10 Examples of Electrical Conductors and Insulators

10 Examples of Electrical Conductors and Insulators Do you need examples of electrical conductors and insulators? Heres a handy list, but first, lets review just what conductors and insulators are. How Electrical Conductors and Insulators Work Electrical conductors are materials that conduct electricity; insulators dont. Why? Whether a substance conducts electricity depends on how easily electrons can move through it. Protons dont move because, while they would carry electrical charge, they are bound to other protons and neutrons in atomic nuclei. Valence electrons are like outer planets orbiting a star. They are attracted enough to stay in position, but it doesnt always take a lot of energy to knock them out of place. Metals readily lose and gain electrons, so they rule the list of conductors. Organic molecules are mostly insulators, in part because they are held together by covalent (shared electron) bonds and also because hydrogen bonding helps stabilize many molecules. Most materials are neither good conductors, nor good insulators. They dont readily conduct, but if enough energy is supplied, the electrons will move. Some materials are insulators in pure form, but will conduct if they are doped with small quantities of another element or if they contain impurities. For example, most ceramics are excellent insulators, but if you dope them, you can get a superconductor. Pure water is an insulator, but dirty water conducts weakly and salt water, with its free-floating ions, conducts well. 10 Electrical Conductors The best electrical conductor, under conditions of ordinary temperature and pressure, is the metallic element silver. Its not always an ideal choice as a material, though, because of its cost and because it tarnishes. The oxide layer known as tarnish is not conductive. Similarly, rust, verdigris, and other oxide layers reduce conductivity. silvergoldcopperaluminummercurysteelironsea waterconcretemercury more conductors: platinumbrassbronzegraphitedirty waterlemon juice 10 Electrical Insulators rubberglasspure wateroilairdiamonddry wooddry cottonplasticasphalt more insulators: fiberglassdry paperporceleinceramicquartz Its worth noting the shape and size of a material affects conductivity. A thick piece of matter will conduct better than a thin piece of the same length. If you take two pieces of a material that are the same thickness, but one is shorter than the other, the shorter one will conduct better. It has less resistance, in much the same way its easier to force water through a short pipe than a long one. Temperature also affects conductivity. As increase temperature, atoms and their electrons gain energy. Some insulators (e.g., glass) are poor conductors when cool, yet good conductors when hot. Most metals are better conductors when cool and poorer conductors when hot. Some good conductors become superconductors at extremely low temperatures. Although electrons flow through a conductive material, they dont damage the atoms or cause wear, like you would get from friction of water in a canyon, for example. Moving electrons do experience resistance or cause friction, however. The flow of electrical current can lead to heating of a conductive material. Do you need more examples? Here is a more comprehensive list that includes thermal conductors and insulators.

Show, Dont Tell

Show, Dont Tell Show, Dont Tell Show, Dont Tell By Erin Anyone who’s ever written a short story or taken a freshman composition course has heard the words â€Å"show, don’t tell.† I know those words can be frustrating. You might not know exactly what â€Å"show, don’t tell† means. Or you might believe that you are showing when you’re really telling. While â€Å"telling† can be useful, even necessary, most people don’t realize how vital â€Å"showing† is to an effective story, essay, or even a blog post. Showing allows the reader to follow the author into the moment, to see and feel and experience what the author has experienced. Using the proper balance of showing and telling will make your writing more interesting and effective. â€Å"Okay, I get it,† you’re thinking. â€Å"But how do I do it? How do I bring more showing into my writing?† I’m glad you asked. Here are some tips that will help make your writing more vivid and alive for your reader. 1. Use dialogue This is probably one of the first things I talk to my students about when I have them write personal essays. Dialogue allows the reader to experience a scene as if they were there. Instead of telling the reader your mom was angry, they can hear it for themselves: â€Å"Justin Michael,† mom bellowed, â€Å"Get in here this instant!† Dialogue can give your reader a great deal about character, emotion and mood. 2. Use sensory language In order for readers to fully experience what you’re writing about, they need to be able to see, hear, taste, smell and touch the world around them. Try to use language that incorporates several senses, not just sight. 3. Be descriptive I’m sure everyone remembers learning to use adjectives and adverbs in elementary school. When we’re told to be more descriptive, it’s easy to go back to those things that we were taught. But being descriptive is more than just inserting a string of descriptive words. It’s carefully choosing the right words and using them sparingly to convey your meaning. The following example is from a short story I wrote. Telling: He sits on the couch holding his guitar. There’s nothing wrong with that sentence. It gives the reader some basic information, but it doesn’t create an image. Compare that sentence with this: Showing: His eyes are closed, and he’s cradling the guitar in his arms like a lover. It’s as if he’s trying to hold on to something that wants to let go. The second example takes that basic information and paints a picture with it. It also uses figurative language- in this case, the simile â€Å"cradling the guitar in his arms like a lover†- to help create an image. When using description, it’s important not to overdo it. Otherwise, you can end up with what I call â€Å"police blotter† description. For example: He was tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a red shirt and jeans, and a brown leather jacket. 4. Be specific, not vague This is another one I’m constantly reminding my college students about. Frequently, they will turn in essays with vague, fuzzy language. I’m not sure if they think this type of writing sounds more academic, but all it really does is frustrate the reader. Instead of writing, â€Å"I had never felt anything like it before in my entire life,† take the time to try and describe what that feeling was, and then decide how best to convey that feeling to the reader. Your readers will thank you for it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Cost-Effective vs. Cost-EfficientCapitalization Rules for the Names of Games40 Idioms with First

Project Management 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project Management 4 - Essay Example formation certain mechanism can be adopted which may include meetings, seminar, pamphlet sharing within the organization or other sources of enabling knowledge information. Incase effective communication is not being provided or is not in place, mechanism would be introduced for enhancing the overall flow of information, and this would be done by removing the barriers if any may exist. In case the communication means are not effective, proper guidelines would be devised, roles would be clearly defined and the task at hand would be better explained both from managerial view point and the technical view point. Technology is of high importance with regard to the communication purpose (Beck et.al 2009). For this reason state of the art devices and technological equipment must be incorporated into the system which enable inside the organization and outside the organization effective communication

