Why the world should explore alternate sources of energy Research Paper - 1

Why the world should explore alternate sources of energy - Research Paper Example ny single source of energy, such as, petroleum products or gasoline for long, the time is not far away when we will become short of these sources of energy. In this paper, we will discuss why the world should explore alternative energy sources. â€Å"A surge in the price of crude is threatening global growth for the first time in decades and spurring a desperate surge in interest in energy alternatives† (Valdmanis). The world is really in need of alternate sources of energy to meet industrial and daily requirements of life. A single or a couple of sources of energy cannot serve us for a long time. We can take example of whale oil, which was being used in the early 19th century not only as lubricants but also as fuel for the lamps. At that time, no one thought that the whale stock would ever face shortage. However, by the mid of 19th century, whale stock became very short and the world had to shift to some other source of energy to meet different requirements. Similarly, nuclear energy is also at the door of risk. People used to think that nuclear energy is one of such forms of energy, which can serve the electricity needs of Japanese people for a very long time. However, what happened to the nuclear plants of Japan due to tsunami is not hidden to anyone. Japan had to close many of its nuclear plants because the damage to the nuclear reactors resulted in discharging harmful radiation. That was the time, when Japanese government stopped producing most of its electricity using nuclear plants and started exploring alternate sources of energy to meet the requirements of life. Today, most of the developed countries are taking steps to explore renewable energy sources to cope with the expected scarcity of oil and gas. Sterzinger states, â€Å"There is a growing recognition that achieving security and climate stability will require a massive development of renewable energy projects† (16: 81-91,198). Renewable energy refers to continuous and natural energy sources such as

Informed Consent Form Essay Example for Free

Informed Consent Form Essay The purpose of this research is to study the attitude of males towards police on campus. You will be asked questions which might make some people feel uncomfortable, while it may be pleasant for others. Should you wish to withdraw your participation you are free to do so at any time. The identity of participants will remain strictly confidential. It will be masked in all written reports and transcripts of tapes. All interviews will be taped and transcribed and only the investigator will have access to the tapes. After six months from the date of the interview each tape will be erased. This research project will not be published. I have read the above description of this research project and have a satisfactory understanding of what my participation will involve. The investigator has answered my questions regarding this project. I consent to take part in this investigation. If you have further questions regarding this research please feel free to contact (Your name) (Investigator) at (209) 830-9284.

marine worms :: essays research papers

Flatworms belong to the phylum Platyhelminthes. They have the simplest body plan of all bilaterally symmetrical animals. They are called flatworms because their bodies are compressed. The mouth is the only opening into the digestive cavity the flatworms have. Food is taken in through this hole and wastes are discharged also through this hole. Flatworms have a well-defined nervous, muscular, excretory, and reproductive system. The flatworm distributes the food it digests through a digestive tube that branches throughout all of its body parts. The fact that the worm’s body is flat serves many purposes. It allows the worm to hid in small spaces, to fit into the opening of other animals if the worm is parasitic, and it means that all the cells are close enough to the surface for exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with the environment (Meinkoth 399).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are about thirty thousand species of worms in the phylum Platyhelminthes. Twenty five thousand of these worms are parasitic, which is the vast majority of the phylum. The flatworms only account for four thousand of the worms in the phylum, but they are said to be very beautiful compared to the parasitic worms (Snyderman and Wiseman 83). Flatworms display bilateral symmetry, which means that their bodies have a distinctive head and rear, and their right and left sides are mirror images of each other. The fact that these worms are bilaterally symmetric enables them to move from place to place more efficiently. This trait can help the worms catch their food and get away from their enemies. It can help them find a mate and move from location to location. If they were not made like this, they would have very little control over their bodily movements, and not be able to survive in the ocean (Snyderman and Wiseman 84).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some other characteristics that make worms of the phylum Platyhelminthes unique are the fact that they are light sensitive. They often try to avoid brightly lit areas. They are so sensitive because they possess’ bundles of light-sensitive eyes that are often described as primitive eyes (Snyderman and Wiseman 84). Another interesting characteristic of the flatworms is that they are hermaphroditic. This means that they posses both male and female reproductive organs. When one learns of this they may think that self-fertilization would be common, but it is not. Flatworms also posses amazing regenerative properties. When they lose a body part, a new one will form, and it some cases, the body part often regenerates an entirely new flatworm (Snyderman and Wiseman 84).

Reading Response to the Road

Title: The Road Author: Cormac McCarthy Text Type: Fictional Novel Date of response: 6th of February 2012 SUMMARY: The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a novel about two people, a father and son, living in a post-apocalyptic North America. Their belongings are a cart, with scavenged food and tools inside, their clothes, and each other. Together they struggle to survive in this world, where many of the trees are gone, where the air, ground and all things are saturated with ash. Production of goods and foods has long since ceased. Survivors of the apocalypse must get by on canned goods and must ? d ways to survive the harsh, frozen nights. But those canned goods become scarce and the humanity of many of those who survive is no longer existent when faced with the alternative of death. This book is about the struggle that the child and the father face together; the struggle between satisfying human needs and doing so whilst maintaining a semblance of humanity. STRUCTURE: This novel does not fo llow a conventional structure. In the ? rst scenes of the book, (this book is not separated into chapters), the reader is introduced to the boy and the man.It is clear early on that the man is the boy? s father, as the boy calls him â€Å"papa†. The reader also understands that they have a cart full of goods and that they travel and sleep wherever necessary. This is the exposition. After that, the book follows them as they travel toward the coast, ? eeing from the cold habitat of the northern land. While traveling, they must also replenish their food multiple times. As they walk towards the coast and search for food, they are met with many ethical and moral problems. They meet a child whom they suspect, but do not know, has no one to look after him.They meet fellow vagabonds, starving and dying, with some of whom they cannot afford to share resources. The child asks child-like questions that spark deep philosophical questions of morality in the father. â€Å" I? m afraid for that little boy. I know, he? ll be all right. We should go get him, Papa. We could get him and take him with us. We could take him and we could take the dog. The dog could catch us something to eat. We cant. And I? d give that little boy half of my food. Stop it. We cant. He was crying again. What about the little boy? he sobbed. What about the little boy? This is one of the complications of this novel that superimposes itself on the underlying complication of the lack of food: Can one simply watch someone such as a little boy walk off to their death? This complication is not resolved in this book. Another complication and moral dilemma of this book is the question of whether the man will be able to kill his son if need be. The remnants of North America, and if the rest of the world survived, there too, a majority of the people left were cannibalistic savages who raped and tortured those that they captured before eating them.His wife had asked him questions of whether he would be a ble to end their lives to spare them the suffering that they would be put through if they were captured. â€Å"Now is the time. Curse God and die. What if it doesn? t ? re? It has to ? re. What if it doesn? t ? re? Could you crush that beloved skull with a rock? Is there such a being within you of which you know nothing? Can there be? Hold him in your arms. Just so. The soul is quick to pull him towards you. Kiss him. Quickly. † There are several ? ashbacks in this book, the man dreams of his lost wife and the moral dilemma that they faced, which was not resolved.The wife took on a fatalist view of the world, and wanted it over with. The man simply wanted his son to live, and to try and help him live as happy a life as possible. The wife then left, and it is inferred that she went to her death. CHARACTERIZATION: One character that has made an impression on me is the child. The child is always sweet and generous. It is heartbreaking to read the effects of the happenings of the world that he lives in, but perhaps even worse reading the times when it doesn? t anymore. What really effected me about this child is the simpleness with which he viewed the world.A lens that only a character like him could look through. â€Å" Tell me. The boy looked down the road. I want you to tell me. It? s okay. He shook his head. Look at me, the man said. He turned and looked. He looked like he? d been crying. Just tell me. We wouldnt ever eat anybody, would we? No. Of course not. Even if we were starving? We? re starving now. You said we werent. I said we werent dying. I didnt say we werent starving. But we wouldnt. No. We wouldnt. No matter what. No. No matter what. Because we? re the good guys. Yes. And we? re carrying the ? re. And we? re carrying the ? re. Yes Okay. † Although I? sure many of us would like to think that cannibalism is beyond us and that we would never eat another human being to save ourselves, but I do not think that it is a reality that will sur vive in midst of crisis when there is no society to impose the morality that binds us today. It is for us to decide whether we have a moral compass separate and independent from the ideas of society.THEME: The author? s purpose in writing this book is to question what we think is the foundation of humanity; the foundation of who we are. Can humanity survive in a world of chaos and suffering such as this? Is there room for it? And if here is not, then can it be called â€Å"survival† if we have forsaken the values that we used to say is what we were. In reading this book the reader develops an appreciation for life and for the things that we have that we call fundamental and thus take for granted. â€Å"He had no shoes at all and his feet were wrapped in rash and cardboard tied with green twine and any number of layers of vile clothing showed through the tears and hoes in it. † I also think that Cormac McCarthy meant for the reader to ponder problems in the book, so as to compare ourselves to the characters and their actions, and to imagine what we may have done in their shoes. The boy lay with his head on the man? s lap. After a while he said: They? re going to kill those people, arent they? Yes. Why do they have to do that? I dont know. Are they going to eat them? I dont know. They? re going to eat them, arent they? Yes. And we couldnt help them because then they? d eat us too. Yes. And that? s why we couldnt help them. Yes. Okay. † Is it okay? Does not doing all you can do to help make you a guilty bystander? Does it make it any better that you were not the one that would commit these heinous acts, but were simply the ones that saw the victims-to-be and walked away? LANGUAGE:In this novel, McCarthy does not follow many grammatical rules. When there is a dialogue, McCarthy, instead of using conventional speech marks, indents what is said from one character and does the same for the next. He does not always follow this either, but it is the norm throughout the book. â€Å" You promised not to do that, the boy said. What? You know what, Papa. He poured the hot water back into the pan and took the boy? s cup and poured some of the cocoa into his own and handed it back. I have to watch you all the time, the boy said. I know. If you break little promises you? ll break big ones. That? what you said. I know. But I wont. † This system leaves it up to the reader to infer who is speaking. Some parts of the book are up for interpretation in meaning but also who speaks at certain points. This changes much meaning, the reader is left to ponder who is speaking what and the implications thereof. The vocabulary in this book is very complex, McCarthy even uses some words that are no longer in many dictionaries. He uses many words in ? exible ways that challenge the mind, and are also up for much interpretation. â€Å"On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. †McCarthy misses s ome apostrophes where the word can still be deciphered. He also breaks small rules of grammar to do with multiple â€Å"and†s in one sentence and makes many fragments. â€Å"He did not take care of her and she died alone somewhere in the dark and there is no other dream nor waking world and there is no other tale to tell. † At times he simply disregards the logical sentence structure altogether. â€Å"Query: How does the never to be differ from what never was? † I think that all of this relates back to the book. The crumbled society and people of this book that I mentioned before is portrayed through the events and characters of this book.The writing style of this book in its errors and sentences I think is symbolic of the disintegrating society. Writing no longer follows the rules that it has because there is no reason for it to. It makes for many incredibly complex and beautiful sentences, no longer bound by the limitations of a normal sentence. These sentence s challenge your mind, and can be subject to so much more interpretation than a normal sentence. â€Å"Like the great pendulum in its rotunda scribing through the long day movements of the universe of which you may say it knows nothing and yet know it must. †

