Personal world views Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal world views - Essay Example In so doing, followers obligate themselves to follow specific tenets as dictated by the religion. Following these tenets requires dedication and sacrifice. Spiritual people are loyal to the religious beliefs and follow them without questions about their reality. Spirituality is related to other terms such as pluralism, scientism, and postmodernism. Pluralism is a concept that denotes that there is no absolute truth in one line of thought. Essentially, pluralism implies that no worldview is enough to describe solely all the views of the people. In this regard, pluralism requires that every view be taken into consideration. Pluralism is common in government and religion. In religion, pluralism has it that no religion is taken as perfect or the sole source of truth. It should be understood that other beliefs may also contain some truths that may not be accurate in other beliefs. Thus, individual spirituality defines what is true or not. Scientism is a belief that human beings can find answers to all life questions through scientific research. Scientism asserts that there is no supreme being that can offer real solutions that can be proven. This worldview eliminates the religious or spiritual beliefs since they are not concrete or backed by evidence. It is upon research that points can be proven or disqualified. Scientism is more related to the concept of postmodernism as discussed below. Postmodernism is a concept that critiques the existing culture, believe and evidence systems. Postmodernism viewpoints are that human beings are not capable of making assertions regarding their origin or fate (Fukuyama et. al, 2014). The postmodern worldview disregards spirituality. In addition, the worldview stipulates that humans have locked themselves in a cage of beliefs and culture that may not be true or beneficial. The spirituality concept defines how people perceive the world around them and how they solve the day to

Fetal Genetic Disorders Lead to Abortion Essay Example for Free

Fetal Genetic Disorders Lead to Abortion Essay When a woman first finds out that they are pregnant many factors of worry are present. One is particular is the worry of a genital defect. As women age their percentile chance of having a baby with a genital defect changes drastically. Common genetic disorders are trisomy 13, Patau syndrome, trisomy 18, Edward’s syndrome, and trisomy 21, Down syndrome. Although these can be treatable if a baby lives to adult age they will have a long list of medical problems to live with. Genital defects in babies is directly linked to the rate at which abortions occur. Although it may be easier to abort a baby with a genital defect it is still as wrong no matter what the circumstances. In order for someone to fully understand what having a baby with a specific genital disorder would be like, they must first understand the effects and symptoms of these disorders. When a baby is formed they have 46 chromosomes, 23 from their mom, and 23 from their dad. When nondisjunction occurs, no full separation of a chromosome pair is when genital disorders become present. Nondisjunction of two chromosomes 18 during the formation of an egg or sperm is by far the most common cause of Edwards syndrome. † (Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders) The interesting thing is that nothing before or during pregnancy causes this and nothing can be done to prevent it. The only well supported factor is that as the mother’s age increases there is a larger chance for complications. â€Å"Unlike Down syndrome, the developmental issues caused by Trisomy 18 are associated with medical complications that are more potentially life-threatening in the early months and years of life. (Trisomy 18 Foundation) Because of this 50% of babies with Trisomy 18 taken to term will be stillborn. (Trisomy 18 Foundation) Though there have been rare cases of people living to adulthood with this disease, they face life threatening complications that will be present until the day they die. Abortion has been present since the early 1800s and is still a major issue today. The most well known case dealing with abortion is that of Roe vs. Wade. In this case Wade was fighting against Roe by saying that if they rule abortion unconstitutional they â€Å"improperly invade a right said to be ossessed by a pregnant women, to choose to terminate her pregnancy. †(Herring 86) The final ruling on this case was that women should have the legal rights to her body and should be able to choose whether or not they will terminate their pregnancy. Several factors determine why a mother would choose an abortion. Single parenthood, not enough income, just doesnt want the baby, and/or medical issues. But one of the more rising issues is the fact that women will abort babies when they get a bad diagnosis. If their baby is going to be mentally retarded then why have it, the easier thing would be to just get rid of it. This has been the growing choice among mothers these days, especially the younger ones. By age 32 a women is 67% likely to have a baby with a genital defect, and is therefore 45% more likely to have an abortion. (Herring 193) The rising controversy of abortion can be directly linked to the diagnosis of fetal genetics disorders. If a woman receives the diagnosis that her baby will be born with Down syndrome and a series of other health issues then why give birth? If the baby is not going to be perfect then there are several women out there that feel the baby has no worth living. Every fetus becomes present at conception and deserves to live whether or not they have a genital defect. Most defects are treatable today and even the ones that are not if the baby is going to die anyway then why not let it die on it’s own terms, instead of terminating it. This is the argument that has been present since the early 1800s. In Roe vs. Wade the Supreme Court ruled that they did not have the right to tell a woman what to do with her body. But murder is a capital crime as well. So the real debate should not be that abortion is legal, the real issue should be whether or not abortion is seen as murder. Webster’s dictionary defines murder as the unlawful premeditated killing of a human being by another and also defines abortion as the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. But when is a baby considered a human? When they are conceived, or when they are born? It would be considered murder if someone killed a baby after they were born, so why is it not considered murder if someone kills a baby before they are born. This is the true underlying issue of abortion. If the legal system can realize their gaps in their logic then maybe they can figure out that murder is murder no matter how big or how small a human is. Everyone has different morals and beliefs on what they think is right or wrong. But know matter what their moral or spiritual background n one can deny a human being life. So whatever the reason for abortion there need only be one reason against abortion. It is killing plain and simple. If killing is illegal then so is abortion.

Essay --

Gang Injunctions: Ineffective to Prevent Violent Crimes in California In now days, the increase in gun violence troubles many communities in the United States. Many of the high-crime neighborhoods have become a total gang-controlled area. In 2013, the total number of gangs in the United States are 24,500 (Federal Bureau of Investigations). As major cities in America struggle to respond to the growth of gangs and attendant crime and violence, the law enforcement come up with gang injunctions to reduce crimes rates. Although a couple of gang injunctions have been granted in Texas and Illinois, the overwhelming majority of injunctions have been issued in California. In 2005, the total number of violent crimes were 5,985 alone in San Francisco that year, and 31, 767 in Los Angeles (Disaster Center). According to Matthew O’Deane, a police officer, and Stephen Morreale, an Assistant Professor of Worcester State University, a study and review was conducted of 25 southern California gang injunctions to understand if civil gang injunctions reduce crime . As a result, the study found that the crime rate decreased by 14.1% in injunction areas. Several California cities recently moved forward with gang injunctions to reduce violent crime rates. Gang injunctions have become a distinct Californian approach to fight crimes since they were first introduced in the 1980s in Los Angeles. The injunctions that have been granted primarily affect impoverished, minority neighborhoods and may actually serve to further stigmatize and oppress innocent minority youth who also live in these communities. Cities have issued them to fight local gangs, and promise that gang injunctions will cut down violent crime rate, and make the neighborhoods more safer; ho... ...ht to defend himself in the court. Moreover, the gang injunctions obtained in the target area should be defined clearly for gang members. It is important to make sure that the identification of the target area are easily understood by both the police and the gang members. Gang injunctions are ineffective way to prevent crimes, because they lead to many problems that hurts the communities. Gang injunctions are suppressions instead of preventions. Therefore, using force would not help to prevent crimes. However, they are legal tools to enable communities to take back their streets and public places from the gangs and gang members that terrorize them. Gang injunctions did contribute to the stabilization of communities and reduce gang-related crimes, they just need improvements to make it more useful and acceptable for both gang members and residents in target areas.

Rerum Novarum :: essays research papers

Rerum Novarum The opening words and the title of the Encyclical issued by Leo XIII, 15 May, 1891, on the "Condition of Labour". Although the Encyclical follows the lines of the traditional teaching concerning the rights and duties of property and the relations of employer and employee, it applies the old doctrines specifically to modern conditions. Opening with a description of the grievances of the working classes, it proceeds to refute the false theories of the Socialists, and to defend the right of private ownership. The true remedy, continues the pope, is to be found in the combined action of the Church, the State, the employer and the employed. The Church is properly interested in the social question because of its religious and moral aspects; the State has the right and the duty to intervene on behalf of justice and individual and social well-being; and employers and workers should organize into both mixed and separate associations for mutual protection and for self protection. All this is set forth with sufficient detail to reach the principal problems and relations of industrial and social life. Probably no other pronouncement on the social question has had so many readers or exercised such a wide influence. It has inspired a vast Catholic social literature, while many non-Catholics have acclaimed it as one of the most definite and reasonable productions ever written on the subject. Sometimes criticized as vague, it is as specific as any document could be written for several countries in different stages of industrial development. On one point it is strikingly definite: "Let it be taken for granted that workman and employer should, as a rule, make free agreements, and in particular should agree freely as to wages; nevertheless, there is a dictate of natural justice more imperious and ancient than any bargain between man and man, that remuneration should be sufficient to maintain the wage-earner in reasonable and frugal comfort. If through necessity or fear of a worse evil the workman accept harder conditions because an employer or contractor will afford him no better, h e is made the victim of force and injustice.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 76-78

