Monday, September 30, 2019

Empirical Formula of a Hydrate-CE Essay

Conclusion and Evaluation: Aspect 1 Based on the interpreted data of group â€Å"A†, the empirical formula of aluminum chloride did not stay the same. The expected empirical formula was. In group â€Å"A† the empirical formulas are as followed†¦ Group Name Empirical formula Laurie & Jordan Rica, Victoria & Stephanie Vince & Josh Jane & Kaityln So, as a group, we all had a different outcome of the empirical formula but the percent composition of water is the same for all. 11.2% for hydrogen and 88.8% for oxygen as shown in table #7.3. A random error would be the measurement of the hydrate crystal. A scoopula was used to measure 3g. Also another one would be the electronic balance having an uncertainty of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.001g. A systematic error would be heating the evaporating dish through a wire mesh instead of a clay triangle. You notice that the theoretical yield and experimental yield values are shown in a pie graph. Both of the pie graphs are the exact same as both percentages are 11.2% and 88.8%. In these pie graphs, neither trends nor patterns apply. Aspect 2 The procedural weaknesses are stated above. For example the measurement of the hydrate crystal would’ve affected the lab. There wasn’t an accurate measurement so that could’ve affected the weight of the final product or the reaction of the product. Another weakness was that the evaporating dish was being heated through a wire mesh instead of a clay triangle. The wire mesh had a white coating on it, so therefore the evaporating dish was being heated indirectly and the wire mesh would absorb the heat itself. This would affect the heating process of the evaporating dish and the substance inside of it. There were a few assumptions made in this particular lab. They are as followed†¦ Assumption Possible effect on the result All of the moisture was removed from the evaporating dish If all the moisture wasn’t removed, then an accurate and precise reaction isn’t obtained. The aluminum chloride was pure If impure aluminum chloride was used then other products could have formed The only substance reacting with the aluminum chloride was itself as a hydrate form This could have had other reactions which therefore will affect the products formed. All of the aluminum chloride hydrate evaporated Could possibly effect the measurement of the weight 3g of aluminum chloride was added to the evaporating dish Obviously if there were less or more than 3g added, it will affect the outcome result The quality of the data was fair. The precision and accuracy of the aluminum was absent since it was measured by a scoopula and estimation. Although, the same balance was used to weigh all the masses, therefore the accuracy of those measurements were present with the exception of the uncertaintyà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.001g. Aspect 3 If this lab were to be redone, I think that everything should stay the same besides 2 factors which are the use of wire mesh and the measurement of the hydrate crystal. If we were to use a clay triangle instead of the wire mesh, the evaporating dish would have been directly heated instead of being indirectly heated. This would remove the systematic error. A better precision and accuracy would be obtained if we actually used a measuring device. For example, a measuring spoon would’ve been more accurate than the scoopula. Using the same balance for all masses would obtain greater control of variables and reduce the random error.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Emergency preparedness and Vulnerability assessment Essay

Emergency preparedness and Vulnerability assessment Introduction            The residents were given warning in advance that would have enabled to evacuate from the path of the storm in advance. The national hurricane centre and the mayor of the New Orleans had communicated about the evacuation of the people in the city more than 24 hours ahead. This meant that the people would be able to clear the way by the end of 24 hours and not many that would be affected as experienced. The warnings were not too rate since the Orleans exit can be able to handle 2/3rds of the population within every 12 hours and therefore, all the people would have managed to leave before Monday when the storm reached the place. Although the residents were used to weathering storms in the past, the mayor and the hurricane centre had already warned that the storm was different from what they experienced and was travelling at a high speed of more than 170 miles per hour and of the category of 5 storms (Fradin, & Fradin, 2010). Despite the people’s willingness to evacuate from the city, there were some people that were careless and they thought that it was just the same storm causing them to succumb to waters. However, more than 80% were able to escape while 20% were still in the city since they lacked the means to leave the place due to lack of money for gas and transport (Clark Hakim & Ostfeld, 2011). New York: Springer.). Moreover, the authorities failed as they delayed their evacuation process until when the storm had already hit the New Orleans. The attitude from the responsible authorities such as soldiers and other rescue people led increased damages losses, and death of people as they delayed evacuation and rescue process until Tuesday when many people were already affected. If the people had an attitude that the storm would not be the same, all the measures would have between taken to ensures that all the people were evacuated from the city. Moreover, the New Orleans would have made initiatives to clear the city in advance. Therefor e, an attitude that the storm would be the same led to a number of people remaining in the city resulting to mass deaths and damages of properties. Hence, people’s attitude contributed greatly to the intensity of disaster that caused more than 1,800 deaths and many other missing.            Is the threat of a radiological â€Å"dirty bomb† large enough for the United States to need to train extensively for such an event? How can first responders train for such an event? How would the training be different in regards to whether the event was a terrorist attack or whether it was an accident or would the training be the same?            The threat of radiological ‘dirty bomb’ is large and US is required to provide extensive training to its emergency and other disaster rescue team to ensure that any event that may happen will be fully addressed. This is because a radiological bomb can cause enormous harm to people in the scene and those living to the environs of the events (Bennett, 2007). Training would ensure that the victims are carefully handled t avoid spreading of the radioactive materials to other places as it may affect other people. Moreover, detonation and decontamination process require skilled people to prevent them from contacting the radio actives. The training for the first responder should entail decontamination and detonation of the victims to ensure that the radioactive material is not transferred from scene of the event. First responders should also be trained how to secure and label the scenes to prevent further contaminations of other people.            Training for various emergency responders should be different based on the type of the event whether terrorism of accidental spilling of radioactive materials. More advance training should be carried out responders of terrorists’ attacks. This is because terrorists’ attacks may have modified radioactive materials to enhance quick spread of the material, which may cause mass damage. Moreover, different radioactive materials may be used and thus improved training is important to address all the issues that may result. However, accidental leakage of radioactive material can be handled easily since the radioactive material is also known. Moreover, only a definite location can be affected, which would be much easier to deal with the attack.            How can we prevent terrorists from acquiring radiological material within the United States? How can we prevent terrorist from bringing radiological material into the United States? Are our current safeguards adequate enough?            United States can prevent terrorists from acquiring radiological material through enacting laws through congress. The laws will prohibit any possession of radiological materials and put punitive measures for those found in possession. Moreover, the laws should also prohibit people working on radiological areas from handling the materials inside the premise. In addition, the laws should prohibit any transportation of such materials without licence or permit. Moreover, the congress can enact acts that put in place a special committee in charge of all radiological materials and regulation to prevent general public from acquiring them. In addition, any accidental scene that may expose radiological materials can be guarded to prevent terrorists from accessing radiological materials.            All importation and entry of materials from other countries should be screened from radiological materials to prevent terrorists from transporting materials to the country. The united states have various regulatory bodies such as nuclear regulatory commission, (NRC) and environmental protection agency, (EPA) that are mandated with regulation of radiological materials (Kapur & Smith, 2011). However, the current safety of United States on radiological materials is not adequate because federal government only exercises regulation of radiological materials to only countries that they do not have trade agreement. This poses a risk of importation of radiological materials from the countries on agreement thus resulting to access of the materials by terrorists that may harm the citizens.            Moreover, the transportation of radioactive wastes from hospitals and other area to disposal areas is not secure, which poses the risk of terrorists acquiring the materials during transit.            How could first responders even know that an explosion was associated with a radiological attack? Once first responders know that an incident involves radiological material, are there any sorts of special equipment or personal protective gear that they would need to wear into the affected site            The first responders can identify an explosion through devices such as Geiger counters, which are detect the dose rate of an attack in addition to other equipments that can measure the intensity and harm of the material (Issues in critical and emergency medicine, 2012). The equipments will help the first responders to identify the form, attack so that he or she may be able to take the appropriate measures to safeguard his health and life and that of other people. Moreover, in case of accidental spill-out, the first responders should investigate the cause of the accident before starting the rescue process so as to identify the cause. Most likely hood is that, an explosion in a radioactive company or hospital that are major sources of radioactive materials may have high probability of radioactive materials compared to those that may happen in other areas. Therefore, it is important to identify the area where the explosion has happened as a way of identifying the type of explosion. Since radioactive materials spread very easily in the environment, it is important that first responder should wear protective equipments such as respiratory protection from radiological hazards to prevent any inhalations and standard protective clothes that prevents one from direct contact with radiological materials. This will ensure that first responders are safe from radioactive materials and are able to use the right measures to attend the victims.            How would first responders decontaminate suspected contaminated individuals leaving the area? Could this slow emergency medical response or the transport of the injured to neighbouring hospitals.            The first responder should ensure victims remove all their clothes and leave them in the scene of a decontamination centre that may be established at close to the scene of hazard. Victims should flush their eyes with plenty of water and other body parts are decontaminated before leaving the scenes. Moreover, the contaminated individuals should be screened for any radiological material before leaving the scene to prevent further contamination to other areas. People who are not contaminated should be separated from those who are contaminated although through a screening confirmation. The process will prevent further spread of the radiological materials to other people thus reducing the effects of the occurrence. The process can slow emergency response and transport of the victims for medical services and emergency services should be referred to medical facilities without decontamination although handled with care to prevent further effects in case of inhalations. Thi s is because, the processes of decontamination involve phases and in cases of mass victims, attending individual victims could delay the process as steps have to be followed. Therefore, although the process of decontamination should be the first step for emergency responders, it may not be good for ambulatory victims.            What would be some of the long-term consequences of a huge radiological incident such as a radiological â€Å"dirty bomb† attack or nuclear power plant meltdown? Would there likely be lingering health problems with the victims of such an incident? How could the affected areas be recovered and brought back to normal? Provide a 1/2 to 1 page, single spaced response.            Huge radiological incidents may affect the scenes in that the place may be alienated and people may be displaced or economic productivity of the place lost. The huge radiological attacks are associated with many health problems (Kapur & Smith, 2011). The inhalations of radio-active materials can result in respiratory health problems that may affects lungs. Moreover, it can result in lungs cancer. Gamma contacts on skin may result in skin cancer to the victims. In addition, radioactive contact has been associated with increased levels of infertility in both men and women in long term. Defectives births can also be experienced by these victims to exposure of embryo or foetus to radiological materials during an attack. Other health problems that may arise due to radiological attacks include cataracts, skin deformities, and may also cause early deaths. One of the major complications with huge radiological attack as the one experienced in Chernobyl nuclear plant in1986 with fire-fighters was an acute radiation syndrome, (ARS). The syndrome was characterised by nausea, diarrhoea, and vomiting in addition to weight loss, infections, depletion of bone marrow, and bleeding (Kapur & Smith, 2011).            The affected area could be recovered through decontamination process that may involve collecting of all the materials in the scenes either decontaminated on the scene or transported to a more secure place where they may be decontaminated. In addition, the place itself may be decontaminated through the use of commercial decontaminants such as Alcon ox or Sparkleen. Screening can then be done to ensure that the area is free from radiological materials before people can resume their duties in the place. After, the area is free from all radiological materials, people can resume their work or if it was a residential area, people can start a fresh without any risk. References Bennett, B. T. (2007). Understanding, assessing, and responding to terrorism: Protecting critical infrastructure and personnel. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley-Interscience. Clark, R. M., Hakim, S., & Ostfeld, A. (2011). Handbook of water and wastewater systems protection. New York: Springer. Ensor, M. O. (2009). The legacy of Hurricane Mitch: Lessons from post-disaster reconstruction in Honduras. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. Fradin, J. B., & Fradin, D. B. (2010). Hurricane Katrina. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark. Guha-Sapir, D., Vos, F., Below V., & Ponserre, S. (2012). Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2011: The Numbers and Trends. Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters Huber, C. (2014). Five of the worst natural disasters in 2013. New York: WorldVisionIssues in critical and emergency medicine. (2012). S.l.: Scholarly Editions. Kapur, G. B., & Smith, J. P. (2011). Emergency public health: Preparedness and response. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Ramroth, W. G. (2007). Planning for disaster: How natural and manmade disasters shape the built environment. Chicago: Kaplan. United States $ Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA (2007). FEMA Flood and Wind Publications, and Training Courses. New York: FEMA Source document

