The Hardy Common Juniper

Common juniper is known by a variety of common names but here just two are mentioned, dwarf juniper and prostrate juniper. There are many subspecies or varieties of the common juniper ( Juniperous communis). Common juniper is a low shrub that generally grows no more than 3 to 4 feet high but can grow into a 30-foot tree. The common Juniper is the only circumpolar conifer in the northern hemisphere and grows worldwide including North America. The Common Juniper Tree Range Common juniper is found across the U.S.A. and Canada to Greenland, through Europe, across Siberia and Asia. Three major sub-species or varieties grow in North America: depressa occurs throughout Canada and the United States, megistocarpa occurs in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Quebec, montana occurs in Greenland, British Columbia, and California, Oregon, and Washington. The Hardy Common Juniper Common juniper is a hardy shrub, sometimes growing to tree size in a wide range of ecological conditions. The dwarf juniper typically grows on dry, open, rocky slopes and mountainsides but may be found in stressed environments where competition with other plants is almost non-existent. It also often grows in partial shade. Depending upon the latitude it can be found from lowland bogs at sea level to sub-alpine ridges and alpine tundra at over 10,000 feet. This juniper is also a common shrub of abandoned lowland fields in the Northern United States. Identification of Common Juniper The leaf of common Juniper is needle-like and slender, in whorls of three, sharp-pointed, glossy green with a broad white band on the upper side. Common juniper bark is red-brown and peeling in thin, vertical strips. The fruit is a berry-like cone, green to glaucous to black as it ripens. The shrub and tree forms of common juniper can be called prostrate, weeping, creeping and bushy. Uses of Common Juniper Common Juniper is of value for long-term land rehabilitation projects and is useful in preventing soil erosion. Common juniper provides important cover and browses for wildlife, especially mule deer. The cones are eaten by several species of songbirds and are an important food source for wild turkeys. Common junipers  make excellent, vigorous landscaping shrubs, which are readily propagated by cuttings in the commercial nursery trade. The juniper berry is used as a flavoring for gin and some foods. Fire and the Common Juniper Common juniper is often killed by fire. It has been described as having minimal â€Å"firesurviving regeneration properties, and resprouting after a fire is rare. The foliage of juniper is resinous and flammable, which sustains and fuels wildfire and the plant will be killed at high fire intensities.

Marc Lepine †Psychology Perspective - 2052 Words

MARC LEPINE – PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE ABSTRACT Marc Lepine, a 25 year old boy entered the corridors of Montreals École Polytechnique University and started separating boys and girls. He then opened fire and killed 14 girls (The Montreal Massacre – Gunman massacres 14 women, 1989). Looking into Marc’s case deeply and studying his childhood reveals that his actions can be significantly explained using psychological theories such as Miller and Dollard’s Four Stage theory, the idea of lacking empathy and Bowlby’s and Ainsworth’s attachment theory. This paper not only depicts the effect of the psychological deviant behaviours but also its connection to above mentioned theories. Steps have been taken to take this†¦show more content†¦When he separated all the girls onto a corner, one girls tried explaining him that they are not feminists, just ordinary girls wanting to be engineers. He was so carried away by his hatred that he addressed all the engineering students as feminists â€Å"wo men who are going to be engineers are a bunch of feminists† (Eglin and Hester, 2003) and killed them. In Marc’s life, just as in any criminal’s life, the absence of empathy played a major role in making him a criminal and committing a crime. DOLLARD AND MILLER STAGES Dollard and Miller talk about four essential stages in ones childhood. All the four stages are important for the proper development. If any of the stages is missing, it can have negative results throughout the life. The four stages are feeding, cleanliness, early sex training and anger / anxiety management. No evidence of a faulty training on the first three issues is present in Marc’s Life. However, fault at the fourth stage, anger/anxiety management, was present and played a major role in leading him to commit the crime. With the lack of the fourth stage development, an individual is not able to control his anger. If not worked on this, over time this becomes very dangerous and can lead to destructing results. The atmosphere he grew up seldom showed any anger / aggression management. His father used to physically abuse him and his mother for very little mistakes. As a child, he learnt the only way to get rid ofShow MoreRelatedSolution Manual, Test Bank and Instructor Manuals34836 Words   |  140 PagesIntroduction to Numerical Analysis,Brian Bradie (ISM) A Guide to International Financial Reporting Standards, 3rd Edition_Belverd E. Needles, Marian Powers (SM+TB) A Guide to Modern Econometrics, 4th Edition_Marno Verbeek (SM) A History of Modern Psychology, 10th Edition _ Duane P. Schultz, Sydney Ellen Schultz ( IM+TB) A Microscale Approach to Organic Laboratory Techniques, 5th Edition _Donald L. Pavia, George S. Kriz, Gary M. Lampman, Randall G. Engel (IM) A People and a Nation A History of theRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesManagement Skills 8 †¢ Effective versus Successful Managerial Activities 8 †¢ A Review of the Manager’s Job 9 Enter Organizational Behavior 10 Complementing Intuition with Systematic Study 11 Disciplines That Contribute to the OB Field 13 Psychology 14 †¢ Social Psychology 14 †¢ Sociology 14 †¢ Anthropology 14 There Are Few Absolutes in OB 14 Challenges and Opportunities for OB 15 Responding to Economic Pressures 15 †¢ Responding to Globalization 16 †¢ Managing Workforce Diversity 18 †¢ Improving Customer ServiceRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 Pages168 WORKPLACE ISSUES: Avoiding Hiring Mistakes 169 Now It’s Up to the Candidate 169 Selection for Self-Managed Teams Reliability 171 Validity 171 Content Validity 171 Construct Validity 172 Criterion-Related Validity 172 Recruiting: A Global Perspective 146 DID YOU KNOW?: Posting Online Rà ©sumà ©s 147 Your Own Job Search 147 Preparing Your Rà ©sumà © 148 Some Final Remarks 149 Summary 149 Demonstrating Comprehension: Questions for Review 150 Key Terms 150 151 HRM Workshop 170 Key Elements for Successful

Epidemiology of Communicable Disease for Malaria - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theEpidemiology of Communicable Disease for Malaria. Answer: Introduction The continued incidence of malaria all over the world in endemic areas continues to be a public health challenge. India is one of the countries where the scourge of the disease has been difficult to control owing to the tropical and sub-tropical ecology that favours the growth of the mosquito vector. The global incidence of malaria in Southeast Asia, Africa and South America has also been high. The control measures that are adopted include vector control through the use of insecticides and other strategies. The parasite control through the use of newer drugs, vaccines and sustained malaria control programs are being used to eliminate the disease. Epidemiology of malaria in India Malaria is a major public health problem in 104 countries, causing illness in 207 million people causing 627,000 deaths annually. India accounts for 70-80% of the cases of malaria in South Asia and about 1000 deaths occur due to malaria every year in the country that is known for tropical weather conditions (Dash, Valecha, Anvikar, Kumar, 2008; Anvikar, et al., 2016). There are reports that the actual number of deaths due to malaria may be 10 to20 times higher than those reported(Manguin, 2013). The occurrence of rain provides the climate for the breeding of the mosquitoes that are the Plasmodium vector. There occurs tremendous heterogeneity in the malaria because several ecotypes of the pathogen exist in different parts of the country. The transmission of the malarial protozoan, Plasmodium, occurs through mosquitoes that belong to the genus Anopheles. The genus has 465 species that have been recognized taxonomically and 50 member species that are yet to be named(Sinka, et al., 2012 ). The transmission of malaria occurs through six primary vectors, Anopheles culicifacies, Anopheles stephensi, Anopheles dirus, Anopheles fluviatilis, Anopheles minimus and Anopheles epiroticus. Multiple species of the malaria parasite and the vectors cause the endemicity of malaria in India. Four species of the malaria parasite cause malaria in India. Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are common, while malarial cases due to P. malariae and P. ovale are rare. Historically, the P. vivax has caused the larger number of malaria cases but of late P. falciparum malaria cases are more frequent and have occurred in larger numbers. Some areas have reported simultaneous occurrence of malaria caused by both the species (Das, 2012). The climatic conditions of rainfall, relative humidity and temperature play a major role in the incidence of malaria. It is recognised as a disease that is among the most sensitive to temperature (Bi, et al., 2013). The fact that large parts of India are tropical and the average temperatures range between 15-30 degree Celsius and rainfall and precipitation occurs across states through the year makes the climate conducive to the breeding of mosquitoes. Most cases of malaria are reported from the Eastern states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Bengal, central states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and the Western states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka (Das, 2012). Environmental change due to changes in climate and manmade ecological changes, such as, construction of dams, intense agriculture, rapid urbanisation and deforestation contribute to a shift from rural malaria to urban malaria, industrial to travel malaria and forest to plain malaria in the Indian context (Das, 2012). Global epidemiology and ecology of malaria Apart from India, malaria is endemic to several regions around the world in Southeast Asia, East Africa and South America. In the current context the global ecology has become altered due to human intervention and climate change has affected the way malaria is expected to spread due to the impact of green house gases and land use. The malaria parasite circulates from the reservoir host, the Anopheles mosquito to humans and causes disease (Kaewwaen Bhumiratana, 2015). The feeding activity and ability of the vectors to breed in a shaded habitat can cause increase in malaria incidence. Anthropogenic changes in land use change may alter the risk of transmission of malaria and thus render human beings susceptible to malaria. Transmission in rural areas is considered to be higher than in urban areas. The night time bite by a female Anopheles mosquito when in an unprotected environment causes an infection among humans. Those working in agricultural fields are more vulnerable to transmission of malaria due to stagnation of irrigation water. In a study that compared malaria transmission at three locations in Brazil, Chennai and Panaji city in Goa, India, Columbia, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda, it was found that a high degree of annual rainfall and a conducive temperature caused transmission of malaria. Maturation of the vector to adult stage and transmission to humans usually begins after the seasonal rainfall begins. In urban areas risk of transmission is higher people who live in the vicinity of small urban parks, water storage tanks (Wilson, 2015). The incidence of malaria in urban environments has seen a decline due to improved dwellings, drainage of water which could become a breeding place of the vectors . better personal protection, houses that are mosquito proof and improved diagnosis and treatment have caused a decline in the incidence of malaria in urban areas (Wilson, 2015). In Africa, the incidence of malaria has remained high due to conditions of climate and temperature that are optimal for the breeding of mosquitoes. Several efforts at reducing the disease burden have been made but incidence, morbidity and mortality remain high (Snow, 2015). Control measures In India, the National Malaria Control Program in 1953 was based on the use of the insecticide DDT to kill the vectors and medication when required. Malathion was used from 1960s to control the vector population. Due to the development of insecticide resistance the insecticides used are not effective against all vector species. Later the program was modified and low incidence of malaria was achieved. But a resurgence of the disease occurred in the early 1970s. The current program to eradicate malaria was launched in 2016 and it is called the National framework for malaria eradication from 2016-2030. Strategies to control malaria include, vector control and parasite control. Medicines are dispensed through dispensaries and hospitals. Vector control has to be done through a multi pronged approach that includes reduction at source, use of larvicides, use of larvivorous fish, use of space spraying and environmental management and modification. This approach is for reducing the incidence of malaria in urban areas. Low quality housing and crowded living in slums is the main reason for increased breeding of mosquitoes and transmission of malaria (Searo.who.int). The use of chloroquin was the main arsenal in treating a Plasmodium infection. But the use of artemisinin derivatives has helped malaria that is resistant to chloroquin. The recent emergence of strains resistant to artemisinin is a cause for serious concern. Drug resistant malaria will be difficult to treat and in several countries the lack of resources has made it difficult to identify cases of drug resistance. Work on the development of a malaria vaccine is in advanced stages and some versions have been released. A pilot program was launched in Ghana, Malawi and Kenya for vaccination of children from April 2017. The incidence of malaria in the pilot study was reduced to 31% among children. The name of the vaccine is RTS, S and is being used in Africa (WHO). Prevention of malaria through the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets and spraying residences with insecticides has yielded improvement and the number of cases have declined considerably. A 37% decline in the cases of malaria and a 60% fall in the number of deaths has achieved, globally. While many countries have been able to eradicate malaria completely, others have achieved low incidence and have embarked upon programs for complete elimination(Shretta, Avancea, Hatefi, 2015). Previous experience has shown that resource crunch has been the main reason for the weakening of control measures employed and this has led to resurgence of malaria. Consistent economic inputs and maintenance of funding is vital to achieving elimination of malaria. Minor reasons such as travel or "airport malaria" can transmit the infection that are epidemiologically vulnerable and entomologically receptive (Huang Tatem, 2013). Conclusion The epidemiology and ecology of malaria are well understood. The incidence of malaria continues and the cases of resurgence time and again means that the efforts have to be sustained through better funding. The temperature and intermittent rainfall and relative humidity contribute to the incidence of malaria. The countries with tropical and sub-tropical climates have the maximum number of cases and fatalities due to malaria. The use of vector control through control of the Anopheles mosquitoes through insecticides, improved drainage of water and other biocontrol measures has helped in the prevention. The development of malaria vaccine shows promise and its efficacy is being tested among children in Africa. The development of drug resistance in Plasmodium has made treatment of malaria difficult. Earlier chloroquin was used for treatment. It has now been replaced by artemisinin but the development of resistance to this new drug has caused considerable concern. Continued funding and sus tained efforts can help reduce incidence and help nations succeed in elimination efforts. References Anvikar, A., Shah, N., Dhariwal, A., Sonal, G., Pradhan, M., Ghosh, S., Valecha, N. (2016). Epidemiology of Plasmodium vivax Malaria in India. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 95(6 Suppl): 108120. Bi, Y., Yu, W., Hu, W., Lin, H., Guo, Y., Zhou, X.-N., Tong, S. (2013). Impact of climate variability on Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Yunnan Province, China. Parasites Vectors, 6, 357. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-6-357. Das, A. A. (2012). Malaria in India: The Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India. Acta Tropica, 121(3), 267273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2011.11.008. Dash, A., Valecha, N., Anvikar, A., Kumar, A. (2008). Malaria in India: challenges and opportunities. Journal of biosciences , 33(4):583-92. Huang, Z., Tatem, A. J. (2013). Global malaria connectivity through air travel. . Malaria Journal, 12, 269. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-12-269. Kaewwaen, W., Bhumiratana, A. (2015). Landscape Ecology and Epidemiology of Malaria Associated with Rubber Plantations in Thailand: Integrated Approaches to Malaria Ecotoping. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases, 909106. . Manguin, S. (2013). Anopheles mosquitoes - New insights into malaria vectors. Rijeka, Croatia: InTech. Searo.who.int. (n.d.). /national_framework_malaria_elimination_india_2016_2030.pdf?ua=1. Retrieved from https://www.searo.who.int: https://www.searo.who.int/india/publications/national_framework_malaria_elimination_india_2016_2030.pdf?ua=1 Shretta, R., Avancea, A., Hatefi, A. (2015). The economics of malaria control and elimination: a systematic review. Malaria Journal, 15:593. Sinka, M., Bangs, M., Manguin, S., Rubio-Palis, Y., Chareonviriyaphap, T., Coetze, M., . . . Hay, S. (2012). A global map of dominant malaria vectors. Parasites Vectors, 4:69. Snow, R. W. (2015). Global malaria eradication and the importance of Plasmodium falciparum epidemiology in Africa. . BMC Medicine, 13, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-014-0254-7. WHO. (n.d.). /malaria-vaccine-implementation-qa/en/. Retrieved from https://www.who.int: https://www.who.int/malaria/media/malaria-vaccine-implementation-qa/en/ Wilson, M. L.-H. (2015). Urban Malaria: Understanding its Epidemiology, Ecology, and Transmission across Seven Diverse ICEMR Network Sites. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 93(3 Suppl), 110123.