CHAPTER 76 Freedom Plaza is a map. Located at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Thirteenth Street, the plaza's vast surface of inlaid stone depicts the streets of Washington as they were originally envisioned by Pierre L'Enfant. The plaza is a popular tourist destination not only because the giant map is fun to walk on, but also because Martin Luther King Jr., for whom Freedom Plaza is named, wrote much of his â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. D.C. cabdriver Omar Amirana brought tourists to Freedom Plaza all the time, but tonight, his two passengers were obviously no ordinary sightseers. The CIA is chasing them? Omar had barely come to a stop at the curb before the man and woman had jumped out. â€Å"Stay right here!† the man in the tweed coat told Omar. â€Å"We'll be right back!† Omar watched the two people dash out onto the wide-open spaces of the enormous map, pointing and shouting as they scanned the geometry of intersecting streets. Omar grabbed his cell phone off the dashboard. â€Å"Sir, are you still there?† â€Å"Yes, Omar!† a voice shouted, barely audible over a thundering noise on his end of the line. â€Å"Where are they now?† â€Å"Out on the map. It seems like they're looking for something.† â€Å"Do not let them out of your sight,† the agent shouted. â€Å"I'm almost there!† Omar watched as the two fugitives quickly found the plaza's famous Great Seal–one of the largest bronze medallions ever cast. They stood over it a moment and quickly began pointing to the southwest. Then the man in tweed came racing back toward the cab. Omar quickly set his phone down on the dashboard as the man arrived, breathless. â€Å"Which direction is Alexandria, Virginia?† he demanded. â€Å"Alexandria?† Omar pointed southwest, the exact same direction the man and woman had just pointed toward. â€Å"I knew it!† the man whispered beneath his breath. He spun and shouted back to the woman. â€Å"You're right! Alexandria!† The woman now pointed across the plaza to an illuminated â€Å"Metro† sign nearby. â€Å"The Blue Line goes directly there. We want King Street Station!† Omar felt a surge of panic. Oh no. The man turned back to Omar and handed him entirely too many bills for the fare. â€Å"Thanks. We're all set.† He hoisted his leather bag and ran off. â€Å"Wait! I can drive you! I go there all the time!† But it was too late. The man and woman were already dashing across the plaza. They disappeared down the stairs into the Metro Center subway station. Omar grabbed his cell phone. â€Å"Sir! They ran down into the subway! I couldn't stop them! They're taking the Blue Line to Alexandria!† â€Å"Stay right there!† the agent shouted. â€Å"I'll be there in fifteen seconds!† Omar looked down at the wad of bills the man had given him. The bill on top was apparently the one they had been writing on. It had a Jewish star on top of the Great Seal of the United States. Sure enough, the star's points fell on letters that spelled MASON. Without warning, Omar felt a deafening vibration all around him, as if a tractor trailer were about to collide with his cab. He looked up, but the street was deserted. The noise increased, and suddenly a sleek black helicopter dropped down out of the night and landed hard in the middle of the plaza map. A group of black-clad men jumped out. Most ran toward the subway station, but one came dashing toward Omar's cab. He yanked open the passenger door. â€Å"Omar? Is that you?† Omar nodded, speechless. â€Å"Did they say where they were headed?† the agent demanded. â€Å"Alexandria! King Street Station,† Omar blurted. â€Å"I offered to drive, but–â€Å" â€Å"Did they say where in Alexandria they were going?† â€Å"No! They looked at the medallion of the Great Seal on the plaza, then they asked about Alexandria, and they paid me with this.† He handed the agent the dollar bill with the bizarre diagram. As the agent studied the bill, Omar suddenly put it all together. The Masons! Alexandria! One of the most famous Masonic buildings in America was in Alexandria. â€Å"That's it!† he blurted. â€Å"The George Washington Masonic Memorial! It's directly across from King Street Station!† â€Å"That it is,† the agent said, apparently having just come to the same realization as the rest of the agents came sprinting back from the station. â€Å"We missed them!† one of the men yelled. â€Å"Blue Line just left! They're not down there!† Agent Simkins checked his watch and turned back to Omar. â€Å"How long does the subway take to Alexandria?† â€Å"Ten minutes at least. Probably more.† â€Å"Omar, you've done an excellent job. Thank you.† â€Å"Sure. What's this all about?!† But Agent Simkins was already running back to the chopper, shouting as he went. â€Å"King Street Station! We'll get there before they do!† Bewildered, Omar watched the great black bird lift off. It banked hard to the south across Pennsylvania Avenue, and then thundered off into the night. Underneath the cabbie's feet, a subway train was picking up speed as it headed away from Freedom Plaza. On board, Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon sat breathless, neither one saying a word as the train whisked them toward their destination. CHAPTER 77 The memory always began the same way. He was falling . . . plummeting backward toward an ice-covered river at the bottom of a deep ravine. Above him, the merciless gray eyes of Peter Solomon stared down over the barrel of Andros's handgun. As he fell, the world above him receded, everything disappearing as he was enveloped by the cloud of billowing mist from the waterfall upstream. For an instant, everything was white, like heaven. Then he hit the ice. Cold. Black. Pain. He was tumbling . . . being dragged by a powerful force that pounded him relentlessly across rocks in an impossibly cold void. His lungs ached for air, and yet his chest muscles had contracted so violently in the cold that he was unable even to inhale. I'm under the ice. The ice near the waterfall was apparently thin on account of the turbulent water, and Andros had broken directly through it. Now he was being washed downstream, trapped beneath a transparent ceiling. He clawed at the underside of the ice, trying to break out, but he had no leverage. The searing pain from the bullet hole in his shoulder was evaporating, as was the sting of the bird shot; both were blotted out now by the crippling throb of his body going numb. The current was accelerating, slingshotting him around a bend in the river. His body screamed for oxygen. Suddenly he was tangled in branches, lodged against a tree that had fallen into the water. Think! He groped wildly at the branch, working his way toward the surface, finding the spot where the branch pierced up through the ice. His fingertips found the tiny space of open water surrounding the branch, and he pulled at the edges, trying to break the hole wider; once, twice, the opening was growing, now several inches across. Propping himself against the branch, he tipped his head back and pressed his mouth against the small opening. The winter air that poured into his lungs felt warm. The sudden burst of oxygen fueled his hope. He planted his feet on the tree trunk and pressed his back and shoulders forcefully upward. The ice around the fallen tree, perforated by branches and debris, was weakened already, and as he drove his powerful legs into the trunk, his head and shoulders broke through the ice, crashing up into the winter night. Air poured into his lungs. Still mostly submerged, he wriggled desperately upward, pushing with his legs, pulling with his arms, until finally he was out of the water, lying breathless on the bare ice. Andros tore off his soaked ski mask and pocketed it, glancing back upstream for Peter Solomon. The bend in the river obscured his view. His chest was burning again. Quietly, he dragged a small branch over the hole in the ice in order to hide it. The hole would be frozen again by morning. As Andros staggered into the woods, it began to snow. He had no idea how far he had run when he stumbled out of the woods onto an embankment beside a small highway. He was delirious and hypothermic. The snow was falling harder now, and a single set of headlights approached in the distance. Andros waved wildly, and the lone pickup truck immediately pulled over. It had Vermont plates. An old man in a red plaid shirt jumped out. Andros staggered toward him, holding his bleeding chest. â€Å"A hunter . . . shot me! I need a . . . hospital!† Without hesitation, the old man helped Andros up into the passenger seat of the truck and turned up the heater. â€Å"Where's the nearest hospital?!† Andros had no idea, but he pointed south. â€Å"Next exit.