Wednesday, October 30, 2019

EU law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

EU law - Essay Example This brief analysis will work to give counsel to the two women, Ame and Bridget, which are presented in the given case assignment as well as provide them with the legal knowledge and constraints that pertain to their individual cases under domestic and European Commission jurisdictions. Likewise, the analysis will attempt to call out specific portions of the European Commission Directive that aptly apply to their given discrimination complaints. Far from being equal, both cases present us with unique constraints and drawbacks which will be elaborated upon and inference/parallels will be drawn to similar cases that have proceeded these and defined a type of precedent for such actions in the not so distant past. Case 1: Ame’s Claim of Age-Discrimination at the State Health Service of Waltaria With respect to discrimination based upon age, 2000/78/EC article 11 is very specific: â€Å"Discrimination based on religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation may undermine the achievement of the objectives of the EC Treaty, in particular the attainment of a high level of employment and social protection, raising the standard of living and the quality of life, economic and social cohesion and solidarity, and the free movement of persons† (emphasis provided) (EC 2000/78). As such, the law specifically speaks to the fact that Ame could not justifiably or legally been terminated based upon her age alone. However, there are two complicating factors to this interpretation which will be discussed at greater length; however, it is worth repeating that based upon the information Ame has provided , there is grounds for a court case with respect to this particular termination. Firstly, one must be aware of what lengths the defendant will be likely to go to in order to defend the legality and rightfulness of their action. This is not to discourage Ame from seeking legal action on this matter; instead, it is to make her aware that the defendant will likely attempt to invoke article 25 of 2000/78/EC which states: â€Å"The prohibition of age discrimination is an essential part of meeting the aims set out in the Employment Guidelines and encouraging diversity in the workforce. However, differences in treatment in connection with age may be justified under certain circumstances and therefore require specific provisions which may vary in accordance with the situation in Member States. It is therefore essential to distinguish between differences in treatment which are justified, in particular by legitimate employment policy, labour market and vocational training objectives, and discrimination which must be prohibited† (EC 2000/78). To what degree the defense will attempt to invoke this and to what level they have supporting documentation that shows this was their actual goal is of course unknown; however, Ame should be aware that this is a likely tactic. Secondly, due to the lack of material evidence (Ame only has overheard a discus sion by certain elements in management. Her particular case is without strong and relevant proof (i.e. a number of other employees terminated at the same time and of the same demographic group) she will have difficulty providing a solid case within the court system. Although it is clear from her letter that

Monday, October 28, 2019

History of Sport Essay Example for Free

History of Sport Essay In my paper I will be discussing the early form of calisthenics and how the men and women who implemented exercise and fitness into our everyday life. Although there were many disagreements among the early supporters the first sightings of controlled calisthenics are from physical education classes and in schools. Many fought over what was beneficial for a human being and what was considered a waste of time. Many early idealists agreed appaun the body and mind are connected meaning a healthy mind was impossible without an equally healthy body. Eventually as you get closer to the 1900’s all educators for men at least developed the thinking that physical education particularly calisthenics was a prerequisite for child development. Meaning it was crucial, important almost vital to becoming the most all around successful human able to achieve nothing short of greatness. The belief that by strengthening mans body a man could strengthen his ‘will’. These were thoughts brought up long before the 19th century. Many men who believed in the connection between mind and body thought this was an individual responsibility calisthenics just provided the means. It gave everyone an outlook on the idea of what could come down the road for men who exercised and trained what new levels of success could bring to a mans future just by adding another form of practice into your everyday schedule. In the 1820s American educators began to advocate physical education as well as organize some type of instruction. Many men and educators as time increased and popularity grew for health believed the athlete was the new hero and the new â€Å"human form divine† from all three articles the new idea of man became to be the â€Å"aristocrat of character† not an aristocrat at birth. They were trying to say just because you were born into money or born into wealth doesn’t mean you were going to grow up to be the ideal king everyone expected you to be. You need to be taught, develop character, strength and the will to become the best. Corrupting the mind to control your destiny will lead to the control of your body to un seen lengths of being immortal or superior. Many Americans in the early form of calisthenics became obsessed with health. Tons of men thought the key was strict dieting though the develop of strength training began to take control. As we get closer to the 19th century Americans are troubled with many un explained illness’s and disease. Many ‘irregular’ doctors at the time emphasized exercise and hygiene rather then the radical remedies people performed on one another for cure by the ‘regular’ physicians of the era. During the early part of the civil war for Americans 1861-65 made exercise and physical education a major component in their programmes. Due to the long war some men were forced to deal with anxieties that brought down much of the interest in health and exercise. To balance out the progress already made before the war bringing men together from different sections of the country fighting together as one helped create and spark the interest of sport.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Cookies & Privacy :: essays research papers fc

Data Communications â€Å"Cookies and their Impact on Privacy†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In today’s fast paced world of internet commerce it would be hard to accomplish many of the tasks without the creation of â€Å"cookies.† Since their advent, cookies have been given a bad name and associated immediately with a loss of privacy. In April of 2001 a newspaper article defined cookies as, â€Å"†¦programs that Web sites put on your hard disk. They sit on your computer gathering information about you and everything you do on the Internet, and whenever the Web site wants to it can download all of the information the cookie has collected.† (www.howstuffworks.com) This article could not be any farther from the truth. Cookies are not programs and do not perform any actions as they sit on your hard drive. According to Netscape, â€Å"Cookies are a general mechanism which server side connections (such as CGI scripts) can use to both store and retrieve information on the client side of the connection. The addition of a simple, persist ent, client-side state significantly extends the capabilities of Web-based client/server applications.† As cookies have emerged to the forefront their association with their user’s privacy has become more of an issue as time progresses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though cookies serve an important role in today’s e-commerce and advertising industries, it is impossible not to think of them as a breach in user security. There is something about a seemingly forced piece of information being saved on your computer for the use of a computer hundreds or even thousands of miles away. One can only think of one word. Privacy. Who’s to say that company’s are using the information gathered by these cookies and using them for good. How do I know that you are collecting cookies for your own advertising or e-commercial purposes rather than probing me as a candidate for the ever-present adware? Do I want vendors to know exactly what it is I usually shop for when I get online? Do I really need to save my shopping time by one or two clicks with the sacrifice of decreased privacy? These are questions that each user asks themselves when we look at our internet security settings or when we are denied access to a site based on our cookie settings. Many companies have been labeled with improper actions concerning cookies. A company named DoubleClick was forced to reach a settlement in 2002 for improper conduct concerning cookies.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Pornography Addiction Essay

