Stop! Wait! I Am Pulling Down a Menu!

San Jose, CA, with the smallest officer-to-resident ration in the country, is named one of the safest cities in the United States. From 1990 to 2004, officers worked on a daily basis with a text-based mobile dispatch system, which they had no problem with. A major issue happened when, in 2004, this system was replaced by a new Windows-based touch screen software, developed by Intergraph. In this new project, a new touch screen computer was installed in every patrol car. The idea of the software was correct, it was supposed to bring many benefits and simply help officers, make their life easier. The new software was designed to receive orders, send messages, write reports, receive maps of the city, and use the GPS to let officers know where they are located. The success of the software was not as planned. Even before it was installed, officers were already upset that their input was not asked about the design of the interface; nobody asked their opinion and suggestions for the creation of the new system. The software itself had way too many complications. Officers were not satisfied at all with it. Some of the issues included were the increasingly difficult to use code 99-emergency, the time it took them to find whether a person they stopped had violent criminal record, mapping and GPS inaccuracies, and unneeded information that took screen space along with difficult font to read. The software simply did not work, it crashed after two days of its debut. It was fixed and debugged, but still had major issues. Dispatchers were also very dissatisfied with the Intergraph system because of the risky delays in task execution, because it could not perform multiple tasks simultaneously, between many more. They too, thought should have been consulted during the interface design stage. To fix these issues, SJPOA provided more training to officers and hired a consultant to see what could be done. The consultant realized there were too many complex hierarchies that did not make sense for anyone who had to be using the system while driving a car. Even with all these disagreements, San Jose did not replace the system. While looking at the examples given about Chicago and San Diego, I can see there is still hope for San Jose and the implementation of the new system. Are the problems encountered by the police officers due to hardware or software? The problems encountered were due to both, hardware and software. Hardware refers to the physical components of computers and related electronic devices such as PDAs. It was stated in the case that older officers were having more trouble than the younger ones and I believe it is because they are not used to the new computers and devices. The input devices are the ones that receive signals from outside the computer and transfer them into the computer. The most common input devices are the computer keyboard and mouse, but some advices accept voice, imagine, or other signals (Oz, E. , 2009). In this case, their problems were with the touch screen computers, which can serve both as an input and output device. Software was the major problem in this case. The software implemented simply did not work; there were too many bugs and mistakes. The idea of the software was to make officer’s lives easier and not more complicated. It seems that the software was too complex and slow to be used by police officers and fire fighters, who can most of the time be in danger and in need of fast and accurate information. Whom do you think is at fault for the unsuccessful implementation of the new software? Why? I believe the fault is to be blamed on the police and city officials. Their thought was good, they wanted to improve their system, but did not get any input from the officers to know what kind of system would work for them, what they need to most, if it is speed, accuracy, GPS, what would make their lives easier. I believe it lacked communication between them. With all this information, police officials could have gone to Intergraph and explained what kind of system they were looking for, how they wanted it to be, what should have its emphasis on. People, specially the â€Å"technologically challenged,† are often not receptive of new technologies. Was this a major issue in this case? I don’t believe it was a major issue, but it was one. The case stated even the tolerant and receptive officers were having obstacles to adapt to the new system, and it also said the older officers were having more trouble than the younger ones. Technology is changing so fast and some of us can not get caught up with it many times. The older officers were used with the paper and pen method, some of them probably do not even have (or if they do they got it not too long ago) a computer at home. If they are used to computers I am sure it is not the touch screen one, it is the laptop or desktop type. All of these make it more difficult to accept the new technology but it is not something that can not be converted with training. After getting familiar with the computers and systems they will realize it is going to make their job much easier and simple. If you were the CEO of Intergraph before it assumed the project for San Jose, what would you do differently? As the CEO of Intergraph I would have talked to the officials to know exactly what they are looking for in the system and try to create one that is as easy as possible to use. I would hold a lot of training sections to the officers to make sure they knew what they were doing and how they could use the system to their advantage. I believe Intergraph probably created a system that is not compatible with what they were needing. They should have held sections with the officers to know how familiar they are with computers, what they do and do not know about it. I am sure with useful information like this the system created would have been much more user friendly and therefore more effectively used. My recommendations for this case are as follow: Hold more training sections: I believe with training this situation can be solved in a simple way. I know that much of it depends on the effectiveness of the software itself, but once it is solved and free of bugs, training sections will be helpful for officers to get very familiar with the system and start using it to their advantage. Nowadays they can no longer work with paper and pen, computers will save them a lot of time and effort if used correctly. I also believe the training sections should be done with touch screen computers instead of desktop or laptops. Officers need to be able to practice on a screen just like the one they are going to work with in the car. This will make them feel more comfortable when using the software on the job. Get input from officers: the best way to make officers and dispatchers satisfied with the new system and computers is to get them involved in the process. They should be able to give their opinion about the whole situation and give inputs on what they believe would make a difference and what would not. They are the ones who will use it al all times so they should know what kind of system they want and will fulfill their needs when time comes. Fix software error: I am sure this is something they are already working on, and as stated in the case, San Diego also had the same problem when started using the same software and now it is working much better. They worked with Intergraph to fit the system to their needs and I believe San Jose needs to do the same. Get officers more adapted to technology: with time they will understand that technology is there to make their personal and professional lives better. Resistance is an emotional response based on feelings. You cannot talk people out of their emotions. In fact, their emotions become fiercer when they sense that their feelings are being challenged. An alternative and more effective approach is to ask about the concerns regarding the change. Talk to the officers to know what is holding them back. I think some workshops and/or meetings with experts in technology would give them an idea of what is available to them. I am sure a touch screen computer with many icons and items can be scary to some of them, but after they understand how to use everything they will truly take advantage of it.

