US Department of Homeland Security and Individual Privacy

Introduction DHSs primary tasks are to foster the sharing of foreign and domestic intelligence information between federal, state, and local intelligence and law enforcement agencies and improve border security. This has important implications in terms of personal privacy. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Individual Privacy The primary oversight responsibility for Constitutional violations lies with the public, but much of what DHS does is cloaked in secrecy. Hypothesis: The court records of DHS lawsuits will reveal whether DHS represents a threat to individual privacy. The cloak of secrecy that DHS operates behind implies that the courts must play a larger oversight role. Is this occurring? An informal search of library records for DHS privacy lawsuits returned 428 hits in Government documents, 232 in journal articles, and 197 in newspaper articles. There should be ample evidence contained in these records to determine whether DHS is violating individual privacy rights systematically. Results The plaintiffs suing DHS for privacy violations cover a range of topics, including full body searches and body scans at airports, watchlist errors and abuses, Predator drone surveillance domestically, and data collection, use, and storage by fusion centers. Automated License Plate Readers (Klein, 2012) Full Body Scans (EPIC, 2012b) Full Body pat downs (EPIC, 2012b) Monitoring Social Media (EPIC, 2012a) Watchlists (Pamuk, 2012) Conclusions AShow MoreRelatedPersonally Identifiable Information Essay1071 Words   |  5 Pagestaken to protect our privacy will make us more aware of PII. As we continue to utilize the technology available, we expose ourselves to become donors of PII. Having knowledge of what PII is and how information is being compiled to identify our interest is necessary when accessing computer technology of today. Understanding Our Responsibility Regarding Personally Identifiable Information There are all kinds of companies, agencies, and groups that collect information about us every time we logonRead MoreThe Creation Of The Dhs1406 Words   |  6 PagesThe Creation of the DHS The Department of Homeland Security is liable for establishing the safety and defense of the U.S. from terrorism and natural disasters. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on America by terrorists, Department of Homeland Security’s main concern has been on federal measures to prevent terrorism attacks and handle other crisis situations. When the Department of Homeland Security was created it had four goals: to diminish America’s vulnerability to terrorism byRead MoreThe Government s Background Investigation Essay945 Words   |  4 PagesTopic: The US government’s background investigation process for individuals seeking employment with US Federal, State, and Local government agencies and private sector organizations is an important part of US homeland security. Through a thorough investigation of an individual’s biographical, residential, employment, education, military, medical, financial and legal histories, etc., information regarding an applicant’s background is obtained and a report of investigation (ROI) is prepared and submittedRead MoreProtecting Yourself Against the Treats of Cyberspace1022 Words   |  5 PagesCyber Security It seems like everyone in today’s society has access to a computer, a cell phone, or some other type of technology that allows information to be passed from one person to another through space. With your private information out there in cyberspace, clever thieves are finding ways to access your personal informational and to steal from you without you even knowing about it until it is too late. The thieves are taking your personal data and using it to gain access to your accountsRead More Computers and Homeland Security Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesComputers and Homeland Security Homeland Security is one of the most important departments in the United States. The United States Department of Homeland Security job is to reduce our vulnerability to terrorism and lead a national effort to help prevent terrorist attacks on our nation (Computer Concept, pg. 50). As technology evolves over the course of time, computers end up playing a crucial role in homeland security. Computer systems are used throughout everydayRead MoreTerrorism : A Global Issue Essay1749 Words   |  7 PagesAngela Brown Professor Miller English 112 13 Sept 2015 Terrorism Many of us will embrace our loved ones before leaving our homes to start a hectic workday. As we hug our children and kiss our spouses goodbye, the thought of losing them, or our lives to acts of terrorism, is typically not one to cross our minds. On September 11, 2001, this mere thought became the reality for many families. The eleventh of September will forever be remembered as the date a terrorist organization, known as al-QaedaRead MoreThe Impact Of Legislation On An Organization854 Words   |  4 PagesRichard Anthony CSIA 412 Prof. Andrea Simpson March 29, 2015 â€Æ' Introduction In the past decade, every individual, and organizations did paperwork with a typewriter and a cabinet or book shelf to store their files. These days our old ways is been replaced by computers and databases or cloud. This in order words mean that government organization like the department of veterans affairs do their workload with computer, databases as to the old days. This modern change makes some organizationRead MoreAftermath of 9/11; Congress Acts Essay1024 Words   |  5 PagesBush said to us in the basement of the White House on the night of 9/11, ‘You have everything you need’â€Å" (Clarke). It was a desperate time for the national government as everyone needed to do the most they can. All the counter terrorism agencies received an increased funding after the event of 9/11 as Congress also threw in tens of billions of dollars to deal with the al-Qaeda threat. However one of the most significant action, by far, Congress took was the passage of The Homeland Security Act in 2002Read MoreProtecting Us Citizens And Important Infrastructure876 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction: Protecting US citizens and important infrastructure which have impact on national security, economic security or public health and safety from cyber-attacks is one of the recent congressional interests and the internet protection is also needed. Initial there was an approach to ensure the operations of critical infrastructure and larger economy regulatory framework is needed. There came an argument that these regulatory schemes may not improve cybersecurity and it increases the costsRead MoreList And Describe At Least Three Technologies That Allow An Individual To Research Citizens Private Data.1124 Words   |  4 PagesValue of Digital Privacy in an Information Technology Age List and describe at least three technologies that allow an individual to research citizens private data. This is an era of massive violations of privacy rights and individual liberties due to the new technologies of surveillance, data mining, electronic monitoring, biometric chips, spamming, hacking, phishing, and security breaches at major private and public institutions. These new technologies make the protection of privacy rights far more

Poetic Techniques of Wilfred Owen Essay - 1511 Words

Wilfred Owen can be considered as one of the finest war poets of all times. His war poems, a collection of works composed between January 1917, when he was first sent to the Western Front, and November 1918, when he was killed in action, use a variety of poetic techniques to allow the reader to empathise with his world, situation, emotions and thoughts. The sonnet form, para-rhymes, ironic titles, voice, and various imagery used by Owen grasp the prominent central idea of the complete futility of war as well as explore underlying themes such as the massive waste of young lives, the horrors of war, the hopelessness of war and the loss of religion. These can be seen in the three poems, ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ and†¦show more content†¦Para-rhymes, in Owen’s poetry, generate a sense of incompleteness while creating a pessimistic, gloomy effect to give an impression of sombreness. Strong rhyming schemes are often interrup ted unexpectedly with a para-rhyme to incorporate doubt to every aspect of this Great War. Who are the real villains and why are hundreds of thousands of lives being wasted in a war with no meaning? In ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, the consistent sonnet rhyming scheme is disturbed by a half rhyme, â€Å"guns †¦ orisons†, to show how the soldiers all died alone with only the weapons that killed them by their side, and a visual rhyme, â€Å"all †¦ pall† to indicate that the reality of war is entirely the opposite to what it seems - no glory, no joy and no heroism, but only death and destruction. Owen occasionally works with this technique in a reverse approach to create similar thought. For instance, the assonance, consonance and half rhyme based poem, ‘The Last Laugh’, contains an unforeseen full rhyme, â€Å"moaned †¦ groaned†, to emphasise that nothing is ever fixed in war except the ghastly fact that the weapons are the tr ue winners. Different forms of Para rhymes often work together with common schemes to ably bring out the main ideas of Owen’s poetry. The purpose of war is again in question through the ironic titles evidenced in most of Owen’s poems. In ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’, the sweet and fitting death is contrasted against the bitter andShow MoreRelatedHow Does Wilfred Owen Explore the Horror of War Through the Power of Poetry?1110 Words   |  5 PagesWilfred Owen, War Poems and Others How does Wilfred Owen explore the horror of war through the power of poetry? Throughout the several poems Wilfred Owen wrote throughout his experience during the First World War, he explores many themes in relation to the war and the emotions associated with these. One of the most prevalent ideas Wilfred Owen chooses to emphasise in many of his poems is that of the sense of horror associated with war and all the consequences of it such as those including deathRead MoreWilfred Owen Techniques1135 Words   |  5 PagesWilfred Owens war poetry Good morning/afternoon teacher and peers, Wilfred Owen was born in 1893 in Oswestry (United Kingdom). He wanted to be a poet from the age of nineteen although most of his famous work is that which he wrote in his years spent in the war where he died in 1918. The preface to Owens poetry read: â€Å"This book is not about heroes. English poetry is not yet fit to speak of them. Nor is it about deeds, or lands, nor anything about glory, honour, might, majesty, dominionRead MoreWilfred Owens War Poetry1219 Words   |  5 Pagescivilians at home, who continued to write about the noble pursuit of heroic ideals in old patriotic slogans (Anthology 2012: 2017). Those poets who were involved on the front soon realized the full horror of war, which is reflected in their poetic techniques, diction, and imaginations. Campbell (1999: 204) refers to their poetry as trench lyric, which not only calls attention to the poems’ most common setting, but also the accompanying images of filth, barbed wire, shell fire, and so forth. The genreRead MoreDulce Et Decorum Est and Ninety Years Ago952 Words   |  4 PagesRupert McCall and Wilfred Owens are two very different poets, from two very different times, with two very different poems. The two poems give very different messages about the poet’s opinion of war and conflict. Ninety Years Ago is a poem written by R upert McCall in 2005 about the legend of the ANZACs. The poem was written to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign. Dulce Est Decorum Et was written by Owen Wilfred in 1917 about Owens experiences in WW1. Owen wrote this poem asRead MoreAnalysis Of Wilfred Owen s Poem Dulce Et Decorum Est1692 Words   |  7 PagesProtest and Resistance poetry. The protest poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, written by Wilfred Owen, challenges the dominant World War One ideologies of militarism and nationalism. You will find that this poem is a great example as it defies the dominant values and beliefs of war in Britain. Wilfred Owen Let’s discuss the poet. Wilfred Owen was one of the leading voices of the first world war. In January 1917, Owen was deployed but he was innocent to the realism of war. In April, he sustained shell-shockRead MoreWilfred Owen Essay1001 Words   |  5 PagesWilfred Owen’s poetry effectively conveys his perspectives on human conflict through his experiences during The Great War. Poems such as ‘Futility’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ portray these perceptions through the use of poetic techniques, emphasising such conflicts involving himself, other people and nature. These themes are examined in extreme detail, attempting to shape meaning in relation to Owen’s first-hand encounters whilst fighting on the battlefield. Wilfred Owen experiences many innerRead MoreWho s For The Game?1531 Words   |  7 Pagesgame? written in 1916 by Jessie Pope which attempted to recruit men to the army by creating an unrealistic, glorified image of war and Dulce et decorum est written by Wilfred Owen in October 1917 which provides a horrific yet realistic insight into life as a solider. Within Who s for the game? , Pope uses various poetic devices to create a jovial, ebullient image of war. Pope rhetorically asks Who ll grip and tackle the job unafraid? / And who thinks he d rather sit tight?, before metaphoricallyRead MoreAnger and Injustice Described in Wilfred Owens Poem Dulce et Decorum est1033 Words   |  5 PagesDecorum est was written by Wilfred Owen during World War One, and is probably the most popular war-poem ever written.The title is part of the Latin phrase Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori which means It is sweet and right to die for your country. Wilfred Owen saw the war first-hand and this poem is about a gas attack that he witnessed. Throughout this poem Owen gives the sense of anger and injustice through the use of many different poetic techniques. Wilfred Owen emphasises the conditionRead More Disabled By Wilfred Owen Essay543 Words   |  3 PagesDisabled By Wilfred Owen In my essay,Disabled by Wilfred Owen. I am going to describe how successfully he uses poetic techniques to present the true effects of war in his poem. The main technique used in the poem is contrast, as well as other techniques. Which makes the fate of the young man more pitiful. The use of irony, word choice, and powerful images, all create the sense of atmosphere in each stanza. The contrast of mood and tone is used in the first and second stanza, which createsRead MoreThe Soldier By Rupert Brooke And Anthem For Doomed Youth By Wilfred Owen1367 Words   |  6 Pages‘The Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ by Wilfred Owen are two World War One era sonnets, both making a comment on what it means to die in war. The two poets show very different views on war, as both had very different experiences in war. Rupert Brooke died before he made it to war, his poem highlights the soldier as a hero and glorifies dying in war, in contrast Wilfred Owen shows a grittier side to death in war, as he experienced war first hand and his poem is real and brutal

