The Lottery By Shirley Jackson - 1391 Words

Marina Grishechkina Professor Abbott English 126 April 6, 2016 â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson â€Å"The Lottery† introduces the reader to a cruel ritual of the village where people gather together to participate in the annual elimination of a random villager. Superficially friendly mood in the town at the beginning of the story was replaced by hostile and violent human behavior at the end. Warm and sunny summer morning did not represent happiness; instead, it represented death. The entire population of the village blindly follows existing tradition regardless of it horrifying purpose. Compliance with violent rituals leads to indifference and hidden aggression, which in turn cause immorality and society degradation. In 1948, when â€Å"The Lottery† was published, Shirley Jackson received only negative reviews from the readers. Many people, including Jackson’s mother, disapproved the story due to it frighten nature. According to Jackson’s husband, Stanley Edgar Hyman, â€Å"people often expressed surprise at the difference between Shirley Jackson appearance and manner, and the violent and terrifying nature of her fiction† (Hyman). He believed that people misunderstood â€Å"The Lottery†, describing it as â€Å"chillingly horrifying†. In fact, creating variety of writing styles, she tried to attract different audience, meanwhile expressing herself and her view of the world. As stated by Coulthard, â€Å"Jackson wrote â€Å"TheShow MoreRelatedThe Lottery, By Shirley Jackson1195 Words   |  5 PagesOn the surface, Shirley Jackson’s short story, â€Å"The Lottery,† reads as a work of horror. There is a village that holds an annual lottery wh ere the winner is stoned to death so the village and its people could prosper. Some underlying themes include: the idea that faith and tradition are often followed blindly, and those who veer away from tradition are met with punishment, as well as the idea of a herd mentality and bystander apathy. What the author manages to do successfully is that she actuallyRead MoreThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson757 Words   |  4 Pagessucceed but many fail just like the main character Tessie Hutchinson in Shirley Jackson’s short story â€Å"The Lottery†. When someone hears the word â€Å"lottery†, he or she may think that someone will be rewarded with prize. But â€Å"The Lottery† By Shirley Jackson is different than what one thinks. In the story, a lottery is going to be conducted not like Mega Million or Powerball one play here. In the story, the person who wins the lottery is stoned to death instead of being rewarded with the prize. TessieRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson931 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1948 Shirley Jackson composed the controversial short story â€Å"The Lottery.† Generally speaking, a title such as â€Å"The Lottery† is usually affiliated with an optimistic outlook. However, Jackson’s approach is quite unorthodox and will surely leave readers contemplating the intent of her content. The story exposes a crude, senseless lottery system in which random villagers are murdered amongst their peers. Essentially, the lottery system counteracts as a form of population control, but negatives easilyRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson1504 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson In The Lottery Shirley Jackson fills her story with many literary elements to mask the evil. The story demonstrates how it is in human nature to blindly follow traditions. Even though some people have no idea why they follow these traditions. The title of the story plays a role in how Shirley Jackson used some literary elements to help mask the evils and develop the story. The title â€Å"The Lottery† serves as an allegory. When people think of the lottery majorityRead More`` The Lottery `` By Shirley Jackson894 Words   |  4 Pagesshort story â€Å"The Lottery†, author Shirley Jackson demonstrates Zimbardo’s concepts in three different areas: Authority figures, Tradition and Superstition, and Loyalty. The first concept Jackson portrays in â€Å"The Lottery† is the authority figures. Jackson indicates that the lottery is being held in the town center by one authority figure, Mr. Summers, annually on June 27th. Every June 27th, without fail, townspeople gather in the town square to participate in the annually lottery even though mostRead MoreThe Lottery, By Shirley Jackson1510 Words   |  7 PagesShirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† illustrates several aspects of the darker side of human nature. The townspeople in Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† unquestioningly adhere to a tradition which seems to have lost its relevance in their lives. The ritual that is the lottery shows how easily and willingly people will give up their free will and suspend their consciences to conform to tradition and people in authority. The same mindless complacency and obedience shown by the villagers in Jackson’s story are seenRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson8 11 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† was published by Shirley Jackson. The story was true expression of Jackson’s genuine thoughts about human beings and their heinous competence in an annual village event for corn harvest . First, her used to word symbolized main point of the story. Second, Jackson was inspired by few historical events happened in the past and a life incident in her life. Lastly, She was able to accomplish the connection between historical and biographical with the story. Therefore, Shirley Jackson’sRead MoreThe Lottery By Shirley Jackson934 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson signifies the physical connection between the villagers and their unwillingness to give up their tradition. â€Å"The Lottery† is very unpredictable and quite misleading. The black box has no functionality, except every June 27th. Shirley Jackson depicts the black box as an important and traditional tool. Although the villagers in â€Å"The Lottery† are terrified of the goal of the lottery and the black box, they are unwilling to let go of the tradition. Shirley Jackson portraysRead MoreThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson799 Words   |  4 Pagesthe mood and to foreshadow of things to come. The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a story in which the setting sets up the reader to think of positive outcomes. However, this description of the setting foreshadows exactly the opposite of what is to come. In addition, the theme that we learn of at the end leads us to think of where the sanity of some human beings lies. The story begins with the establishment of the setting. To begin, Shirley Jackson tells the reader what time of day and what time ofRead MoreThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson1764 Words   |  7 Pagesfilled with excitement and eeriness, leaving the reader speechless. The Lottery , a short story written by famous writer Shirley Jackson, created an uproar on June 26, 1948, when it was published in the magazine The New Yorker (Ball). The gothic thriller, set in an unknown time and place, shares the tradition of a small town, a little larger than three hundred people, in which a drawing is held once a year. In this â€Å"Lottery,† each family’s husband draws a slip of paper from a black box. The husband

Different Solutions to Poverty in Urban Areas - 1357 Words

Different solutions to poverty in urban areas 1. Introduction: Poverty can be defined in two ways, which are absolute poverty and relative poverty. In terms of absolute poverty, Murray (2004:2) suggests that the lack of an adequate income and cannot gain access to basic necessities to provide for basic human needs-food, clothing, warmth and shelter- are a clear indication of poverty. In a relative way, there was an assumption that a certain standard of living was normal, and that those living below this, while they might not be starving or homeless, were certainly poor, which are called relative poverty (Murray, 2004). Nowadays people are in the more industrialised and technologically advanced societies. However the global poverty is†¦show more content†¦2.3 improve the standard of housing â€Å"Lack of access to secure and safe housing is a central feature of urban poverty† (Masika, 1997). In Africa, Asia and Latin America there are at least 600 million urban dwellers live in housing that is so overcrowded and of such poor quality, that their lives and their health is continually at risk (UNCHS). Urban areas are about 60 per cent of the total urban development occupied by squatter developments in large Latin American cities and today cities find it almost impossible that the urban poor is satisfied by the enough providing of urban services (Giusti and Perez, 2008). Therefore, it is necessary to solving urban poverty through improving standard of housing. For example, in last decades, it is a great challenge for government to plan and deal with the living problems deeply and widely. In the last 2 decades, it was planed by urban planners in Venezuela suggest that squatter settlements would set up a special and formal improvements, such as the infrastructure and the roads build. City is probably regarded as a whole by legislation for national, regional, and local plans. It is possibly to develop the barrio areas as same rules and ideas as other urban areas were applied, included to develop barrio areas probably should be designed specially. It seems that in this special program, the order of the existed areas should be damaged to create a completely new one (Giusti and Perez,Show MoreRelatedInsular Poverty Essay1448 Words   |  6 Pages102 Insular Poverty 11/3/2012 Nobody wants to be considered to be below the poverty line. Unfortunately, for fourteen percent of the people in this country, that is their reality. Fourteen percent of the people currently living in the United States’ basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. Poverty is experienced at different levels in different parts of the country. The causes and effects of insular poverty are experienced differently in rural and urban areas in the UnitedRead MorePoverty in Latin America1502 Words   |  6 Pages Poverty, or the inability to afford basic human needs, is an issue that is spread worldwide. There are people everywhere who cannot afford shelter, food, healthcare, or education. It seems easy enough to ignore the bum asking for change on the street, but it becomes near impossible in regions where whole families are begging on the street. This rings true in Latin America and it is extremely frustrating to see social inequality this extreme. This essay will examine how much poverty exists inRead MoreWhat Are the Problems of Continued Urbanisation? Discuss in Relation to One Area of the World and Evaluate the Possible Solution.1539 Words   |  7 PagesWhat are the problems of continued urbanisation? Discuss in relation to one area of the world and evaluate the possible solution. 1528words Urbanisation is a global problem with various impacts in different fields. â€Å"Urbanisation is the transformation of society from rural life to life in towns and cities† McDonald and McMillen (2010, p.8). The United Nations published, that in 1950 there was 2.54 billion of the population which equivalent to 29.1% of the world population was living in citiesRead MoreFinding Solutions to Indias Poor Essay1438 Words   |  6 Pagescity that allows them possibilities of getting employment and better living conditions, this has motivated the urban populations growth to increase at a rapid rate. However, spatial location of poor people has simply shifted, with worse living condition. Informal settlement upgrading and development by its nature requires a strong emphasis and focus on the resident communities. The Urban design approach would therefore have to respond to the nature, form and dynamics of the existing settlements asRead MoreIs America A Post Racial Society?1431 Words   |  6 Pages In the 21st Century, as a society we have to knows how different social factors can be a problem of inequality. There can be a focus on race and culture when it come to the challenges of African Americans because each aspect plays apart in the construction of reality. Race can not be exclusive because there are other factors to take in account when it pertains to the problems of inequality in America. The other factors are the different social agencies that are subcategories of race and cultureRead MoreAn Article on Rapid Urbanization1745 Words   |  7 Pagesat Harvard Universitys School of Public Health (Weeks 185). Many people realize that moving to the city does not in fact solve financial issues and so they end up packing into a house or a shack in the slums with others, in other words, living in poverty. The article mentions that when nations attract foreign investment they in turn create more jobs, factory jobs, that bring people to city who leave the farming and agriculture behind them. This started happening in the nineteenth century, and theRead MoreEffects Of Urbanization On Food Supply And Human Security885 Words   |  4 Pagesof rapid urbanization on climate change, phenomena whose spiral effect extends to the future impact of global warming, health, food security and environmental change. As climatic and environmental effects of urbanization are most visible in major urban cities, the author also considers the implications of urbanization on food supply and human security. This article briefly explains the history of urbanization and its transition over the past decades. before critically analyzing four mainstream theoriesRead MoreDeveloping Countries Facing Wide Range Of Low Health Care1565 Words   |  7 Pagesthe lack of attention health care that is provided in most developing countries. Besides the problem of health care, the articles also provide possible solutions. This essay aims to reveal the solutions of health care that is presented by each article. To make substantial improvements in the quality of health care, some of the possible solutions are to focus on large-scale system-wide changes, to focus on designed programs to reduce the overall average burden of disease, and to focus on bringingRead MoreEssay on Solving Homelessness1416 Words   |  6 Pageshomeless, for the most part it is poverty. There are also different concentrations of homeless in different types of environments, such as urban or suburban areas. Last, there is the eve r-growing homeless population, and how much money it costs us for others to live in poverty. A way we can help find the solution to this problem, is to know the facts about this lingering subject. People become homeless not because of lack of effort for success, but because of poverty, drug addictions, mental illnessRead MoreHome From Nowhere By James Kunstler1361 Words   |  6 PagesJames Kunstler in his book Home from Nowhere, slams American urban design and goes into detail about its horrifying attributes. He calls the United States a theme park nation that needs superficial stimulation to hide unhappiness. These conditions exist, in part, due to our association of the city with the dirty industrial revolution rather than the more natural green environment that people prefer. He calls the public realm the connective tissue of our everyday world. It is parks, streets, squares

