Family conflict Essay Example

Family conflict Paper I never thought my younger brother Tom would get involved in drugs. He is only fourteen and he is mixing with the wrong crowd. My name is Phil and I have never done anything remotely like that I wouldnt dream of it I am seventeen and Id like to think Im mature enough to never do anything even half as stupid as drugs. Ive told him several times that hes wasting his life. The thing that really gets to me the most is that most weekends he staggers in drugged up to the eyeballs in the early hours of the morning. He says its depression and that I dont understand but one thing I do understand is a fourteen year old boy should not be on a drugs rehabilitation course and sleeping in gutters before hes even eligible to leave school. His friends are partly to blame. They see that hes an easy target and easily lead and they just use it, to provide them with entertainment and get him to do stupid things that they are to cowardly to do which to be honest is not what I call friends. My dad has got to the point where he is thinking of leaving the family. We will write a custom essay sample on Family conflict specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Family conflict specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Family conflict specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Hes suggested sending Tom away to a military school but my mum thought it was preposterous and that idea was scrapped. It will be Monday tomorrow start of the week hopefully a fresh start for Tom, but we all doubt it. My parents are downstairs waiting and hoping that Tom will be back in time to go to bed. She is so distraught at the moment she says that if he isnt then hes going to be locked out of the house. She says this most nights but we all know that shes just saying this in hope that it will shake him up a bit and possibly make him listen for once. I woke in the morning I heard my parents shouting in the next room I heard my parents say that tom didnt come back last night this wouldnt be the first time this has happened. Last time this happened my dad was driving round all night searching for him. He found him sleeping outside the corner shop like a tramp. He didnt tell my mum this as it wouldve upset her to find out that her son would rather sleep on the streets than sleep under his own roof. My parents were still at it, it was getting louder and louder and I heard a door slam. I think that was my dad, this is usually the way they finish their arguments. I was starting to get a bit concerned about where Tom had got up to this time so I threw on my clothes and rushed in to the next room to ask my mum what exactly was going on here. I was horrified to find my mum huddled up in the corner of the room. I asked her where dad had gone to which she replied with hes gone and hes not coming back. I swung the door out of my way and ran towards the car in a desperate attempt to save my family although it probably wasnt worth saving. I smashed the door of the hinges and ran outside hoping that Id fall over and knock my head and wake up as this being a very bad dream but reality is never that nice. I was looking for Tom hoping that if I found him I could make him stop dragging his life down and ours down with it, I had a pretty good idea of where to look. I never thought this would happen but I was actually pleased to see my brother. I peered through a window and I saw him lying on someones sofa. I turned to face the door and before I had to knock a boy of roughly the same age as Tom answered he blurted out with what do you want I didnt even bother to answer him. I just pushed past him and rushed towards the room where tom was lying. I firmly grasped his collar and hoisted him into the air causing him no choice but to speak to me. He pleaded for me to put him down but I told him that what I was doing to him now wouldnt come close to what my mum is going to. I clutched on to his jacket to make sure he didnt run off and as soon as we got home I threw him inside and shut the door. He looked up and saw mum still huddled in the corner. He lowered his head as if to say Im sorry I didnt know it had come to this. I told mum to tell him what hed caused but she was too hurt. She couldnt even look him in the eye I told him straight that dad had left. It made me sick to say those words and what made it a whole lot worse was he actually didnt look bothered by it all. I said to him you may not be bothered but mum and I are. Mum screamed for him to get out and she also said that she hated him and didnt want to see him again. Tom was actually affected by what mum had said and it caused him to storm off upstairs I heard the slam of his door and to be honest I wasnt looking forward to the sound of it opening again. I staggered off upstairs and sat on my bed. I was in despair I rested my head in my lap and closed my eyes hoping it would all go away. I could still hear crying coming from downstairs I wanted to go and check if she was alright but I couldnt bring myself to prise my head from my lap and go downstairs. As far as I was concerned, my life was over.

