Machiavelli: The Realist Essay

Political realism did not become a popular concept until it was discussed by Niccolà ² Machiavelli, making him one of the most influential philosophers. According to another philosopher, Francis Bacon, Machiavelli was â€Å"the founder of a new, objective science of politics, concerned not with what should be, but with what is, not with hopes and fears, but with practical realities† (Wootton XXXVII). Machiavelli’s handbook for princes, titled The Prince, takes the world as it is and gives advice through the discussion of real world examples. Max Lerner, the deceased American journalist, once stated, â€Å"May I venture a guess as to the reason why we still shudder slightly at Machiavelli’s name†¦ It is our recognition that the realities he describes are realities; that men, whether in politics, in business, or in private life, do not act according to their professions of virtue.† When people read Machiavelli’s text they are astounded by some of his remarks. However, he persistently uses examples to validate that what he is saying. Although people may not want to accept his comments, he is merely making observations. Throughout his handbook, it is made evident that Machiavelli is indeed a realist. Throughout his handbook, Machiavelli makes it evident that he is indeed a realist through his examination of why a commitment to integrity and virtue is not possible for successful leadership, but deception, cruelty, and war are essential. The essential perception of reporting what actually occurs is expressed by Machiavelli. In explaining his purpose for writing The Prince, he states, â€Å"But my hope is to write a book that will be useful, at least to those who read it intelligently, and so I thought it sensible to go straight to a discussion of how things are in real life and not waste time with a discussion of an imaginary world† (Machiavelli 48). Unlike most other philosophers, Machiavelli does not believe in creating a utopia. He prefers to state the truth and make conclusions based on real events, which is exactly what he does throughout the text. According to Machiavelli: Many authors have constructed imaginary republics and principalities that have never existed in practice and never could; for the gap between how people actually behave and how they ought to behave is so great that anyone who ignores everyday reality in order to live up to an ideal will soon discover he has been taught how to destroy himself, not how to preserve himself. (Machiavelli 48) Machiavelli uses examples from the present time as well as the past to illustrate his advice for the princes. For example, Machiavelli refers to a contemporary Italian prince, whom he feels is a model of the ideal prince, on several occasions. His name is Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI. One time Machiavelli refers to him is when discussing individuals who acquire principalities through fortune. Instead of creating a hypothetical situation in which a person receives principalities through luck and making up possible outcomes, Machiavelli directly cites Borgia who received land from his father. He asserts, â€Å"Cesare Borgia, who was called Duke Valentino by the common people, acquired his state thanks to the good fortune of his father, and when that came to an end he lost it† (Machiavelli 22). By using real occurrences, Machiavelli’s advice becomes more convincing. The people know that he is basing his guidance on events which have actually taken place, and therefore they accept more of what he has to say. Machiavelli’s criticism of human nature is infamous for the obvious reason that he bashes humans. The words he uses to describe humans all have a negative connotation. While they may seem incredibly harsh, he is only stating the truth. Machiavelli explains, â€Å"For of men one can, in general, say this: They are ungrateful, fickle, deceptive and deceiving, avoiders of danger, eager to gain† (Machiavelli 52). While some may argue that they do not possess these negative characteristics, Machiavelli disagrees arguing that while they may not show them, they are capable of them. He continues on to describe humans as being self-preserved. â€Å"As long as you serve their interests, they are devoted to you. They promise you their blood, their possessions, their lives, and their children, as I said before, so long as you seem to have no need of them. But as soon as you need help, they turn against you† (Machiavelli 52). People are willing to give up all that they have, but when the time comes to actually give their belongings away, they run away. This assumption that humans are being of pitiless self-interest follows with political realism. Machiavelli furthers his negative remarks about human beings when he discusses virtue. Based on Machiavelli’s use of the word virtue, he seems to be referring to qualities that would earn praise. He states several praiseworthy characteristics that most humans would think are beneficial to possess. Machiavelli continues pointing out: Now I know everyone will agree that if a ruler could have all the good qualities I have listed and none of the bad ones, then this would be an excellent state of affairs. But one cannot have all the good qualities, nor always act in a praiseworthy fashion, for we do not live in an ideal world. (Machiavelli 48) While his point is intended for princes, it can be applied to humans as well. His earlier case about humans being self-absorbed and fickle can apply here as well. He acknowledges that it would be better for society if everyone acted virtuously, but it is not an ideal world. Therefore, since not everyone can possess only good qualities, he turns to a blatant reality that people must be deceiving. They need to pretend to have positive characteristics in order to fool those who oppose them. He believes the good traits are more advantageous if a person merely seems to possess them. A person should seem to be compassionate, trustworthy, sympathetic, honest, and religious instead of actually being those things. Machiavelli makes clear that virtue is not possible for a prince to be successful. He emphasizes the need for deception, and then moves on to discuss cruelty. Machiavelli explains that while it is good to be loved by your people, it is better to be feared. This is because men who love you will remain loyal until they fear their interests are at stake and run away. If the men are afraid of you, then they will not be able to run away because their fear will restrain them. Machiavelli states, â€Å"†¦for it is impossible to keep an army united and ready for action without acquiring a reputation for cruelty† (Machiavelli 52). If a prince wants control and order, then he needs to be feared. According to Machiavelli, cruelty is the way to achieve this goal and is essential if a prince wishes to maintain his power. The third necessity for a prince to remain a leader is to be powerful during war. Machiavelli, who clearly believes it is important to refer to the past as a guide, advises rulers to read history books and study the actions of men who succeeded. He declares, â€Å"[A ruler] should see how they conducted themselves when at war, study why they won some battles and lost others, so he will know what to imitate and what to avoid† (Machiavelli 47). By learning about past leaders, a prince can imitate the actions of historical figures who are admirable in order to make himself better. Machiavelli’s emphasis on war may come from the fact that, during this time, Italy is in pieces, and he wishes for it to be united. He encourages rulers to â€Å"only think of military matters† and states that â€Å"in time of peace he should be even more occupied with them than in time of war† (Machiavelli 46). A prince should constantly be a step ahead of his enemies, and, therefore, needs to persistently focus on how he can be better prepared for war. By having a good army and a set plan, a ruler is able to maintain his power. Although many people criticize Machiavelli for his outrageous political realism, he was discussing the truth about reality. Some people may see it as harsh, but sometimes the truth hurts. Machiavelli states, â€Å"So it is necessary for a ruler, if he wants to hold on to power, to learn how not to be good, and to know when it is and when it is not necessary to use this knowledge† (Machiavelli 48). He explains in depth why honesty and virtue are not factors in determining a prince’s success. Instead, a prince needs to be deceiving, cruel, and a powerful military ruler in order to keep his power. Works Cited Machiavelli, Niccolà ². The Prince. Trans. David Wootton. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1995. Print.

Eddie and Beatrice Essay

During the dance between Catherine and Rodolpho, Marco has a short conversation with Eddie and Beatrice. Eddie becomes jealous when Marco brags how well Rodolpho can cook.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"We eat very well on the boat – especially when Rodolpho comes along; everybody gets fat†.  Eddie outbursts with jealousy towards Rodolpho saying he â€Å"can’t cook, he can’t sing and he can’t make dresses†.  Beatrice and Marco realised that whilst he was saying all of this that Eddie was twisting a newspaper into a tight roll. Eddie then goes on taking pity on himself.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"If I could cook, if I could sing, if I could make dresses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  As Eddie goes on he gets more and more frustrated and agitated, eventually the newspaper snapped in half. Eddie mentions boxing to Marco. Marco felt uneasy due to the fact he knew Eddie was frustrated. Eddie soon gets to his point across he wants to teach Rodolpho boxing. knowing full well that what he had in mind. Beatrice asked  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What’s he got to learn that for?†Ã‚  As she tries to come up with a reason not to teach him boxing.  Eddie begins to teach Rodolpho how to lead with his left hand and to block. After all this Eddie temps Rodolpho to hit him. â€Å"Come on kid, put sump’m behind it†Ã‚  Rodolpho swings aggressively at Eddie’s jaw and grazes it. This heats up the tension even more. The audience expects a fight as Eddie should react to the blow. Eddie however does react but pretends that it is an accident but you can see that this is not the case. The effect of Eddie’s punch on Rodolpho was so fierce that the other characters was totally disgusted by it an knew that it was necessary. Catherine runs to Rodolpho’s aid and Marco rises and Beatrice tells Eddie,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"That’s enough.†Ã‚  The audience might have expected this part of the scene to result in a big fight due to the unnecessary force Eddie used. They were stunned to see Rodolpho smirk and say,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I was only surprised.† Marco then challenges Eddie. This was a test of strength in which Eddie does not win.  Marco displays his strength to all of the characters. Marco show off his strength and also warn off Eddie using a glare of warning which quickly reverts to a smile of triumph.  This makes the audience feel sorry for Eddie because Marco was now the superior strength in the Carbone household. The audience were left in the dark as the scene ends with Marco holding a chair above Eddie’s head. Arthur Miller has created the dramatic scene ending.  The instant difference between the end of Act I and the end of Act II is that at the end of Act I Marco proves his stength.

