Analyse how national & local guidelines Essay

National legislation and guidance influence the development of local policies and procedures that affect every day work with children and young people. Policies must cover the protection of all children and young people under the age of 18 and the content of the policy must be reviewed annually. The LSCB (Local safeguarding children board) is responsible for ensuring that all agencies and departments that work with children and young people in the Borough, work in unity to support the welfare and safety of children in that area. To ensure that work is carried out in an effective manner the LSCB coordinate the work of local agencies to provide a more optimistic outcome in regards to children’s safeguarding. Red bridge works in line with the Every Child Matters program which states that each child has a right to: Be healthy Stay safe Enjoy and achieve Make a positive contribution Achieve economic well being Within childcare practice we must be aware that we have a clear and defined role in relation to child protection. Professionals working with children/young people i.e. teaching assistants, volunteers, outside agencies are DBS checked (Disclosure & barring service) previously known as CRB checks. Adults working with children should also be fully trained in safeguarding children by a nominated safeguarding adviser and have the opportunity to receive training in order to develop their understanding of the signs and indicators of abuse or neglect, this training is offered every 3 years. In order for child protection to work effectively we must ensure we have good inter relationships with other agencies and good cooperation from professionals that are competent in responding to child protection situations. If a child discloses information that concerns his/her welfare; we must make a record of exactly what the child has said in their words and report it to a safeguarding officer, ensuring that these records are kept confidentially and separated from pupils records. Guidance on confidentiality and sharing; the line manager/head teacher or safeguarding officer will only disclose personal information concerning a child to other members of staff on a need to know basis, however all staff must be aware that they have a responsibility to share information with other agencies. If a child or young person does disclose information to a member of staff and ask that that information remains ‘a secret’, it is vital that the member of staff tells the child/young person sensitively that they have a duty to transfer information to the appropriate agencies in order for other children to be safeguarded. Risk assessments are crucial to any setting and should be carried out regularly to ensure that there is no safeguarding threats to the children.

A Strange Encounter

It was a conventional evening at the Gladwyne Pharmacy. Preparing for our closure, I was organizing the register receipts from the day to save myself from ancillary labor the following morning. 6:57PM: only three more minutes before I can finally return home after an extensive, demanding afternoon. Contrary to the ordinary occurrence, our regular last-minute customers were not swarming in the door. Initially, I took this as a good sign: today may mark the first time I get off work punctually. But, lo and behold, my expectations did not match the true exposition.A man walks in: at least my height, possibly taller, and significantly stronger. He was completely unfamiliar to me; I assumed he must not be from the area. He flounced his way in my direction as if under heavy influence of drugs or alcohol. A strong scent of whiskey filled the air as he neared. Instantaneously, I knew this man would be a problem. â€Å"Give me these drugs now! † he clamors as he slams his gargantuan fi st on the counter. It unfurls to reveal a crumpled sticky note with a short list of narcotics written upon it in pencil.I briskly replied with the standard protocol response for a situation such as this: â€Å"These drugs require a proper doctor-written prescription for us to give them to you. † I could ascertain that he was not satisfied with my rejoinder. This is where my once-regular day at work began to look more on the abysmal side. With an even more irate expression on his face than before, the man reached with his other hand towards his waist. At this point he was obviously insinuating towards his possession of a weapon. Unreasonably, he demanded to speak to one of our administrators.I informed him that none of them were present, but if he so wished I could contact them via telephone and have him speak directly to them. This was outrageous to the man, and for some reason engendered even further aggravation from him. Our only pharmacist on duty that night had been eaves dropping from the beginning, and thought it necessary to call our owner. She came out and politely handed the man the phone with our owner on the line. A second later, the phone was in pieces on the ground. The man approached me again, this time with a newfound ambition in his eyes.Noticing that both of our register drawers were ajar, he enjoined that I give him all of their contents. â€Å"I’ll take all of the money or all of these drugs, or you will have a problem! † I rapidly fabricated this retort: â€Å"You, sir, are the one with a problem: the local police are en route as we speak. † Without hesitation, the man bolted out of the pharmacy, and was arrested later that night for DUI. I was commended and received a pay-raise for my bravery. That improbable night I learned never to succumb to another person’s demands, even if your life depends on it.

The completion of the Severn Tidal project on the coastline between Essay

The completion of the Severn Tidal project on the coastline between England and Wales - Essay Example The essay discusses that currently, 450 million litres of water passes through the Severn Estuary on the coastline between Wales and England. This water is a collection of inland rivers and waterbodies that deposit their flow into the Sea at this point. It provides a great opportunity for a power generation facility at that would tap energy for users in Wales and England. The government and key stakeholders including members of the international community have agreed that Britain should cut its carbon emission to just 20% by the year 2050. This means that Britain will have to cut its carbon emission by 80% in the next four decades. There is therefore the need for the people of the United Kingdom to identify alternative means of producing energy. The consumption of petroleum products and hydrocarbon fuels increased at a very fast rate after the Second World War. The Kyoto Protocol identified that Britain accounts for about 5% of the world's carbon emission into the atmosphere. This is highly disproportionate to the size of Britain which is relatively small. Since the trend of global warming is an international matter, Britain has come under severe pressure to identify ways of cutting down on its reliance on hydrocarbons. Thus, the proposition of the British government to cut down emissions by 80% in 2050 has become more of a serious objective now than ever. One of the core solutions to the problem is to identify renewable energy options for the United Kingdom. Tidal power generation is one of the options available to a nation like Britain in her bid to identify an alternative to the reliance on hydrocarbons. The Climate Change Act gives legitimacy and force to the plans of the UK government to cut down on CO2 emissions. This means that the state has a tougher legal obligation to put its resources to use to produce a strong and potent method of dealing with climate change. The UK government has been involved with some key stakeholders in an attempt to find soluti ons to this problem. The main stakeholders who have been involved in discussions on providing solutions are: 1. The UK Government 2. Private Sector Energy Companies 3. The UK Public 4. Environmental Groups in practice and academia. These groups have been involved in various degrees of consultation and discussions on the matter. The Severn coastline offers one of the greatest opportunities for the establishment of a renewable energy system. This can be done by creating dams, barrages or some other facilities that will make use of the energy generated by the movement of the water on the coastline. These stakeholders have spent two years undertaking feasibility studies about the creation of an energy generation system on the Severn coastline. These feasibility studies has taken an number of core issues into account. The findings of the Severn consultation activities indicate that the project is capable of providing 15% of Britain's energy needs. This means that a dam on the estuary can potentially provide a significant solution to the carbon emission targets that has been set by the UK government in the Climate Change Act. This will obviously curb the volume of carbon emission and reduce the effects of pollution emanating from the United Kingdom. In the process, the stakeholder group collected a total of 10 proposals about how a power generation system could be set up at the Severn coast of the United Kingdom. These ten proposals were assessed on the basis of benefits,

Ganoderma lucidum Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ganoderma lucidum - Research Paper Example In ancient times due to its rarity and limited supply, Ganoderma, was usually almost exclusively reserved for royalty, emperors and kings (Ganoderma-online, 2012).Thanks to modern and strain specific cultivation techniques, Reishi is more affordable to produce and its accessible more to the average consumer. There are many potential health benefits and medicinal uses for long term users of Ganoderma Lucidum Modern research supports the myriad of naturally occurring medicinal and health enhancing compounds present in the Ganoderma mushroom family. Reishi consumed as a long-term health supplement is widely used for its ability to prevent many common health maladies that might affect the individual in the future (Staments, 1993). This fungi is well known for its immune system enhancing properties, its ability to ward of infections and regulate blood pressure, increase liver glucose metabolism as well as and normalizing blood glucose levels (Ganodermalucidumfacts, 2013).There are many ways to use Ganoderma such as in extract form, tea or a pill, but drinking Reishi mushroom in coffee form has become a very popular way to consume due the naturally bitter taste of its medicinal compounds similar in taste to plain coffee (Superganoderma, 2013). Ganoderma Lucidum contains compounds that encourage intra-cellular detoxification by accelerating and energizing cellular processes to help get rid of accumulated toxins within the cell membrane and the nucleus. By enhancing the user’s immune system and helping eliminate the body from accumulated toxins preventing the body from healing and operating normally, Reishi enhances the ability of the immune system to fight of the cancer cells. The polysaccharides and Germanium compounds present in the fungal body are largely responsible for the anti-tumor and anti-cancer properties present on Ganoderma Lucidum. Ganoderma is

