Effect of Taxation on the Investment Decision in Firms Research Paper

Effect of Taxation on the Investment Decision in Firms - Research Paper Example The government dishes out sops to specific sectors and fulfills its task of generating enough growth in high risk sectors. The investment decision of firms depends upon various factors like the political will and stability, the infrastructure and the tax regime. The taxes levied on corporate investments also have a direct bearing on the profitability of these firms; hence they become a vital factor while taking any investment decisions. This therefore makes tax rates an important instrument with governments who manipulate it to ensure economic growth of a country. This paper examines the effect of taxes on investment decisions of the firms. It explains the various factors that affect firms functioning in the high risk taking sectors and the various instruments available with the government by which they can assist these firms to attain a better economic growth both for the firms and the country. In the end a case study of the steps taken to promote investments in the European Union amplifies the points made in the paper. The profits that a firm earns are directly affected by the rate of taxes that are levied on its produce. This has a bearing on its investment capacity. The poor infrastructure and institutional facilities combined with high tax rates can make any country a poor investment destination for firms. The tax system is an effective tool in the hands of the government to encourage those sectors which require investments of long gestational periods or poorly developed sectors where there is a need of capital investment. By altering the tax rates governments can shift the investments from more lucrative to high risk sectors by giving cuts in corporate tax and accelerated depreciation so as to increase the post tax profitability of the firm. This will lead to long run growth of the business as well as the economy. The effects of the proposed tax cuts like the capital gain tax, import duty exemption or local indirect taxes should be measured in relation to the expenditure change that they can offset. Such reductions in tax rates increase the firm's investment capability. Lower taxes help to reap a higher profit by the firms. The role of the government The government hands out large incentives to firms that are keen to invest in high risk sectors but which are good for the overall growth of the country. These sops can be in the form of tax holidays, import duty exemptions, exemption from custom duties etc. The firm's investment decision is greatly influenced by these tax exemptions. Other major factors that also affect the investments are the political and economic stability of the nation, infrastructure facilities, transport system, roads etc. These factors have an important bearing as they make the environment more conducive for investment, tax rebates are important but cannot be the sole incentive for investment. Especially in the case of MNC and FDI, studies reveal that the investors are mostly influenced by the market, political factors and tax rebates which are being offered. The government attracts foreign investment in targeted high risk

Lab Report On Sensory Threshold Essay Example for Free

Lab Report On Sensory Threshold Essay Lab report on Sensory Threshold In this lab the purpose is to test the sensory threshold of a human body. To say it in terms that are easier to understand, we are testing how accurate certain points are on a body with response to touch. We are using three points on the body, the forearm, palm, and index finger. With these three points we will be testing to see how sensitive each point on the body is by measuring the distance of which we can feel one or two points. The part of the brain that allows us to feel, the somatosensory cortex, is mapped out in relation to which parts of the body it processes its touch. Parts of our bodies have different densities of pressure receptors, the densities of these receptors correlates to the amount of brain tissue devoted to processing the somatosensory information. The face for example has a high densities of pressure therefor the somatosensory cortex has a large amount of area for the face, compared to the leg that doesnt have as much pressure receptors, and therefore uses a small area of the somatosensory cortex. (See illustration Fig. 511) With this information about how touch relates to the somatosensory cortex I expect that the index finger will be the point where we are the most sensitive then the palm followed by the forearm. The index finger should be able to detect the smallest distance between pokers than the palm or the forearm. To test the threshold of the human body we took a divider with two sharp points on the end of it. With the pointer we were able to set it to different measurements. We used measurements from .25 centimeters to 4 centimeters with an increment of .25 centimeters. After me measured the distanced out we taped the individual with the point, set to a certain distance, on either ; the forearm, palm, or index finger. The individual then had to decide wether we poke them with ether one or two points. Every once and a while we would tap the individual with one point so that they wouldnt be able to just guess that we were using two points. To keep everything on track we chose one side to do the testing on, and varied the distance of the pointer throughout the experiment and also the location of the tap. After conducting this experiment we compiled all of the data from every PSY  201 lab class and averaged the results together to give us a larger testing group. With the data we took the average of the percent correct for each distance for each position on the body. (see fig 1.1 From the data we noticed that the index finger had the greatest sensitivity with 67% of the answers were correct at .25 centimeters. The forearm seemed to be the next sensitive at .25 centimeters with 22% answering correct. The palm seemed to be the least sensitive at the smallest distance, .25 centimeters, with only 18% getting it correct. In the smallest distance there seems to be some what of a deviation from what the rest of the data states, because in the rest of the data the palm seems to be more sensitive with the percents being higher with correct answers, so it seems that the palm is more sensitive than the forearm. As the distance of the pointers increased so did the percent of correct answers, with a larger pint it seems as though it is easier to distinguish between on and two points. The index finger started to reach 100% correct at the distance of 1.75 centimeters, compared to the palm obtaining 100% correctness at 2.5 centimeters and the highest that the forearm ever got was 78% correct at 4 centimeters. This data seems to show the relation to he area of the brain tissue used in the somatosensory cortex does relate to the sensitivity of a particular area. The finger has the largest area then the palm has the second most area followed by the forearm with the least area amount. This experiment happened as I thought it would with the finger being able to detect the smallest distance followed by the palm and then the forearm. The index finger data shows that it was able to detect a tap from two points at a distance of .25 centimeters apart 67% of the time that is a very good strong average proving that it is the most sensitive of the three. In the .25 distance for the palm the average was only 18% correct, yet when tested with a poker with a distance of .5 centimeters the average percent correct jumped up to 40%. It seem as tough there was an error at this distance for the palm perhaps both pointers didnt hit or even the tester might not of taped them good enough. This large of a jump deviates to much compared to the next increment to be correct. The rest of the percents seem to rise a little as the size goes up by around 2% to 18% seeming like they are a  normal jump. Just as I predicted the forearm is the least sensitive of the three, it never reached 100% at any distance and the numbers didnt get very high relaying that it is the least sensitive. In my graphs you will notice a trend, that as the distance of the pokers increases so does the percent correct.(fig 1.2-1.4) This is because by increasing the distance between the pokers your touching the same pressure receptors and so they translate easier wether it was one or two. Also the percents were the highest for the Index finger followed by the palm and then the forearm and the greater sensitivity relates back to the area used in the somatosensory cortex. Perhaps to better test the points on the body we could use a smaller distance an see how small of a distance the index finger can notice this would give us a better idea how sensitive the fingers are. This data compile d from our experiment helps to support the idea that the more sensitive parts of our body use more brain tissue in the somatosensory cortex.

