Ruther-Fraud B. Hayes

â€Å"Hayes was never a solitary, a boy of moods,† wrote biographer H. J. Eckenrode. â€Å"He had no seasons of exaltation followed by depression†¦ All his life he liked society and shone in it in a modest way – not sparkling, not brilliant, but pleasing, satisfying. He had a gift of friendship and most of those he loved in youth he loved in age. † As a young man, however, Hayes went through a period of great inner tension, which he himself attributed to a fear that he would one day lose his mind, as some relatives, on both sides of his family, had done. Overcoming this fear, he matured into a relaxed, easy-going fellow, a good conversationalist, and a keen observer of human nature. He genuinely loved people and was interested in their thoughts and problems. When travelling by train, he invariably sat in the smoking car, eager to strike up a conversation. He had a remarkable memory for the names and faces of the most casual acquaintances. As a politician he respected the opposition and welcomed constructive criticism. Although not regarded as a great orator in his day, he delivered well-planned, reasoned, addresses in a clear, pleasant voice. the honor of success is increased by the obstacles which are to be surmounted. Let me triumph as a man or not at all. † – Rutherford B Hayes Honor, eh? Quite ironic considering that he â€Å"triumphed† in the presidential election by making a sleazy political deal and abandoning black Southerners to decades of oppression and discrimination, causing him to be known to history as â€Å"Ruther-Fraud B. Hayes. † Pros-He signed a law which made it easier for Chinese Immigrants to come into the country (this was repealed with the Exclusion Act). He tied the value of the dollar to gold instead of silver. He supported Reconstruction (After the Civil War). Cons-Great Railroad Strike greatly affected his presidency. Dealt with Conflicts with Native American Tribes. Election Results are disputed There is much more to him. If you are doing a project look more into him, and the United States in general in the late 1800's. Hayes' journal and his emphasis on self-improvement in the journal, along with his strong favor for black suffrage as a congressman in 1867 all lead me to believe that the answer is, â€Å"no†. He was not racist towards blacks Significant events: Munn v. Illinois, 94 U. S. 113 (1876)[1], was a United States Supreme Court case dealing with corporate rates and agriculture. The Munn v. Illinois case allowed states to regulate certain businesses within their borders, including railroads. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States and ended some 45 days later after it was put down by local and state militias, as well as by federal troops. Hayes essentially sold out his ideals to the former Confederacy in order to gain the Presidency. He allowed the former Confederate states to return to governing themselves almost the same exact way they had been doing prior to the Civil War. This essentially set the Civil Rights movement back for almost a century, as many â€Å"Jim Crow† Laws were passed to ensure that blacks and other minorities could not rise to the same equality as whites, laws which were enforced in the Supreme Court case of Plessy v. Fergusson, which established the â€Å"separate but equal† mantra, and later overturned in the case of Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. During his presidency, Hayes signed a number of bills including one signed on February 15, 1879 which, for the first time, allowed female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States

Alternative Fuels for Automobiles

Alternative fuel, also known as non-conventional fuels, is any material or substance that can be used as a fuel, other than fossil fuels. Alternative fuels, as defined by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct), include ethanol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, biodiesel, electricity, methanol, and p-series fuels. Using these alternative fuels in vehicles can generally reduce harmful pollutants and exhaust emissions.Alternative fuels are designed to be cheap, non-polluting, ‘infinite' sources of energy. No such fuels currently exist globally, or they would by now be rapidly replacing current fossil fuels. In the year 2000, there were about eight million vehicles around the world that ran on alternative fuels. A primary concern is that the fact that the use of conventional fuels directly contributes to the global warming crisis.Another concern is the problem of peak oil, which predicts a rising cost of oil derived fuels caused by severe shortages of oil during an era of growing ene rgy consumption. According to the ‘peak oil' phenomenon, the demand for oil will exceed supply and this gap will continue to grow, which could cause a growing energy crisis by the year 2010 or 2020. Most of the interest in alternative fuels has focused on transportation vehicles, since this application represents 70% of petroleum consumption.The President also proposes acceleration of the development of domestic, renewable alternatives to gasoline and diesel fuels through: $150 million for the Biofuels Initiative—a $59 million increase over FY 2006—to help develop bio-based transportation fuels such as â€Å"cellulosic ethanol† from agricultural waste products, such as wood chips, stalks, or switch grass; $31 million to speed the development of advanced battery technology to extend the range of hybrid vehicles and make possible â€Å"plug-in† hybrids and electric cars—a 27 percent increase over FY 2006; and $289 million for the President†™s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative.President Bush outlined the Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI) in pursuit of a national goal of replacing more than 75 percent of U. S. oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. Since 2001, nearly $10 billion has been invested by the Federal government to develop cleaner, cheaper and more reliable alternative energy sources. 1. ETHANOL Ethanol can run at a much higher compression ratio without octane-boosting additives. It burns more completely because ethanol molecules contain oxygen; carbon monoxide emissions can be 80-90% lower than for fossil-fuelled engines.(Hua Lu Karlsson. 2006). However, ethanol is degrading to some plastic or rubber parts of fuel delivery systems designed to use petrol, and has 37% less energy per litre than petrol . There has been a recent revival in interest in the use of ethanol-diesel fuel blends(E-diesel) in heavy-duty vehicles as a means to reduce petroleum dependency, increase renewable fuels use, and reduce vehicle emissi ons. The major concern with the use of E-diesel derives from its flammability characteristics.E-diesel blends containing 10% to 15% ethanol have the vapor pressure and flammability limits of ethanol. This means that ethanol concentrations in enclosed spaces such as fuel storage and vehicle fuel tanks are flammable over the temperature range of 13 to 42 °C, typical ambient temperatures. Thus, there are increased risks of fire and explosion compared to diesel fuel, or even gasoline. Other vehicle performance-related concerns have also been raised.These include decreased maximum power, increased incidence of fuel pump vapor lock, and reduced fuel pump and fuel injector life due to the decreased lubricity of ethanol. Ethanol can be blended directly in petrol, up to a mix of 20%, without engine modifications, though engines would need to be modified for higher blends. Ethanol blended diesel fuels (10 to 15% ethanol) require emulsifiers and solubilisers, depending on the ethanol quality . For use of pure ethanol in diesel engines an additive (ignition improver) is needed for cold start and idling. Fuel pump adaptations may also be necessary.Barriers to the use of ethanol in diesel fuel include limited miscibility at lower temperatures and need for minor variations in fuel delivery systems to account for the different physical properties of ethanol as compared to diesel. ( K. R. Gerdes and G. J. Suppe , 2001). An increase in fuel consumption approximately equivalent to the reduction in energy content of the fuel can be expected when using ethanol-diesel blends. With ethanol percentages of 10%or less, operators have reported no noticeable differences in performance compared to running on diesel fuel. ( Hansen et al.,2001). The use of E diesel is the affect of the ethanol on the lubricating properties of the fuel and the potential for fuel system wear. Additive packages that are used to formulate E diesel fuels can improve fuel lubricity and prevent abnormal fuel syst em wear. E 85 The heavily promoted alcohol fuel called E85 might cut America's oil use and help support U. S. agriculture, but it's not reducing motorists' fuel bills. E85 is a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded gasoline for use in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs). E85 is classified as an alternative fuel by the U.S. Department of Energy. A flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) is a vehicle that can operate on any blend of ethanol up to 85%. If E85 is not available, the vehicle can operate on straight unleaded gasoline or any percentage of ethanol up to 85%. It has the highest oxygen content of any fuel available today, allowing it to burn more completely (cleaner) than conventional gasoline. E85 contains 80% less gum-forming compounds, like the olefins found in gasoline. Production and use of E85 results in a nearly 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. 2.METHANOL Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, can be used as an alternative fuel in flexible fuel vehicles that run on M85 (a blend of 85% methanol and 15% gasoline). However, it is not commonly used because automakers are no longer supplying methanol-powered vehicles. Methanol is even more corrosive and its energy per liter is 55% lower than that of petrol. Methanol can be used in internal combustion engines with minor modifications. It usually is made from natural gas, sometimes from coal, and could be made from any carbon source including CO2.The ability to produce methanol from non-petroleum feedstocks such as coal or biomass is of interest for reducing petroleum imports. Methanol can be used to make methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), an oxygenate which is blended with gasoline to enhance octane and create cleaner burning fuel. MTBE production and use has declined because it has been found to contaminate ground water. Methanol produces a high amount of formaldehyde in emissions. In the future, methanol could possibly be the fuel of choice for providing the hydrogen necessary to power fuel cell vehicles.3. P ROPANE (LPG) Propane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is also fast becoming a popular alternative fuel. It is a by-product of natural gas processing and crude oil refining. Propanol and butanol are considerably less toxic and less volatile than methanol. In particular, butanol has a high flashpoint of 35  °C, which is a benefit for fire safety. The fermentation processes to produce propanol and butanol from cellulose are fairly tricky to execute, and the Weizmann organism (Clostridium acetobutylicum) currently used to perform these conversions.Propane vehicles can produce fewer ozone-forming emissions than vehicles powered by reformulated gasoline. There is 98% reduction in the emissions of toxics, including benzene, 1,3 butadiene, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde, when the vehicles were running on propane rather than gasoline. The cost of a gasoline-gallon equivalent of propane is generally less than that of gasoline, so driving a propane vehicle can save money. In addition, propan e is the most accessible of all alternative fuels. 4. NATUAL GAS (CNG/LNG)Natural gas in the form of compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) is fast becoming one of the most popular alternative fuels. Natural gas contains hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane; and other gases such as nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and water vapor and is produced either from gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production. Natural gas pollutes much less than gasoline and very little has to be done to modify an internal combustion engine. It is also clean burning and produces significantly fewer harmful emissions than reformulated gasoline or diesel when used in natural gas vehicles.Smog-producing gases, such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, are reduced by more than 90% and 60%, respectively and carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is reduced by 30%-40%. Natural gas can either be stored onboard a vehicle as compressed natural gas (CNG) at 3,000 or 3 ,600 psi or as liquefied natural gas (LNG) at typically 20-150 psi. Natural gas can also be blended with hydrogen. 5. HYDROGEN Hydrogen (H2) will play an important role in developing sustainable transportation, because in the future it may be produced in virtually unlimited quantities using renewable resources.Hydrogen has been used effectively in a number of internal combustion engine vehicles as pure hydrogen mixed with natural gas. In addition, hydrogen is used in a growing number of demonstration fuel cell vehicles. Hydrogen and oxygen from air fed into a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell â€Å"stack† produce enough electricity to power an electric automobile, without producing harmful emissions. Fuel cells generate electricity by electrochemically combining hydrogen and oxygen. On a life-cycle basis, they produce zero or very low emissions, depending on the source of the hydrogen.Fuel cells are highly efficient energy-conversion devices that utilize hydrogen. But there are still many barriers to their use in vehicles, including the lack of a hydrogen distribution infrastructure, high capital costs for fuel cells and hydrogen-production technologies, and challenges related to hydrogen storage. The main difference is that batteries store electrical energy, while fuel cells generate electricity continuously as long as an external fuel source is supplied. That means their performance is not hindered by lengthy, inconvenient recharging times.If pure hydrogen is used as the fuel source, the only products are electricity, heat and water. The solid oxide fuel cell is able to directly utilize commonly available fuels such as natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, diesel and biogas. When operating on natural gas, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are reduced by up to 60 percent compared with conventional electricity generation, with practically no emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur oxides (SOx). Many scientists believe that pure hydrogen, the most common element on earth, is destined to be the vehicle fuel of the future.Hydrogen can be extracted from thousands of compounds, including natural gas, water, sugar and many petroleum products. The extraction of hydrogen requires energy, making hydrogen an energy carrier rather than an energy source. In transportation, and for many other applications, fuel cell technology is opening new doors of opportunity for hydrogen. Governments and industry around the world, are investing heavily in research and development into hydrogen fuel cells. 6. BIODIESEL Pure biodiesel is considered an alternative fuel under EPAct.Biodiesel (fatty acid alkyl esters) is a cleaner burning diesel replacement fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. Biodiesel is safe, biodegradable, and using in a conventional diesel engine substantially reduces emissions of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrate d polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and particulate matter. These reductions increase as the amount of biodiesel blended into diesel fuel increases.The use of biodiesel decreases the solid carbon fraction of particulate matter (since the oxygen in biodiesel enables more complete combustion to CO2) and reduces the sulfate fraction (biodiesel contains less than 15 ppm sulfur), while the soluble, or hydrocarbon, fraction stays the same or increases. Therefore, biodiesel works well with emission control technologies such as diesel oxidation catalysts (which reduce the soluble fraction of diesel particulate but not the solid carbon fraction). Blends of 20% biodiesel with 80% petroleum diesel can generally be used in unmodified diesel engines.Biodiesel can also be used in its pure form, but it may require certain engine modifications to avoid maintenance and performance problems and may not be suitable for wintertime use. Just like petroleum diesel, biodiesel operates in compression-ignit ion engines. Higher blends, even pure biodiesel (100% biodiesel ), may be able to be used in some engines (built since 1994) with little or no modification. 7. ELECTRICITY Electricity can be used as a transportation fuel to power battery electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles and in limited use in hybrid-electric vehicles.Fuel cell vehicles use electricity produced from an electrochemical reaction that takes place when hydrogen and oxygen are combined in the fuel cell â€Å"stack. † The production of electricity using fuel cells takes place without combustion or pollution and leaves only two byproducts, heat and water. Even though the battery electric vehicle itself produces zero pollutants, when emissions from the power generating stations from traditional sources (coal, oil-fired or nuclear) are factored in, battery powered electric cars still produce less than 10 percent of the emissions of standard internal combustion engine cars.Clean electricity production is possible in future years since the wind and solar power generating stations are becoming as a sources. Maintenance for battery electric vehicles is less, which have fewer moving parts to service and replace, although the batteries must be replaced every three to six years. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are hybrid cars with an added battery. As the term suggests, plug-in hybrids – which look and perform much like â€Å"regular† cars – can be plugged in to a 120-volt outlet (for instance each night at home, or during the workday at a parking garage) and charged.Plug-ins run on the stored energy for much of a typical day's driving – depending on the size of the battery up to 60 miles per charge, far beyond the commute of an average American – and when the charge is used up, automatically keep running on the fuel in the fuel tank. A person who drives every day a distance shorter than the car's electric range would never have to dip into the fuel tank. M ost of the energy used by plug-ins comes from electricity and not from gasoline.That electricity can be generated efficiently and cleanly from America's abundant domestic energy resources, thus greatly reducing our dependence on imported oil. Unlike in the 1970s, when much of our electricity was generated from oil, today only 2% of our electricity is generated from oil. Hydrogen storage returns around 47% of original energy, while advanced batteries return 75-85%. According to the report, using electricity to charge electric vehicles (EVs) provides twice the miles per kilowatt hour than employing electricity to make hydrogen fuel.Lithium ion batteries developed for portable electronics can store electricity at an energy density about six times greater than conventional lead acid batteries and in the future could go nearly 250 miles between charges. 8. P-SERIES FUEL P-Series fuel is a mixture of natural gas liquids (pentanes plus), ethanol, and methyl tetrahydrofuran(MTHF), a biomass -derived co-solvent. P-Series is predominantly derived from renewable resources and burns much cleaner than gasoline. It can be mixed with gasoline in any proportion and is used in multi-fuel vehicles.Pure Energy Corporation holds the exclusive worldwide license to produce and supply P-Series fuel. Reference 1. Retrieved November 30, 2006, from http://oee. nrcan. gc. ca/transportation/fuels/hydrogen-fuelcells/hydrogen. cfm? attr=16 2. Retrieved November 30, 2006, from http://www. nrel. gov/vehiclesandfuels/hev/plugins. html 3. Retrieved November 30, 2006, from http://www. ethanol. org/e85. html 4. Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles. Retrieved November 30, 2006 from http://www. iags. org/pih. htm 5. K. R. Gerdes and G. J. Suppes. 2001. Miscibility of Ethanol in Diesel Fuels . Ind. Eng. Chem.Res. , 40 (3), 949 -956, 2001 6. A. C. Hansen, P. W. L. Lyne, and Q. Zhang, â€Å"Ethanol-Diesel Blends: A Step Towards Bio-based Fuel for Diesel Engines,† ASAE Paper No. 01-6048, July2001. 7. Hua Lu Karlsson. 2006. Emissions from Conventional Gasoline Vehicles Driven with Ethanol Blend Fuels. http://www. senternovem. nl/mmfiles/ ethanol_blend_emissions_in_conventional_vehicles_tcm24-195177. pdf. 8. U. S. Department of Energy. 2006. http://www. eere. energy. gov/ afdc/afv/prop_vehicles. html. 9. Ethanol Fact Book. 2005. www. cleanfuelsdc. org/pubs/ documents/2003EthanolFactBook. pdf.

