War And Psychology Essay Example For Students

War And Psychology Essay The experience of war places stresses on the human spirit that can scarcely beimagined in peacetime. Dilemmas that can be largely avoided in time of peacemust be faced in a time of war. Concern for ones own physical safety is oftenat odds with concern for the wellbeing of ones countrymen. The dictates ofthe mind often fight the dictates of the emotions. In such a tug of warsituation, where practical and moral factors align themselves in strange andironic patterns, it is hardly surprising that individuals respond in highlydivergent ways. In this paper, the dangers that war poses to the human psychewill be considered and an attempt will be made to account for the some of thevariability that can be seen in the way in which individuals respond to thesethreats. An examination of two books suggests that certain character traits helpinoculate people in time of war, better enabling them to withstand the assaultsof war. It also suggests that the absence of certain traits makes peoplevulnerabl e when they are placed in threatening circumstances. In examining twoliterary works: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and The English Patient byMichael Ondaatje three character traits that were necessary in order to ensurespiritual survival were clearly shown. These traits were faith, courage, andloyalty. In the course of this paper, special attention will be given to thecharacter traits described above. The significance of their presence or absencein the personalities of a number of literary characters will be considered. InThe Screwtape Letters, Lewis portrays an anonymous English protagoniststruggling to maintain his spiritual integrity against the assaults oftemptations of Hell during World War Two. In The English Patient, Ondaatjeportrays a group of characters, brought together by their circumstances,reacting to what the author portrays as the tidal wave of war. The importance offaith, courage and loyalty enable Lewis character to spiritually survive allthe assaults of warti me. The absence of these characteristics cause Ondaatjescharacters to flounder. Faith, courage and loyalty provide a necessary frameworkfor moral thought and action, enabling the soul to survive even under theadverse conditions presented by war. C.S. Lewis deals extensively with thedangers that war poses to the human psyche. In his wartime work entitled TheScrewtape Letters, he presents an essentially hopeful view concerning theability of the soul to survive the assaults of war. He proposes that having theright perspective is the key to the souls survival. Lewis deals with a widevariety of temptations that serve to undermine the integrity of man in hisjourney through life. All of these temptations assert their power to some degreein peacetime. Yet, their power is often strengthened by the pressures of war. InThe English Patient, Michael Ondaatje presents an entirely different perspectiveconcerning the effects of war on the human psyche. Although he never spells itout, Ondaatje seems to take a fairly deterministic view. The fate of hischaracters often seems to lie beyond their control. It is almost as if hischaracters have been struck by a giant tidal wave and are helpless to resist asthey are carried away. The reader seldom gets the impression that Ondaatjescharacters have alternatives other than to think and act the way they do. Theyare presented as victims of circumstances who warrant our compassion but not ourjudgment. Each leaves the war deeply scarred in the spiritual sense. In the workof C.S. Lewis, faithfulness to God is the factor that ensures the soulssurvival. Lewis describes the danger of being overwhelmed by the stream ofimmediate sense experiences (Lewis pg.12). A mans tendency to focus on theimmediate and the personal at the expense of the universal threatens his abilityto survive in any spiritual sense. When focusing on his own inconvenience,hunger and pain, a man tends to lose sight of broader concerns, such as hisspiritual wellbeing and the co mmon good. Faith enables a man to focus on thespiritual and the eternal, to face each days trials with commitment anddetermination and to survive war with his psyche intact. Lewis grapples with theparadox of war. Lewis argues convincingly that, while some may be destroyed bywar, others may actually experience spiritual growth through adversity. Alertedto the finite nature of life and made more conscious of the needs of others, amans faith and strength may flourish in ways that he never dreamed possible. .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c , .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c .postImageUrl , .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c , .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c:hover , .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c:visited , .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c:active { border:0!important; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c:active , .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u50874588cec140a3385170e43a3b4e0c:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Chemistry And Atom Essay We will write a custom essay on War And Psychology specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Lewis dispels the belief that a long, relatively peaceful or painless life isany guarantee of spiritual survival. He expresses fear for the souls of thosewho die in costly nursing homes amid doctors who lie, nurses who lie, friendswho liepromising life to the dying, encouraging the belief that sicknessexcuses every indulgence, and even withholding a priest lest is should betrayto the sick man his true condition. (Lewis pg. 32). During wartime, the needfor courage cannot be ignored. Lewis sees courage as not simply one of thevirtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means thepoint of highest reality. A chastity or honesty, or mercy, which yields todanger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate wasmerciful till it became risky (Lewis pg. 148). Yet, courage must be groundedin faith and resignation to Gods will. Lewis explains how worrying about thefuture and taking precautions against the dangers of war tend to underminecourage. When a man begins to obsess about all the things he can do to increasehis chances of survival, his commitment to doing his duty becomes honeycombedall through with little unconscious reservations. In a moment of terror,these reservations will assert themselves and his overriding concern will bephysical self-preservation.(Lewis p150). Only by putting his full trust in Godcan a man avoid the threats to the spirit that uncertainty brings and actcourageously under all conditions. Key characters in The English Patient eachpossess some of the traits that Lewis deems to be important: Yet each ofOndaatjes characters displays certain frailties that weaken his chances ofspiritual survival. Each of the characters is profoundly influenced by the?stream of immediate sense experiences that Lewis analyses so vividly inthe Screwtape Letters. Each allows the pain and suffering that he has witnessedto destroy any faith he had in God, country or the war effort. Caravaggio is aman who possesses tremendous courag e. In his role as a spy for the Allies, herisks death and torture on a daily basis throughout the war. After beingcaptured by the Germans and having his thumbs cut off by them, he finds his wayto a villa in Florence where Hana, a Canadian nurse and daughter of an oldfriend is caring for a burned and dying patient. There, he devotes his days toconvincing Hana and Kip, the sapper whom Hana loves, to abandon theirresponsibilities. He urges Hana to leave her dying patient even though there isno one left to care for him. Referring to the Bedoin tribesmen who rescued theburning man, he says, Those men in the desert were smarter than you. Theyassumed that he could be useful. So they saved him, but when he was no longeruseful, they left him.(Ondaatje pg. 45) Confiding to Kip, he blames the waron the rich who have to follow the rules of theircivilized world. Theydeclare war, they have honour and they cant leave. But you two. We three. Were free. How many sappers die? Why arent you dead yet? Be irresponsible. Luck runs out. (Ondaatje p.123) Caravaggio is portrayed as warm, human andvery likable. Yet, he is a man who has lost his faith, his loyalty and hisconfidence. The English Patient is portrayed as a man of great intellect. He is?the wise man who sees ?the greater picture. Yet, at critical times,he reacts in a manner that is narrow and self-serving. He has an affair with thewife of friend and colleague, a man whom he claims to love. This is portrayed asa natural response of one caught up in a tidal wave of emotion. He blames ?thewar for destroying his research, his adopted homeland, and his friendships;yet he makes no credible attempt to come to terms with the terrible events thatmade war inevitable. He collaborates with the Germans, dooming thousands in thedesert to torture and death. He rationalizes his behaviour and abdicatesresponsibility for his actions by blaming the war on international financial andmilitary interests rather than on Nazi aggression. Yet the English Patient ispor trayed as a thoroughly likable victim. Never is it suggested that he is theproduct of the choices that he himself has made. Kipp, the Sikh sapper, is a manof tremendous discipline. Charged with the unenviable task of diffusing bombs,he survives against all odds through a combination of resourcefulness and agreat ability to concentrate. He possesses many admirable qualities, traits thatshould have enabled him to withstand the assaults of war with integrity. Yet,Kip never seems to reflect upon the issue of why he is at war until the end whenhe falls apart . Kips wartime relationships with the English arecharacterised by mutual respect, acceptance and, in several instances, love. .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f , .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f .postImageUrl , .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f , .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f:hover , .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f:visited , .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f:active { border:0!important; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f:active , .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uec4ac3ffd856191cc830018fff72610f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: My Thoughts on Marriage EssayThroughout the story, Kip is glued to his radio where he would, no doubt, haveheard of the German and Japanese atrocities that were being revealed on a dailybasis in 1945. Yet, suddenly, he is swept away with revulsion at the news of thedropping of The Bomb on Hiroshima. He literally blames the English for all ofthe evils of the world, including the dropping of the bomb. In response to anact that he sees as racist and imperialistic, he abandons his post and allloyalty to the war effort. Hana, the heroine of the novel, is, in many respects,the noblest of Ondaajes characters. After months of sustained and intensiveexposure to the pain and sufferi ng of others, she refuses to move on with theAllied troops as they travel north in their occupation of Italy. Instead, shechooses to remain with one horribly burned patient who is too ill to move. Hanas psyche is deeply damaged by the pain that she has witnessed. She istotally caught up in what Lewis would term ?the stream of immediate senseexperience. She is portrayed as half-mad, prone to mania and depression. Attimes she is completely overwhelmed with her sorrow and sense of helplessness. At other times, she rejoices as the rain drenches her through the gutted roof ofthe villa that she calls home. She seems to be lacking in religious faith andfeels nothing but scorn for the leaders of the Allied war effort. Still, sheremains loyal to a cause that goes beyond her own wellbeing. She risks death ona daily basis as she fulfils her duties in a villa that the Germans left full ofmines and booby traps. Her devotion to the English Patient and her stubbornrefusal to abandon him redeem her. They help compensate for her frailties,giving her something greater than her self to live for during the dreary springof 1945. Faith, courage, discipline and loyalty preserve the soul, though notthe body of Lewis anonymous hero. The absence of one or more of these traitsweakens the spiritual immune system of each of Ondaatjes leading EnglishPatient characters. Carvaggio faces post-war life lacking confidence and faith. Kip returns to India hating the system that he has given his heart and soul for. At best, he can see himself as a helpless pawn, a victim or a fool. At worst, hecan see himself as a willing agent of death and destruction. The EnglishPatient, presumably, dies muddled as much by his own rationalisations as by hismorphine. He clings to a love that he uses to excuse acts of personal andcollective treachery. Hana finds herself in an extremely vulnerable position asshe faces her post-war future. She has abandoned any faith that she ever had inGod, her country and her civilisation. She has placed all of her faith, trustand loyalty in the hands of her patient and her lover. This has given hersomething to live for as the war winds to an end. But when these two abandonher, she has no faith in anything but herself to fall back on. She returns toCanada, completely distrustful of human relationships. Many who have endured thehorrors of war may relate to the disillusionment portrayed by Ondaatjescharacters. Many who would never claim to possess the virtues promoted by C.S. Lewis clearly reflect them in the way in which they live their lives. These arethe wartime survivors who continue to inspire those who have never endured thehorrors of war. These are the survivors who show what it means to live a goodlife, even under the most adverse conditions. BibliographyLewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. Great Britain: Fontana Books, 1942Ondaatje, Michael. The Engish Patient. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 1996