Written Self Evaluation free essay sample

All my life I have been asked to speak at events, introduce people, and accept awards. So I thought being in this class really didnt feel any different, but I was wrong. I guess it was the pressure of being graded is what got me, and having a time limit didnt make it any better. Being in this class has taught me that I can overcome any obstacles as long as I apply myself and push myself pass my limit. My expectation for this class was to help me communicate better than I do now, because becoming a nurse I need good communication skills. I thought delivering a speech was going to be like playing my trombone in front of people. I found that it takes time and practice and it will become easy to do. When playing my trombone if I mess up I can easily cover it up, but when doing a speech people can easily tell when you mess up. We will write a custom essay sample on Written Self Evaluation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My speech topic for the Tribute speech, was about us paying tribute to nurses because they save lifes. My central idea was, Nurses are there to provide comfort and to make sure you feel as at home as possible. They should be kind and enjoy doing their job. For my second speech, they informative speech, the topic was, when getting a car would it be better to lease it or own it. The central idea for this speech was, Choosing a car is already a hard thing to do, but deciding on whether to buy it or lease it is harder. My last speech was the persuasive speech, and my topic on this one was, are Pitbulls really that vicious. My central idea for this speech was, A Pit bulls personality is built on nurture, not nature. With that being said, Pit Bulls are as dangerous and mean, or as playful and safe as their owner allows them or trains them to be. For instance, my dog Coco does this thing where when Im sitting on the floor shell come over and hug me, its so cute. In each my speeches I did my introductory devices that were used was to grab the audience attention, and try to relate my subject to them by asking them certain question to get them involved and to make them feel a part of my speech. All of my speeches, in my opinion was effective, because it got the audience involved and makes them more interested in what Im about to say. From the beginning of the semester to the end, I feel like my introduction has gotten better and stronger throughout the semester. If we compare the very first speech I did to the very last speech I did , you should be able to see a clear difference in how I changed my approach, my introduction was more attention getting, and it has a stronger argument. Something I did well in my informative speech introduction was using what people love to get them to understand the relevance of why nurses can be heros like superman, or batman. Something that I could have done better in my introduction for this speech would be to make it more effective to the audience. When it comes down to my second speech I really did not like anything about that speech it felt like I rushed it, it was a horrible speech, and didnt even meet the required time frame that it was suppose to be. I could have did a lot of things better to improve my second speech, like it should have had more information to make the speech longer , and I could have chosen a better topic because I really wasnt interested in the one I chose. On the other hand, I believe my last speech was my best speech, I enjoyed talking about and the class was very interested in the subject, it was the perfect time frame and was the best speech I delivered.During this class I learned that there are different types of audiences. There is five type of audience in public speaking, first is the negative audience which disagree on your topics and here where the speaker responsible in changing their perspective, secondly is the positive audience which an open audience that eager in accepting and know new thing, thirdly is the divided audience which half will favor your speech and the other half not because of their different perspectives.

seussical essays

seussical essays The second play I saw for our assignment was Seussical The Musical. This was my second experience seeing a play and I enjoyed it, but not as much as I did with Bat Boy The Musical. I saw the production on Wednesday July 21st at the Workshop Theatre downtown. It was the theatres second week for performing the play. I believe the Workshop Theatre had more seats than the Trustus Threatre, but on the night we saw the performance, the crowd was not as large as it was when I went and saw Bat Boy at Trustus. Seussical the Musical follows the adventures of Horton, an elephant who one day hears voices coming from a speck of dust. He soon discovers that inside this tiny speck exists the smallest planet in the universe. And upon this tiny planet, lived creatures known as Whos. Although other characters disagreed with what Horton believed about the Whos, Horton knew they still existed. Jojo, a child in the city of Who, follows Horton's journey as he is picked on for the unpopular act of thinking. Jojo and Horton attempt to do what they think is right, and together they sing the duet "Alone in the Universe." Horton is sold to the Circus McGurkus and eventually goes on trial before Judge Yertle the Turtle before the other animals of the jungle come to recognize, as Horton has always known, that "a person's a person, no matter how small." During the play, the Cat in the Hat is in and out of scenes, narrating, playing numerous characters, and helping young audience members understand what is go ing on. I think the theme of this play is empowerment. The play focuses on the concept of trusting your instincts, and your abilities and not being afraid to dream, just as Horton did. I chose to go see this play because as a child my parents read Dr. Seuss books to me and this was a way to remember those times and to relate to something I had been exposed to. The children in attendance seemed to be mesmerized by the ...