A Study of Luxury Fashion Brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Study of Luxury Fashion Brand - Essay Example The paper "A Study of Luxury Fashion Brand" analyzes the influence of social media marketing on brand loyalty and purchase intention of Chinese youth fashion customers. Social media is one of the most emerging marketing medium in the global business scenario. Recently, such marketing mediums are used highly used by the firms in order to attract customers from different economic and demographic segments. Social media portals are using Web 2.0 base, which offers higher interaction among the potential customers. According to DeLuca (2011), social media is highly used in the Chinese regions. It has been observed that out of 1367 million Chinese populations, 642 million peoples are using internet actively and 629 million peoples are having active social media accounts. In addition, it has been observed that 506 million people are having active mobile social accounts (Das, 2014). It has been observed that Chinese people are using social media like Qzone, Tencent Weibo, Sina Weibo, Peng you and Renren. Therefore, it can be said that luxury fashion retailers will share the features of clothing products, pricing information, store information, product range and collecting feedbacks from the customers. Denk (2010) stated that customers purchasing intention varies for different factors like shopping orientation, product interest, product types, experience of the previous purchase, and trust on the particular products. Such traits are observed in luxury fashion retail brand’s purchase intension.

Discussion Board Post Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 18

Discussion Board Post Response - Essay Example Empowering employees is of benefit to the achievement of your organizations goals of zero serious safety events. In Brookwood Medical Center, achievement of organizational goals is attained through a culture of social responsibility, teamwork, and treating other employees with respect and dignity. Dana Reid, I support the culture practiced in your organization. It is true that the importance of education in health care cannot be understated. One of the most fundamental elements of organizational culture as asserted by Dixon and Dougherty (2010) is human interactions. I believe that level of education of an individual plays an important role in determination of behavior in relation to human interactions, and also individual opinions towards specific issues. I also concur that a culture of higher education and setting the minimum requirement for new recruits as a BSN facilitates quality improvement as only highly skilled individuals are considered. In Brookwood Medical Center, attaining a high level of education is also highly valued. For a nurse to be recruited to a nurse leader position, he or she must also have a BSN. Creating a culture relating to education helps minimize incidences of medical errors as it prevents recruitment of poorly skilled individuals. Dorgham, S. R. (2012). Relationship between organization work climate & staff nurses organizational commitment. Nature and Science, 10(5), 80–91. Retrieved from

Pharmaceutical Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pharmaceutical Marketing - Essay Example To this effect, the companies have come under great scrutiny and they have been viewed as negatively affecting the entire medical fraternity. However, many people do not see the connection between the pharmaceutical marketing and the negative effects it has on the professionals and the patients as well (Higgins, 39). Pharmaceutical marketing is the business activity of advertising and promoting the sales of drugs or pharmaceuticals. Although many people are opposed to the fact that marketing of pharmaceutical products affects the physicians and the patients, there is evidence that the practice is harmful to both the medical professionals and the patients and it is in this effect that many countries around the world have put up some legislation that seek to limit the activity. This is because the pharmaceutical marketing strategies that the industry has embarked on have put both the physicians and the patients at a dilemma with many drug companies competing to lure the physicians and the patients into using their products. ... This is because the physicians are the most important people to the industry and this can be attributed to the fact the physicians are the people who are involved in prescribing medicines to the patients. It is in this effect that the industries concentrated on the physicians as the targets of their advertising and this meant that the industry would send many of their representatives to the medical facilities and also use other avenues to reach the physicians. One of the avenues that the industry employed was the utilization of medical conferences whereby a company would be the host. This was a very effective form of advertising but with time, it became obsolete and the industry had to come with new methods of marketing (Higgins, 39). This precipitated the direct advertising to the consumer. This has been viewed as very destructive because even the physicians sometimes cannot convince a patient on the prescription drugs that are best for a particular condition. This means that the patients have some information about some drugs and this has put even the relationship between the patient and the physician in jeopardy. This has been seen as one of the negative effect of the pharmaceutical industry advertising directly to the consumers (Polen, 39). There is controversy related to pharmaceutical advertisement and various quarters are opposed to the increased advertisement while others view this as a better way of informing the consumers. Those opposed argue that advertisements have adversely and negatively affected patients as well as physicians. It has been cited that these advertisements does not list the side effects of the drugs to the patients and also conceal some very important information pertaining to a particular drug (Parker,

Importance of Share Holder Value in any Company Research Paper

Importance of Share Holder Value in any Company - Research Paper Example The shareholder value approaches favorable strategies, by compelling managers to review business strategies based on prospective cash flows. The more company ability to generate cash, the more it can distribute to its shareholders. In short maximizing shareholders, wealth is equivalent to maximizing company’s price In order to attract capital equity easily, many companies focus more on establishing shareholder value. Capital equity is especially sensitive in those companies which are seeking to grow and operates in a risky environment. The profit margin varies from business to business as the nature and size of the business requires different kinds of resources. The business needs resources for its development and each of this development has a cost to bear. No matter what type of business is your need human and financial resources needed to establish it. It is utmost responsibility for the management of any company to provide quality resources at reasonable costs because they play a vital role in the business. Basically, the reduction in costs or expenses leads to the increase in the current income. Increase in current income means high-profit margins. High profits margins bring high yield for the Shareholders in the form of dividends and capital restructuring. It not only strengthens the company’s position but also boost up investor’s confidence. However, it should be considered that the reduction of costs or expenses cannot be incurred over a night. It’s a long and steady process and can be done with continuous management interest and efforts. Another important thing which needs to be considered is that the development of any company needs devotion of higher management. And that’s how it brings fruits to the Shareholders. And Shareholders ripe the benefits of their share in a long way. Many companies try to enhance their shareholders' return or value by risking  the equity base. This results in the loss of the value of its shares.

