Texas Constitution and New Hampshire Constitution

The constitution is the fundamental principles of law that the state's law system is base on. Regardless of where it was created, New Hampshire or Texas, the constitution always went through different processes of drafting, revising, and amending several times over the courses of history to result in the modern constitution as people look at it today. At a glance, there is Texas, a state that is known for its notorious cowboy culture and rebellious history, to be compare to New Hampshire, a quiet little state that locate in the northeast corner of the US.In omparison and contradiction, the two states' constitution share many similarities in their bills of rights but maintain many differences in their legislature, especially in the meeting cycles. Whether or not Texas should change its constitution in order to ensure the effectiveness of legislative session in a given time frame is still in debate. One of the major and most obvious similarities that appears in almost every state's con stitution is the freedom of religion.In Texas constitution, this category is worded as â€Å"freedom of worship†, section 6 of article 1 states, â€Å"All men have a natural nd indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences. No human authority ought, in any case whatever, to control or interfere with the rights of conscience in matters of religion†¦ † (Texas Constitution. Art. l, sec. 6. In a like manner, the New Hampshire constitution states, â€Å"Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience, and reason; and no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his peers on, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God. † (New Hampshire Constitution. Part 1 . Art. 5) The first two sentences from each section of the two states constitutions strongly proclaim that it is the natural right of the people to worshiping any kind of deity without getti ng punish or being force to worship a different deity against their wish.This similarity of religious freedom from both constitutions illustrated the state founders' strong desire for a society in which people are free to pursuit a faith of their own. However, within these similarities there are still some important differences. To be more specific, the second sentence of religious freedom on the New Hampshire constitution does mention that the right to worship can be achieved only if â€Å"†¦ he doth not disturb the public peace or disturb others in their religious worship. (New Hampshire Constitution. Part l. Art. 5). This statement means to say that one individual cannot use their freedom of worship to disturb other individual's life or his or her freedom of worship. Texas constitution did not state specifically the same idea but it took into account another important element- the equality of religions: â€Å"It shall be the duty of the Legislature to pass such laws as may be ecessary to protect equally every religious denomination in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship. (Texas Constitution. Art. I, sec. 6). This is one very important element that the New Hampshire constitution does not mention. Texas, in the other hand, put down in text that the government is responsible to protect every religion the same as others by passing such law to Speaking of the government structure, both Texas and New Hampshire have the basic form of government in which the structure is similar to the United States federal government. Each has three branches: legislative, executive and Judicial.The Texas legislature, however, has one substantive difference to the New Hampshire legislature, the meeting cycle. The Texas constitution requires the legislature to meet in regular session once every two years. â€Å"The legislature shall meet every two years at such time as may be provided by law and at other times when convened by the Governor. † (Tex as Constitution. Art. Ill, sec. 5). Normally, the session held on the second Tuesday in January of odd-numbered years and may last for 140 days.The New Hampshire constitution requires the state legislature to meet more often. Article 3 of Part II of the New Hampshire constitution states that the state legislature is to meet in session for once a year in January (New Hampshire Constitution. Part II. Art. 3); a session usually last until June. In addition, the legislature has to meet again on December of the next even-numbered year for organization purposes, bringing the number of session to three times every two years.The difference between each state legislature's meeting cycles is particularly stood out because Texas is geographically huge state with large population, and the fact that its meeting cycle is too far away from each other is very uncommon among other large states. The difference between Texas and New Hampshire constitutions in regard to the frequency of legislative mee ting can be explain by several reasons. According to Texas former senator Will Harnet, â€Å"Annual sessions are expensive and can chase off quality law-maker that are paid as little as $7,200 a year† (Schechter).But in contrast, meeting annually has advantages that included dealing with complex problems, inishing works on time and reducing the number of special sessions (Schechter). For a state that is the second most populous in the nation, Texas is the only large state that has legislature meet every two years, the other states are Montana, Nevada and North Dakota, all with tiny populations (Schechter). Recently, this frequency of meeting has shown its disadvantage. The most obvious example is that during the summer of 2013, Texas Governor Rick Perry has called three back-to-back special sessions (Schechter).This puts a question mark on the Texas constitution, why ouldn't change the legislative meeting cycle to annual if Texas law-makers are not able to get their business done on time? New Hampshire has a much smaller population than Texas and still able to meet annually without any restrictions. The legislature meeting cycle is one big problem that Texas needs to amend into the constitution, not only to save the budget from all the extra special sessions but also giving law-makers a more flexible cycle to work on many complex problems.In the end, both Texas and New Hampshire constitution serve one and only one urpose is to maintain their societies within the law of the state and also in respect to the United Stated constitution. A society in which every individual are born with natural and unalienable rights including the right to worship, and that no human authority can restricts people from doing so. On the other hand, the differences of population, geographic and political beliefs are reflected on the word of each state's constitution, which in this case is the difference between the legislative meeting cycles.The Texas legislature apparently had experience the flaws of their cycle, eing said, it is now the time for the Texas government to reconsider amending their constitution, in order to create a better legislative system that is capable of getting their business to finish on time.

