Saturday, December 28, 2019

How To Make Homemade Silly String

Silly string or ribbon spray is a polymer foam that shoots out of a can as colored string. The stuff you buy in a can is an acrylate polymer with a surfactant, although most of the can is filled with a propellant to jet the foam out of the container. Since pressurizing a can isnt something most of us can do, homemade silly string uses a simple, forceful chemical reaction to push strings of foam out of a bottle. The reaction is based on the elephant toothpaste chemistry demonstration. Silly String Materials You can get yeast and food coloring at any grocery store. Probably the best place to get the peroxide and the bottle is a beauty supply store. You need at least 30 volume peroxide, which is ten times more concentrated than typical household peroxide solution. jar of active dry yeast30-40 volume hydrogen peroxideplastic bottle with a screw on pointed tipfood coloring Make Silly String Fill the bottle with pointed tip most of the way full with the peroxide solution.Add food coloring, unless you want white string.When you are ready to make the silly string, add a spoonful of yeast to the bottle and quickly cap it. When the yeast and peroxide react, the resulting foam builds up pressure quickly, so if you dont cap the bottle right away, it will be hard to do it later.Shake the bottle to activate the foam. Point the bottle away from people, pets, furniture, etc. The peroxide is a strong bleaching agent, so its best to do this project outdoors. Safety Information Hydrogen peroxide is extremely reactive and can burn your eyes and skin, as well as bleach your clothes and hair. Wear safety goggles and gloves when preparing and using homemade silly string. Dont play with the foam or drink it and be sure to wash down the area after your project with lots of water. Glowing Silly String If you substitute fluorescent dye for food coloring, you can make the silly string that will glow brightly under a black light. Alternatively, you can use glow powder, which will glow on its own, although not as brightly because the pigment worked best when it is exposed to bright light beforehand. Fun Fact: Military personnel spray silly string to detect trip wires that could trigger explosives or traps. How Real Silly String Works If you have a way to pressurize a can, you can make your own real silly string. Over the years, the composition of the product has changed to improve its performance and eliminate the CFC originally used to propel the polymer. The original polymer for silly string was polyisobutyl methacrylate, extruded by forcing it through a nozzle with dichlorodifluoromethane (Freon-12). Since the original patent, manufacturers have replaced Freon-12, an ozone-depleted compound, with a more environmentally-friendly chemical.  The surfactant sorbitan trioleate kept the string from being too sticky. So, to make your own real silly string, you need an acrylate that will polymerize  in air, a propellant, and a surfactant. Go for it!

Friday, December 20, 2019

Ge Swot Analysis 2013 - 1071 Words

SWOT ANALYSIS Strength Global recognition Strong competitiveness Firm operates diversified businesses such as innovation technology, media, financial services and energy infrastructures. GE is the one of world leader companies in field of development, implementation and product improvement. Firm focus on infrastructure markets because the markets are growing utilizing GE capabilities in technology. The major strength of GE has been changed since the firm sold NBC Universal as know as CNBC, 51% approximately in order to purchase new platforms of energy, oil and gas to satisfy the customer needs in global markets. According to Immelt Jeffrey (2013) claim that the new platform businesses already have earned 1 billion since it has been†¦show more content†¦Aviation services and product of the firm are the play in vital roles in airline business which the firm can get more customer because the expansion of low cost airline in Asia. Moreover, economic growth in china and japan also benefit to the firm in order to sale the new services. Strong development of infrastructure Innovation technology The demand of energy markets healthcare is increasing. The firm corporate with new ventures in order to accelerate the markets by the firm signed joint venture with United Engine Corporation (UEC) and Rao UES in order to developing new system and producing new tools to increase productivity to reach the customer goal especially in developing countries. In addition, in term of healthcare business, the firm provides the embedded solutions such as healthy improvement program for hospital operations in order to find the better way to provide patient with care and cost-effectively. The new platform in hospital will be sold including post-services which can widely use in the future(Hurbert, 2007). Moreover, the silent scan technology which will be in the healthcare measurement and will be the major strength in this business to complete with others. It can be see the policy environments which support the firm businesses as below Source from GEShow MoreRelatedProfessional Development Plan Essay examples2646 Words   |  11 PagesProfessional Development Plan HRM/326 Professional Development Plan Introduction General Electric has always been a pioneer in technological advancements. In order to succeed in business and be successful GE periodically performs a Need Analysis on areas the company has earmarked for improvement. A Team Concept has been adopted as the most efficient means of exchanging ideas and implementing change. It helps employees develop an understanding of buy in and also allows each to feel importantRead MoreGlobal Process Analytical Instrument Market 2014-2018 Research Report774 Words   |  4 Pagesthe period 2013-2018. 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Thursday, December 12, 2019

