Wednesday, December 25, 2019

The Importance of Entrepreneurship Essay - 1180 Words

Entrepreneurship Term Paper â€Å"Entrepreneur is defined as a person who starts a business and is willing to risk loss in order to make money.† (Merriam-Webster.com) Since before the Great Recession, economists have recognized how important entrepreneurship is to the health of the U.S. economy. (Strangler) â€Å"There are four benefits to the U.S. from entrepreneurs risk-filled but successful efforts. Entrepreneurs (1) use innovations to improve the quality of life, (2) create new jobs, (3) improve our position in global economic competition, and (4) create economic growth and new wealth for reinvestment in the U.S.† (Foundation) Entrepreneurs are responsible for research and development system. â€Å"Almost 2/3% of all innovations are due†¦show more content†¦Small Buisiness Administration) If you are a strong negotiator then you have a better chance at saving money and running your business. If you do not have good negotiating skills you may want to work on improving these skills †¢ Creative: â€Å"Entrepreneurs must be able to think creatively.† (The U.S. Small Buisiness Administration) If you are able to think â€Å"outside the box† then entrepreneurship may be a choice for you. †¢ Supported by others: Entrepreneurs need the support of other people. Networking is extremely critical in a business. Business mentors are a perfect go-to person for entrepreneurs. (The U.S. Small Buisiness Administration) The name of my business is Sunny Cycle. Sunny Cycle is an online store selling motorcycle helmets, sunglasses, face masks, goggles Zippo lighters, hunting equipment such as knives and flashlights. Products should be easy and inexpensive to ship to keep cost down. An online store would be a great choice for a small business. Online stores are perfect for business owners that do not have a lot of startup capital and do not want to form a Corporation. While building the business the use of drop shipping will be used. As the business takes off and I gain more capital and after knowing which products sell. I would then start contacting wholesalers to purchaseShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Entrepreneurship746 Words   |  3 PagesCustomers always are interested in new things created, therefore, entrepreneurs help satisfy these desires. Entrepreneurship involves the creation of new enterprise along with manufacturing and marketing the new products (Paul Di-Masi). Entrepreneurs are not just interested in money, being an entrepreneur is about creating something original and new.something that someone else did not do before. To be a successful entrepreneur, one needs a rigorous education and persuasive people skills. The flexibleRead MoreNature And Importance Of Entrepreneurship Essay2371 Words   |  10 PagesSection 03 -Entrepreneurship process 1. Nature and importance of entrepreneurship in New Zealand Entrepreneurship is a capacity and willingness to develop organize and manage a business venture along with any of its risks in order to make a profit (Copyright ©2016 WebFinance, Inc, 2016). It is all about defining business opportunities which are realistic. It is a concept of opportunity focused, innovative and growth oriented. For each and every country entrepreneur are essential for the developmentRead MoreThe Nature And Importance Of Innovation Entrepreneurship3458 Words   |  14 PagesIn entrepreneurship development to compete swiftly in the modern and industrial generation we are in now, there must be changes that the entrepreneurs must keep on administering in their businesses and skills to remain relevant in the competitions. The changes can be summed up as innovation in the entrepreneurship area, and are fast moving that every entrepreneur must be very flexible to keep on track at every point of changes, either locally or globally (Acs, Audretsch, 2005). Most of the s ignificantRead MoreImportance Of Entrepreneurship During The 21st Century Essay1572 Words   |  7 Pages IMPORTANCE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP In the last two decades, the citizen sector has discovered what the industry learned long ago: Nothing is as powerful as a new idea in the hands of a first-class businessman. Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions to the most pressing social problems of the solutions of the company. They are ambitious and persistent, tackling major social issues and offering new ideas for big changes. Instead the social needs of the governmentRead MoreImportance Of Entrepreneurship During The World Countries Essay1578 Words   |  7 PagesA) The importance of entrepreneurship in 3rd world countries: One valuable lesson I learned through this placement that also pertains very much so to international development, is the importance of entrepreneurship in both the first and third world. Entrepreneurship is not the first thing that is taught to the average Canadian student when asked to decide what they want to do post graduating high school. I however believe it should at least be taught, if only to provide our youth with another optionRead MoreThe Importance of Entrepreneurship and Small Business in a Worldwide Context1430 Words   |  6 PagesEntrepreneurship Report List of contents: 1 Introduction 2 Definition of enterprise, entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship 3 Skills, attributes and behaviours of entrepreneurs 4 The importance of enterprise, entrepreneurship and small business in the context of the wider economy as well as the individual or team. 5 Stages necessary to evaluate a new business idea 7 Summary and recommendations 8 List of references Introduction This essay is about entrepreneurshipRead MoreRelationship Between Entrepreneurship And The Economic Development Essay1091 Words   |  5 Pagesthe relationship between entrepreneurship and the economic development in Saudi Arabia. Entrepreneurship is the process of managing, organizing and developing a business venture in a competitive environment that is dynamic (Kuratko 2016 pp3). An entrepreneur is an inventor, leader, innovator, and pioneer and most significantly, a performer. The heart of a national advantage is often pegged on entrepreneurship. The operation of an enterprise is within the entrepreneurship ecosystems that include governmentalRead MoreIs Entrepreneurship A Entrepreneurial Career? Essay1750 Words   |  7 PagesWith the growing importance of entrepreneurship within today’s business industry it is of upmost importance to understand the motivations and intentions of individuals wanting to pursue an entrepreneurial career as this now accounts for X of the p opulation and X% of income. Its apparent from the literature that â€Å"significant differences exist in the levels of entrepreneurial activity across countries† (Pinillo Reyes, 2011) and existing research addresses the question as to why some countries haveRead MoreEntrepreneurship : The Entrepreneurial Function1623 Words   |  7 Pageshave differing ideas on the relative value of resources or when resources are turned from inputs into outputs. The theory of the entrepreneur focuses on the heterogeneity of beliefs about the value of resources (Alvarez and Busenitz, 2001: 756). Entrepreneurship – the entrepreneurial function, can be conceptualized as the discovery of opportunities and the subsequent creation of new economic activity, as a majority or active shareholder who, in many small and medium–sized firms, assumes both the entrepreneurialRead MoreThe International Business Field And The Entrepreneurship Field940 Words   |  4 Pagessmall and medium siz e businesses. There are studies that think of international entrepreneurship as more of a common marvel than young ventures entering international markets and slight interest is dedicated to the entrepreneurial behavior of organizations once they first enter into international markets. There is an inequality among the international business field and the entrepreneurship field, because of findings that exploit a theoretic outline, many use an outline

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Will A Post-Racial America Ever Happen Essay - 701 Words

Every day, race is discussed and criticized in news articles, magazines, television, and various other parts of the media. Although we seem to be past segregation, race is still a polarizing issue. Many people today still assert the idea that certain races are of a lower class or are to be feared, when people are nothing more than products of their own environments. If all minorities were given the same opportunities, these misconceptions and stereotypes would disappear. A post-racial America is not possible because the past of racism will continue to linger throughout generations, people are born as judgemental, and there will always be that one person whose ignorance outweighs all else. Many people argue that our past racial history is†¦show more content†¦In terms of racial issues, our current generation of young adults is already more open-minded and accepting than ever. â€Å"This latest generation doesn’t harbor some of the ugly prejudices that our parents or we Baby Boomers do† (Reeves). Unfortunately, this does not stop racism from finding its way to them one way or another. We may have taken a substantial leap over the years in deterring racism, but there are still kids today that are brought up believing the same stereotypes and propaganda that our elders are lead to believe. Adults in institutions such as schools are still taking race and color into account of their students’ performances and their unorthodox achievements, without a doubtful thought of themselves. As quoted from Kuznia to support, â€Å"Although the counselor no doubt had Alejandra’s best interests in mind, the decision to steer her away from a four-yea r university was a classic example of unintentional racism†. Also, even today in 2014, interracial couples are still judged and garner disdainful looks by others in public for no apparent reason. Society is being hypocritical in this way by telling us that we should not look at skin color, but still not naturally harboring the idea of the freedom to marry. Lastly, our own humanShow MoreRelatedThe Civil Rights Movement Of The 1960 S1077 Words   |  5 PagesAmericans have a history of struggles because of racism and prejudices. Ever since the end of the Civil War, they struggled to benefit from their full rights that the Constitution promised. Jim Crow was laws that enforced racial segregation more than a series of rigid anti-black laws it was like a way of life. Jim Crow in America hasn’t ended its merely redesigned and renamed. According to Ruben Santiago-Hudson he said â€Å"Even here in America, people are fighting for civil rights 45 years after the civil rightsRead MoreThe American Dream By Lorraine Hansberry1570 Words   |  7 Pagesup the career ladder, financial stability, having a family, owning a car, ability to receive an education, and having freedom and equality. Is this American Dream really attainable for everyone? Some groups of American citizens seem less likely to ever achieve this dream even if they work hard. Society and their circumstances are against them either because of their race, gender or class. Women, minorities, immigrants and the poor are left out of the American Dream. They may strive for the dreamRead MoreThe Effects Of The Tragedy Of 2001939 Words   |  4 Pages The Effects of the Tragedy of 2001 When the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001 it affected thousands of people all over America. Death, screams, and smoke filled the air leaving people heartbroken, injured, and forever changed. The public health of people around the world was challenged by this traumatic event. All of the death tolls, injuries, and respiratory problems flooded screens everywhere. This tragedy occurred on the brink of the technology advance and will be forever ingrained intoRead MoreRacial Segregation Of The United States1508 Words   |  7 PagesWe have issues. More specifically the United States has issues, continuous and all encompassing issues of racial inequality.The United States is experiencing a outburst of racism, as can be seen from the 2014 killings of two unarmed African-American men, to the brutality of white supremacy in Charleston and the string of arsons in black churches across the South. Of course, it’s nothing new for a nation with a long history of extreme racist violen ce—the most recent lynching-related death occurredRead MoreRacism in America Today1933 Words   |  8 PagesThese people were essentially traded as slaves for materials, food, supplies etc. Many of the enslaved Africans were shipped to the Caribbean and the Americas. The Middle Passage route began in Europe where they left with the manufactured goods and headed to Africa. The goods were then traded for the slaves, and then the ships set off for the Americas and Caribbean islands (Stoddard). After the trading was done there the ships would return back to Europe. According to Elizabeth Mancke, and Carole ShammasRead MoreRacial Discrimination During The United States1592 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the course of the United States’ racial history, being a minority has been no where near easy. Racial discrimination and prejudice were only hushed when M.L.K. gave the famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech, and even after that, people still judged based on the color of an individuals’ skin. In the 1960’s, the atmosphere around race was very dense, and there was an extreme amount of tension between whites and blacks. The people of the United States new very well that they had to treat African AmericansRead MoreJustice Is It Still Existent?1172 Words   |  5 Pagesspecifically being mistreated? There is no racial prejudice in the definition of justice, but it does exist. A University of California professor conducted a study which found â€Å"evidence of a significant bias in the killing of unarmed black Americans relative to unarmed white Americans, in that the probability of being black, unarmed, and shot by police is about 3.49 times the probability of being white, unarmed, and shot by police on average.†(Makerechi, Racial Bias). It’s seems quite evident that lawRead MoreRacial Disparities Of The United States780 Words   |  4 Pagesstatement,† except for Black people.† The vast majority of social media sources, in 2016 have displayed the slogan, â€Å"Black Lives Matter†. I asked myself, have Black lives ever mattered in the United States of America, and what can citizens do to provide inclusion of membership for everyone. The history of the United States has shown racial disparities for over 200 years, and while the emancipation of slaves and the Civil Rights movement has shown some progression towards unity; the divide is apparent inRead MoreBad Policing . When A Person Thinks Of A Policeman, A Variety1188 Words   |  5 Pagesalways the case. Over the past few years, there have been more African American publicized victims of bad policing than ever. Examples of bad policing is when police kill, beat, threaten, and throw innocent people in jail because they have the power to do so. Since bad policing takes place so much in America, most people do not know how to respond to these altercations when they happen. Many people start riots and begin to boycott, especially in larger communities dealing with younger people. Other peopleRead MoreRacism, By Cheryl Harris And Devon Carbado1090 Words   |  5 PagesIn everyday life, everyone experiences racism. Whether it is a humorous racial stereotype joke or to something offensive like asking how Asians can see or asking an Asian person if he or she is Chinese. What we need to remember is that no one is born racist. Racism is either taught or l earned. The definition of the term race that was created socially which signifies and symbolizes social conflicts and interests by referring to different types of human bodies. The definition of race is how we use

