Advertisement Creates Artificial Needs

Advertising a product is the medium of introducing to customers, therby increasing the product sales. Some people say that advertising encourages us to buy that we really do not need. Others say that advertisements tell us about new products that may improve our lives. I agree with both statements that advertising of new products improves our lives to some extent and at the same time people are encouraged to buy things they really do not need.These days people are daily seeing advertisements of products in Televisions, Week-end magazines and even in some newspapers. These advertisements give us a rough idea about the new product, how it looks like, its new features and even prices also. Sometimes they prompt us to buy those products. Standards of people's life improves due to these advertisements. Say for example by seeing an advertisement of a new microwave or toaster oven, we are tempted to buy the product, which will be helpful to us.We will enjoy its usage. Many people are even b uying the products on the internet by seeing the advertisements. Also that if we want to know something about a product, we can't directly go to the shop and enquire about it. Advertisement provides means of dissemination of information for health and social issues as well as for products. Only producers gained through the process of advertising their products. Advertising manipulates us to buy things we don't need by playing on our emotions.It creates artificial needs. Sometimes they create confusion in the minds of people which brand of the product to buy. This is why The content of advertising has long been subjected to much criticism. With the advertisement of proucts on cigarettes, alcoholic products, poeple are tempted buy them, which will harm their health. So what I conclude is adverstisement of product is a good idea which encourages people to buy when in they are in actual need of the product.

The factory farms normally hold a large number of animals

Factory farming can be perceived as an enterprising activity that is aimed at increasing the animals' productivity at the lowest cost   possible so as to increase the profit margins while meeting the huge market demands.The factory farms normally hold a large number of animals, and mostly cows, pigs, chickens and also turkeys indoors, and the purpose of holding these animals is to produce milk, meat and eggs at the cost effective production level. A wide range of artificial applications are practiced in order to improve the animals' health and production and they include   the application of growth hormones, vitamin supplements and also the use of antimicrobial agents.Due to the large number of animals within a small area, their movements and actions are restricted as these movements and actions are considered to be unnecessary, as the main objective of the farm is to increase productivity which will definitely imply high profits.The breeding of these animals while in factory far ms is controlled by limiting the animals to the production of certain breeds which are likely to be productive depending on the manipulated genetically compositions.The paper emphases on the various practices in the factory farms on animals and their impact on the animals, the environment and also the effect on humanity as the consumers of these products. The paper ends by giving the possible measure that can be put in place to correct evils of factory farms if any as identified in the following arguments.The treatment of animals in factory farms can be perceived as being unfair if the animals are to be regarded as living things which are liable to respond to irritations and other stimuli. The animals that are held in the factory farms are treated unfairly at the expense of the farm owners trying to maximize their profits, hence treating animals like just production units.The animals in factory farms   which are held for the production of meat, eggs and milk are subjected to anima l abuse, genetic compositions are alterations to produce the desired breeds with high productivity levels, they are over crowded and confined in cages which restricts their movements and certain behavioral actions, they are subjected to cruel mutilation, they are handled in a harsh manner, neglected, and they are slaughtered in an inhumane manner (Seitz 216).All the above mentioned unfair treatment of the animals in factory farms has been occurring and is certain to continue increasing as the demand for the products from these animals increase.This scenario of animal abuse has been enabled by the fact that there is no federal   legal protection for these animals like in the case of dogs and cats where these acts are likely to be illegal, which portrays the biasness in the application of law (Francione & Watson 145).The farm animals are equivalent to dogs and cats who are cherished as champions as they less sensitive, intelligent and responsive to pain than the dogs and cats thus t hey need a fair treatment.The animals that are kept in cages, are deprived their freedom to move and also the liberty to exercise, and rather their energies are preserved so as to increase their productivity (Armstrong and Botzler 180). The animals are fed with drugs with an aim of fattening them faster and getting genetically manipulated to grow faster, produce a lot of milk than they can produce naturally and also the laying of eggs made quicker and the quality of eggs ensured.This treatment of the factory farm animal is unfair because it is likely to impose stress on the animals making them to develop some behaviors which are not natural because they are over strained to meet a given production level which is high above the natural level, thus over capacity utilization.This situation also posses the risk of loosing the indigenous breeds due to the genetic manipulation, which eliminates the indigenous traits in animals.There is also a risk of a certain species of animal going into extinction as the genetically modified animals are meant for some specific purposes like the production of meat, egg or milk, while ignoring to consider the future existence of these animals because these genetically modifications are meant to meet the immediate need for profit maximization and not considering the possibilities for the animals to ensure generational progress, without forgetting side effects inherent in the manipulations which might come up later in the future generations including the infertility of the animals (Kistler 90).

Check Point Personal Philosophy of Education

I share the same opinion. I trust that there are certain talents that all people should have. The talents are basic talents however they are the starting point. Talents are building blocks that let children to continue stepping up to the next higher level of education that an individual should have. Instructional Philosophy I would have a behaviorist style in my class. The hypothesis of behaviorist is an educational and psychological hypothesis that states that one’s attitude is revealed by surroundings, not some one’s heredity. I believe that this is very significant because if an individual is in a bad surrounding, then their learning is slowed down by that bad surrounding. If a child is in a good surrounding they are more willing to learn and they absorb the teachings better. Behaviorist or Constructive approach to instruction I personally love the opinion of having Essentialism and Behaviorist merged together. Those two are my personal philosophy in education. Essentialism philosophy and the behaviorist style combined bring out the reality that there are definitely talents required and that the surroundings must be precise for a child’s learning. These opinions will help me supervise my classroom better and assist with my instructional technique. When the four are combined, they will work fine with each other and make me a better teacher. Check Point Personal Philosophy of Education I share the same opinion. I trust that there are certain talents that all people should have. The talents are basic talents however they are the starting point. Talents are building blocks that let children to continue stepping up to the next higher level of education that an individual should have. Instructional Philosophy I would have a behaviorist style in my class. The hypothesis of behaviorist is an educational and psychological hypothesis that states that one’s attitude is revealed by surroundings, not some one’s heredity. I believe that this is very significant because if an individual is in a bad surrounding, then their learning is slowed down by that bad surrounding. If a child is in a good surrounding they are more willing to learn and they absorb the teachings better. Behaviorist or Constructive approach to instruction I personally love the opinion of having Essentialism and Behaviorist merged together. Those two are my personal philosophy in education. Essentialism philosophy and the behaviorist style combined bring out the reality that there are definitely talents required and that the surroundings must be precise for a child’s learning. These opinions will help me supervise my classroom better and assist with my instructional technique. When the four are combined, they will work fine with each other and make me a better teacher.

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 21

Research - Essay Example In effect, the care that the nurses offer should be based on current knowledge and research that support the delivery of the highest standards of care. It is through research that the nurses develop a strong knowledge base to deliver quality care, The basis of nursing research is scientific facts. The scientific method is a valuable method that supports the gathering of credible information in the research process (Nieswiadomy, 2012). Hence, it is significant to gather evidence in order to conduct and present evidence-based research. The nurses ought to obtain the facts or data in a way devoid of bias in order to minimize the flaws in the research process. In essence, gathering data enables the researchers to evaluate the significance of the information to the issue under investigation. The basis of evidence-based research is the researcher’s ability to review critically and interpret the results in order to contribute knowledge (Stevens, 2013). Such contributions are impossible if one does not gather evidence in the

List of possible risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

List of possible risk - Essay Example This may also subject the respondent to severe loss of reputation since confidentiality and privacy being the reasons normally given by potential respondents for unwillingness to participate in such surveys. This risk can easily be reduced by the members adherence to confidentiality of the survey responses and to make sure no information is leaked to irrelevant persons and in the long run will boost the confidence of the respondents to give all the information required. Also the computers used in storing the information are locked with passwords which are only accessible by the members only. Data and information security is high priority; this is due to the fact that this information is sometimes confidential. The risk of losing or unprotect the data will mean losing the survey and could lead to the share of the information to a third party. Even after carefully planning and survey administration, problems do take place leading to a data which is not sufficiently valid and reliable. Insufficient measures for keeping data, as in computer information systems also result in loss and alteration of data. (Marrett, 2003). Data can also be lost during the analysis, processing and reporting of data information through incorrect transfer of data in the database, this can therefore by use of any kind of backups on the computers used and also by using cloud computing. Data loss through members of the team can also be prevented by the team administering an oath of allegiances, this will make the members to be more careful on the kind of information they share from the survey. (Marrett, 2003). For a survey to give a consistent, relevant and sound evident, the information it provides must be both valid and relevant to the purpose. For the survey to be reliable, all the measurements must be consistent from one individual to the other involved in the survey at different

