Gamification in Education

Gamification in Education Frequently the term â€Å"gamification† is met with contention, obstruction and disarray, as it isn't totally clear what is implied by its usage into instruction. In the event that you strip away the entirety of the extra data that has been included throughout the years, gamification is essentially including components that are normally identified with games or game-like exercises into the study hall. A few instances of these highlights include: focuses, an emphasis on rivalry and an away from of rules. This doesn't simply mean games that are utilized in the study hall yet rather exercises or undertakings that have game-like highlights added to them. This is a significant contrast to note. It appears as though a direct idea however it is normally ineffectively executed inside training. This abuse can extend from gamification being a gentle yet pointless interruption right to changing an instructive program into a sham of games taking on the appearance of learning openings. In this article we will take a gander at the best utilization of gamification and how it can expand the general maintenance of data. We will likewise give a scope of strategies to effectively bring gamification into ordinary study hall exercises without it turning into a misuse of the student’s time.  More Complex Than Playing Games Frequently understudies, instructors and guardians wrongly think that gamification is basically adding games to the study hall. There is a well known scope of games that are viewed as instructive yet this isn't equivalent to the idea of gamification. This is clarified further in an incredible article by Steven Isaacs. To more readily comprehend the key contrasts between games, game-based exercises and gamification, here are a few focuses to consider: Win or Lose? In gamification there isn't generally a worked in possibility of losing. The object is to persuade the understudies to learn or to make a move and accordingly there shouldn’t be any type of demotivation. This is the reason the attention is consistently on accomplishment and the achievement of new objectives. Content †The game highlights are added to the instructive framework instead of the emphasis being on content, for example, with conventional games or game-based learning. This is the reason gamification ordinarily has inside and out storylines, which makes it a simpler and less tedious framework to actualize. Objective †The fundamental focus on gamification is for the members to gather focuses as a type of remuneration. This is in direct diverge from games or game-based learning, as these types of training have carefully characterized learning goals or even no target by any stretch of the imagination. Gamification, consequently, has a more extensive and progressively adaptable learning style that implies understudies can create information instead of quickly halting once a specific objective has been reached. For additional subtleties there is a helpful infographic that shows the significant contrasts between gamification, games and game-like exercises. In More Detail  By now you will have a superior picture and comprehension of what gamification truly is from a general perspective. This is a decent beginning and will currently permit us to move the concentration to not what it is, but instead why today is significant and noteworthy in training. Before we take a gander at why gamification has gotten generally utilized and what the advantages are, we should initially analyze a short history of this hypothesis. The primary case of gamification came in 1896 when stamps were offered to retailers and afterward used to compensate faithful clients. This was totally kicked off by advertisers that guaranteed incredible achievement and results in fortifying purchasing conduct and friends commitment. During the 70s the hypothesis started to shape with Thomas Malone distributing, â€Å"What Makes Things Fun to Learn: A Study of Intrinsically Motivating Computer Games† in 1980. After this work was distributed organizations, for example, American Airlines, Holiday Inn and National Car Rental, started executing reward frameworks for their clients. While gamification has been available from that point forward, it was not until Nick Pelling authored the official term in 2003. For organizations, buyers and deep rooted students, gamification is presently a standard methodology and a lifestyle with help and subsidizing from numerous official bodies. To lay things out plainly, the development of gamification has set up a spot in both the workforce and training since it has been demonstrated to be fruitful, regardless of whether it is with customers picking up remunerations for flying habitually or understudies accomplishing better test outcomes. The explanation behind this achievement is because of the way that this methodology makes any undertaking increasingly intelligent and basically fun loving. This incorporates: Giving Goals. This offers the purchaser or the understudy a stage or a level to get to. This implies there is a visual advancement all through the procedure. Keeping The Participant Motivated. Having objectives is a decent method to remain inspired. This, matched with having the option to get rewards, keeps the student or the purchaser intrigued and spurred to keep on concentrating on the assignment. Steady Rewards. What is better than getting prizes for your work or for your devotion? This gives genuine incentive to any advance that is being made.  In these ways, gamification can make much else pleasant and guide clients into a procedure of learning. This implies shoppers will be bound to purchase from one organization or purchase all the more frequently as they are being remunerated for doing as such. Understudies will receive distinctive instructive rewards. What Teachers Can Expect From Gamification Similar rules that are applied to gamification in any setting can be effectively utilized in the study hall. The quality of this hypothesis in schools is something that can make cooperative energy between study hall learning as concentrated on by the educator and study hall picking up turning into a concentration for understudies. Hardly any understudies would state that the ordinary homeroom setting is fun loving or pleasant. Gamification is something that changes that by giving understudies the objectives and prizes as recently referenced, however this can likewise have enduring constructive outcomes in different territories. This procedure will: Propel understudies to turn out to be progressively included, Give educators better instruments for instructing and for giving out proper prizes, Urge understudies to introduce their full limit with respect to learning consistently. Gamification shows understudies that learning can be increasingly intuitive, they can get awards to offer an incentive to their work and that formal and casual instructive settings can consolidate for extraordinary outcomes. Instructors can anticipate that their understudies should be increasingly self-spurred in the study hall. As opposed to pulling teeth to get understudies to plunk down and work through issues, they will need to move in the direction of objectives and arrive at those accomplishments all alone. Evacuating a few parts of having a proper learning condition can be very gainful as in understudies won't really see the gamification perspectives as uninteresting yet rather will take part in dynamic learning. While prompt advantages are normally observed by instructors in the manner understudies see the study hall, in their methodology and their outcomes, there are different points of interest to consider that will follow the understudies all through their learning vocation and life. These include: Current Life Skills It is particularly significant for understudies to pick up the abilities important for them to go into the 21st century as effective residents. This implies giving understudies access to innovation and projects that will show them the genuine circumstances. Understudies will build up another structure for understanding the errands around them and their school condition through gamification and having the option to work inside a prize framework like many work circumstances. More profound Understanding This hypothesis will advance a superior comprehension of issues and arrangements. Gamification assists understudies with understanding which issues should be fixed, make frameworks of reasoning that will advance an answer and keep up the viability of those arrangements. Understudies will have the option to be inventive all through this procedure and this is effectively supported. Advance Creative Thinking Students can explore more as they learn. By testing the guidelines and the jobs they are a piece of, understudies will have the option to comprehend the limits of the circumstance and of their learning. This advances more familiarity with the student’s self and capacities. Love of Learning The energized long lasting quest for learning is another reaction of presenting gamification and utilizing it as a device in the homeroom. Understudies will no longer discover learning a dull encounter yet rather something to be drawn nearer with the goal to accomplish an objective and become a superior individual by and large. Connecting with the Learner Gamification, whenever actualized accurately, makes training additionally captivating and charming. The learning condition can be increasingly inventive, lively and free as understudies have the game-like highlights of their training advancing a subject in a progressively absorbable way. The potential for gamification by and by and the outcomes can be interminable relying upon how it is utilized and executed. On the off chance that these reasons are insufficient for you to become put resources into this strategy then we have included instances of explicit learning projects and methodology that have been demonstrated to be successful in the study hall.  The Success Stories  Gamification can be a helpful study hall instrument that will support a student’s common want to learn by giving them fascinating materials and undertakings with parts of games incorporated with them. The adequacy of this training technique has been demonstrated on numerous occasions. Here are some critical models: The World Peace Game. This is a political reenactment for the study hall that is down based yet is even more a situation task for understudies to complete. Made by John Hunter in Virginia, this rendition of gamification is intended to instruct the youngsters about being a piece of the worldwide network and the multifaceted nature of connections between various countries around the world.How accomplishes it work? The tea

Mrs. Fields Cookies Growth Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mrs. Fields Cookies Growth - Case Study Example The data framework arranged for Mrs. Fields’ Cookies was really founded on the ‘fit’ between the hierarchical structure, culture and the authoritative objectives. It was constructed particularly for the activities of Mrs. Field’s Cookies inside a given business advertise (new heated treats) and it tended to the necessities and prerequisites of the firm in determining request, envisioning deals, allotting assets, following deals records and estimating the presentation of every one of the various outlets. Aside from these, the data the board framework was additionally furnished with ‘strategic intelligence’ in helping directors (local or senior supervisors) settling on choices quick without sitting around managing administrative work or any bureaucratic methodology. As a rule, the data framework the executives approach attempted by Mrs. Field’s Cookies was very upgrading and encouraged the development and extension of the firm as it empowe red Debbi and Randy to keep up control from one perspective through centralization of activities and the board. Simultaneously, in any case, representatives were left to accomplish work that was basic for business development and which included essentially the advancement of deals. The Acquisition of La Petite Boulangerie Within the development methodology of Mrs. Treats Fields’, expansion was endeavored through the securing of La Petite Boulangerie (LPB). Randy and Debbi show that obtaining as a superb method of utilizing advertising openings by benefiting from their image name (as indicated by the contextual investigation â€Å"the Mrs. Fields' name was demographically entrenched, and Randy accepted whatever they put it on would sell†) and by broadening the idea of a straightforward treat store to expanding into a ‘combination’ store (plunk down bistro). In embraced LPB, Randy and Debbi looked to additionally animate the development of the firm by broade ning its underlying business and contributions. Their desires were essentially determined by two factors: the main factor identifies with the way that Mrs. Field’s Cookies was a development arranged organization and accordingly openings offered were immediately gotten a handle on (regardless of the way that in the early years Debbi was somewhat hesitant in development on account of her apparent control misfortune). Notwithstanding that, Mrs. Fields’ Cookies had just obtained different firms previously (inside the extension procedure program) and had figured out how to effectively join them into the business structure, theory, and culture of the organization (as on account of the Famous Chocolate Chip Company).â

