A Million Little Pieces

Is James Frey the next Great American author? A Million Little Pieces is the supposed documentation of James Frey’s six week rehabilitation from alcohol addiction, when he was 23 years old.The graphic results caused by Frey’s complex, along with the deeply rooted relationship America has with alcoholism allowed this novel to become a best seller.   This is despite the fact that the majority of instances presented in this book to be actual occurrences are, in fact, fiction.The story follows James Frey’s struggle with addiction.   It begins with him in dire straights.   In this essay, I will prove and show why James Frey is a candidate for possibly being considered the greatest writer of the new generation.Frey wakes up on an airplane half dead with absolutely no recollection of how he got there.   With a hole in his cheek, his nose broken and barely able to walk, Frey’s family picking him up from the airport has absolutely no choice but to take him to rehab.   In rehab, Frey is forced to quit alcohol and drugs cold-turkey, which would be reasonably difficult for anyone in his assumed position.He claims to be addicted to practically every drug, on top of his addiction to alcohol; he claims to have an extensive criminal record, which makes it very clear to the reader that he was a self destructive youth. But, I personally feel some of his depictions are a bit over the top. The signature line from this book is, I am an Alcoholic and I am a Drug Addict and I am a Criminal.   This also seems to be more of a persona played out by the main character as apposed to an actual depiction of Frey himself.The fact that Frey has dental surgery without any anesthetics, and the idea that he gets into numerous fights with whomever crosses his path, these are all examples of how Frey tries to create a tough persona for himself.   As an epic hero, Frey serves well, but once it is discovered that his book is fictional, I think it becomes eve n more complex and actually makes a very saying statement about the author.I do commend Frey on his writing style.   It is very unpredictable and unique to him.   His linesThe fact that it is known that Frey fabricated the truth, and that the book is very loosely based on fact, it leaves very little room for sociological interpretations.   There are moments in Frey’s rehabilitation when he meets with other interesting addicts.He compares their addictions to his own, and in turn forms a rational perception of his own problem.   He eventually uses this new self perception for the purpose of his own rehabilitation.This is a very trying and uplifting moment for the reader, whether it is fictional or not.   The six week experience draws a lot of emotion out of Frey, and if you feel for the character you will embody these emotions along with him.   Frey’s realization about addiction is a sincere take that is universally true.

Family and Childhood Memories

My childhood memories are mainly Just bits and pieces. I do remember some events vividly. My memories are the only things that stay constant. I can pull them out like an old book and retrieve them while the world around me changes so rapidly. My favorite memories are my childhood memories. I was five years old and living in a small town in Mexico with my mother. My grandparents live in front of my house. They live in this two-story house made of adobe and brick tiles. The front of the souse was fixed to be a half store and living room.My grandparents earn their living with that store. I would go over their house every time I had a chance. I used to sit with my grandma and watch television in the store. People would come in the store and I would talk to them. I would ask the people that came in about their children or grandchildren. It was a small town and everyone knew everyone. I made many friends in my grandma store. My cousin Alma lived beside my house. We were born in the same ye ar but I was three months older. My mother and aunt didn't get alone UT that didn't matter to us.We spend a lot of time together despite our mother difference. We did almost everything together. We even got in trouble together. Every Sunday we would walk to church in our white-ironed dresses. We would go in church right behind my mother. As we walked in the church we would smell the fresh cut flowers that adorned the church. My mother would walk in the first row and sit living room for Alma and me. We would sit and listen for fifteen minutes and then we would start talking. My mother would always tell me to stop but I never did.She old always end up sitting between the two of us. I love living in Mexico with my family and friends. On my seventh Christmas my mother tells me she needs to talk to me. I felt my stomach drop. I had lost my gold ring and I did not tell her. She was going to ask for the ring I lost. I walked in the living room nervously. She sat in the sofa and sat next to her. Uniform father wants us to go live with him†, she said. † Where is that? † I responded. Uniform father is working and living in Florida. He really likes it there and he thinks you will like it too†, she explained. L do not want to move. I want to stay with grandma and Alma†, I said. I knew my mother didn't want to move to Florida either. I could see it in her eyes. I also knew my mother did not like the fact my father was never around. She had agreed to move to Florida. The day we left day Mexico I cried and cried. I wanted to be with my father but I also wanted to stay in Mexico. On New years we started packing our clothes. My mom started to sale everything we owned the refrigerator, the washing machines, paintings, and sofas. She said we were not coming back to the house.She said we would visit but we old stay in grandmas house. I loved this house and that made me sad. I tried thinking of the new house I was going to live in. I thought of being with father. It did make me feel better. By February we had everything packed. The house was ready to be on sale. I felt sad but anxious to finally see my father. I remember we left Mexico February the 20. My mom had planned this, so I could spend my eighth birthday with my father. When we arrive at Florida airport. I was shock to see so many people. I heard people talking but I couldn't make the words they were saying.I soon learned the people were talking English. I looked around and I saw my father. He was holding flowers in his hand and a new doll. I ran to him and Jump to his arms. I was over excited to see him. My mother eyes fill with Joy when she saw the two of us. Finally, my life change so much every year. I loved living in Mexico with my family and friends. I also love being with my father. I did not stay in Mexico but I am living with my father. I do visit my grandparents, my cousin Alma, and the endless friends I made in the store every time I go to Mexico.

World Without Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are known to have been on Earth for more than a hundred years and in that long period of covering with different species they cease to be recognized as pests and disease spreading organisms that kills nearly one million people each year. This disadvantage to our community has led to the consideration of wiping them off the surface of the Earth. Primarily, this Idea would be beneficial to humans since not only the nuisance but also the spread of a number of pathogenic diseases would stop.However, while the study attempts to accentuate the benefit of eradicating hem it fails to elaborate its main problem and that is on how to actually get rid of the organism. This has become the study prior limiting factor for the reason that existing methods for killing mosquitoes have not yet been fully developed by scientists. All the more now since this organism manages to still exist and become resistant to the less toxic materials being used on them. Unfortunately the supposedly more e ffective yet at the same time more toxic chemical would be dangerous to man's health which should not be taken lightly by all means. The Idea of eradicating mosquitoes becomes concerned with the concept of sustainability with regard to Its economic and social sector. This involves the economy since funding Is given to health organizations most especially to countries with high malaria burden.While In the concept of social, since the welfare of the human beings is primary given importance the obvious benefit is that more lives will be saved and will no longer be infected by the diseases. However, the downside to this issue is that it would add to the increase in human population. Admittedly, the death and infection of humans for many years may be tragic but in the obvious sense t is nature's way of regulating its population. The research paper wants to point out that eradicating mosquitoes would not have serious consequences for ecosystems.Some scientists think that the removal of th e organism would â€Å"heal quickly' as the niche would be filled with other species. A raised concern could be that if the study has stated that only a few hundred species bother or bite humans, the Idea of totally eradicating the organism Is put Into question. Different studies have already proven that some species are useful as well as beneficial to other organisms. Despite all that, it is still becomes evident that unmans do not benefit from the mosquitoes.The benefit being presented is somewhat overshadowed by giving importance to â€Å"human comfort† based on what becomes the prevailing theme of the study. It was observed that the assumptions made in the study had similar notions. It all had the point of directly stating that the loss of the mosquitoes would be somewhat insignificant and they have not been much of a benefit to humans at all. However it is a good thing the study had shown objectivity by also presenting studies that come to show the organism's benefit to other organisms as well.The deferent ideas that have been Injected are supported by evidence. However, It Is good to take note of the study degree of uncertainty. It was also observed that some conclusions were not yet backed up by other studies and most of these were Just concluded through other people's research. And although there is that sense of objectivity, there is the would not be needed in this world. An improvement to this study could have been showing more certainty through different supporting evidences and that being more objective to the issue could have made readers think more critically.

Free Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Free Market - Essay Example It has been highly controversial whether free market is suitable for the present world economy. It is still unknown which economic policy would solve the fundamental economic problems of the present economy. It is time to analyze whether the concept of mixed economy would find success in this present world. It is again controversial up to what extent the governmental regulation must be allowed in a mixed economy. Moreover, it is also important to review the amount of access of free market and its validity and significance in the present world economy. It will be useful if we analyze the concepts of Adam Smith and Milton Friedman and the opposition of Keynes and Karl Marx in the context of the present world economy. Adam Smith advocated the concepts of free market and explained in his work An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations the mechanism that he believed being operated in the economic society. According to Adam Smith, individuals strive to attain wealth by aiming only on their personal gain. These individuals however cannot consume everything that they produce and has to share it with others who value it and pay the price for it. So the public interests of the society can be satisfied by this system of division of labor and free market. Smith, the father of economics, have authored the invisible hand which is able to explain all sorts of economic phenomena in all fields. The book has included the valuable views of Adam Smith about free market. Adam Smith explained the concept and told that businessmen or entrepreneurs always aim for the best profit and consumers always do aim for the lowest price. Consumer choice thus would become the force that influences the price in the market. Consumers would demonstrate their demand or negligence towards products that appear in the market. These consumer demand or pressure would thus encourage entrepreneurs or producers to invest more on the same product and bring more of them into the markets. T hus it is nothing but the consumer demand that pressurize the producers to invest their money into the profitable industry. Thus industry brings the most demanded goods to the markets and consumers also receive their favorable products, thereby resulting in the general economic well being of the society. Adam Smith considered this market-based system as a great advantage as people are forced to respond (producers) according to the want and demands of other people. Free market is the concept in which price is regulated by the corresponding demand or supply. Trade and business would be completely voluntary in free market concept without any interference from force, rule or fraud. In a free market system, the theory of supply and demand would rule the economy bringing the prices of the products towards a typical equilibrium state that would balance the demand and the supply. Another major advocate of free market system is Milton Friedman. He opined that that there is a close and direct relationship between economic freedom and economic growth. Milton Friedman, the American economist (famous for his macro and microeconomics) was of the opinion that free markets would challenge and destroy away political centralization and political control completely. In his book, Capitalism and Freedom he mentioned that the role of a government in free market economy is to maintain political and social freedom. Freidman highly supported free market concept and explained several of its advantages. According to him, â€Å"The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit.† He opined that the one and only way to get a lot of people cooperate together jointly is through free market. As a