Saturday, September 28, 2019

KNBC's Channel 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

KNBC's Channel 4 - Essay Example It was almost too fast to follow and once a subject was completed, the feeling was one of wanting to know more. But the next subject was being discussed by then. The top stories covered in the April 30 newscast were, first, the Hollywood fire reported originally on April 29 and completely contained and put out by 8 am on April 30. One building and four small businesses were destroyed. It was like a firecracker that fizzled, although the anchors did try to make it interesting by mentioning familiar sites nearby such as the Pantages and Capitol Theaters and the building's location at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. The name of the restaurant may have been given, but it was not repeated. It was said to be similar to the Brown Derby. Also, Lindsey Lohan was mentioned as celebrating her 21st birthday at the restaurant/nightclub known for its erotic dancers. Although there apparently was no specific charge of arson, according to the anchors, because of earlier suspicious fires that might be arson, an investigation was underway to determine if the fire was accidental. KNBC does have a Web site and the story was presented in far more detail with video and photographs (Crews Investigate). The name of the restaurant was given on the Web site-Basque Restaurant and Nightclub. The second story to be presented was the May 1 protest at McArthur Park at which it was thought 25,000 to 100,000 people might attend. Because of clashes between police, demonstrators and journalists the year before, a low profile was planned by police. Previous use of force by police in 2007 embarassed both police and city officials, and the officers were retrained for the present protest. The protest was against federal immigration laws, which the Latino population felt were dividing families and were unfair. This was followed by the border protest "Stop the Mexican Government," which was quickly noted on the broadcast but not discussed in detail. The coverage of the protest was continued on Moyer and Williams' evening broadcast on May 1 and dominated the news hour, even though only 10,000 protestors showed up, not the expected 100,000, and there were no major disturbances. Again, the story again brought to mind a fizzled firecracker. The team announced the death of a San Francisco surfer killed on Monday, the 28th of April by a grey shark when he bled to death from a thigh injury. The fact that the incident occurred in Mexico was stressed. The federal interest rate was the next topic of discussion, cut .25% , which, it was noted, weakens the dollar once again. The broadcasters further discussed the fact that the government says there is no recession, even though the rising price of food and gas and the plummeting housing market does not confirm this. Except for obvious but unspoken criticism of President Bush, Moyer and Williams' political coverage was balanced with McCain offering tax credits re health costs, Hillary Clinton credited with appealing to blue collar workers, and Michelle Obama making no comment about Rev. Wright. Obama claims 10 super deligates and Hillary only 6. The final story presented was on the firefight across 580 acres of the Sierra Madre

Friday, September 27, 2019

International business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International business - Research Paper Example Vehicle and real estate consumption was is also in a decline falling 1.3% in January with an 80% vacancy in the tourist destination of Haikou and Sanya indicating that there is not much extra cash floating around. The reason attributed behind the Chinese economic slowdown is the lessening of its stimulus spending. The latest stimulus program that had been implemented was three years ago and Chinese authorities are not seemed keen on implementing another stimulus spending again. It is now seemed aware that the previous stimulus spending activities resulted in overbuilding that they are now cautious to overspend so as not to add to the already massive overcapacity of the Chinese economy that would run the risk of overheating. As an alternative, the Chinese government are encouraging investment from private enterprises. Although it is not admitting that it is wary of the seeming decline of its growth, China is now more concern with maintaining its growth so that it will not slid to a

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Whom can art offend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Whom can art offend - Essay Example in Germany had confiscated the art space in the country, by terming such art as â€Å"degenerate† and thus establishing policies that would restrict the use of modern art in Germany1. This art exhibition was organized by Adolf Ziegler, and it was attended by over three million people, who were involved in viewing different artwork exhibitions. Despite this exhibition being a response to the restriction of the application of modern art in Germany, the exhibition was able to meet its objective of popularizing the modern art that Germany was prohibiting. In this respect, art can be offensive to some part of the society, based on the content of artwork that is being displayed, which the society might consider to be offensive, or to be against the acceptable social moral values2. Thus, while the Degenerate Art Exhibition could have been offensive to the German government and some of the German population that was opposed to the modern art principles, the Islamic world has been offe nded by several art applications throughout the modern history. The Islam world has considered some form of art, both print and visual, as offensive to the ideals and values that the Muslims holds dear. "The Innocence of Mohammed" is one of such films that was developed and aired in America, directed by Sam Bacile, which then became highly controversial due to its anti-Prophet Muhammad d and anti-Islam sentiments and contents3. The release of the film caused the Islamic world to protest against its allowed viewership, considering that the film was ridiculing the very fundamental Muslim principles that the religion regards critical. In response to the release of the film in 2012, protests sparked in different Muslim nations, such as Egypt, Syria and Libya, where the protesters were involved in â€Å"burning the USA flag and also attacking the USA diplomats† to those countries4. The protests were far more violent in Libya, where the protesters burnt down the USA consulate in the country and also

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Challenges and Choices of HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Challenges and Choices of HR - Essay Example Following this, the report will entail a discussion of the importance of Job design in an organization and the main challenges that are faced by the human resources managers in this regard. Job Design plays a very important role in every job. This mainly deals with making work arrangements to ensure that the job dissatisfaction is reduced to the maximum extent. The main aim of a job design is to reduce the dissatisfaction due to repetitive and mechanistic tasks. Organizations use this to raise productivity levels among the employees. This is mainly achieved by offering nonmonetary rewards like better and higher levels of satisfaction that employees can achieve (Pearson, 2008). Other techniques like enlargement, job enrichment, job rotation and job simplification also form a part of the job design process. Having understood the main aims of job design, let us now focus on the objective of job design. It is clear that there are a number of design options that are available for any job. Thus it is important to understand what the main objectives are for any job design. Firstly, quality plays a very important role and is one of the most important aspects to be considered while designing a job. Quality refers to the ability of the staff to produce high-quality products and services and this can be affected majorly by the job design. This also includes avoiding of errors in short-term and also includes the designing of jobs which help encourage staff to improve the job and processes and also make lesser errors. Secondly, speed also plays an essential role in job design. The speed of response is the dominant objective of job design. It is essential that jobs consider this aspect as well. For instance, in jobs like emergency services, speed plays a very important role.  

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Exam essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exam - Essay Example Family owned businesses tend to feel that the business environment around them is not secure enough for them to venture into the unknown (Cromie et al. 1995, p.11). Lyman Orchards is an example of such a family owned business venture which, despite having existed for more than two hundred years and been run by multiple generations of the Lyman family, it has not been able to grow into a multinational conglomerate as has been the case with non-family businesses such as McDonald’s and Target. Moreover, unlike non-family businesses, family businesses do not rely on formal planning and instead, their management systems are based on less formal control as well as fewer incentives. The informal nature of such businesses is often based on their being wholly owned and managed by members of the same family and these do not need personal incentives to work in the business because they work for themselves. In family businesses such as Toyota and Samsung, members of their founding families have been active members since they were founded and this has been as a result of the long tradition as well as personal interest that has been established over the years. When it comes to finance, non-family firms have the advantage because they can easily gain finances through making offers at the stock market (Coleman and Carsky 1999, p.73). This is not the case with family firms, which if the owners do not have ready finances to invest in the business might bring about financial ruin. Therefore, while family owned businesses are more likely than not to achieve greater profitability than non-family businesses, the latter have an advantage because they achieve higher growth levels. A family business such as the Trump Organization faced some financial problems in its history as a result of being internally financed by the owners and such a scenario becomes extremely

Monday, September 23, 2019

Data Analysis (Applied Research Method) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Data Analysis (Applied Research Method) - Essay Example Household public transport miles per week -0.202 -0.074 -0.085 -0.404* -0.176 0.558** Total leisure miles per household per year 0.584** 0.451* 0.424* 0.398* 0.397* -0.05 -0.161 Total household gas and electric bills per annum 0.498** 0.379 0.491** 0.313 0.544** 0.05 0.003 0.153 **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed), *.Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). C2: Number of Negative Correlations Twelve out of 36 independent correlations are observed to be negative correlations. In which number of public transport users in household negatively correlates with total city CO2 emissions per household per annum, number of household members, average household income per annum, number of cars per household and household car miles per year i.e. r = -0.16, -0.12, -0.188, -0.443, -0.235 respectively. Similarly we observe that there re some more negative correlations like Household public transport miles per week verses total city CO2 emissions per household per annum, number of household members, average household income per annum, number of cars per household and household car miles per year i.e. r = -0.202, -0.074, -0.085, -0.404 and -0.176 respectively. Finally we observe that total leisure miles per household per year also negatively correlates with the variables number of public transport users in household and household public transport miles per week i.e. calculated as r = -0.0 5 and -0.161 respectively. C3: r = 0.889 is the most strongly correlated correlation value which has measured by household car miles per year verses total suburban domestic CO2 kg emissions per household per annum. C4: Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). A correlation coefficient of r = 0.889 indicates a very good...r = -0.202, -0.074, -0.085, -0.404 and -0.176 respectively. Finally we observe that total leisure miles per household per year also negatively correlates with the variables number of public transport users in household and household public transport miles per week i.e. calculated as r = -0.05 and -0.161 respectively. C4: Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). A correlation coefficient of r = 0.889 indicates a very good linear relationship between household car miles per year and total suburban domestic CO2 kg emissions per household per annum. Since r2 = 0.7903, we can say that about 79% of the variation in the household car miles per year is accounted for by a linear relationship with total suburban domestic CO2 kg emissions per household per annum. C5: r = -0.16 is the least strongly correlated correlation coefficient value which has measured by number of public transport users in household verses total suburban domestic CO2 kg emissions per household per annum. C6: Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). A correlation coefficient of r = -0.16 indicates a strongly weak linear relationship between number of public transport users in household and total suburban domestic CO2 kg emissions per household per annum. Bivariate

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Public Administration Beckons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Public Administration Beckons - Essay Example The desire to make a living while providing for the basic needs of as many people as possible was born out of idealism and was nurtured by experience. I have always been both awed and fascinated by the intricate workings of government, the noble and delicate task of balancing the often scarce human and material resources to administer the executive-branch functions of government - international relations, environmental sanitation and conservation, mail delivery and providing for the general health, education and welfare of the citizenry. Public administration calls for a deep sense of responsibility and organization, foresight, leadership and a way with people. It also requires a steep grounding in accounting and management. In municipal and state governments, public administration means running programs on a multitude of concerns such as health, highway, fire, police, water, transportation, electricity, gas, care of parks and recreation facilities, development of natural resources, public housing and urban renewal. A public administrator sees to the proper staffing pattern for sanitation services, clerical and maintenance connected with the above functions. You will never find a more edifying set of challenges in other careers or professions where self-interest is the chief motivation for work.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Fluent Melting and Solidification Essay Example for Free

Fluent Melting and Solidification Essay 8.1 Overview of Phase Change Modeling in FLUENT FLUENT can be used to solve uid ow problems involving phase change taking place at one temperature e.g., in pure metals or over a range of temperature e.g., in binary alloys. Instead of explicitly tracking the liquid-solid front as the phase change occurs, which requires a moving mesh methodology, an enthalpy-porosity formulation is used where the ow and enthalpy equations are solved with extra source terms on the xed grid. Marangoni shear, due to the variation of surface tension with temperature, is important in many industrial uid ow situations involving phase change. The phase change model in FLUENT provides the ability to specify the Marangoni gradient at a sloping surface, as well as an arbitrary shear at a boundary coinciding with one of the curvilinear grid lines. The model also allows you to specify the convective heat transfer, radiation, and heat ux at a wall as piecewise linear pro les, polynomials, or harmonic functions. FLUENT provides the following phase change modeling options: Calculation of liquid-solid phase change in pure metals as well as in binary alloys. Modeling of continuous casting processes i.e., pulling of solid material out of the domain. Chapter 8 | Phase Change Simulations Ability to specify an arbitrary shear at a curved boundary as a piecewise linear pro le or polynomial in terms of one of the Cartesian coordinates. Modeling of Marangoni convection due to the variation of surface tension with temperature. Modeling of the thermal contact resistance between frozen material and the wall e.g., due to an air gap. Ability to patch a momentum source in each Cartesian direction and or a heat source to simulate magnetic force elds or heat generation in the domain, for example. Display and patching of latent heat content, pull velocities in continuous casting and other relevant variables. These modeling capabilities allow FLUENT to simulate a wide range of phase change problems including melting, solidi cation, crystal growth and continuous casting. The physical equations used for these phase change calculations are described in the following sections. Limitations of the As mentioned above, the phase change formulation in FLUENT Phase Change can be used to model the melting freezing of pure materials, as Model well as alloys. The liquid fraction versus temperature relationship used in FLUENT is the lever rule|i.e., a linear relationship Equation 8.2-3. Other relationships are possible 124 , but not available in FLUENT. The following FLUENT features cannot be used in conjunction with the phase change model: Radiation Combustion Speci ed periodic mass ow Cylindrical velocities Overview of Phase In order for you to enable the phase change model, the energy equaChange Modeling tion must be active. You are then required to supply additional Procedures physical constants pertaining to the phase change problem liquidus and solidus temperature, latent heat of freezing, etc.. You may invoke one of the enhanced boundary conditions that are available c Fluent Inc. May 10, 1997

