Parental rage and violence in youth sports Research Paper

Parental rage and violence in youth sports - Research Paper Example Such type of violence is often seen through brawls and fistfights involving parents, children and coaches. These incidents have disrupted youth leagues. Moreover, these brawls and similar incidents end up being controlled by the police and forced into settlement and exchange of apologies among the opposing parties. However, other incidents end up with criminal prosecution. Nevertheless, regardless of how these brawls and other acts of sports rage and violence end up, what is sad is that they often disrupt schoolchildren especially preschoolers. There was even one incident where the umpire’s decision has left more than twenty parents and coaches swinging punches at each other in the field, much to the curiosity and amazement of the preschoolers who were watching and who thought that â€Å"the adults were [merely] entertaining them by staging a wrestling match† (Abrams 259). What is harmful about this is that children exposed to parental rage and violence will somehow ten d to learn that such fights are normal and that it is perfectly all right that people fight if they believe that they are right. What children should learn at an early age is humility and diplomacy in order for them to grow up into individuals who will foster peace. However, sports rage is teaching them otherwise. People who are involved in sports rage and violence usually end up with hurt feelings as well as physical problems like cuts, bruises, and other forms of physical injuries including split lips. However, some would end up in something much worse like the forty-year-old father of four who was beaten by another father of the opponent team in a hockey game. The attacker simply thought that the victim’s son had played against the former’s son too roughly during the game. After a series of punches, kicks and wrestles, the victim lapsed into a coma and immediately expired after removing life support (260). Moreover, what is even worse is that the victim’s chi ld was subpoenaed in order to testify in his father’s behalf (Fiore 114). One could therefore only imagine the amount of pressure that the child has to undergo after being exposed to testify against or in favor of his own violent father. The mental and emotional trauma that the child experiences will most likely remain with him for a long time, or even for the rest of his life. One can therefore only imagine its negative consequences on the child’s personality as he grows up. Another negative effect of parental rage is the consequent unavailability of good coaches. In fact, it is interesting to note that many youth sports programs do not have qualified referees and umpires because they cannot find any adult who is â€Å"willing to endure abuse from parents and coaches† (Abrams 261). This lack will most likely further the negative consequences of youth sports and violence as assigned coaches will not have the skill to handle conflicts that may arise. Ultimately, it is the children again who would be on the receiving end of the negative consequences of such problems. According to Abrams, a dozen states have already enacted laws against assaulting coaches and officials of youth sports groups and the purpose of this is to enforce the law in order to restrain parents and coaches from creating an outrage and from physically hurting each

Any warrant officer or enlisted member who Essay Example for Free

Any warrant officer or enlisted member who Essay Article 91 -â€Å"Any warrant officer or enlisted member who— (1) strikes or assaults a warrant officer, non-commissioned officer, or petty officer, while that officer is in the execution of his office; (2) willfully disobeys the lawful order of a warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer; or (3) treats with contempt or is disrespectful in language or deportment toward a warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer while that officer is in the execution of his office; shall be punished as a court-martial may direct. † Article 91 of the Uniform code of justice (UCMJ) is insubordinate conduct toward warrant officer, Noncommissioned Officer (NCO), or Petty Officer. Article 91 of the UCMJ defines insubordination and failure to obey order and regulation. Military discipline and effectiveness is built on the foundation of obedience to orders given by senior leadership or grades appointed over you. It’s not insubordinate conduct if the order given is unethical or illegal; neither is refusing to perform an order that is within the power of the person giving the order. Many superiors feel that the line of verbal contempt can be broken on many different levels. One can only assume that foul language, and language that may impose threat, violence or outright disobedience will ultimately fall in to the category of verbal contempt and disorderly language. A simple verbal disagreement with no foul language or violent intent can be considered as verbal contempt and or disorderly language to the NCO. An enlisted member can be subject to being punished by this article just on the superior’s thoughts on whether or not the accused was in verbal contempt. So in the case of a disagreement between two individuals, where one Marine says something and the next Marine another, it is what is perceived as the truth that becomes the truth. This can be troubling to some service members due to the fact if they have nothing to back their story; it can be assumed they are lying. Even if this is the case, until proven otherwise it will be assumed you have lied and will face punishment accordingly. In conclusion the purpose of Article 91 is to establish a set of rules and respect for all service members to adhere to. This creates a better work atmosphere and helps create the needed separation between superiors and subordinates. Without the separation between the service members the system could never function accordingly.

Fate, Destiny, and Predestination in Beowulf Essay -- Epic of Beowulf E

Fate, Destiny, and Predestination in Beowulf An epic story is one that combines elements of supernatural powers and heroic deeds with plebeian troubles. In Beowulf , the unknown author paints a typical yet magnificent tale that is one of the great epic chronicles of the Middle Ages. Like the poems of Homer, Beowulf possesses terrible monsters, men with supernatural powers, the search for glory, and deadly defeats. However, this medieval account brings a new element into the folds: the association between established religious forces and personal choices. The concepts of predestination and fate intertwine in this work with the idea of free will. Throughout the poem, characters struggle to understand who and/or what is the guiding force for actions and events. Although this answer remains a mystery, many proverbs and traditions hint at the proper way to live and act. The advice, "Let whoever can/ win glory before death" (lines 1387-8), exalts the idea that champions are the most likely to live a bountiful life and are the ones who uphold the highest ideals in society. Bravery and wise choices create circumstances that cannot determine a future, but can help to lead a man to his predetermined best end. A specific incident in Beowulf exemplifies this connection among free will, glory, and predestination. Beowulf's fight with the dragon and dying words demonstrate the overarching idea that although fate, destiny, and God work to direct a man toward his death, free will and the glory acquired because of it determine how a man is remembered and honored during his life. In a society like Beowulf's, ruled by kings and noblemen, destiny is the most common indication of greatness; accordingly, destiny itself is measured most oft... ... and King Beowulf's dying words, the reader begins to form a clear picture of the warrior's motivations for previous decisions in the poem. Awareness of the lack of fear of death is an important ingredient to understanding the sometimes rash actions of the protagonist. The apparent non-conflict that Beowulf demonstrates in this final scene between free will and fate allows previous choices to have merit and credibility. In the final lines of Beowulf's life, the reader sees the transition between the living and eternal worlds occur in the hero. Because he clearly gains honor and admiration in life due to his choices and will go on to claim his fated seat among the kings in the heavens, Beowulf is the example of this epic poem's declaration to attain glory in both life and death. Work Cited Heaney, Seamus, trans. Beowulf . New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2000.

Character Analysis †Les Miserables Essay

In the novel, Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo, the protagonist, Jean Valjean changes throughout the course of the novel from a contemptible, conniving ex-convict to an noble, compassionate, and heroic man. During his time in jail, Jean Valjean’s heart becomes corrupted; he realizes the world detests him for who he is. However, a bishop named Myriel shows him great kindness and compassion for him, which transforms him forever. In a small town, Montreuil-sur-mer, Valjean restores economic and social balance as well as love and adopt an orphan girl. Because of one man’s simple acts of veneration, Jean Valjean vows to commit his life to goodness and vindicates himself and proving that he has truly changed. In the beginning of the novel, Valjean emerges from prison as a hardened criminal who hates society; Myriel, however, forever changes Valjean’s character, as Myriel compels him to become an noble person, which leads Valjean to support a town in need. Myriel treats Valjean with kindness, and Valjean repays the bishop by stealing his silverware. When the bishop came to him, he said, â€Å"Do not forget, ever, that you have promised [him] to use this silver to become an honest man. Jean Valjean, who had no recollection of any such promise, stood dumbfounded. The bishop had stressed these words as he spoke them. He continued solemnly, ‘Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good† (73).When the police arrest Valjean, Myriel covers for him, claiming that the silverware was a gift. The authorities release Valjean and Myriel makes him promise to become an honest man. Eager to fulfill his promise to his savior, Valjean masks his identity as Madeleine and brings the town of Montreuil-sur-mer prosperity and peace. Under a new identity, Cosette, a young orphan who was abused, is a flesh manifestation of Jean Valjean’s love and compassion. He realizes not only is he capable of loving someone, but passing on love to others. When Valjean find out the Thenardier family, who supposedly took care of Cosette, only used her as their main source of income since they were paid to become caretakers and abused her, it only drove to become more indulgent. Although it is not his obligation to adopt Cosette, Valjean decides to do so anyway, â€Å"love came, and he again grew strong. Alas! he was no less feeble than Cosette. He protected her; and she gave strength to him. Thanks to him, she could walk upright in life; thanks to her, he could persist in virtuous deeds. He was the support of this child, and this child was his prop and staff† (383). Valjean’s unconditional love for his daughter changes the way he is throughout the novel. This is another way Valjean keeps his promises and repa y what he had done in the past. Jean Valjean’s love is clearly shown through his adopted daughter, Cosette, whom he feels sympathy and cherishes. He is exceptional in his mental strength and his willingness to discover what is good, and this earnestness is enough to make him the novel’s hero as well as a savior and a friend to a number of people who find themselves in danger. Though many are convinced of Jean Valjean’s change in personality, Javert the chief police, discovers Valjean’s criminal records and his real identity. The novel’s antagonist, Javert, is chasing after Valjean, only to arrest him for a fraud identity. In Javert’s point of view, â€Å"to owe life to a malefactor . . . to be, in spite of himself, on a level with a fugitive from justice . . . to betray society in order to be true to his own conscience; that all these absurdities . . . should accumulate on himself—this is what prostrated him† (457). Javert is unable to comprehend his enemy’s love for humanity. Though his goals are evident to Valjean, he risks his life to save Javert. This is one of Valjean’s greatest conquest as the hero of the story: saving an enemy. Torn between the future and his mores, Valjean chooses to spare Javert’s life, who later grants Valjean’s freedom from prosecution. In Victor Hugo’s masterful, Les Miserables, an apathetic ex-convict, Jean Valjean, slowly molds into a noble, compassionate, and heroic man under various circumstances and his encounters. Though his experiences in prison hardens his heart, Valjean transform into a completely different person because of one man’s doing: Monsieur Myriel, who shows him love and respect, despite his wicked nature. As a result, Valjean’s life is changed and gives others the same compassion that was given to him. As his life drastically changes, Jean Valjean becomes the central figure of this novel and becomes the moral hero of the story.