Bibliography on The Last Samurai Annotated Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

On The Last Samurai - Annotated Bibliography Example The book on The Last Samurai written by Ravina, an expert in Japanese History and an Associate Professor of History at Emory University, centers on the life and the battles fought by Saigo Takamori. The book describes the entire phase from the moderate origins of Saigo and his development to the stage of a deprived samurai. Then his eventual rise to powerful position as a national leader. Finally it shows how events unfold to bring on his death as a leader who died in rebellion. This book has been the base for the movie centering on Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. Saigo’s significance has been revealed here especially in the context of the Meiji rule. He was the first to overthrow the feudal dominion and build the Meiji base in Japan. His battle was a fight to preserve the honor of a samurai and his consequent loyalty and service to the society. Hence he was against the idea of centralized country. The book gives an elaborate account of his deeds and his contribution, which turne d him into a folk hero, and gradually compelled the government to raise him to the position of national martyrdom. The spirit of the samurai captured here has given the inspiration to the movie and hence becomes useful to the paper.The book written by Turnbull, a historian specializing in the history of the samurai gives a clear account of the Satsuma rebellion with respect to the honor of the sword of the samurai. The author’s knowledge in military history has helped him frame the revolt with a cause to support it. He did not agree to the reforms led by the government and revolted with his army to preserve the pride of the samurai. The book contains quotes and opinions of experts and historians apart from reporters. The leader carried out several organizations and built schools in euphemistic style named as â€Å"Private Schools† the academics were rendered in military style training such that a private army could be formed. The students had to take an oath in blood t o be loyal to the purpose and this alarmed the Meiji government. These movements and tactics of the plan are interesting to note and compare to the movie with respect to its adherence to the facts. 3. Logan, John, Herskovitz, Marshall, Zwick, Edward and David James. The Last Samurai. Time Inc Home Entertainment, 2003 The book contains some parts of the script on which the Last Samurai is based and the making of the movie in general including some stills and comments form the acting team and director. The contributors to the book are all a part of the moviemakers’

Critical analysis of petition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical analysis of petition - Essay Example The college’s rationale into college algebra in the applicant’s curriculum is to satisfy the college’s minimum level mathematics competence into the course, to meet requirements for graduation, to develop an all round academic competence, and to be creative. Either the applicant meets the threshold for the reasons or the reasons are unrealistic to the applicant’s objectives and potential benefits to the society. The applicant’s experience that identify academic competence in algebra, professional application of mathematical concepts, potentials as an all round person, and the ability to outsource expertise in mathematics also justify the application for waiver. He records that he â€Å"already poses ample math skills,† and was â€Å"a machine and welding contractor† an area in which h applied algebra (Adams n.p.). A utilitarian perspective to the issue would consider the benefits that the college’s requirement for a college alge bra unit would offer to a student, the university, and the entire community that the college and the student will serve. For a student, inclusion of college algebra is justified if the unit is fundamental to the student’s profession or subsequent academic programs and if the student has not shown competence in the unit. Factors such as excellence in a similar unit and previous application of the unit’s concepts in the applicant’s profession and at advanced levels however mean that undertaking the course will not benefit the student. The requirement will also not benefit the school’s objective in the student because the student has already developed relevant competence to the college’s interest. This further means that the society derives no benefit from the requirement. The requirement also denies the applicant... The essay is related to an author, who is an Indian American and a student at the Arizona State University undertaking justice studies. His concern is that while the university requires him to take an algebra course, registering for the unit will require him to take one more semester in his current course and this will mean missing ASU College of Law entry in the fall 1993 and yet the course unit will not add value to his profession. This paper analyzes the submission and argues in its support. In the analysis of the essay, we go through the cons and pros of the situation. The pros would be that Adams’s plea for a waiver on the mathematics requirement is valid and his reasons justify this. The college’s rationale into college algebra in the applicant’s curriculum is to satisfy the college’s minimum level mathematics competence into the course, to meet requirements for graduation, to develop an all round academic competence, and to be creative. With cons, i t is however an alternative perspective regarding the waiver. The college has set its requirements for college algebra as a â€Å"minimum level of math competency† into the course and â€Å"to satisfy the university’s math requirement† for graduation and professionals agree to its existence (Adams n.p.). This means that it has been applicable to other learners and rule ethics as well as equality supports its application on the applicant. The conclusion of the essay tells us right away that Adams is an adult learner with work experience.

As part of your cover letter, applicants for AP positions will be Essay

As part of your cover letter, applicants for AP positions will be asked to answer the questions below - Essay Example One purpose of the group was to share lessons and their experiences on the best teaching practices. I organized two meetings every month in which all the members of the group were required to meet and engage in constructive discussions about the general teaching environment. This also formed a platform to derive new modest ways of teaching and promote innovation in the academic field. Each member of the group was required to present their own research on the various changes that were occurring in the teaching field. To further strengthen the network, I organized for a trip to Anaheim California for the group to attend the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This provided them with an opportunity to broaden the network and to learn from other math educators around the country. This group turned out to be a good support network for new mathematics teachers. Having a sharing between experienced and newly induced teachers provided a good avenue for the new teachers to learn and quickly adopt new systems of teaching practice in this region. One notable success of this instructional initiative can be seen on the fast rate in which the group grew and the role it played in transforming the teaching experiences of the mathematics teachers. The dynamism of the group played a key role in integrating innovation in the region 6. In 2005, it was noted that the average performance in mathematics had improved, a result that can be associated with the effort of this group. Through my experience overtime, i have identified the value of involving students in the development of the curriculum. When students are involved, it becomes easy for the teachers to learn their problems and develop new teaching strategies to solve the learner’s problems. This is a strategy I would have used in region 6 to achieve effectiveness in the instructional initiative. This plan

EVALUATING A WEBSITE AS A SOURCE FOR LEARNING HISTORY Essay

EVALUATING A WEBSITE AS A SOURCE FOR LEARNING HISTORY - Essay Example In this regard, the Europeans exploration and colonizers made regular trips to America to deliver merchandise and collect precious metals and treasures. However, as treasures increased, so did the desire to capture more areas to gain control over the Americans. The reason for choosing this website for analysis is because it provides information on America’s history and recommends other resources rich in America’s history. Therefore, this website serves as a good source of learning history due its diverse information, including artifacts and paintings and also other suggested literatures on America’s history. This website is owned by the library of Congress, the world largest library. Through this site, the library provides diverse books, photographs, recordings, maps and many other academic resources for both teachers and students. The information provided in this website gives insights on America’s history, and it is adequately supported by finding of gre at historians such as Jay Kislak, who amassed a comprehensive collection of materials on ancient America. In the process of his exploration, Jay acquired rare collection of manuscripts and books that pertained to early America. In this vein, the objective of library of Congress was to avail diverse learning resources to the American people. Therefore, this site seeks to reveal America’s history, creativity and knowledge through both primary and secondary sources to both teachers and learners. Notably, the site has a selection of more than 3,000 rare maps, paintings, documents, prints and artifacts among others. The audience can access information on the early America, including pre-contact America, exploration and encounters and finally aftermath of the encounter through this website. In addition, the site provides more than 3,000 collections of documents, paintings, prints among others. All information accessible through this site is equally useful for a historian, but for t his particular paper information on pre-contact, America is of paramount importance. In this regard, the website provides insights on America’s indigenous culture, including their music and poetry, powerful expressive objects modeled and the hierarchical political, religious and social systems. I consider the information to be reliable since it emanates from the library of Congress whose main role is to document historical information. In addition, the information provided is fully supported by researches conducted by re-known historians such as Jay Kislak. Despite providing valuable information about America’s history, the website has some ancient drawings and objects not clearly explained. For instance, under theme and exhibition, there are various items and drawings with no clearly explanations on how they relate to ancient American culture. This poses a considerable problem since ancient items, and drawing helps to provide information on a given generation. Further , despite the support of what the website provides with works of great researchers, little is provided to tie such information with artifacts and painting shown in the website. This leaves a gap that can challenge information provided on America’s history. Certainly, I cannot say that the website does not provide the right information, but more research needs to be conducted to

Children if convicted of a capital crime, should be given the death Essay

Children if convicted of a capital crime, should be given the death penalty - Essay Example Historically, only 2 percent of capital punishment was juvenile execution since a large number of capital punishment imposed on children was either reversed or commuted. Often public opinion is considered, but â€Å"it is critical to distinguish between judging what is cruel and unusual punishment and what should become policy for such issues as capital punishment† (Kalbeitzer & Goldstein, 174). This paper focuses on different perspectives regarding this sensitive issue. Unlike many developed countries, United States is still embracing capital punishment for serious offenders. One major objective of juvenile criminal system â€Å"is to hold juvenile offenders accountable for delinquent acts while providing treatment, rehabilitative services, and programs designed to prevent future involvement in law-violating behavior† (Cothern, 1). The juvenile court was established in Chicago in 1889 in order to protect the juvenile offenders from receiving rough treatment in the criminal justice system. The juvenile court accepted that adults and children have different developmental capacities; therefore it advocated rehabilitation as alternative for capital punishment in case of children. However due to the growing number of young people getting involved in criminal activities in the turn of this century, the juvenile justice system has become more prone towards more rigid policies and stricter punishments. It now happens that children below the age of 1 8 who have committed capital crimes are subjected to the ultimate form of punishment like the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole. Supporters of juvenile death penalty see it as a way to deter other young people from committing similar kinds of crimes, and a way to maintain public safety (Cothern, 1-2). As of 2000, more than two-third of all independent states advocate death penalty. In 1999, 30 offenders were executed other than 3,500 others who were on death row. Even