The Functions Of Netbios Computer Science Essay

The Functions Of Netbios Computer Science Essay NetBIOS was developed by IBM and sytek as an API for client software to access LAN resources anda also for accessing networking services. Netbios has extended its services to use netbios interface to operate on IBM token ring architecture. Netbios(network basic input/output system) is a program which allows communication between applications of different computer to communicate with in a LAN . netbios allow applications to talk on network and isolate program of hardware dependencies. In recent Microsoft windows operating systems NetBIOS is included as a part of NETBIOS extended user interface(NetBEUI) and it is also used in Ethernet and token ring. NetBIOS frees the application from understanding the details of network including error recovery and request is provided in the form of a Network control block (NCB) specifies a message location and the name of a destination. NetBIOS provides services for session and transport services in the OSI model with out any data format . the standard format is provided by NetBUI. Netbios provides two communication modes session and the datagram among which session mode provides conversation between computers which provides error detection and error recovery. NetBIOS provides an API(application program interface) for software developers which includes network related functions and commands which can be incorporated into software programs. For example, a programmer can use a prewritten NetBIOS function to enable a software program to access other devices on a network. This is much easier than writing the networking code from scratch. The communication in NetBIOS is carried out using a format called network control blocks . the allocation of these blocks is based on the users program and is reserved for input and output respectively. Netbios supports connection oriented (TCP) and connectionless(UDP) communication and also broadcaste and multicasting services like naming, session and datagram FUNCTIONS of NETBIOS Netbios allows applications to talk to each other using protocols like TCP/IP which supports netbios.netbios is a session/transport layer protocol which can be seen as netbeui and netbt . the main function sof NetBIOS are Starting and stopping sessions Name registration Session layer data transfer(reliable) Datagram data transfer (un reliable) Protocol driver and network adapter management functions General or NETBIOS status This service helps in gathering the information about aparticular network name and terminate a trace at local or a remote system. NETBIOS name services NetBIOS name table (NBT) service processes can be used with active directories components, domains and workgroups. The system details can be enumerated by querying the name service. Add, add group, delete and find, the naming services provide the capability to install a LAN adapter card can be done using netbios name services. NETBIOS Session Services Session services provides authentication across workgroups and provides access to resources like files and printers. Once the authentication is done session services provide reliable data transfer by establishing sessions between names over which data can be transmitted. Messages that are send are acknowledge by the receiving station, if an expected acknowledgement is not received the sender retransmit the message NETBIOS Datagram services The datagram services are used to define the way in which a host encapsulates information to netbios header , so that when a request occurs the information from the header is extracted and stores it in the cache. Datagram services allows sending messages one by one, broadcast without requiring a connection. The messages can be send to different networks by knoeing individual names or group names. http://www.fvsolutions.com/Support/index3.htm 2. How can NetBIOS be used to enumerate a Domain, a Host NetBIOS Enumeration Utility (NBTEnum) is a utility for Windows that can be used to enumerate NetBIOS information from one host or a range of hosts. The enumerated information includes the network transports, NetBIOS name, account lockout threshold, logged on users, local groups and users, global groups and users, and shares. If run under the context of a valid user account additional information is enumerated including operating system information, services, installed programs, Auto Admin Logon information and encrypted WinVNC/RealVNC passwords. This utility will also perform password checking with the use of a dictionary file. Runs on Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP/2003. PERL source included. Examples : * nbtenum -q 192.168.1.1 Enumerates NetBIOS information on host 192.168.1.1 as the null user. * nbtenum -q 192.168.1.1 johndoe Enumerates NetBIOS information on host 192.168.1.1 as user johndoe with a blank password. * nbtenum -a iprange.txt Enumerates NetBIOS information on all hosts specified in the iprange.txt input file as the null user and checks each user account for blank passwords and passwords the same as the username in lower case. * nbtenum -s iprange.txt dict.txt Enumerates NetBIOS information on all hosts specified in the iprange.txt input file as the null user and checks each user account for blank passwords and passwords the same as the username in lower case and all passwords specified in dict.txt if the account lockout threshold is 0. http://www.secguru.com/link/nbtenum_netbios_enumeration_utility 3. What vulnerabilities are associated with netbios and how they can be exploited? The following are the some of the vulneabilities of the netbios and their exploitations Windows NetBIOS Name Conflicts vulnerability The Microsoft Windows implementation of NetBIOS allows an unsolicited UDP datagram to remotely deny access to services offered by registered NetBIOS names. An attacker can remotely shut down all Domain Logins, the ability to access SMB shares, and NetBIOS name resolution services. Vulnerable systems: Microsoft Windows 95 Microsoft Windows 98 Microsoft Windows NT Microsoft Windows 2000 NetBIOS Name Conflicts, defined in RFC 1001 (15.1.3.5), occur when a unique NetBIOS name has been registered by more than one node. Under normal circumstances, name conflicts are detected during the NetBIOS name discovery process. In other words, a NetBIOS name should only be marked in conflict when an end node is actively resolving a NetBIOS name. The delivery of an unsolicited NetBIOS Conflict datagram to any Microsoft Windows operating system will place a registered NetBIOS name into a conflicted state. Conflicted NetBIOS names are effectively shut down since they cannot respond to name discovery requests or be used for session establishment, sending, or receiving NetBIOS datagrams. The security implications of conflicting a NetBIOS name depend upon the NetBIOS name affected. If the NetBIOS names associated with the Computer Browser service are conflicted, utilities such as Network Neighborhood may become unusable. If the Messenger Service is affected, the net send command equivalents are unusable. If NetLogon is conflicted, Domain logons can not be authenticated by the affected server, thus allowing an attacker to systematically shutdown the NetLogon service on all domain controllers in order to deny domain services. Finally, conflicting the Server and Workstation Services will stop access to shared resources and many fundamental NetBIOS services such as NetBIOS name resolution. Microsoft Windows 9x NETBIOS password verification vulnerability. A vulnerability exists in the password verification scheme utilized by Microsoft Windows 9x NETBIOS protocol implementation. This vulnerability will allow any user to access the Windows 9x file shared service with password protection. Potential attackers dont have to know the share password. Vulnerable systems: Microsoft Windows 95 Microsoft Windows 98 Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition Immune systems: Windows NT 4.0 Windows 2000 Anyone can set a password to protect Microsoft Windows 9x systems shared resources. But a vulnerability in the password verification scheme can be used to bypass this protection. To verify the password, the length of the password depends on the length of the data sent from client to server. That is, if a client sets the length of password to a 1 byte and sends the packet to server, the server will only compare the first byte of the shared password, and if there is a match, the authentication will be complete (the user will be granted access). So, all an attacker need to do is to guess and try the first byte of password in the victim. Windows 9x remote management system is also affected since it adopts the same share password authentication method. Exploit: Here is one simple example to demonstrate this bug. Get samba source package and modify source/client/client.c like this: samba-2.0.6.orig/source/client/client.c Thu Nov 11 10:35:59 1999 +++ samba-2.0.6/source/client/client.c Mon Sep 18 21:20:29 2000 @@ -1961,12 +1961,22 @@ struct cli_state *do_connect(char *serve DEBUG(4,( session setup okn)); +/* if (!cli_send_tconX(c, share, , password, strlen(password)+1)) { DEBUG(0,(tree connect failed: %sn, cli_errstr(c))); cli_shutdown(c); return NULL; } +*/ + + password[0] = 0; + c->sec_mode = 0; + do{ + + password[0]+=1; + + }while(!cli_send_tconX(c, share, , password, 1)); Flaw in NetBIOS Could Lead to Information Disclosure Network basic input/output system (NetBIOS) is an application-programming interface (API) that can be used by programs on a local area network (LAN). NetBIOS provides programs with a uniform set of commands for requesting the lower-level services required to manage names, conduct sessions, and send datagrams between nodes on a network.   This vulnerability involves one of the NetBT (NetBIOS over TCP) services, namely, the NetBIOS Name Service (NBNS). NBNS is analogous to DNS in the TCP/IP world and it provides a way to find a systems IP address given its NetBIOS name, or vice versa.   Under certain conditions, the response to a NetBT Name Service query may, in addition to the typical reply, contain random data from the target systems memory. This data could, for example, be a segment of HTML if the user on the target system was using an Internet browser, or it could contain other types of data that exist in memory at the time that the target system responds to the NetBT Name Service query.   An attacker could seek to exploit this vulnerability by sending a NetBT Name Service query to the target system and then examine the response to see if it included any random data from that systems memory.   If best security practices have been followed and port 137 UDP has been blocked at the firewall, Internet based attacks would not be possible. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would have to be able to send a specially-crafted NetBT request to port 137 on the target system and then examine the response to see whether any random data from that systems memory is included. In intranet environments, these ports are usually accessible, but systems that are connected to the Internet usually have these ports blocked by a firewall.   How could an attacker exploit this vulnerability?   An attacker could seek to exploit this vulnerability by sending NetBT Name Service queries to a target system and then examining the responses for arbitrary data from the target systems memory.   NetBIOS Name Server Protocol Spoofing (Patch available) Microsoft has released a patch that eliminates a security vulnerability in the NetBIOS protocol implemented in Microsoft Windows systems. This can be exploited to cause a denial of service attack. Affected Software Versions:    Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Workstation    Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server    Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server, Enterprise Edition    Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server, Terminal Server Edition    Microsoft Windows 2000 The NetBIOS Name Server (NBNS) protocol, part of the NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NBT) family of protocols, is implemented in Windows systems as the Windows Internet Name Service (WINS). By design, NBNS allows network peers to assist in managing name conflicts. Also by design, it is an unauthenticated protocol and therefore subject to spoofing. A malicious user could misuse the Name Conflict and Name Release mechanisms to cause another machine to conclude that its name was in conflict. Depending on the scenario, the machine would as a result either be unable to register a name on the network, or would relinquish a name it already had registered. The result in either case would be the same the machine would not respond requests sent to the conflicted name anymore. If normal security practices have been followed, and port 137 UDP has been blocked at the firewall, external attacks would not be possible. A patch is available that changes the behavior of Windows systems in order to give administrators additional flexibility in managing their networks. The patch allows administrators to configure a machine to only accept a name conflict datagram in direct response to a name registration attempt, and to configure machines to reject all name release datagrams. This will reduce but not eliminate the threat of spoofing. Customers needing additional protection may wish to consider using IPSec in Windows 2000 to authenticate all sessions on ports 137-139. Patch Availability:    Windows 2000:   Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=23370    Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, Server, and Server, Enterprise   Ã‚  Ã‚  Edition:Patch to be released shortly.    Windows NT 4.0 Server, Terminal Server Edition: Patch to be   Ã‚  Ã‚  released shortly. 4. How can the security problems associated with netbios be mitigated? Defending against external NetBIOS connections If NetBIOS has to be allowed, the first step is to ensure that only a very small number of devices are accessible.   As youll see, leaving your network open to external NetBIOS traffic significantly increases the complexity of system hardening.   Complexity is the enemy of system assurance. Next, ensure that the exposed systems are hardened by, Disabling the systems ability to support null sessions Defining very strong passwords for the local administrator accounts Defining very strong passwords for shares, assuming you absolutely have to have shares on exposed systems Keeping the Guest account disabled Under no circumstances allowing access to the root of a hard drive via a share Under no circumstances sharing the Windows or WinNT directories or any directory located beneath them Crossing your fingers Mitigating Factors Any information disclosure would be completely random in nature. By default, Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) blocks those ports. ICF is available with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must be able to send a specially crafted NetBT request to port 137 on the destination computer and then examine the response to see whether any random data from that computers memory is included. For intranet environments, these ports are typically accessible, but for Internet-connected computers, these ports are typically blocked by a firewall Some of the ways in which the intruder can be prevented from attacking the target system are Limit the network hosts that can access the service. Limit the user who accesses the service. Configure service which allows only authenticated connections. Limit the degree of access that would permit a user to change configuration of networks. links http://www.securiteam.com/windowsntfocus/5WP011F2AA.html http://www.securiteam.com/windowsntfocus/5MP02202KW.html http://www.securiteam.com/windowsntfocus/5DP03202AA.html http://www.secguru.com/link/nbtenum_netbios_enumeration_utility http://www.securityzero.com/uploaded_files/vulnerabilities_report.pdf http://www.securiteam.com/exploits/5JP0R0K4AW.html http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/netbios/information-disclosure-vulnerability-in-microsoft-netbios.aspx http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=130690seqNum=11 http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS03-034.mspx http://marc.info/?l=bugtraqm=96480599904188w=2 http://descriptions.securescout.com/tc/14002 http://www.securityspace.com/smysecure/viewreport.html?repid=3style=k4 http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/security/?p=196

Crossover Fashion Essay -- essays research papers

Men’s Fashion for Women and Vice Versa Civilizations as ancient as Jericho and as widespread as the Roman Empire have used clothing and jewelry as a form of nonverbal communication to indicate specific occupation, rank, gender, class, wealth, and group affiliation. These same material goods are used today for similar modes of communication. While some modern societies like the Taliban in Afghanistan make such distinctions with utmost conformity (the Taliban of Afghanistan) others like America have proven to be more dynamic. This dynamic nature can be seen in the emergence of crossover fashion within the last 80 years which has correlated with the changing role and social status of women in society. The effect of the gradual increase of power for women during the Industrial Revolution could be seen in the increase of crossover fashion. As a result, crossover fashion is dominate and socially acceptable in today’s society. From the 1700’s through the Industrial Revolution, regulating fashion was deemed as a way of preserving social and gender distinctions that were firmly established in the predominantly patriarchal society. During the 1850’s, the Victorian Era, there were strict guidelines on how people could behave and dress, and behaviors that they had to conform to their everyday lives. The rules were so strict that there were codes for how certain inanimate objects should be displayed; for example, table covers had to be long enough to cover the table’s legs because soci...