The United States should NOT withdraw its troops from Afganistan in Essay

The United States should NOT withdraw its troops from Afganistan in 2014 as currently planned - Essay Example have started to believe that withdrawal of forces is necessary as the conflict has resulted in thousands of death and the figures continue to rise without any positive impact. According to the figures of June 2011, over 1500 US military officials have lost their lives and this figure does not constitute those who expired due to injuries. Several factors that need to be considered while deciding about the decision of withdrawal including return of Taliban and the outcome of the war. The entire cost of the war has been quite high and the war has been associated with the recent recession experienced by the entire world. Afghanistan itself is in very bad conditions, the infrastructure has been destroyed during the course of the war. Before exiting from Afghanistan, US needs to make sure that life is restored in Afghanistan, if the troops leave now, the probability of return of Taliban and increase in the number of terrorists is quite high. The war was led by United States and if they quit the region, other nations will follow their lead and the allied forces will lose control. On 12 February 2013, President Obama talked about withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the public of United States demands the same (GORDON, 2013). Withdrawing now is not a favorable option as the country is still under the threat of terrorists. If US troops leave now, the Taliban will return to nation as soon as the troops leave. This means that in future, events such as 9/11 will have a higher probability of re-occurring. Death of Osama Bin Laden does not mark the end of terrorism, as replacements of his leadership are already operational. To counter the issue, US troops need to continue fighting in Afghanistan and remain there until life is restored in Afghanistan and all terrorists are eliminated. Withdrawal of troops during 2014 without achievement of end of terrorism and restoration of life in Afghanistan will raise question regarding the entire war. Those who lost their loved ones

All Firms Should Produce at MR=MC Essay Example for Free

All Firms Should Produce at MR=MC Essay In economics, the point of profit maximizing and loss minimizing is called MR=MC. This point is where marginal revenue equals marginal cost, meaning that cost does not exceed revenue and revenue does not exceed cost. This is a profit-maximizing zone, meaning that total cost is not the lowest, but is farthest away from the total returns. The optimal point of production for the firm is at the point MR=MC. Marginal revenue is defined as the change in total revenue as a result of producing an additional unit, while marginal cost is the increase or decrease of a firms total cost of production as a result of the change in production by one additional unit. When these two are equal, the firm is not losing money, and is making the most profit possible. In the area of the graph where less quantity is being sold, the firm still obtains a profit but it is not maximized, and in the area of the graph where more quantity is being sold, profit is less and money can be lost from the firm. To the left of MR=MC, cost is low to the firm and revenue is high. As the graph progresses toward the point of MR=MC, each unit provides less and less profit. As the first unit is produced, the profit is high for that unit, but the profit for each extra unit produced declines toward the point of profit maximization. This may sound absurd, and may make the reader wonder why the firm does not produce at the first unit. However, as each unit is produced, the firm gets to keep the profit from every unit produced previously. This would add up to far more profit than if the firm produced when cost is lowest and revenue is greatest. The point where marginal revenue equals marginal cost is the point where all of the profits from the previous units are combined. At this point, total cost is not at its lowest, and total revenue is not the greatest, but are farthest away from each other, which is represented in the graphs attached. It is true that in the less quantity level of the graph revenue exceeds cost, however, the profit at MR=MC is far more than any of the units produced. To the right of MR=MC, total costs exceed total revenue. The firm would spend more money on workers, resources, and the production of goods, and not get a  great profit back. Once the quantity of goods produced passes the point where MR=MC, the firm not only does not make a great profit, but after a while, it loses the money that the company has already, and soon the company would go into debt. The point of profit maximization and loss minimization is the ideal point of production because if the firm was to produce more, all previous profit would be lost and the firm could possibly close down. As shown in the graphs attached, the profit depletes until the point where money is being taken from the firm just to produce more. When the firm cuts down its production and gets to the point of MR=MC again, the profit will once again be maximized. To conclude, the point of loss minimization and profit maximization is where marginal revenue equals marginal costs. This way, all profit from previous units sold is combined for a large profit and all costs do not exceed the total revenue. The firm should always produce at the point where MR=MC. If they move to the left or right of this point, total profit would drop. As the change in total revenue changes, so does the cost of production. The optimal point of production is when both of these are equal to each other. The graphs attached show how profit is still being made on other points of the curve, but MR=MC is the greatest. If a firm wants to increase revenue and profit, the best bet is to produce where marginal return is equal to marginal cost.

An Essay Bribery Act 2010

An Essay Bribery Act 2010

Disease Surveillance

Disease surveillance is defined as the systematic data collection, data analysis and interpretation of the results in order to enable effective planning in the aspect of disease control. It enables infectious diseases to be detected early so that their potential threat to the public is minimized. The threats may be due to cases of food borne infections, bioterrorism and communicable diseases (Lombardo and Buckeridge, 2007). There are several systems and networks that have been put in place in order to help in the surveillance of infectious diseases.Disease surveillance also requires the collaboration of different partners and officials, an effective communication system and reliable laboratory networks in order to be effective. BioSense involves the use of syndromic data derived from different electronic sources. This improves the speed at which disease is detected. It enables outbreaks to be detected early enough before they lead to serious problems. It has been applied in different sectors by the state such as to detect any cases of bioterrorism and other threats that may put the lives of the citizens in danger.This system has been employed by CDC (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004). Electronic Laboratory Exchange Networks (eLEXNET) is a surveillance system used in food safety. It is a web-based system used in state, federal and even local agencies. It enables the collaboration of both the government and health officials in that the data regarding food safety is shared and therefore the potential risk of a possible outbreak of food borne diseases is detected early enough (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004).The other type of syndromic system is the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community based Epidemics (ESSENCE). It relies on data that is got from hospitals, dispensaries and clinics. This data is collected daily and assist in the tracking of the common syndromes found in a particular area. H istorical data is also helpful in this system since it acts as a starting point for the epidemiologists. The officials can also pin point the specific area or region with a high number of a certain syndrome through the use of a geographic information system (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004).Epidemic Information Exchange (Epi-X) is a web based communication system usually used by CDC. It enables the sharing of information with the state, federal and other pubic health officials. It is an effective system since it enables the authorized users to share information and get feedbacks on every issue such as the efforts put in place for the control of infectious diseases (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004). Food borne Disease Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) is a system which is designed to respond to any new food borne disease that is of public importance.It also monitors the trend and identifies the specific sources of these diseases. It is a more reliable and an accurate system in the estimation of incidences of these diseases (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004). Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) enable keen surveillance of diseases which have either been confirmed or rumored. It is mostly used by WHO in the surveillance of diseases that are of worldwide importance. The information is gotten from different sources such as the media, institutions and health ministries in different countries (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004).Other systems that have also been used include Global Public Health Intelligence (GPHIN), Health Alert Network (HAN), Laboratory Response Network (LRN), National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS), National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance (NETSS), National Retail Data Monitor (NRDM), Real Time Outbreak and Disease Surveillance (RODS) and Sexually Transmitted Disease Management Information System (STDMIS) (United States Government Accountability Office, 2004).These systems require a number of key factors in order for disease surveillance to be effective. First, the source of data must be reliable to enable the accurate and fast response during surveillance. The data is the baseline for surveillance as seen in all the systems above such as ESSENCE and BioSense. Therefore, surveillance cannot be possible without data. Secondly, effective communication networks which enables the information to be shared with other partners such as the state, federal and public health officials. References Lombardo, J.S. & Buckeridge, D.L. (2007).Disease Surveillance: A Public Health Informatics Approach. New Jersey: John Wiley & sons, Inc. United States Government Accountability Office. (2004). Emerging Infectious Diseases: Review   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of State and Federal Disease Surveillance Efforts. Retrieved on 12th May 2010 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04877.pdf