Drama Unit Conflict Essay Example For Students

Drama Unit Conflict Essay This unit is based on the theme about conflict. Its manly about the conflicts of war and the conflicting relationships between the two most important characters in this unit, Billy and Tommy. To me conflict means not getting along with each other resulting each other being violent to each other, mentally or physically. In this unit I show this when Billy and Tommy have been conscripted to go to war. I show them showing there emotions about each other by using a variety of drama techniques such as: slow motion, being abstract, the use of still images, thought tracking and many more. Lesson 1 I started off by brainstorming all the words I would associate with conflict. These are all the words that I chose: I chose these words because I think that conflict has many effects on a person and some of them are the words that I chose above. I chose these words and made a short piece of mime role-play with my group based on these words. I used slow motion at the start of the mime role-play, because it gives a bigger effect and a good way to use facial expression. Also slow motion helped me concentrate more on conflict as it marked the moment of the scene. (Tommy showing his true side to how he feels about Billy). I also used thought tracking. I think this is the best technique to use when working with the theme, conflict. Because while using thought tracking I felt as if I was with conflict with someone, and I thought of the line I will get you back for this. This line made me think of revenge. I think it links very well with conflict because then I can show the true side of the conflicting emotions that a character feels about another. (Billy and Tommy). In this short piece of mime my facial expressions were of a happy person, because my partner (Ameen) who played Tommy felt that Billy was everything to him. This made me feel happy for him. However when I and my partner used thought tracking, Tommy and Billy felt different about each other and this changed our emotions from love to hatred. By now Tommy and Billy were showing each other there conflicting personalities to each other. They werent the same character as I started off them to be. I had to do a short piece of work, showing four linked still images on Tommy and Billys personalities. In this short piece of work I chose images of both characters, when they were young, what they used to do in the childhood. In this scene I used a varied composition of facial expression. In Image 1, I chose the image of being blood brothers. I chose this image because it shows Billy and Tommys love for each other. I over exaggerated my facial expression because it was a very important moment in there lives. My body language was that I was a shy, because I was playing Billy, who is known to be shy. This is because his dad died in the war. The images that were showed were based on physical, social and mental emotions. As I was playing Billy I had very much to say. This is because I used the idea of thought tracking with my group. I think that this worked really well because thought tracking controls a persons mind and his emotions and also sends the message to the audience in a very strong way. I used the use of slow motion in our piece to link the four images as I marked the moment in each image of the emotion that was being expressed. The words that were most important in our piece were from the first image were Billy and Tommy said Together Forever. This shows the audience that the characters mean a lot to each other and the depthless of their love and friendship. Lesson 2 Turning from a man to a solider. The turning point for both of these characters lives. .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c , .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c .postImageUrl , .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c , .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c:hover , .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c:visited , .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c:active { border:0!important; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c:active , .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uac2c6402d3f178d34d0a36519f41040c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The death scene in Romeo and Juliet EssayIn 1914 every man between the ages of 18-41 had to be conscripted and go to war. This included both Billy and Tommy. Both of these characters have different opinion on going to war. Billy doesnt want to go to the war because his dad died in the war and his mother would be scared to lose another member of the family. However Tommy wants to go to the war because his dad was in a war and he survived in it. Tommy believes that if he goes to the war he will make his dad proud and his country. So did many other Billy and Tommys. In this lesson I had to use spontaneous improvisation to explore how Billy and Tommys attitudes were to conscri ption. I started off with a still image and discussed how we were going to do the spontaneous improvisation for 1-2 minutes. This is what I showed. My partner for the still image was Ameen. He played the character Tommy and I played Billy. Tommys image was of a figure that was proud and had just won something. His status and body language was high and positive. On the other hand, Billy showed a negative attitude. When he received the news his facial expression showed a man who feared something would happen to him. I dont want to go to the war. I dont want to turn out like my dad! This is the line that I kept on saying with fear. I was scared to go to the war. In the spontaneous improvisation different groups showed different ways/ideas of how Billy and Tommy felt and dealt with being conscripted. The group that I liked and stood out for me were Group 2 (Lola, Jack, Tahir, Christina and Anthony). They used a multitude of techniques which included spontaneous improvisation, facial expression and split screen. They clearly showed how Billy and Tommy felt about conscription and did most of the scene in Unison. This made it very clear to the audience exactly what they were trying to show.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Law regarding non fatal offences evaluation free essay sample

