The Watergate Scandal and Its Aftermath Essay Example for Free

The Watergate Scandal and Its Aftermath Essay On January 21, 1969, Richard Milhous Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th President of the United States and re-elected in January 3, 1973. On August 8, 1974, Nixon became the first US President to resign after impeachment proceedings were initiated against him over what has become known as â€Å"The Watergate Scandal.† (Watergate Chronology) The term Watergate has become synonymous with political cover-up, lies, crime skullduggery and scandal in the United States and worldwide.   The fact that a simple botched burglary opened a prodigious can of worms makes it all the more mind-boggling. As people began to realize that they were in the midst of a conspiracy that reached all the way to the top, they began to wonder just how deep, and how widespread, the rot went. Nixon himself has denied any complicity in the matter, until evidence that this was not so become too compelling to ignore, hence the subsequent impeachment articles and resignation. However, his motivations, aside from the mandatory â€Å"for the good of the nation†, was never satisfactorily explained. Regardless of the why, the effect of Watergate on the political status of Nixon is unexpected. It, of course, killed his Presidency, and although successor President Gerald Ford extended him a full pardon and he did not go to jail, many believed that he embodied the essence of all that was wrong in American politics of that era. Watergate colors any good he may have done during his term of office. However, he was far from quietly fading into the good night. After his resignation and pardon, Nixon proceeded to quietly regain respectability in the eye of the American public.   By the time of his death, he had managed to author nine books and served as adviser to US Presidents Bush Senior and Reagan. Whenever he spoke about American foreign policy before a crowd, people listened because he had made it his business to travel and get a political feel of the various countries he toured and the mindset of the political leaders he visited. In fact, his last book, Beyond Peace, was a less than flattering summation of American foreign policy that was timely in the face of the political crises such as in Bosnia and Korea after the Cold War. (Stacks, 1994) Nixon failed in the midst of his success, and succeeded in the midst of his failure. Ruthless in his pursuit and determined in his endeavors, he managed to rise above the ashes of the Watergate Scandal that destroyed the careers of at least 30 of the most prominent men of his time and died in 1997 regarded by many as an elderly statesman. What of the country he had, as many people still firmly believe, betrayed to further his own interests and control? What has his abuse of power done to affect American policy? The Watergate incident succeeded in opening an Aegean stables of graft and corruption, throwing into sharp relief the special interest groups that had bought their way into favor and prompted a US President to stake all.   The cleansing tide of public opinion and media criticism enabled the disheveled American government to rally around and expose the core of the problem. But the aftermath was more complicated than what was anticipated. People started to lose confidence in their political leaders, seeing them as untrustworthy and vulnerable to large corporations with deep pockets. Conspiracy theories cropped up that seemed increasingly probable, and suspicion of the â€Å"men in black† such as the FBI, CIA etc., agencies that served the will of people in power and not the American people increased. This may have been due to the fact of the FBI’s involvement in the attempted cover-up. (Watergate) The belt was tightening around campaign finance, and at first the measures were stringent. Campaign contributions could neither be from questionable sources nor more than $1,000.00. A federal commission on elections was formed to watch over the general election between Ford and Jimmy Carter. However, these measures could not last with clever politicians and court interpretations of the law backing the claim that campaign contributions were covered under the First Amendment. (Jackson, 1999) Soon, the amount of contributions from special interest groups and large corporations to both the Democratic and Republican parties reached epic proportions, undreamed off during Nixon’s time. Tighter media vigilance also succeeded in promoting transparency and accountability among the politicians. However, the unfailing skepticism of the spoken and written word became an integral part of this vigilance, lending material for many a stand-up comedy act that nevertheless undermine the efforts of politicians and statesmen to effect positive and progressive change in American policies, never mind if they be honest and morally upright. The media coverage of the Watergate hearings became the focal point of interest for at least 85% of the population at any given time in the initial proceedings, at one time dominating airtime with 13 hours of coverage in the six days following the first hearing on July 24, 1974. (Garay) While this kept people informed of what was happening, a change in the American psyche also resulted. The people post-Watergate lost their confidence in their elected officials and had adopted a passive, if not overtly hostile, attitude towards the whole process. This has filtered down to later generations and now less than 50% of the voting population actually bothers to vote. The general opinion is that all politicians and people in power are liars, or are not telling the whole truth, in pursuit of their own advancement and self-interests. This belief has translated into an overzealous, almost paranoid, eye for political corruption. Ethics committees and procedures, independent counsel law, public integrity sections and other such agencies are devoted solely to having a weather eye cocked for the smallest misstep. What was once acceptable political give-and-take, such as free football tickets, is looked at askance as a symptom of much bigger largesse. (Jackson, 1999) This has not stopped any chicanery, however. There are many ways around a committee, and around the law, if one has enough resources to pull it off. Many use this vigilance to discredit a rival or to gain favor in the public eye, most probably while doing the same thing or something else equally or more unethical or even illegal. The important thing is, from a political point of view, is