Vincent Van Gogh Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Vincent Van Gogh - Research Paper Example In 1866, his father transferred him to a boarding school at Zevenbergen. The transfer proved to be disastrous to his life due to the fact the he was an introvert. This made it difficult for him to associate and make friends in the new school. In addition, people from the new school harassed him due to his peculiar characteristics. In September 1886, he joined Willem II College in Tilburg province. This school meant a lot to his life and career as an artist since he got the chance of meeting Constantijin a famous artist from France. At this school, Constantijin worked as a teacher and he was able to note the peculiar characteristics in Gogh within a short period. Although Gogh had a good relationship with his teachers from the new school, he decided to drop out of school in 1868 due to lack of interest with school duties and procedures. In 1869 his uncle Cent, connected him to an art dealer who owned Goupil & Cie, which was a leading art company in Hague. This marked the beginning of his career as a professional artist. After joining Goupil & Cie Company, his supervisor immediately noticed his outstanding skills and placed him in a training program in order to refine his artistic skills. Gogh completed his training secession in 1873 and he was immediately transferred to London where he worked for Messers Goupil & co. This transfer became a source of motivation for his career since he was earning more money than his fellow artists were (Callow 46). Life in London however turned against him as his was rejected by his first lover Eugenie Loyer. The dark moments of his lie returned to him and he returned to his solitary life. His father and uncle noticed this behavior and they arranged... Gogh is mainly remembered for his paintings that portrayed a high degree of beauty, bold colors and emotions. In addition, most of his audience described his paintings as honest due to the life expressions that they possessed. Gogh is also considered as one of the most influential artists of the nineteenth century due to the work that he did within his 37 years of life. His life was intensive since he started drawing at an early age. By the time he had attained 37 years of age, he had produced approximately 2,000, which consisted of about 800 oil paintings. His life involved many turnarounds and each of them inspired him to produce a work of art. Gogh mainly concentrated in oil painting with most of his work done on canvas. His painting on the Potato Eaters 1885 was the first piece of work that put him in the public domain. This painting was inspired by the life of many peasant farmers who lived in Netherlands. The painting, however made the local Catholic Church priest to condemn him. The Skull with a Burning Cigarette 1886 is also among his most celebrated works of art. He did this painting on canvas and it was first displayed in Hague. The main motivation behind this painting was the changing lifestyle among the Europeans. Gogh noticed his superiority in art during his early school days and he lived his life to fulfill his passion in drawing. Gogh encountered many events during his life, which he transferred into paintings. His paintings demonstrated the life of ordinary people that surrounded him.

History of Botswana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Botswana - Essay Example There was a high expectation that the northern region of what was to become the Republic of Botswana was under the British colonies that was protecting it. They were located in the north of the Molopo River and their intention was to merge the protectorate with the south of the region. The southern part of that region was under the colony of Cape. The British controlled the area called Bechuanaland after a request to put it under its protection was influenced by the then tribal leader, Khama III. Khama traveled to the United Kingdom to request the British to put their land under the protection of the crown so that it was not disturbed by their hostile neighbors. To but their land under their protectorate, the colonial secretary requested that it allows the British to construct railway line across their land that later came to be an economic opportunity to their land as it had opened them up to trade. In the early twentieth century, particularly 1910, the Cape politicians wanted to jo in the Bechuanaland and this was influenced by the Union of South Africa, but it would later become a challenge to join the state. Before the Cape politicians could join the Bechuanaland, there was to be a signed agreement between the rulers of Bechuanaland and the British. The grandson of Khama III by the name of Seretse Khama went to the United Kingdom to study at the Oxford University. At that time, their neighbors, South Africa, had introduced apartheid laws that restricted the intermarriage and other fundamental rights between different races.

The Art and Craft of Rap Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Art and Craft of Rap Music - Essay Example Then, the four most infuential rap albums of all time are discussed, chosen primarily based upon their influence in redefining the genre as it existed prior to the album. Some of the largest names in the rap music business are discussed and analyzed with particular respect to their technical and artistic merits, as well as their social impact upon the world. Since its conception in the early seventies, rap music has been more than just a genre of music. It has become a street culture with elements that promote self expression and participation. Whether you call it rap or hip hop, it is the medium for urban-based creativity and expression of culture. This paper discusses the history and influence of rap, offering insight into a genre that is highly publicized on a global level but often ignored. The beginning of hip hop has often been discussed and debated among those in the music scene. On one hand, it seems to be widely accepted that the birth date of rap was 1979, when Sugar Hill Gang released Rappers Delight, but the hip hop scene more likely began to form in the Bronx in 1971. The founder of hip-hop was rapper and first break-beat deejay Kool Herc. Sugar Hill Gang seem to be used as a starting point as they hold the title for the introduction of rap music on vinyl, the youth cult for rap music had established itself many years prior to 1979. Soon after the conception of rap as an idea, Grandmaster Flash invented scratching; spinning a record back and forth creating a scratching sound. These innovations made by Kool Herc, Grand Wizard Theodore, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa and other like- minded DJs of the era were the spearhead of an underground cultural movement that is now recognized as hip-hop. Hip hop quickly became recognized as a form of urban based creativity and expression of culture, the turntables enabled artists to be creative with musical sounds. The turntable is an instrument that gives artists control over mainstream music, by proffering a "simple tool to make their art," (Byi, 1998) constituting a sense of rebellion through scratching and distorting a track. Not only does deejaying give artists a sense of upheaval, but also liberation and freedom, the DJ, Q-Bert explained this phenomenon in an interview, "the art of scratching is like a miracle- how you grab any recorded sound and manipulate it to say whatever you wantI wanted to speak the universal language of music, so I chose the musical instrument of the future: the turntable" (Byi, 1998) In the beginning, hip-hop was mainly seen at parties where a DJ would loop samples from records and allow people to battle over these tracks; from here hip-hop culture grew. Deejays often used a microphone to engage the crowd. Over time, individuals other than the Deejay joined in, delivering a message in a catchy rhyme form. By drawing attention not only to the message itself, but also how the message was conveyed, these individuals became performers in their own right, taking a place alongside Deejays and B-Boys; the emcee was born. People were rapping on the streets, and battles could be seen in warehouses on a Saturday night where budding rappers would get on the stage and rap against each other in a knock out style competition. It was the lack of financial resources that prevented this music from being

Consumer Learning Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer Learning - Coursework Example For launching a new food supplement product an advertisement is created to teach the customer about product usage. The advertisement also explains benefits and features of this product. The ad is designed in such a way that shows details about the capsule. It contains different vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins which are essential for maintaining good health. Each of these capsules provides original nutritional value to the consumers. These capsules are packed within a small plastic container. In the label of the container essential details of related to the capsule and its manufacturing company will be mentioned. It is a daily food supplement consume for having healthy and strong physical. This food supplement capsule has a balanced combination of 20 essential minerals, 15 vitamins which keeps a person mentally alert and physically active. It contain different anti oxidant like zinc, biotion and selenium which improves health and skin. It also has calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. The capsule includes carbonyl iron within its ingredients. The advertisement of this capsule has to be designed in such a way that it clearly depicts its targeted customers. This new product is mainly launched for both male and female above 18 years. It can be consumed without doctor’s prescription. The price of this capsule is slightly high. So it is mainly targeted to the customers of middle class and upper class people who are educate and understand the value of this type of products (Applegate, 2005). It is also targeted to the persons who are suffering from weakness, vitamin and mineral deficiency and other nutritional deficiencies. The ad of this capsule shows that its potential customers can be those persons who don’t get time to eat healthy food or can’t maintain proper diet chart. They can easily have this capsule for getting high nutritional value and saving lot of time. Advertisement of this food supplement capsule has to be developed and designed

Mountain Top Coal Removal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mountain Top Coal Removal - Research Paper Example These kings receive many benefits from the mining yet most of them do not live in the region. This is because they know the effects of coal mining to the environment in the area. Current research has shown that mountain top removal has caused serious health impairments to many residents in the Appalachian region. In addition, this mining has made the environment ugly. This activity has caused a lot of destruction: it has degraded ecosystem, driven out communities, caused flooding, and brought about divisions among people. The worst effect of mountain removal is the toxic wastes that it exudes into air and water. These toxic wastes are very harmful to people. Most of the people who live in this region are Christians. They have experienced many health problems due to this coal mining. These Christians have teamed up together to eliminate this menace that have affected their lives for many decades. They are trying to fight this problem with all their strength. However, better ways of re ducing the effects of mountain removal on the environment have to be incorporated as quickly as possible, since it is going to destroy the whole environment at large. Residents in Appalachian Mountains have been worried about the effects of coal mining to their neighbors and friends. These effects have been there for several decades, and it seems not to be ending. Many cases of cancer, asthma, skin ailments, kidney diseases, and many other maladies have been related to the coal mining on the mountaintops. Cancer has buried many people in this region, and not all cases are reported. The current government statistics have shown that there are increased cases of illnesses and deaths in these regions that correlate with the mountain top removal. Many studies are going on to diagnose the cause of the calamity. There are increased rates of birth defects that are linked to the mountain top removals. The recent peer-reviewed study shows that the causes of these defects are directly related to the coal mining. This mining emits the highest amount of mercury into the air causing neurological damage to the newly born babies. The Christian community is encouraging every individual in the region to resist further coal mining in the region. (Veit, Heinz, & Thomas 225). Fight against mountain top removal started very long time ago. The first organization to fight this danger was Commission on Religion in Appalachia. This organization came into existence in 1965, and its main aims were to deal with issues of poverty and justice. CORA taught people about the God’s love to the people who reside in the Appalachian Mountains. It was used to train people concerning the community structure of activists and how to fight for the rights of the community members. CORA joined the debate about the effects of coal mining to the people and the environment. It joined hands together with the other West Virginia counties in fighting against the strip mining that was becoming a menace t o the people in that society. CORA expanded its role in the society. It stated to fight for many issues that were affecting many residents, i.e. civil rights as well as labor and environmental issues. This organization was inspired by the biblical quotes, one of them being the book of Amos 5:23-24 that says â€Å"

