EMA COURSE WORK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

EMA COURSE WORK - Essay Example Other factors such as transporting the materials, utilities, etc could also be used however as stated before it is only an example. Variance Analysis is the difference between what is actually paid and the standard cost. The variance is used as a means for management to discuss performance and to review them. One of the major criticisms of standards is that some forms of standards are outdated and not as widely used as others. Another criticism is that the standards are not attainable. This means that the standards are not within reason. Considering that most standards are outdated and incorporate many different components, it is easy to see how mistakes can be made. If the company uses the wrong information on any of the components than it is guaranteed that a variance will be revealed upon further analysis. The standards are also not changed over a period of time and therefore are prone to be incorrect due to changes in technology or even by inflation. Standards are said to give em ployees the motivation to meet goals and to push his/her self to meet or exceed the goals of the company. This motivation is also said to benefit the company as a whole because it increases efficiency and productivity. The best way for standard costing to be effective is to have someone from every level to participate. There has traditionally been a problem trying to get enough people to participate so that the results are reasonable. Participants will look for the easy target and this can pose a problem. The easy target is not necessarily the optimum target or the most cost efficient. Participation in the costing or analysis would require a lot of time and knowledge that the participants do not have. Also the more time they spend on it the more it will cost the company in the form of salaries and benefits. There is also the risk of the participants being out for their own individual gain. They could feel as if their participation could help them further their own agenda instead of that of the company. They could also spend too much time talking and not enough time coming up with solutions. Lack of knowledge can also factor into this because if the participants do not understand the goal they are trying to reach, then time can be spent teaching them instead of getting down to business. Management of Time is also another criticism of standard costing and variance analysis. The process is time consuming to say the least and most managers already feel as if they don’t have enough time to carry out their day to day activities let alone deal with standard costing or variance analysis. Managers in particular might feel as if this is something that someone else should be doing, namely someone in the corporate office if there is one. Absorption costing fuels another criticism of standard costing and variance analysis. Absorption costing assumes that all costs of the production of a product are included in the final price of the product (AccountingCoach, LLC). T his type of costing can create some problems because it could lead to extremely high standard costing which in turn would always lead to variances. If a product includes all of the fixed costs such as utilities of the entire building, rent of all buildings, etc than the standard cost could be extremely high and overstated. The costs are not allocated over all of the products that are produced in the same area but instead the costs are absorbed into the

Analysis Of The Significance Of Mikhail Gorbachev Politics Essay

Analysis Of The Significance Of Mikhail Gorbachev Politics Essay Mikhail Gorbachev, The Patron of Change. The Cold War was a period in history from roughly 1945 to 1988 when the worlds two largest superpowers, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (Soviet Union) and the United States, were in continuous economic and political conflict. These polar entities struggled for dominance and control in the new atomic age. With no end in sight to this potentially catastrophic confrontation, it became essential for the leaders of both sides to reconcile their differences. For the Soviet Union, peace was increasingly important mainly because of the poor state of their economy. The leader responsible for bringing about the fall of the iron curtain and for helping to bring an end to communism in the Soviet Union was Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachevs contributions to world peace have been widely recognized and his actions continue to serve as examples for world leaders today. Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991, made several significant contributions to the world. He represented a new generation of Soviet leaders, different form his predecessors who used fear and intimidation to maintain a communist idealist Russian society. Gorbachev was different because he recognized the flaws in the Soviet system of government and was willing to take steps to improve it. The opposing ideals between communism and capitalism created a split between the East and the West on the proper form of government which was to be established in the occupied territories in Europe following World War II. However, the balance of power and arms race between the two superpowers took a huge toll on the Soviet Union. Gorbachevs policies helped bring an end to the Cold War, led to the destruction of the wall separating East and West Berlin, encouraged the rise of democracy in Europe, and ultimately led to a complete dismantling of the Soviet Union.  [1]   Gorbachev was born into a peasant family in the village of Privolnoe, on March 2, 1931. As a teenager, he worked driving farm machinery at a local machine-tractor station. During his college years, Gorbachev was very interested in politics. He joined the national communist party of the Soviet Union and quickly moved up in the ranks. By 1962, he was the regional leader of Komsomol (Young Communist League). Gorbachev was a successful politician from early on in his career. He became exposed to influence and workings of the influence of the KGB, the Soviet Secret police, experience that served him well in his future political career. Gorbachev met his wife, Raisa Titorenko, while attending school at Moscow State University.  [2]   As Prime Minister, Gorbachev tried to establish better relations with the United States. In November, 1985, he met with President Reagan in Geneva to talk about national and international issues. Gorbachev once said America must be the teacher of democracy, not the advertiser of the consumer society. It is unrealistic for the rest of the world to reach the American living standard. The clearest signs of improvement between the United States and Soviet Union relations came in 1988 when Gorbachev made a positive impression with a crowd of spectators in New York City where he shook hands with people.  [3]   In the 1980s, the Soviet Union was struggling to survive because of the problems associated with a planned economy, and because a disproportionate amount the budget was being spent on the military towards an arms race with the United States. Gorbachev believed that the Soviet Union could not afford to spend so much on arms so he reduced the amount of money for war. This policy led to nuclear missile reduction treaties with the United States and effectively brought an end to the Cold War which had dominated international relations with the United States since 1945. When Mikhail Gorbachev took office in 1985, he faced one terrible problem. The Soviet economy had been in a period of turmoil, and it was in desperate need of reform for two decades. Gorbachev once said The market came with the dawn of civilization and it is not an invention of capitalism. If it leads to improving the well-being of the people there is no contradiction with socialism. Gorbachev decided to change the old system with a period of perestroika, or restructuring in the hope of making it more efficient.  [4]   From 1985 to 1986, Gorbachew continued an anti-alcohol program started by his predecessor, Andropov. His policies increased the price of vodka and changed the legal drinking age from 18 to 21, which had the effect of decreasing alcohol sales. It was his goal to discourage workers from drinking, and thus to improve the productivity of workers and increase industrial output. However, this campaign did not work out well in Russia.  [5]   Gorbachev promoted great political changes. One of the most important measures came in 1989 when he set up elections where members of the Communist Party had to run against non-Communist Party members. Later that same year, he called to terminate special status of the Communist Party guaranteed by the Soviet Constitution. Gorbachev also ended the Soviet military occupation of Afghanistan. During this period, he began more drastic changes. One of these changes was the Law of State Enterprises, enacted in June 1987. This legislation gave businesses more independence from the government. Despite the increased independence, the state still exercised some control over their activities. This was quite a radical change and was seen as a move away from the old system of a centrally planned command economy, and many people did not agree with it. Workers were also encouraged to be more open, which was part of Glasnost, and speak out against corruption or give suggestions. They were also encouraged to form small privately owned cooperatives such as grocery shops and hairdressing salons.  [6]   In 1989, Gorbachev was nominated as Time Magazines Man of The Year. Gorbachev called what he was doing permitting a revolution. Gorbachev became the patron of change. Gorbachev, and his reformist allies in Eastern Europe, managed to suppress at least one monster which was the states capacity for cruelty and violence against its own citizens. The Chinese students carried portraits of the Soviet leader, and they were shouting, In Russia they have Gorbachev; in China we have whom? Gorbachev became a hero for what he would not do.  [7]   There were several important events that occurred while Gorbachev ruled the Soviet Union. One hundred thousand Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan. The Soviet military intervention was costly for the Soviet Union, and to the Afghan people. Over 1.5 million Afghans were killed.  [8]   Another important event was the Chernobyl disaster. According to Michael Gorbachev (Tuesday,April16,2006,The Daily Star) the nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl 20 years ago, even more than my launch of Perestroika, was perhaps the real cause of the Soviet Union five years later. The Chernobyl disaster occurred on April 26, 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Chernobyl is ranked one of the greatest industrial accidents of all time. Some have said that Gorbachev was too silent about the disaster and was not forthcoming.  [9]   Also, Perestroika was Gorbachevs important reform. This consisted of economic reforms and policy changes. The Law of Cooperatives passed in 1988 allowed ownership of businesses by individuals. Gorbachev has been a powerful and symbolic presence in the worlds imagination since he first came to power in 1985. Gorbachev, and his program of Perestroika, was not popular in Russia. At the time, soap, sugar, tea, school notebooks, cigarettes, sausage and other meats, butter, fruits and vegetables, and matches were scarce.  [10]   By the 1980s, it was obvious that communism in the Soviet Union was not really working out. Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985 and he introduced many reforms in an attempt to modernize the economy and make the Communist Party more democratic. These reforms ultimately led to the breakup of the Soviet Union and an end to the one-party Communist rule. In December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned as President at the point when the Soviet Union disintegrated.  [11]   Work Cited Page Internet Sources: Mikhail Gorbachev Biography -. WriteSpirit -. Web. 28 May 2010. . Mikhail Gorbachev Biography Life, Family, Death, Wife, Young, Old, Information, Born, House, Time, Year. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 28 May 2010. Gorbachev Foundation Biography. Russian. Web. 28 May 2010. . Non Internet Sources: Kort, Michael. Mikhail Gorbachev. New York: Watts, Morrow, By Lance. TIME Person of the Year: Story Archive Since 1927, Mikhail Gorbachev. Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews TIME.com. 13 Dec. 2002. Web. 27 May 201