Ethics as a Socio-Technical Approach for Databases - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theEthics as a Socio-Technical Approach for Databases. Answer: About Socio-Technical Design In the modern times there are diverse categories of Information technologies that includes databases, connoisseur systems, cloud-computing applications, transaction-processing systems, internet based systems, assessment support systems and much more. The applications of these systems are different from the worldwide Internet based systems to the personal based systems (Peppard and Ward 2016). This report deals about the early development of ETHICS system and how it has altered with time. This report further investigates about the fact how the ETHICS is a new socio-technical approach to the information systems in the modern times. The socio-technical coordination design plan was the outcome of the efforts of a group of societal scientists who collaborated at the end of the World War II and formed the Tavistock Institute of Human relationships in London. The Tavistock institute was a clinic that used therapeutic procedures that apprehended with the psychological health and individual development. This was the preliminary objective of the institute, although gradually these ideas were implemented on the workers of the various industries (Chai and Kim 2012). Development of ETHICS ETHICS was a participational method that has been developed by Professor Enid Mumford that has been based on her socio-technical experiences. This term is also defined as ETHICS (Effective Technical And Human Implementation of Computer based Systems). ETHICS is also referred as a socio-technical approach that recognizes the collaboration of systems, technology and people that is in turn effective in producing outputs that are equally technically effective and had social characteristics that ultimately leads to a higher job satisfaction. The ETHICS approach was formulated on the investigation and study of case studies that revolved around failures of many systems that followed more traditional courses and directions based on the technical and economic factors (Mumford 2013). From these case studies and observation it was finally justified that the development of the information systems was not something that was related to the technical issue but it was more related to the organizational issues that was instrumentally concerned and subjected to the process of change. The earlier models of ETHICS was related and concerned with the facts that ensured about the users being contented with their jobs and the effort to determine the influence of information technology on their jobs as well as the perception of the fact that these technologies were considered as the mediator of the changes within the organization. Stages of ETHICS The individual users, managers and the IT staffs were the main persons who used to incorporate this method using the different stages of ETHICS. This methodology was extended to the consideration related to the issues that signifies the availability and dependability after they were introduced into the system. The earlier stages of ETHICS possessed seven stages but gradually these stages were expanded to fifteen levels and stages. These stages of ETHICS have been briefly cited below. Stage 1 Need for these changes Stage 2 The identification of the system boundaries and limitations Stage 3 Description and the definition of the pre-existing system structure Stage 4,5 and 6 Characterization of the key purpose and the tasks that needs to be achieved Stage 7 Diagnosis or identification of the effective changes Stage 8 Identification of the job satisfaction needs amongst the employees or individuals Stage 9 Future analysis Stage 10 Specifying and measuring of the job satisfaction levels Stage 11 Organizational designing of the new system Stage 12 The technical specifications Stage 13 preparation of a full detailed analysis of the work design Stage 14 Implementation Stage 15 Evaluation or Calculation Criticism of ETHICS and its rectification ETHICS faced a number of criticisms in the process of application. Criticism came in form of feedbacks such as, unskilled or less capable users cannot design, the organizational management to reject the system, it revoke the right of the managers to monitor and analyze the crisis and it is a slow and costly method in terms of staff, time and efforts (Stahl 2012). In order to mitigate these concerns over the applications of ETHICS, a more advanced and developed system known as QUICK ethics (Quality Information from Considered Knowledge), that was fundamental in developing and retain the managerial interests. Thus, it can be justified that ETHICS is one of the newer and advanced way for the socio-technical development in organizations. This advanced and innovative way to measure and analyze the failures and effectively manipulate the job satisfaction amongst the employees and the organizational management is one of successful procedures in the information systems module. References Chai, S. and Kim, M., 2012. A socio-technical approach to knowledge contribution behavior: An empirical investigation of social networking sites users.International Journal of Information Management,32(2), pp.118-126. Mumford, E., 2013.Values, technology and work(Vol. 3). Springer Science Business Media. Peppard, J. and Ward, J., 2016.The strategic management of information systems: Building a digital strategy. John Wiley Sons. Stahl, B.C., 2012. Morality, ethics, and reflection: a categorization of normative IS research.Journal of the Association for Information Systems,13(8), p.636.

Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities. Answer: Introduction Business ethics are the standards and principles which define an acceptable behaviour in business environment(Ferrell, Hirt, Ferrell, 2016). Code of ethics differentiates members of a professional body from those who have similar qualifications. In this report, after briefing the ethical dilemma faced by Test engineer and Project manager at Occidental Engineers, consequences for various stakeholders will be discussed. The report will also point out the ethical grounds based of which Occidental Engineers indulged in aggressive bidding. It will also cover what duties do Wayne and Deborah have as test engineer and project manager respectively, before the software is rolled out. Finally, possible alternatives to solve this ethical dilemma will be suggested. What is ACS Code of Conduct? Australian Computer Society (ACS) is a recognized association of information and communication technology (ICT) professionals. It has around 25,000 members from all over Australia(www.acs.org.au, 2017). ACS was formed on January 1, 1966. ACS has established a Code of professional conduct in which it has listed six core ethical values and parameters of professional conduct(Australian Computer Society , 2014). All the members of ACS are required to abide by these values while performing all their professional activities. The aim of developing this code was to define acceptable standards of conduct for IT Professionals(Burmeister, 2000). Ethical Dilemma Ethical Dilemma can be defined as a situation where there is a conflict between two or more ethical principles(Allen, 2017). In business ethics are concerned with making right choices when managers have to make choices which create tension between ethics and profits. In this case, Occidental Engineers, software firm which is in the midst of a financial crisis, bids for a project by quoting figures lower than the actual costs. US Federal Aviation agency gives the contract of developing an air traffic control system to Occidental Engineers. It is agreed that Occidental engineers will deliver this software after two years. In spite of limited financial resources and understaffed team the software was developed, but, at the time of testing it was found that if there are too many aircrafts the system might lose track of one or more of them. Now three days before the delivery the test engineer does not want to release faulty software and asks for extension and on the other hand, Project Ma nager does not want to jeopardize the career of her team members by missing the deadline and asks the team to do a quick patch instead. Wayne Davidson (Test Engineer) As a test engineer Wayne is aware of the fault in the prototype. Now he has two choices in front of him i) to release the software in next three days after mending the code with a quick patch or ii) to refuse to roll out the software till it meets all the specification and is tested thoroughly, which will take 30 more days. At this point of time Wayne is aware of following duties: He must keep Project manager informed of all the challenges or additional costs which might impact the timely delivery of software. Running extensive tests on software to determine that it meets all the specifications and is free from defects (Johnson, 2017). Deborah Shepherd (Project Manager) As a Project Manager, Deborah is aware that delivering this software on time is important for the firm to uphold its reputation and to save the jobs of those working on this project. Now she has to choose between following options i) deliver the software in 3 days by covering the fault to meet the deadline or ii) inform the client about the defect and ask for extension. Right now Deborah is aware of following duties: Meeting the deadline of the project without exceeding the budget. Maintain the relationship with client and other stakeholders. Project manager is also responsible for safeguarding the interests of her team members and to uphold their morale (Project-Management.com, 2015). Why Occidental Engineers quote a figure below estimated costs? From the case study it is clear that Occidental Engineers had bid less than the actual cost it would bear in developing the software. They did so to beat their competitors and to improve their financial condition. From the point of view of ethics their decision to bid aggressively can be justified by Utilitarianism. According to(Eggleston, 2012) utilitarian theory of ethics judges the actions as right or wrong based on the outcomes of those actions. Utilitarianism can be identified by following characteristics: a) Consequentialism, b) welfarism, c) individualism, d) aggregation and e) maximisation. In this particular case, Occidental Engineers was aiming to achieve two things firstly, improve its financial condition and secondly, job security for its employees. It is clear that by aggressively bidding for the project Occidental Engineers was actually looking at the greatest good for the greatest number. Consequences for US Federal Aviation Agency US Federal Aviation Agency accepted a bid in which quoted amount was clearly below the actual cost of doing the project. By accepting such a bid US federal aviation agency might face following consequences: It has been seen that in cases where the contract was given to lowest bidder the completed work did not completely addressed the needs of clients and was expensive to maintain(Markus, 1997). In this case, if Occidental Engineers decide to deliver the product as is than US Federal Aviation Agency would have to bear additional costs for improving the software. Another consequence of accepting faulty software would be increased risk of accidents. If this software is put to use and it loses track of one or more airplanes this can put the lives of passengers travelling in such airplanes at risk. Accepting a bid way below the actual costs puts the officials handling the bid under scanner. Sanctioning such a bid can raise questions over the integrity and intensions of those who sanctioned the bid in first place. Lastly, if Occidental engineer decides to deliver the software as it is US Federal Aviation Agency all the money spent by them for last two years will go in wane and if Occidental Engineers ask for extension of deadline it will again result in added costs for US Federal Aviation Agency. Other Stakeholders Following is the list of stakeholders who will be affected by this bid: Company: If Occidental Engineers decide to deliver the software with the fault it will affect their goodwill in a negative manner and if they ask for extension to rectify the issue it will result in extra costs for them when they are already struggling financially. Team of developers: Employees of Occidental engineers might have to lose their job. It has been mentioned in the case study that if the deadline of project is not met or if the software delivered is not up to the mark employees might have to pay with their jobs. Finally, the passengers traveling by airplanes monitored by such faulty software are at the risk of meeting with an accident if the software loses track of their airplane. Alternative Solutions Analysing this case by keeping Codes of professional ethics given by ACS in perspective following are the alternatives Wayne and Deborah have in front of them to ethically resolve their issues: Letting the client know about the defect: The third code of ethical conduct guides the professionals to be honest about their services and products. As per this code Occidental Engineers should clearly tell US Federal Aviation Agency about the fault and be prepared to do whatever the client seems well. Cover the fault with a quick patch: It is the responsibility of every IT professional to work towards completion of work within timeframe. To honour the deadline the team can initially add few codes to solve the issue for the time being. This way the client will receive the product in time but the quality would be compromised. Deliver competent software: Finally, Occidental Engineers can ask for extension of deadline and rewrite the code to eliminate the defect and finally deliver a completely functional and fault free software to its client. Conclusion Code of ethics developed by ACS define guidelines for ethical conduct of IT Professionals. IT professionals like any other professionals face ethical dilemmas in their day to day work life. In this case Wayne and Deborah faced ethical dilemma over delivery of faulty software. With the help of ACS code of ethics it was concluded that they could i) release the software as is and be ready for repercussions, ii) secondly they can let the client know of the defect or iii) finally, they can ask for extension to fix the fault. Bibliography Allen, K. (2017). What Is an Ethical Dilemma? Retrieved January 4, 2018, from https://www.socialworker.com: https://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/ethics-articles/What_Is_an_Ethical_Dilemma%3F/ Australian Computer Society . (2005). ACS code of professional conduct and professional practice. Australian Computer Society. Burmeister, O. K. (2000). Applying the ACS Code of Ethics. Journal of Research and Practice in Information Technology, 32(2), 107. Eggleston, B. (2012). Utilitarianism. Lawrence: Elsevier Inc. Ferrell, O. C., Hirt, G., Ferrell, L. (2016). Business: A Changing World. McGraw Hill. Johnson, D. W. (2017). Automated software testing: The role of a test engineer. Retrieved December 27, 2017, from techtarget.com: https://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/tip/Automated-software-testing-The-role-of-a-test-engineer Markus, E. (1997). Low bid alternatives. Retrieved January 4, 2018, from americancityandcounty.com: https://americancityandcounty.com/mag/government_low_bid_alternatives Project-Management.com. (2015). Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities for Software Projects. Retrieved December 27, 2017, from www.project-management.com: https://project-management.com/project-manager-roles-responsibilities-software-projects/ www.acs.org.au. (2017). www.acs.org.au. Retrieved December 28, 2017, from www.acs.org.au: www.acs.org.au

A short response on my remembrance of how i began how to read.

A short response on my remembrance of how i began how to read. 30 November 2004Short Response#2 Draft 3Bildbeschreibung: VHS Videorecorder Quelle: selbst...Learning how to write has got to be one of my worse fears while growing up. Though my slightly older uncle had tried to show me how to read and write, I was not the greatest writer, many of my characters such as r and y were written in the opposite directions. Before I could read words on a page my aunt would interact with the stories through pictures. When reading books the story goes far beyond the words on the page. She would use interpretation and thought that give meaning to the words on the page and I later realized that this was an important part of the reading and writing process. I can remember the stress that I had given to my uncle as he repeatedly tried to show me how to write my name, as we used the common big brown recycled paper to practice my writing on, along with the standard number 2 pencil. This took much time and effort as I was taken lessons from my uncle at the age of 4 years old, it wasn't until I was the age of 7 that my writing became a little more ledge able.In Kindergarten and first grade we had sang songs to the VCR television that had the words on the bottom of the screen, at this age this helped many of us students memorize words and how they were spelt. Which is a useful tool for children at that age while they are still sponges in the memory cells, but we also learned how to sound out words as well. Consistently I when I wrote my characters were put in bold capital letters. As my memory skills had grown to excel my writing did as well...

