Improving Student Learning When Budgets Are Tight (Ch. 3 Summary) Essay

Improving Student Learning When Budgets Are Tight (Ch. 3 Summary) - Essay Example Thus the author’s major argument is that schools and districts should develop strategic plans to successfully cope with tightening budgets. According to the author there are four major reasons why schools are facing problems with cost increases, namely, smaller classes, more electives, automatic pay increases, and growing benefit costs (Odden, 2012, 47-49). First, some schools and districts reduce class sizes in the belief that it will improve student performance. Such belief is supported by several studies which reported improvements in the academic achievement of students who belong in smaller classes. However, these smaller class sizes are only effective in early grades. Second, more elective courses demand greater costs because they are usually made up of smaller classes. Third, as expected, automatic pay increases boost costs. Teachers and administrators are automatically given salary increase every time they acquire more experience or move up to a higher qualification le vel. Unfortunately, this salary system is not associated with greater academic performance and better teaching; it merely increases costs. And lastly, pension and health benefits, especially for those currently employed, also add pressure to education resources. All of these four factors undoubtedly increase education costs, but with little or no positive impact on student learning or academic performance. The author provides several strategic methods to resolve the dilemma of increasing costs and flat performance, such as definite objectives, a plan of action, and a clear strategic budgeting plan. Those schools with adequate resources but experiencing budget cutbacks must only consider strategies that will have the least effect on academic performance, such as a smaller number of administrators and instructional aides. On the other hand, those schools with insufficient funding must leave out small class sizes and consider more instructional coaches to enhance core classroom instruc tion (Odden, 2012, 50-52). In essence, a general plan of action can offer guidance to both sufficiently and insufficiently funded schools. The Midwestern middle school example shows how a substantially funded school can improve student learning without having to increase costs or demand additional resources. The problems with the school are that it has too many staff, but no instructional coaches and tutors, and lacking in collaborative work which could promote student learning. According to the analysis, the school can in fact afford all the staffing needed to significantly enhance student learning (Odden, 2012, 54). Numerous staff positions and electives can be reallocated to areas that have greater impact on student performance, such as those for struggling students (e.g. poor, disabled, etc). The analysis shows that the suggested staffing allocation could drastically enhance academic performance without additional staffing and/or funding. One of the main suggestions given to suc cessfully address the issue of tightening budget in education is increasing class sizes in order to reallocate resources to other more important areas, like programs for struggling students. As mentioned previously, studies have found that smaller class sizes positively impact student learning in early grades, but nothing has been

Young Modulus of Copper Essay Example for Free

Young Modulus of Copper Essay Theory The following quantities is important for the experiments concerns: Stress is defined as ? =Force / Cross-sectional area ( F/A ) Strain is defined as ? = Extension / Natural length ( e/l ) The ratio of Stress to Strain, is the Young modulus (E= ?/?) Since a stiffer material requires larger stress to produce the same strain , a stiffer material would have a greater Young modulus ( a greater slope in a graph of ? against ? ) . For a non brittle material, usually there are two stages of deformation before breaking. Stage 1 : Elastic deformation In this stage, the wire would return to its natural length when the stress is removed. Hookes law is usually obeyed in this stage, therefore the graph is almost a straight line. When the wire is further stretched, it reaches the elastic limit and get into stage 2. Stage 2 : Plastic deformation In this stage, the stress is not directly proportional to the strain and and a small amount of stress can produce a large strain. If the wire passes the yield point, its will have permanent extension and will not return to its original length. Finally, when the wire is kept to stretched, it will break at the breaking point. Procedure Experiment 1: Study the stress-strain behaviour of a copper wire 1.A micrometer screw gauge was used to measure the diameter of the copper wire at several points. Mean value was taken and the cross-sectional area of the wire was calculated. 2.A pulley was mounted on one side of the table. A 2 m segment of the wire was cut out and was clamped firmly by using a G-clamp which was at a distance about 1.5 m form the pulley. 3.The wire was placed over the pulley. Some newspapers were put one the ground below the pulley. 4.A label marker is sticked on the wire at a distance about 0.5 m from the pulley. A metre rule was placed below the wire and was fixed on the table by sticky tape. 5.A 100g hanger was tied to wire. 6.The length between the G-clamp and the sticker, which represents the natural length, was measured. 7.100g load was added to the hanger one by one , and the extension was recorded each time. 8.Load was kept increasing until the wire broke. Experiment 2 : Elastic deformation and Young modulus 1.A new wire of the same length and thickness was used and steps 1 to 7 in experiment 1 were repeated. 2.Load was added to the hanger carefully. All the load were removed each time to check whether the wire would return to the original length. Results were recorded. 3.Step 2 was repeated until the elastic limit was just exceeded. Precautions 1.The hanger should be more than 0.5 m above the newspapers. This allows the wire to get enough space for extensions before it breaks. Also it should not be kept too high from the ground, this may cause the tiles of the floor to break. 2.The sticker should not be placed too close to the pulley. If not the wire may touch the pulley when the wire is extended. A distance of 0.4 m is preferred. 3.The load should be added to the hanger slowly and carefully. This is to avoid exerting impulse to the wire and making the masses to oscillate. Otherwise the wire may get extra extension and make the records not appropriate. 4.Records should be taken only after the sticker stops moving. This is because the wire takes time to extend itself, especially at the later stage when the wire passed the elastic limit and was near breaking. Results Diameter of the copper wire: D1 D2 D3 D4 Mean Value (in à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½0.005mm) 0.370 0.365 0.670 0.370 0.3688 Natural length of the wire=1.15m Experiment 1: Load(kg) 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 Extension(10^-3 m) 0 0.5 0.5 1 1 1.5 1.5 2.0 Load(kg) 0.9 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Extension(10^-3 m) 2.5 2.5 3.0 3.0 3.5 4.0 5.5 12 Load(kg) 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Broken Extension(10^-3 m) 19 34 46 60 77 98 125 / Maximum load for elastic deformation=1.3 kg Load for breaking the wire=2.3 kg Experiment 2 : Load(kg) 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 Extension (10^-3) 0 0.5 0.8 1 1.2 1.5 1.5 2 Load(kg) 0.9 1 1.1 1.2 Elastic limit exceeded Extension(10^-3) 2.5 2.5 3 3.5 / / / Calculations Graphs Maximum possible error of metre rule = 0.1 cm=0.01m Maximum possible error of micrometer screw gauge =0.005mm=510^-6 m Cross-sectional area of the wire = 1.06810^-7 m^2 Percentage error = 26.77810^-3 =1.3557% ?Cross-sectional area = (1.071 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 0.01)x10^-7 m^2 Experiment 1 Stress Strain relationship: Stress (M Pa) 9.345 18.69 28.03 37.38 46.73 56.07 65.42 74.76 Strain (10^-3) 0 0.4348 0.4348 0.8696 0.8696 1.304 1.304 1.7392 Stress (M Pa) 84.11 93.45 102.8 112.1 121.5 130.8 140.1 149.5 Strain (10^-3) 2.174 2.174 2.609 2.609 3.043 3.478 4.783 10.44 Stress (M Pa) 158.9 168.2 177.6 186.9 196.3 205.6 215.0 Broken Stress (10^-3) 16.52 29.57 40.00 52.61 66.96 82.61 108.7 / Stress at elastic limit=124 M Pa Percentage error=Percentage error of the area of the wire =1.3557% ?Stress at elastic limit=(124 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 2)M Pa Breaking stress=(215 Pa à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 3)M Pa Experiment 2: Stress Strain relationship up to elastic limit: Stress (M Pa) 9.345 18.69 28.03 37.38 46.73 56.07 65.42 74.76 Strain (10^-3) 0 0.4673 0.7477 0.9346 1.121 1.402 1.402 1.869 Stress (M Pa) 84.11 93.45 102.8 112.1 Elastic limit exceeded Strain (10^-3) 2.336 2.336 2.804 3.271 / / / Mean of the stress=60.7 M Pa Mean of the strain=1.5610^-3 Slope of the best-fit line=38.9 G Pa Maximum slope=42.2 G Pa Minimum slope=30.0 G Pa Mean error=(38.9-36.1)=2.8 G Pa ?Young modulus of the copper wire=(38.9 à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ 2.8)G Pa Errors and Difficulties 1.There were systematic errors in this experiment. The masses were not weighted to check what its actual weight is. The wire may not be made of pure copper. The air temperature may vary due to air-conditioners. Besides, gravitational acceleration is taken as 10ms^-2 instead of 9.8ms^-2 2.There was a random error in viewing the sticker. Since the sticker had a few distance from the ruler, errors due to parallax would arise if we view form a little bit right or left. So it is difficult to obtain the precise value. To improve this, a nail can be added onto the sticker. The nail was more stable and gave readings very sharply. 3.At the beginning of the experiment, the wire is very uneven. The first few extensions we taken may be only due to the reform of the wire into a straight shape.(just like stretching a spring into a straight wire) Discussion 1.Near the breaking point, the shape of the wire is very narrow. 2.During elastic deformation, the hanger falls and loses gravitational potential energy. This energy change to elastic potential energy. If the wire is unloaded, the energy will be restored to GPE and the wire will return to is original length. 3.During plastic deformation, the loss of gravitational potential energy becomes the work done to increase the length of the wire (increase the separations of the particles in the wire). This energy would not be restored even the wire is unloaded. 4.Double of the amount of the load is required to break the wires. Conclusion To obtain the Young modulus of the copper wire by this experiment is convenient. A few apparatus and steps are needed, and it only involves easy calculations. But by comparing to the actual value(124G Pa), the result we get (38.9 G Pa) has a great difference from it. This may due to the experiment is done in several assumptions and estimations. We assumed g=10ms^-2 and the wire is made of pure copper. We neglected environmental factors and assumed the wire was stretched evenly in every parts. In short, although the experiment is not accurate enough, it provides a good chance for students to practice what they have learned. It is quite shocked that a very thin and long wire can withstand more than 2 kg load.

