Mansion of a serial killer – Creative Writing

It was a cold rainy day school felt like it had being on forever, but it was only 11:45 oh well, at least I have lunch to look forward to. As I walked in to the dinner hall, I saw my best mate Kobe staring out of the window at the other side of the canteen. I walked over and asked what he was staring at. He replied â€Å"I was thinking about what it would be like to spend a night in that old mansion† â€Å"I think that's a stupid idea † I replied â€Å"why? Are you chicken?† He said â€Å"No of course not I will prove to you i'm not chicken Said I â€Å"Fine we will both stay in the mansion on Saturday night † After lunch Kobe and I went to play basketball on the inside courts, I was still thinking of the dare. I'm always scared to do things which could get me in trouble. I am really small and skinny with long brown hair and blue eyes. Kobe is nearly the opposite of me he is tall, slim, with dark skin and a shaven bald head he is always in trouble and he is really brave. All the kids in school are scared of him even though he is big and tough on the inside he is really quite a nice person. I am lucky to be friends with him. We made friends when we were 12 I use to get bullied every day and one day Kobe saw the lads bullying me so he came over and sorted then out ever since then we have being best friends. After school Kobe and I walked home he lived just across the corner from me on the way we passed the mansion. We stopped and looked up at it; it had being abandoned for years. It has really old stone work all the bricks are dirty and have bits of moss growing on them, the roof slates had fallen off and broke to a hundred pieces on the floor, most of the windows were boarded up and the ones the weren't were smashed, their weeds all over and the garden looked like a jungle with all the long grass. Kobe started to walk on so I followed him we walked to our street and said good bye. The street we lived on was quite a poor part of town their were giant pot holes every were, the houses were small and packed tight together quite a lot of people have windows put out from the rebel youths that live up the road. Later that night' I came down stairs for tea. Mum was sitting at the table on her own because dad was away for the week working. I asked mum about the mansion â€Å"Mum you know that old mansion? Who use to live there and what happened?† She said â€Å"a young couple use to live their who were very odd and never spoke to anyone but one mourning they were both lying dead on their beds with slit throats and wrote on the wall with blood was the words I will be back! So that's why nobody wants to move in† Trying to get to sleep that night was almost impossible that night my imagination was going crazy and scared me. The curtains were stirring and it sounded like rusty razor blades. I was thinking maybe I shouldn't do it but the I remembered this was to prove i'm not as scared as people think I lay thinking about the next day until 2:00am when I decided to get some sleeping pills from down stairs. I woke up in the mourning feeling really tired I went downstairs to get something to eat. Mum was out at work so I sat down on my own eating my cereal trembling to think this could be my last bowl. I wrote a note that read gone to stay at Kobe's see you tomorrow I left it on the kitchen table and left to go to Kobe's house it was a cold wet day pouring down with rain as I got their I knocked on his door and walked in he was just finishing his toast. We went upstairs to his bedroom. He already had his stuff packed, so we just played board games for the day as dawn came upon us, we went down stairs and told his mum he was coming to stay at my place she said â€Å"Ok† And we were on our way. As we stepped out it was starting to get really dark, the clouds were bid and grey and looked like they were about to spit rain at any minute. We set off towards the mansion. The time seemed to drag and it seemed like the longest walk ever Finally we reached the mansion the big black rusty gates were crashing together, sending shivers down my spine as we walked towards the door. I was shaking and my teeth were shattering together while Kobe just walked calmly to the door and turned the handle. The door opened with a massive squeaky creak. The smell of old and rotten hit me straight away, the floor boards creaked as we walked on them. Every thing was covered in dust; there was a spiral stair case in front of us and a grandfather clock ticking in the corner. As Kobe shone the torch on the wall and on the floor there were lots of red stains which freaked me out. BOOM all of a sudden the door slammed shut causing us to jump and shout as we turned back to look at the stairs. There was a tall dark figure standing there it said in a deep low voice â€Å"GET OUT!!† We turned quickly to get out the door but it was locked. We turned and sprinted to go down the cellar. We jumped behind an old book case when we heard the stairs creak. The guy entered the room and switched the light on. As I lifted my head to look around, I saw dead bodies everywhere. Some all bones some rotting and some fresh ones hung on the wall. Kobe looked at me and gulped I had never seen him scared but I could see the sheer terror on his face. I looked around the corner and saw the guy he had long greasy black hair hanging over his scared mangled face a long dark leather coat and jeans. He was holding a large knife in his hand, he started to walk over to the book case

