Science Has Made Man’s Life Quite Comfortable

Science has changed the face of the world. It has, of course, given many things that benefit man. But the evils that it has showered on man wash away the advantages. It has made man depend on machines, calculators and computers. A day may come when his physical and mental faculties may grow so weak that he may not be able to lift a bag or solve a simple equation. In the field of health services, it has given us life-saving drugs. But it has also given drugs like smack and heroin. Nuclear energy created by science has been much praised but the blast in Russia has exploded the myth.Atom bombs created by scientists were thrown on Hiroshima and Nagasaki decades ago. The painful memory still lingers and millions of people are still ill. I apparently support science. Science has made all the things possible. REALLY†¦. without science we cannot imagine our lives. humans might have extincted long back if science had not been improved. so,i think it ‘s not a bane for the society. T here is a misconception about science ,people think that it is the science which is responsible for the explosions as well as destruction.But I think it is human brain which caused all this destruction. PEOPLE fought and had lost their lives before the improvement of science also. so, it is definetly a boon for the society The greatest harm science has done is to the faith of man. God has become a nonentity. In the modern jungle of mental activities where would a desperate man go? Having lost faith, his intellectual activities lead him to suicide. A number of scientists meet this fate every year in India. By This we can conclude that Science has more Boons than Banes.

Witness Report

EVAN 101 2/28/2013 Witness Report PART ONE – What method of evangelism did you use and how did you start the conversation? The method I chose to use to witness to a young lady, who has been a friend of the family for a long time, was the relational method. While at my grandson’s first birthday party I engaged in a conversation with a longtime friend of my daughters. She has a baby that is close to my grandson’s age. The first thing I did was give her a big welcoming hug. We haven’t seen her in about seven or eight years.She had expressed to me the importance of being a good mother. She talked about how she never let her daughter stay with anyone except for her dad. We talked about the nursery that is available at the church we attend. Because she is a single mother, I helped with her daughter as far as holding her and guiding her away from danger such as stairs and open doors to the restroom. I did this in hopes of building a trust so that she would feel c omfortable with going to church with us.We talked about how our church has purchased property and in the process of building a new church. I explained to her the many exciting activities the church has planned for the next couple of months. I believe the seed was planted many years ago when this young lady hung out at my house as a teenager with my daughter. She moved from the neighborhood to live with her dad and now we are reunited because we moved to a neighboring city. PART TWO – What was the reaction (questions/comments/statements) of the unbeliever?We talked about how she had decided not to have anymore children because of her contracting gestational diabetes, and having such a difficult high risk pregnancy. I assured her that each pregnany would be different. I also told her not to let herself be robbed of God’s blessing for her. My daughter’s friend seemed very interested in going to church with us. She had attended church with us in the past better neve r made a decision. Her focus seems to be that she wanted to raise her daughter in church. She said she didn’t want to leave her daughter with anyone in the nursery.I work with another lady in children’s church. Hopefully we will have established a more trusting relationship that she will feel comfortable enough to leave her with me. PART THREE – How did you conclude the conversation in order to follow up? To conclude our conversation, I offered her transportation if needed to attend church. I also told her if there was anything she needed in the mean time or if she just wanted to visit to let me know. After telling her how nice it was to see her I gave her another hug and she assured me that she was planning on visiting our church.

Case Study, Mall of Americas

IntroductionThe purpose of this paper is to present the marketing success, retail & consumer trends, expansion and future marketing plan for â€Å"Mall of America: Shopping and a Whole Lot More. For over 20 years Mall of America has been able to attract over 40 million annual vistors driving by both local patrons and tourism. I will discuss my view on what I would like to see at Mall of America’s expansion facility and how that compares to the current facility. In addition to the selection of what vendors will occupy the space, but a marketing plan to appeal to new consumers to increase the number of annual visitors to Mall of America.Paragraph 1The Mall of America has been successful at marketing and maintaining a product that most did not expect to succeed, this is due to the fact that they have something for everyone in their retail and family entertainment complex and is viewed as more than a mall, Mall of America is a destination. Regardless of the weather conditions, yo u can always come to Mall of America and ride a roller coaster and enjoy all the features of the mall. The selection of the anchor stores and specialty stores appeals to different economic levels. In addition to the retail selection, there are activities for the entire family that include movies, a theme park and an aquarium.Paragraph 2Since the opeing of the Mall of America in 1992, consumers have seen large discount retailers that have been able to provide name brand products at a discounted rate. The consumer is always looking for a deal, especially during the time when the economy is slow. Consumers are less likely to go to a mall and spend when they can go to one store and purchase the necessary items at a discount. As we see a recovery in the economy, Mall of America needs to keep in mind that a majority of the consumers are not willing to go back to paying full price for their items and should consider the mix of high end specialy stores to those that are more economical.Para graph 3Mall of of America should use the following criteria to add new facilities to its complex; will this bring new consumers to the mall, will the reason for the visit encourage the consumer to stay an extended period of time at the facility and will the interest be enough for the consumer to return to the facility. Once you have the consumer at the mall, it is not enough to have them fulfill what they are there for, but to entice the consumer to want more. Example would be to add a small concert venue that would bring in concert goers for dinner, the concert and possible hotel stay.Paragraph 4Mall of America managers should continue to market as a destination. When you market as a destination this relates to the local consumer and those visiting from outside the area. If hotels are added, marketing can offer vacation packages to include hotel stay, theme park tickets, movie tickets and aquarium tickets at discounted rates. In addition, the vacation package could include a 10% di scount to all retailers in the mall for a specified period of time. Vacationers like to plan their vacation at a discounted rate, but also prefer to handle all the planning in one location and not have to contact several companies to plan a vacation. If Mall of America adds facilities that is similar to an all inclusive vacation package, they will continue to build on their success.ConclusionMall of America has been very successful launching and maintaining a concept that most people did not expect to succeed. The success has been driven by offering their vistors a retail and family entertainment complex that is viewed as more than a mall, Mall of America is a destination. During the expansion, Mall of America will need to determine which facilities will increase the number of annual visitors up from 40 million. Changing this destination from a one day visit to a multiple day vacation site.

Asian American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Asian American History - Essay Example Women were the backbone of the Korean culture in preserving and nurturing children. Many women emigrated from Korea because men wanted and chose Korean wives from pictures. Picture brides became a widely known Korean culture in the 1880s, and during World War II but women’s place in the society were restricted to the kitchen and bedroom. Japanese immigrants inhabited Hawaii and received as hardworking laborers in lumber camps, fisheries, farms and railroads (Takaki, 1987). They emigrated to the U.S because of drought, overpopulation and rebellions in Japan. Japanese American that lived and worked in Hawaii enjoyed a less form of discrimination because of the low population of Caucasians. Some Japanese moved to California in search of better jobs and improved living conditions. However, tension arose in California because of the competitive advantage of the Japanese compared to the Caucasians in manual work. Japanese-American women were subjected to an intense form of racial di scrimination that restricted them from public resources and healthcare service (Takaki, 1987). Asian American families that moved into the U.S in the 1880s and during World War II were subjected to discrimination in terms of race, ethnic background and work. These families could not access public transport, use public facilities and take their children to school. Korean American History between 1882 and World War II The U.S system did not allow Koreans to vote because they U.S could not grant immigrants naturalized citizenship (Paik-Lee, 1990). Korean American women were among other oppressed women in the U.S that did not vote because women in the U.S were considered inferior to men. These Asian American women were not given equal opportunities in education or high profile careers. American system in the 1880s discriminated against Koreans in the sense that they were not allowed to use public resources with Caucasians, which included hospitals, schools and transport (Paik-Lee, 1990) . The first generation of women born in Korean families in the US struggled for the needs of children and women and sustained the Korean culture. Picture brides from Korea were to serve as wives that preserved the Korean population (Paik-Lee, 1990). Some women provided social services for the elderly and destitute Korean population. Consequently, Korean American women assisted other female immigrants in childbearing and nurturing. Preservation of the Korean Identity in the U.S Korean-American women struggled to preserve their culture, rear children and support their husbands through hardships in the U.S during the 1880s and World War II. However, during World War II, they were often mistaken for Japanese women because many Caucasians could not differentiate between the two groups (Paik-Lee, 1990). Most Korean American families ended up in Internment Camp called Manzanar, in California. Women suffered under the U.S system that barricaded these camps and isolated the immigrants from t he rest of the American population. Korean American women underwent racial profiling through all U.S systems and understood that they were exiles rather than permanent citizens. This notion was solidified when the U.S government refused to grant the immigrants natural citizenship. The women that were born in Korea were also products of immigrants that lacked equal rights with other American citizens. Dire conditions in the U.S that