Early Years Foundation Stage Essay

1. What are the four stages of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework? The EYFS is a frame work setting standards that cover the care, development, learning of children from birth to the age of five. It was first established under the Childcare Act 2006. The new framework will come into force 1st Sept 1014, until then the current EYFS 2012 is statutory. There are four specific areas of the EYFS which are: A unique child, positive relationships, enabling environments and learning and development. These provide guidance on best practices and procedures and the framework is applicable to for all environments that support children from birth to 5. Some of these would be, maintained schools, non maintained school, independent schools, child minders, pre schools and nurseries. Exceptions to these would be if a child had a nanny, or parent toddler groups (where the parent is expected to stay with the child.) Within these four specific areas there are also 7 areas of learning and development. Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are: Communication and language, physical development and personal and social and emotional development. As children grow these prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas which are Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding of the world and expressive arts and design. Each of these stages (or steps) have guidance (goals) as to where the child should be at regarding their age and stage. These stages are fairly flexible allowing staff/parents to be able to monitor the progress of the child whilst maintaining and keeping in with the Childs own unique interests and needs. 1.The Unique Child Babies and children develop at different rates and ages. However all babies must develop skill 1 before they develop skill 2 and so on, an example would be a baby must first learn to crawl (in some form) before it will walk, or learn to make sounds before it talks. Links from body to brain are essential in early child development. Children are vulnerable and without love, care and nurture from parents and carers will not develop the necessary skills, emotions and resilience of a child who had this care and nurture. These early relationships with parents/carers are essential and can strongly influence how children develop socially and emotionally. Children develop communication skills at a very early stage. Babies learn to  cry, and this is the earliest form of communication, babies communicate through facial expression, they learn to smile by watching their parents /carers, learning through having frequent enjoyable contact. Making â€Å"baby,† noises, gurgling through to laughing. Babies and children also learn and develop through play helping to develop their physical, social and emotional, communication and cognitive skills. Recognizing that all people (Adults, babies and children,) have rights and must be treated fairly. This is irrespective of age, sex, ethnicity, race, wealth, disability etc. All children have an equal right to be listened to and valued within any child setting. It is important that all children receive the same amount of care and support within the setting to ensure their overall development. It is important to assess the needs of each individual child to ensure that the individual child can r each their full potential. All babies are vulnerable and rely on adults to keep them safe. To feel safe and secure in a childcare setting is paramount. Younger children can begin to learn about keeping themselves safe through conversations, poems and stories. This help to keep children resilient. It is also important that we teach children boundaries. Children will continue to test these boundaries, but though nurturing children and explaining rules and consequences as a positive constant, children feel safe and secure in their environments. They begin to learn what is acceptable and not acceptable in their various environments and the difference of right and wrong., This is also imperative when it comes to children making choices and assessing their own risk, helping to develop their physical and physiological well being. Children’s health and well being are effected by their genes and the environment in which they are brought up in. Children who have their emotional and physical needs and wants met in an accepting, loving and understanding environment are children whom develop confidence, are resilient and self assured. Children gain a sense of well being, it helps with social skills – they are able to make friends, communicate themselves in a self assured way, share and enjoy life. Teaching healthy eating habits, maintaining the children’s interest in the health of their own bodies, role modeling this and showing posters of healthy food and fruit are ways of promoting this to children giving them choices, encouraging them to be part of a group as they start to become more in control of their bodies. Giving children a safe, clean healthy  environment aids with their physical development ensuring adequate clothing and footwear, a stimulating environment and access to the outdoors and the stimulus that this provides. For babies and young children, sleep and rest is also an important factor to aid heath and well being, as development is rapid in the first 3 years of life. Positive Relationships Every interaction is based on a positive relationship. Children are able to function better and feel safe when they are in a positive, loving relationship with their family. This flows when they make their transition to the child care environment. By involving and accepting the child’s family and working as a team with the child and their family creates a positive environment in which the child can best adapt and develop. Through mutual support of family and practitioner, shows the child we are interested in their feelings, interests and abilities. Whilst still having a professional distance from families, being friendly towards family but not being in a friendship. A parent/practitioner partnership helps to develop systems which can help scaffold children’s individual efforts and independence. Positive communication with parents enable practice that creates stimulating relationships with both the child and the people involved in their family, creating the goal to which the child feels safe, valued and included, where differences are embraced. Enabling Environments ensure that all babies and children in an Early Years Setting have the correct resources to enable the need to develop and learn. Showing parents and carers that the environment meets their child’s individual needs helps to create a positive partnership between parents and professionals. We can do this be ensuring children have stimulating resources available to them, equipment that helps to develop both physical and cognitive development. Providing resources related to the children’s cultures, religions, communities, experiences and achievements. This also helps with practice relating to inclusion, whilst providing other children with learning opportunities they may not experience in their normal everyday life. All learning development outlines that children’s development and learning rate are different. This is especially true when supporting children with disabilities or special educational needs. This is when guidelines need to be followed and care plans are put into place. Children’s learning development needs to be planned for in an EYFS setting. Children must be given the opportunity to explore different subjects made to engage them in their age and stage of understanding, these should be enjoyable but at the same time challenging encouraging children to think critically when involved in their play. This is where Planning, Observation and Assessment cycles come into play. â€Å"Observation involves practitioners observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and then to shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations.† Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage – 2012 With children in an EYFS setting early observations are vital to determine how far a child is with their development. It is important to observe a child within the three prime areas. Through these primary observations assessments developed and individual educational plans can be put i nto place to ensure the childs specific needs are met. In order to gain a level of children’s development, we use development statements. These are a list of statements that outline the four stages ok the EYFS framework Including 7 areas of where a child should be in regards to their learning development. They are either working towards or have achieved the early learning goals. This is all age and stage related and helps determine any gaps in observations, as well as the child’s strengths and weaknesses. These EYFS assessments are continuously reviewed by the practitioner who discusses findings with the parent during the prime areas of development which are between the ages of 2 & 3 years. This is then reviewed at the end of the EYFS period which Government deem to be at age 5. During the observations and assessments of the prime areas there are also 4 specific areas that will develop as the child grows. These are literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive arts and design, which are also age and stage related. 2 Summarise the psychological development theories outlined in this course. Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson and Jean Piaget were all theorists who gave ideas regarding children’s development through their years, from developmental stages, cognitive/intellectual stages and milestones. Jean Piaget’s theory is that children develop through 4 stages. The Sensorimotor (0-2 yrs) This is where the child understands the world  through their primary reflexes, looking, sucking, feeling, then as the child develops so do the schemas, Piaget states that this is first found accidently by the child then done purposefully for enjoyment. As the child progresses they do things by trial and error as the child realizes actions have a reaction, for example picking up a rattle then moving it creates noise. Creating a noise may get attention from a care giver. This knowledge is moving from the actual action of movement and reaction to the actual cognitive thought process. Milestone Object Permanence The second stage Preoperational (2-7years) This is the stage where children develop language, and become adept at using symbols which may have many meanings. An example would be a cardboard box becomes a car, a television, a bed anything that the childs imagines it to be through ro le play. A child had not yet developed logic and has an outlook of self-importance. Milestone Egocentrism Stage Three is Concrete Operational (7-11 years) Children now begin to develop a greater understanding of concrete events, they are logical in their thinking but have difficulty when relating to hypothetical events or situations. They realize that their own thoughts and feelings may be different from others thoughts. Children become less egocentric and begin to understand that something may stay in the same quantity even though the appearance has changed. If two pieces of paper are the same length and one length has been scrunched up, children will assume the scrunched is shorter if the Milestone conservation has not been reached. Formal Operational (11+Years) Children begin the ability to think in an abstract manor. They are able to reason things in their heads and conclude possible outcomes. Children are able to think about thinks they may not have experienced and still be able to determine possible endings to scenarios. Milestone, manipulation of ideas. Sigmund Freud’s theories of psychosexual development, describes how personality develops during childhood through the â€Å"id†. This is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality. The â€Å"id† is driven by the pleasure principle. Freud’s theory is based on five stages. Oral – (O-1 year) The primary source of a baby’s pleasure is through feeding, the interaction occurs through the mouth and the baby gains pleasure from the carers who is feeding the baby and develops a relationship of trust and comfort with the feeder. Milestone Feeding Anal Stage (1-3years) Freud believed the primary source of libido  was on controlling the bladder and bowel. When a child has developed this control over their body it is believed this sense of achievement and accomplishment leads to independence. Parents who praise positive outcomes lead children to feel capable and productive. Milestone Control over body Phallic Stage (3-6 years) Children develop feeling of jealousy. Freud suggested that boys become jealous of fathers affections towards their mothers. Children as a result of these feelings were also able to understand the fears of punishment. Milestone Jealousy Differences Latent (6 years-puberty) The early part of Latent is where children become interested in their peers, lasting meaningful relationships are formed, they become interested in hobbies and other interests, the later part of Latent is when children develop further relationships, social and communication skills and self confidence. Children tend to more actively pursue activities they are interested in. Milestone Interest in hobbies and others. Genital Stage (puberty-death)Freud suggests that in this last stage, the person develops a sexual interest in the opposite sex. This stage begins at puberty but remains with a person throughout life. Interests in the welfare others should now be established, Freud determined that once all stages have been met the individual should now be an all rounded well balanced individual. Milestone Sexual interests and a well balanced lifestyle. Erik Erikson also theorized upon personality, however, whereas Freud took a sexual approach, physcosexual, Erikson took the â€Å"ego† approach, psychosocial which was all about the â€Å"ego† of the human, rather than the â€Å"id† that Freud discussed. The â€Å"ego† was more about the role of society, culture and conflicts that took place within itself – the devil and angel on your shoulder. Stage 1 Trust vs Mistrust (0-18mth) Babies/young children begin to develop a sense of trust from their primary care givers, if the care is constant, then trust develops. If not then Erikson claimed the child will develop a mistrust even fear and will not have confidence in the world around them. Milestone Feeding Stage 2 Ear ly Childhood (2-3years)Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt. By this stage, children are walking, able to chose (toys, directions to walk in) becoming more independent and developing autonomy. The aim Erikson suggested, was to let the child attempt and try at risk, even though failure may be possible, Erikson said it was better to praise the child for its attempts. â€Å"They must not criticize the child for failures and accidents  (particularly when toilet raining.) The aim has to be â€Å"self control without a loss of self esteem.† (Gross 1993) Milestone toilet training. Stage 3 Preschool (3-5years) Initiative vs Guilt. Children become more social and are interested in developing games, interacting with one another, becoming more assertive. Children become more confident as they become involved more in play and lead others through this. During this time, other children may want to take control, or adults may â€Å"intervene† in some way, children then begin to feel inadequate which leads to a lacking in self initiative and feeling of guilt. Milestone Exploration Stage 4 School Age (6-11years)Industry vs Inferiority This is the most important time for anyone in the teaching profession. Children begin to develop coping skills, they are developing relationships with peers and begin to feel the need to win approval by developing specific competencies that are interesting and noted by society. Children take pride in their accomplishments and are keen to show all in their world their achievements. Erikson suggests at this point, if children are not commended, or no interest is taken by their peers, family or care givers, and criticism is offered instead of praise, then the child may begin to feel inferior and have doubt in their abilities. Some children may just stop being interested in a certain activity. Milestone – School Stage 5 (!2-18years) Identity vs Role Confusion. Erikson suggests this is the age where children/young adults begin to gain t two identities a greater sense of self identity/awareness. They begin to look forward, to plan their futures Erikson â€Å"suggests that two identities are involved: the sexual and the occupational.† McLeod, S.A. (2008.) Children who experience constant negativity and rebuke from peers, trusted professionals (teachers) and family members can lead to a lack in confidence, low self esteem, and failure. 3.. Analyse the factors which affect child development. The factors which play a central role in children’s learning support the transitional process from EYFS into Year 1. â€Å"The characteristics of effective learning run through and underpin all seven areas of learning and development, representing process rather than outcomes.† EYFS Profile Handbook. There are three key characteristics of effective learning. Playing and Exploring, Active Learning and Critical Thinking. These  descriptions need to have a brief description through means of ongoing observations, relevant photographs, discussions with parents and relevant adults and should take into account all relevant information from the setting. The HLTA should encourage children by supporting and encouraging a child’s natural curiosity (Playing and Exploring.) This can be achieved through role play sought from the children’s own interests. By having – creating an excited and well resourced role play area encourages children to engage in play they may not normally choose, and to mix with other children they wouldn’t normally play with. Through providing varied materials children can use imagination and construct their own equipment for use in their play. The HLTA encourages to play through using encouraging praise and being aware of all children engaged in the â€Å"game.† And by giving children a language to think about by maybe first initiating language/vocabulary relevant to the role play. An example would be a shop area HLTA would use vocab. such as cost, money, buy, shop, etc. introduce mathematics through numeracy words. To then reflect with children about their play encouraging them to â€Å"chat,† about what they did, ask questions how, why, where, encourage children to think about what else they could do, improve on, get rid of – what’s good and what’s not, all helps the HLTA support children by trying different strategies, practice problem solving skills, through encouraging praise. We are then able to revisit the role play area, giving children time to explore the area, thinking about what they’ve discussed, encouraging other children to contribute. To encourage children to think critically is to support children in the development of their own ideas, develop their problem solving skills and develop their methodical approach to achieve an outcome. A HLTA could introduce a maths activity to support this. I would set up conversa tions regarding the resources such as weighing scales, and various sized and shaped parcels, some the same size but have a noticeable change in weight. We would have discussions firstly introducing language, heavier ,lighter, large, small, equal, balance. By asking children to chose a parcel they â€Å"think† is heavy (most will pick the largest) and compare that to another parcel introduces different ideas that biggest isn’t always heaviest. Children will enjoy investigating and figuring out. Asking children to compare weight in their hands and through use of the scales will encourage children to think through  the issue, through conversation and discussing mistakes children will able to see visual when using the weiing scales which parcel was actually heavier, asking other children to comment feedback and to â€Å"have a go.† And by supporting and respecting a childs efforts and thinking of new ideas i.e. how can we make it heavier on this side?†¦ I think that be introducing activities encourages children in active learning. It involves being calm at all times and to be able to calm children who may become over excited. Through constructive praise of their progress, achievements and failures. Helping children set new and different goals, encouraging children to watch and learn from other children through praise and encouragement. Teaching children to reflect upon their play, encouraging children to return to games, areas, activities that they may not have accessed for a while. Give children time to explore the activities and allow them to contribute. Through taking photographs of children engaged in an activity, and by returning to discuss the pictures at a later date, reminds the child and encourages them to think and recollect their experiences. Displaying these photos and giving them the child’s voice on either setting walls, or learning journals encourages children to contribute to their environment.