A Critical Review of Yahoo! Corporate Governance Essays

A Critical Review of Yahoo! Corporate Governance Essays A Critical Review of Yahoo! Corporate Governance Paper A Critical Review of Yahoo! Corporate Governance Paper A recommendation is then given followed by a conclusion to the analysis. L. Introduction Corporate governance has come along way since the 1 9th century. What was once an elite fraternity based on little more than cronyism and family connections has now taken on a new shape, resulting from greed and deceitful corporate breakdowns of iconic companies in the first part of the 21 SST century. If the 19th century was the century of the entrepreneur; and the 20th century was the century of management; then the 21 SST century is the century of corporate governance. This paper seeks to review the governance in a publicly listed company whose equines performance has been criticized publicly and to report about its governance protocols and practices. A brief description of the company in question followed by the criteria for the review of governance will be presented. Then, a critical review of their existing practices will be forwarded. Finally a list or recommendations will conclude the review. The goal is to shed light on boardroom practices and to better understand past events so to prevent them from reoccurring. 2. Background Yahoo! S a SIS based multinational Internet company headquartered in Californians silicon valley. It is widely known for its Web portal, search engine, Yahoo! Mail, advertising, online mapping, social media and a myriad of other services, including popular acquisitions such as Alabama, flicker and Tumble. Yahoo! Was founded in 1 994 and was once one of the most popular sites in the US. However, in recent years, its been plagued by poor governance. Between 2009- 2012, the board had dismissed 5 Chief Executive Officers, indicating a history of CEO problems with dire need of stability at the top. The current CEQ Marimbas Mayer has been in place since 201 2 and has also been heavily criticized; however, her leadership has changed the dynamic and ultra of the company, resulting in a tripling of the stock price and acquisitions worth over $1 billion. (Geol. 2014) The next section will explore the criteria for the review of governance. 3. Criteria for review In light of on-going setbacks at Yahoo! , the following criteria have been identified, including a discussion on their importance and why it is appropriate to use them. Yahoo! As a section addressing my criteria in their Corporate Governance Guidelines and nothing appears out of place, in other words, the guidelines are concise and appropriate, according to the textbook. (Trickier 2012) 3. Board membership criteria Although this may seem basic at first glance, it is not. Boards operate differently company to company. In theory, an active board oversees the formation of strategy in shareholder favor, they develop incentives fo r the CEO and other managers to tackle whilst also working toward the agreed upon strategic objectives. The board also critiques the performance of management against such objectives throughout the year and also formally once annually. It is important for boards to run smoothly, as outlined above so to monitor the business, stay abreast with changes in the marketplace so to be in a session to act quickly when required. There is always work to be done by board and committee members, (independent or external) law also requires regular reporting and shareholders require updates. This is an appropriate way to operate because if a board becomes passive, the effects will trickle down and a change in company culture will ensue. To avoid this, and to follow best practice, boards and committees are voted in by shareholders and reviewed annually by the chairman. 3. 2 Selection of the Chief Executive Officer Selection of the Chief Executive of the company is reserved for an active road committee (often independent) who is nominated to do the legwork in the nomination process. The idea is that the nomination committee, headed by its own chairman accept suitable referrals and vet said referrals (and leads) based on the board requirements. Best practice suggests that by the time a nomination is put forth to the chairman, the audit committee has already approved the candidates background and confirmed that no known conflict of interest exists. Not only is it important that each board member be given a specific task or project, its also important to have clear guidelines in place to undertake one f the most important board obligations. Chief Executives are typically not identified easily or hired quickly and the search itself is often expensive. For this reason, shortcuts cannot be made or left up to assumption. It is appropriate for a board to have nomination guidelines in place for top-level positions before exploring the market even begins and well before candidate engagement. By having such guidelines approved and published, it lessens the possibility of oversight by committee members who may feel pressured to tick all the boxes before a formal nomination can be presented, with a genuine seal of approval. . 3 Independence of the Board As a result of the breakdown in governance of iconic companies such as Enron and Arthur Anderson, governments from each country have been forced to take action to preserve the rights of shareholders and employees. An example of this can be found in the US, UK and Australia who operate as a unitary board, unlike Europe, which operate on a two tier board consisting of the executive board and the supervisory board. By law, the unitary board must include independent directors (INDEED) and committees. The paradox of the unitary board is the greater a directors independence, the less he/she is keel to know about the company. The more the INDEED knows about the company, the greater his/her potential contribution, the less his/her perceived independence. According to the textbook, an independent board is one that is capable of performing under the direction and leadership of a non-executive chairman or lead director so no to fall prey on initiatives from management or internal directors. (Trickier 201 2) Independent directors have periodic meetings of independent directors to evaluate management against the strategic goals. They follow strict rules to keep a fair, unbiased balance between the board ND management. This is important because it demonstrates greater transparency to the shareholders and to the SEC, SOX and other government regulators. A lack of transparency was a pattern followed by every board of companies that have since been found guilty in criminal court. It is appropriate to adopt an INDEED board not only to satisfy laws but also to demonstrate that action has been taken to ensure that the board as a whole is fair, that board members come from diverse backgrounds with unique areas of expertise, including industries. Independent Directors are equally accountable to the chairman of the board, hat they are offering is another a new way to view challenges faced by the company and offering the best solutions. . Critical review of Yahoo! Governance Yahoo! Has experienced tumultuous board movement over years, considering that the company is only 20 years old. Many past board members have held their seats for only one year. As of this day, there have been thirteen past board directors which suggests a critical lack of congruence within the business. There are currently ten board directors, including Mayer, CEO. Each director boasts a diverse set of skills and experience from companies that align with Yahoo! , which is ideal and half appear to be independent, also a good thing. It has been acknowledged however, that half the board were replaced following Mayors induction in what is reported to be a buyout. Its been reported that those she bought out would have become made her new post difficult as they likely would have clashed at some point and that it would likely be due to character first and strategy direction, second. (Yarrow 2013) According to Yahoo! Corporate governance guidelines, The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee shall be responsible for assessing the appropriate balance of criteria required of Board members. It is true that a board will often nominate new members with the induction of a new CEO; however, it is reported that Mayer handpicked this board to support her. (Swisher 2014) If this is the case, then it brings up many concerns and questions. The textbook identifies nine concepts and principles for corporate governance. (Trickier 2012) In the case of board selection, believe the following principles sing out: judgment, and accountability. The execution Of best judgment is expected in any nomination. The boards decisions should e made for the greater good of the company, rather than to promote personal agendas. Records show that although Mayer may have nominated half her board, the shareholders and existing board directors have approved it. In other words, they appear to have gone through due process as stated in the company guidelines. One would hope that the current board will prove not to be yes-men and that they will be supportive yet unbiased and even critical as required as cronyism has lead many a company down slippery slopes. The concept of accountability suggests that directors are answerable for their actions and decisions. Mayer must have already known that as one of the first changes she initiated at Yahoo! Was a weekly meeting that everyone was invited to attend to have their questions answered based on recent decisions, changes in the business and write ups in the press. Employees submitted questions online and the first 5 questions with 50 votes would be addressed. Mayer even allowed employees to submit anonymously, which naturally invited in the tougher questions. From an outside perspective, this was a genius move on her part and showed that she was being transparent and penny willing to put herself on the line. This next topic goes without saying that Yahoo! Has been hit hard by the mismanagement of their Chief Executive Officers in recent years. As stated above, the selection of the CEO is a critical task of the board and its committees. Yahoo! Has terminated four Chief Executives in three years. Mayer took the reins in 2012 following Scott Thompson resume embellishment that was made public only four months into his tenure. Each of the two interim Chief Executives had been deemed unsuitable to take the role on permanently. This is an example of poor governance; the situation tit Thompson may have gone away more rapidly had Yahoo! Not already terminated the 3 Chief Executives before him. This is also a problem of succession planning as 2 of the interim Chief Executives were internal. On the other hand, how might a company be prepared to nominate two internal Chief Executive candidates who are ready for the role in such a short space of time? Chief Executives are not interchangeable. It is believed that Yahoo! Did the best with what they had to work with, it just wasnt enough. To make matters worse, at the time of the Thompson revelation, the chair of he nomination committee, Patti Hart (who approved Thompson) was also found to have an embellishment on her resume. This is was an embarrassment for Yahoo! As the filing had already gone to the SEC to which the board was accountable. The concepts that stand out in this instance are: honesty, meaning not misleading and of strong morality and integrity, mean inning of high moral value and professionalism; such principles are expected by a board of a ($billion) company. One article describes the dilemma well. Should we be focused more on education or on ethics? Enders 201 2) As an outsider, I believe ethics weigh stronger than education; especially as top executives receive ongoing, relevant training and development. In Thompson case, he resume claimed a computer science degree from the asss which would have added little value to the company. Makes one wonder if it was really worth the risk. Oversights do happen, yet this particular one had been following him around since the early asss. Based on the updated company nomination guidelines, such mistake will likely never happen again as better, more appropriate checks and balances have been set in place. The final topic is around independence. As outlined above, a unitary board just have independent directors and committees to ensure that decisions are made in the best interest of the company. At the time of Thompson and Harts tenure, the only thing that makes sense is that the board became too comfortable and exercised gross oversight and incompetence. The trouble here was that the board didnt question the independent committees findings. Independence is important, though so is due process. (Labeled Sillies 2003) The audit committee was not involved and the chairman at the time was known for not rocking the boat. Brenner 2014) The results were crippling for the company. The concepts that require discussion and analysis are: responsibility, having clearly defined roles and reputation, an estimation of having done something well. Although each board member looked adequate on paper, there were many gaps that could have been avoided if the directors had been diverse enough or willing t o take a stand to ensure that all the boxes have been ticked. It seems that each was relying on the other to do the right thing and each accepted the general consensus without further query. This proved damaging to the reputation of the entire board and some lost their appointments as a result. On a positive note, Yahoo! Now have a new guideline in place to ensure that three committees review and approve a nomination before it goes to the board for further review. This is consistent with best practice for unitary boards. 5. Recommendation Mayer has been CEO for a little more than two years. Since then, she has driven more than 30 acquisitions worth more than $1 billion; she has also initiated a monthly bell curve review of all staff which determines merit for bonuses and in some cases, termination. Stock price has tripled under her tenure. Her decisions are not always popular, yet shes doing what few before her were able to. Therefore, its recommended that the board continue to give her money for acquisitions and also for RD to make Yahoo! Known for its products, not just its acquisitions. Mayer has been heavily criticized in the press for making decision based on feeling. Not all her decisions have worked out well, yet she has not yet created a pattern of poor decisions making. I recommend that she remain CEO for another two years to bring her strategy to fruition. That way, shareholders will continue to reap the rewards of the tock price whilst Mayer continues to harness energies toward customer experience, which is where her expertise lies. 6. Conclusion The past several years have been tough for the company. The good news is that Yahoo! Appears to be turning things around for the better. It was a big risk for the board to hire a green CEO. Her successful track record at Google as well as her industry contacts and networking skills will prove invaluable. Meyers gender, age and rapid ascent into executive management have earned her a national celebrity status.