Dystopian society Essay

Societies that are futuristic in settings are what we call a dystopian society. Dystopia is literary the opposite of what a utopian community will be like. In dystopia, everything is distorted where people are ruled by either a strong-opposed individual through the use of militarism or technologies and also by technology themselves. Citizens of a dystopian community doesn’t hold their own rights and are usually treated inhumanely, creating a fearsome and dark environment. Short stories such as â€Å"The Lottery† written by Shirley Jackson typically follows a dystopian society. The author first introduces the story to be a utopian community where she describes the day as â€Å"clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green (Para. 1).† This entices our feeling of comfort and invites us to see what this day is all about, not knowing of what might happen in the end. The fact that Jackson first introduces us into such a calming scenery but ends it in such a misery, dehumanizes the mindset that such a â€Å"perfect† community can hide such monstrous activity. Dehumanization is a great deal in this short story where the villagers are blindly following the tradition of stoning the lottery’s winner to death and treating the event like a festivity. Dehumanization is also seen through the villager’s actions such as: â€Å"The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions; most of them were quite. wetting their lips. not looking around (Para. 20).† Jackson creates this sense that these villagers have done it so many times that they don’t even care anymore and just what this lottery to be over with, so that they can go back to their daily lives. The villagers were describe as quite because they don’t want to make the lottery any longer than it is already and it can also be taken up as an acceptance to the events that follows. Some are wetting their lips which creates this anxiousness and ill-minded thoughts of wanting to kill someone. Excitement that they too will have a bountiful year again through the sacrifice of one of their own. Fear is yet another convention of dystopia that Jackson utilizes in this short story. Fear of the unknown by the audience and the fear of death. Fear is seen through the character of Tessie Hutchinson, who in the beginning of the story where like everybody else. She was nonchalant to the event and was conversing with the villagers like normal people would but all of this changes after she was picked by the lottery. She screams and tell everyone how â€Å"it isn’t fair, it isn’t right (Para. 80),† which contradicts her actions in the beginning. Fear is also seen where the villagers were â€Å"not looking around (Para. 20),† which describes how they individually doesn’t want to see the faces of the people who they will have to kill or know that they can be the one to die that day. The black box that contains the papers of the lottery is a symbolism of fear in the story. It presents death not only by the use of the color black but also because it holds the one paper that is the deciding factor of being the winner of the lottery. This is seen as â€Å"the villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool (Para.4),† where they are unconsciously afraid of the lottery but doesn’t protest about its effects. Work Cited â€Å"Dystopias: Definition and Characteristics.† Readwritethink.org. ReadWriteThink, n.d Web. 18 Jan 2013 â€Å"The Lottery.† American Literature. N.p, n.d Web. 18 Jan 2013

A Belief System- The Crucible Essays - Salem Witch Trials

A Belief System- The Crucible Essays - Salem Witch Trials A Belief System- The Crucible After reading The Crucible by Arthur Miller, one cannot help but wonder why when given the chance to confess to the accusations and live, did the characters choose to stay firm and die? For people today that question is not easily answered. In the past however, this was not a question at all. The answer was found within the strong religious background that most of the accused were raised on, and the feeling of pride and honor they felt in their hearts. John Proctor exemplifies the importance of a strong name through his actions and choices throughout the play; most significantly the fourth act when he chose death over disgracing his name. Giles Corey's refusal to reveal the name of the informant who accused Putnam of conspiracy also shows the role of justice in these individuals' lives, letting God be the judge of their actions in life and not their peers. Sometimes you have to stand for more. Throughout the play one of the central themes continues to be John Proctors, Giles Coreys, and Rebecca Nurses refusal to degrade their souls with lies of confession only to save themselves from the unjust accusations of witchcraft. In this time and era the people living in and around Salem, Massachusetts were from Puritan faith and lived very strict lives. At this point in history there was still no separation between church and state, so the church had a major role in each individuals life. When Reverend Parris came upon the children of Salem dancing and conducting against their religion, they were accused of being in a pact with the devil by many of the towns people in the beginning. Rumors spread, and innocent people were charged of witchcraft. Some of the accused were, in every aspect, a perfect Puritan. Rebecca Nurse was one of these individuals. She was held in high opinion by almost everyone, except for Ann Putnam, who blamed her for the unexplained deaths of her seven children Rebecca had delivered. Ann Putnam claimed that Rebecca sent her spirit out on them. At one point there was even a testament signed and proposed in court declaring many peoples good opinion of Goody Nurse. Giles Corey was an old, s trong-willed man, accused of witchery. After trying to disprove the faulty actions of the court and refusing to give up the name of his informant he was killed. Proctor was accused of witchcraft while trying to defend his wife, and was then later executed when he refused to slander his name. These three proud individuals did not want to confess to the lies they were accused of doing only to save their lives. For what is a name when you have no soul to go with it? That is what these individuals faced. The religious background of these individuals was the cause of their refusal to confess to the accusations toward them. Both Giles Corey and John Proctor believed in letting God be the judge of their faults. When Giles Corey refused to answer to his indictment in order to preserve his land's ownership for his family, he was trusting in a higher power, God, even when death was his punishment. Proctor also felt this way, and when arguing with Danforth about his confession of adultery, he turned to God as his judge when he said, I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name; God knows how black my sins are! It is enough! (4.132). These two individuals lost hope in the justice system that ruled their lives here on earth, so instead they decided to put their trust in their religious background and their belief in God as the definitive judge. Times have changed since the era in which John, Giles, and Rebecca lived. During the Salem witch trials confessing to a lie to save your life was an option many people chose, others did not out of a sense of pride and honor. John Proctor was the perfect example of this. He had self-respect, particularly for his name. After verbally admitting his sin, Danforth wished for him to sign

Incomplete Parallels

Incomplete Parallels Incomplete Parallels Incomplete Parallels By Mark Nichol In each of the following sentences, an associated pair of phrases are not optimally stated and organized to make their relationship clear. The discussion after each statement proposes a solution, which follows in each case. 1. Follow with user support and usage monitoring to ensure a smooth transition and an optimal user experience during and post-implementation. In this sentence, during and the prefix post share implementation (and post should be directly attached, with no hyphen), but a preposition and a prepositional prefix cannot share a root word, so replace post with a distinct preposition: â€Å"Follow with user support and usage monitoring to ensure a smooth transition and an optimal user experience during and after implementation.† 2. Millions of Americans, including younger citizens, recent immigrants, and those who do not use credit actively, have a limited or no credit history. The parallel structure of â€Å"a limited or no† is not erroneous, but the idea is more clearly communicated with more complete wording: â€Å"Millions of Americans, including younger citizens, recent immigrants, and those who do not use credit actively, have a limited credit history or none at all.† 3. Such programs should be based on a clear understanding and an evaluation of potential threats of data loss.   Understanding cannot share a preposition with evaluation, because the article an grammatically partitions the two nouns. (An cannot be omitted, because doing so will imply that clear applies to evaluation as well as to understanding.) Assign understanding its own iteration of of, and, to provide further clarity, treat the corresponding phrase as a parenthetical: â€Å"Such programs should be based on a clear understanding of, and an evaluation of, potential threats of data loss.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire You5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseWords That Begin with Q

