The Google Maps Road Rally Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Google Maps Road Rally - Essay Example Austin spreads into 271.8 squares miles in which 6.9 square miles occupies the water. Austin is located near Colorado River along with three beautiful artificial lakes prefixing with lake named as Bird Lake, Austin, and Walter E. Long. Google maps provide the location of lake Austin as shown in the below figure from the website of Google maps after zooming the location. There is beautiful wildflower meadow and shrub/sapling habitat is evolving as the trees grow in stretch of riverbank besides Colorado River. Other species is also showing presence. Biological diversity, better water quality, improvement in oxygen level and flood control is also helpful maintaining sustainable ecosystem in area. The reservoir created in 1939 supports the electricity generation and flood control measurement in the area. Mount Bonnell is another place of interest in the vicinity of Lake Austin to serve as watchtower for the city dwellers. This serves to provide sightseeing to the visitors from the height of 780-feet with nickname Covert Park in the area of 5.36 acres to enjoy the nature’s beauty present in surrounding hills (â€Å"Google Maps†). Population of city is dominated by 63.7% of White Americans in which 49.9% are non-Hispanic according to the survey of 2005-07. The Hispanic population contributes to the 30.5% of the population. Weather condition of city supports the prevalence of subtropical humid climate that can provide sunny days across most of the time in the year. Snowfalls are rare but, it occurs at the interval of two years. City administration comprises the member of council to maintain the governance and law in the Austin. Politically the city remains divided into the groups of environmentalist and promoters of urban advancement (â€Å"Google Maps†). Economically Austin remains one of the thriving city of the US acting as hub for high tech companies including IT giants such as Dell, IBM, Motorola, HP, Apple. University of Texas remains one

Plato's Reply to Glaucon's First Objection that Justice Is No More Term Paper

Plato's Reply to Glaucon's First Objection that Justice Is No More than a Compromise - Term Paper Example Politicians interpret justice in one way and sociologists and philosophers interpret it in another way. Different religions and different cultures have different views about justice. For example, capital punishment is an accepted way of punishing criminals in some of the most advanced societies like United Sates. However, it is prohibited in many other countries. Buddhists do believe that killing of a person or an animal under any circumstances is an inhuman and injustice act whereas some other communities do believe that killing of enemies of their culture or community is an acceptable act. In short, justice is interpreted in different ways by different people. Plato has argued that justice is no more than compromise as a reply to Glaucon’s first objection. This paper critically analyses the claims of Plato. â€Å"For Glaucon, stripping him of everything but his justice simply equates to removing his reputation and all the good things which accrue to him from that. Any good he achieves is another’s good, and why should anyone care about that† (Brown, p.54). Glaucon argued that one of the major consequences of justice is happiness. In other words, granting of justice will make a person happier at the expense of another person. For example, suppose capital punishment is provided to a criminal who brutally raped a female. This punishment may give happiness to the victim even though it provides displeasure to the offender. In other words, justice can be provided only at the expense of another person according to the views of Glaucon. In response to Glaucon’s argument, Plato replied that justice is no more than a compromise. In other words, justice is a compromise between good and evil. It should be noted that "in any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit† (The Nature of Compromise). In other words, the ultimate beneficiary of a co mpromise would be the evil force. If we analyse Plato’s argument in that sense, justice will provide more benefits to the offender than the victim. Plato's answer lies in his account of the virtuous soul. The soul is a complex entity. Reflection will show that the best state of a complex is harmony. That can only occur in the soul when each part has and does its own - when reason rules and the other parts are subdued. Thus, as the health of the body, intrinsically desirable, is physical order, so the health of the soul is psychic harmony - and that is happiness. However, order in the soul is exactly like order in the State – and it is justice. The harmonious soul, then, is the just (virtuous) soul, where reason rules. Such an internal disposition is happiness, which is immune from the invasions of luck (Mackenzie, p.89). In Plato’s opinion, happiness has different dimensions. He has pointed out that happiness is highly subjective since it is associated with phys ical and mental factors. Health of a body is a physical order whereas happiness is a mental order according to Plato. For example, social recognition provides mental happiness whereas consumption of better foods will keep our body healthy. In the first case, our soul will become happy whereas in the second case, our body will become happy. It should be noted that human is believed to be the product of body and soul. It is definite that body cannot stay without its driving force soul whereas the survival of soul without body is controversial. â€Å"