not to get caught, as Nixon so very openly was. All this reform, disclosure and transparency has given way to two very significant results: One, those in politics bent on serving their own interests has become very good at fooling the watch dogs down paths that they want to expose while covering their own tracks; and two, those who have the nation’s interest at heart has an uphill climb in gaining the trust and confidence of the people. And what of the media? Many forget that the media is also a special interest group, but instead of currying favor from politicians to get special treatment by giving campaign contributions and other donations, the media uses politics and politicians to exploit whatever the issue of the moment is and sell. While many are legitimate publications with reliable sources or well-formed opinions, the great influence they have on public opinion are not always used judiciously. Their motivation is to sell. The bigger the scandal, the better, never mind if it is not always in the public interest to know all. Bad news sells better than good news, and many times the public focuses only on who’s doing what to whom rather than what good some have been doing, or trying to do. In the case of Watergate, media fed on the thirst of the public to know, but failed to provide a complete picture of what actually happened that 30 years down the line has provided to some extent. The damage has been done, the people no longer trust government, and are ready to believe the worst without giving benefit to doubt. What was most interesting to those who analyze the raison d’etre of the scandal was that it seemed almost pointless, as Nixon at the time was at the top of his form, having just been re-elected with a landslide victory, and popular with the nation. Many asked what could be his reason for wanting to bug the offices of the Democratic Party’s National Committee, housed then at the plush Watergate Hotel. Political spying and sabotage seemed to be the most obvious reason, as FBI investigators established in 1972, and it appeared reasonable what with the coming elections. However, the popularity he had gathered with his delivery of the â€Å"Silent Majority† speech on the Vietnam War seemed to make these efforts superfluous. (Watergate.info) To this day there has been no satisfactory answer as to the why as many closely involved with the scandal have died, and have taken the mystery with them. What is not a mystery today is the ripple-effect of Watergate on American politics and policy, and the establishment of Richard Nixon as a public figure. Political bashing and mud-slinging has become the order of the day, and the media has run true to form in exploiting the dollar value of a good scandal. Campaign financing has become big business, reaching astronomic levels, with the added bonus of being legitimate, thanks to slick interpretation and manipulation of the law by clever legal counsels. Political ingenuity has plotted an indictment-free zone so that money can talk in government policy. And despite skepticism, the American public relies heavily on the media to form their opinion regarding whom and what to believe, especially since Watergate when there were no holds barred as to what the media could put out.   People believe that the printed and televised words is inviolate, but more often than not the voices of the ones who have truly pure motives get drowned out with all the noise the ones with the deep pockets make. And where is Nixon in all this, that focus of Watergate? He lives on in the memory of the Americans as the President who authored the mother of all scandals (and was unfortunate enough to get caught) and the man who afterwards stood back up and brushed himself off to exert his influence in the political arena in spite of it. As he reportedly put to Russian Vice President Alexander Rutskoi following Rutskoi’s release from prison after his failed takeover against Boris Yeltsin, â€Å"that, for some, there can be life after hell.† (Stacks, 1994) References Watergate Chronology Washington Post retrieved December 28, 2006 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/watergate/chronology.htm Watergate: The Scandal That Brought Down Richard Nixon Watergate.info retrieved December 28, 2006 from   http://www.watergate.info/ Garay, R. WATERGATE   The Museum of Broadcast Communications retrieved December 28, 2006 from http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/W/htmlW/watergate/watergate.htm Jackson, B. 1999. A Watergate Legacy: More Public Skepticism, Ambivalence All Politics: CNN Time retrieved December 28, 2006 from http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/gen/resources/watergate/watergate.jackson/index.alt.html Stacks, J. 1994. Victory in Defeat All Politics: CNN Time retrieved December 28, 2006 from http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/gen/resources/watergate/watergate.stacks/index.alt.html Watergate Case Closed retrieved December 28, 2006 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/crime/caseclosed/watergate.shtml

The Integration of Ole Miss Essay Example for Free

The Integration of Ole Miss Essay James Meredith’s successful campaign to gain admission to the University of Mississippi, ‘Ole Miss’, and desegregate education in the state most resistant to integration of educational institutions has become a crucial epitome in the civil rights movement. The integration of Ole Miss altered Mississippi’s politics and contributed to a cultural shift in the region, as well as rejuvenated local civil rights activists and those in neighboring states. The historic confrontation among James Meredith and the University of Mississippi gives perspective on the category of African-Americans in the U.   