Social and Economic Impacts on Communities of Hosting The London Essay

Social and Economic Impacts on Communities of Hosting The London Olympic Games 2012 - Essay Example This study therefore examines the social impact of host communities staging major sport events with a specific examination of the upcoming London 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The study utilised a secondary research method applying Morgan (2007) SLR methodology to scrutinise the various literature on the subject. The literature examined was based on past sports effect limited to the 2000 Sidney Olympics to the most recent Beijing Games 2008. The sources were collected from academic, journals, books and relevant reports as well as topical writings. The study has indicated a positive social impact on local communities with numerous studies indicating that the local population has gained tremendously from the staging of the event in their backyard. Many indicators point at a resurgence of the formerly deprived area to emerge as a major economic zone in London. The study was however, limited by the scope of the research, which was examining the topic prior to the staging of the events, hence lacked some long-term view of the sustenance of the projects. This study will build upon existing research on the social impact of major sports events but with particular focus upon the upcoming London 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The study evaluates the positive and negative impact of hosting the Games on local communities while also seeking to establish the short term and long-term effects to the community. The study aims at determining whether major or mega sporting events exemplified by the Olympics have a positive or negative impact on local communities who normally endure the most of the events staged in their backyard. Most studies emphasise the economic benefits including infrastructural developments, employment, integration and environmental upgrading; however, there have been some indications that some members of the community are negatively affected by this mega events. This study is based on the London 2012 summer Olympics Games,

Genetic Modification: Methodology, Ethics and Importance

Genetic Modification: Methodology, Ethics and Importance Genetic modification: methodology, ethicality and importance of understanding Sarah Bernadette Dacanay Word Count (excluding references): 1418 words Introduction The 21st century is a time where science is progressing at rapid speed with the development of new methods used to improve the livelihood of human life. Such methods include the controversial genetic modification of organisms and products, in order to produce effective vaccines, food sources, etc. (Glenn, 2013). Australia like many nations genetically modifies some of its food and plants (i.e. cows, chicken, wheat, cotton, etc.) (Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, 2014) and before being accessible to the public, are heavily regulated by the Gene Technology Regulator (GTR). Furthermore, scientists and organizations such CSIRO (CSIRO, 2010) are constantly finding means to improve the efficiency of the methods and its ethicality. As such, scientific evidence regarding genetic modification is constantly being updated. Genetic modification can potentially offer tremendous benefits, but as it is still relatively new, there are many uncertainties regarding its methods and ethicality. Thus, much of the public is still unsure on where they stand. The need for current and credible information about this field is undeniably important for the public, in order to gain a better understanding about its advantages and disadvantages. And once this knowledge is gained, they can make a sound decision on where they want to stand with the progression of this field of research. Source 1: eBook file Source/Author The eBook file, National Framework of Ethical Principles in Gene Technology 2012 Outlines the ‘†¦ethical principles and values relevant to†¦ gene technology†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘aims to promote well-informed ethical decision making†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Gene Technology Ethics and Community Consultative Committee, 2012). The research into the guidelines outlined in the book has been done by the Gene Technology Ethics and Community Consultative Committee (GTECCC) under the guidance and watch of the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR). The GTECCC provides advice on the request of the Gene Technology Regulator (GTR), or the Gene Technology Ministerial Council (GTMC) regarding ethical issues and policy principles with relation to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and products (GM). The 11 appointments for the committee are done by the Hon Catherine King, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing after consulting the GTR, State/Territory Ministers and organizations relating to science, consumers, heath, environmental and industry (Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, n.d.). The members chosen to be part of this committee are experts who range from community consultation, ethics, genetic research and risk communication just to name a few. For example, Donald Chalmers, the Chair of the GTECCC, is a Distinguished Professor at the University of Tasmania and is the Director of the Centre for Law and Genetics; and Ms Corrinna Lange, another member, has a wealth of knowledge regarding science communication through her various roles within public and private sector organizations. (Office of the Gene Technology Regulator, 2012). The fear of bias by the authors while constructing the framework due to conflict of interests, is easily solved as members are ‘†¦subject to strict disclosure of interest provisions†¦contained in the Gene Technology Regulations 2001†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ in which, it is stated that ‘Before the Minister appoints a person as an expert advisory†¦must obtain†¦a declaration setting out all direct or indirect interests†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Expert Advisers – disclosure of interests, 2001). The compiled research is also subject to act in accordance to the Gene Technology Act 2000 (Cwth) in which s.3 states that â€Å"the object of this Act is to protect the health and safety of people†¦protects the environment by identifying risks posed by or as a result of gene technology†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. As such, the information provided by the GTECCC in their eBook publication stating the framework for ethics and decision making regarding genetic research and modification i s highly credible. Publisher The Australian Commonwealth Government is a non-partisan institute regarding genetic modification and is undoubtedly established as being credible and well-respected. The credibility of a book lies not only with the author but, also with the publisher; the organization/institute who funds or supports the research of the author/s. The organization/institute and authors are therefore responsible for the information being published. In this case, the funding and support of this eBook, the National Framework of Ethical Principles in Gene Technology 2012 (Gene Technology Ethics and Community Consultative Committee, 2012) research came from the Australian Commonwealth Government. As the information published inside therefore not only reflects the views and opinions of the author, but is also considered as credible information by the Australian Commonwealth Government. Therefore, as the Australian Commonwealth Government is a credible publisher, the eBooks’ (Gene Technology Ethics an d Community Consultative Committee, 2012) credibility is also reinforced. Source 2: Journal Article Peer-Review Process Peer-review is a commonly used process during the editing phase of scientific journals to distinguish what articles sent to be published in the journal are credible, relevant and publish worthy. The process requires the article to be sent and scrutinised by experts in the same field who are considered as ‘peer-reviewers’. They asses the ‘validity, significance and originality’ (Sense About Science, 2005) and ultimately act as ‘an error detection system’ (Science Media Centre, 2003). In order to asses these criterions, the results and experiments are re-tested by these peer-reviewers to ensure that the findings are accurate. A decision is then made on whether the article should be published or rejected. If the decision is for the article to be published, it will either be sent back to the author/s for the final review or sometimes, may go straight into publishing after gaining the approval of the Chief Editor (Understanding Science, 2014). My chosen journal article (Macdonald et al., 2012) was initially handed into the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on December 4, 2011 for review before being published in their online journal. One of the many peer-reviewers assigned to the article was R. Michael Roberts, University of Missouri, Columbia. Dr Roberts’ is a member of the National Academy of Science and his research areas include ‘utilizing human embryonic stem cells (hESC)†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)†¦ by reprogramming.’ (Department of Biochemistry University of Missouri, n.d.). The knowledge he holds in the field therefore, indicates his sound ability as a reviewer for the article, proving him capable of making good judgement on whether the claims and conclusions stated are credible. Photographic Evidence Photographic evidence is an effective way to illustrate the processes and results that should be reached during an experiment. It provides the experimenter with an indication on whether the methods are accurately followed. The Materials and Methods section of the journal article (Macdonald et al., 2012), with its various reference images fulfils this purpose. For example, Figure 6, part B in the Materials and Methods section, indicates how the ‘cross-section of a 3 day embryo a day after the injection of GFP-expressing PGCs’ should look like (Macdonald et al., 2012). Furthermore, the results are set out in clear graphs which are annotated. This can be seen in Figure 2, part D of the Results section, which contains a graph comparing the ‘stable transfection rates of piggyBac and Tol2 transposons in PGCs.’ (Macdonald et al., 2012). The annotations also indicate that the collected and graphed data represent a minimum of four independent experiments. The clarity and in-depth expression, through photographic evidence and compiled data, leave little room for error as it indicates what outcomes should be reached by their methods. This not only makes it easy for those trialling the experiment to compare results, but it also expresses their strong belief that their research is credible. Summary The boundless amounts of information, found on the internet and at libraries regarding genetic modification, can overwhelm individuals when they first begin researching to grasp a better understanding about the field. Furthermore, as the field is constantly updating and newer efficient methodologies are being discovered, ‘new’ information can grow ‘old’ relatively fast and thus lose its credibility. The two scholarly sources, the eBook (Gene Technology Ethics and Community Consultative Committee, 2012) and the journal article, (Macdonald et al., 2012) I have chosen, are in my opinion examples of credible information. I assessed their credibility under the following criteria: source/author and publisher for the eBook; the peer-review process and photographic evidence for the journal article, and found that the criteria were fulfilled. Thus, indicating that the information from the two scholarly sources is credible. Therefore, to conclude, the information with in the two sources can be used to either grasp a better understanding about the field of genetic modification, or be used as references in university research assignment tasks. References American Psychological Association. (2013). The Rules for Federal Regulations: I. The Code of Federal Regulations. Retrieved from http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2013/07/the-rules-for-federal-regulations-i-code-of-federal-regulations.html CSIRO. (2010). Gene technology. Retrieved from http://www.csiro.au/Outcomes/Food-and-Agriculture/Gene-technology.aspx Curators of the University of Missouri. (2006). Welcome to the Roberts Lab Website. Retrieved from http://robertslab.missouri.edu/ Department of Biochemistry University of Missouri. (n.d.). R. Michael Roberts. Retrieved from http://biochem.missouri.edu/faculty/faculty-members/robertsm/index.php Expert Advisers – disclosure of interests, 23 Gene Technology Regulations  §1 (2001) Gene Technology Act 2000 (Cwth) s.3 (Austl.) Glenn, L. M. (2013). Ethical Issues in Genetic Engineering and Transgenics. Retrieved from http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotechnology/glenn.html Office of the Gene Technology Regulator. (2012). GTECCC members. Retrieved from http://www.ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/content/gteccc-members11-htm Office of the Gene Technology Regulator. (2014). Record of GM Product Dealings. Retrieved from http://www.ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/content/gmfoodprod4-htm Office of the Gene Technology Regulator. (n.d.). Genetically Modified Product approvals. Retrieved from http://www.ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/content/gmoprod-1 Office of the Gene Technology Regulator. (n.d.). The Gene Technology Ethics and Community Consultative Committee. Retrieved from http://www.ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/content/gteccc-2 Science Media Centre (2003) Communicating peer review in a soundbite, p.1. Sense about Science. (2004). Peer Review AND THE ACCEPTANCE OF NEW SCIENTIFIC IDEAS. London, England: Author. Sense about Science. (2005). â€Å"I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Making sense of science stories. London, England: Author. Sense about Science. (2009). MAKING SENSE OF GM. London, England: Author. Understanding Science University of California Museum of Paleontology. (n.d.). Scrutinizing science: Peer Review. Retrieved from: http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/howscienceworks_16 University Library University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (n.d.). Is it scholarly? Tips for critically evaluating your information resources. Retrieved from http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/howdoi/scholarly.html University of Western Australia Med Library. (n.d.). Vancouver citation style. Retrieved from http://guides.is.uwa.edu.au/content.php?pid=279406sid=2323728 University of Western Australia Science Library. (n.d.). APA citation style. Retrieved from http://guides.is.uwa.edu.au/apa Victoria University. (n.d.). APA REFERENCING: A Brief Guide. Retrieved from http://guides.library.vu.edu.au/content.php?pid=270421sid=2230821 References for two scholarly sources: Peer-Reviewed Journal Article (Primary Source): APA:  Macdonald, J., Taylor, L., Sherman, A., Kawakami, K., Takahashi, Y., Sang, Helen M., McGrew, Michael J. (2012). Efà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cient genetic modià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cation and germ-line transmission of primordial germ cells using piggyBac and Tol2 transposons.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,109(23), E1466-E1472. doi:10.1073/pnas.1118715109 Vancouver: Macdonald J, Taylor L, Sherman A, Kawakami K, Takahashi Y, Sang HM, McGrew MJ. Efà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cient genetic modià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cation and germ-line transmission of primordial germ cells using piggyBac and Tol2 transposons. [Internet]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2012. [cited 2014 March 15]; 109(23) [about 7 p.]. Available from:  http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/05/10/1118715109.abstract Grey Literature (PDF file): APA: Gene Technology Ethics and Community Consultative Committee. (2012).  National Framework of Ethical Principles in Gene Technology 2012  [PDF]. Retrieved from  http://www.ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/Content/gtecccpapers-1/$FILE/gtecccethicalprinciples2012.pdf Vancouver: Gene Technology Ethics and Community Consultative Committee. National Framework of Ethical Principles in Gene Technology 2012 [Internet]. Commonwealth of Australia; 2012 [revised 2014 Feb 2; cited 2014 Mar 15]. Available from:  http://www.ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/Content/gtecccpapers-1/$FILE/gtecccethicalprinciples2012.pdf Sarah Bernadette Dacanay