Friday, September 20, 2019

Housing Policy of Conservative Government: 1979 to 1997

Housing Policy of Conservative Government: 1979 to 1997 What aspects of the housing policies of conservative Governments between 1979 and 1997 reflect the key policy principles of public choice theory? The following will discuss the aspects of the Conservatives housing policies between 1979 and 1997 that reflected the key policy principles of public choice theory. When the Conservatives came to power they were committed to reducing the size and the role of the public sector which had consequences for the housing policies they pursued in office. Reducing the quantity of public sector housing, as will be examined, fitted in with the principles of public choice theory. The principles of public choice theory are mainly based upon the idea that the public should be free to make choices about the services that are available to them. Services such as education, healthcare provision, and specifically here regarding housing policies (Dorey, 2005 chapter 6). Britain had a large public housing sector of council houses that were rented to people at lower rent levels than paid to private landlords. Council tenants had little choice in the location, quality, and costs of council housing (Parsons, 1995 pp. 306 326). Council housing had not been built to fit in with the principles of public choice theory, it was solely intended to provide affordable housing for those people that could not afford to buy their own homes, or afford private sector rents (Parsons, 1995). Housing policies are not usually designed for the benefit of those that analyse public policy (John, 1998 p. 9). Before 1979 central government set quotas for how much public housing could be built , whilst councils allocated houses in order of the most needy first. The destruction of housing during the Second World War meant that high levels of council house construction had been necessary (Sandbrook, 2005 p. 179). Margaret Thatcher wished to increase people’s choices and opportunities to own their own homes. This was partly to increase levels of home ownership and partly to reduce the role of government in people’s lives (Fisher, Denver Benyon, 2003, p.15). The selling off of council housing certainly was a key aspect of the Conservatives housing policies that reflected the principles of public choice theory. That it did so was due to coincidence rather than design. The main motivations behind the selling off of council housing were political, economical, and ideological. The Conservatives believed that it allowed more people to own their own homes and would increase their electoral support. Homeowners were more likely to vote Conservative than council house t enants who had traditionally been strong Labour supporters (Coxall, Robins Leach, 2003, p.28). Economically and ideologically selling off council housing fitted in with the aim of reducing the public sector. It also proved to be one of the most popular Conservative policies between 1979 and 1997, more than a million families bought their council houses (Moran, 2005, p. 18). For the Conservatives under Thatcher’s leadership, housing policies were part of their plans to change the economy and society away from the post-war consensus of Keynesian economics and a welfare state in which people had no influence over the way services were provided (Eatwell Wright, 2003 p.147). The popularity and take up rates for the right to buy council housing was a de facto privatisation of large parts of the public housing sector. Its impact on the British economy was similar to the privatisation of the public utilities, the reduction of trade union power, and the adoption of monetarist policies (Dorey, 2005 chapter 6). The Conservatives were aware that not every council house tenant was either willing or able to buy their homes from their respective local authorities. Therefore the Conservatives decided to further reduce the level of public housing controlled by councils by transferring whole housing estates to non-profit organisations such as housing associations dubbed ‘Registered Social Landlords (RSLs)’. Tenants were given the right to choose between local authorities and RSLs controlling the management of their housing estates. The right to opt out or stay under local authority control nominally gave tenants a greater freedom to live their lives. Taken at face value this was another aspect of Conservative policy that followed the principles of public choice theory (Coxall, Robins, Leach, 2003 p. 28). It was also another example of the Conservatives trying to reduce the powers of local authorities (Parsons, 1995 pp. 306 326). Under the Conservatives the number of houses being built for the public sector dropped dramatically as local authorities were not allowed to use the money from council house sales to fund new construction (Parsons, 1995 pp. 306 -326). Instead new house construction was mainly undertaken by private sector building firms. The public had more choice about where they lived and the size of their homes, if they could afford to buy their homes. The more limited number of homes built for the public sector was constructed for RSLs and housing associations. Removing the management of public housing from the control of local authorities was intended to make social housing provision more cost effective and more responsive to the needs and wishes of their remaining tenants (Stoker, 1999 p. 53). The Conservative governments were also hopeful that the transfer of public housing would save money, as RSLs would seek to fund improvements and new construction through partnerships with private sector bu sinesses. Since 1997, New Labour has not substantially altered housing policies as a means to limit expenditure as much as reflecting a wish to continue with policies influenced by the principles of public choice theory (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 pp. 70 – 71). Therefore, aspects of the housing policies of the Conservative governments between 1979 and 1997 reflected the key principles of public choice theory from 1979 the Conservatives were intent on reducing the level of people that lived in council housing through the right to buy scheme. That scheme allowed existing tenants to purchase their homes at discounted prices. Right to buy fitted in with Margaret Thatcher’s political, economic and ideological beliefs that the public sector should be reduced to allow people to make their own decisions and become homeowners. Thatcher rightly assumed that council tenants that bought their own homes would be more likely to vote Conservative. Not only did selling off council housing reflect the principles of public theory, it had the political advantage of being electorally popular. For people that could not afford to buy their council houses the Conservatives introduced the possibility of whole estates opting out of local authority control ma naged by RSLs. The Conservatives managed to achieve their aim of increasing home ownership in Britain as over a million council houses were bought by their tenants. Bibliography Coxall B, Robins L Leach R (2003) Contemporary British Politics 4th edition, Palgrave, London Dorey P (2005) Developments in British Public Policy, Sage Publications, London Eatwell Wright (2003) Contemporary Political Ideologies 2nd Edition, Continuum, London Fisher J, Denver D, Benyon J, (2003) Central Debates in British Politics, Longman, London John P, (1998) Analysing Public Policy, Pinter, London Moran M, (2005) Politic and Governance in the UK, Palgrave, Basingstoke Parsons W, (1995) Public Policy, Edward Elgar, Aldershot Sandbrook D, (2005) Never had it so good – A History of Britain from Suez to the Beatles, Abacus, London Seldon A Kavanagh D, (2005) The Blair Effect 2001 – 5, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Stoker G, (1999) The New Management of British Local Governance, MacMillan Press Ltd, London

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Recruiting and Retaining Qualified Personnel Essay example -- Work Wor

Recruiting and Retaining Qualified Personnel INTRODUCTION One of the most critical challenges facing public administration is the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel. While the problem of attracting talent into public service is not new, the introduction and rapid expansion of the high technology and Internet industry, the problem has reached crisis proportions. Both the public and private sector have embraced the Information Age with increasing dependence on a skilled and versatile workforce. Private industry responded by developing greater versatility in expanding and contracting their workforce to compliment the strategic requirements and goals of the organization. Public administration did not adequately recognize the changes in private industry that had such a significant impact on the workforce. In the past twenty years the workforce, who had previously expected to spend their career with a single employer, has adjusted to a norm of changing employers several times, (and in many cases changing career paths). This changi ng expectation of the workforce necessitates not only policy changes in public administration, but far better flexibility in hiring, rewarding and retaining methods. The shift to broader based training and advanced skills have changed the expectations of the workforce. Workers are increasingly less content with remaining within a single occupational discipline and have matched the flexibility and agility of their employers. Public administrators have increasingly recognized the need to modify reward and incentive programs placing much greater emphasis on performance than tenure. Private business, with its ability to change and re-focus strategic goals and objec... ...US Department of Defense, Acquisition Managers Recruiting, Hiring and Retention Handbook, â€Å"Hiring†, 15 April 2001. Available from: http://gravity.lmi.org/acqbook/hiring/index.html. US Department of Defense, Acquisition Managers Recruiting, Hiring and Retention Handbook, â€Å"Retention†, 15 April 2001. Available from: http://gravity.lmi.org/acqbook/retention/index.html. US Department of Defense, Acquisition Managers Recruiting, Hiring and Retention Handbook, â€Å"The defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA)†, 15 April 2001. Available from: http://gravity.lmi.org/acqbook/dawia/index.html. US Department of Defense, Acquisition Managers Recruiting, Hiring and Retention Handbook, â€Å"The DoD Civilian Acquisition Workforce Personnel Demonstration Project (AcqDemo)†, 15 April 2001. Available from: http://gravity.lmi.org/acqbook/acqdemo/index.html.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Satan is No Hero in John Miltons Paradise Lost :: Milton Paradise Lost Essays

Satan is No Hero in Paradise Lost There have been many different interpretations of John Milton's epic, Paradise Lost. Milton's purpose in writing the epic was to explain the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Although the epic is similar to the Bible story in many ways, Milton's character structure differs from that of the Bible's version. Through-out the epic Milton describes the characters in the way he believes they are. In book II of Paradise Lost, Milton portrays Satan as a rebel who exhibits certain heroic qualities, but who turns out not to be a hero. Milton's introduction of Satan shows the reader how significant Satan is to Paradise Lost. He uses Satan's heroic qualities to his followers, and his ability to corrupt to show the thin line between good and evil. Satan was one of the highest angels in Heaven and was know as Lucifer, meaning, light bearer. This shows he was once a good angel. Milton makes the reader see him as a leader and a strong influence to all in his presence. He best describes Satan's ways when stating, "His pride/ had cast him out from Heaven, with all his host. / Of rebel angels, by whose aspiring/ To set himself in glory above his peers" (Milton Book I). Satan's pride was the main reason that God banned him from heaven. Satan always tried to be number one and a leader, instead of following in God's shadow. He would of lived a life in Paradise forever, but he had to follow his feelings as he states, "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" (Milton 31). This shows how strongly he felt about not being abo ve everybody else. Milton uses many events like the ones listed above to encourage the reader to view Satan as a hero. "Satan is described to be the brightest and most important angel" (McColley 32). These traits of Satan show how one might recognize Satan as the second in power right below God, who was the highest power of all. Before Satan decides to give up what he has and to rebel against God, he was one of the wisest and most beautiful of all the angels in heaven (McColley 24). Although Satan was beautiful, the most important trait that makes him fit into the hero category is that he was the most powerful angel in heaven.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Groom -- Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeche

Wedding Speech Delivered by the Groom Well , what can I say, Thankyou for those kind words Alan and I hope $20 was enough. I recently read somewhere that a survey had been conducted of things that people fear most, and top of the list above things like spiders and heights, was the fear of standing up and making a speech in public. I'm no different, suffice to say that this isn't the first time today I've risen from a warm seat with a piece of paper in my hand. MANY PEOPLE Many people thought this day would never come. That I'd be standing here making the speech of a Newly Married man, myself included. Many people have also told me how lucky I am to be marrying Jo, including Jo in fact. But I would like everybody here, especially my new bride, to know how lucky and proud I am to be standing here speaking to you as her husband. WIFE & I And so, for the very first time, I'd like to say, 'On behalf of my Wife and I' I would like to thank you all for coming today and sharing Our special day. I know this is meant to be our day, but of course it wouldn't be as special a day if it wasn't for our family and friends being here with us, and I'm sure you'll all agree that we found the ideal setting for this memorable occasion. We would also like to thank you all for your cards, kind thoughts and wonderful gifts. TRADITION Tradition dictates that I now tell you an amusing stor... ...would like to thank our little Bridesmaids, Charlotte and Lucy for doing such a great job today. I'm sure you'll all agree they look beautiful, especially in their bridesmaids dresses, which once again Daphne was kind enough to make. Gift Now, ladies and gentlemen please be upstanding and raise your glasses in a toast to Charlotte and Lucy 'The Bridesmaids' Finish Before I sit down I'd like to finish by reading a quotation I came across a couple of days ago, that I found very apt. "Happy marriages begin when we marry the one we love, And they blossom when we love the one we married" With that thought in mind, I look forward to a wonderful married life together. Thankyou!!!