Water Pollution in the Philippines Essays

Water Pollution in the Philippines Essays Water Pollution in the Philippines Paper Water Pollution in the Philippines Paper Essay Topic: Water pollution The Philippines is an archipelago, which means it is made up of a group of islands and is rich in bodies of water such as the oceans, rivers, and lakes. However, according to the data released by Water Environment Partnership in Asia (WEEP) in 2005, 42. 89% of the waters in the Philippines are contaminated. These contaminated waters have not only been continuously harming people, but also the aquatic ecosystem Of the country. It is said that approximately 31 percent of illness monitored for a 5-year period were caused by water borne sources. Moreover, more and more ecosystems are being polluted, causing serious diseases, water shortages, and extinction of aquatic animals and coral reefs. In this essay, I would like to discuss about three main sources of water pollution in the Philippines and its possible solutions: one, domestic waste; two, agricultural waste; and three, industrial waste. The first reason concerns domestic waste. Domestic waste refers to the organic pollution that usually comes from our houses by generating activities such as using the toilet, doing the laundry, and washing dishes. Unknown to any Filipinos, their homes are the biggest source of water pollution, contributing 48 percent of the organic pollution in the country. The reason for this is that most of the houses in the Philippines are not connected to a water sewerage system, which results to the contamination of groundwater with effluents and wastes from septic tanks. Exposure, ingestion, or contact with this contaminated water, which usually occur in the less fortunate area of the country, kill 1,997 people per 1 00,000 population by either cholera, bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, or typhoid fever, the Department of Health stated. Most Filipinos are not aware of this issue, and if they were, most would not be able to afford connecting on a sewerage system. The next reason concerns the running off of agricultural waste. The Philippines is mainly an agricultural country with a land of 30 million hectares, 47 percent of which is agricultural. Having stated this, agricultural waste in the Philippines contributes 37 percent of the water pollution in the country. No one would question the critical value of water and food to human civilizations. However, these agricultural productions possess a serious threat to the rivers. The agricultural production of the Philippines has been based upon a large amount application of chemicals to the land. Fertilizers used for farming contain a large quantity of nitrogen and phosphorus. These enrich the soil near the lakes and rivers, and help algae grow at a considerable rate. These algae use all the oxygen and do not leave anything for the rest of the aquatic life around. Moreover, algae formation blocks the passage of light and air for the other aquatic animals. This has an adverse effect on the biological life of these aquatic animals, which is termed Transportation. The third reason concerns the discharge of industrial waste. The industrialization of the Philippines has led to more and more infrastructure constructions and factories starting to line up along the rivers. These factories find rivers and oceans a convenient place to dump their waste materials such as acids, toxic metals, oil, and pesticides. For example, in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, an oil depot built along the Passing River has been releasing liquid and solid wastes that worsened the contamination of the river, making the river a huge sewer system. These toxic substances are quite armful for humans as well as aquatic animals. Living near these contaminated rivers means surrounding ones self with infected mosquito that can give people dengue fever. In addition, with all these waste in the rivers, our fish get sick or are killed, leading to extinction of fish and decrease of food production in the Philippines. It is important that action is taken to combat these problems. For example, to lessen the distribution of domestic wastes to the water pollution in the Philippines, proper assassination of the masses about the need for proper disposal of domestic waste should be implemented. Educational projects where the people are taught about the importance and proper domestic waste disposal should be set up. This will deal with the problem of the ignorance of the masses. Setting up adequate waste handling, such as putting biodegradable and non-biodegradable trash cans in schools and public areas, disposal facilities and a proper disposal location with proper management will save people from carelessly disposing waste. Moreover, the government should enforce existing laws and restructure the budget for environmental issues and ensure at least 50 percent of the houses are connected on a water rage system. To lessen and stop agricultural wastes