The Catcher in the Rye Holden and Hypocrisy Essay Example

The Catcher in the Rye: Holden and Hypocrisy Paper Holder and Hypocrisy The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity. Andre Guide Often times hypocrites do not believe that they are actually being hypocritical, they believe they are telling the truth, their actions however prove otherwise. Everyone lies from time to time, but when someone actually starts believing that their lies are truths, that is when you know there is a real problem. In the book, The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Slinger, the main character, Holder Coalfield, is continuously deceitful. At first you believe him, but as the book goes on it becomes harder and harder to take anything Holder says or thinks seriously. Since the entire book is told straight from Holder himself, it is hard to make out what is real and what is not. This creates a huge problem when trying to analyze any aspect of this peculiar novel, and to try to make sense of it, I have come to the following conclusion. Holder goes throughout the whole book calling people phonies; however he is the true phony. We will write a custom essay sample on The Catcher in the Rye: Holden and Hypocrisy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Catcher in the Rye: Holden and Hypocrisy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Catcher in the Rye: Holden and Hypocrisy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Holder constantly refers to people as phonies even though he himself seems to be more of phony than anyone else in the novel. Holders use of this word is unbelievably hypocritical. Holder uses the word phony to describe someone who is fake, insincere, or superficial and he fits that definition perfectly. To prove this, Holder even says that he is a liar in the book; Im the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. Its awful (Slinger 16). This is why it is hard to understand why Holder would judge people for being untruthful, when he knows he has the same exact problem. It would also be hard to believe that Holder would actually call himself a phony, engendering the awfulness that he always associates phoniness with, and most people do not think of themselves as awful. Throughout the book Holder is always criticizing people for whatever they are doing, even if they are simply Just being themselves. Whenever he meets someone he always feels the need to label them into a certain category, and since he thinks the whole world is fake he often labels people as phony. While Holders use of the word phony is very artificial there are also other examples of Holders hypocrisy. Another example of Holders deceit is his illustrious red hunting hat. Holder claims that he bought the hat because it was so brightly colored and he knew it would stand out. However, he always makes a point of taking it off whenever he goes outside. He only seems to put the hat on whenever he feels most comfortable, and often times that is only when he is alone. It was pretty nice to get back to my room, after I left Old Spencer, because everybody was down at the game, and the heat was on in our room, for a change. It felt sort of cozy. I took off my coat and my tie and unbuttoned my shirt collar, and then I put on this hat that I ad bought in New York that morning. It was this red hunting hat[ ] (17) Holder tries to present an image of self-confidence and indifference to the opinions of others, but his actions clearly show otherwise. Even though Holder may have intended to buy the hat in order to stand out, like countless other times during the is his attitude towards sex. Holders attitude toward sex is very complicated, and this is probably as a result of his hypocritical nature. Holder criticizes people who are overtly promiscuous/sexual, cause he deeply fears that exposure to sex is extremely dangerous to innocence. For example Holder goes so far as to get into a fight with his roommate, Seedeater, after Holder suspects Seedeater of giving his friend Jane Gallagher the time on their date (43). Even though Seedeater probably did not have sex with Jane, the thought of it still drives Holder mad. Holder values innocence extremely, however hypocritically he spends an enormous part of the novel attempting to lose his virginity. Of course in the end, like usual, Holder always ends up shying away from actually having sex. Holder is always having a tough time making decisions or committing to anything; this makes something as serious as deciding to lose his virginity almost impossible for him. Holders hypocrisy becomes clearer with each example given, but even after looking at these chosen few it is evident that Holder is a hypocrite. To further prove my point Holder even closes the book with an extremely contradictory statement. Holders deceitfulness is shown yet again at the close of The Catcher in the Rye, confirming the validity of the argument. After Holder has finished telling the story of is childhood, Holder closes with the terrifically hypocritical statement, Dont ever tell anybody anything. This was an extremely strange conclusion too novel, and the only explanation for it is Holders hypocritical nature. The only way to make sense of this ending is to think of it that way, otherwise one is Just left completely confused. These closing statements really confirmed my belief of Holder being a hypocrite; however some people will still continue to argue against me. While many may argue against this accusation, I believe that Holder is a phony. Sure it is possible that there may be other reasons for his contradictions, but I have come to this conclusion from my given evidence. People could argue their points all day, but considering this is a book, and the author has since deceased, it is impossible to find out who is actually right. So as of now, everyone is right as long as they can support their arguments. So even though there is no real point to disputing this, debates will continue, because people simply love to argue. Work Cited Slinger,J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. 1951. Boston: Little, Brown, 1991. Print.