Let 90s Nostalgia Rock Your Content Marketing

Let 90s Nostalgia Rock Your Content Marketing New research shows that we are more likely to spend money when were feeling nostalgic. According to the Journal of Consumer Research: Consumers that were asked to think about the past were willing to pay more for a set of products than consumers asked to think about new or future memories. Did that get your attention? Interesting results, but thats not all. Another study showed an increased willingness to give more money to others after recalling, reflecting, or writing about a nostalgic past life event. This got me thinking – how does this nostalgia effect influence your content marketing? Are readers more likely to share your content when they are feeling nostalgic? Will  they be more likely to convert? Will they be more likely to buy your product or service? The evidence seems to indicate that they  might. The first step to applying this to your content marketing is to understand what nostalgia is in the first place. What Is Nostalgia? Technically, the term  nostalgia  describes a  particular sentimentality towards  a former experience. In simpler terms, it is a positive reflection  of the past, and a powerful one at that. Nostalgia is generally  triggered by some sort of  cue  from the past. This  sentimentality is then  associated with  a period or place with happy personal memories. The term itself  was coined by a 17th-century medical student as a way to describe the anxieties displayed by  Swiss  mercenaries fighting away from home. In later years, as science has learned more about the phenomena, nostalgia  has been  widely considered  an independent and even positive emotion that people experience often. There are four commonly understood functions of nostalgia. They include, improve mood, increase social connectedness, enhance positive self-regard, and provide existential meaning. This is where things really start to get interesting for marketers. Improve Mood Nostalgia has often been found to increase one’s mood and heighten positive emotions. This reaction seems to stem from feelings of warmth or coping resulting from nostalgic reflections. In essence, the presence of nostalgic emotions give us a method for coping with things that could hinder our own happiness. This natural coping method instinctively seems to improve our mood and function. Increase Social Connectedness Interestingly, nostalgia also seems to increase our sense of social connectedness. This is a very important factor for the use of nostalgia in modern marketing. In essence, nostalgia is  triggered by a feeling of  loneliness, but counteracts such feelings with reflections of close relationships. Enhance Positive Self-Regard Nostalgia can also help us feel better about ourselves.  Researchers  found that subjects who thought of nostalgic memories showed more positive characteristics than those who thought of exciting future experiences. This research also revealed that a lack nostalgic experiences reflected a pattern of selfish and self-centered behavior. As nostalgic experiences were introduced, so was the positive  behavior. Provide Existential Meaning You may be surprised to learn that  nostalgia also helps increase one’s self-esteem and meaning in life. It does this by removing  threats to our well-being, and also by initiating a desire to deal with problems or stress.  Studies  have  found that nostalgia correlates positively with one’s sense of meaning in life. Nostalgia is a known way to boost peoples mood. It allows people to live (and re-live) something familiar,  something  they remember, a positive emotional experience. –  Gabriel Trionfi (Pinterests  user experience researcher) Nostalgia is a powerful neuropsychiatric force that  can frequently becoming a  driving force for our behavior.  Its effects can be seen in who we select to marry (we frequently marry spouses with characteristics reminiscent of those of our parents), and  our adoption of political affiliations (we may become  Democrats, Republicans, or even racists simply because our parents were). So, if it can effect these major life decisions, certainly it can also affect our purchasing and consuming behavior. And that is where nostalgia comes in for  a  content marketing pro life yourself. Examples Of  Nostalgia In Internet Marketing One of the best examples of nostalgia in internet culture is the popular photo-sharing service Instagram. These user-shared photos are soaked in nostalgia. Reminiscent of photos from old Polaroid cameras,  the photos  are frequently  wrapped in a white border. In addition, by allowing users to select from a variety of filters (including some with labels  like  1970), users are able to re-create the faded and worn appearance that is recognizable from  photos of the past. Instagram fosters a huge sense of nostalgia. Blogger David Yoon calls this fake nostalgia, and he certainly has a point – it is manufactured. But Instagrams features still do a great job of highlighting the power of nostalgia. In his piece, David points out that  our  digital photographs have lost the nostalgic feel because they did not age like more traditional photographs.   This is a good point, and it helps us understand the rise in popularity of tools like Instagram. While Instagrams nostalgia is purely manufactured, it is a harkening back to the good old days  of photography and obviously brings with it some powerful emotions. We have to wonder: would Instagram have been as popular without the throwback? Well never know, but the theory is certainly worth considering. One place we can see this theory come to light is with something called throwback Thursday, the  popular internet  practice of posting an old photo, thought, or idea on social media. Originally made popular on Instagram itself,  #TBT is now a practice that is used across the web as a way to reminisce and remember the past. It is nostalgia in action. In recent months, Facebook has also started feeding our nostalgic urges. This February, as it celebrated its  own  10 year anniversary, Facebook gave its  users the opportunity to watch a video of their history on Facebook. The short videos contained  Ã‚  15 or so of the  users  most-liked photos, statuses, and life events set to a catchy tune. While a  bit cheesy, these videos  are a great example of nostalgia in action, and reminder of the cultural significance of sites like Facebook. Other services like Timehop, have embraced the power of nostalgia in a similar way.  Promising to be a time capsule of you, Timehop allows users to see their  photos and updates from an  exact day in history (usually a year prior). Timehop promises to help you celebrate the best moments of the past with your friends. Nostalgia much? Traditional brands have been long-aware of the power of nostalgia. Recently, General Mills  went retro with several of their major cereal brands, a practice already proven to be popular by other brands like Pepsi and Mountain Dew with their throwback product line.  Krafts Macaroni Cheese line also introduced a bit of 90s nostalgia recently by bringing their product, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Vanilla Ice to the same stage. The results were fairly, nostalgic, to say the least. So, nostalgia is not necessarily a new marketing tactic, but in content marketing, I think it is often left unexplored. Can it work? Thats the question we need to ask ourselves now. How To Take Advantage of Nostalgia In Content Marketing Before we get too far, we need to set some ground rules. The folks over at Scripted have cleverly identified three conditions that should be met  before  we try to  use nostalgia in our content marketing. They are: We  must consider our  target market’s age range in order to choose a time era that demographic can identify with. We  have to choose an event, style, etc. that invokes positive memories and a sense of trust. The chosen era or event should invoke the emotions that we want  people to associate with our  brand. In other words, dont go harkening back to the roaring twenties (and expect a nostalgic reaction) if your audience is primarily comprised of skater-kids that were popping zits in the 90s. Take for example Krafts placement of Vanilla Ice and the  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These are both throwbacks to my early days as youth. I clearly remember being in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan club and I  know for sure that I owned a Vanilla Ice cassette tape at some point. These are both fond memories now that I am in my 30s. Not only that, but I am also the parent of three small children. I am a prime target for Kraft Macaroni Cheese. Well played Kraft, well played. If you dont  align your marketing and your audience properly, you are fighting an uphill battle already. Nostalgia only works if it is actually nostalgic for your readers. So,  if you dont know the demographic of your readers, you can do some digging in Google Analytics, or complete this short exercise that will help you identify your audience. Nostalgia only works in #contentmarketing if your content is  actually nostalgic for your readers.5 Ways To Apply Nostalgia To Our Content Marketing So you may be thinking that  this nostalgia thing sounds great, but I havent really provided any conclusive methods for introducing it to your content marketing. I am glad you brought it up. While this is by no means a conclusive list, here are 5 quick ideas that Ive found for applying nostalgia to  content marketing. #1: Weave Nostalgic  References  Into Your Content Through Storytelling One of the easiest ways to incorporate the effects of nostalgia is through the art of storytelling and reference. Our own content creator, Julie Neidlinger, wrote a post a few years back bringing together the art of content marketing and the beloved mix tape of the 80s. In this type of post, the nostalgic reference is merely an element used to engage the reader in the work. It is simple and effective. #2: Add Nostalgic Reminders To Your Visual Elements In many cases, nostalgic elements can be incorporated into the design of page elements, like they were on this post about audience fragmentation from just a few weeks ago. The visual elements on the page harken to a time and idea past, reflecting and fostering a feeling of nostalgia. #3: Interact With Your Audience In A Nostalgic Way Whenever someone becomes a new paying customer of , we love to thank them with a physical notebook that they can use to jot down blog ideas when they are on the go. is a digital product  so this  is somewhat counterintuitive, but it has proven to be a great program. It encourages us and our users to think about the days of old when we used to write thing in places other than the computer. #4: Create Content That Allows Readers To Experience Greater Nostalgia Love them or hate them, Buzzfeed has garnered a great deal of attention by actually allowing us to interact with their own sense of nostalgia. On their site, you will find dozens of (basically meaningless) quizzes that allow us to discover which 90s soundtrack we are, or which Friends character we should hide in our basement. These may be silly, but they are also popular and are shared like crazy on Facebook. â€Å"The quiz is kind of like the broken-down-to-its-core of what BuzzFeed is,† Summer Anne Burton, Buzzfeed’s managing editorial director and the head of its quiz initiative, told Nieman Lab. â€Å"It gives someone something that they can relate to well enough that they can share it with others.† Buzzfeed built a custom template so that its staffers and its community contributors can easily create these identity-focused questionnaires. (source: The Atlantic) #5: Throwback For A day Microsoft has done an excellent job of using throwback nostalgia to improve its brand and reputation. After taking a beating for years with an error-ridden browser, their marketing team began using nostalgia (ironically) to make amends with the web developers that they have offended along the way – even going as far as releasing a throwback version of their website, an idea that will never get old for a generation of web developers who grew up using tables and font tags on this new thing called the world wide web. The Effects Of Nostalgia In Content Marketing Perhaps Don Draper said it best. Nostalgia is powerful, but delicate. Used correctly, though, it can help us accomplish many things – including better content marketing. Teddy told me that in Greek nostalgia literally means, the pain from an old wound. Its a twinge, in your heart. Far more powerful then memory alone. This device isnt a spaceship, its a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. It takes us to a place, where we ache to go again. Its not called The Wheel. Its called The Carousel. It lets us travel in a way a child travels. Round and round, and then back home again. To a place where we know we are loved. Don Draper   Nostalgia can make users more likely to share. #ContentMarketingJust take a look at Buzzfeeds quiz page, which  now contains  some of the most shared and most  nostalgic  content on an already popular site. Nostalgia can make users more likely to convert. #ContentMarketingIf nostalgia makes visitors more likely to buy, then it is fair to assume that it would also make them more likely to convert as an inbound lead. Maybe its time to incorporate some nostalgia into your inbound process.

National Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

National Health Care - Essay Example However it lags behind when it comes to the quality of the service it renders for the welfare of its citizens. In a report published by World Health Organization (WHO) in 2000. the United States was ranked 37th in the world in health care (Neergaard, 2000). This only shows that America's opulence and superpower status does not mean that it has the healthiest populace. How come that despite the huge budget of Americans, compared to the French and the Japanese, in health care they are still left behind in terms of medical care What are the yardsticks by which we measure the effectiveness of the health care system of a nation According to the same WHO report that mentioned the poor heath care performance of the United States, the criteria that wherein they base their criteria on the three primary goals that a superb health system should do. The first criteria is the status of health of the people, the second refers to the responsiveness of the health care system to the medical needs to the citizenry, and the last refers to the fairness in financing the costs that the public incurs. There are many different indicators that present the overall health status and well being of a country's population. Among the most important of them are infant mortality rates and "disability-adjusted life expectancy ('the number of healthy years that can be expected on average in a given population.'). In 1998, the infant mortality of the United States was 7.2 per 1000 live births. This figure makes US 26th among the industrialized nations. Though, in the same report, the US ranked first in its responsiveness to client/patient health expectations, it does not provide an accurate picture of the real events that take place in the US soil. Though it is true that US health care provides the best service, another unfortunate revelation is the unfortunate fact that US has the most expensive health care system in the world. In 1998, the US spent $4,178 per person on health, more than twice the amount of the median of developed and industrialized countries, which was pegged at $1,783 per person. On top of this is the unequal access of Americans to health care. Millions of Americans do not have insurance or have limited access to finance health care. The United States is one of the two industrialized countries (the other is South Africa) that do not provide health care for all its citizens (World Health Organization, as cited by The University of Maine, pp.2-5). This leaves millions of Americans incapable of enjoying the quality of medical care service that is touted as the best in the world. All the above data were published in a WHO report published in 2000. What is alarming is after seven years this issue has not been resolved. In 2005, more than 46 million US residents are still uninsured and desperately need adequate health care. By increasingly shifting health care costs to employees, employers pass their responsibility of providing health coverage to US workers, leaving them struggling to pay higher premiums, deductibles, and co-payments. Because of this, most of them opted to forgo health insurance, risking their lives to be subjected to health hazards without appropriate and timely financial relief (American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations). Another glaring issue that haunts US health care is the existence of corporate

Theater History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Theater History - Essay Example Entertainment in these early times involved travelling productions. With the rise however of very popular stars and the clamor of audiences to see their performances as often as they possibly could, the stage theaters started to be strongly patronized. This also marked the beginning of the single play with long-running stage productions. Significantly thereafter, the theater started to become one of the oldest forms of entertainment, and this, even long before the televisions and the cinemas were born. This paper will particularly focus on the following key points: realism, the resurgence of new melodrama and that of political censorship, with the end in view of not only discovering the correlations between the aforementioned key points and the rise of the stars, but that of their linkage as well, to the future growth of theater itself. (Germany) and Konstantin Stranislavsky (Moscow) advocated realism, the true depictions of life. Eventually, this soon became the dominant mode in most of the theatrical productions not only in Europe but also in the West (www.wsu.edu/brians/hum_303/naturalism.html). Most of the playwrights and production directors centered on the lives of shining stars like French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844 -1923) and Italian stage player Eleonora Duse (1858 -1924). The renowned Sarah with the reputation of being a very serious dramatic actress then was referred to as "the most famous actress in the history of the world". She would later in this artistic profession earn the nickname of "The Divine Sarah" (Wikipedia). Injuring her right leg in 1905, an amputation was done in 1915, but this did not stop the ambivalent Sarah from continuing to tour and perform. She succumbed to a lingering ailment and made her final goodbye in 1923 while filming La Voyante (www.who2.com/sarahbernhardt.html). E leonora Duse, on the other hand, was considered as the greatest Italian player of her age, marking her American debut in 1893. With nineteen years hiatus, she made her farewell tour in 1923 (Fuse). Both Sarah and Eleonora had beautiful golden voices and each shared their respective abilities to breathe their emotional lives into the classic roles that they performed. Consequently, in their own respective rights, they would each further the movement toward the bringing about of remarkable realistic acting. Their professional careers became major successes despite of the fact that both their real lives were wrought and harrowed by the characters that they played. This fusion of realism and drama that are seen in turn in both these dramatic performers ushered in many changes in scenic and costume design, acting styles and staging. Similarly, in real life, both of them from frequent bouts of physical ailments, most of the time some financial difficulties, and the common problem of havin g countless love affairs. In any event, together, the two great stage actresses were most instrumental to making the concept of realism, the most dominant mode in the history of playwriting and theatrical productions during the 19th century. RESURGENCE OF NEW MELODRAMA "Melodrama was the primary form of

A Rose for Emily Essay Example for Free

A Rose for Emily Essay Foreshadowing is an advance sign or warning of what is to come in the future. Foreshadowing is used as a literary device to tease readers about plot turns that will occur later in the story. In the story, â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† by William Faulkner, several examples are used to achieve the surprising but believable ending. The extremely strong scent about Ms. Emily’s house and the purchase of the poison are just what of these examples of foreshadowing in this story. The first example of foreshadowing is the horrible stench that the townspeople complain about. In the quote, â€Å"just as if a man any man- could keep a kitchen properly,† it shows how the women accuse the male servant of the smell because they stereotype how bad men are in the kitchen since it isn’t their place. Anthor accusation of the smell from the butler is Judge Steven when he states â€Å" its probably just a snake or rat that nigger of hers killed in the yard.† These two quotes suggest the smell to be from the butler but kept us on the edge of what the smell really was. The townspeople tried to resolve the issue, as some of the men decided to sprinkle lime around her house in hopes it would alleviate the stench. However, the smell did not dissipate for another week or two. If the odor had come from a mere snake or rat, the smell would have persisted for only a few days. In anthor section of the story Emily plans on buying arsenic. This is the next example of foreshadowing. â€Å"I want the best you have. I don’t care what kind,† this quote made by Emily to the town druggist when she wants the strongest poison. This questions the reader what she might need it for and why the strongest one. The druggist answers back to her, â€Å"they’ll kill anything up to an elephant,† the druggist made this point to let Miss Emily know that it kills huge animals not only just rats. When Emily goes home she finds written on the box, under the skull and cross bones- â€Å" for rats,† this suggest to the reader to think whether she might use it on herself or for someone else. Therefore in the ending of the story, when Miss Emily dies and the townspeople discover the corpse of Homer Barron, the reader recalls the use of foreshadowing, Miss Emily buying the poison and the horrible stench that was coming from the house. Faulkner in fact prepares the reader for Homer Barron’s death at the ha nds of Miss Emily almost from the very beginning. The use of foreshadowing throughout the story contributes to the unity of the story and allows the reader to accept the lovers’ fate as inevitable.