Management Knowledge-Based Organizations Assignment

Management Knowledge-Based Organizations - Assignment Example Operating on a regional or international basis, companies that can be considered to be relatively large require an appropriate knowledge management system that is in line with its operations. These kind of services can thus be acquired through a liaison with an appropriate international consultancy company. Knowledge management is thus the process of collecting, development, sharing and effectively utilizing the organizational knowledge in an appropriate manner. Management of knowledge in an organization begins with an articulate communication system that is coupled with a multi-disciplinary approach to making the best of the organizational objectives through an appropriate utilization of the existent knowledge (Sedera & Gable 2010, pp. 296). Successful organizations have resources dedicated to knowledge management; this is usually part of the business strategy, human resource or information management department. Management of knowledge thus focuses on the organizational objectives such as innovation, performance improvement as well as maintenance of a competitive advantage. Manipulation of the existence resources of an organization such as the available database, as well as the human resource, is significant for the success in the achievement of proper knowledge management strategies. In an attempt to intrinsically understand the modalities and the implications of appropriate knowledge management. The XYZ international company is an organization that operates on an international basis.

Hinduism and Buddhism - What Sets Them Apart Essay

Hinduism and Buddhism - What Sets Them Apart - Essay Example The notion of human self differs in Hinduism and Buddhism. According to Hinduism, the individual soul or atman is separate from the body and the intellect. This Atman is indestructible, eternal, and unaffected by the changes in life. Individual actions (karma) are governed by the caste, but the soul is independent of caste and action. The ultimate goal of this atman is to end the cycle of births by merging with the all-pervasive Brahman (Mundaka Upanishad, in The Upanishads cited in Hinduism 66). Buddhist teachings on the other hand claim that there is no such thing as the eternal self. According to Buddhism, each individual is formed by combining the form, feelings, perceptions, volition, and consciousness. The law of karma (action) binds these five forces (The Theravada Buddhist Worldview). Individual actions are results of desires, which lead to suffering and rebirth. To break away from the cycle of births, one must give up desires. As with the Buddhist perspective of the human so ul, their views on God are quite different from those of Hindus. Buddhism is an atheist religion. Buddhists believe that individuals have to strive for enlightenment and that God does not help the man in this struggle. Even Buddha is not considered a God, but a venerated leader who showed the path to enlightenment (Means: The Four Noble Truth – The Eight-fold Path of the Middle Way). On the other hand, Hinduism is a religion with many gods, the most venerated being Brahma the creator of the universe, Vishnu the preserver, and Siva the destroyer, along with their respective divine consorts Sarasvati the goddess of knowledge, Lakshmi the goddess of wealth, and Parvati the universal mother. Buddha is considered an incarnation of Vishnu and hence a God (Devotional and Literature Movements: The Puranas). A Hindu could be devoted to any particular God of his/her choice. This Hindu tolerance towards many gods caused Buddhism in India to fade into Hinduism over time (Introduction, Th eravada Buddhism – the Middle Way).

MUSCULOSKELETAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MUSCULOSKELETAL - Essay Example Factors such as doing heavy physical work may cause degeneration of discs. Obesity, which can be linked to the patient’s lifestyle and the family’s history, may as well cause disc degeneration (Rajasekaran, Venkatadass, Babu, Ganesh, & Shetty, 2008). A thorough understanding of the five factors and how they are interrelated is important in the treatment of the patient. I agree with Christopher Johnson on prioritization of treatment as the best thing to do. This is because it aims at relieving the acute nature of the patient’s injury thereby alleviating pain. This way, his good health will see to it that he can carry on with his activities of daily living. When treated, the patient will be capable of reaching out to his relatives and friends for assistance. The assistance may come I form of meal preparation and transportation to and from physical therapy (Fink, Gebhard, Fuerst, Berger & Schà ¤fer, 2013). The patient’s overweight could be caused by factors such as stress and depression, which can lead to overeating or poor food choices (Mikhael at al., 2013). The patient’s counseling will only be effective if the pain is relieved first. (2013, April). Management of newly diagnosed symptomatic multiple myeloma: updated Mayo Stratification of Myeloma and Risk-Adapted Therapy (mSMART) consensus guidelines 2013. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 88, No. 4, pp. 360-376).

Belonging Essay Example for Free

Belonging Essay An individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can enrich their feelings of belonging and acceptance, however feelings of insecurity can lead to isolation and rejection limiting the experience of belonging. The concept of belonging is feeling connected to another individual, group, place or object that evokes positive emotions within oneself. In contrast, not belonging leads to feelings of alienation due to a lack of understanding, separation or when forced to embrace unfamiliarity. Through the 1992 film ‘Strictly Ballroom’ directed by Baz Luhrmann, the children’s biography ‘ by Beverley McGregor and the punk rock song ‘Perfect’ by Simple Plan, composers illustrate both concepts of belonging and alienation . Through a range of cinematic and literary techniques these composers show how an individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can enrich and limit their experiences of belonging. Baz Luhrmann through the film ‘Strictly Ballroom’ utilizes costuming to suggest isolation as well as ‘belonging’ and how it can either enrich or limit an individual’s experience. This is highlighted in the first scenes when viewers are introduced, through the mocumentary, to the flamboyancy of characters from the world of ballroom dancing such as Liz in her trademark gaudy canary colored outfits, and Shirley Hasting in her pink ball gowns that are matched to her ornate fuchsia eye shadow and lipstick. In contrast the character of Fran is dressed in a shapeless, oversized t-shirt and a close up of her face shows her naturally troubled skin free from makeup, wearing a large pair of thick-framed glasses. This immediately segregates her from the rest of the competitors and supporters of Ballroom dancing, signifying to the audience that a lack of interaction with others can severely impact on ones sense of belonging. The split screen later in the film where Fran, in normal day clothes dances with Scott and on the other side of the curtain Tina Sparkle dances in her lurid sequined costume, further shows Fran’s alienation from the dancing world. However, the song she and Scott are dancing to is Doris Day’s â€Å"Perhaps†, suggesting that their partnership could possibly work. The shock on Shirley’s face and the use of the children as a Greek chorus ‘Fran.. who’d have thought’ also suggest an acceptance of Fran. This is soon dispelled as Fran trips and a low angle shot of Liz and Shirley as they attend to her and tell her to ‘go home’ reminds the audience who belongs. Shirley and Liz’s perception of ‘belonging’ is enriched through their interaction with each other and their compatibility with the world of ballroom dancing. When Scott is shown by Ricco how to dance the Passo Doble, a close up of his feet in dusty work shoes on bare timber of the floor contrasts with a previous close up of Scott’s feet in shiny shoes on a highly polished floor. However, it is on this rough-hewn timber that Scott finally learns to dance ‘from the heart’ and his experience of belonging is enriched. You introduce costuming here so keep to that – your next paragraph is camera shots so do not confuse the two here. You could talk of costuming and characterization here but do not discuss camera techniques when that is part of your second discussion of the core text. Similarly aspects of belonging and not belonging and how these feelings can enrich or limit an individuals experience are explored in Beverly McGregor children’s biography ‘Pink Balloons’. The protagonist Sky constantly suffers from alienation and rejection from her peers and their parents due to her recent diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. This can be seen through symbolism to express ‘Skye’s’ feelings of isolation, when she says to her carer ‘Do you like my picture, the octopus has nine legs instead of eight, he is crying because he is different to the others†. This shows her feelings of inadequacy due to her inability to interact with the world around her and the limitations she faces in order to become accepted. This can be further expressed through the somber tone of the protagonist Skye as she relays her grief stating to her mother â€Å"Mummy, its bad enough having AIDS without everyone staying away from you because they are scared they can get it too†. Thus Skye’s apparent isolation as can be seen through the discrimination she endures throughout the text, which significantly decreases her chances of interacting with others to enrich her own personal experience of ‘belonging’. Continue here†¦ In contrast, Skye’s experiences of ‘belonging’ are enhanced following her election to vice captain in her class as can be seen through the literary technique of a rhetorical question when Skye states â€Å"they could have picked anybody, but who did they choose? †. This highlights Skye’s ability to feel a part of the world around her as a result of her eventual acceptance in her class, despite the constant stigma attached to her and her contraction of the HIV/AIDS virus. Baz Luhrmann further exhibits belonging and not belonging and its effect on enriching or limiting an individuals experience in ‘Strictly Ballroom’ through the implementation of camera techniques. This can be seen in the split screen where Fran and Scott are caught dancing together behind the crimson colored show curtains. Fran in an ordinary day dress is juxtaposed with Tina Sparkle in her lurid costume and sequins on the other side of the curtains. Scott and Fran dance to the Doris Day song ‘Perhaps’ suggesting they could possibly be dance partners. After Fran falls to the ground and is dragged stage left by Shirley Hastings and Liz to the powder room a low angle point of view shot signifies the alienation of Fran. Fran is seated on a stool and stares up at Mrs. Hastings and Liz showing the obvious superiority Shirleyand Liz feel over Fran. and further highlighted when ‘Liz’ states â€Å"you’re a beginner Fran, what the hell did you think you were doing? † Fran is then left isolated staring up at the huddled group of women representing her separation from the world of ballroom dancing. When Shirley Hastings states, â€Å"I think it will be better if you just went home and forgot about all this nonsense† Fran’s rejection through this scene conveys her inability to enrich her experience of belonging in the world of ballroom dancing. Continue here†¦. In comparison the final dance scene highlights the enrichment of a sense of belonging. This is conveyed through a long shot of the ballroom, which captures the acceptance of Fran and Scotts ‘crowd-pleasing’ steps, when everybody begins to clap with Doug to enable them to continue their dance. Crosscutting between ‘The Pan Pacific Championships’ and Fran’s back yard is also utilized to express the relationship between Fran and Scott and their newfound connection with dancing. Scott no longer dances to win but for the love of the sport and to express the simplicity related to his relationship with Fran. This technique symbolizes that it does not matter where Fran and Scott dance as long as they are dancing together. The implementation of Diagetic sound the ‘Rumba De Burros’ in the concluding scene expresses the concept of belonging and allows the viewers to develop an understanding of the enrichment of ‘Fran nd Scott’ when they are accepted in the world of ballroom dancing just the way they are. Additionally the song ‘Perfect’ by the punk rock band ‘Simple Plan’ displays how isolation can limit an individual’s chance to belong. ‘Perfect’ encapsulates feelings of worthlessness and insecurity as it explores the concept of rejection from the composer’s own father quote needed. The use of repetition as can be seen through the words â€Å"I am sorry, I can’t be perfect†, and highlights how feeling inadequate can segregate an individual from their world. Repetition is effective as it reinforces the deviation of the composer and provides the audience with a clear understanding of the separation between the writer and his father. The reminiscent nature of the lyrics can be seen through the rhetorical question ‘Did you know, you used to be my hero? ’, this engages the listener and alerts them to the change in the relationship while expressing the passionate tone of the song and the eventual acceptance of the turbulent relationship by the protagonist. Colloquial language, â€Å"Hey Dad† appeals to a young audience and invites them to have an insight into the father and son’s personal life to allow them to understand the hurt that is felt by the son in their dysfunctional relationship. Likewise the song writer constantly uses rhetorical questions to address his father and express his feelings of inadequacy such as â€Å"Did I grow up, according to your plan?. Thus it can be understood that due to the rejection experienced by the lyricist at the hands of his father it limits his opportunity to experience a sense of belonging. You need to discuss the music when you talk about a song otherwise you must only talk about it as the lyrics†¦ In conclusion various composers have utilized literary, visual and sound techniques to convey aspects of belonging, and how this can limit or enrich ones reaction to the world around them. Through the analysation of ‘Strictly Ballroom’, ‘Pink Balloons’ and ‘Perfect’ we can enhance our understanding of belonging and different obstacles that prevent an individual from feeling accepted.

