Diagnosis Requires A Positive Result From An Initial Hiv...

TERMINOLOGY CLINICAL CLARIFICATION 1 †¢ Diagnosis requires a positive result from an initial HIV antibody or combination antigen/antibody test plus an accompanying or subsequent positive result from a supplemental HIV test different from the initial test 1 †¢ Current guidelines suggest using a Fourth generation assay that detects HIV p24 antigen AND HIV antibodies 19 o Positive results are confirmed by an HIV-1/HIV-2 differentiation immunoassay - If the differentiation immunoassay is indeterminate or negative, plasma HIV RNA level (HIVviralload) should be checked. o Note that these current guidelines differ from the classic approach of first testing with a third generation antibody test, an enzyme immunoassay (EIA), and then confirming†¦show more content†¦(2 or more episodes in 12 months) - Esophageal candidiasis - Invasive cervical carcinoma confirmed by biopsy - Disseminated or extra pulmonary coccidioidomycosis - Extrapulmonary cryptococcosis - Chronic intestinal cryptosporidiosis (1 month in duration) - Cytomegalovirus disease (other than liver, spleen, or nodes) - HIV-related encephalopathy - Herpes simplex virus characterized by chronic ulcers (1 month in duration), or bronchitis, pneumonitis, or esophagitis - Disseminated or extra pulmonary histoplasmosis - Chronic intestinal isosporiasis, (1 month in duration) - Kaposi sarcoma - Lymphoma (Burkitt, immunoblastic, or primary central nervous system) - Disseminated or extra pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) or Mycobacterium kansasii - Pulmonary or extrapulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis - Disseminated or extra pulmonary Mycobacterium, other species or unidentified species - Pneumocystisjiroveci (formerly carinii) pneumonia (PCP) - Progressive multifocalleukoencephalopathy (PML) - Recurrent (nontyphoid) Salmonella septicemia - Toxoplasmosis of brain - HIV wasting syndrome (involuntary weight loss 10% of baseline body weight) associated with either chronic diarrhea (two or more loose stools per day For 1 month) or chronic weakness and documented Fever For 1 month DIAGNOSIS CLINICAL PRESENTATION †¢ History o Greater than 50% with acute HIV infection develop symptoms, although timing and duration are variable 4 - Acute illness develops within 1-4 weeks

Money Obsession in David Herbert Lawrences The...

Money Obsession in David Herbert Lawrences The Rocking-Horse Winner We have all heard the expression, Money makes the world go round. But does this make it worthwhile to abandon happiness in order to gain more of it? David Herbert Lawrence reveals the folly of substituting money and luck for family and love in The Rocking-Horse Winner, the story of a womans insatiable need to become rich, and her sons struggle to gain her approval. The mother, Hester, obsesses over money. She comes from a fairly rich family, seemingly, as there was never enough money ... not nearly enough for the social position which [the family] had to keep up (363). She grows bitter through the years of her marriage not only due to her unluckiness†¦show more content†¦In an attempt to cheer his mothers bitterness, Paul proclaims that he is lucky, but this statement only seems to further irritate Hester, so he is driven to truly become lucky and prove her disbelief wrong. Paul seeks the clue to luck in his toy rocking horse. By riding for long periods of time, he can foretell the winner of the next big horse race and then bet money on it. I started it for mother, (369) he tells his uncle Oscar when worry of his success arises. Paul hopes to help his mother and stop the houses whispering be being lucky. So with the aid of his uncle, Paul invents a plan to give his winnings to Hester anonymously. Starting on her next birthday, Paul decides to give Hester a thousand pounds a year up to the five thousand he has saved for her. But instead of being content with receiving her five thousand pounds in increments, she asks if the whole five thousand could not be advanced at once, as she was in debt (370). Paul is eager enough to oblige, despite his uncles warning against it. The whispering does not stop, and the family does not climb out of debt. In fact, their financial situation grows even worse, and the voices in the house suddenly went mad, like a chorus of frogs on a spring evening (371). Oscar urges Paul not to worry, for even if he wins every other race and earns his mother ten times more money, she will only spend more and remain unsatisfied. But Paul will not be satisfied unless she is. And to

How International Differences in the Ownership and Financing free essay sample

Explain how international differences in the ownership and financing of companies could lead to differences in financial reporting. There are major international differences in accounting practices whereby different companies in a country may use different accounting systems. This differences between companies mainly influenced by a company’s country, size, sector or number of stock exchange listings. It is very significant that banks are the capital provider for small family-owned business in Germany, France and Italy. However, in the United States and the United Kingdom there are large numbers of companies that rely on millions of private shareholders for finance. There are three type of financial system has been formalized by Zysman which are capital market system, credit-based government systems and credit-based financial institution systems. These types could be simplified further to ‘equity’ and ‘credit’. In United States and United Kingdom, companies are finance by investors rather than by individual shareholders. So, in these countries with a widespread ownership of companies by shareholders who do not have access to internal information, there will be a pressure for disclosure, audit and fair information. We will write a custom essay sample on How International Differences in the Ownership and Financing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Thus, this will lead to a different financial reporting. On the other hand, in ‘credit’ countries, few of the listed companies are dominated by bankers, governments or founding families. In Germany, important owners of companies as well as providers of debt finance are the banks. Besides that, listed companies in continental European countries are also dominated by banks, governments or families where the information published is not so detail. Hence, this can automatically lead to differences in financial reporting. In addition to that, most continental European countries and in Japan, the external financial reporting has been created for the purpose of protecting creditors and for governments due to the lack of ‘outsider’ shareholders. So, due to the greater important creditors in these countries, it leads to more conservative accounting. This is because creditors want their money back if companies suffer losses or damages, whereas shareholders may be interested in an unbiased estimate of future prospects. Hence, this could lead to some differences in financial reporting.

Morality. People, Honored By People, Have Questioned It Essays

Morality. People, honored by people, have questioned it and revered since the beginning of time. Yet even today not one person can say what is morally right. It is a matter of opinion. It was Dr. Victor Frankenstein's opinion that it was alright to create a monster. Frankenstein's creation needed a companion. Knowing that his first creation was evil should the doctor make a second? With the knowledge at hand, to Dr. Frankenstein, it is not at all morally correct to bring another monster into the world. Looking at this problem with his family in mind, the doctor begins his work on the second monster. The first monster threatened Frankenstein and even his family. The monster angrily said to Frankenstein, I can make you so wretched. (pg. 162) Trying to scare Frankenstein for not creating his mate the monster resorted to threats. If the good doctor does create a companion for his first creation he may be endangering others. The miserable monster whom I had created, (pg.152) says Victor upon looking back at his work. If there is another monster there will be twice the power and possibly twice the evil, which could hurt or kill his family. When and if Frankenstein commits the moral sin of creating another monster he may be rid of both monsters forever. With the companion you bestow I will quit the neighborhood of man,(pg 142) promises the morally corrupt monster to the doctor upon the completion of his partner. When the doctor, if and when he, finished his first creation's mate there is a chance that the monsters will not keep their promise and stay in Europe evoking fear into town folk. The good doctor, trying to act morally, destroys the monster for the good of the world. The monsters can potentially take over whatever they please. A race of devils would be propagated,(pg. 163) thinks Frankenstein to himself in his study. The monsters, if powerful enough, could possibly take over Europe. Frankenstein realizes that he cannot possibly doom the world to benefit himself. Shall I, in cold blood, set loose upon the earth a daemon..(pg. 162) argues Frankenstein with his creation. It is not morally right for one person to unleash such a terror on the world to benefit only himself and his family. Frankenstein will not let any example change his mind on the point that the monster is and will always be morally corrupt. Continuing on his point that the monster was too evil to duplicate, Frankenstein says, Your threats cannot move me to do an act of wickedness; but they confirm me in determination of not creating you a companion in vice.( pg. 163) Frankenstein will not sacrifice his morality because of persuasion from a monster. Although beholding the threat of death and misery Frankenstein held his ground and did not sacrifice his moral. When and if Frankenstein creates another monster he cannot feel as if he has done the morally right thing. From creating the monster Frankenstein will some how be making people other than himself unhappy. I consent to your demand, on your solemn oath to quite Europe forever, and every other place in the neighborhood of man,(pg. 143) says Frankenstein as he sees the power that the two could possibly possess. The good doctor sees that with his own hands he could possibly scar the world forever. The doctor wants, if anyone, himself to be unhappy instead of all of mankind. Begone! I do break my promise, (pg. 162) states the doctor angrily. Not thinking about himself but the world unselfishly breaks his promise to the monster. Possessing such a great mind the doctor is able to realize that a greater evil will be released upon the earth then upon himself. Your threats cannot move me to do an act of wickedness,(pg. 162) says the doctor as he argues his point with his creation. The doctor sees that a greater and more horrible result can come from him making the second monster than not. With the knowledge at hand, to Dr.Frankenstein, it is not at all morally correct to bring another monster into the world. On the one hand if the second monster was created Frankenstein's family would be saved. By the same token the rest of the world could be forced to bow before two hideous monsters. The problem, making or not making the second monster, played heavily on Frankenstein's mind, possibly caused his brief lapse into the realm of the insane. Even though Frankenstein began his work for the good of man his experiment ended up hurting himself and his family.