† We're not going to a hospital. The old man from Vermont was reported missing the next day, but nobody had any idea where on his journey from Vermont he might have disappeared in the blinding snowstorm. Nor did anyone link his disappearance to the other news story that dominated the headlines the next day–the shocking murder of Isabel Solomon. When Andros awoke, he was lying in a desolate bedroom of a cheap motel that had been boarded up for the season. He recalled breaking in and binding his wounds with torn bedsheets, and then burrowing into a flimsy bed beneath a pile of musty blankets. He was famished. He limped to the bathroom and saw the pile of bloody bird-shot pellets in the sink. He vaguely recalled prying them out of his chest. Raising his eyes to the dirty mirror, he reluctantly unwrapped his bloody bandages to survey the damage. The hard muscles of his chest and abdomen had stopped the bird shot from penetrating too deep, and yet his body, once perfect, was now ruined with wounds. The single bullet fired by Peter Solomon had apparently gone cleanly through his shoulder, leaving a bloody crater. Making matters worse, Andros had failed to obtain that for which he had traveled all this distance. The pyramid. His stomach growled, and he limped outside to the man's truck, hoping maybe to find food. The pickup was now covered with heavy snow, and Andros wondered how long he had been sleeping in this old motel. Thank God I woke up. Andros found no food anywhere in the front seat, but he did find some arthritis painkillers in the glove compartment. He took a handful, washing them down with several mouthfuls of snow. I need food. A few hours later, the pickup that pulled out from behind the old motel looked nothing like the truck that had pulled in two days earlier. The cab cap was missing, as were the hubcaps, bumper stickers, and all of the trim. The Vermont plates were gone, replaced by those from an old maintenance truck Andros had found parked by the motel Dumpster, into which he had thrown all the bloody sheets, bird shot, and other evidence that he had ever been at the motel. Andros had not given up on the pyramid, but for the moment it would have to wait. He needed to hide, heal, and above all, eat. He found a roadside diner where he gorged himself on eggs, bacon, hash browns, and three glasses of orange juice. When he was done, he ordered more food to go. Back on the road, Andros listened to the truck's old radio. He had not seen a television or newspaper since his ordeal, and when he finally heard a local news station, the report stunned him. â€Å"FBI investigators,† a news announcer said, â€Å"continue their search for the armed intruder who murdered Isabel Solomon in her Potomac home two days ago. The murderer is believed to have fallen through the ice and been washed out to sea.† Andros froze. Murdered Isabel Solomon? He drove on in bewildered silence, listening to the full report. It was time to get far, far away from this place. The Upper West Side apartment offered breathtaking views of Central Park. Andros had chosen it because the sea of green outside his window reminded him of his lost view of the Adriatic. Although he knew he should be happy to be alive, he was not. The emptiness had never left him, and he found himself fixated on his failed attempt to steal Peter Solomon's pyramid. Andros had spent long hours researching the Legend of the Masonic Pyramid, and although nobody seemed to agree on whether or not the pyramid was real, they all concurred on its famous promise of vast wisdom and power. The Masonic Pyramid is real, Andros told himself. My inside information is irrefutable. Fate had placed the pyramid within Andros's reach, and he knew that ignoring it was like holding a winning lottery ticket and never cashing it in. I am the only non-Mason alive who knows the pyramid is real . . . as well as the identity of the man who guards it. Months had passed, and although his body had healed, Andros was no longer the cocky specimen he had been in Greece. He had stopped working out, and he had stopped admiring himself naked in the mirror. He felt as if his body were beginning to show signs of age. His once-perfect skin was a patchwork of scars, and this only depressed him further. He still relied on the painkillers that had nursed him through his recovery, and he felt himself slipping back to the lifestyle that had put him in Soganlik Prison. He didn't care. The body craves what the body craves. One night, he was in Greenwich Village buying drugs from a man whose forearm had been tattooed with a long, jagged lightning bolt. Andros asked him about it, and the man told him the tattoo was covering a long scar he had gotten in a car accident. â€Å"Seeing the scar every day reminded me of the accident,† the dealer said, â€Å"and so I tattooed over it with a symbol of personal power. I took back control.† That night, high on his new stash of drugs, Andros staggered into a local tattoo parlor and took off his shirt. â€Å"I want to hide these scars,† he announced. I want to take back control. â€Å"Hide them?† The tattoo artist eyed his chest. â€Å"With what?† â€Å"Tattoos.† â€Å"Yes . . . I mean tattoos of what?† Andros shrugged, wanting nothing more than to hide the ugly reminders of his past. â€Å"I don't know. You choose.† The artist shook his head and handed Andros a pamphlet on the ancient and sacred tradition of tattooing. â€Å"Come back when you're ready.† Andros discovered that the New York Public Library had in its collection fifty-three books on tattooing, and within a few weeks, he had read them all. Having rediscovered his passion for reading, he began carrying entire backpacks of books back and forth between the library and his apartment, where he voraciously devoured them while overlooking Central Park. These books on tattoos had opened a door to a strange world Andros had never known existed–a world of symbols, mysticism, mythology, and the magical arts. The more he read, the more he realized how blind he had been. He began keeping notebooks of his ideas, his sketches, and his strange dreams. When he could no longer find what he wanted at the library, he paid rare-book dealers to purchase for him some of the most esoteric texts on earth. De Praestigiis Daemonum . . . Lemegeton . . . Ars Almadel . . . Grimorium Verum . . . Ars Notoria . . . and on and on. He read them all, becoming more and more certain that the world still had many treasures yet to offer him. There are secrets out there that transcend human understanding. Then he discovered the writings of Aleister Crowley–a visionary mystic from the early 1900s– whom the church had deemed â€Å"the most evil man who ever lived.† Great minds are always feared by lesser minds. Andros learned about the power of ritual and incantation. He learned that sacred words, if properly spoken, functioned like keys that opened gateways to other worlds. There is a shadow universe beyond this one . . . a world from which I can draw power. And although Andros longed to harness that power, he knew there were rules and tasks to be completed beforehand. Become something holy, Crowley wrote. Make yourself sacred. The ancient rite of â€Å"sacred making† had once been the law of the land. From the early Hebrews who made burnt offerings at the Temple, to the Mayans who beheaded humans atop the pyramids of Chichen Itza, to Jesus Christ, who offered his body on the cross, the ancients understood God's requirement for sacrifice. Sacrifice was the original ritual by which humans drew favor from the gods and made themselves holy. Sacra–sacred. Face– make. Even though the rite of sacrifice had been abandoned eons ago, its power remained. There had been a handful of modern mystics, including Aleister Crowley, who practiced the Art, perfecting it over time, and transforming themselves gradually into something more. Andros craved to transform himself as they had. And yet he knew he would have to cross a dangerous bridge to do so. Blood is all that separates the light from the dark. One night, a crow flew through Andros's open bathroom window and got trapped in his apartment. Andros watched the bird flutter around for a while and then finally stop, apparently accepting its inability to escape. Andros had learned enough to recognize a sign. I am being urged onward. Clutching the bird in one hand, he stood at the makeshift altar in his kitchen and raised a sharp knife, speaking aloud the incantation he had memorized. â€Å"Camiach, Eomiahe, Emial, Macbal, Emoii, Zazean . . . by the most holy names of the angels in the Book of Assamaian, I conjure thee that thou assist me in this operation by the power of the One True God.† Andros now lowered the knife and carefully pierced the large vein on the right wing of the panicked bird. The crow began to bleed. As he watched the stream of red liquid flowing down into the metal cup he had placed as a receptacle, he felt an unexpected chill in the air. Nonetheless, he continued. â€Å"Almighty Adonai, Arathron, Ashai, Elohim, Elohi, Elion, Asher Eheieh, Shaddai . . . be my aid, so that this blood may have power and efficacy in all wherein I shall wish, and in all that I shall demand.† That night, he dreamed of birds . . . of a giant phoenix rising from a billowing fire. The next morning, he awoke with an energy he had not felt since childhood. He went running in the park, faster and farther than he'd imagined possible. When he could run no longer, he stopped to do pushups and sit-ups. Countless repetitions. Still he had energy. That night, again, he dreamed of the phoenix. Autumn had fallen again on Central Park, and the wildlife were scurrying about searching for food for winter. Andros despised the cold, and yet his carefully hidden traps were now overflowing with live rats and squirrels. He took them home in his backpack, performing rituals of increasing complexity. Emanual, Massiach, Yod, He, Vaud . . . please find me worthy. The blood rituals fueled his vitality. Andros felt younger every day. He continued to read day and night–ancient mystical texts, epic medieval poems, the early philosophers–and the more he learned about the true nature of things, the more he realized that all hope for mankind was lost. They are blind . . . wandering aimlessly in a world they will never understand. Andros was still a man, but he sensed he was evolving into something else. Something greater. Something sacred. His massive physique had emerged from dormancy, more powerful now than ever before. He finally understood its true purpose. My body is but a vessel for my most potent treasure . . . my mind. Andros knew his true potential had not yet been realized, and he delved deeper. What is my destiny? All the ancient texts spoke of good and evil . . . and of man's need to choose between them. I made my choice long ago, he knew, and yet he felt no remorse. What is evil, if not a natural law? Darkness followed light. Chaos followed order. Entropy was fundamental. Everything decayed. The perfectly ordered crystal eventually turned into random particles of dust. There are those who create . . . and those who destroy. It was not