Family Law - case study1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Family Law - case study1 - Essay Example Furthermore the marriage laws also state that if the marriage has been intimate (consummated) within a 6 month period during which a divorce is filed then the couple is required to wait 6 more months to a year before they can re-file for a divorce decree2. Furthermore the no-fault areas of the marriage, preceding a divorce have to be examined as well. Because John does not want a divorce and wants to work on the marriage then the court would look at the impact a divorce might have on him in particular. However, as was stated, due to the policies surrounding the divorce laws in the UK and England in particular, there will be a great deal of counseling and other interventive measures utilized to try and save this marriage if indeed it were to proceed into the family courts. The primary reasoning for counseling is going to fall into the area of the courts expecting there to be clear and coherent mental competency to ensure that both of the individuals are aware of their actions and are fully understanding of what will take place within their lives after a divorce is granted3. As the laws in cohabitation have changed drastically in the past few years, there are new stipulations in regards to couples who live together and often the same laws that govern marriage apply to cohabitating partners4. However, cohabitant partners are not wholly equal to married couples in all respects, not according to the English laws. For instance married couples do have the protection of marital law to assist them if there are problems that develop that have to do with property or a specific living situation where violence is occurring5. However, following modern civil law, a cohabitating couple such as Jeremy and Claude can adopt a set of rules that ultimately divides the property between the two and of which is upheld in a court of law just as a married couple's property rights would be viewed. Therefore there is the possibility that Jeremy could have a legal way of forcing Claude to vacate the flat that they share but due to the fact that they don't have a legal civil partn ership creates other types of problems besides not being married brings. For instance, without a civil partnership there are no real legal grounds that an individual within a cohabitating relationship can rely on fully. This isn't to say that Jeremy would not have any legal protection at all but the point that is being made is that it would be further complicated by the fact that the two aren't married, there is violence in the relationship, and no civil partnership is in existence to refute any adverse statements or actions that might come into being6. The law is quite clear on one aspect of this domestic problem however, regardless of whether the couple is married or not. Because of the fact that the flat is solely in Jeremy's name the law would stipulate that he could enforce the removal of Claude through a legal means without any adverse repercussions to himself. However, any joint property that remained in the flat would have to be legally divided according to any legal arrange ment that Jeremy and Claude have in affect. If they have none (which without a civil p

Management Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management Paper - Assignment Example In the week four paper I identified several strategies that Auxilium Pharmaceutical could pursue. The purpose of this paper is to prepare an implementation plan for the company. A complete financial breakdown of the budget to implement the plan by segment is illustrated in Appendix A. The company must build up the image of the company and reinforce its brand value across the domestic United States marketplace. The company needs the doctors to recognize the firm’s brands as one of the best alternatives to treat Dupuytren’s contracture and hypogonadism. The company must hire a temporary workforce of pharmaceutical sales representatives for a period of six months. Each state will be allocated 100 pharmaceutical sales representatives. The goal of the program is for the pharmaceutical sales representatives to visit the offices of every doctor in the United States and to give them several samples of both drugs. As of 2008 there were 661,400 doctors in the United States (Bls, 2011). The purpose of the initiative is to create brand awareness of the firm’s products and to provide a personalized customer service to the doctors that prescribe the drugs. The cost to implement the plan is illustrated below: total employees 5000 Total hours elapse (6m) 1039 Total man hours 5,195,000 Labor cost per hour $15 Project cost $77,925,000 After the completion of the six months the company will not have to pay anymore the pharmaceutical sales representatives because their contracts will end and the company will no longer need their services. Due to the high implementation costs of the plan the company could divide the visiting doctor project in two years. The project after six months or lower and $38 million in spending would become inactive. The following fiscal year the company would fund the additional $38 million to complete the project. The company will also target the end user of the medicine, the patient. The company must increase its marketing budget a lo t in 2012. The firm’s marketing budget must be at least twice of its 2010 spending. An effective branding strategy requires a high capital investment. The firm should create a new advertising campaign to be launched on Christmas day. The commercial will be launched simultaneously on the written press, television, radio, and the internet. The written press commercial will be a reanimation of the commercial in cartoon format. The radio commercial will provide the same audio as the television commercial. The television and internet commercial are identical. The total elapse time of the commercial will be 15 seconds. The advertising campaign will be run on television and radio for 30 days. The written press will have the commercial on for a period of 30 days with an offering of the commercial once a week. The internet campaigns will be ran for 90 days. The reason the internet campaign will be run longer is due to the lower cost of internet commercials. The total budget for the pr oject is $2,000,000 million. The organization will use additional campaigns in order to raise the brand value of the firm. One of the technological tools that will be used to target specific customer profiles is the use of cellular technology advertisement. One of the advantages of cellular advertisement is that the entire population of targeted customers receives the message into their phones simultaneously. Due to the graphic and online capabilities of smartphones the company could design very appealing commercials. The commercial length should not exceed 15

Caterpillar's Strength in Surviving the Most Recent Global Economic Essay

Caterpillar's Strength in Surviving the Most Recent Global Economic - Essay Example Caterpillar continuously maintained its core competency and followed strategic measures to sustain its state of success in the market of global competition. In the late 1990s, the company was seen to improve more and diversify into engine production, finance, re-engineering and logistics which although showed signs of enhancement in the company’s profits, but at the same time, created concerns over rising debts that could pose troubles for the company in the approaching recession of 2008. Nevertheless, Caterpillar successfully survived the recession and maintained its position in the market (BMAN20002 Caterpillar Inc. Case, pp.1-4). This research study would thus reflect on the company’s strength in terms of its core competency as well as strategic business policies that might have aided the company to survive through the phase of recession. Performance of the company before and after the recession of 2008: The performance of the company before and after the recession c an be studied by going through some of the financials of the company. For this purpose, the financials of last four years, comprising the period between 2007 and 2010, have been taken into consideration. The case study indicates that the company had improved its performance in the late 1990s. From a period of 1980 till 2007, the company’s results showed fluctuations but an overall increase in its net sales came about moving from as low as $10000m to $50000m, and the operating profit margins ranging from a negative percentage to as high as 15 percent (BMAN20002 Caterpillar Inc. Case, p.6). The gross profit, the operating income, and the net income of the company from 2007 till 2010 are represented in Exhibit 1 below: Exhibit 1. Gross profit, Operating income and Net income of Caterpillar Company from December 2007 till December 2010 (Bloomberg Business Week, 2011). (In millions of US Dollars) December 31, 2007 (USD) December 31, 2008 (USD) December 31, 2009 (USD) December 31, 2010 (USD) Gross profit 11,200.0 11,756.0 7,465.0 11,307.0 Operating income 4,921.0 4,478.0 1,305.0 3,996.0 Net Income 3,541.0 3,557.0 895.0 2,700.0 Thus if the profits and income as represented for the period before and after the recession are considered, it can be found that the company had suffered losses from the period between 2008 and 2009; however the results improved thereafter reflecting that the company had successfully survived the recession. The return on the company’s equity for the period before and after the recession can be represented through the following table: Exhibit 2. Return on Equity (ROE) of Caterpillar Company for the period from December 2007 till December 2010 (Bloomberg Business Week, 2011). (In millions of US Dollars) December 31, 2007 (USD) December 31, 2008 (USD) December 31, 2009 (USD) December 31, 2010 (USD) Net Income 3,541.0 3,557.0 895.0 2,700.0 Equity 8,996.0 6,714.0 9,300.0 11,325.0 ROE (Net Income / Equity) (in %) 0.39 0.53 0.10 0.24 Th e return on equity had been reasonably low over the last four years. However after the recession the percentage had fallen very low which can be found to be improving sooner as reflected through the results of December 2010. The debt issued by the company can be represented through the following chart that would show whether the company had to face troubles owing to increasing debt amounts. Figure 1. Debts issued

Important Partnerships between Police Officers and the Community Research Paper

Important Partnerships between Police Officers and the Community - Research Paper Example This research paper explores the importance of partnership between police officers and community in reducing criminal activities in the society. Today, law enforcing agencies look at the best approach to handle domestic violence and crime. The need to stump out crime in the society needs a collective effort, which would involve the police and the community. Criminologists argue that partnership between the police officers and the community can help to reduce crimes committed in the community. Largely, the society has a role to play in controlling the security, crime and any other vice that is likely to occur in the community. The manner in which prosecutors handle cases of domestic violence indicates the partnership between the police officers and the community could help to avert criminal activities in the society. Notably, prosecutors use the following approaches to handle cases of domestic violence evidence based prosecution, no drop policies, and special regional or district atto rneys. In conclusion, the importance of partnership between community and police officers include improved safety in the society, effective police activities in the community, leverages of resources used by the police, and leads to a reduction of criminal activities or improvement of behavior in the society. Largely, coordination of information between the society and the police leads to address and possible prosecution of the criminals. Arresting and prosecution of criminals would be difficult without the cooperation of the community.

Quantitative Data Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Quantitative Data Analysis - Essay Example Below the introduction, the report provides a brief overview of the data used, including a statement on the adequacy, and the implications of this factor. Using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), the study further explored specific features of the data used, including highlights on frequencies and descriptive statistics. Two extra variables (â€Å"the total number of health conditions that a doctor ever told an ELSA respondent they have or have had† and â€Å"prevalence of disabilities that limit activities†) were developed in SPSS and used for further analysis of the variations in heart conditions and correlation between income health statuses. Multivariate regression of depression scores and severity of disability was then performed as the last bit of analysis. A summary of the health statuses of the older people in England was provided just before the list of references that preceded the appendix (comprising syntax files obtained through the SPSS ). The data used to compile this report was obtained from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). ELSA is an interdisciplinary resource for data pertaining to health, economic wellbeing and quality of life as people in England age (The Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2011). The data collected usually represents persons aged 50 years and above. The Institute for Fiscal Studies explains that the sample from which the data is obtained is representative of the English population falling within the recommended age bracket. This implies that the organisation takes time to calculate a sample size that would be both financially viable to reach as well as one that is not too small to represent the qualities under investigation (Lavrakas, 2008). Additionally, the results obtained from the representative sample have the added advantage of increased ease of generalization to the entire population that it was obtained from.