BA Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

BA - Case Study Example It operated in large scale with very flexible approaches to business decisions concerning the entrepreneurial skills where there is hierarchy but the ideas flows from the bottom-up and top-down. This paper therefore seeks to assess the existing business model for the vice and give recommendations of the alternatives that will help the company to continue to grow. Vice had a unique content that was provided freely to all its audience that was disseminated all over through its print media and online channels. For the video content to be produced effectively and efficiently there is need to be a producer, the person who will report and even the cameraperson that will be commenting on the events and document. For the investment, vice company should have a new financial and operational base that that had not been part of the culture of the company. Investors therefore should ensure that the vice company has put a system in place that will support the strategy and to ensure that there is rapid growth of the company. Continued growth means that there is greater attention towards labor standards for example making the internship program formal and also to ensure that the employees are provided with performance review (Farzad 3). In terms of the strategies, the vice should introduce a new strategic planning vernacular that the vice will use to address the budget and the return on the investment. For the vice to be considered mainstream it must consider diversification and launching territories internationally where the global audience can grow steadily and consume a type of content that could only be offered by a few organizations. In terms of the revenue, the vice should consider monetizing the content of the video to be online then sell advertising for online content. The vice company should consider to create customized initiatives for the company brands where everything is considered from the brand strategy and

Impact of burnout in the nursing field Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Impact of burnout in the nursing field - Essay Example They render service that will determine the patient’s safety and wellbeing. Burnout experienced by nurses would threaten, not only the patient’s safety, but also decrease the quality of care rendered. There is an ongoing shortage of nurses in the United States that contributes to the incidence of nursing burnout and impacts the over-all health care delivery system. As the functionality of a reduced nursing staff will decline should the prevailing working conditions continue. The major shortage today is escalating just as when patients are needing more complex care and demand for services are seldom unmet (Joint Commission on Accrediation of Healthcare Organizations, 2002). The opportunities in employment for registered nurses have been projected to be higher than any other discipline. Yet, a major shortage is still seen in the near future. This is caused by the deficiency in the number of nursing faculty and colleges and universities that are unable to take advantage of the unusually high number of qualified applicants due to financial constraints. There is a need for the government to step in to review policies and increase public subsidies (Aiken, Cheung, & Olds, 2009). The Causes There are several causes that contribute to the incidence of nursing burnout. One is the current nursing shortage has a high impact on the nursing profession. The nursing profession has always been regarded as stress-filled having to deal with manual labor, human suffering, rotating work shifts and various interpersonal relationships (Jennings, 2008). As the nurse is always on the frontline of patient interaction, they are the direct recipient of stress from situations of death and illness. The present inability to produce sufficient amount of registered nurses due to the limitations in school admissions compounds the situation. The population of aging nurse practitioners is now slowly being led to nursing burnout to compensate the inadequate staffing in hospitals (Bar tels, 2001). Another cause for nursing burnout is the stress that is made complex by work, marriage and children. Work life is seldom independent from family life and this dependency is where conflict sometimes arises. This situation is predominantly felt by female nurses as they would have juggle the roles in their life like wife, daughter, mother and friend aside from being a nurse that should provide the best possible care for their patients. It’s Implication to the Nursing Field Due to the reduced number of nursing practitioners it is now a common practice to go on twelve hour shifts to allow them a 3-day work week thus giving more opportunity for work-life balance. Studies conducted by University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing claim that hospital nurses working on ten hour shifts or more are more prone to experience burnout and job dissatisfaction (Penn Nursing Science, 2012). There is an organizational need for nurses to go on overtime, rotating shifts or consecutive days lead to fatigue that eventually affects their job performance. The exhaustion and low energy that overwhelms the nurse that in turn affects the quality of care they render to the patients. The demand for acute care service is increasing in hospitals and thus need optimal nursing care. The reality of having fewer nurses to respond to this need is a precarious situation for patients and hospitals. The combination of very few nurses and nursing support personnel plus the paper work and other administrative duty

Sweatshop labor analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sweatshop labor analysis - Research Paper Example Existence of Sweatshops Talking of sweatshops all that comes to mind is extreme exploitation which may include absence of a living wage, health and safety hazards, arbitrary discipline mostly verbal or physical abuse, and the fear and intimidation the workers will face in any attempt to speak out or try to form a union to fight for their rights (Montero 3-6). In the film Mardi Gas Made in China, David places his focus on the everyday life of factory workers and their life within the factory environment. He also tries to focus on the special economics of china and its growth. The character Rogers is used to bring out the picture of the workers as he appears on every scene with a white shirt time and again. He does not want to be seen as wealthy and this is exactly the situation of the workers in the factory. The have very poor living standards. The audiences of this film think that David should rather speak about the other aspects of the lives of workers but rather he only reflects th e situation as it exists and overlooks the general fear by the workers and everyone else to speak out about what goes on. The film clearly depicts the existing connection between workers and consumers and thus the question of morality comes up. If at all any consumer sees these acts as not right then they have a right to hold the company accountable for its actions. The consumer has a degree of power and this is better explained in the film. If a customer feels compelled then a slight window opens up for them to understand the organizations functions to know what is right and what is necessary. Whenever there is a slight opportunity to exploit workers then that is where the labor gets its roots since the workers usually lack the knowledge and the resources to enable them stand up for themselves. Most of them are uneducated and some are immigrants who are naive and most at times lack the knowledge concerning their legal rights. The subcontracting system under which the garment indust ry operates places the garment workers at the bottom of the chain and leaves them with no option. Sustaining Sweatshops Sweatshops can be traced back to the 9th century when the sweating system was a word that described the process of big garment manufacturers contracted work out to the smaller firms who in turn would pay low wage to the immigrant workers. The workers would sweat as much labor as possible. However the existence of these shops today cannot clearly be justified but can just be supported by a number of myths that try to justify their existence. The workers of sweat shops survive on the life and debt aspect. These people live almost all their lives without any savings to count on since what they receive is too small to have percentages for saving. These people are therefore in no way linked to the money market. They lack the idea of managing finances and therefore no access to credit cards and no emergency funds set up. To justify the use of funds and the accountability , Rivoli sets out to find out the origin of her t-shirt (Pietra). The writer Rivoli tries to explain the cotton industry in America and its travel all through to China to the Garment Industries. They have a common theme with David since through their work they both give a reflection production, consumption and disposal of

Assignment (Economics) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

(Economics) - Assignment Example The ban of a product hurts the consumer markets especially if the good was used by a lot of people. When vendors smuggle the goods and bring them to the marketplace illegally society benefits because these goods are providing a utility that is needed for the consumers. I believe that US citizens should boycott companies that abuse its workers in less developed countries. The only way for these companies to stop these unethical practices is for the customers to take proactive action to boycott these types of establishments. A full boycott of an item that is offered at much lower prices might hurt consumers that cannot afford to pay higher prices. Due to the different in opinions of customers it would be hard to implement a full boycott. Country A should produce toys, while country B should produce pineapples. Country A must trade toys for pineapples and country B must trade pineapples for toys. In general country A produces less toys or pineapples than country B. Their competitive advantage is in toys because country B can produce more than twice the amount of pineapples than country A. Since country B can produce 900 pineapples per day this country should concentrate on producing pineapples. The competitive advantage of country B in pineapples is 2.25 to

Managing Strategy ( case study) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing Strategy ( case study) - Essay Example 1. Amazon strategy Amazon current business strategy is based on high customer value and experience. Amazon has a low cost structure that ensures that customers access products and services at the lowest prices in the market. In addition, Amazon strategy is based on customer convenience through guaranteed on-time delivery with no compromise to the quality of the products and services (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010, p 76). The business strategy has been ‘customer-centric’ in terms of the wide variety of products and increased product innovation. The key pillars of the strategy include selection, price and convenience. Although Amazon was originally thought as an online bookstore, the company has established several physical strategic centers that are used to ship customer products such as the Hazleton facility that serves Northeast customers. The company has leveraged on technology to understand the customer purchasing patterns and needs and also delivery the products to t he customers. Technology enabled the company top expand the product portfolio with new innovative products such as Amazon web services, kindle and digital products. For instance, the Kindle which is a wireless electronic reading device was unveiled in 2007 thus enabling customers to conveniently download and save books from kindle store without extra costs for the wireless access (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2010, p 235). Another innovative product is Amazon web services that allow IT vendors to host both hardware and software in their own data centers. The web services include products such as AWS premium support, Amazon Mechanical Turk, Amazon CloudFront, and Amazon EBS. In addition, Amazon expanded the digital products division in 2007 through launching MP3 music store that allows customers to listen to digital music without restriction. In 2008, the launch of IMDb.com which is a subsidiary allowed customers to watch more than 6,000 full length films and favorite TV series. The comp any is committed to enhancing the accessibility of the products and services to customers in order to create customer convenience and customer value. In 2008, the company launched a currency converter that enables global customers to pay for their products in US dollars and ‘Bill Me Later’s† which is a next generation payment service that enables customers to make instant online payments without using a credit card. Amazon TextBuyit service allows customers find and shop for Amazon products using a text message or web browsers. Amazon has implemented aggressive product diversification strategy. The company also diversified in the sale of motorcycle spare parts and software products that feature other languages such as Spanish. The company has also made various mergers and acquisitions in order to access markets and capital. For instance, it acquired Fabric.com which is a leading supplier of cut fabrics, sewing accessories and tools. The company has reported impres sive financial results over the past few years. Other major acquisition was that of AbeBooks and Reflexive Entertainment.