Causes of World War I and the Rise of Germany

Causes of World War I and the Rise of Germany The early years of the 20th century saw tremendous growth in Europe of both population and prosperity. With arts and culture flourishing, few believed a general war possible due to the peaceful cooperation required to maintain increased levels of trade as well as technologies such as the telegraph and railroad. Despite this, numerous social, military, and nationalistic tensions ran beneath the surface. As the great European empires struggled to expand their territory, they were confronted with increasing social unrest at home as new political forces began to emerge. Rise of Germany Prior to 1870, Germany consisted of several small kingdoms, duchies, and principalities rather than one unified nation. During the 1860s, the Kingdom of Prussia, led by King Wilhelm I and his prime minister, Otto von Bismarck, initiated a series of conflicts designed to unite the German states under their influence. Following the victory over the Danes in the 1864 Second Schleswig War, Bismarck turned to eliminating Austrian influence over the southern German states. Provoking war in 1866, the well-trained Prussian military quickly and decisively defeated their larger neighbors. Forming the North German Confederation after the victory, Bismarcks new polity included Prussias German allies, while those states which had fought with Austria were pulled into its sphere of influence. In 1870, the Confederation entered into a conflict with France after Bismarck attempted to place a German prince on the Spanish throne. The resulting Franco-Prussian War saw the Germans rout the French, capture Emperor Napoleon III, and occupy Paris. Proclaiming the German Empire at Versailles in early 1871, Wilhelm and Bismarck effectively united the country. In the resulting Treaty of Frankfurt which ended the war, France was forced to cede Alsace and Lorraine to Germany. The loss of this territory badly stung the French and was a motivating factor in 1914. Building a Tangled Web With Germany united, Bismarck began setting about to protect his newly formed empire from foreign attack. Aware that Germanys position in central Europe made it vulnerable, he began seeking alliances to ensure that its enemies remained isolated and that a two-front war could be avoided. The first of these was a mutual protection pact with Austria-Hungary and Russia known as the Three Emperors League. This collapsed in 1878 and was replaced by the Dual Alliance with Austria-Hungary which called for mutual support if either was attacked by Russia. In 1881, the two nations entered into the Triple Alliance with Italy which bound the signatories to aid each other in the case of war with France. The Italians soon undercut this treaty by concluding a secret agreement with France stating that they would provide aid if Germany invaded. Still concerned with Russia, Bismarck concluded the Reinsurance Treaty in 1887, in which both countries agreed to remain neutral if attacked by a third. In 1888, Kaiser Wilhelm I died and was succeeded by his son Wilhelm II. Rasher than his father, Wilhelm quickly tired of Bismarcks control and dismissed him in 1890. As a result, the carefully built web of treaties which Bismarck had constructed for Germanys protection began to unravel. The Reinsurance Treaty lapsed in 1890, and France ended its diplomatic isolation by concluding a military alliance with Russia in 1892. This agreement called for the two to work in concert if one was attacked by a member of the Triple Alliance. A Place in the Sun and the Naval Arms Race An ambitious leader and the grandson of Englands Queen Victoria, Wilhelm sought to elevate Germany to equal status with the other great powers of Europe. As a result, Germany entered the race for colonies with the goal of becoming an imperial power. These efforts to obtain territory overseas brought Germany into conflict with the other powers, especially France, as the German flag was soon raised over parts of Africa and on islands in the Pacific. As Germany sought to grow its international influence, Wilhelm began a massive program of naval construction. Embarrassed by the German fleets poor showing at Victorias Diamond Jubilee in 1897, a succession of naval bills were passed to expand and improve the Kaiserliche Marine under the oversight of Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz. This sudden expansion in naval construction stirred Britain, who possessed the worlds preeminent fleet, from several decades of splendid isolation. A global power, Britain moved in 1902 to form an alliance with Japan to curtail German ambitions in the Pacific. This was followed by the Entente Cordiale with France in 1904, which while not a military alliance, resolved many of the colonial squabbles and issues between the two nations. With the completion of HMS Dreadnought in 1906, the naval arms race between Britain and Germany accelerated with each striving to build more tonnage than the other. A direct challenge to the Royal Navy, the Kaiser saw the fleet as a way to increase German influence and compel the British to meet his demands. As a result, Britain concluded the Anglo-Russian Entente in 1907, which tied together British and Russian interests. This agreement effectively formed the Triple Entente of Britain, Russia, and France which was opposed by the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. A Powder Keg in the Balkans While the European powers were posturing for colonies and alliances, the Ottoman Empire was in deep decline. Once a powerful state that had threatened European Christendom, by the early years of the 20th century it was dubbed the sick man of Europe. With the rise of nationalism in the 19th century, many of the ethnic minorities within the empire began clamoring for independence or autonomy. As a result, numerous new states such as Serbia, Romania, and Montenegro became independent. Sensing weakness, Austria-Hungary occupied Bosnia in 1878. In 1908, Austria officially annexed Bosnia igniting outrage in Serbia and Russia. Linked by their Slavic ethnicity, the two nations wished to prevent Austrian expansion. Their efforts were defeated when the Ottomans agreed to recognize Austrian control in exchange for monetary compensation. The incident permanently damaged the already tense relations between the nations. Faced with increasing problems within its already diverse population, Austria-Hungary viewed Serbia as a threat. This was largely due to Serbias desire to unite the Slavic people, including those living in the southern parts of the empire. This pan-Slavic sentiment was backed Russia who had signed a military agreement to aid Serbia if the nation was attacked by the Austrians. The Balkan Wars Seeking to take advantage of Ottoman weakness, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Greece declared war in October 1912. Overwhelmed by