Smooth House Productions and the Positive Aspects of Life free essay sample

Scripted to be Real: I am more than what is Perceived Overview of the Problem In a day and age where sex, money, and drugs have been perceived as an African Americans reality, It Is difficult for them to tell their own story. Because of this absence, young African Americans believe their opportunities and capabilities are limited and thus do nothing to prove otherwise. Hence, the goal of Smooth House Productions is to be an inspiration.Our belief is that through the development of Smooth House Productions, we offer a positive outlook to the younger generation to kook beyond what is perceived and create their own meaning. By building upon this company, we offer not only a chance to create their own identity, but also the opportunity to work toward creating a new perception. Background Information Established in September 2011 in Baltimore, MD by Morgan State University Mass Communication major Mr. We will write a custom essay sample on Smooth House Productions and the Positive Aspects of Life or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page .Christian Smooth, Smooth House Production is an independent private production company dedicated to creating Innovative and leading-edge entertainment, predominantly targeting African Americans between the ages of 18 and 25. The Idea was discovered after this young entrepreneur had a vision to portray African American everyday urban life from an eye of one to the eyes of many. He felt that too often were people trying to identify what it meant to be African American, and too often did African Americans not take the time to identify themselves.With this vision and urge for change, in November 2011, Mr.. Smooth partnered with his Communication colleagues Angel Amour and Nicholas Bush. Cohesively they constructed their premiere production The Student Body, alerting other companies that a new production was ready for the challenges they had to endure to become a part of the major conglomerates in the entertainment industry. The Student Body focuses on the lives of students at a fictional historically black college, Anagram University in Baltimore, MD. The Student Body is an American television show/original series that displays modern, fresh perspectives, while shedding new light on the challenges that black students face from the time they apply to college through their lives on campus. The new generations of black college students differ in attitudes, backgrounds from earlier generations, and demonstrate he importance of understanding the diversity of Black culture. By working closely with each student to create a distinctive story, Smooth House Productions successfully transforms the message from page to screen.Despite the difficulty in competing against major production companies, Smooth House Productions strives to As an inventive production company, Smooth House Productions transforms the typical reality television show project into a first-hand, informative, memorable, realistic and entertaining experience. Mission/ Objectives * To create a positive African American perception in cultivating media. * To offer entertainment that caters to different platforms of media including television, film, and primarily Internet based shows. To provide full film and other services utilizing a team of talented students. * To provide an alternate vision of the life of African Americans besides the negativity portrayed. Executive Staff * Christian Smooth: Founder of Smooth House Productions * Angel Amour: Producer * Nicholas Bush: Director * Alicia Argument: Assistant Director * David Warfield: Advisor * Keith Malinger: Advisor Fact Sheet on Smooth House Productions: * Established in September 2011 by Christian Smooth in Baltimore, MD at Morgan State University * The Student Body was the first production created by Smooth House Productions. The company vision is to creating innovative and leading-edge entertainment predominantly targeting African Americans between the ages of 18 and 25. * The purpose of this company is to raise awareness that African American have to proclaim their own identity and prove that it is more to their life than Just negativity. * Because it is a student reality television production, Smooth House Productions urges students to contribute whatever talents they may withhold t o make this reduction a great success. In return, students can receive additional skills in any aspect of the communication field and internship credit.Fact Sheet on The Student Body: * The script for The Student was written Fall 2012. * The company strives to use real stories of students to create the script so that it successfully fits the role of what it means and takes to be a reality show. * Inspired by the old NBC television show A Different World. * Scheduled to release Spring 2013; set to premiere on Youth. Smooth House Productions was founded by Christian Smooth in response to the active perception people of society continuously created of African Americans.This company was originally a way to enlighten young African Americans that there are limitless opportunities they are capable of achieving despite where they come from and what they have endured in their past. With its motto Scripted to be real: I am more than what is Perceived, Smooth House Productions strives to reach out as an inspiration to those young African Americans involved and/or surrounded by sex, money, and drugs, offering alternatives to those who seek change, support, and hope.Christian Smooth, with the assistance of Angel Amour and Nic holas Bush and other executive staff members, organized this television production The Student Body to expose the public to the reality of what has been seen and what has been perceived. This company also encourages young people to step out and make the public aware that African Americans are capable of achieving an education and employment, despite what other negativity they have been exposed to. To demonstrate the more positive aspects of life, Smooth House Productions places The Student Body in Anagram University, a fictional university located in Baltimore, MD.To create a more realistic scene, Smooth House Productions sustains the actual life of a university: the mascot featured as The Fighting Moors, an academic staff over 400, administrative staff over 1 ,OHO, 6,400 students calculated as the undergraduate student body and 1,027 as the postgraduate student body. By creating an actual setting with real life scenarios, it is nearly impossible to call this reality television show anything else besides truthful. In successfully doing so, Smooth House Productions makes the primitive mark in allowing African Americans to identify themselves and tell their own story.

Industrial Training Report Essay Example

Industrial Training Report Essay Example Industrial Training Report Paper Industrial Training Report Paper This project needs to apply the skills of schematic design, PC layout and fabrication, C programming and hardware/software trouble shooting. Cooperation is detrimental in the whole project. Application The Wife detector detects the surrounding Wife access points and report the signal SAID and strength to the host PC periodically. The PC host reports a motion when all the Wife signal strengths are changed. Key features The user can select between motion detection mode and station mode. Under station mode the Wife detector will detect the surrounding access points once and report to the PC host. Under the detection mode the Wife detector will do this periodically. The PC host will display the received information in the GIG-Jell. If there is a change of position of the Wife detector, the PC host will generate a warning message. Block Diagram The block diagram is shown below what basic components of Wi-If Detector is included.

