Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Environment and Climate Change in Panama Essay - 1521 Words

Environment and Climate Change in Panama Home to vast tropical rainforests, an immense variety of animal and plant species and the seaway that connects the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, Panama relies heavily on all these resources for its economy. However, environmental challenges threaten the sustainability of these assets and therefore create a significant problem for the country. This paper will examine the effect of weather and climate change on Panama coupled with a specific focus on the Panama Canal. It concentrates largely on the effects of deforestation, coupled with the effect of El-Nino, and examines how this has had significant economic and social consequences.†¦show more content†¦Secondly, smoke from forest fires can reduce rainfall and cloud cover can trap moisture, therefore inhibiting the formation of raindrops. The consequences of deforestation can be more severe if coupled with other conditions that contribute to a lack of precipitation. In Panama, deforestation was couple d with the warming effects of regional El-Nino phenomena, resulting in heavy droughts in the country. Especially during the extremely intense El-Nino conditions in 1982-83 and 1997-98, Panama was faced with severe conditions. Drought conditions, due to the double effect of El-Nino and deforestation have a variety of environmental and economic consequences. Primarily, it affects agricultural production, especially of dairy, corn and rice, together with reducing the quality and quantity ofShow MoreRelatedThe impacts of the closure of the panama gateway are inconclusive. There are multiple models that600 Words   |  3 PagesThe impacts of the closure of the panama gateway are inconclusive. There are multiple models that have tried to infer the ocean current patterns that do not agree with each other. There is evidence that the salinity levels in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea changed but it is not certain what caused the alteration. The biodiversity changed as the current and salinity of the ocean changed. The closure of the gateway can also be credited with the â€Å"Great American exchange†. Ocean circulationRead More Panama History and Culture Essay1377 Words   |  6 PagesPanama History and Culture The culture and political structures of Panama as we know it today has evolved from an incredibly diverse and interesting history. Geographically, Panama lies on an isthmus, a strip of land that essentially connects the greater landmasses of North and South America. It is believed that volcanic activity in the late Pliocene era closed the former Central American Seaway that had separated the two continents. The climatic implications of this landformRead MoreEvolutionary Theory : Climate Change On Evolution899 Words   |  4 PagesEvolutionary Theory: Climate Change on Evolution Evolution is the process of change that occurs in the traits of a population of a species over many years. At the molecular level, dissimilarities of an individual’s genes, known as the genotype, result in the change of their physical characteristics, or phenotype. There are three main driving forces that trigger evolution in a population. Those three include: natural selection, change in the gene pool through mating, and genetic variation betweenRead MoreThe Effects Of Overpopulation On The Environment1400 Words   |  6 Pagesdownfall of the environment it rises over. Water is becoming polluted and scarce, land is shrinking, and extensive use of fuel is contaminating the atmosphere. Deforestation and global climate change are causing a downfall in biodiversity around the world. One can argue that overpopulation is the cause of all these phenomena, and one could argue differently. As with all scientific questions, results will be collected, questioned, and discussed. Does o verpopulation globally impact the environment? With theRead MoreIntroduction Agalychnis callidryas is a species of tree frogs found in the tropical rainforests of1600 Words   |  7 Pagescondition of their habitat is of great concern. Extremes such as global warming, wetland drainage, climate changes, pollution and deforestation have taken a severe toll on their habitat. Amphibians in general tend to suffer more rapidly from environmental changes than other animals in the rainforest so if they are beginning to suffer then it is only a matter of time before those environmental changes begin affecting other animals (Boman 2002). Agalychnis callidryas prefer the warm and humid temperaturesRead MoreThe Amazing Achievement Of Building The Panama Canal Did Not Come Without Great Loss1517 Words   |  7 PagesThe astounding achievement of building the Panama Canal did not come without great loss. Within great achievement and betterment of the world, sometimes comes great tragedy. Great change also doesn’t happen without a strong fight. The workers who helped build the canal knew what they were up against. They knew that famine, disease, dangerous jobs, and a great deal of loss of human life laid ahead, but these workers were willing to sacrifice everything to see this canal built. They knew the economicRead MoreHumans Are Destroying The Earth867 Words   |  4 PagesEarth There have been various changes taking place on the earth. Some of the changes have been positive while others have been negative. Man has been associated with various activities that have contributed to significant destruction of earth and species or animals that occur in these areas. However, sometimes natural causes are associated with the destruction of the environment. There are various ways in which man have been associated with destruction of the environment. Some of the common ways inRead MoreDeforestation And Its Effects On The Environment1616 Words   |  7 Pagesovershot, and can have a devastating impact on the environment. There is an estimated loss of 18 million acres of forest each year. That is roughly equivalent to the size of the country Panama. That is equivalent to a loss of 36 football fields of forest every minute. This leads to the destruction of the habitats of thousands of animals, and plays a huge role in climate change. Deforestation is believed to be the leading cause of climate change, contributing 1.6 billion tons of greenhouse gases,Read MoreThe Impact Of Environmental Sustainability On The Environment Essay721 Words   |  3 Pagesnecessary to reduce poverty and increase the wellbeing of not only today’s people, but for future generations.(1) These global environment isssues require a global solution. However inequality between countries creates environmental issues, uneven development, and difficulty and finding solutions. (2) I believe as humans we are dependent on the environment. Sustaining the environment to me trumpets all other goals the UN proposes to meet. Ensuring environmental stability is the core that allows the otherRead MoreThe Effects Of Global Warming On The Ocean Temperature1052 Words   |  5 PagesIndicators: Ocean temperature Since 1970 the ocean temperature has been increasing at an unprecedented rate, this is indicating accelerated climate change as the water is heating along with the globe. Sea level The glaciers in Greenland and the arctic are melting due to the rising temperature causing the water level to rise. Ice surface area The ice surface across the globe is receding at an alarming rate year after year, as the water and globe warm the ice is not able to stay frozen. Increased droughts

Monday, December 23, 2019

Occupy Wall Street - 1600 Words

Occupy Wall Street BUS 309 February 4, 2013 Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is the name given to a protest movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York Citys Wall Street financial district. The Canadian group and magazine Adbusters initiated the call for protest with assistance from the Manhattan-based public relations firm Workhorse, who was well-known for its successful work on brands including Mercedes and Saks Fifth Avenue. The ensuing series of events helped lead to media awareness that inspired Occupy protests and movements around the world. In awarding Workhorse its Platinum Award, industry publication PRNews noted the results, obviously, have been spectacular. There’s hardly a newspaper, Internet†¦show more content†¦As long as the economy and government are rigged in favor of the top economic 0.1%, we will all lose they claim. The above mentioned points that the OWS movement was based on can be discussed and interpreted in differing contexts. A Utilitarian would argue that what the wealthiest are the ones that keep the economy going, and that by their actions, the rest can survive. Utilitarianism acts for what results produce the greatest balance of good over bad for everyone involved. This is the internal struggle. Do the actions of the economic elite produce enough good for greater balance of people involved? Several key points to consider when analyzing would be how the actions affect people to different degrees, how certain actions produce different results in different circumstances, and how will these actions affect the greater good in the long run. OWS protestors claim that the income disparity between the top 1% and the remaining population, along with lack of jobs are causing greater harm. They want those who help create the economic downturn to be held more financially responsible for helping to rebuild the economy. Criticisms of Utilitarianism would be what or who determines what the greater good is. As a Capitalistic society, we are entitled to do with our money what we wish, even if that means spending it unwisely, where it could be more beneficial to be spent other ways. While I am not naà ¯ve to think all of the economic eliteShow MoreRelatedThe Occupy Wall Street1112 Words   |  5 PagesThe Occupy Wall Street began in fall of 2011 in response to an email which was sent by online publication Adbusters. In this call-to-arms, those without jobs or other such responsibilities were urged to make their way to Manhattan for a long-term civil protest. The purpose of this gathering would be to decry the prevalence of corruption in the United States government, specifically as it related to Wall Street. (Economic Sociology and Political Economy)The physical movement began in a private NewRead MoreOccupy Wall Street1528 Words   |  7 PagesOccupy Wall Street By: Jennifer Pates 2/1/2013 Professor Chester Galloway Bus301: Business Ethics I have to admit that even though the Occupy Wall Street Movement has been all over the news I did not truly understand the stance of it, nor did I really get involved with it. While doing research for this paper I was able to get a better understanding of the basis of the movement as well as the facts pertaining to it. The movement started on Wall Street but has spread across the US. The basisRead MoreOccupy Wall Street2846 Words   |  12 PagesAmerica (US) experienced a financial crisis which affected the rest of the world. Investment banks and Wall Street crashed. It left a good portion of US citizens in debt, unemployed, homeless, etc. As a result, Occupy Wall Street became a movement to demonstrate that the people have had enough and started protesting and voicing their opinions. In terms of globalization, the development of ‘Occupy’ movements have altered the notion of social movements to which it is not just about highlighting andRead MoreOccupy Wall Street Essay 850 Words   |  4 PagesOccupy Wall Street’s opposing expression of the disparity between the wealthy and the poor may have begun in good faith by utilizing the Freedom of Speech and General Assembly amendment rights, but the strategies some of the protestors have demonstrated are resulting in adverse reactions against themselves. The Occupy Wall Street movement will assuredly cost affected cities in the double digits of millions of dollars. Increases in payroll, overtime, and business expenses will inadvertently backfireRead MoreOccupy Wall Street Movement1039 Words   |  5 PagesOccupy Wall Street Movement Moral and Ethical Implications Occupy Wall Street Movement Moral and Ethical Implications The Occupy Wall Street Movement that started in September 2011 in Liberty Square in the Finical District was movement organized by people to expose corruptions in cooperate America. The Occupy Wall Street Movement was known, as the peaceful protest due to it’s non-violent, non-aggressive nature and spread to over a one hundred and fifty cities crossRead MoreThe Occupy Wall Street Movement1625 Words   |  7 PagesStarted on September 17, 2011, the Occupy Wall Street Movement began in the Financial District of New York City and has received resonance in other American cities as well as to 82 other countries. Concentrating on how the current economic system has affected peoples’ lives, the movement raised issues about the lack in democracy of the financial system, social and economic inequality, and the connection between financial and political power. The income inequality between the rich and the poor wasRead MoreOccupy Wall Street Movement1612 Words   |  7 P agesOccupy Wall Street Movement Business Ethics 309 Discuss the moral and economic implications involved in the movement. September 17, 2011 is the day the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City. The main issues include social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the undue influence of corporations on government according to The New York Times. The mix of moral foundations based on ideas from the anthropologist Richard Shweder, outline sixRead MoreThe Occupy Wall Street Movement1982 Words   |  8 PagesThe Occupy Movement is an international activist movement that fosters social and economic change and originated from the actions of the Occupy Wall Street movement (source #7). The focus is on the Occupy Wall Street movement that was launched on September 17th 2011 and was catalysed by Adbusters activist Micah White. White created a web page about the corruption that was happening surrounding the financial crisis in the United States leading to the most recent recession. Large corporations basedRead MoreThe Occupy Wall Street Movement Essay1049 Wor ds   |  5 Pages Occupy Wall Street has been called many things including: unfocused, ungrounded, and silly. Others coin it as â€Å"America’s first internet-era movement† (Rushkoff). In quintessence, Occupy Wall Street is a series of protests and demonstrations that oppose the influence that corporate greed has on American Democracy. The protestors manipulate marches and nonviolent demonstrations to express their dissatisfaction with the state of American Politics and economy. This relates to the political scienceRead MoreEssay on Occupy Wall Street Movement928 Words   |  4 PagesThe Occupy Wall Street Movement that began in New York Sept. 17 and has since spread like wildfire across the world has made an undeniable impact on the social and political climate of the Upper Midwest. | With various Occupy protest committees continuing to spring up across Minnesota and North Dakota, many working people in the region who, previously, might not have come together on other political issues say they have found common ground in the Occupy Movement. Union, non-union, white collar

