of fast food continues to grow and harm the American culture.

Community College vs University Essay

Deciding on whether to attend a community college or a university can be a very tough decision. Often times we hear negative opinions and comments about attending a community college instead of a university. Community colleges are much more affordable. They have smaller classes, and they are much more convenient than universities. Through some people experiences and research, there are many benefits to attending a community college before university. There are many differences between going to a university right after finishing high school and going to a community college for the first two years. Such differences can be seen in terms of finances, degree and environment. One of the most important benefits to attending a community college is the financial savings. The average tuition at community college is $42 per credit hour, and the average for universities can vary between $1500 and $4000 depending on whether the university is public or private. This is a huge difference in price p er semester hour. Furthermore, at community college the books are less expensive. You can chose to buy a new book or a used book, and you still have the option to rent the books. Some people pay thousands of dollars to attend a university, and after a year they were no closer to a degree than a community college student. They are just further in debt. There are a number of different degrees available from four year universities; the options are far fewer at a community college. Community college programs offer Associate of Arts degrees. These Associate of Arts degrees are extremely helpful when it comes to transferring or pursuing a higher education later on. Community colleges are known for giving nontraditional students many convenient ways to obtain a career. Married students, students with children, or even students who work full time may not have the time or the finances to complete a 4 year program. Furthermore, Community colleges offer vocational certificates in varies fields. These certificate programs are designed to prepare a student for an entry-level job upon completion of the program. Students may decide to take only a couple of semesters to get a certificate in a certain field such as nursing, welding, or surgical technology. Nontraditional students may benefit from one of the many certificate programs offered at a community college. Universities, however, only offer four years programs or bachelors  degrees. They do not offer courses in vocational education, so they are best for students who plan on going into business or education. The environment between a community college and a four year university differs greatly. For example, community college tends to have fewer students per class, which mean students can have more opportunity to interact with their teacher and vice verse. Teachers with smaller classes are able to spend more time making sure that all the students get a quality education in their classroom. Likewise, if students have questions they may feel more comfortable asking them in a smaller and more intimate setting. On the other hand, a university lecture hall can hold hundreds of students, all participating in a single class. The professors are always busy doing research and keeping up with their professor status, which means no time to interact with their students. In conclusion, because of community college is more affordable, still have different options for 2 years degrees and have smaller classes, the community college is a better choice than universities for high school students. People can save lot money going to community college for their first two years, so they can put the saved money toward to the two or four more years to universities classes for their a Bachelor’s degrees, Master’s degrees and or Doctorates.

Questions 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Questions 2 - Essay Example It is the question of what could be done IF something else was to precipitate the exercise of power. Potential for power is arguably the most impactful on employees. If a specific individual determines that there is no further potential for advancement (power), i.e., they are topped out at their current level with a particular company, they are not likely to show initiative or even necessarily dedication to the position. Conversely, if there is a potential for gaining power, most employees are incentivized to do whatever is necessary to realize that potential. 2. Discuss positive and negative examples from your own work experience regarding political power bases in organizations. Also, address areas regarding the use of decision-making or the lack of it in organizations. I have seen both the positive and the negative side of political power in companies for whom I have worked. In one situation, the power of the company was solidly consolidated in the director/managers, with one being offsite and never around, and the other two working together. All department heads and supervisors reported to one of the two executives who always discussed everything and preserved a solid front. The employees at the lower levels had a low morale, as there was really nothing to aspire to in terms of promotion beyond the current place and as a result, there was a high turnover. At another place, there was a bit of an organic structure where the boss sought input from everybody. There was no doubt who the boss was—she owned the company—but everyone had a feeling of potential power when it came to important concepts because her management style was inclusive and non-threatening. Attorneys contribute a lot to the criminal justice system; if fact, were it not for attorneys the argument could be made that there would be no system. In the American criminal justice system (adversarial), two parties are represented by an

How the economy works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How the economy works - Essay Example s to be made very carefully and after a lot of thought as it is important to understand that every choice made will also mean forfeiting another choice. This question can be answered only after proper analysis of the resources that are available in an economy. The one thing that is also kept in mind is the true cost. This is one aspect of the choice that economist are interested in. as mentioned earlier while making a choice the chances of forfeiting another choice are always possible. Hence economists generally use the concept of opportunity cost which allows them to analyze the value that must be sacrificed or given up (Stonebraker, 2008). This question deals with the determining how to use the factors of production to produce the product. In countries that are highly industrialized use of capital goods like computers, machinery etc. In countries which are lesser developed the production is normally got through physical labor. This question mainly deals with from whom the goods are being produced. This is mainly who will receive the produced products. In a country as developed as the United States, it depends a lot on the income of the people and the prices of goods and services. While talking of economic stability the one variable which always catches attention is Unemployment. After which the prices levels is the next topic of interest. The levels of unemployment and the economic stability of a country are directly related. With the decreasing levels of employment the levels the economy of the country will also be affected. Hence to maintain the economic stability of a country it is essential to keep the levels of employment stable, or increasing however no reduction should be permitted. Also the price levels for goods and services directly affect the countries economy and thus need to be kept at constant levels. Countries which have prices of goods increasing drastically signify inflation within the country (Brozen, 1958). Thus to maintain the economic

Hello Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hello - Essay Example This fact is proven by the high rates of negative outcomes for patients as well as the percentage of the population that could not afford to purchase insurance plans. Several public opinion polls have indicated that the general public is overwhelmingly in support of a nationalized health-care system, meaning that healthcare should come under the domain of the government, away from private corporations. But, in spite of this unanimous support for a universal healthcare system (that includes universal insurance), the issue never crops up during presidential debates. The limitations of the two-party democratic system are also being exposed as a result. Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are funded by private corporations during election campaigns, the health-insurance lobby being one of the major contributors to campaign funds. Given such a setup, it is only natural that the public opinion is suppressed or ignored in favor of the vested private interests. Some intellectuals argue that the United States lags behind other industrialized nations in its health-care system, due to its Capitalist economy, which puts corporate profits ahead of public interest. The Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark are recognized to have the best universal healthcare systems in place. Although the GDP and per capita incomes of these nations are relatively small, the â€Å"socialist† basis of their political systems has ensured this favorable condition. Also, in these countries the mainstream media is not heavily concentrated in the hands of a few giant corporations, which is the case in America. This makes it easy for the real public opinion to be openly discussed and debated. More importantly, it is in the democratic tradition of these nations to include public sentiments and opinions in the debates leading up to elections. But unfortunately, such open expression of public sentiment is not possible in the American mainstream