Article Critique

The association between suicidal ideation, friendships with delinquents, and social/parental connectedness in high-risk youth is poorly understood (Logan, Crosby, Hamburger, 2011). The participants include 2,598 pre/early adolescents, but no further information is described regarding the individuals. The results are included: After adjusting for demographic and mental distress factors, suicidal ideation was positively associated with having delinquent friends; yet, after factoring in substance abuse and mental distress, this was negative for males (Logan, Crosby, Hamburger). Furthermore, after adjusting for all factors (demographic, mental distress, illicit substance abuse, and peer/date violence victimization), suicidal ideation was negatively associated with school and parental connectedness, but a higher association did exist for females (Logan, Crosby, Hamburger). The significance levels are not reported. Future research is touched on in the conclusion; potential benefits may exist in increasing school connectedness and improving parenting strategies, especially for females, as well as the improving the violence and substance-abuse prevention strategies, especially for males, connected with delinquent peers (Logan, Crosby, Hamburger). After reading the entire article and re-reading the abstract, it remains clear and provides a good relevant description of the problem under study. The purpose is also clear. The specific hypothesis is not clearly stated, however. The research questions are not clearly stated, but can be interpreted. The review is objective and unbiased, but does not contain any alternative viewpoints. Methods The participants are identified: English-speaking students enrolled in grades 7, 9, 11, and 12 at all 16 public schools within a school district (ranking among the 25 nationally highest in poverty, highest 15 in single-parent families, highest 10 in serious crime rates, and the highest 35 in unemployment rate). The number of the entire population is not stated here, but that only data from grades 7 and 9 are used in the study; (3,314 in 7th grade and 2,598 in 9th grade). The participants were selected for the study by voluntarily completing an anonymous self-administered 174-item questionnaire. 78% participated and each student received a $5 gift card for returning the parental permission form and another $5 gift card after completing the survey (Logan, Crosby, Hamburger). There is no mention of approval from the Institutional Review Board. The variables of interest included the following: friendships with delinquents, parental caring and supervision, social support, school connectedness, and number of perceived close friends. Each of the aforementioned variables were further divided as well. The outcome variable, suicidal ideation, was dichotomized: did or did not seriously consider attempting suicide within the 12 months prior to completing the survey. Three analyses were conducted: (1) basic descriptive analyses to characterize the population (including logistic regression to assess crude associations between each characteristic and the outcome variable; associations were reported via odds ratio); (2) logistic regression to determine the associations of each connectedness variable with the outcome variable, adjusting for potential confounding factors; and (3) interaction terms were added to each model-building step that adjusted for demographic actors between the main variables and the outcome variable by sex (Logan, Crosby, Hamburger, 2011). Enough information to replicate the design is not provided, nor is the data analysis plan. Results Descriptive results are reported in a table, including demographics. A lot of information from the tables is not described in the text, but the tables can be interpreted stand alone. The results are written in plain English: 17% had seriously considered suicide within the previous year; 71% had delinquent friends; 66% experienced peer or date abuse within the previous year; 53% experienced mental distress within the previous 30 days; 12% drank alcohol within the previous year; 10% used illicit drugs within the previous year; 80% felt connected to school; 70% felt they had moderate to high levels of social support; and 63% felt they had parents who cared about them and supervised their activities.

Is the war on Terrosim a lost cause Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Is the war on Terrosim a lost cause - Essay Example It is imperative, before coming to a valid conclusion, to take an appraisal of a few facts. When it comes to the loss of manpower and resources, the statistics pertaining to the War on terror are disheartening. Since 2 January 2009, nearly 4,219 US army personnel have lost life in Iraq (Huffpost World 1). As per the National Priorities Project, roughly speaking, till now, $ 585 Billion have been spent by America on this war (Huffpost World 1). The sunny side of the issue is that since 9/11, primarily attributed to the War on terror, no major terrorist strike has taken place in the United States. First and foremost, the War on terror is fundamentally a great success because it is being waged to support a just and moral cause. In his article published in ‘International Affairs’, Anthony Burke declares the War on terror to be a just war preferable to an ethical but impotent peace (Burke 330). It is true that America is an economic and capitalist success. Yet, it is also tru e that Americans do have the capacity to stand for and fight for the values and morals that they essentially uphold and believe in. There is no denying the fact that terrorism is a sinister evil that intends to destroy and demolish the very fundamentals of the contemporary civilized world. The people who attacked the American lives and property on 9/11 were evil people and what they did do deserves to be checked and attacked. So from a strictly moralistic perspective, any act and war initiated and carried on to annihilate terrorism is just and positive, irrespective of the mixed results and costs it comes with. This war needs to be evaluated on the basis of the extent to which it has diluted the jihadist networks. The War on terror is somewhat different from the conventional wars in the sense that considering the deceptively undefined and segregated nature of the pursued enemy, it is not bound to have clear losers and winners. The War on Terror is not primarily about winning, but ab out achieving the desirable tactical and strategic objectives, which it certainly has succeeded in achieving (Martin 15). The jihadist and terrorist elements affiliated to Al Qaeda have safe havens in Iraq, Afghanistan and other Middle East nations. If left to themselves, they do have the potential to regroup and plan and to execute terrorist attacks against the US and other nations from these safe havens. Isn’t the elimination of Osama Bin Laden, the poster boy of international terrorism, by US forces in Pakistan and the dilution of many top Al Qaeda terrorists by the American forces in varied parts of the world, a sign of great success (Partlow 2)? What the War of terror has done and is doing it to keep the jihadist elements flustered and harassed in their safe heavens, while significantly eliminating their cadre and top leadership. The continuation of the War on terror is also essential to protect and safeguard the finite oil resources of the world. Many say that America i s fighting this war to capture oil (The Debate 1). Even if this aspersion is true, what is wrong with it? Oil is the lifeblood of not only the American economy, but also of most of the other developed and developing economies. One could definitely imagine the havoc that will be let lose, if the international community allows the jihadist elements a complete sway over this region rich in oil wealth. It is also clear what these terrorist groups will do with the wealth amassed from

Al Qaeda and the US Strategy for Combating Terrorism Assignment

Al Qaeda and the US Strategy for Combating Terrorism - Assignment Example Gallaher’s take on this issue of patriot movement is that of several stages, but he clarifies that it has no clear indication on the point in time when it occurred first. There are two major themes that stand out in this issue despite there being a misunderstanding between scholars and political analysts. The themes are; firstly, the origin of the movement is related directly to the current destruction of the welfare of the modern state particularly in the rural areas of America. The other is the political economy’s formation of the groups that mobilize themselves for movements. A series of movements have happened like in the 1790s, there were whiskey rebels, like in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Ohio. Patriot movement is said to have first emerged in the legacy of Roosevelt’s deal that occurred between the state and producers and the subsequent fallout. Informants have on several occasions cited the New Deal by Roosevelt as the beginning of the pro blems that currently exist in America. One of the cases that may have come from this deal is the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) Movements that were antigovernment continued to escalate. The magnitude of the patriot movement organizations increased a big deal and in accordance to Wright, the number of groups for the patriot movement rose from 224 in the year 1995 to a high number of 858 in 1996. However, after the year 1996, there was a steady decline from this number of 858 to as low as 194 groups in the early 2000s. Arresting of group leaders is highly seen to be the cause of the decline. (Wright, 2007 p202)   There are extremist pools that are still in existence which include remaining parts of racial supremacist communities, patriot movements, and other newer movements. They have proliferated antigovernment movements as well as theories of racial conspiracy. There are publications that exist like, â€Å"The Turner Diaries and the Myth of the Six Million† that still co ntinue to bring about anti-semantic extremism and racial extremism as well. (Buxton and Provenzo, 2010 p316) In the USA, there exists hate-mongering kind of groups of reform and extreme right seeking. There are quite a good number of Dissident Right Social types of movements such as patriot movements and religious groups like the Christian movement. The Extreme Right Dissident Right movements have been considered the same by scholars. Racism movements are grouped under Extreme Right movements. Patriotic movements and armed citizen  militias are included under the same kind of movements; Dissident Right movements for social purposes and thus patriotic movements could breed terrorism. (Berlet, 2011) In the USA the Nazi group is not a new thing since they were there in the 1920s. They were part of the NSGWP (National Socialist German Workers Party) of the US. It also merged with another Tentomia society so as to come up with German-American Bund. They (these groups) got to higher lev els of popularity in the 1930s which was rather considered controversial. They faded during the times of the Second World War. They were abandoned due to the forced dismantling of the same. As the 21st century set in, Neo-Nazi groups have cropped up together with white separatist, white supremacist, anti-semantic as well as fascist groups. These are said to be allies and share a lot in common to the Nazism ideologies.