Evaluate the case for cutting public expenditure rather Essay

A fiscal deficit is when a government’s total expenditures exceed the tax revenues that it generates. A budget deficit can be cut by either reducing public expenditure or raising taxes. In this essay, I am going to analyse the benefits and costs of increasing tax rates to reduce fiscal deficits instead of cutting government expenditure. First of all, if the government decides to cut current public expenditure, it will lead to a reduced quantity and quality of public goods and service. For example, closing NHS direct call centres down which results in lower living standard. Moreover as the spending in sectors such as healthcare and education is cut, these services may need to redundant staff to stay within their new budgets. For instance if the NHS’s budget is cut they will lay-off additional staff. Those public sector workers may find it difficult to find a new job in private sector if they are not competitive enough to compete with other people in the labour market, leading to higher unemployment conflicting with the government macroeconomic objective of low unemployment rate. Also higher unemployment will mean less income tax revenue, lower VAT receipts, higher welfare payments, as well as lower standards of living. If the government is to cut capital expenditure this is the type of expenditure that expands LRAS. It might not cause serious problems in short run, however in long run less spending on for example education and healthcare will result in a less educated and skilled workforce and a less healthy workforce. The negative effects of inadequate skilled human capital in the long run include lower productivity which makes the economy less competitive internationally compared with for example Germany. It in turn leads to deterioration on balance of payment, economic stagnant growth and inflationary pressure as labour costs increase. Thirdly, government spending is an injection into the circular flow of income. A decrease in the government spending will incur negative wealth effect and therefore lead to weaker economic growth. In addition, the  government spending is one of the components of aggregate demand, consequently, lower GDP. In a demand-deficient recession, consumption and investment tend to decrease due to lower income and revenue, the (X-M) component tends to level off or worsen in short run, which makes government spending an essential device to stimulate the economy. Therefore a decrease in the government spending will cause an even deeper recession and a larger budget deficit. Last but not least, a decrease in government spending could mean worse income distribution compared with increasing progressive tax. This is because transfer payment forms almost a third of the governments budgets and so by cutting expenditure it is very likely that it will also be cut making the poor poorer and widening the gap. On the other hand, taxes could be increased progressively by for example increasing marginal income taxes so that the people with high income pay more than the poor narrowing the gap between. However, there are also some drawbacks associated with raising taxes. Tax is a form of leakage from the circular flow of income leading to negative multiplier effect. If the government increases income tax rates, it might create disincentives to work. It is because when income tax increases, the opportunity cost for leisure time decreases; and people will have to work longer hours to earn the same disposable income. Some people may therefore prefer claiming Jobseekers’ Allowance instead of working. If the corporation tax is to be increased, there will be disincentive for firms to locate in the UK, leading to less investment and corporation tax revenues. Additionally, an increase in the National Insurance may discourage firms taking more employers as the NI is paid per employee. Secondly, if the government raises higher income by increasing indirect taxes for example VAT, it may also have problems. It shifts the SRAS curve to the left as the cost of production increases. And it may therefore push up the price level and reduce the level of output. Moreover, indirect taxes are regressive taxes, which impose a greater burden relative to the incomes on the poor than on the rich. Thirdly, as the public sector is basically non-profit, their allocation of resources believed to be less efficient than the profit-making private sector firms. Therefore reducing public expenditure may lead to greater efficiency and productivity by for example removing unnecessary layer of management hence more effective communication and better service provided by the public sector. Last but not least, the choices between the two possible ways and their effects depend on the macroeconomic situation- for example the unemployment rate and the size of the public sector. If the size of the public sector is small, the adjustment on government spending might not be very large and the effect on budget deficit wouldn’t be significant. If the unemployment rate is high, for example 26% general rate and 50% youth rate in Spain, making it very hard to raise taxes. Apparently, both reducing government spending and increasing tax rates will lead to a lower AD, but they will have different other effects. Therefore the choice between this two may depend on macroeconomic situation and what the government is focusing on achieving. VICKKIE

