The Impact of Local Television in Today’s Society

Local Television in Today's Society Since the early 1940's, it has been clearly evident that television has played a crucial role in the way people receive and perceive news media on a day to day basis. According to State of the News Media, viewership and ratings have drastically changed over the years and as of 2012, it is suggested that it is in large part due to the pressing and irreversible shift towards social media.Now our country not only relies on our friendly local newscasters to fill us in on the weather or breaking news irst thing in the morning, but also on the latest KRQE tweet on Twitter or status update on Facebook. Our world is turning digital and as hard as many may try to stop it, there is no denying that a future in news will rely heavily on the efficiency and effectiveness of social media. So where does this leave our local television stations and ultimately, how will this digital frenzy effect their overall viewership, ratings and longevity?This is the prominent concern in our local news media world today and a question that must be discussed and actively researched to ensure the future of local elevision news. Throughout the course of this semester, the students in this Media Management course have had the opportunity to pick the brains of various news anchors, producers, directors, and Journalists to question and investigate this shift from both print media and local television, to our growing reliance on internet and various social networking sites.Each of our guests was forced to explore the same question: In a time of slipping credibility and growing opinion, how do you succeed in the digital era while maintaining values and traditions of great Journalism that rought us here in the first place? With no surprise, each speaker responded with a similar statement. The gist being that as a society, we must, as a whole, focus on seeking the truth behind any story. We must provide valid, reliable and timely information that pertains and relat es to the lives of every member in our community and remain a trustworthy source of news for years to come.We must place precedence on social responsibility. Seems a lot easier said than done considering there has been a noticeable decline in local TV news viewership since 2007. And lthough there was a slight increase in 2011, the mostly steady decline has been cause for great concern in the news world. While reading the substantial amount of information that State of the News Media provided on this issue, it was apparent that network and local stations alike are predominantly losing viewers (or in some rare cases reaching a time of stabilization) in both primetime television spots as well as in nontraditional time slots.The research suggests that although there is the occasional increase in viewers during times of national or worldwide distress, there is indeed a uantitative measure proving simply a sta bilization ot local news audiences in specific time slots (no increase) versus the drastic decline that was evident beginning in 2007. However, this ‘improvement' was not substantial enough to propose that local TV news has entered a period of new audience growth. According to SNM, â€Å"viewership of network affiliates was up for newscasts in both the morning (5 to 7 a. m. ) and late evening (11 p. m. when averaged across all sweeps periods studied. In the early evening time slot (5 to 7 p. m. , viewership was down slightly. † Delving a little deeper into the sweeps periods offered a clue to at least one reason behind the improvement – there has been higher interest in the news (for example the coverage of the chaos, rebellion, and distress surrounding Egypt and Libya earlier in the year or the 2012 Presidential election. ) But breaking news or continuous coverage of a significant event may not always dominate the airwaves considering there are times when news is slow and not as easily accessible.At that point reporters must rely on heir o wn investigative skills and creative thinking to find their own stories to dissect and examine. These facts were reiterated by a large number of our guest speakers in class including Alex Tomlin, Bill Anderson, Doug Fernandez and Jessica Garrate. They all made it a clear point to discuss the importance of understanding the average news consumers' daily routine, the most critical time of day that any one individual can be reached and what it is that truly attracts a news consumer to a particular station. That is the indeed the key to success for any local station.Understand the consumer and their wants and needs, take initiative on finding imperative stories regarding our community, and consistently provide viewers with the most up to date and relevant news possible while maintaining a good reputation by being credible, reliable and original. In todays news world, this in many instances means Jumping on that social media bandwagon and making the decision to provide consumers with pla y by plays via the internet. â€Å"Almost every station in the country now has a Facebook page, according to the annual RTDNA/Hofstra survey, and almost 90% have t least one Twitter feed. (SNM, 2012) This move to digital news has proven to be in some cases effective, and in others somewhat irrelevant to the success of local stations (or newspapers) as mentioned by Bill Anderson, general manager of KRQE, and Dan Mayfield, Sr. writer for NM Business Weekly. However, although results of viewer increase due to social media is not definitive; it has great potential to become a positive influence for any news team because social media can encourage consumers to sample any station's newscast.And once that seed has been planted, it becomes the responsibility of the news team to deliver a quality show that maintains that viewers' interest. Alex Tomlin, news reporter and correspondent for KRQE, discussed in great detail the value of delivering hard and entertaining news, without focusing on the trend of social media. She mentioned briefly how a reliance on networking sites is viewed in the news world as a method of being lazy and therefore unreliable because it is difficult to attribute any fact to the alleged statements being made.

Consider the presentation of the two main characters Essay

Consider the presentation of the two main characters. What are Austin and Trevor telling us about the pressure on women in the past and present? Jane Austin wrote ‘The Three Sisters’ in the 19th century. Jane Austin lived in a mercenary world, and she reflects this in her novels. No secret is made of the need to marry for money. Jane Austin believed that for marriage to work, people must have the same interests. The Three Sisters is about a woman called Mary. She has been proposed to by Mr Watts. He is older than her but she decides to marry him for his wealth and money. She also wants to get married before any of her sisters and the Duttons. However she fears her life will be miserable if she chooses to accept Mr Watts’ proposal. William Trevor wrote ‘Teresa’s Wedding’ around the 1970’s. William Trevor was born into a protestant family and brought up in a Catholic society. When troubles started to break out in Northern Ireland, William Trevor moved to England but he frequently visited Ireland. Teresa’s Wedding is also about marriage. The story starts off at the party after the wedding. Teresa has also married for convenience because she is pregnant. Both stories deal with loveless marriages and in both stories the women have little control over their lives. They are both under pressure to marry men they do not love. In Teresa’s Wedding marriage is seen as a means of escape from a grim community, a place of loneliness and frustration. In The Three Sisters marriage is seen as the only possible fulfilment for a woman. Mary is the eldest of the sisters. She has had her first offer of marriage, but she doesn’t know how to value it. She wants to be the first to be married, she does not want to marry Mr Watts but she wants to get married before Georgiana and Sophy. She knows that if she turns down the offer, Mr Watts shall ask either one of the sisters, and following the traditional conventions of the time she is expected to marry before her younger sisters. Mary appears to be very confused one moment she says â€Å"I shall have him† and the next â€Å"I hate him more than anything else in the world† Austin writes about her own class, the upper middle class, and is very critical about their lifestyles and social behaviour, creating very amusing characters and describing them with crony. She makes a mockery of their snobbish behaviour. She describes Mary as a childish and self-centred girl, who likes to boast and often makes herself look ridiculous in front of others. Teresa is a woman who has just married to a man called Artie Cornish. Teresa had a round, pretty face and black, pretty hair, and was a month and a half pregnant. Teresa is a kind and friendly girl. She is calm, even though she is faced with the situation of admitting to Artie, her husband, on her wedding day that she had â€Å"been in the field† with his friend Screw Doyle. She shows maturity in her optimism about her future, believing that she and Artie â€Å"might make some kind of marriage together† Trevor uses third person narrative in his story, everything is described in detail, we almost feel part of the festivities. However, he does not write about the characters thoughts and feelings. Austin’s story is written in first person narrative, in letter form. This helps us to understand the characters fully. In the two stories the women receive pressure from the society they live in. Teresa also receives pressure from the local priest Father Hogan, who shows very little feelings for her when she confesses that she does not love Artie † under the circumstances that line of talk is irrelevant† Mary receives pressure also from her mother who is â€Å"determined not to let this opportunity escape of settling one my daughters so advantageously† I think it is a lot easier to get married in modern society because we have no restrictions in who we choose to marry. We also do not have our parents choose who we marry, so there is no excuse for marrying some one who you do not love.

Coping with Stress

Stress can be defined as â€Å"an unpleasant and arousing experience that fills people with negative and unhealthy emotions† (Assassin, Feint, Markus, 2014). Lazarus and Folkway (1984) designated two general types of coping strategies, problem-focused coping, and emotion-focused coping. Problem- focused coping is cognitive and behavioral efforts to alter a stressful situation, and emotional-focused coping is cognitive and behavioral efforts to reduce the distress produced by a stressful situation.A third alternative has been presented by Shells Taylor and and Lisa Spinally, this alternative is known as reactive coping. Proactive coping is up-front efforts to ward off or modify the onset of a stressful event. Then there is social support, the helpful coping resources provided by friends and other people. (Assassin, Feint, Markus, 2014) Of the four types of coping strategies mentioned, use all of them. I use problem-focused coping when I feel like the situation either could have been avoided or could be remedied with a deal of effort on my behalf.Like most people do like stress, and try to do everything that I can to end it, and I try o do so without causing myself additional stress. When it comes to financial stress, will try to find ways to either work more hours or do something to make more money. Of course, taking that approach can cause me additional stress, especially while going to school full time. That's when I may find myself contemplating on taking a semester off from school to free of time to work more and create a financial cushion for myself. I use emotion-focused coping when I feel like the stressful situation is out of my control.While being in the litany, I missed a lot of holidays and birthdays with my family, to cope with this, reminded myself why I chose to serve, that it was only temporary, and that holidays are just another day and focused on the positives, like the fact that had a stable job during the holidays while a lot of people did not. (Assassin, Feint, Markus, 2014) After a while, we tend to recognize when a previously experienced stress is about to show up, or when we find ourselves engaging in certain activity that we know will end up with us in a stressful situation, we utilize proactive coping.We use this probably more often than realize, whenever I feel myself procrastinating with any kind of important business, but then think of the consequences, I get to work to avoid those consequences. I obey the law to avoid the stress of tickets or jail time. There are many different scenarios that proactive coping can be used, and to me it is the best strategy so we can nip it in the bud. (Assassin, Feint, Markus, 2014) Social coping is probably the most utilized strategy of all. With such an influx of social media portals, we see a lot of venting and request for opinions.

The Renaissance and its origin in Italy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Renaissance and its origin in Italy - Essay Example Theorists have often argued that the Fall of Constantinople, followed by the mass exodus of scholars from Constantinople, to escape the persecution of the Ottoman Turks, to Italy was what kicked off the Renaissance. The Renaissance, one might say was not a new phenomenon in as far as it led only to a revival of interest in the classics of antiquity. This is true since the vast resources that were brought from the famous libraries of Constantinople were what formed the majority of the work that was worked upon. Brought to other parts of Europe, these manuscripts were welcomed and greedily devoured by local scholars. The effect of this can be seen in the works of writers and painters of the period, among other scholars. Dante Alighieri, who in his work Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy in English), shows the influences of classical platonic ideas along with Islamic theories testifies to the above-mentioned theory. Painters like Leonardo da Vinci too, in paintings like â€Å"The Vitru vian Man† display influences of works of antiquity. What then, is new about the Renaissance? Texts that were brought to the European mainland underwent a re-interpretation that threw up possibilities that were never thought of before.