Strategic Leadership - Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Strategic Leadership - - Case Study Example Routines Creation of the Central Research Laboratory enabled 3M to learn outside its defined domain by looking on opportunities generated by both external demand and internal capacity (Bartlett & Mohammed 3). Substantial organizational slack manifested through the policy encouraging researchers to spend up to 15% of their time pursuing projects of interest to them (Bartlett & Mohammed 4). Identifying and developing innovations arising from projects even when no large market potential was evident (Bartlett & Mohammed 4) Continued organic growth and spurning off of new groups, divisions and products strengthened 3M through increased product variation. Culture Creativity was encouraged via institutionalized individual entrepreneurship (Bartlett & Mohammed 2) Informal recognition given to maverick employees through semi-legend stories that were circulated in the company to encourage individual persistence and commitment to innovation (Bartlett & Mohammed 5). Tolerance for what McKnight referred to as â€Å"well-intentioned failure† and risk taking was encouraged as shown by management supporting those who were involved in failed projects quickly move on to something new (Bartlett & Mohammed 5). 3M has been able to retain its market leadership through technological innovation, market responsiveness and institutionalized entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship by its very nature is characterized by high risk and possibility of failure. Therefore it is necessary to have a management that encourages employees to innovate through incentives, and giving them time to actually pursue these innovative projects. Innovation requires research, which is resource intensive, therefore the company needed to ensure that these resources are available by making huge investments in R&D such as in the development of the Central Research Laboratory. However, we must note that this is a business where the ultimate goal is to maximize on shareholder return. Thus giving each of these innovative divisions a clear set of corporate financial performance targets ensures that they self-monitor themselves, by investing only in those products that show promise of a return. If say, 3M lacked this form of financial targets for each of its divisions we would probably see some divisions becoming less accountable than others. Is 3M an â€Å"innovation factory,† or does it work by a different model? And are those at 3M â€Å"T-shaped†? 3M is an innovation factory because we can identify within it the four intertwined work practices that characterize such a factory namely: capturing good ideas (3M spans multiple markets with multiple business units), keeping ideas alive (3M has a database containing over 25 years of information on hundreds of projects), imagining new uses for old ideas (3M encourages cross-functional interaction among all its divisions) and putting promising concepts to the test (3M encourages development of innovations from projects ev en when no large market potential is evident) (Hargadon & Sutton 324). The staff at 3M is T-shaped. This is so because we can identify several of the approaches highlighted by Hansen and von Oetinger as necessary for an organization to have so that its staff can effectivel be T-shaped. Firstly, we see that 3M constructed a facility at Austin, Texas whose specific purpose was to facilitate cross-functional interaction and encourage teamwork (Bartlett & Mohammed 12) which is line with the formalization of cross-unit

Industry Assignment #2 Volkswagen AG Group Essay

Industry Assignment #2 Volkswagen AG Group - Essay Example Volkswagen with it's headquarter in Wolfsburg is one of the world's leading automobile manufacturers and the largest car producer in Europe. It operates 44 manufacturing facilities in 12 countries in Europe and in a further six countries in America, Asia and Africa. While the Company operates in two divisions, Automotive and Financial Services, our research is focused on its car manufacturing division. Volkswagen AG ('Company') is engaged in the manufacture and sale of automobiles worldwide. The Company's brands cut across different vehicle classes, from the top luxury class occupied by the Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini models, down to the bottom class where Skoda, Seat and Volkswagen are positioned. But the Volkswagen and Audi brands in particular cut right across the vertical class range. Each brand has maintained its own individual character and operates independently in the market. Its diverse range of brands gives the Company a critical competitive advantage. While it is difficult to track consumer habits in a rapidly evolving automobile market, price competitiveness will certainly remain a critical success factor. The mass-market consumers are likely to make product selections based on the price competitiveness, fuel efficiency and liberal credit availability. Valued-added features, more lucrative sales incentives to dealers, extended warranty coverage will emerge as some of the means to retain and increase market share in this extremely price sensitive market segment. Strategies of Volkswagen For many decades, Volkswagen was a classical single product mass manufacturer of Beetle brand; thus achieving a high level of inflexible and dedicated automation. In the late nineties, while the Company continued to focus on scale economies it changed its strategy from being a single product manufacture to a modern volume manufacturer offering a range of vehicles for different section of the market. A multi-brand strategy gives a clear market positioning. Volkswagen keeps adjusting its structure and strategies to cope up with the dynamics of car manufacturing industry. As per the Porter's 5 force model, the profit potential of an industry depends on the combined strength of the following five basic competitive forces: 1. Rivalry among existing firms 2. Threat to new entrants 3. Pressure from substitute products 4. Bargaining power of buyers 5. Bargaining powers of sellers According to Michael Porter, any company in any industry can achieve a competitive advantage through cost leadership, product differentiation and market segmentation. Volkswagen is a good example of proving Porter's theory. The Company has followed the strategy of product differentiation and market segmentation to achieve the competitive advantage. The following section highlights the strategies followed by Volkswagen to achieve its competitive advantage in the dynamic car manufacturing industry. Multi-Brand Strategy Volkswagen's brands cut across different vehicle classes, from the top luxury class occupied by the Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini models, down to the bottom class where Skoda, Seat and Volkswagen are positioned. However, each brand has maintained its own individual character and operates independently in the market. This multi-brand strategy enables the Company to generate economies of scale and to fill up price gaps and quality gaps

Any issue you are interested Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Any issue you are interested - Research Paper Example The variables covered by the article include the level of social media involvement in journalism, changes in the traditional media platform as a result of social media growth. The research question in the article is â€Å"has social media created a need for re-conceptualization of mass communication and journalism?† the sampling method employed is the use of surveys while the data analysis involved deriving measures of central tendency and regression analysis. The findings show that social media is reshaping journalism and the relay of information. The article lays a basis for the research on the influence of social media on news reporting. Fortunati, L., Sarrica, M., OSullivan, J., Balcytiene, A., Harro-Loit, H., Macgregor, P., . . . Luca, F. D. â€Å"The Influence of the Internet on European Journalism.† Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 38.2 (2003): 928–963. Print The article investigates the perception and evaluation of changes brought about by Internet integration in newsrooms. It evaluates how European journalists perceive the features and innovation in the digital media. The focus of the research is on the view and perception of European journalists about Internet usage in news rooms. The research questions are: How are the features and innovation associated with the Internet perceived by European journalist? What are the main changes that occurred or may occur in the various fields of the profession since the advent of the internet? Forty of the most read newspapers based on print sales were selected and participants cover 11 European countries. The research method employed was the use of questionnaires. The data collected was analyzed using regression and factor analysis. The findings show that the Internet has shaped journalism significantly. The article is the primary source for the research because it gives primary data of the study

Technology In Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Technology In Education - Research Paper Example From the discussion it is clear that  students are growing up with ideas of how to play educational games and also how to connect with the world beyond the classroom through popular social media sites. In the process of learning and reading, students are taught concepts like online privacy. Consequently, technology impacts on education at its foundation. Therefore, when the children get older, their time spent on computers significantly increases. To this end, they spend a great amount of time socializing with friends and online gaming.This paper stresses that learners are already skilled in using social media, therefore, the education system is trying to make education curriculum interesting by incorporating the social media savvy demographic. Consequently, some tutors are suggesting a controversial approach in which the school     curriculum adopts social media programs which will create relevancy for education to learners.  Educators communicate directly with leaders in th eir field and are able to compare educational techniques and curriculum through social media. Moreover, they use social sites to engage in innovative concepts as well as blogs to inform each other on new ideas globally. Teachers and professors are able to spread out a conversation to social media sites to create a global audience. To this end, it is evident that the impact of social media in education is creating an educational revolution.

Bronchodilator Essay Example for Free

Bronchodilator Essay By definition, a bronchodilator is a drug used for the treatment of chronic breathing complications such as emphysema, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease also known as COPD. Bronchodilators are used to reverse the effect of obstructed airways acting as decompressor and mucus removers that cause breathing complications. There is short term or short acting bronchodilators that act as â€Å"rescue medications† (Webmd. com). These rescue medications are used in more emergency instances as with asthma. Long-acting bronchodilators are used for the maintance of such diseases as COPD which is more chronic. Each bronchodilator type â€Å"opens bronchial tubes so that air can move through†¦. And help clear mucus from lungs (webmd. com). Bronchodilators such as uniphyl and Phyllocontin come in the form of a pill or tablet and are a sustained release formulation of another drug called Theophylline which opens constricted lung passages. These are more long term treatments. Short term or more frequent usage as with advair, symbicort, serevent, Foradil, are inhaled and last between two and four hours while long term tablets use lasts upwards of 12 hours. Although bronchodilators provide control over congested airways, they also act as stimulants and have an array of side effects. These side effects include: nervousness, hyperactivity, heart palpations, upset stomach, trouble sleeping, and muscle aches. Bronchodilators are approved by the FDA and originated in emergency room settings, where the necessity was abundant for chronic asthma attack patients. Albuterol, commonly used for the maintenance of asthma in an inhaler form is often however more effective than most other long acting bronchodilators. Albuterol is considered an anticholinergic bronchodilator. As previously mentioned, theophylline, an inexpensive bronchodilator acts as a stimulant similar to caffeine. Theophylline stimulants the heart and nervous system, relaxing airway muscles. Some side effects of its use include nausea, diarrhea, stomach ache, headache, and irregular heartbeat. Some bronchodilators contain adrenaline so mixing with other stimulating drugs for the treatment of high blood pressure, diabetes; thyroid, hyperactivity, and heart disease are discouraged from the use of bronchodilators. Inhaled bronchodilators â€Å"enable the drug to reach into the lungs for maximum benefits† (medicine. net). It is a possibility to overdose on inhaled bronchodilators. Some signs of overdose include seizures, headaches, fainting and dizziness, and chest pains. If one is experiencing symptoms similar while using inhaled bronchodilators it is advised to visit a local emergency room or primary care physician. Alternate treatment conducive to bronchodilators includes pulmonary rehab and therapy. Excessive use of bronchodilators makes the treatments less effective and increases the probability of side effects. It is uncommon to have allergic reactions to bronchodilators but in the event, rash, itching, swelling and further complications occur, further use is discouraged. Some conditions treatable with bronchodilators are commonly COPD or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is â€Å"an irreversible disease associated with air flow obstruction†. (purdue. ca/products/products-asthma-asb) COPD umbrellas a category of other conditions such as emphysema, (irreversible lung damage/over inflation/weaking of air sacs) and chronic bronchitis (inflammation and scarring of airways tubes. Common symptoms of these conditions include: chronic chough, wheezing increased mucus, shortness of breath, and tiresome minimal activity. COPD is more predominantly caused by cigarette smoking however; other causes may include genetics, air pollution, cystic fibrosis, and childhood infections. Another condition treatable with bronchodilators is asthma. Asthma is also a chronic lung disease that causes swelling of the airways which creates complications with breathing. Causes of asthma are less solid than those of COPD but implicate being due to an† immune-mediated processing which inflammatory cells and inflammatory mediators enter airway tissues to cause disease† (purdue. ca/products/products-asthma. asp). One who is diagnosed with asthma often becomes sensitive to hair sprays, cosmetics, cleaners, paints, pollens, animals and cock roaches, chemicals, temperature, and even some foods, An asthma attack is experienced with shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightening, persistent coughed and dyspnea. Bronchodilators are most effectively used while avoiding things that further complicate breathing. This is especially true with cigarette smoke which should be avoided first and second hand. Bronchodilators work most when used according to prescription and consistency. One should always educate self when or before exposing the body to such drugs as bronchodilators which are often stimulants and cause brief and sudden body changes.