American Superconductor Case

American Superconductor offer electric power infra structure from its generation to distribution. AMSC is the leader in alternate energy. The company has two main business units: AMSC power systems and AMSC Superconductors. AMSC Superconductors American Superconductor has spent nearly 18 years as public limited company developing transmission wires of high quality in order to generate and deliver power. The Company has been posting continuous losses and mostly dwindling on cash.It has however posted recently its first ever profit for the quarter ended 31st March 2009 by earning a profit of $1. 3 million or 3 cents per share. (MSN Money) Debt Verses Equity Financing Equity and debt financing both have their advantages and disadvantages explaining why most big companies select an optimal capital structure which is a mix of debt and equity. Theoretically having a higher ratio of debt in the capital structure maximizes the return on equity. The interest payments on debt are tax deductibl e and usually the cost of debt is much lower than the cost of equity.With debt financing a company pays a fixed interest payment irrespective of the amount of profit or growth it has achieved i. e. it does not have to share its profits with its creditors. For a profitable company requiring extra capital, â€Å"debt financing† is the best option because with debt financing it does not have to share its profits or the ownership of the business with others. Equity injection however results in further dilution of earnings and management control. With the above argument one may feel that debt financing is the best option.Debt financing is a good option as long as the company has huge profits and liquid assets to support it. For a business that is facing losses, debt payments can be a huge burden in the form of interest payments. The creditors will have to be paid while the stockholders on the other hand will not get any dividends since the company is only making a loss. We can the refore say that equity financing puts less of a burden on a company’s financials when profitability is depleting or business is posting a loss.Higher equity percentage in the capital structure impacts the financial ratios of the company positively. Restructuring to 100% Equity It all started after the 2003 black out which occurred due to the over load of power grids and American Superconductors stocks surged by nearly 42% as an expectation that the quality wires manufactured by American Superconductors could be used to relieve congestion on the power grids. The company took this situation as an opportunity and the managers and board of directors decided to forgo debt financing of $50 million and adopt an equity financing strategy.The company raised $51. 1 million by selling shares which helped strengthen the balance sheet and enhanced the liquidity condition of the company. American Superconductors however continued making losses, but conversion of capital structure to 100% e quity allowed the company to reduce its interest expense significantly. Since higher leverages magnifies return on equity of a profitable business but also maximizes the loss by putting additional pressure on the profit and loss account of a company.AMSC after converting to 100% equity capital structure saved millions of dollars every year in terms of interest expense. Recently AMSC has posted its first profit since the capital restructuring in 2003. If AMSC had not converted to equity financing it would have had a major problem financing its cash needs and credit worthiness would have gotten worse. The Debt to Equity ratio would have increased and debt would have gotten more and more expensive for the company thus increasing the interest expense of the company and it may have never became profitable.Long term debt continues to be zero whereas the number of outstanding shares can be seen increasing from 19. 7 million shares to 41. 5 million shares. Conclusion American Superconductor being a technology company had to face many challenges such as failed projects, higher cost of business and ever changing environment. Board of Directors in my opinion took a very good decision by not using long term debt in their capital structure. AMSC has been a subject of criticism but it has finally posted a profit and if it stays profitable they might want to rethink their optimal capital structure.

