Is Organic Food Better? Essay -- Organic vs. Non-organic Foods

Most grocery stores now sell food products labeled â€Å"organic† due to the increase in demand. Organic food became popular in the 1990’s and has since remained on anupward trend. Although there are more and more supermarkets stocking organic food products on their shelves, non-organic food products seem to outnumber the amount of organic food products. Organic food products are labeled with a green and brown sticker that says USDA ORGANIC. When most Americans see this label they think that what they are buying is better than the average product. But do they have any proof that organic is better? For some reason all a product needs is a little sticker that says organic, and people automatically believe that it is healthier. No one ever stops to ask what this sticker means. Instead they just trust that organic is healthier than the produce that is being sprayed with chemicals. The rise of organic food has created an illusion that organic food is healthier and has nutritional benefits that exceed those of conventional food products. What is organic food? To understand this illusion that the government creates, the definition of organic must be addressed. According to Robert Paarlberg, the author of Food Politics, â€Å"organic foods are produced without any human-made (i.e., synthetic) fertilizers or pesticides† instead â€Å"organic farmers use composted animal manure and plant cover crops they can later turn into soil† (Paarlberg, 139). This definition suggests that organic farming is not necessarily free of toxic chemicals, but that the chemicals used on organic farms are natural chemicals, or in other words, chemicals that appear in nature. Another definition of organic food is that it is â€Å"produced by farmers who em... ...acks." The Local Food Movement. Amy Francis. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 9 Apr. 2011. Paarlberg, Robert L. Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know. New York, NY: Oxford UP, 2010. Print. "Preface to 'Are Organic Foods a Positive Trend?'." Food. Ed. Jan Grover. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Current Controversies. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 9 Apr. 2011. Samuel Fromartz Organic, Inc.: Natural Foods and How They Grew. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Books, 2006. Shapin, Steven. "Paradise Sold: What Are You Buying When You Buy Organic?" The New Yorker. 15 May 2006. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. . "Should I Purchase Organic Food?" National Agricultural Library. Ed. Mary V. Gold. Oct. 2008. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. .

Library Management System Essay

Introduction The primary purpose of this study about Library System is to show how the system helps the librarians, the students and faculties. The study focuses on borrowing and returning process of the books. The role of the integrated library system is, and always has been, to help manage the effective delivery of library services. This has traditionally been anchored on the management of the catalogue and physical collection. Background of the Study. Library Borrowing/Returning System is a process of organizing important information, used to track items borrowed, and the scheduled time for returning. This system help users or people who responsible in recording the data appropriately, it also saves time and more convenient to use than the traditional manual recording. Lack of library system in a school can lead to chaos and troubles, and because of it the librarian is having a problem to serve each students and faculties who wish to use the library. It is extremely useful in the school to use that automated system. Objectives of the Study General Objective: the general objective of this study is to design and develop a library system that will serve as a proposal to help librarians save time with the automation of its daily operation. Specific Objectives: * To computerize records keeping of books; * To allow librarians to retrieve complete information of the book and its borrowers Hypothesis of the Study The proposed library system will greatly improve the efficiency of the school library. This study has the following hypothesis: The profiles of the respondents taken are their names, student number, year and section, and title and author of the book borrowed. The manual system is very time consuming, inconvenient when it comes to recording, organizing and retrieving borrower’s record in the log book. The proposed system is the best solution to go away with the old method of data keeping such as log books, folders and file cabinets, which do not allow easy retrieval. Not only the records are more accurate, the library can also accommodate more borrowers than before. Statement of the Problem Specifically, this study aims to answer the following: 1. What are the profiles of the respondents in terms off; 2. 1. Names 2. 2. Year and section 2. 3. Title and author of the book borrowed 2. What are the common problems encountered with the existing manual system of managing library? 3. What are the difference between the manual system and the proposed system? Assumptions The proposed system deals with the management of data taken from the library management such as the log book of the library. Reports that generated by the proposed system are limited to predefined reports to be provided by the user such as their manual way of managing the library, while no ad-hoc reports will be provided. On security, the proposed system allows access to unauthorized users. It can only be operated if the user provides user name and password which is already validated by the database administrator of the system to be assigned by authorized personnel. Students, however, may borrow books without opening restricted files. Significance of the Study. Socio-economic Significance In this study, the proposed system will inspire other students to develop an effective and efficient system. Technological Significance The proposed system will introduce technology to the school libraries that are until now adapting manual method. The result of this study is beneficial to the following: * Library. The proposed system will simplify and automate everyday task can help maximize time spent with the borrowers thereby providing better service making it more profitable. * Librarian. The proposed system will make it easier for the librarian to manage the library and convenient when it comes to retrieving book record. * Students. The proposed system will make it easier for the students to borrow books and to lessen their time in borrowing. * Researcher. The researcher will develop their writing, analysis, and interpretation skills needed to make a good thesis. * Future researcher. This will benefit other researchers who wish to have similar studies as they can get background information from the result of this study which will serve as template to modify their research.

