Accountability within Professions (read article and answer the Essay

Accountability within Professions (read article and answer the questions) - Essay Example Denying the Code of Conduct will be unethical, hence, one the foremost practices of a physician would be to inform the parents as to what would be the next course of action. The point being that although L.K is grim, the results are not confirmed about the kidney damage as yet. The experts have been called upon and once something more concrete is noted about L.K’s condition, it will be easier to speak further in this case. However, as of now, there is no point telling his parents about his condition which is only transient, and make them worry even further. Hence, keeping these points in mind, I will first wait for the expert’s advice on L.K‘s condition, as for the parents, I will certainly give them a briefing about L.K’s condition without getting into the details and I will probably also let them know about the uncertainty of L.K’s condition. However, I will sound optimistic about improvements in L.K’s condition. Dealing with an impaired colleague: there are quite a lot of ways of dealing with an impaired colleague at work, especially on reading the case of Paul Daniels, one can understand he repercussions of his drinking problems had the intern not used her sensibilities and discretion while giving the lower dose. The first thing that is to be understood is to acknowledge the problem, this is because acknowledgement brings about a clear understanding and a clearer perspective to problem-solving. Once you have acknowledged the problem you can then have a talk with that particular medical doctor. In this case, talking to Dr. Daniel didn’t really yield out any results; hence it is now up to Dr. Carla to report him probably to a higher authority. Also since Dr. Martin seems to be on a denial mode it is better that she can probably ask all the people working at the hospital to cooperate with her in trying to deal with Dr. Martin and point out to him whenever he falters. On

History of Berlin From a Science, Arts, and Culture Perspective Berlin Research Paper

History of Berlin From a Science, Arts, and Culture Perspective Berlin and Berlin Wall - Research Paper Example For example, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, which is an international and interdisciplinary research institute, offers opportunities for cultural and scientific research. Indeed, Berlin City has a wide history of technology, science, and scientists. In fact, some of the great scientists in the world hail from Berlin. Albert Einstein, Alexander von Humboldt, Otto Hahn, Max Planck, Robert Koch lived, worked and carried out their research in Berlin. Most significantly, their findings and innovations had a world impact that runs from one generation to another. Born in 1769 in Berlin, Alexander von Humboldt  is one of the most celebrated  scientists in Berlin. Alexander von Humboldt  had a particular interest in scientific research on geography and propagation of plants. As such, he conducted various studies and experiments in the fields of physics, biology, chemistry, geology, and botany. He actually drew significant results where today, over 1,000 plants, ani mals, mountains, rivers and products carry his name. Additionally, Einstein, a physicist, invented the General Theory of Relativity and the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect that gave him Nobel Prize â€Å"for his services to Theoretical Physics in 1921. His contributions formed the basis for modern electricity bringing Berlin into the world map in matters of science. Born in 1936, Gerhard Ertl won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his â€Å"studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces in 2007. He equally established the surface chemistry in Germany and his contribution to chemistry form the basis of chemical reactions (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH Web). Another scientist from Berlin, Otto Hahn, and Lise Meitner started a research on the irradiation of uranium with neutrons. Together with Fritz Stra?mann, they succeeded in the first atom splitting in 1938. Indeed, in 1944, he won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for â€Å"his discovery of the fission of heavy (ur anium) nuclei as basis for the use of the nuclear energy†. His discovery was significant in the creation of nuclear bombs (Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH Web). Actually, Germany has the world’s largest neutron user community. We also have the Berlin Academy of Science that was founded in 1712 and the Academy of the Arts founded in 1696. To date, Berlin City has seven universities of applied sciences and more than 60 other institutions making it a 'capital of science' rich in academic life. We also have the Berlin Adlershof, which is a lighthouse scientific project, combining closely-connected exchanges of scientific ideas and cooperative agreements. Through scientific inventions, a turbine engine that could generate power for mills was introduced in Berlin. Moreover, in 1877, Furbish established the first chemical pulp mill in Berlin, Forest Fiber Co.  Equally, Berlin was the first federal State to have electric lights, the power for which was generated by the hydro electric power station from the Furbish Forest Fiber Mill (Bornstein Web). Today, Berlin has a highly complex transport subject to its diverse scientific innovations. In Berlin, numerous non-university institutes play a central role in the area of optical

Venezuela’s Culture Essay Example for Free

Venezuela’s Culture Essay The culture of Venezuela is primarily a mixture of Spaniard, African and Indian traditions which was common known as criollo (Creole) (Palmerlee, 825). Their culture also has a strong influence coming from the United States appearing in the middle of the twentieth century. But the influences coming from the original Indian inhabitants were neglected because of the long Spanish colonization. The principal Venezuelan folk type is the llanero, or plainsman, which is similar to the gaucho of Argentina, the cowboy of the United States, and the vaquero of Mexico. The llanero’s folklore, songs, dances and legends are popularized throughout the country. Venezuela’s national song and dance is the joropo, a gay and syncopated invention of the llaneros, danced with a lively, jig-like movement (Kohnstamm, 230). It employs such native instruments as the maraca, a rattle made of dried gourd shells; a small harp; and the cuatro, a small, four-string guitar. The tono llanero, or melody of the plains, is a folk dance which embodies Venezuelan popular feeling at its purest. Other popular dances include the pasillo, similar to the pasillo of Columbia; the merenque, which came from Santo Domingo; and the corrido, from Mexico. The tanquito, a Venezuelan version of the Argentine tango, is also very popular in the country. As of this date, Venezuela has no traditional dress mainly because of the different cultures they inherited from the numerous races they had in the country. But some of them use the dresses that the indigenous people (like the tribes who lives in the Amazon areas) used along time ago. A good example of this is the Liqui-liqui this is usually worn by Venezuelan men. A traditional Liqui liqui is made up of white linen cloth, it has a full length trousers and a long sleeve jacket with a rounded Nehru-style collar, which is fastened and decorated by a junta, it also has around 5-6 buttons. It can also have a pocket. This dress is traditionally worn with an alpargata (it is an open-toed kind of sandal) and can be accessorized with a llanero hat. According to some stories, Liqui liqui was also worn by the rich and famous of Venezuela. A good example of this is the mayor of the Caracas district of Chacao, Leopoldo Lopez which he wore Liqui-liqui in wedding celebration last March 2007. This can also be worn by the women but instead of pants they use a skirt. A joropo dress is also used by the women of Venezuela; it has a very colourful skirt that they used to wave back to their partners during the dance ball. The Roman Catholicism is the predominant faith in the country. It is estimated that 95 percent of their present population adheres to the Roman Catholic faith (Dydynski, 376). However, religious freedom is guaranteed to all faiths, and no mention of the Roman Catholic Church is made in the constitution. In 1980’s the Protestants catches the attentions of a few Venezuelan but the Evangelist and Adventist has more followers than the Protestant. There were also few Mormons and Jewish. But most of the indigenous religion practices were vanished because they were introduce and converted to Catholicism. Although there were some of it survived and still active in their culture society, one good example of this is the culto of Maria Lonza. According to their stories and legends, Maria is a witch or healer which was born with an Indian father and a Spanish mother. She symbolizes the other two figures, black henchman, el Negro Felipe, and of an Indian cacique (chief), Guaicapuro which makes them the Tres Poderes or the Three Powers. Though the country is composed of different races and ethic groups, majority of Venezuelans practices the Catholicism, which they owed from their Spanish colonial heritage. They held mass everyday but has an obligatory worship day which is every Sunday, it was said that in this ritual they believe that the simple bread and wine will be turning into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. They believed in the sacrament of baptism and confirmation, most of the Venezuelan children carries a name of a saint and celebrates their saint’s day and their own birthdates separately. They practice a straight nine days prayer for their beloved who had just passed away; this was usually attended by the immediate family members and close friends of the deceased person. Every December 25th they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ which was commonly known as Christmas. They also commemorate Ash Wednesday were in they put ashes in form of a crucifix in their forehead in preparation for the Holy Week. One of their famous rituals is the Devil Dance (Baynham, 378). They celebrate this annually during the Corpus Christi. They do this by dancing in a drumbeat along the streets of Venezuela with a bloody red costume and a devilish mask. In this said rituals the devil or the evil spirit fights back against the good spirit and he also visit the graves of their ancestors, but of course the good spirit will won the battle after an exhausting antagonism on the part of Satans henchmen for the whole day. It usually run 35 miles of dancing before it will end up at the foot doors of the church to hear mass. According to the people of Venezuela this rituals attracted many tourists all over the world and sometimes they would participate during the dance. In 1999, the Constitution of Venezuela declared that the Spanish and other 25 surviving indigenous languages belonging to three linguistic families: Caribans, Arawak, and Chibcha as the official languages of Venezuela. Wagyuu, Piaroa, Panare and Nhengtu are some of the 25 surviving indigenous languages. They also consider English as their second language since this is now widely used in their culture promotions and business negotiations particularly in their Oil and Petroleum Industry. Arabic, Chinese, Italian, and Portuguese are also commonly spoken foreign languages in Venezuela. Summary Venezuela is composed of different races and ethnic groups; this is very evident in their culture. Joropo is their national song and dance, according to historians they got this from the llaneros or the plainsman (the cowboy version of Venezuelans). Other popular dances include the pasillo, similar to the pasillo of Columbia; the merenque, which came from Santo Domingo; and the corrido, from Mexico. The tanquito, a Venezuelan version of the Argentine tango, is also very popular in the country. As of this date Venezuela has no national costume, instead they use the different dresses coming from the indigenous people in Venezuela. A good example of this is the Liqui liqui, this is fondly worn by the Venezuelan men with alpargata (an open-toed kind of sandal). Most of the women wear a joropo dress but others also wears the liqui liqui but instead of the pants they traded it with a layered skirt. Taking from their Spaniard colonial heritage; Roman Catholic dominates the population of Venezuela although there were no restrictions from their constitution with regards in choosing their religion. One of the popular rituals they have in Venezuela is the Devil Dance, where in the evil spirit fights over the good spirit. It is a 35 miles of dancing and ending the day with a mass this is celebrated during the Corpus Christi. Most of their traditions and rituals are coming from the Catholic doctrines. In their 1999 constitution it was clearly stated that Spanish is their national language together with the other 25 surviving indigenous languages. They also consider English as their second language. They use this language to communicate with their investors and tourist visitors. Works Cited Baynham, Angela. Insight Guides Venezuela. 4th Upd Sub Edition. Insight Guides, 2003 Dydynski, Krzysztof. Lonely Planet Venezuela. 4th edition. Lonely Planet Publications, 2004 Kohnstamm, Thomas. Venezuela. 5th edition. Lonely Planet, 2007 Palmerlee, Danny. South America. 10th Edition. Lonely Planet, 2007

