Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 17

Discussion - Essay Example Besides, it facilitates coming up with appraisals that will promote development in healthcare delivery. Lastly, it encourages specialization as it uses up to date approaches in solving healthcare issues. According to Brown (1), nursing research is important because it gives all the stakeholders of healthcare an opportunity to devise new approaches to practicing nursing. It facilitates development of new facilities for use in handling patients with critical conditions such as acute illnesses. Generally, nursing research acts a source of additional knowledge to healthcare institutions such as schools and hospitals. From research practitioners can compare current findings with the previous ones before concluding on a given phenomena. In addition, authorities can set up standards for the practice of healthcare (Brown 15). Lastly, researching enhances coordination of various individuals in the field of healthcare thus facilitating teamwork and comprehensive analysis of all the procedures in healthcare. Evidently, research provides technical assistance to practitioners who are new in the field of learning by sharing of knowledge. Evidence based research can help in the future of nursing by coming up with innovative ways of dealing with patients. The approaches used will help authorities in devising policies that will guide the practitioners of healthcare delivery (Brown 332). Governments will establish guidelines for funding healthcare. Nursing institutions will devise frameworks for prevention of risk by encouraging professionalism in practice. Moreover, it will help in identification of best practices then guide communities on how to embrace so. Lastly, evidence based research will facilitate the enhancement of doctor patient

Dell Essay Example for Free

Dell Essay 4. Is Dell’s strategy working? What is your assessment of the financial performance that Dell’s strategy has delivered during fiscal years 2000-2008? Use the financial ratios presented in the Appendix of the text (pages 240-241) as a basis for doing your calculations and drawing conclusions about Dell’s performance. Selected Financial Statement Data for Dell Inc., Fiscal Years 2000 – 2008 (in million, except per share data) | February 1, 2008| February 2, 2007| February 3, 2006| January 28, 2005| January 30, 2004| February 1, 2002| January 28, 2000| Results of Operations| | | | | | | | Net Revenue| 61,133| 57,420| 55,788| 49,121| 41,327| 31,168| 25,265| Cost of Revenue| 49,462| 47,904| 45,897| 40,103| 33,764| 25,661| 20,047| Gross Margin| 11,671| 9,516| 9,891| 9,018| 7,563| 5,507| 5,218| Gross Profit Margin| 19. 1%| 16.6%| 17.7%| 18.4%| 18.3%| 17.7%| 20.7%| Operating Expenses| | | | | | | | + Selling, general and administrative| 7,538| 5,948| 5,051| 4,352| 3,604| 2,784| 2,387| + Research, development and engineering| 693| 498| 458| 460| 434| 452| 374| + Special charges| -| -| -| -| -| 482| 194| Total operating expenses| 8,231| 6,446| 5,509| 4,812| 4,038| 3,718| 2,955| Total operating expenses as a % of net revenues| 13.5%| 11.2%| 9.9%| 9.8%| 9.8%| 10.4%| 10.9%| Operating Income| 3,440| 3,070| 4,382| 4,206| 3,525| 1,789| 2,263| Operating profit margin| 5.6%| 5.3%| 7.9%| 8.6%| 8.5%| 5.7%| 9.0%| Investment and other income (loss), net| 387| 275| 226| 197| 186| (58)| 188| Income before income taxes extraordinary loss, and cumulative effect of change in accounting principle| 3,827| 3,345| 4,608| 4,403| 3,711| 1,731| 2,451| Provision for income taxes| 880| 762| 1,006| 1,385| 1,086| 485| 785| Net Income| 2,947| 2,583| 3,602| 3,018| 2,625| 1,246| 1,666| Net profit margin| 4.8%| 4.5%| 6.5%| 6.1%| 6.4%| 4.0%| 6.6%| Earnings per common share: Basic| 1.33| 1.15| 1.50| 1.20|  1.02| 0.48| 0.66| Diluted| 1.31| 1.14| 1.47| 1.18| 1.01| 0.46| 0.61| Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic| 2,223| 2,255| 2,403| 2,509| 2,565| 2,602| 2,536| Diluted| 2,247| 2,271| 2,449| 2,568| 2,619| 2,726| 2,728| | | | | | | | | Cash Flow and Balance Sheet Data| | | | | | | | Net cash provided by operating activities| 3,949| 3,969| 4,751| 5,821| 3,670| 3,797| 3,926| Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments| 7,972| 10,298| 9,070| 9,807| 11,922| 8,287| 6,853| Total assets| 27,561| 25,635| 23,252| 23,215| 19,311| 13,535| 11,560| Long-term debt| 362| 569| 625| 505| 505| 520| 508| Total stockholders equity| 3,735| 4,328| 4,047| 6,485| 6,280| 4,694| 5,308| Profitability Ratios | January 28, 2000| February 1, 2002| January 30, 2004| January 28, 2005| February 3, 2006| February 2, 2007| February 1, 2008| Gross Profit Margin| 20.7%| 17.7%| 18.3%| 18.4%| 17.7%| 16.6%| 19.1%| Operating Profit Margin| 9.0%| 5.7%| 8.5%| 8.6%| 7.9%| 5.3%| 5.6%| Net Profit Margin| 6.6%| 4.0%| 6.4%| 6.1%| 6.5%| 4.5%| 4.8%| The chart shows the Profitability Ratios of Dell from 2000 to 2008. In general, from 2000 to 2008, the profit of Dell was quite stable. As we can see, Dell’s strategy is still working and makes a lot of money for Dell every year. However, there was no remarkable increase. The net profit margin has been about 5% during Fiscal Years 2000 – 2008. | January 28, 2000| February 1, 2002| January 30, 2004| January 28, 2005| February 3, 2006| February 2, 2007| February 1, 2008| Return on total assets (ROA)| 14.4%| 9.2%| 13.6%| 13.0%| 15.5%| 10.1%| 10.7%| Return on Stockholders Equity (ROE)| 31.4%| 26.5%| 41.8%| 46.5%|  89.0%| 59.7%| 78.9%| Return on invested capital (ROI)| 28.6%| 23.9%| 38.7%| 43.2%| 77.1%| 52.7%| 71.9%| The chart indicates ROA, ROE and ROI of Dell from 2000 to 2008. From 2000 to 2008, ROA has been stable because Dell built a lot of manufactory. However, ROE and ROI had very impressive increase since 2000. In 2006, ROE reached the peak 89% and ROI reached the peak 77.1%. It proved that Dell has used the monetary capital invested in its operations and the returns to those investments very effectively. | January 28, 2000| February 1, 2002| January 30, 2004| January 28, 2005| February 3, 2006| February 2, 2007| February 1, 2008| Long term debt to capital ratio| 0.09| 0.10| 0.07| 0.07| 0.13| 0.12| 0.09| Long term debt to equity ratio| 0.10| 0.11| 0.08| 0.08| 0.15| 0.13| 0.10| The chart shows 2 leverage ratios of Dell: Long-term debt to capital ratio and long term debt to equity ratio. These ratios are quite important because they measure creditworthiness and balance sheet strength. As we can see, all the ratios were very low, under 0.2 which had very good effect to the creditworthiness and balance sheet strength. Besides that, they could also help Dell to borrow additional funds if needed. In conclusion: Through the analysis, we can say that Dell’s strategy is still effective. It helps Dell to earn a lot of money every year. However, although Dell has gained profit during Fiscal Years 2000 – 2008, there was no remarkable increase in profit and it seemed to be stable. Dell’s strategy has been very successful when it helped the company to control the cost very well and run the company very smoothly. 5. What does a SWOT analysis reveal about the attractiveness of Dell’s situation in 2008? Dell SWOT analysis Strengths: * World’s largest PC maker. * One of the best known brands in the world. * First PC maker to offer next-day, on-site product service. * Direct to customer business model. Uses latest technology. * Dell has remarkably low operating cost relative to revenue because it cuts out the retailer and supplies directly to the customers. * Dell’s Direct Model approach enables the company to offer direct relationships with customers such as corporate and institutional customers. * Dell’s direct customer allows it to provide top-notch customer service before and after the sale. * Each Dell system is built to order to meet each customer’s specifications. Reliability, Service and Support. * Dell boasts a very efficient procurement, manufacturing and distribution process allowing it to offer customers powerful systems at competitive prices. * Dell is able to introduce the latest relevant technology compared to companies using the indirect distribution channels. * Dell is not a manufacturer; Components are made by the suppliers and Dell assembles the computers using relatively cheap labor. The finished goods are then dropped off with the customer by courier. Dell has total command of the supply chain. * Dell turns over inventory for an average of every six days, keeping inventory costs low. * Dell is enhancing and broadening the fundamental competitive advantages of the direct model by increasingly applying the efficiencies of the Internet to its entire business. Weakness: * A huge range of products and components from many suppliers from various countries. * Computer maker and not the computer manufacturer, making DELL unable to switch supply. * Dell lacked solid dealer / retailer relationships. * No propriety technology * Not attracting the college student segment of the market. Dell’s sales revenue from educational institutions such as colleges only accounts for a merely 5% of the total. * Dell’s focus on the corporate and government institutional customers somehow affected its ability to form relationships  with educational institutions. * For home users, Dell’s direct method and customization approach posed problems. For one, customers cannot go to retailers because Dell does not use distribution channels. * Customers just can’t buy Dell as simply as other brands because each product is custom-built according to their specifications and this might take days to finish. Opportunities: * Diversification strategy by introducing many new products to its range. * Personal computers are becoming a necessity now more than ever. Customers are getting more and more educated about computers. Second-time buyers would most likely avail of Dell’s custom-built computers because as their knowledge grows, so do their need to experiment or use some additional computer features. * The internet also provides Dell with greater opportunities since all they have to do now is to visit Dell’s website to place their order or to get information. * Since Dell does not have retail stores, the online stores would surely make up for its absence. It is also more convenient for customers to shop online than to actually drive and do purchase at a physical store. Threats: * Competitive rivalry that exists in the PC market globally. * New entrants to the market pose potential threats. * The threat to become outmoded is a pulsating reality in a computer business. * Price difference among brands is getting smaller. * Dell’s Direct Model attracts customers because it saves cost. Since other companies are able to offer computers at low costs, this could threaten Dell’s price-conscious growing customer base. * With almost identical prices, price difference is no longer an issue for a customer. They might choose other brands instead of waiting for Dell’s customized computers. * The growth rate of the computer industry is also slowing down. Today, Dell has the biggest share of the market. If the demand slows down, the competition will become stiffer in the process. Dell has to work doubly hard to differentiate itself from its substitutes to be able to continue holding a significant market share. = Technological advancement is a double-edge sword. It is an opportunity but at the same time a threat. Low-cost leadership strategy is no longer an issue to computer companies therefore it is important for Dell to stand out from the rest. 6. Which company is competitively stronger—Dell or Hewlett-Packard? Use the weighted competitive strength assessment methodology shown in Table 4.2 of Chapter 4 to support your answer.

Learning About On-Line Communities :: Internet Technology Computer Chats Essays

Learning About On-Line Communities Section 1: What I Know, Assume or Imagine. What I know, or rather, what I assume I know, about on-line communities is extremely limited since I do not really participate in these types of communities myself. I have virtually no experience in the area of on-line communities and have never actually attempted to join, or even browse, through them. Everything that I think that I know about this area of interest is simply what I have heard from my friends or family regarding their experiences in various chat rooms and other on-line communities. What I assume I know is also based partially on the bits and pieces of information that I gather occasionally from the media. When certain investigative report programs air information that reveals research from various web sites such as the different types of web sites that are available, and the types of people that might be found in certain chat rooms, I begin to grow more curious. In fact, I once watched an investigative report show that revealed how easy it is to set up your own web site from your living room. The amount of people that decided to create their own web sites for assorted reasons is not as interesting to me as the amount of people that are enticed into logging on to these web sights. Several areas of interest even include simply watching the creator of the web site as they go about their daily activities in their living room. Some online "groupies" have even become so fascinated with certain web sights that they enjoy watching the host of the site sleep or use the bathroom. I am sure that these types of communities are merely the tip of the iceberg in the vast ocean of what is available a s far as on-line communities. What interests me most about the various web sites and on-line communities available to the public is the fact that so many people are consumed by these alternative realities and seem to enjoy living in a world where they can create their alter egos. A lot of people seem to really enjoy, or perhaps even have a deep need, to create enriched versions of them. People that often engage in this activity of creating a generous picture of who they actually are have a purpose of attracting other individuals who the embellishers might feel would, otherwise, not be attracted to enlist in conversation with them.

Immigrants in Singapore

Name: Clara Soo Wen Lin (4) Class: 2E History Holiday SEQ Assignment Question 1(a) Immigrants came to early Singapore due to push factors such as famines and droughts as well as natural disasters and starvation, and the desire to seek protection and safety. India was overpopulated and the immigrants faced many droughts and natural disasters in their homeland. After droughts wiped out their crops and resulted in famine, many would be forced to find jobs in the city in order to earn a living to feed their families. However, jobs were scarce which caused many of them to seek employment outside of India. With the prospect of finding jobs outside, this would at least give them a chance to survive. Similarly in China, with famines and droughts being a common occurrence, accompanied by the shortage of fertile land for crop cultivation, a huge portion of the population who worked as labourers or farmers resulted in starving. Furthermore, there was much disorder and unrest in China as the people were trying to overthrow the corrupted Qing government, resulting in many Chinese seeking protection and safety outside China. On the coastal areas in the Malay Archipelago, pirate attacks were frequents; in war-torn areas in Sumatra, Java and Malaya, life was extremely unsafe, which was why many Malays were â€Å"pushed† to leave their homeland. Therefore, the first reason why immigrants came to early Singapore was because of push factors such as famines and droughts as well as natural disasters and starvation, and the desire to seek protection and safety. Pull factors which brought many immigrants to Singapore was because Singapore can provide more job and business opportunities as well as better living conditions, the free immigration policies and not to forget that Singapore was a free trading port. As news of the founding of Singapore spread to neighbouring countries and even the countries as far away as India and China, many traders and shippers were attracted to Singapore where they could enjoy freedom of trade, which meant that they did not have to pay any customs duties or taxes on goods they brought into, or out of, Singapore. Singapore also served as a efficient trading centre where the British traders could sell their goods to people throughout Southeast Asia. Large numbers of people from the Malay Archipelago, Southeast Asia, India, China and other parts of the world flocked to Singapore to trade or to look for work because of the free immigration policies which meant that the immigrants were allowed to come and go as they pleased. As there was no warfare in Singapore then, it provided the Malays with a peaceful and safe place to settle down into. In this manner, Singapore in the 19th century was like a magnet which attracted many immigrants due to the many pull factors such as free immigration policies, freedom of trade, more job and business opportunities as well as better living conditions. Question 1(b) I agree to a large extent that the success of Singapore as a prosperous trading centre depended solely on the contributions of the migrant workers who came to Singapore in the 19th century. To shape Singapore into what it is today – a successful and prosperous trading centre – was mainly due to the presence of trade activities and revenue earned. However, it did not depend on the immigrants solely as Farquhar and Raffles were key figures in solving the problems brought about by the migrant workers along with their contributions to Singapore. The Malays contributed to trade by bringing in straits produce like coffee, birds’ nests, spices and rice from the East Indies to Singapore. Straits produce are the products that are grown in the East Indies. These Straits produce helped to widen the variety of goods being traded between Singapore and other countries. Therefore, trade was enhanced. In the aspect of education, some Malays who were educated worked as journalists or teachers. One famous example is Munshi Abdullah who could speak many languages and also wrote books about the early Singapore. Malays were also expert boat-builders. Besides making boats for traders, they also served as sailors and officers on the ships. Others worked as policemen, fishermen and watchmen. The Chinese also made many contributions from middlemen to merchants and planters. Some Chinese businessmen acted as middlemen between the British and the non-English speaking traders. They bought straits produce from the Asians and sold them to the British. Most of the middlemen were Peranakans. Among them were Tan Kim Seng and Tan Tock Seng. Some Chinese were shopkeepers who sold daily needs like cloth, medicine and provisions. Hoo Ah Kay was a shopkeeper who supplied ships with bread and vegetables. He also owned a bakery and an accessories shop. He owned a large gambier plantation and he was the first businessman who produced cash crops in large amount. Other than the above mentioned, Chinese also served as skilled labourers like carpenters, barbers and goldsmiths. Those who were unskilled worked as hawkers, servants, coolies and rickshaw-pullers. In terms of business, North Indians became milkmen who sold milk to other Indians or Europeans. They reared cows, goat and buffaloes to get their milk. Others were shopkeepers who provided daily needs like food, cloth and laundry services. Besides these, The Indian Muslims served as moneychangers and also moneylenders. Lastly, we also have the Sikhs who were good policemen and watchmen because of their strength and body size. The thieves were scared of their Beards and turbans. Europeans had the knowledge of trade and commerce. They setup companies, which had connections with Europe with their capital. They sold the goods that were made in Europe and shipped the goods that they bought from Asia back to Europe. Among them were Alexander Guthrie and Edward Boustead. The European merchants gave their opinions and pointed out the weaknesses of the government here. Some of them volunteered to be unpaid judges. They helped to maintain law and order in this way. Even though the immigrants played a significant role in contributing to Singapore to aid her development, they also created many problems for the settlement. Singapore became a lawless society, where secret societies were rampant because many of the Chinese who voluntarily joined were lonely in a new settlement and sought for friendship, protection as well as help and assistance that they believed the secret societies could provide them with. These people committed many crimes, from gang robberies to obstruction to justice and even to the extent of murder. They were a powerful group of people as the inefficient police force was ill-equipped in the 1800s and they could not understand the language of the Chinese secret societies. This resulted in insecurities of the residents in Singapore and may result in traders doubting the security of Singapore and not coming here to trade. This would implicated our port prosperity and bring down our revenue earned. Other key figures such as Raffles and Farquhar also have to be credited for their share of contribution to the development of Singapore. Raffles drew up a Town Plan during his visit to Singapore in 1822 as he found that the settlement had grown in a most disorderly manner. The town was divided into different areas for government, business and residential. Different races also settled in different areas of town, which could help reduce conflict between the different races who practised different cultures. Farquhar, on the other hand, firstly helped to get the traders from the places nearby to come to Singapore and trade as not many people knew about the settlement in Singapore. He invited the immigrants from Malacca to come and trade and stationed an office at St. John’s Island to inform the trading ships passing by about the settlement in Singapore. Apart from setting a stable foundation for the trading port, he also took care of problems such as the lack of building materials, food, tools and other necessities, the pests that roamed all over the settlement and also tried to solve the problem of common occurrences of crimes and robberies by setting up a small police force. Therefore, in conclusion, I agree to a large extent that the success of Singapore as a prosperous trading centre depended solely on the contributions of the migrant workers . The migrant workers contributed in different areas, mainly building the settlement, promoting trade, working for the government and also serving the community. Their contributions went a long way in helping the people and improving their lives in the long run. Without the hark word of these migrant workers, the fact that Singapore became a successful port would not have been made possible. On the other hand, I would have to disagree that success of Singapore was only due to the immigrants' contributions. Other key figures such as Raffles and Farquhar played a significant role in guiding Singapore through, hand-in-hand with the immigrants.

Japanese Propaganda

Yes, I agree that the worst problem Singaporeans faced during the Japanese occupation was living in constant fear of the Japanese rather than Japanese propaganda. The Japanese had claimed that they were liberating Southeast Asia from colonialism, but in reality they were far harsher rulers than the British ever were. In addition to civilian casualties, many cruel acts were committed by Japanese troops, particularly by the Kempeitai. The Kempetai were the Japanese police. Commoners were made to bow to them as they passes, if not, they would be punished by kicking, hitting, and many more. The Japanese, to ‘purify' the commoners and not have ‘unloyals' going against them, introduced a system called Sook Ching. There were secret informers all over the island. When asked by the Japanese to select and ‘accused', they would simply point to anyone. These people were rounded up and taken to a deserted place to be shot and killed. The local people lived in fear at that time because they did not know who worked for the Japanese and who did not. This caused distrust of the people. People no longer knew who to trust, as the secret informers were well paid and they had a high chance of not being rounded up for shooting. This was unfair to Singaporeans as people were being killed for small matters like not bowing down to the Japanese when they pass. This then caused many people to lose their closed ones. Japanese propaganda during World War 2 was designed to assist the ruling government of Japan. Singapore was then renamed to ‘Syonan-to'. Propaganda Campaigns were carried out to influence people to pledge their loyalty to Japan. Students in Singapore also had to learn Japanese in school. Children were marched to school where half their time was spent on indoctrination on loyalty to the emperor, and frugality, obedience, honesty, and diligence. Teachers were instructed to teach â€Å"Japanese science† based on the â€Å"Imperial Way†. Students were given more physical education and required to perform community service. Those who left school after completing six years were required to attend night school for Japanese history and ethics, military training for boys, and home economics for girls. Radio stations were controlled by the Japanese so that only local broadcasts were allowed. Singaporeans did not have any freedom and everything had to be done according to the Japanese's ways. I feel that the worst problem Singaporeans faced during the Japanese occupation was living in constant fear of the Japanese rather than Japanese propaganda. People were killed for small reasons, like not bowing down to the Japanese. They did not dare to go out, and didn't know who to trust, fearing that they would get killed. But Singaporeans didn't have to die during the propaganda, even though they had to follow the Japanese's ways and suffer. Therefore, I think that the worst problem that the Singaporeans faced during the Japanese occupation was living in the fear of the Japanese.

15 Century History

15 Century History The aristocracy of the medieval ages formed a symbiotic relationship with the peasants, a situation in which both parties contribute, although the peasant's contribution seems to be more strenuous. By analyzing primary sources, I intend delineate the function of the aristocracy in regards to the peasants, the attitudes and beliefs characterized by aristocrats, and the restrictions placed on them by their responsibilities to the peasants, as well as the church.Einhard's work, The Life Of Charlemagne, offers some excellent information about the restrictions placed on aristocracy. The document mentions several times Charlemagne's devoutness to the Christian faith and towards the papacy in particular.Beyond all other sacred and venerable places he loved the church of the holy Apostle Peter of Rome, and he poured into its treasury great wealth in silver and gold and precious stones. He sent innumerable gifts to the Pope; and during the whole course of his reign he strove with all his migh t (and, indeed, no object was nearer to his heart than this) to restore to the city of Rome her ancient authority, and not merely to defend the church of Saint Peter but to decorate and enrich it out of his resources above all other churches (Einhard, qtd.St. Peter's Basilica at Early Morning

Free Essays on ESP

We have all learned about the five senses we possess: taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell. Still, we wonder, â€Å"Do we possess another sense, a supernatural power? Does ESP actually exist or is it just coincidence?† For over a century, scientists have run thousands of experiments to learn if we have supernatural powers. American parapsychologist, J.B. Rhine, coined the term "extrasensory perception" to describe the apparent ability of some people to acquire information without the use of the known five senses (www.parapsych.org 1). Extrasensory perception, or ESP, has been tested using three categories: telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition. Skeptics question the validity of these tests and suggest that ESP is attributed to lucky guesses or coincidence (Netzley 10). Despite the lack of belief in extrasensory perception, there is significant evidence and proof that most people possess this power, they just may not know how to use it, and that it clearly exists. ( Netzley Parapsych.org) â€Å"Extrasensory perception is the ability to experience reality independently of the known channels of sensory perception. It expands the limits of human experience to permit access to realities otherwise unavailable (Slate 7).† Although people possess ESP, it mostly goes unrecognized and occurs without the awareness of those involved. Likewise, for cases that have been consciously experienced, ESP may be suppressed, rationalized, or denied (Slate 7). As a result of the unconscious activities that have occurred, many instances of psychic occurrences have gone unreported. (Slate) Extrasensory perception is classified into three main categories: telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition. Telepathy, the ability to receive a thought or feeling from the mind of another (Netzley 12), is â€Å"possibly the most frequently used mechanism for interpersonal communication (Slate 9).† Conditions that are commonly associated with occurrences o... Free Essays on ESP Free Essays on ESP We have all learned about the five senses we possess: taste, touch, sight, sound, and smell. Still, we wonder, â€Å"Do we possess another sense, a supernatural power? Does ESP actually exist or is it just coincidence?† For over a century, scientists have run thousands of experiments to learn if we have supernatural powers. American parapsychologist, J.B. Rhine, coined the term "extrasensory perception" to describe the apparent ability of some people to acquire information without the use of the known five senses (www.parapsych.org 1). Extrasensory perception, or ESP, has been tested using three categories: telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition. Skeptics question the validity of these tests and suggest that ESP is attributed to lucky guesses or coincidence (Netzley 10). Despite the lack of belief in extrasensory perception, there is significant evidence and proof that most people possess this power, they just may not know how to use it, and that it clearly exists. ( Netzley Parapsych.org) â€Å"Extrasensory perception is the ability to experience reality independently of the known channels of sensory perception. It expands the limits of human experience to permit access to realities otherwise unavailable (Slate 7).† Although people possess ESP, it mostly goes unrecognized and occurs without the awareness of those involved. Likewise, for cases that have been consciously experienced, ESP may be suppressed, rationalized, or denied (Slate 7). As a result of the unconscious activities that have occurred, many instances of psychic occurrences have gone unreported. (Slate) Extrasensory perception is classified into three main categories: telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition. Telepathy, the ability to receive a thought or feeling from the mind of another (Netzley 12), is â€Å"possibly the most frequently used mechanism for interpersonal communication (Slate 9).† Conditions that are commonly associated with occurrences o...

Plutons, Defined and Explained

Plutons, Defined and Explained A pluton (pronounced PLOO-tonn) is a deep-seated intrusion of igneous rock, a body that made its way into pre-existing rocks in a melted form (magma) several kilometers underground in the Earths crust and then solidified. At that depth, the magma cooled and crystallized very slowly, allowing the mineral grains to grow large and tightly interlocked - typical of plutonic rocks.   Shallower intrusions may be called subvolcanic or hypabyssal intrusions. There are a slew of partial synonyms based on a plutons size and shape, including batholith, diapir, intrusion, laccolith, and stock.   How Pluton Becomes Visible A pluton exposed at the Earths surface has had its overlying rock removed by erosion. It may represent the deep part of a magma chamber that once fed magma to a long-vanished volcano, like Ship Rock in northwestern New Mexico. It may also represent a magma chamber that never reached the surface, like Stone Mountain  in  Georgia.  The only true way to tell the difference is by mapping and analyzing the details of the rocks that are exposed along with the geology of the surrounding area. The Various Types of Plutons Pluton is a general term that covers the whole variety of shapes taken by bodies of magma. That is, plutons are defined by the presence of plutonic rocks. Narrow sheets of magma that form sills and igneous dikes may qualify as plutons if the rock inside them solidified at depth. Other plutons have fatter shapes that have a roof and a floor. This can be easy to see in a pluton that was tilted so that erosion could cut through it at an angle. Otherwise, it may take geophysical techniques to map the plutons three-dimensional shape. A blister-shaped pluton that raised the overlying rocks into a dome may be called a laccolith. A mushroom-shaped pluton may be called a lopolith, and a cylindrical one may be called a bysmalith. These have a conduit of some sort that fed magma into them, usually called a feeder dike (if its flat) or a stock (if its round). There used to be a whole set of names for other pluton shapes, but they arent really much use and have been abandoned. In 1953, Charles B. Hunt made fun of these in USGS Professional Paper 228 by proposing the name cactolith for a cactus-shaped pluton: A cactolith is a quasihorizontal chonolith composed of anastomosing ductoliths whose distal ends curl like a harpolith, thin like a sphenolith, or bulge discordantly like an akmolith or ethmolith. Who said geologists couldnt be funny?   Then there are plutons that have no floor, or at least no evidence of one. Bottomless plutons like these are called stocks if they are smaller than 100 square kilometers in extent, and batholiths if theyre larger.  In the United States, the Idaho, Sierra Nevada, and Peninsular batholiths are the largest. How Plutons Form The formation and fate of plutons is an important, long-standing scientific problem. Magma is less dense than rock and tends to rise as buoyant bodies. Geophysicists call such bodies diapirs (DYE-a-peers); salt domes are another example. Plutons may readily melt their way upward in the lower crust, but they have a hard time reaching the surface through the cold, strong upper crust. It appears that they need help from regional tectonics that pulls the crust apart- the same thing that favors volcanoes at the surface. Thus plutons, and especially batholiths, go along with subduction zones that create arc volcanism. For a few days in 2006, the International Astronomical Union considered giving the name plutons to large bodies in the outer part of the solar system, apparently thinking that it would signify Pluto-like objects. They also considered the term plutinos. The Geological Society of America, among other critics of the proposal, sent a quick protest, and a few days later the IAU decided on its epochal definition of dwarf planet that banished Pluto from the register of planets. (See What Is a Planet?) Edited by Brooks Mitchell

ENG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ENG - Essay Example The Treaty of Versailles did not give the German People any other alternative than accepting the 3rd Reich. Outline I. Introduction : A. End of World War 1 B Geographical Situation of Germany II. Treaty of Versailles A. Principle Clauses B. Clauses involving Germany 1. Sign of Guilt 2. Giving up of territory 3. payment of reparations a) equivalent of $328 billion today b) paid of last year c) scheduled for final payment in 1988 C. Economic ramifications 1. Payment scheme 2. English demand D. Hyperinflation - definition 1. Devaluation of the mark a) different attempts to recuperate b) valuation of mark to grain 2. Removal of the gold standard 3. Change of currency 3. Effect on the country E. Political Scheme 1. Weimar Republic 2. Growth of Nationalism 3. Political Dissent 4. Groups which were blamed for the war F. Great Depression 1. day to day life in before WWII 2. World response to the growth of the SA a) prelude to boycott of 1933 b) boycott G. Change in Germany's economy 1. Hitle r's promises 2. Background 3. No choice 4. burning of the Weimar building 5. Dictator H. Conclusion Annotated Bibliography Clemenceau, G. History Learning Site.CO.UK. Hyperinflation and Wiemar Germany in http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk: Already having stopped payments in 1922, France and Belgium invaded the Ruhr valley which was Germany's must industrial and fertile part of their territory.

Catch-Up Problem in Developing Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Catch-Up Problem in Developing Countries - Essay Example Those that had to depend on bailouts from the IMF were forced to accept a wide-ranging reform program as obligatory conditions for the rescue loans. The themes of this paper are (1) that the Asian crises were the inevitable outcomes of the dirigiste development policies the Asian economies pursued in their successful catch-up growth, (2) that such an institutional regime, however, finally met its match in the form of free-market global capitalism, especially in terms of unbridled capital flows, and (3) that East Asias present trend of deregulation and marketization is all the more pushed by the institutional requirements of the Internet revolution as the region struggles to catch up in the digital age. Any successfully developing economy climbs a ladder of growth. Until the arrival of a New Economy, all the advanced economies had, in the past, trodden a path of industrial structural transformation from the "Heckscher-Ohlin" labour-intensive industries (typified by textiles) to the "nondifferentiated Smithian" scale-driven industries (steel, basic chemicals, and heavy machinery), to the "differentiated Smithian" assembly-based in dustries (automobiles and electric/electronics goods), and finally to the "Schumpeterian" R&D-intensive industries (specialty chips, biotechnology, and new materials) (Ozawa 1992). This conceptualization of stage-based process of industrialization is in line with a "leading sector" theory of growth a la Joseph Schumpeter, which envisages a sequence of stages in each of which breakthrough innovations (new technologies) create a certain new dominant industry as the main engine of growth. This stage-demarcated sequence of growth can be clearly seen in the history of industrial capitalism. Great Britain was the first country that introduced the Industrial Revolution and quickly moved from textiles to steel and heavy machinery.

Homework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Homework - Assignment Example Cadenas sales force is likely to be unenthusiastic about the value-in-use pricing strategy. This is because, by using the cost plus pricing strategy, they would sell more since the PESA would be provided for free. This would encourage more customers to buy the servers since they will be provided the extra application for free. Nevertheless, they would also be encouraged to sell using the value-in-use pricing strategy since it will it offers a higher price thus a chance to a bigger commission (Bharadwaj and Gordon 4-6). Therefore, Jowers would recommend that the sales force should undergo training in order to comprehend and sell the value of PESA effectively. This will be achieved by convincing consumers that the represents higher productivity and greater savings. In the beginning, consumers will likely question the company’s reasoning in deviating from their tradition approach of providing such performance enhancing tools like PESA for free. This is one of the most difficult tasks that are associated â€Å"Atlantic Bundle† pricing. Therefore Atlantic Computers should strive to demonstrate to their consumers that PESA fundamentally quadruples the number of usual and basic TRONN servers. Additionally, they will need to emphasize that the tool will provide a saving aspect depending on the number of servers being purchased as well as saving on other costs. It is also imperative to ensure that they continue to providing excellent after sale service to encourage loyalty (Bharadwaj and Gordon 5-7). It is projected that the â€Å"Atlantic Bundle† will take approximately 4% market share. Therefore, it is improbable that Ontario will have any concerns at that particular time and would likely not take any counteracting measures at the new product entry in the market. However, Ontario is likely to take two to three years before

Google Analytic and Business Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Google Analytic and Business Intelligence - Essay Example Content group enables the company maximize on its search engine optimization. Monitoring goal conversions enables the company to measure how well the site contributes to its business objectives. Lastly, the e-commerce section contains reports on merchandising and revenue. However, these entire groups only provide the company with data. For actual business intelligence, Google Analytics enables the company cross-reference data from these categories, compare timelines or even compare two metric against each other to help to make sense out of the data (Clicksharpmarketing, 2008). Moreover the derived summaries could be presented in diagrammatic representations and even be shared Google shared with colleagues through email in different formats such as PDF or XML. The extent to which real estate financial organizations could learn from Google Analytics shall only be restricted by their own imagination. That is to say that they could cross-reference data from the five categories: visitors, traffic sources, ecommerce, content and goals to give them a wide breath of information. For example cross-referencing visitors with content real estate financial organization will be able to tell which properties are attracting the most attention as such they could adjust their costing accordingly. Also, traffic sources can inform them of localities having more demand for their services than others which may lead them to open outlets there or vice

Overview of experience to gain professional membership Case Study - 1

Overview of experience to gain professional membership - Case Study Example This will be very necessary for me in the execution of my duties by arranging meetings and discussing issues brought up my other colleagues. I have also attended several internal training such as training, reporting, and all aspects of project cost control during my working period; therefore gathering a lot of experiences. I have, therefore, been trained into completing my orders and workload at the best and satisfactory standards. That has also made me understand the different forms of contract and supporting documentation. Within my role, I plan not only my workload and tasks, but also the workloads and tasks of other team associates who work with me. In my projects, I will have to set up and regularly run commercial site team meeting. Being the Senior Quantity Surveyor, I set team objectives and discuss issues that may be current and potential issues and also worries that the team may have. As a Senior Quantity Surveyor, I collect information from one or more sources, and then distribute the information to one or more audiences. I ensure that information management activities are effective and successful. These actions help me in discovering extra principles and strategies, as well as providing a substantial tactics to evolving a supreme information management strategy.1 Being a leader, my main objective is to ensure incessant progress to the strategic and response to the organization. Being a leader in my previous workstations, which include royal construction Ltd, Wates construction Ltd. among others, have made me have good and professional leadership skills. I ensure by managing the infrastructural assets. Moreover, I aim to provide the knowledge of cost effectiveness assets, and use strategic aspects which will help the new employees address problems faced.2 On a daily basis, I encourage people from my department to work as a team, so as to have effective results. Believe that this is necessary and is an advantage to the organization

Google Analytic and Business Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Google Analytic and Business Intelligence - Essay Example Content group enables the company maximize on its search engine optimization. Monitoring goal conversions enables the company to measure how well the site contributes to its business objectives. Lastly, the e-commerce section contains reports on merchandising and revenue. However, these entire groups only provide the company with data. For actual business intelligence, Google Analytics enables the company cross-reference data from these categories, compare timelines or even compare two metric against each other to help to make sense out of the data (Clicksharpmarketing, 2008). Moreover the derived summaries could be presented in diagrammatic representations and even be shared Google shared with colleagues through email in different formats such as PDF or XML. The extent to which real estate financial organizations could learn from Google Analytics shall only be restricted by their own imagination. That is to say that they could cross-reference data from the five categories: visitors, traffic sources, ecommerce, content and goals to give them a wide breath of information. For example cross-referencing visitors with content real estate financial organization will be able to tell which properties are attracting the most attention as such they could adjust their costing accordingly. Also, traffic sources can inform them of localities having more demand for their services than others which may lead them to open outlets there or vice

Psychology - Leadership - employees and company Question Essay

Psychology - Leadership - employees and company Question - Essay Example Most of these factors are determined by the belief systems of the owners, managers, stockholders, or board of directors; on what the organization is offering (products, services, knowledge or other pursuits); on the type of organization (public, private, profit, non-profit); and overall organizational purpose. The implementation of such kind of policy is not difficult, per se; but rather, the support systems and resources, capabilities and skills of the owners and managers to instill these values and make them part of the culture of the organization. As emphasized, the term ‘best interest’ is subjective; since the best interest of one might not be applicable to another – more so for slackers, who might not be performing within the same pace as high achievers. An appropriate behavior that should be manifested by the employees should be contained in the organization’s policies and procedures; as well as code of conduct and discipline. Managers are supervised by senior officers; and some organizations allow employees to perform performance evaluation of managers, to include ethical, moral, legal, and cultural adherence to standards for their improvement and professional development. 2. A client I work with has a saying on the whiteboard in his office, "Things that get measured get done." How does this philosophy fit into our discussion? What do you think about it? (around 50 words) One honestly believes that performance should indeed be measured according to well defined and reasonable standards. The measurement of one’s accomplishments should be the gauge of performance: how well one achieved defined goals. As such, the stated philosophy is actually being implemented in various organizations through regular performance evaluations to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of employees in achieving organizational goals.

Technology Project Essay Example for Free

Technology Project Essay Week 1: Begin thinking of a business problem that could be solved with a technology solution for a company or organization you are familiar with. Use the QA Forum to ask questions and discuss your ideas about the project. See the Course Project Technical Areas for ideas. Week 2: Complete the Course Project Proposal using this format: Course Project Proposal (1-2 pages, 75 points, due week 2, properly cite any external sources used) Cover page 1. Subject of Course Project 2. Business problem statement 3. Name of the company or organization 4. Brief description of proposed solution 5. General benefits it will provide the organization 6. Audience to whom you are presenting the recommendation(s) George Mason University hosts this youth-based program in which the primary goal is to increase motivation, achievement, and exposure to STEM content of students from urban public schools by having them work with scientists and experts to design and build educational games that can be utilized by other students and teachers. The project is a partnership between George Mason University and McKinley Technology High School in Washington, DC. It will include 100 high school students from McKinley and other high schools and 100 middle school students from urban schools. During the academic year the project proposes a 3-week gaming camp which meets four hours each day while the academic year activities include 24weeks of activities for three hours each week. The project introduces fundamental concepts of IT as students develop human animation, multimedia authoring and rapid game prototyping using 3D tools. The project will include hands-on, inquiry-based activities with a strong emphasis on non-traditional approaches to learning and the intensive use of information technologies such as: web-based programming, GIS, architecture, database management, motion capture, LAN network management. The project targets urban traditionally underrepresented students from the Washington, DC area with the vision of being a model for other distance learning efforts.

Concepts in Communication

Concepts in Communication Application Assignment Section One: The Artifact My artifact of choice, which Im going to be utilizing to connect course terminology with external content herein, is the book Doctor Sleep, by Stephen King. The novel serves as a sequel to the classic horror story The Shining, and is set some thirty years in the future. At the outset of the plot, our primary protagonist, Dan Torrance, has hit rock bottom with his alcoholism (a hereditary reenactment of his own fathers sins) and moves to a quaint New English village following a conflict of morality he has inside of a womans apartment one morning. Here, he obtains seasonal work, joins a chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous, and later, establishes a permanent position at a local hospice. With the aid of his telepathic ability known as the shining, and a community cat with an ESP-like awareness, Dan becomes notoriously known as Doctor Sleep amongst the residents for his uncanny ability to comfort the dying, and provide them with some foresight into the journey beyond life. During this time, a young girl named Abra with a similar talent to Dans (though far more powerful) begins to reach out to him via telepathically encoding messages on a chalkboard inside of his private quarters at the hospice. Simultaneously, revelations are beginning to occur; correlating Abras unusual ability to a series of unexplainable events happening around her parents home. Suddenly, the oddities cease, and for many years, tranquil bliss ensues. Then, one day, Abra abruptly uses her talent in an attempt to enlist Dans assistance after witnessing a vision of a young boy being murdered by an organization known as the True Knot. The True Knot is essentially a semi-immortal band of RV travelers who have endured throughout the centuries by feeding on the essence of steam, which they siphon from the bodies of murdered children possessing the shining. Led by the diabolical Rose the Hat, the True Knot become aware of Abras existence and power by administering a reverse procedure. After becoming sick fro m a disease transmitted through the dead boy, the True Knot become adamant on capturing and killing Abra, and channeling her power as a means to sustain their continued survival. Following an in person discussion with the girl, Dan agrees to help, and confronts Abras father and family practitioner; who are then forced to come to terms with the nature of her talent. The men form a plot to ambush Roses henchmen, who are currently en-route to kidnap Abra. Upon successfully thwarting the agenda of the True Knot, it becomes apparent to the protagonists that Rose will relentlessly exhaust all available resources to avenge her fallen comrades and murder Abra. With a heightened sense of urgency, Dan formulates another plan, and makes a final pilgrimage to Colorado (ironically the exact location of the decimated Overlook Hotel from his childhood) with a scheme to put an end to the remains of the True Knot once and for all. At the conclusion of the story, Dan advantageously uses the mental co nnection between himself and Abra to defeat Rose and her remaining cohorts in a psychic battle; drawing upon the combined power of deceased ghosts and the girl, in conjunction with his own. Furthermore, Dan is ultimately able to silence the demons of his past, and establish an ongoing relationship with Abras family, whom he discovers is related by blood during the third act of the story. Section Two: Concepts in Communication Culture Gender In the second chapter of Kory Floyds textbook Interpersonal Communication: Third Edition, were presented with the ideal of in-groups and out-groups the ability to personally identify with others in contrast to those who we find dissimilar (35). Dissecting the concept further, it becomes evident that a portion of each individual culture (group) relies on the use of communication codes, which deepen their level of diversification from other groups by utilizing unique phrases and gestures to establish meaning. Jargon, which is a language used by members of a particular group that may appear nonsensical to those outside of it, (48) is one such format of said phrases. Communication and the Self Meandering onward through Floyd, we come across discussions regarding self-concept -ÂÂ   the set of stable ideas about who you are that compose your identity, (71) and specifically, the Johari Window; a model of scaling which aspects of your personality youre aware of versus which aspects remain a mystery to either yourself or others (72). Additionally, there are many factors that affect self-concept over time, and how we believe were being perceived by those around us dictates our sense of reflected appraisal. The notion is that we basically mirror the messages cast onto us when analyzing our value and self-worth as humans. Intrinsic processing aside, we also have tendencies to project our desired image onto others to create a sort of managed impression. This is commonly done to instill competence, flattery, and many other elements in an interaction. Interpersonal Perception In the midst of the fourth chapter in our class textbook, an illustration is given to the term egocentricity, by comparing the inability to take another persons perspective to the ignorance of toddler behavior patterns (120). Arguably of more prominence, however, is acknowledging the fact that some people consciously partake in this mindset in attempts to avoid uncertainty and, perhaps, even justify questionable actions. As an intelligent species, we humans constantly strive to make sense of whats going on around us. Unfortunately, making these inferences often results in logical fallacies in our interpretations. One potential way these errors are exposed is through overly attributing, or targeting a specific characteristic of a person in order to explain an array of observed mannerisms (129). Concerning Language A vast topic in itself, language is used every day for many purposes. From the persuasive aspect, the strategy of activating the listeners emotions by inducing pathos is a popular appeal to alter the manner in which they would typically respond to a given argument (152). On the other hand, words can also be used as weapons, and demoralize the recipient by means of contextual vulgar and obscenities (163): collectively referred to as profanity. The Nonverbal Category Floyd highlights ten separate channels in which our senses contribute to our ability to communicate without speaking. Chief among these is kinesics and proxemics the study of movement and personal boundaries, respectively (192,199). In society, its fairly commonplace to witness displays of affection (such as hugging) between individuals to convey emotion. Likewise, a personal bubble is a method of describing proximity preferences, derived from the politically correct latter term, and used frequently throughout Western countries to gauge the space and comfort relationship of an interaction. On the topic of sensory language; customary, or ritualistic touches, also come into play when conducting an activity tied to a traditional or repetitious nature (197). Section Three: Connecting My Chosen Concepts to My Artifact In Doctor Sleep, the True Knot exemplifies an in-group cultural bias consistently. They do this by coining the term rubes when referring to the majority of mankind who dont share their exotic traits and collectivistic religion. These references are generally accompanied by disdainful remarks, making my claim even more apparent. The cult also places a heavy emphasis on the use of jargon while performing their ritualistic ceremonies of sacrifice and conversion throughout the novel. We witness this in passages where ancient snippets of dialogue are recited, such as sabbatha hanti, lodsam hanti, and cahanna risone hanti. Great examples of self-concept are recurrently depicted in the character of Dan Torrance. Early on, he confides in a mentor of the AA program, voicing his thoughts of self-loathing and helplessness, while enveloping the Johari Window by refraining from disclosing information about the shining, for fear of instigating a bizarre reaction. He makes a solid effort to vindica te his past transgression by selling himself in a job interview, and project an image. Meanwhile, Abra carries the weight of reflected appraisal by attempting to suppress her powers for the benefit of her parents peace of mind. In the skirmish with the True Knot, Dans followers demonstrate egocentricity while speaking with a wounded woman named Andi; incredulous to how anyone could kill children, despite the necessity it imposes for the continued survival of the cult members. As Abra communicates with Dan secretly, here parents continuously over attribute her obscurity to being a female teenager. As the book begins to spiral toward the finale, Rose convinces one of her assistants to assume the role of an assassin, and hide in a storage shed overlooking the battlefield as a fail-safe method to assure victory. She accomplishes this by appealing to the womans pathos, and taking advantage of her grief stricken state following the death of a loved one. Profanity increases as the story re aches its climax, predominantly when the True Knot adopts the name bitch-girl when referencing to Abra, and all the frustration shes caused them. Finally, it should come as no surprise that a novel inspired by telepathy is rich with nonverbal communication. Numerous examples are found during the chalkboard writing scenes, where Abra signs off her messages with smiley faced emoticons, as well as turn-taking styles of shooting telepathic pictures back and forth between herself and Dan. Theres a chapter that influences the importance of proxemics when Abra and Dan meet outside of a public library for the first time. Not wanting to come off predatorily to bystanders, a certain level of caution is executed by Dan due to the age and gender differences of the characters. Doctor Sleep has a plethora of ritualistic touches. The True Knot grew stronger when they were united, so carrying out many of their duties while holding hands was customary. Abra also personified this term on several occa sions when she was required to hold objects in order to obtain clues to transpired events using her abilities. Works Cited Floyd, Kory. Interpersonal Communication 3rd ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2016. Print. King, Stephen. Doctor Sleep. New York: Pocket, 2013. Print.

Ada :: Computers Language Technology Essays

Ada The Ada language is the result of the most extensive and most expensive language design effort ever undertaken. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) was concerned in the 1970 ¡Ã‚ ¦s by the number of different programming languages being used for its projects, some of which were proprietary and/or obsolete. Up until 1974, half of the applications at the DoD were embedded systems. An embedded system is one where the computer hardware is embedded in the device it controls. More than 450 programming languages were used to implement different DoD projects, and none of them were standardized. As a result of this, software was rarely reused. For these reasons, the Army, Navy, and Air Force proposed to develop a high-level language for embedded systems (The Ada Programming Language). In 1975 the Higher Order Language Working Group (HOLWG) was formed with the intent of reducing this number by finding or creating a programming language generally suitable for the department's requirements. The working group created a series of language requirements documents - the Strawman, Tinman, and Ironman (and later Steelman) documents. Twenty-three existing languages were formally reviewed, FORTRAN, COBOL, PL/I, HAL/S, TACPOL, CMS-2, CS-4, SPL/I, JOVIAL J3, JOVIAL J73, ALGOL 60, ALGOL 68, CORAL 66, Pascal, SUMULA 67, LIS, LTR, TRL/2, EUCLID, PDL2, PEARL, MORAL, EL/I; but the team concluded in 1977 that no existing language met the specifications, though Pascal, ALGOL 68, or PL/I would be a good starting point (History of the Ada Programming Language). Requests for proposals for a new programming language were issued and four contractors were hired to develop their proposals under the names of Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow. In May of 1979, the Green proposal, designed by Jean Ichbiah at Cii Honeywell Bull, was chosen and given the name Ada, after Lady Ada Lovelace, the so-called first computer programmer. The reference manual was approved on December 10, 1980 (Ada Lovelace's bi rthday). The total number of high-level programming languages in use for embedded systems projects at the DoD fell from over 450 in 1983 to 37 by 1996. The DoD required the use Ada for every software project where new code was more than 30% of result, though exceptions to this rule were often granted. This requirement was effectively removed in 1997. Similar requirements existed in other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries. Ada :: Computers Language Technology Essays Ada The Ada language is the result of the most extensive and most expensive language design effort ever undertaken. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) was concerned in the 1970 ¡Ã‚ ¦s by the number of different programming languages being used for its projects, some of which were proprietary and/or obsolete. Up until 1974, half of the applications at the DoD were embedded systems. An embedded system is one where the computer hardware is embedded in the device it controls. More than 450 programming languages were used to implement different DoD projects, and none of them were standardized. As a result of this, software was rarely reused. For these reasons, the Army, Navy, and Air Force proposed to develop a high-level language for embedded systems (The Ada Programming Language). In 1975 the Higher Order Language Working Group (HOLWG) was formed with the intent of reducing this number by finding or creating a programming language generally suitable for the department's requirements. The working group created a series of language requirements documents - the Strawman, Tinman, and Ironman (and later Steelman) documents. Twenty-three existing languages were formally reviewed, FORTRAN, COBOL, PL/I, HAL/S, TACPOL, CMS-2, CS-4, SPL/I, JOVIAL J3, JOVIAL J73, ALGOL 60, ALGOL 68, CORAL 66, Pascal, SUMULA 67, LIS, LTR, TRL/2, EUCLID, PDL2, PEARL, MORAL, EL/I; but the team concluded in 1977 that no existing language met the specifications, though Pascal, ALGOL 68, or PL/I would be a good starting point (History of the Ada Programming Language). Requests for proposals for a new programming language were issued and four contractors were hired to develop their proposals under the names of Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow. In May of 1979, the Green proposal, designed by Jean Ichbiah at Cii Honeywell Bull, was chosen and given the name Ada, after Lady Ada Lovelace, the so-called first computer programmer. The reference manual was approved on December 10, 1980 (Ada Lovelace's bi rthday). The total number of high-level programming languages in use for embedded systems projects at the DoD fell from over 450 in 1983 to 37 by 1996. The DoD required the use Ada for every software project where new code was more than 30% of result, though exceptions to this rule were often granted. This requirement was effectively removed in 1997. Similar requirements existed in other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries.

Are Reason and Emotion Equally Necessary in Justifying Moral Decisions Essay

Emotion and reason are two different ways of knowing but can both be used in the same situation. However, does one have a higher weighting than the other when it comes to making moral decisions? Using reason to make a knowledge claim or moral decision requires rationality and is justifiable, meaning that everyone would be able to understand the argument for it. Emotion on the other hand is usually simply a ‘gut feeling’ or an opinion of an individual and therefore has no evidence or points to support a decision. An example could be when it comes to whether it’s right or wrong to murder someone. It’s generally accepted that it isn’t because, using reason to justify this, everyone should have equal rights and it’s unfair for one person to take the life of another. One person may have the opinion that they do have the right to murder someone else but their argument would not be as strong since it would simply be their opinion of the case. Another example could be homosexuality. Many people who are against it claim that it’s wrong because ‘it’s not natural’ but when thinking of the argument rationally, this would mean cars, airplanes and TVs would also be considered wrong since those things aren’t natural either. Arguments made using ethics and emotions are not usually consistent and this is why reason is a better way of knowing because it can be applied to many cases. However, sometimes both emotion and reason can be used equally in justifying a moral decision such as when it comes to abortions. According to ethics and emotions, abortion is murder (since the baby is a human being) and murder is wrong (as all lives are valuable and it’s unjust to take another one’s life). Reason can come in to justify these arguments as well as add the point of the medical complications and effects abortions bring. On the side for the legalisation of abortions, justifiable points includes if the baby has a life-threatening disease or if the mother does that would be pass down and therefore the baby would lead an unhappy and sick life, if the parents are unfit for the responsibility of parenthood (for example, alcoholics, drug-addicts, teenagers), if the mother was unmarried and lived in a strict eligious society, if it was caused by rape and therefore would be unfair to the women as well as cause psychological harm and the fact that the government is intervening and reducing the freedom of choice for women simply goes against basic civil rights. Emotions are involved in the decision to abort a baby because mothers want what’s best for their baby and in most abortion cases, the reason behind it is because they feel their baby would not live the life they deserve . Whether it’s because they’d spend most of the life in a hospital with an incurable illness or because the mother knows that she wouldn’t be good enough for the parenting job. When it comes to making any decisions, whether it’s a moral one or not, reason should be considered more as it uses rationality and therefore is easier to explain and justify a decision to others. Emotions aren’t necessarily permanent or consistent and so it would be more difficult to try to get others to understand why you’ve made a certain decision.

English Consonants

RESEARCH PAPERS | 23 How Many Consonant Sounds Are There in English? How Many Consonant Sounds Are There in English? by David Deterding, National Institute of Education, Singapore †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Most analyses agree that there are 24 consonant sounds in English. However, it is valuable to consider in some detail a few issues that affect the status of these consonants. First, we can think about why the affricates /t? / and /d / are treated as single consonants rather than sequences of two consonants. Second, one might discuss why it is that /w/ and /j/ are classified as consonants rather than vowels. Third, there is the possibility of a voiceless counterpart of /w/ that, for some speakers, differentiates which from witch. And finally, there is the question of whether the velar nasal /? / is actually an allophone of /n/. After considering these issues, most people will still conclude that there are 24 consonants in English. However, the discussion can help us gain a deeper understanding of English phonology. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. s Introduction How many consonant sounds do you think there are in English? Of course, most of us know that there are 20 consonant letters in our alphabet (or 21 if you include ‘y’), but here we are talking about sounds, not letters. And there is a mismatch between sounds and letters: sometimes two letters combine to represent one sound, so that ‘s’ + ‘h’ combine to represent the sound /? / and ‘t’ + ‘h’ combine for /? /, and sometimes one letter is pronounced as a sequence of two sounds, as ‘x’ is usually /ks/. So the number of consonant letters in our alphabet is irrelevant when considering the number of consonant sounds (phonemes) in English. The basic answer to the original question is that there are 24 consonant sounds in English: q 6 plosives : /p b t d k / q 9 fricatives : /f v ? ? s z ? / q 2 affricates : /t? d / q 3 nasals : /m n ? / q 1 lateral-approximant : /l/ q 3 approximants : /w j r/ However, things are never quite as simple as that in the study of languages, and there are a number of issues that we might consider in more depth: q Why are /t? / and /d / regarded as single phonemes and not as sequences of two phonemes? q Why are /w/ an d /j/ regarded as consonants and not vowels? q Do those people who distinguish which from witch have one extra phoneme, / /, a voiceless equivalent of /w/? q Should /? / really be regarded as a separate phoneme? Or can it be analysed as an allophone of /n/? s The status of /t? / and /d / The two affricates are each written as a sequence of two symbols, so why do we regard them as single consonants? Why do we not, for example, analyse cheese /t? i z/ as having two consonants at the start, /t/ followed by /? /? The answer is that /t? / behaves phonologically as a single sound, even if phonetically it is rather similar to a plosive followed by a fricative. In analysing its behaviour, we need to think about the patterns of distribution of /t/ and /? (Laver, 1994:365), so we should consider what sequences of sounds can occur together, particularly at the start of a syllable. English allows quite complex syllable onsets, such as /str/ in string and /spl/ in splash, but it does not generally permit a plosive followed by a fricative, so */pf k/, */ts? / and */k p/ are not possible words of English. (In the few cases where the spelling does suggest a plosive followed by a fricative at the start of th e word, such as psychology, the plosive is actually silent. ) But note that chip /t / and check /t? ek/ are perfectly good words of English. So if we treated /t? / as a sequence of two phonemes, we would have to make a special exception to the rule that an English word cannot begin with a plosive followed by a fricative. Note that /t? / can also occur at the end of a word, as with catch /k t? / and rich /r? t? /, and there are no other instances where /? / can occur after a plosive at the end of a word, as */k k? / and */r? p? / are not possible words in English. The situation with /d / provides even stronger evidence. The consonant / / is rather rare in English, and apart from in some recent loan words such as genre / ? nr? /, beige /be? /, and rouge /ru / (all of which still sound rather foreign), / / can only occur in the middle of a word, mostly between two vowels, as in pleasure Copyright  © 2005 Singapore Tertiary English Teachers Society1, 2005 STETS Language & Communication Review, Vol. 4, No. (STETS) w 24 | David Deterding s The status of /w/ and /j/ If you say /w/ and drag it out, it sounds rather like /u /, and similarly /j/ sounds rather like /i / (Roach, 2000:64). If they sound like vowels, why do we classify /w/ and /j/ as consonants? Sometimes it is valuable to make a distinction between a contoid and a consonant: contoids are articulated with an obstruction in the vocal tract, but consonants are sounds which can occur at the edge of a syllable (Laver, 1994:147-8). In other words, contoid is a phonetic term which describes the articulation of a sound, while consonant is a phonological term which describes its behaviour within a syllable. From the phonetic perspective of articulation, we find that plosives, fricatives, nasals, and the lateral approximant /l/ are all contoids, because they all involve a constriction in the vocal tract, but /j/ and /w/ (and maybe /r/ as well) are not contoids. But now we should consider phonological behaviour and thereby determine which sounds should be classified as consonants. Let us think about what can occur before /et/ to create a monosyllabic English word. We have words such as bet /bet/, pet /pet/, set /set/, net /net/, and debt /det/, but not */? t/ or */ et/, so we regard /b p s n d/ as consonants because they occur at the edge of a syllable, but /? / are vowels. However, note that we can also have wet /wet/ and yet /jet/. This confirms that /w/ and /j/ are consonants. In one other aspect of behaviour, we can consider the distribution of the indefinite articles a and an: a occurs before consonants, while an occurs before vowels, and this depends on the pronunciation and not the spelling, so it is an hour not *a hour because /a / begins with a vowel (the ‘h’ is silent). But note that we have a waste and a year, not *an waste and *an year, and notice that once more this is based on pronunciation and not on spelling, as it is a university (which begins with /j/) and not *an university. So again we see that /w/ and /j/ behave as consonants, not as vowels (Roach, 2000:64). s The status of /? / In standard phonemic analysis, we assume that if the occurrence of a sound can be predicted from the surrounding sounds, it is regarded as an allophone and not as a phoneme. So, for example, we treat [ ], the dark /l/ sound that occurs at the end of a word such as fill, as an allophone of /l/ because we can specify that it only occurs in the coda of a syllable (or as a syllabic consonant in words such as bottle), unlike its clear counterpart which occurs before a vowel. So what about /? /? Note that /? / can also only appear in the coda of a syllable, and furthermore we can predict that /? / rather than /n/ will always occur before another velar sound, such as in bank /b ? k/ and anger / ? ?/. So should /? / be regarded as an allophone of /n/ (and then be written as [? rather than /? /)? The crucial test for a phoneme is the existence of a minimal pair: if there are two words which only differ with respect to one sound distinction, then we know that we have two separate phonemes. For example, we know that /f/ and /v/ are different phonemes of English because of the existence of the minimal pair fan /f n/ and van /v n/ where the only difference is in the initial consonant, and similarly the difference in the final sound of back /b k/ and bag /b / establishes /k/ and / / as separate phonemes of English. On this basis, we can be confident that /n/ and /? / are different phonemes, because we have many minimal pairs such as sin /s? n/ and sing /s /, and also ran /r n/ and rang /r ? /. This would seem to be the end of the story, but of course it is not. s The possibility of / / Do you make a distinction between which and witch? For most speakers, these two words are homophones as they are both pronounced as /w? t? /, though many Americans do make a distinction (Wells, 1982:126), and most Copyright  © 2005 Singapore Tertiary English Teachers Society (STETS) w w w /ple ? / and measure /me ? /. But notice that jet /d et/ and barge /b? d / are perfectly good words in English. So if we were to regard /d / as a sequence of two separate sounds, we would have to say that / / can only occur near the start or at the end of a word if it is preceded by /d/, which would be rather strange. So the claim that /t? / and /d / are single sounds in English is well-founded, because they behave phonologica lly like single sounds in the structure of English words. However, one might note that Ladefoged (2001:27) does treat both these English affricates as sequences of two sounds, partly because his emphasis is rather more on phonetics than on the phonological structure of English. Scottish speakers also do (Wells, 1982:408). Indeed, it was once normal for all speakers of English to make this distinction, but by the end of the eighteenth century even educated southern speakers no longer maintained it (Mugglestone, 2003:132). For speakers who retain this distinction, it might be necessary to include an extra phoneme, with / / representing the voiceless counterpart of /w/, so that which is / ? ? / while witch is /w? t? / However, even here the analysis is not so simple. Historically, this sound was a consonant cluster /hw/, parallel to other clusters beginning with /h/, such as /hr/, /hn/ and /hl/ (Cruttenden, 2001:215). These others have now disappeared, so apart from the possibility of /hw/, the only remaining consonant cluster involving /h/ is /hj/ in words such as huge /hju d / and human /hju m? n/. And even the status of this is doubtful, as one might alternatively regard /ju / as a diphthong (Deterding, 2004). So, from a historical perspective, / / might be treated as /hw/. But from a synchronic perspective, we should note that the contrast between / / and /w/ is parallel to the contrast between many pairs of consonants in English, such as /t/ and /d/, /s/ and /? /, and /f/ and /v/. The fact that the voiceless/voiced contrast is wellestablished in English lends support to the treatment of / / as a phoneme in its own right. We might therefore conclude that some speakers do have this extra phoneme. w v w v How Many Consonant Sounds Are There in English? | 25 so it’s fun being with them [F9-f:40] In fact, extra velar plosives also occasionally get inserted at the end of words such as selling, studying and young in relatively informal Singapore data (Lim & Deterding, 2005), as shown in the following examples also from the NIECSSE corpus: selling um decorative stuff [iF9-c:83] that I was studying †¦ this [iF9-c:238] when we were young †¦ we used to erm [iF10-e:180] If a velar plosive gets inserted occasionally after /? /, maybe we should analyse it as present in the underlying representation of the word, and then instead of saying that it sometimes gets inserted, we should state that it sometimes fails to get deleted. And if this is the case, s Conclusion It is still basically true that there are 24 consonants in English, though it may under some circumstances be possible to regard /t? / and /d / as sequences of two sounds, some speakers may have an extra phoneme / /, and the status of /? / is questionable. Even though we can conclude that there are 24 consonants in English, consideration of some of the issues regarding the phonological analysis of English can give us a deeper understanding of he structure of the sound system of the language. STETS Language & Communication Review, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2005 w v v An alternative possibility is to say that words like sing have a silent / / at the end, and this silent / / gets deleted when it occurs at the end of a word (Roach, 2000:68). In fact, for some speakers of English, this deletion rule does not apply and sing is pronounced as [s ] (Roach, 2000:67), so clearly for speakers such as this, we should analyse [? ] as an allophone of /n/. Furthermore, in careful pronunciation, some speakers insert a velar plosive at the end of words such as being, and this can occur in Singapore English (Setter & Deterding, 2003) as is evident from the following utterance from the NIECSSE corpus (Deterding & Low, 2001): then the distribution of [? ] is entirely predictable, so it is an allophone and not a phoneme. Finally we might note that words such as long /l /, strong /str / and young /j ? / have no final / /, but there is a / / when a comparative suffix is added: longer /l ?/, stronger /str ?/, younger /j ? ?/. So this seems to lend further support to the possible existence in the base form of these words of a final / / which gets deleted in some circumstances. (But note that there is no / / with the –ing suffix or the agentive –er suffix: singing /s / and singer /s /; not */s / and */s ?/. ) In conclusion, we can say that, on the basis of minimal pairs, /? / is generally regarded as a phoneme of English, but that there are some counter-arguments which raise a few questions about its status. 26 | David Deterding REFERENCES Deterding, D. (2004). How many vowel sounds are there in English? STETS Language & Communication Review, 19(10): 19-21. Deterding, D. & Low, E. L. (2001). The NIE corpus of spoken Singapore English (NIECSSE). SAAL Quarterly, 56: 2–5. Ladefoged, P. (2001). A course in phonetics (4th edition). Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers. Laver, J. (1994). Principles of phonetics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lim, S. H. & Deterding, D. (2005). Added final plosives in Singapore English. In D. Deterding, A. Brown and E. L. Low (Eds. ), English in Singapore: Phonetic research on a corpus, pp. 37-42. Singapore: McGraw Hill. Mugglestone, L. 2003). ‘Talking proper’: The rise of accent as a social symbol (2nd edition). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Roach, P. (2000). English phonetics and phonology: A practical course (3rd edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Setter, J. & Deterding, D. (2003, August). Extra final consonants in the English of Hong Kong and Singapore. Paper presented at the International Conference of Ph onetic Sciences, Barcelona. Wells, J. (1982). Accents of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Copyright  © 2005 Singapore Tertiary English Teachers Society (STETS)

Gulf Refinery Fire

In the early hours of August 17, 1975, a tragic disaster occurred on the Gulf Oil refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This horrific disaster took the lives of eight firefighters, and potentially could have taken more lives if it wasn’t for the help of many surrounding fire stations. The cause of the fire was the overfilling of Tank 231. While no crude oil escaped from the tank as a result of being overfilled, large quantities of hydrocarbon vapors were trapped above the surface of the tank’s crude oil. As the quantity of crude oil increased, these hydrocarbon vapors were forced out of the tank’s vents and into the area of the No. Boiler House where the initial flash occurred. The overfilling of the tank resulted from a failure of the tanker’s personnel to properly monitor the quantity of crude oil being pumped to the tank. This whole disaster could have been avoided by just double checking the amount of crude oil in Tank 231. At 12:45 a. m. on the morning of Sunday, August 17, 1975, the tanker â€Å"M/T Afran Neptune,† tied up at a Gulf Refinery dock, began pumping reconstituted Venezuelan crude oil with additional 5 percent naphtha into Gulf Refinery Tank No. 31. Tank No. 231, built in 1929, of riveted seam construction, had a capacity of 75,000 barrels and had recently been renovated with an internal floating roof. Within the refinery, the tank was located at Avenue â€Å"Y† and 4th Street. Located just west of Tank No. 231 was Boiler House No. 4, the site of a four-alarm fire on April 22, 1967. A brick chimney arose from Boiler House No. 4 and this stack was a familiar sight to westbound motorists on the Penrose Avenue Bridge as th e word â€Å"GULF† was painted in large, white letters. Hydrocarbon vapors, emanating from Tank 231, accumulated in the area of the boiler house and were ignited by an unknown ignition source. A flame front followed the vapors back to Tank 231 causing fire at the tank’s vents and an explosion within the outer shell of the stack. These events began to unfold at 5:57 a. m. Shortly thereafter, a second explosion occurred within Tank 231. Burning petroleum spilled from the tank’s vents into a diked area surrounding the tank. Within the diked area a second tank, No. 114, just north of Tank 231, containing No. 6 grade fuel oil, also ignited as pipelines within the diked area began to fail. The initial explosion also damaged the pipe manifold outside of the dike wall and petroleum pouring out under pressure ignited. At 6:04 a. m. , upon receiving the report of fire from the Gulf Refinery, the Philadelphia Fire Department transmitted the refinery’s fire alarm box: Box 5988, Penrose and Lanier Avenues. Upon leaving their station, Engine 60 could see fire and smoke conditions at a distance, and before arriving at the refinery, Engine 60 ordered the second alarm at 6:09 a. m. First arriving companies had large clouds of heavy black smoke emanating from Tank No. 31, fire on top of Tank No. 114, and fire showing from the 150-foot stack at Boiler House No. 4. The third and fourth alarms were ordered in quick succession by Battalion Chief 1, Arthur Foley, at 6:11 a. m. and 6:14 a. m. Acting Assistant Fire Chief Dalmon Edmunds ordered the fifth alarm at 6:34 a. m. The sixth alarm was ordered by Fire Commissioner Joseph Rizzo at 6:52 a. m. Over the next several hours, fire fighters utilized deluge guns and master streams to cool down surrounding exposures, and applied foam directly to the burning tanks and piping in an effort to extinguish the fire. By 8:44 a. m. it appeared that the fire was well contained and the situation sufficiently stabilized to declare the fire under control. As the firefighting operation progressed, it became apparent that the refinery’s sewerage system was not up to the task of properly draining the foam, water and petroleum-naphtha product mixture that was accumulating on the ground along Avenue â€Å"Y,† between 4th Street and 5th Street to the east, running in front of the refinery’s administration building. These drainage problems were further exacerbated by a decision by refinery personnel to shutoff drainage pumps. Three members were attending to the apparatus and wading in the foam-water-petroleum mixture which was accumulating on the ground. Commissioner Rizzo and Gulf Refinery manager Jack Burk were on an overhead catwalk nearby observing the fire fighting operation. Without warning the accumulating liquid surrounding Engine 133 ignited, immediately trapping the three firefighters working at Engine 133. Instinctively and without hesitation other nearby firefighters dove into the burning liquid to rescue their comrades, not aware of the danger to themselves. Five more firefighters would be consumed by the advancing fire. The flames just engulfed them,† said Commissioner Joseph Rizzo, describing how he escaped the first of dozens of explosions but looked back to see three of his men sealed in flames. â€Å"They were trying to get under the foam, but to no avail,† he said. â€Å"They were human torches. † The fire quickly spread eastward along Avenue â€Å"Y† towards 5th Street. Viewing the unfolding horror before him, Commissioner Rizzo ordered two more alarms, five additional rescue squads, and the recall of all companies which had previously been released from the fire grounds throughout the day. On these orders the fire alarm room transmitted the seventh and eighth alarms. As the fire had been placed under control nearly eight hours earlier, firefighters in stations across the city knew that the unthinkable had occurred as these additional alarms were struck. At 4:46 p. m. Commissioner Rizzo ordered the ninth alarm and notification of Philadelphia Managing Director Hillel Levinson as a major disaster was now unfolding at the Gulf Refinery. As the fire swept rapidly eastward along 5th Street, Philadelphia’s foam pumpers, Engines 160 and 133, and the Gulf Refinery foam pumper, were rapidly destroyed in the fire’s advance. At 5th Street, where Engines 16 and 40 had been assigned to improve drainage, their pieces were also destroyed in the fire’s path, although their pump operators were able to escape. Upon reaching 5th Street, the fire traveled two city blocks north along 5th Street, now threatening four additional storage tanks and the 125-foot Penrose Avenue Bridge. At 5:37 p. m. , Commissioner Rizzo ordered the tenth alarm as the fire was now traveling southward and engulfing the refinery’s administration building, which was located on the south side of Avenue â€Å"Y† between 4th and 5th Streets. The tenth alarm companies were ordered to report to Gate 24 at Penrose and Lanier Avenues, to set up deluge guns and leave the area. As the situation continued to deteriorate at the Gulf Refinery, Commissioner Rizzo ordered the 11th alarm. By seven o’clock, the involved tanks and pipelines were gushing flames and nearby streets in the complex were burning streams of oil and other petroleum products. The courageous men of the Philadelphia Fire Department kept with the fire, retaking 5th Street, 4th Street, and finally Avenue â€Å"Y. † At 1:00 a. m. Commissioner Rizzo left the fire grounds to visit the injured firefighters in the hospital. Rizzo then gave command to Deputy Fire Commissioner Harry T. Kite who placed the fire under control at 5:38 a. m. on Monday, August 18, 1975. The tragedy that occurred on the hot august day in 1975 could have been avoided all together if the refinery personnel in charge of Tank 231 simply monitored the amount of crude oil being pumped into the tank. Mistakes do happen, but unfortunately this mistake took the lives of eight firefighters. As of now we can only take th is disaster into consideration and make sure this doesn’t ever happen again in the future. In remembrance of the firefighters who perished in the blaze: John Andrews, 49, Engine 49.

How September 11, 2001 has Affected the Airline Essay

How September 11, 2001 has Affected the Airline - Essay Example This series of events was perhaps one of the most unforgettable in all of the United States' history, and certainly one of the most devastating. In order to come to a clearer and more knowledgeable viewpoint on this subject matter, the following questions must be addressed: By thoroughly discussing these questions, as well as relevant and concise related topics, we can come to a more understanding and intellectual viewpoint on this subject of interest. The aim of this paper is to discuss all of these elements, while especially making it understood how the airline economy has been affected by this event; from people being scared to fly, to airlines cutting routes, to the leading of some airlines actually going out of business. This is what will be dissertated in the following. The hijackers who carried out the terrorist attacks of September 11th were connected to al-Qaeda, which is an Islamic terrorist group led by Osama bin Laden. Initially, Bin Laden had denied responsibility for the attacks, but eventually he claimed direct responsibility for orchestrating the attacks. (CBC News, 2004). ... As an end result, there were 2,986 fatalities. How has September 11th Affected the Airline Economy The terrorist attacks of September 11th resulted in short-term and long-term disruption of economic activity in many ways. This disruption was especially severe in regards to the United States' airlines. The United States' airline industry was already in a weak financial position before the attacks and were "with rising debt ratios and falling returns on investment." (Looney, 2002: 1(6)). Even to the present day airline passenger traffic has apparently remained below normal, "100,000 layoffs have been announced and employment in October and November fell by 81,000 (almost 8 percent)." (Looney, 2002: 1(6)). In the most simplistic terms, the United States' airline sector has lost around 20 percent of its overall relative value since September 11th. The attacks had a significant economic impact on the United States and world markets. Many of the major local airline carriers have permanently cancelled certain destinations, and reduced the number of flights operated. Even hotels in local es such as Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco and Dubai reported a significant drop in occupancy rates. Tourism in New York City plummeted after the attacks of 9/11, causing massive losses in a sector which employed 280,000 people and generated $25 billion per year. "In the week following the attack, hotel occupancy fell below 40 percent, and 3,000 employees were laid off." ("Wikipedia", 2006). The New York City projected budget deficit for the 2003 fiscal year which begins July 2002 ballooned from $2-$2.5 billion to approximately $4 billion, "though most direct expenses related to the rescue and recovery effort are to be covered by the

Argument Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Argument Analysis - Essay Example is thesis statement is that violent entertainment can be good for children, because it helps them to manage their feelings, especially anger and fear. The fact that his thesis statement is so clear to the reader, makes his overall argument easy to understand and follow, because the reader does not have to guess what the author’s argument is, because it is mentioned in the text. On the one hand, Gerard Jones gives a lot of examples of how violent media has helped children in different situations, including himself and his son. This makes his argument strong and believable, especially, because he writes about working together with Melanie Moore, who is a psychologist. The fact that he is working together with a psychologist makes his argumentation look scientific and professional. On the other hand, he does not use any statistics, which weakens his argumentation that violent entertainment helps a lot of children and only harms a few. His argument would appear to be stronger and even more scientific, if supported by statistics. In addition, the reader might think that not all relevant factors have been considered in the text, because he just claims that violent media is mostly good for children, but does not support it with any data. Gerard Jones seems to target mostly adults, especially those adults who are also parents. In the last part of the text, he uses â€Å"we† (for adults/ parents) and â€Å"they† (for children), for example, he says: â€Å"We moan to other parents† and â€Å"We risk confusing them†. Jones gains his audience’s trust by telling them about his own and his son’s experience with violent media and how it helped both of them. By writing about his experience, the audience feels as if a relationship is established, which in turn makes him trustworthy. So, writing about his own experience is the first part of his strategy and the second part is to write about his work with the psychologist Melanie Moore and examples about how violent media has

World health organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

World health organization - Essay Example In order to achieve the accessibility of the health services, there must be a strong, well-run, and efficient health system. The health system is useful for accessing the essential technologies and medicines through motivated and sufficient health workers. Most countries are unable to expand health services in order to meet the growing needs due to limited resources (Terry 636). In spite of the commitment of developed countries such as USA to the universal coverage, there are still various unsolved puzzles on how to deliver access to health services and protection of financial risk across all people. Today, most research is devoted in new technologies without considering the essentiality of making use of the existing knowledge. Currently, research is required in order to turn the existing knowledge into practice. Various questions concerning the universal coverage need local answers. For example, the questions can be the health-seeking behaviors, how the system can be structured, and how to measure the progress of the health care in the USA (WHO, 2013). The questions imply that all member countries across the world are required to be their own producers of research. According to the 2013 report, WHO came up with three examples to enhance progress towards universal health. The examples include bed nets, cash payments, and affordability of the health care for the ageing European population. Surveys carried out in the US show that the U.S. health system spends a greater sum of gross domestic product on health services when compared to a survey in 22 African countries. In general, the survey was able to reveal that at least one fly spray treated mosquito net was able to reduce mortality rate of children under the age of five by 13-31%. Also, the surveys in America recommended that conditional cash transfer and the cash payment is made in return for offering health care services. The review