Health Literacy Essay

This year marks one of the most significant years in the history of the United States of America. The election of 2008 will set in motion a new era for the US. With a lame duck president currently in office there is a 100 percent chance that things are going to change. One of the hot button issues during the campaign season is health care. However, in order to change health care, the United States must first be health literate. In order to do so the following should be known: the definition of health literacy, what health literacy skills are and why they are important, the history behind health literacy, and how health literacy affects the economy. First, to become health literate one must know the definition of this term. Being health literate does not mean hitting the gym everyday or trying the latest greatest fad diet. Health literacy can best be defined as â€Å"The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions (2000). † It really is quite basic in definition but is somehow being overlooked in the United States today. The big problem is not that US citizens are making unwise choices when it comes to health care. The big problem is that US citizens do not know how to get the information about the right decisions, process a right or wrong decision or even understand basic information that relates the to health care and other health services. According to the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, health literacy includes the following: â€Å"The ability to understand instructions on prescription drug bottles, appointment slips, medical education brochures, doctor’s directions and consent forms, and the ability to negotiate complex health care systems (Glassman, 2008). † Be wary of the term literacy. Being health literate is not just having the ability to read. Health literacy â€Å"requires a complex group of reading, listening, analytical, and decision-making skills, and the ability to apply these skills to health situations (Glassman, 2008). † To know how to put health literacy to work in a country that is moving towards being centered on the consumer, the consumer must have health literacy skills. It seems as if every trip to the doctor’s office always starts with a stack of forms, questionnaires, and personal information sheets. From the outset the patient’s health literacy is being tested. Some other tasks that a patient must do are as follows: â€Å"evaluate information for credibility and accuracy, analyze risks and rewards, calculate dosages, interpret test results, and locate additional health information (Glassman, 2008). † It is easy to overlook some of these skills, but the fact remains that a big portion of people in the United States do no possess these skills. Miscalculating a prescription that cost $150 could get pretty expensive. However, in order to put health literacy skills to the test, the patient/consumer must be â€Å"visually literate, computer literate, information literate, and numerically literate (Glassman, 2008). † So where and when did this big push for the nation to be literate in health issues come from? In 1998 the American Medical Association (AMA) was the first group to advocate the belief that health illiterate patients affect medical diagnosis and treatments (AMA, 2007). The same article also stated that â€Å"poor health literacy is a stronger predictor of a person’s health than age, income, employment status, education level, and race. † Being health literate or illiterate can make you younger or older! The biggest push the make the United States a health literate nation might just come from this stat. â€Å"Individuals with limited health literacy incur medical expenses that are up to four times greater than patients with adequate literacy skills, costing the health care system billions of dollars every year in unnecessary doctor visits and hospital stays (AMA, 2007). † That is billions not millions! Billions of dollars are lost yearly do to patients missing a doctor’s visit and follow-up appointments, taking medications of schedule, and not being able to understand â€Å"take on an empty stomach† (Glassman, 2008). † Being health illiterate does not impact just the individual, but the society as a whole. Health literacy has a huge roll in the economy. The National Academy on an Aging Society estimated that additional health cost due to a low rate of health literacy was over $73 billion in 1998 dollars (NAAS, 1998). That number would be much larger ten years later. Also, those with low health literacy may have fewer visit to the doctor but end up using more hospital resources than those who are health literate (Glassman, 2008). Therefore, the more hospital resources used, the more expensive health care becomes. Each individual is not only affecting their own bank account, but they are also affecting someone else’s as well. It is quite startling that a nation as advanced as the United States could be this illiterate when it comes to an important issue like health care. Not being able to answer basic questions on a survey or medical history form is a big problem. Not being able to follow directions on a prescription bottle can end up costing billions of dollars. More importantly, not knowing how to read and follow simple directions like â€Å"take on empty stomach† can end up costing a life. Health literacy is a major issue in this country. It is an issue that has to be addressed. No longer can the United States afford to let billions and billions of dollars be spend foolishly in our health care systems. The evidence is there. Now it is time for a solution. It is time to begin educating people of all socioeconomic status of how to properly handle their medical matters. Continuing to ignore a health illiterate nation will only lead to more money being wasted and more people suffering. The time to start a positive change is now. Refusing to respond and educate people both young and old will only make United States even more broke and sick. Teaching proper health literacy will not cure any problems, but it can definitely help prevent them. References AMA Foundation, (2007, September 04). Health literacy. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from Health Literacy Web site: http://www. ama-assn. org/ama/pub/category/8115. html Glassman, Penny (2008, January 17). Health literacy. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from Health Literacy Web site: http://nnlm. gov/outreach/consumer/hlthlit. html The Center for Health Care Strategies and National Academy on an Aging Society, (1998). Fact sheet. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from National Academy on an Aging Society Web site: http://www. agingsociety. org/agingsociety/publications/fact/fact_low. html United States Department of Health and Human Services, (2000). Healthy People 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from Healthy People 2010 Web site: http://www. healthypeople. gov/Document/pdf/uih/2010uih. pdf.