until Andros read John Milton's Paradise Lost that he saw his destiny materialize before him. He read of the great fallen angel . . . the warrior demon who fought against the light . . . the valiant one . . . the angel called Moloch. Moloch walked the earth as a god. The angel's name, Andros later learned, when translated to the ancient tongue, became Mal'akh. And so shall I. Like all great transformations, this one had to begin with a sacrifice . . . but not of rats, nor birds. No, this transformation required a true sacrifice. There is but one worthy sacrifice. Suddenly he had a sense of clarity unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life. His entire destiny had materialized. For three straight days he sketched on an enormous sheet of paper. When he was done, he had created a blueprint of what he would become. He hung the life-size sketch on his wall and gazed into it as if into a mirror. I am a masterpiece. The next day, he took his drawing to the tattoo parlor. He was ready. CHAPTER 78 The George Washington Masonic Memorial stands atop Shuter's Hill in Alexandria, Virginia. Built in three distinct tiers of increasing architectural complexity from bottom to top–Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian–the structure stands as a physical symbol of man's intellectual ascent. Inspired by the ancient Pharos lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt, this soaring tower is capped by an Egyptian pyramid with a flamelike finial. Inside the spectacular marble foyer sits a massive bronze of George Washington in full Masonic regalia, along with the actual trowel he used to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol Building. Above the foyer, nine different levels bear names like the Grotto, the Crypt Room, and the Knights Templar Chapel. Among the treasures housed within these spaces are over twenty thousand volumes of Masonic writings, a dazzling replica of the Ark of the Covenant, and even a scale model of the throne room in King Solomon's Temple. CIA agent Simkins checked his watch as the modified UH-60 chopper skimmed in low over the Potomac. Six minutes until their train arrives. He exhaled and gazed out the window at the shining Masonic Memorial on the horizon. He had to admit, the brilliantly shining tower was as impressive as any building on the National Mall. Simkins had never been inside the memorial, and tonight would be no different. If all went according to plan, Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon would never make it out of the subway station. â€Å"Over there!† Simkins shouted to the pilot, pointing down at the King Street subway station across from the memorial. The pilot banked the helicopter and set it down on a grassy area at the foot of Shuter's Hill. Pedestrians looked up in surprise as Simkins and his team piled out, dashed across the street, and ran down into King Street Station. In the stairwell, several departing passengers leaped out of the way, plastering themselves to the walls as the phalanx of armed men in black thundered past them. The King Street Station was larger than Simkins had anticipated, apparently serving several different lines–Blue, Yellow, and Amtrak. He raced over to the Metro map on the wall, found Freedom Plaza and the direct line to this location. â€Å"Blue Line, southbound platform!† Simkins shouted. â€Å"Get down there and clear everyone out!† His team dashed off. Simkins rushed over to the ticket booth, flashed his identification, and shouted to the woman inside. â€Å"The next train from Metro Center–what time is it due?!† The woman inside looked frightened. â€Å"I'm not sure. Blue Line arrives every eleven minutes. There's no set schedule.† â€Å"How long since the last train?† â€Å"Five . . . six minutes, maybe? No more than that.† Turner did the math. Perfect. The next train had to be Langdon's. Inside a fast-moving subway car, Katherine Solomon shifted uncomfortably on the hard plastic seat. The bright fluorescent lights overhead hurt her eyes, and she fought the impulse to let her eyelids close, even for a second. Langdon sat beside her in the empty car, staring blankly down at the leather bag at his feet. His eyelids looked heavy, too, as if the rhythmic sway of the moving car were lulling him into a trance. Katherine pictured the strange contents of Langdon's bag. Why does the CIA want this pyramid? Bellamy had said that Sato might be pursuing the pyramid because she knew its true potential. But even if this pyramid somehow did reveal the hiding place of ancient secrets, Katherine found it hard to believe that its promise of primeval mystical wisdom would interest the CIA. Then again, she reminded herself, the CIA had been caught several times running parapsychological or psi programs that bordered on ancient magic and mysticism. In 1995, the â€Å"Stargate/Scannate† scandal had exposed a classified CIA technology called remote viewing–a kind of telepathic mind travel that enabled a â€Å"viewer† to transport his mind's eye to any location on earth and spy there, without being physically present. Of course, the technology was nothing new. Mystics called it astral projection, and yogis called it out-of-body experience. Unfortunately, horrified American taxpayers called it absurd, and the program had been scuttled. At least publicly. Ironically, Katherine saw remarkable connections between the CIA's failed programs and her own breakthroughs in Noetic Science. Katherine felt eager to call the police and find out if they had discovered anything in Kalorama Heights, but she and Langdon were phoneless now, and making contact with the authorities would probably be a mistake anyway; there was no telling how far Sato's reach extended. Patience, Katherine. Within minutes, they would be in a safe hiding place, guests of a man who had assured them he could provide answers. Katherine hoped his answers, whatever they might be, would help her save her brother. â€Å"Robert?† she whispered, glancing up at the subway map. â€Å"Next stop is ours.† Langdon emerged slowly from his daydream. â€Å"Right, thanks.† As the train rumbled toward the station, he collected his daybag and gave Katherine an uncertain glance. â€Å"Let's just hope our arrival is uneventful.† By the time Turner Simkins dashed down to join his men, the subway platform had been entirely cleared, and his team was fanning out, taking up positions behind the support pillars that ran the length of the platform. A distant rumble echoed in the tunnel at the other end of the platform, and as it grew louder, Simkins felt the push of stale warm air billowing around him. No escape, Mr. Langdon. Simkins turned to the two agents he had told to join him on the platform. â€Å"Identification and weapons out. These trains are automated, but they all have a conductor who opens the doors. Find him.† The train's headlamp now appeared down the tunnel, and the sound of squealing brakes pierced the air. As the train burst into the station and began slowing down, Simkins and his two agents leaned out over the track, waving CIA identification badges and straining to make eye contact with the conductor before he could open the doors. The train was closing fast. In the third car, Simkins finally saw the startled face of the conductor, who was apparently trying to figure out why three men in black were all waving identification badges at him. Simkins jogged toward the train, which was now nearing a full stop. â€Å"CIA!† Simkins shouted, holding up his ID. â€Å"Do NOT open the doors!† As the train glided slowly past him, he went toward the conductor's car, shouting in at him. â€Å"Do not open your doors! Do you understand?! Do NOT open your doors!† The train came to a full stop, its wide-eyed conductor nodding repeatedly. â€Å"What's wrong?!† the man demanded through his side window. â€Å"Don't let this train move,† Simkins said. â€Å"And don't open the doors.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"Can you let us into the first car?† The conductor nodded. Looking fearful, he stepped out of the train, closing the door behind him. He escorted Simkins and his men to the first car, where he manually opened the door. â€Å"Lock it behind us,† Simkins said, pulling his weapon. Simkins and his men stepped quickly into the stark light of the first car. The conductor locked the door behind them. The first car contained only four passengers–three teenage boys and an old woman–all of whom looked understandably startled to see three armed men entering. Simkins held up his ID. â€Å"Everything's fine. Just stay seated.† Simkins and his men now began their sweep, pushing toward the back of the sealed train one car at a time–â€Å"squeezing toothpaste,† as it was called during his training at the Farm. Very few passengers were on this train, and halfway to the back, the agents still had seen nobody even remotely resembling the description of Robert Langdon and Katherine Solomon. Nonetheless, Simkins remained confident. There was absolutely no place to hide on a subway car. No bathrooms, no storage, and no alternative exits. Even if the targets had seen them board the train and fled to the back, there was no way out. Prying open a door was almost impossible, and Simkins had men watching the platform and both sides of the train anyway. Patience. By the time Simkins reached the second-to-last car, however, he was feeling edgy. This penultimate car had only one passenger–a Chinese man. Simkins and his agents moved through, scanning for any place to hide. There was none. â€Å"Last car,† Simkins said, raising his weapon as the threesome moved toward the threshold of the train's final section. As they stepped into the last car, all three of them immediately stopped and stared. What the . . . ?! Simkins raced to the rear of the deserted cabin, searching behind all the seats. He spun back to his men, blood boiling. â€Å"Where the hell did they go?!†