Monday, September 16, 2019

Narrators Role In Hard Times And Great Expectations English Literature Essay

As the voice of a fictional and, sometimes, nonfictional literary work, the storyteller is frequently the cardinal characteristic in literary plants and is given a figure of duties. Depending on how the storyteller is attached to the peculiar narrative or book, these functions include assisting to impart a voice to the writer ‘s ideas every bit good as frame the narrative and guarantee focal point, present the secret plan, and supply position. Narrative can be delivered by either indirect discourse or all-knowing narrative based on the writer ‘s purpose, supplying a scope of techniques that add credibleness to the narrative or take the reader to inquiry or mistrust the storyteller, depending on the word picture, linguistic communication, and secret plan line that is being utilised. The storyteller can be the chief character but they can besides be a minor character, a combination of characters, or even function an all-knowing function as a narrator who is non portion of t he narrative. On a simple and straightforward degree, both books utilise the storyteller as a manner of reminding the reader about the secret plan, bordering the narrative and concentrating the action due to their serialised nature. In this manner, both storytellers explain spreads in clip and action, talking to the reader and assisting arouse their ideas of what had antecedently happened. Both serve as managers in footings of steering the reader through the narrative and bring outing what they want to be seen or what they want the reader to chew over in footings of the ‘intention of intending ‘ whilst still being able to set up boundaries around what is to be inferred from reading the narrative ( Brooks, 503 ) . On a deeper degree further explored within this paper, both storytellers represent the overruling subject of Victorian literature that Dickens has made celebrated in footings of the weak back uping the strong every bit good as the hapless sating the wealthy ( Bloom, 155 ) . In this manner, the storyteller besides serves as a device to keep up and steer the reader through the building of the narrative but besides a building of the human ego. As the storyteller of Great Expectations, Pip takes on a figure of functions as he moves from a immature kid to maturate adult male, supplying a humanistic touch to Dickens ‘s frequently black and desperate narratives. The reader can so associate to in these footings of following his outlooks and uncertainties about how he will do in life every bit good as determining his sense of values set against those of society by reflecting on what he is larning about himself. Overall, as a storyteller, it is Pip who serves to link the constructs of character and event within the secret plan, associating these together in a mode that helps the reader stay meaningfully connected to the narrative ( Gissing, 95 ) . In this manner, Dickens uses Pip as a manner of doing a commentary about society, morality, and category battles with an overruling narrative that experiences greed, wealth, and power whilst seeking to stay industrious, ethical, and caring. Alternatively of doing the commentary st raight, Dickens establishes the storyteller as a manner of dissociating himself as the writer in the reader ‘s head from the narrative so that Pip becomes the transcriber for what Dickens is seeking to pass on to the reader ( Miller, 249 ) . What sets the narrative apart in Great Expectations is the complex signifier in footings of Mr. Pirrip, the adult Pip, reflecting on his life as a hapless male child and making so from the position of a mature and slightly successful bourgeois. He seems to state the narrative in a composure and brooding tone that does non look to be angry with his childhood despite holding outlooks in young person that went unrealized. Even in reciting state of affairss that were instead traumatic and cruel, Pip remains detached. This illustrates how Dickens uses this tone to construct sympathy and make a differentiation between the bad society and the good nature of some human existences. He provides a prosaic tone to what could be considered a serious commentary on society of the twenty-four hours. This can be seen as he states, â€Å" I tell this lightly, but it was no light thing for me † ( Dickens, 235 ) . This sense of withdrawal and isolation from old events illustrates how a storyteller can be positioned in a manner that shows how all human relationships are non logical and rational in footings of communicating, interaction, and degree of intending but that life is a much more complex and illusory set of actions and mentalities ( Vande Kieft, 325 ) . There are besides times where the restriction of what the storyteller chooses to relay or how it is being relayed will greatly impact on the reader ‘s reaction to what the storyteller has to state, thereby act uponing the reader to potentially pull certain decisions. This can particularly be the instance for Pip as Dickens tries to utilize the narrative to explicate the motion from self-awareness to self-acceptance that outlooks are frequently replaced by uncertainty when society has the power and inhuman treatment to command one ‘s being ( Dessner, 436 ) . Throughout all of his novels, including Hard Times and Great Expecta tions, Dickens makes it clear that he would wish to stay degage from the narrative and the storyteller he has created, slightly deducing his ain misgiving of the storyteller but recognition that the device helps him accomplish his purpose as a author ( Daldry, 99 ) . The fact that he seems to alter from doing premises about his childhood to a defensive tone that illustrates assurance in his memory and his feelings places Pip as a more trusty storyteller in footings of doing him more human and kindred to the reader ( Daldry 1987,141 ) . Yet, even the desire to swear Pip ‘s position is taken off-balance when the reader discovers subsequently on in the narrative that they have been deliberately deceived about certain episodes. In this manner, Dickens is able to set the reader in the same frame of head as the inexperienced person and naA?ve Pip who, as a kid, had considered certain people trustworthy merely to happen that he had been deceived. In this manner, the narrative becomes a brooding device that Dickens utilizations to do the reader experience what he is seeking to explicate about society and the deficiency of morality and unity in the universe. This is besides carried out through Pip ‘s sense of that weakness over his state of af fairs based on how overwhelmed the other characters make him experience. This adds to the temper and emotion of the novel which is emitted through Pip and to the reader ( Woloch, 178 ) . This sense of being overwhelmed may take Pip to be slightly undependable as the other characters dominate him and be given to determine his ego and the reader ‘s sense of his personality and character ( Woloch, 178 ) . The continued focal point of Dickens on the construct of how personality signifiers ( Morgentaler, 1 ) is besides explored through the narrative techniques of Hard Times. Like Pip, the anon. storyteller in Hard Times is besides used as a device to assist the reader experience a sense of isolation of ego set against a rough society ( Miller, 251 ) every bit good as express an person ‘s sense of ego in relation to society and in relation to other persons ( Miller 1958, 225 ) . There is a similar realization with this storyteller in footings of explicating what he had perceived as world that, upon farther being and geographic expedition, was non right nor was it logical, taking him to re-examine himself and his life ( Dickens, 29 ) . Using this technique in both books is besides a manner for Dickens to impart a deeper position for the reader in footings of supplying what may look like a confusion or atomization of positions by the two storytellers ( Shires, 18 ) . This atomization can be seen in how Pip and the anon. storyteller tend to alter their heads about assorted actions or state of affairss that they are associating every bit good as going more emotional at times whilst other state of affairss are explained calmly and rationally, directing the reader through a kaleidoscope of positions about assorted events in the book. In this manner, Victorian literature utilised the storyteller as a device for traveling off from Realist literature that was focused on rapprochement and integrity. Alternatively, books by Dickens and others during the clip pushed the boundaries of what the reader could manage by supplying a storyteller who could steer and border the reader ‘s journey through which positions were â₠¬Ëœtested, altered, or replaced by another ‘ ( Shires, 18 ) . This unfastened sense of the universe and society provides an all-knowing sense to the narrative within Great Expectations, which one critic described as a first-person storyteller trapped within 3rd individual narrative universe ( Woloch, 178 ) . In understanding the differences in narrative technique, first individual narrative ‘makes a qualitative differentiation between the human figure who narrates the narrative ( and it is therefore presented as an agent or topic of perceptual experience ) and the characters he writes about ( mere objects of perceptual experience ) ‘ ( Woloch, 178 ) . In this instance, Pip is narrating his perceptual experience of his ain character or ego, which leads him to continually try to detach himself. The reader so determines what the mature Pip is truly believing about in footings of his life, his connexion to society, and his sense of ego. However, it is within Hard Times where Dickens more slackly uses an alternate personality to cover up his direct communicating to the reader in the signifier of an indirect discourse and the usage of all-knowing narrative. In this mode, there is a framed construction because the storyteller is stating a narrative that apparently has a different supporter than the storyteller ( Woloch, 178 ) . This was a manner to convey his position on political and societal issues of his clip even though his purpose was for the reader to concentrate on the creative activity of an all-knowing storyteller who is merely assisting the reader expression beyond the fictional universe and draw decisions about existent society and the one within Hard Times ( Watts, 135 ) . As an omniscient storyteller, there is besides a vagueness that is pronounced in footings of how state of affairss are described or what they are to symbolize in footings of doing an illation to the political and educational systems of th e twenty-four hours ( Watts, 138 ) . Whilst there are many topographic points in which it would look as though the storyteller would come out and direct the reader to a certain belief, such as destructing Millss, it is ne'er said ; it is merely inferred ( Watts, 139 ) . Hence, the decisions based on the re-examination and rating of ego through the all-knowing storyteller is left more up to the reader in Hard Times than the more direct, but still slightly caged, responses of Pip in Great Expectations. Whilst apparently left up to the reader, there is room to see the possibility that, despite room for reading that an all-knowing position allows the reader to pull their ain decisions, Dickens still seems to let both storytellers merely plenty licence to reexamine certain information by which to pull strings control of the reader ‘s point of position thereby motivating a certain understanding or disdain for different groups of people within society ( Boege, 90 ) . This same position was besides noted by a research worker who said, ‘In a sense, the whole intent of the novel is to convert us of a figure of equalities, most peculiarly that between the educational doctrine of Gradgrind and the economic theory and pattern of the new industrialism ‘ ( Bloom, 120 ) . Leaving the narrative to be conducted by a slightly anon. ‘voice ‘ is Dickens ‘s manner of non concentrating the reader on the existent elements of character of the storyteller but maintaining the reader entirely set on understanding the intent of the novel. In this manner, the reader is connected to the information provided by the anon. reader in an unemotional mode that does non convey personal involvement into the controversial topics of the novel, including ‘the crunching ugliness of industrial development ; the abstract theory of Utilitarianism ; shallow opportunism ; the anti-social force of the capitalist ; and merchandise brotherhoods ‘ ( Hosbaum, 174 ) . In many ways, information and perspectives about these topics are provided in a degage mode slightly similar to Shoot who seemed, at times, to be narrating person else ‘s life. In both novels the storytellers attempt in a personal and direct manner with Pip in Great Expectations and with an all-knowing mode in Hard Times to state the reader about society and how what is ideal and moralistic is non needfully what world involves, particularly in visible radiation of the persons who apparently are non able to do a difference in footings of get the better ofing society with their outlooks of how things should be ( Jordan, 70 ) . Both transmit Dickens ‘s messages about the battles of humanity against a powerful and avaricious society ( Jordan, 78 ) . In both of Dickens ‘s texts, the storytellers provide the tools by which the reader can have the context of what Dickens wants to pass on so as to transform the relevancy of the societal and political messages that appear in these books ( Walsh, 36 ) . Whilst the information within the texts is viewed as fiction, Dickens employs his storytellers to supply a degree of genuineness, honestness, and relevanc y to the fiction by which the reader can reap cognition of specific events and issues that have occurred in the existent universe as opposed to merely being viewed as fictional events ( Walsh, 36 ) . As one critical analysis of narrative techniques noted, ‘The cognition offered by fictionaˆÂ ¦is non chiefly specific cognition of what is ( or was ) , but of how human personal businesss work, or, aˆÂ ¦how to do sense of them-logically, evaluatively, emotionally ‘ ( Walsh, 36 ) . Hence, through an all-knowing presence every bit good as through the presentation of a sympathetic storyteller like Pip, the reader can do connexions to these books, which helps intensify the contextual consequence that Dickens is seeking to make. The storytellers are a manner to link the cognitive procedures of the writer and the reader, thereby go throughing on cognition of world but making so through a fictional procedure that is guided and controlled by the storyteller. Throughout both books, Dickens efforts to take the reader into the head of his characters, himself, and society as a manner to link the reader to the events and issues of his twenty-four hours whilst still seeking t o supply a figure of positions by which to humanize the narrative and to construct understanding for the points he is trying to do about the existent universe.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

A house Divided: Abortion and Slavery in America

In 1856, Lincoln stood out as he opposed the sovereignty doctrine and freedom for states to choose whether to continue practicing slavery or free all of their slaves. His assertion was that the country had to make a choice either to continue with slavery or make the slaves free in all states. This was based on the understanding that all the states were bound by one constitution.For the country to stand as one, it had to make a single choice. Today the country is being faced by the debate of prolife and pro-choice. To the pro-choice, the decision to keep or terminate the lie of the unborn child is left on the hands of the mother while the prolife believe the unborn child enjoys the same rights just as any other person (Melton, nd). These serious divisions have the potential to split our country along the line of whether to grant the rights to the mother or the unborn child.In both cases, proponents of anti slavery and pro life had and have a moral argument against an evil that deprive s our society of an obligation to protect the life of the unborn just as we protect the living.   It is definite that there cannot be any middle ground in the case relating to abortion. We need either to fully support the pro-choice and continue blatantly killing the helpless young humans who have no power to defend themselves.On the other, hand we can embrace the logic of the pro-lifers and give the unborn children a chance to enjoy the right to life and other rights later when they see the light in their lives. Just as in the case of slavery, the pursuit of our rights should not be allowed to deprive other humans their equal rights. The law should come out straight and define the fact that, ending the life now is no different from ending it later. By then the question of whether we are killing through abortions shall have been answered.ReferencesMelton, B. (nd).A house Divided: Abortion and Slavery in America. Retrieved on   August 3, 2010 from http://capitolhillcoffeehouse.co m/archives/chch_news_435.htm       A House Divided: Abortion and Slavery in America In the article â€Å"A House Divided: Abortion and Slavery in America,† the author draws a parallelism between abortion and slavery. The article notes four premises around which the arguments for both abortion and slavery similarly revolve as advocates of both practices justify their actions.In rejecting the arguments of the pro-slavery and the pro-choice camps on identical grounds, the author admonishes society not to replicate its past mistake.In the first premise, slaves and in utero children are being regarded as properties. Since they are both properties, it is presumed that their owners retain the right to decide what to do about them. Slave owners, therefore, have the right to do whatever they want to do with the slaves that they â€Å"own† and pregnant women should be allowed to decide whether to keep or abort their â€Å"own† fetuses.The second premise involves the economics of the situations, i.e.: slave owners, in particular, and the nation’s ec onomy, in general, profit from the labor of the slaves while women turn to abortion in order to escape the burden of raising a child under conditions of abject poverty especially when the child is unwanted for whatever reason.Third, both the slave owners and the pregnant women argue that their actions are morally acceptable under specific conditions: when the slaves acquiesce to their situation and the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother.Finally, both the slave owners and the pregnant women claim that they are only doing what is best for the slaves and the fetuses. In the former case, owners argue that slaves have better security if they remain slaves because the owners feed and protect them than when they are freed and left by their lonesome to face the harshness of the world. In the case of the fetus of a poor woman, abortion is considered a humanitarian assurance that the child does not experience the evils of life of poverty.The author rejects all of these premises on the ground that they are one-sided. In other words, only the slave owners and the pregnant women are endowed with the rights to â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.†The author argues that by denying the same rights to the slaves and the fetuses would be to deny them of their humanity as well. Therefore, the author maintains that both slavery and abortion could not be considered morally right since these practices deny the slaves and the fetuses (who are also considered human beings in the eyes of the law) of their human rights to â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.†ReferenceA House Divided: Abortion and Slavery in America. Attachment to order # 71203674.  

Comparing and Contrasting the Lottery and Young Goodman

In the story, The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, is written in a historical point of view. â€Å"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon. † Their main food source is corn and to make sure that the corn will come they have to have human sacrifices. If they don't they say â€Å"First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. † The corn doesn't come if they don't have human sacrifices and they have to eat other food than corn. Shirley Jackson wrote this in a cultural form in this passage. Jackson uses irony and comedy in her story, about how weak human individuals are.In the story, Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, writes in a more linguistic way. He uses many descriptive words and figures of speech. â€Å"There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree. † Nathaniel is talking about there being bad things around every corner in life. â€Å"What if the devil himself should be at my very elbow! † Nathaniel explains everything so well in his writing and he seems very smart with the words that he uses. Goodman Brown believes that the devil is taking over the minds of the people he loves.Nathaniel Hawthorne explains that Goodman Brown believes in the goodness of people until he meets the devil. In the stories, The Lottery and Young Goodman Brown, they both are very different but then yet very similar. These stories are different because Shirley Jackson writes in a cultural form and Nathaniel Hawthorne writes in a linguistic form. They both are very good writes and explain things well. Jackson's writing is deep and kind of dark. Hawthorn’s is very dark especially when Goodman Brown is in the woods. Both of these stories and authors are very good at their work.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Henkel

Bob Simmons – Strategic Transformation Case Summary: Henkel was a German manufacturer of laundry products. Went public in 1985. In 2008 it was 14 Billion pounds in 125 countries. Majority in EMEA. Most of exe team were German. Organized into three major business units: Adhesive Technologies 48%(glue stick), Laundry and Home Care 30%, Cosmetics/Toiletries 22%. Industry leader in adhesives. Rorsted took over as CEO in 2008. Henkel was reporting comfortable growth and profits with 8% growth.Second half of 2008 global financial crisis and economic slowdown had negative effect on Henkel’s key markets. Shrinking demand and rising costs caused business untis to fall in second half of 2008. Rosted vowed to transform Henkel into a leaner, more performance driven company. â€Å"staying where we are is no longer an option. We either move up or move down: we either become relevant or we will be made irrelevant. â€Å" This case illustrates the transformation of a CEO-led organiza tion driven stretch goals, performance measurement and accountability.Kasper Rorsted become CEO of Henkel, the German personal care, laundry, and adhesive products manufacturer, in 2008, he was determined to transform the â€Å"good enough† corporate culture focused on to win in the fierce competition in the market. In history, Henkel is a comfortable, stable workplace. Many employees have never received a negative performance feedback. To overthrow a generally complacent attitude, Rorsted implementation of a multi-step change initiatives, aimed at establishing a â€Å"winning culture. First, in November 2008, in 2012 he announced a series of ambitious financial goals. With the financial crisis to disrupt the global economy, he reiterated his commitment to these goals, sent a clear signal, Henkel employees and external stakeholders an excuse is no longer acceptable. Rorsted duties launch a new set of five values replace the previous 10 values, these employees can recite the first memory an emphasis on the customer. He also set up a new, streamlined performance management system for evaluating management performance and progress of a four-point scale of potential.The system also includes a forced ranking requirements, requiring a defined percentage of the various business units and company-wide staff was named the top, strong, medium, or low performance. These ratings significantly impact management’s bonus compensation. In this case, where it is needed at the end of 2011, when Henkel is a good way to achieve its 2012 target. Shed nearly half of the senior management team, as the site of many products and brands, Henkel seems to be a leaner, more competitive, â€Å"win† the organization. Hide This case illustrates a CEO-led organizational transformation driven by stretch goals, performance measurement, and accountability. When Kasper Rorsted became CEO of Henkel, a Germany-based producer of personal care, laundry, and adhesives products, in 2008, he was determined to transform a corporate culture of â€Å"good enough† into one singularly focused on winning in a competitive marketplace. Historically, Henkel was a comfortable, stable place to work. Many employees never received negative performance feedback.Seeking to overturn a pervasive attitude of complacency, Rorsted implemented a multi-step change initiative aimed at building a â€Å"winning culture. † First, in November 2008, he announced a set of ambitious financial targets for 2012. As financial turmoil roiled the global economy, he reaffirmed his commitment to these targets, sending a clear signal to Henkel employees and external stakeholders that excuses were no longer acceptable. Rorsted next introduced a new set of five company values-replacing the previous list of 10 values, which few employees could recite by memory-the first of which emphasized a focus on customers.He also instituted a new, simplified performance management system, which r ated managers' performance and advancement potential on a four-point scale. The system also included a forced ranking requirement, mandating that a defined percentage of employees (in each business unit and company-wide) be ranked as top, strong, moderate, or low performers. These ratings significantly impacted managers' bonus compensation. In late 2011-the time in which the case takes place-Henkel is well on its way to achieving its 2012 targets.Having shed nearly half its top management team, along with numerous product sites and brands, Henkel appears to be a leaner, more competitive, â€Å"winning† organization. High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales. [email  protected] com to buy additional rights. http://www. ft. com/cms/s/0/6a85b182-1128-11e2-a637-00144feabdc0. html#ixzz2ODYNf8Gg The story.In 2008, Henkel, the German group with well-known brands ranging from Persil to Loctite, had reported comfortable growth and earnings. But its new chief executive, Kasper Rorsted, a Dane who had made his career in big IT companies, thought the 132-year-old, family-controlled company needed to shake off some of its complacency if it was to safeguard its success. * * * * More On this story * Case Study How a publisher exploited a bestseller * Case Study How an outsider institutes change * Case Study If P&C’s improved staff performance Case Study Microsoft Lync’s bottom-up restructure * Case Study How to build a low-cost brand The challenge. Henkel faced several serious issues. For instance, while reporting solid sales, it was less profitable than its industry peers – by a margin of up to 10 percentage points. But the majority of employees did not see any need for change. In fact, one analyst commented that it was characterised by â€Å"complacency and lack of competitive spirit†. Mr Rorsted determined to change the way the company was run and to create â€Å"a winning culture†.The strategy. Mr Rorsted and his new, young team set about introducing changes that would include both tangible financial and performance targets, and an overhaul? of? company? culture. ? Ambitious targets. In November 2008, Henkel announced challenging targets for 2012 that would improve performance but would also energise the organisation by creating a sense of urgency. Targets included an increase in pre-tax profit margins to 14 per cent; in earnings per share; and in sales, to above the market average.In addition, the share of sales in emerging countries would be required to rise from 33 per cent to 45 per cent by 2012. ? Efficiency and focus. With more than 1,000 brands, at least 200 production sites globally, and three separate business units, Henkel was ripe for proposed efficiency measures. These included cutting the number of brands in order to put more m arketing resources behind its strongest labels; consolidating manufacturing sites; and shifting tasks to shared service centres. ? New vision and values.Henkel had a vision statement and a set of company values. But they were neither well-known nor relevant to either day-to-day decision-making or evaluation of employee performance. In 2010, Henkel replaced the original list of 10 values with five new ones – such as: â€Å"We put our customers at the centre of what we do. † To make sure these were communicated to the 48,000 employees, more than 5,000 workshops were held in which managers and teams discussed how the new values could apply to their work and how they could build a more positive company culture. Performance management. Henkel introduced a process to evaluate consistently the performance and potential of all management-level employees. They would be ranked on relative performance, which significantly affected managers’ bonuses. Each individual is revi ewed in â€Å"development roundtables†, interactive meetings where managers review and evaluate their direct reports across teams to create a broader perspective on their achievements, development needs and promotability. What happened.For fiscal 2012, Henkel’s global sales are forecast to exceed â‚ ¬16bn ($20bn), a rise of more than â‚ ¬2bn since 2008, and reach its profit margin target of 14 per cent. Emerging markets now represent 43 per cent of global sales, and more than 50 per cent of employees work in those territories. The number of brands is less than 400 and manufacturing sites have been consolidated by around 25 per cent. Key lessons. To boost performance across a company, communicate a clear strategy that is backed up by setting ambitious targets.Simplify your vision and values, and take time to communicate them to all employees to ensure they provide practical guidance, especially when tough decisions may be needed. To focus everyone on successful ex ecution, use performance management systems that link the evaluation and compensation of key employees to achievement of the new strategy Write down in a sentence or two your definition of a winning culture. What are the things that you like about Rorsted’s approach? What are the risks? Assuming that the 2012 EBIT margin goal is achieved, how should Rorsted

Friday, September 13, 2019

Report on the Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages of Building a Essay

Report on the Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages of Building a Theme Park in a Neighbourhood - Essay Example It also assesses the expectations, both positive and negative, of the neighborhood residents from the theme park to be constructed. Methodology This study is based on a close-ended, structured and non-disguised questionnaire designed to explore the perceived effect on local residents by the building of a local theme park. The questionnaire was given to the oldest member of each household to be completed and returned within a month. The respondents were informed about the purpose of the questionnaire, and that their responses were vital for planning the construction. Respondents were assured of the maintenance of confidentiality of the information they would provide and that it would be used solely for the purpose of this survey. The questionnaire had questions relating to the demographic data, such as gender, employment status and type of household of the residents. The main part of the questionnaire was concerned with how the residents perceived the present safety of the neighborhoo d, and whether they believed that this status would change after the construction of a theme park. ‘Neutral’, ‘safe’ and ‘very safe’, ‘unsafe’ and ‘very unsafe’, were the options provided to assess perceived present safety, and ‘much safer’, ‘safer’, ‘unsafer’, ‘much unsafer’ and ‘unchanged’, were the options provided to assess the perceived change in safety . The positive and negative expectations of the local residents from the theme park, such as increase in employment opportunities, business opportunities, more activities for family and children, more crime, vandalism, pollution and parking problems, were also assessed. The questionnaire is given in appendix 1 of this document. Data was analyzed by comparing the differences in perception based on the employment status and household type of the respondents. Results and data analysis Fifty local residen ts had responded to the questionnaire. Of these, 14 were females and 36 were males. The largest proportion of the respondents was unemployed (n=15). Of the remaining respondents, 10 were employed, 10 were retired, four were self-employed and the remaining 11 were students. Based on the type of household, most of the respondents were either couples, had a family with children under 16, or were living alone. Perceived safety Data on perceived current safety of the neighborhood revealed that a large proportion of the respondents considered their neighborhood as either safe or very safe, with only a minority of them remaining neutral. A vast majority of the respondents felt that the safety status of their neighborhood would remain unchanged after the construction of a theme park. The expected change in safety of the neighborhood was then assessed based on the employment status and the type of household. This analysis revealed that most of the retired respondents believed that the neighb orhood would become unsafe. In contrast, a few students, unemployed and self-employed respondents felt that the neighborhood would become safer. It appears that the retired population of respondents is paranoid about the safety of the nei

Thursday, September 12, 2019

MGMT442 U5 DB Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MGMT442 U5 DB - Research Paper Example Employers and employees can be able to pass information about the needs of their customers faster and get quicker response including even in the customer care department. The quickest way to outdo competitors is to gain and maintain customers. If customers are severed better because of faster communication through the programs, then they tend to be maintained outdoing competitors. With the constant upgrading of the communication programs with the current technology, the company is able to appease the stakeholders and the continue increasing investments. Challenges present in a multinational organization with the communication programs is the language barrier. Multinational means having employees speaking and communicating using different languages of their various countries (Wrench, 2013). The communication program therefore has to constantly keep on being reprogramed to accommodate the different languages and still perform its work effectively without disrupting or disorienting employees. Having the program be compatible with different languages of employees is an added competitive advantage to the organization in addition to making the organization work smoothly across the

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Accounting #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Accounting #1 - Essay Example Cost accounting is correlated with managerial accounting work, since it is highly use in the preparation of managerial accounting work. The objectives of managerial accounting are to prepare information in order to optimize the firm’s value and production activity. The reports utilize in managerial accounting include comparing actual results with plans or benchmark prepared at the beginning of the accounting cycle. Other reports include indicators such as orders received, order backlog, capacity utilization, and sales (Garrison, et al., p.4). Some of the main functions of managerial accounting are planning, directing & motivating, controlling, evaluating year end results and closure of the planning and control cycle. Managerial accounting differs from financial accounting in the time scope. Financial accounting deals with historical events, while managerial accounting places emphasis on the future. Managerial accounting does not follow the general accepted accounting principles (GAAP) (Moore & Jaedicke, 1972). The reports prepared by managerial accountants must be timely and relevant so that the users of this information can make decision based on what is occurring or the projection of what may occur. The main users of the work perform by managerial accountants are the executive management team of a company. Just-in-time inventory management is a philosophy of manufacturing based on planned elimination of all waste and on continuous improvements of productivity (Ashland). In practical accounting terms what JIT does is minimize the amount of inventory on hand in order to improve the cash flow position of a firm. Companies order the exact amount of material needed for a production run and the reorder point occurs when the inventory runs out. Precision and timeliness is necessary so that the company does not run out of raw materials or inventory needed to continue to operate. The business world in the 21st century is very competitive and business owners can

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Abortion Ethical Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Abortion Ethical Issue - Essay Example Abortion, to the pro-life supporter, is simply without a doubt, murder. Millions of people feel that it is unethical and immoral. When you watch TV and you see stories about children that have been beaten or killed by their parents, relatives, or even by a complete stranger. People become completely upset and outraged and want to know how something like this could happen? Thousands of people are crying for those poor innocent, defenseless, unborn children. But yet, when it comes to abortion everybody is quick to say that it’s not murder because the child is not born yet. Those who are against abortion would disagree, they believe that from the moment of conception the embryo or a fetus is full of life and then consider a living being. People don’t realize how these babies are being destroyed. For instead one form of abortion is to cut out the fetus into pieces with serrated forceps before being removed. Then piece by piece is removed by a vacuum aspirator. Another form of abortion is to bring the fetus feet first into the birth canal, only to puncture its skull and sucking out the brain tissue. Then the body parts are removed being labeled as letters instead of being called what they really are. Then the remains of the fetus into plastic bags and then thrown in a dumpster to be disposed of. Then, on the other hand, you have a pro-choice supporter. They believe that women have the right to do to their body whatever she sees fit. Obviously, people will never agree on the abortion issue. They will either be Pro-Life or they will be Pro-Choice. Whatever they decide it will always be hot issues to debate-lifers believe that each human being from the time of fertilization to natural death has immeasurable dignit y and an unalienable right to life. An embryo is distinctively human life so should be provided the equivalent respect, moral status, esteem and dignity given to an infant, child or adult.  Ã‚  

Monday, September 9, 2019

Background research on Center of Residence life Essay

Background research on Center of Residence life - Essay Example Center for Residence Life also organizes activities that are directly related to developing the surrounding environment and community near the campus. The number of staff working in the Center for Residence life is quite large and includes full time and part time staff members (Crawford, 2011). The main competitors of the Center for Residence life include community service centers and also other student activity programs within the campus. This is because as the center struggles to gather a loyal customer base, the students have a variety of activities to choose from and may not necessarily take part in the activities of the Center for Residence life (Crawford, 2011). Outside community activities also appeal to a huge number of students who are looking for fun and do not necessarily wish to be involved in community development. Also, clubs and societies reduce the number of students that het involved in Center for Residence life plans and activities. Participants in other clubs and societies find their participation time consuming and thus they cannot juggle handling another activity such as those organized by the Center for Residence life. (Crawford, 2011) The company’s customers mostly consist of students within the campus. This is so because the company was started in the campus and hence has a huge customer base from the campus. These students have either enrolled in the campus or are part of the campus alumni. Other customers for the company include students from other campuses (Crawford, 2011). This is in an effort to promote cross-campus interactions and build healthy relationship networks amongst students in campus. Community members around the campus are also part of the customers that that the company boasts of. This is due to the fact that the activities of the Center for Residence life are considerate of community development activities and thus involve the public in some of its

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Portfolio of Seven Case Briefs on Different Business Law Topics Essay

Portfolio of Seven Case Briefs on Different Business Law Topics - Essay Example Reeder-Simco is a business entity that acts as a Volvo dealer in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In February of 2000, it filed suit against Volvo on the allegation that its (Reeder’s) sales and profits declined due to Volvo’s price discrimination practices. Reeder-Simco alleges that Volvo offered to other dealers price concessions that were significantly more favorable than those given to Reeder-Simco. Thus, it filed suit against Volvo for allegedly violating the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), which prohibits forms of discriminatory pricing that reduce competition. On this basis, Reeder explained that its business is conducted in the following manner: retail customers take bids from dealers who solicit price concessions from the manufacturers. These concessions are factored into dealer’s bids. Reeder accuses Volvo of offering better price concessions to other Volvo dealers bidding for different customers, directly resulting in Reeder suffering losses. The District Court District Court allowed the case to go to a jury, who held in favor of Reeder and awarded damages. Volvo appealed the decision, arguing a lack of competition was present, which is required by the RPA to apply. Volvo substantiated its contention stating that Reeder was not actually bidding against the Volvo dealers who supposedly were given favorable concessions. The appellate court dismissed the appeal, ruling that even though Volvo dealers do not actually bid against each other, they effectively competed at the same functional level.

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Poverty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Poverty - Research Paper Example The global poverty empirical analysis is far from reaching a consensus on remedies and causes of poverty. Nevertheless, as a consequence, philosophers are extremely divided with regard to who might be held responsible for poverty (individuals or groups). Humanity has been privileged to solve various problems such as finding cure for the insidious illnesses and extracting energy from diverse sources. However, they are unable or unwilling to find solutions to the greatest problem (poverty). The termination of the 20th century was characterized by a commitment by several countries to eradicate poverty. The same period was marked by success in the achievement of price stability. Credit was given to the Central Bank as a result of its adoption of new technologies in the conduction of monetary policies. Currently, some central banks have adopted inflation targeting. With this strategy at hand, the rate of interest is the principal tool used by the central banks in their endeavor to impleme nt monetary policy (Helder & Jose, 2007). Impact of Poverty on the Society The impacts of poverty are closely related, so that a single problem seldom occurs on its own. For example, poor sanitation triggers new and old diseases, whilst lack of adequate water and hunger make people continue living in poverty. Communities and societies that are impoverished mostly suffer from discrimination. As a result, they are prawn to poverty cycles. It results in lifelong troubles and handicaps that are transferred from generation to generation – for instance, lack of school education, lack of basic hygiene, and disease transmission (Jones, 2003). Poverty results in extremely low incomes and unemployment – for example, creates the environment where children cannot simply attend school. For those individuals who have the privilege of attending school, they don’t perceive how their hard work can improve their lives. This is because their parents do not improve on their everyda y tasks despite their efforts. Sociological readings have also proved that the impacts of poverty are always transferred from generation to generation. Routine, family values, and living standards leave a minute room for an individual to develop. The enduring need to provide for shelter and food has made individuals to forget other duties such as providing their children with satisfactory life through education. The impacts of poverty are similar, as they do not satisfy an individual need satisfactorily. People living in poverty are often unwell and emaciated, and due to this their lives become shorter. The normal impacts of poverty are lack of opportunities, physical and mental aliments, addiction and drug abuse, increased rates of crime, woman and child abuse, homelessness, education deprivation, and debt pressures. Economic Policy Solution to the Problem To find solutions to poverty, individuals should come up with a strategy that aids those people who are poor for purposes of ge tting them out of poverty and eliminating conditions that enable them to remain in poverty. The policy and strategies should take into consideration the holistic assessment of issues that contribute to an individual wellbeing, such as health care and financial services. Global poverty is the most challenging problem that can be addressed by organizational scholarships. A variety of issues related to poverty have been discussed at the World Economic