this combined force, the Ottomans lost most of their European lands. Ended by the Treaty of London in May 1913, the conflict led to issues among the victors as they battled over the spoils. This resulted in the Second Balkan War which saw the former allies, as well as the Ottomans, defeat Bulgaria. With the end of the fighting, Serbia emerged as a stronger power much to the annoyance of the Austrians. Concerned, Austria-Hungary sought support for a possible conflict with Serbia from Germany. After initially rebuffing their allies, the Germans offered support if Austria-Hungary was forced to fight for its position as a Great Power. The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand With the situation in the Balkans already tense, Colonel Dragutin Dimitrijevic, head of Serbias military intelligence, initiated a plan to kill Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were intending to travel to Sarajevo, Bosnia on an inspection tour. A six-man assassination team was assembled and infiltrated into Bosnia. Guided by Danilo Ilic, they intended to kill the archduke on June 28, 1914, as he toured the city in an open-topped car. While the first two assassins failed to act when Franz Ferdinands car passed by, the third threw bomb which bounced off the vehicle. Undamaged, the archdukes car sped away while the assassin was captured by the crowd. The remainder of Ilics team was unable to take action. After attending an event at the town hall, the archdukes motorcade resumed. One of the assassins, Gavrilo Princip, stumbled across the motorcade as he exited a shop near the Latin Bridge. Approaching, he drew a gun and shot both Franz Ferdinand and Sophie. Both died a short time later. The July Crisis Though stunning, Franz Ferdinands death was not viewed by most Europeans as an event that would lead to general war. In Austria-Hungary, where the politically moderate archduke was not well-liked, the government elected instead to use the assassination as an opportunity to deal with the Serbs. Quickly capturing Ilic and his men, the Austrians learned many of the details of the plot. Wishing to take military action, the government in Vienna was hesitant due to concerns about Russian intervention. Turning to their ally, the Austrians inquired regarding the German position on the matter. On July 5, 1914, Wilhelm, downplaying the Russian threat, informed the Austrian ambassador that his nation could count on Germany’s full support regardless of the outcome. This blank check of support from Germany shaped Viennas actions. With the backing of Berlin, the Austrians began a campaign of coercive diplomacy designed to bring about a limited war. The focus of this was the presentation of an ultimatum to Serbia at 4:30 PM on July 23. Included in the ultimatum were ten demands, ranging from the arrest of the conspirators to allowing Austrian participation in the investigation, that Vienna knew Serbia could not accept as a sovereign nation. Failure to comply within forty-eight hours would mean war. Desperate to avoid a conflict, the Serbian government sought aid from the Russians but were told by Tsar Nicholas II to accept the ultimatum and hope for the best. War Declared On July 24, with the deadline looming, most of Europe awoke to the severity of the situation. While the Russians asked for the deadline to be extended or the terms altered, the British suggested a conference be held to prevent war. Shortly before the deadline on July 25, Serbia replied that it would accept nine of the terms with reservations, but that it could not allow the Austrian authorities to operate in their territory. Judging the Serbian response to be unsatisfactory, the Austrians immediately broke off relations. While the Austrian army began to mobilize for war, the Russians announced a pre-mobilization period known as â€Å"Period Preparatory to War. While the foreign ministers of the Triple Entente worked to prevent war, Austria-Hungary began massing its troops. In the face of this, Russia increased support for its small, Slavic ally. At 11:00 AM on July 28, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. That same day Russia ordered a mobilization for the districts bordering Austria-Hungary. As Europe moved towards a larger conflict, Nicholas opened communications with Wilhelm in an effort to prevent the situation from escalating. Behind the scenes in Berlin, German officials were eager for a war with Russia but were restrained by the need to make the Russians appear as the aggressors. The Dominoes Fall While the German military clamored for war, its diplomats were working feverishly in an attempt to get Britain to remain neutral if war began. Meeting with the British ambassador on July 29, Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg stated he believed that Germany would soon be going to war with France and Russia, as well as alluded that German forces would violate Belgiums neutrality. As Britain was bound to protect Belgium by the 1839 Treaty of London, this meeting helped push the nation towards actively supporting its entente partners. While news that Britain was prepared to back its allies in a European war initially spooked Bethmann-Hollweg into calling on the Austrians to accept peace initiatives, word that King George V intended to remain neutral led him to halt these efforts. Early on July 31, Russia began a full mobilization of its forces in preparation for war with Austria-Hungary. This pleased Bethmann-Hollweg who was able to couch German mobilization later that day as a response to the Russians even though it was scheduled to begin regardless. Concerned about the escalating situation, French Premier Raymond Poincarà © and Prime Minister Renà © Viviani urged Russia not to provoke a war with Germany. Shortly thereafter the French government was informed that if the Russian mobilization did not cease, then Germany would attack France. The following day, August 1, Germany declared war on Russia and German troops began moving into Luxembourg in preparation for invading Belgium and France. As a result, France began mobilizing that day. With France being pulled into the conflict through its alliance to Russia, Britain contacted Paris on August 2 and offered to protect the French coast from naval attack. That same day, Germany contacted the Belgian government requesting free passage through Belgium for its troops. This was refused by King Albert and Germany declared war on both Belgium and France on August 3. Though it was unlikely that Britain could have remained neutral if France was attacked, it entered the fray that next day when German troops invaded Belgium activating the 1839 Treaty of London. On August 6, Austria-Hungary declared war on Russia and six days later entered into hostilities with France and Britain. Thus by August 12, 1914, the Great Powers of Europe were at war and four and a half years of savage b loodshed were to follow.