Applications of Semiconductor lasers

Applications of Semiconductor lasers Abstract- Semiconductor lasers have the potential to meet the demands of next generation high speed optical network applications and also have great impact on various other technology domains. Its low cost, easy wavelength tune ability, low power consumption and pure output make it ideal for optical communication applications. This paper is a review of the merits, demerits, current applications, commercial availability and future directions of semiconductor lasers in optical communication. Comparative analysis of these semiconductor lasers with respect to various parameters also been conducted. Keywords: Semiconductor lasers, Fabry-Perot laser, Distributed feedback (DFB) laser, External Cavity Diode Lasers (ECDL), Multi Quantum Well (MQW) laser, Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSEL) i.Introduction The semiconductor lasers were discovered in 1962 by Robert Hall and his team members [1, 2]. With the advent of this technology patents and articles started to publish on this technology but at that time this technology was not mature enough to realize the dreams of the scientists, engineers and physicist. But with advancement in the field and the enabling technologies soon made it possible to produce inexpensive commercially available semiconductor laser. The invention of semiconductor lasers not only revolutionizes the optical communication but it has many applications in other domains also. Semiconductor lasers are one of the popular optical communication light source for data transmission. They are supposed to be the laser of the future, because of their compactness in size, easy integration, more output power, optical pumps for solid-state lasers (primary light source i.e laser diode pumps another solid state lasers) and their rapid improvement. Semiconductor lasers are essentially diodes which produces coherent light through the process of stimulated emission. They uses semiconductor as a gain medium. The gain medium is pumped by an external source, which is electrical in nature in case of semiconductor lasers [3]. As they are basically p-n junctions, so they are compact and can be fabricated on large scale by the use of advance semiconductor IC technology. Semiconductor lasers are very efficient in converting electrical power into optical power [10]. In section.II basic types of semiconductor lasers are described in terms of their basic working procedure, advantages, disadvantages, commercial availability future directions and applications. Section.III produces the comparison of semiconductor lasers with respect to various parameters and section.IV contains the conclusion. II. Types of semiconductor lasers Following are the basic types of semiconductor lasers Fabry Perot (FP) Lasers Distributed Feedback (DFB) lasers Multi Quantum Well (MQW) laser External Cavity Diode Lasers (ECDL) Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSEL) A. Fabry-Perot (FP) lasers In FP lasers, mirrors create the right condition for the lasing to occur. Resonate cavity is formed when two mirrors are put in front of each other. The bouncing of light will take place between these two mirrors, the distance between these two mirrors are adjusted in such a way that this distance is the integral multiple of half wavelength, only is such scenario light will reinforce itself. Wavelengths that are not resonant they undergo destructive interference and deflect. One of the two mirrors is fully reflective and the second mirror allows very small amount of light to pass through [4]. Figure.1.a: Fabry Perot Laser conceptual structure, Ref: [4] Figure.1.b: Fabry Perot Laser structure, Ref: www.scholar.lib.vt.edu A.1. Advantages FP laser gives comb of (Amplified Spontaneous Emission) ASE peak uniform in frequency [5]. FP laser can be used for transmission of data with multimode optical fiber [6]. FP laser also have uniform intensity over Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA) [5]. Perfect for optical links where long term power and wavelength stability is required. A.2. Disadvantages High dispersion in high speed and long transmission system because the spectral width can span as much as 5 nm [6]. At 2.5Gbps and higher the wavelength center of FP laser goes out of wavelength tolerance. Not suitable for long distances. With the improvement in VCSELs technology, applications of 1310 nm and 1550 nm applications are moving from FP laser to VCSEL. A.3. Future directions and Applications Increase in bandwidth up to 15 GHz (the running value) by reducing low frequency roll off parasitic effects of bias circuits by injection locking [7]. FP lasers can generate single longitudinal mode laser [8]. FP lasers external optical modulator for optical access network [9]. Spectral width of FP laser allows transmission to distances of 40 Km at 1.7 Gbps.[5] FP offers Corse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) with channels at 1.3ÃŽÂ ¼m and 1.5ÃŽÂ ¼m simultaneously on a single fiber [5]. FP lasers offer benefits in LAN that use one wavelength per fiber [6]. FP laser can be used as multi wavelength source of Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) for spectrum sliced [5]. The 1550 nm FP laser can support Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) [6]. A.4. Commercial availability of FP lasers Multiple Application Platform (MAP) FP laser [9] is FP laser source with key features like single mode or multi mode output, internal modulation, LAN extensions for instrumentation (LXI) compliant etc. This device has weight of almost of half kilo gram is capable of operating on different optical fibers such as Flexcorà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ and SMF-28 [10] with operational temperature range of 10à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C to 40à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C. This product is commercially available. B. Distributed feedback (DFB) lasers In FP laser there is feedback of light from the mirrors, this light feedback can be provided in distributed manner by series of closely spaced mirrors/reflectors (means there is a periodic variation in the width of the cavity). There is a corrugated section in the cavity; the incident light passes through section causes series of reflections. If the corrugation period is the integral multiple of half wavelength (Bragg condition) the resulting transmitted wave will add in phase. This mechanism suppresses other longitudinal modes and allow only single longitudinal mode whose wavelength is equal to twice the corrugation period. [11] Figure.2. DFB laser structure [4] B.1. Advantages DFB lasers provides better wavelength stability than cleaved end face laser [12] The line width of DFB is less than that of reflective end face lasers [12]. Low chirp [13] Better wavelength selectivity. DFB laser is used in high performance system because of its narrow spectral output width [6]. B.2. Disadvantages The amplitude of the standing wave is fixed because of gratings Emitted wavelength near threshold current cant be controlled [14] Wavelength chirp is associated with the spatial burning of the carrier holes. Some values of rare facet phase give unacceptable performance. B.3.Future directions and applications of Distributed feedback (DFB) lasers All optical flip-flop is one of the building block for fast optical packet switching as it temporary stores the header information while the payload is routed to the correct output port. Single distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode based, all optical flip flop can be used to serve this purpose. Experimental results shows that DFB lasers can provide optical memory in an economical way and at the same time shows fast switching of optical packets (as low as 45 ps can be achieved). Using DFB lasers as an all optical flip flop 40 Gbps can be switched. [15] Used in DWDM system where tune ability of signals are required. Used in the sensing of extreme narrow line width of the signal. B.4. Commercial availability of Distributed Feedback laser The production of Quantum dot pure Green laser [16] is possible by using DFB laser technology. DFB laser gives high reliability for optical communication to form quantum dot crystal with a wavelength of 1064nm [16]. There is significant amount of reduction in power consumption for converting 1064nm quantum dot laser from electricity to light by the use of DFB laser. C. Multi Quantum well (MQW) lasers In Quantum well lasers the active region is very narrow which causes quantum confinement to occur. The wavelength which emits is dependent on the width of the active region rather than the band gap. This feature gives shorter wavelength than conventional lasers [17]. Figure.3. Cavity structure of MQW laser [4] C.1. Advantages Enhanced gain due to quantum well structure and gain co-efficient is usually 3 times or more than single layer FP laser [13] Produce shorter oscillation wavelength Smaller linewidth enhancement factor (ÃŽÂ ±), at larger linewidth enhancement factor the laser instability is enhanced [13]. Small optical losses Better confinement of laser actions because of multiple active regions. Low threshold current High modulation speed Low temperature dependency C.2. Disadvantages The internal structure of MQW laser is designed such that it is more susceptible to back reflections. C.3. Future directions and Applications Modulating retro reflector combines optical retro reflector and optical modulator (MQW lasers). Strained quantum well technology can become the core technology for high performance semiconductor device by expanding the flexibility of band engineering [18]. Optical repeaters, as it gives saturated output power to about 3dBm. C.4.Commercial availability of MQW lasers SANYO GaAlAs index guided laser diodes with MQW structure, these are infrared powerful lasers source [19] of maximum power up to 200mW and wavelength range of 782nm to 830nm is commercially available. SONY GaAlAs index guided laser diodes with MQW structure; these are infrared powerful lasers source [19] gives optical power range from 90mW up to 60W. This huge optical output power gives high brightness. D. External Cavity Diode Lasers (ECDL) ECDL can also be used to achieve the single longitudinal mode wavelength. ECDL is a semiconductor based laser with one end of the laser diode has anti reflective coating and laser resonator is completed with collimating mirror and external mirror. As they are tunable lasers so for wavelength selection they use diffraction gratings. End mirror contains collimating lens and diffraction grating. The anti reflective coated end of the diode gets feedback from the diffracted beam. Tuning of the emitted wavelength is done through the rotation of the diffracting grating. There is some more variation for this setup. [11, 20] Figure.4. EDCL setup Ref: www.clu-in.org D.1.Advantages Side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) is better than -40 dB and has narrow intrinsic line width Pulse repetition rate can easily be selected [21] Filter can be inserted for the fixing of emission wavelength in mode locked diode laser [21] etc. D.2. Disadvantages The direction of output beam changes by rotating the diffraction grating which not suitable for many optical communication applications. In fixed direction of the output beam, the zero order reflection of the beam bounced by the mirror is lost. D.3.Future directions and applications Tunable continuous wave THz radiation can be generated by the use of dual mode ECDL from 250 MHz to several THz [22] Without mode hopping wavelength tuning over 40 nm around 1550 nm is expected by new configuration of EDCL with all dielectric thin film Fabry Perot filters. [23] Atomic clock: ECDL is used in the optical system of the atomic clock; it is used for the cooling and the detection of clock transition. [24] Mode locked ECDL are mostly used in optical communication (DWDM) for data transmission. [21] Testing and measurement in optical fiber communication Non-linear frequency conversion. D.4. Commercial availability of ECDL TEC-100 and TEC-120 [25] External cavity diode Littrow laser system gives optical output power up to 200mW and running range (mod-hop free) up to 30GHz. DLX-100 [26] External cavity tunable diode gives output power up to 1W and mod-hop free tuning up to 15GHz. E. Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSEL) VCSEL achieves single longitudinal mode operation in different manner. The active region is placed between two highly reflective surfaces/mirrors. These two reflective surfaces have alternated high and low refractive index. The reflectivity of the surfaces is between 99.5-99.9% that is why light oscillates perpendicularly through the layers and emits from the top or the bottom of the device. [27] E.1. Advantages It has high wavelength stability It is less sensitive to temperature (can operate reliably up to 80 à ¢Ã‚ Ã‚ °C) Less refrigeration is required for VCSEL as it operation do not emit much heat. It provides high powered per unit area ( up to 1200W/cm2) It emits circular beam as a transmitter which leads to small optical loss. Figure.5. VCSEL structure [4] E.2. Disadvantages Because of high mirror reflectivity in the VCSEL internal structure lowers the optical output power. They emit low output power (in mW) because of their small active medium volume. InP based VCSEL suffers from having low conduction band offset, low conduction band offset means low confinements of electron which results improper temperature stability of active material gain. To produce longer wavelength in VCSEL, mechanism of double fusion is used. This mechanism increases the cost as it is complicated procedure [28]. E.2. Future directions and applications of Vertical External Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VECSEL) [20, 32] There is an issue of optical power supply for Si-photonics transceiver which are being developed for high density optical interconnect on parallel processors can ideally solved by VECSEL as the emits in 1330 nm and 1550 nm. [29] High speed modulation up to 25 Gb/sec can be achieved by using VCSEL at low current of 7.4 KA/cm2. [30] Fast modulation frequency (in GHz) made its use in optical fiber communication as transmitter Ideal for local and metro area networks as they produce low output power. Threshold less laser [31] etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ E.3. Commercial availability of (VCSEL) VCSEL technology has flourished and gives wide range of products with ultra low noise, narrow line width, high optical output power (up to 1kW) and high speed modulation (speed >5GHz) [27]. For high optical output power up to 1KW, a module for cooling of this system is used and fiber is pigtailed for high brightness VCSEL array. VCSELs are commercially available in blue, green and UV lasers [27]. iii. Comparison of semiconductor lasers In this section DFB, ECDL, MQW and VCSEL are compared with respect to different parameters and their suitability as optical transmitter in different optical networks. Parameters Tuning agent Output power ( in dBm) Tuning speed Modulation speed Lasers DFB Temperature 13 Slow (m-sec) Fast (multi-GHz) MQW Quantum confined stark effect ~7 Fast( Fast(multi-GHz) VCSEL MEMs Optically pumped 6 Electrically pumped -3 Fast(ÃŽÂ ¼-sec) Fast ( few GHz) ECDL Peizo transducer ~13 Slow(m-sec) Slow ( Table.1: Comparison of semiconductor lasers Table.1 shows relative analysis of semiconductor lasers. Each semiconductor laser has got competitive advantage with respect to different parameter. Table.2 gives a comprehensive view of the semiconductor lasers and their application in a specific network type as an optical transmitter. Semiconductor Laser Network type FP laser Short to medium range (Local Metro) Networks DFB Laser Long haul network MWQ Laser Short to medium range (Local Metro) Networks ECDL Long haul network VCSEL Short to medium range (Local Metro) Networks Table.2: Semiconductor lasers with their network type support Lasers Max spectral output width FP 5 nm VCSEL 0.5 nm DFB 0.1 nm Table.3: Spectral width comparison of short range lasers Spectral output width measure the range of the wavelengths produce by a laser. From table.3 it is evident that DFB laser has the narrowest spectral output width, which makes DFB laser the best choice for high performance short range optical transmission systems. iv. Conclusion This paper gives a review on the semiconductor lasers, their working, applications, commercial availability and future directions. Relative analysis of these lasers shows that they have competitive advantage in one or other laser parameters and this analysis also shows that which semiconductor laser is appropriate to which type of optical network. Semiconductor lasers have wide applications in optical fiber communication. Lots of exciting research is going on in this field and there is still room of improvements.

Analysis of A World Where News Traveled Slowly by Lavinia Greenlaw Essa

Analysis of A World Where News Traveled Slowly by Lavinia Greenlaw Lavinia Greenlaw’s nostalgic poem â€Å"A World Where News Traveled Slowly,† captivates readers with its brilliant description of the evolution of communication. The poem is chronologically ordered, giving us the effect of how communication moved through the ages. The modern poem is written in three stanzas each describing a different form of communication. Starting from the time when electronics never existed to the current information age. The fashion is which the poem is written, takes the reader on a journey that lasts centuries. The first stanza talks about the old fashioned way of communication. People living far away carefully sent handwritten letters to each other. These letters were taken by horse rider to their destination. It is implied, importantly that these letters were mainly sent â€Å"while the head had to listen, the heart could wait.† That is at extremely important times and not just for insignificant banter. These lines imply that personal letters were not the prime objective of the post. It was for example at important times such as during war, that people sent mail. The second stanza is maybe a few hundred years later, in the seventeen hundreds, during the â€Å"French Revolution.† It describes a new quicker way of communication. This is still old fashioned and unheard of for the modern day man. It is the time of the â€Å"telegraph,† and the â€Å"semaphore.† This stanza implies that it was not an easy task and was yet difficult and hard to manage. â€Å"It still took three men with all their variables†¦.to read record and pass the message on.† This indicates that comm... ...e so close, we are still not. These messages sent to us so quickly make us feel as if we are incredibly close to each other. The title of this poem describes to us that the author thinks that maybe it would be better if we lived in a world where news traveled slowly. This poem gives us the feeling that the poet believes that technology is both a good and bad thing. Even though it gives as instantaneous messages, these very messages importance is lost. The author feels that the smoothness and speed of the current age is not in keeping with the way we talk to each other. It is implied that the world is now sending a barrage of messages that are not weighted with enough importance by the recipient. Maybe people would consider communication with much more importance if we resided in â€Å"A World Where News Traveled Slowly.†

Huffington Post

I will admit that I am rather new to the discussion on bigotry, privilege, and the various -isms. I was speaking with a female friend of mine a few months ago, and I remarked that women, on average, are less able to compartmentalize their emotions than men. She was Oustiflably) irate, and I qualified myself. You see, I had never been explicitly exposed to the socially-propagated idea that women are emotionally unstable. When I found out, I felt rather embarrassed in not only being sexist, but in being so trite and un-profound in doing so.I am simply an bserver of humanity, and although some people might suggest that I have internalized institutional misogyny, herein lies the purpose of my short essay. Imagine you're a mad scientist in a laboratory, and the U. S. government has charged you with the task of creating a perfectly average white man. You split white men down into their fundamental characteristics: hair color, body hair length, belly-button protrusion, etc, and then you tak e measurements and find the average of each of them. Because of the outliers, what will result will probably resemble Frankenstein's onster.This is an analogy I find useful when discussing prejudice. The essence of the previous paragraph was that prejudice arises from two factors: perception of the average as informed by personal experience, and institutionalized power dynamics. These two are inextricably linked, and as one feeds the other, it is very difficult to isolate the effects. However, I will arbitrarily make the choice to begin by discussing perceptions of the average and see where that leads us. My econometrics professor last term proposed that while girls on average tend to do ust as well as boys on standardized math exams, the variance for boys is higher.This is not to say that there are not girls who are incredibly gifted in math, but that there are fewer of them. But naturally, our life experiences are such that we will not be acquainted with the whole of a population, and that is where our prejudices arise. The vast majority of my friends at college are math or computer science majors, so the girls who I do interact with tend to be exceptional at math, and since I have no oint of comparison, I don't regard them as any more exceptional than the boys with comparable acuity because they are girls.However, as in my opening anecdote, sometimes our sampling of the population isn't so flattering. In those cases, we come to believe that the institutionalized power dynamics are an accurate depiction of the entire world, and we consciously draw â€Å"privilege† from them. The most common â€Å"privilege† in public discourse is white privilege, but institutionalized prejudice extends to things like male privilege, cis- privilege, and thin privilege. Sometimes it even leads to active bigotry.In the ideal world, if we all were statisticians, had perfect data, and approached eve rything objectively, we would distill the portion ot stereotypes th at were actually real and omit the portion that are societal caricatures. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Observers of humanity like myself will continue to notice patterns in human behavior across heterogeneous groups, but I will make a conscious effort to not let that sully my daily interactions with my friends.I will approach each individual as a erson, because they are Just that: the politics of their identity are too complex for a feeble mind like my own to accurately discern. But do notice that I assert that parts of the stereotypes are real. You cannot form an asset bubble on zero information, and similarly, building a stereotype out of nothing would require heavy orchestration, nothing short of state-sponsored propaganda. Unfortunately, it doesn't take very much real information to form a cascade, and if we could distill our stereotypes, the actual remaining substance would be, in most cases, statistically insignificant.

A Critical Analysis of Ground Handling Service Benchmarking at European Hub Airports Essay

This paper will critically analyze a paper published in the International Journal of Production Economics in January 2009 (Volume 117, Issue 1) (Schmidberger, Bals, Hartmann, & Jahns, 2009) concerning the development and application of a Performance Management System (PMS) for air-side crews in some of the major European hub airports. This study is valuable in that the benchmarking principles established here are relevant to other industries since the same process for developing this holistic benchmarking process can be adapted and applied to generic business processes. See more: how to write an analysis This critique will focus on three major components of this discussion of the benchmarking process, first the conditions that increase the demand for benchmarking considerations prior to benchmarking, and the problems benchmarking can be used to fix. Second, this paper will analyze Schmidberger’s discussion of the development of the PMS including its integration with the business strategies of associated corporations. The third and final section of discussion will be concerning the discussion of the post-validation of the PMS and recognition of performance gaps and potentially under-emphasized sections of the study. The Under-Emphasized Demand for Benchmarking Performance in the aviation industry is extensively studied and evaluated on quite a routine basis. Due to the high levels of competition and often relatively slim profit margins enterprises in aviation are constantly seeking ways to cut costs and increase efficiency (SAS Group, 2005). Ways of increasing efficiency are often classified into two major categories, vertical and horizontal integration (Sitkin & Bowen, 2010). Horizontal integration involves taking a firm’s existing business processes to a new market to expand market share, this can be difficult for airlines, and often they will elect to enter into code-sharing agreements with competitors in the new markets rather than complete expansion into these potentially saturated areas. This leaves vertical integration as a very attractive option for expansion and efficiency improvements, the process for this integration involves the analysis of both upstream and downstream components of the value chain. This is where ground handling should be considered, however both airlines and airports tend to focus on other areas such as overall airport performance with very little emphasis on such a critical component of the airline industry (Francis, Humphreys, & Fry, 2002). Deregulation has also had a large effect on the demand for airport comparisons and benchmarking. Opening the market for airside ground services up to a wider range of firms is excellent in terms of encouraging healthy competition and an open market; however it also introduces choice to airlines and airport authorities. For these choices to be made effectively there must be more research done into the ability of firms to replace traditional ground handling service providers (such as government or airport supplied entities). The research currently done in the post-deregulation era of European aviation has focused on several key areas such as financial, qualitative, political, or ecological perspectives (Murillo-Melchor, 1999). While these studies are useful from an overall airport efficiency standpoint, they do not place sufficient focus on ground handling to allow entities to decide who should provide their services. This is a specific division of aviation that has a larger impact on overall efficiency than the majority of current studies indicate, Schmidberger’s critique does a good job of recognizing this and discussing developing benchmarking processes accordingly. Developing a Standardized PMS in a Non-Standardized Industry A difficulty with a standardized PMS of airside airport services stems from variations in the management and governance of ground services. While major airports often have several firms operating the ground services, others may use a department integrated with the airport authority itself. Still others may simply allow for airlines to establish their own corporate ground service bases to work independently of other generic airport services (Fuhr & Beckers, 2006). Applying any standardized measurement system to something so non-standardized presents quite a challenge, if the PMS is too flexible or broad it will not be able to adequately express enough detail to be useful, if it is too rigid it simply won’t apply to all of the airports and doesn’t allow for change in an inherently volatile industry. Schmidberger’s critique of the PMS established throughout European airports is very positive, though it does not place a very high emphasis on establishing this need for balance between detail and flexibility. Schmidberger’s report contrasts his proposed PMS with the usual methods of evaluation currently in use at several airports. Most of these measurement systems define airside ground services as subsets of other larger firms (such as airport authorities or airlines) (Chow, Heaver, & Henriksson, 1994), this is not necessarily an accurate representation of these ground service entities seeing as in many cases they are quite separate from associated parent companies or completely separate entities wherein logistics are a primary function. While the establishment of this contrast in Schmidberger’s report certainly has value, it fails to note that in some cases these logistics divisions are quite heavily influenced by and even directly run by airport authorities or other enterprises (Francis, Humphreys, & Fry, 2002). This results in the aforementioned problem concerning applying a standardized measuring system to a highly diverse environment. The study should certainly consider the potential for ground handling entities to operate as separate entities placing logistical goals as their highest priority, though it should also make allowances for those entities that rely on collective corporate resources and function as a division of a company with a non-logistic primary focus. Post-Validation of New Benchmarking Systems Schmidberger’s report transitions into the application and post-validation of the new benchmarking systems with an identification of performance gaps as a result of the measurement phase in accordance with a study by (Jarrar & Zairi, 2001). This section quickly becomes difficult to analyze as a whole seeing as the hub-based focus of these benchmarking tactics involved a diverse use of ground handling entities for loading various types of aircraft. Schmidberger begins by dividing the results according to general aircraft size: wide body, narrow body, or regional jets. While this is an effective way of summarizing results it contrasts to the FAA and ICAO methods of classifying aircraft according to weight and/or seating capacity. The gaps identified using the new benchmarking systems and analyzed by Schmidberger’s report are concerning labour costs, overhead structures, net-availability of employees, procurement quality, and process quality. These categories result in quite a holistic summary of the efficiency of these ground service entities, a point that Schmidberger explains early and often throughout the entirety of his report. This being said, certain areas studied such as overhead and labour costs are not appropriately weighted to offset the benefits of smaller operations working on lower weight and/or capacity aircraft, at the same time revenue differences resulting from working with larger aircraft are not discussed. An interesting analysis would be a discussion of the potential for larger scale operators to use increased revenues to offset costs of damaged unit load devices, as the number of devices damaged (another measured factor in the benchmark) is not a very accurate measurement statistic if greater revenues more than offset the cost of devices. This benchmarking process takes steps to increase the transparency of ramp service providers, whether they are affiliated with airlines, airports, or independent entities. This increased operational transparency could be considered a major threat to any competitive advantage that firms had established through proprietary practices. Schmidberger recognizes the potential for this problem and addresses it by stating that the entry of new market entities presents a greater threat than the sharing of information between existing airside ground handlers. While this may be true, Schmidberger presents it as a fact without any justification. This leads to a potential for further research into whether or not new entrants to the market have taken advantage of the results of this study or if previous leaders in efficient airside ground services are seeing practices they have developed being used by their competition. Unfortunately this study would depend on the integrity of studied entities to truthfully disclose whether they used this study to discover new competitive strategies or if they developed them in-house. Conclusion The report analyzed by this article presents a comprehensive, holistic perspective on the planning, development, and post-validation of new benchmarking processes in the major European airport hubs. Schmidberger accounts for several shortfalls of the benchmarking process, effectively emphasizes the importance of this benchmarking and discusses the implications benchmarking has upon the dynamic aviation industry. Another key strength of this paper is that it successfully synthesizes the results of the study and the literature review of existing summary quickly and clearly, allowing greater focus on why benchmarking is necessary, how it is established, and how well it performed. This analysis discusses a number of shortfalls of Schmidberger’s report, while these shortfalls do not detract from the value of his analysis; they leave room for improvement of future discussion. Firstly Schmidberger does not go into very significant detail concerning the level of detail the PMS should strive for; he mentions that the study may not be applicable to many airports due to the generalizability of the study, though doesn’t discuss ways of varying the weighting and specifics of the study to account for a more flexible range of variable resulting in more reproducible results at a wider range of airports. Secondly this report could factor in the level of integration airside ground handling units have with parent companies or larger non-logistic-based firms, or at least discuss that this level of involvement could greatly influence the results of the study by varying the amount of capital and resources available to the entities. Schmidberger defines the classification of aircraft in the study, though a more comprehensive study could have discussed further the reasoning behind these classifications, such as why a deviation from general ICAO and FAA classifications was chosen and how this selection benefits or detracts from the study. A final consideration for the improvement of future studies in this field would be to establish and cite original research that supports Schmidberger’s claim that the participants in the study were not negatively affected by the increased operational transparency associated with the benchmarking process. A concise, engaging, and well-informed piece, Schmidberger’s Ground handling services at European hub airports: Development of a performance measurement system for benchmarking discusses many general benchmarking and competitive advantage issues in a specific industry environment. This allows for direct application of the lessons learned in the studies analyzed to the aviation industry but also provokes thought of the application of these principles and considerations to other industries through a balanced and reflective approach.

Ethics and Morality in Modern Warfare Essays

Ethics and Morality in Modern Warfare Essays Ethics and Morality in Modern Warfare Essay Ethics and Morality in Modern Warfare Essay Restricted Warfare: Ethics and Morality In Modern Warfare. The Ethics of War In recent years, the world has seen a sharp rise in wars across the globe. What was meant to be the first century not scarred by war quickly turned Into a bloodbath In the wake of terrorist attacks In the united States and Europe. In response to these attacks on Cleveland populations the united States engaged In two preemptive wars on those who harbored terrorists. These wars have now been lasting for five years and recently the number of American and other Coalition soldiers fallen on the battlefield has risen to over 4000. These current issues that surround and heavily influence the world we live in makes us ask the question. How can these deaths and these wars be justified? The answer to this question is that, In a greater scope, although war is an undeniable evil, there exist worse things on this earth than death, and In times of great trial man has the moral obligation to use force In the hope of greater harmony for humanity. It is the tragic acceptance that war, within certain moral and ethical boundaries, can be Just, has been necessary, and will continue to be so as long as humans are capable of a greater evil. When speaking of Just war, there exist certain boundaries and rules that must be met to make It Just. First, In any case, because a war Is Just, it Is never considered a good act. It Is only permissible because It Is a lesser evil. Moreover, war must be carried out In a Just way. That Is to say, war must be Jus ad bellum (BBS), Just In cause, and Jus in belle (BBC just in how it is carried out. It is not impossible that a war that was just in cause was not carried out in a proper manner and therefore it became unjust. The best example would be the Balkans where both aggressors and fenders who had the noble cause of defending themselves, committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. Both sides appeared In front of the Hogue tribunals to be sanctioned for their actions. Jus ad bellum refers to the cause why the war Is fought. There exist certain criteria that must be met to make a war just. It must have a Just cause. It must be the last resort. There has to be a reasonable chance of success. The means to wage the war must be proportional to the end the nation seeks to achieve. If all these criteria are met, then we may Justify war. A war is just if it is against something worse than war itself. One of the best examples is to prevent genocide. If we look Into the past century, there have been multiple genocides from Armenia In 1915 to 1 923, to the Holocaust In the sasss and sasss and even more recently, Darker, Rwanda and Former Yugoslavia. In face of this much greater evil. It is humanity moral obligation to come in aid to the targeted population. Failure to do so in the appropriate manner only results in an even greater number of deaths, as was shown in the early years of WI when ally nations did not intervene to the ethnic cleansing of Germany, Austria, Poland and Bohemia. Ha ten allies cleared war, tense would nave Eden Tar Tower AAA In Eastern Europe in concentration camps. This is the ultimate proof that protecting innocence and important moral values sometimes requires the will to use force in proportion to the willingness to do evil of the aggressor. War is the final step when all other negotiation has failed and the cause is morally Justifiable. This Justification leads to the fact that Countries exist to defend their citizens and war is one of those means. Calculates famously suggested that war is the continuation of policy by other means. The very nature of the United Nations is to dissolve conflict before it turns to war, there exist many means of non violent resolution, and all of these should be tried first before engaging in war. However it should be noted that last resort refers to a sequence of time, where war is the final step, it is an argument that war should only be waged when all reasonable alternatives have been used. War should be the least preferred course of action, but not necessarily the course of action that isnt tried until after every other course of action has failed. (BBS). This is because dating can have the adverse effect that the enemy is inflicting more damage to a population while the others hesitate to engage in war, such as in the case of WI. In war, there must also be a reasonable chance of success. This perhaps the most controversial criteria as success is difficult to explain. It serves no purpose to be in a war against far superior powers to be slaughtered, this would be considered immoral and unjust as it is only sending men to their death. Yet, as is often the case of resistance and guerrilla movements, success is also preventing the enemy from establishing an unjust peace. Such as was the case in the invasion of Finland by the Red Army, or the resistance movements in France and Yugoslavia against the Nazi Finally, a war must be proportional to the ends that a nation seeks to Occupation. Achieve. This is even more relevant in the days of modern nuclear weapons and other indiscriminate weapons. Killing indiscriminately massive amounts of civilians cannot be regarded as acceptable in any case. This makes the use of any WIND contrary to the Just War theory. This leads us on to the second part of a Just war, jus in belle, or how a war should be conducted. There have been many arguments or and against in this area. Most say that war has certain limits of decency that should never be infringed, these include war crimes, crimes against humanity, the use of child combatants, killing Pops or civilians, and much more as is discussed in the U. N. Geneva Convention on Warfare. Others believe in unrestricted war or that in war everything is means to an end and that the use of force is always legitimate (Cool. Ciao, Cool. Wang). This theory however is uncommon in the west and is not pardonable in front of an international war tribunal, notably The Hogue. First, only combatants should be targeted in war. These include soldiers of all ranks as well as civilians who show a will to cause harm. Once again, this is subject to interpretation as military medical staff and chaplains are essentially non-combatants but are members of a military force while civilians who contribute to the manufacture or distribution of weapons and food to soldiers can be considered threats to the opposing force and can be regarded as targets. I short, is it wrong to bomb a factory that produces ammunition to kill soldiers from your forces? According to the Just war theory the answer would be no, if it will prevent more men room death than those incurred in the bombing. In conducting war, the force snouts De proportional, Tanat Is to say no more tan want Is anemia to wall ten war. This is a dilemma in the case of asymmetrical warfare where one large army such as the United States is confronted to poorly armed yet ferocious enemies willing to sacrifice themselves and civilian populations. Therefore, a town should never be razed unless there exists no other option viable to the success of the mission. It is certainly unethical to kill the soldiers of an army that has surrendered. In addition, paeans that cause unnecessary destruction or pain are considered unacceptable and lead to indictment for war crimes. If all the preceding conditions of Jus ad bellum and Jus in belle are met, the war is said to avoid a greater evil and is considered Just. War is thus the appropriate manner of action. Nevertheless, two very different approaches argue that this is not so. First is that the decision to wage war is governed by realism and relative strength, not ethics; morality thus has no use in war (BBS). The second is that all war is unjust and is never ethical. Yet both of hose appear illogical and irresponsible if the past and present world order is taken Although opponents to war under any circumstance, that is to say into account. Pacifists, are driven by the utmost respect for human life, this in no case makes them worthy humanists but rather people who are failing to carry out an important moral obligation The pacifist, it is said, refuses to take the brutal measures necessary for the defense of himself and his country, for the sake of maintaining his own inner moral purity. It is contended that the pacifist is thus a kind of free-rider, gathering all he benefits of citizenship while not sharing all its burdens (Water). This is because war is a last resort to ward Off greater evil. In short, all that is necessary for evil for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing (Edmund Burke). Secondly, Pacifism has no place in the face of extreme evil. For example, the war against Nazi Germany was a war against extreme wickedness (BBS). In the words of George Orwell, Since pacifists have more freedom of action in countries where traces of democracy survive, pacifism can act more effectively against democracy than for it. Objectively he pacifist is pro-Nazi. Pacifism can therefore be defined as the failure to carry out necessary measures to ensure harmony and peace, this because all other means have already been tried. On the other hand, another completely different theory opposes the Just war theory. It lies in the fact that the existence of nuclear, chemical and biological Wands can only be used for unrestricted war and so the condition of proportionality cannot be met if they are used. Moreover using these weapons guarantees massive, indiscriminate, civilian casualties, and thus breaks a basic rule of Jus ad belle (BBS). Because these weapons cannot be ignored and are ever more present in the stability of the current world order they make Just war theory useless and outdated. However, this theory relies on an outdated war theorem between two or more large and powerful nations. This is not the case of most modern wars, which are borderless and asymmetric. War is, however Just or unjust, a brutal enterprise. It is always a Pyrrhic victory that costs much to all involved. Meet it remains central to human history and social change. These two facts together might seem paradoxical and inexplicable, or they might reveal deeply disturbing facets of he human character. What is certainly true, in any event, is that war and its threat continue to be forces in our lives. Recent events graphically demonstrate this proposition, whether we think of the 9-11 attacks, the counter-attack on Afghanistan, ten overthrow AT Iraqs samara Hussein, ten Darter crawls In Sudan, ten Dongles In Madrid and London, or the on-going war on terror more generally. We all had high hopes going into the new millennium. (Rend) War is Justifiable because, although it is inarguably an evil endeavor, it is often the only means to end a much greater violation of the human body and spirit. Looking back into the dark and lamentable past of human crimes against his brother, we must see the absolute obligation to act in the hopes of a stable peace. When a man is struck by disease, it is sometimes necessary to amputate the already condemned parts to save the rest of the body. There is always a faint hope that it can be solved another way, but at times of trial there must be a decision to sacrifice to serve the greater good. It is a tragic acceptance that the death of dignity, innocence, and the future is ever more tragic than the death of oneself as well as the killing of others.

A Review of Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Treverton, 2009). The WritePass Journal

A Review of Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Treverton, 2009). Introduction A Review of Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Treverton, 2009). IntroductionConclusionsReferenceRelated Introduction This book by Treverton (2009) is argued here to be a vitally important area of work that looks specifically at the way in which the use of intelligence has naturally had to change as a result of modern society. Interestingly, although there is a clear aim not to apportion blame specifically for the recent atrocities, the author indicates that he feels there is a link between the United States and their flawed approach to intelligence and the high profile terror attacks that have taken place in the US. Significantly, the author is very careful not to apportion blame or finger point and maintains a balanced and critical approach when trying to establish a link and to look at the role of intelligence. Main Arguments Presented In this book, the author actually goes on to break down the failures, in order to try to identify the impact that the specific shortcomings are having on the magnitude and nature of the target of the threats. He recognises in this analysis that, in many cases, the intelligence approaches are enshrined in the Cold War security approaches of looking at the organisation and the tactical decisions of the intelligence offerings, rather than focusing on the actual threats that are being faced in the current climate (Riley et al 2005). One of the main aspects of the book which provides added value to the information that is being presented is that, although the author spends time identifying the failings, he also spends some considerable time looking at the way in which the changes he suggests could be implemented, in practice. As a professional with experience in the field, this shows and adds considerable value to what would otherwise be a potentially academic discussion. In order to achieve this, the author takes a very pragmatic view, with the initial stage being to look at the nature of the risks that are looking at being targeted from intelligence operations. He states that recognising the threats is the first step towards then being able to recognise the way these should be handled. It is this pragmatic approach which looks at both the practical reality and the academic study that makes this book so informative in the area of intelligence being used in the terror context. The author follows themes and after identifying them he then goes on to look at how intelligence should be reformed to deal with the modern challenges. In order to identify the best way to deal with intelligence and to look at the reform of intelligence culture, there is a need first to consider the actual route of the threat and where it emanates from. One underlying argument and theme which is presented by the author here and which adds particular value to the discussion, in the opinion of the reviewer, is to look at the role of the nation state as being at the root of the changing dynamic. For example, during the Cold War, the focus of terror attacks was typically nation states and as such the intelligence gathering focussed on these entities. As time has passed, the nation states have become much more than simply target areas. Nation states can often offer a great deal of information that adds to the knowledge and understanding of the general issues of intelligence. Increasingly however in the modern context, the non-state actors play a vitally important role and it is argued by the author here that much of the role of the modern intelligence officer is to look at understanding the distinctions and various nuances that exist within these non-state actors, in such a way that their own motivation and actions can be better understood (p.141) Linked to this thread of discussion and again a vitally important aspect of the role of intelligence is that there are considerably more individuals, groups and entities that are involved in the area of intelligence gathering to prevent terrorism. With this increased number of people involved, the author places a great deal of focus on the idea that, whilst agencies may well have the technology to share information, they do not necessarily have the appropriate policies in place and therefore the underlying policies need to be reviewed, if modern challenges are going to be dealt with. As an overall position, the author maintains that there needs to be a reasonable means of supplying information across all relevant actors and to ensure that the information which is being presented is relevant and measured, so that the correct people can react quickly and appropriately. By focusing on some of the practical difficulties faced in the current climate, it is argued here that the author gains a much higher degree of legitimacy than other academic analyses in this area may achieve; in particular, the author recognises that it is necessary to take a balance between the need to improve security, but also to provide privacy and security for individuals’ information (Snowden, 2002). He notes that paying attention to legality and legitimacy is in fact increasingly important to the anti-terror efforts and that there then needs to be a total review of the policies associated with anti-terror activities as the main way of managing and combating such issues. He supports this by suggesting that factors such as encouraging intelligence authorities to create a method whereby they can share information with other entities in a constructive and balanced manner is as important, if not more so, than the actual intelligence itself. Conclusions On balance, it is argued that this book presents an interesting and well informed opinion on the modern challenges facing the intelligence industry. By being an author who has practical experience in this area, it is suggested that this allows the text to gain legitimacy and also to take a more rounded view of the challenges being faced. Finally, providing practical and well backed up suggestions for the future means that this text presents real value to the area of intelligence and counter terrorist activities. It is concluded, therefore, that this is a well-balanced and informative text that fills a gap within the current understanding of the intelligence industry. Reference Riley et al., (2005) State and Local Intelligence in the War on Terrorism, Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation Snowden, D (2002) Complex Acts of Knowing: Paradox and Descriptive Self-Awareness, Journal of Knowledge Management, Special Issue, September. Treverton, G. (2009). Intelligence for an Age of Terror. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Autobiography - The Separation Essay

Autobiography The Separation Essay Have you ever wondered if two people in love can stay together for life? In marriage, it is very common for husband and wife to vow to be with each other until one dies. However, there are studies that show that 8 out of 10 couples get divorced after the span of 1 to 20 years. This happened to my parents, they separated, this was when i was in the 8th grade leading to my first year of high school. I remember that day as if it was yesterday, a Wednesday afternoon. My sister Aixa and I had arrived home from school, as we strolled in through the front door we could smell the deliciousness of the ham and cheese sandwiches my grandma had ready for us. Later on, around 6 oclock, I was doing my english homework when my mother got to the house. She was always very drowsy and tired, work left her like that, and so commonly she would sleep as soon as she got home. This would make my mad upset and so they soon enough stopped kissing, stopped hugging, stopped talking. My father had also arrived home around an hour later, he went into his bedroom where my mom was resting and they talked for hours, which was a first in those past few months. They called for us and we all sat in the living room with the big plasma television. Mandy, Aixy ,  he exclaimed, calling us by our nicknames. We have decided to separate, you guys are already aware how much we dispute, it is not that we dont want to, but we dont have that spark anymore.   By that time my sister had broken into tears, screaming. Why? Why? Stay together for me! Please!   My mom put her hand up as a sign for her to be quiet as she replied. I simply do not love him anymore.   Everyone was quiet, the only sound was the couch creaking as I stood up and ran out the door. I thought I heard my parents call out to me, but I dont remember well. It was drizzling, and as I traversed through the cement I felt something cold stain my cheek, a tear, not a raindrop, but a tear. And soon came many ot hers, flooding my face with salty droplets. I hugged my hands to my chest and convinced myself I was going to be okay, I was going to move on and get past this hurtful event. I eventually walked back home where my parents yelled at me, and then hugged me. Months passed and my mother, sister and I finally moved. We moved into a cozy little apartment for three, every night I would remember my dad and how I didnt live with him anymore, I was very disappointed. But a year later i got used to it and I realized that it was okay for people to not love each other anymore, thoughts and ideas come and go, isnt it the same with love?

Personal Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal Research Project - Essay Example Strindberg et al. (2011), said that it brought challenges as well as opportunities to the region’s Islamist movements through a wave of uprisings and revolutions. Amin et al. (2012), was somehow tempted to ascribe it to unemployment especially among the youths and suppression of political options. However, Beinin & Vairel (2011) believed that it acted as a transition from dictatorship to democracy. In addition, Pollack et al. (2011) believed that it might have been brought up by the continuous reign of some individual for a long period due to lack of democracy. Lastly but not least Peter (2012) shows that this Arab Spring enabled the European Union and the United States to collaborate with various stakeholders in the region to promote human rights as well as bring democracy in those region. So far, none of the scholars has studied the role that the international bodies play in the Arab spring. In addition, none of the scholars has studied on whether the intervention of this international organization on the Arab spring is necessary or not and whether the results that were achieved showed success or failure in the process. This makes this research to be a very important one and that is why I decided to undertake it. This research was conducted using observation and review of various relevant literatures as the methods of information collection. We also collected some data from the internet about the countries that have experienced the Arab Spring to determine which percentage of them was successful. Using these methods the researcher identified a group of Arab states and used observation technique to discover what has been going on in those states as a result of the Arab Spring. To supplement his information the researcher will visit the internet and find the most current literature related to the Arab Spring written by other scholars. The information that will be collected using these three means will be combined and will help us

Organizational structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizational structure - Essay Example Therefore, organizational structure is beneficial to organizations because it guides the delegation of organizational power, roles and responsibilities. In addition, it monitors and controls the flow of information among different management levels within an organization (Cassia, Paleari & Redondi, 2005). Most organizations base structures on objectives and approaches for attaining them. For example, the top management individuals in an organization make decisions, and there is strict control within dissimilar departments in an organization. Finally, organizations should create appropriate organizational structures, since such models unite and direct employees (Cassia, Paleari & Redondi, 2005). â€Å"Describe the organizational structure of your selected organization, compare and contrast that structure with two different organizational structures† In this research, I will discuss the organizational structure of International Monetary Fund (IMF) organization. IMF is an inter-g overnmental entity that offers policy advices and finances to members facing economic problems. It also collaborates with upcoming nations to assist them attain macroeconomic benefits to lessen poverty levels. IMF activities initiated in 1945 and presently, it associates with 185 countries. The organizational structure of IMF has a governing body that consists of the Board of Governors. Every member state has a Board of Governors that is led by a governor, who most of the time is a country’s finance minister or the central bank. Additionally, the organization has an executive facet that is composed of 24 elected and appointed executive directors. The executive board performs business operations in the organization (Hawkin, 2006). The board of governors performs its duties through two committees, which include the â€Å"International Monetary and Financial Committee† together with the â€Å"Development Committee†. These committees specialize in advising staffs an d reporting different functions to the board of governors (Hawkin, 2006). They also monitor the processes involved in the administration and adaption of international monetary and fiscal systems. The organization entails a collaborative committee with The Board of Governor members’ from World Bank and IMF who controls development processes. These include allotment of resources to upcoming countries. Importantly, the IMF has a managing director who supervises and chairs the executive board (Hawkin, 2006). The IMF Board of Governors has all organizational powers, which are applicable to all constituents in 185 countries. Each representative state has one principle governor and another alternative governor, who controls the organization when the principle governor is absent. The organization has an executive board with 24 directors who supervise general funds within IMF as delegated by the Board of Governors. The regions with leading quotas appoint five directors of the executiv e board and other regional groups appoint the remaining 19 directors. The chief administrator the IMF is the presiding officer of Executive board. The executive board of IMF elects the managing director whose responsibility is to carry out regular businesses within the organization. Furthermore, she chairs executive director’s meetings for 5 years. The IMF consists of 2,650 personnel in 185 countries (Hawkin, 2006). Initially, I will evaluate and contrast the organizational structure of IMF and Google

Pharmaceutical(Pill Mills) Industry Regulate and profitability Research Paper

Pharmaceutical(Pill Mills) Industry Regulate and profitability - Research Paper Example Due to their short business span in a given location, they have huge crowds waiting to see the doctor and they have body guards just in case of invasion. This is misuse of pharmaceutical industry which calls for immediate action to protect lives of citizens and health sector (Drugs Policy Alliance, 2007). Yes, the pharmaceutical industry is regulated. Secondly, the law requires a medical professional to write prescriptions if you want to move large amount of pain killers in America. There is also existence of Healthcare Distribution Management Association [HDMA] which controls the supply of narcotic substance. Finally, DEA’s power to suspend/revoke licenses of distributors in case of ethical malpractices acts as control measure (United States-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council, 2011). DEA regulates the industry by formulating the policies to govern production, distribution and prescription of narcotic substances. Also HDMA in its management on distribution of health care products and combating drug abuse role. Food and Drugs Administration [FDA] is a regulator in that it supervises food safety, dietary supplements, prescriptions of over- the- counter medicines, blood transfusion and other medical and dietary specializations. As discussed above Pill Mills are not legitimate and their operations involve procurement of sub-standard drugs and supplements which are then prescribed to patients inappropriately. Law enforcement and implantation of drugs policy Acts make it hard for these businesses to transact. For instance, regulation of the amount of pain killers to be produced by DEA and monitoring of distribution channels by HDMA will affect their supply and establishment of their quack businesses. In addition, proper scrutiny of food and narcotic products by FDA makes it difficult for Pill Mills to establish their business (FDA’s International Post, 2010). Pill Mills are established with an immediate response to the common problems

Leadership Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership Experience - Essay Example The team managed the lowest price and finished the task within the three minutes. This paper seeks to describe the activity, what was learnt, and the solutions provided with a focus on communication, team dynamics, influencing other team members, sharing information, agreeing on tasks and objectives. 1. Leadership, strategy and upward communication Strategic leadership can be defined as the ability to maintain flexibility, anticipate, and empower the other team members to form necessary strategic change. It involves coping with increasing changes, management of an entire team rather than functional subunits, and management of activities through the other team members. As a team leader, I had to affect the behavior of the other team members in environments that were sometimes uncertain via personal example and ability to envision the requirements for the next stage in the task (Yukl, 2010 p34). It is not feasible to formulate strategies which will give returns without strategic leader s. Therefore, it is necessary that as, a team leader, I had the ability to be a strategic leader to avoid over managing and poorly leading the team. Effective, strategic leadership shapes the formation of strategic mission and intent which influence successful strategic actions. These actions result in the formulation and implementation of these strategies which then yield strategic competitiveness and above average returns. For a leader to prepare the team’s minds towards one vision and direction, it is necessary to transform the team’s strategic direction. Directing the team towards the set goals, and having the ability to adapt concurrently ensures that the strategy delivers the aim that the leader wants (Yukl, 2010 p35). It is essential to have a different way of thought on how resources can be marshaled in the formulation and execution of the strategy in order to be successful. This balances strategy making’s human dimension with analytical perspectives tha t are focused. Coupled with time management commitments in engaging the team in dialogue on strategy, this strategy lays the foundation for building a foundation for creation of winning teams that define, adjust, commit, and adapt quickly to strategy. I learnt that in order to shape the strategic direction, I had to know what my primary role was as the chief strategist, my role as a leader during the strategy making process, the team required for the strategy making, and the point at which the making of the strategy can be considered finished. A leader requires to incorporate human and analytical dimensions, in order to create winning outcomes, and for the team to comprehend and commit to the set common agenda, and must also be clear about each member’s strategic capacity. Using feedback from the team members helps to provide a holistic view on the team’s and its individual member’s effectiveness. Ratings by the team members themselves and their peers can be use d to evaluate the efficiency of the team and the individual (Yukl, 2010 p35). The members rate the following personal traits and competencies: Communication which is the ability to objectively, supportively, and openly share opportunities using nonverbal and verbal behaviors while listening actively. Conflict resolution, which involves the

Developing Professional Practice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Developing Professional Practice - Assignment Example The functions of such professionals include working with people towards continuous compliance with legal, ethical, and professional standards (Bowman, Jonathan, and Montgomery 4-6). The Human resource Advisory role includes offering services in transforming, changing, and improving the organization. At Vodafone Qatar, professional standards of human resource practitioners is key to success. The human resource profession assists an organization in the selection, compensation and in offering advice related to human performance within the organization. Human resource professionals assist organizations in the planning, motivating, compensating and in organizing human resources as factors of production. Human resource professionals with an advisory role in the organization need to be conversant with their professional standards. Qatar Vodafone wishes to use innovative research in promoting professional as well as professional development. It is prudent for one to understand those codes of conduct, corporate social responsibilities, and ethics (Jackson 13). These aspects are essential in organizations in ensuring that there is uniformity. Maintenance of such standards ensures a professional outlook to the human resource professional body. Professionalism of such advisors assists organizations cut on cost. Professional human resource practitioners, on the other hand, should understand their ethical, professional obligations. They also need to be creative in motivating members of staff; this may be in the form of incentive provision and in ensuring that workforce work under safe and conducive environment. Human resource professionals need to be sensitive on their code of conduct (Koonmee 20-23). This means that such professionals need to understand their mandate and their positions in such organization. In relation to the code of conduct, a human resource

Pharmaceutical(Pill Mills) Industry Regulate and profitability Research Paper

Pharmaceutical(Pill Mills) Industry Regulate and profitability - Research Paper Example Due to their short business span in a given location, they have huge crowds waiting to see the doctor and they have body guards just in case of invasion. This is misuse of pharmaceutical industry which calls for immediate action to protect lives of citizens and health sector (Drugs Policy Alliance, 2007). Yes, the pharmaceutical industry is regulated. Secondly, the law requires a medical professional to write prescriptions if you want to move large amount of pain killers in America. There is also existence of Healthcare Distribution Management Association [HDMA] which controls the supply of narcotic substance. Finally, DEA’s power to suspend/revoke licenses of distributors in case of ethical malpractices acts as control measure (United States-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council, 2011). DEA regulates the industry by formulating the policies to govern production, distribution and prescription of narcotic substances. Also HDMA in its management on distribution of health care products and combating drug abuse role. Food and Drugs Administration [FDA] is a regulator in that it supervises food safety, dietary supplements, prescriptions of over- the- counter medicines, blood transfusion and other medical and dietary specializations. As discussed above Pill Mills are not legitimate and their operations involve procurement of sub-standard drugs and supplements which are then prescribed to patients inappropriately. Law enforcement and implantation of drugs policy Acts make it hard for these businesses to transact. For instance, regulation of the amount of pain killers to be produced by DEA and monitoring of distribution channels by HDMA will affect their supply and establishment of their quack businesses. In addition, proper scrutiny of food and narcotic products by FDA makes it difficult for Pill Mills to establish their business (FDA’s International Post, 2010). Pill Mills are established with an immediate response to the common problems

Developing Professional Practice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Developing Professional Practice - Assignment Example The functions of such professionals include working with people towards continuous compliance with legal, ethical, and professional standards (Bowman, Jonathan, and Montgomery 4-6). The Human resource Advisory role includes offering services in transforming, changing, and improving the organization. At Vodafone Qatar, professional standards of human resource practitioners is key to success. The human resource profession assists an organization in the selection, compensation and in offering advice related to human performance within the organization. Human resource professionals assist organizations in the planning, motivating, compensating and in organizing human resources as factors of production. Human resource professionals with an advisory role in the organization need to be conversant with their professional standards. Qatar Vodafone wishes to use innovative research in promoting professional as well as professional development. It is prudent for one to understand those codes of conduct, corporate social responsibilities, and ethics (Jackson 13). These aspects are essential in organizations in ensuring that there is uniformity. Maintenance of such standards ensures a professional outlook to the human resource professional body. Professionalism of such advisors assists organizations cut on cost. Professional human resource practitioners, on the other hand, should understand their ethical, professional obligations. They also need to be creative in motivating members of staff; this may be in the form of incentive provision and in ensuring that workforce work under safe and conducive environment. Human resource professionals need to be sensitive on their code of conduct (Koonmee 20-23). This means that such professionals need to understand their mandate and their positions in such organization. In relation to the code of conduct, a human resource

Billy Budd Sailor Essay Example for Free

Billy Budd Sailor Essay Billy Budd, Sailor, a novel by Herman Melville, at first sight, seems like it is nothing else but the story of a sailor who is executed after being wrongly accused of mutiny. But when one examines the story deeply one finds that the story has a different meaning and that Billy Budd resembles Christ in many ways. Billy Budd as a Christ figure According to the author’s description, Billy Budd, the main protagonist, like Christ was handsome, pure and as innocent as a child in a world full of evil men. He had the same physical features of Christ. Like Christ, he had blue eyes and a symmetrical figure. The resemblance is evident in the first chapter when Captain Graveling, after the crew stopped fighting as soon as Billy joined them, says that Billy neither preached nor said anything to the crew. There was a kind of virtuousness in him that reached out to people. (Melville, 1924) The author here alludes to Christ who was also virtuous and healed all those who came into contact with him. The symbolism is more evident in the end chapters, especially in the scenes of the death of Billy Budd. For instance, Captain Vere cries, â€Å"Struck dead by an angel of God! † (Melville, 1924) after Billy strikes Claggart, and then says, â€Å"Yet the angel must hang†, (Melville, 1924) when he realizes that Billy has to die. Billy, before he dies, says, â€Å"God bless Captain Vere†. (Melville, 1924) All this reminds us of Christ. Christ like Billy in the novel forgave all those who were responsible for his death. The resemblance is all the more evident in the last chapter when Billy is executed. Here the author describes how Billy’s shipmates worship the gallows from which Billy was hung. Christ’s followers too worshipped the Cross. The setting and all the events that take place have a striking resemblance to the events that took place when Christ was executed. In conclusion it can be said that Billy Budd in the novel is not an ordinary sailor but a Christ-like figure, a symbol of Christ with characteristics of Christ. Just as Christ was a victim of an antagonistic society and had to sacrifice his life, Billy Budd too was an innocent victim of society and had to sacrifice his life. References Melville, Herman (1924), Billy Budd, Sailor, The University of Chicago Press, 1962.

Development of Insulin using Recombinant DNA Technologies

Development of Insulin using Recombinant DNA Technologies Alistair Jones The use of biotechnology within medicine; diabetes and development of insulin using recombinant DNA technologies Abstract Proteins act as a catalyst for metabolic reactions and responsible for inter and intracellular reactions and signalling events essential for life(Ferrer-Miralles, et al., 2009) Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder with numerous aetiologies; it can be defined by chronic hyperglycaemia which will cause an effect on the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This detrimental effect is from the lack of insulin action, insulin secretion or a combination of them both. Diabetes causes long term damage, dysfunction and failure of a range of major organs. (Consulation, 1999) Through the use of clinical administration missing proteins can be sourced from external sources to reach normal concentrations within the tissular or systemic level. As a number of important studies have all confirmed the importance of the use of strengthened insulin treatment for the reduction and minimisation of long term diabetic complications; it is of great importance and pharmaceutical value that huma n proteins can be sourced (Lindholm, 2002) Through the use of biochemical and genetic knowledge the production of insulin has become available and this industrial scale of therapeutic protein production is the first true application of recombinant DNA technology. (Swartz, 2001, Walsh, 2003) E.coli can be considered as the first microorganism for the production of proteins and is primarily used for genetic modification, cloning and small-scale production for research purposes. Many historical developments within molecular genetics and microbial physiology have been based within this species which has results in a collection of both information and molecular tools. (Ferrer-Miralles, et al., 2009) Discussion Proteins act as a catalyst for metabolic reactions and responsible for inter and intracellular reactions and signalling events essential for life; consequently , a deficiency in the production of polypeptides or production of non-functional of relevant proteins will derive in pathologies which can range from mild to severe (Ferrer-Miralles, et al., 2009). Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder with numerous aetiologies; it can be defined by chronic hyperglycaemia which will cause an effect on the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. This detrimental effect is from the lack of insulin action, insulin secretion or a combination of them both. Diabetes causes long term damage, dysfunction and failure of a range of major organs. The characteristics presented with diabetes are weight loss, polyuria, blurring of vision and thirst; the more severe cases will cause ketoacidosis or a non-ketotic hypersmolar state which will lead onto comas, stupor and left untreated death. As the symptoms are often not severe and go undetected for long periods of time, hyperglycaemia can cause pathological and functional changes before a diagnosis can be made. Diabetes causes a multitude of long term affects which include, but not limited to; the failure of the renal system, a two to four times increased risk of cardiovascular disease and potentia l blindness. There are a number of pathogenetic processes which can be involved in the development of diabetes; these will include the processes which destroy the insulin creating beta cells within the pancreas and the creation of a resistance to insulin action ( Alberti, et al., 2006, Consulation, 1999) A combination of metabolic disorders known as metabolic syndrome (MetS) is the combination of hyperglycaemia, hypertension and gout and other cardiovascular risk factors which predict a high risk of developing diabetes. People who have MetS are of the highest risk of the development of type 2 diabetes as it is present up to five times higher within people with this syndrome; this is due to the fact that glucose dysregulation is already present (Alberti, et al., 2006). Type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease can be seen to be of similar ascendants. Inflammation markers have been associated with the development of type 2 diabetes in adults; although this may be part of the autoimmune response they will also reflect the pathogenesis (Schmidt, et al., 1999) Abnormal metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is caused by the deficient insulin action on target tissues due to the insensitivity or lack of insulin. (Consulation, 1999) Through the use of clinical administration missing proteins can be sourced from external sources to reach normal concentrations within the tissular or systemic level. As a number of important studies have all confirmed the importance of the use of strengthened insulin treatment for the reduction and minimisation of long term diabetic complications; with human insulin being the first line of treatment; it is of great importance and pharmaceutical value that human proteins can be sourced, as this is difficult to do from natural sources (Lindholm, 2002) . We are far past the times of animal sourced insulin’s and we are reaching the turning point in the use of recombinant DNA technologies; which were developed during the late 70’s and uses E.coli as a biological framework for the production of pr oteins of interest through relatively inexpensive procedures. Recombinant DNA technology not only offers the ability to create straightforward proteins but also provides the tools to produce protein molecules with alternative and modified features. (Mariusz, 2011) There are several obstacles in the production of proteins through the use of E.coli however, as it lacks the ability to make post-translational modifications (PTMs) present within the majority of eukaryotic proteins (Ferrer-Miralles, et al., 2009). Recombinant DNA insulin’s are, therefore, gradually being replaced by the more highly efficient insulin analogues (Bell, 2007, Ferrer-Miralles, et al., 2009). Clinically, insulin analogues have been used since the late 1990s, the reason behind insulin modification for subcutaneous injection is to produce absorption properties that better suit the rate of supply from the injection to the physiological need. (Jonassen, et al., 2012) Insulin analogues have the properties of being able to be either rapid acting such as glusine, aspart or lispro or be a long lasting molecule such as glargine and detemir, these can also be used in combination with protamine, these premixed insulin’s provide a more sustained action (Bell, 2007). The combination of biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry is a product of an evolution within technology and product innovation; which has become a result in advances within science and business practices. The biotechnology based products are thought of as intelligent pharmaceuticals as they often provide new modes and mechanisms in the action and approach to disease control with improved success rate and better patient care. (Evens Kaitin, 2014) Through the use of biochemical and genetic knowledge the production of insulin has become available and this industrial scale of therapeutic protein production is the first true application of recombinant DNA technology. (Swartz, 2001, Walsh, 2003) Although, as insulin is required in such high volumes the product yields of the vast amount of the currently available secretory systems are not currently sufficient enough to make it fully competitive. The current ideas and strategies being used to help improve the efficiency and producti vity of secretion are numerous. (Schmidt, 2004) Cultivation of insulin can be done conveniently within microbial cells such as bacteria and yeast. During the 80’s the FDA approved the use of human insulin produced from recombinant E.coli for the treatment of diabetes, this was the first recombinant protein pharmaceutical to enter the market. Thanks to the versatility and possibilities created through the use of recombinant protein production a large sector of opportunities for pharmaceutical companies opened up. (Ferrer-Miralles, et al., 2009) Since the approval of insulin in 1982 there are now currently more than 200 biotech products available commercially and research has expanded this to over 900 products being tested within clinical trials. Pharmaceuticals are engaged within the development of these products substantially as well as their commercialisation (Evens Kaitin, 2014). This acknowledges the fact that although the microbial systems lack the post translational modifications they are able to efficiently and conve niently produce functional mammalian recombinant proteins. Specific strains of many microbial species have now been created and adapted towards protein production; and the incorporation of yeasts and eukaryotic systems is now in place for protein production. (Ferrer-Miralles, et al., 2009). The use of E.coli expression system is the preferable choice for production of therapeutic proteins, amongst the 151 pharmaceuticals licensed in January 2009 30% where obtained in E.coli, this is due its ability to allow for efficient and economical production of proteins on both a lab scale and within industry (Mariusz, 2011, Swartz, 2001). During insulin production within E.coli the gene is fused with a synthetic fragment encoding for two IgG binding domains which have been derived from staphylococcal protein A. This product is then secreted into the growth medium of E.coli and purified using the IgG affinity. (Moks, et al., 1987) E.coli can be considered as the first microorganism for the production of proteins and is primarily used for genetic modification, cloning and small-scale production for research purposes. Many historical developments within molecular genetics and microbial physiology have been based within this species which has results in a collection of both information and molecular tools. (Ferrer-Miralles, et al., 2009) E.coli flourishes at a temperature of 37Â °C but the proteins are in insoluble form. Fusion protein technology has been able to increase the solubility of over expressed proteins, through the modification of selected amino acid residues allowing for the collection of soluble proteins (Zhang, et al., 1998). Due to the lack of the mechanisms to enable PTMs in bacterial cells protein maturation and disulfide bridges can be, to an extent overcome through the use of protein engineering (Mariusz, 2011). PTMs are crucial in protein folding, stability, processing and activity; therefore, proteins lacking the PMTs may be unstable, insoluble or inactive. However it is possible to synthetically bind PTMs to products, and through genetic engineering of DNA, the amino acid sequence of the polysaccharide can be changed to alter its properties this has been observed within insulin. (Ferrer-Miralles, et al., 2009) For more sophisticated modifications the genetic fusion of two proteins is required (Mariusz, 2011) An increase number of proteins being produced are engineered and tailored to display altered pharmacokinetic profiles and reduce immunogenicity. (Walsh, 2003) Even with the pharmaceutical market progressively producing more protein drugs from non-microbial systems; cell-free protein synthesis and oxidative cytoplasmic folding offers alternatives to the standard recombinant production techniques, it has not effect or impaired the development and progression of products developed within microbial systems proving the robustness of the microbial systems. (Ferrer-Miralles, et al., 2009, Swartz, 2001) In the future Radio Frequency Identification technology will play an important role; however there are some barriers in place for the pharmaceutical supply chain, as there have been concerns raised concerning the potential detrimental effect on the proteins due to the electromagnetic exposure. Alterations have been detected after the RFID however the effect and damages to the protein remain unknown (Acierno, et al., 2010) Works Cited Acierno, R. et al., 2010. Potential effects of RFID systems on biotechnology insulin preparation: A study using HPLC and NMR spectroscopy. Complex Medical Engineering (CME), pp. 198 203. Alberti, K. G. M. M., Zimmet, P. Shaw, J., 2006. Metabolic syndrome—a new world-wide definition. A Consensus Statement from the International Diabetes Federation. Diabetic Medicine, 23(5), pp. 469-480. Bell, D., 2007. Insulin therapy in diabetes mellitus: how can the currently available injectable insulins be most prudently and efficaciously utilised?. Drugs, 67(13), pp. 1813-1827. Consulation, 1999. Definition, diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus and its complications. W. H. O., Volume 1. Evens, R. Kaitin, K., 2014. The Biotechnology Innovation Machine—A Source of Intelligent Biopharmaceuticals for the Pharma Industry: Mapping Biotechnology’s Success. [Pre press] submitted to: Clinical Pharmacology Therapeutics, Volume Last excessed, 27/03/2014, p. Avalible from: http://www.nature.com/clpt/journal/vaop/naam/abs/clpt201414a.html. Ferrer-Miralles, N. et al., 2009. Microbial factories for recombinant pharmaceuticals. Microbial Cell Factories , 8(7). Jonassen, I. et al., 2012. Design of the Novel Protraction Mechanism of Insulin Degludec, an Ultra-long-Acting Basal Insulin. [Online] Available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11095-012-0739-z/fulltext.html [Accessed 2014 March 27]. Lindholm, A., 2002. New insulins in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol, 16(3), pp. 475-92. Mariusz, K., 2011. Engineering of Therapeutic Proteins Production in Escherichia coli. Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, 12(2), pp. 268-274. Moks, T. et al., 1987. Large–Scale Affinity Purification of Human Insulin–Like Growth Factor I from Culture Medium of Escherichia Coli. Nature Biotechnology, Volume 5, pp. 379-382. Schmidt, F., 2004. Recombinant expression systems in the pharmaceutical industry. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 65(4), pp. 363-372. Schmidt, M. et al., 1999. Markers of inflammation and prediction of diabetes mellitus in adults (Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study): a cohort study. The Lancet, 353(9165), p. 1649–1652. Swartz, J., 2001. Advances in Escherichia coli production of therapeutic proteins. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 12(2), pp. 195-201. Walsh, G., 2003. Pharmaceutical biotechnology products approved within the European Union. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 55(1), pp. 3-10. Zhang, Y. et al., 1998. Expression of Eukaryotic Proteins in Soluble Form in Escherichia coli. Protein Expression and Purification, 12(2), pp. 159-165.

time capsule :: essays research papers

Lanyard I chose this object for the time capsule because it is the school of my choice. I hope to start in October of 2002. Currently I do not know whether I will attend the university because of money issues, this place is very expensive! This object fits into or nation because it represents the school, which represents the nation. Kettering is one of the top overall schools in the nation, and the number one mechanical engineering school, it represents how important education is to us Americans. Bible I chose to put the Bible into the time capsule to represent the ongoing fight between the Jews and the Palestinians. The Bible contains the First Testament, which the Jews believe in, and the Palestinians don’t. The Jews believe that Israel is their holy land and rightfully theirs, the Palestinians have lived there for hundreds of years before they were kicked out in WWII and replaced with the Jews. This relates to our nation because we are trying to help solve the dispute between these two. President Bush has tried many times to form a treaty between these two, but has recently demanded that they solve their problems now. Messy Pictures   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I took these pictures to represent out economy. The first picture represents the state of the economy just after Sept. 11. The second picture shows the state of the economy currently, things are not quite as messy as the picture to show that the economy is cleaning up and getting better. The third picture is what I hope to see when I reopen this time capsule in a couple of months. Everything is cleared up, and all that is left is money. Birth Certificate   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I chose to include a copy of my birth certificate to represent the second American Taliban member found in Afghanistan. Yasser Esam Hamdi was found fighting with the Taliban and was also found to be and American citizen. He was born in America to Saudi parents, but moved back to Saudi Arabia when he was just a toddler. I put my birth certificate into the time capsule because that is what Hamdi had shown U.S. officials to prove he was an American. Just because he was born in America he has caused an uproar in the media and will face different charges than the non-citizens that committed the same crimes he did. Does this little paper make someone a citizen even though they lived their entire lives in another country and fought along side that country against America?

It’s Time to Crack Down on Police Brutality Essay -- Argumentative Per

It’s Time to Crack Down on Police Brutality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Police brutality has become a widespread and persistent problem in the United States.   Police brutality occurs when a law enforcement officers use excessive or unlawful force while on or off duty.   "Established: A Pattern of Abuse" is an article in The Humanist, written by Barbara Dority.   She states, "Thousands of individual complaints are reported each year and local authorities pay out millions of dollars to vicitms in damages and lawsuits" (5).   Dority also describes some of the types of abuse that officers have done.   "[They] have beaten and shot unresisting suspects; they have misused batons, chemicals sprays, and electro-shock weapons; [and] they have injured or killed people by placing them in dangerous restraint holds" (5).   There have been many cases throughout the country where police officers have been far too brutal and someone has been injured or killed.   There have been many hundreds of cases like this and many peop le are wondering when it will end or even if it will end.   Most citizens of the United States agree that it is wrong and needs to be reduced if not eliminated.   So it all comes down to one question: what can be done about it?   Unfortunately, prosecution has not been sufficiently effective in stopping the brutality.   Police forces throughout the U.S. should be made more accountable for their actions. The greatest problem that has developed from police brutality is that the guilty officers are not punished, which leads to another incident of abuse.   Authorities should give more effective punishment to officers who abuse citizens.   Such punishment would help prevent abuse from happening again and again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In an anonymous Economist article c... ...gainst New York cops since 1993, only 180 officers have been disciplined, most of them with just a lecture or the loss of a vacation day" (26).   Officers need to be treated like citizens when it comes to that type of crime.   They should be sent to jail and just saying sorry should not let them off the hook.   They may be law officers, but they are not gods and they should have to face the consequences of their actions as all good citizens must.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sources Cited    Dority, Barbara.   "Established: A Pattern of Abuse."   The Humanist. 59.1 (Jan. 1999):5. Lacayo, Richard.   "Good Cop, Bad Cop."   Time.   150.9 (1 Sept. 1997):26-31. Lewis, Edward.   " Policing the Police."   Essence.   28.7 (Nov. 1997):14. Anonymous.   "Excessive Force."   The Economist 348.8076 (11 July 1998): 32.