Human history Essay

Human history has witnessed numerous examples of wars. Our history has taught us that wars are unique by nature. Different philosophers at different times were trying to generate solid philosophical understandings of what war and strategy were. As a result, we possess sufficient theoretical basis for discussing the philosophical foundations of war, yet we have not been able to predict our military failures. After the end of WWII the world has finally taken a deep breath, and people were confident that violence would never enter their lives again. However, we are still surrounded by constant risks of war, and continue witnessing the acts of violence, and murders. Certainly, contemporary wars are completely different from those at the beginning of the 20th century: the development of the new weaponry types and communication technologies, have turned the simplest military actions into highly sophisticated acts. The war in Iraq has critically impacted the military balance in the world, and it is interesting to see, how Iraqi war would be explained through the prism of various philosophic works. Clausewitz: On War Carl von Clausewitz has written a well grounded research on the philosophy of war. His theoretical assumptions make it possible to distinguish philosophic implications of military actions. Having evaluated what war is, Clausewitz was able to create a general structure of war, and I think that his ideas are easily applied to the issues of the war in Iraq. â€Å"War is nothing but a duel on an extreme scale. If we would conceive as a unit the countless number of duels which make up a war, we shall do so best by supposing to ourselves two wrestlers. Each strives by physical force to compel the other to submit his will to his will: each endeavours to throw his adversary, and thus render him incapable of further resistance† (Clausewitz 1989, p. 4). Although, this Clausewitz’ definition is very objective, grounded, and universally applicable (any war implies the fight of several opponents for power), there are some amendments which should be made in terms of war in Iraq. It is difficult to admit, but it is true, that the war in Iraq is nothing more than the fight for power: Clausewitz does not distinguish whether this might be economic, social, or military power, or some other different aspect of political superiority. Clausewitz risks applying limited perspectives to discussing what war is. In the fight between the two wrestlers, only one of them initially seeks superiority. As a result, at the initial stage of war, only one of the opponents fights for power and superiority. Clausewitz supports this line stating that â€Å"two motives lead men to war: instinctive hostility and hostile intention. In our definition of war, we have chosen as its characteristic the latter of these elements, because it is the most general†. Has the U. S. started the war in Iraq with hostile intentions? Probably, it has. Many of us argue the fact that the U. S. military actions in Iraq were primarily aimed at promoting democracy in the country. To be objective, hardly any democracy can survive in the whirl of blood, murders, terrorist acts and violence caused by military actions. However, in the fight between Iraq and the U. S. Clausewitz seems to have neglected one essential stage of developing military actions: the first stage is the military intervention, and it hardly looks as the fight of the two wrestlers. On the contrary, its image is similar to unexpected blow on the side of the opponent to which another wrestler cannot stand and falls. The situation described by Clausewitz is actually the next stage of war. Iraq required certain period of time to gather it strength and to enter the war as an equal. At the stage when we started to receive the reports on murders and terrorist acts against American soldiers, one could suggest that the war has turned into the discussed fight. However, in this fight one of the opponents was trying to prove his superiority, while the other tried his best to defend the integrity of his physical territory and peace in the country. We cannot but agree with Clausewitz that war is never an isolated act, and it is never a separated single military blow. â€Å"War does not spring up suddenly, it does not spread to the full in a moment; each of the two opponents can, therefore, form an opinion of the other, in a great measure, from what he is and what he does, instead of judging of him according to what he, strictly speaking, should be or should do† (Clausewitz 1989, 5) The war in Iraq had long prehistory. The United States were continuously trying to defend their position in this military conflict. It was evident that the war was inevitable. As a result it is difficult to argue the position of Clausewitz. Actually, the work of Clausewitz seems to be very close to what we currently witness in Iraq. Of course, we do not know much as none of us has fortunately participated in this campaign. All we have at our disposal are news reports and other secondary information, but this secondary information allows analyzing the events in Iraq from the viewpoints of several philosophers. Clausewitz creates a philosophic picture of war. He implies that war does not change its face, and the structure of military actions and interactions remains unchanged, no matter at what historical period of our development a war may occur. This does not really matter, whether we use nuclear weapons or fight in the open sea – the war is always the utmost use of force, which does not break out of sudden, and which is the means of proving one’s superiority. Jablonski: Roots of Strategy In his work, David Jablonski has evaluated the works of the four theorists, as applied to military actions and military strategies. It is surprising, that Jablonski was able to avoid bias in his discussion. It is even more surprising, that the works of philosophers written at the beginning of the 20th century seem to have predicted the exact course of events during the war in Iraq. This, on the one hand, continues the line found in the work of Clausewitz: the essence of military actions remains unchanged through the centuries. On the other hand, Jablonski’s selection helps us understand WHY the U. S. was involved into the war in Iraq, and has actually initiated it. â€Å"In the United States our people have been slow to realize the changed conditions. Isolated as we have been from possible enemies, the people could see little chance for aggression by others. Separated as we are from Europe by the Atlantic, and from Asia by the Pacific which form most certain and tremendously strong defensive barriers, we seemed to be protected by the design of the Almighty. [†¦] The vulnerability of the whole country to aircraft as distinguished from the old conditions that obtained when the frontiers or the coast had to be penetrated before an invasion of the country could be made, has greatly interested the people of the nation† (Jablonski 1999, 452) What facts do we have in the war against Iraq? First, the U. S. has for long been isolated from others’ aggression. Even during WWII the U. S. was not directly involved into military actions. The terrorist acts of 2001 have been a tremendous shocking therapy to the whole American nation. The continuous isolation from the direct aggression has made the U. S. senseless towards possible military and terrorist threats. The image of the almighty nation was rather exaggerated, and the events of 9/11 have proved this assumption. The terrorist attacks had to attract the attention of the U. S. to its vulnerability and to eliminate the discussed senselessness, but the country has misinterpreted these events. The senselessness has turned into aggression against the states which were suspected in promoting terrorism (Iraq is in the top list of such ‘promoters’). As far as the United States has not experienced any acts of continuous aggression, which it could not stand, it has not fully realized the continuous effects of military actions brought into Iraqi land. In the introduction to his book, David Jablonski puts emphases on the most critical elements of war. â€Å"Modern military forces normally work in an environment in which the major dilemma is that of properly matching continuity and change. [†¦] the core attribute to such thinking is to imagine the future as it may be when it becomes the past – a thing of complex continuity. † Thus, planning continuity and looking at military actions through the prism of the past is the crucial element in making this strategy reasonable and justified. What are continuous impacts that the U. S. has caused onto the Iraqi population? These are economic defeat, and the need to restore all social and political structures of the country. It is still unclear whether the U. S. was able to promote democratic ideals in Iraq, but it is evident that it has failed to apply the principles of â€Å"continuity through the past† to planning the Iraqi military strategy. Jablonski states that the significance of the theoretical works he discussed in his book is in that they are presented in a structured manner, and can be easily understood and applied in practice. It seems that both the U. S. in its war in Iraq, and the terrorists in their 9/11 attacks have applied the principles discussed by Jablonski: â€Å"sometimes implicitly, more often explicitly, they created images of how aerial destruction of ‘vital centers’, could bring a nation to its knees. After all, there were the examples of mass panic on the home fronts and mutiny in the trenches during the recent war. † Similar to Clausewitz, who creates parallels between military actions and wrestling, Jablonski also underlines the importance of the sudden effect. Consequentially, we come to understanding an interesting military controversy: military campaigns cannot be sudden, but the â€Å"sudden effect† of aerial or other destruction often determines the success of the planned military campaign. These two elements are integral to the U. S. intervention to Iraq, too. Liddell-Hart: Strategy There are the two crucial elements which make Liddell-Hart’s view applicable to the war in Iraq: first, the author extensively researches the historical implications of specific military actions, and second, he does not expand his research to broader notions, but is rather concentrated on the ‘cause-effect’ research. His book is in many instances similar to that of Clausewitz. This is why the author is initially biased. In both works the reader meets identical philosophical parallels: â€Å"To move along the line of natural expectation consolidates the opponent’s balance and thus increases his resisting power. In war, as in wrestling, the attempt to throw the opponent without loosening his foothold and upsetting the balance results in self-exhaustion, increasing in disproportionate ration to the effective strain upon him. Success by such method only becomes possible through an immense margin of superior strength in some form – and, even so, tends to lose decisiveness. † (Liddell-Hart 1991, 5) In this citation, we find many elements which have already been found in other philosophical works: loosening foothold may be paralleled to the sudden aerial attacks, while moving along the line of natural expectation is similar to complying with the principles of continuity and thorough planning. Simultaneously, it is difficult to apply this statement to the military actions in Iraq. If the U. S. used Liddell-Hart’s philosophical implications in developing its strategy in Iraq, it would never apply the means of sudden attack against the Iraqi nation. People in Iraq would not know what means being bombed. As a result, the U. S. would risk losing its powerful positions. The philosophic perspective created by Liddell-Hart is hardly applicable to the war in Iraq or to any other military campaign in contemporary world. In addition, when Liddell-Hart speaks about morale in war, he represents its too idealistic image: the violence of American soldiers against Iraqi people eliminates any possibility to link morale to the war in Iraq. Niccolo Machiavelli: The Prince â€Å"A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank. † This is another aspect of the war in Iraq, described in the terms of Niccolo Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince†. As Hitler used the war to prove his superiority and to create the nation of Aryans, the U. S. seems to be in constant need to prove its superiority to other nations. Several recent decades have turned into the years of constant fight, in which the U. S. always positioned itself as the leading and powerful nation: Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Yugoslavia, and finally, Iraq; who is going to be the next? Machiavelli makes special emphasis on the importance for the prince to understand and to possess the art of war: â€Å"a prince who does not understand the art of war, over and above other misfortunes already mentioned, cannot be respected by his soldiers, nor can he rely on them. † (Machiavelli, 2006) The best information and intelligence resources have been employed to develop a sound military strategy towards Iraq, yet the U. S. was not able to display a skilful approach towards Iraqi intervention. Numerous deaths of the American soldiers and their inability to find common language with the native population, whom they had to protect, suggest that the United States did not possess any sound military skills. Expectation of easy victory usually leads to easy failure. The war in Iraq has displayed the U. S. inability to analyze the world military history, about which Machiavelli speaks. The author refers to the importance for the prince to study the actions of illustrious men and to see how they behaved themselves during war. Being powerful does not mean being non-educated; being powerful means being skillful, reasonable, and objective. Military failures in Vietnam and Yugoslavia have not taught the U. S. any meaningful lessons. In distinction from Clausewitz, Liddell-Hart, and Jablonski, Machiavelli did not apply any historical perspectives to evaluating military strategies, but he was wise enough to emphasize the importance of historical lessons, and of the ability to properly evaluate these lessons. Peter Paret: Makers of Modern Strategy While Clausewitz applied the painting parallels to researching war, Paret has performed a profound research of several philosophic writings related to the topic of war. All authors he discussed in his book sought to answer several crucial questions: whether it was possible to evaluate war, whether it was a viable tool of foreign policy, and how ethical war was. Paret’s views are directly connected with the understanding of nuclear threats as applied to military strategies. Paret’s book is actually the selection of the major philosophic works and their evaluation. It seems that modern philosophers try to distance themselves from creating their own ideas about war, but prefer analyzing the ideas of others as applied to contemporary political and military environment. In the introduction to his book, Paret writes that â€Å"strategy is the use of armed force to achieve the military objectives and, by extension, the political purpose of the war. To those engaged in the direction and conduct of war, strategy has often appeared more simply, in Moltke’s phrase, as a system of expedients† Thus, war is initially the conjunction of political and military ideas. The war in Iraq is also the combination of political and military aims, but which of them prevails? In his book, Paret often cannot make a case. He states that Machiavelli lived during the time when warfare was unregulated and thus the relevance of his assumptions could decrease. However, who says that our warfare is regulated? Paret suggests that while Clausewitz supported the idea of war to be limited in time, goals, and strategies, there was no place to global military campaigns. Does this mean that local military conflicts similar to those in Iraq cannot expand beyond the geographical borders of the Iraqi nation? They can, and the conflict in Iraq has already stretched itself across the world. The war in Iraq has already turned into the political fight between the two opposing political camps, and the perspective of the global war has never been so close since the end of WWII. This is why it is difficult to understand the aim of Paret’s analysis. For the aims of objective military research, one should rather read the original works of philosophers, than their subjective interpretations made by contemporary authors. Sun Tzu: The Art of War â€Å"Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him. [†¦] If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment be merely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to throw something odd and unaccountable in his way† (Sun Tzu 1971, 24) The ideas of war produced by Sun Tzu, partially seem as odd as the instruments he offers to use if one does not want to fight. On the one hand, being first to the field also implies using ‘sudden’ tactics. On the other hand, what odd instruments could Iraqi people use to openly claim their desire not to start war with the U. S.? One should not repeat its tactics which had been successful earlier, but it should be regulated according to the constantly changing military environments. Moreover, using the tactics which has already proved to be a failure is a guaranteed double failure. The U. S. has not taken into account numerous important elements of an effective military strategy: being sudden does not always mean being successful. Aerial attacks make people fall to their knees, but do not break them completely. The U. S. develops a sound strategy of removing its military from the Iraqi territory. The aim is to turn retreat into a victory, which is virtually impossible. Until the U. S. is able to re-evaluate its defeats and tactics in previous military campaigns, it will have to be prepared to new military failures. Conclusion I think that each of the analyzed philosophers has something to say about the war in Iraq. Each of them discussed interesting elements of military strategy which could be applied to Iraqi military campaigns. Although certain views are limited, some risk being biased, and some cannot make the case at all, all of them deserve attention at least for having researched the question which we will hardly ever answer: What is War? It is never stable, it is always changeable, it always has a different face, and sometimes we even fail to recognize it from the start. One thing is evident: no matter how difficult a war can be, no excuses can justify our inability to fight well. BIBLIOGRAPHY Clausewitz, C. On War. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989. Jablonski, D. Roots of Strategy. Book 4. Merchanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 1999. Liddel-Hart, Basil H. Strategy: Second Revised Edition. New York: Meridian Books, 1991. Machiavelli, N. The Prince. The Project Gutenberg, 2006. Available from http://www. gutenberg. org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h. htm Paret, P. , G. A. Craig & F. Gilbert. Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986. Sun Tzu. The Art of War. Translated by Samueal B. Griffith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.