When most people admit that they are addicted to pornography, it would most probably be internet pornography, although all other types of pornography may be valid too. The progress of pornography addiction is extremely high with access to Internet. This is because Internet provides a huge amount of unlimited pornography, with varying levels of graphic content. Internet porn addiction reaches newer levels for an individual in a quick time. Before the individual could realize the changes on himself, he would be browsing at things he would have never expected. Porn in every forms like movies, magazines and billboards produce negative effects on an individual. A sense of shock, shame and hopelessness develop within an individual which may require treatment or rehabilitation. The level of porn sought by an individual is always sequentially increased. As the addiction to porn is increased, higher level and more explicit levels of content are sought. As an individual views the porn content at a particular level for a certain amount of time, his body would gradually seek a higher and more extreme content. The body wouldn’t be satisfied with the currently viewed content and demands more (NLH, 2007). Pornography viewing would always lead to sexually gratification acts like masturbation. Masturbation is only the start of self satisfaction, as a result of pornography viewing, from where it can get worse. Pornography is an addiction like drugs, however de-addiction from pornography is considered more difficult compared to drugs. Pornography addiction is closely associated with masturbation, which has its own physical and mental health effects. The sexual organs are intended to bring pleasure when partners engage in acts of love making. However, when one is addicted to masturbation, there isn’t a bond of love with the partner, but only a bonding with ones own fantasies. Addiction to masturbation too generates sense of guilt and shame apart from making one feel unconfident in the presence of other people. Pornography and masturbation addictions only enhance and facilitate each other, and none can be stopped when the other is going steady. Even when porn is not viewed, masturbation would continue, by recollecting images stored in the head. Even after a considerable amount time is spent without pornography, and with continued masturbation, one would feel a sense of reduced arousal. The individual then starts to seek porn again. The progressive nature of pornography was identified about 25 years back by Dr. Victor Cline who maintained that an addicted person’s needs are increased both in terms of frequency and in deviancy. It is estimated that about 3 to 6% of Americans are addicted to porn. Online pornography is a major cause of divorce, which was not associated with divorce until about seven to eight years back. The justice department estimates that about 9 out of 10 children belonging to the age group of 8 to 16 have seen online pornography. Symantec, the software company has observed that about 47% of school children are recipients of daily pornographic spam (Weiss, 2005). The effects of pornography on children are evident from behavior scientist Ralph DiClemente’s observations that pornography develops to be a building block to a child’s emotional and mental development. The increasing influence of pornography on an individual is evident when an individual spends increasing amounts of time on porn content or seeks more extreme content material. Such people would require associating pornography with their real sex life. They require pornography for stimulation when engaging in sexual acts. There are several signs associated with pornography addiction which indicate development of negative and problematic effects. Worrying that others would find out your pornographic interests, feeling a sense of guilt and shame after using pornography, thinking of pornography even when not using it, are among the negative effects of pornography. With time, the use of pornography slips out of control and efforts to quit or limit pornography use would be unsuccessful (UTD, 2008). Addiction to pornography can result in neglect of responsibility or become less focused on your work or studies. Extreme use of pornography can also lead to emotional barriers with people you love and can also lead to loss of relationships. However, specialists involved in rehabilitation recommend changing routines and environments associated with pornography use and identifying the positive and negative consequences of using and avoiding pornography. Successful rehabilitation also require spending lesser time being alone; and looking for newer ways of confronting feelings like anxiety, loneliness, anger, depression and boredom. Activities that facilitate relaxation, enjoyment and refreshment should be encouraged. Mary Anne Layden, the co-director of the Sexual Trauma and psychopathology program at the Cognitive Therapy Center of University of Pennsylvania says, â€Å"Porn is the most concerning thing to psychological health that I know of existing today. The internet is a perfect drug delivery system because you are anonymous, aroused and have role models for these behaviors. To have drug pumped into your house 24/7, free, and children know how to use it better than grown-ups know how to use it — it’s a perfect delivery system if we want to have a whole generation of young addicts who will never have the drug out of their mind. † (Singel, 2004). Layden too feels that pornography addicts have a tougher time recovering from their addiction than cocaine addicts, as it is possible to get the drug out of the system for cocaine users, but it is impossible to remove pornographic images from the brain, where it would be embedded forever. To highlight the dangers of porn addiction, researchers are asking the Congress to undertake studies on porn addiction and also initiate a public campaign on the issue. At a hearing organized by the Senator Sam Brownback, anti-porn activists emphasized that Internet pornography is enticing children and hooking adults, thereby ruining families and jobs (AP, 2004). A psychologist even claimed that continued and free acccess to pronography would induce an afinity for deviated acts like group sex, sadomasochistic practices and even beastality. According to Virginia Tech professor, James Weaver, who is involved in studies on pornography impact, â€Å"We’re so afraid to talk about sex in our society that we really give carte blanche to the people who are producing this kind of material†. Weaver also pointed out that research on the impact of pornography on family and community life, is very limited. However, studies have shown that pornography addiction can lead to lowering of sexual satisfaction and loss of family values. Lost jobs, failed marriages and broken families are some of the effects attributed to Internet pornography. Internet pornography is spreading at rapid pace and all are vulnerable to this addiction. People take to pornography for several reasons including an attempt to escape the realities of life by self medication or sexual appetite. By taking to such addictions, a sense of satisfaction is obtained through the production and release of chemical substances by the brain and the body. The chemicals released by the brain and body include epinephrine, adrenaline, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), noradrenaline, norepinephrine and testosterone. Accessing pornography consistently would provide sexual arousal to the addict, such that when they are away from accessing porn for a considerable time, they suffer withdrawal symptoms (Tayder, 2006). These symptoms drive an addict desperately to seek porn, and the addict acts inappropriately to satisfy his needs. Sexual addiction or porn addiction may be defined as a condition in which any sexual behavior is associated with a recurring failure to control that behavior and its continued practice despite significant negative consequences (Goodman, 1998). The hypersexual behaviors associated with porn addiction can occur due to organic pathology. With an estimated 420 million adult content adult web pages, gone are the days when store open hours and secure hiding spaces had limited an individual’s porn activity. People who like to be always hooked up, have more at the click of their mouse. However, some specialists do not agree with the use of the word ‘addiction’ with regard to porn, preferring to use the word ‘compulsion’ instead. Although people would label themselves as porn addicts, based on outside inputs, the mental health professionals have no established standards to diagnose and calibrate porn addiction. Eric Janssen of the Kinsey Institute disapproves using the term ‘addiction’ for porn (Downs, 2005). He feels that treating them as addicts would not help them, in anyway. In this regard, Layden emphasizes that diagnosing problems like chronic gambling and substance abuse are similar to diagnoses of problematic porn use. Sex therapist Lounne Cole Weston attributes three main reasons as to why people take to pornography. They would like to act on their fantasies, avoid intimacy or just to facilitate masturbation. Sometimes people take to porn to fill up the gaps in their own sex life. For instance a person who loves oral sex and has a partner who hates it, would like to look at pictures of oral sex. Weston adds, â€Å"Then there are the people who are too embarrassed to explain what it is that they really would like to participate in, so they go there secretively, never having revealed to their mate what they would like to try†. The probability of an individual getting hooked to pornography today is much more than at any point of time, earlier. Both hard and soft pornography is much more graphic today. Adult films are easily accessible today like any other favorite film. Even music videos incorporate sex to increase their sales. TV programs now allow bikinis and semi nudes to appear freely. The sex scenes and chat shows which reveal all kinds of sexual perversions, only adds to the worsening climate on the status of porn. Just like the swim suits of today, which are more revealing, everything seems to be accepted without much complaining. During the 70s, the TV and films rarely showed people kissing. It is sad that some parents too don’t seem to be bothered by the developments. They feel that as the kids are someday going to see this, sooner or later, why not allow them now. Pornography is an important factor associated with sexual violence. The FBI report identifies hard core pornography as a common interest among serial killers. About 87% of child molesters are hardcore pornography addicts. When eight year old Jessica DeLaTorre was abducted, raped and murdered, it was committed by a porn addict, who had viewed child pornography the previous night. Many specialists agree that a very important ingredient in the development of a serial killer is fantasy. These gruesome killings are the results of such fantasies put into reality. This progress of fantasy into reality may be attributed to pornography. John Wayne Gacy had been a avid reader of homosexual magazines for which his second wife had divorced him. Pornography escalates the inner urge, which is present in all of us. This passion for sex is vastly accelerated by pornography, till the individual succumbs to satisfy that drive, without realizing what he is doing in the process. The desire for sexual gratification is dominant in all males, however killers who have not experienced sufficient intimacy in their childhood, attempt to control rather than being intimate during their sexual acts, and they begin to physically harm. The serial killer from Florida, Ted Bunty, recalled just before his execution how early exposure to pornography led him along the murderous path. He said that although he was responsible for his actions, the messages in the pornography contributed to his killings. To overcome pornography addiction, one must have a strong desire to achieve. A strong desire is important to prevent half hearted attempts producing little results. Along with a desire to change, one should also have a sense of commitment. The process of change requires commitment to the process, as the first step. There cannot be any program or instructions which can produce changes for you, when you are not committed to change. Avoid your low self-esteem from taking you back to addiction. Think positively and high of yourself, imagine yourself as a transformed new person. Understand the cause and effects phenomenon and realize that porn addiction is a syptom or effect and not the cause. The cause are the reasons which urge one to indulge in pornography. It is important to identitfy the people and places associated with biggest temptations to view porn and be extra cautious when confronting these. Like any other personal developments, porn addiction change needs to be realized in small manageable goals. Therefore one should set targets like wont be viewing porn for a week, etc.. Realizing such small goals, would provide an early onfidence and momentum. It is also important and helps significantly if the environment is adjusted to suit the deaddiction like getting rid of internet if internet is the main cause of porn viewing.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Consolidated Life Case-Business Ethics Essay