Internship Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor

Internship Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor Abstract Overwhelming challenges of the 21st century force many people to use drugs, as they are unable to keep up with the pace of the contemporary life. Many people become addicts and they are unable to handle the issues associated with their addiction.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Internship: Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, counseling is coming to the fore, as counselors are able to assist drug addicts to quit their harmful habit and effectively integrate into the community. This paper dwells upon the internship at Legacy Services (New York). The intern shadowed a substance abuse counselor to gain the necessary experience for practice. It is necessary to note that participation in sessions and multi-disciplinary staff meetings; observation and contribution to development of certain treatments strategies equipped the intern with the necessary skills and knowledge that will help him be an efficient drug abuse counselor. Moreover, strong and weak sides of the Legacy Services are analyzed and conclusions are made. In the end of the work discussion of the main presented ideas is introduced. Recommendations and possible implications of the main ideas of the work are suggested. Introduction Statement of the Problem The issue of substance abuse counseling includes why people use drugs and to understand the effects on their health. It also considers the effects of drugs on one’s health as well as the resulting mental health issues because of substance abuse. Substance abuse has been around for years,and individuals are not aware of how to identify and learn to cope with the challenges of addiction. Additionally, behavioral assessments, intervention, multidisciplinary management, preparation, education, and program development and execution made huge changes in participants’ substance abuse behaviors (Babinski,Pelham, Waxmonsky, 2013). Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Babinski et al. (2013),counseling for people who depend on chemicals requires some skills for it to be effective. Also, most participants prefer counseling that is done by specialists(Babinski et al., 2013). However, severalprograms of substance abuse were examined; all engaged moralistic group settings on various clinical issues, which showed the programscould affect participants’ treatment(Greenfield Venner, 2012). The programs should be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to guide the participants to their future endeavors or self-sufficiency(Dufour et al., 2014). Also, counselors’failure to keep up with modern information to encourage the participant’schange of behavior could lead to relapse. Relapsing into drugs or alcohol abuse can occur even after long periods of sobriety (Greenfield Venn er, 2012).Therefore, the reason why it is critical for the counselors in this field to utilize the emerging knowledge to help participants who are drug addicts. Purpose of the Internship The internship period is to gain in-depth knowledge of mental health by acquiring new emerging information from the mentor,concerning people who have health impairments (Greenfield Venner, 2012). It will enable the intern to learn and take an active role in shaping individuals’ lives and assisting people and their families with mental problems. Emerging information is important in helping participants who have advanced mental problems to improve healthcare outcomes. He will learn basic counseling skills from the mentor as well as knowledge about ethical issues to be considered during the helping process (Wallace, Brown, Hilton, 2014).The learner wouldlearncurrent data to monitor the progress of a participant of the program using emerging methods of data collection.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Internship: Shadowing a Substance Abuse Counselor specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, he would learn to understand the needs of participants and the possible causes of mental disabilities (Greenfield Venner, 2012). Review of Literature Risk for Substance Abuse Over the past two decades, researchers have tried to reveal the factors behind the beginning of substance abuse and the progression to addiction (Corte Szalacha, 2010). Main risk factors lead to the increase of a person’s chance to become abused. However, there are several protective factors that reduce personal risk. Main risk factors for substance abuse are different for every person and affect people at different stages of lives. The substance abuse counselors focus on the risk factors before initiating the counseling approaches (Corte Szalacha, 2010). In the case of children, risk factors include aggressive behavior, social difficult ies, or academic failure. The risks, such as aggressive behavior,can be controlled by helping children develop appropriate positive attitudes in life and prevent further risk. Other factors, such as poverty, peer influence, drug availability, and lack of parental supervision, mainly affect the youth. The more a person is predisposed to the risks, the higher are the chances of substance abuse. Ineffective parenting and a guardian who is involved in substance abuse increase the risk of children and adolescents to substance abuse. According to Gallagher (2014), the highest risk of substance abuse are adolescents. For this reason, the counselors focus on preventive interventions and support skills of enhancing protective factors of substance abuse (Gallagher, 2014). Clinical level of evidence-based There are several clinical evidence-based approaches applied to deal with substance abuse (Smith Liu, 2014). Several statewide initiatives of substance abuse treatment systems have been grow ing in the past decade as a result of movements towards evidence-based practice in health care systems.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The importance of using the scientific clinical advances in intervention of clinical practices has been emphasized by many scholars. Several psychological evidence-based programs have been utilized in the approaches to substance abuse. Clinical expertise is important in the translation of scientific evidence-based approaches into practice that include the behavioral approaches and Pharmacotherapies. The health care providers are supposed to develop statements that assist them in identifying the appropriate intervention for the clinical circumstances (Corte Szalacha, 2010). The pharmacotherapy approaches include nicotine replacement therapies: application of drugs, such as bupropion, methadone, and naltrexone: and combination of drugs with behavioral treatment. Behavioral approaches focus on abstinence and modification of peoples’ behaviors as well as their attitudes about substance abuse. Additionally, they include cognitive behavior therapy, contingency management interventi ons, motivational enhancement, and community reinforcements (Gordon, 2013). The Effects on the Body Substance abuse has adverse effects on the body, such as mental health problems (Corte Szalacha, 2010).For instance, continuous abuse of cannabis results in mental health problems, such as schizophrenia. Substance abuse predisposes a person to diseases, such as asthma, heart diseases, and lung cancer. Cocaine is known to be over-stimulating, causing pregnancy complications, such as stillbirths and miscarriages. Also, substance abuse can expose a person to diseases, such as HIV, because of sharing of injecting devices. According to Gallagher (2014), the substances weaken the immune system, cause memory problems, and excessive dehydration (Gallagher, 2014). The Burden of Substance Abuse between Nations Substance abuse poses a significant threat to the health, economic and social status of the affected families, communities, and the countries (Smith Liu, 2014). In year 2000, substance a buse contributed to 12.4% of all deaths worldwide (Gallagher, 2014). The calculation of adjusted life years in Mexico and the United States indicated that the life lost because of premature mortality related to substance abuse is on the rise. The burden of the disease in disability-adjusted life years is high in the United Kingdom and the United States as compared to African and Mediterranean countries. Substance abuse has both economic and health effects on the nations affected. For instance, evidence-based prevention and treatment costs can save the U.S. government up to $10 in subsequent costs of every $1 spent (Gordon, 2013). The ones involved in the abuse cannot unleash their full potential in economic growth as the productivity is reduced. Productivity losses estimated at $ 120 billion, calculated as labor and non-participation, are significant in the United States. Similarly, studies have identified a 0.4 % loss in GDP in Canada as a result of non-labor participation because of substance abuse (Gordon, 2013). The situation is similar in Australia that experienced 0.3 % GDP loss (Gallagher, 2014). The Determinants of Health and Health Inequity The health of a person includes an individual’s well being physically, mentally, and emotionally (Regina Valeria, 2014). Several factors determine the health of a person. These include the genetics and physiology of a person, such as the sex and age. Individual behavior, such as substance abuse, plays a significant role in determining a person’s health. The social and physical environment as well as the interaction determines the health status of an individual as he or she is expose to several diseases causing factors, such as stress, discrimination, and overcrowding. Health inequity is mainly determined by infrastructure, health services, and policy formulations (Gordon, 2013). Discrimination in the access of health services affects the approaches to substance abuse because of health inequity. Acces s to quality health care minimizes the causes of health inequity in societies. The health policies formulated should take into consideration the disparities and variations in achievement of quality health care (Regina Valeria, 2014). Social and economic factors Social and economic factors have a significant influence on the substance abuse (Corte Szalacha, 2010). For instance, poverty and socioeconomic status of a family can make a person turn to substance abuse to find solace. It is a result of lack of basic human needs such, as food, shelter, education, and