Responsibilities of a paediatric first aider Essay

Maintain your own safety Contact the emergency services Give accurate and useful information to the emergency services Support the casualty physically and emotionally Appreciate your own limitations Know when to intervene and when to wait for more specialist help to arrive. PEFAP 001 1.2: Describe how to minimise the risk of infection to self and others Wash your hands with soap and water before and immediately after giving first aid. If gloves are available for use in first aid situations, you should also wash your hands thoroughly before putting the gloves on and after disposing of them.(Plastic bags can be used when gloves are unavailable.) Avoid contact with body fluids when possible. Do not touch objects that may be soiled with blood or other body fluids. Be careful not to prick yourself with broken glass or any sharp objects found on or near the injured person. Prevent injuries when using, handling, cleaning or disposing of sharp instruments or devices. Cover cuts or other skin-breaks with dry and clean dressings. Chronic skin conditions may cause open sores on hands. People with these conditions should avoid direct contact with any injured person who is bleeding or has open wounds. PEFAP 001 1.3: Describe suitable first aid equipment, including personal protection and how it is used appropriately. (Print off your PPE report) All first aid boxes should have a white cross on a green background. Guidelines published by the National Association of Child Minders, NCMA, as well as Ofsted and experienced paediatric first aid trainers, recommend that the first aid box in a child care setting should contain the items listed include: 1 first aid guidance leaflet 1 large sterile wound dressing 1 pair disposable gloves 10 individually wrapped wipes 2 sterile eye pads 1 pair of scissors 1 packet hypoallergenic plasters – in assorted sizes 3 medium sterile wound dressings 2 triangular bandages 5 finger bob bandages (no applicator needed) 4 safety pins It is recommended that you do not keep tablets and medicines in the first aid box. PEFAP 001 1.4: Describe what information needs to be included in an accident report/incident record and how to record it. Details of all reportable incidents, injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences must be recorded, including: The date when the report is made The method of reporting The date, time and place of the event Personal details of those involved A brief description of the nature of the event or disease. Records can be kept in any form but must conform to data protection requirements . PEFAP 001 1.5: Define an infant and or a child for the purpose of first aid treatment. Paediatric first aid focuses on infants and children. An infant is defined as being from birth to the age of one year and a child is defined as one year of age to the onset of puberty. Children are however different sizes and a small child over the age of one may be treated as an infant. Similarly puberty can be difficult to recognise, so treat the child according to the age that you think they are, larger children should be treated with adult techniques. PEFAP 001 3.2: Describe how to continually assess and monitor an infant and a child whilst in your care. Remember your ABC and continue to monitor the infant or child in your care until you can hand over to a doctor or paramedic. A is for AIRWAY : check that the airway remains open. Always monitor a child while in recovery position. B is for BREATHING: Check that breathing is normal and regular. C is for CIRCULATION: check the pulse (if you are trained and experienced) but ensure you take no more than ten seconds to do this: (a) In a child over one  year : feel for the carotid pulse in the neck by placing your fingers in the groove between the Adam’s apple and the large muscle running from the side of the neck . (b) In an infant: feel for the brachial pulse on the inner aspect of the upper arm by lightly pressing your fingers towards the bone on the inside of the upper arm and hole them there for five seconds. PEFAP 001 4.1: Identify when to administer CPR to an unresponsive infant and a child who is not breathing normally. CPR should only be carried out when an infant or child is unresponsive and not breathing normally. If the infant or child has any signs of normal breathing, or coughing, or movement, do not begin to do chest compressions. Doing so may cause the heart to stop beating. PEFAP 001 4.3: Describe how to deal with an infant and a child who is experiencing a seizure. Witnessing a child having an epileptic seizure is a very unpleasant experience, particularly the first one. However, some young children experience what is termed a Febrile Seizure which is brought on when the child has a high temperature or infection. Recognition Stiffening of child’s body Twitching of arms and legs Loss of consciousness May wet or soil themselves May vomit or foam at the mouth Usually lasts for less than five minutes May be sleepy for up to an hour afterwards Treatment Protect them with cushioning or padding- do not hold them down. Cool them down by removing some clothing. When the seizures stop, place the child in the recovery position and monitor signs of life. If they become unresponsive or the seizure lasts for more than 5 minutes then you must call 999/112 for an ambulance. PEFAP 001 5.1: Differentiate between a mild and a severe airway obstruction. A mild airway is usually a partial obstruction, it means the entire airway is not closed off, so air is able to pass by the obstruction,  and the victim can respond and cough forcefully , or may wheeze between coughs. In a serer airway obstruction, the airway is completely blocked off and the victim cannot breathe because air cannot pass by the object. PEFAP 001 5.3: Describe the procedure to be followed after administering the treatment for choking. The child may experience difficulties after having treatment for choking-for example, a persistent cough or difficulties with swallowing or breathing. It is important to monitor and assess the child’s condition and to seek medical help if the problem persists. PEFAP 001 6.1: Describe common types of wounds. A cut (incision): This can be caused from a sharp edge, such as a tin can ,that can lead to a lot of bleeding. A torn wound (laceration): is a jagged wound that can be caused by a broken toy, a fall or collision. Graze or abrasion: cause by friction or scraping, generally happens when children fall. Bruises or contusion: is bleeding underneath the skin. The blood collects and results in a black/blue mark. Children often have bruises on their skin, chin and head from knocking themselves or falling. Soft tissue bruises should be investigated if you have a concern about them. Puncture wound: cause by the body being pierced by an object, for example , a child falling whilst carrying a pair of scissors. Velocity wound: cause by an item travelling at high speed such as a bullet from a gun. PEFAP 001 6.4: Describe how to administer first aid for minor injuries. With minor bleeding from cuts and abrasions the emphasis is on keeping the wound clean and to control any blood loss. Wear disposable gloves. Examine the injury for any embedded foreign objects. Clean the wound under fresh running water. Sit the casualty down. If they feel weak and unsteady, position them on the floor. Clean the skin around the wound with wet sterile gauze or sterile non-alcoholic wipes and carefully remove any grit or dirt. Do not remove any embedded object. Elevate the injury to control any blood loss. Dry the wound with sterile gauze and apply a plaster or sterile dressing. Advise the parent or guardian of the child or infant to seek medical attention if necessary. PEFAP 001 7.1: Describe how to recognise and manage an infant and a child who is suffering from shock. After an initial adrenaline rush, the body withdraws blood from the skin in order to maintain the vital organs – and the oxygen supply to the brain drops. The infant or child will have: Pale, cold, clammy skin that is oftern grey-blue in colour, especially around the lips A rapid pulse, becoming weaker Shallow, fast breathing. In an infant The anterior fontanelle is drawn in (depressed). In an infant or a child may show: Unusual restlessness, yawning and gasping for air Thirst Loss of consciousness The treatment is the same for an infant and a child. If possible, ask someone to call an ambulance while you stay with the child . Lay the child down, keeping her head low to improve the blood supply to the brain. Treat any obvious cause, such as severe bleeding. Raise the child’s leg and support them with pillows or on a cushion on a pile of books. Loosen any tight clothing at the neck, chest and waist to help with the child/s breathing. For an infant: hold the infant on your lap while you loosen her clothing and offer comfort and reassurance. Cover the child with a blanket or coat to keep her warm. Never use a hot-water bottle or any other direct source of heat. Reassure the child: keep talking to her and monitoring her condition while you wait for the ambulance. If the infant or child loses consciousness, open her airway, check her breathing and be prepared to give rescue breaths. Do not give the child anything to eat or drink: if she complains of thirst, just moisten her lips with water. PEFAP 001 7.2: Describe how to recognise and manage an infant and a child who is suffering from anaphylactic shock. During an anaphylactic reaction, chemicals are released into the blood that widen (dilate) blood vessels and  cause blood pressure to fall. Air passages then narrow (constrict), resulting in breathing difficulties. In addition, the tongue and throat can swell, obstructing the airway. An infant or child with anaphylactic shock will need urgent medical help as this can be fatal. The following signs and symptoms may come all at once and the child may rapidly lose consciousness: High-pitched wheezing sound Blotchy, itchy, raised rash Swollen eyelids, lips and tongue Difficulty speaking, then breathing Abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea If you suspect an infant or child is suffering from anaphylactic shock, follow the steps below: Call an ambulance. If the child has had a reaction previously, she will have medication to take in case of more attacks. This should be given as soon as the attack starts, following the instructions closely. Help the child into a comfortable sitting position to relieve any breathing problems and loosen any tight clothing at her neck and waist. Comfort and reassure her while you wait for the ambulance. If the child loses consciousness, open her airway, check her breathing and be prepared to stat rescue breaths. PEFAP 001 6.2: Describe the types and severity of bleeding and the affect it has on an infant and a child. Even tiny a mounts of blood can seem like a lot to a child. Any bleeding may frighten children because they are too young to realise that the blood loss will stop when clotting occurs. When a child loses a large amount of blood, he or she may suffer shock or even become unconscious. Platelets and proteins come into contact with the injured site and plug the wound. This process begins within ten minutes if the loss of blood is brought under control. There are different types of bleeding: Bleeding from arteries : This will pump blood from the wound in time with the heartbeat and is bright re in colour. If the bleeding from a major artery will lead to shock, unresponsiveness and death within minutes. Bleeding from veins: The bold will gush from the wound or pool at the site of the wound. This will depend on the size of the vein that has been damaged. The blood will be dark red in colour due to the oxygen being depleted. Bleeding from  capillaries: Oozing at the site as with an abrasion or maybe internally from a bruising to muscle tissue and internal organs. PEFAP 001 6.3: Demonstrate the safe and effective management for the control of minor and major external bleeding. With minor bleeding from cuts and abrasions the emphasis is on keeping the wound clean and to control any blood loss. Wear disposable gloves Examine the injury for any embedded foreign objects Clean the injured area with cold water, using cotton wool or gauze Do not attempt to pick out pieces of gravel or grit from a graze. Just clean gently and cover with a light dressing if necessary Sit the child down if they feel weak and unsteady, position them on the floor. Elevate the injury to control any bold loss Record the injury and treatment in the Accident Report Book and make sure that the parents/carers of the child are in formed. When a child is bleeding severely, your main aim is to stem the flow of blood. With severe wounds and bleeding the emphasis is on controlling blood loss and treating for shock. Wear disposable gloves Sit or lay the child down on the floor to help prevent shock Examine the injury to establish the extent of the wound and to check for any foreign embedded objects Try to stop the bleeding: Apply direct pressure to the wound: use a dressing or a non-fluffy material, such as a clean tea towel Elevate the affected part if possible: if the wound is on an arm or leg, raise the injured limb above the level of the heart Apply a dressing: if the blood soaks through, do not remove the dressing, apply another on top and so on Support the injured part and treat the child for shock. Keep them warm and do not let them have anything to eat or drink Call 999/112 for an ambulance and monitor the child’s condition Contact the child’s parents or carers If the child loses consciousness, follow the ABC procedure for resuscitation Always record the incident and the treatment given in the Accident Report  Book. Always wear disposable gloves if in an early years setting, to prevent cross-infection.

Free Essays on War Is War

War is War Although Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Solider’s Home† (1925), Wilfred Owen’s â€Å"Dulce et Decorun Est† (1920), Randall Jarrell’s â€Å"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner† (1945), and Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s â€Å"The Charge of the Light Brigade† (1855) were written approximately one hundred years apart, represent different literary genres, and portray various circumstances, these writings depict realities about the trials and tribulations of war. Through conflict, imagery, symbolism, and theme, each author uses similar devices of sense and sound to present a strong case of the brutality of war. Despite different opinions about the sacrifice of death, different wars resulting from various political agendas and the different background of the writers, war is in and of itself the entity linking these literary works. In each of the selections, the conflict of reality and illusion is apparent. This internal struggle serves to express the harsh conditions of war with their physical and mental impact on the lives of soldiers during and after battle. In â€Å"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner†, Jarrell portrays the gunner as having a dreamy state of the mind (line 4). While reading the poem it is difficult at times to determine what is really taking place and what the gunner is feeling. â€Å"Everything in war [†¦] is reversed: up is down, one ascends to die, life is merely a dream of earth, awakening or realization is a nightmare, for truth is horrible, [†¦] But more importantly man becomes part of the paradox (Dawson 31.4)†. Similarly, in Owen’s â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est†, soldiers of World War I â€Å"drunk with fatigue (2.3) â€Å"marched asleep (2.1).† Readers can Earle 2 imagine the deteriorating mental and physical condition of the men â€Å"Lying in the bottom of the trenches trying desperately to hold on to their sanity and courage (Sharpe),† â€Å"many had lost all feeling of reality (Sharpe).† Thi... Free Essays on War Is War Free Essays on War Is War War is War Although Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Solider’s Home† (1925), Wilfred Owen’s â€Å"Dulce et Decorun Est† (1920), Randall Jarrell’s â€Å"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner† (1945), and Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s â€Å"The Charge of the Light Brigade† (1855) were written approximately one hundred years apart, represent different literary genres, and portray various circumstances, these writings depict realities about the trials and tribulations of war. Through conflict, imagery, symbolism, and theme, each author uses similar devices of sense and sound to present a strong case of the brutality of war. Despite different opinions about the sacrifice of death, different wars resulting from various political agendas and the different background of the writers, war is in and of itself the entity linking these literary works. In each of the selections, the conflict of reality and illusion is apparent. This internal struggle serves to express the harsh conditions of war with their physical and mental impact on the lives of soldiers during and after battle. In â€Å"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner†, Jarrell portrays the gunner as having a dreamy state of the mind (line 4). While reading the poem it is difficult at times to determine what is really taking place and what the gunner is feeling. â€Å"Everything in war [†¦] is reversed: up is down, one ascends to die, life is merely a dream of earth, awakening or realization is a nightmare, for truth is horrible, [†¦] But more importantly man becomes part of the paradox (Dawson 31.4)†. Similarly, in Owen’s â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est†, soldiers of World War I â€Å"drunk with fatigue (2.3) â€Å"marched asleep (2.1).† Readers can Earle 2 imagine the deteriorating mental and physical condition of the men â€Å"Lying in the bottom of the trenches trying desperately to hold on to their sanity and courage (Sharpe),† â€Å"many had lost all feeling of reality (Sharpe).† Thi...