Essay --

I was on my way to the band room to see a few of my friends. I was dressed in my red McKinley High marching band sweatshirt and a plain pair of jeans. As soon as I walked in, I noticed my Spanish teacher, Mr. Schuester talking to my band teacher, Mr. Toffelmeir. Mr. Schue wore a smile and Toff wore that grumpy face. They were polar opposites, so I was kind of curious to see why they were talking. Mr. Schue said, "I was wondering if you had anyone that would be willing to join our Glee Club as a musician. We have almost everything covered, but we do need a mallet player and someone that can play a bunch of cool auxiliary." Toff looked around and his eyes stopped on me. He pointed. Mr. Schue grinned at me. "Myranda! Perfect! We'll be meeting today at lunch. Thank you, Mark." Then, he hurried out of the room. I blinked. "What just happened?" Toff laughed flatly. "You just joined Glee Club." I frowned. "But, Toff..." I sighed. He started to walk away. He said, "I'll be able to put on your letter of recommendation that you were willing to help me at any given chance and you were so willing to try new things." I stopped myself from groaning out loud. He got me there. I'm sure he didn't want to socialize with Mr. Schue, so he bribed me with that comment. After complaining about what Toff made me join, I went to class. I had AP Literature alone. I'm glad I did, because it was easier to pay attention that way. At least when the head cheerleader didn't walk by me, it was easy. She always tends to distract me with that short red skirt of hers. But, hey it's not my fault that the color red attracts more attention because it is such an intense color. It's even said that red quickens heartbeats. So, it doesn't entirely help that she wea... ...ion to what Rachel was saying. My eyes were stuck in a trap and so was my mind. Why was she staring into my eyes? "Myranda?" Rachel repeated and almost looked behind her to see what she was missing, but I cleared my throat. "Sure, Rachel. What do you need?" I asked, saving myself. "Email address and cell phone number would be great." She smiled as she pulled a notebook and a pen out of her bag. She handed it to me and it took me a moment to remember my phone number because all I could think about were Quinn's eyes and the intense the gaze had been. My heart was thumping. I took a deep breath and then handed the information over to Rachel. She beamed, "It was great to meet you, Myranda. Thank you very much." After the confrontation with the co-captain, who I decided I liked, I drifted back towards the band. Derik smiled at me widely. "What do you think of Rachel?"

Rahming Giovanni

Rahming 1 Giovanni Rahming Ms. Joan Norman English 119 29th March, 2010 Causes of Childhood Obesity At some point in life, every parent has told their child to eat their vegetables. Most children ignore this request, however they should oblige. Obesity among children is becoming more and more common in today’s society and many people are wondering why. In 2006, then Minister of Health Dr. Marcus Bethel stated in the House of Assembly that 65% of adult Bahamians are overweight and 23% of children and teenagers between the ages of 11 and 20 are overweight.He stated that this was a 10% increase over the previous year in terms of children and teenagers. The percentage of adults who were overweight only went up by 5%. These figures were calculated in the year 2006. It is now 2010 and those figures have probably doubled. This major increase in childhood obesity was brought about by a multitude of causes. Some of these are lack of exercise, poor diet and genetic predispositions. Befo re one can examine the causes of obesity, one must understand what obesity is.The Centre For Disease Control describes obesity as a medical condition which involves the accumulation of excess body fat to the point where it is a risk to the general health of the person. Being obese should not be confused with being overweight. If a person is overweight it Rahming 2 simply means that the person has gained more weight than is necessary. It is not a direct threat to the general health of the person but it should still be taken seriously. Before a person can become obese he/she must first be overweight.It is the first step on the way to becoming obese and a step that many children in the Bahamas have already passed. Lack of exercise is one of the main reasons for obesity in children and teenagers. It is recommended that one should engage in at least thirty minutes of vigorous exercise per day. Unfortunately, this is not the case concerning most children in The Bahamas. In a recent broadc ast news program, Minister of Health Dr. Hubert Minnis stated that children and teenagers are beginning to surpass adults in terms of the obesity level in the country.Parents are directly responsible for this because they don’t encourage their children to exercise. If you drive around New Providence during the evening hours and look on the sidewalks, you will see people jogging or walking. Most of these people are elderly or middle aged adults who are only walking because they received some threatening news from their doctor. Children are hardly seen jogging, walking or outside on the whole. Technology has come so far that people don’t have to go outside hardly at all these days. Regardless of this fact, parents need to step up and get their children to exercise.In an article in the Nassau Guardian, a few tips were given on how to encourage children to be more active and it was suggested that the parent’s participation would be the best way. It stated, â€Å"Tu rn off the television, shut down the computer and drag the kids outside if you have too. † Challenging them to a game usually works well. When parents go walking or jogging in the evening they should encourage their children to come with them. This way the whole family can get exercise and stay healthy. It has been proven that habits developed at a young age will carry Rahming 3 n into adulthood. If children get used to exercising everyday they will continue this habit into their adult years. Thus this problem of childhood obesity can be partially solved if parents would just exercise with their children. Working out is not the only way to combat this problem of childhood obesity, a healthy diet is essential as well. It is perhaps more important than exercise and is something that most children do not have. A healthy diet consists of the correct amount of carbohydrates, protein and fats. These nutrients are needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle.Most children get these nutrien ts; the problem is they take in too much of one type and not enough of another. For example they consume very large amounts of protein but not enough carbohydrates. This extra protein is then changed into fat and stored resulting in excess weight. Another nutrient that children consume too much of is fats. Believe it or not fats are needed but only in small amounts. The large amounts of candy and sugars that kids eat cause them to gain weight at an alarming rate. Adding to this, fast food makes up the majority of the diet of most of the children in The Bahamas.They get no nutritional value and simply gain weight. If children consume more vitamins from vegetables in their diet, they will be a lot healthier and less obese. The complaint with most children is that vegetables taste horrible, which some do. The way to get around this is to make the children eat their vegetables without them knowing they are eating healthy. They can be hidden in soups, casseroles or even sandwiches as lon g as the dish looks as if it has no vegetables in it. A lot of parents wonder why their obese children act depressed or withdraw themselves from other children their age.The answer is their obesity is affecting their emotions and behavior. Research has proven that children whom are obese tend to be more depressed and antisocial than Rahming 4 children who are at a normal weight level. This just adds to the stress and challenges obese children have to face on a daily basis and it is also one of the reasons why losing weight is so difficult for them. If they feel depressed all the time then they won’t have any energy to exercise. These emotional problems seem to prove the statement of Nutritional Consultant Charlotte Skiles to be true.She said: â€Å"The food that we eat affects the structure of the body and thus it affects the function of the body. These functions don’t have be just physical but psychological as well. Psychological effects of obesity can include depres sion, withdrawal, lack of energy, loss of enthusiasm, anger and anti-social behavior. † People tend to blame obesity on a lot of things; the reason they often fail to mention is genetics. Many people don’t know or understand that some children are just designed to be obese because it was passed along in their jeans.The Center for Disease Control reports that scientists have linked one hundred and twenty seven jeans in the human DNA system to obesity. These jeans cause some children to gain weight without excessive eating or lack of exercise. Also some children are born obese and continue to gain weight as they become adults. Children who are obese because of genetic causes find it most difficult to lose weight. The best way they can do this is try to slow down the amount of weight they gain by eating a well balanced diet and exercising.In the Bahamas, childhood obesity is not the most talked about disease but it is evident that it is on the rise. Children are becoming l ess active, fewer kids are seen playing outside and slowly the youth of the country are becoming bigger and bigger. Because of the lack of parental Rahming 5 encouragement, children eat what they please and do not get the essential vitamins and minerals they need. Instead all they get is sugar and thus fat. Then they don’t exercise which is the major reason why obesity is on the rise in the country.Even those with genetic predispositions can eat healthy and exercise to try and control their weight. However the majority of Bahamian children whom are obese do not have genetic predispositions. All they need to do is eat right and exercise to put a real dent in the obesity level in the country. The youth of a country is its future and an obese nation does not bode well for any country.Works Cited â€Å"Childhood Obesity Caused By Lack of Exercise. † Medical News Today 2004. 16 Mar. 2010 â€Å"Getting Your Kids To Exercise† Nassau Guardian 5 May. 2005 16 Mar. 010 Int erview with Dr. Hubert Minnis. Bahamas Tonight. ZNS Network. 28. Feb. 2010 Kopland, Jeffery. , Koraak, Vivicka. , Liverman, Catharyn. , eds. Preventing Childhood Obesity, Health In The Balance. Washington D. C. , 2005 Obesity and Genomics 2005. Center For Disease Control 23 Mar. 2010 Skiles, Charlotte. Effects Of Poor Diet In Children 2009. 16 Mar. 2010 Thompson, Lindsay. Minister of Health Encourages Fight Against Obesity. 2008 26. Mar. 2010 Thompson, Zandra. Obesity As A Risk Factor For Disease. 2006 26. Mar. 2010