Ensuring Health And Safety At Workplaces

Ensuring Health And Safety At Workplaces Introduction In our day to day lives, accidents tend to occur under different circumstances some of which can be avoided. Most accidents are attributed to carelessness of which it is believed just a little carefulness could avoid and in the process reduce the many serious injuries incurred and even at times death or decapitation. Accidents are unplanned and unfortunate events that results in damage, injuries or upsets of some kind. This is the same even at workplaces. Most accidents at work places are sometimes as a result of carelessness. These accidents can be avoided if the following measures can be taken at the places of work. Management is committed to safety in the work place, employees are informed about accident prevention, consultation between the employer and employee takes place on a regular basis, there is a trusting relationship between the employer and staff and employees have actual input into the decision-making process. Employers and employees attitude towards accidents also contribute greatly towards preventing them from occurring. If both the employer and the employee approach safety at places of work with diligence, then these cases of accidents will be greatly reduced and inefficiency due to lose of time from work by employees will be avoided. The best method to achieve this is through cooperation of the two main partners (employer and employee who may be represented by unions), an approach known as the shared responsibility model. Workplace and Injury Hazards Accidents at work are sometimes caused by a complex combination of unsafe employee behavior and unsafe working conditions. Several factors contribute to the complexity of managing safety in the workplaces. These factors include effects of some industrial diseases dont show up for years, employers may cover up a health or safety problem before the inspector arrives, employers may fail to monitor or disclose health risks and employees may fail to follow safety practices at the workplaces or engage in dangerous behavior while at work. It is also critical that organizations consider the safety of members of the public who enter the company property. Awareness of health hazards is very important. Employers should give thought to preparing for emergency health hazards. While the number of workplace injuries may level off, the direct cost of injuries does not. Moreover, workplace injuries result in several indirect costs such as damages, recruitment, inefficiency and reduced production. Men are more than twice as likely as women to have a time loss injury while with reference to age, younger workers are most likely to be injured. Logging and forestry, construction, manufacturing and transportation are among the most dangerous industries and the most common types of injuries are strains and sprains followed by contusions, crushing or bruises. The most likely body parts to be injured are in order back followed by fingers then legs. Health Hazards Health hazards can be classified into four categories. Physical agents exposure to physical elements. Biological agents (Biohazards) exposure to natural organisms. Chemical agents exposure to chemical compounds or harmful toxic substances. Ergonomically related injuries work environment related including stress, strain, fatigue and back injuries. Across the country there is growing emphasis on the health of younger workers who are the most injured. The most common injuries affecting them include electrocution and machine injuries yet a number of them are not aware of their health and safety rights and responsibilities at the workplace. Safety Regulations Every employee has fundamental rights which are:- The right to know about hazards in the workplace. The right to participate in correcting the hazards. The right to refuse dangerous work. A key element of health and safety laws is joint occupational health and safety committee which is required in every workplace. Responsibilities of these committees include to meet at least once a month, to ensure adequate records are kept regarding accidents and health hazards, to investigate and resolve complaints by employees, to participate in investigations of health and safety-related injuries, to regularly monitor health and safety programs, to monitor records of injuries and illnesses, to cooperate with safety officers investigating a complaint or accident, to develop, establish and promote health and safety programs and procedures and to obtain information from the employer and government agencies concerning existing potential hazards in the workplace. Some other federal laws are:- The hazardous product act whose primary objective is protecting consumers by regulating the sale of dangerous products. Its an important part of the Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS), which requires that suppliers label all hazardous products and provide a material safety data sheet (MSDS), on each of them which contains hazard symbol, information on the properties and composition of the product, nature of the potential hazard that may result from misuse of the product and suggested emergency treatment procedure the employer must provide training to enable employees recognize the WHMIS hazard symbols. The transportation of dangerous goods act which makes transport Canada a federal government agency responsible for handling and transporting dangerous materials by federally regulated shipping and transportation companies. It requires that the carriers should be informed of dangerous goods which should be classified according to a coding system. The Canadian center for occupational health and safety act whose objectives are to promote health and safety in the workplace and the physical and mental health of the working populace in Canada, to facilitate consultation and cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial jurisdiction and to participate by labour and management in the relevant to the Canadian circles, to aid in the progress and maintenance of policies as well as programs tailored towards the elimination of occupational hazards and finally to serve as a national center for statistics and other information relating to occupational health and safety. The center is supervised by a board of governors made up of the federal government representatives, labor and employers. Organizations are now connected electronically with the center and have access to relevant information. Safety Enforcement In the federal jurisdiction all industrial units are inspected at least once a year to confirm their safe operation. The numbers of visits depend on units accidental records and its size. During these visits, the safety may at any time enter any property of business and are given a wide range of powers as stipulated in section 14 of the Canada labour code (part 2). No law by itself can make a workplace safe. It is far more effective not to mention less costly if the responsibility for safety becomes a concern for everyone starting with top managers going down to the supervisors and lastly the employees. The top managers must set policies and make concern for health and safety of the organizations culture and strategy while the supervisors must become proficient in maintaining safety which means knowing about health and safety laws and regulations and learning communications skills in order to convey the necessary information to employees. Employees are responsible for working safely. It is imperative to train the employees so that they comprehend safety rules on how to safely operate equipment. Good safety performances should be recognized and rewarded while unsatisfactory practices be documented and corrected. Human resource professionals should ensure consistent enforcement of all safety and health rules. This is achieved through creating a safety climate in the organization and conducting health and safety audits voluntarily or as a result of being targeted by government health and safety officials. Safety climates are becoming an important factor affecting safety knowledge and motivation. Workplace Stress Workplace stress occurs where there is pressure or unrealistic job demands than the worker can deliver within the required time. It is often the conflict between the employees ability and the job demands. Senior management officials are also recognizing the importance of health issues on employee performance. Stress symptoms involve both mental health and physical health. People who are stressed may become nervous, easily provoked to anger and chronically worried about things. Exposure to stressful working conditions called job stressors which can directly influence the health and safety of employees and this is what causes workplace stress. Frequently occurring stress is known as acute stress. The general and widely recognized cause of stress is change because it requires adaptation. A substantial and prolonged stress can bring about a condition of mental, emotional and sometimes physical exhaustion known as burnout. Slight stress improves performance due to the challenge until reac hes a plateau after which it becomes too great and performance starts to decline because the employee loses the ability to cope, becomes unable to make decisions and is erratic inn behavior. Solutions to workplace stress can be curative which correct the outcome of stress or preventive which attempt to change the cause of stress. In managing stress at work, the human resource department can come up with a stress audit to evaluate the extent of dysfunctional stress hence identify the cause of stress. Organizations can also introduce fitness and employee wellness programs. These programs have a positive impact on reducing stress and absenteeism and increasing productivity. Other contemporary workplace safety issues include workplace security, sick building syndrome, workplace violence and ergonomics. The human resource managers face challenges when they have an AIDS infected employee. Its a breach of human rights laws to discriminate against AIDS infected people but just in case the other employees refuse to work with that person the employer should establish a policy and have an action plan in place before such a case arises among employees or their dependant. It must be continually stressed that top managements involvement in setting a health and safety Policies are essential and if it does not assume the leadership role, it sets example by its inaction and middle managers, first line supervisors and employees will behave accordingly. It is important to have a control process in place. Causes of accidents should be identified and eliminated, an effective training exercise should be carried out, the human resource department should use its information system to monitor for patterns of accidents or health problems and finally management should continually encourage safety awareness on the part of super visors and employees. Conclusion Occupational health and safety continues to be an imperative part of the organizations operation. It is taking the centre stage in the priorities of the human resources management. Most of the occupational health and safety acts created by the federal and provincial governments now require the establishment of safety committees in companies. The prevention of accidents is therefore key to the human resource managers, who should also focus. AIDS at the workplace is an important issue and the human resource department needs to take measures to curb severe friction among work groups or irrational actions from frightened employees that may arise as a result of HIV and AIDS cases.