Education - Project Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Education - Project Report - Essay Example The project was a national youth meeting characterised by a series of discussion groups involving young people, policy makers and stakeholder representatives. The activities focused on young people discussing youth mentoring issues and presenting their views on key issues and themes within youth mentoring. The participants included: fifty young people around from the United Kingdom, youth practitioners and experts in the youth issues and policy makers. The mentoring academy acted as the lead partner in planning and facilitating events. Table of Contents Project Report 1 Executive Summary 1 Table of Contents 2 Project Report 3 Participants 3 Context and Origin of the Project 3 Aims and Objectives 4 Methodology 4 Contribution to Non-Formal Learning 5 Involvement 6 Activities-Youth in Action Programme 6 Budget 9 Discussion 14 Responses 14 Achievement of Aims and Objectives 15 Impacts of the Project 16 Intercultural Dimension 16 European Dimension 17 Current Issues with Mentoring 17 Ment oring as a Government Policy 17 Benefit to the Mentees 18 Recommendations 19 Conclusion 19 References 20 Project Report Mentoring is defined as a direct non-judgmental relationship whereby an individual dedicates time to support another person. Youth mentoring is a concept of youth work that is increasingly being incorporated in various youth sectors such as schools, community youth settings and private sectors. The youth mentoring development project provides young people with opportunities to play an active role in improving the efficiency of mentoring programs. The project was a national youth meeting characteriaed by a series of discussion groups involving young people, policy makers and stakeholder representatives. The activities focused on young people to discussing youth mentoring issues and presenting their views on key issues and themes within youth mentoring. Participants The participants included: fifty young people around from the United Kingdom who comprised of 25 males and 25 females; youth practitioners and experts in the youth field i.e. Clapham Park Project, Northumberland Park Community Project, Lambeth Youth Council and Robert Levy Foundation; and policy makers such as Mentoring Academy, Great London Authority (GLA), Mayor’s Children and Young People’s Unit, The Learning Trust, and members of parliament Chuka Ummuna, David Lammy and Diane Abbott. The mentoring academy acted as the lead partner in planning and facilitating events. Context and Origin of the Project The project has originated from collaboration among different practitioners. It was developed by the mentoring academy with the purpose of engaging and supporting youths from the deprived areas of London. Mentoring has established itself as efficient tools in helping young people faced with the dangers of deprivation, enabling them lead a prosperous life. The project has also been populariaed by the fact that most emerging mentoring programs are being led by youth grou ps and increasingly seeking the services of peer mentors. Additionally, minimal research has been conducted on the needs of the mentees and mentors, and standards for mentoring modules yet many practitioners are demanding for this form of standardiaation. This provided the concept within which the project was developed. Aims and Objectives The principle aim of the research was to ensure that the opinions of the youths were incorporated in development of youth mentorship policies. The objectives

Reasons and Ideas of Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reasons and Ideas of Democracy - Essay Example Democracy in the modern age is best known by the notion, of a people’s governance style. Usually, a government stands at the epitome of authority and is most likely able to govern its people in accordance with its interests, whether good or bad, preferable or not. Democracy, in the ancient times, was first realized among the Greeks in the early century. The word democracy, in Greek, is a two-word meaning â€Å"the people† and â€Å"to rule†, thus can be seen as a rule governed by the people. At the time, the Greek were closer to their people and better at communication than any other country in the world. The monarchical system was viewed as probably the worst to use in governance. In their governance, everybody was involved in making decisions that affected the country. This made them the most civilized nation then. Greek at the time had not embodied democracy maximally as women were still serving as slaves. Fifty years later, this was no longer the case since women slavery was slowly diminishing, thus embracing full democracy. This idea of democracy was later adapted by several countries but hugely by the Romans. Their government was divided into two branches and issues were voted on in order to make sure that democracy was maintained. In the eighteenth century, several ideas had become prevalent. This was especially enhanced by Christianity that teaches that everyone is equal before the eyes of God. This idea of equality became deeply ingrained by the people, and hence a crucial way of determining how decisions were to be handled in government. Some people may view democracy as the best form of governance while others may see it as the worst form of governance. Freedom has been seen as an essential point of governance especially that Democracy is consisted of it. This makes it the best form to use in governance. Democratic nations have people with freer options as compared to those that use autocracy. These rights include voting for the system of power and determining decisions that impact the country. Other include, working as the opposition in criticizing the government and freedom of speech and expression. The representative democracy started when colonialists wanted a fairer system of taxation, thus including representation of people to be able to have a say in the governance of the country. America may not have followed in the Athenian form of democracy but the representative seemed to work really fine, especially in recognizing people’s rights. While in Cairo, president Obama expressed the different forms of democracy within the United States and showed how they may be embraced by other nations in embracing peace. He showed how ideology was recognized for making democracy more effective as a system of governance. The White House, (2009), in the speech that president Obama delivered in Cairo, the president explains how democracy has helped eliminate religious wars and instill peace within his country. He states that the United States, being amongst the most

Issue of gender inequality from a global perspective Essay

Issue of gender inequality from a global perspective - Essay Example Again, the focus of how the media covers the improvement of women will be aimed at presenting those 'general' variables that apply across all cultures, and education will be presented as one of the most important ways toward female emancipation. Finally, and in keeping with the economic focus, the solution driven approach will be examined from the US perspective over and against that of the rest of the world. Given that both health care and education are institutions that have had a very measurable positive impact, the question emerges as to whether these should be state or private? In terms of economics, the problems and the solutions will be examined with a particular central focus on fiscally driven themes. However much there is a lot of legislation and many institutions that function to challenge discrimination in the US, discrimination is nonetheless a problem. From the beginning's of US history, and to the present time, there has been a marked progress toward creating the insti tutions and legislation that promotes equality across social classes, race or visible minority barriers, barriers created by disabilities, and finally, the issue which will be the focus of the following analysis, namely, discrimination on the basis of gender. This said, progress toward gender inequality has been a long struggle. In the twentieth century, for example, the right to vote for women was established in 1919 or well after the right to vote was given to men. Further, the most significant acts or legislation for promoting equality, were really only passed in the 1960's. Among these, it has to be maintained that the Equal Pay or Equality Act rank as the most significant. While, the legislative or formal area of breaking down discrimination has taken some time, the effects of greater equality are arguably only a fairly recent phenomenon. For instance, in the US at the moment, in over two-thirds of all households women are in the workforce [Bennett and Ellison, 2010]. Further, women are outranking men in education at significant levels, and represent 71% of all valedictorians [Bennett and Ellison, 2010]. However, while there is progress by so many social indicators, they remain largely outsiders at the top of the work chain, so to speak. Moreover, they are still earning less than men for equivalent which means that there is a persisting wage gap in spite of a lot of the progress that has been noted in brief: â€Å"Women in the U.S. may be working more, and in greater numbers, but women are still just 3 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs, and make 77 cents on the dollar† [Bennett and Ellison, 2010]. It cannot be stressed enough that the wage gap for present purposes, has to be understood within some of the perimeters of economics. As a gap measurable or quantifiable, it follows that a tax revenue base is effected as just a single instance where impacts are made well beyond the immediate or surface layer. It cannot be said enough that both the wage gap and the impact of fewer women earning the top salaried jobs in the Fortune 500 boardrooms are economic at least as much as moral issues. In terms of the legal problems involved with systemic discrimination,