Critical Success Factors for Knowledge Management

Critical Success Factors for Knowledge Management Enablers and Inhibitors of Knowledge Management: Critical Success Factors for Knowledge Management Introduction The information revolution has caused enterprises to realize the shift from resource economy of controlling land, machines, factories, raw materials, and labor forces to the knowledge economy of creating business value through utilization of intangible knowledge. This has caused â€Å"knowledge management† to be of crucial importance and it has grabbed peoples attention and generated significant discussions both in the academia and industry. The true creation of business value today mainly comes from knowledge and its management. Knowledge is critical in obtaining competitive advantage within an enterprise (Sang and Hong, 2002), enterprises should consider the knowledge to be a critical resource and leverage it judiciously (Gupta et al., 2000; Liebowitz, 2003). To facilitate the knowledge accumulation process, enterprises must encourage employees to share their experience and knowledge with others meanwhile accumulating their knowledge as an organizational asset. Therefore, th e activities of knowledge management should enable the creation, communication, and application of knowledge; and they should drive the capability of creating and retaining a greater value onto the core business competencies (Tiwana, 2001). The enterprise needs to build a framework for evaluating the implementation activities of knowledge management system to enhance the effectiveness for incorporating new experiences and information to nourish the contents and contexts of its knowledge. However, there are concerns about the enablers and inhibitors to implementing knowledge management for enterprises. The response to that concern is that there are broad and value studies related with the implementation of knowledge management (Barney, 1995; Nonaka et al., 2000; Ndlela and Toit, 2001; Tiwana, 2001, Lin and Tseng, 2005). For example, Barney (1995) demonstrated that before launch to implement knowledge management, the enterprise needs to solve four questions: 1. Where is the value of knowledge? 2. How does the firm develop and exploit the special characteristics of knowledge and find a niche to obtain greater competitiveness? 3. How does the firm avoid being imitated by other firms of its special characteristics of knowledge management? 4. How does the firm organize the exploitation of resources in order to implement knowledge management? In the process of carrying out knowledge management, enterprises have to face the varying conditions of corporate culture, workflow processes, and the integration of group members knowledge. They also need strong support from top management, because it is possible that during the process they will encounter resistance from employees. Enterprises also need to increase the usage of information technology in order to help the problem regarding the flow of information. Through the study of enablers and inhibitors this research not just tries to validate theory with reality, but it also hopes to provide a reference for academia as well as the business field and suggest critical success factors for knowledge management implementations. Wong, (2005) indicate that previous studies of CSFs for KM implementation have been heavily focused on large companies. This is because most of the early adopters and superior performers of KM were in fact large and multinational corporations. As such, existing factors are mainly large companies oriented, thereby reflecting their situations and needs. Directly applying these factors into the SMEs environment may not be sufficient without an understanding of their very own and specific conditions. Previous studies fall short of studying and identifying the CSFs from the SMEs perspective. They have not considered the features, characteristics and situations of smaller firms. Nor have they explored other factors, which could potentially be more important for SMEs when accomplishing KM. This paper evolves a model for critical success factors for Knowledge Management implementations in Small Medium Enterprises using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). AHP is an effective quantitative tool that helps to prioritize problems, issues or variables based on relevant criteria and alternatives. The applicability and usefulness of the AHP approach as a multi-criteria decision-making tool is well acknowledged in the management literature. The present work has adopted this tool for segregating a few critical aspects of Knowledge Management implementation from the inconsequential many, so that organizations could focus only on those dimensions that are crucial for their success instead of spending a large quantity of time, effort and resources in mindlessly concentrating on peripheral issues. Hence the objectives of this paper are two-fold: †¢ To identify the criteria for the AHP model with respect to issues relating to critical success factors for Knowledge Management implementations in SMEs †¢ To present an AHP framework for absolute measurement of priorities in order to critically evaluate the issues relating to critical success factors for Knowledge Management implementations in SMEs. Review of Literature Enablers to Knowledge Management As enterprises embark into managing their knowledge they need to be clear of the factors that influence knowledge management, which are known as knowledge management enablers. Because enablers are the driving force in carrying out knowledge management, they do not just generate knowledge in the organization by stimulating the creation of knowledge, but they also motivate the group members to share their knowledge and experiences with one another, allowing organizational knowledge to grow concurrently and systematically (Ichijo et al., 1998; Stonehouse and Pemberton, 1999). Knowledge management enablers are the mechanism for the organization to develop its knowledge and also stimulate an environment within the organization for the creation and protection of knowledge. They are also the necessary building blocks in the improvement of the effectiveness of activities for knowledge management (Ichijo et al., 1998; Stonehouse and Pemberton, 1999). In related research, knowledge management enablers include the methods of knowledge management, organizational structure, corporate culture, information technology, people, and strategies, etc. (Bennett and Gabriel, 1999; Arthur Anderson Business Consulting, 1999; Arthur Anderson and APQC, 1996; Zack, 1999; Davenport, 1997; Long, 1997). To meet the challenge of managing strategic knowledge resources, an organization should be able to assess its preconditions for successful KM and their impacts on KM performance (Gold et al., 2001). A study by Yu et al (2007) identified a set of critical enablers for developing organizational capabilities of KM. KM team activity, learning orientation, KM system quality, and KM reward were found to have a significant, positive influence on KM performance. Research done by Yeh et al. (2006) concludes that strategy and leadership, corporate culture, people, and information technology are four of the enablers in knowledge management. They found that for the strategy and leadership enabler the most important part is to obtain the support of the top managers. For the corporate culture enabler, the important part is the forming of a culture of sharing but needs to be supplemented by information technology. For the people enabler, other than the training courses, the channels of learning and the incentive program for the employees are also key factors. As for the information technology enabler, other than the digitalization of the documents, the speedy search of knowledge for its re-use is becoming more and more important. In practice they discovered that the â€Å"establishment of a dedicated unit† is also a key enabler, and this enabler mainly plays the role of furthering knowledge management, taking communication, and coordinating with other departments as its duty. Inhibitors to Knowledge Management The biggest inhibitor to knowledge management implementation arises from unwillingness of people to systematically organize their knowledge. Since, this cannot be solved with technology, different kinds of work are needed. Examples include the promotion of knowledge management amongst people, or requiring top management to give their people pressure to implement knowledge management (Yeh et al., 2006). Lin et al (2005) suggest inhibitors in implementing the Knowledge Management arise out of strategic, perception, planning and implementation issues. The results of their research reveal that: †¢ From the strategic aspect, the upper management should address the enterprises strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats, and then formulate a suitable KM strategy. Furthermore, they should be equipped with information about the activities and performance throughout the organization. †¢ From the perception aspect, the critical task of the top managers is to identify the core knowledge required to maintain competitive advantage. Employees and top managers work together for a common goal; thus, employee efforts can guarantee a successful implementation of the KMS. Therefore, an enterprise should provide suitable training and resources to the employees, and use information technology to provide a friendly repository to standardize and store knowledge. The enterprise should also es tablish an atmosphere emphasizing knowledge sharing and innovation and encouraging employees to form such a culture through a reward system. †¢ From the planning aspect, the action plan should include schedule, people involved and resources required, although it is difficult to transfer the necessary knowledge to the KM plan due to non-standardization. Employees orientation toward KM, including the awareness of the importance and benefits of KM and IT skills for KM process, should be completely addressed. Knowledge-oriented employee assessments can also fail if they are not linked closely to existing incentive systems. The company should take steps to build up the trust of the knowledge owners by associating knowledge sharing to pay and incentives. †¢ From the implementation aspect, a robust set of metrics that evaluates the value of the KMS after implementation will need to be developed. It is essential that the top managers instill in the employees the importance and ben efits of KM. Employees often fear that if they pass on their knowledge to others, they will endanger their own position, authority, even power in the organization. Training and communication are essential to calm down employees fears of change, and perhaps to help them to enjoy new ways of working with their colleagues. Thus, firms need to create the right circumstance around the organization, primarily in the areas of KM activities and culture. Jennex and Zakharova (2005) suggest a holistic approach that addresses critical elements such as an effective technological infrastructure; integrating the technology infrastructure into everyday processes; having an enterprise-wide knowledge structure or taxonomy; a knowledge management strategy; knowledge management metrics of success and identification of inhibitors of knowledge usage. Lang (2001) have identified several inhibitors to knowledge creation and utilization in organizations. First, there may be inadequate care of those organizational relationships that promote knowledge creation. Second, there may be insufficient linkage between knowledge management and corporate strategy. Thirdly, inaccurate valuation of the contribution that knowledge makes to corporations bottom line renders the value of knowledge management ambiguous. Fourthly, there may be a pervasive lack of holism in knowledge management efforts. Finally