Adverbs of Frequency Beginner English Lesson

Adverbs of Frequency Beginner English Lesson Students can now talk about their daily habits. Introducing adverbs of frequency can help give them further expressive capabilities by allowing them to speak about how often they perform daily tasks. Write these adverbs of frequency on the board next to a list of the days of the week. For example: Always - Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday / SundayUsually - Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / SaturdayOften - Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / SundaySometimes - Monday / ThursdaySeldom - SaturdayNever This list will help students associate the adverbs of frequency with the concept of relative repetition or frequency. Teacher: I always have breakfast. I usually get up at 7 oclock. I often watch television. I sometimes exercise. I seldom go shopping. I never cook fish. (Model each adverb of frequency by pointing to it on the board while slowly saying the phrases allowing students to take in the regularity associated with the adverb of frequency being used. Make sure to accent the various adverbs of frequency.) Teacher: Ken, how often do you come to class? I always come to class. How often do you watch TV? I sometimes watch TV. (Model how often and the adverb of frequency by accenting how often in the question and the adverb of frequency in the response.) Teacher: Paolo, how often do you come to class? Student(s): I always come to class. Teacher: Susan, how often do you watch TV? Student(s): I sometimes watch TV. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. Use very simple verbs that the students have already become used to using when talking about their daily routines so that they can focus on learning the adverbs of frequency. Pay special attention to the placement of the adverb of frequency. If a student makes a mistake, touch your ear to signal that the student should listen and then repeat his/her answer accenting what the student should have said. Part II: Expanding to Third Person Singular Teacher: Paolo, how often do you eat lunch? Student(s): I usually eat lunch. Teacher: Susan, does he usually eat lunch? Student(s): Yes, he usually eats lunch. (pay special attention to the s ending on the third person singular) Teacher: Susan, do you usually get up at ten oclock? Student(s): No, I never get up at ten oclock. Teacher: Olaf, does she usually get up at ten oclock? Student(s): No, she never gets up at ten oclock. etc. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. Use very simple verbs that the students have already become used to using when talking about their daily routines so that they can focus on learning the adverbs of frequency. Pay special attention to the placement of the adverb of frequency and the correct usage of the third person singular. If a student makes a mistake, touch your ear to signal that the student should listen and then repeat his/her answer accenting what the student should have said.

Collaboration in Elementary Education Research Paper

Collaboration in Elementary Education - Research Paper Example For collaboration to be successful, it is important for the parties involved to have the same goals and objectives. They should work together in a group to achieve their desired goals and objectives in education. The involved parties should have diverse skills and knowledge so that they can each assist one another where they are weak. However, if the parties involved collaborate for the sake of it with no motivating force, then it is destined to fail. For instance, if teachers force their students to form groups and hold group discussions without their will, then such collaborations are bound to fail. Unlike collaboration, co-teaching and consultation allows two or more teachers to work together in the same classroom to help solve problems in a classroom setting. It is an effective strategy to enable the teachers to teach students with diverse needs (Reynolds & Fletcher-Janzen, 2007). My experience in consultation or co-teaching occurred when more than one teacher attended a classroom to teach. Since each of these teachers had their differing skills and knowledge, they were able to help students with differing educational

The Education System in Great Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Education System in Great Britain - Essay Example Assessment Reform Group, 2006 research argues that various teaching practices rely on the understanding of language and socials behavior with the learning environment. The strategies in teaching frequently recommend for the use of various teaching aids to ensure that all students are incorporated especially those that need special attention like the autism students. There should be a clearly defined teaching structure and daily routine entangled with the use of visual cues where appropriate. According to Broadfoot, teachers should ensure that they use unambiguous classroom language to make clear their teaching and enhance proper understanding of the students in all their teachings. Clear explanations and regulations in classes, playground, and other social rules should be emphasized by the teachers. Additionally, there should be sharing of the purpose of activities and assessment as well as their intended outcomes.Assessment Reform Group, 2006 research argues that various teaching pr actices rely on the understanding of language and socials behavior with the learning environment. The strategies in teaching frequently recommend for the use of various teaching aids to ensure that all students are incorporated especially those that need special attention like the autism students. There should be a clearly defined teaching structure and daily routine entangled with the use of visual cues where appropriate. According to Broadfoot, teachers should ensure that they use unambiguous classroom language to make clear their teaching and enhance proper understanding of the students in all their teachings. Clear explanations and regulations in classes, playground, and other social rules should be emphasized by the teachers. Additionally, there should be sharing of the purpose of activities and assessment as well as their intended outcomes.   Assessment Reform Group, 2006 argues that learning is one of the most basic processes in a personal life course. It is second to one o f the most contrived processes, the assessment of that learning. Most developed countries have been making efforts to pursue reliable and valid means of assessing peoples’ learning, a process that generates a high volume of published discourse and not infrequently, dissent as well as the documentation of various assessment policies which are inclusive of practices and theories. Some of the discourses include the ways learners can move the next stage ensuring their learning progress.

Sex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sex - Essay Example Kant considered sex outside of marriage as immoral and perceived it as fulfillment of sexual desires. Kantian ethics however dictate that a sexual union is needed merely for self-preservation and procreation.  Kant’s theory is based on a  categorical imperative, which regards it as something necessary with some association to pleasure. Kant’s has complex views about sexuality, and views a sexual union in a bizarre way and insists that when one makes another individual their spouse; they are harming the society since they take that particular individual away. Kant saw marriage as acquisition of another human being for society. The sexual union of marriage nonetheless seems bit absurd as it Kant just extends it a transfer of â€Å"bodily fluid.† The question remains- why is sex permissible and possible? Utilitarian ethics dictate that sex should be taken as strict sense. A Utilitarian argument tends to produce overall happiness than doing anything else. The Uti litarian is not a moral theory that believes everything should be done for moral reasons. Since an egoistic person only cares about himself, utilitarian argument proposes that pleasure and pain arises form actions. However, utilitarian ethics possesses a very absurd view.

The Responsibility of Intellectuals, Redux Essay

The Responsibility of Intellectuals, Redux - Essay Example Historically, intellectuals who disagreed with the authorities suffered severe consequences as illustrated by, Eugene Debs, Rosa Luxemburg, Bertrand Russell, and Karl Liebknecht and Zola. This shows that intellectuals who pose a challenge to governments are usually painted as public enemies, while those who help the government to carry out their policies were regarded responsible. The trend has not changed much up to now, as illustrated with the intellectuals in Latin American, who despite their call for justice over the years, they have not received due honor compared to their counterparts who support the authorities. The author also condemns various injustices practiced by the U.S government, among them the support of the military junta in Haiti, planning and implementation of military coup in Brazil, and the brutal murder of Osama Bin Laden, as opposed to apprehension and prosecution, a clear illustration of governments’ act in overriding the process of justice. ... He calls upon intellectuals to take up the role of protecting various principles they uphold, which are mainly the principles of peace (Chomsky). Response I am in agreement with Chomsky’s observation, that Governments have not been fair in recognizing the achievements of these intellectuals, as they have always privileged those who help them pursue their policies and interests, and condemn those who stands for their principles, even if it is against the interest of the government. The example Chomsky gives, of John Dewey, who was a well-respected policy maker until his ideas of freedom of press conflicted with the government is a perfect prove that Chomsky is not just making claims, but he is supporting them with real life examples. Another example is Nelson Mandela, who fought tirelessly for end of apartheid and racial discrimination, only to be viewed as a criminal with no rights to visit United States until 2008. The same principles advocated by Mandela, are the same ones t hat Martin Luther King Junior advocated for in America but the later was highly valued in Kennedy Administration, unlike Mandela. It seems therefore that some intellectuals are privileged not by the values they stand for, but by the aspect of how well they relate with the government of the day. Chomsky calls upon Intellectuals to play a major role in upholding values of the society, despite what status the authorities may put to them. He insists that social evils that our governments promote should be openly rebuked by intellectual, which in my view is a very good advice that intellectuals should adopt. Chomsky also makes a very important and genuine plea to intellectuals, when he says that they should not be used by government to scheme injustices like manipulation of democracy to reserve

Police civil liability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Police civil liability - Essay Example The pursued entered into other two officers and they were ordered to block the truck by closing the line it was driving. Tipsy did not stop but closed the line and collided with Oldsmobile. After collision, Tipsy and other two passengers in the Oldsmobile lost their lives. There after, the plaintiff filed a claim against the police officers, police chief and the police departments. In the case, the plaintiff claimed that the officers had violated or gone centrally to Section 1983 amendments. In the case, the plaintiff stated that the police did not observe the laws of pursuit in conduct of high speeding. In the case, in order to make the ruling the court must consider some facts. The court must prove that the circumstances which led to accident were as a result of police action. The pursuit involved the death of three people and the court must determine whether the action by police was the main cause of the death. In order for the officers to be held reliable for the death, the action by the officers must be the cause of the incident (Kappeler, 2006)v. Before making the judgement, the court must examine different facts. The court must examine the cause of the pursuit. The court has the duty to examine why and when the pursuit took place. The court also must examine whether the police adhered to the pursuits laws. The police also must examine the cause of accident and events leading to the accident. In the case the police officers was investigating a shoplifting crime. The officer started the pursuit in order to enforce the law by arresting a suspect. The police officer did not contact the pursuit for personal gains but was as a result of performing his duty. The court will determine whether the police officer acted for personal gain or for constitution purposes. In the case the police was enforcing the laws of the state. The court will also have the duty of

