How do feminists view the division of labour

How do feminists view the division of labour within the family home? sy Chelb7 How do feminists view the division of labour within the family home? Feminism is a collection of movements and beliefs aimed at defining and defending women's rights within society and politics aiming for all round equality, A big issue that arises within women rights is inequality in the household. The division of labour in the home is how fairly the jobs are shared between the partners in the household.Sociologists named Young and Willmott carried out a study in 1937 in aethnal Green, London. They looked into the roles in families within the home and come to the conclusion that Over time most families have become The symmetrical family. This implies roles are being shared between the man and women Within the home. They called this the march Of progress. Feminists reject this ‘March Of progress' View as they say roles are not equal within the home. In a research there is evidence that men ‘hel p' at home but it is far from symmetry within the roles.Feminists say that men usually claim to be helping by doing the pleasurable jobs rather than the work, herefore research so far suggests feminists view the division of labour within the family home as unequal. Sociologist Ann Oakley disagrees with Young and Willmotts view. Rather than seeing a march of progress tonards symmetry since 19th century Ilke Young and Willmott do, Oakley describes how â€Å"the housewife role has become the dominant role tor married women†. She also argues that Men only ever ‘help' at home rather than work. Another sociologist supporting Oakley's idea Is Mary Boulton (1983b.During research Boulton found that fewer than of husbands had a major ole in childcare. She argues that Young and Willmott exaggerate men's contribution by look'ng at tasks that involve childcare rather than responsibilities. When reviewing the research so far it becomes apparent that women sociologists (particularly f eminists) support the idea that men rarely take on tasks within the home and that male sociologists support that this is in fact improving and we are on a march towards progress, Twisting this biased view are two sociologists named Hilary Silver (1987) and Juliet Schor (1993).They argued that because of ommercialised good and services the housewife role has almost disappeared, They say that items such as freezers. microwave ovens and ready meals reduce the amount of domestic labour to be done, However critics argue that for poorer women this iS not an Option. Feminists argue that even though commercialisation has been reduced the Other chores are still not shared equallyq The impact Of paid work iS a more recent debate in feminists. Logically if both man and women Of the house are in paid full time work feminists say that the housework should be shared equally between the couple.Feminists argue that this is not the case. women are being made to carry a dual burden. This outcome is d etermined in large part by traditional gender roles that have been accepted by society over time. on the other hand to the feminist view some sociologists argue that women working In full time paid jobs lead to a more equal division of labour. Jonathan Gershuny (1994) found 83% of housework and those who worked part time still done 82%. Wives who worked full time did 73% of housework. Gershuny explains this trend towards greater equality in terms of gradual change in values and parental role models.He argues social values are gradually adapting to the fact more women are working full time. Similarly Oriel Sullivan's (2000) analysis of nationally representative data collected in 1975, 1987 and 1997 found a trend towards greater equality as men did more domestic labour. Particularly there was an increase in couples with an equal division with men doing more traditionally women's Jobs. Feminists view this division of labour as inaccurate. Equality and symmetry within housework would me an each partner is doing 50% of housework and chores.Whereas even sociologists who are gainst the feminist view towards domestic labour are showing in their results that well over 50% of housework is done by women. Sociologist Dunne (1999)done a study on 37 cohabiting lesbian couples with dependent children. Dunne found evidence of symmetry in their relationships. In lesbian relationships household tasks are not linked to a particular gender scripts. This allows lesbian couples to have more equal relationships. For example as one of the women said in Dunne's study â€Å"In heterosexual relationships there is always a subconscious belief that women are upposed to do the housework.This supports the radical feminist view that relationships between men and women are inevitably patriarchal and that women can only achieve equality in same sex relationships. Similarly, Jeffery Weeks (1999) argues that same sex relationships offer greater possibilities of equality because the division of l abour is open to negotiation and agreement and not based on a patriarchal tradition. To conclude evidence shows that a women being in paid work leads to more equality in the division of labour, though probably only if she is in full work.Many feminists argue that in reality the effect of this is limited and women still continue to shoulder a dual or triple burden. Feminists argue that the root of the problem is patriarchy. Patriarchy ensures that women earn less at work and therefore have less bargaining in the home. Patriarchal gender scripts shape societys expectations about the domestic roles within the house. In my opinion until the subconscious belief that women should do the domestic work has being changed by society's outlook feminists will always feel that patriarchy is the main reason for the inequality of labour within the home.

English Essay †Speeches Essay

Question: there are as many different ways of interpreting and valuing texts, as there are readers. Of the countless speeches recorded throughout time a select few have transcended their original contexts and political battles to retain relevance today. We have viewed their progress over time as their outspoken ideas and reception withstanding relevance within our changing society regardless of altering values. Aung San Suu Kyi, Emma Goldman and Dr. Martin Luther King’s empowering speeches have spanned across decades, united in their aim to draw attention to a lack of freedom, justice and democratic rights and are unique in urging others to support their fight for disadvantaged social groups. In Aung San Suu Kyi’s â€Å"Keynote address at the Beijing World Conference on Women† in China 1995, she speaks with deep conviction regarding the lack of freedom that women suffer. So too does Emma Goldman when in 1917 she delivered â€Å"The political criminal of today must needs be the saint of the new age† to a jury consisting entirely of men. The discrimination that these two women discuss exemplifies women across the world, continuously being persecuted for their gender. Suu Kyi did not make use of rhetoric in her speech but instead chose to develop a sense of intimacy and appealed to her audience’s intellect through a close up video recording. Her tone and stoical approach invites her listeners to adopt new perspectives and to include women in the political process as â€Å"no war was ever started by women†. Her campaign continues with an age-old proverb of her culture that â€Å"the dawn rises only when the rooster crows† metaphorically depicting how women are subserviently treated today by the â€Å"rooster†. The proverb needs to change as it is because the dawn appears that the rooster crows. Goldman too addresses the issue of discrimination by analysing the way women are treated by power wielding men, more specifically in the legal and political system. During her defence against claims of conspiracy she defends her anarchist position and utilises sarcasm and truncated sentences to ridicule the jury when she repeatedly declares that she is facing â€Å"Gentlemen of the jury† and  only gentlemen. The anaphora illustrates her contempt that there are no females present in the jury, that these men are supposed to be honest gentlemen, an oxymoron in her eyes, and so should treat her the same way they would treat others in the same position. A personal interpretation examines men’s hold on power in society but times have changed and society must reject traditions that no longer reflect the truth. Suu Kyi’s speech comes at a time when China is stepping out of the shadows and recognising women as their own entities when it once saw them as 2nd class. Its reception today would not have altered since she spoke but there are more people supporting her cause and helping to fight for the freedom of women. There is global understanding that throughout history we are met with the same boundaries and are eternally urged to fight for equality and justice. These boundaries were met when Dr Martin Luther King challenged the widespread attitudes of society by calling on his fellow American’s by offering â€Å"a new leaf† and justice to all, no matter what race or colour. Culture in the southern states was heavily segregated in 1963 and racial division was enshrined in southern custom and law. King delivered his speech when it was needed most, however Emma Goldman delivered â€Å"The political criminal of today†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ahead of her time as the mere idea of freedom of speech was considered scandalous. With two separate causes represented by great speakers; Negro’s and free speech, both composers attempted to win their audiences support for their cause. King delivered â€Å"I have a dream† to a crowd of 250,000 followers and millions watching on television and used rhetoric gained from his preaching days coupled with the use of many anaphora’s to effectively to inflict fear upon his audience. His appeal to their emotions instilled that â€Å"it would be fatal†¦to overlook†¦the movement† and unless something is done about racial injustice, life is worthless. Emma Goldman’s clever use of rhetoric defies tradition and unlike King’s use of emotion she alienated her audience by stirring negative opinions and called upon her intellect to win her battle. In 1917 when Goldman plead to the jury she sought justice in her defence against claims of conspiracy. Urging the court to form an unbiased opinion and recognise her fight for freedom of speech she alludes to her fellow so called anarchists â€Å"Jesus, Socrates, Galileo, Bruno, John Brown† to prove she is not wrong and that nothing willà ‚  make her change her position. King was greeted with an euphoric and peaceful reception as he was seen as a freedom fighter and today in our contemporary world the significance of his speech remains evident. By appealing to both audiences’ intellect regarding injustice, King and Goldman aimed to persuade their respective audiences of the right path to choose. When King bellows out that â€Å"the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination†, his metaphoric emotive language heightens his passion for freedom for his people from more than slavery. Similarly to King, Goldman fights for justice and through a series of rhetorical questions she asks the jury a final time to â€Å"please forget that I am an Anarchist†¦Have we been engaged in a conspiracy? Have these overt acts been proven?† She asks for a fair trial and to not be disadvantaged because of society’s values – she only wishes for justice to prevail. Sadly the jury found her guilty but her works reception reaches a higher extent today as we can appreciate her effort in changing society’s perception of free speech. While injustice was inflicted upon three social groups, Aung San Suu Kyi, Emma Goldman and Dr. Martin Luther King stood up and were three speakers who managed to defy old-fashioned social and political beliefs of their time to be recognised in our contemporary society. When delivering their speeches they gained the attention and support of a crowd through their stage presence, use of rhetoric and particularly political contextual values that aim to achieve this. In order to be recognised they needed to give their audience a purpose and through earnest ideas of freedom, justice and democratic rights their reception has not altered from when they were delivered to now as we are continually fighting for such causes.