Portfolio Unit 1: Article Critique Essay

User interfaces and consumer perceptions of online stores: The role of telepresence KIL-SOO SUH and SUNHYE CHANG School of Business, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea Office of General Affairs, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea Behaviour & Information Technology, Vol. 25, No. 2, March-April 2006 pages 99 – 113 1. Overview of Article The article written by Kil-Soo Suh and Sunhye Chang are well laid out, and easy to read. I feel that they have made the article interesting enough to keep people interested right from the start and reading further. I think that the writers choice to use many facts from the start is a good choice as it helps to keep readers intrigued. The title for the article may not be the best choice, but is indeed very direct with what they are trying to provide readers with. The writers continue, with a brief introduction, theoretical background and hypotheses with useful information as well as useful references in there work. The writers have used research to provide references to there work which is vastly positive and gives readers further information on the subject. The article was written in the year 2006 and is about the consumers’ perceptions about online stores and shopping online. Over time consumers have become more and more accustomed to using the internet and shopping online and this article explains what general consumers once feared about using such a tool to make everyday transactions. The articles gives readers examples of questions and also the results to them. This can help readers into a better understanding about the subject of user interfaces and consumer perceptions of online stores. The writers have chosen to use quantitative as well as qualitative methods to show there use of questionnaires and results. The articles descriptions about certain information such as ‘user interface and telepresence’ are well described with references, examples and also diagrams which are clear and easy to follow. 2. Strengths and Weaknesses 2.1 Weaknesses a. Although the article starts off well, introducing the reader into the subject, it does start to become rather repetitive half way through. b. Whereas the research seems to be done well, the ‘theoretical background and hypotheses’ have come up a little short on information. c. With evidence to the questionnaires and data tables of results, the methodology for the overall article seemed to be based on both quantitative and qualitative methods. However, I found that the quantitative information given was not sufficient enough for the reader. d. The literature used may not be as appealing to e.g a younger audience who may want to read shorter paragraphs and less overall. e. The article may seem to be now a little outdated for readers even though it has useful information. 2.2 Strengths a. The research has been done well and is also appropriately referenced, making it easy for readers to follow and research on there own if they wish to with the research information provided. b. Towards the end of the article the writers have a heading ‘Future research directions’. With the information provided in this short ‘to be continued’ styled paragraph will help encourage any readers that are enjoying the article to read further, and maybe to even research the subject further themselves. c. Although the article is to some extent outdated at the time of my self reading it, I think that it still provides the reader with relevant and precise information. 3. Recommendations a. By keeping the article short could mean appealing to a wider audience b. I feel that if the aims where set out clearer at the start of the article, it would be even easier for the reader to get into it. c. Producing better research methods as well as a better background on the subject will also have been better suited to this particular article. d. Changing the literature to better suit a younger more open audience. I feel that the article should be better suited to the reader than the writer. e. Although there is quantitative and qualitative data within the article itself, I feel that the writers could have made better use of the information by applying more time to the qualitative data rather than focusing more on quantitative data.

Habits and Traits of Hobo Spiders (Tegenaria agrestis)

Habits and Traits of Hobo Spiders (Tegenaria agrestis) The hobo spider, Tegenaria agrestis, is native to Europe, where it is considered harmless. But in North America, where it was introduced, people seem to believe the hobo spider is among the most dangerous creatures we can encounter in our homes. Its time to set the record straight about the hobo spider. Hobo Spider Description The features that distinguish Tegenaria agrestis from other similar-looking spiders are only visible under magnification. Arachnologists identify hobo spiders by examining their genitalia (reproductive organs), chelicerae (mouthparts), setae (body hairs), and eyes with a microscope. Directly stated, you cannot accurately identify a hobo spider by its color, markings, shape, or size, nor can you identify Tegenaria agrestis with the naked eye alone. The hobo spider is generally brown or rust in color, with a chevron or herringbone pattern on the dorsal side of the abdomen. This is not considered a diagnostic trait, however, and cannot be used to identify the species. Hobo spiders are medium in size (up to 15 mm in body length, not including the legs), with females slightly larger than males. Hobo spiders are venomous, but not considered dangerous in their native European range. In North America, hobo spiders have been considered a species of medical concern for the past several decades, although there doesnt seem to be any scientific evidence to support such an assertion about Tegenaria agrestis. No studies have proven that hobo spider venom causes necrosis of the skin in humans, as is often claimed. In fact, there has only been one documented case of a person developing skin necrosis after a hobo spider bite, and that patient had other medical issues also known to cause necrosis. Additionally, spider bites are extremely rare, and hobo spiders are no more inclined to bite a human than any other spider you might encounter. Think You Found a Hobo Spider? If you are concerned that you may have found a hobo spider in your home, there are a few things you can observe  to be sure your mystery spider is not a hobo spider. First, hobo spiders never have dark bands on their legs. Second, hobo spiders dont have two dark stripes on the cephalothorax. And third, if your spider has a shiny orange cephalothorax and smooth, shiny legs, it is not a hobo spider. Classification Kingdom - AnimaliaPhylum - ArthropodaClass – ArachnidaOrder – AraneaeFamily – AgelenidaeGenus – TegenariaSpecies - agrestis Diet Hobo spiders hunt other arthropods, primarily insects but sometimes other spiders. Life Cycle The hobo spider life cycle is believed to live  as long as three years in inland areas of North America, but just one year in coastal areas. Adult hobo spiders usually die in the fall after reproducing, but some adult females will overwinter. Hobo spiders reach adulthood and sexual maturity in the summer. Males wander in search of mates. When he finds a female in her web, the male hobo spider will approach her with caution so hes not mistaken as prey. He knocks at the funnel entrance by tapping a pattern on her web, and retreats and advances several times until she seems receptive. To finish his courtship of her, the male will add silk to her web. In early fall, mated females produce up to four egg sacs of up to 100 eggs each. The mother hobo spider attaches each egg sac to the underside of an object or surface. The spiderlings emerge the following spring. Special Behaviors and Defenses Hobo spiders belong to the family Agelenidae, known as the funnel-web spiders or funnel weavers. They construct horizontal webs with a funnel-shaped retreat, usually to one side, but sometimes in the center of the web. Hobo spiders tend to stay on or near the ground and wait for prey from within the safety of their silk retreats. Habitat Hobo spiders typically inhabit wood piles, landscape beds, and similar areas where they can construct their webs. When found near structures, theyre often seen in basement window wells or other darker, protected areas near the foundation. Hobo spiders dont usually live indoors, but occasionally make their way into peoples home. Look for them in the darkest corners of the basement, or along the perimeter of the basement floor. Range The hobo spider is native to Europe. In North America, Tenegaria agrestis is well-established in the Pacific Northwest, as well as parts of Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and British Columbia. Other Common Names Some people call this species the aggressive house spider, but there is no truth to this characterization. Hobo spiders are quite docile, and only bite if provoked or cornered. Its believed that someone christened the spider with this misnomer, thinking the scientific name agrestis meant aggressive, and the name stuck. In fact, the name agrestis comes from the Latin for rural. Its also worth noting that an August 2013 analysis of European funnel-web spiders reclassified the hobo spider as Eratigena agrestis. But because this is not yet widely used, weve chosen to use the previous scientific name Tenegaria agrestis for the time being. Sources Vetter, Rick L, and Art Antonelli. How to Identify (and Misidentify) the Hobo Spider. UC Riverside and Washington State University.Hobo Spider.  UC IPM Online,  May 2006.Hobo Spiders (Tenegaria agrestis). Utah State University Extension.Myth: How to Recognize Hobo Spiders.  Burke Museum.Mullen, Gary R, and Lance A. Durden.  Medical and Veterinary Entomology. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2009.Russell, Richard C, Domenico Otranto, and Richard L. Wall.  The Encyclopedia of Medical and Veterinary Entomology. Wallingford: CABI, 2013.Family Agelenidae - Funnel Weavers. BugGuide.Net.

