a major health issue and is often recognised as one of the major causes of avoidable mortality and morbidity in Western society The WritePass Journal

a major health issue and is often recognised as one of the major causes of avoidable mortality and morbidity in Western society 1.   Introduction a major health issue and is often recognised as one of the major causes of avoidable mortality and morbidity in Western society 1.   Introduction2.   ConclusionRelated 1.   Introduction Alcohol consumption is acknowledged worldwide as a major health issue and is often recognised as one of the major causes of avoidable mortality and morbidity in Western society (Wechsler, Dowdall, Davenport, Castillo, 1995). Almost 4% of all deaths are attributed to alcohol (World Health Organization, 2009) and in relation to other causes of death, alcohol can be considered as a significantly higher contributor. For example, HIV/AIDS accounted for 3.5% of deaths worldwide, violence for 1% and tuberculosis for 2.5% (World Health Organization, 2004). This is reflected in increased cost for health care systems. In 2008, it was estimated that alcohol harm cost the National Health Service in England  £2.7 billion, this was a significant increase from estimates for 2003 of  £1.7 billion (National Health Service, 2010). The harmful effects of high alcohol intake have been well documented (Hingson, Heeren, Winter, Wechsler, 2005) (Schulenberg, Wadsworth, OMalley, Bachman, Johnston, 1996). Individuals who drink too much can suffer from physical problems, such as liver cirrhosis, heart failure and certain cancers, but also from social issues, such as interpersonal violence, sexual assault, vandalism, and driving accidents (Anderson Baumberg, 2006) (Rehm, Room, Graham, Monteiro, Gmel, Sempos, 2003). Definitions of alcohol abuse have also focused on social issues related to drinking; the Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) defines abuse as â€Å"a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, often manifested as a failure to fulfil obligations, use in physically hazardous situations and related legal, social or interpersonal problems†. The Government recommends that adult men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol per day and adult women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day. However, in Great Britain, 31% of men and 20% women drink more than the advised weekly limits. Furthermore, 8% of men and 2% of women drink above the levels regarded as harmful, namely 50 units a week for men and 35 units for women (Office of National Statistics, 2008). Age is an important variable contributing to alcohol consumption, with the highest intake recorded in young adults (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2004) particularly in those between 18 and 20 years old (May, 1992) (Webb, Ashton, Kelly, Kamali, 1996). Drinking as a young adult has significant health consequences (Ham Hope, 2003). The prevalence of drinking amongst young people does not only pose serious issues to the young people involved, but the consequences of their drinking can also have an effect on a their family and society as a whole (Oei Morawska, 2004). Alcohol consumption is a significantly greater problem within the student population because alcohol forms part of the university culture (Crundall, 1995). Drunken behaviour is accepted as normal at many student events (Davey Clark, 1991). It has been found that alcohol is the most likely substance to be abused amongst the student population (Prendergast, 1994) and in comparison to non-university peers worldwide, students engage in riskier alcohol-related behaviour (Johnston, OMalley, Bachman, 2001) (OMalley Johnston, 2002) (Wiki, Kuntsche, Gmel, 2010) (Kypri, Cronin, Wright, 2005), drink more heavily (Kypri, Cronin, Wright, 2005) (Dawson, Grant, Stinson, Chou, 2004) and exhibit more clinically significant alcohol-related problems (Slutske, 2005). It has been recorded that student consumption of alcohol is consistent with the rates of the general population in the UK, which is estimated to include 90% of adults consuming alcohol weekly (Department of Health, 2003). However, the amount of alcohol that is consumed by students has been suggested to pose significant risks. Sociability has been identified as the major benefit to alcohol use. Specifically young people indicated that the reasons why they drink are for fun, to be happy, to gain confidence, to be cool and simply for something to do (Oei Morawska, 2004). However, for students, hangovers were featured as the most negative aspect of drinking large amounts rather than longer term risks (Crundall, 1995). The students are also aware of the negative impact alcohol can have on their studies and finances (Bewick, Mulhern, Barkham, Trusler, Hill, Stiles, 2008). In America, one third of students were classified as suffering from alcohol abuse according to the DSM-IV-TR definition (as stated above) (Clements, 1999) and 6% reported symptoms of alcohol dependence (Knight, Wechsler, Kuo, Seibring, Weitzman, Schuckit, 2002). Fewer than 4% of those students who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence were found to be willingly to pursue treatment (Clements, 1999) (OHare, 1997). Within the United Kingdom, a review of studies measuring undergraduate drinking concluded that 52% of men and 43% of women reported drinking above the recommended limits (Gill, 2002). Webb, Ashton, Kelly, Kamali (1996) also found that 15% of a UK student sample drank at hazardous levels. For men this exceeded 51 units per week and 36 units for women. Increased alcohol consumption and binge drinking are not only related to health issues, but also could result in negative consequences for the individual, such as academic failure, unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, property damage, and criminal consequences that jeopardize future job prospects (Berkowitz Perkins, 1986) (Hingson, Heeran, Zakocs, Kopstein, Wechsler, 2002) (Wechsler, Dowdall, Davenport, Castillo, 1995). Students do not only experience consequences of their own drinking but often experience consequences of others drinking (Rhodes, et al., 2009). In addition to harmful effects on the individual, there are second-hand consequences for fellow students, ranging from disrupted study and sleep, to physical and sexual assault (Donovan, Jessor, Costa, 1993) (Hingson, Heeran, Zakocs, Kopstein, Wechsler, 2002) (Perkins, 2002) making students more at risk of negative consequences from alcohol consumption. The hazardous consequences of binge drinking felt by many students arise from the disabling effects of consuming a large amount of alcohol over a short period (Oei Morawska, 2004). The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism advisory council approved the following definition for binge drinking: â€Å"A ‘binge’ is a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol content to about 0.08 gram-per cent or above. For the typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming 5 or more drinks (male), or 4 or more drinks (female) in about 2 hours† (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2004). Adams, Barry, and Fleming (1996) identified that while the number of drinks consumed per occasion was an important risk factor for death from injury, but that frequency of consumption was not. Binge drinking students are more likely to suffer from negative consequences related to than non-bingers such as academic problems, engage in high risk sex, sustai n injuries, overdose on alcohol and drive while intoxicated (Wechsler, Dowdall, Davenport, Castillo, 1995) (Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, Lee, 2000) (Wechsler, Kuo, Seibring, Nelson, Lee, 2002) (Jennison, 2004) (Vik, Carrello, Tate, Field, 2000). Despite negative alcohol effects, research suggests that a large proportion of students are placing themselves at risk by engaging in binge drinking. There are notable gender differences in binge drinking, as women are more likely to initiate drinking when they feel angry or worthless and as an escape from their troubles. On the other hand, for men incentives are to gain peer approval or not to show fear (Oei Morawska, 2004). In Europe, Kuntsche, Rehm, Gmel (2004) concluded that men were more likely to binge drink and that peer pressure was one of the strongest influencing factors. Similar findings have been reported for UK undergraduates, (Wechsler, Dowdall, Davenport, Rimm, 1995) recorded 50% of male students to be binge drinking (around 8 UK units per session) and 39% of women (≈6.5 units) at least once in the preceding fortnight. Pickard et al (2000) also found that 50% of men binge drink. However, they found more women were likely to binge drinking (63%). Research suggests that heavy drinking among students is most likely to occur in positive social contexts as opposed to negative contexts (Carey, 1995) (Carey, 1993). There are again gender differences in these consumption patterns. For example, University men tend to drink more often than their female peers in positive situations, such as those involving cues to drink and pleasant times with friends (Carrigan, Samoluk, Stewart, 1998). Other findings suggest that social contexts can discriminate between heavier and lighter male student drinkers, whereas the strongest predictor of discrimination between heavier and lighter drinking university women is emotional pain (Thombs, Beck, Mahoney, 1995). Such gender differences suggest that drinking behaviour may be motivated by different subjective beliefs regarding the consequences of alcohol consumption for men and women. The beliefs people hold about the effects of consuming alcohol are referred to as alcohol outcome expectancies (AOE) (Goldman, Del Boca, Darkes, 1999) and include areas such as assertion, affective