Whartons The Age Of Innocence And Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching Essay

Whartons The Age Of Innocence And Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching God. The Idea Of Society - Essay Example This is to say that society is made up of people and so any theme that addresses the needs of people addresses the needs of society. Consequently, when authors use their works to address specific and identifiable issues in society, what they are actually saying is that ‘society is giving a message to the people who live in it’. This is in this direction that society could be touted as being used as a character in a given novel or work of literature. In Wharton’s â€Å"The Age of Innocence† and Huston’s â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God†, we read of how the authors bring out specific aspects and issues of the America society at the time at which the stories were set. Based on the issues that the authors about the American society, it can be said that society was used as a character to speak out on matters that affects it negatively and how it wants these issues addressed by other characters around it. How each book conceive of the idea of soci ety In both books, the authors conceive the idea of society as a make up of different people, each of whom is aspiring to have their own versions of satisfaction by pursuing what their hearts desire most. In doing this, light is shed on the fact that even though each person may come into this world as an individual, the collective interactions that exist between each of each forms the concept of society. Each book thus conceives society as a make up different people with different ambitions that bring about variety and diversity. In essence, society is seen as a variety of individual beings, having a social interaction together. In â€Å"Their eyes were watching God† for instance, we read of how Janie and Jody, each having different ambitions for life. Whereas Janie was looking for her independence to be herself as a Black female, Jody was seeking ways of exhibit power and fame (Hurston, p. 16 and p. 43). The author of â€Å"The Age of Innocence† adds a new dimension t o society as a very powerful tool for determining the way that people ought to act. For instance even though Newland had fallen in love with Ellen and had planned on living his wife for her, the mere fact that he heard that his wife was pregnant made him resend his decision. What this means is that societal structures and systems such as the family system has so much power on the actions and deeds of the people within the society. It is not for nothing that even though it was said that â€Å"He had known the love that is fed on caresses and feeds them; but this passion that was closer than his bones was not to be superficially satisfied† (Wharton, p. 157), Newland could still not go ahead to take what he wanted because of the societal system. Who are included or excluded from each author’s society Hurston presents an American society that is made up of a White population, dominating a Black population. It was also made up of a Male population, dominating a Female popul ation. To this end, Janie, who happened to be both a female and a Black was supposed to experience a major exclusion from the author’s society. But interestingly, Janie could single handedly fight for a place in the society of the author even to the end of the book. This is because she defiled the gossips that were going on around her to ensure that she attained what she wanted in life, which was the independence of her identity. So at the concluding part of the story, it was stated that â€Å"It was not death she feared. It was misunderstanding† (Hurston, p. 188). This means that the major fight that Janie was involved in was a fight to give her a place in the s

The Sixth Challenge of Vision 2020 Essay Example for Free

The Sixth Challenge of Vision 2020 Essay The sixth challenge of vision 2020 is to form a scientific –oriented and progressive society. A scientific, oriented and progressive society is a society that is fully inventive and creative, forward-looking, optimism, generous and provides a technological civilization in the future. The reason why I think the sixth challenge cannot be met because of the identification of race with economic function, and the recognition of race in economic backwardness. Identification of race with economic scale implies that the income of individual is not equal; the crisis of disparity between races is significant. Each race will have their own economic worth due to the individual upbringing and education, economic preferences and effort therefore they received different financial reward. An equality of income between races is not possible and not achievable. On the other hand, the sixth challenge cannot be meet on year 2020 is because of lack of skill labors in the society. Young Malaysians seek to study and work abroad and this create a shortage of skill labor which slowed down the growth of the country. Others countries provide better wages, career opportunity, environment and education than Malaysia such as neighbor Singapore. Therefore, it is hard to develop a scientific society by year 2020 if there is a shortage in skilled labors, potential and technologies. To overcome the challenge, 1 Malaysia concept must be strongly built up in every race’s mindset to reduce racial politics in the country. The society should accept and tolerances among people of different races, and have a mutual respect for each citizens within the country. Government should allocated resources appropriately to reduce the racist crisis. Next, government should also focus on the level of wages and allowance pay to the skilled labor to reduce the capital loss of country. Government should increase the project of development of the country to provide more career opportunities to the citizens.

Nuclear Power- Should it be Banned?

Nuclear Power- Should it be Banned? The title question of my case study is: Should Nuclear Power be Banned?. I have chosen this question as I believe it is a key topic at this present moment in life, with a lot of information about it in the media, such as on the news and in the papers each day. Also it is something that will affect the life in which we live in the future. So because of these reasons it is something that people need to be aware of and need to actually understand what nuclear power is and how it is affecting us or is going to affect us in the years to come. One major problem that could occur with nuclear power is that there is always the risk that there could be a leakage of radioactive fluids, which will have a massive impact on the environment and its surroundings. These radioactive fluids that may leak from the power stations can cause cancers and very harmful illnesses in humans. So for this reason people will believe that yes, nuclear power should be banned, especially those people living around or near a nuclear power station, or those that have close relatives that may be affected if something like this were to happen. A reason against banning Nuclear power is that it provides a lot of our energy sources, and can be used to generate electricity and to power ships, so therefore we need nuclear power to continue doing these things, and if we were to get rid of it then we would only have to resort to finding another way of providing this energy, which is only going to cost even more money, on top of what wed already be paying to get rid of the nuclear power plants that exist at this moment in time.. Without the use of the ships that are powered by the nuclear power, we would have a lot of difficulty in transporting goods such as food and material from one place to another. It is in the Nuclear fission where the Uranium is used, this starts off the process for nuclear power to be generated. Nuclear fission is the process of atoms splitting, so when a heavy nucleus such as Uranium splits into two smaller, lighter nuclei. In this reaction, the strong nuclear force which is the attractive force, is acting on the electrostatic force which is the repulsive force, these can be knocked out of balance on each other when they gain the energy from either a photon or a neutron. The two forces are affected by the gain of this other element and will try to act on each other to regain the state in which they were in, but in nuclear fission the electrostatic force will gain more power than the nuclear force, therefore causing it to repel and for the nucleus to split apart, also releasing energy as it does so. To make this slightly easier to understand, imagine a load of marbles in a rough circle shape on a flat tabletop (this is going to be representing the original atoms nucleus, where all the forcing are acting the same on one another and are equal, so all the marbles/atoms are stable). What if I were to then throw or roll another marble into this group of stable marbles? All the marbles would spread apart and move out into the space around them, this marble that is being rolled into them is acting as the photon or neutron that is being gained in the nucleus. This is unbalancing the forces and causing the atoms to all move around as they react to the change that is taking place, but seeing as all the marbles move out, and away from each other shows to us that the repelling force has gained more control, as the attractive force wasnt able to keep them all together, and this is exactly what happens in nuclear fission. Saying that, although there isnt much waste being produced, that that is produced is extremely dangerous and would have to be stored, sealed up and buried for thousands of years to allow the radioactivity to die away. During this time it has to be kept far away from any potential natural disasters such as Earthquakes, Volcanic eruptions, flooding and terrorist attacks. This can be very difficult at times. The worlds worst nuclear accident occurred after an explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It released radiation over much of Europe. Thirty-one people died in the immediate aftermath of the explosion. Hundreds of thousands of residents were moved from the area and a similar number are believed to have suffered from the effects of radiation exposure. As you can see already from this 31 innocent people died from a nuclear power accident, thats hundreds of people left without a family member, and what if this was to happen again, but this time it could be even worse, and possibly even more people killed. Also from this event, thousands and thousands of people were once again exposed to the radiation which can cause cancerous cells in our bodies, which could lead to a number of deaths years down the line, all from this one accident that happened because of nuclear power. -This website is a university website, which is very factual and all its points appear to be logical and true, also the fact that its scientists writing the points and information only gives us more reason to believe its true and reliable. Many risks are taken when using nuclear power, there is always the risk of a meltdown occurring, or even a leakage of radioactive waste. There is also a risk to the workers safety and well-being as storing waste from nuclear reactors can be a problem in some cases. A nuclear meltdown is when the cooling systems fail, and the nuclear reactors reach such a temperature that they melt straight through the reactor or damage the reactor wall. With this melting, then allows the spread of radioactivity, which as before can cause great damage in the human body. There is also the chance of contamination within the environment if there was to be a leakage of radioactive waste in that area. Radioactive waste, if gotten into the workers at a nuclear power plant, can also poison them, which furthermore, would take their life. Against Nuclear Power Banning On the other hand, there are also many reasons as to why people believe that nuclear power shouldnt be banned, some of which are listed below; Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The emissions of green house gases and therefore the contribution of nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little. This technology is readily available; it does not have to be developed first. It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy in one single plant. -I think that this is a reliable website to get information from as it is based on the pros and cons of nuclear power, and what needs to be done to make a change, and what needs to stay the same. It cannot be edited or changed by anyone other than the creators, and the creators are have done a lot of research to make the website to the high standard of what it is now. In 2005, approximately 6.3% of the earths energy supply relied on nuclear power, and gradually over the years, this has increased slightly to 14% in 2009. It also provided 15% of the worlds electricity in 2005 and again in 2009. If we were to ban nuclear power then there would have to be other ways in which this supply of electricity was formed, and therefore more money is going to have to be spent out in order for this supply of electricity. As you can see from the statements above, it clearly states that nuclear power can generate a lot of electrical energy in just one single plant, and with there being 440 plants across the world; this would cost an awful lot of money to get rid of and then replace the energy and electricity in which it supplies us with. Nuclear power also provides for ships and submarines, which we need to transport food and goods from country to country, without these ships we would have to find another way of transporting the items, say if we were to use a plane for example, then this would only be adding to global warming which is another issue known world-wide. -I believe this graph to be a reliable source of evidence as it is from a website specifically focused on the use of nuclear power all over the world, in various different countries. Also it is not biased in any way, and it completely based on facts and figures rather than opinions, so therefore this is a reliable piece of information to be used in this case study. As you can see from the graph above, most of the large MEDC (More Economically Developed) countries reply on nuclear power as a source of energy and electricity. Although there are other ways of them getting their energy supply, with the loss of nuclear power, they would only have to increase one or more of their other supplies in order to make up for what they have lost from the lack of nuclear power. Conclusion SHOULD NUCLEAR POWER BE BANNED? Taking into account both sides of the argument, we can see that there are many reasons for nuclear power being banned, just as well as reasons for nuclear power to not be banned. The main reason that people believe nuclear power should be banned is that there is always the risk of a spillage of nuclear gases, or a leak in the power stations, which would have a great impact on humans health. The main reason as too why nuclear power shouldnt be banned is that it provides a huge amount of the worlds energy and electricity source. As you can see from the for and against arguments on the previous pages, I think that overall the benefit of nuclear power outweighs the risk so therefore nuclear power SHOULDNT be banned, and I think this becauseto get rid of all the nuclear power stations over the world would cost an awful lot of money for the governments and thats money that could be put to a better use elsewhere. Also after paying out to get rid of the nuclear power plants throughout the earth, we would then also have to pay for other methods of providing the electricity and energy resources that these plants provided, it would be easier and more efficient to just spend the money into finding more ways in which we can prevent a leakage at a power plant and how we would handle such a situation, if another one were to occur. Nuclear power plays too big a role in everyday life, we just take it for granted and dont actually realise how much we do rely on it. Furthermore, as for the number of deaths that have occurred from nuclear power accidents; there are so many things nowadays that could kill people, we just try not to look at them in that way, for instance there could be a massive pile-up on a motorway and kill a numerous amount of drivers, passengers and general citizens, but that doesnt mean that people are going to stop driving does it? So why should nuclear power be banned because of the risk of there being a fault that could cause deaths among humans? The workers in nuclear power plants, are fully aware of the risks they take every day and the risks of the radiation, but safety measures are in place to protect these workers from getting harmed, and they are trained of what to do in the case of emergency, so therefore its entirely down to them to do the job or not, at no point are they being forced to work under such conditions that are putting themselves at risk.