An Evaluation Of Nullsoft Winamp :: essays research papers

Nullsoft Winamp is a fast, flexible, high fidelity music player for Windows 95/98/NT. Winamp supports MP3, MP2, CD, MOD, WAV and other audio formats. Winamp also supports custom interfaces called skins, audio visualization and audio effect plug-ins. Nullsoft also provides a high quality website at http://www.winamp.com. The Winamp homepage provides support, information, software downloads, and music downloads for Nullsoft’s music products. Winamp is a high quality music player for your personal computer. The first thing to look for when considering a program to play music on your computer is sound quality. Nullsoft Winamp has the ability to play CD quality sound from MP3, MP2, CD, MOD, WAV and other audio formats. Winamp has a ten band graphic equalizer and built-in pre-amplifier that allows the user greater control over sound quality even before the music passes through a sound card or speakers. If you are not comfortable with changing the equalizer settings yourself, Winamp has hundreds of preset settings which are categorized by music type. Examples of this include Jazz, Rock, Reggae, and many more. Winamp users even have the ability to create and save song-specific pre-amplifier and equalizer settings. Another important factor in choosing a music program for your computer is customizable features. Winamp meets this criterion well. The ability to customize your music player makes the program easier to use. The user has the ability to make a â€Å"Play list† from the music files that are stored on the hard drive of the user’s computer. Play lists are easy to load and are not difficult to create. The Nullsoft Winamp website has a Plugin and Skin collection available for downloads to further customize your copy of Winamp. There are hundreds of different plugins and skins to choose from. Plugins for Winamp range from audio visualization oscilloscopes to audio effects like distortion and surround sound. Skin categories range from different colors to cartoons and artwork. Technically advanced users can even create their own skins. Customer service and technical support services are important with any product, especially when a user is unfamiliar with the product. The Winamp program can be difficult to learn and use without some instruction. However, Nullsoft Winamp provides a stable and easy to navigate website that includes many helpful services. Customer service and technical support are available through chat and via email from the Winamp homepage. Customers have the ability to read step-by-step instructions on how to use Winamp and all of its custom features by clicking on easy to see links.

Leadership of Richard Branson Essay

Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group has been a household name in the United Kingdom for over twenty years. He is well respected in the business world. He is the founder of the Virgin Group, which is known for many different things such as cell phones, record labels, airlines and many more. â€Å"Branson is also known for his unique character and leadership styles, one who is not afraid to take risks, and believes that people are the foundation to his company’s success. If I were to first characterize his leadership style I would say he is definitely a democratic leader. He truly feels that getting other peoples input and listening to what people have to say are a core value to him. He carries a notebook in his pocket all the time just in case he hears something interesting from people that he interacts with on any level. Whether it be an employee, friend, business partner or complete stranger, for him he knows that good ideas can come from anywhere and anytime (Leade rship Styles, 2006).† According to Psychologist Kurt Lewin, democratic leaders make the final decisions, but they include team members in the decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and people are often highly engaged in projects and decisions. As a result, team members tend to have high job satisfaction and high productivity. This is not always an effective style to use, though, when you need to make a quick decision. The business dictionary website corresponds in its meaning of a democratic leadership style stating that the style involves a team where all persons are included in the decision-making process as well as the procedural course of action. According to an article in Entrepreneur, there is almost nothing Richard Branson won’t do to promote his company. As eccentric as this plights may be, they have made Virgin one of the best-known and most popular brand names in the world. The article goes on to explain how his strange business and managerial strategies have created a $5 billion empire. Richard Branson has also been referred to as a visionary leader. The visionary leadership style is described as â€Å"a big-picture thinker who sets clear standards and inspires with a sense of shared mission, the visionary leader can be overbearing (Blustein, 2013).† When asked about his  leadership style, Richard Branson says he makes sure he is surrounded by team builders who can make sure that the needs of individual employees do not get lost in the pursuit of a grand vision. He also says to think twice before showing the smart people who work for you how much smarter you are (Blustein, 2013).† Emotional Intelligence is defined as â€Å"skill in perceiving, understanding, and managing emotions and feelings, awareness of one’s own emotions and moods and those of others, especially in managing people, an awareness of and ability to manage emotions and create motivation (Dictionary.com, 2014).† Richard Branson is an example of emotional intelligence in practice. In 2003, the commercial successes in the highly competitive and volatile Australian Aviation Industry, with the launch of Virgin Blue’s corporate existence, the company has achieved 30% market share of the Australian domestic air travel market and is due to fl oat on the Australian stock exchange at a capitalization of billions. Branson’s leadership capability characterized by emotional intelligence, has been evident through his ability to relate to motivate and unify staff from this industry at a time when many airline employees were disillusioned and skeptical in a third airline’s ability to successfully operate in the Australian market (Carlson, Voola,& West, 2004).† This shows how the unique aspects of Richard Branson’s leadership style mesh successfully with the particular attributes of the multifaceted organization that is Virgin. Richard Branson is known to motivate employees by encouraging all employees to apply for jobs at other Virgin companies that they find interesting. In recent years, a few Virgin companies have provoked as a result; we often refer to them as our â€Å"shot in the arm† companies. They show customers and employees what our business stands for, and often inspire our teams at other businesses to try new challenges. Another way Branson keeps employees engaged is by inviting them to take part in company events, like the Virgin Mobile Live Free fest, a free music festival held every year to raise money (through donations) for homeless young people. Along with giving employees a chance to give something back to the community, the festival allows an opportunity to say thank you to customers and staff by providing them with the chance to enjoy themselves for free. The sense of fun unites the businesses reminds employees of what the company stands for. In some ways it’s easier for a large organization like Virgin to embark on such projects,  but with a little inventiveness and resourceful thinking, other business owners might come up with shot-in-the-arm schemes of their own (Entrepreneur, 2012). Maintaining a focused and motivated staff can be a difficult task for employers to master, especially during harsh economic times and with stretched resources. Branson recently held a series of talks for employees, where they were encouraged to engage and debate different subjects. The exercises were held on a tropical island in the Caribbean. Every company does not have the luxury of taking their employees off to a tropical island, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to get minds focused and engaged. If one is trying to grow a diverse, creative team, it is not necessary to take employees to the Caribbean to keep them learning. Branson has suggested inviting guest speakers to the office. â€Å"Go to events focusing on topics that are not strictly related to your industry and bring some of your employees along. He advises, one of the best ways to learn is by taking team members out of their comfort zone and embracing new ideas, results will yield. Focusing on a topic ou t of the norm can bring renewed vigor to everyday activities (Preston, 2013). My assessment of Richard Branson’s ability to articulate and communicate his vision for his company to employees and other stakeholders in the traditional sense of writing a mission statement, he has failed. However, I believe that actions speak louder than words, and with that said, Richard Branson has done an outstanding job in showing his mission statement. In an interview with Entrepreneur Branson says, â€Å"Many business management experts would argue that a mission statement should be your company’s cornerstone, inspiring and informing your employees in the years ahead. I can’t agree. The Virgin Group does have a mission statement — one that is brief and to the point. In general, there is too much importance being placed on such statements, but it is interesting to see how they reflect common missteps in business, for example Enron. Before the giant energy company went bankrupt in 2001, ruining the lives of tens of thousands of employees and investors, its vision and values statement was â€Å"Respect, integrity, communication and excellence.† While some mission statements consist of one vague statement, others are too long, which may reflect management’s lack of understanding of what a company really does. Branson goes on to say that if Virgin had to put their mission statement on a coat of arms, it would probably say something  like, â€Å"Ipsum sine timore, consector,† which very loosely translated from the Latin means, â€Å"Screw it, let’s do it (Entrepreneur, 2013)!† There are four steps to evaluate whether Richard Branson’s leadership style is a good fit for me as a manager: Determine my leadership style Assess the organization’s culture Define my expectations in a leader Learn about Richard Branson’s leadership style and whether or not it meshes. Asking the following questions about the organizational culture can help clarify what type of work environment the organization offers: Work style: How does our work done? Collaboratively? Independently? A combination? How are decisions made? Consensus-driven? Authoritatively? How is communication? Verbally or in written form? Directly or indirectly? Voicemail, email, or in person? What are meetings like? Serious? Lighthearted? Tightly or loosely structured? Professional opportunities and advancement: What types of people tend to do well here? Individual contributors? Team players? People who are proactive or more responsive? How is the structure? Hierarchical or flat? Centralized or decentralized authority? Clear reporting structures or matrix? How people who do well rewarded? What happens when people don’t perform well? I conclude that I would be successful working under this type of leader. William George, a Professor of Management Practice, Henry B. Arthur Fellow of Ethics, at Harvard Business School says the most successful leaders will not necessarily be those with the highest IQ. He says they will need to be intelligent, cultured, and emotionally intelligent. â€Å"According to George, additional characteristics of a successful global leader include: An intellectual understanding of the global business context. The capacity to simultaneously develop a global and local perspective. Being able to overcome the dominant thinking at headquarters. A knack for cross-boundary partnering. A self-awareness and self-assurance when it comes to one’s values and sense of purpose The ability to develop networks that are internal and external to the organization. George goes on to say, â€Å"Ultimately, a global organization is measured by how well the diversity of its leadership reflects the diversity of its customer base and well that leadership can leverage the skills of teams working around the world (Hanna, 2012).† In my opinion, Richard Branson fits the bill as a global leader. â€Å"Sir Richard Branson is among the latest crop of billionaires who have promised to donate at least half their fortune to charity. The Virgin Group founder, who is worth more than $4bn, has added his name to the Giving Pledge campaign set up by U.S. investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates. In their pledge letter, Sir Richard and his wife Joan said they wanted to use cash from the company to create ‘a healthy, equitable and peaceful world for future gener ations to enjoy (Tomlinson, 2013).† My prediction is Richard Branson will be an even bigger success than he is now. He has pledged to give away half his Virgin fortune to make a difference in the world. It takes a real leader to make such a sacrifice for others. References (2006, 05). Leadership Styles: Richard Branson. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 05, 2006, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Leadership-Styles-Richard-Branson-88459.htmlBlustein, A. (2013). What kind of leader are you?. Inc, 35(8), 58-59. Carlson, J. Ranjui, V. & West, A. (2004). Emotional intelligence and competitive advantage: examining the relationship from a resource-based view. Retrieved September 6, 2014 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jsc.664/abstract Hanna, J. (2012). Developing the global leader. Working knowledge the thinking that leads. Harvard Business School. Retrieved September 6, 2014 from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6967.html Kets de Vries, M.R. (1998). Charisma in action: the transformational abilities of Virgin’s Richard Branson and ABB’s Percy Barnevik. Organizational Dynamics, 26(3), 7-21 Tomlinson, S. (2013). Stuff does not bring happiness’: Sir Richard Branson pledges to give away half his Virgin fortune to make a difference in the world. Retrieved September 6, 2014 from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2281792/Sir-Richard-Branson-pledges-a way-half-Virgin-fortune-make-difference-world.html#ixzz3CmVyTGEc