Night Shift Nurse Stress Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Night Shift Nurse Stress - Research Paper Example The paper discusses the research findings indicating that night shift work exacerbates stress because it is positively correlated with adverse health effects, including sleep, physiological, and psychological disorders. In addition, considerations and recommendations to the nurse to alleviate the associated stress, as well as promote adaptability and tolerance for the night shift routine, both at work and home, are discussed. Continuity of patient care requires that health care providers be available to work night shift. According to Blachowicz and Letizia (2006), â€Å"Nursing is among the many professions affected by the requirement to work outside of normal daytime hours. While benefits exist, nurses face significant challenges when they work alternate shifts† (p. 274). Over the years, concern and interest have resulted in studies conducted to determine the health risks and effects of night shift work on the nurse. As humans are naturally designed to be awake during the day and sleep at night, working nights disrupts the circadian rhythm, or internal clock. Night shift work exacerbates stress because it is positively correlated with adverse health effects, including sleep, physiological, and psychological disorders.   This paper highlights some of the most common occupational health risks and disorders associated with working nights. In addition, considerations and recommendations to help all eviate the associated stress will be discussed. Working night shifts is a necessary part of a nurse’s job description. However, working night shifts for long periods can have a detrimental effect on sleep, resulting in fatigue and other adverse consequences. Happell et al. (2013, p. 642) report that working night shifts resulted in physical stress and exhaustion for nurses because they could not get an adequate amount of sleep. This shows that night shifts can disturb the physiological working of

Economy - Market structure & Macroeconomy Essay

Economy - Market structure & Macroeconomy - Essay Example Mombasa has endured rule of many different nations, from the Portuguese in the 12th century to the British more recently, until gaining its independence in 1963. The completion of a railway from Mombasa to Uganda in 1901 serves as the link between the port and the rest of Kenya, as well as surrounding East African countries. While Mombasa is an important shipping port for imports and exports along the East African coast, it is also a popular tourist area, with many hotels to the North and South of the 15 square km island. The population of Mombasa is roughly 900,000. Over one fourth of all workers in Kenya are employed in Mombasa working in the port itself, in manufacturing, and in tourism. Tourism, and particularly that of visiting naval ships, is an important aspect of the economy, accounting for nearly 40% of Mombassa’s revenues. Among its many exports are coffee, flowers, vegetables, textiles and livestock. Problems that the port has encountered since the early 1990s inclu de a declining economy that is said to be the result of price controls, import licensing and foreign exchange controls. Like Nairobi, the largest city in Kenya, the city of Mombassa has experienced an increase in population, though on a much smaller scale. This is a continuing problem across Eastern Africa, and solutions for â€Å"secondary cities† (Otiso, 2005, p.117) in which occupants can live and work to sustain themselves is elusive.

Mcdonald's Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mcdonald's - Research Paper Example In fact McDonalds has different Facebook accounts in different countries in which the company operates. â€Å"The McDonald’s US page has more than 27m fans, and its local market pages have all attracted several hundred thousand ‘likes’†(Moth). Even though McDonalds was able to attract millions of people through its Facebook pages, the company is not much interested in posting too many contents on its pages. â€Å"McDonald’s generally posts fewer than five updates a month yet each one attracts several thousand ‘likes’ and comments, which is more than the brands that posts several times per day† (Moth). The company believes that too much postings may bring too little benefits to the company. It should be noted that today’s consumers are living in a world of advertisements. In fact they were fed up with watching meaningless ads. McDonalds knows this consumer psychology very well and places its ads and posts only sparingly in front of the public through its Facebook pages. On the other hand the company is keen on maintaining frequent updates in its Facebook pages in order to avoid the loss of attraction from the public. Unlike many of its competitors, McDonald’s is not much bothered about responding to the comments made by the people through its Facebook pages. The company believes that responding to user comments through Facebook pages may bring more harm than good. At the same time, the company is keen on informing the people about all its product promotions, offers and discounts. McDonald’s has recently conducted a Facebook campaign asking people to take their lunch hour back and enjoy it at McDonald’s. They used different posts for the success of this campaign. Some of them were simple photo images, and the others were questions, and video posts. This campaign was a big success for the company† Click-through rates of content-related interactions are currently more successful

Michael Jackson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Michael Jackson - Essay Example This is exemplified by his keeping of a pet zoo, which was not fully compliant with laws governing animal rights and civic safety. He was also accused and later exonerated of charges of child molestation and abuse. Despite the factuality of these claims, his image was irreparably tarnished by them. Thesis statement: the three main aspects of Michael Jackson’s popularity was his family background, life style and his death. This essay will flesh out this thesis. 2. His Family Background: Michael Jackson was born into a family of musicians. His parents and all his siblings were musicians. Even before he turned 10, he was a star member of the pop group Jackson Five – named after the five Jackson brothers who comprised it. But the flip side of this early fame is the lack of a proper childhood for Michael. He was forced to grow up too fast and as a result his psychological development remained uneven in later life. This explains his fondness for private zoos and strong identi fication with children. That he had retained certain childish qualities well into adulthood is borne by his legendary boyish voice. This most unique gift of Michael’s is smooth, silky and subtle. Right from a young age, his parents recognized the genius of Michael’s talents and made him the central feature of their troop performances. The only other sibling who could rival his great musical gifts is his younger sister Janet Jackson, who went on to have a successful career of her own paralleling that of Michael’s. (Feller 34) ... He was also an extraordinarily talented dancer. The dance sequences to his super-hit songs ‘Billy Jean’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Smooth Criminal’, ‘Black or White’, etc are etched in the memory of all those who were privileged to witness it. The innovative dance move of Moon Walk served as a metaphor for the out-of-the-world inspiration he brought to bear on his songs. 3. His Lifestyle: Michael Jackson’s lifestyle was both colorful and controversial. The kind of attire that Michael wore has become his trademark symbols. The white glove, the slippery hat and the studded leather jacket are all integral parts of his appearance. His dressing sense was as much a source of his appeal as his musical and dancing talent. Just with a twitch of his hand or a tap of his hat, Michael Jackson could bring to his feet. The fast rhythmic R&B and pop numbers of his were particularly popular. They were remarkable in terms of the sheer energy they possessed . Michael’s high pitched voice was suited to this genre, as the pitch carried the energy to the audience. A good indicator of his widespread popularity is the number of impersonators he has had. During the 1980s, doing a moonwalk was a rite of passage for the youth of that generation. That was how they identified themselves as capable and special adults. It was part of their process of identification with a role model and individuation from parental control. (Cole 16) It is fair to say that Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer of his era. Though there were competitors like George Michael, Madonna, Prince, Tina Turner, etc, Jackson had the greatest fan following due to his global appeal. In other words, while many of his contemporary singers had great fan following within the United States,

BUSINESS ETHICS Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

BUSINESS ETHICS - Dissertation Example This may be further represented in class biases and alienation. This definition would seem to not prohibit the use of humour to make jest of any ideological, political, or moral concern, but also positions these judgments outside of the specialization of business management. This definition represents the pragmatic way businesses have operated throughout the history of capitalism on the basis of humour and morale in social operations. This represents a slight change in my perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), but is not really a main aspect of ethical concern. Tutorial 2: Introduction to Interpreting and Evaluating Research (27 October 2010 and 3 November) In the essay â€Å"Product development: Past research, present findings, and future directions† by S.L. & Eisenhardt, K.M. ... It is unfair, unrealistic, and possibly morally wrong to expect people to be less than fully human when acting as employees as a company, by requiring them to â€Å"turn off† their moral, political, and ideological concerns in the organization of commercial activity. This represents a major change in my perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), because to do so leads to injustice, poor practices, and social harm in the greater population through valuing only the bottom line of business against the environment and collective heritage of humanity. Tutorial 3: The Context of Management Research (8 December 2010 and 15 December 2010) In the articles from â€Å"Looking at ourselves as we look at others: An exploration of the publication system for organization research† by Nord (1985), I learned to apply the principles of Business and Management Research (BMR) to the recent financial crisis where banks in America were donating to polit icians that wrote the legislation for their industry, and the relaxed standards of the Bush administration that allowed banks to take on excessive risk. The absence of both political regulation and business ethics in Wall St. financial banks largely contributed to the crisis. This represents a significant change in my perception of what is ‘good’ Business and Management Research (BMR), because of the importance of public relations, brand identity, and advertising in modern business. Tutorial 4: Evaluating Quantitative Research (24 November 2010 and 1 December 2010) I used the information received from Miller& Shamsie (1996) in their essay â€Å"The resource-based view

Efficacy of corticosteroids in the treatment of Severe Sepsis and Literature review

Efficacy of corticosteroids in the treatment of Severe Sepsis and septic shock In critical care - Literature review Example Treatment involves aggressive fluid resuscitation, antibiotics, surgical excision of infected or necrotic tissues and drainage of pus, supportive care, and sometimes intensive control of blood glucose and administration of corticosteroid and activated protein c. Adjunctive corticosteroid therapy is commonly prescribed to patients with septic shock, despite the fact that few trials show survival value. A reduction in time to shock reversal has been observed. The present study aimed to review the literature available for the efficacy of corticosteroids in the treatment of severe sepsis and septic shock. Data was gathered from articles published in peer reviewed journals. Despite the lack of consensus in the efficacy of corticosteroids in the published literature, corticosteroids were found to be safe and effective as first line treatment for septic shock, though there efficacy in severe sepsis treatment is not documented. {Key Words: Septic shock, severe sepsis, corticosteroids, hydroc ortisone, critical care, adrenal insufficiency, organ dysfunction} EFFICACY OF CORTICOSTEROIDS IN TREATMENT OF SEVERE SEPSIS AND SEPTIC SHOCK INTRODUCTION Septic shock is one of the most critical complications associated with surgical cases and still one of the major causes of mortality in the intensive care units (ICUs). Shock, in general refers to a scarcity of oxygen supply leading to hypotension and hypoperfusion followed by cellular dysfunction; sepsis refers to a systemic inflammatory response to infection (Wang et al. 2009). Thus, severe sepsis can be defined as sepsis complicated by organ dysfunction, tissue or organ hypofusion; or hypotension (Balk, 2000). The organ dysfunctions associated with severe sepsis include renal, respiratory, cardiovascular, hematologic, hepatic and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Septic shock is systemic inflammatory response to infection occurring with acute respiratory failure, persistent arterial hypotension and perfusion abnormalities, in sever e case leading to organ dysfunction (Bridges, 2005). Progressively increasing incidences of mortality and morbidity are reported for sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock, respectively (Zanotti-Cavazzoni & Hollenberg, 2009). An epidemiological study of cases of severe sepsis in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for the period spanning 1996 to 2004 reported hospital mortality of 48.3% in the year 1996, which has marginally decreased to 44.7% in 2004. Moreover the total number of deaths due to severe sepsis has risen from 9,000 to 14,000 during this period due to rise in incidences of severe sepsis (Harrison et al., 2006). Another study to evaluate worldwide incidences of mortality as consequence of severe sepsis reported a marginal fall in number of deaths due to the condition, the mortality still remaining as high as 30-50% (Laterre et al., 2004). Cardiovascular and hemodynamic instability are closely associated with increase in