Cloud Computing †Risk or Opportunity Essay

Abstract Cloud computing is a term that refers to sources and computer systems available on demand through the network, which can provide a number of computer services integrated without being restricted local resources in order to make it easier for the user and include those resources space for data backup and synchronization self also includes processing capabilities software and scheduling of tasks and push e-mail and remote printing, and the user can control when it is connected to the network in these resources through a simple software interface simplifies and ignores a lot of detail and internal processes. Cloud computing has become increasingly popular because it offers users the illusion of having infinite computing resources, of which they can use as much as they need, without having to worry about how those resources are provided. It also provides greater scalability, availability, and reliability than users could achieve with their own resource The core property in cloud computing that held computing â€Å"in the cloud†; for clarity, the treatment process (and related data) is not confined to the place (places) private and unknown. Thus, this model is the antithesis of the treatment process is located in one or more of the servers are well known. Exposure model cloud of criticism and attack because of privacy advocates, for the ease of large governing the hosting companies for services cloud, and then, can impose censorship and domination, whether legal or illegal, the communication process as well as the data stored in between the user and the host company Introduction Cloud computing has become a ubiquitous term and largely discussed topic in the global information technology (IT) world. Cloud computing has changed dramatically the ways in which organizations and individuals communicate, collaborate and compute. The concept of cloud computing ensures a cost–effective transformation of utility computing principle that allows users and providers a convenient access to resources in a self-service and ‘pay as you go fashion’. Consequently, cloud computing has reduced the cost associated with system administration as well as aided in improving resource utilization and accounting. Since last few years, cloud computing has resulted in a number of positive impacts on the IT ecosystem, thereby giving rise to new markets and widely scattered new user communities (European Commission, 2012). Contextually, the concept of cloud computing is the outcome of the direct industrial needs to enhance resource utilization without intervening consumer requirements. In other words, the concept ensures the use of the available resources in more efficient manner (European Commission, 2012). The paper intends to critically examine the opportunities and the risks associated with cloud computing and draws a valid conclusion on its adoption by organizations. Cloud Computing: Definition, Models and Services Cloud computing was initially used in an academic perspective by Prof. Kenneth K Chellapa who illustrated it in 1997 at the Informs Conference in Dallas as â€Å"a computing paradigm where the boundaries of computing will be determined by economic rationale rather than technical limits† (Petri, 2010). There are various definitions of cloud computing however the most appropriate and broadly accepted definition is being provided by North America National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST). According to NIST, â€Å"Cloud Computing is a model for enabling convenient, on demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort to service provider interaction† (Petri, 2010). There are many cloud computing models for business purposes including: Public Cloud: Public cloud model is provided by vendors and can be accessed over the internet or private network. One or more data centers are used by this model which is shared by multiple customers (Weitz, 2010). Private Cloud: Private cloud model is managed and used internally by the organizations which utilizes ‘shared services model’ and makes variable usage of virtualized computing resources. The data stored in the model are managed within the organization (Weitz, 2010). Hybrid Cloud: As the name suggests, the hybrid model is the mixture of public cloud services and private cloud architecture. The model is designed to meet certain specific needs of customers (Weitz, 2010). Community Cloud: Community cloud model is used across the organizations having similar requirements and objectives. Community cloud model is established using public cloud services in order to ensure collaboration among the companies (Weitz, 2010). Cloud Computing Services Cloud computing services are provided mostly in the following ways: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has been operational in the market since many years. Currently, businesses are more interested in shifting licensing software to subscribe services particularly on the basis of per user and per month among others (Weitz, 2010). Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) includes development of such environment that allows developers to build software applications that can be offered as services to customers or to general users (Weitz, 2010). Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS): Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provides customers or users with storage, network and other various fundamental resource requirements in order to run arbitrary applications (Weitz, 2010). Literature Review According to Etro (2009), cloud computing is a recently evolved internet based technology that stores large information in servers and provides that information as services on demand to clients. Accordingly, its impact is spectacular on both consumers and companies. Furthermore, he stated that consumers can access all their documents and data from any devices such as laptops, mobile phones and tablets while the companies can rent hardware and software from the service providers and pay as they use the services like other services availed by the companies such as electricity (Etro, 2009). Petri (2010) postulates that, cloud computing is one of the most discussed IT innovations in the last few years. Hence, risk management is the most critical area which draws a serious attention. He emphasized that future is relatively uncertain when associating cloud computing with security factor. He critically points out that cloud vendors should quickly address the security and other related concerns for ensuring better customer satisfaction (Petri, 2010). According to Bein, Bein & Madiraju (2010), cloud computing is a new paradigm of computing that has evolved in the recent times as an expensive way for providing storage and software. They further stressed that many companies are moving ahead with an intention to make cloud computing easy to use. They advocated that there are huge potential for consumers to exploit the cloud computing technology (Bein, Bein & Madiraju, 2010). According to Gartner Inc (2012), continuous monitoring of cloud computing technologies and usual updates to the enterprises’ cloud strategies are necessary to prevent any cost related errors for the subsequent few years. It also stated that cloud computing technology will have significant impact on the level of its adoption over a period of time (Gartner Inc, 2012) According to Pokhriyal (2012), cloud computing would contribute towards increasing complexities relating to data storage and users access to applications as well as other frequently conducted processes. She also stated that risk of exposure of critical data is more with the use of cloud computing technology. She advocated that business firms may also witness security breaches and hacking that shall make the cloud storage relatively ineffective and inefficient (Pokhriyal, 2012). According to Willcocks, Venters, & Whitey (2011), cloud computing technology is changing the ways of IT business services in terms of data delivering and managing. Accordingly, cloud computing has escalated the importance of delivering effective services and for this reason the IT and business services urgently need to raise the level of service competency and should focus on the availability of quality services to meet the customer expectations (Willocks, Venters, & Whitley, 2011). In the words of Horwath, Chan, Leung, & Pili (2012), cloud computing has the potential to bring certain drastic changes in the organizations as witnessed in case of the internet during the last decade of the 20th century. They emphasized that by applying cloud computing technology without proper care and due-diligence may result in unforeseen problems. Consequently, executives must be aware of risks and other issues of cloud computing in order to derive significant benefits out of the provided services (Horwath, Chan, Leung, & Pili, 2012). According to Santos, Gummadi, & Rodrigues (2012), cloud computing enables organizations to cut costs associated with resource storage, network bandwidth and other relevant data. However, they argued that concerns about the privacy, confidentiality and integrity of the data and computation can be considered to be the major deterrents for those organizations which are looking forward to embrace cloud computing (Santos, Gummadi, & Rodrigues, 2012). According to Hinchcliffe (2009), cloud computing will transform IT business scenario by a large extent and it will have to balance between the risks and the benefits associated with cloud computing models. Therefore, he points out certain major risks associated with such transformations including security of organizational data that is stored in the cloud, loss of control over cloud resources and reliability factor. He also stated that the efficient use of cloud computing will enable market validation and prototyping of new approaches at much faster and relatively less expensive rate than ever before (Hinchcliffe, 2009). According to Weitz (2010), cloud computing will be playing a major role in the future of IT and shall bring in enormous opportunities for the organizations. Consequently, he stated that larger organizations will also have an opportunity for cutting the existing costs of IT infrastructure with the use of cloud computing models. However, he also highlighted the risks related with cloud computing and expressed his deep concerns relating to the security and confidentiality of certain relevant data (Weitz, 2010). Hyek (2011) in his report, ‘Cloud Computing Issues and Impacts’, postulated that, cloud computing models should comply with laws and regulations in each of its operations. The processing of data by the cloud service providers must be in conformity with governments’ requirements (Hyek, 2011). According to Curtis, Heckman, & Thorp (2010), the most important factor related with the cloud computing model is the concern about the security and privacy of data while adopting cloud computing models (Curtis, Heckman, & Thorp, 2010). According to the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (2010), in its report, ‘Cloud Computing: Opportunities and Challenges for Australia’ considers the importance of government and its roles in encouraging researchers and business sectors to adopt cloud computing models. The report emphasized that government should formulate strategies that initiate business sectors to adopt cloud models for their resource and application requirements. The report precisely described the responsibility of the cloud service providers in terms of proper management of data in order to prevent any situation that may result in loss of vital data (Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, 2010). According to Catteddu & Hogben, (2009) cloud services provide expedient storage accessible by various devices along with other benefits including useful communication and instant multi-point collaboration. They also emphasized that level of risk may tend to vary significantly based on the type of cloud model. It is for this reason that customers should be aware of the probable risks associated with cloud computing models and they should strive to transfer the risks to the providers (Catteddu & Hogben, 2009). Characteristics of Cloud Computing A few of the relevant characteristics of cloud computing are elaborated below: On-Demand Self Service: Cloud computing providers offer various computer services such as applications, e-mail and network without involving human interaction with various service providers engaged in certain specific services only. Currently, there are multiple organizations that provide cloud computing services based on on-demand self services such as Google, Amazon Web, Microsoft and IBM among others (Information System Audit and Control Association, Inc, 2012). Broad Network Access: Cloud services are available over the network, specifically over the internet and are accessed through certain standard mechanisms such as personal laptops, mobile phones, tablets and iPads among others (Information System Audit and Control Association, Inc, 2012). Resource Pooling: The cloud computing models of the providers are shared with various resources in order to serve multiple clients. The resources united together may consist of processing, network bandwidth, storage of data, memory, virtual machines and email service (Information System Audit and Control Association, Inc, 2012). Rapid Elasticity:The capacities of cloud services can be swiftly and elastically provisioned, in a few instances robotically as well to quickly balance out and release to scale in quickly. Furthermore, the capacities accessible for provisioning frequently emerge to be infinite and can be procured in any amount at any time (Information System Audit and Control Association, Inc, 2012). Measured Services: The resource usage of cloud computing can be measured and reported to both providers and customers related to the amount of services utilized. Hence, cloud computing service providers charge the customers for the resources that they have actually used i.e. ‘pay as you use’. Considering the fact, more the customers utilize the cloud computing services, more they have to pay and vice-versa (Information System Audit and Control Association, Inc, 2012). Multi-tenacity: Multi-tenacity is one key characteristics related to cloud computing which is being advocated by Security All iance. Multi-tenacity is related with the requirement for segmentation, ‘policy-driven enforcement’, control, service levels, billing models and isolation for the different consumer requirements (Information System Audit and Control Association, Inc, 2012). Cloud Computing: Opportunities and Risk Assessment Cloud Computing Opportunities Opportunities derived from cloud computing are related with cost reduction to increase flexibility and decrease complexity which benefits the customers in terms of higher returns on their investments. Certain vital opportunities and benefits provided by cloud computing comprise: Cost Saving: Cloud computing customers are liable to pay merely for computing services and resources that they use rather than making permanent investments on resources or leasing equipments that may or may not be utilized fully at all times. Cloud computing enables to share IT resources with multiple organizations and facilitates them to access as per their requirements which can be related as operating expenses (OPEX) and not as capital expenses (CAPEX) (Petri, 2010). Speed of Deployment: Cloud service providers can meet the needs of the organizations for computing resources quickly and efficiently than other internal informati on technology functions. The customers do not have to wait for months for crunching large data. They can simply rent resources for limited period and can avail huge benefits at considerably reduced time (Petri, 2010). Scalability and Better Alignment of Technology Resources: An organization is able to scale up as well as down its capability from a single server to multiple numbers of servers with no capital expenses through the use of cloud service models. An organization is also able to deploy additional storage capacity over the web (Petri, 2010). Decreased Efforts in Managing Technology: Owning and operating of IT functions are often costly and time consuming. However, cloud computing enables an organization to concentrate more time on its purposes and goals (Petri, 2010). Environmental Benefits: Cloud computing also results in environmental benefits. If all the organizations replace their private data centers with cloud computing, it will significantly reduce the overall power consumption and carbon emissions (Petri, 2010). Higher Value Added: Cloud computing does not only provide software functionality but it also provides the customers with relevant information and data which was traditionally supposed to be created by the customers themselves (Petri, 2010). Cloud Computing Risks Risk is an event that prevents the organizations from achieving their determined purposes and objectives. Certain risks associated with cloud computing are stated below: Disruptive Force: Facilitating innovation and cost saving aspects can itself be viewed as risk to the existing cloud computing organizations. By lowering the barriers to entry, new competitors may pose a serious threat to certain cloud computing business models (Horwath, Chan, Leung, & Pili, 2012). Residing In the Same Risk Ecosystem as the Cloud Service Provider (CSP) and Other Tenants of the Cloud: Organizational reliance on third party involved in managing cloud solutions will increase legal responsibility and incident escalation among other core areas. By following the actions of CSP may impact the organizations in certain direct and indirect ways (Horwath, Chan, Leung, & Pili, 2012). Lack of Transparency: A cloud computing service provider does not facilitate complete information regarding its processes and oper ations. Consequently, cloud customers have only little knowledge about the storage locations and algorithms that are implemented or used by the cloud service providers in relation to computing and controlling resources of customers’ data (Horwath, Chan, Leung, & Pili, 2012). Reliability and Performance Issues: Even though efficiency of cloud computing may get disrupted due to risk events such as system failure that may occur without any early alerts to the end users. Hence, system failure may be viewed as a distinctive challenge posed to cloud computing (Horwath, Chan, Leung, & Pili, 2012). Security And Compliance Concerns: Cloud computing supports various processes that may tend to evolve security and retention concerns in relation to its compliance with certain specific laws such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The cloud service providers may have no obligation to reveal such information associated with privacy of certain laws such as US Patriot Act and EU Data Protection Directives among others (Horwath, Chan, Leung, & Pili, 2012). High Value Cyber Attack Targets: The over-dependence of multiple organizations on single cloud service providers may tend to create vulnerability of cyber attacks then those used by a single organization (Horwath, Chan, Leung, & Pili, 2012). Risk of Data Leakage: The risk of data leakage is also more where multiple organizations share their resources through cloud environment. Consequently, cloud service providers do not provide adequate data privacy and confidentiality of resources which the organizations intend to secure from intruders (Horwath, Chan, Leung, & Pili, 2012). Conclusion Cloud computing has changed dramatically the ways in which the organizations communicate, collaborate and compute. In general, cloud computing refers to delivery of scalable IT resources over the web particularly internet. An organization can purchase or rent software on need basis or according to usage which results in less investment and consumption on the part of the organization. Cloud computing facilitates the organizations to manage their IT requirements remotely, at much lowered costs. It further enables organizations to share resources in a single place or through a single cloud service provider. The organizations do not have to make heavy investments on establishment of their own IT infrastructure as cloud computing models provide organizations with established database for fulfillment of their IT demand. Moreover, organizations and users are charged or billed on the basis of their resource consumption. Despite having numerous benefits of adopting cloud computing models, there also exist certain risk factors which restrict the scope of cloud computing. Security and privacy are the prime issues restricting the adoption of cloud computing. Since multiple organizations will be consolidated on single cloud computing, there exists more vulnerability of data hacking. Consequently, cloud computing service providers do not guarantee the adequate safety for data losses and leakages which at times deters organizations from adopting cloud computing solutions. Nonetheless, if organizations cautiously consider the risk factors associated with cloud computing related solutions then these risk events can be overcome efficiently. Considering this aspect, it can be stated that organizations should adopt cloud computing solutions. By adopting cloud computing solutions, they can avail numerous opportunities that shall help them to grow and sustain their business profitably. References Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. (2010). The roles of government in cloud computing. Cloud computing: opportunities and challenges for Australia, pp. 13-19. Bein, D., Bein, W. & Madiraju, P. (2010). Web applications and cloud computing. The impact of cloud computing on web 2.0, pp. 1-6. Curtis, W. B., Heckman, C. & Thorp, A. (2010). Security and Privacy Considerations. Cloud computing: e-discovery issues and other risk, pp. 1-5. Catteddu, D. & Hogben, G. (2009). Top security risks. Cloud Computing: Benefits, Risks And Recommendations For Information Security Cloud Computing, pp. 2-125. Etro, F. (2009). Features and implications of cloud computing. The economic impact of cloud computing on business creation, employment and output in Europe, pp. 2-33. European Commission. (2012). Introduction & background. Advances in clouds, pp. 1-7. Gartner Inc. (2012). Gartner outlines five cloud computing trends that will affect cloud strategy through 2015. Retrieved from http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1971515 Horwath, C., Chan, W., Leung, E. & Pili, H. (2012). COSO enterprise risk management for cloud computing. Enterprise Risk Management For Cloud Computing, pp. 1-20. Hyek, P. (2011). Security and privacy. Cloud computing issues and impacts, pp. 12-46. Hinchcliffe, D. (2009). Eight ways that cloud computing will change business. Retrieved from http://www.majorcities.org/generaldocuments/pdf/zdnet_eight_ways_that_cloud_computing_will_change_business.pdf Information System Audit and Control Association, Inc, (2012). Essential characteristics of Cloud Computing. Retrieved from http://www.isaca.org/Groups/Professional-English/cloud-computing/GroupDocuments/Essential%20characteristics%20of%20Cloud%20Computing.pdf Pokhriyal, R. (2012). Cloud computing myths explained: part 1. Retrieved from http://www.cloudtweaks.com/2012/10/cloud-computing-myths-explained-part-1/ Petri, G. (2010). Risks of cloud computing. Shedding light on cloud computing, pp. 25-30. Santos, N., Gummadi, K. P. & Rodrigues, R. (2012). Towards trusted cloud computing. Retrieved from http://www.mpi-sws.org/~gummadi/papers/trusted_cloud.pdf Willcocks, L., Venters, W. & Whitley, E. A. (2011). Clear view of the cloud: The business impact of cloud computing. Cloud computing, (1). Weitz, C. (2010). Barriers of cloud computing. A Balancing Act What Cloud Computing Means For Business, And How To Capitalize On It, pp. 1-9.