Twelfth Night is Olivia Essays

Twelfth Night is Olivia Essays Twelfth Night is Olivia Paper Twelfth Night is Olivia Paper Essay Topic: Twelfth Night Another strong female character in Twelfth Night is Olivia. She is an intelligent character of court, a woman of independence and of property after her father left his possessions to her brother, and then she in turn inherited them from him. However when she marries, according to social aspects of that era, her husband will gain all of that power. She is also the object of desire from Orsino, Sir Andrew, Malvolio and eventually Sebastian. At the beginning of the play, Olivia is a cloistress in mourning for her brother, and shows excessive melancholy and extravagance that parallels Orsino. Both characters are steeped in the melancholy of sentimental love to the point of being blinded by it and both suffer from the complexities of love. But Orsino takes a passive approach to the pursuit of love, in the way that he sends Cesario to pursue Olivia, whereas Olivia takes a more active role. However, Olivias attempts to be reclusive seem to be more posturing than actual mourning, and this is another way in which appearances are deceptive, as Olivia soon transforms, removing her veil and asking Cesario Ist not well done? Although Olivia can be seen as a typical cultural construction of femininity, she transgresses that role and shows impetuosity in the way that she relentlessly pursues Cesario. In Elizabethan times, women could not be seen to be chasing men as it gave women wantonness, similarly the Bible was thought to be factual, and Adam created Eve for him, not the other way around. Olivia however appears to recognize that she oversteps the rules of conduct: Have you not set mine honor at the stake? Even though Olivia steps out of her assigned sociohistorical position, she later steps back into it by marrying Sebastian to provide the Jacobian audience with closure. She is worldly wise in the way that she knows how money can win somebody over I thank you for your pains: spend this for me she says to Cesario, and she also has a good relationship with Feste the jester, albeit occasionally scolding him for being out of line, she seems to enjoy and find amusing his witty repartee. Although she is undoubtedly intelligent, she shows fickleness in the way that she swaps Cesario for Sebastian, and this also is similar to the inconstancy of Orsino. Through Orsino, Shakespeare criticizes women For women are as roses, whose fair flower / Being once displayd, doth fall that very hour, and the impermanence of womens beauty.  Although Olivia seems to dislike Malvolio at times O, you are sick of self-love, Malvolio, and taste with a distemperd appetite. she displays compassion and kindness in the way that she attempts to bring him back into the wedding society. This sentimentality is seen in many of Shakespeares portrayals of women, and is similar to the way in which Maria is presented. Maria is Olivias lady in waiting, and is a character who balances the household. She tolerates Sir Andrew and Sir Tobys folly, yet doesnt hesitate to scold them when she feels it has gone too far. Sir Toby and Maria are having an affair, and Sir Toby boasts that she adores him. Maria is the character who single-handedly thinks up the plot to gull Malvolio, and in doing so gains the admiration of the male characters, Sir Toby says O, twill be admirable of the plan. She is a literary construct who embodies some of Shakespeares main ideas and themes. She can also be seen as some of Shakespeares praise of women, as in letting a female character be so intelligent, witty and quick-minded, Shakespeare is giving women qualities that were scarcely seen to exist in Elizabethan England.

Tips for Mastering English Grammar for New Learners

Tips for Mastering English Grammar for New Learners English grammar is said to be one of the most difficult to learn for native foreign-language speakers especially because of its countless rules and numerous exceptions to them. However, many English as an Alternative Language (EAL) teachers has developed methods to help these English grammar learners through the process of understanding proper usage and style. If students follow simple, repetitive steps to understand each new element of grammar, some linguists note, they will eventually pick up on the understanding of those rules, though English learners must be careful not to forget about rules and exceptions in particular circumstances. As a result, one of the best ways to learn proper English grammar for foreign learners is to read several example sentences in grammar textbooks in order to experience every possible variation of each grammar rule. This ensures that despite the commonly held principles associated with each instance, new learners will also experience when English, as it often does, breaks the rules. Practice Makes Perfect When learning any new skill, the old adage practice makes perfect really does hold true, especially when it comes to understanding and applying proper English grammar skills; however, improper practice makes for an  improper performance, so its important for English learners to fully grasp grammar rules and exceptions before practicing usage themselves. Each element of usage and style must be looked at and mastered individually before applying in conversation or writing to ensure that new learners grasp core concepts. Some EAL teachers recommend following these three steps: Read a short clear easily understandable explanation of a grammar rule.Study several practical usage examples (sentences) illustrating that particular grammar rule. Check yourself whether you have mastered the examples.Do several exercises for that rule with communicative content with sentences that most likely can be used in real life situations. Grammar exercises that contain dialogues, interrogative and statement (or narrative) sentences on everyday topics, thematic texts and narrative stories are especially effective for mastering grammatical structures and should also include listening comprehension and speaking, not just reading and writing. Challenges and Longevity in Mastering English Grammar EAL teachers and new learners alike should keep in mind that true mastery or even understanding of English grammar takes years to develop, which isnt to say that students wont be able to use English fluently fairly quickly, but rather that proper grammar is challenging even for native English speakers. Still, learners cannot rely on real-life communication alone to be proficient in using grammatically correct English. Only understanding spoke or colloquial English has a tendency to result in misuse and improper grammar for non-native English speakers, who often omit words articles like the and to-be verbs like are when trying to say Did you see the movie? and instead of saying you see the movie? Correct oral communication in English is based on knowledge of English phonetics, grammar, vocabulary, and on practice and experience in communicating with native English speakers in real life. I would argue that first, a learner must master at least basic English grammar from books with exercises before being able to communicate grammatically correctly in real life with native speakers of English.

Armistad essays

Armistad essays The Suitability of the Music in Amistad I watched the movie Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg. This movie is a drama about a historical event. The La Amistad was a slave ship. In 1839 a group of Africans who were captured and being transported on the Amistad revolted and killed the crew aboard. They are recaptured and put on trial in America. The score for the film was composed and produced by John Williams. He is a staple in the film industry. Some of his many other film scores included Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindlers List, to just name a few. The music in Amistad is orchestral. There is a heavy use of strings, flutes, drums and trumpets. Some traditional West African Chants are sprinkled throughout the film as well. The songs composed by John Williams include: Dry Your Tears Africa, Sierra Leone, 1839 and the Capture of Cinque, Crossing the Atlantic, Cinques Theme, Cinques Memories of Home, Middle Passage, The Long Road to Justice, July 4, 1839, Mr. Adams Takes the Case, La Amistad Remembered, The Liberation of Lomboko, Adams Summation, and Going Home. I do not know the genre of the music, but it is described in an article, on , as ...the drum rhythms of Africa and, on the other side of the ledger, early 19th century American music... It appears to me that John Williams composed the music directly around the movie. I felt that each piece of music suited the movie well. Two different versions of Dry Your Tears Africa are used once early in the film with the accompanying vocals and a quieter version towards the end of the film. This song invokes strong emotions about the plight of the Africans. Some of the other songs in the movie represent music that may have been heard during that period. Again I felt it was used well to create an emotional response to what I was watching. ...

Breeding Thourghbred Racing Horses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Breeding Thourghbred Racing Horses - Essay Example ing of thoroughbred horses is a highly intricate and technical matter and a breeder’s success is measured by lesser failure rate as compared to others. Only a handful of winning horses can be produced from hundreds of crosses during a lifetime. Although the qualities of both the mare and the stallion may be exceptional, genetic variations result in offsprings which are not necessarily as good as their parents. Traditional breeding art has to be combined with the modern knowledge of population as well as molecular genetics. Some basic genetic philosophies which are pertinent to the development of a good breed include careful inbreeding structuring to obtain a balance between genetic health and performance, coordination of genetic components for a specific stamina ideal and ‘fixing’ of genetic characteristics using appropriate breeding programs (thorughbredgenetics.com). DNA based analyses of databases can determine whether horses will conform to required ideals in terms of racing potential and stamina. However winners don’t necessarily come from champion parents and exceptions have been there where champions have resulted from uncontrolled breeding. Training of the horses is another aspect which is important in making champions out of ordinary thoroughbreds with none too illustrious bloodlines. Although thoroughbreds are judged more by performance rather than looks, attractive horses have additional advantages in terms of aesthetic appeal. Single trait selection is much easier while developing a breed as compared to an endeavor where multiple positive traits are attempted. Bays and Chestnuts are the most common colors in thoroughbreds although there have been concerted efforts to breed pintos and palominos to make the horses have more visual appeal. The Quarter Horse Association is responsible for breeding paints and Appaloosas, which have characteristic spotting and color patterns, which were initially scoffed at by traditional breeders. Quarter and

Why Natural Farming is better than Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) Research Paper