Free Essays on The Communist Manifesto

of The Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto lays out the objectives, principals, and ideas of the Communist point of view. The Communist Manifesto consists of 4 sections. The first section discusses the Communist’s theory of history and the relation between the bourgeoisie and the proletarians. The second section explains the relation between the Communists and the bourgeoisie. In the third section, Marx points out the problems with the other previous socialist and communist literature. The final section points out the political plan for Communism. Marx explains in the first section the nature and the history of the bourgeoisie. The topic of class antagonism is brought up. In the past there has always been a conflict between classes in a society. Every conflict has either ended in a revolutionary construction of the society or a particular class has been ruined. Marx points out that the class antagonism has split society into two feuding classes, the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. The bourgeoisie class consists of Capitalists, which are the owners of the means of production. The proletariat class contains the working class. The bourgeoisie have been the reason for several revolutions in the mode of production. They were the ones that gave the development of the Modern Industry. The bourgeoisie also started the world-market. These were the people that had most of all the political say in the state. The state merely just followed what the bourgeoisie wanted. In order for the bourgeoisie to survive they have to keep revolutioni zing means of production. With the new Modern Industry the proletarians have become the majority of society because of ... Free Essays on The Communist Manifesto Free Essays on The Communist Manifesto The Communist Manifesto â€Å"Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have the world to gain. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!† These are the last words of The Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto lays out the objectives, principals, and ideas of the Communist point of view. The Communist Manifesto consists of 4 sections. The first section discusses the Communist’s theory of history and the relation between the bourgeoisie and the proletarians. The second section explains the relation between the Communists and the bourgeoisie. In the third section, Marx points out the problems with the other previous socialist and communist literature. The final section points out the political plan for Communism. Marx explains in the first section the nature and the history of the bourgeoisie. The topic of class antagonism is brought up. In the past there has always been a conflict between classes in a society. Every conflict has either ended in a revolutionary construction of the society or a particular class has been ruined. Marx points out that the class antagonism has split society into two feuding classes, the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. The bourgeoisie class consists of Capitalists, which are the owners of the means of production. The proletariat class contains the working class. The bourgeoisie have been the reason for several revolutions in the mode of production. They were the ones that gave the development of the Modern Industry. The bourgeoisie also started the world-market. These were the people that had most of all the political say in the state. The state merely just followed what the bourgeoisie wanted. In order for the bourgeoisie to survive they have to keep revolutioni zing means of production. With the new Modern Industry the proletarians have become the majority of society because of ...

Exclusionary Rule Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Exclusionary Rule Evaluation - Essay Example The Exclusionary rule is applied where a connection between illegal act by police or law enforcement authorities and the obtained evidence is proven. It is also applied when there is an indirect connection between the evidence and an illegal search. If evidence is collected in good faith, considering that the obtained search warrant is legally correct although it is not. Evidence is retained if the police officer is unaware of mistakes in the issued search warrant. There should be no legally significant mistake. However, technical mistakes can save evidence from being destroyed due to an incomplete warrant (Shestokas, 2008). The Exclusionary rule is widely criticized because in some way, it harms criminal trial proceedings. Due to the application of the Exclusionary rule, important evidence can be missed out due to lack of a search warrant or proper knowledge of police officers and the culprit might be unchained due to lack of legal evidence. Exclusionary rule diverts the attention of the court of law from the original case to details of legal and illegal evidence. Police officers have to work for more and more evidence so that if some of them will be considered illegal, others can work. This clearly depicts wastage of precious time. Cost of evidence collection is also a major issue. Although Exclusionary rule has brought more professionalism to the evidence search department of police and law enforcement agencies of society, it has done a lot to save the constitutional privacy of citizens of the state against professional misconduct of police officers, as it was observed in the past, in order to obtain evidence. Due to observance of the Exclusionary rule in criminal trials, society has to bear the greatest cost of this rule in terms of criminals that go unpunished because of excluded evidence (Lungren, 1996). Once freed from court of justice, culprit’s moral increases and this may consequently result in

Post traumatic stress disorder Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Post traumatic stress disorder - Research Paper Example The first public alert on the disorder was from the war veterans (Mueser, Rosenberg & Rosenberg, 2009). They spent so much time away from home, and when they came back home, they had persistent flashbacks. The flashbacks caused them to feel threatened wherever they were and could not trust anyone with their lives. Over the years, the disorder has recorded a rise and it has become a socio-cultural problem. The traumatic experiences like terrorist attacks, earthquakes, floods, kidnappings, rape, child abuse, and many others have contributed to more victims suffering from the disorder (Cash, 2006). Statistics has shown that very soon the disorder may be one of the major public health concerns (Cash, 2006). Changes in the methods of treatment are therefore necessary to curb the growing menace. Over the years, the method used for the treatment of PTDS is only focused on the short-term treatment of the disease (Steele, van der Hart and Nijenhuis, 2001). The formulation has not characterized the significant symptoms seen on the victims who have suffered prolonged mental afflictions. They are mainly attributed to repeated domestic or sexual abuse together with political torture. A substitute diagnostic formulation â€Å"complex PTSD† should replace the method of treatment. This treatment will ensure that multiple symptoms are treated, and it will deal with the long-term effect of the disease on the individual for them to heal completely (Steele, van der Hart and Nijenhuis, 2001). The current PTDS deals only with the treatment of single acute trauma and leaves out the bigger picture caused by multiple sources of trauma (Steele, van der Hart and Nijenhuis, 2001). Judith Herman, a professor of psychology at the Harvard, was the first person to propose this treatment. Her book â€Å"Trauma and Recovery† accurately spells out how the treatment should be carried out using the â€Å"complex PTDS†. Most of the clinicians have been of the