Monday, December 9, 2019

Reflect Contemporary Political Ideologies. Hillsong Church

Question: Describe , How Hillsong Church Activities And Values Reflect Contemporary Political Ideologies. Answer: Introduction Personal observatory report is a research process that involves a participant observing a particular event in order to analyze the findings based on personal perception and values. This Ethnographical research is based on three day report on the events that happen at Hillsong Church on three separate occasions. Therefore, through this research the paper is to determine how Hillsong Church activities and values reflect contemporary political ideologies. Further the paper will provide analysis on the perception and values of this ethnographical research. Overview of Organization As the world continue to advance the political ideologies and beliefs of religion continues to be regarded as a declining force. As time goes by religion is slowly but gradually considered as a liability and the advance in science and technology is believed to replace the religion in influencing contemporary political ideologies and beliefs (Ahu Nukhet 2011). Therefore, the aim of this paper is to critically analyze these ideologies from the context of Hillsong Church. Despite the strong presence of western culture in Australia Christianity has continued to influence political ideologies and beliefs regardless of personal values and beliefs (Armour 2004). Through the analysis on activities at Hillsong Church we the paper will be able to conclude on the extent to which these activities influence political ideologies and beliefs and personal perspective and values as in an ethnographical research. Research Methods The method used in conducting this research process is an ethnographical research which involves personal observatory where events were collected through personal observation of the activities that took place at Hillsong church for three different days. The observations were recorded down including the interviews and the observations were used to assess whether Hillsong Church activities and values reflect contemporary ideologies and belief. Also, my personal perspectives and values were used to consider to determine how it influences ethnographical research (Barro McCleary 2003). Research findings My personal observatory report is based on Sunday church service held at Hillsong Church on the 11th of September 2016. Hillsong Church is located at 2/196 Bourke Rd, Alexandria. The observational report took two hours from 17: 30 to 19:30. I began with an interview with the church leader. As we discussed on a few issues I could see two young people standing at the entrance of the church welcoming the congregation who just outside the door (Bernholz 2006). The people looked happy judging from how they were communicating with one another. Hillsong Church sells CDs to their congregation beside the entrance and there is also a caf area adjacent to the entrance of the church. The church also has Bibles placed the front of the church and there are also computers for people to browse whenever they want to research on a particular issue (Freeden 2003). After the interview with Jimmy the church elder, the service immediately starts at 18:00 and everyone seem friendly and welcoming. This is because as I entered the church, the people greeted me and inquired who I was. Three other people approached me and talked to me before the worship songs began and the church was energized as people sung with joy. While in the church I could notice that the congregation came from a diverse background and people were dressed casually (Hammersley Atkinson 1995). There were about 600-700 people in attendance and as the band was playing it reminded me of a concert I had attended before since it could be heard from a far distance. The church had two leading singers, four backup singers, two bassists, a pianist and a drummer which show that they enjoy praising the lord with wonderful worship songs. The church was lively as everyone was involved with singing which shows that they were united for a particular purpose (Evans 2012). Everyone in the church was standing, singing and clapping with both hands raised up in the air. People were very friendly to each other and they could hug each other.None of the congregants was in low spirits since everyone participated fully and happily in singing and praising the almighty. Whenever a new song came up, people joined in quickly and one could hear the ground shaking because of the energy and positive vibe that was in the church (Kindon, Pain Kesby 2007). After the new members have been welcomed to the church, it is now 18.30 and time for donations, baskets for donation are produced and people donate although not much was donated (Kelly Gibbons 2008). Thereafter, Hillsong church gives updates on its activities and they are featured in Today show in England, the church is informed that it is one of the biggest churches in Australia; Hollywood approached them to produce a movie named Hillsong United. The church has 69 services in 28 locations across the country. The church values other people and it has a live connection that broadcasts video proceedings of the church activities. The video is broadcasted at Hills, Doody, and Danks campus. By 18:42 a senior pastor in the church begins to give a speech on Negativity (Booth 1993). The senior pastor tells the congregation that verbal abuse is negativity and is bound to cause chaos. Further, he suggests that negativity is a reflection of inner defeat, it chooses your friends, magnifies and distract the truth, it makes a sweeping statement a harsh judgment, it is toxic to spiritual life and is limiting the present while sabotages the future(Rouleau, de Rond Musca 2014). The senior pastor concludes his teaching on negativity and at 19:19 singing resumes and people sang several songs such as God of endless worth, take charge of your mouth, way we think about yourself and talk about yourself, give ownership of your life to lord Jesus Christ. After singing Pastor Brian asks whoever wants to be prayed for to go to the front and five people from Doody walk to the front (Booth 1993). The prayer is about declaring one's mouth and believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead thus we will be saved. In the prayer, Brian mentions that Hillsong Channel is going on Foxtel as of 13th October 2016.After the prayer is over, a song is sung to mark the end of church service and people start to move in all directions in a disorganized manner as they walk out mingling and headed for the caf to have a drink while they continue chatting (Camp 1994). Second day During the Star Connect (Outridge) program, the interview with Jeremy the pastor of Doody took place from 18:00 at 600 George Street, Star Bar. People on the first floor were eating as they chat with each other. On the menu were chicken schnitzel, pizza, burgers and other menus. This was a great moment to interact with people as well as an opportunity to hang around and just have fun. At the bar there were around 40-50 people and the low turnout might be as a result of the program being new because this was the third time it was happening since 20,000 people in East Australia go to Hillsong. There is also a school called Hillsong International Leadership College in which students come from across the globe to learn music production, helping the community, pastoral among many other programs. Courses run for a period of four years maximum and will depend on what wants to specialize in such as a certificate, bachelor's program, masters and PhDs program. I managed to talk to a girl named Kai from Singapore who is a student at the college and she studies music (Levine 2009). By 19:00 hours, setting begins and the room is lit up by dim colorful lights as people are singing and dancing. The people are very friendly and also welcoming even to strangers. A Chinese girl walked up to me and we struck a very healthy conversation and she got saved the first time she prayed because she believes that God answers prayers through other people (Driscoll, 2007). For about 40 minutes, there was no barrier as people were happily interacting with each other and at this point, a guy walked up to me and hi-fived me several times and offered me a seat. Among the people who had attended the Star Connect was a photographer, pastor, guitarist, a singer and Church leaders. The people have then grouped into three different groups colored post notes and one thing that one would bring to an island is 2 truths and a lie. The Girl from Singapore played guitar as she sung and a few people held t heir phones up in the air. At around 19:45 Nate gives a speech on what is life (Edwards 2010). He insinuates that we are not free to think for ourselves since the culture had it that we learn from people around us. He reminds the audience that he has a heart for Australia because he is a Filipino and when he first came to Australia he had problems getting by such as language and rough childhood because his father was not around and he was not even sure about his sexuality. At the age of 12, he was already taking weed, alcohol and watching pornographic and thought that culture was responsible for who he was (Funnell Williams 2014). Two years down the line he left high school and joined a football league. He also worked at a construction and made $4,000 per week. He later becomes popular and had all the money but he felt empty on the inside. One day, when he was having a hangover, he came across an African church (Outright, judgmental and stuck on their own cliques) and he remembers the phrase Here in the church is where broken people come to get saved. At the age of 17, he bec ame angry at everyone and one day as he flipped through the Bible he found a beautiful story about bringing life back to the community and he did not know what being saved meant (Gutmann 1999). Third day On the last observation day, the Sunday church service was taking place as from 17:30 to 19: 30 on the 18th of September 2016. The topic of the day was Ceilings and Floors and the verse of the Bible was from the book of Psalms 45:16 Instead of your fathers shall be your sons, whom you shall make princes in all the earth from the New King James Version. This Bible meant that people should always build for the future and that people should not try to keep the past alive. Other verses were from the book of psalms 92:13-14, 2nd Timothy 1:12 and Proverbs 18:24 of the same version (Hall, 1997). He advises the congregation that we are a generation of good starters and not finishers, it is better to be doing rather than a critic and that people should not be equipped with for the world that no longer exists. In addition, he also said that the world is a university and everyone is a teacher, and people should not forget to attend classes (Johnson Tamney 2001). Critical Analysis This activities reflect my political ideologies in that welcoming visitors is a social order which Hillsong organization and society should follow whereas my perspective and values agree to the social order that people should be welcomed in any given setting. People should be assisted and by placing the bibles and availing computers is a good thing my perspective and values agree that providing access makes the congregation feel comfortable Galeotti, Mattozzi 2011). Believing in sharing and serving are attributes that reflect political ideologies and I concur because this is how the society should work and my values and perspective agree completely through my ethnographical research (Gaskill 2003). My contemporary political ideologies agree that people should be born again but my perspective and belief does not agree since being born again through baptism is just a show and it is supposed to be a conviction in ones heart (Castellanos 2006). My political ideologies and belief agree that even gay people should be accepted by my perspective and values do not agree that such people should be welcomes in the denomination. This shows that Jimmy is judgmental since he considers everyone a sinner including himself who is a church leader. Dressing in the church should be restricted because its a holy place according to my contemporary political ideologies while my perspective and values strongly suggest that is should be a choice (Maddison Scalmer 2006). Being friendly to each other is how the society should work and reflects my political ideologies though in my perspective it does not have to be because its a church since it should reflect everywhere. Political ideologies and beliefs is that people should pray for everything but my values on the ethnographical research is that people should thank the lord for the far he has brought then and not what they want to accomplish. People go to the bar to drink and political ideologie s and beliefs agree but my perspective disagrees to the fact that if they want to pray for drunkards they should invite them to church (Bardes, Shelley, Schmidt (2010). My perspective and beliefs is that if one is born again it does not mean you should leave the things you have been doing unless it affects the people around you. My perspective and values agree completely because we learn through environment and we should be alert always which reflects contemporary political ideologies. Although I feel conscious about what I say and cannot say whenever am in a new environment because am not a Christian and it is hard for me to relate to a different social group (Heywood 2012). People belong to various social groups as well as political groups for their belief in the groups that they conform to for identity and purpose of belonging (Le Compte Goetz 1982). Nevertheless, to me I consider church to be a room in a major place of God and a few people may think the world is over if individuals all of a sudden change Churches I do not trust this as much, I accept that we are all Christians and us as a whole can serve the same God and that we should not segr egate which Church to go. More importantly, on the off chance that we do one-day change chapels it should be like we have changed room's but still in God's home (Tunalp L 2014). Limitations The limitations of the study was interviewing less people and groups. I would be interested in interviewing many people on what their perceptions and activities of the church influence the way they carry on their daily activities. Another research study is therefore relevant to understand the perception of Christians in the church in relation to activities that go on inside the church such as welcoming gay people into the church and expanding to China to spread the word of God (Jos, Atilano Snchez Santos 2008). Conclusion Different organizations, social groups and political beliefs and based on the findings of this personal observatory report. The characteristics as observed while at Hillsong Church and Star Connect program attest to the fact that they show a strong correlation with values that reflect a contemporary political ideologies and beliefs. Actions such as being welcomed treated with hospitality and being offered gifts is a typical example that reflects an organizations agenda to make you feel completely at home so that one may relate to the same perspective and conform to the same beliefs. References "Ethnography; New Ethnography Study Findings Have Been Reported from University of Colorado", (2012), Politics Government Business, pp. 99. "Ethnography; Reports from Linkoping University Highlight Recent Research in Ethnography", (2011), Investment Weekly News, pp. 1371. Ahu Sandal, Nukhet (2011), "Religious actors as epistemic communities in conflict transformation: the cases of South Africa and Northern Ireland", Review of International Studies, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 929-949. Armour, L. (2004), "The influence of ideas and the problem of a social science", International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 389-416. Bardes, B. A., Shelley, M. C., Schmidt, S. W. (2010). American government and politics today: the essentials. Boston, MA, Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Barro, R.J. McCleary, R.M. (2003), "Religion and economic growth across countries", American Sociological Review, vol. 68, no. 5, pp. 760-781. Bernholz, P. (2006), "International political system, supreme values and terrorism", Public Choice, vol. 128, no. 1-2, pp. 221-231. Booth, P. (1993), "Accounting in churches: A research framework and agenda", Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 37. Booth, P. (1993), "Accounting in churches: A research framework and agenda", Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 37. Camp, R.A. (1994), "The cross in the polling booth: Religion, politics, and the laity in Mexico", Latin American Research Review, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 69. Castellanos, E. (2006), "Migrant Mirrors: The Replication and Reinterpretation of Local and National Ideologies as Strategies of Adaptation by Foreign Immigrants in Bergamo, Italy", The American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 27-47. Driscoll, R. (2007), "Ideas, Associations, and the Making of Good Cities", Journal of Markets and Morality, vol. 10, no. 1. Edwards, L. (2010), "Re-thinking Putnam in Italy: The role of beliefs about democracy in shaping civic culture and institutional performance", Comparative European Politics, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 161-178. Evans, G. (2012), "Practising participant observation: an anthropologist's account", Journal of Organizational Ethnography, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 96-106. Freeden, M. (2003), Ideology: a very short introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford. pp. 122-128. Funnell, W. Williams, R. (2014), "The religious imperative of cost accounting in the early industrial revolution", Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 357-381. Galeotti, A. Mattozzi, A. (2011), ""Personal Influence": Social Context and Political Competition", American Economic Journal. Microeconomics, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 307-327. Gaskill, N. (2003), "Religion and Religious Scholarship in Changing Social Contexts", Latin American Research Review, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 189-199. Gutmann, A. (1999), "Religious freedom and civic responsibility", Washington and Lee Law Review, vol. 56, no. 3, pp. 907. Hall, R.B. (1997), "Moral authority as a power resource", International Organization, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 591-622. Hammersley, M. Atkinson, P. (1995), Ethnography: Principles in Practice, 2nd ed., Routledge, London and New York, pp. 1-22. Heywood, A. (2012). Political ideologies: an introduction. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. J, J.O. Fish, S. (1999), "Church and state in Stanley's fish's antiliberalism / A reply to J. Judd Owen", The American Political Science Review, vol. 93, no. 4, pp. 911-930. Johnson, S.D. Tamney, J.B. (2001), "Social traditionalism and economic conservatism: Two conservative political ideologies in the United States", The Journal of social psychology, vol. 141, no. 2, pp. 233-43. Jos Atilano, P.L. Snchez Santos, J.M. (2008), "Smithian Perspective on the Markets of Beliefs: Public Policies and Religion", Journal of Markets and Morality, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 59. Kelly, D. Gibbons, M. (2008), "Ethnography: The good, the bad and the ugly", Journal of Medical Marketing, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 279-285. Kindon, S., Pain, R. Kesby, M. (2007), Participatory action research approaches and methods: connecting people, participation and place, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon. pp. 9 18. Kocsis, K. (2006), "Spatial and temporal changes in the relationship between church and state in Hungary", GeoJournal, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 357-371. Le Compte, M.D. Goetz, J.P. (1982), Problems of Reliability and Validity in Ethnographic Research, Review of Educational Research, vol.52, no.1, pp.31-60. Levine, D.H. (2009), "The Future of Christianity in Latin America", Journal of Latin American Studies, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 121-145. Levine, D.H. (2009), "The Future of Christianity in Latin America", Journal of Latin American Studies, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 121-145. Machan, T.R. (1992), "Politics and Ideology: Do Ideas Matter? The Mid - Atlantic Journal of Business, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 159. Maddison, S. Scalmer, S. (2006), Activist wisdom: practical knowledge and creative tension in social movements, UNSW Press, Sydney, pp. 40-63. Mavrot, C. (2012), "The Status of Ideas in Controversies on Public Policy. Analyzing Beliefs as Dependent Variables: A Case study on Harm Reduction Policies in Switzerland", German Policy Studies, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 113-156. Ouzilou, O. (2015), "Collective beliefs and horizontal interactions between groups: the case of political parties", The Journal of Philosophical Economics, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 7-21. Philpott, D. (2007), "Explaining the Political Ambivalence of Religion", The American Political Science Review, vol. 101, no. 3, pp. 505-525. Rouleau, L., de Rond, M. Musca, G. (2014), "From the ethnographic turn to new forms of organizational ethnography", Journal of Organizational Ethnography, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 2-9. Serrano, J.S. (2013), "The Unnecessary and Restrictive Constitutional Amendments Concerning Religious Freedom in Mexico", Brigham Young University Law Review, vol. 2013, no. 3, pp. 553-580. Tijsterman, S. (2008), "Reconsidering the idea of the state", Administrative Theory Praxis, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 497-504. Tunalp, D. L, P., L. (2014), "(Re) Locating boundaries: a systematic review of online ethnography", Journal of Organizational Ethnography, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 59-79. Upal, M.A. (2011), "From individual to social counterintuitiveness: how layers of innovation weave together to form multilayered tapestries of human cultures", Mind Society, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 79-96. Van Bijsterveld, S., C. (2000), "Church and state in Western Europe and the United States: Principles and perspectives", Brigham Young University Law Review, vol. 2000, no. 3, pp. 989-995. Ventura, M. (2010), "The changing civil religion of secular Europe", The George Washington International Law Review, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 947-961.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Willa Cather Wrote What She Lived Essays - Willa Cather, My Ntonia