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Superfund Program Free Essays

Superfund Program Peggy Toler E. Hansen/EVS1001-31 March 31, 2011 Peggy Toler 2 Superfund Program I did not know what a Superfund program was until I looked it up and then I found out that it is an act that is the cornerstone legislation that provides the mechanism and funding for the cleanup of potentially dangerous hazardous-waste sites and the protection of ground water and human health. When you live near a superfund site, you and your family are at risk of developing a disease from the exposure of the different pollutants in these sites and may experience a loss of value of your property. We will write a custom essay sample on Superfund Program or any similar topic only for you Order Now The EPA says that there are steps that we can take to fight back. They have also said that they have set up a â€Å"Post Construction† strategy to ensure that Superfund response actions provide for the long-term protection of human health and the environment. The Construction Completion activities also involve optimizing remedies to increase effectiveness and /or to reduce cost without sacrificing long-term protection. There is still a health hazard for those who live close to a Superfund site. The site that I have found in my state was the Chemtronic, Inc. in Swannanoa, NC. It is about 1,027 acres and only about 20 acres in total are contaminated with these pollutants. This property has had several owners and operators and it was first developed as an industrial site in 1952. After first opening the first products that were manufactured on this site were explosives, incapacitating agents, and chemical intermediates. There are about 23 individual on-site disposal areas that were identified during the investigation activities on this site. During 1971, the disposal practices were not well defined. Solid waste materials and possibly solvents were reportedly incinerated in pits dug in the burning ground these pits are known as the Acid Pit Peggy Toler 3 area. There are the chemical wastes that were also disposed of in the trenches located in the Acid Pit Area. All of the activities at this site ended in 1994, and no new activities are occurring on this site. There is no on-site ground water and surface water being used in any way for anything. This site is bordered up on the North and West sides by woodlands and primarily national forests. There are several industrial facilities to the immediate South of this site. In the contaminants contained in these on-site disposal areas there are volatile organic compounds which include (1,2-dichloroethane, trans-1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethane, and tetrachloroethane), semi-volatile organic compounds which include benzophenone, benzylic acid, and explosives, and then there are the metals like chromium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc. The contaminants that are detected in the ground water include benzene, chloroform, 1,2-dichloroethane, trans-1,2-dichloroethane, trichloroethane, benzophenone, benzylic acid, picric acid, explosives, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc. The site cleanup plans were issued in 1988. The major cleanup elements for this site include the installation of a ground water extraction and treatment system down gradient of the disposal areas in both the front valley and the back valley which is known as the Gregg Valley, capping and fixation/stabilization for contaminated soil in the disposal areas. These capped areas are fence with a chain-link fence and marked. Then they have a monitoring program to be established for the surface water. The ROD has issued an amend for this site in 1989, that specified the deletion of the requirement to solidify soil in Disposal Area (DA-23) as a result of an error in the remedial investigation data which was carried over into the initial ROD. Peggy Toler 4 With the cleanup progress with the capping and stabilization/solidification or the contaminated soil in the disposal area began in 1991, and was completed in 1993. They have placed multi-layer caps in the following areas DA-6, DA-7/8, DA-9, DA-10/11, DA-23 and in the Acid Pit Area. They have also installed a gas venting system at the Acid Pit Area. The Rod of 1988, addressed only those disposal areas that were deemed CERCLA related. The other disposal areas on the property were considered Resource Conservation and Recovery Act also known as (RCRA) areas as prior to 1994. The potentially responsible parties (PRPs) for the site undertook corrective actions to improve the operation of both the extraction systems and treatment systems in both valleys. The corrections that have taken place have significantly reduced the down time to these systems experienced in the past. There have been two reviews that have been developed for the site in 2002 and 2007. The review that was done in 2007, they found that the site was protective of the human health and the environment in the short-term. The NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources requested that the EPA consolidate oversight of all site environmental remediation activities under the EPA’s superfund authority and relinquished the state’s RCRA oversight responsibilities for the site to the EPA’s Superfund program in March 2007. Recently the PRPs submitted the draft RI/FS Work Plan based on the Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) and accompanying statement of work. These cleanup activities have been undertaken by the PRPs with EPA’s oversight. Peggy Toler 5 There are three viable PRPs for the site that has been identified by EPA and they are Chemtronic, Inc. Northrop Grumman System Corporation, and CAN Holding, Inc. In 2008 the AOC signed by the PRPs and the EPA will address the cleanup for the former RCRA areas at the site that will now be addressed under CERCLA. The EPA has conducted a range of activities for the community to get involved at the Chemtronic site to solicit the c ommunity input and to ensure that the public remains informed about any of the site activities throughout the site cleanup process. These outreach activities include public notices, interviews and public meeting on these cleanup activities and updates. In the future they are monitoring the ground water at the site, they say that the field work for the revised RI/FS should begin in the summer of 2009, and the next FYR for these sites is expected in 2012. As you will find out the more we try to cleanup areas like this, we have other pollutants in the world. There are things that we can do to help with these pollutants like cleaning everything that we can and stop putting things into the ground. References * Boorse, D. F. amp; Wright, R. T. (2011) Environmental Science (11 Edition) * www. epa. gov/region4/waste/nplnc/chemtrnc. htm How to cite Superfund Program, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Research Security Vulnerability Tools Using Kali

Question: Discuss about the Research Security Vulnerability Tools Using Kali. Answer: Introduction of the tool The selected tool is Burp Suite which is an integrated platform for handling and performing the different security tests for the applications on web. There are tools which work for the complete support of the testing and the processing from the initial mapping as well as the analysis of the application. This is setup through the proper finding of the attack surface as well as the exploitation of the different security vulnerabilities. Burp has been able to give a complete control by letting the advancement of the manual techniques which are set under the state-of-art combination to work faster with more effectiveness. The suite is easily used with the allowing of the new users to work in a proper manner. These are highly configured with a proper numbered features which are important for the assistance of the experienced testers. The burp suits has been created by a Port Swigger which is a complete JAVA based software tool platform for the performance of the proper testing of security of different web applications. This is based on the combination of the automated and the other manual settings which are based on holding the following tools. Features of the tool Proxy Burp This allows us to inspect and properly modify the traffic which is between the applications of the browser and the target system. Spider- This allows the application awareness to handle the content of crawling and the functionality patterns. Scanner- This is mainly to evaluate the advanced web applications for the automation process which is mainly for the detection of the different types of the vulnerability features. Intruder tool- This is mainly for handling the performance of the powerful and the customised attacks which are mainly to find the unusual vulnerability. Repeater- This is mainly for the manipulation of the requestions ad resending them to the individuals. Sequencer- It is mainly for handling the testing of the session tokens with the randomness. The burp suite gives us the ability to save work and help in the extension which will easily allow all the plugins to be written easily for performing different complex tasks which are highly customised in the system of Burp. It has the ability to handle the work where you can resume it anytime you want. Techniques used by the tool to exploit vulnerabilities of information systems Burp Spider The major focus has been on the mapping of the different applications of the web which automate the tasks of the catalogues along with handling the content and the functionality. This work lets us to work through the browser by properly inspecting all the traffic which is being passed through the proxy as well as the catalogue. There have been active crawl of the applications which are based on following the links automatically with the submission of the forms and the response for the content. They are able to take hold of the spidering actions with the detailed configuration of the spider engineer. After the process of the entire application, the Burp site is able to review the entire content for discovering the active spidering functions. Comprer It is able to handle the data items between the two different responses of the web applications. These are mainly to identify and handle the failed log with the invalid and the valid usernames and the received resources to identify the different requests on the different behavioural patterns. Decoder This transforms the raw data in an encoded form and then to the canonical version. It has a complete ability to recognise the different coding formats. Sequencer This is able to analyse the application sessions which are set under the randomised token with the unpredictability depending on the security. Repeater The modifications of the individual requestions are HTTP and response. These are set for sending the requests to the Repeater from a particular site map targets which completely attack the results or are through the browsing history patterns for the Burp Proxy. Intruder This is mainly for the optimisation of the customised attacks. Scanner This is mainly by setting the tests of penetration which fits with the different techniques for the performance of the semi-automated and the penetration tests of the web applications. Proxy These are mainly set to handle the testing and the attacking application on the web server. The operations are between both the target and the end web browser as a settled middle-man. These are able to completely modify, inspect and handle the raw traffic which is passed in different directions. Experimental setup and evidence of usage of the tool. Include screenshots of vulnerability testing. Configure BurpSuite Proxy Options: Set interface 127.0.0.1:8080 Conclusions Burp Suite has been able to handle the tools integration with the focus on the performance of the different security tests on the different web applications. These are mainly to perform the web attacking applications. It contains all the interfaces and the tools which are mainly for the speed up and the process facilitation of the different applications. The tools are mainly set for handling the framework of the extensibility, alerts, login and the other upstream proxies which are important for the setup of the authentication, HTTP request and the persistency. This is also able to combine the automation of the techniques to attack, scan and properly analyse the applications on the web. The tools for the working of Burp are set to allow the identified findings along with holding the foundation of the different tools and the system process. These are mainly for the identification of the vulnerability process to map and set the exploitation phase. References Druin, J. (2012). Mutillidae: Brute Force Page Names using Burp-Suite Intruder.Retrieved June,30, 2013. Garn, B., Kapsalis, I., Simos, D. E., Winkler, S. (2014, July). On the applicability of combinatorial testing to web application security testing: a case study. InProceedings of the 2014 Workshop on Joining AcadeMiA and Industry Contributions to Test Automation and Model-Based Testing(pp. 16-21). ACM. Sidiropoulos, N., Stefopoulos, P. (2013). Smart tv hacking.Research project,1, 2012-2013. Scandariato, R., Walden, J., Joosen, W. (2013, November). Static analysis versus penetration testing: A controlled experiment. InSoftware Reliability Engineering (ISSRE), 2013 IEEE 24th International Symposium on(pp. 451-460). IEEE.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Advanced Directives free essay sample