America- The land of opportunities Essays - , Term Papers

America- The land of opportunities "America is the most popular", powerful country in the world. You have probably heard of this country and even been there. In this text I am going to discuss and debate the statemaent America the land og opportunities. What is the first thing that pops in my mind when I hear this statement? It can be the great education, the country where you can be whatever you want. I can't see the real america because I never been there, however what I know and see is the America that I learned from the tv. When I think about this statement it kind of blows my mind with thoughts and arguments. Saying that America is a land full of opportunities can make people think about the big difference between the rich and the poor ones in America. In America there is a big difference between the white and the black, it is because of that the afro Americans don't get the same job or the same education opportunity as the white Americans, due we all agree that they are both Americans. The lack of education and jobs led to big crimes such as murder. There are more afro Americans that commit crime on get themselves behind bars. I partly agree with this statement because on one hand you have all these police brutalities and the lack of job opportunities, the peer pressure that makes young teens to drop out of school get themselves tangled up with drugs and gang culture. Although an important value in the American society is equality and that they believe that all men are created equal. It certainly doesn't men that all the people must have the same equal good life. In addition, many innocent people have killed by the police and many of them attend to be black for example Tryvon. Tryvon was a 17-year-old black boy he was killed by a police officer, the officer reported that he shot him in self-defence because he thought that Tryvon had a gun. After Tryvon's death the black community couldn't take it any more so they created an organization named the black lives matter. there are also many opportunities in amerce for example the opportunity to get a good education the opportunity to go casino in Las Vegas Nevada. In America and many other countries it is up to up you what you want to do in your life

Wishing for an Ad that Works

Wishing for an Ad that Works Free Online Research Papers Advertisements can tell a reader about all kinds of products and services. They are all trying to get the reader to do something, whether if be to buy a product or service, or go to a certain rally to save the rain forests. The effectiveness of these advertisements is heavily dependent on what the ad looks like, its comparison with other ads, and what it says. The Make-A-Wish Foundation advertisement from the April 1997 issue of Premiere magazine is effective in accomplishing its goal. The first reason this ad is effective is that is it laid out in a way that gets the reader to look at it. The letter with the childs writing draws interest from the reader because it isnt something you normally would be looking for in a magazine. The picture of the girl with the dog at the bottom shows the writer of the letter, letting the reader make a visual connection with the person they are reading about. By keeping it black and white, the advertisers have added a sad tone to the page, making it hard to miss in a magazine otherwise filled mostly with lively colored ads. The next reason that this advertisement is effective is that it differs with most other ads from the magazine in how it goes about achieving its goal. Another ad from the same magazine shows a Honda Civic with one-liners about different cities and states that you could go to with the car. At the bottom of the advertisement it says Lots of greener pastures. One car. Make it a good one. The Civic Sedan. The Honda Civic ad is playing on the readers sense of adventure and having a good time, as are most other advertisements in the magazine. In contrast, the Make-A-Wish Foundation ad is trying to get the reader to have a sympathetic reaction to the young girls situation, and therefore contribute money to help her and others like her. Finally, the appealing to the readers sympathy is in itself a reason that the ad is effective. The letter is very sad, and the picture of the girl with the dog helps to bring out sympathetic feelings from the reader. The advertisers may have made an assumption that readers of Premiere, which is a magazine about movies, are dreamers or are maybe more likely to have an emotional response than say those of Guns and Ammo. By bringing a sympathetic feeling to a potential donator, they increase their chances of getting a donation, as it may ease the readers mind knowing they are helping to end the sadness. The Make-A-Wish Foundation advertisement from Premiere magazine is effective because of its layout, its different way of getting its point across, and its appeal to the readers sympathy. The advertisement is well done and is planned to attain maximum effectiveness for its target audience. Continued use of ads like this one suggests that they are indeed working. When many people see this type of advertisement, they call to donate money, and that is the bottom line that the advertiser is looking for. Research Papers on Wishing for an Ad that WorksAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementMind TravelComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyWhere Wild and West MeetHip-Hop is ArtRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsTwilight of the UAW

Summary of experience in zoo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of experience in zoo - Essay Example They swallow large chunks of food. It sleeps only when very full and curls up in the grass to rest. They eat and lie during the day. None are nocturnal. They like long grass and dense to lie on. It is an insectivorous mammal that feeds on large and small insects mostly ants because termites were not in plenty. It uses the back to carry small ones. They also use their fore limbs to reach on trees with feet to the ground. It uses its front limbs to walk and then pulls the rest of its body forward. Thus, the hands serve as the legs too. They do not vocalize anything. They seem to lack expressions more so due to their elongated snouts. Females take care of their young ones protectively. The gorilla is a terrestrial quadrupedalism primate. It however is more like a human. It uses its front limbs to eat and hold with its fingers. They rest on grass or open ground; play with others and even with humans. They also rest on tree branches. They sleep on trees where mostly have built their own nests. When climbing one may say they are vertical clinging and leaping primates. They are fed with fruits and leaves of certain plants. They also eat roots and feed on succulent things. They are always looking for something fleshy to feed on such as a fruit. They hold on the hand and eat like a human. They hold on to their young ones with front limbs like the arm of a human. They also carry them on their backs when walking. A gorilla knuckle walks using its four limbs. They make some utterances that cannot be understood. They mostly have the horizontal pout. However, they grin when food is brought to them or when asking for food they pout. They live in groups. The monkeys are mostly arboreal. They are vertically clinging and leaping primates. They rest on trees and hold on to branches with arms like humans or their tails which are rather flexible. They sleep on trees where mostly have built their own nests. They like to sleep high on the trees they live on.

The Target Market of Trace Restaurant at W Hotel San Francisco Research Paper

The Target Market of Trace Restaurant at W Hotel San Francisco - Research Paper Example The fact that the menus depend on the local season is a sign of ensuring, visitors get to understand the local food pattern alongside the culture and environment. The restaurant has a wide variety of sea foods and meats. This is to carter for needs of the different tourists’ background. This is the reason the place is frequented by people on business travel, tourists, travelling sports people/ enthusiasts and fresh residents who want to get a feel of San Francisco as they settle. The pricing is steep and intended to lure the upper middle class and the high income earners. Apparently, these are the people who can afford to tour the world and stand the seemingly exuberant prices. An average drink costs from a minimum of $5.5 and that would be plain coffee! A simple meal goes for a minimum of $16 a plate. An example would be Fried Quail, few spoons of hazelnut and minor accessories such as olive leaves. Otherwise, an average meal would stand at $30 and higher per person. This is a deterrent factor for the residents because they can manage to make more of the same in the comfort of their homes. This is maintained based on the frequency of tourists, holiday makers and other travelers who seek high quality meals for a brief period of time. The restaurant is located in the center of SoMa district, which is in the downtown area of San Francisco (Jensen and Parr 2). It is three streets accessing the markets to the northwest and the south. The east ends with the San Francisco bay, a major global tourist attraction. The panoramic city line view combines well with the picturesque views of the Bay Bridge to ensure a breathtaking environment (Michelin North America, Inc 242). This has made the area a popular venue in for the film industry screening sessions, major fashion events, glamorous music shows, museums and art exhibitions. Therefore, the stylish and luxury design of the Trace

Solution of Bottleneck problem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Solution of Bottleneck problem - Assignment Example However, there are always alternatives that can be embraced to avoid such ups and downs. These actions could even call for an evaluation of the entire process, and once a section that is responsible for the stagnation is established, one can always know what to do to correct it. Such a problem was encountered in one of the buildings, Annex Building entrance, and below is how the irregularity is contained effectively, after close examination of the problem. The doors to Annex building, used on daily basis by different people ranging from workers who have offices in the building, hundreds of teachers and students with classes there, and others wishing to access facilities such as library and food courts. This large number of people flocking into the building further bring into consideration the aspect of convenience which should be paramount for ensuring minimum time loss and for controling excessive crowding at the doors. As expected, the doors to this building should be easy and straightforward to use in order to ensure that there are no inconveniences that arise when anyone wishes to access the building. Though the process sound so simple theoretically (just grasping the handle, pulling/pushing the door open and proceeding through), it is cumbersome when practically done. Numerous factors cause people to halt interactions until they can get someone to ask for assistance. These factors include overcrowding, usability of the arm, people’s baggage loads, and cases when individuals with wheelchairs experience problems at the doors.

