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I'm still wondering why bloggers quit their blogs or why most bloggers abandon their blogs. Well, do you know why? I don't really know but what I do know is – motivation is the only thing that can make any man move further than he should. Once you're not motivated, you will definitely stop trying one day (fact).
Before I move further, I'd like to ask you one simple question – why are you blogging? Or should I say; why do you blog? You can make up many reasons why you blog but if you truly don't know your main purpose, pretty soon you'll drop out of blogging.
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Have I gotten your attention or should I continue explaining?
Blogging: To Be Or Not To Be
While most bloggers will give you their many reasons for quitting their blogs, I'll tell you that all the reasons they'll give will only end up to just one main reason. And do you know what that "one" main reason is? Well let's continue, and I'll tell you along the way.
If a blogger has not made a penny from blogging over 8 months and he/ she still has the courage to move on despite all odds. To my view, that is called motivation :). Or what other words can you use to describe such strength?
Now let me list down my one main reason why bloggers quit blogging…
The one reason Number One: # Money:
I had a friend who joined the blogging world sometime back. The only reason he joined blogging was to make money from it (well, that's why most bloggers joined blogging) but after some months, he discovered that blogging is not where you make easy money from and he gave up his blog and move on to other job opportunities :).
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Assuming he had the will to move further despite all odds, he attended some online courses, learned from top bloggers, he would have indeed make money blogging, right?
So my point is; if you joined blogging with the sole aim of making money online and you don't know the right directions to take, you will end up failing. And remember that nothing is worse than a quitter…
Tips to keep you in the game:
If you create your blog because you want to make money from it, you can but…
– You must learn how to actually make money from your blog
– Do some tight research
– Attend some nice but effective courses from well known bloggers that are actually making money online
– You must also have the willingness to learn
Doing all this and more will definitely help you in your making money online blogging. But if you can't perform the taxes and expect to just make money from your blog the first month you created it, Ahhhh… I rest my case :).
The one reason Number Two: Positive Result:
This is one of the main reason people quit their blogs today and I know you will agree with me.
Imagine you have been blogging for like 1yr + and you're not seeing any sign of positivity like, traffic spike, blog engagement, a dollar, wouldn't you feel like quitting? Well, we all know why people are not getting that positive result after many months or years in the blogging world. But in case you don't know, let me point out why you're not getting that positive result…
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– Not consistent
– Too lazy to carry out what you learn
– You don't socialize with other bloggers
– You give up too easily
– Not in the right Niche
– You're just not trying
– Can you give other reasons :).
Tips to keep you in the game:
Can you mention any blogger making money online that you know whose not hard working? There is none right? You must be focus and willing to carry out what you learn and not just read a blogger's post and dropping a thank you comment. Blogging is for the smart and hardworking people that are willing learn even more…
My advice to you is – work smart with a pinch of hard work :).
Motivation is that one reason:
Looking at the two reasons I gave – motivation plays the major role, right? So if you are not motivated, you can't keep up with the blogging world. Let me tell you a short story about myself that might motivate you…
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The starting of my blogging career was very cold and bitter. I started my blogging carrier with no money on me, nobody to cheer me up, nobody to guide me through difficult blogging moments and I really did not have any blogging friends coming
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Self-Worth: Where Does It Come From? Essay
The concept of self-worth is critical to understand as it implies identifying and valuing oneself as a person. This notion cannot be measured against any scale or standard, which makes it difficult to define and estimate. As a result, some people struggle with self-understanding and determining the sources of their worth. In my view, self-worth is an internal state derived from within an individual and not from the external environment. Despite a widespread belief, self-acceptance does not depend on the viewpoints and words of other people; instead, it focuses on discovering and regarding oneself.
With numerous factors contributing to our beliefs, perspectives, and, eventually, self-worth, it is easy to draw upon others’ ideas of the meaning and purpose of life. According to Flynn and Chow, self-esteem along with self-worth are “factors that are correlated with subjective stress” (83). I believe that accepting yourself and your own outlook on life is critical to coming to terms with yourself and avoiding feeling stressed, anxious, or guilty for no apparent reason. Since there is no universal meaning in life, each individual acquires it in their own ways. Once I realized this idea, it became easier for me to accept and appreciate myself. My self-worth does not originate in other people but comes from my perspective on life and the respect for my own beliefs, choices, experiences, actions, and goals.
Lack of respect for oneself prevents the individual from fully discovering their potential, achieving their unique goals, and pursuing happiness. Furthermore, a person’s value is not determined by their age, gender, appearance, academic performance, career, relationship status, financial situation, or accomplishments. My self-worth is all about my inner harmony with how I am and where I find myself at the given point. The outside forces that are beyond one’s control cannot be used to measure one’s value.
Reference
Flynn, Deborah M., and Peter Chow. “Self-Efficacy, Self-Worth and Stress.” Education, vol. 138, no. 1, 2017, pp. 83-88. Web.
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It happens a lot, so it's important to write down all of the things that might go wrong at this point. You can read about these things further down the page.
There are plenty of different approaches on the table for dealing with this. It's all down to your situation, what your goals are, what your skill set is, what you're used to, if you have any existing tools or tools that might be in use that aren't in question, etc. A few tips include:
You don't want to be "sneaky" and build a prototype of the problem first, to be sure.
If you want to avoid some of the more unpleasant problems, you might not want to get involved in writing up a spec for every tool that you're thinking of using.
Be ready
Get a few basic ideas out of the way by figuring out how to handle the problems.
The first step is making sure you're ready before you start. You should at least understand the types of problems that might arise and the tools that might be available to you to handle them, and be able to give a realistic estimate of what it might cost in practice. For example it may be useful to know in advance if you need a lot of resources to perform a fix; if you're doing it yourself, you'll probably have to go out and do some work that could cause you to waste a lot of time or money. I'm personally more than willing to take the risk, but if it's a big deal for me, I won't go to the trouble. (That doesn't mean I won't try to find it out; it just means that I won't bother finding out, unless something really urgent is at stake, something like I'm working on a big contract, which isn't often, and most likely won't be, as such.)
If you've written up and put out a spec, I'd strongly encourage you to get that out to people for feedback; they can be useful to you at this stage. Some people might be able to provide some good suggestions for solving common problems, others can't. It's also good to get some input from a handful of people, as that can give you some idea of the range of experience you run into, the variety of issues, and the general approach you're likely to encounter.
Get an initial budget in your head of how much time, resources, and thought you're willing to put into each problem at this stage. If you've started with the goal of a bug fixed, then figure out how long you would need to spend actually fixing that bug, before even beginning to think about how you might tackle any of the remaining problems that might occur.
Make sure you're ready
The second thing you need to be ready for is that this all might not be possible. This is the point where you might start to become concerned that whatever it is you're doing might cause problems, or lead you into making mistakes. You should be thinking to yourself:
How can I make this as trouble-free as possible?
Does it have any impact on any other parts of my day-to-day workflow?
Are there any other things that could be happening along the line that could really make a difference?
As an example, if you're working on some internal project or you're doing a major release for your product, you should definitely worry about whether things that are going on around you have any impact. I'm not even talking about the impact on you personally; it should be your responsibility to think about what is happening. If a bug causes one crash and 20 other crashes then in the end there are likely to be some problems of its own!
If the project is major, then you can start worrying in earnest when it's getting into the alpha/beta phase, and start trying to catch every breakpoint you can as the project progresses further and further along.
For most projects, you should expect this work to take months at a minimum. Don't be prepared to get back to it as soon as there is a chance that it might go wrong. It might require a good deal of energy to get through it all, and a lot of downtime if you spend that time trying to solve every problem. It might be better to leave the project on the back-burner and find other things to do with your time (or to hire a professional to do that work). If you're working on it for a long time, it might be that there are no problems to be discovered, or maybe the problems are small enough that it's not worth worrying about. That's fine, too. If it's a big project that's hard to get back to, that's better in the end, because you'll actually get to it eventually.
Don't wait until you've done something that will inevitably make some kind of trouble happen. This isn't going to happen once you've figured out
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Writing a persuasive essay requires that you have a strong topic, an organized body and structure, and evidence to support your point of view. First, you need to choose a topic that you feel strongly about and can support with solid facts. Once you have selected your topic, organize the essay in a clear and concise manner. Start with an introduction that presents your stance or argument, and provide your reasons for making the statement. Then, present each point separately in the body of the essay, providing evidence and supporting arguments for each one. Finally, finish with a conclusion that summarizes your points and reiterates your overall argument. With these steps, you should be well on your way to writing a persuasive essay.
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Weak and Failed States: A Challenge for US National Security Essay
Introduction
Security is vital to every nation throughout the globe. This is mainly because it ensures safety to all. All countries recruit, train, and assemble forces to protect their territories, properties, and citizens. In addition, peace of the world lies in having strong governments that can control their citizens. In this regard, failed States, as well as weak ones present threats to global security.
United States has been on the forefront in pushing for global security with a view to making the world a safer place. In doing so, they have invested extensively in stationing equipment, network and security facilities aimed at maintaining security throughout the world.
In addition, they have continued to invest heavily in liaison with other European nations, to support peaceful international. Moreover, their donations throughout the world have continued to support economies of poor nations.
Of great concern is the fact that weak and failed States increase security risks in the world. This paper will try to explore the effects of weak and failed States on US national security (US Joint Forces Command, 2010, 2).
Security
Security if is of great essence to every individual, entity and country. This is mainly because it ensures their very existence and survival. It also ensures that their rights to property and movement, among others, are maintained. Security can be described as the ability to protect an individual, entity, property or an organization. For security to be ensued, several strategies need to be put in place.
These include identifying threats to security, laying down measures to counter such threats, and providing the necessary resources and manpower for effecting security. United States has been in the forefront in ensuring global security. This shows how serious they are with security issues in the country. It also follows a series of threats that have caused great concern, especially those emerging from failed States as well as weak ones.
In this regard, the country has set up strategies to assist weak States in ensuring these threats are submerged. In addition, the country is working to ensure security is stepped up in failed States, as this promotes regional security as well as United States national security (US Joint Forces Command, 2010, 2).
United States National security
United States has faced several threats to its national security over the years. These ranges from Japanese attacks in world war one, as well as continued threats caused by terrorists who mainly reside in politically unstable countries. The latest concerns have been threats from terrorists who inflicted their most severe attack during September 11 bombing of Twin Towers and the Pentagon.
The bombing caused loss of lives to majority of American citizens in and around those areas. Investigations from CIA and other security organizations such as FBI linked the attacks to terrorists who have found havens in weak as well as failed States.
In addition, countries such as Somalia, where no single government is in place, serve as possible hideouts for perpetrators of atrocities and terrorists. The FBI and CIA are working round the clock to ensure that these threats are minimized. To achieve this, they use varied mechanisms due to the varied nature of these threats (Troxell, 2008, 209-234).
Some of the methods employed by United States to ensure national security include constant reviews on immigration policies to seal any loopholes that may be considered by terrorists. They have also stationed solders in almost every part of the world. These stations are strategically located to maximize security in countries experiencing wars, political, economic as well as internal instability.
They have therefore invested massively on them with a view to gaining political, military, social, economic mileage in order to promote stability and security for all. In the process, the country has acquired enemies with extremist ideas. These include people like the late Osama Bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network.
Strategies as those initiated by CIA worked successfully to nail al-Qaeda and their cronies. It is quite important to note that such networks and extremists find it easy to stay in unstable countries that are in political turmoil (Nation, 2008, 163-174).
Weak and failed States
A State can be considered as weak if it does not enforce its laws as required. This may happen in situations where there is a governing system with weak policies to counter security threats. In addition, a country may have the facilities required for such purposes but still lack the goodwill especially when the governing party fancies threats against United States.
A good example is Iran, whose president has continually accused United States of supporting atrocities against Palestinian State by supporting Israel. This is clearly a weak State since the governing body is unwilling to support global peace. On the other hand, we have failed States.
These States cannot manage themselves, and therefore harbor threats to national security. This may be attributed to political instability as is seen in the case of Somalia. Moreover, countries experiencing constant internal conflicts and rebels against the regime find themselves considered as failed states (Murphy, 2008, 175-188).
Weak States have been noted to provide safe havens for potential threats to United States national security. In fact, as was witnessed in Afghanistan during the Taliban regime, several terrorists went on hiding in the country. Such States are known to harbor terrorists and extremists who pose challenge to United States national security. It is very clear that the extremists require resources to fund their plans.
It is also quite important to note that such plans cannot continue in strong States. For this reason, they opt to conduct such activities in weak and failed States. The current activities conducted in Somalia have made it unstable for the past decades.
These activities are aimed at aiding terrorists like Al Shabaab, to take power and force more threats to individuals, entities, as well as countries that do not follow their extremisms (Joint Publication 1, 2007, 2).
How these states are a challenge to US National security
Having discussed weak and failed as given above, it is quite clear that availability of such States pose a great challenge to United States national security. For instance, the more the States (weak and failed States), the worse the security risk for American citizens as well as other countries.
When such States are allowed to coexist with others, terrorists will continue to intensify their threats and eventually cause instability in stable States. US security organizations have employed several strategies, which include diplomatic measures to avert threats to its nationals. Presence of weak and failed States poses great challenge to military and diplomatic strategies applied by the agencies to combat terrorism.
This is mainly because apart from harboring terrorist and extremists, those countries are agents of such challenges. Moreover, such countries do not have the capability or are unwilling to assist in tracking such activities. This is quite challenging to United States agencies in their quest to maintain security in the country (Forsyth, 2010, 1)
Realism
In trying to understand human nature, it is quite important to consider realism. People have different views and ideas. Furthermore, they possess different drives that lead them to varying actions. Realism is a term commonly utilized in international politics. It refers to a theoretical tradition, which explores international politics and its relation to human nature.
According to Thucydides, men are driven by many things due to human nature (Ferraro, 2003, 12-19). He goes on to state that human nature makes people to think and act outside the laid laws of humanity. In fact, he refers to such people as those under fire. The two drives he proposes are passion and reasoning.
Under normal circumstances people reason, but when passion is added to the drive, then passion takes center stage as the main drive. An individual in this state is highly likely to cause conflict and war. For this reason, realism is faulted for uncontrollable wars and conflicts against the United States.
Extremists possess both passion and reasoning, but allow passion to control them; in the process, they cause unimaginable damages in the name of justice or sometimes religion. Such drives are of great challenge to the United States national security, especially when allowed to breed in failed and weak States (Cronin, 2009, 97-118).
How the United States apply instruments of power (military, economics, information, and politics) to address security challenge
The United States has employed several techniques to curb threats from enemies, and potential enemies, as well as terrorists, among others. They have employed the use of military, politics, information, economics, among other methods to tackle threats and potential dangers to its nationals as well as properties.
Military action has been the main method employed by United States to address security challenges in weak and failed States (Fendrick, 2008, 189-194). For instance, the recent killing of Osama Bin Laden was the work military options as they moved to assist Pakistan in dealing with terrorists. Other military activities have been witnessed in the past and present war in Libya.
In essence, the country has military presence in almost every part of the world. Economics has been another major avenue for addressing challenges to security. For instance, the country has continually donated money to weak and failed States like Pakistan, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, among others, to enable them strengthen their security levels and economies.
Provision of information, training, and other facilities has also enabled prevention of threats to national security (Chun, 2008, 249-260). This is evident in programs conducted in Iraq and Afghanistan where solders are trained and informed on ways of reasoning.
Moreover, the country works to create awareness on security issues as well as need for peace in the world. Politics has also played a major role in addressing as well as redressing challenges to national security. To achieve this, United States government has always worked to support like-minded political parties throughout the world to minimize threats to security (Center for Naval Analysis, 2007, 24).
Conclusion
Security is vital to every nation. Countries recruit, train, and assemble forces to provide security for their territories, properties, and citizens. United States has faced several threats to its national security over the years. These ranges from Japanese attacks in world war one, as well as continued threats caused by terrorists who mainly reside in politically unstable countries.
The latest concerns have been threats from terrorists who inflicted their most severe attack during September 11 bombing of the Pentagon (Bruton, 2009, 79-94). According to Thucydides, men are driven by many things due to human nature. He goes on to state that human nature makes people to think and act outside the laid laws of humanity.
This has been faulted for aggression and extremism that is usually directed towards western nations, and most especially, the United States. United States has employed several techniques to curb threats from enemies, and potential enemies, as well as terrorists, among others.
They have employed the use of military, politics, information, economics, among other methods to tackle threats and potential dangers to its nationals as well as properties. However, military action has been the main method employed by United States to address security challenges in weak and failed States (Ackerman, Barak, and Young, 2010, 22).
Bibliography
Ackerman, John T. Barak J. Carlson, and Young I. Han. “Constructivism and Security.” Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) Distance Learning Program. Maxwell AFB, AL: ACSC, 2010.
Bruton, Bronwyn E. “In the Quicksands of Somalia: Where Doing Less Helps More.” Foreign Affairs 88, no. 6 (November/December 2009): 79-94
Center for Naval Analysis. National Security and the Threat of Climate Change . Alexandria, VA.: The Center for Naval Analysis, 2007.
Chun, Clayton K.S., “Economics: A Key Element of National Power.” In U.S. Army College Guide to National Security Issues, Volume I: Theory of War and Strategy. 3rd ed. Edited by J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr. Carlisle Barracks, PA.: US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute (June 2008): 249-260.
Cronin, Patrick M. (ed). “Chapter 5: Failed States and Ungoverned Spaces.” In Global Strategic Assessment 2009: America’s Security Role in a Changing Security World . Washington DC: National Defense University Press, 2009: 97-118.
Fendrick, Reed J., “Diplomacy as an Instrument of National Power.” In U.S. Army College Guide to National Security Issues, Volume I: Theory of War and Strategy. 3rd ed. Edited by J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr. Carlisle Barracks, PA.: US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute (June 2008): 189-194.
Ferraro, Vincent. “Globalizing Weakness: Is Global Poverty a Threat to the Interests of States?” Environmental Change and Security Project Report no. 9. Washington, D.C.: Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, 2003: 12-19.
Forsyth, James H. “Realist Thought and National Security Policy.” International Security Studies AY11 Coursebook. Air Command and Staff College (ACSC). Maxwell, AFB AL: Air University Press, 2010.
Joint Publication 1. Doctrine for the Armed Forces of the United States. 2 May 2007, Incorporating Change 1. 16 August 2011.
Murphy, Dennis M. “Strategic Communication: Wielding the Information Instrument of Power.” In U.S. Army College Guide to National Security Issues, Volume I: Theory of War and Strategy . 3rd ed. Edited by J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr. Carlisle Barracks, PA.: US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute (June 2008): 175-188.
Nation, R. Craig. “National Power,” In U.S. Army College Guide to National Security Issues, Volume I: Theory of War and Strategy . 3rd ed. Edited by J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr. Carlisle Barracks, PA.: US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute (June 2008): 163-174.
Troxell, John F. “Military Power and the Use of Force.” In U.S. Army College Guide to National Security Issues, Volume I: Theory of War and Strategy . 3rd ed. Edited by J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr. Carlisle Barracks, PA.: US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute (June 2008): 209-234.
US Joint Forces Command. The JOE 2010: Joint Operating Environment . Norfolk, VA: USJFCOM, 2010.
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Celtic manager Roberto Martinez's side are third in Scottish Premier League, three points clear of Ayr United
Scotland boss Mark Warburton told BBC Scotland he would be delighted to coach either the Scotland national team or the Scottish team.
Mark Warburton has impressed in his first two Scottish League Two games.
Warburton was a backroom player under Gordon Strachan for Scotland in 2006.
"If the opportunity came along, I'd certainly take it," added Warburton.
"There would be no doubt in my mind about who I'd be most happy to work with because if there was a good opportunity to work with one of the national managers that would be fantastic."
Mark Warburton joined Celtic in January, and has won nine out of 10 matches in League Two in the season's opening two months.
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On the heels of the latest "Honeypot" leak showing that the NSA has been "hacking," a group of security researchers have uncovered serious vulnerabilities on the Firefox browser, one of the most popular Web browsers available today. Mozilla last week acknowledged that this browser was under attack, with "hackers attempting to exploit" several of the browser's features.
The company issued a fix Tuesday for Firefox, including fixing a vulnerability that would require users to click links before the browser could let them go to a site. Mozilla also patched two other vulnerabilities affecting all versions of its browsers: one that would permit the NSA to inject any part of a Web page into a user's browser history, and another that would have allowed the agency to steal passwords from a user's browser.
The "hacking" group, known as the Shadow Brokers, has claimed it has data about 20 million NSA cyberweapons, but the security researchers have been unable to independently verify the validity of the group's leaked exploits. Still, Mozilla's fix is a welcome step toward protecting the users of Firefox. That said, while the latest leak shows that the NSA is under attack with some of the tools that the firm is building, it's impossible to verify whether these exploits or other vulnerabilities in the Chrome browser were also compromised. The fact that the NSA has not been able to demonstrate that its hacking tool arsenal is down with the leak is yet another sign that the government's activities could be much broader than the Snowden leaks suggest.
"This revelation also confirms that, despite many claims, Mozilla cannot be trusted, as the NSA will continue to compromise Firefox," wrote Jeffrey Carr, an analyst at Tripwire, in a blog post.
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Sebbakken is a member of the Order of the Green Lantern Corps. He was given his rings when the Guardians of the Universe arrived to defend the universe from the Sinestro Corps. A native of the planet Aitra, Sebbakken was killed during the Sinestro Corps War when his ship was lost in space. After Sinestro lost the Sinestro Corps War, Sebbakken was buried on Aitra where he was found by Black Hand, who took on his identity and used his ring and the power of Black Lantern powers to turn Sebbakken's remains into a Green Lantern.
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Digital Color Theory in Gelfman’s “Grids” Paintings Essay
Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is one of the most remarkable cultural and educational centers focused on the international art of the XX and XXI centuries. There are collections of paintings and works of artists from the United States, Caribbean countries, and Latin America. Particular attention is paid to the works of local artists and designers. Miami Museum is a link in the process of transnational exchange of people, ideas, and cultures. Since September 15, the selection of paintings “Grids” by the famous artist Lynne Golob Gelfman is exhibited in the museum. This paper will research the artist and content of the pieces of art, considering how color influences the mood and strengthens the artworks’ content.
The Pérez Art Museum Miami presented the most inclusive showing of the artworks of Lynn Golob Gelfman. This woman is a talented Miami-based artist who grew up in New York. Gelfman graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and Columbia University School of Art. Lynn taught art at the Dalton School from 1968 to 1972, a year when her husband set to work on a flower farm outside Bogota, and they moved to Miami, an imported gateway for flowers. The city is seen as an international hub of theater, art, music, dance, and filmmaking (Kleinberg and Parks 85).
Moving to Miami from New York — leaving a tough scene in which art was supposed to be “autonomous” from real-life — made the artist’s new work indistinguishable from art and reality around. Miami’s light and tropical flora began to influence the work of the artist. The color palette has become softer, often with an abundance of light green, gray, pink, and sandy white shades. Aspects of life in Miami (grey chain fences and flickering light reflected off the coastal waters) are expressly mentioned in the artworks. It is the way the artist takes something from the real world and turns it into a fascinating masterpiece of art, choosing the appropriate shapes and colors.
Abstract paintings in the collection of Lynn Golob Gelfman are all about surfaces that seem to move and flicker, sometimes looking like waves beating against the shore. At a different time, the artworks may resemble topographic photographs of a desert landscape or close-ups of a steep dune — all fragments of the original view of nature. Gelfman is inspired by such diverse things as textiles, delicate plant patterns, and traces left by crabs or worms as they move along the sand.
The show “Grid” featured 20 Gelfman’s artworks — including various series, methods, and inspirations from 1971 when she began to paint. The South has undergone notable changes in its aesthetic commitments with the growth of the arts and increased resources devoted to them (Bonner and Pennington 20). The exhibition in the Pérez Art Museum Miami explores Lynn Gelfman’s pieces of art in relation to the modernist grid tradition. By repeating both linear and geometric forms, the artist’s diverse collections reveal her interest in the late modernist studies of this rectilinear form while at the same time confirming resistance to formal rules and cool abstraction, demonstrating the contrast of Miami’s urban and natural environment.
Gelfman is often glorified for using unusual approaches in the process of creating artistic masterpieces. One of the examples of such an artwork is the picture “Large Abstract Oil Painting,” painted in 1991. The patterned surface of the picture demonstrates Gelfman’s interest in woven textiles. Also, the rich blue and red color palette create complementary relationships that only fascinate viewers and pull them deeper into the artwork. Red causes the strongest physiological reaction and emotions; this color is associated with love, rage, and power (Mollica 46). As for blue, it has a strong psychological value and symbolizes eternal values and wisdom.
Another masterpiece of Lynn Golob Gelfman is the picture “Muddy Roots 1,” painted in 1996. In this artwork, the unconventional drawing methods of the artist create a tangible texture and a multi-layered surface. Reptile-like patterns in this masterpiece reflect a close examination of the nature made by the artist, as well as the unique evergreen landscape of Miami. The peculiar style and expressionist drops throughout the picture add a sense of immediacy and attract viewers. Gelfman reflects the movement of nature in this sophisticated piece of art. Bright green slits throughout the picture reflect the tropical shades of Miami while creating the effect of the tops of trees.
Moreover, green is the color of life and nature, symbolizing prosperity and new beginnings. This color helps to dispel negative emotions, brings peace and tranquility, helps to concentrate and make a decision. It has a strong association with spring, youth, renewal, and naturalness (Birren 13).
The explosion of yellow color highlights the abstract expression peculiar to expressionists and brightly complements the base color spectrum. Yellow is a bright, stimulating color that helps to understand new ideas and maintain recognition, loyalty, and trust (McLeod 52). It is the color of the sun, energy, optimism, freedom, and sociability that characterizes the spirit of Miami. Green and yellow colors perfectly complement each other. These colors have a positive influence on the mood of the picture and enhance the composition of the artwork.
To sum up, Lynn Golob Gelfman is a very talented artist who creates masterpieces inspired by the fascinating reliefs of Miami and its nature. The usage of the right color scheme and shades makes Gelfman’s artworks even more attractive. The ubiquitous forces in the work of Lynn Golob Gelfman are nature and illusion. Acrylic or oil designs have a textile-like appearance that tends to positively affect the feelings of the viewer.
Gelfman, Lynne Golob. Muddy Roots 1. 1996. The Pérez Art Museum Miami.
Gelfman, Lynne Golob. Large Abstract Oil Painting “LL” Miami Modernist. 1991. The Pérez Art Museum Miami.
Works Cited
Birren, Faber. Color Psychology and Color Therapy; A Factual Study of the Influence of Color on Human Life . Hauraki Publishing, 2013.
Bonner, Judith H., and Estill Curtis Pennington. The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Volume 21: Art and Architecture . UNC Press Books, 2013.
Gelfman, Lynne Golob. Large Abstract Oil Painting “LL” Miami Modernist . 1991. The Pérez Art Museum Miami. Web.
Gelfman, Lynne Golob. Muddy Roots 1 . 1996. The Pérez Art Museum Miami. Web.
Kleinberg, Howard, and Arva Moore Parks. Legendary Locals of Greater Miami . Arcadia Publishing, 2013.
McLeod, June. Colour Psychology Today . John Hunt Publishing, 2016.
Mollica, Patti. Color Theory: An Essential Guide to Color-from Basic Principles to Practical Applications . Walter Foster Publishing, 2013.
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MISSOULA (AP) — A Montana judge ordered a man who said police officers beat him into a guilty plea Tuesday, saying the defendant's testimony was full of "half truths and outright lies."
The man said he was assaulted by officers on Nov. 23 after police pulled him over while speeding on Interstate 90. He said he had no alcohol or drugs in his system at the time and had been on medication for schizophrenia.
Police later searched his vehicle and found evidence that he'd been driving illegally. But they did not find proof of drugs or that officers were beating him, so the men were both charged with disorderly conduct.
Judge Thomas McDonough on Tuesday said that was not the case. He said evidence suggested instead that the men were arguing with officers when one of them punched the other in the face, causing them to fall down and hit their heads on the pavement.
"There is no evidence that you acted violently during the incident," McDonough told James David Martin, 39. "None."
After his arrest, police said Martin confessed that he had driven the wrong way on I-90, ran a stop sign, then got out of his car and approached police, telling them he didn't want to deal with being arrested. He said he didn't understand the officers' commands and was holding a knife in the car when one of them hit him in the face.
Martin told the judge he had no idea why officers arrested him. As he was taken to jail, he tried to say his name, but his attorney quickly stopped him after learning it's not James James Martin.
The judge noted the defendant's testimony about the knife was based on his own account.
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Information from: Missoulian, https://www.missoulian.com
Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC.
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By Dr. Mercola
What happens on a factory farm depends on the age of the animal in question. "We don't have calves," says Jennifer Cramblett, PhD. "That animal is not being born yet."
But when it comes to laying hens -- the vast majority of which are kept in battery cages until they're roughly six months old and slaughtered -- every animal counts in this country. In the US, more than 4,800 egg-laying hens go into the production of one egg.
Factory farmers don't even care how they treat their caged hens. It's not even a question. They are going to the same place and the same way in order to maximize their profits. For decades, the vast majority of egg consumption in the US has come from animals raised on factory farms, and they have endured a staggering level of suffering, including brutal overcrowding and disease, as millions of them are crammed into these inhuman conditions.
For years, scientists including Cramblett refused to speak out for what they knew to be the truth -- that the very same factory farms that churn out chickens raised in such a deplorable way are putting their eggs on everyone's dinner table in the US.
Then, in the past few years, these scientists' silence on this issue started to change. They discovered the startling fact that while chicken meat is no longer the primary source of the American diet, almost all the eggs sold in the US – more than half of the eggs for the entire country – come from factory farmed chickens.
To put it plainly: If you are eating a meal every night with your family, chances are it contains eggs from a factory farm somewhere. And if you don't want to eat these eggs, you are literally paying your family's health, your children's health, and the continued health and lives of billions of chickens every year to come to your table.
The fact is, eggs from battery cages are farmed for three main reasons:
1) The US meat industry has a massive supply chain that extends every which way from field to kitchen – if you can't get local eggs, your family's health and animal welfare would likely suffer, as would yours.
2) The US is, overall, a country with a very high rate of obesity and very little healthy food choices. The nation can ill-afford to continue producing food that is either extremely unhealthy (like factory farmed eggs) or very expensive.
3) There's no way a farmer could produce that many eggs in that small a space without using some sort of system to ensure that their chickens are as happy and healthy as possible. Factory farming is an industry that's not interested in ensuring that the animals they are farming are treated well because it can be a detriment to their bottom line.
What Are Your Options?
If it's not possible to avoid buying eggs from battery farm hatcheries (and we advise you to always purchase eggs locally whenever possible), here are other options you can choose from:
1. Avoid eggs that have been produced in these barbaric conditions.
2. Shop at stores that buy eggs from hens who were in an open cage (at least 70 square inches, where a small chicken would be) at least one year (one year is standard) before laying. To obtain a list of stores that buy eggs from hens who were in open cages at least one year before laying, check out this list from Farm Sanctuary. They suggest you purchase eggs from stores that have the largest possible open space in their cages.
3. Buy at least half your egg supply from local, humane, organic farms.
4. Purchase eggs in organic and free trade restaurants whenever possible instead, though you may have to pay a little bit more.
If you find that chicken eggs are still making up your entire dinner routine, the next part of this article will detail the facts on how they're produced in the first place.
To start, a quick reminder of what's happening on a typical egg farm: Each day, large numbers of male hens are penned up in cages so small they cannot even turn around. They are kept in tightly stacked rows, with no space to turn around or give birds opportunities to scratch around on the ground. As the days wear on, the hens become increasingly desperate and begin banging their heads against the bars, eventually injuring themselves. Eventually, the hens' bodies burst from their cages into horrible sores and disease spreads, because they were forced to stand in cages they didn't want to be in.
In order for the egg production industry to make a profit, hens must be kept this way for their entire lives, and their treatment and deaths are brutal. Each hens' life is short and miserable, and their lives are short and miserable even more when their young are forcibly taken away from them in order to stop them from laying eggs for their greedy, cruel, and
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Karen Handel, the House Republican, has been declared the winner of the Georgia special election, a stunning result in a race that was widely viewed as a referendum on President Donald Trump.
The Republican candidate, Ossoff, had faced an uphill climb as Democratic voters flocked to the Republican's campaign to take a swing district in Atlanta. But his campaign raised over $23 million from donors across the country and he managed to pull off a string of small victories from May to June as he fought to turn the district's GOP-leaning suburban-focused voters into GOP-leaning suburban-focused voters.
"We took a district Trump won by 30-point margins when we went toe-to-toe with both Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel," Republican National Committee Chairman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. "We are proud of our grassroots supporters, our supporters in the media and across Georgia and America as a whole who joined the party."
As the race tightened, Handel's candidacy had a lot of momentum. The conservative GOP firebrand who led the state's Republican primary earlier this year — and led Republican Handel's polling — was suddenly a major part of the race.
Trump, who called Ossoff "a disaster" after being elected to Congress in 2010, urged his supporters to cast a vote for Handel in a late July tweet, writing "She is running a great race. THANK YOU!" The president also tweeted about the race on Sunday, telling supporters to "get out and vote for Karen!"
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The IAEA's experience in Iraq and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the early 1990s demonstrated that, although IAEA safeguards had worked well with regard to verification activities on declared nuclear material and facilities, it was not well-equipped to detect undeclared nuclear material and activities in States with CSAs.
At the end of 1993, the IAEA embarked on a broad programme to further strengthen safeguards implementation under CSAs by enhancing the IAEA's ability to detect undeclared nuclear material and activities. As part of the so-called Programme 93+2, measures designed to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of IAEA safeguards for States with CSAs were presented to the IAEA Board of Governors.
Some of these strengthening measures, referred to as "Part 1" measures – such as the early provision of design information, environmental sampling and the use of satellite imagery – could be implemented under the existing legal authority provided for in the CSAs, while others – such as State provision of information about, and access to, all parts of a State's nuclear fuel cycle, from mines to nuclear waste – required complementary legal authority for them to be implemented. These additional "Part 2" measures led to the development and approval of the Model Additional Protocol in 1997.
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If your PC is still running Windows 8.1, but you'd like to upgrade to Windows 10, you might be wondering how to get there. Today, Microsoft officially released Windows 10 to the public, with some notable changes, including an updated Start menu that lets you pin apps, an improved Cortana, and new features like Edge. But before you get that Windows 10 install ready to pop, here's how to update your computer to the next version of Windows without a complete reinstall. Read on for instructions.
Step 1: Check for Updates
You should download and install the Windows 10 Anniversary Update before you can check your PC for other major updates. The latest update for Windows 10 is 14393.10, which is available at the Microsoft Download Center.
Step 2: Download Windows 10 Update KB3173037
On your desktop, right-click Windows icon, click properties, and then click the security tab. Click View advanced security options, and then choose Turn Windows features on or off. Click Allow. Select either Install Updates or Check for Updates.
Step 3: Run Check for Updates and Install KB 3173037
To check for updates, click the Start button, right-click Windows icon, and click Update and Security.
Find the Windows version number, and click Check for updates.
The Windows Update utility will install KB3173037, check for any updates, and then show you whether or not you have new updates available. Click Install or check for updates, depending on your settings. This will install new updates and prompt you for installation.
This won't change your PC's default settings—all users will get the new updates and will need to restart their PC for the changes to take effect. For example, this means all users should reboot their PCs for new security fixes and improvements, including the improved Cortana and Edge settings (see next) when Windows 10 updates.
Step 3: Restart Your PC
On your desktop, click the Start menu, and then click Restart.
Click Yes when prompted to restart your PC.
If you want to restore your Start menu, Windows will automatically restart, and you'll have your old Start menu back. But here's a trick for those who want to make this the last step of their Windows 10 upgrade:
Close all your applications to ensure your desktop is empty. Click the Start menu, click Settings, click System and Security. Click Restart Now. Click Yes to confirm, restart the computer, and then click Restart Now.
Windows 10 users should now see an updated Start menu.
With all your Windows 10 applications closed, restart your computer as normal and restart your PC. Windows 10 will now restart and you'll be presented with your old Start menu.
At this point, you're ready to update the Windows 10 upgrade on your PC, but how to get there is slightly convoluted and won't completely solve your problem. (There are some things you'll just have to do manually to get the Windows 10 upgrades done.) Here's a tutorial from Reddit user Nol_nomek that uses an old tool called Windows Upgrade Assistant to make the process as painless and painless as possible.
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“Sure Thing” the Play by David Ives Essay
Introduction
The play “Sure Thing” written by David Ives has become, since the mid- 1990s, a sure thing. In SAE (Standard American English), the expression sure thing means success. It is a favorite with readers and playgoers. “Sure thing is also the most performed contemporary play in the nation. If one is to hazard a guess, perhaps it was because it came out at a time Americans needed it most – when America entered into a war. The country confronted with a life-and-death situation needed good old wholesome American humor to preserve their sanity and this short play has enough of that humor to spare. With much of the male population away from home, it is interesting to observe how the women took things in stride and also how the Americans, in general, preserved their humor as well as their courage and individuality.
Main body
The setting takes place in the Denver Metro area. The script is written to use one couple, but for our interpretation of the script, three couples were used. Doing this showed how various couples were used. Doing this showed how various couples can interact in one world and come together with similar tactics, yet get varying results. Utilizing multiple couples made the script more playable and much more enjoyable to watch and the audience is kept guessing as to what is going to happen.
The play presents several possibilities that exist when two people (strangers to each other) try to have a cup of coffee together. It starts with the question “Is that seat is taken?” with responses starting with “Yes, I’m waiting for someone” to “No, have a seat.” It takes a short time to relax with the switching of scenes, but it is eerie to watch the scene unfold and realize that you could have been in the same situation.
The play includes a cast of two characters. Bill and Betty. Betty is a woman in her late twenties. She is reading at a café table with an empty chair opposite her. Bill who is of the same age approaches her.