Crime Risk Management

Crime Risk Management How can the security/risk manager utilise the Crime Risk Management process and how useful is this process? Crime Risk Management (CRM) is an evolutionary and analytical process to assess whether organisational procedures, assets or individuals could become exposed to a potential threat; to identify the measures necessary to reduce any such risk; to mitigate the consequences of any hazard once realised; to evaluate the success or otherwise of the prescribed course of action; and to adapt appropriately. The conventions of risk management take into account that whilst risk is unlikely to be entirely eradicated, adapting organisational security mechanisms to further protect against anticipated or imagined threats can significantly reduce it. The Crime Risk Management process provides those responsible for securing an organisation against risk with various tools. To develop a greater understanding of how CRM is utilised today it is beneficial to consider the practices of a particular industry in isolation. The manner in which the banking industry combats financial crimes such as plastic fraud provides a useful example. Further to this, in order to critically assess the effectiveness of the approaches taken by industry watchdogs in safeguarding against risk, a brief comparison between the Banking sector and the United Nations CRM practices has been included. Ultimately, when best practices are followed, the CRM process can also have the effect of a deterrent against future misconduct when the latent vulnerabilities of an operation are recognised and appropriately reduced to within acceptable boundaries. According to constitutive criminology, crime is defined as the harm resulting from people â€Å"investing energy in harm-producing relations of power,† which â€Å"denies others their ability to make a difference† (McLaughlin and Muncie, 2006:66). The United States (US) Air Force Material Command Pamphlet (AFMCPAM 63-101, 1997:5) describes risk as â€Å"a measure of a projects inability to achieve program objectives†¦(it) has two components: the probability of failing to achieve particular performance, schedule or cost objectives, and the consequences of failing to achieve those objectives†. Subsequently, risk management is the process of ‘controlling’ such risks and â€Å"includes identifying and tracking risk areas, developing risk mitigation plans as part of risk handling, monitoring risks and performing risk assessments to determine how risks have changed† (AFMCPAM 63-101, 1997:5-6). Cox (2005:64) defines risk management as a â€Å"decision process that maps available risk assessment information about the probable consequences of acts of crime, along with value judgments and priority information concerning the choices of which acts to take in response†. This definition however interprets the discipline of risk management as a more passive activity, focusing more on the assimilation of information and the analysis that follows, rather than the active intervention required to avert or alleviate the risk. Conversely, Broder as cited in Nalla Newman (1990: 92), defines CRM as the â€Å"anticipation, recognition and appraisal of a risk and the initiation of some action to remove the risk or reduce the potential loss from it to an acceptable level†. Based on the above contrasting definitions, one focusing on the information gathering and analysis aspect, and the other accentuating the notion of taking action to avert the risk, CRM can be concluded to have a number of objectives: namely to assess risk by proactive means rather than simply reacting to risks as and when they are encountered, to assess potential losses that might result from these eventualities, conduct a cost benefit analysis of taking risk intervention measures such as setting up a CRM process, and finally, to minimise, control or transfer foreseeable risks (Gill, 1998:14). Therefore, a solid â€Å"risk management approach includes three primary elements: a threat assessment, a vulnerability assessment, and a criticality assessment† (Decker, 2001:1). Each of these aspects also takes into consideration the probability of an occurrence and the timeframe in which it is likely to occur during the lifetime of a project (AFMCPAM 63-101, 1997:6). Threat assessments are critical supports for operational decision-making in the security program design phase, identifying areas requiring crucial and concerted efforts. These assessments identify and evaluate risks based on a number of elements including ‘capability’, ‘intentions’, and the ‘potential lethality’ of a breach (Decker, 2001:1). Since there is no way to anticipate every possible risk, or to know everything about each risk, the two other processes involved in this method, vulnerability and criticality assessments, are essential in maximising preparedness against the threat of a violation. A vulnerability assessment determines â€Å"weaknesses that may be exploited† by potential perpetrators and â€Å"suggests options to eliminate or mitigate those weaknesses†. â€Å"A criticality assessment is a process designed to systematically identify and evaluate†: an operation’s key assets based on their consequence to the fulfilment of its mission or basic function, those within the organisation that may prove vulnerable, â€Å"or the significance of a structure† (Decker, 2001:1). This aspect of the CRM approach is imperative since it has the potential to aid preparedness against material threats, and in turn, enhance the allocation of scarce resources to those areas, whether to assets, procedures or structures, subsequently identified as being of the highest priority and thereby requiring ‘special protection’ from perceived threats (Decker, 2001:1-2). While a number of conventional theories are both accessible and feasibly applicable as CRM processes, the two contemporary methods that are the most popular are the rational choice and routine activity theories. The routine activity approach considers only direct-contact predatory violations, where at least one offender takes or damages the property of at least one other person. It is thus based on three factors, â€Å"a likely offender, a suitable target and the absence of capable guardians against crime† (Cohen and Felson, 1979:588). On the other hand, the rational choice approach focuses on situational crime prevention, predicting the time and place where crimes are likely to occur, reducing opportunities and the motivation to offend, and thereby decreasing the propensity of the criminal to offend at all (Clarke and Cornish, 1985:174-177). Both of these approaches highlight the importance of assimilation and analysis of information. To this end, the Crime Pattern Analysis ( CPA) is a critical informative tool â€Å"which seeks to determine what crimes are likely to impact particular targets†, to identify â€Å"the criminals (most) likely to commit the crimes, and (to forecast) how and when such crimes are likely to occur† (Tyska and Fennelly, 1998:50). An initial consideration of these concepts would appear relatively straightforward, however the prospect of implementing an effective CRM process to adequately safeguard against risk can be a daunting endeavour for the security manager. One area in particular requiring a comprehensive CRM approach is the retail banking industry especially relating to plastic fraud. Plastic fraud includes various types of criminal activity including use of stolen cards, skimming, absent ordering, and identity theft (Newman and Clarke, 2003:145, Refer also to Appendix 1, page 13). Misuse of stolen cards is the most traditional form of plastic fraud, where cards are stolen from customers, enabling the fraudsters to make purchases in the window available to them between their acquisition of the card and the original card holder reporting the loss of the card to their issuing bank who take action to revoke or cancel the account (Slawsky and Zafar, 2005:101). Skimming is another form of plastic crime that takes place when a cardholder uses his card at any commercial establishment or cash machine. The details of the electromagnetic strip at the back of the card are copied onto a secondary storage device, which can later be replicated onto a counterfeit card, illegally cloned to resemble the details of the original, and reused by the fraudster for access to funds or illegal purchases. (Slawsky and Zafar, 2005:104). Another form of card crime growing in incidence is the ‘Card Not Present’ (CNP) variety. This occurs when the perpetrator makes a purchase t hrough mail order or telephone order, usually buying expensive merchandise, for their own personal gain, for either reselling it in the market-place or by tricking the merchant into refunding the value of the goods upon their return (Montague, 2004:12). Leonard and Lamb (2007:91) define identity theft as â€Å"afraud committed using the identifying information of another person†. As such, it comprises the misuse of information that is specific to an individual, usually involving â€Å"a partial and transient adoption (of the details)†¦in order to facilitate criminal activity† (Finch, 2002:86). In extreme cases, this could cause the victim huge financial losses, discomfort and social embarrassment where the protagonist attempts to use these details to derive material benefit at the expense of the victim. When applying the CRM process to this form of crime, the first step the security manager is required to take is the initial assessment phase, which involves evaluating the threats and areas of vulnerability in order to determine the level of risk. A number of tools are required at this stage, some of which are quantitative in nature, and others are qualitative (Fennelly, 2003:494). Quantitative analyses usually employ statistical sampling, based on mathematical calculations to assess the likelihood of a crime, extrapolated from results data (DePersia and Pennella, 1998:304). The aforementioned Rational Choice Theory is a related quantitative approach. Within the context of plastic fraud crime, application of this particular theory is exemplified through the regulated practice of profiling customers. In order to identify extraordinary behaviour financial institutions commonly track the regular transaction histories of their clientele. This is especially true of institutions that issue cards for credit purchases, viewing investment in database profiling of customer transaction histories as crucial. These systems make it possible to characterise potential ‘suspect’ incidents by programming patterns which trigger warnings including: sudden spending sprees, reaching the credit limit or exhausting the account balance, duplicate transactions of unlikely merchandise especially expensive items such as televisions, and an unusual avoidance of delivery services (Slawsky and Zafar, 2005:102). An example of automated programming used to detect uncharacteristic activity on card accounts is the Visa Intelligent Scoring Of Risk (VISOR) facility provided by the Visa network (Grabosky and Smith, 1998:170). The use of this CPA technique has improved the potential to diminish the effec t of fraudulent activity on both customers and institutions alike, by simultaneously preventing further theft and acting as a deterrent against aspiring felons. Qualitative assessments determine the chances of risk on a sliding scale from negligible to prohibitive based on the opinions, experience and knowledge of leading security management experts (Kovacich and Boni, 1999:192). Considering most plastic fraud takes place at the ‘Point of Sale’ (POS), and since highly skilled security managers cannot monitor everything at once, one of the most effective means of incorporating qualitative assessment into the CRM process is by implementing a thorough training regimen for employees, alongside a widespread awareness raising campaign aimed at educating customers and installation of permanent surveillance equipment such as CCTV (Horan, 1996:68-76). This dual approach instructs on the nefarious methods employed to misuse either cards or card information in order to create a front-line defence mechanism and enhance the fraud detection capacity of the operation. Any fraudulent activities intercepted by staff are rapidly communicated thro ughout the organisation, for instructive and investigative purposes, to further foster this self-regulative method (Horan, 1996:68). The assimilation of quantitative and qualitative analysis into banking industry best-practice CRM has resulted in the introduction of a number of effective controls designed specifically to curtail plastic fraud. One solution has been the introduction of embedded ‘microchip’ protection and PIN cards in the United Kingdom (Hoare, 2007:274). This security enhancement prevents the misuse of credit cards by requesting the card PIN for every transaction regardless of whether the customer is making a simple purchase or a cash withdrawal, thereby further reducing the risk of fraudulent transactions. This approach is then combined with customer advisories such as the need to keep cards and PIN information separate (Grabosky and Smith, 1991:170). When implementing crime risk management systems of this nature, however, there are two imperative considerations security managers must remain mindful of in advocating a particular method: probability and the associated cost-benefit outc omes. Proponents within crime management recommend that risk should always be viewed in a probabilistic context (Fischer and Green, 2004:139). For example, the recent collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market, beginning in the United States, has had a tremendous impact on global financial markets, however those organisations that viewed the probability of this event occurring as remote presumably installed fewer measures to insure against such a risk, thereby suffering the greatest losses. This example vindicates those weary observers who viewed this practice as dubious, although not criminal in the strictest sense, and who have continued to advocate for more rigorously stringent regulation of credit lending (Munro, Ford, Leishman, and Kofi Karley, 2005:1-3 26-30). The second, and arguably more important factor, is that the cost of CRM implementation should not exceed the benefits received to the institution in seeking to avoid the risk in the first instance (Culp, 2001:226). The indomitable pervasiveness of plastic fraud, although costly, does not quite warrant the installation of sophisticated risk management systems at all POS sites. One of the more dramatic recent proposals to counteract crimes of an identity fraud nature involves biometrically tagging individuals to a corresponding identification card in order to develop a log of all activities, which is then compiled into an ominous central database (Ahlefeld and Gaston, 2005:79). Although some view these measures as the only way possible of comprehensively monitoring and controlling such crimes, there are certainly many criticisms against this suggested method including the prohibitive cost of implementing and maintaining a system capable of delivering this service, the potential for sec urity breaches in the data system storing private records of citizens, and the associated infringements upon civil liberties and human rights likely to be raised in opposition to the proposal (Grant, 2008). Industry driven cost-benefit analysis is therefore a vital component of appropriate CRM design. There are innumerous benefits to implementing a CRM process within an organisation, regardless of the environment in which it is applied, in either the public or private sphere, which is why this approach has steadily grown in practice (McLaughlin and Muncie, 2006: 363-364). It is the essentially proactive nature of the approach taken in CRM, allowing