Manifest Destiny Essay

Manifest Destiny was a term created in 1845 by John L. O’Sullivan in a magazine article. It states that America was destined by God to move west and spread the Country from coast to coast. However, Manifest Destiny affected Native Americans lives in many ways; it moved their home, changed their way of life, and hurt their culture. Native Americans were forced onto Reservations on the West-Side of the Mississippi River. â€Å"A long time ago this land belonged to our fathers; but when I go up to the river I see camps of soldiers here on its bank. These soldiers cut down my timber; they kill my buffalo; and when I see that, my heart feels like bursting; I feel sorry. †(Santana, Chief of the Kiowas, 1867) This was a drastic change to the Native Americans because they were used to living in the environment prior to having other people move in. On the reservation, they were not able to hunt buffalo or able to roam around as they did before. Now that they lived on the reservation they also lost their spiritual ties to the land. Look more:  manifest consequences essay And when they were moved on to the Reservations, their whole life changed. The way the Native Americans used to live also changed when they were moved, they had to completely start life over and try to rebuild their nation. â€Å"In 1889, only 1,091 buffalos were left in North America. The rapid decrease in buffalo started in the 1870’s, and it was because of white hunters who moved west, railroads being built, and the introduction of European livestock diseases. Buffalo population graph from National Geographic, November 1994) This was a big change for Plains Indians, who used buffalos for many products and food, because there wasn’t enough Buffalo for them to hunt. Also with the decrease of buffalo the Indians had to change what they used to survive. And when their lives changed, it hurt their culture. Their culture also was hurt drastically because they had to be able to modernize and forget their old way of life to adapt to their new home and environment. The Indians here I find are not very unlike white people. †(Document B) The Indians were willing to work for what they have, and also learned trades to help them to do business with the whites. They tended to be able to learn trades easily, which caused a rapid advancement in mechanism. This in return began to modernize them, which started to corrode their culture and their language. Also their new environment affected their culture because they had to change things they did when performing rituals. The Native Americans homes were moved, their life was changed, and their culture was hurt by Manifest Destiny; which swept through America in the 1800s. All of these were just a few key points where Manifest Destiny affected Native Americans negatively. Today, Indians are still like this; they are still on the Reservations they were given back in the 1800s, which means their land that was once theirs was never returned to them; their living in poverty because they grew up with the bare minimum; and their culture is fading, since they speak english to fit in with the rest of the United States.

Describe how the debate concerning human origins began, how new Essay

Describe how the debate concerning human origins began, how new descoveries added to the debate, and explain how you see the argument concerning our human origi - Essay Example against those that support creationism, a religious-based belief that attributes the creation of Earth, humanity and the universe to a God or deity (Hayward, 1998). The creation versus evolution debate is most prevalent in the conservative regions of the United States, where Creationism is believed to have strengthened after World War I as a consequence of stories that became popular at the time and told of the German aggression being a result of their belief in the concept of "survival of the fittest" introduced by Charles Darwin (Numbers and Coleman, 2007). After this, the situation worsened in many cases when several US states passed laws against the teaching of evolution in public schools and others went a step further by introducing the teaching of creationism instead. It is so that the study of evolution was not included until the late 1960s in textbooks of many US sates. Even during the 1980s, creationism was quite prevalent in certain states (Arkansas and Louisiana), where creationism and evolution obtained equal teaching time in public shools' curricula. This seriously opposes the separation between State and Church recognized in the Constitution, which would avoid interference in each other's issues. The legislation passed for the teaching of creationism seriously contravenes the First Amendment, which states as follows: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." Consequently, in 1987 the Supreme Court declared this law illegal and an unconstitutional intrusion of religion in public schools. Paleoanthropology Evolution is supported by the study of paleoanthropology. Until the 19th century, the similarity between apes and humans had been sorely discussed and, based purely on morphological similarities, chimpanzees and gorillas were thought to be our closest relatives. In fact, some scientists of the time believed that humans and apes shared a common ancestor and that fossils of this ancestor would eventually be found in Africa. It was not, however, until the discovery of Neanderthal man in 1856 was made and Darwin published On the Origin of Species a few years later, that the concept of evolutionary theory was first introduced. A few years later, paleoanthropology, the discipline that studies ancient populations using fossil evidence in the form of petrified bones and foot prints, as well as the remains of tools and forms of habitation, began. Although there had been a series of minor findings in the 1830s, it was not until 1924 that the first remains of a hominid were discovered in Africa. The fossils were thought to be part of the skeleton of an Australopithecus africanus, a species with a small skull that contained a small but, contrary to those of apes, rounded brain, like that of a human. Additionally,

