Project How Iim Students Improve Their Career

Two IIM-A grads shun Rs 1-cr offer AHMEDABAD: Declining pre-placement offers is nothing new for students of Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad, but declining the highest offers ever made in the institute has raised more than a few eyebrows. Two of the six second-year post-graduate programme students of IIM-Ahmedabad who were offered the position of associates by Deutsche Bank, declined it despite their salaries, in rupee terms, was more than Rs 1 crore. Debashish Chakravarty, one of the two students who refused the offer said, â€Å"I declined the offer because I wanted to be on my own. The challenge of entrepreneurship was more exciting for him than taking up a cushy job. â€Å"Three other classmates and I have planned to start our own business. We plan to start production and retailing of women's lingerie,† said Chakravarty, who was serving in the Army before taking voluntary retirement. Vineeta Singh, who too rejected the Deutsche Bank offer will be joining Chakravar ty, along with Bhushan Dabir and Vishal Prabhu Khan-olkar. â€Å"We did a detailed market research on women's lingerie and found huge customer dissatisfaction. We have a business plan ready,† said Chakravarty. The financing of the project is being negotiated with venture capitalists and if everything goes as per plan we hope to be in the market with our product by next year,† Chakravarty said. Source: http://timesofindia. indiatimes. com/articleshow/968988. cms IIM-A alumni run online CAT coaching Though the country’s six Indian Institutes of Management’s Admission Group have decided to make their Common Admission Test (CAT) online from next year, four alumni of IIM Ahmedabad have managed to beat their alma mater in the Net game. Four students of the Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management, who opted ut of the placement process in 2007, already have a Website that imparts online coaching for CAT. The foursome, Vineeta Singh, Bhusan Davir, Vishal Prabh ukhanolkar and Debashish Chakravarty, were in the news in 2007 for spurning high-paying job offers, to start a venture to manufacture a new range of lingerie. Though this new venture did not take off, they started a Website,www. tenaday. co. in, which provides online coaching for CAT. The venture currently has about 29,000 registered users, Prabhukhanolkar told the Hindustan Times on Tuesday. Presently, the venture is the only online CAT coaching portal in the country.Asked about what made them start an online CAT coaching site, Prabhukhanolkar said that the logistics of the admission examination was becoming a nightmare, due to the growing number of aspirants every year. â€Å"It was soon becoming imperative for the exam to go online some day,† he added. The online examination would be much easier to mange than the current system, Prabhukhanolkar said. An IIM-A source confirmed that the online examination would cut down administrative costs, involving people travelling to pl aces, and sending papers all over the country, with risks of leaks.The conventional examination can be conducted from a limited number centers while the online tests can be taken from anywhere. Source: http://www. hindustantimes. com/IIM-A-alumni-run-online-CAT-coaching/Article1-295258. aspx Past students return to IIM-A to recruit The Indian Institutes of Management are globally renowned as transformers of bright young students into enterprising adults capable of promoting, running and leading their businesses to success at world level. There have been several examples of IIM Alumni who have succeeded in India and abroad.Graduating students from IIMs often find themselves being offered multiple job postings at top-dollar salaries. While most students opt for such high-profile placements there are few who go ahead and promote their own enterprises. Here are four young alumni from the highly rated  Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad  (IIM-A) who passed out in 2007 and promo ted their own dotcom company who are  returning to the campus, this time to recruit. When they rejected their placement offerings of Rs. 80 lakh – one crore salary packages people were surprised, but the team was confident of breaking out into the market and making it big.And now the proof of the pudding is in the fact that they are back in the campus recruiting. They want highly talented, enthusiastic and hardworking business savvy IIM-A grads to take their company to new heights. The quartet include  Vishal Prabhukhanolkar,  Bhusan Davir,  Vineeta Singh  and  Debashish Chakravarty  who grouped together to promote ‘ten-a-day’, an online website which offers coaching for the CAT examination, the gateway to the IIMs and several other B-Schools in India. The venture operational online @  www. tenaday. co. in, has attracted over 22,000 fully registered users in just a year since promotion.According to the promoters the ventue needs more heads to make it big and none but IIM alumni will do. In less than a year the  website  has become the largest online CAT training and education preparation platform. The  modus operandi  of the website is simple, registered students are required to answer just 10 questions every day and generates a daily percentile rankings of the student. This is one way to monitor the students progress on a daily basis. This will enable students to know where they are lacking and work on the areas in which they are weak. The explanations and ten questions a day are free.But the detailed analyses of the answers and rankings and advising students on the areas they need to work to succeed in CAT are charged. Fees range from Rs. 210 onwards and is very affordable compared to other institutes across the country whose courses are priced anywhere between Rs. 5,000-14,000 for similar services. The annual CAT entrance test is written by nearly two lakh students every year. This number is poised to grow to six lakh in the next three years and sounds fantastic business opportunity for those who offer quality and effective training to students desirous of getting the coveted IIM seats.Tags:  CAT,  entrance test,  IIM,  website,  coaching,  online education,  Business Source : http://www. hellocompany. org/entry/past-students-return-to-iim-a-to-recruit/ It's raining money at the IIMs! Gaurav Dagaonkar passed out of IIM last year and instead of dancing to his employer's tune he decided to sing his own song. He opted out of placements to become a full time singer. A year later, he's giving the same advice to his juniors. Dagaonkar says, â€Å"It is essential for a person to start off as early as possible, So, that within two years you start networking with the right kind of people – you have people in place and you become confident. But everyone doesn't seem to agree. Ram Ganesh Aiyer passed out of IIM-A in 2004 but instead of starting off on his own, he worked for a cons ultancy firm for two years before starting off on his own and he recommends the same for his juniors. He explains, â€Å"It is good idea for students to have corporate exposure before starting on their own. Some reasons being, it helps to get more experience in the real world as against case studies that we do in these schools. † JOB ACCEPTANCE IN IIM-A Finance –  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  44% Consulting – 30% Marketing –   8% Operations  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 5% IT  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4% Strategy –  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3%Others –  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6%| | A recent trend suggests that the number of IIM graduates daring to start their own ventures is on a rise. While eight students opted out of placements from IIM-A last year, it's still early in the process. Sources say more than two dozen students presented theirbusiness ideas  to venture capitalists last month. With an entrepreurial fair, that wa s organized on campus for the first time, IIM-A is also encouraging students by allowing their former students (who have passed out over two years ago only) to participate in their placements. The trend is catching up in other IIMs as well.So, does  money  make the world go round? Well, IIM graduates this year proved otherwise. In an unprecedented trend, IIM students are turning down offers worth crores of rupees. To talk about the IIM placement quirks, here's what Debashish Chakravarty from IIM-Ahmedabad has to say. Debashish turned down a jaw-dropping one crore offer and plans to start a lingerie business. Also, discussing this issue of why IIM graduates are not tempted by hefty offers are IIM-Bangalore Professor Saurav Mukherjee and Partner at an human resources firm, Redilion, Vikram Bhardwaj. Excerpts from an interview given to CNBC-TV18Q: What was your motivation to opt out of placements and become an entrepreneur? Chakravarty: I have neither been an entrepreneur nor worke d in the corporate world. I was a major in the Indian army before joining this institute and coming here and learning a lot about management. I thought the most challenging future I could ever have was entrepreneurship – ie. building something of my own and getting a job wasn’t such an exciting idea but building a company, hiring people, doing something fruitful, I thought this was much more challenging and interesting, that is why I opted out of placements.Q: Are we seeing a similar trend in Bangalore? Mukherji: Last year, we had one student who decided to take the plunge but this year none of students as far as I know have walked out of placement, to have a start up of their own. So, I haven’t seen it as a trend in IIM-Bangalore and if anyone asks for my advice on choice – whether to start up their own company versus going through the placement process, and especially if the student is a fresher or relatively low in experience – then I would advi ce them to go and join an industry first, build up their network and gain experience and then be an entrepreneur.Q: You have been helping people to get into the corporate world, is it a pipe dream to become an entrepreneur immediately, or would you advice taking up a job? Bhardwaj: The aspirants from MBA institutes are realizing that despite high salaries, they are the first ones to be laid off if the environment changes in high volatile businesses like i-banking, and so they don’t mind setting this aside as a trade-off, against working independently.Q: IIM -Ahmedabad has promised this year that entrepreneurs like you, who for some reason, if your business doesn’t take off as expected in two years time, then you can once again opt for the placement process and join your juniors? Chakravarty: Yes, it is a good offer that the institute has come up with and it does offer reassurance to a candidate, who is still on edge, deciding on entrepreneurship and taking up a job. Ri ght now, in our batch, we have 11 students including freshers who are going into entrepreneurship and that is nearly 5% of the batch, and it is a strong rising trend. NEW RECRUITERS AT IIM-CING Optiver CIC International Bain & Co Value Partner(IIM-C: Highest international salary offered in 2006: $1,52,000)| | Q: How hard is it for people to get the cream of the talent from these campuses? Bhardwaj: It is getting harder by the day and Indian companies cannot even match the deep pockets, which global firms have and increasingly these MBA hirings are driven at a global level. So, they don’t mind paying a slight premium over what a  Wharton MBAwould get to an IIM graduate. It's not only the paypackets grabbed by IIM graduates that's increasing but also their entrepreneurial spirit.The placement process is not yet over but experts say that the number of students who opted out of placements to start off on their own, will definitely be the highest this year than ever before. FLOC KING TO IIM-B – 90 firms participated – Consultancies comprise 32% – Non-bank finance firms comprise 32% –  Marketing firms  comprise 14% – Overseas offers made: 60 – Sun Group offers Deepak Goyal VP position – Arcelor Mittal offers 2 GM posts in Trinidad Source: http://www. moneycontrol. com/news/business/its-raining-money-atiims_271556. htm