Environmental Economics Essay Example for Free

Environmental Economics Essay Agriculture has an instrumental role and close association in preservation and conservation of the environment and economic development. It promotes environment diversity and enhances the creation of artificial habitats. The green biomass that covers many fields forms a basis of aesthetic to the human emotions. Intensified uses of chemical in agricultural production threaten the above benefits that arise from agricultural fields. In the recent past, a growing concern has been raised with regard to the negative impact arising from agricultural related activities and policies. Legalization of substances such as pesticide and fertilizer enhance negative consequences on the environment. They contain toxic elements thus causes pollution of surface water and underground water, drainage of wetlands, air pollutions and loss of diverse life forms and habitats. Settlement scheme in implemented on fragile lands such swamps, disturbances the ecological balance in the area. Environmental issues can be resolve by promoting organic agriculture, establishing relevant institutions, formulation of legislation and policies. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) members agreed that reforms should, to the extent possible, simultaneously enable progress to be made on trade liberation and environment. They also agreed to uphold the need to integrate agricultural development with environmental issues. (OECD 1993, p, 24-50) The focus of this study is therefore to examine the risk of inorganic agriculture against organic agriculture on the environment and thereafter formulate alternative strategies to foster sustainability. Environmental issues are diverse and multi-disciplinary in nature since they cut across all sectors of the economy and cultures. Unsustainable agriculture and increase in populations in the world modifies environmental issues. Population increase exerts high pressure on the economic processes to stretch, in most cases beyond the natural sustainable limit, to accommodate the excess demand (Sandler, Todd. 1997, p, 34-73) In response, the world has embarked on intensified adoption to scientific invention and advancement in technological development to improve production. Organic means of production are therefore considered redundant and barbaric in favor of inorganic agriculture. Unsustainable means of production, consequently, have widened and continue to widen environmental global challenges that threaten to cripple and suffocate the world’s economy. Studies have shown that increased use of chemical, such as pesticides and fertilizers for production in farming activities perpetuates the environmental global challenges. This puts the future livelihood for mankind at a stake and uncertain. It is therefore important to examine environmental challenges attached to intensive use of chemical for agricultural production and thereafter provide an alternative strategy to enhance sustainability. (Dutch Committee, 1994, p, 30-50) Intensified use of chemical for production is largely attributed to agricultural and industrial revolution. Population has also influenced the need to use chemicals to increase food production to meet the ever growing world demand for food. Initially, the above means of agricultural production were common in Europe and Asian continent. Abject poverty in the world has created great desire and demand for technological innovation to increase food production. Globalization and scientific advancement has therefore provided a solution to the world food demand problem. However, the solution comes with a bundle of side effects. Technological and scientific information transfer, particularly, to African countries, where poverty is obsolete and unsustainable (Andersons, L. and Bruce, Yundle, 2001, p, 50-200) Over the last three decades there has been an increasing global use of chemicals for agricultural production. Traditionally, production was based on organic means thus less environmental concerns. Merchandised agriculture has raised the public concern over the nature of the problems that arises from agricultural production. These problems are diverse and wholly attributed to environmental pollution caused by intensified use of pesticide and fertilizers. (Uri, Noel, 1999, p, 23-123) The problems are aggravated by improper management of agricultural chemicals thereby causing serious environmental issues. These pose a great problem to the survival and well-being of humanity, particularly those living in developing world. This is because fertilizers and pesticides are agent of pollution to water bodies, food sources, land, air and vegetation. The development of agriculture production through specialization and intensification of land use in recent decades has given rise to a wide range of environmental effects, both within the agricultural industry itself and increasingly, externally to it. The recognition and understanding of these consequences of modern high technology agriculture developed in the 1970s and during the 1980s progress was made in addressing these impacts. Some problems still remain however and will be of increasing importance. (OCED, p, 177) The use of chemicals for agricultural production therefore will continue to compromise the environmental sustainability. The World Health Organization estimates that about a quarter of the diseases facing mankind today occur due to prolonged exposure to environmental pollution. Most of these environmental related diseases are however, not easily detected and may be acquired during childhood and manifest later in adulthood. The indiscriminate and excessive use of agrochemicals for crop protection represents by far the greatest threat to human health, to the genetic stock of the population and to sustain agriculture and environment. At a United Nations seminar in Nairobi Kenya in 1984, it was reported that almost 370,000 people suffer from pesticide poisoning and about 10,000annually die due to poisoning. Recently, the World Health Organization estimated 500,000 fatalities due to pesticide poisoning in developing world. This WHO’s report further claims that another 400,000 cases of poisoning were due to pesticide handling and usage. (Mervyns, p, 12) From the quotation above, it is clear that the impacts of agrochemical increases with time and magnitude. This kind of trend is unsustainable and therefore threatens the future of humanity. The impact of pesticide and fertilizer on human health is crucial and therefore should never be under-estimated. The traces of these chemical causes inhalation problems. Accumulation of the elements in the body system affects the free circulation of blood in the body. Biodiversity forms a basis upon which the world’s beauty, emotional fulfillment and aesthetic appeal are based. Agriculture spices up the aesthetic-array of the world. It also creates artificial habitats that shelter migratory organisms such as birds, insects and animals. It therefore follows that agricultural production is a gene bank for scientific development. Intensive use of pesticides and fertilizers puts the existence of nature in it natural form at stake. This is because chemicals kill organisms that perpetuate natural fertilization processes thereby hindering the natural form of nature stabilization. Chemical enhances the process of mutation. This leads to evolution of hybridized species of pests which are resistant to natural mean of pest control and at times even resistant to pesticides. Loss of biodiversity as a result of chemical use in agricultural production is therefore eminent. It has been reported that, â€Å"The first sub lethal effect of a pesticide on a bird was probably the eggshell thinning phenomena first described by Ratcliff. DDE, the stable metabolite of DDE is reported to be the cause of eggshell thinning and consequent decline in the breeding success of birds of prey. † (Mervyns, p, 78) Equity is a controversial aspect of resource distribution in the world. The gap between the rich and the poor is quite disheartening. Economic processes and advancement also work towards widening the gap. Commercialization of agriculture with intensive use of chemicals, poses environmental degradation. This consequently deprives the land of its ability to naturally produce food thereby lowering its production yield. The poor depend totally on the environment for their livelihood. Inorganic agriculture is a world’s strategy to check the gap between the poor and the rich. It is widely believe that many people in the world sleep without food for many days. Increased food production, will therefore help to resolve one of the greatest challenges that is threatening to tear the earth a part. However, inorganic farming has failed to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich. The efficiency of using chemicals to increase food production is questionable. Traditional means of production were more manual, labor intensive and time consuming with minimum negative impacts to the environment. Current means of agricultural production are merchandized and more efficient as compared with the traditional methods. However, with regard to the environmental challenges, the efficiency of inorganic production to address the abject poverty in the world is low. Ecology is defined as the domestic site of organism, knowledge and the sum of the relation of the surrounding world. It is a self sustaining environment. Ecology is always sensitive to changes. Introduction of foreign substances such as traces of pesticides and fertilizer modify the ecological characteristic and identity. Nutrients like nitrate and phosphate are normally washed down into water bodies when it rains. This initiates the process of eutrophication. Eutrophication is a process whereby the water experiences enrichment with nutrients of nitrate and phosphate. Consequently water lilies, phytoplasm and algae blooms to experience luxuriant growth. This phenomenon has negative impacts on the functions of the water body. In the first place, Algae bloom forms a green like layer on top of the water thereby hindering penetration of light to the water body. Due to high accumulation of substance in the water, decaying process increases. This causes a biological oxygen demand which leads to suffocation of aquatic lives in the water body. Bad smell arises from the water body as a result of decaying processes. The value of water for domestic use therefore reduces.

What Are The Effects Of Acid Rain?