In the first five encounters, the conversations start with the question “Is this seat taken?” and in four of them, it ends with “sure thing”, indicating acceptance of the situation. In the third encounter, the woman sees through the man’s ruse when she says “Sorry. Nice try though.” The discomfiture of the man here is humorous to any listener. In the fifth encounter, the man’s efforts to strike up a conversation are twice rebuffed by the monosyllabic answer of “Mm-hm”. When he doesn’t take the hint, that she is unwilling to contribute to the conversation, she becomes feisty saying, “I just wanted to read in quiet, if you don’t mind.” This shows that no one can trample on her rights.
An ice breaker, on the other hand, could be a remark about the book being read. A comic incident is triggered by Bill when he mentions Hemingway and Faulkner as the author of the book (Anything to get acquainted). But admission to having read it almost invariably leads to friendship and to a revelation of Bill’s having gone through college or not and to what particular college.
Surprise revelations that may turn out to be rather embarrassing are also in order as in the following:
* Betty: Do you like Faulkner?
* Bill: I love Faulkner. I spent a whole winter reading him once.
* Betty: I’ve just started
* Bill: I was so excited after the first ten pages that I went out and bought everything he wrote. What do you think?
* Betty: I think it’s pretty boring. I think this is probably what they call the “big letdown”.
* Most people would conclude that Bill deserved this “perfect squelch” for boasting and exaggerating about buying everything that Faulkner wrote.
* A big deterrent to embarking on a friendly relationship that hasn’t even begun is such responses to the query. “Do you come in here a lot?” Such answers as “Actually I’m just in town for two days from Pakistan” and “Not as much as I used to before my nervous breakdown”.
* Probably the most humorous rejoinder could be the following dialogue:
* Bill: Do you come in here a lot?
* Betty: Why are you asking?
* Bill: Just interested
* Betty: Are you interested, or do you want to pick me up?
* Bill: No, I’m interested.
* Betty: Why would you be interested in whether I come in here a lot?
* Bill: I’m just…getting acquainted.
* Betty: Maybe you’re only interested in the sake of making small talk long, enough to ask me back to your place to listen to some music, or because you’ve just rented this great tape for your VCR or because you’ve got some terrific unknown Django Reinhardt record only all you want to do is fuck which you won’t do very well after which you’ll go into the bathroom and pee very loudly, then pad into the kitchen and get yourself a beer from the refrigerator without asking me if I’d like anything and then you’ll proceed to lie down and confess that you’ve got a girlfriend named Stephanie who’s away at medical school in Belgium for a year and that you’ve been involved with her off and on in what you’ll call a very intricate relationship for the past seven years. None of which interests me, mister!” What would one expect with a lot of lying being bandied about?
Lastly, in response to “You weren’t waiting for somebody when I came in, were you?” Curiosity would kill the cat with such responses as: “My husband” or “my boyfriend” or my lover (from Betty) or “my mother.”
Since the play turned out to be a sure thing, the global situation has not changed much. The world is now beset by more problems than ever before. The polar caps are melting and the oceans are filling up. Pretty soon there will be no more islands to speak of. There is a food and water shortage to contend with. More than of the animal species have disappeared. Terrorism is the new unseen enemy. Humanity is in the grip of diseases that defy curative measures. Governments all over are ruled by greed. Crime has even reared its ugly head all over the world.
On the bright side, the war in the Middle East is, at last, coming to an end. World leaders and scientists have recently convened to discuss the possibilities of solving the dire problems of mankind. People on the other hand can help themselves by practicing economy; following the health rules and teaching their children the same; avoiding as much as possible any wrong-doing and on the whole-cheering up themselves. People can dream up whatever amusement comes their way such as viewing plays like “Sure Thing” which is guaranteed to be a sure thing when it comes to entertainment seeing themselves as they are in the characters portrayed. “Sure Thing” can truly help by bolstering the spirit, strengthening faith, and increasing courage to face the future no matter how bleak. It encourages viewers to never give up.
Conclusion
As the play suggests, there is the human race in all its splendor. It’s a sure thing that everyone is different, unpredictable, and FUNNY!
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Learning French: Word Cards and Keyword Technique Essay
Table of Contents
1. Number of Repetitions
2. Difficulties
3. Use of Keyword Technique
4. Keyword Technique: Research Questions
5. References
I have selected fifty common words in the French language and made word cards using English translations and pictures, when applicable (Nation, 2001, p. 304). While Nation suggests keeping the cards simple, I have decided to include the gender on the noun cards (2001, p. 305). Throughout the exercise, I was training to pronounce the words and to use them in combination with each other (Nation, 2001, p. 307-308).
Number of Repetitions
As I was going through the pack for the first time, I noticed that I could remember the meaning of nine words, or approximately one-fifth of the total count, as a result of making the cards. As Nation suggests, I then used both receptive and productive learning techniques (2001, p. 306). I have gone through the pack three times looking at the side that contains the words themselves. After the first repetition, I was able to recall the meaning of seventeen words, and after the second and third – twenty-four and thirty-six, respectively. Between different attempts, I reshuffled the cards to avoid serial learning (Nation, 2001, p. 315).
I then used the reverse side to exercise recalling the word forms based on their meanings. As a result, I found that I have successfully memorized forty-three words. At this point, I put the seven words I had difficulties remembering near the beginning (Nation, 2001, p. 307). After two more repetitions, I was able to successfully recall the meaning and form of all fifty words. Thus, it took me two rounds to remember half of the words, three rounds to learn three-quarters, and six repetitions for all the words.
Difficulties
Throughout the exercise, I have encountered three categories of challenges. The first group is the so-called “false friends”, or words with a different meaning but a similar form or pronunciation in two different languages (Frunza & Inkpen, 2009, p. 3). For instance, when I saw the word “attendre”, my immediate association was the English word “to attend”; however, in French, it means “to wait”. Even though I learn to be aware of the false friends, their memorization was comparatively slower.
The words in the second group have spelling peculiarities that are absent in English. This group includes words such as “mère” (mother) and “sœur” (sister). While it was easy to remember their meaning, I experienced difficulties recollecting their form. Finally, since I decided to include the nouns’ gender in the cards, remembering them presented a separate challenge. The gender of nouns such as “mère” was intuitively clear, but some words did not have this self-explanatory link to their gender.
Use of Keyword Technique
I have used the keyword technique to memorize some of the selected words, for instance, “dire” (to say) and “aller” (to go). “Dire” has the same form as the English word that means “extremely serious, terrible”. The associated mental image was that of a person speaking in an agitated manner. “Aller”, on the other hand, does not have a corresponding English word with the same form, so I have selected the word “all”.
The visual image was that of a large group of people walking together. Thanks to the keywords, I was able to easily remember the meaning of foreign words. Overall, the method was quite effective, and it made the learning process more entertaining, but generating keywords was difficult and time-consuming in some cases.
Keyword Technique: Research Questions
1. What is the long-term retention potential of the keyword technique?
2. Why is the keyword technique less effective for learners with lower aptitude?
3. Are self-created keywords and images more effective compared to ready-made keywords?
References
Frunza, O., & Inkpen, D. (2009). Identification and disambiguation of cognates, false friends, and partial cognates using machine learning techniques. International Journal of Linguistics, 1 (1), 1-17.
Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language . Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
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For a man who seems to hate America, Pope Francis is having a really bad week. First came his attacks on America's war on the poor. Then came his attack on Islam — a religion with more adherents than any other in the world and which the pope said "cannot adapt itself to" modernity. Now come reports of the pope's personal life.
On Tuesday, the Vatican's official newspaper published a leaked report on a private conversation Francis had in January with a prominent French cardinal, a woman who leads one of the church's most liberal branches and who has been publicly critical of the pope's approach to poverty and the poor.
In the conversation, Francis reportedly suggested that the woman had been "a little bit too close to the press" and had "not behaved correctly in public." The next day, the Cardinal, Anne-Marie Lizin, published a lengthy open letter, written with the assistance of several close friends, in which she called the pope's comments "hurtful not only to me but also to my spouse who is Catholic and who is known as a defender of the rights of the weak and marginalized."
In her letter, Lizin wrote that she and her friends did not support Francis's "offensive" statement. While they agreed with what he had said about "the world of the rich" she said, it was not necessary to make light of sexual abuse committed by priests, a phenomenon often referred to as a "church crisis" in Vatican circles. She wrote that the pope was not only not addressing the issue but had also "politicized" the rape scandal, which she described as "the most grave violation of our dignity and rights, the least talked about and the most neglected." In her view, his "distraction from issues of justice and of protecting children and survivors of sexual assault was also harming the church, the only institution which can make sense of these issues with any seriousness."
In her remarks, the pope also appeared to criticize the United States for providing support for the Catholic Church in countries like France — including the support of a private foundation that funds projects to help victims of sexual abuse by priests.
It was no secret in Rome that some of his closest advisers had criticized the pope's more inflammatory comments. "The most important thing for the church from now on is not the problems of the faithful, but how we can best support those who have been badly harmed by the problems of the Roman Curia and by the papacy," one of his advisers, Cardinal George Pell, told journalist Patrick Pelloux in a conversation that was recorded by Pelloux's Vatican-employed cameraperson. "And Pope Francis, quite correctly, considers this to be a critical issue," Pelloux continued. "To me it isn't a criticism."
Pelloux and the Italian journalist, in describing their conversation, did not name Pope Francis. But if the cardinal was discussing "Francis as a leader," as he told Pelloux, it would indicate that perhaps Pelloux would not have chosen the same tone as he did. Perhaps that explains why, in Pelloux's book, he wrote that Francis was not a "person with a clear vision for the future of Catholicism."
The pope's response to questions about Francis's personal life is, of course, also shrouded in secrecy. However, in his book The Path to Peace he said that "when we meet someone at the beginning of a journey of love, it is the most intimate thing that one can do with an individual, and sometimes this kind of love can also be more profound."
Indeed, the pope and his biographer, Argentinian journalist Paolo Gabriele, have discussed how, even on "the outside," Francis has been a model of fidelity to his fiancee, Sister Luciana Alfonsi, also a Roman Catholic.
Francis's first two marriages produced two children. His marriage to American nuns, to Sister Angelina, has been particularly famous for its unusual way of life. It began in 1965 in Vatican City with the pope's unexpected invitation of the sisters for a three-day retreat, and soon the couple was living on the outskirts of Rome in the convent where Sister Angelina had served as a teacher.
The "Francis effect," as some scholars call it, was the key to the Vatican's decision to bless the consecration of a third altar — this one dedicated to the Blessed Mother — to another church, the Immaculate Conception, close to Sister Angelina's home in Rome, in 2001. The ceremony was an important step in opening the doors of the church to women and, by some accounts, the Vatican's own reform agenda.
Sister Angelina has also been widely acknowledged to be one of the most important architects of Francis's more visible reforms so far — including the decision in 2010 to remove the popes own limousine from the papal apartments, after the previous model caused rifts in the Holy See. And during the three years since he took
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Sen. Ted Cruz speaks with his wife, Heidi, by his side during a primary night campaign event in Indianapolis. Cruz ended his presidential campaign, eliminating the biggest impediment to Donald Trump's march to the Republican nomination.
May 3, 2016 Sen. Ted Cruz speaks with his wife, Heidi, by his side during a primary night campaign event in Indianapolis. Cruz ended his presidential campaign, eliminating the biggest impediment to Donald Trump's march to the Republican nomination. Darron Cummings/AP
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) has the backing of the tea party and has received plenty of attention — positive and negative — despite being in the Senate for only 10 months.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) has the backing of the tea party and has received plenty of attention — positive and negative — despite being in the Senate for only 10 months.
The story of the past few weeks in Washington can be summed up in a single headline: "How Ted Cruz won and the Republican Party lost."
As the debt-ceiling deadline creeps ever closer and hope for a solution seems to grow dimmer, there is an increasing amount of clarity coming out of Washington about how this will all end politically.
For the Republican Party writ large, the shutdown is a political disaster. The only debate within the party is whether it amounts to a short-term political dip or a long-term collapse that could jeopardize its hold on the House and its chances to retake the Senate next November. For Cruz, the Republican senator from Texas who has become the face of the uncompromising opposition in Congress, the past fortnight has been broadly successful as he looks toward a potential 2016 presidential bid.
In short, what the government shutdown has proved is that what's good for Cruz is not good for the Republican Party nationally. That sentiment was summed up nicely by a prominent Republican media consultant who expressed exasperation with Cruz's approach. "The best part is this — if the Ted Cruz strategy had a 20 percent chance of working, maybe even a 10 percent chance of working — okay, fine, give 'er a shot, roll the dice," said the consultant. "But when you have a 0.0 percent chance of success, um . . ."
This good-for-the-goose-but-not-for-the-gander reality is nothing new in politics, particularly for a party that is out of the White House and, rather openly, in search of its next act on the national stage. That has been the challenge for House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus since the 2012 election exposed major cracks in the pillars of the party's electoral strategy. (To his credit, Priebus commissioned a surprisingly honest political autopsy in the wake of that election that has been largely lost amid the focus on repealing President Obama's health-care law and the ongoing shutdown.)
1 of 55 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Sights of the shutdown View Photos From federal office buildings to the national parks and memorials, sights around Washington and across the country are closed after Congress failed to pass a funding bill. Caption From federal office buildings to the national parks and memorials, sights around Washington and across the country are closed after Congress failed to pass a funding bill. Oct. 7, 2013 Ominous clouds fill the sky in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Democrats and Republicans are still at a stalemate on funding for the federal government as the shutdown goes into a seventh day. Mark Wilson/Getty Images Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.
Finding a way to put immigration in its political rearview mirror, focusing on debt and spending rather than repealing health care — these are sound strategic goals for a Republican Party that badly needs to re-imagine its national coalition in 2016. But they are far less important (and popular) among the party's vocal base, which views Obamacare in particular as an abomination that typifies everything — using government to solve all problems, imposing federal mandates on the states — that it loathes about the Obama presidency.
Enter Cruz, who carries a sort of intuitive understanding of what animates the base. His 21-hour filibuster made him even more of a hero within the GOP rank and file, and his continued insistence that fighting trumps compromising as a legislative approach is just the sort of battle cry that the base wants to hear.
Need evidence of Cruz's gains of late? He won the 2016 straw poll at the Values Voter Summit on Saturday with 42 percent of the vote, and his speech at that gathering of social conservatives was received very warmly. He has become the center of gravity for a certain not-insignificant element of the Republican Party. Cruz has proved that he will be "the tea party's one true standard-bearer in the Republican presidential primary," according to Evan Smith, the CEO and editor in chief of the Texas Tribune,
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Youssef Chahine Egyptian Filmmaker: Works Essay
Cinema plays a very important role in modern life. What was recently regarded as a kind of entertainment now can be considered as art. There are a lot of films that describe certain historical events and periods. These films are of great interest among the public and they have already gained recognition around the world. Every film has its certain idea and serves to forward some message to the audience. Due to the professional work of the directors, we can enjoy wonderful films. This paper deals with the works of Youssef Chahine, a famous Egyptian filmmaker. He is one of the most outstanding persons in Arab cinema.
Every work of Youssef Chahine is unique, as it contains a certain political message, which keeps the audience on the tenterhooks during the whole film. “Although it underwent a later resurgence, especially in Egypt, both in the film of revisionist vehicles directed by Youssef Chahine, among others and in the incorporation of music video aesthetics into youth-oriented, so-called shopping mall films” (Ginsberg and Lippard 289).
One of the most interesting and outstanding films by Chahine is The Sparrow that was shot in 1972. It is also one of the most divisive films of the director. The idea of The Sparrow was written in teamwork with Lotfi al-Kholi, a famous avant-gardist, and also co-produced with Algeria. This film is shot previous to and for the duration of the Six-Day War, which happened in June 1967. In general, the film is an obsessive insightful social cram that focuses on a family ragged by political dissimilarity as Egypt is beaten. Chahine tries to demonstrate certain political events. This film depicts Chahine’s political response to conducting the war with Israel and attacks the existing corruption in Egypt.
The Sparrow put the beginning to a new mainstream in cinema and the development of Chahin’s unique style. The Sparrow has spiky oppositional frames. This film is the so-called investigation of the reasons for the events of 1967 and the try to shame those politicians and participants who caused this war. So, it is no surprise that the film was banned for some time and its release was permitted only in 1973. Chahine does not miss the opportunity to touch upon the issue of religion in the film, demonstrating people’s and his attitude to Islam, as the main Arabian religion. Moreover, the problem of relative bounds is also described in the film, depicting the story of the adopted son of a superior officer, who faces the problem of scruples as he looks for his genuine father, who is supposed to be a left-wing militant.
Nasserism is another issue that is discussed in the film. The author demonstrates the actions of the government and people who were inspired by this ideology that leads to awful results. The author tries to show that it is impossible to return what has already passed, especially using people’s victims. Eschewing the usual story, the film is an exhilarating mixture of realistic and some expressive elements. The main aim of such way of description is to demonstrate Chanine’s image of the country which appeared in the war.
Undoubtedly, The Sparrow makes a great impression on the viewers due to its interesting and captivating plot, which helps to understand completely the problems, touched upon in the film.
Works Cited
Ginsberg, Terri, and Chris Lippard. Historical Dictionary of Middle Eastern Cinema (Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts). Canada: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2010.
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Hockey Canada executives will meet Saturday to discuss the prospects of adding a women's national team.
Canada is in its second year of a two-year experiment with a women's team and they're still finding their legs. Last season, only three teams qualified for the Olympics, and they came up short to the United States, who defeated them 3-0 in the semifinals. They qualified for the 2015 World Championships, but were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Canada, 2-0.
The players have said they need more time to figure out how to play together, but they're still learning to play together.
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"We've really had a hard time getting up to speed," national women's player Julie Chu said in an interview. "It's difficult to put into words what that's like – a new experience, a completely new sport entirely. The communication and the confidence are all new, so we've struggled with that.
"So we're still making a ton of mistakes in some of the areas. That's why there is such excitement and anticipation for the meeting – we want to get a better sense as to how we're going to get there."
The teams will split the first weekend of a two-stage championship in Montreal in December. The top two teams from those matches will advance to the best-of-three final round.
One possibility is adding the women to the men's national team pool.
While the teams are separate countries, they compete on the same ice. And they have shared coaches, a coach, trainer and player manager.
The current men's roster includes nine players from Canada but the top two female players are part of Team Canada's national junior teams.
It's not easy switching coaches mid-season, and the men have had two assistant coaches in just three years. But the teams are close, the Canadian players say.
Clementine Poulin, the player Canada should select as its general manager later this week, played in three games for the women's national team at the world hockey championship last fall. It was a tough time for her team at home and she was looking for some new experiences in order to push through a tough tournament.
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"I'm really proud of the team that we had – we took one game off at the hands of the United States in the quarterfinal and came back to win," Poulin said. "It's difficult, but it was really enjoyable to have a full week and get to see my new teammates face-to-face, and I think that shows that there is a lot of excitement for future women's teams coming."
The women's national team is a young squad with more than 40 players who are still in and out of training. The players need time to develop chemistry, and they'll be playing in a new sport.
They also need coaching and support from the senior team.
In an interview a year ago, Canada's captain and captain Christine Sinclair was adamant the women's program would work, saying, "When we step on the ice for real this January, when we're fully committed, I can guarantee this will be one of the best teams [Canada] has ever put together."
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Some ways to relieve stress include taking deep breaths, exercising, meditating, writing in a journal, talking to a friend, listening to music, and spending time in nature.
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The University of Toronto's faculty and staff have responded to allegations of racist text messages and emails in a letter sent by U of T's President Meric Gertler to all members.
In the open letter, dated Feb. 29, Gertler says the university, like any other, can be subject to "troubling and hurtful" conduct by individuals and that such actions make it imperative the university's rules are followed as strictly as possible.
The letter reads, in part:
"I want to assure you that the University of Toronto's Faculty and Staff are dedicated to promoting a culture that is inclusive of all members and of all backgrounds, and that a community of mutual respect and tolerance is vital to our academic, research, student, and social life.
"The University of Toronto is an important learning and research institution, and a place where you will find a warm and welcoming community of scholars, scholars and scholars who share a passion for knowledge and the search for knowledge.
"It is also a community that is very much a work in progress, and one that will always change and evolve with a changing climate, and I want to encourage all of you to remain engaged in that process.
"I hope to be here in the next decade as long as it is possible for me – and the university – to remain here."
The letter comes after allegations circulated on social media that some staff members were responsible for creating inappropriate texts and emails, some with racist overtones.
Several students have sent messages to CBC Toronto in recent weeks alleging that U of T students are the victims of a "cult mentality" within the academic community, and that faculty and staff are harassing them.
U of T spokesperson Heather Conway confirmed the letter has now reached all members, and said university officials have launched an internal investigation.
Conway added that the university has already disciplined one staff member.
According to several students, the texts range from jokes that mock black actors, to one which says, "If I gave you head you'd be on a boat the whole time," which some students say is the latest example of offensive and insensitive language on campus.
A U of T statement says staff were "instructed to take the appropriate action by their supervisors for an example of conduct that they had failed to uphold in another context."
'Troubling and hurtful'
Gertler says, in the letter sent to members, that "troubling and hurtful" conduct can arise from a wider range of behaviours:
"We can all be guilty of not understanding the impact of the language we use to communicate, and we can make a difference, too, in our collective ability to ensure that the words we use are meaningful, respectful, and do not convey negative stereotypes."
In the letter, Gertler also discusses the "welcome culture" that's intended to "support and facilitate respectful and inclusive language and behaviours."
He added such a culture can be applied to all types of behaviour on campus — including the creation of "brogrammer" groups, which students say are intended to encourage students to pursue the arts or to study science.
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This is the first in a long series which will be examining and commenting on one issue or another that has been prominent enough in the world of the occult for its influence to still be felt. Each post will be focused around one topic or idea that has either been touched with my own research or which has been touched upon by experts in the occult, occultism and/or magic. For this post I have chosen the question: Did Crowley write a work detailing a method of summoning the dead? I had already discussed his relationship with the Church of Satan back in 2013, so I won't be addressing Crowley's relationship with the Church of Satan here. If you hadn't seen my work on the Church of Satan back then, I encourage you to do so so you can read what I wrote back then in addition to reading this post.
A great deal of my own personal research into the occult began with my exploration of Aleister Crowley's own research and practice. I had been reading both the published works of Crowley as well as the letters he exchanged with his brother Mavromatis over a number of years. I've written about this in several of my other blog posts . I also found out that some of the most interesting of Crowley's research was lost or redacted by Crowley before publication. So it is worth noting here that when working with this information about Aleister Crowley's own work, I am only quoting those portions which have been altered so far, and I have not been able to see any of his published works. For example, I am not aware of any of Crowley's private writings dealing with the subject of the dead, and the majority of his writing deals with Crowley's personal spiritual development.
Crowley wrote of this subject in an article published in the December 18th, 1936 issue of "The Liber AL vel Legis", an esoteric publication of the Church of Satan in which Crowley was a founding member and which in some instances, and under certain conditions, would receive its own membership card. I would highly recommend that you read both the article itself, and the letter, because the two are intertwined in the overall work of Aleister Crowley. The letter is very similar to the work itself of a type of astral projection where the spirit of Crowley, or the spirit of the subject, is projected into the astral realm and then becomes trapped in the Astral Plane until the "event" which Crowley refers to as "raising" the subject from its astral plane (which Crowley calls "The Event"). As this is a very complicated subject, I believe it worthy of another post in its own right. But for now, I think that the article is most interesting to the reader who is able to appreciate the context within which it was written.
Crowley writes, "A certain group of spirits and astral beings called 'The Order,' having made a pact with their deity (Mithra), have kept the promise that the first person born after their pact will be able to call these beings to their aid at each moment by invoking a certain phrase or word." Crowley goes on to explain that they were "unable to make this 'prayer' for man. He therefore invented the Necronomicon and created the art of Necromancy (using words and numbers), and so established the Order and its powers of Communication." Although Crowley's idea was unique, his understanding of the process was not. He wrote that he has known many members of the Church of Satan who still follow his methods of summoning the dead. He explains that it seems "very likely" that some rituals which are common to various forms of occultism (such as black magic) may also involve the use of this method. And I would agree that those who have been able to fully utilize this "method" may come to have more success on the journey of finding their self than others. But I am not sure if some rituals that seem common only to the modern-day occultist would be required for the same purpose. My question is, would the use of this method by members of the Church of Satan involve invoking a specific word or phrase, or would it be better to invoke the name of Mithra, for example? Although the practice of "Necromancy" is not very well understood, one might surmise that the technique involved in drawing the dead into a spirit world in order to call upon Mithra might be applicable to the same purpose, or a similar practice, so that the deceased could become a spirit. However, to my understanding, this wouldn't be a practice that anyone would do if their purpose weren't to call a specific spirit. Crowley also discusses rituals that would allow the "nourished soul" to travel around the world to various other planes and states of consciousness. Many people are familiar with the "Star Rituals"
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Holly Holm will face Germaine de Randamie for the UFC women's bantamweight title at UFC 211 on Saturday.
De Randamie (27-7 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Holm (8-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will meet each other in a title eliminator for the third fight in the women's bantamweight division in the octagon. The winner will challenge UFC women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC).
UFC 211 will be headlined by former women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey's rematch with Holly Holm. The UFC has yet to announce a main event for either fight, meaning they are likely to run the UFC 205 card.
Holm lost back-to-back fights to Rousey for the women's bantamweight title at UFC 193 and UFC 196.
The main card on FOX Sports 1 starts at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).
The latest UFC 211 card includes:
MAIN CARD (FOX Sports 1, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano (for women's bantamweight title)
Miesha Tate vs. Jessica Eye
Alexa Grasso vs. Raquel Pennington
Donald Cerrone vs. Johny Hendricks
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 8 p.m. ET)
Cynthia Calvillo vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Trevor Smith vs. Alex Oliveira
Joe Lauzon vs. Rafael Natal
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET)
Alex Nicholson vs. Jorge Masvidal
For more on UFC 211, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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“Lone Survivor” (2013) by Peter Berg Essay (Movie Review)
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Team-Based and Individual Leadership
3. Theories of Leadership
4. Conclusion
5. Work Cited
Introduction
Leadership is one of the most important components of organizational effectiveness and success. Great leaders possess the knowledge and skills necessary for making difficult decisions and proactively dealing with unfavorable outcomes. It is important to maintain high levels of emotional control while making critical decisions. Effective leaders are set apart from ineffective leaders by their ability to control their emotions and actions regardless of the prevailing situation or circumstance. “Lone Survivor” is a movie that demonstrates the importance of effective leadership in the attainment of certain objectives. The film explores the mission of a four-man Navy SEAL operation, known as Operation Red Wings. The main goal of the mission is to mitigate militia activity in Afghan and promote peace. Teamwork, courage, integrity, and character are examples of leadership traits exemplified by actors in the movie.
Team-Based and Individual Leadership
The movie explores the concept of leadership from the individual and team perspectives. For instance, it demonstrates the importance of teamwork in the achievement of goals. The leader of the squad is Michael Murphy, who is responsible for leading the team in capturing Ahmad Shah, a Taliban leader in the region ( The Lone Survivor ). A few hours after commencing the operation, the SEALs face a difficult situation: they encounter a group of herders in the mountains comprised of old and young men. They detain as they ponder the next move. Each of the team members has an opinion on the best course of action to take. The situation is volatile because the herders compromise their mission. A lengthy discussion yields three options: they could kill them, abort the operation, or let them go and request for extraction ( The Lone Survivor ). As members of a team, they discuss the various options at their disposal. Each soldier presents his opinion and explains why it is appropriate for the situation. They fail to come to a consensus and ask their team leader to decide to end the stalemate.
Murphy is the team leader and has to make the final decision so that they can carry on with the mission. In a courageous act of leadership, he decides to let the herders go, changes his teams’ location, and reevaluates their options ( The Lone Survivor ). He makes the right decision because it is against the rules of engagement to kill unarmed combatants unless they pose a direct threat to the safety of the team members. As a leader, Murphy frees them because it is in the best interest of his team and he is not ready to compromise the rules of engagement. His behavior in that situation incorporates key leadership traits that great leaders possess: integrity, confidence, and courage. His team members agree with him because he leads by example, even though their location has been compromised.
Murphy’s courage and character are evident from his decision because by freeing the herders, he went against the opinions of two teammates who wanted the men killed. Regardless of the potential risks of the decision, he let them leave and embarked on searching for alternative ways to mitigate the risks. On the other hand, he exemplified true leadership because as the team leader, he sacrificed his life, and as a result, led by example. Murphy is killed together with two other teammates: Petty Officers Second Class Matthew Axelson and Danny Dietz ( The Lone Survivor ). Murphy’s decision to move away from a secure hiding place to get reception on his phone exposed him to danger. He gave up his life for the sake of his teammates. Great leaders not only lead verbally but also by example. The decision he made risked his life. However, he did it because he cared for his teammates and the completion of the mission.
An encounter with the Afghan militia leads the SEALs to a difficult situation because they are overpowered. In that regard, they stick together to ensure their survival. As a team, they are inspired by their motto “you are never out of the fight” ( The Lone Survivor ). Each of the four members regularly checks on the others because they had been badly wounded by the militia. Their team spirit is commendable because they commit to each other that they will keep on fighting no matter their circumstances. The leadership of Luttrell is evident from the response he gave Dietz after telling him that he had all been shot. Luttrell encourages him by telling him that they had all been shot. Their verbal leadership encourages other teammates to continue fighting even though they had been badly wounded.
The aforementioned traits can be made more effective if necessary, by confronting reality fearlessly, proper preparation, seeking feedback, taking timely action, and improving communication. Fear and insufficient information were hindrances to timely decision-making after the SEALs encountered the herders. Poor communication derailed the process of decision-making because time went by as Murphy waited for a response from the base on how to proceed. Moreover, the integrity of the SEALs could have been improved if Murphy took greater control of the situation. Two of the teammates suggested killing the herders even though it was against the rules of engagement. As the leader, Murphy should have reiterated to them that the operation would be based on specific rules and that contravening them was unacceptable.
Theories of Leadership
According to trait theory, people possess certain qualities that make them excellent leaders. For instance, creativity, intelligence, and a sense of responsibility are common characteristics that leaders have. Murphy is courageous, confident, responsible, and has integrity. He can suspend emotions to make rational decisions. The other teammates are also leaders because Their courage allows them to continue fighting after getting wounded. Integrity is another leadership trait that Murphy and Luttrell possess. They are both unwilling to contravene the rules of engagement by killing the herders. Discipline, adaptability, and courage are necessary for successful decision-making. Murphy does not allow fear and anxiety to compromise his ability to think and make the right decision.
Behavioral leadership theories focus on how individuals in positions of authority behave when dealing with their juniors. In that regard, leaders can be autocratic, democratic, transformational, or laissez-faire. Murphy employs both autocratic and democratic leadership. He allows his teammates to give their opinions regarding the situation. However, since the decision needs to be made quickly, he ends the stalemate by giving the team the plan that they would follow. He is a great leader because he allows his teammates to contribute toward problem-solving, but intervenes when they fail to reach a consensus.
Contingency leadership theories suggest that the leadership style adopted by a leader is primarily determined by the situation. They argue that different leadership styles are appropriate for varied situations. Murphy involves his teammates in making decisions. However, when they have to be made promptly, he assumes the autocratic leadership style. As the leader, he offers a plan that his teammates agree with even though they had different ideas on how to address the situation. Murphy is a great leader because he can make decisions without allowing emotions to lead him to analysis paralysis. He uses reason and ethics to end a stalemate that ensues after a lengthy discussion on what to do with the goat herders. The decision to free the men was made based on the rules of engagement that did not allow them to harm unarmed individuals. However, it led to the loss of lives. Effective leaders do the right thing even though the decisions that they make result in unfavorable outcomes.
Conclusion
“Lone Survivor” explores various traits and behaviors that characterize effective leadership. Courage, integrity, adaptability, and teamwork are examples of traits that the actors exhibit. They fight the militia fearlessly, keep going after getting wounded, follow the rules of engagement, and make tough decisions that put their lives at risk. Murphy takes charge of his team, and even though he allows them to express their opinions, makes the final decision. Great leaders allow their team members to participate in decision-making processes. They value their contributions and do not allow emotions to crowd their judgment. The SEALs work as a team and obey the commands of their leader. They do not argue with him and play their roles by giving opinions and following his instructions.
Work Cited
The Lone Survivor . Directed by Peter Berg, Performance by Mark Wahlberg, Universal Pictures, 2013.
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(Phys.org)—As the number of women scientists and engineers in India has grown by almost 100 percent since 1999, the average time it takes to get an Indian doctorate is up considerably.
As many as 1,000 Indian science and engineering graduates enter the Indian medical education system every year, on par with the numbers from a decade ago, according to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) in New Delhi.
Of the more than 1,000 Indian medical students in medical college in India, about 800 are women, according to a July 2015 World Bank report. The situation is especially stark among female trainees seeking advanced degree. Of the 2,000-odd medical students who have secured their master's degree, only 1,500 are women.
The data indicates that women, even those with a doctorate, are much less likely to seek a job in the sector than their male counterparts.
In 2013, of the total medical degree holders in India, 60 percent were men, with the rest women.
In a report published in April 2014 on the Indian National Science Academy's website, the HRD ministry estimated that, on average, a medical degree holder from the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) takes 12 years to finish up his or her doctorate.
At the same time, the government is promoting women in the workforce. Earlier this year, it announced an amendment giving additional incentives to female applicants for admission from universities and research laboratories in India.
Meanwhile, the Indian Academy of Science (IAS) introduced an honorary post in its directorate of science in 2012. It is the only such post reserved for women.
According to the IAS' head, professor V. Chandran, "The honorary post of Director of the Department of Science in the IAS has been set up with the approval of the Vice-Chancellor of IISc, the IAS. The IAS will provide a fellowship of Rs. 25 lakh to the recipient for a maximum period of three years, along with an annual salary of Rs. 4 lakh."
(Nikki Evers, "The Gender-Discriminatory Education System Is Breaking In India", BBC News, February 26, 2017.)
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The first official image of the 2014 Dodge Charger SRT8 appears online and it confirms that the 2013 model, Dodge Charger, makes for a great contender for 2014's all-new SRT8 Challenger.
The image was uploaded to the web by car enthusiasts, but it was also spotted by The TruthAbout6s. In the image, two images of the 2014 Dodge Charger SRT8's hood are visible. The first one is clearly that of the Charger SRT8, as it clearly identifies the Charger-specific taillights on the hood of the car. The second image is that of the front end of the Charger, which is a lot more homogenous and similar to that of the Challenger.
If we compare these two images alongside a similar image of the Challenger SRT Dodge's hood we can see that the two are almost exactly the same size, even the two car are nearly the same. The only difference being the Challenger's taillights. The differences on the Hood of the two, if the image in question belongs to 2013, are much more pronounced than what the image in question shows. The SRT Dodge's taillights are also very prominent while the Challenger's are much less prominent.
Another noticeable difference between the Challenger and Charger-specific taillights is that the Challenger's taillights have black lettering while the SRT8's have white lettering.
It should also be noted that the first image of the Charger SRT8 also shows a Dodge logo which on the 2014 Challenger looks to be gone.
As of February 2013 the Dodge Charger was the official challenger to the Dodge Challenger. However, the 2014 Challenger is expected to beat the Charger in every way. The Challenger SRT8 is expected to be the first to hit the streets with its unique exterior, which could give it an edge in a race with the Charger SRT8.
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Boris Johnson may be "lacking stamina" and "unstable", but there is now "no alternative" to him as the Mayor of London, Tory MP David Davis has claimed.
Mr Davis said he feared the Mayor would do anything for the cause and that is why he is a "loser" for Theresa May and the Conservatives.
He told ITV's Good Morning Britain tonight: "If you're a loser it doesn't matter whether it's a war or a job.
Brexit 'deal' will cost £350m a week to EU as EU says Britain has offered 'no deal'
"He's given up on the principle of London being on the same side as everyone else.
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: REUTERS)
"He doesn't understand that London will be the winner or the loser of a no-deal Brexit.
"He is a loser."
The eurosceptic MP was speaking as it was revealed Theresa May will attempt to clinch a Brexit deal with Northern Ireland during her trip to the region this weekend.
The PM will use a speech in the city of Londonderry before heading to Northern Ireland in an attempt to win support to push through a deal with the Democratic Unionists before the deadline of March 2019.
(Image: Getty)
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: Getty)
Mr Davis also suggested the Government's Brexit plan is in "huge difficulty" and that he is not convinced it is legally possible under the Article 50 exit clause.
He claimed a deal would probably need the support of five or six EU countries to be "legally sound".
And he said Theresa May would have to make a U-turn in her stance in order for a deal to be made.
"To my knowledge we don't have the legal ability to do a Canada or anything else, unless we're in a very unusual circumstance.
"I don't think we have any legal right under the treaties to do a Canada or that Canada deal. We simply don't."
(Image: REUTERS)
(Image: Getty)
(Image: Reuters)
In her speech, Mrs May is expected to commit to delivering a Brexit deal that is "as close as possible" to what she wants with Europe - which she said must include the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice after Brexit.
There are no plans to hold a second referendum but Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking to give her party "a mandate" to fight a second vote after failing to win outright a majority in a snap general election.
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We've never had such a big season. It's been such a wild ride.
"There are a lot of things that happened before this, but this is really exciting. We've got a great chance to be doing something really special in the second half. Everybody's just hoping we pick up on last year's momentum and keep this going."
- Head Coach Bruce Arena
"This was the last match that these players were a part of, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't mean something now. This will mean something to them in the offseason. But that doesn't mean that this is the end of the league for them. They have a lot more to play for. They know that there's a lot of work to be completed so they can help us finish this. We have two very competitive teams, and it will be a real test for us to try to get out of that hole."
- New York City FC Head Coach Patrick Vieira
NYCFC will kick off its quest for MLS Cup against the Seattle Sounders on April 29th at Yankee Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
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"Barely any young man in the country who is not in jail, and many of whom are there at will, should be able, if he is so disposed, to obtain a private position in the Government service."