perhaps not something ordinarily considered a problem for managers to deal with -poor verbal skills may hinder the actual processes of knowledge creation. Plessis, (2007) feel that the management of the inhibitors to knowledge management would need to be a mix of cultural, organizational, process, management and technology initiatives. The challenge is to select and combine the methods and approaches available, and harness them to address the organizations business needs. Critical Success Factors for KM There is a need for a more systematic and deliberate study on the critical success factors (CSFs) for implementing KM. Organisations need to be cognizant and aware of the factors that will influence the success of a KM initiative. Ignorance and oversight of the enablers and inhibitors will likely hinder an organisations effort to realise its full benefit (Hung et al, 2005). Initially, KM appeared to be adopted only in large, multinational and international companies and hence, research work on CSFs has been largely centred on them. Most of these studies have not considered the differences of company size as well as the specific features of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that could affect KM. However, as it has now become a widely spread business discipline, it is no longer the concern of just large organisations. As asserted by Frey (2001), although major corporations have led the way in introducing and implementing KM, it is increasingly important for small businesses to manage their collective intellect. Okunoye and Karsten (2002) stated that KM has indeed become the underlying sources for successful organisations regardless of their size and geographical locations. Therefore, a better understanding of the CSFs for implementing it in SMEs is needed in order to ensure the success of their efforts. Wong, (2005) has grouped the critical success factors into a number of generic factors such as management leadership and support, culture, technology, strategy, measurement, roles and responsibilities, etc. These are common in KM efforts and therefore, they are also believed to be applicable to SMEs. He suggests that one should also consider the needs and situations of SMEs when developing CSFs for them.Wong, (2005) proposes a comprehensive model for implementing KM in SMEs. They are: †¢ management leadership and support; †¢ culture; †¢ IT; †¢ strategy and purpose; †¢ measurement; †¢ organisational infrastructure; †¢ processes and activities; †¢ motivational aids; †¢ resources; †¢ training and education; and †¢ HRM. What emerges from the review of literature is the following: ï  ¶ There are both enablers and inhibitors to knowledge management implementations in SMEs ï  ¶ Both enablers and inhibitors may be classified essentially into three broad categories human, technical and financial. ï  ¶ Critical Success Factors for KM implementations are different for SMEs from that of large organizations ï  ¶ Critical Success Factors also depend on the management of the enablers and the inhibitors Thus, it is beneficial for the SME to build a framework that would be used to prioritize the enablers and inhibitors to success. Therefore, we propose this AHP framework to the priorities for a SMEs initiative towards KM implementation. Framework for KM implementation Any successful managerial implementation requires management of enablers and the inhibitors. Similarly, in case of Knowledge Management as well it is important to manage the enablers and the inhibitors. From the review of literature a 3 level hierarchical model as shown in Figure 1 may be envisaged. At the root of the hierarchy the overall objective of a successful Knowledge Management implementation may be considered. Successful Knowledge Management implementation depends on two criteria enablers and inhibitors which are depicted as level 2 in the figure. As has been mentioned above these enablers and inhibitors can be classified in level 3 into technical, human and financial enablers (inhibitors). Figure 1: Framework for Successful Knowledge Management Implementation 4. METHODOLOGY Data Source: The research used both secondary and primary data. An extensive literature survey was undertaken, which helped in framing the questionnaire for the primary data collection. The focus of the study was on primary data. Research approach: The survey method was used for the study. Our primary data has been gathered using questionnaire technique. Our target population is all small firms in the National Capital Territory of Delhi (India) with turnover ranging from Rs. 5 crores to Rs. 25 Crores and employment levels between 15 and 50 employees. Specifically, we are targeting the owners or top managers at these firms. For the purposes of this research, we used a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire included 60 questions in two sections such as: [A] Enablers to Knowledge Management [B] Inhibitors to Knowledge Management Contact Method: The questionnaires were sent via email and were telephonically followed up. Sample Size: Amongst the 4263 companies (as per Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Prowess database) that belonged to the criteria in the entire country, 1039 such companies were located in the National Capital Region of Delhi, which included New Delhi, Delhi, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and NOIDA. Due care has been taken to include only those companies that made the sample more representative thus, e-mail questionnaires were sent to 500 amongst these 1039 companies. 119 responses were received that formed the sample for the study. This is a 23.8% response rate, which is acceptable. Data Analysis: The data so collected were analyzed with the AHP techniques to arrive at weights. The AHP is a generic problem-solving approach that is used in making complex multi-criteria decisions based on variables that do not have exact numerical consequences. The decision problem is represented in the form of a hierarchical structure with the apex being the overall focus or objective, criteria at the middle and the decision alternatives at the bottom. Such a configuration represents the basic three-level model of AHP. Nevertheless, several levels like sub goals, sub criteria, scenarios etc. could be considered in the model depending on the construction of the decision problem (Saaty, 2000). It employs a qualitative methodology to decompose an unstructured problem into a systematic decision hierarchy. In the quantitative sense, it adopts a pair wise comparison to execute the consistency test to validate the consistency of responses. In short, AHP is a hierarchical representation of a system. A hierarchy is an abstraction of the structure of the system, consisting of several levels representing the decomposition of the overall objective to a set of clusters, sub-clusters, and so on down to the final level. Decomposing the complexity of a problem into different levels or components and synthesizing the relations of the components are the underlying concepts of AHP (Cheng and Li, 2001). 5. RESEARCH FINDINGS Wong , Kuan Yew, (2005), â€Å"Critical success factors for implementing knowledge management in small and medium enterprises†, Industrial Management Data Systems Volume 105 Number 3 pp. 261-279 Frey, R.S. (2001), Knowledge management, proposal development, and small businesses, The Journal of Management Development, Vol. 20 No.1, pp.38-54 Okunoye, A., Karsten, H. (2002), Where the global needs the local: variation in enablers in the knowledge management process, Journal of Global Information Technology Management, Vol. 5 No.3, pp.12-31. Hung , Yu-Chung, Huang , Shi-Ming, Lin , Quo-Pin, Tsai , Mei-Ling, (2005), â€Å"Critical factors in adopting a knowledge management system for the pharmaceutical industry†, Industrial Management Data Systems, Volume 105 Number 2 pp. 164-183 Lang , Josephine Chinying (2001), â€Å"Managerial concerns in Knowledge management†, Journal of Knowledge Management Volume 5 . Number 1 . . pp. 43 ±57 Plessis , Marina du (2007),† Knowledge management: what makes complex implementations successful?, JOURNAL OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT, VOL. 11 NO. 2 2007, pp. 91-101 Jennex, M.E., Zakharova, I. (2005), Knowledge management critical success factors, available at: www.management.com.au/strategy/str110.html Lin , Chinho, Yeh, Jong-Mau, Tseng, Shu-Mei, (2005), † Case study on knowledge-management gaps†, Journal of Knowledge Management Volume 9 Number 3 pp. 36-50 Yeh , Ying-Jung, Lai, Sun-Quae, Ho, Chin-Tsang, (2006), â€Å"Knowledge management enablers: a case study†, Industrial Management Data Systems Volume 106 Number 6 pp. 793-810 Yu, Sung-Ho, Kim, Young-Gul, Kim, Min-Yong, (2007), â€Å"Do we know what really drives KM performance?, Journal of Knowledge Management, Volume 11 Number 6 pp. 39-53 Gold, A.H., Malhotra, A., Segars, A.H. (2001), Knowledge management: an organizational capabilities perspective, Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 18 No.1, pp.185-214. Zack, M.H. (1999), Managing codified knowledge, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 40 No.4, pp.45-57. Davenport, T.H. (1997), Ten principles of knowledge management and four case studies, Knowledge and Process Management, Vol. 4 No.3, pp.187-208. Long, D.D. (1997), Building the knowledge-based organizations: how culture drives knowledge behaviors, working paper of the Center for Business Innovation, Ernst Young LLP, Cambridge, MA, . Bennett, R., Gabriel, H. (1999), Organizational factors and knowledge management within large marketing departments: an empirical study, Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 3 No.3, pp.212-25. Ndlela, L.T., Toit, A.S.A. (2001), Establishing a knowledge management programme for competitive advantage in an enterprise, International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 21 No.2, pp.151-65. Ichijo, K., Krough, G., Nonaka, I. (1998), Knowledge enablers, in Krogh, G., Roos, J. (Eds),Knowing in Firms, Sage, London, pp.173-203. Stonehouse, G.H., Pemberton, J.D. (1999), Learning and knowledge management in the intelligent organization, Participate Empowerment: An International Journal, Vol. 7 No.5, pp.131-44. Tiwana, A. (2001), The Knowledge Management Toolkit: Practical Techniques for Building Knowle dge Management Systems, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, . Liebowitz, J. (2003), Keynote paper: measuring the value of online communities, leading to innovation and learning, International Journal of Innovation and Learning, Vol. 1 No.1, pp.1-8. Gupta, B., Iyer, L.S., Aronson, J.E. (2000), Knowledge management: practices and challenges, Industrial Management Data Systems, Vol. 100 No.1, pp.17-21. Saaty T. L. (2000), Fundamentals of decision making and priority theory with the AHP, 2nd edn. RWS, Pittsburg PA Cheng, E.W.L. and Li, H. (2001), ‘‘Analytic hierarchy process: an approach to determine measures for business performance, Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 30-6. Sang, M.L., Hong, S. (2002), An enterprise-wide knowledge management system infrastructure, Industrial Management Data Systems, Vol. 102 No.1, pp.17-25. Arthur Anderson and The American Productivity and Quality Center (1996), The Knowledge Management Assessment Tool: External Benchmarking Version, Arthur Anderson/APQC, Chicago, IL, . Arthur Anderson Business Consulting (1999), Zukai Knowledge Management, TOKYO Keizai, Inc., Tokyo, . Nonaka, I., Toyama, R., Konno, N. (2000), SECI, ba and leadership: a unified model of dynamic knowledge creation, Long Range Planning, Vol. 33 No.1, pp.5-34 Barney, J. (1995), Looking inside for competitive advantage, Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 9 No.4, pp.49-61. Lin, Chinho, Tseng, Shu-Mei, (2005), â€Å"The implementation gaps for the knowledge management system†, Industrial Management Data Systems Volume 105 Number 2 2005 pp. 208-222