Discussion Questions on Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Discussion Questions on Ethics - Assignment Example This is the case as witnessed in many of the societies. It is due to this that it is important for the people around us to offer nurturing and support. This support is important for the development of the mind and other natural characteristics. Advice is that nurturing takes place at a young age. This is for the best results in the character of the kid as he matures. Question 2 It is the duty of all human beings to show care and concern for others. This is due to the fact that the kind of help and assistance offered to others is the same one reciprocated to us. This is also for the assurance of an environment conducive enough for their thriving. When showing the care and concern, its direction is to anybody that requires it. This should not only go to the people that we are related to. The reason as to why we do this is for the achievement of proper coexistence of people who can rely on each other in times of need having the fact that human beings are interdependent. Human character receives judgment from the deeds that they carry out. It is from this that the natural behavior observed and categorized. There are the various people who do not show any care or concern for their fellow human beings. This is taken to be very unjust and is naturally treated with a lot of reckoning from the society. However, for the people that act up and offer the kind of support needed not only to their families but also to the people around them, they rewarded in many ways. Question 3 When people claim that murder is wrong, they just believe that it is wrong and do not necessarily believe in what they say. They believe it is wrong arising from the many ethics and related studies offered in life. Few people acknowledge that murder is wrong due to knowledge. This is because the education offered to people directs them to knowing the notion against the idea of murder. It is important to recognize the fact that people carry out activities from the experience that they have getting gui dance and majorly not out of their own mentality. Human beings possess this natural characteristic. Question 4 To qualify people as immortal, they must possess very indifferent human characteristics. The people I have in mind died a short while ago and their deaths took me by surprise. This is due to the characteristics that they possessed. An example of the characteristic is that very few times did the fall ill and even never visit the hospital even once. However, after their diagnosis of sickness, they died rather fast and this came as a shocker to many. Question 5 It is not morally permissible to use the human and animal DNA in the manner in which it is done. This is due to the fact that it defies all codes of character that are majorly against the alteration of human and any other beings. This is also against the bible that strongly preaches against these acts. The bible is the source of people’s judgment of morality and hence the manipulation of the human genes for creat ion of hybrids is ethically wrong. 1) For Plato, what kind of ability is necessary for one to entertain higher-level concepts or moral ideas? Like the rest of the early philosophers, Plato upholds a virtue-based eudaemonistic ethics. That is to mean, human well-fare, is regarded as the highest endeavor of moral thought and behavior; the qualities are the necessary skills and traits. If