Principles of management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Principles of management - Essay Example In 1948, they reorganized that their business as a hamburger stands using production line principles.   Ray Kroc  joined the company as a franchise agent in 1955. He subsequently purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its worldwide growth.[ McDonalds vision is to be the worlds best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile. Below is the content of the McDonalds Vision Statement which is detailed with their outlook of the future. This mission is an effective and successful statement which is powerful, compelling, conveying confidence and inspiring views of the future. The importance of these types of statements is not being underestimated but to describe the values, services and vision for the future. McDonalds brand mission is to provide customers with favorite place and way to eat and drink. Their worldwide operations are aligned around a global strategy which is referred to as Plan to Win, which center on an exceptional customer experience of People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. They are committed to continuously improving their operations and enhancing their customers experience. The McDonalds headquarters is in the McDonalds Plaza which is located in  Oak Brook at Illinois. Its site is on the former headquarters of Paul Butler the founder of Oak Brook.  McDonalds moved into the Oak Brook facility from an office of the  Chicago Loop  in 1971. McDonalds was involved in a number of  lawsuits  and other legal cases which involved  trademark  disputes. His company had been threatened by many food businesses with legal action unless it drops the Mc or Mac from trading names. . The McDonalds company has defended itself in several cases that involve  workers rights. In 2001, the company was fined  £12,400 by British magistrates for employing illegally and

Feminism, its development since the 18th century and how it affected Research Paper

Feminism, its development since the 18th century and how it affected society of today - Research Paper Example The feminists assert that there are very few inherent differences that are unchangeable between men and women. There are however many individual differences between men and women. These individual and inherent differences are however not to imply that one gender is more capable than the other. The equality that is advocated for by the movement refers to equality in accordance to the laws of the land as well as social, political, an economic equality. While most people assume that feminism is a single or unified school of thought, it can be seen that the movement has evolved in three major waves. Each wave of has had distinct features or characteristics and can be seen to have been advocating for different rights. While some have criticized the movement, it has led to some major achievement for the women. It is important for one to understand the situation that the women were living in before the rise of the feminist movement. Such an understanding will help one to understand the chan ges that were brought about by the feminist movement. At the beginning of the 18thcentury, women did not receive any recognition under law. They were pronounced as being civilly dead when they got married. They were therefore not allowed to sign any contracts and they could not control the wages that they received. Their wages were controlled by the men in their lives. They were not given an opportunity to get an education and their position was expected to be at home taking care of their homesteads. A comparison of this situation with the current situation in the society reveals that a lot of changes have taken place. Most of the changes and the rights that the women have been able to achieve are as a result of the feminist activities (O’Neil 32). The influence of the feminist movement is seen to be reflected in the different areas of life in the society. The movement influences the social lives of the people and their economic life as well. The impact of feminism can also b e seen in the literary world. Many female writers chose to address the various feminist issues that faced them in their lives through their writing. As the different waves of feminism changed, so did the content for the writers who are considered as feminists. Because each wave addressed different social and economic issues, and this was reflected in their writing. The ‘first wave of feminism’ can be traced back to the late 18th century period. This wave targeted the injustices that were officially mandated and that were directed at women. The first wave of this movement was interconnected with other movements that sought reforms in the society. Such movements included the abolition movement and the temperance movement. The highlight of the wave was marked by the publication of Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft in 1972. The end of this wave can be seen to have been marked by the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Th is amendment gave the women voting rights and marked the beginning of the process of political empowerment for the women. The feminists during this period included Lucy Stone, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Helen Pitts among others. The movement also saw such achievements as educational opportunities for women. The first

The Plaza Hotel At New York City Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Plaza Hotel At New York City - Research Paper Example The original model of this hotel was changed after being renovated. When this hotel reopened in 2007, it was its 100th anniversary. It had undergone refurbishment at a cost of 4400 million. The internal structure and model of the hotel was changed from the original model to a newer model. Originally, when this hotel was constructed, it contained 805 rooms, 500 bathrooms, 10 elevators, a palm court with a Tiffany leaded glass domed ceiling, large private suites, and a two-story ballroom. However, on its re-opening in 2007, it had 282 guestrooms and 181 apartments (Turkel, 2010). This hotel is also associated with historical events in the New York. For instance, important political meetings in history were held at the Plaza Hotel. The Beatles, on their first visit to the USA, stayed in the plaza hotel, in February 1964. In addition, the Plaza Hotel hosted Katherine Graham and Truman Capote’s â€Å"Black and white† in the grand ballroom on 28 November 1966. Most importantly, in 1985, leaders of different developed countries converged at the Plaza Hotel to brainstorm financial global issues. It is while here that these political leaders signed the Plaza Accord after them reaching an agreement. These finance leaders were mainly from West Germany, France, Britain, United States, and Japan. The main agenda of the meeting was to agree on ways of lowering the price of US dollar against the currencies of other nations. The Plaza hotel has in the past accommodated a variety of famous people. These include performers, famous guests, and movie stars. For instance, those known to have visited include Elizabeth Taylor, Clara Bow, the Beatles, Cary Grant, Scott Fitzgerald, Marilyn Monroe, George Cohan, among others. These are famous authors, and actors in the world (Hession & Pickrel, 2007). The Plaza hotel is considered an oasis of culture. It has managed to sustain and enhance the culture

Honor, Virtue, and the Paradox of the Old South (Antebellum period and Essay

Honor, Virtue, and the Paradox of the Old South (Antebellum period and most specifically 1800 to 1864) - Essay Example re expected to wear beautiful gowns rich in cloth and engage in gentile activities that didn’t stress them too much or place them in the harsh sun for excessive periods of time. Black people were barely considered at all and were, at best, seen in the background the scenes in one’s head, with a serving tray or assisting a woman with her dressing rituals. Even when daily life did not match up with these ideals, the belief was that they were working toward them and that the Southerner was the final champion of the highest ethical standards known to man. However, very few of these ideals were actually true. While there were numerous planters that may have fallen within these parameters, they were only able to do so by exploiting the people around them. The South survived on the backs of its women and slaves in a way that it rarely acknowledged openly, introducing a tremendous paradox between how they saw themselves as compared to how they really lived. This is most easily understood in the stories of the ‘servant’ members of this society, the women and slaves/former slaves. Following the end of the Civil War, the United States went into a period of rebuilding and redefinition in many respects. One of the ideas that developed during this period among the middle class of the country was the idea of women as the center of the home. Scholarship on this issue brings into focus some of the issues of class and reproduction women faced during the antebellum period. Through the virtues of piety, purity and submissiveness, the woman was defined first as a pious and pure daughter and sister and then as a submissive wife within the confines of the male protector, making her suitable only for a domestic role. Her prime motive following marriage was to provide for the hearth, meaning food, clothing, children and all that was necessary for the continuance of the family line. When it came to marriage and having children, it was said â€Å"Let no caprice or