Friday, September 6, 2019

Theory of Forms Essay Example for Free

Theory of Forms Essay Definition. What is Philosophy? There are a number of definitions of philosophy given by many thinkers and they vary according to their interests and orientations. Generally, philosophy is regarded as perhaps the most obstruse and abstract of all subjects that seems apart from ordinary life. Although quiet a number of people may think of it as a being remote from every normal interest, it may be inferred that all of us have some philosophical views, whether we are aware of it or not. Most often, the term appears vague for it has been a part of our conversations. Origin. The word â€Å"philosophy† is derived from the Greek â€Å"philia† meaning â€Å"love† and â€Å"sophia† meaning â€Å"wisdom† or â€Å"knowledge†. The literal definition of philosophy, therefore, is â€Å"love of wisdom†. In current popular usage, many different ideas are involved in the manner we use the term. In some cases, philosophy refers to an attitude toward certain activities. For instance, during election, we often hear some people say, we are voting for a certain candidate because we favour for his philosophy of government. In classes in philosophy, the most common question the teacher asks is what the philosophy of student is. The popular conception of philosophy, in spite of many ways we may use the term, is a complex intellectual undertaking. Regardless of the various ideas of the role of philosophy in one’s life, its importance cannot be overemphasized. Parent Science. Philosophy may be considered as the â€Å"parent science†, in that it has given birth to natural, physical, and social sciences. These disciplines continue to provide philosophy with an abundance of contemporary issues, questions, that are seemingly difficult to answer. Philosophy is both independent fro other disciplines and embedded in their foundations and on-going activities. Philosophy as a science. Philosophy has been defined as a science because it deals with the study of the processes governing thought and conduct. It investigates the principles and laws that regulate the universe and underlie all knowledge, which satisfies the requisites of scientific state of knowing. Science has been defined as a body of systematized knowledge derived from observation, study, and experiments carried out in order to determine the nature of principles of what is being studied. Its main concern is the discovery of truth. The difference between the two fields of knowledge lies in the scope and nature of their interest and their approach. While specific sciences deal particularly with restricted field, e. g. , chemistry, philosophy deals with all aspects of man’s experiences. The interest of science is limited to the physical world, while the concern of philosophy issues on justice, conscience, reason, the soul and the Supernatural Being. The science approach to any investigation is establishing and systematizing facts, principles, and methods through experiments and hypotheses, while the approach of philosophy in its object of study is encompassing. Science tends to eliminate the persona factor and values in the quest for objectivity, while philosophy is interested in human experiences, personal values and purposes. Science is primarily concerned with the nature of things as they are, while philosophy is interested not only in the real aspects but alos in their worth and meaning. The aim of science is to observe nature and to control processes, while philosophy criticizes, evaluates and integrates the various dimensions of human experience. Philosophy as a science carefully examines and criticizes the premises and conclusions of all sciences-physical, natural, and social. Some propositions have been made by the sciences which, when examined carefully, may be found too impossible to attain or to prove. Philosophy synthesizes and compares the assumptions and conclusions of the difficult findings of the different sciences when they appear to be contradictory. Philosophy harmonizes and brings the sciences together to complement and support one another. THREE MAJOR FIELDS OF PHILOSOPHY The three major fields of philosophy are: (1) epistemology, (2) metaphysics, and (3) axiology. Epistemology. Epistemology deals with the study of origin, structures, methods, nature, limit and veracity (truth, reliability, validity) of human knowledge. It also includes logic and a variety of linguistic concerns and the philosophy of science. The word â€Å"epistemology† is derived from the Greek word â€Å"episteme† which means â€Å"knowledge† and â€Å"logos† which means â€Å"the study of†. Epistemology as a theory of knowledge asks fundamental questions about knowledge in all its forms and applications of how it is formulated and expressed and communicated. It also looks into the role of sense experience and how knowledge is acquired. Metaphysics. Metaphysics deals with questions of reality-its nature, meaning and existence. The word â€Å"metaphysics† is derived from the Greek word â€Å"meta† which â€Å"beyond† and â€Å"physikon† which means â€Å"nature† from which is derived the word physics, the science whish deals with matter, energy, force, natural laws and processes. Metaphysics is also concerned about the nature mind, self and consciousness, the nature of religion, such as the existence of God, the destiny of the universe, and the immortality of the soul. Aside from the nature of reality and the universe, metaphysics examines time, space, cause and chance. Axiology. Axiology deals into the study of values. It analyzes the origin, types and characteristics, criteria and knowledge of values. It includes values of human conduct, the nature and justification of social structures and political systems and the nature of art and its meaning in human experience. THE BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY Philosophy has several branches which resulted from man’s philosophical speculations. Each branch endeavours to provide us with useful insights into certain realities. The following are the fundamental philosophical fields of study: 1. Ethics or moral philosophy. This is the philosophical study of the morality of human acts, the search for an understanding of the good life and the ultimate basis of what is good or bad. 2. Metaphysics or ontology. This is the philosophical quest for what reality is in the final analysis. It is the study of beings in general. 3. Theology/Theodicy. This is the philosophical inquiry into the existence of God. His nature and his relations to man and the rest of creation. 4. Philosophy of man. This is the philosophical search for a deeper understanding of what man is and what it means to be fully human. 5. Cosmology. This is the philosophical search for a deeper understanding of the material universe. 6. Political philosophy. This is the philosophical search for knowledge of the ultimate foundation of the state, its ideal form and its basic power. 7. Aesthetics. This is the search for a deeper understanding and knowledge of beauty. 8. Epistemology. This is the philosophical search for answers to the fundamental questions concerning the conditions of knowledge, its extent and limitations. deeper understanding 9. Logic. This is the philosophical science and art of correct inferential thinking and setting forth its conditions. 10. Psychology. This is the science that deals with the science of mind, mental state and processes. The philosophical concept â€Å"psychology† came from the Greek words â€Å"psyche† which means â€Å"soul†, â€Å"mind†, and â€Å"spirit†, and â€Å"logos† which means â€Å"the study of†. To the Greeks, psychology is the study of the soul. Part 2. THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE. THALES Thales was the first known philosopher, scientist and mathematician although his occupation was that of an engineer. He is believed to have been the teacher of Anaximander (611 BC 545 BC) and he was the first natural philosopher in the Milesian School. Thales first went to Egypt and thence introduced this study [geometry] into Greece. He discovered many propositions himself, and instructed his successors in the principles underlying many others, his method of attacking problems had greater generality in some cases and was more in the nature of simple inspection and observation in other cases. Certainly Thales was a figure of enormous prestige, being the only philosopher before Socrates to be among the Seven Sages. Plutarch, writing of these Seven Sages, says that: Thales was apparently the only one of these whose wisdom stepped, in speculation, beyond the limits of practical utility, the rest acquired the reputation of wisdom in politics. It is reported that Thales predicted an eclipse of the Sun in 585 BC. The cycle of about 19 years for eclipses of the Moon was well known at this time but the cycle for eclipses of the Sun was harder to spot since eclipses were visible at different places on Earth. Thaless prediction of the 585 BC eclipse was probably a guess based on the knowledge that an eclipse around that time was possible. The claims that Thales used the Babylonian saros, a cycle of length 18 years 10 days 8 hours, to predict the eclipse has been shown by Neugebauer to be highly unlikely since Neugebauer shows that the saros was an invention of Halley. Neugebauer wrote: there exists no cycle for solar eclipses visible at a given place: all modern cycles concern the earth as a whole. No Babylonian theory for predicting a solar eclipse existed at 600 BC, as one can see from the very unsatisfactory situation 400 years later, nor did the Babylonians ever develop any theory which took the influence of geographical latitude into account. ANAXIMANDER Anaximander (610 – c. 546 BC) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived in Miletus, a city of Ionia; Milet in modern Turkey. He belonged to the Milesian school and learned the teachings of his master Thales. He succeeded Thales and became the second master of that school where he counted Anaximenes and arguably, Pythagoras amongst his pupils. Anaximander was one of the earliest Greek thinkers at the start of the Axial Age, the period from approximately 700 BC to 200 BC, during which similarly revolutionary thinking appeared in China, India, Iran, the Near East, and Ancient Greece. He was an early proponent of science and tried to observe and explain different aspects of the universe, with a particular interest in its origins, claiming that nature is ruled by laws, just like human societies, and anything that disturbs the balance of nature does not last long. Like many thinkers of his time, Anaximanders contributions to philosophy relate to many disciplines. In astronomy, he tried to describe the mechanics of celestial bodies in relation to the Earth. In physics, his postulation that the indefinite (or apeiron) was the source of all things led Greek philosophy to a new level of conceptual abstraction. His knowledge of geometry allowed him to introduce the gnomon in Greece. He created a map of the world that contributed greatly to the advancement of geography. He was also involved in the politics of Miletus and was sent as a leader to one of its colonies. Anaximander claimed that an indefinite (apeiron) principle gives rise to all natural phenomena. Anaximanders theories were influenced by the Greek mythical tradition, and by some ideas of Thales – the father of philosophy – as well as by observations made by older civilizations in the East (especially by the Babylonian astrologists). All these were elaborated rationally. The basic elements of nature (water, air, fire, earth) which the first Greek philosophers believed that constituted the universe represent in fact the primordial forces of previous thought. Their collision produced what the mythical tradition had called cosmic harmony. ANAXIMENES While his predecessors Thales and Anaximander proposed that the arche, the underlying material of the world, were water and the ambiguous substance apeiron, respectively, Anaximenes asserted that air was this primary substance of which all other things are made. While the choice of air may seem arbitrary, he based his conclusion on naturally observable phenomena in the process of rarefaction and condensation. When air condenses it becomes visible, as mist and then rain and other forms of precipitation, and as the condensed air cools Anaximenes supposed that it went on to form earth and ultimately stones. In contrast, water evaporates into air which ignites and produces flame when further rarefied. While other philosophers also recognized such transitions in states of matter, Anaximenes was the first to associate the quality pairs hot/dry and cold/wet with the density of a single material and add a quantitative dimension to the Milesian monistic system. The Origin of the Cosmos. Having concluded that everything in the world is composed of air, Anaximenes then used his theory to devise a scheme explaining the origins and nature of the earth as well as of the surrounding celestial bodies. Air felted to create the flat disk of the earth, which he said was table-like and behaved like a leaf floating on air. In keeping with the prevailing view of celestial bodies as balls of fire in the sky, Anaximenes proposed that the earth let out an exhalation of air that rarefied, ignited and became the stars. While the sun is similarly described as being aflame, it is not composed of rarefied air like the stars but rather of earth like the moon; its burning comes not from its composition but rather from its rapid motion. The moon and sun are likewise considered to be flat and floating on streams of air, and when the sun sets it does not pass under the earth but is merely obscured by higher parts of the earth as it circles around and becomes more distant; the motion of the sun and the other celestial bodies around the earth is likened by Anaximenes to the way that a cap may be turned around the head. PYTAGORAS (The Mathematical Basis of All Things) Across a span of water from Miletus, located in the Aegean Sea, was the small island of Samos, which was the birthplace of a truly extraordinary and wise man, Pythagoras. From the various scraps of information we have about him and those who were his followers, an incomplete but still fascinating picture of his new philosophic reflections emerges. Apparently dissatisfied with conditions not only on Samos but generally in Ionia during the tyrannical rule of the rich Polycrates, Pythagoras migrated to southern Italy and settled there in the prosperous Greek city of Crotone, where his active philosophic life is usually dated from 525 to 500 B. C. We are told by Aristotle that â€Å"the Pythagoreans devoted themselves to mathematics, they were the first to advance this study, and having been brought up in it they thought its principles were the principles of all things. . . In contrast to the Miletians, the Pythagoreans that things consist of numbers. Although, it is quite strange to say that everything consists of numbers, the strangeness, as well as the difficulty, of this doctrine is greatly overcome when we consider why Pythagoras became interested in numbers and what his conception of numbers was. Pythagoras became interested in Mathematics for what appear to be religious reasons. His originality could be said to consist in his conviction that the study of mathematics is the best purifier of the soul. He is, therefore, referred to as the founder of both of religious sect and the same time a school of mathematics. What gave rise to the Pythagorean sect was people’s yearning for a deeply spiritual religion that could provide the means for purifying the soul and for guaranteeing its immortality. Part 3. THE PROCESS OF THE UNIVERSE HERACLITUS Nature identified with fire. The Universality of change. The logos and Human Nature. Substance that holds everything is fire. Logos or universal reason. Fire is the process of change that which is fed into it becomes something else. Fire is not a random movement but God’s universal reason, the fire that is the unity holding everything together PARMENIDES Goddess. Logical method. What is, is and what is not, is not. A poem that reveals to him the plain truth and the deceptive beliefs of human beings A method that depends entirely on thought and not at all on experiment and observation only that can be which can be thought for. Thought exists for the sake of what is. Therefore, change is the confusion of appearance with reality and therefore change is simply an illusion. EMPEDOCLES Four elements. Love and strife. Earth, fire, air and water were considered as equally original. Love and strife, attraction and repulsion are two different forces at work in nature . Love binds things together and strife separate them. ANAXAGORAS Invisible particles that are the building blocks of nature. A miniscule particles that carry the blue print of everything else that distinguished the mind from matter. Matter is continuum, infinitely divisible and that, however, much it may be divided, each part will contain elements of everything else. Mind the cause of all things. Mind is the principle that gives matter its order. THE ATOMISTS Believed that everything in nature was made of tiny invisible particles or units called atoms Part 4. THE CONCEPT OF TRUTH KNOWLEDGE SOPHISTS’ CONCEPT OF KNOWLEDGE THE SOPHISTS The term sophist (sophistes) derives from the Greek words for wisdom (sophia) and wise (sophos). The term sophia could be used to describe disingenuous cleverness long before the rise of the sophistic movement. In the fifth century B. C. E. the term sophistes was still broadly applied to ‘wise men’, including poets such as Homer and Hesiod, the Seven Sages, the Ionian ‘physicists’ and a variety of seers and prophets. The narrower use of the term to refer to professional teachers of virtue or excellence (arete) became prevalent in the second half of the fifth century B. C. E. , although this should not be taken to imply the presence of a clear distinction between philosophers, such as Socrates, and sophists, such as Protagoras, Gorgias and Prodicus. This much is evident from Aristophanes’ play The Clouds (423 B. C. E.), in which Socrates is depicted as a sophist and Prodicus praised for his wisdom. 