SEVIS - visa de estudiante F-1 y de intercambio J-1

SEVIS - visa de estudiante F-1 y de intercambio J-1    El SEVIS es un formulario que deben cubrir y pagar los extranjeros que desean estudiar en Estados Unidos (F-1, F-3 y M-1) y los que aplican a una visa de intercambio J-1. Quà © es el SEVIS Es un programa del gobierno americano que sirve para controlar las escuelas, universidades y programas de intercambio que acogen a extranjeros y tambià ©n a estos durante su estancia en Estados Unidos. Es un sistema basado en internet que da acceso a diferentes agencias gubernamentales para que puedan tener conocimiento al momento sobre cierta informacià ³n sobre los extranjeros en programas de estudio o de intercambio. A quià ©nes aplica A los estudiantes que van a realizar a estudios para estudiar inglà ©s, universitarios, de posgrado y vocacionales para lo cual precisan de una visa F-1, F-3 para estudiantes fronterizos, o una M-1.  Tambià ©n aplica a la gran mayorà ­a de solicitantes de visas de intercambio J-1. Si se quiere estudiar high school, conviene entender cules son todas las opciones de visa. Cunto se tiene que pagar y cà ³mo Las tarifas actuales son de $200 para los titulares de las visas tipo F y M. Los de las visas J abonarn $180 con excepcià ³n de au pairs o nià ±eras y los participantes en los programas de trabajar y viajar en verano o que viajan a Estados Unidos como monitores de campamento, ya que sà ³lo deben abonar $35. El pago puede hacerse por internet en una pgina oficial rellenando el formulario I-901, siendo necesario tener una tarjeta de crà ©dito con la que hacer el pago. Al momento se recibe el justificante de haber pagado y debe imprimirse. Tambià ©n puede pagarse mediante Western Union o cheque en dà ³lares, pero es necesario que sea de un banco en los Estados Unidos. Adems, hay que tener en cuenta que las personas admitidas en ms de un programa debern abonar la tarifa para cada uno de ellos. Quià ©nes no tienen que pagar el SEVIS Las personas con visas derivadas, esto es, con una F-2, M-2 o J-2. Son los familiares directos del titular de la visa que viajan con à ©l o ella a Estados Unidos. Adems, no estn obligados a pagar esta cuota los extranjeros que aplican por una visa J-1 cuando à ©sta forme parte de un programa gubernamental de educacià ³n o de intercambio. Si no se est seguro de si se est dentro de esta categorà ­a se puede verificar el formulario D-2019, donde pone nà ºmero de programa si à ©ste empieza con la letra y el nà ºmero G-1, G-2 o G-3 entonces no hay que pagar por el SEVIS. Por à ºltimo, tampoco debern hacer este pago las personas con un documento D-2019 (para los que tienen las visas J-1) o un I-20 (para los estudiantes) que fue emitido con anterioridad al primero de septiembre de 2004. Cundo se debe hacer el pago Una vez que se recibe el formulario I-20 (estudiantes) o el DS-2019 (extranjeros en un programa de intercambio) pero antes de solicitar la visa y, por supuesto, antes de acudir a la oficina consular o Embajada americana para la entrevista. De hecho, al acudir a las instalaciones americanas debe llevarse un justificante del pago. Posibles problemas a tener en cuenta Adems, el pago del SEVIS tienen una validez de 12 meses. Si por cualquier razà ³n la peticià ³n de visa es rechazada y se vuelve a aplicar en el plazo de un aà ±o, no habr que pagar de nuevo por tal concepto (de SEVIS, sà ­ habr que abonar de nuevo la cuota del visado). Por à ºltimo, si no se consigue la visa porque la aplicacià ³n es rechazada no se recuperar el dinero pagado por el SEVIS (ni tampoco por haber aplicado por el visado). Adems, para obtener una visa no inmigrante, como la de estudiante o intercambio, y tambià ©n para renovarla es necesario cumplir dos requisitos: ser elegible para la visa y ser admisible a Estados Unidos. Si no se cumplen, habr problemas. Incluso puede ser negado el ingreso a USA por el oficial del control migratorio, aà ºn cuando se tenga una visa vigente. Estas son 20 causas que pueden convertir a una persona en inelegible (son comunes a la visa de turista) y estas son 22 que convierten a un extranjero en inadmisible.   Si se obtiene la visa, es muy importante estar en todo momento en situacià ³n de estatus migratorio vlido. Para ello evitar situaciones que pueden parecer poco relevantes pero que, en realidad, tienen consecuencias migratorias muy graves, por ejemplo, la posesià ³n de marihuana (mariguana, cannabis). De interà ©s para estudiantes internacionales (visa F-1) Estudiar en Estados Unidos es caro, por lo que es importante intentar obtener becas, por ejemplo, estas  13 universidades de à ©lite con admisiones need-blind (becas con todo -o casi-pagado) becan a todo tipo de estudiantes que cumplen los requisitos, incluidos los extranjeros. Y precisamente porque es tan caro, los estudiantes procuran realizar sus estudios en buenas instituciones. Y para los curiosos, à ©stas son las que conforman la famosa  Ivy League. Adems, para estudiar en un college o universidad de EE.UU. es necesario convalidar los estudios en organizaciones reconocidas por dichas instituciones. Una vez que se obtiene el tà ­tulo es frecuente que deba obtenerse la apostilla de la Haya para homologar los estudios en el paà ­s de origen del estudiante. De interà ©s para personas con visa J-1 Hay muchos programas bajo el paraguas de las J-1. Una de las que despiertan mayor interà ©s es la de  mà ©dicos para estudiar la residencia en Estados Unidos, pero hay muchas ms. Finalmente, la visa  visa O-1  puede servir de opcià ³n a la J-1 en algunos casos para algunos programas. Es importante familiarizarse con las posibles opciones segà ºn el caso de cada persona. Testimonial Lee esta entrevista a Miguel Pà ©rez, primero estudiante becado universitario y ahora residente permanente. Entre otras cosas muestra de una manera clara cà ³mo es posible ir cambiando de programas, siempre legalmente y conservando el estatus migratorio.   Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Whey protein Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Whey protein - Essay Example Along this line, whey protein product is marketed as a nutritional dietary supplement, such as for bodybuilding enthusiasts to build muscle mass quickly without any inherent side effects. Actually, whey protein is a general term for variety of proteins found in whey, such as beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, lactoferrin, bovine serum albumin, immunoglobulins, lactoperoxidase and other protein enzymes (Ward 9). The presence of these proteins in whey make it an ideal supplement because they are not complex proteins, easily absorbed by ingestion and helps in muscle buildup (Onwulata & Huth 385). There are many intrinsic benefits in taking whey protein supplements, such as amino acids which help promote muscle growth and development, stimulate and promote the bodys resistance to inflammation (which is a cause of many diseases, such as cancer), as alternative supplementary treatment for a wide variety of ailments, promote colon health, improve heart or cardiac function, speed up muscle formation and overall, improve physiological functions. Because of its health-giving properties, whey protein is added to a good number of products like medical food, high-protein beverage, baby food, infant formula, confectionery and meat. Among the various brands out in the market today, Whey Protein by Optimum is the best because it is concentrated to almost pure whey form, in terms of its protein isolates. The protein content of whey in Optimum has been increased from a unique manufacturing process in order to get the best value for money in terms of protein concentration by weight. Whey is available in its three basic forms, which are as whey protein concentrate (WPC), whey protein isolate (WPI) and whey protein hydrolysate (WPH). Whey Protein by Optimum is thought by most medical experts and health enthusiasts as the gold standard in whey protein concentrate. Whey is high-quality protein and Optimum is the best brand there is

What Impact Did Second World War Have On Canadian Society Essay

What Impact Did Second World War Have On Canadian Society - Essay Example It was due to the war that the country realized the importance of a strong naval background accompanied by a good number of officers and sailors. There were only 35,000 officers and sailors serving the navy at the time of the war. Even with this handful of officers the navy did not hesitated in serving the country and the Canadian warships continued providing support to all the soldiers landing on the beaches and seas. They also used to escort groups and provide protection to them from enemy submarines flowing in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. (http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Militaris/index.html) At the beginning of the war the Canadian army on land comprised of very few permanent soldiers and a large number of part time workers. The soldiers were also not equipped with latest war weapons and had very poor and outdated rifles and guns. When the war broke out in 1939 the Canadian soldiers were sent to Europe for training purposes. These handful of soldiers were also very eager to fight for the defence of their country and as the number slightly reached half million, Canada decided to send some of its troops to France. But they were soon called back due to the fall of France to German forces. Other Canadian troops were sent to Iceland and south East Asia with the intention of helping the British forces and protecting Hong Kong. It also took part with British and American troops in a deadly operation that took place in 1942, which took away lives of majority of the soldiers and wounded quite a big number of them. Canadian Air Force was a small department at the beginning of the war that participated with only limited number of bombs, aerial combats, hunting submarines and air fighters. The Canadian fighters and bombers used to guide European flyers throw missiles and bombs on enemy troops on the ground and fight with German aircrafts. Keeping in view such heroic acts of the air force, the bombers formed a vital part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. (http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Militaris/index.html) Relations with United States improved after the war as Britain started to turn away. A declaration was signed with the US in the 1940 known as the Ogdensburg Declaration, which made the two countries allies as trade partners and work towards common goals. Both the countries collaborated in military matters after the Hyde Park agreement. Their common enemy was the German dictator, Hitler. France had just collapsed and its security was dear to both Canada and US. (Anthony 47) Canada gained equally for the sacrifices it made in the war. Around 50,000 men laid their lives and close to 1 million families served voluntarily. Those at home did not suffer too much. Their routine life might have been disturbed by restricted travel laws and rationing of food for a brief period of time during the war. The buying power was influenced and heavy taxes were applied but there was very less unemployment and the average salary was adequate. The industrialization provided jobs and sparked economic growth. (Anthony 55) After the war, Canadian citizens achieved their separate identity by the establishment of Canadian Citizenship Act initiated by Mackenzie King in 1945. The act came into effect in 1946. Although, technically they were still part of the British Empire but as a citizen of Canada

Case Study The global pharmaceutical industry Coursework

Case Study The global pharmaceutical industry - Coursework Example Consequently, the pharmaceutical market acquired some remarkable character. Management was in the hands of medical practitioners while patients and payers had little awareness or authority. Thus, medical practitioners were inconsiderate to the costs however receptive to the sales endeavors of individual agents. This made possible several 'me too' drugs to realize significant profits on investment. It resulted in imitating well-known medicines that cut R&D risk considerably, while the market- place was exposed to products offering slight advantages for example a more suitable dosage type or fewer side effects, although with much the same beneficial effect. There were two major developments in the 1970s in the pharmaceutical industry. Firstly, the Thalidomide tragedy in sickness caused birth defects, initiated much tighter regulatory rules on clinical trials. Secondly, laws were endorsed to establish a permanent period on patent protection - usually 20 years from first report as a research invention. This produced the emergence of 'generic' drugs. Generics however have precisely the same dynamic constituents as the original brand, and vie on price. The influence of generic application is exemplified by Bristol Myers Squibb's brand Glucophage, a cure for diabetes, which produced US sales of $2.1bn in 2001. After the termination of the patent in January 2002, brand sales fell to $69m for the first quarter. Generics legislation had a significant influence on the industry, providing motivation for improvement and for a competitive market. The time during which R&D costs could be recouped was drastically curtailed, putting upward pressure o n prices. The introduction of generics, however, was very beneficial for society: valuable medicines became extremely cheap. Indeed, health economists have estimated that the social returns from pharmaceutical R&D exceed that appropriated by firms by at least 50 to 100 per cent. By the end of the 1970s generic entrants and more stringent controls on clinical trials had led to substantial increases in R&D spending. Pharmaceutical Industry Environmental Forces: An Introduction The pharmaceutical industry is remarkable in that a number of countries of the world are dependent on a 'monopsony' - there is in fact only one dominant buyer i.e. the government. In the 1980s, governments all