Promise vs. Duty in Nursing Essay

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1997), the definition of a promise is â€Å"a pledge to do or not to do something specified.† For the sake of not sounding like a bunch of politicians who seldom keep their rhetorical promises, I think we should change the word to something more honorable such as to duty. Duty, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1997) is â€Å"conduct or action required by one’s occupation or position†. That is much more fitting. Promises can be made and broken by individuals. A duty is inherent in the position one holds. Promises are a voluntary commitment. A duty is an ethical standard or obligation that applies to a position or occupation. Dorman and Middaugh, (2009) stated that â€Å"repeated gaps between promises and performance create doubt, distrust, and finally cynicism in the public†. Instilling a sense of duty in a profession is much different. I have a duty to treat patients under my care with dignity and respect. I do not have to promise to do this. It is inherent in my position and I need to do this. This is stated nicely by the International Council of Nurses, (2006) â€Å"inherent in nursing is respect for human rights, the rights to life and choice, to dignity and to be treated with respect†. The public wants care givers with a sense of duty, not a promise. Otherwise we may fall into the same category of politicians that cannot be trusted. I think that this is important in order to maintain the image that nursing currently has as a caring and trustworthy profession (Gray, 1999). Having a sense of duty links directly to the American Nurses Association (ANA) code of ethics as my nursing professional obligation or if you wish, promise to patients, community and society (see Nursingworld.org, Code of Ethics). References Dorman,D., & Middaugh, D.(2009). Promise keeping: do we keep our promises. Medsurg Nursing, 18(1). â€Å"Duty.† The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1997).Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Gray,B.B.,(1999). Public opinion poll reveals consumer attitudes about nursing. Nurseweek.com. Retieved from nurseweek.com/features/99-7/hpoll.html International Council of Nurses (ICN) (2006). Retrieved from: http://www.icn.ch/images/stories/documents/about/icncode_english.pdf â€Å"Promise.† The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1997).Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

Destination Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Destination Management - Assignment Example These plans and policies help the management body in formulating decisions in a collective fashion in regards to the problems emanating in the tourism markets. Destination Management functions work on the measurement of several key issues pertaining to the demand and supply systems of tourism operations. The planning process gets based on a market research theme such that an effective sample is first selected which is subjected to a questionnaire. The questionnaire aims to evaluate the demand and supply position based on some basic and secondary information. Study of basic demand in regards to tourism destinations centres on understanding the reasons for the visits of the people whether related to business or touring purposes. Further it also tries to evaluate the number of persons constituting each trip and the number of nights they ought to stay in the place selected. The analysis of demand based on basic items also endeavours to evaluate the amount that would be expended by the di fferent individuals or groups in regards to their tourism activities. The study based on secondary items focuses on understanding the professions into which the people are engaged in and other personal details regarding the size of the family, age of the visitors and the frequency of their visits in regards to such areas. Likewise in regards to the supply side evaluation is made on the type of tourist accommodations whether pertaining to commercial or non-commercial uses, the number of rooms rendered in one particular unit, the price factor related to such rooms, cultural factors related to the zones to help attract consumers and so on. Further secondary items that mainly constitute the physical evidence part of the service organisations are also evaluated. Such items focus on the existence of facilities like cafeteria, and other sports and recreational items adhered to such hotel companies. Moreover the corporate hotel groups also tend to encompass facilities pertaining to shopping and fitness zones that are evaluated in such regard. The supply and demand parameters are matched with each other to rightly formulate marketing and promotional policies aimed at attraction of potential tourist groups to different zones (Vanhove, 2010, p.24-26; Smith, 1989, p.60). Strategic and Tactical Management Approaches in Management of Tourism Destinations Strategic Management Approaches Strategic Management approaches in endeavouring to enhance the competitive advantage position of the tourism destinations centre on popularising the brand image of the tourist destinations. The strategic activities in this regard aim at differentiating one tourist destination from another through enhancement of the cultural image of the specific tourist spots. Moreover the enhancement of the brand image of the tourism destinations are conducted through linking such with the personality attributes of the tourist groups. Tourists tend to relate or associate their social status to the tourist pl aces as a symbol or mark of prestige that needs to be marketed in the tourism programs. Further strategic

Operations Management 3-6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Operations Management 3-6 - Essay Example Accessibility to customers is the key factor in improving gasoline sales. A tertiary hospital is also a preferred business for this location. The residential areas are near to it, there is no replacement market for this specialized service and healthcare services is a specific need of residents. The following factors of location B: close to major highways, on the major truck route of large transportation companies, not close to any residential neighborhoods and large open area where new development can occur is best suited for a garment processing company and a coffee processing plant. The location of the operations of a garment vital to the efficiency and profitability of company operations. Choice of location determines the productivity of capital investments. Manufacturing facilities have unique locations and there are transport costs to distribution and consumption, hence, production location affects the costs of distribution and consumption. Accessibility of manufacturing facilities of garment processing and coffee processing plant is important as transport costs represent a significant proportion of the costs of production and distribution. Without cost minimization, there will be no profit maximization. Location has a serious impact on a company’s revenues. 2. â€Å"Aggregate planning in manufacturing is easier to accomplish than aggregate planning in services.† For example, aggregate planning for a textile processing plant is easier to implement than for a business process outsourcing company. A textile company is basically a labor intensive business. This means that the company uses large amounts of labor per unit output, and that wages form the largest single cost (50-70 percent of total costs) faced by employers. The cost of labor is therefore the most important locational determinant in the textile industry. The textile industry has been

Detail summary of the movie Freedom Writers Review - 1

Detail summary of the Freedom Writers - Movie Review Example reedom Writers, in which the real-life story of Erin Gruwell and her inspirational teaching efforts in Long Beach, California is dramatized and somewhat fictionalized so as to convey the transformational effects of her approach to teaching inner city kids. The film starts out with images from the 1992 Los Angeles riots, thus establishing the run-down and desperate living conditions of the kids who comprise the student body of Woodrow Wilson High School. Camera shots always work to emphasize the dirty streets, the low quality living quarters of the various students, the sense of danger and violence that stalks them wherever they go. There are many examples of this violence and desperation, such as the drive-by shooting at the convenience store committed by one kid from the high school that kills another kid from the high school in front of two girls from the high school. One of these girls is expected to testify in court as to who was guilty of the murder, but the problem is that he was of her same race. She and the killer were Hispanic and the murdered boy was Asian. It was expected in the street that you protected your own kind and so this girl has to struggle with her decision through a good deal of the film. Although she is friends with the girlfriend of the murdered boy and she knows it is only right that people should be punished for violent crimes, she must also fear for her own safety and the safety of her family as they must continue living in the same streets. This very valid concern is emphasized as she is even confronted in a very threatening manner by other kids from the high school warning her that she better do what is expected. The main action of the film follows the efforts of a young teacher, Erin Gruwell, who is excited to make a change in the world. Having grown up in the world of privilege in Newport Beach, Gruwell is recently married and recently graduated and sure she can bring positive change to the inner city. However, instead of

How to Improve Creativity Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

How to Improve Creativity - Case Study Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that one of the ways in which one can improve their self-control in a particular field would be to learn how to handle stress without losing control. An individual can stop and take a few breaths every time that they feel they are about to lose control or too stressed. This will ensure that we manage always to maintain calm in all situations. The researcher would recommend that an individual gets enough to sleep every day to ensure that you do not overwork the brain. Most scientific research carried out over the years have proved that people who get enough sleep are often more productive and happier. Last, the author would recommend self-affirmation now and then and try to keep negative thoughts. Constantly encouraging oneself will most likely help in ensuring that one keeps trying no matter how many times they may fail until they finally get it right. Positive people are most likely to accomplish more as compared to pessimists.

Analysis Of The Play Streetcar Named Desire Essay

Analysis Of The Play Streetcar Named Desire - Essay Example The play discusses how Blanche’s life was full of menaces. She had just been sacked from work and realized that her husband was a homosexual. Later on, in the play, Stanley raped Blanche, and this resulted in a nervous breakdown. The character of Blanche is based on Williams’ sister, Rose Williams, who had mental health issues (Williams 9). The main characters of the play are Blanche DuBois, Stella Kowalski, Stanley Kowalski, Harold â€Å"Mitch† Mitchell, and Eunice. Blanche DuBois is Stella’s older sister (Williams 3). DuBois was a high school English teacher. She is a fragile and loquacious woman around the age of 30. After the death of Reve and Belle, the DuBois family, Blanche goes to New Orleans to the Kowalski apartment and reveals that she is totally destitute. Stella Kowalski, on the other hand, is Blanche’s younger sister around the age of 25 (Williams 4). Stella has the same timeworn titled heritage as her sister DuBois. Stella is more poised with self-beauty and considers aging a curse (Williams 15). Stanley Kowalski is Stella’s husband. He is the epitome of a significant force. Stanley is loyal to his friends, adores his wife, and is cruel to Blanche. Harold Mitchell is Stanley’s army friend and poker buddy. Mitchell courted Blanche until he discovered she had lied about he r past, which made him leave. Finally, Eunice is Stella’s friend and also landlady. Eunice represents the lower class. A key theme that is dominant in the play is the relationship between sex and death. Blanche’s fear of death portrays itself in her fears of lost beauty and aging skin (Williams 12). Blanche refuses to appear in the harsh light, which reveals her real looks, and to tell anybody her true age. She appears to believe that through asserting her sexuality, particularly to men, she might be able to overcome death and revisit the  teenage life which she experienced before her husband’s suicide. According to Blanche, sex is the cause of death. Throughout the play, Blanche has memories of her ancestors who passed away due to the act (Williams 12).

