The Legalization of Marijuana Essay - 2384 Words

The Legalization of Marijuana – A Compelling Case for a Misunderstood Plant Abstract The prohibition of marijuana has sparked heated debates for years about its effects on the human body, its medicinal properties, and its effect on society; just to name a few. Although many are against the legalization of marijuana, this paper will argue that the legalization of marijuana is warranted. It will prove this by weighing marijuana’s effects on the body when smoked against the effects on the body when drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco, by presenting research facts on its medicinal qualities, and showing how the prohibition ultimately contributes to organized crime. The Legalization of Marijuana – A Compelling Case for a Misunderstood†¦show more content†¦Excessive drinking also increases chances of being injured in accidents. Alcohol plays a role in about 60% of fatal burn injuries, drownings, and homicides; 50% of severe trauma injuries and sexual assaults; and 40% of fatal motor vehicle crashes, suicides, and fatal falls (NIAAA, 2011). The NIAAA also reports that 3 out of 10 adults drink more than the low-risk limit of four drinks a day for men and three drinks a day for women. Alcohol is widely accepted as a recreational pastime yet has many negative consequences. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (2011), the adverse effects of cannabis are overall less serious than those of alcohol, in terms of neuropsychological and physical effects, accidents and violence. Long-Term Effects of Smoking Cigarettes Tobacco use is by far the leading cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2011). More deaths can be attributed to tobacco use than to alcohol, drugs, firearms, motor vehicle crashes, and HIV/AIDS combined (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). In the United States, 90% of lung cancer cases were from smoking cigarettes and 38,000 deaths per year are from secondhandShow MoreRelatedThe Legalization Of Marijuana Legalization1061 Words   |  5 PagesThe Legalization of Cannabis in Ohio Marijuana is a controversial topic all across the United States. Recently marijuana has been voted on, legalized, and denied legalization in multiple states. There are still more states trying to fight the green fight for marijuana. The fight for legalization hasn’t been an easy one for cannabis supporters; they have been fighting tooth and nail to make it happen. One of the main concerns in the marijuana debates are whether or not marijuana is a gateway drugRead MoreLegalization Of Marijuana And Marijuana1633 Words   |  7 PagesBalyuk March 8, 2016 Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana has a few different names that are commonly used in today’s society including weed and cannabis. Weed is smoked with joints, bongs, or pipes. Marijuana can also be mixed with foods usually brownies, cookies, and candy which are called edibles. The main chemical responsible for the high feeling is called THC but marijuana also contains over 500 chemicals. The chemical is found in resin produced by the leaves and buds. â€Å"Marijuana is the most commonlyRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana Legalization Essay2566 Words   |  11 Pagescurrent prohibition on marijuana reforms has put the United States in a similar situation. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, â€Å"95 million Americans age 12 and older have tried pot at least once, and three out of every four illicit-drug users reported using marijuana within the previous 30 days† (ONDCP). The decriminalization and eve ntually legalization for the recreational use of marijuana will bring forth benefitsRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana Legalization1282 Words   |  6 Pages On November 8th, 2016, the California Marijuana Legalization Initiative may be included on the ballot. The people of California will vote on whether to legalize the recreational use of cannabis for adults. The move targets at regulating the consumption of the drug and taxing it like other legalized drugs. California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996 (National Institute of Drug Abuse). The state prohibited any legal actions from being taken on patients and recognized caregiversRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana Legalization1660 Words   |  7 PagesKyler Smith 9/15 â€Å"Marijuana Legalization† The legality of cannabis varies from country to country. Possession of cannabis is illegal in most countries and has been since the beginning of widespread cannabis prohibition in the late 1930s. However, possession of the drug in small quantities had been decriminalized in many countries and sub-national entities in several parts of the world. Furthermore, possession is legal or effectively legal in the Netherlands, Uruguay, and in the US states of ColoradoRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana And Marijuana Essay1314 Words   |  6 PagesMarijuana or Cannabis is one of the bused drugs in America and the rest of the world. Interesting accumulating evidence show that the significant negative impact of this drug outweighs the positive effects. However, the medical benefits of the drug seem on the process of chemical compounds as compared to the drug itself. Medical debates show that chemical compound in marijuana are the problem as compared to the plant. The said chemical compound af fects the mental and physical health of the personsRead MoreThe Legalization Of Marijuana Legalization996 Words   |  4 Pages the monetary gain of its legalization for most has been productive to say the least. For example, Denver Colorado is on track to more than triple the marijuana tax revenue this year alone. $44 million was collected in 2014. In July 2015, 73.5 million was collected, while 19.6 million went to schools. A place such as Chicago could really use the legalization to help with the school system infrastructure issues they have. With a deficit of over 1.1 billion marijuana sales could alleviate bothRead MoreLegalization of Marijuana1550 Words   |  7 PagesLegalization of Marijuana: Benefits and Statistics The topic of legalizing marijuana has been a topic of controversy for quite some time now not only throughout our local streets, but throughout the local and into the state government. The legalization of marijuana is such a controversial topic because some are for it and some are against it. People are for the legalization because of the great uses it has towards medicine, the money that could come from the taxation of legalized marijuana, andRead MoreLegalization of Marijuana972 Words   |  4 PagesOn January 1st the states of Colorado and Washington officially began the regulation of legal marijuana sales. Thousands of people from all over the country including tourists from Wisconsin, Ohio, Chicago, and even Georgia lined up out front of dispensaries to make a purchase. Recreational marijuana is being regulated and monitored like alcohol; you must be at least 21 years old to make a purchase. The drug, which is controversial in many states’ legislations, is currently l egal for medical useRead MoreThe Legalization of Marijuana628 Words   |  2 PagesThe Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana, the plant of the cannabis, has been around since the early 1900’s. Throughout history, marijuana has been used illegally, for both recreational and medical uses. Recently, marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes, like aiding HIV/AIDs patients, healing migraines and controlling nausea caused by chemotherapy. Today, there are currently 21 American states that have legalized medicinal marijuana including two states that have legalized recreational marijuana

Pros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods Essay

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The most wonderful activity a human being can experience is new flavors and foods. For example, the first time a person tastes a delicious juicy piece of prime rib or a delightful hamburger with cheese and ham, his world is never the same. However, since the beginning of the twentieth century, the production of food has been supplemented by science. This has triggered an angry dispute between the people who support the advances of biotechnology and people who love nature. In order to understand the controversy, we have to know the meaning of genetically modified foods. With new technological advances, scientists can modify seeds from a conventional seed to a high tech seed with shorter maturation times and†¦show more content†¦The key is in the production. The growth of GM crops is faster than the conventional seeds. For that reason, farmers can produce more and more. These seeds are resistant to cold and hot weather and have more chances to resist d ryness than the others. Also, these crops are herbicide resistant; that means that farmers can spray with herbicide and defeat the weeds without altering the crop. For that reason, a lot of money is saved by the reduced use of pesticides, and the cost of production is benefited. Almost 8.25 millions farmers all over the world planted genetically modified seeds in 2004, compared to 7 million in 2003, said the international Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA)(â€Å"Biotech† 1). In addition to the strong production, as John B. Alfred, a professor in the department of food science and technology at Ohio State University, said, â€Å"These foods are as safe and nutritious as their conventional counterparts†(Alfred 1). These GM plants are modified to produce proteins that plants would not produce by natural means. They grow up with built-in Vitamin A that prevents blindness in people who have Vitamin A deficiency. Scientists have also created GM potatoes which absorb less oil when fried. That means less fat in the potato, converting popular french fries from junk food to nutritious and healthy food. Scientists have also developed an apple with a built-in vaccine which prevents childhood pneumonia (â€Å"GM Food† 1). These are onlyShow MoreRelatedPros And Cons Of Genetically Modified Food1421 Words   |  6 PagesFood, we need it to survive and thrive. Food is our source of nutrition and energy. When we consume food and water, our body breaks food down into tiny particles and sends the nutrients throughout our bodies through blood. This is called digestion. According to science, nutrients are one of the four requirements of life for all human beings. Every day, we are faced with choices about our foods. Do we eat fast food, healthy, organic or non-organic? Should we eat genetically modified foods and howRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Genetically Modified Foods1960 Words   |  8 Pages Over seventy-five percent of the foods that are buy in grocery stores contain a genetically modified ingredient. Humans have been domesticating plants ever since 11,000 BCE. Scientists have been breeding plants together with traits that are considered beneficial to humans and trying to intensify the traits that help humans survive. By altering the genetic structure directly, scientists can efficiently give it specific traits in a more controlled environment and avoid the hit or miss aspect of naturallyRead MoreGenetically Modified Food - Pros Cons2979 Words   |  12 PagesApril 2012 Genetically Modified Food: World Wide Panacea or â€Å"Frankenfood† to Fear? Never before in history has mankind so masterfully commanded its food chain. Thousands of years ago, much of our species made the leap from a hunter-gatherer level of subsistence to an agricultural society. With agriculture, slowly but surely many modifications were made to plants and animals used and domesticated by us for the purpose of feeding ourselves. New specialized varieties with specific desirable traitsRead MorePros and Cons of Genetically Modified Food Essays589 Words   |  3 PagesPros and Cons of genetically modified food, or GMOs Genetically modified foods are a types of foods that have been genetically changed, to add or get rid of an unwanted trait in a food. For example, seedless oranges. This is a type of orange that is genetically modified (had tits genes changed) specifically so it would grow without seeds. Many foods are genetically modified today. Oranges, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, and many others have had their genes changed. In fact, the average personRead MorePros And Cons Of Genetically Modified Foods2687 Words   |  11 PagesGenetically modified organisms, GMOs for short, are becoming more popular in food around the world. Scientists take genes from some different organisms to add different qualities to specific crops, like corn. With that, however, comes many unfaced challenges like the cross fertilization of natural and modified organisms, resistence to pesticides, and health complications, to name a few. As GMOs are becoming more widespread, it is also becoming more evident that thei r presence is hazardous and theyRead MorePros and Cons of Genetically Modified Foods2267 Words   |  10 Pagesdomesticated animals later and then selectively bred both plants and animals to meet various requirements for human food. Humans discovered natural biological processes such as fermentation of fruits and grains to make wine and beer, and yeast for baking bread. Manipulation of foods is not a new story, therefore. The latest agricultural discovery uses genetic engineering technology to modify foods. Farmers and plant breeders have been changing crop plants to improve characteristics such as size, resistanceRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Genetically Modified Foods1809 Words   |  8 PagesAs the spread of commercialized genetically modified foods (GMF) products rise, the number of people exposed to genetically modified foods incline globally. The term genetically modified foods can be used interchangeably with transgenic foods, genetically engineered crops (GE) and Recombinant DNA technology and therefore defined as the enhancement of foods in which a gene of interest from one organism is extracted and inserted into the target organisms. (1) The genes of interest may be cells fromRead MoreEssay on Pros And Cons of Genetically Modified Foods3322 Words   |  14 Pagespossible benefits, from helping farmers, to improving foods, to helping the environment, to helping sick people. Genetic engineering may even one day be used to help solve world hunger. However, it also has its dang ers and risks, which need to be considered along with its benefits. The fact that not everything is known about genetic engineering, and that large corporations use it to make a profit, is scary to many people. The recent technology of genetically engineering crops, plants, and animals, whichRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of The Labeling Of Genetically Modified Foods918 Words   |  4 Pagesthan 70% of packaged foods contain GMO in the US market, there are no regulations to mandate the labeling of GM foods by the US government. Currently, the US federal government does not require any mandatory labeling of GM foods, unless the nutrition of GM foods has been changed or some toxins and allergens have been added to the GM foods (McLure). According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (â€Å"FDA†), there are also no mandatory programs to regulate foods from genetically engineered (â€Å"GE†) plantsRead MoreGenetically Modified Foods, Pros and Cons persuasive essay.1883 Wo rds   |  8 Pagesoverpowers the bad. Many experts argue that Genetically Modified foods are actually beneficial to, not only people, but animals, plants, and the world overall. Some experts even state that, not only are they beneficial, but that they also protect the environment and aid food productivity. Most farmers actually recommend GMO’s because they are easier to grow, maintain, and tend to be more profitable; however, countless other experts have come to realize that GMO foods are untested, unsafe, and unhealthy.