S. civilization during the 20th century; breaking down the multi-layered notions of the combat of Ole Miss gives insight on the social and political forces that identified and cooperated with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. On September 30, 1962, riots evolved on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford where residents, perspective students, and committed segregationists joined to protest the enrollment and placement of James Meredith, African-American Air Force veteran attempting to integrate the all-white school. Despite the presence of more than 120 federal marshals who were on site to protect Meredith from danger, â€Å"the crowd turned violent after nightfall, and authorities struggled to maintain order†. Once the disappeared the next morning, two citizens were dead and an abundant amount were reportedly injured. For Meredith, this was a step into the door for a process that began no more than two years earlier when he challenged the school, suspecting that he was denied enrollment on the background of ethnicity. However, a lower court partnered with the University of Mississippi, the U. S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit established a decision in June 1962 which ordered the school to accept Meredith in the fall of 1962, ensuring an enormous conflict between the federal government and Mississippis state government anti-integration. After spending the night of September 30 with federal protection, Meredith was permitted to register for courses the morning after, and then became the first African-American to graduate from Ole Miss in August 1963. During this time period there were several events occurring that were related to the Civil Rights Movement. For example, years prior, in 1955-1957 the Montgomery Bus Boycott took place. With this bus boycott Rosa Park ignites a 381-day boycott organized by Martin Luther King Jr. The Freedom Riders of 1961 who opposed to segregation took buses to the South to protest the segregation of bus stations; many were greeted with riots and beatings by segregationist. The â€Å"Letter from the Birmingham Jail† was another major event throughout this time of the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King wrote this letter in response to Caucasian ministers who urged him to stop causing disturbances and articulates his nonviolent movement/resistance to wrongs of American society. Lastly, the murder of Medgar Evers (head of Mississippi NAACP), who was shot outside of his home on the exact night that President Kennedy addressed the nation on the notion of race. These key events related to the Integration of Ole Miss significantly because each event desired to integrate and with nonviolence. The civil rights movement, which increased in size during WWII because of the NAACP’s membership growing from 50,000 to 500,000 obtained momentum in 1954 with the Supreme Court Case of Brown v. Board of Education. The result of this case was the Court ruling that segregation of schools was deemed unconstitutional. By 1956 Kentucky, Oklahoma, Missouri, Maryland and Delaware had progressed to desegregate their schools, but for Southern Caucasians white supremacy was intensely set in cultural morals and social conferences, integration was not a choice. Many white supremacists referenced anti-integration as the Second Reconstruction. This would give whites an extra opportunity to control African-Americans. In Mississippi officials reacted with a design to â€Å"balance† schools, the government produced the State Sovereignty Commission, which protected the sovereignty of Mississippi and enforce racial segregation in the public eye. Politics were an unjust ideology during the 20th century. Many African-Americans gave up on the government being on their side to gain equal rights and justice. However, there were prominent political figures throughout the Civil Rights Movement who assisted African-Americans in gaining bits of equality. Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy stated: it is fundamental in our system that there be respect for the law and compliance with all the laws – not just those which we happen to agree. The course which Governor Barnett is following is, therefore, incompatible with the principles upon which the Union is based. James Meredith was escorted onto and off campus by the National Guard, but that was not enough. Robert and John Kennedy both made historical speeches in order to grant equality and security to the African-American civilization. On the contrary, Governor Barnett upheld his beliefs as a white supremacist and aimed so deeply to maintain segregation in the state of Mississippi. Barnett broadcasted through television and radio on September 13, 1962 to express his profound ideas of white domination. He states: I have made my position in this matter crystal clear. I have said in every county in Mississippi that no school in our state will be integrated while I am your Governor. I shall do everything in my power to prevent integration in our schools. I assure you that the schools will not be closed if this can possibly be avoided, but they will not be integrated if I can prevent it. As your Governor and Chief Executive of the sovereign State of Mississippi, I now call on every public official and every private citizen of our great state to join me. It is disturbing to know that a leader of a Union would work so immensely to disagree with everything the union stands for. Governor Barnett was willing to go against the political ideologies of the Constitution in order to maintain segregation in the Mississippi. In conclusion, The Integration of Ole Miss is sadly more â€Å"celebrated† than remembered. The University of Mississippi hung signs that read â€Å"Opening the Closed Society† and â€Å"50 Years of Courage†, but forget that before the state could celebrate integration they enforced over 100 years of segregation. Its almost if the university is celebrating emancipation without tackling its sin first. In order for future generations to understand what the â€Å"closed society† was like we must break down the true notions of the social and political forces that cooperated with the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

Yeast Activity in Rice Wine Fermentation

Yeast Activity in Rice Wine Fermentation In this study, the effect of different starter culture has been studied and the activity of yeast during the rice wine fermentation also being observed. The UHT milk were being mix with different kind of starter culture. Later, the yoghurt mixture were being incubated and further undergoes chilling period which results in the desired yogurt. Natural yogurt and Lactobacillus Casei Shirota had been chosen to be the best among other starter culture as the pH is drop dramatically and this proves that, the metabolite activity was high. As for rice wine fermentation, yeast was being added into the rice and being mix thoroughly. The specific gravity and pH were being observed. The pH value of the rice wine decreasing as this proves that the acidity is increasing due to the metabolite activity of yeast. The specific gravity of the yeast shows increase as this indicates that the sugar were being extracted out from the rice. Introduction Ethanol fermentation had been found by human beings which indicates that the change that