Look At Causal Comparative Research Psychology Essay

Look At Causal Comparative Research Psychology Essay Causal-comparative research design can be defined as a research that permits researchers to study naturally occurring, cause and effect relationship through comparison of data from participant groups who exhibit the variables of interest. Causal-comparative research can also be referred to as ex post facto, Latin for after the fact (Sowell, 2001). In other words, causal-comparative research can be studied in retrospect since it attempts to determine reasons or causes for the existing condition between or among groups of individuals. This research design is often found in the fields of education, medicine and social sciences. According to Sullivan (2001), The belief that there is order in the universe, that there are reasons why everything happens, and that scientists, using the procedures of science, can discover what those reasons are explains that researchers usually go on to examine the reasons why the observed pattern exist and what they suggest. For this reason, the basic element of causal-comparative approach involves starting with an effect and seeking for possible causes or vice versa. The basic approach, which involves starting with effects and investigating causes, is sometimes referred to as retrospective causal-comparative research. Retrospective causal-comparative studies are much more common in educational research. Meanwhile, the variation which starts with causes and investigates effects is called prospective causal-comparative research. The cause and effect relationships may influence how a problem is formulated and a research design developed. It can be said that the major purpose of causal-comparative research is to investigate potential cause-and-effect relationships that occur naturally without manipulation of variables. In this particular research design, researchers try to find the reasons why certain forms of behaviour occur. To formulate this research design it requires at least two variables namely independent and dependent variable to support the objective of the research. In this approach, it can be said that some independent variable (IV) is the factor, or one of several factors, that produces variation in a dependent variable (DV) (Sullivan, 2001). Consider, for instance a researcher formed 3 groups of preschoolers consist of those who never watched Sesame Street, those who watched it sometimes, and those who watched it frequently. The 3 groups were then tested by making comparison on a reading readines s test. Based on the mentioned case study, it shows that the independent variable affect the dependent variable. In this case, Sesame Street is the independent variable (IV) while the preschoolers reading performance is the dependent variable (DV). The Characteristics of Causal-comparative Research According to Babbie (2013), there are three main characteristics for causal-comparative. Firstly, to infer the existence of a cause and effect relationship, the causal-comparative research must demonstrate an association between the independent and dependent variable. Therefore, it involves two or more groups and one independent variable. In addition, it determines the cause or consequences of differences that already exists between or among groups of individuals. The groups are assigned to the treatments and the study is carried out. The individuals are not randomly assigned to treatment groups because they were already selected into groups before the research began. In this research, it can be said that cause and effect depends on each other, whereby the cause may precedes the effect or vice versa. It is important to note that the independent variables in causal-comparative cannot be manipulated, should not be manipulated, or simply not manipulated but could be manipulated because the independent variable has already occurred. Thus, it is not possible to manipulate the independent variable. Causal-comparative research requires the study to be non-spurious. In this context, non-spurious refers to a causal relationship between two variables. According to Babbie (2013), spurious relationship is a coincidental statistical correlation between two variables, shown to be caused by some third variable. However, in causal-comparative research, only two variables are required and not caused by the action of some third variable, therefore it is shown that causal-comparative research is non-spurious. There are two types of causes that contribute to this research design, namely necessary and sufficient causes. Generally, the term cause is assumed to mean something that produce an effect, result, or consequence. A necessary cause represents a condition that must be present for the effect to follow. For example, it is necessary for you to attend driving classes in order to get a driving license. However, by only attending driving classes is not a sufficient cause of getting a license. This is because it is required to pass the driving test to get the driving license. On the other hand, a sufficient cause represents a condition that, if it is present, guarantees the effect in question (Babbie, 2013). This is not to say that a sufficient cause is the only possible cause of a particular effect. Take the case of the driving test mentioned earlier; not attending the test would be a sufficient cause for failing it, though students could fail it in other ways as well. Thus, a cause can be sufficient, but not necessary. Design and Procedure The selection of the comparison groups is very important in causal-comparative procedure. Although the independent variable is not manipulated, there are control procedures that can be exercised to improve the interpretation of results. The researcher selects two groups of participants, the experimental and control groups, but more accurately referred to as comparison groups. These two groups may differ in two ways; whether one group possesses a characteristic that the other does not or each group has the characteristic, but they differ in terms of degrees and amounts. The independent variable differentiating the groups must be clearly and operationally defined, since each group represents a different population. In designing this research, the random sample is selected from two already existing populations, and not from a single population. A causal-comparative design is chosen, for example, when researchers want to study the possible influences of Montessori school enrolment on childrens mathematical ability. Researchers locate a population in which several levels of mathematical ability are known to exist and then select a sample of participants. The researchers collect data from all participants on measures of mathematical ability and school enrolment. Once they have collected their data, researchers decide how many levels of mathematical ability they wish to study. In this case, suppose the researchers want two groups. They could classify the participants scores accordingly from highest to lowest, and then locate the middle score of the list. All those participants whose measures are above the middle score are designated as high mathematical ability and those below it, low mathematical ability. Next, the researchers compare task performance scores in each group to see whether Montessori school enrolment appears to influence task performance. There are three possibilities that could emerge from the study. Montessori school children have higher scores than non-Montessori school children. Montessori school children have lower scores than non-Montessori school children. No discernible pattern shows in the scores of Montessori and non-Montessori school children. This shows that each statement suggests a possible relationship between the two variables which are Montessori school enrolment and the childrens mathematical ability. Measurement of second variable Group B Group A Measurement of first variable determines group placements of participants Participant selection Generalized example Montessori school children Participant selection Measurement of mathematical ability Measurement of Montessori school enrolment Non-Montessori school children Example of school enrolment and mathematical ability FIGURE 1: Procedures in causal-comparative designs. 3.1 Control Procedures In other study design, random assignment of participants to groups is probably the best way to try to ensure equality of groups, but random assignment is not possible in causal comparative studies because the groups are naturally formed before the start of the study. There is a possibility to have extraneous variable in a causal comparative research that may affect the overall purpose of the study. Thus, control techniques are used to compare the sample groups equally. There are three common control techniques that can be used, namely matching, comparing homogenous groups or subgroups and analysis of covariance. Matching can be defined as a technique for equating groups on one or more variables. If researchers identify a variable likely to influence performance on the dependent variable, they may control for that variable by pair-wise matching of participants. In other words, for each participant in one group, the researcher finds a participant in the other group with the same or very similar score on the control variable. If a participant in other group does not have a suitable match, the participant is eliminated from the study. Thus, the resulting match groups are identical or very similar with respect to the identified extraneous variable. Another way to control extraneous variable is to compare groups that are homogenous with respect to the extraneous variable. The more similar the two groups are on such variables, the more homogenous they are on everything but the variable of interest. This homogeneity makes a stronger study and reduces the number of possible alternative, explanations of the research findings. Not surprisingly, then, a number of control procedures correct for identified in equalities on such variables. This approach also permits the researcher to determine whether the target grouping variable affects the dependent variable differently at different levels of control variable. That is, the researcher can examine whether the effect on the dependent variable is different for each subgroup. Analysis of covariance is a statistical technique used to adjust initial group differences on variables used in causal comparative and experimental studies. In essence, analysis of covariance adjusts scores on a dependent variable for initial differences on some other variable related to performance on the dependent variable. Analysis of covariance statistically adjusts the scores of the group to remove the initial advantage so that at the end of the study, the results can be fairly compared, as if the two groups started equally. 4. Data Analysis and Interpretation Analysis of data in causal-comparative research involves a variety of descriptive and inferential statistics. The most commonly used descriptive statistics are mean and standard deviation. Mean indicates the average performance of a group on some measure of a variable. Standard deviation is a measure of the dispersion of a set of data from its mean. The more spread apart the data, the higher the deviation. Standard deviation is calculated as the square root of variance. The most commonly used inferential statistics are t tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi square. T tests are used to determine whether the means of two groups are statistically different from one another. ANOVA is used to determine if there is significant difference among the means of three or more groups. Babbie (2013) defined chi square as a frequently used test of significance in social science. In other words chi square tests are used to determine whether there is an association between two or more categories. Chi square test explains that observed frequencies of the items or events in categories are compared with expected frequencies. Similarities and Differences between Related Research Designs Causal-comparative versus Correlational Research It is better to know that the major purpose of correlational research is to determine the magnitude and direction of associations or relationships among variables. Even with different purpose, correlational research is sometimes confused with causal-comparative since both lack manipulation of variables and requires caution in interpreting results. In addition, both researches seek to explore relationships among variables, and when relationships are identified, both research designs are often studied at a later time by means of experimental research. However, causal-comparative and correlational research still can be differentiated. Compared to correlational research, causal-comparative compare two or more groups of subjects, whereas correlational research only focus on one group. In addition, correlational research has no attempts to understand cause and effect whereas; causal-comparative studies purpose is to identify the cause and effect relationships between the variables. Apart from that, correlational research involves two or more variables and one group while causal-comparative involves two or more groups and one independent variable. Causal-comparative versus Experimental Design Causal-comparative can also be confused with experimental research both attempt to establish cause-effect relationships between variables and both involve group comparisons. In addition, both causal-comparative and experimental research can test hypotheses concerning the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable. The difference between the two researches is that in causal-comparative, the individuals are already in groups before study begins, whereas in experimental design, individuals are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. Moreover, the random sample studies for causal-comparative is selected from two already-existing populations, while in experimental research, the random sample is selected from only one population. The researcher in experimental research manipulates the independent variable; that is, the researcher determines who is going to get what treatment. In contrast, in causal-comparative research, individuals are not randomly assigned to treatment groups because they are in established groups before the research begins. The example for the established group can be male or female, college graduates or non-graduates. In causal-comparative research the groups are already formed and already differ in terms of the key variable in question. In other words, the independent variable in experimental research can be manipulated by the researcher to determine the researchs effect, whereas the independent variable in causal-comparative cannot be manipulated since the independent variable has already occurred. Advantages of Causal-Comparative Research Like other research designs, causal-comparative research has its strength and weaknesses. One of the strengths is that the causes are being studied after they presumably have applied their effect on another variable. The researchers might administer a questionnaire to study the causes or they can also do interviews and observation to find the cause or effect related to their research. For example, a researcher may hypothesize that participant in preschool education is the major factor contributing to differences in the social adjustment of first graders. To examine this hypothesis, the researcher would select a sample of first graders who had participated in pre-school education and a sample of first graders who had not and would then compare the social adjustment of the two groups. If the children who participated in pre-school education exhibited the higher level of social adjustment, the researchers hypothesis would be supported. Thus, the basic causal-comparative approach involve starting with an effect (i.e., social adjustment) and seeking possible causes (i.e., did pre-school affect it). Another advantage of causal-comparative research method is that it allows us to study cause-and-effect relationships under conditions where experimental manipulation is difficult or impossible. Unlike experimental research, the variable in causal comparative research is not manipulated because it has already occurred. For example, a researcher might be interested in determining the effect of poor parenting on the issue of juvenile delinquency. Clearly it would not be ethical to approach the parents and ask about how they raise their children because it is too personal to discuss family issues to an outsider. Thus, causal comparative research permits investigation on a number of variables that cannot be studied experimentally. In addition, causal-comparative studies help to identify variables worthy of experimental investigation. In fact, causal comparative studies are conducted solely to identify the probable outcome of an experimental study. In other words, many relationships can be studied in a single research study. Suppose for example, a researcher were considering implementing computer assisted language learning in the school system. Before implementing the mentioned program, the researcher might consider trying it out on an experimental basis for a year in a number of schools or classrooms. However, even such limited adoption would require costly new equipment and teacher training. Thus, as a preliminary measure, to inform the decision, the researcher could conduct a causal comparative study to compare the English language achievement of students in school who are currently using the instruction with the English language achievement who are not using it. If the results indicated that the students le arning through computer assisted language learning instruction were achieving higher scores, the researcher would probably decide to go ahead with an experimental tryout of computer assisted language learning instruction. If no differences were found, the researcher would probably not go ahead with the experimental tryout to save time, cost and effort. Disadvantages of Causal-Comparative Research Despite its many advantages, causal comparative research has some serious limitations to be caution of. In causal comparative research, the researcher has limited control over the study and extreme caution must be applied in interpreting results. This is because the groups are already formed at the beginning of the study. An apparent cause-effect relation may not be as it appears. The alleged cause of an observed effect may in fact be the effect itself, or, a third variable may have caused both the apparent cause and the effect. In other words, an observed relationship between variable A and B can mean that A causes B, B causes B, or a third variable C causes both A and B. A causes C causes B A B causes B B causes Figure 2: Relationships of variables For example, suppose a researcher hypothesized that enrolment to preschool is a determinant of reading achievement. The researcher would compare the achievement of two groups, one comprising individuals with children who went to preschool and children who did not go to preschool. If those who went to preschool performed better on reading measures, the researcher could be tempted to conclude that going to preschool influences reading achievement. However, this conclusion would be groundless. Because the participants arrived at the beginning of the study with an established group of children who went to preschool and children who did not, and an established level of reading achievement, it is not possible to determine which came first and which influence the other. Moreover, it is very plausible that some third variable, such as parental attitude, is the main influence on both reading achievement and pre-schooling. For example, parents who sent their children to preschool and encourage their children may have children who have higher reading achievement. Analysis of Studies Using Causal-comparative Research Design One of the major findings within the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research is the different rates of success with which children and adults achieve nativelike proficiency in a second language (L2).() It is also common in SLA studies that mostly L2 learners do not attain nativelike proficiency because of their first language maintenance. In a research report entitled Does first language maintenance hamper nativelikeness in a second language? by Bylund, Abrahamsson and Hyltensam of Stockholm University, they aim to address the role of L1 proficiency in L2 attainment. In this study, the researchers hypothesized that the second language learners do not attain nativelike proficiency because of their first language maintenance. It is recognized that the independent variable in this research is the first language maintenance, whereas, the dependent variable is the nativelikeness in a second language. It shows that there is clearly an association between the two variables since the independent variable (IV), which is the first language maintenance might probably affect the dependent variable, which is the second language. To examine the hypothesis, the researchers select a sample population consists of Spanish-speaking immigrant community in Sweden, where residents of Chilean origin are in the community. 30 L1 Spanish-and L2 Swedish residents participated in the study where they acquire their second language before the age of twelve. The bilinguals came from countries throughout Latin America with a specific concentration in Chile. The participants were either university students or degree-holder. A common denominator of the participants was that they exhibited a generally high level of L2 proficiency. For the second group, fifteen native speakers of Spanish and fifteen native speakers of Swedish were recruited as monolingual controls. The researchers choose small sample populations to represent the study populations. The control groups were matched to the bilingual participants by educational level. In the process of matching the variables and groups, it can be said that pure monolingualism was not a criterion for participation, and the majority of the participants had foreign language skills such as English language. In addition, none of the control participants had lived abroad for any significant length of time in a setting in which their foreign language skills could be practiced. These two groups will be referred to as Spanish-speaking control and Swedish-speaking controls participants. Bilingual participants were tested individually in each language on two different occasions. The bilinguals and the Swedish-speaking controls were tested in the same setting and instructors and the Spanish-speaking controls were tested in another setting with another instructor. The language proficiency of the participants were investigated by piloting a grammaticality judgment test (GJT) to find out about the samples grammatical intuition. Furthermore, in order to measure the participants semantic and grammatical inferencing skills, a cloze test was piloted to all participants.