Strategic Positioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategic Positioning - Essay Example A company with the aim of increasing competitive advantage becomes operationally effective from its rivals and produces extreme level of economic value by gaining advantage of cost or price premium in a distinct way. Competition exists among the companies through the internet for operational effectiveness. A company needs to develop distinctive strategic path in an attempt to be one step forward in this highly competitive world. Before implementing strategy a company provides emphasis on profitability besides growth. The company ought to improve its distinctive positioning even during the time of turmoil. The value chain needs to be highly integrated. A company needs to follow the six basic principles of strategic positioning with a view to maintain the distinctive positioning of strategy. The first principle is the ‘right goal’, which means higher return on long term investment. The economic value will be generated in sustained productivity as well as profitability by i mplementing strategy. The value of the economy is created when customer prices for the product exceed production cost. In the second proposition, the strategy of the company enables to set ‘value proposition’ which is different from that of competitors. ... This not only stimulates competitive advantage but make a strategy that is tough to replicate. The sixth or the last strategy is ‘continuity’ of direction; without it a company may not be able to develop distinctive skills and resources or create strong reputation with the customers (Michael Porter, 2001). Strategy positioning considers the industry structure of the organisation as a key independent variable in strategic analysis. The effective performance of the industry is based on the ‘strategy fit’ of the firm. The strategist identified the three generic strategies such as differentiation, low cost and focus from which one that fits the industry structure will be selected. The templates supplied by five forces find out the attractiveness of an industry. The industry attractiveness is depended on the five forces including power of buyer, power of supplier, substitute’s threats, threat of new entrance and intensity of rivalry among incumbents as a r esult revenue will be high. Strategy as ‘positioning’ balances both strategies as ‘planning’ as well as ‘SWOT’. It offered a technique that allowed in making accurate analysis of one of the key sections of the external environment of the industry (Business Strategy Review, 2003). 2.0 Criticisms The operational effectiveness associated with competition in a company leads to destructiveness and conflict for attrition. This will hinder the competition among the companies (Nirgudka, 2002). The models of Michael Porter are not valuable for strategy development and it has become useless tool from the manager’s tool box. This model can be best suitable in companies with new and traditional technique of management. Michael Porter is of the opinion

Strategic Alliances and Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Alliances and Globalization - Essay Example The purpose of this paper is to explain the key advantages and disadvantages of strategic alliances in the globalization of products and services. When two companies join forces they are able to share resources and exploit the expertise of each company. Corporations formed strategic alliances for a variety of reasons. In the service industry many companies are forming strategic alliances in order to outsource business functions oversee. A prime location for the exporting of customer service contracts is the nation of India. A business function that is responsible for the formation of many strategic alliances is marketing. A lot of strategic alliances take the form of marketing alliances. There are four types of marketing alliances: product or service alliances, promotional alliances, logistic alliances, and price collaboration (Kotler, 2003). A product or service alliance occurs when one company licenses another to produce its product. This strategy has the benefit of reducing overal l costs of producing the product or service. In a promotional alliance one company carries out the promotion of another company. Logistic alliances involve one company offering logistical services to another. In pricing collaboration alliances two companies provide combined package discounts.

The Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire Essay Example for Free

The Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire Essay The Enlightenment and the values it promoted are really nothing less than the infant version of twenty first century America. Its emphasis on reason, freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, and its desire to secularize government all appear in the Bill of Rights and represent the core beliefs which have been shaping U.S. culture for over two hundred years. Voltaire, a leader among the French philosophes, embodies much of the Enlightenment sentiment in his collection of essay entitled Philosophical Dictionary. Voltaire was overwhelmingly concerned with religious and ethical issues. His belief that spirituality was a private matter simply didnt correspond with the norms of the day. Particularly unreceptive was the church which more times than not was the chief target of Voltaires criticism. The church had long wielded great power in Europe, and the morals which it claimed to support were often overshadowed by an obsession with ensuring its own theological proclamations were honored. Voltaire was quick to exploit this hypocrisy, and it inspired him to come up with his own philosophy on ethics and the role of the church. Far from being an atheist which he considered a bold and misguided scholar, Voltaire believed in an eternal, supreme, intelligent being (208) and thought religion was a good thing in a civilized society (56). However, what he hated was religious fanaticism, and it was something he saw all too often. He saw religion, far from being a beneficial food turn[ing] into poison in infected brains (203). He saw men who backed madness with murder and men who killed for love of god (202). And he saw this happening all throughout the church. If this was the effect religion would have on society, if it would only create an epidemic illness, then even atheism would be better, for at least atheists wouldnt kill those who thought differently than them. For Voltaire, a man who championed reason and empiricism, fanaticism had only one cure: free thought. Reason, Voltaire believed, was an ability which God gave all men as an instrument to guide moral behavior. Thus, any reasonable man who studied the  Bible would know that human killing was something God always despised. The fanatics then were without excuse as enemies of reason and of God (28). Voltaire believed these people, the persecutors, and the theological disputes they created to be humanitys worst problem. Because of mans inherent desire to dominate others, a just society led by religious leaders was impossible. In order to find the good and the true, law must rule the land and men must be allowed to express themselves without the fear of punishment. At the conclusion to his essay on Certainty, Voltaire provides two poignant insights: As for me, who have undertaken this little Dictionary to put questions, I am far from being certain (107). In a place and time where the public was expected to play the role of children and acquiesce to everything put before them, Voltaire, first, wanted people to think, ask questions, and arrive at their own conclusions: Natural law permits everyone to believe what he pleases (88). Secondly, Voltaire recognized the limits of the human mind, that only so many questions contained mathematically certain answers. In one of his essays, he challenged the church with that fact: I could compose for you a folio volume of questions to which you would have to reply only with four words: I do not know?' (74). To Voltaire it was clear enough. Not all things were in mans grasp, and it was an individual choice as to how to deal with those areas. These two points capture the grand message Voltaire sacrificed his life to spread. Religious faith will always be just that: faith. Yet, the most atrocious acts of evil have been committed when people assume that their own faiths are universal truths. This is the mistake Voltaire most wanted to discourage. Instead, he proposed a society where a secular body governed by laws derived from reason and permitted its citizens to freely exercise their natural rights to free speech and religion. The Age of the Enlightenment saw many of the events which have had the greatest impact present society. Voltaire and his contemporaries introduced the ideas of free speech, religion, assembly, and press. They openly questioned the established authorities and influenced the revolutions in both England and France. Today, most countries in the Western World reap the  benefits of such thinkers and the changes they introduced, embracing the Enlightenment culture and its love for secular leadership.