Leadership Theories Relevant In Contemporary Organisations Management Essay

Leadership Theories Relevant In Contemporary Organisations Management Essay Introduction Leadership theories talk about different methods or ways that a leader follows to complete a given task with a group of people (followers or subordinates). These theories also talk about leaders behavior, character, knowledge, and the environment the team is working in. as it is the leaders task to complete the given work in given time and environment. Different theories talk about different leadership styles or methods a leader can choose to follow to complete the given task. Leadership theories relevant in contemporary organisations: Leaders play a vital role in determining the organizations effectiveness. Effective leaders are critical to the effectiveness of the contemporary organizations. Whether leadership can be taught, or even how effective it might are the question to answer (Collinson and Keith in year 2005). Leadership is not just a single man process, but it is a shared process (Hunt and Murrel 1997, 2004), leaders can become followers and followers can become leaders depending on the process, situation and the task. In simple terms, leadership is a process in which an individual or a group influences others to accomplish a specific task providing the necessary directions to the organization to become more effective. With growing technology and globalization, organizations are competing with each other like never before. As a result, how well and organization can use its resources plays a very important role. Some also argue that the effects of a leader on an organization are less when comparing with po litical, economical and environmental forces (Lieberson and OConnor, 1972; Pfeffer, 1977), natural disaster in Japan recently is a perfect example of this. Situational Leadership Theory The situational leadership theory which is first introduced as life cycle theory was developed b Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard says, the effective leadership varies not only with the person or group but many other factors influencing the organization like environment, politics, economics, etc, which can affect the workflow of the organization. So, the most successful leaders are those who can adapt their leadership styles according to the situation and to the maturity of the individual or group they are attempting to lead or influence. Maturity can be seen as 1. The ability or capacity to set high but achievable goals. 2. Responsibility and commitment to complete the task. 3.Relevant education and experience with respect to task. There are two fundamental concepts in Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership theory. Leadership styles. Individuals or groups maturity level. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory) Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership theory talks about four different leadership styles and four different maturity levels of the individual or group. How different leadership styles can help different maturity levels is what the theory is about. M1/S1: If the individual or group is not matured enough, leader should constantly tell them and direct them towards the goal. M2/S2: If the maturity level is medium and skills are limited, leader should coach them and direct them towards the goal, not constantly. M3/S3: If the maturity level is medium and the skill level is high, leader should participate with the group or individual and support them to achieve the goal. M4/S4: If the individual or the group is highly matured, leader involves him/her self in the process to check the development or the progress of the task. (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_44.htm). Some of the factors that will affect the leaders decisions are: Capacity and the influence of the leader. Capacity and motivation of the subordinates or followers. Relation between leader and team. How serious is the situation or amount of the pressure on the leader and the team. What are the resources available for the leader and the team? As a leader plays a major in any organisation, it is important to have necessary information and knowledge about the planning and should have a clear vision. So, he or she can help the team or subordinates to have clear vision and together they can archive the common goal. There are many strategies a leader can approach (like task oriented or people oriented etc). However the approach can change according to the situation. In many areas situation plays major role, so understanding the situation and supporting the team will help the leader and the team to reach the desired goal. Leaders should mainly know about: Subordinates or followers motivation and capacity to work in various situations. Do all the subordinates know or understand what they should do ( action plan or vision )? How the work is organised. Understanding between team members (it plays a major role in completing task). What are the resources that are available? Information about external groups that a leader can coordinate and take support form in unpredictable situations. Herseys and Blanchards Situational Leadership Theory illustrates the development of the team in four stages. The four stages are: Forming: Forming a team. It is important for the leader to select a team with a group with enough information and knowledge which helps leader forming plans and take actions to complete the tasks. Storming: leader should have a clear vision of what he or she is doing and should have a clear plan how to do it. Leader when has a clear vision he or she can help the team to form a clear vision which helps the team to reach their goal. Clarity is very important for the leader and the followers. Norming: Understanding between the team members or followers is very important for the team leader, as it plays very important role for the leaders life. If the team members have a good understanding it is easy for the leader to complete the task with less trouble in unwanted situations. Performing: Leader with all the information and knowledge about the task and all the resources that organization has, to complete the task. Making a perfect business plan is just beginning but performing according to the plan is tough and not easy. With proper motivation and leaders charm it is possible to complete the task. (http://www.businessballs.com/slanalysis.htm) (http://www.ehow.com/situational-leadership/) (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_44.htm) Disadvantages/Limitations of the Situational Leadership Theory This model was unable to differentiate between management style and leadership style. What leadership is all about, is it making decisions or motivating and inspiring and helping followers / subordinates? Concentrates a lot on what leader does for him/her self and for the team and for the organization. (http://www.12manage.com/methods_blanchard_situational_leadership.html)

Frankenstein :: essays research papers

How do people change in times of crisis and tragedy? In the novel â€Å"Frankenstein† by Mary Shelley, Victor learns a lesson in thinking before acting. Before creating the monster, he only cares about his studies and is relatively happy. After his creation, his studies become his phobia and his creation (which, while constructing him, used to be his love) became his tormentor. In the end, he learns his lesson and stops himself before committing the same mistake again. In creating life, one learns to live life a little wiser.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  IN the beginning, Victor has a happy and almost carefree life. His home seems a place â€Å"†¦from which care and pain seemed for ever banished† (36). With a family such as his, no burdens seem to exist on his back. He has an entertaining mother, a father as a teacher, affection demanding brothers, and a gentle Elizabeth. He simply has no concerns. When Catherine (on her deathbed) joined the hands of Elizabeth and Victor saying, â€Å"†¦my firmest hopes of future happiness were placed on the prospect of you union† (37), it shows that Victor’s love life is also worry-free. Allowing him to further pursue his primary love, his studies. In stating, â€Å"I ardently desired the acquisition of knowledge† (40), Victor shows that his first priority is his studies. Even in leaving all he has ever known (family and friends), he only wants learn. Before creating life, his world is dandy†¦ with only the amount of knowledge he acquire s being his worry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Furthermore, after his creation breathes its first breath, Victor already despises it, which leads to his health’s deterioration and hatred of his previous love. His love quickly changes to despise when he says, â€Å"I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart† (53). His statement shows how his heart does a complete 1800 and stops loving the monster the moment it lives. When Victor’s â€Å"†¦heart palpitated in the sickness of fear†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (54), it proves how his monster tormented his creator without having to be near him. Which also leads to the teaching of the lesson â€Å"think before you act†.