Animals :: Environment, Natural Disasters, Extinction

We all studied the extinction of dinosaurs in middle school. We know that, two hundred fifty million years ago, more than 90% of the planet species became extinct. There have been five major mass extinctions during the life history of planet earth. Scientists now agree that we are experiencing a sixth major extinction. The big difference between the older events and now is, â€Å"unlike earlier extinctions, this one results from the work of a single species, Homo sapiens. We are relentlessly taking over the planet, laying it to waste and eliminating most of our fellow species† (Coyne 1). We should care about this man-made extinction for a lot of reasons, including the interconnectedness of life, our moral obligation to take care of our planet, and even economic factors. In the past, extinctions were caused by natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions during the Permian period, and asteroid impact during the Cretaceous extinction. These major events caused global warming by increasing CO2 in the atmosphere, and shut down photosynthesis by blocking sunlight with a huge cloud of debris. Both of these catastrophes altered the Earth’s climate radically, which caused the extinctions (Campbell 521-522). The current extinction is not being caused by natural factors, but by us. â€Å"Rates of species extinction have increased rapidly since the early Holocene epoch, chiefly due to activities of humans; further acceleration of extinction rates began approximately 1600 AD, with the onset of accelerated human population growth and expanded scope of agriculture† (Hogan 1). We have caused this destruction by overfishing/hunting, destroying habitats, increasing global warming with fossil fuels and pollution, and a general disregard for the res t of the life on Earth (Coyne 1). For many years it was thought that humans had hunted the Wooly Mammoth to extinction. It has been found that â€Å"the wooly mammoth went extinct primarily because of habitat loss due to changes in temperature, while human hunting acted as the final straw† (â€Å"Climate Change and Human Hunting Combine To Drive The Woolly Mammoth Extinct† 1). Animals have been hunted for food, trophies, medicines, and souvenirs. Many of the endangered species are targets, such as the Chinese tiger, which has been hunted for medical use over the last 1000 years (Hogan 3). Overfishing has caused the populations of large fish to be only 10% of the levels found in 1950.

Morphine: Preventative Pain Control Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive

Morphine: Preventative Pain Control I. Introduction Narcotic analgesics, especially morphine are underused for pain control with in the medical field. This underuse is because medical professionals, including doctors, fear patient addiction, side effects and possible lose of their licenses. These fears deny adequate healing and a better quality of life to those who would benefit from a more effective use of these drugs, as done in hospice care. II. PAIN: Pain not only involves the physical reaction to damaged tissue, but also involves an emotional and cognitive response by the person experiencing the pain (Backer, 1994). A person's prior experience will influence how pain is managed. Pain is a signal that something is not quite right, and is one of the main reasons a person will seek out the attention of a doctor. Pain is also elusive. "It can't be seen or imagined, and measuring pain remains a subjective process," (Kohler, 1992). Although pain is elusive and subjective, it is still very real. Pain hurts. If left untreated, or inadequately treated, pain can overwhelm and consume a person's life. Instead of being a signal to a problem, pain becomes the problem. Various factors influence the pain a person feels when injured, sick or recovering from surgery. Different people have different thresholds of pain. A headache that sends one person to the medicine cabinet for aspirin may not bother another person. "Nonphysical factors, such as fear, anxiety, depression, and fatigue," (Backer, 1994) are also variables which influence reactions to the threshold pain. If an adolescent complains of a headache, and the parents' ask if she took something for it, she will more than likely take pain medication before complaining ... ... Herrera, Stephan. 1997, May 19. "The Myth of Morphine." Forbes. 258-59. Kohler, Steve. 1992. "Hard Cases" Outlook. 14-16,18-19. Martin, Edward W. 1996, April. "Pharmacological Management of Cancer Pain" http://biomedcs.biomed.brown.edu/RIMedicine/MARTIN.HTM. Sept. 25, 1997. McClesky, Ed. 1992. "The Root of Pain" Outlook. 17. Mdh@debug.cuc.ab.ca. 1994, Jan. 30. "Opioid FAQ" http://www.paranoia.com/drugs/opiate/FAQ-Opioid. Sept. 25, 1997. Moulin, Dwight, E., et al. 1996, Jan. 20. "Randomized Trial of Oral Morphine for Chronic Non-cancer Pain" The Lancet. 143-148. Murphy, Terence M. 1981. "Treatment of Chronic Pain" Anesthesia, vol. 2. Ed. Ronald D. Miller. Churchill Livingstone: New York, NY. National Cancer Institute. 1980. Coping with Cancer: A Resource for the Health Care Professional. National Institutes of Health: Bethesda, MD.

Easier to Learn Programming Languages :: Essays Papers

Easier to Learn Programming Languages In the old days computers had to be fed instructions by hand written on a strip of tape. Now computers do most of the grunt work automatically allowing the program to focus on the problem to be solved as opposed to telling the computer how to solve the problem. This way work is done on a computer much faster and easier then before. The different programming languages used to give the computers instructions have come very far from the original tapes used, and they are still progressing. New languages are easier to use and can accomplish quickly what used to take a very long time in older languages. However these newer languages are not perfect because they are often forced to sacrifice flexibility and control to allow things to be done faster. This is because in order to do instructions faster and more simply things have to be assumed by the compiler that would need be included in the code for a lower level programming language. This can be a good thing because it lets programs be written more quickly and easily, but it also takes these things out of the control of the user. This can lead to more stable code since the programmer cannot make mistakes in these parts, but then the programmer cannot change these things if they need to be changed for some reason. Something important to remember with these new programming languages is that while they can make things easier they can only do so much. It will still take time to create a program no matter how easy the language used is. Also lower level more difficult programming languages will still be needed for creating programs that require more control then is usually allowed in a newer high level language. With the world moving into a new age of computing having programming languages that are easier to use become very important. It may very soon reach the point where anyone can become a bit of a programmer because the computer languages are so easy to use. This is why this can be such an important field. After all someone has to make these easy languages in the first place. There are a number of languages that have been made that are easy to use. A web page discussing them says "The "easy languages" (my own designation) Perl, Awk, Python, Tcl/Tk, and Visual Basic are free (not vb), easy to learn, but currently lack the source code and examples†¦" (par.

Trend in Transport: the Role of Intermodal Transport in the International Logistics

Globalization and the consequently expansion of the geographical firm’s borders led an increase of the international transport’s demand, promoting the develop of transport’s sector. In fact, the growth of the amount of freight being traded, as well as, a great variety of origins and destinations promotes the importance of international transportation as a fundamental element supporting the global economy. In particular, since the trading distances involved are often considerable, there has been an increase of demands on the maritime shipping industry and on port activities. In this process China had an important role, in fact, as its industrial and manufacturing activities developed, it started to import growing quantities of raw materials and energy and export growing quantities of manufactured goods, fostering a surge in demands for long distance international transportation. International transportation system have been under increasing pressures to support additional demands in freights volume and distance at which this freight is been carried. This couldn’t have occurred without considerable technical improvements permitting to transport larger quantities of goods, and this more quickly and more efficiently. Container played, of course, a crucial role, promoting, furthermore, the development of the intermodal transport. Intermodal transport modes recover an important role in international transportation, in fact, because of the involved geographical scale, most international freights movements involve several modes, especially when origins and destinations are far apart. Among the numerous transport modes, two are specifically concerned with international trade: ?Ports and maritime shipping ?Airports and air transports Maritime transportation is very important in international trades, in fact in terms of tonnage it handles about 90% of the global trade. Although in terms of tonnage air transportation carries an insignificant amount of freight(0. 2% of total tonnage) compared with maritime transportation, its importance in term of the total value is much more significant:15% of the value of global trade 70 times more valuable than its maritime counterpart) . This is due to the fact that air transportation, being more expansive, is used mostly to carry rich freights. Road and railway modes tend to occupy a more marginal portion of international transportation since they are above all modes for national or regional transport services. Their importance is focused on their role in the first and the last part of the door to door transportation chain. For this reason they result anyway an important factor that should be considered by a firm in the logistics planning of the distribution of freight to the customer. As said before the driver of intermodal transportation has been the container, which permits easy handling between modal systems, in fact it is designed to be moved with common handling equipment enabling high-speed intermodal transfers in economically large units between ships, railcars, truck chassis, and barges using a minimum labor. The container, therefore, serves as the load unit rather than the cargo contained therein, making it the foremost expression of intermodal transportation. The usage of containers shows the complementarity between freight transportation modes by offering a higher fluidity to movements and a standardization of loads. For logistics managers intermodal transportation offers significant advantages over single mode alternatives. First, intermodal transportation minimizes handling and total transit time, expediting the entire transportation process and thus shortening the customer’s order cycle time. Second intermodal transportation allows to take advantage of the best characteristics of all modes, permitting to offer the most efficient transport service at the lowest possible price to the customer. Third intermodal movement cuts down on theft, loss and transport costs in general by eliminating virtually all handling of individual goods. Another important factor is that intermodal transport uses container and this makes easier tracking the freight during all the transportation process. This is possible thanks to a new technology called RFID (radio frequency ID) a firm (but also a customer) is able to know what assets it has and where they are at every hour. In fact this relatively new technology, that promises to change the way inventories are managed, consists in an RFID device that transmits a signal when it is activated by an RFID receiver. Depending on the device, this signal can have a range as short as 6 feet or as great as 90 feet. The data transmitted can include various product identifiers of value to the manufacturer, shipper or purchaser. So the signal emitted by an RFID device can help company tracking the location and quantity of their inventory . The use of RFID in logistics application is one of the pre-eminent fields where the technology can shine. Products can be tracked from points of manufacturer (and even earlier if source components are tracked using RFID) all the way through the distribution chain, and down to the retail level. This new technology has helped many organization solve the main challenge at every node in their supply chains: the lack of visibility of logistics data. RFID technology is a powerful solution to improves asset visibility, data quality, inventory management, and interoperability in an end-to-end integrated supply chain. In addition the use of this technology allows to reduce costs as replacement costs as well as avoiding shrinkage. It also helps to reduce capital costs, increase customer satisfaction, as well as ensuring the assets are in the correct place at the right time, recovering an important function in the logistics process of a firm. An added advantage is the reusability of these tags, so company, which want greater control over assets and their management, have opted to use RFID and logistics management techniques . Using RFID and logistics management strategies will serve to improve capital utilization, lower the total operational costs as well as improve the availability of assets. The use of these asset management techniques has improved customer retention significantly. This technique will help improve visibility of assets in transit, availability management of much needed assets and transportation management The use of RFID and logistics management techniques are especially useful for manufacturers, where parts bins feed parts in an automated plant, since the placement of the right part in the right place is critical. The company can use these techniques in areas where they have expertise whereas professional help can be sought for areas where they lack control such as transportation, delivery, pick up etc. Companies should consider implementing RFID and logistics management techniques, as they will greatly benefit from it. It will reduce cost, increase control and availability, decrease chances of loss of assets due to various factors as well as prove to be very economical. In conclusion we can affirm that transport is one component of the logistic mix that is undergoing a great deal of change. Intermodal transport is a reflection of the changing nature of transport in general, signifying as it does the logistics managers ability to combine the advantages of two or more modes of transport into one seamless shipment that reaches the customer faster and with less damage than a mode-by-mode routing could providing. Therefore to better control the delivery process of the goods, being able to provide value added to the customer, could be useful for a firm develop a tracking system of the freight from the factory to the final customer. This could be seen as value added logistics service useful to satisfy the customer saving costs at the same time.

