Parkinson's Disease Discussion Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Parkinson's Disease Discussion - Research Paper Example Management of motor response changes, for example, nighttime deterioration, dyskinesias, early morning deterioration, and psychiatric problems can only be successful if there are strategies for treatment. Although tremendous efforts and developments have been made in comprehending the pathophysiology that lie beneath this condition, the cause is not yet known, and there is no treatment that is curative. This paper will look at the video â€Å"My Father, My Brother, and Me†, and attempt to discuss issues that surround Parkinson’s disease. Firstly, there is a personal drive to understand Parkinson’s disease. The disease has affected the actor’s family members. During his undertakings, he meets with various remarkable people who are doing research about the disease. The researcher’s meeting with frozen heroin addicts results in a monumental step forward. An individual who had suffered from this disease got a reformed living by going through the surgery of the brain. Moreover, he encountered a geneticist who assisted in identifying some of the mutations responsible for Parkinson disease. It has also been noted by specialists that at least six genes can cause Parkinson’s disease. Secondly, there is a belief that the debate involving genetics and environment is adequate because there has not been an answer to it. A development of the connection between genetics and environment has led to the improvement of Parkinson’s disease research hugely in the last few years. Thirdly, it is fascinating to know that even with the progression in the embryonic cell therapies; the research was stopped in 2006 by the former United States president, George Bush. He did this by vetoing the bill that was supposed to increase funding for stem cell research. He was largely responding to pressure from various religious groups. Fourthly, there is an illustration of the different treatment, medication of interest,

Giorgio Vasari on Lorenzo Ghiberti

Giorgio Vasari on Lorenzo Ghiberti This text contains a mixture of bibliographical and historical information regarding Ghiberti’s life and the circumstances in which he received the commission for the doors for the Baptistery of San Giovanni, next to the Duomo in Florence. It contains factual information regarding the background and training of the artist; the participants and judges of the competition to win the contract; descriptive information about the location of the door, its manufacture and some of the practical difficulties experienced by Ghiberti whilst working on it. The text therefore gives information that is helpful to the historian in understanding some of the facts surrounding the production of art in fifteenth century Florence and the circumstances of production of one particular artistic creation. However, to regard this as a purely objective historical account would be a mistake. Rubin (1995, 2) comments that ‘the components of Vasari’s history had generic precedents and parallel s in biography, technical treatises, and didactic literature, both classical and contemporary’. Vasari was able to fuse the elements of these different genres in order to situate Ghiberti (and the other artists in The Lives) within a developing tradition of artistic enterprise and to create a history of art that included aesthetic judgement. Vasari’s teleological view of the development of art goes beyond mere biographical and historical description and this aspect of his work is particularly important because it gives the modern reader information about how artists of the later Renaissance period viewed artistic products from an earlier time and also how a theoretical stance towards the nature of art was being developed. Having grown up as the son of an artisan, Vasari had received part of his education in his home town of Arezzo and then spent a part of his adolescence with the Medici family, who were at that time the most prominent family in Florence. It was among their children that he furthered his education and was undoubtedly exposed to the humanist curriculum that would have been a part of their education at that time. Although Vasari would not have had a university education, he was nonetheless familiar with the basics of humanist thought. Vasari’s own life, therefore, exemplified the way in which art had become a vital part of aristocratic life and education and how it gave practitioners of the arts an entry into the highest parts of society. Whilst earlier generations of painters and sculptors had been regarded merely as craftsmen and had worked relatively anonymously, by Vasari’s time individual artists were able to capitalise on their reputations to gain high financial remun eration as well as fame. The text reveals that Ghiberti’s father had these two goals in mind when he urged Ghiberti to come back to Florence to enter the competition, which would be ‘an occasion to make himself known and demonstrate his genius’ and also that, if his son gained recognition as a sculptor, ‘neither †¦ would ever again need to labour at making ear-rings’. The ambitious artist was, therefore, able to advance his career and wealth through winning great commissions. Welch (1997, 125) observes that ‘by the mid-fourteenth century a number of Italian artists, particularly in Tuscany, seem to have been aware of the need to promote themselves and their memory, either by writing themselves or by encouraging others to write about them‘. It is within this tradition that Vasari wrote his The Lives. In classical times, writers such as Plutarch and Pliny had written biographical works about famous men’s lives and the Renaissance preoccupation with the revival of antiquity provided a stimulus for this genre of biography that is focussed on the rhetorical practice of praising worthy and famous men, including artists (Pliny’s Natural History provided the model for writing about artists of Graeco-Roman antiquity (Welch, 1997, 125)). Ghiberti himself had written Commentaries, a work that included a section on antiquity, another on his own autobiography, and a third on the theory of optical illusion. This is the work to which Vasari ref ers in the text. Vasari alludes to Ghiberti’s use of Pliny as a model and he thus demonstrates that they are all, in their different ways, participating in an ancient tradition of writing about art and that they are all seeking a form of immortality through writing as well as through making art. Yet Vasari is somewhat disparaging in his comments on Ghiberti as a writer and his criticism may derive from the context in which he was practicing his own art. The courtly values of ease, modesty and gracefulness as exemplified in Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier had come to dominate the world of the Renaissance courts in which Vasari worked and may have been the cause of his disdain for the Ghiberti’s ‘vulgar tone’ and his condemnation of Ghiberti’s brief treatment of the ancient painters in favour of a lengthy and detailed ‘discourse about himself’. Cole (1995, 176) argues that Vasari was influenced by Castiglione in that he ‘urged the artist to disguise his labour and study and stress his facilita (ease) and prestezza (quickness of execution)’. It may have been that Vasari perceived that Ghiberti had not lived up to this artistic ideal in his writing. Another earlier writer on art, Leon Battista Alberti, had ’al ways stressed the joining of diligenza (diligence) with prestezza’ (Cole, 1995, 176). The influence of such aesthetic values are revealed in many of the judgements that Vasari makes; in the text, his comments on the relative merits of the submissions for the competition include technical terms that are still used today, such as ‘composition’ and ‘design’, but he also uses terms such as ‘grace’ and ’diligence’ which have a rather more specific relationship to their Renaissance context. The text does not only reveal the courtly values that were a part of Vasari’s aesthetic. Florence had a long tradition of civic and republican values and Vasari’s account shows the ways in which the guilds and the Commune, together with ordinary citizens, all had a part to play in Ghiberti’s enterprise. Whilst the guild of Merchants had set up the competition, the location of the door in the Baptistery nonetheless has a civic and religious function that would have made it a very public work of art. Ghiberti’s practice of appealing to popular taste is revealed in Vasari’s’ description of him ‘ever inviting the citizens, and sometimes any passing stranger who had some knowledge of the art, to see his work, in order to hear what they thought, and those opinions enabled him to execute a model very well wrought and without one defect’. Peter Burke (2000, 76) comments on the value of Vasari as a source for the evidence of a popular res ponse to art in Florence and the ways in which ‘ordinary people, craftsmen and shopkeepers, were not only familiar with the names of the leading artists of their city, past and present, but they were not afraid to offer opinions often critical opinions about the value of particular works.’ Vasari’s work thus shows evidence of civic as well as courtly values and demonstrates the phenomenon of the artist who had particularly frequent opportunities for mobility, both geographically and socially, in the Renaissance period. Vasari’s book was divided into three parts that corresponded to three ‘ages’ of Renaissance art, roughly equivalent to the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. This corresponded to Vasari’s view of the art history of the Renaissance as a progression towards increasing perfection. In the text, this teleological view is revealed in Vasari’s description of Ghiberti’s relationship with his father. Vasari attributes the initial prompting to compete to Ghiberti’s father, who wrote to Ghiberti ‘urging him to return to Florence in order to give a proof of his powers’, Ghiberti is also described as having ‘from his earliest years learnt the art of the goldsmith from his father’, yet ‘he became much better therein than his father’. Vasari thus uses his description of Ghiberti’s career to make the point that each generation has a debt to the past and can gain skill and knowledge from the pas t, and yet each generation exceeds the previous one and participates in the forward progression of artistic development. The Renaissance was a period in which the use of the past was a particular feature and the revival of antiquity was not restricted to the increased knowledge of ancient texts. In describing Ghiberti’s career, Vasari also reveals the vogue for casting medals in the ancient style and for portraiture that was based on the coins and medals of the Roman era, when he comments that ‘he also delighted in counterfeiting the dies of ancient medals, and he portrayed many of his friends from the life in his time’. The more recent past was also an important source for the Renaissance artist, as described by Vasari. In the text, Vasari makes it clear that Ghiberti owes a debt to both Giotto and Pisano: ‘the arrangement of the scenes was similar to that which Andrea Pisano had formerly made in the first door, which Giotto designed for him.’ Again, though, Ghiberti is held to have exceeded their artistry and progressed beyond the ’old manner of Giotto’s time’ to ’the manner of the moderns’. Vasari thus reveals that there was, during the Renaissance period, a self-consciousness about artistic production and the theory of art. There was a definite perception of ’modernity’ with respect to what was then current and a tendency to reject the type of style that was though to be in the ‘old manner’. Much that is found in Vasari is still useful to our study of Renaissance art. He provides many useful factual details, such as the names and cities of the competitors for the Baptistery door commission, and the information that many foreigners were present and participating in the artistic life of Florence. He also provides evidence of the factors that affected aesthetic judgement during the period. He provides a great deal of evidence of contemporary practices and attitudes and his allusions to specific writers and works from antiquity provide us with evidence of how the study of the classical period influenced the thought and practices of Renaissance artists. His work enables us to see how the artists of the later Renaissance period were assimilating and judging the work of their immediate predecessors from the period of Cimabue and Giotto onwards. In this text, we also have an example of the way in which Vasari gives us evidence of how artists trained, when he states that Ghiberti worked on small reliefs ‘knowing very well that [they] are the drawing-exercises of sculptors’. His description of the competition also gives us evidence of the competitive spirit in which art was created, when he states that ‘with all zeal and diligence they exerted all their strength and knowledge in order to surpass one another’. Vasari also shows the ways in which different individuals felt empowered to judge art either through formal means by being appointed by the guild as judges or through the informal means of ordinary citizens giving their opinions directly to Ghiberti. In all of these ways, Vasari gives us not only information not only about artists and the circumstances of the production of art, but also, crucially, about its audience who they were and what they thought about it. Vasari’s emphasis on Florence (and Tuscany) as the major site of the genius of the Renaissance also still influences the modern study of art history, as does the ways in which he has framed artistic development as a progression from cruder and more naà ¯ve forms to the greater subtlety and ‘perfection’ of the later Renaissance. In some ways, it may be that this has been a negative influence: perhaps other parts of Italy and further afield in Europe have suffered a neglect and lack of interest as a result of this (arguably) over-emphasis on Florence. It may also be that the sense of progression has given a higher value to later works of art than those of earlier periods and that this has also caused too much emphasis on what is not known as the High Renaissance period and a neglect of other periods. Nonetheless, it cannot be in doubt that Vasari has made an important contribution to art history on his work The Lives and it is this contribution that has led him to be termed, by some, the first art historian. BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Sources Castiglione, Baldasar, The Book of the Courtier, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1976. Vasari, Giorgio, Lives of the Artists, Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1972. Secondary Sources Boase, T.S.R., Georgio Vasari: the Man and the Book, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1979. Burke, Peter, ‘Learned Culture and Popular Culture in renaissance Italy’, in Whitlock, Keith, ed., The Renaissance in Europe: A Reader, New Haven and London, Yale University Press, 2000. Cole, Alison, Virtue and Magnificence: Art of the Italian Renaissance Courts, New York: Harry N Abrams, 1995. Rubin, Patricia Lee, Giorgio Vasari: Art and History, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1995. Rud, Einar, Vasari’s Life and Lives: the First Art Historian, London: Thames and Hudson, 1963. Welch, Evelyn, Art in Renaissance Italy: 1350-1500, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Essay example --