Genetic engineering Essay Example for Free

Genetic engineering Essay Genetically modified foods (GM foods) have made for big talk in the public lately. Public interest groups have been actively protesting against GM foods for months. In response to the up swelling of public concern, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have held meetings to solicit public opinions and, begin the process of establishing a new regulatory procedure for government approval of GM foods. I would like to research and maybe, explain the reasons why I feel that GM foods are not humanitys solution to our food consumption problem. What are Genetically Modified Foods? Genetically modified foods are foods produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering. These techniques have allowed for the introduction of new crop traits as well as a far greater control over a foods genetic structure than previously afforded by methods such as selective breeding and mutation breeding (Wikapedia. com). To date most genetic modification of foods have primarily focused on cash crops in high demand by farmers such as soybean, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil. These have been engineered for resistance to pathogens and herbicides and better nutrient profiles. GM livestock have also been experimentally developed, although as of November 2013 none are currently on the market. There are many reasons to not be a fan of GM foods but, before I explain the reasons not to consume GM foods, let me tell you some reasons why scientists and so-called, â€Å"experts†, are pushing to have developers and, manufacturers of GM foods make sure, that they are various advantages of consuming these foods, as well as, persuade the public to purchase these products. Are there advantages to GM Foods? One advantage to GM foods is that they help to control certain diseases that can cause people to have an allergic reaction to certain foods. With GM foods the DNA system is modified to eliminate the properties causing these allergies (http://www. buzzle. com/articles/genetically-modified-foods-pros-and-cons. html). Another advantage to GM foods is that they are said to be high in nutrients and contain more vitamins than traditionally grown food. They also claim to have a longer shelf life than traditionally grown food, which means less waste. Now that we have heard why developers, manufacturers, and scientists want GM foods massively produced, lets hear about some of the reasons why most of the population is not so accepting. Threats The biggest threat caused by genetically modified foods is that they can have harmful effects on the body (http://www. csa. com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview. php). It is believed that consumption of these foods can cause the development of diseases which are immune to antibiotics. According to experts, people who consume these foods have high chances of developing cancer (http://www. csa. com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview. php). Because these are new inventions on food, theres not much known about the long-term effects that genetically modified foods will have on humans. Foodstuffs made of genetically modified crops that are currently available (mainly maize, soybean, and oilseed rape) have been judged safe to eat, and the methods used to test them have been deemed appropriate. These conclusions represent the consensus of the scientific evidence surveyed by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and are consistent with the views of the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the lack of evidence of negative effects does not mean that new genetically modified foods are without risk. The possibility of long-term effects from genetically modified plants cannot be excluded and must be examined on a case-by-case basis. New techniques are being developed to address concerns, such as the possibility of the unintended transfer of antibiotic-resistance genes. Earlier, I mentioned an advantage to GM foods that allows them to be modified to eliminate properties within certain foods, so that people do not have an allergic reaction to them. My question is, â€Å"what in the world makes these developers think that we want to eat anything that has been modified†? Not to mention, knowing that the long-term effects are not certain if I consume one of these products. Thats not comfortably sitting on my stomach! Response These developers and, manufacturers claim that GM foods contain more vitamins and nutrients, along with a longer shelf life than traditional foods. The way the public sees it is the genetically modified anything, cannot be better for you than the real thing. Throughout my research, I have found that most of societys response to GM foods is, â€Å"why fix something thats not broken†? Most of society throws criticisms towards genetically modified foods, criticizing agribusinesses for pursuing profit without concern for potential hazards, and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight (http://www. csa. com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview. php). Concerns The most concerns about genetically modified foods falls into three categories: environmental hazards, human health risks, and economic concern. Environmental hazards are causes of unintended harm to other organisms. For example; the pollen blown around by the wind off of a GM plant, stands a chance of becoming involved with the milkweed plants that often grow near these crop fields. The concern is for the monarch butterfly, monarch butterflies eat milkweed plants and, if the butterflies eat the milkweed plant with the pollen from the GM plant on it, the butterflies then stand a chance of dying if they come in contact with this pollen. This could create a huge problem for the monarch butterflies extinction rate. Human health risks contain allergencity, which are allergies to things like peanuts and other foods. The possibility still remains that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen that will cause someone to have an allergic reaction and, they could possibly die from that. Economic concern is the most talked about category out of all three. Things like, putting farmers out of business and bringing this product to the market is a costly process, as well as the tech companies wishing to turn a profit on their investment. Consumer advocates are worried that patenting new plants will raise the price of seed. When the prices of seed goes up, the farmers in third world countries cannot afford to purchase the seeds each year. No seeds means no crops for the farmers, no crops means no money. Conclusion Consumers may wish to select conventional foods on the basis of several criteria such as methods of production (e. g. organic or fair-trade food), religious principles (e. g. kosher food), or the presence of known allergens (e. g. groundnuts). Labeling of foods as genetically modified or non-genetically modified may enable consumer choice as to the process by which the food is produced. However, it conveys no information as to the content of the foods, and what risks or benefits may be associated with particular foods. More informative food labeling, explaining how food has been transformed and what the resulting changes in food composition are, could enable consumers to assess these risks and benefits (http://www. greenfacts. org). Genetically modified foods is a big deal in todays society, many people have a very strong opinion about GM foods. Many people are also unaware of what a genetically modified food is. Most people consume genetically modified foods on a daily bases and do not even realize it. Nor is the government obligated to inform you that you are consuming genetically modified foods. Throughout my research, I have found out why I feel that GM foods are not humanitys solution to our food consumption problem. Throughout my argument, I have tried to explain the good and, the bad things associated with genetically modified foods. I have come to the conclusion that genetically modified foods are not for me or my family. There are too many health issues and, risks that I am not willing to take because my familys health may lay in the balance. References Kartha, D. , Cheap Non-GMO Food Supply (2012) Retrieved from: http://www. buzzle. com/articles/genetically-modified-foods-pros-and-cons. html. Whitman, D. Genetically Modified Foods Harmful or Helpful? (2000) Retrieved from: http://www. csa. com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview. php. Bottemiller, H. , Vilsack Calls for a Truce in GE Crops Fight. (2010) Retrived from: http://www. foodsafetynews. com/2010. Published under the authority of the GreenFacts Scientific Board at; (http://www. greenfacts. org). Definition of Genetically Modified Foods, (2000). Wikapedia. com.

