The Murder of Somer Thompson and Capture of Her Killer

The Murder of Somer Thompson and Capture of Her Killer On October 18, 2009, 7-year-old Somer Thompson was walking home from her Orange Park, Florida school with her twin brother and 10-year-old sister when she disappeared. Her body was found two days later 50 miles away in a landfill in Georgia. Florida Searches for Somer Thompson Somer Thompson was a mere 4-foot, 5-inches tall and weighed 65 pounds on the day that she went missing. Her hair was in a ponytail, tied with a red bow and she was carrying her favorite purple Hannah Montana backpack and a lunchbox. She was walking with her siblings and friends, but then when some in the group got into an argument, she separated from them and walked ahead by herself. It would be the last time Somer Thompson was seen alive. Investigator immediately suspected foul play and issued an Amber Alert. Police interviewed more than 160 registered sex offenders who lived within a five-mile radius of where Somer disappeared.   Clay County Sheriff Sgt. Dan Mahla called the investigation an all-out search. Working all night, the search included canine units, mounted police, dive teams, and helicopters with heat-sensing technology, Mahla said. Somer Thompsons Body Is Found On October 21, 2009, a childs body was found in a landfill in Folkston, Georgia, just across the Florida state line near where Somer Thompson vanished. Searchers found the body of a young white child at the landfill after sorting through more than 100 tons of garbage. They were not acting on a tip. They followed garbage trucks working Thompsons neighborhood to the site. Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler said it was a standard operating procedure in a missing person case for police to begin following garbage trucks and search nearby landfills. Pornographer Arrested in Somer Thompson Case A Florida man, who was being held on child pornography charges in Mississippi, was charged with the murder of Somer Thompson. Jarred Mitchell Harrell, 24, faced multiple charges in connection with the murder. Harrell has been in custody in Mississippi since February 11 and was extradited to Florida. Harrell faced a possible death sentence for charges of premeditated murder, sexual battery of a child under 12 and lewd and lascivious battery, according to court records. But Harrell was arrested in Meridian, Mississippi on a Florida warrant on more than 50 charges related to the sexual assault of another girl which he allegedly videotaped. He entered a not guilty plea to the charges. Press reports said at the time of Somers disappearance, Harrell was living with his parents in a house that was on her route to and from school. Harrell ultimately faced three trials: one for the molestation of the 3-year-old, one for the murder of Somer Thompson and another for child pornography.   Somer Thompsons Killer Gets Plea Deal Harrell avoided the death penalty by accepting a plea deal. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole after agreeing to drop his right to appeal the sentence later. Somers family members agreed to the plea deal, prosecutors said. After entering his guilty plea, Harrell listened to several victim impact statements, including one from Somers twin brother Samuel. You know you did this, and now youre going to jail, Samuel Thompson told Harrell. Somers mother, Diena Thompson, who attended every court hearing in the case, told Harrell he would never find peace. No Peace in the Afterlife Your punishment does absolutely not fit your crime, she said. Remember now, there is no safe place for you. You do not have an impenetrable cell. There will be no peace in the afterlife. Court papers show that on Oct. 19, 2009, Harrell lured Somer into the Orange Park, Florida house where he was living with his mother on the route on which she walked from school. There he sexually assaulted her, killed her and put her body in the garbage. Harrell pleaded to first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual battery in the Somer Thompson case. But he also pleaded to possession of child pornography and several other sexual-related charges in connection with an unrelated case involving a 3-year-old. The child was a relative of Harrells, according to court records. House Where Somer Died Is Destroyed On Feb. 12, 2015, Orange Park firefighters burned to the ground the house where Somer Thompson was killed. The Somer Thompson Foundation purchased the property and it was used for a live training exercise after the purchase. Burn, baby, burn, said Somers mother, Diena Thompson, after she tossed a flare inside the brick home while several hundred bystanders looked on. The home, owned by Harrells mother, became vacant after his arrest and ended up in foreclosure when the foundation bought it and offered it to the Orange Park Fire Department for a training exercise. Thompson said burning the house brought her family relief. I get to burn their house down, Thompson said. Im the big bad wolf this time knocking down your door, not the other way around. Its really nice to know that Im not ever going to have to drive in this neighborhood again and see this piece of trash. She said she hoped the property will be turned into something positive for the community one day.