Why Natural Farming is better than Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) - Research Paper Example It was an excellent narration to illustrate the various sources of our food that can be had either from industrialized farms which utilizes GMO, to large scale organic farming to hunting (2006). In the same vein, the movie Food Inc by Robert Kenner Food Inc. demonstrates how industrial food makers through the massive use of GMO corn have altered our eating habits. Both the book and movie illustrated that industrial farm factory does not reveal the true cost of our food. While it may initially priced to be cheaper, the true cost is concealed in terms of undermining our health and the environment. This was more vividly illustrated in the movie Food Inc. where corn are also being fed to cows which is now fast becoming as part of our staple food causing us obesity and other health issues. The lethal contamination of E.coli that was induced by cows being in their manure during production was also illustrated with a kid dying just few days after consuming a contaminated burger. In effect, both Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s dilemma: a natural history of four meals and Robert Kenner’s movie Food Inc. illustrated that the source of our food is becoming a factory and is no longer grown the way it used to be. Worst, industrial farm factory and the use of GMOs are even packaged to be a better food source than organic farming (2008). Perhaps it was to illustrate the importance of organic farming over factory farming that uses genetically modified corn that Pollan showed his fascination on a farm where different species can be raised together in a theme of symbiosis (Pollan 126). The grower called himself a â€Å"grass farmer† to demonstrate that grass is the foundation of the intricate food chain. II. The rise of the Genetically Modified Organism agricultural products The debate over organic farming and Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crop farming is still as intense when GMOs first caught the public attention. Each mode of farming the crop ar e pushing its advantage over the other as a better source of food with GMO gaining wider acceptance because of its putative efficiency in producing the crops. Genetically Modified Organism came to public attention in September of 2000 when the business section of the New York Times ran a frontpage story about an issue in the food supply. A new genetically engineered corn that contains a protein Cry9C which was supposed to be used as an animal feed was found in a nationally sold tacos (Kelso and Takahashi I). Despite of the issue, genetically modified crops have gained wide acceptance in the United States that it now contains more than 40% of soybeans, cotton and corn that is sold in supermarkets (Sakko). Crops have been modified to grow efficiently requiring fewer herbicides with some crops designed to be resistant to insects and pests. There were also crops whose genomes were altered to produce certain vitamins such as the Golden rice which has been said to contain Vitamin A. Genet ic alteration is not only limited to crops but is also used in trees and other animals (Sakko). III. The debate: why natural farming is better than Genetically Modified Organism? The most common reason used by the proponents of Genetically Modified Organism factory farming is that they are cheaper to produce and is a practical option to provide food to people worldwide (Royal Society of Chemistry). They are also said to be efficient because crops can be improved through genetic engineering to become more resistant to pests with an enhanced nutrient value at a lower production cost. Proponents of GMO’s are also highlighting the advantage of genetically improved crops to be more profitable because they can be grown faster. Proponents of organic farming on the other raised the advantages of organically raised foods over genetically

Report on Accessible tourism and accessible market regarding visitor Essay

Report on Accessible tourism and accessible market regarding visitor attections - Essay Example me, evaluation of positive and negative aspects of building an Accessible Statement, identifying areas that worked well and recommendations for the next step In order to address aims and objectives of the report, the group utilised a web-based data search and observation. Due to the inadequate resources and time, data was sourced was web-based and comprised; academic literature related to visitor attractions and accessible tourism This definition ignores the quickly changing nature of consumer demand and restricts the attractions included, does not include temporary attractions such as festivals or events (Swarbrooke, 2002). A more comprehensive and broader definition is given by Walsh-Heron and Stevens (1990), where temporary attractions could be classified as visitor attractions. Swarbrooke (2003) suggest that â€Å"visitor attractions at their most basic level they work to attract visitors to an area†. However, visitor attractions have many other pull factors, roles, functions and operate in a much broader sense Fyall et al., (2003): From this, it can be seen that the visitor experience has many different influences unique to an individual, attraction and destination (Buhalis & Michopoulou, 2011). Therefore it can be a difficult task for tourism organisations to get this right, however a full understanding of the above will assist them (Gunn, 2002). A tourism market that is accessible does not differ in that they want to sample what is special to the destination but need a â€Å"street-smart† technique to the ease of access of the destination to accomplish this result (Buhalis & Michopoulou, 2011: 149). An accessible destination must provide: However, all the terms used to describe accessible tourism have similar characteristics, and tend to have the same message that promotes tourism â€Å"†¦ accessible to all people† (Buhalis and Darcy, 2011, p. 10). Accessibility has a large impact on society, due to the Equality Act 2010 and the number of people with

Technology and its Effects on Privacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology and its Effects on Privacy - Essay Example The Internet has played a major role in making this happen, since most people from different world regions will easily link up today by using the E-mail and other social network sites, including Facebook and MySpace. However, the use of information and information transmission through technology use has resulted in major problems regarding ethics and jurisdiction. These problems are mainly concerned with the right of privacy and the right of access to information, which are threatened by the current free flow of information, as well as the safeguarding of the financial interests of the owners of intellectual property. This essay mainly focuses on how people lose their privacy by putting all their information online, including in social network sites such as Facebook, and how this and similar technology influence people negatively, thus, endangering the human race. The present generation is known to be dependent on technology more than the past generations. Therefore, most of the vari ous problems that arise in the world today are based on technology. Unlike the past decades where technology was used in moderation, the present generation has informationalized most of its activities. According to Coughlan, this rampant use and increasing inventions in technology put the human race in danger. The overuse and misuse of technology by humans might lead to the extinction of the human race in future (n.pag.). Therefore, in regard to the privacy issue, various technologies today infringe people’s privacy, obtaining their personal information, which is highly sensitive. Additionally, different countries get the sensitive online information about other countries, which they consider their foes, through the Internet. Therefore, the party that retrieved the information online might use this information for different purposes. Nonetheless, a negative and malicious use of this information might result in negative effects for the individual or the country that was tracke d. Coughlan notes that today, computer technology can manipulate the real world, and, therefore, misguided intentions of computer use might be detrimental to the human race. With an increased advancement in technology, which might be lethal if misused, the humanity of this generation poses a threat to its own survival (Coughlan n.pag.). The issue of privacy has existed in the world since the development of information technology, computing, as well as the digital media. Today, social computing, email, mobile data, cookies, GPS, and networked video and audio capture among others are the examples of technologies, which have a negative impact on the users regarding their privacy (Lohr n.pag.). These technologies allow to mine the user’s information, as some of them monitor and keep surveillance of communication and data. In addition, the people using these technologies make it easier for their identity to be established, as they post their personal information and share it with other users. According to Lohr, most online activities a person is engaged in often lead to the diminishing of their level of privacy (n.pag.). For instance, Internet sites such as Facebook and Twitter require one to share most of their personal information such as birthday details with other friends. In this case, most people share their photos, photos of their families, gossipping at their work place and school, among other social and personal information. According to Lohr, when people engage in such self-revelation, it becomes easier for computers to assemble their information

Global warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global warming - Essay Example I disagree with this opinion because I believe global warming is happening due to man’s behavior towards the environment. As such, humanity should be concerned. In October 2012, the British newspaper Daily Mail printed an article claiming that global warming had ended in 1996 and a pause had taken place. This was based on some data from the Britain’s Meteorological Office or MET. Supposedly, the temperature of the Earth from 1997 to the present has not risen significantly enough to cause an alarm. Moreover, the report alleges that the Earth’s â€Å"temperature had been stable or declining for about 40 years.† (Rose) Ironically, the author ends his piece by saying that global warming does exist but it is not happening as fast as other people believe. Global warming continues to happen at present, and it is still the most crucial problem the humanity is facing. In the recent report presented in Doha Talks, it was stated that global emissions of carbon dioxid e which is one of the main reason of global warming was at a record high in 2011 and were likely to take a similar jump in 2012. It can therefore be concluded from this data that although some countries are setting limits and precautions, these measures are still failing and as carbon dioxide emissions continues to happen, global warming also continues to get worse. ... in 2007 in the United Nations, it was said that the sea ice is declining much faster than had been predicted and even some scientists think ‘the Arctic Ocean could be largely free of summer ice as soon as 2020†. (Doha Talks) This phenomenon can be attributed to the rapid increase in temperature in the region. Although this can be related to the natural ocean cycle, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report in November 2011 predicting that global warming will cause more dangerous and â€Å"unprecedented extreme weather† in the future. It is in my opinion that global warming has not stopped since the last Ice Age. Global warming is a current occurrence and factors like climate change and CO2 emissions prove this. Environmental scientist David Keith shares that the Earth is â€Å"a lot warmer that it was since... the ice ages 10,000 years ago.† (Lamb) Man contributed a lot to this warming by filling the environment with polluted air. As ma n became more civilized, he created things that have, eventually, caused harm to the planet. In a recent study about the impact of Asian carbon aerosols on the United States, researchers discovered that the amount of air pollution Asian countries make overshadows the amount of greenhouse gases reduced in the United States. Therefore, even if Americans are able to clean up their air some, Asians manage to make it dirty again. In Beijing, China, for example, around 27 million tons of coal was used in 2010. (Park and Min) It can be drawn out from this that as long as human activities that cause global warming to worsen, it would continuously gets worse as well. Undeniably, not all countries and not every citizen are working to resolve this issue. It is a fact that humans are still negligent at some point in