Dick Smith Group Collapse a Case Study in Electronics Retailing

Question: Discuss about theDick Smith Group Collapse Case. Answer: Reasons that Resulted in Collapse of Dick Smith Group Collapse of the Dick Smith Group has raised several questions on the area of accounting profession. Ample accounting reasons are held responsible for the failure of the group. He consequences of accounting treatment of rebates is an aspect of the collapse story of Dick Smith Group and for this reason will be undoubtedly be a centre of attention of additional questioning. Treating rebates inefficiently was considered a reason for its collapse (Zeff 2016). The accounting team of Dick Smith Group has been treating rebates in a way that has ultimately resulted in inflated earnings. Overstatement of the performance contributes to another reason. Such issues concerning the accounting standards interpretation took place within the entity and were deemed violation of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Moreover, International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR) has revealed an audit quality issue to be the result of the companys collapse. IFIAR was not yet satisfied about the fact that the company failed to address and understand the drawbacks in the quality of audit. Several other reasons those resulted in the collapse of the company includes ample strategic management blunders that encompass excessive purchasing of the inventories to fierce expansion, wrong selection of product and depending on excessive debt by the group (Dorminey et al. 2012). Moreover, Dick Smith Group was also alleged by the bank regarding breech of its borrowing agreements. Directors and officers of the Group encouraged or failed in controlling the practice of taking buying decisions concerning increasing rebates in inclination to a vital criteria like consumer demand and the capability to sell offerings within desired time to gain profit. Management Actions that Contributed To the Demise of the Group Earnings management serves as a strategy employed by the management of Dick Smith Group in deliberately manipulating its earnings to ensure that the earnings figure is aligned with its pre-determined target (Fang et al. 2015). Such practice is conducted for the income smoothing purpose. The management actions that contributed to the demise of the Dick Smith are: Inventory Management in Dick Smith Group- Dick Smith Groups inventory issues started to turn out to be apparent in the second half of 2015 and the end of the November, the company indicated that it would write down its inventories value by 20%. The company brought its inventory for estimating a particular sales level. However, it was observed that it did not attain the sales level and accordingly it declared clearance sale by decreasing prices of its old stock by 70% (Degeorge et al. 2013). The management of the company discovered alternative funding but they also gathered a view that success in attaining alternative funding that further was not observed to be in a timely manner for supporting the companys short term funding needs and facilitate it to order needed inventory over next few weeks. Due to such faulty management decision, Dick Smith struggled a lot in clearing out excess old inventory but it also faced considerable issues in attaining enough finance to acquire new stocks. Private Equity Floats are not considered the Way it seems- The function of a private equity group Anchorage Capital within the history of Dick Smith contributed to the collapse of the company. Anchorage purchases business of the Group and floated it within the Australian Securities Exchange that increased the companys cash flow and profitability. The management of the company implemented turnaround programs within a space of nine months focused on enhancing the companys cash flow (Weiss 2014). This resulted the company to claim that its initial public offering was observed to be drastically overvalued. Such valuations turned out to be clearly ridiculous which further contributed to the collapse of Dick Smith Group. Consumer Service Matters within the Competitive Market- The management of Dick Smith Company failed to offer efficient online services to its consumers. The group was alleged of not delivering online order even after several weeks and the service representatives did not address their complaints. Failure of the basics and fundamentals of the companys management functions has contributed to the demise of the company. Additionally, Dick Smith has experienced considerable enquiries from the market because of its decreasing share value (Carnegie and O'Connell 2012). Moreover, cash receipts were observed to be insufficient in addressing commitments. Excess dependence on rebate-driven inventory purchasing contributed as a major factor that resulted in mismanagement of the companys inventory and its collapse. In such case, increased discounts were required for selling the rebated stock that destroyed margin uplift that the rebate intended to attain. Stakeholders are the persons who have interest in the operations of a business and they are affected by the actions of the business. A company has several stakeholders. There are two kinds of stakeholders in a business. They are Internal Stakeholders and External Stakeholders. The same theory is applicable in the case of the retain company Dick Smith. In the company, there are several stakeholders who may have been affected by the business failure of the company. They are employees, creditors, debtors, shareholders, government and others. There are two groups of stakeholders those may have resulted in the fall of the companys profits. They are the employees of the company and the shareholders of the company. The details are given below: Employees are the heart of any company as the whole operation of the company depends on them. Employees are involved in the process of production to delivery of the product to the end customers. Thus, any company is wholly dependent on the employees. On the other hand, the company is the source of income of the employees. The get salary from the company in exchange of the service they provide to the business. Due to the fall of Dick Smith, employees may have affected the most as they will lose their job (Chang 2015). Another group of stakeholders who have been affected the most by the collapse is the shareholders of the company. They are also called the owners of the company. A lot of shareholders have invested their money in Dick Smith Company by looking at the healthy financial statement of the company. The collapse of the company has affected the share price of the company. As a result, it is bound to affect the shareholders wealth. As the failure of the company is a major one, the investors have lost the whole amount of money they have invested in the companys stock. On the other hand, there is no chance of recovering the money in the near future. Thus, this is a total loss of money for the investors or the shareholders of the company (Manigart and Wright 2013). There are enough reasons contribute to the cause of reaction to the accounting standard. As per the CPA Chief Executive Alex Malley, there are some codes of ethics which continuously monitor the accounting profession. This ethics suggest that the accountants should work according to the public interest. In the case of Dick Smith collapse, the two main reasons are mistreatment of rebates and the fault in auditing. On the other hand, the accountants of the company have not treated the revenue and the inventory of the company according to the accounting principles. This total process has been contributed to the wrong decision making of the company. In case of the auditors, they have not audited the financial statement of the company on the basis of public interest. Thus, the financial statement of the company did not reflect the real picture of the company. Hence, the accounting profession has failed to provide value and expertise in the business of Dick Smith (Addis 2016). Every profession has some major principles which help to provide better quality from the profession. The same is applicable for the accounting profession. There are some principles and conceptual frameworks in the accounting system. In case of Dick Smith, the professional accountants should consider the calculation of rebates to repair the damage. The miscalculation of the rebates from the suppliers has caused the accounting wrong for the company. Hence, the rebate should be calculated in the proper manner. On the other hand, the auditor should audit the financial report of the company correctly (Craig, Smieliauskas and Amernic 2014). Two suggestions are provided in the context of the collapse of Dick Smith Company. They are: All accountings of a company should be according to the accounting principles. There are various accounting principles available. The accounting calculations should follow those accounting rules and regulations. The accounting principles say that there is a code of ethics as well code of principles which must be followed while accounting. All material facts of the company should be correctly considered at the time of the preparation of financial report (Zadek, Evans and Pruzan 2013). Another suggestion is that the auditors should audit the reports neutrally. An auditor is a representative of the public. Thus, he should take this fact in mind while auditing. On the other hand, an auditor cannot make any ill agreement to the board of directors of the company. This is against the ethics of the audit (Smith 2014). Reference List Addis, J., 2016. Retail sector wrap: One opportunity and plenty of worry.Equity,30(3), p.6. Carnegie, G.D. and O'Connell, B.T., 2012. Understanding the responses of professional accounting bodies to crises: The case of the Australian profession in the 1960s.Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal,25(5), pp.835-875. Chang, P.L., 2015. The Abandoned Stakeholders: Pharmaceutical Companies and Research Participants.Journal of Business Ethics, pp.1-11. Craig, R., Smieliauskas, W. and Amernic, J., 2014. Assessing Conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Using Expert Accounting Witness Evidence and the Conceptual Framework.Australian Accounting Review,24(3), pp.200-206. Degeorge, F., Ding, Y., Jeanjean, T. and Stolowy, H., 2013. Analyst coverage, earnings management and financial development: An international study.Journal of Accounting and Public Policy,32(1), pp.1-25. Dorminey, J., Fleming, A.S., Kranacher, M.J. and Riley Jr, R.A., 2012. The evolution of fraud theory.Issues in Accounting Education,27(2), pp.555-579. Fang, V.W., Huang, A.H. and Karpoff, J.M., 2015. Short selling and earnings management: A controlled experiment.The Journal of Finance. Manigart, S. and Wright, M., 2013. Reassessing the relationships between private equity investors and their portfolio companies.Small Business Economics,40(3), pp.479-492. Smith, M., 2014.Research methods in accounting. Sage. Weiss, J.W., 2014.Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Zadek, S., Evans, R. and Pruzan, P., 2013.Building corporate accountability: Emerging practice in social and ethical accounting and auditing. Routledge. Zeff, S.A., 2016.Forging accounting principles in five countries: A history and an analysis of trends. Routledge.