Free Essays on Crevecoeur

Winthrop’s idea of a â€Å"city on a hill† is a vision of what he wanted America to be like. He wanted to guide the Puritans to act in such a way that people would look up to them, as they would a city on a hill. So, in his mind, it was more of a way of acting in order to gain prestige and awe. Crevecoeur’s idea of â€Å"city on a hill† was a little bit different from Winthrop’s idea. Crevecoeur wrote down what he saw when he was in America. He talked of the beautiful mountains, the ways of the people, and how America was not governed and ruled by one person who had control over all the people. Instead, the people of the colonies had say in the government by representation. He thought America to be superior to England, Europe, and Scotland in many ways, such as the ways on governing the land. Winthrop’s Christian settler that he describes is one that is disciplined and follows rigid rules of their religion. Most of what he says is based on religion, and religion was the guide to the ways that the people were supposed to act. Winthrop’s â€Å"American† was self-disciplined, and pretty much, heartless it seems. They are only out to make themselves look good and to provide for themselves, they want others to look up to them. Crevecoeur, however, has a different vision of the â€Å"American† that he sees here in America. He sees people that are mingling together no matter what their ethnic background. On page 660, Crevecoeur says, â€Å"What then is the American, this new man? He is either a European, or the descendant of a European, hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country.† Here he is saying that people from different countries are coming together and having children together, creating a new breed of people that are strictly found here in America. He states this once again on page 660 by saying, â€Å"Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors... Free Essays on Crevecoeur Free Essays on Crevecoeur\'s \ Winthrop’s idea of a â€Å"city on a hill† is a vision of what he wanted America to be like. He wanted to guide the Puritans to act in such a way that people would look up to them, as they would a city on a hill. So, in his mind, it was more of a way of acting in order to gain prestige and awe. Crevecoeur’s idea of â€Å"city on a hill† was a little bit different from Winthrop’s idea. Crevecoeur wrote down what he saw when he was in America. He talked of the beautiful mountains, the ways of the people, and how America was not governed and ruled by one person who had control over all the people. Instead, the people of the colonies had say in the government by representation. He thought America to be superior to England, Europe, and Scotland in many ways, such as the ways on governing the land. Winthrop’s Christian settler that he describes is one that is disciplined and follows rigid rules of their religion. Most of what he says is based on religion, and religion was the guide to the ways that the people were supposed to act. Winthrop’s â€Å"American† was self-disciplined, and pretty much, heartless it seems. They are only out to make themselves look good and to provide for themselves, they want others to look up to them. Crevecoeur, however, has a different vision of the â€Å"American† that he sees here in America. He sees people that are mingling together no matter what their ethnic background. On page 660, Crevecoeur says, â€Å"What then is the American, this new man? He is either a European, or the descendant of a European, hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country.† Here he is saying that people from different countries are coming together and having children together, creating a new breed of people that are strictly found here in America. He states this once again on page 660 by saying, â€Å"Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors...

Powell Surname Meaning and Family History

Powell Surname Meaning and Family History The Powell surname typically originated as a contraction of the Welsh Ap Howell, meaning son of Howell. The given name Howell is an anglicized form of Hywel, meaning eminent in Welsh. Due to the system of Welsh patronymics, many individuals living today who use the Powell surname originally descended down that line from a family that may have used a different surname. Surname Origin: Welsh Alternate Surname Spellings:  POWEL, POUEL, POWELLS, PAUWEL, PAUWELS, POWELS Famous People with the Powell  Surname Colin Powell - American diplomat and military leader;  the first African American appointed as the U.S. Secretary of StateWilliam Powell  -  William Powell was a baritone-voiced actor remembered for playing Nick Charles in The Thin Man films.Adam Clayton Powell Jr.  -  20th century clergyman and U.S. representative; civil rights activistJohn Wesley Powell - American scientist, soldier and explorer;  credited with leading the first group of white men down the Colorado River through the Grand CanyonEnoch Powell -  British politician, classical scholar, linguist, and poet Where Is the Powell Surname Most Common? The Powell surname, according to surname distribution information from Forebears, is the 1,441st most common surname in the world. It is most common today in Wales, where it ranks as the 23rd most frequent surname. It is also among the top 100 surnames in England (88th), the United States (91st) and Jamaica (32nd). Powell is a common last name throughout Wales, but especially in the southern regions such as around Glamorganshire, Brecknockshire and Radnorshire. WorldNames PublicProfiler indicates the Powell surname is especially frequent in Wales and western England, particularly Herefordshire and Monmouthshire. Genealogy Resources for the Surname Powell Powell Surname DNA ProjectOver 470 members have joined this Y-DNA project to work together to use DNA testing along with traditional genealogy research to help determine Powell origins and distinguish between various Powell lines. Powell  Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Powell  family crest or coat of arms for the Powell surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Powell Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Powell  ancestors around the world. Search the forum for posts about your Powell ancestors, or join the forum and post your own queries. Since Powell is an old Welsh surname, you may also wish to consider joining the Welsh Patronymics DNA Project. FamilySearch - Powell GenealogyExplore over 4 million  results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Powell surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Powell Surname Mailing ListFree mailing list for researchers of the Powell  surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. GeneaNet - Powell  RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Powell  surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Powell  Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Powell  surname from the website of Genealogy Today.- Source Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Smoking should be banned in public places Annotated Bibliography - 1

Smoking should be banned in public places - Annotated Bibliography Example Naiman et al are all health professionals working in health centres or tutoring in institutions of health qualifies them to expound on the issue. Neiman et al article introduction covers the historical implementation of the public ban on smoking in Canada. The authors later share the findings of their study on the effect of the ban on public and workplace second hand smoking. They rely on the Canadian community health survey data. Neiman et al is a point on article as it focuses on the topic on my interest as it gives evidence to my argument. The findings of their study that the ban has led to reduced second hand smoking by use of empirical evidence validates my study and is a worthwhile source. The study shows where the ban has been applied, substantial success has been observed as it focuses on the municipalities of Canada an d measures exposure rates, comparing them to data before the ban. I would recommend this source although most of the issues discussed are at an advanced level, and the review part is rather taxing to follow. Patience is required in using it, as list of sources is

Gun Manufacturer's Liability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gun Manufacturer's Liability - Essay Example It was due to these persistently occurring firearms caused mortality incidents that spurred the application of legal remedies to regulate the purchase and use of firearms. Regulatory statutes in the past 15 years focused on mandating the legal responsibilities of gun manufacturers in an effort to reduce firearms related deaths. According to former Attorney General Robert Kennedy, "It is a responsibility to put away childish things - to make the possession and use of firearms a matter undertaken only by serious people who will use them with the restraint and maturity that their dangerous nature deserves - and demands" (US Department of Justice 2). Deterring firearms deaths require a holistic solution that targets two major sectors for gun regulation, gun owners and gun manufacturers including the channels of distribution between the two sectors. Every regulatory measure have been met with opposition and criticism from one sector or the other due to the public interest issues involved in gun manufacture and ownership. Strict regulation of gun manufacturers led to the enactment of laws providing the responsibilities and corresponding liabilities of gun manufacturers. An analytical discussion of the responsibilities and liabilities of gun manufacturers, the controversies surrounding the s... In terms of the responsibilities for firearms production, manufacturers hold the duty to design and assemble their products for safe use so that in case of defects they hold liability for injuries and damages subject to the provisions of tort law. The purpose of liability is to motivate gun manufacturers to consider optimum safety in firearms design. This is important since guns together with tobacco are exempt from safety oversight by the federal government. (Low 43) Under tort law, the failure of gun manufacturers to perform their duty of care in ensuring that the firearms they sell to the public are free from foreseeable design defects opens them to liability for negligence based on claims for damages and physical injuries. Penalties for negligence range from suspension and cancellation of businesses licenses to payment of compensation for damages depending upon the extent of link to these incidents. (Cook and Ludwig 2) Responsibility for product design fell upon gun manufacturers because of the significant number of deaths and injuries caused by faulty firearms designs together with recognition that gun manufacturers hold the best position in identifying potential defects and ensuring that the firearms they sell to the public are free from faulty design. Moreover, gun manufacturers have a certain degree of control over the use of the firearms they produce. They can implement certain control mechanisms over the distribution of their products to the criminal market. (Low 43) In relation to the accountability of gun manufacturers for the distribution and sales of firearms, their statutory responsibility is enshrined in the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act 1993 as strengthened by the Youth