Plato Essay Essay

1. a) Explain how Plato’s epistemological assumptions shape his metaphysics (Why does he think that there must be Forms? Hint: Plato says (in effect): â€Å"Since knowledge is certain, therefore the objects of knowledge must be unchanging. †). b) Define Plato’s Forms and present the theory of Forms by explaining the â€Å"divided line. † (You can use the visual image, but explain it. ) Plato was extremely devoted in answering the sophists’ skepticism about reason and morality. To do so, he spent more time than any philosopher before him studying knowledge, or epistemology. He realized that to answer the sophists’ skepticism he had to first solve the three main problems that earlier philosophers had left behind; the problems of change, the â€Å"one† and the â€Å"many†, and the problem between appearance and reality. Plato started where Heraclitus, who said that everything is changing, and Parmenides, who said that nothing ever changes, left off. He said that both philosophers were correct in their assumptions, for they were talking about different types of objects. Heraclitus is correct in terms of the sensible realm; it obviously exists, and is a flux that conforms to the â€Å"measures† as he suggested. Parmenides was correct in terms of the intelligible realm. Plato thought that beyond the world of physical objects in space and time is another world that is nonphysical, non-spatial, and non-temporal. He called this the world of ideai, or forms. These forms are nonphysical, non-spatial, non-temporal objects of thought that are more real than anything else. Whenever we are thinking, according to Plato, what we are thinking about is a form. For example, a triangle drawn on the board in class, no matter how perfect and real it may appear is merely a copy of the form of triangle; a plane figure enclosed by three straight lines. It is like a triangle and looking at it helps us think of the real triangle, but it only relates, or â€Å"participates† in Plato’s terms, to its’ true form. This theory applies to the entire sensible realm because everything changes and nothing stays exactly what it is. In the world of forms, however, everything is always what it is and never another thing. Plato believed that because the world of forms is Parmenidean, or eternal and unchanging, it is therefore possible for us to know it. To explain his theory of forms in depth, Plato used the image of the â€Å"divided line†. Take a line and divide it into two unequal parts, one part representing the physical world and one representing the world of forms. Then, subdivide these two parts in the same ratio, creating two sub-parts of the physical world (call them A and B) and two of the world of forms (call them C and D). Plato says let the first, or lowest, section of the physical world (A) stand for images, such as shadows or reflections. Let the second section of the physical world (B) stand for the actual objects that cast these shadows, like trees, humans, or desks. In the world of forms, Plato continues, let the first section (C) stand for the lower forms, or the forms of the objects in section B. The second section in the world of forms, the highest section of all, (D) then stands for the higher forms, or the science of first principles; the knowledge that, if possessed, would prove the basic assumptions of the special sciences. Plato believed that the nearer we are to the base of the divided line (A), the more conditioned our knowledge is. We can move up the line through dialectic, a process of questions and answer that utilizes hypothesis, criticism, and revision to move nearer to unconditioned knowledge. The higher we climb via this dialectic, the more we rid ourselves of conditions and the better we grasp the knowledge of the non-material abstract forms (D). According to Plato, these are the forms that possess the highest and most fundamental kind of reality. 2. a) How does the Form Man explain the existence of the many individual men? b) What is the nature of man and how is the individual man analogous to the state? c) What is virtue or justice in man and in the state? Plato’s theory of Forms led him to many assumptions, one of the most important of which is his view on the form of â€Å"man† and his relation to the state. He understood that no one man has ever been perfect and that each man participates in the form â€Å"man† to different degrees. Individual men are adequate copies of the true form of â€Å"man†. Plato believed that the men who participate in the form more fully are going to more real, and therefore  better, then the men who participate less. This is better explained by his philosophy of the nature of man and his analogous relationship to the state. Plato recognized the nature of man as a psyche, or soul, that was grouped into three main parts. Each of these three parts have motions proper to them that he believed, if harmonized, would lead to eudaimonia, a total well-being. The first, and lowest, part of the soul he called the appetites. The highest part Plato called reason. The third part, between appetite and reason, he called spirit. He saw the state as having three main parts as well, each corresponding to one of the three parts of the human psyche. Every state needs a governing body, whether kings or congress, so this will be the first part. The second is reserved for the essential producing class, which includes merchants, industrial workers, agriculturists, and so on. Third, Plato held that every state needs a group, between the governing and producing classes, to maintain the state against enemies; this is the guardian group. The analogy relates the producing class to appetite in the individual, the governing class to reason, and the guardians to spirit. Plato wasn’t just satisfied with this, he wanted to know the virtues of these classes, in other words, he wanted to know what each could contribute best. Like organs in an organism’s body, Plato believed each part of the soul and state have a particular role to play in the whole; they were not discrete and complete in themselves. He thought that the function of the members of the producing class was to provide themselves and the nonproductive classes with the necessities of life, such as food, shelter, and clothing. He realized that if everybody were to be provided for sufficiently, some of the producers would have to put up with having less than others. They would have to be ready to â€Å"restrict one’s own consumption for the sake of achieving some sort of balance in the state as a whole†, thus their virtue is moderation or as Plato called it, temperance (Jones 169). The guardians, who make up the second class, must be courageous when defending the state against its enemies, thus their virtue is courage. The governors make the highest decisions in the state. They determine war or peace, educational and economic policies, and so on. To make correct decisions they require knowledge; this is their virtue. A state in which each class is performing its function is just state. Only when the rulers are making wise decisions that are executed with courage and loyalty by the guardians, and the rest of the population is exercising some restraint in its pursuit of material well being, will the citizens of the state be happy. Since the state’s three classes exactly correspond to the three parts of the soul, we are able to understand what Plato took to be their respective virtues. Just like in the state, every individual has producing part that keeps them â€Å"alive and active, a rational part that is intended to guide and direct the energy produced by the body, and a spirited part that is intended to help keep the body in order† (Jones 169). Just as the functions of the soul correspond to the state, so do its virtues. A virtuous man is temperate in satisfying his various appetites and lives a life of reason that is supported by his spirited elements. 3. a) Use the allegory of the cave to illustrate Plato’s political views. In doing so, you should b) explain how the theory of forms supports Plato’s favored form of Aristocracy (to begin with, recall the relation between individual men and the Form of man) and c) explain how the theory of Forms grounds his criticism and rejection of democracy (where in â€Å"the cave† are the Athenian democrats?where are they on the divided line? ) As we have seen, Plato uses myths and methods such as the divided line to explain his views on certain things; this is the case, too, with his views on politics. To understand these views we must examine his allegory of the cave. He said to imagine there was men in a dark cave that were chained by their necks and ankles in such a fashion that they could not move their legs or necks and could only see what was in front of them. These men had been in this cave since childhood. Higher up behind them is a fire that is separated from the prisoners by a sort of puppet-show screen. This fire and screen were used by people carrying various artificial objects, such as figures of men, animals, and other materials, to project the shadows of these objects onto the stone in front of the chained men. It was so dark that these prisoners had no clue they were not alone and if they spoke to each other, they assumed they were speaking with the projected images. Plato goes on to say, imagine if one of them were set free and forced up the steep ascent into the sunlight. He would realize that what he experienced in the cave was not as real as what actually existed. Nature and the sun would enlighten this man and therefore he would gain true knowledge of the world as it is. Plato reasoned that these men, the ones who make it out of the cave, are the men who should rule the rest. His politics were based on man being a social animal, with desires, not only for sleeping or drinking, but communicating with his fellow men in the community. Therefore, he thought communal life is good and all other human goods depend on it for any sufficient satisfaction; an individual, who is really part of the larger state, is neither complete nor himself in isolation. If the good life for the individual is possible only by community, then there must be some sort of government to give direction to the numbers of men and women who live and work together. Plato believed that the few who are wise and good should rule the many. As his theory of Forms suggests, all men participate to the form of man to different degrees. He thought that the few men who participate at the highest levels of the form, the most knowledgeable that have exited the cave and been enlightened, are the ones best for ruling, and doing so rationally; the many are lacking in knowledge and virtue. Plato favored an Aristocracy ruled by these knowledgeable philosopher-kings who would impose the temperance on the producers through selective education and controlled propaganda. Each person, in his view, would find their happiness by playing the part in the state that their degree of participation to the form of man best suited them for. Plato therefore criticized democracy because instead of philosopher-kings who have true knowledge, the rulers are chosen on irrelevant grounds. The art of ruling, which he thought to determine what is best, became in democracy the art of appealing to the masses with flattery. Plato believed that in a democracy it is impossible to exit the cave or rise to the highest section of the divided line because it is powered by rhetoric. Rhetoric works at the level of opinion and only invokes belief by emotional mean, rather than operating at the level of knowledge, where analyzing the forms allows us to discover the truth.