Gun Control Legislation Essay Example For Students

Gun Control Legislation Essay The Politics of Gun Control LegislationThe recent violent phenomenon of tragic shootings such as the incident at Columbine high school in which 13 students and one teacher were killed and 23 other people were wounded has captured the attention of both the public and politicians alike and has stirred a need to take action. With shootings in Littleton, Colorado followed by Conyers, Georgia and yet another in Gibson, Oklahoma, gun control has become a pressing issue in congress. However while politicians use these incidents to maneuver their anti-gun legislation, public opinion and partisan support remains highly polarized. In addition, the fierce debate over gun restrictions are confronted with nearly 8o million gun owners in America and a federal guarantee by the Constitution to bear arms. Gun Control as a partisan issue is complex. While anti-gunners typically are liberal and democratic, Democrats in Congress do not always support new gun legislation and instead vote against it quietly. It is also a notable fact that Congressmens opinions on gun control vary according to their electorate. For example, Jolene Unsoeled, a liberal Democrat from Olympia narrowly won her district by championing the NRA. Aside from the contributions the NRA provided to her election, she was able to entice enough swing voters away from her highly conservative challenger. Due to the recent school shooting a new group of swing voters who may change the prospective support for pro-gunners has emerged and they are the soccer moms, professional middle class women who have also significantly influenced the gender gap. Senator Charles Chumar (D-New York), considered to be one of the Senates leading gun control advocates, states that Democrats are secretly as eager as the other side to delay action on gun control legislation . . . (Birnbuam, 7). It is also the case that the Republican Congress successfully stalls much of the gun control legislation with the help of a suppressing number of Democratic gun control opponents. Currently, three quarters of the House Republicans vote the NRA way and another 50 or so Democratic NRA loyalists have the ability to kill a gun control bill. Democrats like Bart Stupak (D-MI) believe in the American tradition of owning guns. Similarly, constituencies to the south and mid-west seem to be more supportive of gun ownership and sportsmanship, regardless of their opinions on other issues. Representative David Obey from Wisconsins dear country demonstrates this contradiction in beliefs by being both a card holding NRA member and a Democrat. Many democrats acknowledge that they may very well lose their seat entirely if they were to support gun control but vote right down the democratic line on everything else. There are also many interest groups lob bying Congress on the issue of gun control. Hand Gun Control Inc. has nearly 430,000 members nationwide and is the largest gun control group lobbying Congress.Led by Sarah Brady, wife of Jim Brady, Handgun Control has recruited trial lawyers to sue gun manufacturers as they make little progress in Congress. They are also continually trying to raise more money for their anemic PAC (Richie, p.2) which barely raises 2 million dollars per election cycle. The American Bar Association also supports certain gun control regulation especially the enactment of measures to prevent easy access to firearms via unregulated sales. Other Senate provisions backed by the ABA would prohibit minors possession of military assault weapons, ban imports of high capacity ammunition clips, and child safety locks.However neither of these groups are as influential or as well financed as the NRA. The NRA is perhaps the prevailing force in the gun control debate. The NRA has over three million dedicated members and an annual budget of $137 million. These statistics make the NRA one of the nations largest and wealthiest cause-oriented groups (Birnbaum, 212). The NRA is able to rally support when the right to bear arms is under attack. In 1999, perhaps the worst year in memory for mass shootings, the NRA tied for number 2 in FORTUNES Power 25 survey of clout in the capital, its highest rank ever (Birnbaum, 212). The NRA also has a well-earned reputation of being able to make the difference between victory and defeat in marginal districts throughout U.S. And despite the spree of killings that has occurred, has not lost its influence or support. Although some lawmakers are compelled by events to create gun-control legislation, the incessant lobbying of the NRA often keeps away the necessary support. Because so few citizens vote the NRA is considered very powerful by being able to attract a couple thousand voters for a candidate in an election. In 1998, the NRA spent $150,000 for pro-gun Senator Jim Bunning (R-Kentucky) and mobilized support for him which enabled him to win by just 6,766 votes.President Clinton even went so far as to proclaim the NRA is the reason the Republicans control the House (Birnbaum, 214). Personal Success, Seizures, Depression and Suicide EssayA good example of how pervasive the gun control issue can be is the election of Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) who took a dramatic stand on gun control. She is considered to be a single-issue candidate. In 1993, McCarthys husband was gunned down and her son paralyzed by the Long Island Rail Road gunman Collin Ferguson. Enraged by this tragedy and Representative Dan Frisas () vote to repeal the assault weapons ban, she was able to raise over $600,000 for her campaign and defeat her opponent. Formerly, McCarthy had no political experience aside from the PTA and was a republican. Amazingly though, this one issue carried enough weight to win her the election. McCarthy received national attention for criticizing corporations for being the secret beneficiaries of gun violence in America and strongly attacks the NRA on such premises. Lastly there is a question as to whether or not all these recent tragedies have even effected public opinion at all giving impetus to the politicians actions. A Gallup Poll in 1999 found that 66 percent of people wanted to see stricter gun control and 25 percent saying no change is needed. In a 1991 Gallup Poll it was 68 percent to 25 percent, which is hardly different at all. It would appear that these recent issues are so important that our representatives are making up their own minds to pursue gun control issues and acting as trustees on the citizens behalf. As McMillion states politicians are clearly voting based on values and motivations other than simple poll results (106). However, it also seems apparent that when confronted with the possibility of losing financial backing or votes, gun control advocates quickly slow their momentum. In conclusion, the process of creating new gun control legislation is a slow moving and complicated process with which Congressmen must take many things into consideration. It is a contradictory issue comprised of people with very different motivations. People long for solutions that would prevent such tragedies as the Columbine and Oklahoma shootings, but at the same time gun control proponents exploit these shootings to gain support for their issues. It is the opinion of LaPierre that these kinds of circumstances cant actually be addressed by legislation and that vigorous prosecution of criminals is what is needed (Birnbuam, 216). On the other hand, it is also a well-founded argument that stricter regulation of handguns may actually result in lower frequencies of guns ending up in criminal hands. However, it is also apparent that the politics involved in gun control are not as clear cut as simply wanting to stop crime, ban all handguns, or the right to own a gun. Gun legislation is about conflicts in peoples culture and way of life. The dilemma is indicative of the vast variety of opinions that our legislators represent. Bibliography:Works CitedBirnbuam, Jefferey. Under the Gun. Fortune 6 DEC. 1999: 211. Kopel, David B. What if We Had Taken Columbine Seriously? The Weekly Standard 1 MAY 2000: 20. Landau, Elaine. Armed America: The Status of Gun Control. NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. McMillion, Rhonda. Targeting Gun Control Again. ABA Journal 1 MAR. 2000: 104. Richie, Rob and Steven Hill. Guns, Voters, and Money. Tribune News Service 28 MAY 1999: pk7552. Shapiro, Bruce. Running Against the Gun. The Nation 11 NOV 1996: 15. OMeara, Kelly Patricia. Is Gun Control Just About Guns. Insight on the News 3 JAN 2000: 22. VandeHei, Jim. On the Hill: Guns n Poses. The New Rebublic 28 JUNE 1999: 15. Witt, G. Evans. Guns and Politicians. American Demographics 1 JULY 1999www.nra.orgwww.tbhonline.com