Why College is important for a successful career Essay

Why College is important for a successful career - Essay Example Students who have attended college stand a better chance to succeed in their careers than those who do not attend college. Based on this notion, this paper will raise an argument that supports why attending college is crucial for career success. College can be regarded as a crucial institution that ought to be attended by students owing to the various benefits, which can be attributed to attending college. College is important because it offers students with significant exposure, which helps them significantly during their job search. By attending college, students get well equipped with the requirements of the job market and can, therefore, navigate through the job market with a lot of ease. Unlike students who have not attended college, college students can face interviewers with a lot of confidence and determination. The exposure attained in college makes students competent and this enables them to stand high chances of getting the jobs, which they may seek (Gardner, Jewler, and Barefoot 11-15). College helps students become successful, both in their careers and life, in a number of ways. When students attend college, they are assured of getting jobs immediately upon graduation. Students who attend college have better credentials than students who do not have any qualifications, which match college education. As a result, they are better placed to be preferred by employers than high school graduates. This means that job prospects for college students tend to be higher than those of other students. Employers maintain that college students have the potential than high school graduates. With this in mind, college students have a high probability of getting jobs. With jobs, they can improve their lives significantly, and afford high standards of living; as opposed to those who lack a college education (Gardner, Jewler, and Barefoot 11-15). The other way in which college helps students become successful is because they can earn a high income with a college education. It is eviden t that college graduates earn a higher income than their high school counterparts. With college education qualifications, employers will give a reasonable package to graduates. As such, they will get a considerable income that will help them improve their lives significantly. Thus, college education determines success in life; as the graduates can achieve their dreams with a lot of ease. Graduates who have attained college qualifications can drive good cars and live in decent houses. In most societies, success in life is defined by the ability of a graduate to drive a vehicle after graduating, as well as afford to shop in esteemed destinations and live in high class estates (Gardner, Jewler, and Barefoot 11-15). College can be termed as advantageous in a number of ways; in college, students can get a scholarship to engage in sports. Getting sports’ scholarship can be termed as one of the advantages of attending college. Scholarships for students who engage in sports is crucia l since it helps students gain motivation to study. Thus, attending college can help athletes and students engaging in sports get endorsements from media companies and other large companies. Such endorsements can be beneficial to the graduates since they earn a lot of money when they receive endorsements. College is also advantageous since it gives students an opportunity to interact and share with other students and professionals. As a result, the students gain exceptional expertise in their respective

Evaluation of Dental Education Strategies Essay

Evaluation of Dental Education Strategies - Essay Example This paper stresses that the medical and dental education demanded new teaching – learning methods with more formal instructional design and delivery. In professional education like medical and dental education, the common teaching strategies include that of role model, small or large group interactions, lectures, one to one teaching, brainstorming, computer aided case studies and patient model exercise. Among these methods, for clinical teaching, the preferred teaching methods are role model, one to one instruction, small group discussions and patient model assessment. Based on the survey feedback from students, this case study aims to identify the most effective teaching method. Thus the single major aim of this case study is to find out the best teaching method in dental education – whether is it one to one direct teaching? or is it small group discussion teaching? The article also states that the teaching skills need to be developed by a doctor and he / she should b e a competent teacher. The following personal attributes are quoted for a competent and committed medical teacher by Judy and Carol, commitment to profession, enthusiasm, sensitive to needs of students, inculcating the required professional attitude within the students, developing practical teaching skills, interest in serving as doctor as well as a teacher, openness to peer review and change his or her teaching, ability to implement formal assessment of medical students and trainees.

Ancient goddesses of the middle east Research Paper

Ancient goddesses of the middle east - Research Paper Example In most cases, these civilizations have left behind a great deal of artifacts that suggest the types of religions they practiced, most being of a polytheistic or multi-god format, as well as evidence of what these gods and goddesses represented. Today, the region is more often associated with the advent of Christianity and the concept of a one-god religion, so it is interesting to note the polytheistic tendencies and perhaps examine some of the more specific details of these tendencies to determine how or why the transition was made to a male-dominated religious tradition that would span more than 2000 years. Was it a reaction to an overly powerful, highly restrictive goddess cult? As a means of trying to isolate this grander question, it would be helpful to have some understanding of the greater goddesses of the Mesopotamian region, their powers and their development over time to determine whether the legends provide any support for the Great Goddess legend. Many people assume that the earliest civilizations worshipped a Great Goddess. She was a solitary figure that gave birth to all life on Earth and was responsible for everything on it – much like the God or Allah of the modern day. Evidence for her existence is found in a number of things such as the statuary that has been discovered and some of the myths that have been passed down. Decorative art in societies such as the ancient Minoans indicate women holding high places in society (Goodison & Morris, 1998). It is assumed that a society worshipping a Great Goddess such as this would be organized according to matrilineal lines with the female gender holding much of the power. â€Å"That at least some of the peoples †¦ new-comers encountered were matriarchal and Goddess-worshipping was accepted by even such hard-headed (and influential) archaeologists as V. Gordon

Regression Analysis Models for Marketing Decision Making Essay

Regression Analysis Models for Marketing Decision Making - Essay Example Regression analysis is a statistical technique that determines linear relationships between two or more variables. Businesses mainly use regression as a causal inference and for predictions. The major regression models available are linear regression model, non-linear regression model, logistic regression and multinomial logistic regression. Simple regression models use only two variables to achieve a particular statistical result. Multiple linear regression is a regression that applies more than two variables. Logistic regression procedures in quantitative statistics will produce all predictions, residuals and influence statistics. Logistic regression also produces goodness-of-fit tests using sales and marketing data in the case where it has to make predictions for the marketing department. The goodness-of-fit tests are created at the individual case level, and this is regardless of methods of data insertion and whether or not the number of covariate patterns is lesser than the total number of instances in question. On the other hand, multinomial logistic regression procedure aggregates all cases internally to form subpopulations with identical covariate patterns for the predictors, residuals, and goodness-of-tests. Non-linear regression is a quantitative statistical method of finding a nonlinear model of the relationship between the dependent variable and a set of several independent variables. Current non-linear models can be used to estimate models with arbitrary relationships between dependent and independent variables. Iterative estimation is mostly used to achieve non-linear regression. Predicting future marketing trends is business is an essential requirement for the management if they have to beat the competition. This is because a lot of the data is available for use by business nowadays due to advancements in technology like the web that collects a lot of statistical data for analysis. The primary problem facing businesses is identifying the  optimal data analysis model to use in the analysis the quantitative data and getting valid information for predicting the future marketing trends.

Criminal Law Essay Example for Free

Criminal Law Essay 1. What kind of strike does the law not allow to form the basis of self-defense claims? d. Preemptive Correct Question 2 The castle exception is an exception to what doctrine? a. the retreat doctrine Question 3 Which of the following cases involves the â€Å"New York Subway Vigilante?† c. People v. Goetz (1986) Correct Question 4 Most defenses are perfect defenses; if they’re successful, defendants are c. acquitted. Question 5 The retreat requirement is weakest or nonexistent when persons are attacked b. in their own homes. Correct Question 6 The defense of consent recognizes the societal value of a. individual autonomy. Correct Question 7 A defense in which the defendant admits the act but claims that, under the circumstances, they aren’t legally responsible is called b. excuse. Correct Question 8 A defense in which the defendant accepts responsibility for the act but claims what they did was right is called a. justification. Correct Question 9 Circumstances that convince fact finders that defendants don’t deserve the maximum penalty for the crime they’re convicted of are called c. mitigating circumstances. Correct Question 10 Which of the following never justifies the use of force against another person? a. retaliation Question 11 At the heart of the choice-of-evils defense is the necessity to prevent a. imminent danger. Correct Question 12 A person who was the initial aggressor can gain a lawful right to self-defense if they do which of the following from the incident they started? b. completely withdraw Correct Question 13 A person can use deadly force against an attacker whom the victim reasonably believes is going to cause them an injury less than death. The attacker is said to be threatening b. serious bodily injury. Correct Question 14 What is the heart of self-defense? a. necessity Correct Question 15 The general rule is that self-defense is available only against what type of attacks? b. Legal Question 16 Which of the following is a key requirement of the necessity defense? a. that no reasonable legal option exists for averting the harm Correct Question 17 The law of self-defense is undergoing b. major transformation. Correct Question 18 In some jurisdictions, a person must retreat before using defensive deadly force if a. he can with complete safety to himself and others. Correct Question 19 Defensive force may be used only if the threat or danger is  d. imminent. Correct Question 20 Evidence that doesn’t amount to a perfect defense might amount to an imperfect defense; that is, defendants are d. guilty of lesser offenses.