Neurotransmitter and Hormone Receptors

Neurotransmitter and Hormone Receptors 1) Transcription of DNA and translation into protein are tightly regulated in Eukaryota cells. Give an account of the key steps involved. Gene expression is under continuous regulation. This regulation is differentiated between Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic organisms, especially due to matters of complexity. In Prokaryotic organisms the regulation of gene expression is happening only at the stage of transcription and includes one stage. On the other hand, the regulation of gene expression in Eukaryotic organisms is happening not only in transcriptional level, but also at post-transcriptional, translation and post-translation level (Latchman 2007). The figure on the right shows the steps of gene expression that can be regulated. In case where the regulation of gene expression happens in transcriptional level, then the levels of cytoplasmic mRNA and nuclear RNA should be paralleled. On the other hand, in case a gene is being transcribed in the same manner in all tissues, there will be a difference in the majority of tissues between the cytoplasm mRNA and RNA, due to post-transcriptional mechanisms. As a result, in order to distinguish post-transcriptional and transcriptional regulation the first approach is to see if there are changes between the RNA levels in the tissues (Latchman 2007). Initiation of transcription In many cases where there is an increased level of transcription, this results from a high level of transcriptional initiation mediated by RNA polymerase responsible for initiating the process. This means that in a tissue that occurs an active transcription process, the RNA polymerases will be moving beside the gene continuously, and thus increasing the rate of transcript production. In contrast, in tissues where a gene is transcribed at low levels, the initiation of transcription will not be so apparent and the level of transcripts will be significantly low (Latchman 2007). Elongation Except of the initiation of transcription which seems to occur in the majority of the cases, there has been demonstrated that the regulation can also happen during at a post-initiation level by producing a shortened RNA than the full length one. In this case, the transcriptional control seems to happen by blocking the elongation of a newly formed transcript (Latchman 2007). DNA elements The expression of protein-coding genes is regulated also by specific DNA elements, which are located usually upstream of the initiation site of the gene. These DNA elements can influence positively or negatively the transcription of a gene. For example, DNA sequences such as insulators and silencers, suppress the genes transcription (Latchman 2007). Transcription Factors The transcription factors are also important modulatory elements of transcription. The binding of specific transcription factors on the DNA, can either activate or suppress gene transcription (Latchman 2007) . Although so far we discussed the transcriptional control of gene expression, which corresponds to the most abundant transcriptional control mechanism, there have been cases where even though the transcription rate of a gene doesnt change, changes in the synthesis of specific proteins have occurred. This control mechanism occurs between the translational and transcription control and includes splicing of the nascent mRNA, alternative splicing, and regulation of RNA stability. The splicing of the RNA is the process in which the protein coding regions are encoded by exons, after removing the intervening sequences which are named introns (Latchman 2007). The alternative splicing, includes the differentiated processing of RNAs in order to produce different RNA variants (Black 2000). The translational control of gene expression, corresponds to mRNA regulation and is also a very important regulatory stage. In the same manner as transcriptional control, translation can be affected either positively or negatively by altering the levels of specific translation factors, and most of the times it happens at the initiation of the translation process due to differences in the 5 untranslated region of the mRNA. During translation, the 5 un-translated region contains an AUG triplet of bases which is important to be located in a favorable context. This means, that if the ribosome is incapable of recognizing this triplet, then the initiation of translation is inhibited. For example, in a situation which is called leaky scanning, when AUG codons are located upstream, the ribosome has a difficulty to recognize them (Wickens et al. 2000). Furthermore, except of the recognition of the AUG codon, other coding regions seem to play an important regulatory role. For example, some frequencies which are located in the open reading frame of the mRNA (ORF) seem to cause a frameshift at a specific triplet both in viral and mammalian mRNAs (Wickens et al. 2000). Finally, another regulatory element of gene expression includes the post-translational control. This category composes of all the mechanisms that act after translation by modifying the protein levels. Such a mechanism is ubiquitination, which will have as a result the degradation of the ubiquitinated protein in the proteasome (Wang et al. 2013). In conclusion the transcription and translation are highly regulated processes and this take place due to the complexity of Eukaryotic cells, since strict regulation usually corresponds to high complexity. 2) Discuss the role of microtubules and their motor proteins in the motion of cilia and flagella. Microtubules are important elements for various cell movements, such as the chromosomal separation during mitosis and the motion of flagella and cilia. This movement, which happens along microtubules, is highly dependent on proteins that use energy from ATP hydrolysis in order to produce force and movement. These proteins are members of the kinesin and dynein families (Alberts et al. 2002). Cilia and flagella are plasma membrane projections dependent on microtubule formation, and are important for the movement in various eukaryotic organisms. In bacteria, the flagella structures are different from the eukaryotic flagella (Alberts et al. 2002). The movement of these structures has been extensively studied by using animal models, especially sea urchin models which appears to be a very powerful system for flagellar motility. Furthermore, the first scientists to observe this sliding mechanisms driven by dynein across the microtubules, were Summers and Gibbons by using dark-field microscopy (Hirose Amos 2012). In eukaryotic organisms the flagella and cilia are highly similar structures. Firstly, flagella are mostly found in sperm and many hair-like cellular projections with a core composed of microtubules (Cooper 2000). With their rolling motion they permit the cells to swim through liquid media. The cilia, are usually shorter than flagella but their organization tends to be similar. Their beating motion is like the breast stroke of the swimmers, and the cycles of adjacent cilia are quite asynchronous, thus producing the characteristic effect that can be observed through microscope (Alberts et al. 2002). The movement of both each flagellum and cilium is produced by the bending of each ones core, which is specifically termed as axoneme. The axoneme is a structure that is composed of microtubules in conjunction with their associated proteins in a regular and specific pattern. This pattern is composed by nine doublet microtubules which are fused together to surround a pair of microtubules. Th is formation is also known as the 9+2 pattern and is represented in the following picture (Cooper 2000). This type of arrangement is commonly seen in the majority of eukaryotic flagella and cilia forms. The length of these microtubules extends along with the length of the axoneme which can reach the 200 ÃŽÂ ¼m. At specific positions along the distance of microtubules, are located accessory proteins, providing with this a way a cross-bridging between the doublet microtubules. These molecules are dynein proteins, and are located around the perimeter of the axoneme (Cooper 2000). Dynein is a very large molecule (2000 kd), consisting of three heavy chains in conjunction with a variable number of intermediate and light polypeptides that have a weight ranging from 14 to 120 kd (Cooper 2000). The heavy chains are forming a globular domain which binds ATP and is responsible for moving along microtubules. The intermediate chains are responsible for the assembly of the dyneins. The light chains form two distinct groups, in accordance with the molecules that are related with. For example the first group is associated with the heavy chains, while the second group with the intermediate chains. In the cilia and flagella, there is also another specific dynein group, the intraflagellar transport (IFT) dynein, which is important for the association and disassociation of these organelles, and also have transport properties of either membrane proteins or even the IFT themselves (Hirose Amos 2012). The ciliary dyneins, are composed of a different set of arms, the outer dynein arms and a more complex set of inner dynein arms. Each one of this structures plays a different role in the ciliary movement. The outer dynein arms are responsible for the production of the majority of the force required for the ciliary movement, while the inner dyneins, are mostly providing a precise control of this movement (Hirose Amos 2012). Another important feature of the cilia and flagella, is that the minus ends of each microtubule are anchored in a structure which is named basal body. This is highly similar to the centriole, and is necessary for the arrangement of the axoneme microtubules. Each one of the doublets located in the outer part of the flagella or cilia, is formed by the extension of two of the microtubules of the basals body triplets (Cooper 2000). The movement of cilia and flagella is caused by the relative sliding of outer microtubules, driven by the activity of axonemal dynein, and the mechanism is represented in figure 3. The dynein bases attach with the A microtubules while the head of each dynein attaches with the B microtubule. With the green color is represented the nexin link, which binds the microtubules in the axoneme. When the one doublet of microtubules, bends along with the other one, the resulting movement is bending, which is the source of the beating movements of cilia and flagella (Alberts et al. 2002). Scientific evidence suggests that upon ATP hydrolysis the dyneins change their conformational state (Hirose Amos 2012). 3) Describe the most important classes of molecules that participate in common signal transduction pathways In signal transduction pathways, extracellular signals such as hormones or other molecules are registered by membrane receptors and the signal is being transferred inside the cell by a set of reactions. This signal transduction can be mediated by two distinct mechanisms. The first one includes the use of receptors, and other proteins including enzymes. The second one contains a set of molecules which are known as second messengers, that regulate the intracellular signaling (Boon 2009) . The intracellular second messengers, are signal molecules that reach their target by diffusion. They can be divided into two different groups, those with a hydrophobic character (diacyl glycerol or phosphatidyl inositol) and the hydrophilic ones. The hydrophobic messenger are located on the membrane and they can reach the proteins located on the membrane by diffusing through the plasma membrane of the cell. The hydrophilic messengers are located in the cytoplasm and their targets are located in the cytosol as well (Boon 2009). The most important second messengers include the cAMP, cGMP, inositol phosphates, calcium ions, diacylgrlycerol and phosphatidyl inositol phosphates. 3-5 cyclic AMP (cAMP) Is among the most important second messengers and regulates a variety of cellular functions, such as glycolysis, muscle contraction and ion transport. The intracellular concentration of cAMP is regulated by two factors, the adenylyl cyclase and the phopshodiestarases. The former is important for the cAMP synthesis while the latter for its degradation. The activation of adenylyl cyclase is dependent to G-protein coupled receptors and involves the participation of GÃŽÂ ± and GÃŽÂ ²ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ³ proteins. The degradation of cAMP mediated by cAMP phosphodiesterases, which are being regulated by Ca2+/calmodulin and also by phosphorylation (Boon 2009). In the majority of the cases, the target of the high cAMP concentration is the activation of protein kinases A (PKAs). Initially, in the absence of cAMP the PKA is organized as a tetramer, with two catalytic and two catalytic subunits, and the protein kinase is inactive. When cAMP concentration is increased by adenylyl cyclase, leads to the binding of two molecules to the regulatory subunit and the tetramer dissociation and activation of PKA (Boon 2009). cGMP In the same manner with cAMP, the 3-5-cGMP is extensively spread in the intracellular space. Like in the case of cAMP , the cGMP is formed by guanylyl cyclase from GTP. The cGMP can activate cGMP-dependent protein kinases, after binding to specific locations. In contrast to the PKA kinases, the activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinases is dependent to only one protein chain of these proteins. Specifically, the binding of the cGMP to the regulatory domain of the protein, activates it and permits phosphorylation of other substrates (Boon 2009). Inositol Phosphates The inositol containing phospholipids located in the plasma membrane, are the starting points for the production of many inositol messengers as a response to extracellular or even intracellular signals. The inositol phosphates are important players for the regulation of phospholipase C, which is a very important enzyme in the metabolism of phosphatide inositol. Another important function of these phosphates, is the recruitment of Ca2+ ions that are inside storage organelles, such as mitochondria. The calcium ions are among the most ubiquitous targets of second messengers, and regulate a vast array of actions (Boon 2009). Calcium ions The calcium ions can have a regulatory character in many ways, according to the time, frequency and amount of release rate. This feature, explains the complexity of Ca2+ signals. Still it is not understood how oscillatory calcium signals are regulating various processes. It has been suggested that CaM kinase II participates in the formation of repetitive calcium signals. The high intracellular concentration of calcium is temporary and usually a local phenomenon. The cell contains a variety of transport systems, which can transfer the calcium ions inside the storage locations. These transfer mechanisms are Ca2+ ATPases, which transfer calcium against the concentration gradient. Another mechanism, is the sodium-calcium exchange proteins which are mostly apparent in muscle cells (Boon 2009). Diacylglycerol and phospatidyl inositol phosphates The diacylglycerol is being produced by the metabolism of the membrane phosphatidyl inositol phosphate, after the effect of two distinct enzymes, the PLCÃŽÂ ³ and PLCÃŽÂ ². The diacylglycerol (DAG) is then responsible for activating the protein kinase C, which plays an important role in cell proliferation through phosphorylation of various substrate proteins (Boon 2009). Except of DAG, the metabolism of phosphatidyl inositol diphosphate, produces the inositol triphosphate, which increases intracellular calcium levels by binding to specific receptors (Boon 2009). Conclusively, signal transduction is a highly regulated mechanism, which permits the transmission of an extracellular signal inside the cell, and a subsequent cellular response. Among the most important molecules that are participating in this process, we distinguished some members of the family of the second messengers, such as calcium ions, diacyl glycerol and phosphatidyl inositol. 