Tutankhamuns Tomb, Egypt free essay sample

Previous excavations in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt by Theodore Davis had found and cleared the tombs of Tutankhamun’s family and their possessions. By 1913, Davis had not yet found an intact royal tomb and became disillusioned, finally declaring the area exhausted of By 1920, the tomb of nearly every New Kingdom king from between 1550 and 1070 BCE had been found in the Valley of the Kings, but Tutankhamun’s remained missing. Lord Carnarvon, an English aristocrat who was enthusiastic about Egyptology, applied for and purchased the license Davis gave up and chose Howard Carter, a British Egyptologist, to continue the search. Minor finds by Davis bearing Tutankhamun’s name led Carter to believe the king was still somewhere in the valley and felt the finds justified a further exploration. Between 1917 and 1921 the two worked in the eastern valley without success. Carter convinced Carnarvon to persist for another season, determined to find Tutankhamun. We will write a custom essay sample on Tutankhamuns Tomb, Egypt or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Carter’s team cleared bedrock using the grid system of archaeological excavation. This technique was developed in WWI for the purpose of maintaining a system that ensured stratigraphic control of excavations in trench digging and artillery barrages. Using these methods, on November 1st 1922 a staircase was uncovered in the limestone cliffs of the Valley of the Kings. The entrance door, which had a dry limestone blocking plastered with gypsum, was later uncovered to reveal Tutankhamun’s name. The entrance they excavated then led to an eight-metre-long corridor that revealed evidence of past robberies. Four small rooms flowed from the entrance and corridor, including an Antechamber, Annexe, Burial Chamber and Treasury. On November 6, Lord Carnarvon was summoned by telegraph and arrived with his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, to watch the excavation process unfold. Compared to tombs of other pharaohs of the time, Tutankhamun’s tomb was small and lacked some of the more elaborate features – for example, tomb paintings and decoration were only found in the Burial Chamber room rather than all rooms. Due to Tutankhamun’s early death, a lack of time was left to prepare his tomb. One of the most remarkable divisions of Tutankhamun’s tomb was that he was the only pharaoh to have been discovered intact in his tomb with the complete burial furniture and possessions surrounding. These objects included gilded statues of Tutankhamun, gods, and family members,. Objects from the king’s daily life were also present such as clothes, furniture and sceptres. Funerary goods such as canopic jars containing the king’s entrails and hundreds of shabtis (which were small statues of people, intended to serve as slaves in the afterlife) were found, along with more personal items. Two miniature coffins containing mummies of stillborn babies were placed beside Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus. These were likely to have been his children by his half-sister and wife, Ankhsenamun, whom he married around the age of ten. It took Carter the most part of ten years to empty all the chambers. This was due to difficulties from a sudden change in protocol and access privileges from both British and Egyptian governments, affecting the excavation on the site and delaying the whole process. It was also due to the meticulous process Carter took in his excavation – each object was recorded, catalogued, described, and photographed in situ, before being preserved and conserved, then finally packed and transported to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The main archaeological find of the tomb however, was King Tutankhamun himself. Inside the burial chamber were four gilded shrines, one inside the other. The innermost shrine held a quartzite sarcophagus which in turn held three coffins. The innermost coffin made of solid gold contained the mummy of Tutankhamun, wrapped in linen and wearing his famous gold plated mask, inlaid with blue glaze and inscribed with religious spells. Although the body was found to be poorly preserved, Tutankhamun was notable for being the only Egyptian pharaoh found in situ, intact and unsealed since ancient times in his tomb. In 1925 the body was removed from the coffins with difficulty, due to the abundance of resin that had been poured over the mummy at the funeral. Carter and his team were forced to cut the body in order to remove it from the coffin. Four sessions of scientific analysis were conducted on Tutankhamun’s body over the years. These proved to ablaze many controversial issues and interpretations over Tutankhamun’s cause of death. The first inquiry was an autopsy which began after Carter’s excavation in 1925, carried out by Douglas E. Derry, a Professor of Anatomy at the Egyptian University in Cairo. Derry found Tutankhamun to have a fracture in his lower left thighbone, a large, ragged embalming wound, and estimated his age of death to be between 18 and 22 years. He also reconfirmed the body’s poor preservation, noting that the inner layers of linen were reduced to the ‘consistency of soot’, that an overload of resin destroyed the corpse, and that the nose was heavily flattened by the bandages. The second scientific analysis of the body was conducted by R. G. Harrison in 1968. With an x-ray the team concluded that two bone fragments in the skull and haemorrhaging may have been caused by a blow to the head, and that the body was missing a sternum and some frontal rib bones. This caused speculations about Tutankhamun’s death, some suggesting murder and others suggesting a fatal chariot accident. Examiners also noted that the spine showed signs of scoliosis. A further x-ray and blood analysis in 1978 was led by James E. Harris. It wrongly concluded that the king was perhaps 23 to 27 years old at death. A blood analysis supported the idea that Tutankhamun was related to the body of Akhenaten found in another tomb in the Valley of the Kings – suggesting it was Tutankhamun’s father. A final CT scan in 2005 was conducted to test the conclusions of previous inquiries and to look for additional details still undiscovered. Led by Dr Zahi Hawass, the scan confirmed the previous findings of the king’s height, health, general features and age of death at around 18-19 years. It also disproved the theory of scoliosis, relating the curvature of his spine instead the way his body was arranged by the embalmers. 8MINSThe theory of murder by head trauma and death relating to the missing ribs was also ruled out and blamed on embalmers and/or Carter’s team, The leg trauma found in Tutankhamun’s lower left femur may have introduced infection which may have been fatal. This theory however remains unproven. Facial reconstruction of King Tutankhamun was also commenced using the new CT scan data in 2005. A forensic anthropologist calculated sizes of tissue on his face. A cast was then made of the skull from this data which was used to build a latex model. When the CT scan data and skull cast was given to another forensic team for checking, the skin colour proved to be somewhat controversial in interpretation. Controversies occurred as it is impossible to determine skin colour accurately. This is because there is a large variation on skin tones in the area, and not enough accurate information available as Ancient Egyptian art depicted bodies in unrealistic colours. Thus, no consensus on the King’s skin tone was reached, however the overall results between the different reconstructions was similar. At the time of discovery, very little was known about this ancient pharaoh. Thanks to the efforts put into many investigations over the years and, in particular, the 1923 ‘Curse of King Tut’ phenomena that was spread through media following the untimely death of Lord Carnarvon, knowledge and interest of Tutankhamun has skyrocketed. Tutankhamun’s legacy remains to this day and he continues to stand across the globe as one of the most well-known Egyptian pharaohs in history. [ 1 ]. Carter, H. , Mace, A. C. , The Tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amen: Discovered by the Late Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter, Volume 1 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1923), 94. [ 2 ]. N. Reeves, The Complete Tutankhamun, Thames Hudson, 1990, pp. 116-17

Free Essays on Americans

From 1763, Americans had only to be convinced that an arbitrary ruler-whether Parliament or King-was violating their inherent rights, to feel that rebellion was justified. This conviction was bred in them by the series of events that occurred between 1763 and 1776. The language used to protest the British Acts was legal, and political. But the primary cause of the Revolution is economics. In theory the colonists accepted the principle that natural laws rather than royal decrees should govern the economy. In practice only the southern colonies were bound to England by the tobacco trade. The New England and Middle Colonies, unable to find markets in Britain, found prosperity by trading outside the empire. Any attempt to stop this trade would lead to rebellion and consequentially ensued. The idea of mercantilism where the channelizing of all trade through England, was a restriction upon economic prosperity of the New England colony. The major cause for revolution within the economic theory is of economic subordination of colonies to England. The Grenville Ministry passed a number of acts, but the main act of provocation to the colonists was the stamp act. The stamp act was protested upon the principle of "no taxation without representation". The stamp act was affecting virtually all the colonists, and restricted economic prosperity, thus it was protested by colonists. The Townshend acts were also a factor in the economic theory, Sam Adams had said "The parliament was taxing illegally!", most colonists agreed, and a boycott of British goods resulted. When the British passed the Currency act, this left the paper money worthless, and the colonists had to rely (economically) on England for Hard Currency. The main reason for revolution was economics. The colonies were economically subordinate to England by the tea and coercive acts. The tea act was an act where the colonist middlemen merchants were being bypassed, and the trading wa... Free Essays on Americans Free Essays on Americans From 1763, Americans had only to be convinced that an arbitrary ruler-whether Parliament or King-was violating their inherent rights, to feel that rebellion was justified. This conviction was bred in them by the series of events that occurred between 1763 and 1776. The language used to protest the British Acts was legal, and political. But the primary cause of the Revolution is economics. In theory the colonists accepted the principle that natural laws rather than royal decrees should govern the economy. In practice only the southern colonies were bound to England by the tobacco trade. The New England and Middle Colonies, unable to find markets in Britain, found prosperity by trading outside the empire. Any attempt to stop this trade would lead to rebellion and consequentially ensued. The idea of mercantilism where the channelizing of all trade through England, was a restriction upon economic prosperity of the New England colony. The major cause for revolution within the economic theory is of economic subordination of colonies to England. The Grenville Ministry passed a number of acts, but the main act of provocation to the colonists was the stamp act. The stamp act was protested upon the principle of "no taxation without representation". The stamp act was affecting virtually all the colonists, and restricted economic prosperity, thus it was protested by colonists. The Townshend acts were also a factor in the economic theory, Sam Adams had said "The parliament was taxing illegally!", most colonists agreed, and a boycott of British goods resulted. When the British passed the Currency act, this left the paper money worthless, and the colonists had to rely (economically) on England for Hard Currency. The main reason for revolution was economics. The colonies were economically subordinate to England by the tea and coercive acts. The tea act was an act where the colonist middlemen merchants were being bypassed, and the trading wa...

Mesozoic Era - the Geologic Time Scale

Mesozoic Era - the Geologic Time Scale Following both the Precambrian Time and the Paleozoic Era on the Geologic Time Scale came the Mesozoic Era. The Mesozoic Era is sometimes called the age of the dinosaurs because dinosaurs were the dominant animals for much of the era. The Permian Extinction After the Permian Extinction wiped out over 95% of ocean-dwelling species and 70% of land species, the new Mesozoic Era began about 250 million years ago. The first period of the era was called the Triassic Period. The first big change was seen in the types of plants that dominated the land. Most of the species of plants that survived the Permian Extinction were plants that had enclosed seeds, like gymnosperms. The Paleozoic Era Since most of the life in the oceans became extinct at the end of the Paleozoic Era, many new species emerged as dominant. New types of corals appeared, along with water-dwelling reptiles. Very few types of fish remained after the mass extinction, but those that did survive flourished. On land, the amphibians and small reptiles like turtles were dominant during the early Triassic Period. By the end of the period, small dinosaurs began to emerge. The Jurassic Period After the end of the Triassic Period, the Jurassic Period began. Most of the marine life in the Jurassic Period stayed the same as it was in the Triassic Period. There were a few more species of fish that appeared, and toward the end of the period, crocodiles came into being. The most diversity occurred in plankton species. Land Animals Land animals during the Jurassic Period had more diversity. Dinosaurs got much bigger and the herbivorous dinosaurs ruled the Earth. At the end of the Jurassic Period, birds evolved from dinosaurs. The climate changed to more tropical weather with a lot of rain and humidity during the Jurassic Period. This allowed land plants to undergo a large evolution. In fact, jungles covered much of the land with many conifers in higher elevations. The Mesozoic Era The last of the periods within the Mesozoic Era was called the Cretaceous Period. The Cretaceous Period saw the rise of flowering plants on land. They were helped along by the newly formed bee species and the warm and tropical climate. Conifers were still really abundant throughout the Cretaceous Period as well. The Cretaceous Period   As for marine animals during the Cretaceous Period, sharks and rays became commonplace. The echinoderms that survived the Permian Extinction, like starfish, also became abundant during the Cretaceous Period. On land, the first small mammals started to appear during the Cretaceous Period. Marsupials evolved first, and then other mammals. More birds evolved, and reptiles got bigger. Dinosaurs were still dominant, and carnivorous dinosaurs were more prevalent. Another Mass Extinction At the end of the Cretaceous Period, and the end of the Mesozoic Era came another mass extinction. This extinction is generally called the K-T Extinction. The K comes from the German abbreviation for Cretaceous, and the T is from the next period on the Geologic Time Scale - the Tertiary Period of the Cenozoic Era. This extinction took out all dinosaurs, except birds, and many other forms of life on Earth. There are different ideas as to why this mass extinction occurred. Most scientists agree it was some sort of catastrophic event that caused this extinction. Various hypotheses include massive volcanic eruptions that shot dust into the air and caused less sunlight to reach the surface of the Earth causing photosynthetic organisms like plants and those who depended on them, to die off slowly. Some others believe a meteor hit causing the dust to block the sunlight. Since plants and animals that ate plants died off, this caused top predators like carnivorous dinosaurs to also perish.