Willa Cather Wrote What She Lived WILLA CATHER WROTE WHAT SHE LIVED Sara Orne Jewett, a local colorist from Maine, once suggested that Willa Cather write from her own background. Cather followed that advice and became famous for her stories of the American frontier; especially those about heroic women who struggled to tame the prairies of Nebraska and the Southwest. Cather's first novel was published in 1912 and was called Alexander's Bridge. In 1913 came O Pioneers! which took its title from a poem by Walt Whitman. My Antonia, published in 1918, is probably her best known work, and features the hardy, sensitive women who led courageous, simple lives of endurance in the harshly beautiful wilderness. These immigrants would become the mothers of a new race of Americans, and the book spans the few generations that saw the prairie transformed into modern farmland and cities. In 1927, Willa Cather wrote what is considered her best work, Death Comes for the Archbishop, about missionary priests in New Mexico. In 1923, she won the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours, the story of an American farmer who dies in battle in World War I. Like the narrator in My Antonia, Willa Cather was born in Virginia, the oldest child in an Irish family, and moved to Nebraska with her family when she was eleven. It was 1883. In the book, the boy, Jim Burden, compares the gentler land of Virginia to the wild beauty of the prairies. Like him, Willa lived with her grandparents, and like Jim's grandparents, her family emphasized intellect, morality and ladylike behavior. Like her protagonist, Cather grew up among European immigrants and enjoyed the simple pleasures of a rural childhood, like giving plays. Willa Cather had an interest in medicine and a lifelong love of music and theater. One of her books, Song of the Lark, was about a frontier girl who becomes a great opera singer. Cather never married, and according to one source, she sometimes wore men's clothes and passed as a male doctor, in order to avoid the prejudice against women that was common in society in those days. Though she chose a man as her narrator, My Antonia is more concerned with the lives of the immigrant girls who grew up strong on prairie farms, worked in town to earn their way, and then made lives for themselves in their new country. The author seems especially sympathetic to the women when Lena faces a double standard, and is blamed for the attention her beauty arouses in a married admirer. Antonia also suffers rejection when her fianc? gets her pregnant before he abandons her. The author's preference for the openhearted farmers and sensitive women over the town snobs is similar to Sinclair Lewis's judgments in Main Street. Not only is farming the land hard on these women, but marriage and small town society are too. But in America, the hired girls can decide to leave or stay and build new lives. Like many artists, Willa Cather may not have felt fully accepted in small rural towns because the theme of the misunderstood artist recurs in her work. In My Antonia, the heroine's father is the transplanted artist, a musician who is unprepared for prairie life. He has been taken advantage of by the man who sells him the farm. He is not respected as he was in his homeland, and his skills do not help him in farming. He is obviously depressed by the changes in his life, and when his premature death is suspected of being a suicide, he is even punished in death. No local cemetery will bury him in their hallowed ground, so he is buried under a future crossroads according to a brutal custom. Again, like her narrator in My Antonia, Willa Cather graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1895 and went east. She taught English and Latin in high school in Pittsburg while writing poetry and short stories from 1901 to 1906. Later, in New York, she joined the staff of McClure's Magazine and became an editor. In 1912, she first visited the Southwest, where she discovered herself and was especially impressed with the Anasazi cliff dwellings. On later travels west, Willa Cather revisited Nebraska and became reacquainted with

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Forming Plural Nouns in Italian