Right to Vote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Right to Vote - Essay Example One of the few countries in the Middle East that has allowed women the right to not only vote but also run for political office is Lebanon, showing a willingness to change with the times.   â€Å"Lebanese women won the right to vote and to participate in national elections in 1952, 19 years before women in Switzerland† (Khalife, 2009).   Although women in Lebanon are allowed the right to vote and hold political office it is still a very male dominated culture, â€Å"in fact, only 17 women have served in Lebanons Parliament since suffrage† (Khalife, 2009).   One of the major reasons that women’s voices in Lebanon are marginalized is the fact that political parties are focused on sectarian differences.   Lebanese politics are unique to the Middle East, with 18 separate political parties being recognized and allowed the right to represent the people.   Although Lebanon is not considered free by freedom house, it is one of the few countries in the Middle Ea st that is actively working towards democratic representation of the people.  

California Exit Exams Litigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

California Exit Exams Litigation - Essay Example A recent nationwide study by the Manhattan Institute revealed that only 32 percent of all American students leaving high school are college-ready. The picture is said to be bleaker for the so-called ELL (English Language Learner) students, which is 20 percent for African-American students and 16 percent for Hispanics. Among all the states, California has the highest population of such minority students, followed only by New York (Garcia, 1991), such that a big proportion of graduates from California's public high schools is unfit for college. To erase this blot in the state's educational landscape, the state legislature enacted the California High School Exit Exams (CAHSEE) in 1999, which was implemented on a voluntary basis in 2001 for the high school students scheduled to graduate in 2004. From that time until the exit exam was made mandatory in 2006 as a requirement for graduation of all public high school students, the program has been hounded by controversy. So far, two class ac tion suits have been filed against state authorities alleging that the exit exam is arbitrary and impracticable. This paper examines the effects of CAHSEE to see if there is really such a cause for action against the program and whether the changes set to be introduced in the rules as a consequence of the lawsuits can improve the situation. The California High School Exit Exam is one of many state-specific educational schemes given impetus by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which was enacted by the national legislature in 2001 to reduce the dropout rates and narrow the perceived achievement gap among high school students all over the US. A priority concern of NCLB is the increasing number of special education students who lag behind in academic achievement because of physical and cultural handicaps. Students with physical disabilities and those with ethnic roots, that altogether comprise 35 percent of the public high school population in California (Greene & Winters, 2004), have the highest dropout rate and the lowest ranking in academic achievement and expectations because of poverty and lack of language skills. The NCLB mandated the adoption of testing schemes to ensure that the public school system benefits all students and non-performing public schools improve their instruction. CAHSEE was California's respons e to the measure, which has similarity in content to other schemes established in about half of the American states. There are a dozen other smaller programs, including the school choice initiative and the voucher-and-charter school scheme in which students are allowed to leave public schools for better performing private ones, with appropriate assistance (Forster, 2006). In all, the common goal is to forge a 100 percent passing rate for all public high school students so no one is deprived of the opportunity to pursue a college degree. The CAHSEE consists of two main sections: English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. Under the ELA section, examinees are usually asked 72 multiple-choice questions and have to write a 2 and page essay. To obtain a passing grade in this section, the students must get 60 percent of the questions right. In the math section, which comprises 80 multiple-choice questions, the passing score is 55 percent. Sample questions in the ELA and math tests

Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Portfolio - Essay Example When the fundamentals are portrayed to be poor, not only does it indicate a poor investment opportunity, but it also hinders the growth of the industry. It is usually a bad image and information to the insurance clients if they realize that their insurance company is not in good financial position to pay them, if it is faced with a huge number of claims. Taking a look at the current performance of the insurance industry, it is hard to predict the position that insurance companies will occupy in future. Even an insurance company is successful in the present period does not guarantee success in future. Some of the reasons leading to future uncertainties of insurance industry include customer experience. For instance, if the insurance company does not offer products desired by the customer, then him or her will automatically go elsewhere searching for the same product. it is thus important for insurance companies to find issues affecting their clients and come up with appropriate ways of responding to the identified issues. Basing on the present characteristics of customers, it is apparent that the future customer will be at the center stage in shaping the system of life insurance. Available researches have revealed that the new customer is not ready to buy products unless he has full information of it. In addition, future customers will not have time to interact with agents or having a conversation with them. Many future customers will be interested in finding out facts about life insurance and not just talking to agents. In spite of the fact that agents are very helpful through provision of information to the insured, future customers will mostly avoid speaking to the agents and instead find out facts about products offered by various insurance companies on their own. Thus future customers will be mostly relying on their personal research so as to vet insurance companies and their respective policies. Therefore, insurance

Terrorist Group Hezbollah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Terrorist Group Hezbollah - Essay Example Western terrorists are not motivated by religion and hardly ever have a wish to become martyrs. Hence, escape is the main concern to them. They use remote bombs, snipers or Improvised explosive devices (IED’s), which permits them to be far-off from the place of the crime. With the expansion of religious fundamentalist terror campaigns, the nature of terrorist targets has revolutionized (Burgan, 2010). The Hezbollah is also a terrorist group that opposes the Christian religion. Raids, which result in a great number of civilian causalities or deaths, are the main agenda of the Hezbollah terrorist group. These attacks have been witnessed in the Middle East for some time now with a lengthy custom of suicide bombings of crowded civilian places such as night clubs and bars. Secondly, in the Hezbollah group, terrorist survival is not a serious worry, but for other groups, death is not a pleasing outcome as the terrorists keenly seek to avoid death during their attacks. This suggests that targets that were earlier thought to be protected from attack are currently at risk. The possibility of the Hezbollah terrorist group fruitfully reaching their target, if the groups own survival is not a concern, is much, much greater. In reality, preventing a suicide bomber of the Hezbollah group from causing deaths, apart from his or her death, is virtually not possible. Potential Targets of Terrorist Attacks Examples of strong targets would incorporate military bases, high ranking politicians, and heads of state plus political organizations. A weak target is one which has modest or no military security or guard and hence is a straightforward alternative for a terrorist raid. This takes account of commercial shopping centers, bus terminals, and leisure areas like football grounds and sports stadiums. All airports as from 9/11 fall into this class. Even though they are more protected since the 9/11 attacks, they still have many access points and a whopping numbers of visitors. All of the access points are a potential doorway for terrorists. It is also vital to think about the potential media coverage a raid on a target would

Music and Soundscapes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Music and Soundscapes - Research Paper Example That simply illustrates the power of the musical score, or the music that is played in the background of a scene as action takes place (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). The clip from the film â€Å"The Mask,† benefitted most from the power of sound effects. In general, rompy comedy clips do use a lot of exaggerated sound effects to enhance the humor in the scene and basically, to cue the laughter from the audience. The sound effects from the clip no doubt exaggerated the aspects of the scene but in a good way. The last category of sound is dialogue. This is simply the conversation that goes on among, and sometimes within, the characters (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). In my opinion, this is also the part that turns off most men from â€Å"chick flicks,† with the clip from â€Å"When Harry Met Sally† to stress my point (Ladies, we get enough of that from you at home so imagine what two hours of that will do to