for the mitigation and prevention of potentially disastrous outcomes, that explains why it is so well favoured. The banking industry is not alone in its vulnerability to losses through fraudulent practices; indeed according to calculations published by the United Kingdom (UK) Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee (IFSC), it is estimated that identity fraud represents an annual cost of  £1.7 billion to the UK economy (Home Office, 2006). The significance of this threat is a partial motivating factor behind the financial services sector adopting an industry-wide approach to CRM shared regulatory practices. The Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS) is representative of this trend, working in conjunction with institutions across the entire financial sector and in the general interest of the banking fraternity. These cooperative systems are then linked to the broader national security management infrastructure, and though ongoing consultations and data sharing, a complex relationship has been established to combat pervasive and costly crimes, including plastic fraud (CIFAS, 2007). This level of cooperation was recently formalised in the UK through Royal Assent to the Serious Crimes Act 2007 for the prevention of fraud through shared information with anti-fraud organisations (Office of PSI, 2007: Part 3, Chapter 1, section 68). Thereby the CRM approach of individual institutions informs industry standards to nati onal policing activities, all working cooperatively in a sophisticated network dedicated to crime management. This cooperative approach by the banking industry to CRM processes has a cascading effect. The shared CRM network enables participants to access a continuous risk assessment feedback mechanism, allowing the entire industry to maintain a collective pool of knowledge easily referenced to assess the potential risks associated with a specific action, either not previously anticipated or as part of a new initiative by an individual institution, creating unprecedented levels of cost-benefit sharing and exemplifying the potential of widespread best-practice implementation (CIFAS, 2007 and FSA, 2008). Regulative bodies such as the Financial Services Authority (FSA), constituted with statutory powers through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Office of PSI, 2000: Part 1, section 1), provide a form of protection for the industry against both internal and external fraud, by monitoring, evaluating and reporting practices across the sector. The authority is an industry funded, non-gover nmental organisation, empowered to enforce its recommendations (FSA, 2008). Alongside the membership requirement to voluntarily commit to full disclosure regulative authorities such as this further enable the industry to self-regulate, mitigate against threats and further spread the cost of CRM across the sector. The systemic level of commitment exemplified by the banking industry’s approach to CRM of threats such as plastic fraud, and the broader commitment to combating identity related fraud in the United Kingdom, demonstrate the high level of cooperative action required to effectively combat specific crimes and realise the full potential of CRM processes at large. Both Gill, through his three foci for risk management decision-making (1998:15), and Young’s 1992 theory of the ‘square of crime’ (Department of Criminology, 2003:1-15) call for multi-sectoral simultaneous high-level intervention for effective crime prevention outcomes. The combinations of: institutions and their customers, advocating for changes in public and private policy to mitigate specific threats, activated by administrators and legislators alike, must be in alignment with factors such as Gill’s means to ‘change offenders’ (1998:16), where appropriate punishment is meted again st identified perpetrators to increase the risk of offending, in concert with a palpable level of public opprobrium (Department of Criminology, 2003:1-21). Whilst a consideration of the plastic fraud approach has illustrated the high level of cooperation required between all impacted by crime, in order to more effectively prevent losses, a brief reflection of the United Nations system further reveals the evolution of CRM at work. CRM processes are performed in two simultaneous approaches within the UN system. CRM practices are now more closely assimilated into the Security Risk Assessment (SRA) processes of the organisation to more effectively combat risk from both internal and external threats (Australian Capital Territory Insurance Authority, 2004: 4-10). CRM and SRA processes are continually reviewed, evaluated, reassessed and adapted as necessary; especially in light of recent attacks such as those on UN staff members in Iraq and Algeria. Updated recommendations are communicated broadly to mainstream their approach across all activities and in order to achieve the aims of comprehensive security management across their global operati ons. The mission of the UN Security Management System (UNSMS) overall is â€Å"to ‘enable’ the effective and efficient conduct of UN activities while ensuring the security, safety and well being of staff as a high priority† (United Nations, 2002:2, Part II, para 3). To achieve this mandate the UNSM system requires maximum coordination and cooperation at all levels to facilitate workable ‘funds and programmes’ so they are enabled to perform their primary objective of delivering aid as appropriate. The ‘management techniques’ discussed by Gill (1998: 14-15) are increasingly being incorporated to general UN practices; for example in the manner of staff and management recruitment practices which emphasise security as the responsibility of all staff employed under the auspices of the UN (United Nations, 2006:4-2). In order to fully integrate this approach, from the ground up and across country programs, a Security Management Team is allocated to meet regularly at the ‘head of mission’ level. These senior level fora are guided by the senior country representative of the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS), who are â€Å"responsible for providing leadership, operational support and oversight of the security management system to enable the safest and most efficient conduct of the programmes and activities of the United Nations† (United Nations, 2006:2-1, para 2.5). The UNSMS framework exemplifies Gill’s risk management recommendations whereby the mandate of security managers is to be a stakeholder in program operational objectives, enabling their effective fulfilment, and conversely, the managers and staff of each program are a stakeholder in the security of their own operations (1998:14-15). This cultural shift from the traditional perception of security as ‘working in isolation’ allows for an increased level of protection to permeate the organisation and for all staff to enjoy the successful achievement of operational objectives in a safe and secure environment. Although the UNSM system provides one positive example, the reality is that changing internal traditional operational cultures, to incorporate risk prevention as a perceived responsibility for all managers, remains a significant challenge (Handy, 1993: 209). Closer inspection of the plastic fraud approach to the CRM process also exposes a number other difficulties faced by the security manager when implementing procedures to prevent exposure to risk. The crime risk manager may be criticised for displaying a disposition to crime displacement, which results in a transfer of risk rather than absolute dissolution. â€Å"Crime displacement occurs when security measures are effective in preventing crime†, where they are in place, â€Å"and forces the criminal to go elsewhere†¦to commit their crimes†, where there may be less security infrastructure. Displacement could be represented by a shift in time (temporal), shift in target venue (spatial), tactics, or perpetrator (V ellani, 2006:169). As intimated above, the high level of cross-sectoral cooperation required to truly spotlight and diminish specific crimes is often beyond the means of small-scale security managers to influence. Even in the case of confederated cooperation illustrated by the banking industry to mitigate plastic fraud, the crime still exists. Where the perpetrator commits isolated instances of plastic fraud there may be a low risk of detection, incidents may not be recorded or reported and therefore there is a perceived lack of punishment associated with the offence, which can contribute to the overall seriousness of the problem (Department of Criminology, 2003: 1-21). Indeed the CIFAS prevention service lists the three documents most frequently utilised to commit identity related fraud offences as â€Å"non-UK passports, utility bills and then UK passports† (CIFAS, 2008). As CRM policy shifts its attention toward the greater risk area a gap is left behind for small-scale, undetected perpetrato rs that nonetheless contribute to an area of fraudulent activity that still represents major losses for credit providers. The major challenge in taking the CRM process approach is in designing the system based on ‘real’ threats and with enough flexibility to adapt to a constantly changing environment. CRM processes require constant review, evaluation, reassessment and adaptation, and even then there is no guarantee that risk will always be averted (Gill, 1998: 17). There may be those whose commitment to the process waivers, governments and their policies may change, societal reactions to certain risk may be attenuated, criminals evolve to increasingly sophisticated methods as their use of technology improves and victim organisations may change their directions, reforming appropriately as they go (Department of Criminology, 2003: 1-22). Therefore, implementation of a CRM process requires a scrupulous cost-benefit examination, credible and quality information from which the risk assessment is drawn, and a wholesale commitment by the organisation in order to derive maximum worth (Gill, 1998: 1 6-17). If the approach is too conservative the risk may be that tangible business opportunities are unnecessarily overlooked whilst simultaneously failing to address the risks involved. Finally, the security manager must also control the level of expectation associated with their anticipated levels of success, since it is unlikely for even the most reliable system to remain unscathed. In conclusion, almost every act in business involves an element of risk: customer habits change, new competitors appear, and factors outside the sphere of control could delay a project. However thorough risk analysis and management can help to inform decision making and minimize potential disruptions, especially where there is a sufficient balance between mitigating the risk and the cost associated in doing so. Evolving CRM processes that utilise decentralised risk management techniques in combination with a centralised coordination approach are becoming accepted best practice, with the result that individual firms are able to adapt the framework to best suit their preferences and internal conditions. It would therefore appear that the discipline is ‘coming of age’ which is evidenced through the prevalence of its practice in the mainstream. However the combination of the ever-present elements of change and the unforeseen represent the greatest challenges to the security manager in mitigating risk. The reality is that they can only apply their experience, offer their informed advice to key stakeholders, and manage the outcomes, whatever they may be. References Ahlefeld, H. von. and Gaston, J. (2005) Lessons in Danger, OECD Online Bookshop. Air Force Material Command Pamphlet (1997) ‘Acquisition: Risk Management’, AFMC Pamphlet 63-101, http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFMCPAM63-101.pdf, (accessed 1 March 2008). Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Insurance Authority (2004) ‘Guide to Risk Management’, Risk Management Guide Toolkit, ACT Insurance Authority, http://www.treasury.act.gov.au/actia/Guide.doc (Accessed 1 March 2008). Bridgeman, C. (1996) ‘Crime Risk Management: Making it work’, Crime Detection and Prevention Series Paper 70, Police Research Group, London: Home Office. Clarke, R.V. and Cornish, D.B. (1985) ‘Modelling Offenders’ Decisions: A framework for Research and Policy’, Crime and Justice, 6: 147-185. Cohen, L.E. and Felson, M. (1979) ‘Social Change and Crime rate trends’, American Sociological Review, 44: 588-608. Cox, L. A. (2005) Quantitative Health Risk Analysis Methods, Springer. Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS). (2007) ‘New Fraud Prevention Power Will Save  £Millions’, Press Centre, 30 October 2007, http://www.cifas.org.uk/default.asp?edit_id=786-57, (accessed 1 March 2008). Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance System (CIFAS). (2008) ‘2007 Fraud Trends’, Press Centre, 28 January 2008, http://www.cifas.org.uk/default.asp?edit_id=790-57, (accessed 1 March 2008). Culp, C. L. (2001) The Risk Management Process, John Wiley and Sons. DePersia, A.T. and Pennella, J.J. (1998) Enforcement and Security Technologies, SPIE. Decker, R.J. (2001) ‘Homeland Security: Key Elements of a Risk Management Approach’, Testimony: Before the Subcommittee on National Security, Veteran Affairs and International Relations; House Committee on Government Reform, GAO-02-150T, United States: General Accounting Office. Department of Criminology (2003) ‘Unit 1: Crime Risk Management’, Module 2: Applied Crime Management, Department of Criminology, 1-5 to 1-23. Fennelly, L.J. (2003) Handbook of Loss Prevention and Crime Prevention, Butterworth-Heinemann. Financial Services Authority (FSA). (2008) ‘Who are we’, http://www.fsa.gov.uk/Pages/About/Who/index.shtml, (accessed 1 March 2008). Finch, E. (2002) ‘What a tangled web we weave: identity theft and the Internet’, in Yvonne Jewkes (ed.) Dot.cons: Crime, deviance and identity on the Internet, Willan Publishing, 86-104. Fischer, R. J. and Green, G. (2004) Introduction to Security (7th Edn), Butterworth-Heinemann. Gill, M. (1998) ‘Chapter 1: Introduction’, in Martin Gill (ed.) Crime at Work Volume II: Increasing the Risk to Offenders, Leicester: Perpetuity Press Ltd, 11-23. Grabosky, P.N. and Smith, R.G. (1998) Crime in the Digital Age: Controlling Telecommunications and Cyberspace Illegalities, Transaction Publishers. Grant. I. (2008) ‘Wave of criticism hits government ID card relaunch’ in ComputerWeekly.com, http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/03/07/229773/wave-of-criticism-hits-government-id-card-relaunch.htm, (accessed 9 March 2008). Handy, C. (1993) Understanding Organizations (4th edn), Harmondsworth: Penguin. Home Office (2006) ‘Identity Fraud puts  £1.7bn Hole in Britains Pocket’, Press Releases, 2 February 2006, http://press.homeoffice.gov.uk/press-releases/identity-fraud-puts-1.7bn-hole?version=1, accessed 1 March 2008). Horan, D.J. (1996) The Retailer’s Guide to Loss Prevention and Security, CRC Press. Hoare, J. (2007) ‘Deceptive Evidence: Challenges in Measuring Fraud’ in J.M. Hough, and M.G. Maxfield (eds) Surveying Crime in the 21st Century, Criminal Justice Press. Kovacich, G. L. and Boni, W. C. (1999) High Technology Crime Investigator’s Handbook, Elsevier. Leonard, R. and Lamb J. (2007) Credit Repair (8th Edn),Nolo. McLaughlin, E. and Muncie, J. (2006) The Sage Dictionary of Criminology, Sage Publications. Montague, D.A. (2004) Fraud Prevention Techniques for Credit Card Fraud, Trafford Publishing. Munro, M., Ford, J., Leishman, C. and Kofi Karley, N. (2005) Lending to higher risk borrowers: Sub-prime credit and sustainable home ownership, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, http://www.jrf.org.uk/bookshop/eBooks/1859353355.pdf, (accessed 1 March 2008). Nalla, M. and Newman, G