Marketing Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Management - Coursework Example Just like any other industry, banks also have various methods of developing relationships with their customers and personal clients. In banks, customer loyalty remains the cornerstone of the current market conditions. Losing a customer in the banking industry is an absolute mistake especially when fighting with competitors in the market. Some of the common methods in which banks use to develop their ongoing customer relationships include building communication with their personal customers, enhancing customer services, extensive research on their clients and identifying of their customer needs and wants (Kotler & Keller, 2011, p. 173). Additionally, banks also develop their customer relationships by providing full disclosure while interacting with their personal customers. In order to develop relationships with their personal clients, most banks maintain effective financial-driven communication with their clients. Multiple communication systems between the clients and the banks help in creating openness between the customer and the banks. Barclays bank is known for its effective communication with its clients and personal customers. Generally, the bank has established good communication and rapport with its customers hence guaranteeing eagerness of customers doing business with the company. Proper identification of customer needs and wants in banks is usually accomplished by maintaining customer interaction and communication. Additionally, using background research remains important in establishing customer needs and wants. Both approaches help banks in developing relationships with its customers (Kotler & Keller, 2011, p. 67-73). This aspect mostly means focusing on provision of complete answers to customer concerns and queries. The whole process involves honesty during communications and setting reasonable expectations for personal clients. The whole process helps in building

The Asthma Trap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Asthma Trap - Essay Example The cause of asthma is not known but there are a few factors or social forces that can safely be said are the major causes of asthma. Genetic factor is one of the most common factors that say that it is hereditary and runs in the family. Next is the environmental factor that suggests that pollen, house dust mites, animal dander and tobacco smoke if present in the environment are allergens that trigger asthma. Irritants in the workplace like chemicals, dust, gases etc are major causes of asthma in adults that are due to the occupation which gives exposure to such allergens as in the paint factory or where dealing with raw cotton is done etc. A healthy lifestyle is very important as if dietary habits are not correct then asthma is likely to happen due to increased intake of processed foods and high use of salt. Less exercise and leading a very sedentary life is also one of the causes as reduced exercise means less stretching of the airways due to which abnormal contraction is observed even upon exposure to the minor irritants. Asthma is related to multiple factors which are beyond patients' control. Asthma has become the most common chronic illness among children in USA, affecting some 6 million kids, and its prevalence is growing at a rate that some public health experts find alarming. Since 1982, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, the number of asthma sufferers in the United States has doubled. Sara Corbett Like any other disease asthma too burdens the patients and their families both emotionally and financially. Particularly asthma in children takes a toll on the entire family as parents miss work to care for their children and struggle to pay hospital bills, children's grades fall off as absenteeism from school increases hence lower productivity at work. Patients dependent on inhalers have to carry it with them all the time and using it in public makes them conscious and socially misfit and some patients due to this often go into social recluse. Asthma burdens the patient financially as well. According to a study childhood asthma costs the nation $3.2 billion annually in health care expenses also the constant fear of a severe attack and the fear of death is always associated with asthma. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 5,000 Americans die this way every year. Sara Corbett My brother is asthmatic and I personally have seen him going into social hermit and avoiding social gatherings because of the fear of asthma attacks or public usage of inhalers when suffering shortness of breath. As a child he felt chained while playing with kids his age who freely used to bike or used to indulge in strenuous activities as my brother took every step very cautiously because of asthma attack fear as in the past he had suffered when he was just having fun with people his age and doing things of his age. An interesting finding is that factors such as race, ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic can influence child health and have its impact on asthma. Let's discuss each factor: Gender Boys as compared to girls are more prone to asthma. However, in adolescence it's the reverse and asthma is more severe in females and is under diagnosed and undertreated. This change is seen around the time of puberty and could possibly be due to hormonal changes and differences in environmental

Differences of Perceptions of the Amount of School Bullying Between Research Paper

Differences of Perceptions of the Amount of School Bullying Between Students and Staff - Research Paper Example The results of the study were illustrated by the answers to the following questions provided by 129 respondents from students and 32 respondents from school staff. The range of questions illustrated different representations of the issues connected with bullying, its prevention and post-reactions for it. In the result of the survey, both teachers and students reflected the presence of bullying at school. First of all, both male and female students confirmed that there were possible fights at school. The students were often arguing among each other. The most interesting fact was that some students were often beaten up by other students or are teased more often than other students. Therefore, it could be seen that both male and female students underlined the presence of a special group or victims of bullying. Moreover, the girls confirmed the presence of arguments or fights more readily than males do. What was important to note was that both males and females felt safe on the playgroun ds and in cafeterias, hallways and school bathrooms, classrooms (more than 70%). Therefore, it can be seen that there were cases of bullying, but students feel safe at school in general. The students were aware of behavior they were expected to show (more than 70%). Fortunately, the students showed a lot of trust for their teachers and principals concerning the issue of school safety. The principles were too severe and strict in their rules of order and teachers were reliable to keep the order at school (69% and 18, 6% respectively). The next set of questions concerned verbal threats at school or cases of physical violence. There were no cases of verbal or physical violence at the school. No alcohol or drug consumption. But there were cases when students... This essay approves that the divergence between the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of bullying was evident. It should be noted that despite the limitations this study might have, it provided new information regarding teachers’ and students’ perceptions of bullying. Both teachers and students agreed upon the presence of bullying at school. It should be noted that teachers were more concerned on evident types of bullying, while students were more aware of concealed forms of bullying. It is possible to underline the necessity of school based interventions for bullying in order to prevent social and emotional problems among students and teachers. This report makes a conclusion that the implementation of anti-bullying programs means determination of the engagement level of interest among students and teachers concerning bullying. Therefore, it is relevant to develop anti-bullying programs at schools and promote intervention policies directed on elimination of bullying practices. Prevention practices are more effective than post-bullying negative outcomes experienced both by the teachers and the students. With the help of this research it is possible to bridge the gap between students and teachers perceptions of bullying by implementation of informing strategies directed on bullying prevention. Practical implications of the study in relation to the recent developments in the research of bullying at school are a perfect basis for logical developments and inventions in this field.

In depth news assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

In depth news assignment - Research Paper Example Since the fund will also be used for recapitalizing existing large private funds, it is therefore important that the private funds should channel such funds in activities which can generate export revenue for the country. Over the period of time, domestic pool of private funds has actually declined thus making it extremely difficult for the private and new ventures to have an access to such pool of funds. An increase in the pool of funds therefore would further result into availability of new funds which can further bolster the economy. The new trends are increasingly suggesting the rapid increase in the technology based ventures with strong probability to become international businesses. New start-ups have actually grown into large and profitable international businesses because of getting local funding support. It is also critical to allow provinces to make their own strategies too in order to ensure that they can take greater benefit of the new proposed plan. Some argue that the overall size of pool of the funds to be made available is relatively small and may not create the required stimulus for the private sector to actually develop the new businesses which can make their name at the international level. For expansion into the international markets and to capture the larger base of customers through forming international joint ventures and strategic alliances, Canadian firms will require lot more capital and resources to be successful at the international level. (The Canadian Press , 2013) It is also considered that the overall business environment in Canada is risk averse and private sector is actually not been able to achieve the kind of investment it must require in order to thrive at the international level. In order to effectively form good strategic alliances as well as the joint ventures, it is extremely important that private sector must also develop the ability to generate its equity funds. The government’s efforts to mobilize

Differences of Perceptions of the Amount of School Bullying Between Research Paper

Differences of Perceptions of the Amount of School Bullying Between Students and Staff - Research Paper Example The results of the study were illustrated by the answers to the following questions provided by 129 respondents from students and 32 respondents from school staff. The range of questions illustrated different representations of the issues connected with bullying, its prevention and post-reactions for it. In the result of the survey, both teachers and students reflected the presence of bullying at school. First of all, both male and female students confirmed that there were possible fights at school. The students were often arguing among each other. The most interesting fact was that some students were often beaten up by other students or are teased more often than other students. Therefore, it could be seen that both male and female students underlined the presence of a special group or victims of bullying. Moreover, the girls confirmed the presence of arguments or fights more readily than males do. What was important to note was that both males and females felt safe on the playgroun ds and in cafeterias, hallways and school bathrooms, classrooms (more than 70%). Therefore, it can be seen that there were cases of bullying, but students feel safe at school in general. The students were aware of behavior they were expected to show (more than 70%). Fortunately, the students showed a lot of trust for their teachers and principals concerning the issue of school safety. The principles were too severe and strict in their rules of order and teachers were reliable to keep the order at school (69% and 18, 6% respectively). The next set of questions concerned verbal threats at school or cases of physical violence. There were no cases of verbal or physical violence at the school. No alcohol or drug consumption. But there were cases when students... This essay approves that the divergence between the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of bullying was evident. It should be noted that despite the limitations this study might have, it provided new information regarding teachers’ and students’ perceptions of bullying. Both teachers and students agreed upon the presence of bullying at school. It should be noted that teachers were more concerned on evident types of bullying, while students were more aware of concealed forms of bullying. It is possible to underline the necessity of school based interventions for bullying in order to prevent social and emotional problems among students and teachers. This report makes a conclusion that the implementation of anti-bullying programs means determination of the engagement level of interest among students and teachers concerning bullying. Therefore, it is relevant to develop anti-bullying programs at schools and promote intervention policies directed on elimination of bullying practices. Prevention practices are more effective than post-bullying negative outcomes experienced both by the teachers and the students. With the help of this research it is possible to bridge the gap between students and teachers perceptions of bullying by implementation of informing strategies directed on bullying prevention. Practical implications of the study in relation to the recent developments in the research of bullying at school are a perfect basis for logical developments and inventions in this field.