Case Study Analysis on Amazon.com Research Paper

Case Study Analysis on Amazon.com - Research Paper Example Despite him having a degree in computer science, he had a vision to build a network for international trade. In lights of this, Preston founded Amazon.com in 1994 as a website for international trading. Online Retailers and wholesalers as well as buyers and sellers met online globally. Amazon founders had a vision to become one of the world’s leading companies dealing with online trading. The management in Amazon.com sought to reduce negative environmental impacts as there was no physical contact between the traders. Amazon has operating earnings close to $52 million yearly. Amazon Company normally projects to make approximately $22 million to $2.2 billion within five years (World, 2007). Examining the business model they use, Amazon primarily switched to Linux as primary architecture. In addition, Amazon has lowered technology expenses by about 20%. However, the decision to lower technology expenses has not profited Amazon as projected. Company Strategies and Customer Acquisi tion Considering the pricing, the strategies have changed over time. Amazon has regulated the prices through several policies for example, introduction of frustration free packaging. This policy is an initiative that is designed to simply motivate the customers who purchase goods online at different times of the year. The customers feel motivated when they buy two products for the price of one. Another policy is the free packaging certification initiative for manufactures. Their products undergo free laboratory testing to acquire certification. As a result, the certifications on their products increase the value and enable sales at high prices. However, the pricing of products sold at Amazon.com tend to be high hence attracts the upper class society and several middle class persons. Amazon.com customers are mainly acquired through word of mouth through satisfied clients. More customers are venturing into online shopping due to the fact that it is environmental friendly and efficient . Most customers are parents who are purchasing gifts for their children and loved ones. Since Amazon began, it has existed under many models over the years hence adopting other models can work in its favor. However, this will affect the existing revenue steams. The major reason is the fact that obtaining new models will change the technology used. On one hand, when the technology costs increase, the main revenue stream will decline while on the other hand, when the costs of technology decrease, the revenue increases. Challenges and Opportunities facing Amazon.com Amazons major competitors are mainly online shopping websites. Some of them include LL Bean, Electronic trade & Onlineshoppers companies (Night, 2004). The advantage that Amazon has over its competitors is the reliability. Over the years, Amazon has existed selling their products to many customers. Shopping at Amazon has proved worthy over the many years of operation for online traders. One disadvantage is that a lot of co mpetition has risen and the level of technology improved. In considering how Amazon.com has changed the trading industry, there is the belief that innovation has the power to change the world. It has raised interests to trade online (Grant, 2004). The requirement to begin trading online is the desire to shop in a whole new zone. Amazon is always searching for new ways to improve its efficiency on behalf of its customers as well as individuals who shop on trading websites. There are merchants who sell on its

An Eminent Threat to the Planet Essay Example for Free

An Eminent Threat to the Planet Essay Global warming is certainly a danger that threatens our society. While it may not drastically affect this generation, if things keep going as they are, future generations will have to deal with the problems that people are presently causing. Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases Global warming refers to an overall increase in the temperature of the earth. This is due emissions of greenhouse gases, which are essentially pollutants which damage the earth’s ability to maintain itself when they are released into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a particularly common greenhouse gas that is emitted by the activities people all of the time. An overload of these gases prevents the ability of the atmosphere to absorb some of the rays from the sun, as the ozone layer is damaged. Fossil fuels, such as gasoline, diesel, and kerosene release fumes into the atmosphere that damage the atmosphere’s ability to regulate the earth’s temperature by allowing and preventing solar rays from reaching the surface. Climate Change and seal Level Rise Although current climate change is best represented by more extreme temperatures (higher high temperatures in the summer, and lower lows in the winter), ultimately the earth is expected to warm up. Many scientists have hypothesized that within the next century, the earth may warm by up to two degrees Fahrenheit. Although this does not seem like a lot, it could cause the melting of the outer layers of Antarctic ice, which would cause a rise in sea level by up to a few feet over the course of the next century. But the rate of global warming is expected to increase, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. If this occurs, and due to the expansion of Antarctic ice and the melting of some ice caps, sea level could rise by several feet, which would have devastating consequences. Life as we know it would be completely altered by any significant rise in sea level. Because water allows for trade and transportation, most major communities are built close to the coast of continents, rather than the interiors. That being said, if sea level was to rise so much as ten feet, many cities would be completely destroyed. Miami, Florida would have to be evacuated, as would most of the towns within fifty miles of the United States Gulf Coast. Much of the land in the Caribbean would be submerged, as would many islands in the South Pacific, and even some areas in Europe, such as the Netherlands. How Our Current Activities are Causing Global Warming Although exact measurements of the rate of the rise in temperature and thus, sea level are presently immeasurable, the way human beings are living today will certainly ensure that they will be significant. People are causing more emissions of environmentally and atmospherically dangerous gases than ever before, and we do not seem like we are going to stop any time soon. More cars are on the road, more airplanes are in the air, and more boats, including large freighters and barges are in the water than ever before, and as the planet’s population increases, so will the amount and volume of our emissions of dangerous gases. If we intend to hinder global warming in any way, we have to realize that our present course is not environmentally friendly, and it will lead to a rise in temperature (and a greater abundance of pollutants). We need to invest in clean fuels, and even though researching alternatives to our current fuels will be costly, it is well worth it in the long run, because global warming is a fast way to destroy our planet. References U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Climate Change: Greenhouse Gas Emissions. 2009. http://www. epa. gov/climatechange/emissions/index. html U. S. Department of State. Climate Change and Overview. 2009. http://www. state. gov/g/oes/rls/rpts/car/90312. htm