The law regarding non-fatal offences was described by the law commission as ‘inefficient as a vehicle for controlling justice where many aspects of the law are still obscure and its application erratic’. Furthermore professor J C smith described it as a ‘rag bag of offe3nces with no attempt to introduce consistency as to substance or form’. The first issue with the law on non-fatal offences is the language; firstly the definitions of key phrases are not defined in statute but rather rely on case law examples. For example the law regarding GBH is constantly evolving as shown in the case of R v Dica concerning the transmission of biological GBH however this is not illustrated in statute. The language is also seen as outdated, badly drafted and inconsistent; for example the use of the word maliciously in GBH implies wickedness on behalf of the defendant however this is not always the case in regard to the defendant’s mens rea. We will write a custom essay sample on Law regarding non fatal offences evaluation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The use of the word ‘assault’ although to those versed in law will know it as ‘causing the victim to apprehend immediate unlawful violence’ to the lay person implies a level of physicality to the act where this would refer a ‘common assault’ or actual bodily harm involving either an assault or battery along with more actual bodily harm. Reform of these issues was proposed by the law commission in regard to replacing the terms used within each offence so that they were clearly defined in statute and no longer relying on case law, with new forms of violence such as those shown in R v Dica to be included and updated. The second issue of non-fatal offences is the hierarchy of sentencing; currently the law stands that assault and battery receive a maximum 6 months imprisonmen  having a possible sentence of life. However as s. 20 requires far worse injuries than ABH it seems illogical to place them at the same sentence when one is far more serious in terms of both actus reus and mens rea. S. 18 on the other hand jumps straight to a life sentence for simply a more direct intention that s. 20. Reform of this issue follows the theory of increasing the sentence threshold for s. 20 from 5 to 7 years with the current sentence for s. 18 being sufficient. Lastly the issue of constructive intent in regard to both s. 47 and s. 20 are an issue; s. 47 ABH requires only intention or recklessness as to assault or battery. S. 20 requires only recklessness as to ‘some harm’. In both cases the fact that theoretically the maximum sentence of 5 years could be applied for an act with the defendant only had the basic mens rea towards seems unjust and runs counter to a defendant’s criminal liability that they should be liable only to the amount of fault they possess. Reform of this matter was laid out in the draft bill by the law commission in 1998 that the harm intended of foreseen must correspond to the offence committed contrary to the mens rea principles in Roberts and Mowatt. A person will only be held liable of actual bodily harm if the possess the prior knowledge that their actions would cause injury not just the assault or battery. Similarly a person must have known that their actions would recklessly or intentionally cause serious harm not just some harm in relation to s. 20

