Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Essay 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

2 - Essay Example Type II diabetes makes up 90-95% of diabetes cases. It is caused by a combination of lifestyle and genetic factors. Predisposing factors of this disease include old age, obesity, physical unfitness, genetic factors and sometimes previous gestation diabetes. Obesity is considered to be the primary cause of type II diabetes, with increased cases among children and the youth. Factors such as diet and obesity can be controlled while others like increasing age, gender, and genetics are not. Lack of sleep has also been linked to type II diabetes, believed to have effect on metabolism. High sugar and starch foods and uptake of saturated fats are associated with an increased risk. Genetically there is increased risk of offspring becoming diabetic if parents were diabetic. The abnormal genes can be passed to offspring. The main symptoms of the disease are excess thirst, constant hunger, and frequent urination. Other symptoms include weight loss, blurred vision and slow healing of wounds. Vari ous complications have been associated with type II Diabetes. Diabetes II has been associated with heart disease and stroke, increasing chances by almost twice. Diabetic people are more likely to suffer them at an earlier age than other people. High glucose levels in the blood increases the deposition of fats and cholesterol in blood vessels narrowing them, affecting blood flow and increasing blood pressure. It has also been related with neural disorders. This is when nerve cells are damaged leading to lack of sensation. Most diabetic patients have some form of nerve problem, which can occur in any organ. It has been associated to abnormal cholesterol levels in blood, and the poor absorption of insulin. When blood vessels narrow due to fat deposition, the nerve cells suffer blood supply and may be damaged. Symptoms of nerve damage include numbness, tingling or muscle wasting. Diabetic neuropathy may be peripheral, autonomic, proximal and even focal depending on the nerves affected. Diabetes II can also cause eye damage such as cataracts and glaucoma. The high glucose levels in blood and increased blood pressure can damage various parts of the eye- retina, vitreous, lens, optic nerve. Symptoms of damage to any of this affected include blurred vision, flashing lights, pain or pressure in the eyes, even total blindness. Diabetes II has also been associated with sexual problems such as erectile dysfunction in men. This is the inability to sustain an erection or having no erection at all. Vaginal dryness, painful intercourse and decreased libido in women can also occur in women suffering Diabetes type II. These problems occur due to nerve damage, hormonal changes or reduced blood flow to the genital and vaginal tissues, associated with diabetes. There are various ways of preventing diabetes II. For genetically predisposed individuals, it is critical to maintain proper lifestyles and reduce exposure to risk factors. Weight is a major risk factor of this disease and prevention concentrates on maintaining proper body health. Constant blood sugar testing and monitoring enables early detection of any problem. Blood sugar levels can be tested using home-kits or at a doctors clinic. Overweight people should work on weight reduction in healthy ways. This involves a diet change from high starch and sugars to low starch foods. Their meals should be made using unsaturated fats or even no fat at all. Reduced proportions of starch served and increases proteins and vegetables also ensure

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Rise and Fall of bin Laden, or a Dissent into Cyber-terrorism Essay Example for Free

The Rise and Fall of bin Laden, or a Dissent into Cyber-terrorism Essay Osama bin Muhammad bin ‘Awad bin Laden, best known as Osama bin Laden in the west, is a militant Islamist and the reported founder of the terrorist organization known as al-Qaeda. He stepped on to the global arena in 2001 with his broadcasts on Al Jazeera in direct relation to the September 11th attacks. Since then his faction has had a downfall through the western war on terror, but it is widely believed that this is only a ploy, and that al-Qaeda, along with many other radical Muslim groups are planning to continue their reign of terror on the net. The media has deemed the term for this cyberterrorism, and it is the current threat Osama is expected to pose, but some argue that this is merely western propaganda. Bin Laden has been described as a tall and thin man by the FBI. He is said to be between 6’4’’ and 6’6’’ (193-198cm) in height and weighing about 165 pounds. Left-handed with an olive complexion, he usually walks with a cane, and wears a white turban. He is considered to have a mild mannered temperament and to be very soft spoken. He is thought to only be able to speak Arabic. Never the less, he is believed to be the leader and founder of one of the most heinously acting terrorist groups, known as Al Qaeda Osama was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Al Jazeera referenced his birthday as being March 10, 1957. Osama is a member of the prestigious bin Laden family. His father Muhammed Awd bin Laden had known ties to the Saudi royal family, as well as a prominent business. His father, poor and uneducated before World War I, he immigrated from Hadhramaut to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was here, where he began to work as a porter. In 1930, Muhammed started his own business; he built his fortune as a building contractor for the Saudi royal family during the 1950’s. It is estimated that Muhammed bin Laden has as many as 55 sons, of which Osama is assumed to be his seventeenth son, but the only from his tenth wife. This led to an upbringing that kept him unfamiliar with his father. Bin Laden attended the secular Al-Thager Model secondary school from 1968 to 1976 where he was raised as a devout Sunni Muslim. The largest denomination of Islam, Sunni Muslims are also refered to as Ahlus Sunnah wal-Jamaa’h which basically means people of the example, or of Muhammad. As a result of King Faisal welcoming exiled teachers from Syria, Egypt and Jordan to Saudi Arabia in the 60’s, it was not too uncommon for members of the Muslim Brotherhood to be found teaching at Saudi schools and universities. During this time, Osama is believed to have been influenced by many of the teachings promoted by these exiles. It is also thought that Osama might have studied economics and business administration at King Abdulaziz University, and that he might have earned a degree in civil engineering in 1979. He is also said to never have graduated from college. Whatever his collegiate experience entails, it is now known that he spent the last 30 years since his college days contributing to the growth of the Muslim Brotherhood known as al-Qaeda, which performed its first military act in 1994. The Talibans first large military operation took place in October 1994 when it seized the Pasha munitions depot and the town of Spin Boldak on the Pakistani border, held at the time by Hizb-i Islami commanders. The capture of the arms dump provided them with an enormous quantity of military materiel, including rockets, ammunition, artillery, and small arms. Green, 2002) These attacks were the beginning of Osama’s reign. Later he would lead al-Qaeda to what they would deem to be the greatest statement of their western disapproval. Osama grew notorious through Al Jazeera, which gained its fame following the September 11th attacks, when the network broadcasted video statements by Osama bin Laden and other members of al-Qaeda. Al Jazeera, which in Arabic means The Island is a television network headquarters located in Doha, Qatar. The networks satellite capabilities enabled it to change the social landscape of the Middle East. Prior to its emergence, Middle Eastern citizens were only able to watch TV channels of stat-censored national stations. Al Jazeera introduced an unprecedented level of freedom of speech for most countries. On September 11th, 2001 Al Jazeera gained worldwide recognition with its broadcasts of al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden gained an unprecedented level of global familiarity as well. The western fear of terrorism can entirely be credited as a product of his hate, which has complicated the western perception of rightful civil liberty. In her article Al Qaeda, Terrorism, and Military Comissions, Ruth Wedgwood proves that though most American citizens consider terrorism to be a federal and national problem, it is very much a local one. Al Qaeda’s published doctrine maintains that there are no innocent civilians in Western society (Wedgwood, 2002)†¦ She later goes on to analyze the psychological foundation they use to form their tenet and she says †¦this tenet leads it to the gravest of international crime (Wedgwood, 2002). Despite the fear bin Laden has been able to instill in the American people, there are many rumors that his financial backing is not as strong as it was in 2001. This could be the mark of his downfall, or just a shift in the types of terrorist acts al-Qaeda performs. The attacks on 9/11 and the ideology of the Taliban adhere to the power inherent in fear, and exploiting fear is not always a costly venture. The twin towers, the White House and the Pentagon are all symbols of American security and their presence provides a certain level of comfort for our society. Though security officials are trained to counter attacks on our civilization, there was a false faith formed over time that attacks such as 9/11 were inconceivable, nor possible to carryout. Now our country has grown impervious to this type of thought. Western civilization has waged war on the Jihad; securities are enhanced, and we are less likely to be vulnerable to the same form of attacks. Even still, western as well as eastern societies still have a major vulnerability that can exploited through the internet. In his Washington Post article Consultant Hacks FBI’s Computer System Martin H. Bosworth reports on an outside consultant hired by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) who breached the agency’s computer network and gained access to over 38,000 employee’s passwords. The hacker, known as Joseph Colon claimed he used run-of-the-mill hacker techniques that can be easily found on the internet. He gained access to such information as the Witness Protection Program, but can this be defined as terrorism? The United States Department of State defines terrorism as premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents (Gordon, 2003). This interpretation of terrorism becomes a very vague one when the internet is merged with this definition. The product of the two is cyberterrorism, but their have been a wide range of definitions posed since the terms advent in the 1980’s by Barry Collins (Gordon, 2003). Dorothy Denning is a computer science professor at Georgetown University, and one of the country’s foremost respected cyber-security experts. Her views are referred to numerous times in more than a few articles reviewed in this paper. In Denning’s Testimony before the Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism, the most widely cited paper on Cyberterrorism, she defines the term as an act carried out on the internet with the intention to do major, or significant damage to society, the likes of which would impede the process of a community’s civil liberty (Denning, 2000). Denning’s definition is very clarifying because it identifies the difference between a cyberterrorist and a hacker. Where a cyberterrorist acts with the intent of severely impacting the economy or civil morale of the country, a hacker merely causes nonessential or at the most costly damage. For every publication produced that argues cyber-terrorism is a major threat, there is another arguing that it is a hoax. Many of these authors who hold this position argue it is a form of presidential propaganda. In his article, Cyberterrorism: There are many ways terrorists can kill you—computers aren’t one of them, Joshua Green argues that the Bush administration’s infatuation with preaching the dangers of cyberterrorism is one that has become a pattern since September 11th. None are more exemplary of exploiting the public’s misunderstanding of the term, along with their fears, than Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, which Green proves with this quote by Ridge: Terrorists can sit at one computer connected to one network and can create worldwide havoc, warned Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge in a representative observation last April. [They] dont necessarily need a bomb or explosives to cripple a sector of the economy, or shut down a power grid. (Green, 2002) Green further points out that Ridge’s propaganda is not without merit considering that a survey of 725 cities conducted by the National League of Cities for the Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks s howed that cyberterrorism ranked with biological and chemical weapons at the top of a list made by officials of the single most feared threats (2002). Despite this, it must be remembered that Green’s article was published in The Washington Monthly a little more than a year after the 9/11 attacks. At this particular point information was scarce and Bush’s scare tactics were still at the height of their influence; and yet, Green has enough sense to question the motives behind those who use cyberterrorism as a way to instill fear in the fear in the American public. Green points out that the federal government requested $4. 5 billion in cyber investigative security; Bush appointed Richard Clarke to his created position of cybersecurity czar assigning him an office in the White House, and The Washington Post developed a habit of publishing first page headlines like: Cyber-Attacks by Al Qaeda Feared, Terrorists at Threshold of Using Internet as Tool of Bloodshed, Experts Say (Green, 2002). Green recognizes that all of these actions would be reasonable responses to an actual looming threat, but they fail to muster any sort of rationale considering that, as he states, there is no such thing as cyberterrorismno instance of anyone ever having been killed by a terrorist (or anyone else) using a computer (2002). In sum, despite the lack of proof of the potential threat which cyber terrorism poses. It is agreed by most political and military analysts that al-Qaeda’s next step is in the cyber arena. Never the less, this could also be deemed as a sign of bin Laden’s downfall. There are many rumors that al-Qeada lacks the same sufficient funding they had in 2001, that Osama has grown broke, and that the Jihad will eventually be a distant memory. If this is true, the internet would make for a more affordable method of terrorist attacks. These arguments will potentially prove foolish if bin Laden finds a way to continue his terror through the web. The potential for more tragedy is at the finger tips of al-Qeada literally and figuratively.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Morality of Lying in Contrast to the Philosophies of Kant Essay

The young girl gazes at you helplessly from within the tangled wreckage. You witnessed the crash – a massive truck careened into a minivan as it passed on the highway, killing the driver on impact, and virtually tearing the girl in half. Now she hangs from the car, held together by the seatbelt. Her nervous system critically damaged, she can’t feel much pain, but she knows that her situation is not optimal, to say the least. She is six years old – she probably doesn’t understand the concept of death. As you stare equally helplessly into her fear stricken eyes, the only words that you can muster are: â€Å"Don’t worry, everything will be okay.† This is obviously a lie – there is absolutely no chance that the dying girl will indeed survive and have no cause for worry – but this lie contains ideas to sooth her fear, allowing a comparatively peaceful passage out of this life. Surely few would argue that the little girl did not deserve to be comforted, as the alternative seems somewhat heartless – â€Å"Why should I help you? You’re not worth my time, you’ll be dead in a minute.† Indeed, telling the truth, in this case, appears even less moral than the lie. There is, however, at least one who would disagree with this scenario: a certain Immanuel Kant, whose philosophy insists that lying is wrong in every circumstance. But despite Kant’s fervent belief, it is not hard to see how lying can be a beneficial, mutually advantageous, and in fact moral act that still consistently complies with Kant’s own moral imperatives. Because Kant’s philosophy does not specifically define what a â€Å"lie† is, we are led to believe that speaking an untruth, no matter what the context, is strictly immoral. But speaking untruth does not necessitate the negative conno... ...lf to a degree, allowing room for leniency. Lies can be perfectly acceptable, selfless, and moral in the face of a greater evil, or when no harm is being done on any side. Bibliography Gass, R. H., & Seiter, J. S. (1999). Persuasion, Social Influence, and Compliance Gaining. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Henningsen, D. D., Cruz, M. G., & Morr, M. C. (2000). â€Å"Pattern Violations and Perception of Deception.† Communication Reports. Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 1-9. http://www.allwords.com/word-white%20lie.html Kant, Immanuel. "The Foundations of Ethics." Moral Philosophy: a Reader. Ed. Louis P. Pojman. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Company, 1993. 194-213. Pruss, Alexander R. "Lying, Deception and Kant." Alexander R. Pruss Ethics Blog. 30 Aug. 2001. Baylor U. 8 Mar. 2008 .

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Japanese Literature Essay

2. Individualism has been seen as a characteristic feature of the modern world. How do we see the issue of individualism being dealt with in the works we have read? Discuss examples of individualism in both modern and pre-modern texts. In the works we have read, the characteristic of individualism has played a strong role in the lives and decisions of three characters in particular. The characters Basho, Chockichi, and Okada all display similar acts of individualism in their own stories as they depart not only from their homes but also the traditions that have helped shape their lives for many years. These characters leave behind the familial and societal values that were vastly present in Japanese tradition. With their decisions to be individuals, they obtain new attitudes and standards that relate to, money, education and security. The new values attitudes are what brought Japan into a modern way of thinking and left old values and traditions behind. Individualism is the belief in the primary importance of the individual and the virtues of self reliance and personal dependence. Basho shows his independence by leaving his home front and traveling north. He does this in order to see new places, visit sites of earlier poets, and to spread his views. For Basho traveling is a way of life, and because he travels alone one could say that Basho is very much an independent individual. Throughout Basho’s Narrow Road it seems as if there is a lack of people he encounters on such a long journey. The reader does not know if this is because Basho chooses to leave out the people he meets from his story or because he truly does not encounter many. In any way, the lack of people in the story puts the spotlight solely on the main character, Basho. With this, Basho rejoices in his individualism by going against traditional Japanese values and the unknown. Basho can be described as a pre-modern individual. His journeys are not for money or to enhance his social status; they are for his own personal benefit in order to see more of Japan and to become inspired by nature and its beautiful surroundings. Traveling for Basho is his life, unlike many traditions of Japan where supporting a family and working are a way of life, he chooses a different path. By this Basho chooses a life that is centered around himself and based on personal dependence and happiness. This makes him an individual in all of the things that he does because he bases his decisions solely on himself. Being an individual Basho puts himself somewhat before his time in terms of Japanese culture. The worries of money and social expectation do not concern him, he is more concerned with being at one with nature and finding inspiration within Japanese surroundings which truly set him apart from his fellow citizens. In The River Sumida, Chokichi plays the role of an individual. He does this in more of a modern context rather than Basho did in Basho’s Narrow Road. Chockichi aspires to be an actor and wants to follow his dreams of doing so. His conflict comes when his mother demands him to go to school in order for him to be an office worker. She does this because she knows the importance of money and that Chokichi having a stable job it will ensure their future. Throughout the story Chokichi strives to be an individual and not let money and the other stresses of society hinder his dreams. Though he hated school, â€Å"? could he really bare it, all this learning? School was not the place to give him happiness he wished for. Learning was quite unrelated happiness-it came to Chokichi for the first time(193),† he knew that he had to follow his mothers orders. Therefore he decided to leave his surroundings and attend school. By this Chokichi had made a decision to be an individual and, instead of following his dreams, he pursued a different career. Chokichi’s act of leaving home and going to school in order to make money for his family he went against the traditional Japanese values. By choosing to go to school he also chose the path of being an individual. Most people would have followed their dreams and done what they wanted with life. Chokichi, in contention with his mothers direction, chose a different path. Though he greatly disliked school he still decided to attend. With this decision Chokichi should be deemed as an individual. He made a decision that not only went against Japanese values but also his own dreams. In the story Wild Geese, Okada plays the role of a strong individual who, throughout the story, follows traditional Japanese values and is a good citizen. With the changing times and changing traditions of Japan Okada is faced with the decision of leaving his love Otama in order to go to Europe and pursue a career translating Chinese medical texts. Though the decision was hard, Okada decided to go to Europe alone and pursue his career. With this decision Okada stepped out of the traditions of Japan and became an individual. He leaves all of his values and knowledge of life at home and embarks on a new journey. This decision truly makes him an individual. It also makes the changes of attitudes and standards of old Japan a reality. In earlier times Okada would not have left his home or his love to pursue a career. His future would have already been planned out for him; he would have followed not only the traditions of his family and their work, but also the early traditions of Japan. Okada’s individualistic attitude and decisions make it clear that he wants to be on his own and follow a rarely traveled road. Okada provides a great example of people changing their values and traditions and following the path of the individual. Throughout the lives of Basho, Chokichi, and Okada it is evident that they have taken upon values of the modern world and become individuals. With this they leave behind a mark of change and a shift in values, attitudes and standards that have been present for century’s among Japanese culture.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Philippine President Benigno Simeon Essay

Philippine President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino delivered his sixth State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 29, 2015 at the Batasang Pambansa in front of joint session of the Upper and Lower House of the country’s Legislative Branch of Government. Some students will surely give their reaction paper with the Pres. SONA as part of their assignment. The State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Benigno S. Aquino started at around 4:00 PM (PST) and concluded after two hours and 15 minutes. The SONA 2015 is one of the highly anticipated date of the administration, as the head of state reports his accomplishments and plans for the country. During the entire SONA, the President received a total of .. rounds of applause. President Aquino started his Sixth SONA by issuing an apology that the traditional processional walks was not made because Main Topics for Discussion: Blaming the Previous Administration: President Aquino once again blamed the previous administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo mentioning the problems he inherited during his earlier days as President such as the NBN ZTE Deal, Hello Garci controversy, questionable bank accounts of Jose Pidal, Maguindanao Massacre, MWSS Bonuses and the NFA anomalies. Highlighting the Achievement of His Cabinet Members: The President applauded the members of his Cabinet for an excellent jobs as members of his Daang Matuwid program. He showcased the achievements of his administration in transportation and communications, tax/revenue, labor and wages, international relations, education, budget and finance, peace, social welfare, justice, calamity and disaster preparedness, national security, economy, infrastructure, governance and reform. Pres. Aquino lauded Commissioner Kim Henares for her tax reforms mentioning the 380 cases filed against tax evaders. The collections of the BIR also went up to P1.3 trillion and this year 2015, the BIR collection went up to P1.5 trillion. Manufacturing & Unemployment: Pres. Aquino stated that there’s a 3% average growth in the manufacturing  sector from 2001-2009 but under his administration from 2010 to 2014, the manufacturing sector grew by 8%. The unemployment rate of the Philippines also dropped to 6.8% last year and considered as the lowest ever recorded in a decade. 4Ps and the Education Sector: Pres. Aquino highlighted the ‘Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program’ or 4Ps which now have 4.4 million beneficiaries from 786,523 in 2010. In 2008, there were 2.9 million out of school youth in the country. In 2013, only 1.2 million out of school youth remained. On education sector, PNoy said that Alternative Learning System helped to ensure that even indigenous peoples and street children are not left behind. The requirements for the K to 12 programs – backlogs of 66,800 classrooms, 145,827 teachers, 73.9 million textbooks already provided. For TESDA program of the government, studies show that 71.9% [of TESDA graduates] found employment right away, compared to the 28.5% recorded before. Health and Social Welfare: Around 89.4 million Filipinos are already member of the Philhealth program of the national government and beginning in 2014, the poorest 40 percent of the population were treated in public hospitals for free. In social welfare, PNoy said that in the Sitio Electrification program, 25,257 sitios out of 32,441 were served. Aviation & Transportation Sector: In aviation, ICAO lifted the safety concerns it imposed to the Philippines in 2013. The EU Air Safety Committee lifted the travel ban in all local carriers. For the unresolved problem on Metro Rail Transit (MRT), Aquino said plans of purchasing of new MRT train coaches. Armed Forces of the Philippines: In the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization, the government has plan to buy 2 more C-130. There will be additional 6 landing craft utilities and 3 C-295 medium lift transport. President Aquino mentioned the PNP’s project such as their Capability Enhancement Program of which 2,523 patrol jeeps and 577 utility vehicles were purchased. Important Bills and Legislations: Pres. PNoy wish to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law and his interest on the controversial Anti-Dynasty Law which received the loudest applause from SONA expectators. When he mentioned his interest on Anti-Dynasty Law, it received the loudest applause from SONA expectators. â€Å"Panahon na para ipasa ang isang Anti-Dynasty Law.† PNoy also thanked Congress and Senate for other bills and acts such as Philippine Competition Law, Sin Tax Reform Act and Responsible Parenthood Act. The president also thanked officials of the government for their contributions, sacrifice and wellspring of inspiration to the nation. He lauded Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas for his contributions to Daang Matuwid. Pres. Aquino ended his speech with the following statement â€Å"Simula pa lang ito. [Palakpakan] Nasa unang yugto pa lang tayo ng dakilang kuwento ng sambayanang Pilipino. Sa gabay ng Panginoong Maykapal, at sa patuloy nating pagtahak sa Daang Matuwid, lalo pang tatayog ang mga pangarap na maaabot natin. Lalo pang lalawak ang kaunlarang tinatamasa natin. Nasasainyo pong mga kamay ang direksiyon natin. Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat, maraming salamat sa inyong lahat po.† Reactions to President Aquino’s SONA: President Aquino missed so many important topics during his last and final SONA, the entire SONA centered on his administration’s accomplishment and giving credits to his partners on his â€Å"Daang Matuwid.† Some of the important issues that the President failed to mention during his sixth SONA are the following, the controversial PDAF issue, the Mamasapano Massacre, the expansion of Chinese territories in the West Philippine Sea and the Freedom of Information Bill to name a few.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

CSS Virginia (USS Merrimack) in the Civil War

CSS Virginia (USS Merrimack) in the Civil War CSS Virginia was the first ironclad warship constructed by the Confederate States Navy during  Civil War (1861-1865). Following the outbreak of the conflict in April 1861, the US Navy found that one of its largest facilities, the Norfolk (Gosport) Navy Yard, was now behind enemy lines. While attempts were made to remove as many ships and as much material as possible, circumstances prevented the yards commander, Commodore Charles Stuart McCauley, from saving everything. As Union forces began to evacuate, the decision was made to burn the yard and destroy the remaining ships. USS Merrimack Among the ships burned or scuttled were the ships-of-the-line USS Pennsylvania (120 guns), USS Delaware (74), and USS Columbus (90), the frigates USS United States (44 ), USS Raritan (50), and USS Columbia (50), as well as several sloops-of-war and smaller vessels. One of the most modern vessels that was lost was the relatively new steam frigate USS Merrimack (40 guns). Commissioned in 1856, Merrimack had served as flagship of the Pacific Squadron for three years before arriving at Norfolk in 1860. Attempts were made to remove Merrimack before the Confederates captured the yard. While Chief Engineer Benjamin F. Isherwood succeeded in getting the frigates boilers lit, efforts had to be abandoned when it was found that the Confederates had blocked the channel between Craney Island and Sewells Point. With no other option remaining, the ship was burned on April 20. Taking possession of the yard, Confederate officials later examined the wreck of Merrimack and found that it had only burned to the waterline and most of its machinery remained intact. Origins With the Union blockade of the Confederacy tightening, Confederate Secretary of the Navy Stephen Mallory began searching for ways in which his small force could challenge the enemy. One avenue that he elected to investigate was the development of ironclad, armored warships. The first of these, the French La Gloire (44) and British HMS Warrior (40 guns), had appeared in the last year and built upon lessons learned with armored floating batteries during the Crimean War (1853-1856). Consulting John M. Brooke, John L. Porter, and William P. Williamson, Mallory began pushing the ironclad program forward but found that the South lacked the industrial capacity to build the needed steam engines in a timely manner. Upon learning this, Williamson suggested using the engines and remains of the former Merrimack. Porter soon submitted revised plans to Mallory that based the new ship around Merrimacks power plant. CSS Virginia - Specifications: Nation: Confederate States of AmericaType: IroncladShipyard: Norfolk (Gosport) Navy YardOrdered: July 11, 1861Completed: March 7, 1862Commissioned: February 17, 1862Fate: Burned, May 11, 1862Displacement: 4,100 tonsLength: 275 ft.Beam: 51 ft.Draft: 21 ft.Speed: 5-6 knotsComplement: 320 menArmament: 2 Ãâ€" 7-in. Brooke rifles, 2 Ãâ€" 6.4-in. Brooke rifles, 6 Ãâ€" 9-in. Dahlgren smoothbores, 2 Ãâ€" 12-pdr howitzers Design Construction Approved on July 11, 1861, work soon began at Norfolk on CSS Virginia under the guidance of Brooke and Porter. Moving from preliminary sketches to advanced plans, both men envisioned the new ship as a casemate ironclad. Workers soon cut down the burned timbers of Merrimack to below the waterline and commenced construction of a new deck and the armored casemate. For protection, Virginias casemate was built of layers of oak and pine to a two-foot thickness before being covered by four inches of iron plate. Brooke and Porter designed the ships casemate to have angled sides to aid in deflecting enemy shot. The ship possessed a mixed armament consisting of two 7-in. Brooke rifles, two 6.4-in. Brooke rifles, six 9-in. Dahlgren smoothbores, as well as two 12-pdr howitzers. While the bulk of the guns were mounted in the ships broadside, the two 7-in. Brooke rifles were mounted on pivots at the bow and stern and could traverse to fire from multiple gun ports. In creating the ship, the designers concluded that its guns would be unable to penetrate the armor of another ironclad. As a result, they had Virginia fitted with a large ram on the bow. Battle of Hampton Roads Work on CSS Virginia progressed in early 1862, and its executive officer, Lieutenant Catesby ap Roger Jones, oversaw fitting out the ship. Though construction was ongoing, Virginia was commissioned on February 17 with Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan in command. Eager to test the new ironclad, Buchanan sailed on March 8 to attack Union warships in Hampton Roads despite the fact that workmen were still on board. The tenders CSS Raleigh (1) and Beaufort (1) accompanied Buchanan. Though a formidable vessel, Virginias size and balky engines made it difficult to maneuver and complete circle required a mile of space and forty-five minutes. Steaming down the Elizabeth River, Virginia found five warships of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron anchored in Hampton Roads near the protective guns of Fortress Monroe. Joined by three gunboats from the James River Squadron, Buchanan singled out the sloop of war USS Cumberland (24) and charged forward. Though initially unsure what to make of the strange new ship, Union sailors aboard the frigate USS Congress (44) opened fire as Virginia passed. Rapid Success Returning fire, Buchanans guns inflicted significant damage on Congress. Engaging Cumberland, Virginia pounded the wooden ship as the Union shells bounced off its armor. After crossing Cumberlands bow and raking it with fire, Buchanan rammed it in an effort to save gunpowder. Piercing the Union ships side, part of Virginias ram detached as it was withdrawn. With Cumberland sinking, Virginia turned its attention to Congress which had grounded in an attempt to close with the Confederate ironclad. Engaging the frigate from a distance, Buchanan compelled it to strike its colors after an hour of fighting. Ordering his tenders forward to receive the ships surrender, Buchanan was angered when Union troops ashore, not understanding the situation, opened fire. Returning fire from Virginias deck with a carbine, he was wounded in the thigh by a Union bullet. In retaliation, Buchanan ordered Congress be shelled with incendiary hot shot. Catching on fire, Congress burned throughout the rest of the day exploded that night. Pressing his attack, Buchanan attempted to move against the steam frigate USS Minnesota (50), but was unable to inflict any damage as the Union ship fled into shallow water and ran aground. Meeting USS Monitor Withdrawing due to darkness, Virginia had won a stunning victory, but had taken damage amounting to two guns disabled, its ram lost, several armored plates damaged, and its smoke stack riddled. As temporary repairs were made during the night, command devolved to Jones. In Hampton Roads, the situation of the Union fleet improved dramatically that night with the arrival of the new turret ironclad USS Monitor from New York. Taking a defensive position to protect Minnesota and the frigate USS St. Lawrence (44), the ironclad awaited Virginias return. Steaming back to Hampton Roads in the morning, Jones anticipated an easy victory and initially ignored the strange-looking Monitor. Moving to engage, the two ships soon opened the first battle between ironclad warships. Pounding each other for over four hours, neither was able to inflict significant damage on the other. Though the Union ships heavier guns were able to crack Virginias armor, the Confederates scored a hit on their adversarys pilot house temporarily blinding Monitors captain, Lieutenant John L. Worden. Taking command, Lieutenant Samuel D. Greene drew the ship away, leading Jones to believe that he had won. Unable to reach Minnesota, and with his ship damaged, Jones began moving towards Norfolk. At this time, Monitor returned to the fight. Seeing Virginia retreating and with orders to protect Minnesota, Greene elected not to pursue. Later Career Following the Battle of Hampton Roads, Virginia made several attempts to lure Monitor into battle. These failed as the Union ship was under strict orders not to engage as its presence alone ensured that the blockade remained in place. Serving with the James River Squadron, Virginia faced a crisis with Norfolk fell to Union troops on May 10. Due to its deep draft, the ship could not move up the James River to safety. When efforts to lighten the ship failed to significantly reduce its draft, the decision was made to destroy it to prevent capture. Stripped of its guns, Virginia was set on fire off Craney Island early on May 11. The ship exploded when the flames reached its magazines.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Shrek and Donkey Essay Example

Shrek and Donkey Essay Example Shrek and Donkey Paper Shrek and Donkey Paper Shrek was the biggest box office hit of 2001 motion picture developed by PDI DreamWorks studios. It is based on a childrens book by William Steig called Shrek. The film was so groundbreaking; it set a new trend to all CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) films that were out there. Shrek is a unique fairy tale story in disguise, which adds some emotional issues and laughter. The characters not only looked more sophisticated and three-dimensional but their personalities were also more human and less cartoon type; each character would have feelings, like humans. The film uses a constructed text in order to put across a theme of two very different characters learning to work together beyond their rivalries to rise above a common enemy and work towards a common goal. In this case Shrek and Donkey. These two characters are so different they are a perfect example. Shrek is a big, green, smelly, ugly ogre who is selfish wants to keep himself to himself. No one seems to understand Shrek. A good example is when Donkey is speaking to him he describes himself: For your information, theres a lot more to ogres than people think Ogres are like onions layers! Onions have layers Ogres have layers! We both have layers. Donkey gets confused and says he smells, which onions do, Donkey in the other hand is a talking donkey, who is small, smart, loudmouth and energetic. The film uses the characters and imagery very cleverly to represent this theme. The music used in the film is also different to other CGI films. Rather than the characters bursting into song themselves as in Monsters Inc. and Ice Age, or song played by an outside artist, the film has both elements implanted in the film. The soundtrack, like the film, will make you laugh, cry, and laugh again. Songs in the film includes: Stay Home, My Beloved Monster Eels and Hallelujah Rufus Wainwright. These reflect the mood and emotions of the characters in a particular scene. Such as in one seen where Shrek is mimicking a wrestling match with Lord Farquads men, rock music is played in the background. At the end of the film there is a spoof of the characters doing a karaoke sing-along to recognised songs such as Just the Way You Are, Baby Got Back, YMCA, Staying Alive, Dance to the Music, Feelings, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, and Who Let the Dogs Out. The movie has a storybook start, which provides the narrative of the fairytale princess, locked up alone in her tower. Then Shrek rips the page out of the book and uses it to wipe his backside. This is where the fairytale gets twisted! Modern rock and pop music bring the story into contemporary time, as does the humor used, which includes toilet-humor, irony and parody. Particularly funny is poking fun at theme parks like Disneyland and the use of applause prompt cards to make the audience laugh. Shrek is famed for its detail in a CGI film. The attention is to the smallest detail for example the facial expression of Shrek and Donkey after they view Lord Farquads information board. After they view it a photo comes out and show the facial expression, then the camera switches to Shrek and Donkey showing the exact expressions. The detail is so accurate; it even shows the wrinkles on the forehead, eyebrow shape mouth sticking out and the shadow. This gives the film even more realism and depth. The use of unusual and imaginative camera angles, made possible by the use of CGI, also adds to the texture and pace of the film. The film is set in a world of hatred against fairytale characters. Lord Farquad is the ruler of that world. Lord Farquad was a man who sounded very big but only to be small. He only wanted wealth and power. He is the villain of this film. A very makes a very good example when during a tournament he makes a speech of a great evil tyrant ruler: Some of you may die, but its a sacrifice I am willing to make. In traditional fairy tales, ogres are man-eating beasts. The Prince usually rescues the Princess; they marry and live happily ever after. The makers of Shrek use presentational devices to reverse this traditional, to reveal the ogre as good, and the Prince as evil. One day Lord Farquad dumps all the characters on Shreks swamp. This makes Shrek very unhappy, so he sets out to Lord Farquads kingdom. While Shrek was on his way he meets a donkey named Donkey. Meanwhile Lord Farquad desires to become king. To do this he needs to marry a princess. So he recruits his knights and organizes a tournament to see who would set out to find Princess Fiona for him. At the same time, Shrek enters the kingdom and wants to reclaim the rights to his swamp home. Lord Farquad makes him a deal. Find Princess Fiona in exchange for the deed to his swamp. So Shrek and his loudmouthed sidekick Donkey embark on a quest to find Princess Fiona. Princess Fiona is a dreamer and a feisty young woman who often dreams about her shining knight and armor and true love that will someday rescue her from the tallest tower of a castle guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. But as this fairy tale would have it, Shrek makes a crashing entrance and literally grabs her to safety.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Biography of Michiel de Ruyter, Great Dutch Admiral

Biography of Michiel de Ruyter, Great Dutch Admiral Michiel de Ruyter (March 24, 1607–April 29, 1676) was one of the Netherlands most skilled and successful admirals, who is famous for his role in the  Anglo-Dutch Wars  of the 17th century. He is particularly noted for his raid on the Medway, where the Dutch fleet sailed up the Thames, a river that flows right through the heart of London, England, burning more than 10 British ships and capturing two others. Fast Facts: Michiel de Ruyter Known For: Successful Dutch admiral of the 17th century; led a raid up the Thames and into the heart of LondonAlso Known As: Michiel Adriaenszoon, Bestevaà ªrBorn: March 24, 1607 in Vlissingen, NetherlandsParents: Adriaen Michielszoon, Aagje JansdochterDied: April 29, 1676 in the Bay of  Syracuse, near  SicilyFilms: Admiral (Michiel de Ruyter), 2015Awards and Honors: De Ruyter has a statue in his birthplace  Vlissingen looking out at the sea. Many towns in the Netherlands have named streets after him. Six ships of the  Royal Netherlands Navy  have been named  HNLMS  De Ruyter  and seven are named after his flagship  HNLMS  De Zeven Provincià «n.Spouse(s): Maayke Velders (m. March 16, 1631–December 31, 1631), Neeltje Engels (m. summer 1636–1650), Anna van Gelder (January 9, 1652–April 29, 1676)Children: Adriaen, Neeltje, Aelken, Engel, Margaretha, AnnaNotable Quote: You might see the heads of some, the arms, legs or thighs of others shot off, and others....cut off by the middle with a chain-shot breathing out their last anguish and pain; some burning in ships fired, and others exposed to the mercy of the liquid Element, some of them sinking, whilst others who have learnt the art of swimming, lift up their heads above water and implore pity from their very enemies, entreating them to save their lives. Early Life Ruyter was the son of Vlissingen beer porter Adriaen Michielszoon and his wife Aagje Jansdochter. Growing up in a port town, de Ruyter appears to have first gone to sea at age 11. Four years later, he entered the Dutch army and fought against the Spaniards during the relief of Bergen-op-Zoom. Returning to business, he worked in the Dublin office of the Vlissingen-based Lampsins Brothers from 1623 to 1631. He married Maayke Velders when he returned home, but the union proved brief as she died in childbirth in late 1631. In the wake of his wifes death, de Ruyter became first mate of a whaling fleet that operated around Jan Mayen Island. After three seasons on the whale fishery, he married Neeltje Engels, the daughter of a wealthy burgher. Their union produced three children who survived to adulthood. Recognized as a gifted sailor, de Ruyter was given command of a  ship in 1637 and was charged with hunting raiders operating from Dunkirk. Successfully fulfilling this duty, he was commissioned by the Zeeland Admiralty and given command of the warship Haze, with orders to aid in supporting the Portuguese in their rebellion against Spain. Early Naval Career Sailing as third-in-command of the Dutch fleet, de Ruyter aided in defeating the Spanish off Cape St. Vincent on November 4, 1641. With the fighting concluded, de Ruyter purchased his own ship, Salamander, and engaged in trade with Morocco and the West Indies. Becoming a wealthy merchant, de Ruyter was stunned when his wife suddenly died in 1650. Two years later, he married Anna van Gelder and retired from the merchant service. With the outbreak of the First Anglo-Dutch War, de Ruyter was asked to take command of a Zealandic squadron of directors ships (privately financed warships). Accepting, he successfully defended an outbound Dutch convoy at the Battle of Plymouth on August 26, 1652. Serving under Lieutenant-Admiral Maarten Tromp, de Ruyter acted as a squadron commander during the defeats at Kentish Knock (October 8, 1652) and the Gabbard (June 12–13, 1653). Following Tromps death at the Battle of Scheveningen in August 1653, Johan de Witt offered de Ruyter command of the Dutch fleet. Fearful that accepting would anger officers senior to him, de Ruyter declined. Instead, he elected to become the vice-admiral of the Amsterdam Admiralty shortly before the end of the war in May 1654. Later Naval Career Flying his flag from Tijdverdrijf, de Ruyter spent 1655–1656 cruising the Mediterranean and protecting Dutch commerce from the Barbary pirates. Shortly after arriving back in Amsterdam, he re-embarked with orders to support the Danes against Swedish aggression. Operating under Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam, de Ruyter aided in relieving Gdaà ±sk in July 1656. Over the next seven years, he saw action off the coast of Portugal and spent time on convoy duty in the Mediterranean. In 1664 while off the coast of West Africa, he battled with the English who had occupied Dutch slaving stations. Crossing the Atlantic, de Ruyter was informed that the Second Anglo-Dutch War had begun. Sailing to Barbados, he attacked the English forts and destroyed shipping in the harbor. Turning north, he raided Newfoundland before re-crossing the Atlantic and arriving back in the Netherlands. After van Wassenaer, the leader of the combined Dutch fleet, was killed at the recent Battle of Lowestoft, de Ruyters named was again put forward by Johan de Witt. Accepting on August 11, 1665, de Ruyter led the Dutch to victory at the Four Days Battle the following June. Raid on the Medway While initially successful, de Ruyters luck failed him in August 1666 when he was beaten and narrowly avoided disaster at the St. James Day Battle. The outcome of the battle furthered de Ruyters growing rift with one of his subordinates, Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Tromp, who coveted his post as commander of the fleet. Falling gravely ill in early 1667, de Ruyter recovered in time to oversee the Dutch fleets daring raid on the Medway. Conceived by de Witt, the Dutch succeeded in sailing up the Thames and burning three capital ships and 10 others. Before retreating, they captured the English flagship Royal Charles and a second ship, Unity, and towed them back to the Netherlands. The embarrassment of the incident ultimately forced the English to sue for peace. With the wars conclusion, de Ruyters health continued to be an issue and in 1667, de Witt forbade him from putting to sea. This ban continued until 1671. The next year, de Ruyter took the fleet to sea to defend the Netherlands from invasion during the Third Anglo-Dutch War. Encountering the English off Solebay, de Ruyter defeated them in June 1672. Later Years and Death The following year, he won a string crucial victories at Schoonveld (June 7 and June 14) and Texel, which eliminated the threat of English invasion. Promoted to lieutenant-admiral-general, de Ruyter sailed for the Caribbean in mid-1674 after the English had been driven from the war. Attacking French possessions, he was forced to return home when disease broke out aboard his ships. Two years later, de Ruyter was given command of a combined Dutch-Spanish fleet and was sent to aid in putting down the Messina Revolt. Engaging a French fleet under Abraham Duquesne at Stromboli, de Ruyter was able to achieve another victory. Four months later, de Ruyter clashed with Duquesne at the Battle of Agosta. During the fighting, he was mortally wounded in the left leg by a cannonball. Clinging to life for a week, he died on April 29, 1676. On March 18, 1677, de Ruyter was given a full state funeral and buried in Amsterdams Nieuwe Kerk. Sources Pike, John. â€Å"Military.†Ã‚  Anglo-Dutch Wars.â€Å"Michiel Adriaanszoon De Ruyter.†Ã‚  Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2018.â€Å"The Collection.†Ã‚  Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel De Ruyter (1607–1676) - National Maritime Museum.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Spartans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Spartans - Essay Example In his career he has published over 65 articles, with 12 forthcoming articles and chapters such as 'Sparta' in The Classical Tradition (Harvard University Press). In 2004, Professor Cartledge was appointed an Honorary Citizen of Sparta. The Spartans is a convincing narrative that explores the culture and civilization of the most famous "warrior people": the Spartans of ancient Greece, by the world's leading specialist in the field. Sparta has often been described as the original Utopia--a remarkably evolved society whose warrior heroes were forbidden any other trade, profession, or business. As a people, the Spartans were the living exemplars of such core values as duty, discipline, the nobility of arms in a cause worth dying for, sacrificing the individual for the greater good of the community (illustrated by their role in the battle of Thermopylae), and the triumph of will over seemingly insuperable obstacles--qualities that today are frequently believed to signify the ultimate heroism. Paul Cartledge is the distinguished scholar and historian who have long been seen as the leading international authority on ancient Sparta. He traces the evolution of Spartan society--the culture and the people, as well as the tre mendous influence they had on their world and even ours. He details throughout the narrative the lives of such illustrious and myth-making figures as Lycurgus, King Leonidas, Helen of Troy (and Sparta), and Lysander, and explains how the Spartans, although they placed a high value on masculine ideals, nevertheless allowed women an unusually dominant and powerful role--unlike Athenian culture with which the Spartans are so often compared. In resurrecting the ancient culture and society of the Spartans, Cartledge delves deep into ancient texts and archeological sources and complements his text with illustrations that depict original Spartan artifacts and drawings, as well as examples of representational paintings from the Renaissance onwards. The Spartans built a warrior culture in ancient Greece unsurpassed for its courage and military prowess. Eminent historian Cartledge (Spartan Reflections) provides a remarkable chronicle of Sparta's rise and fall, from its likely origins around 1100 B.C. to the height of its fame and glory in the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. and its fall in the fourth century B.C. The Spartans built their society through conquest and subjugation, ruling over their subject peoples with an iron hand and putting down revolts with devastating might. Between 490 and 479, Sparta joined Athens in fighting the Persians in three key wars-Thermopylae, Plataea and Mycale-that contributed to the demise of Persian power and the rise of Hellenistic power on the Mediterranean. Cartledge punctuates his absorbing tale with brief, engaging biographies of the city-state's kings from Lycurgus, the earliest Spartan leader, who brought constitutional law to the city, to Leonidas, who led the Spartans at Thermopylae. According to

Friday, October 18, 2019

The necessity of human resource management Essay

The necessity of human resource management - Essay Example It helps in determination of objectives. No organization can succeed in its mission unless its objectives an identified and well denied. Management helps in achieving these objectives by the efficient use of resources. "Management is the art of getting things done through other people. Management is the dynamic, life-giving element in every business. Without it the resources of production remain resources and never become production." (Sharma, 2004) The people working in an organization are a valuable resource whose talents have to be developed and utilized in the best manner possible for the achievements of organizational objectives (Sherlekar, 1999). Meaningful personnel policy is based on the implied understanding that human resource constitutes the essential capital and assets of any business. Without this no business can prosper nor can it survive. The growth and success of the enterprise and the rate of human investment have positive and high correlation. If human investment is adequate and time, money and energy spent in planning, obtaining and developing the human resource are considered as integral part of overall corporate plan and policy, there is no reason why economic investment should not be fruitful (David et al, 2004) Firstly, management is a social process. ... Management is concerned with making such an interaction productive and useful for achieving organizational goals. It is the pervasiveness of the human element that gives management its special character as a social process. Secondly, management is an integrating process. Management is regarded as a process integrating human and other resources to achieve predetermined goals. Managers apply their knowledge and skills to achieve the desired result. For this purpose, it is necessary to create unity of effort or teamwork in the organization. In order to develop team spirit, managers has to synchronies different activities, relate means to ends, and strike an appropriate balance between organizational and individual goals. Thus management is regarded as an integrating process. Thirdly, management is a continuous process Management is an ongoing continuous process. It involves continuous handling of problems and issues. Management constantly identifies the problems and tries to solve them (Sherlekar, 1999). 4.0 Staffing Staffing may be defined as the process involved in identifying, assessing, planning, evaluating and developing individuals at work. The managerial function of staffing involves manning the organizational structure through the proper and effective selection, appraisal and development of personnel to fill the roles designed into the structure. 4.1 Phases in Staffing Process 4.1.1 Manpower Planning Manpower planning may be regarded, as a process of determining quantitative and qualitative needs in relation to manpower in an organization. It may be expressed as a process by which the management ensures the right number of people and right kind of people, at the right place, at the right time

Alternative Health Paradigms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alternative Health Paradigms - Essay Example gathering scientific knowledge but also with establishing institutions for the production of scientific knowledge free inherently from ideological biases. The technological dimension of science has been apparent in how science has bred and has interlinked with technology for economic uses and benefits. These dimensions were also temporally successive in that Western science was borne out of philosophical study which emphasized the requirement of empirical investigation and rationalization. Science in its nascent stages was more on shaping its characteristically Western attitude of objectification and reductionism; that is, scientific truths were either derived from viewing Nature as an object for man’s benefit or from the deconstructive analysis of knowledge. Subsequent philosophies of Western science shifted its focus from experimental results to experimental processes. Although Jamison did not point it out explicitly, one can infer that the institutionalization of science was borne out of the early scientific community’s shift from its study of the results of experimentation to the study of the process of experimentation. This segued into the production of knowledge by means of formulating hypothesis and carrying out the experimentation to verify and produce new kn owledge. With science out in the open, its progress escalated and the production of knowledge led to new knowledge that can be of economic advantage; Western science has thus come to where it is now – a commodity. Criticism has dogged Western science from the time of its inception and up to the present. Jamison (1994) narrowed down his analysis of the various criticisms to relevant issues pertaining to how the relativism between Western science and traditional knowledge apply to contemporary concerns. Jamison (1994) grouped the criticisms into three thematic categories: romantic critique, environmental critique, and feminist critique. The romantic critics claimed that Western science

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Advanced Information Systems Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Advanced Information Systems Management - Essay Example 253). A Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) is a form of information system which involves the application of various hardware and software applications for effective management of information and data on clients or customers with a view of achieving the goals and objectives of the organization. This essay gives a critical analysis and discussion of the value that CRM systems within government owned organization in the UK public sector. The essay includes concepts of contemporary application of information systems in the public sector. More specifically the essay illustrates knowledge management through decision support and application of expert systems in data mining. Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) In accordance to Shanks, Jagielska and Jayaganesh (2009, p. 263), CRM is an information system based business strategy which is designed to help users to achieve an understanding the needs of customers. The CRM also helps in anticipating customer needs and applyin g technological application to manage them with a view of meeting the expectations of customers (Ku, 2010, p. 1087). The implementation or application of CRM involves processes of interaction among people, technology and business processes. Therefore it is through the adoption and application of CRM that effective integration of core processes of customer service, sales and marketing is achieved (Khodakarami and Chan, 2011, p. 256). It is apparent that CRM is a contemporary phenomenon which has been employed within the public sector. This technology is therefore replacing the orthodoxy and less efficient approaches which were employed by government organizations in delivery of services to the public (Wilson, Daniel and McDonald, 2002, p. 195). Figure 1: CRM Value of CRM within Government Organizations in the UK Stjepanovic (2010, p. 273) argues that the value of CRM to a government organization is basically the efficiency which characterizes the use of information system. For exampl e the use of database management systems and application within a CRM framework leads to speedy retrieval and presentation of data and information to clients when they need it. Within a government organization, customer service involves retrieval and presentation of data to customers upon request. This information or data is often retrieved from government databases through the process of data mining (Wilson, Daniel and McDonald, 2002, p. 198). If for instance a customer requests for data on taxation, salaries or benefits, the government owned organizations are mandated to provide it immediately. Nonetheless, the efficiency of data mining and presentation data to the client or customer depends on the level of expertise, skills and knowledge that a government employee has (Stjepanovic, 2010, p. 276). The skills that are required include the use of various software applications within the CRM system such as Microsoft Word Excel and database management applications. Shanks, Jagielska a nd Jayaganesh (2009, p. 264) point out that CRM is valuable to a government organization because it reduces the costs that are associated with business activities or office processes. Within the UK and the EU in general, government organizations are increasingly competing for public funds or government funding. Because of this, many organizations require to reduce the costs of operations in order to achieve effective utilization of the resources available to them. Technology reduces costs

Crime Scene Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Crime Scene - Research Paper Example Even though they are the most common, they are also the most easily contaminated and therefore, must be handled literally with kid gloves. When a crime scene investigator is called upon to collect hair sample evidence, he can do this a number of ways. However, the most common method is to ; â€Å"use the fingers or tweezers to pick up hair, place in paper bundles or coin envelopes which should then be folded and sealed in larger envelopes. Label the outer sealed envelope.† In instances when the hair is found to be mixed with blood or other items at the crime scene, it is important to preserve all the types of evidence present. Therefore, in order to collect the hair sample while attached to say, a bloodstain, a CSI might find himself leaving the hair intact where it dried up or got mixed up in because of the method by which it is recovered and packed ; â€Å"If the object is small, mark it, wrap it, and seal it in an envelope. If the object is large, wrap the area containing the hair in paper to prevent loss of hairs during shipment. â€Å" (â€Å"†Evidence Collection Guidelines†) Tests that can be performed on a hair sample include Fresh Blood on the other hand, â€Å"... needs to be absorbed in a gauze pad or sterile cloth and allowed to dry thoroughly†. If whole pieces of clothing are retrieved, â€Å"label and roll in paper or place in a brown paper bag or box and seal and label container. Place only one item in each container. Do not use plastic containers., then allow it to dry at room temperature at the crime lab.† (â€Å"†Evidence Collection Guidelines†) These types of evidence cannot be exposed to sunlight as it will contaminate the blood. Dried blood on the other hand, requires that the clothing be wrapped in clean containers in the same manner as fresh blood. If the blood is found on small objects, the object should be wrapped, labeled, and sealed in a box before being shipped to the laboratory. (†Å"†Evidence Collection Guidelines†). It is important to not mix blood stains and instead place any stains retrieved from table or counter tops in separate envelopes. It is important to not retrieve the blood evidence with moistened cloth or tissue paper because its chemical composition will influence the freshly recovered evidence. One of the tests can be performed on both dry and liquid samples would be DNA matching and blood chemical analysis for those suspected of being poisoned. When recovering firearms, it is important to wear latex gloves in order to preserve any DNA, trace, or fingerprints on the gun. Remember to treat it as a loaded gun even though the visual evidence indicates the cartridge is empty. Remember that there may be unfired bullets in the chamber and therefore, the weapon should not be shipped by any method for safety reasons. Prior to sending the gun to the lab, it is of the utmost importance that the serial number, make and model, caliber and model markings are properly recorded because â€Å"Marking firearms is important since duplicate serial numbers are sometimes found on different guns of the same make and general type.† (â€Å"†Evidence Collection Guidelines†) When a gun is recovered at the crime scene, shell casings from the bullets won't be far behind. As with the gun itself, latex gloves are the order of the day when recovering the bullet casings. The bullets should be wrapped in paper or dropped into the small evidence bag that are properly labeled. Once a while, labeled pill boxes and envelopes may

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Advanced Information Systems Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Advanced Information Systems Management - Essay Example 253). A Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) is a form of information system which involves the application of various hardware and software applications for effective management of information and data on clients or customers with a view of achieving the goals and objectives of the organization. This essay gives a critical analysis and discussion of the value that CRM systems within government owned organization in the UK public sector. The essay includes concepts of contemporary application of information systems in the public sector. More specifically the essay illustrates knowledge management through decision support and application of expert systems in data mining. Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) In accordance to Shanks, Jagielska and Jayaganesh (2009, p. 263), CRM is an information system based business strategy which is designed to help users to achieve an understanding the needs of customers. The CRM also helps in anticipating customer needs and applyin g technological application to manage them with a view of meeting the expectations of customers (Ku, 2010, p. 1087). The implementation or application of CRM involves processes of interaction among people, technology and business processes. Therefore it is through the adoption and application of CRM that effective integration of core processes of customer service, sales and marketing is achieved (Khodakarami and Chan, 2011, p. 256). It is apparent that CRM is a contemporary phenomenon which has been employed within the public sector. This technology is therefore replacing the orthodoxy and less efficient approaches which were employed by government organizations in delivery of services to the public (Wilson, Daniel and McDonald, 2002, p. 195). Figure 1: CRM Value of CRM within Government Organizations in the UK Stjepanovic (2010, p. 273) argues that the value of CRM to a government organization is basically the efficiency which characterizes the use of information system. For exampl e the use of database management systems and application within a CRM framework leads to speedy retrieval and presentation of data and information to clients when they need it. Within a government organization, customer service involves retrieval and presentation of data to customers upon request. This information or data is often retrieved from government databases through the process of data mining (Wilson, Daniel and McDonald, 2002, p. 198). If for instance a customer requests for data on taxation, salaries or benefits, the government owned organizations are mandated to provide it immediately. Nonetheless, the efficiency of data mining and presentation data to the client or customer depends on the level of expertise, skills and knowledge that a government employee has (Stjepanovic, 2010, p. 276). The skills that are required include the use of various software applications within the CRM system such as Microsoft Word Excel and database management applications. Shanks, Jagielska a nd Jayaganesh (2009, p. 264) point out that CRM is valuable to a government organization because it reduces the costs that are associated with business activities or office processes. Within the UK and the EU in general, government organizations are increasingly competing for public funds or government funding. Because of this, many organizations require to reduce the costs of operations in order to achieve effective utilization of the resources available to them. Technology reduces costs

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Marketing feasibilty analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing feasibilty analysis - Research Paper Example Fuze is a non-carbonated fruit drink enriched with vitamins. It is one of the most popular drinks especially among school and college students. This study will focus on the marketing feasibility for Fuze drink in Saudi Arabia. It will also cover various aspects of feasibility study. In a country like Saudi Arabia where alcoholic drinks are banned, fruit drinks like Fuze have a good prospect for growth. Effective marketing can lead to even better results (Fuze Drink, â€Å"Fuze Drink†). Feasibility study is concerned with the analysis of various determinants of forces which affect the business in order to determine whether a business opportunity is economically, technically, financially and socially feasible or not. It is used as a supportive measure for business decision making process regarding viability of any project. It helps business entrepreneurs to take a realistic view of both positive and negative aspect of an opportunity (Hoagland, â€Å"What is a feasibility study?†). Marketing feasibility study is one of the dimensions of business feasibility study, which deals with analyzing the demand and supply of the product in the market and the factors affecting them. Variables like price, place, promotion and physical evidence, which are the main Ps of marketing, are evaluated for the feasibility of the product. Pricing the product: Pricing is considered as one of the most important aspect of marketing as it is related with success and failure of any product. If the price is soaring then customers may not accept it and if it is too low, then the company may not earn profit. Fuze Beverages need to adopt a pricing policy after taking into consideration different factors like, cost in production and advertising, price of its competitor’s product, and capacity of consumers. Market segmentation: A detailed study of market is necessary if Fuze drink wants to capture market through segmentation. At first a thorough analysis of market must be done. There are a

Monday, October 14, 2019

Food Preservation Essay Example for Free

Food Preservation Essay Men have preserved their foods from ancient times in order to keep the results of harvesting for winter months, for resale, for storage, and for transporting from sea to inland, overseas, or cross-country. To do so, they generally used natures methods, which are drying, parching and fermenting. Parching is the most natural method, but for many thousands of years, others have also been used. Direct fermentation of liquids, usually by the introduction of yeast, has not only preserved liquids but also enhanced their quality, the same of course applying to salting. Smoking has preserved, and sometimes improved both fish and meat. Hickory wood is generally used for the fires, and natural juices are contained by a slight coating of wood creosote. It was not until recently that the causes of rottenness were understood, these being the reactions of bacteria, molds, yeasts and micro-organisms. Some fermentation and molds are, of course, necessary in the production of food and drink; molds, for example, being used in cheese-making. But the real breakthrough in preservation against the causes of rottenness came, when it was learnt how to deal with the micro-organisms present in all foods and drinks, and which react chemically over a period to produce unpalatable or poisonous food or drink. There are three basic methods. Firstly, food may be preserved by cooling or freezing, to a very low temperature when long-term preservation is required. This was originally done by packing in a mixture of salt and ice; today, cold storage is big business and refrigeration is a highly-developed science. Dehydration may be bracketed with this method, as the principle involved is the same, namely to suspend the operation of bacteria which requires normal temperatures for chemical reaction. This is why reconstituted eggs cannot against dehydrated, and melted ice-cream refrozen. The second method of destruction is by heat-processes, which destroy all the bacteria present in food and drink. This process is used before canning foods in hermetically-sealed containers, great care being taken not to allow the foods or drink s to become re-infested after cooling and before canning. The third method is to preserve by the addition of chemicals, which control or destroy bacteria. This is merely a follow-up of the old systems of salting, smoking and candling. Eventually, the method of cold sterilization is expected to supersede most of the others; this amounts to exposing the food-stuffs to ionizing radiation. Today more than mere food-preservation is sought by the consumer, and for this reason, processes are becoming more and more sophisticated. Quality, economy and convenience are sought by modern man especially modern woman convenience is important, the ready-cooked meal is popular, while, in Western, or Westernized communities, goods do not sell easily if they lack color, a good appearance, natural flavor, the right texture, and are free from defects.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Debate

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Debate Eunae Jeong Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act should continue When people heard the news that the first patient with the Ebola virus arrived in Dallas, they were frightened by not only panic about the Ebola virus itself but also by fear that someone in the early stage of infection might not see the doctor because of the enormous cost of health care. In March 2010, President Barack Obama signed into the law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or obamacare. It is the United States’ first health care reform since legalization of Medicare in 1965. Provisions of PPACA include that, in brief, all Americans should buy health insurance from the Health Insurance Marketplace in their state. Another provision states that the federal government should support insurance exchange’s financing (â€Å"Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)†). PPACA needs to continue because through the implementation of this Act, people with pre-existing conditions as well as a lot of uninsured people can be aided, and the bud get for Medicare can be reduced at any time. Although there are many opposing views on PPACA, the implementation of PPACA has to be supported because of its clear advantages. For example, imagine that there are a man with type I diabetes, which developed when he was young. To manage type I diabetes, periodical injections of insulin are needed. This means that he needs to visit the doctor to get insulin throughout his life. The cost of insulin depends on insurance coverage. If he tries to apply for insurance in this situation, the insurance company will decline his application due to he has a pre-existing condition. The reason why he is worried about this problem is that he is an American. Fareed Zakaria reports that other countries, such as Switzerland or Taiwan, support their people’s universal insurance independently of pre-existing conditions (22). This is possible because the government, not private insurers, provides the coverage (22). Before PPACA came to the front, Americans had to be anxious about the United Stat es’ terrible health care support system. To address this issue, PPACA prohibits that insurance companies deny an application on account of applicants’ pre-existing conditions (â€Å"Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)†). Also, another benefit of the program is that the uninsured Americans can be aided by expansion of PPACA. With the implementation of PPACA, they can have opportunities to get medical service when they require it. According to the article written by Leonard Zwelling, for example, 28 percentages of adults, about 6 million people, in Texas are currently uninsured and about 3 million uninsured Texans can get coverage by the implementation of PPACA (13). In addition, because the budget cuts for Medicare are possible if the states’ finances are endangered PPACS should continue. One of key facts that the Obama administration provide PPACA includes current Medicare and has a plan to expand it with states’ cooperation. Uninsur ed adults do not have as much political leverage as wealthier insured citizen who can contribute to political campaign. Therefore, the securing of the budget for Medicare can be threatened easily when there is pressure to cut the budget. â€Å"Already, there are calls for curbing the law’s subsidies that will help the uninsured buy coverage as part of a bipartisan budget deal-an extraordinarily bad idea, given the limited scope of those subsidies.† Clearly, PPACA is required to protect and expand Medicare. / reference: Oberlander, Jonathan, The New England Journal of Medicine. The debating on the implementation of PPACA continues even though PPACA has already begun implementation. Young Americans oppose the implementation of PPACA because they already have health insurance, and they might spend more money if the federal government and states try to expand health insurance. The Institute of Politics of Harvard University questioned â€Å"2089 citizens aged 18 to 29: 56% of those 18 to 24 disapproved of the President’s job performance; 53% of those 25 to 29 disapproved; and 47% maintain they would recall President Barack Obama if that were possible† (Emord, Jonathan W. â€Å"YOUNG AMERICANS TO OBAMACARE: NOT INTERESTED† USA Today, February 2014. 16). They argue that PPACA is primarily attractive to those who have been uninsured in the past and who suffer from chronic or acute and costly diseases. It is likely that only those individuals will sign up for the program. Most of interviewees have already health insurance. They think that PPAC A’s benefits will not affect them because they are already insured by some other way. Instead, those polled might think that they will have to pay the money that allows expanding health insurance through PPACA. Also, because PPACA does not target a specific population, money might be wasted in the allocation of funds in the federal governmental budget for PPACA’s implementation. In his article â€Å"The Future or Obamacare†, Jonathan Oberlander argues that there is no â€Å"clear programmatic identity: unlike Medicare and Social Security, PPACA does not have a well-defined population of beneficiaries, and its benefits are diffuse.† (Oberlander, Jonathan. â€Å"The Future of Obamacare†, The NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL of MEDICINE (2012). Furthermore, Texas and 15 other states assert that PPACA, with expansion of Medicare, should be reconsidered because it will raise state expenses. (Zwelling, Leonard. â€Å"Obamacare: Why Should We Care?† Journal of Oncology Practice Vol .10, Issue 1 (2014). This is the most difficult, prolonged assault, which the federal government and states should overcome for continuous implementation of PPACA. In spite of these opposing opinions, PPACA should continue to go to the fore. First of all, nobody can assure that they will have enough insurance when they will need health care. In 1963, Kenneth J. Arrow wrote, â€Å"UNCERTAINTY AND THE WELFARE ECONOMICS OR MEDICAL CARE†. In his article, Kenneth J. Arrow contended that health care industry could be explained with â€Å"uncertainty in the incidence of disease†. Namely, the reason why young Americans oppose PPACA implies that young Americans are literally young. Current situation can change suddenly; the insurance is for risk and uncertainty. Reference : Kenneth J. Arrow, â€Å"UNCERTAINTY AND THE WELFARE ECONOMICS OF MEDICAL CARE†, The American Economic Review, Vol LIII December 1963 Number 5 941-973. Moreover, PPACA’s ta rgeting to the universal population of the US is not a weak point, but a strong one. There are other countries with universal access and universal insurance such as Switzerland and Taiwan. Their types of insurance are similar to Medicare supplied by their government instead of being supply by private insurance companies. Surprisingly, while the United States spends 17% of its GDP on health care, Switzerland and Taiwan spends 11% and 7% respectively, of their GDP on it. Because PPACA is not completely enacted Act yet, addressing concerns over budget waste and discussing solutions are necessary to make PPACA move forward Reference: Zakaria, Fareed, Time magazine, 3/26/2012. Last but not least, the Federal government, not each state, will support the expansion of PPACA at a 100% level until 2017, a bit less later, then at 90% indefinitely after 2022(Zwelling, Leonard 12). For example, in Texas, for every $1 the state spends on health care for the poor, the US government matches $9 doll ars. This effectively means that, during the first 10 years of the program in Texas (current Medicare program plus expansion) the federal government would increase payments to the Texas health care system by nearly $90 billion, whereas the state of Texas’s share would be $15.6 billion. However, there are no specific plans after 10 years. More patchworks should be added in many holes of PPACA for its sustainable implementation. PPACA is not perfect yet, but its direction is right. Because PPACA can aid people with pre-existing conditions or uninsured people and can support Medicare, which may be endangered. The opponents argue that they have already health insurance, money might be wasted, or state expenses will be increased. PPACA, supported by the federal government, however, can guarantee people’s future health insurance. In the process of the implementation, although waste of the budget can occur, and PPACA does not have enough time to be revised, it can be getting better with continuous debating with many opposing views. Therefore, PPACA needs to go on in spite of several opposing opinions. Works cited Arrow, Kenneth J. â€Å"UNCERTAINTY AND THE WELFARE ECONOMICS OF MEDICAL CARE† The American Economic Review LIII (1963): 941-973. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Oct 2014. Emord, Jonathan W. â€Å"YOUNG AMERICANS TO OBAMACARE: NOT INTERESTED.† USA TODAY Feb. 2014: 16. Print â€Å"Health Care that Works for Americans.† the White House PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. The government of the United States of America, 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2014 Levy, Michael. â€Å"Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).† ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014 Oberlander, Jonathan. â€Å"The Future of Obamacare.† New England Journal of Medicine 367.23 (2012): 2165-2167. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Oct 2014. Zakaria, Fareed. â€Å"Health Insurance Is for Everyone.† Time 26 Mar. 2012: 22-23. Print. Zwelling, Leonard, and Hagop M. Kantarjian. â€Å"Obamacare: Why Should We Care?† JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY PRACTICE 10.1 (2013): 12-14. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Oct 2014.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Discontent in Great Expectations :: Free Great Expectations Essays

Discontent in Great Expectations Many people strive for things that are out of their reach. In the novel Great Expectations, Charles Dickens shows the themes of personal ambition and discontent with present conditions. The main character, Pip, shows early on in the story that he is unhappy with his current situation. Throughout the story he strives for the things that are beyond his reach, and is apathetic to the things that he can obtain. Pip demonstrates this by striving for Estella when he could have Biddy, and yearning to be a gentleman when he could be a blacksmith. The first way that Pip demonstrates these themes is by reaching for things that are unattainable to him. For example, Pip is in love with Estella, but he can't have her because she doesn't like him. Also Miss Havisham's man-hating ways have brushed off on her, and she wants nothing to do with Pip. Another thing that Pip strives for is to become a gentleman. He cannot become a gentleman, however, because he is just a commoner. He is very smitten, for example, with "the beautiful young lady at Miss Havisham's and she is more beautiful than anybody ever was and I admire her dreadfully and I want to be a gentleman on her account" (780). Thus, Pip wants to become a gentleman only for Estella. Another way that Pip shows his discontent with his present life is by not wanting to be a blacksmith when it would be very practical for him. Pip's brother-in-law is a blacksmith which would make it easy for him to learn the trade. Also, Miss Havisham agreed to pay for his apprenticeship, yet Pip insists that he is better than that and is upset by that fact that he is just a commoner. He states his dissatisfaction" with my home, my trade and with everything" (773). Pip also turns away Biddy when she is something that is obtainable to him. Biddy is somebody in the story that really loves Pip, yet he turns her away and uses her to get what he wants. Pip also gives the impression that he is better than Biddy when he is no less a commoner than she is.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Mpio

SCM Is the management of a network of Interconnected businesses Involved In the ultimate provision of product and service packages required by end customers. Mall activities of SCM are as follows: Execution Control Monitoring Leveraging worldwide logistics Synchronizing supply with demand and measuring performance globally.PLANNING: On the basis of above functions HRS department will make a plan to hire a best candidate for Finance, Marketing and Supply chain. HRS follow different criteria for different department such as: For Finance they require qualified person who can manage all procedure of accounting, arranging cash and credit as well as he knows how to raise the fund. For marketing they require experienced candidate because who provide create new ideas, Focus on to sustain the brand and to monitor competitors activities in the competitive market.For Supply Chain candidate must have experience of Logistics, Channel Management, operations and Risk Management. Suggestion: Gaston (Minds. ) has to follow three key elements of the HRS planning process to achieve best fit between Jobs and employees. Elements are as follows: Forecasting labor demand, Analyzing present labor supply, and Balancing projected labor demand and supply. RECRUITMENT: It is the overall process of attracting, selecting and appointing suitable candidates to a one or more Jobs within an organization.The term may sometimes be defined as incorporating activities which take place ahead of attracting people, such as defining the Job requirements and person specification. Recruitment can also refer to processes involved in choosing individuals for unpaid positions, such as voluntary roles or training programmed. Suggestions for Gaston (Minds) is in order to increase efficiency in hiring and retention and to ensure consistency and compliance in the recruitment process, it is commended the following steps be followed (also refer to Staff Recruitment Checklist).Details for each step include the min imum recommended best practice to attract a talented and diverse applicant pool: Step 1: Identify Vacancy and Evaluate Need Step 2: Develop Position Description Step 3: Develop Recruitment Plan Step 4: Finalize Recruitment Selection committees will consider all applications. The department uses a streamlined selection process and applications are rigorously short listed. Selection committees may then choose between a number of different assessment methods.These include, but are not limited to, contacting referees prior to assessment, making an assessment based on application and referee input alone, conducting interviews, examining work samples and conducting performance tests which could be both written or practical. All selections and employment decisions for the department are based on merit. And to ensure consistency and compliance in the selection process, it is recommended the following steps be followed: Step 1: Select Search Committee Step 2: Post Position and Implement Recr uitment Plan Step 3: Review Applicants and Develop Short List Step 4: Conduct Interviews

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Christianity Essay

Trade and merchants play a major role in Christianity and Islam from their origins to the 1500’s, and even though both had similar attributes yet differed as well. Christians and Islam both had a negative outlook, both had their religious viewpoints, as well as both changed their views towards trade. Despite this, Christianity began to open up to trade, even tolerating it, while Muslims became stricter on merchants and trade. Furthermore, Both Islam and Christianity had a negative attitudes for instance, in the Bible, Jesus preaches to his disciples how a rich man will never reach heaven. This is due to their behavior, for merchants are greedy and lying people whose only content is to get rich, which goes against Christianity’s belief. Moreover, Thomas Aquinas explains how unfair and unjust merchants are for they price their goods higher than what the product actually cost. By the tone of the document as well as how he explains trade and its problems show his dislike. L ikewise Ibn Khaldun describes merchants as weak, and disgusting men and how they negatively affect the government. His tone is harsher however, which indicates his anger towards the merchants. Merchants constants rip-off of the people by selling their goods at a high price as well s giving their all their goods to those who pay more. The Islamic Court in Ankara had to deal with a case in which merchants would give all their cotton to a single person, if they pay extra high price in addition to the merchant’s high prices. Document seven contains quotes from that of the people who have complained about the merchants. Both Christianity and Islam share the same pessimistic attitude towards merchants and trade because of their behavior and how they sell their goods. Anyways, I would have like to see a document from a merchant, it would have help me better indicate if merchants were really sneaky and unfair as spoken in the documents given. Some looked to the Christianity’s and Islam’s beliefs, to determine their view on merchants and trade for both religions impacted all their followers. In the Bible, Jesus says that no rich man will ever reach heaven. The small passage comes from the bible, which heavily every Christians view. Which is also why he emphasized how the quote from the bible and how i t fit into the situation. The Muslim Qur’an also circled around honesty and truthfulness which the Muslims and Muslim merchants had to follow if they wanted to reach paradise. Thomas Aquinas who was also heavily influence by Christianity, and its bible, for he states a line out of the bible. He indicates the bible  because he knows that adding the bible would persuade many of the Christians which was his intended target audience. Reginald, a monk of Durham also says explains the life of Godric and how he became a successful merchant, only to become tired of it and soon devoted himself to God giving away all his possessions to the poor. Reginald’s attended audience was Christian followers, he also helps justify document 1 in Godric went from rich to poor in order to devote himself to god. I would have liked a document from a person not Christian or Islam because it would have allow me to understand how much both religions influence the views of its subjects. Despite the similarities Christianit y religious views seem to rather negative and stricter than the Muslims were lighter and positive. Merchants and trade in the eyes of Christianity and Islam began to change significantly overtime. Ibn Khaldun says how beneficial the merchants are to the capital, for they buy goods in one area, only to sell at a higher price in an area in demand. Which the Qur’an also depicts, however it encourages trade as long as it is fair and truthful. Yet Ibn Khaldun gives us evidence of laws which were established in order to control merchant’s behavior. In addition, document 7 shows how the Islamic court had power over merchants and could affect their behavior as well as. Unlike Islam which began to become stricter, Christianity began look towards it positively, such as, letter C of document 6 describes an order being canceled for English wool, and the consumer seemingly brings god name into it, which suggest the consumer does not think of trade conflicting with Christianity. Which letter A also identify for both letters show how the merchant’s goal is to make a profit, and they see no problem with. In conclusion, Christianity and Islam attitudes towards trade and me rchants were similar in certain aspects as, of the beginning both viewed it negatively, and on a religious level. However, both began to change their views on trade and merchants. For Christianity began approving trade, while Islam began harsher treatment towards trade and merchants.

A review of financial reporting from a range of construction industry sectors

Annual reports have changed quite dramatically between mid 1970s and today. The overall amount of information given has increased considerably, and this is equally true for the financial statements and the discussion section of the annual report.New financial statements have emerged with the funds flow/cash flow statement or more recently the statement of total recognised gains and losses, and existing statements now offer a greater level of dis-aggregation.â€Å"In addition to the basic financial statements underwriters expect to find schedules of contracts in progress and completed contracts and a reconciliation of the income and the costs of these contracts to the current year's income statement.Certain balance sheet accounts are unique to the construction industry– costs in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts (an asset) or billings in excess of costs (a liability). Using the percentage of completion method costs in excess of billing result when the billings on unc ompleted contracts are less than the income earned to date.These under billings result in increased assets. Conversely, where billings are greater than the income earned on uncompleted contracts, a liability, billings in excess of costs results. Many bonding companies request other specific information as supplementary data. A timely and detailed response can provide many answers to bonding agent's questions and increase the likelihood of a positive reaction to a request for bonding.The absence of the appropriate and sufficient information in the financial statements will give rise to scepticism and, at the very least, additional questions from the survey.As a result the TABULAR DATA OMITTED bonding agent will be seriously inhibited in his or her attempt to convince the insurance carrier that the reward outweighs the risk of providing performance bonds for the contractor.† (Dufek, 1992)2-2- Shareholders Users of annual reports are many and varied, but it is generally agreed th at investors form one of the largest and most important groups of potential users (Day, 1986). It is generally recognised that information contained in company financial reports should be useful to shareholders in their investment activities.Yet if annual reports are to succeed in being a primary means of communication between the business enterprise and its shareholders, they must contain disclosed information that shareholders need in order to take their investment decision (Lee and Tweedie, 1975).2-3- Disclosure of risk As defined by the ASB (1998) risk is â€Å"Uncertainty as to amount of benefits. The term includes both potential for gain and exposure to loss.† Risk thus is essential to an enterprise, because it is inherent in the pursuit of opportunities to earn return for its owners.It follows that in order to understand properly the potential for the future performance of any company; investors need a proper understanding of the risks it undertakes. This will be based on the following information

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Traits of a successful Byzantine emperor from the perspective of Research Paper

Traits of a successful Byzantine emperor from the perspective of Michael Psellus - Research Paper Example In his historical works, he describes the attributes of the various emperors (it is notable that he had shifted his political alignment numerous times during his lifetime, thus implying that he had assessed Emperors and shifted allegiances when he perceived that an Emperor was weak). Thus, one can make the argument that Psellus was a pragmatists and a proto-Machiavellian figure, as evidenced by his political career, and the standards by which he assessed politicians and emperors. From reading Psellus’ Chronographia, one can arrive to the conclusion that Psellus’ ideas on what constituted a successful emperor were derived from the earlier Byzantine history (since the notorious â€Å"dirty power politics† that one can observe throughout the late Byzantine history can be traced to the earlier Roman times). Therefore, the traits that would make one a good Byzantine emperor were theorized by Psellus at a time when the Byzantine Empire was enjoying a century of success , stability and expansion (while also going through difficult times later on). Thus, Psellus himself was a high-class Byzantine political figure who was actively involved with the court politics of the Byzantine Emperors . Since Psellus had specialized in court politics, his perspective is inseparable from the Constantinopolitan political culture. Various political events that took place in Psellus’ time and the reigns of various emperors that greatly differed from each other provided Psellus with a wide-range of political experience to derive his assessment model from, since he always had the opportunity to observe how the imperial court had functioned under different emperors. Michael Psellus Traits of a Successful Byzantine Emperor In his book, the Fourteen Byzantine Rulers, Psellus provides a first-hand account that includes observations of blatant mismanagement, unethical political practices, incompetence, as well as successful or exemplary incidents that he attributes t o various Byzantine emperors and politicians. Since Psellus was a member of the Byzantine court for nearly a quarter century, he was able to not only observe but also interact with various emperors. This enabled him to better comprehend the various traits and ruling-styles of different emperors and thus form connections between the traits of a particular emperor and how those traits related to economic growth, military success, or the general well-being of the Empire at different instances throughout his career3. It should be noted though, that Psellus’ views were undoubtedly influenced by the norms of his time. Thus, Psellus’ political assessments also have a historical touch to it, apart from only concerning the discipline of political science. From the first to the last of the fourteen emperors, Psellus provides the following traits as being necessary for Byzantine Emperor to be a successful ruler4. Alertness, thoughtfulness and Intelligence The notion that these se ries of traits are necessary for an emperor to be successful is evidenced by the after-math of the demise of John Tzimisces. The legible heirs to the throne were Basil and Constantine, and both of them had been gaining political power prior to the death of Tzimisces. Michael Psellus explains that the two heirs had different political