The writer of this passage, and it was a long one, was George Smith, one of the oldest men of the South, and a man of many accomplishments, who had risen to the position of the United States Senator of the South.
Mr. Smith, in talking of this subject, had the reputation of being rather eccentric. He had no personal friends, not even friends of his own family; had no personal influence with politicians at all; and had neither a vote, nor the power that goes with it. His own reputation belonged to the South.
He had been born about forty years before this date, and had passed his youth in the wilderness of the Eastern states. "His father passed a little way outside of the frontier at an early day," and his mother was in the service. His maternal grandfather was a Colonel, and his mother an orphan of that class. His father was in the Army, but on account of a family accident, never was discharged.
Mr. Smith's education was scant; and although his intellect was much superior to his years; he was little read outside of books, and his father had no means of bringing it to bear upon his son.
To-day Mr. Smith is not a young man. He has already been in the service seven years, and while living in Washington, has had one son, and one daughter.
In his years, though by himself, from his twenty to twenty-one years of age, he has had to learn to think and to speak with the same facility as those of any man his own age.
He has given his life to the cause of the people; to the cause of freedom. He did not choose this, his life; but, rather, he was driven from it by circumstances, and by his own determination to bring the cause of the Southern people to a speedy termination.
The great event in his life, the change which he has wrought in the hearts of the people of this country, was the organization of the Southern States into the Confederacy. Mr. Smith was present at that historic event.
But this time, he was not alone. He had the help of a great many, men of the highest position and of the most liberal views, who were willing to lay down their lives rather than to take a wrong course.
Had not Mr. Smith had many friends, and had he not been surrounded by men of the highest standing. There is no doubt but that that event, which was the first and only organized effort to bring the South into the Union, and to give to her her full civil and political rights, and her full political power, would have been accomplished, and Mr. Smith would be now, and for many years past, Senator of the United States from the great State of Georgia.
Mr. Smith died in Washington, March 4th, 1877, aged eighty- three years and ten months.
The death of Mr. Smith was mourned by the whole South; and as the event was such as to mark the beginning of the end of slavery in the slave States, it was the signal announced to every one to take up arms and fulfill the purpose they longed to accomplish.
"WE ARE NOT ALONE IN OUR CONFLICT, BUT IN ALL COUNTRIES."
There were but few in this large and growing section which was the scene of the great struggle, who did not feel the keen agitation which followed the tragic announcement of that death.
Such was our feeling throughout the wide field of the country, when we read of the great event upon which we had placed our faith.
The day after Mr. Smith's funeral, an order of the United Confederate Veterans was presented to the Secretary of War; and upon that order were recited the following words—and repeated with equal emphasis on successive days:
In memory of the men who have fallen in the war, and for the purpose of establishing an historical memorial to their memory.
We have been called upon to lay our lives upon the altar in behalf of our Southern brothers—in defense of those who are oppressed; in favor of our homes and the peace of our country; in support for the rights of our people and the sovereignty of our States; for the perpetuation of the institutions and government of the Union; in vindication of the rights of our Government, to whom we are bound to extend our assistance; in the discharge of our national debt as just and responsible debtors; in the defense and reestablishment to our country of its national honor; and in the enjoyment and protection of the rights guaranteed to the people of all free and independent States by the Constitution of the United States.
It is incumbent upon us to make provision for the great
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Motivation in the XXI Century: New Solutions to the Old Concerns Critical Essay
Introduction: The Many Faces of Motivation
The issue of workforce motivation has never been easy; despite the fact that a company might offer its staff an otherwise perfect working environment, the absence of any kind of motivation is most likely to lead to drastic effects.
Over centuries, the concept of motivation has been changing, with new theories emerging on a regular basis. In his book, Pink consolidates the efforts of his predecessors and introduces his interpretation of what the mechanisms of motivation are, therefore, creating premises for a reinvention of the modern business world as people know it.
Theories of Motivation as Pink Sees Them
It is quite remarkable that the entire third chapter of Pink’s book is devoted to the issue of motivation as it was interpreted by various researchers. Pink offers a very unique observation of the existing motivational theories. It is interesting that he does not go over an entire list, nor does he choose the most conventional ones.
Instead, Pink offers the readers an opportunity to follow his train of thoughts and come to the realization of the Type I and Type X theory as the only possible option. Therefore, the author provides a unique choice of motivational theories overview, mixing them with his own idea of motivation in the workplace.
Self-determination theory
It is peculiar that the self-determination theory has so much in common with Pink’s own theory. Once pink introduces its main concepts, the reader is able to see that the self-determination theory is going to become one of the pillars that Pink’s Type X and Type I theory is going to be based on.
Beginning “with a notion of universal human needs” (Pink 70), the given theory appeals to people’s need for personal growth and the recognition of their work. Thus, it can be assumed that the Motivation 2.0 theory was partially spawned by the concept of self determination suggested by Deci and Ryan.
Theory X: McGregor
Another step in understanding the way in which the Motivation 2.0 theory was developed, the concept suggested by McGregor allows to take a closer look at the specifics of human mind. Stressing the fact that two basic people’s needs are their recognition as individuals and the necessity to blend in with the crowd, McGregor suggested a Theory X, which considers the need to integrate into society as the basis for workplace motivation.
Theory Y: McGregor
Another element of McGregor’s concept of motivation, the Theory Y allows to consider the phenomenon in question from a perspective of individual needs. As Pink explains, the trail of thoughts starting at Theory X and continuing with Theory Y leads to the Motivation 2.0.
Friedman’s theory
A researcher whom, paradoxically enough, hardly anyone has ever heard of, as Pink explains (Pink 72), Friedman suggested another brilliant interpretation of where employees’ motivation comes from and what it is supported by.
Contrary to the theory of self-determination, the given theory presupposes that people are mostly predisposed to behave in a particular way; in other words, people are born either as Type A, i.e., active and enthusiastic, or as a Type B, non-resourceful and procrastinating. However, Pink notes that Friedman offers a ray of hope by claiming that Type B can be converted into Type A, and vice versa.
Type I and type X: Pink’s concept
Pink’s brainchild, the given theory can be viewed as a combination of the concepts of motivation listed above, with an addition of such an important variable as stability into the structure of a perfect motivational strategy.
In Pink’s own words, the very essence of the theory of Type I and Type X can be put in the following way: “If you offer people steadily employment and carefully calibrated rewards, they’ll do what executives and shareholders want, and everyone will prosper” (Pink 67).
To be more exact, Pink makes it clear that the impeccable method of motivation lies between the Type X, or external, motivational factors, and Type I, or intrinsic, ones. By balancing between the two and offering the employees both financial and moral rewards, managers will most likely benefit.
In fact, Pink points out that his Motivation 2.0 theory, as he also calls it, has much in common with the self-determination theory in that it allows for improving the employees’ performance through their realization of self.
Book Summary and Analysis
As it has been stressed above, Pink provides a detailed overview of the most efficient and impressive motivation theories that have been suggested so far, giving credit to where it belongs and mentioning the motivation theories that, quite honestly, should be more popular in the present-day business world. However, apart from an overview of motivational theories, Pink also offers his own theory of Type I and Type X.
In addition, the book touches upon the autonomy based behavior and, stressing its significance, suggests the methods to encourage the given behavioral pattern in people. Finally, Pink comments on the necessity to introduce autonomy to employees and outlines the key features of an employee who is guided by the principles of an autonomic behavior.
A Job in Community Service and Motivation Issues
Although food industry is not traditionally associated with career development, my experience of a Head Hostess has shown me that motivational factors may vary to certain degree. To be more exact, I must admit that in my job, I used to be motivated by the appraisal of the managers and the recognition of my efforts with the financial issues for the first time.
The given phenomenon can be explained by the fact that I was assigned a number of responsibilities that demanded constant communication with clients and employees; as a result, I was very dependent on the way in which people perceive me and my attempts to provide a high-quality professional performance.
Therefore, at first, I was clearly guided by the principles of a self-determination theory. However, as time passed, the need to be recognized as a hard-working employee took a back seat, while obtaining a financial reward became the top priority.
Finally, as I set my priorities straight and started dealing with organizational issues, I resorted to using the Motivation 2.0 theory thus, combining the ideas of financial reward and job satisfaction as the key components of my motivation.
It is quite peculiar that, in my experience, when only starting building a career, one is most likely to be motivated primarily by the financial rewards and concerned with the need to fulfill one’s duties as fast and efficiently as possible. However, as soon as one starts feeling more comfortable with the job, the
Conclusion: There Is Yet Much to Explore
Even though Pink clearly makes an impressive effort by incorporating the information and ideas concerning motivation that have been discovered previously and distills his own nonetheless impressive idea of how employees are motivated in the business world, it is obvious that Pink’s theory needs further improvement.
Works Cited
Pink, Daniel P. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us . New York, NY: Penguin Group US. 2012. Print.
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(AP Photo/The Columbus Dispatch, Scott Wartman)
(CNSNews.com) - The Census Bureau says it will not count the U.S. population as three races in 2013, a "statistically significant change" that will affect racial and ethnic statistics and government spending.The decision will affect U.S. Census data on race and Hispanic origin in 2013 and beyond, according to The New York Times."In a move that will have profound implications for the country's racial and ethnic relations, the Census Bureau has decided to stop counting as 'Hispanic or Latino' a person's ancestry (whether from Mexico or any other country)," wrote The Times.' "It will continue to count as Hispanic Americans those who identify themselves as Hispanic when asked to do so by a federal survey," the Times states.The Census Bureau said the change in the way it measures "Hispanic or Latino" is "a statistically significant change," which means the change will affect national demographic statistics, "with potential ripple effects across the country."
"The change could also cause future budget problems with the Census Bureau, which does not have a budget of its own until 2017," wrote The Times.The Census Bureau said the change won't affect the accuracy of data collected by it, which is important since the Census has long been the basis of statistics that help identify the nation in terms of race and ethnicity."Even if a person were to provide Hispanic origins as part of his census questionnaire for the first time this year, the new system will still ask him and his parents and grandparents to list their race, as it has always done, regardless of when his ancestors came to the United States," wrote The Times.According to statistics published by the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of non-Hispanic whites living in the U.S. dropped from 147 million in 1980 to 125 million in 2010, a drop of 14.5 percent."While the number of Latinos decreased by more than half—to 43 percent of the population from 62 percent in 1980," wrote the census, "the number of Asians increased to 27 percent from 9 percent and the number of Americans of multiple races or multiple ethnic groups remained constant at 2.4 percent."The newspaper report added that the non-Hispanic white population grew 1.7 percent through 2010, while the number of Latinos dropped by 2.9 percent and that of Asians grew by 0.9 percent.The census bureau said the U.S. Census Bureau is not required to change how it defines race as long as it remains a U.S. Government agency."Our decision to stop collecting Hispanic origin data in 2013 will affect data collected in later years; data collection for 2010 is still underway, as is data collection for 2011," stated the Census Bureau in a "Fact Sheet" on the issue published today.A Census Bureau spokesman said the change isn't expected affect statistics in 2013."The Census Bureau will continue to collect and report data in all three race categories for the next decade, including our ongoing National Survey of Family Growth," wrote Census Bureau spokesman Thomas R. Hamill.The census bureau has for years reported the number of people from four Asian ethnic groups in the United States: Taiwanese, Chinese, South Korean and Japanese."We do not expect this change to have a significant effect on data from 2010 because it is not reflected in the U.S. Census Bureau's statistics for 2010, or for any year thereafter," said Hamill. "The National Survey of Family Growth is conducted to generate estimates of demographic and social characteristics of selected minority groups in the United States, including the Asian American population in the United States."
"With an estimated 7 million people in the U.S. age 20 and younger, the Asian American population in 2010 was almost 50 percent as large as that of any other major American ethnic group," said Hamill.
(AP Photo/The Dispatch, Tom Epp Jr.)
The Census Bureau was founded in 1790 by a group of Puritans to collect statistics that would "preparedly and accurately" inform Congress as well as others the United States needed "the support and assistance of intelligent people from foreign colonies, so that the people could best be governed" and that the government should "meet this state of public affairs by the means of such institutions and measures as would best contribute to that end."
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"I don't want to give away the end, but I've been in this for six year. I do get to do a little bit of acting, I do do a little bit of improv on stage, I get to write, I get to do a little bit of voice acting, and I get to do a little bit of stuff behind the scenes."
We'd heard this before about a possible role for her in the fifth season of The CW's The Flash, which she's already been announced to appear in. It was more of the background for a tease of a possible cameo she had in last night's episode of Supergirl.
She spoke to Entertainment Weekly, where she discussed the character of Kara Danvers and, of course, her upcoming appearance on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
EW: It's your first time on TV, but you've been in shows before: You're known for playing Cat Grant on Archie Comics' Riverdale. How did you get involved with Supergirl?
Kristin Kreuk: It was a little something that happened that I didn't know anything about, but I think I'll always be on the list of people who have played Superman or Superman's daughter. She didn't know that. She would say she played the role as an adult, and I think at the time, she just really didn't have any idea it was coming because it was such a high-profile show. They really thought this would be the next big thing so they sent me over to go audition.
I was really flattered to be part of the family. I think the writers were like 'Hey, this is really exciting', but at the same time, it's my first big TV role! So I remember watching the pilot and feeling like it could've been something else, but to also think that I was in a superhero show, which I love, I didn't think there was anything I could do on that show. That was all I thought I could do it was to play my role the best I could. Obviously, I didn't get the part, but I had fun doing it. As time went on, I didn't feel like I was on a superhero show; it was a very grounded show and the thing I liked about it most about it was how relatable the characters were for all of us and that they weren't just there to be some mystical thing. I think they're just ordinary families like mine, my mom and my dad. I really loved that. It's still so fun to get to work on that show.
EW: Do you find it easier voicing Supergirl now that she's an agent with the S.H.I.E.L.D.?
KR: It's not too hard at this point! It's fun having Kara, so I do enjoy the role, just that people that know me as a comedian will see that I am very funny. I am a goofy mom, which is different, but that's the character. So it's fun being a part of that. It's been fun so far. As a comic fan, you might find it hard, but it's really fun. Obviously, with our show, there's never a dull moment, just because there are so many storylines. It allows me to do a lot of comedy on the set, which is fun.
As Kara Danvers comes to the present day, she's not in the role that she was in a few years ago; so she may not be as cool or super powered or cool as she was in the comics. She's just a mom and she comes in and doesn't really know what she's doing. She kind of struggles with that. It's all part of the journey, and she's just a superhero now, so she's still learning. She's taking a little bit of a step up this season. Obviously that's what Supergirl is all about.
A little more from the video interview after the jump.
EW: We see Kara going to work at S.H.I.E.L.D. and you don't have any experience in that sort of world, but how did you feel, going from playing Cat Grant in Archie Comics to just working in a very big, very high-profile show, when you weren't even sure if she was going to get in?
KR: At the end of the day, I love working in shows. I love it, it's fun. I do get to do a little bit of acting, I do do a little bit of improv on stage, I get to write, I get to do a little bit of voice acting, and I get to do a little bit of stuff behind the scenes. I think that people understand what I'm saying there. I think they understand that I'm a real part of the family and that we all get along and we'll do anything for each other. I think
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TitanFall is the first game in the Titanfall series.
Contents show]
Plot Edit
"You're probably a smart dude, but you're on the wrong team, and you're not very good."
Characters Edit
Mikael Rosenkov - Pilot
(Taken by Titans)
Colonel Shaddox
Lieutenant Gage
Wyatt Conrad
Marine Cpl. Gage (Titanfall)
Marine Cpl. Griggs (Titanfall)
Marine Cpl. Bajula (Titanfall)
Marine Cpl. Crenshaw (Titanfall)
Marine Cpl. Saldores (Titanfall)
Marine Cpl. White (Titanfall)
Cpl. Gage (Titanfall)
Cpl. Gage's Squad (Titanfall)
Cpl. Saldores (Titanfall)
Cpl. White (Titanfall)
Wyatt Conrad
Marine Cpl. White
Wyatt Conrad's Squad (Titanfall)
Cpl. Saldores (Titanfall)
Cpl. Saldores' Squad (T the Titans)
Cpl. Gage (Titanfall)
Cpl. Gage's Squad (Titanfall)
Videos Edit
The First Episode
Titanfall - First Episode PC
The First Episode
Titanfall's Intro PC
Titanfall's Opening
Titanfall Intro PC
Titanfall Intro TV
Titanfall Intro
Titanfall Gameplay
New Gameplay Intro PC
New Gameplay Intro
New Gameplay Intro TV
New Gameplay Intro
Titanfall First Gameplay
Titanfall First Gameplay PC
Titanfall First Gameplay
Titanfall First Gameplay
Titanfall First Gameplay
Titanfall First Gameplay PC
Titanfall First Gameplay
Titanfall First Gameplay
Titanfall First Gameplay
Titanfall Intro 1
Titanfall Intro 2 PC
Titanfall Intro 3 PC
Titanfall Intro 4 PC
Titanfall Intro 5 PC
Titanfall Intro 6 PC
Titanfall Intro 7 PC
Titanfall Intro 8 PC
Titanfall Intro 9 PC
Titanfall Intro 10 PC
Titanfall Intro 11 PC
Titanfall Intro 12 PC
Titanfall Intro 13 PC
The Second Episode
Titanfall Second Gameplay
Titanfall Second Gameplay PC
Titanfall Second Gameplay
Titanfall Second Gameplay PC
Titanfall First Gameplay
Titanfall First Gameplay PC
Titanfall First Gameplay
Titanfall First Gameplay TV
Titanfall Introduction PC
The Third Episode
Titanfall 2 Gameplay PC
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Django 1.10 released
Today we're excited to release Django 1.10, the biggest release since Django 1.0.
As always, we're pleased with the momentum behind the project and the contributions we're receiving. This is a tremendous opportunity to polish, improve and expand the best Python web development framework there is.
What's new in Django 1.10
New in Django 1.10 are:
The Django 1.10 release is only the beginning. We've planned many more features to come after our current roadmap. As always, you can download Django 1.10 from the Django download page and get Django 1.9 as well.
Notable new features
The biggest change to Django in Django 1.10 is the introduction of Template Toolkit. Using Template Toolkit you can build your own templating engine in minutes by importing the django.template.tempotest module. It is based on django.template.toolkit.FrameworkChoice and extends the basic concepts to a generic templating engine for your Django projects. As a bonus it also lets you define your template with HTML5/Javascript using the {{%html %}} and {{%javascript %}} tags. It can be used on any template using the import django.http.HttpContexts.loaders , and can be imported alongside from django.template.toolkit .
Temporary files
One problem that we heard about in our previous Django 1.9 release was how to handle temporary files such as images. For example, this is how you can upload a .gif image file from disk to a disk image host:
upload( 'myimg.gif', 'my_app_file_name@foo.png', media_type='image/gif', name='myfile' )
That works great if you have a lot of small image files, but if you have a big site with many image files, then it can get tricky. We recommend you use either the django.template.tempdir package, or the django.template.tmp module, depending on your application. Both of these are documented on the Django docs site under django-templating-utils, django-templedirs and django-templating-engine respectively.
New user management
For many users, the last thing they want to deal with is the complexity of adding a user to a Django database. We've included tools to make it easier to add, modify and delete users without worrying about the internals of the framework. We started off by introducing the auth_user helper that can be used in two ways. The first is to make a Django model instance with user information and use it as a user:
from django.contrib.auth.models import Meta class MyApplicationUser ( models . Model ): address = models . CharField ( max_length = 15 ) birthday = models . DateTimeField ( auto_now_add = True )
The second use case for auth_user is to add a User object that can't be stored in an existing table, and that is stored instead in the admin database.
from django.contrib.auth.models import Meta class MyApplicationAdminUser ( admin . ModelAdmin ): user = User . objects . create ( name = 'myappuser' )
There is also the auth_register and auth_regist methods to add and manage users in the admin database. These make use of the same functions you would call if you were adding a user to an existing model.
New authlib
The most significant new component of Django 1.10 is a new set of APIs and views that enable you to get authorization information from users. It's a powerful way to authenticate users in your application in a more simple and efficient way than the existing auth system in Django.
For more details check out the auth.html specification.
Password changes
For users the primary problem facing them when using the django admin is updating passwords and passwords files. This new feature lets you provide an error when a password has changed while you are editing a password file. The update.save_exceptions setting defaults to False , which is a more convenient default.
With the new functionality a password can be updated while another action is happening in the same session. For example a user can use the password field, update a password for that file and then save the saved file. This can simplify the process of editing a password file.
django.contrib.auth.models import DjangoCookieAuth from django.contrib.auth.fields import PasswordChangeField from django.contrib.auth.models import RequestProxy from django.contrib.auth.utils import get_preflight_data set_preflight() class PasswordChangeField ( PasswordChangeField ): model = PasswordChange
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When I started reading my copy of the first volume of the Harry Potter series, I quickly realized that I just could not stay away from the dark and mysterious world created by J.K. Rowling. From the outset, I found her Harry to be a more interesting Harry than other versions, and so, after finishing this second volume in the series, I am back on board the fan bandwagon. Even though this is going to be more of a review and analysis on what is presented in the story rather than a discussion on the plot, I did choose this as my next reading as that is how I usually consume things and since I wanted to start reading after some positive thoughts and reviews of the first volume, I had to start with my favorite character.
So, if you have not read Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, be sure to check it out. It has some pretty serious spoilers for the current plot as is expected of a first book, but it is also something that will stick around as a favorite for many. For those still not convinced what I am talking about, then I suggest that you read some of the reviews of this first volume which is why I started with the first volume in my list. There are several things that I think will not go unnoticed for some readers and I guess that has become my job as I keep up with each of the different fan blogs for these books. Now, with the series ending this May, there is plenty of time for others to share their own analysis on what this book contains, so let's get into it.
Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, and the Dark Arts
In my personal opinion, the main thrust of Potter and the Dark Arts is that of evil. The main characters, Harry, Snape, and Draco Malfoy, all have dark pasts that are reflected in the actions they perform for the Order of the Phoenix for which they are tasked. In general, everyone seems to have dark secrets, but the big names of the Order that the main characters are tasked with following have some very dark backgrounds and have killed people with what some people consider to be a pretty dark reason for doing so. In addition, there are some pretty shocking moments in this book and I personally found some of them to be very graphic. Overall, I personally did not like these particular moments at all. Although there were moments where some people were shown to be very sympathetic or heroic, they were always overshadowed by moments of violence and shock that I thought did not serve the main theme.
I was glad to see people from the Order doing some good for some other people in the beginning, but I thought that the evil that the trio represents eventually started to take over the entire picture. And, while it is certainly not what J.K. Rowling was aiming for when she created her characters, I did think that it was interesting and somewhat unique.
Potter in the Dark
Harry, Ron, and Hermione are students at Hogwarts, which is a very high-ranking magical school where all wizards and witches are trained to be the best witches and wizards they can be. They are also expected to be very brave and selfless in what they do. The main premise of the book focuses on some of their adventures and problems as they explore the wizarding world and the Dursleys. I was glad to see that after the introduction of Hermione's friends, we were once again presented with a bunch of different side characters. While some of them are more important than others to the plot later on in the season and some of them may even affect the plot, they still had their own problems and concerns.
I really liked the beginning of the book since the Dursleys are portrayed as just a bunch of incompetent people who have given Harry and Ron a very hard time while Hermione tries to keep Harry distracted with activities that are not part of the book. By the time Ron is a student, the Dursleys have basically given Harry a free pass. It is quite clear that something bad happened in the past that left the Dursleys the way they are. And, of course, Harry has to deal with this. He even spends the next few chapters trying to figure out what this bad thing was and what caused it. This is, without a doubt, the most dramatic change in Harry's life that we have ever seen. I think that this change was really interesting, particularly since it made no sense to me. I really liked how this change did not just lead to Harry being miserable as some did, but it really did affect the relationship that he had with his uncle. Harry, who never really knew his old house was so horrible and disgusting was actually shocked and was completely taken aback by how poor of a family he now lived in. I really thought that this was an excellent start to the book and it has definitely changed my perception of the series.
So, now I would like to address the question most people have had. How did Rowling make Harry Potter become so popular?
I do not know
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1. Scrambled Eggs
2. Omelette
3. Frittata
4. Poached Eggs
5. Shakshuka
6. Huevos Rancheros
7. Egg Salad
8. Quiche
9. Egg and Cheese Sandwich
10. Eggs Benedict
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In 2010, in response to a series of suicides by teens, the U.S. government announced a national plan to reduce the number of adolescents to at least 13, by banning sales to persons under 18. The move was largely expected to slow the growing sales of cigarettes to children in both the United States and Canada.
Yet tobacco products remain a big part of adolescent culture. As of December 2013, an estimated 2.3 million Canadians aged 15 to 19 reported that they had consumed some form of tobacco in the past week. The vast majority of these products–cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, etc.–are available in Canada in plain packaging, and most tobacco products currently sold in Canada do not have age warnings.
The recent public awareness campaign "Make Tobacco Plain" (MTBF) and its associated campaign for plain packaging of tobacco products are aimed at reversing this trend, for the sake of public health.
However, the current public health initiative is not without its shortcomings. In particular, its focus on plain packaging and restrictions on advertising to youth only partially reflects the overall harm that adolescents face from tobacco products.
The evidence of an association between exposure to tobacco advertising and exposure to tobacco use is well established. Adolescents who view tobacco ads on television and in the print media appear more likely to be exposed to smoking and tobacco product advertisements and to be smoking. Adolescent boys and girls who view tobacco ads are more likely to smoke, and are more likely to attempt to quit tobacco.
The MTBF campaign does not attempt to control how tobacco advertisements are produced but instead suggests the potential risks for youth. Given their age and the lack of effective advertising, it is not surprising that the majority of youth surveyed in the MTBF campaign indicate that they do not think tobacco advertising is an issue for their lives.
This means that even if all youth smoking rates were to be cut for one year, the campaign would only help to reduce current youth consumption of 10 million cigarettes.
As a result of the MTBF's policy agenda, we would expect to see some significant impact on youth consumption of tobacco products. Yet, the evidence of any effects of the campaign is not as strong as one would expect. In fact, it appears that even though youths appear to be less attracted to tobacco products, their tobacco use remains unchanged.
Why are these conflicting results obtained? One possibility is that the findings on youth consumption are due to an increase in tobacco product use among youth that is not captured in the survey data. For instance, youth surveyed may be more likely to smoke tobacco after viewing advertisements on television or in print media. Another possibility is that the MTBF's focus on tobacco marketing and marketing restrictions, combined with the lack of a restriction on advertising to youths, could result in the result one would expect.
The findings of the following study help to shed light on these important topics.
Findings
The following research studies were conducted to assess the effect of MTBF and its associated advertisements on tobacco product use among youth from age 11 to 14.
A survey of 9,827 youth in British Columbia and Alberta from September 1, 2012, through December 31, 2013 revealed the following results.
1. A significant increase in the percentage of youth who reported smoking tobacco products (from 11.4% in 2011 to 13.2% in 2012).
2. A significant increase in the number who reported using any smoking cessation product in 2011 (from 1.7% to 2.1%) and 2012 (from 7.8% to 9.4%).
3. A significant decrease in the number who reported never being offered a tobacco product (from 10.4% to 7.6%).
4. Of the youths surveyed, 5.6% reported that they had started smoking in 2013.
5. Of the youths surveyed, 0.0% continued smoking during 2012
6. Of the youths surveyed, 3.5% stopped smoking in 2011
7. Of the youths surveyed, 18.4% reported that they did not offer the MTBF campaign to others in 2013 (or attempted to do so at least once)
8. Of the youths surveyed, 33.5% reported that their parents attempted to dissuade them from smoking (or tried to dissuade them from smoking in 2012)
The results are consistent with the evidence in that it indicates that exposure to advertisements promoting tobacco products is associated with increased use by youth. This finding is also consistent with the notion that interventions should target advertising in the same way that any other product marketing is targeted.
The MTBF campaigns are designed to prevent youth consumption and sales of some tobacco products, even if some youth may choose to continue smoking. Yet, even if youth continue to engage in tobacco use, their smoking rate remains unchanged. The lack of an increase in the number of smokers (even though the average age of first use is down) suggests that the campaign does not discourage or prevent smoking by youth.
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If you love Chicago Cubs Vs Detroit Tigers your search ends here. We have the best Chicago Cubs Vs Detroit Tigers sports streams online. Check our Chicago Cubs Vs Detroit Tigers schedule for all live events, all free. Chicago Cubs Vs Detroit Tigers available on mobile and desktop.
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Calls for a review of Britain's air strikes in Syria have been rejected by the Government, which says its mission is lawful - despite it killing three women and 15 children.
Britain's most senior military officer, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Jackson, wrote to Jeremy Corbyn this week calling for a fresh debate in Parliament.
In his letter, Sir Mike said there were serious and unresolved legal questions about the role of the RAF.
He said: "Clearly, a review is required. However, there is not a sufficient basis to hold a new vote in parliament at present.
"The legal basis for UK airstrikes on Syria has not yet been resolved. This has not been done by anyone who has been in government or who has sat on the public bench.
"This is not merely relevant in the UK. Any such investigation would need to consider issues in a number of national jurisdictions."
The letter to the Labour leader is one of the first indications of Labour's intention to challenge the Government over military action in the conflict.
Image copyright @SaraGoddard11
The Labour leader has already written to the prime minister asking him to consider the legality of military action and come back to Parliament with that information before military strikes in Syria are launched.
But the Government said it was already clear that air strikes in Syria were lawful - despite the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime, as well as other alleged abuses by rebels.
A British military source told the BBC: "It is not for the House of Commons to say what air strikes can or could not be.
"The Prime Minister has sought to explain the legal basis with regard to British involvement and this is the position on which we will maintain."
'Dirty bombs'
Writing in Friday's Observer newspaper, Sir Mike said the Government's case for UK involvement in a bombing campaign against the Assad regime and its allies has "suffered from a lack of clarity".
He wrote: "When I left the RAF in 2012 as Group Captain and took up the role of Chief of the Defence Staff, I had the great privilege of overseeing the end of the Falklands war, a decade before the start of this conflict.
"This is not to say that military action is an easy or straightforward job, but I do not think it's the job of MPs to legislate on military questions of national security.
"There is a strong argument for a meaningful parliamentary debate - not now, but when and if the debate warrants it. It does not do any good to leave this unresolved any longer."
In November, Mr Corbyn backed a call by shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn for the UK to take action against the Assad regime.
In a joint parliamentary question to the government, Labour MP John Woodcock and SNP MP Angus Robertson said military action against Syrian government forces would be "an act of war or a threat of war".
The UK is the fourth-largest contributor of international humanitarian assistance to Syria; in the year to 30 September, Britain sent £9.5bn to help Syrian refugees - that is £6.4bn more than last year.
Image copyright PA Image caption Hilary Benn has said he is against military action until MPs are given a vote in Parliament on whether to intervene
But Labour MEP for the Eastern European country of Moldova, David Martin, said action against Syria had not been backed by MPs, and if the MPs' votes were taken into account, then the UN would probably have to intervene.
"I was surprised to be greeted with this letter by the House of Commons authorities," he said. "There is a long-standing tradition of the British government not taking part in military conflicts outside of its own borders."
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Political Landscape: U.S. Government Challenges Essay (Critical Writing)
The Political landscape holds that the American government has made it possible for all its citizens to access both jobs and services. It is believed that everyone enjoys equal opportunities.
The political landscape discusses the key issues that challenge the American government, and what has been done to stop them. The issue of ethnocentrism is discussed. The journal states that times have changed for the American nations, and they have come a long way in battling with discrimination among its people.
America has diversity of culture, since people from all walks of life are seen in this great nation. In the past, the African-Americans were treated as inferior people.
There was a long fight before they were recognized as American citizens and access education. They were also not allowed to ride in the buses the white people took to work. The battle for equality has been a long and tedious one, but it has brought liberation to the African-Americans. However, it is not over, yet, because, in certain institutions, they are still considered second-class citizens.
Women, on the other hand, have also made their mark in the professional industry. In the past, they were considered to be homemakers, but with time they have also been allowed to learn alongside their male counterparts and compete for similar jobs. Women have also been liberated since they have also been empowered by the laws that allow them to access and use family planning. This means that they are allowed to make the choice of whether they can have children or not.
To some level, this is true, but there is no reason why most of the affluent estates are mainly occupied by white people. There is also no explanation why majority of the top jobs are taken by males, yet these jobs should be shared equally between males and females.
In addition to that, if the laws show that all citizens are equal, then what would be the account for the Native Americans being marginalized or located in reserves while the government imposes their laws on them? There is also no explanation why the Mexicans are viewed as drug dealers yet; not all Mexicans are engaged in drugs.
America has also shifted from agricultural to industrial and to post-industrial economic jobs. The older people are also more involved in politics than the young generation. This might be because they had first-hand experience in the First World War and World War II. They, therefore, value their freedom and democracy.
For the younger generations, they are less involved in politics and voting. Education is seen as a tool that is to empower students. They get more information on their American history, and this would serve to make them understand the fight of their forefathers for freedom. This is in an attempt to make the students appreciate their history and more so to make them more patriotic to their nation.
In conclusion, the American nation is rich in culture since it is composed of people from all walks of life. It has also come a long way in trying to incorporate all these people. Much has been done but much is still yet to be done since the nation is still crippled by some degree of racism ethnocentrism. Women have been empowered in writing, but in practice, they are still being viewed as being unworthy to compete for the same opportunities as the men (Connor and Sabato 1-24).
The federal government is one that allows states to develop independently, but they are governed under the same laws and regulations. States are, therefore, allowed to make their economic decisions on their own but at the end of the day they are answerable to the federal law. Business and commerce should be the ruled by state law. This gives the different states the chance to explore their opportunities.
They get the chance to experiment, and this even gives them a competitive edge. The federal government serves to regulate states so that tyranny is not propagated. The national government has the authority to control the revenue. The constitutional government allows states to have authority to punish the member of the states when they commit offences, and this is applicable in cases where someone goes against federal law.
To make laws in all states equal, when members of one states cross the boundary and go into another state, they are supposed to be governed by the laws that govern the host state. States also share laws with other states, judicial proceedings among other things. It also is stated that a fugitive who flees into another state has the right to be deported back to the state where he or she is wanted.
The federal law holds the right to govern the welfare of its members, and if it deems it right, it can take measures to regulate security, commerce and laws of a state. For instance, the federal government decided to build a military station in Hawaii after it decided to increase security.
This was followed by unceasing protest from the state leaders who felt that they were supposed to rule themselves. The Hawaiians also feel that the federal government has also been actively involved in their displacement, and they have been forced to reserved areas and they feel oppressed.
In other instances, the federal law comes into play when there is trading between states or when states trade with countries of other nations. Since most of the times, the laws governing one state are the same laws presiding over another state; the states are allowed to share laws.
However, in certain situations, certain laws may be considered repugnant and they are unworthy of being made uniform. For instance, the Hawaiian law legalizing same-sex marriages was considered unacceptable, and the federal government decided that it would only remain legalized in Hawaii alone.
For most nations, they would want independence from the federal government because sometimes it curtails their freedom. However, as much as it seems like the enemy, it is also involved in offering financial aid and grants to states. It may also regulate the activities of states; partially or fully preempt the states from their debts with the federal fund.
In conclusion, the federal government acts as a body that acts on behalf of the welfare of its people. It ensures that the people under its rule are treated equally under the law, but they are allowed to explore different endeavors, as long as, they are within the federal law. This also ensures that there is an equal opportunity for growth and experimentation (Connor and Sabato 90-110).
Works Cited
Connor, Karen, and Larry Sabato. American Government: Roots and Reform . New York: Pearson Longman, 2009.
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Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) ripped a report that President Trump is planning on ending DACA with a six-month delay, accusing him of "heeling to his shrinking base."
"If [Trump] was interested in healing our nation, he wouldn't end [DACA]. His decision is based on heeling to his shrinking base," Lieu tweeted Sunday.
If @realDonaldTrump was interested in healing our nation, he wouldn't end #DACA. His decision is based on heeling to his shrinking base. https://t.co/yjozk69MTp — Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) September 4, 2017
DACA, started by former President Obama, temporarily protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
The Politico report says that Trump plans to announce an end to the program, but with a six-month delay apparently intended to give Congress the chance to carve out exceptions.
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Nearly 800,000 people have used the program so far to receive work permits and deportation deferrals.
Lieu, a frequent critic of the Trump administration, has spoken out against Trump ending the program.
"Message of the GOP to minorities. Please join our party. We love you, we really do. But first we need to deport your children," Lieu tweeted Thursday.
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Dana Spiotta's fourth novel, Innocents and Others, tracks the life and career of Meadow Mori, a maker of experimental films that blur lines between the documentary and the fictional and enter into murky ethical territory. It's a measure of Spiotta's daring that her emphasis falls on her fictional artist's works more than on the little dramas that sometimes fuel her and, less often, distract her. (Meadow can be a bit cold to those close to her.) There's a tension inherent in this design: The novel that we're reading is in competition with the films that we're reading about — films that don't exist outside its pages. Part of the novel's circuitry is that we're told that the films aren't entirely successful, and just how they fail. What that means for the novel itself is another question.
Spiotta's 2001 debut, Lightning Field, was a trenchant study of frustrated lives on the fringes of Hollywood, told in a lyric prose that rendered spellbinding quotidian images like the soaking of a sugar cube in a cup of diner coffee. The prose of her next two novels was more restrained — with shorter, less sinuous, if no less lovely sentences — but each had a more elaborate narrative and historical framework. Eat the Document tracked members of the underground through the revolutionary '70s and their '90s afterlives ("A commune and a corporate community aren't all that different"). In Stone Arabia a sister observes her frustrated brother in middle age creating an elaborate false autobiography of his life as a rock star. All of these books are tales of people who conjure alternate selves to cope with the way popular culture, consumerism, and political upheavals render their real identities inadequate. It's a theme tackled head-on in Innocents and Others, when an artist whose business it is to render other people's alternate selves meets a woman who might be her ideal subject. The new book dispenses almost entirely with narrative niceties (which might get in the way of that big idea), and its shifting points of view, conspicuous elisions, and false leads heighten the stakes.