Forming Plural Nouns in Italian When you have just one bottiglia di vino  (bottle of wine), especially from one of the many family-run vineyards in Tuscany, you’re doing pretty well. But, if you have several  bottiglie di vino (bottles of wine), youre doing even better. Learning to speak fluent Italian requires that you understand the difference between singular and plural nouns. Turning singular nouns into plurals in Italian is a bit more difficult than in English. Learn the rules, though, and soon youll be able to turn one  bottiglia  into two or more  bottiglie  with ease. Creating Plural Nouns in Italian In Italian grammar, nouns must  agree not only in gender (masculine or feminine) but also in number (singular and plural). To form the plural of Italian nouns, vowel endings change to indicate a change in number. For regular masculine nouns that end in -o, for example, the ending typically changes to -i in the plural: Singular Plural English (Plural) fratello fratelli brothers libro libri books nonno nonni grandparents ragazzo ragazzi boys vino vini wines Plural Feminine Nouns Ending in -A As noted, the ending of plural nouns needs to change to agree  in gender. Regular feminine nouns that end in -a generally take an  -e ending in the plural: Singular Plural English (Plural) sorella sorelle sisters casa case houses penna penne pens pizza pizze pizzas ragazza ragazze girls Plural Nouns Ending in -E Plural nouns that end in  -e  (feminine or masculine) generally end in -i in the plural form. Singular Plural English (Plural) bicchiere bicchieri wine glasses chiave chiavi keys fiume fiumi rivers frase frasi sentences padre padri fathers Words of Foreign Origin When forming plural of nouns ending in a consonant, such as words of foreign origin, only the article changes, as in these examples, where the singular is listed on the left together with the English translation and the plural is printed on the right: Il film (the film) i film (the films)La photo (the photo) le photo (the photos)Il bar (the bar) I bar (the bars) Exceptions Its also important to know the exceptions when forming plural nouns, including: Feminine nouns ending in -ea change to -ee in the plural. For example: dea/dee (goddess/goddesses).Words that end with a grave accent, such as  la citt, (the city),  change only the final letter of the article, making the plural of this word,  le citt (the cities).Feminine nouns ending in -ca change to -che in the plural, as in  amica/amiche (friend/friends). For nouns ending in -e,  the plural forms end in -i   regardless of whether they are masculine or feminine. Additionally, some nouns appear to be feminine (ending in -a)  but are actually masculine, as in these examples: Il poeta i poeti / poet poetsIl poema i poemi / poem poemsIl problema i problemi / problem problemsIl tema i temi / topic topicsIl braccio le braccia / arm armsIl dito le dita / finger fingersIl labbro le labbra / lip lipsIl ginocchio le ginocchia / knee kneesIl lenzuolo le lenzuola / sheet sheetsIl muro I muri / wall walls The walls would be le mura  if you are talking about buildings, particularly historical buildings.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Definition of Victorian

Definition of Victorian The adjective Victorian is used to described something from the period of the reign of Britain’s Queen Victoria. And, as Victoria was on the throne for more than 60 years, from 1837 to 1901, the term is also used to describe things from the 19th century in general. The word is used to describe a wide variety of items, such as Victorian authors or Victorian architecture or even Victorian clothing and fashion. But in its most common usage the word is used to describe social attitudes, implying an emphasis on moral rigidity, priggishness, and prudery. Queen Victoria herself was often perceived as being overly serious and possessing little or no sense of humor. This was due in part to her having been widowed at a relatively young age. The loss of her husband, Prince Albert, was devastating, and for the rest of her life she wore black mourning clothes. Surprising Victorian Attitudes The concept of the Victorian era as repressive is true to some extent, of course. Society at the time was much more formal. But many advances were made during Victorian times, especially in the fields of industry and technology. And a number of societal reforms also took place. One sign of great technological progress would be the enormous technology show held in London, the Great Exhibition of 1851. Queen Victorias husband, Prince Albert, organized it, and Queen Victoria herself visited the displays of new inventions in the Crystal Palace on numerous occasions. And social reformers were also a factor in Victorian life. Florence Nightingale became a British hero by introducing her reforms to the nursing profession. And the novelist Charles Dickens created plots highlighting problems in British society. Dickens had gotten disgusted with the plight of the working poor in Britain during the period of industrialization. And his classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol, was written specifically as a protest against the treatment of workers by an increasingly greedy upper class. A Victorian Empire The Victorian Era was a peak time for the British Empire, and the concept of Victorians being repressive is more true in dealings internationally. For instance, a bloody uprising by native troops in India, the Sepoy Mutiny, was brutally put down. And in Britains closest colony in the 19th century, Ireland, periodic rebellions were put down. The British also fought in many other places, including two wars in Afghanistan. Despite troubles in many places, the British Empire held together during Victorias reign. And when she celebrated her 60th anniversary on the throne in 1897, troops from across the empire paraded during the massive celebrations in London. The Meaning of Victorian Perhaps the most precise definition of the word Victorian would restrict it purely to the years of the late 1830s to the beginning of the 20th century. But, as it was a period of so much happening, the word has taken on many connotations, which vary from the notion of repression in society to great progress in technology. And as the Victorian Era was profoundly interesting, perhaps that is inevitable.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Marketing Managemant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing Managemant - Essay Example However, this is not always the case. Sometimes firms charge higher prices when they enter a new market. This strategy is referred to as Price Skimming by the market tacticians. For example, Governments often set prices high in a marketplace where it considered that increase in competition will contribute towards market efficiency. For example, In Saudi Arabia the oil cost to the government is extremely low but they charge a good amount of price in the market to encourage more competitors in the market. This is just one example. Another example of this can be the market public utilities where huge sums of investments are required. The governments in order finance such large investments often keep high initial consumer prices to make sure that more and more companies enter the market and total investment in the country increases as it has many macro-economic advantages. Price skimming is said to be very advantageous for the new firm entering the market and also for the marketing as a whole. For a higher price would mean higher profits for the firm itself and they won't have to resort to lower revenues and lower profits in the context of penetration pricing.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Assignment about management & strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assignment about management & strategy - Essay Example TQM has been adopted by many organisations worldwide and has been defined in multiple ways that suited their businesses. A generalized definition is that of Evans and Dean, which states, ‘TQM is a comprehensive, organisation-wide effort to improve the quality of products and services’ (as qtd in Cooney & Sohal, 34, ch.3). The British Railways Board (1989) defined TQM as ‘the process which seeks to meet and satisfy customer requirements throughout the whole chain of internal and external customers and suppliers’ (Pike and Barnes, 25). The International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) defines TQM as a management approach for an organisation, centered on quality, based on participation of all its members and aiming at long-term success through customer satisfaction, and benefits to all members of the organisation and to society (Gupta, 113). Emergence of TQM may be traced back to period before the World War II and with American influence on quality assur ance principles. Although first put forth by Edwards Deming, who was known as the ‘father of the quality movement,’ TQM principles did not receive much attention at the time. These principles are said to have gained great significance after they were adopted in Japanese management theories, which modified the principles to suit their industries. TQM concepts have reinforced the Japanese management and businesses greatly and have helped the Japanese products enter the world markets. The United States recognized Japanese progress during 1980s and 1990s, and realized the significance of TQM concepts. Since then, the US industries have embraced TQM and re-emerged as global competitors (Daft & Marcic, 33). Deming’s contribution to the elaboration and development of TQM has been profound after advancing Stewhart’s statistical studies through the PDCA cycle (plan, do, check, act), which provided the base for continuous improvement. These statistical methods devel oped by Stewhart and Deming came to be known as the Statistical Process Control (SPC). The SPC in combination with Elton Mayo’s human relations movement eventually became the theoretical base for TQM (Sallis, 7). From these studies it is clear that TQM is a quality concept that must be applied to every aspect of the business and should be measured and controlled statistically. This means it would also require involvement from all members associated with the business. In short, TQM needs to be applied to the organisational systems, structure, and culture; it would require commitment from management and staff at all levels; it should involve all stakeholders including the external suppliers and vendors. With this concept coming in, quality is seen as a strategic issue and can play a major role in saving huge costs for the company. It involves everyone associated with the organisation. It focuses on continuous improvements, maintaining zero defects, build quality and enhance cus tomer satisfaction. All these achievements become benchmarks for others and help the organisation in sustaining their competitive position in the market and with their customers. TQM has been applied by many organisations with different names, like Leadership Through Quality (Xerox); Quality the ICL Way (ICL); Quality Service Programme (Nat West); Total Quality Culture (Texas Instruments); Total

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Duddy Kravitz Materialism Essay Example for Free

Duddy Kravitz Materialism Essay Materializing is a major role in this book it affects a large part of the characters second and one person first hand. It also affects the plot due to the main characters obsession with materialism. Materializing can also cause people in relationships to grow apart due to confusion with priorities. Materializing can drive people to become some one that they would never wish to become with out even realizing it. It can also push you to do stuff that you would never think of doing. In the book The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz, the main character Duddy Kravitz was brought up with the saying a man with out land is a nobody. Duddy believes that the more land and money he gains the more of a somebody he will become. Duddy goes through life trying to make more and more money and gain more and more land. With an obsession like this it can cause a person to forget about priorities and also the heath and feelings of others. With Duddy by the end of the book his push to become a somebody cause the lost of respect from a family member and the loss of valued friends. It caused Duddy to put his own friend in a wheel chair for life just so he could try and save some money. Materializing can cause your judgment to fog and able you to do almost anything to get a head in the race to becoming a somebody. Duddy went to the point of forging a crippled friends check so he could buy more land. After he finally owns and controls all of the land hi feels that he has become a somebody. Duddy let money and poisons become the only thing that mattered to him. Duddy lost sight of everything that he lost and all the people that he hurt along the race to become a somebody. The plot of the book was greatly affected be materialism. The book is based around a selfish, greedy man named Duddy Kravitz a man that would stop at anything to become rich and well known. The plot twists as Duddy personality becomes meaner and more money driven. The plot of the book starts with the main character Duddy trying to make living well at the same timework his way up to becoming rich and at least locally famous. Duddy starts off as a happy man with a girlfriend, has many friends that are rich and is starting off his own business. However later on in the book after he starts to buy land to build a dream he starts to go bankrupt. As times get tough Duddy slowly starts to loss grasp of his goals and dreams that would make him a  somebody. The money hungry man starts to become verbally violent and uncaring for others. At this point he is only worried about losing his land and money. ################# but really Duddy has lost much more than he has gain. He has lost his friends, his girlfriend and the respect of his grandpa. The plot is based on materialism with Duddy. All most every problem in this book is a result in Duddy trying to make it big in life and becoming a rich man with a lot of land. When materialism is present with in a relationships it can push people to grow a part over time. It is usually noticed be one member and rarely caught but the person who is obsessed with it. With Duddy Kravitz it was present thought out his life. However as time moved on it slowly turned in to the only thing that mattered to him in his life. When Duddy first started to date Yvette you could see the connection they had with each other, you got the impression that they where meant to be together. They would go on picnics together, go for walks in the woods, and go swimming in the lake. This is where Duddy discovers his soon to be land, with in seconds you could see that the Duddy obsession with materialism has started to make things different between then. Duddy tried to bribe Yvette not to tell anyone about their place and offered to cut her in on the profits if she would keep it a secret. When money and the land came in to the picture it caused Duddy to almost stop trusting Yvette and act like she was more like a business partner rather than girlfriend. This cause Yvette to become angry and upset that Duddy didnt trust her and brought money in to the picture. Slowly over time Duddy became verbally violent towards Yvette, always telling her to shut up and yelling at her profoundly. Slowly Duddy obsession pushed him away from Yvette. By the end of the book Duddy was so obsessed with land, money and trying to become a somebody that he lost the important things in life. Duddy lost things that cant be bought but money, or impressed with land, he lost friends and family.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Entrapment and Confinement :: essays research papers