Alex Bell Essays - C. S. Lewis, British Films, Knights Bachelor

Alex Bell Huma 3303 November 21 , 2015 History of shadowlands William Nicholson was born in 1948 and is the original master mind behind the story of shadow lands. The film that we have today actually started off out as a play for television and a live stage show. It would be called the best play in 1990 and also won him a Tony Award. In 1994 Nicholson worked with Richard Attenborough in order to turn his stage play into a full film. The film itself was shot mostly in England in places such as Christ Church Meadow, Oxford, and Oxford shire. The real life story is supposed to show the coming together of Joy Gresham and C.S Lewis but like many retold stories some of the actual facts were skewed a bit for example in real life Joy Gresham had two sons but in the film she is only shown to have one. Personal Critique Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger, Julian Fellowes , Joseph Mazzello Director: Richard Attenborough Synopsis: Poet Joy Gresham travels to England with her son, who is a big C.S Lewis fan, in order to meet C.S Lewis himself. When they meet they realize that they are polar opposites but manage to start a glowing friendship. She divorces her husband that is in America and ask C.S Lewis, also known as Jack if he would agree to marry her in order for her to stay in England. After agreeing to marry her strictly so she may remain in the country, she becomes very ill and he discover that despite them not knowing each other very well he really loves her and wants to be with her. Unfortunately their love will be short lived. Lord Richard Attenborough's film brings together a great cast of actors that all are able to show off their acting abilities in this journey of love that brings together two unlikely people together. Sir Anthony Hopkins is a generational actor that adds on to his impressive acting resume with the portrayal of C.S Lewis. He has a natural and smooth voice that seems to help draw in the audience into wanting to listen to every word that he says. With this particular character he was able to combine both the intellectual brilliance and emotion that was required to really bring the story together. Debra Winger is the second star that the story circles around and her character in the Shadowlands appears to be tailor made for her. The Cleveland, Ohio native portrays the fiery Joy Gresham who refuses to take any lip from anyone regarding her life. Much like Hopkins her ability to be able to be both emotional and hardnosed added to the ch aracters appeal to the viewers. Shadow Lands which is based on the play by William Nicholso n is a great story that puts the brilliant acting styles together in a film to show that true love does not have to come from the typical channel that relationships are formed. Professional Critiques 1. Shadowlands' (PG) By Desson Howe Washington Post Staff Writer January 07, 1994 "Shadowlands" isn't just a three-hankie tearjerker. You'll need bulk linen to stay dry through this romance between Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. Yet this dramatized account of the C. S. Lewis-Joy Gresham af fair is more than manipulative. An engaging encounter between adults, it's also about lost childhoods, questions of God, intellect versus emotion, pain versus pleasure and other far-reaching themes. Perhaps most significantly, "Shadowlands" is illuminated from beginning to end by Hopkins. This may be the best thing he's ever done. The basic biographical details are true. Lewis, author of "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," among many books, indeed met and fell in love with Gresham. But as screenwriter William Nicholson (who wrote the original BBC teleplay and Broadway stage play before this) emphasizes in press notes for the movie: "I have used parts of their story, not used othe r parts and imagined the rest." If those imaginings are all-too-neatly contrived, they're at least arranged along the classier lines of "84 Charing Cross Road" (another Brit-Yank encounter starring Hopkins), David Lean's "Brief Encounter" and "Turtle Diary," to name a few. On

Should Advertising to Children be Restricted in Any Way Assignment

Should Advertising to Children be Restricted in Any Way - Assignment Example Young children, having a limited capacity to reason, often do not know the best for themselves for which they rely on parents for protection and guidance. More and more advertisements try to attract children to unhealthy habits that give rise to childhood obesity, malnourishment, and sedentary lifestyles. Further, advertising to children also has psychological implications. Psychologists studying the minds of children point out a visible change in the thinking of children as a result of consuming huge amounts of televisions ads. Advertising has caused children to be more materialistic thereby replacing their intrinsic interest towards things they actually like. Hence, the downsides of advertising targeted towards children are visible in children’s unhealthy habits and changes in their attitudes. Given the scope of the issue, efforts can be made on a community level in order to advocate against advertising targeted towards children. In this regard, a coalition with the community and organizations with similar interests can be formed to add more substance to our voice against advertising to children. An alliance can be formed with ‘Action for Healthy Kids’ which is a collective focused towards healthy eating and other health issues faced by children, many of which including obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and undernourishment, are products of unhealthy habits promoted by advertising. ‘Action for Healthy Kids’ operates in every state of the United States including New Jersey which will help find local support for the cause and that which is able to translate into a larger impact. Additionally, a coalition with the New Jersey government’s Division for Consumer Affairs could be built because the division has been involved with similar efforts that s eek to protect consumers related to healthcare issues.