The Psychological Effect Of Academic Achievement Education Essay

African American pupils have the chance to gain academic accomplishment awards where pupils of their ain race are their lone competition. Each clip they receive those awards, they are reminded of the demands that had to hold been met in order to make such acknowledgment. The GPA demands for these awards normally equal the mean GPA of their Asiatic and Caucasic schoolmates. Therefore, the criterions of these awards statistically pale in comparing to the accomplishments of the Asian and Caucasic pupils. Because there are no tantamount race-specific awards given to Asian or Caucasic pupils, it is clear that there is a disagreement in what society expects from pupils of certain races academically. These awards were created by organisations to actuate these pupils to go on their academic enterprises and possibly accomplish more. This survey attempts to measure the cogency of such awards by the specifying academic excellence for all pupils, irrespective of race. With research, the paper besides attempts to find grounds for possibly take downing the criterions for Afro-american specific awards. Taking in to account all the factors that contribute to a pupil ‘s motive, it is concluded that the awards could merely turn out to be uneffective. Michael-Ann Henry Ms. Emily Sigman Senior Independent Undertaking Spring 2010 The Psychological Consequence of Academic Achievement Awards on African American Students Over the past twosome decennaries, public schools and separate organisations in Montgomery County, Maryland have awarded African American and Latino pupils who display accomplishments in faculty members, leading, and sports. One of these awards was granted to an jock who maintained a 2.5 class point norm ( lone.5 above the ineligibility GPA of 2.0 ) ; another was rewarded to an African American pupil for geting a GPA of 3.0. These awards clearly exclude other populations such as Asiatic Americans and Caucasians. How is it that the pupils of those ethnicities, who typically sit on the more successful terminal of the academic accomplishment spread, are non awarded for similar achievements? Harmonizing to research, it is statistically more of a rareness for Afro-american and Latino pupils to achieve equal degrees of accomplishments when compared to Asians and Caucasians ( NAEP Studies ) . Because such achievement remains uncommon with the pupils of these races, the achievements warrant wages, in the sentiment of the organisations giving the awards. Organizations like Montgomery County ‘s African American Festival of Academic Excellence claim that they seek to â€Å" promote and help African American pupils to endeavor for academic excellence † by showing pupils with congratulatory certifications ( AAFAE Online ) . However, it needs to be proven whether these awards do actuate African-American and Latino pupils to prosecute more academic asperity or whether they set the saloon depression in a manner that indicates that it would be excessively hard for them to accomplish more like their Asiatic and Caucasic opposite numbers. Furthermore, a survey of the possible relationship between the awards and the achievement spread demands to be considered to measure the necessity and effectivity of these awards in our school systems. Challenged by statistical and psychological theories, the cogency of the awards and their ability to motivate more motive in African American pupils has proven, so far, to be uneffective.Context for Evaluation of the AwardsIn order to find the legitimacy of these academic awards as motivational tools, true academic excellence must be defined. A pupil ‘s grade point norm is normally the first listed demand for the awards in inquiry and therefore, apparently, the most of import and simplest manner to mensurate school performance.. In order to specify academic excellence in footings of a pupil ‘s grade point norm, the national mean GPA of all high school pupils should be considered. Harmonizing to an article by Justin Pope of the Associated Press, in the twelvemonth 2000, the national norm for GPAs was a 2.94. At that clip, the above norm public presentation could hold been defined by a GPA that surpasses 3.0. However, it was reported that in 2005 over a fifth of the high school population claimed to hold a GPA equivalent to an A norm ( Pope ) . Therefore, throughout this survey, a GPA of 3.5 is believe d to outdo represent academic excellence in today ‘s society, across the racial spectrum. In short, awards with this demand are less likely to be given due to racially subjective grounds or differing outlooks of pupils based on race. Students awarded based on this demand would undeniably be considered deserving of the acknowledgment that comes with academic excellence. Granted that academic excellence should besides be evaluated along with several other factors-such as each county ‘s assorted methods of making a class point norm, each instructor ‘s or academic section ‘s assorted rating policies, and the pupil ‘s single attempt and socioeconomic position to call a few-this survey specifically analyzes academic awards given chiefly based on grade point norms. Therefore, sorting a GPA that about indicates academic excellence for all races, a 3.5, is necessary to measure the cogency and the effectivity of the awards given to merely Afro-american pupils.Examples of Awards GivenWhile based on the national norm GPA, an above norm GPA would be closer to 3.5, most of the race-specific awards do non necessitate a GPA stopping point to that estimated pot of academic excellence. Within Montgomery County Maryland, the African American Festival of Academic Excellence awards high school pupils in this county who earn a â€Å" cumulative unweighted Grade Point Average ( GPA ) of 3.0 or above or a cumulative leaden GPA of 3.2 or above for all combined high school old ages through the first semester of the current school twelvemonth † . Besides in the Montgomery County country, the Iota Upsilon Lambda Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a historically Black fraternity grants the undermentioned awards based on the corresponding demands: Jesse Owens Award for jocks with outstanding devotedness to sports and a minimal GPA of 2.5 ; Paul Robeson Award for minimal 3.0 GPA ; and the W.E.B Dubois Award for lower limit of 3.5 GPA. Illustrated in Montgomery County, the disagreement conspicuously separates the races that typically perform good at the high terminal of the accomplishment spread and the races that normally fall short of the criterions of academic excellence. The bulk of the acknowledgment given to African American pupils in Montgomery County does non run into the criterion of excellence that was based upon the mean GPA in the state. Hence, there seems to be a disagreement between the likely definition of â€Å" above norm † for the pupils across the state ( a class point norm of 3.5 or higher ) and the likely definition of â€Å" above norm † for African American pupils. Although the conditions of the listed academic awards still represent all right accomplishments, tantamount certifications and acknowledgment are non given to Asian and Caucasic pupils of in a similar race-specific manner. Based on informations from the National Assessment of Educational Progress ( NAEP ) , if organisation s were to give out the same awards to Caucasian and Asiatic American pupils that met the same demands, the sum of pupils that would have wagess would be overpowering. In contrast, there exists merely a little part of the African American pupil organic structure that reach the criterions of those academic awards. This disparity in the awarding system for pupils of different races nowadayss itself non merely in Montgomery County, but besides throughout the state. In the San Francisco Unified School District, the territory itself hosts a community event known as the Annual African American Student Honor Roll Parade and Celebration honouring â€Å" all center and high school pupils with a 3.0 class point norm or above for the past two semesters, along with the 10 top accomplishing pupils from each simple school in the territory † ( Robbins ) . However, the degree of acknowledgment seems indefensible when a pupil with a 3.0 does run into the same criterion to which other pupils are held for the non-race specific academic awards they would be eligible to have. Superintendent of Schools in that San Francisco territory, Waldemar Rojas, besides yearly presents a particular gold embossed plaque, â€Å" the Academic Excellence Award † to all Afro-american center and high school pupils with a 4.0 GPA ( Robbins ) . Even though the conditional GPA of this award seems to transcend the antecedently decided definition of academic excellence, in footings of GPA, there was no grounds that equal acknowledgment was given to pupils of other races who achieved the same. In Seattle Public Schools ( 2003 ) , â€Å" more than 140 African American pupils from Garfield High School [ were ] recognized for their academic accomplishment at the Ku'Onesha Awards. These pupils have achieved a class point norm of 3.0 or higher † sponsored by the â€Å" Parents for African American Student Excellence ( PAASE ) , a multicultural group dedicated to shuting the academic accomplishment spread at Garfield High School † ( â€Å" Seattle ‘s Public Schools † ) . Therefore, the incompatibility among the awards given to pupil of assorted races becomes clear when there is no clear tantamount acknowledgment for academic accomplishment given to specifically Asians and Caucasic pupils. It is apparent that there is inequality in the presenting systems across the state ; the Afro-american pupils get awards with less demanding conditions than what the national norm GPA implies the demands should be, while the pupils of the races on the statistically be tter side of the academic accomplishment spread, receive no acknowledgment for equal accomplishment. The latter pupils must vie with all races to have more requirement intensive awards ( Divoky 220 ) .Reasons for Race-Specific Academic AwardsIn order to decide the evident disparity, the grounds for presenting second-rate accomplishment ( or achievement deemed mediocre for pupils of other races ) must be analyzed. Why do organisations and school systems feel that it is necessary to allow race-specific academic awards to African American pupils? The allowance of these lowered outlooks and demands for African American pupils must be argued and evaluated by statistical and historical informations Sandra Graham, who studied motive in African American pupils, define motive as a perceptual experience of the â€Å" likeliness of achieving a end and the value ( affect ) associated with that end attainment † ( 57 ) . Thus we must dig into the factors that influence this perceptual expe rience of what can be attained. The deficit of internal motive for the bulk of African American pupils has been the beginning of argument of pedagogues across the state. One theory claims that within the African American pupil community, there is animus towards the high-achieving that stems from cultural associations, making an environment that discourages larning. Therefore, the awards may function as a physical manner to battle the verbal â€Å" put-downs † that can impede a pupil from accomplishing self-actualization in academe. Harmonizing to a survey performed by the University of Illinois, Afro-american high school pupils who considered themselves really good pupils were shown to be more likely to be the victims of verbal maltreatment from their equals ( Cherry ) . â€Å" The survey farther suggests that covering with classmate squelchs can do it hard for good pupils to larn while doing it near impossible for behind to catch up ( Cherry ) . Harmonizing Fordham and Ogbu who studied internal cultural pr ejudice, high accomplishing African American pupils tend to be labeled by their academic strive as â€Å" moving white † ( 178 ) . As clarified by Tyson, Darity, and Castellino, the formation of the term, â€Å" moving white † was portion of a larger oppositional civilization constructed by African Americans in response to their history of captivity and favoritism. The oppositional individuality was said to be â€Å" portion of a cultural orientation toward schooling which exists within the minority community † ( Tyson, Darity, and Castellino 583 ) . Thus, some African Americans claim that academic accomplishment should non be extremely valued in the community because such actions have been associated with the standard norms of success among Caucasic Americans. Therefore, academic awards, specifically given to African American pupils, may hold lowered criterions for retrieval to equal this force against instruction in the African American community. The end of t he awards in this instance would be to allow the pupil with assurance that what their difficult work in school is worth the possible ridicule because of the hereafter success. School systems and private organisations would make these race-specific awards besides to possibly excite motive when pupils face hard socio-economic and place environment related issues that result in less drive to win. As indicated by the U.S. Census Bureau ‘s survey of kids younger than 18 life in households, 27 per centum of Latino kids and 30 per centum of black kids live in poorness, compared with approximately 13 per centum of white kids. Harmonizing Graham research of the motive of African American pupils old â€Å" societal scientistsaˆÂ ¦found it easy to associate differences between Blacks and White persons in household construction to differences in their accomplishment demands † ( 60 ) . Graham cited George Mussen as holding conducted first comparative racial survey on the demand to accomplish, or a pupil ‘s motive. Thereafter, 18 more surveies arose that fundamentally tested for the same information, the degree of each race of pupils ‘ dema nd to accomplish. Seven out of 19 surveies, or 36 % , reported Whites to be higher in the demand to accomplish than Blacks, ( Graham 61 ) . Graham goes on to reason that â€Å" even though African Americans appeared to be lower in the accomplishment motivation in these surveies, they reported educational and vocational aspirations equal to or higher than their White opposite numbers. † This means that they were merely every bit likely as Caucasians to draw a bead on to travel to college and to come in high position professions ( Graham 66 ) Therefore the awards could be given to bring forth this demand to accomplish that compels pupils to hold higher aspirations and academic successes and hence associate the awards with the wagess that difficult work brings in the hereafter such post-secondary instruction and a steady occupation. Graham continues to indicate out the concrete correlativity between hapless socio-economic position and low motive. Therefore, the awards could supp ly the encouragement that their economic state of affairs knees. The Research Center for the organisation known as Editorial Projects in Education asserts that, â€Å" the disparities in accomplishment are frequently attributed to socioeconomic factors † . As referenced earlier, Graham noticed that motive was lower among pupils of certain socioeconomic position, non pupils in a peculiar race. Therefore, the academic awards do non necessitate to be race specific because race entirely has no correlativity to the deficiency of motive. While the proportions of African American and Latino pupils who achieve good academically continue to increase, there is still a clear disparity between those who are rewarded for their accomplishments with relation to ethnicity. Illustrated in Montgomery County, the disagreement conspicuously separates the races that typically perform good at the high terminal of the accomplishment spread and the races that normally fall short of the criterions of academic excellence. Harmonizing to the U.S. Census Bureau Ã¢â‚¬Ë œs survey of kids younger than 18 life in households, 27 per centum of Latino kids and 30 per centum of black kids live in poorness, compared with approximately 13 per centum of white kids. Graham goes on to reason that â€Å" even though African Americans appeared to be lower in the accomplishment motivation in these surveies, they reported educational and vocational aspirations equal to or higher than their White opposite numbers. † This means that they were merely every bit likely as Caucasians to draw a bead on to travel to college and to come in high position professions ( Graham 66 ) The Research Center for the organisation known as Editorial Projects in Education asserts that, â€Å" the disparities in accomplishment are frequently attributed to socioeconomic factors † . As referenced earlier, Graham noticed that motive was lower among pupils of certain socioeconomic position, non pupils in a peculiar race. Therefore, the academic awards do non necessitate to be race specific because race entirely has no correlativity to the deficiency of motive. Therefore, the deficiency of motive among African American pupils is non a subscriber to the accomplishment but the deficit of thrust in pupils who live in hapless economic conditions remains the job. Unfortunately, African Americans and Hispanics go on to organize the bulk of the economically down-trotted. Conversely, we must besides retrieve that non all African Americans are in economic adversity while there are several Caucasian and Asiatic American pupils in hapless socioeconomic state of affairss who can non have awards that encourage to them endeavor academically despite their state of affairs further set uping inequality within our school systems.The Academic Achievement GapAlthough it has been concluded that African American pupils are capable of bring forthing adequate motive for great accomplishment, despite some possible obstructions, the statistics still problem pedagogues as there st ill clear differences between the racial groups of pupils ( see Figure1 ) . Fig. 1. Swerve in Grade Point Average by Race/Ethnicity, â€Å" NAEP 2005 HSTS: Grade Point Average, Entire GPA. † NAEP. U.S. Department of Education. Web. 3 Jan. 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //nationsreportcard.gov/hsts_2005/hs_gpa_3a_1.asp? tab_id=tab3 & A ; subtab_id=Tab_1 # chart & gt ; . The mean GPA for Asian and Pacific Islander pupils throughout the U.S. surpasses all other groups with a 3.16, a class point norm higher than most of the demands for the African American particular academic awards. Black pupils remain at the bottom terminal of the GPA spectrum with a GPA of 2.69. Taking this figure in to account, school systems and private organisations that create the academic awards in inquiry clearly must hold made the demands low plenty to do certain that there would be some feasible campaigners for such awards. But if these organisations continue to further the thought that 3.0 is an academic range, some African American pupils will ne'er make above that saloon. By puting the saloon at such a degree, I hypothesize that it sends a message to African American pupils that they are hardly capable of making their opposite numbers ‘ mean tonss.Why Awards with Mediocre Requirements Do Not Work As Incentives for EducationNo affair what the grounds are for presenti ng African American pupils for mean work, the permanent effects of such acknowledgment and attending on mediocre accomplishments have yet to be to the full examined. Based on psychological inclinations, trying to put extrinsic value on instruction, particularly through the representation of a simple piece of paper, in attempt to supply an inducement to larn proves uneffective with striplings ( Plotnik 333 ) . In order to bring forth more of an intrinsic desire to accomplish, Henry Murray ‘s original theory on human motive must be understood. He â€Å" observed that persons vary in their inclination or desire to make things good and vie against a criterion of excellence † ( Graham 60 ) . Alternatively of seeking to make an inducement to larn, pedagogues who desire to shut the accomplishment spread should arouse with the intrinsic motives within pupils by puting the academic accomplishment saloon even higher.

1984 Essays - Novels By George Orwell, Social Science Fiction

1984 Essays - Novels By George Orwell, Social Science Fiction 1984 The lesson to be learned from George Orwell's 1984 is that an "ideal" of having a Utopian society will never really work. George Orwell may have written 1984, in order to show us that every society has it's ups and downs and that no matter how hard you work to keep the society perfect there will always be flaws. In the book 1984, the society in which the people lived was completely opposite to what most people would see as "utopia". As defined by the New Scholastic Dictionary the word "Utopia" means: a place where everything is perfect and everyone is happy. This is far from the life that the people lived in 1984. There was a lot of hate throughout the book, and with hate comes unhappiness an example of this would be: "The Hate had started.... The Enemy of the people had flashed onto the screen. There were hisses among the audience" (Orwell, 13.) Then there were the three slogans from the Party: "War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength" (Orwell, 17) That doesn't really seem like a happy society. Throughout the book, Orwell pointed to reasons for this being the complete opposite of a Utopian Society. Winston, the main character, defied the odds and went against the rules, in order to show, that you can't follow any set of strict rules in a society, especially one where everyone is supposedly created equal. George Orwell tried to teach his readers a very important lesson, that a Utopian society will never work.

Internet Outline essays

Internet Outline essays A. Prehistoric people had trouble communicating 3. Scribbling difficult messages on cave walls. B. Time passed, people organized into communities 1. Patterns of social behavior developed. C. With up-coming civilizations came the urge to become connected to the larger social whole D. People have been creating tools for the development and construction which enable and connect humans E. In the 1800s Samuel Morse invented the telegraph. This is when people started to want to be wired F. From ARPANET to Internet2, we have the tools and capacity to reshape thought, search for renewed meaning, and ensure prosperity. Promote human rights, invest in global economic development relieve the scourge of disease renew our love of art and learning. G. We will see how the Internet has become a ubiquitous (Being everywhere) force in daily life. II. Shaping the Internet age (Bill Gates, chairman, Microsoft corps.) A. Less than 25 years ago, the Internet was an obscure network of large computers used by a small community of researchers. B. The majority of them were found in corporate information technology (IT) departments or research laboratories. C. Now, The Internet is the center of attention for business, governments, and individuals around the world. We are only at the dawn of the Internet age. D. The Internet will have an effect on the way we work, live, and learn. E. The Internet will bring instant and flawless communication and commerce everywhere. To any device imaginable F. The Internet will be a key economic and cultural force in the 21st century. G. First, the Internet was an academic community concept; it is now unique, independent information exchange point. Without a centralized management. And upon common standards. H. From TCP/IP (a technological protocol that is a traffic cop for n ...

Casting and Data Type Conversions in VB.NET

Casting and Data Type Conversions in VB.NET Casting is the process of converting one data type to another, for example, from an Integer type to a String type. Some operations in VB.NET require specific data types to work. Casting creates the type you need. The first article in this two-part series, Casting and Data Type Conversions in VB.NET, introduces casting. This article describes the three operators you can use to cast in VB.NET - DirectCast, CType and TryCast - and compares their performance. Performance is one of the big differences between the three casting operators according to Microsoft and other articles. For example, Microsoft is usually careful to warn that, DirectCast ... can provide somewhat better performance than CType when converting to and from data type Object. (Emphasis added.) I decided to write some code to check. But first a word of caution. Dan Appleman, one of the founders of the technical book publisher Apress and a reliable technical guru, once told me that benchmarking performance is much harder to do correctly than most people realize. There are factors like machine performance, other processes that might be running in parallel, optimization like memory caching or compiler optimization, and errors in your assumptions about what the code is actually doing. In these benchmarks, I have tried to eliminate apples and oranges comparison errors and all tests have been run with the release build. But there still might be errors in these results. If you notice any, please let me know. The three casting operators are: DirectCastCTypeTryCast In practical fact, you will usually find that the requirements of your application will determine which operator you use. DirectCast and TryCast have very narrow requirements. When you use DirectCast, the type must already be known. Although the code ... theString DirectCast(theObject, String) ... will compile successfully if theObject isnt a string already, then the code will throw a runtime exception. TryCast is even more restrictive because it wont work at all on value types such as Integer. (String is a reference type. For more on value types and reference types, see the first article in this series.) This code ... theInteger TryCast(theObject, Integer) ... wont even compile. TryCast is useful when youre not sure what type of object youre working with. Rather than throwing an error like DirectCast, TryCast just returns Nothing. The normal practice is to test for Nothing after executing TryCast. Only CType (and the other Convert operators like CInt and CBool) will convert types that dont have an inheritance relationship such as an Integer to a String: Dim theString As String 1 Dim theInteger As Integer theInteger CType(theString, Integer) This works because CType uses helper functions that arent part of the .NET CLR (Common Language Runtime) to perform these conversions. But remember that CType will also throw an exception if theString doesnt contain something that can be converted to an Integer. If theres a possibility that the string isnt an integer like this ... Dim theString As String George ... then no casting operator will work. Even TryCast wont work with Integer because its a value type. In a case like this, you would have to use validity checking, such as the TypeOf operator, to check your data before trying to cast it. Microsofts documentation for DirectCast specifically mentions casting with an Object type so thats what I used in my first performance test. Testing begins on the next page! DirectCast will usually use an Object type, so thats what I used in my first performance test. To include TryCast in the test, I also included an If block since nearly all programs that use TryCast will have one. In this case, however, it will never be executed. Heres the code that compares all three when casting an Object to a String: Dim theTime As New Stopwatch() Dim theString As String Dim theObject As Object An Object Dim theIterations As Integer CInt(Iterations.Text) * 1000000 DirectCast Test theTime.Start() For i 0 To theIterations theString DirectCast(theObject, String) Next theTime.Stop() DirectCastTime.Text theTime.ElapsedMilliseconds.ToString CType Test theTime.Restart() For i As Integer 0 To theIterations theString CType(theObject, String) Next theTime.Stop() CTypeTime.Text theTime.ElapsedMilliseconds.ToString TryCast Test theTime.Restart() For i As Integer 0 To theIterations theString TryCast(theObject, String) If theString Is Nothing Then MsgBox(This should never display) End If Next theTime.Stop() TryCastTime.Text theTime.ElapsedMilliseconds.ToString This initial test seems to show that Microsoft is right on target. Heres the result. (Experiments with larger and smaller numbers of iterations as well as repeated tests under different conditions didnt show any significant differences from this result.) Click Here to display the illustration DirectCast and TryCast were similar at 323 and 356 milliseconds, but CType took over three times as much time at 1018 milliseconds. When casting reference types like this, you pay for the flexibility of CType in performance. But does it always work this way? The Microsoft example in their page for DirectCast is mainly useful for telling you what wont work using DirectCast, not what will. Heres the Microsoft example: Dim q As Object 2.37 Dim i As Integer CType(q, Integer) The following conversion fails at run time Dim j As Integer DirectCast(q, Integer) Dim f As New System.Windows.Forms.Form Dim c As System.Windows.Forms.Control The following conversion succeeds. c DirectCast(f, System.Windows.Forms.Control) In other words, you cant use DirectCast (or TryCast, although they dont mention it here) to cast an Object type to an Integer type, but you can use DirectCast to cast a Form type to a Control type. Lets check the performance of Microsofts example of what will work with DirectCast. Using the same code template shown above, substitute ... c DirectCast(f, System.Windows.Forms.Control) ... into the code along with similar substitutions for CType and TryCast. The results are a little surprising. Click Here to display the illustration DirectCast was actually the slowest of the three choices at 145 milliseconds. CType is just a little quicker at 127 milliseconds but TryCast, including an If block, is the quickest at 77 milliseconds. I also tried writing my own objects: Class ParentClass ... End Class Class ChildClass Inherits ParentClass ... End Class I got similar results. It appears that if youre not casting an Object type, youre better off not using DirectCast.

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Essay

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art - Essay Example This is particularly in the many cases where parts of their cultural heritage have been used or misused for profit without the authorization or knowledge of the original owners. It is important that the rights of the indigenous people to control their intellectual property as well as be principally involved in the determination of the latitude and nature of access and reproduction are recognized. Ironically, while in the recent past many foreigners have been benefiting from selling reproducing and marketing other products through indigenous art, the first westerners in Australia did not even acknowledge the indigenous people had art. They assumed they were too backwards and primitive to conceptualize or appreciate such ostentation and all the art in Australia was treated as artifacts with only historical but not artistic or aesthetic value. From the days of initial occupation, there has been a long history of misuse and illegal exploitation of arts designs and a multiplicity of cultu ral expression such as oral traditions, music dances and crafts. In 1968, the government in an effort to safeguard the cultural heritage from exploitation came up with the copyright act of 1968. This law was a trendsetter for other legal frameworks that would later come to be implemented in regard to protecting the diversity of indigenous heritage is posterity.3 According to the act; copyright did not need to be registered, all one needed to have a copyright was to produce original work, as such any existing artistic expression such as music was by default the property of the community or individuals who had produced it. This law took cognizance of the fact that majority of those who owned the cultural expression being safeguarded at the time were not educated and they could not have followed convectional registration protocols. It therefore prevented unscrupulous individuals who may have desired to register such works as their own and take advantage of the ignorance of the indigeno us community. The law also provided that the copyright would only expire 50 years after the death of the creator of the works in question. Successive legislation was built on this law and one of the hallmarks was the 1983 decision in favor of the aboriginal artist agency which set the precedent for modern protection of intellectual property by proving indigenous works, just like any other creative works could be legally recognized as authentic. In addition, the 1983 act implemented UNESCOs convection for protection of world cultural heritage sites which Australia had ratified 11 years previously. 4 An examination of the history of copyright law in austral would be incomplete without a mention of the 1994 carpet case. This was a landmark in the legal protection of Aboriginal art, it pitted 3 aboriginal artists as well as the relatives of five deceased ones against Beechrow; a firm based in Perth which bought carpets in Vietnam and imported them in Australia for prices as high as $400 0 .5 The company reproduced the works of several Australian artists living and dead on the carpets to make them seem authentic and thus justify their high cost as well as a attract thousands of local and international clients

Working out Alternatives Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Working out Alternatives - Case Study Example As a safety precaution, the teams are provided with emergency radios when there is need to report cases such as loss or being hurt among the team members. Information such as the starting point of the race is usually given a day before the event (Kumar, Petersen and Robert70). The team members therefore, have to find means to get through and survive as fast as possible. Adventure racing has its roots in a race set in New Zealand, in the year 1980. The wilderness endurance racing was started when one person accidentally overheard a conversation between Americans to create a wilderness challenge. FAR was founded by Dave Ziestma in the year 1998. In a span of three years, FAR’s ‘raid the north’ series served as an introduction to adventure racing to several Canadians. It also became included in the list of the top race series in North America (Lewis 536). FAR’s races were termed as difficult (Holland and Jackie 248). Of the teams sent out, only about 25% would make it to the finishing line intact and in time. The founder of the race, Zietsma, would usually take part in the race. As a result, many got assured that the race would be safe. His involvement in the race as a top competitor also aided in making the name of the company, making it be at the forefront. Frontier Adventure Racing (FAR) is a popular firm in the North Racing series. The organization has been popular among lovers of adventure racing. Adventure racing may take the definition of a race of individuals using vehicles over some terrain. The event is multi-sport, non-stop and with a mixture of teams. It is therefore essential for team members to ensure that they cross the finish line first and in time. The event borrows from kayaking, mountain biking and running. Its popularity grew in New Zealand, Australia and in Europe. Therefore, in the last decades, the event has attracted media attention as well as many players. In retrospect, FAR one of the players of Adventure

Walt Disney Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Walt Disney - Research Paper Example He always had found memories of yesterday that he wanted to combine with today in making animated stories. He was the bridge from the past and his love of history to the future as we know it today. He was a pioneer like never known before. He had one of the most fertile and unique imaginations of his day and of our day. He took what made people dream and made those dreams come true at a time when it was difficult even to have dreams. Walt Disney was born in 1901 in Chicago, Illinois to Elias Disney an Irish Canadian and his mother Flora Call Disney who was German American. He was one of four boys and 1 girl. His family moved to Marceline Missouri where he grew up. He showed a very early interest in sketching and drawing and his parents encouraged him. He began to sell small sketches to his friends and neighbors when he was about 7. In school, he was often in trouble because he chose to doodle instead of doing his schoolwork. He had family that worked on the railroad and he was able to get summer jobs selling popcorn, soda pop and candy to the travelers. This is where he learned to love railroads and later built the scale railroad for friends and neighbors. He also went to his first movie house in Marceline. He was fascinated. The first movie he saw was the recreation of the crucifixion of Christ. He loved nature and wildlife and often just took long walks. He had a great sense of family like so many that grow up in an agrarian society. Later, his family moved to Kansas City. By this time, he had developed a talent for acting and performing as well as his drawing. He was often known to imitate Charlie Chaplin as an entertainment for his friends. He often snuck out of the house late at night to perform in the local theaters or to tell his friends stories that he had made up. Walt Disney tried to enlist in the service in 1918 but was not allowed to

Any thing realated to linguistics and teaching English as a foreign Essay

Any thing realated to linguistics and teaching English as a foreign language - Essay Example Littlewood (1983) noted "Learning refers to conscious process of internalizing a second language. Learning to use a second language freely is a lengthy and complex process. Different people have different criteria for learning language, few stress on accuracy (grammar, vocabulary, listening, written production etc.) while others on fluency (reading, phonology, spoken production, accent, etc.) but almost everyone agree that our primary purpose of language development is to be able to speak in the target language. However, in recent years the stress is on how to teach languages, which is increasingly guided by the dominant aim of promoting the learner's communicative competence. Similarly, all the recent definitions of language learning also involve communicative point of view by one way or another. "Language learning is a neutral response to communicative needs," says Littlewood (1983). The approach that needs to be taken according to is not all about sentence structure and vocabulary but "it must also involve an understanding of how people use these linguistic forms in order to communicate." suggested Woodhead; Miller; Oshea (1981). Bourges (1964) also claims that "some basic awareness of the total linguistic process" is very essential," otherwise students can never be competent to use the second language. There fore, the learners must be aware of the value of their learning and how will matter in all spheres of his life outside the classroom, in which it has to be written and spoken. English for what English is an international language. However, for most of the third world countries, it has a position of second language. At present, English is fast gaining grounds in Non-Western countries; most of them fall in 'developing' countries category. English is no longer a language of West but it has become a language of the person who uses it. Second language learning (English) has become a necessity to most of us, for some the reason is instrumental for others it is personal. Most of us, in this situation learn second language for instrumental purpose. Recently, it has been realized that most of the students will need second language for knowledge, societal, career, or entertainment's sake. River (1983) noted that "consumers are not only students, but also the society of which they are a part." Therefore, second language is one institution that learners must master in order to perform proficiently in other subject areas as well as in society. The main component, which makes English primary for learners, is that knowing a second language will more or less give surety of a better economic status. As job markets have become increasingly competitive now and it's not enough to know one language, since all the official work is done in English. For a perspective employee, English is a need and an added advantage to progress quickly by accessing any related knowledge through different channels. As River (1984) says "people's personal attitude towards the second language matters a great deal, as also a degree and nature of socio-economic demands for it." Spoken language is also required to keep the up social relationships. Colleges and schools have a role to perform since they introduce them to a wider

Organisations and Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Organisations and Behaviour - Essay Example Decision making is something that keeps the organization active and flourishing while adapting the uncertainties in the environment. The process of Decision making gets heavily influenced by the rate at which the information travels and the number of members it can reach inside an organization. These two factors are generally considered as less positive in a hierarchical structure of an organization. Today the trend of participation of the workers in the decision making process is significantly dominating the markets. According to Frederick Winslow Taylor who is regarded as the Father of Scientific Management, the management of the firm should organize the work in a manner which will make optimum use of the workers, by dividing the work and introducing efficient methods for making a product. Taylor’s concept focused mainly on hierarchic organization structures and task specialization. Taylorism states that there is a best way for each task and it can be learnt through proper t raining and development. (Asseldonk & Vos, 2007, pp. 1-3) The theory of Taylorism represents a mass production system. This theory views the workforce simply as machineries which can be made efficient by the reduction of wastage. However, this theory completely neglects the usual complications that happen within a normal human being. Hawk Car company continuously followed conventional production methods as was proposed by Taylor’s theory. The workers used to follow an assembly line production process where each one had to perform a specific job. Job specialization created frustration among the workers. Their job became monotonous. For example, the worker who used to fit lights into the vehicles, continued to fit lights for his whole work life. He never knew how to fix the seats in a car. As a result the workers felt lazy and de-motivated with their work. Also the hierarchical system in the management treated the workers as costs. Their opinion or suggestion was not at all con sidered to be important. Due the hierarchy structure of the organization, the workers felt uncomfortable speaking to their managers about their discomfort. The relationship between the manager and the workers followed the authoritative style where two way communications was never entertained. The higher level employees only used to give directions to the workers and the supervisors only had a close watch on their works. No one bothered about the grievances of the employees. (tiplady.org.uk. n.d, pp.1-2) also the standardized form of production failed to meet the market demands. Taylorism way of management prescribed the organization to separate the planning and execution activities. It recommended division of labor and too much hierarchy into the management. However, the management of Hawk Car Company realized soon that too many levels in the organization makes the functions too much complicated. For the betterment, management opted for participative style of management where the la yers of hierarchy were reduced putting emphasis on the participation of each member in the decision making and planning process. It also trained the employees in such a manner so that they can gain knowledge about the entire production system. The workers were provided scope to grow in their position by better performance. The training focused on the worker’s personal issues as well which were addressed with care. The aim of this remodeling decision

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

Inventables - Research Paper Example Inventables Incorporation analyses the up-to-date technologies and materials from all over the world and exhibits the most appropriate items to customers on a trimestral basis. To be counted for inclusion, specimens must demonstrate fascinating properties in addition to substantial prospective for ‘technology transfer’ - the likelihood to be employed in a business that they are presently not standard(Rao par 2). The ‘Inventables service comprises of access to the firms online database as well as actual, physical models of selected specimens. This paper is going to analyze the Inventables Incorporation. Inventables provide firms with the technology and the materials to invent their own ideas. Having available materials and technology has rendered the innovation process for most companies easy and less costly. When the technology and materials are available, companies can try out different ideas to formulate new inventions or even improve on the available inventions thereby making them more effective and efficient (Rao par 3). Additionally, it saves companies the time they would have otherwise spent on searching the materials and the technology to create new inventions. Inventables launched an innovators hardware shop, which is a tailored collection of materials to democratize accessibility of these materials by interested clients (Rao par 3). The company has also created a website where its clients can access it and find out what is available and at the same time meets their needs. When companies have a production notion or even a production challenge or require a specialized material to afford a solution, they do not start from scratch. Instead, companies search the extensive variety of technologies and materials one of which could be the solution to their snag. The Inventables’ website is easily accessible, with a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate while searching for products (Rao par 4). Inventables has become very beneficial to small

Organisations and Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Organisations and Behaviour - Essay Example Decision making is something that keeps the organization active and flourishing while adapting the uncertainties in the environment. The process of Decision making gets heavily influenced by the rate at which the information travels and the number of members it can reach inside an organization. These two factors are generally considered as less positive in a hierarchical structure of an organization. Today the trend of participation of the workers in the decision making process is significantly dominating the markets. According to Frederick Winslow Taylor who is regarded as the Father of Scientific Management, the management of the firm should organize the work in a manner which will make optimum use of the workers, by dividing the work and introducing efficient methods for making a product. Taylor’s concept focused mainly on hierarchic organization structures and task specialization. Taylorism states that there is a best way for each task and it can be learnt through proper t raining and development. (Asseldonk & Vos, 2007, pp. 1-3) The theory of Taylorism represents a mass production system. This theory views the workforce simply as machineries which can be made efficient by the reduction of wastage. However, this theory completely neglects the usual complications that happen within a normal human being. Hawk Car company continuously followed conventional production methods as was proposed by Taylor’s theory. The workers used to follow an assembly line production process where each one had to perform a specific job. Job specialization created frustration among the workers. Their job became monotonous. For example, the worker who used to fit lights into the vehicles, continued to fit lights for his whole work life. He never knew how to fix the seats in a car. As a result the workers felt lazy and de-motivated with their work. Also the hierarchical system in the management treated the workers as costs. Their opinion or suggestion was not at all con sidered to be important. Due the hierarchy structure of the organization, the workers felt uncomfortable speaking to their managers about their discomfort. The relationship between the manager and the workers followed the authoritative style where two way communications was never entertained. The higher level employees only used to give directions to the workers and the supervisors only had a close watch on their works. No one bothered about the grievances of the employees. (tiplady.org.uk. n.d, pp.1-2) also the standardized form of production failed to meet the market demands. Taylorism way of management prescribed the organization to separate the planning and execution activities. It recommended division of labor and too much hierarchy into the management. However, the management of Hawk Car Company realized soon that too many levels in the organization makes the functions too much complicated. For the betterment, management opted for participative style of management where the la yers of hierarchy were reduced putting emphasis on the participation of each member in the decision making and planning process. It also trained the employees in such a manner so that they can gain knowledge about the entire production system. The workers were provided scope to grow in their position by better performance. The training focused on the worker’s personal issues as well which were addressed with care. The aim of this remodeling decision

There is still considerable merit in adopting essentially a boosterism Essay

There is still considerable merit in adopting essentially a boosterism approach to tourism planning. Discuss - Essay Example In most cases, boosterism is often considered a negative aspect of tourism promotion because not all information that is given concerning various destinations may necessarily turn out to be true. Despite this being the case, it is necessary to use it to attract potential tourists because the latter often want to see life or places, which are different from their own. Therefore, while boosterism is sometimes seen in a negative light, it is an essential part of tourism planning because it brings previously obscure areas into the limelight. One of the biggest concerns of tourists before they visit any country is often political stability and this is because of their need to guarantee their personal safety. In the modern world, with the likelihood in the incidents of terrorist activities, many potential tourists have become discouraged from visiting certain parts of the world. It is for this reason that some countries, especially those likely to be affected, have come to adopt boosterism to make sure that they remain attractive destinations for tourists. Furthermore, this type of promotion makes possible the development of effective planning to ensure that the security of tourists is guaranteed under all circumstances (Dredge and Jenkins, 2006, 29). Therefore, using boosterism, countries are able to create an image of themselves where their political situation is perceived as being among the most stable in the world and it is for this reason that they come to be considered as interesting places for tourists to visit. Fu rthermore, there has been a recognition that many individuals tend to avoid those countries whose democratic credentials are questionable because they believe that to visit those countries would be to indirectly support their autocratic governments (Burns, 1999). Because of such perceptions, most governments, especially

Evaluating The Spawning Techniques For Bivalves

Evaluating The Spawning Techniques For Bivalves Control of reproduction is a prerequisite in modern bivalves aquculture industries due to unreliable quantity and quality of natural spat as well as market demand on standardized products. Spawning is one critical step in bivalves hatchery, together with fertilization and larval rearing, thus a lot of research has been done to explore prospective methods and understand the process within. Various means in spawning techniques are presented herein, i.e. gamete stripping and spawning induction by chemical or physical stimulants. Where relevant, advantage and disadvantage of each technique are discussed and compared. Introduction Bivalves are aquatic animals belong to the phylum Mollusca which characterized by two calcareous shells covering a soft body, encompassingboth marine and fresh-water species both marine and fresh-water species. Some well-known bivalves, such as clams, scallop, mussels, and oysters; has been successfully cultured since decades or centuries ago (Nash, 2011). Nowadays, bivalves and other members of molluscs accounts for nearly 30% of aquaculture production with volume more than 50 million tonnes in 2006 (FAO, 2008). Intensive production is needed to meet market demands on edible and high value bivalves (pearl oysters). One important key of intensification is control over all of the production steps, including management of reproduction which will lead to higher productivity with lower cost in order to reach best efficiencies and standardized products. Controlled spawning of molluscs is the best way to obtain reliable supply of quality seeds and reduce dependencies upon unreliable natural spawning events to collect spat. The development of bivalves hatchery was started in 1879 when William Brooks demonstrated that oyster eggs could be spawned and developed into the larval stage in laboratory (Castagna, 1983). No published report on artificial propagation of bivalve molluscs until 1920s when William Wells successfully reared oyster larvae. These two findings provide important data for further development in molluscan aquaculture. This article will describe a number of common spawning techniques for bivalves, which divided into 2 categories: gamete stripping and spawning induction. Henceforward, gamete stripping is considered not induction since the word induction refers to a persuading or stimulating action, whereas another authors may define the other way. Advantage and disadvantage considerations of each technique are included, particularly in relevance with practical farming aspects. 1. Gamete Stripping As the name indicates, this procedure involves removal of gamete from gonad tissue. Briefly, fully ripe gonad overlies the digestive tract was slash repeatedly with scalpel and washed with filtered seawater to harvest the gametes. Microscopy examination is needed to determine sex and appearance of the ova and sperms. Therefore, only well-trained operators can carry it out because of high level of difficulties. Due to its effectiveness, gamete stripping has been widely used to obtain gametes in many Bivalvia species. Pacific oysters (Suquet et al., 2007), pearl oysters Pinctada fucata (Alagarswami et al., 1983a), and European flat oysters Crassostrea gigas (Shpigel, 1989) are some of organisms successfully spawned using gamete stripping. Furthermore, this technique obviously the only way to obtain mature gametes for species that can not be spawned by any physical or chemical stimulation. In some bivalves, viable eggs does not necessarily obtained immediately after stripping because naturally a series of activation process takes place in follicle prior to spawning, i. e. removal of germinal vesicles and formation of germinal spindle (Loosanof, 1953; Southgate, 2008). Loosanof and Davis (1963) treated eggs of Mercenaria mercenaria with 0.1N ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH), but the embryos did not develop well and leading to low percentage of normal larvae compared to their naturally spawned counterparts. So far, no reports about detail mechanisms on how NH4OH activates eggs, while comprehensive understanding of the process is absolutely important for optimization or probably substitute NH4OH with another potential substance. Stripping itself is a destructive and lethal method, thus it is not a sustainable way to maintain broodstock collections. Sacrificing superior broodstock must be invaluable loss that all hatcheries try to avoid it. Likewise, pearl oysters hatcheries prefer another spawning method that has no detrimental effects, considering the high value of the product and the oysters itself (Southgate, 2008). 2. Spawning Induction by Physical and Chemical Means 2.1 Chemical stimuli 2.1.1 Injections of sex steroids The presence of steroids in molluscs has been identified by Hagerman et al. (1957) and its fluctuations have a strong correlation with sexual maturation, gamete release, and sex determination in bivalve (Croll and Wang, 2007). A serotonin, 5 hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), works synergistically with steroid for those functions because steroids regulate 5-HT receptor on the membrane of gametes (Kadam et al., 1991). Combinations of 5-HT and steroid intragonadal injections are the most widely used in aquaculture farming practice. Efficacy of steroid treatment must be assessed on species basis because a particular steroid may give different results in different species. Similarly, one species could give various responses to some steroids, even if they have similar chemical structure. Published reports by Wang Croll (2003; 2004; 2006) explain clearly about gonadal maturation as well as spawning responses in sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus towards a number of steroid injections, both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro study by Wang and Croll (2003) shows 10-5-10-8 M progesterone and 17ÃŽÂ ²-estradiol potentiated gamete release in 5-HT-induced gonads tissue of P. magellanicus, both female and/or male. On the other side, testosterone (10-5-10-7 M) was only effective in male and no significant effects on dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and 4ÃŽÂ ±-androsterone injections. Application of steroid inhibitors and control group (5-HT-incubated gonads) in the experiment strongly suggest steroids and steroid receptors involve in molluscan reproduction. Those results are confirmed with in vivo study by Wang and Croll (2006), although slightly different. Progesterone, which is able to initiate gamete release in male and female gonads tissue in vitro, demonstrated inhibitory effect in 5-HT-induced female P. magellanicus. Another interesting fact is the number of gametes released (spawning intensity) are sharply increased up to 300% and the response time after injection (spawning latency) reduced about 30%. Despite of its advantages, administration of sex steroid in bivalves farming apparently impose additional cost since serotonin must be used in parallel to obtain optimal result. In-depth economic calculations might be necessary to reach a balance between cost and benefits. 2.1.2 Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) H2O2 application to induce bivalves spawning was first reported by Morse et al. (1977). He and his colleagues found that addition of 5mM of H2O2 to alkaline seawater successfully induced spawning, in both male and female gravid abalone Haliotis rufescens, within about 3 hours after the first addition. This effect results from activation of prostaglandin endoperoxidase by peroxides, which eventually triggers the spawning response. Their paper convincingly pointed that H2O2, neither another contaminants nor substances, initiates the spawning (Table 1). Destruction of H2O2 by catalase and mercaptoethanol (reducing agent) effectively blocks spawning. Aspirin, an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase and prostaglandin peroxidase synthesis, shows endoperoxidase synthesis is required for induction of spawning by H2O2. Table 1. Induction of spawning in gravid H. rufescens Treatment Total Number of Animals Tested Spawned Controls 77 (47F, 30M) 3 (2F, 1M) H2O 18 (13 F, 5 M) 0 H2O2 31 (17 F, 14 M) 30 (16 F, 14 M) Aspirin, then H2O2 26 (12 F, 14 M) 2 M Catalase, then H2O2 5 M 0 Mercaptoethanol, then H2O2 5 M 0 Note: F = female, M = male. Source: Morse et al. (1977) Nevertheless, less success was achieved in Indian pearl oysters P. fucata with H2O2 treatment as with abalone did (Alagarswami et al., 1983b). Mild spawning only occurred with 6mM H2O2 for 5 hours immersion. Supplementation of seawater with Tris buffer at pH 9.1, which usually effective for abalone, does not works well for P. fucata. These conversely results indicate H2O2 concentration must be optimized for any cultured species, sometimes in combination with other treatments. Since peroxide method is a simple and rapid technique, an assay for spawning bivalves which previously known difficult to spawn can be developed quite easily. Morse (1984) has been able to identify optimal conditions for gametogenesis and spawning of green (H. fulgens), pink (H. corrugata), and black abalone (H. cracherodii) using peroxide method. Spawning of these animals can be induced by H2O2 in a slightly high temperature (20-25Â °C). 2.1.3 Injections of neurotransmitters Serotonin, 5-HT, is the most widely used and probably the most potent neurotransmitter for artificial spawning purpose. In vitro study shows ovarian tissue of Patinopecten yessoensis released high number of eggs after been immersed in 10-6M serotonin (Matsutani and Nomura, 1987). The study also demonstrated interaction between serotonin and its receptors in ovary, as well as on how prostaglandins regulate serotonin performance in scallop. The efficacy of serotonin in vitro was confirmed in many in vivo studies. Gibbons and Castagna (1984) injected six species of bivalves with 2mM serotonin, nearly similar to the concentration used by Matsutani and Nomura (1987), and all of them spawned as expected with spawning latency 15-30 minutes (Table 2). For an unknown reason, there is a tendency serotonin more likely affected males than females. Table 2. Number of bivalves spawned by 5-HT injection Species Treatment Number of Tested Spawning Males Spawning Females Arctica islandica Control 70 0 0 Serotonin 70 15 4 Argopecten irradians Control 35 2 1 Serotonin 35 29 1 Crassostrea virginica Control 30 0 0 Serotonin 30 21 0 Geukensia demissa Control 20 1 0 Serotonin 20 8 1 Mercenaria mercenaria Control 70 0 0 Serotonin 329 116 21 Spisula solidissima Control 45 0 1 Serotonin 45 18 9 Source: Gibbons and Castagna (1984). Positive result was also obtained in giant clams, only Hippopus hippopus was less sensitive to serotonin (Braley, 1985). Another tested species (Tridacna gigas, T. derasa, T. maxima, T. crocea, T. squamosa) did very well in terms of spawning latency and spawning duration, even with a low dosage of serotonin. Therefore, injection of serotonin provides reliable way to induce spawning in giant clams, besides gametes-overlay method. Velez et al. (1989) carried out a more comprehensive research to see effect some neurotransmitters upon spawning induction in scallop Pecten ziczac. Given the number of neurotransmitters (dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine), only serotonine could induce spawning process. Moreover, they noticed that females give less response to serotonine than males do; similar to what Gibbons Castagna (1984) found. 2.1.4 Addition of gametes Tridacnid clams, such as T. maxima and T. squamosa, can be induced to spawn in captivity by introducing gonad extract from the opposite-sex into the mantel cavity (Gwyther and Munro, 1981; Munro et al., 1982). Three different gonad extracts were performed: gonad biopsy, freshly blended gonad, and freeze-dried blended gonad. Unfortunately, the author did not compare the treatments and describe the relevant results more detail. This induction technique is fairly simple in principles and implementation. Spawning occurs simply because synchronized release of gametes, on which gamete act as chemical cues or pheromones (Soong et al., 2005), a natural adaptation to increase external fertilization probability for broadcasting-gametes organisms. 2.1.5 Ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated seawater Seawater irradiated by light was a very powerful spawning inducer. Window-pane shell Placuna placenta responded quickly after been immersed in UV-irradiated seawater (Madrones-Ladja, 1997). The average number of eggs released per female using this treatment is as high as in serotonin treatment; furthermore the stimulus did not affect the viability of gametes. Besides of its reliable efficiency, this technique is very cost-effective and simpler than serotonin injection. It is also applicable for either individual or mass spawning, and does really works for both sexes of bivalves. 2.2 Physical stimuli 2.2.1 Temperature manipulation Manipulating water temperature is the most popular methods of spawning induction in bivalve hatcheries mainly because of its ease of application and reliable effectiveness. This technique has been studying intensively and implemented in pearl oyster P. maxima (Southgate and Beer, 1997) and various edible bivalves, such as American oyster Ostrea virginica (Soria et al., 2010) and brackish water bivalve Corbicula japonica (Baba et al., 1999). Reproductive physiology of O. virginica has been discovered more than decades ago, thus artificial reproductive control method has been set up very well (Galtsoff, 1938a; 1938b; 1940). Sudden change in water temperature from 20 to 32-35Â °C was found effectively stimulate spawning than long exposure to lower temperatures. In C. japonica, rising the temperature must be accompanied by salinity. Baba et al. (1999) demonstrated temperature 26Â °C with salinity 2.3-4.5 practical salinity unit (psu) give optimum yield. Moreover, addition of gamete suspension into the water is able to increase its fecundity. These three different factors may bring some complexity in terms of hatchery practice because optimization of those components is more likely indispensable. 2.2.2 Administration of microalgal food Immersing razor clams Siliqua patula in high density of phytoplankton is the only method so far that scientifically effective to induced spawning process. Breese and Robinson (1981) found 2-2.5 million cells ml-1 microalgae Pseudoisochrysis paradoxa stimulates razor clams to spawn. No published report that explains this phenomenon, so the exact mechanism does not understood well. It is maybe only a basic instinct of reproduction in nature when food present abundantly in environment. This method could be a good alternative instead of gamete stripping. The number of eggs released per clam as well as hatching rate was much higher compared to those obtain by stripping. In terms of aquaculture practicality, this technique is considerably easy and fairly inexpensive. 3. Conclusions There are numerous techniques to stimulate spawning process in bivalves. Basically, they are only mimicking natural process involved in natural reproduction cycle. No one of those techniques is more superior to another, therefore choosing the appropriate technique should be based on species cultured. Any cost associated, for instance chemicals and equipments, must be also taken into consideration.

Things Fall Apart Essay examples -- English Literature Essays

Things Fall Apart An African man, Chinua Achebe, wrote the novel, Things Fall Apart, at the age of 26. The story portrays his theme of life, when one thing stands another stands beside it. The main character, Okonkwo, lead a somewhat complicated life. As it began, it was ruled by courage and strength, but he chose to end it with a weak escape from every challenge he had ever been given, suicide. As his life began he was given nothing. His father, Unoka, was a disgrace to Umuofia. He was extremely lazy, and more in debt than anyone could even remember. Okonkwo worked extremely hard for everything he had ever had in his possession. He began his fame at a very young age, as a wrestler. His victory with Amalinze, the cat, was the beginning of his successful life. He harvested all of his crops alone, with no help. He was a strong and courageous warrior, as well as leader. When the Priestess of Agbala took his daughter, Ezinma, he followed behind, showing that he cared. This also counteracts the fact that, â€Å"He had a slight stammer and whenever he was angry and could not get his words out quickly enough, he would use his fists.† (Achebe 4) He was known for his fiery temper, which on occasion acted out unnecessarily. On one instance he beat his wife, Ojiugo, merely because she didn’t have his food ready. In the outcome of an ultimatum with Mbaino, Umuofia was give n a young boy, Ikemefuna. Okonkwo took care of Ikemefuna for three years, but when Ezeudu said, â€Å"That boy calls you...

Drinking and Driving Offences :: DUI, Drunk Driving, Alcohol

In my essay I will tell you the various kinds of drinking and driving offences, the penalties, and the defences you can make if you are caught drinking and driving. Let me tell you about the different offences. There are six offences in drinking and driving. They are "driving while impaired", "Having care and control of a vehicle while impaired", "Driving while exceeding 80 m.g.", "Having care and control of a vehicle while exceeding 80 m.g.", "Refusing to give a breath sample", and "refusing to submit to a roadside screen test. These are all Criminal Code Offences. Now lets talk about the penalties of drinking and driving. The sentence for "refusing to give a breath sample" is usually higher than either of the "exceeding 80 m.g." offences. Consequently it is usually easier in the long run for you to give a breath sample if asked. If, for example you are convicted of "Refusing ato give a breath sample" for the first time, but was earlier convicted of "Driving while impaired", your co nviction for "Refusing" will count as a second conviction, not a first, and will receive the stiffer penalty for second offences. For the first offence here is the penalty and the defences you can make. Driving a vehicle while your ability to drive is impaired by alcohol or drugs is one of the offences. Evidence of your condition can be used to convict you. This can include evidence of your general conduct, speech, ability to walk a straight line or pick up objects. The penalty of the first offences is a fine of $50.00 to $2000.00 and/or imprisonment of up to six months, and automatic suspension of licence for 3 months. The second offence penalty is imprisonment for 14 days to 1 year and automatic suspen- sion of licence for 6 months. The third offence penalty is imprisonment 2 for 3 months to 2 years (or more) and automatic suspension of licence for six months. These penalties are the same for the following offences. "Having Care and Control of a Motor Vehicle while Impaired" is an other offence. Having care and control of a vehicle does not require that you be driving it. Occupying the driver's seat, even if you did not have the keys, is sufficient. Walking towards the car with the keys could be suffi- cient. Some defences are you were not impaired, or you did not have care and control because you were not in the driver's seat, did not have the keys, etc.

How ICT effects a person with special needs Essay

All of these Keystrokes will save Paddy the hassle of going to the icons by using the mouse, which he can hardly see anyway. But, there is a problem the Keystroke commands. That is that they differ between each software package and if you learn one set of Keystrokes for, say Supernova, on computers in one department, and then you will have to learn a completely different one for Zoomtext, a different magnifier and Keystroke package, and it can result in a lot of confusion and frustration. There is also a piece of software that allows Paddy to talk into a microphone connected to the computer and it writes out what he says. A few years ago things like this would have been very unreliable and it would have resulted in him having to repeat a lot of words just to get a sentence complete. But now days they are very reliable once you have ‘worn them in’ and used them enough to get your voice recognised. This can take a long time and will result a lot of mistakes in work at first, but all in all they will become very, very useful in the future. As well as using computers to do work, Paddy also uses it to talk to his friends in the Royal National College for the Blind internally and also talk to people outside the college. To do this he uses Windows Messenger (or MSN Messenger to most), which is favoured by the students at the college because it has the ability to speak to friends directly without having to type. This means he can talk faster and be more precise. Although, the screen for msn is a lot smaller than other screens so it may be hard to read who is online and whom you are talking to. It is also mainly comprises of colour and images, and if the colours are reversed, then it may be too dark and Paddy may be unable to see it on the screen. Computers are not the only technology that has features, which enables blind and partially sighted people to use them. There are many household appliances that Paddy uses such as talking microwave ovens and cookers, which are very useful. As well as it being a fire hazard using a cooking appliance whilst unable to see what is being pressed, it also means that Paddy will be able to cook his own food and not relying on someone else to do things for him. But it is not only the only thing that limits his ability to cook and eat food. Many different foods come in similar or even the same shapes and sizes as one another, so for a blind or partially sighted person it could be almost impossible for them to distinguish between, say, dog food and beans. This is where Paddy would use mini magnifiers, which allow he to magnify the text in a small area, like a packet of food, and he’ll know what he has in his hand. It is compact so it could be taken anywhere with him, such as when he wants to read a bus timetable, or shopping in a supermarket. It is also relatively cheap, as all it really is a piece of magnifying glass and a casing. Not that he would be able to take it home, but there are magnifiers available in a larger size known as a CCTV. These are like the small magnifiers mentioned, but are a lot larger and will enable you to read a much bigger area. This can be used to read letters (as most blind people have to rely on others to read things to them such as confidential letters and even bank statements) and newspapers. They can also be linked up to a computer to magnify a piece of text and show it on screen, and at the Royal National College for the Blind Eye-Tech Exhibition they have CCTV’s where half the screen is what is magnified and the other half is what it being typed. This allows people like Paddy to, if they are copying something from a book, to do so without turning their head or having to go over it with a smaller magnifier. As well as college, Paddy has a social life with both friends and family. So, he bought himself a mobile phone. But he could not get just any mobile phone, because some of the new phones are almost impossible to use if you cannot properly see the key. A lot of the newer mobiles are made to be smaller so because of this the keys are getting flatter. Paddy bought himself a Motorola mobile phone like the one on the right. He chose this phone because of a few features on it that would make it a lot easier to use. He obviously cannot read texts, but that wasn’t a problem because he couldn’t write them easier. It has big keys, which as well as being easy to see, are easier to type with when typing in phone numbers. It also ha a feature a bit like a computer key board called hotkeys, where you simply hold a certain button and it rings a number. The phone has a built in radio so he does not have to get a compact radio which usually has small buttons which are impossible for Paddy to press. And the phone has voice dialling, which is what it says it is; you talk into the phone and it dials the person that you said. Firstly, you have to record the tag for each person, but once you’ve done it, the voice dialling would be very useful to Paddy when dialling his friends and family. There are speaking phones, though, but these can cost at least i 200, so the cost outweighs the benefits of it. Paddy, as some may think, is not just someone who lazes around the home, he is a very fit person. He evens works and trains in the Royal National College for the Blind gymnasium. In the gym, there are many specially adapted pieces of equipment that allows Paddy and others to use the gym as any others would. There are talking watches, talking stopwatches and even talking Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Monitors. These will let the people at the Royal National College for the Blind to use the gym as well, and sometimes better, than people in other gyms. The college even lets people come to the gym where they can be given a health and fitness assessment by a blind person. All of this technology means that a blind or partially sighted person is able to do everything someone with perfect sight. They can, in some circumstances, do it better. All they need is a bit of help to do it, and as technology evolves for you and I, it also evolves for those who have disabilities both physically and mentally.