George Washingtons First Cabinet

George Washington's First Cabinet The President’s cabinet consists of the heads of each of the Executive Departments along with the Vice President. Its role is to advise the president on the issues related to each of the departments. While Article II, Section 2 of the US Constitution sets up the ability of the president to select the heads of the executive departments, President George Washington established the â€Å"Cabinet† as his group of advisors who reported in private and solely to the U.S. chief executive officer.  Washington also set the standards for each Cabinet member’s roles and how each would interact with the President. George Washington’s First Cabinet In the first year of George Washington’s presidency, only three executive departments were established. These were the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and the Department of War. Washington selected secretaries for each of these positions. His choices were Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, and Secretary of War Henry Knox. While the Department of Justice would not be created until 1870, Washington appointed and included the Attorney General Edmund Randolph in his first cabinet. Although the United States Constitution does not expressly provide for a Cabinet, Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 states that the President â€Å"may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices.†Ã‚  Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 states that the President â€Å"with the advice and consent of the Senate . . . shall appoint . . . all other officers of the United States.† Judiciary Act of 1789 On April 30, 1789, Washington took the oath of office as America’s first President.  It was not until almost five months later, on September 24, 1789, that Washington signed into law the Judiciary Act of 1789 which not only established the office of the U.S. Attorney General but also established a three-part judicial system consisting of: 1. the Supreme Court (which at the time consisted of only a Chief Justice and five Associate Justices); 2. United States District Courts, which heard mainly admiralty and maritime cases; and 3. United States Circuit Courts which were the primary federal trial courts but also exercised very limited appellate jurisdiction. This Act granted the Supreme Court the jurisdiction to hear appeals of decisions which were rendered by the highest court from each of the individual states when the decision addressed constitutional issues which interpreted both federal and state laws.  This provision of the act proved to be extremely controversial, especially among those who favored States rights. Cabinet Nominations Washington waited until September to form his first cabinet. The four positions were quickly filled in only fifteen days. He hoped to balance out the nominations by choosing members from different regions of the newly formed United States. Alexander Hamilton was appointed and quickly approved by the Senate as the first Secretary of the Treasury on September 11, 1789. Hamilton would continue to serve in that position until January 1795. He would have a profound impact on the early economic development of the United States. On September 12, 1789, Washington appointed Knox to oversee the U.S. Department of War.  He was a Revolutionary War hero who had served side-by-side with Washington. Knox would also continue in his role until January 1795. He was instrumental in the creation of the United States Navy. On September 26, 1789, Washington made the last two appointments to his Cabinet, Edmund Randolph as Attorney General and Thomas Jefferson as Secretary of State. Randolph had been a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and had introduced the Virginia Plan for the creation of a bicameral legislature. Jefferson was a key founding father who had been the central author of the Declaration of Independence. He had also been a member of the first Congress under the Articles of Confederation and had served as a minister to France for the new nation. In contrast to having only four ministers, in 2016 the President’s Cabinet consists of sixteen members which include the Vice President. However, Vice President John Adams never attended a single one of President Washington’s Cabinet meetings. Although Washington and Adams were both federalists and each played very vital roles in the success of the colonists during the Revolutionary War, they hardly ever interacted in their positions as President and Vice President.  Although President Washington is known as being a great administrator, he seldom ever consulted Adams on any issues which caused Adams to write that the office of Vice President was the â€Å"most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.† Issues Facing Washington’s Cabinet President Washington held his first cabinet meeting on February 25, 1793. James Madison coined the term ‘cabinet’ for this meeting of the Executive department heads. Washington’s cabinet meetings soon became quite acrimonious with Jefferson and Hamilton taking opposite positions over the issue of a national bank that was part of Hamilton’s financial plan. Hamilton had created a financial plan to deal with the major economic issues that had arisen since the end of the Revolutionary War. At that time, the federal government was in debt in the amount of $54 million (which included interest), and the states collectively owed an additional $25 million. Hamilton felt that the federal government should take over the states’ debts. To pay for these combined debts, he proposed the issuance of bonds that people could buy which would pay interest over time. In addition, he called for the creation of a central bank to create a more stable currency. While northern merchants and traders mostly approved of Hamilton’s plan, southern farmers, including Jefferson and Madison, vehemently opposed it. Washington privately supported Hamiltons plan believing that it would give much needed financial support to the new nation. Jefferson, however, was instrumental in creating a compromise whereby he would convince the Southern-based Congressmen to support Hamilton’s financial plan in exchange for moving the US Capital city from Philadelphia to a Southern location. President Washington would help choose its location on the Potomac River due to its proximity to Washington’s Mount Vernon estate. This would later be known as Washington, D.C. which has been the nation’s capital ever since. As a side note, Thomas Jefferson was the very first President to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. in March 1801 which at the time was a swampy location near the Potomac with a population that numbered around 5000 people.

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

History - Essay Example The workers are exploited on only on physical basis but also on mental level (Schweickart 9-11). This paper explores the attributes of colonization, and implications as it is practiced in modern times. The effectiveness of colonization, with respect to capitalism is the chiefly dealt with in this paper. Colonization and capitalism Under certain contexts, colonization and capitalism have become synonymous. A colonized world is always divided or compartmentalized in the sense that it is divided between the natives and the new comers. For instance the racial problem occurred during South Africa apartheid is an instance of this. During the first half of twentieth century, the whites practiced racial prejudice against the native blacks (Allen 95- 102). Division of class goes in line with the Aristotelian logic where there is no possibility of conciliation. The sector for colonists is strongly built with all pleasures and fineries. It is a protected space, clean and pleasant. The native qu arters are poles apart. None ever notices when a niggers takes birth or dies. Both the people and the place remain dingy and dirty. They lust for material possessions. As a matter of fact, wealth too was concentrated in the hands of the oppressor class. The reason why they accumulate wealth is that simply because they belong to the colonist’s sector. ... Similarly the sense of exploitation also passed from one generation to another and the horrors of submission and inhibition seem to be familiar. It makes maintenance of rules and regulations easier for the capitalist class. A characteristic feature noticed in colonized countries is that there always exist certain groups, sermonizers, and councilors who butt in between the capitalist class and the exploited. (Fanon 1-15) Decolonization is a situation where the aspects and practices of colonization are challenged. The colonized world possesses little values and ethics. The colonized state experience destruction and corruption. These in turn negate their values and make them exposed to instruments of blind forces. The colonizer, as Manichaean states often inflict violence. As was found out by Chungara, the labor class she described went through similar experiences. The capitalist class had exploited them to their very last means. The struggle which they had to do on a daily basis is has become a familiar thing. (Fanon 1-32) Struggle and protest is another characteristic feature of colonized states. There are several aspects that oppressed people learn from their maters or from the ruling class as a whole. The most important aspect is individualism. Contestation is an important aspect of colonization. Whenever there is any case of violence, the oppressor tries to exercise full control over the oppressed classes. This period is generally marked with violence and suppression. However the colonized people continue to rebel and these results in sporadic occurrence of violence. (Fanon 1-32). Global capitalism is one of the rising concerns in present times. Ibrahim’s book deals with Egypt. The adverse effects of capitalism on Arabic society,