People encounter restrictions and restraints daily: doors, walls, gates. The most frequently used and arduous are those that are intangible, be it in a job or social life, whether physical or emotional, literal or figurative. Both the tangible and intangible are seen in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† and John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Crysanthemums†. Though written by members of the opposite sex, both authors are able to capture the feelings of physical and emotional imprisonment that causes a gradual mental breakdown. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† traces the treatment of a woman who descends from depression to madness in the male-imposed psychiatric confinement of her room, while the wife, Elisa, in â€Å"The Crysanthemums†, reflects an internal struggle with herself to find her place in a world of definite gender roles. The situations of the two women are similar: talents and dreams, hopes and desires, shunned by the husb ands and times of the women, which leads to hysteria; though similar, the women to conduct themselves ways drastically different from one another, which determines whether the women lose their sanity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The narrator in â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† and Elisa Allen of â€Å"The Crysanthemums† both have husbands who fancy the idea of knowing what their wives want and need. With such attitudes and beliefs, these men contribute to the feeling of confinement that ultimately leads to the loss of sanity of their wives. The narrator’s husband also assumes that he knows what is best for his wife. He thinks isolation and confinement will cure her â€Å"nervous depression.† Nevertheless, this â€Å"cure† makes her weak; it transforms her into a woman gone mad. On the way to dinner, Elisa asks her husband about the fights and his immediate reply is, â€Å"We can go if you want, but I don’t think you would like them much.† He cannot fathom the idea that she may actually enjoy this non-feminine event.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The two women follow the pattern of those going mad: eventually, they begin to see things and form relationships with the images that reside only in their minds. The narrator gives into the figments of her imagination and begins to metamorphose this â€Å"thing† she imagines behind the wallpaper as a hallucinogenic image of herself. This â€Å"woman† becomes a deadly combination: best friend and worst enemy. She views the woman as trapped, and, in order to free herself from this non-fulfilling life, she must free the woman. Elisa also receives an uninvited guest, a tinker who she perceives as the perfect emblem of freedom.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Law and Order Essay

In class, we watched the first twenty minutes of Law and Order episode â€Å"God Bless the Child†. The Episode starts with the parents of a young girl, that is deathly ill and in dire of medical assistance, and the parents won't use modern medicine because it is against their religion. Neglecting help of modern medicine, the child eventually dies. I believe that it is ridiculous that a parent will not help their own child and let them die when help is all around.I think prayer does not relinquish us from an obligation to act, so on these terms I do think these parents should be trialed for the death of their child. I see prayer to be similar to hope, guidance and communication with God rather than an act. Believing that everything can be solved with prayer is ridiculous, It Is like if someone wanted to end world hunger and didn't donate but only prayed. I think prayer and acting should go hand in hand because God is not Just going to give you what you ask for, rather he will g ive you opportunities.Similar to the Joke about the lady in the flood that Ms. Ellsworth said In class, God sent a boat and a helicopter to rescue the lady but she refused. She would later die, and In Heaven, she asked God why didn't you save me, and God replied â€Å"l did, I send you a boat and a helicopter what else can I do! † I think this Joke as the same situation as the parents In Law and Order. I strongly believe that the parents should go to trial for the death of the daughter because with all the opportunities God sent them, they avoided all of them.By neglecting all of these opportunities to rescue their child, the child suffered and soon after died. It Is ridiculous that she would not simply let her daughter drink some medicine for her to get better. If she was to go and drink alcohol, then why not let her daughter get treated. It Is most disturbing when the daughter was getting worse, but the mother thinks that what they are doing Is not working and they should d o something else. Than an act. Believing that everything can be solved with prayer is ridiculous, it is like dad in the flood that Ms.Ellsworth said in class, God sent a boat and a helicopter to rescue the lady but she refused. She would later die, and in Heaven, she asked God what else can I do! † I think this Joke as the same situation as the parents in Law and after died. It is ridiculous that she would not simply let her daughter drink some daughter get treated. It is most disturbing when the daughter was getting worse, but the mother thinks that what they are doing is not working and they should do.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Digital Fortress Chapter 5

â€Å"Where is everyone?† Susan wondered as she crossed the deserted Crypto floor. Some emergency. Although most NSA departments were fully staffed seven days a week, Crypto was generally quiet on Saturdays. Cryptographic mathematicians were by nature high-strung workaholics, and there existed an unwritten rule that they take Saturdays off except in emergencies. Code-breakers were too valuable a commodity at the NSA to risk losing them to burnout. As Susan traversed the floor, TRANSLTR loomed to her right. The sound of the generators eight stories below sounded oddly ominous today. Susan never liked being in Crypto during off hours. It was like being trapped alone in a cage with some grand, futuristic beast. She quickly made her way toward the commander's office. Strathmore's glass-walled workstation, nicknamed â€Å"the fishbowl† for its appearance when the drapes were open, stood high atop a set of catwalk stairs on the back wall of Crypto. As Susan climbed the grated steps, she gazed upward at Strathmore's thick, oak door. It bore the NSA seal-a bald eagle fiercely clutching an ancient skeleton key. Behind that door sat one of the greatest men she'd ever met. Commander Strathmore, the fifty-six-year-old deputy director of operations, was like a father to Susan. He was the one who'd hired her, and he was the one who'd made the NSA her home. When Susan joined the NSA over a decade ago, Strathmore was heading the Crypto Development Division-a training ground for new cryptographers-new male cryptographers. Although Strathmore never tolerated the hazing of anyone, he was especially protective of his sole female staff member. When accused of favoritism, he simply replied with the truth: Susan Fletcher was one of the brightest young recruits he'd ever seen, and he had no intention of losing her to sexual harassment. One of the cryptographers foolishly decided to test Strathmore's resolve. One morning during her first year, Susan dropped by the new cryptographers' lounge to get some paperwork. As she left, she noticed a picture of herself on the bulletin board. She almost fainted in embarrassment. There she was, reclining on a bed and wearing only panties. As it turned out, one of the cryptographers had digitally scanned a photo from a pornographic magazine and edited Susan's head onto someone else's body. The effect had been quite convincing. Unfortunately for the cryptographer responsible, Commander Strathmore did not find the stunt even remotely amusing. Two hours later, a landmark memo went out: EMPLOYEE CARL AUSTIN TERMINATED FOR INAPPROPRIATE CONDUCT. From that day on, nobody messed with her; Susan Fletcher was Commander Strathmore's golden girl. But Strathmore's young cryptographers were not the only ones who learned to respect him; early in his career Strathmore made his presence known to his superiors by proposing a number of unorthodox and highly successful intelligence operations. As he moved up the ranks, Trevor Strathmore became known for his cogent, reductive analyses of highly complex situations. He seemed to have an uncanny ability to see past the moral perplexities surrounding the NSA's difficult decisions and to act without remorse in the interest of the common good. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Strathmore loved his country. He was known to his colleagues as a patriot and a visionary†¦ a decent man in a world of lies. In the years since Susan's arrival at the NSA, Strathmore had skyrocketed from head of Crypto Development to second-in-command of the entire NSA. Now only one man outranked Commander Strathmore there-Director Leland Fontaine, the mythical overlord of the Puzzle Palace-never seen, occasionally heard, and eternally feared. He and Strathmore seldom saw eye to eye, and when they met, it was like the clash of the titans. Fontaine was a giant among giants, but Strathmore didn't seem to care. He argued his ideas to the director with all the restraint of an impassioned boxer. Not even the President of the United States dared challenge Fontaine the way Strathmore did. One needed political immunity to do that-or, in Strathmore's case, political indifference. Susan arrived at the top of the stairs. Before she could knock, Strathmore's electronic door lock buzzed. The door swung open, and the commander waved her in. â€Å"Thanks for coming, Susan. I owe you one.† â€Å"Not at all.† She smiled as she sat opposite his desk. Strathmore was a rangy, thick-fleshed man whose muted features somehow disguised his hard-nosed efficiency and demand for perfection. His gray eyes usually suggested a confidence and discretion born from experience, but today they looked wild and unsettled. â€Å"You look beat,† Susan said. â€Å"I've been better.† Strathmore sighed. I'll say, she thought. Strathmore looked as bad as Susan had ever seen him. His thinning gray hair was disheveled, and even in the room's crisp air-conditioning, his forehead was beaded with sweat. He looked like he'd slept in his suit. He was sitting behind a modern desk with two recessed keypads and a computer monitor at one end. It was strewn with computer printouts and looked like some sort of alien cockpit propped there in the center of his curtained chamber. â€Å"Tough week?† she inquired. Strathmore shrugged. â€Å"The usual. The EFF's all over me about civilian privacy rights again.† Susan chuckled. The EFF, or Electronics Frontier Foundation, was a worldwide coalition of computer users who had founded a powerful civil liberties coalition aimed at supporting free speech on-line and educating others to the realities and dangers of living in an electronic world. They were constantly lobbying against what they called â€Å"the Orwellian eavesdropping capabilities of government agencies†-particularly the NSA. The EFF was a perpetual thorn in Strathmore's side. â€Å"Sounds like business as usual,† she said. â€Å"So what's this big emergency you got me out of the tub for?† Strathmore sat a moment, absently fingering the computer trackball embedded in his desktop. After a long silence, he caught Susan's gaze and held it. â€Å"What's the longest you've ever seen TRANSLTR take to break a code?† The question caught Susan entirely off guard. It seemed meaningless. This is what he called me in for? â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She hesitated. â€Å"We hit a COMINT intercept a few months ago that took about an hour, but it had a ridiculously long key-ten thousand bits or something like that.† Strathmore grunted. â€Å"An hour, huh? What about some of the boundary probes we've run?† Susan shrugged. â€Å"Well, if you include diagnostics, it's obviously longer.† â€Å"How much longer?† Susan couldn't imagine what Strathmore was getting at. â€Å"Well, sir, I tried an algorithm last March with a segmented million-bit key. Illegal looping functions, cellular automata, the works. TRANSLTR still broke it.† â€Å"How long?† â€Å"Three hours.† Strathmore arched his eyebrows. â€Å"Three hours? That long?† Susan frowned, mildly offended. Her job for the last three years had been to fine-tune the most secret computer in the world; most of the programming that made TRANSLTR so fast was hers. A million-bit key was hardly a realistic scenario. â€Å"Okay,† Strathmore said. â€Å"So even in extreme conditions, the longest a code has ever survived inside TRANSLTR is about three hours?† Susan nodded. â€Å"Yeah. More or less.† Strathmore paused as if afraid to say something he might regret. Finally he looked up. â€Å"TRANSLTR's hit something†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stopped. Susan waited. â€Å"More than three hours?† Strathmore nodded. She looked unconcerned. â€Å"A new diagnostic? Something from the Sys-Sec Department?† Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"It's an outside file.† Susan waited for the punch line, but it never came. â€Å"An outside file? You're joking, right?† â€Å"I wish. I queued it last night around eleven thirty. It hasn't broken yet.† Susan's jaw dropped. She looked at her watch and then back at Strathmore. â€Å"It's still going? Over fifteen hours?† Strathmore leaned forward and rotated his monitor toward Susan. The screen was black except for a small, yellow text box blinking in the middle. TIME ELAPSED: 15:09:33 AWAITING KEY: ________ Susan stared in amazement. It appeared TRANSLTR had been working on one code for over fifteen hours. She knew the computer's processors auditioned thirty million keys per second-one hundred billion per hour. If TRANSLTR was still counting, that meant the key had to be enormous-over ten billion digits long. It was absolute insanity. â€Å"It's impossible!† she declared. â€Å"Have you checked for error flags? Maybe TRANSLTR hit a glitch and-â€Å" â€Å"The run's clean.† â€Å"But the pass-key must be huge!† Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"Standard commercial algorithm. I'm guessing a sixty-four-bit key.† Mystified, Susan looked out the window at TRANSLTR below. She knew from experience that it could locate a sixty-four-bit key in under ten minutes. â€Å"There's got to be some explanation.† Strathmore nodded. â€Å"There is. You're not going to like it.† Susan looked uneasy. â€Å"Is TRANSLTR malfunctioning?† â€Å"TRANSLTR's fine.† â€Å"Have we got a virus?† Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"No virus. Just hear me out.† Susan was flabbergasted. TRANSLTR had never hit a code it couldn't break in under an hour. Usually the cleartext was delivered to Strathmore's printout module within minutes. She glanced at the high-speed printer behind his desk. It was empty. â€Å"Susan,† Strathmore said quietly. â€Å"This is going to be hard to accept at first, but just listen a minute.† He chewed his lip. â€Å"This code that TRANSLTR's working on-it's unique. It's like nothing we've ever seen before.† Strathmore paused, as if the words were hard for him to say. â€Å"This code is unbreakable.† Susan stared at him and almost laughed. Unbreakable? What was THAT supposed to mean? There was no such thing as an unbreakable code-some took longer than others, but every code was breakable. It was mathematically guaranteed that sooner or later TRANSLTR would guess the right key. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† â€Å"The code's unbreakable,† he repeated flatly. Unbreakable? Susan couldn't believe the word had been uttered by a man with twenty-seven years of code analysis experience. â€Å"Unbreakable, sir?† she said uneasily. â€Å"What about the Bergofsky Principle?† Susan had learned about the Bergofsky Principle early in her career. It was a cornerstone of brute-force technology. It was also Strathmore's inspiration for building TRANSLTR. The principle clearly stated that if a computer tried enough keys, it was mathematically guaranteed to find the right one. A code's security was not that its pass-key was unfindable but rather that most people didn't have the time or equipment to try. Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"This code's different.† â€Å"Different?† Susan eyed him askance. An unbreakable code is a mathematical impossibility! He knows that! Strathmore ran a hand across his sweaty scalp. â€Å"This code is the product of a brand-new encryption algorithm-one we've never seen before.† Now Susan was even more doubtful. Encryption algorithms were just mathematical formulas, recipes for scrambling text into code. Mathematicians and programmers created new algorithms every day. There were hundreds of them on the market-PGP, Diffie-Hellman, ZIP, IDEA, El Gamal. TRANSLTR broke all of their codes every day, no problem. To TRANSLTR all codes looked identical, regardless of which algorithm wrote them. â€Å"I don't understand,† she argued. â€Å"We're not talking about reverse-engineering some complex function, we're talking brute force. PGP, Lucifer, DSA-it doesn't matter. The algorithm generates a key it thinks is secure, and TRANSLTR keeps guessing until it finds it.† Strathmore's reply had the controlled patience of a good teacher. â€Å"Yes, Susan, TRANSLTR will always find the key-even if it's huge.† He paused a long moment. â€Å"Unless†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Susan wanted to speak, but it was clear Strathmore was about to drop his bomb. Unless what? â€Å"Unless the computer doesn't know when it's broken the code.† Susan almost fell out of her chair. â€Å"What!† â€Å"Unless the computer guesses the correct key but just keeps guessing because it doesn't realize it found the right key.† Strathmore looked bleak. â€Å"I think this algorithm has got a rotating cleartext.† Susan gaped. The notion of a rotating cleartext function was first put forth in an obscure, 1987 paper by a Hungarian mathematician, Josef Harne. Because brute-force computers broke codes by examining cleartext for identifiable word patterns, Harne proposed an encryption algorithm that, in addition to encrypting, shifted decrypted cleartext over a time variant. In theory, the perpetual mutation would ensure that the attacking computer would never locate recognizable word patterns and thus never know when it had found the proper key. The concept was somewhat like the idea of colonizing Mars-fathomable on an intellectual level, but, at present, well beyond human ability. â€Å"Where did you get this thing?† she demanded. The commander's response was slow. â€Å"A public sector programmer wrote it.† â€Å"What?† Susan collapsed back in her chair. â€Å"We've got the best programmers in the world downstairs! All of us working together have never even come close to writing a rotating cleartext function. Are you trying to tell me some punk with a PC figured out how to do it?† Strathmore lowered his voice in an apparent effort to calm her. â€Å"I wouldn't call this guy a punk.† Susan wasn't listening. She was convinced there had to be some other explanation: A glitch. A virus. Anything was more likely than an unbreakable code. Strathmore eyed her sternly. â€Å"One of the most brilliant cryptographic minds of all time wrote this algorithm.† Susan was more doubtful than ever; the most brilliant cryptographic minds of all time were in her department, and she certainly would have heard about an algorithm like this. â€Å"Who?† she demanded. â€Å"I'm sure you can guess.† Strathmore said. â€Å"He's not too fond of the NSA.† â€Å"Well, that narrows it down!† she snapped sarcastically. â€Å"He worked on the TRANSLTR project. He broke the rules. Almost caused an intelligence nightmare. I deported him.† Susan's face was blank only an instant before going white. â€Å"Oh my God†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Strathmore nodded. â€Å"He's been bragging all year about his work on a brute-force-resistant algorithm.† â€Å"B-but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Susan stammered. â€Å"I thought he was bluffing. He actually did it?† â€Å"He did. The ultimate unbreakable code-writer.† Susan was silent a long moment. â€Å"But†¦ that means†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Strathmore looked her dead in the eye. â€Å"Yes. Ensei Tankado just made TRANSLTR obsolete.†