Transient Global Amnesia :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Transient Global Amnesia A little while ago, my father and grandfather were driving in our car together. All of a sudden, my grandfather said that he was feeling dizzy and thought the beginnings of a migraine were coming on. My grandfather is extremely healthy and has an amazing memory, so my father was shocked when not long after, when grandfather asked where Ruthy, his recently deceased wife, was. When my father reminded him that she had died of cancer last year, my grandfather broke into tears, as if he was being told for the first time. In addition, he couldn't even remember what he had just eaten for dinner or any other events of the day. My father drove him straight to the emergency room, worried that he had perhaps just suffered a minor stoke. By the time that he got to the hospital, he was already beginning to regain some of the memories that had been lost. The doctors reassured him that it was not a stroke, but rather a memory disorder called transient global amnesia. Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a type of amnesia involving the sudden, temporary disturbance in an otherwise healthy person's memory. The other main kinds of amnesia are called anterograde and retrograde amnesia. Anterograde amnesia is a type of memory loss associated with a trauma, disease, or emotional events. It is characterized by the inability to remember new information. (1) Retrograde amnesia is associated with the loss of distant memories usually preceding a given trauma. (2) In transient global amnesia, generally both distant memories and immediate recall are retained, as are language function, attention, visual-spatial and social skills. However, during the period of amnesia, people suffering from the disorder cannot remember recent occurrences nor can they retain any new visual or verbal information for more than a couple minutes. (3) Though patients generally remember their own identities, they are often very confused by their surroundings and the people around them. T hey continuously ask questions about events that are transpiring, for example where they are, who is with them, what is happening. However, once they are told, they immediate forget the answer, and repeat the question again. (4) The period of amnesia can last anywhere from one to twenty-four hours. Some people suffer from a headache, dizziness, and nausea while others have only memory loss. TGA generally affects fifty to eighty-year-old men, about 3.4 to 5.

An Analysis of On the Other Hand :: On the Other Hand Essays

An Analysis of "On the Other Hand" "On the Other Hand", what is on the other hand? Rachel Hadas tells about the living, the dead and shows the reader the other side of usual thoughts about the dead and living. She lists the faults of the living and the virtues of the dead, in order to explain her first statement, "it is no wonder why we love the dead". Yet, then turns everything around again in the last statement of this free verse poem. Rachel Hadas poem, "On the Other Hand" clearly depicts the many differences of the "brittle, easily wounded" living and the "patient, peaceful" dead. In the first stanza of the poem, the dead are said to be admired in a way because of all the flaws that the living inhibit. The living are said to be "ungrateful, obsessive" and "needy, greedy, and vain". This approach of describing the living lets the reader see a side of life that he may not have noticed before. The living usually have certain connotations with the good and the joys of life; however, "On the Other Hand" shows the other side, the negatives of the living. The living are easily hurt and non-virtues. The way the word, opacity, is used makes the reader think of the living to be cold-hearted, incapable of penetration. Hadas is obviously stating that the dead are better in comparison to the living because of the numerous imperfections of the living. In the second stanza, Rachel Hadas, goes on to emphasize her point of the dead deserving more praise than the living by the listing of the virtues that the dead posses. While the living are "needy and greedy," the dead are "better at resisting wishes". Hadas also describes the dead to be "blithely", or carefree, while the living do not have that luxury. A great amount of comparisons between the living and the dead is being accented in the second stanza of this thought-provoking poem. Such as the dead to be "deliberate", and the living being said to be "impulsive". The first two stanzas of Hadas's poem truly give the title its meaning. The reader is forced to see the other side of the usual thoughts of the living and dead. Hadas is in fact showing the reader the "other hand", or other side of the situation. She continues this approach in the first part of the third stanza; telling of the ability that the dead have to "glide across the hours" with time being no boundary to them.