Cultural Competence and Clinical Expertise

To identify the link between cultural competence and clinical expertise, their meanings should first be defined. Cultural competence is defined by the US Department of Health and Human Services, as â€Å"the level of knowledge based skills required to provide effective clinical care to patients from a particular ethnic or racial group†. Furthermore, it has been qualified and classified as: â€Å"†¦behaviors, attitudes, and policies that can come together on a continuum: that will ensure that a system, agency, program, or individual can function effectively and appropriately in diverse cultural interaction and settings†¦.† (US Department of Health and Human Services website). Although there has not been one single exact definition of cultural competence in the practice of medicine in general, each institution that has sought to define it did so within the premise of identifying ethnic differences in the general population that the medical community seeks to ser ve.The growing ethnic diversity in the US population now currently at 15% averages in major urban centers (Elliott) and by 2050, at least a quarter of the elderly population (Elliott), the importance of cultural competence as it relates to clinical expertise and medical service efficiency cannot be denied. As such, if a health professional is not well versed in communicating or interpreting reactions of the patient (either the patient is the one belonging to the minority group or vice versa), the impact on diagnosis and prognosis could be substantial enough to affect the outcome of medical service provision.Different ethnic groups have their varying interpretation with regards their interpretation of certain illnesses or diseases and how it impacts their family and well being. Thus, if a health professional aims to be well rounded and claim to be efficient in clinical applications, a degree of understanding all the varied cultural differences among his/her patient population should be reached. 2. Discuss a difficult interaction you have experienced or observed that may have resulted from intercultural differences (consider that every form of interaction between 2 people can be considered intercultural in some sense of the word).Define the interaction and an optimal approach to resolve it. One particular experience that I can easily recall is an encounter with an elderly Filipino couple while on duty at the local community clinic. I wasn’t privy or aware of Filipino customs and traditions with regards to care for the elderly in general but I assumed that like most of Caucasian elderly or senior communities, anybody 65 and above would be living in a senior community, or at least living independently of their adult children.When discussing the prognosis for the care of the husband’s post operative needs (he had colorectal cancer) and early symptoms of dementia, I assumed that he would be place in an elderly care skilled nursing facility. The couple, particularly the wife was livid even at the suggestion (or assumption) that her husband would be put away in a facility. After a lengthy discussion with the wife, and a succeeding session with an adult daughter, it was only then that I came to know that Filipinos are like most South East Asians. They have an extended family household setting.They take care of their elderly at home and expect everybody to participate in the care of the elderly. They cannot fathom or even begin to think of putting one of their elders in a group home or skilled nursing facility no matter how difficult the post operative care requirement is. The encounter with the Filipino couple and their extended family was an eye opener for me. When I made the assumption that the husband will presumably be transferred from the hospital after corrective surgery, I just assumed wrong and simply offended the sensibilities of the wife and even the daughter.It is a lesson that I will not make again in the future. I shoul d have put into consideration their profile more closely rather than just go over the clinical and medical aspects of the patient’s profile. In conclusion, because of our growing diversity in the US, clinicians should not only be aware of one or two ethno-cultural group but be more â€Å"culturally competent† in dealing with each minority culture’s differences and how they would possibly interpret certain prognosis and care for each patient in the family. References: Cultural Competence in Action: Retrieved on May 28, 2007 from: http://convention. asha.org/2006/handouts/855_1440Mahendra_Nidhi_091029_101806104800. pdf â€Å"Cultural Competence†. (2001). Mental Health Information. Friday's Progress Notes – March 16, 2001. Vol. 5 Issue 6. Retrieved on May 28, 2007 from: http://www. athealth. com/practitioner/newsletter/FPN_5_6. html Elliott, V. S. (2001). Cultural competency critical in elder care. Health & Science. AMNews. Retrieved on May 28, 2007 f rom: http://www. ama-assn. org/amednews/2001/08/06/hll20806. htm US Department of Health and Human Services website (1994): HRSA, Bureau of Health Professions. Retrieved on May 28, 2007 from: http://bhpr. hrsa. gov/diversity/cultcomp. htm

American history between 1607 and 1800 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American history between 1607 and 1800 - Essay Example n, this brief analysis will consider the effect that the Seven Years War and the subsequent revenue acts of the mid to late 1760s had on congealing an anti-Imperial tone within the American populace; a tone that necessarily and ultimately gave way to feelings of outright rage and hatred for the ruling British and the extent to which the American colonies saw themselves as extensions of this power. By way of such an analysis, it is the hope of this author that the reader/researcher can come to a more clear and definitive understanding of why the colonial forces believed they could challenge the British and what preliminary aspects of interaction helped to bolster this type of courage. The Seven Years War, or alternatively the French – Indian War as it was referred to in the colonies, was a period of conflict that actually spanned 8 years and affected almost all of the European powers, the North American colonies, as well as the Caribbean, India, the Philippines, and parts of Africa. As such, it paved the way for the introduction of a very high level of debt within the European system as a function of the fact that the war was so extraordinarily expensive and at that time budgets had to be balanced prior to moving on. As such, it necessitated the institution of an array of taxation on the colonies as well as the home nations involved. Although it may be seen as convenient by many American historians to view the colonies as shouldering an unreasonable percentage of the debt from the Seven Years War, this is entirely not the case.1 Rather, all of Britain’s possessions had taxes levied against them as it was the crown’s understanding that all com ponent parts of the Empire must share in the debt that the Empire had accrued by means of ensuring its continued existence. As a function of this, all of the British territories, holdings, and Imperial possessions had taxes, duties, and other revenue mechanisms affixed to rapidly seek to pay down the debt through

The Protestant Reformations Impact on Europes Art, Music, and Research Paper

The Protestant Reformations Impact on Europes Art, Music, and Literature - Research Paper Example This ability to create images that could be envisioned in real space itself led to an explosion of ideas even as these artists were exploring subjects once considered taboo, such as the ancient mythologies of these past civilizations. Artists were able to link the mathematical knowledge to the proportional focus of their own world as a shared knowledge between artists and businessmen. Painters used their foundational knowledge in geometry to create familiar elements in their paintings that would convey their intentions to the greatest possible audience. By melding mathematics and artistic expression, artists discovered how to provide their figures with a new impression of weight and volume that had not been previously achieved. This new ability to provide realism in a painting and other written expression led to even greater explorations into how the world manifested itself, all of which contributed to an explosion of thought, design and implementation that would change the world. En glish Protestant Reformation that started under King Henry VIII, advances in technology that allowed for a greater production and distribution of books and a shift in religious thinking all contributed to a shift in the form and content of the literature of the 1500s and early 1600s.