Criminal Justice/Corrections Essay

Imprisonment is one of the many forms of punishment for commission of crimes in the United States. The length of time of imprisonment depends on the seriousness of the crime committed. The most serious crime of murder and homicide is punishable by life imprisonment and the felon will be confined in federal prisons. Those convicted with less serious crimes like misdemeanor offenses will be sentenced to shorter time in local or county jail or with sanctions in community corrections or halfway house. Overcrowding in jails and prisons has been a common sight in most of the correctional institutions in the United States. The nicnic. org. (2001) through a report from the GRACE Project of Volunteers of America revealed that â€Å"while 500,000 persons are admitted and released from state and federal prisons annually, twenty times that amount – over eleven million are admitted and released from jails annually†. This goes to show that at any given time of the year, the United States is maintaining and or feeding 10. 5 million inmates. The organization further revealed that jail populations grew at a lower rate of 275% since 1980 while the federal prison population increased by 427% in the same period. This unprecedented growth in inmate population is not expected and causing big budget deficit from the state level up to the federal level of government. In as much as the inmate population continue rising and only a small number over the years has left federal prisons due to completion of their imprisonment as punishment for their crimes, a big number of aging offenders which require higher spending due to their geriatric- related ailments complicated the problem. This paper aims to document the extent of the aging offenders population across the U. S. the reasons for the increase and the roblems associated with it. Furthermore, this paper will also offer solutions to the problems based from the documented causes and experiences of the different states in dealing with the problems. A number of states in the U. S. expressed alarm over the inescapable fact that in their effort to rid society of undesirable and lawless elements, their jails and prisons became jam-packed. Feeding and housing these inmates especially the aging offenders cost them a lot more, sacrificing their budget for education. The affected states realize the generally accepted fact that education should be more financially supported than prisoners as this is the proven most effective way to raise a new generation of responsible and law abiding citizens. West Virginia reported that prison population in this state exceeded the national average owing to its 9. 3% incarceration which is the highest among the U. S. states. The non-profit organization further reported that between 1994 and 2004, the inmate population in West Virginia increased from 2,392 to 5,032 or 110% increase. Thegrassrootleadership. org (n. d. reported that the state projected that by 2012, the inmate population will increase by 35% over that of 2004 level or a total of 6,774 inmates to feed and maintain. Although the increasing population of aging inmates is not mentioned, common sense will tell that the population is included since most of the aging population is sentenced to anguish in prisons for life. The state government in order to cope up with the unprecedented increase, spent $100 million to build new prisons. The organization further reported that in the last 10 years, the Division of Corrections of West Virginia tripled its expenditure. To this effect, the state has increased spending for inmates five times the amount for higher education and other social services. In absolute figures, according to grassrootleadership. org, the state of West Virginia appropriated $6,435 per full time college student and $19, 377 per person incarcerated by DOC. Inflation adjusted, the amount per college student is 33% higher than in 1994 while the amount per inmate increased 169% or five times the amount per student The grassrootleadership. g reported that West Virginia government consider the very strict policy of the state regarding sentencing and parole as the cause of this urge in inmate population. To minimize this effect, the state consider â€Å"Implementing a cap on the number of people incarcerated [†¦.. ], along with re-examining sentencing and parole policies in the state that can lead to an end of the soaring number of incarcerations. A thorough re- examination of the recent parole policy of the state is in order† (grassrootleadership. rg, n. d. conclusion, 2nd par. ). In addition to this strategy, the Day Report Center alternative which set aside incarceration for misdemeanor crimes in favor of community service, home incarceration nd boards created for reparation is also put in place. A saving of about $ 42-63 million per year can be realized from seven centers based from the Lee Day Report Center cost experience of $14. 00 per day per inmate. The state of Florida recognized the increasing number of aging offenders in their prisons. The Florida Correction Commission (n. d. eported that in 2000, The Florida Legislature instructed and required the Department of Corrections to establish and operate a facility for elderly inmates at the River Junction Correctional Institution in Chattahoochee. The Florida Correction Commission (FCC) further reported that the Florida Legislature required the Correctional Medical Authority (MDA) and the FCC to submit an annual report on the medical health status of aging offenders in the state administered and private institutions together with an examination of geriatric policies being implemented in other states. The FCC revealed that the cost of maintaining an elderly prisoner is three times the cost for a younger inmate. The reason for this is the geriatric problems associated with aging specially in a confined environment where depression always linger. The FCC further revealed that age 50 should be the starting point for elderly inmate definition. The FCC reported further that per their observation, there were three basic groups of older inmates, the first time offenders, the habitual or career criminals and those that has grown old in prison waiting for the end of their sentenced imprisonment. According to FCC, inmates 55 years and older on the average were suffering from three chronic health problems that require specialized and expensive treatment as in the case of about 15 to 25% of heir elderly inmates having mental health problems. For this reason, the aging inmates contributed greatly to their huge medical expenses. In the year 2000, the FCC reported that there were 5,082 aging offenders which represent 54. 9% increase from 1995 level. In June 2000 out of a total of 71,233 inmates, the number of 50 year and above offenders increased to 5,605. It is projected that by 2010, the Florida elderly inmates will swell to 8. % of the total inmates. The FCC further revealed from their survey that 62. 8% of the elderly inmates were prisoned due to violent offenses and therefore require longer imprisonment. The state of Florida recognizes the significance of the third type of aging patients or those who grew old in prison in addition to national and state laws requiring longer prison sentences as the contributing factor to rise of their aging offender population. The FCC reported that at present, no geriatric facility except for River Junction Correctional Institution in Chattahoochee is devoted to the aging offender population. The state government plans to segregate the older population according to geriatric health needs and the security level needed so that the number of ail guards can be adjusted especially in minimum security segregated group for economic reasons. The FCC further reported that the Florida Department of Elder Affairs develop a course on elderly abuse, neglect and exploitation to produce certified individuals to carry out preventive medical intervention so that elderly diseases will not become acute and more costly to cure. Studies were also being undertaken to release elderly inmates who does not pose danger to society anymore due to their frail stature. Lastly, the Florida state is conducting survey as to the ost they will incur and the economic benefits if their preemptive programs will be implemented. The state of Georgia is also not exempt in aging offender problem. The Associated Press (2000) revealed that in 1979, there were about 570 convicts aged 50 and up, increased to 3,050 in June 1999 and 5,000 in 2004. The Georgia prison officials estimated that the elderly inmates could swell to 9,000 by 2010. The Associated Press further reported that like in other states, the cost of maintaining the elderly offenders is becoming more and more costly. The newspaper revealed that healthcare cost for average Georgia prisoner now amounts to $8. 25 a day. For an elderly offender 50 years old and above, the cost is $27. 00 a day or about $10,000 a year. The newspaper continue saying that the elderly offenders in Georgia prisons represents about 6% of the whole inmate population but the expense in maintaining them amounts to 12% of the annual health care budget for inmates. This so because the elderly inmates require costly and more specialized health care practices owing to their special geriatric problems. Georgia prison fficials revealed that longer prison sentences, tighter parole approvals and the inevitable aging of those prisoners waiting for the completion of their terms contributed to the swelling population of aging offenders. In addition, the â€Å"The two Strikes and You’re Out† law (Associated Press, Elderly Inmates Swell, 13th par. enacted by Georgia in 1994 which punishes a felon who commit crime of armed robbery, aggravated child molestation and sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, rape and kidnapping to a mandatory 10 year sentence without parole. The newspaper added that a second violation of any of the six felonies or murder, the felon gets a andatory life sentence without parole. All of these resulted to stacking effect of offenders in jails until the whole population get grayer and larger and more costly to handle. Associated Press further reported that John Kerbs, a researcher on criminal justice from University of Michigan suggested selective decarceration to ease the problem of swelling aging offenders’ population in Georgia prison system. This includes more often officials’ parole review of elderly inmates , electronic monitoring of graying offenders in release programs that is closely supervised and edical paroles for chronic and terminally ill inmates. Based from available studies, the states of Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas share the same problem on aging offenders as the states we have discussed. However, not all states in the U. S. look at aging offenders with compassion and understanding. One such state is California. Times staff writer, Warren, J (2002) reported that the California Department of Corrections is well aware of the aging prison population. The state according to the writer is well aware of the fact that the cost of maintaining aging offender is thrice the cost of that of the younger inmates. Longer sentences and substantial decline in paroles were considered as the cause of the rise in number of aging inmates. The Times staff writer further stated that the state in this times of economic belt tightening faces a $24 billion deficit mainly because of the health care expenses of the graying inmate population. Despite this, the state of California is hesitant to implement cost cutting strategies unlike the other U. S. states. The felons, young and old are mixed in cells. Although the idea of segregation based on age, health status and security needed is being considered, that never got off the ground due to the fact that the Correction and state officials are against it. A typical day in the life of an aging offender is a struggle against extortion, insult, bullying and disrespect from the stronger and younger inmates. The correction officials claim that segregation require additional upfront cost in terms of new buildings and prison facilities and this have no room in a state with huge budget deficit. The prison officials laim that offenders did crimes to society and so they have to suffer the consequences in prison. The staff writer said that nobody in the state legislature is bent to be soft in treating offenders. They even passed a law called â€Å"Three strike and you’re out† law to address the problem of the habitual offenders. This law sentences a felon to life imprisonment with no parole provision on the third crime conviction regardless of the nature of the wrong doing. The writer revealed that the population of inmate in California federal prison as of 2002 is about 4% of the total inmates f 5,800 men and women. According to the writer California reported an expenditure of $676 million on medical care of inmates but decline how much is for the elderly. The author further stated that California prison officials conceded the fact that the elderly require a 24 hour hospice care, high cost cardiac care, costly organ transplants, expensive cancer treatment and closely supervised treatment for dementia. On the national perspective, the U. S. Bureau of Prisons total inmate health care expenditures from 1990 to 1999 amounted to $2. 7 billion (U. S. General Accounting Office, 000). The GAO office also recognizes the fact that aging inmate population contributed greatly to this expenditure. The BOP also consider the changes in sentencing laws like mandatory minimum sentencing and the habitual criminality conviction as contributory to graying of the federal prisons. To economize on health care expenditures with emphasis to aging offenders’ health care, the GAO consider several options. The GAO encourage the states’ prison officials to obtain discounts through bulk purchases of states’ prison system needs and privatizing health care services in some states. This will involve appointing specialized private hospitals as alternative to government run health care services in cases of mounting geriatric health care problems patterned after the â€Å"Medicare- based cap on payments† ( GAO 2000, Summary, 3rd par). This according to GAO will save the government about $6 million annually. The GAO also proposed payment of $2. 00 per request visit over the usual round of doctors. This co-payment scheme is aimed to reduce unnecessary medical visit requests by the inmate disrupting the busy doctors. The co-payment scheme will generate revenue of about $1 million annually. It has been documented that the most compelling problem of aging offenders is the inability of some states to deliver the needed medical care for their ailment. The Bureau of Prisons admitted that a number of states is not ready to tackle the rising population of elderly offenders in their prison system resulting to huge budget deficits. This is due to the fact that it cost three times higher to maintain elderly offender than a younger one and five times higher than the expense of a college student. The geriatric ailments are more expensive to cure. To check the inevitable increase of aging offenders’ number in the prison system, a systematic approach should be done. The sentencing and parole system should be soft in dealing with the elderly inmates. The prison should start with the segregation of the elderly based from the state of their health and their physical ability and capacity to do crimes to society. The terminally ill, frail and weak should be given medical parole and let them join the main stream of society. They have suffered a lot of physical and mental punishment in jail in exchange for the crime they have committed. Those who are still strong but behaving well in prisons should be given parole but will be required to report to Day Report Centers to determine the progress of their assimilation to the mainstream of society. Those having mental problems should be confined to hospice care centers under minimum security. The sickly but still able bodied should be separated from the rest and should pay $2 per requested doctor visit over the normal doctors’ daily round. The able bodied and wild ones should be housed separately and placed under strict security until they mellow down and complete their imprisonment sentence. The â€Å"two and three strikes and you’re out† law will take care of habitual offenders. Other cost control strategies proposed by GAO can be considered seriously by the states now that the aging offender problems were given full attention to further realize cost savings.. The recommendations are based on the philosophy of win- win strategy in decision making. Considering them will rid federal prisons of unnecessary huge expenses, give freedom to deserving aged inmates and let the states use the savings for education of the youth to produce a new generation of able- bodied and law-abiding citizens.