proper health care. The social structures and factors in the community play a significant role in substance abuse as they determine the peer influence. The familial and demographic factors are important predictors of substance abuse (Gordon, 2013). Besides, research studies have established a relationship between the parent socioeconomic status and substance abuse. Parents have a tremendous influence on their children to desis t or initiate substance abuse. Peer influence plays a great part as socialization can initiate substance abuse (Gordon, 2013). Physical and environmental factors Many people do not understand how others initiate substance abuse and addiction (Gordon, 2013). However, physical and environmental factors explain the situation. The environment in which a person lives has different influences on substance abuse. These include the access to drugs such as those living in urban areas and the general quality of life. The socioeconomic status of friends and families can either increase or limit access to these substances. Peer influence, bad parenting, physical or sexual violence and high level of stress influence the escalation of substance abuse. Similarly, the availability of drugs is the primary physical factor related to substance abuse. The development of the effective prevention strategies for the substance abuse counselors is based on the knowledge of the risk and protective factors (C orte Szalacha, 2010). Individual behaviors/characteristics Individual behaviors and characteristics of substance abuse determine the type of approach chosen by the counselor (Gallagher, 2014). The characteristics indicate the level of addiction and dependence. People who have already become addicted to different substances exhibit the characteristics of an overwhelming and repetitive urge to them. The substance abuse has become a part of their lives and a life’s priority. They experience problems in their wok or schools as their performances are low. Besides, irritability and confusion are common among the addicts (Gordon, 2013). The victims of substance abuse experience changes in their attitude and behavior because of mood swings and reduced inhibitions. They include suicidal behaviors and self-imposed isolation (Gordon, 2013). Strategies/Recommendations Prevention of substance abuse is dealt with by first recognizing the risk and protective factors. Counselors play a vital role in designing the strategies (Garner, 2009). The initial strategies are personal. They include helping the person deal with peer pressure. Teens and adolescents start substance abuse as a result of peer pressure. They should find a plan for resisting the pressure. Dealing with life pressures such as stress is an effective prevention strategy that helps a person to cope with life rather than turning to substance abuse. The counselors should help those seeking help for the people with mental problems that result from substance abuse. These include post-traumatic stress, Schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression. Before the initiation of behavioral or pharmacological therapies, it is necessary to the counselors to examine the risk factors. They include the social, environmental, and economic factors to give an overview of the problem and identify the appropriate therapies. The strategies undertaken depend on the level of addiction. There are several promising strategies to end substa nce abuse. These include: law enforcement, treatment, and prevention strategies. The prevention strategies comprise community-based processes, prevention education in learning institutions, as well as the environmental approaches that promote policies reducing the risk factors. The preventive measures should start early in life and proceed to adolescence (Corte Szalacha, 2010). Building of family bonds is essential in promoting responsible parenting. The treatment strategies include an emphasis on family-based treatment, rehabilitation of the addicts, and other programs according to the clinicians. Law enforcement is a crucial strategy for dealing with substance abuse and reducing the number of such cases. Introduction of tough penalties can deter adolescents and teenagers from engaging in substance abuse. Additionally, law enforcement includes the community policing to give insights of drug availability in the societies. Commitment and follow-up of the affected are essential to ach ieving the desired results of the programs (Garner, 2009). Methods and Procedures Method There is one method used in the writing of this paper. The method will be developmental. Procedures Sites Specifics Mentor The mentor is James Brown, MA, M.Ed, LCDC; he is an experienced Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor who helps clients who are referred to his Behavioral and Public Health Department, which helps participants globally. The mentor is also an instructor of a mental health program, and he utilizes effective skills to help people who are addicted and have become dependents. The counselor has 15 years of experience and has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations, Bachelor of Science in Government, Master of Arts in Counseling and a Master of Education Degree. The mentor has good communication skills and creates a good rapport with clients. He dresses modestly, speaks fluently, and sits in an upright posture during counseling sessions. Facility The facility is named Legacy Ser vices. The department has other workers who work in collaboration with the mentor, but in different departments. Population served Behavioral and Public Health Department serves people of different ages whose behaviors have been affected by drugs and have experienced difficulties in coping with the demands of life. It is notable that young adults and adults are the most affected. With regard to the population that the intern would be handling in this department, he would be helping the trainer to offer services to about 200 persons in a day. The participants would be alcoholics and persons who abuse other drugs and who would not able to cope without them (Carroll, De Leon, Joseph, Winick, 2013). The intern would coordinate with his mentor to monitor the progress of participants. Internship objectives Specifically, the intern want to learn how to understand substance abuse group and individual sessions in a therapy and counseling setting or environment. The learning objectives inclu de the following: The intern will learn to identify signs and symptoms that are associated with mental problems. The intern will learn to identify the challenges in participants’ daily lives, such as addressing boundaries, anger management, denial, minimization and blame. The intern will learn to identify the fourethical dilemmas related to substance abuse counselling, such as beneficence, do no harm; autonomy, independent living, give the participant the benefit of the doubt; justice, fair and equal treatment, and fidelity, keep promises to participants. The intern will learn how to identify participants’ detoxification needs such as signs and symptoms of withdrawal, screening and evaluation during intake process. Schedule of activities Internship activities are scheduled to take place from November 3, 2014 to January 7, 2015.Also, allactivities will be used to facilitate the learning of the objectives. Table 1 Schedule of Activities Week Activity Hours 1 The i ntern would participated in various group sessions as part of orientation to counseling. Introduction to basic emerging counseling skills was achieved during this period. 8 2 The intern shadowed the mentor on intensive outpatient sessions using 12-step and clinical modalities treatment to bring about a positive change in the participants life. 8 3 The intern shadowed the mentor and observe emerging individual counseling boundaries or taking notes of the daily sessions. 8 4 The intern shadowed the mentor on how to identify diagnosis classification and the type of mental issues a participant would report during intake process. 8 5 The intern participated in treatment preparation and conceptualization. 8 6 The intern shadowed the mentor on this day by carrying out research by utilizing modern methods of peer-reviewed research from the State website. This information was used to better educate the participants of new techniques. 8 7 The intern listened to the mentor educate him about the types of addictions, how addictions occur, and how to deal with addiction. The mentor educated two separate groups of participants. 8 8 The intern participated in crisis intervention and primary care integration. 8 9 The intern attended seminars learning about emerging issues in mental health. 8 10 The intern shadowed the mentor while he collaborated meetings with multi-disciplinary staff. 8 Total hours 80 Learning benefit The learning benefit that the intern will be expected to receive during this mentor internship experience on addiction and substance abuse counseling was important because of the need to learn the challenging face-to-face counseling group’stechniques, crisis intervention supports and tools that would enable the intern to build on counseling skills. The intern believe these skills would helpwith the progress from a simpler and immature phase to a more complex level of maturity about addiction. Current employment The intern is employ ed as a Health Crisis Coordinator and coordinates many programs, for example, behavioral and public health, injury and disability, vocational and employment services. Most of his assignments are conducted domestically; however, he does travel to London from time to time. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Arts in Education degree. Also, he holds a Post-Specialty Certificate in Emergency Management and Post-Master’s Certificate in Professional Counseling. Search procedure Libraries used There was only one library used to search for sources for this project. The Counseling Professions Division Library at Southern Mills University and Google Scholarwas used for the project. Search engines and databases used The following databases were used to search for the sources for this project. The databases werePubMed and PsycINFO and MEDline (EBSCO) and Global Health and Alt Health Watch and MEDLINE (Ovid). Search terms Several search terms were used to ident ify sources for this project. The search terms included (a) Behavioral Health, (b) Substance Abuse,(c) Behavioral Therapy, (d) Public Health, (e) Behavioral Treatment, and (f) Alcoholism. Boolean strings Boolean strings were considered for the literature search. No Boolean strings were used in the literature search. Age of the sources The significant literature will be reviewed. Sources from the last 5 years will be considered for inclusion in the review of literature. No historical or seminal articles will be considered. Inclusion criteria There were four inclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria included (a) literature published since 2010, (b) English-language text, (c) peer-reviewed articles, and (d) Web sites relating to shadowing a substance abuse counselor. Exclusion criteria There were fourexclusion criteria.The exclusion criteria included (a) literature published before 2010,(b) text not published in English, (c) articles not peer reviewed, and (d) Web sites not relating to sh adowing a substance abuse counselor. Results Introduction The internship is a highly valuable experience for the intern who wants to improve his/her skills and knowledge in the sphere of drug abuse and mental health That is why, it is vital for him/her to choose the right institution which can guarantee his/her further development as a professional. Resting on this fact, it can be recommended to draw an interns attention to the Legacy Services. The Legacy Services is a company which promotes development of knowledge and awareness of the issue of substance abuse among interns. Being very efficient and credible company, it can guarantee high level of its services and professionalism of its workers. However, having its main strengths it also has its weak sides. That is why, it is important to investigate the company precisely to determine the main aspects of its work to understand better the main regularities according to which it functions. Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, opportuni ties, and Threats Strengths The first strength of Legacy Services is a highly reputable company that provides quality services. Its reputation in terms of the provision of superior substance abuse counseling services elevates its credibility in enabling an intern to obtain the set of objectives. The organization also has qualified staff members who act as its strength in the provision of services. Secondly, the organization upholds integrity at all its levels of operation. Thirdly, there are adequate resources that include training kits, office space, finance, working incentives among others that aid service delivery. Weaknesses Although clear strengths of the organization have been identified, it is, however, difficult for identification of weaknesses to be indicated at this time. The weaknesses are always identified when an experience has already been achieved either positive or negative. Therefore, it is prudent for the weaknesses to be enumerated later because of more time is ne eded. Opportunities The underlying opportunities why the intern selected the institution are based on its capacity to expand its customer base, counseling services and revenue base. The organization is promising based on its strategic plans that are formulated already. In particular, the expected customer growth rate makes the organization so attractive for interns who expect to offer services to some of the customers. Increase revenue amounts or financial capacity of the company may also help in hiring some of the interns hence its preference. Likewise, the advancement of counseling services indicates a wider knowledge on counseling matters that is noble for interns. Threats Probable threats the organization has the potential of facing that may impede the realization of the set objectives of an intern including high enrolment rate, lack of divergent funding sources and competition. In particular, people enroll for the internship position in the organization more than it can accommo date. This makes it difficult for prospecting interns to be sure of getting the privilege of working there. Secondly, the company faces stiff competition from other rival institutions that focus on providing counselling services. The high rate of competition may affect its reputation and stature in the society. The institution also has limited sources of funding that may affect its capacity of accommodating more interns who aspire to acquire experience. Based on the institution’s SWOT analysis, it is evident that it holds the capacity of ensuring that the intern receives best results. The choice is good for intern in a broader perspective given that its strengths and opportunities outweigh its weaknesses and threats. Discussion During the internship, interns are able to observe the way seasoned counselors work and the way clients respond to the treatment. This internship can be seen as one of such experiences. The intern was fully integrated in the process. Thus, he participa ted in numerous sessions where he could note peculiarities of behavior of the mentor and clients, strategies employed during the sessions, the way clients respond to this or that strategy. The intern could also trace possible signs of clients’ potential relapse. The intern took part in meetings with multi-disciplinary staff and this was a very important experience. Cooperation with different professionals enabled the counselor to provide high-quality services to clients and make sure their needs could be met. Importantly, the intern had an opportunity to collaborate with mentor and develop some treatment strategies. This was a remarkable experience as the intern obtained many insights from his mentor during development of the strategies. Admittedly, it is impossible to gain such experience through reading books and articles. The intern obtained an opportunity to observe quite conventional as well as extraordinary cases as all people are different and they often face quite dif ferent challenges. The intern could feel the specific atmosphere, which is created during sessions. These observations and shadowing enabled the intern to get certain confidence, which will be crucial for his future career. Conclusions Having analyzed the data, it is possible to make certain conclusions. The issue of substance abuse counseling is very important nowadays within the framework of the increase of level of abuse among people. That is why, the need in professionals who can provide qualified advice for a person who suffers from the substance abuse is obvious. With this in mind, some patterns for preparation of qualified interns should be suggested. Taking into account complexity and topicality of the issue, the analysis of the methodology and main objectives of internship was also provided. Moreover, the importance of practice for internship should also be mentioned as it allows an intern to obtain knowledge which is not available in books or some other sources. Great sign ificance of the process of teaching and preparation of interns should also be remembered. Implications It is obvious, that the main ideas presented in the work should be adopted as it can promote improvement of the situation connected with the issue of substance abuse. Implication of the main points mentioned in the work can guarantee further development of knowledge in this sphere. Moreover, the issue of training of the professionals who are ready to consult people who suffer from substance abuse can become very helpful in terms of blistering growth of this kind of dependence. Main methods outlined in the work can also be applied to the process of training of new interns as they will allow increase of the level of efficiency of interns and general improvement of the situation. With this in mind, the data presented should be studied and taken into account in order to provide better understanding of the issue. Recommendations Having analyzed the issue, it is possible to make several recommendations. First of all, it is necessary to say that the change of the existing system of internship is needed. The emphasis should be made on practice as only it can allow better knowledge and practical skills among interns. Moreover, some new methods should be applied to existing system for it to be more modern. However, there is one more recommendation. It goes without saying, that the further investigation of this issue is necessary. Within the framework of the increase of number of people who suffer from substance abuse, it is very important to investigate different methods to prevent it. Taking this fact into account, it is possible to say that internship which allows students to obtain practical knowledge can serve as the first stage in better understanding of the problem of substance abuse. References Babinski, D. E., Pelham, W. E., Waxmonsky, J. G. (2013). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder complicated by stigma: A case study.   Clinical Case Studies, 15(34), 65-77. Carroll, J. F., De Leon, G., Joseph, H., Winick, C. (2013). Reflections on the past, present, and the future of the chemical dependency treatment field: Four unique perspectives.  Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 31(1), 107-120. Corte, C., Szalacha, L. (2010). Self-cognitions, risk factors for alcohol problems, and drinking in preadolescent urban youths. Journal of Child Adolescent Substance Abuse, 19(5), 406-423. Dufour, S. P., Graham, S., Friesen, J., Rosenblat, M., Rous, C.,Richardson, J. (2014). Physiotherapists supporting self-management through health coaching: A mixed methods program evaluation. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 10(1), 1-10. Gallagher, S. (2014). Treatment strategies for forensic psychologists working with clients dealing with substance abuse, legal charges, and enabling parents. Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, 14(2), 158-168. Gordon, A. (2013). Substance abuse journal: New beginnings. Substance Abuse, 34(4), 339-341. Regina, C., Valeria, M. (2014). Social determinants of health and inequity among people with disabilities: A Brazilian experience. Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, 6(11), 326-337. Smith, B., Liu, J. (2014). Latent practice profiles of substance abuse treatment counselors: Do evidence-based techniques displace traditional techniques? Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 46(4), 439-446. Wallace, L. M., Brown, K. E., Hilton, S. (2014). Planning for, implementing and assessing the impactof health promotion and behavior change interventions: Away forward for health psychologists. Health Psychology Review, 8(1), 8-33.