International Financial Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Financial Markets - Essay Example They lend such surplus fund to the borrowers like households, businesses, governments who want to finance their personal expenditures like purchase of houses, cars and furniture. This kind of flow of funds form the lenders to the borrowers follows two ways known as direct finance and indirect finance. In the former concept the borrowers have access to the finance from the lenders directly. They do this by selling their fiscal tools which represent a claim on the potential proceeds and assets of the borrower. Financial instruments are assets for individuals who buy them and are liabilities for individuals who sell them. Through this process of buying and selling of securities the flow of money is occurs in the economy which is very vital for the economy. Hence financial markets are the medium through which such transactions happen. The financial markets comprises of equity market, debt market, derivative market and foreign exchange market. Each of this market acts as the medium of flo w of fund in the economy. This report will analyse the importance of the financial markets and the role which they play in the development of international trade and economic development. Discussion Financial System Structure The financial system of an economy comprises of three components Financial markets Financial institutions Financial regulators Each of the above components has a specific role in the economy. The financial institutions are important players in the financial markets since they perform the role of an intermediary and hence they determine the flow of funds. The financial regulator’s role is to monitor and regulate the participants of the monetary system. At the heart of this is the fiscal market. It facilitates in the flow of funds in the economy (Cho, 1989, pp. 88-92). Figure 1: Structure of Financial System The financial institutions use financial instruments to regulate the flow of funds in the economy. Financial assets or financial instruments are intan gible assets that are expected to provide future benefits to the owner of the instrument in the form of future cash. Some financial instruments are known as securities which include bonds and stocks (Fry and Maxwell, 1995, p. 282). Financial markets and their economic importance Financial market is a place where there is exchange or trading of financial instruments. The major economic functions of the financial markets are Liquidity Price discovery Reduction of transaction costs. Liquidity The financial markets provide an opportunity to the investors to sell their financial instruments. Liquidity means the ability of an investor to sell an asset in the market at its fair market value anytime he wants. Without this liquidity, an investor had to hold on to the financial instrument till the conditions arise to sell it or the issuer of the asset is contractually obligated to clear the obligation (Stiglitz, 1989, pp. 55-61). The liquidity of an equity instrument is until the company is l iquidated voluntarily or involuntarily. For a debt instrument liquidity comes when it matures. All international financial markets provide some liquidity to the investors though they have different degrees of liquidity associated with it (King, Robert and Ross, 1993, pp. 717-723). Price discovery It denotes to the determination of the price of a traded asset in a financial market by means of transactions between

Freedom of Human Will Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Freedom of Human Will - Essay Example After all, without the notion of freedom as an attainable state another crucial phenomenon that exists in any society would virtually collapse. This phenomenon pertains to the notion of control that we may have over the ways we conduct our relationships in the wide sense of this word. The importance that human beings assign to the need of being in control of themselves, of those around them, and of external circumstances that they are immersed in, reflects one of the essential qualities of human nature as such - that of the striving of man to change the world we lives in, to adapt it to human needs, and to feel secure in it. All these aspirations presuppose the presence of at least some degree of control on the part of man, and with the development of human societies the phenomenon of control in its different social, economic, and political manifestations represented by schemes of distribution of power was gaining more and more elaborated and intricate forms. At the same time, along with macro events such as political and economic processes micro level of human relationships is not a less interesting realm of investigation aimed at finding out what the notion of control is, and whether we really have control over relationships in our life. Let us try to take a closer look at both macro and micro sociological scale of our life in order to examine what degree of control we really may have over the ways we conduct our relationships. Perhaps, such a discussion would also help us better understand the interrelation between the conception of control and the more fundamental notion of freedom of human will from which it stems. Definitions of control First of all, as we are speaking about control we have to define what we mean by it. In this respect, various definitions can be applied, ranging form the far-reaching characterisation of control as a power to determine, direct, and dominate, which in a positive way (similarly to the formulation of the concept of positive liberty that stands for 'freedom for'(Carter, 2003) suggests that an agent exercising control possesses creative and almost God-like qualities, to the much more humble description of control as an ability of a human agent to restrain for some purpose her or his emotions, desires, or certain impetuses (Miller, 1998, pp.9-12). This latter definition offers a negative account of control, which again can be compared with the concept of negative liberty formulated as 'freedom from' (Carter, 2003). In between these definitions a range of intermediary ones can be located that specify different application of control in social, economic, private, and other spheres of human activity. However, it seems that it is the consideration of the outlined extreme poles represented by the positive and negative definitions of cont

Potassium Sorbate as a Biocide | Evaluation