Higher education Essay Example for Free

Higher education Essay Discussion of aim of education is a function of the philosophy of education or educational theory. The aim of education in the fullest and deepest sense of the word is in keeping with the nature of the human personality or human nature. Human nature is defined in terms of the cultivation and development of perceptive intelligence based on experience i. e. creative intelligence. Creative intelligence or intuition combines reason of understanding with wisdom of compassion depends on human awakening or enlightenment. aim of education is to cultivate creative intelligence required for adaptation to changes in the social environment i. e. adaptability. Life is very complex and complicated. But an aim in life can make the complex life simple and purposeful. Aims give us direction to work and without aim, destination, or objective life becomes incomplete and haphazard. Individual has different interests, attitudes and needs. Every individual wants to achieve certain goals in life. But a clear-cut aim makes the road of life easy. Educational aims are varied. They have their different role in different fields. Some specific aims are listed below: (i) Knowledge Aim: The aim of education is the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes. It helps to adjust properly in one’s own environment. Knowledge helps the man to overcome the nature and satisfy human wants. It links the teacher and taught with social situation. It helps with certain skills to live in a society as human being and civilized one. Philosophers and educationists of the world believe in knowledge. It is the valuable asset of life, which helps the individual to overcome misery and problems of life. (ii) Vocational Aim: Knowledge aim of education is narrow by nature. The theoretical knowledge will never meet our basic needs of life. We need bread and butter to fill up our belly. We can get it if education is vocationalised. Gandhiji realized it in 1937 when he introduced Basic Education. Vocational aim develops the social efficiency of the individual. It reduces mental tension after completion of education. Those who are lower, intelligence in vocational education or training are a blessing for them. Realizing this aspect. Indian Education Commission (1964-66) introduces work-experience in the curriculum. (iii) Character Building Aim: The Indian concept of education believes in self-realization. Self-realization is possible through moral education. So the individual should cultivate moral virtues or values which constitute character. Swami Vivekananda said, â€Å"We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded and by which one can stand on one’s own feet. † (iv) Complete-Living Aim: The individual has various aspects to be developed. Every aspect of the personality is reflected in various activities to be performed. Education should help the individual to fulfill the various needs and necessities of life like self-preservation, fulfilling necessities of life, rearing and bearing of children, performing civic responsibilities and utilizing his leisure time properly. Firstly, the individual must know the art of self-preservation. Secondly, education should enable to him to earn his living. Thirdly, he should know how to take care of his own children. Lastly, he must have the idea how to utilize the leisure hours properly in a profiting manner. (v) Harmonious: Development of the personality aim- Gandhiji said, â€Å"By education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in the child and man-body, mind and spirit. † The meaning itself indicates to develop all-round aspects of individual-physical, intellectual, social and spiritual. All these aspects of the individual should be harmoniously developed. True education is development of 3H’s instead of 3R’s. The development of Head, Heart and hand of an individual makes him happy. (vi) Democratic Aim of Education: One of the important aims and objective of education suggested by Secondary Education Commission (1952-54) is to develop the democratic citizenship. India is a democratic country. Even citizen must have to realize the duties and responsibilities carefully. So the aim of education is to train carefully the future citizens. Training should be provided to develop the following qualities of the individual. (i) Capacity for clear thinking (ii) Receptivity of new idea (iii) Clarity in speech and writing (iv) True patriotism Further the democratic aim of education develop vocational efficiency, personality and leadership quality. Indian Education Commission (1964-66) under the chairmanship of Dr. D. S. Kothari suggested the following as the aims of education in a democratic set-up. (i) Increasing productivity (ii) Developing social and national integrity (iii) Making education modernized and (iv) Cultivating of social, moral and spiritual values. Each individual teacher has an opinion about what the aim of education should be, not only in their own classroom but also in school in general. Many issues occur when differing opinions about the purpose of education collide. It is important to recognize that other people, including many of your coworkers, administrators, and your students parents might have a different point of view concerning what education should be all about. Following is a list of different aims of education that individuals might espouse. 1. Knowledge to Get By. This old school belief holds that school is important in providing students with the knowledge they need to get by in their day-to-day lives. They need to know how to read, write, and do arithmetic. Even though these core topics form the foundation of a students education, most educators today would probably not agree that this should be the extent of a students school career. 2. Knowledge of Subject Matter Being Taught The purpose of education to some teachers is to impart knowledge about the subject matter they are teaching without much thought to other classes. When taken to the extreme, these teachers focus on their own subject matter as being more important than what students are learning in other classes. For example, teachers who are unwilling to compromise their own subject matter for the good of the students can cause problems for the school at large. When the school I taught at tried to implement senior projects, we got push back from a couple of teachers who were not willing to change their lessons to include cross curricular activities. 3. Desire to Create Thoughtful Citizens. This might be considered another old school belief. However, this is held by many individuals, especially within the larger community. Students will some day be a part of a community and need the skills and mores to exist within that society as thoughtful citizens. For example, they will need to be able to vote in presidential elections. 4. To Gain Self Esteem and Confidence While the self esteem movement often gets ridiculed, we do want our students to feel confident about their learning abilities. The problem comes in with inflated self esteem not based on reality. However, this is often cited as an aim of the educational system. 5. To Learn How to Learn Learning how to learn is one of the key elements of education. Schools need to teach students how to find information they will need once they leave school. Therefore, the specific subject matter being taught is not as important for future personal success as is the ability for students to understand how to find answers for any questions and problems that might arise. 6. Lifelong Habits for Work. Many of the lessons that schools teach are necessary for success in their students future lives. As adults, they will need to be able to get to work on time, dress and behave appropriately, and get their work done in a timely manner. These lessons are reinforced on a daily basis in schools around the nation. Some individuals see this as one of the main reasons for sending students to school. 7. To Teach Students How to Live Finally, some individuals look at school in a more holistic manner. They see it as the means towards right living for the rest of their lives. Not only do students learn information in their individual subjects, but they also learn life lessons in and out of class. As previously explained, proper work etiquette is reinforced in the classroom. Further, students have to learn how to deal with others in a cooperative manner. Finally, they learn about how to learn information they might need in the future. In fact, one of the things that many business leaders cite as being necessary for future workers is the ability to work as part of a team and problem solve.