World Com and Accounting Ethics Essay Example for Free

World Com and Accounting Ethics Essay Current business and regulatory environments are more conducive to ethical behavior due to many new laws that have been put into effect in recent years. For many companies, especially small ones, the checks and balances are not put into place as well as they should be. With new laws in effect and more and more accountants paying attention to their clients’ accounts, ethical behavior is on the rise although it will take a long time to recover from the scandals that rocked the world beginning with Waste Management in 1998 and following with Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, HealthSouth, Freddie Mac, AIG, Lehman Brothers, Bernie Madoff and Saytam in 2009. For 10 years unethical behavior and choices almost brought our country to its knees and even now many people are losing their homes and their jobs because the economy has still not fully recovered. In 1983 in a small coffee shop in Hattiesburg, MS, the business concept that would become WorldCom was born. The company was to become one of the largest telecommunications companies that would one day rival ATT. WorldCom began as a small long distance telephone company and through an aggressive acquisition strategy, evolved in the second-largest long distance telephone company in the United States and one of the largest companies handling worldwide Internet data traffic. WorldCom achieved its position through a large number of acquisitions and between 1991 and 1997, WorldCom spent almost $60 billion in the acquisition of many of these companies and accumulated $41 billion in debt. With each acquisition, WorldCom’s stock continued to rise as the company became more noticeable, rising from pennies per share to over $60 per share in 1997. As the company grew people sat up and took notice and Wall Street investment banks as well as analysts and brokers began making buy recommendations to investors worldwide. All of this would have ended well if WorldCom had obviously played by the rules but alas, that was not the case. As with any acquisition, let alone 65 of them in six years, management at the top level requires considerable attention to make the merging of the two companies run smoothly. Secondly, the accounting of the financial aspects of each merging company must be accomplished through the application of generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP). WorldCom’s merger with MCI was the beginning of the end. Bernie Ebbers (CEO) paid little attention to the details of the operations and many things began deteriorating, mainly customer service. Customers were told they were not customers, computer systems conflicted with each other and billing systems were not coordinated – a recipe for disaster. Although WorldCom had an immense talent for buying competitors, it was not up to the task of merging them. WorldCom also used their own interpretation of accounting rules when preparing financial statements. â€Å"In an effort to make it appear that profits were increasing, WorldCom would write down in one quarter millions of dollars in assets it acquired while, at the same time, it â€Å"included in this charge against earnings the cost of company expenses expected in the future. The result was bigger losses in the current quarter but smaller ones in future quarters, so that its profit picture would seem to be improving.† (Moberg) WorldCom managers also made their own assumptions regarding accounts receivables which if the money customers owe the company. They chose to ignore the accounts receivables because this allowed for a lower assumption of non-collectable bills which in turn required a smaller reserve fund. The end result allows for higher earnings. All of these practices could continue as long as WorldCom continued to acquire additional companies, using those companies as their â€Å"merry-go-round† to utilize poor accounting practices. Not only poor practices but unethical. In 2000, the merry-go-round stopped when the government refused to allow WorldCom to merge with Sprint. Another accounting practice that that was uncovered was the allowance of the board of directors to authorize loans to senior executives. Mr. Ebbers received a $341 million loan authorized by the board of directors which is the largest amount any publicly traded company has lent to one of its officers in recent memory. This brings concerns about conflict of interest and breach of fiduciary duty but nevertheless WorldCom was not the only company allowing this practice. And on top of that the loan interest rate was as low as 2% which was not much of a return for the company that loaned him that large of an amount. WorldCom’s unethical accounting practices were found by Cynthia Cooper who worked as an internal auditor for WorldCom. Cynthia and her team became suspicious of a number of peculiar financial transactions and began their own private investigation. What they found were multiple entries that were misallocated and unauthorized to the tune of $4 billion dollars in capital expenditures. It appeared the company was trying to represent operating costs as capital expenditures in order to make the company look more profitable. By allowing these kinds of practices and attempting to have others following the same kind of unethical behavior, moral and trust were at an all time low within the company. Beginning in 2002 everything began to unravel. The SEC began an investigation on the company and WorldCom was trying to avoid filing for bankruptcy. Within months they laid off more than 17,000 employees, almost 20 percent of their workforce. By the time it was all said and done, 30,000 employees lost their jobs and investors lost over $180 billion dollars. WorldCom improperly booked $3.8 billion as capital expenditures which improved cash flow and profit over a 5 quarter period. This disguised the actual net loss for 2001 and the first quarter of 2002. It is possible that the accounting irregularities go back to 2000. In simple terms WorldCom did not account for expenses when it incurred them, but hid the expenses by pushing them into the future, giving the appearance of spending less and therefore making more money. This apparent profitability pleased investors who pushed the stock up to a high of $64.51 in June 1999. When WorldCom was stopped from acquiring Sprint they had to find a way to hide their large expenses so that the price of the stock would not go down. They did this by treating $7 billion of line costs as capital expenditures. These line costs were basically rental fees paid to other phone companies to use their phone lines. Up until 2001 these fees (expenses) had always been properly expensed in previous years but when WorldCom placed them in the capitalization category the expense was delayed to future periods which in turn boosted current-period profits. The accounting guideline that made this decision fraudulent was materiality. Materiality refers to the impact of an item’s size on a company’s financial operations. Materiality states that if an item would not make a difference in decision-making, the company does not have to follow GAAP in reporting the item. In this case, $7 billion dollars in expenses makes a huge difference so GAAP guideline should have been followed. Consequently profits for 2001 and 2002 were overstated greatly. This ethical breach could have been avoided long before it became a huge problem basically by maintaining the accounting system from the very beginning. Because WorldCom was more interested in acquiring companies than in merging them properly, accounting systems from various companies did not work together well. After a time and more and more acquisitions it became a huge mess and nobody really had any idea what was right and what was wrong. Senior management used that disorganization to conceal their fraudulent activities. This large of a fraud should have been easily detected by doing a routing comparison of the actual physical assets with a list of the physical assets shown in the accounting records. Following the scandal of WorldCom which closely followed the Waste Management Scandal in 1998 and the Enron scandal in 2001, Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, introducing the most sweeping set of new business regulations since the 1930s.

A mom before the Prom Essay Example for Free

A mom before the Prom Essay Teen pregnancy has been gravelly increased in the last few years. Bad media influences (Many programs at TV programs or sexual content movies as well as other mediums) can be the factors that teen girls nowadays are getting a wrong advice that teen motherhood can a common way to live. Partners and friends’s bad influence is making them think that is right to have sex at a young age and will make them feel more popular. In that regards, this essay by Cristina page is restating the issue that more forms of bad media and wrong people’s influences are available today than ever before and consequently teens girls are much more exposed to a lot of information and these sometimes switch teen girl’s mind to do something wrong when they think is totally normal and it also has made teen girls to believe that having children at a young age might be beneficial because they think giving a child for adoption might improve their fortune giving them away for millions of dollars , so it can’t ruin her adolescence too but in reality it can really affect them. Personally I can share the view of the author in this essay: Teen pregnancy is in reality one of the most difficult experiences a teen girl might ever face when that can interrupt her education or other plans such as getting a better career or maintain fathers with them, but most of the time it doesn’t work and that’s when the situation gets worse. Children usually grow without a father figure when their parents have them at a very young age or sometimes they don’t even live with both parents because they can’t take care of them or support them economically. So when this children start to live without a parental guide , they grow adopting a bad behavior and getting the wrong advices from other bad people and turned into criminals , stealers, or other people of bad reputation because they live in a poor ambient without having a parent who can guide and help them to raise their levels of education. Most of the time, when teen moms decide to have a baby, teen girls don’t really take care of their babies when they are still formatting inside their body as old mothers and because of their immaturity, sometimes they don’t realize the huge damage they cause to their babies if they start smoking and drinking or working so hard because now they need to support themselves economically carrying heavy stuff when they have to rest the most during their pregnancy. Children are tending to born prematurely, with a disease, a mental retardation or even born death. Usually we think that there’s not any difference of acquiring the same standards of education or a good life when a kid’s parents are so young and the other’s parent are more mature. The children of teen parents can suffer more of abuse at home and at school or disregard from their parents and grow more with farness or adopt a bad behavior, so that implies that they could not do so well at school, they could get lower grades and repeat their classes or drop out from High School without completing their education. This might increase the raise of poverty in families with young parents too and this leads society into decreasing its economy too. I really enjoyed reading this essay because it deals with a controversial issue and restates the causes of why teen pregnancy is becoming a worldwide problem, it must be thought in class so we can share our own viewpoints about it. 10-) – I encourage people to consider more this issue because if we want a better life for our

