Informative speech obesity free essay sample

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), more then 1/3 of Americans (35.7%) are obese. Today, I’d like to take some time out and talk about the various effects that being obese can have on an individual physically, mentally and emotionally.  There is a plethora of physical effects that being obese has on an individuals body.A: High Blood Pressure is a very common effect of obesity B: Diabetes nearly goes hand in hand with poor nutrition C: Heart disease is ten times more likely in obese patients D: Causes many Joint problems specifically In the hips and knees II. The mental effects of obesity are catastrophic to the thought process. A: Sleep apnea and respiratory problems occur because of lack of breath B: Stress levels are elevated in most obese individuals C: Many obese people have psychological problems III. Obesity also take an enormous emotional toll on the individual A: In teenagers who attend school, there is a lot of emotional stress B: Obese individuals usually have more social anxiety C: Being obese usually leads to depression in young adults Today, I’ve informed you all about some of the physical, mental and emotional effects attributed to obesity. We will write a custom essay sample on Informative speech obesity or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Hopefully we can take this knowledge and use it to fuel us to become more health conscious and make better decisions. Thank you

D-Day Success or disaster essays

D-Day Success or disaster essays D-Day, Success or Disaster Twenty years after the end of the First World War a man named Adolph Hitler of Germany began a Second World War. On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland, which had a treaty with France and England to protect them. The English, French and Polish were all unprepared to fight, and as a result were beaten terribly. By the next spring France had been totally taken by the Germans. While Germany and there allies, Italy, controlled all of the western part of Europe. England, France and now America had to figure a way to take the control of Europe again. There decision was to try and storm a beach in Normandy France. It would be one of the bloodiest war battles in U.S. History. This storming of Omaha Beach would be a success because even though the allies lost a lot of men, they still were able to take the beach, which led them to take the continent. This was the beginning of the end for Hitler and his Nazis. Hitler and his partners, Japan and Italy, made many m istakes, which opened the door for the allied forces to make this operation possible. Germanys big mistake was that Hitler had assembled a massive naval fleet to try and invade England. Hitlers thinking was that if he did try to go against one of the greatest naval fleets in the world that he would not be able to get it done. He also realized that the British would anything to stop a German invasion. So Hitler delayed and eventually cancelled the attack. Even if he had lost the invasion into England, he could have at least damaged the British navy. His partner, Italy, had brought in northern Africa, and Japan brought the US in when they not only bombed the navy base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, but also hit other U.S. possessions like the Philippians. Now that the U.S. was in the war, Germany had its hands full. The allies kept planning a time when they could go ashore and take control of France again. In the summer of 1942 Britain and Canada actuall...