Environmental Science in DomesHc Dwellings Report Coursework

Environmental Science in DomesHc Dwellings Report - Coursework Example The information includes the possible options of accessing the house from various directions and the options of transport. The space in the house and the number of rooms will be a critical factor in determining the occupancy of the house in terms of the number of occupants. This is essential because in addition to the wall dimensions of the walls and the space in the house provides direct how the occupants will use every space as well as their reactions to the issues arising in the usage of the space. Apart from the basic information about the house, it will be necessary to examine the suitability of the wall, the floor and the roof structures. From these we obtain the u-value of the house and the suitability of the construction materials used for the house. In the same part 1, there will be an analysis involving the calculation of the upper limit and the lower limit from which it will be possible to do calculations of the coefficient of heat loss. From the wall construction and open air ventilation, the project will calculate the heat loss through ventilation. 2. House Description The project involves Linley and Simpson house located along the 12 Station Road in Horsforth in West Yorkshire, UK. Aerial View from Google map Latitude: 52.70 Longitude: 1.217 Wind angle to facade (Summer Season): 100 Wind angle to facade (Winter Season): 150 Front View Back View 3. Required Adjustment The second step of this project involves the study of the meteorological data in relation to the house structure in order to make adjustments out of the reaction of the occupants. The adjustment will depend on the necessary resistance required for the management of wind velocity. Adjustment in this case includes the wall dimensions, space between walls and the orientation of the house in relation to the direction of wind. From the adjustments and the calculation of heat loss coefficient for the house ventilation, the project will require maintaining proper quality of air good air qual ity by making changes. Other than energy losses, we will look at the sources of heat gain. Externally solar gain and internally from the daily electrics and metabolic we usually use. As we group out the values from heat loss and gain, we can estimate the extra energy needed to heat the house to the optimum internal temperature. Furthermore, to calculate energy use we need to identify our balance point- the external temperature above which a building needs no further heating to achieve a constant internal comfort temperature. By then we can calculate degree-days and hence estimate the amount of time needed to heat our houses over a period of time. After that, we calculate the carbon emissions of the building and move on to the part 2 of our project. In part 2, I will work out two methods to improve the energy loss and gain from the building. By using different material in order to reduce carbon emission and increase energy gain and maintain a good living standard for occupants 4. Ana lysis of the House Structure Linley and Simpson House is a simple brick house with between 25% - 30% glazing. Due to its location, it receives sufficient sunlight from 9 am in the morning to 4pm in the evening. Both the front view of the building and the back has an opening. The privacy of the building is ensured using curtains, and this is a limiting factor to the exposure of the house interior to