Analysis of Management base off of the book Who Moved My Cheese by Essay

Analysis of Management base off of the book Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson - Essay Example Changes are unique and specific depending on the diversity of the workplaces; however, they display some degree of similarity with regard to how they are implemented. For any firm to run, it has to undergo some changes. The changes may be both internal and external, and they occur along its life line aimed at various reasons of prosperity. As a result, the necessities for the changes are numerous. Firstly, internal change assists in maximizing the opportunities presented by the proposed change. This is achievable and is usually guided by the laid down procedure that presents the innovation. Also, it helps identify and overcome impediments that overburden a given enterprise which directly brings down the outcome for which the organization is set. Change could also be done to minimize the disruption to programs and services. This is especially where there is no clear definition of roles in a workplace. In most cases, this leads to the duplication of duties; hence, inefficiency in servi ce delivery (Mayle & Salman, 2009). External changes usually arise from the authorities, and they do not necessarily aim at improving the conditions at the work place. However, these changes have to be dealt with to ensure a good working environment. When these changes come about, it is the duty of the management to know how to deal with them. The management is, therefore, involved in various ways with this regard. This is because it has to ensure that it balances the changes being introduced and the interests of the people executing them (Spencer, 1998). Hence, its role is double edged; first to ensure that the change is executed as well as solve any dispute or resistance arising from the given change. The management of these changes can only be successful if the manager applies appropriate managerial styles. The management’s first mandate is overseeing of the enactment of changes and using various management styles. Furthermore, management styles evolve with time; hence, th ey can be classified as old and new. However, they all serve the purpose intended. The first approach is organizational development (OD). This is an approach which recognizes the reality of post-modern organization. This internal change approach enhances the separation of roles brought about by the intended change; hence, increased efficiency (Mayle & Salman, 2009). The Integrated Strategic Approach (ISC) as another method. This is change management method where participation is encouraged. This is such that all employees are involved in the analysis, planning and implementation process. Therefore, this means that they work together towards creating shared ownership, as well as improving coordination and integration of all work stations. This change .management approach fits well because it faces less resilience since it creates an environment where every worker feels as part of the system (Beerel, 2009). Trans-organizational development (TD) is another approach which is emerging. T his approach has been brought about by the realization that everything is interdependent and organizations are part of a bigger system. TD is a form of planned change that enables organizations to collaborate with each other in resource and risk sharing. This is especially in cases of external changes that cut across various organizations. Spencer (1998) suggests that organizations should approach change less