Thursday, November 28, 2019

A Dramatistic Analysis of the Sandy Hook Shootings

A Dramatistic Analysis of the Sandy Hook Shootings Identification of the Problem Background On the morning of December 14, 2012, a mentally disturbed youth named Adam Lanza gained access to Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 individuals using a Bushmaster rifle, before taking his own life with a single shot from a Glock handgun (Barron, 2012; Chaney Robertson, 2013; Semeiks, 2013).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on A Dramatistic Analysis of the Sandy Hook Shootings specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although the unprecedented shootings took 11 minutes to complete, they attracted widespread condemnation as various media outlets published as much information as possible, some even without following the protocols for accurate reporting. For example, some reputable media outlets such as CBS and Fox News wrongly reported that the killer’s mother worked at the school’s kindergarten and that she was killed as she taught the children (Folkenflik, 2012 ). However, school administrators later clarified that Lanza’s mother was not an employee of the school and had been killed at her home. The proposed project uses Kenneth Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad to undertake an analysis of the Sandy Hook shootings with the view to illuminating the local and national media coverage of the massacre. Rationale The proposed project is embedded in the justification that whatever is published by mainstream media outlets heavily influences how Americans perceive events, policies, individuals and groups, and that there is an urgent need to analyze how these media outlets primarily exhibited the diverse groups of individuals in the tragedy as well as the various policies that allowed the shooter to have access to guns. Lastly, it is felt that understanding how an individual with a mental condition was allowed to purchase guns is critical to understanding how blame shifted from particular social systems to the shooter as a single en tity. Value of Project The proposed project has immense contribution to the existing literature, particularly in distilling the knowledge on media reporting of shooting incidents, American gun rights, and employment of mental illness to explain national tragedies.Advertising Looking for case study on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Burke provides useful insights in his dramastitic pentad criticism model, where he focuses on â€Å"a flawed individual and an imperfect society as rhetoric dominated by scene-agent ratio† (Zafis, 2013, p. 5). Drawing from this elaboration, the Sandy Hook massacre can be explained within the realms of gun control supporters assuming that the American society (scene) permits individuals (agents) to arm themselves with dangerous weapons, hence making shooting incidents to be perceived within the context of imperfect systems or a deficient gun rights scene (Rosen berg, 2014). Conversely, gun rights advocates employ the mental illness frame to insinuate that an imperfect society allows mentally flawed agents to slip through a damaged mental health system and have access to guns, leading to incidences such as Sandy Hook (Chaney Robertson, 2013). Statement of Problem Available scholarship demonstrates that â€Å"recent mass shootings by persons seemingly afflicted with serious mental illness (SMI) have received extensive news media coverage and prompted national dialogue about the causes of, and policy responses to, mass shootings† (McGinty, Webster, Jarlenski, Barry, 2014, p. 406). But while such news media framing of serious mental illness as a cause of Sandy Hook shootings may influence public attitudes about individuals with mental illness and support for gun violence prevention proposals, questions proliferate about the role of the media in dealing with gun rights, flawed agents, and the various policies that seem to place weapons at the hands of the mentally ill (Rosenberg, 2014). The proposed project aims to fill these gaps in the literature. Purpose of Project and Key Research Questions The purpose of the proposed project is to use Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad to explore the rhetoric surrounding Sandy Hook’s shootings as reported in the media. The proposed research questions are as follows:Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on A Dramatistic Analysis of the Sandy Hook Shootings specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More RQ1: With reference to Sandy Hook shootings, how does the media reports the shift in focus from a gun rights scene to a flawed agent? RQ2: Does the media use mental illness as a scapegoat for why national tragedies occur? These research questions will be addressed by analyzing primary literature on mental health issues and gun crimes in America as well as secondary literature (newspapers) on Sandy Hook’s incidence and how it was reported. Method Research Design The proposed project will use the dramastitic pentad form of criticism as the method of exploration. Originating from philosopher, critical theorist and rhetorician Kenneth Burke (1897-1993), the pentad operates â€Å"grammatically as a means of articulating the relationships among ideas [and] how words about motives fit together to explain human action† (Blakeslay, 2001, p. 8). Burke developed the five key terms to dramatism (act, scene, agent, agency, purpose) and argued that these terms not only generate the principle of our investigation, but also determine what person or kind of person (agent) performs the act and what means or instruments are used (agency) to perform the act. Additionally, Burke, comprehensively cited in Blakeslay (2001), argues that â€Å"any complete statement about motives will offer some kind of answers to these five questions: what was done (act), when or where it was done (scene), who did it (agent), how