Causes of Rwandas Involvement in the DRC

Causes of Rwandas Involvement in the DRC To what extent has Rwandas involvement  in the DRC been of economically  rather than militarily motivated? Abstract Conflict! That word represents the history of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in terms of their internal struggles as to who will control the destinies of these countries. The saga has encompassed over forty years, and as neighbours, has affected and impacted both countries negatively. Africa is known for its high degree of internal power struggles that have left its masses in poverty as a result of its leaders seeking political control at almost any cost. This condition has not escaped either Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This study shall seek to understand the dynamics of the national connection between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in terms of the extent that Rwanda’s involvement has been economically or militarily oriented. The preceding represents the opportunity to examine the relationship of these two neighbouring countries to uncover the extent as well as nature of the dynamics that have and are shaping their interaction. Introduction The purpose of this examination has broad and far-reaching implications, in that it seeks to look ate the very core of the relationship of these two African nation states. As such, the objectives will entail: The formulation of an understanding of the historical nuances and overt interaction between these two countries. Taking a look at the military as well as economic involvement. Delving into the political and regional circumstances that have had and or are having a bearing on the foregoing. Equating the extent that military or economic involvement has been and or is an issue The nature of this inquiry requires an examination of two dissimilar areas, economics and military activities, as well as how these might and or have dovetailed into each other, as the lines of separation are not always clear. Background Key to understanding the nature of the question that asks the extent that Rwanda’s involvement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been economically rather than militarily motivated, a brief understanding of the histories of these two countries will provide a foundational underpinning to uncover the direction of their relationship and national connections. Rwanda is located in the east-central region of Africa, bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in an area that measures 26,338 square kilometres[1]. Figure 1 – Map of Rwanda[2] Orginally inhabited by a Pygmy tribe called the Twa, the agriculuturally founded Hutus suplanted them some six centuries ago[3]. In order to plant crops the Hutus cleared forests and established permanent settlements[4]. The Twa still remian in Rwanda, although their population is estimated to number approximately 1 percent of the overall total[5]. As was the case with Africa in that period, other tribes migrated to the region, whose greenery and grasslands drew the cattle owning Tutsi[6]. Aslo known as Watutsi, they came to the region of Rwanda around the 1600s and were consisted as more elite than the Hutus even though the two groups speak the same language[7]. Part of the reason as to why the Tutsi (Watutsi) were considered elite is that they are extremely tall, averaging 2.1 metres in height, and of thin build[8]. The aristocratic leanings of the Tutsi, they held the peasant Hutu in fuedal subjugation[9]. The opinions on the differences between the cultures of the Hutu and Tutis is marginal, consisting primarly of the agricultural versus cattle tendencies of the aforementioned. Considerable intermarriage between the two groups further watered down differences, with the couple assuming the race of the fathers, and the difference in terms of tribe constructed along the lines of a caste system whereby the Tutsi are considered the higher class[10]. Prior to the arrival of the Germans, the administration system that existed in Rwanda was highly organised and presided over by what is termed as a Umwami (king) that was usually of the Nyiginya clan of a Tutsi sub-group[11]. In the administrative pecking order the Umwami had almost absolute power, and was assisted bt three chiefs[12]: A military chief that oversaw the army and saw to the maintenance of integrity of the territory and expansion. A cattle chief that supervised all matters representing cattle, grazing as well as the settlement of disputes, and A land chief that oversaw agriculture, produce and allied concerns. The preceding is in keeping with the cultural make up of the territory that was comprised of cattle and agricultural tribes, along with their protection and securing additional lands. Within the aforementioned pecking order the Umwami and the military and cattle chiefs were Tutsi, with the agricultural chief generally being Hutu[13]. The Rwandan society represents a system that is termed as ubuhake, that is a type of caste system of the landed gentry, the less landed, and the ordinary citizens[14]. There are those who argue that in reality that the economic system of Ubuhake enables a symbitic relationship between the wealthy and priveged calsses with the less priviliged[15]. The preceding system and class relationsips enjoyed a 400 year history of peacefulness. The German’s colonised Rwanda in 1899, ruling the country indirectly through the Mwami and the three chieftans via a protecorate arrangement as a result of the effectiveness of the Rwandan Ubuhabe system[16]. During the first World War the country became known as Ruanda-Urundi, which represented a combination of Rwanda and Burundi under a Belgian League of Nations mandate[17]. The preceding established a trust territory under the United Nations that lasted until 1946[18]. During that period the Belgium administration at first maintained Tutsi dominance in the Ubuhabe governmental system overseen by the Mwani and the three chieftans[19]. The preceding was slowly changed to a power sharing arrangement between the Tutsi and Hutu after ethnic tensions escalated into a civil war that forced a large number of Tutsi to leave the country[20]. The 1st of July 1962 saw the mandated country of Ruanda-Urundi seperated back into Rwanda and Burundi, with the more numberous Hutu’s rul ing the country. With a majority of the population represented by Hutu (85%), to just 15% for the Tutsi, the change in political structure in 1962 was inevitable[21]. It is important to note that the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi began as early as the 1950s when Tutsi forces attacked the Hutu politician Dominique Mbonyumutwa, setting off what is called â€Å"†¦ the wind of destruction †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as the Hutu attacked the Tutsi population[22]. In 1959 the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi king, which also contributed to the preceding[23]. Some 150,000 Tutsi that flew the country as a result of Hutu control setting up guerrila goups in neighboring countries, noteably Uganda[24]. Over the ensuing years, the children of the exiles formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front, that started a civil war in 1990[25]. The preceding historical background is important in understanding the chain of events that transpired in Rwanda, bringing it to present day. That history, present day stemming from the 1990s, contains the fore runner as well as aftermath of events that represent the purpose of this study, that will be investigated in a review of literature to delve into background facets. As Rwanda represents the central country in this study, the Democratic Republic of the Congo shall be explored later. The focus of this examination is to look into the extent that the involvement of Rwanda with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been movitivated more by economics than military reasons. Methodology The investigation as proposed by this study is a question that entails looking deeply into the status and ramifications of the relations of these two countries on a number of levels. As it is probable that there is no literature or other research information available that equates this question directly, the approach to this study will have to take on varied directions and research approaches to uncover information germane to the examination. The preceding being the general overall case, the research methodology will of course include a wide breathe of secondary research sources to secure historical as well as contemporary information. Given that this study entails two sovereign countries, the history between these two nations represents the logical starting point, as the timeline of convergence with respect to the Rwanda and the Congo thus represents the starting point in examining the nature of their relations. The preceding represents a key to this study as the answer to the question as posed by this examination exists somewhere within the foregoing. Secondary research provides the opportunity to review the largest and broadest amount of information possible as it entails books, journals, magazine articles, newspapers and Internet sources[26]. The foregoing affords the opportunity to look at many differing facets, as the scope of economic and military interaction can take on many forms, especially in the context of the unstructured region of Africa that has a long history of intra nation conflicts and other disputes. Secondary research represents a technique that is used extensively as it provides a broad realm of informational possibilities and inputs as well as opinions that might contain and or provide insight and or information that aids in the examination. The shortcoming of the process of utilising secondary research is that the possibility exists that one might be subject to the possible bias of the author whose work was conducted to delve into, prove, understand or make a point. However, secondary research also provides a means to minimise that potential through using and or searching for facts that reveal themselves in more than one source. The preceding duality of data provides some assurance that the information and or information direction has some validity. Powell[27] asserts that the foregoing represents a sane course of research in that secondary sources: are generally plentiful, that in using secondary sources, one needs to exercise care in looking for as well as drawing out pertinent information, that a benefit of secondary research is that large volumes of data can be correlated in a time frame that is reasonable, the expense of obtaining secondary research is extremely beneficial, the broad range of possibilities as offered by the exposure to a wide breathe of information makes secondary research more valuable in that it is easy to verify most information. As is always the case with an upside in any endeavour that are the negative connotations as well. Powell[28] brings forth these areas by advising: In terms of word usage and meaning, the seeming direction of statements can take on a different connotation and or meaning in a specific context or series of contexts than one might be prepared to understand or acknowledge. The aforementioned bias in terms of the source can skew information as indicated. The recommended method to minimise such an occurrence is by comparative information from other sources. The dating and or ageing of information can potentially change the validity of researched data if new developments have changed the outcomes, or data is uncovered later that invalidates conceptions that existed before. Seeking historical and contemporary research to look for consistency with regard to the foregoing aids in minimising dated or information that has lost its relevance. In keeping with the preceding need to ensure that recent information, discoveries and or findings did not or had not changed the conditions of the study, the Internet was utilised to look for potential modifications in approaches, as well as to compare source reliability. The research used quantitative research to a small degree as it helped in the understanding of question components from an historical perspective. Daymon and Holloway[29] advise that quantitative measures tend to have a large-scale approach that focuses on specific factors that are thus looked at in relationship to other data. Given the need to uncover information in a quest for the answer, which at the time of beginning the research was unknown, quantitative research was the only viable course of action. Literature Review In conducting the examination of the historical Background of Rwanda in Section 2.0, a look into the developmental aspects of the country brought forth the progression of events that helped to shape the country up to the 1990s. In order to bring into focus the purpose of this study as represented by to what extent has Rwanda’s involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) been of economically movitated as opposed to military reasons, a brief look into the developmental path of the country from the 1990s is in order. 4.1 Rwanda As brought forth in Section 2.0 Background, the country’s history was shaped by the administrative skills of the Tutsi who took control of the country nearly 400 years ago. That rule lasted until 1 July 1962 that saw the mandated country of Ruanda-Urundi seperated back into Rwanda and Burundi, with the more numberous Hutu’s ruling the country[30]. The civil war that gripped the country in the 1990s was, has has been the history of Africa, and the world, a struggle for power and wealth[31]. Though vastly outnumbered in terms of population, the Hutu were not as organised or bloodthrusty as the Tutsi. A large number of the exiled Tutsi served in the Uganda rebel forces and learned guerilla tactics, thus providing them with needed experience[32]. The preceding provided the foundation for the Rwandan Patriotic Front under Paul Kagame to gain recruits and thus their planned invasion of Rwanda[33]. The fierce fighting for the three year period between 1990 and 1993 prompted a cease fire that became known s the Arusha accord, which was devised to organised a power sharing government to end the civil conflict that had caused the displacement of over 1.5 million Hutus that had been massacred by the Rwandan Patriotic Front[34]. The preceding Arusha accord crumbled as a result of an assassination of the Hutu Burundi president Melchior Ndadaye by Burundian Tutsi in their army[35]. That event spurred a new era of Hutu / Tutsi hatred that caused the accord to crumble. Ensuing events saw the Rwandan Patriotic Front bomb the Rwanda capital of Kigali, as well as assassinate the Hutu president of Rwanda as well as the Hutu president of Burundi by shooting down their jet as it attempted a landing in Kigali[36]. The preceding evnts caused an intensification in the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates[37]. The Tutsi led forces continued their military campaign, capturing the capital and eventually caused over 2 million Hutus to flee the country [38]. The Tutsi dominantion again asserted itself in Rwanda as it took control of the government in 1994 at the end of the civil war and have held power since, The Rwandan Patriotic Front re-wrote the history of its genocide and placed its version of how events transpired into the consitution[39]. 4.2 The Democratic Republic of the Congo The area known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo was inhabited approximately 10,000 years ago, and was settled by the Bantu people from what is now known as Nigeria between the 7th and 8th centuries[40]. The â€Å"†¦ Portuguguese navigator Diego Cao †¦Ã¢â‚¬  discovered the Congo in 1482, and it is well known as the locale that was â€Å"†¦ explored by English journalist Henry Morton Stanley †¦Ã¢â‚¬ [41]. Figure 2 – Democratic Republic of the Congo[42] The Congo was originally given the name Zaire as a result of Diego Cao misspelling the Kilongo term for river[43]. At that time, the Kongo kingdom as it was spelled then[44]: â€Å"†¦stretched from northern Angola to the north bank of the Congo River, in the area now known as Bas Zaire. The kingdom, with its capital at Mbanza Kongo, had a well-established centralized system of government; it was divided into six provinces, each administered by a local governor appointed by the king. Within each province Kongo district chiefs governed in their respective areas, and at the village level headmen were accountable to the district chiefs. The king was elected from the male descendants of the individual who had conquered the area. Although he was a member of the aristocracy and appeared to have absolute power, the king was in fact subject to the control of a council of elders who could depose him.† Soon after Diego Cao’s discovery the Portuguese government established diplomatic relations with the kingdom that fostered socioeconomic exchanges[45]. The influence of that union brought Catholicism to Zaire (The Democratic Republic of the Congo), along with Portuguese customs[46]. The preceding[47].: â€Å"†¦ greatly facilitated development of the slave trade in the region. Slaves purchased from the Kongo provided cheap labour for plantations on nearby Portuguese islands and, subsequently, the Americas† The slave trade escalated into an issue as it depopulated vast areas and also resulted inborder raids thus causing warefare with neighboring tribes[48]. The economics of the slave trade cause fighting within Zaire itself as rival groups fought for dominance[49]. Internal infighting over â€Å"†¦the slave trade undermined political authority and created social stratification in the kingdom† [50]. The history of the Congo was not as politically charged as Rwanda, yet as has been the case in all Afgrican countries, the paths to independence and after have been faught with issues. In addition to the slave trade, there was also the ivory trade that brought Arabs into the Congo fostered the slave trade as well as in ivory[51]. In the late 1950s the subject of decolonialisation was brought up by President Charles de Gaulle for the French colonies in Africa fueling the desire for the same status in the Congo[52]. The Belgians â€Å"†¦were given some indication of the extent of Congolese nationalist feeling when riots broke out in the capital† in 1959[53]. The change in the overall political approach to Africa fostered the offering of free elections in 1960 and resulted in installing â€Å"†¦Patrice Lumumba as prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu as president of the renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo† [54]. Lumumba’s victory was by a narrow margin, with his party gaining just 24% of the 137 seats in the Assembly, thus â€Å"†¦underscoring the fragmentation that existed in party affiliations† [55]. As a result of the foregoing independence did not achieve the expectations that the country dreamed of. Within two weeks of the elections the country plunged into a maj or crisis â€Å"†¦following the mutiny of the former colonial army and the secession of Katanga, its richest province†[56]. The new Democratic Republic of the Congo was suffering its first crisis that lasted for four years and resulted in the deployment of U.N. peacekeeping forces[57]. Patrice Lumumba was assassinated on order from then U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower as a result of his strong communist affiliations during the Cold War period[58]. That situation enabled the United States to install their hand picked selection â€Å"†¦ Joseph Desire Mobutu, who later changed his forename to Sese Seko†, who had been a sergeant in the army The preceding was accomplished by a coup d’etat in 1965[59]. Mobutu established a dictatorship that was backed up by his military cronies, as well as the United States, Belgium and France in order to ensure that communist party forces could not regain control of what was now called Zaire[60]. The foregoing alliance was needed as Mobutu faced rebellion â€Å"†¦from armed insurgents seeking to overthrow him† [61]. The arrangement failed in 1997 when the rebels forced Mobutu to flee the country[62]. Nzongola[63] helps us to understand the linkage between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) as he advises[64]: â€Å"The insurgency that brought about Mobutus demise is directly related to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the defining moment of the current political situation in the Great Lakes region. Like the ethnic cleansing in the Katanga and Kivu provinces of Mobutus Zaire, the Rwandan genocide was partly a result of the violent backlash of authoritarian regimes against the democracy movement. In the Rwanda case, the late President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, had been in power since 1973. During 20 years of personal rule, he steadfastly refused to allow Tutsi victims of the 1959 pogrom and subsequent violence, who were in exile in neighbouring countries, to return home. Under the leadership of the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF), the Tutsi diaspora in Uganda launched a military campaign to overthrow the Habyarimana regime in October 1990. France, Belgium and Mobutus Zaire came to the dictators rescue and prevented an RPF victory.† The background history on Rwanda, in terms of the Arusha Peace Agreement that was signed on 4 August 1993, brings these two countries developmental path into closer proximity [65]. The Congo shares part of its border with Rwanda, thus affording the Tutsi a location as a rallying point for raids and attacks. Nzongola tells us[66]: â€Å"In this situation, the disintegration of the Mobutu regime provided Rwanda with an opportunity to make incursions into the Kivu provinces in order to destroy the bases of the ex-FAR and the Interahamwe, beginning in August 1996. When it appeared that the Mobutu regime was militarily incapable of challenging these incursions, Rwanda and Uganda assembled a coalition of states in Eastern and Southern Africa including Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe with the objective of getting rid of Mobutu altogether.† 4.3 Common Histories Between the Two Countries The preceding historical summaries of the violent regimes in Rwanda and the Congo have a commonality, control of these respective countries. The series of conflicts in Rwanda has resulted in large refugee populations in its neighbouring countries, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo receiving the largest number of them since the genocide of 1994[67]. The displaced persons formed the foundation for the long series of conflicts in Rwanda that â€Å"†¦has had a destabilizing effect on the entire Great Lakes region, including Rwanda[68]. As set forth in Chapter 2.0 Background, the Hutus comprise approximately 85% of the Rwandan population as farmers. One of the economic problems that has and does face the country is the scarcity of land for agriculture, along with access to resources[69]. The problem has caused cultivation to encroach on wetlands as well as reserve and national park areas in order to met the demands of the poor, with the large numbers of displaced Rwandans pl acing stress on areas such as forests and other ecologically sensitive areas[70]. Given the 85% agriculturally based Hutu population in Rwanda, land scarcity represents an issue that has plagued the country since the 1980s, which has been further exacerbated by the Tutsi / Hutu conflicts. As one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, Rwanda’s land shortage problem has been an historical facet[71]. An example of the dwindling land space in Rwanda is evidenced by the fact that the average land held by household in the country has decreased from 2 ha in 1960, down to 1.2 ha in 1984, dropping to 0.7 ha in the beginning of the 1990s, and as of 2001 just under 60% of all Rwandan household held less than 0.5 ha [72]. The country has an overall area of 26,338 square km, and a population of approximately 8 million that translates into a population density of approximately 300 people per kilometre[73]. Of the foregoing overall land total 1.3 million hectares is estimated as arable, with 165,000 hectares of marshlands, of which an estimated 50% is suitable for agriculture. Agriculture is the cornerstone of the Rwandan economy, and occupies over 90% of the country’s rural area [74]. The preceding foundation, agriculture and the economy, is fraught with issues as represented by[75]: The country has a high density of population that puts extreme pressures on land area and usage. The average cultivation plot per household is around 0.6 ha, which is below the 0.9 ha as recommended by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. The preceding conditions have led to the over utilisation of the land, made more problematic by the lack of proper crop rotation techniques and nutrient use thus leading to continued degradation. The lack of the foregoing as well as conservation methods and proper equipment has further exacerbated the problem. The genocide of 1994 is still impacting land use and agriculture in that plots left to orphans and widows by family members who are deceased has not been managed properly. The land system in Rwanda is controlled under customary law that is skewed towards the partitioning of land via a father to son inheritance system. The preceding, inheritance system, makes the land system unfavorable to women as well as female children. The poverty level of the country means that agricultural are backward, lacking proper equipment, use of nutrients and crop rotation techniques. The preceding are known problems, which the Rwandan government has addressed through the following reform measures[76]: Institutions such as the Ministry of Lands, along with the Human Settlement as well as environmental Protection policies have been established since 1999. The country has moved to develop a National land Policy as well as Land Law that are dedicated to promote the use of good land management. The main innovations under the later are represented by a new legal framework that regulates the registration of land, along with the delivery of its title through a leasehold period of 99 years. It also includes a framework that regulates land planning. Under consideration is a proposal that utilises a centrally based and computerized National Land Information System to facilitate an accurate as well as complete land database through which effective land management can be put into place. The foregoing includes district centres to gather information through survey and documentation of titles, as well as closer liaison in terms of overseeing and delivering land management procedures and utilisation. Limited natural resources in Rwanda, as represented by columbite-tantalite, cassiterite, and wolframite are the most important minerals, followed by small deposits of gold and sapphires[77]. Agriculture represents 43% of the country’s economy, which primarily consists of coffee and tea exports that have yet to return to the pre 1996 genocide levels[78]. The country’s agricultural system is comprised primarily of small family farms that keep approximately 80% of their output for their own consumption, thus leaving little for export[79]. Typical family farm growth crops consists of bananas 62.5%, sweet potatoes – 17.9%, Cassava – 4.5%, Irish potatoes – 4.3%, beans and peas – 3.9%, sorghum – 2.9%, maize – 1.4% along with wheat, soya and groundnuts[80]. In total, the planted areas still represent 87% of the 1994 levels[81]. Economically the country achieved a growth rate of 6.6% in the