A Variety Of Antibiotics Biology Essay

A Variety Of Antibiotics Biology Essay Antiseptics/Disinfectants and antibiotics are used on a regular basis in the health care profession. A variety of antibiotics have been tested and they act by several ways in order to inhibit bacterial growth or kill the bacteria. Antiseptics/disinfectants contain a variety of active ingredients including haloalkanes, Quaternary Ammonium Compounds (QAC) and Phenols. The antimicrobials used in both experiments display broad spectrum activity. The information on the mode of action is limited, therefore the two experiments compares the effectiveness of each antimicrobial on the two main bacterias, gram negative escherichia coli and gram positive Staphylococcus aureus. Sepsis is usually caused by a bacterial infection; it can also be caused by fungal, viral or parasitic infections. Sepsis can cause blood clotting and inflammation. Blood clotting and inflammation in the body has life threatening consequences such as organ failure this may lead to death. Aseptic surgery was introduced in 1867 by Joseph Lister; the mortality rate of post operative surgery was reduced to 45%. The spray carbolic acid as biocide/germicide was used; biocide is a chemical agent that kills pathogens. The spray was used to dress and clean the wounds; in 1878 Robert Koch introduced the sterilisation of surgical equipment and dressing using steam. A bacterium is a prokaryotic microorganism that is found everywhere, the size of bacteria is usually a few micrometres in length they exist as millions. The shape of bacteria varies from rod, spiral, spherical. Hans Christian Gram in 1884 discovered that certain stains are taken up and retained by the cell. Eventually most of the bacteria were divided to two groups, gram-positive and gram-negative. The bacterial species was classified using the Gram stain test. The Gram stain that emerge as blue or violet it is Gram positive, a gram-positive bacteria has a thick cell wall as there are many layers of peptidoglycan and teichoic acids. This means that gram stain can enter the cell and remain within the cell. If the Gram stain emerges as red or pink it is Gram negative, a gram negative bacteria has a thin cell wall that consists some layers of peptidoglycan, bounded by a second lipid membrane containing lipoprotein and lipopolysaccharides. Escherichia coli (E. Coli) is facultative anaerobic gram-negative bacteria, E. Coli is rod shaped. The digestive system is affected by E. Coli where it causes bloody diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Staphylococcus aureus (S. Aureus) is sphere shaped gram-positive bacteria, S. Aureus can be found at several sites in humans such as nasal passages, skin, gastrointestinal tract and oral cavity. S. Aureus causes impetigo, mastitis and scalded skin syndrome. Antibiotic is a drug that inhibits the growth of bacteria or kill the bacteria. Antibiotics are from one class of antimicrobials and are harmless to the host hence used to treat infections. Antibiotics arent successful in treating fungal, viral and other nonbacterial infections. It is effective is treating bacteria but individual antibiotic varies on the type of bacteria. Microorganisms can become resistant towards antibiotics, hence withstand the effect of antibiotics, this is due to chromosomal changes or due to the exchange of genetic material via plasmids. This has been stimulated by the overuse of antibiotics for minor ailments (common colds) and unfinished course of antibiotics. There are many other antimicrobials such as antiseptic and disinfectants, Antiseptics are used to destroy or reduce microorganisms on the skin without damaging tissues; the common form of antiseptic is surgical rub. Disinfectants are used to disinfect inanimate objects such as surgical instruments. Disinfectant tend to have higher killing power as the chemicals used in disinfectants is for objects rather than the skin. In order to research microbial growth, two experiments have been carried out. Experiment one was carried out to measure the effect of disinfectants and antiseptics on microbial growth. A mixture of antiseptics and disinfectants will be taken and the clearance zone will be measured on bacteria S. Aureus and E. Coli. Experiment two was carried out to screen the sensitivity of the multidisc system, this was done by placing two types of discs containing several antibiotics onto two types of bacteria E. Coli and S. Aureus. The mechanism of antimicrobial action of antiseptics and disinfectants has been researched by A. D. Russel from the Welsh