change and tension reduction (Young, Connor, Ricciardelli, Saunders, 2006). According to social-learning theory, drinking is a goal-directed behaviour that ranges from abstinence to alcohol dependence, and the initiation, maintenance, and development of drinking patterns is assumed to be directed by similar learning principles (Abrams Niaura, 1987) (Bandura, 1969) (Jones, Corbin, Fromme, 2001) (Maisto, Carey, Bradizza, 1999). Within this theoretical framework, alcohol outcome expectancies are considered to be critical determinants of different consumption patterns and a result of indirect and direct drinking experiences. These beliefs are particularly important when experiences with alcohol are less developed. For instance, young childrens expectancies of alcohol are best described as indeterminate and diffuse and their beliefs â€Å"crystallize† with age (Miller, Smith, Goldman, 1990). These expectancies influence not only present behaviour, but also the perceptions of later experiences with alcohol, which may strengthen the original expectancies (Oei Morawska, 2004). AOE have been shown to be better predictors of various drinking patterns that demographics and background variables (Brown, 1985) (Christiansen Goldman, 1983). Expectancies have consistently been found to be associated with current alcohol consumption in students (Leigh Stacy, 1993), community samples (Brown, Goldman, Inn, Anderson, 1980) and adolescents (Christiansen, Smith, Roehling, Goldman, 1989). Expectancies were found to predict future drinking in adolescents after 1 year (Christiansen, Smith, Roehling, Goldman, 1989), 2 years (Smith, Goldman, Greenbaum, Christiansen, 1995) and 9 years (Stacy, Newcomb, Bentler, 1991). Research has shown that individuals with positive alcohol expectancies drink more alcohol and are at risk of misusing alcohol (Connor, Young, Williams, Ricciardelli, 2000) (Young Oei, 1996). Other research has provided evidence that expectancies partially mediate other variables (e.g. temperament, alcohol knowledge, etc.) that influence alcohol consumption (Smith, Goldman, Greenbaum, Christiansen, 1995) (Kline, 1996) (Scheier Botvin, 1997), the extent to which other variables influence drinking through expectancy ranges between 17% and 50% (Greenbaum, Brown, Friedman, 1995). The belief about alcohol’s power to change behaviour, rather than its true physical effects determine the behavioural effects of alcohol (Leigh, 1989) and also expectancies concerning the use of may operate differently in different social situations (Bot, Engels, Knibbe, 2005). Lee, Greely, and Oei (1999) found that drinking was related not only to positive expectancies, but also to negative expectancies regarding its effects and it is now well established that people hold both positive and negative alcohol-related expectancies (Fromme, Stroot, Kaplan, 1993) (Leigh Stacy, 1993) (Chen, Grube, Madden, 1994) (McMahon, Jones, ODonnell, 1994). Positive alcohol outcome expectancies refer to peoples’ motives for drinking and their perceptions of the positive outcomes associated with drinking alcohol. They have been shown to be causally related to alcohol consumption in both adults and adolescents (Christiansen, Smith, Roehling, Goldman, 1989) (Dunn Goldman, 1998) (Smith, Goldman, Greenbaum, Christiansen, 1995) and also to problem drinking (Lewis ONeil, 2000). Negative expectancies refer to peoples’ motives to abstain from drinking alcohol or to limit consumption. Earleywine (1995) found that only positive, not negative, expectancies were related to intentions to drink and drinking behaviour. However, Werner (1993) found both positive and negative outcome expectancies and their subjective evaluations accounted for a significant portion of the variability in drinking patterns and health problems reported by students. Further support has been found, using a variety of different instruments, that negative expec tancies significantly improve the ability to predict current drinking (Fromme, Stroot, Kaplan, 1993) (Leigh Stacy, 1993) (McMahon, Jones, ODonnell, 1994). These inconsistent findings might be attributable to different explanations of negative expectancies. For example, Leigh (1989) suggested that expectancies can separated into short-term, direct effects and longer-term negative effects of drinking. The comparison between positive and negative expectancies is also confounded by the fact that the expected positive effects are more proximal than the expected negative effects. For example, positive expectations, such as feeling more sociable, happen at the time of drinking compared to negative expectations (such as hangovers) which happen as a consequence of drinking. These expectancies follow the pattern of actual alcohol effects (Earleywine Martin, 1993). While the vast majority of research has focused on participants’ expectancies for the effect alcohol has on themselves, the alcohol-related expectancies that a person has for others have been shown to influence drinking behaviour as well (Borjesson Dunn, 2001). Participants consistently expected alcohol to affect other people more than themselves for both positive effects (such as social or sexual enjoyment) and negative effects, such as impairment. However, moderate and heavy drinkers expected as much social/physical pleasure from alcohol as they expected others to receive (Rohsenow, 1983). Men expected themselves to become calmer and happier in comparison to others when drinking, but also that others would become more disinhibited and to generally misbehave compared to themselves (Gustafson, 1989). Sher, Walitzer, Wood, Brent (1991) found that men reported significantly stronger outcome expectancies than women for social lubrication, activity enhancement, and performance e nhancement in other women. These findings were replicated with a separate sample of men and women in a subsequent longitudinal study (Sher, Wood, Wood, Raskin, 1996). This study is aimed to investigate the relationship between participants AOEs and those they hold for their friends further in a student population. It is, also, aimed to investigate the relationship between AOEs and alcohol consumption. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is a simple ten-question test developed by the World Health Organization as a simple method of screening for excessive drinking. The first edition of this manual was published in 1989 and was subsequently updated in 1992. Questions 1 to 3 concern alcohol consumption, 4 to 6 relate to alcohol dependence and 7 to 10 consider alcohol related problems. A score of more than 8 for men or more than 7 for women indicates a strong likelihood of hazardous alcohol consumption and a score of 20 or more is suggestive of alcohol dependence. Alcohol outcome expectancies were measured using the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol Questionnaire (CEOA) (Fromme Stroot, 1993). This questionnaire assesses both positive and negative discrete expectancies of alcohols effects on physiological, psychological, and behavioural outcomes. Participants rated 38 items on a fours of positive outcome expectancy items include: I would feel energetic or I would feel unafraid. Examples of negative outcome expectancy items include: â€Å"I would be clumsy;† â€Å"I would take risks† or â€Å"I would feel guilty†. Scores for expected outcomes are determined by summing relevant subscale responses, allowing two overall scores to be calculated for each participant: positive expectations, negative expectations, and a total score for all expectations. The CEOA was found to have adequate internal consistency and temporal stability, and criterion and construct validity in a student sample (Fromme Stroot, 1993). For the purpose of the present experiment, individual alcohol outcome expectancies were assessed using the standard CEOA questionnaire, additionally, participants were asked to respond to CEOA items on the basis of answering for a chosen friend. Examples of friend’s outcome expectancy items included: â€Å"They would act sociably† or â€Å"Their senses would be dulledâ€Å". This study found no significant differences in gender in AUDIT scores. Therefore the null hypothesis can be accepted. With regards to gender and alcohol consumption, findings from this study found only slight but non-significant differences between the consumption of men and women, with women drinking only slightly more than men. Although similar results were found in the study by (Labrie, Migliuri, Kenney, Lac, 2010), their study was focused on participants with a family history of excessive alcohol consumption. It was only within participants with a family history of excessive alcohol consumption that gender differences were found. The findings in the present study were inconsistent with the findings of (Prendergast, 1994) who found it more likely for men to abuse alcohol than women. However, this study was a review of previous literature (1980 to 1994) and more recent research evidence would suggest that gender differences are decreasing (Keyesa, Grantic, Hasin, 2007). In additi on, this study used an American sample and findings may not be applicable to those in the UK. This suggests that women are at greater risk of alcohol disorders, with 6.4% of men compared to 11.3% of women identified as being dependent on alcohol according to AUDIT score. In comparison to the general population men in this study were less likely to be classed as drinking above hazardous levels (8% vs. 6.4%) whereas many more women were drinking at these levels (2% vs. 11.3%) (Office of National Statistics, 2008). This suggests that the population used in this study is not representative of the general population in regards to dependent levels of drinking which could result in unique findings. Participant’s alcohol expectations were found to significantly affect AUDIT score and therefore we can reject the null hypothesis. This is similar to the results of (Leigh Stacy, 1993). It was also found that positive and negative outcome expectancies accounted for a significant portion of the variability in drinking patterns, similarly to other previous research (Werner, Walker, Greene, 1993). As with previous research, it has been found that increased positive AOEs relate to higher consumption. Alternatively, in this sample, negative AOEs also appear to be related to increased alcohol consumption. It has been suggested that positive expectancies are immediately accessible and therefore contribute to initiation of alcohol use. Whereas, negative expectancies are delayed and shaped by subsequent drinking, therefore their influence may be related to persistent drinking (Sher, Wood, Wood, Raskin, 1996) (Bauman, Fisher, Bryan, Chenoweth, 1985) (Kuntsche, Knibbe, Engels, Gmel, 2007). In this study, participants were drawing on memories of drinking experience to shape their expectancies. This could have allowed them to evaluate AOEs equally, with proximal and distal effects playing a less important role. The findings underscore the importance of attitudes and strength of beliefs, particularly in identifying those at high risk for problem drinking and adverse health consequences. A multiple regression indicated that a person’s AOEs for the Risk and Aggression subscale are a significant predictor of AUDIT score and also expectancies explained 21.6% of the variance in scores. This appears consistent with the findings of Fromme and D’Amico (2000) who found AOEs explained 28% of the variance in quantity of alcohol consumed, and 15% of the variance in frequency of drinking. Ham, Stewart, Norton, Hope (2005) found the Risk and Aggression subscale of AOEs to be related to alcohol consumption in adolescents, specifically drinks per week. However, they found this was not the only subscale related to alcohol consumption but also an association was found with Liquid Courage, Sociability and Sexuality expectations. Alcohol consumptions relationship with expectancies seems to be especially true for the expectancies of both physical and social pleasure, relaxation and tension reduction and possibly enhanced sexual functioning (Gustafson, 1989).   This sugg ests that the relationship between expectancies and AUDIT score is mediated by the population being studied and what is specifically been measured. Due to different measures of expectancies it is difficult to compare results directly. Measurements can relate to a range of expectancies; from general expectancies to specific expectancies. This is also true for measures of alcohol consumption. The AUDIT does not only address participant’s consumption but also alcohol dependence and alcohol related problems.   It is also possible that some drinkers use expectancies as a justification for drinking, rather than solely associated with drinking. Gustafson (1989) found a positive correlation between the strength of expectancies and how desirable it was rated as an outcome of drinking. Therefore people could be drinking to achieve expectations rather than expecting certain consequences of drinking. A logistic regression indicated that the Sexuality, Risk and Aggression, and Self-Perception subscales reliably predicted using alcohol at risky levels. Expectancies explained between 22.3% and 32% of the variance in risk classification, and 83% of the predictions were correct. Ham, Stewart, Norton, Hope (2005) found that 44% of the variance in high level drinking to be attributed to AOEs. This higher level could be due to the sample population used in the study. For the current sample, there were no effects of AOEs on AUDIT score for men (see below), and therefore the variance in risk classification reflects upon women’s expectations for alcohol.   Similarly this could explain why Ham, Stewart, Norton and Hope (2005)   found that greater the expectancies for Self-Perception and Cognitive and Behavioural Impairment, the more likely participants were to have alcohol related problems, this was consistent with findings of Lee, Greely, Oei (1999). Also Gustafson (1989) found that high consumers have stronger AOE and that all expectancies, bar Sexuality, were related to higher levels of alcohol consumption. These results suggest that certain expectancies are related to risky drinking, however, the expectancies that reliably predict risk is determined by the population that is being investigated. Further to this, some research has found that expectancies did not appear to be related to consumption in problem drinkers (Oei, Fergusson, Lee, 1998) this suggest that further research needs to be conducted into the relationship between level of alcohol consumption and AOEs. There was no effect of AOEs on AUDIT score for men. However, there was an effect for women, therefore we can reject the null hypothesis. This does not follow previous research as it has been found expectations that alcohol would improve social situations had the highest correlations with actual alcohol use in men. Men alcohol use corresponded to the belief that men in general have positive personality changes due to drinking, and that men drink to relieve social anxiety (Borjesson Dunn, 2001). These findings appear inconsistent with research by (Brown, Goldman, Inn, Anderson, 1980), who found that women expected more positive social consequences from drinking alcohol, whereas men were more likely to expect potentially aggressive behaviour and more negative expectations. This difference could be because of gender differences within the population used. Although the sample population is similar to the UK populations with more men than women (UK; 51% women, Study; 62% women) (Office o f National Statistics, 2008), it is inconsistent with that of Loughborough University (62% men) (The Complete University Guide, 2011). The choice of women to attend a predominantly male University may have affected the results as University choice may be determined by personal characteristics and lifestyle choices. There was a relationship between participants and friends AOEs, specifically for the same type of expectations (positive to positive and negative to negative), and therefore the null hypothesis can be rejected. A modified version of the CEOA was used to identify friend’s expectations and therefore its individual validity and reliability has not been tested. This means that the data can only be indicative of a relationship, but similar results have been found before (Rohsenow, 1983). Participants expected alcohol to affect other people more than themselves. However, this was more pronounced for negative effects. People typically drink more or less in response to the consumption rates of others in their drinking environment (Caudill Marlatt, 1975) (Lied Marlatt, 1979), especially when people are friendly (Collins, Parks, Marlatt, 1985). The belief that others will experience more AOEs effects than themselves, a person’s own alcohol consumption could be effected. Indivi duals could be drinking more than to others because they underestimate the effect alcohol is having on themselves in regards to others. Research has identified social context and peer influence as risk factors for problematic student drinking (Ham Hope, 2003). The current study is limited because it does not investigate the relationship of specific expectancy subscales. It has previously been found, however, that, others who consumed large amounts of alcohol were seen as more relaxed, less inhibited, more aggressive, and less attractive than those who drank none or little (Edgar Knight, 1994). And those who themselves drank less were more likely to expect others to become more aggressive and relaxed than their moderate or heavy drinking counterparts (Rohsenow, 1983). When looking at different levels of alcohol consumption, it was found that there was no relationship between participants and friends expectations for those not drinking at risky levels. For those classified as hazardous drinkers there was only a relationship between the same type of expectancies (positive and positive, negative and negative). In opposition to this there was a relationship between opposite expectations for those classified as dependent drinkers. Therefore the null hypothesis can be rejected. Alcohol expectancies have been shown to correlate with all levels of drinking (Goldman, 1999).   The lack of defining an specific amount of alcohol in this study, instead specifying to base assumptions on a friend consuming the same amount as the participant, could have affected the results. Therefore those drinking low levels of alcohol are also rating their friends drinking low levels which may not be representative of normal drinking. Those drinking at dependent levels may h ave been more aware of drinking large amounts because they had previously completed the AUDIT. Specifically those drinking at dependent levels expected that their friends would have more negative expectations than themselves. Students are suggested to be aware of the negative consequences of drinking (Bewick, Mulhern, Barkham, Trusler, Hill, Stiles, 2008), but choose to ignore them in relation to their own drinking. More research needs to be conducted into the relationship between this relationship, specifically in respect to reducing high drinking levels by making people fully aware of the negative effects of drinking. There was no overall significant effects of men expectations for their self and friends expectations, however there was an effect of positive AOEs on friends positive AOEs. For women there was an effect of total expectations on friends expectations, specifically participants own negative AOEs and friends negative AOEs. Therefore the null hypothesis can be rejected. Expectancies of alcohol use are theorised to develop through learning from repeated experience with alcohol, either personally or observed. Therefore, an individual’s own perception of the consequences of drinking becomes an important factor in the associations (Bauman, Fisher, Bryan, Chenoweth, 1985) (Jones McMahon, 1992). In most cultures and societies, one of the most secure observations is that consequences surrounding consumption are tolerated more in men than in women (McMahon, Jones, ODonnell, 1994). This suggests that alcohol behaviours would generally be judged more by the individual if they were female than if they were male. These differences could be due to the population being sampled with women being less influenced by the way alcohol behaviour is perceived. Also it has been observed that women in the population score higher on the AUDIT than men, contrary to that of the general population. It is important that future research takes into account other variables that affect the relationship between alcohol use and AOEs. This can then be used to better understand of why so many people drink risky levels despite the knowledge that it can be harmful. Specifically it is suggested that the desirability of AOEs is an important factor in understanding the relationship of expectancies to drinking (Leigh, 1987). 2.   Conclusion The aim of this study was to investigate relationship between participants AOEs and those they hold for their friends in a student population. It was, also, aimed to investigate the relationship between AOEs and alcohol consumption. Participant’s AOEs were found to significantly affect AUDIT score (F(46,71) = 1.651, p 0.005, partial ÃŽ ·Ã‚ ² = 0.517). There was no effect of AOEs on AUDIT score for men(F(31,15) = 0.821, p = 0.690, partial ÃŽ ·Ã‚ ² = 0.629). However, there was an effect for women (F(36,34) = 1.818, p 0.05, partial ÃŽ ·Ã‚ ² = 0.658). There was a relationship between participants and friends AOEs (F(46,71) = 3.009, p 0.005, partial ÃŽ ·Ã‚ ² = 0.661). The findings of the present study are consistent with previous studies that have shown AOEs to be significant predictors of alcohol consumption (Fromme, Stroot, Kaplan, 1993). This highlights the importance of investigating the effects of AOEs within specific populations, and how AOEs can be controlled to effect alcohol consumption.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon According to legend, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, considered one  of the  seven Ancient Wonders of the  World,  were built in the 6th century BCE by King Nebuchadnezzar II for his homesick wife, Amytis. As a Persian princess, Amytis missed the wooded mountains of her youth and thus Nebuchadnezzar built her an oasis in the desert, a building covered with exotic trees and plants,  tiered so  that it  resembled a mountain. The only problem is that archaeologists are not sure that the Hanging Gardens ever really existed. Nebuchadnezzar II and Babylon The city of Babylon was founded around 2300 BCE, or even earlier,  near the  Euphrates River just south of the modern city of Baghdad in  Iraq. Since it was located in the desert, it was built almost entirely out of mud-dried bricks. Since bricks are so easily broken, the city was destroyed a number of times in its history. In the 7th century BCE, Babylonians revolted against their Assyrian ruler. In an attempt to make an example of them, Assyrian King Sennacherib  razed the city of Babylon, completely destroying it.  Eight years later, King Sennacherib was assassinated by his three sons. Interestingly,  one of these sons ordered the reconstruction of Babylon. It wasnt long before Babylon was  once again flourishing and known as a center of learning and culture. It was Nebuchadnezzars father, King Nabopolassar, that liberated Babylon from Assyrian rule. When Nebuchadnezzar II became king in 605 BCE, he was handed a healthy realm, but he wanted more. Nebuchadnezzar  wanted to expand his kingdom in order to make it one of the most powerful city-states of the time. He fought  the Egyptians and the Assyrians and won. He also made  an alliance with the king of Media by marrying his daughter. With these conquests came the spoils of war to which Nebuchadnezzar, during the course of  his 43-year reign,  used to enhance the city of Babylon. He built an enormous ziggurat, the temple of Marduk (Marduk was Babylons patron god). He also built a massive wall around the city, said to be 80 feet thick, wide enough for four-horse chariots to race on. These walls were so large and grand, especially the Ishtar Gate,  that they too were considered one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World until they were bumped off the list by the Lighthouse in Alexandria. Despite these other awesome creations, it was the Hanging Gardens that captured  peoples imagination and remained one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. What Did the Hanging Gardens of Babylon Look Like? It may seem surprising how little we know about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. First, we dont know exactly where it was located. It is said to have been placed close to the Euphrates River for access to water and yet no archeological evidence has been found to prove its exact location. It  remains the only Ancient Wonder whose location has not yet  been found. According to legend, King Nebuchadnezzar II built the Hanging Gardens for his wife Amytis, who missed the cool temperatures, mountainous terrain,  and  beautiful scenery of her homeland in Persia. In comparison, her hot, flat, and dusty new home of Babylon must have seemed completely drab. It is believed that the Hanging Gardens was a tall building, built upon stone (extremely rare for the area), that in some way resembled a mountain, perhaps by having multiple terraces. Located on top of and overhanging the walls (hence the term hanging gardens) were numerous and varied plants and trees. Keeping these exotic plants alive in a desert took a massive amount of water. Thus,  it is said, some sort of engine pumped water up through the building from either a well located below or directly from the river. Amytis could then walk through the rooms of the building, being cooled by the shade as well as the water-tinged air. Didthe Hanging Gardens Ever Really Exist? There is still much debate about the existence of the Hanging Gardens. The Hanging Gardens seem magical in a way, too amazing to have been real. Yet, so many of the other seemingly-unreal structures of Babylon  have been found by archaeologists and proven  to  have really existed. Yet the Hanging Gardens remains aloof. Some archaeologists believe that remains of the ancient structure have been found in the ruins of Babylon. The problem is that these remains are not near the Euphrates River as some descriptions have specified. Also, there is no mention of the Hanging Gardens in any contemporary Babylonian writings. This leads some to believe that the Hanging Gardens were a myth, described only by Greek writers after the fall of Babylon. A new theory, proposed by Dr. Stephanie Dalley of Oxford University, states that there was a mistake made in the past and that the Hanging Gardens were not located in Babylon; instead, they were located in the northern Assyrian city of Ninevah and were built by King Sennacherib. The confusion could have been caused because Ninevah was, at one time,  known as New Babylon. Unfortunately, the ancient ruins of Ninevah are located in a contested and thus dangerous part of Iraq and thus, at least for now, excavations are impossible to conduct. Perhaps one day, we will know the truth about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Egoism and relativism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Egoism and relativism - Assignment Example as certainty associated with it because it promotes that individuals should take actions that provide the highest degree of happiness to oneself and the individual should try to avoid actions and decisions that result in unhappiness. The element of certainty exists because an individual can easily be sure about the elements and the outcomes that will make him or her happy and unhappy and thus can easily make decisions. For example: as an individual I may lie to another individual if I perceive that in a given situation lying will result in higher benefits to me as compared to costs. The main weakness associated with egoism is that it ignores the fact that other individuals within a society may end up being impacted negatively if an individual only makes decisions based on his/her self-interest. This means that egoism disregards the idea that those actions are ethical that result in benefiting the overall society and not just a few individuals within the society. For example: a stock exchange agent may lie to its clients that investing in a certain share will benefit them when actually it may result in losses. This means that the agent is hurting others by lying and only benefiting himself in terms of commission he earns from selling certain stocks. The theory of relativism states that actions as well as decisions that may be ethical for a particular society are not necessarily ethical for another society or group (Birsch 18). Relativists are of the position that no actions and decisions are universally ethical or unethical and vary in compliance from one society to another. One of the major strengths of relativism is that it promotes tolerance between different groups and well as different members of these groups (Birsch 28). The theory holds that one cannot simply reject the values of another society or culture if those values are conflicting with values of people from their own society. This in turns helps in ensuring that members from different societies

Raymond Kelly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Raymond Kelly - Essay Example If he wins the race, he should quit the NYPD. This is because if he wins, he should focus his attention on his new position instead of distributing his attention which would disturb his focus. It will create hindrances for him in giving equal time to both posts and may make him exhausted. Additionally, he may not be able to exhibit fairness and make an equitable distribution of time for both posts which depict great responsibility. If however, he does not get selected, then he may continue to work in the NYPD which is his actual job and source of fame and popularity. People have mixed opinions about his future in the New York Mayoral Race. However I believe that his actions to remain in the NYPD should depend upon the result of his elections. The posts of a Mayor as well as Police Commissioner are both important and put great responsibility on the candidates appointed. A Mayor has to sort important matters in a state and hence it is a very demanding job. In a similar manner, a Police Commissioner manages crime as well as maintains peace in a state. Considering the nature of these jobs, it is essential the candidates should provide for undivided attention. Thus, if appointed as a Mayor, Raymond Kelly should quit the post of NYC Police Commissioner. Lauinger, J. (2012, May). â€Å"Ray Kelly loses head-to-head matchup for mayor to Christine Quinn,  Bill Thompson and Bill de Blasio in new Quinnipiac poll.†New York Daily News. Retrieved from:

The Speckled band Essay Example for Free

The Speckled band Essay Now, of course that suggests at once there must be a communication between the two rooms. It can only be a small one, or it would have been remarked upon at the coroners inquiry. I deduced a ventilator Holmes explained to Watson. In Dr Roylotts bedroom the position of the wooden chair showed it had been used to stand on to reach the ventilator, An inspection of his chair showed me that he had been in the habit of standing on it, which, of course, would be necessary in order that he should reach the ventilator Holmes told Watson. The other clues found in the stepfathers room by Holmes were a metal safe with a saucer of milk on the top of it, on finding this Holmes asks there isnt a cat in it for example? at which Helen replies No what a strange idea! . In Dr Roylotts room there was also a small dog lash hung on one corner of the bed. The lash, however, was curled upon its self, and tied so as to make a loop of whipcord. The red-herrings in the story relates to the speckled band which Julia had said before her death, O, my God! Helen! It was the band! The speckled band! . Helen had thought that her sister was referring to the gipsies spotted handkerchiefs Which so many of them wear over their heads might have suggested the strange adjective which she used. The gipsies were camping on the ground of the Stoke Moran estate with Dr Roylotts permission. The estate also had a cheetah and a baboon roaming the estate grounds which had frightened Helens sister greatly prior to her death. Dr Roylott has a passion also for Indian animals, which are sent over to him by a correspondent and these animals wander freely over his grounds, and are feared by the villagers almost as much as their master Helen informed Holmes. Within both stories we see Holmes as a respected master of deduction in the Victorian period. The language is formal with Holmes using long sentences to explain the methods he has used to investigate and solve the crime and disappearance. This is shown when Holmes informs Watson in The Speckled band that he had come to an entirely erroneous conclusion , which shows , my dear Watson , how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data . In The Man with the twisted lip Holmes remarks to Watson There is plenty of thread , no doubt , but I cant get the end of it in my hand. This is the language used during the Victorian time. It is also apparent that both Helen Stoner and Mrs St Clair have sought help from Holmes as they have heard that he has a reputation for solving crimes. Sherlock Holmess character in The Man with the twisted lip is a well known and respected man by the police force this was seen when he entered the police station in Bow Street the two constables at door saluted him. The police are willing to work with him as seen by Inspector Bradstreet showing him into his office and asking him what can I do for you Mr Holmes? he then provides him with information about Hugh Boone and allowing him into to cell were he was imprisoned. His authority and the way he is able to reassure people is seen when he confronts Neville St Clair in the cell Sherlock Holmes sat down beside him on the couch, and patted him kindly on the shoulder. He uses his authority to persuade Neville to provide information to Inspector Bradstreet so that the case would never go into court at all this is to avoid the shame, the publicity of a court hearing which would bring to his family. The way that Holmes worked in solving the disappearance is by quietly sitting and thinking all through the night with an old brier pipe between his lips, his eyes fixed vacantly upon the corner of the ceiling, the blue smoke curling up from him, silent, motionless, with the light shinning upon his strong-set aquiline features this shows that Holmes is committed to his job. In The Speckled Band Holmes works quickly and methodically to solve the crime by inspecting the house where the death occurred, whatever danger threatened an occupant of the room could not come either from the window or the door this shows that he uses his detective skills to piece together the clues like a jigsaw. He also works in a calm and composed manner, this is shown in the way Holmes deals the Swamp adder the deadliest snake in India, Without hesitation he drew the dog whip swiftly from the dead mans lap, and throwing the noose round the reptiles neck, he drew from its horrid perch, and, carrying it at arms length, threw it into the iron safe, which he closed upon it, this is showing that he is brave and deals with danger without hesitating. As well as this Holmes shows his commitment to his profession, this is shown in the way he informs Helen Stoner As to reward, my profession is its reward this means that Holmes motivated by solving crimes and not by money. The endings of these two short stories are different in The Man with the twisted lip there is a happy ending were the main character is reunited with his wife and family having gone missing for several days. The Speckled Band ends with the death of Dr Roylott who is killed by the swamp adder. In The Man with the twisted Lip the ending concludes a successful piece of investigative work by Holmes and Watson as they restored the normal everyday life of Mr and Mrs Neville St Clair. Apart from Mr St Clair going missing for a few days there is no scandal, as the newspapers do not find out the facts behind his disappearance and is wife is not told the true story behind his disappearance. So satisfied in Holmes with the outcome of this investigation that he says to Watson If we drive to Baker Street we shall be in time for breakfast. The ending to The Speckled Band is not happy as it results in the death of Dr Roylott, this does not play on Holmess his conscience as Dr Roylott is described by Helen Stoner as a man of immense strength , and absolutely uncontrollable in his anger. An example of this is given he hurled the local blacksmith over the parapet into a stream. The final sentence of this story ends with Holmes stating that I am no doubt indirectly responsible for Dr Grimesby Roylotts death ,and I cannot say that it is likely to weigh very heavily upon my conscience. To conclude from looking at detective fiction in the nineteenth century and comparing the two short stories above I have been able to examine the winning formula that detective fiction has been written to. This is the way these stories are written to involve the reader in the detectives role of gathering clues, to solve the crime and find the culprit. This method has stood the test of time; in fact detective fiction is probably stronger today than it was in the nineteenth century. This is due to having wider audience as it has been translated into television and its popularity is evident as it scores of highly in the ratings. Harry Johnson 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

Tennis Essay -- essays research papers

As we all know, America is a nation of sports enthusiasts. Most Americans participate is some kind of sporting event, either as a spectator or as a competitor. In the pantheon of great American sports, there is one that stands out. It has been called the great American pastime. Yes, that great sport known as tennis. Tennis requires a mastery of many skills to be able to play competitively, but the primary skill needed to win in tennis is the serve. The serve is the primary offensive weapon used I tennis, because it is the only time when a player gets to put a ball into play. The player controls the speed, the placement, and the spin of the ball. With proper procedure, the serve can win many points and games for the server. The technique I will demonstrate is used by most professional ten...

Analyse the dramatic Essay

Analyse the dramatic importance of the end of act one of  Ã¢â‚¬ËœA View from the Bridge’  Aurther Miller is play writer of ‘A View from the Bridge’ who uses a range of technique to illustrate the importance of the play, such as stage directions and language.  At the end of act 1, Miller creates an atmosphere that Alfieri is weak where he says â€Å"I was so powerless† indicating that even a lawyer who should be confident on what to do, was clueless. Further to this there is a suspense tension on what will happen next, where Alfieri visits an old lady to question about the fate of Eddie Carbone. The last statement of Alfieri after his discussion with the lady ends with, â€Å"And so I waited here† which gives a sense to the audience that Alfieri himself fears that a disaster will happen and so we are curious and anxious to find out.  In the next part of the extract, it opens up as they are a big ecstatic family, as normally Catherine boosts about Rodolfo about what he did.† They went to Africa once. On a fishing boat (Eddie Glances at her) its true Eddie† representing Eddie doesn’t really want to know what they did. As the family talk about what the 2 submarines, Rodolfo doest want to contribute in the conversation therefore he sits near Catherine while she is â€Å"reading a magazine† On stage while they were Talking about fishing boats Eddie especially concentrates on what Marco says and replies back to him in a very quick speed, â€Å"Marco: sardines. Eddie: sure. (laughing) how are you gonna catch sardines on a hook?† Seeing that the 2 boys were having an argument. Beatrice steps in and tries to change the subject.  The mood and atmosphere is very cheerful as Catherine goes on about Rodolfo’s adventure. Eddie then jokes about that they â€Å"paint oranges to make them look like oranges† Marco then reacts to eddies joke thinking that he is telling the truth. Rodolfo is helping his brother by changing the subject â€Å"lemons are green† there becomes a conflict between Rodolfo and Eddie .he therefore reveals his ignorance â€Å"for Christ sake†

History About Death

Death, the inevitable aspect of life. Many think that death is a portal to another realm, others think that it is the end of all life and existence. Me, on the other hand, like to think of death as a motivation factor. A reason to keep pushing and moving on, a reason to stay healthy, a reason to correct yourself. It may sound weird, but when you hear of people dying from new things, doesn't it give you a sense of awareness about the world that you live in. If someone dies from a staying on the phone for long periods of time, wouldn't you measure the amount of time that you spend conversing tit friends?Death is powerful, death may be the only thing on earth that can change the earth. The power of death is remarkable, it is the only thing that you have no choice in, if it's your time, then it's your time, no re-runs or asking for second chances, you're gone, no questions asked. Death is the hardest when it hits the ones that you love and adore. When death hits those close to you, you d o not understand, you attempt to deny it and you get unsettling rage within yourself not understanding why you couldn't be with that loved one.On the other hand, if you're a more mature individual, then when a loved one dies, you accept the fate of the passing, you don't dwell on the fact that they are dead, but you dwell on the life that they lived, and think about what they would want you to do in their memory. If you accept death in that manner, you will use it as a motivation factor. A factor that when you feel like giving up, you won't because in your head you hear the voice of your deceased loved one telling you to not stop. Death is a major factor in the progress of society.If it wasn't for the deaths of any legends and idols, our world wouldn't have progressed to the point that it has. America gained its independence in a war, then slavery was abolished because of a war, and Germany, Italy, and Japan could not control the world as they desired because of English, American, a nd Russian soldiers putting their lives on the line during World War 2. If it wasn't for 9/1 1 America's National Defense wouldn't be as strict and powerful as it is today. If it wasn't for people passing away from cancer and Stud's, scientist and doctors wouldn't have founds cures for future interactions with he diseases.Because no one wants to die, it promotes everyone to do whatever they can to stay alive longer, thus promoting the progress of our world. The most difficult interaction that I had with death is when I was in 8th grade and my aunt passed away. Her passing made me understand that death is real and that anyone can die. Everyone has those role models in their lives that seem to live forever, and when they die, your heart is torn apart and it takes time to rebuild it. My aunt was so loving. She had charisma, love, and was very friendly to everyone she came in contact with.She was my grandfather's sister, and she was like a grandmother to me, she spoiled me, and did ever ything for me, and when she passed it tore a piece of me out of my body. I went into a dark vibe, I cut myself from society and I had to take time to find myself. One day I told myself that she wouldn't want me to be down and out, she would want me to work hard and stay strong for her. I love her and my love for my aunt, motivates me, and will continue to motivate me all the way though my entire life. Part of death. Many people live their lives in fear of death, but in all reality, death is unavoidable, you cannot run from it.Although there are violent and peaceful ways to die, death is still going to occur. When your heart stops and your brain ceases to flow, your dead, and you cannot take it back. That is why you should live your life to the fullest, with no regrets, and with happiness, so that when it is your turn to die, you would've made such an impact on the world that you live in that you don't have a funeral, you have a celebration, celebrating the life that you lived, and t hat you have inspired and motivated someone to keep going on, working hard on the road to success.

Free Essays on The Evolution Of The Internet

The Internet has become an essential part of our lives. However, as we use it on a daily basis to communicate with family and friends, find information, look for jobs, pay bills, etc., we often do not stop to ponder where the internet originated. According to Nua Internet Surveys, 513.41 million people were online worldwide in August 2001. The Internet we know today and evolved from a government research program into the largest form of mass medium we know today. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientist J.C.R. Licklider first envisioned the Internet in August 1962. Licklider, who was Presidents Roosevelt’s science advisor during World War II, headed the first computer research program at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), as it was then known, a unit of the U.S. Department of Defense (Daily, p222.) The first Internet originated when (DARPA) began a network called ARPAnet in 1969. Designed as a computer version of the nuclear bomb shelter, ARPAnet protected the flow of information between military installations by creating a network of geographically separated computers that could exchange information via a newly developed protocol (rule for how computers interact) called NCP (Network Control Protocol). This meant that even if enemies knocked out portions of the network it would continue to function because the information sent would automatically find an alternate route to their destination. One opposing view to ARPAnet's origins comes from Charles M. Herzfeld, the former director of ARPA. He claimed that ARPANET was not created as a result of a military need, stating, "It came out of our frustration that there were only a limited number of large, powerful research computers in the country and that many research investigators who should have access were geographically separated from them" (Bellis, 3rd para.) Four computers were the first connected in the original ARPAnet. They were located in t... Free Essays on The Evolution Of The Internet Free Essays on The Evolution Of The Internet The Internet has become an essential part of our lives. However, as we use it on a daily basis to communicate with family and friends, find information, look for jobs, pay bills, etc., we often do not stop to ponder where the internet originated. According to Nua Internet Surveys, 513.41 million people were online worldwide in August 2001. The Internet we know today and evolved from a government research program into the largest form of mass medium we know today. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientist J.C.R. Licklider first envisioned the Internet in August 1962. Licklider, who was Presidents Roosevelt’s science advisor during World War II, headed the first computer research program at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), as it was then known, a unit of the U.S. Department of Defense (Daily, p222.) The first Internet originated when (DARPA) began a network called ARPAnet in 1969. Designed as a computer version of the nuclear bomb shelter, ARPAnet protected the flow of information between military installations by creating a network of geographically separated computers that could exchange information via a newly developed protocol (rule for how computers interact) called NCP (Network Control Protocol). This meant that even if enemies knocked out portions of the network it would continue to function because the information sent would automatically find an alternate route to their destination. One opposing view to ARPAnet's origins comes from Charles M. Herzfeld, the former director of ARPA. He claimed that ARPANET was not created as a result of a military need, stating, "It came out of our frustration that there were only a limited number of large, powerful research computers in the country and that many research investigators who should have access were geographically separated from them" (Bellis, 3rd para.) Four computers were the first connected in the original ARPAnet. They were located in t...

How To Be More Productive With Your Spare Time

How To Be More Productive With Your Spare Time If there’s one thing most bloggers know about writing its that its very time consuming. And when time is money, you certainly can’t afford to waste it. My theory is, if you can be more productive even in 5 minutes, you will find that you end up writing more throughout the week with less time on your hands. I want to share a few secret habits of mine that have stuck around since I started content writing, and I’m sure have saved me hundreds of precious minutes and more than a few dollars. How To Be More Productive With Your Spare 5, 30, And 60 Minutes You are not alone in the struggle of writing. Most successful bloggers would not manage their over-stretched workload without amazing tools to help them save time and write more. The most efficient tools are ones you can use on the move in short periods of time, and if you’re anything like me, then you will understand how every moment can be used for something productive toward your writing. So here it is, how  to maximize your time, actually get more stuff done, and be more productive. Oh, and a quote to help you on your content writing way: Do. Or do not. There is no try. - Yoda How To Use  Your Spare 5 Minutes To Be More Productive You may wonder, "How can I achieve anything in 5 minutes?" The answer is simple: Do your micro tasks to free up time later on. This method to help you write more is super handy  when you’re on the go. Whether you are on the bus, train, or in between projects, 5 minutes can mean a lot.  You probably spend 5 minutes listening to a song and a half on your way to work. Here is what you can do instead: 1. Network. If you are in the blogging or content writing sphere, it is important to make and keep connections. You can spend 5 minutes either calling or sending a message to your blogger friend- make it a useful 5 minutes by asking them a question. Twitter chats are a really useful way of networking and a great place to ask questions that people actually reply to! 2. Be creative. Start that infographic/visual idea you always wanted to do. OK, it will inevitably take longer than 5 minutes, but forming the idea won't; it will give you the push to finally do it. Remember that innovation is a painstaking process, and every minute you have spare to process it is essential. Spend spare minutes on innovative ideas to increase your productivity.3. Create a quote. Ever wonder how people come up with all those lovely quotes in their writing? They spend 5 minutes coming up with them. By writing or searching for  two  quotes a day, you will find your blog writing becoming deeper and much more personal, and we all know readers love personal content, right? 4.  Share your content. Send a tweet to someone in your niche. In my opinion, this is one of the most useful things you can do with your 5 minutes. You can find people to connect with by searching for hashtags in your industry and find discussions to get involved in or influencers to ask questions. Oh, and always respond to someone who tweets you. Respond  immediately  or as soon as  possible. This will allow you to create a  relationship with your community. The larger community you build, the more  loyal your followers will be.   Another option is to go back over your old posts and share them. My secret habit: I like using Twitter for accessing events, even if I can’t attend them. By tweeting relevant posts with the event’s hashtag, you can revive traffic to old content and bring more people to your blog. You will meet influencers in your industry and your content will live a bit longer because people search for the event hashtag even days/weeks after it ended. Even better, this really does take only 5 minutes. 5. Use your surroundings  for visual inspiration in your content. EyeEm (Andoid, iOS) is a funky app you should download now. When you are traveling in your daily life, you can use this app to capture amazing shots that you can later add to your content, or even sell them to make money. Now if that isn’t being efficient, I don’t know what is. EyeEm helps you manage your pictures to capture visual inspiration for your content when you're on the go. My secret habit: I like to get unusual shots with my phone, even if it's of a cup of coffee or an empty bench. I keep these pictures for later and it sometimes gives me my most creative ideas. I've activated the automatic Google Drive backup, so every picture I take is saved in MyDrive. Take pictures as your content ideas. It helps you avoid stock photography, gives your content a personal story, and helps you use your spare time to be more productive. 6. Explore  catchy new hooks for your content. Portent's Title Maker  is probably one of my favorite tools for content creation. Basically, enter a keyword and it produces countless options of headlines. You don’t always have to take these headlines and literally use them in your post, you can also use them as a basis for exploring ideas. With 5 minutes, I’ve estimated you can come up with about  250 titles to work with. While the  Title Maker is quick and easy, it's still a robot.  So there are times where the headlines comes out a little like gibberish or not grammatically correct. This is why Portent is an excellent idea finder, and  once you find your idea, you can then use 's  headline analyzer  to check your SEO score and make sure your headlines will get clicks. My secret habit: If I’m having a bad writing day, I like to put the names of famous people as the subject. Some of the results have really brightened up my day and motivated me in the rest of my writing. Start with Justin Bieber. How To Use Your Spare 30 Minutes To Be More Productive OK, so in 30 minutes you might be able to achieve something more meaningful when it comes to actual content writing. The amount of time it takes to watch an episode of How I Met Your Mother is the same amount of time you could use to create new content ideas. Now I am all for sitcom TV and downtime Facebook stalking, but when statistics show that we spend 1.77 hours a day on social media, it's time to make a change. Here are 3 things you could do instead: 1. Refresh those old blog posts with more up to date research. Your readers will appreciate the attention you give to all of your content. 2. Reply to all your blog comments. This is a crucial way of engaging your audience and create discussion around your topics. 3. Add a to your posts. Encouraging sharing is one of the best ways of getting more exposure for your work. 3 ways to improve your #content  instead of binge watching Netflix.Save awesome content to read later when you have spare time. Pocket is my new favorite tool. It  will help you bookmark information you want to read for later. This idea will save you time for when you come to sit down and write. Instead of spending 1–2 hours researching, you will already have a list of great articles to refer to. And the best part about this tool is that it works within other apps you might be using like Flipboard or Twitter. My secret habit: My favorite place to Pocket articles from is Feedly. This way, I can browse multiple articles and bookmark the ones I want to read for later. It's almost a daily habit now, and this way I have a constant stream of articles to read when I have more time. Brainstorm new ideas. bubbl.us is a fantastic brain mapping tool to get your ideas flowing. Start by inputting a core idea and see your idea grow. You can use it either as a desktop version or download the app on your iPhone or Android device. My secret habit: 30 minutes is really quite a long time to brainstorm one topic. I sometimes like to go over two topics,  15 minutes each, leaving more time for writing when I get to the latter topic. Take a break. I know that this one sticks out like a sore thumb, but it’s supposed to! Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to do everything in one day. Having a 30-minute break from your writing is just as important as being productive with the time you have. The more relaxed you are, the more creative you will be, so put your computer/phone/tablet on hibernate and take a walk outside. Really: A study by the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology found that participants who took 20-minute breaks for progressive relaxation (like meditation) came back to work more productive than when they left. Even better if you are at home:  Have a power nap.  They're proven to improve concentration and performance, which is essential to any writer. How To Use 1 Hour  To  Be More Productive With one hour to spare, you might not feel there is enough time to really sit and get into that blog post you’ve been meaning to write. There are other things you could be doing to get more writing done in this short amount of time: Reinvent your content with LinkedIn Publisher. Most people these days have LinkedIn for connection building reasons, but not every blogger is using it as a tool for content distribution. With one hour, you can repurpose (rewrite) an older blog post and start building a presence on this platform. You will be doubling your writing output without even realizing it. LinkedIn is more effective with articles that offer real solutions for problems or insights that have been backed by research. So try to take the core elements from previously published posts and put a new angle on them. Once you rewrite your post, share it in many different LinkedIn groups for maximum exposure. My secret habit: I like to connect with people who  comment on my posts on LinkedIn. They are often from the same niche that I come from, and I find that this technique has led to valuable leads such as guest posting. Repurpose your content with SlideShare. I love using this tool when I don’t have time to write a full post. 1 hour is enough to get together a good SlideShare. For example, if you wrote a few posts on a specific topic, you can turn them into an informative SlideShare that will attract different readers to your site. Whether it’s to repurpose content or to get some more content out on a different medium, this is a great tool to help you write more in less time. Oh, did I mention it's free? My secret habit: If you've ever  presented anywhere, upload your slides to SlideShare.  With the right tags, you can reach thousands of interested readers which will bring them back to your site. This means you are maximizing your writing through several channels. Learn how to do what you do  even better with Coursera. There are so many online learning courses available, it’s quite amazing. Coursera is one of the best platforms that offers a variety of different lectures. In an hour, you can improve your writing skills, learn how to code your WordPress blog, or even get to grips with your Google Analytics. These courses may not be directly related to writing, though developing these skills will save you time in other aspects of your day that will eventually give you more time for writing. The Extras That Will Save You Time These are tools I recommend if you are looking for that extra something to get you writing more in less time: 1.  E.gg  Timer:  A typical problem  for content writers is actually sitting and writing for a block period of time without doing something else. If you recognize this behavior, start restricting your  time  with E.gg Timer. All you need to do is write how much time you want to focus for, and you will get a notification reminding you it's tea time. Try and stick with it and you will find your workflow increases and improves. 2.  TrenDemon:  I’ve been wanting to use a popup subscriber for a while (sorry, I know we hate to love them) and I found that TrenDemon has great A/B testing methods. They have a free plan for publishers, so I recommend this as a starting point for optimizing your blog subscribing process. By worrying less about picking up subscribers, you will be giving yourself much more time for actual writing. 3.  GetResponse:  If you’re looking for a way to save time for writing, you should stop using that Excel sheet for your subscriber email database. Firstly, it’s not secure, and secondly, it's so time consuming having to send all of the email newsletters yourself. GetResponse is a great option for blogs with more than  1,000 subscribers who want to have easy access to newsletter designs that can be sent automatically. They have a 30-day free trial that is worth checking out, with many cool features like inbox preview that lets you see what your newsletter will look like across different platforms. I hope these tips have helped you get ahead of the time game to help you write more in your busy schedules. My overall general habit is to try and find productive creative outputs in everything that I do. I know it’s not always possible, but this dedication to your writing will become easier over time, and you will find yourself writing more as you get used to this new way of being productive with your time. Just get your free copy of the productivity template to  try out some of these tips the next time you have a few spare minutes.

Housing Law Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Housing Law Assignment - Essay Example The procedure for evicting a Scottish secure tenant is provided in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. Schedule 2 to the said act provides grounds on which court may order recovery of possession. The landlord has to satisfy the sheriff that you have failed to pay rent due and also that it is reasonable to evict you, considering various factors such as the amount of arrears, reason for arrears including unemployment, past history of tenant, duties of the local authority pursuant to orders of eviction with regard to social welfare legislation e.g. Children (Scotland) Act 1995. You can take the following lines of defence. (1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Your employment was interrupted because of ill health and also because you did not get permanent employment. That you were hospitalized is also a factor which will be considered in your favour. (2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You are now receiving benefits from the government, and you pay your rents out of these. As per the observation in W oodspring DC v. Taylor [3], receipt of benefits by a tenant is a material factor to be considered while deciding the application for eviction. Similarly, in Angus Housing Association v. Fraser [4] it was held that the sheriff should consider the fact that arrears direct are being paid and rent is taken care of by housing benefit. (3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fact that you were sequestrated prior to the decree being passed against you means that it has not been considered by the sheriff. This is another important factor in your possible defence. (4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The landlord tenant relationship imposes duties on the landlord. The windows of your bedroom are badly fitting and your landlord has not carried out repairs even after seven months of his being informed. It is not clear from the instructions, but additional expenditure for heating due to the condensation may have led to arrears or a part of it. Also, you are entitled to withhold rent till the landlord ca rries out the repairs necessary. As per the observation in Mary Galloway -v- City of Glasgow Council [5], the landlord should have repaired the house within a reasonable period from the date of notice and if not then they would be in breach of express and implied obligations to repair the house. (5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Your landlord should have taken into account the fact that you are unemployed. Your limited income and ill health caused in all probability by the improper condition of the house are also considerable factors while deciding reasonability of eviction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to a government assessment, about 40% of cases bought to the court resulted in a decree for eviction being issued. Less than 23% of the total cases bought to the court resulted in eviction.[6] On the basis of facts as you narrate them, there is a good chance of avoiding eviction. You can also seek full unemployment benefit from the government, as well as benef its for families. You are entitled for benefits because your children are dependant on you. Her Majesty’s Customs and Revenue department provides these benefits. It will take one year before some of your debts are automatically discharged. It will be of help to prepare a list of your creditors and see if you can defer payment to them until such time as you can get

Questions about election maps Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Questions about election maps - Article Example The graphics used usually draw quick attention to the viewer and further provides broader parameters of animation. The other type is called the paper map or the static map and majorly signifies stillness in observation. It is more evident that digital online maps presents modern kind of viewer interaction summarized as follows. They can be updated regularly as opposed to static maps which are printed hence not up to date. Creating online maps have reduced the normal production rate. Consequently static maps involve more paper work during creation stages such that it slows down production process. Digital maps also have the ability to contain more information as large data can be downloaded while the static maps cannot contain large files due to the apparent storage limit. On the other hand static maps are found to be valuable in the sense that they provide vital aspects of the original information stored when effecting new changes. I therefore strongly believe in my opinion that digital online maps are more effective compared to static maps. This is majorly because digital maps have moved with the current trend of technology hence represents the modern face of successful invention with utmost accuracy and