World literature Eng 225 Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World literature Eng 225 Coursework - Essay Example Aeneas was the hero of an oral epic, whereas Roland was the hero of a chansons de geste. The use of medias res in â€Å"The Aeneid† and â€Å"The Iliad† is evident when each story starts in the middle, using flashbacks to fill the reader in on earlier events. For example, â€Å"The Aeneid† begins after the Trojan War, when the Trojan fleet was heading toward Italy. â€Å"The Iliad† is similar by beginning nine years into the Trojan War. The use of medias res in both text foreshadow the end results. In â€Å"The Aeneid† the defeated Trojan fleet heading to Italy shows that the Trojans lost the war. Homer begins the â€Å"The Iliad† with Agamemnon taking Briseis, Achilles’ slave girl, setting up the battle that rages through out the epic between Agamemnon and Achilles. â€Å"The Song of Roland† also uses medias res by starting in the middle. Even though it does not seem to start in the middle by starting with Seven Years in Spain, yet to a medieval audience it would be in the middle of the Saracens battle with

Sterotypes and Diversity in American Research Paper

Sterotypes and Diversity in American - Research Paper Example Stories related by friends and families, narratives handed down from generations to generations, information from books and magazines, and depictions in movies and television allow individuals to formulate generalizations. Majority of these stereotypical generalizations are logically correct, however, in almost all cases, humanity is resorting to bigotry by assigning labels and categorizations about a person merely rooted in a stereotype, devoid of real facts. Through stereotyping, suppositions are made on a person or group with some individuality. Stereotypical biases are oftentimes derived from secondhand information (Grobman, 1990). Extensive and continuous circulation of stereotypes causes uncertainty between realism and fallacy for both the subject and doer (Prell, 2009). At the time the United States was experiencing remarkable changes in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries from enormous immigrant arrivals; modernization and industrial ascension; and the inclusion of women, races, and minorities in the labor force, American civilization developed preoccupations with inflexible and often vindictive cultural stereotypes in the fields of literature, arts, and the media (Prell, 2009). As portrayed in the movie industry, African-Americans are negatively stereotyped as intellectually incapable, idle, or violent. Consequently, with this type of pigeonholed films, injustice in opposition to African-Americans is promoted. Another example of media stereotype is how women, the physically perfect in particular, are constantly presented as weak, unintelligent and sexually immoral (Grobman, 1990). Fashion icons, sports figures, television and movie personalities are glamorously represented by the media as models of perfection. However, ethnic, gendered, and culture-rooted stereotypes are oftentimes impossibly achievable resulting in a great divide between genders boasted in the media and the â€Å"ordinary† sexes of society. Moreover, with the current trend o f humanity’s fixation for excellence, society is confronted with socio-cultural threats and loss of identity and ethnicity (McConnell, 2008). The dilemma frequently comes up once the ‘label’ twists from being a classifier into an insulting position for the subject, especially if the individual formulating the stereotype is a person of authority. At that juncture, it is not simply the human perception of stereotypes but the person who commands power, creates labels and holds egotistic interests that is at fault. When a stereotype is used for maneuvering an individual’s manner of judgment, it has to be classified if it is an instrument or an obstruction in the user’s opinion (Stewart, n.d.). This paper will provide an explanation as to why stereotypes are made. Advantages and disadvantages of negative stereotyping will be laid out to raise awareness on how it affects the social wellbeing of a stigmatized individual. A treatment plan in combating negat ive stereotypes through active participation of individuals, the media and the educational system, will likewise be presented. The Reasons behind Stereotypes Nowadays, the term 'stereotype' is perceived as a form of maltreatment and exploitation. Diverse groups, predominantly the black outcasts, inferior-to-men women and discriminated gays, are stereotyped in the mass media and in the

Strategic Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Strategic Business - Essay Example Furthermore, while the mission statement of Microsoft formally articulates organizational purpose, it is the organization’s culture that gives life to the organization and helps make the realization of its mission possible. The concept of Microsoft’s of organizational culture has been the focus of much attention with analyst associating it with superior corporate performance, increased productivity, improved morale and high rates of return on investment. The organizational culture is the collectively accepted meaning that manifests itself in the formal and informal rules of an organization or a sub-group. The culture embodies the collective symbols, myths, visions and heroes of the organization are past and present (Ouchi, 1981). Culture basically involves what to wear, how to address staffs and what is rewarded and punished. It is often not written. When individuals join an organization, in addition to learning about its formal aspects, they spend much of their time be ing socialized into the less formal aspects of organizational life which is the culture. As Microsoft developed their approach in analyzing their organization, it became apparent to them and their people, that they have different personalities and work in different rhythms. People who feel professional jealousy want to be recognized by the leader of the organization. As we have said earlier, rewards or punishment is a motivation. Some people when not being rewarded feel that they are less important in the organization and eventually become unsatisfied with their job and some simply want higher position in the organization. Communication with members of the organization is and good relationship towards each other important in order for the organization to achieve their goal which can be hindered by professional jealousy. On the other hand, people feel job dissatisfaction because they want more challenging jobs. They feel they are more capable of other job than what they are

The History Of Oxygen Therapy Nursing Essay

The History Of Oxygen Therapy Nursing Essay The nursing process, which is an organized approach of planning, delivering, and evaluating individualized care for clients in any state of health or illness was not followed in this case. Kamila, after moving the patient from the bed to the commode should of assess the oxygen saturation of the client since the client was on 2 L via nasal cannula. The nursing process is recurrent with each steps depend on the accuracy of the previous one. With the nursing process being decisive, the goal is to provide outstanding, individualized, client-centered care. I found it vital to know the baseline assessment of my patient. As soon as Melissa informed me about the status of my patient; I assessed the patient, vital signs were within the normal range and I failed to report it to either the nurse or my team leader. Although during report the ongoing nurse failed to mention the patient was on 2 L via nasal cannula, as the student nurse assigned to that patient I should of report the incidence and my assessment to the nurse to prevent future escalation of the patient condition. This assessment of the patient being short of Breath on exertion could be helpful in the development of the care plan of the patient in response to actual or potential health conditions or needs. Excellent communication between the healthcare team is fundamentally imperative in taking care of a client. Constant follow up is important in comparing the baseline assessments and the actual findings to determine if the outcomes are met. In this case I didnt communicate it to nurse nor the team leader who could of reported to our clinical instructor. I was in the receiving end, and didnt take it further. This kind of poor communication is not beneficial toward the patient outcomes or a modification in the plan of care. As patient advocate, in taking care of a patient we need to critically think about the outcomes we want to achieve in planning care. Because Critically thinking is an intelligently well-organized process of actively and competently conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, or evaluating information collected from, or created by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a pilot to confidence and action. I failed to critically think in taking care of my patient by not anticipate that the nurse contact the healthcare provider, to ask for an order foe oxygen which is at this point very important in the plan care of this patient. Oxygen therapy is a medical intervention, which involves administration of oxygen in both acute and chronic care. Oxygenation of body tissues is vital for cell metabolism and subsequent physiological functioning of the body (PLoS Medicine, 2008). According to Bailley (2010), continuous oxygen therapy is often prescribed for patients with severe Hypoxemia and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). There are three common modes for oxygen administration. These include; compressed gas, liquid gas and oxygen concentrators. Physicians need to be extra vigilant to ensure that patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease receive continuous and long-term oxygen therapy. There is significant evidence that proves administration of long-term and continuous oxygen therapy increases survival of patients with severe hypoxemia but not nocturnal desaturation (Bailley, 2010). When subjected to long-term oxygen therapy for 24 months, the mortality rate of patients with a PaO2 not exceeding 58 mm Hg reduced significantly as compared to nocturnal therapy. In a separate experiment, patients with a PaO2 ranging between 40 and 60 mm Hg on long-term oxygen therapy increased their survival rate by 5 years as compared to patients under placebo (NNT, five) (Bailley, 2010). Bailley (2010) also notes that other nursing interventions found effective in COPD treatment include inhaled corticosteroids, anti-cholinergic agents, long-acting beta2 agonists and pulmonary rehabilitation. However, choice of any intervention depends on the stage of the disease. Ranchord (2009) notes that although most clinicians understand the hazards of oxygen therapy in chronic pulmonary disease and hypoxemia-induced respiratory drive patients, there is little appreciation that exposure to higher than normal physiological levels of oxygen (a condition called Hypoxemia) is associated with detrimental effects in patients with ischemic heart condition. According to Ranchord (2009), in the past years, clinicians were made to believe that inhaled oxygen increased oxygen in the arteries during acute myocardial infarctions, however; this may reduce the cardiac output, increase blood pressure and resistance to blood flow. This incident had lead to some potential negative outcomes like the patient being short of breath. If Melissa didnt go to the room to do her initial assessment, patient could of gone to respiratory arrest. One of the probable cause of respiratory arrest is decrease respiratory drive. If respiratory arrest is prolonged, cardiac arrest rapidly follows because continuing hypoxia damages cardiac system, harmful effect is brain damage cause by lack of oxygen to the brain and death. Evidence-based practice is the reliable and thoughtful use of recent best indication to improve the quality care of the patients. It is important for me to provide safe and accurate patient care to avoid any negative outcome that could lead to deterioration of the patient condition. (Issel, 2010) identify patient safety has freedom from accidental injury, It has become established as a foundation of quality care for acute care institutions and, subsequently, for other health care settings in which direct care is provided. As healthcare professional I need to be vigilant in providing the safest care and anticipate that the best current evidence is use in making decisions about patient care.