The Political 1960’s and Postmodern Italian Design: Ettore Sottsass

The Political 1960’s and Postmodern Italian Design: Ettore SottsassIntroductionItalian design evolved between 1950s and 1960s.at the terminal of the sixtiess, the designs that were in the market burned out and were replaced by null formalisation of design which majored on commercial solutions.in this text, account on the designed objects is paramount, the fiction of the designed parts harmonizing to the methodological analysis of the designs. There is a singular design presentation in this book by Penny Sparke. The ant design flow and motion came in to put in 1965 to around 1979.this motion was all about dramatic colourss and the appropriate usage of scaling techniques where a little object is scaled to acquire a bigger representation of the same. This map of grading of objects was meant to acquire a different perceptual experience of objects by the interior decorator and besides anybody willing to familiarise with the design work. ( Roldan & A ; Leone, 2013 )Italian anti desi gn motionItalian interior decorators were at those times perfectionists in the designs they came up with. Normally for a merchandise to be developed from abrasion, the interior decorators has to come up with a theoretical account from a two dimensional diagram of the parts with the needed dimensional truth. Therefore the interior decorator deserves acknowledgment when the merchandise is already manufactured. ( Sparke, 1986 ) . But in the Italy the taking makers were celebrated alternatively and paid a batch of money. The interior decorators were non recognized and that’s why the anti-design came up in the state. The interior decorators were treated in a manner to propose that they lacked societal relevancy. Ettore Sottsass became the spokesman of this Anti design motion every bit shortly as it officially stated in 1966.the ant design motion advocated for the design of theoretical accounts that are alone alternatively of recommending for manners that are normally known in orde r to encompass mass production. Mass production and standard design were most common and hence nil new was being witnessed in the design industry. Ettore Sottsass is therefore a cardinal individual in the history of the Italian design as he challenged the production systems to withdraw from greed and trade with the acceptable echt design alternatively of taking to hike gross revenues with a hapless design.in the long tally complains would ever come from the clients and consumers of merchandises manufactured from such foolhardy design. The anti-design Rebels felt that each constituent of a design should be impermanent so that incase of any fault replacing can be done but with the anti-design advocators, a constituent should non hold to be replaced every now and so, a lasting solution to patronize wear and rupture should be at that place. A portion of a design should hold a lifetime that is suited in relation to the map that the constituent will function. The construct of the anti-design motion aimed to halt the buying of constituents and objects which can be made in Italy. The choosing of stuffs was to be done so that the lastin gness of the object is enhanced. ( Peri Bader, 2015 ) . A good illustration is the modern pallet which was one time black, gray and white. Before this anti design, the colourss were chosen harmonizing to the assortment available, the stuffs that are available and the cosmetic ability of the elements. The ant design Rebels lacked good constructs on design doctrine and would largely plan without an aim. The future user’s outlook of a design is one factors to see in all the designs and therefore the Italian anti-designers made everyone to recognize that information on safety demands, the legislative demands and the criterions was of import. ( Sparke, 2008 ) .Postmodern Italian Part designingDesign work ever starts from conceptualisation of a new thought of a portion that one seeks to plan. The Italian design as portrayed in this book introduces portion planing in 1967 where parts of a series of prototype designs were employed to schemes Italian counter designs movement.an illust ration was the 14th Milan Triennale in 1968. ( Medjdoub & A ; Chenini, 2015 ) . To day of the month, the Italian design focuses on truth and preciseness in portion designing. For a portion to be able to copulate with another portion, there has to be a good dimensional truth on the drawing of that portion. The Italian design of parts starts with a 2D drawing where the dimensions of the portion are put in that drawing. Italy exports parts of assorted assembly that can be used in fabricating different merchandises. For illustration a machinery can acquire its constituents imported from Italy because in modern fabrication processes some assemblies have small entree to save parts from the state in which they serve the clients. ( Golan, 2012 ) . Italian designs of fabric merchandises have been a phenomenon since the late 1970s.textile industry is Italy’s pride particularly sing that they own the design and besides the fabrication houses. For a better design to be achieved several parametric quantities have to be considered merely as it is seen in the Italian design. Quality is ever indispensable in a design. The consideration is high quality on the concluding merchandise such that it will make better in the market. Just like its presents in the Italian design of apparels and other fabric merchandises, Italian put supports on the fabric design so that they increase the lifetime of the concluding fabric manufactured. This is fundamentally what makes Italian designs better from the old yearss. For an applied scientist or an designer to be good in his/her undertaking, more clip should be taken on the design to guarantee that no mistakes are made because in the long tally, the concluding merchandise is affected. ( Person & A ; Snelders, 2010 ) . Design ever start with the acknowledgment of the societal demands that are available. After this the designer can interpret these demands into thoughts that are acceptable and eventually proving the thoughts against the physical Torahs of the nature to see whether scientific discipline accepts it. ( Mastrangelo & A ; Marangi, 2015 ) .Decision.The Italian design history is a major part to the design patterns that are even embraced in modern architectural plants. The most historical portion of it being the ant design motion which led to the betterment of designs runing from furniture designs to textile designing of merchandises. A interior decorator can ever hold his/her design executable bargain foremost of all building the paradigm of the same and proving done. ( Novi & A ; Piccardo, 2015 ) . The Italian design to day of the month is focused on the singularity of what comes out of the designed object. A design does non hold to be complicated in order to be to ugh in the market but a simple and alone design can ensue in the industry of an assembly that can truly work out societal issues in the society. For illustration the furniture designs by Italians in the seventiess are still at that place to day of the month and this is because the design suite the demands of the people in the society. Designing is all about modifying, rearranging and the most of import bettering the public presentation of the merchandise is at all the interior decorator is non introducing a new merchandise. ( Drury, 2009 ) .MentionsDrury, S. ( 2009 ) . European Design Since 1985 determining the new century by Rcraig Miller, Penny Sparke, Catherine Mcdermott.Art Book,16( 4 ) , 66-68. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8357.2009.01064_1.x Sparke, P. ( 2008 ) . Mobility history from a design historiographer ‘s position: The T2M conference, 2007.Journal Of Transport History,29( 1 ) , 131-135. Person, O. , & A ; Snelders, D. ( 2010 ) . Brand Styles in Commercial Design.Design Issues,26( 1 ) , 82-94. Novi, F. , & A ; Piccardo, C. ( 2015 ) . Technology as a key for design imaginativeness, an Italian experience with novice architecture pupils.Architectural Engineering & A ; Design Management,11( 3 ) , 185-197. doi:10.1080/17452007.2014.895698 Mastrangelo, G. , Marangi, G. , Bontadi, D. , Fadda, E. , Cegolon, L. , Bortolotto, M. , & A ; †¦ Marchiori, L. ( 2015 ) . A worksite intercession to cut down the cardiovascular hazard: proposal of a survey design easy to incorporate within Italian organisation of occupational wellness surveillance.BMC Public Health,15( 1 ) , 484-497. doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1375-4 Sparke, P. ( 1986 ) .An debut to plan and civilization in the 20th century. London: Allen & A ; Unwin. Golan, R. ( 2012 ) . Flashbacks and Eclipses in Italian Art in the sixtiess.Grey Room, ( 49 ) , 102-127. Medjdoub, B. , & A ; Chenini, M. B. ( 2015 ) . A constraint-based parametric theoretical account to back up edifice services design geographic expedition.Architectural Engineering & A ; Design Management,11( 2 ) , 123-136. doi:10.1080/17452007.2013.834812 Peri Bader, A. ( 2015 ) . A theoretical account for mundane experience of the built environment: the corporal perceptual experience of architecture.Journal Of Architecture,20( 2 ) , 244-267. doi:10.1080/13602365.2015.1026835 Roldan, M. L. , Gonnet, S. , & A ; Leone, H. ( 2013 ) . Knowledge representation of the package architecture design procedure based on state of affairs concretion.Adept Systems,30( 1 ) , 34-53. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0394.2012.00620.x Kawaguchi, H. , & A ; Matsuoka, S. ( 2015 ) . Conceptual Design of 3-D FDTD Dedicated Computer With Dataflow Architecture for High Performance Microwave Simulation.IEEE Transactions On Magnetisms,51( 3 ) , 1-4. doi:10.1109/TMAG.2014.2355251

Free Essays on Variations On The Word Love

Response to â€Å"Variations on the Word Love Margaret Atwood explores the word Love in her poem, â€Å"Variations on the Word Love.† She question people’s use of the word love and its various meanings. I really enjoyed Atwood’s poem because made me think and ask questions. I often use the word love, yet I don’t always mean the same thing when I use it. I had never really thought about this until I read her poem. Atwood first speaks about the overuse of the word. She introduces the poem by saying how we use the word love as a filler. When we can’t think of anything to say, we often fill in space with the word love. The first line begins with â€Å"This is a word we use to plug/holes with. It’s the right size for those war/blanks in speech†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (line 1-3). People often use the word love when they don’t know what else to say. Atwood also speaks about how the word love is often used as an advertisement. The word love is very marketable. We have two holidays to celebrate it, Valentine’s Day and Sweetest Day. We also us love on billboards to sell things completely unrelated. Atwood points out how we have entire magazines that only speak about love. I believe our overuse of the word love takes away from its true meaning. We market it and say we love so many things. This devalues the word love and its meaning. The second stanza, Atwood begins by talking about what I consider the true meaning of the word love, Then there’s the two Of us. This word Is far too short for us, it has only Four letter, too sparce To fill those deep bare Vacumes between the stars (lines 21-25). I agree with Atwood. Love is not enough to explain what two people can fall into. The word love is so overused its meaning depreciates. It is so commonly heard that it is not taken seriously. I think that in some ways the word love doesn’t explain â€Å"love between two people† or give it justice. However, I... Free Essays on Variations On The Word Love Free Essays on Variations On The Word Love Response to â€Å"Variations on the Word Love Margaret Atwood explores the word Love in her poem, â€Å"Variations on the Word Love.† She question people’s use of the word love and its various meanings. I really enjoyed Atwood’s poem because made me think and ask questions. I often use the word love, yet I don’t always mean the same thing when I use it. I had never really thought about this until I read her poem. Atwood first speaks about the overuse of the word. She introduces the poem by saying how we use the word love as a filler. When we can’t think of anything to say, we often fill in space with the word love. The first line begins with â€Å"This is a word we use to plug/holes with. It’s the right size for those war/blanks in speech†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (line 1-3). People often use the word love when they don’t know what else to say. Atwood also speaks about how the word love is often used as an advertisement. The word love is very marketable. We have two holidays to celebrate it, Valentine’s Day and Sweetest Day. We also us love on billboards to sell things completely unrelated. Atwood points out how we have entire magazines that only speak about love. I believe our overuse of the word love takes away from its true meaning. We market it and say we love so many things. This devalues the word love and its meaning. The second stanza, Atwood begins by talking about what I consider the true meaning of the word love, Then there’s the two Of us. This word Is far too short for us, it has only Four letter, too sparce To fill those deep bare Vacumes between the stars (lines 21-25). I agree with Atwood. Love is not enough to explain what two people can fall into. The word love is so overused its meaning depreciates. It is so commonly heard that it is not taken seriously. I think that in some ways the word love doesn’t explain â€Å"love between two people† or give it justice. However, I...