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)

Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) Crime Prevention through Environmental Design is a method of deterring unlawful conduct through deliberately engineering the setting in which crime is likely to be perpetrated. In this regard, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design is a multidisciplinary approach to prevent criminal behavior through environmental design (Atlas, 2008). CPTED tactics and strategies depend on the ability to manipulate the criminals choices that precede the crime. Importantly, to achieve deterrence effects of criminal behavior, CPTED strategies have been designed on the basis that they can influence offenders decision in regard to committing crime which precedes criminal acts. The essence of CPTED approach is underlined by Angel (1968) suggestion that crime settings can be influenced by: the creation or elimination of boundaries, decreasing or increasing accessibility, delineating territories and through enhancing surveillance by the police and citizenry. Therefore, CPTED can be seen as an approac h to problem solving that takes into account the environmental conditions and the opportunities they offer for criminal behavior occurrence (Cornish and Clarke 1986). Thereafter, it utilizes those perceived opportunities responsible for causing crimes to control access, provide opportunity to see and to be seen and defines ownership while encouraging territory maintenance (Luedtke et al, 1970) CPTED uses a multiplicity of disciplines to foresee the offenders mindset and hence create an environment that deters criminal behavior. Crowe (2000) reports that the central tenet used to arrive at the strategies is the analysis of crime and the environment where it occur using an analytic question â€Å"why here†. Furthermore, such analyses have proved that: crimes are specific and situational; crime distribution correlates to land use and transport network; and offenders are usually optimistic and commits crime in place they know well (Atlas, 2008). Moreover, these analyses reveal that opportunities for crime arise out of daily activities and crime places that are often without observer. The strategies that are employed to achieve CPTED objectives are through the use of target hardening, natural surveillance, alarm and warning systems installation and access control. Despite the science being originally formulated by Ray Jeffery (1977), CPTED is studied within the works and findings of Oscar Newman and Tim Crowe. R Jefferys model is now viewed as a multidisciplinary approach to crime prevention which strays from the parameters of security science by incorporating psychology, human anatomy, biology and ergonomics (Crowe, 2000). Newman (1972) ascertained the two basic components of a defensible space. First, this space must enable people to see other people and to be seen themselves. This greatly reduces the inhabitants fears because they are confident that a criminal can be viewed, recognized and detained. Second, residents should be willing to get involved in fighting crime, this involves nurturing a sense of control among the inhabitants; this will enable them to adopt an empowered attitude which facilitates the combat of crime especially within residential areas. Following its inception, CPTED has advanced at a great pace. Some of the noteworthy advancements include: the broken windows theory by James Wilson and Kelling George which studies the impact that visible neglect, wear and tear in neighborhoods have on behavior, the environmental criminology paper by Patricia and Paul Brantingham which looks at crime through four elements: rule, a wrongdoer, a target and an opportune location with environmental criminology being the study of the last of the four elements (Goldstein, 1990; Cornish and Clarke, 1986). British academicians Ronald and Patricia Mayhew also advance the discipline by formulating their Situational Crime Prevention Approach which addresses the reduction of the chance to offend by enhancing the design and administration of the environment in question. Theory supporting CPTED in residential burglaries There are number of criminology theories that justify and align to CPTED approach in relation to residential burglaries. Theories that support CPTED in residential burglaries tend to deviate long due reliance on the sociological and biological perspective to understand crime, and instead emphasis on the crime prevention incentives that reduce environmental opportunities for crime and criminal. The most appropriate theory is the defensive space theory. The Defensive Space Theory This is a terminology used to describe an environment whose physical attributes building plan, location and function allows the occupants themselves to become key agents in safeguarding them. In other words defensive space is both a social and physical (sociophysical) phenomenon (Oscar Newman, 1972), which means that a housing unit is only secure if its inhabitants intend to take on the role of safeguarding it. The theory emphasizes that a location is safer when its individuals possess a sense of responsibility for it; Newman puts it as â€Å"the criminal is isolated because his turf is removed†. This means that if each space is owned and catered for by a conscientious caretaker then a burglar will feel more vulnerable perpetrating his crime. (Newman, 1972) In the defensive space theory there are four factors that constitute a defensible space: the concept of territoriality which is a sense of possession and control for a particular property, natural surveillance, which is the connection between a locations physical attributes and the inhabitants ability to monitor what is happening, the physical spaces Image or ability to convey a sense of security and Milieu which are other characteristics that may have an effect on security like nearness to a busy road. According to the theory, housing projects that stir up territorial sentiments are usually effective in combating crime and defacement. Newman (1972) put it that through good design people should not only feel comfortable in questioning what is happening in their surroundings, they should feel compelled to do so. Any criminal should be able to perceive a watchful community monitoring his actions. In the book Design Outlines for Creating Defensible spaces Oscar Newman outlined five basic principles of designing a defensible space. These basic principles are: the allocation to different groups the specific environment they are able to use and control, for instance the basketball court is best assigned to male teenagers. Second principle entails demarcation of space in housing developments to exhibit the zone under the control of specific inhabitants. Third, invokes the strategic juxtaposition. Fourth, incorporation of the streets within the direct influence of an inhabited setting and the embracing of building styles which eludes the stigma of irregularity that normally allows others to make out the susceptibility. And fifth, involves seclusion of a specific group of residents (Newman, 1972) Approaches in Initiating CPTED projects Research conducted in CPTED has revealed that the decision to indulge in criminal behavior or not to is more likely to be influenced by the criminals perception of the risks of being caught than his evaluations on the reward or the effort necessary in conducting the crime. In line with the findings of this research, defensible space is then designed to reduce crime and the fear of crime while improving the quality of life. In Crime Prevention through Environmental Design the four most widespread CPTED approaches are: natural surveillance or close watch, natural territorial reinforcement or fortification, natural access control or admission management and target hardening (Wood, 1961). Natural surveillance (Kruger and Liebermann, 2001) in CPTED is achieved by increasing awareness by placement of facilities, activities and individuals in a way visibility is optimized and human interaction is fostered. Criminals in such a space feel scrutinized and self aware, this diminishes the chance of them engaging in unlawful acts in such a space. This strategy takes effect by cutting down the opportunities for engaging in unlawful behavior. In such a design streets are made intentionally wide so as to accommodate as many pedestrians as possible. In natural surveillance designs: Unnecessary walls are usually eliminated this is because they block the residents line of vision, windows are positioned overlooking opportunistic points of entry and by closed circuit television (CCTV) is used to monitor suspicious individuals. In access control, only authorized individuals are allowed access to areas which might be targeted by criminals. This can be achieved through: keeping private areas behind lock and key, strategically situating security personnel to scrutinize individuals before they are given access to private space, use of tall fences to restrict access, doing away with design elements that might provide access to private areas, for instance poorly situated balconies and by barricading ground level windows which can be easily broken into by criminals (Cohen and Felson, 1979). In natural territorial reinforcements, personal space is distinctly demarcated and unauthorized movement is eliminated by demonstrating greater proprietary concern. This can be achieved by assigning areas to specific users, this makes trespassers prominent and hence easy to make out. The natural territorial reinforcement strategy of crime prevention can be attained through the implementation of: Prominently displaying alert and security signage, scheduling activities in common spaces, restricting unplanned activities and by preserving a well groomed a premise that conveys an active presence (Atlas, 2008). Target Hardening as a Strategy in Crime Deterrence Target hardening is a security term that refers to the fortification of a building in order to minimize the threat of attack or theft (Clarke, 1992). A straight forward method of crime prevention, target hardening usually deters or delays an attack. It includes ensuring that all windows, doors and other possible entrances are properly locked, removing any natural vegetation that could harbor criminals or be used by criminals to access higher properties. Practical Examples on the Successful Application of CPTED In the book Design Outlines for Creating Defensible Spaces written by Oscar Newman in 1972, he outlines a research conducted in the City of New York that revealed that high-rise apartment buildings had crime rates higher than in lower housing projects. He attributed this to the fact that in high rise buildings residents felt that they had no obligation to secure an area that is occupied by so many people. In 1985 George L. Kelling the originator of the broken window theory was hired as a consultant for New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) (Clarke, 1992). In this period David Gunn a researcher put in place robust measures to test the Broken Windows Theory specifically targeting vandalism and graffiti. From 1984 to 1990 the subway system was meticulously cleaned and service in line with the broken window theory (Crowe, 2000). In 1990 due to the runaway successes of George Kellings policies concerning graffiti and vandalism control, the implementation of the Broken Windows Theory was further intensified by his successor William J. Braton who became the chief officer of the New York City Police. Braton implemented zero-tolerance policies relating to fare dodging, easier arrestee processing methods and background checks on all offenders (Crowe, 2000). Celebrated Mayor Rudy Giuliani and his police commissioner Howard Safir also implemented the strategy on a wider scale in New York City. In his period at the helm Rudy Giuliani had the police strictly enforce the laws against subway fare evasion, public drinking, public urinators and men who wiped the windshields of stopped cars and demanded payment. This led to the crime rates of both serous and petty crime falling drastically for the next ten years (Clarke, 1992; Crowe, 2000). In the late 1990s in Albuquerque New Mexico an initiative called the Safe Streets program was launched (Clarke, 1992). In this scheme it was reasoned that lawlessness on roadways had a similar domino effect in facilitating crime as graffiti vandalism in New York. Punitive measures were initiated to discourage the antisocial behaviors experienced there; this was followed by a steep decline in crime as reviewed by NHTSA and published in a case study. An example that captures the definition o f a defensible space is a United States Department of Justice experiment in Hartford Connecticut (Clarke, 1992). In this experiment streets were closed and police were assigned to each neighborhood in the city. These measures were implemented alongside new public housing plans that were designed to restrict access to the city. Surprisingly Hartford did not show any significant drop in crime. This is despite the private areas of St Louis having a much lower crime rate than the public areas; the underlying reason is speculated to have been in private areas in St Louis people had the capacity and the incentives to protect their defensible spaces (Luedtke et al., 1970; Clarke, 1992). Checklists for Investigating a Premises Compliance with CPTED Template Questions to Evaluate a Premises Compliance with Natural Surveillance This checklist aims at evaluating how well natural surveillance strategies have been implemented within the building: Has the premises installed CCTV cameras to monitor human activities? Where is the lighting situated along passage ways? What is the height at which the lighting is placed? Can peoples faces be adequately made out with the current level of lighting? What is the level of glare from windows, smooth furniture surfaces or oil painted walls? Is it sufficient to cause a blind spot in peoples vision? Have the windows been shielded from glare by shielded or cut-off luminaires? What is the type of vestibules used in the construction of the buildings entry? Is it transparent or is it opaque in nature? Does it allow sufficient light to ensure good visibility? Is there a fence in the compound? What is the type of fence used (can it allow light through i.e. a chain link fence) or is it impervious to light? What is the proximity of the location to road? How busy is the traffic along that road? How to the residents of the premises leave their window shades? Open or closed? How are the windows positioned on the premises? Do they overlook areas that are a high risk of having a security breach? How is the landscape design in regards to facilitating surveillance over opportunistic points of entry? Template Questions to Evaluate a Premises Compliance with Natural Access Control Has fencing been used to restrict access to the premises? Is the fence high enough to prevent trespassers from jumping over it? Is there a gate separating the front yard from the back yard? Can it be locked? Is it usually locked? Were there any design features in the original plan of the premises that could provide unauthorized access to upper levels of the building? Are they still there? If they are still there, what steps have been taken avoid them being used to breach into the building? What steps have been used to secure ground level windows against breach? How many points of entry does the building have? Is it clearly identifiable? Template Questions to Evaluate a Premises Compliance with Natural Territorial Reinforcement Are the activities within the premises spontaneous or are they planned? Are private activities restricted to defined areas? Where are the amenities i.e. seating and food situated in the building? Are they distributed over a wide area or are they placed in a central location? Are there any security signage displayed in the building? How prominent do the security signages appear? How well has the premises and the landscape around it been maintained? Does it communicate an active presence? References Angel, S. (1968). City Planning and Discouraging Crime: University of California press, Berkeley Atlas, R. (2008). 21st Century Security and CPTED: Boston, CRC Press. Crowe, T. (2000), Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design: Boston, Heinemann. Cornish, D. Clarke, R.V. (1986): The Reasoning Criminal: Rational Choice Perspectives on Offending. New York: Springer Verlag. Clarke, R.V. (1992). Situational Crime Prevention: Successful Case Studies: New York, Harrow and Hesston. Cohen, L. Felson, M. (1979), â€Å"Crime Rate Trends and Social Change: A Routine Activity Approach.† American Sociological Review 44(4):589-600. Goldstein, H. (1990). Problem-Oriented Policing: New York: McGraw Hill. Jeffery, C. R. (1977). CPTED: Beverly Hills, Sage Publications. Kruger, T K L. Liebermann, S. (2001). Designing Safer Places: A Manual for Crime Prevention Through Planning and Design: Pretoria, South Africa: CSIR. Luedtke, G et al. (1970). The Physical City and Crime: Design Techniques for Crime Reduction for Neighborhood. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice. Newman, O. (1972). Crime Prevention Through Urban Design: Defensible Space. New York: Macmillan Wood, E. (1961) Housing Design: A Social Theory

The Interferometer :: essays research papers fc

Abstract: The interferometer is the most accurate measuring device known to man. It was created by Albert A. Michelson. The operation of the interferometer described briefly is a light beam that is separated by a beam splitter. The two beams then travel equal distances at 90 ° of each other where they are reflected off two mirrors back through the beam splitter. They are then superimposed on to a screen. The screen will display an interference pattern of fringes. The interferometer is extremely sensitive to vibrations and should be isolated from them The interferometer is the most accurate device presently known to man, and most likely will remain the most accurate measuring device for the next hundred years† Cal Christiansen. The interferometer can measure lengths of one half the wavelength of the light source being used. With a HeNe laser (Helium Neon) this length is 316.4nm, about 1/3 of a micron. The interferometer is able to measure very small distances by the interference produced between two lasers beams. With this degree of accuracy there are clearly many uses for this device including, measuring flatness, structural stress, and making linear measurements. Albert A. Michelson is the father of the interferometer and the â€Å"Michelson Interferometer† is still used today. Michelson was born in Prussia in 1872 and later moved to the United States where he joined the U.S. Navy. As an instructor in the Navy academy he was asked to demonstrate the Foucault method of measuring the speed of light and made several improvements on it. Michelson received a grant and built his first interferometer much like the one presently used. It consisted of an Argand lamp, two mirrors, two beam splitters and an eyepiece. The device was extremely sensitive to vibrations and wasn’t accurate until it was brought to the Potsdam Astrophysical Observatory in Berlin where it was mounted on a platform designed for an equatorial telescope. With proper setup Michelson attempted to detect the presence ether, an invisible undetectable material that surrounded by all matter. This was unsuccessful and Einstein later declared that the ether did not exit and light travels at the same speed in all directions. Michelson would later receive the Nobel Prize for science for â€Å"precision optical instruments and the spectroscope and metrological investigations conducted herewith.† Several versions of the interferometer were devised by Michelson including, the interferential comparator for standardizing the meter, a mechanical harmonic analyzer for testing the harmonic motion of fringes, and a stellar interferometer for measuring the size of stars.

The story of an hour Essay example -- essays research papers

The Story of an Hour – by Kate Chopin Kate Chopin wrote a short story about women’s liberation in the 19. century. In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† we are introdused to Mrs Mallard who is told that her husband is dead. Mrs Mallard has got heart troubles, and therefore the sad news are brought to her carefully by her sister and her husband’s friend Richard. Mrs Mallard reacts with grief and she wants to be alone, so she locks herself into her room. At first, I got the impression that Mrs Mallard was sad because of her husband’s death. But as I kept on reading I understood that this wasn’t the case at all. Mrs Mallard is pretending she is mourning over her husband’s death. She gives the expression that she wants to be alone with her grief, so she locks herself into her room. But because of the third person limited point of view, we know what is really going on inside Mrs Mallard’s mind. In her room Mrs Mallard sinks into a roomy armchair, and when she looks outside her window she sees â€Å"the tops of trees in the open square before her house, and they are all aquiver with the new spring life†. â€Å"The delicious breath of rain was in the air and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves†. This indicates that Mrs Mallard isn’t mourning at all. She senses positive vibrations and starts to taste her freedom. Freedom is an unfamiliar feeling to Mrs Mallard. But suddenly she begins to recognize the feeling and she is repeting the word â€Å"free† to herself over and over again. â€Å"The vacant...

Civil Disobedience: The Curious Case of Edward Snowden :: Civil Disobedience

More than six months after first sending shockwaves through the world, Edward Snowden is alive, not imprisoned, and still making daily headlines. A former National Security Agency contractor, Snowden was responsible for revealing to the American public the existence of enormous, secret governmental surveillance programs, tactics that irrefutably border unconstitutionality. He gave up his freedom and ultimately his way of life in revealing how the NSA was harvesting and storing global phone records and text messages, the majority sent by ordinary American citizens. Snowden voluntarily broke the law and publically took credit for his leaks, rallying behind his core belief that mass surveillance undermines the fundamental right to privacy. He felt obligated to warn his fellow countrymen that their freedom â€Å"to speak and to think and to live† was potentially being threatened, and was thus compelled to release the classified information to which he had access to, regardless of consequences. Believing that he had â€Å"done nothing wrong,† he maintains that it was absolutely necessary to inform the public that they were being victimized. While he acted alone, Snowden hopes that his actions will encourage a larger movement amongst the populace, especially other technologists, to pressure the government into reconsidering its national security platform. An essential feature of civil disobedience is nonviolence, a factor that Snowden and King similarly endorsed. Both assumed activist roles and looked to bring nationwide attention to their causes, but in no way did they promote an outbreak of violence, which they felt would prove detrimental. However, this did not stop the two from knowingly breaking the law, as each maintained that they possessed the right to defy authority due to the obvious presence of social injustice.

Japanese Comfort Women Essay

It is estimated that between one and two hundred thousand female sex slaves were forced to deliver sexual services to Japanese soldiers, both before and during World War II. These women were known as comfort women and the Imperial Conference, which was composed of the emperor, representatives from the armed forces and the main Cabinet ministers, approved their use by Japanese soldiers. Walkom) The term â€Å"comfort women† refers to the victims of a â€Å"premeditated systematic plan originated and implemented by the government of Japan to enslave women considered inferior and subject them to repeated mass rapes,† said Michael D. Hausefeld, one of over 35 lawyers in his firm representing the former sexual prisoners in a class action lawsuit currently pending against the Japanese government. (Eddy) Since ancient times, prostitutes in Japan chose to sell their bodies either for family, poverty, or for saving her husband and her children. More or less, their sacrifices were seen as positive. But, being forced to become comfort woman by Japanese is seen as negative. The difference between the Japanese prostitutes and comfort women is that the comfort women did not choose to be trapped as a sex slave and they were not paid for what they did. In 1931, when the Japanese army invaded Manchuria, â€Å"comfort houses† made their first appearances. These comfort houses were created to provide the Japanese soldiers with outlets for their sexual needs. In the beginning, there were only a few comfort houses but after the Nanjin Massacre occurred in 1937, many more were added, basically to every place that the Japanese were stationed. (Walkom) After the Japanese soldiers slaughtered thousands of Chinese people in the Nanjin Massacre, they barbarically raped an insurmountable number of women. As a result, anti-Japanese sentiments grew and it became harder to fully occupy these lands. The government set up comfort houses to decrease disorder and give the approximately two million soldiers a place to satisfy their sexual needs. The Japanese did not have enough prostitutes to supply the needs of the soldiers so they commissioned civilians to develop comfort houses. At the time, only a small percentage of Japanese women were mobilized to â€Å"work† in comfort houses and they were all prostitutes to begin with. The majority of the comfort women were actually Korean women, who were forcibly taken from Korea to service the needs of the Japanese soldiers. After the war, the Japanese government destroyed all evidence of their involvement in Japanese comfort houses, enforcing that commercial businessmen were responsible for the movement of women. Many of the comfort women were kidnapped or deceived into voluntarily working in comfort houses. Once they were there, they were trapped and forced into prostitution. Some women reported that Japanese agents offered them good jobs or education. Others were told that each family in the village had to donate a daughter to the war effort. Many others were offered food, shelter and factory jobs. The Japanese also kidnapped young, unmarried girls when they had a shortage of comfort women. The ages of the girls in the comfort houses ranged from 15 to 19, with the minority exception of some younger girls and some older, married women. The girls were transported between military bases like cargo, under heavy guard in army trucks, trains, ship and bus. They were forced to lose their virginity before arriving at the bases to prepare them for having sexual intercourse with tens of soldiers every day. Many women contemplated death after this, as they believed their virginity to be more precious than life. (Henson) When living in the comfort houses, the comfort women lived in fear and desperation. They were unable to leave, as they were heavily guarded. Each day, they were penetrated by as many as 50 soldiers, until they were sore and bloated to the point of not being able to open their legs. If they were infected with a sexually transmitted disease, they received injections known as Injection 606. If infected enough times, they lost their fertility. In Japan, infected women were killed. Their food was mixed with cyanide, their bodies taken to a cave and finally, the cave was blown up with a grenade. The comfort houses made money off these women and it is believed that the Japanese government paid them, as most of the soldiers paid by coupons. As soon as the war was finished, the Japanese Imperialist guards disappeared without trace. Most comfort women describe the experience this way, † Suddenly, the soldiers came no more, and upon asking we found that the war had ended. † In other regions, as the Japanese committed â€Å"harikari†, the women were forced to do the same. In extreme cases, the women were put in a cave and blown up. After the war, many of the comfort women were too sick to be moved and were taken under the care of the American army. Most of the women were left with no place to go, as they were in a strange country with no money, and were too humiliated to go home. According to one comfort woman, † my body’s wasted, therefore I do not dare go home in fear of being ignored and looked down upon. † Even after the war ended, the comfort women were not free. Their guilty minds and inferiority complexes kept them from returning home and they stayed in foreign countries. The small amount that married, were often forced to separate after the fact that they were comfort women was known, or they were divorced because they could not have children. The victims are still suffering the pain physically and psychologically. More than half of them could not get pregnant, and most of them have chronicle diseases. Furthermore, the psychological impact on these women made them felt themselves dirty, ashamed that they disgraced themselves and isolated themselves from others. They are either afraid of getting married, or unable to ask for any commitment from their lovers. For those who got married, their marriage was unstable and unhappy due to their past. Some thought that they must have done something evil in their previous life that they have to be punished in this life. (Hicks) They go to tempos to chant sutras, to confess, to pursue liberation, and they even commit suicide. Although the period of time they spent at the Japanese military base was a small part of their life, what they had experienced caused an incurable impact on their health, marriage, mind, and social adaptation. Although the Japanese government continues to deny or minimize their involvement with comfort women, their defense is unraveling. A conference on â€Å"Japanese Crimes Against Humanity: Sexual Slavery and Forced Labor† was held last year, in which Japanese researchers delivered papers which claimed that the Japanese military, the rest of the government, and Japanese industry were all involved in the decision to provide sex slaves for the country’s soldiers. (Chunghee) Japanese historian Hirofumi Hayashi said: â€Å"The establishment and development of the military ‘comfort women’ system†¦ as not only carried out by the total involvement of every section of the military but also by administrative machinery at every level of the Japanese state†¦ In addition, we should not overlook that Japanese companies were their accomplices. † (Chunghee) Researchers from the Center for Research and Documentation of Japan’s War Responsibilities in Yo kohama showed that Japanese rubber companies were under government contract to supply 20 million condoms a year to armed forces once the decision had been made to provide sex slaves to the soldiers. Rumiko Nishino wrote that â€Å"high-ranking adjutants† commissioned by Cabinet and sub-Cabinet-level government officials implemented the distribution of the condoms. The availability of condoms to the general population became â€Å"almost nil. † (Chunghee) Last year, the Japanese appeals court overturned an earlier ruling that orders the government to compensate women who were forced to serve as sex slaves during World War II. Both sides had appealed that ruling. The plaintiffs because they thought the compensation was too small, and the government because they refused to pay. Duke) In deciding in favor of the government, the Hiroshima High Court said abducting women to use them as forced laborers and sex slaves was not a serious constitutional violation. Tokyo has admitted that its wartime army had set up brothels, and forced thousands of Koreans, Filipinos, Dutch and Chinese to serve as prostitutes, but it has refused to compensate these victims. Historians say as many as 200,000 women were forced into sexual slavery during World War II.

Business to Business vs Business to Consumer Sites

Ethical, legal and regulatory issues of Business to Business (B2B) sites are quite similar to Business to Consumer (B2C) sites. The only difference is that the costumer is either a company or just an average Joe consumer. If he/she/it is a victim of a scam, false ad or leaking of valuable information, then the only result is loss of customer or possible revenue for the business. Rules governing online business differ from place to place so fraud is quite common on the online world. B2C web sites are about publicity, but B2B is often unmentioned because it is always in the background.Here we will look at the issues governing both web sites. It is important to take note that the ethical, legal and regulatory issues overlap or connect with each other. Ethical Since the boom of the Internet, ethics became very important online. Ethical issues in B2B sites deal with information about their companies and transactions they had. Ethics in this situation is very important. Sharing information about one’s company to another is unethical since it could be used by other companies against the company itself.Since the transactions had been done online one of the companies involved in the transaction could post the information about the transactions. The information posted could be virtually impossible to trace back to a company. Codes of ethics was developed to protect both parties. While on B2C sites, the issue is the privacy of the consumer. Not every consumer wants his name being advertised on web pages without his permission. For example, a famous artist bought an item over the net. Consequently, the company had his personal information since most of them require it. And the company posts his name as their customer.Then at that instant the famous artist became their endorser. But the privacy issue applies in both B2B and B2C sites. New technologies have emerged and these have impacts on the lives of consumers and businesses. Security and privacy become significant for the protection of both businesses and consumers. Anyone can post advertisements, unethical and illegal marketing and Ebusiness email scams that it is hard to determine who to trust online. For the most part, the participant’s ethics are set forth by ethical codes developed by international governing bodies which protect both parties.Legal Legal issues concerning B2C sites include copywriting and publishing. Libel can have bad implications if negative or defamatory articles were published about people and companies on other websites. Information must be fully researched before posting. Intellectual property rights should also be observed to prevent from any legal damages. Copyright infringements in both B2B and B2B websites should be avoided since this will affect the credibility of the websites and their relationship with the consumers or businesses. Only factual information should be posted.Before publishing anything, the web site must get permission first from the clie nts. Scams also have bad legal implications for the websites. They can be sued for publishing information that is incorrect or malicious. Both B2B and B2C sites should avoid money making scams. Identity theft, as well as Internet frauds in B2C sites will result to major problems. Moreover, if webmasters do unethical alterations in a clients web site, it will result to long lasting negative consequences for the business and for the client. This may urge clients to take legal action that may be harmful to the life of the B2C sites.Another area where B2B and B2C sites differ is on revealing trade secrets or intellectual property. Violation will only occur if an employee leaked information or sold it to a competitor. But unless a consumer invented or patented a product and was taken advantage of by a business, any statement saying that revealing or selling intellectual property will not apply here. Regulatory Regulations of B2B and B2C sites vary from state to state. Regulatory issues c oncerning B2B sites include activities which look into regulating the site.Since these sites post advertisements or pop-ups about their businesses, regulation must be observed so that only pop-ups of the business or company appear. The traffic of information is also regulated so that clients are not lost when they navigate these web sites. Regulations also play an important role to keep everything on track. B2C sites, on the other hand, also see regulation as important. Oftentimes, other companies post their ads on the sites of their competitors, thus attracting the consumers to visit and maybe try their services. This is stealing of customers, which is also an ethical and legal issue.Through regulation, this kind of situation can be prevented. Other regulatory issues involved include regulations on electronic, e-commerce, credit/cash policies, international trade, tariffs, privacy, digital media offers and security. REFERENCES Franz, Nora. (28 March 2006). Consumers: Beware of Onli ne â€Å"Freebie† Scams, Including Magazine Subscriptions Ethics in Question for Online Businesses Offering Freebies. Warholic, James A. Importance of Ethics on the Internet. Warholic, james A. Internet Marketing B2B vs B2C Comparisons for the Twenty-First Century.

Biggest Problem Facing Our Generation

The biggest problem facing our generation is fixing the mistakes that our fearless leaders have made. George W. Bush had made many mistakes while in office from 2001 to 2009. One of the most controversial issues that he had completed related to the signing of a report endorsing outsourcing with thousands of American workers having their jobs shipped overseas. He may have had good intentions, but all that was lost after the signing of this bill that took 2. 6 million jobs away from the people of the United States.Due to this decision, numerous companies were shipped overseas since the labor costs are lower and emission standards don’t exist. Another notorious decision relates to the invasion of Iraq. After September 11, 2001, Bush became convinced that Saddam Hussein was seeking nuclear weapons and represented a mortal threat to the west. However, he chose to ignore conflicting evidence and undermined not only his presidency, but the reputation of US intelligence agencies and h is country.Another mistake that occurred just weeks prior to the 9/11 attacks notified the people of his loss of dedication to the country. Bush received a memorandum, called the pre-9/11 memo, from the CIA entitled,†Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US. † Although, he did not respond to the threat since he was on a family vacation, which will forever blight his legacy. The results of these mistakes are still dwelling over the United States. Yet, our generation is only able to learn from the mistakes and ensure that they are not repeated.

Melanophores and Microtubule Monorails: Insights Into Rapid

Fish and amphibians are able to change their color rapidly in response to a change of their surroundings. This phenomenon is done by melanophores, containing a pigment cell called melanin, being travelled along microtubules in their cells (Levi, Serpinskaya, Gratton, & Gelfand, 2006, p. 318). A microtubule, which is made of proteins located in cytoskeleton, is one of three filaments that is long, hollow stiff tube and responsible for intracellular transport. This transport system is driven by kinesin and dynein in microtubules and myosin in actin filaments, which are called motor proteins. Gross, Tuma, Deacon, Serpinskaya, Reilein, & Gelfand, 2002, p. 855). To understand how those movements along microtubules can make the rapid colour change possible, it is necessary first to find out how each component mentioned above carries out their roles in detailed in their specific area. Melanosomes move along microtubules by protein motors throughout the cell by aggregation and dispersion and the direction of their traveling is also changed frequently.In microtubules, most kinesins move towards the plus-end of the microtubule, which is called dispersion and dyneins move towards the minus-end of the microtubule, which is called aggregation. (Bouzat, Levi, & Bruno, 2012, p. 1). These dispersion and aggregation of melanosomes are affected by certain hormones such as melatonin and MSH and it make the color of their skin become darker or lighter depending on where they are (Bouzat et al. p. 10). One significant discovery is that those microtubule- and actin-based transport systems are in a tug-of-war.For instance, microtubule-based transport system can be altered by a loss of myosin function, which is actin-based transport system (Gross et al. , 2002, p. 855). This competition regulates their transport functions without a hitch and thus, it allows the movement along microtubules to constantly go on. Due to traveling of melanophores through those two filaments in cytoskeleton by motor proteins, fish, amphibian and reptiles are able to change their color very rapidly. Those are at any times ready for a response to a change of their surroundings and it directly happens as soon as they get something to trigger those functions start working.

Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Motivation Research Paper - 1

Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Motivation - Research Paper Example   In his article, Lepper, and corpus involved seven hundred and ninety-seven third-grade participants to the learners at the eighth grade from two different schools from the San Francisco district around the California’s Bay Area. In the first district, the study included 577 participants, from large urban region, whereas the second district constituted about 220 participants in the suburban area identified for great performance in academics. Generally, the subjects that were selected in this study were divided equally across the different grading levels starting from grade three to grad. The number of the female participants were equal to that of the male participants with one of the participants not providing his sex details. The total population sample was made up of Asian Americans (42%), African Americans (2%), Caucasian (34%), Hispanic (5%), and children from different ethnic groups (10). The Chinese, and the Indian America, Japanese American, Korean American, Filipino American, and Vietnamese American,were identified as Asian subjects. During the study Lepper, and corpus used a questionnaire as a tool for collecting data. Questionnaires together with separate indices of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and the vital questions of demography on age, sex, and ethnicity were given to the participants after obtaining the consent from their parents in the classrooms of participating. For the participants from the second district, the social desirability measure was taken into consideration in the questionnaire.  

Quality of service in WiMAX Based Broadband Wireless Netwoks Essay

Quality of service in WiMAX Based Broadband Wireless Netwoks - Essay Example IEEE 802.16/WiMAX-based broadband and mobile wireless access is expected to be a significant component in the next generation (e.g., beyond 3G, 4G) wireless systems (Hossain 1). There is a clear shift from telephony to data transfer in wireless networks. In this scenario WiMAX technologies and solutions are poised to play a major role in broadband Internet access and other form of connectivity. The technology is in its early development phase and there is a widespread research and consultation is going on this field. The issues of quality of service (QoS) are becoming more demanding with the growing demand of the rich media of smartphones and high end gadgets. Users are now more concerned with the QoS of the services with increasing capacity and reach of wireless technologies. IEEE 802.16/WiMAX standard, which incorporates several advanced radio transmission technologies such as orthogonal-frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), adaptive modulation and coding, and adaptive forward error correction (FEC), is designed to provide broadband wireless capability using a well-defined quality-of-service (QoS) framework. Though, the adoption of technology is still very limited due to cost ... This paper will discuss the current evolutions going on in the field of WiMAX technologies and issues related to quality of service issues in WiMAX Based Broadband Wireless Netwoks along with its, its forms, and the status of its standardization. A specification of the selected topic and the motivation behind this selection WiMAX and WiMAX-based broadband wireless network offer an alternative to existing wireless and mobile communication technologies. Due to mounting demand for higher bandwidth and better QoS, WiMAX technology has became a subject of intense research and debate among researchers and academicians. In this context the selection of the topic "Quality of Service in WiMAX-Based Broadband Wireless Networks" as a subject of this paper is quite contemporary and may act as a part of ongoing debate over the technology. Existing protocols and solutions IEEE's 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee is almost anonymous with a wireless standards body. IEEE 802.11 set of standards developed by this committee provide a basis for wireless local area network (WLAN) communications. The IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards Committee established a working group in 1999 for the development of standards specific to Broadband Wireless Access. IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access Standards, as it is known, is responsible for laying down formal standard specifications for broadband wireless MAN/WAN networks. Since the first 802.16 standard was approved in December 2001, three working groups have been involved for developing standards; the group IEEE 802.16.1 is responsible for creating standards for air interfaces in range of 10 to 66 GHz, known as Local Multipoint Distribution Service, group IEEE

Online courses and traditional courses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Online courses and traditional courses - Essay Example Ideally, there are various online educational methods, which are relevantly effective to well-organized, mature, motivated, and self-disciplined students with perfect time management skills. This is an argumentative essay on online courses and traditional courses. Body Merits and Demerits of Traditional Courses The traditional courses have various merits that include the presence of networking opportunities. Indeed, as students meet face-to-face, they develop contacts that will lead to more networking opportunities. Moreover, students in traditional universities have the opportunity of using the campus facilities that may include libraries, stadiums, gyms, student’s unions that work to the benefit of the student. In addition, this form of education creates a discovery experience where international students mature, embrace diversity, and grow socially. Most, assuredly, the direct interaction with lecturers and fellow students ensures that the student gets quality education thr ough discussions and availability of instructions (Sorrentino, 2011). Furthermore, traditional education compels students to abide with the set rules and regulations as well as following timetables. This has long-term benefits where such students become organized, law-abiding citizens, and creates a rational society. However, there are many demerits attached to traditional a course that makes one to reconsider the idea of enrolling in traditional university. For instance, traditional courses are very expensive as compared to online courses. Indeed, traditional course will require a student to pay tuition fees and other additional fees that may include transport fees, accommodation fees, costs for food, and recreational fees. As such, for poor families, affording quality traditional education becomes a huge challenge especially where there are no government subsidies or social welfare assistance. Indeed, there is a high likelihood of schooling abandonment due to lack of fees to tradi tional courses. At the same time, traditional courses are so stationary and immobile since students follow a set program, assessment measures, set timetables, and set rules and regulations that are not flexible (Sorrentino, 2011). This inflexibility sometimes annoys and stresses students leading to poor performance and school abandonment. As such, this may lead to serious scheduling challenges where students must travel and attend classes despite transport problems or commitments to other activities. Indeed, for students pursuing higher education and working at the same time, traditional courses may limit their success. Additionally, the immobility requires all resources and activities to congest in one room. At the same time, traditional courses may bear aspects of limited personal attention especially where colleges and universities admit so many students in one program. This leads to poor quality of education as the lecturer-student interaction becomes ineffective. With this, we can argue that traditional courses are not entirely effective. Indeed, if we consider the merits of online courses, we would seemingly prefer the latter. Effectiveness of Online courses Actually, there is rampant growth of online enrollment in the modern education system. This resulted from the global recession that led to poor economic status leading to inability to further education in traditional courses. In addition, the growth in technology and flexibility of