Islame Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Islame - Essay Example He was able to mobilize faithful under the Muslim religion and the contemporary objective among religious leaders, to ensure converts and spiritual nourishment of faithful, influences them to draw inspiration from Muhammad’s success as a spiritual leader. Muhammad’s ability to attract people and convert then to his opinion also had political aspects that politicians look regard. Success as a political leader is another feature that has established Muhammad as a religious and political role model. His service to the state was adorable and is what most politicians want to convey, as their potential, to the public. The role of faithful in building the society also establishes Muhammad’s leadership as a trait that religious leaders wish to emulate. Muhammad’s was also a moral personality who ensured just judgements and the role of ethics in attaining and maintaining leadership positions established the prophet as a standard for religious and political leaders to emulate. These features have influence on the Muslim community and they consider Muhammad a religious and political role

CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Case Study Example Conversely, the Seven-S Model was chosen as it considers broader external measures of company efficiency. While a variety of diagnostic models could be applied to the Boeing situation, these specific models provide a strong contrast in that one focuses more heavily on human resource elements and the other focuses on external and structural aspects. In examining the Boeing situation, it’s clear that both situations must be considered in considering the organizational framework. 2. When examining the Boeing situation the Six-Box model encapsulates a number of important elements in the company’s structural framework. In these regards, it’s noted that the six elements of the model includes, â€Å"the organization’s strategy, structure, rewards, internal relationships, helpful mechanisms, and leadership (‘Organizational Diagnostic Models’ 2009).† While the majority of the challenges within the Boeing structural framework are larger organizational issues, it’s clear the human resource issues reflected in this diagnostic model are also essential elements. One of the major cultural issues at Boeing was identified as the merger with McDonnell Douglas. The aspect of the six-box models concerned with internal relationships, helpful mechanisms, and leadership are all diagnostic means of considering the cultural challenges that were presented by this merger. In these regards, the internal aspects of the six-box model con sider both the cultural changes brought on by the merger of these companies with previously disparate visions, but also considers the leadership challenges that emerged as company president Harry Stonecipher assumed the CEO position at Boeing. While the six-box model largely diagnoses the internal aspects of the Boeing corporation, it’s clear that the primary areas of concern are larger structural elements. In these regards, it’s necessary to consider the Seven-S Model. This model indicates that the major areas of concern are,

Seven Steps to Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Seven Steps to Health - Essay Example ve and maintaining a healthy weight; following cancer screening guidelines; and visiting a healthcare professional, upon noticing changes in the normal state of health. Most people disregard these steps because of ignorance and inadequate financial resources. Ignorance makes some sidestep health-related matters, thinking that they are too healthy or too young to fall ill. It is the same ignorance that deludes many into thinking that one should only consider these steps when sick. Financial constraints may make accessing healthcare professionals, following cancer screening guidelines and accessing good diet a mere mirage. To promote better health practices, it is important that measures are set in place to have the media airing more health-related content. Given that this will be restricted to a matter of volition when it comes to privately owned media houses, the government can craft, pass and implement policies that will enhance the publicizing of the health-related content. This move will be necessary since the media (both electronic and print) media play pivotal and dominant roles in creating health awareness. It is also imperative that all the gains provided for in the 2010 Healthcare Reforms Act are safeguarded. Only this way, will the less privileged or low income earners be able to access healthcare professionals and follow cancer screening guidelines, irrespective of financial

Mahayana Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mahayana Buddhism - Essay Example As the discussion stresses  the popularity that the religion has gained is because of the teachings of the religion that consider human being as an important part. The Bodhisattvas keep compassion and mercy for the people without any self-interest. The Bodhisattva is on the highest level when the mind is in great compassion and emptiness is there. â€Å"Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity.†Ã‚  From this paper it is clear that Mahayana is famous because it considers all the human beings equal and is more concerned to universality. Through compassion, it is meant that Bodhisattvas after gaining enlightenment work to transfer this enlightenment to other beings. They regard personal suffering as negligible and give more consideration to universal salvation of all human beings. Because the religion keeps into consideration all the human beings of the earth and is concerned about spiritualit y, compassion and love, therefore, it is popular on a worldwide basis.  Dalai Lama suffered many hardships in his life such as he was forced into exile because of Chinese invasion in Tibet. He is famous in the US because of his recognition as â€Å"a man of peace†.  He has travelled to many parts of the world and spread the message of peace, non-violence and unaggressive behavior due to which, he has also received many awards in the lieu of his preaching of peace and non-violence.

Acute Care Services Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

Acute Care Services - Research Paper Example The hospital has a well-thought strategy for recruitment of nurses in the hospital. The strategy is a part of hospital’s overall staff recruitment policy which recognizes the importance of nurses in the quality healthcare provided by the hospital. The hospital recognizes recruitment as a basic function that holds key to proper functioning of the hospital in healthcare delivery. Therefore, recruitment is not an isolated but a central function that almost affects everything in the organization. The over-riding objective of the recruitment strategy is to attract competent and committed individuals who will make nursing a career and also stay for a long period in hospital service, in effect resolving the problem of frequent resignations leading to increased retention of nurses in ACUs of the hospital. Thus, recruitment of nurses for ACUs is based on an internal recruitment policy to recruit the best of qualified nurses and the strategy comprises the following strategic actions: Recruitment of nurses is an on-going biannual activity to fill available vacancies. Under this strategic mechanism, the required strength of 30 nurses for all ACUs should be maintained in any case so that the functioning of the hospital does not suffer. Under this approach applications are welcome from all interested qualifies nurses to register with the hospital database. The hospital conducts regular monthly reviews of all potential candidates fitting the requirements and invites them to the hospital for personal discussion.

How do you think domestic and foreign intelligence should work in this Assignment

How do you think domestic and foreign intelligence should work in this country - Assignment Example Foreign intelligence encompasses security surveillance orchestrated by cross-border powers and personalities. Intelligence service is the most sensitive national institution that must be accorded utmost autonomy to prevent the country from vulnerability to terrorist attack. America being the presumed global superpower is a target for terrorism and other forms of violent attacks. The U.S. depends on both its domestic and foreign intelligence information to fight and or contain the world’s terrorism. It requires a highly confidential, competent and effective intelligence service both from domestic instruments and from foreign input (Marks, 2010). After the September 11 attacks, cooperation and close coordination is required between national and international intelligence in America (Marks, 2010). However, there should not be complete merge of the two institutions. While they should cooperate to deliver coinciding information, their individual autonomy should also have clear demarcation. The country’s security management should establish a central coordinating body that harmonizes information dissemination from either side of the security institutions. The role of this body would be to provide further scrutiny to the intelligence information before delivering credible vigilant information to the government. The specific roles of these two institutions should also have distinct stipulations to avoid conflict and duplication of surveillance information. Furthermore, the authenticity of foreign intelligence surveillance is dully enshrined in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of

Political Parties Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Political Parties - Research Paper Example The normal people in the general population belong to this party electorate. These supporters or those who identify with a particular political party often show a strong tendency to vote for the candidate of that particular party. In addition, they register themselves as members of that party. These supporters tend to support all the policies of their political party blindly. There are various opinions among various scholars regarding party identification. While some opine that party identification is the result of people’s attachment to certain core political values, some others claim that party identification leads to political core values in an individual. In either way, political identification is an essential element in modern national politics. According to people like Green, palmquist, and Schickler, party identification is the sense of personal attachment one feels to a particular party as a result of the closeness he or she has to the social groups associated with tha t party (132). To illustrate, people often decide their political party taking into consideration how they feel about the social group which makes the base of that particular political party. The study by Goren proves that party identification is stable and rather long lasting (882). Admittedly, the first benefit of party identification is the proper representation of people’s requirements and their satisfaction. ... Secondly, though there is the claim that party identification leads to partisan politics, there is the counter argument that party identification leads to a greater degree of unity. For example, Larry shows that an individual’s value selection is greatly influenced by their party affiliation (122). That means a large chunk of population, which believes in a particular political party, tends to blindly support what the party propagates. It will help in reducing individual differences in opinion to a great extent. This is evident from Feldman’s report that party identification leads to greater voter turnout in elections (431). That means identification to a political party encourages participation in democratic process. As Fiorina opines, party identification is the best way to ensure effective running of democracies. For instance, such political parties are the only platform for candidates to reach the masses in a short time (89). Without the presence of parties, the ent ire system will be in chaos as so many candidates might turn up and the population will be divided into so many divisions based on the demands of each small section. Thus, political system becomes an important aspect of a successful democracy. Along with this, political parties play a great role in coordinated social interaction. Forgetting minor differences in individual perceptions, people gather under the banner of political parties and promote group survival and welfare activities instead of individual needs. Finally, in times of trouble and complex social situations, parties provide cues that guide people. Thus, party identification is an important element of party system and political participation, and these both are essential for democracy. 2. Developments in party Identification

Respiratory Muscle Training for Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Essay

Respiratory Muscle Training for Cervical Spinal Cord Injury - Essay Example Several articles would be used as a way of finding conclusive statement that would be aimed to be a solution to the several problems associated with patient with spinal cord injuries. The other methodology applied in training of patient with spinal cord injury is use of simple breathing device. The effect of these devices would ensure improved respiratory function as a result of the increased strength of the expiratory muscles. The training includes a repeated action by patients through the expiratory muscle training equipment with focuses being laid on the voluntary nature of the patients while in some instances the patients would need to endure a compulsory training session. The focus of the devices according to Roth et al(2010) the training that deploys a low resistance levels would result in improved pulmonary functions which are essential to patients with spinal cord injury. The article also indicate the effectiveness of the resistance training group as compared to the sham model of training The levels of cough according the article are an indicator of the strength of the expiratory muscle which is subject to the training and improvement for the pulmonary fu nctions. Both Silveira et al (2010) and Roth et al (2010) indicates two modes of training with both articles indicating a sitting position to be the preferred method while carrying out the training to people with spinal cord injuries. Roth et al (2010) indicate the effectiveness of the resistance training group as compared to the sham model of training. There is a relationship between trainer and the outcome to quadriplegic patients. The mode of training will involve inspirational training at low loads which would indicate the patient being subjected to conditions of about 30 percent of MIP (Silveira et al, 2010 P 317). The article indicates an improved 20% for the 8 weeks training period for sitting patient Upon attaining the required load