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Du Bois Concept Of Double Consciousness

Du Bois Concept Of Double Consciousness It is one thing to be fully accepted in the society and another to struggle hard in order to gain cognizance due to one’s racial background. It is this feeling of alienation that prompted Du Bois, a sociologist to come up with the concept of ‘double consciousness’.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Du Bois Concept Of â€Å"Double Consciousness† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Being a Black-American himself, Du Bois attempted to comprehend and explore the psycho-social divisions that subsists in the American society through the double consciousness theory. It was evident that the African Americans attempted to fit in the social circles of the society that they lived in, and one that treated them with self pity and contempt. Du Bois argues that this feeling of alienation from the social interaction leads to the division of one’s identity hence making it hard to achieve an unified identi ty (Karenga 501). This essay will therefore explore the concept of double consciousness and further establish its role in the contemporary society. Du Bois describes the concept of double consciousness as a ‘two-ness’ in which the individual identifies himself as both an American and a negro. This feeling of double consciousness hence leads to psycho-social anxiety where the individual is forced to come to terms with the two social worlds entwined in one dark body. The concept of ‘two-ness’ therefore means that the individual has two souls, think in two different manners and bear double warring ideals, all in one. The concept of double consciousness can further be described as having three manifestations. The first one is the power that the white stereotypes have on black people, including their thoughts and lives. Secondly, the racial discrimination that alienates the black negroes from the mainstream of the society and finally, the internal divergence bet ween being both an American and African at the same time. This raises the individual’s awareness of how others perceive him hence changing one’s identity to gain acceptance in the social interaction. This leads to the individual’s self image being badly damaged due to the treatment accorded to him by the white people. The African-American hence perceives himself as an outcast in the social standing and struggles to gain acceptance hence shaping his future experience and culture.Advertising Looking for essay on african american? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Du Bois therefore presents the concept of double consciousness with various instances. In each instance, the negroes struggle to be accepted and overcome the barriers created by the white culture. Du Bois presents the struggle as an attempt to scrap the hideous crime of racism. The concept of double consciousness can be explained in various ways, all of which portray the devastating effect that comes as a result of compromised identity. This ranges from the excruciating worry that an African-American parents experience when raising their children in a white society to the unsuccessful policies of segregation and the emergence of slums in various American cities. The theoretical model of double consciousness highlights the concept of racism that is said to emphasize the feeling of double consciousness. This is due to the fact that most people become aware of what others think about them as a result of their racial background leading to a low self-esteem. It is for this reason that Du Bois argues that racism attempts to divide people resulting to the African-Americans feeling prejudiced and stereotyped. The overall implication of double consciousness is wrong as it breaches and violates the fundamental rights bestowed upon every citizen. Though many philosophers would like to argue that we currently live in a society tha t is free from racial segregation, the concept of double consciousness is still pertinent to the modern society. This is because the contemporary society still presents several inequalities premised upon the racial background of an individual hence making it hard for the African-Americans to reunite their identities. A good example is by the media portraying the blacks only as athletes, rappers or even criminals hence giving an impression to the white community that the blacks have no other social advancement. The blacks on the other hand perceive this limited paths as their only road to success in the competitive world.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Du Bois Concept Of â€Å"Double Consciousness† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is just one of the many illustration that shapes the perception that the whites have on black people. It is also evident that most of the senior positions in the contemporary s ociety are held by white executives with the blacks playing the role of handymen in most instances. However, as Du Bois argues, it is possible to solve the dilemma posed by double consciousness. This can be achieved by separating the notion that there is a bio-genetically factor that determines the character of the person. This helps the blacks to fit in the white society and enjoy all the rights and benefits accorded to the whites and yet still preserve their rich African cultures. The media should for instance stop selling images portraying the blacks as being irrelevant to the society and instead bring out the best in them. By electing the first African-American president of United States serves as a stepping stone by the society to fully accept the blacks as being innately humans. In conclusion, the concept of double consciousness plays a very important role in the society. Not only does it present the dilemma faced by the affected persons but also their struggle to be accepted and become what indeed they are not. This hinders the society from putting into use the unique talents despite the racial backgrounds of the individuals in order to achieve a superior sense of personhood for all citizens. Bibliography Karenga, Maulana. Introduction to Black Studies, Los Angeles: University of Sankore  Press, 2002. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on african american? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