being caused by the bacterial action could results in the formation of products that were enjoyable to consume. For example, the spoilage of fruit juices can results in the formation of wine. An early experiment carried out by Eduard Buchner in 1896 in which he grounded up a group of cell with sand until it totally being destroyed. The liquid that remain were being extracted and being added to sugar solution. He assume that fermentation could not occur since the cells are dead because there are no life-force needed to carry out fermentation (Albasi et al., 2001). Fermentation is the process which produces alcoholic beverages or acidic products. The fermentation which occur basically involves in the breaking down of complex organic substances into simple substances (Budslawski and Drabent, 1972). Glycolysis provide an energy towards the microorganism and causing sugar molecules to be split up and the electrons were removes from electrons to molecules (Arici et al, 2004). The electrons were being passed around to an organic molecule such as pyruvic acid resulting in the formation of a waste product such as lactic acid, ethyl alcohol and etc which is vital to utilized fermentation (Arici et al, 2004). The production of yogurt is mainly through fermentation by lactic acid bacteria at the range of 27à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C 40à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C. The mechanism by which the synergistic effect of Streptococcus spp. and Lactobacillus spp. have been well studied (Collins and Gibson, 1999). The process mainly involves in the pretreatment of milk, homogenization, heat treatment and cooling. Many study have been done towards the probiotic bacteria which can be used as the starter culture in the yogurt production which being health benefits (Shortt, 1999). In the rice wine production, the end product which is wine is resulted from glucose fermentation. Glucose which is present in the rice will be broken down to form alcohol under favourable condition of the yeast (Arici et al., 2004). The rice wine will continue until all sugar were used up and being converted to alcohol. Based on (Arici et al, 2004), the process of producing rice wine has two steps where by saccharification process is the first step which uses fungal in order to hydrolyse the rice starch into sugar. The next step which involves are utilizing the product of saccharification to ethanol which can be describe as below: In this experiment, the studies aim to look the effect of different starter culture that has being used for yogurt production and to observe the rice wine fermentation in the changing of pH and specific gravity. Materials Methods: Yogurt fermentation There were 6 different starter culture that had been used which were natural yoghurt, Pseudomonas sp., yeast, Lactobacillus casei Shirota (Yakult), Lactobacillus acidophilus (vitagen) and Lactococcus Lactis. Then, 12 mL of these starter cultures were being added into 500 mL UHT milk and being labelled separately. The pH of the milk before and after adding the starter culture were being taken. The mixture were being incubated at 40-46à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C for 4 5 hours. After this incubation, the pH of the yoghurts mixture will be tested again. The yoghurts were being incubated at 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C and the pH and also gram stained were performed after this chilling period. Below is the flow chart which summarises the methods of yogurt fermentation: Rice wine fermentation 1 kg of cooked rice were being prepared and being placed in a room temperature when conducting this experiment. The rice then were mix in ground with starter culture which are yeast and gradually being added up with approximately 1L of water until all the rice were mixed thoroughly with the yeast. The pH and specific gravity of the rice were being taken every day. Below is the flow chart which summarises the methods of rice wine fermentation: Results Yogurt production In the first session of the yoghurt production, 12ml of the starter culture which are natural yoghurt, Pseudomonas sp., yeast, Lactobacillus casei Shirota (Yakult), Lactobacillus acidophilus (vitagen) and Lactococcus Lactis being inserted into the UHT milks. Then the pH were taken and being followed by incubation at 40-46à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C. The pH and visual observation were taken again and continued to under chilling stages at 5 à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C. The final results and observation were taken. The morphology of the microorganism in the yogurt mixture were tested using the gram stain methods and being visualize using the microscope. In order to specify the identity of the microorganism and the quality of the product, the pHs and the gram stain observation were being compared. From table 1, all of the starter culture that was being used have a decrease in pH value from the inital pH to the incubated pH after undergo 40-46à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C incubation. All of the starter culture also have an increase value after undergo 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C chilling period. From figure 1 and table 1, the similarity and differences of morphology between all types of starter culture was being identified. When undergone gram staining, all of the starter culture showed purple colour under microscope indicates that it was gram positive bacteria instead gram negative bacteria which exhibit pink colour. Under the microscopic observation, the arrangement and shape of the bacteria was also being observed. Rice wine fermentation The experimentation of rice wine had been done for several days in which in the first day, the starter cultures were being mix with water and rice. The measurement of the pH and specific gravity were being taken every day until day 3. Based on table 2, the pH and specific gravity were being shown. The pH were found to be decreasing each day with the final pH was 2.94. The specific gravity shows an increasing value from 1.015 cm to 1.07 at day 2. However, the value are maintain at day 3.The appearance and morphology were being observed through wet mount techniques which use LPCB stain. The observation of yeast morphology can be seen at figure 2. Discussion Yogurt Production The yogurt production mainly used microorganism in its process which these microorganism having roles in the production of the lactic acid and controlling the aroma and