Negotiation strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Negotiation strategies - Assignment Example Steve Jobs used some of these tips in his email negotiation. Steve Jobs applied the understand importance of negotiation tip. From the emails, Steve Jobs engaged into a phone call conversation without haste with Murdoch. Despite his busy schedule, he understood that some bargains are too significant to avoid. He needed all the major publishers, including Harper Collins, to show his eBooks. Further, Steve Jobs also understood the importance of caving on what he felt he required with one publisher. He as well understood that if other potential publishers found out, they would withdraw from the deal. The deal was, therefore, both important in itself and the consequence it could have on other deals. Secondly, Steve Jobs used the tip of showing both kinds of value. Jobs exhibited two different types of value while communicating to his negotiating partner via email. One of his values was positive while the other one was negative. For the positive value, he emphasized benefits that Harper Collins publisher would earn from the deal. For instance, Steve Jobs wrote on his email conversation praising Apple Company. He stated that it was the only publisher capable of during that time that could cause serious impacts despite being in a position to work with at least four of the six big publishers available and already signed up. On Jobs positive kind of value, he hands HarperCollins a tool for opposing Amazon domination of the publishing industry. However, he gives a hint claiming that should HarperCollins fail to keep with the market dynamics, its competitors may shut it down through stiff competition. Therefore, he  asks Harpers wisely to upgrade its publishing systems in order to keep up with the competition and the market demands. Finally, Steve Jobs employed the negotiation tip of laying out reality. He applies coup de grace that relates to the first tip. Steve Jobs lays

Anti Head Lice Essay Example for Free

Anti Head Lice Essay Abstract. The present study focused on the separation and identification of the active compounds against head lice from the hexane extract of Annona squamosa L seed. Chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques revealed that two major compounds of the hexane seed extract were oleic acid and triglyceride with one oleate ester. The yields of these compounds were 13.25% and 7.74% dry weight, respectively. The compounds were tested in vitro against head lice, comparing to the crude hexane extract of the seed. The triglyceride with one oleate ester and the crude hexane extract diluted with coconut oil 1:1. These compounds were found to kill all tested head lice in 49, 11 and 30 minutes, respectively. The triglyceride ester can be used as a marker for quantitative analysis of the active compound for quality control of the raw material A. squamosa seed and its extract. This first finding will be useful for quality assessment and the chemical stability of the antihead lice preparation from this plant. INTRODUCTION Annona squamosa L. (Custard apple) is a plant belonging to the family Annonaceae. It is popularly cultivated in all parts of Thailand, especially in the northeast, as a sweet fruit. The seed of this plant is well known for killing head lice in many countries (Boonyaprapasara, 1998). The human head louse (Pediculus humanus capitis) is a small insect causing a public health problem, especially in poor sanitary conditions. In Thailand, research has shown the anti-head lice activity of A. squamosa. Puapatanakul (1980) reported that the extract of custard apple seeds in coconut oil at the ratio of 1:2 can kill 98% of head lice within two hours, while the leaf extract shows less potency. Gritsanapan et al (1996) found that the petroleum ether extract of the leaves and seeds dissolved in coconut oil at a ratio of 1:1, kill 90% of head lice in vitro by 53 and 26 minutes, respectively. A 20% cream (oil/ water) preparation of petroleum ether extract of custard apple seeds can kill 93% of head lice Correspondence: Wandee Gritsanapan, Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, 447 Si Ayutthaya Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. Tel: +66 (0) 2644-8677 ext 1500, 5530; Fax: +66 (0) 2644-8701 E-mail: [emailprotected] 532 within 3 hours (Areekul and Chaikledkaew, 1994, personal communication). Gritsanapan et al (1996), reported that 20 g of 20% freshly prepared cream can kill 94.5Â ±9.1% of head lice within 3 hours of application to school girls’ hair. Tiangda et al (2000) found the cream preparation of custard apple seed is biologically stable for at least 12 months. However, it is easier to control the quality and stability of the preparation by quantitative analysis of the active chemical components. The active compounds of A. squamosa seed extract have not been reported elsewhere. The present study, therefore, is focused on the isolation and identification of the anti-head lice components in the seeds of A. squamosa. MATERIALS AND METHODS Preparation of plant extracts A. squamosa seeds were purchased from Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand in October 2004. The samples were identified by comparison with the herbarium at Forest Herbarium, Department of National Parks, Wild-life and Plant Conservation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Bangkok. The voucher specimen (WAS 0704) has been deposited at the Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol UniVol 37 No. 3 May 2006 A NTI-HEAD L ICE EFFECT OF A. SQUAMOSA versity, Bangkok, Thailand. The seeds were washed and dried in a hot air oven at 55Â ºC for 24 hours. The dried seeds were ground in an electric mill. Extraction and separation of major compounds The powdered seeds of A. squamosa (1.1 kg) were macerated with hexane (23 l) for three days at room temperature. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate was concentrated by a rotary evaporator and evaporated in a hot water bath until a constant weight (282.4 g) was obtained. The extract (75 g) was separated using silica gel column chromatography (400 g silica). Hexane (CH2Cl2 (1:1) 100% CH 2Cl 2 : CH 2Cl2 : MeOH (1:1)) was used as an eluent. Fifty milliliter fractions were collected and the fractions with the same TLC pattern (SiGF 254 hexane: ethyl acetate 10:3) were combined. The fractions containing two major spots (R f 0.20 and 0.72) were eluted in 100% CH2Cl2 fractions. To isolate pure compounds, the fractions containing major compounds were combined and concentrated. The mixture wa s further fractionated using silica gel column chromatography (200 g). Isocratic elution by hexane: ethyl acetate (10:3) was performed (approximately 25 ml per fraction). The fractions with the same TLC pattern were combined to yield five fractions. The second and fourth fractions gave compound AS1 (38.7 g) and compound AS2 (22.6 g), respectively. Compounds AS1 and AS2 were purified to give pure compounds. Testing for anti-head lice activity of pure compounds and crude extract The hexane extract and the two major pure compounds were tested for anti-head lice activity according to the method of McCage (2002). The extract and pure compounds were separately dissolved in coconut oil at dilutions of 1:1 to 1:8 w:w. The same amount of each solution (0.05 ml) was put in a Petri dish and spread in a thin layer over a 2 cm2 area. Seven equal sized head lice collected from school girls’ hair were placed in the Petri dish containing solutions of the extract and the two major pure compounds. Non-moving head lice, which were determined as dead lice, were counted every 5 minutes until all the lice were dead. A commercial anti-head Vol 37 No. 3 May 2006 lice cream, Hexinâ„ ¢, which is gamma benzene hexachloride (1% w/w) and coconut oil were used as a positive and negative controls, respectively. RESULTS Compound AS1 was a pale yellow oil, yielded 13.25% w/w of dried seeds. TLC (SiGF254, hexane:ethyl acetate 10:3) had an Rf value of 0.20 (Fig 1). The EI mass spectrum had a molecular ion peak at m/z 283.2 [M+1] and a prominent peak at m/z 264.3. The IR spectrum of compound AS1 revealed absorption peaks at 3000-2930 (O-H stretch), 2850 (C-H stretch), and 1700 (C=O stretch, carboxylic) cm-1. The 1H NMR spectrum of compound AS1 indicated the presence of one methyl proton at ÃŽ ´ 0.90 (3H, t, H-18); a methylene proton group at ÃŽ ´ 1.26 (20H, m, H-4-7 and H-12-17); two methylene proton groups at ÃŽ ´1.65 (2H, m, H-3); four methylene proton groups at ÃŽ ´ 2.00 (4H, m, H-8, 11); two methylene proton groups at ÃŽ ´ 2.35 (2H, t, H-2); two olefinic methane proton groups at ÃŽ ´ 5.35 (2H, m, H-9,10) and the broad peak of a hydroxyl proton at ÃŽ ´ 10.15 (1H). The 13C NMR spectrum and Distortionless Enhancement by Polarization Transfer (DEPT) exhibited 16 carbon resonances, revealing the presence of thirteen methylene carbons, one methyl carbon, two olefinic methine carbons and one carbonyl carbon. These spectral data suggested that compound AS1 was a fatty acid. Comparing the NMR spectra of compound AS1 with Aldrich Library (1993) of 13C and 1H FT NMR spectra, confirmed the molecular structure of AS1 was an oleic acid (Fig 2). Compound AS2 was also pale yellow oil, yielded 7.74% w/w of dried seeds. The Rf value (SiGF254, hexane: ethyl acetate 10:3) was 0.72 (Fig 1).The 1H NMR spectrum looked similer to the AS1 spectrum, with additional signals at ÃŽ ´ 4.15 and 4.30. The IR spectrum of compound AS2 showed bands at 2925 (C-H stretch) and 1746 (C=O stretch, ester) cm-1. 533 S OUTHEAST ASIAN J T ROP MED P UBLIC H EALTH Table 1 Head lice killing time of the crude extract and pure compounds from Annona squamosa seeds (n=3). Test sample Dilution (w:w) Killing time (min) 30.67Â ±4.04 34.33Â ±4.04 41.00Â ±3.61 55.00Â ±5.00 49.33Â ±3.06 54.67Â ±5.51 59.00Â ±6.56 61.33Â ±4.16 11.00Â ±1.00 12.00Â ±2.00 16.00Â ±1.00 22.33Â ±2.52 180 180 1 2 3 Hexane crude extract 1:1 1:2 1:4 1:8 Oleic acid (AS1) 1:1 1:2 1:4 1:8 Triglyceride with one oleate ester (AS2) 1:1 1:2 1:4 1:8 Coconut oil (-ve control) Not diluted Hexinâ„ ¢ (+ve control) Not diluted 1 = AS1, 2 = AS2, 3 = hexane crude extract. Fig 1–TLC chromatogram of AS1, AS2 and hexane crude extract. H After comparing the NMR spectra of compound AS2 with Aldrich Library (1913) of 13C and 1 H FT NMR spectra, compound AS2 was felt to be a triglyceride with one oleate ester (Fig 2). The hexane crude extract of compound AS1 (oleic acid) and compound AS2 (triglyceride with one oleate ester) from Annona squamosa seeds showed in vitro anti-head lice activity as summarized in the Table 1. The data show that the triglyceride with one oleate ester was the most active compound against head lice. It killed all tested head lice within 11 minutes when diluted with coconut oil to a ratio of 1:1. Both the Hexinâ„ ¢ and the coconut oil killed all the head lice within a period of 180 minutes. H COOH (CH2) 7 H3C (CH2) 7 Oleic acid O CH2O CHO CH2O C R1 R2 Oleate Triglyceride with one oleate ester R 1, R2 = H/ other fatty acid Fig 2–Structure of separated compounds from Annona squamosa seed. DISCUSSION The triglyceride with one oleate ester in coconut oil (1:1) was significantly more active against head lice than gamma benzene hexachloride 1% cream and the hexane crude extract. These data are supported by previous reports (Gritsanapan et al, 1996; Tiangda et al. 534 2000). This result is useful for the standardization of Annona squamosa seed and its extract. The active compound may be used for the qualitative assessment of the chemical stability of the custard apple cream preparation. This is the a first report of the active anti-head lice components from A. squamosa seeds. Vol 37 No. 3 May 2006 A NTI-HEAD L ICE EFFECT OF A. SQUAMOSA REFERENCES Aldrich Chemical Co, Inc. The Aldrich Library of 13C and 1H FT NMR Spectra. 1st ed, 1993. Boonyaprapasara N, Chokchaicharoenporn O, eds. Samunprai Maipuenbaan. Vol. 2. Bangkok: Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, 1998: 454 (in Thai). Gritsanapan W, Somanabandhu A, Titirungruang C, Lertchaiporn M. A study on the antiparasitic activities and chemical constituents of extracts from the leaves and seeds of custard apple (Annona squamosa Linn.). Proceedings of Third NRCT- JSPS Joint Seminar, 1996: 209-15. McCage CM, Ward SM, Paling CA, Fisher DA, Flynn PJ, McLaughlin. Development of a paw paw herbal shampoo for the removal of head lice. Phytomedicine 2002; 9: 743-8. Puapatanakul O. Clinical studies of Annona squamosa seeds and leaves for the treatment of head lice. 1980: 37 pp (in Thai). T iangda C, Gritsanapan W, Sookvanichsilp N, Limchalearn A. Antihead-lice activity of Annona squamosa seed extract. Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health 2000;31 (suppl 1): 174-7. Vol 37 No. 3 May 2006

Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage Essay example -- Civil Rights, Homosexual

The issue of legalizing same-sex marriage is one of great controversy. There are some people who think that gay people have no rights and should never be allowed to marry. Other people believe that gay people are just like anyone else and should enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals do. People opposing gay marriage argue that a couple of the same sex getting married would redefine the word marriage, the purpose of marrying is to procreate, and they should settle for Civil Unions instead. I feel that all fifty states in the U.S. should allow same-sex marriages. Only in the states of, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, California, along with the District of Columbia are gay couples allowed to marry. There are more states that allow first cousins to marry. Same-sex marriage is very important with gay couples and activists in today's society. One of the main reasons is that the primary purpose of marriage is procreation. â€Å"Because gay couples are unable to have children, they should not be allowed to marry† (Schiffen 495) If this is one of their strongest arguments, then marriage licenses should be denied to all couples who are unable to conceive, meaning: men and women over the age of seventy, infertile women, and sterile men. However this is not the case, which is why that argument is invalid. On January 1, 2002, a bill became effective to give members of registered same-sex and opposite-sex couples the right to adopt a partner's child. According to the American Psychological Associ ation, August 11, 2010 press release â€Å"American Psychological Association Reiterates Support for Same-sex Marriage† Research has shown that marriage provides substantial psychological and phy... ...vernment guarantees equal rights for all citizens. Works Cited Bidstup, Scott. "Gay Marriage: The Arguments and the Motives." 13 Oct. 2000. 1 Nov. 2011 Malone, John. "21st Century Gay" M. Evans and Company, Inc. 2001 Murphy, Jenny. Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? 3 February 2000 http://speakout.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.display.printable?client.id=speakout&story.id=1138b National Campaign for Same-Sex Marriage...Draws Political and Religious Opposition." CQ Researcher. (Vol.#)(1996): 420-423. Say, Elizabeth A. and Kowalewski, Mark R. Gays, Lesbians, and Family Values The Pilgrim Press. 1998 "Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry?" Http://www.apa.org. 11 Aug. 2010. American Psychological Association. 29 Oct. 2011 .

Prayers in Schools Essay

My name is Ericka Jaid Laurett heil. I have long brown hair and I have blue eyes and I am 5’6. My interests are drawing, playing Xbox, babysitting, watching family guy, and sleeping. My expectations for myself are to pass high school not failing any classes. I was close to failing my expectation because I failed math. But I took credit recovery and got the credit! I wish to be a pediatrician because I love kids and helping them and making them happy. Activities that I enjoy are volleyball, basketball and I used to play soccer but my knees and ankles are bad. My mom’s name is Janda-lynn laurett heil, my dad’s name is Adam Jack Heil, my older sister’s name is Devon Brooke Heil, and my younger sister’s name is Emily Mable Clara Heil. I am the middle child of the family. My family grew up around Bobbi and Tom pitkanen. I called them auntie and uncle all the time. We used to go camping every year at a little campsite we made on an island down the Dryden highway. I actually thought that we were related but recently I found out they are just a close family friend. Also, my best friend’s grandmother lives beside me and I talk to her about everything! Sometimes I just go there and talk to her, and sometimes she comes by my house and chats for a bit. My best friend’s grandmother knows more about me than my mother. Well I have a very strong relationship with my dad’s mom. My mom’s mom left and turned against my family because of something personal that happened in the past. My grandma heil has always been there for my mom and me and my sisters and my dad and even our family friends! She has great advice and is such a nice woman. A couple years ago she was on the phone with my uncle and she had a brain aneurism and collapsed while she was on the phone. She got shipped to Winnipeg and had surgery†¦ Everyone in my family was so upset. She is probably the only grandparent or person in my mom and dad’s side of the family that was actually there for our family and helped us through rough times. She is my bestfriend. My relationship with my sisters is okay at times. I love my sisters but they both bother me. My little sister gets me so mad you don’t even know. I beat her up all the time and when I say beat†¦ I actually mean beat. : P I can kinda tap her with my shoulder and I’m being dead honest she screams and runs to my mom or dad. Its like she’s scared of me or something. My older sister always waits till I leave the house and she steals all my clothes and says there hers. She’s lucky she has a child, I would never beat her up in front of her baby. She is my only sister that I actually trust and can tell stuff to. I was always there for her when she needed help when we were younger, so I trust her with a lot. They are important to me because they are family. If anyone were to hurt them I would honestly beat the person up. I have done that for my little sister already. I don’t like her friends and they know not to do that kind of stuff to my family. My family has helped me with my volleyball sport choice. They have paid for all my volleyball travels and my shirt’s and all that fun stuff. They were the ones that told me about the viper’s volleyball team in grade 8. I tried out and made both cuts so I was on the team! We travelled to Kenora and to a town outside of Winnipeg. I was with a lot of my friends and it was so much fun. We competed in tournaments again kids nowhere near here. I have been told I am great at playing volleyball and that I should try out for the volleyball team. I wanted to but I never had the good grades and the perfect attendance for that. They helped me to become the person I am today. To be strong and stick up for what I believe. That’s why I’m such a smart mouth. I get it from my daddy. Well before I came into high school my family and a close family friend’s family would go to a campsite thing that we made on an island down the Dryden highway. We would stay there and camp for at least a week. Other then that I don’t really know any other things that my family does together. I don’t socialize with my family and if I do it’s Devon or it’s because I want something. I don’t really ever leave my bedroom unless I have to go to the washroom, I’m hungry, I have to do the dishes, I’m babysitting, or I leave the house. Well in my future family I’m going to continue to go camping every year and I don’t really know what else to do. I kind of keep to myself in my house so I don’t really know what my family does that I could continue in my future family. That is all I have to say about my family and my life really. I love my family and my friends and I don’t know what I would do without them.