Costa Rica is a small, democratic country, located in Central America. Nicaragua is to the north of Costa Rica and Panama to the south and it is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The country is very small, only about 32,000 square miles and is slightly smaller than the state of West Virginia (CIA, para. 2 2013). This beautiful country only covers about 0.03% of the earth’s surface, yet contains about 5% of the biodiversity in the world (Visit Costa Rica, para. 2). The climate is tropical and subtropical and has four volcanoes, two of which are still active (CIA, 2013, para. 2). The population of Costa Rica is 4,805,000 (WHO, 2009). The population growth is roughly 1.27% annually (CIA, 2013, para 3). About 64% of the country’s population lives in urban areas (CIA, 2013, para. 3). Although Central America is considered poor by many, Costa Rica’s poverty rate is lower than its neighboring countries – it is about 20% percent (CIA, 2013, para. 3). In 2012, the gross domestic profit (GDP) was $59.79 billion, or $12,800 per capita (CIA, 2013, para 3). A considerable amount of the country’s income comes from agricultural exports and tourism (CIA, 2013, para. 5). Agriculture makes up about 6.2% of the GPD and industry makes up about 2.5% of the (CIA, 2013, para. 5). Costa Rica was first settled in 1522 (Michigan State University (MSU), n.d., para. 1). It was settled as a colony by the Spanish in 1563 (CIA, 2013, para. 1). In 1821 along with the other provinces in Central America, it proclaimed its independence from Spain (MSU, n.d., para. 3). Then in 1838 Costa Rica proclaimed itself sovereign (CIA, 2013, para. 1). In 1899 Costa Rica began its democracy by having the first true e... ...Many poor countries suffer much worse public health problems and disasters than the people of Costa Rica, but they are very fortunate to have the health system that they have in place. In 2011, Costa Rica’s health expenditure on health care was 10.9% of the GDP (CIA, 2013, para. 3). This is one of the highest in the world. The Ministry of Health is able to focus on influencing public policies, create policies to protect the health of the people and provide guidance. They are always investigating new trends in medicine and finding the best way to help the Costa Rican public. It seems that the focus of the Ministry of Health and the CCSS is more about the care and the health of the people, even though the health expenditure is so high compared to most other countries. They do have this money to spend partly because of the lack of any military forces to finance.

Microsoft Office suite

Over the past decade, Microsoft has produced its best selling software devices for computer products such as Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite. In 2007, the Microsoft Corporation generated $51.12 billion and its product market share estimated as 90% in 2003 for Microsoft Office and 2006 for Microsoft Windows. In the mid-1980’s, Microsoft dominated the home computer operating system and has been accused of being monopolistic, although considered a developer centric-business culture.   The company’s website is one of the most visited on the World Wide Web having received more than 2.4 million page views. In the founding years between 1975-1985, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems were founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico then later moved to Bellevue, Washington of January 1, 1979, and then Bill Gates succeeded as CEO in 1980. DOS (Disk Operating System) had brought the company real success. In 1981, IBM awarded a contract to Microsoft for providing a version of the CPM operating system that would become IBM Personal Computer. In the 1990’s, Microsoft rose and launched Windows 3.0. the new operating system introducing new features. Windows generated more revenue popularity, and became the favored PC. Then Microsoft went onto release Windows NT. 3.1 and Windows 95. Furthermore, it expanded its product line into computer networking and the World Wide Web. Then afterwards, MSN network became a major online service competing against AOL and went along with NBC to create a new 24/7 cable news station MSNBC. In 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP that changed the face of the old fashioned Windows. Then the Windows XP Home Edition and Windows Vista. â€Å"Since the 1980’s, Microsoft has been the focus of much controversy in the computer industry. Most criticism has been for its business tactics, often described with the motto â€Å"embrace, extend and extinguish† Microsoft initially embraces a competition standard or product, then extends it to produce their own incompatible version of the software or standard, which in time extinguishes competition that does not or cannot use Microsoft’s new version† (Rodger, 1998).                                       

Asian Countries

Asian countries are strong in culture values and intelligent minds. It have given birth to popular celebrities, famous priests and good politicians, (Sweetman, K. 2012). However, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are multi-ethnic societies with Malays, Chinese and Indians, (Commisceo Global. 2018). These countries are on ethnicities retain their customs, religions and lifestyles. In Malaysia, people are maintain face and avoid shame. This makes Malaysian strive for harmonious relationships. Indonesia is large diverse nation which have great deal of attention from it government to maintain a cohesion, (Commisceo Global. 2018). Singapore have concepts of group, harmony and mutual security are more important than individual. They also emphasize loyalty, unity and respect for elder.POWER DISTANCEAccording to Geert, power distance is attitude of culture towards inequalities in the society, (Hofstede, G. 2011). Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are scores higher than 71 which is average score of Asian countries, (Sweetman, K. 2012). This shows that Asian culture is more paternalistic, hence people expect and accept different incomes and privileges, (Fanggy, P and Brian, S. 2014). Subordinates maintain a distance from the bosses and have sense of respect and fear, (Fanggy, P and Brian, S. 2014). In education system, teachers are treated with respect and class is strict order. Moreover, Parents have big authority and respect to parents and elderly lasts during whole life. Therefore, children are not supported to be initiative. In comparison, Malaysia has higher power distance compare to Singapore and Indonesia. This is because of Malay feudal system and the influence of British, (Fanggy, P and Brian, S. 2014). Thus, Malay culture is very respectful of a complex of titled classes and untitled ‘commoners' and to great power to top of organisation.INDIVIDUALISMMalaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are geared towards a collectivism culture, meaning that the group is more important than individual, (Merkin, R. 2015). Responsibility exists and when one participant breaks the rule then the whole group feels disgraced. Therefore, these countries give more importance to family. Furthermore, harmony is very crucial and open conflict is avoided, (Globig. 2010). ‘Saving face' for other is always a goal and bosses always calm and respectful, (Globig. 2010). In comparison, Indonesian are highly collective comparing with Malaysia and Singapore. This is because they hold their traditions tightly. The principle of Bhineka Tunggal IKa (unity in diversity) was adopted for the republic, (Rahmawati, M. 2010). Moreover, they idea regarding belief in God, humanity, tolerance, democracy and justice are incorporated in the Pancasila (five principle) which reflects country's way of life as the reflection of collectivism, (Rahmawati, M. 2010).MASCULINITYMasculinity focus on societies with assertiveness, materialism and achievements whereas femininity refer to societies of caring, modesty and quality of life, (Blog on Linguistics. 2013). According to Geert, there are slightly differences between Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Despite, Malaysia is in middle, that consensus and sympathy are important, as are being modest and humble. However, Singapore and Indonesia have low masculinity which consider as femininity. These countries are social relationship oriented and give importance to quality of life rather than money. Also these give high priority for environmental protection rather than economic growth.UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCEUncertainty avoidance is the way society handles with the things that will happen in future, (Hofstede, G. 2011). According to the chart, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are low preference for avoiding uncertainty which are willing to take risk and try new in life. Furthermore, the countries are prefer to maintain more relaxed attitude and punctuality do not come naturally. In addition, these countries are comfortable with ambiguity and chaos and there is no problem when change jobs. In comparison, although all countries are weak in uncertainty avoidance, Singapore has very low uncertainty avoidance. In other words, Singaporean accepts the change easily and they state their country as Fine country, (Hofstede, G. 2011). Another reason, they also maintain greater level of tolerance towards unorthodox ideas. Therefore, Singapore is more creative than other countries.LONG-TERM ORIENTATIONLong term orientation prefer future more importance than past and present, (Hofstede, G. 2011). According to the Geert, Singapore and Indonesia are long term orientated culture which known as ‘pragmatism', (Hofstede, G. 2011). Basically, it support long term investment, respect to knowledge, honesty, openness to new thought, responsibility and self-discipline, (Blog on Linguistics. 2013). Therefore, Singapore and Indonesia have strong propensity to save and invest for future, at the same time also focuses on quick result. In other hand, Malaysia is short term orientated culture which have more focus on their personal well-being and spend very low on environment, (Blog on Linguistics. 2013). Malaysian are primarily respect tradition especially Malays. An addition, they also more concern with ‘face saving' and fulfil social obligations. Therefore, they are more independence and focus on quick result compare to Singapore and Indonesia.INDULGENCEIndulgent societies allow free gratification related to enjoying life and have fun, (Globig. 2010). Therefore, Malaysia is indulgent country which majority are happy and most of them are obese. Malaysian have perception of personal life control and focuses more on leisure. Moreover, they educated population with higher birth rates. In other hand, Indonesia have restrained societies that suppress of needs and regulate them by strict social norms, (Globig. 2010). Hence, Indonesian give lower importance for the leisure. Only few people involved in sports. Country with enough food but less obese people. However, Singapore falls in the middle on this dimension.RECOMMENDATIONAs a recommendation, Malaysia should improve on long term orientation. Long term working towards future goal and maintain harmonious relationship for future. Moreover, in business, long term investment will get more profit. Thus, can build strong market position. Singapore should improve on higher uncertainty avoidance. Therefore, Singapore could have more structure and rule, which people do not make mistakes. For example, can reduce car collisions. It also will increase security rather than taking risks. Indonesia should improve on individualism. It brings respects on individual rights and do not require people to change their true personalities for society. Furthermore, individual society motivated people to strive for success. Moreover, individualism can reduce the country's tax pay.