flavour of the yogurt. The quality of the yogurt basically depending upon the time, temperature and the types of the starter culture that were used in the process. The common starter culture that was being used are Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. The need to control the optimum temperature for the activity of the microorganism is important to obtain proper yogurt taste and quality. The conditions with low temperature will cause the culture to grow slowly in order to fully acidify the milk and to achieve proper taste of yogurt. However, higher temperature will cause the starter culture to be killed and the activity of the microorganism will goes down and the proper yogurt will be failed to produce. This is the consequences that might happen when the optimum temperature is not met. The secretion of the microorganism metabolite will contribute to the taste and flavour of the yogurt. This secretion and formation of the metabolites are basically depends on the growth rate of the microorganism. The incubation of the milk and starter culture for 40-46à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C for 5 hours is the condition to assist the fermentation of the microorganism in the starter culture and producing the metabolite products. The temperature and time that is being set up in this experiments are being chosen to be the optimum condition for the fermentation to occur (Galesloot et al, 1968) and the rate of the culture metabolism would be higher (Gupta et al., 1996). If the metabolism of the culture is higher, the taste of the yogurt will be much sweeter (Galesloot et al., 1968). When the desired pH of the acidity is reached, the yogurt was quickly being chilled at 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C in order to suppress the fermentation process and any metabolic activity of the microorganism. This is to ensure the quality and taste of the yogurt are being maintain and no further activity of the microorganism in order to prevent the spoilage of the yogurt (De brabander et al, 1999). This is important to estimate the standard of the yogurt product. There were 6 different starter culture that has been used in this experiment which are natural yoghurt, Pseudomonas sp., yeast, Lactobacillus casei Shirota (Yakult), Lactobacillus acidophilus (vitagen) and Lactococcus Lactis. The UHT milks that were given are at the pH of approximately 6.0 and these yogurts are being incubated in the same temperature and time. The result for the natural yoghurt shows the decreasing pH after being incubated at 40 -46à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C for 4 to 6 hours which are from pH 5.31 to pH 2.90. But there is apparent increase in the pH after the chilling period of 4à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C which is to pH 3.69. The other starter culture also has the same pattern of pH which decreases after being incubated at 40-46à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C and increase after the chilled period of 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C. But for the other culture, the pH increase after undergo chilling period at 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C does not as obvious as the natural yogurt. The underlying reason for this condition to occur is that the production of the Carbon dioxide (CO2) due to lactose fermentation causing the pH to decline after incubation period of 4 to 6 hours at 40 46 à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C. The growth of Lactobacillus is increasing and its predominates the whole yogurt produce more acid and causing the acids to accumulates which leads to the decrease in the pH of the yogurt for all of the starter culture that were being used in this experiment (Gomes and Malcata, 1999). All of the starter cultures have slight increase in the pH after being chilled at 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C and this is not as what is being expected. The chilling period of 5à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C should maintain and control the acidity of the mixture by reducing the metabolism activity of the starter culture which present and thus, reducing the byproduct formation at this step (Gomes and Malcata, 1999). However, the experimental result does show an increase due to several reasons. The first reason is that, there might be contaminants or other types of the microorganism that might interrupted the activity of the Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus in this experiment. Hence, this interruption causing the low acidity and thus increase the pH. The other possible reason is that after the chilling period, the yogurt was not mixed causing pH gradient and the acid only concentrated at one part. But, to test the pH value using the pH meter, the yogurt was mix before testing the pH causing t he acid to be distributed and resulting in the homogenous solution which was less acidic. This is why the results after chilling period for all types of starter culture are increased. The observation that can be seen for natural yogurt is that after being incubated at 40-46à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C, the condition for which fermentation can occur is that, the yogurt have sour smell and have the appearance of milky curdles on the top and liquid at bottom and the consistency is thick and not even. Mostly of the visual observation of the yogurt with different starter culture have this curdles on the mixture and develop some sort of sour smell. This is because the acidity causing the disruption in the tertiary structure of the protein in the milk (Albasi et al, 2001). Hence, this situation produce curdles in the mixture. The smell of the mixture with different starter culture also have some sort of sour- like smell which can proved that the yogurt contain carbon dioxide. Based on the result in this experiment, the natural yoghurt has the minimum pH compared to the other starter culture followed by yakult, lactococcus lactis and vitagen after the incubation period of 40-46à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C. This is because the acidity shows that Lactobacillus predominates the yogurt mixture and produce more acid causing decreasing in the pH. The pH after the incubation at 40-46à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C of Pseudomonas sp. and yeast are higher compared to the other due to the acid production is lower and thus produce less acid causing the pH to be high. For the gram stained, the entire results