Critical Analysis of Teaching Skills in Practice Essay

Critical Analysis of Teaching Skills in Practice - Essay Example In line with this, this paper will seek to discuss the factors that promote the development of a high-quality learning environment in the clinical setting, analyze my thoughts and feelings related to this teaching session, evaluate own skills in facilitating others to learn, and incorporate theoretical and empirical literatures in my teaching. Factors Promoting High-Quality Learning Environment The clinical setting is the most important learning environment for undergraduate nursing students and as a clinical teacher, it is important to identify the different factors that promote a high quality learning environment and the different strategies towards effective teaching. Elliott (2002, p. 34) identified time spent in the clinical area, stress, quality of experience, guidance, environmental norms, and institutional support as the factors that may promote or impede the development of a high-quality learning. The quantity of time spent in the clinical setting is an important indicator o f learning direction (Elliott 2002, p. 34). The more time a student spent in the clinical setting, the greater is the amount and quality of learning a student could gain. For instance, I have taught two groups of nursing students in the clinical setting on two different shifts – one group is in 4-hour shift and the other group received 8 hours of clinical training. With these two groups, I have noticed a great improvement in clinical performance among groups who fall under the 8-hour shift. In addition, the time spent in the clinical setting also affects the quality of experience received in the clinical area such as what was observed on the 8-hour shift group. Stress in the environment is another factor that may enhance or impede the quality of learning due to presence of pervading anxiety, feelings of abandonment, incompetent perception of self, encountering reality shock, doubting nursing as a choice of career, and uplifting consequences (Elliott 2002, p. 35). One of my nu rsing students verbalized that aside from reality-shock, they also felt stress towards inability to verbalize their feelings, multi-tasking of psychomotor, affective, and cognitive skills to respond to individual needs, fear of committing errors and pressure on achieving perfect behavior in the clinical setting, and criticisms from other staff members. It is indeed that stress may promote or stimulate learning but it should be in moderate degree; stress beyond this point may impede the quality of learning (Elliot 2002, p. 35). Another factor that may promote high-quality learning environment is the amount of preceptorship or guidance received from clinical teachers or superiors. Preceptorship fosters development of nursing and facilitates effective learning by working on androgogical premise of one-to-one relationship (Elliott 2002, p. 36). Most of my students stated that they feel confident doing nursing care because of one-to-one interaction or teaching that I spent on them. Envir onmental norms are also factors that may promote or impede achievement of high-quality learning. This is because the clinical setting pressured every nursing student to achieve perfection. There is no room for errors as this may affect not only the students but the clinical teacher, hospital staff, and the institution as well. As a result, students may feel incompetent and unconfident. To promote high-qual

B2C (Business to Consumer) case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

B2C (Business to Consumer) case study - Essay Example E-commerce is the doing business on the Internet, not only purchasing and selling, but providing services to customers and collaborating with trade partners. Organizations recognize that putting up easy online sites for employees, customers, and associates does not generate an e-business (Voges and Pope 2006). E-business online sites must generate a buzz, as Amazon has made in the bookselling business. E-business online sites must be inventive, add value, and supply constructive information. In brief, the site has to build a sense of collaboration and community, ultimately transforming the port of entry for commerce. Comprehending e-business starts with understanding the disruptive technology, accessing internet information, evolution of the internet, and providing internet information In the 90s, dotcoms such as Amazon.com and eBay which were rapidly attainment in dimension and market capitalization created a threat to conventional brick and mortar commerce (Mortensen 2007). In numerous ways, these dotcoms appeared to be redrafting the regulations of business; they had the consumers with no the expenses of sustaining physical stores, minimal inventory, unrestricted access to resources and little concern regarding actual earnings. The concept was to obtain big fast and be concerned about profits afterwards (Grefen 2010). By late 1999, Amazon.com had a market share of approximately $25 billion, obscuring some of the biggest and most developed corporations in America. Since that time, retail giants like Wal-mart and Kmart were anticipating cashing in on the dotcom challenges, also other small businesses that were in the market opposing the retail giants, but were not in a stable position (Schepp and Schepp 2009).   Many never survived it to the first public initia l offer after the Nasdaq commenced to drop in mid 2000. Almost as fast as the dotcom