Criminal justice, procedure and human rights Coursework

Criminal justice, procedure and human rights - Coursework Example Of course, these are the extreme limits and the judge imposes sentence based upon the facts of the case. Although by statute there is no distinction drawn between voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, that is to say there is only one crime manslaughter, in general the distinction between the two are commonly acknowledged. There are two major categories that fall within the scope of involuntary manslaughter. These are: Constructive manslaughter assigns guilt to the defendant even though they may not have intended the injury or death of the victim and a reasonable person may not have conceived that the death would result, but the responsibility for the death, none the less, is found in the commission of an illegal "quite unconnected and possibly minor unlawful act" (LAWCOM 237, 1996: p. 13) which resulted in the death. ... Constructive Manslaughter Constructive manslaughter assigns guilt to the defendant even though they may not have intended the injury or death of the victim and a reasonable person may not have conceived that the death would result, but the responsibility for the death, none the less, is found in the commission of an illegal "quite unconnected and possibly minor unlawful act" (LAWCOM 237, 1996: p. 13) which resulted in the death. As found in Creamer1: A man is guilty of involuntary manslaughter when he intends an unlawful act and one likely to do harm to the person and death results which was neither foreseen nor intended. It is the accident of death resulting which makes him guilty of manslaughter as opposed to some lesser offence. In R v Mitchell2, at appeal the court found that several criteria must be met in order to establish that manslaughter due to an unlawful act had been committed. Upon decision the court found that to be convicted the following four conditions need to be met: The defendant committed an illegal act The act was dangerous in that a reasonable and sober person would recognise the inherent danger of act committed The death of the victim resulted from the act The defendant intended to commit the act even though they may not have foreseen the consequence of the death of the defendant In order to understand the criteria of each point required to show cause for a guilty verdict of involuntary manslaughter, it is necessary to review the case law for each of the above points. R v Franklin3 established the precedent that the defendant must have committed an unlawful act in order to be convicted of manslaughter. This was upheld in R. v. Lamb4. In R v Dalby5 the court attempted to establish that the defendant's

Geographic Information System Essay Example for Free

Geographic Information System Essay A Geographic Information system or a GIS is a tool to capture, store and managing data which are spatially related to Earth. In close terms, the system is related to managing, integrating, storing and analyzing geographically referenced information. Geographic Information system is used in the process of scientific research, natural resource management, impact of pollution on environment, land use and planning, company sales and marketing and criminology. For example, Geographic Information system is often used energy planners who need to calculate the emergency response times during an emergency like a natural disaster. Also, Geographic Information system is used to find the areas that are affected by pollution – wet lands or used by companies to take advantage of an untapped economy or an unreserved market. HISTORY OF GIS The first use of a Geographic Information system is that recorded in 1854, by Sir John Snow. In the event of Cholera outbreak in London, he used a map which directed signs towards the individual cases of cholera in the city. This study which helped the administration to reach to the source of the outbreak, which was an infected water pump. After knowing the root cause of the outbreak, immediate steps were taken by the administration. This strategy of John Snow to collect all the information about the cholera cases in the city on a geographical map of the city and then to analyze the information at hand, thereby reaching at some conclusions that were helpful in fighting with the outbreak is the true essence of a Geographic Information system. Fig 1: Map showing clusters of Cholera cases in London by John Snow In the year 1962, the true face of Geographic Information system came into existence with the Federal Department of Rural development in Canada. The first Geographic Information system was developed by Dr. Roger Tomlinson, and was to help the Land inventory department to gather and analyze information related to the land use and capability, soil structure and forest area in Ontario. This system possessed some enhanced features like – mapping, overlaying, measurement, scaling and scanning. It also had a co-ordinate system that could inter relate every other part of the continent and could scale huge areas into very small ones. The use of overlays in extending the method of spatial analysis of geographical data was also included in this first Geographic Information system. However, this Geographic Information system was never brought out into the market for commercialization purposes. The first commercial Geographic Information system was developed during the late 1980’s by the MS Computing research Institute and this commercial Geographic Information system had a successful combination of the first Geographic Information system developed in 1962 by Sir John Snow. It had the technique of spatial attribution, and organizing of data with the help of database structures. With the onset of the 20th century, there was a fast growth in the development of commercial Geographic Information systems to transport, gather and analyze data in all commercial fields. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of free open source commercial Geographic Information systems which can be used in accordance with a number of operating systems and can also be customized top match up some specific tasks. DATA CREATION IN GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM The Geographic Information Systems that exist today make use of the information that is present in the digital form. The methods of data creation for a Geographic Information system are many and the most commonly accepted method for data creation of digital data is digitization. In this method, Computer aided design method is used to transfer the data present on a hard copy, into a digital form, and geo-referencing capabilities. Another popular form of extracting geographical data into digital form is by ortho-rectified imagery, in which head up digitizing is the main way through which tracing of geographical data is done directly rather than traditionally tracing the geographical data on a different digitizing tablet. LINKING INFORMATION FROM VARIOUS ORIGINS With the help of Geographic Information Systems, a myriad of information gathering is possible. Suppose for example, if the rainfall data about a particular state and its aerial snaps or the area are gathered, then it relatively easier to predict the area which dries up during summer. A Geographic Information Systems can make use of various forms of information by linking them together and analyzing the whole bunch together. The elementary requirement for knowing the exact source of data is the knowledge of variables. The location of a certain area is denoted by x,y,z coordinates, where x corresponds to Longitude, y corresponds to latitude and z corresponds to elevation. These values may vary according to the needs and types of data required. A Geographic Information System is capable of changing any form of digital data into usable form that is recognized by the system and is used. For instance, the satellite images that are generated with the help of remote sensing satellites are processed by a Geographic Information System to corresponding map like information which can be easily read by the Geographic Information System. Similarly, the hydrologic tabular data in the tabular form can be converted into a data map, which is used as layers of information in a Geographic Information System. DATA REPRESENTATION The Geographic Information System offers the presentation of real time objects like land, roads, height etc, in the digital form. However, the real time data is further divided into two types: discrete and continuous data. Discrete data includes data like a building, area of land, while continuous data represents level of rain, height of a particular area, or elevation. There are two main methods of storing data in a Geographic Information System for both discrete and continuous forms. 1. Raster method – this form of data is stored in the form of cell rows and cell columns, where a single value data is stored in each cell. Since raster is used to store a single data, in each cell, continuous forms of data an extended table of more than one row or column is used. 2. Vector Method – in a Geographic Information System, it is often needed to express data in the form of vectors. In order to store data which possesses some sort of direction, use of polygons is made in the Geographic Information Systems. These polygons or geometrical shapes are also called as Shape files. Zero dimensional points, one dimensional lines, two dimensional polygons are some examples of shape files used in Geographic Information Systems. Points are used to denote real time objects like location of a school, building, home, well etc. lines are used to denote roads, railway lines, rivers etc. polygons are used to point to an area of land, city boundaries, water bodies etc. Each of these geometric shapes / geometries are associated with single rows in the database of the Geographic Information System, and this describes their characteristics completely. For example, consider a Geographic Information System data base that gives information about the various lakes in a particular area, their depth, and quality of water, color of water and the level of pollutants that are mixed with water. These sets of information can be each used separately to make a map to describe that particular data set. Also, the Geographic Information Systems can be used to identify and locate the wells that are present in the area, in particular that are within the one mile area of the lake. The wells are identified as point geometry and the lakes as polygon geometry in the Geographic Information System data map sets. Vector characteristics in a Geographic Information System data set can also be altered to maintain the spatial characteristic or integrity of a particular data / location, with the application of certain topology rules. A simple basic rule used in Geographic Information Systems is that the polygons must never overlap each other. The vector data sets can be appropriately used to represent the continuous data sets or continuously varying information. The contour lines and triangulated discontinuous areas and networks are used to characterize the elevation / height above sea level and other examples of continuous values. The triangulated discontinuous areas record the values of a point location which are in the form of a mesh formed with the help of lines connected from each other signifying other areas and point locations. For example, the face of a mesh in the form of a triangle is used to represent the terrain surface in Geographic Information Systems.