Coffee Plantations in Wayanad

Coffee Plantations in Wayanad The coffee production in Kerala accounts to about 28 % of the overall coffee production in South India which includes the three states Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The coffee production is mainly suited to grow in the hilly tracts of these states with Karnataka accounting to the majority of coffee production a whopping 53% of a total production of 8200 tonnes (Year 2010 figures). The coffee production in Kerala is around 23 % of the countrys total coffee output which makes it the second largest coffee-producing state in India. Wayanad, a popular district in Kerala produces almost around 90 % of the states coffee produce which literally concludes that the coffee economy of Kerala is highly correlated with the coffee economy existing in Wayanad. Our study plans to analyze and evaluate the agricultural farming practices adopted by the farmers in Wayanad, a district situated in the north-east of Kerala, and very popular for the coffee plantations and tea estates growing in this region. In this section, we will however be concentrating with the existing farming methods and the scope of natural farming in the area of coffee plantations. We will first discuss about the topography of Wayanad and how it suits to the growth of coffee on an extensive scale, followed by the existing farming practices of coffee and the contribution of NGOs , co-operative societies and self help groups in educating the farmers about the modern eco-friendly methods of farming. Finally, we will analyze and evaluate the scope of natural farming in the area of growth of coffee plantations in Wayanad and how it will improve the value chain from the farmers perspective. About Wayanad Topography Wayanad, the 12th district formed in Kerala, which is also called The Land of Paddy Fields is located in between the boundaries of the Kozhikode and Kannur districts. The region is located on the top of the majestic Western Ghats and its altitude range from approximately 700 meters to as high as 2100 meters. A large part of the regions population comprises of the indigenous tribal communities. The region is full with densely populated high-standing hilly terrains, mountains (Chembra Peak), lakes (the beautiful Pookot Lake), waterfalls and dams (Banasura Sagar Dam) as an attractive location for tourists. Climate Wayanad being distant from the mean sea level and densely covered by forests provide a very pleasant climate. Typically the temperature variations are reported to be in the range of 18 to 28 degree centigrade. The average rainfall received in the region is around 2500 millimeters per year. As a result of a high extent of presence of both sunlight and rainfall, the agricultural land in this region is very fertile. Wayanad due to its extensive scope of agricultural farming has been reported to be holding a position amongst the 18 real agribiodiversity hotspots situated in the globe. Rivers Most of the Wayanad district is situated close to the river Kabini (an important tributary of the river Kaveri) along with its three tributaries namely, Panaraman, Kalindy and Mananthavady rivers. Dams such as the BanasuraSagar Dam and aqueducts have also been built in the region with the sole purpose of supplying water to the drought stricken regions in the district. Economy Speaking about the economy of Wayanad, majority of the regions economy is based on agriculture as can be implied by the meager figure of 3.79 % of the districts population being urbanized. The main cash crops growing in the region are coffee, tea, plantain, pepper, vanilla and cocoa. Apart from these crops, another important and essential cash crop growing in the Wayanad region is rice. Although there has been an agrarian crisis due to the increase in lower prices of the locally-grown cash crops such as coffee, ginger, pepper, etc. , yet it has been noted that there is an increasing trend in the price of agricultural land in Wayanad. The geographical description of the territory covers a vast portion with agricultural land, roughly 54 % of the districts area. Around 37% of the territory is covered up with densely populated forests. One of the main cash crops growing in the region apart from tea is coffee which has two main varieties of coffee plantations. Coffee Arabica, the premier coffee and Coffee Robusta, the low-quality coffee which well suits the environmental conditions originating in Wayanad are the two main varieties of coffee growing in this district. However, majority of the coffee growing in this region is of the robusta variety which accounts to approximately 95 % of the total coffee production in Wayanad. The capacity of land occupied by coffee plantations in terms of agricultural land area amounts to around 58 %, numerically around 110,000 hectares. It has been reported that around 80 % of the total coffee produced in Kerala comes from Wayanad. Population The population extent in Wayanad counts to roughly around 800,000 people with more than 80 % of the population being majorly dependent on agriculture. The majority of the coffee growers in Wayanad are small and marginal farmers which account to more than 90 % with more than 60 % of the land holders occupying less than one hectare of land. The average landholding size of a farmer in the district has been found to be approximately 0.68 hectares. As already discussed earlier, a large chunk of the Wayanad population consists of tribal communities with almost 17 % of the states tribes residing in Kerala. The tribal communities also have a significant role to play in agriculture. Infrastructure Wayanad passes through the Calicut, Mysore and Bangalore connectivity via road. The closest railway station and airport is situated in Calicut which is around 100 kms from Wayanad. With the advancement of technology and infrastructure services, the district has good network coverage and internet connectivity apart from a robust post office network and availability of courier services. Moreover, no power scarcity problems have been reported in the region. Farming Methods of Coffee In order to understand the farming methods of coffee adopted in different regions of Wayanad, we have conducted a personal interview with senior members of existing non-profit organizations (NGOs) operating in that district. We have also performed a thorough literature research on the farming methods of coffee, the constraints faced by the farmers if any and the scope of natural farming given the existing constraints such as high cost of production, scarcity of skilled and unskilled labour, etc. The specific objectives we have tried to cover in this section include the following:- Analysis of the coffee production costs and the revenue structure Identifying the most significant determinants which impact coffee yield Analyzing the relationship between farm-size holdings and the farms coffee output efficiency Performing a comparative analysis of the evaluation of the labor-absorption capacity on coffee produce as compared to other cash crops (tea, rice) produce Dependency of farming methods on the extent of fluctuation in coffee prices Impact of climatic conditions on yield of coffee and scope of pests and coffee-related diseases and their impact on coffee productivity Understand, analyze and evaluate the participation of regional institutional agencies such as the Regional Research Coffee station in Wayanad ( popularly known as the Coffee Board) and Krishibhavan on methods of coffee cultivation Our study of coffee cultivation methods mainly spans around farmers originating from three different regions across Wayanad namely Sulthan Bathery, Nenmeni and Noolpuzha. Our reason for choice of these three gram panchayats is due to the majority of the farmers originating from these regions having coffee cultivation as their predominant cash crop and hence source of cultivation. Most of the coffee cultivation takes place in Noolpuzha among the three gram panchayats with 2900 hectares of land available for coffee plantations while around 1500 and 1200 hectares of land is available in Sulthan Bathery and Nenmeni respectively. As per the definition of a farmer by the Coffee Board in Wayanad, small and marginal farmers typically have a farm land of less than 5 acres i.e. two hectares whereas large farmers are holding huge coffee estates of land size more than 10 acres. The current division of farmers in Wayanad based on this classification suggests that roughly 90 % of farmers fall in t he category of small and marginal farmers. The general method of harvesting coffee includes the following three steps in a sequential manner:- Plucking the coffee seeds from the coffee gardens by using charged labour where natural farming techniques are more desirable. Use of pesticides and fertilizers is minimal. Drying these seeds in the drying gardens for atleast 1 to 1.5 weeks where the coffee seeds are kept for drying under the sun. Finally bagging of raw coffee is done after drying where the general standards practiced in Wayanad define one bag of coffee to contain around 54 kgs of coffee. Including the weight of the bag typically to be one kg, each bag of coffee weights around 55 kgs and this harvested coffee is then sold off to local traders at prices which are commensurate with the local coffee market existing in Wayanad. Types of Coffee There are mainly two varieties of coffee i.e. Coffee Arabica and Coffee Robusta. During the mid nineteenth century (1825-1869), the mainly cultivated coffee variety was Arabica as it had more beverage value and hence fetched higher coffee prices in the domestic as well as international markets. However, this variety of coffee was more vulnerable to pests and diseases and eventually the large coffee estates producing this variety were left abandoned as the crops perished due to the threats prevailing from major pests existing in that period such as white stem borer, leaf rust and green bug. During the later half of the nineteenth century, the Robusta variety of coffee became more popular in Wayanad. One of the major reasons for shifting to this variety was that Robusta can withstand against threats arising from existing as well as new coffee-related pests and diseases. Currently, Robusta coffee produce is more than 95 % of the total coffee cultivation done in Wayanad. As an approach t owards natural farming, the farmers generally grow coffee plantations under the shade of spice plantations mainly pepper so that the cash crop can be protected against pests and other diseases generated in the soil. However Arabica coffee which accounts for less than 3% of the total coffee produce in Kerala is also grown in hilly terrains mainly confined to the high altitude regions comprising the districts such as Kozhikode, Palakkad, Idukki and Kannur. Cropping Pattern The small and marginal farmers generally follow a mixed cropping pattern wherein coffee is produced along with other cash crops such as pepper, arecanut and banana. Some of the reasons for these farmers going for a mixed cropping pattern instead of mono cropping are:- Livelihood: Agricultural