Nursing Practice and Profession

Nurses who are sensitive to the legal dimensions of practice are careful to develop a strong sense of both ethical and legal accountability. Competent practice is a nurses’ best legal safeguard. When working to develop ethical and legal accountabilities, nurses must recognize that both deficiencies and or excesses of responsible caring are problematic. Although it is reasonable to hold oneself accountable for promoting the human well being of the patients, nurses can err by setting unrealistic standards of responsiveness and responsibility for themselves. Prudence is always necessary to balance responsible self care with care for others. Inexperienced nurses might feel totally responsible for effecting patient outcomes beyond their control and become frustrated and sad when unable to produce the desired outcome Conversations about what is reasonable to hold ourselves and others accountable for are always helpful.Each employing institution or agency providing nursing service ha s an obligation to establish a process for reporting and handling practices by individual or by health care systems that jeopardizes a patient’s health or safety. The American Nurses Association code of Ethics obligates nurses to report professional conduct that is incompetent, unethical or illegal. For nurses, incompetent practice in measured by nursing standards, unethical practice is evaluated in light of the professional codes of ethics, while illegal practice is identified in terms of violation of federal legislations and laws.Nurses must respect the accountability and responsibility inherent in their roles.   They have the moral obligations in the provision of nursing care, hence they collaborate with other health care providers in providing comprehensive health care, recognizing the perspective and expertise of each member.   Nurses have a moral right to refuse to participate in procedures that may violate their own personal moral conscience since they are entitled to conscientious objection. They must keep all information obtained in a professional capacity confidential and employ professional judgment in sharing this information on a need to know basis.Nurses are expected to protect individuals under their care against lack of privacy by confining their verbal communications only to appropriate personnel; settings, and to professional purposes. They are obliged to adhere to practice that limits access to personal records to appropriate personnel. They must value the promotion of a social as well as economic environment that supports and sustains health and well-being. It includes the involvement in the detection of ill effects of the environment on the health of the patient as well as the ill effects of human activities to the natural environment.They must acknowledge that the social environment in which the patient inhabits has an impact on health. Nurses must respect the rights of individuals to make informed choices in relation to their care. They have this responsibility to inform individuals about the care available to them, and the choice to accept or reject that care.   If the person is not able to speak for themselves, nurses must ensure the availability of someone to represent them. It is vital to respect the decisions made concerning the individual’s care.   Standards of care are one measure of quality.   Quality nursing care provides care by qualified individuals.Likewise, the individual needs, values, and culture of the patient relative to the provision of nursing care is important to be respected and considered hence it should not be compromised for reasons of ethnicity, gender, spiritual values, disability, age, economic, social or health status, or any other grounds.   Respect for an individual’s needs includes recognition of the individual’s place in a family and the community. It is due to this reason that others should be included in the provision of care, most significan tly the family members. Respect for needs, beliefs and values includes culturally sensitive care, and the need for comfort, dignity, privacy and alleviation of pain and anxiety as much as possible.â€Å"Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a problem solving approach to clinical practice that integrates the conscientious use of best evidence in combination with a clinician’s expertise as well as patient preferences and values to make decisions about the type of care that is provided† (Melnyk, 2004). Quality of care outcomes refers to accuracy and relevance demonstrated by the decisions concerning the need for medical and surgical intervention. Evidence of appropriateness in healthcare is necessary to improve health outcomes, balance costs, provide guidance to physicians and meet the need of the new informed health consumer. Appropriateness is unlike effectiveness since the later refers to the degree in which an intervention achieves the objectives set (Muir Gray, 1997). One criterion of appropriateness is that of necessity.As technology and improved methods of care has advanced, access to appropriate interventions should likewise improve. Today some interventions are still limited such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in rural communities and since access to this technology is limited, a criterion of necessity is used to determine who is able to access and how quickly. Therefore although use of MRI may be appropriate in diagnostics, it may be underused. Advancements in technology, interventions and clinical research will provide updated evidence which in turn would affect ratings of appropriateness (Muir Gray, 1997).Clinical guideline statements are developed from evidence to assist healthcare practitioners in making appropriate health interventions (Woolf, Grol, Hutchinson, Eccles & Grimshaw, 1999). The clinical guideline may be a general statement or concise instruction on which diagnostic test to order or how best to treat a specific condition. The purpose of clinical guidelines is as a tool for making decisions that will result in more consistent and efficient care. Guidelines are not rules nor are they mandatory. The benefits of clinical guidelines include: Improved health outcomes; Increased beneficial/appropriate care; Consistency of care; Improved patient information; Ability to positively influence policy; Provide direction to health care practitioners;ReferencesAgency of Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). Outcomes research fact sheet. [Online].Available: http://www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/outfact.htmBrook, R.H. (1994). Appropriateness: The next frontier. [Online]. Available:http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/308/6923/218?ijkey=t7GNbMJu0NIhAFitch, K., Bernstien, S. J., Aguilar, M. D., Burand, B., LaCalle, J. R., Lazaro, P. van het Loo,McDonnell, J., Vader, J. P., & Kahan, J. P. (2001). The RAND/UCLA appropriatenessmethod user’s manual. [Online]. Available:http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1269?John A. Hart ford Foundation. (n.d.). [Online]. Available:   http://www.jhartfound.org/Muir Gray, J.A. (1997). Evidence-based healthcare: How to make health policy and managementdecisions, New York: Churchill Livingstone.Woolf, S. H., Grol, R., Hutchinson, A., Eccles, M., & Grimshaw, J. (1999). Clinical guidelines:Potential benefits, limitations and harms of clinical guidelines. [Online]. Available:http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7182/527?

poli 357 term paper

poli 357 term paper poli 357 term paper Critique of Canada’s Bill C-31 The Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act NAme ID: XXXX POLI 357 November 21st, 2014 Introduction The Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act also known as Bill C-31, is an act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Balanced Refugee Reform Act, the Marine Transportation Security Act and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act. This Bill was introduced to parliament on February 16th, 2012. The government, led by Progressive Conservative, Stephen Harper was in a majority and therefore assured the Bill’s success. This Bill was enacted to help combat ‘Bogus’ refugees gaining refugee status in Canada. (Bill C-31, 2012) Sponsored by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration at the time, Jason Kenney, this Bill would create substantial changes to the way in which refugees access the country. This Bill would allow only the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to have the power to decide which countries are considered ‘safe’ when deciding one’s refugee status in Canada. ‘Safe’ cou ntries are described in the Bill as having a high refugee status rejection rate. This assumes that since the majority of the claims are rejected, then the claims must be unworthy of seeking refuge in Canada and therefore their current country is deemed as a safe place for all of its citizens. (Bill C-31, 2012) Rejected claimants, are assumed to be ‘Bogus’ refugees; for this paper I will be using the â€Å"Romani† of the Czech Republic as a case study. (Diop, 2014, 67-80) (Levine-Rasky, Beaudoin and St Clair, 2013, 67-93) This Bill would also make it mandatory that claimants from safe countries must wait a year before applying for compassionate or humanitarian considerations to become a permanent resident. (Bill C-31, 2012) This also makes clear that refugees in this circumstance may also be deported within that year at any time. The Bill also makes restraints on healthcare to refugees, creating stronger divisions between â€Å"us† and â€Å"them†. (Omeziri and Gore 2014, 44-53) Additionally the Bill emphasizes accelerating the process by altering the 60-day time frame to 30-45 days for the cases of refugees from â€Å"safe† or â€Å"designated countries of origin† (DCO). (Bill C-31, 2012) Lastly, this Bill would include mandatory biometrics for people applying for visas. (Bill C-31, 2012) In this paper I will argue that less power should be given to the Minister and that the stringent guidelines imposed on refugees have negatively affected both the â€Å"legitimate† and the â€Å"Bogus† refugees. Safe Countries With this Bill, there have been two new categories created. Non-Designated Countries of Origin (Non-DCO), and Designated Countries of Origin (DCO). These designations were created to define â€Å"acceptable refugee† status. (Olson, et al., 2014, 7) The Bill argues that the reasoning for this is to deter abuse of the refugee system. The ‘Safe’ countries include countries that are not seen as typically producing refugees. (Diop, 2014, 73) The speeding up of the system rejects claims faster by using stricter guidelines for a proper refugee. A claimant from a DCO country is viewed as being ‘capable’, rather than being ‘vulnerable’ and in this case is given the title ‘Bogus Refugee’. (Olson, et al. ,2014, 4) The issue with these designations is that they have successfully and stereotypically lumped thousands of people into two categories. By doing this they have left it up to the system to decide whether or not they are ‘re al’ refugees and have a greater chance of overlooking an individual’s specific case. This means that if an individual were to claim refugee status and their country is considered ‘safe’, their reasoning for seeking refuge is biased from the beginning and is more likely to be denied. Of course the claimants are still able to apply for a compassionate or humanitarian consideration; however, they are forced to wait a full year to make their claim. This is especially