Children With Behavioral Disorders in Single Parent Homes Essays

Unfortunately, we live in a world were economic times are tough. It can be a struggle for parents to adequately support children - especially if there is only one parent. According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development about 15.9 percent of children world wide live in single-parent households. In the United states alone there are approximately 13.7 million single parents today, and those parents are responsible for raising 21.8 million children (approximately 26% of children under 21 in the U.S. today). The question we must ask is, What struggles and psychological effect does separation and divorce have on the parents as well as the children? Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties. In most countries divorce requires the sanction of a court or other authority in a legal process. The legal process for divorce may also involve issues of spousal support, child custody, child support, distribution of property and division of debt. Shared custody is awarded in approximately twenty percent of all divorce child custody cases. When shared custody is not awarded, the court will award one parent sole custody of the child. A court may also award a parent joint custody. Joint custody is a court order whereby custody of a child is awarded to both parties. In joint custody both parents are "custodial parents" and neither parent is a non-custodial parent; or, in other words, the child has two custodial parents. Seventy percent of all child custody cases name the mother as the custodial parent. A â€Å"b roken family† will effect the mother, father and child in different ways; with mothers usua... ...1%) as likely to have one or more total problems than those from two-parent families, twice as likely to have an emotional disorder, etc(National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth ). Works Cited See e.g., Cal. Fam. Code sect. 3004 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=fam&group=02001-03000&file=3000-3007 1988 Census "Child Support and Alimony: 1989 Series" P-60, No. 173 p.6-7, and "U.S. General Accounting Office Report" GAO/HRD-92-39FS January 1992 Center for Disease Control National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools Fulton County Georgia Jail Populations and Texas Dept. of Corrections, 1992 GROWING UP IN CANADA, National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (Human Resources Development Canada, Statistics Canada, Catalogue no. 89-550-MPE, no.1, November 1996, p. 91) Available from StatCan.

Indian Stereotypes Essay

A stereotype is a conforming idea about a group or race of people. When discussing Native Americans, many stereotypes do not accurately describe the identity of us. Racial stereotypes have always been around for as long as I can remember. Being a Native American male myself I can honestly say that I and my family have been subjected to it. I have been called a drunken Indian and my three and six year old daughters have been called â€Å"untamed heathens and savages† in public at a store by white people. The hurt and confusion on their little faces made me angry and hurt that they were subjected to that type of ignorant behavior and language by an adult. While I’ve experienced first- hand stereotyping I’ve come up with these stereotypes us Native Americans are subjected to. Native American’s in the US and Canada have always been portrayed as alcoholics, lazy, the wise elder, the aggressive drunk, Pocahontas (Indian princess), the loyal sidekick, obese and impoverished. In Hollywood films we’re portrayed as trackers and nature lovers. In the west we have to be tamed by the Cowboy because apparently we are so â€Å"wild†. While, historically American Indians were thought of as animals and are treated as such. Many still think that ALL Native Americans live in tipis, wear feathered war bonnets, lived only in the past, and Indians are stoic while having no sense of humor. Also that Indians are a vanished race. Native American’s are also portrayed as Warriors and Braves that you can find on the shirt of a high school student in North Dakota or on the Jersey of a football player in Kansas City. There’s also a notion that all Indians receive casino revenue per capita and free government money. One stereotype that persists is the idea that Native Americans great one another by putting a palm up and saying, â€Å"How†. Native Americans are commonly associated with many negative stereotypes and most of them do not accurately describe our culture.

The Role of Media in Our Lives

Topic: The Role of Media in Our Lives INTRODUCTION Thesis Statement: There are some roles of media such as, as information provider, as an entertainment, as a tool for communication, and help to doing business. BODY 1st Supporting Paragraph Topic Sentence: Media was became one of the biggest warehouses of information in the world. 2nd Supporting Paragraph Topic Sentence: All of types of media have a function to entertain people. 3rd Supporting Paragraph Topic Sentence: Another role of media for our lives is help people in doing business. CONCLUSION Restating main pointsThe Role of Media in Our Lives What will be happen if people in the world lost their television, radio, phone, magazines, and computer? Are they still can do their works as usually? Of course, they cannot do it because some of the things which needed for helping to do their works are lost. Those things are the example of media. â€Å"In all communication, the most important part is you. † 1 In all to receives so me information, the most important thing is media. There are several roles of media in our lives, that is as information provider, as an entertainment, and as the tool of doing business.Throughout decades, media have became one of the most powerful weapons in the world. As time passed, more and more varieties of media were shown, like television, magazines, and internet. From reporting the news to persuading us to buy certain products, media became the only connection between people and the world. 1 Media was became one of the biggest warehouse of information in the world. Almost the information that people need already provided in the media and additionally the information is come from many sources in various countries. It is helped many people to know about what is going on during the day by giving the news.Mass media and Electronic media are the kinds of media that provide information for people such as information about education, politic, economic, environment, sport, and even job vacancy; The example of mass media are newspaper and magazines; The example of electronic media are television, radio, and internet. Yes,media plays a significant role in our society. It has helped many people during the terrorist attack and 24 hours busy giving news . 2 All of the types of media have a function to entertain people. When people in the bad mood, they can read magazines, watching television, listening the radio, and researching internet.Newspaper and magazines can entertain people trough the articles about fashion, jokes, and story about something unfamiliar with the color full pages. Television can entertain people with many kinds of films, programs, education. Radio, hand phone, and computer can entertain people with listening the music. Internet can entertain people by allows the people to research all kinds of material or information on their computer, playing game, and can find new friends ; By log in to yahoo messenger, facebook, twitter, and so on people fi nd new friend in all over the world.Another role of media for our lives is help people in doing business. Media makes people especially businessman easy in advertising and selling goods or services. It makes the company saving more time to do something important related to their business than presented their product door to door. Many people and company use television, internet, newspaper, magazine, and radio, to advertise their product. Not only for advertise and selling, people also can buy the product online by using the internet. Nowadays, media are very important and popular . For the simple fact that is become part of our daily routine.Every morning the family guy reads the newspapers to acquire inform without any type of criticisms. People spend hours and hours watching Television to acquire entertain the same case with the Internet. People used Television as main type of media to advertise it goods. Actually media has several roles such as to provide information, to entertai n, to help people in doing business. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. De VITO, Joseph A (2005) Fifth Edition : Essential of Human Communication Pearson Education, Inc 2005 2. http://www. 123helpme. com/preview. asp? id=155955 3. http://www. shvoong. com/social-sciences/1776136-influence-media-life/

Top 9 Practical Hacks That Will Help You Get a Job Via LinkedIn

Top 9 Practical Hacks That Will Help You Get a Job Via LinkedIn You hear it from all of your job search experts: leverage your LinkedIn profile! Build your network for job search success! And those are absolutely true- these days, LinkedIn is a necessary tool for any job hunt. But the question is, how do you turn your LinkedIn profile into a lean, mean, opportunity-generating machine? Let’s look at 9 LinkedIn profile hacks that can boost your job search like crazy.1. Bulk Up Your Profileâ€Å"Fill in your profile† may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people just fill in the basic outlines, thinking they’ll go back later and do the rest, and never quite get around to it. Meanwhile, recruiters and hiring managers are searching LinkedIn, and you want your name to pop up for tailor-made opportunities.Make sure you’re including these elements in your profile, at a bare minimum:A Professional PicPick a headshot that’s flattering, and professional enough that you wouldn’t mind havin g your mom, your boss, or the HR rep at your dream company see it. Yes, your pet is awesome, but your selfie with Mr. Fluffypants the iguana is better-suited to your (private) Facebook page. If you can, get a professional photographer (or at least your cousin who’s perpetually trying to get that photography business off the ground) to take your picture.A 1-2 Sentence Mission StatementThis is your elevator pitch. It’s a quick summary of your professional identity/brand. Be creative- don’t just recycle your job title. You want it to be short, sweet, and chock full of keywords that are important to your industry.Your Personalized URLAll LinkedIn users get a generic URL. But did you know that you can also get one that’s shorter and more personalized? While you’re editing your profile, select the Edit link next to your public profile, and you’ll have the option to select a new URL. Again, keep it professional, and use your name. And if you happen to have a common name, keep the variation as simple as you can. This is not the spot to add creative words like â€Å"ninja† or â€Å"rockstar.†Your Job HistoryThis is important for two reasons: a) your LinkedIn profile is like a living, breathing resume that you can update as often as you want; and b) LinkedIn uses the data in your profile to forge links with companies and other users. You want this section to be as up to date and comprehensive as possible, to increase your networking opportunities.Education SummaryLike the job history, your education information can help boost your natural networking opportunities. You can select school, course of study, and any activities you too part in while there. This helps build connections that you might not have been able to get to otherwise. For example, I went to a very large state university, and knew only a small fraction of my graduating class. I also tend to hit â€Å"delete† automatically on alumni bulletins in my inbox. But via LinkedIn, I’ve gotten more insight into classmates I never even knew existed, and can see how our careers fit together, even if we never crossed paths back on campus.Special SkillsThis is a great place to showcase skills that you’ve picked up along the way, even if you don’t use them in your current position. This section also allows your connections to weigh in and â€Å"endorse† you, showing how awesome you are at said skills.ExperienceThis is the longer version of your headline, including context information that you want potential employers to see. You don’t need to go into every responsibility you’ve had at every job, but you have 2000 characters to create a pretty solid collection of your greatest hits.Your profile should look and read professional, but that doesn’t mean you can’t let your personality shine through. Witty and clever is good- but again, don’t go overboard. You want someone to be a ble to â€Å"get† you at a glance, not just your summary of accomplishments.2. Get InvolvedOnce you’ve set up your profile, don’t just walk away and wait for people and opportunities to come to you. Be a good community member- that means looking for connections, endorsing others, and interacting with others as much as possible on the platform. It shows that you’re engaged and personable.If you join groups in LinkedIn, that lets you send messages directly to second- and third-degree connections, so this is a very useful tool to have.3. Know What to Leave OutSpambots love public social media profiles, so don’t post your personal email address in any of the public fields unless you want to be weeding out weird spam messages for the rest of eternity. Anyone who reads your profile and wants to get in touch via the LinkedIn platform can do it without having MeMyselfAndI95@hotmail.com in the headline. You want your LinkedIn profile to be complete, but you don’t need to go overboard.Your LinkedIn profile doesn’t have to march in lockstep with your other profiles and job search materials. For example, your resume and your LinkedIn profile should be a bit different.4. Build Your Rep In Your FieldWhile you’re off being a good LinkedIn citizen and recommending people in your network, also work on answering questions in your field (assuming you know the answers- don’t make stuff up just for the sake of getting your name out there, because you also don’t want to undermine your professional credibility). Answering questions helps get your name out in your industry’s circles. And who knows- maybe something you post will go LinkedIn viral, and you’ll gain exposure to people in your field that you wouldn’t otherwise have been able to reach.5. Keep It CurrentUpdate your status daily, if you can- or at the very least, a few times a week. The key to LinkedIn success is engaging with the plat form as much as you can, so that you’re maximizing your information and your connections. When you update, don’t default to things like â€Å"here are my thoughts on this political thing,† or â€Å"here’s what I’m doing for dinner tonight.† Post an update that’s relevant to your work or your skills, so that your target market sees you’re committed to your professional brand. For example: â€Å"Just attended a great webinar on productivity, and am excited to try out Steve’s 4 Steps to Productive Greatness.†6. Use KeywordsThis is especially helpful in your â€Å"Skills† section. If your industry has a very specific set of skills, make sure you list them- that is, if you actually have them. It would be pretty easy to disprove that you’re not fluent in Italian and Swahili, no matter what your LinkedIn profile says. If you’re looking for a job in social media, make sure you’re listing all th e platforms you’re familiar with, and keep the section updated as new ones come out.7. Work Your LinkedIn Profile Into Your Application PackageLinkedIn has the potential to be a more dynamic tool than, say, your resume. Once you hit â€Å"send† on your resume or print it out for an interview, that’s it. No changes for this particular job application. But if you include your LinkedIn profile URL (remember that personalized URL we talked about?) with your contact info on your resume header, then your reader can go and find out all the wonderful extra information about you, your experience, and your skills beyond what fits in the short-and-sweet resume version.8. Spy On YourselfIf you use the LinkedIn app, you can search anonymously, but still see who’s been reading your profile. So if you can see that someone from XYZ company was interested in your profile, you can add some custom keywords, skills, or information to better appeal.9. Save Your SearchesLinked In has a â€Å"save searches† function, which can help you keep track of specific job keywords or listings that you’re interested in seeing. You can also set up alerts that let you know when these keywords pop up, so that you’re not obsessively reviewing your searches all the time (unless, of course, you want to).No matter how you look at it, LinkedIn has the potential to be an MVP in your job search. You get to decide how much (or how little) you want to interact with it, but the more you use it to your advantage, the more rewards you’ll get from the platform and the people and companies who rely on it to find great people for open jobs. Good luck, and happy linking!