Plant and Animal Interactions in the Tropical Rainforest

Plant and Animal Interactions in the Tropical Rainforest Why are animal-plant interactions considered important in the establishment and maintenance of high biodiversity in tropical rain forests? Include specific examples in your answer. The study of plant-animal interactions has been a key role in development of ecology hence it has been carried out for a long time. They are also key constituents of biodiversity, which is termed as a variation of life form in a particular ecosystem. Hence, with no diversity of antagonistic, mutualistic, comensalistic, and amensalistic interactions, ecosystems would simply stop functioning. Energy would not run between trophic levels, primary productivity would not be able to become secondary productivity, and inorganic nutrients would not rotate. Because species interactions are thought to be at the heart of many speciation events, they generate taxonomic and genetic diversity with tight and diffuse co-evolution (Waser and Ollerton 2006). Biodiversity is described as a response to dynamic processes such as ecological, evolutionary and physical, influenced by constant changes in time and space. Those changes consider species richness and their composition where the scale of them can take a variety of forms. They can be large such as changes in geological time of tectonic plates (Crame 2001), variable such as global climate change or small such as localized disturbance or heterogeneity (Jansen 1997). At each of these scales, biodiversity may be considered as a process that responses to biotic and abiotic factors rather than to static characteristics of a particular location. Biotic factors can singly or in combination, directly or indirectly change biological diversity in tropical ecosystems. Using different examples across plant and animal taxa I will highlight plant- animal interactions that cause changes, as well as establish and maintain biodiversity within a rainforest. While studies concentrating on ecology and evolution are thought of dynamic processes, their impact into effects of biodiversity conservation has been subject to debate. In general, many conservation attempts have concentrated on protecting particular areas, habitats and hotspots. For instance, biodiversity in Yellowstone National Park varies greatly because of re-introduction of wolves. On the other hand, the conservation of the park from location and/or habitat point of view has not altered. This suggests that (1) biotic interactions are the main reason for biological diversity; (2) biotic interactions may be direct or indirect (Letourneau and Dyer 2005); and (3) biodiversity and biotic interactions may result in a variety of causes and effects. For centuries, scientists have studied the functions of top-down (predator-dependent) and bottom-up (resource-dependent) regulations in structuring biological communities. The concept of trophic cascades engages indirect outcomes of top-down and bottom-up regulations, i.e. an alteration across one trophic level which indicates an alteration on a remote trophic level. Indirect outcomes involve modifications in biomass, abundance, efficiency or biotic diversity. Trophic cascade hypothesis was first described by Hairston et al. (1960) who stated that the world is green due to predation which regulates herbivores, hence, making productivity of higher plants found in the community more efficient. Even though first research concentrated on community structures across terrestrial habitation, other studies are driven toward establishing freshwater and marine ecosystems constituents and cascade outcomes found in there (Brett and Goldman 1996). A study performed by van Bael et al. (2003), whic h concentrated on a terrestrial habitat, illustrated that bird predation protected rainforest trees from arthropod foraging in the canopy where floral productivity was high. The above findings may be a great indicator of high diversity occurring in the tropics; nonetheless, the meaning of how important top-down and bottom-up trophic cascades are is still a subject of a debate. Nowadays research have concentrated on the way top-down and bottom-up trophic cascades can function in concern to structure community, change over space, time and taxa, influence mechanisms and constituents of complex food webs and maintain heterogeneity and biodiversity in complex ecosystems (Letourneau and Dyer 2005). Any fluctuations in tropics biodiversity can be maintained by a variety of direct trophic interactions. For instance, the species diversity of birds as predators can be dependent on food accessibility for their prey e.g. plants (German and Chacon de Ulloa 1997), or diversity of predatory arthropods can be shaped by herbivore diversity, which in turn is caused by plant abundance and diversity in a given habitat (Saiz et al. 2000). All ecosystems are retained by the interactions of various factors such as climatic changes, vegetation growth and the animals activities. Seed dispersal is one of the most significant processes, influencing the structure and dynamics of the entire plant and animal communities. Biotic interactions in relation to seed dispersal and associated with it species are next to be discussed. Many organisms contribute and provide a unique seed dispersal service in rain forests among which primates, birds, fruit bats, mammalian carnivores and ground-dwelling large herbivores play a crucial role. Primates may contribute in multiple ways to the ecology of tropical rain forests. One of it, as mentioned above, is being a seed dispersal agent, hence being a frugivore. According to Chapman and Onderdonk (1998), the eventual loss of a particular plant species (large, with large seeds and thick, inedible hunks which can be only removed using hands or teeth) may be associated with the decline or local extinction of primates. A typical seed dispersal done by primates involves dropping, spitting out or defecating seeds. Because seeds are generally hard to break and usually toxic, there is a tiny minority of primates that is able to destroy them completely. From a seed point of view it is not a good idea to end up directly under the fruiting tree where it has to compete with its sibli ngs and parent. Also the accumulation of pests and diseases in there is higher. This is when primates, yet again, serve as helpers by dropping or spitting out seeds in different locations. There are numerous factors contributing and subtracting to seed dispersal when consider primates defecation. In overall, the main ones include attractiveness of primate faeces to seed-predating rodents and the abundance of faeces-burying dung beetles (Andresen 2002; Feer and Forget 2002). Whereas primates are very important seed dispersal agents for large plants, birds play a significant role in dispersal of plants with small fruits. Birds seem to be especially important in New Guinea and Australia (Jones and Crome 1990) where a lack of frugivorous mammals is the main threat. In general birds are not for long in the fruiting tree. Before they void the seed they usually move to another tree hence they disperse the seed effectively (Green 1993). For this reason they are considered to be one of the most important seed dispersal agents across tropics. Furthermore, fruit-eating birds may be divided depending on their diet. The more generalist feeders visit more trees. They have, therefore, the potential to be capable of wider dispersal (Green 1993). The cassowary is perhaps one of the crucial seed disperser of local rainforests. Until recently, over 200 rainforest plants have been observed to be eaten by this bird (Kroon and Westcott 2001). One study discovered 78 species in cassowary faeces, with at least 70 of them being viable (Stocker and Irvine 1983). Many of the seeds appear undamaged and many of these are too large for other animals to disperse (Stocker and Irvine 1983). Although the bird itself is hard to see, its faeces can be common and prominent, and can have up to 1 kg of seeds (Stocker and Irvine 1983). Also, as a large animal, it has the potential to be efficient seed dispersal agents over larger distances. Thanks to radio-telemetry it was possible to show that cassowaries cover vast territories, sometimes of several kilometres, which may be done in one day (Kroon and Westcott 2001). Additionally, seeds can take more than 10 hours to pass the digestive system (Stocker and Irvine 1983), hence seeds are likely to be dispersed quite widely. Primates and large birds are great seed dispersal agents. As a result of that spatial distribution trees may increase greatly. A research suggests that tree distribution in the tropics depends on species methods of seed dispersal. The study by Seidler and Plotkin (2006) was done on 561 tree species in a lowland tropical forest in Malaysia. It was observed that trees with smaller fruit were less dispersed than trees with larger fruit. This may suggest that larger-bodied mammals and birds transmit the seeds of these tree species over larger distances. Bats are thought of less important but still meaningful seed dispersers. It could be said, they are wasteful as seed dispersal agents, because of depositing most seeds from the fruits they eat right near the angiosperms. Hence, the most successful seeds, in this case, would be the smallest ones as they can be swallowed and defecated or dropped during the flight. On the other hand, bats are crucial for the pioneer shrubs and trees that are abundant in natural or human-made clearings, mainly localised in Neotropics. Recent studies by Melo and colleagues (2009) suggests that small-bodied bats (Artibeus watsoni) inhabiting Neotropics are assumed to play a negligible role in the dispersal of large-seeded plants. They recorded at least 43 seed species around bat roosts and also suggested the pattern of species-specific abundance of seeds which influences seedling recruitment. These small frugivorous bats are especially important in regions where populations of large-bodied seed dispersers have been reduced or exterminated by hunting (Melo et al. 2009). Another example is a fruit bat (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) localised in a lowland Malayan rain forest. The study performed by Hodgkison and colleagues (2003) suggests that fruit bats did not have negative influence on seed viability. Further, they found that in 1 ha of old-growth forest 13.7 percent of trees at least in part depended on fruit bats for seed dispersal and/or pollination (Hodgkison 2003). Rat-kangaroos (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus) studied by Dennis (2003) are believed to be good seed dispersal agents in Australians tropical forests. They were found to perform similar behaviour to agoutis, acouchies and squirrels found elsewhere. Even they are the smallest known marsupials they are still able to disperse large numbers if fruits and seeds which can be done in two unique ways: 1) by scatter-hoarding or 2) by dropping elsewhere. Another important factor influencing great biodiversity in tropics is pollination. It has been known for a very long time and firstly was described by Sprengel in 1793. Rain forest pollination, on the other hand, was first studied in the Neotropics (Roubik 1978; Bawa et al. 1985) where the most important pollinators were found to be bees, diverse insects and hummingbirds. They are excellent pollinators and a vast part of angiosperm diversity can be a result of their co-evolution. However, species such as bats, wasps, lemurs and even lizards are also vital pollinators. Studies performed by Corlett (2003) in the Oriental (Indomalayan) region suggests that, although these lowland forests are much less studied and known, they still express similar pattern as Neotropics. He found out that large solitary bees, moths, butterflies and vertebrates are less meaningful as pollinators than extremely social bees (especially Trigona and Apis species) and beetles (most likely to be the next crucial group). A study performed by Goulson and Derwent (2004), however, indicates that to be a pollinator it does not necessary mean to be beneficial to the ecosystem. They illustrated an example of an exotic weed, Lantana camara, and associated with it an exotic honeybee, Apis mellifera, inhabiting Queensland, Australia. This interaction, even though causing higher biodiversity across tropics, may equally bring losses and environmental degradation. Goulson and Derwent (2004) also pointed out that A. mellifera are possibly pollinators of many other weeds, both in Australia and elsewhere. Muchhala and colleagues (2009) studied impact of bats and birds on a flowering plant, Aphelandra acanthus, and its pollination. They observed that hummingbirds and bats could be compared in a case of pollination quantity whilst bats were the most effective in a case of quality. It was suggested that approximately 70 percent of A. acanthus was pollinated by bats themselves and since there is known 170 species of this genus the result is pretty impressive. This indicates that these angiosperms depend on bats pollination to a high degree. Another study carried out by Roubik (2000) shows that African honeybees, Apis mellifera, were the first exotic bees to invade Neotropics, where they interacted directly with approximately one-fourth of the floral population. These findings indicate that honeybees are a great indicator of a biodiversity formation and maintenance. By interacting with so many plants it can be predicted that the diversity of plant species may be easily preserved and upheld. Since plants and their pollinators are often in co-evolutionary mutualism, many research suggest that some insect species are associated and restricted to a particular plant species. Hence, there is yet another argument demonstrating that the biodiversity in tropics must be high in order to preserve all the co-evolving organisms. For this reason, some organisms relay on their mutualistic partners in order to survive. On the other hand, research proposed by Novotny and Basset (2005) suggests that a majority of species in herbivore populations found within tropics do not feed on a single species of plants when alternative hosts are accessible. Consequently, limits of host plants are likely to match with those of plant genera, rather than species or taxa. This illustrates an example that either way rain forests express high biodiversity and the way it is established. Another aspect shaping biodiversity across tropics arises when pitcher plants (Nepenthes gracilis) and their interactions with infauna are taken into consideration. The aquatic environment created by pitchers is very beneficial for organisms inhabiting it such as aquatic insects including mosquito or fly larvae. The inhabitants of the pitchers were split by Thienemann (1932) into three separate groups depending on their appearance inside pitchers i.e. 1) occasional visitors which originally belong to a different place; 2) occasional visitors which may change environments continuously; and 3) native inhabitants. Therefore, since the pitchers are, in general, only partly filled with liquid i.e. up to the waxy zone, there is a terrestrial fauna as well as an aquatic fauna (Lloyd 1942). Spiders, for instance, may take an advantage of pitchers by building nets above or nearby the plants therefore foraging at the expense of the pitchers. For aquatic infauna including protozoa, desmids and diatoms, rotatoria, crustaceae and various larvae of Diptera inhabiting the pitchers means food supply because they feed on animal detritus found in there (Lloyd 1942). Further, the pitchers interior environment is beneficial for many forms of Diptera larvae since they lay their eggs inside. In the fluid (always diluted by rain) the larvae grow to maturity (Bradshaw and Lounibos 1977). Alas, the environment may not be totally beneficial for these organisms since it is also inhabited by ants which in a case of absence of crucial nutrients tend to feed upon mosquito larvae (Clarke and Kitching 1995). Occurrence of ants as inhabitants of tropical pitchers may be, in turn, beneficial for both organisms. This thesis is supported by a study proposed by Clarke and Kitching (1995). They revised ant-pitcher interactions in Borneo and concluded that pitchers habitat was great for ants to live in. The ants nested in the tendrils of the plant, and fed on the large prey items caught by the pitch ers. Further, this relationship was also advantageous to pitchers because ants were removing an excess of prey which was accumulating inside the plant. This accumulation, if not removed, could lead to putrefaction of the contents and disruption of the pitchers digestive system (Clarke and Kitching 1995). Another study performed by Mogi and Yong (1991) proposed that aquatic arthropods, Diptera in particular, are able of coexistence in a single pitcher. Further, they stated that species belonging to the same trophic group commonly shared the same pitcher, because of the high occurrence probabilities of dominant species and positive associations between some taxa (mainly due to similar occupancies by pitcher age) (Mogi and Yong 1991). All these arguments may be a reasonable explanation why the abundance of species in pitchers followed by tropics is high. Yet another mechanism that drives biodiversity in tropics is maintained by herbivores and the impact they have on plant diversity. So far, at least five hypotheses have been proposed. First thesis was suggested by Janzen (1970) and Connell (1971) who have stated that richness of plant species might be established by herbivores feeding on postdispersal seeds and seedlings near adult plants and lower level far away. With such a pattern, any plant species becoming abundant would be predated avoiding competitive elimination. Second theory was proposed by McNaughton in 1985. He hypothesized that ungulates that grazed on the canopy grass species in the Serengeti could reduce plant species competition. Follow this idea, they would supply poorer competitors from the subcanopy with more sources, and, at the same time, they would diminish the loss of species through competitive elimination. Connell and Lowman (1989), who were authors of the third hypothesis, stated that deficient of herbivore predation on the abundant species might lead to monospecific tropical forests. Langenheim and Stubblebine (1983) introduced the forth thesis. They believed that in a case when herbivores would predate on certain conspecific chemical phenotypes seedling within this plant species might maintain nearby parent plants if they adequately vary in chemical profiles from their parent. In this way, predation could speed up competitive elimination in spite of Janzen-Connell idea about seed predation. On the other hand, it could also direct development of high genetic diversity within the aimed plant species. Fifth theory was announced by Connell in 1971. He stated that natural-enemy force (herbivores in this case) would be most successful. Also competitive elimination between plant species would be least expected in habitats with extremes of temperature and rainfall during the year i.e. lowland wet forests. In all above examples, herbivores control local plant diversity by decreasing the possibility of species loss through competitive elimination. It is vital, however, to think about the herbivores influence in a broader context. Mechanisms by which they can manipulate plant diversity in rainforests are worth to consider. Herbivores and their influence on competitive interaction is just one such mechanism. As an alternative, herbivores can have a direct impact on the existence of a plant species in a particular site by diminishing its local richness or completely removing it, independent of its competitive capability. More-indirect outcomes contain three pathways. First, herbivores might establish if a species appears at a given location by having an impact on its dispersal ability, and hence the possibility that it might emerge there. Second, once a seed has emerged at a given location, herbivores can have an influence on the physiological ability of the plant to determine, nurture and breed regarding the abiotic effects occurring in there. Third, herbivores might have an impact on emergence of species in a given site by decreasing its competitive capability. All in all, I believe I managed to introduce, explain and answer the topic question broadly. By introducing a selection of different examples I tried to cover many plant-animal interactions. That is why I can conclude that the tropical forests are a great habitat and environment for a variety of different species to coexist and co-evolve. Further, its favourable, warm, moisturised climate creates perfect developmental conditions for organisms to be able to persist and survive. However, one argument must not be omitted stating that tropical ecosystems may not be as biodiverse as previously thought (Novotny and Basset 2005). Hence, many comparisons between temporal and tropical zones should be taken into consideration to fully prove the idea. Nonetheless, from the number of organisms occurring within the tropics and their interactions it is easy to conclude that plant-animal interactions are tremendously important in order to preserve live in there. Moreover, because of different troph ic cascades and food webs biodiversity has to be maintained at an extremely high level so all organisms appearing in tropics will be able to stay alive. Word count: 3,289 words