Candide :: essays research papers

Candide is a humorous, far-fetched tale by Voltaire satirizing the optimism accepted by the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. Candide looks for true happiness, and his ultimate acceptance of life’s disappointments. He grew up in the Castle of Westphalia and was taught by the greatest philosopher of the province and the whole world, Dr. Pangloss. Dr. Pangloss taught Candide that everything that happens is for the best. Candide is exiled from the castle because of his love for the Baron’s daughter, Cunegonde. He then sets out to different places in the hope of finding her and achieving total happiness. Candide knew thought he knew that everything happened for the best because the greatest philosopher taught him that, but everyone around him did not accept that theory. Voltaire refused to believe that what happens is always for the best. Voltaire shows the primary concerns during the period of Enlightenment, but also criticizes certain aspects of the movement. He attacks the idea that good prevails over evil because he believes that human beings perpetrate evil. He laughs at Candide for believing all the corruption that is occurring and religious intolerance. Eldorado a town worshipped by one god, and "all were priests" was not explainable to Candide. The townspeople did not pray because they had all they wanted, but they did sing hymns of thanks. Candide learned that neither law courts nor prisons were needed for these happy, law-abiding people. He was surprised that a society lived by worshipping one god, and everyone abided by the laws. The Eldorado people related to God just by being thankful for everything that they had. A King or leader did not dictate that they must follow a certain religion, or pray to God, but yet they still believed in God. For example, the states of the Holy Roman Empire were always being told by Kings, and leaders which religion they must practice, and tried to ban different religions that they didn’t believe in. Candide was amazed by how generous people were to invite them into there house to eat, and took care of Cacambo, and him. To Voltaire this was an ideal world, but it seemed as if it w as to perfect and he knew that it could never exist. After Candide and Pangloss reunited, and traveled to Lisbon a earthquake occurred.