Project Scheduling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Project Scheduling - Essay Example (Dilworth 1992, p.567) Using the precedence diagram and activity schedule given, the following bar chart was made showing earliest and latest dates for activities A through K. To work out the early start and early finish of our network one has to start at the beginning activity, that is the activity/ activities with no predecessor. The early start of a job in a network is the earliest that a job can begin. In the case of a job with predecessors, the early start of a job is the largest of the early finish times of its predecessors. The early finish of a job is its early finish plus its own duration. This procedure of starting at the beginning and working out the early start and early finish of the activities in a network is often referred to as "forward pass". without extending the total time of the project. Late finish of an activity is the late start of the activity that succeeds. If an activity has more than one successor, then the smaller of the late starts is to be taken. In the case of activities that do not have a successor, the late finish is taken as the total time of the project. The late start of such activities is their late finish less their duration. Working out the late start of activities will help answer the questions: can the start of some activities be delayed, and if so by how much It must be mentioned at this juncture that this is a luxury that does not apply to activities on the critical path. By definition a critical path is "the longest path or sequence of connected activities, through the network" (Wiest & Levy 1977, p.26). Table 1 below gives the early start (ES), early finish (EF), late start (LS) and late finish (LF) for the activities under normal duration. Activity ES EF LS LF Slack A 0 6 5 11 5 B 0 10 4 14 4 C 0 14 0 14 0 D 6 10 11 15 5 E 14 16 14 16 0 F 16 17 16 17 0 G 14 19 15 20 1 H 17 25 17 25 0 J 19 23 21 25 2 K 19 24 20 25 1 Table 1 Bar chart showing earliest and latest dates for each activity, using normal cost durations 3 Critical Path under Normal Cost Duration An analysis of the network in fig 1 shows that the An analysis of the data given under normal cost duration shows that the path CEFH is the longest sequence of connected activities and it is therefore the critical path. The duration of the critical path is 25 weeks. In other words this is the total duration of the project. Although by definition a critical path in a network is of the longest duration, it does not mean that there cannot be more than one critical path. Besides by lengthening or shortening the duration of one or more activities, the critical path in a network could change. (Wagner 1972, p. 186). The total normal cost of all the activities is 96000 pounds. To this add the weekly setup cost @ 4500 pounds per week and the total cost of the project is 208500 pounds. Activities rescheduled after 16 weeks In a review of project status 16 weeks from its start it was observed that activities A, B, C, and E were all completed on time. However activity F has been delayed by a 4 week and the duration of activity D is now 12 weeks. An extension of a week has been granted. The assumption here

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 21

Economics - Essay Example Cones home began to slide, and stated that he would resort to simply killing any of the woodpecker that he saw without informing others, so that he may use his land as he pleases; Cones disregard for the Act made it pointless. To protect endangered species, the government would have to front a massive amount of money if they wish to see success in their plans. The cost of the plan, though, would depend on each endangered species; the species would be funded for individually, not as an entire group of all endangered animals (Keim, 2009). The benefit of the government interfering would be that these species would have a chance to breed and strive, rising above the status of an endangered species. The government would have rules and regulations set down to force people to be aware of their natural surroundings and the environment, in hopes of saving these species. By not protecting an endangered species, the government does not lose money to a cause that may or may not work. Small, individual groups and organizations will have to depend on themselves if they want to see something done. The benefits of the government not helping are that others would not feel forced into helping a cause that they do not care about and that their money is going to something that they themselves can personally benefit from. The downside to the government interfering is that homeowners begin to lose their say in how they keep and tend to their property. These people may not feel the same way about saving a species as someone else might, yet they would be required to adhere to any rules and regulations that are set down for the purpose of protecting these animals. There can also still be instances when the homeowners disregard the regulations, feeling that it is not the governments business to tell them how to tend to their yard, as Cone shows. In fact, as Cone did by threatening to just kill off the woodpecker, people can just cause more harm to the species, even if the government

Selfie and Self-portrait Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Selfie and Self-portrait - Essay Example On the other hand, a self-portrait is a representation of a photographed or drawn picture. Self-portraits have been in existence since the medieval times when renaissance artists and painters started to work on human anatomy. In some cases, when artist draw a self-portrait, the photographer might utilize larger lens, which can disorient the image. They can also fail to present the person facing down with no focus, which can distort the image. Self-portraits include reason and thought during composition of the image or photo (McHugh n.p). It is significant to note that self- portrait is looking at me and reflecting on a personal life while a selfie is empty and not indicative of such a scenario. When a person takes a selfie, the eyes look bigger and shiny because of the closeness to the camera but as for the self-portrait the artist produces every part of the image in accordance with the way it appears. While taking a selfie, the gestures imply that â€Å"look at me I am taking a selfie or a photo of me or I am here†. It tries to capture the attention of other people. On contrary, Self-portrait tries to reveal certain messages or information about the image/character. For instance, the artist draws the image with an intention to pass a message to the people (Jim 17). A self-portrait is an artistic impression of the self that has a deeper meaning than a selfie. A self-portrait involves a person looking at a picture and trying to produce every inch of the image as it appears (Julian, 76). There is concern to details as much as the details cannot be compared to the camera. The portrait is taken to expound on a something. It brings about a message to other people but a selfie can only be used to showcase a past activity. A good example of this is a portrait of a person for use in as a gift in a ceremony. This portrait is different from a selfie or the same photo taken using a camera as it will in most cases be used to

Appropriateness Of Integrity And Personality Tests Assignment

Appropriateness Of Integrity And Personality Tests - Assignment Example When an organization recruits, it desires to get the best-qualified persons to higher or promote. Unfortunately, the organization may not be aware of new employees’ capabilities due to no previous contact (DeCenzo & Robbins, 2013). The organization can, for this reason, use the tests as an indication of the presence of desired capabilities as long as ethical, and legal standards are observed. Integrity and personality tests are ostensibly more significant in some jobs than others. For instance, jobs in finance depend on integrity and personality irrespective of the controls used. If the accountant is not honest, the organization can easily collapse as the accountant can scheme against the organization in such a fashion as to steal money from it without being noticed for a long time. Accountants can do so through manipulating loopholes in the accounting systems that a firm employs. Due to the advantages of personality and integrity texts expressed above, companies will most lik ely use more of them in the next five years. However, the use will depend on whether the tests are adjudged to be ethical over time, and their legality is upheld. The rationale is that since the modern business environment is characterized by uncertainty, companies would prefer to keep their risks at the minimum in all avenues in which risks can be controlled. If human resource departments can successfully identify and hire staff with excellent character, companies would be glad due to reduced risk of theft and improved work performance.

Kill Me Now Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Kill Me Now - Essay Example This new piece by department of Theatre and Dance is the ultimate competition game show â€Å"Kill Me Now†. It is based on a group of people belongs to different background such as Afro-American gay dancer, Indian, Russian, Spanish, religious dancer, psychopath, weigh filter etc. having a dance competition between them; they fight to win a prize of best dancer. In this game show audience is also a part of the article and dramatic version of this reality show. Dance show Kill Me Now features almost eight characters in this competition along with a host and judges, a DJ which holds the background music, a score keeper and the Dance crew of Kill Me Now. Dancers are very excited to win and every time they want to give their best in front of judges. Dancer is not concern with the winning amount, they are not aware of what they get prize in result of this competition they just want to win. And they do also not know the ultimate prize for the winner. At each performance of this game show, audience will cast votes to choose the winner of this dance competition. At the end of this dance show the winner found its ultimate prize for which they were competing for and it is the death of the winner of this dance competition; winner gets kill by judge of this show. Through this play writer delivers the message that sometimes we do not use are senses. This game show is modeled after current reality shows on TV in which some are comic based, highly interactive experience, fast-paced where the audience is very excited and wants to watch these kinds of reality shows always. And the main theme of this game show is that we are belong to a culture whom always love to compete and audience enjoy watching these competitions they don’t care about cast, religion, color of competitors. Every day we watch in different reality shows on different channels. People are very keen to watch these reality shows either they are kids, youngsters or old age people they just have an interest in

The play An Inspector Calls Essay Example for Free

The play An Inspector Calls Essay An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley is a play set in the early 1900s in the industrial city of Brumley. The Birling family and Gerald Croft is interrogated by a man who calls himself Inspector Goole, and it becomes clear that everyone is hiding something. The inspector controls the pace of the play by dealing with one enquiry at a time, and the tension is gradually built up, and since there is a lot at stake for each of the characters the situation is very fragile. Throughout Act I J. B. Priestley presents the differences between gender roles, as the men retreat to have their cigars and the women stay and discuss domesticities. The suicide of Eva Smith and the interrogation upon further explores notions of power division, morality and justice seen within the English society. An Inspector Calls is set during the pre-war Edwardian era in an industrial town in the North Midlands of England. It is the year 1912, and social status and wealth plays a vital role in the English society. The Birling family is gathered for a celebration in the dining room of a fairly large suburban house. Although the house is heavily comfortable, it is not cosy and homelike suggesting that the Birling family do not share a strong bond and that they do not spend much time together. The family is in evening dress, symptomatic for the time period, and an indication of wealth and prestige. A mans role during the Victorian era of the late 19th century consisted of mainly working, supporting the family, and standing upright in the society. Mr. Birling, the head of the family, is a man of great self-importance and vanity, with the idea that there is a very good chance of knighthood; however, he is very parochial and conveys a limited outlook on life, incapable of thinking beyond the comfortable boundaries he has created for himself seen in the dramatic irony in his lengthy speech. Mr. Birlings daughters fianci Gerald Croft aligns with Arthur Birling, as he has the same thoughts and beliefs, and more importantly he believes in the same business approach. He is of a wealthy background, and is perceived to be a well mannered man-about-town; however, he has a very superficial and narcissistic mentality. Inspector Goole, is a man in his 50s dressed in a plain dark suit, he enters on the note give us some light, suggesting that he will bring metaphorical light upon the situation. He creates an impression of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness in the play, and although Inspector Goole ultimately belongs to the working class, he manages to gain the upper hand with morality and the law on his side. He portrays a very professional manner as he refrains from drinking, and addresses people eye to eye, which is disconcerting when attempting to tell a lie. Mr. Birlings son Eric, is a young man with good intentions; however, he is starting to loose himself to his excess of spare time. He is a paradoxical character as he demonstrates both hope for the future, as he is more conscious of the workers, but his drinking, gambling, and womanizing appears to act as a barrier.