Product Hunt Books A new opportunity for discoverability

Product Hunt Books A new opportunity for discoverability Product Hunt Books: A new opportunity for discoverability? We all know the importance of a book’s â€Å"launch.† That moment when you finally launch your characters into the outside world and put them at the mercy of your readers. That moment when, if you’re publishing digitally, it all becomes about making friends with Amazon’s little elves.Once you’ve let your mailing list, Twitter followers and Facebook fans know about your new book, it becomes time to look for new readers, places and audiences.Product Hunt Books might be one to strongly consider. While famous in the â€Å"tech† space, the Product Hunt website is much lesser-known among authors, and that is where the opportunity lies (as there is less competition!). To let Reedsy readers know more about it, we managed to interview Erik Torenberg, founding team member  of Product Hunt and Product Hunt Books, to tell us more about the platform and how you can use it. We've added our personal Reedsy opinion on the matter in italic right under  hi s answers.You can also check out Reedsy Discovery, our platform that helps indie authors gain reviews and exposure for their books!Interviewing Product Hunt founding team member Erik TorenbergHi Erik, it’s an honor to have you on the Reedsy Blog! For our non-techy readers, could you tell us quickly what Product Hunt is all about?Product Hunt is a place to discover new and undiscovered products - from apps and websites to games and books - and discuss them with other awesome people. It grew from a simple email list to talk about apps and websites into a website where people started â€Å"hunting† not only apps and sites but also books, games, movies, music, etc.More on Product Hunt: Erik’s actually being quite modest. Product Hunt is the leader in tech product discovery. Last time Reedsy was â€Å"hunted† there, we got a massive spike in traffic, and great feedback from early adopters: https://www.producthunt.com/tech/reedsy-2The way it works is: people â€Å"hunt† (submit) products, and the curators select a few that are featured on the landing page. Users can then â€Å"upvote† the products they like most after reading more about them on their product hunt page. The products that get to the top are then selected for Product Hunt’s daily and weekly newsletters.A few months ago, you launched Product Hunt Books. What was the thinking behind it? Why books?We launched books for a few reasons. First, people started hunting books on the main producthunt.com website: Peter Thiel’s Zero to One did very well, Ashlee Vance’s biography of Elon Musk did very well, Eric Ries’ new book did very well, etc.More importantly, I’m a big fan of books! I love to read, and I realized that we had a lot of readers on Product Hunt. I knew Eric Ries had started a book club and that it had gone really well, so I decided to create one as well and a few thousand people joined in just to start.A lot of publisher s and authors are convinced there is a huge â€Å"content discoverability† problem in the book publishing industry. Would you agree with that? Does Product Hunt Books aim at solving it?Yeah, I think there’s a content discoverability problem for books. There are so many books out there but I want to read stuff that has been curated for me by either people who I really respect and follow or by my close friends. So we’re really investing in â€Å"collections† to make that possible: we have a collection by Mark Cuban, Eric Ries, and many more.More on collections: Collections also exist on the general Product Hunt website and work really well. Here’s an example: https://www.producthunt.com/e/tools-for-writers: we get traffic coming from that one on a regular basis.For the future of Product Hunt Books, collections represent a huge opportunity for authors and readers. They offer every reader the opportunity to â€Å"curate† their own list of books, in a much more elegant way then Goodreads. Then, people can â€Å"follow† collections, the same way you would follow a book reviewer or blogger. As Product Hunt becomes less â€Å"tech-oriented† and gathers a more generalistic following, PHB collections could become one of the biggest players in book discoverability.How are the books featured on the Product Hunt Books page selected every day?We’ve got a team of curators who basically see the feed of submitted books and select which books to let through on the landing page every day. Those curators have been vetted by us and are people who’ve been familiar with Product Hunt for a while now.If I’m a reader, how does Product Hunt Books work? Are there any â€Å"perks† to using Product Hunt to find my next book? Do authors offer discounts on Product Hunt?Yes, some authors will do â€Å"exclusives† for Product Hunt: for Neil Strauss we did an exclusive of the first few chapters. Weâ€℠¢ll do other things like that where readers get the first few chapters for free, or exclusive pre-launches.If you’re an author, we’d love to do deals with you to offer something special to Product Hunt readers. Some publishing houses want us to do quizzes and surveys, and we’re keen on doing that. We’re also very open on working with people who are self-publishing and going outside of the traditional route.Some authors have huge followings. Aren’t you worried that they’ll just invite all their existing readers to vote for their book once it’s been â€Å"hunted†?Yes, that can always be a concern, when Ashton Kutcher or Snoop Dogg post something on Product Hunt for example - they have millions of followers. But the Product Hunt community is so big already that most of the time, it’s not going to be enough to move the needle. When Snoop posts something it sometimes goes to the top, but sometimes also doesn’t. Author s don’t have more followers than those guys do, so I’m not super worried about it!Testimonials from authors and publishersOf course, you don’t need to take Erik’s word for it. Here are two testimonials from people whose books have been featured on Product Hunt Books.Reedsy - The Fundraising Field GuideYou might remember we published a book at Reedsy a few months ago. As it was a â€Å"tech† book on fundraising, we thought that Product Hunt Books would be the perfect audience for it. And we were right, we got a nice spike on the day it was featured and over 100 upvotes on the book: producthunt.com/books/fundraising-field-guideWhat now for Product Hunt Books?To sum up, Product Books represents not only an awesome marketing channel for authors who write for a tech-savvy audience. It also presents major new opportunity for the whole book industry if it manages to establish itself as a major player in the â€Å"book discovery† game. We can defin itely see that happening: in terms of user experience and design, and through its â€Å"collections†, it is, in theory, a much better platform for readers than, say, Goodreads. The question is whether it will be able to break out of its â€Å"techy† reputation and go mainstream to touch a wider variety of readers, and genres.In the meantime, if you have a new release and want to see if Product Hunt can be good for you, submit your book here: https://www.producthunt.com/books/new and then trust the little PH elves to make it rise. They’re usually nicer than the Amazon ones.Check out today's hunted book on the Product Hunt Books page!Do you think Product Hunt Books can become a major player in book discovery? Have you had your book featured there? Please leave us your thoughts and experiences in the comments below and join the conversation!