Biography of Garrett Morgan, Inventor of the Gas Mask

Biography of Garrett Morgan, Inventor of the Gas Mask Garrett Morgan (March 4, 1877–July 27, 1963) was an inventor and businessman from Cleveland who is best known for inventing a device called the Morgan Safety Hood and Smoke Protector in 1914. The invention was later dubbed the gas mask. Fast Facts: Garrett Morgan Known For: Invention of safety hood (early gas mask) and mechanical traffic signalBorn: March 4, 1877 in Claysville,  KentuckyParents: Sydney Morgan, Elizabeth ReedDied: July 27, 1963 in Cleveland,  OhioEducation: Up to sixth gradePublished Works:  The  Cleveland Call, a weekly African American newspaper that he established in 1916, which became the  still-published Cleveland Call and Post in 1929Awards and Honors:  Recognized at the Emancipation Centennial Celebration in  Chicago, Illinois, in August 1963; schools and streets named in his honor; included in the 2002 book,  100 Greatest African Americans  by  Molefi Kete Asante; honorary member of  Alpha Phi Alpha  fraternitySpouse(s): Madge Nelson, Mary HasekChildren: John P. Morgan, Garrett A. Morgan, Jr., and Cosmo H. MorganNotable Quote: â€Å"If you can be the best, then why not try to be the best?†Ã‚   Early Life The son of former slaves, Garrett Augustus Morgan was born in Claysville, Kentucky, on March 4, 1877. His mother was half-Native American and half-white (her father was a white minister named  Rev.  Garrett  Reed), and his father was half-white, the son of the Confederate Colonel John Hunt Morgan, who led Morgans Raiders in the Civil War. Garrett was the seventh of 11 children, and his early childhood was spent attending school and working on the family farm with his brothers and sisters. While still a teenager, he left Kentucky and moved north to Cincinnati, Ohio, in search of opportunities. Although Morgans formal education never took him beyond elementary school, he worked to give himself an education, hiring a tutor while living in Cincinnati and continuing his studies in English grammar. In 1895, Morgan moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he went to work as a sewing machine repairman for a clothing manufacturer, teaching himself as much as he could about sewing machinery and experimenting with the process. Word of his experiments and his proficiency for fixing things traveled fast and he worked for numerous manufacturing firms in the Cleveland area. In 1907, the inventor opened his sewing equipment and repair shop. It was the first of several businesses he would establish. In 1909, he expanded the enterprise to include a tailoring shop that employed 32 people. The new company turned out coats, suits, and dresses, all sewn with equipment that Morgan himself had made. Marriage and Family Morgan married twice, first to Madge Nelson in 1896; they were divorced in 1898. In 1908 he married Mary Anna Hasek, a seamstress from Bohemia: it was one of the earliest interracial marriages in Cleveland. They had three children, John P., Garrett A., Jr., and Cosmo H. Morgan. The Safety Hood (Early Gas Mask) In 1914, Morgan was awarded two patents for the invention of an early gas mask, the Safety Hood and Smoke Protector. He manufactured the mask and sold it nationally and internationally through the National Safety Device Company, or Nadsco, using a marketing strategy to avoid Jim Crow discrimination- what historian Lisa Cook calls anonymity by dissociation. At the time, entrepreneurs sold their inventions by conducting live demonstrations. Morgan appeared in these events to the general public, with municipal fire departments and city officials representing himself as his own assistant- a Native American man called Big Chief Mason. In the south, Morgan hired whites, sometimes public safety professionals, to stage demonstrations for him. His newspaper advertisements featured smartly dressed white male models. The gas mask proved very popular: New York City quickly adopted the mask, and eventually 500 cities followed suit. In 1916, a refined model of Morgans gas mask was awarded a gold medal at the International Exposition of Sanitation and Safety and another gold medal from the International Association of Fire Chiefs. The Lake Erie Crib Disaster On July 25, 1916, Morgan made national news for using his gas mask to rescue men trapped during an explosion in an underground tunnel located 250 feet beneath Lake Erie. No one had been able to reach the men, 11 of them had died as had 10 others attempting to rescue them. Called in the middle of the night six hours after the incident, Morgan and a team of volunteers donned the new gas masks and brought two workers out alive and recovered the bodies of 17 others. He personally gave artificial respiration to one of the men he rescued. Afterward, Morgans company received many additional requests from fire departments around the country that wished to purchase the new masks. However, the national news contained photographs of him, and officials in a number of southern cities canceled their existing orders when they discovered he was black. In 1917, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission reviewed the reports of heroism displayed during the disaster. Based on news reports that downplayed Morgans role, the Carnegie board decided to give the prestigious Hero award to a minor figure in the rescue effort who was white, rather than to Morgan. Morgan protested, but the Carnegie Institution said he hadnt risked as much as the other person had because he had safety equipment. Some reports say the Morgan gas mask was modified and used in World War I after the Germans unleashed chemical warfare at Ypres on April 22, 1915, although theres no strong evidence for it. Despite Morgans popularity in the United States, there were dozens of other masks on the market by then, and most used in WWI were of English or French manufacture. The Morgan Traffic Signal In 1920, Morgan moved into the newspaper business when he established the Cleveland Call. As the years went on, he became a prosperous and widely respected businessman and was able to purchase a home and an automobile, invented by Henry Ford in 1903. In fact, Morgan was the first African-American to purchase an automobile in Cleveland, and it was Morgans experience while driving along the streets of that city that inspired him to invent an improvement to traffic signals. After witnessing a collision between an automobile and a horse-drawn carriage, Morgan took his turn at inventing a traffic signal. While other inventors had experimented with, marketed, and even patented traffic signals, Morgan was one of the first to apply for and acquire a U.S. patent for an inexpensive way to produce a traffic signal. The patent was granted on November 20, 1923. Morgan also had his invention patented in Great Britain and Canada. Morgan stated in his patent for the traffic signal: This invention relates to traffic signals, and particularly to those which are adapted to be positioned adjacent the intersection of two or more streets and are manually operable for directing the flow of traffic...In addition, my invention contemplates the provision of a signal which may be readily and cheaply manufactured. The Morgan traffic signal was a T-shaped pole unit that featured three positions: Stop, Go and an all-directional stop position. This third position halted traffic in all directions to allow pedestrians to cross streets more safely. Morgans hand-cranked semaphore traffic management device was in use throughout North America until all manual traffic signals were replaced by the automatic red, yellow  and green-light traffic signals currently used around the world. The inventor sold the rights to his traffic signal to the General Electric Corporation for $40,000. Other Inventions Throughout his life, Morgan was always experimenting to develop new concepts. Though the traffic signal came at the height of his career and became one of his most famous inventions, it was just one of several innovations he developed, manufactured, and sold over the years. Morgan invented a zig-zag stitching attachment for ​the  manually operated sewing machine. He also founded a company that made personal grooming products  such as hair dying ointments and the curved-tooth pressing comb. As word of Morgans life-saving inventions spread across North America and England, demand for these products grew. He was frequently invited to conventions and public exhibitions to demonstrate how his inventions worked. Death Along with many others, Morgan lost most of his wealth with the stock market crash, but it didnt stop his inventive nature. He developed glaucoma, but at the time of his death he was still working on a new invention: a  self-extinguishing  cigarette. Morgan died on August 27, 1963, at the age of 86. His life was long and full, and his creative energies were recognized both during and after his lifetime. Legacy Morgans inventions have had a tremendous impact on the safety and well-being of people all over the world- from miners to soldiers to first responders to ordinary car owners and pedestrians. Another ongoing legacy is his weekly newspaper, originally named the  Cleveland Call and now called the  Cleveland Call and Post. His achievements as a son of slaves, against all odds and in the face of Jim Crow era discrimination, are inspiring. Case Western University awarded him an honorary degree, and his papers are stored there.   Sources Asante, Molefi Kete (2002),  100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books.  ISBN  1 of Garrett Morgan. The Business History Review 86.2 (2012): 211–34. Print.Evans, Harold, Gail Buckland, and David Lefer. Garrett Augustus Morgan (1877–1963): He came to the rescue with his gas mask. They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine: Two Centuries of Innovators. New York City: Little Brown, 2004.  Garner, Carla. â€Å"Garrett A., Sr. Morgan (1877-1963) BlackPast.†Ã‚  BlackPast, 29 Jan. 2019.King, William M. Guardian of the Public Safety: Garrett A. Morgan and the Lake Erie Crib Disaster. The Journal of Negro History 70.1/2 (1985): 1–13. Print.PBS, Garrett Augustus Morgan. Public Broadcasting Service.Smart, Jeffrey K. History of the Army Protective Mask. Natick, Massachusetts: NBC Defense Systems: Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command, 1999. Print.

The Earth Has 3 Trillion Trees

The Earth Has 3 Trillion Trees The calculations are in and a recent study has revealed some rather shocking results regarding the number of trees on the planet. According to researchers at Yale University, there are 3 trillion trees on Earth at any given moment. Thats 3,000,000,000,000. Whew! Its 7.5 times more trees than previously thought! And that adds up to roughly 422 trees for every person on the planet. Pretty good, right? Unfortunately, researchers also estimate that it is only half the number of trees that were on the planet before humans came along. So just how did they come up with those numbers? A team of international researchers from 15 countries used  satellite imagery, tree surveys, and supercomputer technologies to map tree populations around the world - down the square kilometer. The results are the most comprehensive count of the worlds trees that has ever been undertaken. You can check out all of the data over at the journal Nature. The study was inspired by the global youth organization Plant for the Planet- a group that aims to plant trees around the world to reduce the effects of climate change. They asked researchers at Yale for the estimated global population of trees. At the time, researchers thought there were about 400 billion trees on the planet- thats 61 trees per person.   But researchers knew that this was just a ballpark guess as it used satellite imagery and forest area estimates but it did not incorporate any hard data from the ground.  Thomas Crowther, a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and lead author of the study, put together a team that studied tree populations using not only satellites but also  tree-density information through national forest inventories and tree counts that had been verified at the ground level. Through their inventories, researchers were also able to confirm that the largest forest areas in the world are in the tropics. Roughly 43 percent of the worlds trees can be found in this area. The locations with the highest densities of trees were  the sub-arctic regions of Russia, Scandinavia and North America. Researchers hope that this inventory- and the new data regarding the number of trees in the world- will result in improved information about the role and importance of the worlds trees- particularly when it comes to biodiversity and carbon storage. But they also think that it serves as a warning about the effects that human populations have already had on the worlds trees.  Deforestation, habitat loss, and poor forest-management practices result in the loss of over 15 billion trees each year, according to the study. This affects not only the number of trees on the planet, but also the diversity. The study noted that tree density and diversity drops drastically as the number of humans on the planet increases. Natural factors such as drought, flooding, and insect infestations also play a role in the loss of forest density and diversity. Weve nearly halved the number of trees on the planet, and weve seen the impacts on climate and human health as a result, Crowther said in a statement released by Yale. This study highlights how much more effort is needed if we are to restore healthy forests worldwide. Source Ehrenberg, Rachel. Global count reaches 3 trillion trees. Nature, September 2, 2015.

Federalists and Republicans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Federalists and Republicans - Essay Example The Constitution of 1787, drafted to replace the original Articles of Confederation, was instrumental in the formation of the Federalist government. Taxes had long been seen as intrusive and oppressive . In the Constitution, Article 8 states, "The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence (sic) and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States" ("Transcript of Constitution of the United States (1787)"). Thomas Paine had written in his landmark book The Rights of Man that, "To say that any people are not fit for freedom, is to make poverty their choice, and to say they had rather be loaded with taxes than not". (qtd in Smith). Paine was noting that taxation was a redistribution of power from the common man to the national government. This Federalist position would assure the strength of the central government over the powe r of the individual states. To further control the states and the people, The Alien and Sedition Act of 1798 impeded the ability to congregate or organize any movement against the power of the Federalist government.