Legal Problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal Problems - Essay Example The major issue which arises is therefore, negligence on the part of Kowloon Bank and whether they had a duty of care towards Lester and their employees. The salient principles of tort law establishing injury and harm to plaintiffs have been derived on the basis of judgments which have been set out in various cases such as Donaghue v Stevenson1, Anns v Merton Borough London Council2, Murphy v Brentwood DC3 and Caparo v Dickman4, which form the basis for the duty of care that forms the foundation of tort law. All of the above cases have established the â€Å"good neighbour† principle, wherein a person owes another a duty of care and this would especially be the case with employees having a duty of care towards their employees. The prevailing standard for medical negligence has been established in the case of Bolam5, i.e, the question of whether negligence has occurred must be assessed based upon whether a body of medical staff finds negligence to have occurred. McNorrie argues that the standards established in Bolam were bad in principle.6 He cites the case of Cavanagh v Ulster Weaving Co Ltd7 where employers were held to be liable for not taking good care of their employees. It must be noted at the outset that Lester had a disability and would have been responsible for equipping himself with necessary aids, such as a crutch in moving around the premises of the bank. Alternatively, he could have also requested such aids from the bank to enhance his mobility. The bank itself did all it could, i.e, providing him an ergonomic chair, etc. On the issue of not putting up signs that the floor was wet, the person liable would be the individual employee/cleaner who failed to post signs to state that the floor was wet, rather than the bank itself. Secondly, the magnitude of Lester’s injuries might not wholly have been caused by the wet floor, because he was already disabled with a limp. Secondly, the delays which occurred were mainly because of the

The Responsibility of Intellectuals, Redux Essay

The Responsibility of Intellectuals, Redux - Essay Example Historically, intellectuals who disagreed with the authorities suffered severe consequences as illustrated by, Eugene Debs, Rosa Luxemburg, Bertrand Russell, and Karl Liebknecht and Zola. This shows that intellectuals who pose a challenge to governments are usually painted as public enemies, while those who help the government to carry out their policies were regarded responsible. The trend has not changed much up to now, as illustrated with the intellectuals in Latin American, who despite their call for justice over the years, they have not received due honor compared to their counterparts who support the authorities. The author also condemns various injustices practiced by the U.S government, among them the support of the military junta in Haiti, planning and implementation of military coup in Brazil, and the brutal murder of Osama Bin Laden, as opposed to apprehension and prosecution, a clear illustration of governments’ act in overriding the process of justice. ... He calls upon intellectuals to take up the role of protecting various principles they uphold, which are mainly the principles of peace (Chomsky). Response I am in agreement with Chomsky’s observation, that Governments have not been fair in recognizing the achievements of these intellectuals, as they have always privileged those who help them pursue their policies and interests, and condemn those who stands for their principles, even if it is against the interest of the government. The example Chomsky gives, of John Dewey, who was a well-respected policy maker until his ideas of freedom of press conflicted with the government is a perfect prove that Chomsky is not just making claims, but he is supporting them with real life examples. Another example is Nelson Mandela, who fought tirelessly for end of apartheid and racial discrimination, only to be viewed as a criminal with no rights to visit United States until 2008. The same principles advocated by Mandela, are the same ones t hat Martin Luther King Junior advocated for in America but the later was highly valued in Kennedy Administration, unlike Mandela. It seems therefore that some intellectuals are privileged not by the values they stand for, but by the aspect of how well they relate with the government of the day. Chomsky calls upon Intellectuals to play a major role in upholding values of the society, despite what status the authorities may put to them. He insists that social evils that our governments promote should be openly rebuked by intellectual, which in my view is a very good advice that intellectuals should adopt. Chomsky also makes a very important and genuine plea to intellectuals, when he says that they should not be used by government to scheme injustices like manipulation of democracy to reserve

Legal Problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal Problems - Essay Example The major issue which arises is therefore, negligence on the part of Kowloon Bank and whether they had a duty of care towards Lester and their employees. The salient principles of tort law establishing injury and harm to plaintiffs have been derived on the basis of judgments which have been set out in various cases such as Donaghue v Stevenson1, Anns v Merton Borough London Council2, Murphy v Brentwood DC3 and Caparo v Dickman4, which form the basis for the duty of care that forms the foundation of tort law. All of the above cases have established the â€Å"good neighbour† principle, wherein a person owes another a duty of care and this would especially be the case with employees having a duty of care towards their employees. The prevailing standard for medical negligence has been established in the case of Bolam5, i.e, the question of whether negligence has occurred must be assessed based upon whether a body of medical staff finds negligence to have occurred. McNorrie argues that the standards established in Bolam were bad in principle.6 He cites the case of Cavanagh v Ulster Weaving Co Ltd7 where employers were held to be liable for not taking good care of their employees. It must be noted at the outset that Lester had a disability and would have been responsible for equipping himself with necessary aids, such as a crutch in moving around the premises of the bank. Alternatively, he could have also requested such aids from the bank to enhance his mobility. The bank itself did all it could, i.e, providing him an ergonomic chair, etc. On the issue of not putting up signs that the floor was wet, the person liable would be the individual employee/cleaner who failed to post signs to state that the floor was wet, rather than the bank itself. Secondly, the magnitude of Lester’s injuries might not wholly have been caused by the wet floor, because he was already disabled with a limp. Secondly, the delays which occurred were mainly because of the

Lodging in Canada Essay Example for Free

Lodging in Canada Essay Real estate is classified as one of the greatest personal financial assets one can own in Canada. Some statistics have estimated that, more than 70 percent of Canadians posses their own personal homes (Alexander, 2006). The value of all residential homes in the country is estimated to amount to more than 2 trillion dollars. Given the current demand for personal homes, the future financial plans of most Canadians includes the value of owning homes. The increased desire for most people to own personal homes and yards has been attributed to the various demographic and market factors. Some of these factors include; an aging population and a low inflation economy which has been sustained over time. Demographic factors have been cited as the greatest contributors to the current demand for personal housing in Canada. Statistics show that, Canada experiences a medium growth in its population and medium rates of immigration as well. The high number of people who are retiring from their jobs and retracting back to their homes has increased the demand for personal homes in the country. In addition, the demand for residential homes has also risen as a result of the net growth rate of household formation. However, this rate is expected to decline from the current 1. 4 percent to around 0. 8 percent by the year 2030 as a result of an aging population in Canada (Alexander, 2006). As much as these factors have led to an increased growth in the number of personal homes and residential estates, the same factors are likely to result into higher home prices in the near future. For this reason, the average price of personal homes is expected to increase by about 4 percent per annum over the next 20 years or so. The future trend for personal housing is also expected to change in the next few years due to the increased reliance of Canadas population growth rate on immigration. Initially, Canadian immigrants preferred rental accommodation but this trend has recently changed, as most immigrants now seek to own their own personal homes. In this case, the rate of household formation is bound to increase. However, some demographical statistics suggest that, the rate of new homes construction is bound to go down in future as a result of an aging population. In this case, it is predicted that the rate of personal housing is likely to reduce from 175,000 housing units per year as it stands today to around 125,000 housing units per year in the year 2030 (Alexander, 2006). Historically, those Canadian cities with a problem of land scarcity have been found to posses the highest demand for personal housing. These cities which include Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal have hence been found to have the highest price gains in house prices over the past two decades or so. By the year 2030, the housing demand in these cities is expected to increase above the current national average, especially in Toronto and Vancouver, due to the increased rate of immigrant growth. Other cities in Canada which are expected to experience a rise in housing demand in the near future include Edmonton and Calgary, as a result of more stable conditions in the labour market. On the other hand, a few cities are likely to experience lower housing demands than in the past, due to less supportive demographics presented by the low population growth. It can thus be concluded that, though the current demand for personal homes in Canada is quite high, the future number of new housing levels is likely to be moderate the demand for more personal houses is bound to increase, due to the aging Canadian population. The entry of new house levels is largely dependent on the rate of immigration and in this case, any slight increase in the number of immigrants will shift the demand for housing to a high end. Reference. Alexander, C. (2006). Long-term outlook for Canadian homes. Canada Special Reports. Retrieved on 21 November, 2008, from http://www. td. com/economics/special/ca0906_home_prices. jsp.