Apple Price Cut Essay Example for Free

Apple Price Cut Essay To what extent the iPhone pricing strategy is similar to the iPod pricing strategy? How do you explain that the iPod price cut did not lead to such a level of customers’ protest? Answer: Both iPhone and iPod have experienced a large amount of price cut in their product lifecycle. In this document, we can find that iPod was launched in October 2001. Tough relatively high priced for an MP3 player, it was hugely demanded and remains popular till date though there was a price slash in 2005. Similar to the price cut of the iPod, two months after the launch of the iPhone, Apple lowered the price by 200 USD. However, regarding the price strategy, a big difference between two products is the timing of price cut. iPod adjusted its price after experiencing a 4-year success from its launch in 2001, whereas iPhone drop in price in only 2 month, which is the main explanation of why the iPod price cut did not lead to such a serious level of customers’ protest. Although both price adjustments were designed for the aim to further expand in the mass market and improve the sales, we can find that the main reason for price cut of iPod is to sell more products in its declining period of product lifecycle. By contrast, the objective of price cut of iPhone is to rapidly monopoly the smart phone market in its growing period of product lifecycle, which resulted a part of Apple fans’ profits since they bought the product in a high price. 2. â€Å"Market analysts pointed out that Apple had created a strong brand and customer loyalty which it capitalized on by adopting a skimming strategy in pricing. They also felt that customers accept its highly priced products with equanimity. To go a step further, they consciously expect it to be so. What does this tell you about the value of iPhone own-price elasticity, cross-price elasticity and income elasticity? Answer: The practice of ‘price skimming’ involves charging a relatively high price for a short time where a new, innovative, or much-improved product is launched onto a market. Obviously, due to the reason that Apple had created a strong brand image by its innovation of technology and creativity of design, and loyalty of customers, particularly those Apple crazy fans, the price skimming strategy was able to work extremely well when iPhone was launched onto the market. Meanwhile, Apple’s iPhone entered the highly volatile cell phone market combining telephony, MP3, Web surfing and video watching, which completely revolutionized the tech-savvy market and was most awaited by both the technology enthusiasts and mainstream media. Therefore, the success of this strategy was largely dependent on those first adopters’ inelasticity of demand for the product either by the market as a whole. However, in the cell phone industry, where the product lifecycle is relatively short and the market is highly competitive. Before some other competing products or substitutes emerging on the market, iPhone could enjoy its high price and benefit from its â€Å"monopoly profits† in a short term where demand is relatively inelastic. Whereas in the cell phone industry, the demand from mass market is price elastic, which is the main reason that Apple needs to drop its price to increase its sales according to its mass-market strategy. In terms of cross-price elasticity, we can think about this question from two aspects: complements and substitutes. Firstly, due the reason that the demand of iPhone is price elastic in mass market, price of iPhone decrease, quantity demanded of components increases, which leads Apple to get a lower price of components from its supplier and further guarantee its gross margin of iPhone. In addition, the increase of sales also means the increase number of customer buying and renting apps from Apple’s online store. Secondly, considering substitutes, price of iPhone decrease, and quantity of competing products demanded decrease. Since the demand is price elastic, the lower production cost and increase revenue from Apple softer ware are able to recuperate the loss from cost cut. We can make the conclusion that regarding to the income elasticity, a decrease of price of iPhone has a positive impact on its total revenue. 3. Based on the information provided in the case would you say that the market for smartphone is closer to monopoly or to monopolistic competition? Justify. Answer: Yes, base on the information provided in the case, I regard the smartphone industry as a monopolistic competition. Monopolistic competition  is a form of imperfect competition  where many competing producers sell products that are  differentiated  from one another. Smartphone industry has following characteristics: * There are several producers like Apple, Blackberry, Nokia, Motorola etc. , and many consumers in the market, but no company can total control over the market price. * Consumers perceive that there are non-price differences among the competitors products. * There are few barriers to entry and exit. Producers have a degree of control over price. 4. Is the price cut decided by Apple two months after iPhone initial launch consistent with the smartphone market structure described above? Answer: Yes, the performance of iPhone is consistent with the smartphone market structure. Firstly, the MC firms sell products that have real or perceived non-price differences. However, the differences are not so great as to eliminate other goods as substitutes. Technically, the cross price el asticity of demand between goods in such a market is positive. In this case, iPhone perform the same basic functions but have differences in qualities such as design, style, reputation and appearance. Secondly, independent decision-making is another characteristic of monopolistic competition. The firm gives no consideration to what effect its decision may have on competitors. In other words each firm feels free to set prices as if it were a monopoly. Lastly, Apple has some degree of market power. Market power means that the firm has control over the terms and conditions of exchange. An MC firm can raise it prices without losing all its customers. The firm can also lower prices without triggering a potentially ruinous price war with competitors, which is the reason why iPhone was able to largely cut its price in two months. 5. Knowing the price cut affected negatively Apple reputation, do you believe Apple adopted an opportunistic pricing strategy initially selling the iPhone at a high price to take advantage of holiday season high spending habits and then dropping the price to stimulate market growth? Is this consistent with Apple pricing strategy in its other product lines like computers and iPod? Answer: I don’t entirely believe that iPhone lunched at a high price was due to it attempted to take the advantage of â€Å"holiday season high spending habits†. From my point of view, there are two main reasons why iPhone priced high at the beginning: Firstly, the core consumer groups of iPhone are enthusiastic fans of high-tech gadgets; and some of them are loyalty customers of Apple. These parts of people are not sensitive for iPhone’s price. What attract them are its quality, design and innovation. The first adopters’ inelasticity of demand is a good opportunity for using the price skimming strategy. Secondly, high price strategy is an effective method to build a high-end brand image. It’s much easier that a high brand image product cuts its price for promotion than a low brand image one raises it. For the tech-savvy market, the product lifecycle is short. We can often find on the market that a product of Apple or other brands cuts its price when it has been launched for a period of time. But iPhone dropped its price only 2 months after it had been introduced onto the market. This strategy is quite different from other products of Apple. For instance, iPod depreciated 2 years after it came into the market. Seeing the price of iPhone must be in line with iPod Touch, this strategy is â€Å"special† for Apple, comparing with other products. 6. â€Å"According to Apple executives the move had been planned long ago and felt that the pricing strategy was conceived in part to keep the iPhone’s pricing in line with its new iPod touch. † Explain to what extent a high-priced iPhone could be an obstacle to the success of the new iPod Touch. Based on what you know about Apple late development do you find that explanation convincing? Answer: In terms of the features of these two types of products, iPod Touch is like a simplified version of iPhone, without the function of a â€Å"phone†. This determines that the prices of these two types of products must be â€Å"in a line†, which means, for a reasonable consideration, the price of iPod Touch must be lower than iPhone but not too far away. If iPhone had not cut its price, iPod Touch must have had been priced at a higher level than the realistic one. We assume that, if iPhone 4 GB continued being sold at 499USD, iPod Touch may be sold at 400 or 450USD. As an mp3 player, it would be much more expensive than its competing brands. On the contrary, if iPhone had kept a high price level but iPod Touch had been set at a low one, the customers would have had been confused for â€Å"why a simplified version of iPhone is so much ‘cheaper’ than iPhone? † That would have had a negative impacts on the sales of both iPhone and iPod Touch, even would have had impaired Apple’s brand image. Combining with what I know about the late development of these two types of products, I found although the price cutting had a temporary harm on customer’s trust, iPhone and iPod Touch both performed well on the market. It proved the importance of keeping the price of iPhone and iPod Touch in a line. 7. â€Å"But the sharp price cut suggested that even Apple, which has long lived in a pricing bubble insulated from other personal computer makers, is not immune from the brutal pressures of the cellular phone business. † Does this statement mean that the personal computers market is different from the cellular phone business in other words, the cellular phone market is more competitive than the personal computer market? Why? Do you share this view? Justify. Answer: From this statement, I can’t make the conclusion that the cell phone market is more competitive than the personal computer market. Apple is one of the earliest personal computer manufacturers in the world. Its personal computer products are behalf of the most advanced PC technology of the world. Especially its graphics processing technology and operating system have high reputation. Thus, Apple’s PC products long lived in a pricing bubble insulated from other personal computer makers. That means Apple has definitely strong market power on PC market. Its high price doesn’t mean there is less competition. Furthermore, the technical innovation, appearance design, and function combination of cell phone products are updating so fast. So the lifecycle of a handset product is shorter than a computer. The price cutting often occurs when a mobile phone has come onto market for a period of time. The objective usually is for making price room for a new generation of product, which isn’t caused by competing activities. In conclusion, I don’t share this view. 8. â€Å"Keeping in mind Apple’s range of high priced products which gives it an â€Å"aura† of exclusivity, was Jobs decision to reduce the price a right one? With a 50% gross margin, Apple is setting itself up for aggressive price declines going forward†. Do you believe that Apple move is a sign that it is ready to enter a price war? Would this mean that Apple is leaving the niche market position it held for decades to go after mass market? What would be the pros and cons of that strategy? Do you believe it? Answer: The characteristics of Apple’s products are novel design, fashionable appearance and the combination of music, game, music, web surfing and other functions. It determines the positioning of iPhone must be high, and the main target consumer group is high income, music ; digital amateurs. This segment of consumer has low sensitive for price. Pure price war will not yield more market shares for iPhone. So, the price cutting strategy doesn’t mean Apple is ready for the price war. The product’s features determine Apple’s niche market strategy. But a cell phone product innovates relatively faster than other cargos. When a product successfully attracted some first adopters, how to sell them to more followers should be the core problem. Cutting the price and going in to the mass market is a universal method. Apple also adopted this strategy on iPhone. Pros of going to mass market: * iPhone can attract more followers. Some of them are sensitive to the price, their demands are elastic. Before the price cutting and entry of the mass market, some of the non-owners didn’t buy it just because of the high price. * iPhone can expand its market share quicker, and establish the competitive barriers. Its market power will be stronger. * The expanded customers would have had bought more online products, which would have had a big growth of income. By this strategy, iPhone can consolidate their customer-friendly brand image, and increase the loyalty of the customers. * The cooperation with AT;T can get a synergy between these two brands, and can receive a sum of bonus revenue from the carrier. Cons of going to mass market: * It made the brand image be lower than before. * Decreased the gross margin of iPhone. * Hurt some die-hards’ loyalty. * Increased the degree of monopoly, made the competition imperfect, and harmed the balance of the benign competition with its rivals. But a cellular phone product such as iPhone goes into the mass market is usually a temporary strategy when the product comes into the mature or declining period in its lifecycle, or when the company wants to make some price room for a new product. Apple cut iPhone’s price was just for keeping the iPhone’s price being in a line with iPod Touch’s. It didn’t mean Apple changed its main branding strategy to go into the mass market. For that time, I assume that it was a reasonable strategy for Apple to cut iPhone’s price.

Managing Workforce Diversity Essay example -- Workplace Diversity

Introduction Without a doubt, the greatest asset an organization can have is its human resource. Therefore, issues affecting the staff have increasingly become popular among business managers, scholars, policy makers and other stake holders. One of the issues that have particularly generated sufficient interest is managing workforce diversity. O’leary & Weathington (2006) defines diversity simply as way of differentiating one person from another. Diversity is about recognizing and appreciating the uniqueness of each person. People can be different in terms of race, sexual orientation, age, gender and physical abilities just to mention a few (Burke 2007). As a result, workforce diversity has become a major business concern. Managing it should not be merely motivated by the potential of increasing the profit margin, but also should be to ensure the working environment is conducive, safe and nurturing (O’leary & Weathington 2006). Any business that manages its workforce effectively is bound to enjoy a number of benefits. Advantages of Workforce diversity It would be hypocritical not to acknowledge the fact that most business primarily exist with an intention of profit maximization. As result most of the organization activities will be geared towards achieving this goal. Efficient management of the workforce diversity can accelerate the process by increasing the company’s competitive edge (Ongori & Agolla 2007). O’leary & Weathington (2006) pointed out that are diversified staff is likely to be more creative, innovative and generally possess a relatively high ability of coming up with quality work. As oppose to a homogeneous group, when a diverse group get acquainted to each other, their job performance becomes superior due to an ... ...orkforce, they have been reaping the sumptuous benefits. Works Cited BMO Financial Group c 2010, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion [Online] available from [17th Dec 2010]. Browder, LM & Miller 2009, Workforce Diversity: The Big Blue Case, McGraw-Hill, New Delhi. Burke, LM 2007, Managing the Diverse Workforce Effectively, Rutledge, London. IBM c 2007, Global workforce diversity [online] available from [17th Dec 2010] O’Leary, BJ & Weathington, BL 2006, ‘Beyond the Business Case for Diversity in Organisations’, Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, Dec, vol 18, issue 4, pp1-10. Ongori, H & Agolla, JE 2007, ‘Critical Review of Literature on Workforce Diversity’, Africa Journal of Business Management, pp 72-76.

Guidelines for the Provision and Assessment of Nutritio Support Therapy in the Adult Critically Ill Patient

This section gives a description of the most commonly used monitors for tolerance to the entral nutrition. It likewise discusses the pertinent data that are important to the practice. The tolerance for EN of all patients must be monitored and all inappropriate cessation of the EN must be avoided at all cost. However, there are a number of factors that may affect the delivery of EN.There is a tendency for health care providers who prescribe the formulation to under-order calories and as such, there are patients who only receive approximately 80% of what they deserve. The combination of under-ordering and inadequate delivery that results in the patients receiving only half of the target goal calories.It is a fact that the intolerance accounts for approximately one-third of the time of cessation. There are also other reasons for cessation like the remaining NPO after midnight for the diagnostic tests and the procedures in another third of the patients.Using enteral feeding protocols inc reases all percentage of goal calories provided and must be implemented. In the same way, all the patients that are placed on EN must be checked for risk of any aspiration. Aspiration is the most leading feared complications that EN can give to a patient.All people who are at risk for aspiration may be detected by several factors which includes the use of nasoentric and endotracheal tube and the mechanical ventilation. There are many complications that may arise due to the use of enteral tube feedings and one of the effects is diarrhea. The diarrhea that being suffered by the ICU patient who is receiving EN must be investigated immediately.E. Selection of Appropriate Enteral FormulationWhen it comes to selecting the proper enteral formulation for the critically ill patient, the one in charge must first ascertain if the patient is one of the candidates for the specialty immune-modulating formulation. Patients more likely to display a more favorable outcome who would be a proper candi date for the use of ummune-modulating formulations include all people that are undergoing G1 surgery and trauma, and those that have head and neck cancer.Numerous data suggest that adding amounts of pharmaconutrients to the enteral formulations gives many further benefits on the outcome of the patients rather than using the standard formula alone.   It is unfortunate though that there are a few studies that have discussed the effects of individual pharmaconutrients and their dosage. This literature was criticized greatly for the heterogeneity of the studies that are performed in a great range of ICU patient populations.The multiple enteral formulations are said to be immune-modulating, but they considerable cange in their characteristics and the dosage of the individual components. There is no certainty as to whether or not the date from the studies that were published as well as their recommendations can be extracted in order to use the formulations that have not been evaluated i n a formal way.In order to receive the maximum therapeutic benefit from the immune-modulating formulations at about 50% to 60% of the goal energy requirements must be delivered. According to the studies, the benefit of EN as well as the added value of immune-modulating agents have an effect which is dose-dependent.Patients who have the worst cases of diarrhea may gain some benefit from the use of the soluble fiber-containing formula and a small portion of peptide semi-elemental formulation. The laboratory data, the theoretical concepts as well as the expert opinions that support the use of the peptide enteral formulations however, large protective trials are not available to make this one a strong recommendation.ReferencesMcClave, S., Martindale, R., Vanek, V., et., al. (2009). Guidelines for the Provision and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Assessment of Nutrition Support Therapy in the Adult Critically Ill Patient. Journal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of Parental and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN): Sage Publications, 33:277