Meadow Mori, like many of Spiotta's characters, is a native of Los Angeles with familial ties to the film industry. (Spiotta's family moved to L.A. when she was 13, and her father ran Francis Ford Coppola's studio Zoetrope.) Meadow is the sort of high-school student whose class projects tend toward elaborate homages to Orson Welles and Andy Warhol. Welles is one of her abiding obsessions, and the novel's opening section is a straight-faced faux memoir of an affair she had with him as a 17-year-old. "Fanfiction," one of her students later calls it: Her Welles recites Shakespeare, has a perfect memory, does magic tricks, and writes her love letters he leaves in the books she's reading, until the day he croaks. Meadow is given to self-mythologizing and pursuing the fulfillment of others' myths. After high school, in the mid-1980s, she moves to Gloversville, New York — a real town, northwest of Albany — and sets up in a warehouse she calls Volta Cinematograph, after a failed movie theater James Joyce founded in Dublin; Meadow fancies herself following in the footsteps of Nicholas Ray, who formed a collective with his students upstate after he was abandoned by Hollywood in the 1970s. The region is also the ancestral home of the Fonda clan. (Innocents and Others spills over with film trivia; "thank you to the internet for always being there for me," Spiotta writes in her acknowledgments, somewhat giving away the game.) It's in Gloversville that Meadow's progress begins, with attempts to make a film about trains.
When the train film goes nowhere new, she turns her camera on her boyfriend, an oversexed androgynous local teenager nicknamed Deke. "I do fuck all the girls I can," Deke says in a transcript of their interview. He also tells of being picked up by a middle-aged man, whom he then assaults and leaves bleeding by his car. "His poor stupid face. Like I think about him sometimes and I fucking hit my head to make it go away, I am so ashamed." On-camera, he's drunk on whiskey and in tears, and Meadow cuts the film so that he's seen sober, watching her edit the footage, "what the Maysles brothers did to Mick Jagger in Gimme Shelter." With the help of her high-school friend Carrie, now a film student at NYU, she places Portrait of Deke in festivals and wins a couple of prizes. Meadow's career is launched.
By this point a separate narrative strand has been creeping in that will soon join with Meadow's. Jelly is a "phone phreak" who makes calls to powerful men in the
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Wikis as an Educational Tool Research Paper
Table of Contents
1. Introduction of the Concept of Wiki
2. How do Wikis Allow Users to Place Content on the Web
3. Wide Range of Topics found on Wikipedia
4. Use of Wiki as Training or Learning tool
5. References
Introduction of the Concept of Wiki
A wiki is a website that runs on wiki software that offers a simple mark-up language editing functionality or to as what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) (Wikipedia, n.d.). Wiki is a collection of webpages that are interlinked and are editable by a person viewing the webpage.
Wikis serve as the humblest content management systems that allow collaborative work. As a content management system, the wiki software provides a template for the layout of each page that make up the wiki (Brian, n.d.).
How do Wikis Allow Users to Place Content on the Web
The simplicity of a wiki lies in the what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) mark-up language that allows anybody with or without the knowledge of computer programing language and with a basic literacy of computers and the internet to edit a page or create a new page on the wiki. Editing and creation of new pages occurs in real time and changes are noticeable immediately on the wiki.
The real-time feature and ease of editing makes wikis great collaboration tools. The wiki software that manages how content appears on the wiki offers a rigid input structure that ensures all content added to the wiki appear in the same manner on the whole wiki.
A person editing the wiki can only type in, insert hyperlinks and to some extent can upload facility for multimedia content is availed. People who wish to edit wikis need to log into the site (Brian, n.d.).
Wide Range of Topics found on Wikipedia
Wikipedia is currently the most popular wiki in the world. It offers about eight million pages that have been interlinked and are editable by anyone who can access the wiki. According to Wikipedia (n.d.), the site offers 18 million articles that are a product of voluntary collaboration.
The English version of the wiki has over 3.6 million articles. As of 2008, Wikipedia had covered the following subjects: culture and the arts, biographies and persons, geography and places, society and social sciences, history and events, natural and the physical sciences, technology and the applied sciences, religions and belief systems, health, mathematics and logic, thought and philosophy (Wikipedia, n.d.).
Use of Wiki as Training or Learning tool
The collaborative nature of wiki makes it more of a way of working rather than a tool because the density of the collaboration defines the wiki. Wikis offer subject specific repositories and provide a real opportunity for increasing knowledge distribution on a given topic because of the wiki’s ease of deployment across the internet (Smith, n.d.)
There are several approaches of using wikis in the teaching or learning process. The most common is the cooperative or collaborative paradigm where students form heterogeneous groups that maintain and facilitate individual learning.
The main advantage of the setting is that it nourishes a positive interdependence among the group members while enhancing the individual accountability and appropriate development and use of collaborative skills (Parker & Chao, 2007). Wikis facilitate computer-supported collaboration and this is extendable to the learning process.
The wiki serves as a knowledge platform on which members of a collaborating community share interesting work together and discuss issues that concern the common work among them (Parker & Chao, 2007).
Since wikis meet the requirements of any successful community of practice, they provide the best means of collaborative work. Students can use wikis to conduct group discussions with their fellow students or collaborate on class assignments for student groups.
Secondly, there is the constructivist paradigm that view knowledge and meaning as a construction rather than a natural occurrence. This approach emphasizes on the learner interaction to be active and manipulative, constructive and reflective, authentic, challenging and conversational as well as meet real world cooperative and collaborative expectations.
To fit into this category of learning tools, wikis allow learners to be explicit in their reflection of the learnt material. In addition, wikis offers rich and flexible functionality that transcends the minimal technological barriers presented. Given that people learn by social and communal activities, wikis assist to enact knowledge when used educationally because they provide a community-focused approach (Parker & Chao, 2007).
Other than group collaborations, wikis allow a dyadic collaboration of teacher and student on a given topic because of its real-time editing structure. Such collaboration is achievable in form of writing articles and irrespective of the geographical location of the participants (Parker & Chao, 2007). The open nature of wikis broadens their use depending on the imagination of the user.
Current popular forms of educational wiki are single user wikis for personal collection and editing of thoughts, lab book wikis for students to keep notes online for peer reviewing, collaborative writing wikis for joint writing and knowledge base wikis for providing a knowledge repository (Smith, n.d.).
Educational areas that best adapt to use of wiki are project-based learning that rely on wikis for project planning and documentations. Secondly, online education uses wikis to disseminate information to allow group discussions of geographically distant students as well as form knowledge repositories for online classes.
The final benefit of wiki in education is the ability to freeze them by making them private so that information contained in them cannot be edited thus creating a knowledge artifact (Parker & Chao, 2007).
References
Brian, M. (n.d.). How wikis work . Retrieved from how stuff works: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/wiki1.htm
Parker, K. R., & Chao, J. T. (2007). Wiki as a Teaching tool. (A. Koohang, Ed.) Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects, 3 : 57-72.
Smith, C. (n.d.). Wikis and Education . Retrieved from Shambles: http://www.shambles.net/pages/learning/ict/wikiedu/
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Wiki . Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki
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The most widely accepted theory is that the universe began with an incredibly dense and hot state, known as the Big Bang, nearly 14 billion years ago. Over time, the universe inflated and cooled, leading to the formation of stars, galaxies, and planets, among other celestial bodies.
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Marriott International Company Opportunities Essay
With a variety of famous and magnificent hotels and resorts, Marriot International is the favoured retreat and business destination for most people. Here, guests are treated with flexible booking options, an outstanding care, and varied destinations in an exceptional sumptuous surrounding.
Marriot International is among the largest international operators in hotels and cottage amenities. It was established in 1927 by J. Marriot in Washington D.C. Initially, Marriot together with his wife started out with a root beer tavern not knowing that it would expand and become an international retreat centre.
The tavern then increased into a series of restaurant s and pubs. In 1959, Marriott established the Key Bridge Marriott in Arlington, which then was then the best operating hotel ever established. It incorporated 3100 properties. Currently, the company possesses more than 3000 lodging facilities in the United states of America and other 500 lodging facilities distributed all over the world.
Marriot’s son, who is the current CEO, spearheaded this growth. In the year 1992, the company divided into Marriot International and Host Marriot corp. It was not until 2002, when the company restructured. Marriot International then centred on hotel management.
Towards May 1995, the company purchased 50% interest in Carlton Hotel Company intended at generating additional sales and profits. The following year, Marriott international fully owned Carlton and took over its management. As a result, Marriot financed Carlton into a profitable business and assisted them with their expertise. During this period, Carlton regained its power and recognition in the market.
Despite its tremendous success, Marriott has suffered tremendous setbacks. In 2001, during the 9/11 attacks, Marriott World Trade Centre was destroyed and subsequently in 2003 the Marriott hotel bombing occurred. These two attacks caused a significant decline in the number of bookings, and a reduction in the profit margins in the year 2001 and 2003.
By the year 2004, Marriott became the first hotel to serve free Trans fats food in the US. Two years later, the company affirmed that it was going to ban smoking in all its lodging properties in North America. This ban affected all guest rooms, lounges, and public facilities in the company.
In the year 2011, the company announced that they aimed at establishing 600 hotels before the year 2015 and that they were going to prioritize on the growing economies like China and India. At the beginning of this year, Marriott began the construction of the tallest hotel in the globe. The hotel is situated in United Arab Emirates and it comprises over 2000 rooms. In addition, it occupies an area of 5000 square metres.
Constantly, Marriott has offered interns and college graduates the best opportunities vital to the growth of their future careers. These opportunities vary from part time to full time and from one country to another. With respect to the interns, they will be exposed to diverse disciplines at the company.
Marriott’s brands consist of distinctive guest experience hence students are offered the opportunity to nurture their career as they apply the theoretical knowledge learned in class. Through this, students gain experience on how to handle various roles when they start to work.
Regarding the management programs, students are equipped with management skills and given an opportunity to explore their talents through various activities in the workplace. Mostly, Students are encouraged to concentrate in the areas that they are gifted for effective outcomes. These areas include accounting, food and beverages, room operations, spa services and sales and marketing.
Marriott offers various opportunities to graduates across all disciplines. The company offers several posts in the treasury and corporate finance departments to graduates specialized in accounting and finance. Regarding the food and beverages specialist, Marriott offers a variety of skills in management and supervision. An individual can work in various scenarios such as serving individuals or large groups.
With respect to information technology experts, Marriott offers numerous opportunities since advancement in Information technology has enabled it to remain operational and deliver the best services to its customers on vacations. Therefore, not only will they be paid well, but also they will be presented with several opportunities to enhance their career.
There are numerous benefits of Marriott enjoyed by the guests and employees. First, employees are given an opportunity to work in the best hospitality company in the world. In addition, the company acknowledges every individual’s effort by rewarding hardworking employee. These rewards include access to expensive rooms, foods, and beverages at Marriott locations all over the world.
Concerning its guest, the company ensures that they are given the best services such as flexible booking options and varied resorts and destinations. With the advancement of technology, booking for an accommodation at Marriott has become significantly simplified. The company uses the most current software compared with other hospitality companies in the world.
Through this software, guests’ information is stored making it readily accessible when necessary. Marriott’s varied resorts and destination means that guests are presented with a variety of options to choose from. Therefore, one can visit several destinations while enjoying the same outstanding services.
Many countries, especially the developing ones, depend on hospitality industries as their main source of revenue. In this regard, Marriott has proved to be the best revenue earner to the countries in which it is situated while employing a majority of the population.
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HTC has just announced that its new One M7 will arrive "in the coming months," with the flagship smartphone slated to arrive in April 2016.
No pricing has been released, but all signs point to a premium pricing.
In terms of specifications, we're looking at an all-aluminum body with a 5.2" 1080 p display on the front and 16MP camera at the back. In terms of battery life, we're looking at up to three days of use before the battery needs a charge.
The latest HTC One M7 specs: 16MP rear camera, f/2.0 camera, 3D Touch display and HTC BoomSound. pic.twitter.com/n9yU5cE4eQ — Thomas Lohnes (@thomas_lohnes) February 5, 2016
HTC says that it has improved the battery capacity of the new One M7 with over 35% more battery capacity over the One M8 (3554 mAh to 3274 mAh).
HTC One M7 specs:
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The New York Times has in the last few weeks been trying to push its "unprecedented" Russia-Trump collusion claim as a means of delegitimizing the presidency of Donald Trump in the eyes of the people, especially the news media, and of preventing the Republican Party from taking the reins away from the anti-Trump, establishment Republicans and allowing Trump to make his own way in the GOP, as he stated during his campaign, and as so many in the media and among his opponents in the party were calling for.
This is what the New York Times editorial board wrote recently after Trump's "Saturday Night Live" attack on his opponent, Hillary Clinton during a weekend performance in which Alec Baldwin portrayed the now-president as a crude man-baby. "It was, as The New York Times has acknowledged, an unprecedented assault," it went on to say.
The paper made the same argument in the lead editorial of January 19 (the day after the inauguration) when it called Republican politicians, Democrats (most prominently Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer), and most news organizations "obsessed" with this allegation and that has contributed to the situation.
And by "obsessed," they did mean that their media colleagues have made a huge fuss over the "Russiagate" accusation because there has been no evidence of the accusation and no evidence even that there was collusion, but that their media colleagues are doing "everything they can" to cover for Trump in the effort to undermine Trump.
The New York Times' "obsession" with a baseless and unsubstantiated charge on the part of Trump that Clinton was working against him from day one is part of what some in the media are trying to do to push this story as they have attempted to discredit the president as being a racist and a Russia-hater, and as they have tried to bring Republicans and others down with him — which is what their "Russiagate" charge does.
What is happening is that the New York Times' editorial board — which is the paper of record in the US — and media outlets like the Washington Post, the BBC (that was also used as propaganda tools in the past to push against the Soviet Union and Russia in general), The Huffington Post and others, including the BBC, the BBC, and the US Center for Public Integrity (which also used to be another propaganda weapon in Soviet times) are working to push anti-Trump narratives and discredit the president and his administration in an effort to try to get Republicans to come around and join the Democrats to try to have Trump's agenda pushed through the Congress, and as they try to do this, they are also trying to destroy Trump as a politician. And this is what is being done without any evidence at all. The New York Times never has been known to produce a single fact or analysis, let alone a document, that comes close to supporting this "Russiagate" story, while the Washington Post and others do regularly.
The story, as it is currently written, is that Trump was in a meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at the start of the transition and they had a "very friendly" discussion, even in the "overheated" days of the 2016 campaign.
The Times claims that this "has been confirmed by current and former American officials, several of whom insisted on anonymity to discuss internal deliberations" and that "the content of the exchange was not clear."
The article also claimed that this is not how the US government generally reports that contacts with foreign officials, although US officials on the record with Breitbart have said the meeting, as reported, was very cordial. And in the past, the Russians also have denied that Russia-Trump discussions took place.
But in its current form in late January, the Times is also claiming the claim was made "on the Russian government's behalf," which means that the NYT is in the position of reporting information that a Russian government official gave them, but also reporting on Russian government claims themselves.
The New York Times is not just pushing this "Russiagate" story. The Times is also putting down other political news stories, both Democrat and Republican, that are also pushing this "Russiagate" story.
In a recent article (January 25, 2018) under the headline "Rats and Money: The Trump Team's Connections to Russian Businesses and Investors," the Times reported that, "As the administration prepares major policy announcements on trade and tax policy, several officials, including [former ExxonMobil CEO] Rex Tillerson and Steven Mnuchin, Trump's nominee for Treasury secretary, have been talking to Russians in the hopes of securing business deals or gaining insights.
"That could create a trail that is more difficult for investigators to trace," the article claimed. The Times went on, "Tillerson and Mnuchin have been in the midst of a high-stakes lobbying push to build business ties, and the Trump administration itself has made overtures to business leaders since taking office."
The Times
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The Pluses and Minuses of Religion Essay
It is hard to think of anything in society that has advantages only. Almost everything has its positives and negatives. This is the case with religion. How is religion useful to society and the individual? How does religion hinder individual and community life? These are the main questions that this essay will answer.
To start with, religion is a great source of order in society. The huge numbers of people who belong to various religious groupings are advised to maintain order through the expression of love and respect for their fellow human beings. This is not to say that people who do not belong to any religion cannot maintain order. The point is that the emphasis on love for one another that is the cornerstone of the world’s major religions has been a source of order in society for a long time. The promises from God in the case of Christians, Allah for the Muslims, and Yahweh for the Jews, for good deeds, make people strive for a peaceful, orderly life. The result is an orderly community.
Secondly, the bigger religions that exist in the world today have played a major role in the alleviation of human suffering through humanitarian aid. In times of disasters, it is not uncommon to get organized religion moving in with relief for the victims. The problem may be an earthquake, a volcano eruption, a flood, or a war. In some cases, the religions take their resources directly to the people and sometimes they act as avenues through which other agencies can send help to those in need.
At the individual level, religion provides answers to man’s most pressing problems. Man has always struggled to look at something bigger that explains this earthly life. Apart from religion, there is nothing else that provides answers to questions addressing the origin of matter. Even science is not able to provide a satisfactory explanation concerning the origin of life. Concepts like evolution do not explain why a human being living in the same environment with a cow did not evolve into one creature if the idea of natural selection works. In this case, religion authoritatively reveals the existence of someone powerful; who is responsible for life on earth. What are the problems that are experienced by society and by individuals as a result of religion?
On the other hand, religion has been and still is the cause of many divisions in the world. All over the world, there are numerous divisions based on religion. These divisions include Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, among others. In such a case, it becomes difficult to create a united front in dealing with life’s most pressing problems. This is especially true when there are prejudices in some of the religious groups.
At the individual level, religion can be a source of confusion due to the lack of uniformity in society. What does it benefit the individual if belonging to a certain religion puts you at odds with others? This raises personal questions of the appropriateness of one’s religion as compared to those of others. This can be disturbing to the individual.
In conclusion, religion is a source of good and bad for the individual and society. Order in communities and help in moments of need are some of the advantages of religion to society. It also provides answers to man’s most pressing problems such as the origin of life. The negatives of religion include divisions in society and confusion to the individual regarding the appropriate religion.
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The "War of the World" episode of "Supernatural" is being shown in cinemas this weekend.
It stars Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester and Tom Welling as Sam Winchester. Castiel appears in the flashback sequences of the episode, and the final shot features the titular archangels.
The episode was written by Andrew Dabb, who also co-wrote "Hush," which aired in September. The finale's script was directed by Richard Speight Jr. ("The Long Road Home").
On this week's "Supernatural" mid-season premiere episode, Dean (Ackles) searches for Dean's sister Molly (Rose McGowan), who, after Dean's mother's death, has moved back outside the country. He's joined by Sam (Welling). They learn that she's trying to go to Canada and get into hiding, and Sam warns Dean not to believe everything he sees on the news. But as they cross a field at dusk, they see a group of monsters. Meanwhile, Michael and Rowena (guest stars Jennifer Morrison and Naomi Campbell) track Dean to a bar where a fight broke out between Sam and some drunken guys. The fight turns nasty; Michael throws a beer bottle and leaves. However, the bottle hits Rowena and kills her. Michael tries to cover up the murder by saying that Rowena died in a car accident. Back at the motel, Sam learns that her car crash was not a suicide. Rowena is still a demon, and she's trying to get Michael to destroy the Bunker so she never needs to see him again. Sam is shocked, wondering why Michael would go out of his way to hurt Rowena. When Rowena is unable to control herself at the same time as Michael, he takes the bottle and throws it into two cars at the entrance of the Bunker. At the Bunker, Dean and Dean's demons are trapped in the Bunker along with Rowena's and Michael's, who have trapped the Winchesters and demons. They have only one chance to save everyone: kill Michael before someone else can get hurt. Michael and Rowena, the three archangels, have been searching the universe, looking for the last remaining hunter who can stop them. They find Adam (guest star Matt Ryan) on Earth, who kills Rowena with a shovel.
What are the themes in the episode?
The episode, like its predecessor, deals with the topic of war, as Dean, Sam, and Castiel hunt down people, not knowing if they are in the war or not. When Rowena was first introduced in the pilot, we saw her trying to get Michael to kill her and kill Dean and Sam, so she could not see Michael again. She and Michael, the most powerful of the archangels, have taken over the show for this season's final third. The episode, in a sense, presents the theme of the season as well: war.
The Winchesters first came into contact with demons in season 2, and then with angels in season 3's "Catching Fire." Was this an intentional and conscious choice to do so?
From the beginning of "The Fallen," we knew it would be Dean and Sam's first experience with angels. We didn't know at that point how well the show would do. It took some time, but we knew the pilot did really, really well and that it would be a really great introduction for these characters. And from there, we knew it would take longer for the show to find its footing, so we could have Dean and Sam's first angel encounter in place and start to build their story. At the same time, we didn't want them to be the only show on television with angels, because when we have one, we need more, and when the next show comes out, there might be more than one. So from the beginning, we had the two main characters [Dean and Sam] encountering and training with other angels as a way to keep up with the show's storytelling with more characters.
We also wanted to tell this story about Sam and Dean's relationship and what happens next, so it seemed natural or fitting to start with Dean coming in contact with angels, then to keep building to that. It also meant it wasn't a show-within-a-show, so every time the story of Angel and the Winchesters was in the same episode, they were all in the same universe, in the same time frame. I think people got caught up in how it looked like a different show, like one story that wasn't part of the other story. It just felt more natural that we would do the same sort of thing.
Was there anything you wanted to change about the way the show had been set up when you wrote this episode?
I wish I could say, "This will be the best story ever," but that's not the way it was for this show. This is the best story we've attempted. The
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A B.C. Supreme Court justice says it would be "unfortunate," if a B.C. Supreme Court justice would be replaced as Liberal leader following the government's decision to pull the plug on the long-running review panel into political donation laws.
Judges must be "fair and impartial," says Justice Minister Suzanne Anton, when asked how she sees Justice Robin Camp's departure from the Liberal cabinet on Jan. 31 having an effect on political impartiality in the province.
Camp had been appointed to the B.C. Provincial Court in 2005. In the wake of last September's provincial election, the NDP and Greens demanded that him be dropped from the judicial bench after it was revealed he had made political contributions to the Liberals.
Camp's lawyer, Bruce Ryder, says Camp's only "crime was the disclosure of a mistake that could have been easily avoided."
Camp, a former Crown prosecutor, said he would take legal action if Anton tried to replace him with a Tory justice.
"If the Liberals think that anyone who says you should be removed as a judge would be someone who would be a real obstacle to them in the political fight for 2017, I think it would be foolish to assume that it won't happen," he told The Tyee.
"I am being removed for the reason that the government wanted to try to be the ones to put people in a position where their political position is not so good, where your reputation might suffer, or you might be at risk of the Conservatives doing away with you," he said.
Anton did not immediately return a call from The Tyee seeking comment.
'Crown has no other power' in campaign finance laws
Camp was not asked to explain his decision to make these political donations, but it's not the first time the NDP has accused the Justice Minister of trying to influence what judges say with donors' money.
"The government has no other power than to appoint our judges," Anton told the legislature recently. "They cannot tell us how we should apply the laws that apply to them and to others. They can't tell our judges what is appropriate and illegal and what is not, or what is legitimate."
Camp was appointed by former B.C. Liberal MP Joe Peschisolido on Apr. 5, 2005, to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. After hearing case on July 15, 2005, the judges of the Court of Appeal refused to hear an appeal brought by the Liberal Party of Canada in favour of donations from donors, and parties, to their respective campaign funds.
Camp was appointed to the B.C. Provincial Court on Sept. 3, 2005, to sit on the Bismarck case where he was the only judge sitting who was not appointed by the previous Liberal government. He made headlines when the Liberal Party of Canada wanted him to sit in the Supreme Court so that he could have an "advantage" in the trial in the town.
Camp said he had decided to run for the leadership of the NDP but he would not be able to stand and still receive a salary until after the next provincial election in May 2017. He is now the interim leader of the party but has not announced whether the NDP will choose a permanent leader following the April 2017 election.
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This study has a few surprises. It also presents a fascinating study of a type of sex between two male apes of the same species. You can read about it all in our first article on the subject, here!
If you don't want to read the whole study, here are a few interesting details that should get your attention:
Sex between two male apes is very widespread throughout the animal kingdom. There are actually more male sex partners in nature than females.
It took the same sex from the same species, not a different species, to mate in this study. That's rather cool! It means that there weren't any differences between male and female mate choices in this case.
This study is the first to examine male animal sex in context. It shows that the amount of time males spend with partners is an important factor in how often they end up producing offspring.
Male sex was associated with higher levels of body fat. Body fat can be used to defend against predators and can help fight diseases and parasites. This is an important finding, because humans actually have a diet rich in protein and fat that promotes rapid development of the reproductive system.
Male apes of the same species engage in sex on a daily basis; in both wild and captive groups.
The study shows that male mating with their cousins could be the reason why male apes have lower body mass. The study's authors conclude that the reason for this might be that their body weight is greater because they are spending more time with their cousins.
Male chimpanzees are very territorial about their territories. They do engage in intense war and fighting, so the presence of another male, even his cousin, might be a risky encounter for their species.
The more sexual stimulation, the more males get to know their species like animals should. A study of humans shows that sexual activity in and of itself isn't especially important to a person's overall well being. If you're interested in the psychology and physiology of human sex, you can read more here.
I've written and talked about this topic for The Scientist before, too. In one article, I discussed the research of David Buss et. al. , who showed that men who don't have partners can be more successful as leaders. I also covered an important evolutionary question about human sexual behavior that I want to explore further in this article.
I want to bring the findings of this study to your attention, too! But first, here's a video to explain the study's results to you more clearly!
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John Podesta was chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
The more we learn about The more we learn about the Russian plot to sabotage Hillary Clinton's campaign and elect Donald Trump , and the failure of the FBI to adequately respond, the more shocking it gets. The former acting director of the CIA has called the Russian cyberattack " the political equivalent of 9/11 ." Just as after the real 9/11, we need a robust, independent investigation into what went wrong inside the government and how to better protect our country in the future.
As the former chair of the Clinton campaign and As the former chair of the Clinton campaign and a direct target of Russian hacking , I understand just how serious this is. So I was surprised to read in the New York Times that when the FBI discovered the Russian attack in September 2015, it failed to send even a single agent to warn senior Democratic National Committee officials . Instead, messages were left with the DNC IT "help desk." As a former head of the FBI cyber division told the Times, this is a baffling decision: "We are not talking about an office that is in the middle of the woods of Montana."
Seven reactions to CIA assessment of Russia's role in presidential election Embed Copy Share Play Video 2:46 (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post) President-elect Donald Trump as well as Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Dec. 11 reacted to the CIA's assessment that Russia intervened to help Trump win the election. President-elect Donald Trump, Democrats and Republicans react to the CIA's assessment that Russia intervened to help Trump win the election. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)
What takes this from baffling to downright infuriating is that at nearly the exact same time that no one at the FBI could be bothered to drive 10 minutes to raise the alarm at DNC headquarters, two agents accompanied by attorneys from the Justice Department What takes this from baffling to downright infuriating is that at nearly the exact same time that no one at the FBI could be bothered to drive 10 minutes to raise the alarm at DNC headquarters, two agents accompanied by attorneys from the Justice Department were in Denver visiting a tech firm that had helped maintain Clinton's email server.
This trip was part of what This trip was part of what FBI Director James B. Comey described as a "painstaking" investigation of Clinton's emails, "requiring thousands of hours of effort" from dozens of agents who conducted at least 80 interviews and reviewed thousands of pages of documents. Of course, as Comey himself concluded, in the end, there was no case ; it was not even a close call.
Comparing the FBI's massive response to the overblown email scandal with the seemingly lackadaisical response to the very real Russian plot to subvert a national election shows that something is deeply broken at the FBI.
Comey justified his handling of the email case by citing "intense public interest." He felt so strongly that he broke long-established precedent and disregarded strong guidance from the Justice Department with Comey justified his handling of the email case by citing "intense public interest." He felt so strongly that he broke long-established precedent and disregarded strong guidance from the Justice Department with his infamous letter just 11 days before the election. Yet he refused to join the rest of the intelligence community in a statement about the Russian cyberattack because he reportedly didn't want to appear "political." And both before and after the election, the FBI has refused to say whether it is investigating Trump's ties to Russia.
Meanwhile, House Republicans who had an insatiable appetite for investigating Clinton have been resistant to probing deeply into Russia's efforts to swing the election to Trump. The media, by gleefully publishing the gossipy fruits of Russian hacks, became what the Times itself calls "a de facto instrument of Russian intelligence."
But the FBI's role is particularly troubling because of its power and responsibility — and because this is part of a trend. The Justice Department's Inspector General issued a damning report this summer about the FBI's failure to prioritize cyberthreats more broadly.
1 of 48 Full Screen Autoplay Close Advertisement Skip Ad × Embed Copy Share Trump continues his post-election 'thank-you' tour View Photos The president-elect has gone to Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio, and saluted workers at an Indiana plant where he says he saved more than 1,000 jobs. Caption The president-elect has gone to Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio and saluted workers at an Indiana plant where he says he saved more than 1,000 jobs. -- Dec. 15, 2016 | President-elect Donald Trump walks out
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Epidemiology: Child Morbidity and Mortality Research Paper
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Main body
3. Conclusion
4. References
Introduction
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly infectious disease that is more common in children than adults. Often, whooping cough may start as a common cold or develop as a complication of swine flu (Shiel, 2018). Compared to vaccinated children, unvaccinated ones are considered to have a higher risk of developing severe symptoms of this condition. During the pertussis outbreak, it is expected that children who have not received immunization will be affected by the disease the most. It is thus important for parents of unvaccinated children to learn about the dire consequences of the neglect to have timely immunization. Currently, whooping cough vaccination is recommended to young children in order to protect them from the disease.
Main body
The term population at risk is used to describe the part of the overall population that is exposed to the occurrence of the disease. Only 25 children in Fallsburg Elementary School received an immunization from whooping cough. However, the other 35 children have not received immunization, which means that they are at risk of acquiring this disease. After reviewing the collected data in regards to elementary school students, it has been found that only 42% of them are not at risk of developing whooping cough due to obtained immunization. The other 58% of children, though, are at risk of developing the disease. This means that if exposed to the disease, 58% of children will contract it.
Understanding the concepts of incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and mortality is crucial for tracking the occurrence of the disease and its effects on the population. Prevalence measures the percentage of both old and new cases related to the total number of people (New York State Department of Health, 1999). In other words, the prevalence rate may be interpreted as the probability of selecting a person with the condition at random.
The prevalence rate should not be confused with the incidence rate which measures only the percentage of new cases related to the total number of people. This rate thus indicates the speed at which an event occurs in the particular population or the risk of contracting the disease. The prevalence rate equals the incidence rate multiplied by the duration of the disease (Gerstman, 2013). However, this is true only for the cases when the disease is rare and the population is stationary.
Morbidity is just another term for the disease, injury, or disability. Incidence and prevalence are two basic types of measuring morbidity. Measures of morbidity thus characterize the number of people who become ill (incidence) or are ill at a given time (prevalence). The concept of mortality rate measures the number of deaths due to a particular illness in a specific population (Shiel, 2018). Types of mortality rates include fetal, infant, and maternal mortality rates.
Conclusion
There are death-specific rates that compare mortality at different ages and cause-specific death rates that attribute a number of deaths to a specific cause. For example, the rate of mortality caused by unintentional injury among children aged 5-9 is 718 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). At the same time, the rate of mortality caused by influenza and pneumonia for the same age category is only 62 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Measurement of mortality rates with differentiation of causes of death allows for identifying the leading causes of death by age groups.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Ten leading causes of death and injury. Web.
Gerstman, B. B. (2013). Chapter 3: Epidemiologic measures. In Epidemiology kept simple: An introduction to traditional and modern epidemiology (3rd ed.) Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Web.
New York State Department of Health. (1999). Basic statistics: About incidence, prevalence, morbidity, and mortality – Statistics teaching tools . Web.
Shiel, W. C. (2018). Definition of mortality rate . Web.
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The US has this to say:
This case was dismissed on the grounds that our client had a fundamental right to privacy with respect to his health information, which the Court of Appeal failed to perceive. Although information, which may be embarrassing, is often shared with third parties, there are legitimate privacy considerations that require careful balancing…In some circumstances, a patient's right to privacy outweighs his or her right to have the information used for health purposes or to receive treatment.
In the case of a patient's right to privacy, the most important considerations are:
the importance of the individual's information in determining his or her health and well-being;
the importance of ensuring that the information is not improperly disclosed (where the discloser represents to the individual that the information can be used solely for the purpose of providing treatment for the individual); and,
the importance of preserving patient-physician communication between the parties.
To state a fundamental right to privacy as a blanket requirement may seem unreasonable or even an "interference with the patient's medical decision-making" (Baker v, Ohio Dept. of Education (1983)).
The Court of Appeal's dismissal of a medical malpractice suit in Illinois was based in part on a refusal to recognize a patient's fundamental right to privacy in respect to his health information. We are now in a position to say that the USPTO is not likely to give the Court of Appeal much encouragement on this matter.
As far as patient confidentiality is concerned, the USPTO does a great service by continually reminding medical professionals that they are not allowed to talk about a patient's health with anyone other than the patient. This includes doctors, nurses, pharmacists, health care insurance providers, etc. It also includes employers, who are prohibited from discussing patient information with their workers.
Patient confidentiality, on the other hand, simply means that physicians, and all others who work with doctors or patients or are in the middle of treating their health, are required to keep things confidential unless there are compelling reasons to do otherwise.
This is not to say that doctors, nurses, etc., should be totally shut out of every discussion with an individual patient. Nor that patient confidentiality does not need to be respected for reasons other than preventing the disclosure of patient's health data: for example where the information is necessary to provide or promote treatment.
The law in the United States does require that medical professionals keep patient information confidential. But the law also permits the publication in connection with the same patient's health information of:
The patient's name or other data of the information; the name of the person or other persons involved in the health care transactions; or the title, affiliation or status of the health care provider or health care facility involved.
The USPTO's rules governing patient confidentiality do not have such strict exemptions; it is therefore important that the USPTO make clear these limits before they are applied.
Dr. Goudsmit's Lawsuit:
Dr. Michael R. Goudsmit brought suit against the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, et al., the Medical Records Access Clearinghouse, et al., and the National Association of States Insurance Commissioners in Federal District Court, seeking judicial review of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' decision approving a practice called "Medical Privacy Review". In the suit, Dr. Goudsmit represented that his family suffered from anxiety, insomnia and depression, and that he had suffered at least 3 episodes of chest pain which were described as severe enough to require emergency surgery. Dr. Goudsmit filed his complaint on behalf of himself and other plaintiffs in the lawsuit, seeking preliminary relief regarding insurance policy termination. The suit also sought class certification, which is a requirement for such a lawsuit in federal court.
In December 2003, the plaintiffs filed a motion to dismiss the class action. The motion to dismiss was granted by the Court of Appeals and the cases were consolidated for trial. The federal district court in Cincinnati assigned to Judge William R. P. Goss a three-judge panel.
Judge Goss heard testimony from a medical privacy expert, Dr. Goudsmit. The expert testified that as of October 2003, the practice of physicians was in the process of adopting and adopting into all of their practice forms a policy that would require the physician to respond to each request for information of a patient who had requested its use. The plaintiff's expert testified that as of October 2003 Dr. Goudsmit had been informed of approximately 800 different requests for and access to the information of patients for whom he had already submitted forms, and that as of October 2003 the information on those forms would be available to an average of 1.4 patients per day. Judge Goss found the testimony of Dr. Goudsmit was credible, especially as to the number of patients. Finally, the judge did not find sufficient evidence to support the plaintiffs' claim that insurance companies had been granted the discretion to reject all requests
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If a player were to lose a series to the Boston Bruins on Thursday, you would think this would be the point that they would begin looking at the draft-and-develop model.
Instead, the Arizona Coyotes chose a different path this summer, bringing back only three players.
The team's only addition to the AHL lineup has been winger Brendan Perlini, a 26-year-old winger from the Czech Republic who has played nine NHL games and spent parts of three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche.
His arrival has brought a new set of challenges.
Arizona's top-nine forwards will also include a couple of veterans, including goaltender Mike Smith and defenseman Keith Yandle, but it's hard to expect any of them to be as productive and valuable as Perlini, even as he works through the adjustment process of being new to the North American game.
The Coyotes' top four defensemen from a year ago, and a handful of those who remain — Jakob Chychrun, John Moore, Brendan Burke and Keith Yandle — will likely once again be the anchors for the team's blue line. And as good as they were last season, the team has more question marks than it probably should right now. All of which will make some sort of change to their organizational structure or their player procurement approach a likely goal for GM John Chayka and his staff.
There's no doubt Arizona will eventually draft and develop its own prospects, or it will get more work done through trades or free agency with more experienced, established players. But at this stage, a move like this might just be the best way for the Coyotes to get through the season.
"The thing with Perlini is that is an opportunity, and we want the opportunities for our guys and our prospects to see an opportunity," Chayka said recently. "That's obviously something we look for in our league and in our game, and it just so happen that Perlini is one of the guys with an opportunity. I think [Arizona] could be an excellent place to work with him and develop, and we should take advantage of that opportunity."
That prospect will start in Arizona. And once he gets to that point, he'll be tested and challenged in a way he hasn't been in any of the previous four NHL seasons, which have seen him make the NHL debut as a 19-year-old and make the NHL all-star team as a 21-year-old, and also play 81 games as a 22-year-old.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Perlini, who said he has a good understanding of the game and can skate well, both of which should help the Coyotes, among the league leaders in penalty killing. "This is my first chance after my rookie year. Hopefully it's going to turn out nice."
The transition to the United States will be interesting, but Perlini is expecting little trouble.
"I think the main thing here is you just have to settle in and try to learn some new stuff and the game plan," Perlini said. "I'm pretty excited to be here in the Valley. I'm excited to see the city and the ice, and I have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to do here. [Playing in the AHL] was a lot different, and I think I'll go in and do my best."