Toilet Paper Essay Example for Free

Toilet Paper Essay The pages of history state that there was an era in which many other alternatives were used instead of toilet papers. Examples of such alternatives included leaves, pebbles, and water. In ancient times the tribes used to clear their excreta through the remains of a corn or corncobs. They would also sometimes use the skin of the corn. Toilet paper is made up of thin fibers of trees. The increasing demand of toilet roles is decreasing the amount of trees, which are of a great use. The manufacturers of toilet roles many times chop the trees but as it is said they do not understand the importance and just throw the remaining fiber as if it is not of any use. On average, Britons use 17.6 kilograms of toilet paper annually whereas Americans use 15.7 kilograms annually. (Waterfield, 2007) In all, Americans consume 27% of the total wood produced globally. On average, each American uses 75 cubic meters of wood annually. In North America alone, almost half of the coastal temperate rainforests have been wiped out. Almost half of the forests that were originally spread over an area of 48% of the Earths land surface have been lost. Moreover, â€Å"only one-fifth of the Earths original forests remain pristine and undisturbed.† (NRDC: Forest Facts, 2004) In the United States, 94% of the original forests have already been destroyed. Currently, 307,000 square kilometers of forests are remaining which make up around 2% of the total forest remaining worldwide. (Remaining Frontier Forest, n.d.) Toilet Paper manufacturers like Kimberly-Clark say that consumers want non-recycled toilet papers because of their softness which is not possible by using recycled material. â€Å"One million trees would be saved if every U.S. household replaced just one 250-count package of virgin fiber napkins with 100 percent recycled ones. 424,000 trees would be spared by replacing a 500-sheet roll of virgin fiber toilet paper.†Ã‚   (Llanos, 2006) (NRDC: A Shoppers Guide, 2005) Most manufacturers use pulp because it increases the softness of toilet papers. As stated above, many consumers prefer those toilet papers which are soft although the use of recycled toilet papers reduces environmental hazards like global warming by saving trees and forests. Approximately in the USA 5.8 million tons of tissues grades, toilet paper, towels, sanitary products, facial tissues, and diapers are produced yearly. And around 3.5 million tons of scrap paper was used to manufacture aforementioned products. â€Å"By recycling 1 ton of paper you save: 17 trees 6953 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, 587 pounds of air pollution, 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space, and 4077 Kilowatt hours of energy.† (Fun Facts, n.d.) An average roll contains 227 grams weight, which usually include the cardboard core tube and this is just over half of a pound. In paper related manufacturing account shows that around 28 percent of trees have been cut down in this respect. However, more trees are planted every annum instead of chopped down. Fortunately, on an average five trees are planted in place of one chopped down tree. (Fun Facts, n.d.) There are over five hundred paper mills are working in the United States. Global production of paper is predictable to expand forty six percent by the year 2040. In this regard, One of the most complete sources for tree-free paper is the â€Å"Oregon based Fiber Options Paper Company catalog†. The owner of the company Karen said that, plants just like â€Å"kenaf† produce four times as much fiber per annum as tress. Hence the plant shorter fiber also forms them more easily recyclable. (Fun Facts, n.d.) Recycled paper is paper that comprises fiber from waste paper. Nevertheless, there is no global agreement on the exact definition of this. According to paper user’s environmental forum checklist recycled paper should comprise as high proportion of pre consumer fiber waste as possibility proportionate. A pre consumer waste paper is a paper that has been used by the end-user for the indented purpose. Recycling paper is not only gathering wastepaper, but also using paper with recycled substances. Certainly, Toilet paper with high-recycled content is neither expensive nor difficult to acquire. â€Å"Recycled paper, either pre or post-consumer materials needs to be washed and is often deinked prior to being pulped. The pulp goes through a bleaching process to make it whiter. There are many bleaching processes; New Leaf Paper chooses a processed chlorine free process. Once the pulp is bleached, it enters a series of phases including the following: the paper forming section; the press section where water is removed by pressing the wet paper between rolls and felts; and the drying section where the moisture content is reduced to the desired level; and the calendering section where the paper is compacted and smoothed progressively as it travels down a stack of steel rolls. After completion, the paper is stored in either rolls or cut into sheets†. (Fun Facts, n.d.) A research conducted by EPA for congress in the early 1970’s disclosed the facts that by using one ton of 100 percent recycled paper we can saves 4100 Kwh of energy, which is sufficient for 1 home for six months besides this we can save 7000 gallons of water. The study further revealed that it also keeps more than sixty pounds of pollution out of the fresh air and hence saves 3.3 cubic yard of landfill space, which is increasingly significant as many domestic landfills near capacity. Moreover, representatives of paper industry companies also approximated that 1 ton of recycled paper saves nearly 17 trees. (Fun Facts, n.d.) References    Fun Facts (n.d.) http://www.toiletpaperworld.com/tpw/encyclopedia/navigation/funfacts.htm Accessed, June 5, 2007 Llanos, Miguel (2006, April 21) Ready to rethink toilet paper for Earth Day? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12318915/ Accessed, June 5, 2007 NRDC: A Shoppers Guide to Home Tissue Products (2005, Oct 26) http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp Accessed, June 5, 2007 NRDC: Forest Facts (2004, Aug 27) http://www.nrdc.org/land/forests/fforestf.asp Accessed, June 5, 2007 Remaining Frontier Forest (n.d.) http://www.endgame.org/gtt-deforestation.html Accessed, June 5, 2007 Waterfield, Bruno 05/02/2007 Britons lead the way in toilet paper use http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/05/wrolls05.xml Accessed, June 5, 2007

History and Features of Baroque Music

History and Features of Baroque Music The main characteristics of Renaissance music (1450-1600) is music based on modes, but gradually more accidentals creep in, richer texture in four or more parts, blending rather than contrasting strands in the musical texture, harmony and church music and   secular music.   Renaissance music is like ancient Greek and Rome. Renaissance means rebirth. Church music in renaissance period was more than one part and had moving chords. They usually had more accidentals and was song a Capella without instruments. A renaissance composer tried to have the music more blended together rather than separated. Secular music was more independent of churches it was non-religious. Lied, frottala, chanson, madrigal and villancico was the main types of songs. German chorales are protestant hymns. A collection of English words and Italian madrigals were published in 1588. English madrigal were performed in rich peoples homes. There are three kinds of madrigal. The madrigal proper, the ballet and the ayre. The madrigal proper is a lot of word painting music. The ballet texture was mainly chordal. The ayre could be performed in a lot of ways. It could be performed with or without instruments. The main characteristic of Baroque music (1600-1750) is the basso continuo, one mood throughout the entire piece, important string sections, modes were replaced by the major/minor key system, many different forms are used, many types of music, energetic rhythms, long melodies, many ornaments and contrast dynamics. Baroque music had monody. Monody is a single voice line that is supported by a bass line. Instrumental music became very important in the baroque period. The Italian overture began with three section quick, slow and quick. Scarlatti designed the arias in his operas. The French overture is slow, quick and slow. The baroque opera in England was composed by Purcell. Oratorio was a type of music that was very similar opera. They had recitatives, arias and choruses. The only thing that was different was that oratorio was based on sacred stories. Passion is an oratorio telling a story about Christs crucifixion. Cantata means song. Bach composed about 200 church cantatas. A fugue is a contrapuntal piece. Its written in three or four parts. The structure of a fugue can be complicated. The chorale prelude is usually for an organ and they were composed in Germany. A suite is dances for one or more instruments. They were written for harpsichord. They contain a German allemande. A German allemande is in 4/4 time and at modern speed. A French courante is in 3/2 time at a moderately fast speed. A Spanish sarabande is in slow triple time. A gigue is in compound time. After a gigue a composer might introduces a dance like the minuet. A suite began with the prelude. The pieces were in the same key. Baroque sonatas were for two violins and continuo. Composers usually called these trio sonatas. Sonata means sounded. The sonata de camera were meant to be played in peoples homes. The sonata de Chiesa were played in churches. They were more serious than chamber sonatas. Purcell, Bach, Corelli, Handel, Scarlatti and Couperin all composed sonatas. The concerto Grosso was the idea of opposition and contrast led to contrasting groups of instrument. A smaller group of soloists called the concertino. The word concerto means together. The solo concerto has a single instrument and a string orchestra. There are solo sections and tutti sections. The orchestra started to take shape during the baroque period. The string section became a self- contained section. There was still a continuo. There was a lot of contrast, especially in the dynamics. The difference between Renaissance and Baroque music is renaissance was constrained and it was the foundation of baroque music. Baroque music include voices and instruments. Renaissance music was smooth and baroque music was metrical. The tone of baroque music was tonal architecture and renaissance music had systematic point. Melody with accompaniment was noted during the baroque period. The melody during renaissance was imitative.   The texture of renaissance is polyphonic and baroque uses bass and shifts from polyphonic to homophonic. The scale of baroque is major and renaissance is modal. The melody of renaissance is smooth and baroque is based on the principle of continuous. The harmony of baroque is based on the major-minor system and renaissance is consonant 3rds and 6ths. The rhythm of the renaissance was simple meters and recurring accents. The rhythm of baroque is vigorous, tireless drive and carried by bass part. The dynamics of the renaissance is subtle changes and baroque music is terraces dynamics. Josquin des Prez was born in henedouwen. He died on august 27, 1521. He died in escaut Josquin studied under the earlier renaissance master Johannes ockeghem.   Josquin was a Flemish French speaking composer of the renaissance. At the beginning of his career he was appointed at the French court. In the beginning of 1480 he moved to Italy. Josquin composed motets, masses and chansons. Martin Luther said Joaquins was the master of notes. He blended traditional forms with innovations. In his motets he gave free reign to his talent. He was expressing sorrow in poignant harmonies. Josquin used cantus firmus style. He learned how to develop motet style. He used the technique of canon and melodic imitation. He didnt do the rondeau or the ballade. He used five or six voices. Maintain a sharp rhythm and clarity texture. Henry Purcell was born in London in 1659 and died on November 21, 1695. Henry Purcell was an English composer of the baroque period. Henry was most remember for the miniature opera dido and anenea. He composed church, stage, court and private entertainment. Henrys father was the chapel royal.