Technology and its Effects on Privacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology and its Effects on Privacy - Essay Example The Internet has played a major role in making this happen, since most people from different world regions will easily link up today by using the E-mail and other social network sites, including Facebook and MySpace. However, the use of information and information transmission through technology use has resulted in major problems regarding ethics and jurisdiction. These problems are mainly concerned with the right of privacy and the right of access to information, which are threatened by the current free flow of information, as well as the safeguarding of the financial interests of the owners of intellectual property. This essay mainly focuses on how people lose their privacy by putting all their information online, including in social network sites such as Facebook, and how this and similar technology influence people negatively, thus, endangering the human race. The present generation is known to be dependent on technology more than the past generations. Therefore, most of the vari ous problems that arise in the world today are based on technology. Unlike the past decades where technology was used in moderation, the present generation has informationalized most of its activities. According to Coughlan, this rampant use and increasing inventions in technology put the human race in danger. The overuse and misuse of technology by humans might lead to the extinction of the human race in future (n.pag.). Therefore, in regard to the privacy issue, various technologies today infringe people’s privacy, obtaining their personal information, which is highly sensitive. Additionally, different countries get the sensitive online information about other countries, which they consider their foes, through the Internet. Therefore, the party that retrieved the information online might use this information for different purposes. Nonetheless, a negative and malicious use of this information might result in negative effects for the individual or the country that was tracke d. Coughlan notes that today, computer technology can manipulate the real world, and, therefore, misguided intentions of computer use might be detrimental to the human race. With an increased advancement in technology, which might be lethal if misused, the humanity of this generation poses a threat to its own survival (Coughlan n.pag.). The issue of privacy has existed in the world since the development of information technology, computing, as well as the digital media. Today, social computing, email, mobile data, cookies, GPS, and networked video and audio capture among others are the examples of technologies, which have a negative impact on the users regarding their privacy (Lohr n.pag.). These technologies allow to mine the user’s information, as some of them monitor and keep surveillance of communication and data. In addition, the people using these technologies make it easier for their identity to be established, as they post their personal information and share it with other users. According to Lohr, most online activities a person is engaged in often lead to the diminishing of their level of privacy (n.pag.). For instance, Internet sites such as Facebook and Twitter require one to share most of their personal information such as birthday details with other friends. In this case, most people share their photos, photos of their families, gossipping at their work place and school, among other social and personal information. According to Lohr, when people engage in such self-revelation, it becomes easier for computers to assemble their information

FUNDAMENTALS OF INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS Essay

FUNDAMENTALS OF INFORMATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS - Essay Example y the company used to market for the age group 6-12 but later on since 2003 they began evolving products for the teenagers as well as young customers in their twenties. The company had its original marketing plan for the kids where they used to concentrate on fairy tale themes with mermaids, oceans and the sea colours making up for the product design. (Splash 2) Information, Information Systems and Information Technology are different aspects of organizational management. Information is critical to the managers and workers of the organization to function, Information systems provide them with a structure to derive information and information technology is the technology behind the entire operation. â€Å"A distinctive feature of our programme, however, is its insistence on the need to study management and information systems in context, taking account of both professional, good practice models, and of the particular environments in which those models are applied.† (Heeks & McCourt 14) The information system depends on Management and Information System which is different from the management information system part. The management and information system is more concerned with the people, information and technology where all three are different parameters whereas management information systems have more to do with monitoring and quality control. The information systems identified for Splash is an electronic commerce website model which is a niche segment of the market. The pace at which the internet technology has developed today has made the e-commerce model an extremely successful one in which there is still a huge scope and market for the company to sell their products. The concept of reaching out to millions of customers across the globe and selling their unique style of cosmetic products is something which the Splash management should go for in their goal of expanding their existing business. â€Å"The internet makes it very easy for people to find goods, and it

Women Prisons Before the 1800 Essay Example for Free

Women Prisons Before the 1800 Essay â€Å"Women were punished as men were, with the exception that pregnant women were often spared punishment until after they had given birth. Women were generally mixed with male prisoners and supervised by male jailers, which made the women doubly subject to abuse and exploitation.†(Foster, 2006) Women who violated the law, then, also violated their subservient position and were seen as morally suspect as well as criminal. Prior to the development of prisons in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, punishment for women and men took a variety of forms: Serious offenders were put to death by hanging or burning, or banished from their community or sold as slaves How have they changed? The Indiana State Reformatory was established in 1873 as the first separate prison for women in America. (Foster, 2006) The women in prisons are still treated the same except they have separate prisons and more rights to help them when they are abused. They still do have coed prisons in Illinois but they are minimum security prisons. What are the three basic arguments established in the 1800s that supported the separation of juvenile prisoners from adult prisoners? 1. The penitentiary regimen was too hard on tender youth. 2. Juveniles would learn bad habits from older criminals and be embittered by The experience of confinement. 3. Adolescents could be reformed if they were diverted early enough into institutions Designed specifically for people their age. What would happen if there were no distinction between prisons for juveniles and adults? It would be like sending flocks of young sheep to live with older wolves. The juveniles would be exploited and exposed to a great deal immoral and illegal things. What was the purpose of prison labor? In the 1800s, prisons recouped their expenses by leasing convicts to private companies; in 1885, fully three-quarters of prisoners were involved in some form of labor, mostly for private companies or individuals (du Pont, Some Benefits of Prisoner Labor). This had little to do with attempts at  rehabilitation. Prisoners were forced to work without pay, often in dangerous conditions; convict miners were killed in cave-ins in the 1800s (Leonhardt A1). In 1887, Congress for the first time attempted to outlaw the leasing of convict labor to private parties (Ingley 28+), but there was backlash at the state level: refusal to house federal prisoners. What finally drove legislation restricting prison labor were the Depression and the increasing fear that private jobs would be lost to cheaper convict labor. The 1935 Hawes-Cooper Act, along with the Ashurst-Sumner Act of 1940, outlawed interstate trade in convict-made goods, making it a felony and a federal crime to traffic in them (OMeara 14; du Pont, Some Benefits of Prisoner Labor). Subsection (b) of the Ashurst-Sumner Act does exempt goods made in State prisons for use by any prison in any other state, or federal prison-made goods for use by any other federal prison (Ingley 28+). Congress banned prison labor use on federal contracts exceeding $10,000 the same year (du Pont, Some Benefits); the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act placed limits on the purchase of prison-made goods by the federal government (Ingley 28+). Corrections: The Fundamentals, by Burk Foster. Published by Prentice-Hall. Copyright  © 2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Du Pont, Pete. Some Benefits of Prisoner Labor. The San Diego Union-Tribune 30 Nov. 1995: pg.? Leonhard, David. As Prison Labor Grows, So Does the Debate. The New York Times 19 Mar. 2000, final ed.: A1. Ingley, Gwen Smith. Inmate Labor: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Corrections Today v. 58 Feb. 1996: 28+.