There's still plenty of time for the problems to arise in Phoenix, as evidenced by the Coyotes losing the first two games of their series against the Bruins on Thursday night. On Sunday, there will be a third game in Phoenix that will be played outside of the city limits.
"I don't think there's that big of a gap, especially the first couple of games, in that situation, just because you have the practice facilities. The team we've got here can come to you and make sure everything is right, and when we play a big game like Boston — they have a lot of players and they're going to give a whole lot of games," Perlini said of the Coyotes. "It won't be a surprise. I don't get too excited with it, because it's hockey and you've got to be prepared for it."
The Coyotes' biggest concern will be the health of players like Smith, Yandle, Chychrun and Moore, all of whom have some uncertainty over their availability for Game 2.
There will also be some shuffling on the back end as well, though general manager Don Maloney said there were no changes to the core group at this point.
"We've done what we can to make sure we're going to get it to the second game, and it's hard to change something that's working so well and that's our blue line," Maloney said. "I have no problem with changing a few things, but I certainly think we'll see what happens
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The Definition of Terrorism Essay
Terrorism may be defined differently, depending on how a person is affected. While one may be defined as a terrorist for injustices he causes in the affected country, those who share similar causes consider him as a freedom fighter (Jewish virtual library, 2010).
The FBI characterizes terrorism as an unlawful use of force against people with the aim of intimidation typically to attain social or political ends. The definition from the VP’s task force and individual scholars concurs with that of the FBI, further explaining that terrorism targets to change the victim’s behavior.
Most of the definitions revolve around influencing political and social change through the creation of fear by intimidation (Whitaker, 2001). The American focus, however, does not mention spreading fear as terrorism. I find their meaning to be most appropriate as terrorists at times mark buildings. I would thus define terrorism as a systematic violent attack on unarmed civilians in order to achieve social-political awareness.
Terrorists conjure different explanations, usually religious or political to justify their actions. Scholars and the general public would not immediately see the morals that some terrorists integrate with their actions. This action may be launched with the purpose of defending oneself from peripheral attack, or protect an innocent public from domineering regimes.
Lack of diplomatic channels of information may resort to acts of terrorism in order to reach a message across. For example, America may be attacked by a country which feels that they should remove armed forces from their country (Kapitan, 2007).
Intimidation behavior is not a personality disorder; rather it is acquired through social observances and teachings (Matthews, Ryan & Vanderlick, ND). The mindset of one influences the acts of terrorism, but it is exaggerated when gathering dynamics links causes with companions. Such organizations have their own beliefs, thus the religious following. Conventional endorsements that one had against hostility are thus offset (Ulusoy, 2008).
The aim of terrorism is to intimidate a wider audience. This commitment is best amplified through the recruitment of new members. The organizational structure enables us to interpret the patterns of enrollment and why terrorist guarantee adherence to their groups. The strategic design discusses terrorists as rational actors who attack victims to achieve political objectives. The project that maximizes the most output is chosen among the present valuable options.
Groups with tens of thousands of members are much harder to beat than smaller groups. The size of these groups usually proves a challenge for eradication (Libicki & Jones, 2008). Bigger assemblages also tend to last longer than lesser groups.
Police can exploit these structural impediments through, for example, freezing their funds and financial assets. All fear gangs often stop, either after they join mainstream political organizations or after the demise of their leaders (Libicki & Jones, 2008). There are active supporters of such groups who provide sanctuary to terrorists. These individuals are usually on the ground and as such can give information about intelligence operations to their friends. Breaking down this line of data is vital (Hamilton, 2007).
Destroying a terror group involves a lot of policy instruments including intelligent military service, opinionated consultations, and budget authorizations. Terrorism activities are often carried out by one or two individuals. Police thus face small numbers of people who create exceptionally large impacts. The body in most cases commits suicide in the process and thus able agencies cannot get leads to the larger group or its leaders.
Terrorism continues to grow in unusual dimensions. Laymen will percept it to be instillation of fear through violent attacks, but its transformation to become an instrument of strategy for antagonists to determine the societal and opinionated surrounding is becoming apparent. At the world stage, they are developing new sources of funding and developing new capabilities.
Huntington’s theory proposed that religious and cultural interests would be the source of conflict in the present society. Future variances would arise when civilizations clash (Graham, 2004). He also says that the idea of having a common culture is a western idea, typified by the promotion of human rights, which is not common in other societies. Thomas view echoes these sentiments relating the rate of change and conflicting interests to terrorism.
The purpose of eliminating terrorism is not to destroy the offenders, but to protect the innocent civilians. This can be achieved if such offenders are organized groups which can be dealt with summarily.
However, law enforcers line a formidable challenge when the acts of terror are based on religious beliefs, for example, the al Qaeda. This usually means that the terror group has a following and their actions are supported by a majority of people. Eliminating such parties would therefore not mean the end of terrorism (Bodurian & Nelson, 2010).
The council has invested human, financial and diplomatic efforts in their programs aimed to defeat terrorism. Foreign policy has not been effectual in convincing such organizations to resort to dialogue. The policies must thus be rethought and focus more in combating the faith and beliefs as a whole, rather than fighting individual groups.
5
Anarchism is a political philosophy considering the administration to be unsightly or even detrimental. It does not support power in the demeanor of a human being association. Socialism discusses common ownership and concern in finances and politics (Zimand, 2008).
Anarchism movement has influenced the present society in opposing all hierarchies of power, and being committed to following ones beliefs. Such people so tend to be hostile to authority and to capitalism in general (Epstein, 2001). Socialism attracted many individuals due to both its devout and radical nature. Bakunin, Marx, and Lenin were some of this activist who shaped the definitions of terrorism.
I think modern America should not pursue such activists; instead, it should strive to create cultural and educational equity so that acts of terror associated to religious beliefs can be eliminated. Such fomenters influence the opinion of listeners. Without ethnic or religious barriers, and the promotion of a democratic administration, equality will undoubtedly stop the dissemination of such ideologies.
References
Bodurian, B. & Nelson, R. (2010). A growing terrorist threat? Assessing “homegrown”.
Extremism in the United States. A Report of the CSIS Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program. CSIS, March 2010. Web.
Epstein, B. (2001). Anarchism and the Anti-Globalization Movement . Volume 53, Number 4. Monthly Review. Web.
Graham, J. (2004). Samuel P. Huntington’s clash of civilizations . HistoryOrb.com, May, 2004. Web.
Hamilton, L. (2007). Terrorist organizational model. A military guide to terrorism in the Twenty-First century. 2007. Web.
Jewish Virtual Library (2010). Definitions of terrorism . The American-Israel cooperative enterprise. Web.
Kapitan, T. (2007). Can terrorism be justified? Web.
Libicki, M. & Jones, S. (2008). How terrorist groups end. Lessons for countering al Qa’ida. RAND Corporation. Web.
Ulosoy, D. (2008). Political violence, organized crimes, terrorism and youth, volume 46. Amsterdam: IOS press.
Whitaker, B. (2001). The definition of terrorism . Guardian. World news. Web.
Zimand, S. (2008). Modern social movements: descriptive summaries and bibliographies . South Carolina: BiblioBazaar, LLC.
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Liam Payne was born in Nottingham, England, to a Welsh mother, Susanne (Smith), and a Scottish father, Andrew. He is of English, Irish, and Welsh descent. Payne has English, Irish, Scottish, Portuguese, and German heritage. His paternal grandfather, Michael Payne, moved from Northumberland to Scotland when he was a child, and his paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Payne, was of Gaelic descent. Payne first began acting at age 12 on the stage in Liverpool, England, and later performed at the local theater. Payne also acted in various regional theater companies before moving to New York City, where he began his career as an actor. At the age of eighteen, Payne was cast in a stage production of "Citizen Kane," playing John Harlow. After his acting career began to take off, he appeared on television shows including "Ironside," "The Love Boat," "The Bill Cosby Show," and "Law and Order." During a stretch in the late 1980s, Payne was also a regular in Broadway productions of "The Phantom of the Opera," "Aida," and "In the Heights." In 1999, Payne, along with a team of co-actors and fellow actors, co-founded the ...
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Yes, there are many resources available for learning about investing. Some of the most popular resources include books, websites, blogs, podcasts, and online courses. Additionally, many financial institutions offer classes and seminars for investors.
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When a facility has more than one power source, what must you do to maintain a safe operation? Article 705 answers that and other questions related to using power sources that operate in parallel with a primary source.
Though the primary source is typically the electric utility supply, it can be an on-site source instead. For example, the primary source can be a fuel cell, gas turbine, photovoltaic system, or wind system. It can even be a hybrid system, as defined by 705.2.
This definition doesn't recognize energy storage systems (e.g., batteries, flywheels) as power sources for the purposes of Art. 705. However, these sources are recognized as power sources elsewhere in the NEC. Thus, Art. 705 requires you to install a permanent plaque or directory denoting all electric power sources on the premises — even those that don't fall under Art. 705. You must install such a plaque at each service equipment location and at all interconnected electric power production sources [705.10].
Fig. 1. You can connect an electrical power production source to the supply side of the service disconnecting means per 230.82(6).
Connecting
You can connect an electrical power production source to the supply side of the service disconnecting means per 230.82(6), as shown in Fig. 1. This connection is required for facilities incorporating ground fault protection of equipment [705.12(D)].
When determining the number of disconnects per service per 230.71(A), don't count photovoltaic system (PVS) disconnect(s) connected on the supply side of service equipment. A PVS disconnect is not a service disconnect as defined in Art. 100. PVS Connections provides advice on photovoltaic power source connections.
You can connect the output of a utility-interactive inverter to the load side of the service disconnecting means at any distribution equipment on the premises [705.12(D)].
Multiple circuits and inverters
The following rules apply to the interconnecting provisions for the electric utility-interactive inverter(s) where distribution equipment is capable of supplying multiple branch circuits or feeders.
Each inverter circuit must terminate to a dedicated circuit breaker or fusible disconnect [690.64]. This requirement, however, doesn't apply to micro-inverters. All micro-inverters of a string must connect to a single breaker per the listed instructions [110.3(B)].
The sum of the ampere rating of the inverter overcurrent devices and panelboard overcurrent device must not exceed 120% of the panelboard bus ampere rating.
To illustrate the application of this rule, let's work a sample problem.
What's the maximum ampere rating of the dedicated inverter overcurrent device for a 200A bus panelboard that's capable of supplying multiple feeder circuits supplied by 4/0 AWG aluminum rated 180A at 75°C?
Maximum Inverter OCPD = panelboard bus ampere × 1.20, less panelboard OCPD
Example: 150A panelboard
Max. inverter device = (200A × 1.20) – 150A
Max. inverter device = 240A – 150A
Max. inverter device = 90A
Example: 175A panelboard
Max. inverter device = (200A × 1.20) – 175A
Max. inverter device = 240A – 175A
Max. inverter device = 65A
Example: 200A panelboard (see Fig. 2)
Fig. 2. Follow these guidelines for determining the maximum ampere rating of the dedicated inverter overcurrent device for a 200A bus panelboard.
Max. inverter device = (200A × 1.20) – 200A
Max. inverter device = 240A - 200A
Max. inverter device = 40A [two 30A inverter circuits would exceed the 40A maximum current limit]
The "not exceed 120% of the panelboard bus ampere rating" rule [705.12(D)(2)] applies only to distribution equipment that is capable of supplying multiple branch circuits or feeders (or both).
For example, a 225A bus panelboard protected by a 225A main circuit breaker could have four 50A inverter overcurrent protection devices, if those breakers fill all slots in the panelboard, as shown in Fig. 3.
Fig. 3. A 225A bus panelboard protected by a 225A main circuit breaker could have four 50A inverter overcurrent protection devices, if those breakers fill all slots in the panelboard.
But, there's an exception. Where a PVS has energy storage for stand-alone operation, the
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The "Big Brother" host opened up to THR on the show's final season.
CBS has cut ties with star Julie Chen about her contract disputes with CBS and Endemol Shine North America, the production company that has worked with the Big Brother finalist on multiple seasons of the reality series.
In a statement to THR, CBS declined to detail whether C Chen and her co-star, Tom Rosenthal, are in jeopardy of losing their CBS contracts for the series' final season as part of a "difficult negotiation." CBS also declined to comment to THR about how much money CBS offered the couple to not be part of the series or the timing and specifics of the dispute.
But sources tell THR that CBS was ready to pay Chen and Rosenthal an additional $1.1 million per episode to give the pair to negotiate a new deal and stay around CBS for the season finale on July 30.
In an interview published last week to her popular personal blog, Chen explained that she and Rosenthal had been promised "a great deal of money" with the option of more payments with every season. But when "Big Brother" producers presented a series of demands in return for Chen being a permanent part of the series, Chen said she turned down all the offers.
"I believe that CBS was prepared to match all their offers, and that's really all that happened. From the word get-go, CBS and Endemol were adamant that Julie would not be back," one source said. "Her contract situation was not going to get resolved with CBS. There was a deal that was made and she wasn't part of that."
Despite the financial uncertainty and the contract dispute, there has always been a palpable bond between Chen and Rosenthal. Both are married to CBS honchos.
The contract dispute has been a story line to this year's finale.
Before the season finale, Chen made a series of posts on her blog about her contract and explained how she approached CBS for an eight-episode series, which CBS had already scheduled for July 30.
CBS also had the option to move the finale later into the year rather than delay the season premiere. CBS also asked about an additional $1.1 million per episode. Chen declined the additional money, telling CBS the decision was up to Endemol, and even wrote about how her relationship with Endemol had improved.
Chen and Rosenthal are already engaged, though that marriage could not possibly include her CBS contract. The couple is currently filming a wedding-themed episode for the network.
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Princess Diana's death nearly 16 years ago shocked the world and led to controversial theories about what had caused the crash.
Mohamed al Fayed, Dodi's father, was perhaps the most outspoken, claiming the couple had been murdered by security services.
For more than a decade, he kept up a legal quest to prove their deaths had not been an accident.
He never accepted that his employee Henri Paul, who was driving the Mercedes that slammed into the 13th pillar of the Alma Tunnel in Paris on August 31, 1997, was under the influence of alcohol - despite blood samples showing he had been three times over the French drink-drive limit.
Instead, he claimed that the crash had been orchestrated by MI6 at the behest of the Duke of Edinburgh, to kill Diana so that she would not marry Dodi, a Muslim, and bear his child.
During the inquest into the deaths however, he admitted he lacked evidence.
Other claims made by Mr al Fayed that came to light during the inquest were Diana had been pregnant at the time she died, which was dismissed by a pathologist, and that Diana and Dodi had planned to announce their engagement, but there was no evidence that was the case.
The hearing into the deaths was also told that in 1995, Diana told several people that she believed the brakes on her car had been tampered with and that her life could be in danger.
The coroner said that despite her claims, there was "no evidence" to suggest she had then had her car checked for such tampering, however.
Ultimately, the inquest jury found that it had been Paul's negligent driving and that of the pursuing paparazzi that had led to the deaths.
Mr al Fayed abandoned his cause a day after the inquest returned the verdicts of unlawful killing. At the time, the then-Harrods owner said he was making his decision for the sake of Princes William and Harry but admitted he still had "reservations" about what had happened on that fateful night in France.
Speaking in 2008, Mr al Fayed said he was "tired" of the fight, but added: "I'm leaving the rest for God to get my revenge."
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Prayer for the Heart
God I'd love to meet you someday. My dear brother, I'd invite you to sit down with me and hear my story. This is my life. My story is a story of prayer. One day, a man came into our church. He had never asked God for anything and still prayed like a baby. But it was all for some good. He said he wanted to be a great minister so he would be able to go to more people. When he prayed and asked God to provide for him, God answered all of his prayers. Then he asked for some more good. Again, God answered all of his prayers. Finally, when his family told him it was okay to be a pastor, he started his own church. His prayer was answered. He gave up many things, including even the one thing that had brought him so much joy. He just wanted those things again. He took the steps necessary to gain that blessing.
When we go before God and ask, "What are your will?" we also ask what is the best way to get the Lord's will? Is it through his Son? He is the only way. If he is willing to die for that person, or if he is willing to put things on the line for that person, then God is indeed faithful for that person. I don't think anyone else is reliable to do that. No matter what's the nature of your relationship with God, the key is in the name.
And I want to tell you that in all the time in my life, I never was in the position of calling him. I never said, "Lord, I believe you told me to do this, to say this, you promised this." I am still searching that as my Lord and Savior. God has always guided me through some of the most trying times, and so I feel confident in saying, "O Lord, may I do this for you? May I meet you in a small way and ask you for a sign?" As you can imagine, I never have been called. That's not because he is not there. That's because the people around me haven't been calling me. So what do I mean? The question is, "Where are they?" "Who are they?" "How might they help my search? What are the things I need to know about my calling and my life?" I am in good company and I can pray for them. I know that with Jesus the Father.
I want to tell you that God wants me to tell you my prayer. It is a prayer from a long time ago. I was very young and I was in great need. It was very tough. My father had a heart condition and we were afraid he wouldn't live long. So at the age of 6, I saw my grandfather die. It was a terrible tragedy. My grandparents were a wonderful family, and we lost both of them very quickly. We felt very bad. I think my grandmother was one of the strongest persons that I ever met. I was so devastated. There was only one person who could comfort me. I had this question, "Where did he go? Why didn't he say something?" To give me faith in my grandfather, I believed he went to heaven. And my grandfather said it was God's plan.
I never believed him. God is much more powerful than I had imagined. God gave me some very wonderful clues, and I had faith for God. When I was 7 or 8 years old, I heard a voice speak to me. I didn't understand it at first. It came from the clouds. "O Michael, Michael, why call thou me? O meek and obedient to the voice of thy God! I will tell thee what thou needest to know. I will tell thee what thy calling is..." (That was the first time I ever heard God's voice.) And it said, "He that seeketh God shall not find it; but he that findeth it shall be saved." I heard that in the clouds and when it came through to me, my whole world changed. I didn't have faith now. I didn't believe in God until that happened.
I had to ask God a question. If this man was calling me, why was my family calling me a liar? Why did my church call me a failure? I looked at my family and realized I had to do something about my life. It took a while to realize that God was helping me through it. It took a year to realize that God knew what was going on and was telling me what to do, but I couldn't figure it out for myself or even understand it. And then I couldn't understand it anymore. I finally looked to God for an answer. He told me. It was a long-winded answer, but it was enough.
It says that God knows my calling before I know anything. When your mind is filled with doubt, you are asking questions
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BJP chief ministerial candidate Vasundhara Raje on Saturday asserted that the country will "see an India where the Dalits and tribals dominate."
"The real India, where the Hindus dominate, is coming in sight. BJP is the only choice for us. We do not need any other option," she said at the Jai Prakash Bhaag Yojana, India's biggest rural employment programme.
The event was organised to pay tributes to Bhagat Singh, who died Saturday. She was the chief guest.
According to her, only the BJP would bring Dalits and tribals out of misery. "These groups have been the core constituency of the BJP for years," she said.
The BJP leader said the country has never been in the throes of a "race war".
She cited the example of Kerala and West Bengal, two states where the BJP has won in 2012 elections.
"The BJP should be seen not as a party that has become a monopoly vote-bank but a party that brings in change to the system," she added, referring to her vision of changing the political system in India from 'Congress-style' into BJP-style.
The BJP leader also claimed that Modi has helped transform the economy and brought in employment.
"If you are poor, there is no sense of being poor. In the entire country there is no class of people who don't have a job. But in Gujarat, they are creating jobs," she said.
Raje also spoke on poverty as a reason for "saying no to other political parties" and said that the "India is going to the dogs" because of "the selfishness of politicians".
She reiterated that the Bajrang Dal would continue to fight and work as a watchdog on issues related to corruption and corruption in government.
Later in the day, the former chief minister also went on a four-hour drive from her residence in Ahmedabad to Ralegan Siddhi temple on the banks of the river Ganga.
On Friday, she said she would give all to save the country from the 'communal politics'.
"The Gujarat government will make no compromise between Dalit groups and Muslims even if some die," she said.
On Friday, she also said that her party would contest as many as 500 seats from the state.
"If I want to win, I won't do anything. The Gujarat election will decide the fate of democracy in India," she said.
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On Tuesday, a US federal judge approved an order for the release of nearly 10,000 emails between Hillary Clinton's top aides after several months of litigation. The decision to release such information is a victory for the Democrats, who have waged an unprecedented public relations battle to derail Clinton's White Houses bid.
US District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan, who ruled in favor of the conservative transparency group Judicial Watch on May 15, said it was "not plausible that Defendants have a legitimate political or governmental interest in protecting the classified information contained within the e-mails, or that the State Department could adequately protect such information from disclosure."
"That is, they are simply not doing a 'hard sell' (unlikely since the FOIA process is still ongoing, and they have little real incentive to release information); and if they were, the courts would not be granting them immunity for doing so: The courts have recognized that any immunity agreement between a federal employee and a particular agency would be inapplicable in light of this FOIA."
The US government has argued that the release of the emails are necessary in order to comply with a December 28, 2008 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the conservative watchdog group. The lawsuit against the State Department was filed three years after former secretary of state Clinton's decision to set up a private email server. Her use of the server came to light in March following an investigation by the FBI into former congressman Anthony Weiner's online relationship with a 15-year-old girl.
However, Judicial Watch has repeatedly insisted that Clinton and her top aides did not intend to evade FOIA requirements.
The US media is abuzz with the decision to release the emails, with many claiming that an unprecedented move had been taken by the Obama administration. However, the president did not make a statement as the Judicial Watch had requested in a filing late last month.
However, Hillary Clinton did speak with CNN this evening.
"There are a lot of facts that are not in the documents, obviously, and so that makes them hard to look at but as a general matter, it is important for the American people to see these, to read them and to decide for themselves if there is anything of significance in them," Clinton said.
When asked how the emails were going to affect her general election campaign, Clinton said that she had "nothing to hide."
"I've turned over 55,000 pages of my work emails and, look, we've gone over them. Every one of them I've said is personal and private and I've tried to be as transparent as I can," Clinton said.
Follow @htshowbiz for more
First Published: Nov 24, 2016 09:54 IST
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A couple of weeks ago, the folks at PC Gamer released an article about Microsoft's future plans for Windows 10.
The article was filled with interesting tidbits about what to expect from the operating system in coming years. In particular, those tidbits were about the planned universal apps.
Microsoft already started working on them a few years back, but it has only now decided that it is time to put those ideas into practical use.
As PC Gamer reports here in full detail, Microsoft has put together a team to create this new Windows 10-based universal app framework. We all know that the Windows Store has become a big part of the Windows experience since the launch of Windows 8 last year, and with Windows 10, this has been extended to the desktop as well.
But this also means that, according to PC Gamer, this is "the most powerful effort yet for bringing an entire web-based browser, a multi-touch PC-style desktop launcher, and more into the Windows ecosystem."
And the result? That's right: If you already have the Windows 10 Anniversary Update installed right now, you can now test the universal app preview right now and see how it works for yourself.
To test Windows 10 in this preview version, you will need the Anniversary Update or at least the Build 10240, which was released last month. It's still not clear if the Windows 10 Anniversary Update will be available on day one or if it will be bundled for free with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update release.
On the desktop, the app will launch within Windows 10's own new apps screen and launch right away in the Start menu, making it all so much more accessible.
The feature will also let you access Microsoft's own services, such as OneDrive, Xbox Live, and other "known and trusted" services from the browser. If you ever visit any Facebook pages on your PC and you're using an ad blocker, these should show up as links to the service that you want.
For those of you who want to test the full-on preview for yourself, you can download the Windows 10 Anniversary Update right here.
Have you already installed the Anniversary Update? How do you feel about this new universal app framework? Let us know in the comments below.
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By John Mearman
I don't know how long this essay will go on, but I do want to address this particular topic in detail, because, as you may guess, my opinion on this question is pretty weak.
I can't understand why an honest man would ever want to marry a woman who has an abortion, at least if marriage is what the child's best interests are in mind, even before it comes into the world. In the case of the woman who goes out and gets an abortion, what are the actual interests of the child in this pregnancy? A child can never know exactly what it's like in an intact family, and even if it did, it couldn't know what it would have been like without this mother and father as its parents.
I know that abortion is often a controversial issue for many people, but I'm not sure why that's an issue at all. If, for example, I had a friend who wanted to marry me at some point, and he told me he was pro-life, I could always say something like "Well, maybe one day you will."
My stance against abortion isn't based on some religious belief, nor is it based on any hatred of women who have abortions. In my personal life, I don't see much value in a relationship with a woman who has an abortion. On the other hand, my love for a woman may be based on the idea of her being a mother, so the love is strong and the feelings are genuine, even if she has made a poor choice.
What do you think? Is abortion right for a child? Does love exist between a man and a woman who are both pro-life? Is a life without love possible, or is love itself a virtue?
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Crew Duty Limits and Pilot Fatigue Risk Factors Essay
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Factors that contribute to Pilot Fatigue
3. Crew Duty Limits and Rest Requirements
4. Pilot Fatigue Risk Factors
5. Conclusion
6. Reference List
Introduction
International and national air operators usually assign their crewmembers flight duty times and rest periods as per the requirements of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which aim at ensuring that pilots have sufficient rest to carry out their duties effectively and contribute to the improvement of aviation safety. A longer flight period with minimal rest is one of the sources of fatigue in most crewmembers. Pilot fatigue raises major concerns in the aviation industry as it increases the risk of the pilot making mistakes that could result to an accident. While it is important that the crew exercise caution in their actions, communications, and observations to promote aviation safety, sufficient rest is a necessary requirement as it reduces fatigue. Fatigue leads to physiological and performance burnouts, which increase the risk of accidents. Adequate rest of the crewmembers reduces fatigue and ensures that the pilots remain alert during flight thus contributing to flight safety. The common fatigue risk factors such as inadequate sleep due to long flight hours and sleep disorders like insomnia reduce the level of pilot alertness; a major contributing factor to pilot error leading to flight incidents and accidents.
Factors that contribute to Pilot Fatigue
A high percentage of pilot fatigue, which often results in flight accidents, is mainly attributed to inadequate sleep by the crewmembers (Caldwell & Caldwell, 2003, p. 67). Good quality sleep of up to eight hours helps to avoid the risk of fatigue in crewmembers. Decline in sleep hours accumulates sleep over time, which eventually results to pilot fatigue. Night flights affect the normal sleep cycle, which reduces the level of pilot alertness and induces fatigue. In addition, daytime sleep by pilots working in night shifts presents a major problem, as it is often shorter than night sleep. Pilots required to report early are also deprived of enough sleep and are thus prone to fatigue during daytime flights. Consecutive flight duties with little or no rest periods lead to sleep debt, which contributes to fatigue.
The workload assigned to the crewmembers also contributes to fatigue during duty hours. Aviation often involves taxing mental work and consequently pilots need sufficient rest to remain alert during subsequent flights. However, heavy workload assigned to crewmembers particularly short-distance flight pilots contributes to fatigue. Short-distance pilots have to perform many take-offs and landings compared to long-distance pilots, who engage in a single long distance flight in 24 hours. Consequently, short-distance pilots are more prone to fatigue than long-distance pilots are. However, the long-distance flight crewmembers also experience mental boredom due to the long continuous flight period and can likewise have fatigue. Long-haul flights pilots have prolonged duty periods, which imply they have to remain alert for a long period and thus easily fatigued.
Psychological and physical factors also contribute to the increased risk of fatigue among crewmembers (Green, Muir, James, Gradwell, & Green, 1996, p.56). Diagnosable sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea affect the sleeping pattern of an individual contributing to fatigue and decline in the level of alertness among the crew. Psychological factors such as stress or anxiety also impair pilot performance during flights. Medical conditions such as hypoxia characterized by oxygen deficiency affect brain functions leading to fatigue. Illnesses such as anemia and influenza also cause pilot fatigue and affect performance of the crewmembers. Nutrition factors such as low blood sugar and excessive body weight also make the crewmembers more prone to fatigue.
Physiological and behavioral processes are often interrupted by the world time zones affecting the sleep/wake cycle and eating patterns of the crewmembers contributing to fatigue among them. The different time zones disrupt the circadian rhythms by affecting sleep and eating patterns of the crewmembers. A flight crossing a time zone particularly the meridian affects the night and day shifts. Consequently, the sleeping and eating patterns of the crew also have to change affecting their activity and alertness. Flights crossing three time zones have significant effects on the eating and sleeping patterns of the crewmembers. Flights from east to west present a prolonged length of day while flights from west to east experience a shortened length of day.
Crew Duty Limits and Rest Requirements
To promote the safety of air transportation, the crewmembers are assigned specific flight hours and rest period which aims at reducing fatigue of the fight crew during flights particularly fatigue caused by night flights and flights that involve many take-offs and landings (Caldwell, 1997, p. 63). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has developed a maximum flight duty period (FDP) for flight crews based on their performance during flights as recommended by the Aviation Recommendation Committee (ARC). The crew duty limits consider the flight duration, the time of take-off and landing, and the duration of rest. In addition, the FDP is based on the level of fatigue experienced by the crewmembers during flights. Flights that involve multiple legs in a single flight duty period cause more fatigue than duty periods involving a single segment. The crew duty limit spans from the time the crewmember reports for duty and ends on landing and parking of the plane.
The crew duty limits as recommended by the FAA provides that a crewmember should fly a maximum of a thousand hours per year by the airline operator excluding any possible extensions. In a month, a crewmember is allowed a maximum of a hundred hours and a maximum of thirty hours within a week. In addition, the flight crew is allowed a maximum of eight hours flight period in between recommended rest periods. The FAA also has a set of rest rules for crewmembers after the completion of a flight segment and before the next scheduled flight. The crewmembers are allowed a rest period of nine consecutive hours for eight-hour flights and a rest period of ten hours for flights taking more than eight hours but less than nine hours in the 24 hour flight segment. An eleven-hour rest is allowed after a scheduled flight of nine or more hours. In scheduling the rest periods of the crewmembers, the cumulative duty time and the type of tasks are considered. The time of waking up of the crew and the duration between preflight and actual flight are also involved in the determination of maximum limit of the flight period. Extension of the normal duration of duty can occur due to delayed flights
The FAA regulations further restrict an airline operator from assigning a flight crewmember a flight duty time of more than fourteen hours within a twenty-four hour flight segment. The regulations calls for the airline operator to consider the other factors such as the time of travel back and forth the hotel and time for meals and hygiene, in addition to the eight hours sleep period, when awarding the rest periods to the crew. Additionally, the FAA allows the crewmembers suffering from insomnia and other sleep disorders to use dietary supplements to induce sleep so long as the drugs produce no side effect. The FAA provides limits for nighttime operations by the crewmembers. A crewmember is allowed 24 consecutive hours rest period from a seven-day duty period. In addition, the FAA provides for a reduction in the duration of flight duty after many consecutive nighttime duties.
Under the FAA regulations concerning the rest period, flight crewmembers should be given a minimum rest period of thirty consecutive hours in the 168 duty period. In addition, the FAA regulations deter airline operators from assigning crewmembers three consecutive nighttime shifts without giving a rest period to the crewmembers. The FAA regulations also limit the cumulative duty of the crewmembers. The maximum cumulative FDP hours for crewmembers is set at 60 consecutive hours in a 168-hour period and 190 FDP hours for 672-hour flight period. The flight crewmembers are also assigned 75 flight rest hours in the aircraft cabin as deadhead transportation and a 215 period of rest in the aircraft cabin in 672-duty period.
Pilot Fatigue Risk Factors
Long flight periods with reduced rest periods contribute to pilot fatigue, which makes the crewmembers vulnerable to error during flights (Stokes, & Kite, 1994, p. 112). Pilot fatigue affects his/her performance in various ways exposing the passengers to risks during flight or landing. Fatigue reduces the level of alertness and awareness of the flight environment by the pilot hence more prone to error than when not fatigued. In addition, fatigue affects the ability of the pilot to multi-task during flights leading to loss of situational awareness as the pilot becomes preoccupied with one task while neglecting the other tasks. Fatigue also contributes to feelings of carelessness and indifference, which lowers the performance of the pilots during the flights.
Fatigue also affects communication and coordination between the crewmembers. Fatigue leads to reduced communication among the crew, which affects coordination in the performance tasks during flights. The reduced communication affects the crew’s ability to carry out duties effectively. In addition, the reduced communication impairs the crew’s ability to recognize danger and take appropriate preventative measures. Fatigue also leads to the loss of initiative and effort as the tasks overwhelm the crewmembers during flights. It impairs the pilot’s effective judgment and decision-making, which increases the crew’s response time in case of flight difficulties. Fatigued crewmembers often face difficulties in synthesizing important information and making accurate decisions during a flight. Fatigue reduces the visual perception of the crewmembers making bodily coordination difficult.
Conclusion
Pilot fatigue is a common problem affecting the security of flights in the aviation industry. Many factors contribute to increased incidences of fatigue among the crewmembers. Prolonged crew duty coupled with inadequate rest contributes to fatigue that increases the risk of pilot error. Inadequate sleep also contributes to pilot fatigue that impairs the performance of the crewmembers. The FAA regulations aim at promoting rest among crewmembers to improve safety of flights. The regulations provide the maximum flight duty period (FDP) and rest periods for crewmembers, which ensures that the crew get enough rest to prevent fatigue. Thus, crew rest is important in reducing fatigue and increasing aviation safety.
Reference List
Caldwell, J. (1997). Fatigue in the Aviation Environment: An Overview of the Causes And Effects As Well As Recommended Countermeasures. Aviat Space and Environ Med, 68, 630-8.
Caldwell, L., & Caldwell, A. (2003). Fatigue in aviation: A guide to staying awake at the Stick . London: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Green, R., Muir, H., James, M., Gradwell, D., & Green, R.L. (1996). Human factors for Pilots. London: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
Stokes, A., & Kite, K. (1994). Flight stress: Stress, fatigue and performance in aviation . London: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
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Culturally Sensitive Care For the Muslim Culture Essay
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Principles of Culturally Sensitive Care
3. Description of Muslim culture
4. Culturally specific health practices of Muslim culture
5. Providing culturally sensitive care in Muslim culture
6. Conclusion
7. References
Islamic religion is one of the most obeyed by those who professes it hence making working conditions for health workers quite difficult. This is because they have to provide care in accordance to patient’s beliefs otherwise; they ignore and protest against their services. Muslim religion plays specific roles in governing the Islamic society. Therefore, it becomes very significant for health providers to respect and align cultural practices with their professional practices.
Introduction
Health care provision is an extremely valuable activity, therefore, should be integrated with different cultures. This means that heath care provision should be integrated into societies and expectations of all have to be met. This is because when working with Muslims one needs to understand their culture and beliefs in order to achieve the goals of health care provision. Understanding, cultural practices helps one to eliminate chances where conflicts emerge due to misunderstandings. For example, when health care providers ignore the aspect of culture and try to deliver services to Islamic community just as they do with the Christian community, there might emerge conflicts. Therefore, this report will be based on health care provision in Muslim culture where studies will be carried out on how one can deliver services in such environments. It is also very crucial to evaluate what Muslims expect from service providers and how they respond to such services (Campinha-Bacote and Narayan, 2000). Muslim religion play specific roles in governing the Islamic society. Therefore, it becomes very significant for health providers to respect and align cultural practices with their professional practices.
Principles of Culturally Sensitive Care
It is crucial for care providers to understand how to handle issues relating to the provision of health care in culturally diverse situations. Campinha-Bacote came up with a model to guide nurses and other health providers on the provision of care regardless of the situation on the ground. In fact, Campinha-Bacote argues that health care providers should accept that they can never be culturally competent but will continue gaining competencies. This means that one has to keep on learning from cultural backgrounds introduced by the working conditions. For instance, health workers should be ready to learn from their patients hence developing good rapport with those in the working environment. In addition, Campinha-Bacote believes that cultural competence comes along in five parts, which are namely cultural awareness in which health workers should take time to learn the culture assumed by their patients or clients (Campinha-Bacote, 2001). This means that one can never be culturally competent if they are unaware of the culture. Then there is the cultural knowledge which is the acquisition of know-how on what the culture expects of the health workers. The third aspect is cultural skills, which are to be understood by the health care providers. This means that in case there are skills needed for one to be conversant with the culture, then the workers must work hard to acquire them as they are vital. Another aspect that comes with cultural competence is culture encounters, which mean that these workers must interact with patients and other individuals in order to meet expectations of the culture. This can offer enough experience to the workers hence putting them in a good position to offer their services. Finally, there is the aspect of cultural desire which has to be understood. This is because desires brought about by culture have to be met if conflicts are to be eliminated. Therefore, health workers should ensure that they obey cultural demands and work with the aim of meeting desires put upon them by the culture.
Description of Muslim culture
Cultural beliefs have a role to play when it comes to health care provision. Islamic religion is one of the most obeyed by those who professes it hence making working conditions for health workers quite difficult. This is because they have to provide care in accordance to patient’s beliefs otherwise they ignore and protest against their services. This happens because Muslims are strong believers and they protest any possible threat to their faith (Campinha-Bacote and Munoz, 2001 ). Such beliefs that influence health behaviors are dated many years ago and are passed on from one generation to another. Most Muslims rely on natural methods of treating their sicknesses hence finding it difficult to accept medication from the health providers. This calls for educating them with the aim of changing their attitude towards the modern treatments, as opposed to natural or traditional medicine. Regardless of their level of education, Muslims have extraordinarily little faith with modern medicine. The fact that Muslims respect their faith so much, they create enormous obstacles in administration of modern medicine. In fact, Muslim culture is unique because they perform their social functions in a special manner, unlike other cultures. For example, marriage in this culture is given much attention and respect hence all parties involved must ensure that they adhere to the set rules. Muslims pass their beliefs from one generation to another through the family units and their education systems. Therefore, it is hugely beneficial for health practitioners to handle Muslims patients in accordance to their culture. This ensures that patients feel respected because their beliefs are respected by the health providers (Campinha-Bacote and Narayan, 2000). The best way to provide modern medicine to Muslims is by integrating their beliefs with the modern theories of treating illnesses. Although it might be hectic, eventually there might be something to celebrate as they get to understand the importance and effectiveness of modern medicine.