Movie ticket pricing Essay Example for Free

Movie ticket pricing Essay Household behavior forms an interesting area of study for economists given that the human aspect involved in making of economic decisions by a household vary a lot depending on the perception of a commodity or service in the market. This is done in the view of gaining a certain level of utility only known to the consumer. One such area that has attracted scrutiny is the consumption and pricing of movie tickets and goods sold in the movie theaters. An article by Jennifer McNulty titled â€Å"Concessions on Movie Ticket Pricing? details the tricks present in the pricing of movie tickets and products such as popcorn crisps and soft drinks sold in the movie theaters. This paper critically analyses this article and discusses the economic sense in the article plus a reflection on the whole issue. Article review In this article the writer is worried about the high charges of popcorn in movie theaters than in ordinary shopping outlets. This she poses as the introductory question in the article asking â€Å"why does popcorn cost so much at the movies? † She notes that despite the high prices, movie goers are always willing to pay the high prices charged for the popcorn as evidenced by â€Å"all the people standing in line waiting to buy popcorn, soft drinks, and candy†. The author notifies us of the findings of a research by Stanford and the University of California, Santa Cruz that reveals the trick behind this idea. The findings show that charging lower prices for primary products in this case movie tickets and charging higher prices for secondary products in this case popcorn, beverages, peanuts etc drives the customer into seeing the bargain in the primary product and not the overcharging in the secondary product. This will always keep demand for both high courtesy of low price tickets. The author says â€Å"If you want to bring more consumers into the market, you need to keep ticket prices lower to attract them†. Products sold in movie theaters are charged on concession basis in that there is an added price on the product as a â€Å"commission† to the vendor. They account a lot in term of revenue for movie theaters as Jennifer says that â€Å"movie exhibition houses rely on concession sales to keep their businesses viable†. The idea according to Jennifer is that movie theaters transfer some movie charges to the concession goods. This then increases demand for movie tickets and revenues high but profits low. From the article we see that â€Å"Although concessions account for only about 20 percent of gross revenues, they represent some 40 percent of theaters profits†. Therefore it would seem that it is better to charge low prices for tickets so as movie consumers are made to believe that they have â€Å"saved† some amount on which they can spend on the concession goods. Unfortunately, this is just an illusion as the moviegoer ends spending more. Economic analysis of the article The movie theaters have hinged their business sense on the demand elasticity in response to price changes. They have noted that a proportionate increase in the price of movie tickets leads to a more than proportionate drop in demand of movie tickets. Therefore we would say that demand for movie tickets is perfectly elastic to price changes. On the other hand, demand for concession goods is not affected, as per the article by change in prices thus perfectly inelastic. Nevertheless, we would normally expect perfect some degree of elasticity when prices are increased to inconsiderate levels. This would probably force moviegoers to carry along products that they could have otherwise bought at the theater. From another economic perspective, we can say that there is a level of complementarity between the movie tickets and the concession goods though it is one sided. This is because of the fact that concession goods will and can only be consumed after purchasing a movie ticket. However, one can consume a purchase/consume a movie ticket without necessarily having to purchase any of the concession goods on sale in the theater. For fully complementary goods, it is impossible to consume one good in the absence of the other. In such cases, the price and demand of one affects the other. In the case of movie tickets and concession goods, the demand for movie tickets leads to a considerable increase in the demand for the more profitable concession goods. Unfortunately, demand for concession goods does not in any way affect the demand for movie tickets as a consumer can make use of the movie ticket alone without the concession good. Reflection Consumption of leisure hours by households do not usually follow economic principles witnessed in other goods and services. Households attach levels of utility on leisure hours as determined by fashion trends and culture. The idea of purchasing and consuming goods such as popcorns and peanuts in the movie theaters is something that has been nurtured by today’s generation and fashion. This is what is demonstrated in the article in that there is no economic sense that can link any complementing aspect between concession goods and movie tickets but just a creation of our society. It is thus the movie theaters that have capitalized on this fallacy to gain profits. I would personally think that the movie theaters have succeeded in making the best use an economic opportunity and are creating and inducing demand for otherwise low selling products in the name of concession goods. Therefore, the article plays its purpose of informing the moviegoers of where they â€Å"cheated†. In economic sense, the paper shows the power of elasticity in action.