Dinosaurs (In Science) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dinosaurs (In Science) - Research Paper Example As in moderns day nature â€Å"nature abhors a vacuum† (Aristotle, quoted by Link, 2011 ) and so dinosaurs developed to fit into every niche, large, small, carnivorous, herbivorous etc. It is possible to tell what each creature ate if their teeth are examined. Just as the teeth of dogs and cows are very different, to suit their individual diets, so the teeth of meat eating dinosaurs are very different from those of the vegetarians. They also carried an impressive array of body part including such extras as scales, horns, collars and crests, what Viegas (2012) describes as ‘Feathered, clawed and jaws,’. So far, the remains of over 1,000 different dinosaur species have been identified from fossils though technically, birds are feathered dinosaurs, meaning dinosaurs aren't really extinct at all. The fact that some dinosaurs have been found which are feathered adds emphasis to evolutionary ideas and the hypothesis that birds are direct descendants of some dinosaurs, a n idea first put forward as long ago as 1870 ( Stone 2010) brings to mind other scientific questions such as who are the predecessors of mankind. Some, although not all dinosaurs, are known as being ‘bird hipped’ because of their particular anatomical features. They were . small, agile, and walked on two legs, unlike some much larger relatives. One such example is the Lesothosaurus Diagnosticus, a medium sized herbivore, first discovered in Southern Africa, within the kingdom of Lesotho, in 1978 ( National Geographic, 2012). It is so birdlike that it looks somewhat like a plucked bird. The dinosaurs were a highly diverse and successful group. They are often said to have lasted for far more than 100 million years, being the dominant from of life on land for some 160 million years, but if one includes birds then they are still around ( BBC, Science and Nature: Prehistoric Life, undated). Yet most of them did disappear, which has lessons perhaps for man , who acts as if th e world belongs to him by right. Dinosaur remains are often found in association with rocks which can be dated to a particular time. These rocks are usually sedimentary rocks, formed during a great ancient flood , massive floods are often being mentioned in ancient legends in many civilizations, despite the fact that the oldest humanoids found have been dated to only 4.4 million years ago (Schmid, 2009). Perhaps people were describing another cataclysmic flood. If so that will surely also be found in the geological record. According to Gilroy, most dinosaurs became extinct 65.5 million years ago, but it seems that there were survivors , and some dinosaur remains have quite recently been dated at some 700,000 years later (2011). So the picture isn’t at all clear. There was not for instance just one massive extinction period , but two. Viegas, ( 2012) describes the Permian extinction, when 90 per cent of all life on earth was destroyed, the most devastating extinction of all ti me, from insects to plants. Marine creatures as well as those on land were affected as well as amphibians and reptiles. Dinosaurs often had air sacs which enabled them to survive in poor air quality

Erikson's theory on child development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Erikson's theory on child development - Essay Example mas in the ego’s relations with the family and larger social institutions at significant points in childhood, adolescence, and early, middle and late adulthood (Sadock et al, 2007). The different aspects of child development identified by Erikson (1963) are: biological, social and individual. Erikson’s most important contribution to psychology is his demarcation of the eight psychosocial stages represented by the eight ages constituting the life span of an individual. An individual’s identity is related to each stage of the lifecycle. During adolescence a conflict between identity and role confusion can arise. Ego development occurs through the stages of the life span, and is part of a child’s evolution into adolescence. As a student of Freud, Erikson took a unique perspective on Freud’s work, incorporated Freud’s primary assumptions, and broadened the network of factors considered responsible for influencing development. He extended Freudian psychoanalytic theory to focus on the ego as the fundamental component in an individual’s functioning. Erikson’s (1963) psychosocial theory of personality development is similar to Freud’s psychosexual theory of development with its emphasis on instinctual energy as a determining life force (Sadock et al, 2007). Freud’s viewpoint was that the most important determinants of development occurred during early childhood, but on the other hand Erikson believed that the most important development came later, and that development continued through the lifespan: from childhood till the last stage of life. Other differences between Freud and Erikson’s theories is that: Erikson does not stress on unconscious motives or desires, and he based his ideas on analyses of the functioning of healthy people, whereas Freud studied individuals being treated for mental health problems. Erikson considered key social interactions at each stage of development to be very important. Though he agreed that biological unfolding was

Capstone research methodlogy Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Capstone methodlogy - Research Paper Example With this, I am in a better position to identify the right people to consult in my research. The author is a seasoned security analyst who was tasked with the core mandate of researching into how the September 11 Attack on America could be avoided in Africa in the future. The source is particular about the need to carry out critical assessment of terrorists’ threats and attacks saying that without such assessment exercises, prevention and control can never meet the risk at hand. With my research at hand, the source is will provide me with useful information on how terrorism can be combated by carrying out effect terrorism assessment. The writers are part of the agency responsible for devising national strategy for aviation security in America and can therefore be trusted on their competence in aviation related issues. This article recognizes the operation of aviation as a vital and instrumental component for national and economical development. In relation to my capstone project, the source shall be my most reliable source for collecting secondary data on how the promotion of aviation security have impacted on economic growth for the nation over the past years. The author is an aviation journalist who has followed the issue of aviation safety for years. The source author pays tribute to air transport as the nation’s most important means of transport as far as security management and threat are concerned. With the credibility of the writer, the researcher is sure to depend on the source for valid secondary data on salient aviation statistics in major part of the world; including roles world leaders have played in ensuring aviation safety. The writers are researchers whose researches are targeted and focused on terrorism financing. The authors have established themselves as authorities in the area of terrorism financing. The source document brings the reader closer to the activities of terrorists, especially how they succeed in

Why was World War I and its aftermath considered to be the major Essay

Why was World War I and its aftermath considered to be the major turning point in Middle Eastern affairs and the main determinant of the political situation there today - Essay Example The defeat of the German meant their initial territories were to be taken over by the British, French and their allies. The Middle East was previously under the ottoman rule. The region was highlight regarded as a German stronghold. The Sykes-picot treaty reshaped the Middle East (Kamrava, 2005). This gave way for the change of guard and the domination of the French and British. The Middle East was partitioned into spheres as a means of sharing the countries between the two European powerhouses (Ulrichsen, 2014). The New League Nation placed a compulsory rule and the French took over Syria and Lebanon while the British took over the remaining territory. The continuous stay of the European rule led to revolutions. The region was fighting for self-rule and governance. The resistant nature of the natives created a tense moment between the European nations and the Middle East nation was the beginning of political hostility. The region has played host to a number of political conflicts. The friction between the two regions has created interested from the east. The European nations on one side fought for the status quo while the Middle East fought for self-governance. The availability of oil and other natural resources created interest from countries as far as the USA (Ulrichsen, 2014). The region has remained a center of conflict between the west and the natives. High political hostility has shaped the modern day middle

Judeo - Christian Bible and the Islamic Qu'ran Essay

Judeo - Christian Bible and the Islamic Qu'ran - Essay Example It is evident that the omnipotence and the omnipresence of the one God led to the basics of Islam. The single divinity acceptance unified all things, and this led to harmony throughout the universe in the due to the impact of Islam and Christianity (Silberstein, 159). Another similarity that Judeo-Christian bible and the Islamic Qur’an have is traced in the heritage to the Biblical patriarch, Abraham. In the context, Abraham is referred to as the father of nations in Genesis 12 and to Christians it means that they are descendants of Abraham. The bible also creates the awareness that we are the inheritance of God’s promises to Abraham. Islams believe that Islamic religion came from Ishmael the son of Abraham and the maidservant Hagar (Silberstein, 158). The differences between the Bible and the Quran have is back dated to the Deity of Jesus. Qur’an shows Jesus as a prophet just like Noah, Moses and Abraham. Islam’s compare him with Prophet Mohammad, who was a descendant of Ishmael. This is apparent in Koran 4:171 that say, â€Å"Jesus, who was the son of Mary, and was not more than Allah’s apostle (Bogle,4-5). Conversely, Christians view Jesus as greater than a prophet. The Bible depicts him as the son of God. The statement is evident in John 4:26 where Jesus claimed to be God’s son. 1st Timothy 3:16 states that Jesus was used by God to manifest his flesh (Burgos, 76). Another difference is on the internal judgment. The Qur’an explains that those who murder or are killed by unbelievers will go back to the garden of paradise a place of many lustful pleasures (Koran 9:111). As for the Bible it outlines that those who believe in Jesus Christ and have let him lead their life will enjoy eternity in heaven (Burgos, 80). The other view of internal judgment the Qur’an teaches that those who worship any other god other than Allah will have a great punishment as they will go to hell,

Why was World War I and its aftermath considered to be the major Essay

Why was World War I and its aftermath considered to be the major turning point in Middle Eastern affairs and the main determinant of the political situation there today - Essay Example The defeat of the German meant their initial territories were to be taken over by the British, French and their allies. The Middle East was previously under the ottoman rule. The region was highlight regarded as a German stronghold. The Sykes-picot treaty reshaped the Middle East (Kamrava, 2005). This gave way for the change of guard and the domination of the French and British. The Middle East was partitioned into spheres as a means of sharing the countries between the two European powerhouses (Ulrichsen, 2014). The New League Nation placed a compulsory rule and the French took over Syria and Lebanon while the British took over the remaining territory. The continuous stay of the European rule led to revolutions. The region was fighting for self-rule and governance. The resistant nature of the natives created a tense moment between the European nations and the Middle East nation was the beginning of political hostility. The region has played host to a number of political conflicts. The friction between the two regions has created interested from the east. The European nations on one side fought for the status quo while the Middle East fought for self-governance. The availability of oil and other natural resources created interest from countries as far as the USA (Ulrichsen, 2014). The region has remained a center of conflict between the west and the natives. High political hostility has shaped the modern day middle

Answering Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Answering Questions - Research Paper Example Hogan is incredibly light in her touch in connecting these ideas, relying on the inbuilt notions of her reader more than her own prowess. Answer: Hogan’s tone is incredibly personal, and she tries to bring out the magic of her subjects to give a sense of wonder to her reader. She starts out by being incredibly personal, telling about her own life, which helps build a report and avoids any stilted formality. She then moves on, however, to connect her life to the wonders of the cosmos in the form of the voyager space craft, expanding her vocabulary and putting herself in the context of the wider universe. She thus minimizes both herself and her reader, asking them to see themselves in the context of the wonder of the universe. Answer: I think that it is a natural human impulse to put our best foot forward, and in that way we were somewhat honest to ourselves in leaving some things out. We sent this to be a craft that was supposed to demonstrate who humans want to be, the best of our capabilities, not the worst. To answer this question, ask yourself if it would be wise to tell a stranger the best and worst things about you all at once when you first meet them. In any society on the planet Earth, the answer would be a definitive no. We were being honest to who we are: people who want the universe to think well of us. Finally, putting the bad in with the good might codify the bad: make the bad okay, normal, who we