Do you aspire to live a stress-free life You might want to reconsider.

Do you aspire to live a stress-free life You might want to reconsider. STRESS. Just the word brings on a quickening of my heartbeat, a tightening in my chest and upper back, and a narrowing of my brow. These are the signs of stress for me. When my stress level gets really high, I might feel a pulse in my left temple that is alarmingly out of my control. Stress is not a comforting or comfortable feeling, and when experienced on an ongoing basis can literally kill. But is stress inherently a bad thing? It turns out it’s not. Stress raises our levels of cortisol and adrenaline, hormones that prepare us for reacting under an imminent threat. This response is useful not just for escaping from a physical attack, but also for handling non-life-threatening challenges that come our way. For instance, I am historically a high performer on standardized tests. I have pulled scores that surprise me as being significantly higher than my practice test scores. Believe me, I felt plenty of stress when I took the SAT, the LSAT, and the New York Bar Exam. It was stress that made me focus intensely, work fast, and think more clearly than I ever would under everyday conditions. I feel stress every time I give a presentation or even write a blog article. Stress has helped me in multiple job interviews. Stress somehow got me, as a 13-year-old gymnast, to earn a medal in my â€Å"worst† event (vault) at the New Jersey State Championship – and to win the competition in my age group. Stress pushes me to perform. I never thought I would say this, but†¦ I would not want to give up my stress! However, since there are inarguably negative health effects to persistent stress, it’s worth looking at how to take a break from stressful episodes. I think this is where things like exercise and meditation come in. If I did not have my daily yoga and swimming practice, I might never get a break from my anxiety-ridden daily life. Hugs help too (they release oxytocin, which helps our heart cells regenerate). Psychologist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., in a TED Talk, noted that how we manage stress is key to how harmful or helpful it is. If someone views stress positively, that person is likely â€Å"to be less stressed-out, less anxious and more confident.† Stress can help us with solving problems, tackling challenges, and bouncing back from failure. Not only that, but if someone views stress as helpful, their physical response actually changes! In particular, their blood vessels do not constrict, but instead stayed relaxed. That difference, compounded over time, could easily be the distinguishing factor between an early heart attack and living into old age. McGonigal recommends that we become aware of our negative thinking, so that we avoid defaulting to drama and jumping to unsupported conclusions. The support of friends, family, and colleagues can be key in this process. I historically have viewed some of my stress as positive and other as negative. My commitment now is to spin it to positive as frequently as possible so I can live a long and stress-managed (not stress-free) existence. Do you experience stress as a positive or negative influence in your life? What techniques do you find useful for managing stress? Please share below! [This article was inspired by John H. Ostdick’s article, â€Å"The Upside to Stress,† published in the May 2014 issue of Success Magazine.]

SENTINEL STORY 2 Essay

SENTINEL STORY 2 Essay SENTINEL STORY 2 Essay Patrick Larsen Mrs. O’Neill Brit. Lit. 17 November 2014 Faith in Our Lives Faith is defined as confidence or trust in a person, deity, or object of a religion that is not based on proof. You can have faith in many things. Faith in your team to win the state championship game, faith in yourself to become a multi-millionaire businessman, or above all you can have faith in God. Faith has guided me down many different paths in my life. Some paths were good, and some paths were not so good. But no matter what lay at the end of the path, my faith in God has been strong all the way throughout my life. The first time I really saw or felt God in my life was when I was at the park in my neighborhood in Pensacola, FL playing with my neighbors and my siblings. I do not recall what day it was, but what I do remember was that it was a beautiful summer day with a nice steady breeze which was making the trees sway, and the leaves on the ground rustle around my feet. There was nothing special going on that day, just a normal day at the park playing on the monkey bars and what not. But what you may not know about my park is that around the park was an enormous field of grass and a beautiful forest behind the grass. Coming to the conclusion of our fun play day at the park, I was walking my way towards the forest through the grass admiring my surroundings. Once I reached the tree line I saw a bird up in one of the tallest trees looking down at me. Now at this time I was about five or six years old, so I didn’t really understand the whole idea of God and what not but I was learning about it in my school so it was running through my mind. But once I saw this amazing red bird looking down at me I was thinking about who God was and that he had created nature and that is when I realized that God is all around us all the time in what he has created. Though the bird was first time I really knew God and saw him in my life, the time I have known God the strongest was when my parent’s were fighting when I was in the eighth grade. T hey were fighting about my Dad’s alcoholic tendencies and how he was destroying my family, but at the time my father was drunk so he was unaware to what damage him and my mom were doing to my brother and I. During my parent’s terrible fight my brothers and I were crying a lot and praying a lot an really had to fend for ourselves for about a week. At the end of the fight my Dad ended up getting a hotel room and not coming back for about a week. For this whole week my mom was a mess and my dad wasn’t there, I prayed more than I have ever prayed in my life within that week of pain and agony for my family and I. In my prayers I had heard God’s voice many times. The sound of his voice was very soothing and really calmed me down when I heard it. Hearing his voice made me really believe that God was real and with me through all my troubles. Though God is always with us he may not be visibly or vocally present to you. Which is why when God is not visually there f or me or vocally there for me I look to my Grandma to see God. Though my grandma is not Catholic I still see God with in her whenever I look at her. I see God in my grandma because she will do whatever it takes and sacrifice anything for the good and well being of another person. She will always help someone

Michael Crichtons Andromedia Strain Report

Michael Crichtons Andromedia Strain Report This book is about biophysicists that are conducting a special experiment. They are sending a probe into outer space and collecting organisms for study. After project "scoop" sends seventeen stalites into outer space,a probe falls and lands in the north eastern Arizona. Not very far away the scientists discover many dead bodies that look to have been flung across the ground. The bodies faces appear to have been frozen in surprise. This is just the beginning. In this book the scientists are trying to discover a cure for the deadly bacteria that kills everyone in a non violent way.. This virus kills everyone,except a newborn baby and a old man in the small town in a matter of seconds.2 scientists go into the town to look around and find the man and the baby. They are wearing protective suits so that they wont catch the virus. After getting the baby and bringing it back to a special lab,they have to find out more about the virus.None - This image is in the public domain and thus...They conduct some tests and figure out that the virus is. When they are conducting some tests they are looking under a microscope and they see a green substance that appears to be growing on a small piece of rock. They do some more experiments by putting this green substance in a cage that has a rat or a monkey,and find out that they die in a matter of seconds. After they find out what the organism looks like,they have to find a cure. They search for a long time,but no one can find a cure. Finally there is a part where the virus breaks out and a man is stuck in the lab with the virus. When a scientists looks in the videocamera,he sees the mans face and says that it looks frozen...

TRADE secrets paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TRADE secrets paper - Essay Example In addition, there was no policy at Dana that prevents the employees from copying files for personal use. History of such case shows that the plaintiff must prove misappropriation of trade secrets by the employees. In addition, some cases base their arguments on the doctrine of inevitable disclosure to protect employees from accusations of misuse of company secrets (Lang 467). Several questions arose before the court, and these were was the American Axle an aggressive competitor of Dana Ltd, did employees misuse the trade secrets, did American Axle use the trade secrets, and finally, were the employees poached from Dana or they were laid off? The court ruled in American Axle’s favor by noting that the case for misuse or misappropriation was not proved (Dana Ltd. v. American Axle and Mfg. Holdings, Inc. 1). In addition, American Axle demonstrated that they were not competitors of Dana, and thus, they would not need to use their secrets to further their business. Finally, there was no policy at Dana Ltd that prevented employees from copying files for personal use. I agree with the ruling because there was insufficient evidence to prove misuse or misappropriation of company secrets by the

Civil Order Control in the US vs. Other Nations Assignment

Civil Order Control in the US vs. Other Nations - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that in the US, problems relating to civil order are handled by social institutions. The social institution is defined as formal, recognized, reputable, and stabilized way of pursuing some action in society. This role is played by many agencies, not restricted to the police. However, the police are tasked with a legally controlling civil order. The police perform this duty as a whole or the use of created specialized unit within the forces. Even though the demands are different, their roles are entwined. Therefore, the level of interdependence is massive if they are to achieve civil order. The organizations involved include police, social, private, and public agencies. The government gives a guiding framework through Emergency response framework, called Project Impact that governs the plans adopted by federal states and local cities. The Mitigation Action Plan anticipates federal agencies to use the best alleviation methods to their power; bu ild up partnerships to progress with their research, set development, and cost-effective procedures; offer inducements; and lead a countrywide open awareness campaign. Federal agencies disturbance plans differ depending on the type of disorder experienced. Disturbance plans exist at a state level for the departments involved in emergency response, and only in looking at a specific civil disorder can we highlight how they are dealt with. To answer this question effectively, we will consider a specific problem and the agencies related to controlling the civil disorder. We take look at the 1996 riots in the city of St. Petersburg, Florida. The first incident was triggered by the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old African-American by a Caucasian police officer, while the second unrest occurred when the police officer was released for the shooting. The city estimates 60 distinct arson fires in the disturbances and property and economic losses amounting to $6 million. The riots involved mas ses approximated at 4000. The St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue Department (SPFR) played the lead role in the fracas. SPFR has an operational pre-incident plan for combating civil disturbance. The plan was efficient in mitigating violence outbreaks, thefts, and fire setting. The city had two plans, the Disaster Operations Plan and the Tactical Plan for Civil Disturbance. The disaster plan stipulated that overall management and synchronization was run done from the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), called into activation in the state of an emergency or an incident of sufficient magnitude where EOC support is necessary and representatives of the city’s agencies answer to the EOC to aid in incident management. It further states that Incident Command Systems (ICS) be used to contain major incidents.