How Stevenson Depicts the Relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

How Stevenson Depicts the Relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson wanted to gradually show the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde in his story. It does not state until the end of the story that they are in fact the same person, he instead leaves it for people to work out for themselves, with a brief explanation at the end of the book. For most of the story, nobody can explain their relationship, as they are never seen together. People are confused as to how they know each other and became such good friends. Clues are given throughout the story that they are the same person; not enough to guess on your own, but so that it all makes sense in the end. These clues include the fact that Hyde once goes into Jekyll's home and takes out Jekyll's chequebook to pay out of Jekyll's bank account. People found this very strange, 'a man does not, in real life, walk into a cellar door at four o'clock in the morning and come out of it with another man's cheque'. This gives the idea that they must be very close friends to share a bank account, or that Jekyll would give Hyde entry to his account. Their relationship is depicted as business-like, and as if they have known each other for a long time. The latter part of this is true in a way. The have an interesting relationship, they need each other to live. Hyde uses Jekyll as a body to carry out his evil and Jekyll uses Hyde to get rid of his burning desires and stress, I think that Robert Louis Stevenson intended to use this in a way to show that they rely on each other and because one has begun to depend on the other, they could not live without each other even though they have so much hatred towards one another. At one point their relations... ... good idea from Robert Louis Stevenson as it gives a clearer impression to the readers about Jekyll and Hyde's relationship with each other and shows their personalities and how they differ. Another interesting way the existence of Hyde can be perceived is that he is the meaning of evil, 'that child of Hell' sent to destroy lives. One character saw himself as the person to hunt down evil, though in the end he was unsuccessful, 'If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek', a clever play on words suggesting evil against good. Black is often linked with evil, Hyde is only used during the night time when it is dark and he has dark hair, as opposed to Jekyll only being himself in the light and having fair hair; another difference between them. His general appearance also looks evil to those who see it; Hyde's visage is described as 'Satan's signature on a face'.

Native American Treaties

America requested that the Nation cede certain races of land, beneficial to the US, and with the agreement that the United States could establish garrisons where they desired In order to protect the frontiers. In exchange for the considerations and the permanent relinquishment of those lands and claims, the United States agreed to pay the nation several types of compensation. First was an annual monetary sum of $3000. 00 every year indefinitely to the Creek Nation, with an additional $1000. 00 per year to the chiefs who administer the governmental services to the tribe.Also provided In the treaty was the sum of $25,000. 00, to be distributed in parts as merchandise and goods, the distraction of debts the Nation owed, and the satisfaction of individual loss of property claims against the tribe by citizens of the united States. In addition, the united States agreed to furnish two sets of Blacksmiths tools and the men to work them for a period of three years. K State Creek 1802 1 felt a s though, while I still disagree with the idea that these â€Å"treaty agreements† were in any way fair or a true â€Å"option† to the tribes on these lands, this particular treaty wasn't any crueler than other treaties.The land descriptions of what was to be ceded to the united States Is official for me to comprehend in any Value' aspect. I am not certain of the acreage, nor would I begin to know the land value. Secondly, only part of that value was direct compensation. I find the breakdown of the larger compensation package suspect, since It virtually â€Å"forgives† â€Å"debts† that the United States government purports the Creek Indians acquired and/or for acts the government purports the Creek Indians committed against the citizens of America.If the land, property, or other purported to have been taken was in actuality the Creek Indian's to begin with, then it would be unfair to use land compensation as â€Å"payment of a debt† that never occ urred. The second treaty I chose was signed August 9, 1814, (also called the Treaty of Ft. Jackson) following the events surrounding the War of 1812. Andrew Jackson was both the 1 OFF the Creek Indian tribes that culminated with the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in Alabama on March 27, 1814, and killed 800 Indian warriors and imprisoned over 500 women and children in the Ft Aims Massacre. Britannica – Creek Indian War) The agreement was in response to â€Å"†¦ Unprovoked, inhuman, and sanguinary war, waged y the hostile Creeks against us† and for basically violating the 1790 treaty, â€Å"disregarding the previous genuine spirit of existing treaties†. (K State Creek 1814) This treaty had many more provisions, and heavily favored the United States, while laying blame to the Creek Indians for the events that lead to the massacre, and hence, this â€Å"treaty' which reads more as a list of spoils.The United States demanded the equivalent to all expenses for seeing out the entirety of the war to its end. Not being specifically written, I can only assume that they â€Å"entirety' included the Creek Indian War AND the majority of the War of 1812. The United States was penalizing the Creek Indians for affording assistance and aid to the British during the War of 1812. This equated to over 23,000,000 acres of land, minus a few â€Å"reservations† of 1 mile tracts per person who had remained friendly to the United States during the conflict.The US also demanded that the Creeks abandon all communications and relations with the British and the Spanish, the rights to establish military posts and trading houses on roads in territories still occupied by the Indian tribe, the right to completely free navigation of all waters, the surrender of al persons or property gained by the Creeks during the conflicts, the capture and surrender of all instigators, and permanent peace between the Creek Indians and the United States, as well as among the Cree k Indians and the Cherokee, Chickasaws, and Choctaw Indian tribes.In â€Å"return† for the demands, the Americans guaranteed the integrity of the Northern and North eastern aspects of their territory, as well as a â€Å"Humanitarian† gesture of continuing to â€Å"furnish the necessaries of life†¦ Until crops are competent to yield; and will establish trading houses in the Nation to enable the Nation to procure clothes†¦ By industry or economy'. (K State Creek 1814) The benefit of this treaty was quite obviously in favor of the United States. There was little concession to the Indians for what amounts to half of the state of Alabama and the entire South portion of Georgia in land mass. Britannica – Creek Indian War) While the wording tends to validate the demands of the US, it does not address that the War of 1812 was an occurrence during the intertribal wars that were going on at the time. Some tribes saw an opportunity to show a loyalty to the US, w hich further incited the opposing tribes who felt that the intrusion of the US was not permissible to act against the US, but supporting the opposition in the war, or actually attacking American citizens themselves. Encore of Alabama) The actions of the tribes had not started as actions against the United States for the sake of war against America. Had this been the case, Jackson's generalization of â€Å"unprovoked, inhuman war† might be more accurate. However, at a time in history where the United States was systematically striping land, rights, and humanity from the indigenous people who ere in actual possession of it upon the American's arrival is hypocritical at best.The drastic change between the style and manner of the treaties of 1802 and 1814 show the turn America took from being a participant in a mutual, albeit selfish, exchange to a punishing political power using treaties and government backed Americans was, ironically, to become President and initiate Indian Rem oval as formal policy. With the â€Å"concession as a gesture of humanity' America made the Creek Tribe both more dependent on the US government for necessities they could not themselves generate – now for lack of the territory they once had to farm, herd, and ark on – but also began a culture of resentment with the tribe.I am not convinced this wasn't the exact objective of the ‘humanitarian help' written into the agreement. It is clear to see that while in the beginning, there was a more conservative tactic with the treaties to maintain a certain amount of control over the native tribes, there was a more concerted effort as time passed and the United States desired to take more and give less. The power differential is shown most vividly in the sheer volume of land taken in the 1814 treaty as â€Å"equivalent to expenses†.

Manmohan Singh

ohan Singh- A weak PM ? Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime minister of the country. But in the past one year he has been heavily criticized and he has ended up facing a lot of flack from the opposition as well as the citizens of the country. But is this enough to say that he is a weak PM? No I don’t think so, while criticizing him we all are forgetting the good work he has done for our country.What a lot of us don’t know is that before becoming the prime minister of the country Manmohan Singh was the finance minister of our country, during the early 90’s, at that time our country was in a lot of debt and it was because of his policies that we were able to come out of such a difficult situation and stand on our own two feet. We must not forget that it was during his time that the policy of LPG- liberalization, globalization and privatization was bought in our country.According to an article in a well known magazine it was quoted that he is one of the lea ders who is loved by and respected by other leader’s, in 2010 he was 18th in Times magazine’s most powerful person’s. And also he has been said to be the best prime minister of the country since Nehru. But there is a famous saying that if you have roses then you have thorn to. Same is the case with Manmohan Singh, with the UPA government facing a lot of flack for the way it has been governing the country for the last couple of years.Specially with the CWG scam, 2G scam and the recent Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazzare incidents his image has been spoiled. He has been called a puppet in the hand of Sonia Gandhi, he ha been accused of not standing up for himself when most needed. People don’t understand the gravity of the situation or what pressure Mr. Singh is and how every move he makes is judged and criticized. Every wrong move by him is noted and the right one not taken note of. So what if Mr.Singh does not make many public appearances or decides to keep mum on certain issues, he is like the background dancer who doesn’t get notice but is one of the biggest reason for a particular dance to be good. Just like many a people might say that he is a puppet in Mrs. Gandhi’s hand but just like the background dancer he works from the behind for the success of his government. That is the reason even with so many scams UPA is in one it’s best reign over the last couple of decade’s.