Criminal Profiling vs Racial Profiling

Criminal Profiling vs Racial Profiling Racial profiling is a social problem that has erupted throughout the country. Many provinces, cities, social groups, and academics have studied racial profiling and how race and ethnicity may play a part in police investigations. Allegations of racial profiling have been around for years, and still is a subject that creates a lot on media hype and controversy surrounding police and their interaction with minorities. In Toronto, there have been numerous newspaper and television articles accusing the Toronto Police Service of systematic racism (Canadian Race Relations Foundations, 2005). Racial profiling should not be confused with criminal profiling, because they are two different things (Mucchetti, 2006, pp. 1-32). Racial profiling is not specific to one race or one country. Actually being racially profiled can happen to anyone at any time no matter what race or sex or country they live in. This paper will examine racial profiling and criminal profiling by police and explaining how the different sociological perspectives; functionalist, conflict, interactionist, and feminist perspectives view it. The paper will also attempt to argue if there is systematic racial profiling by the Toronto Police. My thesis is the Toronto Police does not systematically racially profile, instead they systematically criminally profile. In order to examine racial profiling and criminally profiling one must understand the differences between the two. Although there is no clear or universal definition of racial profiling, there is a common component in all of the definitions (Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2009). This paper defines racial profiling as the practice of targeting racial minorities for criminal investigation solely or, in part, on the basis of their skin colour (Court of Appeal for Ontario, 1999). According to the Harvard Latino Law Review, criminal profiling involves: The use of racial or ethnic characteristics by police departments in stopping an individual because his or her description matches that of an actual suspect. In this sense, race functions as the equivalent of hair color or height, which can then be used in combination with other factors to paint a more accurate portrait of a suspected criminal. As a result, generalized notions of criminal propensity are not projected onto an individual because of that persons membership in a particular racial or ethnic group (Mucchetti, 2006, pp. 1-32). The term racial profiling began in the 1980s, when the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in the United States developed and used common characteristics to profile drug couriers as part of the agencies war on drugs (Harris, 2006, pp. 213-239). When community members began to complain about police investigations and their actions towards minorities the uses of the profiling technique emerged to be labelled as racial profiling (Ibid). Functionalist, conflict, interactionist, and feminist perspectives all believe racial profiling is one of discrimination, pressure and manipulation of subordinate groups so that the dominant group can exercise their social class, race, and sexual superiority over others (Banks, Eberhardt, Ross, 2006, pp. 1169-1190). Prejudice in racial profiling is caused by psychological and socially constructed influences, where individuals are influenced by their surroundings to hate another solemnly based on their race (Guimond, Dambrun, Michinov, Duarte, 2003, pp. 697-721). The functionalist perspective believes society is divided into two groups, the dominant and subordinate. And, that these groups are a natural part of society (Kendall, Nygaard, Thompson, 2011). Functionalist also believe society is not balanced in terms of race, because it is natural for one group of people to be superior over the other and that racial equality will reduce the dominate group power on subordinate group (Kimberle Williams Crenshaw, 1988, pp. 1331-1387). Therefore, functionalist view racial profiling as being formed by dominate groups to cause the subordinate groups to feel inferior, so they can have their own roles in society because it is how society intended it to be. Conflict perspective believe that all groups in society are engaged in a continuous power struggle because the dominant groups who have social, political and economical power, struggle to maintain their privileged position over the subordinate groups (Kendall, Nygaard, Thompson, 2011). Conflict theorists also believe everyone is equal, despite his or her race, sex or employment, opposed to the functionalist theory (Ibid). They also believe racialized and ethnic inequality is caused due to economic stratification (Ibid). The dominate group determines what laws should be enforced and what penalties are to be administered. They also determine what subordinate group will be targeted, arrested and punished unfairly in order to maintain their positions in a capitalist society. The police are used as a tool by the dominate group to maintain their position in society. Racial profiling by police is only one of the methods used by police to enforce the rules of the dominate class. Symbolic interactionist perspective can be used to explain officers behaviour which is based in social psychology (Kendall, Nygaard, Thompson, 2011). The social dynamics involving the interaction between officer and citizen may influence officers behaviour and cause them to racially profile. The interactionist approach emphasizes how racialized socialization contributes to feelings of solidarity with ones own racialized or ethnic group and hostility towards others (Ibid) which could cause citizens to challenge officers authority if they felt their identities were being challenged, their civil liberties were being restricted, or the officer was acting in a rude behaviour. Although symbolic interactionist perspective does not directly explain why police initially stop minorities, it does explain the social interaction between the officer and citizen and how it could result in the citizen feeling of being racially profiled if the officers interaction was professional. Feminist perspective is based on critical-conflict perspective (Kendall, Nygaard, Thompson, 2011). A feminist view on racial profiling is about gender and race differences, and the limitations associated with traditional male-dominance in society. There is no one feminist perspective that can explain a social problem such as racial profiling because all are theories of oppression, differences, and inequality (Ibid). Social activist groups along with minority groups claims of systematic racial profiling by the Toronto Police Service exists and refer to published articles to support their claims, such as the 2002 series of newspaper articles written by the Toronto Star, and the lack of racial statistics compiled by the Toronto Police Service. In these articles, the Toronto Star articles used empirical data collected from the Toronto Police Services Criminal Information Processing System (CIPS) database. According to the newspaper articles that examined 480,000 files contained within the database, relating to arrest and traffic stops, claim Blacks arrested by Toronto Police are treated more harshly than white, and a disproportionate number of black motorists are ticketed for violations that only surface following a traffic stop. According to civil libertarians, community leaders and criminologists, the difference could suggest that police use racial profiling in deciding whom to pull over (Toronto Star Newspaper, 2009, p. A01). Social and minority groups also support their claims of systematic racial profiling by the Toronto Police Service, as the Service does not collect or release race base statistics. They argue One fears that the only reason the Police Board refuses to release this data is to ensure that the public does not get updated information on racial profiling (Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, 2008). This paper concedes that racial profiling may exist on an individual basis (micro-level) within the Toronto Police Service. This was confirmed by Chief Blair of the Toronto Police Service who was speaking a diversity conference and said: Racism is a human failing. Racial profiling can occur. Weve acknowledged that right up front (Doolittle, 2009). As a police officer, it is obvious that there are errors in the Toronto Stars conclusions. The Toronto Star compiled its data using the files contained in the CIPS database, which only contained files relating to arrest and tickets issued to persons. The problem using only this database is that it does not take into account the number of people the police actually investigate where there were no arrest or tickets issued, or the fact that the CIPS system excludes information on part 1 Provincial Offences tickets; i.e. seatbelt, speeding etc. as it only includes part 3 Provincial offences tickets (more serious offences). By only selecting the CIPS database and not the true number of persons stopped by police skewed the final results. Professor Edward B. Harvey, a PhD, from the University of Toronto confirmed this fact that the Toronto Police database, which was not designed for research purposes, contains so many flaws that its uses in research is limited (Harvey, 2003). The data-collection by the Toronto Star was also disputed by Allan Gold based on the distinction between reactive and proactive policing (2003, pp. 391-399). Gold argues reactive policing could attribute to claims of racial profiling while proactive policing will not. When it comes to the collection of data, the Toronto Start uses both styles of policing which flawed their conclusion (Ibid). It is very well known that any and every methodology in the social sciences is open to criticism and attack (May, 2001). Max Weber a pioneering sociologist and social researcher stresses the importance of proper methodology in social research in examining any social problem, and how crucial it is to understanding the problem (Alasuutari, 2010, pp. 139-155). The Toronto Stars article and how they used the data and the omission of vital data has skewed the final results. These errors have created false evidence of systematic racial profiling by the Toronto Police Service, which has been proven. The argument of race based crime statistics date back to 1929 (Johnston, 1994, p. 166). Social activist groups along with minorities groups have argued that the reason Toronto Police Service is not releasing race based crime statistics is due to the that the Service in fact racially profiling, which would be proven by the statistics (Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, 2008). In fact in 1989 the opposite argument was used by community groups when then Inspector Julian Fantino released crime based statistics, claiming them to be inherently racist calling for their abolishment (Johnston, 1994, p. 166). According to Robin S. Engel an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati and Director of the University of Cincinnati Policing Institute, Data will never prove or disprove racially biased policing, we contend that vehicle stop data collection and analysis should never be viewed-either by police or resident stakeholders-as a pass fail test. Rather, it should be viewed as a diagnostic tool to help pinpoint the decisions, geographic areas, and procedures that should get priority attention when the agency, in concert with concerned residents, identifies its next steps for addressing the problem or perception of racial profiling (2008, pp. 1-36). Institutional racism consists of the day-to-day practices of an organization that have a harmful impact on members of a subordinate group (Kendall, Nygaard, Thompson, 2011) and delivered at the macro-level. In order for the argument of systematic racial profiling by the Toronto Police Service to be true, the Service would have to have policies or procedures in place that sanctioned it. In fact, the Toronto Police Service does not sanction any form of racial profiling by its members. The Service has numerous rules and procedures that prohibit racial profiling along with a Diversity Management Unit that monitors all human rights complaints and ensures that all members provide a bias-free service to the community (2009). Members of the Toronto Police Service are also being constantly reminded their responsibility in providing a bias-free service to the community. These reminders are done through training and education, the Services Core Values and letters to the members of the Service, such as a letter written in 2003 by then Chief Juilian Fantino who wrote; we must be aware that social and institutional pressures can lead to unacceptable instances of racial bias in policing. Police officers must make their decisions to engage the public based on the actions or conduct that they observe, on actual witness information and/or on hand evidence. Police officers must have articulable cause or reasonable grounds in order to pursue legitimate law enforcement activities with a member of the public. We must not make any decision to stop, question and/or search citizens based solely on a persons race. All of us, at all times, must provide equitable and respectful service to all persons regardless of race. I believe that the best way to deal with this and all other issues is simply by always treating people, all people, professionally. Lets continue to treat all people and each other with dignity and respect. Professional conduct means that we will never go wrong or be found wanting in our dealings with all components of our diverse society (Toronto Police Service, 2003). To ensure that members of the Toronto Police Service are not racially profiling the Toronto Police Service is working in partnership with the Ontario Human Rights Commission to ensure the Services hiring practices reflect the diversity of the City of Toronto, training officers in ethics, and diversity and how to recognize racial bias policing (2009) Although the Toronto Police Service does not systematically racially profile, they do systematically criminally profile. Criminal profiling also known as Criminal Investigative Analysis (CIA) is an effective tool enabling law enforcement agencies to enforce the law more effectively (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). The origins of criminal profiling can be traced back to 1800s when it was first used in case to identify Jack to Ripper (Winerman, 2004, p. 66). The current use of criminal profiling by law enforcement was developed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in the United States by their Behaviour Science Unit (Ibid). The uses of this technique has also with stood the threshold of law and been recognized as a valid investigative technique. Criminal profiling involves a multidisciplinary approach that examines and understands criminal behaviour using many sociological perspectives. Functionalist perspective view crime as a result of the lack moral order within a society which is necessary to hold society together (Kendall, Nygaard, Thompson, 2011). Conflict perspective suggests that disadvantage groups are more likely to become criminals than those who are privileged. It also sees higher-income citizens being able to hide their criminal acts better and punished differently then disadvantage groups, if caught. Symbolic interactionist perspective helps us understand how people learn to become criminals and how being labelled a criminals can increase the probability that the person will engage in criminal behaviour (Ibid). Each perspective traces criminal behaviour to social conditions rather than to the individuals race, sex, ethnicity or disability. Criminal profiling can be broken into two stages; the first could be described as general profiling and the second as specific profiling (Palermo, 2002, pp. 383-385). General profiling is part of an officers everyday duties and investigations of any crime, such as traffic stops, while specific profiling is more refined in the officers approach to evidence and crime scene investigations (Ibid). Criminal profiling can also take on several forms. The first form of criminal profiling can be institutional, which is where the organization develops the profile of the offender, while the second for can be formed by the individual officer. This form of criminal profiling is developed by the officer from his or her own experiences (Higgins Gabbidon, 2009, pp. 77-88). In todays policing, Toronto Police Service front-line officers incorporated the general profiling aspect of criminal profiling when performing their general duties but will on occasion incorporate specific profiling aspects when responding to a serious radio call. The officers will also use both institutional and individual forms of criminal profiling as well. A basic form of institutional criminal profiling is taught to members of the Toronto Police Service when he or she attends the Ontario Police College as a basic recruit. The recruits are provided the necessary knowledge of laws, procedures and skills that will help them perform their duties as frontline officers. With emphasis on the core function of police services found in the Ontario Police Service Act section 4(2) which focuses on Crime Prevention, Law Enforcement, Assistance to Victims of Crime, Public Order Maintenance, and Emergency Response (2009). The officers are also provided training a variety of subjects including, ethics, anti-racism and community policing (Ibid). The training does not stop when a officer leave the Ontario Police College, the officers are further trained at the Toronto Police College in the Services Rule and Procedures, Core Values and Mission Statement of the Service along with officer safety training. Officers develop individual criminal profiling skills when they start patrolling the streets of Toronto. The officer will respond to thousands of calls varying from thefts, domestics, fights, to vehicle stops. Each time the officer interacts with the individuals, he or she develops their own brand of policing and individual criminal profiling techniques. In community policing, officers work closely with problem communities, in developing strategies to help the community combat crime. Working with the community, officers receive information from residences on potential criminal activities and individuals within the community, so that they can develop strategies to reduce crime. Officers will incorporate all aspects of criminal profiling to either be reactive or proactive in an attempt to reduce criminality. Being reactive, officers focus their attention on direct information that is received from the community to reduce the current problem within the community, while proactive policing allows the officers to profile activities and individuals within the community to prevent further victimization. Officers also use criminal profiling when they perform traffic stops. The officer use individual criminal profiling when he or she selects an area to monitor the traffic flow, which is based on the officers personal experience. The officer might select an area where there is a high rate of incidences of failing to stop at a sign or a section or roadway where vehicle speed. When the officer decides to stop the vehicle for a violation of the Highway Traffic Act, he or she again criminally profiles the vehicle and occupants for officer safety reasons. The officer will conduct registration checks on the vehicle and the registered owner, all the time observing the occupants of the vehicle before stopping the vehicle, in order identify any criminal activity. This part of criminal profiling it taught to the officers by the Ontario Police College and the Toronto Police College (institutional criminal profiling) as part of the Officers Safety Section within both colleges, in order to keep the officer safe. There are those who argue that criminal profiling is not supported by scientific evidence and should be dismisses as rhetoric and never be used. This paper agrees that criminal profiling is limited in empirical data but is still a useful tool to combat crime. According to a research study which states, criminal profiling will persist as a pseudoscientific technique until such time as empirical and reproducible studies are conducted on the abilities of large groups of active profilers to predict, with more precision and greater magnitude, the characteristics of offenders (Snook, Eastwood, Gendreau, Goggin Cullen, 2007, pp. 437-453). In conclusion, it is important to rethink racial profiling through the lens of criminal profiling and to reduce race to the role that it is purportedly playing in racial profiling, namely a predictive factor; to treat race no differently than we would gender, class, age, or any other profile that works; to take the focus away from race and place it on criminal profiling more generally. Rethinking racial profiling through the lens of criminal profiling actually sheds light on police practices. The Toronto Police Service does not systematically racially profile as the media, social and minority groups would have us believe. In order for the Toronto Police Service to be blamed for systematically racially profiling, the Service would have to be a plan or procedure in place to support it. The Toronto Police Service does not support any form of racial profiling by it members Criminal profiling plays a crucial and significant role in deterring and combating criminal behaviour and activity. Criminal profiling provides a valuable tool for police in which they can assess and analyze the patterns of criminal behaviour (Turvey, 2008, pp. 1-43). The Toronto Police Service systematically criminally profiles and treats the race component of criminal profiling no differently than they would gender, class, age, or any other profile that works.