Urban Planning for Administration Essay Example for Free

Urban Planning for Administration Essay Urban planning is the incorporation of the regulation of land utilizes planning and transportation planning to discover extremely broad variety of features of the constructed and communal surroundings of developed municipalities and neighborhood. It is the influential equipment used for minimizing the largely force of settlements on the local and regional surroundings and for advancing circumstances within the settlement. This can also be defined as the arrangement of all fundamentals of a town or other city surroundings. In most cases, the process makes use of science and art disciple whereby they have to come up with the actual plan to be implemented on the ground. For a given city to be identified as planned wisely and efficiently for its use, it has to follow the planning process stipulated for the city. This is because; every city has its own process to which it tends to guide them on achieving the best environment for their citizens. In order to the objective more efficiently, the member participating in the decision making has to be familiar with the different type of features that has to be observed during urban planning. Aspects of planning These are normally the characteristics of a given city or town that the administration has to observe while carrying out their urban planning process. Urban aesthetic In any city around, the beauty value of the country has to be observed while carrying out their planning process. This permits the planners to be able to manage the growth of the city in future and enhancing its safety to the users as well. Safety This is the ability for the city to be protected from any of the external forces that might cause havoc to the users of the city. For this to be attained, the planners has to observe the height of the building in the city, the direction to which they are face as regard to the weather in the region, the type of the material to be used as well as the design to be used in the city Bonine Brass 1994, p 217). It has been noticed that, some of the disasters that do occur in the world are to the result of the assumption of this aspect from the planners. Reconstruction and renewal This is the most significant aspect that a city has to observe before and during their planning process in the city. In this, they will be able to allow room for the expansion of the city in future with no congestion of the building and squeezed roads. Transport Transport is the movement from one location to the other, thus, the planners has to ensure that the transport arrangement in the city is of high standard to avoid traffic. It has to be able to accommodate the people in the city with no obstruction. To achieve this, they have to ensure that they balance well with the density of people and vehicles in the city. For more efficient transport planning, the planners have to make good use of transportation oriented improvement. This tries to position greatest concreteness of employments or inhabitants next to high-volume moving. In order to attain the density of the city, one uses the floor area ration system in that when the ratio is under 1. 5, the city is known to be of low density and that of 5 is known to be of high density. Environmental factors Ecological fortification and maintenance are very important in any urban planning being carried out in the world. This assists the planners to be able to conserve the ecology and the nature of the city as much as they have to plan the city (Ibrahim 2004). When one observes these factors more diligently and with concern, they are usually able to get better result when it comes in term of the aesthetic value of the city through the use of the natural resource around them. Having looked at aspects to be considered generally by any of urban planners in the world, the paper will now concentrate on the process followed in the urban planning focusing Cairo city in Egypt. In this, the paper will be more specific some of issues such as the people responsible for the judgment creation during the planning process, the position of the final decision, the impact that these decision have on the communities that are usually excluded from the planning process, the level and ratios of power among the communities in the city, the relationship that exists between the decision makers and the affected group of individual in the city and lastly it will look at how these planning decision affect the community at large. Planning process These are the general steps used as guidelines or the fundamentals, techniques and apparatus to be used by any planner in any local authority. This gives the schemer the ability to attain a strength and sustainable city planning in the region. None the less, one has to remember that, each city or has its own way of planning their urban area. Basically, there are 21 steps that many of the planners tend to use but this has been comprised into 6six steps that will be discussed in the paper. As this is discussed, one has to remember that each of the steps being discussed needs contribution and participation of different individual that may indicate their administration planning scheme and political background. Before starting off their steps in planning process, the participants involved in the process has to concur on some of the key fundamentals such as the equity to be observed during the process, the incorporated approach, corporation and associations, the responsibility of each of the member, the encouragement of heath in the city and the compassionate to the environment together with many more elements that the group may find it of help to be observed. Creating of partnership This is the first step that any city to be planned has to observe, at this stage, the city identifies the people that will be involved in the planning process together with the responsibilities of each of the member of the group. It is at this stage that the corporation and tactical alliances are made possible by an institution so as to ensure that the benefits of the group of people at large are justified in the process. None the less, it is at this step that the member in the planning establishes the way in which they would be able to communicate to the community for their participation in the process. Basically, the key concept of this step is to come up with the objectives that the group aims to achieve at the end of urban planning and create their scope of work that they will take part in it. Understanding the city to be planned At this stage, the participants tend to evaluate the subject to be addressed during the process, in this they have to come up with the general overview of the city in term of the population, the surrounding of the area and the health status of the city. They have to establish the employment unemployment ratio in the city as this will help them in getting the clear view of the usage and density in the city. Focusing to the Objectives The participants have to be able to analyze their advantages together with disadvantages that they might experience during the process. They have to involve the community so that they can be offered with the chance to present their views on what they think have to be done to accomplish the task at hand. With this, they will be able to get different ideas from different people that will assist them in establishing the future plan of the city. Strategic planning Having attained the goals together with their strengths and weaknesses, they will have to set the limit of work to be achieved at a given period of time. In this, they will have to come up with proper programme to be used during the process. Implementation This is the crucial stage in this process as it involves the actual work planned for. It is mainly concerned with establishment of valuable constitution and planning relations that will help them in achieving their goal after the set period of time. Other than that, the stage is also concerned with creation of internal auditing committee that will be responsible with the financial matters of the city planning together with creation of the method that they will put in use so as to aid them in the observing the progress of the task on the ground. Attaining Reaction This is the final stage within the process whereby the participants have to come up with the way in which they will be able to trap the reactions of the community as regard to the implementation of their decisions. At the same time, they will have to create or establish the strategy that they will use in the evaluation of their level of performance as well as the progress of the process. Having looked at the basic process of urban planning, the paper will now concentrate on the key issues to be addressed as regard to the people involved in the planning in Cairo city in Egypt. People Involved in the Decision Making for the Planning Process During the planning process in Cairo, the decisions normally come from two basic participants. These are the four of the ministries in the city and the public agencies that are involved with the planning procedures to be implemented. Basing on the ministries involved, the Office of housing those are usually responsible for the construction developments needed for the improvement of the national financial status in the city (Ismail, 2006, pp 4-6). In this, they concentrate on the public structures, infrastructures projects and housing within different level of financial status in the environment. Office of security is concerned with the boundary around the city and how they can be able to maintain the security within the city. Office of Awqaf has all the authority over the owner of land within the city as well as the developers in the city. Office of tourism helps the member in the planning process to plan for the tourism in the city. In this they tend to give views on the ways in which the aesthetic value of the city may be maintained so as to invite in more tourists in the city to improve its financial status. The public organizations are usually involved with the safeguarding of the historical spots in the city. Some of these organizations include the Awaqf power, administrator and the board for fortification of historical spots and structures. Final Authority in Decision Making Basing on the decision made by the participants, they usually depend on the final decision from the central government in the country. They have been granted with the powers to alter the decision made by the local units in the city as regard to the urban planning if they think the decision may hamper with the policy in the country. Impact of the Decision to the Community Excluded from the Planning Process Over the years, it has been noted that, some of the communities in the city face some challenges in their stay at the place. This has been as result to the assumption to the views they offer to the decision makers for planning process of the city. Due to this, they have been noted to face some of the security problem and poor environment to their surrounding. They have found themselves staying in some of the slum areas in the city because they can not access the good environment in the city. Level of Power for the Communities Basing to the fact that it’s an Arab country, the city is highly populated with the Muslims with low rate of Christians. To this idea, it has been known that the views of the Muslims are considered more as those from the Christian community in the city (Jakarta, 2006). As regard to this, the Islamic communities are seen to have more power and authority to the decision making to the Cairo planning process. How the Planning Decision Affect the Community Basing on the decision made on the Cairo urban planning, it has resulted in division of the city into two major parts in term of the religions in the city. It has been noted that, the Islamic community have been allocated with greater piece of land where as the Christians in the society have been offered with the further region from the main city for their stay in the city. Conclusion In conclusion, we can then say that, the urban planning process followed in Cairo city is almost same as that discussed above in the paper. In this we then say that for better and effective planning of any city; one has to observe the aspects of planning as well as the fundamentals for the process during their planning. Reference Bonine M E Brass D (1994) The Middle Eastern City Islamic Urbanism Geographische Abhandlungen Dummlerbuch Vol 91University Of Michigan Ferd Dummlers Verlag p 217 Ibrahim A M (2004) Center of Planning Architecture Studies Retrieved 21st March 2009 from http://www.cpas-egypt. com/ENG/chairman_eng. htm Ismail S (2006) Political Life in Cairos New Quarters Encountering the Everyday State U of Minnesota Press pp 4-6 Jakarta M H (2006) Cairo Urban Planning Model Retrieved 21st March 2009 from file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/admin/Desktop/cairo. htm United Nations Centre for Human Settlements Nations United Centre of Contributor United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (1993) Metropolitan Planning Management in Developing World Spatial Decentralization Policy in Bombay Cairo UN-HABITAT Publisher pp 118-142