Improving Kings Medical Center

Improving Kings Medical Center Kings Medical Center provides various health services within the City and its locality. They have sites in three location (Staten Island, Queens, and Manhattan) spread across the City and have enlisted our service to develop their Information System. Their requirement included elements covering a Web site, Networking, Management Information System (MIS) and a Database. They have reviewed their organization structure and their strategic plan has revealed the need to reconstruct their functions, services and human resources application We are a dedicated medical institution, aiming to provide the highest quality care for our patients and maintain a relaxed, friendly and comfortable work environment for our staff and other users. We guarantee the well-fare and safety of our patients as our priority and ensure confidentiality of all nature. The commitment of our staff, physicians, volunteers and community partners to our mission, allows us to maintain a quality standard of caring, promoting wellness, relieve suffering and restore health as humanely as can be done. In consistence with the best service available we will ensure the highest value to all our users. We endeavor to treat all our patience and client fairly, efficiently and with the care and respect required to satisfy their needs and accordingly. Vision The vision of king medical center is to provide place for extraordinary achievements and Significant infrastructure growth. The vision of the king medical center is to provide large facilities of medical therapy. Organizational Chart The organizational chart of the medical center describes the overall organizational structure .This describe the administrative structure from top to the bottom like director to the peon. The director is the top of the organizational structure and there is multiple divisions like energy and plan divisions. Current Situation and Problem/ Opportunity Statement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Improving the appointment system and reducing walk-ins to a minimum à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Assigning doctors to patient à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Creating and implementing a web site à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Eliminate redundancy within the filing system and implement software and applications to regulate normalcy and consistency Critical Assumption and Constraints .There must be specified proposal which include identifying the earliest possible state including critical assumptions and revenue drivers, operating cost, social and environmental factors. .There is regularity, legislative and relevant acts which may impinge the proposal need. Which may identify including information? .There is information which can describe sensitivity of assumption need which is to be provided. Analysis of Options and Recommendation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Keeping machines on standby when not in use à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ensure all medical closet are secured à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Accessories should be stored in designated area and appropriately to eliminate risk à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Provide security at each site à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Sign posting at each location PROJECT INTEGRATION MANAGEMENT Preliminary Project Requirement There must be more attractive environment and higher perceived quality. There should no time gap for significant relationship between the perceived wait times. There should be project and its impact on existing infrastructure. Budget Estimate and Financial Analysis The project was allocated a budget of $800,000. The labor cost percent includes a forty hours per week at a rate of $100 per hour for the project manager, other team members between $80 $90 per hour (according to experience and qualification) and consultants at a rate of $150 per hour. Other consideration of the project will cover the outsourcing of software and other services costs. The discount rate for this project is 8%, reflecting the estimate after the discounted costs and benefits have been implemented. Schedule Estimate We estimate one year to complete the project and will be providing additional maintenance and technical support throughout an agreed period. We will be managing and monitoring the operation of applications and recommendations across the organization. Potential Risks There are several potential risks on project evaluation like cost assessment risk and time bound project have the overrun risks. The potential risks are the risk that can occur simultaneously which can identified during running phase. This type of risk can affect the running schedule of the project and also affect the cost of the project. Weighted Decision Matrix Initiating Assign a project manager Develop a business case Identify key stakeholders Prepare project charter Hold project kick-off meeting Planning Hold team planning meeting Prepare team contract Prepare scope statement Prepare WBS 2.4.1 Create Milestones Prepare schedule and cost baseline Determine task resources Determine task durations Determine task dependencies Create Gantt chart Identify, discuss and prioritize risks Develop project plans Review project plans Approve project plans Executing Analysis Task Collect data on organization Collect information on project User inputs Internet site contents Templates and tools Articles Links User requests feature Web site design Web site construction Web site testing Web site promotion Web site roll-out Project benefits measurement Design Task 3.2.1 Collect detailed requirement for all programs 3.2.2 Design network program 3.2.3 Design database 3.2.4 Design MIS 3.2.5 Design Web site 3.10 Implementation Task 3.10.1 Network 3.10.2 Database 3.10.3 MIS 3.10.4 Website 3.11 Training 3.11.1 Employees training 3.11.2 Technical Support 3.11.3 Access Security Specification 3.4 Testing 3.4.1 Test programs 3.5 Roll Out and Support 3.5.1 Support User 3.5.2 Roll out New programs 3.5.3 Technical Support Monitoring and Controlling Project reports 4.2.1 Change request report 4.2.2 Organizational process assets updates 4.2.3 Project document updates 4.2.4 Project management plan updates 4.2.5 Status Reports 3.2.6 Control changes Closing Final project report Final presentation Sign-off on project Lesson learnt reports Financial Analysis for Kings Medical Center Project The financial Analysis for the king medical center is depend on recourse and the financial fund and time validation ,human effort etc. The financial analysis is depend on operational cost and the project risk assessment ,project structure and managerial elements of project. The risk type and identification affect the project cost and running time and risk exposure is time taking process so financial schedule affected by risk. The financial analysis depends on the risk assessments. Project Charter Project Title: Kings Medical Center Project Project Start Date: April 28, 2010 Projected Finish Date: April 28, 2011 Budget Information: A budget of $800,000 has been allocated to fund the project over a one year period. This cost will be used up to fund the All in One (AIO) Tech development team, consulting personnel, hardware and software purchase, and utility fees. An initial estimate requires a total of 40 hours per week labor cost, considering that the team works a standard eight hour day shift. Project Manager: Foxy Brown, 646-238-1224, [emailprotected] Project Objectives: The goal is to provide a complete IT Infrastructure overhaul to Monroe Medical Center. In doing so, employees will be able to retrieve and update patients file and information accordingly, assign a doctor to groups of patients, produce departmental reports, and share information across all locations within a reasonable time frame. An online appointment system will also be created to minimize patient waiting time and improve the system for walk-in patients. Main Project Success Criteria: The project is scheduled to be completed within one year at the provisional cost of $800,000. The end product of this project is guaranteed to support the overall functionality of Kings Medical Center operations. This will assist them to negotiate lower premiums and track improvements in patients waiting time among other requirements they have stipulated. It will also provide solid evidence for other benefits, such as improving morale and productivity. Additionally, the project should be able to pay for itself within two years of completion. It must also have a positive net present value (NPV) and a 50% or greater return on investment, in order to be considered a successful project. Additionally, the project payback must not be beyond 2 years. Approach:  · Select a project manager and project team  · Identify project requirements and list milestones to meet accordingly  · Incorporate best practices methodologies  · Incorporate excellent testing procedures  · Use corporate standards in all application development  · Using a prototyping approach to development  · Provide training and develop support procedures  · creating a highly specific and detailed documentation Integrated Change Control The integrated change control is the process which can be implemented during the all changes which involves in running state in project. It is quite often implement over the course of a project life cycle. PROJECT SCOPE MANAGEMENT Requirements Document The requirement document for project scope document is resource, financial status, time schedule, and operational cost structure, estimation time for each module. The requirement document must have the work breakdown structure and time estimation graph. It can also describe the overall structure with financial status. Requirements Management Plan The requirement management plan utilize the proper resource for running status of any hospital effectively and efficiently. It can also describe the requirement of different modules and resource management. Requirements Matrix for Kings Medical Center Project The requirement matrix for king medical center project depends on several phase and resource allocation graph .The requirement matrix is depend on supply and demand of resource and operational cost. The requirement matrix is sparse matrix for resource allocation to different module and reduces the overall operational cost. Scope Statement (Version 1) PROJECT TIME MANAGEMENT Work Breakdown Structure for Kings Medical Center Project The work breakdown structure is known as hierarchical discrete structure which divides the work task in different small module. Thus work breakdown structure for the kings medical college project can be subdivided task like operational cost which having subtask the doctors fee and medicine cost, bed charge, equipments cost etc. WBS Dictionary The WBS dictionary must include the overall subdivided task and which type of structure tree or list .The WBS dictionary describes the how the work breakdown structure correlate to each other which is the master task and which one is slave task. Milestone Report Kings Medical Center Project The milestone report of kings medical center project is describe the achievement of the center which is the best of the previous report .The milestone report is known as master copy every other report must be compare from this milestone report ,this can give estimation cost and resource handling idea in brief. Gantt chart The Gantt chart is known as the chart which can specify the project completion time and resource allocation to different module. The Gantt chart describe the different small module start and end time this also describe analysis time and result this contains the day by day data and store it and compare by historical data. Network Diagram The network diagram describe the day by day activity and recourse allocation by network diagram by network diagram we describe the minimum activity path to reduce the cost effort there is critical path method and project evaluation review technique use for estimation. Work Schedule The work schedule describe the overall running schedule for different task and it can specify the resource allocation to each activity the work schedule is to use reduce cost time effort . Activity Assignments The activity assignment is known as assign resource to different task and activity. The activity assignment insures that the correct task is handling by the specified specialist person. Time Management Contingency Strategies The time management contingency strategies is to use the reduce time effort and make project effective and beneficial. These Strategies is to use assumption of minimum time effort in which sequence we can gain minimum time effort. PROJECT COST MANAGEMENT Project cost estimate The project cost estimation is done by Gantt chat or by the histogram or by the CPM PERT. The project cost estimation is done with respect to the earned value and actual cost or planning cost. There is graph analysis between the earned value and the actual cost. Project cost baseline The project baseline cost is theoretical or real construct it capture and approved budget structure distributed overtime. The baseline may incorporate during changes in the project running schedule. Earned value The earned value describes the how much part of cost and time is spent till the analysis time. The earned value analysis is useful for estimation how much time and cost in feature needed to complete the project in under budget and specified time. PROJECT QUALITY MANAGEMENT Quality Standards/ Requirements The quality standard is measured by quality assurance like ISO 9000.The quality assurance is achieved by The effectiveness and efficiency .Quality standard /requirement is gain by the ISO certificate for the health care the IWA 4:2009 certificate issued, for medical devices ISO 13485:2003 certificate needed. The Seven Basic Tools of Quality The seven basic tools for quality control is Pareto chart which shows the bar graph and insures which factors are more significant. The Histogram which represent the bar diagram and histogram representation of each activity. Scattered data which represents the graph pair of numerical datas. Control chart and check sheet for analyzing the data. Cause and affect diagram and stratification which control the study of individual data. PROJECT NETWORK MANAGEMENT This is the tool for the understand to project management cycle there is the graphical representation of the project life cycle various activity in the project form a network diagram which specify the project duration for each separate activity. PROJECT DATABASE MANAGEMENT The project database management stores the every information during project execution state and keeps each activity record day by day. Thus the project database management system stores information of resources and the durations to complete a task. PROJECT WEBSITE MANAGEMENT Project website management is done according to database and information which is retrieval day by day activity the database updating can also be done by the website .Thus the project website management must insure to display current database. Appendix The UNICEF child protection program The king George medical College, Department of cancer therapy India. The all India medical Association, New Delhi India Policies There is research center establishment for H.I.V To provide best facility perform cancer chemical therapy. Glossary Glossary of Genetic Terms, Genetics Education Center, Univ. Kansas Medical Center Biotechnology Glossary, SDPatel and S Maulik, GeneEd, Celera (not available Sept 2002) Genome Glossary, Department of Energy (DOE) Dictionary of Genetics, Science and Technology, graphics, searchable, Academic Press (not available Sept 2002)