Chinese philosophy Essay Example for Free

Chinese philosophy Essay . Introduction A. Thesis There are so many different philosophies and religions, and they greatly influence people’s life. In this paper, I am going to introduce and define the representatives of the Western philosophy such as Plato’s metaphysical Dualism and Chinese philosophy like Daoism. And I am going to compare these philosophies and explain the difference between them. ?. Dualism A. Explain Plato’s metaphysical Dualism Plato’s Dualism divided the reality into two different realms of existence (World of the Senses and World of the Forms). One world (the physical world) is constantly changing, and another world (the world of the Forms) is unchanging. Plato further divided these two different realms of existence. The world of Forms can be divided into the higher world (realm of the form) and the lower world (the Empirical world). The world of senses can be divided into physical objects (ordinary objects we perceive) and images (shadows, reflections and pictures). B. Summary of Allegory of Cave Plato explained his metaphysical dualism by using the Allegory of a cave. According to Marc Cohen: In the allegory, Plato likens people untutored in the Theory of Forms to prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads. All they can see is the wall of the cave. Behind them burns a fire. Between the fire and the prisoners there is a parapet, along which puppeteers can walk. The puppeteers, who are behind the prisoners, hold up puppets that cast shadows on the wall of the cave. The prisoners are unable to see these puppets, the real objects that pass behind them. What the prisoners see and hear are shadows and echoes cast by objects that they do not see. However, one day one of them is released from what keeps them the guy sitting, and they look back. At that time, the guy realizes that there are objects and the fire behind people and someone moves the objects. The shadow people have seen is a fake. People who are still sitting have never seen the objects behind them, so they believe that the shadow is real. The guy is free to move, so he starts to run to the exit of the cave. After getting out of the cave, the guy feels dizzy because the world out of the cave is too shiny. After a while, his eyes got used to the brightness and the beautiful world like the mountain, the sky, the river, or the sun is in the eyes of the guy. And then he realizes that the world out of the cave is real. He goes back to the cave and tells people who are still sitting in the cave what he saw out of the cave. However, they do not believe that what the guy told is the truth. C. Interpretation of the Allegory. By using this Allegory, we can think about today’s world. There are too much in formation in the world, and the world seems to be narrower than before. Especially the appearance of mass media like newspaper, television, magazine, Internet, or SNS changed how we deal with information. Too much information is created and flows every day, and we can get the information you need any time by the device like a smart phone, a PC or a tablet. However, is the information you can get really the reality? The information created by mass media might be like the shadow in a cave. Before I was born, there was already too much information. I learned much information like Japanese history in a school, and I also know the new information of the incidence that occurs every day at the same time through mass media. So I learned most of things that occurred around the world through the information created by mass media, and the information is like a shadow in Allegory of a Cave. Suppose that an internal warfare is happening in one country. We know about that through mass media. We might see suffers in a TV or in a photo. We feel like understand everything about the war through the picture on TV or words of the News, but that is not a whole thing but just part of that. We need to seek the reality by my own eyes today’s world. ?. Plato’s Legacy According to Philip, â€Å"Plato thought that the soul could and would exist apart from the body and would exist after the death of the body. He offered a proof for this position and was the first to do so in writing that we have any evidence of doing so. He offered several different proofs or arguments none of which are convincing today†. His argument was that humans were composed of bodies and souls, but soul was more important and immortal. His arguments used premises that are questionable today. For example, Plato thought he could conclude that the soul could exist separating from the body because it worked independently from the body when it engaged in pure thought. But today, it is proved that how we think depends on the physical brain works. So this is no longer accepted as true. Plato thought that they are remembering the knowledge implanted in their souls when the souls were in the realm of pure thought and eternal forms before entering into the body after which they forgot as they became confused by physical emotions and feelings and limited experiences through the senses. And that is the only way to explain how people come to know. This is no longer accepted as the best explanation of how people come to have knowledge. However, Plato is credited with being the first human to attempt to set out any sort of a proof that humans had souls and that they survived the death of the body and that they were immortal. A. Descartes-Substance Dualism According to Philip, â€Å"Descartes also believed that the soul existed prior to and separate from the body, and it was immortal. In his view, all of reality consisted of two very different substances: matter or the physical and spirit or the non-physical. † The physical was what would be extended in time and space and the non-physical would not be characterized. He thought that his famous claim that â€Å"I think therefore I am† established not just that he existed but that he existed without a body as a â€Å"thinking thing†. A thinking thing is a thing that thinks and by that would be included: imagining, conceiving, hoping, dreaming, desiring, fearing, conjecturing, reasoning, remembering and more. For him a thinking thing needed no physical parts to do what it does. Modern science has established that there is no evidence of humans that are without a physical body and its brain. There is no evidence that thought is possible without a brain. There is much evidence that what has been associated with Descartes’ â€Å"thinking thing† is now explained solely in term of the brain and how the brain is physically structured and the functioning of the brain. B. Aquinas According to the text, â€Å"Saint Thomas Aquinas is the philosopher who explained five ways to demonstrate the existence of the God within the framework of a posteriori (the knowledge comes from, or after the experience) and developed cosmological and teleological arguments. † I am going to explain one of the demonstrations. The way is from the nature of efficient cause. In the world of sensible things, there is an order of efficient causes. It never happens that the thing is the efficient cause of itself. If you look at one phenomenon, you can see many efficient causes behind it. But you cannot go back to infinity. There must be the first efficient cause. Aquinas claims that that is the God. The Aquinas’ claim is similar to Plato’s claim. He thought the God is the first efficient cause and independent one. That is close to the concept â€Å"the realm of the form† Plato claimed. And the things in the world of sensible things are the secondary things of the God. It is close to â€Å"the Empirical world† Plato claimed. ?. Chinese Natural Cosmology A. Ames `Image of Reason in Chinese Culture† Ames claims the difference between the dominant conceptions of reality in the West and in the Chinese tradition in his â€Å"image of Reason in Chinese Culture†. According to the text, Ames claims that â€Å"to explore the Chinese philosophy, he thought you needed to recognize at least that you are dealing with a fundamentally different world if you are familiar with Western culture. To bring into relief certain features of the dominant Indo-European view and Chinese alternative to it, he constructs a â€Å"logical sense of order with an â€Å"aesthetic† order. † What we call â€Å"logical† sense of order has developed Western philosophical and religious orthodoxy, and it is based on the presumption that there is something permanent, perfect, objective, and universal that disciplines the world of charge and guarantees natural and moral order-some originative and determinative arche, an eternal realm of Platonic edios or â€Å"ideas†, the One True God of the Judeo-Christian universe, a transcendental strongbox of invariable principles or laws, an annalistic method for discerning clear and distinct ideas. In a single-order world, the One God is the initial beginning of the universe. The God is primal and unchanging principle that causes and explains that origin and issues everything from itself, and that is familiar and presupposition in Western tradition. Although the world is explained by â€Å"logical† order in Western tradition, however, there is no â€Å"logical† order in Chinese philosophy. The order of Chinese tradition is immanent in and inseparable from a spontaneously changing world. The universe possesses within itself its organizational principles and its own creative energy. In the view of Chinese tradition, the world creates itself. That is scandalous from the view point of Western scholar reason. The yin and the yan come together and guide the infinite combination of these two opposite source of energy. These two sources of energy make a spontaneous intelligence possible. Yin and yan as the characterization of a particular relationship invariably entail a perception from some particular perspective that enables us to unravel patterns of relatedness and interpret our circumstances. They provide a vocabulary for sorting out the relationship among things as they come together and constitute themselves in unique compositions. Ames also mentions the Chinese word â€Å"li†. In both classical Chinese corpus and modern language, the closest term that approximates â€Å"reason† or â€Å"principle†. He claims that identifying the meaning of the word â€Å"li† correctly is essential to understand Chinese philosophy. According to the text, â€Å"Philosophically, the most familiar uses of li lie somewhere in the cluster â€Å"reasoning† or â€Å"rationale† (A. S. Cua), â€Å"principle† (W.T. Chan), â€Å"organism† (J. Needham), and â€Å"coherence† (W. Peterson). † Among these several alternative translations used for â€Å"li†, although philosophically as protean as â€Å"principle† for Western tradition, unwarrantedly restrict li to a notion of human consciousness and tend to introduce distinction such as animate and inanimate, agency and act, intelligible and sensible. Li is much different from being some independent and immutable originative principle that disciplines a recalcitrant world. It is the fabric of order immanent in the dynamic process of experience. That is why psychology is translated in to Chinese as the li of the heart-and-mind, but then physics is the study of the li of things and events. What separates li rather clearly from Western common understanding of principle is that li is both a unity and a multiplicity. Li is the coherence of any member of a set, all members of a set, or the set as a whole. Both the uniqueness of each particular and the continuities that obtain among them are reflected by this description. Li then is the defining character or ethos of a given community, or any other such composition. Ames also claims another point at which li departs from principle. In Western tradition, the discovery of originative and determinative principle gives us a schema for classifying things and subsuming one thing under another. That is why people seek principle in Western tradition. However, the investigation of li, by contrast, is to seek out patterns that relate things, and to discover resonances between things that make correlations and categorization possible. B. Hans-Gorg Moeller In Daodejing, the meaning of â€Å"the root† is described by using metaphor. From the view of the Daoist, our world is a â€Å"self-generating† process. In Daoism there is no initial beginning for â€Å"logical† order. In Daoism, order is immanent in and inseparable from a spontaneously changing world, and then â€Å"the world creates itself. † In this point of view, the role of â€Å"the root† is very important. â€Å"The root† is an origin of phenomenon, and many things are derived from â€Å"the root. † Unlike many Western philosophical perspectives, this â€Å"root† has a somewhat unique, interesting, and different meaning in it. The Western philosophy’s principle or arche is the first cause of the event. And nothing would exist if there were not any of the Western philosophy’s principle or arche. However, the concept of â€Å"the root† is different of that. From the Daoist perspective, â€Å"the root† is a part of the plant. â€Å"The root† does not exist before the plant although plant cannot exist if there is no â€Å"the root. † That is, â€Å"the root† itself is not a creator of the plant. It is the origin of the growth of the plant. â€Å"The root† is buried in the soil or ground, so it is invisible. However, â€Å"the root† greatly influences its visible part. This illustrates Daoist’s â€Å"autopoiesis,† self-generating concept well, which differs a lot from the Western philosophical concept â€Å"arche,† which is stated or recognized as â€Å"the God. † ?. Comparative Epistemology A. Hellenistic-Prescriptive theoretical knowledge In Western tradition, most of philosophers think there is one principle or one God and things happen from it. And the mind is separable part from the body. One of the examples is Plato. Plato’s dualism is that there are the realm of form and the imperial world. The body belongs to the imperial world and the world is constantly changing. And what we sense by the body is limited, and the Empirical world is not real. The true world is the realm of the form, and the mind belongs to the world. Plato argues that the â€Å"knowledge† continuously exists and must be justified conviction. However, the Empirical world that we belong to is contentiously changing, and there is no unchanging thing in the world. That is why there is no thing from which we can get â€Å"knowledge† in the Empirical world, so we cannot get â€Å"knowledge† by our own senses. The unchanging things exist in the realm of the form, and we cannot reach the world by using our senses. So we need to use our mind to get â€Å"knowledge†. Not all of Western philosophers claim like that, but most of philosophers claim that the truth does not exist in the world where we live today. This concept greatly influences Christianity or other religions that have the one God. In Christianity, there is one God named â€Å"Jesus Christ†, and he is the reason why things happen or why we live. People pray to seek â€Å"knowledge† that exists in the world where we are not living. That is, we cannot get the â€Å"knowledge† about it in the world where we are living, and we need to get it from the other world to know the essence of the things. B. Chinese philosophy-Prescriptive practical On the other hand, there is no the one God in Chinese philosophy. In China, the war occurred constantly, and Chinese dynasty changed over time, so people did not come to rely on one thing. This influenced the Chinese philosopher. Instead of one god or one principle, Chinese philosophers think that the world creates itself and that the world is constituted by the combination of determinacy and indeterminacy, and spontaneous, dynamic changing is the universal principle of the world. In Western tradition, the philosophers try to attribute many phenomenons to the one reason. However, Chinese philosophers think that each thing is â€Å"self-so† creativity, self-generating, and spontaneous. For Chinese philosophy, the Nature is very important, and in Daoism it is important not to try to force thing. That is why there is the concepts in Daoism; wu wei(without intentional action), wu si(without deliberate thought), wu si(without selfish interesting), wu ji(without self-awareness), wu zhi(without knowledge), wu xin(without heart-and-mind). Daoists claim that when you are thinking something, the world is also changing at the same time, so you are missing something. That is why it is important for Daoism to stop thinking by your head, get out of the world of your head, look around the world, and take action. The most important thing for Daoism is that we ought to take action as a part of the world. ?. Conclusion There have been so many philosophers through the history, and each of philosophy has been developed around the world. And how people think about the world is different, depending on the philosophy. Of many philosophies, the significant different philosophies are the Western and Chinese philosophy. In the Western philosophy, the philosophers try to attribute everything to the one principle or the one God. On the other hand, there is no principle, and the philosophers have recognized the world as self-generating process, and the world is the source of itself without no exact start and end point. This thought influences religion and how people think about the world. Around the world, many wars related to religion occur today. The difference between the religions is just what ancient people developed, so it is important to try to understand the difference in today’s world. Reference Pecorino, Philip, Ph. D. Chapter 6 : The Mind-Body Problem Section 3: DUALISM. Introduction To Philosophy an Online Textbook. Queensborough Community College, CUNY, n. d. Web. 4 Dec 2013. . Deutsch, Eliot. Introduction to World Philosophies. 1st ed. 509. New Jersey: A Pearson Education Company, 1997. Ex-255-256. Print. Deutsch, Eliot. Introduction to World Philosophies. 1st ed. 509. New Jersey: A Pearson Education Company, 1997. Ex-469. Print. Cohen, Marc. The Allegory of the Cave. Philosophy 320 History of Ancient Philosophy. University of Washington, 07 11 2013. Web. 4 Dec 2013. .