NFL Concussions and Their Long-Term Effects Essay

On May 2, 2012, the National Football League lost one of its elite players to suicide: Junior Seau. Seau played for the Chargers, Dolphins, and the Patriots during his professional football career and was a 12-time Pro Bowler before retiring in 2009. Three years after his retirement however, Seau committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest with a gun. This greatly shocked the football world and its image of Junior Seau as a person, but it soon realized the cause for his action. Shortly after Seau’s death, researchers examined Seau’s brain and found that it contained a disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy which is formed by repeated blows to the head; a very common disease among former football players (Football Brains). The Seau family then filed a lawsuit against the NFL claiming that the league held back information from the players about the danger of continuous blows to the head (Seau’s Death on Brain Injuries). Since the formation of the National Football League in 1920, the popularity of the sport has grown tremendously over the years. It seems nowadays that more and more people are getting interested in the NFL, whether it is talking about their favorite team at work or at school or watching them play on game day. However, on the flip side of all the amazing catches and touchdowns, there is a dark side to the NFL known as the concussion problem. This problem has grown so much over the years that there have been more than 4200 lawsuits by former and current players against the NFL stating that the NFL has been trying to cover up the detrimental long term effects of concussions and also relied on NFL doctors to feed them the information they wanted to hear while rejecting the studies done by researches showing the long term effects concussions have on the brain (Junior Seau’s Death Keeps Spotlight on Brain Injuries). In order for the NFL to keep thriving the way it is right now, the league had to reject the information shown by researchers which showed the harmful effects of concussions in the long run and instead had to hire their â€Å"own† doctors to say that concussions are minor and cause no detrimental long run effects. I believe that repetitive concussions do cause  health problems in the future for NFL players and that the NFL covered up the truth about concussions. Being that I watch the NFL regularly, it seems like it is almost guaranteed that at least one or more players will experience a concussion during the game with all the physical contact taking place. Some of the concussions these players experience are obvious in that they are motionless on the ground and some are not so obvious in that they are still able to make it to the bench. According to Jennifer Car of BrainFacts.org, a concussion is caused when the head is struck violently which then leads to a brief disruption in brain activity. When the head is struck suddenly, the brain is set in motion and bangs the skull’s rough and ragged inside which causes the brain cells to stretch and sometimes even split (Mild Brain Injury and Concussion). Michael Collins, a clinical psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who specializes in sports-related concussions, states that â€Å"a concussion is basically an energy crisis to the brain cells† and he also states that â€Å"the brain has to work much harder to perform tasks† (Hard Knocks: The Science of Concussions). This disruption can cause an individual to experience a variety of different symptoms in the following minutes and hours. The range of symptoms includes the following: nausea, vomiting, brief loss of consciousness, and dizziness (Hard Knocks: The Science of Concussions). Later symptoms include: lightheadedness, depression, anxiety, ringing in the ears, constant migraine headaches, and poor concentration or attention (Mild Brain Injury and Concussion). The symptoms mentioned in the previous paragraph may last a couple days to a few weeks; at most a few months. Those who experience these types of symptoms usually receive a concussion maybe once or twice in their lifetimes. However, those professional athletes competing in sports with a good deal of physical contact are in harm’s way of experiencing multiple concussions during their career as an athlete. According to recent research, scientists have discovered a neurodegenerative disease also known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE (Hard Knocks: The Science of Concussions). This disease was found in the brains of former athletes who have died mainly boxers and football players (What is CTE?). These athletes were those who  have received continuous concussions or played in positions where they were vulnerable to experience a good amount of physical impact (Hard Knocks: The Science of Concussions). The repeated banging of the brain against the skull causes a gradual d egeneration of the brain tissue, and also the forming of an unusual protein known as tau (What is CTE?). These activities in the brain can take place months or even years after the last concussion or retirement from the sport. Some of the symptoms associated with CTE include: memory loss, confusion, depression, aggression, hindered judgment, and dementia (What is CTE?). There is definitely evidence of the symptoms of CTE among former NFL players. There are many examples of former NFL players who have suffered from CTE and have killed themselves and/or those around them including the Junior Seau suicide event that was mentioned in the opening paragraph. The first example is John Grimsley, who was a former Houston Oilers linebacker. Grimsley shot himself by accident while he was cleaning his gun one day (Football Brains). The former NFL player was a skilled outdoorsman and should have easily performed the task of cleaning his gun. A second example is Justin Strzelczyk, who was a former offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Strzelczyk was involved in a high-speed hit-and-run chase with the police which turned into a fiery crash where he eventually died (Football Brains). Another example is former Canadian professional wrestler Chris Benoit who murdered his wife and child and then took his own life (Football Brains). The final example is Tom McHale, who was a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer. He died at the age of 45 from a drug overdose (Football Brains). All the brains of these former professional athletes were taken for study and all their brains were found to contain the brain disease CTE in them (Football Brains). Another study was done on the affects of repeated concussions causing CTE by Ann McKee. According to Ann McKee, who is a neuropathologist at Bedford VA Medical Center, â€Å"brains of patients with CTE have unique patterns of abnormal protein tangles and cell loss† (Hard Knocks: The Science of Concussions). Her study analyzed the brains of former athletes and war veterans who have experienced multiple brain injuries. McKee’s research showed that out of the 85 brains she has studied, 68 of the brains contained the brain disease CTE (Hard Knocks: The Science of  Concussions). There is extensive research still being done by scientists in the area of CTE and if there is a con nection between repeated blows to the head and the formation of CTE in the brain. In fact the National Football League has decided to donate $30 million to the National Institutes of Health’s Neurology Institute to help further studies on concussions among football players and military troops (NFL Donates $30 Million To Concussion Research). More and more research and evidence on concussions is being brought to the fore front, as well as the numerous tragedies that occurred among former NFL players stemming from repeated concussions. Because of this, the NFL league and the NFL Mild Traumatic Brain Injury committee secretly decided to â€Å"cover up† and put down all the extensive studies and findings that have been recently popping up by scientists outside the NFL. In the PBS TV documentary League of Denial, the NFL is portrayed as a greedy money-driven industry that would do anything to keep the league from falling apart, even to the extent of withholding information from players about the long-term consequences from repeated blows to the head. In this film, the spotlight is cast on Dr. Bennett Omalu who was the first scientist to discover CTE (â€Å"NFL Concussion Cover-up†). His findings of CTE came from the brains of former Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Webster and his teammate Terry Long. Dr. Omalu’s findings were tremendously influential because it was the spark for the connection between repetitive blows to the head and CTE. However, as Dr. Omalu began publishing his findings about CTE in the brains of Webster and Long, the NFL soon noticed his findings and took action. Dr. Omalu recalled a conversion he had with a NFL doctor in which the NFL doctor said, â€Å"Dr. Omalu, do you know the consequences of what you are doing? If 10 percent of mothers in America started to view football as a dangerous sport, it would be the end of football† (â€Å"NFL Concussion Cover-up†). This obviously shows that NFL doctors realize that the findings between multiple concussions and CTE are true, but they are reluctant to admit to it because they are afraid that the NFL will dissolve into nothing if the â€Å"truth† is discovered. The NFL realized that the league was in jeopardy so they decided to publicly denounce the findings of Dr. Omalu by saying that his work was flawed. However, this was not the only attempt that the NFL made it trying to put  down the findings from scientists on the connection between repetitive concussions and CTE. In a 2007 meeting with the NFL’s Mild Traumatic Brain Injury committee, Julian Bailes who is the to p neurosurgeon at the Northshore Neurological Institute, displayed several pictures of CTE that was almost certainly caused by frequent concussions. However, the chairman of the committee downplayed all the evidence that was shown to them by Julian Bailes even though the evidence was pretty clear. The Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, decided that it was best for the league to conduct its own study about concussions. He released the following statements regarding the evidence being shown to the league by â€Å"outside† doctors and researchers, â€Å"You have to look at their entire medical history. To look at something that is isolated without looking at their entire medical history I think is irresponsible† (NFL Covering Up Research?). From just this one instance, we can definitely see that the NFL is trying its best to ignore the â€Å"clear-cut† evidence about the connection between repetitive concussions and CTE. It seems as though the Commissioner and the head of the NFL Brain Injury committee realize that the information and the research that was showed to them was true so they had to make sure it did not leak out to the players and also to the media.

Free Essays on Italian Futurism

-in-freedom† led to new forms in visual communication with type, graphics and collage being used in conjunction to create picture poems later known as concrete poetry. The new approach to typography in design was embraced by the early literary works of Dadaism and stimulated the New typography movement. The Movement After Cubism a new movement called Futurism emerged in Italy. The movement exploded onto the European cultural scene on 20 February 1909 when Filippo Marinetti the founder and only member at this time aggressively announced the ‘Manifesto of Futurism’ and it was published on the front page of the French newspaper Le Figaro. The manifesto not only celebrated the enthusiasm of the recently industrialized streets of Milan strongly went against conventional art ethics of the past "We will destroy the museums, libraries, academies of every kind...... Free Essays on Italian Futurism Free Essays on Italian Futurism Futurism is a movement that has been inspirational to me and has provided motivation to many other graphic designers and movements. â€Å"Shock, in addition to opening people’s eyes, was part of the Futurist programme† Being such a versatile group the works of the Futurists can be seen in numerous art genres. The paintings and typographical revelations are most impressive to me not only were they revolutionary at the time but I think that contemporary eyes are able to see deeper intentions and respect the impact that it had on art. The type of paintings that came out of this movement are visually stimulating to look at I admire the way that the Futurists were able to control the dimensions of a static picture. Borrowing from styles such as Cubism the Futurists manipulated brush strokes and formal elements such as line, balance and colour to portray images that had complex mechanical aesthetics and energetic infusions of bright colour combinations. They also were the founders of typographical innovations that were avant-garde at the time. The art of Marinetti’s â€Å"words-in-freedom† led to new forms in visual communication with type, graphics and collage being used in conjunction to create picture poems later known as concrete poetry. The new approach to typography in design was embraced by the early literary works of Dadaism and stimulated the New typography movement. The Movement After Cubism a new movement called Futurism emerged in Italy. The movement exploded onto the European cultural scene on 20 February 1909 when Filippo Marinetti the founder and only member at this time aggressively announced the ‘Manifesto of Futurism’ and it was published on the front page of the French newspaper Le Figaro. The manifesto not only celebrated the enthusiasm of the recently industrialized streets of Milan strongly went against conventional art ethics of the past "We will destroy the museums, libraries, academies of every kind......