Organic food Essay Example for Free

Organic food Essay We asked Food Scientists a simple question: â€Å"What foods do you avoid? Experts from different areas of specialty explain why they won’t eat these eight foods. Food scientists are shedding light on items loaded with toxins and chemicals–and simple swaps for a cleaner diet and supersized health. Experts from different areas of specialty explain why they won’t eat these eight foods. Clean eating means choosing fruits, vegetables, and meats that are raised, grown, and sold with minimal processing. Often they’re organic, and rarely (if ever) should they contain additives. But in some cases, the methods of today’s food producers are neither clean nor sustainable. The result is damage to our health, the environment, or both. So we decided to take a fresh look at food through the eyes of the people who spend their lives uncovering what’s safe–or not–to eat. † Their answers don’t necessarily make up a â€Å"banned foods† list. But reaching for the suggested alternatives might bring you better health–and peace of mind. 1. The Endocrinologist Won’t Eat: Canned Tomatoes Fredrick Vom Saal, is an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A. The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people’s body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. â€Å"You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young,† says vom Saal. â€Å"I won’t go near canned tomatoes. † The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, likeTrader Joe’s and Pomi. Exposure to BPA Causes Permanent Damage In OffSpring 2. The Farmer Won’t Eat: Corn-Fed Beef Joel Salatin is co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming. The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. But more money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. â€Å"We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure,† says Salatin. The solution: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers markets, and nationally at Whole Foods. It’s usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don’t see it, ask your butcher. 3. The Toxicologist Won’t Eat: Microwave Popcorn Olga Naidenko, is a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group. The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize–and migrate into your popcorn. â€Å"They stay in your body for years and accumulate there,† says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then. The solution: Pop organic kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix. Make it organic and use coconut oil. If You’re Still Eating Microwave Popcorn, You’re Not Fully Grasping The Health Consequences 4. The Farm Director Won’t Eat: Nonorganic Potatoes Jeffrey Moyer is the chair of the National Organic Standards Board. The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes–the nation’s most popular vegetable–they’re treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. â€Å"Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won’t,† says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc. , the publisher of Prevention). â€Å"I’ve talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals. † The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn’t good enough if you’re trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh. Budget tip: Organic potatoes are only $1 to $2 a pound, slightly more expensive than conventional spuds. 5. The Fisheries Expert Won’t Eat: Farmed Salmon Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany, published a major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish. The problem: Nature didn’t intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus. â€Å"You could eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer,† says Carpenter, whose 2004 fish contamination study got broad media attention. â€Å"It’s that bad. † Preliminary science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals. The solution: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it’s farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon. Farmed Fish vs. Wild Fish: How Healthy Is The Fish At Your Favorite Grocery? 6. The Cancer Researcher Won’t Drink: Milk Produced With Artificial Hormones Rick North is project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society. The problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers. â€Å"When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract,† says North. â€Å"There’s not 100 percent proof that this is increasing cancer in humans,† admits North. â€Å"However, it’s banned in most industrialized countries. † The solution: Buy raw milk or check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products. Why Do Humans Still Drink Milk? 7. The Biotech Specialist Who Won’t Eat Conventional Soy: GMO Unfermented Soy Michael Harris is biotech specialist who has directed several projects within the biotech sector including those for genetically engineered food. He has been a consultant, manager and director for companies such as Xenon Pharmaceuticals and Genon Corporation. The problem: Genetically engineered food is a cause of great concern due to the manipulation of DNA and genetic code including transfers from one species to another. Fermented Soy Is The Only Soy Food Fit for Human Consumption and since almost 90% of soy in the world is genetically modified, if you are not ensuring sources are organic, long-term health problems are inevitable, especially since soy has been found to affect hormonal balance and even cause cancer. The solution: Check labels to ensure soy is Non-GMO or organic and never consume unfermented sources. If possible contact the company to find out exactly where the Non-GMO soy was obtained. 8. The Organic-Foods Expert Won’t Eat: Conventional Apples Mark Kastel, a former executive for agribusiness, is codirector of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group that supports organic foods. The problem: If fall fruits held a â€Å"most doused in pesticides contest,† apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don’t develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently. The industry maintains that these residues are not harmful. But Kastel counters that it’s just common sense to minimize exposure by avoiding the most doused produce, like apples. â€Å"Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers,† he says. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson’s disease. The solution:Buy organic apples or apples from a farmer that you trust!

East of Eden Essay Example for Free

East of Eden Essay East of Eden deplores many religious matters, specifically, the concepts of sibling rivalry and the age old battle between good and evil. In the biblical Book of Genesis, the brothers Cain and Abel offer God the father a sacrifice. God favors the shepherd Abels sacrifice of his best lamb over the farmer Cains grain. Subsequently, in a Jealous rage, Cain kills his brother Abel, only to be marked by God and banished to wander the earth. Stanford dropout, John Steinbeck applies the story of Genesis heavily in East of Eden; the concepts of this iblical allusion are evident in both generations of brothers. In each generation, one of the Trask brothers is moral and good while the other brother behaves badly and immorally, already we see how the Trask family parallels Genesis. Because the good Trask brothers are favored, the bad Trask brothers develop envious tendencies and a recurrent theme of sibling rivalry appears throughout the book. The first generation of Trask brothers, Charles and Adam, follow the Cain and Abel biblical model from the very beginning. .. its awful not to be loved. Its the worst thing in the world t makes you mean, and violent, and cruel. (Steinbeck 347). This quote epitomizes the root of all evil in the Trask generations- lack of recognition to one of the sons. When their deadbeat father Cyrus favors Adams birthday gift of a puppy over Charles expensive knife, Charles nearly beats Adam to death. Although Charles does not kill Adam, he is a clear allusion to Cain. While Adam wanders the Earth in the army, it is Charles who remains on the farm, where like Cain, h e becomes marked with a dark brown scar. Adam therefor, is reflected as Abel. Humans are caught†in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too†in a net of good and evil. (127). This quote is a clear representation of the Adam and Charles relationship throughout the novel. The incident that occurred over a simple birthday gift sparked a Jealous rage that caused Charles and Adam to remain at odds with each other throughout their entire lives despite their love for each other. The next generation of Trask brothers, the dark haired Cal and fair-haired Aaron, also carry out the dynamics of the Cain and Abel tale. Cals Jealousy towards Aron is due to the favoritism that Aron receives from their father Adam; this is especially seen through an episode that resulted in Aarons death. For some reason, Adam favors Aron over Cal and when Cal offers his father a birthday present of $1 5,000 to help him recover his financial losses, Adam scorns him for making the money during a war-time economy. In a rage, Cal takes his brother to isit the notorious prostitute that birthed the two boys. Emotionally traumatized, Aaron runs away to the army during World War l, and dies soon after. Cal lies to Adam when asked about Aarons whereabouts. Where is he? How do I know? said Cal. Am I supposed to look after him? (p. 562). This sequence between Cal and Adam portrays the emotional barrier between the two that seems to bring out the untruthfulness in Cal that reflects his ancient parallel, Cain. Thus, the biblical tale plays out with Cal, although inadvertently, killing his brother. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a the concept of timshel. While psychologically shattered Adam reminisces over Cathy, Lee and Samuel share philosophical discussions over the ancient Hebrew word timshel. Timshel defies the pattern in the Cain and Abel tale, rather than condemning the less favored brother to a life of sin it pursues the issue of free will and grants Cal the strength to depart from the inherently bound evil motives that ossessed him at an early age.