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard Essay -- Scripture Analysis

Introduction Jesus was a phenomenal communicator. In fact, Jesus was the greatest communicator to ever live. He used strategies and techniques that were previously unheard of to get his point across in any situation, regardless of the circumstances. What is interesting is that his most common form of speaking was in parables. He would use these analogies to provide a way of application for the gospel in people lives. The parable about the workers in the vineyard is one of many, but is one of the few that were only told in the book of Matthew. Although there a many assumptions as to the reasoning for this, nobody can be sure of the reason why this parable is nowhere to be found in the other gospels. It is especially confusing because in this parable Jesus talks about end times and entrance into heaven; which would have been, and still is, an important subject to any believer. Matthew 20:1-16 1 â€Å"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3 â€Å"About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. â€Å"He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ 7 â€Å"‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. â€Å"He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ 8 â€Å"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘C... ...mazing, but sets an example of how believers today can use relevant and modern examples and stories to share the Gospel and continue growing the body of Christ. Works Cited Barker, Kenneth L., ed., NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008. Print. Blomberg, Craig L. "Matthew." The New American Commentary. 22. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992. Print. Davies, W. D., and Dale C. Allison. "Matthew 19-28." International Critical Commentary. New York, NY: T&T Clark International, 2004. Print. Hagner, Donald A. "Matthew 14-28." Word Biblical Commentary. 33B. Dallas, TX: Word Incorporated, 1995. Print. Keck, Leander E. "Matthew, Mark." The New Interpreter's Bible. 8. Nashville, TN: Abington Press, 1995. Print. Luz, Urich. "Mathew 8-20." Hermeneia: A Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2001. Print.

Free Essays - Notes on The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Notes on The Great Gatsby Chapter 1 Characters Introduced: * Nick Carraway - A wealthy mid-westerner in his mid-twenties who fought in world war one, currently working in New York city and living next door to Mr.Gastby. * Daisy - Nick's second cousin is very cynical and bored with the rich life, married to Tom Buchanan. * Tom Buchanan - Nick's friend from Yale, very wealthy and successful, and very pretentious. * Jordan Baker - A golfer who spends time with the Buchanan's, also very snooty. Literary Period: * "I participated in that delayed Teutonic migration known as the Great War"(7) - World War One is spoken of as the great war * "Just as things grow in fast movies"(8) - Stop motion movies were a novelty at that time. * Everybody invests or talks about stocks. Style: * Complex wording and sentence structure: "But I didn't call to him for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone - he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling."(25) Characterization: * "It's all scientific stuff; it's been proved."(17) - Tom claims to very educated, but he speaks incorrectly, saying "proved" instead of "proven" * "Something was making him nibble at the edge of stale ideas as if his sturdy physical egotism no longer nourished his peremptory heart." - Sums up Tom's attitude; he wants to be better than someone, so he finds snooty books with illogical ideas to back up his racist feeling of superiority. Literary Devices: * "secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Maecenas knew"(8) - allusion to King Midas and other fables. * "their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house."(12) - simile. * "on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon"(12) - simile * "as if each speech is in arrangement of notes that will never be played again."(13) - simile. Summary: The author, Nick Carraway moves to the New York area to become a bond man. He spends the afternoon with his second cousin, Daisy, and her husband Tom Buchanan, who are very wealthy, and the evening is filled with a lot of talk about nothing, except that Tom has a mistress somewhere.

Software Piracy Essay -- essays research papers fc

Software Piracy - Are We Doing Enough? Introduction Imagine that a person offered to break into a software store, turn off all the alarms, and hold the doors open, and allow you to take whatever you wanted from the store. This situation is faced by most computer owners everyday, not necessarily in this form, but in the form of software piracy. Software piracy is the unauthorised duplication and or distribution of copyrighted programs. There would only be select group who would not be tempted by the prospect of basically free software, most of those who are offered these kind of goods either accept them, or are unaware that they are not legitimate. No matter how this crime is being conducted, it has been estimated that this sort of crime is costing the world approximately 13 billion dollars annually. Beginnings Software piracy became popular through the use of Bulletin Boards, which allowed people to dial into other an â€Å"underground† archive of pirated software. Around this time, 31/2 Inch discs were also a popular medium for pirated software. Popularity The reason behind the widespread popularity of software piracy lies in the cost. Why pay $80 dollars for a piece of software, when you could get it for the price of a blank CD. Software piracy has boomed over recent years, which can most likely be attributed to the drop in price of CD Writers, which allow the user to copy from one CD to another in less than an hour. During the beginnings of software piracy, the floppy disc ...