Depression and Antidepressants Essay -- Chemistry Depression Papers

Depression and Antidepressants Specifically the serotonergic hypothesis and the action of Prozac The cause of Clinical depression has long been a mystery to physicians and researchers. Many different theories have been proposed, but no conclusive evidence has been put forth. However, most of what we know about depression stems from the results of certain drugs which have been successful in treating the clinically depressed. These anti--depressants have led to the assumption that depression is most likely due to a chemical imbalance (of neurotransmitters) which somehow leads to the symptoms of depression. To try and write a paper on all the theories of depression would be endless, as would be a study on all the different types of anti-depressants. Therefore I have tried to focus my paper on the serotonin hypothesis for depression, and more specifically how the serotonergic anti-depressants have backed up this theory. Of course, Any paper on serotonin-based anti-depressants must include the popular Prozac. Because of the excitement And controversy surrounding Prozac, I decided to channel most of my paper into the action of this so-called "wonder drug". Fluoxetine is a second-generation anti-depressant which was developed and marketed as PROZAC by the drug company Eli Lilly. This drug is increasingly being prescribed by physicians as the primary anti-depressant when a patient requires pharmacotherapy. This is mainly due to fluexotine’s reduced side affects as compared with the older tricyclic anti-depressants. Fluoxetine is known to act as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in brain synapses where serotonin is the neurotransmitter. However, an exact mechanism has not born elucidated. Information about serotonin synaps... ..., June 1992, 89(6):445-446. (cited as 9) Hyman, S. E. & Nestler, E. J. The Molecular Foundations of Psychiatry. Washington Amer. Psych., 1993. (cited as 7 & 8) Nathan, R. S., Perel, J. H., Pollock, B. G. & Kupfer, D. J. The role of neuropharmacologic selectivity in antidepressant action. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Sept. 1990, 51(9): 367-372. Price, L. O., Charney, D. S., Goodman, W. K., Krystal, J. H., Woods, A. N. & Heninger, G. R. Clinical data on the role of serotonin in the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs. Journal Clinical Psychiatry, April 1990, 51: 44-50. (cited as 5) Richelson, E. Antidepressant and brain neurochemistry. Mayo Clinic Proc., Sept. 1990, 65(9): 227-236. Somni, R. W., Crismon, M. L. & Bowden, C. L. Fluoxetine: a serotonin-specific, second-generation antidepressant, Pharmacotherapy, Jan.-Feb. 1987, 7(1): 1-15. Depression and Antidepressants Essay -- Chemistry Depression Papers Depression and Antidepressants Specifically the serotonergic hypothesis and the action of Prozac The cause of Clinical depression has long been a mystery to physicians and researchers. Many different theories have been proposed, but no conclusive evidence has been put forth. However, most of what we know about depression stems from the results of certain drugs which have been successful in treating the clinically depressed. These anti--depressants have led to the assumption that depression is most likely due to a chemical imbalance (of neurotransmitters) which somehow leads to the symptoms of depression. To try and write a paper on all the theories of depression would be endless, as would be a study on all the different types of anti-depressants. Therefore I have tried to focus my paper on the serotonin hypothesis for depression, and more specifically how the serotonergic anti-depressants have backed up this theory. Of course, Any paper on serotonin-based anti-depressants must include the popular Prozac. Because of the excitement And controversy surrounding Prozac, I decided to channel most of my paper into the action of this so-called "wonder drug". Fluoxetine is a second-generation anti-depressant which was developed and marketed as PROZAC by the drug company Eli Lilly. This drug is increasingly being prescribed by physicians as the primary anti-depressant when a patient requires pharmacotherapy. This is mainly due to fluexotine’s reduced side affects as compared with the older tricyclic anti-depressants. Fluoxetine is known to act as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in brain synapses where serotonin is the neurotransmitter. However, an exact mechanism has not born elucidated. Information about serotonin synaps... ..., June 1992, 89(6):445-446. (cited as 9) Hyman, S. E. & Nestler, E. J. The Molecular Foundations of Psychiatry. Washington Amer. Psych., 1993. (cited as 7 & 8) Nathan, R. S., Perel, J. H., Pollock, B. G. & Kupfer, D. J. The role of neuropharmacologic selectivity in antidepressant action. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Sept. 1990, 51(9): 367-372. Price, L. O., Charney, D. S., Goodman, W. K., Krystal, J. H., Woods, A. N. & Heninger, G. R. Clinical data on the role of serotonin in the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs. Journal Clinical Psychiatry, April 1990, 51: 44-50. (cited as 5) Richelson, E. Antidepressant and brain neurochemistry. Mayo Clinic Proc., Sept. 1990, 65(9): 227-236. Somni, R. W., Crismon, M. L. & Bowden, C. L. Fluoxetine: a serotonin-specific, second-generation antidepressant, Pharmacotherapy, Jan.-Feb. 1987, 7(1): 1-15.