Genetically Modified Foods Essay -- GMOs, Genetically Modified Crops

Public cities around the world are becoming more involved with a wide array of new technologies without realizing it. From super computers that calculate the movement of satellites without human involvement, to handheld personal computers. Consumers abide with an egregious array of brand new scientific advances that are accompanied by confusing new terms. The food and drug administration, commonly known as the F.D.A, is focusing much of their time with food biotechnology. The all-encompassing use of biotechnology when applied to agriculture and food production increases the deeply felt environmental, economic and ethical concern. The liberation of genetically engineered organisms into the environment poses apprehensive questions regarding the serious promising risk to human health. Genetic engineering or genetic modification is a procedure that requires direct human manipulation of organism’s genetic makeup, altering their DNA that would not commonly happen under natural circumstances. Such applications include the implementation of human genes into animals as well as animal genes into other animals and plants. The industry which practices this gene modification is commonly known as biotechnology. In the next few years this industry has plans to release genetically engineered bacteria, viruses as well as transgenic animals into the environment. With the release of engineered organisms, many feel apprehensive and concerned with the potential harm it may cause to human health. Because the modified organisms are living, they are more likely to be unpredictable than chemicals. Jeremy Rifkin suggests, â€Å"the long-term cumulative environmental impact of releasing thousands of genetically engineered organisms could be equally destruc... ... Fry-Revere, Sigrid. "Cloning Animals for Food Is Morally Permissible." Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. Pollack, Andrew. "F.D.A. hearing focuses on the labeling of genetically engineered salmon." New York Times 22 Sept. 2010: B3 (L). Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. Pollack, Andrew. "Rules near for animals' engineering." New York Times 18 Sept. 2008: C15(L). Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 3 Dec. 2010. Phillips, Susan C. "Genetically Engineered Foods." CQ Researcher 4.29 (1994): 673-696. CQ Researcher. Web. 1 Dec. 2010. Entine, Jon. "Genetically Modified Foods Are Safe." Ethical Corporation (Apr. 2006). Rpt. in Genetically Engineered Foods. Ed. Nancy Harris. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 5 Dec. 2010