Tragic Fall Classic

Scrim Review Arthur Underworld Diver university So you're sitting at home bored for hours on end, and you want something to Just take your mind away from reality and into another world where you can do whatever you as you wish. Well it sounds like you want to play a video game. Actually, it sounds like you want to play Elder Scrolls V: Scrim. This is a review of the popular cross platform video game commonly referred to as Scrim. I give this game a 9. 75 out of 10 for its amazing graphics, fantastic attention to detail, smooth gamely. Underfed harasser development, and of course, fun story line. The game starts with the main character on the verge of getting executed when he is saved by none other then a giant fire-breathing dragon. You hear from other players that dragons are extinct in this world for centuries. Obviously not. You must decide quickly whether you will escape the burning town with the imperial guard, or with the leader of the rebellion who has recently murdered the ki ng and claims that government is oppressing the natural born peoples to Scrim.This decision is not an important one, but introduces oh to the tact throughout the game you will given choices. Some of which are not simple. Simple this or that choices are prominent, but some are as complicated as do nothing and your reputation will be hindered. You soon find out that you are the dragoon. You have the power of Theme, or voice. You can yell and basically effect the world around you by either doing damage or even become Invisible. The storyline Is complicated and involves twists and plots and quite a lot of dragon killing, and inevitably, dragons killing you.Probably the most annoying part of the game. Eating stuck in a dragon fight that can take some time to finish if your not inept in magic, and all the sudden here comes another dragon, and on a rare occasion, a third or fourth dragon. Leaving you with little ability to defend yourself against an onslaught of dragons that will most like ly leave you burnt too crisp on the side of some road, The Elder Scroll series is famous for their use of the guilds. The Dark Brotherhood, an assassins' guild, the Thieves' Guild, the Fighters' Guild, and the Mages guild are all, as expected, playable in this game.I played through all the guilds this time and am glad to report that there is nothing that leaves you wanting more afterward. Being able to sneak around and play a thief or an assassin, making money and getting rewards beyond compare from regular side quests. Becoming the leader of the Mages guild was particularly rewarding, with a room full of loot and Ingredients that always regret, allowing you to restock on potion Items from hard to find Ingredients in the same room. Character development is particularly exciting In this game. Previous role playing Ames allow stats Increases by overall experience and level ups.In Scrim you level up certain buffs such a health regeneration and a big enough armor rating you can actually level up things like armor by attacking a guard and sitting there and letting the guards attack you. In about an hour your armor rating will be at 99, and you sat back and read your homework the whole time. However with skills like conjuration and lock pick, it's a little harder to level up. Unless you start lock picking, or conjuring monsters early in the game you'll find yourself with a pathetically low level near the ND of the game and needing to make up so many skill levels to level up you main level.This will be very time consuming, especially with the skills I mentioned. The first thing you'll notice about the game, however, is its graphics. Scrim has no cut scenes such as this. All the graphics are designed on the same engine that runs game play. The good and the bad for this you ask? Well loading time can get annoying, but if you download the game to your console then load times are reduced by about half. Rendering graphics can also get glitch. Sometimes an object will appe ar and twitch back and forth stuck on an invisible wall or level.This rarely effects gamely however, so is easily overlooked. Aside from the graphics, the attention to detail in every level of the game is without compare. This is an open world game, which meaner you can travel to any section of the world at any time for any reason. The countryside is full of mountains covered in snow. The valleys are full flowers and plants, all of which are able to be harvested for ingredients to sell/trade or brew potions. Every item you see can be kicked up and sold or used.Tragic Fall Classic Winning a World Series is the most coveted prize for any team in major league baseball. The â€Å"Fall Classic† of 1919 represented the power of greed. This series displayed a form of greed that may never be reached again in any professional sport. Most athletes possess the admirable greed of winning and succeeding. In 1919, six players of the Chicago White Sox showed a form of greed that rarely occu rs In such a respectable game. What most professional baseball players never get to experience was traded for cash incentives.Through all the persuasion and temptation for meeting of monetary value that some would consider worth more than a world championship, two men exhibited that true love for the game of baseball and loyalty to one's team can help overcome such temptations. This series not only represented the utter greed of 6 players, but the loyalty, strength, pride, and respect for the game of baseball that can counteract such a heinous form of greed. After winning their respected leagues, the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox faced off in the most popular sporting event in America at the time (Cook 3). Baseball during the sass was very popular.This was because the untied States was at war from 1 914 to 1919. Americans turned to the great sport of baseball to escape the harsh reality of what was going on overseas (Casino 12). In large cities like Cincinnati and Chicag o, the need to find an outlet for entertainment was easily obtained by spending the afternoon in the ballpark (Casino 13). Both teams were supported by two of the most loyal fans in the country. Both Chicago and Cincinnati had tremendous fans. Baseball was the pride and Joy for these cities in 1919. The loyalty went far beyond city limits. Fans throughout the teams respected states showed support (Cook 14).Each fan base wanted to have their baseball team represent their city in the highest fashion. Winning the World Series not only boosted the morale of an entire metropolis, it served as a symbol of littleness only reached by one city a year. Despite knowing how loyal its fans were, Chick Gandhi of the White Sox persuaded gambler Joseph Sullivan that his team could pull Off â€Å"fix† of the series (Casino 22). Gandhi persuaded Eddie Cootie, Claude (Lefty) Williams, Happy Fell's, Swede Riggers, and Fred McMullen to Join in on the fix. The money was supplied by notorious New Y ork City gangster Albert Rottenest (Casino 24).Sandal was able to persuade the players because they were offered a significant amount of money by the gamblers. This, coupled with the fact that owner Charles Commonly severely underplayed the players gave them the motivation to go through with the fix (Pistols). Charles Commonly not only underpaid his players, he also cheated them out of much more money outside of their salaries. The notorious owner has been known to not pay for the cleaning of his team's Jerseys along with cutting bonuses, not roving any sort of health benefits, and not providing proper equipment. (Lynch 18).The large sum of money offered and the mutual hatred of Charles Commonly was enough for six men to purposely attempt to lose the greatest of sporting events In the nation. Of the eight men who were offered the money to purposely lose the series, â€Å"Shoeless† Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver turned away from the temptations and played for one purpose: to brin g a World Series title to south Chicago (Lynch 2). Rumors began to circulate that the White Sox were going to lose games on purpose (Casino 30). Betting odds began to favor Cincinnati, who on paper, was the lesser of the two teams (Popsicle).In order to signal that the fix was on, pitcher Eddie Cootie hit Cincinnati leaders hitter on the second pitch (Cook 12). From that point on, everything went downhill for White Sox fans. Throughout the course of the series, almost all the players on the White Sox performed very poorly. As a team, the White Sox had a batting average of . 224 (Albright). Without Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver, they hit . 182 (Scott). Joe Jackson set a World Series record with 12 hits, while batting n astounding average of . 375, the highest on the team (Scott).Buck Weaver also had an excellent series, compiling 11 hits, 4 runs, and batting . 324 (Scott). The White Sox made the series respectable, by winning the 3rd, 6th, and 7th game of the series in an effort to avo id suspicion (A rule was changed in 1919 to extend the World Series to a best-of-9 series. ) (Casino 43). Overall, the White Sox had 12 errors, none of which were committed by Joe Jackson or Buck Weaver (Scott). In the conclusion of the Series, six men walked away with their payment for throwing the series. Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver walked away without a single cent (Popsicle).The eight players were brought to trial and were eventually found innocent (Casino 60). Despite being acquitted, the commissioner of the league stated that he will not allow the players to ever play professional baseball again because of their actions (Cook 56). The ten players who were deemed innocent by owner Charles Economies were given a $1 ,500 bonus (Scott). The 1919 World Series was from then on associated with the â€Å"Black Sox† scandal. The reputation of the elite group of players in south Chicago was destroyed and wouldn't be restored for decades to come.The eight players who were banned b y the commissioner would fight for their right to play professional baseball for many years. The commissioner was right to ban the six players who received money from the gamblers. Baseball is a game of love and respect. Without respect, the game of baseball would not have the reputation of being â€Å"America's Pastime. † People across the nation come together through their mutual love and respect for baseball. Baseball is what got many people through tough times. It provided light in a dark time during the sass.The six men who threw he series had absolutely no respect for their profession. Unfortunately, they put the game to shame for a period of time. Fans lost trust in baseball and were very disappointed with the game as a whole. Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver devoted their lives toward the great sport of baseball. Through their hard work and education, they were able to reach the highest echelon of all baseball leagues. What's even worse than the fact that Jackson and Weave r were banned from playing the sport professionally ever again, is that six men purposely lost a World Series for money.It is almost every young boys dream to win a World Series when he grows up. Six men traded a moment in their life that would be cherished forever for money which will eventually disappear. They disappointed an entire city in order to make extra money. This series showed the danger of greed along with the terrible and corrupt sacrifices people make for Jackson serve as great role models for athletes. They had too much love and respect to purposely lose such a great accolade for money (Casino 57). Jackson and Weaver should forever be an example of true love and respect for a sport.In the inventory menu you can look at every item specifically, turning it around and zooming in and out as you wish. Overall, the only problems I found with the game was with some glitches, which can be expected in any game of this magnitude. Those glitches are the only reason I didn't give this game a 10/10. This game has a storyline that draws in the player, allowing for expandable play through guilds. It has the best and most pleasing graphics yet to date, and a record making attention to detail. It's by far the best RPG Vive played.

Health care Essay

Leaders are the key people for any organization’s success, for they play an important role in directing and influencing how employees work. Leaders have a lot to do in order to promote healthy behavior by employees for instance in a health organization, leaders need to influence workers in away such that they maintain their healthy behavior at hand. Since health is a very sensitive issue, it needs a lot of concentration as pertains the behaviors of the employees. Leaders need to effect financial incentives to the workforce to encourage health behavior. This incentive tends to upgrade the health of the employee through reduction in the risk that he/she would have faced. This also have an impact on the target and efficiency on the output. For a health organization for instance, workers will produce better result for they are comfortable. There should be provision of tools that encourage safety and wellness. This helps to improve the health of the worker throughout the working period. With general fitness, the worker is healthy at the same time able to behave well when it comes to delivering, urgency and proficiency. Leaders need to involve senior management in promoting emotional health and productivity. Since the management is the one that is much close to the workforce and are the ones implementing strategies, in campaigning for this will make it possible for the out come to be a good healthy behavior from the work force. Leaders need to offer economic incentives for the betterment of the lives of the workers. When it comes to economic wellbeing, one needs to access social amenities with ease. When assisting workers in their workload as providers of their houses through gaining from the economies of scale the health organization gets, workers will access appliances easily thus enabling them to get what they need utmost cheaply. This will make their life well as they have the full diet affordably thus better health. Better health leads to better behavior. Leaders need to educate employees on safety at work. This tends to ensure they get to know how to handle things with care as health organization tend to operate with lots of risky items. With their knowledge on this, they will tend to observe correct protocol with respect thus remaining discipline. With correct protocol follower, they will never be infected thus which means they are adhering to the healthy behavior taught by the responsible body. Health care is a broad field that deals with lives of individuals. For the preparation of interviews, many areas need to be covered for the exact and discrete information to be unveiled. For my analysis, I will consider my interview questions directed to the health care interviewees. It will be categorized into five major items that need to be emphasized on.