Negative Side Effects of Antidepressants

Negative Side Effects of Antidepressants Depression Treatment Medication Print Negative Effects of Antidepressants By Nancy Schimelpfening Nancy Schimelpfening, MS is the administrator for the non-profit depression support group Depression Sanctuary. Nancy has a lifetime of experience with depression, experiencing firsthand how devastating this illness can be. Learn about our editorial policy Nancy Schimelpfening Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on January 13, 2015 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on February 24, 2020 Depression Overview Types Symptoms Causes & Risk Factors Diagnosis Treatment Coping ADA & Your Rights Depression in Kids Joe Raedle / Staff / Getty Images In This Article Table of Contents Expand Coping With Side Effects Consult Your Doctor Common Side Effects Serious Side Effects When to Call 911 View All All medications, including antidepressants, can produce unwanted negative effects that we refer to as side effects. How to Deal With Side Effects Some of these negative effects may be quite mild while others may be more severe. In addition, they may go away or become less severe in time. If you experience problems with side effects, you should mention these to your doctor as he or she may be able to either give you strategies for coping with the side effects or prescribe a different antidepressant for you that has fewer or more tolerable side effects. Consult Your Doctor Keep in mind, however, that it is never a good idea to stop taking your antidepressant without first discussing it with your doctor. An unpleasant set of symptoms known as discontinuation syndrome may occur if you stop taking your medication too abruptly. These symptoms include electric shock sensations, tingling, vivid dreams, hallucinations, sweating, muscle pain, blurred vision, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, agitation, upset stomach, and fatigue.?? Its always best to taper off of your antidepressant very slowly with your doctors guidance. This gives your brain time to get used to the changes and you will notice fewer effects if you stick with your doctors plan. Common Side Effects Some of the more common negative effects that many patients experience with antidepressants include dizziness, fatigue, blurred vision, sexual side effects, weight gain, constipation, insomnia, dry mouth, nausea, feeling numb, and anxiety.?? Your doctor will be able  to offer you appropriate coping strategies for many of these or may also be able to make changes in your dose or transition you to a different medication that you can better tolerate. Serious Side Effects While many of the most common side effects are not cause for excessive concern, there are certainly rare, but more serious side effects, that you should be aware of. Among these are: Serotonin Syndrome This side effect is linked to the use of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors  (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).  Serotonin syndrome occurs when a neurochemical in the brain called serotonin reaches dangerously high levels. It is generally triggered when an SSRI or SNRI medication is used in combination with a second medication that also affects serotonin levels, such as another antidepressant.?? Symptoms of serotonin syndrome include confusion, agitation, muscle twitching, sweating, shivering, and diarrhea.  In addition, severe cases may include symptoms such as a very high fever, seizures, irregular heartbeat, and unconsciousness. If a person begins to exhibit any of the above symptoms, medical care should be sought immediately as this condition can be life-threatening. Hyponatremia Hyponatremia is a condition in which the sodium, or salt, levels in the blood fall to abnormally low levels. When this happens, dangerous amounts of fluid can build up inside the bodys cells. This side effect can occur with SSRIs because these drugs can potentially impact the effects of a hormone involved in regulating sodium and fluid levels within the body. Older people may be especially prone to hyponatremia.?? Mild cases of hyponatremia can cause symptoms such as feeling ill, headache, muscle pain, loss of appetite and confusion. In more severe cases, people may also experience such symptoms as listlessness and fatigue, disorientation, agitation, psychosis, and seizures. In addition, hyponatremia has the potential to lead to coma or death. People who experience even mild symptoms of hyponatremia should seek immediate medical care. Suicidal Thoughts You should be aware that when youre first starting an antidepressant, you may experience a temporary worsening of your depression and potentially even increased thoughts of suicide. Studies indicate that this may be especially true for people younger than age 25.?? If you, or someone you are caring for, experience any worsening of depression, increased thoughts of suicide or death or unusual changes in behavior in the first weeks after starting a new antidepressant, it is important to get medical assistance immediately. If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911. Allergic Reactions Allergic reactions can occur with antidepressants, either because a person is allergic to the active ingredient of the medication or because he or she is allergic to the dyes, fillers or other inactive ingredients present in the pill or capsule. Symptoms of an allergic reaction can include swelling, itchy rash, hives, blisters or difficulty breathing.??   A severe allergic reaction can become life-threatening if it blocks a persons ability to breathe. Medical help should be sought for an allergic reaction, especially if there is swelling in the face or breathing difficulty. Mania In people who are susceptible to bipolar disorder, medications like antidepressants can potentially trigger an episode of mania.?? Symptoms of mania include increased energy and activity, problems with sleeping, racing thoughts, impulsive behavior, grandiose thinking, extreme elevation of mood, irritability, and pressured speech. While mania is not necessarily life-threatening, it will require medical assistance to treat. Seizures Certain antidepressants can increase a persons risk of having a seizure. In some cases, a seizure may be triggered by a person who has never had one before. Most antidepressants do not increase seizure risk, although Wellbutrin (bupropion) is the antidepressant that is most likely to trigger one.?? Certain older antidepressants called tricyclics can increase a persons seizure risk as well.  Generally, the newer antidepressants are less likely to trigger seizures. Seizures involve such symptoms as uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs, staring spells, confusion, abnormal sensations and loss of consciousness. All seizures should be reported to a doctor. If it is the first time a person has had a seizure then emergency services should be summoned. When to Call 911 A seizure lasts more than five minutesThe person does not wake upAnother seizure begins immediately afterwardThe seizure occurs in waterThe person is pregnant, injured or has diabetesThere is anything unusual about the seizure compared to others that the person has had before

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Chaining Forward and Chaining Backwards

When teaching life skills such as dressing, grooming or perhaps even cooking, a special educator often has to break down the task to be taught in small discrete steps. The first step for teaching a life skill is to complete a task analysis. Once the task analysis is complete, the teacher needs to decide how it is to be taught: chaining forward, or chaining backward? Chaining Whenever we do a complete, multistep task, we complete the component parts in a specific order (though there can be some flexibility.) We start at some point and complete each step, one step at a time. Since these tasks are sequential we refer to teaching them step-by-step as chaining. Chaining Forward When chaining forward, the instructional program starts with the beginning of the task sequence. After each step is mastered, instruction begins at the next step. Depending on how severely a students abilities are compromised by their disability will depend on what level of support the student will need for each step of instruction. If a child is unable to learn the step by having it modeled and then imitating it, it may be necessary to provide hand over hand prompting, fading instructional prompting to verbal and then gestural prompts. As each step is mastered, the student completes the step after begin given a verbal command (prompt?) and then begins instruction in the next step. Each time the student has completed the part of the tasks they have he or she has mastered, the instructor will complete the other steps, either modeling or hand over handing the tasks in the order you will be teaching the student. An Example of Chaining Forward Angela is pretty severely cognitively disabled. She is learning life skills with therapeutic support staff (TSS) aid provided by the county mental health organization. Rene (her aide) is working on teaching her independent grooming skills. She can wash her hands independently, with the simple command, Angela, its time to wash your hand. Wash your hands. She has just begun to learn how to brush her teeth. She will follow this forward chain: Angela gets the pink toothbrush from her cup and the toothpaste from the top vanity drawer.When she has mastered this step, she will unscrew the cap, she will wet the bristles and put the paste on the bristles.When she has mastered opening the toothpaste and squirting it on the brush, the child needs to open his, her mouth wide and begin to brush the top teeth. I would divide this into several steps and teach it over a couple of weeks: Up and down on the bottom and top on the side opposite the dominant hand, up and down on the same side, up and down in front and back of the front teeth. Once the whole sequence is mastered, the student can move on to:Rinsing the toothpaste out, front and back. This step will have to be modeled: there is no way to hand over hand this skill.Replace the toothpaste cap, put the cap, brush and rinsing cup away. An Example of Backward Chaining Jonathon, aged 15, lives at a residential facility. One of the goals in his residential IEP is to do his own laundry. In his facility, there is a two to one ratio of staff to students, so Rahul is the evening staff member for Jonathon and Andrew. Andrew is also 15, and also has a laundry goal, so Rahul has Andrew watch as Jonathon does his laundry on Wednesday, and Andrew does his laundry on Friday. Chaining Laundry Backwards Rahul completes each of the steps Jonathon will need to complete the laundry, modeling and reciting each step. i.e. First we separate the colors and the whites.Next we will put the dirty whites in the washing machine.Now we measure the soap (Rahul might choose to have Jonathon open the soap container if twisting off lids is one of Jonathons already acquired skills.)Now we choose the water temperature. Hot for whites, cold for colors.Now we turn the dial to regular wash.Now we close the lid and pull out the dial.Rahul gives Jonathon a couple of choices for waiting: Looking at books? Playing a game on the iPad? He may also stop Jonathon from his game and check out where the machine is in the process.Oh, the machine is done spinning. Lets put the wet clothing in the dryer.Lets set the drying for 60 minutes.(When the buzzer goes off.) Is the laundry dry? Lets feel it? Yes, lets take it out and fold it. At this point, Jonathon would assist in taking the dry laundry out of the dryer. With assistance, he would fold the clothing, matching socks and stacking white underwear and t-shirts in the correct pile s. In backward chaining, Jonathon would observe Rahul do the laundry and would begin by assisting with removing the laundry and folding it. When he has reached an acceptable level of independence (I wouldnt demand perfection) you would back up, and have Jonathon set the dryer and push the start button. After that is mastered, he would back up to removing the wet clothing from the washer and putting it in the dryer. The purpose of backward chaining is the same as that of forward chaining: to help the student gain independence and mastery in a skill that he or she can use for the rest of their life. Whether you, as the practitioner, choose forward or backward chaining will depend on the childs strengths and your perception of where the student will be most successful. His or her success is the real measure of the most effective way to chain, either forward, or backward.