school of pharmacy, the conclusion drawn is the target sites and concentrations of the antiseptic/disinfectant were the dependent factors. The activity, action and the resistance of antiseptics and disinfectants has been studies by Gerald McDonnel and A. Denver Russel. The findings were that the antiseptics and disinfectants vary considerably even when the biocide levels are similar in each product. It has been found that there is some biocide resistance and cross-resistance with antibiotics. A pre-prepared culture of E. Coli and S. Aureus grown in a nutrient broth is provided. Using each culture an inoculum was prepared by aseptically diluting 0.1ml of the each culture to a 9ml fresh nutrient broth. The culture was shaken to encourage mixing. The spread plates were prepared by spread plating 0.1 ml of the inoculum on the surface of the nutrient agar. Two agar plates were prepared for each bacterium, four agar plates in total. The bottom of each plate was labelled with the name of the organism (i.e. E. Coli) The eight antiseptic and disinfectant that was going to be tested in the experiment was numbered 1-8. The bottom of the first agar plate for one of the bacterium was separated into four different sectors; a marker pen was used to label each sector 1-4. The bottom of the second agar plate was separated into four different sectors and labelled 5-8. Repeat number 5 for the other bacterium agar plates. The numbers on the bottom of agar plates link to the numbers on the antiseptic and disinfectant bottles. The tip of the forceps was sterilised by passing it through the Bunsen burner two to three times. Using the sterile forceps the sterile paper disk was picked up and dipped into the disinfectant/ antiseptic that was numbered one. It was made sure that the surplus disinfectant/ antiseptic had drained off before placing the disc into the agar plate. The disc was placed in the centre of sector 1of the S. Aureus inoculated plate Another disc was placed onto the centre of sector one using the same disinfectant for the E. Coli inoculated plate. Step number 8-11 was repeated for the remaining antiseptic/disinfectant. It was vital that the tip of the forceps was washed with alcohol and passed through the Bunsen burner to prevent cross mixing the disinfectant/antiseptic between each step. This is important as we were comparing the effectiveness of the disinfectant/antiseptic of the different types of organisms. The sterile tip of the forceps was used to press the discs gently in order to ensure the disc has contact with the nutrient agar. When the discs were placed into the four sectors of both agar plates, parafilm was used to seal. The plates were inverted and incubated at 37Â °C for 24 hours. After a week the plates were recovered and the diameter of the zones of the inhibition of the bacterial growth was measured in millimetres. As mentioned in the method of experiment one on how to produce spread plates for S. Aureus and E. Coli. This method was used to prepare another set of spread plates. (steps 1-2) The bottom of each plate was labelled with the name of the organism (i.e. E. Coli) The tip of the forceps was passed through the flame of the Bunsen burner two to three times in order to sterilise the tip of the forceps. The multidiscs provided are of two types, multidisc M43 which is gram positive, M14 which is gram negative. The multidisc labelled M43 was placed in the agar plate labelled S. Aureus, gently press down on the disc using the forceps. The tips of the forceps are flamed in the Bunsen burner two to three times. The multidisc labelled M14 was placed in the agar plate labelled E. Coli and gently press down on the discs using the forceps to make sure the discs are in contact with the agar. The lids on agar plates were placed and sealed using parafilm. The plates were inverted and incubated at 37Â °C for 24 hours. After a week the plates were recovered and the diameter of the zones of the inhibition of the bacterial growth was measured in millimetres. Experiment one studied the effect of Antiseptics and Disinfectants against the bacteria E. Coli and S. Aureus. The most effective antiseptic used is Savlon as it has the largest zone of Inhibition for both bacterias, in the bacteria E. Coli the zone of inhibition is 18mm (table 1) and in S. Aureus the zone of inhibition is 25mm (table 1). The active compound is Savlon is Cetrimide which is a Quaternary Ammonium Compound (QAC), QAC is a surface active agent that has a hydrocarbon this is hydrophobic and there is another group which is hydrophilic. Surface acting agents are