Statistics for managers class discussion wk12 Coursework

Statistics for managers class discussion wk12 - Coursework Example Statistical process control is used when we are interested with the effectiveness of a production process. This is because the method uses statistical formulas to predict the suitability of the production process to meet the required standards of consumers. If the number of defectives is higher than stipulated figure, then the process is considered ineffective. If we are more interested with the likelihood of goods produced meeting the threshold of consumer standards, then acceptance sampling is the best method. It uses sampling methods to predict percentage of defective goods. If the extrapolated results do not reflect the minimum specification of defectives, then the whole batch of goods is rejected. It is a faster quality control method. Acceptance sampling involves rejecting or accepting a whole population of goods based on results obtained from a sample. Inspecting a sample is faster than inspecting several samples or a whole population of

Impact of Exposing Personal Data Research Proposal

Impact of Exposing Personal Data - Research Proposal Example Customers provide information online due to many reasons, but most importantly, they provide information mostly on the website. Due to the lack of technology and measures of customer personal privacy, online businesses fail to protect their database by security breaches conducted by hackers or cybercriminals. The data including all the personal information of the customer is breached resulting in exposure of thousands of authentic customer personal information and financial status. In order to conduct a security breach on the web server, cybercriminals use the Internet, as a carrier along with intelligent codes that are purposefully constructed to extract confidential information, the most favorable point of attack is the web server. The information that is provided online by the users is gathered in a database that is connected to the web server. Hackers and cyber criminals deploy various methods to attack web servers in order to extract information that is stored in the database. D ue to this reason, business suffers severe losses from data theft issues as in 2009 investigators related to data breach reported from Verizon business that crooks nabbed 285 million records. (Larkin 2009) Peter Tippett, who is the author of the report and vice president of innovation and technology with Verizon Business, says that the report includes all the IP addresses associated with the account that is used in the thefts, and criminals are identified only because of in-depth investigations by collaborative support of law enforcement agencies including FBI and Scotland Yard,. From this particular report, 90 security breaches were studied out of which 68 were reversed for further investigation to a specific IP address and location. The conclusions highlighted Eastern Europe as a common source followed by East Asia and North America (Larkin 2009). 1.1 Social Networking Sites Moreover, social network sites are another domain that is of prime concerned, in the context of exposing pe rsonal privacy. People are spending an enormous amount of time on these websites, and are becoming habitual of online communication, which portrays a negative impact on face-to-face communication. The teenagers are not aware that the information and published material including pictures can be retrieved even after deletion from the social networking site. By oversharing, personal information may attract cybercriminals, burglars and even employers who can evaluate values of a person by reviewing comments on the site that may compromise the individual to lose his job. There is no credibility of the user authentication of what they are claiming to be on social networking sites. Users trust textual communication from these social networking sites more than emails. The security of these websites can be compromised anytime and can publish communication or personal pictures on the web if breached.  

Preoperative Fasting Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Preoperative Fasting - Research Proposal Example Patients will therefore be challenged to add personal efforts such as exercising to help them recover quicker. This can be tested by comparing two patients – one who exercises and another who does not. This hypothesis is interesting to me because it helps in making the work of the practitioner quite easier. This hypothesis will defeat any beliefs associated with level of recovery and gender. Rather, patients will be educated that for them to recover quickly, they need to pay frequent attention to their medications. This will be measured by assessing the recovering rates of people of both genders who take their medications in given format. This hypothesis will challenge patients to keep to nursing instructions without putting their trust in the experience of the nurses. There could be both qualitative and quantitative testing of the hypothesis as the working years of nurses can be calculated but then the compliance and recovering rate in patients must be done qualitatively (Kerlinger, 1986). This is an interesting hypothesis that will make patients responsible to complaining to nursing instructions. This hypothesis will promote monitored treatment to smoking addiction at the hands of health professional. This is because the level of recovery from smoking, if tested to be more efficient at the hands of professional will win more patients to following that path (Heppner, Kivlighan, and Wampold,

Myself as a Psychology Instructor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Myself as a Psychology Instructor - Essay Example Forensic Psychology is a rapidly changing field where new research and discoveries continually reshape our knowledge. Teaching Forensic Psychology would allow me to remain involved with the latest methods and procedures while allowing me the freedom to evaluate them on their own merits. Teaching would require me, as an instructor, to commit to my own ongoing education in this area and in doing so I would become a better Forensic Psychologist. It would be a challenge to use my knowledge of Psychology in the classroom to gain insight into the students and improve teaching methods. Teaching methods can also be aided by becoming an instructor in the field of Early Childhood Education. I find that the cognitive processes that children experience when learning is a fascinating subject, and would enjoy focusing on this area. Children are especially vulnerable to education during their formative years. Research is difficult and the results can often be surprising. It is not only an interesting field to me, it is also important that our children begin their educational experience based on the best methods available.

Impact of Exposing Personal Data Research Proposal

Impact of Exposing Personal Data - Research Proposal Example Customers provide information online due to many reasons, but most importantly, they provide information mostly on the website. Due to the lack of technology and measures of customer personal privacy, online businesses fail to protect their database by security breaches conducted by hackers or cybercriminals. The data including all the personal information of the customer is breached resulting in exposure of thousands of authentic customer personal information and financial status. In order to conduct a security breach on the web server, cybercriminals use the Internet, as a carrier along with intelligent codes that are purposefully constructed to extract confidential information, the most favorable point of attack is the web server. The information that is provided online by the users is gathered in a database that is connected to the web server. Hackers and cyber criminals deploy various methods to attack web servers in order to extract information that is stored in the database. D ue to this reason, business suffers severe losses from data theft issues as in 2009 investigators related to data breach reported from Verizon business that crooks nabbed 285 million records. (Larkin 2009) Peter Tippett, who is the author of the report and vice president of innovation and technology with Verizon Business, says that the report includes all the IP addresses associated with the account that is used in the thefts, and criminals are identified only because of in-depth investigations by collaborative support of law enforcement agencies including FBI and Scotland Yard,. From this particular report, 90 security breaches were studied out of which 68 were reversed for further investigation to a specific IP address and location. The conclusions highlighted Eastern Europe as a common source followed by East Asia and North America (Larkin 2009). 1.1 Social Networking Sites Moreover, social network sites are another domain that is of prime concerned, in the context of exposing pe rsonal privacy. People are spending an enormous amount of time on these websites, and are becoming habitual of online communication, which portrays a negative impact on face-to-face communication. The teenagers are not aware that the information and published material including pictures can be retrieved even after deletion from the social networking site. By oversharing, personal information may attract cybercriminals, burglars and even employers who can evaluate values of a person by reviewing comments on the site that may compromise the individual to lose his job. There is no credibility of the user authentication of what they are claiming to be on social networking sites. Users trust textual communication from these social networking sites more than emails. The security of these websites can be compromised anytime and can publish communication or personal pictures on the web if breached.  

Myself as a Psychology Instructor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Myself as a Psychology Instructor - Essay Example Forensic Psychology is a rapidly changing field where new research and discoveries continually reshape our knowledge. Teaching Forensic Psychology would allow me to remain involved with the latest methods and procedures while allowing me the freedom to evaluate them on their own merits. Teaching would require me, as an instructor, to commit to my own ongoing education in this area and in doing so I would become a better Forensic Psychologist. It would be a challenge to use my knowledge of Psychology in the classroom to gain insight into the students and improve teaching methods. Teaching methods can also be aided by becoming an instructor in the field of Early Childhood Education. I find that the cognitive processes that children experience when learning is a fascinating subject, and would enjoy focusing on this area. Children are especially vulnerable to education during their formative years. Research is difficult and the results can often be surprising. It is not only an interesting field to me, it is also important that our children begin their educational experience based on the best methods available.