Science , Magic and Witchcraft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Science , Magic and Witchcraft - Essay Example There are several common or specific elements of a religion: the human being is closely overseen by the divinity, God knows all the good and bad deeds and in the end He awards or not the man, the Judgment day, the revival of the deaths, the belief in some saints,(Christianity, Islamism, Judaism), the caste system, the reincarnation(Hinduism), the holiness of man or woman and of all the world around us(Animism) .These rules or convictions may have a different echo in a man's mind. He may try to follow this set of laws , to make only good around him or he may be rebellious, he may seek to live after his conventions, and maybe in the end he will leave the respective religious system. The other extreme is when a believer might wait only the help of the saints , without acting by himself. In this case we talk about a false goal in life. There are cases when a belief in something or someone is misinterpreted and it leads to conflicts between societies(for example the terrorist attacks or t he interference of different countries in the political, religious, administrative systems of the other ones). Hinduism is perhaps the system that affects most an individual or the society. In this case the developing may be impossible to achieve. This belief has in its center the caste system and the reincarnation. So, an adept of this religion may struggle to do only good deeds, to raise , spiritually speaking , but he will always have the stigmata of his caste, which is the most important characteristic of a person. This type of belief affects a lot the society( people are not free to live according to their powers, marriages are arranged etc.) Animism declares that the human possesses soul that has life apart the body, before and after the death(the souls leave the human body during dreams or raise to heavens after death). Hindus believe that souls move up and down, and that they are stratified in a hierarchy. Ghosts are said to be the souls that haunts the livings. Ghosts have semi-corporal forms or may take different appearances. Imbedded, these definitions show the difference between a soul and a ghost. The latter is the unhappy or the unsatisfied soul that cannot leave this world and it is haunting between the spiritual and the material world. Souls transform into ghosts especially when a human being is murdered or suffers an injustice. The ghost is the restless soul that seeks to make justice after the death. The major religious systems have in their center the divinity seen as a male: Judaism and Christianity praise God and Jesus and Islamism pays tribute to Allah and Mohammad. These are monotheistic religions. Animism and Hinduism are polytheistic religions with god or goddesses. In the case of the monotheistic ones it is important to see how man and woman are treated. In the case of Muslims is known the fact that they treat woman in a negative way. On the paper she has many rights, but in practice much of those rights are forgotten. So, she has the to a career , but in many cases she stays home with the children or if she has a job she is attentively supervised by a relative. She must not have relations with other men or dress provocatively. If they divorce their husband takes the children(this is a very controversial thing, because this is seen by other cultures as a way of manipulating women). Of course some of these rules are found in other religions , but here are more severe and w ith real punishes. The Christianity also says

Fast Food Nation Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Nation Essay The main characters in the novel Fast Food Nation are Richard and Maurice â€Å"Mac† McDonald, Ray Kroc, Walt Disney, Carl N. Karcher, and Dave Thomas. The McDonald’s brothers are from New Hampshire. They opened up the first McDonald’s restaurant in 1937 in southern California. They revolutionized the fast food industry in 1948 by ridding their business of carhops, and using disposable plates and cups to serve finger food. Ray Kroc was a high school drop-out from Illinois. He sold milkshake makers until he met the McDonald brothers in 1954. He sold milkshake makers to them, and bought the right to franchise their company. He is known as a pioneer in the fast-food industry for creating characters that rivaled others such as Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney became Ray Kroc’s biggest rival after refusing to put a McDonald’s in Disneyland, which was model marketing to children. Carl is also one of the American fast-food industry’s pioneers. At twenty-years-old, Carl moved to Anaheim, California where he began his first hotdog stand. Carl eventually turned his hotdog stands into drive-in restaurants. After observing the first McDonald’s restaurants success, Carl started expanding and developed the Carl’s Jr’s restaurants. In 1997, the corporation expanded dramatically with the new possession of the Hardees Restaurant chain. In 2004, CKE Restaurants, Inc. had revenues in excess of 1. 4 billion dollars. Dave Thomas dropped out of school at fifteen-years-old. After working as a bus boy and a cook, he eventually founded Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant in Columbus, Ohio in 1969. Today, there are thousands of Wendy’s restaurants and they remain popular throughout the world. Dave is probably best known as the guy on the Wendys TV commercials. From 1989 to 2002, Dave appeared in over 800 commercials for the restaurant chain. He died after a long battle with liver cancer in 2002. The setting of this novel is in any fast-food restaurant on an international level. The theme of this novel is that we as Americans can no longer ignore the many health hazards of a fast-food diet. Years of consuming fast food has resulted in diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and obesity. There are several conflicts in this novel. One type is man vs. man. An example of this is when former employees return to the restaurants and kill innocent people. Another example of man vs. man is when companies pay doctors and nurses to minimize reportable injuries. This is not fair towards the injured employee. Plot: * This book opens with discussing Carl Karcher and Ray Kroc’s roles as fast-food pioneers. * Next we examine Kroc’s complicated relationship with Walt Disney, and each man’s rise to fame. * Then, we go to Colorado Springs, CO to observe and investigate the working conditions of a typical fast-food employee. * After that, we discuss the chemical components that make up fast-food. * We then observe the lives of ranchers and meat packing industries that supply for fast-food chains. * The book ends by discussing how America has matured as a cultural export. There has been a mass spread of American goods and services, especially fast-food. As a result, the rest of the world is catching up to America’s rising obesity rates.

The Messiah as Corruptor in Frank Herbert’s Dune Essay -- Dune

The Messiah as Corruptor in Frank Herbert’s Dune Frank Herbert’s Dune is arguably one of the best science fiction novels ever written. A milestone of the genre, the work incorporates an intricate plot with a unique setting and memorable characters. Dune is rich with thematic material, touching on such varied issues as ecology, economics, religion, and politics; ultimately, it is a novel about control, the consequences of power, and human nature. Any reading of Dune and its sequels inevitably arrives at an analysis of Paul, who begins the novel as the youthful ducal heir to House Atreides. Trained both by his mother, a sister of the enigmatic Bene Gesserit School, and by the mentat Thufir Hawat, the human equivalent of a supercomputer, Paul is obviously quite gifted. Through some combination of his genetic makeup and his education, Paul has exceptional mental clarity, often seeing connections where others would see nothing; sometimes his abilities, especially his prophetic dreams, transcend rational explanation. Early on in Dune, House Atreides is pressured into a change of fief from their ancestral home of Caladan to the unforgiving desert planet Arrakis—the sole source of the spice melange which, among other things, promotes long life and gives the Imperium a means of interstellar transport. The victim of a â€Å"work of art among vendettas,† Paul’s father, Duke Leto Atreides, is soon deposed and assassinated by the Atreides’ hereditary rival, the Baron Harkonnen. Having managed to escape House Harkonnen’s clutches, Paul and his mot her, Lady Jessica, find themselves lost in the desert wilderness and are soon captured by a tribe of the indigenous Fremen. With the guidance of his mother, Paul works himself into the implanted ... ...s character, Herbert asserts that in messiahs we must not look for domination, but for inspiration. Works Cited Herbert, Frank. Dune. Berkley Publishing Company. New York, NY. 1965. Herbert, Frank. Dune Messiah. Berkley Publishing Company. New York, NY. 1969. Kucera, Paul. â€Å"Listening to Ourselves: Herbert’s Dune, â€Å"the Voice† and Performing the Absolute.† Extrapolation. Vol 42, No 3. Fall 2001. 232–45. Mulachy, Kevin. â€Å"The Prince on Arrakis: Frank Herbert’s Dialogue with Machiavelli.† Extrapolation. Vol 37, No 2. Spring 1996. 22–36. O’Reilley, Timothy. Frank Herbert. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. New York, NY. 1981. Stratton, Susan. â€Å"The Messiah and the Greens: The Shape of Environmental Action in Dune and Pacific Edge.† Extrapolation. Vol 42, No 4. Winter 2001. 301–16. Touponce, William. Frank Herbert. Twayne Publishers. Boston, MA. 1988.

Intellectual Freedom Essay -- Essays Papers

Intellectual Freedom The History of Intellectual Freedom and Censorship Threats to intellectual freedom have existed since the printed word. History has seen bitter censorship battles over what should and should not be published, sold, and read. The fight for intellectual freedom has been long and complex, and many agencies have been involved in the process. For example, in 1954, libraries had difficulty importing materials from behind the Iron Curtain. The post office had taken on the role of the censor and had labeled certain papers "unmailable" and refused to deliver them (Newsletter, January, 1954, 7). The Civil Rights era was also a difficult time for our country, and libraries were not exempt from its pressures. On August 11, 1962, a federal court ordered the public library in Montgomery, Alabama to desegregate its reading and browsing areas. The very next day in Albany, Georgia, "several Negro youths went into the public library, [and] the building was immediately closed 'indefinitely in the interest of public safety'" (Newsletter, October, 1962, 1). Even as late as 1962, intellectual freedom was still a dream. There was not equal access to information. The reaction of this library actually impeded the access to all users in an attempt to discriminate against the few. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important - that ideas can be dangerous - but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Today the ALA takes the stand of anti-censorship, but as illustrated, that was not always the case in the United States. In the 19th and much of the 20th centuries, librarians felt it their duty to restrict access to library materials to children and adults. Librarians were admonished "to ob... ... to dominate to the library field. Intellectual freedom is a world-wide problem and is very complex. It includes all forms of information, access to all users, and censorship. Librarians face many pressures when dealing with users and providers of information. There is pressure from parents, religious groups, administrators, and government agencies to restrict access to certain materials. Sometimes they win and sometimes they lose, but librarians "do not state these propositions in the comfortable belief that what people read is unimportant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important - that ideas can be dangerous - but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom itself is a dangerous way of life, but it is ours" (From the Freedom to Read Statement as quoted in Rubin 161). Librarians continue to fight for that freedom today.