Balancing Politics and Pedagogy :: Bilingual Education Classroom Language Essays

Balancing Politics and Pedagogy Thesis: Research over the past thirty years shows conflicting evidence for or against bilingual education leading to a heated debate between educators and politicians with bilingual education becoming a scapegoat for a number of educational issues, perhaps hiding the real causes of Hispanic difficulties from the critics. Proposition 227, the so-called "English for Children" law, abolished thirty years of bilingual education in California in June, 1998, forcing students who are not fluent in English into all-English classes in all subjects all the time. Bilingual education, according to Krashen, is the target of critics who list a number of objections (1). Newspapers and TV are often against bilingual education. They say that bilingual education is not functioning, while students learn English very well without it. They also say that the majority of parents and teachers are not in favor of it. Another argument is that bilingual education is only for Spanish speakers and not for those who have different writing systems. In addition, it is true that there are not enough teachers for bilingual education (1). Furthermore, the dropout rate of Hispanic children in the U.S. is still high even after thirty years of efforts. Research of the past thirty years shows no justification for bilingual education, clai ms Porter (28). However, it may be a fallacy to conclude that bilingual education is not working. Bilingual education has become a scapegoat for a number of educational issues, perhaps hiding the real causes of Hispanic difficulties from the critics. The issue of bilingual education is not new. In fact, its history in the U.S. has vacillated between acceptance and rejection. During the nineteenth century, instruction was given in a wide variety of foreign languages, such as German, Polish, Italian, Dutch or any other language that parents demanded. Between 1897 and 1915, thirteen states changed their policies to requiring English instruction in basic subjects such as math, science, and geography from fears of a so-called "babel of tongues" (Zimmerman 39). By the end of World War I, thirty-seven states had limited foreign language instruction including explicit prohibitions on German in favor of "100 percent Americanism" (39). After the war, public schools became open to a wide range of foreign language instruction; however, in fact, only 20 percent of high school students were taught in any non-English language class by 1949. Immigrant parents, says Zimmerman, wanted their children to learn English as a vehicle of social mobility in America instead of taking courses in their native languages (39).

Analysis Of Racism In Huck Finn Essay -- essays research papers

To teach or not to teach? This is the question that is presently on many administrators' minds about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. For those who read the book without grasping the important concepts that Mark Twain gets across "in between the lines", many problems arise. A reader may come away with the impression that the novel is simply a negative view of the African-American race. If we believe that Huck Finn is used only as a unit of racism we sell the book short. I feel that there is much to be learned about Blacks from this book and it should not be banned from the classroom. This is only one of many themes and expressions that Mark Twain is describing in his work. I believe that in Huck Finn slavery is used as insight into the nature of blacks and whites as people in general. Overall, the most important thing to understand is that Mark Twain is illustrating his valuable ideas without pushing them upon the reader directly. I believe that â€Å"Huck Finn† teaches a reader two important lessons about the true nature of people. Throughout the book, one of these main lessons is that Blacks can be just as caring as whites. The white characters often view the blacks as property rather than as individuals with feelings and aspirations of their own. Huck comes to realize that Jim is much more than a simple slave when he discusses a painful experience with his daughter. Jim describes how he once called her and she did not respond. He then takes this as a sign of disobedience and beats her for it. Soon realizing that she is indeed deaf, he comforts her and tries to make up for the act of beating. The feeling that Jim displays shows Huck that Jim has a very human reaction and the fact Jim says, "Oh Huck, I bust out crying....'Oh the po' little thing!" (Twain 151), only further proves to Huck that Jim is as caring as he is. Huck's realization allows him to see that Jim is no longer the ordinary sl ave. The point where Huck completely changes his attitudes towards blacks comes when he is faced with the dilemma of turning Jim in. Huck fights with his conscience and also remembers the things that Jim has done for him. "I'd see him standing my watch on top of his'n, stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him again in the swamp, up there wher... ...nable that ignorance and be a victory for racism and not a loss. To consider banning this novel simply because it has situations and characters that are considered racist is superficial. The novel does show the relationships between blacks and whites in the nineteenth century. However, it shows these situations not to promote racism against blacks, but for the reader to better understand the subject. The character of Jim is shown to be caring and considerate towards Huck and more mature and human than the society allows him to be. Although he is shown to be this way, Twain shows the irony and hypocrisy of treating a mature man like simple property. The novel also shows how a boy, who is a product of this hypocritical society, comes to realize the true nature of his friend Jim and how deranged the societies beliefs are. In showing these ironic situations and the transformation that Huck goes through the reader sees racism in a real life setting. People who want to ban the book miss the idea entirely. Instead of getting rid of something that is supp osedly racist, they only perpetuate racism by denying others a good source of material on the subject.

macbeth :: essays research papers

Jurgens 1 The famous play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, has greatly influenced past societies and continues to be an influence in todayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s society. There is not only one great influence either, as there are many smaller ones that have affected society. Of these influences, Macbeth has had its greatest impact on the movie and literature industries. In literature, the play is kept alive in more than one way. There are many full-length books that just discuss and explain the play of Macbeth. Other ways the play is kept alive is through other authors rewriting it, but making slight changes or even using some of his lines or themes in their own plays or other pieces of literature. The movie industry was also greatly affected by Macbeth. Since the invention of movies, there have been many different versions of this play that have been adapted to the movie screen. Macbeth is a play that can last forever as it has everything that still interests and has always interested people such as murder, deceit, and a trip into the human psyche. This play has lived on in many facets of and had many important influences on society, but two of those greatest influences are on the movie and literature industries. Macbeth actually started its "afterlife" while William Shakespeare was still alive. Simon Formanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Book of Plays is an example of the influence of the play. 1611, Simon Forman wrote a book in which he described the performance of four plays at the Globe Theater. Book of Plays is one of the only reports of how Shakespeareà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s plays were actually performed on stage. However, many parts of the play were omitted in Formanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s summary. For example, he did not include the entire second appearance of the witches. Jurgens 2 Forman also included details that could not have possibly occurred on the stage of the Globe Theater. One example of this is when Forman reports that he sees Macbeth and Banquo riding through the woods. The Globe Theaterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s set would not have allowed this to happen, so historians believe that Forman pulled this image from a version that he had read previously and not what actually had happened on stage. On the other hand, Forman gives an elaborate description of some of the staging of the play. For example, he states that in the banquet scene, the ghost of Banquo sits behind Macbeth.

Educate Yourself Essay

School is the site for learning. Teachers teach. Students learn. However, a problem exists. There are many low-performing schools, such as Parham Elementary in Cincinatti (Bhatt 1). Therefore, some students are not receiving the education they need. However, this can be remedied. It has been proven that these schools can be developed into more productive environments (Bhatt 2). To improve education, class population needs to reduce in size, the emphasis on standardized testing must be lowered, and traditional teaching strategies must change. Currently, students are not receiving the optimum education they need to succeed in life. With this lack of proper education, students are growing up without the fundamental knowledge to be able to strive for success. An abundance of students are failing in school and are not equal with their peers due to traditional teaching techniques and poor school environment Bhatt 1). Changes must be instituted to ensure the success of future generations which lies in the hands of mostly uneducated students. There are many reasons why the education system is slowly dwindling into oblivion. Overpopulation in the classroom has become a rising epidemic (Helfand 2). The overcrowded classes make it hard for a teacher to teach lessons to so many students. Because of this, students do not receive the individual attention from the teacher they  need in order to grasp information. For example, at Carwise Middle School in Palm Harbor, Florida, the average class has 30 students. Teachers, such as Sarah Jaehn, teach to 186 students a day at Palm Harbor Middle. She said, â€Å"If class sizes were smaller I could have fun again† (Helfand 2). Jaehn, and others like her, feel they cannot get much accomplished with such large class sizes. Also, standardized testing is so overly emphasized in schools that it affects the way teachers perform. â€Å"Mary Lee Smith found that teachers gave up reading real books, writing, and long-term projects, and focused instead on word recognition, recognizing spelling errors, language usage, punctuation, and arithmetic operations. (Shepard 2).† With the  emphasis on standardized testing, the teaching methods have changed. Much observation has been completed in order to determine why education is at the level it is. Lorrie Sheprard, the dean of the school of education at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a member of the Naitonal Research Council’s Board on Testing and Assessment, completed involved large scale teacher surveys and field studies. She concluded that, â€Å"The efforts to improve test scores have changed what is taught and how it is taught. For example, teachers in elementary schools eliminate or greatly reduce time on social studies and science to spend more time on tested subjects (Shepard 2).† This has proven that students do not learn as much as they need because they are busy learning information for standardized testing instead. Teachers are â€Å"teaching to the test† rather than teaching the critical thinking type of learning that is used in the real world. This is shown by Linda Darling-Hammond and Arthur Wise, the authors of â€Å"Beyond Standardization: State Standards and School Improvement.† They discovered that  teachers stopped giving essay tests to create more tests like the standardized ones to help prepare the students (Shepard 2). How is this in fact helping students if they are just learning to take a test instead of learning critical thinking which will help them in their work areas in the future? To illustrate how education needs to be altered we should view the results from Steven Adamowski. He was the superintendent in three school districts for 13 years and studied education reform thoroughly. This led to the miracle work he performed at Parham Elementary in the Cincinnati Public School system. From 1995-1998, only six percent of fourth graders there were passing the state’s reading test, compared with the 28 percent of the rest of the district and almost half of the fourth graders statewide. To change this, Adamowski entered in1998. Then, the results started to climb. By 2003, 56.4 percent of fourth graders were passing the state reading test opposed to the six percent from 1995-1998. These results occurred because he removed poorly performing teachers and replaced them with motivated teachers who can  persuade students to learn. He also brought more faculty and staff which enabled the class sizes to reduce so there can be more personalized learning environments. Adamowski’s work proves that education can be improved as long as there is the will to do it. (Bhatt 1-2). Experts in the education field have been researching extensively to target these problems and to find a way to fix them. Steven Adamowski stated that teacher evaluations must come about because they help identify weaknesses. He then discussed that proper training can be individually directed at these weak areas. He also declared that this motivates teachers to learn more, therefore being able to teach more (Bhatt 1-2). The real experts, teachers, say they have more on their plates when delivering lessons to a class with 30 students (Helfand 2). This is because they have to manage with interruptions and cannot specially educate each student individually. Lorrie A. Shepard argues that high-stakes testing is thought to improve education, but on the contrary, this standardized testing does more harm than good. She has found that teachers are forced to â€Å"teach to the test† rather than with methods where students actually learn (Shepard 1). Thus, students are again not receiving the education they need. Vivian Troen, coauthor of â€Å"Who’s Teaching your Children,† discussed that teachers mostly work isolated instead of sharing ideas and learning from one another. She believes that teachers need to work together in order to create an environment in which students desire to learn (Ruark 1-2). Whenever a problem exists, there is not always a solution to it. Luckily, in this case, there are many simple solutions to improve education. Educators should use helpful, but limited test preparation activities within the normal class plans. A variety of original material should be introduced to keep students interested so that no generalized knowledge is taught in preparation for a high-stake test (Shepard 4). This way, there is no specialized â€Å"teaching to the test† but instead real teaching. Teachers should also work as a team instead of as individuals (Ruark 1-2). That way, teachers can learn new teaching methods and think more creatively instead of the usual notes and test format. Teacher evaluations also must be instituted  (Bhatt 2). Then, weaknesses can be identified and proper training can be utilized so teachers are prepared to teach. This will ensure that the students will be receiving the proper education they need. Essay tests should also be used more to challenge students and force them to think critically (Shepard 2). This will  help students be prepared in life when they need to actually think rather than use memorization. Discussions should also take place dealing with what is being taught and on current events as well (Shepard 2). This will urge students to listen more attentively and will help them learn more about what is happening in the world around them. Teachers play one of the most important roles in students’ lives. Teachers mold them into the human beings they will be as adults. Unfortunately, for such a pivotal responsibility, teachers are not permitted to provide students with the valuable education that students will use for the rest of their lives. This can change, and must change. The students now are our future and must be given the essential tools through education.