Does your family know what you want should you become extremely ill or injured? Are you comfortable with allowing them to make a decision about your end of life care? If not, you would be interested in doing some Advanced Directive. Health Care Advance directives are legal documents that allow you to convey your decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time. They provide a way for you to communicate your wishes to family, friends and health care professionals, and to avoid confusion later on. â€Å"Normally, people communicate their wishes directly to their doctors. But when a person can no longer communicate sufficiently, another process for decision-making is needed. That is the role advance directives play. If no advance directive has been prepared, someone else may be called upon to make health care decisions that the person may not want. † (Sabatino, 2007) Most people think that advanced directives are for elderly people that however are just not true. We will write a custom essay sample on Advanced Directives or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The fact remains that younger people have more to lose should something happen to them then older people. A perfect example of this would be if you were in a terrible car accident, being 29 years old, with a growing family, having major head injuries, and being on a ventilator. Does your spouse know what you want should that happen? If you had an advanced directive living will written, your spouse would know that you do not want to be kept alive if the ventilator is doing everything for you. Or if you are an elderly man, who is in his late 90s and has had multiple bypass surgeries. If you want to be a DNR, should the next surgery not be as successful, you would need to sign some legal documents to make that official. Those documents are need so your wishes can be carried out by your family without your family members having to make that difficult decision when they are not emotionally stable. There are a few different types of Health Care Advanced Directive documents; the two primary ones are a living will and a durable medical power of attorney. A living will gives instructions and directive for your health care management. Where as a durable medical power of attorney appoints a person (called an agent or proxy) to make decisions for the patient (the principal) in the event of incapacity. Living will A living will expresses a persons preferences for medical care (it is called a â€Å"living will because it is in effect while the person is still alive). Living wills become effective only when the patient has lost capacity to make health care decisions and the patient has a particular condition defined by state law—usually a terminal condition or permanent unconsciousness. To be valid, a living will must comply with state law. Many states have specific forms available for people to complete. Some states require that living wills be written in a standardized way. Most are more flexible, permitting any language as long as the document is appropriately signed and witnessed. A living will they cannot realistically anticipate all the serious medical circumstances the person may face in the future; and the written document may not be available at the time and place needed. Items that are usually covered in a living will are: †¢ what medical treatments and care are acceptable to you? Are there some that you fear? †¢Mechanical ventilation †¢Artificial nutrition and hydration †¢ Do you wish to be resuscitated if you stop breathing and/or your heart stops? †¢CPR †¢defibrillation †¢ Do you want to be hospitalized or stay at home, or somewhere else, if you are seriously or terminally ill? †¢ How will your care be paid for? Do you have adequate insurance? What might you have overlooked that will be costly at a time when your loved ones are distracted by grieving over your condition or death? Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care A durable power of attorney for health care is a document in which one person (the principal) names another person (the agent, or the attorney-in-fact, or proxy) to make decisions about health care. A power is durable if it remains legally effective or becomes effective, when the principal becomes incapable of making health care decisions. A durable power of attorney for health care differs from a living w ill in that it focuses on the decision-making process and not on a specific decision. No living will can anticipate all possible circumstances. Thus, the power of attorney can cover a far broader range of health care decisions. Once in effect, the agent can act in the here-and-now, review the medical record, serve as an advocate, discuss care and questions with the medical staff, and decide what the patient would want or what is in the best interest of the patient. The durable power of attorney for health care can include a living will provision—a description of health care preferences—or any other instructions but should, preferably, do so only as guidance for the agent, rather than as a binding selection. † (Sabatino, 2007)

Monday, November 25, 2019

We live in an increasingly complex world; one wher Essays - Pedagogy

We live in an increasingly complex world; one wher Essays - Pedagogy We live in an increasingly complex world; one where people are interconnected through technology, and ideas flow more rapidly than ever before. In the modern reality of things, the globe is becoming more of an extended, interdependent community that requires, to a large extent, a cosmopolitan approach to solving problems and achieving creative and intellectual endeavors. To succeed, it is important to acquire skills and experiences that facilitate a worldly, multifaceted outlook. Living in isolated cocoons, relying exclusively on traditional mindsets, and avoiding ideas unfamiliar or new to us, only frustrates what some consider a "natural progression" towards an increasingly interdependent world. Bill Gates quotes, "We have arrived at a point in our human evolution when working together is not only essential to our survival, but conducive to the fulfillment of our own, individual excellence." It is this modern shift in the way we think that has attracted me t o Temple University . The course offerings and teaching staff at the university are ranked amongst some of the best in the country. It is a logical choice for my undergraduate work because it offers an environment and curriculum favorable to a modern, worldly approach. The fact that so many of its academics take part in the modern political, social, economic, and cultural dialogue has influenced my desire to attend this college. The school's campus, is convenient to some of the most important research facilities in Pennsylvania , and offers the proximity to areas that will allow me to enjoy new experiences and opportunities. Temple has an environment conducive to learning, highly competent educators, and a quality education. Since I will be learning from the best and highly qualified professors of the university, I would also have the potential to be the best in any profession. My multi-lingual background has given me a firm understanding of the variations of the Indian language, and I have nine years of practical Spanish. Language not only helps me to communicate with other cultures but to understand and see the world through their perspective and focus. My understanding and familiarity with Indian and Spanish cultures, religions, and ethics could add to the diverse environment of Temple . The vast ethnicities diversify the educational experiences of this college as the interactions of individuals lead to comprehension and compassion. Being accepted to this reputable association, I plan to supplement the school's continuing success by engaging in programs that pertain to my interests and aspirations in life. My contribution to the vibrancy of Temple will consist of my heritage and leadership skills. When I traveled to my homeland in India, I witnessed the worsening conditions of the poor people living there. I was convinced that in these situations, it is vital for a person to initiate the changes that he or she wants to happen. I believe that I am the type of person who would be able to implement changes that would make an impact on many people. My leadership potential has benefited me during high school when I was promoted from an honors student to a proud member of the National Honor Society. I will bring these skills to Temple and hope to take a leading role in some of the many organizations on campus. Temple University will provide pertinent knowledge that would enable me to become a high-caliber student and is an ideal choice for me to learn and grow in many aspects.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Rewrite Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Rewrite - Essay Example He expressed how he engrossed himself in the campaign of another congressman and how with time, his role and position gradually shifted to a higher level. He succeeded in attaining a higher position in the society because he worked with real spirit while taking care to keep his values high and maintain his work ethics which is why, people began to look up to him as a leader. Therefore, public support and his own solid determination led Mr. Martin to seek and fill the position of a city councilman. Mr. Martin took care to discuss many professional areas which hold much importance in one’s life as one progresses in career. He told how congressmen also have families for which they want to save money in order to live more comfortably. This seemed to be an interesting area to discuss since it related heavily with every other human’s tendency to make or save money so that a comfortable living could be managed. Mr. Martin tried explaining his decision to save or gain extra money by giving the idea of falling into a trap or taking the bait that is often presented to the politicians nearly every other day. But, it was easy to see how Mr. Martin failed to remember or discuss his weak points or blunders he committed during his professional career. This is because he abstained from mentioning the names of the people who helped him reaching the great positions of influence. Also, he did not discuss the incident where he took some $75000 on a contract which shows that he did remain involved in many cases of bribery. This also led the public to assume that if Mr. Martin made mistakes in one area, he might have done similar mistakes in other areas as well. Mr. Martin told how when one consciously or unconsciously drops the guard, one becomes a part of the established societal system. He mentioned this point to explain how one starts violating work ethics and

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Operatint a Successful Restaurant Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Operatint a Successful Restaurant - Assignment Example These limits include procedures of delivery, storage and cooking (Alonzo, 2007). Thirdly, critical limits for the critical control points should be determined for every menu item. These limits must be adhered to so as to minimize any possibility of food poisoning. For instance, poultry storage and preparation should meet the appropriate temperature controls. Poultry should be cooked at temperatures above seventy-five degrees Celsius. On the other hand, beef should be cooked at temperatures above one hundred and sixty degree farenheight. Duration of cooking should also be definite so as to ensure appropriate cooking (Dismore, H., & Entrepreneur Press, 2006). Fourthly, the critical control points should regularly be monitored. The restaurant manager should monitor every food handler. They should ensure that appropriate procedures are followed. Fifth, corrective measures for a breach of any steps above shall be recommended. To cater for this, staff members should undergo refresher training on food safety, menu development and ensuring quality service. Corrective action may be necessitated due to various reasons. These reasons include unattractive food, complaints from customer, storage of out of date foods, and sighting of pests and unclean utensils (Alonzo, 2007). Sixth, system verification strategies should be implemented and verified. In adherence to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCPP) standards, the restaurant should ensure that the plan is developed. Availability of thermometers to ensure appropriate temperatures of food items should be ensured. Finally, appropriate record keeping procedures for the staff members would be necessitated. Daily corrective actions applied should be recorded in flow charts accurately. The HACCP demands that every restaurant keep checklists and time and temperature logs. Record keeping shall be considered for every stage in food handling and preparation (Alonzo, 2007). Guidelines

Monday, November 18, 2019

How do movies or television influence peoples behavior use reasons and Essay

How do movies or television influence peoples behavior use reasons and specific examples to support you answer - Essay Example The first thing to note is that both television and movies happen to be aa great medium through which artists talents are demonstrated throughout the world. Through TVs people receive world news. It is a source of entertainment too. Individuals get relaxed when they take time to watch films. Children as ell learn from TV as they watch certain channels such as fox history, discovery among others. These are just but a few of positive benefits of television ad movies that positively affect the behaviors of people (Mariam, 2013). On the other hand, most children take more time to watch television as compared to time spent on outdoor sports. Such behavior is unhealthy and results to diseases such as eyesight problems, obesity as well other diseases. Surveys have shown that those children who spent most of their time watching TV do not do well in class. They become addicted to watching TV and prefer watching programs over doing their school homework. This is more common today now especially that most children have in their own bedrooms, their TV sets. Most people think that if there is no bad content showing in the TV then there is no need to stop the kid from watching TV. This makes children love TV and become lazy in class. It is the idea of many people that movies as well as television reflect the society. However, this is not the truth mostly. Most people today like watching movies and TV programs that ha violence within the content. Criminals learn from movies new tactics as well as tricks which they apply in murder, robbery and other harmful activities. Most young people today engage in crime as an influence of TV and movies. Another thing is that through movies, the under aged are able to access porn material easily (Mariam, 2013). It is well know that the youth can watch a lot of stuff in their bedroom TV sets. The bottom line is that as advantageous as it is, the system has a huge negative impact on individuals’ behavior too. The fact is that

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Royal Selangor IT System And Cloud Computing

Royal Selangor IT System And Cloud Computing 1. Introduction This report is commissioned by the request of Royal Selangor International (RS) for the purpose of analyzing existing IT infrastructure and draw out recommendations for RS to adopt to cloud computing technology. The current IT infrastructure that operates RSs business processes are analyzed. Data for the analysis are collected through interviews with RS management representatives. Based on these data and comparison with available cloud computing solutions, recommendation on the adoption of cloud computing are derived for RSs considerations. 1.1. Background Royal Selangors core business is retailing pewter artifacts and jewelleries. RS is a private owned company manufacturing and retailing fine quality pewter artifacts products worldwide and is now the largest pewter artifacts producer in the world. Founded in 1885 and based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, RS has expanded leaps and bounds to international recognition and has won several prestigious awards. The company recently celebrated its 125 years anniversary. The homepage URL of the Royal Selangor is http://www.royalselangor.com RS currently operates 3 brands under the company. RS on its own crafts and retails the pewter artifacts, Selberan which retails fine jewellery and Comyns, a brand that has 350 years old legacy in silversmiths. (Bernama 2011) RSs products are marketed through 3 channels as follows; RS owned flagship stores which are located at prominent shopping districts around the world, including London, Tokyo, Melbourne and Toronto. Distribution network to reputable retailers around the world. Online shop that serves both distributors and customers. The major part of RSs success is through the online retailing. RS are the pioneer in setting up its business for online shopping. It has enabled RS to spread its business internationally to distributors and also directly to end users. RS was awarded the CIO award in 2001 which recognizes the genius is IT implementation and strategy. (International 2001) The online shop has also provided RS channel to communicate with the customer and improves its services. RS has also established worldwide offices with warehousing facilities in major markets such as Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Britain and North America.   1.2. Corporate Structure RS is a family run business since it was first founded in 1885. Through 4 generations, the business has been passed on to succeeding family members. RS organization structure for the manufacturing business is as per Attachment A. The Managing Director is supported by two General Managers, managing and overlooking the entire operations from raw materials, production, research and development, marketing, e-commerce up to distribution and international marketing. Each section operates on its IT system for reporting and thorough tracking of the raw materials up to storage and distribution. Further detail analysis of the IT system of RS will be captured in Part 2. RSs Company Policy states the ambition of the company to maintain its status among the forerunners of the industry and to strive for excellence by being ahead of competition. In align with this policy, RS has adapted well with new IT systems to further improve its services to the customers. This is proven when RS opened its online store 10 years ago in 1996 while many industry players are still skeptical about online store. (Yee 2007) RS has structured its operations to run on a systematic IT infrastructure. Business processes of the group include the following: Financial department Human resource management Manufacturing Distribution Marketing Warehousing Customer relation management. 2. IT Infrastructure With over 1000 different products to be manufactured and distributed across local branches in Malaysia and also to 20 other countries directly, RS requires a system that could provide up-to-date and accurate information to the people involved. RS had embarked on various marketing strategies to expand the organisation and in the year 1996, ventured into the e-commerce with RS online shop and website promotion and advertising (International 2001). The subsequent business strategies, marketing, e-commerce system and web development have since been developed in-house to the specific needs of the organisation and RS wanting more control in its development and deployment. (Yoon Kit, Yong 2011, pers. comm., 1 April) Critical business processes especially for manufacturing and the retailing are being integrated and streamlined for speedier processing and better performance for the organisation. For the manufacturing department, integration and real-time updating of information for raw materials, work-in-progress and final goods are vital for the organisation to be leaner. Enterprise applications have the capability to provide accurate buying trends of customers and the information gathered have translate into a better inventory management for the organisation and also to the customers. As for the design team, IT is needed to speed up the design period and can help to transform new ideas into great products. Design information can be used for quick and clear generation of manufacturing ready drawings and used for virtual prototyping. All this can offer distinct advantage to RS over their competitors such as new products were created in pewter with an additional animated storybook. (Bao Shan, Yip 2011, pers. comm., 3 April) Retailing staff will benefit from the information on customers and also inventory to better serve the customer. Fast response and also delivery scheduling can help the retail staff to close sales deal quicker. Besides that, online marketing tools such as social networking are used to promote products actively. For RS, the strategic role of IT is very clear and it is for creating a competitive advantage over their competitors. (Yee 2007) 2.1. Computer Hardware Platforms For the routine tasks, desktop computers and laptops from Dell and HP running on Intel or AMD processors are provided. For the design team, Apple IMac is used as it is more suited for the modelling and designing purposes.   The mainframes are located in-house and consist of HP and Dell servers. These are dedicated for the critical applications such as the enterprise resource planning system (ERP), Storage Area Network, private automatic branch exchange (PABX) and the network systems between the offices and also the online shop. Cashiers at the respective branches are utilizing Point of Sales (POS) Terminals connected to the main servers for daily transaction processing. 2.2. Operating System Platforms For the general desktop computing or client level, RS is using Windows based operating system to manage the resources and activities of the computers. The Apple computers are supported with IMac OS X system. For the servers, RS is using Samba / Linux Server OS systems which are open sourced and it is easily adaptable to different servers and software. Centralised updates and patches are provided in-house by RS IT staff. 2.3. Enterprise Software Application RS is currently using the Baan ERP system and it was deployed in the year 1999. The system is used mainly in manufacturing, finance, human resource and warehousing. The Baan Client is running on the Windows based operating system. The selection of Baan was based on the capability of the manufacturing module of the Baan ERP system. 2.4. Networking / Telecommunication RS requires a reliable network and telecommunications setup because of the global presence and extensive distribution channels to more than 20 countries such as Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and United States of America. Locally, there are about 21 outlets nationwide. They are using Unifi fibre optics broadband services provided by Telekom Malaysia. This is for the standard activities such as internet and correspondences and the network is managed via Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite. As for the dedicated leased line, it is connected to the offices and branches via the Cisco Networks. Cisco Core Switch provides the entire organisation connectivity for their Enterprise Data Routing and with the switching capability of the Intelligent Bandwidth helps to ensure optimum availability to their office and branches worldwide. Inter-office communication is using Lotus Notes as the integrated desktop client option for accessing e-mail and calendaring. The main office is utilizing PABX phone system which is able to support an enterprise wide phone and fax machines where as the branches are connected via standard public switched telephone networks. 2.5. Data management and Storage The Data management and storage for RS is quite large as it is to ensure that all product designs are archived and kept for future reference. The other requirement of the organisation is to provide a shared folder running on the server as the depository of the new product designs in use by the organisation. The major usage of a 20 tetrabyte space is for the designs of the products and the accessibility of the information by various departments. Baan ERP application and database usage accounts for about 200 gigabyte space and the Lotus Notes application takes up about 150 gigabyte space. The physical hardware for the storage comes from various original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sources and the main supplier is Dell. The hardware components are Dell / EMC CX3 which is utilizing Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)/Fibre hard disk for key production system. 2.6. Internet Platforms The key internet sites for RS are the online shop/e-commerce and the visitor center homepage. The other sites under the group are Comyns and Selberan which is also under the support of RS IT department. The web site was built with customers in mind it is to be used as a two-way communication channel for customers, as well as a one-to-one marketing and fulfilment tool. The web hosting of these sites has been outsourced to CSC to ensure service availability and network latency. These webhosting servers are running on the latest iteration of Microsoft IIS Servers. The website are maintained with Linux / Apache / MySQL / Perl/PHP/Python package as it is open-source and it is easily adaptable to suit RS applications. 2.7. Consultants and System Integrators Most of the system integration work is done in house leveraging on the knowledge available. Currently, RS is getting external consultant support for the Baan ERP systems when required. The e-commerce system initially was out sourced but due to the specific needs of the organisation, it is now fully developed and maintained in house. Others system integrators or consultants are being appointed when necessary. Issues that were identified are as follows:- To ensure interoperability between each systems. RS have basically two systems to ensure its interoperability which are the CRM and the ERP applications. As for the other platforms such as servers and data center, the software used are open source whereby customisation would be easier. Ensure constant communication and connection between shared information worldwide. The need to access to data and inventory in real-time and reliably. Maintain a well integrated and smooth supply chain especially for the online shop. It needs to be updated constantly and best practices are to be employed and cascade down to the operation levels. Implementation will be a major stumbling block due to the manufacturing processes being labour intensive. Maintenance of software and hardware systems 24/7. For storage, the challenge is managing the data and managing the systems that house the data. Software tools that track and manage storage resources efficiently are in high demand for these reasons. IT staff retention proved to be difficult. Internally, the IT department is supporting on hardware troubleshooting whereas the service or troubleshooting support will be provided by the external team of consultants. The current staff skill is sufficient to maintain and operate the system effectively. However, the staff education at the operator level is still lacking. Constant training and retraining is required. Cost reduction is actively pursued whenever there is chance as budget is always constrained. Since data storage continues to grow at 40% to 60% per year, the challenge is amplified to try to get the most from any new storage purchase. Challenges that are constantly faced by RS are listed below and a few are being actively pursued by RS. To maintain operation excellence in the whole value chain design, manufacture, distribution and retailing not only locally but also worldwide. Leaner production and shorter processing time and delivery schedules are key focus area for continuous improvements. (International 2001) To innovate and re-invent the â€Å"wheel† for the retailing and marketing of the products by using IT. Constantly RS need to find ways to market their products as the current marketing channel in local and overseas retail shops, on-line shop, corporate customers and the visitor center / showroom is not adequate. Currently each competitor in pewter ware has their very own website and they are promoting their products on line, retails shops and also at their main showroom (Tumasek 2011). RS have to look at the industry of premium giftware as well which would consider a worldwide market. Search Engine Optimisation programs, partnership with search engines and partnerships with other websites are areas to focus more in order to penetrate further into the international market. (Shankar 2003) To retain customers and to attract new customers are important. Major competitors such as Tumasek, Oriental Pewter, Mariwasa and Pewter Arts are constantly challenging RS. New designs and faster production and roll-out of products would ensure a greater market share. Providing better and more personal touch to customer service will benefit in the long run as customers would have greater perception of the product not only in terms of quality but also the service that comes with it. (Shankar, 2003) To constantly review the business strategies and if necessary upgrade or adapt the current system based on the specific needs of the organisation. The final call is that any new product or system purchased should move towards lower costs, better processes and common management.(Yee 2007) Strategies such as using setting up websites in native languages of the country they are going to market the product. Open source plays an important role with the servers in RS. (Yoon Kit, Yong 2011, pers. comm., 1 April) Most of the infrastructure servers are on Linux which gives flexibility in rolling out new servers as well as replicating our administration. RS uses a lot of the virtual machine ware so it is now easier to deploy new test and production servers on demand without having to submit capital expenditure and commission new machines. Constant updating of information and also skills related to open source would be vital for RS. 3. Cloud Computing   Cloud computing obtained its name from the metaphor for internet which represents an area on the network that resides outside (cloud) but is required to make the network complete. The control of the cloud is an external partys concern which is hosted and maintained by other parties and does not need the interference of the internal parties (Velte et al. 2010, p. 3). Examining the Cloud computing, it is basically a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources. These resources include networks, servers, storage, applications, and services that can be provided to the customers to assist its daily operations. As explained in NIST document, Cloud computing consists of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models (Mell Grance January 2011, pp. 2-3). The 5 Essential Characteristics On-demand self-service. Services are available to the customer at all times and without any need for intervention by the service provider. Broad network access. The system is web based and can be accessed from any internet enabled device such as through mobile devices, thin or thick client platforms. Resource pooling. The provider of the cloud computing services uses physical or virtual resources to serve multiple customers with different needs. The customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources. Rapid elasticity. Customers can scale up or scale down according to their own requirements. Additional services can be purchased at any time. Measured service. Customers accessing the system are easily tracked and controlled by means of storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts. The 3 Service Models Cloud Software as a Service (SaaS). The provider offers an application that the customer can be accessed by different client platforms such as a normal client computer. The software is web based and does not reside in the customers computers. The devices only need to interface via a thin client interface such as the Web browser. The consumer does not need to physically install the software. Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS). The capability provided to the customer to develop applications using the programming languages and tools provided by the provider. The customer will only have control of the application developed using the platform provided. Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The provider only provides the infrastructure to the customer. The customer controls its own software and applications but has no control over the cloud infrastructure. The 4 Deployment Models Private cloud. The cloud services are provided to only one organization. Community cloud. The cloud services are shared by few organizations Public cloud. The cloud services are made available to the general public or a large industry group and are owned by an organization selling cloud services. Hybrid cloud. The mixture of two or more cloud deployment models which runs on a standard or propriety technology. To summarize the definition of cloud computing, it is where software, platform or infrastructure services that are made available to the customers at all times. The customers have relieved itself from the concerns of operating and maintaining the physical aspects of the system and enable them to focus on its core competencies.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Before exploring the adoption of Royal Selangor with cloud computing, the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing will be explored in following chapters below to examine further the key positives that will help the company. Figure 3.1 illustrates the advantages and disadvantages of Cloud Computing. 3.1. Advantages of Cloud Computing 3.1.1. Financial Benefits Cloud computing provides new solutions for all sizes of businesses and industries. When modern businesses looks for ways to cut operating cost without losing much productivity, cloud computing serves to be a key part to assist the business to achieve the target. By improving server utilization and decreasing the number of servers, significant cost reductions can be seen and additionally, future capital expenditure can be controlled. Normally servers are designed to have redundancy as well as spares for future expansions. This translates to capital expenditures spent for facilities that are not utilized. Cloud computing provides enables the customer to only pay the amount of usages utilized which translates to cost reductions.   Also, theres a reduction in physical server depreciation cost. As pointed out above, fewer servers maintained by the company means less depreciation costs. In addition, it also directly reflects to energy consumption and facilities cost. Reduced servers require less energy to operate and smaller facilities. When a true comparison is done, using a fully cost model, the decision weighs more favourably towards cloud computing. And when the other advantages are taken into account then cloud computing can really stack up as a viable option (Group 2009, p. 6) . 3.1.2. Technological benefits Cloud computing has the ability for the system to expand and contract automatically based on the demand of the customer. For software, new users can be assigned to the system and start using almost immediately without much complications. The resource platforms such as storage, networks and servers are available on-demand and again do not require much intervention or effort by the customer to prepare the system. More significantly is the redundancy and back-up system available to the customer, ensuring that the data are safe and protected. 3.1.3. Operational benefits In terms of operations benefits, this can be referred as outsourcing the IT system and delegating the risk management. Service providers have to ensure that the system is available at any time and redundancy provided. The problems that have been concerns for companies running physical hardware, servers and data centers can now shift the risks to the service provider. Access to the system is also improved as it can be accessed from anywhere through an internet enabled device. This improved operation excellence as data are always available at anywhere, anytime to the users of cloud computing. 3.1.4. Environmental Benefits By using lesser servers through servers consolidation, energy consumption of the IT system is drastically decreased. This translates to lower and more efficient energy consumption. 3.1.5. Competitive Advantage Businesses can be more competitive by adopting to cloud computing. Cloud computing provide a quick and efficient start up for any small or medium size businesses. This enables them to have almost similar capacity as larger established companies in terms of IT systems. Also, with data easily available, it enables businesses in general to be more agile and response quicker to market. 3.2. Disadvantages of Cloud Computing While the advantages of cloud look promising, there are also disadvantages to the cloud services such as below:- 3.2.1. Security issues There is a need to look at the security aspect for cloud. The security risks that come with cloud computing ranges from user access, recovery, regulatory compliance and long term viability.   Sensitive data processed/stored externally brings with it an inherent level of risk, because outsourced services bypass the physical, logical and personnel controls† from in-house programs. The controls of user access and also content management access would need to be transparent and clear so customers are not worried about their data being compromised. (Brodkin 2008) 3.2.2. Lack of control For cloud computing, the hardware and software could be based in multiple locations all around the world compare to in-house systems. The control on the storage and security of the data will be the under the jurisdiction of the cloud vendor and users do not have much control over it. Performance and upgrading of the applications and data protection will be relying on the timeliness or scheduling of the vendors to update their software. 3.2.3. Lock-in to cloud vendors Users should be aware of the risk of lock-in to the cloud vendors. The consideration will be on whether in the future there is the need for changes or replacement of the software/platform/infrastructure selected initially and thus switching cost will be incurred. Based on the three types of cloud computing, the service and platform will have some sort of impact and difficulty if there is a need to change vendors. Selection of vendors that provide minimum lock-in should be preferred. (Petri 2010) There is also the need to ensure that the data that is held with the vendor will remain available even if they have been acquired or merge with other larger vendors. 3.2.4. Reliability on cloud functionality Cloud vendors based their business on providing high up-time and downtimes should be kept to a minimum. Overall hardware and network reliability from cloud vendors are considered to be at par or above par comparing to the average data center. However, there are instances when there is downtime and this would be considered to be unacceptable if it is too long and economic losses are being factored in. A few vendors will have strict service level agreements (SLAs) that provide themselves with a method of controlling the downtime. (ENKI 2011) Besides the downtime from servers, we need to look at the downtime created due to non internet service such as connection and bandwidth availability. There might be problem when the internet connection is not available or not sufficient to support the functionality of the applications. This would totally render the cloud application a total failure. 3.2.5. Data segregation Data stored in the cloud is generally in a shared environment and it is placed within the same location as other users. There is the need to ensure that the data is fully secured and only the authorised user can access it and the cloud provider should proof that encryption schemes were designed and tested by experienced specialists. Data can be totally unusable if there is complication during the de-cryption procedure. (Brodkin 2008) 3.2.6. Recovery of Data and Services There would be difficulty in accessing the data and service provided in the cloud as the user would not have any information on where the data is or how it is being stored. In the event of disaster, the cloud provider would need to setup a proper data recovery or restoration. There would be question on when can be data be ready for use once they initiate the recovery process. (Brodkin 2008) 4. Recommendation of cloud computing adoption/adaption The findings from above are analyzed against the factors that forms the Competitive Forces Model for IT Infrastructure (Laudon Laudon 2010, p. 223). This will provide an outline of RSs requirement to adopt cloud computing as its IT infrastructure. 4.1. Market demand for organisations services Internet sales have always been the forefront business of RS. 80% of RSs sales are from the online shop. (Yee 2007) Considering future trends, the e-commerce will keep on expanding and improving. The market demand is and has proven to be in abundance for RS to venture. With cloud computing, RSs operation can be more streamlined and improved and meet customers demands. 4.2. RS business strategy RS strive to be the best pewter manufacturer in the world and maintain its competitive edge over competitors. (Khay Chong, Saw 2011, pers. comm., 5 April) 4.3. RS IT strategy, infrastructure and cost RS plans to use IT to gain competitive edge over their competitors and to maintain their market position. The strategy has proven to be useful as it was acknowledge by the CIO Asia Award in 2001 and Intelligent Enterprise: Asias Intelligent 20 award for the E-commerce operations.(International 2001) Ventures into social media marketing and web collaboration with overseas online shop have provided the exposure and advertising advantage for them such as partnership with John Lewis (http://www.johnlewis.com) or Wesell Royal Selangor (http://www.wesellroyalselangor.co.uk/). 4.4. RS Information technology assessment Current setup is very centralized and all located within the main HQ. From the IT infrastructure study, we find that the hardware and software used within the organization are considered to be reasonable and commonly used in all industries. The use of open source have also help in ensuring that the system can be modified and be made better as they use it with constant upgrading. However the weakness could lie with the staff availability. With cloud computing, it is a perfect IT infrastructure for RS to adopt. Switching to cloud computing provides a feasible solution for RS to maintain its businesses outside of Malaysia with the same IT infrastructure. 4.5. Competitors IT Services In evaluating RSs competitors IT services, two main competitors namely Tumasek Pewter and Oriental Pewter are analyzed. Both Tumasek Pewters (http://www.tumasek.com/home.htm) and Oriental pewters (http://www.orientalpewter.com.my/home.htm) website does not have online shop. RS is the leader in pewter industry as its main competitors are not having the same IT services as RS. This is even more a reason for RS to adopt cloud computing. As the start-up of IT system are faster through cloud computing, the competitors will definitely offer the same services in the near future. By adopting cloud computing first, RS can be ahead of competition. 4.6. IT infrastructure investment in pewter/retail industry For retail industry, capital spending in 2008-09 at John Lewis (RS partner) was  £404m, compared with  £363m in the previous year. About  £30m represents investment in efficiency projects such as new Oracle finance systems recently implemented in Waitrose and the firms head office, and investment in maintaining and modernising its IT set-up. (Mari 2009) Investment into IT for manufacturing is continuing to grow for Asian manufacturer and focus is on cloud based applications capability to increase the efficiency of the organization such as gaining insight on customer behaviour, improve efficiency and productivity of manufacturing operations and in the supply chain from supplier and also to customers. (Yap 2011). Under the Malaysias Economic Transformation Programme, the wholesale and retail and tourism industry are place in the forefront of Malaysias economic development. Few key areas were earmarked for development and the key area with IT investment would be the globalisation of our products by means of virtual retail platform or malls. Investment of about RM 1.3 billion will be spent on this area which can help competitors of RS to develop their online shop. (PEMANDU 2010) RS is well aligned to adopt to cloud computing. Moving into cloud for an established firm like RS requires a strong management vision statement and support for the migration. Strategies had to be developed to enable the migration to be completed flawlessly and most important, without hampering any existing business processes. Strategies to be taken by RS are as follows; Business Review To establish the key objectives, tools that can be use is SMARTA objectives which is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely and Agreed. ( Williams 2010, p. 102 ) Project Management To setup a Project management team to manage the migration and keep all stakeholders satisfied. An Implementation plan will provide the necessary clear procedures for the migration. ( Williams 2010, p. 113 ) Adoption to cloud system shall be done according to recommended solutions as below; For the routine communications and content management, RS would be wise to look at the various applications offered from cloud computing. This would probably relieve some of the bottleneck for support currently faced by RS IT departments staff. Part of the RS marketing channel to corporate users would be beneficial if there was an application similar to what is being offered by Sales.Force.com. The sales value chain from i