income being the only source of income for this section of farmers, land is the most precious asset they possess. However in recent years, it has been reported that due to a very high fluctuation of coffee prices in the markets, farmers have suffered from high financial losses by being solely dependent on only one cash crop i.e. coffee. Hence the farmers have decided to utilize their vacant land on other high priced cash crops such as pepper which would act as an alternative source of income for them. Moreover crops such as pepper and banana would provide shade to coffee plantations and act as a mode of natural farming methodologies adopted to protect against arising threats from existing as well as new pests and coffee related diseases. As per the sources we interviewed, the fluctuations in coffee price last year i.e. in 2010 were controllable though, which was within the range Rs. 1900 to Rs. 2500 per kg of coffee. The harvesting period of coffee which generally starts in the month of December and is set to close in February is almost over and as per our sources; the average price of coffee in Wayanad is trading at Rs. 3000 per kg. Farm size:- The farm size and land holdings being relatively smaller for marginal farmers as compared to large estate farmers makes it advantageous for them to adopt a mixed cropping fashion. This is because they dont follow any systematic method of planting saplings in arrays which ensures that there is still enough scope of planting maximum plants per area due to the inadequate stocking method followed. However, the conversion process is very difficult for large estate farmers because the area of land under mono-cropping is huge. Labour availability:- The labour availability for small farmers is majorly in the form of domestic labour i.e. labour resources are the members of the family and mainly the cash crop cultivator who is the owner of the land. However, in case of large farm estates, the labour resources are typically the paid labours who are generally also the members of organized trade unions operating in Wayanad. Several cases have been reported of undying resistance from such trade union members against mixed cropping in large farm estates due to the fear of losing employment. As per one of the sources who is a member of the M.S. Swaminathan NGO operating in Wayanad, the labour charge for plucking coffee from coffee gardens is priced via two different pricing mechanisms. Hourly basis charge wherein a labour typically charges around Rs. 150 200 per hour. Plucking capacity basis wherein labour required for plucking per kg. of coffee is charged roughly Rs. 1.50 2.50. However, labour charges vary from place to place in different regions of Wayanad. The table represented below shows the recent numbers in variation of mixed crop cultivation implemented in Wayanad. The results from the table clearly indicate that marginal farmers had been more enthusiastic to shift their cropping pattern from coffee to pepper. The major cash crops which replaced coffee are pepper, tea and arecanut as shown by the table mentioned below. Cost of Coffee Production Coffee production being highly labour-intensive encounters a very high cost of production which has become one of the primary reasons for small and marginal farmers to shift from coffee to alternative higher revenue generating cash crops such as tea, pepper and arecanut. The usage of manual labour in the process of coffee cultivation can be attributed to the following sequentially adopted sub-processes mentioned below:- Activity of controlling weed which is usually done thrice a year. The women labourers in Wayanad are typically engaged with the control of this agricultural activity wherein they cut and remove the weeds manually using sickles Activity of upturning the soil with manual labour using a spade is usually done twice a year Activity of applying manures such as cow dung and fertilizers is done twice a year Activity of pruning where the undesired parts of the coffee saplings are ripped off is typically done twice a year Activity of final coffee bean collection at the time of harvest during the month of December to February is done by hand-picking which is usually carried out once a year Activity of applying pesticides and insecticides to protect against germs is also done once a year. This activity increases the cost of labour by a huge extent given the embedded cost of pesticides which is also charged along with the cost of applying it with the soil. The costs related to all these activities can be termed as the current expenses which are currently found to be in the range of Rs. 35,000 40,000 per hectare. Moreover, large estate farmers who install sprinkler irrigation systems or drip systems incur a much higher cost due to the large investments involved with these systems. The initial cost associated with raising a new coffee farm altogether would include the current expenses of the initial four years from the start of preparing the farm. This is because from the generally seen trend, it has been found that coffee plants usually start producing sufficient yield from the fourth year of planting. Constraints faced by farmers There are many constraints faced by the coffee-producing farmers in Wayanad which makes it more difficult for them to adopt coffee-farming as the one and only mode of family income. Some of them are:- Scarcity of labour is a major concern and given the intensity of labour required for adopting more of natural farming methods in coffee cultivation all throughout the year, this problem should be resolved by providing better opportunities to both labourers (who need to be paid reasonable income for their employment in coffee gardens) and farmers (who need to generate a decent income to pay off the labourers well). The scarcity of labour has thus resulted in a very high cost of labour charged which along with the huge coffee price fluctuations makes it all the more worrying for the coffee-cultivating farmers. The farmers do not possess any market knowledge about what the coffee prices are in the domestic and international markets. Their only network within the coffee chain is with the local traders or middlemen whom they sell the coffee produce in bags typically containing roughly 54 kgs of coffee. The M.S. Swaminathan NGO operating in Kalpetta, Wayanad currently only provides training and demonstration on ways of efficient coffee cultivation. Their primary function is to teach the farmers the various methods of coffee-capacity building. They also provide the farmers the opportunity to take certifications regarding coffee cultivation practices but given the limited source of income from coffee cultivation, most of the farmers except the large farmers do not avail this opportunity of taking farm-related certifications. However, they dont provide any financial help to the farmers. The funding support provided by the farmers is majorly provided by nationalized banks such as State Bank of Travancore and other district co-operative banks which provide loans at lower interest rates compared to the market rates. However, there are a lot of hidden cost charges in the loan which makes a loan very expensive during the time of settlement. So, the small and marginal groups of farmers have very little scope of negotiating their selling prices with the local traders as their urgent requirement for liquid cash to pay off their loan installments makes them more anxious. Adding to that, these group of farmers do not have any warehouses of their own to keep the harvest and sell them off when the local market offers higher coffee prices. The cost of carrying inventory in warehouses possesses an impounding effect along with the existing interest charges taken due to loans availed earlier. However, large estate farmers having the advantage of possessing economies of scale for co ffee cultivation in Wayanad, some of them do have their own warehouses and hence are able to make higher revenues than that of small and marginal farmers. Moreover, the farmers having lack of co-operation amongst themselves have not been involved in collaborative decision-making to form co-operatives for a better cause. Microfinance institutions are also not working in Wayanad, which makes the availability of funds more costly. The farmers are not in any way directly connected to the wholesalers or retailers of the coffee market. This makes the middlemen to pocket much of profit which could have otherwise been a part of the farmers profit. The NGOs also dont provide any help and assistance to increase the networking potential of farmers connecting them directly to the end-sellers in the market, thereby cutting out the need of middleman in the coffee chain. The main reason could be the strong lobbying from the local traders which makes their participation in the coffee chain inevitable. Lack of adoption of natural and eco-friendly methods such as rain water harvesting due to the excess costs incurred in implementing it. Although there have been certain government schemes to promote rain water harvesting in Kerala which are rare, the farmers being unaware of such schemes actually have not been able to avail them. Moreover lack of co-operation among the farming community creates hindrances in active engagement of such environmental friendly schemes. Conclusion After conducting a thorough research analysis of the coffee cultivation methods in Wayanad, we have tried to identify the major problems encountered by the farmers in adopting natural farming methods at the grassroot level. Although most of the sub-agricultural activities related to the coffee cultivation are done through natural farming instead of organic farming, still the farming method is not entirely natural. This is because of the following reasons listed below:- Organic farming although increases the cost of coffee cultivation by a certain extent, is a proper mechanism to fight against pests and insurmountable diseases. It also brings along with the flavor highly regarded in the coffee market. Coffee cultivation being a major source of income, farmers gives strong emphasis to the farming technology used so that they can maximize their income as much as possible. Simple natural farming technology needs much more labour than that for organic farming which makes it all the more costly given the high costs of labour in Wayanad. However, with proper guidance from NGOs about the modern methods of natural farming which are highly efficient and the availability of cheap labour, the farmers can incorporate natural farming in the long run which would be a beneficial cause from all angles. Interviewees The following people who have been interviewed have provided extensive support in revealing necessary information for completion of our social development project. They are:- Name:- N. Gopalakrishnan, Farm Manager of M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (NGO) Office: Puthorvayal, Kalpetta, a small town in Wayanad Cel No:- +91- 96561-02590 Kindly ask Anil to add three more names including the One whom he has interviewed. Please follow the above format