The Battle for Dien Bien Phu free essay sample

An examination of the battle and its significance to American politics and military tactics The author of this paper discusses the significance of the battle at Dien Bien Phu as the place where the first Vietnamese revolutionaries found their power and became a force to be reckoned with and argues that had the United States learned from this battle and adopted the successful tactics in this terrain and situation, it might have had a better chance of winning its own conflict in Vietnam. The end of World War II brought vast political changes throughout Asia. In previously colonial areas, nationalists used the opportunity present in the Japanese surrender and the temporary weakness of European powers to demand self-determination. The August Revolution brought the Vietminh to power in Vietnam, and the clash between French and Vietminh was inevitable, as neither side was willing to concede sovereignty to the other. A few months after the close of World War II, France sought to re-establish its discredited and unpopular colonial rule in Indochina. We will write a custom essay sample on The Battle for Dien Bien Phu or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Encouraged by words of support from President Truman, the French committed almost a million military men to their effort.

Jake Drake Bully Buster Chapter Book About Bullying

Jake Drake Bully Buster Chapter Book About Bullying Jake Drake Bully Buster: Summary In Jake Drake Bully Buster, author Andrew Clements focuses on a problem too many kids have to cope with: bullies and bullying. What do you do if youre a bully-magnet? Thats Jakes problem in the chapter book Jake Drake Bully Buster. Fourth grader Jake Drake tells the story of how he went from being a bully-magnet starting in preschool to becoming a bully buster in second grade. Jakes experiences not only make an entertaining story for 7-10 year olds, they also provide a lot of food for thought. Why Jake Was a Bully-Magnet Jake begins his story with tales of all of the bullies who bullied him before second grade, starting when he was a 3-year-old and continuing through preschool, kindergarten and first grade. Jake figures he has these bully-magnet characteristics: Hes small but not so small that he doesnt represent a challenge, he doesn’t have an older brother or sister to defend him, he’s not the type to complain, and he looks â€Å"brainy.† Interestingly, these dont change as Jake goes from being a bully-magnet to a bully buster. Instead, Jakes experiences in second grade change him. Jake and the Grade A, SuperBully Jakes says he didn’t become a bully buster until second grade and then, only after â€Å"being picked on by a Certified, Grade A Super Bully.† Second grade starts out wonderfully. Jake likes his teacher, Mrs. Brattle. There are no bullies in his class, although he still has to watch out for bullies on the playground and in the lunchroom. However, when a new student, Link Baxter, whom Jakes quickly learns is â€Å"a Certified, Grade A Super Bully,† joins the class. Link continually picks on Jake at school and on the school bus. The first time it happens, Jake is so upset that when he gets home he bullies his little sister until his mother stops him, saying, â€Å"What’s gotten into you!?† Jake realizes that â€Å"It was Link. Link had gotten into me! I was being like Link. I had caught BULLYITIS!† When he apologizes to his little sister, she tell him that Link’s sister is in her class, and she is a bully like her brother. Jakes Attempts to End the Bullying Jake decides to try acting like Link’s bullying doesn’t bother him. When Link makes fun of him on the bus, Jake acts like it’s a joke. All day, Jake tries to act cook when Link bothers him, but this only makes Link bully him more. Finally, Link splashes water on Jake so it looks like Jake wet him pants and proceeds to mock him, â€Å"Wook, wook! Wittle Jakey had an accident!† Jake get very mad and can tell Link is pleased about that. Jake is so mad that he hits Link, who acts like he has a terrible injury. Link gets sent to the nurse’s office for ice and sympathy and Jake was sent to the principal’s office. Afterwards, when he and Link meet in the hallway, Jake asks Link why he bullies him and Link doesn’t have an answer. Jake decides, â€Å"†¦if I could figure out that reason – or if I could give him a reason NOT to be a bully – then Link Baxter, SuperBully, would become Link Baxter, Ex-SuperBully.† From Bad to Worse Leads to New Insights Things go from bad to worse when Jake’s teacher decides that everyone in the class has to work in pairs on a Thanksgiving project, and she assigns Jake and Link to work together. Their assignment is to do a project about how Native Americans lived. Jake is appalled, but Link thinks it’s funny and tells Jake that he’s going to have to do all the work. Jake prepares the report but keeps hoping Link will help so they have something to show the class. When the day before the project is due Link tells Jake to do that also, Jake is so mad that he refuses. Link tells him to come over to his house after school so they can make something. At Link’s house, Jake learns two surprising things about Link: Link is skilled at creating models and dioramas and his older sister bullies him. He also learns that when Link is involved in model making, it’s like he’s one of the kids instead of a SuperBully. In fact, according to Jake, â€Å"When he forgot I was there, he had a different face from his bully face, Not mean. Almost nice.† The visit to Link’s house gives Jake a lot to think about, but he’s still not sure how to make Link stop bullying him. Everything Changes With Jakes Good Choices Everything changes again when it is time for Jake and Link to give their project report. Jake finds out that Link has stage fright about doing the presentation. Rather than pay Link back for all Link has done to Jake by humiliating Link in front of his classmates, Jake covers for him. He tells Link he will give the report and Link can point out things in the diorama he made. Their project is a big success, but the best outcome is that Link no longer bullies Jake and Jake realizes that by getting to know the real person â€Å"behind those mean eyes and that bully-face,† he can be a bully buster rather than a bully-magnet. Throughout the book, Jake reacts to the bullying in different ways, not all of them appropriate. He quickly learns that bullying others, being mean, and hitting the bully are all not the responses he wants to, or should, make. As time passes and he learns more and more about the bully, Jake begins to make better decisions: standing up to Link and refusing to finish the project by himself, covering for Link when it’s time for their presentation and acknowledging Link’s model-building skills in front of the class. Its the fact that Jake is essentially a good kid who is willing to take the time and thought to look beyond the bully-face to the person within that enables him to become a bully buster. Jake Drake Bully Buster: Guide Recommendation I recommend Jake Drake Bully Buster for independent readers in grades 2-4. It is also an excellent classroom or family read aloud. At under 90 pages, it is a quick and enjoyable read, but it also has some substance and can easily and effectively be used as a bullying discussion prompt. The Jake Drake series includes a total of four books about the fourth graders experiences st school, and I recommend them all. (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Simon Schuster, 2007 reprint edition. ISBN: 9781416939337) Additional Resources About Bullies and Bullying From About.com Dr. Vincent Iannelli, the About.com Pediatrics Expert, provides statistics about bullying and some of the signs of bullying parents should look for in his article Bullying and Bullies. For information about cyberbullying, see A Parents Guide to Cyberbullying. For picture books about bullies and bullying, see my reviews of Each Kindness, Oliver Button Is a Sissy and The Bully Blockers Club. For a list of books about bullying for older kids, see Bullies and Bullying in Books for Kids to Teens.

Ladybugs, Family Coccinellidae

Ladybugs, Family Coccinellidae Ladybugs, or ladybirds as they are also called, are neither bugs nor birds. Entomologists prefer the name lady beetle, which accurately places these lovable insects in the order Coleoptera. Whatever you call them, these well-known insects belong to the family Coccinellidae. All About Ladybugs Ladybugs share a characteristic shape- a dome-shaped back and a flat underside. Ladybug elytra display bold colors and markings, usually red, orange, or yellow with black spots. People often believe the number of spots on a ladybug tells its age, but this is not true. The markings may indicate a species of Coccinellid, although even individuals within a species can vary greatly. Ladybugs walk on short legs, which tuck away under the body. Their short antennae form a slight club at the end. The ladybugs head is almost hidden beneath a large pronotum. Ladybug mouthparts are modified for chewing. Coccinellids became known as ladybirds during the Middle Ages. The term lady references the Virgin Mary, who was often depicted in a red cloak. The 7-spot ladybird (Coccinella 7-punctata) is said to represent the Virgins seven joys and seven sorrows. Classification of Lady Beetles Kingdom - AnimaliaPhylum - ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – ColeopteraFamily - Coccinellidae The Ladybug Diet Most ladybugs are predators with ravenous appetites for aphids and other soft-bodied insects. Adult ladybugs will eat several hundred aphids before mating and laying eggs on the infested plants. Ladybug larvae feed on aphids as well. Some ladybug species prefer other pests, like mites, white flies, or scale insects. A few even feed on fungus or mildew. One small subfamily of ladybugs (Epilachninae) includes leaf-eating beetles like the Mexican bean beetle. A small number of beetles in this group are pests, but by far the majority of ladybugs are beneficial predators of pest insects. The Ladybug Life Cycle Ladybugs undergo complete metamorphosis in four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Depending on the species, female ladybugs may lay up to 1,000 eggs within a few months from spring to early summer. Eggs hatch within four days. Ladybug larvae resemble tiny alligators, with elongated bodies and bumpy skin. Most species go through four larval instars. The larva attaches itself to a leaf, and pupates. Ladybug pupae are usually orange. Within 3 to 12 days, the adult emerges, ready to mate and feed. Most ladybugs overwinter as adults. They form aggregates, or clusters, and take shelter in leaf litter, under bark, or other protected places. Some species, like the Asian multicolored lady beetle, prefer to spend the winter hidden in the walls of buildings. Special Adaptations and Defenses of Ladybugs When threatened, ladybugs reflex bleed, releasing hemolymph form their leg joints. The yellow hemolymph is both toxic and foul-smelling, and effectively deters predators. The ladybugs bright colors, red and black in particular, may signal its toxicity to predators as well. Some evidence suggests that ladybugs lay infertile eggs along with fertile ones, in order to provide a food source for hatching larvae. When the natural food supply is limited, the ladybug lays a higher percentage of infertile eggs. Range and Distribution of Ladybugs The cosmopolitan ladybug can be found throughout the world. Over 450 species of ladybugs live in North America, though not all are native to the continent. Worldwide, scientists have described over 5,000 Coccinellid species.

Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal and Ethical Issues in Health Care - Article Example A doctor is supposed to work towards the safety of a patient which is lacking in this short film. The dignity and respect of the patient is violated and her value of life is taken with less importance. We can see the autonomy of medical experts and physicians in this film. They have right and privilege to treat their patients with their own mind frame. The patients have fewer choices and remain a victim at their hands. There is no justice with the action of doctors as they are acting for their gain. The patient is a sufferer and an observer with no one to speak or act for her. Here we can see the discrepancies, injustice and malpractices in the health care all over the world. Patients many a times become an experimental object, money making machine for the doctors. The powerlessness of the patient can be clearly seen in this film. The doctors are supposed to display altruism, ethics and morality in their profession. We cannot see any of these aspects in the doctors who were treating the women called Vivian. The doctors were selfish, opportunist and immoral. Even while the woman was suffering from side effects, they did not do much to relieve her from pain and discomfort. The woman is treated with less care and attention. Eventually she dies because of the carelessness and unprofessionalism of the doctors. The patients are not treated with confidentiality and her life is just a matter of experiment for the doctors. This ethical issue can be seen in many doctors and they just use patient for their benefit and consider less about the sensitivity and emotions. In this film, we can see that the woman who is the patient is undergoing a change in her person hood throughout their experience with the disease. When she is undergoing treatment she thinks of her past and good days. As she approaches death, she thinks she could have been more kind to people. We can see her personhood as changed as

Grandparents raising their own Grandchildren Essay

Grandparents raising their own Grandchildren - Essay Example (Bold, M, Gladys J. Hildreth & Ronald A Fanning 1999) The socialization theory, like some other theories of social control, also holds that pro-social family processes like the house rules and the inherent attachment resulting from a family setting, do affect growing children's behaviour and character. The Group Socialization Theory states that children's peer groups affect the behavior and learning patterns of the children more than the influence exerted by their families or genetics. Social control in growing children can be said to operate through direct control, indirect control, satisfaction of needs, and internalized control. Direct control has to do with parental supervision and monitoring, while indirect control is the interaction of growing children's beliefs and attachment. For example, children will try not to jeopardize their family relationship by not disappointing their parents or grandparents. Growing children also seek for satisfaction of their needs, and if a child is not emotionally satisfied within the family, the child seeks intimacy and support from his peers. One important implication of this and other models is the timing of family management practices and how these affect later peer choices. Poor attachment, monitoring, and supervision in the preadolescent phase will surface later in an adolescent's choice of peers (Oxford, Harachi et al. 2001). According to Judith Harris, "the psychological characteristics a child is born with become permanently modified by the environment" (Harris 1995, p. 482) Some people are of the opinion that there are two main developments in the field of psychology as a whole that need to be better assimilated in socialization work. The first is the attack on the trait (or nature) theory, and it is argued that socialization research can survive this attack only if it becomes more concerned with structural developmental change in its dependent variables. Second, the impact of the "cognitive revolution" is assessed, and the paper argues that more attention must be given to the ways in which children process inputs from socialization agents, and developmental changes in processing capacities. Finally, it is urged that research attention must be focused on the conditions which sustain the effective performance of socialization agents. (http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED112283&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED112283) For many decades now, there has been an ongoing conjunctive effort to clearly distinguish between the roles of nature and nurture in human development, and this has eventually led to some of the most provocative discoveries and psychological advances in the twentieth century. In his book, Stephen Pinker noted that "for many decades psychologists have looked for the causes of individual differences in cognitive ability and in personality. The conventional wisdom has been that such traits are strongly influenced by parenting practices and role models." (Pinker, S.

Environmental Laws Essay Example for Free

Environmental Laws Essay The constant North South divide over enforcement of international environmental law plagues the operationalisation of many international treaties. Most developing countries are caught in a cleft stick. Whilst understanding the need for environmental action, they also require increasing industrial activity for achieving economic growth and poverty alleviation objectives, activities that entail definite enhancements in greenhouse emission. They are additionally constrained by their lack of resources and do not wish to divert what is available from developmental needs. Many developing countries also suffer from lack of necessary infrastructure and underdeveloped legal and judicial systems to be able to carry out treaty obligations in an organised and systemic manner. (Bell Russell, 2002) Whilst many international agreements are worded to ensure their legal binding on signatory nations, these treaties do not become enforceable within a country until their enactment into domestic law is complete. Australia, for example, has signed on the Montreal Protocol and the World Heritage Convention and carried out appropriate domestic legislation. Apart from taking these legislative measures, the nation has enacted several laws for environmental regulation. (Lyster, 2004) The Environment protection and Biodiversity Act, 1999, is a key legislation that gives effect to the country’s international law obligations. Numerous other enactments like the amended Fisheries Management Act, 1991, The Maritime Legislation Amendment (Prevention of Pollution from Ships) Act, 2006, the Protection of the Sea (Harmful Anti-fouling Systems) Act 2006 also work towards enhancing environmental protection and bringing the domestic legal system in line with its international treaty obligations. (Australian Legal Information Institute, 2007) Domestic enactment of new laws, (as well as amendment of existing laws) is necessary because it makes the country’s commitment towards international environmental laws concrete and their provisions enforceable. In the absence of specific domestic legislation little action can be taken against environmental offenders and controlling environmental degradation becomes well nigh impossible. Compared to the Australian approach, which involves legal enactment and resolute enforcement of international law obligations, the actions adopted by a developing country like Bangladesh appear to be significantly inadequate. The country, (which became independent only in 1971), drafted a broad ranging environmental policy in 1991 but is still to enact any of its major features into law even though sixteen years have passed since. Factors like internal strife, lack of developed legal systems, and scarce resources, have prevented the country from moving forward on environmental action. Whilst economies like India and South Africa have been able to make significant progress on the environmental front, many developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America share Bangladesh’s problems and are thus unable or unwilling to abide by international environmental law obligations. (Mastny French, 2002) 3. Conclusion The inherent weaknesses in rules of international diplomacy render many environmental treaties practically pointless. Seeing the abject non implementation of most environmental treaties by developing nations, international organisations are seeking new ways to toughen these agreements. While most such laws impose few penalties, peer pressure is emerging as a potent tool for this purpose. Some treaties also ask nations to report on the progress of promises made at the time of agreement. Beyond persuasion and embarrassment, trade incentives also help in securing compliance. Members of the Montreal Protocol, for example, are forbidden to purchase CFCs or products containing them from nations that have not agreed to the treaty, a condition that has led many nations to join the treaty and take action to reduce ozone depletion. (Bell Russell, 2002) International agencies, sympathetic nations and NGOs can encourage soft laws through funding decisions and public campaigns. Soft laws tend to establish certain expectations-or create an international mindset-that can then form the basis for more permanent agreements. A large part of the inability of developing nations to act on accord occurs because of their poverty and constrained resources. Redressing this imbalance will depend largely on providing financial and technical assistance to developing nations-and ensuring that funds are well spent. References ASEAN Ministers Okay Agreement on Environmental Laws. (2006, November 12). Manila Bulletin, p. NA. Australian Legal Information Institute, 2007, Retrieved September 25, 2007 from www. austlii. edu. au Barrett, S. (2005). Environment and Statecraft: The Strategy of Environmental Treaty-Making. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Essay on Internet Privacy - Carnivore is an Invasion to Privacy :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Carnivore is an Invasion to Privacy Carnivore is the FBI's latest toy. All the time we hear about how it is an invasion to privacy, and while I do agree it does have serious problems it also has some moral dilemmas. For example who is subject to Carnivore and where is it located? How much and What kind of information is the FBI interested in getting? Lets start by looking at just what exactly Carnivore is. Carnivore is an actual piece of hardware that the FBI connects to an internet backbone. According to Compnet.com; "For Carnivore to gain access to this much data, its hardware must be plugged directly into the network at a central location. Because most Internet based communications in the USA flow through large Internet Service Providers (ISPs), the FBI would typically install a Carnivore box inside an ISP data center. Controlled physical and network access improves the system's overall security." Basically from the data center of the ISP Carnivore is able to acquire any information that it chooses to, or is assigned to. Typically a search warrant is issued and the device set to acquire information about a subject. Any email, or other form of communications that the person being viewed is recorded for the FBI to view later. Any information is intercepted once the FBI is in they know all and see all. Which begs the question what if they are getting search warrants on anyone they choose? Who reports them? Who holds the people accountable for spying on people later found out to be innocent? Because Carnivore is a "BLACK BOX" project a lot of information about the project is not being released to the public and if that is not scary enough for you, the people in charge of issuing the warrants and who the FBI labels and those that need to be "Watched" is also not readily available. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Without an internal regulatory system for the FBI to control the use of carnivore it looks as though anyone anywhere can be tapped. Carnivore also has other problems too. According to cnn.com; "Specific technical concerns noted by the scientists include a lack of analysis between the Carnivore code and its host environment and operating system, inadequate discussion of the remote access provided by the use of the "PC Anywhere" program, and no evidence of a systematic search for bugs or serious errors.

“the Effects of Diversity on Business Performance: Report of the Diversity Research Network”

Crimson Miller MGT 492 Dr. Turnipseed February 19th, 2010 â€Å"The Effects of Diversity on Business Performance: Report of the Diversity Research Network† Article Critique #1 In this article the Business Opportunities for Leadership Diversity (BOLD), The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Foundation came together to examine the effects diversity has on a business and the business’s performance. I agree with the article in that diversity can have a positive and/or negative effect on businesses and their performances. In many ways diversity can be a positive influence on companies and company performances because diversity allows for creativity, challenging others’ ideas, and avoidance of â€Å"group think†. Diversity in business can allow for a wide range of competitive moves from new ideas and differences in cultures. The better the range of knowledge and skill the more innovative and creative employees typically are in organizations. On the other hand diversity can be a major negative effect on business in that it can cause barriers to communication between employees. Employees that cannot communicate with one another do not work well together; many times become confrontational with each other, and many times are not working towards the same goals because of misperceptions. There may be a language barrier, a culture barrier, a religion issue, or even a knowledge or skill difference that makes working as a team less successful. The sample the organizations were able to obtain in the study, used as a base for this report, was a small sample size but I think that the study was very conclusive. In most situations people from a different background will bring new ideas and compete with each other to create a competitive advantage. Yet, if you put a group of people together that do not understand one another the communication will be difficult which may lead to confusion, frustration, or no communication at all. In conclusion I believe the findings of this study were very accurate even in a much larger scale then have been presented.