Italian Sayings Using the Word Mangiare

Italian Sayings Using the Word Mangiare Mangia, or eat! in English, is a  term that reminds everyone that Italians have a reputation for being gourmands. Whether in popular culture or the abundance of Italian-themed restaurants throughout the world, this word seems to serve as the exemplar for the human condition. Phrases With Mangiare There are lots of great words and phrases with the word â€Å"mangiare† as a base, and as you go through them, try directly translating them from Italian to English as it makes them easier to remember. For example, â€Å"mangianastri,† which is â€Å"cassette player,†Ã‚  directly relates to â€Å"eat tape.†Ã‚  Italian compound nouns (nomi composti) with a form of mangiare include the following: fare da mangiare per: to cook forfinire di mangiare, finire tutto il pasto: to eat upil mangiafuoco: blusterer, braggart, swashbuckler, fire-eateril mangiamoccoli: hypocritically self-righteous person (popular term)il mangiapagnotte: someone who receives a public salary working with little effortil mangiapane a tradimento: scrounger, freeloaderil mangiapreti: a person who does not believe in the power of those religiously ordainedmangiare a saziet: to eat your fillmangiare bene: to eat wellmangiare come un maiale: to eat like a pigmangiare da cani: to eat badlymangiare fuori: to dine outmangiare la polvere: to bite the dustmangiarsi le mani: to kick oneselfmangiarsi le parole: to mumblela mangiatoia: manger, troughla mangiatrice di uomini: maneateril mangiatutto: big eater (also a kind of green beans, also known as â€Å"taccole† or â€Å"fagioli mangiatutto†) The verb mangiare is also the basis for the character name Mangiafuoco (Fire-Eater), the fictional wealthy director of the Great Marionette Theatre in The Adventures of Pinocchio. Proverbs Referring to Mangiare The slogan Chi vespa mangia le mele... was part of a famous advertising campaign by Piaggio from 1969-1971 to promote the Vespa motorino. The Italian language, though, has many other words of wisdom relating to eating. Chi mangia e non invita, possa strozzarsi con ogni mollica. - He who eats alone and invites no one, will choke with every crumb.Chi mangia solo crepa solo. - He who eats alone dies alone.Cià ² che si mangia con gusto non fa mai male. - What you eat with pleasure will never make you sick.Mangiare senza bere à ¨ come il tuono senza pioggia. - Eating without drinking is like thunder without the rain.Mangia quello che piace a te, vesti come piace agli altri. - Eat what you like, but wear what others like.Non si vive per mangiare ma si mangia per vivere. - One doesnt live to eat, but eats to live. Derogatory Terms Using Mangia For historical, political, and cultural reasons, there is a tradition  in many  countries of fierce territoriality, antipathy, competition, and prejudice among geographical regions. In Italy, given the geopolitical background of its former city-states, the expressed animosity can be especially pronounced (and creative!). In Italian, there are  terms used to refer to individuals from other regions- admittedly pejorative given the context- that include the verb mangiare. Unfortunately, poking fun (or scorn) on anyone on account of their dietary habits or economic status  is not uncommon. Here are common expressions that can be used in friendly conversations, but are rare since they are derogatory: Mangiacristiani:  Christian eater- a menacing, threatening person, but more in words than in deedsMangiamaccheroni:  Macaroni-eater- native of NapoliMangiacipolle:  Poor people who only could eat onionsMangiapatate:  Potato eater- one who habitually eat potatoes or is greedy; used to refer to GermansMangiapolenta:  Polenta eater- used when referring to those from the Veneto and LombardiaMangiapopolo:  People eater- oppressor, exploiterMangiasapone:  Soap eater- pejorative name given to SouthernersMangiabambini:  In fairy tales, an ogre who eats children; also, a grim-looking person who is, in reality, mild and harmless

Energy drinks effect Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Energy drinks effect - Research Paper Example The main loss of water from the body is due to perspiration According to various studies if one loses water up to two or more percent of ones body weight (water makes 60% of the body weight) due to sweating (If a man/woman weigh 50 Kilograms and if s/he loses one liter sweat), that will lead to a drop in blood volume. This will force the heart to work harder to pump the blood through the arteries. This is the extreme situation of dehydration. This leads to muscle cramps. The functioning of the brain heavily depends on water. Thus dehydration affects the brain leading to fatigue and dizziness. If not re-hydrated immediately this situation may even lead to heat illnesses like Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion. In addition to excessive sweating, other causes of dehydration are inadequate fluid intake, failure to replace fluid losses during and after the exercises, working out in dry hot weather, in the open, and drinking only when one is thirsty. There was a time when water was the only or one of the few sources of hydration. But water as a hydrant was found to have a lot of limitations. The major draw back of water as a hydrant is that it doesn’t replace the salts or electrolytes lost during perspiration. Water easily quenches thirst even before the body gets re-hydrated. Only few people like the taste of the water; most find the taste relatively bland. More over, drinking too much water can, though rarely, cause hyponatremia or water intoxication. It was these limitations of water as a hydrant that forced researchers to develop energy drinks especially for sports. Energy drinks or Sports drinks with their typical sweet-tart taste combination don’t quench thirst. So one is likely to drink larger volumes of energy/ sports drinks, compared to water which helps to maintain a better level of hydration. POSITIVE EFFECTS: Electrolytes or salts and Carbohydrates are the major components of an energy drink or sports drink. Protein is another component