The Battle of King Philip II Augustus of France Essay -- Ancient Hist

King Philip II Augustus of France wasn’t by any means a physically strong individual, but his strengths lay in his grasp of both political and military strategy. He was almost constantly involved in wars from 1180 to 1215. He was fighting his vassals, other kings, both of them together, it didn’t matter; Philip would use political treachery and military tactics to defeat his opponents. When one looks at Philip’s life they notice almost instantly that Philip was constantly fighting someone from the day he became King, to the day he died. Philip was born in Gonesse on August 21st of 1165, his father Louis was determined to have Philip succeed him on the throne; as such Philip was raised with all the training necessary to become a king, he was taught in the ways of politics and war (Smedley 52). All was going to plan until Philip turned thirteen, on a royal hunt; he was separated from his companions and became lost in a forest. He spent hours attempting to find a way out, until he was exhausted by the cold and hunger. Eventually a peasant found him; but this event had caused him to become extremely ill, he contracted a dangerously high fever. His father Louis VII distraught by his son’s illness undertook a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Thomas Becket, in order to pray for his son’s recovery (Smedley 55). He was told that his son had finally recovered, and began his journey back to Paris. On the return journey he suffered a terrible stroke; this began the decline of his health, and eventually leads to hi s death (Smedley 55). Knowing that his health was declining and that he would not be able to lead for much longer, he understood that if he wanted to have Philip succeed him he must act quickly as there were parties at play that w... ...cture, but to anticipate future moves. He deviated from the traditional methods of viewing war as a game of chess, but understood that more elements could be utilized. Through his military history we see wonderful examples of him using rebellions and political means to destabilize military operations of his opponents. He was truly a master of psychological, political, and traditional warfare, and quite possible one of the finest political and military strategists of the Middle Ages. Works Cited The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007. Print. Rees, Simon. "King Richard I of England Versus King Philip II Augustus." Military History Magazine Sept. 2006: 1-5. Print. Smedley, Edward. The History of France, from the Final Partition of the Empire of Charlemagne to the Peace of Cambray. London: Baldwin and Cradock, 1836. Print. The Battle of King Philip II Augustus of France Essay -- Ancient Hist King Philip II Augustus of France wasn’t by any means a physically strong individual, but his strengths lay in his grasp of both political and military strategy. He was almost constantly involved in wars from 1180 to 1215. He was fighting his vassals, other kings, both of them together, it didn’t matter; Philip would use political treachery and military tactics to defeat his opponents. When one looks at Philip’s life they notice almost instantly that Philip was constantly fighting someone from the day he became King, to the day he died. Philip was born in Gonesse on August 21st of 1165, his father Louis was determined to have Philip succeed him on the throne; as such Philip was raised with all the training necessary to become a king, he was taught in the ways of politics and war (Smedley 52). All was going to plan until Philip turned thirteen, on a royal hunt; he was separated from his companions and became lost in a forest. He spent hours attempting to find a way out, until he was exhausted by the cold and hunger. Eventually a peasant found him; but this event had caused him to become extremely ill, he contracted a dangerously high fever. His father Louis VII distraught by his son’s illness undertook a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Thomas Becket, in order to pray for his son’s recovery (Smedley 55). He was told that his son had finally recovered, and began his journey back to Paris. On the return journey he suffered a terrible stroke; this began the decline of his health, and eventually leads to hi s death (Smedley 55). Knowing that his health was declining and that he would not be able to lead for much longer, he understood that if he wanted to have Philip succeed him he must act quickly as there were parties at play that w... ...cture, but to anticipate future moves. He deviated from the traditional methods of viewing war as a game of chess, but understood that more elements could be utilized. Through his military history we see wonderful examples of him using rebellions and political means to destabilize military operations of his opponents. He was truly a master of psychological, political, and traditional warfare, and quite possible one of the finest political and military strategists of the Middle Ages. Works Cited The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2007. Print. Rees, Simon. "King Richard I of England Versus King Philip II Augustus." Military History Magazine Sept. 2006: 1-5. Print. Smedley, Edward. The History of France, from the Final Partition of the Empire of Charlemagne to the Peace of Cambray. London: Baldwin and Cradock, 1836. Print.

Work Related stress Essays -- essays research papers

Fifty percent of workers have suffered some form of stress at work in a 12-month period. The statistics in healthcare professions were even higher. Stress in the workplace is becoming a major concern for employers, managers and government agencies, meaning the Occupational Health and Safety legislations are requiring employers to practice a ‘duty of care’ by providing employees with safe working environments which also cover the psychological well-being of their staff. One of the costs, for employers, of work place stress is absenteeism. Other negative effects are reductions in productivity, reduced profits, accidents, high rates of sickness, increased workers’ comp. claims and high staff turnover, requiring recruiting and training of replacement staff. Now of course it is natural to have a certain amount of stress, this is needed to motivate people into action, but prolonged stress can have a huge impact on overall health which actually causes one to be in distress. Most people don’t realize it but over two- thirds of doctors visits are probably due to stress-related illnesses. Stress has been linked to headaches especially migraines, backaches, insomnia, cramps, elevated blood pressure, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and lowered resistance to infection. For women, stress is a key factor in hormonal imbalances resulting in menstrual irregularities, PMS, fibroids, endometriosis and fertility problems. Stress can also be a factor in the development of almost all state...

The Story of Organic Matter Decay in Soils Essay -- Chemistry Chemical

The Story of Organic Matter Decay in Soils To most people, humus is a garlic-y chickpea spread for sandwiches or pita bread. However, to soil scientists, its something entirely different. Soil humus is a mixture of dark, colloidal organic compounds relatively resistant to decomposition. These compounds result from the decay of organic litter and accumulate in the O and A horizons of soils. Soil humus helps glue mineral particals into aggregates, giving structure to the soil and affecting soil stability. There are three main classifications of humus: fulvic acid, humic acid and humin. Humin is insoluble but fulvic and humic acids are soluble in dillute NaOH solution. Humic acids precipitate in acidic solution, but fulvic acids remain soluble. Humic molecules are incredibly varied in composition, but generally are characterized by: 1) many active chemical functional groups exposed to the surrounding solution for reaction with other substances in the solution. 2) a very large cross-linked and "folded" molecule with molecular weights in the hundreds of thousands of grams per molecule" (Miller and Donahue, 1990, p. 185). Humus has a large surface area per unit of mass and is highly charged (similar to clay), and individual humus molecules are dynamic and constantly changing form (but may remain humus for several thousand years). Humus includes sugar amines, nucleic acids, phospholipids, vitamins, sulfolipis, polysaccharides and many other unclassified compounds (Miller and Donahue, 1990). Figure 1 shows a hypothetical structure of a humic acid with many of the characteristic functional groups. Fulvic acid and humin have similar structures. The COOH and phenolic OH groups are weakly acidic, which give humus its pH b... ...II, the environmental conditions alone may determine the rate. (Melillo et al., 1989) Aber et al. supported this conclusion, but measured major differences in the nitrogen content during Phase II, indicating that only the carbon was uniform during this stage (Aber et al, 1990). Other researchers had also separated two stages of decomposition: early decay, when "free" cellulose decomposes quickly, and later decay, when cellulose is shielded by lignin and can be decayed only with the coprocessing of the lignin (Aber et al., 1990). In summary, through a series of complex reactions, microbes mediate the conversion of organic material such as leaves and twigs to the dark humus which colors and glues our soils. Without these processes, the soils would be loose, non-cemented dusts and no life would be able to grow on them, and the world would be a very different place.

Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion

Ethnic Groups are race, ethnicity, religion, and gender. According to University of Phoenix Understanding and Managing Diversity, Section I (2014), â€Å"United States has always been a nation of Immigrants, with a mixture of ethnicities, races, and religions that have not always lived and worked together amicably' Having such a mixture of cultural diversity its surprising how difficult it is to end the Prejudice and Stereotypes. Race Is defined for minorities In two forms obvious differences Like hair ND skin color.Physical defined as prominent body parts like the shape of a nose. According to University of Phoenix Racial and Ethnic Groups, Chi. 1 (2014), â€Å"Society has defined what we flans obvious and physical. Ethnicity, are types of Orleans or distinctive cultural patterns in races† In the united States Hispanics or Latino include Mexican Americans like Puerco Rican and Cubans and known to have Black or White skin color. Religion Includes groups Like the Church of Jes us Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Morons), Jehovah Witnesses, Amiss, Muslims, and Buddhists.The most nominate in the United States are Protestants followed by Roman Catholics. Gender Is simply male and female. I identify the most with the African American culture. I grew up in a very diverse neighborhood dominated by African Americans, Hispanic, and white. I lived In my neighborhood until I was 16 and to this day still have a strong bond with my childhood friends. We have gone through school together, gotten married together, and now we are having kids together. I feel very fortunate to be part of such a diverse social circle. I find myself favoring the minority group because this is what is familiar o me.I believe this can make me sort of prejudice to outsiders that may not identify with my social circle. Our commonality was our parents were on a fixed budget, we weren't able to vacation, and we were used to second hand clothes and material items like bikes. We all understood whe re we came from and we also knew we were all cool kids. We created a sentimental bond that to this day Is very obvious when you see us together. Some people notice a black man and white women and some people see two friends deeply connected. Diversity is defined by the various differences that exist among people.If a workplace employed 100 white women they are still diverse in age, educational experience and religious background. I believe society might not think 100 white women are diverse. Organizations seem to hire employees of other races to give the observation they are diverse when they are already are. Inclusion is an approach that makes each employee feel welcome and a part of the team. Organizations may seem diverse by meeting the racial quota but that doesn't mean the organization is an inclusive work environment. â€Å"In the workplace, organizations are shifting their views on diversity and Inclusion.Whereas 30 years ago, promoting women and minorities was the focus, to day's message is positive and reflective. Many corporations ask internally, does every employee In our organization feel valued† (â€Å"What Is the Difference toy 2 mission of if an employee isn't happy he or she won't be creative and productive. My organizations goal is to make employees happy to get a Job well done. According to University of Phoenix Understanding and Managing Diversity, Section I (2014), â€Å"Diversity is about business and the bottom line and about leveraging the skills and talents of all employees to enable the organization to compete.Diversity is not about reaching quotas and hiring unqualified minorities for the sake of having diversity' As the times change so should the direction of the training to be successful. A good example of change was the passing of Equal Pay Act (1963) that males and females are paid the same wage for Jobs of equal skill and responsibility. It is challenging to create a workplace the supports proactive behavior and train emp loyees to believe the story that supports the behavior. Employees want to feel they make a contribution to the organizational goal and not Just tolerated.This has even employees in the 21st century the ability to choose their Jobs versus decades ago where minorities and women that may not have had a choice. My director thinks that men are more logical than women who tend to be more emotional. She manages me a woman and another coworker who is male. He tends to lack in his responsibilities and when he does not participate whole in our group projects I am very tactful at sharing his approach. My director has mentioned that women tend to hold grudges and can't let things roll of their backs like men do.She feels I am being negative towards my coworker but I only give feedback based on acts not assumptions. What she doesn't realize because of her personal beliefs s continues to make poor business decisions based her emotions versus the facts. It is very frustrating to work alongside a p erson who doesn't give an honest work day. She has mentioned because my coworker comes from a good family (money) and had a college education he is worth the investment. I find this very prejudice behavior and have learned to use these types of experiences as a tool to better my managing skills so hopefully I move up in the organization. Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? Identify and briefly explain the dimensions by referencing both textbooks. There are primary and secondary dimensions of cultural diversity. The primary dimensions are the ones that are the thought of most when thinking about diversity. These are things that describe an individual’s identity. The things included here are things such as age, gender, race, etc. If you are reflecting on the many ways your employees can vary (by race, gender, age, education, sexual orientation, geographic origin or employment, tenure), that’s a mixture whose components are people, individuals categorized along multiple dimensions† (Harvey & Allard, 2009 P. 12). The secondary dimensions are functions or organizational units. â€Å"One may argue that functions are composed of individuals, which is true, but the general manager of multiple functions does not experience this as a mixture of people but rather as a mixture of organizational units† (Harvey & Allard, 2009 P. 2). Some dimensions of cultural diversity are east to recognize, while other are not. We all should be very open to the meaning of diversity, and be looking for and sensitive to the differences in each other. With what ethnic, cultural, or other groups do you identify? Describe what members of your social circle have in common. Although I only have a small percentage (3/8th’s) of Cherokee Indian in me, I would say that it is the ethnic group that I identify with the most. The history, religion, and way of life of the Native Americans have always fascinated me. Native Americans are very proud people. They are also very connected with nature, and enjoy living off of the land. While there are many Indian reservations now that are very modern there are still many who stay true to their roots, and still live their lives as closely to the ways of their ancestors as possible. I feel that these roots are very strong and just having a trace if Native American blood in you is enough to keep your love of nature and enjoyment from being in the wild strong. Regardless of the way current Native Americans live, the simple fact that this blood if flowing through their veins is something that all Native Americans are proud of, even ones like me who just have a small amount. What is the difference between diversity and inclusion? Diversity and inclusion are very closely related. Diversity represents having people of different races, genders, ages, disabilities, sexual orientation, color, native origins, religions, etc. together in a group. You can see diversity in just about every place you go. Think about flying on a commercial airplane. You will most likely have a very diverse group of people flying with you. Just having a diverse group does not mean that all people in the group are treated equally, or valued for their abilities, and unique qualities. This is what inclusion is. So in the same example of flying on that commercial airplane, you would see inclusion in the treatment received by all persons on the plane from the flight attendants. You could very well see the lack of inclusion from some of the passengers on the plane as well. So the difference is that diversity is just having a group of different types of people together, and inclusion is the equal treatment and respect of each individual in the group. What is the importance of workplace diversity training? Workplace diversity training is extremely important. With the rising number of minorities in the workplace it is almost guaranteed that you will be working in a diverse group of people. Not being properly educated on diversity, and how to effectively work in these diverse groups can be very detrimental to your own career success, as well and your co-workers and employers success. Communication is essential in all work environments, and poor communication between people in a diverse group is the biggest cause of conflict. Not being properly educated and careful in word choice could possibly result in coming across as insensitive, rude, or hateful to a co-worker. This miscommunication will more than likely create conflict and animosity between the people or groups of people involved, which will affect their job performance and may end in disciplinary action up to possible loss of employment. The point of diversity training is to prevent this type of miscommunication from happening, and keeping all employees happy, and working well together. What is your experience with workplace culture? Could there be, or could there have been, more inclusion? When I was working as a Service and Parts Director in a large automobile dealership I had a couple of employees who were from Africa, and were devout Muslims. As part of their religion they would lay down rugs on the floor and pray to their God several times a day. This act of faith upset many of the other employees and caused animosity between them. This had been going on before I started working there, and when I took the department over I realized that this was a major problem that I had to correct. I realized that both groups of employees were very talented and important and that not only did I need all of them, but I also needed them to get along and work together. Through mentoring, and diversity training I was able to open the minds of the employees who disliked the Muslim faith. Within a month of starting this mentoring and training both groups started working well together and even became good friends. Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion SOC/315 October 10, 2011 Michelle Curtain Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? Identify and briefly explain the dimensions by referencing both textbooks. Diversity can be defined as â€Å"the ways in which people differ that may affect their organizational experience in terms of performance, motivation, communication, and inclusion† (Harvey/Allard, 2009). These differences and similarities are broken-down into two dimensions. Primary dimensions are considered to be more fixed, visible, and relevant to an individual’s identity. Secondary dimensions are considered to be more fluid, and less central to one’s social identity† (Harvey/Allard, 2009). Primary dimensions of cultural diversity can include age, mental/physical abilities, ethnic heritage, gender, sexual orientation, and race. Secondary dimensions of cultural diversity can comprise of one’s geographic locatio n, family status, income, religion, and language among many other characteristics. Secondary dimensions are determined more by choice and are less visible.Another dimension is indentifying people and placing them into minority groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, and gender. â€Å"A minority group is a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives than do the members of a dominant or majority group. A subordinate group is characterized by â€Å"unequal treatment, distinguishing physical or cultural traits, involuntary membership, awareness of subordination, and in-group marriage† (Schaefer, 2011). With what ethnic, cultural, or other groups do you identify? Describe what members of your social circle have in common.To describe myself I am a white, 35 year old male. This is a very large group I fallen into, however even with these similarities I have with other members one may see myself not part of this group based on my differences. I believe due to my background of growing up in West Virginia, I associate more often with people from the same area of that country. A large portion of my friends I met in Arizona are from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. We seem to all share the same perspectives on life and feel as if we have known each all of our life due to sharing the same culture.I would also describe myself as indentifying with people that share the same taste in music as I. A description often heard is a â€Å"head†, as in Deadhead or Phishhead, for people that like the music from bands such as the Grateful Dead or Phish. The majority of the people that listen to this genre of music religiously follow the bands to numerous cities across the country to see multiple shows. What is the difference between diversity and inclusion? Diversity represents groups of people containing different characteristics such as skin color/race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and citizenship.How ever, inclusion allows people to be included in these groups so one can be valued based on one’s skills, distinctive traits, and point of view. â€Å"Leveraging diversity requires a culture of inclusion to support it† (Harvey/Allard, 2009). Inclusion ensures people can work as a team and be themselves. By doing so, everyone works well with one another and can see the benefit of having different characteristics on the team. â€Å"Inclusion is engaging the uniqueness of the talents, beliefs, backgrounds, capabilities, and ways of living of individuals and groups when joined in a common endeavor† (Institute for Inclusion, 2010).While being diverse is important to everyone, the available benefits are not automatically seen until inclusion is put into play. Diversity and inclusion when combined can result in more effective decision making and greater innovation by everyone involved. What is the importance of workplace diversity training? Workplace diversity training is vital for any business in order to become and continue to be successful. A business can receive priceless benefits by incorporating diversity training in the workplace. Such benefits include retaining more quality employees, a decrease in workplace incidences and increased team and individual morale.These benefits can be achieved by teaching employees how to identify and resolve issues regarding stereotyping in the workplace before it can get out of hand. Communication and listening are important factors as well and without them, one could see an increase with workplace issues such as discrimination or harassment lawsuits. Workplace diversity training allows one to be them self and be accepted in order to build strong, long lasting working relationships so everyone can benefit. By continuing workplace diversity training a business will ensure their employees will maintain growth and increase production.Also, by having this ongoing training the business can ensure all new employee s will work well with current employees. What is your experience with workplace culture? Could there be, or could there have been, more inclusion? â€Å"Culture is the environment that surrounds you at work all of the time. Culture is a powerful element that shapes your work enjoyment, your work relationships, and your work processes† (Heathfield, 2011). My company makes is a priority to have a good workplace culture throughout the entire business. My workplace culture is very diverse by having a wide variety of people from different backgrounds.Very few people that work for the company are actually from Arizona. By having this diverse culture within the workplace, the employees are able to share their experiences in order to better themselves and the organization. These differences also enable the company to relate to customers with same backgrounds as the employees. When that connection is made, the employee can relate to the customer’s needs or desires by relating p ast experiences to understand where one is coming from. I believe my workplace culture uses inclusion very often and reasonably well. As employees, we are all divided up into teams.Each team member learns from one another by seeing other’s point of view in a way that was never seen before. Reference Harvey, C. P. , and Allard, M. J. (2009). Understanding and managing diversity (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Heathfield, S. (2011). Culture: Your Environment for People at Work. Retrieved from http://humanresources. about. com/od/organizationalculture/a/culture. htm Institute for Inclusion. (2010). Implementing Inclusion. Retrieved from http://www. instituteforinclusion. org/ Schaefer, R. T. (2011). Racial and ethnic groups (12th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 2