Free Essays - Great Expectations :: Great Expectations Essays

There were several themes associated with the novel Great Expectations. One of the most fascinating themes dealt with "infatuation and how it compares to and relates to love" ("Infatuation"). Infatuation is basically an obsession, or extravagant affection towards a person (Webster, 667). There is really no definite reason behind their passion, therefore this feeling is often short in duration and indicative of faulty judgement (Webster, 667). The person doesn't know what these feelings mean, this is normally why they mistake it for love. Love, on the other hand, is an intense affectionate concern for another person (Webster, 772). It is a more selfless and settled feeling. You can compare the difference between love and infatuation with the cliche "All that glitters is not gold", the glitter illusion being infatuation and the gold being love, the real thing. As a person grows and experiences their feelings with many other people, the distinction between love and infatuation b ecomes more clear. This is because the person can compare feelings they have experienced in the past, with their present feelings. In Great Expectations we see how Pip's infatuation for Estella is "short in duration" (Webster, 667), as most infatuations are. Despite the fact that Estella is arrogant and rude, Pip is not only infatuated with her beauty and wealth, but also almost envies it. In fact the humiliation Estella puts Pip through, causes Pip to feel very lowly of himself and the way he has been brought up. This causes Pip's expectations to change from expecting to be Joe's blacksmith apprentice, to studying to become a gentlemen noticed and admired by Estella. As years pass, Estella 2 continues to play with Pip's heart, and Pip continues to unconditionally have feelings for her. Later, Estella marries a man named Bently Drummle, only causing Pip to, yet again, confess his love to Estella. Estella tells Pip "I know what you mean as form of words, but nothing more." (Dickens, 892) This basically means that Estella can hear what Pip is telling her, but she doesn't see how he could love her. Regardless of that, and the fact that Estella is to be married, Pip still continues to fantasize about Estella. Soon, Pip starts to learn more about her, and her past, through Miss Havisham. These talks with Pip helps make Miss Havisham into a kinder and happier person. Feeling that he cannot have Estella, and that the world around him has changed, Pip decides to propose to Biddy.

Breaking Down the Doors of Society

Society as we know it today has changed day by day as the world around us advances in many different ways. Advancements in science, technology, education, politics, human rights and many other areas have led to the shifts of culture in society to mold what we recognize society as today. Over the next 37 years, by year 2050, I foresee many changes that will occur that will impact society significantly. I believe a few changes that will cause the culture changes will be: the AffordableCare Act, the raises that are going to take place in the minimum wage, but most importantly, I believe society is going to take a shift for progressive and accepting views. First of all, a hot topic today and a conversation that will be occurring over the next 30 years will be health care in the United States and in the entire world. In my opinion, the changes that we are going to see take place in the United States under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are going to be numerous.Not only wil l there be plenty of changes behind the scenes with insurance companies and lath care providers, but there will be a major culture change in America as we see these changes take place. I believe this due to the fact that since an estimated 105 million Americans will no longer have lifetime dollar limits on their coverage and that 17. 6 million children will no longer be denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions, then individuals and families will no longer, hopefully, be driven into poverty due to medical bills that they cannot handle.Additionally, due to the fact that people will be covered and be able to have preventative care, then I hope to see hat people will no longer be flooding the emergency rooms whenever they get sick, which the taxpayer previously had to foot the bill. Moreover, there are many great changes that will take place, but the most visible changes, in my opinion, are going to be the cultural ones.First, I believe that with the new extension that children wi ll be able to stay under their parents' coverage until the age of 26, then I believe that will create some major stress relief on young adults trying to receive college educations and establish their careers. Not only that, but it may create a sort of extended adolescence that we normally saw up until the age of 22 or so, but now that may change to about 25 or 26. Finally, I feel the major cultural shift that the new health care law will create is that people will no longer be belittled or embarrassed to seek health care that they cannot afford.Additionally, due to the education that many people learned about their struggling counterparts, they will begin to respect and care for their less fortunate counterparts since many Americans learned that there re way more people struggling to afford basic health care than there should be. Secondly, I believe that a major change is in order now that the federal minimum wage is receiving heavy criticism. Now that people in the United States ar e beginning to see and understand how terrible life is as a minimum wage worker, a culture change is already occurring.People across all walks of life: rich, poor, liberal, conservative, religious and non-religious alike are beginning to support a raise to the federal minimum wage out of the care and sympathy they all have for the nation's resorts families. The major changes that can take place if the federal minimum wage was changed to nine or ten dollars an hour would be exceedingly significant, in my opinion. Not only will the estimated 3. 8 million workers that were paid at or below the federal minimum wage see relief in their daily lives, but also the poverty level will decrease.Based on the new money that will be injected into the economy, businesses will be more profitable, hiring could increase, and the government will collect more in taxes from workers who now live above the poverty line and from reparations. Furthermore, there will be a radical shift in America's poor. Les s people will be reliant on federal programs such as SNAP and WICK and less people will have a disapproving attitude towards the nation's poor who rely on these programs and are, unfortunately, seen as â€Å"moochers† or â€Å"leaches. The final and most important culture change that I believe is going to take place by the year 2050 will be the major progressive and accepting shift in individual's attitudes. What I mean by this is that people throughout the world are going to begin to accept everyone no tater their walk of life. Less and less people are going to be looking down upon the poor, minorities, women in the workplace, atheists, homosexuals and other less mainstream lifestyles. I feel like this shift is already taking place today, but we are seeing major resistance that I believe is going to end over the next decade or two.Personally, I feel that individuals who desire to break the social norms are going to have more courage to do so since an increasing number of pe ople will be supportive of their lives. For instance, more women will be seeking political and business oriented Jobs, homosexuals will no longer try to hide their true identities from their families, people will stop using stereotypes and offensive names, all religions will be accepted no matter their history and many other great changes. Moreover, families will no longer push their child towards social norms, in my outlook.Families will be closer, in my estimation, for a couple of reasons: parents will accept their children no longer who they desire to grow up to be, bigoted ideas will no longer tear families apart based on who they marry and children will be less likely to dislike their parents u to the fact that they will no longer be pushed to forget their dream and pursue a social norm. Also, I feel like these progressive shifts will lead too much smaller schism in society that disapproves of these lifestyles and way of thinking.Those that disapprove of equal marriage, interra cial marriage, atheism, Islam, and many other things will be reduced to a much smaller population since others will begin to see that loving and caring for each other is most important. Lastly, I believe that this change that is taking place in more developed countries will begin to take place wrought the world, which will make the world a much better place to live in, especially in developing nations.I believe this due to the fact that people will no longer be not allowed to have Jobs based on gender, sexual orientation, race or anything else not related to work. Additionally, countries may begin to stop having laws against freedom of religion or homosexuality. All in all, I believe the sky is the limit for equality and open-mindedness in the world based on the progressive shifts in the eyes of the people.All in all, although there are many culture changes that are going to take place by the year 2050, I believe health care, the minimum wage, and the progressive shift in opinions w ill be the most important. Not only will these changes improve the lives of many in America and the world, but also I believe the progressive shift that is taking place already will begin to take place in a large population of people, to the relief of many. I believe that equality of everyone will become a priority, like it should've been forever, and by 2050 1 think it will happen.

USM introduces new online MBA program Essays

USM introduces new online MBA program Essays USM introduces new online MBA program Essay USM introduces new online MBA program Essay The University of Southern Mississippi and its College of Business announced their online MBA program that they will offer for the first time. This online MBA program will start in 2015, from January. That time, 2 online MBA programs will be offered. These 2 programs are the MBA program for Global Economy MBA 620 and the program for Analytical Decision Making MBA 610. Besides these MBA courses, 2 more will be available for the Spring semester in 2015. The courses will be available online because this way, students have the chance of completing the assignments and the coursework online as well as in the classroom. Campuses that will offer these hybrid online classes are the Gulf Park Campus in Long Beach and Hattiesburg’s main campus. The MBA director and associate dean, Dr. Beth LaFleur, said that this online program offers the students an opportunity to choose on their own the format in which they want the coursework delivers. They choose this format according to their needs. She also stated that many students have asked for online classes and the MBA programs have grown and developed significantly. The reasons for the students asking this are different, from students who are busy professionals already working and want online courses in order to continue growing their career but also get the degree in time, as well as student who live far from the university and have geographical constraints. LaFleur also thinks that with the development of the MBA programs and the going forward plan will ask for more traditional MBA classes which will be introduced online every semester. This year, the US News and World Report made the rankings for the best 200 business programs that are part-time for 2014 and the MBA program from Southern Mississippi University was on this list. The MBA program currently has around 90 students attending the classes. It has been noticed that every student completes its degree in around 2 years, and also, that every year, around 20 to 25 students graduate from these online MBA programs. The Dean at the College of Business, at the University of Southern Mississippi, Dr. Faye Gilbert, said that this online MBA program at the university is truly a competitive program. According to him, the program gives the students the opportunity to create the courses to match their needs.