Softchoice Corporation is an information communication technology

Softchoice Corporation is an information communication technology Industry Profile Softchoice Corporation is an information communication technology (ICT) firm. The firm particularly deals with programming tools, database products, and obscure software, and has been authorized to deal with corporate, government, as well as educational licensing programs (Government of Canada, 2013). Canada’s ICT industry mainly comprises of small companies, numbering about 33,300 in total.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Softchoice Corporation is an information communication technology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A bigger percentage of this number, 86.9 percent (Government of Canada, 2013), deal in computer services and software. On the other hand, a paltry number of 6.2 percent is within the wholesaling industries (Government of Canada, 2013). Larger companies operating in the industry are comparatively few, with close to 75 companies only employing a workforce of over 500 emp loyees in 2011. In comparison, more than 28,300 companies employed not more than 10 employees, translating to 85 percent of all companies in the industry (Government of Canada, 2013). The ICT industry comprises of four main sub-sectors, including software and computer services, ICT wholesaling, ICT manufacturing, and communications services. Softchoice falls under software and computer services sub-sector, which is also the largest among the sub-sectors with an 86.8 percent volume cover of the entire industry. Industry structure and financial performance According to the â€Å"Branham top 250† (2012), the software and computer services sub-sector had combined revenue of over $ 4.997 billion in 2011. This was a marked improvement from the previous year’s revenue amount of $ 4.274 billion, representing a percentage growth rate of 16.92. The top performers in the industry, who also comprise of Softchoice’s biggest competitors, include BCE, Rogers Communications, TE LUS, CGI Group, and Open Text (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). In 2011, both CGE and Rogers Communications recorded modest gains in their business operations, where each of the companies increased their sales by approximately 2 percentage points (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). TELUS, on its part, registered approximately 9 percent growth in Internet and wireless sales, posting $7.98 billion.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These companies, also referred to as the big three, have tight business competition amongst them. This increases the possibility of other smaller companies in the sub-sector to consolidate together (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). During the same year of 2011, CGI Group worked towards building its new acquisition, Stanely, which was worth $923.15 million (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). The company closed the yea r with its total sales figure amounting to $4.32 billion, representing a percentage growth rate of 15.84 percent from the previous year (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). In a bid to enhance its performance even further, CGI Group has established new independent business units, focusing on health and government areas. The health business area generated about $350 million in global sales in 2011, which represent 8 percent of its entire sales revenue (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). Open Text recorded a landmark performance in 2011 when the company’s annual sales exceeded the $1 billion sales mark in the company’s history. The company’s revenues grew by 13.30 percentage points from the previous year (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). Open Text’s main strategy of business involved acquisition deals that were completed in 2011, which saw the company obtain Metastorm, StreamServe, and weComm. The graph below highlights the cumulative performance posted by Canada’s leading 250 ICT firms (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). Source: â€Å"Branham top 250† (2012)Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Softchoice Corporation is an information communication technology specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From the graph above, it is observable that the ICT industry’s cumulative revenue performance has been increasing over the years. For instance, between 2003 and 2006, the annual revenue figures for each year exceeded the previous year’s sales results. The average growth indicates that the industry is set to continue with its annual growth in the future, where the companies are set to make additional sales. Although there are secluded years, specifically 2007 and 2009, where the total annual sales made were less than the previous year’s, these are isolated cases and are not expected to affect the growth pattern going forward. Co mpetitive Strategies within the Industry Buyer power The buyers have a modest bargaining power in the industry. The software and computer services sub-sector comprises of 86 percent of the total 33,000 companies in the ICT industry in Canada (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). This implies that the buyers have many choices from where they can seek to acquire their software products. It is evident that the firms compete with each other as they seek to win over the market because of relatively large number of companies in the sub-sector. This competition, in turn, provides the buyers with the necessary bargaining power advantage because the firms use such aspects as price to base their competition. However, the firms also enhance their business positions because firms such as Softchoice specialize in obscure software products. This lowers the buyers’ overall power to bargain, making it generally modest. Supplier power The suppliers’ bargaining power is equally modest in this industry. With the high number of industry players exceeding 33,000, it means this huge number of ICT firms is depending heavily on the suppliers to enable them achieve their business objectives (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). The suppliers deal with a large clientele base, thus making them to enjoy high frequency business. However, it is also important to note some of the players in the industry, such as BCE, TELUS, and Rogers Communication are well established and have the potential of integrating backwards (â€Å"Branham top 250†, 2012). With Softchoice’s specialization in obscure software, the company enjoys more bargaining power over suppliers. Only a few suppliers can serve the company’s needs fully, giving it the necessary bargaining power.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More New market entrants The industry has fewer barriers to entry. Although the five leading industry players have consolidated the market, many other smaller players still exist and do their business. There are numerous sub-areas within the software and computer services sector, where firms can specialize in and still establish themselves (â€Å"Canada information technology†, 2012). Although the established firms in the industry benefit from the economies of scale advantage, they focus their attention on a larger area of the ICT industry. This, in turn, gives the smaller industry players room to penetrate into the industry as they only focus on smaller areas of the industry. The smaller industry players most likely provide high quality products and services, which attracts a significant portion of the market. Threat of substitution The threat of substitution is low. Although the wider ICT industry has many players concentrating on the same market, each of these companies has foc used on specialization in different areas. Thus, customers with particular ICT need may find it difficult to locate an alternative ICT firm that deals in the exact area. Although many software and computer services firms exist in the industry, Softchoice specifically deals in obscure software. The major companies in the industry may be dealing with a wide range of service and product areas, but they also specialize in specific business areas to improve the quality of their performance (â€Å"Canada information technology†, 2012). Competitive rivalry Competitive rivalry is high in the industry. There are many companies in the industry that have a great potential and power to compete in the market. The large established companies have resorted to acquisitions to increase their competitive edge over other industry rivals (â€Å"Canada information technology†, 2012). With the industry trends indicating growing cumulative revenue each year, the players are working hard towa rds ensuring that they capture a significant portion of the total market revenue. Companies are also differentiating their services to limit competition by focusing on particular areas as a way of enhancing their quality performance. Industry Trends and Emerging Opportunities Increasing Expenditure on RD ICT industry players have been setting apart an increased volume of their revenue for funding research and development activities. In 2010, for instance, the ICT firms increased their RD expenditure to 15.44 percent compared to 14.78 percent in the previous year (Anderson, 2013). This trend highlights the fact that the industry players recognize the importance of investing in their core expertise, as well as the products and services that they deal with to increase their competitive edge within the global playing field (Anderson, 2013). With ICT relying heavily on research and development activities because of its continuous growth and advancement, there is a higher likelihood that the ICT industry players will continue experiencing a growing need to spend more revenues on the RD activities. Increased spending on research and development increases the opportunity of the ICT firm to grow even further. It increases the probability of enhancing quality and general performance, which will in turn attract more buyers. With an increase in the number of the buyers, the firms are likely to make more sales and improve their revenues. Increased RD activity is also likely to expand the Canadian ICT market to include the international buyers. Increasing Value of the Canadian Dollar over the US Dollar The Canadian dollar gained value over the US dollar towards the end of 2010 (Anderson, 2013). This was the second time that such a trend had been noticed over a period of 30 years. Over 40 percent of the Top 250 companies generated more than 50 percent of the total sales from the international market during the same year (Anderson, 2013). In particular, over 30 percent of the listed firms produced in excess of 50 percent of their total revenues within the US. This played a critical role in increasing the Canadian dollar’s value with respect to the US dollar (Anderson, 2013). A continuation of this trend will subject the Canadian ICT firms concentrating on the international market into increased competition. This is due to the high product cost influenced by the increasing value of the local currency over that of the US dollar (Anderson, 2013). In essence, the Canadian firms seeking to position themselves as efficient near-shore alternatives compared to the traditional outsourcing destinations must rely on other significant strengths. This may include looking more into innovation and leadership aspects, instead of concentrating on overall savings on labor cost (Anderson, 2013). In other words, the increase in value of the Canadian dollar over the US dollar is a threat to business for the ICT firms because it diminishes the overall profitability of the firms. Mergers and Acquisitions The ICT industry in Canada is experiencing an increase in mergers and acquisitions. Several of the established firms in the industry have acquired other companies, including both emerging startups and established firms to complement their existing technologies and entrance into new markets (Anderson, 2013). Foreign players have also acquired several other small and medium sized Canadian ICT firms to earn leverage into the market. In 2010, for instance, ICT players BreconRidge, Coretec, Protus, Brainhunter, as well as Fusepoint Managed Systems and Clarity System were all acquired by other firms (Anderson, 2013). This trend is likely to continue going forward as uncertainty in the industry pushes firms towards seeking to strengthen their presence in the market. This creates additional market opportunity for the established firms pursuing the acquisitions and mergers because it helps them to expand their potential market. It also increases their are as of specialization as the acquired firms could be specialists in different ICT areas. However, this trend is a threat to the smaller firms that seek to remain independent. It consolidates the market and gives the established firms more power to manipulate the industry to their advantage, leaving the smaller firms with little capability to challenge them. Importance of Information Technology to the Industry Technology is a critical aspect of the ICT industry. ICT as an industry will be non-existent without technology. Presently, the world is considered as a global village, where information flows very fast from one region or part to another. The entire globe is interconnected, where networks play a critical role in generating large amounts of data flow that accumulate on a daily basis (van Weert Tatnall, 2005). Technology has had its immense share in supporting and enabling this to be a reality. Improved computing devices with high performance power, including laptops, desktop com puters, and Smartphones all have the ability to browse the Internet at fast speeds and enhance the ICT interconnectivity (van Weert Tatnall, 2005). As advancements in technology continue to be witnessed, the ICT capacity is also growing. There is an emergence of a new technological trend, Internet of Things (IOT), which has made it virtually possible to connect anything via such methods as Machine-to-Machine communication (M2M) (Giusto et al., 2010). The new network is sustained by new technological developments where information sensors are embedded in home appliances, houses, machines, cars, as well as extended to such social infrastructures as transportation and energy systems. Technology is also enabling unprecedented progress where meaningful patterns are found from undertaking an analysis of the diverse and vast data flow from the Internet (Giusto et al., 2010). ICT has been settled upon as the appropriate means of enhancing back office productivity within public organization s. Many organizations are increasing their efficiency. Consequently, they are able to deal with real time information and details that they require for their operations. Technology is playing a critical role in exploiting new business areas, which have made ICT to be a virtual boundary-less area. ICT is expanding in both quality performance and reliability as more technological innovations come into play (van Weert Tatnall, 2005). By extension, the quality of life is also improving as individuals are able to learn fast, products can be produced more efficiently, firms can avert losses at the opportune time, and the health sector is capable of enhancing its performance. References Anderson, D. (2013). Canadas ICT industry: a work in progress. Retrieved from branhamgroup.com/research-reports-1/canadas-ict-industry-a-work-in-progress Branham top 250 Canadian ICT Companies 2012. (2012). Backbone Magazine. Retrieved from backbonemag.com/Magazine/2012-04/Top300-2012/canadian-ict-companie s.aspx Canada information technology report Q1 2012. (2012). Research and Markets. Retrieved from researchandmarkets.com/reports/2077623/canada_information_technology_report_q1_2012 Giusto, D., Iera, A., Morabito, G., Atzori, L. (2010). The Internet of things: 20th Tyrrhenian workshop on digital communications (1st ed.). New York, NY: Springer. Government of Canada. (2013). Information and communications technologies (ICT). Retrieved from ic.gc.ca/app/ccc/srch/nvgt.do?lang=engprtl=1sbPrtl=estblmntNo=123456129319profile=cmpltPrflprofileId=2059app=sold van Weert, T. J., Tatnall, A. (2005). Information and communication technologies and real-life learning: New education for the knowledge society. New York, NY: Springer.

How to Make Underwater Fireworks for Kids

How to Make Underwater Fireworks for Kids Fireworks are a beautiful and fun part of many celebrations, but not something you want kids to make themselves. However, even very young explorers can experiment with these safe underwater fireworks. What You Need WaterOilFood coloringTall clear glassAnother cup or glassFork Create Fireworks in a Glass Fill the tall glass almost to the top with room-temperature water. Warm water is ok, too.Pour a little oil into the other glass. (1-2 tablespoons)Add a couple of drops of food coloring. I used one drop of blue and one drop of red, but you can use any colors.Briefly stir the oil and food coloring mixture with a fork. You want to break up the food coloring drops into smaller drops, but not thoroughly mix the liquid.Pour the oil and coloring mixture into the tall glass.Now watch! The food coloring will slowly sink in the glass, with each droplet expanding outward as it falls, resembling fireworks falling into the water. How It Works Food coloring dissolves in water, but not in oil. When you stir the food coloring in the oil, you are breaking up the coloring droplets (though drops that come into contact with each other will merge... blue red purple). Oil is less dense than water, so the oil will float at the top of the glass. As the colored drops sink to the bottom of the oil, they mix with the water. The color diffuses outward as the heavier colored drop falls to the bottom.