Biogeography Essay Questions

Biogeography Essay Questions 8 Biogeography Essay Questions 1.) What is the science of biogeography? Biogeography is that study of geographical distribution of flora and fauna considering the different taxonomic levels, present and past, the habitats in which they are found together with the involved ecological relationships. Today, there are two theories in biogeography that have been developed to discuss more on the distribution of biological species in the world. The two of them are Distance-decay and Island biogeography theories. The distance-decay theory asserts that the correlation and similarity between species in any two geographical locations will continue decreasing as the distance between the two increases. The second biogeographical theory, island biogeography asserts that those pockets of life (islands) that are closely spaced will support more biological life/species. It is still this second theory that explains that these closely spaced islands are rarely threatened by extinction if compared to the tiny isolated islands of the world. The Geographic Information Systems Scientists say that the above two theories were developed in order for us to be able to fully understand the distribution of species but not the distribution or even movement of human beings. As it was developed, the science of biogeography was meant to answer so many questions that are varied. It was developed so that it can answer some of the questions like why are there so many kinds of animals and plants in the world. It seeks to answer why some of these animals and plants are rare while others are common. Some animals and plants are widely dispersed while others are confined to a limited place. The science of biogeography seeks to explain the reason as to why this is so. There are some parts of this world that are richer in terms of species compared to others. Its only by use of the study of biogeography that we can be in a position to understand this. There are several major types of biogeography distributions. They include; Endemic (restricted to specific locations), cosmopolitan (e.g.Caenorhabdities elegans and Drosophila melanogaster), and Disjunct (separated). The disjunct biogeographic distributions are believed to have been caused by Vicariance and dispersal. In biogeography, evidence that can be based on its history can be classified in terms of Paleontology and systematics. 1.) Describe the 5 observations upon which the science of biogeography is founded. Give TWO examples for each observation. a) Each and every species and other higher group animals are said to have a discrete and a non random distribution in time and space. A good example of this is the gorilla that is only found in two African forests. b) In different geographical regions of the world there is an assemblage of animals that are distinct and they coexist. A good example to explain this is the fauna that is found south of the desert of Sahara together with its monkeys, antelopes, pigs and this is totally different from the Australian fauna and its duck billed platypus, wombats and kangaroos. c) The differences and the similarities in these regions cannot be in any way be described in terms of the distance between them or even the area of origin. A good example is that the fauna of eastern Asia and Europe is to large extent similar although they are both separated by 11,500km of land. Also the fauna of New Guinea and Borneo are different though are separated by a small piece of land compared to the ones abov e which is across water and land. d) All those faunas that look different from those of today once previously occurred in all other geographical regions. An example is the dinosaurs which existed in most parts of the geographic locations in Cretaceous. e) The faunas which resemble the ones found today and their antecedents once occurred, but its sometimes at far distances from the current range. A good example is the subtropical-warm temperature fauna which is found in Eocene Wyoming. This includes fishes which are fresh-water, turtle groups and salamander which are restricted to southeastern parts of the United States. 1.) Discuss this statement: â€Å"The history of biogeography is essentially a continuing conflict between creation myth and empirical science.† Empirical science describes that the distribution of organisms in the whole world was as a result of continuous evolution of the past existing species. Science asserts that the present fauna and flora are as a result of evolution from past organisms which were not developed as they are today. On the other side of the creation myth, people and especially the Christians believe that the current population of plants and animals are a product of what God created long time ago. Some of the things that are explained in the bible are in total conflict with what science has provided a detailed account on. A good example is the Global Flood during the time of Noah. The Bible says that God instructed Noah who by then was 600 years old to construct an ark. Noah was then supposed to take two of every unclean animal and seven of every clean animal. All food and fresh water was then supposed to be in the ark. Noah and his family were to remain in the ark for six months until the flood waters subsi ded. This creation story in the book of genesis continues to explain that after the flood waters subsided, Noah, his family and the animals that were released then were the ones who later repopulated the earth. This is in total conflict with the empirical scientists who argue that today there is too much of genetic diversity in the world for us to be consistent that every animal that is land based descended from the few breeding pairs and this is just some few thousands years ago. According to empirical science, some of the species we have today in the planet will evolve locally. This thus means that they are immobile geographically according to scientists. The scientists will ask today how comes the Duckbill platypus ended up only in Australia and not anywhere else in the planet. Scientists still argue that Noah did not take any fish or coral in the ark. During the flood thus, all the fish would have become extinct and all the corals would have been swept away. Some of the corals according to the scientists even appear older than the given history of the floods. For scientists they believe that there is no way the short lived species could have survived the time they were in the ark. They say that the adult mayflies would have died in just a few days while the larvae of many mayflies will require shallow fresh and running water. Other similar insects and many of them would actually face the same problems. There is no way the scientists would believe that the human population could rebound in such a short period. Other controversies apart from the field of evolutionary biology can also be seen in cosmology, thermodynamics, paleontology, geology and nuclear physics. 1.) Describe the main contributions to biogeography of the people listed below. Alexander von Humbolt, Liebig, MacArthur and William. Alexander Von Humbolt: He was German naturalist who is normally referred to as the father of phytogeography. He was the one who felt that study on geographical distribution was an important scientific inquiry that could lead to the discovery of laws of nature that are fundamental. He was the one who did the explorations of South and Central America together with Aime Bonpland who was a French naturalist. These two travelled along the Orinoco and Amazon rivers as they explored the Andes and the present day parts of Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia. He managed to study vegetation and climatic conditions of Urals Mountains, Siberia and Caspian Sea. He was the one who invented the isobar and isotherm which are used today in description of climatic associations of plant communities. He had a passion for the beauty of nature. He had a good description of the physical environment together with the plant distribution that are widely used in biogeography. Liebig: He was born in Darmstadt, Germany. He went to Paris where was working in the laboratory of Joseph Gay-Lussac. His main interest was in chemistry. He did much in order to establish chemistry as a discipline. He started the first chemical periodical for scholars. He was the one who showed that studies like physiology, agriculture, and psychology are only intelligible if based on sound chemical principles. He was one of the contributors in discovery of isomerism (a condition where two different compounds may have the same chemical formula). He showed that organic compounds can actually be dealt with in a rational way. He once rejected the current humus theory. He showed his contrasting idea by describing that some plants will leave the soil richer in terms of carbon that they really found it. He visited England once and was not happy with the way they were setting out their sewage to the sea. He was of the opinion that they should use their sewage as a fertilizer. William: He collected vertebrates in many remote regions of Hispaniola between the years 1916 and 1923. He also did collections in other regions of the world like the famous Himalayas. To date, most his collections are still in Smithsonian. He is landscape ecologist and a biogeographer. He has made tremendous contributions in the understanding of landscapes and disturbances. His research in these fields has made tremendous influence on the field of biogeography and also the academic biogeographers. MacArthur: He came up with the MacArthur and Wilson equilibrium model on insular biogeography. This is a model that is used to provide a good foundation on the distribution of species on islands. Its also useful in explanation of the composition of insular biotas. Its because of his model that many analyses have been made on the distributions of mammals on insular habitats. 5) Describe the relationships among the following physical factors:pressure, physiography, ocean currents, latitude, temperature, light, precipitation, and wind Physiography is a description of the features and even phenomena of nature. Most of the physical features of the world cannot be well described unless we use other factors like temperature. Physiography stands for physical geography. What is in physical geography is all the physical features like the mountains, forests/vegetations among others. When we attempt to describer any climatic condition of a place or of a certain region, we use temperature, the level of rainfall/precipitation and the effects that winds may have on it. It therefore translates that we cannot describe most of the physical phenomena without using the other factors mentioned. They interdepend on each other for description of physical phenomena. Ocean currents depend on pressure. They usually move from where the pressure is low to where its high. Wind is said to be air in motion. Air can only be in mo0tion if one region has a high pressure compared to another. Air moves from high pressure centers to low pressure centers. This is wind. It therefore means that wind can only be thee if there is difference in pressure amounts in two regions. Ocean currents are usually associated with the precipitation. They usually make the nearby areas in the ocean to receive rainfall if they are usually accompanied by high temperatures. Areas of low latitude have high temperatures while high latitude areas are generally cool. Light intensity in certain ecosystems helps the growth of specific organisms. Physiography/physical geography cannot be fully described if light intensity is not going to be applied to describe some of the conditions in some places (physical phenomena). 1.) Give the Holdridge Bioclimate Classification of climate for the following places: Honolulu, Hawaii; Adelaide, Australia; Timbuktu, Mali; La Paz, Bolivia. Timbuktu (Mali) Class 35; according to Holdridge bioclimatic classification it is in a tropical dry forest. The climate is characterized by high temperatures all year. There is however a better developed dry season compared to the tropical rain forest. The soils are just like for the tropical rain forest. Most of the evergreen tree species become deciduous. Tree canopy is lower compared to tropical rain forest. Undergrowth is dense. There is lower species diversity. Trees have thicker back and small leaves. Roots are long and trees have thorns also. Larger mammals are more dominant Honolulu (Hawaii) Class 25; subtropical desert scrub with an annual climate of 24 degrees. Average temperature in a day is 29 degrees and the minimum is 21 degrees. Its humidity is moderated by its mid-ocean positioning. There is intense rainfall in the winter months though most of the winter days have warm bright sunshine. Rarely will temperatures go beyond 32 degrees. Adelaide (Australia) Class 30; subtropical rain forest Generally, rainfall is more than 1300mm. there are fertile eutrophic rocks. A multi layered canopy of between 10 and 60 species of trees. Most of these trees will exhibit buttressing w2hich is a feature that is common in rain forest areas. La Paz (Bolivia) Class 27; subtropical dry forest 2.) Define endemism. Give and explain five characteristics associated/correlated with areas of endemism. This is a situation where a plant or an animal taxon is said to be restricted in a geographical range or a particular region. Since the times of Darwin, it has been known that islands are the ones which are mostly rich in endemic species. Endemism will arise because of several mechanisms. The major one is the geographical isolation. In this geographic isolation, a small population that has a limited genetic diversity may be isolated. After several generations, the drift in genetics will lead to formation of a distinct species. A population that may arrive on a new island may fill different ecological niches. Other generations of natural selection may result in formation of distinct species. Again, a certain species that was widespread may suffer extinction. This island may now become a â€Å"refugia†. This describes the origin of the major species of Macaronesian endemic â€Å"laurels†. These are mostly found in the Mediterranean region. Latitude: species richness of most organisms in an endemic region increases form high temperature to low tropical latitudes. Lower latitudes have high levels of endemism. Species richness: The levels of species richness and those of endemism cannot be said to be infrequently correlated. Oceanic islands have high levels of endemism but will have low numbers of species. Unusual environmental conditions: Most endemic areas are known to have environmental conditions that are very different from other areas. There occurs independent evolution of the local adaptations. These will mostly enable the species to persist under the existing conditions. Isolation: Almost all areas of endemism are separated or isolated from others geographically. There are barriers to other areas such that even independent evolution is going to give rise to endemic taxa. Historical: In these areas there are usually changing abiotic and biotic environmental conditions. High levels of endemism may be associated with areas that have long-term ecoclimatic stability. This can even enable these populations to be able to survive global changes in climate conditions. 1.) Describe the three possible tectonic plate boundaries, give an example of each and explain the possible consequences of a convergent boundary. Divergent boundary: Its the soft boundary and its also called the spreading center. Two plates move away from each other and mid-ocean ridges will be formed. Magma from the mantle will move though a crack to the ocean and it then cols. This cooling causes the formation of oceanic crust on both sides of the vent. When the plates continue to move, more crust will be formed. The ocean basin then expands forming a ridge system. This crust formed causes the pushing of the plates on either side further. A good example of this kind of plate boundary is that of North America and Europe. Convergent boundary: Its also called a subduction zone. This is a plate margin where one plate will override the other. This forces the other into beneath its mantle. They are boundaries which are in the form of trench. Old oceanic crust will go into these systems as there is new crust formed when the centers are spreading. They are usually locations of strong earthquakes as the action of the plate that is going down interacts with the overriding one. It can also be as a result of volcanic activity. A good place to be associated with it is Japan. The plate that is going down the other will continue to become even hotter. This is because of its proximity to the mantle. The plate will thus melt to form magma. This magma will move upwards through the crust and volcanoes are formed. A good example is the Aleutian Islands. Conservative/transform boundary: Its called conservative as there is neither creation nor destruction of plate materials at the boundaries. What usually happens here is that the plates will slide past each other. These are usually areas where there are many earthquakes. They are caused by the accumulation and release of strain when the plates slide past each other. Good examples of conservative boundaries are the San Andreas Fault in California and mid-ocean ridges, the Rockies in North America. Possible consequences of convergent boundary: These are areas that are earthquake prone. These earthquakes can cause a lot of deaths to human beings and animals. A good example is the 1883 eruption of Krakatau volcano of Indonesia that killed more than 37,000 people. The hot magma contains some chemical that may be harmful to the human beings and also the existing vegetation. Where these big mountains are formed after the plate boundary formation, climatic conditions may change which may not be conducive to the existing flora and fauna.