Operation Iraqi Freedom: A Strategic assessment Essay -- essays resear

Operation Iraqi Freedom: A Strategic Assessment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This I’ll admit was a very interesting book that looked at what could have really caused the Iraq war and whether we really had to go to war. The book talks about the flaws with the reasons that Bush proposed for going to war with Iraq and why we haven’t had a fuller victory yet. The book basically goes into details about the four observations that arise from examining certain aspects of the war and afterwards. In the next few pages I’ll be summarizing the book then stating my analysis and opinions about ideas presented in the book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Veteran defense analyst and AEI resident fellow Thomas Donnelly wants to know the answers to the questions behind Operation: Iraqi Freedom. He states that â€Å"More than a year after President George W. Bush declared ‘mission accomplished’ in the invasion of Iraq, a fuller victory is yet to be won. This is in part, because a fuller understanding of the war itself remains elusive.† This elusiveness is the biggest mystery of the war and because of it four key observations have emerged. Also these observations emerge after an examination of the conventional invasion of Iraq, the resulting counterinsurgency campaign and their broader significance for the global war on terrorism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s pretty much impossible to know America’s decision about Saddam Hussein, if you don’t understand American policy in the Middle East-- from supporting him in power after the Islamist revolution in Iran, leaving him in power after the Gulf War, to removing him from power after the September 11 attacks, and, most crucially, replacing him in power with an experiment in Arab democracy. Militant Islam has been at war with the U.S. for twenty five years, it wasn’t until after Al Qaeda hit America’s heart, that the U.S. decided to wake up and take action. Therefore one of the main reasons for the war on Iraq was to strike terrorism and all involved at the roots. Bush’s initial strategy of invading and a change of regime essentially became a complete removal of regime. According to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld getting rid of Saddam Hussein and his henchmen was comparatively easy taking into account that now they have to install a democratic and pluralistic form of Government after the people ... ...p;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I agree with the author’s statement that the Pentagon did not fight a decisive war. It was done very rapidly, but I don’t think that they took into account how long we’d stay in Iraq after the war. We’ve had more casualties in time after the war than we had in the war. The Pentagon didn’t seem to realize just how hard it would be to restore order in Iraq after the war. The war itself was well planned out, but the hunt for Saddam Hussein and the restoration process was quite sloppy. The fact that we’re still in Iraq today and everyday soldiers are dying, just goes to show that we’re not going anywhere for a while.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author also stated that we would soon be out of Iraq if we kept going along the lines we’re going, I completely disagree with this statement, because Iraq is in a state of disorder. I think the actions we are taking right now will escalate into a bigger war which will not just include Iraq. After all Nostradamus who â€Å"predicted† the 2 World Wars also predicted a third World War that would take place in the Middle East. I don’t believe in that stuff, but I do believe that this will escalate into something bigger. Operation Iraqi Freedom: A Strategic assessment Essay -- essays resear Operation Iraqi Freedom: A Strategic Assessment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This I’ll admit was a very interesting book that looked at what could have really caused the Iraq war and whether we really had to go to war. The book talks about the flaws with the reasons that Bush proposed for going to war with Iraq and why we haven’t had a fuller victory yet. The book basically goes into details about the four observations that arise from examining certain aspects of the war and afterwards. In the next few pages I’ll be summarizing the book then stating my analysis and opinions about ideas presented in the book.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Veteran defense analyst and AEI resident fellow Thomas Donnelly wants to know the answers to the questions behind Operation: Iraqi Freedom. He states that â€Å"More than a year after President George W. Bush declared ‘mission accomplished’ in the invasion of Iraq, a fuller victory is yet to be won. This is in part, because a fuller understanding of the war itself remains elusive.† This elusiveness is the biggest mystery of the war and because of it four key observations have emerged. Also these observations emerge after an examination of the conventional invasion of Iraq, the resulting counterinsurgency campaign and their broader significance for the global war on terrorism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s pretty much impossible to know America’s decision about Saddam Hussein, if you don’t understand American policy in the Middle East-- from supporting him in power after the Islamist revolution in Iran, leaving him in power after the Gulf War, to removing him from power after the September 11 attacks, and, most crucially, replacing him in power with an experiment in Arab democracy. Militant Islam has been at war with the U.S. for twenty five years, it wasn’t until after Al Qaeda hit America’s heart, that the U.S. decided to wake up and take action. Therefore one of the main reasons for the war on Iraq was to strike terrorism and all involved at the roots. Bush’s initial strategy of invading and a change of regime essentially became a complete removal of regime. According to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld getting rid of Saddam Hussein and his henchmen was comparatively easy taking into account that now they have to install a democratic and pluralistic form of Government after the people ... ...p;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I agree with the author’s statement that the Pentagon did not fight a decisive war. It was done very rapidly, but I don’t think that they took into account how long we’d stay in Iraq after the war. We’ve had more casualties in time after the war than we had in the war. The Pentagon didn’t seem to realize just how hard it would be to restore order in Iraq after the war. The war itself was well planned out, but the hunt for Saddam Hussein and the restoration process was quite sloppy. The fact that we’re still in Iraq today and everyday soldiers are dying, just goes to show that we’re not going anywhere for a while.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author also stated that we would soon be out of Iraq if we kept going along the lines we’re going, I completely disagree with this statement, because Iraq is in a state of disorder. I think the actions we are taking right now will escalate into a bigger war which will not just include Iraq. After all Nostradamus who â€Å"predicted† the 2 World Wars also predicted a third World War that would take place in the Middle East. I don’t believe in that stuff, but I do believe that this will escalate into something bigger.

Embracing Rizalism as a Way of Life :: essays research papers

Embracing Rizalism as a Way of Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jose Rizal, a hero!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many of our youth today equate Rizal, the hero with martyrdom, death!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being a hero isn’t â€Å"cool†, this is for â€Å"freaks†. Jose Rizal is no longer â€Å"in†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Distinguished members of the board of judges, ladies and gentlemen –   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I don’t have to go into detailed account of dates, places and people in the biography of Pepe. No!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All literate Filipinos start their lesson in history with the stories of the boy from Calamba, Laguna.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rizal lived his life in an extraordinary way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I don’t need to make a deep analysis of his ideas in education, philosophy, religion, politics, human behavior, ethics, in society. No, I leave that to the scholars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What I choose to talk to you about is how I could live my life today with a little piece of Rizal in me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yes, I have to be in my own little way a mirror of what Rizal envisioned of every Filipino.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The youth is the hope of the fatherland. This is no longer a statement. It has become a challenge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Let us start with the simplest question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If you are to choose between Cadbury chocolate or any other Swiss chocolates and the most popular Filipino brand, which would you choose?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chocnut, Nips, Cloud 9? â€Å"Yucky†, â€Å"cheap† or even â€Å"wa class†. We do not trust our local brands, we do not trust our fellow citizens, we do not love our own. This is not being a Rizal†¦   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rizal recognized clearly the social evils that hindered Filipinos to excel. Inferiority complex, cowardice, timidity, false pride, pervade the Filipino consciousness and contribute to the decay of the society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Today, our country is suffering from both physical and moral degradation. The tremendous problems have made us become too critical, disgusted, indifferent, hopeless. Where do we go? Do we just have to give up?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Cursed be those who have left my beloved homeland bleeding and torn†¦Ã¢â‚¬  says the Non- revolutionaries, a good short story I once read.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is not being a Rizal!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, our country needs Filipinos who will live their lives in a â€Å"Rizal way†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, our country needs people who have the will to make Rizal happen once more in our times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, our country needs people who are persuasive and decisive to adopt Rizalism and to nurture it as an integral part of their person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, our country needs people who have the strength to complete and expand the works and wisdom of our Jose Rizal.

One work three ways Essay

An art is a product of human creativity. It is an orderly behavior of an artist and has connected concepts. An artist consciously embeds clarity, harmony and balance to the creation. Immediately, after an event, exhibition, movie or play, one can read a detailed description of the same of how good or bad was the event, or the merits and demerits of the exhibition, how emotional or neutral was the role of the actor or actress. Critics analyze these things with great profundity. Any art which proves to be evergreen is associated with the core and in-depth feelings of human behavior. There are certain feelings and emotions such as love, hatred, fear, hunger, pain, acceptance, disgust, sadness, joy which form the integral part of every human being. The artistic creations touching the sensitive aspects of the human behavior leave an everlasting impact on the minds of the people. The past analysis to the history of greatest hits in any form of art shows that such hits were closely associated to the very intense feelings. The people in general find the connectivity of the events associated with their lives and then readily show like or dislike for a particular artistic creation. Take an example of a legendary song or painting which depicts or reflects deception. One can hardly find a person who has never been deceived. Now, because such deep feelings are immortal so become the depiction of such feelings.