Art Leonardo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Art Leonardo - Essay Example Notably, the portrait reflects an emotion wave that sweeps through the apostles regarding Christ’s statement. Actually, the photo practically portrays an expected scene. The statement, from Christ is reflected by the art as triggering independent reaction among the apostles. This scene is displayed by the portrait, which shows more actual drama expected in the real scene. Furthermore, Christ’s head is placed centrally in the architect and the frame depicts an architectural opening that seems to be â€Å"halo like†. Through these scenes, the photos clearly depict an expectation that is surprising to the apostles. The disappearing head of Christ form a perspectival projection that gives the portrait a more architectural setting coverage. Judas, being the betrayer is separated out of the rest to emphasize the lack of â€Å"unity† between him and the rest of the disciples. Generally, the photos communicate a lot of issues, which relate to what actually transpired during the last supper (Da Vinci & Cremante 209). Leonardo paintings are oriented more to religion, which classically reflect the fading face of the ancient Christianity. These features and architect are not only with Leonardo, but also with other ancient artists. Leonardo’s architects, portray the church as a building of uniform interior that formed the structure of all other Christian churches. Leonardo, through his art, aimed at bringing the humanity and nature together. Leonardo, combined both Christian and classical elements in a symmetric plan, in an attempt to synthesize on knowledge and tradition in a more harmonious and natural way. In conclusion, many scholars have tried to conceptualize Leonardo’s techniques of painting (Da Vinci & Cremante

Leadership and Organizational Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership and Organizational Behavior - Essay Example There are numerous ways in which Joe can apply the social learning theory to improve the employees’ performance. Social learning theory demonstrates that people may learn through observation not only because it is the easiest way of learning but also because it provides people with a means to witness the consequences of behaviors demonstrated by others so that they can modify their own behaviors from their willingness to attain similar results; â€Å"Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do†. This imparts the need for Joe to create awareness among the employees about the strategies of improving the sales volumes that have worked for the employees in the company in the past. A potential way to help the employees observe this is by displaying charts with the graphs showing the sales made by employees opposite their respective names and a table demonstrating the secrets of success as revealed by the respective successful employees. This would not only help the employees observe and learn, but the charts would also serve as a reward for the successful employees since they would feel acknowledged by the leader in a good way. According to the social learning theory, learning and behavior are not only influenced by the environmental and external reinforcement, but also the intrinsic reinforcement plays a great role in providing people with such internal rewards as satisfaction, pride, and a sense of achievement.

Public Health Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Public Health Report - Essay Example A meeting held later only informed them of the advantages of the project, but Lopez, and others resisted. The authorities had used Senate Bill 2 of 2007 to designate the location of the homeless shelter as â€Å"by right† hence eliminating pressure from residents and the NIMBYs. Although NIMBY remained in Santa Ana, the targeted warehouse had a capacity of 200 beds. The opposition was mostly due to lack of consultation from the neighbors resulting to undermined civil rights, and distraction from the homeless people including breaking into laundry rooms, leaving needles and feces behind, and taking showers using hosepipes. Despite the validity of these arguments, no supervisor attended. With SB2 in place, the residents of Santa Ana have a tough journey ahead since the council has no authority to stop the shelter in a city-approved zone. In the end, it appears that residents will have to learn how to live with the

Merger motives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Merger motives - Essay Example The product and market differences currently enjoyed by Boots and Alliance, will merge together in the hopes of stimulating greater growth than could be expected as separate entities. Their confidence in growth in shown by the fact that they will be paying 2.5 times of dividend despite the two companies having different dividend policies. It is aimed that the merger will be finalised in April 2006. Most companies, if not all, do mergers because they expect to perform better and be worth more together than as being apart. There are numerous benefits that companies gain from mergers and the Boots-Alliance deal is no different. Alliance had long ago announced that its plans for growth included acquisitions and mergers. With a history of acquiring patents and new pharmaceuticals to add to their product line, the addition of the Boots health and beauty line will be an appropriate addition to spur revenue growth. Alliance's drug pipeline, though not dry, has few new pharmaceuticals on the horizon. Isprelor, a new delivery method for the existing drug Misoprosol, is set for release sometime in 2006. Posidorm, a synthetic Melatonin, has entered late stage trials and hopes are for a 2007 release date (Alliance-Unichem). Posidorm, if approved, is expected to increase the Boots-Alliance revenue stream by as much as 20 percent in 2008.

DATA ANALYSIS PORTFOLIO OF WORK - Working Party Forum Questionnaire Essay

DATA ANALYSIS PORTFOLIO OF WORK - Working Party Forum Questionnaire Canteen and Staff shop - Essay Example It is at this forum where members approve the report and dividend, scrutinize the budget and make suggestion on how to improve services offered by the canteen. As part of social welfare arrangement, the canteen strives to provide a cheap alternative feeding programme to employees on duty. However, profitability is a key requirement as it a collective investment. People engage in business ventures to make profit although it is not important that you realize profit yearly (Stephen 2011). To boost sales and increase profits, the committee proposed to members to allow it starts selling hot food and open a staff shop during a working party forum held on 23rd December, 2011. As a tradition, such new venture is subjected to research after which the members deliberate and acts on findings and recommendations of the report. To this end, the committee sought my services in conducting a survey on the proposal with core intention of finding out the opinion of workforce regarding the proposals. B esides, the study had the following objectives: To gauge the support for or against hot food and staff shop To determine appropriate time for serving hot food To determine the cost likely to be incurred by staff buying hot food To find out the preferred type of hot food and other categories To establish the time to open the shop and commodities to sell COLLECTION OF DATA The random sampling technique was used to select a representative population. In random sampling individuals are picked from study population based on chance (Leonard and Leonard 2009). This technique ensured that each employee has an equal chance of taking part in the survey and therefore not biased. The sample was deemed to be a true representative of the population because in this method the process of coming up with a sample was based on probability and not predetermined. The employees were assigned numbers 1 to 510 according to the way the names appear in the payroll. The numbers were keyed in online sampling s oftware called randomizer (randomizer.org), which generated 142 unique numbers. The numbers were matched with payroll numbers to select employees who represented the other workers in the survey. The following numbers were generated by randomizer: 290, 133, 42, 201, 181, 175, 369, 431, 39, 239, 445, 2, 150, 296, 67, 8, 6, 387, 308, 167, 25, 90, 444, 408, 266, 203, 208, 292, 1, 122, 97, 284, 101, 477, 34, 92, 93, 85, 155, 457, 193, 301, 306, 396, 79, 191, 270, 246, 38, 162, 134, 354, 96, 437, 390, 264, 281, 27, 447, 209, 169, 412, 501, 194, 312, 21, 280, 195, 158, 176, 83, 46, 33, 388, 438, 410, 110, 368, 321, 50, 329, 365, 115, 434, 339, 318, 479, 17, 88, 508, 229, 61, 361, 440, 95, 156, 343, 311, 424, 382, 331, 421, 327, 124, 154, 373, 453, 187, 330, 493, 397, 200, 293, 372, 336, 119, 126, 407, 159, 47, 143, 87, 254, 89, 4, 459, 64, 15, 358, 392, 252, 225, 65, 400, 352, 462, 433, 500, 232, 30, 40, 230. The employees corresponding to a selected number were given questionnaire to fill and then return it to Forum Representative within 7 days. Out of 142 questionnaires issued, 123 were returned to the committee. As the researcher, I scrutinized the filled questionnaires and accepted 114 to be used for analytical purpose. This number translates to 22.4% response rate corresponding to 8.1% error margin at 95% confidence level. This figure was calculated using online application (surveysystem.com) by feeding the sample size and required confidence

Globalization and Music Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globalization and Music - Research Paper Example In numerous regions across the world, the first few decades of the 20th century marked the immense movement of music across the world. One notable group that profited from the upsurge of technological innovation was the Beatles whose performance was the first to be satellite broadcast all over the world. The Beatles had also travelled all over the world and had made records in different languages. Arguably, the Beatles in many ways represented the first globalization of music and entertainment. This group had travelled to countries in Asia and Europe where they had performances. Another example is that of Bob Marley who became an internationally renowned music star in the 1970’s (Achterberg et al. 5). This wave of world music is as a result of the numerous waves of distribution, exchange, appropriation and movement. Notably, the changes in technology have also brought about the evolution of music through the advent of novel hybrid styles of music. These technologies are almost in all regions of the world and have allowed musicians and producers to reproduce music that appeals to all.