Consolidated life is a prestigious insurance company however, due to the nature of the establishment the duties required by the worker neither required minimal knowledge nor did you have to have a high level education in order to obtain a position at the company. Mr. Mike Wilson however, obtained a business degree in administration. He was hired by Consolidated Life as simply as you can put a clerical worker. He worked in the policy issue department which main duties included processing or in taking clients orders for insurance, customer service, and client services. One would say that working for them; your performance required little to no creativity. It was the same day-to-day work load. Because it required so little creativity, daily routines were repetitive and can be done basically, with your hands â€Å"tied to you back†. Mike Wilson demonstrated how an effective a â€Å"leader† can be in the workforce rather than just a â€Å"manager† by title. He portrayed in existence of â€Å"high fidelity† which is the best experience you can have in a workplace. In the book Trade Off, by Author Kevin Maney, the word fidelity deals with â€Å"the total experience of something† (Maney, 2009). The author also says that â€Å"aura† can also provides an advantage to fidelity. With that being said Mr. Wilson influenced his co-workers with providing them with incentives and rewards in which they can gain a reward at the end of the task but most importantly he provided the right tools and motivations in order for his employees to work in a positive mind frame. This created a system of mutual bipartisanship between supervisor and employee. Model: based on the â€Å"Organizational Model Behavior† Mike’s drive and motivation can be comparable to a person with â€Å"theory y† attributes. The â€Å"theory Y† concept displays how an employee’s work is â€Å"as natural as play†. Also a person with this characteristic has a huge sense of self-direction and self-control. Mr. Wilson showed this by cultivating a modern management technique that motivated its workers rather than coerced them which a person who you can place in this. Whereas, a person with the characteristics of â€Å"theory x† carries the opposite attractions. The individual is not seen as enthusiastic about their job. They are mainly threatened or told â€Å"do it or else† and as stated before, lack the ability and drive to overachieve. They usually follow the motto, overpromise-under deliver. Mikes performance ultimately won him a promotion working in the supervisory assignment area. He won this promotion just six weeks after promise. Mike brought a sense of modern culture although it was seen as â€Å"unorthodox† or non-traditional. When comparing the delegation of authority in the levels of management the organization structure clearly shows that the establishment followed an â€Å"authority† oriented program in which Presidents are first to make decisions for the overall â€Å"vision† for the company in which it then trickles down to the VP who implements the President’s strategy by orchestrating a staff of supervisors to oversee the execution. Situation: There seems to be a drastic change to the division in which Mike supervised some time ago. When Mike realized his unhappiness at his new division he sought a remedy for disaster by returning to his old division forcing him under new terms and most importantly, a new boss. The performance value of his once â€Å"over exceeding† staff was now dwindled and unmotivated. The new way in which they worked became stricter and more inflexible. It was stale and there was no aura of high fidelity being promoted. Problems: The problem of this case has to do with mis-delegation of roles and mis-clarification for all parties. Not only that, the fact is the company as a whole has not identified its mission statement for their employees. With that being said the transition from the time Mike left became a tragedy. As stated before, the culture of the environment was slated after Mike left. It became from being a â€Å"collegial† environment to an â€Å"autocratic† environment once new vice presidentJack Greely took over. Not only did he change the environment of the company, he basically dismantled the structure and rebuilt it based on his power. Until Mike was promoted the managerial style approach was not identified and supervisors, at this early time wanted a change and that’s why Mike was chosen to become supervisor. However, when Jack took Mike’s former supervisor’s place, the organization became, â€Å"autocratic†. An autocratic person can be defined as an employee that is dependent tot tally on a supervisor. This person has no other desire than to do what is only required out of the task and only the minimum. Usually in an autocratic setting the boss expects pure obedience from their employee’s and rely straight on authority from â€Å"higher up’s† with no regard to any self-drive for themselves and lacks the qualities and abilities to take on initiatives and providing an entrepreneurial attitude about themselves. This can be explained by using the Abraham Maslow’s Theory found in an essay article written by Janet Simmons, Donald Irvin, and Beverly Drinnien which it states he says accordingly â€Å"that the only reason that people would not move well in direction of self-actualization is because of hindrances placed in their way by society† (Janet A. Simons, 1987). Also saying â€Å"We must see that the person’s basic needs are satisfied. This includes safety, belongingness, and esteem needs† (Janet A. Simons, 1987)A person in the Consolidated Life organization that can be also skewed towards the â€Å"autocratic† style is Mr. Rick Belkner. Mike’s former boss. This, for lack of a better term, lazy supervisor (whom he was Mike’s supervisor initially) illustrated as a person who rather do â€Å"crossword puzzles† during his work shift then to lead by example, what a competent Vice President of their division; shy 40,000 of a six-figure salary. The point was clearly made by Mr. Greely when he assumed that Mike’s management style would still be undermined no matter how good of his performance. He even went to the extent of assuring that Mr. Wilson will fail no matter how â€Å"high† you move up in the establishment. It is almost agreeable to say that Mr. Speely’s choose of words were not only rude but shows a poor and ineffective leader. Mr. Greely does not seem to be results-driven but ego-driven as his defense for Mike’s work style was inarguable and measured his own assumption to Mike’s performance rather than just judging an employee on what he does best, his/her performance. Reading how Mike handled it; amazingly enough. In the chart featured on page-You can see simple comparing of the two different types of behavioral patterns by identifying the qualities, organizational and environmental forces that are represented by the 2 behavior patterns. You will see the differences between a workers operating in an autocratic setting versus a person who operates under the collegial or supportive setting(s). By identifying the contrast you are able to see what kind of modifications or structures that would have to be put in place based on a employee’s attitude. The attitude in which comes from probably stems from personal goal, motivations, or self desires a person may have in their work space. Some individuals don’t possess the willingness to achieve and be a leader. Some individual are quite happy with just being an average worker and moving up in the â€Å"corporate† latter is something that does not motivate them. Autocratic Environment Vs. Collegial /System Environment Base Questions for Case 1. Describe ALL the factors that contributed to Mike’s lack of promotion at the end. Was his lack of promotion fair? When Mike left the division, he left the process in which he created, to be altered by the new president upon his departure. The flexible leadership that led to the team success came to a halt when divisional vice president, Jack Greely; who’s reputation was described as â€Å"tough but fair†. Mike accepted the position at the old division again without really investigating the provisions in which he was now to work under. He loss total control when he noticed that co-workers were actually more inclined to follow Mr. Greely’s direction because the employees knew the order of hierarchy and knew the consequences of action should one follow anyone’s demands except for Mr. Greely’s. 2. Using your knowledge of culture, explain in detail Consolidated Life’s culture when Mike was first hired and then when he returned. There was a transition in the organization which proved to have opportunities due to the position void. Such example shows that Mike (when he was first hired by Consolidated Life) he was promoted to his position because of the opportunities of change. Mike’s style was not really favored by his â€Å"higher-ups† but because he manages to increase workflow and reduce errors, which created more performance his flexible style was overlook which sends a sign of â€Å"inconsistency†. If you are going to allow a manager to take over the project then let them take over. As long as they don’t compromise the integrity of the company or do anything illegal. 3. What actions could Consolidated Life have taken to prevent Mike’s problems? There should have been more flexibility granted for Mike to effectively coordinate his team. Mr. Wilson’s track record clearly shows that as a supervisor he is competent to make educated decisions and lead a staff with ease. An employee is always happy when they are not pressured nor stressed. Most important of all, when a leader shows reciprocity, more than likely there would be a win-win. For Example, Mike’s strategy to reward his co-workers in exchange for hard work showed the worker was not working out of vain and in fact he/she was being acknowledged and rewarded for the hard efforts being put forth. 4. Who do you think was at fault for Mike’s problems, Mike or his supervisors (e. g. , Jack) or others? Completely justify your opinion. The fault of Mike problems was his free spirited style which usually offends conservatives. Jack implemented a â€Å"corporate† style setting upon Mike’s return.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Parametric and Nonparametric Methods in Statistics

Parametric and Nonparametric Methods in Statistics There are a few divisions of topics in statistics. One division that quickly comes to mind is the differentiation between descriptive and inferential statistics. There are other ways that we can separate out the discipline of statistics. One of these ways is to classify statistical methods as either parametric or nonparametric. We will find out what the difference is between parametric methods and nonparametric methods.  The way that we will do this is to compare different instances of these types of methods. Parametric Methods Methods are classified by what we know about the population we are studying.  Parametric methods are typically the first methods studied in an introductory statistics course. The basic idea is that there is a set of fixed parameters that determine a probability model. Parametric methods are often those for which we know that the population is approximately normal, or we can approximate using a normal distribution after we invoke the central limit theorem.  There are two parameters for a normal distribution: the mean and the standard deviation. Ultimately the classification of a method as parametric depends upon the assumptions that are made about a population. A few parametric methods include: Confidence interval for a population mean, with known standard deviation.Confidence interval for a population mean, with unknown standard deviation.Confidence interval for a population variance.Confidence interval for the difference of two means, with unknown standard deviation. Nonparametric Methods To contrast with parametric methods, we will define nonparametric methods. These are statistical techniques for which we do not have to make any assumption of parameters for the population we are studying. Indeed, the methods do not have any dependence on the population of interest. The set of parameters is no longer fixed, and neither is the distribution that we use.  It is for this reason that nonparametric methods are also referred to as distribution-free methods. Nonparametric methods are growing in popularity and influence for a number of reasons. The main reason is that we are not constrained as much as when we use a parametric method.  We do not need to make as many assumptions about the population that we are working with as what we have to make with a parametric method. Many of these nonparametric methods are easy to apply and to understand. A few nonparametric methods include: Sign test for population meanBootstrapping techniquesU test for two independent meansSpearman correlation test Comparison There are multiple ways to use statistics to find a confidence interval about a mean.  A parametric method would involve the calculation of a margin of error with a formula, and the estimation of the population mean with a sample mean.  A nonparametric method to calculate a confidence mean would involve the use of bootstrapping. Why do we need both parametric and nonparametric methods for this type of problem? Many times parametric methods are more efficient than the corresponding nonparametric methods. Although this difference in efficiency is typically not that much of an issue, there are instances where we do need to consider which method is more efficient.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Economic Geography

Economic Geography Economic geography is a sub-field within the larger subjects of geography and economics. Researchers within this field study the location, distribution, and organization of economic activity around the world. Economic geography is important in developed nations such as the United States because it allows researchers to understand the structure of the areas economy and its economic relationship with other areas around the world. It is also important in developing nations because the reasons and methods of development or lack thereof are more easily understood. Because economics is such a large topic of study so too is economic geography. Some topics that are considered economic geography include agritourism, the economic development of various countries and gross domestic and gross national products. Globalization is also extremely important to economic geographers today because it connects much of the worlds economy. History and Development of Economic Geography The field of economic geography continued to grow as European nations later began to explore and colonize different regions around the world. During these times European explorers made maps describing economic resources such as spices, gold, silver and tea that they believed would be found in places like the Americas, Asia and Africa (Wikipedia.org). They based their explorations on these maps and as a result, new economic activity was brought to those regions. In addition to the presence of these resources, explorers also documented the trading systems that the people native to these regions engaged in. In the mid-1800s farmer and economist, Johann Heinrich von Thà ¼nen developed his model of agricultural land use. This was an early example of modern economic geography because it explained the economic development of cities based on land use. In 1933 geographer Walter Christaller created his Central Place Theory that used economics and geography to explain the distribution, size, and number of cities around the world. By the end of World War II general geographic knowledge had increased considerably. Economic recovery and development following the war led to the growth of economic geography as an official discipline within geography because geographers and economists became interested in how and why economic activity and development was occurring and where it was around the world. Economic geography continued to grow in popularity throughout the 1950s and 1960s as geographers attempted to make the subject more quantitative. Today economic geography is still a very quantitative field that mainly focuses on topics such as the distribution of businesses, market research and regional and global development. In addition, both geographers and economists study the topic. Todays economic geography is also very reliant on geographic information systems (GIS) to conduct research on markets, the placement of businesses and the supply and demand of a given product for an area. Topics within Economic Geography Theoretical economic geography is the broadest of the branches and geographers within that subdivision mainly focus on building new theories for how the worlds economy is arranged. Regional economic geography looks at the economies of specific regions around the world. These geographers look at local development as well as the relationships that specific regions have with other areas. Historical economic geographers look at the historical development of an area to understand their economies. Behavioral economic geographers focus on an areas people and their decisions to study the economy. Critical economic geography is the final topic of study. It developed out of critical geography and geographers in this field attempt to study economic geography without using the traditional methods listed above. For example, critical economic geographers often look at economic inequalities and the dominance of one region over another and how that dominance impacts the development of economies. In addition to studying these different topics, economic geographers also often study very specific themes related to the economy. These themes include the geography of agriculture, transportation, natural resources, and trade as well as topics such as business geography. Current Research in Economic Geography Journal of Economic Geography Each of these articles is interesting because they are very different from one another but they all focus on some aspect of the worlds economy and how it works.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife

The Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife Princess Louise Facts Known for:  sixth British princess named Princess Royal; daughter of King Edward VII, and granddaughter of Queen VictoriaDates:  February 20, 1867 – January 4, 1931Also known as: Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, The Princess Louise, Princess Louise of Wales (at birth) Background, Family: Mother: Alexandra of Denmark (1844 – 1925): Alexandra, Princess of Wales, at the birth of Princess Louise, and later Queen Alexandra. Alexandra was the daughter of Christian IX of Denmark and his consort, Louise of Hesse-Kassel.Father: Edward (1841 – 1910), Prince of Wales, at the birth of Princess Louise, and later King Edward VII. Edward was the son of Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert.Siblings: Prince Albert Victor (1864 – 1892), George V (1865 – 1936), Princess Victoria (1868 – 1935), Princess Maud (1869 – 1938, Queen consort of Norway), Prince Alexander John (1871 – 1871) Marriage, Children: Husband:   Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife, later 1st Duke of Fife (married July 27, 1889, died 1912) Children: Alistair Duff (1890 – 1890)Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife (1891 – 1959): married Prince Arthur of Connaught and Strathearn, a grandson of Queen VictoriaPrincess Maud, Countess of Southesk (1893 – 1945): married Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk Princess Louise Biography: Born at Marlborough House in London, the Princess Louise of Wales, she was the first daughter born after two sons.   Two more sisters arrived the following two years, and the three girls were rather close to each other in their youth, known for being very active though all became more shy and withdrawn as they grew up.   They were educated by governesses.   In 1895, the three sisters were among the bridesmaids at the wedding of their aunt, Princess Beatrice, youngest of Queen Victoria’s daughters. Because her father had two sons who could succeed him, Louise’s mother did not think that the daughters should marry.   Victoria, the sister who followed Louise, never did. Louise nevertheless married Alexander Duff, who was the sixth Earl Fife and a descendant of William IV through one of that king’s illegitimate children. Her husband was created a duke when they married in 1889, just a month after their engagement. Louise’s first child was a stillborn son, born soon after their marriage.   Two daughters, Alexandra   and Maud, born in 1891 and 1893, completed the family. When Louise’s eldest brother died in 1892 at the age of 28, her next eldest brother, George, became the second in the line of succession, after their father, Edward. This put Louise third in line, and unless Louise’s only surviving brother, then unmarried, had legitimate offspring, her daughters would be next in the line of succession – and they were, unless royal decree changed their status, technically commoners.   In 1893, George married Mary of Teck who had been engaged to his older brother, thus making the succession of Louise or her daughters unlikely.   Louise hosted the marriage of her brother. Princess Louise, after her marriage, lived quite privately.   Her father succeeded his mother, Queen Victoria, in 1901, and in 1905 bestowed on Louise the title of Princess Royal, a title reserved for the eldest daughter of a reigning monarch, though not always given.   She was the sixth such Princess Royal. At the same time, her daughters were created princesses and given the title of highness.   They were the only female-line descendants of a British sovereign to be given the title of Princess of Great Britain and Ireland. In December of 1911, on a trip to Egypt, the family was shipwrecked off Morocco.   The Duke became ill of pleurisy, and died the next month. His eldest daughter by Louise, Alexandra, inherited the title of Duchess.   She married a first cousin once removed, Prince Arthur of Connaught and Strathean, a grandson of Queen Victoria, and thus had the title of royal highness. Louise’s younger daughter Maud married Lord Carnegie in 1923, and was thereafter known as Lady Carnegie, rather than Princess, for most purposes.   Maud’s son was James Carnegie, who inherited the title of Duke of Fife as well as Earl of Sothesk. Louise, The Princess Royal, died at home in London in 1931.   She was buried in St. Georges Chapel, and her remains later moved to a private chapel at another of her resisdences, Mar Lodge in Braemar, Aberdeenshire.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Where the experience of male and female slaves similar or different in Essay

Where the experience of male and female slaves similar or different in the nineteenth-century, South - Essay Example were engaged both in urban areas and in the plantations especially in the South which was an agrarian economy and lived and worked under poor conditions. They were also harshly treated by their masters and women subjected to sexual exploitation. However, the experiences of slaves depended on the region, their masters and overseers. In this essay, I will argue that male and female slaves had different experiences in the nineteenth century, south although some aspects were similar depending on the size of the plantation. The antebellum south was a slave society as it had a high population of slaves and depended on them economically, socially and politically and also allowed masters extensive power over slaves unchecked by law.2 In small plantations, men and women performed similar tasks in the fields but in large plantations, men did different work from women. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass gives an account of the experiences men went through in large plantations having been born into slavery by a colored women and a white father. According to Douglass, women were not given tasks outside the plantation hence these were performed by men and included such tasks as: manning vessels; gardening; driving carriages comprising of horses and coaches; carpentry; chopping wood and using field hand oxen to carry the load home; ploughing and wheat fanning among other field duties.3 Men were also used to transport crops and supplies and also hired out as artisans and craftsmen. Women on the other hand, did household chores such as cooking and caring after the master’s white children. They also did laundry, sewing, milking, and spinning, knitting, and working in rice, tobacco and cotton fields. The role of women was clearly highlighted by Deborah Gray White in her book Ar’n’t I a Woman? She argues that women had a very distinct role from that of men in that they bore children.4 These children whether from a white man (mulatto) or black man

Discuss the effectiveness of legislation regulating child employment Essay - 1

Discuss the effectiveness of legislation regulating child employment in Britain - Essay Example There is a problem area that will be touched upon, which is whether the legislation efficiently deals with children who are left to care for a family member. The first factor of legislation that UK has instituted is to promote education; therefore creating a skilled workforce and ensure sufficient rest; therefore children CANNOT work before 7am and after 7pm.3 The main piece of legislation that deals with child employment is the Children & Young Persons Act 1933. Also children that are under 13 cannot be employed at all, even in a family business. Children from the age of 13 to completing their GCSE’s can only work part-time, because education is paramount. If an employee is 13 or 14 they can only work in 9 specific types of employment; whilst at 14 or 15 they can work in any form of employment.4 Finally, the legislation also ensures that the work conditions and type are risk assessed for the child employee according to the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999. This illustrates that in traditional forms of employment the child is sufficiently protected, including being employed in the family business.5 The problem with legislation that regulates children’s employment is that it does not effectively address the problem of child carers6; rather it effectively deals with traditional forms of employment.7 There needs to be effective reform to protect the child who behind closed doors is effectively employed as the child carer. One could say that the current legislation does protect the child, because they cannot be in the employment of parents; however how can caring for a little brother or sister or even a parent be classed as employment?8 It is easy to identify if the person who is being cared for is receiving carer’s allowance and there was no identifiable adult carer that they are paying; therefore

Friday, October 18, 2019

Hedge Fund Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Hedge Fund Industry - Essay Example This can be used for both short and long term investments. Unlike mutual funds, however, hedge funds typically take long and short positions in assets to lower portfolio risk arising from broad market movements. A hedge fund may take long positions in certain stocks, and short positions in other stocks, the portfolio beta of which is close to zero. A beta close to zero implies that the portfolio will remain relatively unchanged due to the broad market movement. Such a portfolio will primarily change if the stocks move more than the broad market. In the U.S., laws require that the majority of investors in the fund beaccredited. That is, theymust earn a minimum amount of moneyannually and have a net worth ofmore than$1 million, along with a significant amountof investment knowledge. (Hedge Fund. 2008). In both rising and falling equity and bond markets hedge fund strategies tend to have the ability to generate positive returns. Since it is a balanced portfolio it helps to reduce overall portfolio risk and volatility and, therefore, has the potential for increased returns. Hedge funds also have an advantage over other options of investment as it offers investors a wide variety of choices in Hedge fund strategies that can be tailor made to suit the investment objective of individual customers. The fact that hedge funds have higher returns and lower overall risk than traditional investment funds has been proved beyond doubt through academic research. Moreover, this platform provides an ideal long-term investment solution, eliminating the concept of correct time entry and exit from markets. Adding hedge funds to an investment portfolio provides diversification which is otherwise not available in traditional modes of investments. The aspiration of the prospective employee Mr.X. Mr.X is undergoing a graduate course in commerce. His father Mr Y had remained employed in the insurance business, and wanted his son to toe in the same line. Mr.X however, had different ambitions. He weighed the pros and cons of joining the hedge fund industry as well as the insurance sector. He sought the advice of different consultants in the field who gave him the necessary information. He found out that the hedge fund industry was more lucrative and he chose this as his career option. Initially he thought that an undergraduate course in commerce would give him the necessary inputs. When he completed more than half the course content, he realised that he will not able to pursue a career in hedge fund with the knowledge gained from this course alone. He came to know about a large variety of job oriented course relating to hedge fund. So, in the final semester, he pursued a part-time certificate course in hedge fund. Again, he realised that there was a gap between theory and practi ce. Thus, in order to receive some practical experience, he underwent an internship with a practitioner in hedge fund consultation. Human Capital Theory: Human capital refers to the stock of productive skills and technical knowledge embodied in the labour free of an organisation. Economists consider human capital as one of the

European Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

European Business - Essay Example also contains all the required components to get share from this huge market. It can also expand outside the EU. The major benefit of single market is reduction in border costs. They are similar to import tariffs, because they also raise the price of exports in the foreign market. A decrease in border costs has a great and positive effect on integrating regions as a tariff reduction. It helps in trade creation and trade diversion and changes in the terms of trade. It also affects the incentives to invest. Reduction in border costs produces a strong competition on the home market and a better competitive position on the foreign market. It also increase the cost of production for exports and their reduction simultaneously improves home country firms position on foreign markets and exposes them to more intense competition at home. These are some general benefits that can facilitate any business looking to expand in the EU market. But for doing specific planning it would be appropriate to undertake a general quantitative analysis of the social-economic functioning of the market, carry out a quantitative survey, undertake a qualitative analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the market. These three steps will help in formulating strategy to specific areas of the business. For doing this analysis it is appropriate to have a detailed data on following aspects. Once the reliable data i... 6. Prices can be easily compared because of Euro. 7. Reduction in non tariff barriers 8. Adoption of the Common External Tariff 9. No threat of fluctuating exchange rates thanks to Euro. These are some general benefits that can facilitate any business looking to expand in the EU market. But for doing specific planning it would be appropriate to undertake a general quantitative analysis of the social-economic functioning of the market, carry out a quantitative survey, undertake a qualitative analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the market. These three steps will help in formulating strategy to specific areas of the business. For doing this analysis it is appropriate to have a detailed data on following aspects. The socio-economic role of the market in the EU context. Balance and healthy competition between the market competitors. The market role in promoting local production. Possible internal and external partners in accomplishing this strategy. Once the reliable data is available about above said areas. It would be easy for planners to formulate strategy for the expansion of Company in EU single market and beyond. Besides the benefits of single market there may be some threats or hurdles that may cause problems. It is important to consider these threats before implementing the expansion strategy. These hurdles may be: Lack of knowledge about the demands of market Lack of coordination between the trading parties Cultural or traditional differences Purchasing power and price factor of different market within EU or outside EU After going through all these preliminaries reliable information can be gathered. This data will be greatly helpful in adopting a correct course of action. Once the planning and data collection phase is completed. It is time for taking

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Chapter3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chapter3 - Essay Example This business is affected by regulations that govern the standard of products being produces. There are potential fines if the standard law is not met. Canada is a stable country so the company does not experience frequent changes in laws and regulations. The economic analysis examines how the business is affected by the world’s economy. The non-alcoholic beverage industry in Canada has high sale because of the high economic growth in the country. Social analysis examines how changes in the society affect the organization. Consumers who are around the ages of 37 to 55 are becoming more concerned with nutrition. They are changing their lifestyles to a more healthy habit. Technological analysis examines how emerging technology affects the company (Edwards, 2014). This company has taken advantage of new technology to improve its products in terms of packaging the products and through its marketing strategy. The legal analysis examines how the company is affected by the national a nd world legislation. The company has all the rights that is applicable to the nature of its business. The Environmental analysis examines how environmental issues affect the company. Coca Cola makes sure that all its facilities comply with the environmental laws set by the government. The company understands the importance of studying the PESTLE in its success. Companies operate in very competitive markets where substitutes and competitors keep on emerging. It is crucial for companies to be innovative in order to survive in the industry. One product that faces competition is Colgate. This toothpaste has been in the market for many years and is one of the most trusted brand s in the market. This is also recommended by dentist worldwide for its ability to strengthen the enamel, whiten the teeth and freshens the breathe. However, toothpaste brands have increased significantly in the market over the years. The market is filled with many brands, each with its own

Accounting Statement Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Accounting Statement Analysis - Essay Example units purchased, sales thus scale of economy leading to decrease in operating expense (Gilbertson & Lehman, 2013). In the period 11 between 12, the decrease in trend was due to decrease in differed liability. Decrease in the period 12 between 13 was due to utilization of reserves to finance the company’s operations. During the period from 13 between 14, there was increase due to increase in long-term loan by a very big margin. This negative trend indicates that cost of goods sold is gradually increasing proportionately to sales. This may be due to increase in purchase price or carriage on stack. It can also be because of decrease in selling price(Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2010). Positive deviation in dividend payout indicates that the firm is paying more to its shareholders inform of dividend. This also indicates that the firm’s growth rate is adversely affected(Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2010). Net profit margin has a positive trend however, the firms overall profitability has a slightly negative trend because net profit margin and operational incomes positive trend has been fully offset by negative trend in other profitability ratios like gross profit margin (Graham et al., 2012). Long-term debt paying ability of the firm is negatively affected by decreasing trend in the following ratios; decrease in debt to equity ratio, decrease in debt to tangible assets, and further decrease in cash flow/ total debt ratio. This has been partly offset by increase in time interest earnings fixed charge coverage(Graham et al., 2012). This trend in Operation Cash Flow per Share indicates that cash flow attributed to each share of common stock has improved. However, the overall cash flow of the firm is declining due to payment of dividend that has increased as indicated by operation cash flow/ cash dividend from 2.51 to 1.51 leading to negative trend in cash flow for the period between 2011 and 2014(Graham et al., 2012). All of these ratios are in decline.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Chapter3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chapter3 - Essay Example This business is affected by regulations that govern the standard of products being produces. There are potential fines if the standard law is not met. Canada is a stable country so the company does not experience frequent changes in laws and regulations. The economic analysis examines how the business is affected by the world’s economy. The non-alcoholic beverage industry in Canada has high sale because of the high economic growth in the country. Social analysis examines how changes in the society affect the organization. Consumers who are around the ages of 37 to 55 are becoming more concerned with nutrition. They are changing their lifestyles to a more healthy habit. Technological analysis examines how emerging technology affects the company (Edwards, 2014). This company has taken advantage of new technology to improve its products in terms of packaging the products and through its marketing strategy. The legal analysis examines how the company is affected by the national a nd world legislation. The company has all the rights that is applicable to the nature of its business. The Environmental analysis examines how environmental issues affect the company. Coca Cola makes sure that all its facilities comply with the environmental laws set by the government. The company understands the importance of studying the PESTLE in its success. Companies operate in very competitive markets where substitutes and competitors keep on emerging. It is crucial for companies to be innovative in order to survive in the industry. One product that faces competition is Colgate. This toothpaste has been in the market for many years and is one of the most trusted brand s in the market. This is also recommended by dentist worldwide for its ability to strengthen the enamel, whiten the teeth and freshens the breathe. However, toothpaste brands have increased significantly in the market over the years. The market is filled with many brands, each with its own

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

LANDSCAPE REHABILITATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

LANDSCAPE REHABILITATION - Essay Example Currently, the area is filled with water and disused from the excavations and the pits. The pits on the site have served as a dumping area for wastes for many decades and would require restoration. The restoration of the site will include removal of the excess water in the pits, filling the pits and planting appropriate plant species to improve the soil stability. The Strategic Context The Formulated Objectives i. To provide of an expert report on the means to rehabilitate Blackpool working area. The plan would provide procedures to realize a full reclamation and maintenance of the region. ii. To explain and the principles behind each technique employed in the process to foster understanding amongst the planets. The explanations would advise on the appropriate criterion by identifying the merits and demerits of each criterion and need for its implementation (Liddle, 1997). iii. To utilize the conventional models of reclamation on degenerated environments. http://www.mindat.org/gphoto s/0357418001078092838.jpg Setting of the Site The Plan Layout Retrieved on April 24th 2012 http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/report/eiareport/eia_0552001/report/vol1/vo_1.htm Site Plan and Design Design Considerations The Landscape Plan Goals To provide a strategic context for the plan would require the inclusion of created and approved objectives. The planners must also consider the incorporation of the local community in the selection of the site to use and the necessary facilities. To provide the feasibility framework for the rehabilitation will demand a plan for the site layout and the approved locations for landscaping, the phases of work and the procedures. The wildlife considerations will target the increment of the plants’ species diversification. The variation will additionally increase the number of the native animals’ populace that the Blackpool mining site can tolerate. Eventually, the other concern worth incorporation is the preference of the users. This consideration will define the entry point of the site and the order of entry and an arbor structure will be located at the entrance (Heywood & Carver, 2006). The Physical Reclamation Design This plan targets the creation of a conducive environment for the public into the Blackpool and creates a woodland feel within the urban setup. Plants should be located and accumulated to direct views and provide avenues in the space between the rehabilitated site and the Clay Works. The plants should be installed in natural arrangements. The plan should avert straightforward rows or formal procedures of planting trees. Limited groupings of similar plant species should offer the reigning pattern (Hawke & Jose, 1995).The planners have to consider reason for rehabilitation to provide a tentative guideline. The need for rehabilitation should direct the rehabilitating team on the areas to emphasize on with respect to the objectives. The availability of resources has to be addressed and considered as one of the critical facets for the success of the rehabilitation process. There has to be adequate finances to fund the process by hiring or purchasing the heavy machinery and tools together with the plant operators employed. The personnel involved in the rehabilitation process have to be competent and conversant with the geological and environmental issues. The ownership of the land is essential for consideration because the ownership

Monday, October 14, 2019

Morton Rhue Essay Example for Free

Morton Rhue Essay The Wave was written by Morton Rhue and published in 1982. This book was based on a true story of an incident in a high school history class in Palo Alto in California in 1969 lead by the teacher Ron Jones who says it was the most frightening event he had ever seen in a classroom. In the book the teacher is played by Ben Ross and his high school history class. It all starts when students ask questions about Nazi Germany and he can’t seem to answer them so he comes up with a plan that will change his classroom FOREVER with his sayings â€Å"Strength through discipline, strength through community, strength through action. His class room will be filled with nothing but POWER and DICIPLINE and that’s only just the beginning. He started off by teaching his class how to sit up straight properly in their seats and how to answer questions properly which meant standing up beside their seat before talking now can you imagine if we tried that now a days! He was filling his class room with power and all the students could feel it and as days went by and the students became very obedient of the new rules he decided to keep it going, as he thought it was working. Weeks went on and he had come up with the new rules salute whenever you saw another Wave member or chant whenever he ordered it and also a wave symbol was created to separate the Wave members from the non-members. This was clearly becoming out of control, the students were getting brain washed and they weren’t thinking about anything they were doing and what they were getting themselves into, they were making big mistakes. By the end of the book it had got so crazy that the Wave members started threatening the students who were not members and that’s when. Ben Ross knew it had to be stopped at once so they held a meeting for all the members where he faced the students with what was going on and telling them they shouldn’t have let it get this far by letting it take over them, they needed to wake up to themselves and realize what was going on because who knows how far it would have gone. He practically told them just to stop and think about their future and what they were doing had got the better of them and had to be stopped. By the end of this students were shocked and in tears realizing what they were doing was wrong! And it was a lesson they were taught that they would never forget. Now you’re thinking why this is a classic. It is because this book was so well known and written by a famous author and it’s easy for us to relate to the characters as we are high school students too and it’s written in a way it is best understood what is going on. This book is suitable for teenagers and up but I would mostly recommend high school students because they can relate to it a lot easier than others. The text I chose was Angela’s Ashes â€Å"a memoir of a childhood† written by Frank Mc Court and published in 1996. This book was the winner of the 1997 Putlitzer Prize which made me want to read it more because that tells me it’s a good  book to read. It was about an Irish family growing up with the tough, hard working life. The family started off living in America with their 2 little boys under the age of 6. It all started getting worse for them when Angela had baby girl which suffered from cot death only a couple of days old and this left the family sad and cold. The father was an alcoholic and left his family for days leaving the boys to look after themselves because the mother wouldn’t get out of bed. This was only the beginning of their hard life. Soon later the family moved to Ireland where they had family. The life over there was so different, they were living off the doll because the father was yet to get a job they barely had enough food to survive but they had to struggle through each day as it came. Soon later the mother gave birth to twin boys so the life became even harder as they had to feed to more mouths now. Years later one of the twins became unwell and they didn’t have the medicine to make him get better and he passed away and then soon after the other twin died in his sleep. This shows you how hard it was to survive with this life style that’s why we need to realize how lucky we are. As their life went on the father moved overseas to work for a year yet he never sent them any money to help out he just spent it all at the pub once he got it and this became a habit because once the mother gave birth to a new baby boy he went and spent all the money for the baby at the pub once again leaving the poor family to struggle even more. They couldn’t afford to pay rent anymore so they had to move in with a family friend and they didn’t like this. The eldest boy got so sick of this one night he decided to leave and live with his Uncle for a while and get a job. You can probably see where this book is leading, the father left them to  struggle on with their life and faced many more problems day in day out. But overall I thought this book was a great book even though it was very sad to know what they went through and it also has a movie out to that I’m sure would be good. I think this book in years to come will become a classic because of how great of a book it was and how well it written about a family’s struggle to live the hard life. Also because it is very well known and has a famous author and the way it is written. This book I would recommend be read for adults mostly and older teenagers because you need to be able to understand it properly.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Microbiology for Environmental Engineering

Microbiology for Environmental Engineering By Georgios Tzelepis Microorganisms play a major role in controlling water and waste quality and every biological process is based on the action of microorganisms. Bacteria constitute an important group of microorganisms which are directly related to Environmental Engineering because of their crucial role in wastewater treatment. They are single celled prokaryotic organisms with a structurally and functionally simple form and various shapes, such as spherical, rod-shaped or spiral. One main characteristic of the bacterial cell is the lack of unit membrane system with exception the cytoplasmic membrane. The identification of bacteria is based on a number of different criteria including their morphological (shape, size), physiological and genetic characteristics. Their reproduction is based on the binary split with formation time of about 20 minutes. Bacteria are sensitive to pH changes and they survive under neutral conditions, although some of them can survive in a highly acidic environment. Regarding th eir survival temperature, they are divided into psychrophilic, mesophilic and thermophilic. Bacteria are very sensitive to temperature changes and they have an optimum growth temperature. (Darakas, 2016) Bacteria have the capacity to degrade the organic substances (pollutants) and this is the reason why they are the most important group of organisms in terms of the public health engineering, since biological waste water treatment processes are based on their activities. The assimilation of pollutants is mainly achieved by the biological self-cleaning of the water thanks to microorganisms and specifically bacteria. The main three points of interest in the wastewater treatment is the microorganisms (bacteria), the included organic matter which constitutes food for microorganisms and the oxygen which is necessary for the energy and survival of microorganisms.    Generally, the metabolic diversity of organisms, and more specifically of bacteria, firstly depends on the energy source. Energy is important for the chemical reactions and is obtained from environmental sources. When the sources are chemicals, the species are called chemotrophs, while when the energy is derived from the light they are called phototrophic species. However, some bacteria have the ability to use both energy sources based on conditions. Second classification is based on the carbon source. When they are organic compounds they are called chemoheterotrophs or photoheterotrophs respectively. Otherwise when inorganic compounds are used, bacteria are called chemoautotrophs or photoautotrophs. Finally, chemotroph bacteria which metabolise organic chemicals for energy are called chemoorganotrophs. Contrariwise, those that use inorganic chemicals are called chemolithotrophs. There are two basic types of metabolism for chemoorganotrophs; fermentation, in which the metabolism of the substrate is without external oxidizing agent, and respiration, in which there is an external oxidizing agent. Both types of metabolism can convert a primary source of energy to one which can be used by the cells. 2.1.1 Carbon source Bacteria that use carbon dioxide for the majority (or all) of their carbon requirements are called autotrophs. The obligate autotrophs that are able to use only CO2 as a source of carbon use simple energy substrates and they are either chemolithotrophs or photolithotrophs. (Singleton, 2005) In autotroph bacteria carbon dioxide from the environment is used to form complex compounds, but also there is the situation that carbon dioxide is incorporated in these compounds and called fixed. There are two common pathways for this fixation, the Calvin cycle and the reductive TCA cycle. Autotrophs are able to thrive in very harsh environments, such as deep sea vents, due to their lack of dependence on outside sources of carbon other than carbon dioxide. (Yates et al., 2016) On the other hand, most of the known species of bacteria are heterotrophic, both aerobic and anaerobic. They use as a main source of carbon complex carbon compounds derived from other organisms, with the most significant the glucose, alcohol, and organic acids. However, there are specialised heterotrophic bacteria capable also of decomposing cellulose (actinomycetes), keratin, hydrocarbons, and other substances. Heterotrophs are only able to thrive in environments that are capable of sustaining other forms of life due to their dependence on these organisms for carbon sources. (Lester Birkett, 1999) 2.2 Energy source Microorganisms, and more specifically bacteria, require food to obtain energy. Phototrophic bacteria are mostly aquatic organisms and obtain energy using radiant energy (light), usually via photosynthesis. This happens through specialized pigments that they contain in order to form energy molecules. Generally, photosynthetic bacteria can be divided in two categories, these who accomplish the photosynthesis with production of oxygen (aerobically) and those without (unaerobically). (Singleton, 2005) Chemotrophs are organisms that obtain their energy by metabolisng chemicals from the environment, through the oxidation of inorganic molecules, such as iron and magnesium. They are divided in two different categories, chemoautotrophs and chemoheterotrophs, with their difference already been described. (Boundless, 2016) Carbon source of heterotrophic bacteria can be either soluble and colloidal organics of untreated waste (BOD) or endogenous carbon microorganisms, i.e. the carbon putrescent dead cells or methanol (CH3OH), which is the best organic substrate to the denitrification. (Darakas, 2016) 2.3 Electron acceptor As mentioned, all the bacterial cells have to convert a primary source of energy into forms that can be used. Some cells can convert a primary energy source to an electrochemical form which consists of a gradient of ions between the two surfaces of cytoplasmic membrane. Chemotroph and phototroph bacteria form high-energy compounds from a primary energy source using different techniques. (Singleton, 2005) Respiration is a type of metabolism in which a substrate is metabolized with the help of an external oxidizing agent. Oxygen can work as the exogenous oxidizing agent having aerobic respiration, or organic oxidizing agents can be used instead in an anaerobic respiration. Despite the fact that the oxidizing agent can be inorganic or organic, in chemoorganotrophs, the substrate is always an organic compound. (Singleton, 2005) Oxygen is the final electron acceptor for the aerobic respiration. The sugar is completely broken down to carbon dioxide and water, yielding a maximum of 38 molecules of ATP per molecule of glucose. Electrons are transferred to oxygen using the electron transport chain (ETC), a system of enzymes and cofactors located in the cytoplasmic membrane and arranged so that the passage of electrons down the chain is coupled with the movement of protons (hydrogen ions) across the membrane and out of the cell. ETC induces the movement of positively charged hydrogen ions to the outside of the cell and negatively charged ions to its interior. This ion gradient results in the acidification of the external medium and an energized plasma membrane with an electrical charge of 150 to 200 millivolts. The generation of ion gradients is a common aspect of energy generation and storage in all living organisms. The gradient of protons is used directly by the cell for many processes, including the active tr ansport of nutrients and the rotation of flagella. The protons also can move from the exterior of the cell into the cytoplasm by passing through a membrane enzyme called the F1F0-proton-translocating ATPase, which couples this proton movement to ATP synthesis. (Kadner Rogers, 2015) Bacteria that are able to use respiration produce far more energy per sugar molecule than do fermentative cells, because the complete oxidation of the energy source allows complete extraction of all of the energy available. (Kadner Rogers, 2015) Respiration can also occur under anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic respiration uses external oxidizing agents such as nitrate (NO3), nitrite (NO2), sulfate (SO42), or fumarate in place of oxygen. Depending on the different types or conditions, the electron donor (substrate) used by chemoorganotrophs in anaerobic respiration is of various organic compounds. The energy yields available to the cell using these acceptors are lower than in respiration with oxygen, but they are still substantially higher than the energy yields available from fermentation. The utilization of CO2as a terminal electron acceptor is limited to a group of bacteria called methanogens and this process requires a strongly reduced environment. This procedure produces methane (CH4) which can be a problem in some instances like landfill sites. (Maier, 1999) All the bacteria have an optimum growth temperature where their growth is faster, while they also have a specific range of temperature into which they can only grow. Most of the bacteria are mesophilic and they grow in temperatures between 15 and 45 degrees of Celsius. Thermophilic are bacteria with growth temperature over 45 degrees of Celsius, while psychrophilic are the bacteria with growth temperature under 15 degrees. 3.1 Low temperature It is well known that bacteria as well as various other forms of life survive and thrive optimally in moderate conditions of temperature, pressure, pH and other environmental parameters. However, there is also evidence of bacteria life in extreme environments. For example bacteria were found to exist in the very acidic river Rio Tino while also bacteria were detected in subzero environments like in Lake Vostok even in depth of 3600 meters, below the surface ice. (Chattopadhyay Sengupta, 2013) At low temperature, bacteria are challenged with a number of difficulties due to decrease in the rate of biochemical reactions that sustain the life. Bacteria taken from low temperature environments were found with increased branched chain, short chain, anteiso and unsaturated fatty acids. They were also found to synthesize more cis fatty acids in preference to trans fatty acids. All these factors are contributing in the increase of membrane fluidity. Moreover, in order to adjust with the low enthalpy and the reduced atomic and molecular motions at low temperature, they achieve flexibility through reduction in strength and number of non-covalent interactions. Finally a high level of post-transcriptional modification of t-RNA by dihydrouridine also has a major role in psychrophiles. Dihydrouridine unsettles the stacking that stabilizes the RNA. (Chattopadhyay Sengupta, 2013) 3.2 High temperature Thermophilic bacteria are common in soil and volcanic habitats and have a limited species configuration. Examination of metabolic pathways and regulatory mechanisms in thermophiles proves that thermophilic bacteria have almost the same properties commonly found in mesophilic bacteria, with the main difference being specific molecular mechanisms, important in high temperature biological stability and activity. As a consequence of growth at high temperature and unique macromolecular properties, thermophilic bacteria can possess high metabolic rates, physically and chemically stable enzymes than similar mesophilic species. Thermophilic processes appear more stable, rapid and facilitate reactant activity and product recovery. Analysis of important biomolecules in thermophilic bacteria has revealed subtle structural differences in proteins, nucleic acids and lipids. Some of these differences have not been observed in mesophilic bacteria. For instance the membrane lipids of extreme thermop hiles contain more saturated and straight chain fatty acids than mesophiles. This allows thermophilic bacteria to grow at higher temperatures by providing the correct degree of fluidity required for membrane function. Finally the explanation for high temperature stability of tRNA in Thermus species is that Thermus transfer RNA contains more guanine plus cytosine bases in the specific base-paired region, which provides greater hydrogen bonding and increased thermal stability. Also, the base-paired region in tRNAs from Thermus contains more thiolated thymidine which provides a stronger stacking force inside the molecule. (Zeikus, 1979) The restoration, maintenance and protection of the environment with the help of biological agents in general and bacteria more specifically are significantly important in terms of sustainability in the environment. Hence, in many cases, bacteria and environmental engineering go hand in hand and both are interdependent on each other. Their main connection is the removal and treatment of the wastes, solid or liquid, from various sources like the industrial, domestic and other. There are many examples of the use of bacteria especially in waste and wastewater treatment, where some useful characteristics of bacteria are used.   Ã‚   4.1 Wastewater treatment Biological treatment is one of the most widely used removal methods as well as for partial or complete stabilization of biologically degradable substances in wastewaters. General characteristics of wastewaters are measured in terms of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), and Volatile Suspended Solids (VSS). Bacteria provide the largest component of the microbial community in all biological wastewater treatment processes, and numbers in excess of 106 bacteria/ml of wastewater are frequently encountered. 4.1.1 Activation Sludge Activated sludge is a process that has been adopted worldwide as a secondary biological treatment for domestic wastewaters. In the activated sludge process the incoming wastewater is mixed and aerated with existing biological sludge (microorganisms). Organics in the wastewater come into contact with the microorganisms and are utilized as food and oxidized to CO2, and H2O. The microorganisms using the organics as food they reproduce, grow, and die. While the microorganisms grow, are mixed together by the movement of air so individual organisms join an active mass of microbes called activated sludge. The wastewater flows continuously into an aeration tank where air is injected to mix the activated sludge with the wastewater and to supply oxygen needed for microbes to breakdown the organic materials. This mixture of activated sludge and wastewater in the aeration tank is called mixed liquor suspended solids and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids. The mixed liquor is sent to the slud ge handling disposal (second part of activation sludge method). A part of this mass precipitates while the rest flows back to the aeration tank in order to maintain sufficient microbial population levels. This is the called activated sludge. The microorganisms in activated sludge generally are composed of 70 to 90% organic and 10 to 30% inorganic matter. The microorganisms generally found in activated sludge consist of bacteria (mostly), fungi and protozoa. 4.1.2 Nitrogen and Phosphorus removal Nitrogen and phosphorus are two essential elements in terms of the waste treatment. The nitrogen compounds and the phosphates existing in wastewaters are very important for the survival of the bacteria although they should be removed in order to avoid problems of deoxygenation and eutrophication in the final recipient. (Bitton, 2010) Nitrification The principal organisms involved in nitrification processes belong into two categories, Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. These bacteria are considered to be strictly autotrophs since they derive energy for growth and synthesis from the oxidation of inorganic nitrogen and carbon (CO2) compounds. Nitrosomonas catalyse oxidation of ammonia to nitrite using molecular oxygen, while Nictobacter further oxidize nitrite to nitrate using oxygen derived from the water molecule. It should be mentioned that some some soluble forms of c-BOD can inhibit the activity of nitrifying bacteria since they are able to enter the cells of nitrifying bacteria and inactivate their enzyme systems. (Horan, 1989) Denitrification Denitrification is a process by which certain species of bacteria under anoxic conditions reduce nitrate nitrogen to the gaseous end-products of N2, NO, or N2O which can then escape from solution to the atmosphere. Unlike other nitrogen compounds, the gaseous forms of nitrogen have no significant effect on environmental quality. The presence of oxidized nitrogen and organic carbon are essential properties for denitrification to proceed. Denitrifying bacteria are composed of heterotrophic organisms. The most common denitrifying bacteria are Bacillus denitrijicans, Micrococcus denitrijicans and more. (Horan, 1989) Phosphorus removal The anaerobic-oxic process (most commonly used), consists of a modified activated sludge system that includes an anaerobic upstream of the conventional aeration tank. During the anaerobic phase, inorganic phosphorus is released from the cells as a result of polyphosphate hydrolysis. The energy liberated is used for the uptake of BOD from wastewater. (Bitton, 2010)Removal efficiency is high when the BOD/phosphorus ratio exceeds 10. During the aerobic phase, soluble phosphorus is taken up by bacteria that synthesize polyphosphates using the energy released from BOD oxidation. The anaerobic-oxic process results in BOD removal and produces sludge which is rich in phosphorus. The key features of this process are the relatively low solid retention time and high organic loading rates. (Cheremisinoff, 1997) 4.1.3 Anaerobic Digestion Major applications of anaerobic digestion are the stabilization of concentrated sludges produced from the treatment of especially industrial wastes. The digestion is a complex biochemical process in which several groups of anaerobic and facultative organisms again simultaneously absorb and break down organic matter and can be described as a two-phase process. In the first phase, acid-forming organisms convert the complex organic substrate to simple organic acids. Little change occurs in the total amount of organic material in the system, with decrease in ph . Second phase involves conversion of the organic acids to principally methane and carbon dioxide. The anaerobic process is essentially controlled by the methane producing bacteria. Methane formers are very sensitive to pH, substrate composition, and temperature. If the pH drops below 6,methane formation stops, and there is no decrease in organic content of the sludge. One characteristic of the methane bacteria is that they are hi ghly active in the mesophilic and thermophilic ranges. (Cheremisinoff, 1997) 4.2 Solid Waste Treatment 4.2.1 Composting Composting is the biological decomposition and stabilization of organic substrates. Each gram of decaying compost contains millions of beneficial microorganisms that work to break down organic matter. Of the microorganisms present, 80 to 90 percent are bacteria, including actinomycetes and aerobic bacteria. Aerobic are separated in three different varieties, each of which is active at different phases of the decomposition process. Psychrophilic bacteria (during winter) work on the initial organic matter, at temperatures around 12 degrees Celsius. These bacteria raise the temperature to 20 C, at which time, the mesophilic bacteria take over. These bacteria work at moderate to warm temperatures between 20 and 38 C. At 38 C, the thermophilic bacteria take over, raising the temperature to 70 C. Once this happens, the process starts over again with the addition of new materials. Actinomycete bacteria appear during the late stages of composting to clean up remaining materials that are diff icult for aerobic bacteria to break down. They are responsible for breaking down cellulose, proteins, lignin and starches. References Bitton G., (2010), Activated Sludge Process, in Wastewater Microbiology, 4th Edition, Hoboken, NJ, USA, John Wiley Sons, Inc. Boundless, (2016), Chemoautotrophs and Chemoheterotrophs, Boundless Microbiology, Available from: https://www.boundless.com/microbiology/textbooks/boundless-microbiology-textbook/microbial-metabolism-5/types-of-metabolism-41/chemoautotrophs-and-chemoheterotrophs-285-6153/, [Accessed: 13 January 2017] Chattopadhyay M. and Sengupta D., (2013), Metabolism in bacteria at low temperature: A recent study report., Biosciences, 31, 2, 157-165. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236674848_Metabolism_in_bacteria_at_low_temperature_A_recent_report , [Accessed: 10 January 2017] Cheremisinoff N. P., (1997), Biotechnology for Industrial and municipal wastes, in Biotechnology for Waste and Wastewater Treatment, 1-36 Darakas E., (2016), Environmental Engineering: Process of water and wastewater treatment, Thessaloniki, Sofia Publisher. Horan N., (1989), Biological Wastewater Treatment Systems: Theory and Operation., Chichester, England, Wiley Blackwell. Hurst, C.J. et al., (2002), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 2nd Edition, Washington, ASM Press. Kadner R. J. and Rogers K., (2015), Bacteria. Available from: https://www.britannica.com/science/bacteria/Salt-and-water. [Accessed: 23 December 2017] Lester, J.N. Birkett, J.W., (1999), Microbiology and Chemistry for Environmental Engineers, London, E. F.N. Spon. Maier, E.M. et al, (1999), Environnemental Microbiology, Academic Press Singleton P., (2005), Bacteria in Biology, Biotechnology and Medicine, 6th Edition, Wiley Smith S. R., (2016), Bacteria, Lecture Slides for the course of Microbiology for Environmental Engineering; MSc of Environmental Engineering, London, Imperial College London. Traumann N. and Olynciw E., (1996), Compost Microorganisms, Cornell Waste Management Institue, New York, Available from: http://compost.css.cornell.edu/microorg.html, [Accessed: 10 January 2017]. Yates V. M., Nakatsu C. H., Miller R. V., Pillai S. D., (2016), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 4th Edition, ASM Press Zeikus, J.G., (1979), Thermophilic bacteria: ecology, physiology and technology., Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 1, 4, 243-252. Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0141022979900437?via%3Dihub, [Accessed: 27 December 2016]

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Marketing Analysis of Clarion :: essays research papers

Clarion AM/FM CD Player   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Clarion AM/FM CD Player w/ CD Changer Control that I purchased was manufactured in China. The country of origin shouldn’t be all that surprising to me, since China and Japan are probably the two leading manufacturers when it comes to audio technology in the world today. China has long been ahead of the United States on entertainment technology such as audio players or television sets.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The intended use is obviously to be utilized as a CD deck to be installed into a car’s dashboard component. The box it is contained in is rather simple; a black backdrop with a frontal view of the deck on the front and a strip of red crossing the box diagonally, fading into the black giving it a luminous appearance. Although this packaging design seems almost overly simple, it is its simple ness that appeals to the consumer’s eye. The black backdrop stands out and the red stripe gives it a sleek look that appeals to car owners looking for a new stereo system to place in their car.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I’m not entirely sure how climate considerations or ingredients would figure into a product such as this. As far as the directions for use go, there is a detailed instruction booklet included that contains instructions for setting up the options on the CD Player as well as how to operate its multifunction. There are two languages displayed on the box, English and French, which works well for this area since the proximity to Canada brings in a lot of French-speaking consumers. In other parts of the country however, they may want to add in a Spanish translation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Size and serviceability most probably vary with the place of purchase, the size is adequate for it’s purpose and intended use, there is a warranty you can fill out if you wish, and some places of purchase will install it into your automobile for you. Shipping distance wouldn’t be an issue here since they mass-produce and ship products such as these, and it is not difficult or expensive for a store to acquire more of such a product when it runs out.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Why Are Men and Women Different – Psychological Reasons

It is generally said that â€Å"Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus†. Although both of them belong to the human species, they very much differ from each other, physically, as well as, mentally. Since the start of the human civilization, there has been a never-ending debate if men and women do actually differ or not. They may be equal, but, it’s certain that they are not the same. Men and women differ physically in the several obvious ways. For example, an average man is taller and heavier than an average woman; Men have more bodily hair than women; Men have larger hearts and lungs; Women have breasts to feed the offspring, etc. These physical differences are a result of differential hormonal secretion. The mental differences are a result of the progress in the human life. When humans lived in the forests, at the beginning of the Human life, men and women weren’t much different mentally. Each individual, invariably of whether that was a man or a woman, hunted for feeding himself/herself. The major difference was that women were getting themselves trained at multitasking, by guarding the young ones, as they hunted. They also scored well in teaching, as they taught the survival skills to their children. The forest life ended as they began to form groups and live under the shelter of the caves. There was a change in the lifestyle, since man decided to keep his woman safe at home i. e. the cave. This also helped women in improving their multitasking skills as they cleaned the place, took care of the children and communicated with the neighbours. This also accounts for their excellence in speaking. Men were out to places; As a result, they got acquainted with locales better than women. They observed routes as they needed them for their next hunt. As a result, they were (and are) good in remembering routes. Contrasting multitasking women, men are exceptionally good at concentrating over a single task. This follows from the regular hunting routine which required a lot of concentration and patience to wait until the right time has popped up. As a result, men were better at focusing on the task at hand and completing the job, before moving on to the next one. This also indirectly reduced the speaking skills of men by making a physical change in their brain. The centre responsible for concentration was not big enough to accommodate the improvements in focusing skills. So, it needed to be expanded. But simply expanding the concentration centre would increase the brain size, thus making it crucial for the (male) baby’s head to come out of the mother’s womb. Hence some adjustments are to be made before it could be enlarged. The speaking centre was chosen to be decreased, so as, to increase the centre for concentration due to the fact that being noiseless is one of the most important qualities of a good hunter because the slightest sound made would easily hint the prey. This is why men hardly speak one-third times as much as women per day. Men are good at some chores while women are good at some other. It is important to recognize that neither is better. They are simply wildly different. It is important to accept and respect the differences. This will bring up a better understanding in relationships and eventually improve the quality of life.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Computer background

The booming industry of technology, one would naturally assume that computer literacy is not a problem. However, it is the case that not all of the people have the opportunity to learn the new technological advancement. It has been an issue that computer literacy has a big impact on a person’s capacity to find sufficient jobs. It has been a necessary requirement that one should have a certain background on computer works. It would seem then that being literate with computers had been a forgone issue for a person living in this era. Nonetheless, the issue of computer literacy has always been present. The essential knowledge that a dichotomy of generations is still present should not have been neglected. The problem that could be seen here then is that not all of the previous generations have the sufficient information about computers and other technological advancements. Other people might have the opportunity to learn but others could not cope with the advancement. Main reason for this is the issue of the socioeconomic status that a person might have. Learning to use computers would necessitate the need for computers in the home. Not all of the people though have the same opportunity financially though. At the rate of the fast advancement of computers, it would have been hard to be able to keep up with what ought to be learned. The main issue here then is the socioeconomic status that a person has. Learning could be done through computer classes but having the means to learn is the problem. It would seem that the major hindrance for learning is the monetary issue. But what is socioeconomic status? It is known that this refers to the status or background of person. It is here that a person’s background that includes his/her â€Å"occupation, education, income wealth, and place on residence (â€Å"Socioeconomic Status†)† is scrutinized. In this aspect, there could be those who are deemed to be unfortunate. They are the ones who are usually subjected to the harsh realities in this life. Those who could be considered poor then would have a deprived background. Those who could be considered well-off would have a privileged background. It could be seen here that not all of us has the privilege to have a relatively better socioeconomic status. The benefits of having a better status are countless especially when a person is determined. But determination could not always take us somewhere if we have not had the chances or opportunities in the first place. I was one of the fortunate ones. Growing up in a family whose socioeconomic status is relatively better than others I had the benefit of going to a good school. I had learned to use the computer through school and had the opportune time to practice at home. As a child, I did not think that computers would have to be relevant in my life since all I cared about was fun and games. Computer class was not considered to be fun and games in my book then so I just went to class and tried my best to pass. As I grew older and childishness had deserted me, I have learned the real value of computer classes. I took it seriously and realized that fun and games could also be found in computers. My teachers were drilling in me the basics of computer programs had given me the benefit of being called computer literate. It is not an uncommon knowledge that computer literacy is highly favored nowadays. When I filled out my resume, computer skills or literacy was an important factor. Offices now had long dispatched type writers and replaced it with the more convenient computers. In this time, it is believed that modernization would require the usage of technological aspects and computers are one of them. Computers have been a given necessity that computer illiteracy was a forgotten issue. However, this issue is still in circulation but some would usually shrug at the thought of computer illiteracy. The main culprit here is the presumptuous thinking of the people. They have seemed to have conveniently forgotten those who are down the social triangle. I have come across with other people who did not have the opportunity to learn the ropes of computers let alone had the chance in ever using or touching one. This is not an exaggerated case but this situation usually happens to those who did not have the blessings that I had. This person had to stop going to school so she did not have the opportunity to learn the usage of computers. It was later when she had a family that she realized that her children might suffer the same plight. Although, it would not have been a problem for her since she had managed to send her children to a school that had computer classes. But her frustration came when she would observe her children in front of the computer. Her frustration stemmed out from the fact that she had to learn through her children plus she found computers to be complicated. Generally, a person trying to learn would think it to be complicated but one could not blame him/her. In this case, the woman did not have the opportunity and means to learn since she was busying earning a living. Going back to what I have said earlier, computers had been a prerequisite when it comes to job hunting. The importance that the people had found in computers was due to the dependency that they have about it. My father told me that they did not have to use computers before nor was there a need to use other gadgets before. He usually frowns upon the great importance that people put on computers but in the end he had to learn. The company that he was working for made technological upgrades so he had to learn how to use a computer. Fortunately for my father he had the means to learn and he had his children to teach him. Others would not have been lucky though. Some had a hard time coping with it that soon new employees were easily promoted than them. The company would not always hesitate to do so not because they were not grateful for the loyalty and service but they had to do it for the progress of the company. It was a sad situation but it was inevitable. I think that the booming technologies would not be stopped especially when man thirst for a more unproblematic way of life. It could not be helped and maybe someday soon that what I know about computers would be rustic compared to the younger generations. The best way for me to avoid this is to accommodate the change and change as well. This change would have to be for the betterment of my status in life, work related or not. Work Cited â€Å"Socioeconomic Status.† The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Ed. Jr. E.D. Hirsch, Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil. Third Ed: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.    Â