Defining Marriage

Defining Marriage Words are a part of everyday life. Without them people would have a very hard time conveying a message or showing their feelings to the people around them. Words also provide the groundwork on how we interpret what is expectable and what is not. Although only eight letters, the word marriage carries a lot of meaning for millions of people across the world. Depending on who ask, they might also have a definition of what they think marriage means. I myself define a marriage as a formal relationship between a man and a woman that last until death.The Merriam Webster dictionary on the other hand would define marriage as â€Å"the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. † On the other hand, thousands of men and women are set out to redefine marriage to also include same sex relationships as well. For myself and I’m sure millions of others across the world they do not think that a simple definition can confine someone from living in a regular recognized marriage like everyone else.How we define a particular word can have lasting effects and for the gay and lesbian community restricting them from the same basic rights that everyday couples take advantage of. In this exploratory essay I am dedicated to exploring the contested term â€Å"marriage† between the gay and lesbian community and many other people that have their own definition of marriage as well. Because the age we live in now, the commonly accepted definition of marriage between a man and a woman is keeping tens of thousands of same-sex couples by being federally recognized in a union.So what is marriage and why does it matter how people define it? I first started with Peter Pothan who wrote an article called â€Å"The Christian Concept of Marriage†. Pothan is a theological teacher and is currently the Assistant Director of the Distance Learning Department of Souther n Asia Bible College in Bangalore. He wastes no time clearly stating that he gets the definition of marriage from the bible. By referencing different parts of the Bible he is able to define what a Christian Marriage is and additional context as well. The first section that he references from the Bible is in Genesis 2:24.It states, â€Å"Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. † By this Pathan concludes that a Marriage is between one man and one woman. Although he breaks the verse down into four parts, for this exploratory essay I want to focus the marriage portion on which I am better trying to understand. During Gods initial creation he only created one wife for Adam. Pothan uses this as a backbone that it is not only a relationship between a man and a woman, but it is also a monogamous relationship that must be maintained as well.Additionally, he uses biblical context to further go to say that marriage is only per manent as long as life last. Overall, Peter Pothan does not try to impose this Christian definition of marriage onto anyone, but merely uses evidence from the Bible to extract the definition of marriage. Several times during the article he consistently uses the Christian definition of marriage evoking that he is clearly not trying to impose a singular definition for the word. As a Christian myself I did find how he defined marriage very persuasive.He put very little opinion into interpreting what the Bible was saying and just tried to state the facts. I feel that most Christians would have a hard time disagreeing with what Pothan has to say. I also like he was not trying to impose the definition on anyone. Several times throughout the article he consistently use â€Å"Christian Marriage†. By this I felt that he clearly recognized that there is a dispute between what the definition of marriage truly is. On the other hand, I can also see one big hole is this definition. Althoug h the Bible is very widely used and accepted across the world not everyone is a Christian.Many of those who are not of the Christians faith can easily discredit this definition. Just like many words over time they can slowly evolve and continue to mean more things. It would only make sense to some that the definition of marriage would do the same as well. Many gays and lesbians would also clearly have a hard time accepting this as a definition of marriage. To them this would imply that they are not capable of leaving their mothers and fathers and cleaving to their partner. Overall, I am still very much caught in the crossfire of what marriage should or should not include.By going with the Christian definition of marriage I am essentially supporting the idea of taking away freedoms that many same-sex couple are not able to enjoy like regular couples. This I have a hard time accepting. My next article, â€Å"GOP’s Rob Portman announces support for same-sex marriage† by M atthew DeLuca is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it views the definition of marriage. Matthey Deluca, a writer for NBC News writes about Rob Portman’s view on marriage. The Ohio Senator Portman’s once hard stance that marriage is defined as a between a man and a women now has a change of views.At one point he even supported the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, which limits marriage specifically to one man and one woman. In this article, the Ohio Senator states that â€Å"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married. † He describes his change of views based on his 21-year-old son. In a talk with his son in 2011, his son, Will, told his father that he was gay.Portman not only said that his change of heart was due to his son, but also his Christian faith. He says the message of love and c ompassion from the Bible is also what swayed him to change his mind on this particular issue. This article shows how the definition of marriage can be based on equal rights that many feel everyone should have. As a result, the definition of marriage would have to be extended. Looking at this article, I feel somewhat drawn into Senator Portman’s view of marriage and how the definition should evolve to reflect the culture of America.It is more than just about a definition, but a way to make everyone equal under the law. With the way marriage is right now that is not possible. Same-sex couples that want to take the next step to a recognized marriage are not given the same rights that others couples receive. Portman, a Christian like myself, did choose to take a different angle on how he looks at the Bible. That just goes to show that there are people that are Christians that also support same-sex marriages and essentially want to change the definition of marriage to reflect a gr eater assortment of couples wanted to seek a civil union.Although I do understand where Senator is coming from I can’t say I fully agree that you can just change the definition of a word because of personal experience that was experienced. My last source I chose was an article called â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage and Equality† by Reginald William. This scholarly source was published on December 21, 2010. Williams is an affiliate of Bakersfield College that contests the views that many have that same-sex marriage is not an equal rights issue. I came across this article using the University of Oklahoma online library.William talks about several individuals and their views in particular that same-sex marriage is a not an equality issue. He describes that many claim this because both heterosexuals and homosexuals are not allowed to get married to the same gender. They are on the other hand â€Å"both† allowed to marry someone of the opposite sex. Williams describes this i dea as a basis for many that say this is not an equality issue. William on the other hand disagrees and fully thinks this is still very much about the lack of equality and supports same-sex marriage.Throughout his article he goes into painstaking detail to support his claim. In short, he says although the same rights are available to everyone, the rights available are only truly for heterosexuals couples. Although his claim is somewhat hard to grasp, I feel he overall makes some very important points that support the fact that there is a lack a social equality for same-sex couples. The question that is of real concern though is should this constitute us to redefine the term marriage so that same-sex couples can get married and be federally recognized.I have definitely learned that the definition of marriage matters greatly to the people you ask and it is more than a word that is used in a sentence. It not only has a strong definition that lasted through time, but as of right now is keeping many same-sex couples from being able to be apart of a civil union recognized by our government. Reviewing all of these sources and really letting the point the writers have sink in has made me consider many thoughts that I have not considered before.Although I do strongly believe that the definition of marriage should not change, I do feel that the people affected by the definition of marriage, such as same-sex couples, should have the same rights as a regular marriage if they choose. To me this is not about definitions at all by equal rights. Although I am sure many same-sex couples would like to be included in the definition of marriage, what they really want is to have the same benefits in their relationship as a heterosexual couple does.Even though many states have already started this journey for same-sex couples they are still far from putting them on the same playing field as a traditional definition of marriage and the rights they receive at the federal level. Work Cited Williams, Reginald. â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage and Equality. † Ethical Theory and Moral Practice14. 5 (2011): 589-95. Web. DeLuca, Matthew. â€Å"GOP's Rob Portman Announces Support for Same-sex Marriage. † NBCNews. N. p. , 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. Pothan, Peters S. â€Å"The Christian Concept of Marriage. † 2miles. org. N. p. , Sept. 2009. Web. 21Mar. 2013.

Tolerance and Truth in America

Tolerance and Truth in America The heritage of the United States of America is founded predominantly upon a belief in God. This is evident in the ancient laws which clearly integrated a lot of religious beliefs especially in matters concerning morality. The country’s currency, the dollar, bears the religious inscription â€Å"In God we trust†.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Tolerance and Truth in America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More During the founding of the United States of America, the Catholic faith seemed to be the predominant religion in the country. This Christian faith was not necessarily imposed on anyone but was recognized as the true religion hence used as a basis for most of American moral law. Over the centuries numerous faith denominations have emerged, each convinced that theirs is the true religion. The ongoing truth and tolerance debate in America arose as a result of the emerging religions and faiths that all b elieved and claimed to have the truth. Edward Kennedy, a believer in the Christian faith, strongly advocated for tolerance especially amongst Christians. He began his popular speech on truth and tolerance by confessing his faith in God and his belief in Jesus Christ. He went on to admit that he did not presume that his religion and faith were not necessarily perfect. He acknowledged that irrespective of how much he believed in truth, no religion could claim a monopoly of it. He acknowledged that pluralism does not mean that all the religions are right, but it does mean that there are areas in which government should not decide what is wrong or right for the people to think or believe. In cases of sensitive issues such as abortion, Kennedy considered it transgression for any religion to require the government to legislate on what the citizens ought to do with such personal parts of their lives. This, to him, was an act of intolerance for other religions and beliefs. He however had no thing against spreading one’s faith except that it is to be done through an appeal to individuals’ consciences and not through coercion of the power of State. Therefore, tolerance does not require that religions and faith do not express their views but that no religion should impose its will on the State or on any governing body. In this way, the church and the State will be kept peacefully separate. The reasons for drawing this line included respect for the integrity of religion and the independent judgment of conscience. According to Edward Kennedy, an example of intolerance had been the election period in 1976. Some people hinted that Jimmy Carter ought not to be elected president of the United States of America because he was a born again Christian. This, to him, was unacceptable because it is wrong to judge a person’s fitness to govern based on their religion or whom they worshiped.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help y ou! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This was a persuasive argument and made a lot of sense because every person had their own beliefs and values. Tolerance, therefore, would have the people not basing their judgment and credibility upon their religious beliefs. In conclusion, it is essential to respect the motives of those who readily and openly disagree with the State and question the public’s integrity. Sometimes questioning each other’s integrity is a sign of looking out for each other and however much we are not obligated to agree with skeptics it is important to genuinely listen to them and consider their whatever point they are trying to put across. Scholars have argued that tolerance implies contentment with not knowing the truth. When truth is made relative then its meaning is lost. It is important to respect and tolerate people with differing points of view and beliefs. This, however, should not deter citizens from earnestly seekin g the truth even when it means being shaken out of their comfort zones which, in this case, may be the different religions.

Max Weber and Bureaucracy Essay Example

Max Weber and Bureaucracy Essay Example Max Weber and Bureaucracy Essay Max Weber and Bureaucracy Essay Max Weber is one of the foremost social historians and political economists of the 20th century and is considered to be one of the main architects of modern social science. [Stanford,2012] He was born in Refuter ,Prussia (now Germany) and lived from 1864 to In late sass companies and organizations were getting larger and more complex everyday and they were devising large specialized units within them thus managing these organizations was hard. Weber suggested that they would need to adopt a new way of administration and also a more efficient ay of hiring people in order to allocate them to specific roles according to their expertise and knowledge. Thus he devised a new theory based on bureaucracy. Bureaucracy simply states that people should be expected to follow certain rules and procedures rather than their personal preferences in order to bring order to managerial systems and to simplify the task of managing large corporations. It also explains that the best way to choose people for certain roles is based on their knowledge, as mentioned by Weber in his book Economy and Society : bureaucratic administration means fundamentally domination through knowledge. [Seedbeds, 2005] Weepers theory of bureaucracy is one of the most famous parts of his ideology. He believed that bureaucracy is the most efficient way of organizing human activity and is essential to the modern world : Experience tends to show that the purely bureaucratic type of administration is, from a purely technical point of view, capable of attaining the highest degree of efficiency and is the most rational known means of carrying out imperative control over human beings. [Denary,2010] A bureaucratic yester has some defined features: 1- Certain Rules: It has certain rules and regulations and people in the system are expected to follow in order to have stability. Hierarchical Structure: It is organized as a hierarchy with people having different levels of authority. 3- Documentation: Undertaking actions should be based on written documents and all the documents should be kept for further use or reference. 4- Rationality: Officials and managers within the system should devote their logic and scientific knowledge to the decisions they make so that all the objectives can b e achieved at the end. Defined Roles: There are specialized and defined roles in the system so that division of labor is in place. Specialization: Special training is required for individuals in order to allocate them to appropriate roles which suit their abilities and expertise. This theory is essentially based on ratification of tasks and a hierarchy that will consequently result in more stability and control as people within a bureaucratic system will become committed to the system. The reason behind it is that they can see a predictable way to higher levels of the hierarchy over time. It also requires rigorous documentation. Therefore, we can conclude it is an internal process model in the Quinn Competing Values framework which sets consolidation and continuity as final targets for the managerial system which adopts it. Although Weber suggested the theory of bureaucracy as the most efficient way of organizing people for achieving set goals, but he also warned that bureaucracy can impose a threat to practitioners and politicians. There has since been a long discussion regarding the efficiency and downsides of bureaucracy theory. Some people argue that reassurance comes in the way of creativity, hinders motivation and results in people being dissatisfied with their roles. Others, on the other hand, say that it brings fairness and certainty to the workplace, makes work more effective and gives people motivation to work harder. Adler and Boors (1996) studied workflow formalization of bureaucracy in companies such as Ford, Toyota and Xerox in order to find a fair answer to the effectiveness of bureaucracy theory. They concluded that there can be 2 types of bureaucracy depending on how it is maintained: 1- Enabling: it is signed by the help of employees and is set to enable employees to master their tasks thus it can be positive and motivating for people 2- Coercive: it is forced onto employees by their managers in order to make them work harder and more efficiently but it results in people being unhappy with what they do and has negative effects [Body,2012] Nowadays many businesses (such as retail banks, airlines, etc. , government departments and healthcare organizations are structured on the basis of bureaucracy to some extent, although there are differences between what we see in reactive today and what Weber had in mind. It is interesting to see how Weber addressed a usual office as we are familiar with today: The combination of written documents and a continuous operation by officials constitutes the office (Bureau) which is the central focus of all the types of modern organized action. [Seedbeds, 2005] Overall bureaucracy has both advantages and disadvantages and is not a perfect model for managing people but if it is used in an appropriate way it can be of great help to bring order and consolidation to the managerial system.