DATA ANALYSIS PORTFOLIO OF WORK - Working Party Forum Questionnaire Essay

DATA ANALYSIS PORTFOLIO OF WORK - Working Party Forum Questionnaire Canteen and Staff shop - Essay Example It is at this forum where members approve the report and dividend, scrutinize the budget and make suggestion on how to improve services offered by the canteen. As part of social welfare arrangement, the canteen strives to provide a cheap alternative feeding programme to employees on duty. However, profitability is a key requirement as it a collective investment. People engage in business ventures to make profit although it is not important that you realize profit yearly (Stephen 2011). To boost sales and increase profits, the committee proposed to members to allow it starts selling hot food and open a staff shop during a working party forum held on 23rd December, 2011. As a tradition, such new venture is subjected to research after which the members deliberate and acts on findings and recommendations of the report. To this end, the committee sought my services in conducting a survey on the proposal with core intention of finding out the opinion of workforce regarding the proposals. B esides, the study had the following objectives: To gauge the support for or against hot food and staff shop To determine appropriate time for serving hot food To determine the cost likely to be incurred by staff buying hot food To find out the preferred type of hot food and other categories To establish the time to open the shop and commodities to sell COLLECTION OF DATA The random sampling technique was used to select a representative population. In random sampling individuals are picked from study population based on chance (Leonard and Leonard 2009). This technique ensured that each employee has an equal chance of taking part in the survey and therefore not biased. The sample was deemed to be a true representative of the population because in this method the process of coming up with a sample was based on probability and not predetermined. The employees were assigned numbers 1 to 510 according to the way the names appear in the payroll. The numbers were keyed in online sampling s oftware called randomizer (randomizer.org), which generated 142 unique numbers. The numbers were matched with payroll numbers to select employees who represented the other workers in the survey. The following numbers were generated by randomizer: 290, 133, 42, 201, 181, 175, 369, 431, 39, 239, 445, 2, 150, 296, 67, 8, 6, 387, 308, 167, 25, 90, 444, 408, 266, 203, 208, 292, 1, 122, 97, 284, 101, 477, 34, 92, 93, 85, 155, 457, 193, 301, 306, 396, 79, 191, 270, 246, 38, 162, 134, 354, 96, 437, 390, 264, 281, 27, 447, 209, 169, 412, 501, 194, 312, 21, 280, 195, 158, 176, 83, 46, 33, 388, 438, 410, 110, 368, 321, 50, 329, 365, 115, 434, 339, 318, 479, 17, 88, 508, 229, 61, 361, 440, 95, 156, 343, 311, 424, 382, 331, 421, 327, 124, 154, 373, 453, 187, 330, 493, 397, 200, 293, 372, 336, 119, 126, 407, 159, 47, 143, 87, 254, 89, 4, 459, 64, 15, 358, 392, 252, 225, 65, 400, 352, 462, 433, 500, 232, 30, 40, 230. The employees corresponding to a selected number were given questionnaire to fill and then return it to Forum Representative within 7 days. Out of 142 questionnaires issued, 123 were returned to the committee. As the researcher, I scrutinized the filled questionnaires and accepted 114 to be used for analytical purpose. This number translates to 22.4% response rate corresponding to 8.1% error margin at 95% confidence level. This figure was calculated using online application (surveysystem.com) by feeding the sample size and required confidence

FDT 1 - week 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

FDT 1 - week 6 - Essay Example the broken immigration system into law will happen if there is a historical or shocking level of cooperation between the bickering parties in the United States political landscape. It can only happen if a bipartisan group from both political divides oversees the immigration reforms (Fifield, 2013). There exists a consensus between Congress and the White House in some of the main policy points in the immigration bill. The main points of agreement relate to the border security issues, a strict employer verification system, and a path to citizenship to people who come into the United States through the borders. A bipartisan group of senators will be the answer to fixing the broken immigration laws since the obstacle to fixing the laws is not policy related but the lack of political goodwill (Fifield, 2013). Fixing the broken immigration laws is not the time the president should exercise his bullying pulpit to make Congress act. It is a time for the president to let the group of eight senators from both parties to lead the way to the finishing line. A group of eight senators referred to as â€Å"the gang of 8" can provide a bipartisan solution to the immigration issue (Fifield, 2013). The group will provide the needed leadership. The group can push for what is to be fixed in the employment of undocumented immigrants, tightening security in the Border between the United Sates and Mexico, and offering a way through citizenship for undocumented immigrants can be granted. A sustained bipartisan spirit should prevail in the reform effort between Republicans and Democrats to fix the immigration

Robin Hood Swot Essay Example for Free

Robin Hood Swot Essay 1) Perform a basic SWOT analysis on the situation Robin Hood is in. List the top 3-4 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that Robin Hood faces. Strengths * The more people that join Robin Hood the better to outnumber the Sherriff * His close friends have a good understanding of their duties * Are pretty organized and have a clear goal Weaknesses * Group became too large * Discipline was not in reach once such a large group banded together, many arguments ensued * Became more disorganized as group grew * Less accommodations were available Opportunities * Restoring power to King Richard will solve Robin Hoods issue with the Sheriff * King Richard may recognize Robin Hood abilities and make him his right hand man * Robin Hood could make a name for himself and be in history books due to his accomplishments Threats * Sheriff’s backing was becoming stronger and organized * Sheriff has political connections and influential allies * Sheriff’s men could kill them all 2) Are the various Threats that Robin Hood faces and the Weaknesses he has getting worse or getting better? As the days went on, the threats and weaknesses were mounting against Robin Hood. Since there wasn’t any filtering of persons joining the group, they did not weed out the unscrupulous ones. The group was running out of the necessary supplies to survive and couldn’t contain the madness. When all of this was happening, people started leaving Robin’s group to back the sheriff. His allegiances and organization was very attractive to Robin’s men. 3) The case describes several different options (the Opportunities in your SWOT analysis) that Robin Hood could choose to follow to fix his problems: a. Implement a fixed Transit Tax b. Expand to a larger area within/around the forest c. Kill the Sheriff d. Join the Barons in a plan to free the King Richard. Which ONE of the opportunities described in the case do you think will do the best job of addressing the situation that Robin Hood’s group is in and fixing their long term problems? Why? I would say that the best choice for Robin Hood to fix his problems would be to join the Barons in a plan to free King Richard. I think that Robin Hood could bring his people (the ones that remained) together and build some sort of a structured environment. Once that is completed, they could join forces and free King Richard. In a successful rescue and â€Å"re-throning†, he will be able to address the people’s concerns and bring happiness to all. Maybe then they will not be anymore â€Å"stealing from the rich to give to the poor†.

Neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury

Neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury Mary was an outgoing teenager who had a lot of friends. She succumbed to the peer pressure of her friends urging her to complete a very dangerous task. This task was to jump from a second floor balcony down to the swimming pool. Mary was a skilled swimmer, however she has no defence against such traumatic brain injury. She was placed on life support as a precaution until she tested well enough in her post traumatic brain exam to be taken off of the additional support. Mary seemed to be improving and was soon able to return to school. This return to school was not what the teachers, her parents, or herself expected. She noticed that there has been some changes to her cognitive abilities and as a result, she is exhibiting a behavior that is opposite of how she normally shows herself. Mary was referred to my practice and upon examination of her cognitive and neurological history and abilities, it is being determined that Mary is diagnosed with major or mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) It would be suggested that Mary be watched closely for depression due to the fact that she is already showing some signs of depression. According to DSM 5, major or mild neurocognitive disorder due to traumatic brain injury presents with the signs and symptoms of the condition. (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) The evidence that Mary shows are that she has had a traumatic brain injury that caused the loss of consciousness and she was disoriented and confused. The DSM 5 says that the neurocognitive disorder has to be present immediately after the injury has occurred or immediately after waking from an unconscious state and has to last past the immediate post injury period. (American Psychiatric Association, 201 3) Mary woke up in the hospital from loss of consciousness and was moaning incoherently and was very restless. It is suspected that this is because she did know where she was or what had happened to her. She began to slowly recover and in three weeks was back in school. The three weeks that she spent at home would take her past the immediate post injury period. It is when she went to school that she showed the signs of being confused and not able to keep up in school like she did before. She stated that she was having trouble concentrating and remembering what the teacher had said so that she could take notes as easily as she did before the injury. People that have suffered from a traumatic brain injury often have signs of emotional disturbances, personality changes, and physical disturbances which were all present when Mary returned home from school. It is said in the DSM 5 that people that have suffered from a traumatic brain injury report more symptoms of depression and can also have overlapping symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) The diagnosis of depression or PTSD is not given to Mary at this time because it is unclear at this time if Mary is having the symptoms of depression because of the stress of returning to school and having the difficulties of that she experienced that day. It would be in the best interest of Mary to note that she has symptoms of depression and PTSD and to continue taking notes on these symptoms for six months before this diagnosis is given to her. Another reason depression is not given to her as a diagnosis at this time and to wait for more substantial evidence is because depression is not a â€Å"feeling† conditions. It is more than Mary not wanting to be as outgoing as she was before, not really wanting to eat, or not wanting to do the things that she enjoy before the injury. These are all signs of depression but not enough to diagnose the depression over a one-time occurrence. Depression is evidenced by changes in the brain structure and function. In the center of the brain is where norepinephrine and serotonin modify the brain. A chemical signal is sent down one nerve cell and passed to another nerve cell across a space called a synapse once the receptors are full. What happens in depression is that when the signal is sent, a lot of the chemical is reabsorbed by the sending cell and recycled by the brain. This is called reuptake, when the signal is sent again, there is a double amount of the chemical that is sent and reuptake occurs again and a lot of the chemical that was releases is thrown away by the brain. If you are not releasing enough of the chemical to fill up the receptors on the receiving nerve, it leaves â€Å"holes† in that nerve and symptoms of depression occur. (University of the West of England, Bristol, 2015) With Mary having a traumatic brain injury and depression being comorbid it makes sense that this could be what i s going on with her because the nerves in her brain would have been damaged causing this cycle which leads to depression. According to the Glasgow Coma Scales, Mary would be considered as having moderate traumatic brain injury. The Glasgow Coma Scale ranks the patient in three different categories, eyes, verbal and motor ability. The scale ranks patients from 3-15 with 3 being the most sever and the worst and 15 being the most mild and the best of scores. (Muriel Deutsch Lezak, Diane B. owieson, Erin D. Bigler, Daniel Tanel, 2012) Mary’s initial level of consciousness was an overall 6 when she originally arrived at the hospital. She was speaking incoherently (GCS rates this as a 2), and she was moving restlessly as if she was in pain (GCS rates this as a 4). Upon waking up, Mary scored an overall 10 on the Glasgow Coma Scale with eye movement scoring 3 (she opened them to sound which would be her best response), verbal score was 1 (she did not speak when tested), and her motor score was 6 (she moved her finger when asked to do so). Based on this score and the fact that she was in the coma for les s than 6 hours gives her a TBI classification of moderate. When she was later examined, Mary had improved quite a bit. Her Coma score was an overall 15 by morning because she could recognize and respond to her parents and she was talking to them. Mary’s pre-morbid level of functioning is assumed to be high based on the fact that she performs within the top of her class and is said to excel academically. Using the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading, Mary would be asked to pronounce 50 irregularly spelled words and scored according to how closely they were correctly pronounced. (Muriel Deutsch Lezak, Diane B. owieson, Erin D. Bigler, Daniel Tanel, 2012). Due to the report of how well she was doing before her injury, using a previous IQ test and No Child Left Behind this test should be able to give an account of the level of functioning that Mary is at currently. There is also other yearly school assessment tests that can be looked at to assess her pre-injury academic ability. The names of these test can vary depending on the State you are in. Using the WAIS-IV to assess Mary, it would show that her reasoning and comprehension skills are not where they were pre-injury. This test is used to assess the verbal and performance ac ademic ability of a person. This test would let it be seen, the exact areas that Mary is falling short. By using tests that would measure Mary’s cognitive speed we would be able to see that the damage to her frontal lobe has caused some deficit in her ability to concentrate because this is where the areas of problem solving, memory, and language is stored. By this part of her brain being damaged during the injury, it makes it more difficult for her to concentrate on what is going on because it takes her longer to process the activity around her, what is being said, and remembering what was said to her. Recommendations would be for Mary to begin cognitive therapy that would help her to regain the most normal function of this part of her brain. Accommodation for Mary would be very sensitive because she held such high esteem as an honor student, we would not want to make her feel any less, however there are some accommodations that need to be done, at least until she regains full cognitive ability. Mary’s educators should allow extra time for her to complete assignments and homework. Mary can carry a voice recorder with her that will record the lectures instead of her writing them that way when she studies, she can listen to the lectures and rewind as needed. While Mary may have some lasting effects of her injury, there is no reason a full cognitive and educational recovery cannot be accomplished. Mary presented at the hospital with a traumatic brain injury three weeks prior to returning to school. She has made great accomplishments and cognitive difficulty was not noticed until she returned to school. Upon my examination of Mary, she has had some great medical accomplishments and the prognosis of her full recovery is possible. There may be some lasting effects like with most people that have had a traumatic brain injury such as increased headaches, seizure activity, and depression but there is no reason to assume that Mary will have to alter her life any way. With cognitive therapy and temporary educational accommodations Mary should return to her pre-injury educational and cognitive levels. References American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Neurocognitive disorders . Retrieved from In Diagnostic and statistical manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition : http://dsm.psychiatryonline.org.lib.kaplan.edu/doi/full/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596.dsm17#CIHEIIIC Muriel Deutsch Lezak, Diane B. owieson, Erin D. Bigler, Daniel Tanel. (2012). Neuropsychological Assessment. New York : Oxford University Press, Inc. . University of the West of England, Bristol. (2015). Synapses and Neurotransmission . Retrieved from UWE: http://learntech.uwe.ac.uk/synapsesneuro/default.aspx?pageid=1925