Management Accounting and Organizational Control Essay

Management Accounting and Organizational Control - Essay Example A production can act as a department, manufacturing plant or a transportation firm. It depends on the work allotted to it. The activities of multiple productions units also will come under operational planning and control. The entity at higher level in the organisation will own all the production units involved. Supply chain system is used to coordinate the activities of all the production of all the production units that belong to higher entity. Now supply chain also comes under operational planning and control.1 Strategic planning and control is a policy that top executives of the company periodically review and plan the processes and in turn pass on down the organisation for the sake of implementation. This implementation involves operational planning and control. This means the OPC is a consequence of strategic planning and control. The OPC is dependent on strategic planning and control. The operations to be conducted depend on the strategies of the management. It includes mission, analysis, , situational analysis, strategic formulation, implementation and control. For the corporate organisation like AG Barr Plc strategy at corporate level with managing a portfolio of businesses is required. 2 A.G. Barr plc is the Britain's leading manufacturer of branded carbonated soft drinks. The products of the company include IRN-BRU, Tizer, D'N'B, and orangina. They have four production sites at Cumbernauld, Mansfield, Atherton and Pitcox. These manufacturing centres are supported by distribution centres that have their presence all over United Kingdom. The company produces variety of flavours in 330 mal cans and Orangina in famous bulby bottle in Atherton production site. Several sizes of PET bottles and containing soft drinks are produced in Cumbernauld and Mansfield production sites. In Cumbernauld site the company is producing 750 ml returnable glass bottle, which was first of its kind in UK. The Mansfield site produces 1 litre, 1.5 litre and 3 litre being exclusive for it. Barr is famous for producing environment friendly packs. Barr acquired Findlays Spring natural mineral water and it was now wholly owned subsidiary of the company. The production unit is at the foot of Lammermuir Hills. The sales centres deliver to small shop counters and distribution centres deliver to super markets, cash and carry and whole sale trade. 3. Evaluation of OPC Process in AG Barr Plc AG Barr is having four production centres and each centre is having its own specific bottle to manufacture. It will be difficult to manufacture all the types of bottles in

Philosophy, Enlightenment and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Philosophy, Enlightenment and Education - Essay Example curriculum is designed and committed to use learning as a tool to stimulate and encourage the best attainable academic progress and results for all students. However, as Aristotle argues, attaining high grades is not the only measure of successful learning. Students at the early learning stages should not be subjected to tests because moral values and character states cannot be assessed through exams. They should, rather, be encouraged to achieve character by practice before intellectual skills are taught. For every subject in each key stage, the study programmes lay out what the students must be taught while the achievement targets lay out the performance standards expected of the students. However, the performance standards do not give any provisions for students with their own views. It would not be right for students to score low marks, denoting a failure, simply because they gave their own views on their understanding of what they have been taught. The curriculum should give roo m for finding a relationship between the learners’ ideas and what is stipulated in the standards. Conversely, its rigidity may only succeed in creating a block of stereotyped knowledge, not considering the flexibility of the learners’ minds. It is only through training mental skills and giving ways of discovery that the aim of making achieving and progressive learners can be achieved. Otherwise, the curriculum is biased towards handing over instruction and thus, presupposed knowledge. It is then up to the teachers to organise their individual curricula and available technology to target individual students’ experience, interests and strengths. The aim of creating confident students, as per the curriculum, assesses confidence by the students’ ability to meet standards. However, confidence cannot be correctly judged by meeting preset standards. A display of confidence would be more accurate if students knowingly followed what they understood from the instru ctions given, rather

How Can the Internet Assist Organizations with Creating Customer Value Essay

How Can the Internet Assist Organizations with Creating Customer Value through Personalization and Mass Customization - Essay Example When it comes to narrowing down the scope and role of e-marketing and related technologies to a mere aspect of creating value or enhancing customer value, it seems that words are diminishing and the whole aspect can never be explained in its true sense and that it might take years to elucidate such a broad topic. The contributions of e-marketing strategies and organizations in developing and stabilizing many businesses is obvious with the development in the marketing concepts as well as recent researches which are not proving that co-branding, co-creation and third-party inventions have set up new milestones for all the companies; be it some multinational giant or some small entrepreneurial venture. The concepts that have been introduced with an â€Å"e† as a prefix, like; e-commerce, e-trade, e-business, e-marketing, and e-strategy, explain the literal terms of carrying out business via the electronic channel, apparently. However, these terms explain some very broad concepts of internet cram which have proved to be revolutionary, immensely, after the internet boom of the ’90s. Collaborative Networked Organizations (CNOs), those which are also known as â€Å"third-party vendors† and â€Å"fourth party logistics/vendors† and Virtual Customer Communities (VCCs) i.e. the company which exists online only, confirm a soaring prospective as drivers of value co-creation and open innovation. They have also been playing role in driving value specifically in collaborative innovation.  This joint venture has proven that it can amplify malleability and suppleness of the companies’ VCS (Value creation systems) to support responding to an external situation like co-creation or collaborative opportunities (external driver).  

Housing Estate in Cold-Water Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Housing Estate in Cold-Water - Case Study Example This report pertains to the development of Cold waters housing initiative as apparent from the computer-graphed image above which will mean that the current map of the Cold-Water will have a large number of landscape changes made to it with a possible usage of land swaps and remodeling.At the outset it is possible to see from the graphically configured diagram of the Waterside View above it can be seen that it is not only a housing area but the inclusion of the aquatic leisure centre is all set to increase the commercial value of the estate. The plan is to focus upon terraced houses and low rise flats for an increase in the landscape beauty. The housing estate will be complete with a new leisure centre ,a public covered swimming pool, a training pool, and generous opportunities for gymnastic and sports activities. It is also planned that there will be two nearby single storey retail warehouses with expansive surface car parking for them and n restaurants/cafes with outside seating areas for the summer. All vehicle servicing will be underground. As mentioned before the housing plan includes a lot of low rise flats which will be around this commercial property and a liberal amount of landscaping will be provided from the dock area above. This area was formerly a low wage income area before the government too initiatives to bring out the commercial potential of this place. The residential housing is for both commercial and council purposes. There is a total of 55,600 sq m of residential housing available 60% of which is based on the PFI initiative and will be sold or leased back to the Local Government.The problem here is that due to the lack of labour etc there are likely to be delays in building which may cause fines being imposed upon the constructing firms.These delays may also be aggravated by the scientific protests going on. The idea for the commercial accommodation is feasible enough as the plan includes reasonably priced properties along with balconies and roof gardens and secure car-parking underground. The demographics, densities and styles around the locality and styles of local housing developments There are many neighbourhoods surrounding Cold water like as Steel Town, Chemical Town, Coal Town where is there is a rampant issue of economic decline and a change in function. New

Same sex marriage in the military Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Same sex marriage in the military - Coursework Example Simply put, there is no right to same-sex marriage, thus, homosexuals are not being denied their right. In fact, if one looks at the right of a child to be raised by both biological parents, the right of a man to be ensured of paternity, and the right of a woman to be with her child (Stacey 27) one sees that, not legalizing same-sex marriage protects many natural rights. Those who argue that same-sex marriages should be considered a civil right and should be treated just like any heterosexual monogamous marriage are doing so based on the principle of the Equal Protection Clause. This is, however, a flawed argument. It is absolutely wrong to consider that one’s constitutional rights ensure equal treatment in the area of marriage. One must understand with regard to equal treatment, the Constitution does not make reference to social relationships such as families, marriages, friendships, and the like (McVeigh and Maria-Elena 899). Two friends, who decide to consider their relatio nship a marriage, cannot go to the courts and demand equal protection rights just because they decided to consider their friendship a marriage. To do so is tantamount to saying that just because some people at a certain sports event pray together before the start of the event; courts are required under the equal protection law to allow these sports event goers to redefine the event as a religious ceremony. The government, as an example, recognizes a relationship between two contracting parties, one of whom agrees to mow the other’s lawn. However, the law governing the contracts does not define beforehand what kinds of contracts can be drawn. The law, instead, merely makes clear how binding a consensual contract is, and what legal obligations both agreeing parties have in fulfilling the contract. The law also clarifies the consequences should one or both parties breach stipulations in the contract (Bily 33). The role of the law is limited only to overseeing the relationship. I t does not create the relationship. If applied in the argument of same-sex marriage, this means that, for several centuries already, marriage laws have considered marriage under the classification of a bond between a man and a woman that normally leads to procreation (Bily 48). Same-sex relationships simply cannot fall under this category. The meaning of marriage gets completely redefined when two men marry each other and the same has become an issue that has come to the limelight. Gay marriage is a serious threat and it challenges the nature too and this is because two men can never reproduce and take their generation forward. They can adopt a child but they can never fulfill the gap left, that gap can only be fulfilled by a mother. The divorce rates are extremely high when two men or women marry each other and research goes to prove it. Heterosexual divorces are much less than homosexual divorces and this is another reason why people oppose gay marriages. Gay marriages have also c ome under intense scrutiny with regard to the tradition that the world has been following for many years. When it comes to mental health, it has been found that Gays are much less healthier than normal people and this is because of their genetic makeup, their way of walking, the way they talk differs from normal people and they are different from normal people. It can therefore be concluded that same-sex relationsh