Michael J. Fox and the Socioeconomic

Canadian-born television and film actor, Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at the age of thirty.   In his memoir, Lucky Man, Fox reveals how he has been spiritedly struggling with the disease, by also trying to help other patients suffering from the illness with no cure.   As a matter of fact, the man has been trying very hard to convince the government as well as medical researchers to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.   Fox has been an advocate for stem cells research to boot, and believes that a cure to Parkinson’s Disease could be found within ten years’ time, provided that we now begin to put our finances to good use, that is, to find a cure for the disease through research. Fox continued his acting career for nine years after he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.   What is more, the man continues to be a public figure with his advocacy for medical research to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease.   Countless people suffering from Parkinson’s Disease choose â€Å"the closet† over public appearance for the fear that they might lose their balance before the public eye.   This is not the case with Fox, as mentioned before.   On the contrary, Fox has been able to bravely fight his disease with all the public support he has already gathered.   Moreover, the man has the money to push for medical research in the area.   He also has the funds to manage his health care better than do those sufferers who come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.   Fox explains it thus: I'd been given a lot to think about, not least the fact that I wasn't the only one who had done   my time in the closet.   And the more I thought about it, the more it struck me just how plush,  well-appointed, and secure my own closet had been.   My career, my position in the world, and  my financial situation gave me advantages in confronting the disease that most of my fellow  P.D.ers could only dream about.   And now, having publicly identified myself as a person  living with Parkinson's disease, there was little to keep me from playing an active role. Indeed, I was ideally positioned to step into the void left by all those patients who had so  much more to lose by going public.   I had a lot to be grateful for, and now found myself with a  unique opportunity to give something back (Out of the Closet; Into the Classroom). There were various entities interested in exploiting Fox’s â€Å"position in the world† with respect to his disease.   While people that do not enjoy the privileges that Fox enjoyed in his â€Å"financial situation† while suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, remained closeted, Fox was approached by a variety of people that wanted to use his interest in medical research to actually find a cure for the dreadful disease.   After all, Fox was also contributing toward helping people with the disease with his own finances.   Thus, he mentions continued public support in his life with Parkinson’s Disease: By the end of 1998, my desk was covered with correspondence bearing the letterhead of various Parkinson's organizations across the country.   All of them wanted my help in one way or another.   The names of some of these groups implied a national reach, but on closer inspection they turned out to be local organizations affiliated with universities or hospitals or even individual researchers.   Some were not set up to address research at all; instead, they were dedicating their time and resources to more basic patient concerns, caregiver support groups, quality-of-life issues, and other worthwhile considerations (Out of the Closet; Into the Classroom). Fox is, indeed, a lucky man, who has been dealing with Parkinson’s Disease much better than do those who have not the kind of â€Å"financial status† and â€Å"position in the world† as his.   In point of fact, it has been well documented that people from around the world who are wealthier and better educated do experience better health than those with lower socioeconomic backgrounds who have both less wealth and less education.   Smoking, poor nutrition, as well as physical inactivity are more prevalent in groups that are low in socioeconomic status. Additionally, low socioeconomic groups have little or no access to preventive health care, for example, regular health checkups and screening programs.   These medical services are easily accessed by people from higher socioeconomic backgrounds alone.   What is more, financial barriers to health care are more likely to perpetuate the existing disparities in health among different socioeconomic groups (Veugelers and Yip). People from low socioeconomic backgrounds are unable to afford pricey heath services that may save their lives.   Neither can they afford expensive health insurance that would cover the kinds of health services that Fox may be using at present to fight the disease he is suffering from.   As compared to Fox’s relatively successful struggle with Parkinson’s Disease, the low socioeconomic groups have to bear a â€Å"greater burden of disease.†Ã‚   Correspondingly, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds have a â€Å"greater need for health services† (Veugelers and Yip). One research study revealed that specialist medical services are underused in the case of lower socioeconomic groups, and this widens the socioeconomic gap in health care (Veugelers and Yip).   According to another study, lower socioeconomic groups are more likely to use the Medicare managed care home health as compared to higher socioeconomic groups. Not only do people from lower socioeconomic groups need greater care, but they also rely on Medicare because they are unable to afford alternative options.   In fact, evidence suggests that 15.5 percent of Medicare plan enrollees living below the poverty line use home health during a year, as compared to only 11.2 percent of people who live above the poverty line.   Moreover, those who belong to the lowest socioeconomic groups have almost twice the odds of persons from the highest socioeconomic groups to use the Medicare plan.   People who are relatively higher in socioeconomic status than those in the lowest socioeconomic group, have approximately 1.5 times the odds of other people having a home health visit (Freedom et al.) According to Freedman et al., people from high socioeconomic backgrounds might believe that the Medicare managed care home health is an inferior good.   In other words, people from higher socioeconomic groups are more likely to use alternative options like assisted living and the hiring of private assistance outside the benefits of Medicare (Freedman et al.). Such options are believed to give access to better home health care to the aged.   All the same, these options are only available to those who can afford them.   In the condition that he is, Fox may be assumed to be using private assistance in the home.   Although he is not aged, the man is expected to have hired someone qualified by now for his home health care.   Regardless of the truth of this assumption, the fact remains that Fox is dealing with his illness with better health which may in  part be attributable to his positive mind set.   Apparently, he is not bearing as great a burden of the disease as do the people from lower socioeconomic groups.   Fox reveals his positive mind set through the illness, in a dream he had, speaking of his farm and fresh growth: It's hard to process what I'm seeing. It can't be possible, but inside this tight, dark, airless space, a tree has been growing.   Growing isn't even the word for it, really, it's absolutely thriving.   In response to the tight quarters it's taken on the appearance of a bonsai tree.   The trunk and branches are thick, and now, with the door flung open, the tree continues to grow right before my eyes, as if in time-lapse, new branches reaching out into the airy light of the kitchen and bursting into leaf (Los Angeles, March 1995). While Fox dreams of growth and thriving, research reveals that even kids from low socioeconomic groups are doing poorly in terms of health.   As a matter of fact, low socioeconomic status is also connected with worse outcomes on health status measures such as mortality, acute and chronic conditions, in addition to self-rated measures of health. Contrary to Fox’s positive mind set in his struggle to beat Parkinson’s disease, is the negative mind set of adolescents from low socioeconomic backgrounds who are more likely to attempt suicide, and engage in heavy drinking.   These youngsters are also known to be more depressed and obese.   Furthermore, poor children and adolescents are given less attention at times when they are suffering from injuries that require medical attention.   They additionally face retardation in growth (Newacheck et al.). Children from poor households have little physician contact, do not have access to a regular source of primary care as well as sick care, and are less likely to have continuity between the sources of regular and sick care.   As compared to the poor, children from high socioeconomic backgrounds obtain required health care, have a regular source of health care, and are known to receive any care from the doctor that is deemed necessary.   Such children are also more likely to be seen in the doctor’s office (Newacheck et al.). It is obvious that the socioeconomic effects on health care reach all age groups at the same time.   The young and the old are similarly affected by their financial status with respect to health care.   Unfortunately, everybody does not possess the â€Å"financial status† and â€Å"position in the world† that Fox possesses.   Nevertheless, the man is working to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots in terms of health care.   Funding medical research on Parkinson’s Disease, Fox’s behavior is aligned with his positive mind set that envisions growth and thriving. We may expect such growth and thriving to be experienced between all corners of society only when the difference between the haves and the have-nots is eradicated.   Although this difference has always been, and may always be, it is possible to provide better health care to low socioeconomic groups.   According to Veugelers and Yip, universal health coverage, such as Medicare, may already be bridging the gap.   Even so, people such as Fox continue to have access to better health care than those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Works Cited Fox, Michael J. Lucky Man. New York, Hyperion, 2002. Freedman, Vicki A., Jeannette Rogowski, Steven L. Wickstrom, John Adams, Jonas Marainen, and Jose J. Escarce. â€Å"Socioeconomic disparities in the use of home health services in a Medicare managed care population.† Health Services Research, October 2004. Newacheck, Paul W., Yun Yi Hung, M. Jane Park, Claire D. Brindis, and Charles E. Irwin Jr. â€Å"Disparities in adolescent health and health care: does socioeconomic status matter?† Health Services Research, October 2003. Veugelers, P. J., and A. M. Yip. â€Å"Socioeconomic disparities in health care use: does universal coverage reduce inequalities in health?† Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, June 2003.   