Illusions of Reality Essay -- essays research papers

The Illusions of Reality The only thing in my life that I can be positive about is change. Everything changes, from the moment we’re born to the moment we die. Reality has many twist and turns, and our perception of reality is what shapes us to become who we are. Our life is spent on deciphering the difference between reality and not reality. This is hard to define because reality is unique to each individual. Our environment and the people we are around shape our perception of what is real. Reality is our grip of what is true and false, right and wrong, what is real and what is not. So reality can be distorted by our belief in it. We can sincerely believe something is right, but be sincerely wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The foundations of thought and imagination are laid at a very young age. Reality for the deaf and blind is that nothing exists outside of their perception. They do not yet understand object permanence, that even though an object goes out of sight, it still exists. Many children develop this knowledge around the ages of four to eight months old. I was a late bloomer; I did not acquire this until later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I was five years old, I was terrified of being left alone. I was afraid to ever be by myself. I had to be around other people or I would have panic attacks. Our dogs somehow had gotten out of our backyard. My mom, my sister and I got in the car and drove around the neighborhood looking for the dogs. My mother drove by our house to check if they had got back yet. My mom told me to see if the front door was unlocked. As I was walking across the front lawn, she drove away. When I was walking towards the house I didn’t hear my mom tell me that she was going around the block and that she’d be right back. To say the least, I panicked. I remember running down the dusty dirt road after her brown jeep thinking that my mom left me and would never see her again. Feelings of fear and abandonment filled my body, and I ran down to the highway screaming with tears streaming down my face. When I finally got to the highway I sat down and started to sob. A lady i n a blue car pulled over and asked me what was wrong. She was concerned so she had me get in the car and drove me to my house. We sat there in the car together until my mom came back home. My mom thanked the lady for being so kind, grabbed my arm and pulled m... ...were destitute, living in barely livable shacks. It showed me how rich I was. They were starving. Not only physically, but spiritually as well. These people had never been showed the truth that the Bible held, or the hope it could bring to their lives. I had never been exposed to this type of living in my life. It made me think about everything differently. I became much more thankful and giving. I was a spoiled brat when I went, but returned changed and unselfish. I changed for myself. At that stage in my life I realized how much I have, and how much I took for granted. I did not like who I was or where I was going, so I changed. I was changed as much as Mexicalli was changed. There are many points in my life that, when I look back on them, I will have noticed a change that was made. Whether it is when I accepted the Jesus into my life, or experienced a drug for the first time. We shall all be that way. What I’m experiencing right now is real and tangible to me, but maybe I will look back on this time of my life someday and realize that this reality was just a step to another, and that reality another step, then another. What we are experiencing now will eventually be a memory.

Explore the Social and Political Factors

Explore the social and political factors that led to the formation of the national curriculum. The 1944 Education Act, put in place by the conservative president of the broad of education, R. A. Butler stated that there should be education for all, from primary all the way up to secondary education. That the duty of the local education authority should be one as to develop the spiritual, moral, mental and physical development of the community, that of school. However, during this time the only key requirements set out within the national curriculum based on what should be taught was for all schools to teach religious education.The national curriculum was not a guide for teacher to know what to teach, but rather the curriculum was largely determined by the teachers themselves, based on work topics commercially available within textbooks. Pupils were taught based on what was available rather than what was necessary to have a strong academic understanding. The curriculum for older pupil s tended to be based on examination syllabuses chosen by their teachers, again availability outweighing basic needs.There was limited influence from professional teaching bodies to introduce central direction of the curriculum allowing teachers to continue teaching an array of subjects and topics limited to resources of their textbooks. With such concern over falling standards of the education system within the UK, the early 1960s saw the Conservative minister of Education, David Eccles introduced a curriculum study group within the Department of education and Science. This group was then replace with the school council by Eccles successor Sir Edward Boyle in 1964 to look and develop the curriculum and education.The school council was formed with central and local government and teachers in order to oppose the accusation that the study group was self-ruled when governed by Eccles. The school council looked at new ways of teaching and assessing of subjects in order to create a consis tency. In the 1970s, concern rose again from the public, that the UK school system was not being well served. Under Shirley Williams as Labour Secretary of state, the Department of Education and Science and Her Majesty’s inspectors published papers on the curriculum issues, criticising both primary and econdary schools for their lack of balance in their curriculum and not accounting for changes occurring in society. In 1979 the Conservative Secretaries of State, Mark Carlisle, indicated that there should be a national consensus on a desirable framework for the curriculum following on from the Circular 14/77 report and review. This report led to Carlisle overseeing the abolition of the School Council and replacing it with the Curriculum and Development Committee and the Secondary Examinations council.Under Sir Keith Joseph as Secretary of State, 1985 saw the Better Schools White Paper recommended a proceeding with a nationally- agreed curriculum. In 1987 the Department of Educ ation and Science, under Kenneth Baker, issued a document that set out the foundation for a national curriculum. The document identified four key points: stability and consistency within the curriculum; a broad and balanced curriculum; support schools accountability and pupil attainment and aiding public understanding of the work of the schools.Following this, the 1988 Education Reform Act, passed by parliament set out the framework for the National Curriculum. Parliament’s key point in this development and centralisation of the curriculum was as follows: to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural and physical development of pupils which echoed the 1944 Education Act and to prepare pupils for the opportunities of adult life. The development of the National curriculum was overseen by two new advisory bodies, the National Curriculum council and the school Examination and Assessment Council.They sought expertise from a wide variety of educational backgrounds that drew on evidence and expertise throughout the education system emerging with a detailed framework for subject context which schools should be required to follow. The curriculum would be structured around Key Stages and be subject based, all subjects would be studied from age 5 up to age 16, covering the core subjects of English, Mathematics and science and foundation subjects of art, history, physical education, geography and music. Modern foreign languages would be taught from age 11.The syllabus would be set out in a Programme of study which would map out each subject at each Key Stage and include a scale of attainment levels to guide teacher’s assessment. Life and skills subjects were to be integrated within school teaching, including religious education and personal, social and health education. Testing within the National Curriculum was also implemented. These were drawn up by the Task Group on Assessment and Testing (TGAT). The TGAT sought to use a range of assessments that could be de livered and marked by teachers.Teacher’s assessments would be accompanied by national-administered standardised tests, known as key Stage Tests. These test results would then be published in performance tables to exhibit pupil’s levels of attainments. In 1989 the national curriculum was introduced into primary schools and was then rolled out across secondary throughout the 1990s. In 1991 key stage testing had began and by 1993 the inspection of schools was transferred over to Non-Ministerial Department of State from Her Majesty Inspectors and local authority inspection teams. The new inspection team was a independent body, the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).