he did it (agency), and why (purpose)† (p. 24).Advertising Looking for case study on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the context of the proposed project, the media may incessantly disagree about the purposes behind the frequent shootings in the United States, why individuals choose to perpetuate shootings in a particular place (scene), as well as the character of individuals who perpetuate the shootings (agents). Owing to the fact that the pentad is perceived as a strategic technique for analyzing discourse by focusing on how it attributes motivation to human action, it is evidently clear that both simple and complex statements about why individuals engage in certain things are potential material for dramatistic analysis (Blakeslay, 2001). As such, the pentad can be used as a form of rhetorical analysis or as a method that can be employed by readers to identify the rhetorical nature of any text that explains or represents human motivation, implying that the method can be used to dramastitically analyze how media outlets in the United States reported the Sandy Hook’s shootings as well as the repercussions of their reporting on different groups of individuals and social systems. In undertaking a dramastitic analysis of the Sandy Hook shootings, the proposed project will use Burke’s pentadic concepts of agent (names what person or kind of person who performed the act) as well as scene (the background of the act or the situation in which it occurred). As demonstrated by Demikiw (2010), Burke’s model not only allows a critic to achieve multiple perspectives or perceptions on the same scenario by attributing diverse terms of the pentad to the same components of the situation under investigation, but also provides users with a means for understanding motives, attitudes and perspectives by undertaking an analysis of language use. Understandably, therefore, Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad can be applied in efforts aimed at not only analyzing how the media reports shift in focus from a gun rights scene to a flawed agent in the Sandy Hook shootings, but also understanding why the media employs mental illness to explain the occurrence of national tragedies in America. Materials The proposed project will employ online newspapers and articles as the basis for data collection, in large part due to the fact that the researcher is interested in dramatistically analyzing how local and national media outlets covered the Sandy Hook shootings. It is the information contained in the online newspapers and articles that will be analyzed using Burke’s theory of dramatistic pentad to provide responses to the stated research questions. Primary resources such as peer-reviewed research articles will also be used to provide an evidence base on mental health and gun crimes in America, American gun laws, as well as media reporting of violent crimes in America. Some of the advantages of using secondary sources (online newspapers) include ease of use, low cost of acquisition, capacity to clarify research question(s), as well as capability to p rovide responses to the stated research questions. Conversely, some of the advantages of using primary sources (e.g., peer-reviewed articles) include capacity to develop critical thinking skills as well as propensity to construct knowledge (Scheuler, 2014). Secondary sources (newspapers) need to be carefully selected, as available literature demonstrates that â€Å"not all information obtained from secondary sources is equally reliable or valid† (Stewart Kamins, 1993, p. 17). This predisposition is also applicable in the collection of primary sources (peer-reviewed articles), thus the need to exercise caution. Drawing from this elaboration, the following procedure will be used for gathering materials: â€Å"(1) what was the purpose of the study? (2) Who collected the information? (3) What information was actually collected? (4) When was the information collected? (5) How was the information obtained? (6) How consistent is the information with other sources?† (Stewart Kamins, 1993, p. 17). In sampling, the researcher is of the opinion that representativeness of the artifact set (online newspapers and articles) will be balanced with considerations for the attainment of homogeneity for the sampled artifacts not only to facilitate replication of results, but also to enhance credibility as well as validity. Discussion and Conclusion Anticipated Findings The first research question relates to how the media reports the shift in focus from a gun rights scene to a flawed agent within the context of Sandy Hook shootings. Available scholarship is consistent that mass shootings can enhance mental health stigma, entrench stereotypes that individuals with mental conditions are violent, and influence public policy (Rosenberg, 2014), that gun violence perpetuated by mentally unstable individuals has been and continues to be a serious public health concern in American schools and communities (Ruggles Rajan, 2014), and that many gun violence prevention groups h ave underscored the relationship between mental illness and aggression and called for policies to prevent individuals with mental illness from having guns (McGinty et al., 2014). Using the agent (Adam Lanza) and scene (American society) continuum of Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad, it is anticipated that the ratios between the two elements will lean more toward the exploration of the flawed agent in newspapers and other media outlets. The application of these ratios to any rhetorical scenario permits the rhetorician (in this case, the researcher) to constrict an analysis from a bigger picture to a more defined one (Blakeslay, 2001; Demikiw, 2010), implying that the researcher will have the capacity to come up with responses as to how the American media has shifted attention to the flawed agent and failed to account or advocate for the gun rights scene even