BBB Wise Giving Alliance

Better Business Bureaus (BBB) is an organization that ‘checks’ on both businesses and charities. They offer an objective view of different businesses and charities, which they award with their seal, after passing several criteria. Such seals add confidence to consumers and donors who wants to associate with them. Currently, there are 3 million local and national establishments that are being constantly monitored and evaluated.Better Business Bureaus holds tightly on good business values. Some values that they uphold the importance includes, fairness and honesty, which should be incorporated in business ethics and for charity.They were first established in 1912. This is a program that will help donors identify legitimate and responsible charities. These charities are evaluated according to a set of standards; reports are then published to aid donors regarding the different charities. The reports are usually within three-year periods. The charity seal is optional to those that have passed the charity standards. The charity standards were developed by several institutions to ensure that the standards reflect those that the public needs.Information like charity fund allocations, organizational structure, ‘truthfulness’ of their accounts and their willingness to share other basic information about their organization. These are then analyzed to meet the standards. Review the report of at least one charity and discuss what you find. The information included in the reports are: charity contact information and description, Better Business Bureau comments, programs or activities of the charity, governance, including names of the head and their compensation, fund raising methods, financial reports including their budget allocation and tax status.These are very helpful information in identifying the best charity institutions that the donors would want to help, as well as to define transparency to their current donors. The information are just enou gh to build the confidence of donors, these should be the basic information, no more and no less. Reference BBB Wise Giving Alliance. (2003). Standards for Charity Accountability. Retrieved March 18, 2009 from http://www. bbb. org/us/Charity-Standards/

Set Theory and How It Is Used

Set Theory and How It Is Used Set theory is a fundamental concept throughout all of mathematics.  This branch of mathematics forms a foundation for other topics.   Intuitively a set is a collection of objects, which are called elements. Although this seems like a simple idea, it has some far-reaching consequences.   Elements The elements of a set can really be anything – numbers, states, cars, people or even other sets are all possibilities for elements. Just about anything that can be collected together may be used to form a set, though there are some things we need to be careful about. Equal Sets Elements of a set are either in a set or not in a set. We may describe a set by a defining property, or we may list the elements in the set. The order that they are listed is not important. So the sets {1, 2, 3} and {1, 3, 2} are equal sets, because they both contain the same elements. Two Special Sets Two sets deserve special mention. The first is the universal set, typically denoted U. This set is all of the elements that we may choose from. This set may be different from one setting to the next. For example, one universal set may be the set of real numbers whereas for another problem the universal set may be the whole numbers {0, 1, 2,...}.   The other set that requires some attention is called the empty set. The empty set is the unique set is the set with no elements. We can write this as { } and denote this set by the symbol ∅. Subsets and the Power Set A collection of some of the elements of a set A is called a subset of A. We say that A is a subset of B if and only if every element of A is also an element of B. If there are a finite number n of elements in a set, then there are a total of 2n subsets of A. This collection of all of the subsets of A is a set that is called the power set of A. Set Operations Just as we can perform operations such as addition - on two numbers to obtain a new number, set theory operations are used to form a set from two other sets. There are a number of operations, but nearly all are composed from the following three operations: Union – A union signifies a bringing together. The union of the sets A and B consists of the elements that are in either A or B.Intersection - An intersection is where two things meet. The intersection of the sets A and B consists of the elements that in both A and B.Complement - The complement of the set A consists of all of the elements in the universal set that are not elements of A. Venn Diagrams One tool that is helpful in depicting the relationship between different sets is called a Venn diagram.  A rectangle represents the universal set for our problem.  Each set is represented with a circle.  If the circles overlap with one another, then this illustrates the intersection of our two sets.   Applications of Set Theory Set theory is used throughout mathematics. It is used as a foundation for many subfields of mathematics. In the areas pertaining to statistics, it is particularly used in probability. Much of the concepts in probability are derived from the consequences of set theory. Indeed, one way to state the axioms of probability involves set theory.