An Economist's Account of the Existence of Moral hazard in the Essay

An Economist's Account of the Existence of Moral hazard in the healthcare sector, and describe the mechanisms necessary to tac - Essay Example However, it is argued that the existence of the excessive utilization of these systems is due to the absence of a financial barrier to control the demand, and presence of financial arrangements on the supply side, which enables providers to supply wasteful amounts. Generally, unregulated, competitive markets result in private health insurance, which contributes to the concept of more insurance, which helps reduce health risks, but at the same time, increases demand and cost. In this regard, Nyman (2003) argued that most economists view the idea of controlling the supply side as a possible way of alleviating this problem. With such deliberations, it has been difficult for both the policy makers and economists to measure the level of demand and supply considered ideal in the market. In light with this, initiatives have been formulated in order to counteract moral hazard. Consumer moral hazards counter policies In order for policies to respond to consumer moral hazards, various issues h ave to be put into consideration without necessarily focusing on financial ones. The use of primary-care doctors as the gateway to preventing overuse of hospital services has been endorsed by many high income countries (Culyer and Newhouse 2000). On the other hand, the same modality has been endorsed by lower income countries by way of using bare-foot doctors. Nevertheless, numerous measures have been designed to counteract consumer moral hazards. Co-payments Co-payments have been utilized by a number of countries to exert some financial burden on the consumer in order to discourage unnecessary use of health care. This involves several schemes, which differ on the basis of the financial arrangement (Sexton 2010). Nevertheless, individual scheme is composed of flat rate change for each unit of service, a deductable akin to excess, and co-insurance. One of the most notable contributions of co-payments comes from the famous health insurance implement (HIE). In this particular experimen t, families that participated in the experiment were randomly assigned one of the different free-for-service insurance plans. The free for service plans involved different levels of cost sharing. Covered expenses included most medical services. Another set of the plan involved free access to inpatient services. The outcome of the experiment indicated that utilization responds to amounts paid out of pocket. Per capita total expenses on the free recorded 45 percent higher than those on the plan with a 95 percent co-insurance, however, spending rates on the rest of plans was on average. On the other hand, outpatient expenses on the provided free plan recorded an increase of 67 percent higher than those on the 95 percent co-insurance plan. The findings from this experiment indicated that an increase in the user price will lead to a decrease in demand. In this regard, it is apparent that implementing charges would lead to doctors concentrating more on those who can afford to pay (Sexton 2010). However, the implication is that those more in need tends to have less access to services. This becomes the problem of the approach advocated by RAND study. This is arguably true because in aggravate, the figure of those more in need of service and able to pay is replaced by those less in need and unable to pay. The other important issue of concern is whether the response of demand for health care to adjustment in its prices is the same or different for several groups in society (Nyman 2003). It is also necessary to

Cognitive Development In Early Childhood Education Research Paper

Cognitive Development In Early Childhood Education - Research Paper Example This paper declares that cognition of every child tends to be different from another. This means that the level at what one child tends to perceive will be quite different from another child having the same age and circumstances. This merely means that the capability of each individual is different from another. Therefore comparing cognition f one child to another is practically useless as that would only undermine confidence. The only way to overcome this problem is that one needs to critically evaluate the child's way of learning, capabilities and social interaction and then device a way to deal and nurture the cognition in accordance with the child's pace of development. This essay makes a conclusion that cognition is an essential feature of a child's development. It gives a child the capability to understand the world that surrounds him, develop his perception about various things and finally build up his stance on the things. Cognition is a major area of concern which at times is neglected especially when it comes to the lower class as they usually do not spend much time and the required attention on the cognition of their child in the early years which causes them to suffer eventually. Cognitive development in early years of education is also essential because during early childhood a child is developing various concepts which he implements and executes throughout his life if at this point his concepts are clear and has a targeted sort of thinking therefore then many problems can be countered which a child having weak cognition might suffer from.

An Economist's Account of the Existence of Moral hazard in the Essay

An Economist's Account of the Existence of Moral hazard in the healthcare sector, and describe the mechanisms necessary to tac - Essay Example However, it is argued that the existence of the excessive utilization of these systems is due to the absence of a financial barrier to control the demand, and presence of financial arrangements on the supply side, which enables providers to supply wasteful amounts. Generally, unregulated, competitive markets result in private health insurance, which contributes to the concept of more insurance, which helps reduce health risks, but at the same time, increases demand and cost. In this regard, Nyman (2003) argued that most economists view the idea of controlling the supply side as a possible way of alleviating this problem. With such deliberations, it has been difficult for both the policy makers and economists to measure the level of demand and supply considered ideal in the market. In light with this, initiatives have been formulated in order to counteract moral hazard. Consumer moral hazards counter policies In order for policies to respond to consumer moral hazards, various issues h ave to be put into consideration without necessarily focusing on financial ones. The use of primary-care doctors as the gateway to preventing overuse of hospital services has been endorsed by many high income countries (Culyer and Newhouse 2000). On the other hand, the same modality has been endorsed by lower income countries by way of using bare-foot doctors. Nevertheless, numerous measures have been designed to counteract consumer moral hazards. Co-payments Co-payments have been utilized by a number of countries to exert some financial burden on the consumer in order to discourage unnecessary use of health care. This involves several schemes, which differ on the basis of the financial arrangement (Sexton 2010). Nevertheless, individual scheme is composed of flat rate change for each unit of service, a deductable akin to excess, and co-insurance. One of the most notable contributions of co-payments comes from the famous health insurance implement (HIE). In this particular experimen t, families that participated in the experiment were randomly assigned one of the different free-for-service insurance plans. The free for service plans involved different levels of cost sharing. Covered expenses included most medical services. Another set of the plan involved free access to inpatient services. The outcome of the experiment indicated that utilization responds to amounts paid out of pocket. Per capita total expenses on the free recorded 45 percent higher than those on the plan with a 95 percent co-insurance, however, spending rates on the rest of plans was on average. On the other hand, outpatient expenses on the provided free plan recorded an increase of 67 percent higher than those on the 95 percent co-insurance plan. The findings from this experiment indicated that an increase in the user price will lead to a decrease in demand. In this regard, it is apparent that implementing charges would lead to doctors concentrating more on those who can afford to pay (Sexton 2010). However, the implication is that those more in need tends to have less access to services. This becomes the problem of the approach advocated by RAND study. This is arguably true because in aggravate, the figure of those more in need of service and able to pay is replaced by those less in need and unable to pay. The other important issue of concern is whether the response of demand for health care to adjustment in its prices is the same or different for several groups in society (Nyman 2003). It is also necessary to

Explication of Out, Out by Robert Frost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Explication of Out, Out by Robert Frost - Essay Example These are themes which can be found in other poems by Robert Frost as well. An explication of the poem on this theme will show that the main thesis of the poem is that, no matter how sad an event such as death is, life must go on. Interestingly the opening of the poem keeps the reader constantly on edge, unsure whether something bad or good will come in the end. The first six lines of the poem set up a scene that sounds very nice. Although the first line does sound menacing, that is soon done away with by describing in great detail the lovely â€Å"sweet-scented stuff† that the sawdust gives off â€Å"when the breeze drew across it† (l.3) and showing the â€Å"Five mountain ranges one behind the other / Under the sunset far into Vermont† (l.5-6). These lines, taken together, make it sound as though the poem is going to be an ideal one about the pleasures of work in natural beauty and so on. However, line seven returns the menace of the first line by repeating tha t â€Å"the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled† (l.7). This is again undone two lines later, in a line which both reduces the tension and immediately adds to it again. The poem says that â€Å"nothing happened† but then makes this uncertain by adding that the â€Å"day was all but done† (l.9). From here the subject matter of the poem becomes more clear. Everything after this point has a melancholy feel to it, as though the reader is aware of how the poem is going to end before actually getting there. In the rest of the poem the boy loses his hand and has to get it amputated. He does not want it to be removed because he considers it to be the same as death. This is implied in the line that the boy â€Å"saw all was spoiled† (l.23). Because of this they have to sedate him, which ironically leads to his death when he does not recover from the anesthetic (l.26). It is clear that the boy's own sadness at his death, or even his lack of belief at the f act that he will eventually die, since he has lost his hand, actually leads to his immediate death much sooner than it should have happened. It is common for Robert Frost's poetry to show this "kind of dark design" which "comes like a thief in the night to steal away innocence" (Rath 163). In other words, the poet is often concerned with death, and the sadness--or loss of innocence--that it causes to mankind. However, even though he does have this common theme which runs throughout his work, some of his poems show that life will go on after this dark design has completed. These poems show that "man cannot be totally gloomy-shut," he cannot just shut himself away and feel depressed all the time about death (Rath 164). Instead, he will have to go on with his life. Interestingly, â€Å"Out, Out,† fits well into both categories. It is an exploration not only of he effect of death on other people, but of the loss of innocence of the boy who, when he loses his hand, sees his own de ath arriving. In this regard, since he was not able to move on as he should have, he actually dies, and is really unable to move on forever. Carl Runyon points out in his discussion of the poem that â€Å"we should not assume that the sister returned to the normal course of her life as quickly as did the doctor, or that the unseen parents immediately resumed their lives as if nothing had happened† (Runyon). Runyon says that the quickness of the poem's ending does not suggest the ending of the poem is â€Å"callous,† just that it is â€Å"realistic† (Runyon). Taken as a whole, the poem suggests that "there is a line between the living and the dead that cannot be crossed," which is also expressed in several other poems by Frost (Fagan 157). This might be seen as a cynical view of life, and