The Internet and its Impact on Society Essay Example for Free

The Internet and its Impact on Society Essay The internet has its roots in the space program. When the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite, President Eisenhower formed the Advanced Research Projects Agency. (ARPA). The mission of this agency was to assist the dominance of the United States in technology that would assist the military. By 1968, packets had been developed to facilitate data transfer. These packets are hard to intercept and decode, since the total message is split up among many packets. These packets could travel several different routes, so if one route became unavailable, possibly from a nuclear attack, then the message could still reach its destination via another route. This technology was named Packet Switching Networking (Marsh 2007, p. 1). In 1969 the Department of Defense formed ARPANET. The purpose of this network was to research the upcoming possibilities. The first node was located at the University of California – Los Angeles, with nodes installed shortly afterward at Stanford, the University of California – Santa Barbara, and at the University of Utah. Thus in 1969, there were a total of four nodes on this network. This is considered the birth of the internet (Marsh 2007, p. 2). The 1970s was a landmark decade for the internet. Email was first created in 1971. By now, there were 15 nodes and 23 hosts on the ARPANET. In 1973, the first international node was established on ARPANET at the University College of London. Both Ethernet protocols and File Transfer Protocols (FTP) were developed. The commercial version of ARPANET, named Telenet, was placed in operation in 1974 as the first packet service for the public. In 1975, Queen Elizabeth sent her first Email (Marsh 2007, p. 3). By 1984, there were over 1,000 hosts on the internet. The concept of the Domain Server Name (DNS) was introduced, so that instead of a series of numbers, the user could remember a name of the host. The number of hosts exploded in the late 1980s. By 1986, there were 5,000   hosts. The number increased to 280,000 in 1987 and 100,000 in 1989. In 1991 CERN released the World Wide Web (WWW), and by 1993 the number of hosts had increased to 2,000,000 (Marsh 2007, p. 3). Commercialization of the internet began in the mid 1990s. Shopping malls, the US Senate and House of Representatives, and banks had all joined the internet revolution. By 1997 there were 19.5 million hosts and over 1 million WWW sites (Marsh 2007, p. 7). This extremely rapid growth was at times unregulated. Indeed, the growth outpaced society’s ability to deal with the impact that this technology was going to have. For all the benefit that the information age has provided, there are just as many pitfalls. The dominance of this one technological beast in the world today has made the globe much smaller than aviation ever did. The continued expansion of the internet has brought to the forefront many different ethical questions. These can be grouped into some fairly broad categories. First, there is the criminal element that utilizes the internet for criminal profiteering, exploitation, and hacking. Second, the extreme amount of information available makes research both easier and easily subject to dishonesty. Plagiarism has always been an issue in the academic world. Now with virtually millions of academic articles available at a keystroke, it has never been easier. Thirdly, Corporate America has utilized the internet for bulk mailing, unwanted pop-up advertisements, and other basically annoying retail behavior. They also utilize the internet for corporate spying, invasive employee monitoring, and other questionable activities. Lastly, the internet has provided an environment for pornography, intimate contact, and other ethically questionable behavior. The criminal element of our society has latched onto the internet. With thousands of transactions posted through the internet each hour, identity theft is common. In identity theft, the   perpetrator steals the identity in order to commit some other crime. Most often, this new crime is fraud. The criminal either intercepts the information or, more likely, convinces the individual to provide the information through the email. If the criminal is disguised as a legitimate business, then the activity is called Phishing. The criminal will take the personal information he has received and either open new credit card and other transaction accounts or simply steal out of the account numbers he has received from the unsuspecting victim. The victim may not even realize the theft occurred for months (Arnold 2000, p. 1-8). While identity theft is a property crime, other criminals use the internet to prey on children. The will communicate with younger children in chat rooms, often posing as a child themselves. Commonly, these pedophiles will attempt to lure these children into meeting them somewhere, like the mall. When they meet the children, they then have the opportunity to molest, kidnap, or otherwise harm them. Hacking was seen at one time as harmless fun. Now hackers can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage including lost income, cost to fix the damage done, and loss of customers. Infected computers cause havoc all over the network. Hackers are prosecuted when they are caught, but the methods that they use make identification difficult. There are no easy solutions to the criminal use of the internet. The best defense against identity theft is education. Educating the public on why they should not give there password, social security numbers, and addresses to those they do not know is a start. There are already laws against this. Better and more public enforcement may have an effect. Encryption of data being transmitted over the internet is another way to secure it. This is already being done by the financial institutions and the government, but other businesses could improve their security by encrypting all personal data. Protecting children against internet predators is best done through educating the parents on the use and control of the internet. In our society today, children are left to there own devices more than they were a generation ago. Parents must monitor their children’s use of the internet. Blocking software is available that will prevent children from accessing dangerous areas. Hackers will always be a part of the internet scene. Virus software, like Norton, helps. Again, education is the key. Internet users should only download from trusted sources. Better education on email use is also needed. If no one opened email they did not recognize, computer viruses, phishing, and other scams would be severely reduced. The scholastic integrity has suffered because of the amount of downloadable information and misinformation that is available. Plagiarism has been an issue since universities opened. Now, however, it is everywhere. Students can easily download someone else’s work and claim it as their own. Researches can claim ownership of other people’s research. The detection and prevention of plagiarism is a major issue for higher education. Like internet crime, there is no real absolute solution for plagiarism. Universities have instigated severe penalties, including expulsion, for those who are caught. This type of deterrence will have some effect. Web sites such as www.turnitin.com offer plagiarism detection. If students know that their papers will be checked, they are going to be less likely to commit the act. However, nothing is going to prevent some plagiarism. Education, again, would be beneficial to those who commit unintentional plagiarism, but for those who knowingly do it when they know the risks, education is not going to have an effect. Bulk emailing, or spam, is a very large issue. Corporate America spends lots of money both generating and preventing spam emails. These are a problem because they can tie up server resources, Ethernet gateways, and personal computers. Spam can also harbor viruses that can damage computer systems. Pop-up ads are not only intrusive, they can be damaging. Ads from competitors can appear, without the original business owner’s knowledge, on commercial websites. An example would be a Chevy ad popping up while a person was browsing a ford web site. These ads may be displayed hours later. Along with this, these companies will store files on the user’s hard drive, sometimes without their knowledge, to track what web sites they browse. Tighter regulation on corporate behavior is needed. Unfortunately, the individual states have little they can due since the vast majority of internet traffic crosses state boundaries. Therefore, this type of regulation must come from the Federal Government. Regulations requiring business to notify the user before they store a file on their computer, regulating trespassing pop-up ads, and regulating unwanted Spam are either needed or the enforcement must be better. The issue of pornography is an old one. With the internet, porn is easily accessible. With the free speech guarantees that we enjoy, adult pornography is hard to regulate. Even public libraries have had to face the free speech vs. good for society issue. Like other internet issues, there are no sure answers. Software and hardware that regulates what sites are visited is one way to attempt to keep adult sites in the hands of adults only. But just like â€Å"R† rated movies, kids will find a way to â€Å"sneak in†. The internet has changed our society and has shrunk the world. It happened faster than our society was able to cope. Now we stand in awe looking into a world that we indeed created that has to a real extent got out of hand. The only way to control this monster is through education, enforcement of laws, and stiffer penalties for those who violate these laws. References Arnold, Tom. (2000). Internet Identity Theft. Software Industry Association Marsh, David (2007). History of the Internet. Retrieved June 2, 2007 from NetValley Web site: http://www.netvalley.com/archives/mirrors/davemarsh-timeline-1.htm

Creation of Traffic Light Circuit

Creation of Traffic Light Circuit Introduction Traffic lights or traffic signals is used to control the traffic and to supervised motorist and pedestrians. The lights alternate accorded to users by displaying green for go, yellow signal that the light will change to red and red for stop. Without traffic lights there will be a lot of road accidents and traffic congestion. This experiment shows how traffic lights work using Arduino. Materials with Description 5 MM LED (5) Used as an output in the circuit and to know if the code is working. Resistor (220 ohms) (6) An electronic device used to control the current in the circuit. Jumper Wires M/M (13) Used as the connector to different pins in the prototyping board. USB cable (1) Used as the connector from computer to DFRArduino Uno R3. DFRArduino Uno R3 (1) A programmable circuit board. This hardware reads the code uploaded in the computer. Computer (1) Used to write, compile and upload the code to the circuit. Procedure (self-explained) Place the LEDs to the board. Traffic lights for pedestrians, green(1) positive pin at pin J17 and negative pin to pin J16, red(1) positive pin at pin J14 and negative pin to pin J13. 2.Traffic lights for motorist, green(2) positive pin at pin J8 and negative pin to pin J7, yellow positive pin at pin J5 and negative pin to pin J4. red(2) positive pin at pin J2 and negative pin to pin J1. 3. Plot the push button switcher at pin E10,E12, F10 and F12. Place the resistor(1) from D2 to G2, resistor(2) from D5 to G5, resistor(3) from D8 to G8, resistor(4) from D14 to G14, resistor(5) from D17 to G17, resistor(6) from C7 to C10 Connect the jumper wires, wire(1) from A2 to DP 12, wire(2) from A5 to DP 11, wire(3) from A7 to GND, wire(4) from A8 to DP 10, wire(5) from A10 to DP 9, wire(6) from A14 to DP 8, wire(7) from A17 to DP7, wire(8) from C12 to PP 5V, wire(9) from I1 to I4, wire(10) from H4 to H7, wire(11) from I7 to I13, wire(12) from H13 to H16, and wire(13) from I16 to GND. 6. Connect the USB cable to the computer and the circuit, compile the code then upload. Circuit Diagram Code Code Analysis int carRed = 12;, int carYellow = 11;, int carGreen = 10; this is the initialization of pins for motorists traffic lights. int button = 9; the initialization of the pushbutton connected to the Arduino. int pedRed = 8;, int pedGreen = 7; the initialization of pins for pedestrian lights. int crossTime = 5000; sets 5 seconds for the pedestrian LED to lit. pinMode(pinType,OUTPUT); pinType sets what pin to use, LEDs in this circuit serves as output. pinMode(button, INPUT); the input in the circuit came from the push button switcher. int state = digitalRead(button); reads if the push button switcher is pushed/pressed or not. if (state == HIGH) (millis() changeTime) > 5000){à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦} a condition that checks if the push button switchern was pressed 5 seconds and then call the method changeLights(). void changeLights(){à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦} in this method, it indicates the sequence lights when it will lit and shows how car/motorist and pedestrian traffic lights work. delay(2000); delays for 2 seconds before it the green light changes to yellow light and delay(1000); delay for a second before it goes red. changeTime = millis(); this stores the current time in milliseconds to changeTime by calling millis(). Comparison of Code vs. Hardware Output The code manipulate, manages and provides the output for the hardware. In this experiment if you push or press the push button switcher it changes its lights in a of set time and this shows how traffic lights works. Recommendation/Enhancement We can use this traffic light experiment to create mini traffic lights inside the car or motor. In that case the motorist farther on the traffic light will also know the signal.