Race as a Social Construct

Race as a Social Construct Omi and Winant’s discussion from â€Å"Racial Formations† are generally about race being a social construct and is also demonstrated in the viewing of Race – The power of an illusion. Omi and Winant have both agreed that race is socially constructed in society. Ultimately this means that race is seen differently in different societies and different cultures. Media, politics, school, economy and family helps alter society’s structure of race. In the viewing , also media as well as history seemed to create race by showing how social norms have evolved in different racial groups.For example, â€Å"Rules shaped by our perception of race in a comprehensively racial society determine the presentation of self, distinction of status, and appropriate modes of conduct† (Omi and Winant 20). In other words, people tend to make their own rules for categorizing racial groups. We humans (usually more powerful ones) have set these arbitra ry divisions and then call them real. Race is defined differently within each culture. For example, as explained in the viewing, people in Africa see a person that is white in the United States as black.This because they define their races by socioeconomic status not the color of ones skin. Race is a social construction. And as a social construction, race functions as a source of management that sustains the importance of certain groups and the maintenance of other groups. This concept only becomes reality when people behave in ways that perpetuate subordination. Race should be expressed as a concept but unfortunately people misuse race. Race has now replaced the older concept of culture.As a concept race came to be defined by superficial attributes like hair type and skin color. â€Å"Film and television, for example, have been notorious in disseminating images of racial minorities which establish for audiences what people from these groups look like, how they behave and who they are†(Omi and Winant 23). Race is just an idea and or a biological myth. According to the viewing , humans don’t differ much genetically. Actually humans are genetically the most similar species. Why are humans so genetically alike?Humans have not existed long enough and have yet to evolve into various subspecies. â€Å"Race is indeed a pre-eminently socio-historical concept† (Omi and Winant 21). So race is historically made and not biologically. There is nothing real about race, a social construct, unlike a river which is absolute. A river will escist regardless of people thinking, agreeing or accepting that it does exist. Race requires people to collectively agree that it does exist , unlike a river. Although race does not exist in the world in an objective way, it still is relevant in today’s society.It is obvious that race is real in society and it affects the way we view others as well as ourselves. Race is a social construct that is produced by the su perior race and their power to regulate. â€Å"The category of ‘white’ was subject to challenges brought about by the influx of diverse groups who were not of the same Anglo-Saxonstock as the founding immigrants† (Omi and Winant 24). Frankly, ‘white’ was the norm, the others were considered an outcast. The dominant group in society are the one whom created restriction for group membership by defining race as a biological factor. White is seen as a ‘pure’ category†, as stated in the reading (Omi and Winant 21). Those who were ‘black’ were biologically inferior to a ‘white’ person. This is how the color line became about. Because of the color line , race was used to justify the captivity of the vastly growing free ‘black’ population early in United States society. â€Å"Differences in skin color and other obvious physical characteristics supposedly provide visible clues to differences lurking u nderneath† (Omi and Winant 23).The existence of racial ideology helps create racial sterotypes and myths. For example, in the viewing it was pointed out that American Jews reportedly dominated basketball during the first half of the 1900s. However , now it seems as if African Americans dominate the NBA. Concepts like ‘Black athletic superiority’ is the belief ‘black’ people have traits that have been acquired through genetic or een environmental factors. These factors help them excel over all other races in athletic competitions.The theories of racial differences and their possible effect on athletic ability have been noticed since the nineteenth century. More interests were attracted to the subject soon after the 1935 Track Championships, were Jesse Owen’s record breaking performance had shocked white Americans. â€Å"Temperament, sexuality, intelligence, athletic ability, aesthetic preferences and so on are presumed to be fixed and discernib le from the palpable mark of race† (Omi and Winant 23). The dominant group in society has always defined race which sets every other race inferior.Race creates many differences in social status. Status is indicated by race. This can either include or exclude people from more social constructs. This can also prevent or allow certain powers or privileges. Race is a social construct fueled by agreement and acceptance. Throughout history race has been the core of our society. It is vital that people begin to realize that race is and will always be â€Å"an unstable and ‘de centered’ complex of social meanings constantly being transformed by political struggle† (Omi and Winant 26).

Decoding the PMP?® Exam

PM Introduction Since the early asses, project managers have prepared for the Project Management Professional ([email  protected]) Exam through intense study of the Project Management Institute's ([email  protected]) A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge ([email  protected] Guide). Throw in a few ancillary primers and then take practice exam after practice exam and you've got a good chance of passing.What this approach lacks is an intuitive understanding of what it takes to put the [email  protected] Guide into practice. Many fresh-faced Amps can experience inefficiencies and extra challenges early on, until they overcome this handicap with on-the-Job experience. Depending on the scope and objectives of your project, this could have business-wide ramifications. Why learn from your mistakes when you can prevent them? The Task-Skill Method†* of PM Exam preparation offers a new approach that is more effective and offers more benefits than Just getting you rea dy to pass the exam.The Task-Skill Method prepares candidates through intensive review of the expected roles and responsibilities of a Certified Project Management Professional as identified in Mi's PM Role Delineations Study (REDS), also known as the PM Exam Blueprint. Armed with a fundamental understanding of on-the-Job requirements, you will better understand PM Exam questions and achieve higher overall scores. What's more, you'll be ready to immediately have an impact on your projects.The Task-Skill Method Revealed The Task-Skill Method is the result of more than a decade of lessons learned and process improvement. The breakthrough change lies in the foundational approach. While traditional PM Exam prep techniques prepare you to pass by essentially caching to the exam,' the new Task-Skill Method prepares you by teaching to the role of a PM The . ‘ Task-Skill Method still incorporates significant MAMBO Guide study, exam-taking skills and practice exams. However, they are us ed as reference standards and study or practice aids, rather than foundational requisites.While most traditional approaches are built around the framework of Knowledge Areas, Process Groups and Process Inputs, Tools and Techniques and Outputs, the new Task-Skill Method is built around the framework of the 37 individual Tasks and 65 individual PM Knowledge/Skill Sets of the PM Exam Blueprint. These are well defined and generally form the roles and responsibilities of a PM After . Taking into consideration overlap and redundancy, the Task-Skill Method boils down to 28 individual Tasks and 28 individual Knowledge/Skill Sets.What's more, these Tasks and Knowledge/Skill Sets serve as the foundation for all questions on the PM Exam, virtually eliminating any surprises. The 2012 PM pulse of the Profession study found that organizations with more than 35% PM certified project managers had better project performance. Keeping It Simple The Task-Skill Method reduces the amount of information y ou need to consume, sousing your objectives on what matters most and speeding up prep time. With traditional approaches, you can study up to 100 hours or more, but with the new Task-Skill Method, preparation time can be decreased by at least 25%.In a facilitated classroom environment, preparation time can require as little as 35-40 hours. Forty percent of your preparation time should be focused on the 28 PM Tasks and another 40% on the 28 PM Knowledge/Skill Sets. All should be clearly identified, understood, studied and sufficiently mastered. You should focus on understanding when and where each Task is typically performed across the project lifestyle and here each Skill Set is most essential. The remaining 20% of your time should be devoted to PM practice exams. This will hone your test-taking skills and serve as an additional learning resource.For example, in a 60-hour, self-paced, self-study plan, 12 hours would be devoted to Practice Exams, 24 hours to PM Tasks and 24 hours to P M Knowledge/Skill Sets. A Quick Look at the Exam The PM Certification Exam is a demonstration of your suitability to function as a Certified Project Management Professional. The exam includes 200 questions, many of them situational. Your score reflects your ability to: correctly identify recognized best practices; 2 use proper terminology; and 3 use logical reasoning to apply appropriate tools and techniques in given situations.PM Practice Exams 28 PM Tasks Knowledge/ Skill sets To ensure you are truly deserving of the PM Credential, many questions are deliberately made extra challenging. If you pass, you are awarded the PM Credential. If not, you can retake the exam up to three times in a one-year period. The Tasks and Skill Sets identified in the Task-Skill Method serve as the foundation for all questions on the PM Exam. Must-Know PM Tasks As a PM you may be expected to perform en or all of these 28 identified PM Tasks at various times during your project management career.The PM Exam will thoroughly test your understanding of each one by requiring you to demonstrate adequate knowledge of recognized best practices with respect to each Task. The PM Exam Blueprint identifies 37 individual PM Tasks. With many Tasks, there is overlap and some redundancy. For organization, efficiency and practical study purposes, the new Task-Skill Method effectively consolidates the 37 Blueprint Tasks to 28. Following is a detailed list of each must-know PM Task and the corresponding study aids. Evaluate Project Feasibility It is essential to establish a high-level understanding of the project early on.Is the project high risk, low risk, straightforward, complex? What constraints and assumptions are in consideration? How will you structure the project life cycle? What strategies will work? Study: [email  protected] Guide sections 3. 3 and 4. 1 Perform a Stakeholder Analysis Managing stakeholder expectations is considered the top priority each and every day by many Amps. Study: [email  protected] Guide section 10. 1 3 Develop a Project Charter A Project Charter is the formal document intended to authorize a project (or project phase).It briefly describes high-level project characteristics and identifies/authorizes the project manager. Study: [email  protected] Guide section 3. 3 and 4. 1 4 Define Project Deliverables It is essential to get a firm understanding of the project scope-?what the project is and what it isn't-?early in project planning. Study: [email  protected] Guide sections 5. 1 and 5. 2 5 Create a Work Breakdown Structure Once scope has been determined and agreed upon among key stakeholders, it should be broken down into manageable pieces.