after repeated gun-related massacres. The second research question relates to why the American media uses mental ill ness as a scapegoat for the routine occurrence of national tragedies. Again, research is consistent that the rhetoric about the relationship between poor mental health and controlling access to firearms in the American society appears to be most predominant in the wake of mass shootings (Ruggles Rajan, 2014), that mass shootings often lead to widespread public anger, renewed debate on gun control as well as implementation of several mental health policies at the state and federal level (Rosenberg, 2014), and that many gun policy proposals across the United States are based on the common conjecture that mental illness is an important cause of violence (Chaney Robertson, 2013; McGinty et al., 2014). Using Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad as the basis for analysis and following the stream of research indicated above, the anticipated findings are likely to reinforce the assertion that the American media indeed uses flawed agents (individuals with mental illness) to form the basis for justifying the constant occurrence of national tragedies such as the one that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Such a finding will be instrumental in assisting the researcher to look for gaps in the various gun laws and policies which undoubtedly allow flawed agents to gain access to automatic weapons. Additionally, the analysis and findings will assist the researcher to delineate the reasons as to why American media is increasingly shifting blame from the failure of specific social systems to the debilitating mental effects of the shooter as a single entity. Limitations The expected results are likely to be limited by (1) complexity of analysis using Burke’s theory of dramatistic pentad as the two components (agent and scene) may overlap or be applied to another part, (2) difficulties in generalizing findings due to lack of scientific rigor, (3) potential for the researcher to fail to exercise objectivity in examining various discourses with the view to u nderstanding how they function to influence an audience, and (4) difficulties in establishing the correct ratios within the context of the relationships formed between the components of the pentad (Blakeslay, 2009; Smith, 2009). Overall, the anticipated conclusions of the proposed project will not be lacking as the researcher will take all the necessary steps to ensure reliability and validity of findings. Such steps include (1) familiarization with the Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad, (2) reference to other research studies that use similar methodology and approach, (3) ensuring representativeness of the artifact set, and (4) ensuring adequate knowledge of, and familiarity with, Burke’s dramatistic tools and cluster analysis techniques. It is the conviction of the researcher that the conclusions of the proposed project will provide important insights on how local and national newspapers and media outlets cover shooting incidents and if such coverage is to blame f or reinforcing the flawed agent perspective at the expense of restructuring gun laws to ensure that individuals with mental illness do not have access to weapons. Using the contextual framework of the Sandy Hook shootings, it is also the conviction of the researcher that the conclusions of this project will provide important insights on whether the American media use the mental illness concept to hide the realities on why national tragedies keep on occurring. The findings of this study will go a long way in informing policy directions on mental health issues, American gun laws, mass school shootings, as well as media reporting of violent crimes in the United States. References Barron, J. (2012, December 14). Nation reels after gunman massacres 20 children at school in Connecticut. New York Times. Retrieved from nytimes.com/2012/12/15/nyregion/shooting-reported-at-connecticut-elementary-school.html?_r=0 Blakeslay, D. (2001). The elements of dramatism. Harlow: Longman. Chaney, C., Ro bertson, R.V. (2013). Media reporting of the Sandy Hook elementary school angels. Journal of Pan African Studies, 5(6), 74-114. Demikiw, J.J. (2010). Taking rhetoric to work: A dramatistic analysis of organizational leadership in the office (Master’s thesis, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon). Retrieved from http://ecommons.usask.ca/bitstream/handle/10388/etd-12052010-122034/Demkiw_Julian_MA_thesis_December_2010.pdf Folkenflik, D. (2012). Coverage rapid, and often wrong, in tragedy’s early hours. Retrieved from npr.org/2012/12/18/167466320/coverage-rapid-and-often-wrong-in-tragedys-early-hours McGinty, E.E., Webster, D.W., Jarlenski, M., Barry, C.L. (2014). News media framing of serious mental illness and gun violence in the United States, 1997-2012. American Journal of Public Health, 104(3), 406-413. Rosenberg, J. (2014). Mass shootings and mental health policy. Journal of Sociology Social Welfare, 41(1), 107-121. Ruggles, K.V., Rajan, S. (2014). Gun possession among American youth: A Discovery-based approach to understand gun violence. PLoS ONE, 9(11), 1-12. Scheuler, S. (2014). Primary and secondary sources in history: A primer for undergraduates, challenges for librarians. Reference Librarian, 55(2), 163-167. Semeiks, J.G. (2013). We the paper confront Sandy Hook. Confrontation, 113, 11-17. Smith, C.R. (2009). Rhetoric and human consciousness: A history (3rd ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press. Stewart, D.W., Kamins, M.A. (1993). Evaluating secondary sources. In D.W. Stewart M.A. Kamins (Eds.), Secondary research (pp. 17-33). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Ltd. Zafis, N.S. (2013). The deadliest school shooting in American History: A dramatistic analysis of the Virginia Tech massacre. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1138context=comssp