Kerosene in Diesel Engine Question

Kerosene in Diesel Engine Question Scott, you are right, we had discussed the clear liquid shortening and I thought I had stayed away from it until I saw the cubies. Yesterday, I went back to my supplier and commented about the mixing of Clear Liquid Oil and Clear Liquid Shortening. Undoubtedly, the grill cook was not aware the oil had been mixed until I saw it on the cubies and so Ive been told they have a new supplier and it will be only Clear Liquid Oil. I have asked them to keep the empty cubies for me, so I can use them for storage, etc. I will wait and see what happens. The kero I had mentioned mixing with my biodiesel is considered highway kero with taxes paid on it at the pump. In N.C. all of our kero is dyed, as well as off road diesel. Our DOT will spot check big rigs, but so far I havent heard of them checking small diesels. However, I never use dyed fuel in my pickup. Next door in S.C. all of the fuel is cheaper due to our state taxes being lower so the kero is actually cheaper than their diesel. Our kero is higher than our diesel and the diesel is 20 to 40 cents higher per gallon than our unleaded. Several years ago, I had an Olds with a GM diesel (converted gasoline to diesel) and the book allowed me to use 10 percent gasoline during the winter to keep the diesel from gelling. Do you think that would be wise to use gasoline in biodiesel during the winter? My friend that I was splitting the oil with has backed out of using SVO I think mainly due to the mods he would have to do to his truck. Anyway, he left me with some literature he had pulled off the internet about using SVO and unleaded gasoline. Im thinking that would be a great way to blow an engine or at least coke it pretty heavily in a short time. Looks like there is a little of everything on the net. Have a great day. Tom Hey Tom,As long as you can get highway kero, and its cheaper, go ahead and run it with a mixture of at least B20 to keep the lubricity up. Kerosene is often used as a thinning (viscosity reducing) agent to help prevent diesel (middle distillate grade #2) and biodiesel fuel gelling in cold weather, but it does reduce the fuels lubricity as well. Since biodiesel has a very high level of lubricity, the reduction from mixing with kerosene is minimal. With regular petro diesel, care must be taken to avoid over-thinning. To avoid this problem, most fuel distribution centers carry winter diesel (light distillate grade #1) for delivery to fueling stations in cold climates. Diesel engines, however, are remarkably tolerant of fuel formulations and can run on just about any low volatility oil based fuel, but of course that doesnt mean they should or that it is even legal (tax wise) or beneficial to do so. While the engines themselves (pistons and valves) are more or less indifferent to fuel types, the emissions and injection controls on modern clean diesel engines would likely be damaged by using any fuel other than ULSD or B5. For illustration purposes only, following is a (mostly complete) list of fuels that can be burned in a diesel engine: Diesel #1 Diesel #2 Diesel #4 ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) Biodiesel (from B5 to B100) Kerosene Home heating oil Civil jet fuel (Jet A-1, Jet A, Jet B) Military jet fuel(JP-4,JP-5,JP-8) SVO (Straight Vegetable And this is interesting- your fuel prices in the Carolinas are different than ours further north. In central PA as of 05-20-08: No, the E85 price is not a typo. Ethanol based fuel has been about a buck a gallon cheaper for the last several years. Ive been experimenting with varying percentages of E85 in my gasoline powered 5.7-liter 1994 Chevy Silverado. A story about my results as well as doing a full conversion to E85 is in the plans. Which brings me to your question about running a gasoline and SVO (straight vegetable oil) mixture in a diesel. I would steer clear for the very reasons you mentioned as well as others from horror stories Ive heard. Diesels are compression ignition engines designed for dense, low volatility oil based fuels (diesel, biodiesel and kerosene). Gasoline style engines are spark ignited and require light and highly volatile fuels (gasoline, alcohol and E85). It doesnt take a stretch of the imagination to understand that an improperly-mixed amount of gasoline and vegetable oil (too much gasoline) could easily prematurely ignite (detonate) and destroy a diesel engines pistons and/or va lvetrain. Reciprocally, Ive heard stories of mixtures with too much veggie oil gumming up and clogging filters, pumps and injectors. In my opinion, there are only two safe methods to run vegetable oil in a diesel engine: Use properly manufactured biodiesel, or install a conversion kit that heats (thus reducing viscosity) the SVO before introduction to the fuel pump and injectors. As always, Tom, thanks for the great comments and questions. Best,Scott

Cigaretes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cigaretes - Research Paper Example Aside from the price, the other factors that determine demand have well established and these are: the consumer’s taste or preference, the number of buyers in the market, the consumer’s income, the prices of related goods, and lastly, consumer expectations (McConnell, 2008, p. 47). The Tobacco Plain Packaging Act received the Royal Assent on Dec. 1, 2011 and the Executive Council of Australia released the Tobacco Plain packaging Regulations 2011 by the 7th of the same month. this statute primarily requires that all tobacco products in the Australian market be sold in plain packaging by the 1st of December 2012. The distinguishing marks between brands will only be the product name in standard color, position, font size and style (Department of Health and Ageing, 2012). Suppose that due to this plain packaging, the consumer’s preference for cigarettes considerably lessens, let us analyze how this will affect the demand for cigarettes in the Australian market. 2. The plain packaging of cigarettes together with the blatant health warnings were less appealing to the consumers, such that they bought lesser quantity of cigarettes. The demand curve shifts to the left. As the law of supply dictates, as price rises, the quantity supplied rises also just as when the price decreases, so does the quantity supplied. Aside from the price there are other factors that affect the supply and these are the following: the resource prices, technology, taxes and subsidies, prices of other goods, producer expectations, and the number of sellers in the market (McConnell, 2008, p. 51). A study by June, Hammond, Sjà ¶din, Li, Romanoff, and OConnor (2011) found out that cigarette fires are also among the leading causes of death related fires. Suppose that this finding also alarmed the Department of Health and Ageing that it passes a statute that requires cigarettes to be self-extinguishing when not being smoked by consumers.

HCM HR discussion board week 8 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HCM HR discussion board week 8 - Assignment Example The first stage of training and development occurs when an employee joins a company. The initial training should include a segment dedicated to corporate culture. Once an employee joins a staff there is periodically trainings that are given to the employees to improve general and specialized skills. Due to the changes that are occurring in all professions continued education has become more important than ever. The healthcare field requires professionals that keep up with the latest changes in diagnostic and treatment of diseases. As a future human resource manager in healthcare I will emphasize training and development as a value added function that can help the employees in the short, medium, and long term. The creation of a balance training and development program that includes both internal and external training sessions can benefit both the employees and the company. The inclusion of technology can help the firm provide training using online learning techniques. Smartphones such as Iphones and Androids can serve as databases to store medical

Customer Relationship Marketing in Action within the Retail sector Coursework

Customer Relationship Marketing in Action within the Retail sector - Coursework Example Quality of customer service is central to service marketing, which is possible through CRM. Quality of customer service can be enhanced when trust, commitment, communication, empathy and conflict handling are given importance in relationship building. These become important because relationship quality has significant influence on customer loyalty (Prasad & Aryasri, 2008). CRM is also about acquiring the right customer and not all customers. This is justified because 80 percent of sales are derived from 30 percent of the customers (Hawkes, 2003). Apart from identifying high value customers, CRM is also about managing the entire lifestyle of customers (Lambe, 2001). Retailers have to look beyond the transactions of the customer. It is equally important to derive information on how the customer became the customer as well as the interactions surrounding customer’s departure. These would help the retailers to better retain customers. Knowing of their life style implies that CRM s hould be able to anticipate and predict the future needs of the customers Suitability and effectiveness of CRM strategy of Tesco and Sainsbury Tesco’s Club card scheme generated information on pricing, customer services, merchandizing, promotions, media effectiveness, customer acquisitions and communications (Hassan & Parves, 2013). ... Their tesco.com is also aimed at keeping in touch with their customers. The Nectar card scheme of Sainsbury is aimed at attracting more customers by having increased number of partners (Hassan & Parves, 2013). Sainsbury customers redeem their loyalty points and the retailer experienced the highest number of Nectar card users during Christmas 2011. Such redemption enabled the retailer to understand the potential customer base. Sainsbury also has a strong presence on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Sainsbury gathers information on customer experience which is lacking at Tesco. Both Tesco and Sainsbury have loyalty cards aimed at retaining customers. Boedeker (1997) however, contends that loyalty cards are based on the assumption that special offers and bonus points would be the only reason that customers would not deflect. Economic aspects are only one of the benefits that consumers seek. A study by Turner and Wilson (2006) found that customers at Tesco may be sho pping more because of Tesco Club cards but they do not feel more valued because of these cards. This undermines the very purpose of CRM as no relationship has been built. The success of loyalty cards is not limited to enhanced sales or profits. Their card only promotes incentivized loyalty and no emotional loyalty has taken place as customers are not influenced by brands. Hassan and Parves also found that loyalty card holders at both Tesco and Sainsbury do not limit their shopping only within these two retailers. Possibly this could be because of weak value proposition and flawed design of the loyalty cards (Bayraktar, Yilmaz & Yamak, 2010). Also, the companies may not be able to analyze all of the data generated through