Chancery in Charles Dickens Bleak House Essay -- essays papers

Chancery in Charles Dickens Bleak House In Charles Dickens Bleak House, Chancery is portrayed as a disease that plagues the Victorian society. Dickens uses the suits and the lawyers of Chancery to display its effects on the whole society. The suits are â€Å"slow, expensive, British, constitutional kind of things† (25) that stifle and bemuse those that come in contact with them. In Ms. Flite’s case, the suit has deteriorated her life. She attends Chancery regularly expecting a judgement that is never to come and yet, she lives a â€Å"pinched† (73) lifestyle, unable to help herself or others. In addition, she cages birds she intends to set free on her judgement day, however, she states, â€Å"I positively doubt sometimes whether while matters are still unsettled I may not one day be found lying stark and senseless here, as I have found so many birds!† (74). Like Miss Flite, the suit has stagnated Robert’s life. Robert, â€Å"So young and handsome, and in all respects so perfectly the opposite of Miss Flite...[is] so dreadfully like her† in his clouded, eager, and seeking mannerism (592...

Essay on That Eye, the Sky Essay

The Novel That Eye, The Sky written by the Australian novelist Tim Winton is a novel about a little boy named Ort who has a big heart that prevails his family against hell itself. The story is about generosity, insight and originality. This novel challenges the readers on whether â€Å"families are really worth the effort or not? † The answer to this question changes with each individual’s opinion. Families are uniquely important to everyday life, everybody depends on their families differently and have their own ways of showing their love and care for each other. Alice, the mother of Ort, has always had that motherly love towards her family; even when under extreme stress she still keeps her family together. Alice shows throughout the novel that families are worth the effort, even when her children don’t show her respect. â€Å"’I hate your guts, you’re weak in the head, pathetic. You’re a hick, a burnt-out hippie from the olden days. And now you’re born-again, bashing the bible and Holy Jesus. I think you’re crap. ’ Says Tegwyn. Mum stands up, grabs her, her arms go around her hard so you can hear the air coming out of Tegwyn. Mum’s hands lock like they’ll need bolt-cutters to undo. ‘I love you,’ Mum says. ‘I love you. Love you. Love you. ’ And then Tegwyn is bawling and all saggy and smaller-looking, and they stay like that for a long time. † (pg 104) Alice tries to save her family from slowly disintegrating. By doing this, she tries to keep as much normality as possible within the Flack family. †Today, people, we’re all going on an outing. It’s Christmas day, day of rest and rejoicing, day of contemplation- not too exhaustive – and day of thanking the Lord for what is. Where to kids? Says Alice†(pg 105) All through the novel Alice proves to be the strongest character, even though she has her weak moments at times. â€Å"’I thought dad was going to be alright, Ort murmurs. ‘He will be,’ Alice whispers, snuffling. Some snot shines on her lips and her eyes are angry with tears. ‘He will be, Ort. I won’t let him not be. ’† (pg 50) She always has hope and believes that everything would be okay, and that Sam would heal over time with their family’s support and strength. â€Å"No. Healing is what you do for someone else. Survival is for yourself. You can eat people if you want to survive bad enough. Or you can die if you want to heal someone bad enough. ’† (pg 138) Ort is a twelve year old boy, who died twice due to suffering from meningitis when he was a baby. He was in a coma for two weeks and since then he has been a little slow and different to the others his age. â€Å"I was dead. Twice. Two times my head stopped and my brain stopped. ‘You had meningitis. Your head was all full of water. You screamed like you were on fire. And then you went asleep and didn’t wake up for two weeks. † (pg 12) As Ort tackles his own life obstacles, everything ends up becoming the worst after Sam; Ort’s dad becomes paralysed from a car accident. After this, the Flack family go down hill quickly from their usual life style flipping to a total different side. This is when Ort shows his true commitment towards his family and gives them the love, support and strength they need. Even though he is just a twelve year old boy and it takes him a while to understand, he finally proves himself and he starts to protect them. â€Å"’Ya sisters a slut, ya old man’s a vegetable, and ya mums a pisstank. says Fat. And that’s it. ‘Yer a fat slug! ’ I yell at him. ‘I hate yer big flubbery guts and yer pig face and yer crybaby old man who thinks he’s so funny and yer scrawny plucked-chook-piece-of-poop old lady. I hate yez! †(pg 39) Tegwyn, is Ort’s older sister who is a dark teenager that is negative on everything at this stage of her life. In the novel she doesn’t have any interest in making an effort to help her family. Since the very beginning of the novel she has hated liv ing out of the city and being stuck in the country with her family that she hates. â€Å"’Don’t you like us? ’ Ort asks. Tegwyn spits a bit of fat onto her plate. ‘I hate it here. ’ Then mum starts crying, hands over here face, elbows on the table, and Tegwyn goes into her room and I just sit there feeling useless. † (pg 50) Tegwyn does not think family is worth the time or effort and by the end she shows no consideration or respect towards her family. â€Å"I open Tegwyn’s door. The bed is empty. Even the blankets and sheets are gone. I open the cupboard. Empty. I go into the lounge room and see all of Henry Warburton’s stuff gone. Me heart is smashing around. The car is gone. Big skid marks all over the drive. † (pg 149) Family is very important to me. Looking back at the life challenges and changes my family and I have been through over the years from unfortunate deaths, to family members moving away and to sudden life risking injuries, and to see how we have overcome everything proves that families help each other out in the difficult times. If you love and care for each other enough, it will provide strength and a blanket of security. I think the most important thing is to have humour and to not take life too seriously at times. This is one of the things I found common with the Flack family and with my own. Ort using his imagination and strange opinions, definitely develop the humour the novel needs and also humour people need in everyday life. The quotes he says I find entertaining. â€Å"’You’re a singular sort. ’ Henry laughs. ‘You are one in a million, boy. How did they make you? ’ Henry asks. ‘In the bedroom†¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœsexual intercourse in the nude. ’ Ort says. (pg 137) Families play a valuable role in our lives and are definitely worth every effort. No matter how difficult life gets, you seem to always find your way in the end. If you stay positive and share humour between each other, the bad soon ends.