Use Of Characterizations The Woman Warrior English Literature Essay

Use Of Characterizations The Woman Warrior English Literature Essay Culture ideas, symbols, norms and values play a significant role in the creation of women images and the differentiation of gender roles. In fact, women still combat traditional stereotypes of womens roles in different societies and in the home. It is argued by the Chinese communists that the Confucian hierarchies have justified class oppressions in our history and that women were the biggest victims of Confucianism. By analysing the novels characterization of The Woman Warrior, this is a powerful exploration of the female role in Chinese society facing the struggles with the old traditions cultural issues and gender relations. This analysis will reveal the struggles and issues by looking at how Kingstons use of characterizations to symbolize the truth and the women human problems, how Kingston depicts the characters on different Chinese women she met in her life in the corresponding settings of imaginary female roles in the novel, and exploring how old traditions evolved and influen ced women in this novel. In order to provide a basis for understanding the woman oppression and the role of woman identity, it is helpful to look at the meaning of the depiction on the main character of The Woman Warrior, such as No-Name Woman, Fa Mu Lan, Moon Orchid, and The silent girl to see how women are treated differently and to see how she built into the theme. The narrator, Maxine Hong Kingston collects a total of five stories based on her life experiences. The stories consist of different characters that are mainly female to set up the theme that Chinese women were facing different issues because gender is socially and culturally constructed. Yet the uses of characters are more than just introducing the characters for readers to see and understand the characters, she effectively uses the characters to symbolize the truth and the women human problems where she tries to leave words to readers. She describes the characters in her stories as poor and afflicted in both their mind and body. She successful ly uses the effective technique to make readers feel as if they are in the same room with the person using characterization as metaphors. In the novel, she first introduces no name woman who is her aunt in the way that allows readers to be drawn into image and exploitation. The narrator started retelling her moms story about her aunt no name woman. Kingstons mother tells the narrator a family secret about her drown-in-the-well aunt who had her existence erased by her own family. She writes, You must not tell anyone, my mother said, what I am about to tell you. In China your father had a sister who killed herself. She jumped into the family well. We say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born. (Kingston 1.1) In essence, Kingston knows nothing about her aunt but she only knows she is an excluded person in her family from her mothers tone. Her nameless aunt who was married but had a baby outside her marriage while her husband was away for work was punished for messing up the order of relationship. The villagers threw rocks and food to raid her house as punishment for her messing up the order of relationship. Eventually, she killed herself by drowning in the family well with her new born baby. Through effective uses of characterization, Kingston is able to transmit the truth though her mothers story. The passage above shows as a warning to Kingston. It is meant to warn Kingston to avoid being a disgraceful and disloyal woman like her aunt. It also reveals that being a woman is supposed to be careful and loyal. At the end of the chapter, Kingston also makes her own assumptions that she imagines her aunt was a victim of a horrible rape and that the baby who was killed was a baby girl. Kingsto n writes, To be a woman, to have a daughter in starvation time was a waste enough. My aunt could have been the lone romantic who gave everything up for sex. Women in the old China did not choose. Some-man had commanded her to lie with him and be his secret evil.(Kingston 1.6) Reputation plays a vital role in the past and even now. In the context shows her aunt has no right to complain and she has no choice in the affair. Her aunt clearly limits her rights. However, her only right to choose on her own is to commit suicide to drown herself with the baby into the family well. The nameless woman assumingly faces severe feminine oppression is a precise example of how the settings are portrayed that having no human rights and freedom of choice for Chinese women. From this particular chapter, Chinese womens oppression reflects the human problems of having no basic women empowerment, womens human rights, and womens freedom of choice. In the book of Advancing the human rights of women, it states concerns of the position of the women. The United Nations sets as a basic goals to reaffirm faith in fundamental human right in the dignity and worth of human person, in equal right of men and women (Andrew P.171) Kingston appears to resent the standards that Chinese women are faced with. Throughout the book, Kingston is rebelling from the standard of how people of Chinese tradition think other females should act and conform. She struggles to accept the pattern of conformity, and she refuses to understand a culture that she is a part of. Despite the fact that Chinese traditional society states that women were subordinated to men, Kingston views that in a different way that women can be brave, strong and courageous rather than treated like slaves. An imaginary example of a womans role of is Fa Mu Lan who is depicted as a heroic woman. The story about this heroic character is a perfect contracted example of a low-value woman and a powerful woman. Fa Mu Lan is who Kingston wants to be like. The strongest woman, stronger than any man is in the chapter of White Tiger. Mu Lan is a role model for Kingstons life. She is a fierce warrior, and she is also a woman. Kingston ponders that she and Fa Mu Lan are not so much different; they both have swords on their backs (Kingston 2.189). It also influences her being as a woman and also a warrior using powerful words. In the context, Kingston is often angry and frustrated regarding the role of women through her Chinese-Americans life. In Chinese society, Confucianism is regarded as a code of conduct, a set of virtues that should be obeyed and delivered as a part of Chinese traditions. Women in Confucian society are seen as below men. Women and men have an almost servant and master type of relationship. Most women are keepers of the household; far less women are educated than men. A womans most important task is to create a son for her husband (Confucianism). Nai-Hua, Ko in her essay on Familism in Confucianism investigates the world of women and men in Chinese society. She begins with Chinese charaters, and indicates The Chinese character for woman shows a female figure sitting at home. On the other hand, the Chinese character for man is a combination of field and labor (Familism P.4) After marriage, this is the simple structure for women and men in old Chinese society. Women should always be subordinate to men. The story of The Western Palace is also giving a conflicting message for this idea of representing the old China. Setting things with Moon Orchids husband, Kingstons depiction in this chapter leaves some debated concerns about feminine anger on old traditional issues. In truth, Brave Orchid is incredibly proven as typical of feminist hero once understanding how valiantly her mother has fought to retain a sense of identity and dignity in America. Moreover, Kingstons mother also cites that the role of a wife is to scold her husband into becoming a good man (Kingston 4.130). In contrast, Moon Orchid, Brave Orchids sister was described as weak and uncoordinated from Kingstons writing. In this chapter, there is a less humorous example where Brave Orchid forces Moon Orchid to confront her husband. Moon Orchid always seems scared and worried about seeing her own husband because she is afraid that the United States doesnt allow for two wives. She wa nts her sister Brave Orchid to be with her to talk with her husband. Moon Orchid is passive that she depends on other people to guide her for the reason that she is infused by the Confucian hierarchies. The scene in this chapter implies the significant impacts of these traditional influences to both characters life. Brave Orchid and Moon Orchid are two Chinese women who live in two different countries. Moon Orchid assumes that the old traditions will carry over in the new country and asserts. However, Kingstons portrayal of her mother is a more factual warrior as a Chinese American immigrant. Within The Woman Warrior, the reader must know for a more comprehensive understanding of the depiction on characterizations. Kingston has emphasized the fact that how different womens roles in Chinese traditions facing the struggles with the cultural issues. By the depiction of the characters throughout the novel, she determines her aunt and Moon Orchid are both unfortunate Chinese women who are victims of old Chinese traditions because the power of Chinese traditions philosophy carried through women. Despite the narrators problems with traditions, the unique qualities of Fa Mu lan also inspire Kingston to find her own definition of woman warrior. Kingston tries to expound her individuality and her mothers identity as a Chinese-American woman who is also facing the struggles and issues because of deliberate misinterpretation of Chinese traditions.

Ethics Reflection Essay -- essays research papers

There is a firefighter who is obligated to make a crucial decision. Upon arrival to a five-alarm blaze, the firefighter must make a life or death decision. There are two individuals unconscious in the burning building, and only one can be saved. One person is Dr. Rutland, a world-renowned pioneer in treating suicidal-depressives. The medication he has developed has helped thousands of patients already, and when perfected, will save many more. The other individual is Dr. Rutland’s secretary. Being that only one person is to survive, who should be saved?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to decide what the moral or ethical decision would be in this situation, one may look the utilitarian philosophy of Mill. According to Mill, The theory of morality- that pleasure, and the freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends; and that all desirable things are desirable either for the pleasure inherent in themselves, or as means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain. (Mill 1) Because Mill believes that in order to achieve morality, whatever will result in the greatest amount of pleasure and the least amount of pain will be the correct choice, he is a consequentialist. With all of this in mind, Mill derives a theory known as the Greatest Happiness Principle. The GHP requires that in order for a decision to be morally right, it has to promote the greatest good for the greatest number. Mill states, â€Å"The ultimate end [of the GHP], is an existence exempt as far possible from pain, and as rich as possible in enjoyments, both in point of quantity and quality (Mill 2),† the quantity being the greatest number, quality being the greatest good. Mill also says that â€Å"The utilitarian standard †¦ is not the agent’s own greatest happiness, but the greatest amount of happiness altogether. (Mill 2)† According to Mill’s theory of utilitarianism, Dr. Rutland should be the one who is saved. Mill’s theory of the greatest good for the greatest number states that in any situation when one is trying to make a decision, the right choice will always be the one that benefits most people as a result of that decision. Dr. Rutland is a famous physician who treats suicidal persons. With his development of this medication, many lives have already been saved. With the continuation of research, the medication could be perfected, and many more lives could be saved in... ...he option of saving either one person’s life who may save lives if he survives, or saving the two lives, a mother and an unborn child, Kant believes that saving two lives is going to be morally correct because it is saving more than one life now, not the possibility of saving someone else’s life later.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If the secretary was the firefighter’s mother, there are two possibilities of whether or not the firefighter should save her, based on Kant’s philosophy. Using Kant’s second test to determine whether or not saving the mother would be morally right, the firefighter would have to determine if the reasons behind saving his or her mother were because of a means to an end. For example, if the reason the firefighter wanted to say his or her mother is for his own sake, or for some other â€Å"need,† such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. If the firefighter were to determine that the reasons his or her mother should be saved were, indeed, for some means to an end, saving the secretary would have no moral worth. If, however, the firefighter determines that the secretary/mother is treated with the dignity and respect she deserves, then it is morally right to save her.

Walt Whitmans Song of Myself Essay -- Song of Myself Essays

Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself' is, on the most basic descriptive level, a really long poem. Whitman is clearly a poet with a lot to say, or at least with a lot of different ways to say it. He meanders from the micro to the macro, from atoms to the whole earth. There are obviously myriad ways to explain what the poem is about, and myriad 'keys' to its true meaning. In what became Section 6 of the final edition (lines 90-121 of the 1855 edition ) Whitman himself addresses this sort of 'meta-question' of interpretation. By doing so in one of the quieter, more straightforward sections of the poem, Whitman invites us to use the section as one such 'key.' In Section 6, Whitman lays out a (possible) microcosm of 'Song of Myself' and gives a very kind prompt that here is a place where befuddled readers can ease their way into the poem. Whitman signals from the beginning of this passage that it is more accessible than most of his others. The first line tells us simply of a question asked by a child: ?A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands?? (90). In contrast to some of the earlier lines--the challenge of line 22 (?Have you reckoned a thousand acres much? Have you reckoned the earth much??) or the confusion of lines 30-31 (?I have heard what the talkers were talking?.the talk of the beginning and the end,/but I do not talk of the beginning and the end?.?) --this information is easy to process. We are likely to pause and enjoy the refreshing image of an inquisitive child, hands full of grass. Although Whitman goes on to catalogue all kinds of similar brief, simple sketches, for the moment we only have to deal with one. This single child is a messenge... ... (as determined by the 1891-1892 edition). Whitman?s answer to the question he posed to us earlier is now just what we might expect. ?They are alive and well somewhere;/The smallest sprout shows there is really no death? he tells us (116). This seems almost to say ?Good job?you followed my clues correctly, you too can read poetry.? By setting this section up, Whitman gives us one of his main themes that we can proceed to follow through this poem. At the same time, he shows us that one poem can be about many different ideas, and so cautions us against being too adamant about our newly discovered lens. His multitude of ?uttering tongues? can be confusing, but he does not leave us stranded?he gives us a map that shows one way to navigate this poem, and also the freedom to discover others at will. Works Cited: Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." 14 Nov 2006 .

Identify the following components of the system discussed in your textbook

The input device is the laser beam that sweeps across the bar code; the process involves reading the bar code and transferring it to the computer system. Output devices include: The handheld scanner serves as the output device as it has a screen that displays the price of the product; feedback: (in terms of hardware – the handheld scanner is connected to a computer system by a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable. The handheld scanner has a lens and a laser light that scans the bar code. Software, – the scanner has a software program (POS software which comes with the scanner) that integrates the scanner with the computer system.Data and network taxonomies: the database is located on the computer system and the scanner fetches the information from the database and then displays the information on the small LCD screen attached onto it. Data is transferred to the computer system by using Bluetooth technology. Please list as much information as you could find on the scanner sy stem, and discuss the supporting technologies. The light detection system is a s photodiode that conducts electricity when light energy falls on it and does not conduct any electricity when light energy does not fall on it.There are lenses on the scanner that concentrate the laser beam. This is made up of either highly polished glass or plastic. The scanner also has holographic disks used to record laser images. the material used for this disk is a highly reflecting material. Then comes the encoder (a photodetector) that will transfer the image to the computer in the (electrical signals) digital form. It consists of a converter that converts the read code in the form of light energy to a digital form that can be decoded by the software program. The barcode reader is connected to the central computer system via a Bluetooth.This is the IEEE 802. 15. 3 protocol. b. Please classify that kind of a system is this (TPS, DSS, EIS, MIS, etc. )? Why? In this situation, the barcode scanner is functioning as a Point of Sale System (POS). This is because the scanner aids in determining the value of the goods after the customer might have bought them and is ready to pay for them. c. Having the information electronically in the system may provide opportunities for additional managerial uses. Other possible managerial use that the information can be put to includes accounting.It would be easy to manipulate the data in order to calculate the profit or loss of the supermarket. Also, it also helps in accountability because the supermarket is able to monitor all the sales it has made. Also, the supermarket would be able to harvest data about which goods consumers are purchasing and at what rate. This would afford the supermarket the opportunity of stocking these kind of goods and by so doing, increase the returns in terms of profit. Also, manufacturers are able to determine which goods consumers are purchasing more, and focus on producing these particular goods.Also, it gives the m room to improve on the ones that seem not to be moving. In marketing, the supermarket can focus on commodities that are in high demand and also improve on the sale of the ones that are not in such a high demand. In Human Resources, the supermarket can identify sales representatives that are selling more goods and reward them accordingly while reprimanding the ones that seen not to be selling much. The supermarket can then fire the redundant workers and reward the hardworking ones accordingly.In transportation, it can aid them in planning which products to stock in which part of the shop. Also in security, it would eliminate tampering with prices of commodities as some dubious customers may want to engage in. in this way, customers cannot have any reason for paying less for the commodities they purchase. d. When did the scanner system come into existence? Where was this technology initiated? Research and provide a brief history of the scanner technology (during the past 20 years). The history of bar code technology is a long and convoluted one.it is the story of one of the technologies that took a lot of research and time to complete because most of it was by personal effort on the part of the inventors. The invention is credited to Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver in 1952. They were awarded the patent for the first barcode. it was initially designed as the structure of a bull eye model and the reader was an infrared sensitive inc. however the inventors found out that this was too expensive and they had to change it. They finally settled for code identification through the medium of identifying patterns. Bar code was first commercially in 1966.By 1970, a company set the standard for writing the code. It was called the Universal Grocery Products Identification Code (UGPIC). This code evolved to become the (Universal Product Code) U. P. C symbol set in 1973. The UCC (formerly The Uniform Product Code Council, Inc. ) is responsible for issuing product numbers and specifications. e. Research and report on how such scanner type related systems will be operating in the future. What are the new technologies, such as RFID, in this area? State other types and names, and describe them. Barcode scanners are being taken a step further.The new kinds of barcode scanners being developed nowadays now come with in-build cameras instead of normal laser scanners. They are called two dimensional (2D) scanners. They use a small video camera to capture the bar code image. The reader then decodes the digital image with a digital image processing device which is in built. Video cameras use the same CCD technology as in a CCD bar code reader except that instead of having a single row of sensors, a video camera has hundreds of rows of sensors arranged in a two dimensional array so that they can generate an image.`This image is then processed, either by the scanner if it is a PDA scanner of the image is transferred to another kind of processing machine, it can ne a computer system f. Which countries and companies are at the forefront of the development of RFID technology? Is there any international standard emerging? What new societal issues or challenges are they likely to create? Samsung is one of the companies in the forefront of RFID technology research. It is in the process of deploying RFID systems into its wide array of mobile phones.The company is an international company. Japan is also one of the countries that are intensively researching into the RFID technology. Various companies in Japan are also researching into the technology. Challenges might come in the area of implementing RFID technology because some people are already speculating on the privacy infringement that RFID technology might pose to consumers since most of the commodities they could be purchasing would have been labeled and this has the potential of reporting the location of the individual.Therefore, unless people are reassured that this is not going to take pl ace, they might not embrace the technology. A lot of factors could also militate against the implementation of FRID technology. They include the environment, cost, resistance to technological change, lack of integration and as mentioned earlier can all influence the implementation of this technology. WORKS CITED. 1. http://www. textually. org/picturephoning/archives/2007/11/018097. htm