The Need For Universal Health Care Essay -- Medicine Medical Essays Ar

The Need For Universal Health Care Like many college students I have to pinch pennies to make it through school. Every last penny counts when budgeting my monetary supply. As a result of this I have found that I do not have enough to spare to pay for health insurance. Unlike most college students I am over the age of 23 and thus not covered by my parents insurance. Since I am only employed part time I am also not able to obtain it from work. This puts me in the company of the more than 42 million Americans who do not have health insurance. It is past time that the United States join the rest of the industrialized countries that have already decided to provide their citizens with health care. I believe a single payer health care system is necessary. A national health care system would provide a number of benefits. To begin with, it would cut the overall costs of health care. Secondly it would actually decrease bureaucracy by removing the many layers of insurance paper work patients and physicians are forced to go throu gh in our current system. Finally it would increase life expectancy by allowing more money conscious Americans to receive adequate prevention instead of waiting until an illness becomes worse. All of these reasons point towards a national health care program as being the solution we need. Some opponents of single payer sytems, mostly financed by insurance companies that stand to lose billions from such a plan, point to some of the other countries that have enacted such plans as an advisory against our following suit. However they fail to take into account some of the methods unique to those countries and overstate some of the problems while ignoring our own. Single payer health programs are set up so that all... ... that we, as a nation that considers ourselves civilized can make to ensure the health and safety of our populace. Works Cited Canham-Clyne, John, Woolhandler, Steffie, and Himmelstein, David. The Rational Option. For A National Health Program. Stony Creek, Connecticut: The Pamphleteers Press, 1995 Fisk, Milton. Toward a Healthy Society The Morality and Politics of American Health Care Reform. Lawrence Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2000 Kuttner, Robert. ?The Efficiency of Universal Health Care.? Boston Globe. 12 February 2000. http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/044/oped/The_efficiency_of_ universal_health_careP.shtml Sheils, John F. and Haught, Randall A. Analysis of the Costs and Impact of Universal Health Care Models for the State of Maryland: The Single-Payer and Multi-Payer Models. 2 May 2000. http://www.healthcareforall.com/summary.html

David Selznick And Since You Went Away :: essays research papers fc

David Selznick and Since You Went Away "I have a different concept of producing than other producers. Some producers are money men, and others are just lieutenants. For me to produce is to make a picture. As a producer, I can maintain an editorial perspective that I wouldn't have as a director. I consider myself first a creative producer, then a showman and then a businessman. You need all three things to succeed in the business today." -David O. Selznick The film Since You Went Away was released in 1944. This epic film attempted to relate to the American audience that was dealing with the war foreclosing and the flux of soldiers coming home at the time. The Hollywood studios were constantly trying to do their part for the war buy making films about the war in a fairy tale "Hollywood" style. Since You Went Away crossed these boundaries, and the movie audience at the time, positively responded for this reason. The producer and screenwriter of the film knew America craved this portrayal. Critics of the film from this period, applauded it's "realism", but in hindsight studies of the film in the seventies and eighties were a little more critical of the film. David O. Selznick was the man behind the vision of this film and Selznick is best known for film classic's like; Gone With the Wind, (from which the formula of this movie draws heavily from) Rebecca, and King Kong. This film was a special project for Selznick at the time, and it was seen as his contribution to the war effort. The academy awards recognized Selznick's effort and nominated his film for best picture of 1944. David Selznick was known as a one of the great creative producers- along side Walt Disney. A creative producer is usually "a powerful mogul who supervises the production of a film in such exacting detail that he was virtually its artistic creator." (Eyman p. 121) In this period, Selznick's style was remembered best by his epic length movies in which he paid special attention to detail. His films catered to the female market but also had potential to cross over to the male segment. Selznick was "increasingly becoming aware of the commercial value of his name." (Fenster p.36) He decided to repeat the formula that worked well in Gone With the Wind and made a decision to purchase a war novel/diary from Margaret Wilder. Since You Went Away spawned from Wilder's novel, after Selznick spent many hours on developing the screenplay and hiring the right cast. The war film was a popular genre to produce during the war

Marketing Mix for Beats by Dr. Dre Essay

MARKETING MIX A. PRODUCT – Dr. Dre Beats is a company that creates high-end quality headphones. It’s products allow listeners a full music experience with the capability of producing the songs as played from professional recording studios. Their target market is: Teens the youth with allowances to spend on the latest gadgets. The Generation Y, the people under this category are those who are all about what’s new, trendy, and value brand names. Tag-line : â€Å"People aren’t hearing all the music† – Dr. Dre – Products are: Headphones Earphones Speakers – Special Products founded in: HTC Phones ( It’s Built-in audio system; Dr. Beats Earphones) HP Laptops ( Audio of PCs and Monitors) Chrysler Cars (Car audio system) -Competitors: Jay-Z in partnership with Skull Candy for RocNation’s Aviator headphones. Ludacris in partnership with Signeo for Soul by Ludacris 50cent in partnership with SMS for SYNC/ SMA Audio 50 B. PRICE – Products ranges from $199 – $699. – It’s top-end pricing are determined from the quality materials used for the finishing product accompanied by a refined packaging. – Beats used a  similar price strategy of APPLE’S with’price skimming’ wherein they set the price of the product high upon entering the market before competitors show up. C. PLACE – They manufacture their products -> send to officially selected distributors per State/Country -> send to official retailers of State/Country. 12 Verified retailers of Dr. Dre Beats in Philippines: Abenson Ambassador Astroplus Automatic Center Cebu Circuit City Digital Hub Gadgets in Style PowerMac Center Saver’s Digital Hub Appliance Depot SM Appliance, Inc. Switch – Products can also be bought from Dr. Dre Beat’s official web-site and web-sites of official retailers. D. PROMOTION – Beats by Dr. Dre has proved their effective promotion by: advertisements in commercials, music videos, and the world wide web media (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, etc.) endorsements from popular celebrities, iconic musicians, and even athletes. – From their successful promotions Beats are branded not just as quality headphones but also as fashion accessories. E. PEOPLE – The founders: Dr. Dre – renowned modern music artist. Jimmy Lovine- famous producer of artists. Luke Wood- known as a musician, producer, and songwriter. – People behind: Monster Cable Sound Technology- audio company who are known for producing quality but overpriced HDMI cables. Robert Brunner – former design executive for Apple. F. PROCESS What can be found in Beats by Dr. Dre’s official web-site: Customer service/ Contact details. Product Manuals. Safe Buying Guide (to avoid buying of fraud products). Authorized Retailers (to find stores that legally sell legit products). All About the Company and the People behind it. All available products. Policies: Private and Return Policies. Sources: http://ph.beatsbydre.com/support/authorized-retailers,en_PH,pg.html http://business.time.com/2013/01/16/how-dr-dre-made-300-headphones-a-must-have-accessory/ http://ph.beatsbydre.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-beats-Intl-Site/en_PH/Default-Start http://monstercable2011.blogspot.com/

Intangible Asset or Liability Essay

CSR requires organizations to adopt a broader view of its responsibilities that includes not only stockholders, but many other constituencies as well, including employees, suppliers, customers, the local community, local, state, and federal governments, environmental groups, and other special interest groups. Although CSR is often spoken of as if it were a relatively new concept, it is in fact an idea with a long pedigree. In the 1950s, the chief executive officer of the American retailer Sears said that the â€Å"four parties to any business in the order of their importance† were â€Å"customers, employees, community and stockholders†. Current discussions about CSR evoke old questions about the place of corporations in society, the manner in which corporations are governed, and the ways in which corporate governance arrangements do not compel corporations to respond to claims from society, in addition to claims from shareholders. While CSR is an old idea, its emergence as a significant factor in relation to corporate decision-making is relatively new. The old idea – CSR – has been rising over the past 10 years or so to a prominent place on the corporate agenda. The world is witnessing what appears to be a transformation in popular views about the role of business in society that is on a par with major shifts in attitude, at other points in history, about large issues such as racial discrimination, the environment, and the role of women. By the end of that decade, popular opinion about the role of business in society had evolved to a point which suggested a widespread rejection of Friedman’s â€Å"the business of business is business† dictum. The reason for the shift can be attributed to various factors such as; globalization, loss of trust, society activism, and institutional investor interest in CSR. These trends suggest that there is both a growing perception that corporations must be more accountable to society for their actions, and a growing willingness and capacity within society to impose accountability on corporations. This has profound implications for corporate governance. CSR in India With the retreat of the state in economic activity in India, the imperative for business to take up wider social responsibilities is growing. The situation is complex and India is facing a compounded set of corporate responsibility challenges. At all levels, there is a felt need for companies to graduate to strategic interventions in CSR, which at present in many cases remain ad hoc. There are many companies that may spend for long-term development. A sense of strategic direction is a vital component in an effective approach to corporate responsibility. Yet, for all these signs of progress, CSR in India has yet to realize its full potential. Individual and collaborative initiatives continue to be dominated by self-assertion rather than accountability. There is certainly no lack of CSR programs and projects in India: what is absent, however, are clear metrics for evaluating their actual impact in improving social conditions. Many Indian business houses, private sector and public sector companies have undertaken major initiatives till date and have adopted several modes of practice related to CSR in India. Several innovative measures have also been adopted by companies towards the institutionalization of CSR that includes CSR initiatives by Lupin, Cipla, Ranbaxy, NIIT, TCS, BPCL, and Ion Exchange. To understand the current status of CSR in India, it is important first to map out the landscape and identify the main families of corporate responsibility. For long-established industrial dynasties, such as the Birlas and the Tatas, concepts of nation- building and trusteeship have been alive in their operations long before CSR become a popular cause.