Culturally specific health practices of Muslim culture
Muslims practice several health practices culturally in efforts to treat their sicknesses. Muslims believe that people get sick because of their sins hence taking the time to pray to their God whenever one is sick. Muslims are reluctant to seek medication since they believe prayers work and, in addition they believe that death, is part of journey to be with God. This has resulted to many believers staying at their homesteads praying to God regardless of their deteriorating health condition. In some cases, Muslims go to hospitals to seek medication when they feel that their conditions are worsening but first of all they have to rely on prayers to heal them.
Cleanliness is one of the main practices Muslims depend on to monitor their health. For example, they do not eat pork as they believe that pigs are unclean. They also do not eat meat that has not been slaughtered as required by their holy book. Quran also prohibits the use of intoxicants such as alcohol as they are harmful to the human body hence affecting their health. In addition, Muslims fasts for a month every year hence helping their bodies have some rest from their normal feeding habits. In fact, taking water without food for several days is healthy as the body is given a chance to refresh hence getting to adapt to various feeding habits (Miller, 2009).
They also encourage circumcision of their male infants as a health practice. This is particularly significant because it enhances cleanliness on the penis hence reducing chances of bacterial infections due to poor hygiene. Circumcision also reduces risks on acquiring sexually transmitted disease. These practices have helped Muslims fight many diseases without relying on modern medicine.
Providing culturally sensitive care in Muslim culture
Providing culturally sensitive care in Muslim culture requires the health providers to be extremely cautious in order to promote corporation from the patients. Modesty and privacy of Muslims has to be respected whereby the health providers work according to their cultural expectations. For example, some Muslims may not be able to remove their gowns for examinations due to religious restrictions. In such cases, the care provider should opt for other alternatives of doing the medical examinations hence respecting their privacy. This will make the patients feel that they are being respected and their privacy is not being interfered with in the course of receiving treatment. In order receive maximum cooperation from Muslim patients, the health care center should ensure that they provide Halal foods, which are allowed by their religion. For instance, patients should not be served with pork as their religion condemns eating of unclean products. The health care facility should ensure that meat for patients is slaughtered in accordance with their beliefs. This will foster a good relationship between health care providers and their patients, since they will not feed them with stuff that will upset their ego or undermine their culture.
The care providers should take time to educate these people on medical tests and other procedures to be followed during administration of the treatment to avoid conflicts. This makes sure that the patients willingly submit themselves to be treated by the modern care providers (Brunner et al, 2009). In Muslim culture, it is particularly essential for female patient to be examined in the presence of another female so that she can feel secure. Since some actions are condemned by Islamic religion but are vital for human health, patients can be requested to be accompanied by their friends to assure them that they expose themselves only for the purpose of the treatment.
If possible workers of the same gender with the patients should be provided to deliver health care. This means that male patients should be treated by male care providers and females be treated by female care providers. Since Muslim culture is truly serious on gender segregation, it can be considerable if health care services are delivered by people of the patients. Male doctors should be discouraged to be in the delivery rooms unless there are no female doctors. This ensures that the privacy of the patient is protected hence making them fell honored by the modern medicine (Campinha-Bacote and Munoz, 2001 ). If males are allowed into the delivery rooms, Muslim patients may opt to give birth the traditional way rather than go to health care centers where their privacy will be exposed to everybody. In order to effectively provide health care services to Muslim culture, health care providers should make sure that unless there is an emergency, patients should be attended by health care providers of the same gender. In such situations patients are okay with services because they will not feel as if they are being undermined.
Conclusion
Health care provision is very beneficial in human life; therefore, it should be done with the due respect for the patients. When dealing with different cultures, care providers should make sure they struggle to achieve cultural competence in order to deliver services effectively. In Islamic society where culture is highly respected, care givers should be particularly keen to avoid causing conflicts due to contradicting cultural practices. Therefore, it is vital for those providing care to take time to learn and understand cultural practices. This will help them to cooperate with their patients during health care delivery.
References
Brunner, L. S., Smeltzer, S. C., Bare, B. G., Hinkle, J. L. & Cheever, K. H. (2009). Brunner and Suddarth’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing. London: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Campinha-Bacote, J. (2001). A model of practice to address cultural competence in rehabilitation nursing. Rehabilitation Nursing , 26(1), 8-11.
Campinha-Bacote, J., &Munoz, C. (2001). A guiding framework for delivering culturally competent services in case management. The Case Manager , 12(2), 48-52.
Miller, C. A. (2009). Nursing for wellness in older adults. Michigan: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
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The Issue With Minimum Wages in the United States Essay
This discussion post aims to analyze the issue with minimum wages in the United States since they have become a subject of many debates in the past few months. During the recent virus outbreak, the increased support from the government has revealed severe flaws in the current policies regarding salaries. Nowadays, wages for some jobs that are common in the country do not allow workers to sustain themselves without governmental support (Ford & Deptula, 2019). This issue severely decreases the quality of life for a significant percentage of the U.S. population.
One of the examples of the apparent lack of necessary policies is the situation with Amazon. Recently, some of its employees were found to be receiving governmental subsidies for people who live below poverty levels, while the firm’s profits in 2017 were over $3 billion (Ford & Deptula, 2019). The company has addressed the situation since then, raising the minimum wage to $15 (Ford & Deptula, 2019). Income inequality harms people’s ability to spend, slowing down the growth of the economy (Ford & Deptula, 2019). In the end, this issue effectively hurts the companies that refuse to pay their workers enough so they can live from their wages alone.
The immediate solution to this issue is an increase in minimum wages on a state level. It is worth noting that some states already have laws that require a gradual increase in salary towards the $15 mark (Ford & Deptula, 2019). While there are some issues concerning tipped workers, such a policy shows promising results in states that are close to the target (Ford & Deptula, 2019). In conclusion, it is vital for the United States to address the issue with minimum wages, as they increase inequality, crime rates and hinder economic mobility for a vast number of U.S. citizens.
References
Ford, L. A., & Deptula, B. J. (2019). The wage gap: No one’s responsibility, but everyone’s problem. Compensation & Benefits Review , 51 (3), 112-128.
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1. You can write your own code.
This is probably the most important rule I can give. In Unity, there are several libraries that are made to improve your editor functionality. I would recommend checking out either the Unity Package Manager, the UnityScript Library, or the Unity Console. You could also download and use the free Open Source Editor. These come with the standard Unity installation package.
2. Check that everything is working.
Unity is not a fully-featured tool and there are certain things that aren't working. If you open up a project, you should be immediately able to see that your assets are there. As soon as you hit play, you should be able to see yourself playing in the world of your creation. It will look something like this:
3. You are not bound to code that has already shipped and will still run.
One of the most exciting times for programmers is the release of a new version of their game. At this point, many of them have learned about all the changes that were made to the game and have gone back over their old code just to be sure everything is still in line. The point here is that you should always remember that Unity provides both a solid library and a flexible tool as an alternative to making a new game.
4. If you change a function or class that was introduced in an update (which will most likely be the case) you should save your changes using Unity's save function.
It is important to note that this is done by default. For those who don't know, Unity's save function lets you save data as text or XML documents before you save your model. This is important because if your character in an update uses a new animation to show your face is moving, you will need to make sure that the save file is updated accordingly. If you want to see what this will look like take a look at the above animation by clicking play!
5. As we go further into this article, we will be talking about the basic functionality of a GameObject. This is something every new Unity User should know before moving into Game Development.
6. Unity has many tutorials for learning Game development.
There are many tutorials that detail a variety of topics ranging from how to create an empty game scene up to creating a simple game where you have to move a character around on screen. If you want to keep up-to-date with Unity, here are some of our recommended tutorials.
7. Unity allows you to easily change the colors of your objects.
If you want to change some of your object's color the only thing you need to do is to open your script editor.
8. Unity uses the latest versions of the Unity engine.
Unity is based on Unity 5 and as such it is constantly updated using the latest features and fixes made available by this engine.
9. It is easy to add new UI components to your game.
If you wanted to add a character's head in your game, it would be incredibly easy. To add to this, you can use the Character Component which will add a small box to the top that you can modify to whatever you want to, such as color. A list of all the components can be found on the Character Component page.
10. You can create new components in Unity directly with your hand-held controllers.
If you want to create a new component using your controller, you can do this with this code:
[Source Code][Unity Code][Handy code for using your controller via WASD][WASD Controller]
As an added bonus, if you want your controller to use one of the supported controllers and your game to use the other you can do this by editing the following file:
Code:
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
using System;
using UnityEngine.UI;
public class WASDControlController : MonoBehaviour {
// These are the controller components
using UnityEngine.UI;
using System.Linq;
public class MyComponent : WASDControlController {
public static string Action_MyAction = "MouseMove";
public static float mMouseSpeed = 15f;
public Vector2 Position { get; set; }
public float MouseX { get; set; }
public float MouseY { get; set; }
public float MouseSpeed { get; set; }
public Vector2 MouseXPos = Vector2.Zero;
public Vector2 MouseYPos { get; set; }
public Vector2 MouseSpeedX { get; set; }
public Vector2 MouseSpeedY { get; set; }
public void Activate() {
MouseXPos.Add(mMouseX);
MouseYPos.Add(mMouse
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VIDEOS
In our video section you can find all sorts of videos that feature SKEINO in any way. Besides our own product videos you can also find reviews made by either companies such as Yarnbox or bloggers.
SKEINO YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Here you can find knitting tutorials as well as help with patterns and technique. Make sure to subscribe and never miss a weekly episode.
PRODUCT VIDEOS
See for yourself how our yarns look like once the project is finished.
REVIEWS & BLOGGERS
See what professional knitters think about SKEINO and the experiences they have made working with our yarns for their projects.
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Starbucks Strategic and Financial Planning Essay
This paper seeks to describe the relationship between strategic planning and financial planning in the case of Starbucks. The paper will also describe the risks associated with initiatives that management has announced and the financial impact that these risks may have.
Strategic planning involves the design of options from which the company must choose deliberately in order to attain its mission and vision. Strategies are made therefore after an environmental analysis, both external and internal. External analysis involves looking at industry opportunities and threats while internal analysis may involve conducting a financial analysis to determine company’s strengths and weakness. From these opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses, strategies are prepared and implemented to attain corporate objectives in line with corporate mission and vision.
Financial planning on the other hand must be considered part of the process of designing the financial strategies for the company in relation to the strategic plan of the company. Financial planning therefore specifies some of the details of the strategic plan by looking at how financial resources will sustain strategic plans.
To apply the same in the case of the Starbucks, it may be argued that it is the company’s objective to attain an acceptable level of return in order to recover with profits above its cost of capital. Since financial plan is implemented by making financial forecasts for the future, it may be asserted that what the company has forecasted in terms of revenues and expenses in its financial plan is on the basis of initiatives that management has announced (Starbucks, 2008b) pursuant to strategic plans. Management must align with the strategic plan of the company to attain certain level of profitability while facing certain risks.
The initiatives that would be undertaken basically involve investment of money and as in any kind of investment not everything is one hundred percent sure. There are therefore certain risks which the company have acknowledged in its 2007 annual report and these include the fact that the Starbucks’ financial performance is highly dependent on its US operating segment, which consists of more than 75% of the consolidated total revenues in 2007 (Starbucks, 2008a). Thus the company admits that any substantial decline on its US operations, could adversely affect the company’s business results. Another risk is the present economic condition in the US, which is external to the company but must be considered in implementing the initiatives.
It can be concluded that this paper has discussed the relationship of strategic planning to financial planning for Starbucks and it has provided an insight into how risks could be associated with any strategic plan the company may have no matter how good-sounding the initiatives may be. Management needs still to consider the external and internal environments in the design of its strategic plan and financial plan. If financial plan, which could be affected by economic conditions, would not materialize, the same could cause the failure of the strategic plan.
References
Starbucks (2008) Starbucks Form 10-K. Web.
Starbucks (2008), “Starbucks Unveils New Strategic Initiatives To Transform and Innovate the Customer Experience”. Web.
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History of U.S. Film Essay
Probably the most dramatic event in 20 th century’s U.S. history was America’s entry into WW2. In its turn, this entry has been triggered by Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Therefore, it does not come as particular surprise why researching this event represents not only historical but also political, military and philosophical interest – after all, due to what happened on that date, America had lost a part of its ‘innocence’, as nation. 1
This also explains why, throughout the course of 20 th century, there has been a number of movies and documentaries produced, in which the attack on Pearl Harbor accounts for the main theme.
In this paper, we will compare and contrast how earlier mentioned historical event is being portrayed in Richard Fleischer and Akira Kurosawa’s 1970 movie “Tora! Tora! Tora!”, in Michael Bay’s 2001 movie “Pearl Harbor”, and in British 1998 documentary “Great Mysteries And Myths Of The Twentieth Century: The Mystery of Pearl Harbor”, narrated by Robert Powell.
What sets “Tora! Tora! Tora!” apart from “Pearl Harbor” is that movie’s initial titles claim the full historical authenticity of depicted events: “All of the events and characters depicted are true to historical fact” (00.24.00).
And, the watching of this movie largely supports the validity of such a claim, as directors had made a point in representing Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor as having been dialectically predetermined by the particulars of geopolitical situation in the world at that time. 2
According to the movie, in 1941, the Japanese only had two options of how to deal with an acute shortage of natural resources, experienced by their country due to America’s trade embargo – they had either to pull out of China or to declare war on U.S., in desperate attempt to ensure the continuous existence of Japan as an Empire. There is a memorable scene in the movie, which depicts Japanese high-ranking politicians in the midst of deciding of how to deal with the situation: “America is against the war we are waging in China…
Now we are threatened with an embargo on raw materials we need… Either we improve relations with the U.S. and withdraw from China, or find another source of raw materials in Indo-China” (00.08.17). Reluctantly, Japanese politicians had chosen in favor of second option- hence, sealing their country’s eventual demise.
Such directors’ treatment of a theme of what prompted Japanese to declare war on America is being indeed consistent with the notion of historical authenticity. After all, most historians do agree with suggestion that Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was rather rationale-driven then irrationally malicious, which implies that the blame for the outbreak of Pacific War cannot be solely placed on Japan. 3
In “Pearl Harbor”, on another hand, Bay strived to represent the motivation behind Japan’s attack as such that has been fueled by Japanese people’s irrational hatred of President Roosevelt.
In the scene, where Japanese high-ranking naval officers discuss what should account for the best way to proceed with the attack, officer Oyama states: “Franklin Roosevelt. Born into great wealth. Fifteen years ago, he was stricken with polio. Now he cannot walk… Americans do not wish to know how weak their President is” (00.40.02).
The President Roosevelt himself, however, is being shown as some sort of a Saint, whose main priority in life has been providing free military and financial assistance to those who fought evil Nazis, at the expense of American taxpayers: “Churchill and Stalin are asking me what I’m asking you – how long is America going to pretend the world is not at war?..
What they (British and Soviets) really need are tanks, planes, bullets, bombs and men to fight” (00.33.11).
It is needless to mention, of course, that such movie’s interpretation of the role President Roosevelt played in creating objective preconditions for U.S. to be eventually plunged into WW2, quite contrary to what he initially promised to American voters, can be best referred to as historically inaccurate.
The real motivation behind Roosevelt’s warmongering was his realization of a simple fact that, unless American economy receives a powerful boost, as the result of a country having entered the WW2, it would only be the matter of short time before the sheer counter-productiveness of his essentially Socialist ‘New Deal’ policy becomes clear to Americans. 4
The watching of “Great Mysteries and Myths of the Twentieth Century: The Mystery of Pearl Harbor” confirms the validity of our earlier suggestion that it would be quite inappropriate to idealize Roosevelt.
After all, as it appears from this documentary, President’s wife Eleanor never ceased exerting a strong political influence upon her husband, without even trying to keep its affiliation with American Communist Party in secret.
Therefore, there is nothing particularly odd about the fact that many historians used to refer to Eleanor Roosevelt as the most influential Communist spy that this country has ever known. This would also explain why Stalin used to treat Roosevelt as nothing less of his lowly puppet. 5
In 1940, American Naval Intelligence had deciphered Japanese diplomatic code (so-called code ‘Purple’), which meant that the content of all secret communications between Japan’s government and Japanese embassies around the world was becoming instantly known to Americans.
Initially, Roosevelt was included in the list of those governmental officials who had the access to this deciphered information. However, in 1941, General George Marshall (Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army) had banned Roosevelt from the list.
This was the reason why, after the end of WW2, Marshall was held accountable for Pacific Fleet’s unpreparedness, in the wake of Japanese attack. After all, it was due to his earlier mentioned order that, prior to December 7, 1941, Roosevelt was not fully aware of what was going on in the Pacific.
Nevertheless, there is another interesting scene in “Tora! Tora! Tora!”, which implies that Marshall’s decision, in this respect, might not have been quite as irrational as it is now being commonly assumed.
In that scene, Colonel Bratton reveals what prompted Marshall to decide in favor of withholding the most sensitive intelligence information from the President:
“The order stands. The President is off the ultra list… Security found a copy of an intercept in a wastebasket at the White House. Truth is, the brass don’t trust some men close to the President” (00.30.27). Apparently, just as it was pointed out in British documentary, there were a number of objective reasons for many socially prominent Americans at the time to distrust Roosevelt.
Given the fact that Bay’s “Pearl Harbor” is essentially a love-flick, spiced with action, it is quite explainable why it explores the controversy, surrounding the events that preceded Japanese attack, in perceptionaly feminine manner.
According to the movie, prior to December 7, 1941, the commanding staff of Pacific Fleet consisted of intellectually rigid morons, incapable of recognizing the signs of an impending attack. Nevertheless, among them, there was one nerdish-looking but very bright Captain Thurman, who was able to predict that Japanese would strike Pearl Harbor on December 7.
And, the reason why he was able to do it is that, unlike the rest of ‘male-chauvinistic’ officers, he knew how to remain in touch with his ‘feelings’: “(Thurman) We guess, it’s like playing chess in the dark…(Spruance) So, sir, you would have us mobilize the entire fleet, at the cost of millions of dollars, based on this spine-tingling feeling of yours? (Thurman) No, sir, my job is to interpret… making difficult decisions, is yours” (01.09.36).
And, of course, according to the movie, President Roosevelt was trying to do his best to prevent the Japanese attack by riding around in wheel-chair, by coming up with vague moralistic statements as to the overall evilness of Japanese and Germans, and by expressing his full support to British cause in the war.
And yet, as it was shown in British documentary, it was due to Roosevelt’s unwavering belief in Churchill’s ‘good nature’, that close to two thousands of American soldiers had lost their lives on December 7, 1941. According to the documentary, in 1939, British Intelligence had successfully cracked Japanese JN-25 naval code.
Therefore, even as early as in November of 1941, Churchill was fully aware of the precise date and place where Japanese were going to strike America: “Churchill knew about JN-25 just about everything. Yet, British were not sharing their knowledge of this code with Americans” (00.15.54).
As today’s historians are being well aware of, it is namely on the condition that all the phases of Japanese operation against Pearl Harbor would be kept in complete secrecy from Americans right to the very end, that Admiral Yamamoto agreed to lead the attack.
Therefore, had Yamamoto’s JN-25 deciphered orders to the Imperial Fleet from November 25 and December 2 been disclosed to Americans by Churchill, this would have allowed Pacific Fleet to whether ambush Japanese carriers, or to force them to turn back, because then, the Japanese would have been deprived of the element of surprise.
However, under no circumstances Churchill wanted to allow this to happen, because this would have delayed or even prevented America’s entry into WW2.
If this was to be the case, Churchill would have no option but to sign peace treaty with Germans, which in its turn, might have resulted in British Prime Minister being charged with ‘committing crimes against humanity’, on account of his exploits in Africa, during the course of Boer War, or on account of his other less then honorable doings.
In other words, in 1941, Churchill deliberately allowed the Japanese to attack America, as it has gotten him an ally in the war against Germany. After all, Brits have always been known for their talent in fighting their own wars with foreign-born men.
Just as it used to be the case with Indians, Malayans, Canadians, Australians, South-Africans, etc., in the eyes of Churchill, Americans were nothing but expendable ‘cannon meat’ – pure and simple.
Therefore, for anyone with even slight knowledge of history of WW2, Roosevelt’s enthusiasm in trying to plunge U.S. into the war on the side of Britain and on the side of Soviet ‘workers’ paradise’ (as seen in ‘Pearl Harbor’ movie) appears to be yet additional proof as to his naivety and consequentially his professional incompetence, to say the least.
Nevertheless, given the fact that during the time of his Presidency, rather than being accused of ‘naivety’, Roosevelt used to be getting accused of ‘scheming’, the idea that, just as it was the case with Churchill, Roosevelt knew the exact date and location where Japanese attack was going to take place, does not appear utterly improbable.
There is a scene in “Tora! Tora! Tora!” movie, where Lieutenant General Walter Short gets to read out the newly received telegram from The White House: “Japanese future action unpredictable. But hostile action possible at any moment.
If hostilities cannot be avoided the United States desires that Japan commit the first overt act” (00.56.19). The reason why Roosevelt’s administration ‘desired’ for Japanese to commit first overt act is simple – had Japan struck first, this would automatically untie President’s hands in his intention to set America on the path of war with Germany – in full accordance with Churchill’s ‘desire’.
In this respect, an unmistakable parallel could be drawn between how in 1941, Roosevelt succeed in gaining America the status of ‘aggression’s victim’ and how in 1939, Stalin succeeded in gaining USSR the status of a ‘neutral country’, even though him and Hitler had both attacked Poland, almost at the same time.
Stalin simply waited for a week, before attacking Poland from the East – this allowed him to present USSR as ‘liberator’; whereas, Hitler’s Germany will forever be branded as ‘aggressor’. 6 Apparently, on the arena of international politics, there can be no ‘wrongdoers’ and ‘good-doers’, but only winners and losers. As popular saying goes – victors write the history.
Because “Tora! Tora! Tora!” and “Pearl Harbor” belong to the genre of action-movie, on one hand, and “Great Mysteries and Myths of the Twentieth Century: The Mystery of Pearl Harbor” belong to the genre of documentary, on another; it would prove conceptually fallacious comparing and contrasting all three films’ semantic contents.
After all, British documentary is essentially a narration, supplemented by episodes from WW2 newsreels. Nevertheless, the provided earlier analysis of how Bay and Fleischer/Kurosawa went about depicting Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 leaves very little doubt that, comparing to “Pearl Harbor”, “Tora! Tora! Tora!” is being much more historically accurate.
Partially, this can be explained by the fact that, by the time Fleischer and Kurosawa were filming “Tora! Tora! Tora!”, the hawks of political correctness were not in position of censoring Hollywood movies on enclosure of controversial themes and motifs.
At the same time, when compared with “Tora! Tora! Tora!”, Bay’s “Pearl Harbor” appears much more cinematically appealing, which comes as the result of its semantic simplicity, its emotional ‘sappiness’ and its richness in special effects.
In addition, when compared to what it is the case with “Tora! Tora! Tora!”, “Pearl Harbor” features much better performance, on the part of actors. Nevertheless, when compared to “Pearl Harbor” and ““Tora! Tora! Tora!”, the apparent advantage of Powell’s documentary is that its watching stimulates analytical working of viewers’ brain cells.
And, it is namely the people endowed with analytical mindset, who are being in position to lend qualitative views onto the actual significance of historical events.
Bibliography:
Great Mysteries and Myths of the Twentieth Century: The Mystery of Pearl Harbor . Narrated by Robert Powell. 1998; Thames International.
Masaru, Ikei. “Examples of Mismanagement in U.S. Policy toward Japan before World War II” in Pearl Harbor Reexamined: Prologue to the Pacific War , ed. Hilary Conroy & Harry Wray, 47-51. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990.
McNeal, Robert. “Roosevelt through Stalin’s Spectacles,” International Journal 18 (1962-63): 194-206.
Mueller, John. “Pearl Harbor: Military Inconvenience, Political Disaster.” International Security 16, no. 3 (1991-1992): 172-203.
Pearl Harbor. Directed by Michael Bay. 2001; Touchstone Pictures.
Slackman, Michael. Target – Pearl Harbor . Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990.
Steele, Richard. “The Great Debate: Roosevelt, the Media, and the Coming of the War, 1940-1941.” The Journal of American History 71, no. 1 (1984): 69-92.
Tora! Tora! Tora! Directed by Richard Fleischer and Akira Kurosawa. 1970; 20 th Century Fox.
Uldricks, Teddy. “The Icebreaker Controversy: Did Stalin Plan to Attack Hitler?” Slavic Review 58, no. 3 (1999): 626-643.
Footnotes
1 John Mueller, “Pearl Harbor: Military Inconvenience, Political Disaster.” International Security 16, no. 3 (1991-1992), 172.
2 Michael Slackman, Target–Pearl Harbor (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990), 3.
3 Ikei Masaru, “Examples of Mismanagement in U.S. Policy toward Japan before World War II,” in Pearl Harbor Reexamined: Prologue to the Pacific War . Eds. Hilary Conroy & Harry Wray (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990), 47.
4 Richard W. Steele, “The Great Debate: Roosevelt, the Media, and the Coming of the War, 1940-1941.” The Journal of American History 71, no. 1 (1984), 70.
5 Robert H. McNeal, “Roosevelt through Stalin’s Spectacles.” International Journal 18 (1962-63), 203.
6 Teddy J. Uldricks, “The Icebreaker Controversy: Did Stalin Plan to Attack Hitler?” Slavic Review 58, no. 3, (1999), 628.
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To improve your English speaking skills, you should practice by engaging in conversations with native English speakers whenever you can, listen to and read English whenever possible, and work on memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules. You may also want to try using online courses, tutoring services, and other resources to help you develop effective speaking skills. Finally, it can be helpful to watch videos, take part in online discussions, and actively participate in language exchanges with other learners.
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I have been working on several projects with this exact idea. I just ran out of time to try it out on my laptop... but it works pretty well and it will be great for small, simple operations.
There is a good reason for this as it really can take about 10 seconds for one mouse click to trigger the event. And you do not have to click on everything - just press the "1x1x0" button once and then you'll get the 1x1x1 event.
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Whole Food Market: The Congruence Model Report (Assessment)
Introduction
Nadler and Tushman (1980) developed a model of change describing how the components of an organization interact with each other. In essence, they established that there are several key components of an organization including, individuals, tasks, and organizational processes. In addition, it was found that these components affect each other so that a change in one of the aspects affects another one.
Importantly, it is evident that the congruence model discuss the transformation of inputs into the outputs. Inputs could include factors such as competition, finances, and human resources while the outputs include the products as well as the services provided by the organization.
This paper will focus on three critical aspects of this congruence models while analyzing the Whole Food Market as an organization. These aspects include outputs at organizational level, the groups identified by the organization during its operations, and key individual functions of the people who might be involved in the process of production.
Outputs at Organizational Level
In regard to the outputs at the organizational level, Naldler and Tushman (1980) suggested that the products and services provided by the company are the most pertinent aspects. Essentially, Whole Food Market produces food for human consumption in various geographical locations that include United Kingdom and USA among others.
In addition, the company sought to produce body care products such as lotions following the rising demand for these products in the modern society. When it comes to the classification of these products, there are three pertinent categories that include organic foods, beverages, as well as body care products in general.
The company understands that food should not only sustain physical satisfaction and tastes, but also the health of the consumers. As a result, the management sought to produce organic food since they reduce the risk of ill health among the consumers. This reduction is facilitated by the methods used during the production of the organic foods.
For example, organic farmers do not use the pesticides which have been proven to contain harmful chemical that can be taken up by the body. Some of these organic foods include frozen products, pantry staples, snacks, and supplements among others. When it comes to beverages, there are various products, including organic orange juice, rice milk, and coffee among others.
The body care products also form a crucial part of the products provided to the customers by the Whole Food Market. These products include lotions, shampoo, conditioners, and soaps used for cleaning as well as bathing.
The performance of these products is presented in terms of financial profitability in order to determine their solvency. However, it is evident that the company does not present the respective profits for each of the products.
Instead, it provides the overall profitability margins for the company. Although the margins are generalized, it is obvious that the recorded profits accrue from the sales of the foods, beverages and body care products.
Figure 1: The Whole Food Market returns (Pollan, 2008).
From the image presented, it is evident that the pertinent aspects used to determine the performance of the products and services include gross, EBIT, operation, EBITDA and net profit margins. Further, the company makes estimates regarding the expected profits in the subsequent years using the data obtained for the previous years.
Outputs Group Level
Suppliers
In accordance to the demand for their products, Whole Food Market has identified suppliers who provide them with raw material for the production of beverages, foods and body care products. Understandably, food and beverages are the most crucial part of their production process. As a result, they have identified local farmers who provide the raw foods that are then used for the production.
When identifying the farmers, they consider the needs of the consumers’ needs in order to determine the appropriate suppliers. In this regard, the company has identified the organic farmers since they need to provide healthy food to the consumers (Mackey & Sisodia, 2013). In essence, the selection of these suppliers is based on whether the involved farmers can provide the needed quality in line with sustainable agriculture.
Employees
In relation to employees, there are both the managerial and technical employees who have been hired to oversee the running of the company and provide the required skills of production respectively. The managers have a responsibility to offer the required leadership and ensuring order in the organization.
In addition, they are mandated to recruit the technical employees whereby they are expected to ensure that each of them has the required skills in relation to the field of employment. As a result, the company is capable of maintaining high standard of production and desirable quality of the foods. The performance of these managers is measured according to the performance of their departments.
For example, the HR managers are evaluated in accordance to how they coordinate the workers and tap human skills. Failure to incorporate the necessary human resource is termed as underperformance.
For the technical employees, their performance is evaluated in accordance to how they adhere to the regulation and standards set by the management. Accordingly, employees who do not abide by these standards and regulations are underperformers.
Geographical Regions
The company recognizes the geographical groups by operating in twelve different locations. In this regard, each of the regions has a president, the administrative team and the people mandated to oversee the store. These geographical groups have been set to decentralize the services and make sure that the company is capable of reaching as many people as possible and make good financial profits.
Key Individual Functions
There are various individual functions that are identified in the entire organizational setup. The roles of the president are some of the most conspicuous individual functions within the organization’s structure.
First, the CEO has individual functions since he is the founder of the company. He offers the leadership of the entire company for all the geographical regions in which the company operates. All the presidents report to the chief executive officer regarding the performance of their respective areas. In essence, he is an executive player mandated to make critical decisions such as investments.
Second, there are presidents appointed for each of the geographical regions, and mandated to oversee the setting of the annual budget, authorize expenditure, and coordinate the administrative team.
The individual function of the president can be considered as a crucial role since the entire chain of command executes the orders and decisions made by this office. In addition, they are the mediators between the executive arms of the company and the employees in the lower levels of operation.
Chief Operating officer is another individual function which is set to oversee the daily processes of the company. These operations include the supply of raw materials and distribution among other. The officer is crucial in the chain of command due to the mandate of reporting to the president regarding any unfolding within the organizational processes of production.
The organization has incorporated a chief financial officer who advises the president concerning critical decisions. In this regard, the financial officer has the professional knowledge that enables to determine the financial implication of decisions. As a result, the president and CEO must consult with the officer before taking any step so as to evaluate the effects of their decisions before implementation.
Another individual function found within the company is executed by the Growth and Development officer. The officer is mandated to develop new products and come up with new ways of manufacturing them.
In this regard, the officer must initiate research in order to determine the changing needs to the consumers and hence provide the required products. This undertaking ensures that the company expands the market while maintaining the original customers.
Conclusion in Terms of Interacting Outputs
The individual functions of the CEO, presidents, and the various officers revolve around monitoring the operation of the mentioned groups. As a result, it is evident that there is congruence between the individual functions and the groups.
In turn, the groups provide the required raw materials and also offer the needed skills for production of the foods and beverage. Owing to the regulations and standards set by the executive arms, the groups are capable of maintaining the quality of the products. Consequently, the profitability of the products is ensured since the customers get the needed quality.
References
Mackey, J., & Sisodia, R. (2013). Conscious capitalism: liberating the heroic spirit of business . Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Review Press.
Nadler, D., & Tushman, M. (1980). A Model for Diagnosing Organizational Behavior. Organizational Dynamics, 9 (2), 35-51.
Pollan, M. (2008). In defense of Whole Food Market: an eater’s manifesto . New York: Penguin Press.
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Mergers, Acquisition, and International Strategies in McDonald and Carl’s Jr. Corporations Essay
Introduction
A merger is a business expansion strategy in which two or more companies combine to form one new company. On the other hand, an acquisition is a business venture in which one company purchases another one without formation of a new company. In general, a merger and an acquisition entail consolidation of two or more corporations to form a competitive joint synergy.
In this paper, McDonald and Carl’s Jr. Corporations have been chosen to illustrate the effectiveness of mergers and acquisitions as business expansion strategies. McDonald’s Corporation is one of the leading fast food restaurants that have gained global competitive advantage through acquisitions. Unlike McDonald’s, the competitive advantage of Carl’s Jr. is product differentiation and effective customer service. Carl’s Jr. operates mainly in the United States of America.
McDonald’s Corporation
McDonald’s is the largest chain restaurant in fast food industry. The company started in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant in California. Its main products are hamburgers, breakfast items, cheeseburgers, and soft drinks. Today, McDonald’s Corporation serves over 65 million customers on a daily basis in 120 countries around the world. Its main expansion strategies are competitive customer service, high quality products at affordable prices, product differentiation, effective marketing and acquisitions (Mujtaba & Patel, 2007).
During its initial business expansion phase, McDonald’s Corporation employed high quality customer service and product differentiation as strategic marketing tools to gain a strong market presence in the United States of America. By mid 1980s, McDonald’s was among the biggest fast food restaurants in the United States of America.
This strong market presence prompted the need to explore overseas markets. A stronger domestic market presence was essential in propelling the fast food leader to the international scene. Acquisitions were among the effective strategies that would ensure quick expansion of McDonald’s Corporation.
Acquisitions were also thought to be strategic management tools that would help McDonald’s overcome the challenges of new markets. McDonald’s Corporation hoped to use the already established market presence and successful business models of existing companies in new market environments (Mujtaba & Patel, 2007). In response to these needs, it acquired Donatos Pizza, Chipotle Mexican grill, and Boston Market between 1998 and 2000 (Derdak & Pederson, 2004).
The above acquisitions made McDonald’s the biggest chain of fast food restaurants in North and South America. The acquisitions were strategic because they increased the product line and domestic market presence of McDonald’s Corporation. Donatos pizza is based in Columbus, Ohio with over 200 outlets in the United States of America. Its acquisition made McDonald’s Corporation the dominant fast food restaurant in Ohio with an entry in the pizza industry.
Chipotle Mexican grill had over 1200 restaurants in 43 states and countries in the world. Among its market strongholds are Canada, England France, and Russia. It specializes in tacos and burritos as the main products. Its acquisition by McDonald’s in 1998 made the latter the biggest fast food restaurant in Canada and England (MarketLine, 2012). It also extended McDonald’s product line by inclusion of tacos and burritos.
By the year 2000, McDonald’s Corporation was the leading fast food restaurant in Washington, DC, Ontario, Toronto, Quebec, and Paris thanks to the acquisition of Chipotle Mexican grill. McDonald’s Corporation acquired Boston Market (Formerly known as Boston Chicken) in 2000.
Boston Market had 550 restaurants in 28 states in the United States of America, Australia, Sydney, and Canada prior to its acquisition by McDonald’s Corporation. Thus, the acquisition of Boston Market by McDonald’s Corporation expanded the market presence of the latter in Australia and Canada. McDonald’s was able to use human resources and the success story of Boston Market to enter into new market environments without incurring establishment and administrative costs.
In general, the decision to acquire the above three fast food restaurants by McDonald’s Corporation was strategic. This is because it enhanced quick expansion into international markets without incurring establishment and administrative costs. According to MarketLine report (2012), many organizations fail to establish themselves in new markets because of the inability to adapt to new consumer cultures. Thus, acquisitions are effective tools of overcoming cultural shocks in new market environments.
Carl’s Jr. Corporation
Carl Karcher and Margaret Karcher started Carl’s Jr. as a hamburger restaurant in California in 1941. It was initially called Carl’s Drive-In barbecue until 1956. The stiff market competition of the 1990s made it difficult for Carl’s Jr. Corporation to establish itself in Texas and Arizona.
Its expansion has been slow due to its management strategies that discourage mergers and acquisitions. The major challenge to its expansion is the competition from McDonald’s Corporation, which has the largest market presence in the United States of America. Currently, Carl’s Jr. is planning to expand its operation into international markets. The first proposed destinations are Singapore, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, and Brazil among others.
The most effective and profitable company for a merger or acquisition for Carl’s Jr. is Starbucks Corporation. This is because of its wide international market presence that makes it the third biggest chain restaurant in the world. Starbucks Corporation is the leading coffeehouse restaurant in the world with over 20300 stores in 61 countries. Its strongest international market presence is Japan, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Taiwan, Philippines, and India among others.
Besides hot and cold coffee, Starbucks Corporation also deals in snacks, sweet pastries, salads, and cold sandwiches. The joint venture of Carl’s Jr. and Starbucks Corporations will be profitable for the former because of expanded product line. Carl’s Jr. will also benefit from the international market locations of Starbucks without incurring extra administrative and establishment costs.
The business and corporate strategies of McDonald’s Corporation
The mission of McDonald’s Corporation is to be the customers’ favorite place to eat in the world. The business strategy for McDonald’s is market led, and customer focused innovations. To achieve this, McDonald’s undertakes extensive market research to establish its customers and their needs.
It then designs its products to meet the needs of all age groups. The prices are also varied to meet the needs of people from all social classes. The wide market presence ensures that McDonald’s is the restaurant of choice for majority customers in the world (Mujtaba & Patel, 2007). McDonald’s corporate strategy is business diversification and international expansion. McDonald’s employs related diversification by proving various meals that meet all customer needs.
Recommendations for improvement
The most effective recommendation for McDonald’s Corporation is vertical integration. This is a cost cutting strategy, which is achieved by using an organization’s own inputs and distribution channels. McDonald’s Corporation should produce its own inputs and develop its own transportation and distribution systems. This will reduce overall costs and increase the company’s profitability.