Macbeth †Directing Act 2 Scenes 1 and 2 Essay

From the director’s point of view, this scene is very dramatic because of the impact on Macbeth’s decision in Act 1 scene seven. In this scene Macbeth almost decides that he has talked himself out of killing the king, but his wife Lady Macbeth has other plans and forces him into a decision that will lead to the death of the king. This affects the two scenes I will be directing because in these two scenes the decision is put into practice when Macbeth kills the king. So I have to direct the two crucial scenes that see the king murdered by Macbeth. The setting for act two scene one is in Macbeths castle. It is dark and Banquo and Fleance are in the courtyard discussing what time of day it is, and as to whether it is past midnight or not. They work out what time it is by seeing if the moon is down, and then the candles are blown out. Now it is at this point large gusts of wind are heard howling throughout the castle with thunder and lightning clashing down around the audience. Owls are heard calling and all manner of nightlife is heard. This effect is used so that the audience are made intense and unaware as to what is happening next and to create tension. The sounds would be achieved through sound effects being played over the speakers and sharp, crisp lighting would be used to symbolise the lightning. A background tune will be played very lightly to create a mood so scary it will keep the audiences fixed to the stage from the edges of their seats. When Macbeth meets Banquo, Macbeth tells him that he is sorry for not being as good a host as usual and Banqou reassures Macbeth that he has been an excellent host to the king. Then he brings up the subject of the witches. He says that he dreamed of the weird sisters the night before, and tells Macbeth â€Å"To you they have showed some truth.† Macbeth replies, â€Å"I think not of them†, which is a deliberate lie. It is true that we haven’t heard him mention the witches, but he has been thinking of nothing except how to make the prophecies come true. If I was the director I would introduce Macbeth by letting him enter from right and to walk on quietly, sneakily in fact with only soft dull lighting to imitate the moon light. He would be wearing a long black smock to represent the fact he was upset or in regret that he was about to commit a terrible deed. The black would be used because it is traditionally the colour of the night and Macbeth had to blend into the background and move like the night in order not to be spotted or noticed. Banquo would be wearing red pants and a silver lightweight vest created out of steel with the imprinted cross of Scotland on the vest. He would be wearing a polished steel helmet with a sword placed neatly in its pouch, left hanging on the brown leather belt fastened around his waist. He would also have a spear in his hand with a long shaft that would also be used as a walking stick. He would be dressed like this because as a general protecting Duncan king of Scotland he would be expected to wear the kings finest military uniform. As a director I would expect Macbeth to deliver his lines to Banquo in a nervous manner. I would have him stutter and muddle up his words he would also jolt and pause in mid-sentence to give the impression to the audience he is unsure and nervous as to the crime he is about to commit. The lighting in this part of the play as I have already touched on would be dull yet crisp to create a sense of atmosphere and to create a mood, which would help Macbeth, deliver his lines. The torchlight the servant would be carrying at this point would be quite sharp and a glowing effect would be used to create the fire effect. Macbeths facial expressions would be few and far between because I would want him to be pale and blank faced so that it looked like he had other things on his mind, more important and life threatening things. At the opening of Act 2 scene two, Lady Macbeth is stood near to Duncan’s room waiting for Macbeth to return. At this point, I would want to emphasise the crime that is about to be committed and to create strong tension between the audience and the stage. Ideally the audience would be sitting focused, eyes fixed on the events and I would want them to feel a sense of danger and betrayal the moment Macbeth kills the King. The effects used to create this feeling would be sudden cold gusts of wind lashing through the audience. A strong gust of smoke would slide swiftly along the surface of the stage creating a dark musty atmosphere. Sharp lightning would be seen jolting over the stage with deep blasts of thunder to follow. Lady Macbeth would be dressed in a long silk red dress to represent betrayal and guilt even though she does not show any. When Macbeth returns with the daggers, I think it would be a dramatic moment, so I would chose to have a powerful spotlight focusing on Macbeth as he staggers across the smoke filled stage to his wife. My decision for this is that I would like the whole audience to be fixed to Macbeth’s every movement. I would want this because I would want the audience just to think about him and the crime that he was just committed. Makeup would be used on Macbeth to make him look like a ghost he would be completely white except for the small dashes of red on his face that would represent the kings blood. His hands and the area around his waist would be completely covered in blood to give the impression that he had hacked the king to pieces. At the opening of act two scene one, Macbeth is confident that he is ready to kill the king. When he tells the lie to Banquo that he has given no more thought to the witches predictions, he should deliver these lines with a certain stutter including repeating and missing out some words. He would also stop and jolt in mid sentence. I think he should speak like this because it makes the audience think he is not sure about what he is about to do and he isn’t sure as to whether he can or not. When Macbeth hallucinates he thinks that there is a dagger before him and he reaches out for it and of course can’t grasp it. Macbeth is not sure, and wonders whether it is ‘A dagger of the mind, a false creation’. If I was the director, I would make Macbeth say these words with confidence then I would make him sound confused as to what he was saying. To give the impression his mind was thinking one thing but common sense was thinking about something else. As Macbeth speaks of the ‘bloody business’ and how ‘ wicked dreams abuse/the curtained sleep,’ he appears much more confident. To indicate this, I would make him start of whispering the lines then slowly increasing the sound so by the time he had delivered the lines he was screaming them from the rooftops. I would expect his face to be blank, a dark spotlight would be shining on him, as he started shouting his lines he would smile and the spotlight would be turned up, eventually when he had finished Macbeth would be smiling, and the spotlight would be shining brightly. After Macbeth has murdered the king and he returns with the bloody daggers, he seems to be nervous and edgy. His repeated question ‘who’s there? What ho?’ indicates this. I would show this by making Macbeth speak his lines in a slow, shallow majestic voice with the words flowing slowly but surely one after the other with a short silent pause between each precious word. Macbeth considers the enormity of the crime that has been committed, and is terrified, as he knows that he can never be forgiven. He stresses how he could not say ‘Amen’ after the murder, and how he thought that they heard a voice cry ‘ List’ning their fear, I would not say ‘Amen’, when they did say ‘God bless us.’ To make this point more dramatic, I would chose to make Macbeths voice cry lightly and sharp frequent drops of water would be seen running across his chin and dripping onto the stage. It would sound like he was in pain with sudden shrieks lashing through the audience as though he wants everyone to experience the heart breaking pain that he is going through. After the murder, Macbeth says ‘I am afraid to think what I have done /look on’t again I dare not.’ Perhaps Macbeth does feel genuine remorse for his crime, or maybe he is more afraid about what will happen to his soul when he dies. I think that he does show some genuine remorse because I think deep down he didn’t want to kill Duncan but was in fact talked into by his wife and has now noticed the error of his ways. I could show this by making him drop to his knees and holding his head in his hands crying out for mercy from God. In act two scene one, I would choose to have Banquo to speak in a stern but tired way, as he is Macbeth’s friend. I would indicate to the audience that he is honest by making sure that he is looking loyal and worthy along with proud and upstanding when he is speaking to another character. Throughout the scenes, Lady Macbeth is revealed to be calm and calculated. When Macbeth returns from the scene of the murder, he says ‘ I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. Did not you speak?’. I would reflect her unemotional state by having her speak nicely; soft and quiet. Her eyes would wonder as if she were thinking of something completely different. Lady Macbeth seems ill concerned with her husband when he talks of his inability to sleep. She warns him ‘You do unbend your noble strength to think/ so brain of things.’ ‘ Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there: go carry them, and smear the sleepy grooms with blood.’ If I were the director, I would show her irritation by speaking to her with an abrupt sarcastic voice with a tone that suggests that she’s speaking to an idiot. She will snap and snarl at Macbeth and look down on him. To conclude I have tried to answer each section as best I can. I have tried to incorporate the mood set by each characters lines by using lightning and sound effects as well as the way the actors portray their lines. My aim was to try to get the audience involved in the play without them actually acting, so that they could experience one to one the characters moods, so that they could really understand and get into the play. I would chose Ozzy Osborne to play Macbeth because he is older than some, dresses in black and has a certain element of disguise in him which I feel Macbeth’s actor needs to portray well. I would choose Halle Berry to play Lady Macbeth because her latest film ‘Gothika’ was a perfect example of a spooky story of which she played her part extremely well.

Every Day Use essays

Every Day Use essays In Alice Walkers story Everyday Use the two sisters, Maggie and Dee are foils or opposites. They have nothing in common except that they have the same mother. They have many opposite characteristics through out the story and one major opposing viewpoint that contributes to the meaning of this story and its theme. The central theme of the story concerns the way in which an individual understands his present life in relation to the traditions of his people and culture. Dee tells her mother and Maggie that they do not understand their "heritage," because they plan to put "priceless" heirloom quilts to "everyday use." The story makes clear that Dee is equally confused about the nature of her inheritance both from her immediate family and from the larger black tradition. The two opposite beliefs of the sisters teach a valuable lesson about family and heritage and how it should be considered. There are many factors leading to Maggie and Dee being foils. One way they are opposite is that Maggie is younger than Dee and is shy and timid whereas Dee can look anyone in the eye and talk to them, meaning she is very outgoing and not quiet. For example, when Dee arrives at the house, Maggie tries to hide behind her mother and does not speak because she is scared of even her own sister. It also says that Maggie is not very articulate, whereas Dee is very bright. In the story where Mrs. Johnson says She used to read to us without pity; forcing words, lies, other folks habits, whole lives upon us two sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice (1556). Also, Maggie only has a high school education compared to Dees college education. When Mrs. Johnson says, Maggie sometimes reads to me. She stumbles along good-naturedly but cant see well. She knows she is not bright. Like good looks and money, quickness passed her by (1557). She knows that Maggie and Dee are nothing alike, but tends to love th...