African Americans and the Progressive Era

African Americans and the Progressive Era The Progressive Era spanned the years from 1890–1920 when the United States was experiencing rapid growth. Immigrants from eastern and southern Europe arrived in droves. Cities were overcrowded, and those living in poverty suffered greatly. Politicians in the major cities controlled their power through various political machines. Companies were creating monopolies and controlling many of the nation’s finances. The Progressive Movement A concern emerged from many Americans who believed that great change was needed in society to protect everyday people. As a result, the concept of reform took place in society. Reformers such as social workers, journalists, educators, and even politicians  emerged to change society. This was known as the Progressive Movement. One issue was consistently ignored: the plight of African Americans in the United States. African Americans were faced with consistent racism in the form of segregation in public spaces and disenfranchisement from the political process. Access to quality healthcare, education, and housing was scarce, and lynchings were rampant in the South.   To counter these injustices, African American reformists also emerged to expose and then fight for equal rights in the United States. African American Reformers of the Progressive Era Booker T. Washington was an  educator who established the Tuskegee Institute. Washington argued that African Americans should learn trades that would offer them the opportunity to be progressive citizens. Instead of fighting against discrimination, Washington argued that African Americans should use their education and knowledge to become self-sufficient in American society and not in competition with white Americans.W.E.B Du Bois was the founder of the  Niagara Movement and later the NAACP, Du Bois disagreed with Washington. He argued that African Americans should consistently fight for racial equality.Ida B. Wells  was  a journalist who wrote about the horrors of lynching in the South. Wells work made her a muckraker, one of several white and black journalists who wrote news stories about social, political, and economic conditions that led to changes. Wells reporting led to the development of the Anti-Lynching Campaign.   Organizations National Association of Colored Women was established in 1896 by a group of middle-class African American women. The goal of the NACW was to develop the economic, moral, religious and social welfare of women and children. The NACW also worked to end social and racial inequality.Niagara Movement was developed  in 1905 by William Monroe Trotter and W. E. B. Du Bois. Trotter and DuBois mission was to develop an aggressive way of fighting racial inequality.National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was an outgrowth of the Niagara Movement and was established in 1909. Since then the organization has been essential to fighting social and racial inequality through legislation, court cases, and protests.National Urban League  was  established in 1910, this organizations mission was to end racial discrimination and provide economic empowerment to African Americans who migrated from southern rural areas to northern cities through the Great Migration. Womens Suffrage One of the major initiatives of the Progressive Era was the womens suffrage movement. However, many organizations that were established to fight for the voting rights of women either marginalized or ignored African American women. As a result, African American women such as Mary Church Terrell became dedicated to organizing women on the local and national level to fight for equal rights in society. The work of white suffrage organizations along with African American womens organizations ultimately led to the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, which granted women the right to vote. African American  Newspapers While mainstream newspapers during the Progressive Era focused on the horrors of urban blight and political corruption, lynching and the effects of Jim Crow laws were largely ignored. African-Americans began publishing daily and weekly newspapers such as the Chicago Defender, Amsterdam News,​ and the Pittsburgh Courier to expose the local and national injustices of African Americans. Known as the Black Press, journalists such as William Monroe Trotter, James Weldon Johnson, and Ida B. Wells all wrote about lynching and segregation as well as the importance of becoming socially and politically active. Monthly publications such as The Crisis, the official magazine of the NAACP and Opportunity, published by the National Urban League became necessary to spread the news about the positive achievements of African Americans as well. Effects of African American Initiatives During the Progressive Era Although the African American fight to end discrimination did not lead to immediate changes in legislation, several changes did take place that impacted African Americans. Organizations such as the Niagara Movement, NACW, NAACP, NUL all resulted in building stronger African-American communities by providing healthcare, housing, and educational services. The reporting of lynching and other acts of terror in African American newspapers ultimately led to mainstream newspapers publishing articles and editorials on this issue, making it a national initiative. Lastly, the work of Washington, Du Bois, Wells, Terrell, and countless others ultimately led to the protests of the Civil Rights Movement sixty years later. Resources and Further Reading Diner, Steven J. A Very Different Age: Americans of the Progressive Era. New York: Hill and Wang, 1998.Frankel, Noralee and Nancy S. Dye (eds.) Gender, Class, Race, and Reform in the Progressive Era. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1991.Franklin, Jimmie. Blacks and the Progressive Movement: Emergence of a New Synthesis. OAH Magazine of History 13.3 (1999): 20–23. Print.McGerr, Michael E. A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America, 1870–1920. Oxford: Oxford University PressStovall, Mary E. The Chicago Defender in the Progressive Era. Illinois Historical Journal 83.3 (1990): 159–72. Print.Stromqvist, Sheldon. Reinventing The People: The Progressive Movement, the Class Problem, and the Origins of Modern Liberalism. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2005.

Nursing Health Assessment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nursing Health Assessment - Case Study Example Basically, the diagnosis and potential nursing intervention in this patient would be achieved through the nursing process that involves a systematic process of deduction based on knowledge. The information and findings in this patient thus would need to be collected, analysed, and validated through this process to reach a nursing diagnosis that sets the basement of the management of the patient (Jarvis, 1999, 23-75). The objective of such assessment process is to collect information regarding the client's health status in order to identify deviations from normal in order to pinpoint actual problem and the risk it poses to the patient's future health (Bickley & Szilagyi, 2003, 31-46). History: The health history is the subjective database for the assessment. Health history also serves to set up the nurse-patient relationship. I started taking the history from the patient. Since the patient is a relative, I needed no introduction. The purpose had to kept in mind while doing this, since this process not only provides information regarding actual and potential health problems, but it is also a tool to recognize the patient's supports and strengths, a medium to identify the needs and necessity for collaborative care (Fuller & Schaller-Ayers, 2000, 53-81). Elements in History: The patient's identification demograp... As much as information in relation to the patient's life style and activities of daily living were attempted to be extracted. The target was to explore in depth the health profile of the person in question (Jarvis, 1999, 79-102). It began from the past history of this patient, starting right from the childhood. This patient had no major childhood illness as far as he remembers. He had no surgeries. Of late, he is having trouble with similar problems of exacerbated cough, fever, respiratory distress, and for this reason he had been hospitalized for several times. He has no other medical problems known to him or does not recollect any other diagnosis for his ailments that had been told by his primary care physician. He has no known allergies to medications, and he has a list of medications that as far as he remembers are azithromycin and aerosol salbutamol inhalers for regular use. He has not been traveling recently, and he was never in the military service. His family history is not s uggestive of any congenital diseases or diseases of familial origin. In the section of social history, he admits that he is smoker for quite a few years. His few attempts as quitting smoking have failed, and he has no plans to quit in the near future. His drinking habit is also from his teens, and he rates himself as a moderate drinker. He thinks there are no adverse effects from his drinking habit, and he finds no reason to think about abstaining from it. The patient has a supportive family, and he finds strength in the family. At present he seeks care due to his exacerbation of symptoms of chronic cough with difficulty breathing. Of late, he is observing that the frequency of such events is increasing. This history

Globalization and Internation Financial Crisis Essay

Globalization and Internation Financial Crisis - Essay Example This consolidation of global relationships is at the level of  individuals,  companies,  institutions  and countries (Campenhout and Cassimon, 2012).  The main causes of the process of globalization are the  technical progress in the communications and transportation sections, as well as, the  political  decisions on  liberalization  of  world trade. The study of International Finance is of particular significance in today’s globalized financial marketplace. International finance is a branch of  international economics and focuses on the monetary side of the international  economy. The subject matter of international finance is useful for students of economics, finance and business studies.  Ã‚  It is theorized that increasing globalization has played a role in creation of a wave of international financial crises in contemporary times (Schmukler and Vesperoni, 2006). The paper critically evaluates the supposition of globalization’s role in in ternational financial crisis and assesses the question whether international financial stability is feasible in an increasingly globalised economy. In addition, the paper critically appraises international financial crisis and ensuing policy responses to maximize economic and welfare consequences.   Discussion The degree of change brought about by the globalization of financial systems has been termed as financial globalization  by several researchers. Globalization of financial systems leads to the creation of a regional market integration of external financing.  According to Mishkin (2009), the financial aspect of  globalization  has three dimensions: geographical aspect of financial globalization refers to mobility of capital from one country to another, functional aspect of globalization relates to  capital markets which are compartmentalized through shifts in money markets and  stock markets. Obadan (2006) mentions that under the influence of financial globalizati on, global financial institutions are created, as well, like the  IMF, World Bank  and the European Community. Globalization’s effect on international financial markets also includes deregulation, abolition of  exchange controls  and restrictions on capital movements. Globalization also encourages financial innovation, disintermediation and direct access operators to funding without going through  intermediaries (Cline, 2010). The impacts of globalization on the financial systems are dealt under heads: Market Development Financial globalization has facilitated the financing of companies and that the  balance of payments. This has eliminated barriers to capital flows and has given an unprecedented boost to  financial markets worldwide (Rose, Prasad and Terrones, 2009). Today financial information is processed and disseminated around the  world, which leads to increased speculations in the financial markets and a high  volatility  of  capital round the glo be.  This provides a flow of investment opportunities based on  economic factors (Mishkin, 2009). These effects are sometimes seen as uncontrollable by the regional banking system  and the  international fina

Two creation story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Two creation story - Essay Example Having read through Genesis 1-2, I came with the idea that there are two different creation stories in the bible. The above table gives us some of the ideas that can clearly show us that there are two different stories regarding creation. If you read biblical stories expecting them to tell you exactly what happened, be prepared for a shock as you won’t find the reality less you dig deeper in chapter one of the book of genesis. People are often surprised to realize that God is given two different names in Genesis 1 and 2: God and Lord God. This is not due to some conspiracy by those that translate the Bible into English. â€Å"God† in the first story and the â€Å"lord God†, in the second are used consistently in Hebrew. The different story tellers are just but people. Looking at the way these stories are told, the first story is rather orderly. In that account, God speaks and something comes into existence or being, God sees that it is good, and there is evening and morning respectively: day one ( or two, three, e.t.c) I like to picture God in Genesis 1standing offstage with microphone, booming the lines, â€Å"let there be†¦..† In speaking things into being, instead of being right in our midst, God comes across as somewhat removed. Theologians describe this representation of God as being transcendent. In the second story of creation according to me, Lord God creates things in a slightly different order than what we see in Genesis chapter 1. There are no days that delineated in this account , and God Lord does not speak things into being. This account could almost start with, â€Å"Once upon a time†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Here Lord God seems to be right in the middle of things,. Even using hands but the question is, â€Å" does God really and really have physical