Learning by Experience Essay

Project Synopsis This project involves the study of social and cultural background of Maheshwar Situated in a town in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh through this project we are expected to reflect upon the experience which we had gained by engaging in a field work in the town Maheshwar and inculcating the good aspects which we have learned so that we could cater to the need of the society which demands the managers with sociological perspective, change agents and societal leaders. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Maheshwar is a town in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh state, in central India. It is located 91 km from Indore, the commercial capital of the state. The town lies on the north bank of the Narmada River. Maheshwar is on the bank of mighty Narmada River and is famous for its Maheshwar temple and Fort. The fort was built by renowned queen Ahilayabai Holkar. The beauty of Narmada River and the fort is worth seeing. Maheshwar has been a centre of handloom weaving. Maheshwar is also famous for its finely woven Maheshwari Sarees. Maheshwari sarees were introduced 250 years ago by Rani Ahilyabai, the ruler of princely Indore State from 1765 to 1795. She brought in weavers from Surat in Gujarat and Mandu and established them at Maheshwar, to weavespecial nine-yard saris for the ladies of royal household, and turban fabric. Rani Ahilyabai moved her capital to Maheshwar, constructing the splendid 18th century Maratha-architecture based, Ahilya Fort, on the banks of the sacred Narmada River . Besides her capital being an industrial enterprise for textile, it was also a thriving destination for literary, sculpture, music and arts. Fort Built by Mata Ahilyabai Holkar Ahilya Fort is a magnificent structure that is around 250 years old. Overlooking the Narmada River, it is perched-up high on a hill and thus offers an amazing view of the ghats below. The fort includes ancient- style  courtyards, verandahs and stone walkways. It was once the residence of Ahilya Bai Holkar, one of the most celebrated women rulers of India during the 18th century Handloom in Maheshwar Handloom weaving in Maheshwar has an ancient history dating back more than 1500 years. The current tradition owes its resurgence to Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, who ruled the state of Indore from 1765 to 1795, and it was under her patronage that the weavers prospered. Baneshwar Mahadev Temple On an island in the middle of the river stands the Baneshwar Mahadev Temple. It is believed that a heavenly line (an axis of sorts) from the North Star passes through this temple to the earth’s centre

Biography of Michael J. Smith, Challenger Astronaut

Biography of Michael J. Smith, Challenger Astronaut Michael J. Smith was the pilot aboard the space shuttle Challenger, which exploded on January 28, 1986. It was his first flight as an astronaut. His death ended a distinguished career as a Navy pilot and a future in space flight. Michael J. Smiths voice was the last one heard from the shuttle just before the explosion, replying to Mission Control: Go at throttle up. Fast Facts: Michael J. Smith Born: April 30, 1945 in Beaufort, North CarolinaDied: January 28, 1986 in Cape Canaveral, FloridaParents: Robert Lewis and Lucille S. SmithSpouse: Jane Anne Jarrell (m. 1967)Children: Scott, Alison, and ErinEducation: Bachelors degree in Naval Science from the U.S. Naval Academy, masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate SchoolCareer: Navy pilot, served in Vietnam. He was selected for the astronaut program in May 1980; Challenger was his first flight. Early Life Michael J. Smith was born on April 30, 1945, to Robert Lewis and Lucille S. Smith, in Beaufort, North Carolina.  He attended East Carteret High School and learned to fly while still a teenager. He enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Naval Science. He then pursued a masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, which he completed in 1968. After graduation, Smith went on to train as a naval aviator. From there, he became a flight instructor, before taking an assignment in Vietnam. During his deployment, he flew A-6 Intruders and participated in bombing efforts against the North Vietnamese. After Vietnam, Smith returned to the U.S. and entered Naval Test Pilot School. As many other astronauts did, he worked with up-and-coming aircraft, as well as cruise missile guidance systems. His next assignment was as an instructor, before heading out to the Mediterranean for two tours of duty aboard the USS Saratoga. Smith logged a total of 4,867 hours of flying time, piloting 28 different types of civilian and military aircraft. NASA Career Space Shuttle Challenger crew in the White Room prior to launch. They are (L-R): mission specialist Christa McAuliffe and astronauts Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik, Mission Commander Dick Scobee, astronaut Ronald McNair, pilot Michael J. Smith, and astronaut Ellison Onizuka. NASA Headquarters - GReatest Images of NASA (NASA-HQ-GRIN) Michael J. Smith applied to the NASA astronaut program and was selected for duty in 1980. He spent the next five years in training and working in various capacities in the agency, focusing on flight operations, night landings, and other areas. His duties also included command of the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory, as well as stints with aircraft operations, and a series of assignments working with flight operations and testing. Eventually, Smith was selected to be the pilot on STS-51L, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, which was his first flight to space. He was already assigned as pilot for Space Shuttle Mission 61-N, scheduled to launch in the fall of 1986.   The launch of Challenger on January 28, 1986, ended in disaster, and the deaths of Smith, mission commander Dick Scobee, Ron McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Gregory Jarvis, and teacher-in-space mission specialist Christa McAuliffe.   Personal Life Michael J. Smith married Jane Anne Jarrell in 1967, just after his graduation from the Naval Academy. They had three children, Scott, Alison, and Erin. Smith was an athletic type and played tennis and squash. He also played football and participated in boxing while at the Naval Academy. Although he loved being in the Navy and served with distinction, he told his wife and friends that moving to NASA would give him more time with his family. The Space Shuttle 51L crew is shown during simulation at the Johnson Space Center before their ill fated flight. (L to R) Mike Smith Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik and commander Francis R. (Dick) Scobee. The other three members of the crew would be seated on a lower deck during takeoff. Bettmann Archive / Getty Images Honors and Awards Michael J. Smith, as with the other Challenger astronauts who perished with him, is recognized at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center memorial wall. The airport in his hometown is named for him. Smith was awarded the Congressional Space Medal, as well as the Defense Distinguished Service medal (both posthumously). For his service in the Navy, he was given the Navy Distinguished Flying Cross, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, plus other medals for his work in the service. Upon his death, he was raised to the rank of Captain. Memorial plaque at the Astrononaut Memorial wall in Florida. This Dignity Memorial bears the names of all who have died in space-related mishaps. Seth Buckley, CC BY-SA 3.0 Smiths widow joined other Challenger families to create the Challenger Centers, educational institutions designed to bring math and science alive for students across the United States and Canada. A total of 25 centers were built on three continents (four countries and 27 U.S. states). Sources â€Å"Home.† Challenger Center, www.challenger.org/.Jones, Tamara. â€Å"A SPACE IN THE HEART.† The Washington Post, WP Company, 27 Jan. 1996, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/01/27/a-space-in-the-heart/c430840a-2f27-4295-81a4-41ad617e237e/?utm_term.47cf89488681.â€Å"Michael J. Smith.† The Astronauts Memorial Foundation, www.amfcse.org/michael-j-smith.NASA, NASA, www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/smith-michael.html.Patterson, Michael Robert. Chin Sun Pak Wells, Specialist, United States Army, www.arlingtoncemetery.net/michaelj.htm.â€Å"Smith, Michael John.† Weapons in the War of 1812 | NCpedia, www.ncpedia.org/biography/smith-michael-john.

The German Lyrics for Edelweiss

The German Lyrics for 'Edelweiss' If youre a fan of the The Sound of Music, then you probably have the words to Edelweiss memorized. But if you only know the song in English, its time to learn how to sing it in  German. Edelweiss is more than just a sweet song from a classic musical. Its also a good  example of how songs are translated into different languages. Though it was written in English for a 1959 American musical set in Austria  that was adapted as a movie in 1965, German lyrics werent written until later. It might surprise you to learn that the translation isnt exact; in fact, its not even close, except in the general sentiment. Before we get into the translation, heres some background on the song. Edelweiss Isnt German or Austrian The first thing you should know about Edelweiss is that its not an Austrian or German song. The only thing German about it is its title and the alpine flower itself. The song was written and composed by two Americans:  Richard Rodgers  (music) and  Oscar Hammerstein II  (lyrics). Hammerstein had a German heritage- his grandfather, Oscar Hammerstein I, was born in what is now Poland to a German-speaking Jewish family- but the song is strictly American. In the film, Captain von Trapp (played by  Christopher Plummer) sings an emotional version of Edelweiss, a resounding, memorable rendition that may have contributed to the false idea that its the Austrian national anthem. The second thing  to know about  Edelweiss is that it, like The Sound of Music, is virtually unknown in Austria. Although Salzburg, Austria, bills itself as The Sound of Music City, customers for The Sound of Music tours include very few Austrians or Germans. Edelweiß der Liedtext (Edelweiss Lyrics) Music by Richard RogersEnglish Lyrics by  Oscar HammersteinDeutsch: UnknownMusical: The Sound of Music Edelweiss is a very simple song no matter which language you choose to sing it in. Its a great way to practice your German with a tune that you probably already know. Both the German and English lyrics are below. Notice how each language uses the songs rhythm and has  the same or nearly the same number of syllables per line. Both sets of lyrics have a romantic feel, not only in the meaning of the words  but also in how they sound. German Lyrics English Lyrics Direct Translation Edelweiß, Edelweiß, Edelweiss, Edelweiss, Edelweiss, Edelweiss Du grà ¼ÃƒÅ¸t mich jeden Morgen, Every morning you greet me You greet me every morning, Sehe ich dich, Small and white, I see you, Freue ich mich, clean and bright I am looking, Und vergess' meine Sorgen. You look happy to meet me. And I forget my worries. Schmà ¼cke das Heimatland, Blossom of snow Decorate the home country, Schà ¶n und weiß, may you bloom and grow, Beautiful and white, Blà ¼hest wie die Sterne. Bloom and grow forever. Flourishing like the stars. Edelweiß, Edelweiß, Edelweiss, Edelweis, Edelweiss, Edelweiss, Ach, ich hab dich so gerne. Bless my homeland forever. Oh, I love you so much. An  Example of How Songs Are Translated In translating songs, how they sound and flow with the music is more important than an exact transliteration of the words. Thats why the German translation is significantly different from  Hammersteins English lyrics. We dont know who wrote the German lyrics for Edelweiss, yet he or she did a good job of retaining the meaning of Hammersteins song. Its interesting to compare all three versions side by side so we can see how musical translations work.