Financial Analysis for Managers Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financial Analysis for Managers - Case Study Example Wal-Mart registers nearly $20,000 profit every minute of every day. Last fiscal year, Wal-Mart recorded profits of $10.3 billion. For comparison, Target's profit per minute is $6,084. To say Wal-Mart is a money-making machine would be an understatement. The calculations given as Appendices A, B and C are based on Wal-Mart and Target's past four years annual data from the 10K and Hoovers. Some are calculated by author as well. (Dollars are listed in thousands). Net Profit Margin is an indication of how effective a company is at cost control. The higher the net profit, the more effective the company is at converting revenue into actual profit. Target has greatly improved on this number over the last few years and reached the high number of 3.8 in 2002 from its low of 3.4 in 1999. In comparison to Wal-Mart, it has outperformed it during this period. Operating Profit Margin shows how effective a company controls its cost and expenses associated with the normal business operations. Target's OPM remained consistent from 1999 to 2001 and improved from 2001 to 2002 due to the stronger supplier relationships, restructuring of stores and more effective inventory management. Wal-Mart remained below during the entire period. It has large overhead costs to maintain its many stores. Return on Assets determi... (c). Return on Assets Net Income + Interest Return on Assets = Average Total Assets Return on Assets determines how many dollars of profits can be achieved for each dollar of assets under control. Target's return on assets ranges between $8 to $9 which is compareable to Wal-Mart's ranges. (d). Return on Equity Net Income Return on Equity = Average Equity Return on Equity is one of the most important profitability measures. ROE reveals how much a company earned in comparison to the total amount of the shareholder equity found on the balance sheet. ROE encompasses the three main levers by which the management can better the corporation. These levers are profitability. Asset management and financial leverage. Again although Wal-Mart is ahead of Target during the whole period but the figures are even compareable as walmart ranges from $20 to $23 while Target' figures ranges between $19 to $21. 2. Efficiency ratios of Wal-Mart & Target Efficiency ratios of Wal-Mart & Target are calculated by applying the following formulae. (a). Asset Turnover Ratio SalesAsset Turnover Ratio = Average Total Assets Asset Turnover Ratio measures how efficiently a company uses its average total assets to generate sales. The figures show that Target has gone down in this number over the past four years from a high of 2.054 to 1.665. Sales for Target are not increasing as fast as the number of assets within the corporation. Wal-Mart has outperformed Target in this field as its minimum value was 2.601 in 2000 which is higher than the Target's highest value. (b). Inventory Turnover Ratio Coast of Goods Sold Inventory Turnover Ratio = Average Inventory Inventory Turnover Ratio measures the number of times that

The Banking Concept of Education Essay Example for Free

The Banking Concept of Education Essay Students have mastered the science of memory. The ability to recall facts from class is the way to success in most forms of schooling. Memorization of vocabulary cards, overhead notes, outlines, and harvested concepts will lead to students’ expected achievement of ‘A’ marks. Many educators and students do not know that this system of education is not just ineffective, but it is harmful. Paulo Freire talks about the â€Å"banking concept of education†, explaining that students in this system are â€Å" ‘receptacles’ † that are to be â€Å" ‘filled’ † with the â€Å"content of the teachers narration†. (Freire, 1) These â€Å"receptacles† are expected to regurgitate information given in class, on tests, quizzes, and anything that requires an answer that is â€Å"word for word† what the teacher says. In a banking classroom, the teacher is the authority and the students are oppressed. Freire writes, â€Å"The more students work at storing deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness which would result from their intervention in the world as transformers of that world.† (Freire, 2). To escape this system of students striving to lose critical consciousness, Freire argues, and I agree that â€Å"mutual humanization† must occur. Students and teachers must become partners in critical thinking. Freire argues that banking educational goals must be forgotten, and teachers should, â€Å"replace it with the posing of the problems of human beings in their relations with the world†. (Freire, 5) Problem posing education focuses on concepts that have â€Å"praxis†, practical application of theories or concepts learned through education. Students must be able to see that what they learn in the classroom can help them change the world. This realization enables them to engage in â€Å"praxis†. When students are given problems as opposed to only information, the process becomes less alienated and more practical. When there is no right answer, students are pitted with the task of critical thinking, and praxis. The bottom line is that education should provide tools and practice in critical thinking for students, not absolute answers. I completely agree with Freire’s argument in this chapter. In fact, I feel that it is one of the most meaningful pieces of educational literature that I have ever encountered.