Roles, Responsibilities and Skills of a Coach Essay Example for Free

Roles, Responsibilities and Skills of a Coach Essay Alex Ferguson A role model is a person who serves as a positive example and whose behaviour and success is emulated by others. The way the coach conducts themselves in the presence of their athletes is important to get the respect of their athletes so they are able to coach them successfully. Alex Ferguson is a fine example of a role model because he produces such successful teams and always conducts himself in a professional and respectful manner which rubs off on his players. This is especially evident in players such as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes who are also great role models of the game and they have been heavily influenced by Alex Ferguson throughout their careers. This is one of the reasons his team has won the league so many times, became European champions and he has created so many world class players. An example of him using this is with Wayne Rooney. When he came to United he had a very fiery temper and would often break the rules and end get yellow carded or sent off causing a disadvantage for his team but after being coached in the right way by Ferguson and following his example he has learnt to conduct himself properly and control his anger much better. This influence from Alex Ferguson has been vital in making him the top class player that he has become. Linford Christie – Is also a great role model but in a different way. He is more of a role model to his athletes because of his own sporting achievements. He is the only British man to win a gold medal in the 100 m at all four major competitions: the Olympic Games and the World, Commonwealth, and European championships and he still holds the British 100m record. This would be impressive to any aspiring athlete and they would be more likely to respect what he says and more likely to listen to him because they know he knows what he’s talking about. His athletes are inspired by his achievements and will be more motivated by him being their coach because of all of his achievements. He is quoted in The Independent saying: â€Å"I think the athletes respond well to me because I have been successful. I know what it takes to get to the top. I know what psychological games to play and the importance of mental power. Alex Ferguson and Linford Christie are similar in that they are both well respected and great role models to their athletes. Coaches like this are typically very successful because to be successful it is important for their athletes to look up to them so they listen to and respect their advice so the coach can do their job effectively and improve their performance. The differences between the coaches are that Ferguson earns his status as a role model for his coaching success and Christie gets his from his sporting success. This means that they both have different types of knowledge and would probably have completely different coaching styles. Ferguson is more experienced in coaching and a better manager of his players whereas Christie would have a better understanding of any issues his athletes may have because he has been there himself at a higher level than them and he probably doesn’t stick to the conventional coaching methods and would have his own ways of doing things. Manager Alex Ferguson – One of Alex Ferguson’s most important roles is being a good manager. Being a manager involves him being able to man manage players to ensure he gets the best out of them. Management is especially to Ferguson because he coaches football, a team sport so his role as a manager is important to make sure he is picking the right players in the right positions in the right games and also deciding when to make substitutions at the right time. An example of good managing by him is when he brings on Carlos Tevez as a sub in a tough game when the other forwards are tiring because he has fresh legs and a very good work rate. This has proved to be very effective for him because he has brought Tevez on at the right time in some important games and he has changed the game. Linford Christie – One of the roles that Linford Christie would have to fulfil is being a manager. For him this would include being well organised for example having the training sessions planned before the session and most importantly the one to one man management of each of his athlete’s. This is obviously very important for Christie to have as he coaches individual athletes and he has to manage them in the right way to get the best out of them. For example, some of his athletes might respond better to him having a go at them after a poor performance and some might respond better to a friendly arm around the shoulder. It is vital that he is able to recognise which athlete’s need which type of management or he could be damage his relationship with the athlete which could result in a drop in their confidence and their performance. Alex Ferguson and Linford Christie are similar in that they both have to have good man management skills which means they have to be good communicators, good leaders and be able to support their athletes individually. The main difference between these two coaches when it comes to managing is that Ferguson has to make a lot more decisions because he has to make a whole team work together successfully so he has the added responsibilities of picking the squad, when to drop players and who needs to be rested whereas Christie only has to be concerned with one athlete at a time and to make sure that athlete is happy and performing well. Friend Alex Ferguson – It is important that the coach of a successful team is also a friend to their athletes. This is because if an athlete feels that they have a good relationship with their coach they will perform better overall. Being a friend to their athletes is important to develop loyalty and a good understanding of their athletes. This enables them to know which way to coach them individually also to help the athletes overcome issues and problems such as injuries and personal problems. The main skill needed to fulfil this role effectively is good communication skills. An example of Alex Ferguson being a friend is the way he has supported and encouraged players such as Wes Brown and Owen Hargreaves through career threatening injuries and offering them advice and help. Linford Christie – One of Linford Christie’s roles as an athletics coach is to also be a friend to his athletes. It is especially important for Christie to have this kind of relationship with his athletes because they are individual athletes and they don’t have team mates or many other coaches to rely on for support. Darren Campbell, one of his star athletes said, Well, to begin with, he is compassionate, says Campbell. He is not a bully. He doesnt throw cups of tea. People who say he is arrogant dont know him. What it is about him is confidence, belief. I know its a fine line, but I have known him since I was a 14-year-old and he has always had a soft side. One of his greatest assets is that mentally he is one of the strongest people I have ever met. It is clear from this statement that he is a friend as well as a coach to this athlete. Darren Campbell is Britain’s top sprinter so this type of coaching has proved to be a success because he is inspired by Linford Christie, he trusts him and will therefore make his job easier to coach Campbell as he will listen to his advice and put 100% into training. Alex Ferguson and Linford Christie have similar roles to play as a coach and one of the roles they have in common is to be a friend to their athletes. They both do this well and have a good balance of when to be a friend and when to be a coach which can be a difficult balance to have but it is a vital part of achieving success with a team or an individual athlete. I think it is more important for Linford Christie to be a good friend to his athletes because he works with them on a one to one basis mainly whereas Alex Ferguson’s main role is to pick a successful team for each game and this is more important than being friendly with the players. It is part of his job to upset players because all of his players in the squad would like to play every game but obviously they can’t all the time. Educator Alex Ferguson – An important part of being a successful coach like Alex Ferguson is to be an educator. Even though his players are some of the best players in the world, he still has a role of educating them further so they can continue to develop as players. The educator role for a football coach includes educating the team about new formations, new positions that players may be put in and to further educate them about the game in general. A sports coach also has to have a good amount of knowledge about the scientific side of the game, such as nutrition, recovery and fitness and have the communication skills to get these messages through to the players. An example of his success because of the way he has educated his players is when the champions league semi final against Arsenal. Every player had a full understanding of the formation and their role in the team, even though some players were in a different position than what they’re used to such as Ronaldo playing cent re forward when he’s usually on the wing. This is because they would have been training during the week before the game getting used to playing this way and so they could ask Alex Ferguson any questions they had about where they were playing so they knew exactly what to do when it came to the game. Linford Christie – Also has to be a good educator in order to produce successful athletes. He has to educate his athletes mainly on their technique because he coaches sprinters and to improve their times they have to improve their technique. Christie has a lot of experience of being a successful sprinter so he passes down this knowledge to his sprinters to improve their times. An example of Linford Christie educating an athlete is when he first had Darren Campbell he realised that the best part of his 100 meter race is the last 40 metres so they needed to work on his start and his coach has educated him to improve this. Alex Ferguson and Linford Christie both need to be educators to ensure their athletes are successful but in different ways. Alex Ferguson’s role as an educator is less specific than Linford Christie’s because the smallest detail or a slight different technique in sprinting can mean the difference between a gold medal and not even getting a medal. So Christie may have to concentrate on coaching something specific like an athlete becoming quicker off the blocks. Alex Ferguson has to concentrate mainly on team performance so his educator role mainly concerns coaching the team as a unit on larger scale things such as formation. Sometimes though, Ferguson would also have to coach individually like Christie. Responsibilities Legal obligations Alex Ferguson – Even coaches of professional teams have legal obligations which include abiding by the rules that have been put in place by FIFA. Some of these rules include player protection especially those under 18 and the rules that are set regarding signing players or selling players. For example, if Alex Ferguson wanted to sign Kaka he couldn’t approach him or even get in contact with him without his clubs consent or he would be breaching the rules. It is also his legal responsibility to make sure his players are training in a safe environment with safe equipment. He also has to make sure that there are the appropriate medical staff and facilities to take proper care of his players. Linford Christie – Also has to apply with the legal responsibilities that come with being a sports coach. He has to make sure that he is using suitable and safe equipment and facilities when working with his athletes. Christie would also have to have the appropriate coaching qualifications to coach at the level does. Another one of his legal responsibilities is to educate his athletes and to enforce the rules and regulations put in place by the governing body of the sport. For example, Linford Christie has to discourage his athletes from using illegal performance enhancing drugs because they are banned from the sport and if he is caught they could both be in serious trouble for breaking the rules. Both of these coaches have to satisfy their legal obligations as sports coaches and they are similar in doing this because they have the same general legal responsibilities for any coach of any sport, some of which I have already discussed. Their roles differ slightly due to the obvious difference in the sport they are coaching. Alex Ferguson has to deal with the issue of buying and selling players and all of the rules that come with it but because Linford Christie is only dealing with individual athletes and it’s a different business where they don’t really buy and sell their athletes. Both coaches obviously have to discourage drug use but it is less popular in football than it is in athletics, particularly in sprinting so it plays more of a role in Linford Christie’s job than in Alex Ferguson. Professional conduct Alex Ferguson – One of Alex Ferguson’s important roles is to conduct himself professionally especially because he is in the media so much and he would get in all sorts of trouble if he didn’t act this way especially on television because there are a lot of people that look up to him. He also has to act professional around his players and his staff which would include using appropriate language, being well presented and not smoking or drinking at inappropriate times such as during training. An example of him being professional is last week when Ronaldo had a tantrum after being substituted against Man City which would have been quite embarrassing for him but when he was interviewed about it he acted professionally and didn’t turn on his player he just said that it was good that he wanted to play so much and that he’d spoken with him about it. Linford Christie – Also has to conduct himself professionally because he is a professional sports coach and he has to be a good role model to his athletes. He has to act professionally with his athletes so things such as executing good practice, setting an example to his athletes, not swearing, drinking or smoking in his athlete’s presence and complying with the rules the governing body has set.. He should also have the appropriate coaching qualifications to be coaching Olympic athletes. An example of him being professional is when he took two of his athletes to the Olympics but because of a rule saying he couldn’t work behind the scenes with his athletes during the competition because of being caught for drugs when he was an athlete he didn’t argue it and just sat in the stands to support his athletes. Both of these coaches need to conduct themselves professionally at all times especially when they are with their athletes because they have to set a good example to their athletes and have their respect. Their responsibilities, as far as professionalism goes are the same because they both have to be well presented, execute good practice, adhere to their code of conduct, have the appropriate qualifications to coach at the level they do and act and speak appropriately. Health and safety Alex Ferguson – It is his personal responsibility to ensure his players train and play in a safe environment. For example he can’t let his team train on a pitch covered in pot holes because it is dangerous and could cause injuries. He has a duty of care to follow to protect his athletes. It is also his responsibility to have the appropriate equipment and facilities as well as the health issues he will have to deal with. Issues such as, being aware of illness and injury and taking the appropriate precautions to ensure the care of the players. For example when Ronaldo was injured at the start of this season, even though he is the best player in the world and obviously he would be a big loss to the team, Ferguson has a duty of care to take care of him and not to let him play before he is properly ready because they need to win a particular game. Linford Christie It is his responsibility to make sure his athletes have a safe environment to train on and to make sure they are wearing the correct equipment for the training surface. For example, if an athlete turns up for training with only his running spikes and Christie has a road running session planned, he can’t let the athlete run on the concrete with running spikes on because it is dangerous. He would just have to adjust the session. He has to make sure his athletes aren’t over trained and make sure they have appropriate rest, especially before a competition so they can perform well and be successful. It is also his responsibility to be aware of any illness or injuries that means the athlete either can’t train at all or can only do certain things so training would have to be adjusted. Alex Ferguson and Linford Christie have the same health and safety responsibilities even though they coach different sports. They have to take health and safety precautions to ensure the safety of their athletes by preventing injuries because an athlete of a team of athletes can’t be successful if they cant participate in competition due to injury. Linford Christie has to be even more careful with his athletes because they are individual and if the athlete can’t perform they cant just be replaced like in Alex Ferguson’s team. Equal opportunities Alex Ferguson – Has to make sure he treats everyone fairly and gives everyone equal opportunities and pick his squad based on the player’s talent not on where they’re from or what they look like. It is his responsibility to pick a successful squad of the best players to win trophies and competitions. For example, Ferguson couldn’t refuse to pick someone from Brazil just because he doesn’t like them. Alex Ferguson doesn’t discriminate against anyone which is one of the reasons he has such a successful team, because he picks the best person for the job regardless. For example, his team comprises of people from all over the world including Anderson, Rafael and Fabio from Brazil, Ji Sung Park from Korea, Nemaja Vidic, Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic from Serbia and Patrice Evra from France. Linford Christie – It is also one of his responsibilities to give equal opportunities to any athlete that he coaches. He can’t discriminate against anyone, he just has to coach any athlete that he thinks he can have a positive effect on and help become successful. At the moment he is coaching Katharine Merry and Darren Campbell which proves he doesn’t discriminate against gender or race, he coaches who he thinks is going to be successful. Both of these coaches have a responsibility to give everyone equal opportunities by not discriminating against things such as age, gender or race. They have to treat everyone as equals and respect their rights. Skills Communication Alex Ferguson – It is important for Alex Ferguson to have good communication skills because he has to be able to get his coaching points across effectively. Alex Ferguson is a successful coach because he has very good communication skills and uses all the different types, including verbal and non verbal which includes things like hand signals, body language, eye contact and facial expressions. He is often standing at the side of the pitch shouting instructions and using hand signals to further get the point across. This type of communication can be important in a successful team performance like when he wants players to swap positions or change formation during the game. He also has to have good one on one communication skills to give feedback and advice to players. Linford Christie – It is important for him to have good communication skills so he can get coaching points across so the athletes understand it and it can help them improve their performance. Linford Christie has to have good one on one communication skills and the main type of communication he needs to use is verbal. An example of him using verbal communication with his athlete is when Darren Campbell came second in a race and Linford congratulated him, gave him some positive and negative feedback because he came second and maybe could have won but he explained that he was still proud of him and that he had done very well. It is important for every coach to have good communication skills to be successful coaches in any sport. They have to be able to interact with their athletes to be able to get a good understanding of them and therefore the best ways to coach them to get the best out of their athletes. Linford Christie has to focus more on one to one communication with his athletes individually whereas Alex Ferguson is more concerned with team dynamics and making sure they are ok individually so the team performs well. Both coaches use their communication skills effectively to get the best out of their athletes and to keep a high standard of performance. Organisation Alex Ferguson It is vital for him to have good organisation skills in order for his athlete’s to be able to train and play the best that they can. He has to have training sessions planned and set up before they are due to start and he has to employ people at the club that ensure everything to do with his athletes and their needs are sorted so all they have to worry about is training and winning games. For example, he has other coaches that help him with the sessions and people like a kit manager and other managers and administrators are employed to help things run smoothly. The coach has to be very well organised because he has many people working for him and they all have to be organised, where the players have to be and where has to be very well organised because Man United couldn’t turn up to a game half an hour late. Everything has to be on point when it comes to running one of the best football clubs in the world successfully. Linford Christie – He has to have good organisation skills especially when it comes to training programs, training sessions and competitions. Sprinters have all different kinds of training that they need to do to be successful and they need to have good balance and fit into the training program so that the athlete gets enough rest and recovery and isn’t over trained because this would have a negative effect on their performance. They have upper and lower body strength sessions, Plyometrics and power training as well as the obvious sprint training. For this to work well the coach has to be very well organised and have all of the sessions planned in advance and the athlete has to be at events on time and well prepared. Both of the coaches are similar because one of the skills that they have to possess to be successful sports coaches. They both have to plan and organise training sessions, they have to have good time management skills and make sure their players are where they need to be early so they have time to prepare for their competitions and perform their best. It is probably harder for Alex Ferguson because he has to organise an entire squad of players effectively.

Social Change in Nigeria Essay Example for Free

Social Change in Nigeria Essay Throughout Africa societies that had been predominantly rural for most of their history were experiencing a rapid and profound reorientation of their social and economic lives toward cities and urbanism. As ever greater numbers of people moved to a small number of rapidly expanding cities (or, as was often the case, a single main city), the fabric of life in both urban and rural areas changed in massive, often unforeseen ways. With the largest and one of the most rapidly growing cities in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria has experienced the phenomenon of urbanization as thoroughly as any African nation, but its experience has also been uniquein scale, in pervasiveness, and in historical antecedents. Modern urbanization in most African countries has been dominated by the growth of a single primate city, the political and commercial center of the nation; its emergence was, more often than not, linked to the shaping of the country during the colonial era. In countries with a coastline, this was often a coastal port, and in Nigeria, Lagos fitted well into this pattern. Unlike most other nations, however, Nigeria had not just one or two but several other cities of major size and importance, a number of which were larger than most other national capitals in Africa. In two areas, the Yoruba region in the southwest and the Hausa-Fulani and Kanuri areas of the north, there were numbers of cities with historical roots stretching back considerably before the advent of British colonizers, giving them distinctive physical and cultural identities. Moreover, in areas such as the Igbo region in the southeast, which had few urban centers before the colonial period and was not highly urbanized even at independence, there has been a massive growth of newer cities since the 1970s, so that these areas in 1990 were also highly urban. Cities are not only independent centers of concentrated human population and activity; they also exert a potent influence on the rural landscape. What is distinctive about the growth of cities in Nigeria is the length of its historical extension and the geographic pervasiveness of its coverage.

Antarctica and Tourism

Antarctica and Tourism Antarctica and Tourism. On a holiday, people expect to see beaches, enjoy the sun, searching for challenge, education and excitement, including relaxation. Antarctica being exactly the opposite of a fantasy holiday destination, has still managed to capture the attention of tourist. The world’s extreme conditions aren’t usually spots for tourist attraction. Antarctica, with extreme physical conditions is incredibly amazing tourist destination. The polar region being covered with snow, unique wildlife, huge mountains, valleys, ice bergs etc are the factors for the increase in the number of people visiting the Antarctica. The number of tourists to Antarctica has increased quite considerably, during the past decade, according to International Association of Antarctica tour operators (IAATO) in 2002/2003, 13571 tourists visited Antarctica compared to 6000, a decade ago. Antarctica is completely different to any other holiday destination in the world. With no malls, no shopping complexes, no restaur ants, no bar’s. All it has to offer is its amazing scenic beauty and its unique wildlife. The only activity that uses Antarctica commercially is Tourism, mainly concentrated to Antarctic Peninsula and to a lesser extent the Ross Sea. During the year 1950 tourists began entering Antarctica via means of air and ship; and helicopter trips, commercial flights started flying to Antarctica only in the year 1960. Between1977 to around about 1980, there were regular flights that flew to Antarctica, which carried about 11,000 tourists (Bauer, 2001). Flying over Antarctica atmosphere was a major concern, due to lack of radio signals, meteorological services and emergency services. On November 28th, 1979, 257 people were killed, when an Air Zealand flight struck Mt Erebus, due to poor visibility (Bauer, 2001). Which restricted flights to Antarctica for a few years, were people were skeptical of flying over to Antarctica, but in the year 1994 overflights were resumed, by an Australian airline company. The first expedition to Antarctica was an Argentinean vessel, the Les Ecaireurs that carried 100 passengers to the peninsula. In the year 1968, 24 people visited the Ross dependency. Since then on ships have become regular, originating mainly from Chile and Argentina, operating mainly around the Ross sea area, landings for these ships are made in small inflatable rubber boat known as zodiacs at several locations, for example Cape Adare, Scott Base, McMurdo Terra Nova Bay Stations and Possession Island, etc(Bauer, 2001). Helicopters are used to make trips to the Taylor valley in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Due to no land-based services for tourism, Most of tourism in and around Antarctica, takes place through ships. In 1993/94 the ship Marco Polo carrying four hundred tourists circumnavigated the continent in a record time of twenty-two days. the tour visited places like Cape Adare, Cape Evans and McMurdo Station, huts were spotted which showed evidence of huts left by the early explorer s. These tours offered instructive knowledge about the environment. As Hart states, this area is more for those who seek an informative vacation rather than relaxation and constant comfort Tourism has far less benefits compared to the risks it can cause the Antarctic environment. Tourist’s visiting Antarctica have some guidelines that need to be followed in order to preserve the environment and its fragility. The carbon released from the flights and wastes from the ship could, give rise to the green house effect, causing global impacts, for example due to the rise of carbon dioxide in the air lakes on the Signy island, in maritime Antarctica have increased their temperature by 0.9 degrees Celsius, which could contribute to the loss of ice on the continent, bringing about its decline, global impacts can also have direct impacts on the flora and fauna of Antarctica. But much more than the damage caused by these gases, is the damage caused by men on the land. Most of Antarctica’s terrestrial life is composed of low lying mosses, lichen etc. Mass tourists can exploit the region, the damage of a single footprint can destroy these species, which probably will n ever recover again (Hart, 1988). Until late 1960’s sealing and whaling had become a problem, where penguins, seals and whales, were killed for their oil, skin and blubber, this is now not much of a problem, since their has been a treaty of agreement against these actions. Most of the damage caused, is due to waste disposal caused mainly by the smaller tour ships, accidents have occurred where these small ships have been grounded on uncharted rocks, causing oil spills. Therefore increasing the number of tourists will increase the number of ships, thereby increasing oil spillage, oil doesn’t mix with water, causing a rise of two different fluids, this fluid mechanics is much more complex than just oil and water, causing great danger to the animal life of the continent. Disposal of organic matter by visiting tourists is another threat, for example a plastic bag, disposed, can take years to decay, and could entangle animals, resulting in their death. Tourism in Antarctica is guided and regulated by the International Association of Antarctic tour Operators (IAATO). They set strict guidelines to its members, for example limiting the size of ships that can actually sail Antarctica. Unlike other tourist attractions, Antarctica lacks local inhabitants, mainly people at the science stations that take the advantage and the benefits of tourism. Tourists are considered environmental hazards Antarctica is one of the world’s greatest natural assets, which has been a growing location for tourists. But some set guidelines need to be followed to preserve this continent from declining. Studies indicate that, tourists touring the continent could cause detrimental and physical damage to the continent. Research and studies have shown that Airborne and Seaborne tourists might have low levels of disturbance compared to those on the land. To save Antarctica from these tourism effects, an international convention relating only to tourism and its harmful effects, must be conducted. References: Hart P. D., 1988, The Growth of Antarctic Tourism, Oceanus, summer edition. Bauer, T.G. 2001. Tourism in the Antarctic: Opportunities, constraints and future prospects. The Haworth Press, New York, USA. Hall, C.M and Johnston, M.E. (eds). 1995. Polar Tourism: Tourism in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions.John Wiley Sons Ltd. West Sussex, England. International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators website, www.iaato.org Parker, B. C. (ed.), 1972, Conservation Problems in Antarctica. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia. Campbell, I. B. and Claridge, G. G. C., 1989, Antarctica: soils, weathering processes and environment. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 368 p

Things They Carried Essay: The Living Dead :: Things They Carried Essays

The Living Dead in The Things They Carried I have done things that I am not proud of and some things that will never be mentioned in public again. In everything that I did wrong I tried to justify or make it seem to be less of a negative act. Tim O'Brien does not do this in his short story named "The Man I Killed." O'Brien instead gives the young Vietnamese man a history, a present, and a whole life. He does this by creating an elaborate story of teenage love, family conflict, and personal pride. O'Brien was a solider in the Vietnam War, fighting against the communism. He has wrote the book The Things They Carried, about his personal experiences as a solider. The environment that he was in was one of constant death and unending turmoil. Most of the death he writes about was concerning his fellow comrades. After seeing all this and the needless deaths of Vietnam civilians it should harden the heart of a fighting man. O'Brien seems to be different he is still powerfully effected by the gunning down of this young man, who belonged to the communist group. The death of the Vietnamese solider lingers in O'Brien's mind for what seemed like an eternity to him. He vividly recalls the shape of his body noticing the most minuet details. The deceased boy was considered to be a dainty young man, clean fingernails, light freckles on his forehead and a frail and fragile figure. O'Brien uses great detail in describing the body after multiple bullet wounds. He explains how the left cheek is peeled back, that the spinal cord was open through his neck, and of all things a gold ring on his right hand the third finger down. The gold ring is the point which Tim forges a young lover for the young man. From the frail image of his body, O'Brien deems the departed as a scholar who was at school when he met his young love of seventeen years old. O'Brien considers her to have an admiration for the narrow waist and cowlick that rose on the back of his head. the young scholar was a mathematician and enjoyed school. This scholar was unable to defend himself and was constantly picked on by the school yard bullies. He would pray at night with his mother for an end of the war.

Robert Oppenheimer :: essays research papers

Robert Oppenheimer To build a bomb capable of destroying entire cities at once they needed a person with a smart, fast and creative brain. That person was Robert Oppenheimer. Robert Oppenheimer was the brilliant scientist behind the development of the atomic bomb. While atomic bombs kill lots of people, the atomic bomb won the war against the Japanese (World War 2). This helped because we would not have stood a chance attacking the main island on foot. While Robert’s name has become synonymous with the atomic bomb there is more to the story than that. J. Robert Oppenheimer was born in New York City on April 22, 1904. After graduating from Harvard and studying under Ernest Rutherford at Cambridge University, Oppenheimer received his Ph.D. in Germany in 1925. In 1929, he returned to the United States to teach at the University of California Berkeley and at Cal Tech. Upon hearing of discovery of fission in 1939, Oppenheimer immediately grasped the possibility of atomic bombs. In 1941, he was brought into the atomic bomb project and was asked to calculate the critical mass of uranium-235, the amount needed to sustain a chain reaction. The next year he assembled a group of some of the best theoretical physicists in the country to discuss the design of the actual bomb. General Wesley Groves, the army officer in charge of the Manhattan Project, named Oppenheimer the scientific director of the program, and together they decided on Los Alamos, New Mexico, as the site for the nuclear weapons laboratory. Groves Mackenzie2 said of Oppenheimer, "He's a genius. A real genius...Why, Oppenheimer knows about everything. He can talk to you about anything you bring up. Well not exactly. I guess there are a few things he doesn't know about. He doesn't know anything about sports† (necularpages). The staff grew from 30 scientists to 5,000, all trying to finish work on the bomb before the Germans did. On the day of the test, Oppenheimer fully realized the enormity of what he had just accomplished. As he stood watching the mushroom cloud, he recalled later, a phrase from the Baghavad Gita, the Hindu scripture, floated through his mind, "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." This responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders, and when he met with President Harry Truman in 1946, he exclaimed, "Mr. President, I have blood on my hands." (necularpages) He set up a research station for the Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Grow Little Cell Grow! Investigating Neurogenesis Essay -- Biology Ess

Grow Little Cell Grow! Investigating Neurogenesis Neurogenesis, the production of new nerve cells, has been a revolutionary finding as nerve formation has always been thought to end with adulthood. It has not been until recently that such dogma has been contradicted as research findings report that neurogenesis continues in the hippocampus throughout most of the adult life of mammals and primates (1). Recent correlations have been further made between neurogenesis and depression as the latter depletes neuron cells in the brain while antidepressive drugs have demonstrated to increase neuronal growth (2). Neurons are the building blocks of the nervous system as they are responsible for the input, processing and transmission of information. Neurons are derived from stem cells as the latter differentiate into specialized cells and make progenitor cells which are responsible for the formation of neuron and glial cells. Although the majority of neurons are formed during the pre-natal and perinatal stage of development, neuron formation continues in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (2). The hippocampus, which lies beneath the cortex is a major factor of learning and memory formation and can indirectly influence emotion. Progenitor cells which are present in the sub ventricular zone of the hippocampus are responsible for such growth as they produce daughter neuron cells through division (2). In the 1960s, Joseph Altman from MIT reported that new neurons were being produced in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus of adult rat brains. Although such findings were groundbreaking, they failed to create the stir that Elizabeth Gould's 1998 study caused . The Princeton University neurobiologist demonstrated that the marmoset b... ...is is a complex issue with an array of possibilities for the future. Further investigations will have to answer some of the questions and issued raised. Sources (1)The Scientist Magazine , Human neurogenesis. Group demonstrates that adult human brains grow new cells after all. http://www.the-scientist.com/ (2)American Scientist Magazine, Depression and the Birth and Death of Brain Cells. http://www.sigmaxi.org/amsci/articles/00articles/Jacobs.html (3)National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association, Antidepressants and Brain Cell Growth. http://ndma.com/web05/web9152.htm (4) Neuroscience for Kids, New Neurons in Neocortex? New Study Says NO! http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/newneu.html (5)National Institute of Mental Health, Learning From Songbirds About Adult Brain Generation. (6) The Scientist Magazine. http://www.the-scientist.com/

Analysis of Ann Patchett’s “Bel Canto

In Ann Patchett’s novel, â€Å"Bel Canto,† various themes that are dramatic or psychological in content are explored. However, arguably the most notable among them is the strange nature and irony of fate, which also encompasses several sub-themes such as the abundance of passion and love in the face of death. These themes are highlighted mostly by the relationships between the characters and the development of their personalities. In general, the strange twist of fate is best depicted by the unusual relationships formed between the characters in the novel.These ties and bonds built can arguably be described unusual due to the backdrop of the story. Basically, the entire plot revolves around a terrorist group taking hostage various celebrities, politicians, and other prominent personalities for a several months while at the same time forming unique relationships with their victims in the process at the house of the vice-president of a Latin American country. Moreover, as the novel concludes, the so-called heroes or good guys aren’t exactly the ideal benevolent people one would expect and the villains or bad guys (Gioia n.p. ). Towards the end, the lines between the terrorists and the hostages are blurred as both groups become less hostile and friendlier to each other, which further added to the strange change in fate of the characters in the story. Ironically, it was as if all the hostages and the terrorists wanted to remain inside the home of the country’s vice president where they have been holed up since the crisis began. Moreover, as mentioned above, multiple unique relationships are formed between the characters of the book.The first notable one is between Roxanne Coss, the American Soprano singer, and her fellow captive, Katsumi Hosokawa, who is also one of her big fans. Although their romance is evident in the novel, it is somehow ironic because they could not understand each other due to a language barrier. In other words, alt hough Roxanne and Katsumi were not able to communicate verbally, they shared a passion for each other which aroused in the face of death—one of the sub-themes explored in the novel.However, like all the other hostages, Roxanne and Katsumi knew the painful reality that awaits them should there captivity ends. In chapter 10 of the novel, Kastumi reflected on the possible scenarios if they are released from their captors. â€Å"He understood that these were extraordinary times, and if their old life was ever restored to them, nothing would be the same† (Patchett 298). Meaning to say, Kastumi knew that he loved Roxanne and how full his life has become but also realized that their relationship could never exist in the world outside their captivity.This is highly ironic because like the rest of the hostages, initially, the only thing that Katsumi and Roxanne wanted was to escape from their terrorist captors and get their normal lives back. But due to the deep involvement of the two with each other and due to the romantic relationship they have formed, they no longed wanted to escape but instead remain in captivity, which is one of the best examples of the strange nature of fate explored in the novel.The same applies to the relationship between Gen Watanabe, Katsumi’s translator, and Carmen, one of the young female terrorists. The two became romantically involved with each other when Gen taught Carmen how to read. They would meet inside a closet every night for Carmen’s reading lessons and where they would also make love. In other words, like Katsumi and Roxanne, the two have also accepted the fact that their hostage-terrorist relationship cannot be revealed to anyone nor could it exist in the world outside.In the tenth chapter of the novel, after learning that the government forces would soon attack and release all hostages, the author described the reaction of the two: â€Å"So Gen should have said something more, and Carmen should have listened more, but instead she kissed him, because the important thing was to forget. That kiss was like a lake, deep and clear, and they swam into it forgetting† (Patchett 302). Meaning to say, the two have accepted their fate and the fact that their relationship would be short-lived. Instead of pondering on the upcoming reality, they chose to make the most their present situation by hugging and kissing.In short, the novel vividly illustrates the strange twist of fate between among the characters in the novel. In early chapters, the characters can be divided into two groups: the hostages and the terrorists. However, as the story progresses, in a strange twist of fate, those lines that divide the two groups become blurred as the captives and the captors began enjoying each other’s company. This is exemplified not only by the relationships formed between Katsumi and Roxanne and Gen and Carmen but in other characters as well.In one scene, Ruben Iglesias, the vice preside nt of the Latin American Country and owner of the house where the hostages were held in the novel, was shown playing chess with the leader of the terrorists, General Benjamin. The vice president also implied that he was considering adopting one of the young members of the terrorists, Ishmael. Therefore, it can be surmised that hostage crisis transformed nearly all of the characters in the novel to the point where they wanted to remain holed up in the vice-president’s house forever, which is exactly the opposite of what hostages usually feel when they are held captive.Over-all, the novel greatly explored a theme in which the fate of its characters took an ironic twist that added depth and color to the over-all plot. The strange yet unique relationships formed are the best examples of the theme in which the true identities of the characters were also revealed. Works Cited Goia, Ted. â€Å"Bel Canto†. 2008. The New Canon. com 11 May 2009 < http://www. thenewcanon. com/bel _canto. html>. Patchett, Ann. Bel Canto. New York: Harper Perennial, 2002.

Economic Basis of African Slavery in the United States

Economic Basis of African Slavery in the United States In early American history slave owners were mainly of the Christian faith and believed in the literal truth of the Bible. They felt that many quotes in the bible gave them a â€Å"right† to use slaves for prophet. One such quote comes from Colossians 3:22 â€Å"Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. † There are several economic factors contributing to African slavery in the United States, three of which will be discussed. Tariffs are one major economic factor that contributed to slavery in the US. The United States federal government taxed imports at rates from 5 to 15 percent, the taxes were primarily designed to create revenue to pay expenses and part of the national debt that the federal government had. These tariffs increase the price of items brought into the US from overseas. As the shipping costs rose and the taxes increased as well as the need for the importers to make a profit as well, the costs of these imported goods became too high and the demand for US products grew. Such products as Cotton and Tobacco could be grown and harvested in the US and sold at a far lower price, and slaves were used to harvest these products and avoid the tariffs. Avoiding many of the costs of importing these types of products and using slaves to harvest them allowed the owners of the slaves to make the money they needed to survive and become wealthy. Another major economic factor contributing to the growth of slavery in the US was the high demand of cotton. In 1793 the invention of the cotton gin, which separated the cotton seeds from the fiber, made it possible for plantation owners to produce more cotton products faster but the harvesting of the cotton could not keep up, more and more slaves were used to harvest the cotton just to keep up with the gin capacity. Once again not having to pay the slaves allowed the plantation owners to become wealthier and maintain a lifestyle they have become accustom to. As time continued, the southern economy became reliant on an Agricultural economy and the growth of agriculture is another economic factor in contributing to slavery in the US. Southern Plantation owners not only were heavy in cotton and tobacco but also started growing rice, corn, wheat, hemp and sugar. In order for the economy to grow the plantations needed to grow, and as the plantations grow so did the number of slaves. Slavery grew to maintain an economy based on agriculture, once again using unpaid slaves allowed owners to continue to get wealthy and maintain there lifestyle. As the slave trade grew so did the relationship between the Plantation owners and the slave traders so much so that exporting became a factor in the economy of slavery in the US. With the so called free labor that slaves brought to the plantations, the owners were able to produce items at such a cheap rate they could sell them as exports to other countries and make money. The cost of these goods in other countries were more expensive to produce mainly because of the cost of labor, where in the south labor was done by slaves. The plantation owners and the slave traders were able to come to agreements allowing both parties the ability to make money, Plantation owners sold goods to other countries and Traders hauled the product back and forth overseas for a profit. Tariffs, cotton, tobacco and an economy based on agriculture, as well as additional income due to exports are a few major factors that contributed to slavery in the United States. The issue of slavery divided the Southern part of the states from the Northern. The North separated themselves as an economy based on industry instead of Agriculture. As Abraham Lincoln campaigned against the expansion of slavery beyond the states in which it already existed it made the northern states conclude that slavery was morally wrong and should come to an end. The southern states wondered how an economy could survive without slaves, not enough money to pay workers to harvest the product and maintain there lifestyle. Slavery was one of many reasons for the Civil War, which had a lasting effect on early America. While it is unfair to say slavery was the only cause of the civil war I believe that many of the causes can be attributed to slavery. I will list three causes to the civil war which barely touches the surface of what I think is one of the most misunderstood wars. The causes I chose are ones that involve slavery in one way or another. First the Dred Scott decision, Dred Scott v. Sandford,(1857), was a decision by the United States Supreme Court that ruled that people of African descent imported into the United States and held as slaves, or their descendants whether or not they were slaves were not protected by the Constitution and could never be citizens of the United States. It also held that the United States Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories. The Court also ruled that because slaves were not citizens, they could not sue in court. Lastly, the Court ruled that slaves as chattel or private property could not be taken away from their owners without due process. The Supreme Court's decision was written by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney. Opponents of slavery attacked the Dred Scott decision. In the Albany, New York, Evening Journal they combined two themes and â€Å"denounced the decision as both an offense to the principles of liberty on which the nation was founded, and a victory for slave states over the free states†. This decision divided the north and the south even more deeply the south was clearly a winner in this decision as it help maintain the need for slavery, while the north became even more angered with the south. Second, John Brown’s raid was an attempt by white abolitionist John Brown to start an armed slave revolt by seizing a United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry in Virginia in 1859. Brown's raid was defeated by a detachment of U. S. Marines led by Col. Robert E. Lee. The intent of the raid was to arm rebellious slaves and allowing them to strike fear into the slaveholders of Virginia. Brown and others were charged with treason and hung in Virginia once again angering politicians in the north. Third the election of Abraham Lincoln, while it is well known that Lincoln was opposed to slavery and the slave trade, he did say that a war would not be waged to abolish slavery but as a way to strengthen the Union. The South did not believe him and felt he was only interested in what was best for the north and thus proceeded to succeed from the union, while South Carolina was the first many others followed, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. This â€Å"declaration of Secession. † Made it clear that he north and south had divided and the only way to become one was to go to war. Citations Peter Kolchin, B. A. , Ph. D 2009 retrieved August 9, 2009, from http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761580652_3/Slavery_in_the_United_States. html Martin Kelly 2009 retrieved August 12, 2009 from http://americanhistory. about. com/od/civilwarmenu/a/cause_ civil_war. htm Swain, Gwenyth, 2004, Dred and Harriet Scott: A Family's Struggle for Freedom. Saint Paul, MN: Borealis Books. Robert William Fogel and Stanley L. Engerman, 1974, Time on the Cross: The Economics of American Negro Slavery. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.

Wedding Day

Wedding Day Every little girl dreams about her wedding day. I was no different. An Indian marriage is performed with great funfair. All people whether rich or poor want it to be a memorable occasion. My wedding day was the most joyous day of my life. Since then, I have learned that such moments do not happen all the time. It is important to enjoy them. My wedding day was fulfilled with many emotional including happiness, sadness, fear, and excitement. My wedding has been the most blissful time of my life. However, it seemed to be a complete blur.It all happened very quickly from the moment I was engaged to the moment we walked around the sacred circle on my wedding day. The wedding was put together in only ten days. I spent those ten days with my fiance and my future in-laws getting to know each other. We spent time visiting temples and shopping in preparation for the wedding. We shopped matching wedding dress. Our wedding dress was red and white color. I also spent much of that time with my family and many relatives from out of the town. I met so many people.There were over 2000 people that attend our two day wedding ceremonies. Almost everyone from our families to our friends helped celebrate. On that day I was very nervous to go front of my fiance but inside of my heart, I was very happy. I was going to start my new life. Not only were many of dreams coming true, but also I was fulfilling my father’s hopes. He also wished that I settle in the United States for a better life. I will always remember the joy in my father’s eyes that day. While I was having the time of my life, a part of me was both sad and fearful.I was disappointed my older brother was unable to attend the biggest day of my life. He was living abroad and could not make the trip back because of immigration issues. I was also sad because I realized that I would need to leave for the US. I had always lived in our small village for my entire life. It meant that I was leaving my life behind. I had to leave my family, friends, and relatives. It was very difficult for me to pack up my life into two suitcases. I didn’t even know when I will come and see my family and friends again.I was also a bit scared to start my new life with my husband. I had only known him for a short time and his family members. With anything new, there is always fear of the unknown. Everything I knew was about to change. For example, new family members, new roles as wife, language, life-style and also new country. I even had to learn about the new culture. I didn’t cried much when I was leaving my family and friends on my wedding night than I cried when the final day came to going the airport and coming in the United States. I had cried a bunch when I left my country.On the other side, I was very excited about coming to the United States. It would be a beginning of new chapter of my life. Before coming into the United States, I had only seen how life would be on TV. I am very thankful to my parent. They are the one who think about my better future in the United States. I couldn’t wait to see all the amazing things United States is famous for like the statue of liberty, space center, and Disney world. I was very thrilled about meeting new people, making new friends, and trying new food. I was also anxious to start my married life. I wanted to be a perfect wife.I look forward to taking care of my husband and his family such as cooking, cleaning, and also help with some other works. I was very excited to meet his all friends and family friends. My wedding day was everything that had dreamed up. I went through many emotions such as happiness, sadness, and excitement. I have learned not to fear the unknown. Instead, I should embrace new opportunities. I continue to believe that things always come out for the best. I feel very bless for life. For my better life, I am thankful to my parent. In the end, it has been a most memorable and life changing event of my life.

Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan Pipeline and the Kurdish Issue

Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan Pipeline and the Kurdish Issue The Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline links the Caspian sea to the Eastern Mediterranean, it runs 1, 768 km long and is the second longest oil pipeline in the former Soviet Union, extending through the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as Turkey. At its capacity it can pump up to 1 million barrels (160,00 m3) of oil per day. The construction of the pipeline was a massive undertaking costing upwards of US$3. 9 billion.This considered the pipeline was funded 70% by third parties (dominated by British Petroleum). Even well before it’s completion the BTC pipeline has had a remarkable effect on the world’s oil politics; some critics have gone as far to argue that it has directly affected the geopolitics of the Palestinian conflict. One can clearly see the important monetary reasons to this pipeline, however what will be dealt with more in this essay will be it’s contributions to world polit ics and the controversies that surround it.The BTC pipeline is nothing short of an engineering feat, extending almost exactly 1, 768 km across extremely difficult terrain and diverse climatic and geological zones; techniques and chemical coatings which may have worked perfect for one region had to be changed for others. What sets the BTC pipeline apart though is how this ambitious undertaking affects the myriad communities and millions of citizens, making the pipeline not only an economic undertaking but also a socio-political issue.The South Caucasus, formerly an underappreciated region of Russia, is now of extreme strategic significance; the US along with many other Western powers have vested interests in the affairs of these three nations through which the pipeline runs. The BTC pipeline bypasses the territory of the Russian Federation. It transits through the former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Georgia, both of which have become US â€Å"protectorates†, firmly integ rated into a military alliance with the US and NATO. It goes without saying that the pipeline is all about the oil, but it is equally about the social and civic development of the participating countries.In order to properly discuss the social and environmental issues of the BTC project, one must first have an adequate frame of reference from which the project can be judged. There are many principles which one can use including those outlined by the World Bank. However for the purposes of this paper, the Equator Principles will be used. The EPs are a set of principles – outlined by Citigroup, ABN AMRO, Barclays and WestLB – are a voluntary set of principles for determining social and environmental risk in project financing.The Principles, adopted by seventeen leading private banks, specify that said Banks would only provide loans to projects, which meet a number of conditions. These conditions include that projects comply with the International Finance Corporation (IFC ) policies, that they follow the host country laws, among other specific requirements. A review in 2003 examined the BTC pipeline; this paper will examine the Turkish section of this review (while many of the same systemic failures were found just as well in Azerbaijan and Georgia).Based on a rigorous study of the BTC project documents, and also on two international FACT finding Missions to the pipeline route, this review found that BTC project is in breach of five EP-referenced IFC standards on 127 accounts. These sections include: 53 counts in Environmental Assessment; 7 counts in Natural Habitats; 30 counts in Indigenous Peoples; 28 counts in Involuntary Resettlement; 9 counts in Cultural Property The study also found that the project was in breach of international standards such as World Bank standards, European Union Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment, European Bank of Reconstruction & Development.This would be a massive undertaking to properly examine all of the claims made against the BTC project, so focus will instead be put in three areas: Natural Habitats, Indigenous Peoples, and Involuntary resettlement. In doing so this paper will examine the example given by the Kurdish community of Turkey. The Kurds are an example of a nation without a state; they are an ethno-linguistic group without any central state. They comprise 18% of the Turkish population (an estimated 14 million).When establishing the pipeline, Turkey strategically rerouted the pipeline away from the heavily Kurdish areas and the South-East; that being said much of the pipeline still runs through areas that require heavily armed guarding. When looking at the EP section Impacts and indigenous peoples and communities (chapter 8), the project scored a non-compliance stating that â€Å"the impacts on indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities not considered at all (notably the Kurds)†. The Kurds, an ethnic minority of the region, can apply for OD 4. 0 (Indigenous Peoples r ights, section 8. 3), however when BTC co. overlooked this to speed the construction process along they broke not only the Equator principles but also the World Bank principles. Specifically the BTC project has failed to ensure that the Kurds benefited from this project, and failed to ensure that the Kurds were adequately informed about the project prior to it’s completion. Also the project did not even attempt to draw up an ethnic minorities’ development plan (which would include schooling funding among other social programs).Operational Directive 4. 30, Involuntary Resettlement, sets out the requirements for resettlement and adequate compensation for land acquisition. Fact-finding missions outlined in the EP document emergency powers had been used to override OD 4. 30. In many cases displacement occurred before compensation was complete, and when compensation was given the rates were too low. None of the communities were informed of their rights in regards to the lan d expropriation. Much of the criticism coming from the consultation process of the BTC co. s interesting however, because the project did put in place comprehensive public consultation and disclosure processes commencing in mid-2001 with a process of stakeholder identification and preliminary consultation during project scoping; information briefs and consultations with local authorities and local NGOs followed very shortly after this. On the IFC website, the claim is made that they were informed that the members of the Kurdish communities all were fluent in Turkish. As a result of this mistreatment of the Kurdish communities, which the pipeline passes through, many Kurdish militant groups have taken to sabotaging the pipeline.The Kurdish workers party (PKK) has publicly taken credit for much of this sabotage. However there was no mention of whether they adequately explain (in Turkish of Kurdish) their rights with regards to land expropriation. As a result one can see that BTC is ma king the bare minimum of effort required to the Kurdish communities; they claim that they are meeting with the members of the community and yet there still seems to be opposition with pipeline sabotage. Some have argued that this is just an attempt to discredit the Turkish state and bring attention to their nationalist causes in regards to Kurdistan. Regardless of hich, the BTC project has not adequately equipped these communities with the means to consult with these large firms. Much of the political tension arising from the pipeline is a direct result of the lack of environmental accountability. At 1 million barrels a day, the amount of CO2 produced in a year is equal to an entire power industry in the UK. The region of Turkey that the pipeline runs through historically is prone to major earthquakes, and there has not been adequate preparation for this. The BTC project is suffering these problems because of a complete disregard to these standards, but rather seemingly because of a rushed approach.Couple the Kurdish issue with the evident disregard for any form of environmental accountability along with many other problems found in the two ex-soviet countries not mentioned in this paper and the project is simply not sustainable. If adequate structures are not put in place to allow for public dissent, the BTC is doomed to continually suffer sabotage to their pipelines. This is perhaps not such a problem from the perspective of BP, who clearly can afford this expense; it is however an embarrassing light to be shone on Turkey. If for no other reason, Turkey should be pressing for changes in the BTC structure.

Nature and Main Areas of Financial Management Essay

Introduction: Financial management is basically makes plans, organize, direct and control the financial activities in an organization. Applying general management principle to financial resources of the organization is part of financial management activity. Financial management is concern with the efficient and effective management of the financial resources of the organization. Nature and Main areas of financial management: Financial management is broadly concerned with the mobilization and development of funds by a business organization. To run the operations of company efficiently, it is important to raise and handle the funds effectively. Financial management performs this job. Financial management works on the following areas: 1.Finding financial necessities: – A financial manager must know financial necessities of the company. He should find out financial needs of the company. Financial manager must focus on available funds which are needed to meet promotional expenses, fixed and working capital needs. The necessity of non-current assets is related to types of company. Working capital needs mainly depends on the range of business operation. If the range or scale of business operation is large then the requirement of working capital will be high. If the financial manager makes wrong assessment about financial necessities, it may cause huge damage to the company. 2.Selecting the sources of funds:- Financial management works on how to raise funds from various sources for the company. Various sources may be available for raising funds. To issue of share capital and debentures proper steps should be taken. Financial management should ask various financial institutions to provide long-term funds. Equity capital necessities may be met by getting cash credit or overdraft facilities from commercial banks. A financial manager should be very cautious in approaching different sources to raise funds. Financial management should analyze the sources before raising funds. 3.Managing working capital:- Working capital indicates to that part of company’s capital which is needed for financing short-term or current assets such as cash, receivables and inventories. Maintaining these assets to a proper level is very essential for the organization. Finance manager is required to determine the amount of such assets. 4.Financial analysis and interpretation:- One of the most important tasks of financial management is analyzing & interpretation of financial statements. Financial management expected to focus on the short term and long-term financial position of the company. Profitability, liquidity position of the company should also be monitored by financial management. Financial manager can do this by calculating a number of ratios. Making interpretation of various ratios is also essential to draw certain outcome. Financial analysis and interpretation has become an important area of financial management in modern days. 5.Cost-volume profit analysis:- Cost volume profit is also popularly known as CVP relationship. Cost volume profit analysis is a very important area of financial management. Fixed costs, variable and semi variable cost analysis is crucial for CVP or Cost-volume profit calculation. Fixed costs are more or less constant for varying sales volumes. Variable costs depend on the sales volume. Semi-variable costs can be fixed or variable in the short-term. The financial manager has to make sure that the income of the firm will cover its variable costs, for there is no meaning in being in business, if the expected amount of income is not accomplished. A company must have to earn a sufficient income to cover its fixed costs as well. Finding the break-even point is one of the major responsibilities of financial management. 6.Dividend policy:- Dividend is provided by company to the shareholders for making investment in the shares of the company. The investors mainly interested in earning the maximum return on their investments. On the other hand management wants to retain the profits for making reinvestment in future projects and opportunities. These contradictory purposes will have to be adjusted in the interests of investors and the company. The interest of shareholders and the necessities of the company are related with the dividend policy, so that’s why dividend policy is an important area of financial management. 7.Capital budgeting:- To make investment decision in capital expenditure the concept of Capital budgeting is essential. Capital expenditure is an expense the benefits of which are expected to be achieved over a period of time exceeding one year. Capital expenditure is for acquiring or improving the fixed assets. The benefits from capital expenditure are expected to be received over a number of years in future. Capital budgeting decisions are very important for any organization. Any bad or unplanned investment decision may become harmful for the company. Capital budgeting is a very important area of financial management.