The Obama Administrations Animal Protection Record

The Obama Administrations Animal Protection Record Expectations were high during President Barack Obama’s election campaign, and for good reason. Obama and VP Joe Biden both had great records on animal protection issues heading into the election, and won the endorsement of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. Also before the election, Obama participated in Jana Kohls book against puppy mills, A Rare Breed of Love, and promised to adopt a rescue dog. One pre-election disappointment was Obamas statement that a hunter should head the Department of the Interior. Despite pleas from animal advocates, Obama appointed a hunter, Senator Ken Salazar, as Secretary of the Interior. However, Obama also appointed Tom Vilsack, recommended by the Humane Society Legisative Fund, as Secretary of Agriculture. Fast-forward to the present, and Obamas actions since taking office have been a mixed bag: January, 2009: Obama Suspends Delisting of Grey WolvesOn his first day in office, Obama put a freeze on a number of federal regulations adopted by the Bush administration in its final days, including the delisting of grey wolves under the Endangered Species Act. This gave the wolves a temporary reprieve, and gave animal advocates hope.March, 2009: Grey Wolves in Northern Rockies DelistedJust weeks after giving hope to animal advocates, the Obama administration delisted wolves under the Endangered Species Act. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, a hunter and rancher himself, cleared the way for individual states to begin killing wolves in order to protect animal agribusiness interests.March, 2009: Slaughter of Downed Cows Banned in the USSecretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack banned the slaughter of downer cows - cows who are too sick, weak or injured to stand on their own. The decision was applauded by animal advocates across the country.April, 2009: Obama Breaks Promise to Rescue a DogThis was the most disappointing move, probably because it was so unexpected. By getting a dog from a breeder, Obama broke his promise to animal advocates and reinforced the misconception that people cannot get their dog of choice from a shelter or rescue group. The Obamas decision will lead to puppy mills churning out Portuguese water dogs, and one breeder of PWDs described the sudden demand for the breed as general mayhem. April, 2009: Scientific Requirements of Endangered Species Act RestoredSecretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a revocation of the Bush administrations weakening of the Endangered Species Act. With this move, the Obama administration brought back the ESAs longstanding scientific requirements and fulfilled Obamas promise to reverse the Bush administrations change.May, 2009: Polar Bears Wont be Protected from Global Warming Ken Salazar, Obamas Secretary of the Interior, failed to overturn a Bush-era rule that weakens the Endangered Species Act and jeopardizes the survival of polar bears.June, 2009: Michelle Obama is Fur-Free More of a personal stance than a political one, but like the decision to accept a dog from a breeder, the first couples actions are highly influential.June, 2009: Obama to Nominate Sam D. Hamilton, a Hunter, as Head of USFWS Obama announces his intention to place an avid hunter in charge of our nations National Wildlife Refuges. June, 2009: Obama Swats, Kills Fly Obama swats and kills a fly on camera, during an interview with CNBC.July, 2009: Animal Protection Views Hold Up Nomination of Cass Sunstein Although the nomination has been stalled, Obama deserves credit for appointing an animal advocate in his administration.November, 2009: Critical Habitat for Polar Bears Proposed The Obama administration proposes the designation of over 200,000 square miles of Alaskan land, water and ice as critical polar bear habitat. While the designation would be a good first step, the proposal still allows oil and gas drilling and does nothing to address climate change.November, 2009: BLM Removes Thousands of Wild Horses to Make Room for Millions of Cattle The Obama administration continues a long-standing policy of removing wild horses while allowing cattle to graze on public lands.November, 2009: Obama Pardons Turkey Obama continues a 20-year tradition of pardoning a turkey for Thanksgiving, but adds his own comments. Continued on Page 2 Questions or comments? Discuss in the Forum

10 Groundhog Day Quotes to Remind You Spring Is Near

10 Groundhog Day Quotes to Remind You Spring Is Near It may seem far-fetched to those who live closer to the equator. But for people closer to the poles, Groundhog Day marks the arrival of spring and the end of winter. Revere the little furry creature that is likely to make an accurate prognosis of the arrival of spring this Groundhog Day. Read these Groundhog Day quotes to celebrate the season of joy. W. J. VogelTo shorten winter, borrow some money due in spring.​Clyde MooreTheres one good thing about snow, it makes your lawn look as nice as your neighbors.​Kin HubbardDont knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldnt start a conversation if it didnt change once in a while.William Camden,  Remains, 1605One swallow maketh not summer; nor one woodcock a winter.​Anthony J. DAngelo, The College Blue BookWherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.Bill VaughnThe groundhog is like most other prophets; it delivers its prediction and then disappears.​Patrick YoungThe trouble with weather forecasting is that its right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.​Phil ConnorsThis is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.​George SantayanaTo be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.​George HerbertEvery mile is two in winter.

Rice; Food; Meal in Chinese

Rice; Food; Meal in Chinese é ¥ ­ (or é £ ¯Ã‚  in traditional Chinese) is pronounced fn in pinyin. This is the 618th most common character in Chinese and can mean rice, food or meal. The two latter meanings are the most common in modern Chinese. Character Breakdown é ¥ ­ / é £ ¯ is a semantic-phonetic compound, which means that one part describes its meaning and the other part describes its pronunciation. The character is composed of two parts:   é ¥ £/é £  (shà ­): food; to eatÃ¥   (fÇŽn): contrary; reverse é ¥ £/é £  (shà ­), which means food; to eat, is obviously related to the meaning of the word and is also the radical of this character. Ã¥   means contrary; reverse, and is not related to the meaning of the character. Instead, this character component carries information about how its pronounced. Since this character was created a long time ago, things have changed and the pronunciation is no longer identical. In fact, the tone is different. Still, if you know how to pronounce this component, remembering the pronunciation of the entire character becomes easier (and the other way around). Common Words Using Fn Coupled with another character,  Ã© ¥ ­ can take on a different meaning. Here are a few examples: Ã¥ Æ'é ¥ ­ (chÄ « fn): to eat (in general, not to eat rice)æâ€" ©Ã© ¥ ­ (zÇŽo fn): breakfastÃ¥ Ë†Ã© ¥ ­ ( wÇ” fn): lunch晚é ¥ ­ (wÇŽn fn): dinneré ¥ ­Ã© ¦â€  (fn guÇŽn): restaurantç ± ³Ã© ¥ ­ (m Ç  fn): riceè ¦ Ã© ¥ ­ (yo fn): to begé ¥ ­Ã¥ ºâ€" (fn din): hotel (typically one that has a restaurant inside) Sentence Examples Using  Fn QÇ ng gÄ›i wÇ’ yÄ «wÇŽn bifn.è ¯ ·Ã§ »â„¢Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã§ ¢â€"ç™ ½Ã© ¥ ­Ã£â‚¬â€š(traditional Chinese)è «â€¹Ã§ µ ¦Ã¦Ë†â€˜Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã§ ¢â€"ç™ ½Ã© £ ¯ (simplified Chinese)Please give me a bowl of white rice.NÇ  kÄ›yÇ  mÇŽi yÄ « jÄ «n mÇ fn ma?ä ½  Ã¥  ¯Ã¤ » ¥Ã¨ ² ·Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¦â€" ¤Ã§ ± ³Ã© £ ¯Ã¥â€"Žä ½  Ã¥  ¯Ã¤ » ¥Ã¤ ¹ °Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¦â€" ¤Ã§ ± ³Ã© ¥ ­Ã¥ â€"Can you buy a pound of rice, please?WÇ’ à ¨ le! Qà ¹ chÄ «fn ba!我é ¤â€œÃ¤ ºâ€ Ã¥Å½ »Ã¥ Æ'é £ ¯Ã¥  §!我é ¥ ¿Ã¤ ºâ€ Ã¥Å½ »Ã¥ Æ'é ¥ ­Ã¥  §!Im hungry! Lets go eat!NÇ  mÄ  zuà ² de fn ti ho chÄ «leä ½  Ã¥ ª ½Ã¥ Å¡Ã§Å¡â€žÃ© £ ¯Ã¥ ¤ ªÃ¥ ¥ ½Ã¥ Æ'ä ºâ€ Ã¤ ½  Ã¥ ¦Ë†Ã¥ Å¡Ã§Å¡â€žÃ© ¥ ­Ã¥ ¤ ªÃ¥ ¥ ½Ã¥ Æ'ä ºâ€ Your moms cooking so so good.NÇ  xiÇŽng qà ¹ nÇŽ jiÄ  fnguÇŽn?ä ½  Ã¦Æ' ³Ã¥Å½ »Ã¥â€œ ªÃ¥ ® ¶Ã© £ ¯Ã© ¤ ¨Ã¤ ½  Ã¦Æ' ³Ã¥Å½ »Ã¥â€œ ªÃ¥ ® ¶Ã© ¥ ­Ã© ¦â€ Which restaurant do you want to go to?

The development and expansion of the logistics system in China's Research Proposal

The development and expansion of the logistics system in China's e-commerce market - comprehensive Impact assessment in the past decade - Research Proposal Example ch is to conduct a comprehensive impact assessment in the past decade of the development and expansion of the logistics system in China’s e-commerce market. This paper intends to explain why China’s e-commerce sector has grown at a very high rate in the past decade. In this study, the researcher will analyze the current situation of e-commerce development in China, and also figure out the obstacles faced by this sector. E-commerce in China has experienced tremendous growth in the past ten years. According to experts, this growth is largely attributed to the local environment in China. This paper intends to conduct a detailed analysis of this local environment. In addition, the researcher will introduce the current situation of e-commerce development in China and highlight the major challenges faced by this sector. In broader terms, the paper will conduct a comprehensive impact assessment in the past decade of the development and expansion of the logistics system in China’s e-commerce sector. The long term objective of this research is to analyze the development and expansion of the logistics system in China’s e-commerce sector. Particularly, the following are the sub-problems of this research: Studies have indicated demonstrated the importance of logistics in e-commerce. In any e-commerce business, there is need for support structures that would facilitate retail system. Nowadays businesses have moved away from traditional business models and have started accommodating new ways of conducting businesses (BARBOZA, 2015). Technically, in conventional retailing supply chain, the responsibility of purchasing goods lay in the hands of customers (Martin, 2014). The customers in this case travel to the stores to access products and services, and the retailers only provide the services of transportation of goods when the products are bulky. As noted in a study by Rodrigue, (2015), location is very important in retailing and retailers are often faced with the

European Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

European Union - Essay Example integrate EU law.6 Vertical direct effect occurs when EU law has direct effect between private parties and a member state of the EU.7 The direct effect of Directives is a necessary part of the EU legal regime as EU law is administered through the Commission, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and national Courts. For the most part, â€Å"indirect administration† of European law is the primary mode of enforcement via national courts and â€Å"national authorities†.8 The Applicable Law Direct Effect The doctrine of direct effect was established by the ECJ in Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen, in which it was held that the Treaty Establishing the European Community created legal rights that individuals could enforce through national courts within the European Community.9 Directives would have direct effect if they were clear and precise, unconditional and conferred a right upon the individual seeking to enforce it.10 The doctrine has since been developed by the ECJ as a means of enforcing EU law consistently through the EU.11 For example in Van Duyn, the ECJ held that once the Van Gend requirements are met and even if a Directive was conditional, it could still have direct effect against member states, regardless of whether or not the Directive was implemented.12 The main objective was to ensure that the intended outcome of the Directive was accomplished. In Van Duyn, the Directive’s outcome was the elimination of discrimination and in cases of this nature, the intended outcome would be important. This was because, the intended outcome would be compromised if individuals could not enforce it in the national courts.13 With regard to the fictional Directive, although not implemented by the UK, has direct vertical effect against the government based on the rulings in Van Gend and Van Duyn. The UK may only escape liability for the unimplemented Directive if the Directive itself is unclear and conditional. However, the D irective appears to be quite clear on its intention, the member state’s obligations and it is not conditional on the occurrence of an event. The only condition, is that the obligations arise when temperatures fall below 1 degree Celsius. Assuming that the temperatures were below 1 degrees Celsius at the time of the accidents in December 2012, the UK’s obligations to ensure road safety on primary roads and motorways arise. The accidents occurred on the A5 and the M6 and as such fall within the Directive obligations as primary roads and motorways. The Directive clearly sought to prevent the kinds of accidents that occurred. The Directive instructed member states to ensure that primary motorways and roads are kept clear of snow and ice once temperatures drop below 1 degree Celsius. Both accidents occurred on major motorways when temperatures presumably dropped below 1

REDUCTION OF SMOKING BEHAVIOR IN COPD IN LOS ANGELES AREAS Research Paper

REDUCTION OF SMOKING BEHAVIOR IN COPD IN LOS ANGELES AREAS - Research Paper Example It is a fatal habit, which can cause many diseases like COPD, stress and many forms of cancers. According to the American Society Council, the major cause for death in the states is mainly lung cancer, which is caused due to smoking. Apart from this, it causes many health problems, which need treatment that a common man cannot afford. In spite of all the efforts from the government to stop smoking, the number of people affected from various diseases maintained a steady level for the last few years, which needs to be monitored in the coming days, to reduce the intensity of the problem that is being faced by the present generation. â€Å"Smoking reduction and the rate of decline in FEV1: results from the Lung Health Study†. (Simmons & Connett & Lindgren & Kleerup & Murray & Bjornson & Tashkin, 2011). Current situation: It is totally impossible to count the number of smokers and people suffering from various diseases due to smoking. The only way to get such a data is to analyze v arious surveys regarding smoking and the hospital reports. When we evaluate the reports on cigarette control and smokers, we can see that Los Angeles is the worldwide leader in tobacco control and prevention. Compared to all other states in America, Los Angeles has the least smoking rate. The main reason behind this is as follows: Various tax policies adopted by governing council on cigarettes. It can force many people to stop the habit of smoking, due to the amount they have to pay for it. The media has been aggressive on the anti smoking policies. As the main thing, which directly influences the people today is media; the acts put forward by them affect the criteria. Various public policies like smoke free condition in several public areas, also affects the matter. Mainly the control of tobacco, which largely limits the production of cigarettes. Despite of success in these matters, it is seen that the medical reports from various hospitals reveal the fact that instead of a decline in the number of smokers, it maintained a constant level for last 8 years, some of the reports from the hospitals also prove the same facts: The reports from the cancer department of California hospital medical centre shows that, I. From 1990 to 2002 the patients admitted in the hospitals due to diseases like COPD, lung cancer etc has reduced from 50% to 35%, which is mainly due to the various laws imposed. II. For last 8 years i.e. from 2002 to till now, the rate has fluctuated between 35% and 30%, which shows the various shortcomings of the laws imposed. Same facts are revealed from the good Samaritan hospital reports, I. There was decrease in number of patients suffering from various health problems due to smoking, has decreased from 45% to 30% until 2002 II. After 2002, the

Gender Roles in Much Ado About Nothing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender Roles in Much Ado About Nothing - Essay Example In the play the majority of characters including Hero, Leonato, Claudio and Benedick are characters who adhere to Renaissance ideals. In contrast, Beatrice stands out as the only character that does not conform to the ideals of the Renaissance period. During the Renaissance, man was superior to woman in all aspects. Women were seen as inferior to men. They were subservient to the men in the family and were expected to obey the men in all aspects of their lives. Men made all decisions and the women were expected to obey them. Women represented virtues such as obedience, piety, chastity, humility and patience. Renaissance society was a patriarchal society. At every point on the social scale, a man was the head of the household. A woman was controlled by her parents throughout her childhood, then, handed over to her husband who would exercise control over her until death. This patriarchal attitude can be seen in the characters of Antonio and Leonato. Antonio advises Hero, â€Å"Well ni ece, I trust you will be ruled by your father† (Act 2 Sc i). A daughter is supposed to obey her father even when it comes to choosing a husband. Leonato reminds Hero how to behave when the prince comes to woo her. Then, when it becomes clear that the prince was on behalf of Claudio and not himself, Leonato accepts the sudden change of son-in-law with no consideration for his daughter’s feelings. He demands that his daughter agree to a marriage whether she approves of it or not. Beatrice suggests that Hero agree with her father only if it pleases her to do so. She says, â€Å"Yes, faith, it is my cousin’s duty to make cursy and say, ‘Father, as it please you.’ But for all that, cousin, let him be a handsome fellow, or make another cursy, and say, ‘Father, as it please me’† (Act 2, Sc i. 52 -56). To this, Leonato says â€Å"Well, niece, I hope to see you one day fitted with a husband† (Act 2, Sc i. 53 -54). In fact, Leonato i s reminding Beatrice that she is a maid, an old unmarried maid, something that is looked upon unfavorably by the Renaissance patriarchal society. In the patriarchal society, a woman’s ultimate goal is to marry and be an obedient wife. Similarly, Leonato displays his adherence to the traditional male role in other sections of the play. Later in the play, following Claudio’s denunciation of Hero, Leonato does not heed to his daughter’s claims that she is innocent and wishes her death rather than live with a tarnished reputation. â€Å"Do not live, Hero, do not ope thine eyes, / For, did I think thou wouldst not quickly die, / Thought I that thy spirits were stronger than thy shames, / Myself would on the rearward of reproaches / Strike at thy life. (Act 4, Sc I 123 – 127). Even when the rest of the household believes in Hero’s innocence and takes her side in the conflict, he is convinced of Hero’s tainted reputation. It is only after Benedick and the friar swear they believe in Hero’s innocence, does he relent. Leonato’s love for his daughter only lasts as she protects his name and honor. Once it appears that she has brought shame, he wants her to die and put an end to the dishonor she has brought. Not only does Hero willingly submit to her father as his obedient daughter, she is also willing to submit to her husband as his wife. She is performing her roles as an obedient daughter and

History (American Imperialism) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History (American Imperialism) - Essay Example 589). 500 banks, and 15,000 businesses failed. The rich industrialist and poor working classes were vastly separated, and the rights of African Americans since the Civil War were ignored. The federal government was in a state of constant stalemate. The U.S. administration needed to respond to economic and class divisions, as well as to cycles of boom and bust that were destroying the economy. They did this by adopting the practice of imperialism in foreign policy. This saved the economy, and brought the U.S. increased power. Imperialist policy decisions set the model for U.S. foreign policy into the 20th Century. McKinley was elected President in 1896. At this time, an economic recovery was happening. In addition, southern and western farmers, as well as Standard Oil, were sending product overseas. America was witnessing the actions of Britain and France, who were taking Africa and Indochina respectively, by force. Their machine-gun technology proved overwhelming to foreign resistanc e (Davidson, et al, 2010, p. 611). America wanted in on this expansion, and, like the Europeans, used the doctrine of Manifest Destiny to justify the exploitation of foreign peoples and resources. In addition to McKinley, a three-part group of elites banded together at this time â€Å"to promote American Imperialism† (Davidson et al, 2010, p. 612). Mahan, a navy admiral, promoted his theory of Navalism, which stated that the cycles of overproduction and depression that had been occurring could be alleviated by developing import and export with foreign markets. Modern cruisers and battleships were needed to protect these markets. Missionaries wanted to change â€Å"heathen† foreigners into Christians by introducing western culture and values. Many missionaries were opposed to the brute force exercise of power, but they were in favor of imposing their ideology onto foreign people. Social Darwinists Spencer and Sumner argued from the premise that Anglo-Saxon and Teutonic stock were the â€Å"fittest† to rule over â€Å"lesser peoples of the world† (Davidson et al, 2010, p.613). Then Secretary of State James G. Blain advocated for expansion of trade into Central and South America. Britain, however, already had interests in South America. Blaine’s efforts to cancel the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, which shared access with Great Britain to any possible canal that might be built, were resolved with the Hay Pauncefort Treaty. This stated that the U.S. could build a canal in Central America, but was required to give all nations access. Using the Manifest Destiny model, Blaine bullied Central American countries into compliance with his Pan American Union, which facilitated trade between the two regions. Blaine threatened to ban exports from Central American countries into the U.S. unless these countries complied. (Davidson, et al, 2010,p.616). The U.S. became involved with Spain, England, Venezuela, Cuba, Hawaii and the Philippines due to th eir imperialist policies. The Spanish-American War was waged over possession of Cuba. America and Britain narrowly escaped war over disputes concerning trade in Central America. In Hawaii, the Queen was overthrown, and marines came in to â€Å"protect† American lives. Big sugar planters, who wanted trade with the U.S., were influential behind the scenes. American imperialist policy in the war in the Philippines contained racism and brutality. The U.S.

Sex Education in Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sex Education in Schools - Essay Example There are some critics who argue that sex education in schools does not achieve the intended purposes. It is however important to realize the importance of offering sex education in schools which is where the young people spend most of their time, and the many benefits that sex education has. This means that policies should be put in place to ensure that sex education is part of the curriculum in the different schools. The role of parents and caregivers should however not be ignored when it comes to giving sex education to the youth. It is important to have the realization that there are many benefits to having sex education as part of the school curriculum. This is because while most young people assume that they have the required knowledge when it comes to sex matters, most of them are very misinformed. This is because they get their information from unreliable sources such as friends who may also lack the proper information. This makes it necessary for teachers to provide the corr ect information to avoid negative consequences. Sex education therefore is the process of ensuring that the relevant and correct information and attitudes about sexuality and sexual identity, intimacy and relationships, sex, and sexually transmitted infections is passed on to the relevant parties. When the information is obtained from the teacher in a regulated setting such as the classroom, the youth will gain a better understanding and therefore avoid the negative consequences of engaging in risky sexual behavior. There are many aspects of sex education, and the content is diverse. The content in sex education includes teaching the students about their sexuality and what makes them male or female and how to deal with developments in their sexuality. In most cases, it is accepted that the goal of sex education should be to ensure that the young people are informed on their sexual health, and when they have received the necessary information, then they will be able to enjoy satisfyi ng relationships while avoiding the risks of reckless sexual behavior which includes diseases and teenage pregnancies. There are two main types of sex education. One type is the abstinence only type of sex education. This is the type of sex education that teaches the youth to avoid engaging themselves in sexual intercourse until such a time that they are married (Denyse and Coles 1). The other type of sex education is referred to as abstinence-plus sex education or the comprehensive sex education. This type of sex education urges the youth to postpone their first sexual encounter and also gives them information on condom use, birth control, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

History (American Imperialism) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History (American Imperialism) - Essay Example 589). 500 banks, and 15,000 businesses failed. The rich industrialist and poor working classes were vastly separated, and the rights of African Americans since the Civil War were ignored. The federal government was in a state of constant stalemate. The U.S. administration needed to respond to economic and class divisions, as well as to cycles of boom and bust that were destroying the economy. They did this by adopting the practice of imperialism in foreign policy. This saved the economy, and brought the U.S. increased power. Imperialist policy decisions set the model for U.S. foreign policy into the 20th Century. McKinley was elected President in 1896. At this time, an economic recovery was happening. In addition, southern and western farmers, as well as Standard Oil, were sending product overseas. America was witnessing the actions of Britain and France, who were taking Africa and Indochina respectively, by force. Their machine-gun technology proved overwhelming to foreign resistanc e (Davidson, et al, 2010, p. 611). America wanted in on this expansion, and, like the Europeans, used the doctrine of Manifest Destiny to justify the exploitation of foreign peoples and resources. In addition to McKinley, a three-part group of elites banded together at this time â€Å"to promote American Imperialism† (Davidson et al, 2010, p. 612). Mahan, a navy admiral, promoted his theory of Navalism, which stated that the cycles of overproduction and depression that had been occurring could be alleviated by developing import and export with foreign markets. Modern cruisers and battleships were needed to protect these markets. Missionaries wanted to change â€Å"heathen† foreigners into Christians by introducing western culture and values. Many missionaries were opposed to the brute force exercise of power, but they were in favor of imposing their ideology onto foreign people. Social Darwinists Spencer and Sumner argued from the premise that Anglo-Saxon and Teutonic stock were the â€Å"fittest† to rule over â€Å"lesser peoples of the world† (Davidson et al, 2010, p.613). Then Secretary of State James G. Blain advocated for expansion of trade into Central and South America. Britain, however, already had interests in South America. Blaine’s efforts to cancel the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, which shared access with Great Britain to any possible canal that might be built, were resolved with the Hay Pauncefort Treaty. This stated that the U.S. could build a canal in Central America, but was required to give all nations access. Using the Manifest Destiny model, Blaine bullied Central American countries into compliance with his Pan American Union, which facilitated trade between the two regions. Blaine threatened to ban exports from Central American countries into the U.S. unless these countries complied. (Davidson, et al, 2010,p.616). The U.S. became involved with Spain, England, Venezuela, Cuba, Hawaii and the Philippines due to th eir imperialist policies. The Spanish-American War was waged over possession of Cuba. America and Britain narrowly escaped war over disputes concerning trade in Central America. In Hawaii, the Queen was overthrown, and marines came in to â€Å"protect† American lives. Big sugar planters, who wanted trade with the U.S., were influential behind the scenes. American imperialist policy in the war in the Philippines contained racism and brutality. The U.S.

Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker - Essay Example Now, each individual must assess one’s own strengths and working style and match them with potential opportunities of work to find the best fit. In addition, it is important to see if personal values clash with the organization’s value system. Finally, it is important to understand that today’s work environment is a two-way street and that the worker needs to continually see how he or she can contribute positively while communicating well with colleagues. Identifying one’s strengths is a tricky business. People imagine they know what they are good or bad at but they are mostly wrong. Drucker suggests using the feedback analysis to assess one’s strengths by noting expected results at every decision point and then matching them with actual results several months later. Through continued use of this method and assessing the results, it is possible to eventually filter out areas where one is not good at and also to identify the strong areas of oneâ€⠄¢s personality. It is important then to concentrate on improve on one’s strengths and fill gaps in knowledge. In the process, one must differentiate between being intelligent and being knowledgeable. A lot of times, intelligent people place barriers upon themselves against gaining knowledge or communicating with others. Feedback will also reveal areas of improvement by showing why certain bad habits result in unexpected results. Assessment of these factors and strengths can allow one to decide on which type of job one is suited for. The next step is to identify one’s own working style and see if the organization offers a conducive environment for such a style. For example, it is important to know whether one is a listener or a reader – meaning whether it is easier to assimilate information by listening to people or by reading it. President Lyndon Johnson made the mistake of keeping President Kennedy’s staff who prepared briefs for him before any  meeti ng.  

Effect Of Mass Media In Democracy Development Sociology Essay

Effect Of Mass Media In Democracy Development Sociology Essay Media exists everywhere through TV, Internet, newspapers and radio, each one adds a lot to our societys attention.   This research may help to understand the impact that media has on the peoples political participation, knowledge and orientations, more exclusively in the developing democracies, while offering a theoretical framework to comprehend the nature and the role of political communication gaps within consolidating democracy across high contextual social differences. The following essay presents a critical account for a research study titled: MEDIA USE, DEMOCTARTIC CITIZINSHIP AND COMMUNICATION GAPS IN A DEVELOPING DEMOCRACY, which was written by Erik C. Nisbet and published in the International Journal of public Opinion Research Vol.20 No.4 in winter 2008. The writer follows number of stages in writing his research, now; this essay is an attempt to build a scientific and academic analysis for stages, procedures adopted in it, and also, it will highlight the positive and negative aspects of the methods and methodologies which the researcher used such as; survey and interviews, in addition, the essay will go through the objectivity of both, the research and the researcher. Research papers overview This research is titled MEDIA USE, DEMOCTARTIC CITIZINSHIP AND COMMUNICATION GAPS IN A DEVELOPING DEMOCRACY which talks about the the relationship between mass media use and democratic citizenship within a developing democracy. The writer applied a survey conducted in the West African nation of Mali, where he examined the relationship between forms of media use and the obtained amount of political knowledge, participation and socializations. The survey pointed out that socially privileged groups benefitted more in political knowledge, participation and socializations than the other dissident groups (Nisbet, 2008) by the mass media use , finally ; the researcher ended up arguing some implication of the results for understanding the importance of mass media in democratization process(Nisbet, 2008) . Furthermore, the writer referred to the topic of democratic movement which offers for citizen to participate in political decision-making as long as an environment of press freedom and m edia penetration is secured. On the other hand; the writer encouraged the concept of democratic citizenship and its association with mass media use, also he talked about the obstacles which confront the nascent stages nations which witness a regression in terms of socio-economic development, differentiation and stratification. All these factors emerged communication gaps which influenced the democratization process. The research stressed on two general categories: the first one is the functionalist role which states how well mass media strengthens and enhances the basic functions and practices of participatory democracy is the key factor of the successful democratic consolidation. The second one is the regulatory role which shows mass media as an institutional and normative role which regulates some norms through socialization or through the threat of coercion or both to keep social integrity .In other words, the mass media may reinforce social democratic change by keeping the integ rity of the society while transition or change takes place rather than leading it but this role may emerge some challenges due to the traditional political institutions. In this sense, Huntingtons (1991) view about the gradual democratization within developing democracies which is the optimal level. Temin and Smiths (2002) studied the role of the mass media in Ghanas 2000 election is an illustrative example. The researcher assured, depending on the original knowledge gaps hypothesis, the importance of the increasing information acquired from the mass media within the members of the society in higher and lower socio-economic level, without any indication that the relationship between them is directly proportional but the amount of the knowledge acquired by the higher socio-economic strata is greater. This hypothesis reformulated to be restated as communication gaps arent limited to any particular type of mass media or differential gains in knowledge(Nisbet, 2008) but it impacts indiv idual behavior or attitudes just like what the political science added to what is mentioned before that the information individual receives from the mass media influences the attitudes of people based upon pre-existing belief, interest, motivation, or knowledge. Mass media use strengthens democratic citizenship by socializing especially the dissident social groups into a common, dominant political worldview which maintains social hierarchy and regime stability, which contribute in fostering the Democratic consolidation. The writer cited four definitions of the Democratic consolidation which calls for a high amount of public awareness of democratic political practices and high commitment to democratic norms, value and culture, towards long term probability of achieving the democratic consolidation as the study mentioned. Some causes of communication gaps are classified as individual, structural and cultural factors which are related to the individuals education attainment, gender which are the dominant indicators , socio-psychological factors, socio-economic status , community structure or the nature of the mass media itself and beliefs which all lead to differential gains in political knowledge acquisition. For example, some social or cultural societies may collectively estimate specific kind of knowledge more than other cultural or social societies, therefore; communication gaps emerge. Moreover, the researcher mentioned several supportive and contrastive points of view about the causes of communication gaps. Finally, the researchs discussion concentrated on the association between media use and democratic citizenship, as the table drawn below Radio Television Newspaper Political knowledge *Theres association Theres association **Theres no association Table () *Radio in developing states has disproportional role in educating the community ** It has association between beyond the educated respondents although its not the only variants which affect the amount of knowledge gained. Note: no media use is associated with democratic orientation which contrast with what is stated that radio use is associated unexpectedly with socialization into democratic norms and ideals among lower educated, rural, ethnic minority citizens who have more traditional political values. And also mentions, Implication for understanding the causes of communication gaps. The writer sums up with, the topic of Normative implication of political communication gaps in developing democracies which has been just clarified at the beginning of the analysis and which is viewed of two interfering arguments according to democratization and equality of participation in democracies. The first theory the development first proposes that the starting point for sustainable democracy is prerequisited by economic and social modernization. The contrast theory the democracy first suggests that economic and social modernization isnt necessarily a prerequisite for democracy, like Malis case, according to World Bank Governance Indicators says that its the poorest countries in Africa but it relatively realizes high degree of sustained democratization. Therere several perspectives about both theories were uttered by some investigators the research is referred to in detail. To conclude, our Scholar broadens a little bit to another topic which is whether the communication gaps and the inequalities in democratic participation may threaten the concept of democracy in developing state? Or can keeping the political stability through inequality of participation during the transition to correct it afterward once the democratic consolidating is obtained. The answer of this question Paves the way for further theoretical work on how media, political inequality, and political outcomes are associated within developing democracies, as well as how these relationships may evolve as developing democracies consolidate and develop. Methodology In the researching field, methodology is seen as the approaches, applications, methods, procedures and strategies which are used to reach any scientific knowledge (Tayraukham, 2009). So as a result, different questions in the research demand different approaches to answer these questions in a way that offers help to the readers and the seekers of knowledge (Dawson, 2002). Methodologies in the academic research could be either quantitative, qualitative or a mix of them both. Or it can be considered as the design of the research that was used in order to come up with as proved results as could be without engaging into the fault of changing data or facts. The methodology could be either quantitative through using the questionnaire, pre-test / post-test and the survey method. On the other hand, the qualitative nature of the research involves interviews with the participants of the study, observing a specific phenomenon or taking into account a specific case study. The methods of the study Considering that the study is quantitative and qualitative in its approach, the tools (methods) used in collecting the data of the study were a survey to be implemented between January 3 and January 27,2001 on the experimental Malian group with total sample size of 2089 accompanied by face to face personal interview of citizens 17 years old or older , of both urban and rural areas in the respondents native language and questionnaires directed for the interviewees which were used in order to Measure public opinion and behaviours democracy and track the evolution of such attitudes in selected nation over time Furthermore, the analyses depends on the a hierarchal ordinary least squares ( OLS) regression model which penetrated by number of exogenous variable; such as,individual-level socio-structural characteristics (urban/rural resident, age, language group, gender, education, and yearly income) , followed by antecedent endogenous variables; just like, measures of interest and efficacy, media use, political discussion, civic participation, political knowledge, and political participation. Each subsequent blocks of the variable accounted for by the equation was scaled with the incremental R2 and the sum of the series of incremental R2 is referred to as the cumulative R2 (Cohen Cohen, 2002). Then, we can notice from the result of the survey that the interaction (communication gaps) were found between certain mass media use and some blocks of variables. (You can get back to see them in details on the section of method, interaction results) The positive and negative aspects of the approach Here in this paragraph, Ill mention the positive and negative traits of employing a survey in this research: MEDIA USE , DEMOCTARTIC CITIZINSHIP AND COMMUNICATION GAPS IN A DEVELOPING DEMOCRACY . According to Patrick Parnaby ( 2006), the positive aspects of surveys are the effective design of the Survey which is crucial to get the information you need easily and provide an approximately extensive data with credible results, they are tractable, he also added that surveys act as the finger on the pulse of your project and can measure its strength. They can measure the change during the time especially when we apply a pre-test against post-test just like the Malian political transition so , by the conducted survey we become able to measure the conversion of democratic citizenship before and after the change, and also the surveys can ensure the Coherent set of data because all respondents have exactly the same questions in precisely the same way and also during an interview, the interviewer can explore urge themes in depth, as he didnt notice before. The negative aspects of implementing a survey are the traditional options for survey data collection which are expensive, needs hard resources, such as paper copies of a survey pencils, and challenging to manage which requires patience of the sample who are ready to move on to the next phase of the survey, and also, a survey only collects information about the questions Required. In addition to all that, we will not be completely sure of the objectivity of questionnaire data, the individuals who are asked may be biased towards themselves and dont answer as correct as the reality of themselves. HR-Survey recommends that if we want a successful survey, it must be written in a Simple Language and short, simple questions, be clear and direct and also you have to avoid errors in spelling, grammar and usage, and Keep the scales in the same direction. Our scholar, Erik C. Nisbet ,follows Likert Scales survey method which is lists of statements which offers a 5-point or 6-point scale as the participant can assess his/her level of agreement or disagreement with the statement. Objectivity in relation to the broader aims of the article Sociologist, Michael Schudson, debates that the belief in objectivity is a faith in facts, distrust in values, and a commitment to their segregation. Journalistic objectivity is identified as equity, indifference and  disaffiliation to any party, yet the writer most likely has to encompass all of these qualities. There is a relationship between the terms Validity Reliability and Objectivity. The researcher stats his objectivity in the study where he doesnt mention his point of view or the viewpoints of his nations law about the effect of mass media use at the democratic citizenship in his land and other developing democracies, like, Mali . Nevertheless, he appears a little bias  to the idea that mass media use is effective in elevating the level of individuals democratic citizenship not as he thinks but as the results show. Neither does he comment supportively nor contrarily to Malis case, he only displays the data without deformation of the original one and conducts a survey as he protects respondents privacy without telling anything about them as we observe during reading the article. According to the Objectivity rules of Dr Frances Nelson, assumption 1 leads us to turn into the clarity and correctness of the analytic data, and also theory 3 Scientific method talks about being disinterestedness with the topic you are writing about guarantee your objectivity which both were shown in Erik C. Nisbets research. In this article, the objectivity of the researcher is obvious which refutes what Dr Frances Nelson said that the researcher and his subjectivity cant be separated. Validity is the level of conformity between the results the reality. This clearly appears in the research when the writer states the effect of several mass media on the individuals political knowledge, participation and socialization into the norms and value of democracy in the developing democracies and how the citizens have different orientations toward political democratic tendencies regarding to several variables. Reliability is the measurement has to be credible and keep the same answers of the Malian persons who take the survey. As we see in the data of survey that the measure of democratic political orientations has low level of reliability because the democratic orientation and understanding of democracy in the developing countries are evolving ,and from the writers information doesnt mention any unrelated news about Mali, such as roles, habits and environment that he didnt find appealing. To conclude, the subjectivity objectivity contrast each other. The use of one of them or both depends on the topic of the research, the researchers personality, the mass public which the research directed to. If the writer decide to utilize them, it must be useful for his study. Erik C. Nisbet makes use of his objectivity to enable the reader concentrates on the main topic more than on the researchers point of view. Conclusion Through reading the previous essay, one can observe that study examines the effect of mass media on the citizens political knowledge, participation and their socialization with the norms and values of democratic within developing democracies, e.g. Mali where some interactions were found like communication gaps by several causes and variables just like I mentioned before in the nascent stages polities. As we can deduce, Mali realized a higher level of democratizations than many other nascent polities, though it had relatively different levels of economic development. Then, we can observe also that the study on Mali, lower state degree of linguistic groups than other developing states, doesnt indicate sufficient information about communication gaps. Not only does the communication gaps vary according to the change of political and social conditions (national context), but also we have to be aware of how the change takes place over time and of the level of democratization and political transition. Referances : Erik C. Nesbit . (2008). MEDIA USE, DEMOCTARTIC CITIZINSHIP AND COMMUNICATION GAPS IN A DEVELOPING DEMOCRACY: International Journal of public Opinion Research Vol.20 No.4. HR-Survey, 2008. Retrieved from   (http://www.hrsurvey.com/ItemConstruction.htm) Questionnaire Design. Retrieved from. (http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751-97-winter/Topic/quest-design/ Patrick Parnaby. (2006). Evaluation through surveys. Retrieved from http://www.idea.org/blog/2006/04/01/evaluation-through-surveys/ Dr Frances Nelson. The problem of objectivity Subjectivity. Tayraukham, S (2009). Academic Ethics in Research Methodology :Journal of social sciences, vol. 4 ,No. 6 , pp. 573-577 Dawson, Catherine. (2002). Practical Research Methods:  New Delhi, UBS Publishers Distributors.