Lord of the flies :: essays research papers

I am writing in response to the â€Å"spring cleaning† of Library that is coming up soon. I have heard that the English Department is currently deciding which videos they should keep in the library. For the videos of Lord of the Flies, I would prefer the school to keep the 1963 version instead of the 1990 version. The 1963 version of the Lord of the Flies would be a worthier choice for the Grade 11 students who study this novel. It follows the novel that William Golding wrote as opposed to the 1990 version which it emphasizes entertainment rather than the actual story. Furthermore, the 1990 version would confuse students who are currently studying this story. The director has appended in many scenes that were not in the book. At the same time, he has left out many important episodes that should have been portrayed onto the screen to facilitate Golding’s salient message to his audiences. Moreover, the additional scenes of the new version contribute to a contradiction that would tangle up the audience if they had read his work. For example, the boys on the island built the camp and shelter first instead of the fire. There was no voting section for the choosing of leaders in the first assembly. It has no choir members among the group of boys. The boys even ate lizards in this video and had story telling during the nights. There was also an existence of a man that has got hurt seriously that had been surviving with them all along. As for the 1963 version, the director had tried to follow the original theme of the novel itself. It started off how the novel did. It goes on with scenes that are much the same as the novel. For the characters, the 1990 version gave the audience some contrastive characteristics of them. In it, Jack was extremely evil and cruel. He cut his fingers, used his blood to paint his face and his hunters faces. As for Piggy, he has no asthma at all. He had been unusually kind and caring to the younger children as well, and also being the one who tells them stories. Ralph had also been particularly virtuous in the beginning of the movie. He had been exceptionally patient with the boys. As I have told you, the older version of Lord of the Flies depict the book version to a greater degree.

Reflection Paper on a Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Mind is a story based on the life of the famous mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. His contributions to mathematics are outstanding. When he was an undergraduate, he proved Brouwer's fixed point theorem. He then broke one of Riemann's most perplexing mathematical problems and became famous for the Nash Solution. Game Theory from then on, Nash provided breakthrough after breakthrough in mathematics. In 1958 John Forbes Nash was described as being ‘the most promising young mathematician in the world'. John solved problems in mathematics that many mathematicians deemed not solvable. On the threshold of such a promising and outstanding career, he then went on to suffer through three decades of a devastating form of paranoid schizophrenia. He lost his teaching professions and his job. He refused all medical treatment and spent years in and out of delusional states. Remarkably, in 1994 John won the Nobel Prize in Economic Science for his work on Game Theory, he was only 21 when he wrote his paper. The story of John Forbes Nash Jr. is definitely connected with Logic, as he is a mathematician. In his breaking of many perplexing mathematical problems, he used logic. And in producing his famous Game theory, logical systems were used. Among the important properties that logical systems can have: ?Consistency, which means that no theorem of the system contradicts another. ?Validity, which means that the system's rules of proof will never allow a false inference from true premises. A logical system has the property of soundness when the logical system has the property of validity and only uses premises that prove true (or, in the case of axioms, are true by definition). ?Completeness, which means that if a theorem is true, it can be proven. Soundness, which means that the premises are true and the argument is valid. In one of the scenes in the movie, where Nash was in a bar with friends, the use of logic was very evident. While Nash and his friends all have their eyes on the same Blonde woman, you begin to sense his ‘genius moment'. He surprises his colleagues with the question that if we all want the same woman, nobody wins, if we all go afte r her friends, nobody wins, and thus there must be a solution to ensure that everyone wins. With that, Nash writes a formula on a napkin, rushes out of the bar and works feverishly on his new theory. The scene shows the art of logic, which examines three acts of the reason: simple apprehension, judgment and reasoning. Simple Apprehension is the grasp of a concept. A concept is also called an idea, a species, an intelligible form, and a mental word. A concept has an extension, which is the group of things included under the concept. A singular concept is the concept of one individual, for example, your concept of President Abraham Lincoln. A universal concept extends to a whole class of things. The more features (or notes) included in a universal concept, the narrower its extension. A transcendental concept is one that applies to anything that exists, for example being, thing, unit, distinct, good, true, beautiful. A concept by itself is not true or false, just as a single word is not true or false. A concept is a sign of a thing, just as a spoken word is a sign of a concept, and through the concept the spoken word is a sign of the thing. A concept is not merely a sensation stored in the mind, but is an immaterial act of understanding. A Judgment is expressed in a complete sentence or proposition. Judgments are either attributive, when we say â€Å"A is B†, where A is a subject and B is a predicate, or existential, as when we say â€Å"A exists†. Affirmation or affirmative judgment is called composition, because we are putting two concepts together. Negation is called division, because we are taking two concepts apart. A judgment is either true or false. Reasoning involves three terms or concepts, and two judgments. The major term is the broadest, the minor term is the narrowest, and the middle term is between the two, included in the meaning of the major term, and including in it the meaning of the minor term. An example is given in the table below (The Structure of a Syllogism). Major PremiseEvery man is mortal. Mortal = major term Minor PremiseKenji is a man. Man = middle term ConclusionKenji is mortal. Kenji = minor term A syllogism is the verbal expression of an act of reasoning. In a syllogism or perfect argumentation, where one thing is given, another thing necessarily follows. Other forms of argumentation give lesser degrees of certainty. A perfect syllogism employes deduction, which is reasoning that starts from general truths, and then applies them in a particular instance.