Causes of Teen Pregnancy Free Essays

Causes of Teen Pregnancy Lack of sex education is the most important but not the only cause of teenage pregnancy. Following are some other teenage pregnancy causes that can not be ignored. First is the psychological factors. We will write a custom essay sample on Causes of Teen Pregnancy or any similar topic only for you Order Now The immature and irresponsible behavior arising due to complex teenage psychology is another important cause of teenage pregnancies. Teenagers often go through a number of emotions because of their own transition from childhood and peer pressure. In addition, weak family relationships fail to provide the emotional support that teenagers require. This lack of attention and affection from family resulting in depression forces them to seek love and support from other people, especially members of the opposite sex. The next cause of teen pregnancy is the adolescent sexual behavior. As adolescence marks the onset of sexual maturity, it is but obvious that both the sexes show interest in and explore the much hyped topics of sex, thank to the irresponsible and careless approach of mass media. This makes them vulnerable to teenage sex and pregnancy without adequate sex education. Lack of sexual education causes teens to get abortions as they ultimately realize their inability to bear the responsibilities of being a parent at such a young age. The another cause is lack of discipline and control. Factors like alcohol and substance abuse accompanied by unrestricted interaction with the opposite sex can ignite the sparks of lust and passion in youngsters very easily ultimately leading to teenage pregnancy. Nonetheless, at times, parents put too many restrictions of their children, especially girls to protect them from dangers. This overprotection gives rise to frustration and a feeling of not being loved and cared for. Thus, balance is the key to avoid this problem. Moreover, sexual abuse of teenage girls is also one of the most disgraceful causes of teenage pregnancy. Sexual relationships between teenage girls and older men are more likely to end up in teenage pregnancy as compared to sexual relationships between teenage boys and girls. Last but not least is the socio-economic factors. Childhood environment, lower educational and income levels have also been associated with high rates of teenage pregnancy because of negligence towards birth control methods. How to cite Causes of Teen Pregnancy, Essay examples

Leadership and Teambuilding- Free-Samples- Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Summarize the results of the relevant self-assessments in your learning journal. Answer: Leadership Leadership is viewed differently by different people globally and occurs under different circumstances. Individual have been part of leadership in some way. Leadership is the ability to lead. Leadership can be inborne as well as acquired through practice. For example, it could be political related, community, religious or organizational leadership. Despite its ubiquity, leadership plays an important role in all aspects of todays society. Research exploring about leadership has been discussed by theorist and practitioners in the past decades. In fact, writers have in their lifetime been striving to identify characteristics of what good leadership is. By late 1960s, it evidently became clear that no exclusive leadership style for all situations was available. There are historical definitions of leadership as well as theories. Older theories are addressed by three level model which include Public, Private and Personal leadership. Scouller (2011), referred Public leadership as the simultaneous actions that leaders take to influence a group of people and Private leadership as dealing with individual separately due to their diverse characteristics, while Personal leadership as the overall behavior of a leader. According to Gachter et all., (2012), in order to reach an ultimate goal, a leader works closely and alongside those they lead. Therefore, in the following paragraphs, I will discuss various areas pertaining to leade rship in an organization. In regard to companies, leadership is determined by culture and goals that are set by an organization. Organization offer different leadership styles depending on tasks allocated to different departments and their needs; Autocratic, Participative, Transactional and Transformational. However, to understand how effective leadership is achieved, the problems in an organization have implications and must be addressed through training. Participative leadership, values the contribution of all the stakeholders but the final decision rests entirely to the participative leader. The missions in an organization are defined by leaders, but leaders must as well coordinate all activities and motive others to achieve the mission requirements. Additionally, the interaction between the team leader and the team must be constant. The efforts of the members are appreciated and respected by their leaders. This serves as an indication that a team is comprised of a leader and his team mates who are supportive and committed towards achieving their objectives. Mullins Constable (2013) states that it is important for team work in an institution. Transactional leadership, rewards or punishes team members based on how they perform. For example, an organization rewarding employee of the year by given them vouchers to shop anywhere that suits them best. Managers using transactional leadership must be in a position to formulate a plan and implement the plan that works in the systems that are already in existence within an institution and which leads to motivating others. As a result, employees who are motivated by their leaders show creativity enhancement. However, the relationship between the leaders and employees become tense when leaders adopt the behavior of monitoring and controlling employees (Zhou Ren, 2011). Transformational leadership, depends on the level of communication from the management to employees. Hence, for the success of an institution, communication is paramount. The discussions and debates surrounding transformational leadership are still ongoing but just to mention a few. Transformational leaders stimulate interest among employees, motivate and empower them. Transformational leadership looks at ways leaders motivate employees through communication and engaging them in the process of work. Sarros et al. (2008), indicates that transformational leadership is connected with environment and that it contributes in transforming behaviors, activates identification as well as social identification with the group. For example, a leader delegates smaller tasks while they focus on the bigger picture within the organization. Autocratic leadership, managers possess the authority and impose strict rules on employees. They are the final decision makers without the contribution of others. It is characterized by controlling, self-centered, and close-minded style of leadership (Bass, 2009). For example, Cuba is under autocratic leadership. In conclusion, leadership is dynamic and it is based on the relationship between the leaders and followers. However, for leadership growth and development, it is important to be aware of the weaknesses and strengths of a leader. Leaders, on the other hand, must learn how to motivate their employees. References Bass, B. M., Bass, R. (2009). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications. New York: Simon Schuster Gchter, S., Nosenzo, D., Renner, E., Sefton, M. (2012). Who Makes a Good Leader? Cooperativeness, Optimism, and Leading?By?Example.Economic Inquiry,50(4), 953-967. Mullins, C. and Constable, G. (2013). Leadership and teambuilding in primary care. Oxford: Radcliffe. Sarros, J.C., B.K. Cooper and J.C. Santora, 2008. Building a climate for innovation through transformational leadership and organizational culture. J. Leadership Organ. Stud., 15: 145-158 Scouller, J. (2011).The three levels of leadership: How to develop your leadership presence, knowhow, and skill. Management Books 2000. Zhou, J. and R. Ren, 2011. Striving for Creativity: Building Positive Context in the Workplace. In: Cameron, K.S. and G.M. Spreitzer (Eds.), Ch. 8, the Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship. Oxford University Press, Oxford

College Sport Commercialization Essays - , Term Papers

College Sport Commercialization "I'm going to have to let you go," says coach Tim Koth to another former player as he adds another notch to his belt. "It's nothing personal, I like you," he says, "but I have to look at this as a business." Is that what it is? I always looked at sport as an outlet, or even an opportunity; but sport is a business, that has become the cruel reality of modern day sport. This paper will discuss various aspects and show different examples of some ways in which this fact is apparent. I am a unit, specifically, a mere employee within a corporation earning just around four thousand dollars per year. Quincy University (as well as other universities) represents the corporation; it is because of Quincy University that I will never see my four thousand dollars per year. The volleyball team, and other teams belonging to the corporation, are the manufacturers...the moneymakers. So when I, or any other employee, is not working out efficiently, then the boss needs to "let me go." As much as they (meaning, the coaches) might say that they care for the individual, their care is only skin deep. Every individual on a team is expendable, and every individual, at one point or another, will be replaced. Coaches will typically form relationships with their players on an authoritative level. The coaches will normally develop a method in which they control nearly every aspect of the player's life (Sage 149). It can be anything from eating habits, extra curricular activities, and training for the associated sport, to such things as dating behaviors and other social characteristics of the normal life of a college student...it's a trap. This is the situation: a high school student with an exceptional athletic background and satisfying grades is recruited to a division one school with a healthy scholarship to play basketball. He accepts the offer and signs his National Letter of Intent which declares that if the student wishes to play for another institution he must first take a full year off from playing his designated sport. In that effect, the student athlete is bound to this institution; however, the institution is not bound to the athlete (Eitzen 111). The student has no qualms about signing this piece of paper; he feels that this is just a small price to pay in the way of higher education. After the first year of college, however, the student finds that he is incapable of competing at such a high level, and what once was a way to pay for the greater part of his education has become his downfall. His contract is non-renewable, non-negotiable; the once caring coaching staff has "let him go." Since signing his letter of intent, he has no chance at playing basketball for even a division two or three school, and is left with no way to pay for his education...it's a trap. Colleges should, in the future, offer two to four year scholarships to exemplify their commitment to athletes as student representatives (Eitzen 118). In college, the athlete considers himself or herself to be an elite, which is true based on a table of progression within the National Federation of State High School Associations data, stating that only five percent of all high school athletes are able to carry their athletic career into a collegiate level (Sage 52). This is one example of the business aspect of sport. If this were not true, then anyone that wanted to play in a particular sport, could. College sport has grown from simple intramural and recreational facets of life to large-scale commercial entertainment. We have come to an era in which sports are not only a part of our everyday life, but they almost control us. The topic arises in nearly every conversation, example: "how ?bout them Bears?!" The mention of a sporting team is a means of casual conversation, an icebreaker, and even has certain politics involved as well. Then you have your schools, the corporations, which have come to rely on sports as a means of attracting more students and other gratuities (i.e. major endorsements and other various sponsorships). One can be sure that nobody goes to Ohio State because of its outstanding fine arts division. Ohio State is first known as a competitive football producer, it is realized secondly as an educational institution. Ohio State, because of its past successes, is enthusiastically endorsed by the Nike Corporation and also has an enrollment of well over thirty thousand students. There is a buzz that resonates