Meeting Child Nutritional Requirements

Meeting Child Nutritional Requirements Unit 4 Health promotion and development. 1. Construct a table to indentify the main government guidelines on food and nutrition, and evaluate the ways in which they can be incorporated into child care settings. 2. Identify and describe the type of food that are unsuitable for babies and young children. You should specify the reason why these foods are unsuitable. There are many different food groups which should be avoided for babies from 0 to 24 months such as: Salt (Babies shouldn’t eat much salt as it isnt good for their kidneys.Dont add salt to your baby’s foodanddont usestock cubes or gravy as theyre often high in salt. Remember this when you’re cooking for the family if you plan to give the same food to your baby.) Sugar (Your baby doesn’t need sugar.By avoiding sugary snacks and drinks, youll help to prevent tooth decay. Use mashed banana, breast milkor formula milk to sweeten food if necessary.) Honey (Occasionally, honey contains bacteria which can produce toxins in a baby’s intestines, leading to infant botulism, which is a very serious illness. It’s best not to give your child honey until they’re one year old. Honey is a sugar, so avoiding it will alsohelp to prevent tooth decay.) Nut (Whole nuts, including peanuts, shouldnt be given to children under five as they can choke on them. As long as theres no history of food allergies or other allergies in your family you can giveyour baby peanuts once theyre six months old as long as theyre crushed or ground into peanut butter) Low Fat (Fat is an important source of calories and some vitamins for babies and young children. It’s better for babies and young children under two tohave full-fat milk, yoghurt and cheese rather than low-fat varieties. SeeUnderstanding food groupsfor more information.) Saturated Fat (Fat is an important source of calories and some vitamins for babies and young children. It’s better for babies and young children under two tohave full-fat milk, yoghurt and cheese rather than low-fat varieties. SeeUnderstanding food groupsfor more information.) Saturated (Dont give your child too many foods that are high in saturated orbad fat, such as crisps, chips, cheap burgers and cakes.) Shark, Swordfish and Marlin (Dont give your baby shark, swordfish or marlin.The amount of mercury in these fish can affect a baby’s growing nervous system.) Raw Shellfish (Raw shellfish can increase the risk of food poisoning so it’s best not to give it to babies.) Raw Eggs (Raw shellfish can increase the risk of food poisoning so it’s best not to give it to babies) It is equally as important to ensure that certain food groups are avoided for children between 3 to 5 year olds these foods could include: Salt (high salt intake may mean high blood pressure, osteoporosis, kidney stones, heart disease and strokes. Osteoporosis and kidney stones have even been detected in children – proving salt intake is a problem for their present as well as future health.) Fat ( Not all fats should be avoided as there are good fats and bad fats. Bad fats can lead to weight gain and obesity and later life could cause heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure. Sugar (The ugly truth is that added sugar means empty calories that put kids at risk of obesity and health problems that can show up as early as adolescence.) Processed foods (Processed foods made with trans fats, saturated fats, and large amounts of sodium and sugar arent good for you. Theyre low in vitamins and minerals and eating too much of them is bad for your waistline and your health) 3.Design a child record form for a new child joining a home child setting with a specific dietary requirement. Describe the dietary requirements, and why it should be documented accurately Child record form Child Name: Record number:. Address. Post code. Emergency Contact1 Relation: Parent/Guardian. Contact Number Work.. Other Emergency Contact2 Relation: Parent/Guardian. Contact Number Work. Other Doctors Address.. Doctors Number.. Doctors Name.. Declaration I Declare that the information provided on this form about my child is a true and accurate reflection of the best of my knowledge. Parent/Guardian PRINT: Parent/Guardian Signature.. Date:. Child care Provider PRINT.. Child Care Provider Signature. Date. Medical Condition and allergies Form Medication.Dosage RequirementsDaily Intake.. Declaration I Declare that the information provided on this form about my child is a true and accurate reflection of the best of my knowledge. Parent/Guardian PRINT: Parent/Guardian Signature.. Date:. Child care Provider PRINT.. Child Care Provider Signature. Date.. It is always important to understand and document a childs dietary needs carefully and accurately. This is important to ensure that children are receiving care and safety to meet their individual requirements for example, if a child is to have a allergy towards nuts the care coordinator must ensure that they are meeting a nut free dietary requirement and ensuring that epi-pen and medication are correctly labelled. It is almost if not more important for all the care coordinators to understand how and when to administer medication when needed in case of emergencies. It is not just allergies that a care provider needs to be aware about but also about religious needs and beliefs. For example Adventis do not eat seafood and pork whereas a Muslim would require a Halal a meat. Depending on the type of child care setting the child attends, it may be necessary to share information on dietary and culture requirements with kitchen staff and additional member of child care staff. 4.Define the 4 chronic diseases identified in the course manual, and discuss the ways in which development can be affected. The 4 main childhood chronic diseases, asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and cerebral palsy. A definition of asthma is: A respiratory condition marked by attacks of spasm in the bronchi of the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing. It is usually connected to allergic reaction or other forms of hypersensitivity. Asthma can be a very serious and debilitating condition. It can restrict the air flow into your lungs thus causing asthma attack. It is a very common childhood condition as every 1 out of 10 children will have this. Asthma does not usually affect development of a child however, may hinder emotional and intellectual development. Serious asthmatic conditions could result in children in being away from school and missing a huge part of early education in order to control the asthmatic disease. a common factor of asthma is it is allergy relegated and is also linked with eczema. for young children this condition can be very emotional as asthma attacks could be frightening therefor e children and can lead to undue anxiety and distress. Diabetes is another chronic childhood disease Throughout the world, incidences of diabetes are on the rise, and consequently so is diabetes amongst children. Diabetes is a condition where the amount of glucose in your blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly.Most children are affected by type 1 diabetes in childhood. However, the number of children and young adults affected by type 2 diabetes is beginning to rise, particularly in America. Approximately 90% of young people with diabetes suffer from type 1 and the number of patients who are children varies from place to place. A figure of 17 per 100,000 children developing diabetes each year has been reported. As metabolic syndrome, obesity and bad diets spread, so too have the first incidences of type 2 diabetes, previously incredibly rare. Diabetes can affect retinopathy which can cause blindness and nephropathy which affects the nerves which can cause physical impairments. Cystic fibrosis also known as mucoviscidosis, is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder that affects most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine. It is characterized by abnormal transport of chloride and sodium across an epithelium, leading to thick, viscous secretions. Approximately 1 in 25 population have this faulty gene. This condition can be very physically debilitating for a child. Cerebral palsy is a condition that affects muscle control and movement. It is usually caused by an injury to the brain before, during or after birth. Children with cerebral palsy have difficulties in controlling muscles and movements as they grow and develop.

Hybrid Vehicles and Their Effect on the Environment Essay -- Cars Caus

Today, people use their own personal vehicles to travel more than ever before. Personal transportation is no longer considered a luxury; it is now considered a necessity. The number of cars in the United States has been growing steadily since the 1970s. The number of miles traveled by cars has risen nearly 150 percent, yet the United States population has only grown roughly 40 percent during that time (hybridcars.com, Driving Trends). Although it may seem like we are advancing into the future, in reality, we are moving backwards from the effects these vehicles have on our bodies and the environment. The pollution produced by these vehicles has brought us to the day where we must find other modes of transportation that cause less harm to the world in which we live. Advances in technology have developed hybrid vehicles to try and slow down the amount of pollution. Driving a hybrid vehicle, instead of a conventional gas powered vehicle, can reduce the amount of pollution that affects our lives and the environment around us. Harmful Pollutants Carbon Dioxide Many hazardous pollutants escape from the internal combustion of the engine. Conventional gas powered vehicles use irreplaceable fossil fuels to run. When burned, these fossil fuels create numerous toxins like carbon dioxide (Larminie 246). Carbon dioxide is considered the main greenhouse gas that creates the foundation for global warming (hybridcars.com, pollutants). This harmful pollutant may not have a serious effect on people at first, but it does have consequential effects on the environment that in turn put people in danger (Nutramed.com). The major consequence caused by global warming is the rise in average temperature. This results in a domino... ...ster, and West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2003. Nutramed.com. 2009. Air Quality: Airborne Illness Car Exhaust - Health Effects. 20 Nov. 2014. http://www.mutramed.com/environment/carsepa.htm Rqriley.com. 17 June 2012. Electric And Hybrid Vehicles: An Overview of the Benefits, Challenges, and Technologies. 21 Nov. 2014. http://www.rqriley.com/ev-tech.htm Wikipedia.org. 20 Nov. 2014. Global Warming. 20 Nov. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming#Effects Wikipedia.org. 21 Nov. 2014. Hybrid Vehicle. 21 Nov. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicles Wikipedia.org. 18 Nov. 2014. Renewable Energy. 21 Nov. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy Wikipedia.org. 15 Nov. 2014. Sea Level Rise. 20 Nov. 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level_rise#Effects_of_sea_level_rise