The controversy that is evolution Essay Example for Free

The controversy that is evolution Essay I will be looking at the controversy that is evolution. The one side being we have evolved from primate to Neanderthal man to homo sapien. And the other from a religious creator point of view and the view of no proof of evolution. I shall start with the argument against evolution. The issue here is that faith is something which can not be proven thats why its called faith because you have to believe, compared to that which has not been proven (theory) (1). This articles argument is that until there is specific evidence and proof in some form of fossil or gradual progression and transition from one species to the next, evolution will remain an unproven, yet appealing, theory. Creationism in the Oxford English Dictionary (6) means the belief that the universe and living creatures were created by God in accordance with the account given in the Old Testament. Creationists will try and argue the case in favour of their belief when people comment on how the Earth is far older than 6000 years and therefore how could God have made it. They infer that the natural processes back then were a lot different to how they are today, such as radioactive decay occurred far more rapid thousands of years ago than it does today, making the earth seem older than it really is. (2). Whether or not decay did occur a lot faster back then is still to be discovered this is why theorist trying to prove evolution cant be sure about anything and nor can the creationists be sure about what happened. 45% of Americans agreed with the statement: God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10 000 years or so (3, page 499). They believe and stand on what they believe so much that it creationist materials have been published not only in English but in 13 other languages (3, page 500). They believe that the universe and earth was created 10,000 years ago, and that the earth was inundated by Noahs flood and that all living things were created by God to reproduce after the kind, thus setting limits on evolution. This article goes on (3, page 502) to talk about how Darwin didnt publish in detail all facts in his origin of species (4) which he regarded as a mere abstract of his planned yet never completed Natural Selection (5). Reasons for this are not known but makes you wonder why didnt he complete it and creationists use this in their favour against the idea of evolution. The arguments here are good, until proof is given when someone makes a theory it is not fact and so therefore can not be relied upon no matter how many assumptions and theories are put together. The bible has been translated more times and into more languages (more than 2,100 languages) than any other book, and it is the best selling book of all time, this fact makes it seem more than just a nice story and makes it easier to believe that it actually possiably true. However questions may be asked from the opposing side about the religious background to the creationism argument. The point being if your not religious your not going to believe in the creation story and therefore not going to believe God created everything so they will look for answers in nature and elsewhere and create theories to try and prove where we did come from. In these evolution scientist minds we did evolve from apes, and they will try and prove the creation story wrong and their theory right. I shall now go on to look at the arguments for the theory of evolution. Evolution in the oxford English dictionary (6) means the process by which different kinds of living organism are believed to have developed, especially by natural selection ; gradual development. Humans and chimpanzees share some 99% of DNA and amino acid identity (8, page 721). These figures are good numbers to look at and to try and prove we have evolved from chimps, and are convincing. However despite this high percent our morphological, biomedical and cognitive differences are significant. This is why creationists and other people find it hard to believe we have morphed from chimps into humans. There is also the fact that if we were once chimps and we evolved into humans, there are now still humans and still chimpanzees, why is there no in-between living proof about. Darwin argues that humans are only slightly remodelled chimpanzee-like apes, he based this on the asserted importance of numerous points of resemblance (8, page 727). Darwin missed the point, its not so much the points of similarity that makes the line of descent, it is more a few points of dissimilarity that breaks the lines, and makes a species different (8, page 728). Here we seem to have a point being made and then another point being made against that point, it makes a good article, but doesnt make a good argument for evolution when you prove what you just said wrong in a later paragraph. Natural selection meaning larger males mate with larger females which then reproduce to make larger offspring (9). However in the animal world you cant force animals to mate and you cant predict or guarantee who will either. The article goes against itself and talks about how there may be other reasons for taller people not just tall reproducing tall. Reasons such as better nutrition and standard of living and health care (10, page 257). There are also links to climate and stature due to living and adapting to similar conditions (10, page 278), however oddly the tallest and shortest populations ever recorded were Nuer 184.44cm and Mbuti 144.1cm which were both recorded in central Africa (7, page 672). So although Darwin and his natural selection may be true to some extent on the whole other factors play apart in the way we have changed over the years. More a change due to environmental conditions and better living standards which wouldnt explain the change from ape to human. Monkeys can be trained to walk bipedally rather than quadrupidally (11, page 739). This meaning we could have evolved to better suit ourselves, a kind of survival of the fittest. The bipedal walking after 2-3km per day, changes there skeletal system and existence of humanlike lumbar lordosis shows (7, page 740). The benefits of this bipedal walking means they expend less energy and can walk with longer less frequent sides so therefore have adapted to benefit themselves. The arguments here for evolution theory arent as strong as those for the creationist theory purely because of the facts that they are theories and havent been proven yet. One theorist says one thing and then another theorist says another, always contradicting each other. Until facts are made clearer and proof found the theory of evolution will go on. All the articles I have read have been convincing to there point of view, some more so than others. Some even seem to debate and out different ideas across in their own argument. The best arguments were those with the facts and figures and scientific drawings. Points which are reliable and not biased which are factual and true. References (1) Lipman. R, Creationism versus evolution, The Lancet, volume 360 (September), issue 9336, (2002), page 872. (2) Langen. T, what is right with teaching the controversy?, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, volume 19 (March), issue 3, (2004), pages 114-115. (3) Scott. E and Branch. G, Evolution: Whats wrong with teaching the controversy?, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, volume 18 (October), issue 10, (2003), pages 499-502. (4) C. Darwin. On the Origin of Species, John Murray (1859). (5) A. Desmond and J. Moore. Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist, Warner Books (1991). (6) www.askoxford.com/, 19/02/06, 2015 (7) Harding. R and McVean. G, A structured ancestral population for the evolution of modern humans, Current opinion in Genetics and Development, volume 14 (December), issue 6 (2004), pages 667-674. (8) Gibbons. R, Dugaiczy. L, Girke. T, Duistermars. B, Zielinski. R and Dugaiczy. A, distinguishing humans from great apes with AluYb8 repeats, Journal of Molecular Biology, volume 339 (June), issue 4 (2004), pages 721-729. (9) Lindenfors, 2002 P. Lindenfors, Sexually antagonistic selection on primate size, J. Evol. Biol. 15 (2002), pp. 595-607 (10) Gustafsson. A and Lindenfors. P, human size evolution: no evolutionary allometric relationship between male and female statue, Journal of Human Evolution, volume 47 (October), issue 4 (2004), pages 253-266. (11) Hirasaki. E, Ogihara. N, Hamada. Y, Kumakura. H, Nakatsukaa. M, do highly trained monkeys walk like humans? A kinematic study of bipedal locomotion in bipedally trained Japanese macaques, Journal of Human Evolution, volume 46 (June), issue 6 (2004), pages 739-750.