Executive Summary Social Networking Essay

Introduction We are at a time when customer satisfaction is at an all time low, yet it is becoming a more and more difficult to talk to a human for customer service. Many businesses have lost the personal and trust-filled relationship that is so desired by their clients. In order to maintain and grow a loyal customer base, a company can now achieve those real human connections by means of social networking. Individuals from all areas of the company are readily available to meet the diverse needs of its customers, future employees and each other. Social Networking is at the top of today’s technology and is being utilized by many companies. Our business purpose is to share business ideas and opportunities. This has become an effective tool to meet prospective leads, clients, efficient employees and business partners. [i] Social networking is an easy and cost effective way to make profitable business connections with people that you never knew existed. Recommendation ââ€" ª An advantage of Social Networking is to create new ways to communicate and share information about our company. Communication is a key to success in any business, and social networking is the best way to facilitate these successful interactions. ââ€" ª Social Networking ensures that our company is making new and successful connections. We are able to promote our company’s services on a more personal level.[ii] Both our customers and own employees can build a more trusting relationship through the ease of communication of a social network. Analysis Social Networking has always been an effective source of communication. It has become necessary to change they way we pursue our clients and employees. We want to manage more efficiently, hire the most qualified employees and locate potential clients. Our business has to be aware of not only what we communicate, but how we communicate. Society has changed they way we interact with one another. It use to be highly encouraged, by employers, to meet a potential client or future employee while playing golf, having lunch or maybe even dinner. You would provide your sales pitch, hand them a business card and follow back within the next few days to see if they were interested in your business or if you were interested in theirs. This was an approach to maintain a personal relationship and show your future client or future employee how available and interested you are. Social Networking has grown and we need to be aware of the way we connect and communicate. Communication is no longer just reaching a client or future employee. It is reaching millions of business connections that you never knew existed, through technology. Technology has allowed us to create social sites that can be used for networking your business, via the internet. I use to think social sites such as Myspace.com, Facebook.com, and LinkedIn.com were sites for younger people to socialize with their friends. After researching these sites, I found that these sites support much more than socializing amongst friends. It has become one of the most effective ways for businesses to communicate and build relationships with other business people and potential employees. Social networking has provided businesses with the following: business development or sales, raising business capital, professional development, getting job assistance with others in your company, recruiting board members, management of employees and social or personal reasons.[iii] Social Networking can add value to a company externally as well as internally. It can be a very powerful tool and when utilized properly we can learn from others as well as ourselves. There are many companies that have taken the idea of these social sites and utilized them internally. They are using social networking as marketing tool for growing their business. Social Networking is now essential professional competency for employees at all levels. Professionals need to know how to gain visibility and credibility in their target markets and how to build and maintain relationships for long-term growth. They need to develop strategic networking skills and practices to excel. It is the most important tool for intelligence gathering. In a business setting, such as conferences, meetings, and outings, people need to find the latest information on resources, trends and best practices. It is a critical strategy for business development. Employees can create a network of profiles and connect with one another. Enabling connections among employees, the company could easily establish virtual teams, bring new employees up to speed, improve collaboration and increase retention among people who hadn’t felt a strong sense of belonging.[iv] Social Networking is a method for personal retention because it creates feelings of inclusion and helps people from diverse backgrounds feel listened to and valued. Building up a network of diverse people is very helpful for any business. Contacts with different clusters or groups would help your possibility of greater opportunities. A closed group of contacts will not allow you this kind of exposure. Networking can help you with your contact list. This would then help you to expand your sales and social base. [v] It remains the primary technique that people use to find jobs, change careers or land on their feet after a layoff, merger, or reorganization.[vi] Through the company’s social network you can create a word-of-mouth marketing stream that reaches people you would never be able to reach on your own or other means. Experts can provide feedback or validation regarding your current ideas or help to create new ones. You can create an advisory board of business people that are regularly available to you and committed to the growth and success of your business. People are given the opportunity to brainstorm which allows you to get outside of the normal way of thinking and create new and innovative ways to grow your business. People in your social network can connect you with potential employees.[vii] Companies are communicating and connecting using external sites as a tool to check up on employees who are working for them or are a potential candidate. We want to make sure we are ahead of the game, the who’s who if you will. Potential employees seem to be younger and younger. They are not all exploiting the typical Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com to post their resumes or look for jobs anymore. They are developing personal sites with LinkedIn.com and Facebook.com, which are allowing a more personal view of a potential employee or client. More than one in five employers searches social networking sites to screen candidates. There are many areas of concern that can be researched on networking sites including: information about drug and alcohol use, inappropriate photos, poor communication skills, bad-mouthing of former employers or fellow employees, inaccurate qualifications, unprofessional screen names, notes showing links to criminal behavior, and confidential information about past employers. This is a very effective way to help determine whether a candidate should be hired. You want an employee that can show a professional image, solid references and are a well-rounded candidate in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit for the company.[viii] Closing Social Networking is a smart and strategic way to keep our company connected and communicating both internally and externally. Remember the old saying, â€Å"It is not always what you know, but who you know† and social networking has been an effective tool that has allowed us to broaden our personal relationships with our customers, future employees and each other. Social Networking through technology will allow us to grow with endless possibilities. ———————– [i] Raj, N. A. (2008). For Entrepreneurs: Social Marketing Optimization. Retrieved November 1,2008, for Gaebler Ventures Website:http://www.gaebler.com/Importance-of-Business-Networking-for-Entrepreneurs.htm [ii] Raj, N. A. (2008). For Entrepreneurs: Social Marketing Optimization. Retrieved November 1,2008, for Gaebler Ventures Website:http://www.gaebler.com/Importance-of-Business-Networking-for-Entrepreneurs.htm [iii] Darling, D. (2003). The Networking Survival Guide Get the Success You Want by Tapping into the People You Know. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill. [iv] Brandel, Mary (2008). The new employee connection: Social networking behind the firewall. Retrieved October 25, 2008, for Computerworld Networking & Internet Website:http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=knowledge_center&articleId=9114560&taxonomyId=1&intsrc=kc_top [v] Sridhar, B.N (2008). The Importance of Networking in Business. Retrieved October 25, 2008, for Ezine@rticles Website: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Importance-of-Networking-in-Business&id=1525118 [vi] Baber, A. & Waymon, L. (2007). Make Your Contacts Count Networking Know-How for Business and Career Success. New York, New York: Amacom. [vii] Fisher, D. (2001). Professional Networking for Dummies. Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing, Inc. [viii]Havenstein, H. (2008). One in five employers uses social networks in hiring process. Retrieved October 26, 2008, for Computerworld Networking & Internet Website:http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=knowledge_center&articleId=9114560&taxonomyId=1&intsrc=kc_top