The Life and Times of American POWs in Korea

The world war two as well as the cold war was understood in a different concept from the Korean War. In them the Americans fought for both survival and virtue not Realpolitik, there was little chance in the imaginative minds for negotiation even though the general public had a very simple understanding of the Korean conflict. The U.S government planners tempered them own impressions with such strategy and belief of thrust and parry. The U.S interest in the Korean peninsula is often said to have been limited in that planners were ready to cut their losses in the even that the conflict challenged to undermine the global prepondence of power. Thus, there were various effects whose magnitudes were immeasurable. For instance, the shootings within the peninsula may have been limited, but the magnitude of fear among the fighting soldiers was not.[1] The fighting was so intense and fierce as well as unpredictable that even Seoul, changed hands about 4 times.   Initially the Americans seemed to have won the war when General Douglas until the people’s republic of china got involved in the war. The Chinese army and other communist forces surrounded the Americans to hand them their worst defeat ever. The often called â€Å"great bug out† was a cruel shock and a rude awakening to a nation that had invented the atomic bomb, beat the Axis of â€Å"evil† attained prosperity while rebuilding Europe and with the belief that their Asian counterparts were backward and incapable of mounting any major challenge. The Chinese propaganda machine put a lot of emphasis on allied atrocities as well as conversion of POWs to Marxism. [2]At the early stages of the wrangles ever peace terms Republic of China started relentless changes of germ warfare. A majority of the reports published were supported by confessions relieved from POWs who were under () with often supervision from international inspectors with varying credibility. A large number and probably all the germ warfare confessions were falsified. At the end of the armistice talks, most of what was left was dedicated to the prisoners with the talks lasting for about half the time of the war. More recently the thesis that the Korean prisoners of war certainly prone to collaborate have been judged as a tenacious one, even though it had been meticulously debunked as early as 1963 by the pentagon. The situation in Korea was that of captivity being different rather than the captive. The U.S prisoners were coerced to give confessions in Marxist jargon. Instead of having just a quite session to inform fellows, as had been the case in earlier conflicts. The Korean was encompassed periods of incarceration as cruel as any American encounter, with about a third perishing resulting in a highly coercive atmosphere. If by any chance there was collaboration in Korea, then the situation can best be explained by the demands of the captors as well as the conditions the captive were subjected to instead of just a decline in character of youth. Although the POWs, may not have a permanent or profound revolution in their thought patterns still they were subject to vigorous and routinely indoctrination processes. This kind of methodology was responsible for a large number of collaboration that superficially appeared as a personality transformation. Within the camps, separating officers and â€Å"natural† leaders from the rest of POWs did the segregation. Such tactics like the encouraging race, class as well as political affiliation so as to abrade personal lies and group places among the POWs. Albeit the Chinese forces proclaimed the policy of â€Å"leniency† it was often on the theoretical basis as most the camps were inherently coercive.   In this often-coercive environment the Chinese forces added a forum from where the prisoners could often be minutely scrutinized for compliance. A brief summery of personal accounts from some of the soldiers who took part in the Korean War would probably provide a better insight to the flight of the prisoners of war. After graduating from high school (1950) Tom Gaylets was recruited in the U.S army, fort Knox, Kentucky for a period of six weeks. He later joined his brother and other soldiers who were in Korea. His unit has changed with the duties of blowing up bridges making roads while at same time removing and locating enemies. This particular unit according to tom moved up and down Korea encountering 21 battles in extreme wealthier condition. (summer 100 degrees) to less than 40 degree in winter) the experience according to him was like â€Å"a hell hole because we fought the war 24 hours a day seven days a week†.[3] There was no such a thing as taking a break. The soldiers were always at the frontline. The following year (may 17 1951) tom was called up by his commanding officer with the excitement at the prospect of arriving home was short lived the following morning when Chinese soldiers attacked their division. After a while the Chinese soldiers captured them, they were taken to a holding area until later at night in order to move them. After that the torture exercise began the Chinese made them carry sickness, hunger, and fatigue! They were not offered anything to eat by the Chinese soldiers, and ate anything that they could find on their way.[4] The food that was served to soldiers was terrible though there was a gradual change after some time. For instance there was one point where tom says that they were served rice and noticed some piece of meat in the rice. Thinking that things had changed for better the soldiers were upbeat only to realize the following day that a rat had accidentally gotten in to their food but the Chinese soldiers intentionally ignored and instead went a head to serve it to them. They were not served meat in their meals until some time in 1953. In the course of his stay at the camp as a POW tom says in the book that about 1,500 men died. During the winter seasons the dead soldiers were wrapped and chopped on the hillside without any decent depict an act of dehumanization. Tom himself almost succumbed to death due to various factors like starvation, bouts of dysentery and apparently about 100 pounds.[5] The Chinese soldiers were constantly looking for excuses in order to punish the POWs. A friend was routinely (every morning) put in a four –by- four foot-hole and left for the rest of the day with a hat on his head. After that he would be taken out of every night only to be returned the next morning where he would fill out information with his hat on and then taken back to the hole. When Tom left to go and see some of his friends in the other company the Chinese solders would move him into a hut their start a fire there and leave him closed up for days. Another account by a soldier named David is a description of the deplorable conditions that they were subject to. After eluding the enemy soldiers for a couple of days, David and his compatriot were captured they were then taken through then initial positions and in fields and then hidden under cliff during the day. (Out-doors) they were not offered any sanitation or medical care. The food that was served to them was a brown powder and which was very little in quantity. This state of affairs was routinely carried out until June of 1951 when they were moved to a mining camp. At this stage a large number of prisoners began to die from starvation, while others died as a result of no medical care for the wounds and injuries sustained and others died from torture. Within his camp everyone according to David was plagued with dysentery that resulted in large number of soldiers dying in this camp. After about three months at the camp the soldiers then started moving them out to new camps. The transfer involved a matching process with no food while at the same time some of them were bombed by the U.S B24 which resulted to even more deaths. During the winter seasons some prisoners were given a pair of cotton pajamas but this all they had for the remaining seasons in spite of the fluctuating weather conditions which could go as well as below zero by about 40-50 degrees in the cold season be as lot as this in the included: body lice, dysentery, pneumonia, skin disorders, intestinal disorders, night blindness, beriberi, frostbites and the more insensitive one was the threat to be executed which often accompanied all Out of the approximately 7,190 prisoners of war, who were captured largely in the first months of the war, about 3,000 of them are estimated to have died in captivity about 43% of the mortality were as a result of starvation in a period that last about for six months (Nov 1950-Apr 1951. often the Chinese soldiers communist apologist normally argue that the U.S bombed most of the areas, thereby preventing the delivery of food.[6] However, some soldiers also claim that even though a large apart of the North Korean supply were heavily bombed most of the camps where the POWs were situated were right on the border of china, which had been exempted from bombing. Although the purposeful starvation of the American POWS had ceased in the early summer of 1951, a new phase of treatment greeted the POWs. This phase easy characterized by very disturbing experiences even to the American public than the initial murder by starvation method; the mass indoctrination in propaganda that were anti-American in philosophy often referred as brainwashing as well as the recruitment of the prisoners of war to regurgitate/repeat the learned propaganda in signed statements and even public broadcasts took hold. Even though the â€Å"brainwashing† term eventually fell out of favor, due to the belief by psychologists that the communist indoctrination had no permanent effect on a majority of POWS as soon as they returned, it however was both a mental and physical torture process. In the history of the war they were some points (1950-1951) that are considered significant. For instance, the purposeful starvation of POWs by the Korean and Chinese soldiers often broke the spirit of the prisoners. The resulting effect was that they ceased to help one another. Attempts by most officers to take command, coercing them to cooperate in their common interest, were often thwarted by the communist guards, unless the officers were willing to be collaborators. Some officers took up this choice, for example a Lt. Col Paul Liles and Harry Fleming chose this method by creating communist propaganda, and in return cutting down on the number of deaths in their camps.   Even though these officers were later court martialed, many still believe they played a crucial role in saving many lives that would otherwise have been lost if they had not taken this stance. Elsewhere, many prisoners were too apathetic to defend their comrades and even themselves from the predators and other thugs like James Gallagher and PFC Roth well Floyd. In one particular instance, that has stood out happened in 17 Feb 1951 when Sgt. Gallagher tossed two POWs that had been severely weakened by dysentery from inside the barrack to the cold where they froze to death. The reason given by him was that the body stench and the general stink of the unclean dysentery patients was a revolting one.   Although this may be accurate, when soldiers act as a team and care for one another, the survival rates is gotten very high. There were some prisoners too who were never reported. The U.S authorities had documented about 66 American personnel that had been held back by the communist forces against their will after the war ended. A majority of them had been captured outside of Korea, and as such were not considered under the armistice terms. So far nothing ever came of them over after concerted efforts by diplomatic missions to secure their release. There were about three general phases to the encounters of the POWs per most of the soldiers especially the ones who hired to tell their tale. For instance the soldiers who gave their personal accounts had the experience of marching which can be referred to as the â€Å"marching phase† in this phase the communist soldiers and particularly the Chinese subject the POWs to often walking barefoot while poorly clothed in bitterly cold weather. They were then marched from their points of capture to camps that were situated deep inside North Korea. The second phase which took place until sometime in October 1951 when a majority of the camps were left to the Chinese control, In this phase where a great deal of deaths about 40 percent as a result of starvation, malnutrition as well as denial of Medicare by the unsympathetic north Korean PA guards. Other than malnutrition, starvation and lack of medical care the experience of the soldiers also included such acts like night blindness. Most of the men interviewed have discussed night blindness among prisoners as well as guards, vegetable competing lacking from their diet or in small quantities that do not make up a balanced diet. These are enough conditions about torture lice cold together with dysentery. There are instance where a guard is told who was ready to offer his bag of lunch plus 2 hours head start to any prisoners of war was willing to escape from the prison camps. This is a testimony of the deplorable state of the prisons and the treatment offered to the soldiers. Most of the times there was no medication and if it was provided then it was inadequate with no records at all. Some prisoners were indoctrinated on a daily basis with the sessions lasing from morning to night with just a short break for the Chinese soldiers to have their lunch. In the mean time the prisoners were not offered any food and it is during such times when the brains rushing process began. The perception that was instilled in them was that of repeating communist ideals and philosophy that they had learned in the process.   At night the soldiers would come into the huts and make the soldiers sit while facing eth wall, and warmed with flash lights that shone on the prisoners’ faces, the soldiers made them repeat the communist philosophy References: Harry Spiller, 1998. American POWs in Korea, sixteen personal accounts. McFarland & Company Raymond B. Lech, 2000, Broken soldiers, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago IL, 330pp [1] Raymond B. Lech, 2000, Broken soldiers, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago IL, 330pp [2] Raymond B. Lech, 2000, Broken soldiers, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago IL, 330pp [3] (Harry Spiller, 1998). [4] (Harry Spiller, 1998). [5] Harry Spiller, 1998. American POWs in Korea, sixteen personal accounts. McFarland & Company [6] (Harry Spiller, 1998)   