Verbal

Best Books for SAT Critical Reading / Verbal SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What are the best books for the SAT critical reading section (which used to be called the verbal section)? Here we review a few of the top books that we feel helps students the most. We discuss which skills you should be learning from books, and which you should instead be learning from flashcards or practice. You can get these books online, or better yet from the library. What is the Critical Reading? Start with Sentence Completion. By now you understand what the Critical Reading is about. About a third of it is sentence completion, which is a vocabulary test by any other name. As background, the SAT Critical Reading section used to be called the Verbal section, which many years ago used to be almost all based on vocabulary. Vocabulary has fallen in importance on the SAT from around 50% of the entire test (in the 1990s) to just about 10% today, and will even be lower with the new SAT in 2016. Thus, sentence completion represents a vestigial portion of the SAT. Since it's all about vocabulary, the best books for sentence completion, in our opinion, are books that directly target this. Bonus: Money-Saving Tip: Most of these books can be reused by many students. It's better to get more of these books and see what works for you, and instead of shelling out money for new, latest-edition copies of every single of these books consider 1) Borrowing these books from the library many well stocked town libraries have these books 2) Buying used or older editionsof the books: the SAT test has been relatively stable from 2006-2015, used or old versions can real tough or 3) Finding free analogues online, many sites online offer the all the major ideas and tips in the books for free, oftentimes summarized. Best Books for SAT Sentence Completion: #1 Book in Sentence Completion: Direct Hits, Vol #1 and Vol #2 This book is seen as one of the best books for SAT vocabulary studying for one simple reason: it has an incredibly high hit rate compared to others. The words in this book consistently show up more on future SATs than other lists online. It uses real vocabulary tested in past SATs most often, therefore explaining its high predictive power for future SATs. Another reason this book is great is that it's so concise: there are only 200 words in each volume. This makes it easier to memorize than the thousand-word lists, and ensure that the authors can concentrate on only the most important vocab words. My professional advice is this: if you can only remember 200 words for the SAT, make it Direct Hits Volume 1. If you can only remember 400 words, for the SAT, make it Direct Hits Volume 2. You'll get more mileage out of these than any other books. If you can't get your hands on the direct hits book, then base the first 200-400 of your vocab studying off of a list that is constructed based on past SAT tests as well, such as our free vocab cards of 400 most frequent SAT words. The old saying is true: the past predicts the future well. #2 Book in Sentence Completion: Barron's SAT Vocab Flash Cards This is the new edition of the word list I personally used to study for the SAT and get a perfect on it back in the day when it was much more vocab, which is high praise for this word list. Barron's consistently manages to be the best book studying for high achieving SAT students, and this book (actually a flashcard pack) is no different. With word count at 500, it's bigger than Direct Hits. All independent word lists likely have some overlap, but this is definitely the list to go onto after the Direct Hits, and together with Direct Hits this forms about a thousand words that will take about 20 hours to memorize. If you have an SAT study plan that spans in the hundreds of hours, this set of flashcards is certainly worth it. SAT Critical Reading: Passages Passages constitute the rest of the Critical Reading SAT section. Much of passages is about understanding the meaning of a story what the author's feeling are, the main idea the author is trying to convey, how the author communicates. Thus, understanding this is very important. I want to dispel what I believe is a myth about Critical Reading Books at this point. Myth: the best way to improve on SAT Passages for Critical Reading is by reading more English Literature books. The myth goes: read Dickens, Austen, Fitzgerald, and Shakespeare to improve your reading skills fastest. Hogwash! First, reading is NOT the same thing as English literature (analogous to the reason here). Likewise, literature passages only form a small portion of the SAT Critical Reading passages. Second, reading English literature is incredibly inefficient. Pride and Prejudiceby Austen may take a dozen hours to read. In that same time, you could have practiced a hundred short passages. Moreover, you'll be caught up in the story, and you'll rarely be practicing effective SAT relevant skills: quicklydissecting separate, small passages. Once you figure out Austen's intent once, you never have to figure it out again. In 12 hours, you get one practice swing and figuring out author intent, whereas you could be practicing 100 times instead. This motivates our choice of books: The Best SAT Critical Reading Passage Books #1 Book in Passages:Real SATs from the Past: I don't just mean the latest College Board Official SAT prep guide, but also the 1997, 2000,2003, and2005, editions, and more versions that you can find if you're resourceful. Why would I recommend such outdated material? Because passages themselves haven't changed that much through time. The SAT has changed up analogies, writing, and a lot of other things, but the format of short, self-contained passages has been maintained for decades. Like I mentioned before in 24 hours, you can read either two novels, or do 40 passage sections from the past tests. It is important while reading, whether passages like suggested above, or longer format text like short stories or essays, to focus on SAT type questions. The most common are: 1) what is the author's opinion about the subject? 2) what's the author's emotion? 3) does the author have any motivations that might skew his opinion? Keep these in mind no matter what you read! #2 Book in Passages:Barron's Critical Reading Again, this book is best for high scorers, but it explicitly points out the types of tricks and strategies often used on the SAT. The great thing about this book is that it dissects the passages out for you, and doesn't patronize you at all. The authors are perfect-scoring level professionals who clearly know the material cold, and they're targeting students aiming for a perfect 800 as well. I wouldn't recommend this for students starting below a 550, as it can be intimidating and the techniques may not be optimal for students starting out. #3 Book in Passages:Kaplan's Critical Reading At this point, we're getting into pretty standard run-of-the-mill explanations for critical reading. However, Kaplan's book is stellar at being a general introduction to Critical Reading, especially if your starting score is 350-550 region. It won't cover strategies for perfectionists well, and the writer often seems to lack full understanding of the toughest concepts, but it's a very gentle introduction for students starting in this range. You might also say at this point what if I'm starting out below a 350? In this case, there might be some basic English language deficiencies at play perhaps English was your second language. We'll have another article out for this range soon! What's Next? The college admissions process has become so competitive that it's helpful to plan well in advance for SAT/ACT prep during high school. Here are a few guides to help your thinking: Want to improve your SAT score by 240 points, or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Free Essays on The French And Indian War

The French And Indian War (1756-1763) Nicole Between the years of 1689 and 1748 France and Britain had the War of the League of Augsburg â€Å"King William’s War†, War of Spanish Succession â€Å"Queen Anne’s War†, and the War of the Austrian Succession â€Å"King George’s War.† All three of these wars led up to the Seven Years War, also known as the French and Indian War. As the British colonies grew in population and wealth, the British government began to worry about the attacks from France and Spain. A French motive for attack on British was their desire for land. This was the time for claiming land and they wanted as much of it as they could get. Also they wanted more wealth and power because according to the theory of mercantilism, the richer you are, the more power you have. Another motive for their attack was that France wanted a market for manufactured goods. They also wanted a source for raw materials to make goods. At first the war went badly for the English. To str engthen the defense of the colonies, General Edward Braddock set out with 1400 British troops and 450 colonials to try to take Fort Duquesne. The French had built this fort in Pittsburgh. Braddock had been warned by Benjamin Franklin to watch out for surprise attacks by the Indians, but he did not listen. Wars in Europe were orderly and they were usually fought only in good weather, on open fields, and armies faced each other. To Braddock’s surprise, the French and Indians did not follow the etiquette of Old World Warfare. They caught Braddock off guard when the attacked his army. The general was killed, and 976 of his men were killed or wounded. In 1757 William Pitt came to power as prime minister of England. He put new life into the nation’s armies and its fleets spread over the globe. He removed the weak and the old and put in the young and strong. In the campaigns of 1758, the British and Americans working together were victorious... Free Essays on The French And Indian War Free Essays on The French And Indian War The French And Indian War (1756-1763) Nicole Between the years of 1689 and 1748 France and Britain had the War of the League of Augsburg â€Å"King William’s War†, War of Spanish Succession â€Å"Queen Anne’s War†, and the War of the Austrian Succession â€Å"King George’s War.† All three of these wars led up to the Seven Years War, also known as the French and Indian War. As the British colonies grew in population and wealth, the British government began to worry about the attacks from France and Spain. A French motive for attack on British was their desire for land. This was the time for claiming land and they wanted as much of it as they could get. Also they wanted more wealth and power because according to the theory of mercantilism, the richer you are, the more power you have. Another motive for their attack was that France wanted a market for manufactured goods. They also wanted a source for raw materials to make goods. At first the war went badly for the English. To str engthen the defense of the colonies, General Edward Braddock set out with 1400 British troops and 450 colonials to try to take Fort Duquesne. The French had built this fort in Pittsburgh. Braddock had been warned by Benjamin Franklin to watch out for surprise attacks by the Indians, but he did not listen. Wars in Europe were orderly and they were usually fought only in good weather, on open fields, and armies faced each other. To Braddock’s surprise, the French and Indians did not follow the etiquette of Old World Warfare. They caught Braddock off guard when the attacked his army. The general was killed, and 976 of his men were killed or wounded. In 1757 William Pitt came to power as prime minister of England. He put new life into the nation’s armies and its fleets spread over the globe. He removed the weak and the old and put in the young and strong. In the campaigns of 1758, the British and Americans working together were victorious...

IBS essays

IBS essays IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is characterized as a common disorder of the intestines with symptoms of cramps, excessive gas, bloating, diahrrea, and constipation. Many patients diagnosed with IBS, suffer from at least two or three of these symptoms. More people suffer from IBS than either asthma or diabetes. Doctors have misdiagnosed IBS for years, labeling it as a form of disease of the colon. Such a diagnoses is inaccurate because colitis causes inflammation and IBS does not. What actually causes ulcerative colitis is unknown, and while there are theories none so far have been proven. The most popular theory is that the body's immune system reacts to a virus or a bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation in the intestinal wall. People with ulcerative colitis have abnormalities of the immune system, but doctors do not know whether these abnormalities are a cause or a result of the disease. What we know about ulcerative colitis is that it is not caused by emotional distress or sensitivity to certain foods or food products, but these factors may trigger symptoms in some people. Such factors are also found among IBS sufferers. However unlike IBS, ulcerative colitis may also cause problems such as arthritis, inflammation of the eye, liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis), osteoporosis, skin rashes, and anemia. Scientists think these complications may occur when the immune system triggers inflammation in other parts of the body. Some of these problems go away when the colitis is treated. The reason for this theory that IBS is a form of colitis is because the irritation takes place in the colon as fecal materials pass through on their way toward the anus. The contractions and movement of materials through the colon is called colon motility. These contractions are controlled by nerves and hormones, and by electrical activity in the colon muscle. Researchers have found that the colon muscle is more e...