Cushing’s Syndrome Essay Example

Cushing’s Syndrome Essay Example Cushing’s Syndrome Paper Cushing’s Syndrome Paper Prolonged, extensive and inapt exposure to extreme glucocorticoids gives rise to Cushing’s syndrome. These glucocorticoids include topical as well as inhaled ones. This syndrome is a hormone problem, which is also called hypercortisolism additionally happens when the body is making a great deal of cortisol. If left untreated, this syndrome will result to a considerable rate of morbidity and mortality. When its signs and symptoms are florid, its diagnosis is uncomplicated. Incidence of Cushing’s syndrome is dependent on the population being studied. Prevalence of this syndrome ranges from 0. 7 to 2. 4 million population per year (Newell-Price et al, 2006). It is suggested by new data available that this syndrome is more common than it was formerly thought. There is a reported incidence of Cushing’s syndrome being 2% and 5% of those patients screened with type 2 diabetes; particularly those who had poor blood glucose control and had hypertension. These studies proved the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome not based on its clinical manifestation but based on its patient’s metabolic control improvement after the intervention of clinical measures for Cushing’s syndrome. Roughly 1 in 500,000 and a projected 10 to 15 of every million people are affected with Cushing’s syndrome each year. Cortisol is a hormone that has a number of essential functions. It sustains the body when it is faced with physical stress. It is also the hormone responsible for preserving the blood pressure within normal limits when there is blood loss due to accidents. The body makes more cortisol during stress brought about by physical illness as well as psychological problems. This hormone is also vital in the body’s metabolism (Health Source, 2008). The brain and pituitary gland are in charge as to how much cortisol the body makes. This hormone is particularly produced in the adrenal glands. These glands are the two small glands located on top of each kidney. Too much body’s production of cortisol may be a consequence of having a tumor (benign or malignant) in any of the glands. Widespread and frequent tumors are pituitary adenoma and adrenal adenoma. In some instances, tumors from other parts of the body may also cause an increase in the amount of cortisol that the body produced. Oftentimes, these tumors are in the lungs, thyroid and pancreas. Although this syndrome may be brought about by the body’s increase production of it due to tumors, most incidence of this syndrome is due to an increased, extreme and lengthy consumption of cortisone medications. Cortisol has a natural anti-inflammatory function. Physicians prescribed cortisol to treat and manage diseases where inflammation is the major dilemma. These diseases include asthma, rheumatoid arthritis as well as lupus. A familiar example of a cortisol medication is prednisone. These medications as a group are well known as corticosteroids, glucocorticoids, or steroids (Health Source, 2008). This medication is also utilized in preventing the rejection of transplanted organs. In cases like this, this medication may then be taken all throughout the particular patient’s lifetime. Signs and Symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome Being vigilant of the early signs and symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome is very important for its early detection, diagnosis and management. Recognizing its early mental manifestations and demonstrations will avert frustrations and spare patients a number of morbidity. When typical physical signs of Cushing’s arise, patients are already suffering enormously. The following early signs of Cushing’s syndrome are as follows: being depressed, irritable (Cushing’s patients illustrates themselves as having a â€Å"short fuse†), experiences insomnia, decreased / loss of libido, complains of memory problem especially impaired short-term memory and failure to focus attention and maintain their usual concentration (Kubetin, 2000). Symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome include the presentation of a moon facie. An increased of fat in the abdomen, trunk area and upper back also persists causing a buffalo hump look. The most distinguished physical manifestation of Cushing’s syndrome from that of obesity is the presentation of protein wasting-presence of thin skin. Patients may show skin bruising as their skin easily gets bruised. Stretch marks may be common in the abdomen, breasts and thighs. Women may experience an increased body hair and may have an irregular and even cessation of menstrual periods. Also, excess cortisol inclines to an elevated blood pressure. With this, patients may also experience high blood pressure. Increased incidence of occult Cushing’s syndrome is found in overweight and in patients with type 2 diabetes (Fonseca, 2004). Since an increased in cortisol can cause type 2 diabetes (non-insulin dependent); symptoms of diabetes like increased and frequency of urination, tiredness and exhaustion and blurred vision may also be manifested (Chiodini et al, 2007). Purple striae, osteoporosis, muscle atrophy and kidney stones are more numerous and common in men. Male and female patients presented the same gonadal dysfunction. Decreased bone-mineral density was revealed as one of the side effects of glucocorticoid use. Bone loss is worse in primary adrenal Cushing’s syndrome compared to the pituitary-dependent Cushing’s syndrome (Newell-Price et al, 2006). Moreover, Cushing’s syndrome attributed from production of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) from solid tumors also causes life-threatening hypercortisolemia. These tumors may be bronchial carcinoids, lung squamous cell carcinoma or even carcinoid from the duodenum. All these tumors presented ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone producing cortisol leading to excess cortisol in the body(Uecker Janzow, 2005). Diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome Physicians (health care providers) will do a complete and thorough physical examination and history when obvious signs and symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome is presented by the patient. Signs and symptoms like: an increased blood pressure, thin skin bruises, buffalo hump look (fat in trunk and abdomen and thinning of arms and legs) and moon facie will be given a significant account. Patient will be assessed for any usage/treatment of steroid medications. There is an uncomplicated diagnosis once the patient presented the features and manifestations stated above and steroid management and therapy is being used. If the patient is not taking any cortisol/steroid medications at all, the following tests may be crucial and necessary: skull X-ray, MRI, CT scan, 24-hr urine cortisol test, dexamethasone suppression test and midnight cortisol assessment or late-night salivary cortisol(Health Source 2008). Biochemical verification of the hypercortisolaemic state must be recognized prior to any effort of obtaining differential diagnosis. This is done to prevent any misdiagnosis leading to unsuitable treatment and poor management (Newell-Price et al, 2006). No single test is perfect for the diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome. Since each test has different sensitivities, the use of several tests is beneficial. The skull X-ray, MRI and CT scan are ordered to rule out tumors in the pituitary and other parts of the body. 24-hour urine cortisol test is done to verify if the body is making excessive amounts of cortisol. The binding proteins are saturated by excess circulating cortisol whereby it is then sent out in the urine as free cortisol. This is a straightforward evaluation of circulating free cortisol. This circulating free cortisol is biologically effective. Results showing 4x greater than its upper limit of its normal value is indicative of Cushing’s syndrome. The dexamethasone suppression test is done to prove and confirm the extra cortisol produced by the body is from the pituitary tumor or a tumor existing from other part of the body. There are two tests that are commonly used: the 48-hr or the overnight dexamethasone suppression test. For the 48-h suppression test, 0. 5mg dexamethasone is given every six hours x 4 times. Serum cortisol measurement is obtained during the first and last administration of dexamethasone. For the overnight dexamethasone test, 1mg is administered at midnight and the serum cortisol measurement is obtained the following morning. To rule out Cushing’s syndrome, the concentration of serum cortisol should not exceed 50nmol in either of the two tests mentioned above. Studies revealed that this test sometimes gives false-positive results. It is important to repeat this test as well as include other investigations if medical doubts remain high. Individuals with Cushing’s syndrome have no normal cortisol circadian rhythm. Midnight plasma cortisol concentration not exceeding 50 nmol/L rules out Cushing’s syndrome. In addition, salivary cortisol signifies the amount of free circulating cortisol. This screening is greatly appropriate due to its effortless collection of sample. Saliva is also stable in room temperature thus making it more suitable screening method. This test had been proven to be a good screening method based on its non-invasiveness and diagnostic performance (Cardoso et al, 2009). Once a diagnosis is established, apt initiation of medication therapy should then be made. The treatment and management of Cushing’s syndrome is dependent on the amount of extra cortisol in the body. Treatment of Cushing’s syndrome If the cause of the extra cortisol in the body is just due to the administration of cortisol medications, the physician may just lower the dosage of cortisol taken. In other cases, physicians may change the frequency of treatment. Every day dose may then be changed to every other day. If the body itself is making the excess cortisol, treatment includes medical therapy to lower cortisol and may also require surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to remove and treat the tumor. Medications like Metyrapone, Ketoconazole and Mitotane are prescribed to lower cortisol . The mechanism of action of these medications directly inhibits the synthesis and secretion of cortisol in the adrenal glands. These drugs may not be as efficient for long-term management of the syndrome. These medications are prescribed primarily as a preparation prior to the upcoming surgical procedure or as an adjunctive management post surgery (Newell-Price et al, 2006). Transsphenoidal surgery is done to remove the tumor from the pituitary gland without harming the pituitary function. Its results showed 60% to 80% of initial remission rate. If the disease persists, urgent reoperation is conducted. Ongoing requirement of alternative therapies are needed, as this procedure does not promise possible recurrences. Pituitary radiotherapy may then be required for persistent hypercortisolism after transsphenoidal surgery. The existing treatment of choice for Cushing’s syndrome is laparoscopic surgery for unilateral adrenal adenomas. The prognosis of this procedure is good, however, the results are uniformly unfortunate for patients with adrenocortical carcinomas. Adrenocortical carcinomas occasionally present metastases. Patients are also given a five-year survival duration. In addition, total bilateral removal of the adrenal glands produces rapid and great results in decreasing the clinical manifestations of patients. However, patients requiring a unilateral removal of the adrenal glands have the most excellent recorded results (Poulin et al, 2003). The need for a lifetime therapy of corticosteroids and glucocorticoids will be needed after the removal of both adrenal glands. Laparoscopic adrenal procedures give low morbidity that’s why this is considered as the main treatment for patients with Cushing’s syndrome. Some clinicians promote pituitary radiotherapy together with adrenalectomy to decrease the risk of Cushing’s syndrome. Prevention of Cushing’s syndrome It is really important to seek medical attention right away if one is taking steroid medications and are showing signs and symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome. Blood pressure as well as blood sugar levels should also be checked regularly. Individuals should be knowledgeable in terms of the medications they are taking and its side effects. The use of non-steroidal medications in managing inflammatory diseases should be given priority first prior to the use of steroids. References Cardoso, E. M. L. , Aggreger, A. L. , Tumilasci, O. , R. Contreras, L. N. (2009). Diagnostic value of salivary cortisol in Cushing’s syndrome. Endocrinology 70. 4, p516. Chiodini, I. , Adda, G. , Scillitani, A. Coletti, F. (2007). Cortisol secretion in patients with type 2 diabetes: relationship with chronic complications. Diabetes Care, 30, 83. Fonseca, V. , (2004). Occult Cushing’s syndrome. Diabetes Care, 27:5, 1253. Health Source – Consumer edition. (1 January 2008). Cushing’s syndrome. Kubetin, S. K. (2000). Early signs of Cushing’s. OB GYN News. International Medical News Group. Newell-Price, J. , Bertagna, X. , Grossman, A. Nieman, L. K. (2006). Cushing’s syndrome. The Lancet, 367, 1605. Poulin, E. C. , Schlachta, C. M. , Burpee, S. E. , Pace, K. T. Mamazza, J. (2003). Laparoscopic adrenalectomy: pathologic features determine outcome. Canadian Journal of Surgery, 46, 340-345. Uecker, J. M. Janzow, M. T. (2005). A case of Cushing syndrome secondary to ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone producing carcinoid of duodenum. The American Surgeon, 71, 445-446.