shows gram stain positive in which under the microscope the image that could be seen is in purple colour. Most of the results are based on the expected. However for the yeast culture, no yeast being observed but the other types of microorganism can be seen. This is due to the presence of contaminants that might be cause during the pH measurement. At the bench, only one pH meter were provided and this will cause contamination of the pH meter resulting in the discrepancies in the result. The possible reason for this to occur is that the yeast might not being activated with the yogurt condition. This is due to the unfavourable condition for the yeast to grow. Hence, causing the other microorganism to dominate the yogurt. The result from the experiment showed that the natural yoghurt and Lactobacillus casei shirota (Yakult) was chosen to be effective starter culture in yogurt production due to the decline in the pH which shows that the bacteria were actively producing metabolite by product during the fermentation stages occurring. The high metabolite will fasten the yogurt flavour when being added with milk and fasten the process which will prevent spoilage of food and maintain the quality of the food. Rice wine fermentation For the rice wine fermentation, the pH are decreasing across the days of experimentation. This indicates that fermentation does occurs and producing acid as it by product. The metabolite activity which occurs in the fermentation are increasing, does produce more acids. The experimental results are based on what is expected. As for the specific gravity the pattern that can be seen is where there is an increase in the specific gravity from day o which is during the set up to day 2. However, there is no increase in the specific gravity in day 3. The specific gravity of the rice wine is the lowest in day 0 indicates that there are not much glucose being released to the solution (xxx). There are increase in the specific gravity because of the sugar which are being release to the solution are increasing as time increases (Zoecklein et al, 1995). The increase in specific gravity value also indicates that the extraction of carbohydrate which are constituents in the rice to sugar are increasing due to the increase in the metabolite activity of yeast. Theoretically, the sugar should be decreasing as the time goes by as the sugar being converted into alcohol due to fermentation process (Wanapu et al, 2002). As in this experiment, in day 3 to day 4, the specific gravity is maintain and it supposed to be decreasing as the sugar being used up for alcohol production. This might happened because the rice wine has stopped the extraction of the sugar and conversion of sugar to alcohol has just begun. That is why the value does not show any changes. This discrepancies might occur because that the rice were not evenly distributed and causing not all the sugar were being extracted and converted into alcohol. The time taken for this experiment is not enough to prove that there should be decrease value of specific gravity due to the glucose being used up. Conclusion From the experiment, the best chosen starter culture were natural yogurt and Lactobacillus Casei Shirota (Yakult) as the pH from initial pH undergo dramatic decline when fermentation process were done. The decrease in the pH value during this stage indicates the metabolic processes were being done and producing the by product which is acidic. The pH value of the rice wine fermentation also decreasing as a result of metabolic reaction occurring producing acidic by products and the increase in the specific gravity shows that the sugar are being extracted into the solution. Later, the sugar will be converted into alcohol causing the specific gravity to be no changed.

Alcoholism and Drinking - Alcoholics Anonymous as an Important Literary

Alcoholics Anonymous as an Important Literary Work Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the great unrecognized literary works of the first half of the twentieth century.   It has been through three editions after its first printing in 1939 and at least fifty-three printings in over ninety countries (xxii).   The wide popularity and circulation of the book certainly affirms this claim.   An examination of the contents of the book will show that it also deserves this title.   It is a rich work because it conveys a basic human condition, though ugly, until that time not often spoken of in public.   If it simply did this and nothing more it would merely be a good book.   But it does more than speak to an ugly condition; it gives a blueprint for change.      The human condition which is spoken about in Alcoholics Anonymous is the dichotomy of the life of the alcoholic.   These alcoholics are not easy to categorize; they are not always a Dr Jekyll by day and Mr Hyde by night.   Bill, who explains his life story in the first chapter, explains how he studied economics, business and law to join speculators on Wall Street.   Up until this point, drinking had interfered in his life, but was not a continuous plague.   Yet, over the course of time he becomes an alcoholic for a variety of reasons, like many individuals described throughout the book.   The alcoholics described are not portrayed as unintelligent, unsuccessful or insignificant.   They are men who have high positions, who are by turns "brilliant, fast-thinking, imaginative and likeable" (139).   The conclusion of a prima facie inspection of these individuals would not include over indulgence of alcohol.   But under the alcoholic influence these attributes worthy of no te slowly atrophy and... ...the book is flexible enough to be implemented in other ways is the indication that it is a book of stature.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, one cannot easily undermine the experience of those who have read the book and changed.   These are the ones who will agree most wholeheartedly with the assertion that Alcoholics Anonymous is a great unrecognized literary work.   Indeed, these individuals are the evidence of this assertion as well.  Ã‚      Bibliography    Alcoholics Anonymous conveys not a singular story, but stories - ones common to alcoholics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story common to alcoholics is one also shared by wives, family members, employers, and so forth.   Thus Alcoholics Anonymous is not just a book for alcoholics but also for those who come into contact with them.   The audience of    "matters medical, psychiatric, social, and religious" (19).     