Potassium Sorbate as a Biocide | Evaluation Evaluation of Potassium Sorbate as a Biocide to Reduce Viability of Total Airborne Fungi in a Higher Educational Building of Computer Studies Chin Ming Er1,a *, N. M. Sunar 2,b, Abdul Mutalib Leman2,c, Othman Norzila1,d, Quin Emparan1,e, Umi Kalthsom1,f, Paran Gani1,g, Nurul Azreen Jamal1,h 1Department of Water And Environmental Engineering (DWEE), Faculty of Civil And Environmental Engineering (FKAAS), University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia 2Department of Chemical Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering Technology (FTK), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia Keywords: Indoor Air Quality, mold remediation, bioactive compounds. Abstract In countries which are humid throughout the year, mold is a common problem that can occur even on a computer keyboard. It is smelly and may damage the computer keyboards. It is caused by fungal spores in the air. It can also affect occupants’ healthiness. This study is aimed to evaluate the efficiency of potassium sorbate to reduce viability of indoor airborne fungi in a higher educational building of computer studies of a university located at Southern Peninsular Malaysia. Malt extract agar (MEA) was incorporated with the biocide and was used for air sampling of fungi at 3 different sites of the building including outdoors. The effectiveness of the biocide was evaluated by comparing the treated agar against the untreated agar. It was clearly shown that the biocide can effectively reduce the numbers of colony forming units of the airborne fungi at all 3 tested sites (>70% averagely) on the treated culture media, while the untreated media at all three sites was colonized by fun gi with different concentration. Introduction Indoor airborne fungal contamination is a very common issue nowadays. Its presence brings a lot of problems to indoor occupants, building owners or managers as it affects the indoor air quality (IAQ) of those infected buildings and it has been associated with unhealthy symptoms including headache, asthma, allergy and irritant effects, respiratory problems, mycoses (fungal diseases) and several other non-specific health problems [1]. IAQ is defined as the air quality within an enclosed building that leads to the comfort and healthiness of its occupiers [2]. It is a major concern as most people in the developed and developing countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and others, spent most of their time indoor in either offices, factories, homes or educational buildings. It has been estimated that approximate 10% of people worldwide and 5% of the population in industrial countries have fungal allergies [3,4]. Some fungi such as Aspergillus versicolor and Stachybotrys chartarum are able to produce mycotoxins and have been associated with sick building syndrome [1] Many animal studies have confirmed that mycotoxins are associated with carcinogenic, immune-suppressive, and other properties [5]. Fungi release tiny spores that float through the air and land on other locations to reproduce. When they settle on moist surfaces, the spores can form new mold colonies. If these airborne fungal spores or mycotoxins are inhaled into bronchia and alveoli, they will be lysed and the human body thereby exposed to the primary and secondary metabolites [6]. Inhalation exposure has been suggested to cause acute kidney failure, damage of the upper respiratory tract, and central nervous system damage [7]. Thus, the existence of these fungi is intolerable in indoor enviro nment. Fungi can grow anywhere over a wide-ranging temperature with sufficient nutrients and moisture [8]. Therefore, indoor mold problem has long existed in yearlong warm and humid countries like Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries. In previous research, airborne fungi growth was found in a high humid room (relative humidity ~87%) in a higher educational building of computer studies after conventional remediation such as detergent-cleaning and changing of the affected ceiling boards [9]. It is dangerous since researchers suggested that the chances of transmitting the contaminating microbes through using of computers in a university setting is potentially great due to the enormous usage of computer keyboards that are not routinely sanitized by numerous users daily [10]. The study also shows that the conventional remediation is not a long term solution to circumvent the indoor airborne fungal contamination. However, green solutions are needed to reduce the viability of the airborne fungi and thereby the existence of secondary metabolites of fungi in indoor setting in order to secure the quality of teaching and learning among educators and students in a university building. Lately, a bioactive compound from food industry, potassium sorbate had been shown to be able to control the growth of two fungus species (Chaetomium globosum and Alternaria alternate) isolated from an indoor waterborne coating [11]. It is suggested to be effective against airborne fungi too. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the ability of potassium sorbate as a biocide to render the viability of indoor airborne fungi in a higher educational building of computer studies of a university located at Southern Peninsular Malaysia. Materials and Methods Selection of Testing Sites. The indoor airborne fungal samples were taken from a new commissioning higher educational building of computer studies of a university in Johor, Malaysia that had been identified of having microbial growth in indoor environment from previous research [9]. Three sites were selected by walk through inspection. They were each to represent a microbial-contaminated site (A), relatively mildly-contaminated site (B) and outdoors (O) of the building. The location for outdoor sampling was as close as possible to the outdoor air intake for the primary air handling system for the building [12]. Biocide Antifungal Activity. The antifungal activity of the potassium sorbate as a biocide was evaluated by air sampling with biocide-treated and untreated culture media which takes into account that the concentration of the viable fungi can be represented by colony forming unit (CFU) analysis as the calculation below: CFU/m3 = [Number of colonies x 1000] à · [Sampling time (min) x Flow rate (L/min)]. (1) The airborne fungi samples were collected using a BioStage single-stage viable cascade impactor (SKC, USA) attached to a SKC QuickTake 30 Sample Pump (SKC, USA) onto Malt Extract Agar (MEA) plates with 0.03% (w/v) biocide at a flow rate of 28.3 L/min as per requirement of National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) stated in method NIOSH Manual Analytical Standard Method (NMAM 0800). The impactor was located at the centre of the sampling location at a height of 1.0 to 1.5 meter above the floor. Every sample was obtained over 5 minute periods. The same procedure was carried out with control MEA without biocides. Both kinds of sampling with treated and untreated MEA were done in triplicate at each site on the same day during office hours and in the presence of indoor occupants. The air samplings at different sites were carried out on different week. The samples were analysed for total airborne fungi count by incubating them at 37 °C for 5 days