Essays --

Though the definition of feasibility studies varies in every source, most of its defining characteristics can be found in Blanchard’s System Engineering and Analysis textbook [1]. The general goal of a feasibility study is to evaluate whether the proposed system concept is designed within the cost, schedule, and technical risk constraints that can work for the stakeholders needs. The feasibility study’s second function is to illustrate the possibility of acquiring potential solutions [2]. The third goal of feasibility is to draw out quantitative or semi-quantitative assessments, and finally, it identifies alternative technological approaches [1]. Feasibility studies may include exploration of alternative conceptual designs, operational functions, system components, and technology choices, in case the system’s components and concepts were indistinct; and its immediate consequences may include risk analysis of requirements [2]. The study is vital in the overall pro cess on team communication and initial evaluation should be done during the conceptual design process. Following the exampl...

The Prince Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"All the states, all the dominions, under whose authority men have lived in the past and live now have been and are either republics or principalities.† In Machiavelli’s, The Prince, timeless keys to a successful principality are examined. The keys are understanding human nature, respecting that nature, and reaffirming that successful leadership can exist in the same fashion yesterday, today, and tomorrow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Machiavelli’s perspective of human nature is founded on the principle that people in general don’t want their culture changed by an outside influence. Machiavelli demonstrates in the book that the nature of people is to defend who they are. When â€Å"the prince† attempts to change their culture in any way the subjects will do any number of things to crush this attempt or even change the leadership. If a prince uses force to try to change people this will lead to hostility, because as Machiavellis says, â€Å"they remain, defeated, in their own homes.† This underlying fact will lead to a rebellion of some sort. One way this rebellion can happen is when a powerful foreigner invades the principality. The now â€Å"defeated† people will join this powerful foreigner, in hopes that their culture will now be respected, to dethrone the prince. When the prince tries to use force to control the people it only creates enemies. Machiavelli explains this aspect of human nature when he writes, â€Å"he harms the whole state by billeting his army in different parts of the country, everyone suffers from this annoyance, and everybody is turned into an enemy.† On the contrast if a prince allows the people to keep their customs Machiavelli states that the people will remain content when he writes, â€Å"For the rest, so long as their old ways of life are undisturbed and there is no divergence in customs, men live quietly.† Another natural tendency of people comes with freedom. Once they have had a taste of freedom, they virtually cannot live without it. This feeling of control over one’s life is a quality that once molded is nearly impossible to reshape. Machiavelli asserts this idea when he writes, â€Å"a city used to freedom can be more easily ruled through its own citizens...than in any other way.† The same tendency lies in the control that the prince gains over the people in the principality. Once the prince has control he finds that gi... ...ook† Mao used positive reenforcement to oil the gears of one of the worlds strongest super powers. Mao didn’t try to use force and change the culture in China rather he persuaded the people into having great national pride. This pride enabled Mao to control the people also build a strong military and defend his land. In China Mao did and still today, decades after his death, have a hand in every aspect of Chinese life. Both of these leaders project how timeless Machiavelli’s ideas truly are.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first rung of the ladder to a successful principality is the understanding of human nature. A nature that values consistency over forced change and an atmosphere of control over one’s self instead of someone blatently controlling another. Through this understanding of human nature can a prince hold his power. Once he holds this power the best way to keep it is by providing defense for the people whom he has power over. These ideas were present in the infamous reigns of Hitler and Mao. Machiavelli is correct there are either principalities or republics, and I have come to the conclusion I prefer the latter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Prince Essay -- essays research papers â€Å"All the states, all the dominions, under whose authority men have lived in the past and live now have been and are either republics or principalities.† In Machiavelli’s, The Prince, timeless keys to a successful principality are examined. The keys are understanding human nature, respecting that nature, and reaffirming that successful leadership can exist in the same fashion yesterday, today, and tomorrow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Machiavelli’s perspective of human nature is founded on the principle that people in general don’t want their culture changed by an outside influence. Machiavelli demonstrates in the book that the nature of people is to defend who they are. When â€Å"the prince† attempts to change their culture in any way the subjects will do any number of things to crush this attempt or even change the leadership. If a prince uses force to try to change people this will lead to hostility, because as Machiavellis says, â€Å"they remain, defeated, in their own homes.† This underlying fact will lead to a rebellion of some sort. One way this rebellion can happen is when a powerful foreigner invades the principality. The now â€Å"defeated† people will join this powerful foreigner, in hopes that their culture will now be respected, to dethrone the prince. When the prince tries to use force to control the people it only creates enemies. Machiavelli explains this aspect of human nature when he writes, â€Å"he harms the whole state by billeting his army in different parts of the country, everyone suffers from this annoyance, and everybody is turned into an enemy.† On the contrast if a prince allows the people to keep their customs Machiavelli states that the people will remain content when he writes, â€Å"For the rest, so long as their old ways of life are undisturbed and there is no divergence in customs, men live quietly.† Another natural tendency of people comes with freedom. Once they have had a taste of freedom, they virtually cannot live without it. This feeling of control over one’s life is a quality that once molded is nearly impossible to reshape. Machiavelli asserts this idea when he writes, â€Å"a city used to freedom can be more easily ruled through its own citizens...than in any other way.† The same tendency lies in the control that the prince gains over the people in the principality. Once the prince has control he finds that gi... ...ook† Mao used positive reenforcement to oil the gears of one of the worlds strongest super powers. Mao didn’t try to use force and change the culture in China rather he persuaded the people into having great national pride. This pride enabled Mao to control the people also build a strong military and defend his land. In China Mao did and still today, decades after his death, have a hand in every aspect of Chinese life. Both of these leaders project how timeless Machiavelli’s ideas truly are.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first rung of the ladder to a successful principality is the understanding of human nature. A nature that values consistency over forced change and an atmosphere of control over one’s self instead of someone blatently controlling another. Through this understanding of human nature can a prince hold his power. Once he holds this power the best way to keep it is by providing defense for the people whom he has power over. These ideas were present in the infamous reigns of Hitler and Mao. Machiavelli is correct there are either principalities or republics, and I have come to the conclusion I prefer the latter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Explore how Friel uses language Essay