Importance Of Staphylococcus Aureus To Humans Biology Essay

Importance Of Staphylococcus Aureus To Humans Biology Essay The bacterial genus to be isolated and identification in this project is Staphylococcus. This genus has been chosen for the reason of its abundance on the skin of mammals and the pathogenic nature of one of its member, Staphylococcus aureus. Apart from skin infections, Staphylococcus aureus could mutate to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In both cases, these give rise to medical implications. In addition, the distinctive features of Staphylococcus aureus from other species in the genus allow it to be easily isolated and identified via culturing and biochemical tests. Staphylococcus was first discovered in 1880 by Alexander Ogston (Paniker 2005, p.192). Currently, more than 30 different species of the genus has been identified (Deurenberg Stobberingh 2008). The name Staphylococcus was derived from Greek, with the prefix Staphylo referring to bunches of grapes and the suffix coccus referring to granule (Ryan Ray 2004). As the meanings suggest, bacteria from Staphylococcus are circular-shaped and their arrangement resembles bunches of grapes when observed under a microscope. Typically, a Staphylococcus has a diameter of approximately 1ÃŽÂ ¼m (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.562). The aim of the project is to isolate Staphylococcus aureus from the genus from a bundle of cat hairs and verify its identity via microscopic examination. No human specimen is used due to the potential pathogenic property of Staphylococcus. It is intended that a pure culture of pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus is obtained. For the purposes of this project, the importance of Staphylococcus aureus to humans, its classification in terms of morphology, physiology and structure, methods of isolation and identification by biochemical tests would be the objectives to be addressed. Importance of Staphylococcus aureus to humans The importance of Staphylococcus aureus to humans would be outlined by a review of the cell structure, cell physiology and environmental niches, followed by the medical implications of Staphylococcus. Cell structure Staphylococcus is a cocci bacterium. As a member of the Bacteria domain, it is expected that Staphylococcus has bacterial cell structure. In other words, it lacks nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. The structural elements in a cell of Staphylococcus should include a cell membrane, cell wall, ribosome and nucleoid (Campbell et al. 2009, p.98). On the other hand, it is worthwhile to note that Staphylococcus does not have flagella and spores (Paniker 2005, p.193). In addition to the above structures, Staphylococcus aureus possesses surface proteins that help attachment to proteins such as the fibronectin and fibrinogen-binding proteins involved in blood clotting (Baron 1996). This cellular property may explain the pathogenic nature of Staphylococcus aureus, as invasion might occur via wounds and abrasions. Cell physiology The cell physiology of Staphylococcus covers temperature, pH, osmolarity and oxygen requirements, as well as cell division. Staphylococcus typically grows from a temperature of 20oC to 40oC, with optimum temperature being 37oC (Todar 2000). Concerning the optimum pH for metabolism, it ranges from 7.4 to 7.6 (Paniker 2005, p.193). For osmolarity, Staphylococcus requires a water activity of at least 0.85 for substantial growth (Todar 2000). As for oxygen requirement, Staphylococcus is facultative anaerobic (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.562). This implies Staphylococcus can grow regardless of the presence of oxygen, but the presence of oxygen would be more favorable. Environmental niches The environmental niches of Staphylococcus can be addressed by its interactions with other organisms as to where it is found, how it synthesizes nutrients for growth and mutation. Staphylococcus is commonly found on the skin and mucous membranes of animals with stable body temperatures, including humans (OGara and Humphreys 2001, p.583). The salty environment along skin surface due to the production of sweat may account for the abundance of Staphylococcus, since its enzymatic activity is at alkaline pH (Blood et al. 2007). The prominent bacteria from the genus include Staphylococcus aureus, which colonizes in nasal cavity, larynx and on the skin surface (Andersson, Lindholm Fossum 2011). This may outline a parasitic relationship, in which Staphylococcus is the parasite and the animal supporting its growth is the host (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.725). In the presence of oxygen, Staphylococcus utilizes glucose to carry out cellular respiration, and electrons are passed on to the terminal acceptor, oxygen (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.562). When oxygen is lacking or absent, Staphylococcus may undergo fermentation and lactic acid is the usual product (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.562). In the process, glucose is converted into substrate pyruvate, followed by its binding to the cofactor Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) to produce lactic acid (Campbell et al. 2009, p.178) The interactions of Staphylococcus with the environment may also be underlined by mutation, which often occurs with Staphylococcus aureus. An example would be Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to the antibiotic, Methicillin (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.562). The mutation is caused by an alteration of the methicillin-resistance gene (mec A) coding for a penicillin-binding protein (Davis 2011). This results in failure of antibiotics to cure infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, which will be addressed in the medical implication section. Medical implications of Staphylococcus Staphylococcus can present a great diversity of environmental, medical or biotechnological implications. Being a mesophile, Staphylococcus can carry out metabolism under normal room temperature. Together with the abundance of warm-blooded animals which act as hosts to provide a salty medium, it can be said that Staphylococcus has an environmental implication of ubiquity. Statistics show that Staphylococcus aureus is present in 30% of healthy people (National Centre for Preparedness, Detection and Control of Infectious Diseases 2003). Though Staphylococcus may colonize on the skin surface of the host without causing any harms, its ubiquity can still give rise to various medical issues. The MRSA mentioned previously would be one of the problems associated with Staphylococcus. Apart from methicillin, MRSA could show resistance against many other antibiotics such as penicillin and amoxicillin (Agodi et al. 1999, p.638). The ineffectiveness of existing antibiotics to cure MRSA infections has resulted in fatality, and it is usually characterized by the incidence of septic shock and pneumonia (Klevens et al. 2007). A rapid increase of MRSA infections has been observed over the decades. The rate of hospitalized MRSA infections was only 2% in 1974 but this figure increases dramatically to approximately 40% in 1997 (Lowy 1998). This causes deaths of 19000 in t he United States of America annually (Klevens et al. 2007). As Staphylococcus colonies on skin surfaces and mucous membrane, skin infections and diseases associated with mucous membranes could be another medical implication. It is known that Staphylococcus aureus may cause Scalded Skin and Toxic Shock syndromes. Moreover, it may cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, food poisoning (Gill et al. 2004, p. 2426). Classification of Staphylococcus The classification of Staphylococcus can be reviewed in terms of its morphology and some of the physiological properties stated above. Morphology The morphology of Staphylococcus can be described as cocci gram positive bacteria arranged in a cluster. This can be explained by its property of cell wall and its behavior in cell division. The cell wall of Staphylococcus shows a gram positive reaction, which indicates its composition is essentially a thick layer of peptidoglycan (Todar 2011). This property of cell structure helps the identification of Staphylococcus. Moving on to cell division, it can be predicted that Staphylococcus reproduce by binary fission. The reason for its cluster formation may be explained by its capability of undergoing binary fission in multiple planes with daughter cells remains proximal to each other (Paniker 2005, p.192). Though the daughter cells remain in close proximity, the positions of attachment could vary and this leads to cluster being formed irregularly (Todar 2011). Physiological properties In terms of thermal requirement, Staphylococcus is a mesophile. Regarding pH requirements, it is a neutrophile. Being a facultative anaerobe, Staphylococcus is catalase positive. The absence of flagella indicates that Staphylococcus is a non-motile bacterium. In addition, Staphylococcus aureus is coagulase positive but not for other species in the genus. As light is not readily available on skin surface and mucous membranes, it is proposed that Staphylococcus obtain energy via organic chemical compounds. Hence it is regarded as a chemotroph (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.137). The facultative anaerobic property of Staphylococcus may lead to a deduction that it utilizes organic carbon as the source of electron when oxygen is present. Though some Staphylococcus may use reduced forms of inorganic nitrates to generate electrons, its preference towards an aerobic atmosphere should define it as an organotroph (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.137, 562). When comes to carbon source, Staphylococcus is a heterotrophy (Kumar, Hatha Christi 2007). That is to say, it attains its carbon source by converting organic substances for synthesis via oxidation (Voet, D, Voet, JG Pratt CW 2008, p.449). To sum up, Staphylococcus should be one of the members of the microbial group Chemoorganotrophic heterotrophs. Methods of Isolation of Staphylococcus The methods of isolation of Staphylococcus would include growing in medium followed by streak plating. Growth media To ensure optimum growth of colonies, Staphylococcus should be enriched in nutrient broth with sodium chloride (NaCl) before plating on a nutrient agar. A nutrient broth normally consists of beef extract and peptone as fuels for growth (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.148). The addition of salt allows a selective medium for Staphylococcus as it predominantly grows in salty environment. Alternatively, a growth medium can be done via a Mannitol salt agar (MSA), which consists of 7.5% of NaCl and a pH indicator. MSA essentially acts as both a selective and differential medium. NaCl selects for saline-favored Staphylococcus and the pH indicator differentiates between Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Differentiation can be illustrated by the fact that Staphylococcus aureus utilizes mannitol in the agar for metabolism, and the generation of acidic product is indicated by a yellow color. However, this phenomenon does not apply to non-pathogenic Staphylococcus (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.147). Streak Plating Following enrichment, Staphylococcus in the medium can be transferred to an agar plate with nutrient broth and salt, by employment of aseptic techniques. At the same time, a transfer to an agar plate with only nutrient broth should be performed as a control set-up. This is to ensure the effectiveness of the selective media because other bacteria could grow on the agar plate if the medium was not set up properly. Afterwards, the plates would be incubated for a week. Incubation should be done at 37oC as it is the optimum temperature for Staphylococcus to grow. Plating and incubation should be repeated a few times to make sure that the colonies grown are pure. Identification by biochemical tests The identity of Staphylococcus cannot be confirmed by carrying out the gram reaction alone due to the fact that a great variety of bacteria from other genus may also show gram positive reaction. Therefore, some biochemical tests have to be performed to verify that the bacteria isolated is in the genus of Staphylococcus and it is of the species Staphylococcus aureus. These tests include catalase, motility and cogulase. First of all, as Staphylococcus aureus is facultative anaerobic, it is expected that it contains enzymes to break down harmful products such as free radicals generated along its aerobic pathway (). In this case, the enzyme of interest is catalase, in which its presence allows the breakdown of toxic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into oxygen and water (). Therefore colourless gas bubbles can be observed when H2O2 is added to a colony of Staphylococcus aureus. Moreover, as Staphylococcus aureus is non-motile, motility test can be performed. In a motility medium supplied with carbon source, a pink color can only be observed along the stab line (). This essentially means that the growht Staphylococcus aureus is localized and its colonies are not motile. Furthermore, the identification test between Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria from the genus would be based on its reaction with coagulase. Staphylococcus aureus readily coagulates plasma but not for others species in the genus (Willey, Sherwood Woolverton 2011, p.750). To ensure accuracy of the test, it is preferable to test on colonies extracted from culture plates that are known to contain coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative Staphylococcus epididymis respectively. The former acts as a positive control, while the latter acts as a negative control. Conclusion In conclusion, Staphylococcus is a ubiquitous bacterial genus that can pose various medical implications and it can be grown, isolated and identified based on its, environmental niches, morphology, physiological and structural characteristics. The aims of isolation and identification of Staphylococcus aureus can be achieved by a review of the four objectives as summarized below. Firstly, it is often found on epidermis of animal skins including humans and its ability to metabolize optimally at 37oC and at pH of 7.4-7.6 makes it a potential pathogen to humans. In particular, the species Staphylococcus aureus can cause a great diversity of diseases and the mutated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus could be fatal owing to its resistance to most antibiotics. Secondly, it can be classified by in terms of morphology and some of the physiological characteristics. Its morphology is gram positive cocci bacteria growing in clusters. It is a mesophile, nuetrophile and facultative anaerobe. It is catalase positive and only Staphylococcus aureus is coagulase positive. The energy, electron and carbon sources of Staphylococcus aureus can be described as chemoorganotrophic heterotrophic. Thirdly, regarding growth medium, the sample of cat hair should be enriched in a medium of sodium chloride before incubating on an agar plate of nutrient broth and salt at 37oC. The colonies should be streaked plated a few times to remove contaminants. This increases the efficiency of isolation of Staphylococcus aureus. Lastly, Staphylococcus aureus can be identified by the catalase, motility and coagulase tests. It is expected that bubbling is observed as a positive result with the catalase test. As for the motility test, a negative test is expected. In other words, no growth is observed across the stab line. Clumping of plasma is seen as a positive result and this differentiates Staphylococcus aureus from other species in the genus.

Macbeth Descent into Madness in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- essays

Macbeth’s Descent Into Madness In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the character Macbeth descends into madness. Macbeth’s descent into madness first started with the witch’s prediction. If he had never met the witches none of this trouble would have occurred. Macbeth is seen as a â€Å"valiant cousin, worthy gentleman† (I, ii, 24). He is a brave warrior who is well respected in his community, until the witches prophesied to him that he would one day be king (I, iii, 50). Macbeth interprets that he must act to fulfill the prophecy. He sends a letter to lady Macbeth asking what to do. She suggests that he should kill Duncan. Macbeth follows the plan and kills Duncan (II, ii, 15). Directly following the murder Macbeth can no longer say amen (II, iii, 31-33). Macbeth also hears a voice in his head say, â€Å"sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep†(II, ii, 35, 36). For the rest of the play Macbeth suffers from insomnia. When Macbeth pretends to be surprised by Duncan’s death he says, â€Å" Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had lived a blessed time, for, from this instant, there’s nothing serious in mortality. (II, iii, 92-95) he is saying that if he had died before he murdered Duncan he would have li ved a great life, but now that he’s committed murder, life is just a game and nothing is important anymore. These are suicidal thoughts and show how his grip on reality has greatly slipped. Macbeth shows signs of serious mental deterioration when he sees a dagger appear before him, but doesn’t understand if it’s real or not (II, i, 35-40), later on in his speech he says his other senses made his eyes look foolish or they are the only trustworthy senses (II, I, 44-46) Macbeth shows more signs of descent when he says Duncan is luc... ...herself, Seyton delivers the news to Macbeth. Macbeth is very calm when he hears the news and doesn’t seem to mind. Macbeth says that she would have died sooner or later (V, v, 17-23) After Macbeth hears that Birnam wood is moving towards him, he wants to go out fighting. He attacks and kills Young Siward in a desperate attempt to save him from the fate the witches predicted (V, vii, 11-12). He also orders all his soldiers to attack the wood (macduff’s soldiers, V, vii, 46-53) and he fights Macduff but Macduff says he was born by a c-section and not by a woman (V, vii, 41-45) Macbeth fights to the death but is beheaded by Macduff as the witches said he would. (V, vii, 82-83) In conclusion, through my quotations and explanations I have shown Macbeth’s descent into madness. It was his guilt and ambition overall that sent him in a downward spiral into madness. Macbeth Descent into Madness in Shakespeare's Macbeth Essay -- essays Macbeth’s Descent Into Madness In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the character Macbeth descends into madness. Macbeth’s descent into madness first started with the witch’s prediction. If he had never met the witches none of this trouble would have occurred. Macbeth is seen as a â€Å"valiant cousin, worthy gentleman† (I, ii, 24). He is a brave warrior who is well respected in his community, until the witches prophesied to him that he would one day be king (I, iii, 50). Macbeth interprets that he must act to fulfill the prophecy. He sends a letter to lady Macbeth asking what to do. She suggests that he should kill Duncan. Macbeth follows the plan and kills Duncan (II, ii, 15). Directly following the murder Macbeth can no longer say amen (II, iii, 31-33). Macbeth also hears a voice in his head say, â€Å"sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep†(II, ii, 35, 36). For the rest of the play Macbeth suffers from insomnia. When Macbeth pretends to be surprised by Duncan’s death he says, â€Å" Had I but died an hour before this chance, I had lived a blessed time, for, from this instant, there’s nothing serious in mortality. (II, iii, 92-95) he is saying that if he had died before he murdered Duncan he would have li ved a great life, but now that he’s committed murder, life is just a game and nothing is important anymore. These are suicidal thoughts and show how his grip on reality has greatly slipped. Macbeth shows signs of serious mental deterioration when he sees a dagger appear before him, but doesn’t understand if it’s real or not (II, i, 35-40), later on in his speech he says his other senses made his eyes look foolish or they are the only trustworthy senses (II, I, 44-46) Macbeth shows more signs of descent when he says Duncan is luc... ...herself, Seyton delivers the news to Macbeth. Macbeth is very calm when he hears the news and doesn’t seem to mind. Macbeth says that she would have died sooner or later (V, v, 17-23) After Macbeth hears that Birnam wood is moving towards him, he wants to go out fighting. He attacks and kills Young Siward in a desperate attempt to save him from the fate the witches predicted (V, vii, 11-12). He also orders all his soldiers to attack the wood (macduff’s soldiers, V, vii, 46-53) and he fights Macduff but Macduff says he was born by a c-section and not by a woman (V, vii, 41-45) Macbeth fights to the death but is beheaded by Macduff as the witches said he would. (V, vii, 82-83) In conclusion, through my quotations and explanations I have shown Macbeth’s descent into madness. It was his guilt and ambition overall that sent him in a downward spiral into madness.

religion :: essays research papers

The Religion Of Huckleberry Finn Religion is a simple concept to learn. Webster's dictionary defines religion as: "belief in a divine or superhuman power or powers to be obeyed and worshipped as the creator(s) and ruler(s) of the universe." Although it is understood what religion is, not everyone has the same views. There are numerous varieties and sub-vrieties of religions. In fact, religion can be so diverse that one might say that he or she is of the same religion as another person but the way he or she demonstrates their beliefs may be dramatically different. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain, writes about a young boy's growing and maturing experiences one summer as he travels down the Mississippi River. One of the things that this boy, Huck Finn, discovers is how religion affects his lifestyle. Huckleberry Finn's views of religion have an impact on many essential points in the episodic novel. Religion has an effect on three of Huck's major decisions throughout the novel. His religion is tested when he first decides to help Jim run away. His religion is tested when he lies to most of the people he meets traveling down the Mississippi River, and Huckleberry's religion is tested when he decides to help Jim escape from slavery for good. Huckleberry Finn was raised without a strong religious influence. Huck's father being a raging alcoholic, and Huck living mostly on his own, were two of the factors that contributed to this. Pap came to visit him one night and expressed his negative thoughts on school and religion. "First you know you'll get religion, too. I never see such a son" (Twain 20). Despite these warnings, the Widow Douglas continued to teach Huck. Later in the novel, these teaching have consequential effects on Huck. Huck's religious morals are first tested when he decides to help the Widow's slave escape to freedom. During the time that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn took place, slavery was not uncommon. In the beginning of the story,

True love is so hard to find :: essays research papers

I want to capture and preserve our first meeting together in a bottle of love. The first time I saw you it was like standing next to a waterfall with beautiful shades of color. Your face was glowing as your eyes and smile showed words of love. "I knew I loved you before I met you." I felt as if seeing you for the first time were to see the beauty first hand, to be able to touch you and allow these tingling feelings to release. Before we met in person I knew that my love for you was deeper than any monument on earth. I fell in love with you from the inside out, getting to know your inner most thoughts and see the beauty locked inside. I looked into your eyes and felt a strong power of communication, there was no need for words. I felt lost in a world of thought, yet I was found with the strength of love. We exchanged those feelings of love with only our expressions. It was these expressions that created a strong tingling sensation throughout my body, a feeling that I had never in my life experienced. Sitting beside you engulfed my mind with thoughts and filled my body with further sensations. Each time you glanced at me, it was literally melting my heart; I was just overwhelmed by you. As my hand rested by my side you reached over and gently touched my hand. I can only describe that that moment as being struck by lightning. There was this jolt of electricity going through my entire body and I didn’t want it to stop. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, accepting these wonderful feelings. Your hand caressed mine and my fingers gently slid along yours as I touched the back of your hand. As you held my hand and led me through a darkened patch of trees, I put myself in your hands and trusted your guidance. With gripped hands we settled upon a rock with the ocean below. The air was filled with silence except for the constant splashing of water against the rocks. We gently rubbed our faces against each other as our cheeks caressed. As our bodies

Macbeth Essay

As Shakespeare’s tale of tragic ambition Macbeth progresses, Lady Macbeth undergoes a metamorphosis moving from a stable, loving wife, into a power hungry woman driven to madness by her own obsession for complete control. Although when the question who is ultimately responsible for Duncan’s death is asked, many will point the finger at Lady Macbeth. While she played a role in manipulating and deceiving Macbeth into committing the first act of evil in the book, we are all given free will and with that it was ultimately his final decision to kill Duncan. In the beginning it started with Macbeth being given the title of ‘Thane of Cawdor’ in Act 1 scene 2 when Duncan said † and with his former title greet Macbeth, what he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won† (Shakespeare, I,ii, 3,5). This was the first feeling of power that Macbeth had in the play. It did not change him in the way you would think it should have, he was humble and accepting of the new title but the moment the witches told him the prophecies is when I believe he subconsciously started to desire more power than he already had. In Act 1 scene 2-3 when Macbeth meet the three witches and they gave him the prophecies; â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! † then â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! † and finally â€Å"All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter† (Shakespeare, I, ii, 50-53)! After hearing this Macbeth sent a letter explaining to his wife, Lady Macbeth about the three prophecies. When she read that one of the prophecies had already came true and the next one was for Macbeth to be king she wanted to kill the king and knew how she would do it. She could taste the power that she could have, and it was the only idea driving her thoughts. As William Pitt once said â€Å"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it. † Lady Macbeth had yet to posses the power yet it had already bastardized her thoughts. In Act 1 scene 5 when Lady Macbeth says â€Å"Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty† (Shakespeare, I,V,41-44)! She was asking for them to make her strong, to take away her morality and in its place leave pure cruelty. When Macbeth finally returned home to his wife she already had a plan to kill Duncan so that Macbeth would be king and more importantly she would be queen. As much as Macbeth tried to plea with his wife not to kill the king, that they had what they needed and the king had just recently honoured him by giving him the title of Thane of Cawdor. However no words could change her mind. It was not until she questioned his manly hood by saying in Act 1 scene 7 â€Å"What beast was’t then that made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man; and, to be more han what you were, you would be so much more the man† (Shakespeare I,VII,53-57). At this point Macbeth felt like he had no other choice but to please his wife, so he agreed to the plot to assassinate Duncan and with that threw away any morality he had left in him. While Lady Macbeth might have been the driving force behind the assassination, it was ultimately Macbeth who chose to kill Duncan. While it might not have been clear in the beginning he had a deeper thirst for power than his wife which is prominent in Act 3 scene 1 after he has been crowned king and is peaking to two murders to go kill Banquo and his son because they are the only ones who threaten his seat on the throne. â€Å"Both of you know Banquo as your enemy†(Shakespeare III,i,124-125). Macbeths craving for power drove him mad and caused him to kill many people, and while it’s not clear the reason for the third murderer, it is believed Macbeth sent him to kill the other two once the job was done. He became so paranoid with the power that he had that he began to trust no one but himself and would do anything to keep his new title as king. As Lord Acton said, â€Å"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men. † Macbeth was tormented by what he had done that he began to have delusions which ultimately lead to his own murder. As Shakespeare said â€Å"and a long farewell to all my greatness† (Henry The Eighth Act 3, scene 2, 351). Due to Macbeths obsession to gain power and retain it, led to the death of Duncan, Banquo and many others. Also more importantly the death of himself, causing him to have to leave the greatness and power he strived so hard to obtain.