and counting of the col ony formed was done thereafter. Results and Discussions The viability of total airborne fungi on the biocide-treated MEA was successfully reduced by 76.2% averagely if compared to their viability on control MEA without biocide (Fig. 1). Notably, potassium sorbate showed the best performance at the mildly-contaminated site, which had the lowest total airborne fungi on control MEA, by successfully reducing the viability of total indoor airborne fungi by 84.2% on biocide-treated MEA. Meanwhile, its performance dropped when the mean concentrations of total airborne fungi on control MEA increase. The percentage of reduction of viability of total airborne fungi at the contaminated site and outdoors of the building are 63.9% and 80.4% respectively. The results indicate that potassium sorbate can show the best performance to control total indoor airborne fungi concentrations if it is applied in a clean environment. This is in accordance with the function of potassium sorbate in wine-making industry to prevent a second fermentation through renderi ng any surviving yeast incapable of metabolizing and multiplying [13]. Hence, it is suggested that this biocide is very suitable to be applied together with and after conventional remediation of indoor fungal contamination periodically. Fig. 1: Comparison of viability of total airborne fungi on biocide-treated and untreated MEA. According to Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality (ICOP-IAQ 2010) set by Department of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia, the maximum exposure limit of total indoor airborne fungi concentrations is 1000 CFU/m3. Any value of the concentrations of indoor airborne fungi that approaches or over 500 CFU/m3 can be also considered as a possible health hazard. In this study, this number was successfully reduced to below 100 CFU/m3 at two of the three testing sites and below 200 CFU/m3 at the contaminated site. These reductions might be due to high solubility of this biocide in water of growth media to convert to sorbic acid that exhibits potent antifungal properties with various mode of action such as genetic changes, alteration of morphological structure of cell, inhibition of enzymes and cell transport processes [14]. All of these after-treatment’s numbers suggests that potassium sorbate is a proper biocide to maintain the concentrations of total indoor airborne fun gi at an acceptable healthy level for human beings. In a higher educational building of computer studies, computers are always shared. Touches of computer parts especially computer keyboards by students always occur without practicing of hand hygiene. The sweats or dirt on the hands and fingers of students left on the computer parts after they using them. This in turn provides nutrients and breeding sites for airborne fungi that settle on these computer parts. The reduction of the viability of indoor airborne fungi on the biocide-treated media indicates that the airborne fungi are unable to grow on the substrate that are treated with potassium sorbate and thus suggesting that this biocide can be applied on various wall coatings, surfaces of furniture and electrical appliances including these computer parts. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that potassium sorbate is fit to be applied as a biocide in a higher educational building of computer studies to reduce the viability of indoor airborne fungi. This in turn reduces the amounts of secondary metabolites of fungi such as mycotoxin and fungal spores that can induce sick building syndrome and other unpleasant and uncomfortable feeling of indoor occupants. Acknowledgement The authors greatly appreciate Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and the supporting Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) 1479 for facilitating the work and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia (NIOSH) for providing technical assistance. References Kuhn, D. M., Ghannoum, M. A. (2003). Indoor mold, toxigenic fungi, and Stachybotrys chartarum: infectious disease perspective. Clinical microbiology reviews, 16(1), 144-172. Yau, Y.H.; Chew, B.T.; and Saifullah, A.Z.A. (2012) Studies on the indoor air quality of Pharmaceutical Laboratories in Malaysia. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment 1, 110–124. Pasanen, A. L., Lappalainen, S., Pasanen, P. (1996). Volatile organic metabolites associated with some toxic fungi and their mycotoxins.Analyst, 121(12), 1949-1953. Hardin, B.D., Kelman, B.J. and Saxon, A. (2003) Adverse human health effects associated with molds in the indoor environment. J Occup Environ Med 45, 470–478. Robbins, C. A., Swenson, L. J., Nealley, M. L., Kelman, B. J., Gots, R. E. (2000). Health effects of mycotoxins in indoor air: a critical review.Applied occupational and environmental hygiene,15(10), 773-784. Fischer, G., Dott, W. (2003). Relevance of airborne fungi and their secondary metabolites for environmental, occupational and indoor hygiene.Archives of Microbiology,179(2), 75-82. Miller, J. D. (1992). Fungi as contaminants in indoor air.Atmospheric Environment. Part A. General Topics,26(12), 2163-2172. Dangman, K. H., Schenck, P., DeBernardo, R. L., Yang, C. S., Bracker, A., Hodgson, M. J. (2004).Guidance for clinicians on the recognition and management of health effects related to mold exposure and moisture indoors. Farmington, CT: University of Connecticut Health Center, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Center for Indoor Environments and Health. Er, C. M., Sunar, N. M., Mutalib, A., Norzila, O., Emparan, Q., Kalthsom, U., Gani, P., Jamal, N. A., Ideris, N. A. (2014). The Evaluation of Indoor Microbial Air Quality in a Southern Malaysia University’s New Commissioning Buildings. Applied Mechanics and Materials (in press). Anderson, G., Palombo, E. A. (2009). Microbial contamination of computer keyboards in a university setting.American journal of infection control,37(6), 507-509. Bellotti, N., Salvatore, L., Deyà ¡, C., Del Panno, M. T., del Amo, B., Romagnoli, R. (2013). The application of bioactive compounds from the food industry to control mold growth in indoor waterborne coatings. Colloids and Surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 104, 140–4. Reynolds, S. J., Black, D. W., Borin, S. S., Breuer, G., Burmeister, L. F., Fuortes, L. J., Whitten, P. (2001). Indoor environmental quality in six commercial office buildings in the midwest United States.Applied occupational and environmental hygiene,16(11), 1065-1077. Cojocaru, G. A., Antoce, A. O. (2012). Chemical And Biochemical Mechanisms of Preservatives Used in Wine: A Review.dio,1, 100. Smilanick, J. L., Mansour, M. F., Gabler, F. M., Sorenson, D. (2008). Control of citrus postharvest green mold and sour rot by potassium sorbate combined with heat and fungicides.Postharvest Biology and Technology,47(2), 226-238.