categorized into four areas depending upon the charge and ionisation of the hydrophilic group. The cationic agents show QACs; these agents are used as antiseptics and disinfectants as they have antimicrobial properties. The least effective antiseptic is TCP as it has the least amount of zone of inhibition for both bacterias, for E. Coli the clearance is 20mm (table 1) and for S. Aureus the clearance is 14mm (table 1). The active ingredient in TCP is a Halophenol, Chloroxylenol is the main Halophenol used in antiseptic formulations as its bactericidal. The mechanism of action has not been studied in detail but as it is a phenolic character it is expected to be an antimicrobial The most effective disinfectant towards the bacterium E. Coli is Wilkinsons pine disinfectant as the zone of inhibition is 21mm (table 2), for the bacterium S. Aureus Dettol surface cleaner is the most effective disinfectant as the zone of inhibition is 37mm (table 2). Overall the most effective disinfectant is Dettol surface cleaner as the inhibition zone is S. Aureus is 37mm (table 2), the inhibition zone for E. Coli is 19mm (table 2). The active ingredient in Dettol surface cleaner is Chloroxylenol which also is a Halophenol. The least effective disinfectant was Zoflora spray as the inhibition zone in the bacterium S. Aureus is 26mm (table 2) and in E. Coli it is 17mm (table 2). The active ingredient in Zoflora spray is Benzalkonium chloride which is a QAC therefore a cationic surface acting agent. In addition, several compounds contain QACs such as Mr muscle and Wilkinsons pine Disinfectant but the zone of inhibition varies this may be due to additives present. The additives would dilute the concentration of QAC present hence decreasing the zone of inhibition. Experiment two studied the sensitivity of the multidisc system with the bacteria S. Aureus and E. Coli. The multidisc M43 contains antibiotics that are sensitive to S. Aureus bacteria. The most effective antibiotic towards the gram positive S.Aureus bacteria is Penicillin G as the zone of inhibition is 28mm. Penicillin G works by inhibiting the formation of the bacterial cell wall, this is done by blocking the cross-linking of cell wall structure. The least effective antibiotic in the M43 disc is Trimethoprim and Sulphamethoxazole, the zone of inhibition is 0 mm. Trimethoprim and Sulphamethoxazole work by inhibiting enzymes that is needed in the production of Folic acid, which is an essential compound in the cell. Therefore, the antibiotics can kill bacteria but the process will be very slow. If we incubated the agar plates for longer zone of inhibition may be seen. However, S. Aureus may have become resistant to these antibiotics. If there is partial resistance to either of the antibiotics, the bacteria can be killed by the combination of these two antibiotics. The multidisc M14 contains the antibiotics that are sensitive to E. Coli bacteria. The most effective antibiotic towards the gram negative E. Coli bacteria is Cotrimoxazole as the zone of inhibition is 28 mm. Cotrimoxazole is a combination of Trimethoprim and Sulphamethoxazole which works by inhibiting enzymes producing Folic acid, which is an essential compound in the cell. The least effective antibiotic towards E. Coli is Ampicillin as the clearance zone is 0 mm (Table 4) Ampicillin works by inhibiting the formation of cell wall by blocking the cross linking of cell wall structure. The antibiotic is resistant towards E. Coli due to chromosomal changes or due to the exchange of genetic material via plasmids. As S. Aureus is a gram positive bacterium, in gram positive the cell wall structure is made of peptidoglycan as well as polysaccharides or teichoic acids. The antimicrobial only has to cross one membrane hence the zone of inhibitions is higher in the S. Aureus plates for both experiments one and two. Overall, antimicrobials effectiveness is affected by many factors, some of which are temperature of incubation, concentration of the antibacterial, molecular weight influences crossing the membranes, thickness of membrane and by which mechanism the antibiotic kills or inhibits the bacterial growth. In conclusion, this experiment would have to be repeated several times in order to test reproducibility, and then a clear conclusion could be made. Many antimicrobials are potentially toxic therefore advice should be sought if unsure. Also, as we can see that disinfectants and antiseptics can vary considerably in spite of similar level of active ingredient. This calls for a closer inspection of claims made by companies regarding their products.