Global Issues in Crime and Justice: The War and Genocide in Darfur

Global Issues in Crime and Justice The war and genocide in Darfur (Sudan) (2003-2010) The conflict in Darfur officially started in February of 2003 when a rebel group launched an attack on Golo. This rebel group refers to themselves as Sudan Liberation Army (SLA). Not long after, another Darfur rebel group arose, identifying itself as the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The uprisings from the rebel groups, however, did not draw immediate reaction from the Sudanese Government. The turning point for the conflict which led to a war was the raid on al Fashir air base by both the Sudan Liberation Army and Justice and Equality Movement.According to Daly, 2010, military planes and helicopter gunships were destroyed, vehicles and weapons were seized, soldiers were killed and the base commander was captured. The SLA and JEM continued their attacks in Tine, Kutum and Mellit in May 2003. After the attack, the Sudanese government carried out a counter-insurgency campaign by coordinating a à ¢â‚¬Ëœspecial task force’ , composed of Arab militia men named Janjaweed. The Janjaweed militia was backed by government troops. Their task was to attack the Africans in Darfur and destroy their villages.The bombing of villages, rape and mass killing became the means to destroy the Africans in Darfur. Those who survived were displaced from their homes and moved into displacement camps in Sudan. However, assistance provided to the African survivors were minimal, the humanitarian aid workers were aggressively pressured and it was difficult to bring food and medicine supply into the camps. According to Hagan and Rymond-Richmond in 2009, more than 200, 000 displaced persons were pushed over the border into refugee camps in Chad. On the other side, the amount of deaths in Darfur varied.In fall of 2004, World Health Organization (WHO) estimated 70,000 deaths within seven months since the beginning of the war. However, this estimate is likely to only involve people who died in and a round camps. On the other hand, the State Department’s Atrocities Document Survey (ADS) provided data on people who died in the attack but does not include people who died in the camps. To obtain a more accurate picture, Hagan and McCarty (2009) combined the WHO and ADS data. The result is at least 200, 000 people had died in Darfur and the amount could have reached to 400, 000.There were many parties involved in the war and genocide in Darfur but there were definitely only two sides. The first side is the rebel groups, they are Sudan Liberation Army and Justice and Equality Movement. The other side of the conflict is the Janjaweed and the government of Sudan and its troops. The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) was first formed in 2002 by an alliance of Fur and Zaghawa with Abdel Wahid as its first chairman and Abdalla Abaker as its chief of staff. The SLA consisted of Zaghawa and Fur but their relation was sour.The inexperience leadership, disorganized infrastructure and tension and conflict within the SLA only made matters worse. By mid-2003, there were no longer communications made betwen the Zaghawa and the Fur resulting to division of the movement into two groups. After the death of Abdalla Abaker, Minnawi announced himself as the secretary general. There were then two factions of SLA – the SLA under Abdel Wahid and the SLA under Minnawi. The second group that entered the conflict in Darfur in 2003 was the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). Its origin can be traced back to the mid-1990s.Having been marginalized, the Darfurians felt disappointed towards Islamist leaders in Sudan. The group consisted of mainly rebellious members of National Islamic Front in 1989. The JEM was formed in 2001 with Khalil Ibrahim as the leader holding the position of the chairman of the JEM. In response to the rebellion, the Sudanese government created a military force named Janjaweed which consisted of both Arab and Non-Arab groups. The Janjaweed became a ‘sta te security organs’ and the administrative system in Darfur became ‘military command’.They implemented a strategy where attacks would be made on African civilian in their towns and villages. Not only that, the Janjaweed was given a license to kill which allows them to kill and torture whoever they want with no limits imposed. The role of Sudanese government and its army would be to provide assistance to Janjaweed. This include from air support to cleaning up the crime scenes in Darfur. Despite the obvious proofs that genocide had taken place, the Sudanese government claimed that what happened was merely a counter-insurgency tactic to stop the rebellion and the blame was placed on the rebel groups.The rebel groups shared neither the same motivation nor the same goal. However, both SLA and JEM aimed to use armed rebellion as means to achieve their goals. For the SLA, the 1991 rebellion in Darfur convinced them to make changes in Darfur through armed rebellion. They were then motivated by the ideology of the ‘New Sudan’ and so were determined to make the ‘New Sudan’ as their goal. It was a concept suggested by Sudan People’s Liberation Army. It demanded a secular, democratic and decentralized government as well as equality in power and wealth.In contrast, the JEM was motivated by a document that was created in May 2000, The Black Book Imbalance of Power and Wealth in Sudan which gave a clear analysis of the underdevelopment of Darfur and the government’s lack of concern. The group’s goals were to call for ‘radical constitutional reform, regional empowerment and social democaracy’ excluding separation of state and religion. In contrast to SLA, their focus was on Sudan as a whole rather than solely on Darfur. The motivation behind the creation of Janjaweed by the Sudanese government was difficult to establish.The Sudanese government had repeatedly argued that its destructive behavior an d violent attacks on civilians were merely counter-insurgency tactics. However, it is believed that racial intent is used as motivating factor behind the destruction of African groups in Darfur . Daly in 2010 described that the goals of the Sudanese government as well as its troops and Janjaweed were to destroy settlements and property, evacuation of the land by killing the men, women and children or stigmatizing the women by raping them, and forced displacement of the survivors.There were many factors that may have caused the uprisings in Darfur however its immediate cause were the African’s experience of being marginalized, invaded, exploited and neglected. It is reasonable to believe that the factors which led to the formation of rebel group had also resulted to the occurrence of the first event in the war in Darfur: the uprisings. Among the factors were political and economic marginalization experienced by the Darfurians as described in the Black Book.The Sudanese governm ent did little attempt to help the economy of Darfur and the positions in government institution were mainly dominated by those from the Norths and Arabs. Another factor would be the increasing insecurity in Darfur caused by attacks on African villages carried out by Arab nomads. This was the main reason why the Zaghawa joined the Fur to form the SLA. The failure of the Sudanese government to solve the conflict between the Arabs and the African had resulted to a rebellion in 2003. The Sudanese government’s action escalated the rebellion turning it into a war and genocide.The government’s mistake was its failure to acknowledge the rebel groups and accept their demand. Furthermore, its decision to use the Janjaweed militia as a counter-insurgency tactic caused a creation of the ‘worst humanitarian crisis’. It is the way the Sudanese government reacted to the rebellion that based a basis of genocide in Darfur. Apart from the above factors, there were also oth er underlying factors that contribute to the conflict in Darfur. These factors existed long before the start of the rebellions in 2003.These factors include the drought in Darfur since the 1970s which caused a struggle of land and Arab supremacism in Darfur. Tensions between Africans and Arabs burst into violence when Darfur suffered from numerous droughts since the early 1970s. The increasing desertification had resulted to loss of produce, grazing land and livestock. This had caused conflict between the African farmers and Arab herders over territories and access to water. The droughts had forced the Arab herders to intrude on the lands of the African farmers causing a clash between them.The ethnic conflict was further intensified with the introduction of small arms that transformed the means of violence in Darfur. Favored groups were allowed to possess arms for the purpose of self-defense. Unfair policies were introduced to give legal protection to the Arabs and the policy itself undoubtedly showed favoritism towards the Arabs especially over matters relating to land. It is undeniable that the government had played a primary role in stimulating the ethnic conflict. In Darfur, the Arabs were often seen as superior to all others, which make those who are not Arab as inferior.The Arabs in Sudan dominated all aspect of life ranging from politics to social life. The relations between Arabs and Africans in Darfur became even tenser as the ideology of Arab supremacy led to ‘both the demonization and disenfranchisement of certain groups’ , in particular the Africans. One significant factor to include would probably be the disenfranchisement of Darfur. Darfur had been neglected by Sudan. Schools, medical facilities and the roads provided in Darfur were very minimal if compared to those provided in the north of Sudan.Even worst, there was no attempt to include the African in the politic and administration of Darfur or Sudan. The Africans have suffered di scrimination, prejudice and exclusion. These sufferings might have added to the conflicts that turned into rebellions and then war and genocide in 2003. The case of Darfur had frequently been labeled as crime against humanity due to the pattern of mass killing in Darfur. Maier-Katkin et al in 2009 presented a theory to explain the crimes against humanity. There are 6 suggested factors as to how crimes against humanity could have occurred.The first factor is the development of societal strain and anger depression. Secondly, the formation of primary group affiliations where tensions emerged between two groups- between the self and the other, or most commonly known as between us versus them. The third factor is the socialization and normalization of idea in the primary group. The next factor is the continuation of the previous factor, socialization of individuals into roles within the group makes them more incline to conform and follow orders from the authority.The fifth factor is that the possibility of the occurrence of crimes against humanity when there is a technique of neutralization. Lastly, where the target or victim is not threatening, crimes are easier to commit. In the case of Darfur, the second, third, fifth and sixth factor could be applied to explain the crimes of humanity committed against the Africans. Tension had developed between the Africans and Arabs long before the start of the war in 2003. The two groups had always clashed and thus satisfying the second factor.Secondly, the belief of the people in Sudan and Darfur is that Arabs are always superior to the Africans which make the African less valuable to the country. This idea had been normalized into the life of every person in Sudan. Not only that, technique of neutralization had clearly been used by the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed. Racial epithets expressed toward the Africans were commonly heard during the attacks. This is an act of dehumanizing the victims. The sixth factor refer s to the fact that the victims in the case of Darfur are civilian.They do not have the means to attack back and therefore no risk is associated with the perpetrators. Denials were used by the Government of Sudan in response to its Human Right violation. Stanley Cohen in 2001 presented 6 types of denial: denial of knowledge, denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of the victim, condemnation of the condemners, appeal to higher loyalty and moral indifference. It is possible that the Janjaweed and military forces of the Sudanese government had relied on the denial of responsibility and victim to justify their destructive actions.Whereas the Government of Sudan may have justified their action based on denial of knowledge, denial of victim and the condemnation of the condemners. Other than committing a crime against humanity, the Janjaweed had also committed crimes of obedience by following the order of Sudanese government to attack African civilian. No attempts were made to c hallenge the authority and the decision to obey was not done out of fright towards the government but was likely to be caused by hatred that developed between the ethnic lines. BibliographyCohen, S. , 2001. States of Denial. Cambridge University Press. Daly, M. W. , 2010. Darfur’s Sorrow: The Forgotten History of a Humaniatarian Disaster. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press. Flint, J. , Darfur’s Armed Movement. In: A. De Waal, ed. 2007. War in Darfur and the Search for Peace. Harvard University Press, p 140-172 Hagan, J. , Rymond-Richmond, W. , and Parker, P. , 2005. The Criminology of Genocide: The Death and Rape of Darfur, Criminology, 43(3), p 525. Haggar, A. , The Origins and Organization of the Janjawiiid in Darfur.In: A. De Waal, ed. 2007. War in Darfur and the Search for Peace. Harvard University Press, p 113-139 Hagan, J. and Rymond-Richmond, W. , 2009. Darfur and the Crime of Genocide. New York: Cambridge University Press. Maier-Katkin, D. , Mears, D. P. , and Bernard, T. J. , (2009) Towards a Criminology of Crimes Against Humanity, Theoretical Criminology 13(2) p 227-256 McCarty, B. and Hagan, J. , Counting the Deaths in Darfur Pitfalls on the Pathway to a Public Sociology. In V. Jeffries, ed. 2009. Handbook of Public Sociology.United States: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. p 319-337 Tar, U. A. , 2006. Old Conflict, New Complex Emergency: An Analysis of Darfur Crisis, Western Sudan, Nordic Journal of African Studies, 15(3), p 406-427 Totten, S. , The Darfur Genocide. In: S. Totten and W. S. Parsons, ed. 2009. Century of Genocide: Critical essays and Eyewitness Accounts. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge. Tubiana, J. , A Conflict for Land? In: A. De Waal, ed. 2007. War in Darfur and the Search for Peace. Harvard University Press, p 68-91

The 19th Century American Art described Naturalism as

The 19th Century American Art described Naturalism as: Life imitating nature and the artists of this period began focusing on â€Å"real life† situations.   Naturalism literature began to flourish after the civil war and after the most loved Romanticism and Victorian literature.   Naturalism focuses on the lower to middle class man in which he is a futile figure of a domineering universe of a hostile nature.   Some sort of struggling for the fittest and the strong and predestined are the only sure winner.The Ambrose Bierce story at Owl Creek Bridge is told by a third party narrator. For a simple reason that a man who is dead cannot narrate his own death?   It says nothing more of a man named Peyton Fahrquhar, a planter from a respected Alabama family; the author even distinguishes him as a gentleman which befits his physical appearance.   Despite of the man’s description, the person in the story seemed to die a futile death giving stress on the character of na turalism to which man is unimportant as quoted by the narrator below:†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"he   . . original secessionist   Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ devoted to the Southern cause. Circumstances of an imperious nature, which it is unnecessary to relate here, had . . . .army which had fought the disastrous campaigns †¦ (Bierce, 2004)Cynical, skeptical or mocking characteristics is vividly present along these lines,â€Å"To be hanged and drowned,† he thought, â€Å"that is not so bad; but I do not wish to be shot. No; .. not be shot; that is not fair.†(Bierce, 2004)The story dealt more on the agonizing death of a person but it was more descriptive than sentimental.   It is an unwanted way of dying and yet there is no reason to stop it.The entire theme below is focused on someone who has experienced a few moments of life before death and another few moments after dying.   His soul seemed to search and in a way could not even tell he is really dead. The story of the life of Peyton is a step by step narrative about the ironies of violent death, as if a man could account of his own dying which can be paraphrased:â€Å"To die of hanging at the bottom of a river! — the idea seemed to him ludicrous. He opened his eyes in the darkness †¦above him a gleam of light, but how inaccessible! He was still sinking, for the light became fainter †¦.mere glimmer.†(Bierce, 2004)â€Å"His neck ached horribly; his brain was on fire, his heart, – fluttering faintly, gave a great leap, trying to force itself out at his mouth. His whole body was –   wrenched with an insupportable anguish! â€Å"(Bierce) 2004.The two lines below were skillfully drawn by the author and I must say that he has expertly given the most significant characteristic to the story by defining life and imitating nature.   He uses the forest and trees, even the detail of a leaf and those that inhabits itincluding the morning dewdrops.   He described nature just as he des cribes a new life that is to be unfolding.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ the forest on the bank of the stream – trees, the leave ,, veining of each leaf — he saw the very insects †¦ noted the prismatic colors in all the dewdrops †¦million blades of grass. The –   gnats that danced..the eddies . . . the beating of the dragon flies' wings, the strokes – water spiders' legs, like oars which had lifted their boat — all these made audible music.†(Bierce)2004.â€Å"A fish slid along beneath his eyes and he heard the rush of its body parting the water.†(Bierce) 2004.This brief sentence above almost completed the story the author wanted to conclude, that death has come and the heavens could be so near.   As if describing that the soul came out from the eye and it moves thru the waters.   Bierce in his few words was able to describe a real life situation which is one of the most interesting characteristic of a naturalistic piecework.  Ã‚   Tha t after life naturally comes death.â€Å"Peyton Fahrquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side †¦beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge.†(Bierce) 2004.Though the whole work is a literary genius, it leaves a mark of pessimism on the part of the reader. Pessimism in the sense that the character of the story was never given a chance. He was doomed simply because of a circumstance that is beyond the control of the person being told.   There was no hope but a dream or it could be real that the character’s soul transcended only to be able to look for his love ones. Even in this scene we can see that there is a big division.   There is desire to be with someone and yet the story emphasizes more on losing. The sad part of it is for an observer to have an impression that not all prayers are answered and an urgent question that need to be asked – where is God why did he allowed such fate?REFEENCES:Bierce,   2004 A. An Occurrence A t Owl Creek Bridge [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 24 September 2007 from

Agroclimate Factors of Oil Palm in Nigeria

Agroclimate Factors of Oil Palm in Nigeria EFE S. I. AWARITEFE O. D. ABSTRACT . Using multiple correlation analysis and student ‘t’test, the Agroclimate factors of Oil Palm production was examined for ten years periods. Result showed that Agroclimate factors (sunshine, temperature and rainfall) are highly correlated with oil palm yield. This is evident from a multiple correlation of 74%. It was also observed that oil palm yield is more in the dry season than in the wet season. INTRODUCTION Any agricultural system is a man-made ecosystem that depends on climate to function just like the natural ecosystem. The main climatic elements that affect crop production are solar radiation, temperature and moisture. These climatic parameters and other depend on them, largely determine the global distribution of crops yield and livestock (Ayoade, 1993). He stresses further that climate elements exert an influenced on all stages of the agricultural production chain, including land preparation, sowing, crop growth and manageme nt, harvesting, storage, transport and marketing. This view has earlier be noted by Oguntoyinbo (1983) when he attributed the donation of the cocoa and kola-nut belt in southwest, oil palm bush in southeast and the north south ridge of river Niger comprising area of groundnut, cotton and rice cultivation to these climate vagaries. However, climate influence on oil palm has attracted the attention of some scholars over the years. Amongst whom are Manning (1956), Broekman (1963), Oshodi (1966); and Hartley (1988). An examination of their views shows that Manning (1956), outlined the rainfall requirements of selected food and commercial crops grown in West Africa, and he opined that the mean annual rainfall for oil palm is between 1500— 3000mm in West African Countries. Devuyst (1963) correlated oil palm yield with the influence of rainfall alone; using the concept of useful rainfall. His work however showed a positive correlation. He regarded rainfall as the sole agent influenc ing oil palm yield, and consequently considers any yield maxima to originate in wet season. Broekman (1963) accepted the view of Devuyst but differs in his finding. He stressed that dry season rainfall is positively correlated with oil palm yield. To him, it is reasonable to except that the amount of rainfall during the dry season will be of particular importance, as moisture is a limiting factor during this period. On the other hand, Oshodi (1966) computed the effective growth energy index for some selected crops in Nigeria. The index was however based on only temperature and rainfall. The Effective Growth Energy (E.G.E) for oil palm in Nigeria is 250-300Â °F. Harley (1988) stated that oil palm yields are correlated with dry season rainfall with measures of effective sunshine, which take into account the distribution of such rainfall in’ the dry season. It is clear from the foregoing that rainfall and temperature correlation with oil palm has been substantiated, however, th e relationship between sunshine and oil palm yield, as well as the joint contribution of sunshine, rainfall and temperature, has not be substantiated. Similarly there are divergent views on the relationship between the seasons and oil palm yield. Also, since the establishment of Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) in 1939 there have been a relative neglect in the development of Agroclimatological Research Unit in the institute. While other research units (Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Engineering Research, Agronomy, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Extension and On-Farm Adaptive Research, Entomology, Plant Breeding, Plant Pathology, Plant Physiology and Statistics) have been developed. What exists in that unit is a dilapidated weather station where climate data’s are collected and never used for research purposes. So, the present study of Agroclimatic factors of oil palm yield in Nigeria is borne out of the desire not only to fill the above gaps, but to proffer use ful suggestion that will guide both the oil palm farmers, and the NIFOR officials on the need to plan with the climate of the area. Therefore, the aim of the study is to examine the extent to which temperature, sunshine and rainfall correlate with oil palm yield.

Crime and punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Crime and punishment - Essay Example Christian’s study was ethnographic in nature. The study involved observation of families as they travel to various New York prisons to visit their loved ones. The study also involved observation of family members during family support group meetings for prisoners’ families and related activities for a period of 200 hours (Christian 35). In addition, the study involved open-ended interviews with prisoners’ family members. The interviews featured 19 family members with the samples comprising girlfriends, wives, one brother, and mothers (Christian 35). The study established that many prisoners are never visited by their family members for a variety of reasons. Some of the main reasons behind this trend include financial constraints, distance between home and prison, severed or strained relationships with the person incarcerated, and issues related to prison bureaucracy. As such, the study reveals that visiting a prisoner involves the expenditure of finance, time, energy, and other resources (Christian 44). The study established that the family members that visit their loved ones in prison do so for a variety of reason including: to provide moral support to the prisoner; to watch over the prison system against mistreating prisoners; to secure hope for a different future (parole), and to provide basic needs to the prisoners (Christian 40-44). The study further established that the relationships between prisoners and their family members are fluid and change over time. The research reveals that incarceration has unintended consequences on families as some people end up severing their relations with prisoners (Christian, 46). The relations are also affected due to the high demands associated with prison visits. Yet another factor that affects families’ visits relate to their relationship with the prisoner before incarceration and the prisoner’s efforts toward self rehabilitation. Christian’s study which

Enabling others Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Enabling others - Essay Example Such an endeavour requires an ability to facilitate motivating and interesting learning opportunities for the students. A practice teacher is often required to lead by example, so far as the task of adhering to fundamental skills and values of positive social work in the face of ever present and fast altering organizational structures and resource constraints is concerned (Doel & Shardlow 2005). Practice teaching is not merely confined to a mechanistic assessment, but is a responsibility highly dependent on a continuous skill accumulation and an ability to access and analyze a range of information and data on a daily basis (Lawson 1998). Though in the contemporary context, the role of a practice teacher is increasingly subject to change, it would not be wrong to claim that the practice teachers do have a pivotal role to play in the future of social work. Teaching Adult Learners Being an effective practice teacher requires being conversant with the apt adult learning theories and an a bility to understand as to how the adult students learn and respond. Most of the adult students are endowed with many abilities and do prefer to perform by using their own innate talent (Merriam 2001). Hence, a practice teacher is required to act more as a facilitator with a thorough knowledge of the skills required to engage the adult students in the learning process. It is vital for a practice teacher to solicit the students’ views and perspectives regarding varied tasks and to allocate to them those tasks and responsibilities that are in consonance with their aptitude and interests (Merriam 2001). It really pays to allow the participants assume group leadership and responsibility while retaining a mentoring eye and approach. Merely trying to provide the adult students with dry facts, data and information proves to be counterproductive, unless it is not accompanied by a positive encouragement to use their own knowledge and research skills (Jackson 2009). Above all, a practi ce teacher is always bound by the specific responsibility to convince the students that the skills and the training being impacted by one will effectively help them achieve their goals in the long run (Woodard 2007). Not holding an appropriate sense of respect towards the adult students is the biggest mistake that a practice teacher is often prone to make. It is essential for a practice teacher to respect and acknowledge the rich experience that a participant brings to a situation and task (Brookfield 2005). Adult students should preferably be treated with a sense of equality and respect in the context of their knowledge and experience and must be allowed to freely express their opinions regarding goals, aspirations, situations and issues (Brookfield 2005). Besides, the main thing that needs to be remembered is that adult learners are always pragmatic in their approach towards skills and knowledge accumulation. Hence, they concentrate more on those knowledge and skills that is of im mediate relevance to their goals and objectives (Foley 2004). Their attitude towards knowledge is defined by practicality. Therefore, it gets very important for a practice teacher to explain to the adult learners as to how the information and inputs being impacted by one will help them in the actual job scenarios (Foley 2004). As already said

Congenital Hypothyroidism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Congenital Hypothyroidism - Essay Example Those causing the latter are the thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin genes. These genes were initially described, but, most recently PDS (Pendred syndrome), NIS (sodium iodide symporter), and THOX2 (thyroid oxidase 2) gene defects were also published. Figure2: Cartoon of the TSH receptor showing the positions of all the loss of function mutations reported to date. Missense mutations are shown in the circles, frameshift and deletion mutations are indicated by arrows, and splice site mutations aremarked. Chatterjee) Figure 3: A proposed algorithm for investigating the genetic basis of congenital hypothyroidism. AHO, Albright hereditary osteodystrophy; CH, congenital hypothyroidism; GNAS, stimulatory G protein a subunit gene; NIS, sodium-iodide symporter gene; PAX-8, human Pax-8 gene; PDS, Pendred syndrome gene; TFTs, thyroid function tests; TG, thyroglobulin gene; THOX2, thyroid oxidase 2; TIOD, total iodide organification defect; TITF-1, human TTF-1 gene; TITF-2, human TTF-2 gene; TPO, thyroid peroxidase gene; TSHR, TSH receptor gene; USS, ultrasound scan. (Chatterjee) Figure 4: The Hypothalamic -pituitary thyroid axis and known genetic defects associated with CHT. (Vono-Toniolo and Kopp) Figure5.Mitogenic pathways in the thyroid. Data from the thyroid cell systems are integrated into the present general scheme of cell proliferation cascades. (CONTROL OF GROWTH AND DIFFERENTIATION ) Figure 6: Overview of gene therapeutic approaches for thyroid cancer (Spitzweg and Morris) Table: 1 Phenotypes of TR knockout animals. (Brent) Bibliography Brent, Jung-Hsin Hsu and Gregory A. "Thyroid Hormone Receptor Gene Knockouts ." Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism (1998): 103-111. Chatterjee, Park SM and VKK. "Genetcis of Congenital hypothyroidism." J.. Med Genetics (2005): 379-389. "CONTROL OF GROWTH AND DIFFERENTIATION ." Thyroid Manager. 06 04 2008 . Spitzweg, Christine and John C. Morris. "Gene Therapy for Thyroid Cancer: Current Status and Future Prospects." Thyroid (204): 434-434. Vono-Toniolo, Jussara and Peter Kopp. "Thyroglobulin gene mutations and other genetic defects associated with congenital hypothyr

Included in the description Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Included in the description - Research Paper Example Also this exhibition was repeated in different cities in each country to different audiences and their reaction also recorded. Also the videos from each country were shown to the audiences from the other two countries and their responses also recorded. The outsider opinions were used to determine the cultural differences among pre-school learning processes in the three countries. This final video is a compilation of all those recordings. Constructivism Constructivism is a learning theory, which says that human beings make out meanings by way of the interaction between their behavioral characteristics and their experiences. This process is known to happen from infancy and hence constructivist approach in learning, puts at the pivotal point, child play. Child play is supposed to be the first step of cognitive development of an individual. Constructivist theory also suggests that there are two processes through which each individual makes meaning out of his/her experiences, namely, acco mmodation and assimilation. Assimilation is the process by which the child or individual absorbs certain new information and incorporates that into the pre-existing meaning structures in his/her mind. The new information just fits into the existing network. But in accommodation, the individual is confronted with a new meaning that is contradictory to his/her existing internal meaning structures. So the individual just reframes those structures so that the new information can be included without contradiction. The basic premise of this theory is the notion, learning by being actively involved in some activity. The constructivist approach demands active learners with care to be taken of the cultural background and individuality and also the role of teachers limited to being facilitators. The most constructivist classroom among the three is the Japanese classroom (Pre-school in Three Cultures). Here, the children are given the freedom to develop into active learners by blending their e xperiences with their own behavioral patterns. This is a major aspect of constructivist approach. The role of the teacher is very limited, again a constructivist theory-based approach. Even when a child misbehaves, he is not disciplined but is left with a choice to learn proper behavior from his fights with other kids (Pre-school in Three Cultures). The teaching method is solely activity based. In the morning, children exercise, then they are given interesting activities like coloring, and origami and during the playtime, they are left on their own to learn how to create friendship and handle difficult situations like a fight. In this manner, a totally free interaction of behavior and experience is facilitated which is the key concept in constructivist approach. By giving activity-based lessons, the children are motivated to find out their own potential. The situation in the school is a perfect balance between formal and informal learning so that there is optimal opportunity for cog nitive learning. The origami lessons are particularly helpful in motivating the children and also make them realize their hidden talent (Pre-school in Three Cultures). Whenever there is a problem for a child in doing an entrusted activity, individual attention is imparted to the child. This is also a practice in coherence with the principles of

Reflective summary on Managing Diversity in Business Essay

Reflective summary on Managing Diversity in Business - Essay Example Examine that how this course helps me to analyse discrimination against women and ethnic minorities. Develop a broader perspective in relation to the benefits of this course. Reflective Analysis I selected the course of Managing Diversity in Business mainly due to two reasons. Firstly, diversity has become an unavoidable characteristic of almost any work group in the countries like UK due to globalisation and immigration. Secondly, I wished to know that what effects gender has in creating diversities; or how women are treated in a demographically diverse setting. While choosing the course, I wanted to get more knowledge in the areas I stated above. However, as I covered the course I came to know about certain perspectives, theories and information which raised some questions and issues in my mind. My initial observations had already revealed that the course highlighted some practical aspects of the corporate world. I often recall the story of one of my friends, who had found a respec table job in a reputed corporation. She was skilled and sincere; and she belonged from an ethnic minority community. At work, her ethnic and sexual identity gradually emerged as her drawback. Her superior, who was also a member of the board of directors, often harassed her sexually during the duty hours. At first, she complained to the Human Resource (HR) Manager, but her application was not processed. The HR Manager took it as a trivial issue and her superior continued to harass her even before her colleagues. In the department, her colleagues were all males and those who belonged from her community were on work visa. Therefore, nobody protested either due to racial contempt or because of fear. Finally, when she warned her superior and the HR Manager that she would seek police intervention and write to the human rights groups, she was sacked on the plea of theft and a false complaint was lodged against her. Consequently she lost her job and could not proceed to court lest she was b lacklisted in the industry. The lesson learned from such stories as that of my unfortunate friend is that ethnic minority women have almost no voice in the HR management system. Through the lecture on ethnic minority women and the suggested readings, my thoughts and indirect experiences regarding discrimination against ethnic minority women were reinforced. When it comes to racial segregation and sexual abuse, HR managers often tend to neglect the victims (Kamenou and Fearfull, 2006). So the main question regarding discrimination against women is that how can we erect an unbiased corporate HRM culture and what legal, social and technical constraints it might face? Moreover, will the Government take a sympathetic approach in this regard? Organisations like Runnymede Trust, Amnesty International, etc. are tirelessly working to raise and resolve these issues. Through the lecture on race and ethnicity, I came to know that over 300 assaults on Muslims in UK had taken place since the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. An interesting detail on Islamophobia further reveals that racial intolerance combined with gender discrimination creates highly complicated situation for the Muslim women in the Western countries (Runnymede Trust, 1997). Hence, public awareness is needed most. I think that this course has finally reinforced my

Manage diversity in the workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Manage diversity in the workplace - Essay Example Maintaining a diverse base of customers so that the organization doesn’t get identified as a niche firm, offering products to only a certain set of people. The company follows a recruitment policy that includes people from several regions of the world. This policy helps the organization to address the needs of the customers belonging to the various parts of the international market. The organization puts much emphasis on the welfare of women and the under-privileged section of the society which assigns a social purpose for their functioning. The organization doesn’t support any kind of discrimination and thus considers racism, sexism, ageism etc as problems for both the organization and the society as a whole. The diversity champions of the organization range from the top level positions to the shop floor employees. A diversity committee has been formed by the company that ensures the implementation of the diversity policy in the day to day operations of the business an d also in the strategic planning of the organization. Training and development facilities are provided to the employees where they learn to cope with the people belonging to the various diversified backgrounds. The organization offers other services like flexible working hours, employee education assistance, open communication, childcare assistance and the mentor programmes. The weakness of the policy- As we can see that the organization has introduced several policies supporting the diversity within the workplace therefore it is must for them to maintain a conflict resolution system. The organization has to deal with people and it’s very common that where there are individuals coming from diverse backgrounds, there are high chances that conflicts can arise at any time. Different people with different culture and point of views could be confused, threatened or even annoyed by each other in the team, from views and background different from their own. It could create disagreem ents and disturbed political atmosphere that might slow down project advancements. The organization should create an environment of tolerance and understanding in the team. They should also encourage the employees to adopt this mindset, to challenge their belief system and to be open-minded enough to hear each of the members’ view. It will help members realize that there isn’t only one way of thinking. The managers need to accept that they can’t make everyone think and act like they do. They need to be attentive to verbal and nonverbal cues that might course tension. For example, â€Å"Pointing with one finger is considered to be rude in some cultures and Asians typically use their entire hand to point to something.† And In Western culture, eye contact means you’re attentive and honest; yet for a Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, or Native American, eye contact is thought to be disrespectful or rude. Managers should be aware of this kind of things a nd get people in team to understand different cultures in order to make the team run well without struggles (Universim, 2012). Also the organization lacks proper human resource staffs that will be looking after the employee grievance system, address their personal and professional issues, focus on the employee engagement aspects, and must ensure that the concept of equal treatment of employees must not make the more talented individuals feel de-motivated. The issue that women employees are lesser in number at the

Community School Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Community School Model - Essay Example It involves the integration between community development, social and health services, family support, youth development, and academics. These schools’ organization is based on aiding students in learning, strengthening communities and families and succeeding. They also act as community centres for the provision of services catering for student learners and erection of bridges connecting communities, families, and schools. Not only do these schools provide an environment for the promotion of academic excellence, but they also provide services in mental health, physical health, and social services within the campus. As a result, the schools emerge as community hubs, which act as one-stop places for the provision of diverse needs that help the child achieve the best outcome possible. This paper seeks to describe the Full Service Community Schools and discuss its suitability for post-secondary settings. There are assumptions that schools are only meant for the service of deliveri ng academic skills and that the most effective way of developing a young person into capable and competent adult is by academic methods. However, it is also important to develop the youth emotionally and socially into capable and competent adults who are ready to be integrated into the workforce and be functional informed citizens (Cummings, 2011). The main ideal behind full service schools is that youths are best served when all concerned adults are brought together centrally. This facilitates the collaboration and communication of these select adults to cater for the youth’s needs in the development. The FSCS model has its basis in youth development research, after-school fields, and education. FSCSs are schools that have social service, wellness, behavioural health, enrichment, and academic components (Cummings, 2011). They open way past the regular school hours and their target markets for services and programs include community members, families, and parents. The model c an be implemented with the help of a partnership with local non-profit organizations. Through this, the school becomes a local hub for growth of relationships between organizations dealing with youth development, volunteers, students, families, and local businesses. Of special importance are the after-school enrichment and academic programs (Cummings, 2011). Participation in after-school programs develop youths positively by bettering school attendance, improving schoolwork attitudes, higher college aspirations, improved work habits and interpersonal skills, reduction in rates of dropout, and improved grades. Youths spend most of their time in school buildings and thus everything the student needs should be provided, at least in part, by the school (Dryfoos & Maguire, 2007). It allows parents the freedom not to re-arrange work schedules to care for the child, like taking them to a dentist, since these professionals are made available to the school. Family or individual health servic es for mental health are made available in the school. Most FSCS schools have a parent or family rooms where guardians or parents can talk freely and informally. In these classes, information on the insurance application, enrolment in classes for parent education, and participation in other adult enrichment activities is availed to the parents. Full Service Community Schools are built and designed on five conditions identified by the coalition for community schools aimed at creating an environment for

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Critical Lens Essay Example for Free

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Critical Lens Essay Antoine de Saint-Exupery stated, â€Å"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly†. He implies that humans understand and comprehend the world by different means and rely on different sources to provide the truth. People use their senses, reasoning, emotion, and what others have taught them. However, Antoine de Saint-Exupery expressed that in order to understand something for what it is truly, emotion is the most truthful and applicable source of knowledge. This source implies that what is true is equal to what is morally correct and just. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s statement is true and this is represented by the thoughts and actions of the characters throughout Mark Twain’s novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the beginning of the novel Huck Finn is not able to â€Å"see† with his heart because he is taught how to see every other way possible. Therefore he is conflicted and unable to see things for what they actually are. Miss Watson is Huck’s teacher and she symbolizes conventional education. She teaches Huck to view things based on societal norms, this is exemplified by her teachings of Christianity and etiquette. Christianity in its simplest form is a religion based on love, forgiveness, and purity. Overtime the religion was misrepresented and misinterpreted by many people. Heaven, or according to Huck, â€Å"the good place†, became some kind of a finish line to the competitive mindset of humans, and also sinning became a very shallow part of the religion. Not meeting the proper standards of society was considered a sin. Mark Twain uses satire to mock how people have changed an innocent sanctity into a competitive and shallow establishment. Miss Watson is reprimanding Huck and explains to him the â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† places, and how if he always misbehaves then he will not be able to go to the good place. He thinks to himself, â€Å"Now she had got a start, and she went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to there was to go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn’t think much of it† (Twain 4). This shows how Huck was misled and he was not taught how to see with his heart, he was taught very simply, like Miss Watson when she was taught all of this information. Therefore he is not able to see Christianity for what it truly is, and not taught to see with his heart. When Huck became free from other influences and the conventional society that indoctrinated him before, he started to learn how to make decisions based upon emotion, and evidence shows that these actions he took were morally correct and right. Huck’s character completely changes when he gained the ability to act on his emotional connection to something as opposed to the societal mask that hides the truth. This character change is exemplified when Huck was faced with an internal conflict. When on the raft to freedom with Miss Watson’s runaway slave, Jim, he started to worry about whether or not he was doing the moral thing by helping Jim escape. He couldn’t decide if doing wrong by Miss Watson, who had never done anything to him, was worse than doing wrong by Jim, who, although had become his friend, was still a â€Å"nigger†. The conflict inside Huck’s head worsened when Jim expressed his gratitude, â€Å"’Pooty soon I’ll be a-shout’n for joy, en I’ll say, it’s all on account o’ Huck; I’s a free man, en I couldn’t ever ben free ef it hadn’t ben for Huck; Huck done it. Jim won’t ever forgit you, Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s de only fren’ ole Jim’s got now. ’ I was paddling off, all in sweat to tell on him; but when he says this, it seemed to kind of take the tuck all out of me† (Twain 83). Eventually when Huck was forced to decide whether or not to turn in Jim, he decided to not and to continue helping him to freedom. Huck therefore decided against the societal establishment of slavery, obviously an immoral practice, and chose to listen to his emotions, which allowed him to understand what was actually morally just. When Huck and Jim were not on the raft, and landed ashore, morals became unclear. Mark Twain made the land symbolize social injustices and immoral societal conventions, and when Huck and Jim went on shore, they were exposed to people that were meant to represent all inequalities and immorality that were present at that time. Huck met a family that had a family rivalry based on an issue that neither of the family remembered. Twain meant to signify these families as nonsensical and ridiculous, and within the family were â€Å"star-crossed lovers† of some sort. These characters are meant to contrast the stupidity of each of their families and symbolize that understanding the world through love and other emotions is the most truthful way of seeing. Also, ignoring social pretense in order to do what is morally right was represented towards the end of the novel, when Huck decided to once again help Jim escape from slavery. He expressed a conflict that he had between what he sees is right through society’s eyes, and what he sees is right through his own emotions. He couldn’t choose what to do, but finally decided on taking the risk of freeing Jim himself. When conflicted he thought, â€Å"I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life, and I knowed I could pray now. But I didnt do it straight off, but laid the paper down and set there thinking- thinking how good it was all this happened so, and how near I come to being lost and going to hell. And went on thinking. And got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me, all the time; in the day, and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a floating along, talking, and singing, and laughing. But somehow I couldnt seem to strike no places to harden me against him, but only the other kind. Id see him standing my watch on top of hisn, stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him agin in the swamp, up there where the feud was; and such-like times; and would always call me honey, and pet me, and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had smallpox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one hes got now; and then I happened to look around, and see that paper. It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a trembling, because Id got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: ‘All right, then, Ill go to hell’- and tore it up† (Twain 193). Huck saw with his heart and was then able to make the most ethical assessment. He also understood the truth behind Christianity and morality itself; not simply the shallow and conventional representation that he was taught. Therefore, Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s statement, â€Å"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly† is true and is exemplified through Huckleberry Finn and his growth and maturity as he unveils what is truly moral. He ignored the influences of society that cause people to overlook emotion and discovered what was right.

Man Should Learn to Cook Essay Example for Free

Man Should Learn to Cook Essay It’s been proven time after time: cooking at home is vastly healthier than eating out, especially if â€Å"eating out† means grabbing fast food. At home, you can control the ingredients used and the cooking methods. There are no hidden ingredients in your kitchen. You’ll be leaner, more muscular, and healthier. And there’s nothing manly about a guy that’s weak and sickly. A Man Provides For Himself And Others Remember that bit about independence above? Well, along with being able to provide for himself, a man that can cook can provide for the most important people in his life – his family and friends. Providing food for others has long been a manly trait, from our hunter-gatherer days of bringing home the mastodon, through modern times when most of the renowned chefs in the world are males. The ability to put together a complete meal when your wife is sick or tired (or sick and tired, probably of your crap) is very manly. A Man Spends Time With His Family Want to be involved in your kids’ lives? Spend time with them. Want to find out about the new boy your daughter has been hanging out with or what your son is doing after school? Spend some time with them. No one could possibly argue that it’s unmanly to spend time with one’s wife and kids. I saw several commenters talk about how cooking or grilling allows them to spend quality time with their kids. So what about being able to provide them with a tasty dinner, while talking to them about their day at school or work? Better yet, spend time with them in the kitchen. You can teach them the necessary skills to be healthy and independent while also being a father. Imagine raising a son that isn’t afraid to turn on the oven, that is comfortable wielding a knife, chopping vegetables, and understands how to saute an onion. Imagine him being able to select and combine herbs and spices. Imagine him teaching these same traits to your grandkids. Be A Man: Learn To Cook So in the end, is it manly to cook? I think it’s unmanly not to be able to cook. I grew up in a household where my Step-dad could flat out throw down in the kitchen. The role of male cooking in the household wasn’t restricted o lighting a grill and slapping down a slab of beast. So what does it take to be a decent cook? It’s really quite simple. Can you read? If you can read, you can cook. All you have to be able to do is measure a few ingredients and follow some simple instructions. After a little while following someone else’s directions (ask for favorite recipes from your Mom, Grandma, and if you were lucky enough to have a dad that cooked, Dad), you’ll learn what flavors you like and figure out how to incorporate them into your own recipes. Deference to someone that knows more than you and experimentation, are yet two more manly traits that go with cooking. The real key to cooking is simply advanced preparation. The ability to think ahead, spend 45 minutes in the grocery store with a list, and pull together the necessary meats and vegetables for your week of cooking makes it easy to be sure Ramen and a can of tuna doesn’t become Tuesday night’s dinner. So sharpen your knives, stock the fridge, and get to cooking. Really, the worst thing that’s going to happen is that you’ll eat something that doesn’t taste very good a few times.

Strain Gauge Laboratory Exercise

Strain Gauge Laboratory Exercise An investigation into the effects of electronic circuits on the accuracy of weight measurement and how these results relate to material properties Instrumentation systems are necessary in industry to provide accurate and reliable measurements of various quantities, as well as monitoring and controlling processes. In this experiment, strain gauge sensors were attached to a cantilever beam upon which a varying load was applied and the output voltage recorded in order to estimate the mass of an unknown object. This was done for four separate electrical circuits, involving potential dividers and Wheatstone bridges, to compare their respective accuracies in measuring the unknown mass. The obtained results were also used to calculate an estimate for the Youngs Modulus of the steel beam, which was found to be 46.6 GPa. This differed greatly from the expected value of 200 GPa due to the irregular thickness of the beam, which affected the calculated results for the stress and highlighted the need to reduce sources of error before and during experiments. An instrumentation system is a collection of instruments used to measure, monitor and control a process. (1) These systems are regularly used for a variety of measurements in industries including communications, defence and engineering systems. The instrumentation systems involved in these measurement processes usually comprise of a sensor and appropriate electronic circuitry to manipulate and process the signal. Utilisation of these systems in industry is rapidly increasing as they continue to increase productivity and quality through the reduction of human error in the measurements made. The strain gauge is one of the most important sensors regarding the measurement of mechanical quantities. A strain gauge is a sensor whose resistance varies with applied force. (2) The variation in length produced by the force causes a change in electrical resistivity across the gauge which can be measured and used to calculate values of stress and strain. This report investigates the effects of different electronic circuits on the accuracy of weight measurement using strain gauge sensors on a cantilever beam and a comparison between experimental and theoretical results for Youngs Modulus. The different circuits considered are: a potential divider circuit a Wheatstone bridge circuit in quarter bridge configuration a Wheatstone bridge circuit in half bridge configuration a Wheatstone bridge and amplifier circuit A cantilever beam is a beam anchored only at one end, as shown in figure 1 below. As stated in the introduction, the application of a force on the beam alters its length which subsequently changes the strain gauge resistance. This change in resistance is given by:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (equation 1) where R is the resistance of the gauge, à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  R is the change in resistance, is the gauge factor (which is 2 throughout this experiment) and ÃŽ µ is the strain. In the potential divider set up illustrated below in figure 2, the 1.5kÃŽ © resistor is in series with the strain gauge and, as the resistance across the strain gauge varies with the load applied, the voltage across the strain gauge will also change. This voltage can be measured and used to calculate the strain on the beam. Deformation to the strain gauge through the applied force generates a very small change in resistance, causing only a very small change in voltage for the masses added. For this reason, it is more accurate to measure the change in voltage instead of the overall output voltage. This can be achieved through the use of a circuit known as a Wheatstone bridge. A Wheatstone bridge contains two simple series-parallel arrangements of resistances connected between a voltage supply terminal and ground producing zero voltage difference between the two parallel branches when balanced. (3) The arrangement of this is shown in figure 3 below: For this investigation, the bridge is arranged in two different configurations, quarter bridge and half bridge, changing the number of arms made active. The bridge is originally balanced so the resistances in the lower and upper arms of each adjacent sides are equal, giving a 0V output. Therefore, a change in resistance of one of the active arms as the beam deforms gives rise to a voltage output à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  V which can be measured through equation 2:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (equation 2) where V is the bridge excitation voltage, R is the gauge resistance, à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  R is the change in resistance and K = for a quarter bridge set up and for a half bridge set up. Equation 1 and equation 2 can then be combined to produce an equation for calculating the induced stress in the material:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (equation 3) When a load W is applied to the beam, the stress at the strain gauge at distance L is given by the equation:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (equation 4) where ÏÆ' is the surface stress, W is the applied force, L is the distance between the load and the strain gauge sensors, b is the width of the beam and t is the thickness of the beam (see figure 4). Youngs modulus can then be calculated through Hookes Law:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (equation 5) 4.1 Apparatus The experiment was conducted using the apparatus illustrated in figure 5, as well as utilising measuring equipment described below: Cantilever beam set up as shown in figure 5, with a pair of 120kÃŽ © strain gauges attached at a distance from the free end, one above the beam and one below. Cantilever beam casing containing 2 switches to alternate between the potential divider and Wheatstone bridge circuits and then, for the latter, between quarter bridge and half bridge configuration. Masses, 100g each, to vary the load applied to the free end. Circuit board with potential divider, Wheatstone bridge and amplifier circuits set up containing potentiometers and pins to allow voltage to be measured across components. Digital Multimeter to record the output voltages of the circuit, measuring with an uncertainty of  ±0.5mV for the potential divider and  ±0.05mV for the Wheatstone bridges. Vernier caliper to measure the width and thickness of the beam, as well as the distance from the strain gauges to the load, measuring with an uncertainty of  ±0.005cm. Digital scales to calculate the actual mass of the unknown object, measuring with an accuracy of  ±0.05g. 4.2 Procedure The first electric circuit to be tested was the potential divider and therefore the switch on the cantilever beam casing was set to the corresponding place. With no load applied, the voltage across the strain gauge,, was measured. The minimum weight, 100g, was then loaded onto the beam and both the total weight and voltage across the strain gauge, , were recorded. The weight was then increased in 100g increments up to a maximum of 500g with the total weight and recorded after each mass was added. Finally, the load was removed and replaced with an unknown weight for which the voltage reading was recorded. The first switch was then changed to select the Wheatstone bridge circuit, and the second switch to choose the quarter bridge configuration. With no load applied to the beam, the excitation voltage, V, for the bridge was then measured and recorded.   This circuit contained a potentiometer which was then altered to change the resistance and ensure the initial output read 0V on the multimeter. The same procedure as for the potential divider was then carried out and the results recorded for the same differentials. The second switch was then changed to select the half bridge configuration and an identical procedure to the quarter bridge was carried out. The second switch was then changed back to the quarter bridge configuration while the circuit was changed to include a differential amplifier to increase the output voltage. The circuit is shown in figure 5 below: The same method was then followed as used for the previous Wheatstone bridge without the amplifier; however, this time, the amplified voltage was measured and recorded as opposed to the actual output voltage . Finally, after all the necessary measurements using the equipment were recorded, the unknown weight and dimensions for the beam needed to be measured in order for the results outlined in the theory section to be calculated. The digital scale was used to give a value for the unknown weight while the vernier calipers were used to measure the width, b, and thickness, t, of the beam, as well as the distance between the load and the strain gauge, L. The mass, W, added and the voltmeter measurement, V, were recorded for each circuit and collected in four tables which can be found in Appendix A. The mass values were converted from g to N and graphs of the strain gauge voltage against applied load were drawn for the four circuits. The measured voltage for the unknown mass is also included alongside the appropriate tables. 5.1 Potential Divider The unknown mass gave a reading of 1.130V. 5.2 Wheatstone Bridge The unknown mass gave a reading of 0.4mV for the quarter bridge and 0.8mV for the half bridge. 5.3 Wheatstone Bridge with Differential Amplifier The amplifier circuit increased the values recorded in figure 7 by a factor of 50. The unknown mass gave a reading of 24.2mV. 5.4 Stress against strain for the beam Using the measured values from above and inputting them into equation 4 and equation 5 respectively, a graph of stress against strain can then be plotted. Referring to equation 3, the gradient of this graph then corresponds to Youngs Modulus, which is calculated to be 46.6 GPa. 5.5 Calibration Values Weight resolution is defined as the smallest increment of weight which the numeric display, in this case the voltmeter, can indicate. (4) Each circuit used during this investigation had a different weight resolution, which was calculated by measuring the initial voltage change from no load to 100g load and comparing this to the resolution of the measuring equipment: for the potential divider, this was  ±1mV, and for the other circuits this was  ±0.1mV. For example, when the voltage in the potential divider circuit increased by 1mV, the weight increased by either 100g or 200g the potential divider does not have an absolute weight resolution as multiple load values produced the same voltage reading and therefore the weight resolution is given through a range rather than a definite value. The weight resolutions increased as expected, with the potential divider providing the least accurate measurements and the quarter bridge with differential amplifier providing the most accurate measurements. These weight measurements can be used to estimate the weight of unknown mass by multiplying the recorded voltage for the unknown mass by the weight resolution calculated. This is shown in Table 1 below: Electrical Circuit Weight Resolution Estimate for unknown mass value Potential Divider 100g-200g 113g-226g Quarter Bridge 50.0g 200g Half Bridge 25.7g 205.6g Quarter Bridge with amplifier 0.994g 241.9 g The unknown mass was measured to be 236.4g using the digital scales. As can be seen from figure 1 and figure 2 from the theory section, both the potential divider and Wheatstone bridge circuits are fitted with additional resistors, 1.5kÃŽ © and 680ÃŽ © respectively. Known as current limiting resistors, these are necessary to stop the current rising above a certain value in these circuits it is necessary to limit the current to less than 10mA, calculated by dividing the source voltage of 15V by the circuit resistance of 1.5kÃŽ © (resistor) + 240ÃŽ © (strain gauges) in the potential divider circuit, giving a current of 8.6mA. This reduces any measurement errors which could arise from an increase of the strain gauges temperature through the Joule effect, where the energy of an electric current is converted into heat as it passes through a resistive material. (5) As the circuits change from potential divider through to quarter bridge with differential amplifier, the accuracy of the measured voltages increases. This can be demonstrated through the graphs in figures 7, 8 and 9 where it can be seen that the plotted values lie progressively closer to the line of best fit with the graph for the amplifier circuit, shown in figure 9, demonstrating the least deviation from the line. Although this progression agrees with the theory, the actual values obtained differ slightly from the values expected; this is shown through the estimated values of the unknown mass recorded in Table 1. This difference could be the result of a number of factors: uncertainties in the values for the 100g masses used; the fact we are assuming a point load even though the masses provide a distribution of the weight and interference. The use of an AC current produces a small magnetic field which can cause an electromotive force in any wires that are not shielded properly. This small voltage change could be picked up by the voltmeter and slightly alter the measurements. The unknown mass was measured to be 236.4g by the digital scale. The most accurate estimate calculated by an electrical circuit was 241.9g by the Wheatstone quarter bridge with differential amplifier. The possible reasons for discrepancies between values can include the limitation of the amplifier gain due to electrical noise and temperature changes in the wire. The latter can be a problem as an increase in temperature corresponds to an increase in resistance which can affect measured values. However, this error is reduced in the half bridge configuration as, with a strain gauge sensor on both the top and bottom of the bar, the effect of temperature change cancels itself out. Finally, the Youngs Modulus value obtained through this experiment is significantly outside the expected range of 190-210 GPa, at 46.6 GPa. This can mainly be attributed to irregularities in the dimensions of the steel beam used the section of the beam where the gauges were installed was slightly smaller than the rest of the beam to allow for the necessary preparation. Referring back to equation 4 in the introduction section, the inclusion of a term shows that the thickness of the beam has the greatest effect on the calculated stress, and therefore this discrepancy in values has a significant effect on the value of Youngs Modulus calculated. To achieve a value for Youngs Modulus of 200 GPa, a thickness of 0.47cm would be required. To conclude, the experiment outlined in this report was useful in demonstrating the varying levels of accuracy of measurements which can be achieved through different forms of electrical circuits, validating the expectation that weight resolution, and therefore accuracy, would increase as the circuits progressed from a potential divider to a Wheatstone quarter bridge with differential amplifier, with the latter providing the most reliable output voltage results and the highest weight resolution. However, the result obtained for the Youngs Modulus of steel, of 46.6 GPa, through the measurements recorded in this experiment, highlights how many of the variables associated with electrical circuits have large uncertainties which can lead to extreme unreliability in the data measured and consequently the final results. The findings of this experiment are statistically insignificant due to the nature of the apparatus used compared to that used in industry. However, it does effectively illustrate the importance of reducing the effect of possible sources of error before an experiment is performed, as well as taking the time to precisely measure all of the necessary results throughout, as a slight inaccuracy in one measurement can significantly affect the final values. Mass (g) Weight (N) Voltage across Strain Gauge (V) 0 0 1.128 100 0.981 1.129 200 1.962 1.129 300 2.943 1.130 400 3.924 1.130 500 4.905 1.131 Unknown 1.130 Potential Divider Wheatstone Quarter Bridge Mass (g) Weight (N) Output Voltage (mV) 100 0.981 0.2 200 1.962 0.4 300 2.943 0.6 400 3.924 0.8 500 4.905 1 Unknown 0.4 Wheatstone Half Bridge Mass (g) Weight (N) Output Voltage (mV) 100 0.981 0.3 200 1.962 0.7 300 2.943 1.1 400 3.924 1.5 500 4.905 2.0 Unknown 0.8 Wheatstone Quarter Bridge with Amplifier Mass (g) Weight (N) Amplified Voltage (mV) 100 0.981 9.8 200 1.962 19.9 300 2.943 30.1 400 3.924 40.2 500 4.905 50.3 Unknown 24.2 [1] H. Eren and C. C. Fung, Electrical Engineering Vol.II Instrumentation Systems, Perth. [2] Omega, What is a strain gauge?, [Online]. Available: http://www.omega.co.uk/prodinfo/straingauges.html. [Accessed 17 April 2016]. [3] Electronics Tutorials Staff, Wheatstone Bridge, [Online]. Available: http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/blog/wheatstone-bridge.html. [Accessed 17 April 2016]. [4] Precision Weighing Balances, Scale and Balance Definitions in Simple Terms, [Online]. Available: http://www.scalenet.com/applications/glossary.html. [Accessed 17 April 2016]. [5] Comsol, The Joule Heating Effect, [Online]. Available: https://www.comsol.com/multiphysics/the-joule-heating-effect. [Accessed 17 April 2016]. [6] D. R. Ngwompo, Measurements Using Strain Gauge Lab Sheet, Bath, 2016.

Will HIV and AIDS as the Black Death of the Twenty-First Century :: Papers

Will HIV and AIDS as the Black Death of the Twenty-First Century According to an article on BBC World Service, published on 25th October, 2001, the Black Death claimed 25 million lives in Europe and Asia between the 13th and 17th century. Now nearly 400 years later the British Medical Journal reports an estimated 65 million deaths from AIDS by the end of the decade. Obviously these figures are rough estimates, however they illustrate the severity of the Bubonic Plague and the impending severity of an AIDS epidemic. These figures themselves lead me to believe that in fact AIDS is already the modern day Black Death and whether anyone will be here in another 400 years to compare AIDS to the Black Death is yet to be seen. The Bubonic Plague or 'Black Death' as it is more commonly known swept through Europe and Asia mainly in the 14th century. The Bubonic Plague is caused by the bacterium Yerina Pestis and is transmitted to humans by infected fleas on rats. In most common cases victims suffer from fevers, chills, fatigue and painfully swollen lymph nodes. Another symptom were haemorrhages, which turned black, this is why it became known as the Black Death. Even though in the time of the Black Death there was no medical shield to protect against the plague, with today's medical advances there is. This is where the Black Death and AIDS differ. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a clinical syndrome, resulting from damage to the immune system caused by infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). In HIV individuals, there is a gradual loss of immune cells and immune function. It generally takes six to ten years from the point of infection to develop AIDS. Even though large drug companies have developed drugs that slow down the progression from HIV to AIDS, none have yet to market any kind of vaccine or cure. There may be more success in finding a cure, so that AIDS will not be looked back upon in years to come as the Black Death of its time if,

Discuss the function of the Inspector in An Inspector Calls Essay

Discuss the function of the Inspector in An Inspector Calls John Boynton Priestly in 1945 wrote the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ but set it in 1912. This time difference creates a sense of dramatic irony as the play was written after it was set. The audience would be aware of the events which had taken place between 1912 and 1945, including world war one and two which they would no doubt have experience first hand. ‘An Inspector Calls’ was first performed in Russia, Moscow. This is significant because of the Russian Revolution, which was a system of collective social responsibility where the sate owned everything and used the wealth to look after its citizens. As England was left destroyed due to the world war, therefore there would have been very few playhouses, so Russia had to be alternative for performing the play. The play is set in three scenes. The entire play is set in the dining room of Mr Birling’s house. In contrast this creates claustrophobia and tension as the characters in the play feel as if they are trapped, nowhere to go until the truth is revealed. Although the play is about the death of a young girl called Eva Smith who has committed suicide. Due to this mysterious death, the Birling family has a nasty surprise waiting. The Birling’s are meant to have a high status in their community and they all have done bad things, which has forced a young woman to kill herself. In the play, it reveals what each of them did which leads to Eva Smiths death. As the play concludes we find out that, the inspector has been questioning the Birling family for moral values and their sense of social responsibilities. The inspector is not only a character in the play; he is a dramatic device who has seve... ...w yet, Are you sure you don't know†. J.B Priestly purposely does not use a question mark in this quote to show that the Inspector already knows the answer. This affects the characters as they are firstly surprised on how much knowledge the inspector has and the Birlings cannot give a straight answer. The Inspector knows so much about Eva smith due to finding her diary and some letters. â€Å"I had an idea from something the girl herself wrote". At the start of the play, we are introduced to the Birlings who are no other than an upper class family. The whole family all seem to be living peacefully. Until the moment where it all begins, â€Å"It can’t be any worse for me than it has been. And it might be better† Sheila says. Gerald replies, â€Å"I see†. At this stage the relationship shatters and then from there on the worst is spoken by the inspector to the Birlings.

An Argument Against Breed-Specific Legislation Essay -- Argumentative,

The term â€Å"breed-specific legislation† is not one that comes up often in day-to-day discussion for most people. Breed-specific legislation refers to all laws that seek to restrict or eliminate ownership of certain animal breeds, most often dog breeds. It was first conceived as a method of controlling and reducing animal cruelty, as well as mitigating the occurrence of dog-related human injuries and the illegal activities of dog-fighting and related crimes. Breed-specific legislation is distinct from animal control laws that restrict ownership of wild or demonstrably dangerous (those with a past history of unacceptable, aggressive behavior) animals, because breed-specific legislation makes a blanket restriction on all animals of a certain breed regardless of individual history. This means that breed-specific legislation is often promulgated on the basis of breed reputation. In recent years it is the pit bull which has come under the scrutiny of legislative bodies, as their reputation becomes more and more sullied by street crime. To say â€Å"pit bull,† however, is a vague reference to several pit bull types, which are considered separate breeds by registries like the American Kennel Club (AKC). Each type has a slightly different breeding history; many began with the breeding of bulldogs with terriers to produce a loyal, compact and tenacious breed (â€Å"American Pit Bull Terrier†). The standard three pit bull types most often mentioned by name in breed-specific legislation include the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. That is not the extent of the legislation, however, which also includes dogs that â€Å"substantially conform to the breed standards established by the American Ken... ...e 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. Cohen, Judy, and John Richardson. â€Å"Pit Bull Panic.† Journal of Popular Culture 36.2 (2002): 297. Academic Search Premier. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. â€Å"Dog Bite: Fact Sheet.† Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC, 1 Apr. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2010. â€Å"Dogfighting Fact Sheet.† The Humane Society of the United States. 2 Nov. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. Melvindale, Mich., Municipal Code art. II,  § 4-137 (1990). Perry, April M. â€Å"Guilt by Saturation: Media Liability for Third-party Violence and the Availability Heuristic.† Northwestern University Law Review 97.2 (2003): 1045. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. â€Å"The Truth About Pit Bulls.† ASPCA. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. â€Å"U.S. Dog Bite Fatalities January 2006 to December 2008.† DogsBite. 20 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2010.

Will Smith

Will Smith is one of the greatest actors, singers and rappers of our time. Even from his youth to his adulthood, he has become one of the most influential people of America. He has become a gifted and talented actor, demanding millions of dollars for his parts in number one hits movies at the box office. With his charm, his talent, and his generosity he will be a household name remembered for years to come. Williard C. Smith, Jr. known as Will grew up in a middle class area in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, called Winnfied located in the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia.Will Smith is the youngest of four children born to Caroline and Willard Smith, Sr. Will Smith’s heritage is both African American and Native America. He attended a Baptist church near his home with his family. As a young boy, Will loved to sing and rap. He was a talented little boy who loved to be in the spotlight. As a young boy, he was given the name Prince, because he always talked his way out of tr ouble and because of his charming looks. He was a very smart child growing up. Will was one of those kids everyone wanted to be like and be around.He was close to parents; unfortunately they divorced when Will was young. Will was then raised by his mother, Caroline and three other siblings. He attended the prestigious Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Philadelphia. He was later transferred to Overbrook High School, where he graduated. His good SAT scores didn’t satisfy him to get into a college he wanted to enroll. His plans were to study computer engineering. Therefore, he pursued music. He then met Jeffrey A. Townes at a party that he attended and they soon began performing together.They were known as â€Å"DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince. † He was the first hip-hop artist to be nominated for an Academy Award. He won a Grammy Award for the song â€Å"Summertime† during his rap career and received the first ever Grammy Award for Bes t Performance for the song â€Å"Parents Just Don’t Understand† in 1989. In 1990, Will Smith was almost near bankruptcy, and that was when Benny medina and NBC had an idea for a sitcom based on his life in Beverley Hills. NBC television network signed Will to a contract on the hit sitcom, â€Å"Fresh Prince of Bel-Air†.It was this sitcom that prepared him for his acting career. The sitcom lasted six years; during that time, he ventured into movies. Starring in his first movie,†Six Degrees of Separation† in 1993. After that movie, he was offered major roles in Independence Day, in which he played a fearless and confident fighter pilot. He was also starred in Men in Black, where he played the confident agent J. From then on he has gained lead in many successes including Men In Black II, Bad Boys II, I Robot, and Hitch.Will met his first wife, Sheree Smith at a taping of â€Å"A Different World† in 1992. They had one son together, Willard Smith, III (Trey), he was born on November 11, 1992. Will and Sheree divorced in 1995. Will Smith then met his second wife, Jada Pinkett in 1995 when she tried out for the role of his girlfriend on â€Å"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. † They have two kids together, Jaden Christopher Syre Smith, he was born July 8, 1998, and a daughter, Willow Camille Reign Smith born October 30, 2000.

Philippine Independent Cinema Essay

Independent films, more commonly known as indie films, are films not made by mainstream production houses or movie studios. They are independent of the influences, authority, and control of the mainstream industry (Makuha, 2010). The emergence of new and highly-advanced cameras in the market and the advancement of technology have spawned the growth of indie films. This allowed anyone to create his or her own film in accordance to his or her own style without the influences of mainstream movies, which indeed have good effects on the film industry, especially in the Philippines. These films became more noticed and more important and they have saved the slowly dying film industry (Makuha, 2010). Read more:Â  Essay About Philippine Independent Cinema In the brief history of film, advances in technology have from time to time challenged and changed industry models. These advances have wrought their most significant changes on independent sectors of the movie business. In the glory days of the studio system, a parallel or serious rival to that system coming from the independent industry would be unthinkable; the cost and challenge of production and post-production was prohibitive, difficulties of promotion insurmountable. The Internet and many new digital distribution technologies are now starting to remove barriers for the makers and distributors of independent films (Landers, 2006). The development of the 16mm camera and advances in sound technology made it possible, though still difficult, for individuals or small groups of filmmakers to make their vision clear – something rarely possible in the days of the Edison monopoly on technology, or the prohibitive cost of 35mm cameras and professional lighting setups. The challenges of film making were still large in number, but the development of an independent sector of the industry forced the majors to take notice, though the development of subsidiaries specifically tasked to take note of and distribute promising independent films failed to materialize. Independent film had a confined audience, generally limited to subcultures of underground or experimental film. (Such audiences were often primarily composed of fellow filmmakers – though it bears noting that in many cases, these self-selecting individuals were not those who would turn out to view a majority of the studio efforts.) (Tioseco, 2005) Within the last several decades, advances in digital cinema have furthered a similar and all the more powerful renaissance. High-resolution digital video offers an image quality that rivals that of film stock, while video camcorders, and relatively affordable professional-quality editing software capable of being run on inexpensive PCs have made the production and post-production process possible, reasonable and accessible for a substantial number of individuals. With the resulting increase in the number and quality of such films being made, a resulting cultural scene emerged alongside, but not quite outside, the mainstream (Landers, 2006).

Linking Aristotle’s virtue with character Essay

Aristotle’s virtue ethics is often considered to be founded on character such that an individual’s character defines his or her virtues. It is important to note that Aristotle gives emphasis to the idea that virtue is acquired through habit. In this regard, it can be presumed that there is a connection between character and virtue in the context of Aristotle’s philosophy. This is especially interesting to look into precisely because human beings think and act at least in terms of one’s consciousness or idea of ethics, specifically through one’s moral precepts. If it is indeed true that individuals think and act in ways related to one’s moral inclinations in their daily lives, then it is a strong reason to contend that virtue and character are all the more important elements in the life of humanity. The point that I would like to raise—and agree with Aristotle—is the idea that our ‘habits’, the way in which we do things on a regular basis, form a large sum—if not all—of our character. And since character builds our very virtues, it can be presumed that the things that we do on a regular basis define our virtues. That is, if we continue to harbor the ‘bad’ or ‘evil’ elements in the society, then it is most likely the case that our character develops into something ‘bad’ or ‘evil’. In the end, there will be little or no room for us to acquire virtues. The task of this assignment is to identify what is the connection between character and virtue in the context of Aristotle by providing Aristotle’s description of how we acquire virtues and why choice is an important component of these virtues. In the Book III of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, I found out that one basic notion in Aristotelian ethics that occupies a central significance is Aristotle’s belief in the role of man’s activities in order for one to acquire ethical knowledge. That is, for one to become virtuous or to obtain virtues one should not merely confine himself to mere studying of these virtues but rather one should, more importantly, actualize this knowledge of the virtues. Thus, for one to become good, one should do good. I also found out in the same work of Aristotle the â€Å"doctrine of the mean†. The essence of this doctrine dwells on the basic precept that one ought to avoid the extremes and, instead, settle for the â€Å"mean†. The actions of men, more specifically, ought to be framed upon the â€Å"mean† which is the virtue. For example, the virtue of courage rests on the mean between two extremes: cowardice or the â€Å"lack† of courage, and rashness or the â€Å"excess† in courage. All of these things answer the central question being asked, specifically the identification of the connection between virtue and character. For the most part, the thought of the acquisition of virtue requires a form of a ‘good’ act which, when constantly repeated or enacted on a regular basis, forms the character of the individual. The individual should not only be inclined towards a theoretical understanding of these good acts but should also be inclined to enacting them, of living them on purpose and free will. It is not enough that the individual should simply live the theoretical perspectives of doing good acts for it does not suffice to forming the character of the individual. Moreover, these ‘good’ acts are founded on the principle of the â€Å"mean† wherein the individual is supposed to be acting not within the extremes but between these extremes because they are the ‘evils’. Hence, character is connected to virtue through one’s good—or â€Å"middle†Ã¢â‚¬â€actions performed habitually. I figured out that Aristotle implies the idea that man is indeed a social being in the sense that one cannot sufficiently do ‘good’ without the presence of other people. That is, without other people to whom our ‘good’ deeds will be enacted to, our actions may hardly be conceived as ‘good’ in the first place precisely because we may only be helpful if there are people to help, we may only be kind if there are people to whom we will be kind, or we may only be loving if there are other people to love just to name a few. Of course, my thoughts may be unacceptable to other people for they may also have their own thoughts about the ethics of Aristotle. But more to this, I figured out that those people who surround us have a large role in the formation of our character. Social isolation does not give room for the moral development of an individual. On the other hand, I have arrived at a question concerning Aristotle’s virtue ethics, especially with his doctrine of the mean. Exactly how are we to know when we are acting in the middle such that we avert from the extremes or the vices? Granted that we may be able to identify the vices that we should avoid, when can we say that we are truly in the middle path? How can too much ‘knowledge’ be a vice or an evil when Aristotle gives a substantial account and importance to knowledge? While there may still a handful of questions that may have been left untouched, it can hardly be doubted that our actions share a significant role in defining our characters as human beings. Whether or not an individual believes in virtue ethics or in morality in general, it remains a fact that our actions have consequences to us and to other people. Reference Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Trans. Martin Ostwald. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1962.

Underlining Synoptic Gospels

Underlining Synoptic Gospels The Gospels of Luke, Mark, and Matthew offer three similar yet different ways of retelling past events. The passages chosen are the Sermon on the Mount, The Beatitudes, Commissioning of the Twelve, The Fate of the Disciples, and The Coming of the Son of Man. The authors gave their interpretation to different events. Each Gospel clearly gives a general overview of everything taking place during this time period. The only difference exists in detail. The Gospels of Luke, Mark, and Matthew demonstrate the differences in similar stories being told by multiple authors. The Gospels of Luke, Mark, and Matthew match up very well. They generally follow the same storyline for each reading. In the Sermon, they tell how great crowds came from all over flocking to where Jesus was. The Beatitudes match up from Gospel to Gospel. The Commissioning of the twelve tell how Jesus chose his twelve apostles and sent them out on missions to heal the sick and cure the diseased. Apostles will be guided with what to say if questioned in Fate of the Disciples. Lastly, the coming of the son of man is described in all three Gospels. Differences are inevitable when different sources retell stories. The Gospels are no different. Each Gospel gives a different perspective than the other. What is not seen in one gospel is picked up in another. Examples are how masses came to see Jesus for healing, the Beatitudes, and the Disciples. Matthew neglects to tell how the masses of people came from Tyre and Sidon upon heading of Jesus’ miraculous healing powers. These individuals came from all over just for the opportunity to touch him in hopes of being healed. [1] This should have been put in for sure. This is just a blatant example of the power Jesus had. It separated Jesus from the false gods and prophets at the time. Mark does not contain the Beatitudes while Luke’s show of the Beatitudes is slightly shorter than Matthews. Mark may have chosen to not incorporate them into his text. The validity of the Beatitudes, based on this assignment alone, may be challenged based on how one author does not have any and the other two vary. In the Commissioning of the Twelve, Mark is the only author to give the small detail that Jesus sent the Disciples out two by two after giving them authority over unclean spirits. [2] After giving his disciples authority, Matthew does not tell how Jesus went up onto the mountain before he summoned his apostles. Mark does however, by saying that â€Å"He went up on the mountain and called to him those who he wanted and they came to him. †[3] This may be because the source that told Matthew may have not seen Jesus on upon the mountain. Luke and Mark may have had a source that watched it first hand or Matthew may have chosen to leave it out. Continuing with the Commissioning of the Twelve, another difference exists. Luke and Mark, not Matthew, both tell how Jesus went up on a mountain and called his twelve disciples and they were from that point on known as apostles. 4] The main problem with this situation is there is a difference in apostle’s names. All three Gospels have twelve names listed. Mark and Matthew had the name Thaddaeus and Luke had a second Judas. [5] The differences and similarities found in the Gospels are why they must be read together for comparison, much like anything else recorded second hand by various authors. The differences can be explained by lack of info rmation or just the choice of the writer to not include something. Numerous other factors could also be accountable but they need not be. While having differences the Gospels contain beyond more than enough similarities to get the point across. Bibliography Michael D. Coogan, ed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible, Augmented Third Edition, New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Bart D. Ehrman, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. ———————– [1] Mark 3:8-11; Luke 6: 17-19 [2] Mark 6:7 [3] Mark 3:13 [4] Mark 3:13-14; Luke 9:12-13 [5] Matt. 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16

Current Practice in Project Management an empirical study written by Essay

Current Practice in Project Management an empirical study written by Diana White and Joyce Fortune - Essay Example This essay presents that out of the 995 questionnaires sent to the respondents who belonged from 620 organizations from both public and private sector, only 236 returned for further processing. The data analysis revealed that out of the 16 project types, information technology projects dominated the scene with 25 percent followed by business or organizational change projects with 14 percent. Almost 37 percent of the projects were being carried out for a client organization and the rest were for the host organization. Finance, insurance, and banking sector represented the most number of projects, however, when it came to client organizations transportation, and communication organizations were at the top of the list. The survey appeared to be highly skewed towards large organizations because 66 percent of the respondents identified themselves working for organizations with more than 1000 employees. Most of these projects were huge because a considerable percentage of these projects ha d hundreds of people directly involved. Only 47 percent of the respondents had the title of â€Å"project manager†, however, almost 63 percent did confess regarding managing the project. 43 percent and 33 percent of the respondents stated that they were the main decision makers and they were involved in the decision making process. There was great deal of diversity when it came to project duration because there were projects that lasted only less than 6 months and there were projects, which were stretched out over a period of more than 61 months. (White & Fortune, pp. 2, 2002). Almost 65 percent of these projects were of the duration of 6-24 months. Over 85 percent of the respondents that it was fair for them to classify their projects as successful with six or seven ratings at a scale of 1 to 7 with seven bring highly successful. Budgets, schedule and client requirements were top three criteria for measuring the success of projects. The research also attempted to explore the side effects, whether desirable or undesirable which emerged during or due to the project. Increased business/sales opportunities and greater knowledge of the business were the top two desirable side effects.