A Study on Workplace Stress Among Women Working

A STUDY ON WORKPLACE STRESS AMONG WOMEN WORKING IN BANKING INDUSTRY By ASSISTANT PROFESSOR: CHARU MODI ABSTRACT Women in India have served a lot after independence. From just a experienced homemaker, women today have gained skills and potential of not just being a homemaker but being at parity with their male counterpart. Moreover, varying roles of working women, they have preserved the conventional work culture of household. Now a day the companies are thriving towards high rate that the women have to work for longer hours to sustain the standard of living and accomplish their basic needs.In spite of having the recent technologies and services, women feel to be work loaded and stressed. The abstract literature on stress recommends that working women are lying on to the same face stressors practiced by working men. So far, women are also confronting with possibly exceptional stressors such as inequality, social disconnection, and work/home classes. Stress arises because of many cause s which are emphasized in the research paper. The research paper also contains reasons of stress and how to ease the stress and rise above such problems by the working women at their workplace.KEYWORDS: Workplace, Stress, Working Women. INTRODUCTION Know About Stress Stress is a mood that is formed when we respond to particular events. It is the body's manner of growing to a challenge and getting ready to meet a strong situation with focal point, power, energy, and sensitive alertness. [9] Stress is a normal physical reaction to actions that make you feel endanger and disturb your balance in some way. Fortunately, research shows that lifestyles vary and stress-reduction techniques can facilitate people learn to cope up with stress. 1] Stress refers to the tension from the argument between external environment and internal environment, guiding towards emotional and bodily pressure. [9] In this fast moving world, it is not viable to live without stress, whether it is a student or work ing women. There is both constructive and destructive stress, depending on each individual’s exclusive observation of the force between the two factors. Not all stress is terrible. For instance, constructive stress, also known as eustress, [17] can assist a person to perform a task at best efficacy and effectiveness.Therefore, it is clear that some form of constructive stress can adjoin more shades and enthusiasm to lives. The presence of a target, for example, can drive to make the most of the moment pleasurable and generate enhanced value. It is considerable to keep this in mind, as stress management signify to use stress to our benefit, and not on eliminating the occurrence of stress in our lives. [8] I. 4. Present Status Psychological Well Being The present status of women in the current working environment can be demonstrated using some current data on the working women culture. [11] FIG 1. PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL BEINGSource [11] DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRESS: External and Inter nal Stressors [1] People can get known with stress from outer or inner causes. * Outer stressors include adverse physical state or distressing psychological atmosphere (such as poor working conditions or unpleasant relationships). [9] * Inner stressors can also be physical (viruses and other diseases, irritation) or psychosomatic (such as deep worry about a destructive event that may or may not occur). [9] * Severe or Unrelieved Stress Stressors can also be defined as temporary (severe) or lasting (unrelieved). Severe Stress.Severe stress is the reaction to an instantaneous threat, usually known as the fight response. The threat can be any circumstances that are supposed, even subconsciously or incorrectly, as a threat. Common severe stressors include: * Noise (which can cause a stress answer even during sleep) * Crowding * Isolation * Starvation * Danger * Illness * Hi-tech equipment effects (playing videotape ,playoffs, regularly buzzing mobile phones) * Visualizing the threat or detection of a precarious incident Under most conditions, once the severe threat has agreed, stages of stress hormones come back to normal.This is known as the repose reaction. Unrelieved Stress. Often, up to date life poses ongoing stressful conditions that are not short-lived. The recommendation to take action (to fight or flee) must thus be cautiously handled. Stress, after that, turns into unrelieved. Common unrelieved stressors contain: * Ongoing extremely pressured work * Long-term relationship problems * Lonesomeness * Constant financial worries WORK PLACE STRESS: Stress at work is quite a new perceptible fact of contemporary lifestyles. Occupational stress adds a load to physical health.Work related stress in the life of controlled workers, thus, have an effect on the wellbeing of organizations. Stress, either fast or steady, can bring risky body-mind disorders. Instant disorders such as nervousness attacks, worry, sleeplessness, tenseness and muscle pain can all result in u nrelieved health problems. It has an effect on immune system, cardiovascular and nervous systems and direct individuals to regular addictions. Like â€Å"stress reactions†, â€Å"relaxation responses† and stress management techniques are some of the important built-in response systems.Unfortunately, at present, don't get peaceful and calming situations without asking. For relaxation one has to struggle to create such circumstances. [19] This study is carried out to investigate that how much the women workforce of the banks are strained and how do the pressure of work influence their occupation life, societal life, productivity etc. In order to do so a sample of 10 women employees are selected from each of the three banks for the research of workplace stress among them. Symptoms of Work StressIt is no surreptitious that stress and associated disarray is being considered as generally regular cause of employee disability. Managing of workplace stress is leadership account ability. Good leaders who are familiar with the symptoms of stress can manage situations to create more pleasing workplaces and to improve both efficiency and the bottom line. Corporate women who have served in all conditions distinguish stress when they monitor symptoms such as: [7] * Nervousness * Indecisiveness * Petulance * Complaining * Forgetfulness Loss of self confidence * Sleeplessness * Physical tiredness WORKING WOMEN: This is the fresh generation of women, who needs to chase their dream career. But this life is not a couch of roses for everyone. Waken up at sharp 6 in the morning after retiring to bed late at night, crackling up an delicious breakfast for each one while getting the children all dress up for school, taking care of the sundry house needs that require her consideration that's the average working woman's home schedule for all. Things are not easy for her on the work frontage either.The collective-roles that women are have to play these days, bring about ener gy leak both at the bodily as well as mental level. [16] II. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The study on the workplace stress among women is conducted with the following objectives: * To determine the major causes of workplace stress. * To find the steps to reduce work place stress among women. * To find the measures to reduce workplace stress. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The questionnaires were filled by 30 women those who are working in three major Banks of Bhopal i. e. Axis Bank, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, so the reach of sample findings was less. 0 women employees of different designations filled the questionnaires. Due to this the opinion of employees differs as they are from different levels/designation. Data are collected from various sources, current articles like from online services, the Internet, and public libraries. The research describes the factors causing stress in the workplace and its impact on women. An effective method of coping with stress is given, but limited to ones exa mined in the primary and secondary resources. LITERATURE REVIEW Women and Workplace Stress: WOMEN ACCOUNTABILITYStress at work, the stress of lifting up children, the stresses that come with growing old parents, some of these circumstances could offer a fairly high sum of stress [12]. When women are faced with collective roles, all of which carry serious demands, they face stages of stress that are high enough to add to fitness problem, neglected work, and a reduced ability to obtain on additional. ACCOUNTABILITY AT OFFICE ACCOUNTABILITY AT HOME Source: [5] An environment with little flexibility or option would be a bigger risk of agony than an atmosphere of no-voice for a working woman.Interestingly, women’s stress matters do not deviate considerably. Women are all-rounder by character and include responsibilities inside responsibilities. [3] Job, relations and dwelling are not detached and the subjects around balance surmount in spite of working for yourself or someone else . The new study from University of Melbourne has publicized that almost 1 in every 5 Victorians working women undergo depression[23] that can be attributed to job stress and more than one in eight or 13 per cent of the working men with depression have trouble due to job stress. 3] The literature on work-related stress has made known many different courses of job related stressors and linked them to such matters as job pleasure and worker yield (Beehr & Bhaget, 1985) [6]. One of the major causes of workplace stress is whether the person is satisfied with the job or not. Many researchers found that job related stress issues are related to role ambiguity, role conflict, employee performance and satisfaction, over work load, need for achievement and organizational effectiveness.In 1976 Research [6] conducted in the financial services sector recognized that stress can also increase the probability of errors and arguments as workers cut corners to achieve targets – 81% believe irri tation in the workplace has pessimistic effect on spirits, 74% are less dynamic when in a bad frame of mind, and 15% work slower (in fear of making a mistake) when their boss is angry. Fear of aggression is often on the minds of individuals who handle cash on a regular basis, and can be a major cause of mental and physical distress (Violence and stress in financial services, 2003).A survey of 1,299 employees from 37 organizations [6] recognized ten causes as the more important providers to employee stress. These were Employees not being free to converse with one another, individual disagreements on the job, Employees not being given charge over their work, insufficient employment or budget, Management and workers not talking frankly, Management supposed as being uncooperative, below average unwell and holiday benefit, lessening in employees profit, Lack of gratitude or return for doing a good job.In one more research â€Å"Managing Stress at Work† by Kate Jenkins conducted in 2001 [6] drew number of factors which add to stress in work places, which are people are working longer hours, taking shorter or no breaks, with increase growth in IT and globalization, decrease in spare time and less sleep and there are more time and travel pressures. (Jenkins, 2001) [6] . Work stress sometimes affects organization by: * Increased rate of absenteeism. * Decreasing rate of dedication to work. * Increasing rate of employees return. * Increasing rate of grievances