How to Style Numbers

How to Style Numbers How to Style Numbers How to Style Numbers By Mark Nichol When you write a number that will appear in print or online, do you use figures, or spell it out? If you want to follow an authoritative source to produce professional-looking content, the answer is both more complicated and simpler than you think (we already covered part of this topic with the article 10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals). The bible of the mainstream book-publishing industry, The Chicago Manual of Style, devotes 18 pages to the topic, while The AP Stylebook, the authority of record for newspapers, is appropriately more concise. (Various magazines generally use one style or the other, but Web sites tend toward AP style.) Other style manuals abound, but unless you’re writing for scholarly journals, you can count, so to speak, on Chicago or AP. The more formal the writing, the more likely you’ll follow Chicago style, which originally evolved from guidelines developed for the University of Chicago Press but has since been adopted by most book publishers as the authority for grammar, usage, punctuation, and, yes, numbers. The basic Chicago rule is to spell out numbers from one to one hundred but use numerals for 101 and up. But if you refer to two amounts in the same category, default to numerals. (â€Å"I found 137 mistakes, compared with only 89 last time.†) Major exceptions to the basic rule include a number as the first word in a sentence, larger round numbers (â€Å"five hundred†) and orders of magnitude (â€Å"millions,† â€Å"billions,† etc.). The point is to maintain consistency as much as possible. Technical, statistically dense text, meanwhile, is better served by numerals, so in that case use digits for physical dimensions, degrees (both of temperature and angle), scores and percentages, money, time, and other references to quantity. Newspaper style and less formal writing (and much of online content) hews closer to AP style, which derived from the rules for Associated Press newspaper articles: Spell out numbers only to ten, use numbers for 11 and up, and don’t be concerned about matching style when you refer to quantities on both sides of the tipping point. (â€Å"In a classroom poll conducted recently, only seven of 29 students agreed with that statement.†) And what about those pesky hyphens? Don’t hyphenate a physical dimension to the unit name unless those two terms modify a noun (â€Å"10 feet,† but â€Å"10-foot pole†). Hyphenate double-digit numbers by themselves and within larger numbers if they aren’t multiples of ten (â€Å"sixty-four,† â€Å"one hundred twenty-eight†), but don’t hyphenate all the elements of a large number like a chain. Simple and mixed fractions should be styled, depending on your preferred policy, either like â€Å"1/2† and â€Å"1 3/4,† or like â€Å"one-half† or â€Å"one and three-fourths.† Don’t bother setting case fractions (in which the numbers are reduced in size and placed on either side of a diagonal line); if you’re writing for a publication, the fraction will be formatted during the production stage according to its style. To establish a style for your Web site or blog, keep in mind that gurus of online content advise using numerals, which are easier to scan (and most site visitors scan before they read, if they read at all), but note that the AP rule about using numerals for numbers you can count on your fingers still applies: â€Å"1 day, I’ll see with my own 2 eyes that you can beat 3 people in a row in 4-square† is going a bit far. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names5 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseWords That Begin with Q

Physician assisted suicide ( for an ethics in healthcare class) Research Paper

Physician assisted suicide ( for an ethics in healthcare class) - Research Paper Example Euthanasia is classified into two types; active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. This paper compares active and passive euthanasia and analyzes the arguments in favor and against performing physician assisted suicide. Physician Assisted Suicide In the United States, physician-assisted suicide is legal only in Oregon. The Oregon Death With Dignity Act was passed in November 1994 by a margin of 51% to 49%. After multiple legal proceedings prevented its enactment, the Act became law on October 27, 1997. In November 1997, 60% of voters voted against Measure 25, which would have repealed the Act. The Death With Dignity Act legalizes physician-assisted suicide but prohibits euthanasia (Facts and Statistics on Euthanasia, 2010) Physician assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia are slightly different even though the purpose of both remains the same. PAS is a kid of suicide performed with the help of a physician as the name suggests whereas euthanasia is the intentional ending of life of a pe rson by the physician. Euthanasia or PAS are normally performed when a patient happens to be in a no hope condition and suffers severe pain and agony. Proponents of PAS believe that there is no point in sustaining the life of a patient in pathetic condition, if the hope for survival is zero. ... Earlier people like to live in larger families whereas current generation likes to live in nuclear families. In other words, earlier, helping or assisting old people or patients during the end of their life periods, was considered as a duty and responsibility. At present people do not believe in such things. Everybody wants to safeguard their interests at present and they do not bother much about the necessities of older generation or patients who are fighting for their lives. Current generation is more selfish and they give priority to their personal wellbeing and do not bother much about the interests of others. Under such circumstances, old people or patients in no hope conditions would like to terminate their lives and PAS is an option available in front of them. On the other hand, religions or critics argue against PAS citing moral reasons. For them, human do not possess the right to terminate his life under any circumstances because of the immense value of human life. They also argue that God has certain plan on each person’s life which is difficult to realize with human abilities. Religions argue that the life in this world is only a temporary assignment and a permanent life is waiting for each human after his death. The life after death is associated with the merits and demerits of the activities in present life. In short, there are different views about the topic physician assisted suicide. Before analyzing the above issue in detail, it is better to identify different types of euthanasia prevailing in the present society. Wrong evaluation or assessment about the conditions of a patient may sometimes motivate others in performing euthanasia.

DADA movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DADA movement - Essay Example Traditional art was considered to be creative because the works were created out of nothing but still were appealing to art enthusiasts. This paper advances the view that Dadaism is partly a precursor of today’s art. Looking at Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon, one sees the originality. Originality was the cornerstone of traditional art. Picasso’s work is a painting done from scratch. It is original and makes a lot of sense. These are aspects of art that were ignored purposefully by Dadaism. They were deviants and haters of norm and traditions. Use of found objects had never been a part of traditional art. It was traditionally not considered artful. Dadaism came and changed it. Michael Duchamp, a Dadaist champion, used found object to make a fountain. Traditional artists hold the view that taking found objects and just modifying them a little bit as Dadaism advocated was itself not artistic. There are instances where anti art can take the form of art, and there are other cases where it is a total deviation from art. Using silence a music, for instance, is nonsensical and irrational, but Dadaism appreciates it because it serves a purpose. In traditional art, people expect to get entertained, but Dadaism would deliberately go against entertainment. Where a person felt bored by a Dadaist art, Dadaism meant it to bore. Hugo Ball’s Karawane poem does not make any sense; that’s just what it was intended to be. The artistic sense of Dadaism and some associated works of art was that objects that were traditionally not considered as art were made to serve aesthetic purposes. There’s nothing that could be more artistic that making something out of nothing, or rather deriving art where none ever existed. This is basically what Dadaism was all about. Several movements that came after Dadaism, such as surrealism, were, to a great extent, inspired by the ideals of Dadaism. They have led to a lot of today’s creative art. Pop art, performance

SEARCH AND SEIZURE- CRIMINAL LAW Research Paper

SEARCH AND SEIZURE- CRIMINAL LAW - Research Paper Example Since the enactment and implementation of this law and its subsequent amendment known as the 4th Amendment, there have been several public and academic reviews on the law. Whereas some of these reviews seek to educate the public on the mandate and interpretation of the search and seizure law, others seek to criticize the law whiles others on the other hand seek to magnify the merits of the law. In this essay, there is an integrated approach to critically analyze the search and seizure law from the view points of as many schools of thoughts as there are on the law. Overview of the Search and Seizure Law The search and seizure law entails much more than we hear in its name. This is to say that the law goes beyond just searching a person or a place and seizing items. Broadly, â€Å"â€Å"Search and seizure† refers to the methods used by law enforcement to investigate crimes, track down evidence, question witnesses, and arrest suspects† (US Legal, 2011). This means that the search and seizure was enacted with the need to track down on criminal activities by gathering and gaining enough grounds for evidence and conducting investigation. For example when a civilian gives off a police tip about a person involved in the dealing of drugs, one of the best ways the police can gather evidence on the authenticity of the suspicion on the otherwise of the suspicion is to search the suspect or his or her premises. In case drugs are truly found, the police would best represent their case in court when they seize the drugs as evident. The application of the search and seizure law in the United States however varies from State to State (US Legal, 2011). The fundamental principle based on which the law works however remains the same; regardless of the State using the law. Due to the technicality of the search and seizure law, it is ably backed and guided by other constitutional laws, commonly known as the 4th Amendment. Search and Seizure and the 4th Amendment Laws a re made to protect the citizenry. This means that laws must be devoid of rooms that permit the abuse of the fundamental human right of people. Having talked about the concept and idea behind the search and seizure law, one may be tempted to think that the search and seizure law would give room for the police and perhaps other security and intelligence agencies to abuse the privacy and safety of civilians. This is far from true. This is because the mandate of the police in using the search and seizure law is controlled by the 4th Amendment. In this regard, Bergman (2010) explains that â€Å"the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution places limits on the power of the police to make arrests, search people and their property, and seize objects and contraband (such as illegal drugs or weapons).† This is to say that the 4th Amendment is a policing tool for the police in executing their search and seizure jurisdictions. The 4th Amendment works on the principle and basis of privacy o f individuals. At the same time however, the 4th Amendment preserves the sanctity of the search and seizure law and therefore strikes a balance by protecting individuals against unreasonable search and seizure and not just against search and seizure. Bergman (2010)

Aluminum smelter in South Africa Essay Example for Free

Aluminum smelter in South Africa Essay We recommend you do not build this new Greenfield primary aluminum smelter in South Africa. In order to achieve a 15% ROI on your investment, you require a long-term average price of $1500 for aluminum. We have estimated that demand for primary aluminum in 5 years will be at $20bn, which will support a market price of around $1490. This heavily builds on the assumption that aluminum inventories will be zero by that time, which depends on a successful implementation of the international Memorandum of Understanding. Historically these non-binding agreements have been very hard to enforce, and so a scenario where supply is far greater than demand is likely, leading to large inventories and lower prices. It is because of this uncertainty that we recommend you do not build the plant. Back-up calculations: 1.ROI calculation: Given investment costs of $1.6bn, full capacity of 466,000 t/year and an ROI requirement of 15%, we calculated that you require a price of $1,500 per ton of aluminum. 2.In the short run, all smelters need to cover variable costs, which include electricity, alumina, other material costs and freight cost. In the long-run, they need to cover total costs. a.The current price ($1,100) covers variable costs for 20 million tons of capacity; the long-run price will have to be higher. b.Smelters may hesitate to scale down production of individual pots, as this will still incur costs of labour or other non-material costs, as well as additional costs in having to rebuild and reline the pots. c.Not all producers are subject to the same pressures, e.g., variable costs differ significantly between different smelters (different size, efficiency, tax breaks, power agreements). Government-run facilities may have more financial support due to their social role in addition to pure production, such as securing raw materials supply for domestic industries, as well as providing jobs for local communities. 3.Given a CAGR of 2% per year, we estimate total aluminum demand to be 27 million tons in 1998. Assuming that inventories are zero, and primary demand accounts for 74% of total supply, this would imply primary demand of 20 million tons. 4.To produce 20 million tons, the price would be around $1,490 per ton. 5.The reduction in inventories and stabilization of the price level depends on the success of the MoU. Other producers may not look favorably on you opening a new smelter when they have had to cut down on production.