The King of Pop VS The King of Rock N Roll Essay

The King of Pop VS The King of Rock N Roll - Essay Example Another artist who gained fame from his ability to entertain the audience with passionate dancing moves is Elvis Presley. The eye-popping dancing moves displayed by both Jackson and Elvis resulted to them being crowned as king of Pop and Rock N Roll respectively. Therefore, the essay will seek to provide detailed comparison between Jackson and Elvis with respect to their dancing power as well as their contribution towards musical dancing styles. The fame and popularity of both Jackson and Elvis resulted from their ability to drive their audience wild. Since the two artists specialized in different genres, their dancing styles also varied. Taking a look at the Jackson, he managed to cement his name not only as the king of Pop music but also the master of dance floor (Steve Huey). Jackson managed to increase the number of his followers following his ability to display extra ordinary dancing moves. He could make slicker glide accompanied with snappier heel leading to fine and smooth moonwalk dancing moves. Despite being a talented singer, Jackson had mastered ways of spinning around his dancing move and then slotting it into the beats as if it is a musical riff (Roy). While his audience surrendered as he ruled the stage, his taut and perfectly rhythmic dancing moves totally changed various aspects of his music videos. The style, story, the value of production and audience to Jackson’s music videos were greatly impacted by iconic dancing moves. The smooth formation drills as well as gravity-defying lean and crotch-grab are among the ground breaking dancing moves that have greatly shaped the modern Pop culture (Roy). The dancing moves by Jackson have had lasting impacts in the field of entertainment. Endless examples can be witnessed in the dances employed by film stars in Bollywood as well as sharply choreographed bands in the early 1990s. While Jackson can be

Visualizing and Inferring Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Visualizing and Inferring - Research Paper Example This comparison helps in understanding the dimensions with regard to the magnitude and time in a much better way as the five senses are put to task (Yopp & Yopp, 2001). For instance, the use of close texts where one has to think using the clue and prior personal encounter to arrive at an appropriate word missing in a passage before they can be provided with the opportunity to check against their choice. A teacher reading a comprehension or even a poem while the students listen to important details aids the students to use the self questioning to eliminate what is key from the rest of the text by having to think harder, paying keen attention to what is being read and even asking to be reread for an area they feel they missed out (Burmark, 2002). They try to visualize and relate the text to others, they have read before (Harvey & Goudvis, 2000). They read the text and look for new information learnt and what they intend to know before they create a map of concepts for further investigations. The texts sink into the students’ minds through the aid of illustration. This can be achieved through the use of charts, pictures, discussions, drawings and other visual images. These ease the complicated texts and enable the students to organize the information obtain in an understandable manner (Burmark, 2002). The use of adjectives in a large text accompanied by vivid description brings clarity in the memory of the students as they read through. Discussion of the text creates a unique understanding of the topic as one gets clarification from other students as well as the teacher, concerning the theme of the text and distinguishing it from the plot. The student gets the opportunity to ask questions about unclear concepts or marked during the reading period. Note taking accompanied by real life examples help students draw the picture of what they visualise and can trace a place in the

Bystander Effect Essay Example for Free

Bystander Effect Essay Introduction – This study researched the implications of the bystander effect when both gaze and no gaze methods were used. It tested this with woman to woman interaction only. The belief was that when gaze was held between the subject needing assistance and a random subject the expressed desire to help would raise. Methods Participants – For participants the study used one hundred and ten adult American women waiting alone at a bus stop in Staten Island, New York. Apparatus/Materials – two women dressed in plain clothes, a pocket full of change, and conducted at a bus stop. Procedures – Two women dressed in plain clothes or one woman alone approached a bus stop where a solitary other woman already was(the subject) one of the women had a cast on her dominant hand. The woman with the impairment reached into her pocket on the side of her casted hand with the opposite hand and attempted to draw coins from the pocket. Upon doing this she dropped the coins over the sidewalk. After the coins had fallen she either made eye contact with the subject or just proceeded to pick up the coins. If the subject assisted in picking up the coins or helped identify where the coins were she was considered helpful. IV – the woman dropping the coins DV – whether or not the subject assisted in picking up or finding the coins. Results – In the gaze versus no gaze condition with a companion 70% of the subjects assisted rather than 30% that assisted when no gaze was used. When no- gaze was used and tested alone versus with companion a significant difference was seen. 33% helped when the person in need of help was alone as opposed to 11% when with a companion. Discussion – this research shows that a subject can feel increased responsibility when someone else is in the vicinity and gaze is held rather than when the subject is alone and gaze is held versus gaze not being held. A possible answer for his is that when two or more people are around and someone in distress makes eye contact they are showing a distinct desire for that person rather than the other people around who they could ask for assistance. This makes a subject feel more responsible to help rather than if they would have not made eye contact because the distressee is asking indirectly for help. The difference in between look and non- look while alone was less significant because the bystander already seemingly had a sole responsibility to help and not expect someone else to and so looking at them wasn’t as much asking them specifically rather than a plea for help. Limitations – the person in need of help could be asking for different amount of help with just there facial expressions. Certain females may prefer other females more than others and be more inclined to help. Future Research – this study can be held again but rather than having solely female to female interaction, male to female and female to male interaction can be had.