What Are The Effects Of Acid Rain? Part I What is Acid Rain? Acid rain is a general term that refers to the deposition of acidic materials from the atmosphere on the surface of the earth. Therefore it is more appropriately called acid deposition. There are two types of acid deposition, wet deposition and dry deposition. Wet deposition, or acid precipitation, refers to acidic rain, snow, hail or sleet. It occurs when pollutants such as Sulphur and Nitrogen oxides (SOx, NOx) are present in the atmosphere and react with water vapor to form acidic solutions such as Sulphurous Acid (H2SO3), Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4), Nitrous Acid (HNO2) and Nitric Acid (HNO3) that fall to Earths surface as precipitation. Dry deposition refers to the deposition of particles and gases of Sulphur and Nitrogen oxides (SOx, NOx) on Earths surface. These particles and gases become acids when they react with water on the surface of the Earth. Natural precipitation has a pH of about 5.6. It is slightly acidic due to dissolved Carbon dioxide (CO2). I n comparison, acid deposition usually has a pH of about 4.3 5.0. As stated above, acid deposition is caused by pollutants in the atmosphere. The majority of these pollutants are released in to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels. Fuels such as coal and oil contain Sulphur and when they are burned they elease it. When Sulphur is released into the atmosphere by combustion it reacts accordingly: S + O2 Æ’Â   SO2 Sulphur released by the burning of fuels such as oil and coal reacts with Oxygen in the air to yield Sulphur dioxide. 2SO2 + O2 2SO3 Sulphur dioxide reacts with the Oxygen in the air to yield Sulphur trioxide SO2 + H2O Æ’Â   H2SO3 SO3 + H2O Æ’Â   H2SO4 Sulphur dioxide and Sulphur trioxide react with water, either in the atmosphere or on the surface of the Earth, to yield Sulphurous Acid and Sulphuric Acid Combustion of fuels in cars releases another pollutant, Nitrogen gas. Once Nitrogen gas is released in to the atmosphere by combustion it reacts accordingly: N2 + O2 Æ’Â   2NO N2 + 2O2 Æ’Â   2NO2 Nitrogen gas reacts with Oxygen in the air to yield Nitric oxide and Nitrogen dioxide 2NO + O2 2NO2 Nitric oxide reacts with oxygen in the air to yield Nitrogen dioxide 2NO2 + H2O Æ’Â   HNO2 + HNO3 Nitrogen dioxide reacts with water, either in the atmosphere or on the surface of the Earth, to yield Nitrous Acid and Nitric Acid. Small amounts of these pollutants are also released into the atmosphere naturally. Decomposing vegetation releases gases that contribute to pollutants in the atmosphere. Lightning produces Nitric oxide (NO) and volcanic eruptions release Sulphur dioxide (SO2). Some atmospheric chemists such as Dr. Ronald Prinn believe that acid rain has been around for millions of years. Dr. Prinn believes that acid rain could be responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs. However, the first known observation of acid rain did not take place until the 19th century, around the time of the Industrial Revolution. It was Robert Angus Smith, an English scientist, who came up with the term acid rain in 1872 when he observed that acidic precipitation was damaging plants. Acid rain was not considered a major environmental concern until the 1970s when scientists observed the effects of acid rain on ecosystems. When it was made clear that acid rain has negative impacts on ecosystems and that it is not only a regional issue but rather an international one, governments began to get involved. In 1991, Canada and the United States signed the Canada-US Air Quality Agreement and committed to reduce SOx and NOx emissions. Part II How does Acid Rain affect our Society? Acid rain has an extremely negative impact on our society. The most devastating consequence of acid rain is the affect that it has on terrestial as well as aquatic ecosystems. In terrestrial ecosystems, acid rain destroys plants. Acid rain causes toxic metals such as aluminum, copper, lead, manganese and zinc to leach out of rocks and soils. Additionally, nutrients present in topsoil leach down to the subsoil. Plant growth is significantly decreased in soils lacking nutrients and rich in poisonous alumnium. The other toxic metals released by acidic soil kill earthworms and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, both of which are essential to plant growth. Acid rain can also wears away the protective coating of leaves. These consequences also have an effect on the agriculture industry. Many crops cannot grow in soils that are lacking nutrients and contain aluminum. Furthermore, acid rain destroys many food crops such as radishes, tomatoes and apples. The effects of acid rain extends to aquatic eco systems. The toxic substances that are leached out of rocks and soil can be washed in to lakes and rivers. Fish are easily poisoned by these toxic substances. The acidic environment that acid rain creates in lakes and rivers is also harmful to fish and other aquatic organisms. The acidity kills many organisms that are usually at the bottom of a complex aquatic food chain. The food chain then collapses and the populations of many organisms significantly decrease. Acid rain also interrupts fish reproduction as it can destroy fish eggs. There are many more negative effects of acid rain. Fresh water supply can be contaminated by the acidity as well as by the metals that are leached from rocks and soil due to acid rain. Acid rain can also corrode water transportation pipes, allowing metal to enter the water supply. Another consequence of acid rain is the effect that it has on a cityscape. Acid rain can significantly damage metal and stone structures. Finally, acid rain can have an affect on human health. Contaminated water can cause health concerns. The SOx and NOx in dry deposition can cause numerous respiratory diseases such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. Furthermore, Nitrogen oxides (NOx) can react with volatile organic compounds in the air near the surface of the Earth to yield Ozone, which can be very detrimental to the respiratory system. Part III What should we do about Acid Rain? There are two methods that can be taken when approaching the issue of acid rain. We can either ignore the issue or we can do something about it and attempt to control the problem. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. If we ignore acid rain, nothing will be done to control or stop it and we will continue to suffer from its consequences. The advantage of this method is that no resources have to be expended. Governments, industries and citizens do not have to invest any money in to attempting to solve the problem. Governments do not have to invest in new energy sources. Industries can go on using current techniques without having to invest in new strategies in order to assist in solving the problem. Citizens can also go on without trying to conserve resources in order to attempt to stop acid rain. However, the disadvantage of this method is that acid rain will remain a threat to terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, the agriculture industry, cityscapes, fresh wate r supplies and human health. If acid rain continues the effects could be devastating. The second method is to do something about the problem and attempt to control acid rain. In order to do so pollutant emissions must be reduced, alternative sources of energy must be found and used, resources must be conserved, polices must be put in place in order to protect air quality and lakes and rivers must be neutralized. The advantage to this method is that it has the potential to control or even stop acid rain. By doing so we can save many terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, increase yield of crops, prevent damage to cityscapes, keep supplies of fresh water clean and eliminate any risk of human health being put at risk due to acid rain. However, the disadvantage to this method is that it is very expensive. It also requires governments, industries and citizens to take action. To reduce pollutant emissions, companies have to invest in new cleaner technology. Such technology includes Sulphur s crubbers in factories and catalytic converters in cars. These technologies are expensive and require a large investment from industries. Furthermore, if policies are put in place in order to maintain air quality, many companies will have to invest in new technology in order to meet these new regulations. In order to find and use new energy sources industries as well as governments will have to invest a large amount of money into research and implementation. Additionally, neutralizing lakes and rivers that have been damaged by acid rain with limestone will also require the government to spend a large amount of money. All of these costs will eventually be passed down to the consumer as well as the citizen. In order to control acid rain we must also conserve our natural resources. This will be very hard for a society that is driven by exploitation. Revenues of many companies might go down if consumers begin to conserve. Revenues also may go down if companies begin consider the environm ent before they consider profit. After examining the advantages and disadvantages of ignoring the situation and controlling the situation, I think that we must control it. It would be wrong to ignore acid rain and the advantages of controlling it really outweigh its disadvantages. Controlling and trying to eliminate acid rain will be expensive and require governments, industries and citizens to take action but it is the right thing to do. We must save our ecosystems, our crops, our cities, our water and our health from the detrimental effects of acid rain. Ebola Virus: History, Causes and Effects Ebola Virus: History, Causes and Effects K.G Shayani Upulika Ebola Virus Outbreak: The deadline and incurable Hemorrhagic fever. Contents (Jump to) 1.1 Introduction to Ebola virus 1.2 History of Ebola virus. 1.3 Characteristics of Ebola virus 1.4 Symptoms of Ebola virus 1.5 Diagnosis methods of Ebola virus. 1.6 Treatments for Ebola virus 1.7 Conclusion. References: 1.1 Introduction to Ebola virus Identification of natural reservoir for Ebola virus was not possible by researchers for decades but recently a scientist named Leroy presented most acceptable evidence that three species of fruit bats called Hypsignathus monstrosus, Epomops franqueti and Myonycteris torquata are wildlife reservoirs for Ebola virus (Biek et al, 2006). Ebola virus is associated with acute fatal hemorrhagic symptoms for human and non-human primates when they get escaped from their wildlife reservoir hosts, Ebola virus is consider as a filo virus and one of the most lethal viruses known the five species of Ebola virus have been identified as Ivory Coast Ebola virus, Sudan Ebola virus, Zaire virus, Reston Ebola virus Ebola and Bundibugyo Ebola virus (Yuan et al, 2012). In the present situation of Ebola virus has a 90% death rate and the main site of first immerging is the region of Guinea’s southeastern forest region and this spilled throughout the entire Africa and some regions of the world (Bausc h and Schwarz, 2014). 1.2 History of Ebola virus. Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 in Congo of central Africa, It initially named as Zaire as it first found in town of Yambuku and after Yambuku outbreak the virus was vanished, but Ebola reappeared again in 1989 (Draper, 2002).The biomedical scientists first discovered the family of virus filoviridea when Marburg virus first appeared in 1967 and at that time commercial laboratory workers with sever and unusual disease symptoms were admitted to hospital in Marburg, Germany (peters and Ledue, 1999). After the discovery of Ebola it has re-appeared cyclically; most of the Ebola outbreaks are restricted to rural regions in central Africa and have never participated more than 500 cases, first Ebola case were noticed in February in wild areas of south Guinea and it has grown so strongly and spread so rapidly in terms of affected people and earthly spread those are Guinea, large parts of Liberia and Sierra, Lennon are disease ridden (Klenk, 2014). The virus has persisted in Africa and many fatal outbreaks in human and non-human primates have been reported and the History of Ebola virus is still unclear when doing researches Ebola virus strains with complete glycoprotein genes, including Zaire, sudan.reston, Tai forest, and bundibugya were analyzed (Li and Chen, 2013). After finding the way of coming the Ebola virus to south Africa scientists have found that the virus have always been there in the region but people just never noticed, therefor it has recently introduced then the first report and phylogenetic investigations on the Guinea outbreak proposed that the Ebola virus found in Guinea is a noticeable strain from that observed in central Africa, Therefore Ebola virus is not a newcomer to the region, it has been circulating for some time in Guinea,and have become a sudden threat to human beings (Schwarz, and Bausch, 2014). Figure 1.1 Map of the three countries involved in the 2013-2014 outbreak of Ebola virus as of June 20 2014(Schwarz and Bausch, 2014). 1.3 Characteristics of Ebola virus The family filoviridae with order Mononegavirales contains two generas, as Marburg virus and Ebola virus (EBOV) (Kuhn et al., 2012). Ebola virus is again divided in to many species such as Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV) Sudan Ebola virus, Ta forest Ebola virus and Reston Ebola virus (REBOV) (Kuhn et al., 2012). VP40 is the major Ebola virus matrix protein and it plays a major role in virus assembly and budding. This virus have a diameter averagely 57 .58 nm and it differ slightly for VP40+VP35 at 63.64nm, VP40+VP35+NP at 66.75nm (Johnson, Bell and Harty, 2006).Ebola virus particle is uniform with uniform diameter of 80 nm but Ebola virus particles are greatly varying from their morphology including long up to about 14  µm, sometimes these particles are branched filaments or shorter filaments shaped like ‘6’, ‘u’ or a circle and the size of this viral genome considered as 19 kb (Cencciarelii et al, 2014). However this fever referred as a group of illness that ca used by viruses belongs to diverse range of families which includes Lassa fever, rift valley fever and so on and It may lead to overall vascular damage and usually accompanied by hemorrhage (Ratanshi et al, 2014). Filo virus outbreaks are specific because these viruses can intersperse by years or even decades without showing any disease activity and last new species of Ebola virus was found 14 years before in Ivory Coast (Towner et al., 2008). Ebola virus is characterized by secondary transmission and high case fatality and also by filamentous enveloped particles however treating Ebola virus was a challenged situation after infection because these virus consists recombinant human activated protein C(rhAPC) ,recombinant nematode anticoagulant protein c2 (rNCPc2), small interfering RNA(si RNA) ( Qui et al, 2014). 