Information And Communication Technology On Democracy Media Essay

Information And Communication Technology On Democracy Media Essay The development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has changed the world. The centrality of information in our society has resulted in many declaring that we have entered into a new stage of human existence, often referred to as the Information Age. The easy access to ICT provides new opportunities for individuals and non-institutionalized organizations to unite and coordinate in order to publish their message across international boundaries. There have been movements that have adopted ICT as a tool of democracy but the real question is whether or not ICT can function as a tool in assisting democratic movements and political parties to raise national or international awareness of their cause. E-democracy and electronic government can drastically alter the relationship between government and citizens and the way they communicate (Darin, 2005). Furthermore, ICT-usage could be developed significantly as a tool for publicizing information. Democratic movements have much to gain in adopting better media skills and a greater understanding of the dynamics of the contemporary media system and the internet. The Information Ages altered media sphere can entail new and positive opportunities for political groups and grass roots movements if they learn to master the information technology media logic. Technology has produced an altered definition of democracy. The concepts we know are based on the citizens rights and the competition of power but that definition has drastically changed. For instance, Benjamin R. Barber notes that digital technology is well-suited to enhancing democracy (Benjamin, 1998) therefore democracy itself needs to be given a new definition to adapt to how technology is influencing the term. On one hand, e-democracy is the use of technical tools particularly the Internet to allow citizens access to information; to take part in petitions, consultations, deliberation, referenda and elections; and communicate with each other to form e-communities and movements, and take part in e-campaigning and e-activism (Edemocracy, 2008). On the other hand, democracy is a political system that protects the people, a system that allows the replacement of political leaders, one that promotes the active participation of citizens in their countries political affairs. With the Information Age new ways of doing things have emerged; now there is digital democracy, E-government and E-governance concepts, all of which are dramatically changing the political environment. Power too has been impacted as a consequence of ICT. Political power is no longer in the hands of two or three but grass roots movements have become involved in politics creating a more balanced and more evenly distributed political power system. The interest in using technology to develop an electronic type of democratic system is more North American in origin than any from any other part. Declining rates of political participation in North America has called for the introduction of new innovative ways of getting citizens to participate in politics electronically. As a consequence of the origin of electronic democracy any future world electronic political advancement will depend on the North American political culture. Europe and other developing nations such as Chile are also implementing the electronic democratic system which will balance any Americanization that might have suffered world politics. ICT gives political parties better ways to target and reach voters. Website has been used as a tool giving parties the ability to become their own news reporters (Stephen, 12) and better inform their target audience. President Barack Obamas previous campaign is a symbol that using the media and internet can yield great results to a political candidate. The internet for instance, has been used for fundraising, as a social medium for reaching voters and as a way to promote their political ideologies targeting specific segments of the population. Technology makes democracy more accessible and has eased the process of participating in ones government. For example, in developed and developing countries the internet is everywhere (Andrew and Christopher, 271). Every department has its own website and the same is true for political parties. Moreover, social media channels such as Facebook, Youtube and Myspace has allowed the government and parties to interact with citizens and voters in a way never seen before. Therefore information technology makes democracy more affordable and accessible for anyone, regardless of income or social status and further allows government and parties to use technology as a tool of democracy. Access is perhaps the most notable impact that ICT has had on democracy. Having the ability to say what we think when we want has increased political participation in the last few years, at least electronically. For example, on Youtube there are countless videos of grass roots, individuals and non-governmental organizations talking and protesting about certain issues; without technology that would never have been possible. Moreover, as a consequence of technologys involvement in political affairs new political culture and ideologies will emerge which may further complicate the association between democracy and ICT. To conclude, this essay has highlighted some of the ways in which technology is creating positive impacts to democracy, be it through fundraising or its social media usage to reach targeted segments of the society. It has also given a definition of democracy and of e-democracy and finally, it shows how ICT makes it easier for one to voice ones opinions and participate in governance affairs which is the main principle on which democracy is based. Therefore, ICT does have a positive impact on all individuals, political parties, non-governmental institutions and grass roots movements if they learn how to use the new media and information technology to be more effective and proactive.

Fast Food and the Community: Does It Matter What We Eat? Essay

Table of Contents Forward †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 1. Fast Food and Obesity †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....†¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦ 4 2. Fast Food in America: Low Wages †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦ 11 3. From Waist to Waste †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 20 4. The Benefits of the Fast Food Industry on the Individual †¦.. 28 5. Building the Relationship Between Fast Food and Community ........... 37 Works Cited †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 40 Forward What are the implications of having fast food restaurants in a community? Information was collected about fast food restaurants’ contribution to communities through the lenses of obesity, wages, waste, benefits, and community relations. While there may be negatives surrounding the fast food industry, fast food restaurants do benefit the community in some ways. 1. Fast Food and Obesity America is the fattest country in the entire world and is getting fatter. Obesity is the second biggest killer next to deaths caused by smoking. In 1991, 1 in every 8 adults was obese; in 1999, 1 in every 5 adults was obese, which shows how America is becoming more obese all of the time. In 1991, only four states had obesity prevalence rates of 15 to 19% and no states had rates at or above 20%. On the other hand, in 2004, 7 states had 15 to 19% prevalence; an overwhelming number of 33 states had 20 to 24% prevalence, and 9 states had rates of more than 25% prevalence. The U.S. Surgeon General says that 61% of Americans are significantly overweight compared to in the 1990’s of 55% and in the 1970’s, where it was 46%. The question is, are these results a direct effect of the fast food industry? One in every four people visits fast food daily. With the average American eating 3 hamburgers and four orders of fries a week, there are several rea... ...y." www.bk.com. Burger King. 13 Apr. 2006 . "Do What Tastes Right-Wendys.Com." Wendy's. 12 Apr. 2 . Farmer, Kevin J. Personal interview. 17 Apr. 2006. "Global Diversity." Yum! Brands, Inc. 13 Apr. 2006 . Hernley, Rosella. Telephone interview. 17 Apr. 2006. Monfront, Jeff. Telephone interview. 17 Apr. 2006. "Official SUBWAY Restaurants' Web Site." Subway Restaurants. 12 Apr. 2006 . "Operating Guidelines." www.mcdonalds.com. McDonalds. 13 Apr. 2006 . "TacoBell.Com." Taco Bell. 12 Apr. 2006 . Tenwadle, Jonathan. Personal interview. 19 Apr. 2006. "Welcome to KFC." KFC. 12 Apr. 2006 . "Welcome to McDonald's." McDonalds. 12 Apr. 2006 .

Essay --

. HSGM 371 Professor Final Paper Vicie Rich November 9, 2013 â€Æ' Table of Contents Title Page 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction/Identified Problem 3 Literature Review 4 Cost 5 Type chapter title (level 3) 6 â€Æ' Final paper: Identify a work-related topic/issue/problem (or a real-life problem in the treatment of healthcare focusing on access, quality, and/or cost) and write a final paper 6-8 pages, in APA format with a title page, table of contents, introduction, , literature review, discussion, solution/recommendation, conclusion, and reference page (title page, table of contents, and reference page do not count in the 6-8 pages). The outcome is to discuss the pros and cons of that topic and your recommendation of a better solution that will improve healthcare delivery at your institution. Introduction: I would like to examine some of the reasons for the frequent ER hospital readmissions for post-surgery patients within a 30 day period. There has been a high rate of post-surgery patients returning to the emergency room within 30 days after discharge. Identified problem There are several incidents when my sister was seen in the Emergency Room, treated and released and then hospitalized within 30 days after having major surgery. In August 2012, she was diagnosed with a second round of breast cancer and had a mastectomy of the right breast. She had multiple complications (hematoma, elevated blood sugar, and allergic reaction to a medication given in the hospital and infection) with this surgery which required the readmission. I spoke several times to her physician about a longer hospital stay because of her existing illnesses but was told that it was up to the insurance company to approval the additional hospital inpatient da... ...entered Outcomes Research Institute would be the perfect medium to open the eyes of rationers. Republicans and Democrats would both agree that health costs are spiraling out of control. Ultimately, there are only two ways to lower costs. One approach empowers and incentivizes patients to be smarter health care consumers. This entails solutions such as expanding health savings accounts, creating a national market for health insurance, and leveling the tax playing field. These could bend the cost curve down and strengthen the patient-doctor relationship. The administration shunned this approach. My recommendation is that Congress should take a closer look at Medicare, Medicaid and the insurance companies to access what is best for the patient’s recovery post-surgery. They should become more patient-centered, focusing on preventative care and health literacy.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - The View from the Inside :: Yellow Wallpaper essays