Analysis and Review of Source Code Movie

Source Code with it's unique twist on the classic time-loop scenario, brings mystery, action and a refreshing sci-fi structure for the audiences amazement. This film, like many sci-fi thrillers of the past, plays on societal issues with technology and it's potentially dangerous implications to the world. The plot, although minimalistic at a glance, unfolds with twists and turns that carry this sci-fi thriller to places never before seen by the sci-fi genre. As film reviewer, Peter Bradshaw, put it, â€Å"with twists and turns, and at breathtaking speed, this film runs on rails. [1] Science Fiction is a genre that is almost entirely based upon societies complicated relationship with technology and it's potential implications on society. In the film, the main technology presented is a program unsurprisingly called â€Å"Source Code. † The program allows our lead character, Colter Stevens', brain to access the body of a man who is already dead. The technology works by accessing the last eight minutes of person's memory and turning it into an alternate reality. It is described by its creator, Dr. Rutledge, as a tool for revisiting rather than revising time. Through source code, Colter Stevens becomes Sean, a victim of a train-bombing outside Chicago. Although the train-bombing has already occurred, other acts of terror are imminent in downtown Chicago. If Stevens is to use source code as expected he is to find out who is responsible for the train bombing and relay his findings to the people of the present so they may prevent further incidents. Each time his eight minutes are up, Stevens finds himself within a pod wired with a video screen. This screen is his only link Dr. Rutledge's unit and Stevens' commanding officer, Colleen Goodwin. The pod is a metaphysical set created to explain Stevens' thoughts and feelings. The room is essentially his mind and all that is going within it. The environment of the pod changes as Stevens' comprehension of the situation increases. The metaphysical nature of this set seems extremely intentional as there are essentially only three different sets used throughout the films entirety. The use of this â€Å"pod like† set is very similar in nature to that of the sets from 2001: A Space Odyssey in the sense that they are combining wholly human elements nto technological environments. [2] Each time Stevens returns to the train, he gathers more information about the bomb, the bomber, and the other people on the train, including Christina, the love interest. Once Stevens returns with the name of the bomber his mission is over. At this point in the film, Stevens learns that he died in the helicopter over Afghanistan and now only exists within the source code. After learning this, he c onvinces Goodwin to allow him back in one more time to save everyone on the train and die knowing they were all saved. However, once everyone has been saved, he does not die and will live as Sean for the rest of his life. Source Code is similar to many movies from the 1950s and '60s because of its use of relevant political issues to strike fear within the viewer. Much like how the Cold War paranoia permeated science fiction through features like War of the Worlds (1954) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), the current fear of terrorism trickles through Source Code's plot. [3] An obvious manifestation of this fear is the bomber himself. Derek Frost appears to be a young, white, suburban male and because his appearance is not that of a stereotypical terrorist, Stevens overlooks him as a suspect initially. By using the least likely suspect as the antagonist, Source Code is challenging our current beliefs on terrorism that only non-American's can be classified as terrorists. By creating this unlikely villain, source code creates relevance to the disaster, and realism to the situation. The unlikely villain shows that through technology anyone can really become a threat to society. The introduction of this average citizen villain prompts us to question our responsibility with technology. Here technology's power is illustrated because it transforms our â€Å"average† Derek into a super-villain capable of catastrophic events. On the other hand, we are also confronted with the potential life saving ability of the source code. Dr. Rutledge believed source code was only capable of saving lives that had not been already lost. However, the program enabled Stevens to not only save lives on the train, but also his own. Stevens doesn’t just jump through action-flick hoops, he also confronts some Big Questions — Are we alone? Are we free? Do we have free will? — the importance of which become clear as the outlines of Stevens’s true circumstances are revealed. †[4] The implication of this notion is very apparent as Stevens becomes more aware of his situation. His initial experiences within source code are consumed by selfish tasks s uch as trying to locate his father and find out what has happened to him. However, as he begins to understand source code and believes that his life no longer exists, his motives quickly change. Once Stevens begins to use source code for the greater good, he himself is also freed. This is a direct commentary on our usage of technology itself in that we need to use technology for the greater good and not for selfish means. It is this notion that we the audience is left to ponder. Will technology bring humanity to a never before seen existence or destroy our being entirely? Bibliography Cook, David A. A History of Narrative Film. New York: W.W. Norton. 498-499, 925-927. Bradshaw, Peter. â€Å"Source Code Review.â€Å" The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/mar/31/source-code-review (accessed April 12, 2011). Dargis, Manohla. â€Å"Don't Know Who You Are, but Don't Know Who I Am.† The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/movies/jake-gyllenhaal-in-source-code-review.html (accessed April 12, 2011).

Mark Twain Short Stories Essay Essay

Mark Twain has composed a myriad of short stories over a long period of time. Twain writes with the passion to charm and amuse the reader. Every single sentence he writes makes one want to keep reading on to see what happens next. His stories also offer a comment on human nature and Twain often questions conventional wisdom. Just because someone’s life did not attach to with what many people see normal, Twain seems to be asking if that makes them lucky when they don’t fail. He responds to that question and challenges the reader to think twice in his short stories. Mark Twain’s stories seem to never be lacking hilariousness. In Luck, for example, he brings out the subject, Lieutenant-General Lord Arthur Scoresby, as a dignified and decorated soldier but then makes a quick turn by quoting the town Reverend saying, â€Å"Privately – he’s an absolute fool† (Twain 265). This blunt change allows Twain the chance to recount the tale told by the Reverend concerning Scoresby’s many failures in battle. Additionally, he sets up the reader in The Story of the Bad Little Boy by painting a dreary picture as to what could happen to the main character. Twain then excitedly breaks the ice with an amusing reveal of what actually happened. Twain writes, â€Å"Is it right to disobey my mother? Isn’t it sinful to do this? Where do bad little boys go who gobble up their good kind mother’s jam?† and then he didn’t kneel down all alone and promise to never to be wicked any more, no that is the way with all other bad boys in the books†¦ He ate that jam, and said it was bully; and he put in the tar, and said that was bully, also, and laughed, and observed that the old woman would get up and snort† (11). This process of creating a sullen circumstance and then flamboyantly reversing course is depicted in most of Twain’s stories and was used to have a great effect. Mark Twain used humor to thrill the reader, which he did effectively and consistently, but he also used it make a clear point. The most frequent point he was trying to make was that society is too uptight. In The Story of the Bad Little Boy, he underlines a wide range of â€Å"bad† things that the main character does but wraps it up that it had little bearing on him when he became a man. Twain writes, â€Å"And he grew up and married, and raised a large family, and brained them all with an ax one night, and got wealthy by all manner of cheating and rascality; and now he is the infernalest wickedest  scoundrel in his native village, and is universally respected, and belongs to the legislature† (13). This was Twain’s way of getting at the notion that a naughty child will always be a bad person. He does this again in Science vs. Luck in which he pokes fun at the over-the-top laws against gambling and games of chance. Twain does this through the main character, a nifty attorney, who argues that the game of seven-up is actually a game of science rather than chance so should not be considered gambling. Twain writes, â€Å"We, the jury in the case do hereby unanimously decide that the game commonly known as old sledge or seven-up is eminently a game of science and not chance†¦ In demonstration where of it is hereby and herein stated, iterated, reiterated, set forth and made manifest that, during the entire night, the â€Å"chance† men never won a game† (73). By using humor to sink in the message, Twain was able to poke fun at the conservative folks that ruled his day, and ours. Conservative thinking includes the presumption that people who succeed while acting in an unconventional manner must be lucky. Twain also poked fun at that thinking as well. The hero in Luck, Lieutenant-General Lord Arthur Scoresby, was privately thought to be a fool and the luckiest man on earth to survive in the military for decades. Twain then brings up nearly a dozen events in which Scoresby went against conventional wisdom and managed to live, leaving the reader to wonder the question, â€Å"Was it really luck or was Scoresby just good at what he did?† He also attains a familiar and similar goal in The Story of the Bad Little Boy in which the main character survives many near-fatal events to become a pillar of society. Twain seems to ask, â€Å"Was the boy really lucky to survive his childhood or was society too uptight?† Finally, in Science vs. Luck, Twain points out that games of â€Å"chance† are nothing more than complicated science or math problems. Once again, Twain intrigues the reader to consider whether the conservative view is the one and only view. Mark Twain wrote short stories with strong intent. He had a critical yet comical perspective that allowed him to see the humor in serious matters. Twain wrote about them in a way that was entertaining while also serving to share his perspective on his literature. For those readers who took themselves too seriously, they probably only saw the humor part. To those who chose to read between the lines laughed, but also probably stopped to reflect on the message. In his unique way, Mark Twain may have changed the course of human nature and society with his writings. Works Cited Twain, Mark. The Complete Short Stories. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. Print.

Compare and contrast the idea of Descartes and Kant on epistemology Essay

Compare and contrast the idea of Descartes and Kant on epistemology - Essay Example Descrates’ definition of knowledge is, however, specific to scientific knowledge and certainty is defined, in the theorist’s perspective, as absence of doubt. With cognition as the fundamental to scientific knowledge, two levels of certainty on cognition are identified to define knowledge. With absolute level of certainty, no single doubt exists that an alternative idea or subject can be found while moral level of certainty involves conviction on a subject even with the knowledge that the subject could be false. Moral certainty however identifies possible doubt and according to Descrates, does not therefore define knowledge.1 Kant’s idea on epistemology is based on three factors that further identify opinion and faith. People’s affirmative decisions exist in three levels that distinguish between knowledge, faith, and opinion. There is a subjective basis to affirmation and an objective cause. Affirmation that is devoid of conviction, when conviction is not sufficient, is based on opinion. however, subjective factors to affirmation may be sufficient but a person lacks objective basis. Under the circumstance, affirmation is based on faith and not on opinion. Sufficiency of both subjective and objective factors into affirmation defines existence of knowledge. Opinion and faith are therefore, and according to Kant, elements of knowledge in which sufficient objectivity defines opinion while sufficient subjectivity defines faith and existence of both opinion and faith defines knowledge.2 Theories of Kant and Descrates identify both similarities and differences. The two ideas converge to existence of knowledge beyond definitions because experiences and observations inform certainty. In addition, Kant discusses sufficiency of subjectivity and objectivity as essentials of knowledge and such sufficiency are consistent with Descrates’ ideas of levels of