1.4 Symptoms of Ebola virus Ebola virus is an invasive pathogen that can cause a highly lethal hemorrhagic fever in both human and non-human beings this virus runs its course within 14 to 21 days and the infection initially present with non-specific symptoms like fever, myalgia and malaise as infection proceeds patients starts to show large bleeding and coagulation deformities including gastrointestinal bleeding, rash and a wide varieties of hematological irregularities (Sullivan, Yang and Nabel, 2014).The initial symptoms of Ebola virus are non-specific, including fever, rash and vomiting, The most generally experienced symptoms were non-bloody diarrhea (81%) and asthenia (77%) and Seven patient reported were observed with hemorrhagic symptoms, and out of seven six of patient died(Roddy et al, 2012).The incubation period after exposure to virus is typically 8 to 10 days but it can be as short as 2 days and extended to 21 days and the net death rate is high as 90%.Most people with Ebola die within 2 weeks of di sease onset (Turner, 2014). 1.5 Diagnosis methods of Ebola virus. Numbers of newer technologies were applied for the diagnosis of Ebola virus infection some of them are antigen detection assay, utilized extensively in the Reston outbreak and its investigation, these methods allowed a fast and unique recognition of Ebola virus in the blood of severly ill individuals even in rural areas also nonspecific detection of antibodies by the unintended fluorescent antibody test in humans during Reston investigation led to the adaptation of the enzyme (Kaslow, Stanberry and Due, 2014). Ebola virus disease can proved with various lab tests depending on the on the stage of the disease, within a few days of infection immunosobent assay, antigen detection tests, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, and virus location by cell culture is used (Plotkin, Oreanstein an Offit, 2008). after the patient get back to normal immunoglobulin M and Immunoglobulin G can be found, after death immunohistochemistry, PCR and isolation of the virus can be done the exact diagnosis can be done by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and ELISA antigen testing furthermore clarifications on viral replication inside cells can be done through measurements of IgM antibodies ( Plotkin, Oreanstein an Offit, 2008). Diagnosis of Ebola comes in to play when symptoms and signs of fever, illness, petechial rash and disseminated bleeding are observed and most of the accurate diagnosis is done by using a polymerase chain reaction detection assay and can be confirmed by detection of viral replication in Vero cells (Plotkin, Orenstein and Offit, 2008). Ebola is mainly diagnosed from the symptoms and blood test here mainly looks for the presence of antibodies in the virus at earlier days detecting a infected patient was not easy and once recognized the patient must be isolated and relevant authorities should notified (Horobin, 2008). 1.6 Treatments for Ebola virus No effective treatments for Ebola virus at this time. Anti-viral medications currently available have no effect on Ebola virus. Care for patients with Ebola virus infection consists maintaining fluid and electrolyte equilibrium via oral or I.V. hydration, supporting oxygenation and BP, Adjustments of coagulation and treating comorbidities such as a concurrent bacterial infection (Turner, 2014). However without recommended vaccines or treatments Ebola virus management has been limited and barrier methods and prevention methods also become limited but a combination of monoclonal antibodies (ZMapp), optimized from two previous antibody cocktails, is able to rescue 100% of rhesus macaques when treatments is only initiated up to 5 days, High fever, abnormalities in blood count and vireamia were some evidences in animals before ZMapp invention after that advanced disease as indicated by increased liver enzymes, mucosal hemorrhage and generalized petechial could be reversed leading to a ful l recovery (Qiu et al, 2014). There are no licensed vaccines currently available against Ebola virus but many applicable vaccine platforms have been tested for their efficiency against the virus and this treatment includes exposed or lipid encapsulated DNA, particles like virus arrangements, Vesicular stomatitis virus, strain Indiana, Human parainfluenza virus 3 (HPIV-3) , vaccinia, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) and replication-deficient human adenovirus serotype 5 (AdHu5) vectors(Richardson et al, 2011). Due to the absence of specific therapies, filo virus ward clinicians give infected patients with the supportive care regime consist of oral medication, oral fluid rehydration, nutritional additives and physiological aid (Roddy et al, 2012). 1.7 Conclusion. Ebola virus is considered as one of the most lethal virus found so far and it has extremely high mortality rate therefore according to the doctors and experts point of view anyone who has stayed in areas where Ebola outbreak have recently been reported should have knowledge about the symptoms of infection and seek medical advices at the first sign of illness. Many reasons are there for this highly lethal disease to be spread largely, the most important reason is hospitals lack medical equipment such as surgical gloves, masks and hypodermic syringes to inject medicines to patients and clean water and also the lack of high standard medical laboratories for the medical tests to done on the virus is also a major issue. The spread of knowledge about the Ebola virus is expected to solve another big part of the problem therefore prevention of a worldwide outbreak lies within the education of the virus, how Ebola victims can properly treated and by performing suitable action to isolate the v irus before it has spread and maintaining hygienic conditions as much as possible.   References: Biek, R., Walsh, P. D., Leroy, E.M. and Real, L. A. (2006) ‘Recent common ancestry of Ebola virus found in a bat reservoir’, Plos pathogens, 2(10) pp. 1-3. [Online] DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.0020090 (Accessed: 20 October 2014). Bausch, D. G. and Schwarz, L. (2014) ‘Outbreak of Ebola virus in Guinea: where ecology meets Economy’, PLOS Neglected tropical diseases, 8(7) pp. 1-5. [Online] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003056 (Accessed: 20 October 2014). Cenciarelii, O., Pietropaoli, S., Frusteri, L., Malizia, A., Carestia, M., Amico, F. D., Sassolini,A., Giovanii, D. D., Tamburrini, A., Palombi, L.,Bellecci, C. and Gaudi, P. (2014) ‘Biological Emergency Management: The Case of Ebola 2014 and the air transportation involvement’, Microbial and Biochemical Technology, 6(5) pp. 1-7. [Online] DOI: 10.4172/1948-5948.1000152 (Accessed: 22 October 2014). Draper, A. S. (2002)’ Epidemics, deadly disease throughout the history Ebola’ .Google Books [Online]. Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=FohdK6o-8WICpg=PA1focus=viewportdq=history+of+ebolaoutput=html_text. (Accessed: 20 October 2014). Horobin, W. (2008) Diseases and Disorders. Google books [Online]. Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=-HRJOElZch8Cpg=PA303dq=diagnosis+of+ebolahl=ensa=Xei=FB4-VNrvJ5fpoASNrIGwAgved=0CEwQ6AEwCQ#v=onepageq=diagnosis of ebolaf=false. (Accessed: 25 October 2014). Johnson, R. F., Bell, P and Harty, R. N. (2006) ‘Effect of Ebola virus proteins GP,NP and VP35 on VP40 VLP morphology’, Springer, 9(11) pp.1-20.[Online] DOI: 10.1186/1743-422X-3-31 (Accessed: 22 October 2014). Khun, J.H., Becker, S., Ebihara, H., Geisbert, T. W. and Jahrling, P. B.(2012) ‘Virus taxonomy ninth report of the international committee on taxonomy of virus’, filoviridae , 8(8) pp. 665-671.[Online] .Available at: www.plospathogens.org (Accessed:28 September 2014). Klenk, H. D., (2014) ’Lessons to be learned from the Ebola virus outbreak in west Africa’, Emerging Microbes and Infections. 11(3) pp. 1-1. [Online]. DOI: 10.1038/emi.2014.68 (Accessed: 20 October 2014). Kaslow, R. A., Stanberry, L. R. and Due, J. W. L.(2014) Viral infection of human. Google books [Online]. Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=sxakBAAAQBAJpg=PA344dq=diagnosis+of+ebolahl=ensa=Xei=PRM9VPCVLpeMuASM6YKoDgved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepageq=diagnosis of ebolaf=false. (Accessed: 25 October 2014). Li, Y. H, and Chen, S. P.,(2013) ‘ Evolutionary history of Ebola virus’, Epidemiology and infection, 142(6). pp.1-3. [Online]. DOI: 10.1017/SO950268813002215 (Accessed: 20 October 2014). Peters, C. J. and Ledue, J. W. (1999) ‘An introduction to Ebola: the virus and the disease’, Ebola: The Virus and the Disease, 179(1) pp. 1-8. [Online] DOI: 10.1086/514322 (Accessed :20 October 2014). Plotkin, S. A., Orenstein, W. A. and Offit, P. A. (2008) Vaccines. Google Books [Online]. Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=hoigDQ6vdDQCpg=PA1061dq=diagnosis+of+ebolahl=ensa=Xei=PRM9VPCVLpeMuASM6YKoDgved=0CDEQ6AEwAg#v=onepageq=diagnosis of ebolaf=false. (Accessed: 25 October 2014). Qiu, X., Wong, G., Audet, J., Bello, A., Fernando, L., Alimonti, J. B., Bovendo, H. F., Wei, H., Aviles, J., Hiatt, E., Jhonson, A., Morton, J., Swope, K., Bohorova, O., Goodman, C., Kim, D., Pauly, M. H., Velasco, J., Pettitt, J., Olinger, G. G., Whaley, K., Xu, B., Strong, J. E., Zeitlin, L. and Kobinger, G. P.,(2014) ‘Reversion of advanced Ebola virus disease in nonhuman primates with ZMapp’, Nature, 1 (0), pp. 1-15.[Online] DOI: 10.1038/nature13777 (Accessed: 23 October 2014). Qiu, X., Wong, G., Audet, J., Bello, A., Fernando, L., Alimonti, B., Bovendo, H. F., Wei, H., Aviles, J., Hiatt, E., Johnson, A., Morton, J., Swope, K., Bohorov, O., Bohorova, N., Goodman, C., Kim, D., Pauly, M. H., Velasco, J., Pettitt, J., Olinger, G. G.,Whaley, K., Xu, B., Strong, J. E and Zeitlin, L. (2014) ‘Reversion of advanced Ebola virus disease in nonhuman primates with ZMapp’, Nature, 11 (7) pp. 1-4. [Online] DOI: 10.1038/nature13777 (Accessed: 26 October 2014). Ratanshi, R. S., Elbireer, A., Mayanja, F., Coutinho, A., Merry, C. (2014) ‘Ebola outbreak response; experience and development of screening tools for viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) in HIV center of excellence near to VHF epicenters’, VHF screening during an Ebola outbreak in large Ugandan HIV clinic, 9 (7), pp. 1-8.[Online] Available at: www.plosone.org. (Accessed: 22 October 2014). Roddy, P., Howard, N., Kerkhove, M. D. V., Lutwama, J., Wamala, J., Yoti, Z., Colebunders, R., Palma, P. P., Sterk, E., Jeffs, B., Herp, M. V., Borchert, M. (2012) ‘Clinical Manifestations and Case Management of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever Caused by a Newly Identified Virus Strain, Bundibugyo, Uganda, 2007–2008’, Ebola Clinical Manifestations and Case Management, 7 (12) pp. 1-12. [Online] Available at: www.plosone.org (Accessed: 24 October 2014). Richardson, J. S., Wong, G., Pillet, S., Schindle, S., Ennis, J., Turner, J., Strong, J. E., and Kobinger, G. P. (2011) ‘Evaluation of Different Strategies for Post-Exposure Treatment of Ebola Virus Infection in Rodents’, Journal of Bioterrorism and Biodefense, 11 (7) pp. 1-1. [Online] DOI: 10.4172/2157-2526.S1-007 (Accessed: 26 October 2014). Roddy, P., Howard, N., Kerkhove, M. D. V., Lutwama, J., Wamala, J., Yoti, Z., Colebunders, R., Palma, P. P., Sterk, E., Jefffs, B., Herp, M. V and Bochert, M. (2012) ‘Clinical Manifestations and Case Management of Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever Caused by a Newly Identified Virus Strain, Bundibugyo, Uganda, 2007–2008’, Ebola Clinical Manifestations and Case Management, 7(12) pp. 1-12. [Online] Available at: www.plosone.org (Accessed: 26 October 2014). Schwarz, L. and Bausch, D. G., (2014) ‘Outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Guinea:where ecology meets economy’, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 8(7) pp.1-5.[Online] Available at: www.plosntds.org. (Accessed: 20 October 2014). Sullivan, N., Young, Z. Y. and Nabel, G. J. (2014) ‘Ebola virus pathogenesis: Implications for vaccines and therapies’, Journal of virology, 88 (21) pp. 1-4. [Online] DOI: 10.1128/JVI.18.9733-9737.2003 (Accessed: 24 October 2014). Turner, C. (2014) ‘Ebola virus disease: An emerging threat’, Nursing, 44 (9) pp. 1-1. [Online] DOI: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000453010.02525.ca (Accessed: 24 October 2014). Towner, J. S., Sealy, T. S., Khristova, M. L., Albarino, C. G., Reeder, S. A., Quan, P.L., Lipkin, W. L., Downing, R., Tappero, J. W., Okware, S., Lutwama, J., Bakamutumaho, B., Kaiwa, J., Comer, J. A., Rollin, P. E., Ksiazek, T. G., Nichol, S.T. (2008) ‘Newly discovered Ebola virus associated with hemorrhagic fever outbreak in uganda’, New species of Ebola virus in Uganda,4 (11), pp. 1-6. [Online] Available at: www.plospathogens.org (Accessed: 23 October 2014). Turner, C. (2014) ‘Ebola virus disease: An emerging threat’, Nursing, 44 (9) pp. 1-1. [Online] DOI: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000453010.02525.ca (Accessed: 25 October 2014). Turner, C. (2014) ‘Ebola virus disease: An emerging threat’, Nursing, 44 (9) pp. 1-1. [Online] DOI: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000453010.02525.ca (Accessed: 26 October 2014). Yuan, J., Zhang, Y., Li, J., Zhang, Y., Wang, L. F. and Shi, Z. (2012) ‘Serological evidence of Ebola virus infection in bats, China’, Virology Journal, 9(236) pp. 1-5. [Online] DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-9-236 (Accessed: 20 October 2014). 1