Competition in Health Care Essay

For this assignment the class was instructed to describe the different forms of competition that take place among various types of health care organizations, evaluate the benefits and pitfalls of competition in health care and suggest alternatives if competition was not the primary driver of operations in the U.S. health care system, explain the elements of successful competition and the use of competitive intelligence, describe the influence competition has on the services offered by health care organizations and the choices patients have. Health care as in all industries, competition among businesses has long been encouraged as a mechanism to increase value for patients. In the overwhelming majority of industries, firms compete with each other to sell more products or services to customers, their purpose being to capture more of the customer’s dollar (Spath & Abraham, 2014). Many companies are free at any time to offer whatever products they think people need at any price th ey believe people are willing to pay. If customers will buy their product they will succeed; if not, they fail. This considered the nature of competition. Competition creates winners and losers inspires firms to constantly improve. Competition in many sectors of the healthcare industry functions differently. The usual free market principles of supply and demand are distorted by an extensive regulatory framework at both the federal and state levels of government. State regulators may not allow all HSOs in one geographical market area to offer particular services. Price caps may prevent HSOs from charging whatever price people are willing to pay for healthcare services. Pharmaceutical companies are free to develop any new medication they want but must get approval from the Food and Drug Administration before it can be sold in the United States. Insurance plans may direct people to receive services from certain HSOs and not others. Hospital emergency departments must provide healthcare services to people even if they cannot pay for those services (Spath & Abraham, 2014). In the health care industry, competition has an impact on many relational perspectives. There have been  several studies examining the relation ships between competition and quality of health care, competition and health care system costs, and competition and patient satisfaction. Some elements of competition in health care are price, quality, convenience, and superior products and services. One type of competition that takes place in health care amongst the various types of health care organizations is the business’s existing competitors. The existing competitors are the ones that the business has been dealing with for many years. There are also potential competitors, which are companies that are currently operating in another industry or market, but show interest in entering the business’s industry or market. Some examples are; firms operating in other geographic regions seeking to expand their markets, firms offering similar and related, but not directly competing, products that wish to expand their product lines, customer firms that decide to integrate backward in the industrial value chain, suppliers attracted by margins may choose to integrate forward in the chain, a small, strategically weak firm becomes a serious threat of entry when it is acquired by a company that can reduce or eliminate the weaknesses, firms that feel threatened by a move into th eir markets might retaliate by moving in the opposite direction, and firms that have a possible fit or synergy with the critical success factors in the industry (Moseley, 2009). Attention must also be paid to indirect competition, those entities offering products or services that may serve as substitutes to the business’s products or services in the eyes of its customers (Moseley, 2009). Hospitals also compete for physicians by offering more highly trained supportive staff and/or better equipment. Hospitals are more likely to compete for patients by providing more services, better amenities, or discounted prices. There is a strong competition for cutting edge technology and medical talent locally and globally. Hospitals also have to compete for inclusion in insurer’s provider networks. Insurance plans compete for cost to payers, quality of provider networks, credentialing screening, and quality assessment procedures. Competition has played a vital role in shaping the delivery of healthcare in the United States. Competition drives innovation and ultimately leads to the delivery of better healthcare. Competition results in lower prices and broader access to health care and health insurance. Competition among and between hospitals and physicians intensified with the development of managed  care organizations. In addition to putting pressure on costs, managed care plans have pressured providers to use shorter hospital stays and to offer alternative outpatient treatments (Macfarlane, 2014). This led to lower costs  and an increase in choice without sacrificing quality. Lower costs and improved efficiency has made health insurance more affordable and available. Another benefit of competition in health care is the innovation in healthcare technology (endoscopic surgery, anesthetic agents available in ambulatory surgery centers). There are many competitive success stories in healthcare in the area of pharmaceuticals, urgent care centers, and elective surgeries. Competition has some pitfalls in healthcare that includes the time and costs that it takes for healthcare organizations to compete against others. Other common pitfalls are unexpected difficulties when expanding into new geographies, over-optimistic projections in patient numbers, revenues, and profitability, misjudging local income levels and ability to pay, and underestimating local competition. Another pitfall may be over investing in equipment. Competition has severely restricted collaboration among service providers. An alternative to competition would be collaboration between providers or fixed prices. Success is not achieved by ignoring your competition but rather by anticipating competitive issues and influences so you can always have a proactive plan and strategy for staying ahead of your competition. As in all industries including health care the competition among businesses has long been encouraged as a mechanism to increase value for patients. There are many forms of competition that have an influence on services offered by health care organizations. The competition comes from not only other practices, but can include anyone or anything that may influence a prospective patient to not become a patient of an organization. Organizations that fail to deliver products that satisfy customers’ needs will soon go out of business. Strategic thinking and planning enables organization to stay ahead of the competition. References Macfarlane, M. (2014). Sustainable Competitive Advantage for Accountable Care Organizations. Journal of Healthcare Management, 59(4), 263-271. Retrieval from EBSCOhost, www.ashford.edu/libraryMoseley, G (2009). Health Care Competition, Strategic Mission, and Patient Satisfaction: Research Model and Propositions. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nln.nhi.gov/. Spath, P., Abraham, S. (2014). Strategic Management for Healthcare Organizations, Bridgepoint Education, Inc. www.ashford.edu/books.