Philippine Marriage Customs Essay

The Filipino people have strange marriage customs. Among the Mangyans in the southern end of Oriental Mindoro, courtship takes a romantic flavor. Under the magic splendor of the moonlight, young man takes his native guitar and blanket, goes to the girl’s hut, and sings to her. The girl comes out and goes with him to a forest. There, in some secluded spot, the man spread out a mat. The girl lies on it, while her suitor sits at her side pouring out his feelings in love songs the whole night through. The maid answers him in songs also. When the girl finally gives her consent, the two go to the girl’s parents for their blessings. In the Bicol lagpitaw (slingshot) custom, the parents of the boy propose by letter. The other party answers verbally or in writing. Sometimes, a son learns that he has proposed and been accepted only on his wedding day. One of the easiest and quickest marriage ceremonies in the Philippines are performed among the Bagobos in Mindanao. Portions of rice are laid out on a banana leaf. Then the bride and bridegroom serve each other some rice, bump their heads together and are pronounced married. Up north in Benguet, Mountain Province, Cupid wears a G-string; he is usually an older man armed with plenty of gab. It is during kanyaos that the Benguet Cupid begins to feel the match itch. Warmed up by the ricewine, the impish oldster known as kalon scouts for a prospect from among the men of marriageable age: from 16 up. The â€Å"chosen† would be enlightened on the joys of matrimony and the horrors of bachelorhood. After the victim has been properly â€Å"softened† he has only to name the girl and the rest would be taken care of by the matchmaker. In the land of the Ibanags, when a young man’s fancy turns to love, his father turns poet. Usually, the father’s first concern is the right time for their sons to marry, usually between the ages of 16 and 18. The parents decide who will be the right girl. They employ the help of two respected and prominent friends to do the actual proposing. These two men called kumakagon intercept for the boy’s parents. On an appointed day, they go to the girl’s parents to ask for her hand in marriage. Marriages among the Batangans of Mindoro are partly by parental arrangement and partly by choice of groom and bride. When a child is born, the prospective bride or groom simply signifies his or her intention by telling the parents, â€Å"he or she is mine.† In this manner, the newborn becomes bethroted, without the cumbersome formalities of signing contracts or requiring witnesses. When the child is big enough to leave the parents, for instance at age three or four, the prospective husband or wife, as the case may be, claims it from the parents. Thereafter he or she cares for the child until it is mature enough for parenthood. In Sulu, the wedding, usually attended by relatives of the bride and the bridegroom dressed in very bright and flowing custom†s, climaxes months of careful preparation and negotiations between families. To them, marriage units not only two persons but two families as well. The Kalinga marriage is celebrated with a feast. The boy’s parents usually ask for presents from the girl’s parents. These are given as soon s the wedding is performed. Divorce is allowed. If this happens, the girl returns the dowry, usually resulting in a long family feud and a lot of vengeful killing. In Oton, Iloilo, it used to be the custom that both the bride and the groom have to cope with the wedding preparations or the timetable for planning marriage. Some Morong people who adhere to their marriage customs don’t simply announce any day for their marriage or wedding day. They believe that a wedding on Thursday brings suffering and sacrifices; on Friday some losses; Saturday will bring bad licks. For wealth, Morong people wed on Monday, Tuesday for health. But above all, they usually wed on Wednesday for good luck. In Quezon, a young man desiring to take a maiden for his wife must first be  put to a test. He lives with the maiden’s family but he has to show the best he can along all lines of work. He must be the first one to wake up in the morning. Every water container in the house should be filled before everyone gets up, a pot of coffee should have been boiled and firewood properly ready for cooking. After breakfast he goes to the kaingin and there he works until the sun is overhead. The rest of the day is spent either in the kaingin or in some other useful work. This trial marriage usually lasts  several years.