The Yellow Wallpaper: The View from the Inside "The Yellow Wallpaper", written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a story of a woman, her psychological difficulties and her husband's so called therapeutic treatment of her aliments during the late 1800s. The story begins with a young woman and her husband traveling to the country for the summer and for the healing powers of being away from writing which just seems to worsen her condition. Upon reading this intense description of an almost prison like prescription for overcoming "temporary nervous depression" the reader is permeated with the idea the men are nothing more than the wardens in the lives of women. Gilman, does well throughout the story to show with descriptive phrases just how easily and effectively, the man 'seemingly' wields his 'maleness' to control the woman. But, with further interpretation and insight I believe Gilman succeeds in nothing more than showing the weakness of women, of the day, as active persons in their own as well as society's decision making processes instead of the strength of men as women dominating machines. From the beginning of the story forward the narrator speaks of how her husband and other influential men in her life direct her so that she will recover quickly and I believe this to be the initial sign that the feminist perspective will be presented throughout. The narrator shows how although she has a formed opinion (and probably successful idea for her treatment), she is still swayed by her husband's direction with the following passage, "I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus--but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad." Her husband seems to be the one who can change her thoughts because of his 'maleness' or the fact that he is her husband. Nonetheless, she is still being suppressed by a member of the opposing sex. With a further look into this passage though, I believe that this again is nothing more than a sign of the inablities of the narrator. I don't believe her sex to be the cause of her suppression it is her lack of understanding of not only herself, but of how to successfully make others aware of what is best for herself. The narrator also speaks many times in a manner which suggests that because a man speaks she has no means by which to disagree with him because she is a woman, yet another feminist tact. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - The View from the Inside :: Yellow Wallpaper essays The Yellow Wallpaper: The View from the Inside "The Yellow Wallpaper", written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is a story of a woman, her psychological difficulties and her husband's so called therapeutic treatment of her aliments during the late 1800s. The story begins with a young woman and her husband traveling to the country for the summer and for the healing powers of being away from writing which just seems to worsen her condition. Upon reading this intense description of an almost prison like prescription for overcoming "temporary nervous depression" the reader is permeated with the idea the men are nothing more than the wardens in the lives of women. Gilman, does well throughout the story to show with descriptive phrases just how easily and effectively, the man 'seemingly' wields his 'maleness' to control the woman. But, with further interpretation and insight I believe Gilman succeeds in nothing more than showing the weakness of women, of the day, as active persons in their own as well as society's decision making processes instead of the strength of men as women dominating machines. From the beginning of the story forward the narrator speaks of how her husband and other influential men in her life direct her so that she will recover quickly and I believe this to be the initial sign that the feminist perspective will be presented throughout. The narrator shows how although she has a formed opinion (and probably successful idea for her treatment), she is still swayed by her husband's direction with the following passage, "I sometimes fancy that in my condition if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus--but John says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad." Her husband seems to be the one who can change her thoughts because of his 'maleness' or the fact that he is her husband. Nonetheless, she is still being suppressed by a member of the opposing sex. With a further look into this passage though, I believe that this again is nothing more than a sign of the inablities of the narrator. I don't believe her sex to be the cause of her suppression it is her lack of understanding of not only herself, but of how to successfully make others aware of what is best for herself. The narrator also speaks many times in a manner which suggests that because a man speaks she has no means by which to disagree with him because she is a woman, yet another feminist tact.