Analysis of Howard Carter’s Diaries

Tahirih Osborne 11. 16. 11 HHIS 101 Jeff Bibbee Tutankhamen: Anatomy of an Excavation. Howard Carter's diaries. The first excavation season in the tomb of Tutankhamen. Part 1: October 28 to December 31, 1922  © Griffith Institute, Oxford OX1 2LG Otter Box This document provides an in-depth description of Howard Carter's initial discovery of the ante-chamber to King Tutankhamen's tomb. November 26th describes the discovery of an unidentified room filled with artifacts, while November 27th describes the initial excavation of this room and identifying it as Tutankhamen's tomb.Howard Carter's passion for Egypt and archeology is prominent in his careful description of the excavation of this tomb. While written in a diary format, it is obvious that he intends to later share his findings with his academic community (which was indeed later published. ) His use of exacting language and in-depth description of what he experiences, down to a laundry list of items the ante-chamber contains, is included for those scholastically inclined, but his personal awe still shows through. Howard Carter was a dedicated egyptologist, and this excavation became the hallmark of his career.Discovering Tutankhamen's tomb was an explosion to the Egyptology community. With only two minor robberies to its name (thought to have happened shortly after the paraoh's death), the tomb stood as a virtual time capsule. No other tomb is thought to be as complete. This gives a very good insight into the climate of the period. Having such a number and range of artifacts from the same time period allows scholars to draw conclusions about everything from the religious practices of the period, to the way furniture was made, and to make guesses about the wealth of the pharaoh and of Egypt itself.These artifacts went on to be some of the most-exhibited and well known works of art from the period, and are now synonymous with one's mental image of Egypt. What is perhaps most overlooked and most interesting a bout Howard Carter's recordings is his care during excavation. Each detail of each piece was put down to paper. Carter's meticulous record keeping and care of individual pieces meant that the tomb took nearly ten years to fully excavate, document, and transfer. Despite onstant media coverage of the excavation, Carter only permitted a single reporter to visit the site. Carter was obsessed with keeping the excavation complete, and unharmed, and the exacting nature of his proceedings made it so. Though Egyptomania had already begun spreading with the discovery of Queen Nefertiti's bust in 1912, it was largely Tutankhamen's tomb that was responsible for the obsession's peak in the 1920s. During and after full excavation and documentation, Howard Carter published his diary into three volumes, in 1923-1933.They quickly became best-sellers, and, along with the artifacts being put on exhibition, started to influence pop culture. Egyptian art influenced jewelry, clothing, architecture, and w as a big part of the art deco movement. Women became obsessed with dressing and looking like Cleopatra, and hotels, restaurants, and theaters all decorated their buildings with pyramids and hieroglyphs. Even literature took a page out of Egypt's book, with tales of African adventure becoming best-sellers, and most memorably, Agatha Christie writing her seminal mystery A Death on the Nile.Egyptomania still has currency. For instance, look at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which 1978 began to resurrect the Temple of Dendur. See also the Louvre, which in 1989 built its own glass pyramid. And in 1993, Luxor Las Vegas opened, a multi-million dollar casino built thirty stories high in black glass to resemble the pyramids of Giza, with its own replica tomb of Tutankhamen. Songs like the Bangles' â€Å"Walk Like an Egyptian† play through the heads of the masses, and Liz Taylor's Cleopatra has become a cult favorite.Egyptomania has even descended to such depths as to remake Boris Kar loff's The Mummy, with parts one, two, and three. Few other events have infiltrated the public conscious the way the discovery of King Tut's tomb has. One clear example in my life has been the events of September 11th, 2001. If the side effects of Tutankhamen's discovery has infected us for one hundred years, 9/11 will surely do the same. The consequences of that attack are part of my daily life, and it is difficult for me to think of a time when it wasn't.Instead of Egyptomania, there is now terrorist-mania. Since the plane crash at the World Trade Center, our public and private image has changed completely. A whole new department was created by excutive authority- the Department of Homeland Security. Instead of going from check-in to boarding the plane in thirty minutes, airport security takes hours because of high intensity screening. People are no longer free to enter and exit public buildings, most especially governmental buildings.The attacks spurred a rise in hyperpatriotism and a social climate that is dependent on â€Å"being an American. † Immigration has been tightened down until it is almost impossible for some people to enter the US. Arabs especially are discriminated against because of the percieved terrorist threat by the Muslim fringe. Strangers no longer smile at each other on the streets. The American obsession with terrorism has even led to acts such as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the passing of the Patriot Act, which allows warrant free wire-tapping of suspected terrorists.Americans have been giving up their civil liberties to feel safe, arguably without any increase in safety at all. Instead of opening the paper and reading fantastic stories about the discovery of ancient tombs and grand exhibitions, we open the paper and read yet another story about a dictator being ousted or a terrorist being taken down. While Egyptomania was a postive cultural phenomenon, we are now living in an entirely different world of war and strife c aused by an attack that our country can never let go of.