that pollutes water, prevention of the usage of harmful chemical as fertilizers are needed. While people may find nitrogen and phosphorus helpful, much of their volume is being washed off on lawns and into the nearest waterways. These also tend to degrade the quality of the soil, causing more and more reliance on the chemicals over time. Transportation can be avoided by using minimal required amounts Of chemical fertilizers and or by using natural fertilizers such us manure or compost. Making sure that the fields where these chemicals and fertilizers are to close to the rivers, taking extra care while using fertilizers during rainy seasons in the Philippines usually from June to September, which can run-off and transmitted to the waters and can cause blockage of waterways, death of marine life and breakage of food chain should be done immediately and seriously. For the reduction of industrial wastes, the government should not permit factories and buildings to be built near or along the oceans or rivers. Building these infrastructures away from the waters will prevent the discharge of waste materials such as oil and toxic metals. These companies will have no other options, but to segregate their wastes and dispose it properly. Any offender shall be punished by the law and pay a big amount of fine, which will be then used to treat the contaminated water by filtration and sedimentation. This way, companies will be more careful about their decisions in choosing locations on where to build their factories. Moreover, this law will only have positive outcomes because the money that the offenders pay will be for a good and better cause. In conclusion, the Philippines is a country enriched of seas, rivers, lakes, ND other bodies of water that are now polluted due to different human activities. There are three main sources of water pollution in the Philippines. The first is domestic wastes which come from houses when people bathe, wash clothes, and wash dishes. Learning about proper waste disposal and enforcing laws should be done to lessen this pollution source. The second source is agricultural waste, which refers to the large amount of chemicals put in the land for food production, which after used, are washed away to the waters and produces algae that harms the aquatic ecosystem and pollutes it. Reversion of the usage of chemicals used in agricultural work will help decrease the amount of pollution. The third source is Industrial waste. Industrial wastes are the effluents coming from big factories that are built and connected to the rivers and lakes. Making new laws that will punish these factories and companies will contribute to minimizing water pollution in the Philippines. To sum up, human activities in general are the main reasons for the severe water pollution in the Philippines and we humans, are also the only ones who can stop this critical environmental problem.

Event management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Event management - Essay Example The brief discussion comprehended in this paper concentrates on the event of â€Å"World Day against Child Labour† which is planned to be held on 12th June, 2012.Hereby, the objective of the paper will focus on the event management strategy for the organisation of â€Å"World Day against Child Labour† on 12th June, 2012 In this context, the management of the program will involve the concept of the event along with its intention to gather organisations for the event The paper will also involve a brief description of the target group for whom the event will be held along with the estimated budget required, execution strategies and required marketing plan with the professional partners and sub-contractors. Concept of the Event The observation of â€Å"World Day against Child Labour† was commenced by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the year 2002 as a strong movement against the global extension of child labour. However, the accomplishment against this vulnerable issue initially took place through the acceptance of Convention No. 182 by ILO in 1999. Following this adoption, ILO also announced the â€Å"World Day against Child Labour† as 12th day of June each year by 2002 which was also consolidated with the annual consensus concentrated upon the elimination of child labour including the working children below the age of 15 years. According to the current scenario that has been acknowledged by ILO, more than 215 millions of children all around the world are victim to this vulnerable issue of child labour which certainly require adequate attention from the major international bodies (United Nations, 2010). The abolition with regards to the child labour was one of the necessary steps that have been taken at the foundation of ILO in the year 1919. ILO has also considered the minimum age of being employed for a child to be his/her age after completing the compulsory schooling which have been pronounced in the Convention No. 138. To be precise, children at work must be more than 15years of age; however, light work according to the capability of the child can be allocated to the children aged between 13 to 15 years. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that any hazardous work which may have a severe impact on the health should engage only the children above the age of 18 years (ILO/IPEC-SIMPOC, Geneva, 2007). The emerging scenario of the child labour has been regarded as one of the most embarrassing situations in this global world of development. With regards to the prevention step against the child labour, ILO has taken numerous initiatives with the assistance of different concerned organisations such as United Nations Convention, and International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour among others (ILO/IPEC-SIMPOC, Geneva, 2007). The figure estimated by ILO indicates that more than 15 millions of child workers amongst the total numbers of child labour victims are involved with risky and harmful work s which certainly depicts a severe condition of the working environment (United Nations, 2010). Emphasising on its commitment to eliminate the Worst Form of Child Labour within the year 2016, International Labour Organisation (ILO) has undertaken several strategies towards this hazardous situation which includes generating increasing awareness amid the world societies and the corporate environment (United Nations, 2010). Hence, the â€Å"World Day against Child Labour† can be regarded as an important event to encourage the world from excluding the activities which encourage children to be involved in hazardous working conditions or such employments which do not meet their requirement of health and education. In this regards, the objectives for this event that need to be in practice for this world day can be identified as the generation of understanding and

Low Cost Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Low Cost Airlines - Essay Example The emergence of budget airlines is directly attributed to the transformation of the global business environment. The major drivers which facilitated this trend are: the deregulation of the European air travel sector; the establishment of the European Union; the 9/11 tragedy; the rapid technological advancement; and change in customers' lifestyle and preferences. It is irrefutable that the deregulation of the European airline industry primarily contributed to the rise of low cost carriers. It can be recalled that deregulation has lowered the barrier to entry in the industry as well as enhanced the competitiveness of the players which are previously receiving subsidy from the government. This, in turn, largely contributes to the cost efficiency of airline operators allowing them to charge lower prices to passengers. The establishment of the European Union affects the airline industry has the same effect like the deregulation of the sector. This has opened up markets and lowered operat ing costs, encouraging the proliferation of low cost carriers (Sorensen 2006). ... Lastly, technological advancement has significantly enhanced company's efficiency. It can be recalled that the internet technology has lowered the airline's costs in terms of booking and servicing customers by eliminating travel agent costs. This has paved way for huge costs savings which cut down the cost of airline operations (Sorensen 2006). It can be seen that all of the aforementioned factors which paved the way for the emergence and wide acceptance for low cost air travel have altogether pushed the prices of airline operation down allowing the fast entry of prospective players and allowing industry participants to price more competitively. It can be seen that the business model employed by a typical budget airline is primarily affected by these changes in the external environment of companies. A low cost carrier which competes in the European airline industry typically a business model which offers only a single passenger class and a single type of airplane which is usually an Airbus320 or Boeing737 which allows the company to cut on training and servicing costs. Budget airlines also typically employ a very simple fare scheme which rewards early reservation by increasing the fare charged as the plane fills up. There is usually no reserved seating in order to allow customers to choose their own seats thereby encouraging early and quick boarding. In order to drive down operation costs, technological innovation particularly the internet is used in order to eliminate the huge commission usually passed on to travel agencies. Budget airlines also prefer flying on secondary and simplified routes as well as having relatively shorter flights and faster turnaround times. Budget airlines, unlike

IN WHAT WAYS AND TO WHAT EFFECT IS 'GENRE' QUESTIONED IN IF ON A Essay