Face It: the Impact of Gender on Social Media Images Essay

Social websites like Facebook enable users to upload self-created digital images; it is therefore of interest to see how gender is performed in this domain. A panel used a literature review of pictorial features associated with gender traits, and a sample of Facebook pictures to assess gender stereotypes present in Facebook images. Traits emerging in greater prominence in pictures of males included active, dominant, and independent. Those prominent with female users included attractive and dependent. These findings generally conform to gender stereotypes found in prior research and extend the research regarding stereotypical gender traits displayed in professional media depictions to self-selected social media displays. They also extend the research on gender differences in impression management generally, in both interpersonal communication and social media, to include gender-specific traits that are part of young mens and women’s impression management. Keywords: Facebook; Ge nder Display; Impression Management; Role Theory; Social Media Jessica Rose (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Susan Mackey-Kallis (Ph.D., Penn State University, 1986) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Villanova University. Len Shyles (Ph.D., Ohio State University, 1981) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Villanova University. Kelly Barry (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater New York area. Danielle Biagini (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater San Diego area. Colleen Hart (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a student at the University of North Carolina School of Law. Lauren Jack (B.A., Villanova University, 2011) is a marketing and communications professional in the Greater New York area. The authors would like to thank Dr. Jesse Frey of the Mathematics Department of Villanova University f or his help in creating the tables presented in this article. Correspondence: Susan Mackey-Kallis, Department of Communication, 800 E. Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085; E-mail: susan.mackey-kallis@villanova.edu ISSN 0146-3373 print/1746-4102 online # 2012 Eastern Communication Association DOI: 10.1080/01463373.2012.725005 The centrality of gender embodiment has animated recent debates in media studies about the relationship among gender representations in media, gendered bodies in virtual space, and gender as performance. With the emergence of social media websites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, users have an online platform that allows them to communicate widely, to virtually manage others’ impressions of them, and to even express gendered identities in cyberspace. With over 500 million active users as of 2011 (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics), Facebook dominates the social media market. Offering a highly interactive platform, Facebook users can leave comments on their friends’ walls, provide status updates and photos, and can even access one another wirelessly through Facebook Mobile. As of 2010, users spent over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ press/info.php?statistics), often updating their Facebook profiles to add relat ionships to their friends lists. One well-known feature of Facebook is the user’s profile picture, displayed in the upper left-hand corner of each user’s homepage. Intended to be the first thing seen, it is arguably one of the most important features of the user’s Facebook page. The profile picture offers friends, acquaintances and even potential employers a firstimpression of the user’s appearance and, perhaps, their character. Therefore, the content of users’ Facebook profile pictures is an important object of study for researchers interested in how people practice impression management. According to role theory, people follow unwritten social and cultural rules and norms as they behave ‘‘in ways that are different and predictable depending on their respective social identities and the situations they find themselves in’’ (Biddle, 1986, p. 68). Gender identity and gender roles are a significant part of everyday life and, according to Goffman, are actually constituted through social interaction (1976). Gender shapes how people make sense of themselves and their social relationships. However, as Wood notes, ‘‘What gender means depends heavily on cultural values and practices; a culture’s definitions of masculinity and femininity shape expectations about how individual men and women should communicate; and how individuals communicate establishes gender that, in turn, influences cultural views’’ (Wood, 2009, p. 20). Gender display, as a continuous communication loop, is defined by society and expressed by individuals as they interact while shaping evolving societal expectations regarding gender. In contemporary media and culture, women’s and men’s social desirability and gender have often been defined in terms of their bodies. For women, this has often involved comparing themselves to and even replicating the ‘‘thin ideal’’ (presented in modern mass media despite the looming specter of anorexia and bulimia), altering their bodies to heighten perceived sexuality or youthfulness (through cosmetic surgery, exercise or eating), or conforming to traditional definitions of femininity including qualities such as submissiveness or sentimentality (through dress, cosmetics, style, etc.). For men, gender-based definitions of success frequently revolve around presenting or developing their bodies as strong, youthful, active, and physically dominant. The evolution of social media (such as Facebook) and online digital gaming environments (such as massive, multiple online games [MMOs]) now offer venues where individuals can consciously self-select an d present virtual versions of themselves that can either conform with, challenge, or defy societal expectations and media presentations. Digital formats, on the one hand, represent exciting possibilities for individuals who can explore the freedom of presenting a physical self that might differ from the one they present or perform in everyday life or from socially-defined expectations. As Rettberg argues, ‘‘our fascination with creating digital self-portraits is indicative of our collective coming of age where we as a culture are discovering that we have voices online and can express ourselves rather than simply accepting the mass media’s views of the world’’ (2009, p. 453). On the other hand, digital formats may simply offer a chance to replicate cultural and mass media normative versions of the individual, specifically as they relate to gender. Since how people present and perform their bodies in virtual spaces offer specific impressions, many of which relate to gender, one objective of the current study is to examine how gender portrayals manifest themselves in self-selected social media displays. Specifically, can social media website content help us understand more about gender roles and the way people present themselves in the virtual social world? Do the ways they manage their images reinforce existing gendered stereotypes? Because social networks such as Facebook are relatively recent phenomena, the content of self-presentation profile pictures has not been analyzed in great depth. Extant literature supports the idea of expected gender roles unique to males and females (Goffman, 1976; Lauzen, Dozier, & Horan, 2008; Wanta & Legett, 1989; Williams & Best, 1990) and the idea that society advocates these roles through various media (Bell & Milic, 2002; Hancock & Toma, 2009), with both males and females engaging in impression management in order to control their public image (Dominick, 1999; Jones, 1997; Leary, 1996). Witmer and Katzman (1997) argued that females may display more emotional graphics than males while communicating on the Internet. Extant literature, however, only reveals one study that has examined gender differences in self-selected portraits in self-posed photographs (Mills, 1984) and one study that has examined gender differences in Facebook profile pictures (Strano, 2008). Strano’s study, focusing exclusively on gender difference in impression management, found that women engage in management more than men (Strano, 2008). In a related area of literature, self-presentation in computer-mediated communication (CMC), some studies suggest a great deal of ‘‘gender-swapping’’ on the Internet (Bruckman, 1993; Roberts & Parks, 1999; Witmer & Katzman, 1997) with some estimates as high as 60% (Roberts & Parks, 1999), and with males ‘‘gender-swapping’’ more than females (Bruckman, 1993; Suler, 1999). The fantastical and fantasy-based nature of many gaming environments, however, and the anonymous nature of most CMC in general might suggest that the freedom to reinvent oneself not only in terms of gender but also race, ethnicity, and other variables is much broader than in Facebook profile pictures. Facebook friends, who may know the person in real life, recognize a photograph as a self-selected presentation but, researchers argue, most likely do not assume that the profile picture reflects extensive alteration or photo retouching. The current study, therefore, makes a unique contribution by investigating whether self-selected Facebook profile pictures exhibit stereotypical gender roles consistent with traits emerging from existing research. Literature Review Gender Roles Some researchers suggest that gender differences result from a variety of factors including socialization and biology; as such, gender roles are often manifested through communication and culture (Goffman, 1976; Lauzen et al., 2008; Wanta & Legett, 1989; Williams & Best, 1990; Wood, 2009). West and Zimmerman (1987) claim gendering is a routine interaction of everyday life. ‘‘Both gender role and gender display focus on behavioral aspects of being a man and a woman’’ (p. 127). They use Goffman’s (1976) account of ‘‘gender display’’ to suggest gender is also constituted through interaction. Says Goffman, ‘‘If gender [can] be defined as the culturally established correlates of sex (whether in consequence of biology or learning), then gender display refers to conventionalized portrayals of these correlates’’ (1976, p. 69). Goffman cites sports as a framework to explain masc uline tendencies, asserting that the male gender is categorically viewed as aggressive, strong, and competitive. In agreement, West and Zimmerman (1987) assert that ‘‘Doing gender is unavoidable . . . because of the social consequences of sex-category membership: [this includes] the allocation of power and resources not only in the domestic, economic, and political domains but also in the broad arena of interpersonal relations’’ (p. 145). As men and women tend to assume ‘‘proper’’ societal gender roles, associated behaviors are viewed as cultural markers that indicate norms of social interaction. Williams and Best (1990) searched for gender stereotypes among respondents from 25 nations worldwide. Participants were presented with a list of 300 character traits and instructed to indicate whether the trait was ‘‘more frequently associated with men than with women,’’ ‘‘more frequently associated with women than with men,’’ or ‘‘not differentially associated with the two sexes.’’ Table 1 presents results for the traits most commonly associated with men and women and indicates the traits isolated for this analysis. Gender Roles in the Media Society often promotes gender role markers as social norms through photographs and other visual displays used in advertising. Wanta and Legett (1989) studied the media images of male a nd female athletes of the 1987 Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, concluding that men and women were depicted differently in terms of emotion, dominance, and power. Goffman (1976) accounts for these traits in his research of magazine and newspaper photography, finding women to be pictured in more submissive positions while men are depicted in more elevated positions. Based on Goffman’s inquiries, Wanta and Legett (1989) hypothesized that female tennis players would be shown more often in positions implying helplessness than male tennis players. Goffman’s (1976) studies of power within photographs asserted that the more dominant a person’s face was (i.e., the more full-front, direct-to-camera orientation of the face, and the greater the percentage of photo space taken up by the face), the more power was held and=or portrayed by the person pictured. Wanta and Legett used these ideas to predict that the photographs of female tennis players would focus more on the players’ bodies, while male tennis players would have more concentrated images of their faces. However, the majority of Wanta and Legett’s (1989) hypothe ses remained unsubstantiated; their gender stereotypes were not confirmed. In fact, opposite portrayals often emerged. They concluded that the photographer was trying to break gender stereotypes. In contrast to the work of Wanta and Legett, the research conducted in the current study does not rely on images shot by professional photographers. Rather, the present analysis is based on self-selected and, almost exclusively, self-created Facebook profile pictures. Gender roles, present in everyday interaction, are also enacted on television. Lauzen and colleagues (2008) examined gender roles enacted by men and women on television. Using a stratified random sample of 124 prime-time television series airing on six broadcast networks during the 2005–06 seasons, they looked at the rates at which men and women fell into categorically different social roles. Taking a category scheme developed by earlier research, Lauzen and colleagues defined social roles as the things ‘‘people do in daily life’’ (see Eagly & Steffan, 1984, p. 735). These roles vary from childcare and household chores to workplace activities. Through a content analysis, they found male characters on prime-time television were more likely to inhabit work roles, including blue collar, white collar, and extracurricular activities, while women were portrayed in more interpersonal roles involving romance, friendship, and family. Similarly, in their content analysis of 827 Australian magazine advertisements from 1997–98 to determine the presence of stereotypical gender roles, Bell and Milic (2002) concluded that ‘‘Males were more frequently shown in ‘narrative’ ways (as actors) than females, and this is true of both groups and individuals. Women were more likely than men to ‘behave’ (or to express emotion)’’ (p. 215). Their findings suggest stereotypical gender traits of men and women consistent with those of Williams and Best (1990) and consistent with Goffman’s (1976) analysis of advertising which found that women were ‘‘more likely to be portrayed performing submissive or appeasing gestures such as head or body canting, bending one knee inward (‘bashful knee-bend’), smiling, clowning, and acting less seriously’’ and were ‘‘often portrayed as being under the physical care and protection of a man’’ (as cited in Bell and Milic, 2002, p. 205). Ragan (1982) analyzed gender differences in 1,296 portrait photos from high school and university yearbooks, concluding there are gender differences; females smiled more than males, smiled more expansively than males, tilted their heads at greater angles than males, faced the camera less directly than males, and wore glasses less frequently than males. While this research identifies gender differences, it was limited by an influential factor: Photographers posed the subjects (Ragan, 1982). In hopes of accounting for this limitation, Mills (1984) conducted a study in which 34 men and 34 women were asked to present themselves as typical college students in pictures. Mills’ findings reinforced the suggestion that females smile more, and smile more expansively, than males. Gender stereotypes also abound in video games. Female characters are represented as highly sexualized while male characters possess exaggerated strength, are hypermasculine, aggressive, and, with the exception of showing hostility, lack emotion. They are also less likely to display helping or nurturing qualities (Robinson, Callister, Clark, & Phillips, 2008). One study found that the central role for male characters was ‘‘competitor’’ while females’ central roles were ‘‘victim,’’ ‘‘damsel in distress,’’ or ‘‘evil obstacle’’ for the hero to overcome (Heintz-Knowles et al., 2001). The findings of these video game content analyses have remained fairly consistent over time and have also been shown to be perceived by audiences (Robinson et al., 2008). Based on the work from several decades of research on gender roles from the fields of advertising, television, photography, digital gaming studies, and cultural studies, it is apparent that masculinity often implies strength, ambition, and independence, whereas femininity implies physical attractiveness, reverence, and sentimentality (Wood, 2009). The rapid growth of digital media invites researchers interested in the cultural impact of gender to investigate this alternative outlet for self-presentation. This study provides a natural extension of such work in investigation of gender differences in self-selected Facebook profile pictures. Self-Presentation Goffman (1959) argued that individuals were concerned with self-presentation during all social encounters. This is because, among other reasons, impressions impact the opinions of others regardless of an individual’s intentions. Burr (2002) claims J. Rose et al. The other people making up our audience can, by their own conduct, either legitimate or reject our claim to be a certain kind of person, and Goffman (1959) argues that this is done by carefully monitoring the match or mismatch between what we ‘give’ (the things we say or do to create an impression) and what we ‘give off’ (the body language, our general demeanor—the communicative aspects of our conduct that are harder for us to control and manipulate). The creation and maintenance of impressions is therefore a two-way street (2002, p. 73). Hence, for Goffman (1959), the ‘‘presentation of self in everyday life’’ and the roles maintained are pertinent to everyday interaction. People constantly play characters to avoid embarrassment and to ‘‘fit-in’’ with social norms. Gender role, then, focuses on the collectivity of logical, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional responses to social situations (Burr, 2002). Most self-presentation studies have examined the concept only in face-to-face communication (Goffman, 1959; Leary 1996). Recent studies (Oh, 2004; Cho, 2006) about self-presentation in personal websites analyze only the styles and not gender display specifically. Similar to face-to-face contexts, individuals do make choices about gender-related impressions over the Internet. A number of studies, for example, have demonstrated extensive ‘‘gender-swapping’’ in ‘‘avatar’’ creation for online gaming and in text-based CMC (Bruckman, 1993; Roberts & Parks, 1999; Suler, 1999). In these virtual environments, physical identity markers are not apparent and, as a result, the self is more fluid and changeable (Gergen, 1991) and offers increased opportunities for strategic self-presentation (Walther, 1993; Walther, Anderson, & Park, 1994). Gender is often one of the variables that communicators can consciously shape in these mediated environments (Roberts & Parks, 1999; Bruckman, 1993; Wilbur, 1996). Some researchers have gone so far as to argue that the computer-mediated environment is a gender-bending world (Witmer & Katzman, 1997). Modern gaming environments, in particular, allow gamers to design or choose ‘‘avatars,’’ their virtual self in the gaming world, that possess a variety of differing characteristics such as height, weight, age, gender, dress, and profession. In these environments, the avatar becomes ‘‘inextricably linked to their performance of self and engagement in [a virtual] community’’ (Taylor , 1999, p. 438). Despite the above cited studies of ‘‘gender-swapping’’ and self-presentation in CMC, no researchers have examined the extent to which social media users ascribe to gender stereotypes in their presentation of self on the Internet. Samp, Wittenberg, and Gillett (2003) examined the extent to which ‘‘gender schematic’’ individuals (individuals with either strong masculine or feminine gender orientations versus androgynous orientations) and individuals who were high (versus low) self-monitoring engaged in gender-swapping on the Internet. The researchers in this study used self-report data from Internet users about their online gender-swapping behavior generally. The researchers in the current study, by contrast, provide a content analysis of actual Facebook profile pictures in terms of the presence or absence of gender stereotypes and do not focus on gender swapping. Hancock and Toma’s 2009 study of profile pictures on online dating websites created and posted with the intention of creating relationships comes closest to the focus of the current study. In line with Goffman’s (1959) suggestion that self-presentation is the process of packaging and editing the self in order to create a certain impression for an audience, Hancock and Toma (2009) examined the impact of gender on self-presentation and social desirability. They found that both women and men ‘‘edit’’ their profiles to create a better self-presentation through self-enhancement (Hancock & Toma, 2009). Some participate in ‘‘selective self-presentation,’’ an even more controlled act of impression management in which imag es are changed or distorted, often leading to further inaccuracy portrayed by the profile (Hancock & Toma, 2009). Having the ability to ‘‘select’’ or specifically change or display particular points of interest, the users can greatly affect the impression made of them (Hancock & Toma, 2009). Both men and women on the online dating social network use ‘‘selective self-presentation’’ to their advantage to give the impression of being more desirable to their audiences. Hancock and Toma (2009) suggest men and women can control their self-presentation through social networks (i.e., online dating sites). Such sites comprise one segment of social networks; Facebook is another. Realizing stereotypical gender roles are present in society, Dominick (1999) studied how men and women presented themselves on personal homepages. Dominick (1999) coded 500 randomly sampled personal homepages based on demographic and personal information, creative expressions, and photographs. He used Jones’ (1997) five strategies of image construction: ingratiation (state ments of modesty, familiarity, and humor); competence (statements of abilities and achievements); intimidation (statements of anger and unpleasantness); exemplification (acts of moral superiority); and supplication (images of helplessness, while acting self-deprecating; Dominick, 1999). He concluded that females released more information than males while both males and females were equally likely to have photographs on their pages. Women’s photographs tended to be more sentimental in nature, while men’s more often were ‘‘joke images’’ and images that made them seem more competent and capable. He concluded that ‘‘A personal web page can be viewed as a carefully constructed selfpresentation’’ (Dominick, 1999, p. 647). Dominick asserted that the concept of impression construction exposes the different strategies men and women use to present themselves through images and information to gain a higher level of likeability, respect, and power in society (1999). Jones (1997) noted that individuals strive to be liked and accepted, resulting in social rewards such as friendship, social support, companionship, romance, and social status. Because smiling is associated with being liked and competent, Jones (1997) correlates gestures with the ingratiation and competence strategies of image construction. As Facebook was not founded until 2004, Dominick’s (1999) study is expanded upon in this study (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?factsheet). Buffardi and Campbell (2008) studied whether photographs from a variety of social networks are self-promoting. They state, ‘‘Self-promoting connoted persuading others about one’s own positive traits’’ (p. 1307) and define physical attractiveness as the degree to which an individual appears self-promoting and vain in a photograph. While not examining gender differences in self-promotion per se, the researchers did examine ‘‘how sexy and modest . . . the individual in the main photo appeared to be’’ (Buffardi & Campbell, 2008, p. 1307).