A Playground of Life Lessons Essay

A PLAYGROUND OF LIFE LESSONS Where were most of your memories made in elementary school? Ask almost anyone, and their answer will be, â€Å"On the playground during recess!† Unfortunately, the youth of today may not have the opportunity to make those memories. As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, more than forty percent of schools have reduced recess time, while seven percent have completely eliminated it from the school day (Pappas, 2011). With physical education only being offered to elementary students once a week, typically for forty minutes or less, recess is more important now than ever before. The absence of recess in schools will result in a long-term negative impact on these children’s health, learning, and social development. Recess could possibly be the only opportunity throughout the day for some children to engage in social interactions with their peers. There are many children who have no siblings, or who may live in rural areas that aren’t conducive to gathering with friends after school. The free time that is given during recess allows for the development of social skills that will be beneficial for a lifetime, such as, making choices, developing rules for play, team building, and conflict resolution. These are basic social fundamentals that can’t necessarily be taught in a structured classroom setting, but are imperative in everyday life. Not only is recess crucial for developing social skills, but many lifelong friendships are built while swinging on the play set, or waiting in line for the monkey bars. Being able to nourish those friendships and spend time together gives kids something to look forward to during the school day. It’s a little incentive to get them through when classroom activities become boring and monotonous. Recess is also one of few opportunities for adults and teachers to observe how children behave socially with one another during free play. This can help to determine any tendencies to fight or bully, identify children who possess leadership abilities, or pinpoint any other strengths or weaknesses that can and should be nurtured. In a typical classroom setting, children don’t have the ability to showcase talents that aren’t academic. With childhood obesity on the rise, recess is detrimental to the health of children. Inactivity is associated with childhood obesity tripling since around 1970, along with an increase in other health issues, like elevated blood pressure and high cholesterol (Jarrett, 2002). When children aren’t given the opportunity to be active during the school day, they don’t tend to go home and make up for the exercise that was missed. Research revealed that children were actually less active when they got home from school on the days when they had no recess or physical education classes during the school day (Dale, Corbin, Dale, 2000). Even though not all children participate in physical activity during recess, they won’t even have the opportunity if it’s not offered. Today’s youth is already choosing television and video games over playing outside, so why should we support a sedentary lifestyle by eliminating recess from schools? Physical activity is also impe rative for good mental health. Maintaining physical fitness has shown to increase self-esteem in children, and adults (AHA, 2012). In school aged children, it is especially important to reduce anxiety by burning off excess energy that is built up while sitting in class. The best way for them to do that is by having recess! New experimental research done by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine has also shown that children who are offered recess during the day have less behavioral issues in class. Teachers in a particular school district were asked to rate their students’ behavior, and those students who were given at least a 15 minute recess throughout the day scored higher than those who weren’t (Parker-Pope, 2009). Obviously, recess offers a break from the sedentary routine of the day. The cognitive benefits of that break are astounding! For adults and children alike, breaks are deemed necessary for satisfaction and alertness. Research has also shown that breaks during learning result in a better quality of retention and recall due to the presentation of material being spaced instead of all at once. This research is conducive to what is already known about brain functioning: â€Å"that the brain needs downtime to recycle chemicals crucial for long-term memory formation, and that attention involves 90-to110-minute cyclical patterns throughout the day† (Jarrett, 2002). Other theories state that there is a positive correlation between unstructured interaction with peers, and higher results on intelligence tests (Jirikovic, Vansyckle, McIntyre, & Irish, 2005). Aren’t higher test scores the main focus of educators today? Children aren’t the only ones that need a break from the mundane curriculum. Teachers and aides need an opportunity to regain energy levels, discuss the day’s activities and observations, and get things in order for the next lesson on the agenda. With the heightened expectations of teachers and their accountability for academic progress, the break time that is offered by recess is extremely beneficial for both their job performance and state of mind. It may take them a few minutes to get their classes back on track to learn once they return from free-play, but it has been shown that students are more focused and well behaved after recess (Jarrett, 2002). With so much evidence that supports the benefits of daily recess, it’s surprising that the elimination of it has even come into question. However, there are those who believe that recess is unnecessary and that it takes away from the time and focus on academics. For those people, I would advise to examine the research and the long term benefits that recess has been proven to offer, as well as, the potential negative effects that would result in making it a thing of the past. Some say that school is a place for learning, not playing. I say that the learning that happens during interaction with peers as a child is irreplaceable by any academic lesson plan. Strong social skills are an integral part of moving forward in the world. Any career that you choose is going to require the ability to interact with people, whether it is with co-workers, vendors, patients, or customers. You can have the best academic resume in the world, but if you can’t make your way through an interview, the employer is going to choose someone else for the job. The social skills required to communicate effectively and adapt to certain situations are only learned through personal experience. This personal experience starts on the school playground. There is also the issue of bullying that comes into play when children are offered unstructured play time, such as recess. While that is a valid concern, and should be treated as such, children also need to learn life coping skills and resiliency. Life isn’t fair, and there is usually always a bully, even as an adult. Today’s children are being coddled too much, and given a false sense of security and protection. I feel it would be more beneficial to teach children how to deal with bullying situations, rather than treat them as if they don’t exist. Observation of student’s personalities during recess can help teachers and adults to identify who needs guidance in these areas, as well as, provide them the opportunity to pinpoint the bullies and stop them in their tracks. Although there are arguments against recess, there is no research that supports the benefits of eliminating it from schools. While it may free up a few more minutes for teaching reading comprehension or long division, those minutes are counter-productive if these children have â€Å"zoned-out† and are unable to retain what is being taught. Recess needs to stay in schools, and be recognized for what it is; a playground of life lessons. BIBLIOGRAPHY American Heart Association. (2012, November 26). Physical Activity and Children. Retrieved from website http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/Physical-Activity-and-Children_UCM_304053_Article.jsp Dale, D., Corbin, B., Dale, K. S. (2000). Restricting opportunities to be active during school time: Do children compensate by increasing physical activity levels after school? Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport 71(3):240-248. Jarrett, O. (2002, July). Recess in Elementary School: What Does the Research Say? (ERIC Digest). Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED466331) http://www.eric.ed.gov/ Jirikovic, R., Vansyckle, J., McIntyre, C., Irish, B. (2005). RECESS – TIME WELL SPENT! Retrieved from website http://www.timeday.org/pdf/newsletter_february_2006/Recess_Project.pdf

How to Write a Reflective Essay on Communication

How to Write a Reflective Essay on Communication Reflective Essay on Communication How to start off How to write the introduction How to compose body paragraphs How to finish the essay: Conclusion writing Essay revision Outline sample A reflective essay on communication (Sample) A reflective essay on communication revolves around the writer’s reflection on communication per se, how they perceive it with regard to their personal experience and viewpoint. Hence, its main purpose is to inform the audience about perspectives, attitude, and impression towards the topic at hand. One important objective behind such an essay is to shed light on the widely-varied angles of communication and how they all contribute to shape our life and harmonize it in a way that makes understandability and intelligibility omnipresent. How to start off What do I know about this topic? Before you start writing a perfect essay, it would be useful to ask yourself about your knowledge about the topic. In this context, I might ask myself: â€Å"What is communication? How can I define it? Does it have only one definition? How does it relate to my personal experience? In few words, I should ask myself the following question: Does this concept apply to my life experience and skills? Does it have anything to do with my actual behaviors? Be mindful not to ignore those instant answers that come to your mind once your ask the very simple questions because they will be needed later on. What could the educational purpose behind this topic be? One could think about the communicative skills they have acquired from different social contexts so as to help the reader benefit from valuable and authentic tips. How to write introduction and thesis statement The following are useful tips on how to master the writing of a full introduction on communication: Relevance It’s true that we should start from the general to the specific, yet this does not mean that we should start with how delicious Italian ice-cream is without showing any relevance to our topic- communication. Thus, start from the relevant general to reach the relevant specific. Respect the commitment Writing a thesis statement is a sort of engagement or commitment. Upon writing it, the essay writer should be committed to the explanation and illustration of the focal points mentioned at a later stage. Mention your focal points In the thesis statement, I should announce that I am going to tackle the means of communication in the first part, communication from a social perspective in the second, and insight into the optimal ways for the acquisition of communicative skills useful for various life tasks in the third. How to compose body paragraphs Body paragraphs in a reflective essay on communication should be based on the following tips: Format When the reader skims the essay before reading, they have to notice that the paragraphs are well-balanced, no one should be too long or too short than the other. Coherent content All body paragraphs should be explained equally; ideas have to be illustrated thoroughly. That is to say, no paragraph should be given more focus than the others. Congruity and applicability Make sure not to leave out information about how the topic applies to your experience. The balance in the reflection on the topic using personal experience would add to the congruity of the essay. How to finish the essay: Conclusion writing In order to finish a reflective essay in a correct way, one has to observe these three rules: Look back . Have a look at what you have already written in each body paragraph to make sure that nothing important is missing. Summarize . The writer should provide a brief summary that puts together all the main points dealt with in the body without having to fall into details and examples. Link the topic to your personal development. In the conclusion, you should mention how the communication means you have used have honed your communicative skills and shaped your personal development. Essay revision Another pair of eyes is useful to have a look at your work. Thus, it could be a good idea to ask one of your classmates to verify if it contains any spelling or grammar mistakes. Re-read the whole essay so that you make sure that you did not miss the crux of the matter. Give yourself a break, and read the essay a second time with a fresh pair of eyes; you might want to edit some structures consequently. Outline sample I.Introduction General introduction Thesis statement II. Body Paragraph 1: means of communication Paragraph 2: communication from a social perspective Paragraph 3: insight into the optimal ways for acquiring communicative skills III. Conclusion Brief summary that links all three body elements. A reflective essay on communication (Sample) Communication is the transmission of messages. It could manifest itself in various fashions; it could be verbal, non-verbal, or written. That said, the present essay is going to focus on the means of communication, communication from a social perspective, as it will give insight into the optimal ways for the acquisition of communicative skills. The means of communication have evolved to a great extent recently. In this line of thought, one could not turn a blind eye to language as a body of complex linguistic systems wired in the human brain or in database management systems enabling comprehensible interaction. Languages could be natural or constructed; they all allow the transmission of ideas for different purposes. The development of technology and the dying out of some natural languages have given rise to many technological devices that corroborated the human-human interaction and the human-machine interface. Nowadays, computers, smartphones, and tablets have reached their zenith, as the flow of communication has become smoother and easier. The modern means of communication, mainly the wide array of applications such as Facebook and Skype have grown into most useful tools that help us keep up with the pace of the 21st century. Communication is the means by which interactants manage to voice their ideas and articulate their concerns within a social context. Once socialization is brought to the scene, language seems to be called into play, eventually. People, as social members, tend to communicate face-to-face, verbally, non-verbally, or through writing. Thus, in a real social context, ideas could also be shared through paralinguistic cues such as silence, pitch, tone, gestures, postures, and facial expressions. I have once told my friend that her brother’s fiancà ©e is beautiful. Her response was as follows: â€Å"Yeah, she is!†; once you read this answer, it might seem like a confirmation on her part. But, digging down into the social, linguistic, and human mechanisms of communication, with the consideration of the context, one could understand that it was a sarcastic answer thanks to the paralinguistic features used. So, communication as a social instrument helps us uncover the real meaning intended. Communication skills could be acquired. Personally, I have learned a lot from classroom presentations. When the teacher used to ask us who would like to take the next Powerpoint presentation, I have always had the courage to accept. I noticed that many of my classmates avoided those presentations because they did not possess conversational skills that would allow them to communicate their ideas in an informative way. What I am driving at is the idea that if you do not communicate more often in different social contexts, you will never sharpen your communicative skills. If you do not train yourself to adapt to different conversational situations, you will not overcome your shyness and embarrassment. I also used to ask questions in international conferences, which fortified my self-esteem and made me improve my academic communicative abilities. To wrap up, today’s world has brought to life numerous means of communication that are all related to language as the backbone of communication. It is also worth mentioning that communication as a social tool could be performed differently in various contexts. However, honing one’s social communication skills could only be done through continuous practice in various speech events, such as conferences and workshops.