Owning A Guinea Pig As A Pet

Owning A Guinea Pig As A Pet ABSTRACT Have you ever owned a guinea pig as a pet? These small animals make a perfect family pet and enjoy spending quality time with their owners. Snuggling, eating, and playing are all things that guinea pigs generally love doing. With some knowledge of guinea pigs and how to care for them, owning a pet guinea pig can be a very enjoyable experience for both you and your pet. GLOSSARY Diagnose: to determine the  identity of a disease or illness by a medical  examination Gastrointestinal tract: the stomach and intestine as a functional unit Homeostasis: the tendency of a system, especially the  physiological system of higher animals, to maintain internal stability, owing to the coordinated response of its parts to any situation or stimulus tending to disturb its normal condition or function. Husbandry: the science of breeding, rearing, and caring for animals. Neuter: having no organs of reproduction; without sex; asexual. 1 INTRODUCTION Just like any other domestic pet that we see today, guinea pigs have a long history of domestication. Guinea pigs are a member of the rodent species, but have their own unique physical and behavioral characteristics that set them apart from other rodents. There are a lot of special needs that guinea pigs share to maintain a happy and healthy life. Good husbandry is the best way of assuring that a pet will live to its full potential. Understanding guinea pigs is a great start to a long fulfilling relationship between an owner and their special little pet. HISTORY OF THE GUINEA PIG Origin Guinea pigs, also known as cavies, originated from the Peru region of the Andes Mountains where it is referred to as cuy (Forstadt, n.d., para.7; para. 9). It is here that the familiar rodent can be found roaming freely in the wild just like our everyday squirrel. The wild guinea pig prefers a variety of habitats including rocky, swampy, and woody areas. Being most active at night, they prefer to rest in their burrows during the day (Forstadt, n.d., para. 6). They live in colonies usually with one male and six to seven females. In a wild guinea pig colony, the presence of more than one male usually leads to the males fighting to the death (Hirst, n.d., para. 4). Why They Were Domesticated Domestication of the guinea pig is thought to have begun around 5000 years B.C.; however, some parts of their history are a little blurry. Physical records have been found showing evidence of guinea pig domestication as early as 900 B.C. (Forstadt, n.d., para. 7). In their native land, guinea pigs are used for many different purposes, but seldom kept as pets. The people of the Andes Mountains rely on breeding guinea pigs for meat. In most cases, a mating pair of guinea pigs will be gifted to a newlywed couple and then cared for mostly by the women and children of the family(Forstadt, n.d., para. 11; para. 12). By raising them personally, an Andes Mountain family can usually produce approximately twelve pounds of meat per month (Hirst, n.d., para. 5). Though meat is their main purpose to the Andes Mountain people, guinea pigs are also used in religious and other cultural ceremonies. They are also used in medicine, both to diagnose and treat those considered to be ill or weak. Though they are bred mainly for food, guinea pigs are crucial to, and respected in, the Andes Mountain culture (Forstadt, n.d., para. 14). How They Became Pets After domestication in its native land, the guinea pig was later introduced in Europe where it became popular as a household pet. The cause of its popularity is said to be Queen Elizabeth I keeping one as a pet. From this point on, domestication of the guinea pig continued turning the small rodent species into a very popular choice of pet in many parts of the world (Forstadt, n.d., para. 8). CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GUINEA PIG Behavior From personal experience I can inform you that guinea pigs make excellent pets. Unlike other domestic rodents, guinea pigs are naturally timid and love companionship. In the wild, guinea pigs are very social animals and they require the same companionship when they are kept as pets (Social life, n.d., para. 2). There are many distinct behavioral characteristics that guinea pigs share that set them apart from other rodent species. Their unique vocalizations, humorous actions, and cuddly nature are sure to amuse any pocket pet lover. Guinea pigs seem to have their own unique language. There are many different sounds that can be heard when in the presence of these small rodents and all of these sounds have different meanings. Knowing what these sounds mean will help the owner to better understand their pet and assist in building a stronger relationship between them (McLeod, n.d., para. 1). One of the most common vocalizations of the guinea pig is called wheeking, this habitually corresponds with excitement for food or attention (McLeod, n.d., para. 3). Another sound that is frequently heard from a content guinea pig is called purring, this sound signifies that the animal is having a pleasurable experience, usually when being petted or while cuddling (McLeod, n.d., para. 4). If you ever hear teeth chattering it usually means that the animal is annoyed or angry and this is sometimes followed by showing of the teeth or a bite. Though it is uncommon for a guinea pig to display this type of aggressive behavior toward a person, it sometimes occurs when introducing two males. If this behavior occurs during an introduction, then the two males should be separated before one gets a chance to attack (McLeod, n.d., para.6). When guinea pigs are extremely frightened or hurt they will project a sound called shrieking. This is a very loud, high pitched, repetitive sound and if it is ever heard then the guinea pig should be thoroughly examined for any signs of injury (McLeod, n.d., para. 9). There are many other sounds that a guinea pig can produce, but they are heard less frequently or, in some cases, not at all. Guinea pigs also communicate by using body language that sometimes goes hand in hand with the distinct sounds they produce. Some gestures signify playfulness, whereas others may be a warning. Whatever the gesture may be, knowing what these actions mean will also help an owner to understand their pet. One gesture frequently observed is called popcorning. With a well deserved name, the animal will pop itself up into the air, often repeatedly, while tossing their head upward and kicking their hind legs back. This gesture is most frequently seen in younger guinea pigs and it signifies a very happy and playful animal (McLeod, n.d., para. 13). Among many other playful gestures that may be observed, there are also some behaviors that are intended to warn when a guinea pig is upset. When agitated, a guinea pig may stiffen its legs and head while rising its body up higher than usual, this is usually a good time to back off and let the animal have some space. Any number of aggressive behaviors may be combined depending on the severity of annoyance. Some of these behaviors include, but are not limited to, hissing, fluffing of the fur, and showing of the teeth (McLeod, n.d., para. 17). Once an owner has an understanding of their guinea pigs personality, both parties will share a very healthy and happy relationship. Appearance Guinea pigs usually grow to lengths of approximately ten inches long and weigh one to two pounds (Hirst, n.d., para. 2). They have stout bodies with a large and elongated head that is equivalent to approximately one third of their entire body length. Guinea pigs do not have tails and their ears are large and rounded (Pavia, 2005, p. 18). They have short stubby legs and small padded feet. Though guinea pigs may have little variance in shape and size, their coats come in a variety of colors, texture, and length. The wild cavy is usually only found in shades of gray or brown and generally have short to medium length fur. Through years of domestication, an outburst of different colors and coat types has been created (Forstadt, n.d., para. 6). There are many different breeds of guinea pigs but only 13 are recognized in the United States (Nash, n.d., para. 1). Each having their own unique physical characteristics, some breeds are Skinny, American, Coronet, and Texel. Ranging from almost hairless to very long hair, these breeds all have similar body types but look very different. The Skinny guinea pig is almost completely hairless but may have some patches of fur (Guinea pigs, 2008, para. 16). The American guinea pig is shorthaired and has a very smooth looking coat (Guinea pigs, 2008, para.8). Coronet guinea pigs have an extremely long coat that has a smooth appearance and requires special grooming, and the Texel guinea pig has a long coat that is very crimpy and wavy (Guinea pigs, 2008, para.4; para. 5). Seeing all of the different breeds that have been genetically mastered through intricate breeding portrays the passion that people have for these small pocket pets. GUINEA PIG HUSBANDRY Housing Providing an adequate clean space, a fresh wholesome diet, and meeting grooming needs are all essential for keeping a happy and healthy guinea pig. Guinea pigs are social animals, having a cage mate can do a lot for their health. It is recommended that males are not kept with other males; however, if they are litter mates they may get along nicely. Females and males get along great, as do females with other females. Guinea pigs can reproduce rather quickly, unless neutering is an option, it is not recommended to house a male and female together (Guinea pig care, n.d., para. 4). A minimum of four square feet should be kept for each guinea pig in the cage. They need room to exercise and get away from each other if they need too (Guinea pig care, n.d., para. 5). Guinea pigs sleep the best if they have their own covering to crawl in, providing some sort of cubby or dome for each animal in the cage is essential for good health. Besides providing a cage mate, hiding spaces and toys appropriate for guinea pigs in their habitat may help keep them from getting too bored (Guinea pig care, n.d., para. 8). It is essential to keep their environment as clean as possible with good ventilation. The bottom of a guinea pig cage should be solid with no wire or mesh lining; these types of surfaces are good for sanitation but can injure the animals feet. Glass aquariums do not provide enough ventilation, a solid plastic or metal base with a wired top is a great guinea pig environment (Guinea pig care, n.d., para. 5). The bedding used in a guinea pig cage should not be cedar or pine. Both of these woods contain oils that are bad for the animals health. Other types of wood shavings, hay, or grass may be appropriate (Guinea pig care, n.d., para. 7). Personally, I use an all natural paper bedding which, in my opinion, is the most safe and comfortable. It is thick and cotton ball-like and it produces little to no dust. Supplying everything in the guinea pigs cage to keep them comfortable and entertained is crucial. Diet Guinea pigs love to eat and they have some special needs when it comes to their diet. They have sensitive gastrointestinal tracts and providing an unlimited amount of timothy hay or orchard grass aids in their digestion (Vital vittles, 2009, para. 4). Commercial pellets should be fed everyday; however, only one eighth of one cup should be provided (Vital vittles, 2009, para. 2). Approximately one cup of a fresh leafy green mixture should be served daily as well as small amounts of fresh fruit and other fresh vegetables (Guinea pig feeding, 2009, para. 4). Some leafy green vegetables that should be offered on a daily basis are kale, mustard greens, spinach, romaine, and parsley (Vital vittles, 2009, para. 14). Vegetables that are good to feed, but less frequently, are carrots, celery, and sweet potatoes (Vital vittles, 2009, para. 15). Fruits should not be offered in large quantities because they contain excess amounts of sugar. Fruits are usually served as a treat and may include app les, pears, blueberries, kiwi, and strawberries (Vital vittles, 2009, para. 17). Not all fruits and vegetables are healthy to a guinea pig. Some foods that are not good for a guinea pigs health are iceberg lettuce, seeds, nuts, collard greens, bok choy, and beans (Vital vittles, 2009, para.16; para. 20). Guinea pigs need a lot of vitamin C to support their immune system, adding a supplement to their water and supplying vitamin C to their everyday diet is crucial for maintaining homeostasis (Vital vittles, 2009, para. 5). Grooming Grooming branches off into different things that prevent certain conditions that could potentially affect the animals health. Having continually growing teeth, the guinea pig lays at risk of a very painful condition. If proper materials to help wear down their teeth are not provided, their teeth can become over grown and possibly grow into other areas of their mouth. This condition could also prevent the animal from eating, resulting in starvation (Guinea pig pet care, n.d., para. 6). Personally, I provide things such as untreated wood blocks, toilet paper rolls, and a daily supply of hay to help keep the teeth a healthy length. In some cases, providing these items for the guinea pig may not work well enough and manual filing may be required. Just like the teeth, toenails can also become overgrown and uncomfortable. Toenails may be worn down naturally if a hard surface is provided in the cage, but sometimes they have to be trimmed manually (Guinea pig pet care, n.d. para. 5). Having a hairless or short haired guinea pig is less demanding then having a long haired guinea pig. They are generally clean animals and bathing is not required often; however, longhaired guinea pigs require frequent brushing to prevent knots from forming in their fur (Guinea pig pet care, n.d. para. 9). CONCLUSION Despite their original purpose in their native land, guinea pigs make excellent family pets. Their wacky gestures, unique sounds, and stout appearance are sure to make anyone crack a smile. Guinea pigs are the happiest when paired with another guinea pig. Providing good husbandry will reduce the risk of disease in any animal. While caring for a guinea pig does have some special demands, it is worth it.