Drug Abuse and Prevention

Our society’s idea of prevention is to limit the availability of drugs (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 400), but this is not essentially the best way. Addiction affects everyone. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), substance abuse cost our nation â€Å"more than $484 billion dollars (The National Institute on Drug Abuse ). † So although you might not be directly impacted by drug abuse, as a whole your tax dollars are spent on fighting the war on drugs. Currently there are several different types of substance prevention; however are they really our best option?First is primary prevention, which is aimed at mostly young children who have never tried a substance or those who may have tried tobacco or alcohol (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 401). Benefits from this type of early intervention include encouraging abstinence, and teaching people the effects of potential drug use on their lives, emotions, and social relationships (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 401). There are progr ams that go to schools, and speak to children as young as 8 about drugs and the effects of drug use.Secondary prevention is for those who have tried the drug in question or other types of drugs. This is supposed to prevent the use of more dangerous drugs, and also to prevent the use of the substances in a more dangerous way (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 401). This prevention is aimed more towards college students, who have tried drugs but have not suffered seriously from their drug use. This is not aimed at people who need obvious treatment (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 402). Let us look back on primary prevention. Most students have experienced a program called D.A. R. E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). Studies have shown that here is no proof that D. A. R. E. reduced the use of alcohol or drugs; it was found that it is actually 3 counterproductive (Hanson, 2007). The U. S. Department of Education prohibits schools from spending funding on the D. A. R. E. program, because they believe â€Å" it’s completely ineffective in reducing alcohol and drug use (Hanson, 2007). What D. A. R. E. oes is exposes young elementary school children to drugs they might not have know about before. There should be a better approach to primary prevention. Changing the age group to sixth graders is a start because they are the ones who are most likely to be exposed to drugs and alcohol. The programs should continuously follow up and collect data on the students to find out what approach is most effective. Every person is different, and if we combine selective and primary prevention we can cater programs to specific types of children.Secondary prevention is designed for people who have tried the drug in question or a variety of other substances (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 401). The ultimate goal of these programs is to prevent the person who is using a certain drug from opening up to other, more dangerous drugs. The purpose is to stop them from endangering themselves more than they already h ave. The clientele in this case are usually people who are more experienced and have not had an extreme reaction to the drugs that they have used.Therefore, they are not â€Å"in too deep. † Many of the people that fall into this category are college students and programs aimed at encouraging responsible use of alcohol among college students are good examples of this stage of prevention (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 402). In order to attempt to prevent the transition from use to abuse in college students, they should think about starting these prevention programs at an earlier age. Nowadays, kids get started very early and by high school they are already exposed to alcohol and drug use.It would be wise to open their eyes to what they are going to encounter in their college years and give them the proper advice so that they are prepared when they get to college. College students have a lot of free time on their hands and it is very easy to make a habit out of recreational drug use. I feel that if students knew what to expect, they won’t be as naive and vulnerable as they would be if they hadn’t been properly advised. Students at that age get involved in different things because they are making new friends and adjusting to a new lifestyle.I think it would be a good idea for campuses to have clubs or programs run by students for students who are struggling with drug abuse, that way students know that they have someone to talk to who will help them if they need it. A prevention program that takes place at later stages of drug abuse is Tertiary prevention. Tertiary preventing is relapse prevention, or follow-up programs (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 402). This prevention refers to actions that can be taken to prevent a relapse from occurring and to help the person maintain a healthy status after therapy has lready been administered. For alcohol- or heroin-dependent individuals, treatment programs are the first order of priority (Hart & Ksir, 2011, p. 402). I f a person has already been treated or are able to stop using without the help of anyone else, they enter another stage of prevention. This could be improved by having people who have already been through the program follow up with the clientele who are currently going through the same experience that they did. It is much easier for people to talk to someone who has been in the same position as them.Having people who they can relate to and continue to guide them through their journey to stay sober is very encouraging. The universal drug prevention program is another kind of intervention which targets the whole community; its intention is to reach a large audience. This program focuses on the entire 5 group rather than the individual. These programs are implemented within the community, classrooms, and focus on prevention and life skills (Little, 2010).A kind of Universal prevention program is the Caring Community Program which consists of a family- plus approach to reduce the risk of drug use by children (Little, 2010). These kinds of programs are quite beneficial in that they target the young. By the end of elementary a child has already been exposed to some form of drugs. By providing the sense of community it reduces drug abuse, street violence and psychological problems among children (Little, 2010). These types of programs promote motivation in school and academic achievement.Another great benefit is that Potential benefits are expected to outweigh costs for everyone (Schaps, 2003). The downside to a program like this would be that because it’s made to focus on the group as a whole, individuals that are at a higher risk and constantly surrounded by drugs are getting the same attention as those that may have never seen drugs, These individuals may need more intervention to be able to stay away from drugs since access to them is abundant. A great way to better this program would be to intensify it in communities that drugs run ramped and easily acce ssed.While still keeping the prevention program universal and targeting the whole community, it would be more impactful if altered in high risk communities to strengthen the program and make it more intensive. The Selective prevention program on the other hand targets subgroups of the general population that are determined to be at risk for substance abuse. Those who participate in this kind or program are recruited because they are known to have specific risk to substance abuse.The groups targeted by these programs are both adults and children. Age, gender, family history, place of residence and victimization, or physical and/or sexual abuse may define the targeted 6 subgroups (Doyle, 2006). A benefit of this program would be that the selective prevention program is presented to the entire subgroup because the subgroup as a whole is at higher risk for substance abuse than the general population.It targets those people that are being exposed to drugs more frequently or that are pro ne to abusing drugs rather than targeting all communities. Not all communities have the same drug exposure and accessibility to drugs. So it’s important to target specific communities. The weakness of this program is that the individual’s personal risk is not exclusively assessed or recognized and is based solely on a presumption given in his or her membership in the at-risk subgroup (Doyle, 2006).There may be individuals in the subgroup that are at no risk for drug abuse whereas there may be someone in the group that is already using. If this is not known the one that is already using may not benefit at all from this program. Great ways to strengthen the selective prevention program is to go deeper, not only select at risk subgroups but asses individuals within the group to increase intervention with certain individuals that may be already using.