Examining The Network Simulations Of NS2 Information Technology Essay

Examining The Network Simulations Of NS2 Information Technology Essay NS2 is a Linux based tool to perform network simulations. NS2 is based on C++ and TCL programming Languages. TCL uses simple commands to define network configuration and C++ allows users to adjust protocol functionalities in detail and also to define new protocols. Our Project involves simulation of VoIP over two transport layer protocols UDP and SCTP. Installation of NS2: Installation of NS2 involves many steps. These Steps are: Checking for pre-requisites: Please make sure that you have installed the fedora 12 O.S with all packages and you are logged in as administrator. Downloading latest version of NS2: We first Downloaded NS2 v. 2.34 from: http://sourceforge.net/projects/nsnam/files/allinone/ns-allinone-2.34/ns-allinone-2.34.tar.gz/download Extracting the NS2 package: Extract the contents of .tar file in a directory and go into that directory. The following snapshot shows the extracted file against .tar file. Patching of SCTP module: Initially NS2 does not provide support to SCTP, so we have to download apply its patch before installation of NS2. The patch can be downloaded from http://pel.cis.udel.edu Now untar the patch in a directory and type the given command in terminal: patch -p0 Now we are ready to install NS2 with SCTP module. Installation of NS2 : We can either install NS2 by typing commands in the terminal. Or we can do this by simply double clicking the install file. The snapshot below shows the later. Now the installation has started. It would take some time to complete it. Configuring the installation path of NS2: The terminal will get get closed after installation of NS2. Now open terminal again and type: gedit ~/.bashrc to configure the path file Now edit this file as in the figure: Now save and close bash file and type following command in the terminal to tell your O.S about the path of NS2: source ~/.bashrc Confirming the installation of NS2: To confirm that NS2 is correctly installed, type ns in the terminal. The outlook of the terminal will be changed in this way: (Else it would print some filter of error in the terminal.) To revert to the normal mode type exit in the terminal. Running a simple code on NS2: NS2 executes .tcl file format. If you have followed all the previous steps, then you can execute a .tcl file by typing the following syntax in the terminal: ns [file name].tcl But make sure you are the directory where the .tcl file is present. e.g: Here we have a sample code script.tcl. In this code we are simulating a simple topology of two wired nodes. On typing ns script.tcl in the terminal, we get the following output: Handling the output trace file: On execution of .tcl code, two output files are generated. One is the .nam file with which we see the graphical simulation of our code. The other one is the .tr trace file, with which we can analyze the output of our simulation. The trace file looks like: It contains various parameters such as arrival time of packets, packet size transport agent etc. Using the trace file, we can get the graphical outputs to analyze the behavior of our simulation. To do this we need a graph drawing software such as xgraph or gnuplot. Here we are using gnuplot. But to draw a graph, we need to filter the trace file and get the coordinates out of which we can draw a graph. To filter a trace file, we write an awk script. Since we have to draw graphs for latency and throughput, therefore we will write one script for each type of graph. The awk script for latency is: #latency BEGIN { time1 = 0.0; time2 = 0.0; } { time2 = $2; if ($1==r) { printf(%f %fn, time1, time2) > latency; time1 += $2; } } END { print(Done); } And awk script for throughput is: #throughput BEGIN { node =1; time1 = 0.0; time2 = 0.0; num_packet=0; bytes_counter=0; } { time2 = $2; if (time2 time1 > 0.05) { thru = bytes_counter / (time2-time1); thru /= 1000000; printf(%f %fn, time2, thru) > throughput; time1 = $2; } if ($1==r) { bytes_counter += $6; num_packet++; } } END { print(Done); } Now type the following command in the terminal to filter the trace file: gawk file=[awk file name].awk [trace file name].tr The filtered file would be like this: Now weve to give a plot for which our graph is to be ploted. (i.e: weve to tell about the x and y coordinates) So we create a simple file in which we tell about these parameters. set title VoIP over UDP Latency! set grid set ylabel s set xlabel time plot latency w linespoints title voip throughput Now type gnuplot in the terminal to enter into gnuplot mode. Here type the command: load [x-y parameters file] (inner double quotes inclusive) And type exit to exit gnuplot Formation of VOIP Traffic over the Network: VoIP (Voice over IP) is simply the transmission of voice traffic over IP-based networks. The Internet Protocol (IP) was originally designed for data networking.   It is also referred to as IP  Telephony  or Internet Telephony. Simulating VOIP in NS2: VoIP is basically just UDP packets encapsulating RTP packets with the voice data inside, all you should need to do to simulate a VoIP stream is set the correct packet size and frequency that the packets are sent out and that would simulate a stream. In NS2 we will implement VOIP over UDP and SCTP protocols. We will implement VOIP using a simple two-node topology. For this we will do the following steps: create two .tcl files simulate VOIP traffic handle the trace files to draw graphs for latency and throughput for evaluation between the two protocols Simulation of VoIP over the network using UDP: Creating the tcl file:- First create a tcl file for Voip simulation over UDP protocol. Given below is the source code for our file voip_udp.tcl # start new simulation set ns [new Simulator] # setup tracing/nam set tr [open voip.tr w] set nf [open voip.nam w] $ns trace-all $tr $ns namtrace-all $nf # finish function, close all trace files and open up nam proc finish {} { global ns nf tr $ns flush-trace close $nf close $tr exec nam voip.nam exit 0 } ### creating nodes set node0 [$ns node] $node0 label Voice 1 $node0 color red set node1 [$ns node] $node1 label Voice 2 $node1 color blue # creating duplex-link $ns duplex-link $node0 $node1 256Kb 50ms DropTail $ns duplex-link-op $node0 $node1 orient right # setup colors $ns color 1 Yellow $ns color 2 Green ## 2-way VoIP connection #Create a UDP agent and attach it to node0 set udp0 [new Agent/UDP] $ns attach-agent $node0 $udp0 # set udp0 flowid to 1 $udp0 set fid_ 1 # Create a CBR traffic source and attach it to udp0 set cbr0 [new Application/Traffic/CBR] $cbr0 set packetSize_ 128 $cbr0 set interval_ 0.020 # set traffic class to 1 $cbr0 set class_ 1 $cbr0 attach-agent $udp0 # Create a Null sink to receive UDP set sinknode1 [new Agent/LossMonitor] $ns attach-agent $node1 $sinknode1 # Connect the UDP traffic source to Null sink $ns connect $udp0 $sinknode1 set udp1 [new Agent/UDP] $ns attach-agent $node1 $udp1 $udp1 set fid_ 2 set cbr1 [new Application/Traffic/CBR] $cbr1 set packetSize_ 128 $cbr1 set interval_ 0.020 $cbr1 set class_ 2 $cbr1 attach-agent $udp1 set sinknode0 [new Agent/LossMonitor] $ns attach-agent $node0 $sinknode0 $ns connect $udp1 $sinknode0 # end of voice simulation setup # start up traffic $ns at 0.1 $cbr0 start $ns at 0.1 $cbr1 start $ns at 10.0 $cbr0 stop $ns at 10.0 $cbr1 stop $ns at 10.5 finish # run the simulation $ns run Simulate VOIP traffic: Now type the following command in the terminal to view simulation of VOIP over UDP: ns voip_udp.tcl The output is: Performance of SCTP: Now we draw the graphs with gnuplot using above mentioned steps. The performance is evaluated on the basis of latency, throughput and capacity. The capacity can be evaluated with the help of latency and throughput. Latency: Throughput: Simulation of VoIP over the network using SCTP: Creating the tcl file:- First create a tcl file for Voip simulation over UDP protocol. Given below is the source code for our file voip_sctp.tcl # start new simulation set ns [new Simulator] # setup tracing/nam set tr [open voip.tr w] set nf [open voip.nam w] $ns trace-all $tr $ns namtrace-all $nf # finish function, close all trace files and open up nam proc finish {} { global ns nf tr $ns flush-trace close $nf close $tr exec nam voip.nam exit 0 } ### creating nodes set n0 [$ns node] $n0 label Voice 1 $n0 color red set n1 [$ns node] $n1 label Voice 2 $n1 color blue # creating duplex-link $ns duplex-link $n0 $n1 256Kb 50ms DropTail $ns duplex-link-op $n0 $n1 orient right # setup colors $ns color 1 Yellow $ns color 2 Green ## 2-way VoIP connection #Create a UDP agent and attach it to n0 set sctp0 [new Agent/SCTP] $ns attach-agent $n0 $sctp0 $sctp0 set fid_ 1 set cbr0 [new Application/Traffic/CBR] $cbr0 set packetSize_ 128 $cbr0 set interval_ 0.020 # set traffic class to 1 $cbr0 set class_ 1 $cbr0 attach-agent $sctp0 # Create a Null sink to receive Data set sinknode1 [new Agent/LossMonitor] $ns attach-agent $n1 $sinknode1 set sctp1 [new Agent/SCTP] $ns attach-agent $n1 $sctp1 $sctp1 set fid_ 2 set cbr1 [new Application/Traffic/CBR] $cbr1 set packetSize_ 128 $cbr1 set interval_ 0.020 $cbr1 set class_ 2 $cbr1 attach-agent $sctp1 set sinknode0 [new Agent/LossMonitor] $ns attach-agent $n0 $sinknode0 $ns connect $sctp0 $sctp1 $ns at 0.1 $cbr0 start $ns at 0.1 $cbr1 start # stop up traffic $ns at 10.0 $cbr0 stop $ns at 10.0 $cbr1 stop # finish simulation $ns at 10.5 finish # run the simulation $ns run Simulate VOIP traffic: Now type the following command in the terminal to view simulation of VOIP over UDP: ns voip_sctp.tcl The output is: Performance of SCTP: Now we draw the graphs with gnuplot using above mentioned steps. The performance is evaluated on the basis of latency, throughput and capacity. The capacity can be evaluated with the help of latency and throughput. Latency: Throughput: Difference between SCTP and UDP: SCTP: SCTP Stands for Stream Control Transmission Protocol. It is a Transport Layer protocol. It is a connection-oriented protocol similar to TCP, but provides facilities such as multi-streaming and multi-homing for better performance and redundancy. It is used in Unix-like operating systems. UDP: UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol. It is a minimal message-oriented transport layer protocol. It enables two hosts to connect and send short messages to one another. Unlike Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), it does not guarantee that data is received or that it is received in the order in which it was sent. Comparison between SCTP and UDP: Message Orientation: In SCTP, message boundaries are preserved. If an application sends a 100-byte message, the peer application will receive all 100 bytes in a single read: no more, no less. UDP provides a message-oriented service, but without SCTPs reliability. Un-Ordered Service: In addition to ordered message service (and parallel ordered service discussed above), SCTP offers the reliable delivery of messages with no order constraints. UDP provides unordered service, but again without SCTPs reliability. Unordered reliable delivery will be useful for many applications, in particular disk over LAN services (iSCSI, RDMA, etc.) where the application already provides ordering. Stronger checksum: SCTP uses a 32-bit end-to-end checksum proven to be mathematically stronger than the 16-bit ones-complement sum used by UDP. SCTPs better checksum provides stronger verification that a message passes end-to-end without bit errors going undetected. These were some of the differences between SCTP and UDP. A tabulated contrast between the two protocols is given below: Services/Features SCTP UDP Connection-oriented yes no Full duplex yes yes Reliable data transfer yes no Partial-reliable data transfer optional no Ordered data delivery yes no Unordered data delivery yes yes Flow control yes no Congestion control yes no ECN capable yes no Selective ACKs yes no Preservation of message boundaries yes yes Path MTU discovery yes no Application PDU fragmentation yes no Application PDU bundling yes no Multistreaming yes no Multihoming yes no Protection against SYN flooding attacks yes n/a Allows half-closed connections no n/a Reachability check yes no Psuedo-header for checksum no (uses vtags) yes Time wait state for vtags n/a SCTP vs. UDP Latency: From the graphs of latency we conclude that latency is slightly higher in UDP. In real practice, latency in UDP is much higher than in SCTP. Practically, the latency in UDP is about 15% more than SCTP. Throughput: From the graphs of throughput we see that UDP shows a constant but less throughput while SCTP shows continuous fluctuations in its graph. But overall SCTP has a higher throughput than UDP. In real practice, throughput in SCTP is about 15% more than in UDP. Capacity: By observing the graphs of throughput, we conclude the SCTP can support more capacity than UDP. UDP will loose its performance at higher data rates. Conclusion: From the above statistics, we conclude that SCTP is better than UDP in terms of latency, throughput and capacity. Therefore there is no doubt in the fact that that SCTP is going to be the future of VOIP and many other network technologies. But since this technology is under the process of evolution so it may take some time for it to replace the older technologies like UDP and TCP etc. Refrences: http://yonghoon.livejournal.com/4799.html http://www.isoc.org/briefings/017/index.shtml http://www.google.com/dictionary?source=dict-chrome-exsl=entl=enq=sctp http://www.google.com/dictionary?langpair=en|enq=udphl=enaq=f http://mailman.isi.edu/pipermail/ns-users/2006-August/056723.html http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=bF3L7g1u_mQCpg=PA189lpg=PA189dq=udp+vs+sctp+latency+throughputsource=blots=zdb5JeCsMfsig=PPt8c4nvtcrIJcXr5eKBIe_GbkQhl=enei=XhIgTYCeLs-z8QO8_KS8BQsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=2ved=0CB4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepageqf=true