Forum 6 - Chapters 11, 12 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Forum 6 - Chapters 11, 12 - Assignment Example It is the effort within agencies and individual executive departments that ensure the Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs) are carried out even during emergencies. The PMEFs should also be executed during accidents, localized acts of nature, as well as, technologically attack-related occurrences. The government has partnerships with players in the private sectors and non-federal government bodies that play crucial roles in maintaining homeland security. COOP also aims at protecting essential records, equipment, and facilities. The planning gives the opportunity to transfer statutory responsibilities and authority from the primary staff to employees in other agencies. Situational awareness is an important skill when it comes to port safety. Deploying competitive units at the ports ensures that the security forces and the nation at large stay aware of the surroundings. It ensures that the security environment at seaports is certain by undertaking comprehensive assessments of vulnerabilities and threats. Situational readiness establishes strategies to minimize and avert adverse impacts that are associated with emergencies. It facilitates port safety by means of immediate and active responses (GOA 2002). Technology in port facility plays a crucial role in securing critical infrastructure that is vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Lack of the technological systems would have debilitating impacts on all forms all national security. The technology also aids in scanning of shipping containers and cargo for drugs and nuclear threats (GOA 2012). GAO. (2012) Maritime Security: Progress and Challenges 10 Years after the Maritime Transportation Security Act. General Accounting Office. Retrieved from http://www.gao.gov/assets/650/647999.pdf on June 10, 2015 GAO (2002) Combating Terrorism: Actions Needed to Improve Force Protection for DOD Deployments through Domestic Seaports. General

Calculate a puzzle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Calculate a puzzle - Essay Example Hence, dynamic search function and control optimization are major primitives to construct search utilities for stochastic system processes to ensure converged resource accesses. This research focuses on optimization of general search solution methods and proposes a formal search utility framework, algorithms rooted from Reinforcement Learning (RL) and Dynamic Programming (DP) techniques. To reduce space complexity within large dimension search spaces, a memoryless2 Q learning is augmented with self-organized index structure and algorithms for exact state-action value function mapping to optimize search procedures for optimal policies. Data parallelization is ensured with this paged based index value mapping function. Hence, time complexity is reduced with threaded search parallelism. Convergence analysis and error estimation are presented for numeric and information evaluation. Finally, simulation and learning results are presented and discussed. For search strategies in the settings of problem solving and reasoning, search problem formulation represents many combinatorial optimization problems of search approximation with action control optimization. All aspects of search task environment represent various classes of applications, such as routing, scheduling, speech recognition, scene analysis and intrusion detection pattern matching. By given a directional graph G with distinguished starting state Sstart and a set of goal

Appendix c polynomials Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Appendix c polynomials - Assignment Example A demand equation (sometimes called a demand curve) shows how much money people would pay for a product depending on how much of that product is available on the open market. Often, the demand equation is found empirically (through experiment, or market research). a. Suppose a market research company finds that at a price of p = $20, they would sell x = 42 tiles each month. If they lower the price to p = $10, then more people would purchase the tile, and they can expect to sell x = 52 tiles in a month’s time. Find the equation of the line for the demand equation. Write your answer in the form p = mx + b. Hint: Write an equation using two points in the form (x,p). A company’s revenue is the amount of money that comes in from sales, before business costs are subtracted. For a single product, you can find the revenue by multiplying the quantity of the product sold, x, by the demand equation, p. The costs of doing business for a company can be found by adding fixed costs, such as rent, insurance, and wages, and variable costs, which are the costs to purchase the product you are selling. The portion of the company’s fixed costs allotted to this product is $300, and the supplier’s cost for a set of tile is $6 each. Let x represent the number of tile sets. 4. A customer wants to make a teepee in his backyard for his children. He plans to use lengths of PVC plumbing pipe for the supports on the teepee, and he wants the teepee to be 12 feet across and 8 feet tall (see figure). How long should the pieces of PVC plumbing pipe

A Brothers Love Essay Example for Free

A Brothers Love Essay When you compare Louis Erdrichs story The Red Convertible and James Baldwins story Sonnys Blues, they seem like completely different stories. The Red Convertible is about two brothers, Lyman and Henry, who grow up on a Native American reservation in North Dakota. The two brothers share a strong bond that is personified through their love for a certain red car that they share. They go through an amazing Journey and discover a lot about each other. On the other hand, Sonnys Blues is also about two brothers, however their Journey goes a completely different oute than Lyman and Henrys. In Sonnys Blues, the narrator and his little brother, Sonny, start out as distant and forgotten family members. Through Sonnys love for music, and his older brothers gradual acceptance, the two grow a stronger bond than ever before. Although the two are indeed about different topics, there are some parallels to recognize as well. The Red Convertible and Sonnys Blues are alike for many reasons, but the most prominent similarity is the theme of brotherhood. For instance, in Sonnys Blues, the dynamic between the two brothers changes from eing completely distant to finally understanding each other, despite their differences. The growth of a relationship is an important factor in true brotherhood. An example of the two brothers taking a step in the right direction is when they meet after Sonny is let out of prison. It has been a while since they have spoken last, and the older brother narrates, miet, when he smiled, when we shook hands, the baby brother Id never known looked out from the depths of his private life, like an animal waiting to be coaxed into the light. (Baldwin, 312) The other brother is realizing that e has never really known his baby brother because his true self was always buried beneath the mask of his drug addiction. We can see here that the other brother is seeing that Sonny is trying to let himself into the light, or trying to finally get himself to a better place in life. The turning point in the story where Sonnys love for music gets truly understood by his brother, is at the end of the story when he is playing his gig. The older brother states, For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isnt any other tale to tell, its the only light weve got in all this darkness. (Baldwin, 324) This statement by Sonnys older brother shows that he has finally opened up his heart to accept that his little brother is getting better and expressing himself through music. Like in Sonnys Blues, Henry and Lyman go through a similar Journey in The Red Convertible, where they discover their own Journey through brotherhood. Unlike Sonnys progression of his relationship with his brother, Henry and Lymans relationship starts out ver y strong but dies out in the end. Although the two stories have different outcomes, the core theme of brotherhood is the same. In The Red Convertible, Henry and Lyman are best friends, and spend every moment hanging out with each other. They are inseparable, until Henrys decision to Join the army for three years tears them apart. When Henry returns, Lyman is concerned as he remembers the times wed sat still for the whole afternoon, Henry always had a Joke, then, too, and now you couldnt get him to laugh (Erdrich, 74). Lyman is realizing that his brother nas changed and is disassociated wit n his tormer selt. Lyman is pain stricken because the strength of their brotherhood was slipping through his fingers. Overall, both stories express the motivation and strength that a brotherhood can give. Despite their similarities in overall theme, the two stories are different regarding the symbols that connect the brothers. In Sonnys Blues, the factor that allowed Sonny and his brother to break the barrier between them was his music. Living in Harlem, there isnt many ways to express yourself or let yourself be heard, so music was an escape. Through Sonnys infatuation with music, his brother was able o see beyond his drug addiction and begin to start the re-birth of their relationship. At the end of the story, Sonnys brother was watching him play, But Just before they started playing again, Sonny sipped from it and looked toward me, and nodded (Baldwin, 326). At this point, it is as if Sonnys brother accepted him through the music and finally feels that connection that only brothers can share. Music is a central symbol in Sonnys Blues and creates a stepping stone for the two brothers relationship to grow. On the other hand, we have The Red Convertible, which has a uch different object that directs the story. In The Red Convertible, Henry and Lymans relationship is driven by their love for their red car they had bought together. The red flashy car resembles the boys resilient and carefree view on life, and the strength of the bond they shared in the beginning of the story. However, after Henry returns from Vietnam, he is a changed man and according to Lyman, The change was no good. (Erdrich, 72) Lyman hopes that the car might bring the old Henry back somehow (Erdrich, 75), but is let down when Henry shows no interest in he car. Ironically, Henry ends up destroying the car which, symbolically, destroys the relationship between the two brothers as well. Like the music in Sonnys Blues, the red car in The Red Convertible was a symbol for the change in the brothers relationship. The relationship between two brothers can be transitive, whether it starts distant and grow close like in Sonnys Blues, or the other way around as we saw in The Red Convertible. While each story may have different symbols and storylines, we still see the theme of both the true nature of brotherhood.