Georges Braque And Pablo Picasso Essay Example for Free

Georges Braque And Pablo Picasso Essay The Frenchman Georges Braque (1882-1963) and the Spaniard Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) are considered the most influential artists of the twentieth century and the artistic geniuses who created and developed the cubist movement, undoubtedly the most revolutionary one in Western art. During a certain period of time, both artists worked together in the same studio breaking down subjects they painted into several facets and presenting their different aspects at the same time, experimenting with geometrical forms, and exploring unconventional techniques in painting all of which either shocked or impressed and interested the audience. Although Braque and Picasso’s partnership did not last for long and their artistic careers later went their own ways, the cubist movement they created and developed while working side by side in their Paris studio has influenced the whole generations of artists around the world (Mataev). Georges Braque Born in 1882 in Argenteuil-sur-Seine, France, Georges Braque attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Le Havre during 1897-1899 and then moved to Paris where he received his craftsman certificate. During 1902-1904, the young artist studied painting and worked at the Academie Humbert. Impressed by Matisse and Derain’s fauvist ideas, he produced and then presented his first fauve paintings in Paris’ Salon des Independants in 1907. By 1908, however, Braque lost interest in fauvism and adopted the artistic style that would be later called cubism (Georges Braque). In 1909, Braque started to work with Pablo Picasso and their fruitful partnership resulted in the development of the revolutionary cubist movement in painting. The styles that both of them adopted were quite similar for about two years during which they introduced collage elements into their works and experimented a lot with the pasted paper technique. In â€Å"Page # 2† his paintings, Braque explored the effects of light and perspective and challenged traditional artistic conventions of that time. His works of this period were characterized by neutral color and sophisticated patterns of form as it can be seen, for example, in his â€Å"Violin and Pitcher† (Georges Braque). The fertile partnership with Picasso ended in 1914 when Braque enrolled in the French army and went off to war. In 1915, he got severely wounded in one of the battles and after recovering in 1917 Braque resumed painting and began an artistic collaboration with Juan Gris (Georges Braque). After World War I, Braque’s style was characterized by more freedom, a richer color range, and the presence of human figures. He produced a considerable number of still lifes and rose to prominence particularly in 1922 after showing his paintings in the Salon d’Automne in Paris. By 1930, Braque interpreted nature more realistically although some aspects of the cubist style were still present in his paintings. After that, the artist produced many works including sculptures and graphics that became particularly somber during World War II (Georges Braque). During the 1950s, Braque depicted various themes including seascapes, landscapes, birds, and also made lithographs and designed jewelry. The great French artist died in August, 1963, in Paris after several years of suffering from health deterioration. Braque’s most known paintings include â€Å"Violin and Palette†, â€Å"Piano and Guitar†, â€Å"Guitar and Clarinet†, â€Å"The Table†, â€Å"The Round Table†, â€Å"The Day†, the â€Å"Studio† series, and many other works (Russell, 1982). Pablo Picasso Pablo Picasso was born in 1881 in Malaga, Spain, where he lived until the age of ten. In 1892, Picasso began to attend the School of Fine Arts in La Coruna and then in 1895 he â€Å"Page # 3† entered the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona where he showed his first academic work â€Å"The First Communion† at a local exhibition. Picasso pursued his studies at the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, dropped out after only a couple of months, and began to visit the Prado where he copied the works of the old artists trying to imitate their styles. In 1900, Picasso opened a studio in Paris and the first painting he produced there was â€Å"Le Moulin de la Galette† (Mataev). Suicide committed by his friend and poet Casagemas in 1901 came as a great shock to Picasso influencing him to paint first the â€Å"Death of Casagemas† in color and then the â€Å"Death of Casagemas† in blue, and also â€Å"Evocation – the Burial of Casagemas†. At that period, the artist used predominantly green and blue and depicted despair, poverty, and unhappiness showing his restlessness and loneliness. The paintings that Picasso produced during 1901-1904 are known as the Blue Period works. The Rose Period, which was the next stage in his artistic career, started around 1905 when Picasso’s palette became lighter, and pink, rose, yellow, and beige were pervasive in his paintings in which he mostly portrayed graceful acrobats, circus performers, and harlequins. (Mataev; Pablo Picasso) Impressed with African ethnic art, Picasso began to combine its angular structures and his modern ideas about geometrical forms which, in 1907, resulted in the creation of â€Å"Les demoiselles d’Avignon†, his first cubist painting. Picasso and his new friend Braque explored the possibilities of the new artistic style and in the beginning their paintings could not be easily distinguished. 1909 saw the beginning of the painter’s analytical cubism whose main characteristics, faceted stereo-metric shapes, can be seen in his â€Å"Bread and Fruit Dish on a Table† or â€Å"Woman with Pears†. After the exhaustion of analytical cubism, Picasso experimented with collages which lead to the arrival of synthetic cubism: works with large, schematic patterns as it can be seen in â€Å"The Guitar† (Mataev; Hughes, 1998). â€Å"Page # 4† After the cubist period in Picasso’ artistic career came the Classicist period with rather traditional patterns such as in â€Å"The Lovers†. But during this period he occasionally returned to cubism and in 1921 produced â€Å"Three Musicians†, one of his most important masterpieces. Picasso’s classicist paintings also include â€Å"The Pipes of Pan†, â€Å"Women Running on the Beach†, and â€Å"The Seated Harlequin†. After that, Picasso was greatly influenced by the surrealist movement and produced â€Å"His Woman with Flower† and several other interesting paintings. In 1937, he expressed his personal view of the tragic events in the Basque province that was bombed by Germans in his huge mural work â€Å"Guernica† and in â€Å"Weeping Woman†. While living in his villa near Cannes, in 1956 Picasso painted his â€Å"Studio â€Å"La Californie† at Cannes† and â€Å"Jackeline in the Studio†. Then he moved to the Chateau Vauvenargues where he lived and painted until his death in 1973 (Mataev). â€Å"Still Life with a Guitar† and â€Å"Mandolin, Fruit Bowl, Bottle, and Cake† Both Pablo Picasso’s painting â€Å"Mandolin, Fruit Bowl, Bottle, and Cake† and Georges Braque’s painting â€Å"Still Life with a Guitar† were produced in 1924 in France and are now located in the European Modern Paintings section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Both works are still lifes with the presence of cubist elements, are painted in oils on canvas, and each of them represents a certain stage in Picasso and Braque’s artistic careers. If during 1909-1914 both artists worked side by side to create cubism and their styles and paintings were mostly indistinguishable, in 1924, however, when the above mentioned works were produced, the divergence in Picasso and Braque’s cubist ideas could be easily seen in their paintings (Mataev). While Picasso’s still life â€Å"Mandolin, Fruit Bowl, Bottle, and Cake† is composed of only man-made objects (a cake, a fruit bowl, a bottle, and a mandolin), Braque’s painting â€Å"Still Life with a Guitar† depicts both man-made (a pipe, a jug, sheet music, a cup, a fruit bowl, and a guitar) and natural (pears placed next to sheet music and in the fruit bowl) â€Å"Page # 5† objects. The presence of musical instruments and fruit bowls in both paintings invokes some common themes or at least it makes the viewers think of them when they look at them for the first time. The main objects in both paintings are placed on tablecloths spread in a different manner on what appears to be tables. The objects in Braque’s picture are much smaller than those in Picasso’s work in which the size of some of them is somewhat disproportionate when compared to other objects. Braque and Picasso use space in their paintings in an entirely different way. There is quite a bit of space between the objects located in the foreground of Picasso’s still life and the viewer can easily see their whole forms. By contrast, in Braque’s paintings the objects in the foreground seem to be concentrated closely to each other in one place and parts of some of them are hidden by other objects. The use of space by Picasso gives the audience the impression of more freedom and ease while Braque seems to impose certain limits in movement and space. In Picasso’s painting, the viewer’s attention is first attracted by the main four objects in the foreground, and then by the objects and forms located in the background, particularly by what appears to be a wall and part of a window. By contrast, it seems that Braque’s intention is to concentrate the viewer’s attention only on the objects that can be seen in the foreground. He does not provide any detail as to what is in the background as though he does not want to divert the audience’s attention from the center of interest of the painting. Another important difference between the paintings as far as the objects and their forms are concerned is that Braque’s work is much more realistic than Picasso’s. Except for the window in the background, Picasso seems to depict in his picture not the objects such as the cake or fruit bowl but rather the shapes that invoke those objects. What attracts the â€Å"Page # 6† viewer’s attention in particular is the flatness of the forms of Picasso’s objects that are defined by lines. Although some parts and forms of his objects are disproportionate, Braque’s objects, however, are unambiguous and closer to reality. The use of color is another important characteristic that distinguishes Picasso’s painting from Braque’s work. In Picasso’s â€Å"Mandolin, Fruit Bowl, Bottle, and Cake† bright and vivid colors are predominant and much brighter and richer than those in Braque’s â€Å"Still Life with a Guitar† conveying to the viewer a light and pleasant mood. By contrast, the somber aspect of Braque’s painting whose color range varies from dark brown to dark beige makes the viewer impressed with its gloom and sadness. In Picasso’s picture, the general color range of objects in the foreground is slightly more somber compared to the color range in the background. By contrast, in Braque’s work, the relatively somber objects in the foreground are placed against an even darker background. The only bright-colored objects in this picture seem to be sheet music and a pipe appearing incongruous to a certain extent against the backdrop of its general color range. Another distinctive characteristic is the color of the objects themselves. Except for the window in the background, the color of most objects in Picasso’s painting is plain, for example, a plain dark red bottle, a plain bright yellow fruit bowl, and so on. Braque, by contrast, adds to the color of every object thick brush-strokes of black as if to emphasize the somber mood of the painting. There is also some difference in how the artists paint the objects in the pictures with their brushes. In Picasso’s â€Å"Mandolin, Fruit Bowl, Bottle, and Cake† the paint is applied thinly in most areas, although in some places it is quite thick. In â€Å"Still Life with a Guitar† Braque’s bold brushwork is pervasive. REFERENCES: 1. Georges Braque. Retrieved May 10, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www. mcs. csuhayward. edu/~malek/Braque. html 2. Hughes, R. (1998, June 8). Pablo Picasso. Time magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www. time. com/time/time100/artists/profile/picasso. html 3. Mataev, Y. Pablo Picasso. Retrieved May 10, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www. abcgallery. com/P/picasso/picassobio. html#Between 4. Pablo Picasso. Retrieved May 10, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www. artchive. com/artchive/P/picasso. html 5. Russell, J. (1982, January 17). Rediscovering Georges Braque in his Centenary Year. New York Times on the Web. Retrieved May 10, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://query. nytimes. com/gst/fullpage. html? res=990DE5DB1138F934A25752C0A964948260sec=spon=pagewanted=all