1. Sophists a. Protagoras. Protagoras of Abdera (c. 490-420 B. C. E. ) was the most prominent member of the sophistic movement and Plato reports he was the first to charge fees using that title (Protagoras, 349a). Despite his animus towards the sophists, Plato depicts Protagoras as quite a sympathetic and dignified figure. From a philosophical perspective, Protagoras is most famous for his relativistic account of truth – in particular the claim that ‘man is the measure of all things’ – and his agnosticism concerning the Gods. Plato suggests that Protagoras sought to differ his educational offering from that of other sophists, such as Hippias, by concentrating upon instruction in arete in the sense of political virtue rather than specialised studies such as astronomy and mathematics (Protagoras, 318e). b. Gorgias. Gorgias of Leontini (c. 485 – c. 390 B. C. E. ) is generally considered as a member of the sophistic movement, despite his disavowal of the capacity to teach arete (Meno, 96c). The major focus of Gorgias was rhetoric and given the importance of persuasive speaking to the sophistic education, and his acceptance of fees, it is appropriate to consider him alongside other famous sophists for present purposes. c. Antiphon. The biographical details surrounding Antiphon the sophist (c. 470-411 B. C. ) are unclear – one unresolved issue is whether he should be identified with Antiphon of Rhamnus (a statesman and teacher of rhetoric who was a member of the oligarchy which held power in Athens briefly in 411 B. C. E. ). However, since the publication of fragments from his On Truth in the early twentieth century he has been regarded as a major representative of the sophistic movement. d. Hippias. The exact dates for Hippias of Elis are unknown, but scholars generally assume that he lived during the same period as Protagoras. Whereas Plato’s depictions of Protagoras – and to a lesser extent Gorgias – indicate a modicum of respect, he presents Hippias as a comic figure who is obsessed with money, pompous and confused. Hippias is best known for his polymathy (DK 86A14). His areas of expertise seem to have included astronomy, grammar, history, mathematics, music, poetry, prose, rhetoric, painting and sculpture. Like Gorgias and Prodicus, he served as an ambassador for his home city. His work as a historian, which included compiling lists of Olympic victors, was invaluable to Thucydides and subsequent historians as it allowed for a more precise dating of past events. In mathematics he is attributed with the discovery of a curve – the quadratrix – used to trisect an angle. e. Prodicus. Prodicus of Ceos, who lived during roughly the same period as Protagoras and Hippias, is best known for his subtle distinctions between the meanings of words. He is thought to have written a treatise titled On the Correctness of Names. Prodicus’ epideictic speech, The Choice of Heracles, was singled out for praise by Xenophon (Memorabilia, II. 1. 21-34) and in addition to his private teaching he seems to have served as an ambassador for Ceos (the birthplace of Simonides) on several occasions. f. Thrasymachus. Thrasymachus was a well-known rhetorician in Athens in the latter part of the fifth century B. C. E. , but our only surviving record of his views is contained in Plato’s Cleitophon and Book One of The Republic. He is depicted as brash and aggressive, with views on the nature of justice that will be examined in section 3a. 2. Major Themes of Sophistic Thought a. Nature and Convention. The distinction between physis (nature) and nomos (custom, law, convention) was a central theme in Greek thought in the second half of the fifth century B. C. E. and is especially important for understanding the work of the sophists. Before turning to sophistic considerations of these concepts and the distinction between them, it is worth sketching the meaning of the Greek terms. The term nomos refers to a wide range of normative concepts extending from customs and conventions to positive law. It would be misleading to regard the term as referring only to arbitrary human conventions, as Heraclitus’ appeal to the distinction between human nomoi and the one divine nomos (DK 22B2 and 114) makes clear. The dichotomy between physis and nomos seems to have been something of a commonplace of sophistic thought and was appealed to by Protagoras and Hippias among others. Perhaps the most instructive sophistic account of the distinction, however, is found in Antiphon’s fragment On Truth. b. Relativism. The primary source on sophistic relativism about knowledge and/or truth is Protagoras’ famous ‘man is the measure’ statement. Interpretation of Protagoras’ thesis has always been a matter of controversy. Caution is needed in particular against the temptation to read modern epistemological concerns into Protagoras’ account and sophistic teaching on the relativity of truth more generally. A human being is the measure of all things, of those things that are, that they are, and of those things that are not, that they are not. There is near scholarly consensus that Protagoras is referring here to each human being as the measure of what is rather than ‘humankind’ as such, although the Greek term for ‘human’ –hoanthropos– certainly does not rule out the second interpretation. Plato’s Theaetetus (152a), however, suggests the first reading and I will assume its correctness here. On this reading we can regard Protagoras as asserting that if the wind, for example, feels (or seems) cold to me and feels (or seems) warm to you, then the wind is cold for me and is warm for you. c. Language and Reality. Understandably given their educational program, the sophists placed great emphasis upon the power of speech (logos). Logos is a notoriously difficult term to translate and can refer to thought and that about which we speak and think as well as rational speech or language. The sophists were interested in particular with the role of human discourse in the shaping of reality. 3. The Distinction Between Philosophy and Sophistry The distinction between philosophy and sophistry is in itself a difficult philosophical problem. The terms ‘philosopher’ and ‘sophist’ were disputed in the fifth and fourth century B. C. E. , the subject of contention between rival schools of thought. Histories of philosophy tend to begin with the Ionian ‘physicist’ Thales, but the presocratics referred to the activity they were engaged in as historia (inquiry) rather than philosophia and although it may have some validity as a historical projection, the notion that philosophy begins with Thales derives from the mid nineteenth century. It was Plato who first clearly and consistently refers to the activity of philosophia and much of what he has to say is best understood in terms of an explicit or implicit contrast with the rival schools of the sophists and Isocrates (who also claimed the title philosophia for his rhetorical educational program). SOCRATES Socratic Method Socrates was not a â€Å"philosopher,† nor yet a â€Å"teacher,† but rather an â€Å"educator,† having for his functionSocrates to rouse, persuade and rebuke (Plato, Apology). Hence, in examining his life’s work it is proper to ask, not What was his philosophy? but What was his theory, and what was his practice of education? It is true that he was brought to his theory of education by the study of previous philosophies, and that his practice led to the Platonic revival; but to attribute to him philosophy, except in that loose sense in which philosophy is ascribed to one who, denying the existence of such a thing, can give an account of his disbelief, is misleading and even erroneous. Socrates theory of education had for its basis a profound and consistent skepticism; that is to say, he not only rejected the conflicting theories of the physicists, of whom â€Å"some conceived existence as a unity, others as a plurality; some affirmed perpetual motion, others perpetual rest; some declared becoming and perishing to be universal, others altogether denied such things, â€Å"but also condemned, as a futile attempt to transcend the limitations of human intelligence their, pursuit of knowledge for its own sake. † That it was in this way that Socrates was brought to regard â€Å"dialectic,† â€Å"question and answer,† as the only admissible method of education is no matter of mere conjecture. In the review of theories of knowledge which has come down to us in Plato’s Theaetetus mention is made of certain â€Å"incomplete Protagoreans,† who held that, while all opinions are equally true, one opinion is better than another, and that the â€Å"wise man† is one who by his arguments causes good opinions to take the place of bad ones, thus reforming the soul of the individual or the laws of a state by a process similar to that of the physician or the farmer; and these â€Å"incomplete Protagoreans† are identified with Socrates and the Socratics by their insistence upon the characteristically Socratic distinction between disputation and dialectic, as well as by other familiar traits of Socratic converse. In fact, this passage becomes intelligible and significant if it is supposed to refer to the historical Socrates; and by teaching us to regard him as an â€Å"incomplete Protagorean† it supplies the link which connects his philosophical skepticism with his dialectical theory of education. It is no doubt possible that Socrates was unaware of the closeness of his relationship to Protagoras; but the fact, once stated, hardly admits of question. Knowledge and action Socrates teaches that a man must know how to choose the mean and avoid the extremes on either side, as far as possible. In education, Socrates asks us to consider the effect of either an exclusive devotion to gymnastics or an exclusive devotion to music. It either produced a temper of hardness and ferocity, (or) the other of softness and effeminacy. Having both qualities, he believed, produces harmony; i. e. , beauty and goodness. He additionally stresses the importance of mathematics in education for the understanding of beauty and truth. PLATO Theory of forms The Problems theory was meant to solve: (1) The Ethical Problem: How can humans live a fulfilling, happy life in a contingent, changing world where every thing they attach themselves to can be taken away? (2) The Problem of Permanence and Change: How can the world appear to be both permanent and changing? The world we perceive through the senses seems to be always changing. The world that we perceive through the mind, using our concepts, seems to be permanent and unchanging. Which is most real and why does it appear both ways? The general structure of the solution: Plato splits up existence into two realms: the material realm and the transcendent realm of forms. Humans have access to the realm of forms through the mind, through reason, given Platos theory of the subdivisions of the human soul. This gives them access to an unchanging world, invulnerable to the pains and changes of the material world. By detaching ourselves from the material world and our bodies and developing our ability to concern ourselves with the forms, we find a value which is not open to change or disintegration. This solves the first, ethical, problem. Splitting existence up into two realms also solves the problem of permanence and change. We perceive a different world, with different objects, through our mind than we do through the senses. It is the material world, perceived through the senses, that is changing. It is the realm of forms, perceived through the mind, that is permanent and immutable. It is this world that is more real; the world of change is merely an imperfect image of this world. The Forms: A form is an abstract property or quality. Take any property of an object; separate it from that object and consider it by itself, and you are contemplating a form. For example, if you separate the roundness of a basketball from its color, its weight, etc. and consider just roundness by itself, you are thinking of the form of roundness. Plato held that this property existed apart from the basketball, in a different mode of existence than the basketball. The form is not just the idea of roundness you have in your mind. It exists independently of the basketball and independently of whether someone thinks of it. All round objects, not just this basketball, participate or copy this same form of roundness. In order to see exactly what a form is and how it differs from a material object, we need to look at the first two of the properties that characterize the forms. The forms are transcendent. This means that they do not exist in space and time. A material object, a basketball, exists at a particular place at a particular time. A form, roundness, does not exist at any place or time. The forms exist, or subsist, in a different way. This is especially important because it explains why the forms are unchanging. A form such as roundness will never change; it does not even exist in time. It is the same at all times or places in which it might be instantiated. A form does not exist in space in that it can be instantiated in many places at once and need not be instantiated anywhere in order for the form to exist. The form of roundness can be found in many particular spatial locations, and even if all round objects were destroyed, the property of roundness would still exist. The forms are also pure. This means that they are pure properties separated from all other properties. A material object, such as a basketball, has many properties: roundness, ballness, orangeness, elasticity, etc. These are all put together to make up this individual basketball. A form is just one of these properties, existing by itself apart from space and time. Roundness is just pure roundness, without any other properties mixed in. The forms differ from material objects, then, in that they are transcendent and pure, while material objects are complex conglomerations of properties located in space and time. The forms are causes in two closely related ways: (1) The forms are the causes of all our knowledge of all objects. The forms contribute all order and intelligibility to objects. Since we can only know something insofar as it has some order or form, the forms are the source of the intelligibility of all material objects. (2) The forms are also the cause of the existence of all objects.