Free Essays on Negative Effects Of Working And Going To School

In the struggle to become more independent, you must start paying your own way. But there’s a price; stress, lack of social life and sleep depravation are all negative effects of working and going to school. Many people do this, while going to college to better themselves and they must work to pay for it. Because we all know, higher education is not free. Well at least not for most, except for the lucky few with the rich parents! Realistically most people work their way through college, attempting to balance both work and school. But what does all this do to a person? Stress is one of the biggest negative effects plaguing working college students. So much is expected from them. They are expected to work anywhere from ten to forty hours a week, go to school, do another four to eight hours of homework per class and then somehow manage to fit sleep in there. â€Å"Stress can overtax our adjustive capacity, affect our moods, impair our ability to feel pleasure, and harm the body.† Also, â€Å"Stress is the number one reason that college students seek help at college counseling.† (Rathus & Nevid, Psychology, 142) As you can see, stress is a major problem for college students and has many negative effects. One of the worst effects of stress is its effect on one’s health. Stress can literally make you sick, lowering your immune system and opening you up to a Pandora’s Box of problems. At first, it might just be small things like a headache or a cold and then progress to more major problems like respiratory or circulatory problems. The key is to take time out for yourself, and most importantly, get enough sleep. Unfortunately, that rarely happens with so many things to do and so little time. Another major negative effect is lack of sleep. With all these responsibilities placed on these students, it just seems like there aren’t enough hours in a day. Many... Free Essays on Negative Effects Of Working And Going To School Free Essays on Negative Effects Of Working And Going To School In the struggle to become more independent, you must start paying your own way. But there’s a price; stress, lack of social life and sleep depravation are all negative effects of working and going to school. Many people do this, while going to college to better themselves and they must work to pay for it. Because we all know, higher education is not free. Well at least not for most, except for the lucky few with the rich parents! Realistically most people work their way through college, attempting to balance both work and school. But what does all this do to a person? Stress is one of the biggest negative effects plaguing working college students. So much is expected from them. They are expected to work anywhere from ten to forty hours a week, go to school, do another four to eight hours of homework per class and then somehow manage to fit sleep in there. â€Å"Stress can overtax our adjustive capacity, affect our moods, impair our ability to feel pleasure, and harm the body.† Also, â€Å"Stress is the number one reason that college students seek help at college counseling.† (Rathus & Nevid, Psychology, 142) As you can see, stress is a major problem for college students and has many negative effects. One of the worst effects of stress is its effect on one’s health. Stress can literally make you sick, lowering your immune system and opening you up to a Pandora’s Box of problems. At first, it might just be small things like a headache or a cold and then progress to more major problems like respiratory or circulatory problems. The key is to take time out for yourself, and most importantly, get enough sleep. Unfortunately, that rarely happens with so many things to do and so little time. Another major negative effect is lack of sleep. With all these responsibilities placed on these students, it just seems like there aren’t enough hours in a day. Many...