IN WHAT WAYS AND TO WHAT EFFECT IS 'GENRE' QUESTIONED IN IF ON A WINTER' S NIGHT A TRAVELLER', BY ITALO CALVINO - Essay Example (Broderick, 2000, p.11) The novel in question employs a radical new narrative structure, where not only are events shuffled across time-scales, but also the narrative perspectives. In conventional novel structures, either a first-person or a third-person narratives are used consistently through-out the work (with varying degrees of omniscience on part of the narrator). But in If On A Winter's... address to the second-person is made, bringing a new dimension of reader-interactivity that was unimagined previously. For example, the first line of the novel goes â€Å"You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel, If on a winter's night a traveller. Relax. Let the world around you fade." (Calvino, 1981, p.3) Here the reference is both directly to the reader as well as the novel itself; which could be construed as the mathematical equivalent of fractals. In this respect, the novel is avant-garde, making it one of its kind. In the novel, ten other novels are embedded, â€Å"all of them echoing aspects of the surrounding diegetic story. Strictly speaking, none of these ten constitutes a true novel en abyme, since what they double is local aspects of the story, not continuous aspects, as called for by the criteria of mise-en-abyme. But there are two nested texts which do meet the criteria fully, though neither is actually presented but, like Dampfboot’s, merely described.† (McHale, 1987, p. 125) Even within serious literature, certain distinct genres can be identified. These include, Social-realism (as exposited by Charles Dickens, V.S. Naipaul and Dorris Lessing); Magic-realism (Salman Rushdie being its chief exponent in modern times); Satire (Evelyn Waugh and the early novels of Aldous Huxley); Meta-physical enquiries (Iris Murdoch and Huxley's later novels); Feminist novels (Dorris Lessing and Margaret Atwood being leading lights of this genre) and Marxist Realism (George Orwell's early works and numerous Russian authors). (Mullan, 2006, p.7 7) Given Calvino's experiences in childhood, as well as his father's involvement with Communist causes, it would be a natural inclination for him to adopt the Social Realism or Marxist Realism genres. Indeed, Calvino has successfully explored and mastered these genres in other works. But what makes If On A Winter's... unique and places it outside these well-trodden genres are the following aspects. First, the novel carries a labyrinthine and looping narrative structure, whereby the reader is continuously taken from one embedded novel lead to another, without ever resolving any of the started leads. (Tandello, 2007, p.537) Second, the employment of second person reference, adds a whole new dynamic to the reading experience, making it more personal, interactive and involving. The work lucidly shows how a text can signify subjective experiences of the reader by immersing him/her in a â€Å"process of identification† (Fludernik, 1994, p.525). For example, the text addresses the r eader directly as one of the characters in the plot. As a result, â€Å"it foregrounds, as conventional narrations do not, the extent to which your subjectivity as a reader depends upon identification with the signifier you. An effaced narrating agency makes itself apparent only indirectly in the form of imperatives and questions.† (Cohan & Shires, 1988, p.150) Third, the novel is a detailed introspection on the process of writing itself, taking the reader through the complexities and challenges that the author

Torvald Helmer of Henrik Isbens A Dolls House :: A Dolls House Essays

Torvald Helmer of Henrik Isben's A Doll's House In Henrik Isben's A Doll's House, he makes the observation that women in contemporary society posses no independent self unrestricted from the male's image of them; Isben accomplishes this through the character relationship between Torvald Helmer and his wife Nora. Henrik Isben sought to show the psychological complexity of realism underneath the surface of a typical urban bourgeoisie or professional class family. Thus in doing so, brings out the central conflict between the idealistic Torvald and this underlying theme demonstrated through Nora. Ultimately, it is because of Torvald's completely inflexible and self-righteous attitudes towards life and his moralistic values, that Nora is driven from her role of submisiveness in his game of male dominance to seek her own identity. Hel. (walking about the room). What a horrible awakening! All these eight years-she who was my joy and pride-a hypocrite, a liar-worse, worse-a criminal! The unutterable ugliness of it all! For shame! For shame! ...(62) It is only when she has found this sense of a self that she had been denying and sacrificing all these years, that she can truly begin to love others. Hel. Before all else you are a wife and a mother. Nora. I don't believe that any longer. I believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being just as you are-or, at all events, that I must try and become one. (68) This game which she had been playing with her father before, and now with the close-minded Torvald, she finally realizes, is the "Dolls House" she's been living in for all her life, never finding out who she truly is. Nora. But our home has been nothing but a playroom. I have been your doll wife, just as at home I was Papa's doll child; and here the children have been my dolls. I thought it was great fun when you played with me,