Broadworth general hospital Essay

For the past 20 years our hospital has contracted all training seminars with your company, your company has been dependable and always gets the job done. In March, we need to train 20 supervisors in the area of Sexual Harassment and Unlawful Discrimination in the workplace. We would like your company Wydade Consulting Services to complete the training for us. The training will take place on the first floor of the hospital room. We would like your trainer Ms. Deb Walker, to teach the seminar. In the past, Ms. Walker has presented a strong and powerful power point presentation followed by a question and answer session. On the day of training we will need the following. Projector Presentation Brochures/handouts Notepads Pens light refreshments Please respond to me as soon as possible with a date MS Walker will be available in March. I can be reached at (598) 597 1234 Thank you Sincerely yours, Karen Lawrence A.A. KL/xx To: Deb Walker CC: Jeremy Dittmer @ Miriam Hopkins Subject: Sexual Harassment and Unlawful Discrimination in the work force Dear Deb: I would like to confirm our arrangements as we previously discussed regarding the seminar which is to be held on March 10 ,2016 at 2:00 . Located on the first floor in room 109 of the hospital you are more than welcome to come early to set up. We will be starting promptly at 2:00, refreshments and snacks will be there at approximately 4:15 to 4:30. If you require further assistance or have any questions, please contact me at (598) 597 1234 or via email at Lawrence.lawrence@ yahoo .com To: Miriam Hopkins, Director of Human Resources From: Karen Lawrence, Administrative Assistant Dec 17, 2012 Subject: Sexual Harassment and Unlawful Discrimination in the workplace We received a confirmation from Jeremy Dittmer regarding the seminar details, the date is March 10, 2016 and the time is 2:00 and has provided the trainer with all the necessary materials. The trainer he has assigned is MS Deb Walker, the seminar will be on the first floor room 109.We will make sure that we will have all the necessary materials. Ms Walker will be providing, pens; paper; pamphlets; follow along booklets. Refreshments such as coffee; tea; water; juice, and snacks will be provided and scheduled for delivery the afternoon of March 10 between 4:15 and 4:30. If you have have questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. You can also contact Deb Walker directly by email at Deb walker@ yahoo .com or by phone at (802) 559 6315 ext. 2206. KL/AA

Post Mortem results and findings of the entire project Essay

This MEMO will cover the benefits and drawbacks of a Post Mortem review. It will notify all who are going to be required to partake in the final review meeting. It will also go over what we hope to discover after the termination of the project. Post Mortem Review Pros and Cons Pros: Gives an unbiased review of the project’s life. Enables project manager to analyze the findings of the review and improve on certain aspects in the next project that need attention. Gives a good perspective of everything that was accomplished. This enables the team and manager to feel a sense of pride and satisfaction from job well done. Once the review has been analyzed, it enables the project to officially come to a close. Cons: Hard to ensure all key players, stakeholders, and managers attend the meeting during such an early time of the newly integrated system’s life. Personnel Required to Attend: Certain people within the company are expected to attend the post mortem review meeting either in person, or by telephone conference. These people include: all of the managers who attended the training and were involved throughout this project. Stakeholders, owners, top officers, the project team, and the developers of the new system need to be in attendance. Hopes: The project team and manager hope to discover the following: The overall success of the project. Any downfalls or shortcomings that came up. The owners’ opinions of the end result. The managers’ opinions. The developers’ notes on how well the managers’ were trained. The thoughts of the project team and how they feel improvement could be made.

Policing in the Modern World Essay

Law enforcement work has evolved greatly over the years – from its early introduction in Colonial America with the use of Sheriffs, who collected taxes and enforced colonial laws, to today’s sophisticated large and widespread local, state, and federal agencies. Relative to the evolvement of law enforcement work, the type of candidate that police agencies seek to fill these employment slots has also changed drastically. Today in the United States candidates for police officer positions are put through a rigorous and strict hiring process to ensure strong applicants are picked for the openings. The hiring process is lengthy and usually includes written and physical exams, oral boards, a background investigation, medical and psychological screenings, and a polygraph test. All these steps are designed to remove unsuitable applicants. I feel that I possess several character traits and leadership qualities that would help me as a sworn police officer and a leader. However, th ere are aspects of my personality that could be improved to better my chances at being successful in that particular line of work. Look more:  perseverance essay Some aspects of my character that I think would help me in a possible career in law enforcement are flexibility, intuition, patience, common sense, and I am a team player. Additionally, my leadership qualities, specifically integrity and perseverance would also benefit me in a possible career in law enforcement. Flexibility is important in the context that you never know what you will be asked and/or required to do. Every call you go on will differ from the last in some sort of aspect. Things could change moment by moment and you have to be able to adapt to those changes to effectively do your job. Flexibility also includes being able to deal with new equipment, new procedures, administrators that come and go, and politicians that come and  go. I learned very much about flexibility in the while serving as an Infantry team leader in the Marine Corps. You had to be able to adjust to changing orders and missions on the fly. I quickly realized there was no typical day while deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. Learning to adjust to the situation at hand and being ready for anything played a large role in mission success and survival. Intuition is a quality that is needed by law enforcement personnel. The ability to take in a great deal of information and calculate a conclusion based upon it is extremely important in police work. As a police officer you respond to a call, talk to victims/witnesses, collect statements and evidence, and then form an educated conclusion on what happened all in a timely manner. This conclusion may even lead to the arrest of an individual. A lack of intuition could ultimately lead to the arrest of innocent people or the release of criminals. Another important aspect that one in a law enforcement capacity should have is patience. Chances are you are going to come across people, both who you work with and come in contact with on the street, which will require you to exercise extreme patience. Everyone has had a co-worker that you just cannot stand to be around. It takes patience to deal with this person and not create a hostile work environment. Then there are the people that you will meet on the streets that will be intoxicated or under the influence drugs. People under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs may act in ways that will test the patience of even the most veteran and seasoned officers. However much you are tested, by some of the people you may come in contact with, it is in the officer’s best interest to approach them in a professional manner and use tact and patience in resolving these situations. Losing your patience and possibly mistreating these people, no matter how ridiculous they behave/act, is unprofessional. These days common sense plays a large role in the policing community. Common sense knowledge is highly valued in police culture as a means of dealing with the many ambiguous situations that officers face (McNulty). Applying common sense while on the job and in your private, off-duty, life  is equally important. The use of common sense will often tell you the difference between what is right and what is wrong. This practice can help eliminate problems that may arise with the use of poor decision making. My ability to work in a team is a strength that I have learned through years of sports, employment, and the military. Being part of a team means accepting the leadership and the opinions of others regardless of your own beliefs and feelings. Teamwork is the keystone of any successful organization. Each individual must be dedicated to the whole team, be willing to act unselfishly, and communicate problems and ideas to solve them. A productive team has individuals that share common goals, a common vision and have some level of interdependence that requires both verbal and physical interaction (Sugarman). I have many strengths that I feel will make me a strong candidate for a career in law enforcement. Yet, there are some aspects of my character that need improvement; to improve in these areas would make me an even better police officer. I tend not to be candid at times, excessively trustworthy, and often I am my biggest critic. I have a tendency to not be candid at times because I am inclined to keep my opinions to myself. I think that a law enforcement officer has to have a certain level of assertiveness when making contact with offenders and members of the community. There is no room for being soft spoken when on patrol. This could be picked up as a sign of weakness by career criminals who have had dealings with law enforcement before and know what to look for. A sign of weakness can be enough for a criminal to try to exploit it to keep his or her freedom. To overcome this weakness I need to work on improving my self-confidence. I can improve my self-confidence skills by being more outgoing with my coworkers and in social situations. Excessive trust is another shortcoming of mine. I tend to not necessarily believe everything from everyone’s mouth. Still, past experiences have shown that I would never dispute them. Everyone you come in to contact with will not always be the most reliable source of information. This becomes a problem when you take every word for face value or to avoid confrontation. To  defeat this flaw I feel that sometimes disagreeing with people’s views or recollection of past events, when appropriate, will help me to express my own opinions. By expressing my own opinions I can set the facts straight as opposed to just accepting someone else’s misinformation. Perhaps my greatest weakness is that I am my own worst critic. I can beat myself up more than anyone else. Only I know all of my strengths and weakness. Typically, I will down play my strengths in a modest fashion and exaggerate my weakness. I do not think it is always a bad thing to criticize yourself if you do so in a constructive manner. It becomes a problem when the self-criticism becomes too great to effectively manage your weaknesses and learn from your past experiences. To conquer this weakness I need to learn how to not be so hard on myself. The only way to do this is to first realize that I have many qualities that are strong suited for a career in law enforcement. Secondly, by pinpointing my weakness I can explore constructive ways to improve them. As far as leadership goes, I have always prided myself on having a positive working relationship with fellow employees or teammates all while maintaining the highest possible standards for mission success. The two aspects are very important to any organization. I believe the Team Style Method of leadership is the most rewarding. A person who feels they are a constructive part of the unit is more likely to produce a higher level of output for the success and overall gain of that unit. Using this method increases both the individuals’ and the unit’s chance to prosper from the accomplishments made. In my opinion it is a win-win situation. There are many traits that a great leader will possess. The most essential traits I feel a good leader should have are integrity and perseverance.   Integrity can be defined as owning and adhering to high degree of moral values and professional standards. The function of integrity serves leaders well in the aspect that they are incorruptible and incapable of breaking the trust of those who have confined in them. Leaders with integrity must have an unwavering commitment to culturally accepted values and be willing to defend them (McCrimmon). This requires them to do the right thing even if it is not in their personal interest and when no one else is watching them. Leaders with integrity are responsible, trustworthy, and consistent. Should a leader ever lose their integrity it is virtually impossible for them to get it back. A second aspect of leadership I feel is very important for any leader to have is perseverance. Perseverance is the desire to continue under any circumstance that may emerge. A Master Sergeant once told me that, â€Å"You have to be at your best, even when your men are at their worst†. This quote has remained with me for many years and, to me, exemplifies the very meaning of perseverance. Someone who displays this character trait keeps their eyes on the goal and pushes themselves to accomplish the objective at hand. I look forward to starting an exciting and successful career in law enforcement. While I know I possess many attributes that would make me an excellent officer, I realize that there are some traits that are in need of attention. I can only work to improve weaknesses I have by admitting to the problems and uncovering positive solutions to set them straight. To be successful at this task will take a great deal of dedication and self-reflection. In addition to my weaknesses, I must keep my good characteristics strong. Works Cited McCrimmon, Mitch. â€Å"What Is Leadership Integrity?† Suite101. Suite101, 11 2008. Web. 20 Nov 2012. . McNulty, E. W. (1994), Generating Common Sense Knowledge Among Police Officers. Symbolic Interaction, 17: 281–294. doi: 10.1525/si.1994.17.3.281 Sugarman, K. (2004) Understanding the Importance of Teamwork [WWW] Available from: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni13a2.htm [Accessed 20/11/2012]