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Christian Rhetoric in The History of Mary Prince and Second Class Citiz

Christian Rhetoric in Mary Prince’s The History of Mary Prince, and Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen It is true, perhaps, that women are the subset of humanity whose rights had been the longest stripped of them, and who had been abused the worst and for the longest time. Even today, many people believe that women still do not have the equality that ought to be afforded them. Since women first started making steps to approach that ideal equality, they have used various means, including literature, to further their cause. Both Mary Prince’s The History of Mary Prince, as well as Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen, use language of Christian rhetoric to simultaneously cast their characters and themselves as sinners and the redeemed and righteous as well as portraying the journey of redemption between one and the other. This subconscious wording engenders fellowship in their readers, who can relate to the story of the redeemed, and who exist in an overwhelmingly moral and Christian society. The use of Christian rhetoric as a means to instill empathy in the reader is first and foremost evident in the specific language of the texts. The word choice of the author subtly highlights Christian ideals with direct relevance to the author and character herself. For example, Prince recalls a time after the white slave owners pulled down the slaves’ prayer shed, saying, â€Å"A flood came down soon after and washed away many houses, filled the place with sand and overflowed the ponds: and I do think that this was for their wickedness; for the Buckra men there were very wicked† (Prince 19). Prince’s use of the word wickedness here implies some sort of tie to Christianity. There is a vast array of words that could fit in the place of â€Å"wic... ...to view the writer’s work as in concert with Christian ideals and ideology, therefore establishing, in the mind of the reader, a thorough connection between the writer and their cause, and what the reader perceives, most likely, as moral and good. This holds true especially in Mary Prince’s The History of Mary Prince, as well as Buchi Emecheta’s Second Class Citizen, both of who use Christian rhetoric in a subconscious, literal, and in the case of Prince, plot-oriented manner. This causes their respective audiences to see them and their causes, through their characters, as righteous, therefore successfully fulfilling the purpose of using such language. Works Cited Emecheta, Buchi. Second-class Citizen. New York: G. Braziller, 1975. Print. Prince, Mary. The History of Mary Prince: a West Indian Slave Narrative. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 2004. Print.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Dramatic Incident Essay

â€Å"Never messed up with me or else, I will get back on you! † This is the line that the people around me were used in hearing for almost 5 years, since my college days. I was such a braggart, an attention deficit student in our College Department in BS Psychology. I wanted to be always the center of attraction to anyone. All I wanted was attention, love and respect. The things which were deprived by my family, friends and peers. I can say that because of what and how people treated me when I was still in high school made me in to who I was in College and until now. When I was in high school, I used to be the laughing stock in our room. Why? because of how I looked. I did not appear appealing to my classmates and even teachers. They based their respect and love with looks. I was so devastated that time that it came to a point where I asked myself. Why am I like this? Why do I look like this? Why do I have to be laughed of? Do not I have to right also to be respected and loved? All these things ruled in my mind for 4 years in high school. It was not just in school, but also in my family, in my home! They thought of me as nobody. They even didn’t recognize my achievement. I tried my best to be an honor student for them to appreciate me, but I was just frustrated. They never did! All their attention was with my beautiful sister. My ever loving, pretty and obedient sister named Grace. They always supported her on everything she does, in everything! I was so mad at this reality! That I decided that when I finished high school, I will get my freedom. I will redeem my being back, the one they stole from me. Then I graduated high school as a Valedictorian. Never have I received any appreciation or any rewards from them. But they did not know that it was already my time to see and let them see the side of me that they would not want to see. I enrolled at a known University as a scholar. I enrolled in BS Psychology. Then after one semester, I flanked all my subjects, I quarreled with a professor, I had a fight with Mrs. McGowan, who is the Dean of our College. I was so happy upon seeing my family suffer because of what I have done. They were so angry that their anger put me into the insanity of happiness. It was just the start of my revenge. Then second semester came, I enrolled in BS Nursing. After one week they found out that I did not paid the money they gave me which was intended for my tuition. They were horrified at this! Again, I was so happy. My mouth was filled with laughter then. After that event, I had a physical fight with a classmate. It made the Dean of Nursing call their attention for my detention. Then a week after that, I met a Mark. Our neighbor which was my long time friend. I courted the guy. Yes! I was the one who courted him and good thing he said yes. We went out for 3 weeks then suddenly, one cold night. I asked him to elope with me. At first he said no, for surely my parents were going to kill him. But I insisted and insisted. I blackmailed him that if he won’t agree, I will kill myself. Then he finally said yes. In the morning after that, we did it. We went to a place where nobody knew about us. In a secluded place, there we stayed for two days. After those days, I received a phone call saying that my mom had a heart attack. I was horrified upon hearing this. Even if I am such a stupid and disobedient daughter, I still love and cherish my mother so much. My mother who brought us up. The one toiled a living just for us to be in school and have a future. In hearing that bad news, I was so devastated and immediately decided to go back in our place. My boyfriend allowed me then so I immediately packed my things up and proceed to our home. I went there with my boyfriend. When we stepped into the house, all my siblings welcomed me with arms wide open. I could feel their love and care. They were all asking forgiveness at me. They were sorry for they knew they caused me too much hurt starting from the past. We exchanged forgiveness. I have nothing to do but to forgive them. I love my siblings so much that I do not want any trouble between us anymore. After we reconciled, we then went to the hospital to visit my mom. Upon arriving their, I talked with my mom. I asked forgiveness and her too. I explained my part and poured everything that I felt from the start. Just after I embraced my mom, she died. She held my hand so tight that I shouted from the very top of my voice. â€Å"Oh Lord! What have I done! If not of what I did, she should have been alive† talking to myself in front of the mirror. I was so guilty; my conscience was eating me up. I cried, and cried. I asked forgiveness for all the things that I have done that caused her so much hurt. I regretted the day when I decided to take my revenge against them. I was so downcast, I was so gloomy. I thought to myself, I should have been the one lying dead in the hospital bed and not my mother! I felt like I was the killer. But my siblings hugged me and said they did not blame me for what happened. It should not have been that way if I was not eaten up by my anger. But then things already happened. I guess things happen for a reason. They happen for a specific purpose in our lives, in my life. We should learn to forgive and forget. Forgive even if that person caused you too much pain, and forget, even if the experience and hurt is unforgettable. God has a purpose in everything. He let things happen in our lives for us to become strong and firm in our faith in Him. We should learn to rely on Him and not to ourselves. God would not give us something we can not bear. He will never leave us nor forsake us, even to the lowest valleys in our lives. He will always be there for us. I have realized that He is the only one that I need. I do not need anybody to feel love. I just need my Lord, my God! He is all that I wanted which I should have realized from the beginning. He is my only refuge and strength in times of trouble. His love is just enough and very satisfying in my soul. He is my all in all. I believe that my mother is already happy in heaven. I know she has forgiven me already. And I know she is there with God, eternally.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

PERCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT essays

PERCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT essays a) Describe 2 studies of perceptual development (12 marks). b) Assess the way in which such studies help to explain the development of perception (12 marks). In the following essay I intend to describe two studies of perceptual development. I then intend to assess such studies and how they help to explain the development of perception. By perceptual development, I mean how animals and humans alike develop their seeing capabilities. This development of perception could be learnt or innate. By innate, I mean to be born with the ability. a) Gibson and Walk conducted a study in 1960. The study was investigating Depth Perception. The study involved a 6-month-old child, 24-hour-old chicks, kids and lambs. Gibson and Walk used a 'Visual Cliff' to conduct the study. The 'Visual Cliff' was comprised of 2 floors. On one side there was a check-board pattern, on the other side there is glass floor. Below the glass floor there was another floor with check-board pattern. This was placed so that an illusion of a cliff and depth was created. At first the child was placed and was found to be reluctant to go onto the glass. The child's reluctance could be seen as even with encouragement from the child's mother, the child refused to go onto the glass. The study was continued on chicks, kids and lambs. All subjects studied refused to go onto the glass. Held and Hein conducted a study in 1965. The study was investigating Depth Perception. The study involved two kittens. The kittens were kept in the dark for a period of eight weeks since their birth and for three hours per day they were kept in a 'Kitten Carousel'. The kittens were given appropriate name. 'Passive Kitten' and Active Kitten' were their names. The Active Kitten was given the ability to move freely at it's own discretion, during the eight weeks. The Passive Kitten was unable to move freely during the eight weeks. Both Kittens were released into the l ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Internet Essays (1724 words) - Internet Protocols, Free Essays

The Internet Essays (1724 words) - Internet Protocols, Free Essays The Internet The Internet: How it Works and How it Effects the World Many people do not understand what the Internet is the power that it has over the world. The Internet is an extraordinary learning and entertainment tool that, when used properly, can significantly enhance a user's ability to gather information. Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) started the Internet. It was a project under taken by the Department Of Defense (DOD) in 1969. It started as an experiment to link together DOD and military research including Universities doing military-funded research. The reliable networking part involved dynamic rerouting. (Levine 12) If one of the computers was under enemy attack, the information could be automatically transferred to other links. Fortunately, the Net is not usually under enemy attack. The ARPANET was very successful, and every university in the country wanted to sign up. Because so many people wanted to use the Net, ARPANET started getting hard to manage, especially with many university sites on it. Therefore, it was broken into two parts: MILNET, which had all the military sites, and ARPANET, which had all the nonmilitary sites. The two networks remained connected, however, thanks to a technical scheme called IP (Internet Protocol), which enabled traffic to be routed from one net to another as needed. All the networks connected by IP in the Internet speak IP, so they can all exchange messages. (Levine 12) Even though there were only two networks at that time, IP was made to allow thousands of networks. The IP is designed so that every computer on an IP network is compatible. That means any machine can communicate with any other machine. The Internet, also called the Net, is the world's largest computer network. The Internet is the network of all networks. (Levine 7) The networks are connected to big companies like AT&T, as well as to home computers. About 1,000 networks join each month. Every computer that is attached to the Internet is called a host. Hosts can be super computers with thousands of users, regular PC's with only a couple of users, or specialized computers, like routers that connect networks together or to terminal servers that let terminals dial in and connect to other hosts. Each computer has its own host number. Being computers, the kind of numbers hosts like are 32-bit binary numbers. (Hayden 32) Here is an example of a binary number: 1011010010010100100100101000 Binary numbers are easier to remember by breaking them up into eight 4-bit groups. Then each group is translated into it's Hexadecimal equivalent. (Levine 18) So the number above would translate into this: B.49.49.28 This number is easier to use and remember. Every four digits in the binary number stands for one hexadecimal number. Below is a list of each four binary numbers and its hexadecimal equivalent. To figure out the binary number in the example into its Hex equivalent is in this way: 1011 is the first four digits of the binary number. Looking at the table, it can be determined that its hexadecimal equivalent is a B. The second set of four binary numbers is 0100. That changes into 4 and so on. The first four numbers of a host number tells you what class the network is. The chart bellow states classes and sizes: Class First Number Length of First No Max No of Hosts A 1-126 1 16,387,064 B 128-191 2 64,516 C 192-223 3 254 Big companies like IBM and Apple usually have class A networks. For example, IBM has network 9, and AT&T has network 12, so a host number 9.12.34.56 would be at IBM, and 12.98.76.54 would be at AT&T. (Levine 19) Medium sized companies and universities have class B networks. Rutgers University has network 128.6 and Goldman Sachs has network 138.8 (Levine 19) Small organizations use class C networks. Network 192.65.175, for example, is used by a single IBM research lab. To make it easier the Internet uses names, not numbers. For example, the machine we have heretofore referred to as 140.186.81.1 is named chico. (Levine 21) When ARPANET first came out, they had simple names; the machine at Harvard was called HARVARD. But since there are millions of names on the Net they had trouble coming up with different names. To avoid this problem they created the Domain Name System (DNS). Host names are strings of words separated with dots. For example,

Monday, November 4, 2019

Entrepreneurship Research Assignment Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Entrepreneurship Assignment - Research Proposal Example The primary idea would be to spread the idea to all the finishing school graduates and also ensure the very penetration of the concept deep into their minds and hearts the importance of such training and its impact. It would require wide marketing to ensure better spread of the concept. The marketing aspect would make certain quite good spread of the concept in the education arena so that the finishing school graduates, working professionals and executives would recognize the exact need for enhancing their career prospects. The primary strategy would be to market the concept to the educational departments and colleges. Seminars would be conducted at the colleges to integrate the need among the students. The very strategy to ensure appropriate degree of education for the finishing school would be detailed further in the seminar. The seminar would focus on identifying the loopholes one usually possess, some games and demo or mock interviews. This would not only focus on their strengths and weaknesses but would make a mark to make them realize their negatives. Once the concept penetration is successful, the project sails smoothly. The primary idea for making the right strategy would guarantee a better preparation for the youths to be a deployable for the industry (Reynolds, 2000). The training would ensure giving a right shape to the finishing school graduates and would ensure a better preparation for meeting up the business needs. The domain requirements are placed first but it requires to be sharpened across the edge. The communication skills enable a better shape to the graduates. The various infrastructure, faculty and resources for the purpose can be filled with a simple investment either from bank or personal resources. The marketing strategy would also go far into web marketing and ensuring a great deal of awareness. Opportunity 2: Hobbies often become extinct when a person grows up with their primary career. The little things which they pursue in their childhood is barely capitalized and simply forgotten once the monetary aspects come in the picture. The hobbies like collecting coins, playing games, writing, writing poems and singing and so many other things can often be taken up for a successful career. The idea here is to establish a stage where these small discoveries and passion would meet limelight. The concept is of an organization which would prioritize the small things rural children do as a hobby and market them widely to provide encouragement to the youngsters. Such materials like painting, crockery, utensils made of elementary stuff, making candles and writing poems are some of the things that can be put in one page for one to contribute more to it. The business idea is to put up a website to display and sell them for gathering a sum of money to contribute for the unprivileged. The rural sector is quite engaged in such things both as a passion and as a business for earning their daily food (Cooper, 2002). The idea is to organize seminars for the rural people and educate and upgrade them to learn some skills which they can excel with

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Obesity is increasingly referred to as a global epidemic. Discuss the Essay

Obesity is increasingly referred to as a global epidemic. Discuss the causes and consequences of, and possible solutions to this - Essay Example The BMI of an individual is calculated from the proportion of their body height and weight. It’s a statistical calculation that can be done even with the use of a calculator as long as you have your exact height and weight information. A BMI reading of above 25 is also an indication of overweight that if not looked at may develop into obesity. The point of accessing the information about your body weight as easily as through dialing a calculator is to help people get easy access and use the information effectively. Obesity is an epidemic that is at a very fast rate spreading throughout the world. The first study to calculate the impact on the environment of growing waistlines has estimated that the adult human population weighs in at 287 million tons, 15 million of which is due to the overweight and 3.5 million due to obesity (Gray 2012). Thus a lot of emphasis should be put in addressing this epidemic before the condition gets worse. This paper therefore examines this global epidemic; the causes and consequences, and possible solutions. CAUSES Obesity occurs when energy intake from food and drink consumption is greater than energy expenditure through the body’s metabolism and physical activity over a prolonged period, resulting in the accumulation of excess body fat (Public Health England 2013). It, just like any other condition or disease has its causes that can be looked into and avoided or precluded in our day to day lives. Such a risky health condition if not well treated and addressed can be fatal and even lead to death. Its causes are; too much eating of high calorie food, living in too much comfort with little physical exercise, medical reasons and lifestyle choice (NHS Choices 2013). This are causes that can be avoide since they involve our day to day lives and activities. They are actions that an individual can make do with or without as long they have the will and motivation to always keep fit and healthy. Eating too much food that has high callorie is a habit that is developed as people grow. Callories are the energy content that is available in a specific diet and measures its value thereof. Foods such as hamburger, fries can add a lot of calories to the body if consumed in large amounts, and it is therefore paramount that they are kept in check. The average physically active man needs 2,500 calories to maintain a healthy weight, and the average physically active woman needs 2,000 (NHS Choices 2013). The large amounts should be distributed among the different food types that have the different nutritious values, and not to just starch or protein foods alone. Lifestyle choice is also another cause of obesity and can as easily be kept in check to avoid this condition just like the others. People tend to envy and enjoy lives that are to the human eye perfect but in actual sense not balanced at all. Obesity depends of fat deposits that take quite some time to accumulate is hence it develops gradually in a person and not in one day. Living a lifestyle that is stylish of; fast food regularly, too much alcohol, too much sugary food and dessert eventually leads to increase in weight (NHS Choices 2013). This is especially if these are taken in large quantities and in almost every meal of the day. The excess that is in the body and of no nutritious value get deposited to the adipose tissues in the body and become fats that bring about overweight and then obesity. Such a lifestyle

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Marine Finance and Insurance - Coursework 2 Essay

Marine Finance and Insurance - Coursework 2 - Essay Example Similarly, they also have come to cater to companies from other countries in the course of their business. Through it all, marine industry players have become subject to foreign exchange risks. They have engaged in deals that would involve gains or losses resulting from the fluctuations in the exchange rates of foreign currencies used. Thus, foreign exchange risk should be acknowledged in the marine industry as a reality that all companies should be prepared for. If managed well, foreign exchange fluctuations can even present opportunities for companies to earn more. Huge capital investments for boats or similar fixed assets purchased from a foreign supplier can turn out to be big mistakes for marine companies that transacted them in a currency whose equivalent conversion to the native currency takes a nosedive right the next day or even weeks after the purchase date. The same is true with having collected revenues in currencies whose values abruptly plummets. Indeed, such cases are not to be underestimated or overlooked. They can lead to material, negative impact on the profitability and financial soundness of any marine company. As a matter of fact, the dread of ending up as casualties of abrupt foreign exchange fluctuation has led businessmen and investors across all industries to adopt different mechanisms to mitigate such risk. Fear and risk-aversion naturally come with things that are unpredictable, uncontrollable or unfamiliar. Risk, then, is a subject that ought to be explored and studied. If risks will be capably viewed in the right perspective by decision-makers, then strategic opportunities for growth and development will not go wasted or deliberately missed out due to attempts to avoid them. Winning companies do not avoid having to face risks; they embrace risk-taking and then learn from it. It is important to create in the company a culture that welcomes risk-taking as part and parcel of excelling in the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

White Privilege Essay Example for Free

White Privilege Essay In the aftermath of the election victory of Barack Obama, white supremacists rushed to online discussion forums to vent anger and disbelief that voters had chosen an African-American candidate as the next president of the United States. The Anti-Defamation League, which monitors and exposes extremist activity and rhetoric, said anger among white supremacists and other right-wing extremists in response to Obamas victory, resulted in an avalanche of vitriolic ranting postings on racist Web sites. At one point, the chatter so overloaded the server of the most popular white supremacist internet forum, Stormfront, which was temporarily shutdown. The notion that racism is a violation of human rights is not a new one, as those who have experienced it effects would testify. The ground-breaking progress gained by the civil rights movement of the 1960s in the United States has steadily eroded over the past decade, and the issues and incidents of racism as well as anti-Semitism, homophobia, and violence against women are ones that need to be addressed with increasing urgency. While the courts are more and more frequently relying on civil rights laws to prosecute racially motivated violence, the common abuses of basic human rights are often overlooked. In fact, the encroachment of white supremacist ideologies into the social fabric of our politics, our institutions, and our laws means that intolerance 1. is becoming the rule of the day, and the overt violation of the persons and property of individuals and groups is not only easily accepted, but part of the status quo. America has moved into a new era of white supremacy. The new tactics used by white supremacists and far right organizations must be exposed so that we can work together to mitigate their effectiveness. This includes a discussion of the relationship between three converging and ever-growing factionsthe ultra-conservatives, religious fundamentalists, and the far right. In this context, racism cannot stand alone as the sole antagonist of human rights violations. The victims of white supremacist ideologies and politics include immigrants, gays and lesbians, Jews, and women, as well as people of color. From the ranks of homophobes, anti-abortionists, racists, anti-Semites, and those who are simply afraid of a fast-changing world, white supremacists find willing allies in their struggle to control Americas destiny. Hate groups cannot be dismissed as a more complex than the virulence of a few fringe fanatics. With the breathless way the media covers hate groups, it is sometimes easier to characterize them simply as misfits or extremists, rather than acknowledge them as part of the larger problem of widespread racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia. FBI statistics report that 65 percent of Americas hate crimes are committed by whites against blacks. A good portion of such hate crimes are what we call move-in violence, when neighborhoods, schools, churches, or jobs are finally integrated 2. 30 years after the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Terror over the visibility of the lesbian and gay movement lays behind the numerous hate crimes against gays and lesbians (and their allies) the fastest-growing hate crime category in the country. Some of the haters, living on the United States borders, are petrified at the thought that brown hordes of Mexicans, Chinese, or Haitians may swarm over them if they cease their militant rhetoric and violence toward these immigrants. If they live near Native American reservations, the aim of their violence is to challenge the few remaining treaty rights granted native peoples. Other white supremacists want to save the white race by controlling the behavior of white womenthey attack interracial couples, lesbians, and feminists. They join the anti-abortion movement, believing they can prevent white women from getting legal abortions. Racist far right organizations have been quick to glorify anti-abortion violence, making it yet another hot issue to fuel the fires of the white revolution. Hate groups have decided that they are no longer willing to wait for the white revolution, the violent backlash against human rights movements. They want a fast solution before, as they put it, the white race is extinct. These fanatics are terrorists who use bombs, murder, arson, and assaults in their genocidal war. Some skinheadsfor example, the Fourth Reich Skins arrested a few years ago in Los Angeles or the Aryan National Front, convicted of murdering homeless people in Alabama are in the vanguard of this street-level violence. Meanwhile, older survivalists like Randy Weaver, who was acquitted of killing a federal marshall in an Idaho firefight in 1992, 3.are barricaded in mountain shelters with stockpiles of weapons, awaiting the final Armageddon. Impressionable, often alienated people, both young and old, are natural recruits for this movement. They bring new energy and a willingness to display their hatred aggressively. They also expand the influence of the white supremacist movement, into the anti-abortion movement, into the anti-gay movement, into the English only movement, opening new avenues for the expression of hate. In the 21st century, the image of organized hate is rapidly changing. It is no longer the exclusive domain of white men over 30. It is becoming younger, meaner and more violent. Many people join the movement as teenagers, including a remarkable number of young women. This new and dangerous increase accounts for nearly one-third of the membership of some hate groups. The increase in the number of women, coupled with a strategic thrust to reform the public image of hate groups, has expanded womens leadership. These new recruits do not fit the stereotypical image of wives on their husbands arms. In fact, many of them are college-educated, very sophisticated, and display skills usually found among the rarest of intellectuals in the movement. Of particular concern in this early 21st century is a continuing convergence of sections of the white supremacist movement with the radical Christian Right, as represented by Pat Robertson, and nationalist ultra-conservatives, as represented by the crackpot Tea Party members and conservative Republicans such as Rick Santorum. This alliance is between religious determinists who think that ones degree of Christianity determines one’s future, economic determinists who see themselves in a 4.war of the haves against the have-nots, and biological determinists for whom race is everything. All believe they are in battle to save Western civilization (white Europeans) from the ungodly and the unfit (people of color, gays and lesbians, and Jews). What many Americans fail to realize is that, increasingly, white people are being literally scared out of their wits by demagogues, who crystallize for them their fears of people of color, lesbians and gays, the government, the media, welfare mothers, immigrants, the economy, health care, and the list goes on. The fact that race relations in the United States are usually presented as a black/white model disguises the complexity of color, the brutality of class, and the importance of religion and sexual identity in the construction and practice of white supremacy. This simplistic model, which fails to convey many of the important aspects of white supremacy, cannot specifically explain how white supremacy influences American culture and politics. White supremacy is an ideology that manipulates US politics and affects all relations in American society. It is sustained by rigid ideological categories. The construction of racial categories, although varying greatly over time, has always been based on the economic, social, and political aspirations of people of European descent. Throughout European history, racial definitions have been based on lineage, characteristics, skin hue, and religion. At the present time, there are not safe places for the victims of this type of violence to turn. No homeless shelters, no womens shelters, and often not even 5.police departments offer them support. The first step in building these resources is to recognize the magnitude of the problem so that human rights activists can come together to offer help and support to those outside the majority rule. A concerted, prolonged effort to teach young people about the true impact of white supremacy and its prevalence in American society is fundamental to breaking the cycle. To ignore this issue is to build intolerance into the next generation. An understanding of the historical and institutional effects of racism and the other isms that dominate our culture and society is vital to understanding present bigotry and abuse. In conclusion, when we recognize that racism, homophobia, sexism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia flow from the same spring, and that they permeate every aspect of the lives of all Americans, we can then take steps together to make the United States a place that respects and honors the dignity of all people. 6. A Childs Tale By Gloria A. Loftin Let me tell you a tale my child of blue and grey of a world gone wild Let me tell you a tale my child of men in hoods and capes of hearts full of rage and hate Let me tell you a tale my child of men of god of greed and wealth Let me tell you a tale my child of peace and hope for all the world Let me tell you a tale my childÃ'Ž