History and Political Science Exam Questions Essay

History and Political Science Exam Questions - Essay Example The case study countries can be said to relatively conform to the ideal model of liberal democracy. The three constitutional forms mentioned above are depicted in the case study countries. Political competitiveness is observed in the U.S, Nigeria, France and Russia. Elections are held after a specified period of time, and constitutional provisions allow for free and fair elections. Spain on the other hand practices democracy through a constitutional monarchy. While such a political process may not be competitive, transparency in governance is provided for by political laws. Q2 The growth and development of the civil society is an important aspect of the larger population within a country or a state. The management of human capital in the civil service is primarily undertaken by the civil society, and it therefore accounts for the major needs of the larger society. The development of the civil society and its influence to the state are intertwined. A developed civil society is one tha t accounts for the diversity and dynamisms realized in the state and one that further seeks to match this trend with the performance of the state. It therefore stands a strong ground to significantly influence the state. Q3 Centralization of legislation is the basis upon which unitary states function. This is form of legislature is however not necessarily the best in the contemporary world. Political systems and governments seek to uphold efficiency and effectiveness of governments, thereby delegating legislation duties. The concentration of authority and power to a single unit of governance is longer deemed as an aspect of democracy. As a result, political systems and governments of the modern times tend to create organs of governance that function just as the overhead arm of government. Decentralized legislature is thus a key defining factor of democracy. EXAM 2 Q1 The Rational Actor Model makes four assumptions that fail to conform to the real world phenomena. As a result, the us e of this model in the evaluation and assessment of foreign relations is limited, and to a more extent unrealistic. The model assumes that governments are unitary in nature, cost and benefit analysis is the mode of policy formulation, actors execute decisions faithfully and ineffective policies are optimized through adjustment (Held, 2006, p.329). These assumptions are unrealistic since they do not account for the ulterior motives of actors in foreign relations. On the same note, policy formulation keep conflicting with other policies already in place, and therefore optimality of policies is not realistic. Q2 Foreign policy making is subject to both rational processes and political influences. The extent to which these two factors affect foreign policy formulation and implementation is crucial in determining whether the goals of foreign policy reflect political interests. Foreign policies are formulated and implemented by states that identify foreign relations issues that need to be addressed by these policies. Due to this aspect, the rationality of foreign policy making is lost. This is due to the fact that the emerging foreign policies reflect collaborative political interests, and are therefore deemed to serve purposes that are beneficial to the formulating agencies even when the rationality of these policies is questionable. EXAM 3 Q1 States are endowed with powers within their jurisdiction to formulate and implement policies, among them

Short answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short answers - Essay Example An economist would advice a firm making accounting profits to close down because accounting profits is arrived at by subtracting only explicit costs from the total revenue. This rejects implicit costs hence inaccuracy of the profits (Aspers, 2011). (b) Why normal profit is the long run outcome for a firm under perfect competition When a firm is making economic profits, other firms will find the markets competitive hence mass entry into the market. This causes the supply curve to shift to the right, which results into a drop of the prices hence profits, are cancelled. The firm will in the end exhibit normal profits as an outcome under perfect competition (Aspers, 2011). (c) Characteristics of both monopolistic and monopoly competition, their advantages and disadvantages Characteristics of monopolistic competition are; there exist a large number of buyers and sellers, they exhibit price differentiation, free entry and exit of firms and high selling costs are incurred. Monopoly on the o ther hand exhibits characteristics such as the existence of only one firm in the market; they are price takers since they are the only producers. They have the advantage of controlling the whole market and therefore dictate the prices. The only disadvantage is that they are constrained by their own demand curves. Monopolistic case has several advantages; the most peculiar is that they are able to command a large market base. The market is disadvantaged in that stiff competition may threaten its operations in the market (Aspers, 2011). 4. (a) Graph of Fiscal policy and deflationary gap Deflationary gap happens when the actual output (Y) is below the natural output (Yn); this is as shown in the figure above. To correct the deflationary gap expansionary fiscal policy has to be used. The government does this through increasing government spending; alongside this, the government taxation has to be reduced. The result of employing the expansionary fiscal policy acts to shift the aggregate demand curve to coincide with the natural output and therefore real GDP is increased. Deflationary gap is caused when the investment spending goes down hence it is simply solved when the government increases it investment spending such as spending on infrastructure (Buti, 2003). (b) How fiscal and monetary used to address deflationary gap affects balance of payment Fiscal policy tools used to such as increased taxation will make the costs of local goods to be expensive. When the local goods become expensive balance shifts from favoring importation. When imports are more than exports, there is unfavorable balance of payment, which is harmful to the economy. In addition, monetary policies to correct deflationary gap is that aimed at increasing money supply, which leads to an increase in prices. Increase in prices causes local goods to be equally expensive leading to increased importation hence unfavorable balance of payment. Such negative impacts of balance of payment occur when the economy is at the helm of growth (Buti, 2003). 6. (a) Reasons for holding money There are three major reasons for holding money; transactionery motive, precautionary motive and speculative motive. For transactionery motive, money is held to undertake daily transactions mostly on basics. Money is also held to handle any future unfortunate occurrences anticipated in the future. Speculators are investors who anticipate that assets will be attractive in the near future hence hold money to take advantage of such (Dobeck, MF &