stock market crash Essay -- essays research papers

The Stock Market crash of 1929 has been looked at as the greatest symbol of depression is our countries history. Although the Stock Market crashing had a huge effect on the beginning of the Great Depression, there are still factors to consider when looking for a source to blame. It’s hard to put responsibility on the stock market for something so huge and disheartening. The Great Depression is seen as a slippery road downward, not a sudden jolt into hopelessness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Stock Market in the 1920’s had consistently seen prices climb over the last few years. By the fall of 1929 the prices of stock were severely overpriced and unaffordable. When stockholders saw the severity in the prices they all panicked and began to sell all the stock that they owned. This is what caused the Stock Market to crash. Other causes for the Great Depression are there just not obvious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Tax system in the United States in this period was struggling. Income Tax on the middle class was way too high. The middle class would end up paying the vast majority of the tax. Rich and well off people, seemed to find loopholes in the system to get around paying the taxes that they should. This led to the rich getting richer and the poor got poorer. Unemployment rose to a high of 25%.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Due to the lack of money in the middle class Americans pocket, there was a great problem with overproduction. The products were being made, but...

What the Women Want Essay -- Health Policy, Aboriginal Women

What the women want Research done by Browne & Fiske (2001) describes aboriginal women’s’ positive experiences with the health care system and interactions. For example, one woman stated that being able to be involved in her care and sharing information and knowledge led her to develop a rapport with her physician. She was given the time to ask questions and felt welcome. Caring gestures towards the patients also made the women feel as though they were important. Presencing themselves after shifts were over were described as going above and beyond by the women and they were appreciative while going through something emotionally distressing. The women also felt validated when their cultural healing practices were welcomed and discussed in conjunction with western medicine. Forming long term positive relationships with health care providers enhanced the women’s well being and overall health care experience. All of these testimonies of experiences narrowed the social gap between health care provider and patient. This enabled a healthy relationship in which trust and respect were mutually exchanged. Native Liaison Workers In a report done by Browne and Fiske (2008) entitled Paradoxes and Contradictions in Health Policy reform, women who participated in a study expressed the desire to have access to Native Liaison workers. More hospitals would benefit from adopting professional roles such as the Native Liaison worker. Native Liaison workers work to interpret, advocate and bridge the gaps between health care professionals and aboriginal patients. This role has been quite significant in maintaining cultural sensitivity amongst the power imbalances that may take place within health care settings. The Native Liaison workers help both th... ...post colonial concerns into praxis, pushing beyond culturalist approaches to policy† (Browne & Smye, 2002). According to Richardson, Williams, Finlay & Farell (2009) there are three concepts that can be used to incorporate cultural safety into their practice and these are: self recognition, situational assessment, and a solution focus. Nurses need to self reflect and identify their own cultural position and identify biases that may affect their daily practice. By undergoing this process, nurses can then identify what constitutes cultural risk. Next, by assessing each situation, potential outcomes can be foreseen that may or may not be culturally safe practice. Nurses who are solution focused can serve as role models for patients, colleagues and the community at large. Communication, reflection and leadership skills are essentials of culturally safe practice.