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Napalm and Agent Orange in the Vietnam War

Napalm and Agent Orange in the Vietnam War During the Vietnam War, the United States military used chemical agents in its fight against Ho Chi Minhs Army of North Vietnam and the Viet Cong. The most important of those chemical weapons were the incendiary napalm and the defoliant Agent Orange. Napalm Napalm is a gel, which in its original form contained naphthenic and palmitic acid plus petroleum as fuel.  The modern version, Napalm B, contains plastic polystyrene, hydrocarbon benzene, and gasoline. It burns at temperatures of 800-1,200 degrees C (1,500-2,200 degrees F). When napalm falls on people, the gel sticks to their skin, hair, and clothing, causing unimaginable pain, severe burns, unconsciousness, asphyxiation, and often death. Even those who do not get hit directly with napalm can die from its effects since it burns at such high temperatures that it can create firestorms that use up much of the oxygen in the air. Bystanders also can suffer heatstroke, smoke exposure, and carbon monoxide poisoning. The US first used napalm during World War II in both the European and Pacific theaters, and also deployed it during the Korean War. However, those instances are dwarfed by American use of napalm in the Vietnam War, where the US dropped almost 400,000 tons of napalm bombs in the decade between 1963 and 1973. Of the Vietnamese people who were on the receiving end, 60% suffered fifth-degree burns, meaning that the burn went down to the bone. Horrifying as napalm is, its effects at least are time-limited. That is not the case with the other major chemical weapon the US used against Vietnam   Agent Orange. Agent Orange Agent Orange is a liquid mixture containing the 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T herbicides. The compound is toxic for only about a week before it breaks down, but unfortunately, one of its daughter products is the persistent toxin dioxin. Dioxin lingers in soil, water, and human bodies. During the Vietnam War, the US sprayed Agent Orange on the jungles and fields of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The Americans sought to defoliate the trees and bushes, so that enemy soldiers would be exposed.  They also wanted to kill off the agricultural crops that fed the Viet Cong (as well as local civilians). The US spread 43 million liters (11.4 million gallons) of Agent Orange on Vietnam, covering 24 percent of South Vietnam with the poison. Over 3,000 villages were in the spray zone. In those areas, dioxin leached into peoples bodies, their food, and worst of all, the groundwater.  In an underground aquifer, the toxin can remain stable for at least 100 years. As a result, even decades later, the dioxin continues to cause health problems and birth defects for Vietnamese people in the sprayed area. The Vietnamese government  estimates that about 400,000 people have died from Agent Orange poisoning, and about half a million children have been born with birth defects. US and allied veterans who were exposed during the period of heaviest usage and their children may have elevated rates of various cancers, including soft tissue sarcoma, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, and lymphocytic leukemia. Victims groups from Vietnam, Korea, and other places where napalm and Agent Orange were used have sued the primary manufacturers of these chemical weapons, Monsanto and Dow Chemical, on several occasions. In 2006, the companies were ordered to pay US$63 million in damages to South Korean veterans who fought in Vietnam.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Influences of Culture On Learning and Assessment Among Native Article

The Influences of Culture On Learning and Assessment Among Native American Students - Article Example The author cites information from the national data sources regarding the achievement of the Native American students, and he discusses the principles of assessment and the cultural aspects of assessment. He further uses personal experience to assist others in the reflection of cultural aspects of assessment. Assessment information, data gathered nationally on Native America and educational research is seriously limited. There is a lot to be learned about the Native Americans and other minority students’ assessment and external influences such as environment, context, perspectives culture, and attitudes. Priorities differ in different societies and they influence what the children learn and take as important; there is plenty of opinions and limited research that support this argument. The author concludes by giving several considerations that have to be taken into account in the assessment of a Native American student. An example of such a consideration is the language of inst ruction and the language of home. The article is important because it provides information about the culturally-based curriculum for the Native American students. Three points of relevance; (a) it provides limelight into the present assessment of native students, (b) it attempts to show that the current assessment may be biased because it fails to take into account the influence of culture on the understanding of the world, variety of intelligence we possess, the learning context and the individual’s experiences and, (c) few studies have shown that culturally-based curriculum actually increases the achievement of native students.