Is Compost Tea Fact Or Fiction Environmental Sciences Essay

Is Compost Tea Fact Or Fiction Environmental Sciences Essay Horticulturists, scientists, teachers, gardeners, practioners and farmers all rave about compost and the benefits to the soil, like improving soil structure, reducing water use, improving aeration, attracting earth worms and many more. I want to believe the same thing holds true for compost tea, is it the cure all for damping off disease, will it make my tomatoes luminescent(6), will it make my lawn greener, will my plants have less disease and eliminate pest problems, will it make my soil a better place for my plants, the claims for compost tea are numerous, does it really work? Compost tea has been around for thousands of years perhaps as far back as the Roman Empire (6). Somebody noticed that plants grew better around manure or on manured ground. But solid manure was hard to work with. So it went into a container of water to let it steep for awhile and we can be sure that it got stirred. When used as a drench, plant growth improved. In the late 1990s aeration was first introduced into the compost tea.(4) Aeration claims to increase beneficial microbes and accelerate the process by creating optimum levels of oxygen for growth and reproduction of beneficial aerobic microorganisms. So there are now numerous definitions of compost tea. Compost leachate which is the runoff of water from compost or worm bins. The material is a brown colored water that runs out of compost or worm bins when the bins or piles become too wet. The liquid is a product of compost or worm casting that has not completely finished the compost process. Most likely rich in soluble nutrients; but in the early stage of composting it may also contain pathogens(11) Compost extract is what was originally called compost tea. Compost is wrapped in coarse fabric and soaked in water for days. The primary benefit of the extract will be a supply of soluble nutrients, which can be used as a liquid fertilizer(11) Compost tea is an aerated mixture of compost and food sources for microbes; such as kelp, molasses, fish hydrolysates, rock dust and humic acids. The compost-tea brewing technique and aerobic process extracts and grows populations of beneficial microorganisms. (11) Compost tea can be added to soil to improve soil life and impacts plants more quickly than a composted mixture. (7) The reasoning behind compost tea is that once the mixture has completed and is applied as a soil drench it will add microbes to soils which in turn help to break down organic material in the soil and can then be used for food for plants. And the need for synthetic fertilizers becomes less. There are many different recipes for compost tea based on your needs, there are fungal teas which are good for acid loving plants and trees and shrubs, there is some evidence that beneficial fungus will help with some diseases like powdery mildew and downy mildew. And there are bacterial teas which are good for vegetables, annuals, perennials and grasses. What is compost tea? The soil food web defines compost tea as: essentially, is a brewing process that extracts microorganisms from compost followed by microbial growth and multiplication. This includes beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes. When compost teas are sprayed onto the leaf surface, these beneficial organisms occupy spatial niches on the leaf surface and gobble up leaf exudates that pathogenic organisms would otherwise feed on to prosper; other microbes directly interfere with pathogenic organisms through antagonism. A more simple definition: Compost tea, in modern terminology, is a compost extract brewed with a microbial food source-molasses, kelp, rock dust, humic-fulvic acids. The compost-tea brewing technique, an aerobic process, extracts and grows populations of beneficial microorganisms (11) based on the ingredients that you use you will either have bacterial tea, fungal tea or a combination Compost Tea has been field tested to be effective in suppression of the following diseases: black spot, mildew (downy), needle cast on pine, vertilcillium wilt, white flies, mealy bugs, rust, aphids, tent caterpillars, mites, leaf curl, red thread (early and late), fungal diseases in ornamental cherries per the website http://www.simplici-tea.com/disease_suppression.htm. However, I have not found any science based information to back this claim. What about the science? A trial at the University of Oregon conducted on black spot on roses showed Roses in locations with shade suffered from powdery mildew. Compost tea did not seem to affect powdery mildew. One private location observed that the roses sprayed with tea at that location seemed healthier overall than those that were not sprayed. They had glossier leaves and more blooms overall. Two of the three test groups in 2007 showed a slight improvement in incidence of disease over plants that were not sprayed. The difference was not statistically greater. The average between 2006 and 2007 still showed control group doing better than the experimental group. (8) In comparing the matched pairs of eight Prunus spp., the compost tea extract was not significantly different from the water application for any of the eight cultivars tested. In fact, for some trees it made the problem worse. (9) An excerpt from a study on aerated compost tea to suppress dampening off disease While further work is needed to directly quantify the residual sucrose concentrations in aerated compost tea produced with molasses-based additive to determine the effect on damping-off suppression, there are strong indications that the use of simple sugars as additives should be avoided when producing compost tea for disease suppression. In addition to the potential of residual nutrients increasing Pythium damping-off, the use of simple sugars in producing compost tea has been linked to growth of E. coli in aerated compost tea makers when compost contaminated with E. coli was used. (1) Turf quality ratings initially were very low for the tea drenches, therefore it was decided to apply liquid fertilizer over the tea treated plots to maintain acceptable turf quality. This addition masked any further differences in turf quality. The foliar tea applications suppressed dollar spot 40 to 60 percent when compared to untreated plots in one of three years. It is unlikely that due to the variability of brewing results, little microbial benefit, and the labor required for brewing tea that this technology will see widespread adoption in its current form. (2) However a trial at Harvard University (Prepared by Harvard Facilities Operations Maintenance) which used a combination of compost tea, compost and organic fertilizer, increased the depth of turf roots, decreased water usage, and increased available nitrogen, since they were using a combination of organic methods there is no definite proof that the compost tea was a main contributor. When asked if they had done any studies on compost tea, they said We only use compost tea as a portion of our organic program so unfortunately we have not done any studies on compost tea alone. Dr Linda Chalker-Scott PH.D. WSU states that clearly the science is not strong for aerated tea use on crop plants, much less on lawns, shrubs and trees. (3) After twelve weeks of compost tea treatment, there are evident responses among the microbial community, however, its too early to draw conclusions about the efficacy of the compost tea treatment. (5) The production and application of compost tea is primarily focused on: disease suppression, supplementing plant nutrients, and increasing soil microbiology to improve soil structure, water percolation/retention, rooting depth and consequently improved plant growth. The research conducted worldwide on compost tea is scarce and the results are highly variable. Results vary from suppression of some diseases to no effect in disease suppression at all, or in few cases increased incidence of diseases. Where compost teas are compared with conventional fungicides, in most instances compost teas have been relatively ineffective. Compost tea producers estimate that up to 5,000 farms are using compost tea in New South Wales, Australia these are mainly organic farms. Use of compost teas is based on faith or anecdotal evidence rather than based on replicated scientific research at this stage. Researchers acknowledge that there are significant limitations in our knowledge of compost teas and its u se, and hope that an increased understanding of compost tea microbiology and the survival and interactions of microbes on plants surfaces will enable compost tea production practices and application technology that optimizes disease suppression. (15) Lee Reich PhD in horticulture wrote in Fine Gardening Magazine January 2007 an article titled The Jury is Still Out on Compost Tea where he says Benefits from compost teas are on even shakier ground when the tea is used to improve the soil. Compost has been shown to improve soil tilth, help soil retain nutrients, enhance nutrient availability, increase rooting depth, and suppress root diseases. Compost tea, by extension, is credited with providing these same benefits. Therein lies part of the great appeal of compost tea. Who  wouldnt rather improve an acre of soil with the recommended 15 to 20 gallons of compost tea rather than have to heave around 2 to 5 tons per acre of compost? But compost and compost tea are not the same. They differ quantitatively and qualitatively in microbial makeup, and most dramatically, one is a relatively small volume of liquid and the other is a relatively large, mostly solid mass. Composts bulk comes mainly from carbon compounds, which are the major fo ods for beneficial microorganisms. Compost tea contains relatively little of these carbon foods. The beneficial microorganisms of composts and compost teas are already present in most soils and will multiply rapidly if food supplies permit. If your soil does not have beneficial microorganisms, it probably means the conditions arent hospitable to them. Unless you improve those conditions, any added microorganisms will die.   This article provided a lot of discussion on the internet when it was first published and now includes a new string of posts on http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/is-compost-tea-just-a-fad/ dated January 13th 2011 since that date there have been fifty eight posts. Most of the posts favor the use of compost tea and the major opinion is no compost tea mix is the same and if it works for you continue to use it. If you have good soil conditions and your plants are healthy there may be no reason for compost tea. But if you have a small amount of compost and need a vast improved soil, when plants are struggling, showing signs of stress or when you want to apply composts benefits to a lawn these might be good reasons to use compost tea (Plesand). With so many claims about compost tea, in 2003, the National Organic Standards Board convened a Compost Tea Task Force to review the relevant scientific data and report their recommendations on compost tea. The Task Force was composed of 13 individuals with knowledge and expertise in organic farming practices, organic certification, EPA pathogen regulations, compost, compost tea production and analysis, plant pathology, food safety and environmental microbiology. The final report can be found at http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5057213. They came back with ten steps to be used in making compost tea, found a lot of practioners that use compost tea and also established there was not a lot of science based evidence behind the use the compost tea, and a possibility of contaminating crops. In conclusion there could be benefits from compost tea but there have not been a lot of scientific studies on the use as prevention for diseases and pests or that it increases dramatically the growth of plants. Compost tea has a lot of different variables by the type of compost used; vermicompost, manure compost, leaf and grass clipping compost, and any other possible compost mix. Another variable would be the additives to the tea molasses, kelp, humic acid, granite dust, fish hydrolysates, fungal foods like oatmeal and powdered baby oatmeal. And then there is the time and temperature of mixing with aeration. There appears to be some advantage of using compost tea but a lot more studies need to be done to prove the claims of the some websites and even some famously written books. The question has been asked why not more research on compost tea? Compost teas are highly variable in their microbial and nutrient content from batch to batch. This translates to high variation within data sets and often leads to inconclusive results. Unfortunately, these results are often not published even though they are just as important as positive outcomes. In other words, if a particular treatment doesnt work well under controlled experimental conditions, its unlikely to work consistently anywhere else.