Role of Organic Geochemistry in Petroleum

Role of Organic Geochemistry in Petroleum A review on role of organic geochemistry in petroleum;  characterization and applications of different basins Harish Chandra Joshi Abstract Petroleum is a mixture dominantly of hydrocarbons with varying proportions of non-hydrocarbon constituents and traces of organometallic compounds. Generally Petroleum has an average composition of 85% carbon, 13% hydrogen, and 2% of sulphur, nitrogen and oxygen. The aim of study is to find out the physicochemical and genetic property of petroleum. In this study biomarkers, age specific biomarker and reservoir geochemistry can be used for the characterization, correlation and/ or reconstruction of the depositional environment as micro and macro fossils used by the geochemist. Keywords: Biomarker, Genetic Characterisation, Kerogen, Geochemical Fossils. Introduction The name geochemistry was first used by the Swiss chemist, Christian Friedrich Schonbein in 1838. Petroleum geochemistry is the application of chemical principles to the study of the origin, migration, accumulation, and alteration of Petroleum (oil and gas) and the use of this knowledge in exploring and recovering Petroleum. Organic chemistry is the branch of chemistry that deals with the distribution and composition of carbon compounds. Geochemistry is the study of the chemical composition of the earth, minerals, ores, rocks and also is the study of the origin of petroleum. The major tasks of geochemistry can be summarized as follows: The study of the relative and absolute abundances of the elements and of the atomic species (isotopes) in the earth. The study of the distribution and migration of individual elements in the various parts of the earth (the hydrosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere etc.), and in mineral and rocks, with the object of discovering their distribution and migration. Exploration companies have used petroleum geochemistry in hydrocarbon exploration. The most and major objective of exploration geochemistry, is to reduce the risk of drilling dry holes. Petroleum geochemistry is based on the organic origin of the oil and gas whereby organic matter obtained from dead plants and animals. Organic matter is converted to hydrocarbons in the subsurface through various major three stages of transformations diagenesis, catagenesis and metagenesis. German scientist Treibs (1936) reveal a relationship between chlorophyll-a in living photosynthetic organisms and porphyrins in Crudes of petroleum. This link provides a strong evidence of organic origin of Petroleum. From the starting of the Precambrian till the Devonian, the unique primary producer of the organic matter were marine phytoplanktons. Since the Devonian an increasing amount of primary production has been contributed by higher terrestrial plants. At present cenario marine phytoplankton and higher terrestrial are estimated to produce about equal amounts of organic carbon. On increases the burial depth, porosity and permeability decrease, and temperature increases. Thus lead to the change a gradual halting of microbial activity and thus eventually called ‘organic diagenesis to a halt. As the temperature rises, thermal reactions become increasingly. This second transformation phase, called catagenesis, during the catagenesis kerogen begins to decompose into smaller, more mobile molecules. In the early stage of catagenesis, kerogens are still relatively large; these are precursors for petroleum and are called â€Å"bitumen†. In the late stages and final transfo rmation stage, called ‘metagenesis’. During metagenesis the principal products consist of smaller gas molecules. Further, kerogens formed from different organic matter, or under different diagenetic conditions, are chemically clear which has a significant effect on hydrocarbon generation. Characterization of crude oil by Analytical Methods Firstly sampling of crude oils is required for their characterization. Oil should be collected as a single- phase sample under pressure conditions as they are in reservoir. Therefore for the geochemical studies, crude oil samples are collected at the well head under atmospheric pressure. Under these conditions light hydrocarbons of crude oils are lost completely or partly. Light hydrocarbon fraction gives the ideas only about the abundance and constituents of the light end of the oil. It is normally observed that the most abundant characteristics hydrocarbons are commonly in the light fraction. For required minimizing the effects of sampling error the crude oil is distilled at 2100C. The heavier fraction is considered the foremost part of the crude oil. It is used to describe the chemical composition of a crude oil and also to compare it with other crude oils. Analytical Techniques in Petroleum Exploration Petroleum system (Demaison, 1994; Hunt, 1996) comprise all those geological elements and processes that are necessary for an oil and gas deposit to occur in nature. These main elements are a petroleum source rock, migration paths, reservoir rocks, seals, traps and the geological approach that design each of them. Such systems involve a genetic relationship between the source rock and the petroleum accumulations, but proof of that relation force a geochemical correlation. organic geochemistry techniques available include surface geochemical prospecting, source rock geochemistry, crude oil geochemistry, natural gas geochemistry, biomarker geochemistry, isotope geochemistry etc. Biomarkers in Petroleum Biological marker or shortened to Biomarkers (Seifert and Moldowan, 1981) are complex molecules derived from once living organisms they are found in sediments and oil and show little change in structure from their parent molecules (Peters Moldowan, 1993 and Hunt, 1996). These compounds are also called as geochemical fossils (Eglinton and Cavin, 1967) because of their origin from living organisms. Such compounds may be derived from terrestrial (mostly plants, marine pelagic (mostly plankton) and marine benthonic (algae, bacteria and other microbes). Biomarkers are generally, microfossils less than 30 nm in diameter and are highly variable in their stereochemistry i.e. the spatial arrangement of atoms and groups in their molecules. The common use of the biomarkers in petroleum exploration may be enumerated as follows: Biomarkers are present in both and oil a source rocks so they provide vital information for the oil-oil and oil-source correlation. Organic matter type (source of organic facies) Depositional environment Extent of thermal maturation Degree of biodegradation Information about the age of the source rock ÃŽ ± and ÃŽ ² Geometry of Biomarkers Steranes obtain from the diagenesis of natural products sterols. Diagenesis converts sterol via chemical dehydration and microbial reduction to a steranes cholestane. Cholestane molecule is drawn in three dimensions as follows. The hydrogen at the 3 position points up above the plane of the molecule and that at the 5 position points down below the plane (Peters and Moldowan 1993) Commonly Used Biomarkers in Petroleum Exploration Normal Alkanes: Normal alkanes are a homologues series of saturated hydrocarbons of general formula CnH2n+2. All linear n-alkanes from C1 to C40 and a few beyond C40 derived from different sources have been identified in crude oils. Iso- and Anteiso-alkanes: Isoalkanes are 2-methyl alkanes and quite a number of these have been observed in crude oils as have been the anteiso-alkanes, the 3-methlyalkanes. Iso and anteiso alkanes are associated with n-alkanes in plant waxes where they comprise a approximate number of carbon atoms (about 25-31) with an odd predominance Figure 1. Showing common biomarkers like paraffins, Iso and ante-isoalkane Acyclic Isoprenoid: These are special type of Iso-alkanes in which one methyl group is attached to every fourth carbon atom in straight. Isoprene (methyl butadiene) is the basic structural unit composed of carbon atoms that is found in all biomarkers. The most common isoprenoids are pristane (C19) and Phytane (C20). Figure 2. Common Isoprenoid biomarkers in petroleum Terpenoids: Terpenoids can be classified based on structural types into diterpenoids and triterpenoids Diterpenoids are categorized into bicyclic and tricyclic diterpenoids. Triterpenoids are grouped into tetra and pentacyclic. The most knowing are pentacyclic and among these are hopanes. Hopanes are pentacyclic triterpenoids comprised of four 6-membered and one 5-membered ring. There is a side chain which can contain upto 8 carbon atoms. Thus the series comprise of C27-C35 hopanes. They are believed to have originated from polyhydroxybacteriohopane. Figure 3. Structures of Common Triterpanes Figure 4. Structures of Common Tricyclic and Tetracyclic Terpanes Steranes: Steroids can be classified as aliphatic and aromatic steroids (mono, di- and tri-aromatic depending on the number of aromatic rings). Steranes are a series of aliphatic steroids. The sterols in all eukaryotic organisms are precursors to the steranes in sediments and petroleum. Like the hopanes, steranes are abundant in sediments, rocks and petroleum, because their precursors (Sterols) are so common in living organisms. Cholesterol has eight asymmetric centers and might be expected to show as many as 28 or 256 stereoisomers. Figure 5. Chemical Structure of various steroids Porphyrins: Porphyrins are characterized by a tetrapyrrolic nucleus proved to be inherited from chlorophyll, the green photosynthetic pigment of plants and animals ,hemin, the red pigment of animal blood. These tetrapyrrolic organometallic compounds reported of the vanadium and nickel in petroleum. The major types of fossil porphyrin are deoxophylloerytrapyrrole (DPEP) and etioporphyrin (ETIO) porphyrin structure. Age specific biomarkers If biomarkers characterise a molecular record of life, they can be used for age determination. Certain age specific biomarkers like Oleanane present in oils derived from late Cretaceous or Younger. C11-C19 Paraffins, Odd carbon number prevalence in oil from many Ordovician sources. 24-n-propylcholestane, High in oils from Ordovician sources.Thus the biomarkers transport to the sources has proved to be of great help in geochemical characterization of the oils/condensates. Reservoir Geochemistry The main aim of reservoir geochemistry is to understand the distribution and origin of the petroleum, water and minerals in the reservoir and account for their possible spatial and compositional variation (Cubitt and England 1995). A better understanding of the fluids in the reservoir conduct to a better understanding in an area and prioritization of exploration thrusts. The principle factors responsible for difference in petroleum composition are the effect of organic facies variations, progressive source rock maturation, migration fractionation, gravity segregation, oil/water contact and non-uniform biodegradation of oil across the field. However these effects have been normalized by using ratios of peaks corresponding to compounds of similar molecular weight in the C10+ region of the chromatogram. The study of reservoir continuity is also the focus of the geochemical characterization to trace the nature and depositional conditions of the source organics, identification of the oil families and thermal maturity of the oils/condensates. When a set of chromatographic peaks has been selected, a variety of techniques are available for grouping of this data. One way is to use a polar plot of selected ratios by a star diagram (polygon plot) by plotting each peak ratio on a different axis of polar plot. Each data point is plotted from the centre of the concentric circles outward. The points are then connected to create a star shaped pattern characteristic of each oil. Applications of geochemical characterisation Biomarker and non-biomarker geochemical parameters are best used together to supply the most authentic geological interpretations to help solve exploration, enlargement, production and environmental problems. Prior to biomarker work, oil and rock samples are properly screened using non biomarker analyses. The strength of biomarker parameters is that they provide more detailed information needed to answer questions about the source rock depositional environment, thermal maturity and the biodegradation of oils than non-biomarker analyses alone. Different depositional environments are characterized by different assemblages of organisms and biomarkers. Commonly accept classes of organisms include bacteria, algae, and higher plants. Biomarker parameters are also an effective means to determine the relative maturity of petroleum through the entire oil-generative window. Conclusion On the basis of above observation major conclusions which have been derived from the whole study are as follows: The presence of complete range of normal alkanes upto nC36 and in some cases upto nC40. The presence of biomarker in oil indicates that oil may be terrestrial or marine. The terrestrial nature of the source is also strongly indicated by the steranes. Reservoir geochemistry of oils has been used to demonstrate the lateral/vertical continuity/compartmentalization. References: Bhandari, A., Prasad, I.V.S.V., Kapoor, P.N., Varshney, Meenu, Madhavan, A.K.S., Pahari, S. and Singh, R.R., 2008. Depositional environment, distribution of source rocks and geochemistry of oil and gases, Krishna-Godavari Basin, Journal of Applied Geochem., Vol. 10 (1) pp 17-31 Bhandari, A., Prasad, I.V.S.V., and Dwivedi, Prabhakar, 2007. Stratigraphic distribution of hydrocarbons in the Sedimentary Basins of India. Symposium in Applied Geochemistry in the evaluation and management of onshore and offshore Geo sources. Journal of Applied Geochemistry, Vol. 9 (1) pp 48-73. Bhatnagar, A.K., Goswami, B.G., Rawat, G.S., Singh, Harvir and Singh, R.R., 2009. Geochemical characterization and reservoir fingerprinting to assess reservoir continuity in oils of Heera and South Heera fields, western offshore basin, India, Petrotech 2009 New Delhi. Cubitt, J.M., England, W.A., 1995. The Geochemistry of Reservoirs. The Geological Society London, pp 321. Demaison, G.J and Huizinga, B.J., 1994. Genetic classification of petroleum systems using three factors: charge, migration and entrapment. In: The Petroleum system – From source to trap (L.B. Morgan and W.G. Dow, eds), American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa, pp. 73-89. Didyk, B.M., Simoneit, B.R.T.,Brassel, S.C and Eglinton, C., 1978. Organic Geochemical indicators of pale environmental conditions of sedimentation. Nature 272, pp 216-222. Eglinton, G and Calvin, M., 1967. Chemical fossils. Scl. Am. 216, pp 32-43 Hunt, J.M., 1979. Petroleum Geochemistry and Geology. W.H. Freeman, San Francisco, pp 617. Hunt, J.M., 1996. Petroleum Geochemistry and Geology. W.H. Freeman and Company, New York. Pandey, I.P., Joshi, H.C., Tyagi, Ashish Tiwari, Sadhana and Garg, Nitika, 2012. Study of the Parameters and Bio-Markers of Crude oils. Advances in Pure and Applied Chemistry, World Science Publisher, New York, United States, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp 49-53. Mackenzie, A.S., 1984. Application of biological markers in Petroleum Geochemistry, In Advances in Petroleum Geochemistry, Vol. 1, (J. Brooks and D.H. Welte, eds) Academic Press, London, pp 115-214. Mackenzie, A.S., Patience, R.L., Maxwell, J.R., Vandenbroucke, M and Durand B., 1980.Molecular parameters of maturation in the Toarcian shales, Paris Basin, France-1. Change in the configuration of acyclic isoprenoid alkanes, steranes, and terpanes. Geochimicaetcosmochimica Acta, 44, 1709- 1721. Peters, K.E., 1997. Modern Geochemical Tools for efficient exploration and Development, O.G.C.I. Training report, Oct. 20924, Mussoorie, India. Peters, K.E. and Fowler, M.G., 2002. Application of Petroleum Geochemistry to Exploration and reservoir management. Org. Geochem. Vol 33, pp 5-36. Peters, K.E. and Moldowan, J.M., 1993. The biomarker guide interpreting Molecular fossils in petroleum and ancient sediments, Prantice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ., U.S.A. Seifert, W.K. and Moldowan, J.M., 1978. Application of steranes, terpanes and Monoaromatics to the maturation, migration and source of oil. Geochem. Cosmochim., Acta 42, pp 77-95 Seifert, W.K. and Moldown, J.M., 1979. The effect of biodegradation on steranes and Terpanes in crude oil. Geochem. Cosmochim., Acta 43, pp 111-126. Seifert, W.K. and Moldown, J.M., 1980. The effect of thermal stress on source rock quality as Measured by hopane stereochemistry.Physics and chemistry of the earth, 12, pp 229-237. Smith,H.M., 1940. Correlation index to aid in interpretin crude oil analysis. U.S. Bureau of Mines, tech. Paper:610. Tissot, B.P. and welte, D.H., 1978. Pertoleum formation and Occurrence, Springer- Verlag, New York, pp. 699. Tissot, B.P and welte, D.H., 1978. Pertoleum formation and Occurrence, Springer- Verlag, Berlin. 22.Treibs, A., 1963. Chlorophyll and hemin derivatives in organic mineral substances. Angewandte Chemie, 49, pp 682-686. 1