2. Test 1. The Countess Abigail Von Normal is: A. Emergency Backup Mistress of the Bay Area Dark. B. A Gothic hottie consumed by the banal hopelessness of existence. C. Not perky, but dark, complex, and trs mysterious. D. All the above, and possibly more. 2. The vampire Flood and his nosferatu maker, the Countess Jody, were imprisoned in a bronze shell in the pose from Rodin's The Kiss because: A. Their love is eternal and their mingled souls will live on in romantic embrace to the end of time. B. Foo and I were pretty sure that the Countess would go FOAKES (Freak Out and Kill Everything in Sight) when she found out our plan to turn the Animals back to human. C. We just like to look at our friends, naked and bronzed, because it gets us all hot. D. I can't believe you picked â€Å"c.† You should get a big â€Å"L† tattooed on your forehead to save people time in figuring out what a ginormous loser you are! You wish that Foo and I needed pervy preludes to stimulate our orgasmic, toe-curling soul-sex. Trust me, the sun weeps that it cannot achieve the blistering hotness of our nookie. 3. Despite myths perpetrated by jealous day dwellers, the nosferatu are only vulnerable to the effects of: A. Garlic. (Right, because pizza and the breath of vegans will quell their ancient power.) B. Crosses and holy water. (Oh right, because creatures of darkest evil are total bitches of the baby Jebus.) C. Silver. (Uh-huh, and aluminum, because that makes sense.) D. Sunlight. 4. My and Foo's greatest challenge as minions is to protect our dark masters, the Countess and Lord Flood, from: A. Cops, specifically Inspector Rivera and his clueless Gay Bear partner Cavuto. B. The most crusty old vampire and his mysterious fashion-vamp posse. C. The Animals, slacker wastee night crew from the Marina Safeway. D. All of the above and whatnot. 5. Our best chance of defeating Chet, the huge shaved vampire cat, is: A. Mouse ninjas. B. A big hug while wearing my most fly UV-LED leather jacket, fashioned for my protection by my aforementioned muffin master, Foo. C. A saucer of tuna blood laced with sedatives and kitty-butt flavor. (I observed in his former mortal form, that Chet loves kitty-butt flavor.) D. Make a vampire Rottweiler to rock Chet's worldview. E. Either â€Å"a† or â€Å"c,† but definitely not â€Å"d† wouldn't â€Å"a† be trs cool? Mouse ninjas! Answers: 1: D, 2: B, 3: D, 4: D, 5: E Give yourself one point for every right answer. Score: 5. You rock my stripy socks. 4. Loser! 3. Trs Loser! 2. Such a Loser that Losers pity you. 0-1. Spare us your contagious loserness. Next bridge you pass? Over you go.

Human Sexuality Essay

In a review of research on nonexclusive marital relationships, it was noted that swinging had received considerable attention in the 1970s and reported that an estimated 2 percent of the American population had participated. Most studies of active swingers emphasized overcoming initial anxieties and difficulties coping with strains to maintain the lifestyle successfully, but Denfeld also studied couples who had dropped out of swinging and entered counseling (1974). â€Å"The problems such as jealousy, guilt, emotional attachments, boredom and perceived threats to the marriage were common reasons for dropping out of swinging. Unfortunately, there has been no research on identifying the factors that differentiate couples who are satisfied with swinging form those who are not† (Rouse, 2002). The people we may call swingers are somewhat younger on the average than the mainstreamers, and many of them have brothers and sisters or parents who are mainstreamers. In due course, some of them will become mainstreamers, because it is hard to be a swinger when one gets older. However, some remain swingers longer than others, and many swingers later take another road than the mainstreamer one (Hannerz, 1969). Swingers are usually somewhere between the late teens and the middle thirties in age. This means that many of them have not yet married and started families on their own, so that familial obligations would naturally be less demanding in terms of time, money and emotional investments. But there are many swingers who are married and have children and who even so are not family-oriented. Of course, married men are more able to take part in the swinger life than are married women, as they can leave children and household affairs more readily in the hands of their spouses. However, some women manage to continue as swingers by leaving young children with the grandparents. Also, quite a few marriages are broken as one or both spouses prefer to continue the swinger’s life (Hannerz, 1969). Swingers typically spend relatively little of their free time just sitting around at home alone or with the family. Weekday nights and particularly weekends are often spent going visiting, whether one travels alone or in the company of a few friends. The spontaneous gatherings are not complete without gin, whiskey or beer and the talk involves joking, banter, reminiscences of past shared experiences, and exchanges about the trivia of the day such as football results, forecasts of coming boxing bouts and local grapevine items (Hannerz, 1969). It is true that many women get involved with swinging because their male partner encourages them. They often do it to explore their own bisexual desires. By being exposed to a sexually charged environment, they are encouraged to be more experimental and let go of the cultural conditioning that has made them deny their own desires. This may be why swingers often say that men get women into swinging, but it is the women who keep them in it (Taylor, 2007). Couples who are not in a Swinging Lifestyle will find it unimaginable to allow his or her partner to engage in recreational sex with another person, but for swingers it is considered a highly acceptable form of social recreation. Swinging couples have a strong enough relationship to allow the sexual pleasure of his or her partner, and take satisfaction from that pleasure instead of jealousy and concern. Many couples would benefit from embracing the relationship ideas from the Swinging Lifestyle. Swingers understand that it’s perfectly natural for their partner to be physically attracted to someone else and that it’s ok to share one another sexually without threatening their love for each other. They do not confuse love with lust as many couples do. The Swinging Lifestyle can be a new adventure that can actually bring a couple much closer together (Taylor, 2007). Couples who engage in the Swinging Lifestyle experience that in swinging is less time consuming and emotionally demanding than an affair. Moreover, it offers sexual variety and it is sexually educative. Swinging is honest and democratic, since both partners are involved. It is less dangerous with regard to losing a spouse than infidelity. Swinging, however, is not without its drawbacks. Swinging may result to lack of emotional closeness, which in return may inhibit enjoyment and/or performance. There is also denial of ego satisfaction, since the partner was obtained by being available rather than charm. A worried air may also occur since the spouse’s partner may be sexier and better looking and this may inhibit ability and enjoyment of the sex act. Philosophy involves having an affair only once with each new partner, therefore, there is an ongoing search for new partners can be fatiguing. Moreover, there is subliminal fear that swinging can lead to venereal diseases (Cargan, 2007). For those with an open mind swinging is all about having fun as a couple. Moreover, it’s a way for a couple to expand their horizons by agreeing that sexual encounters outside and inside the relationships are permissible. It is a way for a couple to be a couple while allowing and accepting individual desires and needs. Couples who swing explore their sexuality and fantasies. These couples can break the chains of jealousy and experience a more passionate and fulfilling relationship, as well as connecting on a deeper spiritual level. Swinging can give them the opportunity to grow as a couple, and as individuals (Bellemeade, 2003). References Bancroft, J. (2002). Human Sexuality and Its Problems. Elsevier Science Limited. Bellemeade, K. (2003). Swinging for Beginners. New Tradition Books. Breedlove, W. and J. Breedlove. (1984). Swap Clubs. Los Angeles: Sherbourne. Cargan, L. (2007). Being Single on Noah’s Ark. United Kingdom: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc.