The Case for Literature-Based Reading Programmes at the Elementary Essay

The Case for Literature-Based Reading Programmes at the Elementary School Level - Essay Example The publication of children's literature has increased substantially and its incorporation into reading programmes has also increased significantly (Harris, 1992). At the same time, there has been a simultaneous interest in literature-based reading instruction. Nonetheless, the importance and the usefulness of children's literature have been questioned. The nature of these attacks, however, seem to have less to do with the value of the instructional approaches and substantive materials than a preoccupation with preparing students for standardized tests and a stubborn adherence to traditional methods. Of particular concern is the use of children's literature as a means for teaching children how to decode information in order to perform better on standardized tests. This instructional method, without more, neglects the very purposes of literature-based reading instruction and renders the inclusion of children's literature in elementary reading programmes an almost tangential inclusion. The strict emphasis on decoding and on standardized testing, while of some relevance to literacy, is harming the very goals and usefulness of literature-based reading instruction. This essay will argue that the inclusion of children's literature is of fundamental importance to effective reading programmes at the elementary school level. ... As a preliminary matter, it is essential to identify the theoretical foundations of literature-based reading instruction. This is because the mere inclusion of literature in a reading programme, without a corresponding shift in instructional methods, may defeat or diminish the very purposes of the programme. Serafini argues that in order for elementary teachers to implement a quality literature-based reading program and make a substantial shift in the way that children's literature is used in the curriculum, they must first make a parallel shift in the theoretical perspectives they use to ground their practice. Without this parallel shift, teachers may simply change the materials they use to teach reading, relegating children's literature to an instructional device in the service of higher test scores. In order to make a shift, however, one must first understand what the theoretical perspectives are and how they influence classroom practice (2003, np). The modernist approach to reading and literacy is a major obstacle to more comprehensive literature-based reading goals. This approach begins with the premise that the meaning of a text is located solely within that text. This is an extraordinarily limited and strict perception of reading. In short, there is one true meaning in the text and children are required to decipher or decode this meaning from the text. This type of reading perspective excludes an interactive approach to the text; more troubling, perhaps, is the fact that it subordinates rather completely the context in which the text is examined and enjoyed. This type of approach is typically implemented as part of a reading skills programme. Teachers teach students how to decode true meanings, students

Undocumented Students Essay Example for Free

Undocumented Students Essay There are thousands of undocumented students from different countries that migrate to the United States of America seeking a better way of life; however, the reality of that being possible is unlikely high. According an activist from the Lulac Association, over three million students graduate from U. S. high schools every year. Most get the opportunity to pursue a college degree, strive for their vocational goals, and reach for their American dream. Unfortunately, there are many students that see their dreams go down the drain for not having the right documentation to obtain a job and/or go to school. That is the main reason why undocumented students who are pursuing a higher education must be able to apply for a visa that can allow them to work on their field of study as well as to get financial aid, pay taxes, and become productive citizens who contribute to this country. This country is viewed as a melting pot for their many races, however, the reality is that even though they are many cultures, many believes, and nationalities, there are still some people in congress that do not believe in giving the immigrants the opportunity to growth professionally, and individually in this country even though this should be â€Å"a free country†; a country where people have freedom, a country of opportunities. Undocumented students should be able to obtain a visa to allow them to work for many reasons; one of them is for them to be able to get financial aid and pursue their dreams. There are many undocumented students that are in universities all over this country that are forced to dropped off for not having the money to continue paying for their education. It is a fact that undocumented students are only able to apply for state aid and many of the times the funds are not enough or they aren’t any. According to a financial representative at El Centro College, the maximum amount that a student applying for state aid can get a year is around $1,700. That money is not even enough for books; let me not mention that they are not able to et a job because they do not have the documentation to do so. If the government could at least pass the dream act; a bill that congress is attempting to provide immigration relief for undocumented youths through legislation known as the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act). The Act has been introduced in each subsequent Congressional session in various forms, for the last 10 years since 2001. Th e latest version passed the House in December 2010, but was defeated in the Senate. According to the PEW Hispanic Center in Washington, D. C, however, approximately 65,000 youths do not get this opportunity because they are smeared with the inherited label of being illegal immigrants. These youths have lived in the United States for most of their lives and want to be recognized as Americans. Yes, it would be great for this undocumented student to have the documentation that could allow them to better themselves and be productive to this country. But how do this students can be productive in this country if they are not allowed to? It is of major importance for this government to do something about this specific situation; there is a great need of open minds that are willing to support the legalization of millions of undocumented students. By giving this students the right to work and better themselves educationally, the economy in this country would get better; thousands of jobs would be created and the people that not report taxes would be able to do so and that would help stabilize the economy. I want to emphasize that in this country there is nothing free! Many republicans complain because according to them illegal people in this country do not pay taxes. It is a fact that even when you go grocery shopping there is a percentage of taxes that must be paid in addition to your purchase, if you own a home weather or not you are legal or not you must pay taxes every year for that property. Opponents should realize that not paying taxes is just an excuse and a migratory reform shouldn’t be an option but must be a law taken into action. I have a dream†, a famous quote from Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. whom devoted his life to stop segregation. If he would be alive is for a fact that he would fight for the rights of undocumented students to achieve a migratory reform. It is inhuman to have many professionals working in construction or and or cutting yards because they cannot work on their field of study. Legalization of undocumented students is a need that this country is no longer going to be ble to ignore. In conclusion, yes, undo cumented who are pursuing a higher education should be able obtain a visa that can allow them to work on their field of study as well as get financial aid because at the end of the day this country is going to rely on next generation’s capacity and education to help this economy get through this bad crisis. This kids/ young people are tomorrow’s future and they deserve an opportunity to prosper, to conquer, and to shine!

Ethical Issues in Business: Accounting and Environmentalism

Ethical Issues in Business: Accounting and Environmentalism Cassandra Swinden Part A: This section is to outline the importance of social accounting and social reporting and to define this with an in depth explanation; in terms of within a business society. The use of the company Apple as a case study and further references, will allow a detailed analysis of these terms, to give a deeper understanding to the reader. Social accounting and reporting is a huge factor in measuring companies’ performances, however there is no single agreed definition. Therefore we could ask what actually is social accounting and reporting, if there is no official identity to the terms. Social accounting and reporting is a way of evaluating a business’s performance only on numerical figures. It takes into account other Stakeholder groups rather than just Shareholders, as it highlights the importance of a business responsibility to differing issues. Issues include; environmental, local and national involvement (charity). This statement can be supported by many sources including; D. Crowther (2000) as he defines social accounting in this sense as an approach to reporting a firm’s activities which stresses the need for the identification of socially relevant behaviour, the determination of those to whom the company is accountable for its social performance and the development of appropriate measures and reporting techniques. [1] Another definition to identify the term â€Å"social accounting† comes from O,Dwyer (2006). However he defines the term from the perspective of an accountant stating â€Å"social accounting scholars are a group of individuals with ‘commitment to stakeholder accountability and democracy’†.[2] However this is not always be case, as social accounts may be biased for different reasons. Accountant’s desire for work fees could lead them to saying things which aren’t completely true, which can cause huge legitimacy problems. Secondly soc ial accounting can also be recognised as a contributing factor of many social conflicts and disputes. This links to Apple as looking at the report â€Å"Apples un-kept promises†; we can see that legitimacy problem have arisen, from the claims made in their progress report. Apple claims: â€Å"We don’t tolerate underage labour. Our code requires our suppliers to provide special treatment to juvenile workers.†[3] However the China labour watch disclosed in their report ‘Apples un-kept promises’; that within 2 factories they found many underage workers and employment right were minimal or even non-existent. However social accounting may seem a positive driver for pleasing numerous Stakeholders, nevertheless it still has its disadvantages as a performance measure. Stuart Cooper (2004) â€Å"Social and environmental accounting is flawed as it does not address the problem of the capitalist system†. This suggests that as long as money is the main objective in companies, they will never be legitimate with its social accounting objectives. Apple are a company which seem to adopt a capitalist culture, due to evidence discovering the length of working hours and the wage workers receive. â€Å"Working hours are too long, with 7-day weeks, shifts exceeding 12 hours and 80 hours of overtime a month not uncommon. It appears that falsified attendance records help disguise the real figures†. [4] Further from this the pay rate is at only ‘$1.20 per hour’. Looking at Grey, Owen, Adams theory of social responsibility stances we can see that Apple clearly adopts an expedients approach, as they only proposed changes in 2012 (the progress report), to rebuild their tattered reputation. The report â€Å"un-kept promises† published by the China Labour Watch, showed how all promises mentioned in the progress report, to better employment rights and increase interests with different Stakeholder groups, were shattered, as independent enquiries were made to show that workers were receiving less than adequate treatment, for example no action was made to better environmental issues. To conclude social accounting is an important measure for all businesses. However its importance differs in different ways, as some businesses only accepts social responsibility as long as it benefits them. However some companies genuinely put the importance of social responsibility, before profits and reputation, these companies usually take a deep ecologist view to responsibility and include companies such as Greenpeace. Overall social responsibility is mainly adopted for self-benefits, and this is where the term â€Å"Green wash† has emerged. Part B: This part of the essay outlines what is meant by the term ‘ethical issues’, giving an understanding of the two theories ethical relativism and ethical absolutism. The report is also to highlight the importance of ethics within companies, and give justification for its importance. Furthermore the use of Apple articles and further references will allow an assessment to be made, and assumptions on Apples performance to these matters will be highlighted. The use of different viewpoints from varying Stakeholders will make the reports analysis more solid, as this will allow advantages and disadvantages to be seen in differing scenarios, rather than just seeing the benefits/negatives of main Shareholders. Ethical issues are mainly defined through two different theories; either relativism or absolutism. Ethical absolutism is a theory where something is only right or wrong, it does not consider any other situations or scenarios. On the other hand Ethical relativism this theory were nothing is categorically right or wrong, as it is mainly relies on the circumstances of an individual, culture, beliefs or emotions. Therefore there is more tolerance on positive or negative actions that may be seen as immoral due to the moral absolutism theory. Looking at Apples Progress Report for 2012 outlines, how Apple have managed ethical matters to suite many Stakeholders involved within the company, demonstrating strong cooperate responsibility. Many statements are made within report; differing amongst Stakeholder groups, however the quote â€Å"We require that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made.† [5] This statement evidently indicates the importance of the employee, pressure groups and environmentalists to the Apple brand; this analytically shows good responsibility to these stakeholders welfare. However contrasting this other sources have indicated that Apple has not complied with many of the statements they have made, regarding their ethical responsibility. A report called the ‘Other Side of Apple’ by the Friends of nature, the IPE and green Beagle (2011) found that â €Å"it was discovered that Lian Jian Technology had environmental violations, as they â€Å"did not carry out the appropriate measures which resulted in hazardous waste material run off. They also had not filled out the hazardous waste transfer manifest documentation.† [6] From this we can evidently assume that Apple have minimal interest in changing practices to make them more environmentally friendly, they’d rather pay heavy fines. As changing practices would be costly and may affect the annual profits of Apples displeasing the Shareholders. This indicates that social responsibility is only implemented for the interest of Apple. Similarly according to a report from the China Labour watch show cased many ethical issues involving employees throughout all three factories, issues such as; an immense number of underage workers were discovered and of which did not receive any exceptional protection/treatment in comparison to workers of age. They were made to work within t he same conditions and hours of employees of legal age. Additionally all workers were made to sign documents to falsify the hours that they do, therefore breaking employment regulations. However overseas employment is greatly important to many less economically developed countries, Apple provides an income for their employees, as well as giving them opportunities to learn new skills, and increasing their life satisfaction. A Case Study involving Man Power to recruit a workforce force from the Monga-hit region of Rangpur, supports this as â€Å"the government assigned a quota to send 18000 poor people from the Monga-hit region comprising greater Rangpur to overseas countries with job.† [7] As well as offering â€Å"loans to poor youths of the Monga-hit region consisting of greater Rangpur for overseas employment.† [8] This shows the importance of companies being overseas, as governments of these less developed countries heavily encourage inward investment, as it benefits them in many ways; as the government gain more taxation to improve public services, as well as less dependency on them for income. Shareholders will also benefit as wages are much lower overseas, therefore increased profits could be made, increasing dividends. To conclude Apples performance towards its promises to alter social issues, have been extremely poor. As evidence through investigations by the Chinese Labour Watch and a report from the Friends of nature, IPE and Green Beagle all have identified many issues involving numerous Stakeholders, including: employees, environment and its suppliers, where all parties were suffering from the production of Apple products. However on the other hand these factories do play an important role economically to the countries. As they provide employment to very low-skilled people, and most likely pay better wages than competitors. As well, governments promote inward investment into countries like these, as they financially aid the country through additional taxes, as well as a reduction in the unemployed, therefore less dependence on the government for survival. This view is supported by the Case Study on Manpower. Overall for Apple to be socially responsible they do need to address ethical issues th at have been mentioned, as eventually them only providing the advantage and employment to a country won’t be enough. In the future more damage could be made environmentally, costing the government large amounts of money. Part C: This part is to outline why companies might possibly report on environmental responsibility, it is argued many only report on these issues for business case reasons. Furthermore an analysis on what is meant by the term business case will be made, through the use of differing definitions from a range of sources. Applying apple to principles to help understand why companies report on environmental issues and what impact business case reasons has on a company, this will give a greater understanding of the importance of business case, as it will give more personalised answers as Apple may have a differing situation/position to other companies. Also using an existing company to show proposed changes, will lead to a sustainable planet. Finally there will be an explanation on what is understood by the term â€Å"Greenwash†, using multiple references and also demonstrating how it distresses particular Stakeholders. Companies that do things to reflect environmental responsibility but however only do them to in fact increase profitability, sales and even reduce waste to only reduce unit price of products, are only doing these things for business case reasons. Whereas if companies actually take a moral responsibility to environmental practices i.e. reduce their carbon emissions, they are doing this for ethical reasons instead of business case reasons. Therefore business case reasons highlight that companies only demonstrate an environmental policy to maintain a good reputation, however the practices they change/implement is done only to benefit themselves. However according to a report â€Å"beyond the business case† by Thomas Dyllick and Kai Hockerts they state â€Å"A single-minded focus on economic sustainability can succeed in the short run; however, in the long run sustainability requires all three dimensions to be satisfied simultaneously.† [9] This statement suggests those bus inesses that only concentrate on business case issues, intending to make changes to gain economic advantages; this will not benefit them in the long run. As mentioned they need to focus on all three dimensions which include; economic, ecological and social aspects. Therefore, for a business to be a success they need to take into account environmental and social issues. This statement links to Apple as evidence suggests that Apple heavily focuses on economic issues, however neglecting ecological and social issues, which affects a vast majority of Stakeholders, and the reputation of the business. A report called the ‘Other Side of Apple’ by the Friends of nature, the IPE and green Beagle (2011) identified many environmental issues within the company which affected many internal Stakeholders. For example in the Lain Jian factory they used an alcohol based solution to clean screens and other parts within the construction of their products. However Apple changed its process â€Å"In August, 2008, however, W (Suzhou) suddenly began requiring its employees to replace the alcohol-based cleaner with n-hexane. When interviewed, workers at the factory stated that n-hexane evaporated much more quickly than the alcohol-based cleaner, thereby i ncreasing their efficiency rate.† [10] But controversially Apple didn’t recognise the dangers of this solution, by not reporting the change to the authorities this violated China‘s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Law on the Prevention and Control of Occupational Diseases. Not only this, it affected the health of many employees in the company, as it is a poison it left many sick, as the chemical can cause unresponsiveness of limbs. â€Å"Many of the employees at Lian Jian Technology have been falling sick†, â€Å"According to hospital tests and the doctors ‘diagnosis, these employees ‘upper and lower peripheral nerves had been damaged† [11] This clearly shows major environmental and social issues in Apple, and how the importance of increased efficiency was more important, than ensuring the safety of its employees. A lot of employees form this incident decided to leave the company, as it was unsafe for them to work there. They received little compensation, and many of employees had to leave as they were given no other option, leaving them unemployed again and vulnerable as their skill set is minimal. Therefore Apples business case, really need altering as this undoubtedly demonstrates the importance of having all three dimensions (economical, ecological and social) as mentioned in the report â€Å"beyond the business case†. Greenwashing is a tool which a lot of major companies use to make them appear that they take responsibility for environmental issues, but in real terms they don’t; they only publish what they do to enhance their business reputation and brand image, which could possibly increase profitability and sales. It’s only done for self-interests. This is supported by a view from greenwashingindex.com as they state â€Å"It’s greenwashing when a company or organization spends more time and money claiming to be â€Å"green† through advertising and marketing than actually implementing business practices that minimize environmental impact. It’s whitewashing, but with a green brush.† [12] Overall from the evidence gathered about business case reasons, which are now known as actions that only benefit the company i.e. increased profits? Are a big tool used in companies, however this continuous approach to only look at economic advantages does not benefit companies in the long-run. As from the report ‘Other Side of Apple’ by the Friends of nature, the IPE and green Beagle, showed how they only focused on economic benefits through replacing a cleaning solution, which increased efficiency, however it led to huge pay-outs and loss of many employees, meaning large costs and a tattered reputation. This highlights that the view of needing to concentrate on all 3 dimensions, by Thomas Dyllick and Kai Hockerts is grossly important. This leads to the view of Greenwashing, many companies use this tool to appear environmentally involved, but only for self-interests, such as increased brand image and reputation, as well as the possibility of more sales. To conclude comp anies to succeed in the future need to really take on board the importance of environmental and social issues for them to be a success. As these responsibilities are becoming more important to consumers, and other Stakeholders in this day and age. References: D. Crowther, Social and Environmental Accounting (London: Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2000), p. 20. Carol A. Tilt. (2008). Corporate Responsibility, Accounting. Available: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2ved=0CDAQFjABurl=http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/cda_downloaddocument/9783642026294-c1.pdf?SGWID=0-0-. Last accessed 25th February 2014. China Labour Watch. (July 29, 2013). Apples un-kept promises: Cheap iPhones come at high costs to Chinese workers. Available: http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/pdf/apple_s_unkept_promises.pdf. Last accessed 22nd February 2014. Hilmar Schmundt and Bernhard Zand. (July 29, 2013). Undercover Report: Apple Faces Fresh Criticism of Factories. Available: http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/labor-violations-rife-at-apple-manufacturing-partners-in-china-a-913652.html. Last accessed 25th February 2014. Apple. (2012). Apple Supplier Progress Report 2012. Available: http://images.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple_SR_2012_Progress_Report.pdf. Last accessed 24th February 2014. Friends of Nature, IPE, Green Beagle. (2011). The Other Side of Apple. Available: http://www.ipe.org.cn/Upload/Report-IT-V-Apple-I-EN.pdf. Last accessed 27th February 2014. The Financial Express. (2010). Call to restore overseas employment opportunity for Monga-hit poor. Available: http://search.proquest.com/abiglobal/docview/615328153/3EEA779477A241BCPQ/2?accountid=10472. Last accessed 26th February 2014. Thomas Dyllick and Kai Hockerts. (2002). Beyond the business case for cooperate sustainability. Available: http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2ved=0CDUQFjABurl=http://www.researchgate.net/publication/36386947_Beyond_the_Business_Case_for_Corporate_Sustainability/fi. Last accessed 26th February 2014. [1] D. Crowther, Social and Environmental Accounting (London: Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2000), p. 20. [2] http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2ved=0CDAQFjABurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.springer.com%2Fcda%2Fcontent%2Fdocument%2Fcda_downloaddocument%2F9783642026294-c1.pdf%3FSGWID%3D0-0-45-811809-p173912904ei=oUcBU7_hC-H17Aak8IGwCwusg=AFQjCNEdu9SuaBK8pz77C14bqGV6TQOy5gbvm=bv.61535280,d.ZGU [3] http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/pdf/apple_s_unkept_promises.pdf [4] http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/labor-violations-rife-at-apple-manufacturing-partners-in-china-a-913652.html [5] http://images.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple_SR_2012_Progress_Report.pdf [6] http://www.ipe.org.cn/Upload/Report-IT-V-Apple-I-EN.pdf [7] http://search.proquest.com/abiglobal/docview/615328153/3EEA779477A241BCPQ/2?accountid=10472 [8] http://search.proquest.com/abiglobal/docview/615328153/3EEA779477A241BCPQ/2?accountid=10472 [9] http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2ved=0CDUQFjABurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.researchgate.net%2Fpublication%2F36386947_Beyond_the_Business_Case_for_Corporate_Sustainability%2Ffi. [10] http://www.ipe.org.cn/Upload/Report-IT-V-Apple-I-EN.pdf [11] http://www.ipe.org.cn/Upload/Report-IT-V-Apple-I-EN.pdf [12] http://www.greenwashingindex.com/about-greenwashing

Wilkie Collins The Moonstone Essay -- Wilkie Collins Moonstone Essays

Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone Near the beginning of Wilkie Collins’s novel, The Moonstone, John Herncastle’s cousin explains, â€Å"The deity commanded that the Moonstone should be watched, from that time forth, by three priests in turn, night and day, to the end of the generations of men†¦ One age followed another—and still, generation after generation, the successors of the three Brahmins watched their priceless Moonstone, night and day† (2). As a result of remembering the past, and specifically their deity’s command, the Indian priests are bound by a circular, repetitive chain of events. In contrast, Rosanna Spearman and Franklin Blake, two non-Indian characters in the novel, are able to use their memory of the past to break the cycle of repetitive, unwanted events in their lives and effect desired changes. Each Indian priest’s self-concept never changes; he is simply an embodiment of his office or his societal role, and he lives solely to watch the Moonstone. The self-concepts of Rosanna and Franklin, however, do change over time. Through battling haunting effects of the past and fighting against negative self-concepts, Rosanna and Franklin additionally align themselves with a progressive notion of history as they battle against the cyclical notion that binds the Indian priests. The past has the power to corrupt or infect the lives of characters like Rosanna and Franklin, but when these characters confront and remember the past, they are freed from its ability to perpetuate a cyclical series of unlucky events. For example, Rosanna’s past as a thief causes Franklin to suspect her of having stolen the Moonstone as well. He says, â€Å"’Rosanna Spearman came to my aunt out of a reformatory? Rosanna Spearman had once b... ..., generation after generation, the successors of the three Brahmins watched their priceless Moonstone, night and day† (2). Even the end of the novel isn’t really an end to the repetition of events in India; Mr. Murthwaite writes, â€Å"So the years pass, and repeat each other; so the same events revolve in the cycles of time. What will be the next adventures of the Moonstone? Who can tell?† (466). In contrast, Rosanna Spearman and Franklin Blake, two non-Indian characters in the novel, are able to use their memory of the past to break the cycle of repetitive, unwanted events in their lives and effect desired changes. Through battling haunting effects of the past and fighting against negative self-concepts, Rosanna and Franklin additionally align themselves with a progressive notion of history as they battle against the cyclical notion that binds the Indian priests.

Caffeine in Coca-Cola Essay

Design Question: Does the caffeine in Coca-Cola affect blood pressure? Hypothesis: The amount of caffeine in Coca-Cola will cause to the adrenal glands, located on the top of the kidneys, to release more adrenaline which will in turn cause an increase in blood pressure. As the amount of Coca-Cola decreases, so will the difference between initial blood pressure and blood pressure after the consumption of the caffeine. Variables: Vemier Labquest Procedure: In order to test my hypothesis, I decided to use a common caffeinated beverage, Coca-Cola. The amount of caffeine in each bottle is given as 48mg/500mL. So, to keep my calculations clean my initial test was with 500mL of the Coca-Cola. I took my blood pressure with a Vermier Labquest before I consumed any caffeine to have a control variable. It was a manual blood pressure monitor, so I took my own blood pressure. After placing the cuff on my arm, I squeezed the bulb until the cuff pressure reached 170 mm Hg. Then, I released the bulb and let the pressure drop until it was 50 mm Hg and I used the release valve on the bulb to completely release the pressure and stopped the data collection. This data was recorded. Next, I measured the amount of the Coca-Cola used for the current test into a measuring cup and then consumed it. I waited 20 minutes after consumption to take my blood pressure again. Caffeine has been reported to take affect after a time period of 15-45 minutes. I did an identical test every day for five consecutive days with varying amounts of Coca-Cola consumed. On the first day, I consumed 500mL, 400mL on the second day, 300mL on the third day, 200mL on the fourth day, and 100mL on the fifth day. I recorded my blood pressure pre-caffeine consumption on each day. * Spike in blood pressure during the third trial could also be due to the additional consumption of food during the time between initial blood pressure data collection and post-caffeine consumption data collection. No other trials had outside influences on data. Data Processing: The following is a line graph that represents the systolic pressures of each trial before and after caffeine consumption: There are noticeably great differences between the different trials up until the fourth trial when the systolic pressures seem to be nearly the same. The pressure at trial three seems to be an outlier. The following is a line graph that represents the diastolic pressures of each trial before and after caffeine consumption: The correlation between the diastolic pressures does not go along with my hypothesis in showing that the blood pressure will rise as the caffeine intake rises. The spike at trial three is also an outlier here like it was with the systolic pressures. Both of these graphs help to illustrate the change in the pressures visually. Conclusion: Although there is some relation between caffeine intake and a rise in blood pressure, my data was not one-hundred percent accurate in showing that the more caffeine consumed the more of an increase. This would have been shown had the data for trial three been less of an extreme. If the systolic pressure had fallen between 117 and 129 (The systolic pressures for trials 4 and 2) then the data would appear to be much more consistent. The cause of this could be directly due to the fact that I was also eating at the time of the trial whereas with the other four tests, the only thing that I was ingesting at that point in time was the Coca-Cola. I chose to do this experiment on myself for that very reason: I can control my consumption and I am aware of everything consumed that may or may not affect the outcome of the data. If I were to redo this entire experiment, I would also choose to use myself as the test subject. This keeps my variables to a minimum and ensures uniformity. I would also make sure that at the time of the trials that nothing but the actual product, in this case Coca-Cola, was being consumed; especially in the time period between consumption of the test product and then the second blood pressure reading. I would also change my equipment. The blood pressure monitor that I used was manual and at times very unreliable. If given the opportunity to redo this, I would purchase a digital blood pressure cuff that would insure that each reading could not be the product of operator error. This could have also been a factor that led to the outlying data for trial three. Time between consumption and taking a blood pressure reading could also be altered. I used twenty minutes due to the fact that it is a short amount of time and I would not have to worry about controlling possible outside factors for a long period of time. However, if I had let the caffeine be in my system for up to 45 minutes, there may have been more of a noticeable effect to the change in my blood pressure. My hypothesis that the amount of caffeine in Coca-Cola will cause to the adrenal glands, located on the top of the kidneys, to release more adrenaline which will in turn cause an increase in blood pressure. As the amount of Coca-Cola decreases, so will the difference between initial blood pressure and blood pressure after the consumption of the caffeine was somewhat proven to be right. Yes, blood pressure did rise each and every time that I drank the Coca-Cola. However, the latter portion of the hypothesis is still unclear. It is unclear due to the data collected in trial three thus the need to redo trial three for an accurate confirmation of my hypothesis.

A Contemporary Take on The Blithedale Romance

Four individuals get together with thoughts on what an ideal society should be in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Blithedale Romance. † Blithedale was a modern Arcadia founded by Charles Fourier which was eventually destroyed by the behavior of individuals who are only interested for themselves. These said members are the very four individuals who are the main characters in the novel.These are Hollingsworth, a philanthropist and misogynist who wants to make Blithedale a colony for the reformation of criminals, Zenobia, an outspoken and opinionated feminist, Priscilla, a seamstress from the city and Miles Coverdale, the poet who is also the narrator in the story. Throughout spring and summer, Hollingsworth, Zenobia, Priscilla and Coverdale formed an intense friendship with one another. Just like the weather, this bond disintegrates the exact moment autumn comes. The book ends tragically. Coverdale is an unreliable narrator.It was as if his manner of speaking represents s pirituality to the masses who are already secular. This makes him appear someone who tries to popularize his beliefs. He is also a voyeur because he avoids interaction with those around him. He also doesn’t like to be seen. Since he is the narrator, it seems as if he has the power. Truth is, his personality influences how the story is told. The politics, personal liberation and communal utopia he has in his head still depends on how the three other characters take it. Zenobia is the representation of the eternal feminine, to the delight of modern-day feminists.The text describes her as â€Å"earthy, maternal, natural, sensual, domestic, brilliant, loving and demanding. † Nonetheless, Zenobia is complicated and she represents the varying feminist qualities just as she mirrors the â€Å"materiality of the world† and her â€Å"resistance to desire. † It seems as if Zenobia was already the image of the feminist politics. On the other hand, Hollingsworth is of ten perceived as the American sterotype. He intends to â€Å"convert the heathen. † This is his way to redeem the fallen. He has projects that are philanthropic by nature. It masks his â€Å"will to power.† Hollingsworth is the typical white and male of today. It also seems that throughout the text, he is so masculine. Each trait he has reflects traditional masculinity. Finally, there is Priscilla. She is the exact opposite of Zenobia. She is passive, innocent, vulnerable and can easily be manipulated. She suffers from the control of the men in her life. However, in the book as written by Hawthorne, it will seem that Priscilla overpowers Zenobia. In the society that they are in, Zenobia’s strong feminist views do not coincide with the traditional norms.†The Blithedale Romance† may be a classic but it is still relevant especially during political seasons. With the background check on the time Hawthorne wrote this, the Transcendentalists, Utopian Movem ent, Unitarians and Universalists still remain in the political ideologies of today. Just like modern Americans, the characters in the story are unsatisfied with what the United States is now. They believe that they are still living in the â€Å"sinfulness of man. † They intend to make heaven here on earth. In the book, they called their utopia â€Å"Happy Valley.† We see politicians striving for the same goal today. Each one of them have their own logos. In contemporary America, politicians always trying to fix things that do not need fixing. They believe they can ignore human nature.. It is interesting to point that the ideologies represented in the book didn’t work. It is pretty much a prediction because these movements – Socialism, Misogyny, Feminism – also do not work today. The part where Zenobia seems to be uncontrolled is an allusion to the power of the feminist movement. If you think about it, women want to be heard.They have strong convic tions and if the reader will use Zenobia as the symbol of the feminist movement, he can conclude that she bowed down to Hollingsworth, who represents the traditional male. It is unfortunate that despite women’s determination to be heard, the masculine driven society we live in today results to an â€Å"abrupt and dramatic suicide† of the feminist’s beliefs. 1 Hawthorne, during his time, was known to be a romance novelist. This work is different from his previous masterpieces simply because of its relative realism.He made sure that the novel deals with social events that occur in an everyday fashion. There is also romance in extraordinary events. The novel manages to analyze the characters through the historical and social forces. Take this for example. A main complication in the novel is the conflict between the individual and the community. There is a subjectivity on the self because the focus is on will and personal freedom. Early on, it has been said that the town did not succeed because of the self-interest of the four characters.That is why as much as the characters offer ethical benefit in order for the other person to do well, the individualism appears to be self detemination. The pursuit of one’s personal gain only complicates the matter even more. 2 Another conflict is Hollingsworth’s take on spirituality. It seems that it is so intangible that it needs public reckoning but most individuals in Blithedale wish to see this spiritual belief in evidence which the four characters cannot explain. Clearly, â€Å"The Blithedale Romance† is a romantic perception of something so real such as a society.As much as one wishes to strive for utopia, the human nature of selfishness, self-interest and self-again will always prevent this from happening. Another concern is the different mindsets of people, as seen among the four characters in â€Å"The Blithedale Romance. † This only comes to show that there will always b e misunderstanding among us. 1 Hoeltje, Hubert H. Inward Sky: The Heart and Mind of Nathaniel Hawthorne, page 313, Duke University Press, 1962 2 Craig White, â€Å"A Utopia of Spheres and Sympathies†, Utopian Studies, 1998.

The Difference Between Sessions and Cookies in PHP

The Difference Between Sessions and Cookies in PHP In PHP, visitor information designated to be used across the site can be stored in either sessions  or cookies. Both of them accomplish much the same thing. The main difference between cookies and sessions is that information stored in a cookie is stored on the visitors browser, and information stored in a session is not- it is stored at the web server. This difference determines what each is best suited for. A Cookie Resides on the User's Computer Your website can be set to place a cookie on a users computer. That cookie maintains information in the users machine until the information is deleted by the user. A person may have a username and password to your website. That information can be saved as a cookie on the visitors computer, so there is no need for him to log in to your website on each  visit. Common uses for cookies include authentication, storage of site preferences, and shopping cart items. Although you can store almost any text in a browser cookie, a user can block cookies or delete them at any time. If, for example, your websites shopping cart utilizes cookies, shoppers who block cookies in their browsers cant shop at your website. Cookies can be disabled or edited by the visitor. Do not use cookies to store sensitive data. Session Information Resides on the Web Server A session is server-side information  intended to exist only throughout the visitors interaction with the website. Only a unique identifier is stored on the client side. This token is passed to the web server when the visitors browser requests your  HTTP address. That  token matches your website with the visitors information while the user is at your site. When the user closes the website, the session ends, and your website loses access to the information. If you dont need any permanent data, sessions are usually the way to go. They are a little easier to use, and they can be as large as needed, in comparison with cookies, which are relatively small. Sessions cannot be disabled or edited by the visitor.  Ã‚   So, if you have a site requiring a login, that information is better served as a cookie, or the user would be forced to log in every time he visits. If you prefer tighter security and the ability to control the data and when it expires, sessions work  best. You can, of course, get the best of both worlds. When you know what each does, you can use a combination of cookies and sessions to make your site work exactly the way you want it to work.

My Last Duchess Cel Essay Example

My Last Duchess Cel Essay Example My Last Duchess Cel Essay My Last Duchess Cel Essay Essay Topic: The Coquette The Heart Goes Last The text I have selected to discourse is My Last Duchess’ by Robert Browning. which was written in 1842. My Last Duchess is a dramatic soliloquy of one side of a conversation between a Duke and a Count’s courier who are negociating a matrimony to the Count’s girl. The Duke’s address about his Last Duchess’ reveals possibly more than he foremost intended to. The Duke shows the Count’s envoy a picture of his Last Duchess. ’ he talks lovingly of the picture and goes on to depict the Duchess. He describes her as beautiful. easy pleased and coquettish. The scene of this verse form is the sixteenth century. where adult females were considered mere ownerships. objects. kid carriers. –not people– and taught to obey orders without contradiction. which could be punishable by decease. In this essay I intend to discourse what I consider to be the poem’s intent and significance. In My Last Duchess the Duke appears to be a really proud. covetous. and good educated adult male. He complains that the Duchess treats his gift to her of a 900 twelvemonth old name as if it were of the same value as the bough of cherries and the white mule given to her by some officious’ sap. He is genitive and commanding. and it is his covetous nature that causes the duchess’s decease. It would non be just to state that the Duke ordered for the Duchess to be disposed of. merely because she flirted with other work forces. he gave her warning and she disobeyed him. In the sixteenth century this would hold been considered a great abuse. Womans were treated as slaves. and if they disobeyed their hubbies or male members of their household so they would be known as an embarrassment to their household and their hubbies. who would hold nil more to make with them. The duchess insults the duke. who is already covetous of her relationships’ with other work forces. who has given her warning. and who she has insulted and go an embarrassment to. the Duke feels he has no other pick but to dispose of her. The Duke chooses his words really carefully when discoursing the decease of the duchess with the minister plenipotentiary. dropping merely little intimations. but giving adequate grounds to take us to believe that did so get rid of her’ . Her decease would hold been quiet and discreet ; which I believe would hold been the Duke’s manner. no dither and no incommodiousness for the duke. Due to the rubric of the verse form. and how the duke describes the duchess as simply his last’ . doing it appear as though there has been many duchesses before her. She was his trophy married woman. and he prided himself on holding a beautiful. immature married woman. but was unable to command his green-eyed monster over those who besides appreciated her beauty. I think the duke has married many times to procure land. money and more significantly. power. The Duke craved power. money and wanted the perfect married woman. who was beautiful and followed his every bid. The Duke is covetous of the manner the Duchess treats other people. non because he loves her and wants all her love for himself. but because he wants her to admit his power over her. The Last Duchess’ was a immature miss when she married the Duke. she could hold been around 13 or 14 old ages old. At this age. although she is old plenty to cognize right from incorrect. and will non be every bit immature as a 10 or twelve twelvemonth old. it is dubious that she is old plenty to get by with so much duty. to be married to the duke for the remainder of her life and to avoid going an embarrassment to her household. To the reader. she may look as if she is simply smiling at other work forces. thanking them for their gifts and crimsoning at regards. Though. to the duke she is smiling at other work forces. the same manner she smiles at him. this causes him to worry that she is being unfaithful. She besides rates his gift of a nine-hundred-year old name the same as any other old gift. non genuinely understanding the value and importance that he believes his name to be. She blooms and smilings. when paid regards. naming that spot of joy into her cheek. of which the Duke is so genitive over. He besides comments that She had a heart- how shall I state? - too shortly made glad. excessively easy impressed ; she liked whate’er she looked on. and her expressions went everyplace. By stating this. he is connoting that she was excessively easy impressed. she liked anyone she seen. and she looked at everyone. The duchess. is immature and immature. she has been warned by the duke she must halt flirtation with other work forces. or face the effects. She sees the Duke’s weak topographic point. his green-eyed monster over her. and returns to tease him. possibly smiling at work forces when she knew she was being watched. this finally. is the cause of her death- her inability to halt smile. He says. Oh sir. she smiled. no uncertainty whene’er I passed her ; but who passed without much the same smiling? This grew ; I gave bids ; so all smilings stopped together. There she stands as if alive. The duchess still smiles at the duke. but besides at anyone else who passes. this annoys the Duke. who. when she disobeys him has decided that he can non take it any more. It all of a sudden dawns on the reader that the Duke has non stopped her from simply smiling. he has stopped her from take a breathing. it is a chilling disclosure. He has ordered her to be disposed of. and so he all of a sudden changes the subject back to the picture. about as if he can’t be bothered to discourse the affair any farther. I think the Duke and Duchess may hold had feelings for each other. and instead than appreciate the feelings of the Duke. she decides to ache them. to badger him. to do him covetous. demoing her immatureness and her naivete of disregarding his warnings. In the opening scene of the verse form. the Duke describes the picture. That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall. Looking as if she were alive. I call that piece a admiration. now. This could easy be mistaken for fancy of the duchess. but he is truly congratulating the picture. He casually tells us that it is his Last Duchess’ on the wall. non trouble oneselfing to call her. as if she were his ownership and refers to her as my. ’ He comments on the painter’s accomplishment and ability to paint her. doing her expression as if she were a existent individual in forepart of them. When the duchess was being painted by Fra pandolf’ . the painter pays her a compliment. which calls a spot of joy to her cheek. which the Duke feels should be reserved merely for himself. He is careful non to uncover his feelings towards the Duchess. although he does unwittingly through his green-eyed monster. He did care for the Duchess. possibly he did non love her. or possibly he thought of her as a ownership and was selfish. declining to portion her smiling with anyone else. but he did hold feelings for her. These feelings grew. and so did his green-eyed monster. the consequence of which unhappily ended in the Duchesses decease. The duke was. at first. lenient with the Duchess. leting her to chat up with other work forces. and when it becomes excessively much for him. warning her. and when she does non take attentiveness of his warning and he worries that his repute will be tarnished he has to move. and act he does. with the Duchess’s decease. Although. at the terminal of the verse form. he asks the minister plenipotentiary to lift. to run into the company that is waiting downstairs. they discuss the dowery which the Duke will have when he marries the Count’s girl. The count so moves on to discourse the statue of a walrus. which he describes the same as he did the picture . doing it look that he did so hold no particular feelings towards the Duchess. and he values the walrus. the same as the duchess. I believe that this verse form is set in the sixteenth century. in the Renaissance period. where the Italian nobility ruled Italy. the hapless had no say and the aristocracy at the clip treated adult females like slaves. In this period of clip. it was unacceptable for a adult female to demo her legs. excessively much of her weaponries. to be caught entirely with other work forces. whether they were guiltless or non. or to be unloyal to those who had taken attention of her. The verse form is set in the duke’s palatial’ house. there could be so be a party downstairs. perchance to compliment the Duke and the Count’s girls future nuptials. There will be many of import people invited. such as the Count. his girl and his tribunal every bit good as many other of import people of the clip. The minister plenipotentiary. after discoursing the dowery with the Duke. will return to the party. to speak to the Count and it will be decided the size of the dowery. and whether the nuptials will go on. This is an of import party for the Duke and he will desire to demo that he has wealths. wealth. power and influence to the Count. so that he will be acute for his girl to get married the Duke. The Duke’s house is large. and filled with art. he seems the type of individual to hold retainers who will be taking attention of the party downstairs. The chief subjects of this verse form are wealths. wealth. power. green-eyed monster and the male dominated society of the sixteenth century. Though there is no subject of love in this verse form. this is non grounds that the Duke did non love the Duchess. he may hold loved the duchess so much. that he could non bear to see the Duchess coquette with other people. The wealths. wealth and power are conveyed through the blue scene of this verse form. the people involved. such as the duke. the count. the duchess. the people who they consider to be below them. such as the minister plenipotentiary. the officious fool’ who gave the duchess a bough of cherries and a white mule that could non perchance compare with the duke’s 900 twelvemonth old name. There is a running subject of green-eyed monster throughout this verse form. and besides a sense of paranoia. the Duke sees the Duchess smiling at other work forces and the thought signifiers in his head that she is traveling to go forth him for anyone she smiles at. Therefore. in decision I have tried to demo what I consider to be the poem’s intent and significance. I have tried to demo how the duke was genitive over the duchess. how she tormented and teased him. how he eventually could non take any more. and she was disposed of. How he did hold feelings for her. but valued her every bit much as a statue of a walrus made out of bronze. How he discusses his Last Duchess’ and his hereafter duchess as if they were points. used for fiscal addition. The duke’s green-eyed monster is a running subject throughout the verse form. and he is unable to command it. or the duchess and he did non desire to lose face to the remainder of the nobility. The Renaissance was a clip when the violent death of adult females for the simplest of things was considered politically right. I have besides tried to demo that I consider this poem’s intent and significance to be about the Duke’s green-eyed monster and low ego regard to do him c onceive of that the Duchess is traveling to go forth for him for anyone and everyone.

Sacagewea's Imact on Modern Native American Women in the Southwest Essay

Sacagewea's Imact on Modern Native American Women in the Southwest - Essay Example In many ways, Sacagawea has acted as a role model for the modern Native American woman and has transcended the stereotype left by the oppression of history. Sacagawea's image has been a lasting symbol of the Native American female. She has at times been represented as a mother with a child strapped on her back scouting her way beyond a distant horizon. She has also been shown as a Native Princess paddling a birch bark canoe in the light of a full moon. The turn of the 20th century witnessed the exploitation of the Native American female as they were portrayed on postcards and calendars as "princesses, who were more enticing, in their sexually explicit outfits, of low necklines, net stockings, and slit skirts" (Valaskakis 141). The pristine image of Sacagawea has endured because of the legend that surrounded her. Sacagawea has become a universal symbol that has framed the Native American woman and has given a voice to the Indian culture. The legend of Sacagawea has been a key component of the bridging of the gap between Native Americans and European settlers. In addition, it has added to our morality and attitudes toward race, ethnicity, and gender. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was a journey of white male Europeans being led by a Native American Woman. The magnitude of the expedition can be seen in Meriwether Lewis's journal entry of April 7, 1805 where he writes, "we are now about to penetrate a country at least two thousand miles in width, on which the foot of civillized (sic) man had never trodden; the good or evil it had in store for us was for experiment yet to determine, and these little vessells (sic) contained every article by which we were to expect to subsist or defend ourselves" (Lewis). The expedition was in the hands of Sacagawea and was reliant upon her for its success. This acknowledgement of the respect for Sacagawea laid the foundation for the women's movement that would affect women of all color decades later. The attitude of the white male power structure was one of overconfident invincibility in its move Westward to conquer the land and the Natives. However, the government had greatly underestimated the task of making it to the west coast. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson wrote the Congress requesting the necessary resources to launch the expedition. Jefferson wrote, "It is understood that the country on the river is inhabited by numerous tribes [. . .] An intelligent officer with ten or twelve chosen men [. . .] might explore the whole line, even to the Western ocean" (Duncan and Burns 8). Jefferson and the government had placed the "ten or twelve chosen men" as a powerful force in the face of the Natives and nature. The expedition soon realized that they were undermanned when facing the vast hostile tribes of the West and Sacagawea was able to act as a symbol of peace rather than aggression ("The Life of Sacagawea"). The fact that one teenage Native woman would be needed to complete the trek across the country defined Sacagawea as a woman that was skilled, tenacious, and courageous. This portrayal has empowered the Native American female in a litany of other, and more personal, endeavors. The most powerful force that has impacted the Native American woman by the life of Sacagawea has been the inspiration that she has given to the young people in search of a role model. This

In pregnancy what is the effect of anxiety on postpartum depression Research Paper

In pregnancy what is the effect of anxiety on postpartum depression - Research Paper Example Increased levels of parenting stress directly correlate to the occurrence of postpartum depression and the anxiety experienced during pregnancy. As symptoms of antenatal anxiety and depression became more severe levels of parenting stress increase. Antenatal depression and anxiety has been shown to impact the developing fetus as well as early child behavior. These babies spend more time crying and unhappy in appearance and demonstrate more stress related behaviors. They are often more difficult to console and appear to be more irritable. The relation between increased depression and anxiety during pregnancy even when controlling postpartum through therapy and other pharmacological means persist, despite this early intervention is strongly warranted. Research has increasingly addressed the comorbidity of anxiety with postpartum depression. Related factors that contribute are described as low self-esteem and maternal income and these are common predictors of prenatal anxiety (Mott, Schiller, Richards, O’Hara, & Stuart, 2011). Prenatal anxiety greatly increases a woman’s chances of anxiety and depression during the first seven months of the postpartum period. Data used for this study included a postpartum group selected from an existing data set who were enrolled in a previous study conducted through the University of Iowa. Women who participated in this study had delivered a baby in the prior 12 months and data was gathered through the use of questionnaires sent to those interested in participating in the study. There were 147 surveys or questionnaires returned that data was compiled from. Postpartum mothers most often reported the effects of anxiety included general depression, dysphoria, lassitude, insomnia, suicide ideation, appetite loss and gain, ill-temper, social anxiety, panic and traumatic intrusions. Results of this study concluded that adoptive women experienced fewer symptoms of

Conclusion and Recommendation for report evaluate 3 e-business website Assignment

Conclusion and Recommendation for report evaluate 3 e-business website - Assignment Example Though, they might not be willing to make a purchase but they may have friends that find the products being sold there interesting and hence, act as potential customers. So, a person that clicks â€Å"Recommend to Friends† button indirectly becomes a sales person for the website. Unfortunately, Baskinrobins.com, maggiemoose.com and benjerry.com did not think of using any such option. This websites however, can greatly benefit from this entity not just in terms of generating online traffic, but also in increasing sales and profitability. There are some other factors on which these websites need to focus upon, following are few of them. Segmentation The segmentation of baskinrobbins.com is well managed, giving ease to client’s understandability. It can be seen that the website categorizes the demand of cakes in three categories based on special day, membership and geography. In comparison to baskinrobbin.com, the two sites, maggiemoos.com and banjerry.com lack such effect ive segmentation. There is a dire need of segmentation in these two websites based on the customer's purchase behavior across several product categories. It has been seen that benefits sought can also make use of more analytical information rather than plain descriptive demographic profiling (Bhatnagar & Ghose, 2002). Customers’ reviews On the broad canvas of e-commerce, where sellers and buyer do not really interact in tangible manner, there always comes a problem of decision making. A person may not be sure of its reliability and may hesitate in placing the order. However, this dilemma will automatically be resolved if the person is recommended of the website by some other customer who has used the product before. In e-commerce websites, customers review acts as word of mouth. If a website lacks customers review, one can lose several doubtful but potential customers. Same is the case with baskinrobbin.com, maggiemoos.com and benjerry.com. A scrap book or comment on several new or famous cakes should be provided to give an insight of products and services to eliminate doubts and boost up customers confidence. Online security When it comes to online shopping, the only threat that hinders decision of customer is financial security. In case of baskinrobbin.com, it has not only provided personal information security, but also financial security. When a customer enters his/her credit card number or bank account it is encrypted by sophisticated software program (secured socket layer technology or SSL), so any potential hacker cannot access it. On the other hand, Maggiemoos.com and benjerry.com lack security measurements. Recent security glitch has been disclosed about benjerry.com where an invoice of a lady was shown by simple Google search. Though, it only showed personal information and address, but fraudster could use this data as a starting point of their fraud scheme. Security should be provided to the fullest to retain potential customers (Woffenden, 2 010). Content It is commonly said that content is king. It is what search marketers have been harping for years, because a site rich in content is definitely more useful than a site with poor/copied content. Creating rich content provides value to readers, who may be willing to pass this nugget of knowledge to others through links on their blogs, forwarded e-mails or simply word of mouth. In maggiemoos.com, benjerry.com and

Catharine bond hill Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Catharine bond hill - Term Paper Example According to recent research, fully 80% of all economic majors and postgraduates within the United States are men all stop this is a shocking statistic due to the fact that women comprise upwards of 60% of all college and university enrollment within the United States at the given time. Likewise, the purpose of this brief analysis will be to underscore the importance that women play within this field and draw particular inference with regards to the impacts they can have based upon the life and experience of what can only be described as an exceptional woman within the field. In such a way, the preceding analysis will seek to draw inference based upon the life of Catherine Bond Hill and the means by which women within her profession can seek to affected impacts, whom this profession specifically aims to serve, and the overall outlook and future of this profession with regards to the analysis of current and key statistics. Furthermore, it is the hope of this author that such an analys is will be the reader to an understanding of the increased importance that women should place upon the field of economics means by which they can seek to affect the quality within this field over time. ... However, as has been described, below and extent to which women began to be represented within economics is necessarily been constrained. Although it is beyond the scope of this analysis to determine whether or not this constraint is due to natural/personal choices or a systemic level of sexism within the field, nonetheless, the rate of growth that women have seen within economics over the past half-century has been abysmally low as compared to other fields of study. This very low rate of representation is something of a unique dynamic in an arena in which equality is virtually praised to have been met (Peterson 279). Whereas many professions and fields of academics aim to serve specific segments of society, the environment, science, or philosophy, is various profession and fields are generally concentric upon facilitating a key level of value within a specific community of stakeholders. Conversely, those individuals that engage in economic studies are necessarily interested in maxim izing value for each and every stakeholder within society. Such a macro view sets this field apart from any other fields. Accordingly, the need for women to be represented within it is great due to the fact that they are able to bring a unique perspective of a previously disenfranchised and ultimately silent group that represents fully 50% of the global population. In such a manner, the reader/researcher can understand the profession aims at seeking to understand and define a level of resource allocation with regards to the ever-increasing population and never-ending human demands that are placed upon finite resources (Dimand 15). Moreover, in an age of increasing environmental destruction and the impacts of global

Discuss why and in what ways young people have been treated Essay - 2

Discuss why and in what ways young people have been treated differently in the criminal justice system - Essay Example There are several reasons for treating younger people differently by the court of law. According to a leading researcher of United States National Institute of Mental Health; Jay Giedd, during adolescence the brain is not completely developed for making any kind of organizational or strategic decision making processes. Hence it is unfair to expect juveniles having adult levels of decision making or organizational skills. Human brains do not develop completely before 18 years. According to latest researches, it has been observed that teenagers are susceptible to surroundings. It is very clear that younger people have a sharp brain and they have the potential to learn things quickly compared to other age group people. Northern Ireland has a different and separate justice system for children between age group 10 to 17. Similarly many other countries have separate jurisdiction system for children and young people. It is believed that children and teenagers can obtain proper correction in rehab centres than in prison. Researchers have also mentioned that if young children are put to prison with adult criminals either they will become the victims in prison or else they will become worse depending on the surroundings they are exposed. This essay will discuss about the difference of criminal justice system and the reasons with respect to children. The public prosecution system and the police; both play important role during the execution of a criminal justice system. Police and prosecution system are responsible for providing substantial evidence before the court in order to prove whether a convict is guilty. In case of children the system and the procedure remains same however the liberty is more compared to adults. In many countries it has been observed that children and young convicts are allowed to speak in order to know their intentions. After the diversionary youth conference and the decision from PSNI in the year 2003, PPS have been given the

Building a Services Brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Building a Services Brand - Essay Example Striking a balance between the customer-centered approach and the internal orientation towards the centrality of staff is the key to the development of a service brand. This paper attempts an overview of the available literature on services brand building and then correlates it with the opinions of leading-edge brand consultants. Literature Review: The existing models of brand building, by and large, are biased towards the goods sector with little or no relevance to the services sector. Aaker’s brand identity planning model (Aaker et al. 40), Kapferer’s hexagonal brand identity prism model (Kapferer 182) or Ind’s insistence on organization-wide commitment and employee-centric approach (Ind 24) hardly has any principles that can have useful application in services brand building. However, the four-dimensional brand asset management strategy proposed by Scott M Davis (Shay 438) and the four-step process suggested by Gregory and Sellers focus on a combination of int ernal and external factors and are therefore worth considering in the present discussion. Davis’s model includes the phases of developing a brand vision, determining the brand picture, devising a brand asset management strategy and devising a supporting culture. ... According to de Chernatony, the definition of brand image includes the three components – promise, emotional values and rational values (Schmid 1). Overall, there is a paucity of literature about building services brands and this could be because brand building, by its very nature, is dynamic. Moreover, new services are often included under the existing and established corporate brands. The need to build a corporate brand from scratch rarely arises. As for the question of who must take charge of the task of building services brands, the limitations in the traditional brand manager concept have already become obvious and category managers are replacing brand managers (Batra et al. 25). Considering the multi-faceted role of CEOs and the declining role of marketing departments (Hulbert et al. 55), it certainly is a good idea to have an exclusive executive and a cross-functional team with sole responsibility of brand building. Toffler ventured a little further and advocated user g enerated branding by way of prosumerism (Burmann et al. 75). In all this, the HRM has a crucial role to play as recruiting, training and motivating employees is as important as understanding and fulfilling customer needs (Thomson et al. 819). Kaplan and Norton too endorse the idea of internal / external balance through their ‘balanced scorecard’ (7). Ambler goes to the extent of saying that internal marketing should precede external efforts (113). What the experts say: With respect to developing service brands from scratch, the questions that precisely need to be answered are: (i) Who is involved? (ii) What are the stages that firms go through? and (iii) Which orientation is

Catharine bond hill Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Catharine bond hill - Term Paper Example According to recent research, fully 80% of all economic majors and postgraduates within the United States are men all stop this is a shocking statistic due to the fact that women comprise upwards of 60% of all college and university enrollment within the United States at the given time. Likewise, the purpose of this brief analysis will be to underscore the importance that women play within this field and draw particular inference with regards to the impacts they can have based upon the life and experience of what can only be described as an exceptional woman within the field. In such a way, the preceding analysis will seek to draw inference based upon the life of Catherine Bond Hill and the means by which women within her profession can seek to affected impacts, whom this profession specifically aims to serve, and the overall outlook and future of this profession with regards to the analysis of current and key statistics. Furthermore, it is the hope of this author that such an analys is will be the reader to an understanding of the increased importance that women should place upon the field of economics means by which they can seek to affect the quality within this field over time. ... However, as has been described, below and extent to which women began to be represented within economics is necessarily been constrained. Although it is beyond the scope of this analysis to determine whether or not this constraint is due to natural/personal choices or a systemic level of sexism within the field, nonetheless, the rate of growth that women have seen within economics over the past half-century has been abysmally low as compared to other fields of study. This very low rate of representation is something of a unique dynamic in an arena in which equality is virtually praised to have been met (Peterson 279). Whereas many professions and fields of academics aim to serve specific segments of society, the environment, science, or philosophy, is various profession and fields are generally concentric upon facilitating a key level of value within a specific community of stakeholders. Conversely, those individuals that engage in economic studies are necessarily interested in maxim izing value for each and every stakeholder within society. Such a macro view sets this field apart from any other fields. Accordingly, the need for women to be represented within it is great due to the fact that they are able to bring a unique perspective of a previously disenfranchised and ultimately silent group that represents fully 50% of the global population. In such a manner, the reader/researcher can understand the profession aims at seeking to understand and define a level of resource allocation with regards to the ever-increasing population and never-ending human demands that are placed upon finite resources (Dimand 15). Moreover, in an age of increasing environmental destruction and the impacts of global

Building a Services Brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Building a Services Brand - Essay Example Striking a balance between the customer-centered approach and the internal orientation towards the centrality of staff is the key to the development of a service brand. This paper attempts an overview of the available literature on services brand building and then correlates it with the opinions of leading-edge brand consultants. Literature Review: The existing models of brand building, by and large, are biased towards the goods sector with little or no relevance to the services sector. Aaker’s brand identity planning model (Aaker et al. 40), Kapferer’s hexagonal brand identity prism model (Kapferer 182) or Ind’s insistence on organization-wide commitment and employee-centric approach (Ind 24) hardly has any principles that can have useful application in services brand building. However, the four-dimensional brand asset management strategy proposed by Scott M Davis (Shay 438) and the four-step process suggested by Gregory and Sellers focus on a combination of int ernal and external factors and are therefore worth considering in the present discussion. Davis’s model includes the phases of developing a brand vision, determining the brand picture, devising a brand asset management strategy and devising a supporting culture. ... According to de Chernatony, the definition of brand image includes the three components – promise, emotional values and rational values (Schmid 1). Overall, there is a paucity of literature about building services brands and this could be because brand building, by its very nature, is dynamic. Moreover, new services are often included under the existing and established corporate brands. The need to build a corporate brand from scratch rarely arises. As for the question of who must take charge of the task of building services brands, the limitations in the traditional brand manager concept have already become obvious and category managers are replacing brand managers (Batra et al. 25). Considering the multi-faceted role of CEOs and the declining role of marketing departments (Hulbert et al. 55), it certainly is a good idea to have an exclusive executive and a cross-functional team with sole responsibility of brand building. Toffler ventured a little further and advocated user g enerated branding by way of prosumerism (Burmann et al. 75). In all this, the HRM has a crucial role to play as recruiting, training and motivating employees is as important as understanding and fulfilling customer needs (Thomson et al. 819). Kaplan and Norton too endorse the idea of internal / external balance through their ‘balanced scorecard’ (7). Ambler goes to the extent of saying that internal marketing should precede external efforts (113). What the experts say: With respect to developing service brands from scratch, the questions that precisely need to be answered are: (i) Who is involved? (ii) What are the stages that firms go through? and (iii) Which orientation is

Organizational culture Essay Example for Free

Organizational culture Essay For a company, organizational culture is very important because the culture is like something that the employee can be based for. In addition, the organizational culture is defined as a system of shared meaning and beliefs within an organization that determines, in a large degree, how employees act (Robbins, et al., 2003, p. 70). Founders of new organizations and managers play an important role in creating and maintaining organizational cultures. However, ethical organizational cultures are those in which ethical values and norms are emphasized. As Jones and George (2003, p. 350) argue that ethical organizational cultures can help organizations and their members behave in a socially responsible manner. Some might believe that if they do the ethical corporate culture, they will be able to get much profit. Meanwhile, Arnold and Lampe (1999, pp. 1-19, cited in Robbins, et al., p. 154) claim that the content and strength of an organizations culture also influences ethical behavior. Nevertheless, a strong culture will have a very powerful and positive influence on managers decisions to act ethically and unethically. whereas, in a weak organizational culture, managers are more likely to rely on subculture norms as a behavioral guide. Work groups and departmental standards will strongly influence ethical behaviour in organizations with weak overall cultures. Alongside with organizational culture, there are two more things that have strong correlation with it. The first one is ethics. Ethics is the code of moral principles and values that govern that behavior of a person or group with respect to what is right or wrong (Robbins, et al., 2003, p. 150). The second thing that has strong correlation with culture is social responsibility. It is a managements obligation to make choices and take action that will contribute to the welfare and interest of society as well as to the interest of the organization (Robbins, et al., 2003, p. 138). Nevertheless, managers who have ethical behavior and social responsibility can build a good reputation for their company. As Donaldson and Werhane (1993, pp.249-254) argue that having a good reputation of a company can increase profit. In addition, Robbins (et al., 2003, pp. 161-165) defines social responsibility is an obligation, beyond that required by the law and  economics, for a firm to pursue long-term goals that are good for society. However, social responsibility is the duty of manager to make decision consider with well-being of stakeholders and society. In fact, there are two main views of managements social responsibility, which are classical view and socioeconomic view (Robbins, 2003, p. 407). Additionally, classical view aims to maximize profits, whereas socioeconomic view is that social responsibility goes beyond the increasing profit to improve the welfare of society. It is very important that managers support and develop an ethical culture because employees more likely to act ethically if their leader work having an ethical role model (Jones, George, 2003, pp.101-103). Working ethically is a responsibility to the society. Nevertheless, this is very important as it can avoid harming stakeholders and also enhance the well-being of society as a whole. Stakeholders including employees, customers, suppliers, competitors, governments, media, union, communities, social and political action groups, etc (Robbins, et al., 2003, pp. 92-93). There are still some examples for the reference of socially responsible behavior such as providing training for workers, eliminating discrimination and reducing pollution (Robbins, et al., 2003, p. 407). Providing training for workers can enhance their skills and techniques for work and it can improve the productivity and efficiency. Workers will not be obsolete by the changes of technology so it benefits employees as well as the company (Tsang, 2003, p. 25). Social responsibility and economic growth is related sometimes. At first, the profit may be reduced by the costs of training workers, however, when the trained employees can work efficiently, the productivity will be increased followed by increasing profit at last. Eliminating discrimination is a social responsibility of managers. Some companies would like to employ a specific kind of person but not the others and cause inequality is known as discrimination. For instance, some companies would prefer employ a local student to an international student or they prefer employ man to woman (Pagan, 2000, p. 619). It is harm to firm if they refuse to employ some other races people since they can provide some  new ideas to the company for reference. These new ideas may not be gained from local employers as foreigners have different culture from the local and they can offer some useful information from the other view for the decision making. This is why an organizational culture which has formally adopted a specific position, philosophy, or set of beliefs regarding the fundamental values or principles, is an important thing to be used as the basis for business decision making. Moreover, if managers keep labor Market discrimination, it would lead to society chaotic and harm the society. Therefore, managers should bear the social responsibility to reduce discrimination. Another point that supports an organization to become socially responsible is that when a company being socially responsible, which means that the company has long-term goals. Company should higher the quality of a product to benefit customers to provide a better quality of life (Samli, 1992, p.12). The real example about this is The Body Shop. Although The Body Shop is looking for the profit, they still very concern about the environment. They use goods that not give bad impact on the environment. The product that the body shop sells is more expensive than others because they use the materials that do not give bad impact to the environment. As a result, people still buy their product because people know that they choose the right product. More expensive but in their product, it cant be found anything that can damage their self and more important damage the environment. As we have seen, by being socially responsible, the firm can gain long-run profit and improve the companys public image (Davis, et al., 1988, p. 37). In short, it can be seen that being socially responsible and following ethical corporate culture is much more profitable. But, since not all the companies have ethical corporate culture, there are some policies or practices that can be worked to encourage it. Firstly, the company should provide some training for the new and current employee because with the training activities it will make all the employee know about the culture and can adapt with the organizations culture. Secondly, the company should punish the person who do not obey or perform appropriate with the culture and give respect to the person who perform and do the culture. With that  punishment and respect the employee will think that obey the culture is important. Third, the leaders in the company have to do the culture, so the employee can follow the leader to do the culture. Senior management needs to zealous avoid any decision or action that could reasonably be expected to communicate selfish motive for imposing a n ethics philosophy, system, or measurement on employees (www.centeronline.org/knowledge/article.cfm?ID=2431). In conclusion, social responsibility is an important element for a company to success. Social responsibility brings company reputation followed by higher profit. Those firms having social responsibility can improve peoples quality of life and their health. It can also stable the society from chaotic. Therefore, managers should follow regulations and work ethically with the consideration of societys well-being. Briefly, if one company is concerned about the ethical corporate culture which means that the company and the employee know what is right and wrong and know how to behave in the company. Thus, in one company it is very important to have ethical corporate culture.

Fatigue Cracking of Pavement

Fatigue Cracking of Pavement Introduction to fatigue cracking of pavement Fatigue or alligator cracking is the most common type of pavement distress, it is infact the major one. This is the type of distress in which series of interconnected cracks appears due to the fatigue failure of the HMA surface when the pavement experience repeated traffic loading. These type of cracks later allow moisture infiltration into the pavement, the road surface gradually gets more rough, the infiltrated moisture then again accelerate the existing cracking which in worst case may end up being a small to large sized pothole. In other words, as the traffic loads get repeated on the pavement, fatigue cracking starts to initiate at the bottom of the flexible layer, which accounts for the tensile strains at the bottom of the HMA layer (Huang 1993).   Researchers suggested that, for the M-E structural design process of pavement, this tensile strength must be kept in limit in order to check against fatigue cracking (Shook,1982). Figure 1: Schematic diagram of Fatigue Craking Mechanism in Pavement Cross Section (Priest et al., 2006) Apart from the repeated stresses incurred upon the pavement surface, fatigue cracking may take place due to aging, temperature changes or inadequate drainage. The effects of these factors are really complicated which my lead to undesirable changes to asphalt, associated with the poor durability properties of the HMA layer. (Finn 1967). Though due to previous research, it was believed that, most of the cracks initiates at the bottom and then make its way to the top of the asphalt layer, which is also termed as bottom up fatigue cracking, recent studies shows that, in most cases, cracks initiates at the pavement surface on the wheel path and then make its way down to the bottom (Myers and Roque, 2001). Federal Highway Administrations Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program mentioned about three levels of severity for fatigue cracking, which are high severity fatigue cracking, moderate severity fatigue cracking and low severity fatigue cracking. High severity fatigue cracking is the ultimate stage of fatigue cracking. When the pavement has been stressed to the limit of its fatigue life, it is no longer attractive and is barely functional. This stage is called high severity of fatigue cracking. In this case, the cracks are formed in large areas and there are several pieces of loose surface asphalt. Pavement in this condition needs repair immediately. Moderate severity fatigue cracking is the stage when distinguished the arrival of connecting cracks are well recognized. The cracks tends to increase gradually and lower layers of road materials become evident. Heavy traffic load usually break the surface asphalt layer in pieces. Low severity fatigue cracking usually indicates an area of asphalt having only small cracks with very few or none of them connecting to display the zig zag alligator type shape. Also the cracks are not evidently removing lower layers of the road materials. (Miller, 2003) Figure 2: Fatigue Cracking in Pavement (Priest et al., 2006) Over the years, the researchers are trying to come up with a simple and standard fatigue testing procedure as till this date, there is no such standard test for fatigue cracking, as different states are evaluating performance against fatigue cracking differently. Tangella et el (1990), came up with an equation to measure the fatigue life, which also accounts for the varying temperature and loading frequency. Nf= k1 (1/ÃŽÂ µt)^k2 (1/E)k3 Where, Nf= Number of load cycles until fatigue failure ÃŽÂ µt= Applied horizontal tensile strain E= HMA mixture stiffness K1,k2,k3= Regression constant In their study, they emphasized on the flexural fatigue test, diametral fatigue, and tests employing fracture mechanics principals, as the most promising test procedures to characterize fatigue cracking. Later till this period, there are different test procedures such as, Overlay (OL) test, Indirect Tension (IDT) test, Direct Tension (DT) test, Semicircular Bending (SCB) test, are most commonly used to categorize fatigue cracking in the lab. In addition, comparison with the observed result with the field cores is also important. Hajj et al. (2005) emphasized on the mechanistic analysis to understand the interaction between structure, stiffness, and laboratory testing so that a balance can be made for the given field and traffic conditions on a per-project basis. They concluded that, as the field pavement has stiffer structure which will generate lower strains under traffic therefore a longer fatigue life will be observed in the field. Therefore, an overall study is required to charac terize fatigue cracking of the pavement. References: Huang, Yang H. Pavement Analysis and Design New Jersey: Prentice Hall,1993 Shook, J.F., F.N. Finn, M.W. Witczak, and C.L. Monismith. Thickness Design of  Asphalt Pavements The Asphalt Institute Method, Proceedings, 5th International  Conference on the Structural Design of Asphalt Pavements, Vol.1, The Netherlands,  1982, pp. 17-44. Miller J.S., Bellinger W.Y. Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program (Fourth Revised Edition), Technical Research Report FHWA-RD-03-031. Federal Highway Administration 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, VA 22101-2296, 2003. Priest A.L. Timm D.H. Methodology And Calibration Of Fatigue Transfer Functions For Mechanistic-Empirical Flexible Pavement Design, NCAT Report 06-03. National Center for Asphalt Technology, Auburn University, Alabama, 2006. Tangella, R., J. Craus, J. A. Deacon, and C. L. Monismith. Summary Report on Fatigue Response of Asphalt Mixtures. TM-UCB-A-003A-89-3, SHRP Project A-003-A. University of California, Berkeley: Institute of Transportation Studies, 1990 Hajj, E. Y., P. E. Sebaalay, and D. Weitzel. Fatigue Characteristics of Superpave and  Hveem Mixtures. Journal of Transportation Engineering, ASCE , 2005, pp. 302-10.

Fifteen Meditations on Masculinist Physico-Spiritual Experience :: Philosophical Philosophy essays

Fifteen Meditations on Masculinist Physico-Spiritual Experience I am not my body, I am not my mind, I am not my soul. I am the breath of life, I am the breath of God. A golden retriever was once abused by a man and rescued by a woman who had a daughter in an all-girls Catholic high school. I paid them a visit one day. The dog stood behind the clear plastic door, wagging her tail, but as I ascended the steps she suddenly soured, and by the time the door opened and I was inside, she was cowering under the dining room table where she stayed for the duration of my visit with intermittent miserable howls. "She won't have anything to do with men," my friend explained. Even the scent of testosterone has its spiritual message. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. The founder of modern philosophy had a number of disciples who applied the master's theoretical teachings in the practical field of dog-torturing. They felt these experiments demonstrated the superiority of man as a spiritual creature. Rene Descartes wanted to rewrite the philosophical canon by asserting only what he knew to be true or could logically derive. Sequestered in a stove-heated room, he realized he could doubt that his body, or even the whole world, existed, but he could not doubt was that he was thinking. I think, therefore I am. Descartes is a spiritual, immaterial, thinking thing; the rest is mere body, a separate substance. Continuing in this vein, he determined that human beings are the only animals who have souls. Therefore humans are the only animals who can think, feel, experience, or matter to God. I am going to drive nails through this dog's paws. I am going to vivisect its chest and show you its beating heart-such awesome machinery, praise the Architect on high! Its howls, this deafening din of a universe shattering-a purely mechanistic response! I am taking over this operation. If you cringe, you may leave, and don't come back. The serious student of philosophy thinks with his mind, not his body; his soul, not his flesh. Air my breath and fire my spirit, earth my body, water my blood. Tertullian, who lived in the Roman city of Carthage in the third century, was a sensual man who loved spectacles. After seeing how bravely Christian prisoners endured public torture, humiliation, and death, he became intrigued with the persecuted religion and eventually converted.

Workaholism, Leisure And Pleasure Essay -- essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites The official working week is being reduced to 35 hours a week. In most countries in the world, it is limited to 45 hours a week. The trend during the last century seems to be unequivocal : less work, more play. Yet, what may be true for blue collar workers or state employees – is not necessarily so for white collar members of the liberal professions. It is not rare for these people – lawyers, accountants, consultants, managers, academics – to put in 80 hour weeks. The phenomenon is so widespread and its social consequences so damaging that it acquired the unflattering nickname workaholism, a combination of the words â€Å"work† and â€Å"alcoholism†. Family life is disrupted, intellectual horizons narrow, the consequences to the workaholic’s health are severe : fat, lack of exercise, stress take their toll. Classified as â€Å"alpha† types, workaholics suffer three times as many heart attacks as their peers. But what are the social and economic roots of this phenomenon ? Put succinctly, it is the result of the blurring borders and differences between work and leisure. The distinction between these two types of time – the one dedicated to labour and the one spent in the pursuit of one’s interests – was so clear for thousands of years that its gradual disappearance is one of the most important and profound social changes in human history. A host of other shifts in the character of the work and domestic environments of humans converged to produce this momentous change. Arguably the most important was the increase in labour mobility and the fluid nature of the very concept of work and the workplace. The transitions from agricultural to industrial, then to the services and now to the information and knowledge societies, each, in turn, increased the mobility of the workforce. A farmer is the least mobile. His means of production are fixed, his produce was mostly consumed locally because of lack of proper refrigeration, preservation and transportation methods. A marginal group of people became nomad-traders. This group exploded in size with the advent of the industrial revolution. True, the bulk of the workforce was still immobile and affixed to the production floor. But raw materials and the finished products travelled long distances ... ...eneurs, the managers, the businessmen. They are the movers, the shakers, the pushers, the energy. Without them, we have socialist economies, where everything belongs to everyone and, actually to none. In these economies of â€Å"collective ownership† people go to work because they have to, they try to avoid it, to sabotage the workplace, they harbour negative feelings. Slowly, they wither and die (professionally) – because no one can live long in hatred and deceit. Joy is an essential ingredient. And this is the true meaning of capitalism : the abolition of work and leisure and the pursuit of both with the same zeal and satisfaction. Above all, the (increasing) liberty to do it whenever, wherever, with whomever you choose. Unless and until the Homo East Europeansis changes his set of mind – there will be no real transition. Because transition happens in the human mind much before it takes form in reality. It is no use to dictate, to legislate, to finance, to cajole, to offer – the human being must change first. It was Marx (a devout non-capitalist) who said : it is consciousness that determines reality. How right was he. Witness the USA and witness the miserable failure of communism.