Assessment of Into the Wild Essays -- essays papers

Assessment of Into the Wild Although precisely on target in his assessment of Chris McCandless being "in touch with the bare-bones essence of nature", Gordon Young's preceding description of Chris should be rephrased: A profoundly Un-American figure, uncompromising in his approach and thoroughly optimistic about the future. For Chris McCandless did not set out to show or prove his American character. Neither does he approve or want to exemplify a true modern American character, because true American character does not seek solitude, preferring "the saddle to the streetcar", or "the star-sprinkled sky to a roof", or, especially, "the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway and the deep place of the wild to the discontent bred by cities", as states Everett Ruess. In fact, in today's world of never-ending comforts and conveniences, nature and "getting away" means setting up a tent in the backyard, or driving our RV to a campground, plugging in the heat, the television, and the cell phone and drinking a beer. Yes, Chris McCandless exemplified what it is to be unconventional, untraditional, nature-loving. What's more important, Chris showed us a particular degree of freedom, what true liberty is about--the freedom not only of the individual, but the freedom of something much higher than that--the freedom of the mind. Freedom from societal restraints of always having to be someone, playing some role. More than anyone, so far, Chris ...

Pilgrimage for Christians :: Papers

Pilgrimage for Christians This question has a lot or arguments for both sides, which will be discussed here. The Christian Church itself is not entirely sure of whether or not pilgrimage should be practised, and different denominations have different views. Pilgrimage can help Christians a great deal. Pilgrims grow closer to God during pilgrimage and pilgrimages can inspire them to spread the word of God when they return from the trip. If there are having doubts over their faith in God, pilgrimages can make them feel close to God, and they can believe in him without doubt again. It is difficult to find arguments against pilgrimage in terms of what could be done in the time taken up by the trip, because pilgrimages do not take a long time now. A person's life could be dramatically changed by a pilgrimage and it could make them view the world in a completely different way, after only a few days of devotion to God. In defence of pilgrimage, it has happened for a very long time, since the start of the Christian faith, even though there is no reference to it in the Bible. Some branches of the Christian church, particularly the Roman Catholic church, judge matters on the Bible and on church traditions, which would make pilgrimage a good thing for the one reason that it has been going on for so long. There are also many reasons why pilgrimage is not considered a necessary thing for Christians to embark on. Some would argue that Christians' time should be spend helping people, preaching and encouraging other to adopt Christians beliefs. Some Protestants would also say that there is no real evidence of pilgrimage in the Bible, so it is not a Christian idea and should not happen. With the exception perhaps of the Holy Land, sites of pilgrimage are defined sometimes by only one witness who claims to have had a vision or a miracle. These sources cannot always be trusted, which makes some Christians critical of Pilgrimage. Others would argue, however, that

Missouri Compromise 1820 Essay

Northerners finally were receiving the outcome that they had wished for with slavery slowly declining at the end of the 18th century. Southern economilcal dependancy on slavery was slowly withering away due to the Act of 1808, stating that by that time slavery would not be allowed. Due to this Southerners were forced to change their means of production and the use of slaves. When the 19th century arrived it brought the invention of the Cotton Gin. This invention, created by Eli Whitney, assisted in speeding the picking of cotton by removing the seed. The only flaw in this was that it relied on even more unskilled labor. Slaves were found perfect for the handlying of this machine: it was easy to manufactor and as easy to work.. From this, Southerners found it now more than ever nessesary to hault the abolition of slavery do to the economic prosperity that lied ahead because of the Cotton Gin. In Southern eyes, slavery was a better choice than free labor. IN the case of using free labor Southerners couldn’t be totally dependent on the person because they might demand things such as higher wages. If free laborors were refused what they asked, Southerners faced the risk of them stop working. Because you owned a slave Southerners would never have to worry about such a situation. This threat of prolonging slavery enabled the major conflict between The North and South arise. The Southern view of this conflict was that due to the economical advantages that slavery rbought and the economical disadvantages that an abolition with bring to the states, that the issue of slavery should be considered â€Å"a nessasary evil†. Not only this, but some even believed that slavery was doing blacks a favor. They believed that even in Africa balcks had owners, that they are always fed, and are treated better as slaves then they would be as free blacks. Northerners disreguarded any attempt in justifying such a matter and stood by there point that slavery was not right. Northern abolishnists fought back and said that slavery went again the fundamental priciple on which America was built on; Equality and freeddon. Not only immoral and sinful but went again the Declaration of Independece which clearly states that â€Å"all men were created equal† with no exceptions. The North’s morality and Souths Economic self-interest, and both sides refusal to compromise left the issue in a stalemate. By the North fueling the fire with such articles like The Liberator, inspiring slaves to revolt, and other abolitionist moves, the North forced the south to fight back in order to protect themselved from future revolts and incidence fueled by enraged slaves. The Missouri Compromise made the divide between the North and the South more evident that it had ever been. This compromised, proposed by Henry Clay, declared that Missouri would enter the union as a slave state, but every other state that was North of the Ohio river and Mason-Dixon line. Though this did stop slavery it gradually decreased it. In additon to this another factor was the that all states would be admitted into the union in pairs in order to balance the slave states as well as the free states. Still enraged, Northerners demanded the instant abolishment owed to the moral breach that slavery incompassed. They believed that slaves were being treated and stripped of there rights as a humane being. In American Slavery As It Is the author, Theodore Weld, describes his view on how it â€Å"really is† for the slaves of the south and the treatment they are force to endure by their slaveowners. â€Å"†¦That their ears are often cut off, their eyes knocked out, their bones broken, their flesh branded with red-hot irons; that they are maimed, mutilated and burned to death over slow fires†¦that self interest would prompt them to treat their slaved with kindness†¦Ã¢â‚¬  By writing such things, Weld just encouraged abolitionists to fight harder and harder for their cause. Such cases as the ones he mention cant be said never happened but are surely rare if so. Due to the tone in writng that is used though, wel makes his words harsh and strong which justly, the Southerners take their place to fight back at. In actuality most southerners were not as Weld describe because they realized that the better you treated a slave and healthier it was the more work that it could accomplish for you. Not only this, but due to the harsh rigid tone of his words, Weld, gives whoever is reading this no option towards working out some sort of compromise between North and South but i nstead just relies on getting things done. Abolitionist works, such as The Liberato,r aided in aggravating the South. William Loyd Garrison’s The Liberator, was printed as a Boston proabolitionist newspaper in which Garrison referrs to Southerners to being sinners and that slaves should do anything to get out of the miserable situation that they are in, even if that means blacks revolting against their. He as well brings up the issue of blacks being equals with whites. : Assenting to the â€Å"self-evident truth, and endowed by their Creator with certain enalienable rights-among which are life, liberty, and persuit of happiness.† Garrison, here, clearly explicates how by having slaves not be free we are going against everything that the declaration stands for and represents. Some say that Garrison’s The Liberator might have even sparked the rebellion led by Nat Turner in which Turner gathers up a group of slaves and killed over fifty white southerners. Southerners were so fearful of more rebellion that it led them to create even harsher rules for slaves. In Federick Douglass’ Independence Day Speech at Rochester Douglass writes of how white southerners are fearful of blacks and that is the reason why there are such harsh laws against them reading and writing. â€Å"What is this but the awknowledgment that the slave is amoral, itellectual, and responsible being?† Douglass’s Articular only further depicts that Southerners were in fear or the capability that blacks would have if they were learned. By keeping slaves ignorant they prevented slaves from reading such abolitionist articles which could fuel an angry mob. Due to a fear of angry mobs and revolts Southerners were foreced to lay stricter rules as Civil Codes and the restriction on abolitionist literature. In Thomas Dew’s Review of the Debate in the Virginia Legislature Dew discusses how the white race and black race could never coencide because if blacks were free there would just be an array of massacres led by angry blacks. Southerners Spent more time on the issue of protecting themselved from a threat of slave rebellions due to abolitionsit literature sparking rebellions than any other matter. In George Fitzhugh’s Slavery Justified he discusses further on the matter of slave rebellions and how if black werent slaves their anger would just lead to more crimes and violent incidencs. In the matter of slave abuse he stats that its ridiculous; â€Å"His feeling for his slave never permits him to stint him in old age. The slaves are all well fed, well clas, have plenty of fuel, and are happy.† In response to the accusation of slave owners abusing their slaves, other Southerners replied by saying that incidents such as the ones which Weld discusses are isolated and uncommon. In fact it most cases it is the opposite of circumstances. In Solon Robinson’s De Bow’s Review Robinson takes the opposite stance that Weld takes and says on the contrary that slave owners would never do such abuse to there slaves because they were too valuable to them. Robinson says † The Two things that are most despised and hated in the South are masters that abuse and starve and ill-treat their slaves, and abolistionists, who sieze upon every isolated case of the kind†¦Ã¢â‚¬  As stated before, abolitionist kept on exagerateing the slave situation in order to attempt to speed up the process of getting rid of slavery when they were only furthering it because of Southerners needing to defend themselves against false accusations. Finally besides the matter of slave abuse and the morality of the situation, the South argues that due to the mass production of cotton that slaves help produce, if we abolish slavery America would be in an economic crisis. Because of the low production of cotton that there would be after an emacipation, labor woul be inconsistent, because free workers would be inconsistent and require more and we wouldn’t be able to forfill our internation al demand for cotton. In William Harper’s Source Problems in the United States History Harper says â€Å"†¦The cultivation of the grat crops cannot be carried on in any portion of our own country where there are no slaves†¦And what would be the eefect of putting an end to the cultivation†¦annihilating,at a blow,two thrids or three fourths of our foreign commerce?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  From this we can see that slavery was no easy matter and that it too more economic thinking to get rid of Slaves. Perhaps more than the North thought. Though both the South and the North make legitimate reason for their not wanting or wanting the emancipation of slaves, it seems that due to the North the process or reaching compromise was delayed unneccesarily. Instead of thinking about the economical blow emancipation would cause the North ruthlessly kept attacking the South’s morality. The South realized that without slaves for a bit longer they wouldn’t be able to make a full economic recovery once emancipation was inacted. But because of the attacks and harsh literature being published by abolitionists, the South spent more time in trying to protect themselves from slaves getting ideas from these works than trying to figure out a plan to resolve the issue with the North. It seems as if the issue could have been quickend if the North hadnt made such quick and damaging attacks.

Current Trends in Human Resource Management Essay

Technology is ubiquitous. Whether you are in the industrialized world or developing markets, a growing number of people are connecting with mobile devices like colorful cell phones and very portable computers like Apple’s iPad. This allows people to communicate across archaic boundaries within companies or externally across the world. They have instant access to information and to people. brilliant CEO’s are thinking about ways to leverage this technology explosion. Many are already experimenting with virtual teams, non-traditional workplaces, and flatter corporate structures. How will your company leverage technology? Are there ways to connect more effectively with co-workers, customers, or investors? Can access to information abet to hurry the company more effectively? Have you identified what information is necessary to your success and how it should be shared? Will you exercise an enterprise platform like SAP or Peoplesoft, or will you simply spend basic services like email and the Internet? So, the basic examine from a human resource perspective is how to utilize technology to connect people and information to your advantage. If you are not thinking about all of this, rest assured that your competitors are already experimenting with the modern technologies. originate positive that you don’t pick up left in the dust. Global Marketplace As demonstrated during the unusual downturn, worldwide economic activity is more interdependent than it ever has been in the past. Although trade has crossed borders even before the Silk Road was traveled by Marco Polo, in today’s global marketplace what happens in one country usually has a dramatic impact in another. The largest economies like the US, China, Japan, nd Europe are so interdependent that their leaders meet periodically at the G-20 summits to discuss issues of mutual interest and favorite strategies. Smaller countries that were formerly called third-world countries are now called emerging markets because they have the most robust growth. It is now also possible to do business across borders more easily using global transportation services like DHL , FedEx, and UPS. Even minute businesses have the opportunity to compete or bewitch supplies from outside their local marketplace. This is a growing trend and remarkable of the growth will be outside of the developed countries. So, how is your company positioned to participate in this growth? Can you tap into modern markets or get suppliers or contract workers at lower cost? Can you partner with other businesses or agencies in different markets at home or abroad? If you are looking for recent customers, project workers or current opportunities, then it only makes sense to believe about strategies that would allow your company to participate in the global economy. How can your company tap into the growth in the emerging markets? More specifically from an human resources perspective, can you leverage contract workers for projects or benefit staff? While this may not be feasible for every business, it might be more viable than you deem. Workers who do their job primarily at a computer can do this unbiased as well in another space or country. This is especially proper if you have the just technology platforms or exercise cloud computing. While there are security, cultural, and other issues to address, don’t let the opportunities pass you by honest because you haven’t understanding globally about your business in the past. The future is a global marketplace. deem globally. Rising Costs of Benefits In the United States, health care and succor costs generally have been rising at an unsustainable rate. modern federal health care legislation may address some issues; however, it is tranquil very likely that the costs will continue to rise. Thus, companies will be looking to shift the burden for the costs of benefits. Some of this will be shifted to the government, some will be shifted to workers, and peaceful other benefits will unbiased be chop because they are no longer affordable. Many companies have already chop their defined benefits pensions and retirement programs. Others have modified them to lower matching contributions when they aren’t making a profit. Others have shifted their health insurance to high-deductible plans which offer lower premiums, but also require workers to lift up mighty of the basic cost even when they exhaust health savings accounts. Thus the trend for many companies is to be more frugal with employee back offerings; however, other companies will consume their enhanced abet programs as a recruiting tool to attract the top talent in their industry. So each company must analyze their benefits in relation to their overall strategy to attract and support talent for their firm while balancing the overall costs of the programs. You must be able to reply the basic expect, â€Å"What is our compensation and benefits philosophy and how does if fit into our overall business strategy? Flexible Workplace The workplaces in the future will be more flexible. Once again, technology might be one of the driving considerations that makes this possible; however it is not the only factor. Younger generations are not only more accustomed to being treated differently, but in some cases examine that employers are flexible so that they can balance work-life issues. Unless there is a compelling reason for workers to be on spot during obvious hours, such as a doctor in an emergency room or a shift manager at a manufacturing facility, then employers should contemplate about how they can be more flexible in their workplaces. Allowing workers to tele-commute has both disadvantages as well as advantages, so there is not a simple legal or unsuitable retort for every company. However, design no mistake; some companies are working through these issues honest now so that they can offer flexibility for their employees that compliments their business strategies. This will be their key to attracting top talent. Demographics Demographics are definitely changing. In the United States where there is a tradition of immigration, there is a shift from the venerable white-male dominated workplace to a multi-cultural environment. This is happening at all levels from line-workers to management. Additionally, women will smash through the â€Å"glass ceiling† and rise to more senior management ranks. Beyond ethnic and gender considerations, age is also likely to play into the equation of workforce planning. Many leadership and managerial positions are now occupied by aging â€Å"baby-boomers† who will be retiring over the next five to ten years. This will inaugurate up current opportunities for younger workers, but only if they are prepared. On the other hand, some older workers will be working well past retirement age either because they haven’t saved for retirement or because they will be retained as famous employees due to their job experience. They might be willing to cease if their employer offers some flexibility like job sharing or a four-day work week. Outside of the US, industrialized nations will also need to deal with aging populations while the emerging countries will have younger workers who are involved to allotment in a more affluent lifestyle. Thus, CEO’s and HR managers are thinking about ways that their workforce will change in the next few years. Will you have ample leaders to replace aging baby-boomers? Will you need to relate younger workers to transfer the institutional knowledge that is currently retained by your more experienced staff? How will your company retract advantage of shifts to a more diverse workforce? These are all very famous questions that must have an reply if your firm is going to thrive in the future. Looking into the future is hard to do, especially in the 21st Century, but trends offer some clues. We live in a more complex and interconnect world. Events in one allotment of the world are speedily news everywhere over the internet, cable TV and mobile phones. Although it is an exaggeration to say that the gentle flutter from a butterfly’s glide in Asia can result in a hurricane on the other side of the globe, we seek the far reaching effects from events in one plot to other regions that would not have known about them in the past. Thus, it is notable to ogle for trends that will impact our world. If you can capitalize on the changes that result from the trends, then you can prepare to either pick advantage of them or minimize their despicable impact. These five trends in human resources trends are already impacting the diagram we do business. They will definitely continue to impact our world, and it is up to you to figure out how to leverage them to your advantage.