Persuasive Speech: Solar Power -- Persuasive Speech

Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade my audience that that solar power should become the main form of alternative energy in the Unites States. Introduction: Attention Getter: Let’s look ahead fifty years and see what the world is like. Imagine a world that is in total war with no end in sight. The cause behind this war is simple, oil. Everyone is fighting over those last few reserves of oil. How can this future be prevented? The answer is solar power. Claim: Solar power has the potential to become the United States main supply of energy and replace are needs for more conventional and harmful forms of power generation. Significance: The United States must face the fact that the world is running out of oil and with today’s rising oil prices, economic and political instability in regions where the United States gets the majority of its oil, this country must begin looking into alternative means of energy to replace oil and end our dependence on foreign powers. Preview: Today I will discuss the potential that solar power has to become this country’s main supply of energy and the latest research that can make solar power more efficient and cost effective. I will also present the environmental benefits that come with using solar power over other and more harmful forms of energy. Body: I. With the world’s supply of oil running dry the Unites States must begin looking into new sources of energy, and the most promising is solar power. A. Scientists predict that in the next several decades the world will run out of oil. According to the article How Fast is the World Running out of Crude Oil by Umut Newbury accessed from the EBSCO Host database states that â€Å"world oil production o... ... must be universally adopted, and solar power is the key to unlocking that bright future. Works Cited Clayton, Mark. "The Cost of Solar Energy Will Soon Compare with the Cost of Coal." Coal (2011). Print. 18 November 2014. David, Leonard. "Proposed Satellite Would Beam Solar Power to Earth." 6 April 2012. Space.com. Website. 18 November 2014. Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc. EMISSIONS OF HAZERDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS FROM COAL- FIRED POWER PLANTS. Environmental Report. Needham, 2011. Print. 18 November 2014. Hamer, Glenn. "Solar Power Can Help Fuel the Future." Energy Alternatives (2006). Print. 19 November 2014. Newbury, Umut. "How Fast is the World Running out of Crude Oil." Mother Earth News October 2004: 28. 18 November 2014. Rotman, David. "Finding a Solar Solution." Technology Review 2 (2012): 48-51. Print. 22 November 2014.

Planning: A Key Factor in the Success of a Business

Planning is a key factor in the success of any business, and conversely, the failure to plan adequately is one of the fastest routes to business failure. There are many considerations that an entrepreneur must decide such as: type of business, legal structure, permits and licenses, market planning, business plan, location, organization management planning, business telephone line, mission statement, and a business checking account. There are many sources of information to help to start a business in an organized way, such as a business plan from the office of Economic Development & Planning located in the County Office Building, or books in that can be found in any library. The first decision that the entrepreneur must make is what type of business he/she wants to start. The decision should be based on the amount of knowledge and skill that they have in the field that they are considering. The better that they know the industry, the stronger there likelihood they will have a successful business, and the better base they will have for the rest of the decisions that will have to be made in the time to come. The next important decision in the business planning process is the legal structure of the company. The three legal structures are Sole-proprietorship, Partnership and a Corporation. Each one of these legal structures has its advantages and disadvantages. The different aspects that each legal structure differs are: management control, capital, liability, income taxes, business continuity, and government regulations. The understanding of these different issues is crucial to the decision of which structure is the best one for the entrepreneurs business. Be sure to consult an attorney before making this decision. In a sole-proprietorship, the owner retains total control of all the decisions that need to be made. The ability to raise capital is limited by the financial resources and the credit worthiness of the individual owner. The owner has the ultimate liability for all the actions and debts of the business. A sole-proprietorship is not a separate taxable entity. The individual owner reports business revenue, expenses and net income (or loss) on his/her individual tax return (form 1040). The business ends with death of owner unless previously sold or transferred. The government has very limited regulations, and few records are legally required. A D.B.A. (Doing Business As) form is available at most office supply stores or at a County Department of Economic Development office, which also requires a small fee. Completed form with notarized signatures must be filed with the County Clerk†s Office. In a partnership, the control is shared by the partners in accordance with the partnership agreement. If there are two partner†s the agreement does not have to be fifty-fifty. It can be what ever the two decide on in the beginning. The ability to raise capital is expanded somewhat as partners are able to pool their respective financial resources. Both partners have joint and several liabilities for actions and debts of partnership. The partnership is not a separate taxable entity. An information return (form 1065) must be filled out each year to report partnership activity; however, individual partners report their respective shares of income (or loss) personally. The business ends with death of a partner unless written partnership agreement contains transfer conditions. The government has limited regulation and few records are required. They should have a partnership agreement, which is available at most office supply stores or at the local County Department of Economic Development office. Completed form with all signatures notarized must be filed with the County Clerk†s Office. It is advisable to consult a lawyer about a partnership agreement before filing the certificate. With a corporation, the day-to-day control rests with the hired management team. Ultimately control is vested with the Board of Directors who are influenced through the voting process by the shareholders. The ability to raise capital is potentially greatly expanded because additional shares of stock may be sold. The liability of the individual shareholders for actions and debts of the Corporation is limited to their equity investment. A C Corporation is a separate taxable entity (form 1120 is required to be filled out). An S Corporation is taxed essentially like a partnership. An information return (form 1120s) must be filled out. The business has a perpetual life distinct from that of its owners. The shares of stock are freely transferable. The government treats a Corporation as a separate legal and taxable entity, and extensive record-keeping is required. There are also complex operating regulations to follow (which differ from state to state). Forms to incorporate are available at any office supply store and should be filed with the Secretary of State in Albany (518-474-6200) if planned start up is in New York State. Licenses and permits are grants of authority from the Federal, State and local political subdivisions to individuals, corporations or partnerships to carry on certain activities. Licenses often involve the payment of fees and proof of qualification by examination. Legally, it is up to you (the business owner) to know if your business requires licensing. Before you start a project, carefully research the applicable state and local laws. For local licenses and permits contact the village/town hall and the county office for local requirements. If you plan to operate a business in your own home, check to make sure you are not in violation of local zoning ordinances. For a construction company the owner or contractor will need to have specific permits and licenses for each job. A call to the County Clerk†s office gets you started with local government. Depending on your plans, you may also need to check with your local planning board, zoning board and building inspector. For construction jobs it is advisable that you check with the DOT regional office in the area of the project to determine if any permits may be necessary for your particular job. There are many occupations in which various governmental agencies and privately owned businesses require the worker to have a license before he/she can work on the project. Each year there will be fewer trades people, contractors, ect., that will need to be licensed. In the years to come it must be expected that all contractors, trades persons, etc. will be required to be licensed by government authority. The majority of cities in the United States require the trades people to be licensed to conduct their business. As the business owner and the employer it is your responsibility to determine if a licensed operator is required for the job. If a license is required you must assure that only a properly licensed person performs the job. The failure to make sure that the employee has the correct license for the job can result in severe penalties and possible imprisonment. It is generally required that in larger cities workers such as carpenters, plumbers, welders, truck drivers, crane operators, heavy equipment operators, masons, steel erectors, laborers, etc., all have the proper licenses. Some licenses are state issued and are required in order to work any place in the state (crane operators, truck drivers, etc.).