Creative writing – A Christmas to remember

For the first time in her life, Catherine Benson faced the prospect of spending Christmas alone. With a mixture of fond thoughts of the past and the sadness, she recalled the Christmas's of her childhood happy times full of love, laughter and family togetherness. However, this year, her parents were spending Christmas with her brother, who was happily married and with a family of his own. He lived In Wales. Of course, ever since college there had been Anthony. But even thinking the name now bought pain of sadness and loneliness. Anthony and Catherine had been inseparable. They has so many plans for the future. They'd shared dreams and so she thought, they shared lives. But that had all crumbled to dust in the last few months. The love she thought would last forever had failed to stand the first major test of their relationship. Sighing, she draped the last piece of tinsel over the branches of her small tree and stepped back to cast a critical eye upon it. It barely seemed worth the effort just for herself. Some how the tree and the fireplace, served only to make her situation seem little more worthwhile. If only she could get Anthony McBride out of her mind as effectively as he had removed himself from her life. But he crept into her thoughts at the most weirdest times and though it had been several hard painful weeks since they had split up, she'd been unable to let go of her deep feelings for him, she couldn't ignore them. â€Å"We're having a couple of friends over for Christmas Eve. Catherine please say you'll come.† Louise Andrews enticed at work the next day. New friends and a new job had given her something to focus on after Anthony. But, unused to being single, and still nursing her broken heart, Catherine had shied away from taking up a social life again. â€Å"I don't know, Louise.† She said answered cautiously. â€Å"Come on.† Her friend replied joyfully. â€Å"It's Christmas-the last of the century! It'll only be a small gathering I promise.† Smiling, Catherine allowed herself to be persuaded. Perhaps Louise was right. With the millennium coming up, it was time to cast off the past and to look forward to the future with hope and new years resolutions. So on the night before Christmas, she found herself hovering anxiously outside the door of the flat that Louise shared with her fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, Dominic. Very nervously she took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. â€Å"Catherine I'm so glad you decided to come.† Louise greeted her with a warm smile. â€Å"These are for you† Catherine handed over a bottle of wine and a big box of chocolates. â€Å"Sorry it's not very original.† â€Å"They're lovely! Let me take your coat and get you a drink, then I can introduce you to everyone.† Catherine hesitated in the doorway of the nicely decorated living room. Soft relaxing music played in the background, and half a dozen people stood in small groups, chatting and laughing. â€Å"You'll soon relax and find everyone really friendly. Dominic has invited a friend from the gym. He'll be feeling just as nervous as you, trying to get back into the swing of things as a single person after the break up of a long-term relationship.† â€Å"Now I hope you're not matchmaking.† Catherine protested with an anxious smile. â€Å"Maybe just a bit.† Louise teased. â€Å"Dominic says his friend is funny, generous and compassionate, and if he's half as good looking as I've been lead to believe, you'll be thanking me before the evening is over.† Catherine doubted it, but she held her tongue. Slipping her wine, she curbed the sudden instinct to run. She had to face some people some time. â€Å"I thought you'd ducked out on me.† Dominic greeted his guest when the door opened. â€Å"I did wonder about coming, but I knew if I didn't I would never hear the end of it. Sorry if I'm late.† â€Å"That's okay. It's only a buffet supper and we haven't started yet. Come and meet the others, what will you have to drink?† â€Å"Beer if you have it, thanks.† He replied. Stepping intensively inside the flat. Anthony asked himself for the hundredth time what he was doing here. Parties weren't his thing; he'd tended to shy away from social gatherings of any kind in the last few weeks, turning himself into work and sport instead. Following Dominic into the kitchen, he leaned on the counter and watched as his friend poured the drinks. â€Å"Louise has bought a friend from the bank I think you should meet.† Dominic said cautiously. Anthony's heart sank. â€Å"I don't want to meet anyone, not like that anyway.† â€Å"She's lovely Anthony, she's been hurt badly herself, so she knows how difficult it is to take the plunge and meet new people. Give her a chance; she's funny and intelligent. You'll like her.† Strongly wishing he hadn't come, but unable to walk away, Anthony followed his friend through to the other room. The sound of the lively conversation daunted on him for a moment, and he hesitated on the threshold. As soon as he entered the room, a tingle of awareness caught him by surprise. He scanned the room, and then he saw her. Catherine. His breath caught in his throat. Suddenly, it was as if the last painful, lonely weeks had been stripped away. She was here, in the same room, looking as lovely as ever, but unapproachable and out of his reach. Before he could retreat, Catherine turned and saw him. Shock registered on her face. His mouth tightened, just as she had been shutting him out in the last few weeks they'd been together. â€Å"Come and meet Carolyn† Dominic suggested. â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..I..† His friend brushed his protest aside. â€Å"She was very broken up over the split with her fiancà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. But she told Louise that he just never listened to her.† Dominic confided quietly. Catherine had said that? Stunned, Anthony didn't resist as Dominic steered him across the room. Catherine couldn't believe that Anthony was here. What a disaster. Just the sight of him had brought back all the pain and heartache and it had taken only a second to confirm her worst fears. Despite everything, she still loved him. â€Å"That's the friend of Dominic's I was telling you about.† Louise whispered, pushing her forward. They met in the middle of the room. If it hadn't have been so embarrassing it would have been funny. But she was too hurt, too shocked to laugh. And it was clear that Louise and Dominic had no idea what was happening. â€Å"We'll leave you to get to know each other.† Louise smiled. â€Å"You have so much in common.† Dominic said innocently. Louise and Dominic sneaked off quietly. â€Å"I didn't think I would ever see you again.† Catherine managed to say after a tense moment. â€Å"How have you been?† Anthony said awkwardly. â€Å"Not good.† She admitted. â€Å"You?† â€Å"The same.† Anthony absorbed everything about her, every single feature of her was the same, except the fact that she was thinner and her complexion had lost the happy healthy glow that it was had. â€Å"Did you really say that I never listened to you?† Dominic enquired. She nodded, her hands nervously fiddling in front of her. â€Å"Well you thought that I didn't need you anymore.† Catherine replied. â€Å"You shut me out!† â€Å"No I never, you weren't interested you were always so busy with work, you never had time for me. You never took time to really listen to me, not like used to.† Anthony took a step back, remembering all the silly quarrels that had taken their toll on their relationship. Catherine realized that neither of them had listened to each other. Everyone regrouped to enjoy the buffet supper. Neither of them ate anything, they were too busy thinking about what they had said to each other. And what now, did he still care for her as she cared for him? She met his gaze across the room. How could she loved him so much and not realize how he was feeling? Was there a chance they could get back together, could he forgive her? Anthony tried to mix with the other guests, but he couldn't stop thinking about Catherine. Could she forgive him for all the hurt and pain he had caused her? The weeks without her had been dreadful, and seeing her again had only made him realize how much he really needed her. Was it too late? At last the gathering broke up. Anthony said goodbye and left the flat, but instead of going straight home, he waited outside for Catherine to appear. â€Å"Thank you for this evening.† Catherine murmured. She slipped on her coat and left. As she was leaving the building she felt disappointed that Anthony had left and nothing happened between them. A figure emerged from the shadows as she left the building and stepped onto the pavement. â€Å"Oh.† She gasped. â€Å"I thought you had gone.† She said. Relieved with the fact the he had waited for her. â€Å"Can I walk you home?† Anthony asked. â€Å"Thank you I'd like that.† They walked side by side. Catherine felt nervous, uncertain what to say, but scared if she said nothing at all. Just being near her made him feel better. He didn't want this chance to slip, but could he find the right words to say? They began to walk slower and slower and gradually they came to a halt, where they turned to each other. â€Å"I'm sorry.† They said in harmony along with a nervous smile. Anthony reached out a tentative hand to take one of hers. â€Å"I've missed you, Catherine.† He whispered. â€Å"I've been so miserable without you.† She replied. Very slowly they drew together and hugged. â€Å"We haven't been very clever.† They agreed with each other. â€Å"Will you take me back, give me a second chance?† Anthony questioned. â€Å"Only if you will. Look it's snowing.† Across the road the church bell struck midnight. Christmas day. â€Å"Shall we go in?† Anthony asked. â€Å"Yes please, we have so much to give thanks for.† She agreed. Behind them another couple strolled slowly towards the church. â€Å"They'll be alright now.† Louise pronounced with satisfaction. â€Å"Shall we tell them we knew all along?† Dominic asked. â€Å"Maybe one day, but not just yet.† Squeezing her hand as they walked up the steps, Dominic knew he was equally lucky in the love that he had. â€Å"Happy Christmas, Louise†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

Chem

Organic Chemistry I Spring 2013 Practice test 1. Name the following compounds: a. 5-tert-butyl-7-isopropyl-6-sec-butyl-undecane b. cis-2-(5,6-dimethylheptyl)-6-(3-methylpentyl)piperidine c. trans -2-nonyl-3-octyl-tetrahydrofuran d. trans-1,6-dimethylbicyclo[4. 3. 0]nonane e. cis-6,8-ditert-butylspiro[3. 5]nonane f. 1,6-dimethylcyclohexene g. (Z)-3-bromo-4-fluoro-5-methyl-oct-4-ene h. (E)-8-(1-chloroethyl)nonadec-8-ene 2. Draw the structures of the following compounds: a b e c f d g h 3.Draw the structure of the following compounds in Newman projections and in chair conformations: a b c d e 4. Draw the most stable isomer of 1-tert-butyl-3-methylcyclohexane. a. Which atoms/groups are i. gauche to axial hydrogen on C2 A: t-butyl, C6, methyl, C4 ii. anti to equatorial substituent on C3 A: C5, C1 b. What is the relationship between: i. tert-butyl group and equatorial hydrogen on C2 A: gauche ii. equatorial hydrogen on C4 and C6 A: anti 5. Draw all isomers of 4-tert-butyl-2-ethyl-1-methylc yclohexane (ignore mirror images) in their most stable conformations.Arrange the structures from the least stable to the most stable. 6. Cyclohexylmethanol and 1-methylcyclohexanol are converted to their corresponding bromides. Write a suitable mechanism for each reaction, and assign each the appropriate symbol (SN1 or SN2). OH O H H Br H + :Br : SN2 :Br : O H H Br + H2O OH O H Br O + H2O + :Br : SN1 :Br : Br 7. Give the structure of the principal organic product formed by photochemical bromination of methylcyclopropane, draw the mechanism of the reaction. Br2, h? h? Br Br H . .Br Br Br Br 2Br . . + HBr Br + . Br