Iago’s Scheming in Shakespeares Othello Essay -- Othello essays

Iago’s Scheming in Othello  Ã‚   Iago is a powerful predator who exploits those around him by infecting their perceptions of truth with carefully chosen fallacy. His skill in finding the proverbial chinks in others' armor allows him to skillfully weave his machinations of destroying Othello into their minds and actions; by manipulating character's perceptions of Desdemona, Iago gains the leverage he needs to exploit each character. No one is impervious to Iago's seething purpose; even Othello falls prey to Iago's suggestions and insinuations about Desdemona. Iago's constant presence as the stager, as well as his ceaseless - but subtle - reinforcement of events through narration, allows him to be the pivotal force that directs Shakespeare's Othello. In the opening scene, Iago provokes Brabantio against Othello by means of his pawn, Roderigo, and constantly stages the scene, ensuring that everything goes according to his plan. Iago realizes that Brabantio is very susceptible to attacks on his daughter; Iago uses Roderigo as a dummy, through whom he makes such antagonizing claims: "An old black ram / is tupping your white ewe" and "your daughter and the Moor are now / making the beast with two backs" (1.1.90, 121). By inflaming Brabantio's protective nature as a father, Iago directs Brabantio's wrath towards Othello while using Roderigo as a front. Iago successfully bends an unwitting Brabantio to the common goal of destroying Othello. The climax of Iago's power occurs during Iago's successful attempts to convince Othello - against the poor Moor's better judgment - that Desdemona fails to be loyal and that Othello differs too greatly from his fellow citizens to be a part of the Venetianworld. Iago craftily inflames Othel... ... that Iago felt compelled to engineer to perfection and totality; and once Iago's plan falls short of his mark, his pawns grow out of his control and finally expose his dark scheming. Fragility permeates Iago's liminal existence and, as shown, he has to be omnipresent in order to execute and oversee every aspect of his plan. His ambition leads to his downfall; modest desires for revenge blossom into extravagant and uncontrollable machinations which necessitate the deaths of all those involved. Iago finds it impossible to manipulate everyone at every moment, and for this sole reason, fails to bring his plan into full fruition. Work Cited William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice (from Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, sixth edition. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Harper Collins, 1995.      

American Utopias

Utopia is a perfect place, for some it is an attempt to realize heaven here on earth. For Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, it is a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean with a perfect social, legal and political system. Several utopian ideas arose in the history of mankind, they may slightly differ from each other, but they are similar in the effort to create a perfect society.In American History, the communal movement in the 16th century to 17th century, and the similar attempt to establish the Utopian America of the 1960s to 1970s, was both a response to the social ills brought about by the development of capitalism and commercialism. While the communal movement of the 16th century can trace its roots from Europe, the Utopian movement of the 1960’s was homegrown with the relatively young members of the population leading the way. Both, however, have the similar vision of establishing a perfect community of harmony and brotherly love.While Utopian experiments in Europe were made as far back as the early 16th century, such as the Paris Commune or the Fouriesrist Phalanxes, it was only in America that the Europeans were successful in their attempt to found their New Jeruzalem characterized with idealism, zeal and moral fervor (Mizrach). Early Christian communists in Europe, propelled by the belief that America was a place free guile, deception and corruption, had decided to withdraw from the perceived sinful and corrupt world to establish new communities.Most of these communities saw themselves as islands of redemption in a world of temptation, sin and avarice (Mizrach). This belief in America as the â€Å"new† world where further proliferated by the famous literary writers of that time such as Thomas More in his Utopia and Francis Bacon in New Atlantis that suggested America was heir to the traditions of the first civilization, Atlantis, and a new â€Å"philosophic continent† within whose outlines lay modernity and freedom (Mizrach). The m ost interesting of these communities were founded in the 17th and early 18th centuries.Included here are those known as the Woman in the Wilderness founded by German Pietist in 1694, The Ireneia founded by Moravians in 1695, the Bohemia Manor founded by the Labadists in 1683, the Ephrata Cloister founded by Sabbatarians in 1732, Bethlehem founded by Anabaptists in 1740 and the Mount Lebanon founded by the Skaers in 1787 (Mizrach). All of these communities share the common feature of being founded by sects who at that time were considered as heretical by the Lutheran or the Calvinist Protestant Churches of Germany and Central Europe.Most of these also were located or founded around Pennsylvania which was Wiliam Penn’s Quaker â€Å"experiment of toleration†. Another feature of this communities were most of the members are European migrants who followed a charismatic founder. The Utopian American of the 60s and 70s flourished in about the same time when industrialization was in full swing. Soon after the World War II, the American economy prospered but it left many young people feeling estranged and isolated.While the older generation who grew up during the Great Depression was focused on material accumulation, the young people felt there was something missing in their lives (Meunier 1994). The dissatisfaction with capitalism grew and many young adults expressed this through their rejection of materialism and renewed interest in spirituality (Meunier 1994). Aside from this, the technological advances of this period made young people feel detached from their environment.The same advances that produced the atomic bomb and the television made the people feel that they are not in control or beyond understanding their environment (Meunier 1994). The political situation of this period also added to the propagation of the communal movement. The Vietnam War was not favored by majority of the American people and yet it dragged on. Aside from this, the Waterg ate scandal, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King further lead to the disillusionment of young people.It was a combination of all this political, social and economic factors that brought the young people from Haight-Ashbury movement of visionary psychedelia and politically defiant college students together to flee to rural utopian communes in attempt to escape the Establishment and take control of their own physical, cultural and spiritual environment (Meunier 1994). Known to some as the â€Å"flower people† or the â€Å"hippies†, the people who lived in communes in the 1960s were often stereotype as those who practiced free love and drug experimentation.The primary purpose of communal living in the late 1960s and early 1970s was to create a society where person to person relations is the core of existence, promoting greater intimacy and fuller human development (Meunier 1994). It rejects the established order of capitalism of competiti veness and production and turns to unity and cooperative work. People living in communes pool their resources and work together and the emphasis is no longer placed on competing for material goods but instead on friendship and family (Meunier 1994).The communes formed during the 1960s and 1970s were mostly in rural areas where people sought to return to the land. Agriculture made them self-sufficient and growing of food gave them a feeling of connection with each other and with the land. The search for a â€Å"perfect society† for both movements who happens to be centuries apart is are founded on similar assumptions of bringing change from the unrest and alienation that human beings felt as the society develops.Perhaps the utopian ideal will not cease as humans have the intrinsic need to commune, and that even the modern man sought for solace, peace and brotherhood. BIBLIOGRAPHY Meunier, Rachel. Communal Living in the Late 60s and Early 70s. Human Issues Project. 17 December 1994. Mizrach, Steve. The Symbolic Invention of America-as-Utopia. Academentia Website.