History of Myanmars 8888 Uprising

History of Myanmars 8888 Uprising Throughout the previous year, students, Buddhist monks, and pro-democracy advocates had been protesting against Myanmars military leader, Ne Win, and his erratic and repressive policies.  The demonstrations forced him out of office on July 23, 1988, but Ne Win appointed General Sein Lwin as his replacement. Sein Lwin was known as the Butcher of Rangoon for being in command of the army unit that massacred 130 Rangoon University students in July of 1962, as well as for other atrocities.   Tensions, already high, threatened to boil over.  The student leaders set the auspicious date of August 8, or 8/8/88, as the day for nationwide strikes and protests against the new regime. The 8/8/88 Protests In the week leading up to the protest day, all of Myanmar (Burma) seemed to rise up.  Human shields protected speakers at political rallies from retaliation by the army. Opposition newspapers printed and openly distributed anti-government papers.  Entire neighborhoods barricaded their streets and set up defenses, in case the army should try to move through.  Through the first week of August, it seemed that Burmas pro-democracy movement had unstoppable momentum on its side. The protests were peaceful at first, with demonstrators even encircling army officers in the street to shield them from any violence.  However, as the protests spread to even rural areas of Myanmar, Ne Win decided to call army units in the mountains back to the capital as reinforcements.  He ordered that the army disperses the massive protests and that their guns were not to shoot upward - an elliptical shoot to kill order.   Even in the face of live fire, the protesters remained in the streets through August 12. They threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at the army and police and raided police stations for firearms. On August 10, soldiers chased protesters into Rangoon General Hospital and then began shooting down the doctors and nurses who were treating wounded civilians.   On August 12, after just 17 days in power, Sein Lwin resigned the presidency.  The protesters were ecstatic but unsure about their next move. They demanded that the sole civilian member of the upper political echelon, Dr. Maung Maung, be appointed to replace him. Maung Maung would remain president for just one month.  This limited success did not halt the demonstrations; on August 22, 100,000 people gathered in Mandalay for a protest.  On August 26, as many as 1 million people turned out for a rally at Shwedagon Pagoda in the center of Rangoon.   One of the most electrifying speakers at that rally was Aung San Suu Kyi, who would go on to win the presidential elections in 1990 but would be arrested and jailed before she could take power.  She won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her support of peaceful resistance to military rule in Burma. Bloody clashes continued in the cities and towns of Myanmar for the rest of 1988.  Throughout early September, as the political leaders temporized and made plans for gradual political change, the protests grew ever more violent.  In some cases, the army provoked the demonstrators into open battle so that the soldiers would have an excuse to mow down their opponents. The End of the Protests On September 18, 1988, General Saw Maung led a military coup that seized power and declared the harsh martial law.  The army used extreme violence to break up demonstrations, killing 1,500 people in just the first week of military rule alone, including monks and schoolchildren.  Within two weeks, the 8888 Protest movement had collapsed. By the end of 1988, thousands of protesters and smaller numbers of police and army troops were dead.  Estimates of the casualties run from the implausible official figure of 350 to around 10,000.  Additional thousands of people disappeared or were imprisoned.  The ruling military junta kept universities shuttered through the year 2000 to prevent students from organizing further protests. The 8888 Uprising in Myanmar was eerily similar to the Tiananmen Square Protests that would break out the following year in Beijing, China.  Unfortunately for the protesters, both resulted in mass killings and little political reform - at least, in the short run.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Jihad in Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Jihad in Islam - Essay Example In any case, as various studies show, the interpretation of jihad as a call to use violence against all non-Muslims is unfounded (Ali & Rehman 2005). The fact is that the main source of this concept is the Qur’an. In turn, the study of the Qur’an makes it possible to understand that Islam focuses primarily on the spiritual struggle with one’s own passions and vices, while physical violence is seen as an extreme measure, which may be applied only in exceptional cases. In addition, despite the conventional wisdom, Islam can be seen as a much more peaceful religion compared for example with Christianity since Christianity demonstrates very careful attention to the concept of a just war and offers a much clearer conception of it than Islam. This paper analyzes the concept of jihad and provides its comparative analysis with the concept of holy war presented in Christianity. As noted above, a number of theologians, including Muslim ones, insist that jihad involves aggressive and violent methods of struggle for the Islamic faith. In particular, Professor Roda Mushkat (cited in Ali & Rehman 2005) insists on the idea that Islamic law enjoins Moslems to maintain a State of permanent belligerence with all non-believers, collectively encompassed in the dar al-harb, the domain of war. The Muslims are, therefore, under a legal obligation to reduce non-Muslim communities to Islamic rule in order to achieve Islam’s ultimate objective, namely the enforcement of God’s law (the Sharia) over the entire world. The instrument by which the Islamic state is to carry out that objective is called the jihad (popularly known as the ‘holy war’) and is always just, if waged against the infidels and the enemies of the faith. In turn, according to other contemporary Muslim theologians, who refer to the views of their predecessors, there are several types of jihad. In particular, it is believed that the Qur’an presents the

Friday, November 1, 2019

Napoleon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Napoleon - Essay Example He rose to prominence under French First Republic during which time he led the France through a series of successive victories against the enemies of the French revolution. In 1799, he orchestrated a coup and he made himself the First Consul. In 1804, he made himself the emperor of the French people. Afterwards, he fought a series of complex wars across Europe which were both for and against him2. During these wars, Napoleon was able to make France a military superpower in continental Europe. Napoleon also forged several alliances in Europe that gave France a lot of influence all over continental Europe3. He elevated his friends and family members to become rulers over other European countries. Although napoleon died almost two centuries ago, many scholars are still fascinated by his personality. There are many questions regarding why Napoleon left Corsica and decided to become the emperor of France. There is also the question of his relentless pursuit of power even when he failed. Many people who met Napoleon could not find the right words to describe his character. Germaine de Stael described Napoleon’s character as contradictory. She described him as a person who was neither gentle nor cruel, neither good nor violent. She concludes that such a person could not feel any sympathy. However, there are other scholars who differ with Germaine like Stendhal who described Napoleon as a man who had amazing abilities and a dangerous ambition. Sigmund Freud attributed Napoleon’s aggression to the aggression he harbored against his elder brother Joseph at a younger age. Napoleon was said to be a dreamer when he was in school. It is therefore possible that his desire t o conquer all of Europe was derived from his desire of portraying himself as great leader4. Napoleon gained a reputation as an intelligent and a determined kid at school. This is in contrary to other leaders like Hitler who have

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Review of the Literature-Sheila Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Review of the Literature-Sheila - Coursework Example These studies have included a range of methods for collecting qualitative data reflecting on the perceived benefits of electronic health records in improving efficiencies in the clinical setting (Sittig & Singh, 2011). 14 One of the important components of this proposed study is to seek knowledge from healthcare professionals with lived experiences. The study design is a survey of health professionals to gain their perception on patient errors and the capture of data through an electronic health record and paper documentation. Creating a tool to capture effective strategies for patient record keeping in the clinical setting is necessary to review data. Organizational leadership may learn ways to improve patient outcomes through the findings of the qualitative phenomenological study to determine the best approaches to change and methods to reduce errors (Goldstein et al., 2014; Schumacher & Jerch, 2012). 14 The ubiquity of information technology in the 21st century has transformed virtual industries. Today, computers are virtually institutional contexts because of relatively low cost and easy to access. There are still some industries, resistant to the adoption of information technology; healthcare is one such industry (Goldstein et al., 2014). Computers are major in the healthcare field and are frequently in the healthcare delivery system for care management (Chen & Lin, 2011). The advent of the Affordable Care Act creates new compelling incentives exist for clinics regarding implementation of an electronic health record management (Freymann, 2013). The United States healthcare systems are lacking quality healthcare and health record information (Oldfield, 2014). United States healthcare providers are apprehensive about the digital health record because challenges with system integration, education, privacy, and compliance with the federal government regulations. An electronic health

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Methadone Pharmacology and Its Mechanism of Action