Plantation and Oral Tradition in Margaret Walker’s Jubilee Essay

Margaret Walker’s novel Jubilee focuses on the life of a slave girl by the name of Vyry who gains her freedom at the end of the Civil War and sets out with her children, Minna and Jim, and husband, Innis Brown, to make a new life for their family in the Reconstruction Period. Walker’s awareness of the southern plantation tradition is made clear throughout Jubilee in the way that she debunks the negative tropes placed on the shoulders of African Americans by the nostalgic white writers of the South; Walker also incorporates her knowledge of black oral tradition by way of small snippets of text on every page which marks the start of a new chapter in the text. The first section of Jubilee covers the antebellum years, before the Civil War ripped the southern United States apart. Traditionally, a plantation narrative is narrated from the perspective of a slave, frequently portrayed as â€Å"happier and better off under slavery than they would be if they were free† and established the stereotypical â€Å"happy darky† (Campbell). â€Å"The happy-go-lucky darky images of the antebellum South could be contrasted favorably to the images of impoverished, potentially dangerous blacks of post-Reconstruction.† (Warren, 119).Walker fractures this trope by incorporating her ancestors’ harsh treatment on a real plantation. The plantation tradition has the enslaved narrator holding the plantation in high esteem, as if it were a golden utopia, when in reality slaves face inevitable punishment and death; they are neither happy nor enjoying the treatment delivered to them by their masters. Walker shows this through the story arc of Lucy, one of Master John’s slaves and friend of Vyry. Lucy tries to escape, but is caught and branded with an â€Å"R† on her face for â€Å"runaway.† Determined to take her freedom into her own hands, she learns to cover her mark with makeup, â€Å"a mixture of yellow ochre, red clay, and charcoal, until it had blended into her skin† (Walker, 127). Lucy runs away again, and is successful in reaching the free North. Even when slaves do stay on the plantation and follow orders, they are still vulnerable to abuse from their overseers. Plantation tradition usually upholds the Master’s orders in a place of highest priority, another trope that Walker breaks in Jubilee. Shortly after Lucy ran away the second time, Master John had â€Å"plainly told [Uncle Plato and Uncle Esau] and Mr. Grimes that they were not to go into the fields anymore† (Walker, 132) because they  were too old for that kind of hard labor. Grimes, the overseer, went against Master John’s decision again and ordered them both back out into the fields. â€Å"In less than an hour in the blazing sun the two old men had collapsed in the fields, overcome by the heat and unaccustomed exertion† (Walker, 133). Uncle Plato and Uncle Esau took refuge in an abandoned slave cabin that was burned down while the two men were sleeping. â€Å"There was a big mix-up over whether [Grimes] actually ordered his guards to burn that particular house or another† (Walker, 134), but Master John and the rest of the slaves did not believe that it was an accident. After these usurpations and his wife Salina’s casual brushing-off of Master John’s claim to authority on the plantation, Caline observes that â€Å"his say-so don’t amount to nothing† (Walker, 136). Margaret Walker’s use of the black oral tradition crops up throughout Jubilee in the way she incorporates spirituals, sayings, prayers, and hymns into the beginning page of each chapter. One of the main purposes of oral tradition is to pass down the history of the race, since there were no written history books for their culture. â€Å"The oral tradition of the African societies and the necessity for oral traditions as a result of the slave system has helped the Black culture survive† (Staggers). History books talk of slaves singing spirituals and hymns in the fields as a way to boost morale, and it was common practice, even enforced by law, for slaveholders to not grant their slaves an education, resulting in a slave’s inability to read and write. Walker uses snippets from such songs or texts to foreshadow the theme or struggle of their respective chapters. When Brother Zeke first speaks of God sending them a Moses, that chapter’s quote is â€Å"When Israel was in Egypt’s land / let my people go / Oppress’d so hard they could not stand / let my people go† (Walker, 18). Walker would also write Aunt Sally singing when she was working in the kitchens of the Big House. â€Å"When Aunt Sally was deeply troubled, she opened her mouth and raised a real wailing song over he r cooking† (Walker, 71). If slaves ever spoke out against their masters, they would face extremely harsh punishment and perhaps even death. Most of the people in the Big House would not recognize the singing as Aunt Sally expressing her discontent, but rather see it as just making noise. The oral tradition offers a freedom of expression that is disregarded and seldom if ever over-analyzed by the white oppressors they were singing out against. Through these songs and prayers igniting each new chapter of the rise and  fall of the Confederacy through Vyry’s eyes, and the destruction of the tropes distorting the harsh reality of slavery throughout the entirety of Jubilee, Margaret Walker creates an accurate and emotional story that proves her knowledge of the literary traditions surrounding the truth of her ancestors that southern writer after writer in the Reconstruction Period had strived to suppress. Works Cited 1. Campbell, Donna M. â€Å"The Plantation Tradition in Local Color Fiction. â€Å"Literary Movements. Dept. of English, Washington State University. 07/04/2013. Web. 09/03/2013. 2. Staggers, Gail. â€Å"Talkin’ Loud: Black Oral Tradition.† Yale-New Haven Teachers’ Institute. Web. 09/04/2013. 3. Walker, Margaret. â€Å"Jubilee.† New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 1966. Print. 4. Warren, Kenneth W. â€Å"Black and White Strangers: Race and American Literary Realism.† Black Literature and Culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1995. Print.