Free College Admissions Essays: Success :: College Admissions Essays

Success "Success is counted sweetest/By those who ne'er succeed" Emily Dickinson Since the beginning of my life I have been studying. In the early years of my childhood I didn't quite understand what my role was all about. I always wondered why is it that I have to go to school everyday even on Saturday because my mom said that it is good to be around smart people. When I was growing up I found the answer by myself. I started to understand when I was eight years old. I began to see school as the place to get knowledge this that my parents cant teach me at home. I also saw (and actually see) School as a place to play, have positive thoughts and enjoy life without forget about class and what society is expecting from us, and to socialize to have good friends, friends that care and have the same interest in success as I do. Now being 18 years old I know a lot more of myself. I can make and I have made decisions that really have a direct effect on me. Three years ago I decided do my best at scho ol to have a good high school education and make myself better every day. Since I am in love with my school I have accomplish many thing like doing extracurricular activities. On March 1998 I joined United Talents a group of student that help the Parents Association to organize activities. We use to dance our Dominican Republic folk music for our parents and make each presentation more enjoyable for them each time. Actually I am participating in a lot of activities, which are the chess club, yearbook as staff and photographer, swimming pool taking a course to be a lifeguard and helping in the computer lab. In the chess club as I heard I will be elected as a vice-president of the club do to the fact that I have accomplish fine in the city tournaments (every last Sunday of each month). The yearbook is very interesting for me because I like taking pictures and Mrs. Serrano gave me a workshop working as a photographer which I enjoy a lot. Those pictures I take go to the yearbook staff a nd they decide what to add to the school year book. In the computer lab, I use to help because I have some experience using computers. Free College Admissions Essays: Success :: College Admissions Essays Success "Success is counted sweetest/By those who ne'er succeed" Emily Dickinson Since the beginning of my life I have been studying. In the early years of my childhood I didn't quite understand what my role was all about. I always wondered why is it that I have to go to school everyday even on Saturday because my mom said that it is good to be around smart people. When I was growing up I found the answer by myself. I started to understand when I was eight years old. I began to see school as the place to get knowledge this that my parents cant teach me at home. I also saw (and actually see) School as a place to play, have positive thoughts and enjoy life without forget about class and what society is expecting from us, and to socialize to have good friends, friends that care and have the same interest in success as I do. Now being 18 years old I know a lot more of myself. I can make and I have made decisions that really have a direct effect on me. Three years ago I decided do my best at scho ol to have a good high school education and make myself better every day. Since I am in love with my school I have accomplish many thing like doing extracurricular activities. On March 1998 I joined United Talents a group of student that help the Parents Association to organize activities. We use to dance our Dominican Republic folk music for our parents and make each presentation more enjoyable for them each time. Actually I am participating in a lot of activities, which are the chess club, yearbook as staff and photographer, swimming pool taking a course to be a lifeguard and helping in the computer lab. In the chess club as I heard I will be elected as a vice-president of the club do to the fact that I have accomplish fine in the city tournaments (every last Sunday of each month). The yearbook is very interesting for me because I like taking pictures and Mrs. Serrano gave me a workshop working as a photographer which I enjoy a lot. Those pictures I take go to the yearbook staff a nd they decide what to add to the school year book. In the computer lab, I use to help because I have some experience using computers.

Overview of Orthopedics Essay -- essays research papers

Overview of Orthopedics / The Orthopedic Team What is orthopedics? The word orthopedic comes from two Greek words:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ortho meaning straight  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  pedia meaning children Orthopedics is the branch of medicine concerned with diseases, injuries, and conditions of the musculoskeletal system - relating to the body's muscles and skeleton, and including the joints, ligaments, tendons, and nerves. The proper title of this medical specialty is orthopedic surgery, although orthopedics is a generally accepted term. Who treats orthopedic conditions? Orthopedic conditions may be treated by your physician and/or other medical specialists and healthcare providers. Several physicians from different medical specialties may be involved in the treatment at the same time. This multidisciplinary team approach is particularly important in managing the symptoms of an orthopedic condition, especially as many symptoms are chronic and change in severity over time. Some of the more common medical professionals involved in the treatment of orthopedic conditions may include the following:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Primary Care Physician A primary care physician is one who has specialized education and training in general internal medicine, family practice, or another first-level-of-care area. Primary care physicians are those who provide patients with any/all of the following: o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  routine health care (including annual physical examinations and immunizations) o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  treatment for acute medical conditions o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  initial care for conditions that may become more serious or chronic in nature While your primary care physician may treat and/or diagnose your disease, he/she may refer you to a specialist for more specialized treatment of certain aspects of a disease.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Orthopedic Surgeon The physician who specializes in orthopedic surgery is called an orthopedic surgeon, or sometimes, simply, an orthopedist. Orthopedists are educated in the workings of the musculoskeletal system, which includes (but is not limited to) diagnosing a condition or disorder, identifying and treating an injury, providing rehabilitation to an affected area or function, and establishing prevention protocol to inhibit further damage to a diseased area... ...sp;  assisting children and adults in learning how to carry out daily tasks o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  conducting group or individual treatment to help children and adults in a mental health center learn to cope with daily activities o  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  recommending changes in layout and design of the home or school to allow children and adults with injuries or disabilities greater access and mobility Occupational therapists work in a variety of different settings, including the following:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  hospitals  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  rehabilitation centers  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  schools  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  home care agencies  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  private practice  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  government agencies  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Podiatrist A podiatrist specializes in foot care and is licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nurses Nurses specialized in the care of orthopedic conditions may assist your physician in providing care. In addition, these nurses will help you to understand your treatment plan and can answer many of your questions.

The Shattered Dream in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death Salesman ess

The Shattered Dream in Death of a Salesman  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In America, anyone with some drive, some talent, and half a brain can be a success.   Or so Willy Loman believes.   Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman tells the story of a man who seems predestined for failure, though he tries his best to succeed. Willy Loman is a symbol for the common man who tries and tries and tries, but is somehow unable to attain the "American Dream" of status and success.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Miller combines the archetypal tragic hero with the common American citizen. The result is the anti-hero, Willy Loman. He is a simple, unsuccessful salesman whose only goal in life is to become a respected, successful salesman.   Nevertheless, Willy's waning career and old age aren't enough to alert him to the fact that simply being a failure isn't enough; you have to admit the fact to yourself.   As a result, the drama of the play lies not so much in the unfolding of events, but in Willy's deluded perception and recollection of them as the audience gradually witnesses the tragic demise of a helpless man. In creating Willy Loman, Mille... ... ed. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Death of a Salesman. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice, 1983. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Literature. Ed. Sylvan Bates New York: Longman, 1997. 1163-1231. Parker, Brian. "Point of View in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman." University of Toronto Quarterly 35 (1966): 144-47. Rpt. in Koon. 41-55 Stanton, Kay. "Women and the American Dream of Death of a Salesman." Feminist Readings of American Drama. Ed. Judith Schlueter. Rutherford, New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 1989. 67-102.    The Shattered Dream in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death Salesman ess The Shattered Dream in Death of a Salesman  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In America, anyone with some drive, some talent, and half a brain can be a success.   Or so Willy Loman believes.   Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman tells the story of a man who seems predestined for failure, though he tries his best to succeed. Willy Loman is a symbol for the common man who tries and tries and tries, but is somehow unable to attain the "American Dream" of status and success.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Miller combines the archetypal tragic hero with the common American citizen. The result is the anti-hero, Willy Loman. He is a simple, unsuccessful salesman whose only goal in life is to become a respected, successful salesman.   Nevertheless, Willy's waning career and old age aren't enough to alert him to the fact that simply being a failure isn't enough; you have to admit the fact to yourself.   As a result, the drama of the play lies not so much in the unfolding of events, but in Willy's deluded perception and recollection of them as the audience gradually witnesses the tragic demise of a helpless man. In creating Willy Loman, Mille... ... ed. Twentieth Century Interpretations of Death of a Salesman. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice, 1983. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Literature. Ed. Sylvan Bates New York: Longman, 1997. 1163-1231. Parker, Brian. "Point of View in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman." University of Toronto Quarterly 35 (1966): 144-47. Rpt. in Koon. 41-55 Stanton, Kay. "Women and the American Dream of Death of a Salesman." Feminist Readings of American Drama. Ed. Judith Schlueter. Rutherford, New Jersey: Fairleigh Dickinson UP, 1989. 67-102.   