Quotes From the Movie Scrooge

Quotes From the Movie Scrooge Nothing can be more entertaining on Christmas Eve than a light musical comedy. Scrooge, a 1970 movie adapted from Charles Dickenss famous novel, A Christmas Carol, is fun and entertaining. The 1843 novel is a now well-known  redemption tale  of the wicked Ebenezer Scrooge. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by spirits, including his former business partner Jacob Marley, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come. In the 1970 movie adaptation, Albert Finney, who plays the role of Scrooge, steals the show with his scintillating performance. Here is a story being retold in a colorful ensemble. You cannot help asking for more. Read these Scrooge quotes and savor the finest moments of the movie. Ebenezer Scrooge As for you, nephew, if you were in my will, Id disinherit you! Go, and redeem some other promising young creature, but leave me to keep Christmas in my own way. [to Bob Cratchit] Well, my friend, Im not going to beat around the bush. Im simply not going to stand this sort of thing any longer. Which leaves me no choice, but to raise your salary. Fifteen shillings a week, a wife and five children...and he still talks of a Merry Christmas! How shall I ever understand this world? There is nothing on which it is so hard as poverty, and yet, there is nothing it condemns with such severity as the pursuit of wealth. The Ghost of Jacob Marley Hello, Ebenezer. Ive been waiting here for you; I heard you were coming down, today. Thought Id be here to greet you; show you to your new office... no one else wanted to. See the phantoms filling the sky around you. They astound you, I can tell, these inhabitants of hell. Poor wretches whom the hand of heaven ignores. Beware, beware, beware, lest their dreadful fate be yours! The Ghost of Christmas Present There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is to try to do as much as you can in the time that you have. Remember Scrooge, time is short, and suddenly, youre not here anymore. Tom Harry, Ive visited you every Christmas for the past five years, and to this day I can never understand this extraordinary ritual of toasting the health of your old uncle Ebenezer. I mean, everyone knows hes the most miserable old skinflint that ever walked Gods earth. Mr. Jorkin [about Scrooge and Marley] In short, gentlemen, if you want to save the fair name of the company by accepting their generous offer, they become the company!​ Tiny Tim God bless us, every one! The Spirit of Christmas Present Come in! Come in, and know me better, man!

Implementing PING Without Using Raw Sockets

Implementing PING Without Using Raw Sockets Windows supports an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) to determine whether or not a particular host is available.  ICMP is a network layer protocol that delivers flow control, error messages, routing, and other data between Internet hosts. ICMP is primarily used by application developers for a network ping. What Is a Ping? A ping is the process of sending an echo message to an IP address and reading the reply to verify a connection between TCP/IP hosts. If you are writing a new application, you will be better to use the Winsock 2 raw sockets support, implemented in  Indy, for example. Please note, however, that for Windows NT and Windows 2000 implementations, Raw Sockets are subject to security checks and are accessible only to members of the administrators group. Icmp.dll provides functionality that allows developers to write Internet ping applications on Windows systems without Winsock 2 support.   Note that the Winsock 1.1 WSAStartup function must be called prior to using the functions exposed by ICMP.DLL. If you do not do this, the first call to IcmpSendEcho will fail with error 10091 (WSASYSNOTREADY). Below you can find the Ping units source code. Here are two examples of usage. Example 1: Code Snippet uses Ping;...​const ADP_IP 208.185.127.40; (* http://delphi.about.com *)beginIf Ping.Ping(ADP_IP) then ShowMessage(About Delphi Programming reachable!);end; Example 2: Console Mode  Delphi Program Our next example is a console mode Delphi program  that uses the Ping unit:  . Heres  the Ping units source: unit Ping;​interfaceusesWindows, SysUtils, Classes;typeTSunB packed records_b1, s_b2, s_b3, s_b4: byte;end;TSunW packed records_w1, s_w2: word;end;PIPAddr ^TIPAddr;TIPAddr recordcase integer of0: (S_un_b: TSunB);1: (S_un_w: TSunW);2: (S_addr: longword);end;IPAddr TIPAddr;function IcmpCreateFile : THandle; stdcall; external icmp.dll;function IcmpCloseHandle (icmpHandle : THandle) : boolean;stdcall; external icmp.dllfunction IcmpSendEcho(IcmpHandle : THandle; DestinationAddress : IPAddr;RequestData : Pointer; RequestSize : Smallint;RequestOptions : pointer;ReplyBuffer : Pointer;ReplySize : DWORD;Timeout : DWORD) : DWORD; stdcall; external icmp.dll;function Ping(InetAddress : string) : boolean;implementationusesWinSock;function Fetch(var AInput: string;const ADelim: string ;const ADelete: Boolean true): string;variPos: Integer;beginif ADelim #0 then begin// AnsiPos does not work with #0iPos : Pos(ADelim, AInput);end else beginiPos : Pos(ADelim, AInput);end;if iPos 0 the n beginResult : AInput;if ADelete then beginAInput : ;end;end else beginresult : Copy(AInput, 1, iPos - 1);if ADelete then beginDelete(AInput, 1, iPos Length(ADelim) - 1);end;end;end;procedure TranslateStringToTInAddr(AIP: string; var AInAddr);varphe: PHostEnt;pac: PChar;GInitData: TWSAData;beginWSAStartup($101, GInitData);tryphe : GetHostByName(PChar(AIP));if Assigned(phe) thenbeginpac : phe^.h_addr_list^;if Assigned(pac) thenbeginwith TIPAddr(AInAddr).S_un_b do begins_b1 : Byte(pac[0]);s_b2 : Byte(pac[1]);s_b3 : Byte(pac[2]);s_b4 : Byte(pac[3]);end;endelsebeginraise Exception.Create(Error getting IP from HostName);end;endelsebeginraise Exception.Create(Error getting HostName);end;exceptFillChar(AInAddr, SizeOf(AInAddr), #0);end;WSACleanup;end;function Ping(InetAddress : string) : boolean;varHandle : THandle;InAddr : IPAddr;DW : DWORD;rep : array[1..128] of byte;beginresult : false;Handle : IcmpCreateFile;if Handle INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE thenExit;TranslateStringToTInAddr(InetAddres s, InAddr);DW : IcmpSendEcho(Handle, InAddr, nil, 0, nil, rep, 128, 0);Result : (DW 0);IcmpCloseHandle(Handle);end;​end.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Improving the Digital Divide Essay

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Improving the Digital Divide - Essay Example This paper will begin with the statement that today Information Technology is a vital component in the daily lives of a majority of Americans. Statistics show that the fraction of the population that has internet access stands at more than half, while those that own computers stands at two thirds. The computers are used both within households and at places of work. As a result, computers greatly influence their jobs, their leisure time activities, communication patterns and their access and distribution of information. The growth and diffusion of Information Technology use across the globe have resulted in it becoming a key element in governance, financial activities and social aspects of people’s lives. It is extensively used by individuals, firms, and governments for virtually all kind of transactions. This is mostly the case in the developed world. Computers and mobile phones have become imperative to nearly all aspects of life, including daily activities such as working, f orming relationships, communicating and spending leisure time. The development of Information Technology and its spread across the globe has however not happened in uniformity. As a result, some sections of the global population remain lagging behind others, in terms of the use and access to Information Technology. The difference between the two sections can be loosely referred to as the digital divide. The gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels, with regard both to their opportunities to access information and communication technologies (ICTs), and to their use of the internet for a wide variety of activities. The digital divide reflects various differences within countries. In an article ran in the Sydney Morning Herald, O’Leary intimates that a study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that at least 21 percent of Australians did not have access to the internet within their homes. Additionally, som e groups within society had less access to the internet compared to others. This included the people living with disabilities whose access rate stood at only 62 percent, for the indigenous Australians, they were reported to be only 24 percent more likely the internet as the non-indigenous Australians to have easy access to the internet. This reveals a huge gap in the access levels that traverses beyond just geographical location. Further, the Organization for Economic Co-operation provides the results of a study that seeks to identify any such disparities in access to Information Technology within the American society. The result is a glaring confirmation that indeed some sections of the society are less likely to have access to Information Technology either by their race, or geographical location among other factors. Advantages of Bridging the Digital Divide American poet Robin Morgan deems that â€Å"information is power†. This underscores the significance of access to info rmation in the contemporary world.

Environmental & Social Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental & Social Change - Essay Example Skeptics of global warming are especially prominent in the US that explains the reason why the country did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, since the signing, the US has increased emissions by 20% with Europe reducing emissions by 2%. An answer to this is to be found through a combination of scientific understanding of global warming and interesting ideas in sociology. Global warming is a result of the inability by Americans to deal with the individualistic consumer culture, as well as the lag time present between emission and the production of global warming, which takes approximately 50 years. The US society is in the throes of individualism and consumerism that makes it difficult to accept or grasp that going for bigger cars and houses, â€Å"better food†, and frequent flights are an irresponsibility that has huge ramifications. Culture, inevitably, is always lagging behind reality that is always changing in the economic, social, and environmental environments (Art 33). This leads to increased difficulty that weakens the capability of the political system in dealing with the issues. The US culture is behind the scientific understanding and knowledge of the country’s environment. The individual’s culture involves an uncomfortable mix of doxa, habitus, and field (Art 34). The three components are interactive in a manner that perpetuates cultural behavior and assumptions even when there are changing realities, which often result in people acting in a way that is not in their best interest. Field can be defined as the intellectual or social arena where individuals spend their active hours; for example, their job, their social group, their profession, or their intellectual profession (Art 44). For the youth, the field is usually their schools. The field, in sum, is constitutive of the realities that govern one’s daily existence where the focus is on the efforts