Plastic Pollution Innovated Into Homes Professor Ramos Blog

Plastic Pollution Innovated Into Homes Ever wonder what the state of the worlds ocean would be in 2100? It doesnt help that the inhabitants of Earth produce 300 million tons of plastic each year (Arnold 1). 8 million tons of plastic being dumped into the ocean annually. Once it enters the environment it never actually goes away because once in the ocean for a certain period of time. The Plastic shrinks down to five millimeters in length never being detected again (Baker 1). It is estimated that seventy percent of animals in the oceans are ingesting 8 kilograms of plastic each year (Baker 3). These vertebrae are vital because they feed on these microorganisms. Without marine life, most of the coral reefs will begin to deteriorate along with a vast amount of food. Biodiversity plays a key role in this because without our oceans wouldnt be healthy and without a healthy ecosystem and biodiversity niche, the water from this ocean could become hazardous (Derraik 2). One solution that would help the plastic pollution on land would be to have a controlled area were the Wax Worm Larvae would feed on plastic. One of the only insects to feed and thrive on plastic (Arnold 3). In reality, this is how marine life feels like with all the plastic pollution entering their habitat. Once spoken about by Charles Moore In 1998 in the United States alone, 30 million tons of plastic were produced annually (2). Plastics are lightweight, strong, cheap, and durable making it perfect for manufacturers to a product from a wide range. These exact reasons are making plastics a serious hazard to the environment. The threat of plastics to the marine environment has been ignored for a long time, and its seriousness has been only recently recognized (Stefatos et al.). The amount of plastic dumped into the ocean each day is fourteen billion thats 1.5 million pounds per hour (Moore 5). The threat that marine life has to deal with when encountering plastic debris is the primary mechanical described by Laist meaning the see somethi ng floating in the water their first instinct is to eat it. Due to ingestion of plastic debris and entanglement in packaging bands, synthetic ropes, and lines or drift nets. These are all the horrible and unnecessary objects the marine life has to overcome and adapt in order to survive in the 21st century. It is not only marine life that is being harmed by plastic debris sea birds are being in the same critical harming position as well, but it is also believed that seven hundred species could go extinct due to plastic debris. Current estimates two hundred and sixty-seven species worldwide have been affected, including eighty-four percent of sea turtle species! Really sea turtles one of the most majestic creatures in the sea. Have you ever swum with a Green Sea Turtle, Chelonia Myda? I have once when I was sixteen years old in Hawaii ABSOLUTELY one of the craziest and most memorable times of my life. Now eighty-four percent of them are becoming endangered forty-four percent of sea birds and forty-three percent of all marine mammals species who have been harmed and put on the endangered species list. (Smith 1) Plastic bottles are very much killing our oceans. What can we do to stop this? I am purposing that we use all the plastic we throw away and implement it into our architectural cultural throughout society. In a small town of a very tiny island in Panama, residents are described by Baker are transforming plastic bottles into eco-friendly and stylish buildings. The person leading this project is Canadian Rober Bezue, he has developed this project because he has become fed up with cleaning bottles for years off beaches. Bezues solution was to construct an entire village of plastic called, the Plastic Bottle Village (Baker 5). Bezue stated unless developed countries organize, unite, and educate the developing countries, and give them an incentive to pick-up and reuse the plastic bottles already discarded, we all lose. I want the world to realize that we can reuse plastic bottles in many other applications. Why? Why plastic material for almost every product we use. Because it is cheap, affordable, and easy to manufacture. According to OurPlasticNetWorth.org in 2010. 192 countries bordering the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and the Black Sea produced 2.5 billion metric tons of solid waste was produced (Baker 3). An estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean that same year in 2010. 2 billion people within 30 miles of the coast create 100 million metric tons of coastal plastic waste. How much is created around the world? 