Enabling Learning and Assessment

Two of the assessment activities that I use are Worksheets (or written questions) and photographic evidence. These assessment activities are the most commonly found within my level 1 group. Worksheets within my area are a very versatile way of collecting information from the student, they can contain short answer questions, multiple choice questions etc. Worksheets are extremely valid because they are usually created by the awarding body of that qualification or by the teachers who have read through what the learners need to achieve. Because it is a direct way of assessing, the learners will not â€Å"go off task† as the worksheets are designed to be short, sharp ways of assessing that require the learner to answer two or three questions about a particular criteria. Ideally, the learner should be assessed on different occasions, and by different people on each criteria, so that this assessment becomes more reliable. Once the learner has answered these questions to show their understanding, and have had the criteria explained to them, they would have passed that one element within their criteria, therefore making it even more sufficient, fair and reliable. Worksheets are very easy to differentiate depending on the level of learners/ course/ certain individuals. If you have someone in your class who is dyslexic then you can differentiate a worksheet into more picture based learning where possible and also if you have someone who excels in lessons you can differentiate the worksheets to enable more information from the learner. The fact that this can be done so easily makes it fair. A question of authenticity can be raised with worksheets because answers can be very easily duplicated within the classroom, however, it is up to the teacher to recognise that this is happening and stop it. In my experience of using worksheets I have found that it is a very accessible way of teaching because if you need to add a question onto a worksheet, you just simply add it through Microsoft word. The learners enjoy worksheets a lot more than essays or assignments because it only requires them to focus for short periods of time, which means that they are not, distracted halfway through and can put 100% effort into that worksheet. Another positive for a worksheet is that it usually explains on it what the learner needs to do so the learner could arry on completing other worksheets if the rest of the class need more explanation for example. This could, however, be a bad thing in a higher level course as they may not include the correct amount of information within their writing, but for my level 1 course, and the worksheets that I create, I make sure that I have explained what the criteria is that the student needs to complete. For me, worksheets are one of the best ways of assessing students as they have many positives. Photographic evidence is a way of capturing evidence through photographs as opposed to writing, this way of assessing is good because it shows that the student can do what the criteria is asking and the proof is the photograph, for example in one of my lessons a criteria is to take part in a team activity, using photographic evidence shows the student in the moment and participating. This therefore shows both validity and reliability because a photo can cover a range of criteria not just one. However, there can be issues with photos reliability as it could easily be posed for, and would not be a genuine indication of the wok that is being completed. This work is very authentic because it cannot be used by anyone other than the student in the photo. This method is also very fair as there is little writing to be done on the photographic evidence sheet, the writing that the student needs to complete is just for added information that the student would like to add. This makes this process much fairer to students that have dyslexia, or any other form of learning difficulty that might affect their written work. In my own practice of using photographic evidence I found that the students enjoy it a lot more because there is less work for them to do, however making sure that everyone has a photo of them completing the criteria can sometimes be a negative. The other bad point to photographic evidence is that you may find yourself having to complete the session again as people may have been away for that session and not got themselves a photo. This can hinder your scheme of work etc. But I still feel that this is one of the best ways of gathering evidence, especially for the lower level groups as they not have the literacy levels to complete what the higher level groups will. Purpose of assessment For this part of the assignment I am going to describe and analyse summative assessment. Summative assessment can be described as: â€Å"†¦what students tend to focus on. It is the assessment, usually on completion of a course or module, which says whether or not you have â€Å"passed†. It is—or should be—undertaken with reference to all the objectives or outcomes of the course, and is usually fairly formal. (www. learningandteaching. info, 2010) Taking this approach makes the assessment very clear to the student, and not only confirms their overall mark, but also high lights what they have done well, and what they need to improve on; â€Å"Summative assessment is the process of evaluating (and grading) the learning of students at a point in time. † (www. qualityresearchinternational. com, 2010) Summative assessment also helps the assessor confirm that the student has an understanding of the topic, and has built upon their knowledge, as Wilson (2009) agrees; â€Å"Summative assessment is usually associated with tests and exams. It aids the assessment of learning and is quite formal. In summative assessment styles, a learner progresses through their qualification until the time comes that learning is complete and they are tested on their knowledge†. From my research I have found out that in most cases summative assessment is a test or exam at the end of a course to determine whether you have passed or failed what you have been studying. If you were to fail you would have to re-sit the exam or test. Students would normally get a period to revise for these tests to ensure that they pass. This is most definitely valid because it would be the awarding body that sets the exams. This form of summative assessment is also an extremely authentic and efficient way of assessing, as the room would be set up in exam conditions, with separate desks, no mobile phones or speaking so it’s guaranteed to be the individuals own work. There are some questions on the fairness of this though as everyone would get the same set of questions, written and presented in the same way without any kind of differentiation, so this may be unfair to those, for example, that struggle with reading, and is therefore putting that student at a disadvantage. However, those with learning difficulties who would have the greatest struggle with this form of assessment, often have Exam Access Arrangements, granting them with special permissions such as extra time, rest breaks, or a scribe. Also with regards to preparing, some students may have a computer at home that may help them to gain a greater advantage than those without this technology. Some people from other cultures may have some other things that are more important to them at home, for example, praying. Some of these people may also not speak English and that disadvantages them straight away. â€Å"Assessment is a socially embedded activity which can only be understood by taking account of the cultural, economic and political contexts within which it operates† (Stobart, 2005) Within my area however, it is not a pass or fail exam which is the summative assessment. The summative assessment in my area is completed in a much smaller scale throughout the year in the form of portfolio evidence. The course that I teach is a yearlong course for level 1 students wanting to be in the public services (police, royal marines etc). The entire course consists of 7 units which range from map reading to team building and physical fitness. The evidence that we use in these portfolios is also varied including witness statements, photographic evidence and short answer questions on worksheets. Due to the varied methods of evidence collection it is difficult to individualise each one for validity and reliability etc. But generally because there is that varied style the students always look forward to the theory side of the sessions. As I make the worksheets for this course, I know that they are reliable, valid, fair and current because I have differentiated almost all of them for higher level learners and lower level. I know what the awarding body is looking for in terms of work so have structured the worksheets around that. My only concern for this type of assessment is authenticity, as it would be easy to replicate a friend’s answer without understanding it yourself. We summative assess like this because it is an NCFE qualification that is determined and assessed on a completed portfolio of evidence rather than an exam at the end of the year. This is useful for us as teachers, and a less stressful experience for our learners, because if a learner does not understand then we can explain it in different ways until they do, so they keep getting to try and try again, rather than try once and they’ve passed or failed. This also helps us target their areas of concern, and we can therefore plan accordingly. Reflection The biggest single source of feedback is from the learner themselves: from their internalised judgements† (www. psy-gla. ac. uk, 2010) The above comment is very true in the case of one of my students, he was his biggest critic, he was home schooled and really didn’t like the idea of education as a whole never mind being told what to do, this same student also has been diagnosed with aspergers and ADHD. The first day he came into college he was on extension studies and I was his support worker at the time. Trying to get him to do any work was near to impossible. He had a real problem with authority and lacked the confidence to ask for help from either myself or the teacher. During my time with this student I soon realised that he would use conversation as a way of distracting himself from learning. I adopted a strategy that allowed him to talk and get his work done at the same time, this was after I had a 1:1 with him and discussed to him that he was only making his college life difficult for himself and he would get much more done if he listened to the staff and then, once his work is complete, he can talk to me about other things. I then moved to the sports and public services department, to find that this particular student had in filled to one of my lessons that I would be teaching. Without a support worker I thought that this student would struggle with the content within the class as he wasn’t used to working without a supportive voice, giving him feedback where it counted. I kept him behind the first session and asked how I could improve to help his learning, and he gave me some ideas which I used the next session, such as short hands on activities to break up the sessions, and his general behaviour and attitude flourished. I also had a system in place that we set up together, if he was struggling with a piece of work he would put his pen down and fold his arms, which gave me the signal to come over and assist him. A year after that, this student enrolled on the course that he was infilling last year (where he is now). And with regular tutorials and setting up of SMART targets for him, for example â€Å"show up to lessons with the correct equipment on time and if you are going to be late phone up in advance and let us know†, he is one of the high achievers in the class and will be moving on next year to a level 2 course. So had it not been for feedback with this individual I don’t feel that he would have made it within the education system but due to good sources of feedback around the college he is now achieving a lot higher than he would have hoped and that I would have expected when he first came to college. (ecologyofeducation. net) Feedback has helped me develop as a teacher in many ways, the first micro each of the PTLLS course gave me great confidence and enthusiasm towards being a teacher as my general peer and tutor feedback was extremely positive and not much went wrong. I have also had some constructive feedback throughout my observations from both Barbara Roche, Rob Gray and the students in my class that have given me some great ideas for the future, such as keeping motivation high by switching tasks quickly so that people do not find the lesson boring. Keeping tasks into bite size pieces to not confuse the learner. I have received feedback from my manager on my lessons after an observation and the feedback was to be more academic within the classroom and try to understand the difference between being too friendly towards students and not achieving the respect that a teacher needs. Due to this feedback I made sure that I was still friendly towards the students but not too friendly and within a few weeks I had the respect and rapport that I expected. Feedback has helped me reflect more as it’s a great tool to use, I give positive feedback to myself and, as long as I’m honest, constructive feedback too. As seen above reflection enters Kolbs feedback cycle just after the concrete experience and just before the abstract conceptualisation, where one would discover what learning actually took place. Overall, without feedback there would be no active learning, students wouldn’t know how well they had done, teachers wouldn’t know if they are doing their job correctly. You understand and gain confidence or know where to improve because of the feedback you get, whether this is in a one to one basis with a manager or work colleague, or in a classroom full of students.