4) Describe the steps of neurotransmission. The process of neurotransmission can be divided into five distinct steps. The first includes the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, the second the storage of the neurotransmitter into transport vesicles, the third the influx of calcium and exocytosis of neurotransmitter, the fourth the binding of the neurotransmitter at the postsynaptic membrane and the fifth the deactivation of the neurotransmitter. The low weight neurotransmitters are synthesized in the cytoplasm of the cell, where enzymes act and convert them into mature neurotransmitters. These enzymes are produced in the neuronal cell body and are transferred to the presynaptic terminal via the slow axonal transfer system. When the new transmitters are synthesized in the cytoplasm, certain mechanisms need to follow for transporting them to the synaptic membrane. On the other hand, the neuropeptides which is the other category of known neurotransmitters, are produced in the neuronal cell body, and need to be transferred a long distance in order to reach the site of secretion. For this reason, they are transported from the soma of the neuron to the presynaptic terminal with the fast axonal transport (Hyman et al. 2009). The small-molecule neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine and amino acids, are stored into vesicles of 40-60 nm diameter. The primary characteristic of these vesicles, is that in electron micrographs they appear with a clear center area. The storage, requires specific proteins which are located in the membrane of the synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic neuron, the vesicle monoamine membrane transporters (VMAT). In contrast to the small-molecule neurotransmitters, the neuropeptides, are stored into synaptic vesicles with a larger size (90 to 250 nm). In electron micrographs, they seem to have a center relatively more dense than the synaptic vesicles of the small neurotransmitters (Purves et al. 2001). After the influx of calcium into the pre-synaptic cytoplasm, it begins the process of neurotransmitter release. The first step of this exocytosis, includes the docking of the synaptic vesicle membrane at the active zones plasma membrane. The second step is priming. This corresponds to an ATP dependent maturation of the synaptic vesicles that are being docked in the membrane of the active zone but cant be induced by Ca2+. The result of this maturation, is that the primed vesicles can immediately release their content after a Ca2+ influx. The third step of this process includes the fusion of the synaptic vesicle with the presynaptic membrane, which allows the exocytosis to happen. In this step, the function of the protein synaptotagmin is of high importance, since it senses the levels of Ca2+ and regulates with this way the fusion of the vesicles. The final step of this step includes the quantal release of the neurotransmitter with a mechanism of exocytosis. The exocytosis is synchroni zed with the influx of Ca2+ and its induction is controlled by the depolarization of the nerve terminal. After the release of neurotransmitter at the synaptic cleft, the membrane of the vesicle will be recycled with a process of endocytosis (Hyman et al. 2009). After the exocytosis, the neurotransmitter starts to diffuse across the synaptic cleft and targets the post-synaptic neuron and its receptors which are localized on the membrane. The binding of the neurotransmitter to the postsynaptic membrane, will cause both biochemical and electrical alterations. Specifically, an excitatory signal will depolarize the membrane and thus a positive charge will pass inside the cell. This depolarization is caused by the opening of sodium channels located on the post-synaptic membrane, which permits the influx of sodium ions across the membrane. On the other hand, an inhibitory signal will hyperpolarize the cell, and thus a positive charge will flow with a direction outside of the cell. This hyperpolarization is induced by an inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP) which cause the influx of chloride ions, which make the membrane potential more negative and the propagation of the action potential significantly more difficult (Hyman et al. 2009). When a neurotransmitter finishes its function, the next step is to be removed from the synaptic cleft. When the local neurotransmitter concentration falls, the neurotransmitter unbounds from the post-synaptic receptor. After this, the neurotransmitter can be either degraded by specific enzymes, or reuptaken by high affinity receptors. The latter corresponds to the most common way of neurotransmitter removal, and includes the reincorporation of the neurotransmitter into the pre-synaptic terminal by endocytosis. This permits the neurotransmitter to be recycled inside the cell. The remaining percentage of neurotransmitters, follows the other path of removal which corresponds to the enzymatic degradation. A characteristic enzyme is acetylcholinesterase (AChE) which degrades the neutrotransmitter acetylcholine into acetate and choline. Another examples of such enzymes include catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) and monoamine oxidase (MAO) (Naik 2015). 5) Describe with examples the major mechanisms of action of the different types of neurotransmitter and hormone receptors. In 1907, the physiologist Langley, introduced the aspect of receptor molecules, in order to explain specific properties of molecules on muscle and nerve cells. The neurotransmitter receptors are proteins located in the post-synaptic plasma membrane and contain an extracellular site, specific for the binding of a neurotransmitter. The neurotransmitters, have two distinct families of receptors. The first one, the ligand-gated ion channels or ionotropic receptors, combine the properties of ion channels by having also a neurotransmitter binding domain on their outer part of the membrane. The other family of receptors, are the metabotropic receptors, because the movement of ions depends on certain metabolic steps. The important difference of these channels with the ionotropic channels, is that they dont have an ion channel in their structure, in contrast they have a domain which affects the channels through activation of G proteins, and these receptors G protein coupled receptors (Purves et al. 2001). G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of membrane protein signaling molecules. The activation of these proteins can be achieved by various ligands, thus modulating the activity of a diverse set of signaling pathways (Kobilka 2007). Nowadays, it is estimated that the human organism contains approximately 800 unique GPCRs, and the 460 of them are assumed to be olfactory receptors (Fredriksson et al. 2003). Their main characteristic is that they contain seven transmembrane-spanning segments, which coordinate the position of the proteins N-terminus at the extracellular space and C-terminus at the intracellular space. Studies in neuromuscular synapse, have demonstrated in detail the neurotransmission mechanism. The binding of the acetylcholine to the postsynaptic receptors, leads to the opening of ion channels. Specifically, the binding of two Ach to a receptor, causes an influx of sodium for milliseconds. In real situations, when an action potential reaches a presynaptic neuron, millions of ACh molecules are secreted into the synaptic cleft. As a result, a high number of AChs will bind to numerous receptors, located on the postsynaptic membrane. The opening of these channels will cause the membrane to depolarize, and the opening of voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels (Purves et al. 2001). When the postsynaptic membrane potential becomes more negative even from the resting potential, the end plate current increases, and decreases when the membrane potential is more positive. At very positive potential, there is a reverse polarity which cause the current to convert form an inward to an outward one (Purves et al. 2001). The other category that we will discuss, the hormones, are produced most of the times by specific cells, and initiate a reaction in certain cell types. Only the cells that have hormone receptors, can be used as hormone target cells. These receptors, recognize certain hormones according to their chemical structure. The classes of these receptors are two, the membrane bound receptors, which are transmembrane proteins and the second category the intracellularly localized receptors which are intracellular receptors (Boon 2009). The membrane bound receptors have an extracellular domain which is linked with an intracellular one. The binding of a hormone are following the rules of noncovalent interactions. In general, signaling molecules for example adrenaline, binds to their receptors with a very high affinity, even higher than the one observed between an enzyme and a substrate. After the binding and the recognition of adrenaline by the receptor, this signal is converted into an intracellular signal, which targets the nuclear compartment. According to the type of the receptors which will bind, adrenaline can cause inhibition of insulin secretion, glycogenolysis and glycolysis (Boon 2009). Furthermore, the hormone insulin, uses for signal transduction a set of tyrosine kinases receptors. The receptors that have tyrosine kinase (TK) activity (RTKs), contain a specific domain for binding ligand molecules located on the extracellular side. Inside the lipid bilayer there is a single alpha-helical element, and inside the cytosol another part that harbors a TK domain. When the RTKs are not bound with the ligand molecule, most of them are in their monomeric state. The only exception of this paradigm is the insulin receptor and in general its family members. When extracellular stimulus is absent, in our case insulin, the kinase domain of the receptors remains in its inactive, auto inhibited state. In this phase, the receptors either have very low kinase activity, or they havent at all. After the binding of insulin on the receptor, the consequent transformational changes that lead to the activation of the TK domain. The activation process of TK includes a trans-autosphorylation of tyrosine residues at segments inside and outside of the TK domain. Then, the phosphorylated P-Tyr which is formed at the site of receptor, becomes a docking region for proteins that harbor phosphorylated tyrosine specific domains. Such proteins are SH2, phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) and C2 .This signaling eventually leads to an increase of the number of glucose transporter 4 in the outer membrane of specific cells, and thus the increased reuptake of glucose from the blood (Boon 2009). Bibliography Alberts, B. et al., 2002. Molecular Biology of the Cell,   Ã‚   Black, D.L., 2000. Protein Diversity from Alternative Splicing: A Challenge for Bioinformatics and Post-Genome Biology. Cell, 103(3), pp.367-370. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867400001288. Boon, E.M., 2009. Biochemistry of Signal Transduction and Regulation, Available at: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/603489. Cooper, G., 2000. The Cell: A Molecular Approach 2nd editio., Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9833/. Fredriksson, R. et al., 2003. The G-protein-coupled receptors in the human genome form five main families. Phylogenetic analysis, paralogon groups, and fingerprints. Molecular pharmacology, 63(6), pp.1256-72. Hirose, K. Amos, L.A., 2012. Handbook of Dynein. In Handbook of Dynein. pp. 12-16. Hyman, S. et al., 2009. Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, Second Edition. In Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience (2nd ed.). pp. 265-266. Available at: https://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Neuropharmacology-Foundation-Clinical-Neuroscience/dp/0071481273. Kobilka, B.K., 2007. G protein coupled receptor structure and activation. Biochimica et biophysica acta, 1768(4), pp.794-807. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17188232%5Cnhttp://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=PMC1876727. Latchman, D., 2007. Gene Regulation, Available at: http://books.google.com/books?id=4x3ZzLNyfDsCpgis=1. Naik, P., 2015. Biochemistry, JP Medical Ltd. Purves, D. et al., 2001. Neuroscience. 2nd edition. Sinauer Associates. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11166/. Wang, X., Pattison, J.S. Su, H., 2013. Posttranslational modification and quality control. Circulation Research, 112(2), pp.367-381. Wickens, M. et al., 2000. Translational control of gene expression. , 37(6), p.295.