Differences Between the Early English Settlers and Native Americans Essay

The indigenous people of North America and Europe are both very different cultures with very different beliefs and ideas. As the Europeans began to colonize North America, these differences between these cultures really impacted the events of this time. The most important difference is the ideas on land use and ownership. Other important differences include religion and the ideas of gender roles. The biggest difference between of the Native Americans and the European immigrants is the issue of land use and ownership. Native Americans believed that land was sacred, and that nature needed to be cared for. They also did not value land ownership, all of the tribes land and belongings were shared. The idea of ownership here was not commonly used. On the other end of the spectrum, the Europeans had beliefs very different from the Native Americans. One of the main reasons the Europeans came to the New World in the first place was to become wealthy! To the Europeans at the time, land ownership meant freedom, wealth and a higher social status. Land was passed down from generation to generation. Because of this, the Europeans and the Native Americans ideology on land use and ownership created quite a culture clash that we still see remnants of today. Another difference between the Native American culture and the Europeans was the religion of these two cultures. Europeans were predominantly Christian, while the natives believed in numerous spirits and Gods. The indigenous people in North America had separate spirits for corn, the sun and things of that nature. While Christians are monotheists. The Europeans thought that the natives were savages for worshipping wooden figurines and carvings. The Europeans tried to convert as many natives as possible, especially the Spanish. Because of these differences in religion, the Europeans and the Native Americans had a difficult time really seeing eye to eye. The third difference between the in indigenous people of North America and the Europeans is the matter of gender roles. The native women in these tribes held high positions, many making important decisions for the tribe. The family tree would also follow the females side, as opposed to the family line following the males in the European cultures. To the Europeans, females gave birth and did chores in the home. They were not nearly as powerful as some women in native tribes. When the Europeans noticed how strong the women were along with the men, they fought the natives into submission. In conclusion, it is plain to see that there are so many differences between the Native American culture and that of the Europeans. A few examples of differences is the ideas on land use and ownership, religion and gender roles. The most impactful difference was the ideas each culture had on land use and ownership. These differences were very influential on the events that occurred during this time, and we still see some of these differences impact us today.

The Impact of Workforce Diversity on Employee Engagement: The Case of Company X

A Brief Synopsis The focus of this research is to determine the impact of workforce diversity on employee engagement, with particular emphasis on Company X. Today’s challenge is not to simply retain employees but to engage them fully; hence, the organisation is tasked to capture the minds and hearts of its diverse workforce at every phase of their work lives. Workforce diversity pertains to employee’s heterogeneity in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and other characteristics (Saha, 2006). Employee engagement, on the other hand, is the extent of their commitment to a particular thing or person in their organisation, the level of their work, and the length of time of their stay as a result of such commitment (Lockwood, 2007). Employee engagement can be a deciding factor to drive business success in today’s global competitive market, and since workforce diversity is a common scenario in many organisations, there is a corresponding need to allot a fuller attention to this aspect. Further, employee engagement does not only create a significant impact on employee retention, loyalty, and productivity, but it also serves as a key link to customer satisfaction and overall stakeholder value (Lockwood, 2007; Attridge, 2009). Rationale of the Research In this globalised age, an individual’s engagement with and enthusiasm for his/her work is very important. Organisations have grown to provide the resources needed by employees as well as the opportunities to learn new skills in order promote employee engagement within the workplace. It is necessary that employees feel that their work is meaningful and that they have a rewarding interaction with co-workers and supervisors. Companies with high-average levels of engagement are more productive and bring about highly satisfied customers. To manage workforce diversity, organisations introduce equal opportunity programmes and diversity management (Robbins et al., 2009). Moreover, as the global environment becomes increasingly borderless, organisations find it more and more important to attract, engage, develop, and retain talents. The changing relationship between employers and employees drive HR professionals to identify and understand employees’ needs and preferences and ascertain how these needs could be met whilst also leveraging workplace talents thoroughly (Lockwood, 2007). The urgency and need for a research on this topic is clearly brought out by the fact that a diverse workforce is more difficult to manage than a homogenous one (Bilmes and Gould, 2009), and hence, they might encounter barriers in being engaged to their work as a result. This research will identify the impact of such diversity on the levels of engagement that employees tend to have in a diverse workplace. This research is also justified by the fact that the contemporary workplace is commonly focused on raising productivity and competitive advantages, to which an engaged workforce is proved to play an important contribution (Macey and Schneider, 2008). On the other hand, finding out how workforce diversity affects employee engagement, and in turn, productivity and competitive advantages, would be a good avenue to introduce new policies and strategies to address identified barriers. Research Gap Employee engagement has been a broad focus of study in the academic literature. The meaning of employee engagement remains ambiguous amongst practitioners and academic rese ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­archers (Macey and Schneider, 2008). There is a gap between policies and practice in the strategic management of the HR function in some organisations, (Bhatnagar 2007) mentions, which can be filled by a study on employee engagement and workforce diversity like this current one. Additionally, recent research trends indicate a need for more research on workplace diversity to examine the challenges surrounding the diversity concept and how employees can become more engaged in the midst of such diversity (Byrd and Scott, 2014). Research Questions The research questions that this study will address are the following: What is the impact of workforce diversity on employee engagement in Company X How are employee engagement and workforce diversity utilised in Company X in order to gain competitive edge in the increasingly global marketplace? What is the extent of HR efforts in fostering an integration of employee engagement and workforce diversity in Company X Objectives The objectives of the research are outlined below: To review the extant literature on the concept of employee engagement and workforce diversity; To present a case study research on employee engagement amongst a culturally diverse workforce and how the latter influences the former; and To explore the ways in which strategic HR may enable an organisation to benefit from a diverse workforce through employee engagement. Dependent Variable The dependent variable in this study is employee engagement. The dependent variable serves as the status of the outcome, on which the research is focused (Babbie, 2011).Independent VariableThe independent variable is workforce diversity. It is the variable that logically has some impact on the dependent variable described above (e.g. Cargan, 2007). Intervening Variable An intervening variable (also called ‘mediating variable’) serves as a causal chain between dependent and independent variables (Rubin and Babbie, 2011). The intervening variable in this study is competitive advantage. Hypotheses Below are the hypotheses for this study: The impact of workforce diversity on employee engagement is competitive advantage. Well-integrated employee engagement and workforce diversity lead to increased productivity and competitiveness. Strategic HR programmes can enable integration between a diverse workforce and employee engagement. References Attridge, M. (2009) Measuring and Managing Employee Work Engagement: A Review of the Research and Business Literature. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 24 (4), 383-398. Babbie, E. (2011) The Basics of Social Research. Mason, OH: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Bhatnagar, J. (2007) Talent Management Strategy of Employee Engagement in Indian ITES Employees: Key to Retention. Employee Relations, 29 (6), 640-663. Bilmes, L. J. and Gould, W. S. (2009) The People Factor: Strengthening America by Investing in Public Service. Washington DC: The Brookings Institution. Byrd, M. Y. and Scott, C. L. (2014) Diversity in the Workforce: Current Issues and Emerging Trends. New York: Routledge. Cargan, L. (2007) Doing Social Research. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Catwright, S. and Holmes, N. (2006) The Meaning of Work: The Challenge of Regaining Employee Engagement and Reducing Cynicism. Human Resource Management Review, 16 (2), 199-208. Crawford, E. R., LePine, J. A., and Rich, B. L. (2010) Linking Job Demands and Resources to Employee Engagement and Burnout: A Theoretical Extension and Meta-Analytic Test. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95 (5), 834-848. Lockwood, N. R. (2007) Leveraging Employee Engagement for Competitive Advantage: HR’s Strategic Role. Strategic Human Resource Management Research Quarterly. Retrieved on June 23, 2014 from http://www.shrm.org/research/articles/articles/documents/07marresearchquarterly.pdf Macey, W. H. and Schneider, B. (2008) The Meaning of Employee Engagement. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1 (1), 3-30. Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A., Odendaal, A., and Roodt, G. (2009) Organisational Behaviour in Southern Africa. Second Edition. Cape Town: Pearson Education South Africa (Pty) Ltd. Saha, J. (2006) Management and Organizational Behaviour. New Delhi: Excel Books. Rubin, A. and Babbie, E. (2011) Research Methods for Social Work. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Shuck, B. and Wollard, K. (2009) Employee Engagement and HRD: A Seminal Review of the Foundations. Human Resource Development Review, 9 (1), 89-110.