Effect of Light Color on Plants

Introduction Living organisms have been classified by humans according to several different characteristics, one of them being the manner in which they obtain nutritive organic molecules (1), in other words, their food. Plants are denominated as autotrophs, organisms that can produce their own food from abiotic sources surrounding them, such as light, carbon dioxide and water (2). Plants use these three factors in photosynthesis to convert light energy into chemical energy, which is then stored until the plant needs it, or used right away (3). The process of photosynthesis takes place on organelles (substructures inside eukaryotic cells) called chloroplasts, more specifically, on the membrane of the thylakoids inside the chloroplasts, where protein complexes known as photosystems are situated. It’s these complexes that are responsible for the photosynthetic processes. Because this is the main way in which plants obtain their food, and light energy is the base of said process, light is absolutely essential for their growth. Sunlight contains many different wavelengths which, when isolated, present different colors of visible light. Plants cannot use all wavelengths of light, however, because the different chlorophylls (pigments in the plants’ chloroplasts, also responsible for photosynthesis) absorb and use only certain wavelengths of light ; the rest is reflected back out, unused (4). Exposed to sunlight, plants have available to them, a range of wavelengths wider than the light spectrum visible to us, from which they utilize only a select range for photosynthesizing. This essay will investigate the effect light color/wavelength has on plant germination and rate of photosynthesis. Cellophane sheets of different colors (red, yellow, blue, green) and clear plastic wrap were used to provide these limited wavelengths . The experiments dealing with germination consisted of different seeds being planted separately from other species and being covered by the different colored cellophane or the clear wrap; they were then watered and monitored for a week, taking note of any growth. The plants used were the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), brown mustard (Brassica juncea), and common oats (Avena sativa). For the photosynthesis rate experiment, same sized Brazilian waterweeds (Egeria densa) were inserted in eudiometer tubes filled with water and then placed in a beaker half-filled with water. Each test tube was wrapped with a different color, and the volume of oxygen produced, through photosynthesis, by each of the plants was compared. Beans, specifically all the plants under the genus Phaseolus, are amongst the fastest growing plants and are said to germinate within a week. To make them germinate faster, it’s usually recommended to soak them in water before planting because hydrating the seeds stimulates germination. (5) They also benefit from warm temperatures because they are native to more tropical climates (6). They need to be planted in well drained soil because they aren’t tolerant to water excess. Mustard is also among the fastest sprouting plants, but its growth afterwards is relatively slow as it’s meant to grow flower buds five weeks later. It does better in cool conditions than warm and can usually withstand short periods of mild drought with little to now consequences. In addition, it too, is not tolerant to water clogging in the soil (7). Oats are native to warm, sub-tropical regions and can manage well in poor soils (8) but they also require good water draining . The Experiments Germination Fifteen equally sized plastic containers (cylindrical in shape, approximately 8cm in diameter and 6cm in height) were filled with the same amount of soil. Five of them were allotted to each plant species; making sure to add the same amount of seeds in each segment (comparing to the same species, since the size of the beans and oats is much greater than the brown mustard seeds and would therefore be unreasonable to compare their numbers). Each of the containers was covered with cellophane of a different color (red, blue, yellow, green, or clear plastic wrap) and secured with a rubber band so that each species had a sample exposed to each different light color. They were watered with normal tap water, placed next to the same windowpane for a week and monitored every day. The cellophane secured with the rubber band created a seal that was too tight, preventing excess water from evaporating which overloaded the plants with water and deprived them of enough oxygen. Towards the end of the week, the plants were left covered by the cellophane, but unsecured by the rubber band so that the water was able to evaporate, to provide the dry mass of the samples, which were on average 0. 