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Current Issues: Gangs 2011, n. p. Copyright @ 2011 ReferencePoint Press, Website: www. referencepointpress. com. P. O. Box 27779, San Diego, CA 92198. Phone: 858-618-1314. Fax: 858-618-1730. All rights reserved. Current Issues: Gangs By Peggy J. Parks Contents Gangs at a Glance Overview How Serious a Problem Are Gangs? Primary Source Quotes Facts and Illustrations Why Do Young People Join Gangs? Primary Source Quotes Facts and Illustrations Can People Leave the Gang Life Behind? Primary Source Quotes Facts and Illustrations Can Gang Violence Be Stopped? Primary Source QuotesFacts and Illustrations Key People and Advocacy Groups Chronology Related Organizations For Further Research Source Notes About the Author Gangs at a Glance Gangs and Gang Members The U. S. Department of Justice estimates that more than 20,000 gangs with a total of about 1 million members are criminally active in the United States. Gang Migration Gangs are no longer confined to large cities. The FBI states that ga ng activity is rapidly spreading to outlying suburban and rural communities throughout the United States. Types of Gangs Four main types of gangs identified by the U.S. Department of Justice are street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, and military gangs. Gangs and Crime Law enforcement officials say that gangs commit a wide range of crimes, including distribution of drugs, weapons trafficking, drive-by shootings, armed robbery, assault, identity theft, and homicide. In many communities gangs are responsible for as much as 80 percent of crime. Cities with Gang Problems The U. S. Department of Justice has identified Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York as the top three cities for the most gangs and gang-related crime.Reasons for Joining Gangs Young people join gangs for many reasons including the desire to belong to a family-like group, protection from rival gangs, the ability to make money (usually from stealing or selling drugs), prestige, and ready access to drugs. Quitt ing Gangs Whether people are able to leave gangs depends on the particular gang and its rules. Jumping out (being beaten by gang members) is a common way of letting someone out. Some gangs expect their members to remain committed for life and threaten them with death if they try to quit.Fighting Gang Violence In cities throughout the United States, the FBI and state and local law enforcement officials are focusing on the most violent street gangs in an effort to capture their leaders and get them off the streets. Overview â€Å"Gangs are morphing, multiplying, and migrating—entrenching themselves not just in our inner cities but increasingly in our ever-sprawling suburbs and wide-open rural spaces. † —Federal Bureau of Investigation, a law enforcement agency of the U. S. Department of Justice. Gangs and gang-involved kids exist at some level in every community. Certain groups have decided to use violence and retribution, and their acts are affecting all of us. à ¢â‚¬  —Steven D. Strachan, the chief of police of Kent, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. At 16 years old, Melody Ross was thoroughly enjoying life. She had just begun her junior year at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, where she was an honors student and a pole-vaulter on the track team. She was popular and known for being friendly, kind, and someone who always had a sunny smile on her face.On the evening of October 30, 2009, Melody and her friends went to their school's home ­coming football game. After the game ended, the girls left the stadium and were sitting on the curb in front of the school. Suddenly the loud crack of gunshots filled the air. A feud had broken out between members of rival gangs, and they were shooting at each other—with bystanders caught in the crossfire. By the time the violence ended, three people lay on the ground, wounded and bleeding: two men and Melody. Ambulances rushed them to the hospital, where the men were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.Melody, however, was not so fortunate. She died of a severe bullet wound in her side. Her family and friends were devastated, and as a memorial to her, a classmate named Dylan Vassberg created a Facebook page entitled RIP Melody Ross. â€Å"Every kid our age–we don't ever think we're going to die,† he says. â€Å"We never think that. We think we're going to college and we're going to have a long life and die of old age. Not die because someone decided to shoot a gun. We never think of that. It's not something that crosses our mind ever. Not even fathomable, really. 1 How Serious a Problem Are Gangs? Although the precise number of gangs and gang members (known as gangbangers) is not known, the U. S. Department of Justice makes estimates based on information it receives from state and local law enforcement officials. In January 2009 the Justice Department's National Gang Intelligence Center released a report entitled National Gang Threat As sessment 2009. The report states that more than 20,000 violent gangs with a total of approximately 1 million members were criminally active in the United States as of September 2008.The report's authors state that â€Å"gangs pose a serious threat to public safety. † They warn that throughout the country, gang activity is rapidly spreading from large cities to outlying suburban and rural areas. This, they predict, will cause gang-related violent crime to remain at high levels and likely increase. They write: â€Å"As these gangs encounter resistance from local gangs or other drug distributors in these communities, an increase in violent incidents such as assaults, drive-by shootings, and homicides can be expected. â€Å"2 The Evolution of GangsNo one knows exactly when gangs first formed, but they are often assumed to have been around for centuries. According to Lou Savelli, who is a retired New York City police sergeant and cofounder of the East Coast Gang Investigators As sociation, the word thug dates back to India during the 1200s. It is derived from â€Å"Thugz,† an Indian word that referred to a gang of criminals who traveled throughout the country terrorizing towns. Savelli adds that like gangs today, the Thugz had their own symbols, hand signs, slang language, and rituals.Gang activity is thought to have begun in the United States early in the country's history. Journalist Ed Grabianowski explains: â€Å"Criminal gangs have certainly been around as long as crime itself—it doesn't take a criminal mastermind to realize there is strength in numbers. The urbanization that accompanied the Industrial Revolution gave rise to the modern street gang. â€Å"3 Throughout the 1800s, as more people immigrated to America from other countries, gangs such as the Monk Eastman Gang and Five Points Gang formed and terrorized the streets of New York.But it was the 1920s that ushered in the heyday of gang activity in the United States because of a n otorious gangster named Al Capone, also called Scarface. This was a time known as Prohibition, when the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution made the sale or distribution of alcohol illegal. Supporters hoped the legislation would transform American society for the better, but its effects were quite different from what they expected. Once alcohol was no longer legally available, criminal gangs began to distribute it on the black market.These gangs developed rapidly and continued to grow in power, which caused a steep rise in violent crime. Capone and his gang of criminals were responsible for a wave of violence in the Chicago area during the 1920s and 1930s. Savelli says this led to his becoming known as most violent gangster in Chicago and perhaps in all of the United States. Capone's reputation spread far and wide, and his actions strongly influenced the activities of would-be gangsters throughout the country. By the time Prohibition ended in 1933, gangs had become entrenched t hroughout the country and were widely known for their connections with violent crime.During the 1950s gang-related crime was rampant in a number of U. S. cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, and it was steadily growing. Over the following decades gangs became better organized and continued to expand their activities from cities into neighboring communities, as the Justice Department explains: â€Å"The gang members who migrated from urban areas often formed new, neighborhood-based local gangs. These local gangs generally controlled their territories through violence and intimidation. 4 Gang membership—and associated violent crime—continued to grow throughout the rest of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. Street Gangs and Motorcycle Outlaws Gangs often differ significantly from one another based on membership requirements, structure, and the ages and ethnicity of the members. Two main types that have been identified by law enforcement off icials are street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs. The Justice Department says that street gangs pose a considerable threat to communities because they are the largest group and also control the greatest geographical area. Therefore,† Justice Department authorities explain, criminal activities such as violence and drug trafficking perpetrated by street gangs pose the greatest threat. The threat becomes magnified as national- and regional-level street gangs migrate from urban areas to suburban and rural communities, expanding their influence in most regions and broadening their presence outside the United States to develop associations with . . . criminal organizations in Mexico, Central America, and Canada. 5Most street gangs are local-level gangs that operate in single locations while regional-level street gangs are more organized and larger. Some of the largest and most violent street gangs are Hispanic gangs such as MS ­13, 18th Street, Surenos, and Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings) and the predominately African American gangs Bloods, Crips, and Black P. Stone Nation. Asian gangs such as the Asian Boyz are also developing a reputation as a result of their links to drug trafficking and violent crimes. Though less common than gangs of other racial and ethnic groups, white gangs also pose a threat.The white supremacist street gang Nazi Low-riders has a growing presence in Southern California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Illinois, and members have been connected with a number of racially motivated violent crimes. Outlaw motorcycle gangs also pose a significant threat because they engage in numerous criminal activities, such as trafficking in weapons and drugs, and often commit violent crimes. State and local law enforcement agencies have identified as many as 520 outlaw motorcycle gangs with an estimated total of 20,000 members of various races and ethnicities.The motorcycle gangs that the FBI considers the greatest threat because of criminal activities are the Sons of Silence, Bandidos, Mongols, Hells Angels, and Outlaws. Gangs Behind Bars Just because people are incarcerated, and even sentenced to life in prison, does not necessarily prevent them from engaging in gang activities. According to the Justice Department, prison gangs are highly structured criminal networks that are active within prisons throughout the United States. It adds that as of September 2008, more than 147,000 documented gang members were incarcerated in federal, state, and local correctional facilities.One state where this is a particularly serious problem is Washington. According to a study released in 2009, gang-affiliated inmates are responsible for 43 percent of all violent crimes that are committed in the state's prisons. The report also states that the Crips are the most represented prison gang, with 2,385 inmate members. Also well known for violence behind bars is the white supremacist gang Aryan Brotherhood and the Latino gangs Barrio Azteca and Mexican Mafia. One gang that has been especially violent in Texas prisons is the Texas Syndicate.In February 2007 federal authorities issued indictments for gang members who were suspected of being responsible for as many as 16 murders outside the state's prisons, including a triple slaying in 2003. The indictment states: â€Å"It is understood that members and prospects of the TS may receive a telephone call and instructions to commit a murder . . . at any time. Regardless of the member's friendship or association with the victim, the orders are to be carried out. â€Å"6 Not only are gangs extremely active in prisons, gang members who have been imprisoned are often the gangs' top leaders.According to Sergeant Jeremy Young, who is a supervisor with the Modesto, California, police street crimes unit, the bottom level of a gang's chain of command is made up of gangbangers who are the â€Å"soldiers† on the street; the mid-level is composed of the leaders o f street crews who run the operation; and the top level are the bosses who are often inside prisons. â€Å"The (gang leaders in the) prisons run the street,† he says. â€Å"A lot of things that start in there end up out here. â€Å"7 Criminal Activities Gangs are involved in a wide range of crimes.These include drug distribution, assault, armed robbery, drive-by shootings, auto theft, identity theft, extortion, weapons trafficking, and homicide. In fact, the National Gang Threat Assessment report says that according to law enforcement officials throughout the United States, criminal gangs commit as much as 80 percent of the crime in many communities. Yet the connection between gangs and crime is a controversial is ­sue. According to the Justice Policy Institute, a Washington, D. C. –based think tank that supports alternatives to incarceration, gang members are not responsible for the biggest share of crime in most jurisdictions.In a July 2007 report, the group stat es that many crimes committed by gang members are unrelated to gang activity, and reliable data on the extent of gang crime do not exist. The report's authors write: â€Å"The available evidence indicates that gang members play a relatively small role in the national crime problem. . . . National estimates and local research findings suggest that gang members may be responsible for fewer than one in 10 homicides; fewer than one in 16 violent offenses; and fewer than one in 20 serious . . . crimes. â€Å"8 Gang-Infested CitiesAlthough gangs have a presence in communities all over the United States, the National Gang Center says that the three cities with the most gangs and worst gang-related crime are Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. According to John S. Pistole, who is the deputy director of the FBI, Los Angeles is â€Å"ground zero for modern gang activity,† with over 400 gangs and an estimated 40,000 gang members. â€Å"Many gangs were born here, a generation ago,â₠¬  he says. â€Å"But they are no longer limited to Los Angeles. Like a cancer, gangs are spreading to communities across America. â€Å"9Two other California cities where gang-related crime is increasing are San Diego, where gang-related homicides rose 56 percent between 2006 and 2007, and Salinas, where gang-related homicides increased 125 percent during that same period of time. Gangs are also a serious problem in Hartford, Connecticut, and Camden, New Jersey. And Pistole adds that gangs are becoming more active in many other cities including Baltimore, Houston, Washington, D. C. , Denver, Atlanta, Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Omaha, Nebraska. High-Tech Gangbanging The Internet has opened up a whole new way for gangbangers to recruit new members.As a February 2007 ABC News report states: â€Å"By posting online content that glorifies the thug lifestyle, gangs are using the Web to recruit—some using children as young as 8 years old as part of the on ­line recruiting process, known as ‘Net Banging. ‘†10 Sometimes rival gang members spar with each other online, proudly displaying their gang colors, tattoos, and gang hand signs in photos. They also use the Internet to schedule fights with each other as well as brag about crimes that they have committed. By monitoring these sites, federal and state law enforcement officials can track gang activity.Cell phones also play a crucial role in gang operations. Gangbangers communicate with each other by sending text messages, and it is not uncommon for them to use multiple phones that they discard after they have completed criminal operations such as drug trafficking. The Justice Department offers an example: â€Å"The leader of an African American street gang operating on the north side of Milwaukee used more than 20 cell phones to coordinate drug-related activities of the gang: most were prepaid phones that the leader routinely discarded and replaced. 