Proposed business and corporate strategies for Carl’s Jr.
The most effective business level strategy for Carl’s Jr. is high quality product branding. Effective branding of Carl’s Jr. Corporation and its products will attract the attention of new customers in new market environments (Gussoni & Mangani, 2012). This will offer it a competitive advantage against other market players. For corporate level strategy, the most effective recommendation for Carl’s Jr. is international expansion. This will provide the company with a global market for its products (Stoy & Kytzia, 2004).
References
Derdak, T. & Pederson, J.P. (2004). “McDonald’s”. In Derdak, T & Pederson, J.(Eds.), International directory of company histories. 3rd Ed (pp. 108-109). New York: St.James Press.
Gussoni, M. & Mangani, A. (2012). Corporate branding strategies in mergers and acquisitions. Journal of Brand Management, 19 , 772-787.
MarketLine (formerly Datamonitor), Financial Deals. (2012). McDonald’s Corporation – Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Partnerships & Alliances and Investment Report Nov 27, 2012. New York, NY: Alacra Store.
Mujtaba, G.B. & Patel, B. (2007). McDonald’s Success Strategy And Global Expansion Through Customer And Brand Loyalty. Journal of Business Case Studies, 3(3), 55-66.
Stoy, C. & Kytzia, S. (2004). Strategies of corporate real estate management: Strategic dimensions and participants. Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 6(4) , 353-370.
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There are several ways to access this page from your computer, so choose the one that works for you.
Method 1: Using a bookmark manager
Most bookmark managers will add a bookmark to this page for you whenever you add it to your library.
Method 2: Drag the page into your Bookmarks Bar
You can save a Web page to your Bookmarks Bar. When you later use another bookmark manager to add it to your library, the page will automatically be added to your Bookmarks Bar so everything is nicely integrated.
You can also save the Web page in another computer so you can access it later.
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The "War on Drugs" is a political movement that never had a purpose. We've spent more than 50 years waging the war on drugs, and it's been a failure. In America today at least 500,000 people are behind bars, and 1.6 million people in prisons and jails – in one country. There's no better example of that failure than the War on Drugs in Mexico.
The first thing that needs to be understood is that the Mexican government and the politicians that run that country are not responsible for this. It has not and will never be the policy of the Mexican government to imprison its own citizens, as far as I know.
I have seen this first hand during my time in Mexico. Mexican citizens are not criminals. I have seen people who are in there working for the Mexican government who are going back and forth. There's a huge problem in the United States because drug cartels are trying to get drugs in the U.S.; the United States sends them in, and as a result a huge number of people die. The reason that is happening is that the United States has militarized Mexico and taken its military along with their police, and now these guys are taking down a drug cartel. That's the end.
The second thing that you need to realize is that the American media has a big role to play in this. As I see it, the American media is very much like the police themselves. The police have their orders from the top; the media often has none. They are like the police themselves because they have a hierarchy, and the hierarchy is that the media is supposed to be there to tell the people what's really going on out in the country, and it's not in their control. What happens with the media is these stories that are coming out are almost always taken at face value, while what actually happens is that the reporter makes a huge mistake or a couple people hear a lie – usually something they can't prove – and they report it on. It's a big problem.
In Mexico – in my days, when it comes to journalism – I've seen a big difference. When I wrote about the drug war, what happened from the Mexican government's standpoint was nothing. When Mexico and the United States fought over drug trafficking in the 1980's (and the war has not ended), they didn't even talk about drugs anymore. I said in my book that there is no way people would be talking about drugs between the United States and Mexico if the other guy wasn't a bloody criminal.
In Mexico there were a lot of drugs running through that country, but it was at the beginning when the drug war first started. When the cartels started running drugs through the whole country, then they started talking about legalizing it, then they started talking about making it legal, then they started talking about a war on drugs. When it's a bloody criminal running that war, when it's being funded by drug traffickers, drug lords, who are basically terrorists, that's when the media becomes the problem.
It's a very serious problem. I'd say 60 percent of the time the media gets things wrong, and the other 40 percent of the time they're just wrong. But for the most part the media is on the side of the drug traffickers. They're against drug users. They're against all drug users. They're for the authorities, especially the police. But they're on the side of the authorities.
For instance, the media does a good job of covering drug-related violence that the violence itself is happening because that's where those stories are going to come out. So there's a big difference between when people die in the streets and the media covers it, versus when the media covers it and people die in the media. It's not about life and death it's all about how it's covered.
The drug cartels are basically running these governments in Mexico to get their product at whatever price they can get. As long as the government is doing their job, and that's sending troops through there, that's one side of the story. I mean it's a tragedy; it's a terrible problem. In Mexico, I mean, the U.S. government spends billions of dollars on the drug war, and yet people are still dying of heroin addiction.
As far as the drug war in Mexico – a lot of that war was fought on the local level. A lot of people died that way, so the cartels tried to fight in the United States by recruiting local police. In many cases, they were recruiting the same police as they were recruiting in Mexico.
The cartels have been waging a war against local officials – or against any type of official who gets in their way, which is basically everybody. It's not just cops either. They're looking for anyone who doesn't have authority. There is a huge problem with corruption as well; even the Mexican police are corrupt. So I think there is a lot of problems, which is how people can go
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African countries have amazing diversity in terms of culture, wildlife, languages, and more. For example, Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups, and Ethiopia has 80 spoken languages! South Africa is home to the widest variety of plant species in the world and has some of the largest animals on the continent such as the elephants and lions. Egypt is the most populous country in Africa, with over 95 million people and is home to the famous Great Pyramids. Namibia has the highest concentration of cheetahs in the world and is also one of the least densely populated countries in all of Africa.
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Quantum computing is a form of computing technology that utilizes quantum-mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. It has the potential to solve extremely complex problems, with researchers in the field hoping to build computers that could exceed the power of conventional computers. Quantum computers achieve this by taking advantage of phenomena such as quantum entanglement, superposition, and interference, to process information in ways that classical computers cannot.
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It's hard not to get caught up in how many stars have been born of South Texas this month.
The Houston area has become home to plenty of new citizens this year, including one who will be making history: the nation's first born without any blood relatives.
At 14 weeks pregnant, Kayla Hernandez-Cortez, is one of the youngest parents in the state's low-profile pregnancy registry. In the past five years, only about 10 low-risk live births have been registered in the state.
Hernandez-Cortez is one of just 1,912 people born so far this year in Texas. She is part of a small but growing group of Texans who are not related by blood.
A study of the state's low-risk population that was released last month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that of the 100 most-active counties in Texas, 93 had less than 10 people registered with any blood relative.
"I have a friend who doesn't have a great relationship with his father. He was born two months too soon and has a lot more going on," said Lisa Johnson of Houston, a mom and co-founder of Pregnant With Love, a nonprofit group that provides information about pregnancy and birth to a low-risk population.
The low-risk population is the group of people who carry low levels of human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, and would not pass it to themselves unless someone else was to have sex with them.
HHS records from the state show Hernandez-Cortez was 14 weeks pregnant with her and her son. Her child, who is 4-months-old, wasn't put on the registry because his mother was at work, or because he was born prematurely or not in the right time range to make it into the registry.
But the fact Hernandez-Cortez was in close contact with her child during the last few months before he was born is the reason her child is on the registry. That's why the state is seeking to contact parents or guardians who could potentially be responsible for her son's future health care, said Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Rebecca Ward.
More than 20 states, including Texas, have no birth registration requirements on low-risk populations, according to the National Institute of Family and Community Health.
Many states don't even have requirements for low-risk populations, said Susan Wood Jones, CEO at National Advocates for Pregnant Women, a research and advocacy organization that advocates for the need for birth registration.
"We are so overwhelmed by our success with low-risk birth registration and birth certificate requirements," she said. "But every day, this process is on pause because there is more work to be done, and more people to help, and more low-risk births to register. We're getting to this point all by our own efforts."
The state of Texas recently enacted the most extensive rules ever for registering low-risk babies. The new law allows the state to enter a hospital's birthing room to register low-risk babies. There are 24 hours to register each birth.
In Houston, the health department now sends the baby to hospitals with registered birth records for birth registration visits.
HHS is working with hospitals and community groups to register all newborn babies born between Jan. 1 and July 31. The process takes about three to four days, but some health clinics handle the registrations much faster. By the way, the state also wants to get a national registry of all children born. It's currently at 7,821 births out of a population of 2.14 million children.
As of Jan. 18, Texas has registered about 1,912 babies and their parents, Johnson said. She believes that number will grow.
"These babies are important," Johnson said. "It's important so people know they're here and that they're important."
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Ancient Greece: Relief of the Temple of Artemis Report (Assessment)
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Main body
3. Conclusion
4. Work Cited
Introduction
Ancient Greece produced art pieces and the principles of artistic expression that became the staple of taste and remained the example worth following for a substantial time. The statute represented on the relief of the Temple of Artemis is one of the typical examples of Ancient Greek sculpture. Incorporating a clear depth perspective and an attempt at experimentation, the relief sculpture in question incorporates the elements of a mythological narrative, reflecting the political motivations of the period.
Main body
The relief sculpture represented in the Temple of Artemis embodies the key principles of the politics encouraged in Ancient Greece at the time. Specifically, the focus on the pan-Hellenic ideas in their evolution and the enhancement of the marriage principles that Greek youth had to follow can be tracked down in the sculpture in question (Kleiner 59). For instance, the portrayal of the scenes that evoke the myths of Titanomachy and Gigantomachy need to be mentioned. The narrative of the failed rebellion of giants and the following enforcement of Zeus’s power is especially emblematic of the idea that order will eventually triumph over chaos (Kleiner 59). Thus, the art piece in question allowed inspiring young people and promoting the importance of worshipping Ancient Greek gods.
Conclusion
Thus, the reliefs show that the focus on the power of Zeus and pan-Hellenic traditions was very strong on the specified time slot. The society of Ancient Greece was clearly encouraging the role of the mythological narrative in shaping young people’s values, ethics, and worldview. The images of “Zeus brandishing a firebolt” represent the process of order taking over chaos (Kleiner 59). Being a powerful representation of philosophical ideas by means of ancient myths, the relief sculpture is worth being considered a fine specimen of Ancient Greek art.
Work Cited
Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner’s Art through the Ages: Backpack Edition, Book A: Antiquity . 15th ed., Cengage Learning, 2015.
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International Business and Marketing Trends Essay
One of the lessons drawn from the article is that business and marketing trends in the developing world are rapidly changing. Consumers in these countries have become more sophisticated and powerful than before. This is particularly true as information, knowledge, and enlightenment proliferates in the developing world amidst increasing globalization. International and cultural differences are no longer an obstacle to the growth of global brands. Firms and executives have the growth of the Internet as well as information technology to thank for these new beneficial trends. The face of marketing has changed as well. Television is no longer the first screen for many advertisement viewers. With the increasing population of people using tablets and smartphones, marketers have now turned to digital marketing trends such as social media marketing.
Marketing skills are different when marketing locally and when doing so internationally. A local marketer has fewer demands in terms of skills other than the basics that all marketers have. Conversely, a global marketer has to maintain the logic of an international brand. Expatriate marketers cannot simply impose ready-made promotional strategies in new international markets. They require skills to conduct market research in new destinations, and then convert their findings into actionable marketing strategies. An international marketer also needs to be conversant with the laws of their international destinations while a local one does not. Moreover, an international experience is a skill set that is unique to a global marketer compared to a local one.
For a successful career in global marketing, an individual should have a set of special skills apart from the basic skills for marketers. They should be culturally savvy and sensitive; as global workers they need to appreciate other cultures. As foreigners, they also need to be culturally and intellectually versatile because they need to fit in and adapt. International marketers have a sharp commercial instinct since the goal of their marketing efforts is to earn a return on their investment. Most importantly, a global marketer should communicate effectively since this ensures a flawless flow of information amongst all the stakeholders involved in international marketing endeavors.
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In June, two Republican senators — Rand Paul and Ted Cruz — joined a handful of Democrats in introducing the Fairness in High-Speed Rail Caucus. Paul's bill was co-sponsored by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky.
In his press release, Cruz praised the bill and argued that its inclusion in the agenda of the upcoming American Health Care Act, the failed House-passed bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, "would be a major step toward restoring balance to Washington."
While the caucus' first priority is reforming the bill, as such, the group will have other priorities as the next Congress begins: They will work to establish a commission to study the costs of high-speed rail — a commission that some Republicans have suggested shouldn't be tasked with the work of reviewing the benefits of high-speed rail. (They've also called on the Congressional Research Service to study the topic.)
A few examples from the caucus' website are a proposal to establish a committee to address "train derailments"; a proposal to reform the Federal Railroad Administration; and a discussion on "reinvesting in Amtrak."
"I think there are more issues related to high-speed rail that need to be addressed," said Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) during a recent interview on NPR. "But I think a lot of what we do needs to happen at the bipartisan level. I think we need to talk about those issues, as long as we can."
"I don't think we have the luxury of not having a bipartisan strategy," he said.
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In an interview with the Washington Post, Paul noted that the push to focus on high-speed infrastructure had come from members who had already voted against the House-passed bill.
"The idea that we should be using our political clout to stop things we don't like is, I think, a disservice to our country," Paul said. "If we were to have the House pass the AHCA and then our members could no longer work with the other side to make sure that the American people get health care, I think we'd be wrong to sit there and say that this was great, and now this bill is great."
"You shouldn't be able to go to any Democrat, and say 'this is how I want it done. I'm going to vote against your bill because of how I want it to be done,' " Cassidy said.
Paul has already used his Senate position to make policy.
Last month, the senator introduced his version of the Stop Arming Terrorists Act. The bill would prohibit the Department of Defense from using U.S. taxpayer dollars to "further the activities of ISIL," the name of the militant group that is the parent organization behind numerous deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq.
One of the biggest issues raised by Paul and other proponents of tighter oversight of high-speed rail is that the federal government may be able to divert funds from other purposes for the infrastructure, or to give Amtrak the ability to add more carriages — a move that could lead to an increase in travel between major cities.
On the Senate floor Wednesday, Paul argued that the $64 billion spent to construct the D.C.-to-Chicago high-speed rail station and the $9 billion spent on the expansion of service between San Francisco and Los Angeles are insufficient for the infrastructure that was initially proposed by President Barack Obama.
"With the current government spending, we can't give them all to their favored companies," said Paul. "We're not going to make up the gap on our own."
At least one Republican senator, Bob Corker of Tennessee, told BuzzFeed he would sign onto the Senate's version of the bill if it was reintroduced. His office refused to comment on whether he would support the House-passed bill or the Senate floor version.
Paul's office also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his Senate colleague's statement.
—
UPDATE: 4:45am ET —
On Saturday, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Lindsey Graham joined together to announce the Fairness in High-Speed Rail Caucus in support of legislation that would "fix a broken system to make rail transportation more accessible for all Americans."
"Americans deserve better, and that means a more reliable, faster, and cheaper version of Amtrak," the caucus said in a release.
The caucus said it would work to get "a comprehensive reform package to Amtrak passengers and workers across the nation and to Congress as soon as possible," saying that the bill would help "to bring our system into the 21st century."
In an interview with the Washington Post, Cruz said he was not surprised to see his colleague join forces with the senator from Kentucky.
"We're going to do what we can to get it done," he said.
"The idea that we should be using our political clout
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Challenges Affecting Fuel Compacting and Manufacturing Process During Mixing and Compaction Report
Introduction
There are many challenges affecting fuel compacting and the manufacturing process. Some of these issues are experienced during the mixing and compaction stages. Compaction is related to the spaces between fuel particles. At times, engineers find it important to reduce these spaces for several reasons. Compaction and mixing are some of the important stages in the manufacturing process. Mixing is aimed at reducing the spaces between fuel particles. In physics, these particles determine the quality of the fuel. Fuels are of different types. Most of them are mined from rocks. Different machines and ores are used in the manufacturing process. The essence of these materials is to make work easier (Charollais et al. 539). However, the machines may also pose a threat to the process if they are faulty. All these factors affect manufacturing at different levels. Fuel compacting and manufacturing has different stages. It is important to pay attention to these stages to enhance the quality of the final product.
Mixing and Compaction in Fuel Compacting and Manufacturing: A Critical Analysis of Challenges
As already indicated, there are several challenges associated with fuel compacting and manufacturing. It is important to address these problems to uphold the quality of the final product. Some of these challenges include:
Correlation Temperature in Mixing and Compaction
One of the biggest problems experienced in the manufacturing process involves temperature correlation. The temperature establishes a connection between mixing and compaction. According to Larsson, mixing and compaction are different processes (7180). However, they occur at the same time and under certain levels of temperature. Heat is important given that it determines the success of the mixing and compacting process. The spaces between fuel particles have to be reduced during the manufacturing process. It is difficult for these particles to mix under low temperatures. It is also noted that the viscosity of a liquid is determined by its temperature. On its part, viscosity affects the fluidity of a substance (MacLeod and Yates 14). At times, temperatures are influenced by the weather. As such, when it is hot, temperatures are high and the viscosity of the fuel is reduced. Consequently, the size of fuel particles decreases.
Small particles make it easy to mix and compact fuel. However, the development creates several challenges. Such problems are common when temperatures are low, especially when it is rainy. As already indicated, low temperatures increase the viscosity of the fuel. Most of the machines used in mixing and compacting are metallic. The metal conducts the heat from the surroundings quickly. As a result, low temperatures hinder the manufacturing process (Charollais et al. 2855). It is also important to note that low temperatures make the fuel particles stick together. The stickiness makes it hard to mix and compact the fluid. As such, one can conclude that low temperatures are a challenge to the manufacturing process.
Several strategies can be adopted to deal with the problem of low temperatures. One of these approaches is to ensure that the manufacturing process takes place under optimum levels of temperature (Yao et al. 9488). A lot of heat can also be a challenge during the mixing and compacting of fuel. As such, a regulator should be provided to stabilize the temperatures during this stage of manufacturing.
Heating Costs
Heat may be required during the mixing and compacting of fuel. The requirement may pose a challenge to many companies that lack a constant source of this energy. According to Charollais et al., the temperatures required at this stage of manufacturing must be constant (540). Electricity is the only source of heat that can provide constant levels of temperatures to support the manufacturing process. The other alternative is gas. However, this source is more expensive compared to electricity (Rochais, Basini, and Domingues 3050). Some other sources of heat are not reliable. The reason is that they do not provide constant and optimum temperatures. In addition, they cannot be controlled and regulated to support the mixing and compacting process.
Heating should be supplied for a specific number of hours without interruptions. Engineers have made efforts to come up with alternative sources of heat to improve the mixing and compaction of fuel. However, most of these alternatives have proved to be weak and unreliable. Solar energy is one of the alternative sources of heat that have failed to work (Larsson et al. 7179). Consequently, it is costly to power the manufacturing process. The cost of heating is the main reason why the manufacturing of fuel is only carried out by big companies. The companies can afford to cater to these expenses. In light of this, it is apparent that operational costs associated with heating are major challenges affecting the process of manufacturing fuel.
Challenges Emanating from Fuel Moisture
In addition to low temperatures and heating costs, moisture is another challenge affecting the mixing and compacting process. The nature of fuel components determines the success of these two procedures. Several impurities contaminate the fuel during its extraction. Most of these substances are removed from the final product using such processes as fractional distillation. The removal of the impurities takes place at different stages (Yao et al. 9490). The amount of moisture in fuel is dependent on the availability of water. As such, this component becomes a challenge for mixing and compacting.
It is important to note that fuel and water are immiscible liquids. Water particles are larger than those of fuel. Water particles are also heavier than their fuel counterparts (Yao et al. 9490). During mixing, water elements settle at the bottom of the mixture. On their part, fuel particles are suspended at the top of the mixture. Fuel compacting cannot take place when moisture particles are present. As such, they should be eliminated. However, it takes time to remove these particles from the solution. The process must also be undertaken with a lot of care to ensure that the quality of the fuel is not compromised. Moisture in the fuel is brought about by contamination from underground water. It is also caused by humidity and solar radiation. Eliminating it from the fuel during mixing and compacting can be expensive. As such, the requirement becomes another challenge associated with the manufacturing process.
Safe Storage of Fuel During Mixing and Compacting
Storage of fuel is another challenge affecting the success of the mixing and compacting stage. According to Charollais et al., fuel has several safety risks (540). As a result, it must be handled with care. It is highly flammable and may lead to accidents if stored under poor conditions. A storage tank must be used when mixing and separating fuel. The purpose of the tank is to collect the purified content. Fuel is supposed to be stored in tight containers when mixing. The aim is to ensure that there is no spillage.
Some containers are unsuitable for fuel storage. The material used to make them must be strong enough to withstand the heavyweight of this substance (MacLeod and Yates 15). In addition, the material must be non-corrosive. The reason is that non-corrosive metals withstand rusting. Using corrosive metals to make a tank can lead to contamination of the fuel. Some of the materials commonly used to make storage tanks for fuel include brass and copper (Larsson et al. 7180). However, these components are expensive. Consequently, safety during storage becomes a challenge when manufacturing fuel, especially during mixing and compacting (Larsson et al. 7180). It is only the big companies that can afford to store their fuel safely during this stage.
Building the Mixture during Mixing and Compaction
Fuel compaction makes it possible to mix different elements and hydrocarbons. Binders are used to enhance the quality of the mixture. Mixing the elements can be hectic, especially if done manually. The right quantities of mixtures should be used. The combinations depend on the amount of fuel being manufactured. Different machines are used to measure the ingredients (Rochais, Basini, and Domingues 3052). The mixture coating test is an example of the experiments carried out on the fuel. Coming up with the right mixture is a challenge. The quality of the fuel is affected when mixing is wrong. Time and other resources are used during this critical process.
Works Cited
Charollais, Francois, Christophe Perrais, Dominique Moulinier, Marc Perez and Marie-Pierre Vitali. “Latest Achievements of CEA and AREVA NP on HTR Fuel Fabrication.” Nuclear Engineering and Design 238.11 (2008): 2854-2860. Print.
Charollais, Francois, Sophie Fonquernie, Christophe Perrais, Marc Perez, Olivier Dugne, Francois Cellier, Gerard Harbonnier and Marie-Pierre Vitali. “CEA and AREVA R&D on HTR Fuel Fabrication and Presentation of the CAPRI Experimental Manufacturing Line.” Nuclear Engineering and Design 236.5 (2006): 534-542. Print.
Larsson, Sylvia, Mikael Thyrel, Paul Geladi and Torbjorn Lestander. “High Quality Biofuel Pellet Production from Pre-Compacted Low Density Raw Materials.” Bioresource Technology 99.15 (2008): 7176-7182. Print.
MacLeod, Hugh, and Geoffrey Yates. “Development of Mixed-Oxide Fuel Manufacture in the United Kingdom and the Influence of Fuel Characteristics on Irradiation Performance.” Nuclear Technology 102.1 (1993): 3-17. Print.
Rochais, Denis, Meur Basini, and Gregory Domingues. “Microscopic Thermal Characterization of HTR Particle Layers.” Nuclear Engineering and Design 238.11 (2008): 3047-3059. Print.
Yao, Bo, Emmanuel Perez, Dennis Keiser, Jan-Fong Jue, Curtis Clark, Nicolas Woolstenhulme and Yongho Sohn. “Microstructure Characterization of As-Fabricated and 475° C Annealed U–7wt.% Mo Dispersion Fuel in Al–Si Alloy Matrix.” Journal of Alloys and Compounds 509.39 (2011): 9487-9496. Print.
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You don't think it's possible to write a better story than the first two hours of Star Wars: The Force Awakens? You're wrong.
If you're in the market for a great Star Wars novel, Star Wars: In Flight has it all: a compelling central character, a strong, thrilling narrative, a fantastic cover that grabs you by the scruff of your neck and demands your attention…and maybe a few more moments where that cover grabs you again.
What makes this novel the best Star Wars novel to date? For the most part, it just comes down to the words.
We open with a look at the events that led to Darth Vader being forced to abandon his search for the Rebels when his old master, Darth Sidious, had him removed from the Jedi Order. This is the first time that we experience the "backstory" of what Vader thought he was going to be doing with the Rebellion and what he actually did.
The story, which is told through the eyes of Vader's apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, does a good job of letting us see Vader as a troubled and confused person in search of answers. And, at first, we think, 'what's really interesting is how and why he was brought to his knees.'
However, as the story progresses, it's revealed that Vader's struggle with how the Jedi Order was run and how to deal with the rise of a new Sith Order has been playing out inside him. We're also shown what led to Vader's decision to seek the Rebel's advice in his decision to abandon the Jedi. As we move along the novel, we get a better understanding of just how big a problem Vader had with the Jedi Order itself.
This, combined with Vader's own realization that even his best intentions could only so far bring about an end to the Empire, has led to him making changes in the future.
While we still don't have an answer for whether or not Vader's plan for a galaxy without the Jedi was successful, we believe it was for a number of reasons:
The Emperor was dead. The Empire was no longer the same organization, but it certainly wasn't the same Empire.
Vader's plan to use the Sith to wage a civil war in the Empire and conquer the galaxy without the Jedi was successful. Vader's victory came at a costly price to the Rebellion and the Rebel Alliance.
As his power grew further, Vader has become obsessed with finding a way to destroy the Emperor rather than being a Sith Lord to his own people.
As more information came out about how the Emperor died, it's brought about a deeper concern for Vader. In fact, we can see it in his actions. He doesn't just want to take the Emperor's place, he also wants to take back control of the Galaxy and destroy the Empire.
The story also introduces a significant character: a bounty hunter, Cassian Andor, who seems to be a good foil for Vader and a foil to the Empire in general. We also see more connections to the upcoming Battle of Jakku that leads to one of the final major revelations in the story.
I think The Force Awakens is going to be huge, so we shouldn't have any problems with fans wanting to know what happens next. With In Flight, we know it will be better than almost any prior Star Wars novel or comic book. It's one of the best stories I've read about the events after Return of the Jedi, and the way it ties into the next movie makes it a compelling read.
So what are you waiting for? Check out the first couple of pages, let us know how the story has impacted you, and let your friends know too! You got this…
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The treatment, previously only tested in the laboratory, was used in one-year-old, Layla, who had relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). She is now cancer free and doing well.
This breakthrough comes from GOSH and UCL Institute of Child Health's (ICH) pioneering research teams with support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre, who together are developing treatments and cures for some of the rarest childhood diseases.
Chemotherapy successfully treats many patients with leukaemia but it can be ineffective in patients with particularly aggressive forms of the disease where cancer cells can remain hidden or resistant to drug therapy. Recent developments have led to treatments where immune cells, known as T-cells, are gathered from patients and programmed using gene therapy to recognise and kill cancerous cells. Multiple clinical trials are underway, but individuals with leukaemia, or those who have had several rounds of chemotherapy, often don't have enough healthy T-cells to collect and modify meaning this type of treatment is not appropriate.
A team at GOSH has now used modified T-cells from donors, known as UCART19 cells, to treat a one-year-old child with an aggressive form of ALL who had unsuccessful chemotherapy and for whom palliative care was deemed the only option left.
The treatment works by adding new genes to healthy donor T-cells, which arm them against leukaemia. Using molecular tools (TALEN®) that act like very accurate scissors, specific genes are then cut in order to make the T-cells behave in two specific ways. Firstly, the cells became invisible to a powerful leukaemia drug that would usually kill them and secondly they are reprogrammed to only target and fight against leukaemia cells.
The team at GOSH and the UCL ICH, along with investigators at University College London and biotech company Cellectis, had been developing 'off-the-shelf' banks of these donor T-cells and the first of which was due to be used for final stage testing ahead of clinical trials. But, after hearing about this infant, the team received special permission to try the new treatment early.
Professor Waseem Qasim, Professor of Cell and Gene Therapy at UCL ICH and Consultant Immunologist at GOSH and a NIHR Research Professor, explains: "The approach was looking incredibly successful in laboratory studies, and so when I heard there were no options left for treating this child's disease, I thought 'why don't we use the new UCART19 cells?'
"The treatment was highly experimental and we had to get special permissions, but she appeared ideally suited for this type of approach."
The patient's parents were also keen to try the treatment. Mum, Lisa, says: "We didn't want to accept palliative care and so we asked the doctors to try anything for our daughter, even if it hadn't been tried before."
The treatment consisted of 1ml of UCART19 cells delivered via intravenous line in around 10 minutes. After the cells had been delivered, the patient spent several months in isolation to protect her from infections while her immune system was extremely weak. Throughout this time, the patient stayed generally well.
After several weeks there were signs that the treatment was working. Professor Paul Veys, Director of bone marrow transplant at GOSH and the patient's lead clinician, says: "As this was the first time that the treatment had been used, we didn't know if or when it would work and so we were over the moon when it did. Her leukaemia was so aggressive that such a response is almost a miracle."
Once doctors were confident that the leukaemia cells had been removed, the patient was given a bone marrow transplant to replace her entire blood and immune system which had been wiped out by the treatment. The child is now recovering well at home, although she returns to GOSH regularly to check that her bone marrow cells are healthy and blood counts continuing to normalise.
Professor Qasim says: "We have only used this treatment on one very strong little girl, and we have to be cautious about claiming that this will be a suitable treatment option for all children. But, this is a landmark in the use of new gene engineering technology and the effects for this child have been staggering.
"If replicated, it could represent a huge step forward in treating leukaemia and other cancers."
Full clinical trials funded by Cellectis are now being planned to test UCART19 cells in larger groups of patients and are set to begin early in 2016.
"Cellectis main objective is to provide cancer patients with an accessible, cost-effective, off-the-shelf allogeneic CAR-T therapies across all geographies. With clinical trial for the first gene-edited UCART on the horizon, it could be the beginning of a
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Khalifa Industrial Zone Company Operational Management Research Paper
Introduction
In today’s business world, organizations carry out activities that are geared towards improving their competitiveness in the market. Goldstein, Ward, Keong, and Butler (63) are of the opinion that efficiency is a key element in improving the services of a business enterprise. Consequently, Goldstein et al. (63-75) point out that such efficiency is realized through the adoption of various business concepts. Examples of such concepts include operational management. In the current paper, the author examines this element of operational management within the context of a logistics company. It is the opinion of this author that the concept is an integral part of Khalifa Industrial Zone, Abu Dhabi (herein referred to as KIZAD). KIZAD is the entity selected for this analysis.
In the paper, an overview of the company’s mission is provided. In addition, an analysis of the various factors associated with the company’s operational strategy is provided. Such factors include the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. The opportunities and threats facing the company are also discussed with regards to their relevance to operational management. The said factors are in line with the sentiments of Slack and Lewis (65), who argue that an organization’s operational strategy should reflect the company’s mission and vision statements.
In addition to the issues outlined above, the author of this paper examines the application of four operational management decisions and how they are related to business processes at KIZAD. Recommendations to improve the quality of operations are also provided in accordance with the suggestions made by Donovan (1) and Buzacott (15). Finally, an analysis of the ‘structural effect’ element is provided. The analysis is made with regards to management and technological innovations.
Operational Strategy
Operational strategy falls within the greater spectrum of the principles associated with operational management. A discussion of this strategy enhances one’s knowledge on the subject matter and helps to outline its importance to a given company. In light of this, the arguments made in this paper are anchored on the definition of this term. Slack and Lewis (71) define the concept as an organization’s action plan highlighting exploitation of resources. The action plan involves the utilization of resources in the production of goods and services.
Khalifa Industrial Zone, Abu Dhabi
The Company’s Mission Statement
Information obtained from the Abu Dhabi Ports Company (para. 1) suggests that KIZAD is a business park that acts as a free trading zone within Abu Dhabi. The company brings together multinational companies in a bid to boost their economies. As a result of this, the organization’s mission is geared towards easing the process of doing business in the region. The mission is achieved through the uniqueness of the organization’s scale of operations, provision of advisory services, and the adoption of vertically integrated clusters. The entity’s operational strategy is, to this end, centered on efficiency.
Strengths of the Company
As aforementioned, KIZAD’s operational strategy revolves around efficiency. The use of vertically integrated clusters is one of the strengths of this company. It is one of the business concepts that have greatly improved the organization’s performance in the competitive export market. The integration of these clusters reflects a model where different firms come together to produce different components of a final product. The different firms operate from different locations (Ball, Geringer, Minor, and McNett 100; Slack and Lewis 173). The application of this production framework helps to enhance the efficiency of KIZAD’s operations.
It is noted that the adoption of vertically integrated clusters improves not only the company’s efficiency, but also its profit margins. In a study to determine the vertical clustering structure, Li and Mahbubani (309) found out that a company stands to increase its profit margins as a result of the pricing strategy advocated for by this framework. Figure 1 illustrates the benefits of adopting the concept against price premiums of products sold.
Figure 1: Impact of Vertical Integration Degrees on Price Premiums. Source: Li and Mahbubani (309)
The graphs above illustrate an increasing price premium of goods sold. The increase leads to a subsequent rise in the degree of vertical integration in a firm. According to Abu Dhabi Ports Company (par. 1), a similar growth in UKIZAD’s revenue is expected with the utilization of vertically integrated clusters.
Weaknesses of the Company
In a bid to attract investors, Haider (3) points out that KIZAD may affect the ownership structures of businesses established within the facility. All of the businesses may be fully owned by foreign investors. The focus on investors is one of the company’s weaknesses. Such a move is unfair to the local economy. It locks out the citizens from the benefits of a project initiated and supported by funds from their government. Consequently, the company’s efficiency strategy is watered down by the ethical concerns associated with ceding control to foreign investors.
Opportunities
The major opportunity associated with KIZAD is the creation of jobs. Haider (3) argues that approximately 60,000 jobs will be made available once the project is fully implemented. Such opportunities translate to good news for the locals. The local citizens will benefit from the skilled labor that comes with foreign investors.
Threats
One of the major threats facing this organization is possible opposition from the locals. Such opposition may stem from the perceived skewed allocation of opportunities by the organization to favor foreign investors. Schneider (145) suggests that encouraging complete privatization of a venture funded by the government may lead to civil unrest. The plan to allow investors to own the project was part of the government’s strategy to lure multinational companies into the region. However, the policy should not be adopted by fully disregarding the interests of the local community, who should own a portion of the project.
KIZAD: Decisions in Operation Management
Human Resource and Job Design
In the opinion of William (7), human resource is an important component of a contemporary business. To this end, an organization’s operational strategy has to reflect the nature of the human resource in the company. With regards to KIZAD, Abu Dhabi Ports Company (1) holds that efficiency informs the company’s operational strategy. The organization seeks to attract skilled labor to increase the quality of the goods and services produced.
The selection of a particular workforce determines the job design that an organization settles for. The design of labor force at KIZAD is informed by the company’s adoption of the vertical integration cluster concept. Job models at KIZAD are structured in such a way that the personnel gain maximum satisfaction. Figure 2 below illustrates this observation vividly.
Figure 2: A Modle of Job Design. Source: ICC Consult Center (3).
The figure above is an illustration of a conventional job design. The objective of such a design is to ensure that given tasks are accomplished effectively. A particular hierarchy and sequence is given to the task an individual is expected to accomplish. The purpose of developing a job design is to give an employee the opportunity to grade their performance at work. The employee ranks their performance using the various accountability parameters. As a result, work satisfaction is realized (William 13).
Forecasting
Abu Dhabi Ports Company (par. 1) suggests that KIZAD has an enormous economic potential. If successfully implemented, the project has a potential of contributing 15% to the GDP in Emirates within a decade. The company has launched a strategic plan aimed at making it a global leader in the production of metal related products. In light of this, one can argue that forecasting is a vital element of operational strategy in a company. Bateman and Snell (79) suggest that various factors inform forecasting in organizations. Such factors include, among others, production trends and distribution patterns. As such, KIZAD is expected to make forecasts about the company’s plans only when the factors mentioned above are in favor of its operations.
Location Strategy
The decision to launch the business park in its current location is seen as a business strategy to attract investors. Haider (4) points out that Abu Dhabi occupies a geographical location that makes it a strategic destination for multinational companies. The region is known for oil and gas production. For many years, Abu Dhabi has been associated with investors from different parts of the world. According to Hill and Gareth (44), an organization is expected to position itself in a region that is favorable to investors. Such expectations make Abu Dhabi attractive to international business operators.
Abu Dhabi Ports Company (par. 3) argues that the location of this city is suitable for a number of businesses targeting the international consumer. KIZAD has adopted a strategy that is aimed at encouraging foreign investment to allow the project to yield maximum returns. Abu Dhabi is presently populated by investors of all kinds. KIZAD has taken advantage of this unique population distribution by coming up with plans to entice international businesses. According to Hill and Gareth (107), an investor is more likely to start a business in a region they are familiar with, making Abu Dhabi a natural choice.
Design of Goods and Services
Reid and Sanders (67) are of the view that an organization must align its production strategy with the uniqueness of its mission statement. A review of KIZAD reveals that the company seeks to make the region a hub of international trade by establishing free trading zones. As a result, the company acknowledges the need to set standards to ensure that the goods and services produced are unique and in line with its mission and vision statements. The same explains why the company has settled for the vertical integration of clusters.
The formulation of a vertical integration of clusters is a strategy that KIZAD aims to employ to produce high quality goods and services (Abu Dhabi Ports Company 1). The strategy reflects the set objectives of the company. Reid and Sanders (88) suggest that companies should develop strategies aimed at ensuring that the nature of goods and services produced is unique to the organization.
Reducing Costs at KIZAD Due to Improved Quality of Operations
An organization that seeks to improve its performance must take into account the need to enhance the quality of its operations (Buzacott 15). As an organization, KIZAD has been in existence for less than five years. It is a fairly young company. Given this age, the company must ensure that it adopts an operational strategy that is better than those used by the competitors given the need to attract investors. Inventory is one of the areas where the company can make improvements to enhance performance.
According to Donovan (para. 3), companies that survive the harsh dynamics of the business world are those that can execute their mandate without too much inventory. In the case of KIZAD, the organization needs to excel in the manufacturing sector within which it is operating. To achieve this, the management should advise the investors to maintain a low inventory. Sustaining a high inventory puts a company at risk of running low on operating capital.