from clients and customers. Increasing rate of insecure working exercise. * Negatively affecting staff recruitment. [6] With the rapid progression of technology, the rate of work load has increased and thus the stress among working women. To some extent there is the fright from being economized in awful times, leading to better job uncertainty on the part of those who stay [21]. Unquestionably, work-related stress is one of the most frequently quoted stressors faced by persons all over the world. The remark s reported by Lundberg offer some descriptions for why Luecken et l originate that women working in clerical and customer service place who had children at home reported greater than before strain at home, but no increase in strain on the job. [2] While some stress is good for inspiration and growing competence, stress after a limit can result in depressing crash such as reduced efficiency and effectiveness. Most of the people are feeling secluded and upset at work, and this has resulted to better work-related stress. Consulting experts and professionals are being consulted on ways to raise link and inspiration of their employees.Few companies arrange parties and make their workforce feel appreciated at work. These are method to encourage employees and assist them to sense protected at their jobs, interpret into greater yield. On the other hand, not all companies have such method in place. Figure 2 : Model Of Causes And Consequences Of Work-Related Stress * Source: [14] RESEARCH MET HODOLOGY III. Research Design: This study includes exploratory research on the concerned areas relating to working women and the stress levels that are constantly being felt by them at their workplace.I have tried to highlight the situation in context of such problem and tried to suggest some of them for correcting the situation. IV. Data Collection: primary Data was collected with the help of self-administered questionnaire which includes 15 items. Secondary data was gathered from newspapers, magazines and online sources such as websites. Some analytical graphs were also collected to support the research objectives. VI. Sample Size: I have taken the sample of 30 women employees from three different private banks of Bhopal named ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, AXIS Bank.DISCUSSION & FINDINGS: The Major Causes of Work Place Stress among women are: In the Modern times stresses can take the form of financial needs, or emotional disturbance. Contest at work and an increased workload are also the root cause of greater levels of stress. The stress can be identified by the symptoms as mental symptoms usually experienced include sleeplessness, headaches and an incapability to focus. Physical symptoms like heart palpitations, breathlessness, excessive sweating and stomach-aches.Reasons for stress are? There are many different reasons of stress which are also known as stressors, like Common lifestyle stressors include performance, intimidation, and demise stressors. Performance stressors are generated when a person is placed in a state where she feels a need to shine. This could be during performance evaluation, lunch with the boss, or delivering a speech. Threat stressors occur usually when the present situation poses a risky threat, such as a monetary recession, or from a misfortune.Last but not least, demise stressors take place when there is a feeling of loss such as the fear of losing a loved one, or any other loss. Therefore, there are a variety of stressors, and even more diverse methods and ways of handling with pressure and turning it to our own advantages. The causes which are faced mostly by working women at their workplace in my study at Bank are: * Extended working hours * Harder to balance work and home demands * Under utilization of skills * Unreasonable demands for performance[17] * Underpaid job * Multiple tasks at work Deficient of maintaining interpersonal communication between the employer and the women employees. [15] * Deficient of maintaining interpersonal relationship among the women employees * The fright of losing one's work * Minimum time left to spend with the family [15] * Treated substandard to your male contemporaries. [1] * Experiencing sexually nagging funny story from your superior and male contemporaries. [4] * Very few of the women employees feel that they are suffering from depression while most of the employees experience that that they are liberated from the despair.Most of the women employees worry about their contem poraries view about them whereas hardly any of the women employees are not concerned with the view about their colleague. Most of the women workforce of the bank talk about their difficulty and share their opinion with their other half or associates or others while very few of the women employees are not worried with it. Major part of the women employees job above 8 hours which is the starting point of the stress while few of the women employees don’t work for more than 8 hours.Nearly 50% of the female employee spent regular time on leisure activities which assists them to stay stress free while 3/4th of the women employees don’t do that. Nearly half of the women employees find their social life to be even-handed whereas 2/5th of the women employees don’t have their social life balanced. Very few of the women employees remain silent. Most of the women employees fright the value of performance being offered by them whereas 15 % of the women employees don’t fear the quality of their work. Major part of the sample i. e. round 70 % women workforce try to find the key of their stress while 30% of them do not find any solution. 45% of the women employees try traditional exercises like meditation, naturopathy, yoga and other ancient medicinal methods to decrease their stress whereas 55 % of the women employees use other techniques to reduce stress like resorting to pastime, holiday. After analyzing the data of all the three banks, it is seen that the women employees working in AXIS bank are less stressed out when compared to other banks. It can be for the reason that it’s a brand name and believe in teamwork as their core values.Steps To ease from Work Place Stress among Women: Management of Stress is the requirement of the hour. Though hard we try to go ahead of a stress situation, life appears to discover new behaviour of stressing us out and resulting with nervousness attacks. [18] Furthermore, be it our nervousness, mind-body ti redness or our erring outlooks, we tend to ignore causes of stress and the circumstances generated by those. In such disconcerting instants we often do not recall that stressors, if not avoidable, are reasonably manageable and treatable. [10] Unfortunately, today, they do not get peaceful and soothing situations without requesting.To be stress-free one has to struggle to make such situations. The suggestions range from individually focused actions to broad based organizational policy changes. These include the following: * â€Å"Just smile away and forget everything† An employee of HDFC Bank * â€Å"Talking to family members ,loved ones, Watching TV or listening good music, Going for a walk or long drive† An employee of HDFC Bank * â€Å"Working in environment benefits, lot of optimistic approach. Optimistic approach is only that reduces stress and achieves triumph. † AXIS Bank employee. â€Å"Adjust with others, Find and spend time to go to temple, pray and ta lk to GOD, Study novels, All are the child of the supreme GOD† An employee of AXIS Bank * â€Å"We should do such actions from which we get pleasure and also make people happy. Share your moments of life with your close friends and relatives. † An employee of ICICI Bank. * Provide day care and substitute work preparation as resources for preventing stress. * Provide more job elasticity for women to better manage work home clashes. [22] * Deal with Finances and Treat physically in spa, massage centres in weekends. Get Help by a mate or servant so that time could be spent with family. [22] * Cook if you like it and serve by your hand to family members. [22] * Dropping / Picking up Kids from School in your leave days and then go for a little walk. [22] * When stressed at work for deadlines or otherwise, give priority to your â€Å"me† time first and maintaining home comes second. [13,20] CONCLUSION: In recent years majority of the women discovered that their stress was essentially due to their idleness and also they were happy with fewer responsibilities.Lack of loving behavior from their colleagues, scolding from boss, more working hours, under utilization of skill sets was reported as cause of stress always by maximum percentage of the women. Higher percentage of the respondent experienced stress always because of lack of their involvement in decision making in their organization that reduced their responsibilities on their shoulder and the participatory model followed in their organizational set up enhanced their responsibilities to the point of exhaustion. As women, they need to acknowledge what they have and can do for them to reduce stress.All must remember that old saying, if you don’t look after yourself, no one else will look after you. Honour yourself! SCOPE FOR FUTURE WORK I know that the current level of research may not reveal the exact parameters of stress regarding the causes and suggestions. Therefore, exhaustive researc h shall be carried out in future research work in this particular field. REFERENCES: 1. Brief, A. P. , ; Aldage, R. J. (1998). The self in work organizations: A conceptual Review. Academic of Management Review, 6, 75-88. 2. C. Light Kathleen , â€Å"Psychosomatic Medicine 59:360-361 (1997) 0033-31, Editorial Comment 3.NALAG Centre for Loss ; Grief  © 2008 PRM 003. 1 The Bereavement Buddy Version 1. 1 Last Updated 1 February 2009, pp 1 4. Long C. Bonita,† ERIC Digest† EDO-CG-95-53 5. Pathak Sonal, 2. Dr. Sarin Anil, â€Å"IJMBS Vol. 1, Issue 3, September 2011†,pp 66 6. Rehman Hina, â€Å" Literature Review†, International Review Of Business Research Papers Vol 4 No. 4 Aug – Sept 2008, Pp. 164-166 7. Richardson, A. M. , Burke, R. J. , ; Leiter, M. P. (1992). Occupational demands, psychological burnout and anxiety among hospital personnel in Norway. Anxiety, stress and coping. An international Journal, 5, 55-68. 8. Organizational Behaviour by V.G. Go ndalkar, pp 177-179 9. Stephen P. Robbins ,Timothy A. Judge, Seema Sanghi, Organizational Behavior, 13th Edition, pp 700-703 10. Stein, Franklin, â€Å"Occupational Stress, Relaxation Therapies, Exercise, and Biofeedback†, Psychological Therapy:    A Holistic Approach, Second Edition, 2001, pp. 235-245. 11. Tripathi Parul , Bhattacharjee Sandeep â€Å"Present Status†, Zenith International Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research Vol. 2 Issue 2, February 2012, Pp. 3 12. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (November, 2007) . â€Å"Brain Imaging Shows How Men And Women Cope Differently Under Stress: Science Daily†. Online] Available: http://www. sciencedaily. com 13. â€Å"Women suffer more stress at work â€Å"TNN Jul 22, 2010, 14. European foundation for the improvement of living and working conditions 2007(Adapted from Kompier and Marcelissen, 1990) 15. Irene Houtman, Karin Jettingh off, Raising Awareness of Stress at Work in Developing Countries, A m odern hazard in a traditional working environment, Advice to employers and worker representatives, Protecting Workers' Health Series No. 6, pp 17-18 16. http://mm. bharatmatrimony. com/featured-story/288-stress-and-the-working-women