A Comparison of Hamlet and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest :: comparison compare contrast essays

A Comparison of Hamlet and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest A Comparison of the Character Hamlet, of Shakespeare's Hamlet, and McMurphy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest It is suggested that in modern literature, the true element of tragedy is not captured because the protagonist is often of the same social status as the audience, and therefor, his downfall is not tragic. This opinion, I find, takes little consideration of the times in which we live. Indeed, most modern plays and literature are not about monarchs and the main character is often equal to the common person; this, however, does not mean the plot is any less miserable nor the outcome any less wretched. The first work I have chosen proves this fact. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a first novel by Ken Kesey published in 1962, is a contemporary tragedy describing the downfall of a rigidly administered ward in a mental institution led by the rebellion of a new admission. The work I have chosen to compare this novel to is the classic play by William Shakespeare, Hamlet. There is an intimate relationship between these to works beyond that they are both tragedies; the protagonist in each lacks conventional hero qualities. Both Hamlet and R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, can be defined as anti-heroes making these two pieces comparable for study. To examine the aspect of anti-heroes in tragedy, and how this relates to the characters of R.P.McMurphy and Hamlet, an analysis of the motivation of each is necessary. Motivation is the source of all action, and only in this area these two characters similar to a traditional protagonist. As the character himself evolves through the course of the plot, so do their motives. Hamlet and McMurphy begin at different points with different purposes, but soon meet with a common incentive. For Hamlet, this initial impulse is derived from his embitterment towards his mother for remarrying so soon after his father's death and for selecting her late husband's brother Claudius, as her second partner. In a witty statement to his closest friend Horatio, he expresses his indignation; "The funeral baked meats/ Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables." Entirely unrelated, is McMurphy's need to be "top man".

Pros and Cons of Drugs

The Pros of Illegal Drugs Many countries along with the United States have laws forbidding the possession, sale, and use of certain drugs ranging everywhere from marijuana to heroin. Though many countries classify these drugs as illegal, I believe certain ones are not as bad as people portray them as. In my mind, the illegal drug cannabis, also known as marijuana should be legalized since it can not only improve the economy but its side effects are not that foreign to other legal drugs. I believe marijuana should be legalized considering its side effects are not too extreme.Drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine should not be legalized. These drugs carry strong side effects and are damaging to the body, resulting in damage to the human body. A debatable point on the matter is the money these drugs produce. Some believe that legalizing these certain drugs will in turn help the suffering economy we are now facing. Though this may be true in some aspects, it is an awful idea in others. Yes, legalizing these drugs would bring in a large profit considering how pricy they are, however it also would be very harmful to the people using them.These drugs can be overdosed on very easily, and if so it can result in severe harm or even death. Marijuana on the other hand can also produce a large profit without those severe consequences. Side effects of marijuana are quite minor compared to other illegal drugs. It speeds up the user’s heart rate and causes physical impairment. The worst of its side effects are breathing difficulties and the increase in chances of getting lung cancer. These side effects are exactly the same as those of cigarette consumers.Smoking tobacco cigarettes carries the same side effects plus even more due to the buildup of tar it causes in the lungs and yet the sale and consumption of such a product is still legal. I see the use of marijuana as a combination of the consummation of alcohol and cigarettes at the same time. These side e ffects are not that bad compared to those of more potent drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. The sale of an illegal drug such as marijuana could really boost the already struggling economy.If the government were to contribute to the sale of marijuana by adding a sale tax to it, it could provide the government with much needed money. The legalization of such a drug would create a high supply and demand for the product, which would allow the government to modern its sale and production. It would also provide the economy with more jobs. It would open up more employment for those suffering from the economy’s state considering the product would need to be produced and grown in large amounts.Along with the help the sale of marijuana could produce towards the economy, it would also eliminate the â€Å"forbidden fruit† variable. Young adolescents tend to be drawn into actions that they are forbidden to do. Legalizing marijuana would end that and would in turn e ven keep the use to a minimum for many individuals. There are many pros to legalizing certain illegal drugs within the United States. Legalizing marijuana would help more than it would do harm.Other drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine should not be legalized due to their harmful side effects, even though they would bring in a large profit. Though marijuana would not produce quite as much profit as those more potent drugs, it would still contribute greatly to the economy. It would not only provide the government with money if it was taxed, but it would also contribute to the work force. The high demand for the product if legalized would create jobs for unemployed persons. The legalization of a drug such as this would contribute to the U. S. ’s struggling economy.

The Zodiac Killer

The Zodiac was very real villain, and no this villain does not have a giant evil lair or an army of henchmen. What he does have is a psychopathic and insane mind filled with twisted ideas as well as a bit of genius. This villain is the Zodiac Killer one of Americas most infamous serial killers. The Zodiac was active between the sass's and sass's, in this time he took 37 victims in total but the the police only counted seven as definite victims.The Zodiac is like a typical cliche horror movie villain but before the Lech, this mysterious criminal was clever and quick. For years he taunted the police and media, what set him apart from the average day to day serial master mind were his letters. He sent a total of eighteen letters throughout his career If you can call It that, to newspapers mostly though some to private citizens. HIS letters and cryptic messages would always begin with ‘Dear Editor this Is the Zodiac speaking. ‘ He would demand for the letters to be published threatening to go on murderous rampages If they weren't.Way back in 1966 before anyone had ever heard of the Zodiac an 18 year old student named Cheerier Joy Bates was found brutally murdered near the Riverside City College's library complex. After disabling her car the believed to be Zodiac approached her asking if she needed a ride home home. The police determined the Zodiac must have had a personal connection with her as she was comfortable having a conversation and accepted the ride. Zodiac recorded this event in a letter titled ‘the confession' and sent it to the Riverside Police and the colleges newspaper.This was the first of many letters and confessions to come. In 1969 the Zodiac story had exploded into news, however the police only began to consider Zodiac as the culprit in 1970 after a meeting between two investigators. After this event there came more murders the police never really being able to pin point a culprit though Zodiac was always a suspicion they never h ad enough evidence to prove it was him guilty. The death of three young couples had left the police dumbfounded. After the murder of another young couple the police received a phone call from a telephone box.A voice spoke with no accent and was clear and even as if reading Off script, the voice reported a double murder as well as telling the police the location he added a confession of murdering the year before. This continued from 1966 till the early ox's. With no absolute evidence and forensic technology not being advanced enough the police could never pinpoint the killer so his Identity remains a mystery. Although there were a number of suspects and many people believe they know the Identity of the zodiac. Cliche, this mysterious criminal was clever and quick.For years he taunted the police is letters. He sent a total of eighteen letters throughout his career if you can call it that, to newspapers mostly though some to private citizens. His letters and cryptic messages would alwa ys begin with ‘Dear Editor this is the Zodiac speaking. ‘ He would demand for the letters to be published threatening to go on murderous rampages if even as if reading off a script, the voice reported a double murder as well as telling his identity remains a mystery. Although there were a number of suspects and many people believe they know the identity of the zodiac.

Vikes essays

Vikes essays The Vikings are depicted as horrible people who terrorized villages, and took what they wanted. The invasions and the history behind the vikes are all nearly true, but there is more beyond that. Near the end of the eight century began the 300 year (AD 800-1100) Viking Age . They raided Britain, Norway, Denmark and many more. Around the 13th century the Vikings began to fade out as Christianity came. The vikes believed that earth was made up of space called Ginnung (Martell,36) They also believed that people were on a journey in the afterlife and buried them with food, drinks and their possessions in ships. In their religion there were no temples or priests, but many gods. Among them, Odin, the god of the warriors and battle, but also the god of wisdom and poetry. Thor, the god of thunder. Finally there was Frey, the god of fertility, marriage and growing things. Around the year 1000, the Vikings became Christians and restricted the urges to raid. The viking conversion to Christianity was often for trade and politics. If the vikes were able to conduct peaceful relations with other countries, they would have a better chance at building bases by which they could trade their goods. (Jones and Pennick, 1995: 137) The Vikings lived wherever they took over. In 870, Iceland was discovered by Ingolf, who was on a trip. It took seven days from Norway to get to Iceland. Scientist know that the vikes traveled to many places: Of 85,000 Arabic coins, 80,000 were found in Sweden. After raids were done, the vikes asked for a large payment to leave. (Margeson 1994). Warships were used to raid towns, and to travel. The Vikings had excellent building skills. They were all long and slender. Even thought the ships had a mast and a sail, they could still be rowed. All ships carried from 24-50 oars. The longest Viking ship ever found was 92 ft long. When ships were used as transportation, families went too. Wom ...