Crime and punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Crime and punishment - Essay Example The similarities between the events of the Genesis and the Gilgamesh flood story intrigue the thought process of critics to notice the rationality or irrationality behind the incidences of crime and punishment in the book. The epoch of Gilgamesh revolves around the 2000 B.C. but the Genesis flood happened in 400 BC that shows the flood occurred in different era (Saunders, 1964). Biblical authors provided their version of the flood to amend the stories for audiences of contemporary society resonating with the culture code and social belief of the people. The mythological elements accommodate the original story. Although there are stark differences between the plots of stories but the leitmotif remains same in both stories. The overwhelming presence of Judeo-Christian population restricts the objective evaluation of biblical stories and legends of other cultures as inbuilt texture of psyche prevents the right interpretation of the messages involved in the stories (Robinson, 2007). The common theme in both stories shares the experiences of human nature to affect threads of life in the society. How society should governs the quality of life and where human units fit into the composition requires the understanding and interrelationship between various elements. The cultural impact in the derivation of conclusion from these two stories shows insinuation of public experiences and opinion of society in the development of character. Even though similarities of episode in the stories of Gilgamesh with biblical tales remain evident but unfolding tales brings the signature of era. The chaos of human society is the trigger point of the God's wrath in the stories of Genesis and Gilgamesh. The text form Gilgamesh affirms the expression of God, "The uproar of mankind is intolerable and sleep is no longer possible by reasons of the Babel" (Gilgamesh 12).The absence of logic in God's anger in the story reflects the human perception of the Author in not providing the power of shielding noise. Development of acoustic science in the era of Gilgamesh seems limited as this was not the case of God's wrath in the Babylonian tale. The rationality behind fury in Genesis is acceptable for extinction of human species as man's evil intentions were destroying harmony. The text says, "It repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart" (Genesis. 6:6). The God's anguish is apparent in the expression, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth. . . "(Genesis. 6:7). The discussion in the current paragraph provides the ins tance of authorities' role in applying control mechanism to sustain the social discipline. God as authority administers the enforcement of law to protect the goodness in the people for preventing crimes. The harsh punishment in the story does not justify the regulation measurement of GOD as the severity level of crime should be taken into account. Reformation exercise for crime is better option in comparison to destruction of culprit. The gap in system of crime and punishment across the different era improves understanding evolvement of human society if ideological beliefs of modern

AlWaleed Bin Talal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

AlWaleed Bin Talal - Essay Example His professional and financial initiatives AlWaleed’s prominence in investment surfaced in 1990s when he bought substantial shares in Citicorp, when the firm was experiencing financial crisis. Al Waleed’s bailed out Citibank with an initial investment of $550 million, an investment that has grown to about $1 billion currently. In 1997, AlWaleed was reported to have owned about 5% of News Corporation - stake that had grown to about 7% in 2010 ($3 billion) (Gustin 2). In February 1991, AlWaleed bought new preferred shares amounting to about $590 million. These investments increased his stake in Citigroup from 10% to 14.9%. Afterwards, he invested in a variety of companies including Apple Inc., AOL, MCI Inc., Fox News, Motorola and many other media and technology companies. Prior to 2007-2010 financial crises, his shares in Citibank at some point accounted for about half of his assets (Gustin 3). Al Waleed is the owner of Rotana Group, the Arab world's largest entertainmen t corporation. This company is also owned by News Group, which holds 18.97% of its stake. Rotana Group is an expansive pan-Arab media establishment that incorporates Rotana Magazine, a film production company, Rotana Record label, Rotana TV, and seven music channels (Rotana Radio). In 2005, Al Waleed stakes in Apples were disposed. On the down side, Al Waleed has happened to invest in the airline TWA and Eastman Kodak, which have performed quite poorly. He has also invested heavily in the real estate sector, where he has stakes in the Plaza Hotel and the Four Seasons hotel in New York. In December 2011, he invested $300 Million in Twitter, which gave Kingdom holding more than 3% stake in the company (Knickmeyer 5). His personal initiatives AlWaleed has participated in significant philanthropic initiatives that have build bridges between the West and the Islamic world. He strongly believes that promoting harmonious global co-existence is an imperative role of global philanthropy. In his early life, he capitalized on his advantaged upbringing to share his resources with the less-advantaged in the society. When he was growing up and started accumulated wealth, he upheld his believe in giving and sharing his wealth as an obligation to his God. Up to date, he strongly believes in the principle of giving and sharing of wealth with the less privileged. He also made efforts to dismiss the view that Saudi Arabia was not affected by poverty and reached out to poor remote desert hamlets had urban neighborhoods. As a global philanthropist and investor, AlWaleed has upheld long-term relationships with former heads of states, NGOs, academics, religious and business leaders, and political leaders from around the world. AlWaleed is also a staunch religious believer, hard-working, and gifted in multitasking. In this regards, he holds libel political and religious perceptions, and he subscribes to a Global vision of mutual respect and tolerance amongst different states, communi ties and faiths (Peel 5). There are a total of three philanthropic Foundations established by Alwaleed – all committed to supporting humanitarian projects in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and other parts of the world. These programs are generally