Explore how Friel has used language in order to create humour and other emotional responses in the audience? Focus particularly on the exchange between Yolland and Marie in Act 2 scene 2. In this essay I intend to explore the relationship between Marie and Yolland. I want to examine how the overall structure of the language presents a comical piece for the audience to watch and discover how the couple overcome the language barrier to connect on a much deeper level. I would also like to look at how they convey their emotions without verbal understanding. Then finally I would like to look at the way in which Friel provokes emotional responses in the audience. In a short play like Translations, the focus of the drama is on ever changing relationships demonstrated through language and conversation. If we study the relationship between Yolland and Marie and focus on their characters we find how different and individual they each are. The couple, prove to be direct opposites of one another. Yolland is an English soldier who has a romantic outlook on the world, whereas Maire is an Irish milkmaid who has a pragmatic view of the world. Yet both are similar in many ways, they both have hopes, dreams and fears. If we refer to the previous meeting between the couple (End of Act 2 Scene 1 from p58) we find the section where Maire and Yolland first ‘talk’ to each other. This demonstrates the difficulties faced when attempting to talk to someone from another culture. We know they are speaking in different languages and are confused by what the other is saying, whilst Owen is tries to act as an go-between and translator for them. After Act 2 Scene 1, the couple are next seen together, after the dance, trying to talk to each other. This scene is a intensely emotional love scene between the couple and is also a exquisite examination of the barriers between language and communication. The scene opens with the couple, running hand in hand and Marie exclaiming ‘O my God, that leap across the ditch nearly killed me’ and Yolland replies with ‘I could scarcely keep up with you. ‘ So that when the couple first speak, the dialogue is so highly skilled and the syntax is so well structured that it appears to the audience that they understand one another. The opposite is in fact true yet they seem to be making perfect sense. This creates a sense of confusion for the audience as we know, verbally they have little understanding of each other’s language. As the scene progresses Marie and Yolland realise their embarrassment. Before each speaks again their hands disengage and they study one another. Then follows a pause. This displays the hesitancy and the discomfort that the couple are feeling. Each is unsure of what the other is saying yet the following lines say exactly the same things in two completely different languages. Their lines intertwine and the responses are infact an illusion created by the lyrical poise and exact parallel balance. The couples’ observations are also based on very different realities, an example being Marie saying ‘The grass must be wet. My feet are soaking’ and Yolland retorting with ‘Your feet must be wet. The grass is soaking. ‘ Here if we look at the grammar, we know these lines mirror one another and we see how the playwright has developed this by just simply rearranging the subject and predicate to create this syntactic parallel equivalence. This humour is present throughout and this romantic exchange lightens what is quite a serious, political play. However the two characters are both symbols for two different cultures and apart from the language barrier they are divided by underlying conflict. In my opinion this also draws them together. What follows from here between them bears a striking resemblance to the discourse between Manus and Sarah in the opening act. They start with their names ‘George’ (Yolland) ‘Lieutant George. ‘ (Marie) They use basic and simple language and I feel this is done as the playwright is trying to provoke a sympathetic response from the audience. As with Manus and Sarah, the dialogue is drawn out, slow, yet humouress. Yet is also a display of tenderness and affection and is a way of making themselves known. This relates to the overall theme of identity within the play. If we look at the grammar we find again it is makes use of broken grammar, fragmented sentences and short turn taking roles. Together this creates tension in the audience. Friel makes use of this simple language again later on in the scene with the use of ‘water’, ‘earth’ and ‘fire’ after Maire tries to communicate in Latin. It is after both Yolland and Maire both confess – ‘Say anything at all. I love the sound of your speech’ and when they both end their unsuccessful attempting at communicating with an exasperated ‘Oh my god’, it becomes clear just how close a bond the two have begun to form. It is from here that the notion of non-verbal communication is effective. The splendour of this scene lies in the fact that, however meaningless words many be, body language and emotions are universal and can bridge the language barrier. Each becomes increasingly frustrated with their inability to communicate. As they do attempt to ‘talk’ there is plenty of confusion and misinterpretation within the conversation. An example being the plentiful use of what-what? Sorry-sorry? Just as in the previous scene. These two uncomplicated lines also bring about comic and compassion within the audience. Although the difference in this scene is that they have dispensed with Owen.

Human Behavior Essay

At the beginning of the film, Lorenzo (played by Noah Banks and also Zack O’Malley Greenburg) is a bright and vibrant young boy living in the Comoros Islands, as his father Augusto (played by Nick Nolte) works for the World Bank and is stationed there. However, when his parents relocate to the United States, he begins to show neurological problems, such as loss of hearing, tantrums, etc. The boy is diagnosed as having adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), which is fatal within two years. Failing to find a doctor capable of treating their son’s rare disease, Augusto and his wife Michaela (Susan Sarandon) set out on a mission to find a treatment to save their child. In their quest, the Odones clash with doctors, scientists, and support groups, who are skeptical that anything could be done about ALD, much less by laypeople. But they persist, setting up camp in medical libraries, reviewing animal experiments, enlisting the aid of Professor Gus Nikolais (played by Peter Ustinov), badg ering researchers, questioning top doctors all over the world, and even organizing an international symposium about the disease. Despite research dead-ends, the horror of watching their son’s health decline, and being surrounded by skeptics (including the coordinators of the support group they attend), they persist until they finally hit upon a therapy involving adding a certain kind of oil (actually containing two specific long chain fatty acids, isolated from rapeseed [canola] oil and olive oil) to their son’s diet. They contact over 100 firms around the world until they find an elderly British chemist (Don Suddaby, who plays himself in a cameo role) working for Croda International who is willing to take on the challenge of distilling the proper formula. The oil, erucic acid, proves successful in normalizing the accumulation of the very long chain fatty acids in the brain that had been causing their son’s steady decline, thereby halting the progression of the disease. There is still a great deal of neurological damage remaining which could not be reversed unless new treatments could be found to regenerate the myelin sheath (a lipid insulator) around the nerves. The father is seen taking on the new challenge of organizing biomedical efforts to heal myelin damage in patients (see The Myelin Project). The film ends with Lorenzo at the age of 14 showing definite improvement (he could swallow for himself and answer yes or no questions by blinking) but indicating more medical research is still needed. The end credits of the film note that Lorenzo has also regained his sight and is learning to use a computer. Adrenoleukodystrophy Definition Adrenoleukodystrophy is a rare genetic disease characterized by a loss of myelin surrounding nerve cells in the brain and progressive adrenal gland dysfunction. Description Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) is a member of a group of diseases, leukodystrophies, that cause damage to the myelin sheath of nerve cells. Approximately one in 100,000 people is affected by ALD. There are three basic forms of ALD: childhood, adult-onset, and neonatal. The childhood form of the disease is the classical form and is the most severe. Childhood ALD is progressive and usually leads to total disability or death. It affects only boys because the genetic defect is sex-linked (carried on the X chromosome). Onset usually occurs between ages four and ten and can include many different symptoms, not all of which appear together. The most common symptoms are behavioral problems and poor memory. Other symptoms frequently seen are loss of vision, seizures, poorly articulated speech, difficulty swallowing, deafness, problems with gait and coordination, fatigue, increased skin pigmentation, and progressive dementia. The adult-onset form of the disease, also called adrenomyeloneuropathy, is milder, progresses slowly, is usually associated with a normal life span, and usually appears between ages 21-35. Symptoms may include progressive stiffness, weakness, or paralysis of the lower limbs and loss of coordination. Brain function deterioration may also been seen. Women who are carriers of the disease occasionally experience the same symptoms, as well as others, including ataxia, hypertonia (excessive muscle tone), mild peripheral neuropathy, and urinary problems. The neonatal form affects both male and female infants and may produce mental retardation, facial abnormalities, seizures, retinal degeneration, poor muscle tone, enlarged liver, and adrenal dysfunction. Neonatal ALD usually progresses rapidly. Causes and symptoms The genetic defect in ALD causes a decrease in the ability to degrade very long chain fatty acids. These build up in the adrenal glands, brain, plasma, and fibroblasts. The build-up of very long chain fatty acids interferes with the ability of the adrenal gland to convert cholesterol into steroids and causes demyelination of nerves in the white matter of the brain. Demyelinated nerve cells are unable to function properly. Diagnosis Diagnosis is made based on observed symptoms, a biochemical test, and a family history. The biochemical test detects elevated levels of very long chain fatty acids in samples from amniocentesis, chorionic villi, plasma, red blood cells, or fibroblasts. A family history may indicate the likelihood of ALD because the disease is carried on the X-chromosome by the female lineage of families. Biosynthesis (also called biogenesis or â€Å"anabolism†) is an enzyme-catalyzed process in cells of living organisms by which substrates are converted to more complex products.[1] The biosynthesis process often consists of several enzymatic steps in which the product of one step is used as substrate in the following step. Examples for such multi-step biosynthetic pathways are those for the production of blood clots,amino acids, fatty acids, and natural products.[2] Biosynthesis plays a major role in all cells, and many dedicated metabolic routes combined constitute general metabolism. Six organelles in the cell are involved in biosynthesis: ribosomes, chloroplasts, smooth endoplasmic reticulum, rough endoplasmic reticulum, plastids, and Golgi bodies. [3] Dementia (taken from Latin, originally meaning â€Å"madness†, from de- â€Å"without† + ment, the root of mens â€Å"mind†) is a serious loss of global cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging. It may be static, the result of a unique global brain injury, or progressive, resulting in long-term decline due to damage or disease in the body. Although dementia is far more common in the geriatric population (about 5% of those over 65 are said to be involved),[1] it can occur before the age of 65, in which case it is termed â€Å"early onset dementia†.[2] Dementia is not a single disease, but a non-specific syndrome (i.e., set of signs and symptoms). Affected cognitive areas can be memory, attention, language, and problem solving. Normally, symptoms must be present for at least six months to support a diagnosis.[3] Cognitive dysfunction of shorter duration is called delirium. Dysphagia is the medical term for the symptom of difficulty in swallowing.[1][2][3] Although classified under â€Å"symptoms and signs† in ICD-10,[4] the term is sometimes used as a condition in its own right.[5][6][7] Sufferers are sometimes unaware of their dysphagia. Spasticity is a feature of altered skeletal muscle performance in muscle tone involving hypertonia; it is also referred to as an unusual â€Å"tightness†, stiffness, or â€Å"pull† of muscles. The word spasm comes from the Greek word ÏÆ'πΠ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¼ÃÅ'Ï‚ (spasmos), meaning â€Å"drawing, pulling.† Clinically spasticity is defined as velocity dependent resistance to stretch, where a lack of inhibition results in excessive contraction of the muscles, ultimately leading to hyperflexia (overly flexed joints). It mostly occurs in disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) affecting the upper motor neuron in the form of a lesion, such as spastic diplegia, but it can also present in various types of multiple sclerosis, where it occurs as a symptom of the progressively-worsening attacks on myelin sheaths and is thus unrelated to the types of spasticity present in neuromuscular cerebral palsy rooted spasticity disorders. Definition A seizure happens when there are certain types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. During a seizure, you may: *Lose consciousness * Stare into space * Have convulsions (abnormal jerking of the muscles) * Experience abnormalities of sensation or emotion