Mapping my school

The Laggard High School is located between the central avenue and the Washington Avenue. It is bounded by the ivy-league university like the Baylor’s University. It has a main entrance and another entrance opposite to the fire service which is on the other side of the street. The overall atmosphere of the school is calm. The Laggard High School is bounded on north by the ivy college. The Laggard Middle School is located by the side of the High school and the Laggard Elementary School is behind the High School. The front end classrooms are built in buildings which are L- shaped with the main entrance between them. The remaining classrooms are in a C-shaped building. Behind these classrooms is located a cafeteria. The school playground and gym are behind the cafeteria. The Baylor University located opposite to the school has some influence on the students of the Laggard High School. As the high school students can observe the university students, they will have an idea on the university life. They will also have an idea about the future courses available to them from the universities after study in high school. The Baylor’s University leaves a complete educational environment to the Laggard High School. The students develop an enthusiasm to reach the University for pursuing the courses of their interest. One of the reasons for this is the location of the Baylor’s University. When we discuss about safety in the school, the first thing that comes into mind is the fire service which is located on the opposite side of the street. Whenever there is an untoward incident like fire accident, there is no worry as the fire service is available at the minimum time. In general, the school as a whole is very safe place. As the school is located facing the street, traffic might be a problem when safety is considered. The main entrance, which faces the street, is a dangerous spot in busy hours like 08:30 AM. The students and the staff are in a hurry in the morning, due to which there might be chance of accidents. The car parking which lies just beside the main entrance creates inconvenience to those who go in and out of the school by walk. Car parking at the other entrance is restricted only to staff. One of the solutions that I feel suggestible is that employing a guard at the main entrance to guide the incoming and outgoing vehicles in the busy hours to avoid accidents. This will also fill confidence in the students and staff who walk by the main entrance. Another unsafe area to be considered in the campus is the cafeteria. Yes, the cafeteria is definitely an unsafe place as there is no proper monitoring. There are no enough emergency exits. Since there is no good monitoring, there are more chances of disputes. Any disputes or fights between students cannot be controlled easily. And another disadvantage is that there are no emergency exits in case of fire accidents. And we all know that, cafeteria has the highest scope for fire accident compare to any other place in the school campus. Moreover, the cafeteria is situated far from the entrance due to which more time is wasted before the fire service reaches the cafeteria crossing the staff car parking lot. I feel providing enough emergency exits to the cafeteria immediately and monitoring of the cafeteria would provide safety. The monitoring can be done indirectly by placing closed circuit cameras in the cafeteria and monitoring it from the main school building. Any disturbances in the cafeteria can be easily recognized from the main building and necessary actions can be taken. The playground and the gym are located far from the main building. In case, if there is a severe injury to any student in the ground, it is difficult to provide medical facility immediately. This problem can be overcome by placing a first aid and emergency medical aid unit in the gymnasium. The traffic outside the campus is also a problem, as the school is situated in a very busy center of the city. The traffic on both the sides i.e. at the Washington Avenue as well as the Central Avenue is crowded at the end of the day. All the vehicles of the students as well as the staff come out of the school at the same time creating traffic problems. To solve this problem, it is better that a guard is employed at both the entrances who will guide the vehicles going out at the time of heavy traffic though the street. All these safety issues are a great disturbance for the parents. By employing the suggested solutions it will be a relief to the students, staff and parents too. These are the safe and unsafe areas that I feel considering my school and its surroundings. Â   Â  

Poem-a-day analysis Essay Example

Poem Poem-a-day analysis Paper Poem-a-day analysis Paper I Love the Hour Just Before My initial reaction to this poem was that I share the same emotions the author expresses throughout the poem. IVe been in a situation where youre getting ready for an event or something similar to that and you become anxious for the event to start. Thats how I felt while reading this poem. His last lines were, Everything waiting. Even the wine barely breathing. The anxiety of the event to start is causing everyone to be nervous. The most interesting line in the poem that I liked was the third line, Pulling on boots, fixing their hair, planning what to say if shes there, picking a pluckier lipstick, ehearsing a Joke with a stickpin in it, doing the last minute fumbling one does before leaving for the night like tying up the dog or turning on the yard light. This entire sentence I can relate too. This sounds exactly like me and my friends before we are going out somewhere and we want to look perfect and make sure everything is going to run smoothly. The most meaningful word in the poem to me was the second word party. This sets the whole theme for the poem. With each sentence after that word you understand why they are doing what they are doing and why they are so anxious when they arrive. Black Laws My initial reaction to this poem was that I did not like it. I re-read this poem many times, and I simply Just dont understand what the author means. Its confusing to me. I know based on the title that it has to do with black culture, but I do not understand the story that the author is trying to tell. I think the most interesting line in the poem as well as the most provocative line is, They already shot the black boy on the road for dying without their permission. This line doesnt make sense to me. The black boy couldnt have died without their permission because he didnt die until he was shot. It was very ironic how it was ritten, but this line stood out to me more than any other. Fall Parties My initial reaction to this poem was surprised. I was surprised that the title is Fall Parties, and the author of this poem does a lot of comparing fall parties to summer parties that have passed. When I re-read this poem, I then understood that even though her summer parties were fun while they lasted, they dont compare to her excitement for fall parties to start where she can, snort your (falls) mulling spices and wear both, scuffed boots, scarves with cigarette holes. Fall is personally one of my Tavorlte seasons, so Delng aDle to read tnls poem aoout now exclt a sne Is Tor season to start made me excited also. The most interesting line in this poem to me was, Ill snort your mulling spices. This line stood out to me because it reminds me of a candle that my mother purchases every fall and lights in the house. I love the smell, and its only lit in the fall season, so I can relate to the poet in wanting to Just snort the mulling spices. The most provocative phrase to me in this poem is the phrase, Goodbye, summer. It is ironic to me that she is expressing the emotion of goodbye to a season, but at the same time it makes complete sense in the context of the poem. I ppreciate that she used this phrase in this context. Because I cannot remember my first kiss My initial reaction to this poem was shocked. I thought this poem was going to simply be about a man who couldnt remember receiving his first kiss, but instead it was about him learning the meaning of touch as a young 8-year-old by watching one of his idols kiss women on stage. While reading this poem, I could really feel how the author was feeling as he was sitting on his couch watching his colored TV as this was going on. I felt like I was sitting right next to him. The imagery made the poem feel so real as if I was experiencing it along side him. I really enjoyed reading this poem. The most interesting line in this poem to me was the last line, Tom Jones pointed to the women and said touch and the new color TV made everything shimmer with promise so my eight year old body preened and stretched itself against the ecstatic couch and dreamed of what tomorrow could be like if I could make touch mean so many things, if I could make a building or a body coo like this. This line Just emphasizes all the emotions that he felt as he watched Tom Jones go from women to women kissing them on the TV. For me reading this poem, it was a twist in the story or me when the author said that he was 8-years-old because I couldnt believe that an 8-year-old was having these emotions, or even watching this on TV in the first place. I think the most provocative word used throughout the poem is the word touch. Everyone knows what the generic definition of touch is, but the author describes it as something completely different, and it gives the word such a different meaning throughout the rest of the poem for the reader to relate too and truly understand where the author is coming from. Evangelize Your Love My initial reaction to the poem was confused. I had to re-read this poem a few imes, and I still dont think I fully grasped the concept. I think it is about a women and a man who got into something before they could handle it resulting in having a kid, but Im not positive. Overall, I dont really like this poem. The most interesting line in this poem to me was the last line, How can I live like this? the three of them in unison. This threw a curve ball at me the first time I was reading the poem because it brought to my attention that the story throughout the poem wasnt Just aoout a man ana a womens rocky relatlonsnlp, out Instead was a third character involved, maybe a child? To me, the most provocative word or phrase was, In year three, the sex fizzled and we broke up. Then we got married. To me, this phrase was so ironic. Throughout the entire poem the poet is describing a couple that simply has lost interest in each other, but towards the end they decide to g et married and there is a third character involved? This poem confused me very much. One shies at the Prospect of Raising Yet Another Defense of Cannibalism My initial reaction to this poem was curious. I couldnt tell if throughout the poem the author was actually talking about a movie, or if he was using metaphors to ompare the movie to an actual prostitute or a human. I like that throughout the poem you understand what the poet means, and what he is trying to say, and how he feels during it, but at the same time you still dont truly know who he is talking about. I think the most interesting line is, cant kiss a movie, Jean Luc Godard said, and this is mostly true, in that you cannot initiate the kiss. This is a great way to start the poem and leave the reader being curious. Everyone knows that you cant kiss a poem, so this leaves the reader wondering where the poet is going to travel throughout the rest of the poem. I liked that the first line had me wanting to read more. The most provocative word throughout the entire poem to me was the word movie. Throughout the entire poem, you read the word and understood what movie means, but you never truly knew what the author meant by the word. At some points I thought he really did mean the literal meaning of movie but other times I wasnt sure if he was using it to compare toa person. Overall, I liked the metaphors used in this poem. The Problem of Hands My initial reaction to this poem was the unusual title. I wanted to understood what the poem meant by the way that the title portrayed it to be. As I read this poem a few times, I then understood that the authors problem with hands is that she likes to get too close to paintings, and it would bother the guards at the museums or other people trying to look at the same paintings. So in this case, this authors problem with hands is that they are open and want to get close to certain items. The most interesting line to me was the last line, Here you come with your open hands. I felt that this was a great way to end the poem, after she titles the poem The Problem of Hands and she is discussing all that she has done with paintings nd making the guards nervous, for her to end the poem with that lines puts the entire poem into perspective for me. I now understand that the problem with hands is that she likes to keep her hands open and get too close to valuable paintings that she shouldnt. The most provocative word to me in this poem was the word hands. I would never view tne word nanas as Delnga proDlem until tne autnor aescrlDes now It can be. It opened my perspective to how the author feels, and how her hands have caused her to get in trouble. Toad My initial reaction to this poem was that I enjoyed reading it. I like how the title is simple, and in the beginning she talks about a dead toad that got ran over on the street, and switches over to a live toad, and then all of a sudden all of these memories of her father come back. It was a good flow of events to read from my perspective. Every sentence worked together smoothly and seemed to flow nicely while telling a story. The most interesting line in the poem to me was, Sometimes wed come upon a toad flattened by a car tire, pressed into the softened pitch, its arms spread out a little like Jesus, and it was now part of the surface of the road, part of the roads story. I loved this view of a dead toad. Normally when I see a dead animal on the road, I think its gross, and try not to look at it. But, IVe never looked at it like this poet described, so to me this was very interesting. I think the most provocative phrase to me was the end of the poem when it says, l feel the quickening pulse through its underbelly. Hooded eyes, molasses-tingled, unexpressive, the seam of its mouth glued shut. I love how she returns to describing the toad at the end of the poem, this time describing the live toad that she has captured. I think this is a very positive way to end the poem.