Green Architecture Essay -- Environmental Ecology Essays

Green Architecture Green Architecture began with the first Earth Day in 1970, and has grown in popularity as awareness of the earth’s many ecological problems become more wide spread. Professor Rocky Brittain states "I’ve been teaching this subject for twenty years and have watched interest grow. Now I could say there is some element of sustainability taught in just about every architecture school in the country."(Talarico, 1998) Economic factors have also helped the green movement by causing changes in building materials, and technology. This is most notable in changes to heating and cooling systems, and improvements in insulation and window construction which decrease heat loss and therefore decrease heating and cooling costs. Also, "Alternatives including engineered lumber, made from wood chips or strands laminated together have become commonplace†¦[this is a consequence]†¦the rise in wood prices and decline in wood quality due to the lack of properly managed forests." (http: //www.reddown.com/featartll.html.) Not only are these materials more cost efficient, they also often outperform solid wood. Affordability is of vital importance if green architecture is going to become wide spread in a capitalistic economy. Gail Lindsey, chairman of the AIA Committee on the Environment states: "Until recently, being green was something of a luxury, reserved for homeowners who had enough money to buy triple-pane argon-filled glass windows or wool wall-to-wall carpeting. But with the growing availability of less expensive green materials, this is no longer true. Sustainable design is a balancing act, a matter of concentrating the architect’s time and the client’s resources on choices that will do the most good. We’ve learned that a house... ...bie, 1995) In conclusion, the last twenty years have seen quite an improvement in the popularity and use of green architecture. Green architecture continues to grow as society begins to understand the importance of preserving the environment. Technology is improving, lowering the cost and increasing the quality of green building products. Professionals are working to set and implement standards for the quality of green products and buildings. All these factors seem to point to a promising future for green architecture. Works Cited Crosbie, Michael J. "A Maturing Green Architecture". Progressive Architecture.January 95 Talarico, Wendy. "The Nature of Green Architecture". Architectural Record. April 98. Volume 186 Issue 4. Green Architecture In the 21st Century. Residential Environmental Design Featured Article. http://www.reddawnb.com/featart11.html

Building Trust and Security in Web Services :: Technology Computers Internet Essays

Building Trust and Security in Web Services The yearning to componentize software development, where software is "assembled" like an automobile, where each component interacts with the other components in an unambiguous and streamlined fashion is very old and deep rooted. For, the most significant challenges in software development are maintaining and changing software pieces which perform redundant functions and integrating such components with one another. As the industry started to mature, significant research has taken place to find ways of architecting software components as building blocks that are seamlessly integrated, irrespective of where those components reside or how they are implemented. CORBA and COM arrived on the scene addressing these issues and providing a sound architecture for distributed computing. While these very interesting developments were going on, the Internet revolution took place simultaneously as more and more businesses started to register their presence on the web. E-business and e-commerce have seen tremendous growth in the past 7 years where major business functions are taking place through the medium of internet and some businesses are run entirely on the Internet. As a result more and more business software processes had to interact with their business counterparts over the Internet. The eventual convergence of these two paradigm shifts in the software development resulted in the birth of Web Servic es. Web Services are fundamental building blocks of software that are deployed in heterogeneous software and hardware platforms, that describe and publish their behavior to potential consumers (UDDI), based on a software contract (WSDL) interact with consumers by receiving and sending (XML) messages through a common protocol (SOAP). The scenario where a software component can dynamically detect, contract and utilize services provides a strong semantic connection to the web and may truly revolutionize the web. But the prospect of unprecedented inter-connectivity comes with huge challenges of security and raises serious questions on ethics and legalities. Some of the challenges are Security: How to prevent unauthorized access to critical information, code or a business process? Moreover the pertinent question is how to prevent misuse of critical information, code or a business process, gained by authorized access. Trust and Verification: What should be the parameters that enables establishing trust between a potential consumer and a provider? Even if 'trust' is established how can the consumer 'verify' the trust? Ownership and Responsibility: How to enforce ownership rights and accountability? When there is a software failure who owns up for it ?