Artificial Intelligence and Learning Computers

Artificial Intelligence & Learning Computers Presented by: S. DEEPAKKUMAR Abstract The term artificial intelligence is used to describe a property of machines or programs: the intelligence that the system demonstrates. Among the traits that researchers hope machines will exhibit are reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, communication, perception and the ability to move and manipulate objects. Constructing robots that perform intelligent tasks has always been a highly motivating factor for the science and technology of information processing.Unlike philosophy and psychology, which are also concerned with intelligence, AI strives to build intelligent entities such as robots as well as understand them. Although no one can predict the future in detail, it is clear that computers with human-level intelligence (or better) would have a huge impact on our everyday lives and on the future course of civilization Neural Networks have been proposed as an alternative to Symbolic Artificial In telligence in constructing intelligent systems. They are motivated by computation in the brain.Small Threshold computing elements when put together produce powerful information processing machines. In this paper, we put forth the foundational ideas in artificial intelligence and important concepts in Search Techniques, Knowledge Representation, Language Understanding, Machine Learning, Neural Computing and such other disciplines. Artificial Intelligence Starting from a modest but an over ambitious effort in the late 50’s, AI has grown through its share of joys, disappointments and self-realizations. AI deals in science, which deals with creation of machines, which can think like humans and behave rationally.AI has a goal to automate every machine. AI is a very vast field, which spans:  ·Many application domains like Language Processing, Image Processing, Resource Scheduling, Prediction, Diagnosis etc.  ·Many types of technologies like Heuristic Search, Neural Networks, an d Fuzzy Logic etc.  ·Perspectives like solving complex problems and understanding human cognitive processes.  ·Disciplines like Computer Science, Statistics, Psychology, etc. DEFINITION OF INTELLIGENCE & TURING TEST The Turing Test, proposed by Alan Turing (1950), was designed to provide a satisfactory definition of intelligence.Turing defined intelligent behavior as the ability to achieve human-level performance in all cognitive tasks, sufficient to fool an interrogator. Roughly speaking, the test he proposed is that the computer should be interrogated by a human via a teletype, and passes the test if the interrogator cannot tell if there is a computer or a human at the other end. His theorem (the Church-Turing thesis) states that â€Å"Any effective procedure (or algorithm) can be implemented through a Turing machine. â€Å" Turing machines are abstract mathematical entities that are composed of a tape, a read-write head, and a finite-state machine.The head can either read o r write symbols onto the tape, basically an input-output device. The head can change its position, by either moving left or right. The finite state machine is a memory/central processor that keeps track of which of finitely many states it is currently in. By knowing which state it is currently in, the finite state machine can determine which state to change to next, what symbol to write onto the tape, and which direction the head should move. Requirement of an Artificial Intelligence system No AI system can be called intelligent unless it learns & reasons like a human.Reasoning derives new information from given ones. Areas of Artificial Intelligence Knowledge Representation Importance of knowledge representation was realized during machine translation effort in early 1950’s. Dictionary look up and word replacement was a tedious job. There was ambiguity and ellipsis problem i. e. many words have different meanings. Therefore having a dictionary used for translation was not en ough. One of the major challenges in this field is that a word can have more than one meaning and this can result in ambiguity. E. g. : Consider the following sentence Spirit is strong but flesh is weak.When an AI system was made to convert this sentence into Russian & then back to English, following output was observed. Wine is strong but meat is rotten. Thus we come across two main obstacles. First, it is not easy to take informal knowledge and state it in the formal terms required by logical notation, particularly when the knowledge is less than 100% certain. Second, there is a big difference between being able to solve a problem â€Å"in principle† and doing so in practice. Even problems with just a few dozen facts can exhaust the computational resources of any computer unless it has some guidance as to which reasoning steps to try first.A problem may or may not have a solution. This is why debugging is one of the most challenging jobs faced by programmers today. As the r ule goes, it is impossible to create a program which can predict whether a given program is going to terminate ultimately or not. Development in this part was that algorithms were written using foundational development of vocabulary and dictionary entries. Limitations of the algorithm were found out. Later Formal Systems were developed which contained axioms, rules, theorems and an orderly form of representation was developed. For example, Chess is a formal system.We use rules in our everyday lives and these rules accompany facts. Rules are used to construct an efficient expert system having artificial intelligence. Important components of a Formal System are – Backward Chaining i. e. trying to figure out the content by reading the sentence backward and link each word to another, Explanation Generation i. e. generating an explanation of whatever the system has understood, Inference Engine i. e. submitting an inference or replying to the problem. Reasoning It is to use the sto red information to answer questions and to draw new conclusions.Reasoning means, drawing of conclusion from observations. Reasoning in AI systems work on three principles namely: DEDUCTION: Given 2 events ‘P’ & ‘Q’, if ‘P’ is true then ‘Q’ is also true. E. g. : If it rains, we can’t go for a picnic. INDUCTION: Induction is a process where in , after studying certain facts , we reach to a conclusion. E. g. : Socrates is a man; all men are mortal; therefore Socrates is mortal. ABDUCTION: ‘P’ implies ‘Q’, but ‘Q’ may not always depend on ‘P’. E. g. : If it rains , we can’t go for a picnic. The fact that we are not in a position to go for a picnic does not mean that it is training.There can be other reasons as well. Learning The most important requirement for an AI system is that it should learn from its mistakes. The best way of teaching an AI system is by training & te sting. Training involves teaching of basic principles involved in doing a job. Testing process is the real test of the knowledge acquired by the system wherein we give certain examples & test the intelligence of the system. Examples can be positive or negative. Negative examples are those which are ‘near miss’ of the positive examples. Natural Language Processing (NLP) NLP can be defined as: ? Processing of data in the form of natural language on the computer. I. e. making the computer understand the language a normal human being speaks.  ·It deals with under structured / semi structured data formats and converting them into complete understandable data form. The reasons to process natural language are; Generally – because it is exciting and interesting, Commercially – because of sheer volume of data available online, Technically – because it eases out Computer-Human interaction. NLP helps us in  ·Searching for information in a vast NL (natural language) database. Analysis i. e. extracting structural data from natural language.  ·Generation of structured data.  ·Translation of text from one natural language to other. Example: English to Hindi. Application Spectrum of NLP  ·It provides writing and translational aids.  ·Helps humans to generate Natural Language with proper spelling, grammar, style etc.  ·It allows text mining i. e. information retrieval, search engines text categorization, information extraction.  ·NL interface to database, web software system, and question answer explanation in an expert system.There are four procuring levels in NLP: 1. Lexical – at word level it involves pronunciation errors. 2. Syntactical – at the structure level acquiring knowledge about the grammar and structure of words and sentences. Effective representation and implementation of this allows effective manipulation of language in respect to grammar. This is usually implemented through a parser. 3. Semantic â €“ at the meaning level. 4. Pragmatic – at the context level. Hurdles There are various hurdles in the field of NLP, especially speech processing which result in increase in complexity of the system.We know that, no two people on earth can have similar accent and pronunciations. This difference in style of communicating results in ambiguity. Another major problem in speech processing understands of speech due to word boundary. This can be clearly understood from the following example: I got a plate. / I got up late. Universal Networking Language This is a part of natural language processing. The key feature of a machine having artificial intelligence is its ability to communicate and interact with a human. The only means for communication and interaction is through language.The language being used by the machine should be understood by all humans. Example of such a language is ENGLISH. UNL is an artificially developed language consisting universal word library, universal concepts, universal rules and universal attributes. Necessity of UNL is that a computer needs capability to process knowledge and content recognition. Thus UNL becomes a platform for the computer to communicate and interact. Vision (Visibility Based Robot Path Planning) Consider a moving robot. There are two things, robots have to think and perform while moving from one place to another: . Avoid collision with stationary and moving objects. 2. Find the shortest distance from source to destination. One of the major problems is to find a collision free path amidst obstacles for a robot from its starting position to its destination. To avoid collision two things can be done viz 1) Reduce the object to be moved to a point form. 2) Give the obstacles some extra space. This method is called Mikownski method of path planning. Recognizing the object and matching it with the contents of the image library is another method.It included corresponding matching and depth understanding, edge detec tion using idea of zero crossing and stereo matching for distance estimation. For analysis, it also considers robot as a point body. Second major problem of path planning is to find the shortest path. The robot has to calculate the Euclidean distance between the starting and the ending points. Then it has to form algorithms for computing visibility graphs. These algorithms have certain rules associated with. OJoin lesser number of vertices to reduce complexity. ODivide each object into triangles.OPut a node in each triangle and join all of them. OReduce the unnecessary areas because they might not contribute to the shortest path. OCompute minimum link path and proceed. This problem of deciding shortest path prevails. Robot might be a bulky and a huge object so can’t be realized as a point. Secondly a robot is a mechanical body which can’t turn instantly so it has to follow the procedure of wait-walk-wait-turn-wait-walk—- which is very time-consuming and so not f easible. Therefore shortest distance should have minimum number of turns associated with it.For path planning the robot has to take a snap shot of the area it is going to cover. This snap shot is processed in the above mentioned ways and then the robot moves. But then the view changes with every step taken. So it has to do the calculation at every step it takes which is very time consuming and tedious. Experts decided to make the robot take the snap shot of the viewable distance and decide the path. But this again becomes a problem because the device used for viewing will have certain limitation of distance. Then these experts came to a conclusion that the robot be given a fixed parameter i. . take to take the snap shot of a fixed distance say 10 meters, analyze it and decide the shortest path. Neural-networks Neural networks are computational consisting of simple nodes, called units or processing elements which are linked by weighted connections. A neural network maps input to outp ut data in terms of its own internal connectivity. The term neural network derives from the obvious nervous system analogy of the human brain with processing elements serving as neurons and connection weights equivalent to the variable synaptic strengths.Synapses are connections between neurons – they are not physical connections, but miniscule gaps that allow electric signals to jump across from neuron to neuron. Dendrites carry the signals out to the various synapses, and the cycle repeats. Let us take an example of a neuron: It uses a simple computational technique which can be defined as follows y= 0 if ? Wi Xi ? Where ? is threshold value Wi is weight Xi is input Now this neuron can be trained to perform a particular logical operation like AND. The equivalent neural network simulation for AND function is given on the left and its equation format on the right.Perceptron training convergence theorem Whatever be the initial choice of the weights, the PTA will eventually con verge by finding the correct weight values provided the function being trained is linearly separable. This implies Perceptron Training Algorithm will absorb the threshold with negative weight. ? Wi Xi + (-1) ? ? 0 A B Y 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 W1 + 0 W2 =0 (< ? ) 0 W1 +1 W2 =0 (< ? ) 1 W1 +0 W2 =0 (< ? ) 1 W1 +1 W2 =1 (>? ) 0 W1 + 0 W2 =0 < ? 0 W1 +1 W2 =1 > ? 1 W1 +0 W2 =1 > ? 1 W1 +1 W2 =0 < ?Conclusion AI combined with various techniques in neural networks, fuzzy logic and natural language processing will be able to revolutionize the future of machines and it will transform the mechanical devices helping humans into intelligent rational robots having emotions. Expert systems like Mycin can help doctors in diagnosing patients. AI systems can also help us in making airline enquiries and bookings using speech rather than menus. Unmanned cars moving about in the city would be reality with further advancements in AI systems.Also with the advent of VLSI techniques, FPGA chips are bei ng used in neural networks. The future of AI in making intelligent machines looks incredible but some kind of spiritual understanding will have to be inculcated into the machines so that their decision making is governed by some principles and boundaries. References 1. Department of Computer Science & Engineering – Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay 2. AI – Rich & Knight 3. Principles of AI – N J Nelson 4. Neural Systems for Robotics – Omid Omidvar 5. http://www. elsevier. nl/locate/artint 6. http://library. thinkquest. org/18242/essays. shtml