Specification of writing business plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Specification of writing business plans - Essay Example The paper tells that in the conditions of changeable economics, stability and success of every economic player can be insured only by effective planning of its economic performance. The planning program of business optimization is represented by business plan, which is working instrument used in every sphere of entrepreneurship. This document describes the process of firm’s functioning and shows essential methods that can help supervisors to attain own goals and tasks. Good structured business plan helps enterprise grow, conquer new position on the market, build perspective concepts of launching new goods and services, choose rational methods of their implementation and receive various ways of financing. According to Collins, â€Å"Business plans are like sell sheets on steroids. It details your current financial position and your path to revenue growth†. Creation of business plan is conventional and generally adopted way to define objectives of economic performance and outline initial routes for their achievements. This document can be carried out for start-up as much as for already existed entry on successive stage of its development. Business plan is an objective evaluation of own entrepreneurial performance and extremely important instrument of production according to market needs. Successful co-founder and co-owner of Roaring Lion Energy Drink that is worth millions of dollars, Sean Hackney, stated that writing business plan was absolutely worthwhile, because there were a lot of ideas that needed to be put on paper. (as cited in Henricks, 2008, p. 94). The main purpose of elaborating business plan is to predict economic and financial performance of the company for the nearest perspectives, taking into account needs of target consumers and abilities of getting required resources. Goals of business planning Traditionally business plan is considered to be an efficacious mode that helps to attract finance needed for project’s implementatio n. However, many specialists highlight other not less important tasks, which can be carried out with a help of business plan. They are the following: defining concrete directions of performance and target markets; formulating long-term and short-term goals, strategy and tactics of their attaining; choosing the most appropriate products and appraising production and costs of marketing; revealing correspondence of present staff and conditions of motivation with qualifying standards; outlining marketing measures aimed at marketing research, advertising, sale promotion, pricing; evaluating financial state of the company and availability of financial and maternal resources; predicting obstacles that may hinder practical implementation of the project. According to Smith (2004), planning process provides assistance in delegation of responsibilities, results in better co-ordination of resources and encourages constant forward thinking (p. 3). Elaboration of business plan is time-taking and rather laborious process, but implementation of this complex multi-functional document has several objectives. First of all, business plan encourages attraction of external capital. Financial calculations of mentioned document are able to explain what sum of start-up financial resources is required, how they are going to be returned to potential investors and creditors, what risks can take place and others. Secondly, on the beginning stage of project’s implementation business plan insures communication between entrepreneur and future suppliers, merchandisers and employees. Then it helps to avoid impediments before setting up own business. Also business plan is a reliable way to model system of

Personal Change Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Personal Change Case - Essay Example is a time when a person becomes aware of his/her own individuality or identity; it is also a time when he/she establishes important relationships, both with friends and lovers. These physical and psychosocial changes suggest that a person at this stage in their life probably undergoes changes in their personality as well. In this paper I will reflect on how I have experienced all of these changes over the last few years, and on how I coped with these changes with reference to Virginia Satir’s Transformational Model of Change. My life in Hong Kong was without worry and I was seemingly living in a fantasy world. I wanted and waited for nothing from my parents, although divorced; they provided me with everything I desired, including love, money for shopping, money for overseas travel in my school breaks, in fact money for anything. I was popular amongst my peers and had many friends with whom I could spend time shopping, dancing, partying and generally just having a good time. I was not an A grade student but received relatively good grades considering the amount of time and effort I put into my study, which was relatively little. My life ran smoothly; I knew what I was doing from day to day, my parents made all my decisions for me, planned my present and future life and I never really considered that things would change. I assumed that my life would always be this way and in some way I was living a fairytale inside a glass bubble – not even considering that one day that bubble may burst! My parents decided that it would be a good experience for me to study overseas, an idea to which I did not consider or see fit to question. In fact it sounded rather exciting to me and I was eager to have the opportunity of further travel, spending real time in another country and making new friends. I failed to consider that this move was a major change in my life and one that would bring about major change in myself. At the beginning my move to America was fine. I settled

Australian ICT Framework and Mobile Device Management Essay

Australian ICT Framework and Mobile Device Management - Essay Example The legal frameworks aid reliability in the procurement processes of service provision in all the different Australian governments, i.e. the federal, state and territorial governments. This also helps in underpinning enterprise architecture in the entire Australian government (Saha, 2009). The current ICT infrastructure in Australia requires improvement to help achieve the creation of a whole-of-government Australian Public Service (APS) ICT career structure, which entails training and development programs for information technology professionals. ICT improvement also helps in developing and maintaining an information technology whole-of-government strategic workforce plan. ICT policies and frameworks help in the effective management of government and private data, and the protection of the government data from unauthorized accesses and misuse (Hart & Diane, 2007). The need for ICT legal framework and policies is to regulate the different types of governments, and create an easier wa y to monitor them. Every Australian is entitled to freedom of information access as per the Freedom of Information Act 1982, which guides the legislative basis of the release of government information. However, some of the information needs privacy and confidentiality, and hence demands protection. This ensures that the unauthorized access of information is reduced, whereby the necessary precautions are applied to strictly allow for classified information access to authorized or accredited personnel only. The main principles of the Australian enterprise ICT framework and policies is the need to know, which is applied to all official information, and the need to protect government information. This ensures the proper information access platforms and protects the divulgement of information within the government or from a foreign government. There is the enhancement of legal proceedings through privileged information access to legal professionals in the justice and legal system of the government (Hart & Diane, 2007). The presence of information technology Acts and policies provides the necessary foundation and benchmarks for the Australian governments to facilitate the smooth functioning of the country’s ICT sector. There are whole-of-government ICT policy frameworks guided by the Financial Management and Accountability Act (FMA) of 1997. The ICT Customization and Bespoke Development policy outlines compliance requirements for FMA Act agencies, and strengthens government arrangements for ICT Customization and Bespoke development. The Australian government has the legal enterprise ICT framework for enhancing and ensuring e-security. There is the core Cyber Security Requirement Policy for ICT driven proposals that requires agencies to access and address cyber security risks, and ensure that all businesses prepared through ICT-based proposals comply with the Australian government’s Cyber Security policies. This is aimed at achieving core cyber security for the smooth running of agencies and the government at large, through a smooth and safe flow and storage of information (Saha, 2009). The ICT Strategic Workforce plan is a core policy that entails the current expertise and capabilities of the APS ICT workforce, and the agency capabilities required in the delivery of government priorities. It guides the shift of ICT short term objectives and factors into medium and long term goals. There is also the Opt-Out policy for the whole-of-government ICT arrangements that has changed the opt-in self approvement by agencies into the