Country Analysis- India Essay

India functions on a democratic system, which heavily influences the political situation of the country. However, this democracy stems from a caste system. A caste system is a social grouping that combines a group of particular members based on specific professions and usually leads to the isolation of each individual caste. The Indian people adopted the caste system to create an easy differentiation of communities and neighborhoods. Recently in India there has been a relaxing of the caste system depending on the part of India in which you are looking. In the cities you will see more of an intermingling and mix of the higher caste systems but as you explore the rural areas, you find a traditional form of the caste system. In recent years India has become the largest democracy in the world. The economy is highly affected by the political situation in India. The country suffers from high unemployment and poverty as two of its main issues that currently influence the economic standing of the country. With two opposing parties with vastly different views for the vision of the economy the country is found being pulled for a free market economy and an economy that strongly opposes globalization and favors a â€Å"land-for-all† attitude. (â€Å"Politics of India†) In India the legal situation highly resembles a common law model that is found in England today but is clout with Indian culture. In the courts India has a judge that acts as a neutral party that enforces the law fairly amongst each party. The government too has three branches: the executive, the judiciary and the legislative. The courts hold a common theme of carrying out justice to the people. (Srikrishna) One article says, â€Å"According to Gallup’s annual public opinion polls, India is perceived by Americans as their 7th favorite nation in the world† (â€Å"India-United State Relations†) Based off this observation, the relationship between the United States of American and India seems to be quite close and cordial. However, this does not mean the countries have always agreed on every matter. Back in the late 1990’s when Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the Prime Minister he began to authorize testing of nuclear weapons and the United Sates chose to form against them and eventually was mandated to cut off economic ties. In 2001 the United States under the Clinton administration began to have economic discussion, opening the door for the Bush administration to partake in close monitoring of India’s nuclear weapons and began strengthening the economic ties. The two countries have really come together in times of need such as  the attacks on September 11,2001 and the December 2004 tsunamis. The most recent development in the relationship is under the pressing of the Obama administration. Right out of the gate of the first term of his presidency, President Obama addressed the issue of the Indian-American relationship and said that he was going to take the steps necessary â€Å"further strengthen the excellent bilateral relationship† (â€Å"India-United State Relations†) This goal was communicated vastly amongst the administration, assuring the citizens of both countries that it was a beneficial relationship. The main person taking care of this relationship is Hilary Clinton. As time passed the country of India became concerned that the relationship was not being as cared for like they were assured would be done. Rather they believed the United States was more focused on their relationship with China and eventually the country of Pakistan. The issues of the bilateral relationship continued to struggle for some time, even after a visit to the White House from Prime Minister Singhin November 2010, which was to hopefully fix or strengthen the relationship. In May 2010 President Obama communicated that shared values, interests and the two larges democracies established the partnership between the United States and India. (â€Å"India-United State Relations†) The economic relation between the United States and India has been continuing to be strengthened since the Clinton administration where the bilateral economic dialogue was established. This is a system where the accountability for consultations amongst multiple high powers. (See exhibit A) (â€Å"Embassy of India†) Since this original discussion; there have been multiple dialogue mechanisms to strengthen the bilateral relationship on the economy and trade issues. This includes different forums and financial partnerships. In the first seven or so months of the year 2013 the United States of America increased the percent they did trade with India 7.4%. (â€Å"Embassy of India†) The relationship of the United States and India is perfectly summed up by the words of the National Security adviser Shivshankar Menon, â€Å"From a time when we dealt with each other formally, sometimes warily, we today have a full spectrum relationship, between our governments, our peoples and our institutions.† (Menon) In the year 2011 the Gross National Product increased over 8 billion INR, an increase of 11,846.1 INR since 2010. It has a forecast of following a trend and reaching almost 9 billion INR for the next year. This is also a steady view of how the inflation levels have  effected the GNP of India and will continue do so in the future. (See exhibit B) (No current data was found) (â€Å"India Gross National Product†) The most current GNP per capita was calculated using the PPP to the US dollar using the atlas method divided by a midyear population. In 2011 in India, the GNP resulted to be $1,420.00 at a ranking of 142/191. In consideration of the past is a very steady increase, however, in comparison the U.S it is hardly an increase at all. (â€Å"India-GNI per capita) As of 2006 India spends 3.11% of their gross national product on their education system. Looking to increase this percentage over the years and have lowered the illiteracy rate by 2015. (â€Å"Infochange India†) Today when discussing the opportunity for a company, of any kind, but especially a U.S company, to manufacture in India the support to do so is quite present. One major benefit of manufacturing in India is that the government has been putting into place a plan of action to create a substantial steady flow of economic progress and one of the crucial aspects is through manufacturing. It began in 2010 with the implementation of a Manufacturing Policy, that industry and the government fully supports. The plan began with the rubber industry in India and where they were choosing to invest, it has continued into medical supplies, a chocolate factory and a huge factory by the direct marketing company, Amway. The Prime Minister has stated that the commitment of expanding the manufacturing in India is of highest priority for the economic growth of the country. (â€Å"Manufacturing Sector in India†) Another great aspect of pursuing manufacturing in India versus a country like China is the possibility of lower wages in India, China continues to raise the minimum wage. There is also the language barrier that disappears when you choose to manufacture in India versus another foreign country with a different native tongue. There is also a younger work force in India than in China and with a similar government as that of the United States it is easier to do business. (Shilling) With all the rage to rush off and pursue manufacturing in India there are those who have doubts, like the unknown author of the article in The Economist, the author says, â€Å"If India is to become ‘the next China’—a manufacturing powerhouse—it is taking its time about it.† (â€Å"Manufacturing in India†) When it comes to a company from the United States and whether or not to compete in India, there is good support that says to go for it. Now a days we have so many jobs outsourced to India it seems foolish to not take it a step further. Particularly in the software industry, there is a large convention that is held there annually and the United States is greatly underrepresented and most likely missing out on big opportunities, because the reality is that the show will go on with out the U.S present. India has been focusing on the service industry over the last years but are now moving towards an industrial form of business. Also present is a strong entrepreneurial spirit, which can be wonderful for a new company coming in because the people will be willing to get in on the ground floor of an international operation, as well as bring new ideas and twists to the table. (â€Å"Americans Should Jump on the India Wave†) Another aspect in general to approach entering any country competitively is the exchange rate and currency. Look into how the country performs monetarily and see how the exchange rate and inflation will affect your business on the day-to-day operations but also over time. (Aimes) When going back and looking at the idea of manufacturing and competing in India based off the Economic Freedom Index, the index can mean multiple things for both. In general India is a 55.2 out of 100 in Economic Freedom. This is 119th out of 177, (not including Lybia) while the United States is scores a 76.0 sitting at the top as number 10 of 177. When assessing the index with the idea of a company from the Unite States manufacturing in India I look the factors that influence the index such as the labor freedom, this looks into the aspect of the legality of the labor market of the country, or in our case, India. This means that as a company we have to be cautious not to abuse or practice the immoral practice of extremely low wages or poor work conditions. As far as competing the issue that stands out to me pertaining to the EFI is the corrupt factor, with a low score like India, as a company one would need to watch closely at the practices taking place overseas. (â€Å"Index of Economic Freedom†) The Human Development Index in India is found in the medium HDI. Since 2011 India’s HDI decreased by 2 but is forecasted to increase .07 over the next year. The HDI refers to how the country’s population is take care of, such as life expectancy, education,  etc. This covers the wellbeing of the citizens of the country; I think this affects the manufacture and competitive aspect equally. If the people are not taken care of who is going to manage and operate the company, as an organization it would just be something that must be kept in mind. (â€Å"Human Development Index†) Pertaining to the Global Competitiveness Report it is hard to know how they would affect us because as a country India is not present in the top 30 for the last four years. So the assumption is made the India is not as competitive as portrayed by some people, but that does not mean there is no room for growth. (â€Å"Global Competitiveness Report†) India holds a score of 36 on the corruption perceptions index; this means that again when looking into entering the country either with manufacturing or competitive ambition one must asses the risk that is going be taken, such as how will the government treat your corporation as well as how will the patrons of the country view your corporation. (â€Å"Corruptions Perception Index†) Last but definitely not least another report that is very useful in assessing the want to on pursuing a manufacture or competitive is the World Press Freedom Index. India is in the difficult situation range in this index meaning, that freedom of speech is kind of difficult to actually have because the government watches closely to what is being spoken and said about their country and the people in it. (â€Å"Reporters without Borders†) Based off the indexes and other information presented above do not believe as a company of the United States need to enter the market in India. I believe this is so because of the uncertainty of the market, as stated above India has great potential to grow and be the next China but it has been heading in that direction since the 1950’s and not much change is evident. There are aspects about the country that would be desirable to enter into and if doing so I recommend the company use the strategy of global standardization. This strategy uses the low cost of the country to its advantage and in the United States outsourcing is chosen for that very reason, so instead of just outsourcing I believe it would be wise to use this method to pursue a start up of an international branch in a country like India where there is low labor cost and where it is not necessary for the people to respond due to the fact that there is a low economic freedom and instead it relies more on the main office back in the United States rather than the host country, or in our case, India. (Aimes) Exhibits Exhibit A Exhibit B Works Cited Aimes, Frederico. Foreign Exchange. Online Lecture, Stillwater. 07 Oct. 2013. Lecture . Aimes, Frederico. â€Å"International Business Strategy.† Lecture. International Management Lecture. D2L, Stillwater. 09 Oct. 2013. Web. 09 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Americans Should Jump on the India Wave.† Web log post. Boston.com. N.p., 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Corruption Perceptions Index.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Embassy of India – Washington DC (official Website) United States of America – Economic Relations.† Embassy of India – Washington DC (official Website) United States of America – Economic Relations. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Global Competitiveness Report.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Index of Economic Freedom.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"India – GNI per Capita.† India. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"India GDP per Capita.† TRADING ECONOMICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"India Gross National Product.† TRADING ECONOMICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"India–United States Relations.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 May 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Infochange India.† India Invests Just 3.3% of Its GNP on Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"List of Countries by Human Development Index.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Manufacturing in India: The Masala Mittelstand.† Editorial. The Economist 11 Aug. 2012: n. pag. The Economist. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Manufacturing Sector in India.† , Manufacturing Industry, Indian Industries. India Brand Equity Foundation, Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Menon, Shivshankar. â€Å"India, US Ties Have Come a Long Way: Shivshankar Menon.† The Economic Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Politics of India.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. â€Å"Reporters Without Borders.† Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Shilling, A. Gary. â€Å"Why India Will Displace China as Global Growth Engine.† Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 16 Dec. 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Srikrishna, B. N. (2008) â€Å"The Indian Legal System,† International Journal of Legal Information: Vol. 36: Iss.2, Article 8. Available at: http://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/ijli/vol36/iss2/8

Music In My Life Presenation Essay

MUSIC Music is an influence in everyone’s life. The type of music you listen to can shape the person you become and how you act in different situations. The first instrument I learned how to play was the piano. I only played for about a year or so, then I moved on to the violin. I was a big fan of the violin and recall playing in several recitals with my instructor. I found the recitals to be both exciting and nerve racking at the same time, but in the end it was an unforgettable experience I could not live without. During my high school years I became a fan of the guitar. I started playing the acoustic guitar and I enjoyed it more than every other instrument I ever played growing up. Upon my high school graduation, I purchased my own electric guitar. From that day on I tried to play it as often as I could, but now I do not have the time for it like I used to which is a shame and depressing. MY DREAMS One of my fears in life is not having enough time to achieve all of my dreams. I would love to go on a cruise to the Caribbean. While growing up, vacations with my family were a big part of my life and continuing that lifestyle is of utmost importance to me. I am an adventurous type of person and would enjoy doing a few â€Å"extreme† activities in my life. These activities would consist of skydiving and bungee jumping. Another dream of mine is to visit every state in the United States, as well as travel around the world. Later on in life, I would like to complete my career goals by obtaining my PhD to further my career. One of my biggest dreams I hope to achieve someday would be to go to Germany and visit the town named after my family. In Germany, my family was considered Dukes and we eventually had a town named after us. This would be an ideal vacation and it is one the most amazing things I hope to do at some point in my life.