Methadone Pharmacology and Its Mechanism of Action Table of Contents (Jump to) 1. Goal 2. Aims and Objectives 3. Background 4. Methadone Pharmacology and Its Mechanism of Action 4.1 Methadone History Background 4.2 Benefits of Methadone 4.3 Deaths Involving Methadone 4.4 Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism of Methadone 4.4 Cytochrome P450 4.5 Cytochrome P450 Polymorphism and Adverse Drug Reactions 1. Goal Methadone is the most common and widely used drug for the opioid dependence in Ireland as in most of the countries in the E.U. Methadone treatment is undoubtedly effective however; the reports on methadone related mortalities have definitely stirred the public concern. The challenge for biotechnologists is to determine whether the application of pharmacogenomics can solve this dispute. The fact regarding any drug or opioid is that they affect different individuals in a different way. To solve this â€Å"Biological Puzzle† this case study links the role of methadone and CYP2D6 gene variations with the metaboliser status of individuals, which may serve as an adjunct in methadone related fatalities. CYP2D6 is a member of cytochrome P450 mixed oxidase system, which is involved in the metabolism of many toxicologically important drugs that commonly implicates in fatal poisoning. CYP2D6 gene is located on chromosome 22 and is highly polymorphic in nature. Single Nucleotide Polymorph ism (SNP) variation at the exon 4 position of the gene results in a single nucleotide change of G to A, which ensue in poor metabolism of the drug. This variation is amongst 5 to 10% of the Caucasian population. 2. Aims and Objectives The specific aims of this report are as follows: Describe the methadone pharmacology and its mechanism of action, which will include the pharmacokinetics and the pharmacodynamics of the drug. The role of cytochrome P450 in the metabolism of methadone. The focus will be on the genetic polymorphism and the adverse drug reaction. This research will further investigate on methadone’s safety profile and mortalities associated with the drug. 3. Background Methadone is a synthetic opioid, invented during the Second World War (White Torres, 2010). The first chemical synthesis of the drug was in 1939 at the pharmaceutical laboratories of I.G. Farbenkonzern, Germany. Methadone was introduced to the market during 1960’s and since then it is one of the most valued drug which has proved its effectiveness from the prevention of abstinence syndrome that occurs after rapid interruption of continuous opioid administration (Zweben Payte, 1990; Dole Nyswander, 1965). Methadone is also one of the most common medications administered for the treatment of heroin addiction, however; there are many fatal poisonings reported over the years (Bunten et al 2010). Methadone is a liposoluble basic drug, often administered orally as a racemic mixture of two enantiomers i.e. R-Met and S-Met (Garrido Troconiz, 2000). It has a long plasma elimination half-life that lies between 13 and 55 hours and a high bioavailability of 70% 90% when administered orally (Moffet et al, 2004). It is extensively metabolised in liver and is converted into its primary metabolite which is 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP) (Crettol, Monnat Eap, 2007) and 2-ethyl-5-methyl-3,3-diphenyl-1-pyrroline (EMDP) (Lugo et al, 2005). Blood methadone concentration in drug tolerant individuals reaches >0.84 mg/l, whereas in cases of fatality or poisoning concentrations typically range from 0.4 mg/l to 1.8 mg/l. Fatalities have also been reported with concentrations as low as 0.05 mg/l which is significantly lower than the average concentration in blood (Caplehorn, Drummer Fatal, 2002). Studies suggests that the largest patient associated deaths are during t he drug induction phase, when either individual drug tolerance is overestimated or the presence of other drugs are also found in the system (Bunten et al 2010; CSAT, 2004). The revolutions in the molecular techniques in postgenomic era provide us a significant platform for the diagnostics and clinical purposes. Pharmacogenomics is the study of the impact of heritable traits on pharmacology and toxicology that acts as bridge to certify opioid fatalities (Wong et al 2002). The significant inter-individual variation in blood methadone concentrations and individual susceptibility to methadone toxicity might be explained through genetic variations of the genes encoding the drug metabolism enzymes. Pharmacogenomics acts as the linkage between an individual’s genotype and individual’s ability to metabolise a foreign compound (Linder, Prough Valdes 1997). Most xenobiotics, including therapeutic drugs, are metabolised by cytochromes P450 to some extent (Guengerich, 2006). The metabolism of these drugs results in detoxification and elimination of drug or activation of the prodrug to its biologically active form. Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) shows a wide interindividual variation in their protein expression and/or catalytic activity, which results in unique drug metabolism (Jannetto et al 2002). Among the P450 subfamilies, CYP2D6 plays a critical role in determining the response to several drug groups/families (Sadee 1999). CYP2D6 gene encodes a member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily of enzymes. The cytochrome P450 proteins are mono-oxygenases, consisting of more than 30 enzymes (Schur et al 2001) which catalyze many reactions involved in drug metabolism. This protein localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and is known to metabolise as many as 20% of commonly prescribed drugs. CYP2D6 gene substrates include debrisoquine (Wennerholm et al, 1999) an adrenergic-blocking drug; sparteine and propafenone, both anti-arrythmic drugs; and amitryptiline, an anti-depressant. CYP2D6 gene is highly polymorphic in population (Neafsey et al, 2009); certain alleles result in the poor metaboliser phenotype, characterized by a decreased ability to metabolise the enzymes substrates. The polymorphism is due to multiple mutations of the gene, which result in absent, functionally deficient, under-expressed or over-expressed protein (Shiran et al, 2003). The gene is located near two cytochrome P450 pseudogenes on chromosome 22q13.1 (Gouch et al, 1993). Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene (Toscano et al, 2006). CYP2D6 is a polypeptide of 497 amino acids that accounts for only small a percentage of all hepatic P450s but its role in drug metabolism is extensively higher than its relative content (Zanger et al, 2010). 4. Methadone Pharmacology and Its Mechanism of Action 4.1Methadone History Background Methadone was introduced to the market in 1960’s (Serban, 2011; Liebrenz et al, 2010). The drug was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1947 as an analgesic; by 1950 it was used for the treatment of painful symptoms from heroin withdrawal and other opioids (SAMSHA, 2004). In 1964, researchers discovered that continuous, daily maintenance doses of oral methadone allowed opioid-addicted patients to function more normally in the process of their recovery (Payte, 1991; Zweben and Payte, 1990; Dole, 1988; Gearing and Schweitzer, 1974). Fig: 2 Methadone Chemical Structure Methadone in the modern medicine is used both as an analgesic for severe pain relief as well as in the treatment of opioid dependence (Rowley, 2011; Potter, 2010). Many scientific articles reviewed methadone to be the currently preferred drug of choice for the treatment of opioid dependence in many countries, including the U.K. (Nosyk et al, 2010; Verster and Buning, 2000). Fredheim et al, (2008) in their review reported that currently, methadone has had a renaissance in the treatment of pain because it has proven its usefulness as a second line drug in opioid switching when other opioids fail to show their effectiveness. Methadone has also been found to be the valued medication for its effectiveness in reducing the number of deaths associated with opioid addiction as well as various medical and behavioural prevalence of diseases associated with addictive disorders (Maxwell, Pullum Tannert 2005; Sheilds et al. 2007). However, the news headlines of many prominent newspapers including the New York Times and the Washington Times, in 2002 and 2003 hyped its publicity by reporting the opioid medications were the major cause of deaths in drug abuse treatment (Belluck, 2003a, 2003b, 2003c; Associated Press, 2002; Washington Times, 2003). New York Times even mentioned methadone as a â€Å"Killer Drug† which is widely abused and dangerous (Washington Times, 2003). After these issues it was decided by the U.N. to put methadone in the class of controlled drug. Methadone was declared in a controlled drug category by the United Nations convention and placed under the controlled substances (â€Å"narcotics†) by the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 (Single Convention) (Bosnjak et al,2011). However, it can only be prescribed in the UK, as in most countries, by prescription till present (Verster Buning, 2000; CSAT 200b). 4.2 Benefits of Methadone Methadone is one of the most preferred drugs not only in Ireland but also across several continents around the globe. In the report published by European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addition (EMCDDA), there is a seven fold increase in the opioid treatment between 19993 -2000. The drug is widely recognised amongst doctors and patients due to its several socio-economic reasons. It is observed that there is a significant decrease in the crime graph and a noticeable increase in the employment services amongst the patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment. No doubt, there is a reduction in illicit drug use by the opiate users and increase in social integration is one of the benefits of methadone. In addition, methadone also helps in reducing morbidity and mortality among opiate users. 4.3 Deaths Involving Methadone Methadone is a highly potent drug for the treatment of opioid dependence and acts as an analgesic for second line management of chronic pain. However, increase in mortality due to methadone administration has instigated controversies regarding the drug use (Lowe, Brooks Petry, 2010; Bunten et al 2010). Law enforcement agencies in the United States (U.S.) and the Drug abuse Warning Network (DAWN) ranked methadone as the third most apprehended analgesic used in the treatment of pain management, fourth among all controlled pharmaceuticals, and eighth among all controlled substances (Fig:2.1.1) (SAMSHA, 2007). Various researches conducted amongst patients undergoing addiction treatment shows that the majority of methadone related deaths occur during the drug induction phase. Post-mortem sample predicts either an overestimation of the drug or combined usage of various other central nervous system (CNS) depressant in addition to the prescribed methadone (Bunten et al, 2010; Lowe, Johnson Petry, 2007). Fig: Methadone as the third most apprehended analgesic, fourth among all controlled pharmaceuticals, and eighth among all controlled substances (SAMASHA, 2007) The side effects associated with methadone overdose includes nausea, vomiting, dizziness, clouding of consciousness and pruritus (itching) (Davis Walsh, 2001). However, the primary toxic effect of excessive methadone is respiratory depression and hypoxia, sometimes accompanied by pulmonary edema and/or aspiration pneumonia (White and Irvine, 1999; Harding-Pink, 1993). Methadone related deaths during later phases of the additiction treatment mainly signify the presence of other illicit drugs. Researchers generally use the term â€Å"poison cocktail† describing the fatality due to intake of multiple psychotropic drugs (Borron, et al., 2001) such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, and other opioids. Several opioids when used or prescribed alone are relatively moderate respiratory depressants; however, when combined with methadone, their additive or synergistic effects can be lethal (Kramer, 2003; Payte and Zweben, 1998). Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program a subsidiary of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirms 1,114 cases of methadone-associated fatalities in adults from 1970 through 2002. Critically, a greater number of deaths were reported in 2001 alone than during the entire period from1990 through 1999; the number doubled itself in 2002. In the U.K. 225 individuals died whilst undergoing methadone treatment in 1993. In 1997, data confirms 449 deaths due to the same cause. However, the mortality graph went down in 2001 by reporting 279 deaths caused by methadone but in 2002, it again rose to 316. Therefore, we can conclude that there is no regular trend in methadone related deaths. However, Corkery et al (2004), mentions that it is always not necessary for methadone to be the cause of death even according to the death certificate of the individuals. In an individual study, methadone was detected in the post-mortem blood of 352 unexplained sudden deaths in Scotland between 1 991 and 2001. 23 % of these deaths were not directly linked with methadone. However, there were other drugs and/or alcohol found in the blood sample of the individuals. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (CSAT) in 2004 states that all methadone related poisoning eventually leads to cardio-toxicity and respiratory depression. Methadone deaths expressed as Percent of all poisoning deaths (CSAT, 2007). United States Poison Control Centres states that the overall number of opioid-related deaths has been on the rise, with many cases involving other opioids that include oxycodone and hydrocodone (Litovitz, et al., 2002; Florida Department of Law Enforcement, 2002) 4.4 Pharmacokinetics and Metabolism of Methadone Methadone is a liposoluble basic drug with a pKa of 9.2 and is usually administered orally as a recemic mixture of two enantiomers: R-methadone (R-Met) and S-methadone (S-Met) (Fig.2.2) (Trescot, 2010). The plasma half-life of the drug is highly variable and is between 13 and 55 hours but it is usually assumed to be an average of 25 hours (Letsky et al, 2011; Albion et al, 2010; Wolff et al, 2002). The bioavailability is 70% to 90% when administered orally (Bunten et al, 2010; Lowe, Brooks Petry, 2010). Studies indicate that in drug naive individuals, a single dose of methadone can show its clinical effects up to 72 hours in duration (Olsen et al, 1997). However, the peak plasma concentration reaches in 2 to 4 hours. The analgesic effect of the drug sets in about 15 minute after the subcutaneous injection (Eap et al, 2002). The chemical structure of r-(-)-methadone and s-(+)-methadone (asterisk (*) denotes chiral centre). There is a wide distribution of methadone amongst tissues, which generally range from 60 to 90%. As a result, the drug shows slow elimination and cumulative effect. Methadone is mostly metabolised in liver. The primary metabolite of the drug is 2-ethylidene-1, 5- dimethyl-3, 3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP) (Fig) (Bunten et al, 2010) and to some extent 3, 3-diphenyl-1-pyrroline (EMDP) (Corkery et al, 2004). However, both of these metabolites are inactive and elimination of these inactive metabolies is through urine and faeces. Anggard and Inturrisi et al. (1975) (1990) mentioned that as a result of the basic (pKa =9.2) and lipophylic properties, methadone undergoes a hepatic metabolism and renal excretion. Fig: 4 Metabolic Conversion of Methadone to EDDP 4.4 Cytochrome P450 Cytochrome P450 (P450) is a large superfamily of enzymes. The origin of P450’s superfamily is since prokaryotes much before the existence of eukaryotes (Omura, 2010). The gene P450, commonly known as â€Å"CYP† is present in the genomes of virtually all organisms. Moreover, studies suggest that heme proteins are the building blocks of CYP450 enzymes. These enzymes play a crucial role in the metabolism of the various xenobiotics, steroids and other chemicals. Most of the drugs and chemicals are lipophilic to become more water soluble before excretion. Therefore, P450 superfamily of hemoproteins serves as terminal oxidases of the mixed function oxidase system (Wrighton and Stevens, 1992). The heme prosthetic group binds oxygen after electron transfer reactions from the reduced form of 24 nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). This reaction incorporates a single atom of molecular oxygen into a substrate with the concomitant reduction of the other atom to wate r (Synder, 2000; Omura, 1999). In cytochrome P450, ‘P’ denotes the pigment and the number ‘450’ is the spectral properties for the absorption band at 450 nm of the reduced CO-bound complex (Benhardt, 2006; Reichhart Feyereisen, 2000). However, according to the nomenclature society, the term â€Å"CYP† is followed by number of families which are generally group of proteins with more than 40% amino-acid sequence identity, a letter for subfamilies and a number for the gene e.g. – CYP2D6. Studies indicate that P450 superfamily is highly diverse (Mathew, 2010). Diversity of P450’s is mainly due to the extensive process of gene duplications. However, gene amplifications, conversions, genome duplications, gene loss, and lateral transfers are certain scenarios that are less documented. 4.5 Cytochrome P450 Polymorphism and Adverse Drug Reactions Drugs affect different individuals in a different way. Genetic variations, which affect the response of the drug metabolism, can be of the most probable reasons (Mayer Zanger, 1997). Johansson Sunderberg (2010) also reported that the difference in drug metabolism among individuals might be due to several factors e.g. epigenetic, pathophysiological, or it might be due to some environmental factors. In a population, genetic polymorphism is divided according to individual ability to perform drug transformation reaction (Srivastava, 2003). Moreover, polymorphic trait is also noticed due to certain mutation in the genes and/or a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) which results in the enzyme variation and leads towards higher or lower activity. As a result, there is a partial or complete absence of an enzyme protein in the system. (FIG:) Fig: Polymorphism of Drug Metabolism Enzymes (Evans Relling, 1999). As we can see from the above figure that the genetic polymorphism applies for a wide range of drugs and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes. Identification of these variations were by the occurrence of adverse reactions after normal doses of drugs in patients or volunteers. In adverse drug reactions, drug-drug interactions have its key role. In fact, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are one of the major causes of death which is reported in many scientific articles, reviews and even government scripts. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMSHA) (2007), there is a record of approximately 100,000 deaths in the United States due to drug toxicity. In addition, Eichelbaum et al., (2006) stated that ADRs is also responsible for up to 7% of hospitalizations and the number has increased to > 30% in the elderly population (> 70 years of age) (Paul et al., 2008). ADRs mainly affect cardiac function or cause liver toxicity (Need et al., 2005). The CYP families metabolises approximately, 75% of all clinically used drugs (Bertz and Granneman, 1997; Evans and Relling, 1999).The human genome contains 115 CYP genes, out of which 57 are found to be functional and the rest are reported as pseudogenes (Johansson Sundberg, 2010; Wang et al,2003). Among CYP families, there are 22 different P450 isoforms, which shows a high degree of polymorphism. Therefore, we can divide the polymorphic xenobiotic metabolizing CYP enzymes into two classes according to their interindividual susceptibility for xenobiotics: Class I: Composed of CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2E1, and CYP3A4 without important functional polymorphism and active in metabolism of drugs. Class II: Composed of CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP2D6, which are highly polymorphic and are important for the metabolism of drugs.