Managing people Essay

2. What mental models do you have about attending a university or college lecture? Are these mental models helpful? Could any of these mental models hold you back from achieving the full benefits of the lecture? To achieve our goals with some degree of predictability and sanity, road maps are used. Road maps (mental models): are internal representations of the external world. Consist of visual or relational images in our mind, such as what the classroom looks like or Conceptually what happens when we submit an assignment late. Rely on it to make sense of our environment through perceptual grouping Models fill in the missing pieces, including causal connection among events Example: mental model about attending a class lecture or seminar assumptions or expectations about where the instructor and students seat themselves in the room, how they ask and answer questions Create a mental image of a class in progress 1st class of the semester: would expect that lecturers would go through the topic guide and what is expected outcome of this topic. Expect that lecturer would start the discussion of the tutorials before going through the lecture. An important role in sense making, yet they also make it difficult to see the world in different ways. Example: accounting professionals tend to see corporate problems in terms of accounting solutions marketing professionals see the same problem from a marketing perspective Blocks our recognition of new opportunities How do we change it? Developed through several years of experience and reinforcement. To constantly question them and ask ourselves about the assumption we make. Working with people from diverse background, cultures and different area of expertise will make us realise our own assumption These assumptions may hold me back. If I presume that the first lecture would be on going through the topic guide when there is a tutorial and I did not prepare. Or when I ought to have read the chapter before attending the first lesson so that I am able to participate. 3. Do you define yourself in terms of the university or college you attend? Why or why not? What are the implications of your answer for your university? We define ourselves to a large extent by the groups to which we belong or have an emotional attachment. Social identity theory explains the dynamics of social perception – how we perceive others. Influenced by three activities in the process of forming and maintaining our social identity Categorisation Categorising people into distinct group Remove that person’s individuality and instead see them as a prototypical representative of the group ‘Australians’. Allows you to distinguish Australians from people who live in NZ, HK and other countries in that region Homogenisation Tend to think that people within each group are very similar to each other Australians collectively have similar attitudes and characteristics Every individual is unique but we tend to lose sight of this fact when thinking about our social identity and how we compare to people in other social groups Differentiation Fulfils our inherent need to have a distinct and positive self-convept. We do more than categorise people and homogenise them Differentiate groups by assigning more favourable characteristics to people in our groups than to people in other groups It’s often subtle but can escalate into a ‘good-guy-bad-guy’ contrast when groups are in conflict with each other â€Å"Hello-kitty† people 6. Describe a situation in which you used behaviour modification to influence someone’s behaviour. What specifically did you do? What was the result? 7. Why are organisations moving toward the use of experiential approaches to learning? What conditions are required for success? Another way that employees learn is through direct experience Most tacit knowledge and skills are acquired through experience as well as observation. Begin when we engage with the environment; then reflect on the experience and form theories about how the world around us works Most important ingredient is a strong learning orientation within the organisation and its employees. People with a global mindset have a strong learning orientation that they welcome new learning opportunities, actively experiment with new ideas and practices, view reasonable mistakes as a natural part of the learning process and continuously question past practices. Encourage employees to question long held assumptions or mental models and to actively ‘unlearn’ practices that are no longer ideal

Paraphrasing 5 answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paraphrasing 5 answers - Essay Example The main role is played by central IT and network management functions in this direction. These functions advise the recovery planning groups towards finding the cost of potential alternatives, which can be applied for disaster recovery planning. However, the major role of these functions remains helping the disaster recovery group in facing and overcoming the technological challenges on urgent basis. Some IT tools can help the recovery groups in permanent recovery measures. The functions also provide the necessary support towards documentation and technical support related to disaster recovery tasks. Part time recovery coordinators have other responsibilities also, apart from working for disaster recovery planning. Hence, they may have their own office and telephone, computer facilities to carryout these jobs. Since their obligations are limited towards the disaster recovery-planning group, the budget for their working is different from the full time employees of the group. In addition, there are fewer overheads involved, when employing part time coordinators. One or more recovery coordinators will be required to manage the day-to-day affairs of the team, while coordinating for various tasks being conducted by the recovery group. These coordinators must have the requisite facilities for smooth working towards accomplishing the plan development

In your journal discuss whether and why you agree or disagree with Essay

In your journal discuss whether and why you agree or disagree with Jared Diamonds assertion about agriculture - Essay Example I agree with Atkins that Science is not discriminatory. Science has no boundaries in terms of culture, religion, continent, or race. As Atkins argues, I believe that Science is trans-national, trans-racial, and trans-cultural. The interests between individuals in lines of race, culture, or religion do not influence science; hence, I can convincingly argue that it is consistent. In addition, Science is open to modifications. This creates room for young scientists to become famous. However, fame does not promote customized research. I believe that in the thirst to become famous, young scientists conduct rational experiments to test a phenomenon and come up with an objective study; hence, the modification of science. In the exchange, I believe that Pinker is justified to argue that for a scientific mindset, it is prudent to have an empirical verification for each empirical proposition. On the other hand, Wieseltier roots for a two-state solution. According to my understanding, I believe that Wieseltier has the best argument. In the contemporary world, I think it would be prudent to assert that science and humanities are complements rather than substitutes. As such, I believe that both a scientific and humanistic mindset is required; hence, promoting the two-state solution. I believe that Wieseltier does not discriminate sciences as much as pinker discriminates humanities. In an attempt to promote the two-state solution, I believe that Wieseltier is against the belief of scientism. It is also prudent to agree with him that scientific analysis may not be applicable in the entire physical world. In this case, I think the exchange lies on the fact that how much can science explain. Pinker attempts to promote science as the sole verification for empirical propositions. I believe that Wieseltier is not for humanity as the sole verification but counters the thought

Engineering Analysis 4 - Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Engineering Analysis 4 - - Assignment Example Its highly encouraged to use different methods apart from the above mentioned since they are able to yield precisely better results, a way to counter this problem. b Many Laplace Transform software have been developed to solve the differential equations, this software need someone with skills in computers and knowledge in the Laplace so as to use the software efficiently and to be able to guide it to produce error free results. Its encouraged to use the right software that has been tested for to reduce these errors. d The method is tiresome and one mistake in the process can produce wrong results. This can problem is easily countered by looking carefully at the equations and also making sure each variable is corresponding to the value its assigned. The Laplace transform is a method that is applied in solving linear ordinary differential equations. It finds its way in different fields such as in Physics, Control Engineering, electrical Engineering, Signal processing and also Optics. Here we look at different areas were its applied a Application in Physics (It is part of engineering study)- it can be used to solve the harmonics vibrations of the beams at their both end. The formula is correctly inserted to calculate these harmonics c In power system load frequency control- power systems are comprised of transmissions, generations and distributions of systems.There must be turbines which drives a generator that serves the load through distributing and transmission lines. C) The analytic solution does not give the exact solution of the y value. Furthermore, analytic method cannot be used to solve complex differential equations. Analytic solutions can only be used to solve ordinary differential equations of systems where approximations are allowed hence they cannot be used in the design of medical systems and other sensitive engineering systems. Analytic methods are used to solve system equations where complex

Health Communications Research Paper on Hurricane Katrina Essay

Health Communications Research Paper on Hurricane Katrina - Essay Example Earthquake stroke Kobe Japan a few years ago killing 200,000 people. True, however is the recent ruthless, Hurricane Katrina hit of Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast August 29, as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 145 mph It flooded 90,000 square miles displacing 400,000 people. 1 The official death toll now stands at 1,302 and the damage estimated from $70 to $130 billion. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) over one million persons were displaced, and hundreds of thousands remain dispersed throughout the U.S. including some 200,000 people staying in 65,000 rooms in 10,000 hotels or motels nationwide. Additional thousands are reportedly still housed in Texas churches. Forty-three states are now eligible for federal assistance to help meet needs of evacutees. More than 200,000 people also lost their jobs across the affected Gulf region. However, experience from the historical disasters has established a dichotomy between disaster and peoples re silience. People have been able to adapt very first by embarking on reconstruction regardless of the impact. In the wake of Katrina for example resilience has gained a new relevance. Relatively, resilience and catastrophes are two inseparable entities that depend on demographics and the impact of the devastation. Just as some people can fend off traumatic illness while others succumb, not all cities are equally of rebounding from a shock to the system. A person whose health is compromised to begin with, has less chance of recovery than an individual in full health. So too is a city. New Orleans, which already was burdened with huge social and economic problems long before Katrina arrival have played a major role in determining how well the Crescent City will recover from the storm and its aftermath. Urban resilience, moreover, is not necessarily progressive. In spite of the seeming tabular Rasa opportunity a major disaster can offer to correct old errors and put things right, reconstruction tends to favor the status quo. Even if city buildings are toppled, foundations are often reusable and property lines remain. Insurance claims and simple inertia help push landowners to rebuild more or less what they lost. The deep psychological need to see things put quickly back the way they were has also had a positive impact on resiliency and thereof reconstruction. While a disaster can trigger a host of long-term innovations, these tend not to surface in the immediate wake of a catastrophe. Visionary schemes have been the stuff of good times, when people can afford the lu xury of debating possible future. The last thing people want to do in the middle of a disaster is wait around for the minute of a brave new plan to be refined for implementation. When London burned in 1666, Christopher Wren, John Evelyn's and others, full of axial boulevards and capacious plazas; all remained on paper, floated grand schemes. What Londoners returned to instead, was a city that looked and felt much as it did before the conflagration. And while Chicago great fire of 1871 eventually yielded a city of fire-proof masonry buildings as well as the first skyscrapers, the initial reconstruction phase fell back to erecting very kinds of rickety firetraps that caused the catastrophe in the first place. This notion of regressive resilience extends also to a city social order and