11 Why Do Young People Join Gangs ? Law enforcement professionals say that the issue of why kids join gangs is complex. According to the Justice Policy Institute, no single risk factor or set of factors can accurately predict which young people will become gang members. One of the most common reasons kids join gangs is that they are from broken homes and desperately want to be part of a family-like group, and they perceive gangs as being able to provide that. Brandon Robinson grew up in a housing project in Kansas City, Missouri.As a participant in a 2007 survey about gangs, he told interviewers that many of those who join share the commonality of being from poverty-stricken, dysfunctional backgrounds. â€Å"You got family members on crack and you ain't eating right,† he says. â€Å"Everybody's hungry. â€Å"12 According to Robinson, gang members look out for each other, help feed each other, and stick up for each other, much like a family would. â€Å"That's when you start loving your street,†13 he says.Other reasons for joining gangs include the lure of having money to spend (from stealing or selling drugs), easy access to drugs, and protection from the dangers of the street and rival gangs. Yet many criminal justice experts say that being part of a gang does not keep kids safer at all. In fact, studies have shown that young people who are involved with gangs have a markedly higher likelihood of being injured or killed than those who are not gang-affiliated. Girl Gangs Traditionally, gangs have been dominated by males and that is still true today.But the Justice Department states that female involvement in gangs is on the upswing. A May 2008 study by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention found that in high-crime neighborhoods nearly 30 percent of girls surveyed claimed that they were members of gangs. The report ranked â€Å"young females as the fastest growing offenders in the national juvenile justice population. â€Å"14 One city that has experienced growing problems with girl gangs is Flint, Michigan. Gina Nyovane, a 22-year-old graduate of Flint Northwestern High School, has observed girl gangs in her former school and throughout the city.She says that these gangs are becoming more widespread and more violent, as she explains: â€Å"I hear it all the time. Girls are quick to pull a gun out, faster than a guy. â€Å"15 Over Labor Day weekend in 2009, members of a girl gang called the Goonies followed a car that was carrying members of a rival gang, the Dufflebacks. A young man traveling with the Goonies fired six shots at the other car, killing an 18-year-old male passenger and wounding the female driver. Can People Leave the Gang Life Behind? The common view is that people who join gangs are never allowed to leave them.The Justice Policy Institute says its research has found that gang membership is not a â€Å"one-way street† and that the typical gang member is active for a year or less. The group explains: â€Å"Thi s myth is perpetuated not only by the media but also by gang members who exaggerate the stakes of membership in order to underscore the importance and permanence of their collective bond. â€Å"16 Yet many people say that joining a gang is a lifetime commitment, and the only way someone can leave is by dying or going to prison. Former gang member Hashim Garrett was 15 years old when he was shot six times in the back and legs.Today he struggles to walk and must use forearm crutches because his right leg is paralyzed. In a speech to students at a middle school in 2008, Garrett addressed the realities of gang life: â€Å"They say they're like your family, but your loved ones don't ask much of you. Come home on time, clean up your room, be polite, eat your vegetables. The gang's going to ask more than that. Hold this gun. Hold these drugs. Prove you're wild. Maybe kill somebody. † He adds that most gang members want to quit the gang but are too afraid to do so. If you join the f ootball team and you don't like the coach, you can quit. You can't quit a gang that easy. â€Å"17 Can Gang Violence Be Stopped? Controlling gang proliferation and gang-related crime is one of the most significant challenges facing law enforcement officials every day of the year. Federal agencies such as the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives have partnered with state and local police departments throughout the United States in an effort to bring down gangs and put an end to their crime sprees.In many cities, the focus is on eliminating the leadership of gang enterprises. According to Pistole, the goal is to do more than just disrupt their activities—it is to â€Å"dismantle them entirely. † He explains: Taking apart a gang is like demolishing a building. Hacking away at individual walls and beams might damage the building, but it doesn't destroy it. But using federal drug and racketeering statutes is akin to dynamiting the foundation. On ce the gang's leadership infrastructure implodes, all members are weakened. It becomes difficult for the group to operate.Eventually, it crumbles. And so our strategy is to prosecute as many gang leaders, members, and associates as possible so there are no pieces left which are large enough to allow the gang to rebuild. 18 How Serious a Problem Are Gangs? â€Å"Following a marked decline from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, a steady resurgence of gang problems has occurred in recent years. † —James C. Howell, Arlen Egley Jr. , and Christina O'Donnell, research associates with the National Gang Center. â€Å"Wherever MS-13 goes, violence follows.Gang members have carried out beheadings and grenade attacks in Central America and have hacked people with machetes in cities along the East Coast in the United States. † —Jessica M. Vaughan and John D. Feere, policy analysts with the Center for Immigration Studies. For people in many areas of the world, includi ng the United States, gang violence is a harsh reality of life. According to the U. S. Department of Justice, the problem in America is growing worse. The Justice Department estimates that the number of gang members totaled about 1 million as of September 2008, which was an increase from 800,000 in 2005.One reason gangs continue to grow larger and more powerful is that they are fostering relationships with criminal organizations in Mexico, Central America, and Canada. This has led to a proliferation of drugs and weapons being smuggled across the U. S. border as well as an influx of illegal aliens who join gangs. To emphasize the seriousness of America's gang violence, FBI director John Pistole tells the story of a young woman who was working at a Los Angeles outdoor market in September 2007. Her newborn son, Luis, was beside her is his stroller.Members of the 18th Street gang approached one of the market's vendors, telling him that he could not sell his goods in their territory unle ss he paid them rent. He had steadfastly refused to meet their demands in the past, and when he continued to do so at the market, gang members drew their guns and opened fire on him. The man survived, but Luis did not. A stray bullet struck the baby and killed him instantly. Pistole says that this tragic incident is indicative of what is happening throughout the country: â€Å"In too many neighborhoods, too many young people are recruited into gangs.They fall into a life of crime, drugs, and violence. They shoot each other, with no regard to the innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire. Crime and violence are not confined to their cliques, but have a chilling effect on entire communities. â€Å"19 A Ruthlessly Vicious Gang Of all the gangs known to law enforcement, Mara Salvatrucha, or MS ­13, is one of the most violent. It started as a small Los Angeles street gang formed during the 1980s by immigrants from El Salvador. Now, however, it is among the largest and most dangerou s gangs in the United States and Central America.According to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), MS-13 has â€Å"mushroomed into the size of a small army† and â€Å"strives to be the most violent and feared gang in the world. â€Å"20 ICE states that MS-13 members have been convicted of murder, assault, extortion, kidnapping, theft, drug dealing, rape, robbery, and other violent crimes. One city that is plagued by the violence of MS-13 is Houston, Texas. Although larger gangs are active in the city, the FBI considers MS-13 to be â€Å"of particular concern because members are often heavily armed and well trained in the use of weapons and assault tactics. 21 In January 2009 MS-13 gang members robbed a Houston beauty salon at gunpoint and sexually assaulted an employee. They warned her not to go to the police, saying that if she did she would regret it. They also threatened the salon owner, telling her that they would kill her if she reported the incide nt, and they demanded that she pay them a weekly protection fee of $100. The salon owner was terrified—but she was also angry. She had seen the same kinds of crimes committed in her native El Salvador, and she was determined to fight to keep them from happening in her adopted country.Even though she feared for her life and the lives of her family members, she went to the FBI and told agents what happened. During that visit she turned over a security surveillance tape that showed the gang members' faces. About a week later the woman had not paid the protection money. In retaliation, two MS-13 gangbangers drove by the salon and sprayed the front door with bullets—but they did not get away with the violent act. Because of the tapes and the salon owner's cooperation, the FBI agents arrested seven members of the gang. As one agent explains: â€Å"This case is proof that victims of crime should not suffer in silence. He adds that the salon owner, who was placed in protectiv e custody by the FBI, â€Å"was courageous to stand up to gang members, and as a result those gang members are now in jail. â€Å"22 Violent Communities Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago is often called one of America's most beautiful cities. With its tree-lined neighborhoods of stately brownstone homes, the â€Å"Magnificent Mile† shopping district, prolific theaters and restaurants, and world-renowned museums, the city attracts tourists from many different countries—yet it also has a dark and dangerous side.Law enforcement officials estimate that 50 to 60 gangs are active in Chicago and that together, they have as many as 30,000 members. Armed gangbangers roam the streets of the South Side of Chicago, committing crimes and terrorizing the people who live there. A chilling testament to this gang violence is evident in one of the city's lesser-known monuments: an arrangement of more than 150 landscaping stones, each bearing the name of a school-age chil d killed by gang violence since 2007. Police superintendent Jody Weis states that Chicago youth have become increasingly more violent over the years.He explains: â€Å"There's simply too many gangs, too many guns and too many drugs on the streets. We've got a problem with some of our young people . . . resorting to use of weapons and violence to solve any type of conflicts they may have. â€Å"23 Chicago has had a problem with gang violence for many years, but public outrage was sparked in 2007 when a 16-year-old honors student named Blair Holt was killed. Holt, who was not involved with a gang, was riding in a city bus with a friend when members of rival gangs started shooting at each other. He attempted to shield his friend by pushing her down into a seat.His heroic act saved her life, but he was fatally shot in the stomach. Afterward, his father, a Chicago police officer, expressed his despair and frustration over gangs who do not think twice about killing people: â€Å"You wo nder where it comes from. What causes a child to wantonly and blatantly hatch such an ill-conceived plan? To go out and do something like this? What makes them do it? Where is this coming from? What are the influences? â€Å"24 Chicago is far from alone in its ongoing struggle with gang violence. It is prevalent in communities all over the country.In South Carolina, for instance, the rate of gang violence has risen nearly 1,000 percent over the past decade, with the highest number of incidents reported in Colleton County. Although Colleton County is home to just 38,000 people, law enforcement investigators have identified about 20 active gangs with an estimated total of 400 members. According to Sheriff George Malone, â€Å"The violence in Colleton County is out of control. â€Å"25 One incident occurred in November 2009 in the small town of Walterboro. A group of people were playing cards in the front yard of their home when a car pulled up and suddenly opened fire on the group. A 20-month-old toddler and 2 adults were killed; 6 others were injured. Gangs in the Military According to the Justice Department, gang activity is on the upswing in the military. Members of every major street gang and some outlaw motorcycle gangs have been identified on both domestic and international military bases. One incident involved three soldiers stationed in Alaska who were charged with murder after killing a civilian as they shot at members of a rival gang. Another involved a soldier who was arrested in October 2007 for the gang-related shooting of five people in Oklahoma.A 2009 Yale Law Journal article describes one case in which a marine sergeant who was a gang member â€Å"shot his commanding officer and executive officer—both lieutenant colonels—and threatened to continue killing officers until his fellow gang members were released from confinement. â€Å"26 While on active duty, gang members may abuse their security privileges and access to weapons and other military equipment to further gang activities. For instance, military gang members may take advantage of their positions to engage in criminal acts such as trafficking illicit drugs or weapons.According to the same article, a gang member in the army who was stationed in Iraq smuggled home four AK ­47 assault rifles that were later used to commit multiple bank robberies. After gang members have been discharged from the military, they remain a serious threat to society. They can use their combat skills against rival gangs and also teach those skills to others. The Justice Department says that this poses a â€Å"potentially significant threat,† as it explains: â€Å"Gang members with military training pose a unique threat to law enforcement personnel because of the distinctive military skills that they possess . . especially if gang members trained in weapons, tactics, and planning pass this instruction on to other gang members. â€Å"27 The Justice Department adds th at such military training could ultimately result in more organized, sophisticated, and dangerous gangs as well as an increase of deadly assaults on law enforcement officers. Incarcerated Gangs Incarcerated gang members are every bit as threatening as those who are on the streets because gang members who are behind bars often control crimes that are committed outside of prison.One example is the Mexican Mafia (also known as the Eme), a violent prison gang with as many as 75,000 members. The incarcerated leaders rule over associates who are given the authority to order crimes in neighborhoods or cities. Tony Rafael, the author of the book The Mexican Mafia, explains: â€Å"Street gangsters very often are puppets of the big homies locked up in prison. The proof is overwhelming and plays itself out on an almost daily basis in almost every neighborhood in Southern California. â€Å"28Members of the Mexican Mafia and their associates have been connected with kidnapping, murder, drug tr afficking, and extortion, among other crimes. According to Rafael, the gang has grown into a large, powerful, and violent organization. He writes: â€Å"It has far-reaching intelligence and communications systems, as well as a standing army of thousands of street soldiers. â€Å"29 Rafael adds that the Mexican Mafia continues to expand its power over street crime: â€Å"Most neighborhoods in Southern California that have a strong Hispanic street gang presence feel the power of the Mexican Mafia.It took local and state law enforcement over twenty years from the founding of the Mexican Mafia to recognize its influence on the streets. It took another two decades for federal law enforcement to address the Eme as a significant criminal organization. â€Å"30 Aside from controlling crime on the streets, these gangs are also involved in violent acts inside prisons. This is a serious problem in Ohio, where attacks in state prisons have doubled from nearly 500 in 2005 to more than 1,000 during 2008.Corrections officials say that part of the increase in violence is due to an influx of gangs such as the Heartless Felons, who are known for attacking prisoners in bands of six or more. Some of the worst violence has broken out at Mansfield Reformatory, a prison built for 1,536 inmates that now houses 2,475–161 percent over capacity. â€Å"These are dangerous times,† says Shirley Pope, the director of the state's Correctional Institutional Inspection Committee. â€Å"Mansfield is overcrowded. It is understaffed and on top of that, it has this peculiar group of younger inmates who have been described as incredibly vicious.An Ongoing Problem Whether they are terrorizing people in neighborhoods, committing crimes while in the military, or reigning over street crime from inside prisons, gangs are a significant problem all over the United States. Law enforcement officials report that gangs now have a presence in every U. S. state and the District of Columbia, a nd gang membership appears to be growing. According to reports from local, state, and federal authorities, there is no sign that this situation will change anytime in the near future.