12 Effective Ways To Expand Your Facebook Engagement - CoSchedule Blog

12 Effective Ways To Expand Your Facebook Engagement Blog In the social media world, every tiny detail matters for the overall big picture. Social media engagement is one of those things that cant be overlooked, especially on Facebook. Facebook is the highest used social media platform, so its no brainer that you want engagement there. Plus, with organic reach declining, you want to make sure every post counts. There are some commonly known tactics for  increasing Facebook engagement: Using  visuals Curating content Posting at the best times But what about the tactics we dont think about? The ones that arent so obvious? Lets take a look at some unique ways to boost your Facebook engagement. 12 Effective Ways To Expand Your Facebook EngagementThe Facebook Engagement Tactics You Need To Try 1. Share videos for 135% more reach Visuals are eye-catching when your audience is  scrolling through their news feed. It's been proven time and time again that visuals help improve engagement, but what about videos? Research shows that videos have a 135% greater organic reach compared to photos. That's a crazy high number. Not only does adding videos into your social media strategy increase engagement, but it's also SUPER easy to upload videos. No really...it's as simple as 1, 2, 3: Click  Photo/Video at the top of your News Feed or Timeline Choose a video Click Post Facebook will process your video for you and let you know when it's ready to view. While it's processing, you can click Edit  to add a title and add tags. We've  also launched our new Social Video feature. You can schedule, share, and manage all of your social media videos directly in . Let us do all the work for you! 2. Post standalone graphics to share quick tips Most of the images you're posting on Facebook have a link relating to the image. At , we do this on our own Facebook page. We post a graphic and then add a link to a blog post. But then we had to stop and ask ourselves, "Are all these links benefitting our audience?"  We tested this theory by posting standalone graphics. We wanted test whether posts without links received better reach than posts with links and to mix up the kind of content we're creating and sharing. The results were impeccable. A standalone graphic is an image that gives useful information on its own without needing a link back to something. For our standalone graphics, we give tidbits of information and quotes from well-known marketers. We found that these graphics resonated higher with our audience and had an increased engagement rate compared to our link posts. Create standalone graphic using these awesome tools: Canva  (free, paid) Photoshop (paid subscription) Piktochart  (free, paid) Visage  (free, paid) 3. Show your brand's personality Every piece of content you post on Facebook should portray your company's personality. The best way to showcase this is by sharing  team pictures of your office shenanigans. Let your audience know that you aren't a social media robot you're a real person. We've tried this on our own Facebook and the results were outstanding. Wishpond's data  showed that  photo posts get 120% more engagement than the average post, so imagine the potential of personality photos. Don't spam your audience with information about your product or service all the time. Believe it or not, your audience wants to get to know the faces behind the logo. Share photos of all the awesome things that happen in your office. Update your header photo to display your team. Ask your audience to help you settle an office debate. When responding to comments, use names and include yours. Recommended Reading: 10 Fundamental Ways To Boost Your Facebook Organic Reach 4. Use  Facebook Live for 3x longer viewing As we know now, posting videos on Facebook does in fact increase engagement. Something even more powerful than Facebook videos is *drum roll please* Facebook Live. Studies show that people spend 3x longer watching video which is live compared to video that's been pre-recorded. Use Facebook Live to share tips, give demos, or just to thank your audience. To get started with Facebook Live get out your mobile phone and: Go to your Facebook business profile and open up the status bar. Tap the Live icon, which is a red button shaped like a person. Allow  Facebook to access your camera and microphone. Describe your live video (optional) Press the blue Go Live icon. There is a way to use Facebook Live on your laptop or desktop. Although this is not for creating live videos from your computer's webcam. This will create a live video, streamed directly from your professional video equipment or encoding software. Here's a walkthrough from Mashable: If you want to shoot Facebook Live from your laptop or desktop: Click on Publishing Tools at the top of your Facebook page. Then click on Videos on the left menu. Then click on the +Live  button on the top right. Then copy the stream key from your video software into the window that appears. (Most of the time it will already be filled in.) Click the blue Go Live icon. Facebook Live videos get 3x longer views than pre-shot video.Recommended Reading: How To Do Facebook Video Marketing The Right Way 5. Create a Facebook User group for maximum engagement Does your audience have questions often? Do you have super fans? If so, creating a Facebook user group for your business might be beneficial. Let your audience know that you've created a Facebook user group. This way your most dedicated fans can join and discuss your product with other users. Make sure you are checking this group page on a regular basis. You can even treat the user group like a VIP club, where members get exclusive info on  features before they launch. Some ways you can connect with these users are: Get feedback on new features.  With Facebook groups, you can create polls directly within the group. Ask these users how they feel about a new product or what they would like to see next. Share your company's  achievements.  Remember, these are your super fans, and they care about the progress you're company has made. If your business wins an award, share a quick post in the user group. Answer questions. One of the main reasons for a Facebook user group is so these members can interact and ask questions about your product. Don't let your fans do all the talking. Jump in and share your insights. Join our user group! 6. Pin posts for higher visibility According to SumoMe, pinning content onto Twitter brings 5x more engagement. The same goes for Facebook. Wait, what? Yes, you can pin on Facebook! Pinning posts on Facebook will bring that post to the top of your page for however long you want it there. This way, that specific post will receive high visibility when viewers visit your Facebook page. To pin on Facebook, simply: Select the post you want pinned on your Facebook page. Click the drop down arrow at the top right corner of the post. Select Pin To Top. Tada! You have a pinned post. To unpin a post from your profile page, follow the same steps except this time you will select Unpin From Top. Try it out! Recommended Reading: How To Increase Visibility With Social Media Optimization 7. Create Facebook Ads for quick engagement Here are some shocking stats to take away from Zephoria. At 1.49 billion, Facebook has more monthly active users than WhatsApp (500 million), Twitter (284 million) and Instagram (200 million)- combined. That's a lot of users to keep track of. The best way to target the right audience for your business, is through Facebook ads. You have to spend money in order to make money. Facebook ads are a guaranteed way to reach more people and bring engagement to your page. To create Facebook ads: Decide which type of ad you want.  Choose from promoting your page, promoting a post, or promoting your sign up button. Choose your audience.  You can select your audience by location, age, gender, interests and more. Set your budget and schedule. Set a daily or lifetime budget and schedule how long you want it to run. Set your ad live.  Once you've narrowed down what type of ad, your target audience, and your budget. For more info, Kissmetrics has an awesome guide on Facebook ads to help get you started. Recommended Reading: Facebook Marketing Strategy: Why You Need One (And How To Build It) 8. Drive traffic from other social media sites Is your business on Twitter? How about LinkedIn? Maybe even Instagram? Chances are, your business is on more than one social channel. Use these sites as a gateway to bring your audience to your Facebook company page. For example, when your Twitter followers mention your company, you can occasionally respond back by encouraging them to check out your Facebook page. Remember not to respond to every mention this way so you don't come across as spammy. Only encourage your followers to check out your Facebook page if you truly think they would. 9. Add a CTA button to boost promotion Want to promote your website? Or a new video? Facebook provides several different Call-to-Action buttons you can add directly into your cover photo including: Book Now Contact Us Use App Play Game Shop Now Sign Up Watch Video Bring your audience a step further by promoting your business in a different way; with the click of a button.  You'll also need an an awesome Facebook cover photo  for  your Call-to-Action button to  be  successful. To add a CTA button to your Facebook page: Go to your Page's cover photo and click + Add a Button. Choose your call-to-action, and enter the URL for your website. Click Create. Customizing a CTA button is a simple method to bring more traffic to where ever you need it. It also makes your Facebook page look more professional. Consider adding one to your business page. 10.  Create graphics for your profile that are branded + clear Your Facebook profile picture and cover photo show your audience what your company is all about. In order for you audience to engage with you, your Facebook page must be inviting. This means that you need to have a SUPER, AWESOME, FANTASTIC profile and cover photo. Okay...maybe not that extreme, but you should create graphics for your profile that are clearly unique to your brand. Post Planner  noticed your profile picture appears in: The news feed of your followers. Posts on your page's Timeline. Replies in comments. Comments posts you make on other pages while using your page. It's seen in many different places! So be sure to use your logo as your profile picture that is clear and sized correctly. For your cover photo choose a photo that: Showcases your personality. Promotes a new feature or product. Describes your product, like how the Kissmetrics cover photo does. Highlight upcoming events. Above all, have fun with your profile profile picture and cover photo! Be unique and stand out. On Facebook, be unique and stand out.11.  Participate in Facebook groups within your industry We've talked about creating a Facebook user group page for your own company, but what about participating in other groups? Participating in Facebook groups allows you provide helpful and informative advice or to start relevant discussions that can help generate interest in your brand. Search for other brands within your industry and see if they have a group page, then simply join it. Your primary reason to be in a group is to participate in other people’s discussions, not to start them. So answer, chime in and let the community guide the discussion. When participating, don’t shamelessly promote your content. Don’t just  share, but participate! Join several different groups that are relevant to your company or brand that you can participate in regularly. This will help get the word out about you from other members. 12. Create  an event via your Facebook page Creating and hosting events on Facebook is something that often gets forgotten about, but is great for engagement. Rather than just updating a post about an upcoming event, create a Facebook event for it. It's like being invited to an exclusive party, except everyone gets invited. Consider creating events that are hosted by your page, such as: A sale. An ongoing promotion. A special event. A new feature launch. Then, invite people who have liked your page to the event. The great thing about Facebook events is that, whether they are attending or just interested in the event, they will continue to receive information whenever you update the event page. BONUS: Their friends will be able to see if they are attending and may also be drawn to your page. Sprout Social  found  the 13 best ways to plan and organize a Facebook event: