Is Ritalin The Answer To Ad (H) D Essays (547 words) -

Is Ritalin The Answer To Ad (H) D? Is Ritalin the Answer to AD (H) D? The tousled brown hair that weaves so mischievously around his head may hint at the way he feels inside. He is seven-years-old and has already had to repeat a grade. He has an imagination that puts others to shame, but nothing seems to hold his attention for more than five minutes. He was recently diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or what we call AD (H) D. This scene is all too familiar for individuals who discover that they, too, have this learning disorder as they progress from elementary school to college. In today's society we want a quick fix to remedy our problems. Therefore doctors are prescribing the drug, Ritalin, to control AD (H) D. Although Ritalin is a widely used drug to control AD (H) D, there are other safer alternatives to combat this worldwide disorder. Ritalin, like many other drugs, has several side effects-some of which are severe. Ritalin is in a class of drugs called Methylphetamines. These types of drugs (also called Central Nervous System or CNS stimulants) affect our central nervous system that controls everything from thought process to everyday breathing. Ritalin's major side effects influences the cardiovascular system (palpitation, tachycardia, and increased blood pressure), the central nervous system (psychosis, dizziness, headache, insomnia, tic syndromes, attacks of Gilles de la Tourette), gastrointestinal (anorexia, nausea), endocrine/metabolic system (weight loss, growth suppression). (What You Need To Know About Ritalin 1999) Also, Ritalin is a fairly new drug (introduced in the early eighties). It hasn't been around long enough to study the long-term effects. Since Ritalin is a Methylphetamine (closely related to the amphetamine family, such as cocaine), it has a high rate of abuse. In light of methylphenidate's abuse liability, it is important to note the tremendous increase in availability of this substance and the expanded population (adolescents and adults) receiving prescriptions for the treatment of AD (H) D. For example, the production quota for methylphenidate has increased from 1,361 kg in 1985 to 10,410 kg in 1995 with the primary increases occurring in the last five years. (Ritalin 1996) This drug is abused in two ways. One way is for recreational purposes. The abusers use the drug as a form of speed to pick themselves up. They feel that they need this in order to be alive and full of life. The other way this drug is abused is very different. Students are using Ritalin as a study aid. They take a pill (either orally, or by crushing it and snorting-much like cocaine, or they emulsify it in water and inject it like heroin) and cr am for an exam. College today has become more competitive. Students feel a need to have an edge over the others. They feel that Ritalin gives them this edge. Another danger is that since Ritalin is related to amphetamines, it has almost the same physiological effects. A users body will build a tolerance to the stimulant, therefore requiring more drugs to sustain the same level of abuse. This is very dangerous since the side effects on a normal dose are already dangerous; it has the potential for addiction and overdose. (Ritalin Nation 1997) Social Issues

How does Act 3 Scene 1 create and increase the dramatic tension leading to the end of the play Essays

How does Act 3 Scene 1 create and increase the dramatic tension leading to the end of the play Essays How does Act 3 Scene 1 create and increase the dramatic tension leading to the end of the play Essay How does Act 3 Scene 1 create and increase the dramatic tension leading to the end of the play Essay Shakespeare, soon to become the worlds most famous playwright, was in his peak of playwriting abilities during 1593 when he wrote Romeo and Juliet. He wrote to entertain in the Rose Theatre, Bankside in London. At that time London was a lively, highly populated place where aspiring writers and entertainers may go to claim their fortunes and in many ways still is. William Shakespeare had many rivals and obstacles to overcome and was living life on the edge.The Master of the Revels was able to shut down theatres at the strike of a pen as it was seen to be unholy to go to the theatre and many other writers also hoped for success, one of them being Christopher Marlowe. Romeo and Juliet was Shakespeares first play that was exciting enough to really rival Marlowe, mainly because it includes, portrays and expresses basic and important emotions such as love, passion and violence which are still felt strongly to this day. This is one of the reasons it is studied, watched and respected in the twenty first century.Romeo and Juliet is set in sixteenth century Italy in fair Verona. The play is set around two rival high status families from which two opposing star crossed lovers take their life. The families are typical of high status Italian families we hear about today: always feuding, outgoing, loud, strong minded and very quick tempered. In many ways these families are the roots of the modern mafia. This intertextuality already increases the dramatic tension. Many characters are involved in the play and they stand for different binary oppositions: Benvolio is a peaceful person, I do but keep the peace whereas the fiery Tybalt is a very violent and hot headed person, what, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word.However some characters are very similar such as Mercutio and Tybalt; they are both quick witted, volatile and both resort to violence which is shown before they meet making the audience (in sixteenth century theatre the audience were entertained most by violence and sex) excited at the prospect of the two most violent people in the play who happen to be enemies meeting; also increasing the dramatic tension. Another aspect increasing the dramatic tension is in the prologue it states where civil blood makes civil blood unclean. The audience will have experienced a public brawl in which no-one was killed which also resulted in a warning from the prince that anymore public fighting will result in death, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. This will leave the audience wondering when death will result, keeping the audience involved and anticipating this event.Another Event that increases the dramatic tension is in Act 2 scene 6 Romeo and Juliet get secretly married, Come, come with me, and we will make short work, For by your leaves, you shall not stay alone till holy church incorporate into one., creating dramatic irony as only us, Romeo, Juliet, Friar Lawrence and the Nurse know about it. This dramatic irony comes into play effectiv ely during Act 3 scene 1 when Tybalt confronts Romeo.During Act 3 scene 1 Tybalt approaches the Montague and Mercutio looking for Romeo. The day is hot, the capels abroad, and if we meet shall not scape a brawl This reinforces Benvolios character as cautious and peaceful and also implies a fight will happen soon once the Capulets and the Montagues meet increasing the audiences expectations of the fatal confrontation, adding to the dramatic tension. When Tybalt arrives, the atmosphere changes and Benvolio warns By my head here comes the Capulets. To which Mercutio replies By my heel, I care not, showing Mercutios quick wit and his will for a fight although perhaps not a serious retort.In the play I feel that Mercutios line should be spoken slowly and confidently as it is one of the key lines in the play signifying a violent challenge may arise during or soon after this scene. The mood really changes when Tybalt and Mercutio start quarrelling, starting off with Tybalt provoking Mercut io by insulting him by suggesting he is homosexual with Romeo Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo. Consort is an Elizabethan word meaning to keep company or to entertain. Mercutios response in my mind is very clever and quick witted as he turns the insult into a challenge to fight as he draws his sword as he describes as a fiddlestick, Consort? Dost thou make us minstrels?And thou make minstrels of us, look to hear nothing but discords. Heres my fiddlestick, heres that shall make you dance. Zounds, consort!. Dramatic tension is increased as the audience now fully expects a fight and may remember the princes warning. The similarities between Mercutio and Tybalt are now very clear but one difference is that Mercutio speaks in prose whereas Tybalt speaks in Poetry suggesting maybe that Tybalt is more sophisticated or Mercutio is in a mild rage unable to project his words clearly and Tybalt is more calm and confident.As Romeo enters dramatic irony adds to the ever increasing dramatic t ension because the audience remembers the secret marriage between him and Tybalts cousin Juliet. Tybalt immediately insults Romeo and challenges him but he refuses saying But love thee better than thou canst devise leaving Mercutio infuriated, O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!, and Tybalt confused. At this point the audience knows a fight will happen even if Romeo isnt involved. Mercutio then challenges Tybalt and they proceed to fight; Romeo tries to split up the brawl but this results in Mercutio being wounded. Tybalt then leaves. Mercutio jokes about his injury but clearly states that it is fatal Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man. Although he is still joking while he says thiscreating some relief for the audience using the word grave as a pun meaning both: a trench dug in the ground for the burial of a corpse and serious or sombre. And blames Romeo repeating A plaque aboth houses, leaving Romeo feeling guilty and feeling as though he has to avenge Merc utios certain death. Mercutio leaves before he dies, which could be for many reasons: he is a very popular character and the audience would be annoyed to see him die or simply maybe Shakespeare wouldnt have wanted too many bodies on stage.Dramatic tension is dramatically increased now as the audience has witnessed one death but feel as though another death will occur, seeing Romeo seeking revenge. Tybalt comes back finding Romeo challenging him showing a new side to Romeo. This shall determine that. They fight and eventually Romeo overcomes Tybalt and kills him. This is a totally new side to Romeo we havent seen yet as he has been portrayed as a gentleman and a peaceful person much like Benvolio.This is perhaps the turning point in the play as Romeos violent side has been exposed and leaves the audience wondering whether this is his true personality or whether it was a one off burst of rage. This turning point signifies the play is moving faster to the dramatic conclusion, building up the dramatic tension for later in the play. Romeo exclaims O, I am fortunes fool. before leaving. This I feel should be shouted as it truly expresses Romeo emotions and feelings at this present point in time and it signifies the involvement of fate which is mentioned before in the play.Romeo leaves just in time as the Prince arrives along with Lord Montague, Lord Capulet and their wives. The Prince decides that punishing Romeo with death would be un-necessary as enough lives have been taken already so instead he banishes Romeo from Verona but he if he returns he will be killed. And for that offence immediately do we exile him hence. This creates dramatic tension as it leaves the audience wondering what Romeo will do as he can either return to see Juliet and run the risk of being caught and killed or he can Stay away for Verona and not see his Juliet.During Act 3 Scene 1 the Elizabethan audience would have responded well because it was fast paced with lots of exits and entrances, violence and excitement. I personally feel that this is the most interesting and exciting scene as it unravels peoples true personalities and the dramatic tension is built up very well until two climactic fights.

Health Care slp Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Care slp - Essay Example Routine medical services, preventive care, urgent care, palliative care, diagnostic services, ambulances and drugs, all has been planned to ensure quality. My health plan shows zero tolerance to low class health services. 3. As for the cost, my health plan makes day-to-day visits to the physicians and getting the prescription very much accessible and cost-effective at the same time. As it is a scheduled health insurance rather than a comprehensive one, it will be very much cheaper as the services relate to day-to-day problems and not to a big calamitous event. 4. My health plan rates medium in terms of continuity of care because it protects the patient’s right of refusal of treatment at any phase of the medical procedure. Although, it is highly recommended that beneficial treatment be continued, still the patient’s will is most respected and he is always given treatment alternatives like referring to another physician or switching on to a different medication. This hinders a little with the continuity of care although my health plan strongly recommends

Are different patterns of communication in men and women Innately Essay

Are different patterns of communication in men and women Innately different - Essay Example The genetics of men and of women differ, in the same way; their brains perceive their communication thus the exhibition of different communication patterns between them. The different patterns are explained by various factors which are intertwined with the genetics of the respective gender in ways such as. The men are there to listen much and not to talk much while the women talk much and listen less, the men listen with a goal to achieve a solution at the end while women talk to heard and not necessarily to achieve a solution to a problem. The men usually compartmentalize their issues when it comes to communicating while women uses the big picture, this means that a man can be able to separate issues relating to different aspects of their lives as they communicate while women cannot be able to separate them. In other words, they use all the small chunks of information, from family, to relationships and to work and they speak about them, another pattern that can be observed in the co mmunication patterns are that women talk so much in a given period while men actually speak so little (Gray, 2015). All these variations in the communication patterns are innate in that the men can hardly adjust and the women can also hardly adjust. Neuroscience has gone a great way to try and explain the innateness of the communication patterns in the men and women to this date. First, the neuroscientists and researchers have assumed two aspects which are innate and can affect the communication patterns of men as well as of women. These factors includes the larynx which is a biological anatomical organ of the human body and the second one which can explain the observed difference is the corpus callosum in the brain of these subjects (University of Pennyslavia, 2010). To begin with, the larynx is a part for the body in the throat which affects the patterns of communication. This is an

Information Systems In Business Organizations Essay Example for Free

Information Systems In Business Organizations Essay The website of PC Magazine, upon looking at its physical makeup, and design, was designed to entice and provoke consumers all over the world, some of them, I assume, are hooked on online shopping, to purchase products featured on their website. The home page of the website appears to be patches of commercial billboards as it is occupied by advertising ads publicizing their line of products. Some of the wide variety of products presented in the website includes printers, digital cameras, laptops, mobile phones, software and hardware products for computers, mp3 players, to flash drives, speakers, projectors, subscriptions for PC magazine as well, and many more. There is also a broad range of links that you can visit that depends on your fields of interest. For online window shoppers, there is a link for product guides and reviews. Products available in the market, including all brand names, companies and corporations who pay Pcmag.com for advertisements, and product partners, are reviewed and rated. The reviews are useful enough, containing the positive and negative feedbacks of each product. The ratings on the other hand are based on the features, compatibility to other gadgets, design, and the price of the product. There are also software products, for shareware, demo trial, and freeware that the online client can sample and access. As tagline of the Pcmag.com goes, their website is intended for an independent individual. To prove their claim, they have provided links for how-to’s, do-it-yourself’s, tips and guides, and video blogs. For the online information-seeker, there are links for news updates and columns about products in the market, whether these are upgrades, new product launches, additional reviews, comments, etc. Aside from the advertisements plaguing the website, there is also a separate link for online shoppers, which constitute numerous merchandises that are available for purchasing, shopping options, and technology solutions. Moreover, there are discussion boards for online clients who wish to communicate with other online clients about gadget finds, current trends, and other issues about technology and its advances.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Overall, the website of PC Magazine spells out the words â€Å"to sell.† There isn’t any link in the website which does not feature an advertisement or stimulating signs such as low prices, sales, and discounts for products. For each mouse click, there is always a provocation to purchase gadget items. The website accommodates online shoppers, online window shoppers, and consumers deciding on what products to purchase for their particular needs and why. However, pcmag.com primarily caters to businesses or corporations that are planning advertising strategies for the promotion of their products. In as much as the website would want to display themselves as a consumer-centered community, it is likely that business corporations are more benefited by them than their consumers. People who are knowledgeable about management and marketing issues or even rational consumers who are not easily swayed by advertising would know this. Advertising is a very powerful and persuasive tool in stimulating consumers to believe what they are trying to sell. It does not even contribute much to information technology because it is only concerned with the promotions of software and hardware products. Although there are links provided for how-to’s and such, it still lacks depth and beneficial information to sustain the demands of learning information technology. The extensive amount of information provided in each link would be a subject of interest to you if you are a techie and gadget-dependent or if you want to learn how to operate gadgets that are widely used nowadays. If these are your objectives in visiting the sites, then it would be an advantageous and helpful thing for you to do. The product guides and reviews would prove to be the most interesting and valuable links for consumers, as it has the most consumer-centered feel to it. In general, the usefulness and value of the website depends upon your needs and concerns.

Common Core is Failing Our Education System

Common Core is Failing Our Education System I feel very connected to the issue of national testing and standards. I went to public school K-8 and private school 9-12 so I was able to see the issue and how classroom learning can go on both sides. My audience is Betsy DeVos. My research went well, there were a lot of topics on the issue so I didnt have a hard time finding a plethora of information from both sides. It took a while to find some really good articles though. My purpose is to try and get a state centered hand in standards and testing and to repeal Common Core. My only constraints are a series of mental health issues that popped up last year, (which is why I am writing my quest essay on that) but it isnt an excuse, just some background I suppose. I feel as if it isnt my best work, but I feel that way a lot because I have never really enjoyed my writing or been able to get into the process. My peer editors were Leo and Nils and they were both helpful to me. I was able to also get a lot of help at the writing center. Ryan ConnerCourtney BrognoEnglish 1453/16/2017 Common Core is Failing Our Education System In 2001, when the No Child Left Behind Act was passed, emphasis on standardized testing took the spotlight. No Child Left Behind and its successor, Common Core, created the phrase teaching to test. It implies that educators in K-12 classes are no longer trying to foster learning and critical thinking, but instead making sure their students are able to pass a test, deemed by the nation to be comprehensive of the knowledge they should have. Its intentions may have been to help keep students on a path to success but instead has only hindered the ability of students, myself included, as a whole. I, along with many other millennials, experienced the impact of these standards firsthand. Luckily, from early childhood my family and friends gave me the opportunity grow and develop my mind outside the classroom. I was pushed to excel in all aspects whether it be math, social studies, or art. It is something I deeply cherish and respect, but had it not been for these outside influences I wouldn t be where I am today. Going to public elementary and middle school and later a private high school allowed me to gain insight into the toll the creation of a national standard took on my education. The focus of my early education with standardized testing was heavily influenced by teachers focused on making sure we were prepared solely for the test given to each student at the end of the year. Classes were mundane and cookie cutter, no matter the topic. They all seemed to be teaching similar material in a similar fashion, with no room for students who fell behind. It was as if those who didnt succeed in class were further behind each year, with no way out. My idea of education and classroom dynamic changed when I switched to private high school. There were no national standards imposed on us, no standardized tests to take at the end of the year, and room for individuality when it came to your own education. The school decided where the bar of achievement, for every student, was to be set and helped achieve it by focusing on strengths and weaknesses on a case by case basis, truly allowing us to grow. Those students who were left behind in elementary and middle school were no longer left in a hole impossible to dig out of. These experiences allowed me to see that Common Core is detrimental to the education of students for a plethora of reasons, but primarily because of the students who are behind are in a rut, which is hard to dig out of. Instead, if we repeal Common Core while replacing it with more effective state and locally created standards then we would allow students from all situations and backgrounds to learn and be involved in their own education. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) took away funding from certain programs that had been federally supported and introduced standardized testing for most grades K-12, the scores of these tests to be made public all the way from school to state. Those same scores often determined not only how students were performing based on the standards, but also if instructors and staff would hold their jobs at the end of the year. Although this wasnt the first step towards standardized testing it is arguably the first major stepping stone towards what we have today, Common Core. Common Core can be viewed as a refinement of the NCLB. Common Core takes the issues of unclear and differing standards and boils it down to allow schools to understand where improvement can be made. It sounds great on paper, but in actuality faces many of the same problems NCLB created. It takes the local control and understanding out of the equation and punishes under-performing schools that arent able to teach the material eff ectively due to socio-economic issues in communities across the nation. (Bidwell) In the Sacramento region, 30 percent of economically disadvantaged students met English standards on the latest Common Core tests, compared with 63 percent of wealthier students. About 23 percent of economically disadvantaged students met math standards, compared with 53 percent of wealthier students. (Lambert) Nancy DeVos, I urge you to repeal Common Core, which as you state on your website you are not a supporter-period. Instead of repealing with no replacement, instead, find a new system in which the state governments gain control while the federal system is still involved. You would allow communities to nurture students on an individual level so that they can develop the skills and the mental ability they need to think critically instead of the teaching to the test that Common Core still holds. The article, The Common Core Brake Job And The Need For A National Standards Discussion by Alan Singer, states that Common Core as a whole is failing the nations students by its inability to prepare and teach students in an effective way. Although Singer states that he is an opponent of Common Core, there needs to be an education curriculum in place. Common Core was muddled with corporations and individuals who wanted to profit from education instead of creating, and later refining, a system that would be adopted by 45 of the states. There must be more done before a new system is made to truly try to understand how a childs mind develops and how to create goals that cater towards it. Singer advocates that during his time teaching he was able to learn that Teaching means engaging student interest, not handing out scripted activity sheets with text selected by highly paid consultants using computer algorithms. He believes teaching is successful when you are truthful and cater towards t he real level of your students so that you can challenge them more and they can become invested in their education, not just a score on a test. The idea of replacing Common Core with a different program is thought to be near impossible to supporters. The article, How hard would it be to replace the Common Core with something better? by Valerie Strauss, goes into detail about how changing the standards from Common Core to a different program would not just be possible, but beneficial. She adds a piece to her article by Sandra Stotsky, a professor of academic reform and previous commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Education. Massachusetts standards before Common Core had nothing in common with the program in place today. Yet, they were able to create such a strong education system of standards and teaching that Almost all the students at the Advanced level and about 80 percent of the students at the Proficient level who had enrolled in four-year public colleges and universities in the Bay State in 2005 needed no remediation in mathematics or reading. (Stotsky). Their programs, starting back in 1993, were based around bringing students of all backgrounds to the same level. They overhauled school funding and specifically put a majority of it towards districts with low-income children. The money was used to update textbooks, hire and train teachers, and create new classes among the many other aspects they were able to improve. And with these changes, student test scores and graduation rates slowly improved. Today, the district says nearly 90 percent of its high school graduates go on to some form of post-secondary education up from 70 percent before. (Carapezza) Stotsky believes that their programs and standards allowed minorities to excel and that Common Core does the exact opposite. In her experience, the standards they created were, in fact, easy to implement, contrary to opposing beliefs. Her closing suggestion is to ask each Department of Education to send out an anonymous survey to English, math, and science teachers for information on how to revise the states standards. A more recent example is that Missouri recently replaced Common Core standards. The article Missouri education officials replace Common Core standards by Summer Ballentine explains the changes. The State Board of Education passed a new set of goals for K-12 in four areas. The areas covered are English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, the first two were already covered by Common Core but the last two are new additions. They want to have a more comprehensive education goal while allowing the local schools to plan how to reach them. (Ballentine) They are in the process of creating their own tests to match the learning goals set by the state. This initiative is similar to what Massachusetts did in their public school system to reach the level of proficiency and success they are known for today. Although, it differs slightly in that Missouri is taking what Common Core does and is trying to improve upon it, instead of scrapping the idea as a whole. This seems to be the best of both worl ds, having a standard set of goals for the state as a whole while allowing schools to take control of how the students they teach will be able to reach said goals. In Jennifer Marshall and Lindsey Burkes article Why National Standards Wont Fix American Education: Misalignment of Power and Incentives they go into great detail about the root issue behind national standards and testing. A misconception about national standards is the idea that national standards are necessary for parents to be able to gauge the performance of their child compared to others across the country. Found on the Common Core State Standards Initiatives website, the common core state standards will enable participating states to work together to make expectations clear to parents, teachers, and the general public. Their answer as to why national involvement is the better option fails to address why or how national standards and testing is improving the country. The information parents need is already available through programs such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Student and school performance is in existence, and has been since NCLB, but there can be a lack of transparency in some states. Marshall states If access to information has been inadequate, that does not justify a national standards and testing regime. Rather, policies should insist on clear reporting of the essential data to parents and other taxpayers. In the same article the authors created a list of what state policymakers should do. Strengthening state standards and tests would challenge students while also being able to have the control to raise the challenge as the years went on, like Massachusetts. Marshall believes States with outstanding standards and tests have taken great pains to ensure proper and precise learning sequencing. This is appropriate at the state level, where teacher certification and other integrated factors of a quality education system are determined. Allowing states control of their standards would foster a better curriculum and higher achieving students, as seen by Massachusetts. Another initiative to be taken is state publishing of school test scores readily available to parents. This would enable transparency and accountability within the state so that schools would push towards the standards outlined by the state. Common Core is failing our students, but if it were to be repealed and replaced with a state centered curriculum and testing we would prosper, not only as a nation, but as individuals. Teaching the test is detrimental to all students but it especially hurts those who dont have the initial drive, internal or external, and fall behind. The promise from my high school was that each and every one of us were to be ready for the daily rigor higher education fosters upon graduation. I firmly believe getting an education based around an individual set of standards, state-made and locally carried out, will help them reach goals they didnt think was possible, no matter the background they come from. Works Cited Ballentine, Summer. Missouri Education Officials Replace Common Core Standards. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 20 Apr. 2016. Web. 26 Feb. 2017. . Bidwell, Allie. The History of Common Core State Standards. U.S. News. U.S. News, 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 3 Mar. 16. . Carapezza, Kirk. How Massachusetts Schools Went From The Middle Of The Pack To First Place. On Campus. WGBH.org, 24 Apr. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. . Frequently Asked Questions. Common Core State Standards Initiative. Corestandards.org, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. . Lambert, Diana. Poor Students Lose Ground with Common Core Testing. The Sacramento Bee. Sacbee.com, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. . Marshall, Jennifer A. Why National Standards Wont Fix American Education: Misalignment of Power and Incentives. The Heritage Foundation. Heritage.org, 21 May 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. . McCluskey, Neal. Behind the Curtain: Assessing the Case for National Curriculum Standards. Cato Institute. Cato.org, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2017. . Singer, Alan. The Common Core Brake Job And The Need For A National Standards Discussion. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Jan. 2017. Web. 6 Mar. 2017. .

A Civil Action: Witness Evaluation

In the book, A Civil Action, by Jonathan Harr, a plaintiff’s attorney is called upon to prove that a cluster of cancer deaths in a town called Woburn were caused by the pollution of city water wells by factories owed by two corporate entities, Beatrice, and Grace.The liability phase of the trial, separate from the proximate cause trial entailed testimony presented to prove or disprove that the factories in question were responsible for the presence of carcinogenic chemicals in the city’s well water. Thus, the witnesses were all presented to prove or disprove this allegation.The tannery owned by Beatrice and the factory owned by Grace both were in proximity to the wells, and both are alleged to have illegally and irresponsibly dumped a dangerous chemical, TCE on the premises, leading to the contamination of the wells.While the plaintiff’s witnesses were not entirely convincing, they, along with the cross-examination of the defendants witnesses, provided sufficient proof by preponderance of the evidence to find both companies liable.  The plaintiff began by establishing the fact of illegal dumping on both sites. He called numerous long-time residents of Woburn, who testified to witnessing the dumping or venting of whitish-grey powder, barrels, and foul-smelling sludge on the grounds around the city by the factories.(305) Coupled with photographs of abandoned barrels and waste piles on the land in question, the plaintiff established to a reasonable degree of certainty that the tannery was dumping chemicals on the land. As a hostile witness, the plaintiff also called John Reiley, the manager of the Tannery.(306)He vehemently denied any dumping, but was unable to explain the destruction of records for a 10-year period relevant to the case.(313) Despite documentation that proved otherwise, he denied being warned about dumping by the state health agent, A.C. Bolde. (306).Riley’s demeanor and denial of evidence before him made him extremel y hard to believe. It was his testimony, in the manner rendered, that most hurt Beatrice.The Plaintiff also called several experts on soil and groundwater behavior. The first of these was a soil expert named Mr. Drobinski. (303)   He testified to the presence of the TCE in the soil.The defense established on cross-examination that Drobinski had misreported the date his Masters Degree was conferred. (304)Since they did not attack the substance of his testimony, only his credibility in an oblique manner, his word that the TCE did enter the soil stood undisputed.The second expert that the plaintiff called, a hydrologist named Dr. Pinder (325) fared less well in the area of credibility. He did testify to the manner in which the toxins got from the factories’ property to the city’s wells, but was caught out as incorrect on his theory as to why the Aberjona River did not cause the contamination.The substance of his testimony was rendered neutral by the constant back-and-fo rth on cross examination. (327-337) Only his testimony that the contamination could have reached the wells from   the factory properties survived intact. Given what the other witnesses had to say, this assertion went largely unchallenged in any case.In their case against Grace in particular, the plaintiff called Frank McCann, an employee who admitted that the Grace factory used TCE in quantities of about a half-gallon a day. (317) Though he vehemently denied dumping the waste, he could provide no alternative explanation for its disappearance.Tom Barbas, another Grace employee, admitted to â€Å"placing† waste on the ground outside the factory (318). He further admitted witnessing other employees dumping buckets of unknown material on the land. These witnesses effectively established that Grace was dumping waste on the land, and that it was probable that TCE was part of that waste.Despite the plaintiff’s witnesses, they were still left with a weak case in terms of con necting the poisoned well water to the factories in question. Having established that both companies dumped the waste, the plaintiffs did not satisfactorily explain the transfer of the toxins from the land to the City’s wells.Cross-examination of the defenses witnesses brought that issue to light, and strengthened the Plaintiff’s case more than that of the defendants. Beatrice called Thomas Mernin, the Wobern City engineer, to dispute the presence of toxins in the wells. (342)He ended up convincing the jury that he had incompetently left the wells open despite their danger, and even recommending a new well in the same area. His testimony did nothing to ease the allegation that the wells were poisoned. (343)