Chinese Immigration Into America Essay -- essays research papers

Chinese Immigration into America Surprisingly, Asian Americans have been in America for over 150 years. They are as diverse as the immigrants from Europe, ranging from China, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Korea, Philippines, India, Vietnam, and Laos. (Takaki, page 8) When many people think of American Immigrants, Asians are on the last of their lists. In The Uprooted, Harvard historian, Oscar Handlin, prize winning book with the subtitle "the Epic Story of the Great Migrations that Made the American People," completely left out the "uprooted" from the lands across the Pacific Ocean. (Takaki, page 10) This paper will give some information pertaining to the Chinese immigration into America. China is one of the world's oldest civilizations. It influence have reverberated throughout Asia. It's presence is felt in many of the surrounding cultures. The Chinese people have tried to keep their society pure from outside sources. When foreigners entered their homeland and poisoned the population with drugs, the culture could not stop the imminent alteration of their ways. China was weakened severely and was taken advantage of by many countries. Chinese came to America for a myriad of reasons. The main reason was because of the myth of the Gam Saan ("Golden Mountain.") Other reasons were due to overpopulation, poverty, hunger, flooding, high taxes, bad economy, collapsing government, and crop failure. (Takaki, page 38) James Marshall discovery of gold in California in 1848 prompted many Chinese to take a sojourn into America to get rich quick. A young man in Canton wrote to his brother in Boston saying, "good many Americans speak of California, Oh! Very rich country! O hear good many Americans and Europeans go there very much. I think I shall go to California next summer." Stories like these built up this dream of the "Golden Mountain." The plan for most Chinese was to make their fortune, and return home to their family. The dream of getting rich quick has been around for ages. Due to this, a trickle of immigrants turned into a deluge. The whole thing began in 1835. William Hooper, a young man from Boston, visited a sugar mill in Hawaii. He became determined to start the first sugar plantation in Hawaii. Without a large supply of laborers, Hooper hired "Chinamen" to aid in the su... ...are or "china", is revered by many Americans. Even the name of the represents Americas debt. In addition, many Chinese trinkets and artwork are prized possessions among the American society. The immigration of the Chinese into the United States has greatly supplemented the cultural heritage of the nation. (Melendy, page i) "Asians with their capacity for hard work in the face of economic and social adversity and to advance economically, have created cultural microcosms form which their children venture to become Americans." (Melendy, page i) Unlike most European immigrants, Asians tend to disprove the original Melting Pot theory of America. The Asians, "†¦ did not wish to amalgamate with the dominant society and most certainly white Americans of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries made it abundantly clear that they were opposed to Asian immigration and settlement." (Melendy, page i) The United States is a nation of immigrants. "All groups have left their mark upon the country's fabric. Their physical stamina and intellectual abilities have enabled them to make their mark and to add measurably to the American heritage." (Melendy, page 182)

Warnings in Shakespeares Sonnet 95 Essay -- Sonnet essays

Warnings in Shakespeare's Sonnet 95      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare is the master of subtle humor and sexual puns.   In his "Sonnet 95," a poem to a blond young man, both are seen while pointing out a couple of realities about sexual sin.   He speaks directly to a young man whose physical beauty compensates for his lack of sexual morality.  Ã‚      Shakespeare would like for this young man to realize that his handsomeness is the sole aspect of his person that prevents absolute disapproval of his behavior in other people, and he also wants him to be aware of the ultimate consequences of his actions.   Through a clever use of diction, imagery, and meter in a typical Shakespearian format, Shakespeare warns his young friend of the risks involved with the overindulgence of sexual activity.    In the first quatrain, Shakespeare presents the young man to the readers by contrasting his beauty and his character.   He tells the young man that he renders "shame" (1) "sweet and lovely" (1).   That is, he is much too handsome to be overshadowed by his questionable conduct.   His "shame" may not be a dominant trait, but it does sneak around behind the scenes "like a canker" (2).   A canker is a nasty internal ulceration, or growth; it is a flaw that cannot be seen in an otherwise beautiful object, such as a "fragrant rose" (2).   This flaw in the young man, sexual vice, may "spot" (3), or taint his image later on in his life, as he is still "budding" (3); he is still young, and there is plenty of time for his reputation to be completely damaged by his sexual impropriety.   This young man is indeed beautiful and he is lucky to have such "swee... ...re slyly and jovially slips in the idea that if the young man is careless, he will spend his allowance of energy before his time comes; that is to say, he will become sexually impotent.   This image is brilliantly conjured up with the picture of a dull knife that will cut no more after years of its owner using it as a hatchet.   The simple lightness of his joke is expressed through the simple evenness of the iambic pentameter throughout the couplet, and its straightforwardness adds to the wryness of the humor.    Works Cited Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 95." The Norton Anthology of English Literature.   Eds. M. H. Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt. Seventh ed. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 2000. 1:1041-42.    Works Consulted Oxford English Dictionary. Eds. James A. H. Murray, et. al.   Oxford, 1961. Warnings in Shakespeare's Sonnet 95 Essay -- Sonnet essays Warnings in Shakespeare's Sonnet 95      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare is the master of subtle humor and sexual puns.   In his "Sonnet 95," a poem to a blond young man, both are seen while pointing out a couple of realities about sexual sin.   He speaks directly to a young man whose physical beauty compensates for his lack of sexual morality.  Ã‚      Shakespeare would like for this young man to realize that his handsomeness is the sole aspect of his person that prevents absolute disapproval of his behavior in other people, and he also wants him to be aware of the ultimate consequences of his actions.   Through a clever use of diction, imagery, and meter in a typical Shakespearian format, Shakespeare warns his young friend of the risks involved with the overindulgence of sexual activity.    In the first quatrain, Shakespeare presents the young man to the readers by contrasting his beauty and his character.   He tells the young man that he renders "shame" (1) "sweet and lovely" (1).   That is, he is much too handsome to be overshadowed by his questionable conduct.   His "shame" may not be a dominant trait, but it does sneak around behind the scenes "like a canker" (2).   A canker is a nasty internal ulceration, or growth; it is a flaw that cannot be seen in an otherwise beautiful object, such as a "fragrant rose" (2).   This flaw in the young man, sexual vice, may "spot" (3), or taint his image later on in his life, as he is still "budding" (3); he is still young, and there is plenty of time for his reputation to be completely damaged by his sexual impropriety.   This young man is indeed beautiful and he is lucky to have such "swee... ...re slyly and jovially slips in the idea that if the young man is careless, he will spend his allowance of energy before his time comes; that is to say, he will become sexually impotent.   This image is brilliantly conjured up with the picture of a dull knife that will cut no more after years of its owner using it as a hatchet.   The simple lightness of his joke is expressed through the simple evenness of the iambic pentameter throughout the couplet, and its straightforwardness adds to the wryness of the humor.    Works Cited Shakespeare, William. "Sonnet 95." The Norton Anthology of English Literature.   Eds. M. H. Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt. Seventh ed. 2 vols. New York: Norton, 2000. 1:1041-42.    Works Consulted Oxford English Dictionary. Eds. James A. H. Murray, et. al.   Oxford, 1961.

Howard Gardner :: Essay papers, Education

Howard Gardner Howard Gardner is a Professor in Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He also holds positions as Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, Adjunct Professor of Neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine, and Co-Director of Harvard Project Zero. Among numerous honors, Gardner received a MacArthur Prize Fellowship in 1981. He has been awarded eighteen honorary degrees--including degrees from Princeton University, McGill University and Tel Aviv University on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the state of Israel. In 1990, he was the first American to receive the University of Louisville’s Grawemeyer Award in education. In 2000 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. The author of eighteen books and several hundred articles, Gardner is best known in educational circles for his theory of multiple intelligences, a critique of the notion that there exists but a single human intelligence that can be assessed by standard psychometric instruments. During the past fifteen years, he and colleagues at Project Zero have been working on the design of performance-based assessments, education for understanding, and the use of multiple intelligences to achieve more personalized curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Most recently, Gardner and his colleagues have launched the Good Work Project. "Good Work" is work that is both excellent in quality and also exhibits a sense of responsibility with respect to implications and applications. Researchers are examining how individuals who wish to carry out good work succeed in doing so during a time when conditions are changing very quickly, market forces are very powerful, and our sense of time and space is being radically altered by technologies, such as the web.