2.5 billion metric tons of solid waste is produced all around the world. Within that 275 million metrics ton is a plastic waste (Baker 3). Thats 9.0909 pounds of plastic per person on the planet. To give you an example of what 1 metric ton is equivalent too is about 2204.62 pounds. So whats the outcome if we dont stop abusing plastic waste and throwing it into our oceans. The outcome? These plastic bottle h ouses keep houses thirty-five degrees cooler in Panama jungle. Panama is far more humid and hotter than the United States because Panama is closer to the equator meaning more heat rises on their continent (Baker 6). Twenty-thousand bottles would need to produce one house while being stuffed between wire mesh and the final step would be to cover the walls with concrete to keep it steady. An average person will consume fourteen to eighteen-thousand bottles in their lifetime (Baker 6). If you make a plastic bottle house made of twenty-thousand bottles youve become plastic bottle neutral, meaning it was like youve never thrown a plastic bottle away every in your lifetime. Prices would start out at $19,000 for an 800 per square meter lot according to their website PlasticBottleVillage.com. This is the future if we cant get rid of the problem make a solution to the problem. What can we do? First, reduce plastic waste in waste streams. Second, improve solid waste management. Third, and la stly is to increase the capture and reuse of plastic items. Its up to us to protect our oceans! Annotated Bibliography Garrard, Samantha, et al. Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification: A Postgraduate Perspective on Research Priorities. Marine Biology, vol. 160, no. 8, Aug. 2013, pp. 1789–1805. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s00227-012-2033-3.http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truedb=eihAN=89600216site=ehost-live.This research paper is studying the effects of pollution on marine life acidification (OA). Over the past decade, studies have revealed high levels of intra- and interspecific organism changes within the same time as water pollution has increased here in the United States. This source will help able to use the data they have found to show the effects of ocean pollution over the last decade. This is very well a credible source having been peer reviews by scientist and also postgraduate students. Talvitie, Julia, et al. Solutions to Microplastic Pollution – Removal of Microplastics from Wastewater Effluent with Advanced Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Water Research, Pergamon, 2 July 2017,www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0043135417305687.The Research paper by four scientists in Finland is suggesting a solution to the removal of microplastic from wastewater with the help of advanced wastewater treatment technologies. We drink microplastic waste in the water we drink and not only is it being consumed by humans it is being consumed by billions of marine life as well. This will help my proposal find a healthy yet eco-friendly solution for eliminating ocean pollution. Department of Built Environment, Aalto University, and Finland Sib Labs have published this under an Environment Institute making this a reliable source. Derraik, Jose G. Marine Pollution Bulletin. Vol. 44, Pergamon Press, 2003. The bookMarine Pollution Bulletin addresses the plastic debris harming and killing millions of marine wildlife. Not tending too this issue will mean a result of which we do not have these majestic creatures anymore roaming in our oceans all because of plastic litter. I will be showing the effects the plastic debris has one other larger marine wildlife versus the microplastics in the world’s ocean. The book was written by Dr. Jose G.B Derraik from the Ecology and Health Research Centre, Department of Public Health in Otago New Zealand. Arnold, Carrie. This Bug Can Eat Plastic. But Can It Clean Up Our Mess? National Geographic. April 24, 2017. Accessed June 25, 2019.https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/wax-worms-eat-plastic-polyethylene-trash-pollution-cleanup/. In this article they experiment with an insect called the Wax Worm Larvae which feeds on plastic. Trying to implement this on a nation or even global scale would be very hard and tricky so that is why I am putting it in my introduction as a possible solution but not a probable one. It will help me grab my readers and wanting them to know if this method of cleaning plastic pollution is actually possible. Baker, Maverick, and Maverick Baker. How to Eliminate Plastic Waste and Plastic Pollution with Science and Engineering. Interesting Engineering. September 24, 2018. Accessed June 25, 2019.https://interestingengineering.com/how-to-eliminate-plastic-waste-and-plastic-pollution-with-science-and-engineering. This entire journal is amazing this one really opened my eyes to all the possible outcomes of plastic solutions. I believe this will be the journal that I will use to help determine my solution. Being credible on a number of reason but the one that stood out to me is that they are partnered with the nature conservation natural center for all things green and wildlife. Merchant, Brian. â€Å"By 2100, Earth Will Have an Entirely Different Ocean.† Vice, VICE, 13 Aug. 2015,www.vice.com/en_us/article/bmjqvz/by-2100-everything-you-know-about-the-ocean-will-be-wrong. This article has some interesting and yet compelling arguments about plastic pollution and what the oceans will be like in the future to come. The evidence is very much credible by Mr. Merchant who’s been investigating this issue and studying the issue for quiet some time. I will be using this article in my essay to help give my elevator pitch in my introduction. https://vimeo.com/182464603this is the video of Rober Bezue and his plastic bottle village. If youd life to help protect our oceans visit this website to learn more. Its up to us to PROTECT our OCEANS! ourplasticnetworth.org Plastic Bottle Home Finished Plastic Bottle Home Under Construction What Marine Life Feel Because of Plastic Pollution