Plato and the Allegory of the Cave Essay

The son of a wealthy and noble family, Plato (427-347 B.C.) was preparing for a career in politics when the trial and eventual execution of Socrates (399 B.C.) changed the course of his life. He abandoned his political career and turned to philosophy, opening a school on the outskirts of Athens dedicated to the Socratic search for wisdom. Plato’s school, then known as the Academy, was the first university in western history and operated from 387 B.C. until A.D. 529, when it was closed by Justinian. Unlike his mentor Socrates, Plato was both a writer and a teacher. His writings are in the form of dialogues, with Socrates as the principal speaker. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato described symbolically the predicament in which mankind finds itself and proposes a way of salvation. The Allegory presents, in brief form, most of Plato’s major philosophical assumptions: his belief that the world revealed by our senses is not the real world but only a poor copy of it, and that the real world can only be apprehended intellectually; his idea that knowledge cannot be transferred from teacher to student, but rather that education consists in directing student’s minds toward what is real and important and allowing them to apprehend it for themselves; his faith that the universe ultimately is good; his conviction that enlightened individuals have an obligation to the rest of society, and that a good society must be one in which the truly wise (the Philosopher-King) are the ru lers. The Allegory of the Cave can be found in Book VII of Plato’s best-known work, The Republic, a lengthy dialogue on the nature of justice. Often regarded as a utopian blueprint, The Republic is dedicated toward a discussion of the education required of a Philosopher-King. The following selection is taken from the Benjamin Jowett translation (Vintage, 1991), pp. 253-261. As you read the Allegory, try to make a mental picture of the cave Plato describes. Better yet, why not draw a picture of it and refer to it as you read the selection. In many ways, understanding Plato’s Allegory of the Cave will make your foray into the world of philosophical thought much less burdensome. * * * * * * [Socrates] And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: –Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets. [Glaucon] I see. [Socrates] And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent. [Glaucon] You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners. [Socrates] Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave? [Glaucon] True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads? [Socrates] And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows? [Glaucon] Yes, he said. [Socrates] And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them? [Glaucon] Very true. [Socrates] And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from the passing shadow? [Glaucon] No question, he replied. [Socrates] To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images. [Glaucon] That is certain. [Socrates] And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -will he not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him? [Glaucon] Far truer. [Socrates] And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him? [Glaucon] True, he now. [Socrates] And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he ‘s forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities. [Glaucon] Not all in a moment, he said. [Socrates] He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day? [Glaucon] Certainly. [Socrates] Last of he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is. [Glaucon] Certainly. [Socrates] He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold? [Glaucon] Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him. [Socrates] And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the cave and his fellow-prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them? [Glaucon] Certainly, he would. [Socrates] And if they were in the habit of conferring honors among themselves on those who were quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as to the future, do you think that he would care for such honors and glories, or envy the possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer, Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner? [Glaucon] Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions and live in this miserable manner. [Socrates] Imagine once more, I said, such an one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness? [Glaucon] To be sure, he said. [Socrates] And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the cave, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death. [Glaucon] No question, he said. [Socrates] This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. [Glaucon] I agree, he said, as far as I am able to understand you. [Socrates] Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is very natural, if our allegory may be trusted. [Glaucon] Yes, very natural. [Socrates] And is there anything surprising in one who passes from divine contemplations to the evil state of man, misbehaving himself in a ridiculous manner; if, while his eyes are blinking and before he has become accustomed to the surrounding darkness, he is compelled to fight in courts of law, or in other places, about the images or the shadows of images of justice, and is endeavoring to meet the conceptions of those who have never yet seen absolute justice? [Glaucon] Anything but surprising, he replied. [Socrates] Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind’s eye, quite as much as of the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter light, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. And he will count the one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other; or, if he have a mind to laugh at the soul which comes from below into the light, there will be more reason in this than in the laugh which greets him who returns from above out of the light into the cave. [Glaucon] That, he said, is a very just distinction. [Socrates] But then, if I am right, certain professors of education must be wrong when they say that they can put a knowledge into the soul which was not there before, like sight into blind eyes. [Glaucon] They undoubtedly say this, he replied. [Socrates] Whereas, our argument shows that the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being, and learn by degrees to endure the sight of being, and of the brightest and best of being, or in other words, of the good. [Glaucon] Very true. [Socrates] And must there not be some art which will effect conversion in the easiest and quickest manner; not implanting the faculty of sight, for that exists already, but has been turned in the wrong direction, and is looking away from the truth? [Glaucon] Yes, he said, such an art may be presumed. [Socrates] And whereas the other so-called virtues of the soul seem to be akin to bodily qualities, for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted later by habit and exercise, the of wisdom more than anything else contains a divine element which always remains, and by this conversion is rendered useful and profitable; or, on the other hand, hurtful and useless. Did you never observe the narrow intelligence flashing from the keen eye of a clever rogue –how eager he is, how clearly his paltry soul sees the way to his end; he is the reverse of blind, but his keen eyesight is forced into the service of evil, and he is mischievous in proportion to his cleverness. [Glaucon] Very true, he said. [Socrates] But what if there had been a circumcision of such natures in the days of their youth; and they had been severed from those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and which drag them down and turn the vision of their souls upon the things that are below –if, I say, they had been released from these impediments and turned in the opposite direction, the very same faculty in them would have seen the truth as keenly as they see what their eyes are turned to now. [Glaucon] Very likely. [Socrates] Yes, I said; and there is another thing which is likely. or rather a necessary inference from what has preceded, that neither the uneducated and uninformed of the truth, nor yet those who never make an end of their education, will be able ministers of State; not the former, because they have no single aim of duty which is the rule of all their actions, private as well as public; nor the latter, because they will not act at all except upon compulsion, fancying that they are already dwelling apart in the islands of the blest. [Glaucon] Very true, he replied. [Socrates] Then, I said, the business of us who are the founders of the State will be to compel the best minds to attain that knowledge which we have already shown to be the greatest of all-they must continue to ascend until they arrive at the good; but when they have ascended and seen enough we must not allow them to do as they do now. [Glaucon] What do you mean? [Socrates] I mean that they remain in the upper world: but this must not be allowed; they must be made to descend again among the prisoners in the cave, and partake of their labors and honors, whether they are worth having or not. [Glaucon] But is not this unjust? he said; ought we to give them a worse life, when they might have a better? [Socrates] You have again forgotten, my friend, I said, the intention of the legislator, who did not aim at making any one class in the State happy above the rest; the happiness was to be in the whole State, and he held the citizens together by persuasion and necessity, making them benefactors of the State, and therefore benefactors of one another; to this end he created them, not to please themselves, but to be his instruments in binding up the State. [Glaucon] True, he said, I had forgotten. [Socrates] Observe, Glaucon, that there will be no injustice in compelling our philosophers to have a care and providence of others; we shall explain to them that in other States, men of their class are not obliged to share in the toils of politics: and this is reasonable, for they grow up at their own sweet will, and the government would rather not have them. Being self-taught, they cannot be expected to show any gratitude for a culture which they have never received. But we have brought you into the world to be rulers of the hive, kings of yourselves and of the other citizens, and have educated you far better and more perfectly than they have been educated, and you are better able to share in the double duty. Wherefore each of you, when his turn comes, must go down to the general underground abode, and get the habit of seeing in the dark. When you have acquired the habit, you will see ten thousand times better than the inhabitants of the cave, and you will know what the several images are, and what they represent, because you have seen the beautiful and just and good in their truth. And thus our State which is also yours will be a reality, and not a dream only, and will be administered in a spirit unlike that of other States, in which men fight with one another about shadows only and are distracted in the struggle for power, which in their eyes is a great good. Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst. [Glaucon] Quite true, he replied. [Socrates] And will our pupils, when they hear this, refuse to take their turn at the toils of State, when they are allowed to spend the greater part of their time with one another in the heavenly light? [Glaucon] Impossible, he answered; for they are just men, and the commands which we impose upon them are just; there can be no doubt that every one of them will take office as a stern necessity, and not after the fashion of our present rulers of State. [Socrates] Yes, my friend, I said; and there lies the point. You must contrive for your future rulers another and a better life than that of a ruler, and then you may have a well-ordered State; for only in the State which offers this, will they rule who are truly rich, not in silver and gold, but in virtue and wisdom, which are the true blessings of life. Whereas if they go to the administration of public affairs, poor and hungering after the’ own private advantage, thinking that hence they are to snatch the chief good, order there can never be; for they will be fighting about office, and the civil and domestic broils which thus arise will be the ruin of the rulers themselves and of the whole State. [Glaucon] Most true, he replied. [Socrates] And the only life which looks down upon the life of political ambition is that of true philosophy. Do you know of any other? [Glaucon] Indeed, I do not, he said. [Socrates] And those who govern ought not to be lovers of the task? For, if they are, there will be rival lovers, and they will fight. [Glaucon] No question. [Socrates] Who then are those whom we shall compel to be guardians? Surely they will be the men who are wisest about affairs of State, and by whom the State is best administered, and who at the same time have other honors and another and a better life than that of politics? [Glaucon] They are the men, and I will choose them, he replied. [Socrates] And now shall we consider in what way such guardians will be produced, and how they are to be brought from darkness to light, — as some are said to have ascended from the world below to the gods? [Glaucon] By all means, he replied. [Socrates] The process, I said, is not the turning over of an oyster-shell, but the turning round of a soul passing from a day which is little better than night to the true day of being, that is, the ascent from below, which we affirm to be true philosophy? [Glaucon] Quite so.