Alcohol drinking

The last reason of alcohol drinking among the youth In Hong Kong is tension reduction and it is the most common excuse among them. From a survey result conducted in 2008 by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Group, about 30% of students increase their pressure index during the beginning of each new academic year. It was found that the high consumption of alcohol Is related to the high level of pressure Index. And the frequency of drinking depends on how early the students have experienced drinking alcohol. Drinking daily or over consumption of alcohol will lead toa chain of bad impacts.If we drink in a large amount, it will have lifelong negative consequences, including physically and mentally, Drinking can affect thinking capacity and the active attention period will be reduced effecively_ Also fatigue may happen easily although only drinking a small amount of alcohol. As a result, It may affect in studies. As we notice that there are many foreign researches about the motivation of d rinking but there are only llttle researches Investigate the Hong Kong tertiary students. That means the foreign researches cannot completely reflect the Hong Kong situation due to the different cultural norms of east and west.Also. the education of alcohol management and knowledge are not prevalence in Hong Kong. Therefore, we would like to know about the basal motives of alcohol drinking and the influences of drinking among the tertiary students. And the healthcare stream students In IVE will be our target group. As our target group are studying In healthcare stream, we hypothesize that they are more likely to consider their health and a lower drinking frequency and quantity of alcohol will be found. We also assume that their motivation of drinking are due to peer, environment and social. Alcohol Drinking The last reason of alcohol drinking among the youth in Hong Kong is tension reduction and it is the most common excuse among them. From a survey result conducted in 2008 by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Group, about 30% of students increase their pressure index during the beginning of each new academic year. It was found that the high consumption of alcohol is related to the high level of pressure index. And the frequency of drinking depends on how early the students have experienced drinking alcohol. Drinking daily or over consumption of alcohol will lead to a chain of bad impacts.If we drink in a large amount, it will have lifelong negative consequences, including physically and mentally. Drinking can affect thinking capacity and the active attention period will be reduced effecively. Also fatigue may happen easily although only drinking a small amount of alcohol. As a result, it may affect in studies. As we notice that there are many foreign researches about the motivation of drinking but there are only little researches investigate the Hong Kong tertiary students. That means the foreign researches cannot completely reflect the Hong Kong situation due to the different cultural norms of east and west.Also, the education of alcohol management and knowledge are not prevalence in Hong Kong. Therefore, we would like to know about the basal motives of alcohol drinking and the influences of drinking among the tertiary students. And the healthcare stream students in IVE will be our target group. As our target group are studying in healthcare stream, we hypothesize that they are more likely to consider their health and a lower drinking frequency and quantity of alcohol will be found. We also assume that their motivation of drinking are due to peer, environment and social. Alcohol Drinking Nowadays, it is very amusing that not only the adults are into drinking but surprisingly, teenagers or youngsters are already exposed to it and unfortunately become alcoholic in a very young age.There are about 74% of youngsters who try alcohol drinking more often (see Facts about underage drinking and statistics on teen drinking). Drinking alcohol beverages with moderation is advisable but excessive drinking is not. When you say alcoholism, it is a compulsive habitual excessive use of alcohol drinks.It is not the same as drunkenness, which may be habitual but is not compulsive (Leigh 2002). Alcoholism becomes a chronic condition; it should not be confused with acute alcoholic poisoning, which is the sudden poisoning of the body by alcohol.Underage drinking is one of the major dilemmas which our society is presently facing. Drinking in an early age can possibly make the youngsters become alcoholic in the future and become addicted to drinking.On the other hand, many crimes and accide nts happen because of excessive alcohol drinking. However, not all crimes are the result of alcohol intake but most likely, crimes happened because of excessive drinking of alcohol. True or false? In large amounts, alcohol is a depressant; in small amounts, it is a stimulant.False. Small doses of â€Å"spirits† may indeed, enliven a drinker, but they do so by slowing activity in brain centers that control judgment and inhibitions. Alcohol facilitates urges that the individual might otherwise resist by focusing attention on the immediate situation and away from future consequences (Steele & Josephs 2000).If provoked, people under alcohol’s influence respond more aggressively than usual. If asked to help, people under alcohol’s influence respond more helpfully than usual. In everyday life, alcohol disinhibits both harmful tendencies, as when sexually coercive college men try to disinhibit their dates by getting them to drink (Mosher & Anderson 1999), and helpful t endencies, as when restaurant patrons tip more when tipsy (Lynn1999).Thus, alcohol makes us more aggressive or helpful—or self-disclosing or sexually daring—when such tendencies are present. Whatever urges you feel when sober, you are more likely to act upon if intoxicated.Low doses of alcohol relax the drinker by slowing sympathetic nervous system activity. With larger doses, alcohol can become a staggering problem: Reactions slow, speech slurs, and skilled performance deteriorates. These physical effects, combined with the lowering of inhibitions, contribute to alcohol’s worst consequences—in America, the more than 100, 000 lives claimed annually in alcohol-related car accidents and violent crime (Lord 2001).Thesis Statement: This paper scrutinizes about alcohol drinking and who are involved to it; thus, be aware of the effects of alcohol to our health and into our society.II. DiscussionDrinking alcoholic beverages moderately can stimulate our system ho wever too much and excessive intake might incur deterioration of our memory. Alcohol has an intriguing effect on memory. It impairs neither short-term recall for what just happened nor existing long-term memories. Rather, it disrupts the processing of recent experiences into long-term memories.Thus, the day after being intoxicated, heavy drinkers may not recall whom they met or what they said or did the night before. This memory blackout stems partly from an inability to transfer memories from the intoxicated to the sober state (Eich, 2000). Blackouts after drinking may also result from alcohol’s suppression of REM sleep.Alcohol has another intriguing effect on consciousness: It reduces self-awareness. Compared with people who feel good about themselves, those who want to suppress their awareness of failures or shortcomings are more likely to drink. The Nazi doctors who selected â€Å"unfit† inmates for the gas chambers often did so while drunk, or got drunk afterwards (Lifton 1999).As with other psychoactive drugs, alcohol’s behavioral effects stem not only from its alteration of brain chemistry but also from the user’s expectations. Many studies have found than when people believe that alcohol affects social behavior in certain ways, and believe, rightly or wrongly, that they have been drinking alcohol; they will behave accordingly (Leigh 2002).For example, alcohol per se has some effect on sexual arousal, by decreasing cognitive inhibitions (Crow & George 1999). But people become even more responsive to sexual stimuli if they believe alcohol promotes arousal and believe they have been drinking. From their view of research, Jay Hull and Charles Bond concluded (2001) that for some people alcohol serves â€Å"as an excuse to become sexually aroused.†Consider one such experiment by David Abrams and Terence Wilson. They gave Rutgers University men who volunteered for a study on â€Å"alcohol and sexual stimuli† either an alcoholic or a nonalcoholic drink. (Both drinks had a strong taste that masked any alcohol.) In each group, half the subjects thought they were drinking alcohol and half thought they were not.Regardless of what they drank, after being shown an erotic movie clip, the men who thought they had consumed alcohol were morel likely to report having strong sexual fantasies and feeling guilt-free. Thus, being able to attribute their sexual responses to alcohol released their inhibitions—whether they actually had drunk alcohol or not. This illustrates an important principle: A drug’s psychological effects are powerfully influenced by the user’s psychological state.A. Serves as depressantThe most widely used drug in the depressant class is alcohol. You may be surprised to see alcohol listed as a depressant because you probably have heard someone say that â€Å"a few beers loosen me up and make me have a good time.†Depressants are drugs that have a general sedative effect on the central nervous system, and alcohol clearly has the effect. Initially, alcohol reduces a person’s inhibitions through action on the brain stem. Continued drinking, however, affects higher brain centers in the cortex and leads to reduced alertness. Impaired motor functioning, and slowed reaction times. Higher doses can produce unconsciousness and even death.Alcohol abuse is a major problem for society, costing billions of dollars annually in medical care, insurance costs, job loss, tax loss, and welfare costs, as well as the loss of priceless human life and other human miseries it produces. For example, one half of fatal automobile accidents involve a driver who is intoxicated (World Health Organization 2001).People drink alcohol for a variety of reasons, but principal goals are to achieve another state of consciousness, to relax, to forget one’s worries, to enjoy the high that alcohol initially provides. As tolerance develops, the individual must drink mo re to achieve the same effect. Thus, it is easy to progress from use to abuse. Dependency on the drug is known as alcoholism, a condition that affects an estimated 12 to 15 million Americans.For many years, alcoholism has been viewed in the context of a disease model, emphasizing the effects of the drug on physiological processes. Recently, the pendulum has swung toward psychological theories that emphasize processes such as learning, motivation, and self-awareness to explain how drinking problems are initiated and how they are maintained.Current research also recognizes that there is more than one kind of alcoholic, and studies are under way to differentiate these groups by cause (Conrad 2001). Obviously, such a differentiation would have an important impact on the development of more effective treatment.B. My AnalysisBased on my understanding, experienced, and my personal research, alcoholism is a serious public health problem. It afflicts millions of people, including adults and teenagers from all types of social groups. Why people become alcoholics is not clearly understood; alcoholism can stem from emotional immaturity, insecurity, nervous tension, loneliness, or depression. Physiological causes of alcoholism, if any, have not been determined. Physicians generally consider alcoholism an addiction.Personally, I occasionally take alcoholic beverages and it usually happens when I attend to parties or any special occasions but I drink moderately because I don’t want alcohol rule my life but I want to be the ruler of myself. The way I see it, too much drinking can affect many organs and systems of the body.It irritates the lining of the stomach and pancreas, causing inflammation, tenderness, and ulcerlike lesions. I have read to some articles too that heavy consumption of alcohol inhibits the absorption of proteins, nutrients, and vitamins from the small intestine and this can cause chronic malnutrition. I do not want these things happen to me.III. Conc lusionIn conclusion, our government should pay attention to this increasing and alarming dilemma which the teenagers are facing. One result of continued, excessive drinking is the development of tolerance. The cells of the nervous system become more tolerant of alcohol, and larger quantities must be consumed to produce intoxication.When consumption is discontinued, a severe physical reaction, called alcohol withdrawal syndrome, may occur. Twelve to 48 hours after the last drink, the person may experience nausea, vomiting, profuse sweating, tremors, insomnia, and hallucinations. Forty-eight to 96 hours later, the person may experience delirium tremens, a disorder of the nervous system.Reference:Conrad, Barnaby. Time is All We have: Four Weeks at the Betty Ford Center (Arbos House, 2001).Eich, J.E. (The cue-dependent nature of state-dependent retrieval. Memory and Cognition, 8, 157-173, 2000Leigh, B.C. In search of the seven dwarves: Issues of measurement and meaning of alcohol expect ancy research. Psychological Bulletin, 105, 361-373, 2002.Lifton, R.J. The Nazi doctors. New York: Basic Books. (p.168), 1999Lord, L.J.   Coming to grips with alcoholism. U.S. News and World report, pp. 56-63, 2001Lynn, M. The effects of alcohol consumption on restaurant tipping. Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 404-408, 1999Mosher, D.L., & Anderson, R.D. Macho personality, sexual aggression, and reactions to guided imagery of realistic rape. Journal of research in Personality, 20, 77-94, 1999Steele, C.M., & Josephs, R.A. Alcohol myopia: Its prized and dangerous effects. American Psychologist, 45, 921-933, 2000World Health Organization. The influence of alcohol and drugs on driving. Albany, NY: WHO Publication Centre, 2001   

Case Closed: A short Story

Jackie dropped her blue fountain pen and relaxed her aching wrist. She had been reading and adding to the notes of her client's case for the last two hours. It was taking place the next day and she hadn't even read halfway through yet. Laying back in the comfy black office chair she let out a long yawn and stretched out her legs under the desk. Her neck and back were as stiff as a board and she let out a low moan as she turned her head from side to side. Jackie loved her job as a lawyer. Eating, sleeping and drinking her work she would often receive criticism telling her that there was more to life than just work and that you where supposed to work to live not live to work. She was so bored of hearing it. That's why she lived alone, she was able to get on with extra work and block people out. She knew that they just didn't understand how passionate she was about her job. Well for most aspects of it. She hated doing all the written work and the notes on the cases. After hours of relentless writing, her skinny arm felt as if it was about to drop off. She slowly unhinged her sore arms and stretched up towards the ceiling letting out another deep yawn. She new she would need motivation if she was going to continue with her work. She rose from her warm, moulded seat and dragged herself over to her immaculate, open plan kitchen. Although Jackie's job took up most of her life she had always been a bit of a clean freak. She couldn't bear the sight of untidiness and she always found herself putting things away and cleaning up. Her indolent arms reached up to the wooden shelf and she grabbed a wine glass. Filling the glass up to the brim Jackie took a long gulp and returned back to her study. As she sat back down in her cosy chair she was disturbed by the irritating ring of her telephone. Sighing and reluctantly getting up again, she walked across the room to the phone and clearing her sore throat she picked it up. â€Å"Hello?† No answer. â€Å"Hello?† she repeated herself rolling her exhausted eyes. Still silence. Slamming the phone down she returned back to her desk feeling annoyed that someone had disturbed her. She took another sip of her wine and unwillingly picked up her fountain pen again. Jackie sat in her warm office in deep concentration. She had no longer sat down that she was bothered again. But this time it wasn't her annoying telephone. The noise that filled her ears made her jump out of her skin. It sounded like a lost soul shrieking from the depths of hell. It was her car alarm. Jackie strided through the narrow hallway and wrenched open the front door causing a gust of icy wind to hit her and enter the house. She cautiously walked down the footpath, biting her dry lips, her once warm feet slapping against the smooth glacial pavement. Pushing her tangled curly hair out of her face she bent down and checked underneath her car. Nothing. She glanced across the drive and not wanting to catch a cold for her big day tomorrow she hopped back up the footpath and back into her heated house. Turning the heating up on the wall she returned back to her work filled desk. She picked up her glass and stopped. The glass that she had left on the desk to go and investigate her car alarm going off had been half full. Now it was empty. She stood up, heart racing and stared around the room. She looked back at the glass suspiciously and rubbed her weary eyes. â€Å"I'm going mad† she muttered to herself. Jackie tried to dismiss that somebody had drank from her glass but she couldn't stop thinking about the fact she was sure she hadn't drank it all. She glided over to the front door and pulled across the top lock. She felt slightly easier and safer now. Positioning herself in her chair she went to begin her work. Again she stopped. Her fountain pen that she always kept on top of the mountainous piles of work had gone. Puzzled, Jackie began moving her papers out of the way and searching the whole desk work top for the pen. Giving up and becoming very stressed out because of all her disturbances she furiously got up again and went in search of another pen. She stomped in to the kitchen opened the white sliding draw looking for a biro or something of that sort that she could carry on scrawling her notes with. With no look she slammed the drawer shut and spun back around to have a look in the sitting room. She froze. There was her fountain pen propped up against her porcelain vase on the corner table. The hairs on the back of Jackie's neck stood up. She was positive she hadn't even been in the sitting room all night. She attentively moved across the room towards the pen. When she got there she stopped for a moment and just looked at it, it had been balanced against the vase. She was so bewildered that her heart started to race. She heard a deep breathing sound coming behind her. She couldn't move as her legs had gone numb with terror. Slowly she turned her head but before she could catch sight of her intruder she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. Jackie fell forward knocking over the vase and hitting her face against the solid wall. She fell to the floor in a state of shock. The stranger dragged Jackie up by her long, blood-soaked hair. Without thinking she grabbed the man's thick, hairy arm and sunk her teeth deep into his flesh. His grip loosened on her hair and she stumbled across the room falling against her desk. Hitting the floor again Jackie began to crawl towards the door in hope to get away from the attacker. She lunged for the handle and tried to turn it. It didn't move. She remembered she had locked it minutes before. Frantically trying to unlock it she could hear him breathing behind her. The lock clicked open but it was too late. She felt another piercing blow to her head, then darkness. Jackie woke up with a start. The pain in her head was unbearable. She was trying to catch her breath but she couldn't, her lungs felt as if they were about to explode. She attempted to sit up, but hit her head on what seemed like a wooden surface that was inches in front of her face. She was terrified; she needed to know where she was. She hated not being in control of situations. She tried to move her arms. They were pressed tightly to her sides. She was in some sort of box. She let out a long, high pitched scream. Little did she know that there was no chance any living person would ever hear her.

Agricultural enterprises seeking to employ management accounting techniques Essay

Yes. I think the case study with its proposed solutions would be useful to the agricultural enterprises seeking to employ management accounting techniques. It is because the study adopts the activity-based method of costing product and cost allocations. Activities are the main focus on activity-based costing. The main theory in ABC is that overhead costs are originated by an array of movements, and those different products make use of these activities in a heterogeneous way. Costing the activity is normally an in-between step in the distribution of overhead costs to products, to acquire more precise product cost information. However, occasionally the activity itself is the cost object of interest. Like for example, manager of a company might desire to know how much the company spends to acquire their raw materials, as input in a sourcing judgment. The activity of acquiring the raw materials incurs costs associated with negotiating prices with suppliers, issuing purchase orders, receiving fabric, inspecting fabric, and processing payments and returns. The steps to product costing are: 1) Identify the cost; 2) Identify the direct costs associated with the cost object; 3) Identify overhead costs; 4) Select the cost allocation base for assigning overhead costs to the cost object; and 5) Develop the overhead rate per unit for allocating overhead to the cost object. ABC improves steps #3 and #4 dividing large heterogeneous cost groups into multiple smaller, homogeneous cost groups. ABC then tries to choose, as the cost allocation base for each overhead cost pool, a cost driver that best takes hold the cause and effect relationship between the cost object and the incurrence of overhead costs. Usually the best cost driver is a non-financial variable. ABC can moderately turn out to be elaborate. For example, it is frequently helpful to use a two-stage allocation method whereby overhead costs are allocated to intermediate cost groups in the first phase, and then allocated from these intermediate cost groups to products in the second phase. Intermediate step is useful because it permits the introduction of multiple cost drivers for a single overhead cost item. Cost pools are usually established for each level in a hierarchy of costs in an activity-based costing. The following cost hierarchy is commonly identified for manufacturing firms: Unit-level costs. These costs change in a more-or-less linear manner with the number of units produced for any given product. For example, fabric and thread are unit-level costs for a clothing manufacturer; if the company would like to increase production by 100%, it will need twice as much fabric and thread. Batch-level costs. These costs change in a more-or-less linear mode with the number of batches run. Machine setup costs are regularly batch-level costs. The time needed to prepare a machine to run one batch of product is usually independent of the number of units in the batch; the same time required in preparing the machine to run a batch of 100 units as a batch of 50 units. Consequently, batch level costs do not necessarily differ in a linear way with the number of units processed. Product-level costs: These costs are regularly fixed and direct with respect to a given product. An example is the salary of a product manager with responsibility for only one product. The product manager’s salary is a fixed cost to the company for a wide range of production volume levels. However, if the company removes the product totally, the product manager is not anymore needed. Facility-level costs. These costs are usually fixed and direct with respect to the facility. An example is property taxes on the facility, or the salaries of front office personnel such as the receptionist and office manager. ABC provides more exact product cost information because traditional costing systems commonly distribute all overhead, including batch-level overhead, using an allocation base that is suitable only for unit-level costs. The traditional costing system distributes all overhead based on number of units produced. ABC method clearly identifies the cost  hierarchy would correct this problem. ABC could be effectively applied in merchandising and service companies as well as manufacturing firms. Although, originally ABC is attributed to manufacturing companies in the 1980s, by then hospitals were already allocating overhead costs to departments and then to patient services using methods comparable to ABC. Implementations of relatively sophisticated allocation processes were required in hospitals to comply with Medicare reimbursement rules. Other non-manufacturing industries that have benefited from ABC include financial services firms and retailers. 2. If the Farm Council Case did not use Activity Based Costing, identify several dysfunctional decisions that could be made using traditional cost allocation. Which solution do you prefer, the initial or alternative solution proposed in the case? Unlike ABC, the traditional costing system distributes all overhead based on number of units produced which resulted to inappropriate identification of the cost hierarchy. Thus product costing and pricing is not at all very precise and effective.