Leadership Case Study Essay

Case Problem A: Frank Won’t Accept â€Å"We can’t† for an answer Key issues/summary: Frank is a business development manager in a firm charged with the mandate of providing the government with business improvement solutions. The company is currently faced with the challenge of acquiring more contracts from the government considering the expiry of the existing contracts. Frank refuses to accept the loss of contract and the inability of the company to acquire more contacts. Problem statement: The system of leadership style that Franks uses is ineffective in realizing the objectives of the company and he needs to develop a better strategy for the profitability of the firm. Root cause: Frank believes that the laxity of the project managers is the main contributor to loss of contacts in the company. Solutions: It is important for Frank to recognize the problem that the organization faces and develop an all inclusive approach on the best possible strategies that could help the company gain in terms of contracts and profit levels. Advantages: If Frank incorporates other managers in the decision making process, it is possible to realize effective solution to company problems Disadvantage: Failure to recognize the professional input of other managers may lead to the collapse of the company. Questions 1. What Based on limited evidence how would characterize Franks leadership style? Frank is autocratic in his style of leadership since he expects results by stating the course or action that his subordinated must embrace. 2. What leadership behavior and attitudes is Frank displaying? Frank is inconsiderate and controlling in terms of behavior and attitude. He expects his employees to generate results despite the difficulties that the company is experiencing. 3. How else can Frank  approach his project managers about developing a new business? Frank can introduce an all-inclusive approach that emphasizes on brainstorming on the best possible alternatives of acquiring contracts from other entities other than the government. Case Problem B: Time to Rebound at Willow Pond Key issues/Summary: Heather Osaka has been offered the position of director at Willow Pond; a medium-size assisted living home. The home experiences challenges related to effective management and the well-being of its clients. Problem statement: Heather Osaka needs to find techniques of leadership that will enable her solve the problems at Willow Pond. Root causes: Poor leadership and limited concern on employee wellbeing contributed to negligence and the provision of poser services at Willow Pond. Solutions: There is need for Heather to realize the relationship between her personal attributes and the best leadership style that can be used based on her previous experiences while working at two hospitals. These will help in determining the existing needs and the available facilities to provide lasting solutions. Answers to questions on Case Study B 1. This case is included in the chapter about charismatic and transformational leadership because the type of leader needed to revive Willow Pond should demonstrate to his subordinated his ability and belief in making positive changes despite the complications that may have characterized the an organization. 2. The transformational leadership techniques that Heather can apply while reforming Willow Pond include the introduction of motivational approaches for enhance the efficacy of employees. In addition, Heather can employee the use of better communication strategies and the involvement of the management in the decision making process. 3. Charismatic aspects of Heather’s personality may be instrumental in making changes within the organization considering that this approach to leadership generate the belief that a leader has the capacity to make meaningful changes. In addition, it is a way of convincing the management and the employees of her potential. 4. The job at Willow Pond is a wonderful career for Heather since it will enable her demonstrate her level of expertise from experience in ensuring the development of the organization. It will also be an opportunity of advancing her career  portfolio.

Critical Thinking Assignment Essay

Secular Humanism regarding the question of origin, seems to lean toward the determination â€Å"that matter has always existed and given enough time and chance, the end result is what you see around you today.† (Weider, Gutierrez 64). There is a lack of evidence that God exists and man is viewed rather as a machine, having no control over their existence and once man’s life has come to an end, this machine ends (65). Humanists answer questions of identity by believing that, â€Å"mankind is a product of evolutionary forces† (66). Mankind is viewed as a more refined animal, however mankind is not of higher quality over the animal kingdom. The answers to the question of meaning or purpose is, at best, answered on the basis of his or her importance (68). It is up to him or her to give any true benefit to their life, by making an impact in their life (69). Through this, they are able to make a clear and confident impact in another human beings life. However, since â€Å"man is a machine and ultimately not in control of what happens, life cannot have any real value or significance.† (69). Morality and ethics asks what is morally and ethically right versus wrong and how a human being should live, then God must exist to deliver what is right and wrong (71). That being so, secular humanism does not believe in a God, and nor does He exist. Secular Humanists believe that there is no â€Å"absolute truth†, and relies heavily on the fact that â€Å"truth is dependent upon the individual or society and is subject to change† (71). Secular Humanism is not worried about the question of destiny. Once a human being has passed on, all that matters is what they did do on this earth and making a difference in another person’s life (73). The Biblical/Christian worldview, in comparison to secular humanism on the question of origin, is through theism. (65). Through God, and under one God, everything exists. While the secular humanist has no belief in God and man has no control much like a machine, theism believes â€Å"God is the first cause, the answer to why there is something rather than nothing† (65). The question of identity through secular humanism believes  mankind and the animal kingdom are of equal value, the Biblical/Christian worldview believes that mankind is above the animals, and we are responsible to take care of them (69). While secular humanists place man and his purpose through impacting others in their lives, the Biblical/Christian worldview believes our purpose is having a personal relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ (70). While secular humanists have no mutual agreement on the question of morality, and reject â€Å"the absolute truth†, and depends on our society, the Biblical/Christian worldview bases morality or ethics through â€Å"Special Revelation† (72). The need for redemption must take place as we were all born in sin, and we can only be saved through Jesus Christ (72). Mankind is not concerned with destiny, through a secular humanist belief. Whereas, the Biblical/Christian worldviews on destiny is â€Å"dependent upon a person’s choices and their personal relationship with God† (75). Works Cited Dr.Weider, Lew and Dr. Ben Gutierrez. Consider. 2013. Print.

Agriculture in 19th Century Essay

In my opinion agriculture played the largest role in the success of American business from the colonial period through the first half of the 19th century. From the very beginning farming held a crucial place in the American economy. This country started with 13 small independent farming economies which joined together in 1776 to form the United States. Without being able to be self-sustained these colonies would have never developed. Between 1860 and 1910, the number or farms in the United States tripled, increasing from 2 million to 6 million and farm products made up 82 percent of the country’s exports. From 1860 to 1890 the United States population more than doubled. Farmers however grew enough grain and cotton, raised enough beef and pork not only to supple America’s families but also to create surpluses. Food supplies for workers in mills and factories were also essential to America’s early industrialization. Trade with America introduced potatoes, corn, and beans to Europe. Mechanical devices later helped support farms with the invention of the reaper which more than doubled0 the amount of wheat that could be cut in a day. The Industrial Revolution than came and forced agriculture into greater integration with general economics. Even today agriculture supports over two million jobs and accounts for 10% of the products exported out of the United States. I believe new inventions were the single most important factor in the development of business. Each and every invention has a different economic significance. The most successful inventions are generally those that are the most useful. Some of the first inventions like fire, the wheel, or writing have made it possible for human societies to evolve. The United States has progressed from agriculture and mining communities to industrial ones to service driven economies as a result of such inventions. Early inventions like the steam engine played a major role in engine we see today. Today’s engine is a progression of the steam engine, using the same principles but modernized for today’s world. Another good example is the telephone that was invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell. Without the ability to communicate as we do today business would not be anything like we know it to be today. Inventions tend to make life easier and therefore more productive. The development of mechanical tools to help with the production of agriculture enabled farmers to produce much more while making their tasks far easier. The creation of production lines to divide and organize labor tasks to maximize the efficiency of businesses. Inventions can be labor saving, cost saving, or just a luxury. The United States would not be what it is today without all of the great inventions that were created right here.

Homeland Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Homeland Security - Research Paper Example The American state found out later that day about nineteen Islamic terrorists, members of Al-Qaeda who had entered into the state and were involved in the strategic planning and execution of their plan which brought about death and sorrow to thousands of people and their relatives (Ball 2005). The aftermath of the attack included immediate search-and-rescue operation and prolonged analysis and investigation of the incident by the federal government. Although the reasons and causative factors of the incident could not be highlighted at the moment, but the need of drastic changes and improvements in the security of the nation was required to prevent any other such terrifying circumstances. Hence, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was the outcome of an immediate aftermath efforts taken by the federal government. Immediate measures were taken by the federal government after the Al-Qaeda attacks. President Bush stated in his letter to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative, â€Å"Yesterday evil and despicable acts of terror were perpetrated against our fellow citizens. Our way of life, indeed our very freedom came under attack. Our first priority is to respond swiftly and surely†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Congress must act† (Ball 2005). ... Two decisive actions were taken by the president in less than two months to defend the nation in this â€Å"war of terror†. The foremost step taken was to present in front of the Congress an anti-terrorist act, USA Patriot Act 2001, which was signed by President Bush six weeks later. The act was passed to strengthen the powers and activities of the national agencies of the country such as FBI or the CIA (Ball 2005). On September 20, 2001, just nine days after the attack, the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security was announced by the President Bush. The Office would be established within the White House by executive order and Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Ridge would be the Director of the office. Moreover, Homeland Security Council was also created for the security of United States against terrorist attacks or threats and help in the co-ordination and development of the strategic plans. The legislation for the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security was fi rst introduced by the Texas Representative Richard K. Armey in the U.S. House of Representatives on June 24, 2003. After the political differences and issues against the bills were settled, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was passed and signed into law by the President Bush on 25 November, 2002 (Bullock et al 2012; U.S. Department of Homeland Security n.d.). These decisions taken by the federal government represented the immediate requirements of a strategic organization which was well-equipped and coordinated to defend the country in the seemingly endless war of terror. The mission statement of the DHS includes the safety, security and resilience of the state against terrorism and other