Case study in Forensics - Ashley Coulston

Ashely Mervyn Coulston is known as the ‘Burwood triple murderer’ he murdered three innocent victims in cold blood on 29 July 19921. Coulston had gone to a Burwood house under the guise of renting a room in the house that had been ‘advertised in the Herald Sun’2. Coulston had a bag that contained a . 22 rifle, ammunition, a homemade silencer and plastic cable ties. Coulston bound, gagged and covered the victim’s heads (using a towel or dressing gown) and shot each in the back of the head at point blank range3. I will briefly outline the circumstances of the case and how the perpetrator – Coulston, was eventually captured and the evidence that flowed to convict him for the triple murders in Summit Road, Burwood. In this case study I will examine the forensic evidence (limited to the main ballistic evidence), that was presented in the criminal trials and the forensic evidence that was introduced by the prosecution. Background Coulston was caught by police not for the murders in Burwood but for an armed robbery that occurred several months after the murders in July. Coulston had approached a couple who were returning to their car parked near the National Gallery in St Kilda Road. Coulston was wearing a balaclava and carrying a . 22 calibre rifle when he approached the couple in their car4. The couple believed the assailant was after money; so they threw some money at Coulston hoping that he would leave5. Coulston grabbed the money and forced the couple from the car. He then forced the female to the ground and tied her hands with the cable ties. At that moment the male partner of the couple noticed that Coulston had placed the gun on the ground and he took the opportunity to grapple with Coulston, thus allowing the female to run. The male also fled, with both calling out for help. Two security officers near the scene heard screams for assistance, and subsequently called for police. Coulston followed the couple and fired shots at the security officers which hit one of the officer’s in the hip6. When police arrested Coulston they found a sawn off rifle, a homemade silencer that was made from a motor vehicle oil filter, a knife and plastic cable ties7. Forensic evidence The police forensics department found that the bullets recovered from the scene of the Burwood triple murders had come from the same gun used in the St Kilda armed robbery8. The police also found that the cream cable ties used on the female victim in the armed hold-up were the same brand as those used in in the Burwood murders9. Forensic evidence also established that blood splatter from a dressing gown found over the head of one of the Burwood victims was the same blood that had splattered onto the oil filter of the rifle, used as a silencer10. Police were also able to use the fingerprint of Coulston found on his Melways Street directory that marked the page of the Summit Road, Burwood triple murders11. These pieces of evidence were used to place Coulston as the prime suspect in relation to the three murders in Burwood12. In relation to the specific ballistic evidence; there was considerable debate over the possible contamination of the evidence by Senior Constable Ray Vincent – police forensic examiner. Mr Vincent appears to have incorrectly labelled a job card used to record the test firing of the rifle. The Court of Appeal was less than impressed with the defence’s proposition that due to the error there was a possibility that the bullets had been substituted to make it look like they had been fired from the . 22 Sterling rifle13. Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal dismissed the notion of the evidence being tampered with14. The prime evidence that was used to convict Coulston was the . 22 Sterling rifle he had in his possession, when he was arrested in relation to armed robbery and attempted murder of the security officers in St Kilda Road, Melbourne15. Specific Forensic Evidence There were several specific pieces of evidence that were found at the Burwood murder scene:16 1. There was no sign of forced entry; 2. That the flat was neat and tidy – not disturbed; 3. That the 3 victims had their hands bound with cream coloured tie straps and socks placed in their mouths; and, 4. One of the victims had a dressing gown placed over her head whilst the others had towels. 17 5. A Sterling . 22 rifle was one of a list of weapons that had similar rifling marks to two of the bullets used in the murders – one of the bullets was indistinguishable18. The Sterling rifle that Coulston used in the armed robbery was suspected to have been the weapon used in the Burwood murders19. The police forensic expert Senior Constable Ray Vincent was able to match the distinct impressions left on the bullet by the particular firearm, ‘much like a fingerprint’20. The firearm barrel is manufactured by using a type of drill (reamer) to cut the barrel so it has ‘spiral grooves cut into the inner surface of the barrel’21. The spiralling enables the bullet to spin and therefore maintain a more accurate trajectory22. When the ballistics expert inspects the bullet, he measures the spaces between the markings on the bullet called grooves and lands, and in particular if they twist either to the right or left23. Mr Vincent was able to count the number of grooves, their width and depth, together with the angle of the twist, and compiled a list of manufacturers that had similar rifling marks – one of those was a Sterling . 22 rifle24. Coulston’s defence tried to discredit the ballistic evidence given by Mr Vincent25. By indicating that: 1. 250 bullets had been test fired from the rifle to make a comparison; 2. the job card used to record the firings was incorrectly dated – it was dated August 1993 instead of August 1992; and, 3. the bullets used had been substituted at a later stage. In relation to point 1, His Honour Chief Justice Brenan responded by suggesting that ‘the rifling on these bullets fired at a stage before the burring on the front of the barrel might have changed the perspective of them’26. In essence His Honour was making the comment that the defence may be suggesting that after multiple firings of a weapon the profiling on the bullet may change indicting a possible error being made in the make of the firearm27. In relation to point 2, the defence proposed that the evidence may have been tainted by the fact that ‘something was wrong in the handwritten†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦addition to the document†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦which was a list of weapons having the same rifling characteristics as the weapon inferentially used in the murders’28. The defence was trying to put doubt in the jury’s mind by stating that the list of weapons noted by Vincent, that had the same markings as the murder weapon, was made after Coulston was arrested for the armed robbery in September 1992, noting that Coulston had one of the weapons on the list29. In relation to point 3, the defence stated that the rifling, that is the ‘characteristics of the weapon’ †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢used in the murders, was based on Vincent’s forensic examination of the bullets’. The bullets had †¦. ‘six lands and grooves with a right hand twist with the lands wider than the groove, land . 063 and groove . 048, Vincent prepared a list of rifles which possessed those characteristics. ’ ‘The list of rifles with those characteristics would therefore identify the murder weapon’30. The defence utilised the services of an expert witness; Mr Barnes (a former Forensic officer later to be discredited) who indicated he was ‘not able to see how you could prepare a list of [weapons] based on those characteristics’ (the land and groove markings on the bullet) to the list of weapons prepared by Mr Vincent31. The inference drawn was the bullets used by Mr Vincent may have been substituted at a later stage. Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal both regarded ‘the issue as improbable’ and regarded ‘Mr Vincent as a credible witness’32. Blood splatter and gun residue Due to the word limit I will only touch on the issue of the other evidence that was gathered from the crime scene in Burwood, as it was not as significant as the ballistic evidence. A forensic scientist had determined that the blood stains from the dressing gown matched blood found on the oil filter that was used as a silencer33. Another forensic scientist determined that the lack of gun residue on the dressing gown was consistent with someone being shot a close range34. These pieces of evidence led to the police interrogation of Coulston who answered â€Å"no comment’. Coulston remained silent in regards to the murder charges throughout the trial and has maintained his innocence to the charges of murder35. Coulston ultimately appealed his conviction of murder to the High Court who dismissed his appeal on the ground that it had ‘no prospects of success. 36 He is now serving three consecutive life sentences and is never to be released. Conclusion The attention to detail and the corroboration of the evidence by another Forensic Officer is tantamount to the credibility of the evidence put before the court. Any mistake made by the Forensic officer can jeopardise the trial and possibly allow a murderer to walk free, as a jury is required to make a decision on the basis of beyond reasonable doubt. In this case, if there was doubt around the date of the job card, the list of weapons and the bullets used; this may put enough doubt in a juries mind to find Coulston not guilty37.