Home School vs Public School Essay

Although both can provide a good quality education to their students, there are many differences between home school and public school. Home school, (No comma needed) students do not have to answer to anyone, public school other are () teaching their children. This has been the biggest debate with parents, whether they want the socialization that comes from public school or the protection that comes from home school. (What about the individualized attention?) â€Å"In a recent study done by the U.S Department of Education, 85 percent of homeschooled students were being done so, in part, because of their parents’ concern about the environment of public school.† (Move the period after the citation, so the citation becomes part of the sentence.) (Public school vs, 2008) (When you have a direct quote, you need to provide the page number where the quote appeared, as well as the last name of the author if it is known, or the source title if the author’s name is not kno wn. If it is an electronic source without a page number, provide the paragraph number by counting paragraphs from the top of the page.) With so many options, many parents have chosen to home school their students either for safety or to have more control. With home school, there are the same options as public school, meaning for academics. Home school seems like the best option when it comes to (concerning) their children, yet we (We is first-person plural. The preferred perspective is third-person – he, she, one, they, etc.) need to look at every detail. With home school there is a problem sometimes with the fact that (because) it does not offer materials for chemistry. With both home school and public school(,) they have the basics of subjects, for example science, history, math, and English. Now with home school there is a choice on how much a person can learn. Meaning that a child can take their (child is singular, â€Å"their† is plural. Use his or her.) time with their education, or they can work ahead. There is even a new study that suggests that home school students are more advanced than public school students. (Citation for this source.) With options for a student to take their time with their education, this can help students with learning disabilities to be able to complete  their school work without worry of falling behind With any school, safety is always the first priority to all parents. With all the school shootings that have been reported, there needs to be some sort of comfort for parents to want to keep their kids (Technically, kids are baby goats. Children is a better word.) in public school. There have been new laws to control how people buy guns, with background checks; this law is called the Brady Law, yet there are those who can buy from private sellers; the threat is still out there. The schools now have started to do their own back ground checks, and making only one entrance into the buildings. They have even put in metal detectors that the children and visitors have to walk through. There are still other worries about safety, like bullying, and how bad that has gotten. This has made kids afraid to go to school; they have to try to fit in, with how they look and how they dress. With all that, it seems like parents would make the decision very easy to home school, yet there is the other question of socialization. Almost all children need some form of socialization with kids their own age, yet with home schooling they are only with their parents, or only communicating with their online teachers. Then there are single parents who do not have a choice but public school. Both online offer some sort of extra curriculum activities. There are different languages, like French, Spanish, German, and a lot more. Having the option to learn other languages leaves so much open, like traveling to foreign countries and getting a good job later down the line. There is also a saying (A saying is like a witty quote. I think â€Å"belief† is a better word in this context.) that learning other languages can help with a child’s reading skills. They can also learn music. They can learn how to read music and play music, for example a musical instrument, which they can later turn in to (into) a career. Art is another thing they can learn, which can help with hand-eye coordination. With most children it is hard for them to use their hands and heads at the same time. When one thinks of home school, there is never a thought that there still should be arts and crafts to help with handwriting, yet public schools usually still have art as something to help a student along the way. (Are you suggesting that home-schooled children do not do art? Let me suggest that general statements are taboo. My sister is an artist, and she home-schooled her children, both of whom entered college at the age of 16, and both are gifted artists because of the  training they received from their mother.) Healthy nutrition is important to everyone. Almost everyone wants to be able to eat right, and make sure that we (We is first-person plural. The preferred perspective is third-person – he, she, one, they, etc.) put the right nutrients in our bodies. When parents home school their children(,) they get to choose what they eat and how healthy it should be. With public school(s) they try to offer healthy choices, yet some school, (Remove the comma and add an s to scho ol.) have vending machines that do not offer a lot of healthy choices or their children do not pick the healthy snacks that they find. Most vending machines have soda, chips and even energy drinks, which have shown damaged to (can hurt) children if they drink too much of it. With public schools(,) they feed the children on their own schedules, which for some kids can be a problem(;) when at home they eat at different times. When it comes to having healthy children, most parents say that doing home school is best for preventing illness. With home school, parents can control the atmosphere their children live in, meaning how clean they can keep their home so their children do not get sick as often. They also control who can come over, if the visitor is sick they will tell them to come a different day when they are better. When it comes to public school, there is not much you can do. With public school, children have a higher chance of getting sick, yet their immune systems are usually a lot better that a home school child. When it comes to being healthy, physical activity always comes in to (into) play. Most children need to stay active, and with video games and television, there is so much distraction for kids that physical activity is something that they do not do. Now this is where a lot of parents like public school. With public school they have physical education as classes where they have to meet ce rtain standards to make sure the students are able to stay fit. There is also recess where the kids can go out and play with their friends, which in turn is another form of physical activity. With home school they usually do not make sure that they have physical education. (Do you have documentation to support that accusation? Remember, critical thinkers take nothing at face value.) They do let them play, but it is usually not enough for the child to make a difference. There are some sports that a parent can put their children in, yet the cost is so much more than it would in public school. Now with public school they do have sports for  kids, and if you meet a certain financial situation they can offer sports at a discounted rate. With the decline of physical activity there has been a rise of childhood diabetes, and children gaining too much weight. When a parent decides to do home school they need to make sure there is still some sort of physical activity. With every public school there is the problem of politics. It seems everywhere a parent looks there is politics. When it comes to their children, this is something that most parents thought should stay out of our schools. Most children that go to public schools are also low income and due to that the government thinks it needs to intervene. â€Å"As if families aren’t facing enough difficulties, right now, the State of Tennessee is currently considering two bills that will reduce welfare assistance for needy families whose children are not doing well in school, according to an article on ThinkProgress.† (Bills in Tennessee, 2013) With the government looking in to what we are doing, it makes parents want to home school seem a better choice. (Here is the problem with that logic. When kids are at school, they eat at least one and sometimes two meals while there. Home school children eat all their meals at home, so I doubt that people who need food stamps will choose home schooling, because then they are on the hook for all the chi ldren’s nutritional needs.) With having public school as an option for any one education needs, it seems like there are both good and bad things that need to be addresses, yet when it comes to their children, there should always be some investigation into what is best. With home school they also have good and bad, yet the decision any parent makes, needs to be based on what is best for your family. The choice of socialization of public school sounds great, yet does the freedom of the control of teaching their own children also sounds goods as well.