Evidence Darwin Had for Evolution

Evidence Darwin Had for Evolution Imagine being the first person to discover and put together the pieces of an idea so big that it would change the entire spectrum of science forever. In this day and age with all of the technology available and all kinds of information right at our fingertips, this may not seem to be such a daunting task. What would it have been like back in a time where this previous knowledge that we take for granted had not yet been discovered and the equipment that is now commonplace in labs had not yet been invented? Even if you are able to discover something new, how do you publish this new and outlandish idea and then get scientists all over the world to buy into the hypothesis and help strengthen it? This is the world that Charles Darwin had to work in as he pieced together his Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection. There are many ideas that now seem like common sense to scientists and students that were unknown during his time. Yet, he still managed to use what was available to him to come up with such a profound and fundamental concept. So what exactly did Darwin know when he was coming up with the Theory of Evolution? 1.  Observational Data Obviously, Charles Darwins most influential piece of his Theory of Evolution puzzle is the strength of his own personal observational data. Most of this data came from his long voyage on the HMS Beagle to South America. Particularly, their stop at the Galapagos Islands proved to be a gold mine of information for Darwin in his collection of data on evolution. It was there that he studied the finches indigenous to the islands and how they differed from the South American mainland finches. Through drawings, dissections, and preserving specimens from stops along his voyage, Darwin was able to support his ideas that he had been forming about natural selection and evolution. Charles Darwin published several about his voyage and the information he collected. These all became important as he further pieced together his Theory of Evolution. 2.  Collaborators Data Whats even better than having data to back up your hypothesis? Having someone elses data to back up your hypothesis. That was another thing that Darwin knew as he was creating the Theory of Evolution. Alfred Russel Wallace had come up with the same ideas as Darwin as he traveled to Indonesia. They got in contact and collaborated on the project. In fact, the first public declaration of the Theory of Evolution through Natural Selection came as a joint presentation by Darwin and Wallace at the Linnaean Society of Londons annual meeting. With double the data from different parts of the world, the hypothesis seemed even stronger and more believable. In fact, without Wallaces original data, Darwin may never have been able to write and publish his most famous book On the Origin of Speices which outlined Darwins Theory of Evolution and the idea of Natural Selection. 3.  Previous Ideas The idea that species change over a period of time was not a brand new idea that came from Charles Darwins work. In fact, there were several scientists that came before Darwin that had hypothesized the exact same thing. However, none of them were taken as seriously because they did not have the data or know the mechanism for how species change over time. They only knew that it made sense from what they could observe and see in similar species. One such early scientist was actually the one that influenced Darwin the most. It was his own grandfather Erasmus Darwin. A doctor by trade, Erasmus Darwin was fascinated by nature and the animal and plant worlds. He instilled a love of nature in his grandson Charles who later recalled his grandfathers insistence that species were not static and in fact did change as time passed. 4.  Anatomical Evidence Almost all of Charles Darwins data was based on anatomical evidence of various species. For instance, with Darwins finches, he noticed the beak size and shape was indicative of what kind of food the finches ate. Identical in every other way, the birds were clearly closely related but had the anatomical differences in their beaks that made them different species. These physical changes were necessary for the survival of the finches. Darwin noticed the birds that did not have the right adaptations often died before they were able to reproduce. This led him to the idea of natural selection. Darwin also had access to the fossil record. While there were not as many fossils that had been discovered in that time as we have now, there was still plenty for Darwin to study and ponder over. The fossil record was able to clearly show how a species would change from an ancient form to a modern form through an accumulation of physical adaptations. 5.  Artificial Selection The one thing that escaped Charles Darwin was an explanation for how the adaptations happened. He knew that natural selection would decide if an adaptation was advantageous or not in the long run, but he was unsure of how those adaptations occurred in the first place. However, he did know that offspring inherited characteristics from their parents. He also knew that offspring were similar but still different than either parent. To help explain adaptations, Darwin turned to artificial selection as a way to experiment with his ideas of heredity. After he returned from his voyage on the HMS Beagle, Darwin went to work breeding pigeons. Using artificial selection, he chose which traits he wanted the baby pigeons to express and bred the parents that showed those traits. He was able to show that artificially selected offspring showed desired traits more often than the general population. He used this information to explain how natural selection worked.

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 18

Research - Essay Example Conversely, this has changed whereby the incumbent leader Raul Castrol agreed to negotiate with Obama. Primarily, this regards diverse aspects meant to put the two states in harmonious pace and tackle matters that relate to their regional interests. The Cuba’s free consent to hold peaceful dialogue amid the states foresees a bright future ahead, where other states that declined trading with it due to U.S’ influence will resume their former relations. Hence, improving the Cuban economy, this at present is experiencing many inadequacies emanating from the US trade embargo. Cuban economic force lies on its strong and thriving agricultural sector that entails exporting cash crops to other states but not to the US. These entail sugar cane, tobacco, bananas and avocadoes. The state also boasts of rich resources, which comprise its exports besides utilizing them in their home industries to heighten the economy. Some of the state’s most reliable resources encompass petroleum, cobalt and nickel (McCoy 148). The latter two resources are more beneficial to the state, whereby the relevant authorities have devised strategies to invest in their productions to gain substantial foreign exchange. In addition, tourism sector contributes immensely in augmenting Cuban income owing to the state’s breathtaking landscapes, which attract many tourists globally (Sharpley & Knight 241). Consequently, these resources have enabled the state to provide most affordable and reliable health care for its people contrary to the other developed states like US. Presently , the state comprises of most educated youths in diverse fields, for instance IT; that is capable of boosting its economy. This is evident from its medical care sector that constitutes of proficient professionals (Vidal, Villanueva & Gonzà ¡lez-Corzo 5). The state despite endowed with resources and systems that boost its