Poppaea Sabina, Mistress Then Wife of Emperor Nero

Poppaea Sabina was the mistress and second wife of the Roman emperor Nero.  Neros bad acts are often attributed to her influence.  Her birth year is unknown, but we know she died in 65 C.E. Family and Marriages Poppaea Sabina was born the daughter of a woman with the same name who committed suicide. Her father was Titus Ollius. Her paternal grandfather,  Poppaeus Sabinus, was a Roman Consul and a friend of several emperors.  Her family was wealthy, and Poppaea herself owned a villa outside Pompeii. Poppaea was married first to Rufrius Crispinus of the Preaetorian Guard, and they had a son.  Agrippina the Younger, as empress, removed him from his position, as he was too close to a previous empress, Messalina.   Poppaeas next husband was Otho, a childhood friend of Nero.  Otho would go on after Neros death to briefly become emperor. Then Poppaea became mistress of the emperor Nero, Othos friend, and about seven years younger than she was. Nero appointed Otho to an important post as governor of Lusitai (Lusitania).  Nero divorced his wife, Octavia, who was the daughter of his predecessor, the Emperor Claudius.  This caused a rift with his mother, Agrippina the Younger. Nero married Poppaea, and Poppaea was given the title Augusta when they had a daughter, Claudia. Claudia did not live long. Murder Plots According to the stories told of her, Poppaea had urged Nero to kill his mother, Agrippina the Younger, and to divorce and later murder his first wife, Octavia. She is also reported to have persuaded Nero to kill the philosopher Seneca, who had supported Neros previous mistress, Acte Claudia. Poppaea is believed to have stirred Nero to attack Christians after the Fire of Rome and to have helped free Jewish priests at the request of Josephus. She also advocated for her home town of Pompeii, and helped it gain considerable autonomy from the Empires rule.  In archaeological study of the city of Pompeii, where volcanic tragedy preserved the city within 15 years of Poppaeas death, scholars have found evidence that during her lifetime, she was considered a virtuous woman, with many statues in her honor. Nero and Poppaea were, according to some contemporaries, happy in their marriage, but Nero had a temper and became more and more erratic.  Nero reportedly kicked her during an argument when she was pregnant in 65 C.E., resulting in her death, possibly from the effects of the subsequent miscarriage. Nero gave her a public funeral and proclaimed her virtues.  Her body was embalmed and buried in the Mausoleum of Augustus. Nero proclaimed her divine. He was even said to have dressed one of his males slaves as Poppaea so he could believe she had not died.  He had Poppaeas son by her first marriage killed. In 66, Nero remarried. His new wife was  Statilia Messallina. Otho, Poppaeas first husband, helped in Galbas successful revolt against Nero, and made himself emperor after Galba was killed.  Otho was then defeated by Vitellius forces, and he subsequently killed himself. Poppaea Sabina and the Jews The Jewish historian Josephus (who also died in 65 BCE) tells us that Poppaea Sabina interceded on behalf of Jews twice. The first time was to free priests; Josephus went to Rome to plead their case, meeting with Poppaea and then receiving many gifts from her. In the second instance, a different delegation won Poppaeas influence in its cause to keep standing a wall at the temple that would keep the emperor from seeing the Temples proceedings. Tacitus The main source for information about Poppaea is the Roman writer Tacitus.  He does not depict kind acts, such as those reported by Josephus, but instead depicts her as corrupt.  Tacitus, for instance, asserts that Poppaea engineered her marriage with Otho specifically to get closer to, and eventually marry, Nero. Tacitus does assert that she was quite beautiful but shows how she used her beauty and sexuality as a way of gaining power and prestige. Cassius Dio This Roman historian also villified Poppaea in his writing about her. The Coronation of Poppaea The Coronation of Poppaea, or LIncoronazione di Poppea, is an opera in a prologue and three acts by Monteverdi, libretto by G. F. Busenello. The opera focuses on the replacement of Neros wife Octavia by Poppaea. The opera was first performed in Venice in 1642. Also known as:  Poppea (Italianized spelling),  Poppaea Augusta Sabina, Poppaea Sabina the Younger (to differentiate from her mother)