Length of stay in pediatric intensive care unit

Length of stay in pediatric intensive care unit 1.1 Scope of Review The following review of the past work done in the area of intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay is divided into two parts. The first part covers the studies done on the PICU length of stay while the second part delves into the literature of ICU length of stay. 1.2 Studies of Length of Stay in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Ruttimann Pollack (1996) investigated the relationship of length of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) stay to severity of illness and other potentially relevant factors available within the first 24 hours after admission. A median and geometric mean length of PICU stay of 2.0 and 1.9 days respectively, and the upper 95th percentile at 12 days were found. To prevent undue influence of outliers, all patients staying longer than 12 days were considered long-stay patients (4.1% of the total sample) and were excluded from the model-building process. In the LOS prediction model, variables found to be significantly associated (p Table 1.1: Log-logistic regression model for length of stay Variable Regression coefficient SE Adjusted LOS ratio 95% CI PRISM score* 0.6386 0.0407 5 1.28 1.25-1.33 10 1.63 1.54-1.74 15 1.80 1.67-1.94 20 1.98 1.82-2.16 25 1.62 1.53-1.72 30 1.29 1.25-1.33 40 1.38 1.33-1.44 50 1.06 1.06-1.07 Primary diagnoses CNS diseases -0.1682 0.0267 0.85 0.80-0.89 Neoplastic diseases 0.2324 0.0579 1.26 1.13-1.41 Drug overdoses -0.1758 0.0383 0.84 0.77-0.90 Inguinal hernia -0.3270 0.1344 0.72 0.55-0.94 Asthma -0.1135 0.0527 0.89 0.80-0.99 Pneumonia 0.2350 0.0475 1.26 1.15-1.39 CNS infections 0.4966 0.0555 1.64 1.47-1.83 Respiratory diseases ÃÆ'- PRISMà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   0.1257 0.0579 1.67 1.49-1.87 Head trauma ÃÆ'- PRISMà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   0.1710 0.0611 1.73 1.53-1.94 Diabetes ÃÆ'- PRISMà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   -0.3332 0.0666 1.23 1.08-1.40 Admission conditions Postoperative 0.1267 0.0243 1.14 1.08-1.19 Inpatient 0.2358 0.0271 1.27 1.20-1.33 Previous ICU admission 0.1562 0.0521 1.17 1.06-1.29 Therapy Mechanical ventilation 0.4900 0.0258 1.63 1.55-1.72 Intercept -0.0191 0.0278 Scale 2.5602 0.0295 Log partial likelihood = -5487.2; global chi-square value = 1601.9; df = 15; p CI, Confidence interval; CNS, Central nervous system *LOS ratios computed relative to PRISM score = 0. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  LOS ratios computed for an interaction with PRISM score = 6.42 (sample average). Source: Modified from Ruttimann Pollack (1996). In the same study, Ruttimann Pollack (1996) noted the ratio of observed to predicted LOS varied among PICUs from 0.83 to 1.25. The PICU factors associated (p Table 1.2: Effect of PICU characteristics on length of stay Variable Regression coefficient SE Adjusted LOS ratio 95% CI p* Intensivist -0.1208 0.0189 0.89 0.85-0.92 0.0001 Coordination -0.0513 0.0190 0.95 0.92-0.99 0.0071 Residents -0.0586 0.0200 0.94 0.91-0.98 0.0033 ln (PICU/hospital beds) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   0.0459 0.0170 1.03 1.01-1.06 0.0068 CI, Confidence interval. *2 ÃÆ'- ln (likelihood ratio) test. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  LOS ratio and 95% CIs computed for and increase of PICU/hospital bed ratio by a factor of 2. Source: Modified from Ruttimann Pollack (1996). Development of a new LOS prediction model was necessary due to the availability of a newly updated pediatric severity-of-illness assessment system, PRISM III-24 (Pediatric risk of mortality, version III, 24-hour assessment). Ruttimann et al. (1998) have then fitted a generalized linear regression model (inverse Gaussian) to the observed LOS data with the log link function. In the new LOS prediction model, variables found to be significantly associated (p Table 1.3: Generalized linear regression model (inverse Gaussian) for length of stay (n = 9558) Variable Length of stay ratio 95% Confidence interval p Valueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   PRISM III-24 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¡ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¡ 0.0001 (PRISM III-24) °Ã‚ °2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¡ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¡ 0.0001 Primary diagnoses CNS infections 1.41 1.28-1.56 0.0001 Neoplastic diseases 1.22 1.13-1.31 0.0001 Asthma 0.91 0.85-0.96 0.0045 Pneumonia 1.50 1.40-1.61 0.0001 Drug overdoses 0.74 0.70-0.79 0.0001 CV nonoperative 1.22 1.14-1.32 0.0001 CV operative 0.89 0.83-0.95 0.0006 Diabetes 0.74 0.67-0.81 0.0001 Admission specifications Postoperative 0.92 0.88-0.96 0.0004 Inpatient 1.17 1.13-1.22 0.0001 Previous ICU admission 1.26 1.15-1.38 0.0001 Therapy Mechanical ventilation 1.68 1.60-1.77 0.0001 Model intercept ( ± SEM) = 1.423  ± 0.021 days CNS, Central nervous system; CV, cardiovascular system.  °Effect of the variable after adjusting for the effects of all other variables in the model. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Log-likelihood ratio compared with the chi-squared distribution with 1 degree of freedom. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¡See Fig.2 (pg 82, Ruttimann et al. 1998). Model fit: Scaled deviance = 9558 (chi-square with 9543 degrees of freedom, p >0.45). Observed versus predicted length of stay, mean ( ± SEM) in: training sample (n = 9,558): 2.351( ± 0.032) versus 2.360( ± 0.011), p >0.64; test sample (n = 1,100): 2.461( ± 0.069) versus 2.419( ± 0.035), p >0.49. Source: Modified from Ruttimann et al. (1998). Ruttimann et al. (1998) have also assessed the PICU efficiency with the new LOS prediction model and validation of the assessment by an efficiency measure based on daily use of intensive care unit-specific therapies (based on the criterion whether on each day a patient used at least one therapy that is best delivered in the ICU). PICU efficiency was computed as either the ratio of the observed efficient days or the days accounted for by the predictor variables to the total care days, and the agreement was assessed by Spearmans rank correlation analysis. PICU efficiency comparisons for both the predictor-based and therapy-based methods are nearly equivalent. Ruttimann and colleagues (1998) acknowledged the advantage of predictor-based efficiency as it can be computed from admission day data only. It was of researchers utmost interest to study the extended LOSs as well. Long-stay patients (LSPs) in the PICU were later being examined by Marcin et al. (2001). As explained previously, LSPs were defined as patients having a length of stay greater than 95th percentile (>12 days). In the study, the clinical profiles and relative resource use of LSPs were determined and a prediction model was developed to identify LSPs for early quality and cost saving interventions. To create a predictive algorithm, logistic regression analysis was used to determine clinical characteristics, available within the first 24 hours after admission that were associated with LSPs. Marcin and colleagues (2001) noted that, Long-stay patients in the PICU consume a disproportionate amount of health care resources and have higher mortality rates than short-stay patients. Multivariate analysis of the study identified predictive factors of long-stay as: age Table 1.4: Significant independent variables from the logistic regression analysis Variable Odds Ratio 95% CI p Value Age 1.77 1.42-2.20 Previous ICU admission 2.18 1.52-3.11 Emergency admission 1.67 1.28-2.19 CPR before admission 0.59 0.37-0.96 0.032 Admitted from another ICU or IMU 2.28 1.13-4.58 0.020 Chronic TPN 3.09 1.39-6.92 0.006 Chronic tracheostomy 2.23 1.41-3.52 0.001 Pneumonia 2.73 2.03-3.68 Other respiratory disorder 2.33 1.64-3.32 Acquired cardiac disease 3.07 2.01-4.67 Having never been discharged from hospital 2.27 1.12-4.59 0.020 Ventilator 4.59 3.60-5.86 Intracranial catheter 2.78 1.76-4.41 PRISM III-24 score between 10 and 33 2.99 2.35-3.81 CI, confidence interval; ICU, intensive care unit; CPR, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation; IMU, intermediate care unit; TPN, total parenteral nutrition; PRISM, Pediatric Risk of Mortality. Source: Modified from Marcin et al. (2001). In a case study carried out by Kapadia et al. (2000) in a childrens hospital in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, discrete time Markov processes was applied to study the course of stay in a PICU as the patients move back and forth between the severity of illness states. To study the dynamics of the movement of patients in PICU, PRISM scores representing the intensity of illness were utilized. The study modeled the flow of patients as a discrete time Markov process. Rather than describing by a string of services and scores, the course of treatment and length of stay in the intensive care was described as a sequence of Low, Medium and High severity of illness. The resulted Markovian model appeared to fit the data well. The models were expected to provide information of how the current severity of illness is likely to change over time and how long the child is likely to stay in the PICU. The use of a Markovian approach allowed estimation of the time spent by patients in different se verity of illness states during the PICU stay, for the purposes of quality monitoring and resource allocation. 1.2 Studies of Length of Stay in Intensive Care Unit According to Gruenberg et al. (2006), institutional, medical, social and psychological factors collectively affect the length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Institutional factors include geographic location, resources, organizational structure, and leadership. In term of medical factors, specific medical interventions, specific clinical laboratory values, and the type and severity of patients illnesses were found to be related to length of stay in the ICU. Social factors such as lack of quality communication between patients families and physicians or other healthcare personnel, and conflict between patients families and hospital staff have resulted in prolonged ICU and hospital stays. Anxiety and depression experienced by a patients family members are psychological characteristics that contribute to inadequate decision making and extended ICU stays. In order to examine the impact of prolonged stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) on resource utilization, Arabi and colleagues (2002) carried out a prospective study to determine the influence of certain factors as possible predictors of prolonged stay in an adult medical/surgical ICU in a tertiary-care teaching hospital. Prolonged ICU stay was defined as length of stay >14 days. The data analyzed included the demographics and the clinical profile of each new admission. Besides, two means were used to assess severity of illness: the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score (Knaus et al., 1985, as cited in Arabi et al., 2002) and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II (Le Gall et al., 1993, as cited in Arabi et al., 2002). The study has identified predictors found to be significantly associated with prolonged ICU stay: non-elective admissions, readmissions, respiratory or trauma-related reasons for admission, and first 24-hour evidence of infection, oliguria, coagulopathy, and the need for mechanical ventilation or vasopressor therapy had significant association with prolonged ICU stay (Table 2.5 2.6). It was also found that mean APACHE II and SAPS II were slightly higher in patients with prolonged stay. Arabi et al. (2002) concluded that patients with prolonged ICU stay form a small proportion of ICU patients, yet they consume a significant share of the ICU resources. Nevertheless, the outcome of this group of patients is comparable to that of shorter stay patients. The predictors identified in the study were expected to be used in targeting this group to improve resource utilization and efficiency of ICU care. Table 1.5: Demographic and clinical profile of patients in the study group [all values shown are n (%), except where indicated otherwise] All (n = 947) ICU length of stay p value à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 14 days (n = 843) >14 days (n = 104) Age (years) ¹ 12-44 391 (41.3) 349 (41.4) 42 (40.4) NS 45-64 309 (32.6) 274 (32.5) 35 (33.7) NS à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥65 247 (26.1) 220 (26.1) 27 (26.0) NS Gender Male 591 (62.4) 518 (61.4) 73 (70.2) NS Female 356 (37.6) 325 (38.6) 31 (29.8) NS Type of admission Elective 169 (17.8) 164 (19.5) 5 (4.8) Non-elective 778 (82.2) 679 (80.5) 99 (95.2) Severity of illness APACHE II score (mean  ± SD) 19  ± 9 19  ± 9 21  ± 8 0.016 SAPS II score (mean  ± SD) 38  ± 20 37  ± 20 43  ± 16 0.003 Tracheostomy 113 (11.9) 52 (6.2) 61 (58.7) ICU mortality 193 (20.4) 173 (20.5) 20 (19.2) NS NS, not significant.  ¹Because of rounding, some of the percentages may not add up to 100% exactly. Source: Modified from Arabi et al. (2002). Table 1.6: Possible predictors for prolonged stay and the associated odds ratio No. of patients (%) ORs for prolonged stay p value (n = 947) OR 95% CI Non-elective admission 778 (82.8) 4.7 1.9-11.7 Readmission 79 (8.3) 2.1 1.1-3.8 0.02 Main reason for admission Surgical Trauma 171 (18.1) 2.1 1.4-3.4 Non-trauma surgical 231 (24.4) 0.3 0.1-0.5 Medical Cardiovascular 212 (22.4) 1.0 0.6-1.6 NS Respiratory 159 (16.8) 2.2 1.4-3.6 Neurologic 36 (3.8) 0.5 0.1-2.0 NS Other 138 (14.6) 0.51 0.25-1.05 NS First 24-hour data Coagulopathy 345 (36.4) 1.5 1.0-2.3 0.05

Leif Erikson: How He Discovered America Essay -- Leif Erikson

Many people think that Christopher Columbus was the first European to set foot in America, but this conventional belief is wrong; Leif Erikson, a Norse explorer set foot in Newfoundland almost 500 years before Columbus was even born. This paper will cover everything about Leif Erikson’s life including his grandfather’s banishment from Norway, and Leif’s father’s exile from Iceland. Leif Erikson’s early life, his family, and his visit to Norway to serve under the king. The first recorded European to see North America, Bjarni Herjà ³lfsson, and Leif Erikson’s voyage to America. This paper is also going to talk about Leif Erikson’s brother, Thorvald Erikson’s voyage to Vinland because his tale is interesting. Near the end of this research paper, it will have a paragraph on Leif Erikson’s later life. Finally at the end of this paper it is going to talk about the unknown reason why no other Europeans sailed to Vinland, and Le if’s impact on modern day North America. Leif Erikson’s grandfather, Thorvald Asvaldsson slaughtered a man in Jà ¦ren, Norway in 960 CE. This was the age of the Vikings, but Thorvald was still banished from the land (Mandia, n.d.). So he brought his ten year old son Erik, later to be named as Erik the Red because of his scarlet hair, to Drangar in northwestern Iceland on a farm with rather appalling soil (Where is Vinland?, n.d.). Leif Erikson, son of Erik the Red, and grandson of Thorvald Asvaldsson, was born around 970 CE, in Iceland (Where is Vinland?). It was a convention of norse culture that children did not grow up with their families, instead Leif grew up with a man named Thyrker, practically a foster father to Leif. Thyrker was born in Germany, but he was brought to Iceland because Erik the Red captured h... ... http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/lia/vikings_during_mwp.html Ryne, L. (n.d.). Leif Erikson. Retrieved March 11, 2014, from Great Norwegians website: http://www.mnc.net/norway/Erikson.htm Skrà ¥mm, Y. (2004, August 14). Leif Ericsson. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from The Viking Network website: http://viking.no/e/people/leif/e-leiv.htm Soniak, M. (2013, January 23). He Could Have Discovered America, but He Wanted to See His Parents. mental_floss, Retrieved from http://mentalfloss.com/article/33584/he-could-have-discovered-amErika-he-want d-see-his-parents Weitemier, K. A. (n.d.). Leif Erikson. Retrieved March 11, 2014, from Great Norwegians website: http://www.mnc.net/norway/LeifErikson.htm Where is Vinland? (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2014, from Canadian Mysteries website: http://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/vinland/home/indexen.html

Dumex Web Site

The Danone Dumex Web site located at is the online presence of Dumex (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.. , a Malaysian health food company operating since 1958. The Web site serves as a company brochure and features company news, the company's products, tips on various health-related topics like nutrition, advice, and child development, as well as health news and recipes. Strengths The site is presented in a clutter free way. It's easy to see what the whole site has to offer, so the user does not get lost.The content also allows for returning visitors, or visitors who go back to the site for updates and new information. The New This Month, and Featured This Month section, not only encourages returning visitors, it also highlights the things that they haven't seen since their last visit, so that they won't have to go through material they've seen before. Also, the site can be navigated easily. The menu bar at the left side of the page points the user to various areas of the Web site, from news, to recipes, to the company's products, to medical advice, etc.It's all there, near each other. The site encourages more user participation and interactivity with its contests. It provides the user with a meaningful experience by featuring user photographs, writings, experiences and advise. On the company side, it allows them to build a reputation and image of being an expert on health issues. By featuring health experts' advice and opinion, along with health-related news, they are positioning themselves in a way that they can be trusted with one's health. The site also offers a display case for all their products.Content-wise, the site features news and information that is valued highly by its target market. Since the product is for babies and pregnant mothers, their content is geared towards issues related to pregnancy and children. This makes it a one-stop resource for their customers, further consolidating their brand and company image. Weakness As a healthcare-related Web site, th e site should include language warning users that the site might have insufficient advice and implores users to seek further medical attention or to see their doctor.The disclaimer would put the user's best interest in mind specially if he's really sick, or have a condition that might need individual care. An example is the site's pregnancy teaser on the home page which says â€Å"Pregnant? Don't forget to exercise†. Colette Bouchez at WebMD writes that although exercise during pregnancy is not only recommended, it also have certain benefits for both mother and baby, the mother should be aware of some warning signs like vaginal discharges and bleeding, and stop exercising. This caution is not on the Dumex home page.As such, it is highly probable that while material on the site might have been checked and is reliable, it might adversely affect some people who follows medical, nutritional advise without consulting their doctors. Also, while the site has its products online, the re is no way to order their products on the site. * * * As a consumer, I need to be sure of what I'm purchasing. It has to give me value for my money. It has to deliver its promises. For me, I want to be an informed consumer, price is only secondary.Web sites like Dumex provides me with the necessary information that I would not normally see in other forms of advertisements. A good Web site should let me know about the product, for me to know its benefits, potential threats and how it fares against the competition. And I don't have to leave home to do it, it's all, literally, at the tips of my fingers. Aside from information, good product Web sites offer their customers other related information. That would keep me informed of the things I need to be aware of.In the case of Dumex, it also tells me how their products would fit my needs. Lastly, Web sites offer the convenience of purchasing at home, which would give me more time to do other more important things, and other perks like avoiding the long lines at the supermarket or horrendous traffic. Effects of IT Employment. Information technology makes it easier to do the tasks that would have been more difficult and time consuming without it, a prime example of which is the use of the word processor instead of the manual typewriter.According to Michael Handel at the SRI Institute, however, automation using I. T. may lead to unemployment. If you have computers that run certain processes or monitor certain activities running, then you don't need to hire somebody to do that for you (Handel, 2003). Privacy and Individuality. Information technology is also changing the way we live. With the advent of social networking sites like Friendster, Myspace and countless of others, it has been easier to find new friends and maintain relationships and contact (Dwyer, 2007) .IT, while making it easier to buy products and services and have them delivered to your doorstep without leaving your home, like a book from Amazon. Com, also raised privacy issues like hackers gaining access to your credit card information, or personal data. Even one's behavior patterns on the World Wide Web, like the sites being accessed, and the amount of time being spent on a particular site can be monitored. Co-workers, hackers, and family members may have their own personal motivation now have access to illicit computer programs to get such information from one's computer.(Rittenhouse, 2004). Computer Crimes. Computer crimes are on the rise and it may involved the unauthorized use of a computer (stealing passwords, or accessing another's computer via a backdoor program); spreading malicious computer programs like trojan, virii and worms; or an online version of stalking and harassment. The underlying premise is that computer crimes are done by people who lack respect for property and privacy of other people (Standler, 2002). Ironically, computer crimes are also being battled via I. T.Various Web sites have come up with online p rivacy tools, virus detection and deletion programs, tips on how to detect illicit computer activities, among others. Societal Solutions. One of the most widespread and easily-seen effect of I. T. on society is the way people get their news nowadays. Before, people have to rely on rumors and the next morning's papers, and eventually, the evening broadcast and breaking news on T. V. The thing is, people have to wait before they get the news. Now, all they have to do is to log on to various news Web sites to get the latest happenings, on a wider variety of topics.They can get news from Somalia, or news on the latest Britney happening. The problem with this is that there tends to be a lot of wrong news coming from unverified sources. An example of which comes from the the Virginia Polytech Institute and State University shooting a year ago. At that time, many students, checked out sites on the Internet, like Fark. Com, Facebook. Com and other social networking sites to get information on the shooting. But then, it happened that one unnamed student became suspected as the gunman when his own Facebook. Com profile showed pictures of him and his gun collection.The student became the subject of death threats, and hate campaign, until news came out that the real gunman was shot dead and the unnamed student's identity was verified (IDG News Service, 2007). Health Issues. Speaking of misinformation, the World Wide Web is full of it. While the Web has made it easier to obtain information on various topics like what to do when you're pregnant, how to make bombs, how to cook the best lambchops, it would be wise to check the reliability of the information presented first. Make sure that the site, or the writer of the article is authoritative on the subject matter.Take special care when it comes to one's health. As in the case of Dumex's Web site, take all information presented there with a grain of salt and a word of caution. While healthcare advice is plentiful on the Web, it might be best to consult one's physician if you're sick. Leslie Teach at Emory University puts it succinctly when she says that previously health-related videos, books, brochures were tediously edited and reviewed before released to the public, and that's not happening with Web sites. Health improvement, disease prevention, and information about diseases are the primary health-related information that are being accessed.Teach gives a number of criterion for evaluating health-related Web sites, including: ? a clearly stated purpose of the site; ? no evident bias; ? the site is not a disguised advertisement; ? all aspects of the subject are adequately taken up; ? the site provides accurate information, with documented sources. * * * Information technology is here to stay. In fact, the widespread and pervasiveness of this technology has made so many profound effects on our daily lives that it has become a part of our culture, and our psyche. As with other advances, it has its drawb acks.But the simple truth is, the benefits outweighs the dangers. And the disadvantages can be easily fought, with a little awareness, knowledge and a critical mind, one can be safe. References Bouchez, Colette. (2007). Exercise During Pregnancy: Myth Vs. Fact. WebMD. Com. Retrieved on 18 April 2008. Danone Dumex Web page. (2008). Retrieved on 18 April 2008. Dwyer, Cathy. (2007). Digital Relationships in the MySpace Generation: Results From aQualitative Study. Proceedings of the 40th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences – 2007. Retrieved on 16 April 2008. Handel, Michael J. (2003). Complex Picture of Information Technology and Employment Emerges. SRI International. Retrieved on 18 April 2008. Rittenhouse, David. (2004). Information Technology Abuse — Privacy Issues. Retrieved on18 April 2008. Standler, Ronald. (2002). Computer Crime. Retrieved on 18 April 2008. Teach, Leslie. Evaluating Health-related Web Sites. Emory University. Retrieved on 18 Apr il 2008. Virginia Tech shooting shows benefits, pitfalls of social networking sites. (2007). IDG News Service. Retrieved on 19 April 2008.