06g lighter than at the beginning of the week, when they were planted . The mass measured included the seeds, soil and plastic container. Even though an unknown type of fungus started growing in the containers because of the high humidity and warm temperature, some shoots were visible (Table 1). Cellophane ColorQualitative Data Red Some oat and mustard shoots, fungus growth Yellow Fungus growth, no shoots visible Green Oat and some mustard shoots visible, some fungus growth Blue Some oat and few mustard shoots, fungus growth Clear Fungus growth, no shoots visible These samples were discarded and a new method was devised: A cardboard egg container was cut into fifteen separate segments (for the five colors for each of the three species) which were to be used instead of the plastic containers to allow excess water to evaporate through the porous walls and bottom of the cardboard. These segments were then loosely filled in with cotton-wool. After the first experiment, where seeds drowned and fungus started to grow instead because of the excess of water, cotton seemed the best substitute for soil; it would allow for even dispersal of water, a lot of more light would be able to reach the seeds, it would be easier to observe the germination process, and since the cotton didn’t weigh practically anything, it would be easy to measure the change of plant mass on a scale. The segments were weighed once they had the cotton and seeds in them; their mass was noted down individually. A thin layer of cotton was placed on top of the seeds so they would retain moisture above them as well as below, but still allowing light to reach them. Then, the segments were watered with a handheld sprayer until the cotton was thoroughly moist and then were weighed again. To provide the different light coloring, one sample of each species was placed underneath a handmade cover fashioned out of bamboo and cellophane. These covers (Figure 1) provided the needed space for the plants to grow, free flow of air, and control of light shining on the plants. The cotton wool wasn’t a good substitute for soil since it retained little water and evaporated too quickly for the plants to take it in; it mostly bled into the cardboard, which, because of its porous nature, allowed for further evaporation of water. The results are shown in the following table: Color of CellophaneQualitative Data Red Few mustard shoots + very few oat shoots Yellow Very few mustard shoots Green Mustard shoots* + oat shoots ~4cm Blue Mustard shoots* + oat shoots ~3cm Clear Mustard shoots* + oat shoots ~6cm New cardboard segments were cut out and filled in with soil this time. Care was taken to add the same amount of soil (~ 4. 25g) and water (2. 0g) to each container at the beginning of the experiment. The following three days, the amount of water was altered from day to day to find the adequate amount of water that could be retained by the soil without too much bleeding into the cardboard container (since this would weaken its structure and remain unused by the plant); the conclusion was derived that the amount of water should be of the same mass as half of the soil in the container in order to maximize water intake by the plant: about 2. 5g. The results can be seen in Table 3 on the following page. Color of CellophaneQualitative Data Red Mustard sprouts* Yellow No growth Green Mustard sprouts * + oat shoots ~5cm Blue Mustard sprouts* + oat shoots ~8cm Clear Mustard sprouts* + oat shoots ~8cm Photosynthesis Rate The rate of photosynthesis was measured through the volume of oxygen produced in a set amount of time. To do this, six eudiometer tubes were wrapped with different color cellophane (one was left bare, to be the control) and filled with tap water. Next, six strands of Brazilian waterweeds were cut to the same size, each inserted into an eudiometer tube and then placed in a half filled beaker. The eudiometers were held with clamps on a stand and left next to wide windows to photosynthesize at their own rate. The oxygen produced by the plants floated to the surface creating bubbles that could then be measured and compared to each other. The sunlight provided was insufficient however, and the oxygen produced was too little to be measured accurately, but there were clear differences between the different samples; the waterweed in the red light was the one the produced most oxygen, followed by the green, then the blue, yellow, and clear. The control, the one without any cover, was the one that produced the least oxygen. After the experimentation, the data collected was reviewed to determine the most beneficial color for plant germination and photosynthesis rate. Taking the data from each week, the cellophane colors were arranged in order of effectiveness, to make it easier to compare the results (Table 4). Germination Photosynthesis Rate Week 1 Week 2Week 3 Red Green* Clear* Blue* Green Red* Green* Clear* Blue Blue* Blue* Green* Yellow Clear Red Red* Clear YelllowYellow Yellow No cover