Socrates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Socrates - Essay Example Socrates uses himself as an example when he teaches that beauty does not guarantee happiness. True beauty is inner beauty, the beauty of one’s spirit and character. In conjunction with happiness, which was also a construct that Socrates discussed, he denotes that one cannot tell if a person is happy or not based on his external appearance, but happiness, like kindness, is a matter of inner qualities. His famous motto: â€Å"An unexamined life is not worth living† is a testimony to how much he values thinking and philosophy and the perennial introspection of why we exist. Constantly reflecting about one’s life and impact on others creates meaning for a person and Socrates encourages that we indulge in deep, critical thinking ourselves at all times. Socrates’ legacy is not volumes of his philosophical writings, but how he impacted the thinking of other philosophers. Plato described him as an â€Å"unambivalent† individual who stood clearly for some va lues and firm against others. For him, there were no gray areas2. As a sophist, or wizened people who taught valuable skills for a price, Socrates went against their practice and did not charge for his instruction3. He is considered a paradigmic individual who is known to provoke intense reactions among people – love and acceptance or rejection and exclusion of his ideas. Being so, he is very â€Å"influential as a teacher, adviser, social reformer or a significant religious figure†4. His words are powerful enough to strike one’s emotions and conscience especially with moral dilemmas that can compromise one’s integrity. He has been known for his discourses using questioning or the Socratic dialectic wherein he draws out the truth from people by asking them questions. He believes that each person possesses an inherent truth and it only takes deep questioning to let it out. In doing so, the person comes up with a clearer definition of a key concept from his own thinking. Socrates believes this as a more effective method of learning rather than filling up an empty vessel with knowledge, or spoonfeeding information. The Socratic method involves a series of questions until a contradicting view surfaces to oppose the initial assumption.5 His controversial style is unparalleled and can be considered too heavy for some people because he communicates on more than one level. With his Socratic irony, he maintains two levels of meaning – the literal or obvious level and the hidden or real level. People with deep wisdom can easily understand his thinking and realize that things are not always as they first appear. Sometimes, there is a deeper meaning that should be unearthed6. The inquisitor begins with a position of not knowing anything but leads the questioning.7 At times, though, he uses ambiguous, but well-chosen examples in his discourses. They may even be counterintuitive or poorly supported claims, but he uses them with discernment , knowing that it would bring about more thinking from his students and could be a better strategy in achieving protreptic and pedagogical goals.8 In this way, Socrates may be considered a unique kind of teacher who successfully keeps his audience at awe of his teachings, ever alert and vigilant for bits of knowledge they can gain from such a wise man. From his earlier interest in scientific theories, he moved on to thinking about the development of the moral character of a person.9 Having served as a

Outline and assess Foucault's critique of modernity Essay - 1

Outline and assess Foucault's critique of modernity - Essay Example Finally, the third section will be devoted to Foucaultian critique of institutional basis of modernity and the disciplinary character of its rationality. It will be argued that, while Foucault denounced various aspects of modernity, he did not attempt to idealise pre-modern thought/institutions, and remained unsure about social project alternative to modernity, thus contributing to similar indecisiveness among the following post-modernist thinkers. 1. Foucault’s Archaeology of Knowledge: A Critique of Rationalist Objectivity The modern account of knowledge was premised upon the representationalist epistemology founded by Descartes. Rejecting previous assumptions on the nature and purposes of human knowledge, Descartes posited that knowledge is derived from accurate determination of correspondence of certain representations with the actual objects of external world, a correspondence that can in principle be verified by constructing certain methodological arguments (Gutting, 199 9, p. 116). Later modern thinkers basically followed this Cartesian epistemology, assuming that representations under consideration are derived from some innate properties of human mind and reality. Foucault based his epistemological critique of modern philosophy on the thorough deconstruction of Cartesian notions of knowledge. He affirms the historically specific character of knowledge, as opposed to ahistorical Cartesian account of epistemological procedures, assuming that development of structures of human knowledge is governed by alterations in episteme, i.e. ‘total set of relations that unite... the discursive practices that give rise to epistemological figures, sciences, and possibly formalised systems’ (Foucault, 2002a, p. 211). Foucault believes that the development of distinctively modern episteme was caused by shift from the Renaissance view of knowledge as system of resemblances that was predicated upon the clarification of interrelation between various objec ts of surrounding world and men’s place in it, to analytical and interpretational forms of cognition (Carrette, 2000, pp. 15-16). The latter were based not on ‘the sudden and illuminating discovery that all thought is thought’ but on ‘constantly renewed interrogation’ of ‘the forms of non-thinking’ that leads to the reduction of empirical world to some universal and transcendental dialectics (Foucault, 2002b, p. 353). Foucault surmises that universalistic assumptions of modernity’s epistemology are invalidated by the discursive and ultimately relative nature of knowledge as such, for, in his view, the structures of knowledge depend on the character of discourse as practice that brings about the very object that are spoken of (Mahon, 1992, p. 11). Here, one may find that Foucault maintains that the discursive nature of language and knowledge practices does not allow for some objective, universal discourse, and therefore that modern ity’s pretences for formulating a transparent methodology of knowledge are unfounded. 2. Foucault on Subject: The Rejection of A Priori Subjectivity The modernity’s view on subject is generally predicated upon the idea of its universality and humanist character, which means that ‘

The Requisite Factors to Successful Team Buildup Research Paper

The Requisite Factors to Successful Team Buildup - Research Paper Example The goal of teams should be to share knowledge and other pertinent information in a free manner, to learn from each other, to assist each other in the completion of mutual jobs, to assist each other in the breaking of bottlenecks that are unexpected when they occur, to flexibly shift workloads and to share the resources at their disposal. All these expectations can be summed up by simply saying that collaboration yields the best results in teams. Team members should be in a position to say that they â€Å"swim and sink† together, desire for the success of each other and consider their goals as being common (Bayazit & Mannix, 2003). The starting point in order to achieve the set objectives is the support from the executive. The most senior educator ´s policy is the one that is reflected in the everyday performance by the teams. Research has shown that teams usually perform to the best of their abilities following their executives ´ investment in support of social relationsh ips, the creation of gift culture, demonstration of collaborative behaviour within themselves and in the interaction with employees (Shadur, 1999). Interaction perhaps is the most crucial as employees will view it as a gift in itself and will treasure it hence acting as a motivator. The investment in signature relationships among employees and subordinates can be in a variety of ways equally effective and unique to the setup they are being invested in. For example, having a single staffroom where teachers have cubicles can assist in the creation of a community sense compared to having individual offices for teachers.

The Dark Ages and Some of the Challenges Paople Faced during the Essay

The Dark Ages and Some of the Challenges Paople Faced during the Period - Essay Example Famine came about because of the breakdown of societal order which the Romans had maintained. The system of trade and tribute had been regulated by the Romans, and the network had been maintained across vast distances to ensure that the Empire could move troops around at will, and sustain mobile armies in the case of any rebellions or invasions. When these networks faltered, communities became more isolated, and the consequences of bad harvests were more severe, since no help was at hand. Plagues arrived from the East and spread through the region, but there were few people who had the knowledge and the wealth that would have enabled them to heal the sick or avoid infection. Aside from these physical threats from famine and disease, there was also an increase in violent conflict between rival tribes. In the absence of a single overlord, such as the Romans had been, the smaller tribes jostled for position, and engaged in many skirmishes and boundary disputes in an effort to gain contr ol of wealth and resources. This made life very dangerous for ordinary people, since many were slaves, or bound by oath to the service of a chieftain, and they were obliged to take up arms if commanded to do so. The strict Roman laws gave way to the more fragmented social order of competing tribes. Many leaders were cruel, and there was considerable injustice and chaos. Another factor which presented a huge challenge in the Dark Ages was that of religion. Under Roman rule, Christians and pagans had co-existed, and as time went on, more and more of the Empire adopted Christianity. In the Dark Ages, however, Islam emerged from the East and advanced across North Africa, heading up through Spain and into Gaul, bringing bitter religious warfare to the continent. Religious persecution increased, and minorities were often robbed and killed in the name of religion. Christianity brought some advantages, in so far as the monasteries served as educational institutions and places where the poor and the sick could hope for some relief. Once again, however, this benefited the wealthy who sent their children there to be educated, but it meant servitude and exploitation for the poorest members of society, who had to labor in the fields or work as lowly tradesmen to provide the raw materials that were needed to sustain monastic communities. The lack of an effective legal system meant that disputes were solved by violence, and when coupled with the devastating effects of plagues, and poor nutrition, the consequences for population size were very serious. In this period infant mortality was very high, life expectancy was short, and huge numbers of citizens were wiped out due to infection. It would have been very hard for a poor family to bring up children to healthy adulthood. Depopulation meant that communities could no longer find enough workers to take in the harvest, and maintain basic infrastructure. Skills were lost, and architectural masterpieces just crumbled out of negl ect, or were looted to enable poor people to build their own rustic dwellings. In many ways it seemed that civilization was taking a backwards step, and the former glories of Europe were