Cycle of Life Explained in A Vision :: Vision Essays

Cycle of Life Explained in A Vision      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Butler Yeats' accomplishments as a writer are varied. From his in depth and philosophical poetry to his alarming and enlightening A Vision, his work has been widely read by English scholars and religious philosophers. Although A Vision is extremely hard to understand completely, Yeats' overall concept is easy to fathom. What happens where Christianity leaves off? What is the cycle of life, and where does time begin and end? These are all questions that mankind has continually asked since the beginning of recorded time. The "how" and "why" of life and death has intrigued mankind for thousands of years. Always wanting to know more has been the motivating force in the lives of many great philosophers and thinkers since Plato and Aristotle. Yeats, like his predecessors, tries to answer these questions in A Vision. Through the use of the gyres and the notion that time and the elements of time are forever, Yeats successfully conveys his beliefs on t he principles and details of life and death in relation to the ultimate whole of the universe. The cycle of life is explained in excruciating detail, making total comprehension tedious. However, a close look at Yeats and some of his other writings enables the reader to better understand exactly what Yeats tries to say in A Vision.    Simplifying A Vision is no easy task. Yeats himself was a complex man with intricate and different ideas on the existence of man. He was born in Sandymount in 1865 while he was raised in London, Dublin and Sligo. In 1884 Yeats studied painting in Dublin for three years before moving to England to pursue a literary career. He married George Hyde Lees in 1917 after having been in love with the Irish patriot Maude Gonne for over thirteen years. "After her marriage to another Irish political leader, Yeats finally admitted defeat in love and turned his full attention to his work" (English Literature, 641). During this time, Yeats was involved in the Irish National Movement which sought to free Ireland from England's rule. Before his involvement in politics, Yeats founded the Irish Literary Society in 1892. In addition, he founded the Irish National Theatre Society where he wrote several plays based on Irish legends.

Music and the Brain :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Music and the Brain: Processing and Responding (A General Overview) For any individual who either avidly listens to or performs music, it is understood that many melodies have amazing effects on both our emotions and our perception. To address the effects of music on the brain, it seems most logical to initially map the auditory and neural pathways of sound. In the case of humans, the mechanism responsible for receiving and transmitting sound to the brain are the ears. Briefly stated, the outer ear (or pinna) 'catches' and amplifies sound by funneling it into the ear canal. Interestingly, the outer ear serves only to boost high frequency sound components (1). The resonance provided by the outer ear also serves in amplifying a higher range of frequencies corresponding to the top octave of the piano key board. The air pressure wave travels through the ear canal to ultimately reach and vibrate the timpanic membrane (i.e.-- the eardrum). At this particular juncture, the pressure wave energy of sound is translated into mechanical energy via the middle ear . Here, three small bones, the ossicles, vibrate in succession to produce a unique pattern of movements that embodies the frequencies contained in every sound we are capable of hearing. The middle ear is also an important component in what music we actually keep out of our 'head'. The muscles grasping the ossicles can contract to prevent as much as two thirds of the sound from entering the inner ear. (1, 2) The mechanical motions of the ossicles directly vibrate a small membrane that connects to the fluid filled inner ear. From this point, vibration of the connective membrane (oval window) transforms mechanical motion into a pressure wave in fluid. This pressure wave enters and hence passes vibrations into the fluid filled structure called the cochlea. The cochlea contains two membranes and between these two membranes, are specialized neurons or receptors called Hair cells. Once vibrations enter the cochlea, they cause the lower membrane (basilar membrane) to move in respect to the upper membrane (i.e. --the tectorial membrane in which the hair cells are embedded). This movement bends the hair cells to cause receptor potentials in these cells which in turn cause the release of transmitter onto the neurons of the auditory nerve. In this case, the hair cell receptors are very pressure sensitive. The greater the force of the vibrations on the membrane, the more the hair cells bend and henc e the greater the receptor potential generated by these hair cells.