(18) With that being said, there is no harm in trying to make your own compost tea and doing your own experimentation. There has been some back and forth discussion on the use of molasses and e coli in compost tea, so if one uses molasses read the scientific data before applying to edible plants. Per Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, PhD While the scientific evidence is certainly lacking for Aerated Compost Tea activity in disease control, there is a serious, documented concern with these types of compost teas, says Dr. William R. Schneider, a research scientist in the Biopesticides Pollution Prevention Division (Office of Pesticide Programs) of the USEPA. He continues it is very difficult to do a microbial pesticide risk assessment on a mixture of unidentified microorganisms that could easily contain human and nontarget organism pathogens. Indeed, this risk is significant in ACTs that have been enhanced with molasses, kelp, and other high-nutrient additives. Such ACTs have been documented throug h scientific research to contain E. coli and Salmonella populations, both of which are human pathogens. The recent deaths due to E. coli-contaminated spinach illustrate how dangerous compost tea applications can be, particularly on food crops. Even though there have not been any reports of problems from compost tea make sure you read all the reports. The use of compost tea as part of an integrated plant health management strategy will require much additional whole systems research by a cohesive team of farmers and experts in composting, plant pathology, phyllosphere biology, molecular microbial ecology, fermentation science, plant physiology, plant breeding, soil science, and horticulture. From the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada posted April 2010 (13) A controversial name in compost tea is Dr Elaine Ingham with Soil Foodweb who has published The Field Guide I for Actively Aerated Compost Tea, Compost Tea Manual 5th ed. and a number of other books, CDs and offers seminars on compost tea. She has done a lot of research on soils, and helps farmers all over improve their soils; but has not published a lot of peer reviewed research on compost tea. In January 2011 the Rodale Institute a non-profit dedicated to pioneering organic farming through research and outreach named her Chief Scientist; and will be in charge of research at the institute, hopefully now, there will be more research on the benefits of compost tea. So despite all the hype, compost tea is not the silver bullet everyone is looking for.   Unfortunately, nature is not that simplistic.   But its fun to experiment.   (I do lots!) If you do experiment, and come up with a formula that you think works-try replicating it in a scientific way (16) per the Whatcom County Master Composter Recycler Program. How do I make compost tea? The USDA suggests using a sump pump to bubble air into the extract for 24-36 hours (Sac Bee). First you need a brewer you can purchase a brewers which makes 500 gallons for around $11,647.00 to $50.00 for a 5 gallon brewer. And then purchase packaged mixes and just add water. You can also buy brewers and make your own mixture, using your own compost or vermicompost. Another option would be to make your own brewer using a five gallon bucket, an inexpensive aquarium pump, an air stone, some aquarium tubing and a porous bag of some type. There are numerous directions on the internet. Once you have a brewer to make the tea; there are numerous recipes on the internet. One simple recipe is five gallons of chlorine free water, six cups of compost or vermicompost, three tablespoons unsulfured black strap molasses. Cover the container Brew this for twenty four to forty eight hours at 75à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ° let rest ten minutes and then use immediately.(Remillard) The compos t tea should smell good (earthy) and have a brownish tea color. If the tea smells bad it has gone anaerobic it could contain ammonia and dangerous bacteria and should not be used. Once the tea is made it can be diluted one to three, one to two or used full strength. It can be used as a soil drench on a wet soil any time of the day. It can be used as a foliar spray in the early morning or evening. If you are using a foliar spray it would be a good idea to filter the tea first so you do not clog your sprayer. When making compost tea make sure you start with good smelling compost or vermicompost the better the compost the better the tea. Another easy recipe for compost tea Home-size compost tea recipe comes from W.F. Brinton at Woods End Laboratories Inc., Maine. 1) Use well-aged compost, at least 4 months old. 2) Put in a large pail or barrel outdoors between 59à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ ° and 68à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C. 3) Add water, 1 part compost to 5 to 8 parts water (i.e. 1 cup of compost to 5 cups of water). 4) Stir daily for five days. The strong smell should slowly dissipate. 5) On the fifth day, pour through a sieve or a cheese cloth. 6) Spray on plants in periods of disease outbreak, or drench the soil at the base of the plant. 7) Do not spray edible plant parts to be harvested in the following 2 to 3 weeks. CalRecycle (a CA.gov website) on their website says But why go to all the trouble of brewing and spraying this tea instead of just working the compost into the soil? Two reasons: To inoculate microbial life into the soil to feed the foliage of plants, and to add soluble nutrients to the foliage or soil in order to feed your plants. Compost tea is a readily available form of compost that will impact the plant more quickly than compost mixed into the soil. I am not sure how they came up with this information as no scientific evidence has been found that all this is true. When it comes to state Master Gardener programs there is also a lot of different opinions. The state of Pennsylvania tells you how to make compost tea at http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/tea/tea1. Arizona state university extension tells you how to make compost tea at http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/composttea.html. However, Washington state master gardeners cannot recommend compost tea. Because Washington State University Master Gardeners are volunteer educators who rely on science-based information, they cannot recommend a practice or product that lacks a legitimate scientific basis. Furthermore, it is illegal to sell unregistered substances for use as pesticides. There are no compost tea products registered as pesticides within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Neither WSU Master Gardener volunteers nor Web sites may encourage the use of compost tea as a pesticide. (9) Then Oregon State University extension tells you how to make compost tea on their website and their Master Gardeners sell compost tea as a fund raiser . In California per Pam Geisel Statewide University of California Master Gardener Coordinator We dont recommend compost tea because we do not have science based information on it at this time.   Also, compost tea is so variable in terms of content that making a generalized recommendation would be impossible as to the quality and the plant response. Organic Gardening senior editor says he is convinced that There is the potential for a health hazard from its use (compost tea) that being the possible presence of E. coli.   And hes concerned that some Cooperative Extension Service websites happily provide the recipe for making compost tea at home with no warning about the health risks if its applied to food crops. Finally, I think the Extension Horticulture Agent, in Anchorage Alaska, Julie Riley sums it up best, Compost tea is like a religion-you have to have faithà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I know there are Anchorage Master Gardeners who feel they get good results with compost tea. Ive always said to gardeners if you are happy with your results, keep doing what you are doing' Bibliography and Citations (1) Scheuerell Steven J. and. Mahaffee Walter F First author: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University; and second author: U.S. Department of Agriculture- Agriculture Research Service-Horticulture Crops Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR 97330. Compost Tea as a Container Medium Drench for Suppressing Seedling Damping-Off Caused by Pythium ultimum Accepted for publication 14 June 2004. Web March 2011. (2) Rossi Frank, Cornell University, Cornell University, 134a Plant Science Bldg., Ithaca, NY 14853 Effects of Compost Tea on Turfgrass Performance, Disease Incidence, and Soil Microbial Populations. Nov. 8, 2007 Web March 2011. (3) Chalker-Scott, PhD. Linda, Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University www.MasterGardenerOnline.com à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ MASTERGARDENER winter 2007 pages 8-10, Web March 2011 (4) Moore, Robert C; History of Compost Tea thesoilguy.com N.p, n.d web March 2011 (5) Stevenson, Emily; Yale School of Forestry, Alexander Felson and Mark Bradford Environmental Studies Advisors, Closing the Loop: Alternative Land Management at Yale, Hixon Fellowship 2010, web April 2011 (6) Remillard Marc, Compost Tea Making, Ascension Press, April 2010 (7) Author unknown, What Is Compost Tea, and Why Use It? CA.Gov CalRecycle, California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, March 24, 2005, web April 2011 (8)Wise, Cindy, Compost Specialist Compost Tea Trial 2007, OSU/Lane County Extension Service Compost Specialist tea trial, December 2007, web April 2011 (9) Chalker-Scott, Linda Ph.D., Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University The Myth of Compost Tea Revisited: Aerobically-brewed compost tea suppresses disease, April 2001, Web May 2011 (10) Lanther, Mario, Compost Tea and Its impact On Plant Diseases, BC Organic Grower, Volume10, Number 2, spring 2007, Web April 2011 (11) Diver, Steve, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Notes on Compost Teas The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service ATTRA 2002 Web March 2011 Ingham, Dr Elaine, Rollins, Carole Ann ed., Sustainable Studies Inc. and Natural Technologies, The Field Guide 1 for Actively Aerated compost Tea (AACT) April 2001-June 2003 Second Edition, Second Printing March 2007 Pleasant, Barbara and Martin, Deborah; The Complete Composting Guide, Storey Publishing, LLC February 13, 2008 Arrington, Debbie, Now theres distinction between compost tea, extract', Sacramento Bee, Saturday, February 26, 2011, page D5. Geisel, Pam, Personal interview May 10, 2011 (12) Harvard Facilities Operations Maintenance, Harvard Yard Soils Restoration Project, 2009 President and Fellows of Harvard College, February 2009, Web March 2011 (13) Scheuerell S. and Mahaffee W., Compost tea: Principles and prospects for plant disease control Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada, April 2010, Web March 2011 (14) Aerated Compost Tea Oregon State University Extension Service Douglas County, November 14, 2009, Web April 2011 Chalker-Scott, Dr. Linda PhD Associate Professor and Extension Urban Horticulturist WSU Puyallup Research and Extension, Compost Tea: Examining the science behind the claims N.d., Web April 2011 (15) Overview of Compost Tea Use in New South Wales. Recycled Organics Unit (2006). Recycled Organics Unit, internet publication: 2007 second edition, Web March 2011 (16) To Tea or Not to Tea Whatcom County Master Composter Recycler Program, Bellingham, WA, N.d. Web May 2011 (17) Harris, Susan, Still confused about compost tea, I turn to Rodale Garden Rant, Uprooting the Gardening World, February 25, 2010, Web May 2011. (18) Reeves, Walter, The Georgia Gardener, Compost Tea Does it Work? N.d, web May 2011 Martin, Deborah L. and Gershuny, Grace, Ed., The Rodale Book of Composting, Rodale Press, 1992