Refusal in Melville’s Bartleby, the Scrivener

The apparently peculiar protagonist of Herman Melville’s short story, Bartleby, the Scrivener, is a man whose attitude becomes marked by general refusal in the end. After being a diligent scrivener for the lawyer who narrates the story, Bartleby becomes increasingly recluse and resistant, until his speech is almost reduced to a single phrase: â€Å"I would prefer not to. †His refusal to perform at his job, to leave the office and finally to eat, seems, at first, extravagant and gratuitous. However, as it shall be seen, Bartleby embodies the idea of passive resistance against oppression.The lawyer, who is here the narrator of the story as well, represents the pragmatic and materialistic life. Wall Street, which is the most famous street associated with the business world, becomes here a symbol of pragmatism. Significantly, the office where Bartleby is employed is enclosed within walls that obstruct the view at the window. Bartleby, who stares at the great wall incessantl y, is the idealist whose metaphysical revolt crashes against the pragmatic world of business he is a part of. The story is told by a lawyer, who is obviously puzzled by Bartleby’s unaccountable behavior.Because he does not know how to react to Bartleby’s refusals, the lawyer attempts to play a charitable role and let him stay on the premises, without asking him to work anymore. He gives up on his bizarre scrivener however, when he sees that his business has to suffer because of Bartleby’s presence. As many other of Melville’s characters, the copyist is a Transcendentalist, who tries to see life beyond the superficial. He refuses the lawyer’s commands and offers because he believes that business makes man obliterate his own perception of a deeper reality.Bartleby’s thesis is that human action is useless, and he wraps his thesis in the form of negative preferences, giving to understand that he couldn’t act otherwise precisely because it is not a simple matter of will. He seems absolutely paralyzed in inaction, gradually renouncing almost all occupation. As an explanation to the character’s strange behavior, the narrator recalls that Bartleby’s former employment had put him in charge of the ‘dead letters’ or the letters that have reached a dead man at their destination.The former employment obviously added to Bartleby’s belief in the vanity or uselessness of human action in the form of business or commercial employment. Bartleby’s inaction clearly contrasts with the agitated world of business: â€Å"Sometimes an attorney having business with me, and calling at my office, and finding no one but the scrivener there, would undertake to obtain some sort of precise information from him touching my whereabouts; but without heeding his idle talk, Bartleby would remain standing immovable in the middle of the room† (Melville 38).His clash with this pragmatic world is significa nt: he refuses to be involved in the superficial employments of those who do not nurture their own spirits and choose to live artificially. Melville’s association with Transcendentalism is acknowledged. Bartleby’s view on life can be therefore explained with the use of the Transcendentalists’ philosophy. Thus, in Life without Principle, Thoreau remarks that the one element that is completely opposed to poetry and life itself is business: â€Å"I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay to life itself, than this incessant business†(Thoreau 1).Thoreau continues his idea by giving example of men who were involved in businesses that are immoral, such as the â€Å"gold rush† to California. According to Thoreau, a business which implies that one man will take advantage of another, without actually performing something useful, is offensive to religion and to the divinity: â€Å"It makes God be a moneyed gentl eman who scatters a handful of pennies in order to see mankind scramble for them† (Thoreau 1). In the same way, in his lecture Man the Reformer, Emerson criticizes the practice of business and commerce, when these surpass man’s primary needs.According to Emerson, to the extent that it is possible, man should depend on his own powers for at least a part of the manual labor, in order to have a direct relation to the world: â€Å"But the doctrine of the Farm is merely this, that every man ought to stand in primary relations with the work of the world, ought to do it himself, and not to suffer the accident of his having a purse in his pocket, or his having been bred to some dishonorable and injurious craft, to sever him from those duties†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Emerson 1).Thoreau’s and Emerson’s ideas about business are illustrated by Bartleby’s attitude towards his employer’s profession and the world of Wall Street. Bartleby is sensitive to the fact tha t such an employment keeps men from enjoying life for its real value. His peculiar behavior and his absolute refusal of the lawyer’s proposals show that he holds a different view of life, than that of the common people.Bartleby’s contemplative nature is a further hint that he is immersed in thoughts and meditations and refuses to take part in the shallow activities of the men who surround him. The main character is Melville’s short story is therefore a social misfit, who refuses to acknowledge the superficial world of business that the modern man has walled himself in. With the Transcendentalists, Bartleby is focused on contemplation and understanding of the deeper reality, refusing to become involved in a world of petty and purely materialistic concerns.? Works Cited: Emerson, Ralph Waldo. â€Å"Man the Reformer. † The Transcendentalist, 2001. Ed. J. Johnson Lewis. Retrieved at July 30, 2009. http://www. emersoncentral. com/manreform. htm. Melville, Herm ann. The Complete Shorter Fiction. London: Everyman’s Library, 1997. Thoreau, Henry David. â€Å"Life without principle. † The Transcendentalist, 2001. Ed. J. Johnson Lewis. Retrieved at July 30, 2009. http://www. transcendentalists. com/life_without_principle. htm.

Psychology Adjustment

Thomas Wisnewski Psychology of Adjustment Jurgens 6 December 2012 In my class Psychology 2101 I was asked to write about three major events that occurred during my lifetime for class. I have thought about this almost all semester and it was a constant struggle just to think of even one event that I would have liked to share. This class has shown me that almost everybody has their problems, some that cope with them well, and others that still struggle to figure a path that will lead them to happiness. I myself have personal issues that I have learned from.This paper will describe the three events and how they have impacted my life. During the paper I will do my best to put these events in chronological order. I come from a military family. My dad was the military man and my mother was from Korea. They had married when my dad was stationed in South Korea between the late 80s and early 90s. Being in a military family had resulted us in moving a lot. I have moved between many states whil e my dad was in the military, but I had actually loved it. I loved traveling between place-to-place and seeing all kind of new things.Travelling was just really interesting to me because there was always a time where I could experience something new. One of the places that I moved to and stayed for quite a while was in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I had always thought this place was an amazing. Most military brats know that making friends is not the easiest thing to do. We understand by the constant moving that we have to make new friends and lose the ones we made from a place before. This was normal, but getting older I realized that I was getting a bit tired from the constant moving and wanted to stay in one place for a while.As far as I can remember I have learned a lot living in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I learned to ride my first bike there and enjoyed the beautiful weather. In Colorado I had also met my best friend. My best friend’s name was Joshua Vialpando and we had almost done everything together. We would always have the same teachers in school and then of course we would hang outside of school constantly. The guy was always there for me when I ever had a problem and I would try my best to be there for him. Joshua had always struggled in school, but I would always catch on things a bit quicker and help him out when he needed it.This was my first real friend that I have made that I could actually see being there later in my life during adulthood. Of course as time went by it was time to pack my bags and move to a different state. For the first time in my life I realized that I did not want to move and that moving somewhere new had no appeal to me. I wanted to stay and just hang with my best friend and do whatever new activity would cross our minds. I felt like that moving somewhere new would change me somehow and that I would not be able to make a friend that was like him.I felt as if I was going to be lonely, or probably feel a bit different from everyone else. I was losing a friend and it felt like I was losing the world that I had gotten use to and I did not want to experience a new one. This first event gradually leads up to my second event when I moved to Augusta, Georgia. It took me a four-day trip by RV to make it to Augusta. I knew that by moving here I would have to start over again, new school and hopefully new friends as well. In school before I was never really made fun of or teased at all for being who I am.For the first time in my life I was being teased for being Asian American. Children would constantly come up to me and make â€Å"oriental† noises like â€Å"ching chong chong† and other terms like that. I feel as if in Colorado it was more racially diverse, while moving here to Georgia there was just simply mostly white and black. I remember my very first day of attending class in Augusta and I remember after school I had ended up crying. I did not understand why the other kids would make fun of me because I had never experience this issue before. Augusta, Georgia was the place that my dad decided to retire in.I knew from that point that this place would be my new permanent home and I would not be able to go anywhere else new again. I hated the new place I was living in and I hated going to school. This point on I had lost contact with my best friend in Colorado and I had felt lonely just as I had originally thought I would feel. I had felt this same way all the way to almost between the end of middle school and the start of high school. One day while riding the bus home from school. A guy that sat behind me I said â€Å"hey. † This is the point where I had met my friend Stephen Brinson.Stephen had become almost like a brother to me. He was like a part of my family and even my parents seen it that way as well. This is when things seemed to get better for me, slowly but gradually I would deal with my problems. I no longer felt as lonely as I did before because I had met someone that I could talk to and seemed to have the same interests as me. I have known Stephen for a while now and he is still my best friend today. He is the only person I honestly probably see and talk to most of the time. In my first two years of high school I was not popular at all. In fact, I was probably more of a geek than anything.It was the last two years of high school that I had finally felt a difference. I never realized how many people I knew. I had actually become pretty popular at the end of my high school career. I was known for my talents and nominated for everything. I feel that Stephen was a part of this change because we had made that change together. Stephen was also a pretty big geek in the beginning of high school as well, but we both decided to make this change together. I feel if I have never met him, then that change would have never occurred and I could probably be in a situation that I hate.I learned that it is not about where I go, but the peop le that I do things with. I still today tend to not make a lot of friends, but a few is all I need to be happy. I learned that being made fun of is nothing and it is something that I can overcome. In the end it has made me stronger as a person and I tend to think back at a hard time and laugh about it. I laugh at it because I realize where I am now and I am proud of that alone. My last event is about my sister and mostly my mother. My mother is pretty strict mom and she pushes us very hard especially when it comes to education.The way she pushes my sister and I does not seem very reasonable and at times very unfair. My sister and my mother would argue a lot, but one day it had got to the point where I had come home and my sister had about nine knives that she held up to her neck explaining that she just wanted to kill herself. I remember me sneaking up behind her and taking all of the knives out of her hand to make sure that she would not harm herself. From that point on I tend to k eep a barrier between my mother and I. This barrier is the only one that I can see fit for dealing with her because my mother knows exactly how to tick you off.I do believe that my mother’s ways did help me during school because I had focused and did well many times until the start of high school. In the beginning of high school I tended to rebel against her because I wanted to show her that I did not really care. It was about a year into high school that I realized it was not for my mother, but for myself and that I should actually be doing a whole lot better. My mom did not even attend my high school graduation because she believes I was not high enough ranked. I ranked in the top 10 percentile of my high school, which I thought was pretty good.I do not tell her absolutely anything unless it is completely needed. There is nothing about my personal life that she really knows because she will just argue about how everything I am doing is completely wrong. The barrier is the o nly way I believe that I can enjoy my life and not bother hers. The barrier is not just for myself, but a little part of it is for her as well. It keeps us both sane instead of in a state of constant rage. I believe that I will always have this barrier between her because she will never really sit down and understand why I do the things I do.She does not want to hear what I have to say and just believes that nothing is right compared to her. By creating this barrier between her and I. It has changed me as a person. I realize that I create barriers between other people because I tend to not trust others very quickly. Even when I get into a relationship with a significant other I create some type of barrier and the girl will never understand me completely. I always end up telling them that they just do not get it but I know that because of this barrier I put up. It makes it hard to understand me.I am trying to work on this because I have met someone that I would really love to fully u nderstand me and I fully understand her. It is a work in progress, but I believe in the end it will be worth it. Today, I no longer feel as lonely as I once did. I feel satisfied with how things are going in my life today. I think that I have it all. I might not have the perfect family, but I do love my family. I do not think that anyone has a fairytale. This class has shown me so much and has given me different perspectives on how I can deal with the everyday stress of life.Things just seem a lot better than they did before and I can really only thank myself for this. I feel if I never wanted things to change then they would not have, but I had accepted others with positive inputs in my life and let the ones with negative inputs go away. I thought that this class was an interesting course and that anybody regardless if they are psychology major or minor should take this class because they could also learn something from it as well. It is a different experience than the normal class room, but that is exactly what makes it so good.