Allopathic and Naturopathic approaches to Metabolic Syndrome Management â€MS revisited

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is also called as syndrome X, cardiovascular metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance syndrome. It is a cluster of risk factors associated with an elevated risk of development of Hyperlipidemia (elevated triglycerides and low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL), hypertension, abdominal obesity, glucose intolerance and concomitant insulin resistance. It develops risk of heart and diabetes disease. Adler,R (2007),The journal of alternative and complementary medicineMany people are suffering with this syndrome which has deadly effects. This is the right time that we seriously look into it and curb the epidemic. Definition of Metabolic syndrome (MetS) itself varies with different agencies. But the symptoms are accepted generally. This dissertation looks into varies definitions, allopathic and naturopathic approaches in dealing with the problem, limitations and further research required. DefinitionThe two important definitions of Metabolic Syndrome are â€Å" Based on the guidelines from the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III), any three of the following traits in the same individual meet the criteria for the metabolic syndrome: Abdominal obesity: a waist circumference over 102 cm (40 in) in men and over 88 cm (35 inches) in women. Serum triglycerides 150 mg/dl or above. HDL cholesterol 40mg/dl or lower in men and 50mg/dl or lower in women. Blood pressure of 130/85 or more. Fasting blood glucose of 110 mg/dl or above.(Some groups say 100mg/dl) The World Health Organization (WHO) has slightly different criteria for the metabolic syndrome: High insulin levels, an elevated fasting blood glucose or an elevated post meal glucose alone with at least 2 of the following criteria: Abdominal obesity as defined by a waist to hip ratio of greater than 0. 9, a body mass index of at least 30 kg/m2 or a waist measurement over 37 inches. Cholesterol panel showing a triglyceride level of at least 150 mg/dl or HDL c holesterol lower than 35 mg/dl.Blood pressure of 140/90 or above (or on treatment for high blood pressure)† (2002,January 16). Web extension to The Journal of the American Medical Association, Retrieved April 8th, 2008 from the World Wide Web:http://jama. ama-assn. org/cgi/content/abstract/287/3/356 Metabolic syndrome is present in 4. 6 percent of normal weight men, 22. 4 percent of overweight men, and 59. 6 percent of obese men. Distribution of the same is similar with women. In last decade obesity among the adult population has doubled. Approaches of Allopathic and Naturopathic practitioners on Metabolic SyndromeAllopathic and Naturopathic practitioner’s analyze the patient and go through Laboratory findings before going for further diagnosis and treatment. Adler explains â€Å"After a battery of expensive and/or invasive diagnostic tests confirms the obvious diagnosis, six to ten different expensive and potentially hazardous medications are prescribed to treat the d isorders. On the other end of the continuum are a few practitioners whose prescriptions are limited to exercise, stress reduction and dietary modification†. Adler,R(2007),Volume13, 11-12. The journal of alternative and complementary medicineAllopathic practitioners prescribe drugs and balance it for each and every individual nonconformance which causes metabolic syndrome and advises for life style change. Naturopathic practitioners mostly rely on life style changes. Diagnosis systems are same with Allopathic and Naturopathic systems. But when it comes to treatment and specifically on life style changes with diet, there are differences of opinion with individual practitioners. Basically the treatment for metabolic syndrome does not have a sure shot formula; it is mostly dependent on patient cooperation.Hence for a practitioner treating a metabolic syndrome person is an art during clinical intervention. As Sir William Osler said â€Å"†¦ it was more important to know the p atient that had the disease, than to know what kind of disease the patient had†. (24-26, July 2006) The Epoch times Diabetes Diabetes found to be a serious metabolic disease. Especially those consuming western diets, this problem is in higher side. When there is a malfunction in insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas, disordered happens in metabolism of carbohydrate, protein and fats.Due to insulin secretion is very low; cells cannot use the glucose to convert into energy. This glucose circulates in the blood till kidneys excrete. Since the body cannot use glucose available in the blood for converting into energy, it has to burn protein and fat available in the body hence fatigue and weight loss occurs. Type-2 diabetes is associated with metabolic syndrome. Due to age factor the pancreatic function is unable to cope with dietary excess and obesity. In some cases its functions diminishes. Hence an Allopathic practitioner will prescribe drugs and suggest for life style cha nges.Naturopathic practitioner will solely depend on intake of diets, natural supplementary diets and life style changes. Obesity Controlling obesity is important in metabolic syndrome. â€Å"Those who are overweight should shed excess fat and avoid alcohol, white flour products and white rice, as these make insulin less sensitive†. Needes (2002), Page 257, Naturopathy for self healing, B. Jain publishers. â€Å"Any man with a waist greater than 40 inches, or a woman with a waist greater than 35 inches is considered to be at high risk for developing diabetes†. Sethu. S.(Summer 2004), Web extension to Cleveland Clinic Magazine, Retrieved April 8,2008 from the World Wide Web:http://www. clevelandclinic. org/clevelandclinicmagazine_2004/news/syndrome_x. htm Stress Under stress, adrenal hormones induce the release of fat and sugar into the blood which is used for energy. Those who are not able to handle stress and always with unmanaged abnormal stress, the blood sugar rema ins high and release of insulin from pancreas is depressed. The people who practice meditation and yoga are able to control and manage stress very well.It is noted that the persons who change their total life style inclusive of stress management are able to control diabetes than who only change their diets. Stress disrupts normal eating habits. Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat When carbohydrate diets are taken in complex form it breaks into glucose very slowly in the blood. With the continuous conversion of glucose into energy, the sugar level in the blood remains constant. Hence the requirement for insulin becomes lesser. A high complex carbohydrate diet which is high in fiber and low in protein is better than old recommendations of a low carbohydrate, high protein combination.Low protein diet reduces saturated fats and fibre prevents glucose to from releasing quickly. A calorie level which consists of 70-75% complex carbohydrates, 15% protein and 10-15% fats and oils will ensure very high fibre content and reduces the cholesterol levels. Oats, spelt, corn, barley, peas, beans, fruits and vegetables are rich in carbohydrates. Even some high fibre foods are having high glycaemic rate. Hence these should be avoided. It found effective in an attempt to reduce serum cholesterol and triglycerides in type-2 diabetes when they were administered with fish oils.But subsequently blood glucose levels increased and insulin sensitivity decreased. Hence at this moment Fish oils to be avoided for diabetes. Also further studies should be conducted in this regard for better understanding and solution. Meat has more phosphorus and sodium levels. These things should be kept very low for diabetic. Hence meat should be avoided as a protein source. To lessen the kidney damage, protein levels need to be kept low and should not be above 15% of total calories in the diet. Needes (2002), Page 259, Naturopathy for self healing, B.Jain publishers. Moderate exercises improve cholesterol lev els and maintains weight. It increases metabolism, blood circulation and reduces the need for insulin consumption by the body. Fenugreek seeds, dandelion root, Goat’s rue, Blueberries and red gum bark are good for insulin production; strengthen the immune system, cholesterol and triglyceride levels are maintained within acceptable limit. Limitations, Challenges and Further research in metabolic syndrome A single clear solution cannot be arrived because of various factors involved in metabolic syndrome.Even with so much of research in diet for metabolic syndrome, there are differences with practitioners on combination of low and high carbohydrates, proteins and it depends on individuals who have different life style. Further research should give us clear idea of this combination. A common index value to be arrived based on the laboratory findings of triglycerides, HDL, hypertension, abdominal, obesity, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Based on that index value a sin gle drug with different combinations to be invented to control metabolic syndrome.Research should be carried towards this direction to avoid many treatment aspects involved in MS. Conclusion Till then it is strongly recommended that public should be educated regarding Balanced Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) to help in their diet planning to have a better control on their metabolic syndrome. References Codario. A ( 2007),Type 2 Diabetes, Pre-diabetes and the Metabolic Syndrome, Humana Press Inc. US. Needes (2002) Naturopathy for self healing- B. Jain publishers Barker, Meletis (2003) Natural treatment for metabolic syndromeAdler (2007), Volume13, The journal of alternative and complementary medicine. Bray (2007), The Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity, Humana press Inc. 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