The Witch by Edilberto K. Tiempo

The Witch By Edilberto K. Tiempo When I was twelve years old, I used to go to Libas, about nine kilometers from the town, to visit my favorite uncle, Tio Sabelo, the head teacher of the barrio school there. I like going to Libas because of the many things to eat at my uncle’s house: cane sugar syrup, candied meat of young coconut, corn and rice cakes, ripe jackfruit, guavas from trees growing wild on a hill not far from Tio Sabelo’s house. It was through these visits that I heard many strange stories about Minggay Awok. Awok is the word for witch in southern Leyte.Minggay was known as a witch even beyond Libas, in five outlying sitios, and considering that not uncommonly a man’s nearest neighbor was two or three hills away, her notoriety was wide. Minggay lived in a small, low hut as the back of the creek separating the barrios of Libas and Sinit-an. It squatted like a soaked hen on a steep incline and below it, six or seven meters away, two trails forked, one go ing to Libas and the other to Mahangin, a mountain sitio. The hut leaned dangerously to the side where the creek water ate away large chunks of earth during the rainy season.It had two small openings, a small door through which Minggay probably had to stoop to pass, and a window about two feet square facing the creek. The window was screened by a frayed jute sacking which fluttered eerily even in the daytime. What she had in the hut nobody seemed to know definitely. One daring fellow who boasted of having gone inside it when Minggay was out in her clearing on a hill nearby said he had seen dirty stoppered bottles hanging from the bamboo slats of the cogon thatch.Some of the bottles contained scorpions, centipedes, beetles, bumble bees, and other insects; others were filled with ash-colored powder and dark liquids. These bottles contained the paraphernalia of her witchcraft. Two or three small bottles she always had with her hanging on her waistband with a bunch of iron keys, whether she went to her clearing or to the creek to catch shrimps or gather fresh-water shells, or even when she slept.It was said that those who had done her wrong never escaped her vengeance, in the form of festering carbuncles, chronic fevers that caused withering of the skin, or a certain disease of the nose that eventually ate the nose out. Using an incantation known only to her, Minggay would take out one insect from a bottle, soak it in colored liquid or roll it in powder, and with a curse let it go to the body of her victim; the insect might be removed and the disease cured only rarely through intricate rituals of an expensive tambalan. Thus Minggay was feared in Libas and the surrounding barrios.There had been attempts to murder her, but in some mysterious way she always came out unscathed. A man set fire to her hut one night, thinking to burn her with it. The hut quickly burned down, but Minggay was unharmed. On another occasion a man openly declared that he had killed her, showi ng the blood-stained bolo with which he had stabbed her; a week later she was seen hobbling to her clearing. This man believed Minggay was the cause of the rash that his only child had been carrying for over a year. One day, so the story went, meeting his wife, Minggay asked to hold her child. She didn’t want to offend Minggay.As the witch gave the child back she said, â€Å"He has a very smooth skin. † A few days later the boy had skin eruptions all over his body that never left him. Minggay’s only companions were a lean, barren sow and a few chickens, all of them charcoal black. The sow and the chickens were allowed to wander in the fields, and even if the sow dug up sweet potatoes and the chickens pecked rice or corn grain drying in the sun, they were not driven away by the neighbors because they were afraid to arouse Minggay’s wrath. Besides the sow and the chickens, Minggay was known to have a wakwak and a sigbin.Those who claimed to have seen the si gbin described it as a queer animal resembling a kangaroo: the forelegs were shorter than the hind ones: its fanlike ears made a flapping sound when it walked. The wakwak was a nocturnal bird, as big and black as a crow. It gave out raucous cries when a person in the neighborhood had just died. The bird was supposed to be Minggay’s messenger, and the sigbin caried her to the grave; then the witch dug up the corpse and feasted on it. The times when I passed by the hut and saw her lean sow and her black chickens, I wondered if they transformed themselves into fantastic creatures at night.Even in the daytime I dreaded the possibility of meeting her; she might accost me on the trail near her hut, say something about my face or any part of it, and then I might live the rest of my life with a harelip, a sunken nose, or crossed eyes. But I never saw Minggay in her house or near the premises. There were times when I thought she was only a legend, a name to frighten children from doin g mischief. But then I almost always saw her sow digging banana roots or wallowing near the trail and the black chickens scratching for worms or pecking grains in her yard, and the witch became very real indeed.Once I was told to go to Libas with a bottle of medicine for Tio Sabelo’s sick wife. I started from the town at half past five and by the time I saw the balete tree across the creek from Minggay’s hut, I could hardly see the trail before me. The balete was called Minggay’s tree, for she was known to sit on one of the numerous twisting vines that formed its grotesque trunk to wait for a belated passer-by. The balete was a towering monstrous shadow; a firefly that flitted among the vines was an evil eye plucked out searching for its socket.I wanted to run back, but the medicine had to get to Tio Sabelo’s wife that night. I wanted to push through the thick underbrush to the dry part of the creek to avoid the balete, but I was afraid of snakes. I had d iscarded the idea of a coconut frond torch because the light would catch the attention of the witch, and when she saw it was only a little boy†¦ Steeling myself I tried to whistle as I passed in the shadow of the balete, its overhanging vines like hairy arms ready to hoist and strangle me among the branches. Emerging into the stony bed of the creek, I saw Minggay’s hut.The screen in the window waved in the faint light of the room and I thought I saw the witch peering behind it. As I started going up the trail by the hut, each moving clump and shadow was a crouching old woman. I had heard stories of Minggay’s attempts to waylay travelers in the dark and suck their blood. Closing my eyes twenty yards from the hut of the witch, I ran up the hill. A few meters past the hut I stumbled on a low stump. I got up at once and ran again. When I reached Tio Sabelo’s house I was very tired and badly shaken.Somehow after the terror of the balete and the hut of the witch had lessened, although I always had the goose flesh whenever I passed by them after dusk. One moonlight night going home to town I heard a splashing of the water below Minggay’s house. I thought the sound was made by the witch, for she was seen to bathe on moonlit nights in the creek, her loose hair falling on her face. It was not Minggay I saw. It was a huge animal. I was about to run thinking it was the sigbin of the witch, but when I looked at it again, I saw that it was a carabao wallowing in the creek.One morning I thought of bringing home shrimps to my mother, and so I went to a creek a hundred yards from Tio Sabelo’s house. I had with me my cousin’s pana, made of a long steel rod pointed at one end and cleft at the other and shot through the hollow of a bamboo joint the size of a finger by means of a rubber band attached to one end of the joint. After wading for two hours in the creek which meandered around bamboo groves and banban and ipil clumps with on ly three small shrimps strung on a coconut midrib dangling from my belt, I came upon an old woman taking a bath in the shade of a catmon tree.A brown tapis was wound around her to three fingers width above her thin chest. The bank of her left was a foot-wide ledge of unbroken boulder on which she had set a wooden basin half full of wet but still unwashed clothes. In front of her was a submerged stone pile topped by a platter size rock; on it were a heap of shredded coconut meat, a small discolored tin basin, a few lemon rinds, and bits of pounded gogo bark. The woman was soaking her sparse gray hair with the gogo suds. She must have seen me coming because she did not look surprised.Seeing the three small shrimps hanging at my side she said, â€Å"You have a poor catch. † She looked kind. She was probably as old as my grandmother; smaller, for this old woman was two or three inches below five feet. Her eyes looked surprisingly young, but her mouth, just a thin line above the l ittle chin, seemed to have tasted many bitter years. â€Å"Why don’t you bait them out of their hiding? Take some of this. † She gave me a handful of shredded coconut meat whose milk she had squeezed out and with the gogo suds used on her hair.She exuded a sweet wood fragrance of gogo bark and the rind of lemons. â€Å"Beyond the first bend,† she said pointing, â€Å"the water is still. Scatter the shreds there. That’s where I get my shrimps. You will see some traps. If you find shrimps in them they are yours. † I mumbled my thanks and waded to the bend she had indicated. That part of the creek was like a small lake. One bank was lined by huge boulders showing long, deep fissures where the roots of gnarled dapdap trees had penetrated. The other bank was sandy, with bamboo and catmon trees leaning over, their roots sticking out in the water.There was good shade and the air had a twilight chilliness. The water was shallow except on the rocky side, wh ich was deep and murky. I scattered the coconut shreds around, and not long after they had settled down shrimps crawled from boles under the bamboo and catmon roots and from crevices of the boulders. It did not take me an hour to catch a midribful, some hairy with age, some heavy with eggs, moulters, dark magus, leaf-green shrimps, speckled. I saw three traps of woven bamboo strips, round-bellied and about two feet long, two hidden behind a catmon root.I did not disturb them because I had enough shrimps for myself. â€Å"No, no, iti. Your mother will need them. You don’t have enough. Besides I have freshwater crabs at home. † She looked up at me with her strange young eyes and asked, â€Å"Do you still have a mother? † I told her I had, and a grandmother, too. â€Å"You are not from Libas, I think. This is the first time I have seen you. † I said I was from the town and my uncle was the head teacher of the Libas barrio school. â€Å"You remind me of my s on when he was your age. He had bright eyes like you, and his voice was soft like yours.I think you are a good boy. † â€Å"Where is your son now? † â€Å"I have not heard from him since he left. He went away when he was seventeen. He left in anger, because I didn’t want him to marry so young. I don’t know where he went, where he is. † She spread the length of a kimona on the water for a last rinsing. The flesh hanging from her skinny arms was loose and flabby. â€Å"If he’s still living,† she went on, â€Å"he’d be as old as your father maybe. Many times I feel in my bones he is alive, and will come back before I die. † â€Å"Your husband is still living? † He died a long time ago, when my boy was eleven. † She twisted the kimona like a rope to wring out the water. â€Å"I’m glad he died early. He was very cruel. † I looked at her, at the thin mouth, wondering about her husband’s cruelty , disturbed by the manner she spoke about it. â€Å"Do you have other children? † â€Å"I wish I had. Then I wouldn’t be living alone. † A woman her age, I thought, should be a grandmother and live among many children. â€Å"Where do you live? † She did not speak, but her strange young eyes were probing and looked grotesque in the old woman’s face. Not far from here–the house on the high bank, across the balete. † She must have seen the fright that suddenly leaped into my face, for I thought she smiled at me queerly. â€Å"I’m going now,† I said. I felt her following me with her eyes; indeed they seemed to bore a hot hole between my shoulder blades. I did not look back. Don’t run, I told myself. But at the first bend of the creek, when I knew she couldn’t see me, I ran. After a while I stopped, feeling a little foolish. Such a helpless-looking little old woman couldn’t be Minggay, couldn’t be t he witch.I remembered her kind voice and the woodfragrance. She could be my own grandmother. As I walked the string of shrimps kept brushing against the side of my leg. I detached it from my belt and looked at the shrimps. Except for the three small ones, all of them belonged to the old woman. Her coconut shreds had coaxed them as by magic out of their hiding. The protruding eyes of the biggest, which was still alive, seemed to glare at me—and then they became the eyes of the witch. Angrily, I hurled the shrimps back into the creek.

Seamus Heaney Clearances Poems

The â€Å"Clearances† collection is an insight into Seamus Heaney and his mother’s relationship, it deals with his mother who is deceased , sonnet 3 is set in the past, it deals with distant past and the author’s link to his mother’s family history which he is not directly part of. The sonnet is relatively staright forward, In the first eight lines we are given a simile describing the potatoes peeled: †¦ let fall one by one Like solder weeping off the soldering iron:Next is a metaphor describing the peeled potatoes sitting in a bucket of clean water: Cold comforts set between us, things to share / Gleaming in a bucket of clean water In â€Å"When all the others were away at Mass† Heaney moves from the distant past of the first two quatrains, through a telling break in lines, the into a place nearer the present in the final quatrain. But this present reality is too much to bear, and he retreats again to the past in the final couplet.In this way memory serves as a shield to protect him from his mother's death. Onomatopoeia is used with little pleasant splashes. There is a pivotal shift found at the beginning of the ninth line, where the scene changes in the writer's memory, to fast forward to his dying mother's bedside. A metaphor (and idiom) is used with: â€Å"Went hammer and tongs at the prayers for the dying,† indicating that the priest is working energetically administering the late rites.In line thirteen, beautiful imagery is used in remembering how they peeled the potatoes together â€Å"†¦ our fluent dipping knives. † Also, in this last section (known as the â€Å"sestet†), we hear end rhyme used twice, where it has not been used before, perhaps providing an auditory focus for the listener to tie the â€Å"before† memory with the â€Å"last† memory: â€Å"dying†¦ crying,† and â€Å"knives†¦ lives. † The pace of the first sonnet is maddening, while the r hythms of the third sonnet are warm, inviting and endearing.The poem possesses a power that portrays the haze of his memory whilst presenting darker imagery of his mother’s death. Despite this the true reveal of the close bond shared by both mother and son is seen most apparent in sonnet 3, whereby Heaney describes the activities shared between them on times where it was just ther two of them alone. In sonnet 3, he mentions himself and his mother preparing Sunday Dinner ‘I was all hers as we peeled potatoes’. ‘They broke the silence, let fall one by one’.The close bond between them is easily spotted here as peeling potatoes is seen as a feminine image, yet Heany is eager to help and share quality time with his mother, emphasising the importane she has in his life. The fact there is silence also indicates their loving relationship, as neither feel the need to speak and are bothe just enjoying each others company. ‘From each other’s work w ould bring us to our senses’, this yet again shows the unifying element between the both of them, almost as if part of one another, showing how alike they are.The change in the mood in the second stanza emphasises Heaney’s great pain at the loss of his mother. Yet, despite this they are still as united as they were in the first stanza , ‘her breath is mine’ once again highlighting the love shared between the two of them. The final line is a confirmation of the bond between Heaney and his mother as he feels the closest he has ever felt at a time when he should feel distanced by her death, ‘never closer the whole rest of our lives’