Problem Formulation and Identification Paper Essay - 1

Problem Formulation and Identification Paper - Essay Example bable due to start-up financial constraints and approval difficulties from FDA, Chao faced reality; he opted to first enter the generic drug making industry where costs are lower and risks on FDA approval, lower. This decision was made after finding out in Chao’s research that though the generic drugs industry yielded lower margins compared to its branded counterpart they were able to gain handsome income. Watson’s finances were insufficient to operate the company in its early days. With this problem, Chao had displayed another of his quality in solving the problem, by persistently finding a method that works. After failed attempts to acquire funding from banks and other orthodox financial sources, instead of he decided to tap the Taiwanese community in his area for monetary aid. With Chao’s leadership, the company was also able to point out alternative opportunities that could eventually solve its problem. Knowing that he cannot squarely compete, Watson seized the market niche where his competitors had dared not to tap because of low margin. With the unique operating stratagem implemented by its founder and CEO, the company was able to capitalize on the territories that are untapped by its competitors in its early years to generate sales. By producing generic drugs these low margin niche drug markets, Watson Pharmaceuticals was able become pioneers in them. As profits went in, the company had again inked out another problem, how to make the company grow. This propelled them to product innovation, to improve the status quo by finding ideas that will make their products more effective and sellable. Watson had successfully gained the exclusive right to produce additional 17 generic products. This surged Watson’s profits even further. Having sufficient money to expand further, Watson Pharmaceuticals acquired other pharmaceutical companies that will extend their market reach. The company was able to incorporate 9 subsidiaries to its empire. Watson