Promote Equality and Inclusion in Health Essay

Understand the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion 1.2 Describe the potential effects of discrimination Discrimination on the grounds of age, gender, race, sexuality or ability can damage a person’s self esteem and reduce their ability to develop and maintain a sense of identity. The potential of effects of discrimination are likely to vary between different people, these could be emotional or physical or potentially both at times. Possible effects could be: – Depressions – Low self esteem – Stress – Feeling isolated – Fear of rejection – Humiliation – Weight loss or gain – Anger Long term effects could be: – Long term depression – Increased behaviour problems – Difficulty communicating – Lack of acheivement – Restricted opportunities 1.3 Explain how inclusive practice promotes equality and supports diversity Inclusive practice promotes an indiviuals rights to acess equal opportunities. By ensuring that this happens promotes diversity. There are various pieces of legislation which have been put in place to promote equality and reduce discrimination. These include: – The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 – The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 – The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 – Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 – Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN, 1989) – The Human Rights Act 1998 – The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (as amended) – Employment Equality Regulations 2003 Inclusive practice is about the attitudes, approaches and strategies taken to ensure that people are not excluded or isolated. This means welcoming people’s differences and promoting equality by ensuring equal opportunities for all, most of all, aspects of diversity. Inclusive practice is about providing the support that people want in order to live their lives as fully as possible. Examples of inclusive practice are: – Providing a ramp to allow wheelchair access to a building – Providing information in a range of languages and in audio format Responding sensitively to an individual’s diverse needs supports them in developing a sense of belonging, well-being and confidence in their identity and abilities. It also helps them to acheive their potential and allow them to take their rightful place in society. Be able to promote diversity, equality and inclusion 3.3 Describe how to challenge discrimination in a way that promotes change Throughout our social care setting it is important that discrimination is challenged if it has been witnessed. There are many different ways discrimination can be challenged to promote change. Some examples are: – Practicing Active Participation – By doing as much as possible to support only the parts of people’s lives that they really cannot manage for themselves, we can allow individuals to realise their value and reduce a feeling of isolation. This can help an individual gain self esteem and encourage them to take control and make their own decisions which will help  to reduce any form of abuse and discrimination. – Quick and Effective Complaint Procedure – This will help to let the individual know how seriously the act witnessed had been taken and the consequences of discrimination. Discrimination is less likely to occur if others have a strong understanding of the consequences. – Meeting and Discussion – Discussing and energisin g issues in day to day tasks help individuals to challenge discrimination.

Policies Against the Jews

Hitler was now in control of Europe with the start of World War II. Hitler’s discrimination against the Jews was now turning into downright control of the Jewish population as well as the rest of Europe. It started with the Nazi invasion of Poland. â€Å"The radical, planned programme of ‘ethnic cleansing’ that followed was authorized by Hitler himself (Kershaw 518). † From there, he and Nazi leaders began to dream up new ideas of how to approach the â€Å"Jewish Question. † The Nazi party had already attempted to pursue the Madagascar plan, which would deport all German Jews to the island of Madagascar, however this failed. Now Hitler had his eyes on the east; the Soviet Union to be exact. â€Å"He was now thinking about something else, not exactly more friendly (Kershaw 594). † Hitler was hinting at the takeover of the Soviet Union which was an inevitable event, and using this as a â€Å"dumping ground† for the Jews (Kershaw 594). † Hitler’s idea of what to do with the Jews was in no way a clear-cut vision. The recent invasion of Poland was an option for Hitler in the later months. For some time, there was uncertainty with what to do with the Jewish people and how they would complete their plan of ‘ethnic cleansing’ (Kershaw 521). In his Reichstag speech in October in 1940, Hitler also mentions the â€Å"ethnic resettlement as preparation for the ‘new order’ of ethnographical relations in former Poland (Kershaw 521). Poland would later be used as a place for Hitler to transport the Jews into concentration camps. Franz Rademacher, the new head of the Foreign Ministry’s ‘Jewish Desk’ had begun to devise options for solutions to the ‘Jewish Problem’ in the summer of 1940. He provided 3 options that included deporting the Jews to Western Europe, removing them from Europe entirely, or sending them all to Palestine. Complications would make it so that none of these options would work. Great Britain would have to be secured in order for the Madagascar plan to work and using Palestine was an unfavorable choice for the Nazi’s (Kershaw 578). In the meantime, Hitler was dealing with the British and Germany’s relations with the Soviet Union. The German’s and Soviet Union were now at a disagreement. This did not sit well with Hitler and he could see their relations with the Soviets slowly deteriorating (Kershaw584). Read also Analyze the Ways in Which British Imperial Policies The increasingly hostile relations between the two countries were giving way for Hitler’s justification of Operation Barbarossa. Hitler’s plan to evacuate and eradicate the Jews started with Operation Barbarossa. This plan was to take over the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in order to have a place to â€Å"remove the Jews to†. Hitler was unsure of how well Operation Barbarossa was going to be executed. â€Å"Outwardly confident, he was inwardly less certain (Kershaw 589). † However unsure he was, this was going to be the plan to solve the â€Å"Jewish Question. The Nazi policies involving the Jewish people took a lot of time to finally complete. There were a lot of different options that Hitler and Nazi officials had discussed when attempting to find a solution to the â€Å"Jewish Question†, but ultimately, the final decision lie within the fate of Operation Barbarossa. It would be the success in the invasion of the Soviet Union that would determ ine the success of the relocation of the Jews in Europe. War was the only option that Hitler and the Nazi officials deemed reasonable for their final decision. Thus, Operation Barbarossa commenced.

Risk Management and Control Effectiveness Essay

Risk Management and Control Effectiveness - Essay Example This paper answers seven questions in relation to effectiveness of security technologies and methodology, risks related to them, additional controls, and access of technology within organizations. The administrative structure of the organization including relationship with the public promotes effective administration of information security. According to Fung (2004), management of information security ensures security of organizational information, systems infrastructure and data content being processed, accessed, managed and communicated to the public. The management is committed and actively supports information security at all levels. This has been clearly demonstrated through support for security initiatives by providing necessary resources for information systems security controls. Additionally, management commitment to information security has been witnessed through effort coordination, formulation and approval of relevant organization-wide security policy. There have been periodic reviews of the information security policy based on the organizational goals, objectives and technological development. The management has ensured appropriate planning and controls to new systems and infrastructure. Security activities are coordinated by staff representatives from different departments of the organization. The execution of security controls are in compliance with the information security and privacy policies. There are also coordinated efforts in the assessment of the implemented security controls and identification of vulnerabilities and recommendation of additional measures. These evaluations have been significant in identifying vulnerability changes, threats and attacks to both external and internal systems and recommendation of mitigation measures. The organization has continuously promoted trainings and security awareness to all stakeholders in the organization. The requirements for non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality reflect information

Fundraising Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fundraising - Coursework Example Sudden cardiac arrests causing sudden death have mainly occurred due to incompetency and ignorance of individuals witnessing cardiac arrests. Thus, if more people are aware of cardiac arrests and know what to do in case they are around a person having cardiac attack, more chances would be to grant those suffering their survival. VSF is one organization, whose aim is to raise awareness of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome and cardiac arrests. However, there are some other charity organizations involved in raising awareness Sudden Adult Death Syndrome and developing action guidelines. NHS and Raising Awareness of SADS Although logically would be to suggest that the major organization to raise awareness of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome and ways to prevent or diagnose it early would be National Healthcare System, the truth is that NHS establishments are preoccupied with a vast variety of diseases and their treatment. Consequently, less attention is paid to the problem of Sudden Adult Death Syndr ome solely. ... Organizations involved in raising awareness of SADS Despite that NHS is not actively involved in raising awareness of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome and developing guidelines on how to act, there are charitable organizations that are devoted to the cause. These organizations were established majorly by relatives of those who died in result of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. Among such organizations are Sudden Death Support Association and SADS – Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (http://www.sads.org.uk/), who raise awareness and provide support for families, and Ashley Jolly Sudden Adult Death Trust (http://www.sadsuk.org/), Cardiac Risk in Young (CRY: http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/) who raise awareness of the disease, support the families who have gone through deaths of loves ones, and are involved in fundraising for the cause to equip local communities, colleges, schools with automated external defibrillators (Patient UK, 2011). Awareness of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome is also raised thr ough booklets and events from British Heart Foundation, which provides information on cardiac illnesses including SADS. SADS UK – The Ashley Jolly Sad Trust According to the official website, â€Å"The Ashley Jolly Sad Trust (SADS UK) is a voluntary organization that exists to raise awareness about little known heart conditions in young people and provides information and support to families who have experienced the sudden unexpected death of a loved one due to such a condition. The Trust fundraises to purchase and donate heart monitoring equipment to detect potentially fatal heart conditions in order that once a condition is identified the patient can be referred to a cardiologist for treatment, to minimize the risk of sudden premature death.†

Relationship of poetry and music in Verklarte Nacht(1899) by Arnold Essay

Relationship of poetry and music in Verklarte Nacht(1899) by Arnold Schoenberg - Essay Example A string sextet in classical music is a poem written for six string instruments. A group of six musicians play it on their instruments. Generally, string sextets require an assemblage of two violins, two violas, and two cellos. The tradition of composing for string sextet starts from Op. 23 of Luigi Boccherini, written in 1776. Other famous string sextets include the Op. 18 and Op. 36 of Johannes Brahms, the Op. 48 of Antonà ­n Dvořà ¡k, the Souvenir de Florence Op. 70 of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and the Fantasy for String Sextet Op.3 of John Caughman. (String Sextet The Wikipedia) Schoenberg’s translation of Dehmel’s poem is very deft. It is a powerful presentation of a man and woman walking on the moonlit night in the dark forest, sharing a secret of her with her lover that she is pregnant by a stranger. The composition is in five sections. It starts with a feeling of sadness in the woman because of the confession, the man’s reflection on the guilty feeling in the woman, and his agreeing by forgiving the woman of the guilt: O sieh, wie klar das Weltall schimmert! Es ist ein Glanz um Alles her (see how brightly the universe gleams! There is a radiance on everything). Coming back to Schoenberg’s poem, he was first a composer, anything afterwards. Music in the poem comes from the twelve tone technique. His Verklarte Nacht bears the impact of Johannes Brahms, Richard Wagner, and Gustav Mahler – the German Romanticists.It is evident from his use of chromaticism and separation of phrases from measure boundaries, a Brahms impact. Lyricism permeates throughout the composition, which is an indication of his atonal attempts in future compositions.

Organization Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organization Development - Essay Example This institution was founded in 1979 as a social service agency in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1987, the agency opened an office in Bamburg, South Carolina with the executive director serving as the only staff person. This company does not have a merit system in place. There are enough employees now and the organization wants to implement an appropriate merit system. Within a few months of operation in South Carolina, the first child was placed in one of our foster homes and this institution have consistently grown since. By 1994, the need for serving a special population of foster youth was identified and the agency began providing a medically-fragile program. In March, 2005, Growing Home Southeast acquired the programs of Family Resources, Inc. of Beaufort, SC, increased its staff size to nearly fifty employees statewide, managed services for more than 200 clients and entered the home-based services market. Analysis of the organizational status of the Growing Home Southeast was conducted. Various aspects of the organization were studied such as the management of the organization, projects, supervision of the institution, management of client relationships and strategies. The researcher also performed extensive analysis of database and system response times with custom realtime diagnostic tools, and designed optimizations to address performance, bottlenecks, and increasing database capacity fourfold. According to Choo (2001), scanning or browsing behavior is influenced by external factors such as environmental turbulence and resource dependency, organizational factors such as the nature of the business and the strategy pursued, information factors such... This essay stresses that environmental scanning is the acquisition and use of information about events, trends, and relationships in an organization's external environment, the knowledge of which would assist management in planning the organization's future course of action. Thispaper makes a conclusion that organizations scan the environment in order to understand the external forces of change so that they may develop effective responses which secure or improve their position in the future. They scan in order to avoid surprises, identify threats and opportunities, gain competitive advantage, and improve long- and short-term planning. To the extent that an organization's ability to adapt to its outside environment is dependent on knowing and interpreting the external changes that are taking place, environmental scanning constitutes a primary mode of organizational learning. Environmental scanning includes both looking at information (viewing) and looking for information (searching). It could range from a casual conversation at the lunch table or a chance observation of an angry customer, to a formal market research program or a scenario planning exercise. A sound business practices in place at the Growing Home Southeast will allow clients to meet their b asic necessities of living in addition to being able to save for more costly nonessential items. In addition, the organization may implement an electronic time keeping system to better manage overtime and payroll costs of its employees.

Environmental issue in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Environmental issue in Business - Essay Example Resources may be available in abundance but they are not limitless. To cope up with the growing demand of energy consumption, alternate ways of energy are used and these nuclear plants are costly but give more energy than common fossil fuels. Also, generally they are less hazardous than fossil fuels which emit higher levels of C02. Here are a few benefits in comparison with fossil fuels. The paper discusses in detail the various elements of fossil fuels along with the benefits that can be derived from nuclear forms of energy. Fossil fuel plants emit higher amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide. It leaves trails of soot and arsenic which are poisonous to humans as well as to other forms of living beings. If compared the process of mining to the exhaust material generated by a nuclear plant, the mining process emerges as a filthy process with higher emissions of CO2 due to the burning of coal. The cost of a nuclear plant is high than a coal mine but the raw mat erial used to produce electricity is barely minimum. The uranium needed to get a nuclear reaction is less than the amount of coal or gas needed to heat up turbines to produce friction and generate electricity. Also, nuclear plant can run aircraft in minimum resources. The nuclear energy is generated internally in the raw material and thus can be used successfully to generate large amount of electricity as needed. The nuclear power consumes fewer resources. As a result, it is assumed as the safest form of power generating technology as compared to uranium that has limited usage in generation of electricity. Another big question that is looming large is the possibility to benefit from the renewable technology to achieve efficiency in energy consumption. However, the technology to generate renewable energy is still in its nascent stages of development. Until it is developed and made fully functional, the levels of CO2 needs to be kept at low and at the same time, cater to the needs of the society. Thus, ensuring that the CO2 gas emissions are restricted from further damage to the Ozone layer that gives rise to global warming (Storm van Leeuwen, 2007). Nuclear power can be used as a mode of transport, to generate electricity, to run ships, to generate and distribute electricity with minimum resources involved. This is going to help in the long run as fewer resources will be exhausted and the fossil fuels that are not much in quantity can be saved. The area of using nuclear energy has been explored to the very minimum and is an area that can help the world in conserving the already limited resources that we have. The Nuclear Power Plants have countless benefits. At the same time, it poses serious challenges to the economies. For instance, the primary by-product of the nuclear energy is the production of radioactive material which is in large quantity. When the atom is split, it creates isotopes as well as plutonium that is a heavier form of atom. Importantly, the p rocess of formation of nuclear energy does not require these atoms which makes them nuclear waste (Greenpeace International, 2009). Furthermore, the nuclear waste is highly radioactive even though its quantity is less than the quantity of the waste of a Fossil Fuel Plant. This radioactivity can be dangerous to human kind much more than the waste material being left over and being emitted by fossil fuels therefore, it becomes a question as to how this radioactive mater

Eagles Nest Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Eagles Nest Inc - Essay Example An investment plan is a future process where a company plans the milestones they want and hope to achieve (Davidson, 2003, p 1). This implementation plan is majorly based on the financial department of the Eagles Nest Inc. Eagle’s Nest Inc is a chain of hotels and motels across the globe. They have over twenty there outlets worldwide which means they have a brand reputation to keep and profits to make to maintain the hotels. The implementation plan is based on their two main ideas of increasing profits that is creating a fitness centre where clients who stay in the hotel can exercise. Secondly, they want to organize some night events to encourage clients to stay in the hotels, enjoy and come back easily and frequently. This article examines the financial implementation plan of Eagles Nest Inc. Overview of the Investment Idea being implemented This implementation plan is for the Eagles Nest Inc. the hotel has a chain of twenty-seven, three stars hotels, and motels worldwide. Th e implementation plan is significant in the generation of ideas for new services in the hotels and motels to generate more profit than before. In addition, the plan is supposed to enhance the hotels image globally. New services that could increase sales include night events and fitness room. Therefore, this implementation plan is majorly for the finance department. Impacts on the Financial Department The financial department is the most affected since news services means more expenditure in the financial department.... Finally, the investment idea will affect negatively the financial department in that commodities like water, electricity, and cleaning detergents will be used more often and in large quantities than before. The investment idea ensures more clients hence more activities and more expenses in the hotels and motels globally. Time Plan Creation of job positions 1 week (duration) Start week 2 Lasts for 1 week No slack Advertisements of job vacancies 1 month Week 10 Week 13 4 days slack Short listing of candidates 1 week Week 14 Week 15 3 days slack First interviews 2 weeks Week 16 Week 17 3 days slack Second interviews 2 weeks Week 18 Week 19 2 days slack Short listing of successful candidates 1 week Week 21 Week 22 5 days slack orientation 1 week Week 30 Week 31 2 days slack Job placement 2 weeks Week 35 Week 37 9 days slack Links and Dependencies Departments must depend on each other for the improvement and implementation of the investment idea. Dependant on Precursor to Creation of job positions Number of available staff. Number of available vacancies. Staff to create the job descriptions. -advertisement placements. -Financial position of the company. Advertisements of job vacancies --job vacancies available. -the media outlet used for advertisement. -short listing of candidates. Short listing of candidates -applications received. -First interviews. -Second interviews. First interviews - Qualifications of applicants. -second interviews Second interviews -Qualifications of applicants. -Interviewers training. -Short listing of successful candidates. Short listing of successful candidates -arrival of short listed candidates. -Competency of the short listed candidates. -orientation.

Legality of downloading mp3 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8750 words

Legality of downloading mp3 - Research Paper Example The first chapter of the paper, called â€Å"Status-quo of the illegal mp3 downloads† will analyze in the two sub-chapters the statistics and the damages of the illegal file sharing both in the national and international context and it will critically analyze the legal issues that arise from the mp3 downloads and the attempts of reforming the Canadian copyright law. The context in which illegal mp3 download can be justified in the Canadian legislative context will be studied, too. Nowadays, when there are so many talented singers, it has become a lot easier to listen to their music by using the Internet, rather than buying a licensed CD. This way, the consumer is happy, because he listens to whatever kind of music he likes, the singer is popular, because his music is downloaded from the Net thousands times per day, sometimes even more, so, at first sight, it is a win-win situation. Nevertheless, singing for the artist is a job; it is his way of earning money, so by downloading his â€Å"job† from illegal sites, the consumer is actually stealing his intellectual property, â€Å"forgetting† to pay for it. There are many contradictory opinions on this subject, and the fact that day by day the number of illegal mp3 downloads grows just makes the matter more and more actual and painful for the people whose work is being stolen. Transmitting mp3 files over the Internet has become by far the most popular method of distribution, generating in this way controversial and intense debates. The Canadians are among the lucky ones, however. The legislation permits downloading mp3 files from the internet, as long as they are not shared by the user. While the neighbors – the Americans are afraid to even enter a pirate website under the threat of a lawsuit, Canadians encounter no restriction whatsoever in downloading whatever kind of music they