There are other ways through which KIZAD can improve the quality of its operations. One such strategy involves the reduction of unbudgeted expenses (Wright and Mechling 78). Many organizations face challenges in meeting their operational obligations owing to unnecessary expenses. The expenses lead to high operational capital for a business. An example of this is evident in the manner through which KIZAD intends to put up structures to add to the planned design (Abu Dhabi Ports Company 3). In coming up with such projects, the organization should consider lowering the operating costs.
One of the ways through which a business organization can thrive in the business industry is by ensuring unwanted costs do not affect its operations (Bechbuhl 68). As such, a company like KIZAD should seal all loopholes that attract unwanted expenses. The company is still young and should spend more resources on infrastructure and advertisement campaigns, rather than on increasing the number of buildings.
KIZAD: Structural Effects
Supply chain management is a business concept that can be exploited to enhance organizational performance. It involves multiple firms contributing towards the production and delivery of certain goods and services (Roger 310). In such instances, there is need for a structural layout to ease the flow of activities in each of the firms. Structural organization is another important element with regards to business innovations. In both cases (supply chain management and structural organization), the element of structure creates what is known as the structural effect. Figure 3 below highlights this concept clearly:
Figure 3: Structural Effect. Adopted from: Bidgoil (23)
Structural effect can be explained using the process chart above. For example, a company may intend to produce the blue coloration in the chart. It may be tedious to come up with the product in a single process. As a result, the production process is broken down into segments as shown above. All the processes are carried out simultaneously. Such synchronization of procedures increases the pace of production. The structural effect is an important tool that organizations can exploit to hasten their operations (Waters 22).
In relation to KIZAD, the structural effect is evident in the company’s vertical integration of clusters (Abu Dhabi Ports Company 1). Each of the clusters is viewed as a segment of a larger piece working independently (Bidgoil 89; Cool, Dierikx, and Jamison 507). The process of manufacturing a given product is split owing to the inability to bring the different firms under one roof. However, the benefits are realized once the process is complete.
Works Cited
Abu Dhabi Ports Company 2014, Mission & Brand Values. Web.
Ball, Donald, Michael Geringer, Michael Minor and Jean McNett. International Business: The Challenge of Global Competition . London: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print.
Bateman, Thomas, and S. Snell. Management: Leading and Collaborating in the Competitive World, London: McGraw Hill, 2010. Print.
Bechbuhl, Hendra. “Best Practices for Service Organization.” Business Strategy Review 15.1 (2004): 68-70. Print.
Bidgoil, Hossein. The Handbook of Technology Management: Supply Chain Management, Marketing and Advertising, and Global Management, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2006. Print.
Buzacott, Andre. “Service Systems Structure.” International Journal of Production Economics 68.1 (2000): 15-27. Print.
Cool, Karel, Ingemar Dierikx and David Jamison. “Business Strategy, Market Structure and Risk-Return Relationships: A Structural Approach.” Strategic Management Journal 10.6 (2006): 507-522.
Donovan, Michael. n.d. Reduce Inventories and Improve Business Performance. n.d. Web.
Goldstein, Susan, Peter Ward, Leong Keong and Timothy Butler. “The Effect of Location, Strategy, and Operations Technology on Hospital Performance.” Journal of Operations Management 20 (2002): 63–75. Print.
Haider, Hasib 2010, Abu Dhabi Unwraps World’s Largest Industrial Zone . Web.
Hill, Charles, and J. Gareth. Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach, Michigan: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.
ICC Consult Center 2009, Setting KRA and KPI. Web.
Li, Ding and Jalesh Mahbubani. “The Two-Stage Decision Model of Vertical Integration.” Management Decision 51.2 (2013): 306-320. Print.
Reid, Dan, and N. Sanders. Operations Management, New York: Wiley, 2009. Print.
Roger, Morriss. “Colonization, Conquest, and the Supply of Food and Transport: The Reorganization of Logistics Management, 1780–1795.” War in History 14.3 (2007): 310–324. Print.
Schneider, Benjamin. “Welcome to the World of Services Management.” Academy of Management Review 18.2 (2004): 144-150. Print.
Slack, Nigel, and M. Lewis. Operations Strategy, Harlow: Pearson Education, 2002. Print.
Waters, Donald. Logistics: An Introduction to Supply Chain Management, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print
William, Stevenson. Operations Management, London: McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.
Wright, Charles and Gregg Mechling. “The Importance of Operation Management Problems in Production Organizations.” Omega 30.2 (2002): 77-87.
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Fairy Tail 360 - Episode 36
The Magic of Friends
Watch Fairy Tail 360 - Episode 36 English Dubbed online for Free in HD/High Quality. Our players are mobile (HTML5) friendly, responsive with ChromeCast support. You can use your mobile device without any trouble.
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We've been working hard at the Art Center in Pasadena over the last year to build a space that's a bit more than a place to hang clothes or watch movies. It's a place where artists can hold each other accountable, where you're welcome to bring your dog to work with you, and where we can teach people to be artists at the same time. The space is called "Bike Studio," and you can check it out at 2431 W. Art Center Blvd.
I spoke with the founders: Eric Dominguez, Alex Ehrlich, and Andrew Vollkorn. Ehrlich is a conceptual artist who specializes in public artwork that's made of bikes. Vollkorn is an illustrator who worked on the art for the installation. A bike is the easiest of objects to reproduce digitally: They're already made from plastic. We're making an installation that can hold everything people are interested in without breaking them.
You can hear their thoughts about what it must be like to be a working artist right now, and how they made "Bike Studio" happen on this new podcast by clicking on the play buttons on the bottom of the video. (The podcast doesn't go live until tomorrow morning, so you're welcome to wait.
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Acute Anemia: Causes and Risks Essay
Table of Contents
1. Description
2. Screening
3. Diagnosis
4. Management
5. References
Description
Anemia is an ailment that can be characterized as a lack of healthy erythrocytes contained in blood that can transfer oxygen to skin, muscles, nerves, and other body parts. For the most part, people suffering from anemia feel exhausted and frail. There are several types of anemia which transpire only by reason of certain circumstances. Therefore, this ailment can range from short- to long-term and be either mild or severe (acute).
Also, anemia (especially acute) can be a sign of a grave illness. There are numerous medical procedures that can be connected to the treatment of anemia (for example, taking supplements). Eating healthy and following a certain dietary pattern can help in preventing some types of anemia (Wick, Pinggera, & Lehmann, 2013). Acute anemia is commonly accompanied by a hyperdynamic circulation. These signs also include tachycardia, a bouncing pulse, and cardiac ventricular hypertrophy. Anemia can also lead to a heart failure. In general, acute anemia is a sign of the lack of iron, but it can also transpire in those who have adequate hemoglobin levels as well.
Screening
The process of acute anemia screening is majorly dependent on the underlying cause of one’s anemia. Such things as dizziness, pale skin, fatigue, and chest pains can help the nurse to perform a successful screening procedure (McEvoy & Shander, 2013). The problem with this ailment consists in the fact that throughout its initial stages it is recurrently overlooked. In this case, the screening process is beneficial because it can help prevent a number of issues connected to acute anemia.
The people who suffer from severe anemia cannot perform their daily tasks normally because of fatigue. Pregnant women with acute anemia are exposed to the risk of premature birth and other critical complications. The lack of oxygen in the blood can be witnessed to be compensated by arrhythmia, and during the screening procedure, the nurse can observe an enlarged heart (Malowany & Butany, 2012). Acute anemia can lead even to death, so it is important to perform an in-depth screening in order to spot an inherited anemia right away.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis is mostly based on the medical and family history. In order to diagnose acute anemia, the doctor will have to run several important tests and perform a physical examination. One of these tests is CBC (complete blood count) as it is utilized to calculate the total number of blood cells in one’s blood (Hayden, Albert, Watkins, & Swenson, 2012). In the case of acute anemia, the doctor will be focusing on identifying the levels of red blood cells and hemoglobin. The normal values of red blood cells vary from 42 to 50 and 37 to 45 percent in men and women respectively. The normal values of hemoglobin are usually varying from 12 to 16 grams per deciliter. The blood can also be tested for the size and form of one’s red blood cells in order to identify any deviation from the norm.
Management
When managing acute anemia, the most important things to take care of are the blood circulation, airway, and breathing. It is also pivotal to observe the patient and identify any life-threatening warning signs immediately (Gombotz, 2012). One of the ways to manage acute anemia is the employment of crystalloid. This process can be completed only when the patient is hemodynamically stable, or a higher level of treatment is compulsory. Also, when managing the patient with acute anemia, it is important to take into consideration the risks that are inherent in this illness because unstable patients cannot be treated in the same way as their steady counterparts (Flynn, Choi, & Wooster, 2013). The doctor has to consult the patient on the core aspects of acute anemia and take into account the etiology of acute anemia.
References
Flynn, J., Choi, M., & Wooster, D. (2013). Oxford American handbook of clinical medicine . New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Gombotz, H. (2012). Patient blood management: A patient-orientated approach to blood replacement with the goal of reducing anemia, blood loss and the need for blood transfusion in elective surgery. Transfusion Medicine and Hemotherapy, 39 (2), 67-72. Web.
Hayden, S. J., Albert, T. J., Watkins, T. R., & Swenson, E. R. (2012). Anemia in critical illness. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 185 (10), 1049-1057. Web.
Malowany, J. I., & Butany, J. (2012). Pathology of sickle cell disease. Seminars in Diagnostic Pathology,29 (1), 49-55. Web.
McEvoy, M. T., & Shander, A. (2013). Anemia, bleeding, and blood transfusion in the intensive care unit: Causes, risks, costs, and new strategies. American Journal of Critical Care,22 (6), 1-13. Web.
Wick, M., Pinggera, G., & Lehmann, P. (2013). Iron metabolism, anemias. Diagnosis and therapy: Novel concepts in the anemias of renal and rheumatoid disease . New York, NY: Springer.
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Islamic Finance and Takaful Insurance Essay
Introduction
Finance can be defined as a branch of economics that deals with resource allocation, resource management acquisition and worthy investment. Financial management, in this case, is the study and practice of making financial decisions. About 25% of the world’s population is Islam. This percentage is fairly distributed across the globe with the Middle East and Afghanistan, registering the highest populations.
This essay shades light on Islamic finance. The essay will strive to introduce, discuss, analyze and draw conclusions on Islamic Finance. Its main aim is to provide a clear understanding of the growth of Islamic finance by exploring its current and future advancements. The essay explains the characteristics of Islamic economies, highlights and explains the fundamental differences between Islamic economies and other economies. The essay also describes how Islamic finance will enhance and maintain economic justice within the Muslim community and other religious outfits. The essay will conclusively define the role of Islamic finance in the Islam context.
It has been said that a pre-Islamic practice of Aqilah, blood money, is the basis of the distribution of loss instead of transfer of loss in modern Takaful practice. Can you explain how Aqilah is linked to modern Takaful?
Aqilah is considered as a form of blood wit. It implies that when one’s kinsman is killed, his tribe can be brought camels as a settlement of the blood wit. Aqilah is a group of people who have to pay blood in compliance with the Sharia law. Aqilah has its origin in an ancient Arab tradition which had the belief that when a member of their unit suffered harm of loss of life or property, it was the duty of the unit or the perpetrator to cover such loss through repayment.
Islam is bound by the same principle of Aqilah and diet, which imply social responsibility and blood money, respectively. This age old practice of compensation is considered the foundation for Takaful insurance system, which was defined along the line of Islamic beliefs and guided by the rules and the regulations of Islam or rather Sharia law. Takaful has the responsibility of encouraging people to take care of the needy while ensuring the financial stability of their kin and to further ensure that there are responsibility and bonding together in the society (Eek 1).
What are the key differences between Takaful and conventional insurance? List and discuss three of these differences
Takaful is the Islamic version of conventional insurance. Takaful is founded on the concept of mutual solidarity; its undertaking comprises of two main tier-structures that is: a hybrid of a mutual as well as a commercial form.
This form of structure presents a lot of challenges regarding supervisory and regulatory issues. Islam has no problem against any form of insurance, but it has some reservations regarding the practices of conventional insurance; this was evidenced by the fact that the principle of mitigation of risks was first applied in Islam insurance and it has now been adopted by the conventional insurance. The Islamic form of insurance or Takaful discourages the levying of interest and gambling. The main areas of divergence between the Islamic form of insurance and conventional insurance are:
Riba or Usury
This implies the earning of interest; Takaful system of insurance prohibits interest while conventional insurance permits it. In Islamic financing, levying of interest is forbidden in accordance with the Quran.
Uncertainty or Gharar
Gharar involves all activities which are executed basing on probability. Islamic financing does not encourage contracts based on ‘guesses’ or rather probabilities. Gharar is therefore forbidden by the Takaful system of insurance but rather forms the foundational basis for conventional insurance.
Gambling or Maisir
This is prohibited by Islam; hence by the Takaful, the conventional system of insurance permits gambling.
The differences between Takaful system of insurance and conventional insurance are evident in the following aspects:
Contract
According to Takaful, contract combines Tabarru, which is a donation and the agency. The contract also includes a profit-sharing contract between the individual insured and the pool of the insured as represented in the Takaful. On conventional insurance, a contract is a policy document that governs the terms of insurance between the insured or the policyholder and the insurance company. The operator can also provide the interest-free loan in the event of deficiency so as to cover it.
Responsibility of policyholders
With regards to the conventional insurance, the policyholder has the responsibility to pay premiums to the insurance provider or the company, but in the case of Takaful, participants only have the duty to contribute to the insurance scheme. In the situation of surplus, the participant benefits and in the event of a deficit, liability is transferred to the policyholder. Underwriting, in the case of Takaful, is managed by the operator under the Mudaraba contract.
Liability of the operator or the insurance company
In the conventional insurance system, the company is under liability to pay claims through underwriting fund and in some circumstances through the shareholder’s fund. On the Takaful system of insurance, the operator acts have an administrator of the scheme, and he pays the benefits through the underwriting fund (Islamic Financial Services Board 6).
Explain the family and general Takaful. List the different types of family and general Takaful products available in the market
A family Takaful plan is one of the savings and investment programs that have a fixed maturity period. In this plan, the participant enjoys investment profit while the plan also offers mutual financial assistance to its participants.
General Takaful, on the other hand, is a practice where the participant contributes large sums of money into a Takaful fund which can be in the form of Tabarru or participative contribution. In the case of general Takaful, the participant enters into a contract so as to mutually contribute towards the Takaful fund.
The family Takaful is a form of financial program that pools efforts in aiding the needy in the event of need or emergencies like death or mishap. While general Takaful is a contract based on the principle of joint guarantee, and it is on a short-term basis, in the event of a mishap, the owner of the property bears the loss. Contribution in general Takaful is in the form of donation and involves the sharing of profits. In the case of family Takaful, the participant decides on the amount of money he is willing to part based on his/her preferred mode of instalment, whether monthly or yearly.
The products that are available under family Takaful are investment-linked Takaful, child education Takaful, Medical and health Takaful, family Takaful mortgage plan and family Takaful. Consequently, the products that are available in the market relating to general Takaful are home Takaful, motor Takaful and personal accident Takaful.
Given the fact that uncertainty exists only as to how and when an individual will die; can you explain how Islamic law allows the operation of a family Takaful life insurance scheme?
In the case of Takaful life insurance scheme, the participant should nominate a person who, in the event of death or any eventuality, can execute over the benefits of the Takaful scheme. The benefits should be distributed according to the Islamic law of inheritance when the participant dies. The person nominated receives the benefits only as a trustee; in the case where the nominee is not a Muslim, he/she should be considered to be an automatic beneficiary.
Consequently, the participant can bestow the benefits to an individual as a donee, and in this case, the benefits from the scheme are given in advance as a gift in favour of the donee. In this circumstance, the donee becomes the outright beneficiary of the benefits. In the case of conventional life insurance, the beneficiaries are not subject to any claim unless in the circumstance where the participant commits suicide within two years into the contract (Ali 1).
Compare and contrast the three different models of managing Takaful plans: Wakalah, Mudharabah and the mixed Wakalah/Mudharabah model. Focus on the following points:
1. Fees
2. Level of profitability of Takaful operator
3. Suitability for family or general Takaful
4. Surplus
Takaful plan utilizes three different kinds of models: Wakalah model, Mudarabah model and a mixed model, also called Waqf, which combines the principles of both Wakalah and Mudarabah models.
Fees
In this case, the Takaful operator receives payments from the participants based on rules of equity partnership. The profits are shared equally among the parties as per the terms of the contract. In this case, the participants provide the capital while the operator is the entrepreneur. In the case of Wakalah, the shareholders are the ones who provide the capital which can be in the form of donations.
In this arrangement, they don’t receive any share from the income generated from the investment. It generates its income by charging a fee referred to as Wakalah fee. In Wakalah, the participant appoints an operator who will act as an agent at a fee which is referred to as a secured agent fee. It is the operator that fixes the fee which they deduct from partners contribution. This agency fee covers all areas of Takaful investments. In the case of Mudarabah, agency fees are not charged. The mixed model adopts both fee-based and profit-based principle (World Takaful Report 1).
Level of profitability of Takaful operator
Mudarabah model generates a lot of surplus and profit due to the fact that the contributions by the participants can be invested. This is unlike Wakalah, which does not generate a lot of income and only operates on a risk-sharing basis. The Takaful operator reaps a lot of profit in the Musharabah model when compared with other models.
Suitability for family or general Takaful
Mudarabah in the case of a family Takaful may not be appropriate. The funds from the general Takaful cannot be invested, and it is only the participants who can choose to invest their premiums in particular funds.
Surplus
In the case of Mudarabah, surpluses are obtained from the activities and the operations of the Takaful system. The surplus can only be shared after the Takaful operations have fulfilled the desires of the participants. Sharing of the surplus acts as an incentive to the participants and more so to the operator in order to execute the underwriting process in an effective manner and also to manage the claims properly.
There is no sharing of underwritings in the case Wakalah; there is the only negotiation of expenses by the operator on behalf of the participants (Financial Islam 1). In some circumstances, the parties share the surplus as an incentive fee for the operator where the operator gets upfront agency fees based on the underwriting surplus. In the mixed or the hybrid model, the surplus is shared based on the Mudarabah model, and at the same time, the operator receives secured income in the form of agency fees.
Briefly describe how an underwriting surplus is distributed under the AAOIFI standard
Distribution of surplus is considered to be a fundamental operation in Takaful business. It acts as an instrument of providing mutual guarantees at possible risks. There are three recognized ways of distributing surplus; these are the pro-rata model, selective mode and offsetting mode. The AAIOFI standard on Takaful operations indicates that the underwriting of surplus and its returns, less the expenses and the payment of claims are considered to be the property or the share of the policyholders or the participants, this is distributable surplus. This form of calculation is not applicable in the commercial insurance sector. Based on this assertion by the AAOIFI, the issue of claim over premium ownership is considered (Soualhi 3).
On the pro-rata, the underwriting surplus can be distributed based on the premiums paid by the participants without putting many efforts on the difference between the claimable and non-claimable assets accounts. Selective mode, on the other hand, only indemnifies non-claimable accounts. Off-setting mode offsets the underwriting out of the amount claimed, and it is only practical on those accounts with more claims than the underwriting surpluses.
Why might an insurance company need to get insurance from another insurance company?
The practise where insurance companies choose to be insured by another insurance company is referred to as reinsurance. This will permit the insurance companies to pass those risks that they may not wish to handle or absorb. Insurance companies choose to insure part or whole of their risks that they are exposed to with specialist reinsurers. In this arrangement, the insurer recovers part of the claims paid out from insurers.
This has the ability to reduce the risks of failure of the insurer in the event of calamities which produce a higher degree of claims. Companies dealing with reinsurance are very big, have access to massive funding and widespread operations. Their measures of risks, for example, risk margin, are always adjusted. Reinsurance arrangement is found in two forms: facultative and treaty reinsurance. In facultative reinsurance, each risk that the insurer underwrites is a product of separate arrangement. In the treaty, reinsurance is an arrangement for a block on insurer’s underwritten policies. A big portion of the insurers business is reinsured by the reinsurer (Money Terms 1).
Which of the following statements relating to Takaful are true, and which are false? Briefly explain your answer.
A Mudharaba contract is a contract of management between the Takaful participants and the Takaful operator
True: this statement is true in the sense that Mudharabah is one of the models of Takaful where the participant makes contribution to the operator. In this case the income from the investment is shared between the two parties based on the terms of the signed contract. The contract also entails how much should be contributed by the participant. The contract also entails the fact that the participant shall be entitled to the entire underwriting surplus and no deduction will be made
Tabarru3 is a donation contract given in favor of the Takaful operator
True: based on this principle of Takaful, the participant’s premium should be paid as a form of donation. This is aimed at eliminating the Gharar or uncertainty from the contract in order to make it conform to the principles of Islamic insurance system. During the donation contract, all participants requiring protection would be available so as to demonstrate their desire to donate to any other Takaful participant who may be faced with difficulties (Tlemsani 99).
The Takaful operator can manage the Takaful operations and investments on the basis of a Wakalah contract
True: in the case of Wakalah model of Takaful, the operator only acts as an agent of the participants and is only responsible for managing the Takaful fund. The contributions in Wakalah model are not motivated by the desire to make profit; it is only the pooling of risks. The operator only acts as a custodian of the fund. All surpluses belong to the contributor.
Actuarial principles help to decide the appropriate amount to be donated by the participant toward the Takaful fund
True: actuarial principles are applied in the calculation of the amount to be contributed by the participant to the Takaful scheme. This is evidenced by the fact that there is an actuary department in insurance companies that practice Islamic banking. The actuary has the duty to determine the amount to be contributed by the participant by analyzing mobility rates. It is the actuary who determines the Takaful plan, costing and the projector investment plan.
Donation or Tabarru3 is the basis for mutuality in Takaful
True: participants make their contributions to the Takaful fund in the form of donation. The participants are bound by a contract they sign as an agreement mutually assist each other in times of calamities; this calamities might arise in the form of death o physical injury or any misfortune that is covered by the terms of Takaful. Consequently, the premiums collected from the participants are treated as donations and are invested under the Takaful fund and it is regularly reimbursed (Islamic Law of Finance 1).
Modern Islamic insurance did not exist until 1980
False: Takaful is form of insurance company that is based on Islamic commercial law. Its development in the modern times was initiated in Sudan in 1979 and gained prominence after being practiced in Malaysia in 1984; this led to the declaration of the conventional insurance as illegal or for bidden or Haram in 1985.
Distribution of loss is similar to transfer of loss
False: the two terms are not similar. Islam does not allow the transfer of risks or loss to another party and instead advocates for the sharing of losses. It is only in conventional insurance where risks are transferred.
Can you think of an occasion where moral hazard could arise if the requirement of insurable interest did not exist?
Moral hazard implies that people will only take risks when they are provided with incentives. This might lead to the ignorance of the moral implications that might emanate from the risks. Moral hazard operates on the principle that once you are much insulated from risks, temptations emerge. Insurance interest is the restriction of valid insurance cover for those who demonstrate particular type of interest in property and the life that is to be insured. Insurance interest is only aimed at eliminating or preventing moral hazard.
Regarding to moral hazards, insurance cover is to be restricted so as to prevent it from becoming an incentive for unwanted behaviors like crime. This can happen for example in a scenario where a one individual can insure the life of a stranger and after sometime kills the stranger in order to obtain the payment (Law Commission and Scottish Law Commission 9).
Works Cited
Ali, Kazi. About Takaful (Islamic Insurance) . Prime Islamic Finance, n.d. Web.
Ayub, Muhammad. An Introduction to Takaful – An Alternative to Insurance . Islamic World, 2003. Web.
Eek, Tee. Takaful for all . Takaful, n.d. Web.
Financial Islam. Takaful Business Models . Financial Islam, 2011. Web.
Islamic Financial Services Board. Issues in regulation and the supervision of Takaful (Islamic insurance) . Insurance Financial Services Board, n.d. Web.
Islamic Law of Finance. SHARIAH ISSUES IN TAKAFUL . Islamic Law of Finance, 2010. Web.
Money Terms. Reinsurance . Money Matters, 2011. Web.
Soualhi, Asa. Shari’ah inspection in surplus distribution: Shari’ah views in current implementation . Scribd, 2008. Web.
Tlemsani, Issam. Islamic banking . Abu Dhabi, UAE: Higher colleges of technology, 2010. Print.
World Takaful Report. UAE Laws and Islamic Finance: Takaful Management Models. World Takaful Report, 2010. Web.
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This is a conversation between a young woman who may be an elf (halfling) and Your ex-girlfriend .
Your ex-girlfriend: (I am not)
young woman who may be an elf (halfling): (No I am not)
young woman who may be an elf (halfling): (No I am not)
young woman who may be an elf (halfling): (It is not a lie)
Your ex-girlfriend: (It is a lie)
Your ex-girlfriend: What is it then?
young woman who may be an elf (halfling): (I do not wish to give you any details)
Your ex-girlfriend: (I have nothing to hide. I am not an elf. I am a human)
Your ex-girlfriend: But I'm a very lonely elf so I would like to ask you about elves...
Your ex-girlfriend: Do anyone else in your family know what elves are?
young woman who may be an elf (halfling): My parents know that elves are not from humans
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): Yes they do.
Your ex-girlfriend: (Why the hell would they even know?)
young woman who may be an elf (halfling): (Because they are elves)
Your ex-girlfriend: (You mean because they are the ones that have the least amount of contact?)
young woman who may be an elf (halfling): (Yes.)
Your ex-girlfriend: (How is that possible? You're the best friend, you don't have a sibling, they only see you in a few things)
young woman who may be an elf (halfling): (To them a half elf is just a little sister)
Your ex-girlfriend: (I know, but you're my best friend, I would never hurt you)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (Your ex has some pretty messed up ideas...)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (I know he is angry that I refused to tell him. Don't you find that strange?)
Your ex-girlfriend: (I'm just upset that he seems to be having a mental breakdown)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (And he probably would. I'm sure he's been through things before. People do weird stuff to each other)
Your ex-girlfriend: (I know I have messed up in the past)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (I don't know about that)
Your ex-girlfriend: (I never mean for it to hurt you. Don't even worry. That's just a little thing. Everyone has something that they've had happen to them)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (It's not as though I have anything to be mad about. You were the only person I ever met who would really do anything to help)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (I do. I just wish that people would stop calling us elves)
Your ex-girlfriend: (Hey, maybe one day I will understand, but right now I don't feel like I can deal with people calling me a liar)
Your ex-girlfriend: (Don't let them call you names)
young woman who may be an elf (halfling): (That's a good one)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (Just go ahead and be who you are and go with the flow.)
Your ex-girlfriend: (I'm sorry to keep you from doing your normal fun activities. However I'm really not in the mood right now and I'm feeling really anxious)
Your ex-girlfriend: (That's weird because I've just been told that you are really upset)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (Is this a trick question?)
Your ex-girlfriend: (What does "trick question" mean?)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (If they aren't, that's their problem)
Your ex-girlfriend: (It's just a normal question for an elf...)
Your ex-girlfriend: (Also, I'm just a little confused at what is going on, so maybe I can explain myself)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (But it probably wouldn't bother an elf unless they felt like being called a liar, in which case it wouldn't matter)
Your ex-girlfriend: (Is that really the best you can do?)
Young Woman Who May Be An Elf (Half Elf): (I guess)
Your ex-girlfriend: (You're my favorite
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Intelligence and God Existence Essay
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Intelligent People
3. The Methodology
4. Personal Opinion
5. Conclusion
6. References
Introduction
The debate regarding the existence of God may have started since time began. The existence of God has been questioned based on two grounds, first there is so much suffering, injustice, and chaos in the world that it is hard to believe that there is a Supreme Being watching over all mankind.
Secondly, there seems to be no scientific proof that God does exist. It has become a mental and moral problem that requires a solution. It is not just a religious problem but it is also a human problem that has to be resolved for the sake of knowledge and for the sake of those who may have labored in vain serving a God that does not exist. This study will look into arguments made by men of superior intellect to determine if there is basis to the claim that God does exist.
Intelligent People
Intelligent people question the existence of God based on the study of evidence and the use of the power of observation to learn more about human nature and the natural world. A scientist can use the scientific method to discover God, and like a researcher in a laboratory experiment he can create a study to prove that there is no God.
Since there seems to be no physical evidence that a Supreme Being is in existence then it is easy for this scientist to declare that God is non-existent. A philosopher and social thinker on the other hand look at human history and declare the same thing. Karl Marx epitomized this view as he cannot reconcile the fact that a Sovereign Lord has no power to change the plight of the needy and the oppressed.
It is not surprising to discover that there are many intelligent men who believed in the existence of a Supreme Being. They also seek evidence and they also use their power of observation to understand human nature and human history. They offer a dissenting view as what was proposed by atheists like Marx and Freud.
According to a well-known Bavarian philosopher named Feuerbach, “religion is not an absurdity, nor pure illusion, as our conception of God reflects the being of man” (Schirmacher, 1997, p.1). Although Feuerbach’s statement is not an outright admission on the existence of God, his comment is a typical response for those who are not prepared to make absolute judgments regarding the existence of God.
Feuerbach knew how to stay in the middle, but the same thing cannot be said about Freud and Marx. Freud argued on the basis of religion and he believed that religion is an illusion created to serve a desperate need for protection and he wrote:
As we already know, the terrifying impression of helplessness in childhood aroused the need for protection – for protection through love – which was provided by the father; and the recognition that this helplessness lasts throughout life made it necessary to cling to the existence of a father, but this time a more powerful one (Plantinga, 2007, p. 50).
Freud looked into human nature and he discovered an insecure human being.
He formulated various theories regarding the cause and implications of this insecurity. Finally, he turned his attention to religion and concluded that it is the byproduct of deep-seated insecurities and fears. He provided a good argument against religion but it is not enough to contend that there is no God because religion is not equal to God.
At the same time his theory is full of holes because there are people who are secure and unafraid and yet they worship a Supreme Being. Take for instance an innocent child who is secure in the care of loving parents and yet this same child offers a prayer every night before he goes to sleep.
Karl Marx, another famous thinker who shook the world with his ideas about economics, provided a strong counter-argument against the existence of God and he wrote:
The basis of irreligious criticism is man makes religion, religion does not make man. In other words, religion is the self-consciousness and the self-feeling of the man who has either not yet found himself, or else having found himself, has lost himself once more. But man is no abstract being squatting outside the world. Man is the world of man, the state, society (Pantinga, 2000, p.60).
Freud said that believers are insecure and fearful. Marx on the other hand asserted that believers are weak-minded. However, hurling insults at those who profess belief in God is not enough. Marx knew that by declaring that God does not exist he has created a power vacuum and that someone must occupy that throne. Thus, Marx had to say that man is the highest being and that there is none that compares to man – he is society and he is the state.
The arguments of atheists, agnostics and critics of religion can be easily obliterated if these philosophers begin to accept the fact that man is not the most powerful being in the whole universe. If they allow a certain level of humility then they will realize that they have not proven and may not be able to prove the non-existence of God. It is one thing to say that religion has destroyed civilizations and that religious leaders and shamans had created a system to enslave mankind; but it is quite another to disprove the existence of God.
The ability to disprove the existence of God requires not only superior intellect but also the ability to think and move like God. A human being must be able to travel at the speed of light and cross the expanse of the universe to make a final judgment that he can prove the non-existence of a Supreme Being. Therefore humans must become God first before he can accurately declare that there is no God.
It can be argued that Anselm of Canterbury began his analysis from the perspective of humility and as a result he was able to figure out that the mere thought of God is enough proof that God exists. Anselm wrote the following:
The definition of God is indeed so true that it cannot be thought of as not being true. For it is quite possible to think of something whose non-existence cannot be thought of. This must be greater than something whose non-existence can be thought of (McGrath, 1999, p.90).
It is important to believe that the mind has limitations. Anselm has pointed out one major limitation of the mind and that is it cannot conceive beyond the truth. Even if the thought of man is defective, the ideas that spring forth from his thinking are based on something truthful.
For example, man cannot think of an island if there is no such thing as an island. He can exaggerate his conception of an island but the basic premise is present which is: a body of land surrounded by water. Since God is not like any other physical thing or being man’s thoughts about God are different and yet follows the same principle described by Anselm.
Anselm’s argument however can only stand if critics are willing to submit to the idea that man is not the most powerful being in the Universe. Pascal adheres to this thought and according to one commentary, “For Pascal, knowing God requires acknowledging God’s supremacy and confessing our own human powerlessness to embrace God through our own resources alone” (Peters, 2009, p. 184).
It is not only Anselm who believed in the existence of God. There are other like-minded people like him who through the use of their intellect had to agree that there is a Supreme Being. Plato a man who was ahead of his time and credited with revolutionary ideas could not help but declare that God is the reason for everything.
According to a biographer who carefully studied the life and works of Plato, this world-renown philosopher said that: “no human affair is worth serious consideration, but God alone is worth serious thought, God the measure of all things” (Mueller, 1936, p. 457). When Plato knew that the end of his life was near, he made the concession that without the knowledge of God the mind can only encounter chaos instead of clarity.
Aside from Plato, Anselm, and Pascal another famous thinker was unafraid to declare his belief regarding a Supreme Being. He is none other than Aquinas. Just like Pascal, Aquinas understood that the path to the knowledge of God can only be discovered through humility because he said that it can only be attained through faith and revelation.
Faith is a stumbling block for many atheists and agnostics because they believe that it is similar to asking a person to believe without reason. But in the case of Aquinas faith is not a blind obedience to a certain creed. He proved that he is not weak-minded as Karl Marx would label a believer. Faith is an acknowledgement that there is something out there that is beyond the capability of the human mind to comprehend and appreciate.
Aquinas asserted that God can be known by faith and by revelation (McInerny & O’Callaghan, 2009, p. 1). Faith is submission to a higher power and the self is not made the center of the universe. But humility can also be found in the acknowledgment that man can only realize the existence of God through revelation that comes from him. Therefore, Karl Marx does not know God not because he is weak-minded. Karl Marx does not know God because it was not revealed to him.
The Methodology
It is foolish to argue that intelligent people are atheists and agnostics while intellectually inferior people believe in the existence of God. The arguments of critics were examined earlier and it was found to be overly simplified as compared to the solutions provided by those who believe that there is indeed a Supreme Being that created the heavens and the Earth.
In other words there are many intelligent people who are passionate believers and willing to defend what they believe in. Anselm used the ontological approach which is the contention that God is a priori argument. It is an idea clarified by Anselm when he said “that being than which nothing greater can be conceived” (Warburton, 1999, p.19).
Aquinas on the other hand used the cosmological and teleological argument to prove the existence of God. Aquinas said that there are five ways to prove the existence of God. The first way is to argue that an object in motion cannot be in motion unless something or someone has moved it (Magee, 2007, p.1). Aquinas said that this phenomenon cannot go on forever because the object cannot be the mover and the object of the force at the same time. There must be someone who caused the object to move.
Aquinas also said that there is the concept of the efficient cause because an object cannot be the cause of its existence. In other words there is a source of all the physical things that can be perceived in the natural world. The third and fourth way is related to the first and second argument because it is Aquinas cosmological view of the universe. It pertains to the idea about the origin of all things and that God is the highest standard which objects must be compared with (Magee, 2007, p.1).
The fifth way however is understood from a teleological perspective. It can be appreciated if one looks at the perfect order of this planet and the Universe. It is clear that there is a Supreme Being that controlled these things. Aquinas clarified his argument even further when he said that “there are objects and things in this world that lack intelligence and yet they move with purpose” (Magee, 2007, p.1).
The critics must produce a similar type of argument that does not only rely on the criticism on the failure of religion and the boastful conclusion that believers are fools and does not have the mental capability to disprove the existence of God.
Personal Opinion
It requires a great degree of hubris to proclaim that he can prove the non-existence of God. This is the reason why it is hard to adhere to the belief system developed by Freud and Marx when it comes to the existence of God. They try to disprove the existence of the Supreme Being by exposing the failure of religion.
But what if God is more than religion? Although Freud and Marx focused their attack on the hypocrisy of religious leaders and the failure of religion to address the problems of humanity, the most significant hurdle that they may not be able to overcome is the overreliance on their mental capabilities.
The only way that a human being can declare with finality that there is no God is for him to investigate the outer realms of the Universe and using his senses examine from end-to-end that there is no sign of God. However, this may not even be enough because he also needed to be endowed with the attributes of God to know for a fact that there is nothing beyond the physical realm.
He has to be like God in the same way that Karl Marx has exalted the value of man and debased the position of God. Nevertheless, this is not enough and therefore it is wise be humble and acknowledge that the human mind has limitations and that without revelation there is no way to know God.
Conclusion
It is easier to believe in God rather than to believe that God does not exist. The declaration that there is no God is similar to the declaration that man knows everything. The declaration of unbelief is the same as the acknowledgement that mankind has figured out everything there is to know about this planet, the Universe and the realms beyond the physical.
Critics like Freud and Marx failed to provide a convincing argument because they simply equated religion with God. But even a person with an average intelligent quotient can tell them that religion is not synonymous to God. But those who are humble enough to acknowledge that they are not yet aware of everything there is to know, they were given the revelation about a Universe that could never have been possible without the existence of God.
References
McGrath, A. (1999). Science & religion: an introduction . MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
McInerny, R., & O’Callaghan, J. (2009). Saint Thomas Aquinas. Stanford Encyclopedi of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aquinas/
Mueller, G. (1936). Plato and the gods. Philpapers . Retrieved from https://philpapers.org/rec/MUEPAT
Peters, J. (2009). The logic of the heart: Augustine, Pascal, and the rationality of faith . MI: Baker Academic.
Plantinga, A. (2000). Warranted Christian belief. New York: Oxford University Press Schirmacher, W. (1997). German socialist philosophy: Ludwig Feuerbach, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels . New York: The Continuum Publishing Company.
Warburton, N. (1999). Philosophy the basics . New York: Routledge.
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