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev was born in Tobolsk, Siberia, on February 7, 1834. Dmitri died January 20,1907 at age 73. He was a blonde haired, blue-eyed boy, and the youngest of 14 children. His mother Maria Korniliev s family settled in Tobolsk in the early 1700 s and introduced paper and glass making to Siberia. Ivan Dmitri s father died when he was a young boy, leaving his wife to support the large family. So Maria had to find work to put the children to school. Maria s family owned a glass factory, allowing her t take over managing the company for a modest wage from which she could support the family. Dmitri being the youngest must have been his mother s favorite child and was provided as many opportunities as she could afford. Form Dmitri s early years, she began to save money for Dmitri to attend the university. He spent many hours in the glass factory his mother operated, learning from the chemist about the concepts behind glass making and from the glass blower about the art of making glass. At age 14, he was attending the Gymnasium in Tobolsk. In that year a second major family tragedy occurred, the glass factory burned down. There was no money to rebuild and the only money was the money saved for Dmitri to go to the university. Maria was not about to give up her dreams for her son. She knew that Dmitri had to go to school on a scholarship. So she paused Dmitri to improve his grades and prepare for entrance exams. Dmitri did not want to or cared about other subjects other then science. He felt that history and Latin were dead subjects and waste of his time. In 1849, the family moved to Moscow. Because of political problems university was reluctant to admit anyone from outside of Moscow. Dmitri s mother did not want to give up here, so the family moved again to St. Petersburg. Dmitri took the entrance exams at Pedagogical Institute. He did not get the best grades but well enough to be admitted to the science teacher-training program on a full scholarship. Maria died shortly after Dmitri s acceptance at St. Petersburg. Shortly after his sister died, both from tuberculosis. Dmitri was now alone. He got tuberculosis also and the doctor told him he had two years to live unless he moves somewhere more suitable. Even with this disease he graduated on time. He had his future planed and did not want to die yet, so he move to Simferopol in the Crimean Peninsula. Between 1859 and 1861 he studied the densities of gases with Regnault, A. P. Borodin and Cannizzaro. These people had great influences in his life. He began to teach back at St. Petersburg in 1863. In 1866 he became known as Professor of Chemistry at the University and was made Doctor of Science. He loved to teach and spent most of his time in his classroom. Lot of his lab work including the periodic table was done on his spare time. In 1863 Dmitri married Feozva Nikitchna Lascheva. They had two children. A boy named Volodya, and a daughter named Olga. Mendeleev never really loved Feoza and spent little time with her. In January 1882 he divorced Feozva so he could marry his niece s best friend Anna Ivanova Popova. She was a lot younger than Dmitri but the town loved each other. They had four children together. He made several publications. Most famous one was Organic Chemistry, which was published in 1861 when he was 27 years old. This book won the Domidov Prize. The first edition of Principles of Chemistry was printed in 1868. Both of these books were classroom texts. His greatest accomplishment was the stating of the Periodic Law and the development of the Periodic table. He felt that there was some type of order to the elements, and spent more than thirteen years of his life collecting data and assembling the concept, initially with the idea of resolving some of the chaos in the field for his students. Dmitri was one of the first modern-day scientists that did not rely on his own work but in scientists around the world in order to receive data that they have collected. Then he used their data along with his own data to arrange the elements according to their properties. By 1869 he assembled detailed descriptions of more then 60 elements. On November 29, 1870 Dmitri took his concept even further by stating that it was possible to predict the properties of undiscovered elements. He then proceeded to make predictions for three new elements and suggested several properties of each, including density, radii, and combining ratios with oxygen, among others. People did not believe his theories. They just ignored it and did not take Dmitri s work seriously. In 1875 when Frenchman Lecoq de Boisbaudran discovered one of the predicted elements with he named Gallium, Dmitri ideas were taken seriously. The other two elements were discovered later and their properties were found to be remarkably similar to those predicted by Mendeleev. He was 35 years old when the initial paper was presented. Throughout the remainder of his life, Dmitri Mendeleev received numerous awards from carious organizations including the Davy Medal from the Royal Society of England in 1882, the Copley Medal, the Society s highest award in 1905. He got honorary degrees from universities around the world. Dmitri Mendeleev s work means a lot to us. Imagine how hard it would have been to memories the elements without a periodic table? I admire Dmitri, because not only for his achievements but the way he achieved them. He had a tough childhood and yet he turned out a brilliant man. Dmitri did not give up his dreams but kept chasing after them.