Managerial Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managerial Behaviour - Essay Example We were responsible for development, design and implementation of a website for a retail company which was aimed at enabling it to receive online orders directly from its customers. The project was planned to be completed in 6 months and was led by a manager, who was already working on two other projects. However, within a short period of 2 months, there arose drastic conflicts between team members and manager had to intervene to resolve them promptly so that the project would not suffer. 1. How does the manager undertake the activity being studied? When the matter reached the manager, he developed sound knowledge of background and circumstances of the situation before arriving at any conclusions or resolutions. Soon it was revealed that the bone of contention was partially the manager himself. The complexities of matrix structuring and ambiguous project requirements made it difficult for the team members to be clear about their team roles and duties and allocation of resources. This in turn was caused by the manager’s minimal input in the project and absence from most of the team briefings. His negligence towards this specific project had caused role conflicts and low morale amongst the members. The manager diagnosed the nature of conflict and identified that the team members were blaming each other for delay in designing a phase of the website. As a result a milestone, which was to be achieved 2 weeks back, was still in progress while 3 specialists responsible for it were finding a scapegoat for this setback. With no proper delegation and allocation of tasks, there were clashes as to who was responsible to complete which process. They claimed that the resources were not sufficient and time was wasted due to unavailability of website development tools simultaneously to each of them. Manager decided to focus his attention on this project to get it back on track according to initial project plan. He allotted each member equal tasks according to their skil ls and strengths and scheduled the processes to facilitate the sharing of resources. Project had limited funds and therefore it wasn’t possible for him to arrange for more and therefore it was necessary to ensure completion within the given manpower and equipment. He drafted formal role definitions for each of the members to avoid any ambiguities and confusion regarding what was expected to be contributed by each of them. His attention was substantially needed in areas of controlling and monitoring since the project was lagging behind schedule. He mobilized the resources and ensured effective and efficient utilization of each member’s core competences and resources available, diverting resources from stronger areas and focusing them on those more in need of them. He held team meetings and conducted one-on-one sessions to address concerns of each member, educate them with project requirements and deadlines, familiarize himself with the entire team and boost their morale through empathizing skills. He also encouraged members to feel free to contact him in person and whistleblow about other members if necessary. After taking updates on progress of each task, he compared them with the planned timetables and appraised performances accordingly. Since thereafter, he gave equal attention to this project and finally completed the project successfully,

Culture Is Media and Media Is Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Culture Is Media and Media Is Culture - Essay Example The dependence on the use of media has greatly increased and to a great extent dictates the behavior and ideas followed in a society, in other words dominates the behavior of the culture. Common people are in regular touch with the media and the entertainment that decide their collection of information, ideas as well as opinion that create the human knowledge reflected by his behavior. ‘Culture is media and media is culture’ seems to be pertinent in today’s cultural status of a community where media influences the formation of the cultural activities of different individuals within a community (Pope, 2002). The present study focuses on this particular statement ‘Culture is media and media is culture’ and discusses its relevance based on theory and examples. Understanding the Media Today: In the present times, the media seems to have become a significant issue as considered within a society. If the television medium is taken into account, it is found t hat be it small children, the youth of the older people, or other individuals, they tend to spend long hours in front of the television set. The new media has the ability to target the mindset of the human beings that might even impact the societal behavior of an individual negatively. For example, the televisions being the most common medium, several murders are viewed as part of news, or other television programs. Such programs tend to influence the minds of the smaller children or the youth to the extent that they might follow these acts disregarding their true cultural values. The computer has been obtained as one of the most influential medium generating knowledge and information for the present society that is completely dependent on information for its production, consumption and the economy as a whole (Straubhaar, Larose & Davenport, 2011, pp.11-15). The modern media has its presence reflected in almost every issue within a community and hence its behavior and culture. The m odern media form a creation of the mass communication that makes it possible through the internet and the large number of interactive media being available, e.g., television, radio, newspapers, hoardings, and so on. The different problems and issues related to the political and economic factors associated with a society and its inhabitants get attended by the mass media in the present times (Aikat, n.d.). The media can actually be found to be present in all aspects of today’s communication and knowledge gain purposes. Human beings tend to depend completely on the sources of media not only to communicate but also to determine their views and opinions that might alter their cultural views as well. The Impact of Media on Culture: Communication has always been the most important activity in spreading one’s views, opinions and beliefs to engage others in similar thoughts. In the present day society, communicating only with few close people may not work if a revolutionary ch ange is desired or changes in cultural aspects are required. The mass media plays its significant role in this regard. The spread of cultural views from a single point of origin to an entire community is referred as the phenomenon of diffusion. The features of culture include almost all habits that any human being follows in their normal lives. For example, the food habits, the dress that an individual wears, his/her beliefs in any particular religion, the language that he/she speaks