“Hills like White Elephants” Literary Analysis Essay

Trying to decide on a course of action when faced with an unexpected pregnancy, an American and a girl sit outside a train stop in the dusty part of Spain and drink on it. Indirectly approaching the sensitive subject of abortion, each member of the couplehood sets out to test the other in a verbal battle of the wills, engaging in a staccato like dialogue that offers some insight into the two main character’s personas. Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† churns out a hefty sum of symbolism in a very short story ultimately leaving the imagination free reign to interpret. While they wait for a train to take them to Madrid, the dangers of persuing happiness unfolds (choices – how bad do you want something – how restrictions help you to understand yourself†¦if you put yourself out of your element – thats when you learn the most about yourself) . The timeline of the story is significant. Post WW1, opulence has landed in Amerci a and 20’s reign Roaring 20‘s, post WW1 Although setting is not talked about at length, what is written says many things about the underlying psyche of the two main characters, the American and a girl he calls Jig. Immediately, Hemmingway establishes an obvious conflict between the couple’s interests with the line â€Å"[o]n this side†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This is further emphasized with â€Å"two lines of rails†, symbolizing their inability to connect with each other. A beaded curtain is then introduced, â€Å"to keep out the flies†, in reality, it is a grounder representing the girl’s shifting state of mind; while everything seems to change and turn and dance about around her, the curtain – not solid, but as fluid as her decision making skills – appears whenever she makes an important decision. Here, the curtain is a means of concealing their current dilemma. The pair are also described as being â€Å"outside the building†, where they are supposedly waiting for the train – a justification for their underlying purpose of waiting on a decision to be made. The Mediterranean sun finds them somewhere between Barcelona and Madrid, two major cities in Spain, where there is â€Å"no shade and no trees† on their side of the valley. This represents the crossroad they’ve reached in their relationship: they are stuck in limbo, coming from beauty and going into it, but must first make their decision of whether they go together or not. Lastly, throughout the story the girl looks out at the valley and the hills  in the distance, which are â€Å"white in the sun†, while she and the American are stuck in a â€Å"brown and dry† country, hardly conducive to life at all. The fertile valley and the hills represent the unborn baby – the potential for life. She mentions these hills and looks over to them many times, whereas the man refuses to acknowledge them, ignoring her when she initially brings them up. This is highlighted later when the American refers to ‘the operation’, or the potential abortion, as being â€Å"perfectly natural†. The presence of the beaded curtain shows that she does not agree with him. This fundamental disagreement of the concept of something as basic as nature foreshadows the couple’s impending separation. Furthermore, while she is perfectly aware she speaks of the white hills metaphorically, he takes her literally; they do not operate under the sa me mode of thought. Throughout the story, the American behaves according to the traditional idea of masculinity: rugged, knowledgeable, and always in control of himself and the given situation. Even when vexed or confused, he maintains a relaxed exterior and feigns indifference; such as when he tells the girl â€Å"if you don’t want to you don’t have to†. He avoids directly voicing his opinions, but when pressured collapses, oversimplifying the operation and relentlessly pushing her to have it. Thinking himself to be the more reasonable of the two, even identifying more with the other passengers â€Å"waiting reasonably† at the station, he inherently fails to provide the sympathy and understanding she needs during the crisis. Compared to the American, Jig is portrayed as being naà ¯ve, helpless, and indecisive. Her nickname, Jig, subtly indicates that the two characters merely dance around each other and the issue at hand without ever saying anything meaningful. In fact, the girl, unable to speak Spanish, can’t even order drinks from the bartender on her own – suggesting a strong dependence on him. Although her mind is constantly changing as it receives new information, she still is being pressured to make a decision while under the influence of his persistent attempts to control her. Jig is very much like the following comment made by Hemmingway on the 1920s, when the story was published: The age demanded that we dance And jammed us into iron pants. And in the end the age was handed The sort of shit that it demanded. (Audre Hanneman, Ernest Hemingway: A  Comprehensive Bibliography: Princeton University Press, 1967) By the end of the story, Jig seems to understand that her relationship with the American has effectively ended, despite her earlier professed desire to make him happy. She knows that even if she has the operation, their relationship won’t return to how it used to be. In many ways, the girl’s realization of this fact gives her power over the American, who never really understands why they still can’t have â€Å"the whole world† like they once did. Imagery and symbolism are common themes throughout this story. When Jig first tries the Anis Del Toro, she comments â€Å"[i]t tastes like liquorice†¦ everything tastes of liquorice†. Liquorice is a popular sweet, but in medicine it used to induce vomit. This sort of duality runs throughout the text. Here, Jig speaks about how everything possesses two natures: a positive and a negative. One not able to exist without the other. The curtain appears at the beginning of this scene, when the American orders the drinks. This might mean that she is becoming aware of a truth the man isn’t picking up on. At the end of the forty minutes, it is implied the train has come to pick them up. This too has a hidden meaning: once a train comes, it goes. Symbolically, the train represents Jig’s choice. Like the coming of the train, if she decides to abort the baby, there is no turning back. The train will keep on going just as her life will keep going; but will she ever be the same? The American tries his best to make his opinion known that he and Jig’s life will be easier and go back the way it was if she just goes through with this â€Å"simple operation.† It is also interesting to see how the man reacts to the indecision of his girl when â€Å"he picked up the two heavy bags and carried them around the station to the other tracks. He looked up the tracks but could not see the train. Coming back, he walked through the barroom, where people waiting for the train were drinking†¦ He went out through the bead curtain. She was sitting at the table and smiled at him.† As the man takes both of their bags over to the tracks, he is hoping that Jig will go through with the surgery. He is still uncertain as to whether she will in fact go through with the abortion, but lets his opinion be known by taking their luggage and setting it by the tracks to be loaded on the upcoming train. He looks up the tracks, waiting for the train that is supposed to come, but does not see it. Similarly, he anticipates that Jig will listen to his suggestion but is still uncertain whether she will go  through with it. When the American comes back into the barroom, he hopes that Jig has made a decision, preferably in favour of the abortion, but when he reaches her she has still not made up her mind. The drinks that the couple share are another instance of symbolism regarding Jigâ€⠄¢s decision about the abortion. Even though it may not have been known that alcohol consumption negatively affects the fetus in the womb, Jig’s consistent drinking gives way to the thinking that she may have thrown in the towel on the possibility of having the child. For instance, the Anis del Toro is a drink that is illegal in many countries because those who gorge themselves on the drink can, and probably will, die of alcohol poisoning. Knowing this, Jig’s drinking the Anis del Toro symbolizes her thinking of the child as a separate entity, perhaps already dead. Jig’s drinking several alcoholic beverages points toward her decision to abort the baby as her American boyfriend wants. There is also the recurring theme of the number â€Å"two.† For instance, the train stopped for â€Å"two† minutes, the couple drinks â€Å"dos† cervezas, they receive â€Å"two† glasses of beer, â€Å"two† felt pads and the American carries their â€Å"two† heavy bags to the other side of the train tracks. This overemphasis of the number two could inspire two different readings. The first could be that the relationship between the couple is the largest the relationship can span; they can’t include a third person into their twosome because three’s a crowd. The other way to read this is that perhaps â€Å"two† refers to Jig and her baby. Jig is still weighing the possibility of becoming a mother because she has not yet made a decision as to whether she will abort the baby or not. The overuse of two is definitely symbolic within the story. Even Hemingway’s title is symbolic which alludes to a deeper meaning in the term â€Å"white elephants† than just scratches the surface. A white elephant is a saying meaning â€Å"a gift not recognized by the receiver, whose value is outweighed by its cost†. The girl’s comment in the beginning of the story that the surrounding hills look like white elephants initially seems to be a casual, offhand remark, which in reality represents her desire to speak about the issue at hand. Later, her comment â€Å"the hills don’t really look like white elephants† is a subtle hint at her defiance: perhaps she won’t have the operation at all. The term â€Å"white elephants† originally was used in Indian cultures where a white elephant is â€Å"a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of†. The term  originally came about in an apocryphal tale about the King of Siam who would â€Å"award a disagreeable courtier a white elephant, the upkeep of which would ruin the courtier† (Dictionary). Even though these elephants were beautifully ornate and were given as great gifts, the upkeep is atrocious. Basically the cost and care for the white elephant would supersede the actual joy of receiving it. In sum, a white elephant is an unwanted gift; much like Jig’s pregnancy seems, especially to the American: like an unwanted thing. Both the American and the girl drink alcohol throughout their conversation. They start by drinking large beers the moment they arrive at the station. Then, as soon as they begin talking about the hills that look like white elephants, the girl asks to order more drinks. Although they drink primarily to avoid thinking about the issue at hand, readers sense that deeper problems exist in their relationship, of which the operation is merely one. The girl implies this herself when she remarks that she and the American man never do anything together except try new drinks, as if constantly looking for new ways to avoid each other. By the end of their conversation, both drink alone- the girl at the table and the man at the bar- suggesting that the two are winding down their relationship and will soon go their separate ways.