Developed Nations and Underdeveloped Nations Economic Growth

Developed Nations and Underdeveloped Nations Economic Growth Forecasting the gap of Economical Growth between the Developed Nations and Underdeveloped Nations (Application of Winter Forecasting). Muhammad Bilal Literature Review: In 1981 street of Beijing, China was filled with pedestrians, bicycles, a few cars and small buildings. Thirty years later the same street having traffic-jam of cars and skyscrapers. How this city transformed into a mega-city having underground train stations, state of the art technology and high standards of living. This is the effect of sustain and rapid economic development. What is economic development? and how we can obtain these astonishing results out of it. During the speech of 1949, US President Harry Truman, identified the main concern for the west is development of underdeveloped region. The term Economic Development is generally used in many other synonymous terms such as economic growth, economic welfare, secular change and economic progress. Economic development, as it is now generally understood, includes the development of agriculture, industry, trade, transport, means of irrigation, power resources, etc. Economic development has been defined in different ways and as such it is difficult to locate any single definition which may be regarded entirely satisfactory. Economic development applies in the context of peoples sense of morals (Normative Concept). Michael Todaro defines economic development as an raise in living standards, self-esteem and freedom from unjust exercise of authority as well as a greater options. Distinction was drawn between standards of living (subjective or value based concept of economic development) and levels of living (objective and fact based concept) in article International Definition and Measurement of Standards and Levels of Living (UN, 1954). Positive economics or levels of living can be tested. So we can say that economic development is the quantitative and qualitative changes in the economy. Economic development is sum of actions of policy makers and communities that encourage the standard of living and economic health. Such actions can involve multiple dimensions including development of human capital, critical infrastructure, regional competitiveness, environmental sustainability, social inclusion, health, safety, literacy, and other initiatives. Economic development and economic growth are different concept. Whereas economic development concern with policy intervention which originated in aftermath of war the reconstruction started by the US. The economic development of a nation or humanity is generally linked with growing incomes and associated increases in consumption, investment, and savings. These points are clearly open to debate. Dictionary of Economics’ article on Development Economics, Bell (1989) utilized the pioneer and latecomer as an organizing framework given that independent countries start out as poor in a world where at that point rich nation. Economic development was visually perceived as a process in which latecomer get closer to pioneers. Per capita income can be use as proxy for measurement of development as various social indicators for instance educational attainment, health, etc. As discussed above, it is sensible to come to the point that international organizations approach to ‘development construct’ are very differently. One justification for this variety of concept is that economic theory does not give any direction to that matter. Although another explanation is that every organization has their own specific mandate therefore may approach this matter with different mindset and perception. Economic development refers to an upward trend in real national output over a long period. Although the upward trend means that each successive cyclical peak and trough is generally at a higher level of real national output than the preceding peak and trough respectively. There is a positive relationship between the real national income and economic development if all other things remain the same. Higher real national income of a country is considered to be an indication of higher economic development and vice versa. In Short it is implies that the real national income is a good tool for measuring economic development of a country. However it could be an inadequate tool for measuring economic development, but it can be used for global development comparisons among nations. Purchasing power of national income should be taken into account while quantifying economic development. There is another method (HDI) for measuring development which takes into account the literacy rates and life expectancy which affects output and could result in Economic Growth. It also entails raise in the per capita income. Economic development leads to the economic growth which is a necessary condition but not sufficient and we can say Economic growth follows many different ways, and not all of them are sustainable. Certainly, there are numerous researchers who argue that globe has limited resources so any form of economic growth is sooner or later unsustainable. Economic Growth does not consider the reduction in natural resources which might lead to greenhouse gasses, overcrowding and diseases. Development however is concerned with sustainability which means meet the requirements of the present with no compromise on future. From now on we take a look at what exactly Economic Growth is and will go through some measures of it. Economic growth is the increase in the capacity or increase in the market worth of the goods and services produced by a country over period. Economic growth indicator like GDP is used to compare economy of one period of time to another or one country to other. It is traditionally calculated in nominal term (which means inflation adjusted GDP), the ratio of GDP to population; it is also called per capita income. -Economic growth is a process in which country achieve high real national income in long period of time. There are a few approaches to gauge Economic growth. The fact should be consider while using Economic Growth as proxy for economic development that it does not take into consideration the informal economy also known as the black economy. Development improves the standards of living and proper employment with appropriate shelter. Consequently, as well known economist Amartya Sen points out that Economic Growth is a piece of the big puzzle the economic development. During the period of high inflation the Growth rate may be much higher. The fact should be considered that growth rate (in short term) also rise and fall with business cycles. Economic boom accompanied the rising inflation which is followed by recession. It has been observed by statisticians that Developed countries have higher GDP per capita (Easterly 2002). It is argue that GDP per capita may increase due to the increment in incomes of richer groups in the society so we can say that per capita GDP growth may not reduce the poverty or societal development. It is observed by Dependency theorists that poor nations sometimes experience economic growth with modest or no economic development initiatives. There are many indicator of economic growth like Increase in the capital, progress in technology, and enchantment in the quality and literacy Rate are considered to be the main factors of economic growth. Recently the idea of sustainable growth has brought in additional factors. Underdeveloped nations which are not using their resources fully and having lower livelihood, low Human Development Index (HDI) as compared to other countries. A GDP that is growing at a high rate is thought to be greatest sign that an economy is developing and thriving. This is the reason nations like China and Brazil were considered so important in 2010s. It wasnt on account of they had gotten to be major economic power it was on the argument that they were headed to wind up major financial powers because of their high GDP development rates. So nations regularly stay informed regarding how rapid different nations are developing to anticipate (describe a possible future event) what the worldwide economy will look like later on. Influential economies need to know who their new enemies will be. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a sort of monetary apparatus that is used by governments and economists as a method for measuring economic growth in an expressed period. For the most part, the estimation of GDP is used because of its significance in the figuring of how well the economy is performing. All things considered, the relationship in the betw een the GDP and economic growth is the way that GDP serves as a method for study how an economy is acting. GDP tries to gauge the aggregate utilization of resource inside the economy. Although, GDP is a part measure of the numerous features of our modern economy. The most well-known refrain went for GDP is that it lets us know minimal about our general or individual monetary welfare. Development concerns not only mans material needs but also the improvement of the social condition of his life. Development is, therefore, not only economic growth, but growth plus change in social, cultural and institutional as well as economic. This definition encompasses economic and non-economic aspects of development the central point of this definition is that quantitative and qualitative changes in development variables are considered essential ingredients of economic development. Thus, we can conclude that economic development is a process rather than the result of it which results in a rise in real national income, and the net national product must have a sustained increase i.e., it must be over a long period of time. How do we construct a classification system based on countries development attainment? The World Bank and the IMF approach this issue differently. Do high levels of GDP necessarily correspond with high levels of development? Necessarily not because countries like India and China having way higher levels of GDP than countries like Belgium and New Zealand, but hardly any would suggest that latter are economically less developed than the former. Main reason behind that may be politically acceptable minimum living standards differ greatly from country to country it implies poverty lines are country specific, which hinder comparison of countries with respect to their economic development. There is no criterion (either grounded in theory or based on an objective benchmark) that is generally accepted for classifying countries according to their level of development because development is not a concept that can provide a basis upon which countries can be classified. There are large differences in the standard of living enjoyed by citizens of different countries. For example, in 2009 a citizen in Burkina Faso earned on average US$510 as compared to US$37,870 for a Japanese citizen, and while in Burkina Faso 29 percent of the adult population was literate and a new-born baby could expect to live 53 years, virtually all adults in Japan were literate and a Japanese new-born baby could expect to live 83 years. Another possible justification for the absence of a generally accepted classification system is the inherent normative nature of any such system. In 1960s developing and developed words are became the more common way to characterize countries, especially in the context of policy discussions on transferring real resources from richer (developed) to poorer (developing) countries (Pearson et al, 1969). This could suggest that a developing/developed country dichotomy is too restrictive and that a classification system with more than two categories could better capture the diversity in development outcomes across countries. It is more complicated develop a classification system. There are two problems that need to be addressed. One, it is not clear what is the correct number of categories. Two countries measured development attainment are most likely all different and a procedure is needed to tweak the development attainments that is to say construct a synthetic distribution to ensure that countries within each category have the same. A developed economy is the characterized by increase in capital resources, improvement in efficiency of labor, better organization of production in all spheres, development of means of transport and communication, growth of banks and other financial institutions, urbanization and a rise in the level of living, improvement in the standards of education and expectation of life, greater leisure and more recreation facilities and the widening of the mental horizon of the people. 1) Significance of Industrial Sector. 2) High Rate of Capital Formation. 3) Use of High Production Techniques and Skills. A country that is less  developed  economically  than most others, with little  industry  and little  money  spent  on  education,  healthcare. There is huge debate on this topic that which countries fit these two categories of developed and underdeveloped, although GDP is general reference points to compare nations. This paper use time series method to forecast the upcoming condition of economy. It comprises the use of statistical methods and using factor GDP. We will use GDP to forecast the economical growth gap between the developed nations and underdeveloped nations. It is an important tool for countries as they devise future planning and strategies. I will use Holt winter to forecast the gap of economic growth. The Holt-Winters method has found to be the best and simple method to forecast time series. References: Bradford, C. (2010). Economic Growth and Equity Investing. Financial Analysts Journal, 66, 54-64. Reddaway, W. (1963). The Economics of Under-Developed Countries. The Economic Journal, 73, 1-12. William, F. (1964). Differential rates of growth, developed and underdeveloped nations, and their implications. Journal of farm economics, 46, 1043-1050. Minh, Q. (2009). Poverty, income distribution, and Agriculture in developing Countries. Journal of economic,36, 168-183. Harold, B. (1969). Growth in developed nations. The review of economics and statistics, 51, 143-148. Williams, T. (1987). Adaptive Holt-Winters Forecasting. The Journal of the Operational Research Society, 38, 553-560.

The Invention of the World Essay -- Literary Analysis, Jack Hodgins

In The Invention of the World, Jack Hodgins invites us to consider an alternative dystopia in which fantasy and reality converge to create sense and constance in an otherwise chaotic existence. Unleashing an arsenal of characters in two parallel worlds, Hodgins attempts to uncover the mysteries of people, and he delves into the paradoxical genre of magic realism, a term coined by Franz Roh in 1925, to achieve this. Focussing on characterization, The Invention of the World offers sufficient surrealism to provide fictional entertainment, whilst cleverly grounding his mythical tale in a relatable reality inspired by history and realism. Specifically, Hodgins offers a lens into the lives of a number of characters. Arguably, Maggie Kyle and Wade Powers achieve contentment on their pilgrimage to Ireland through self-reflection and internal enlightenment; conversely, Kineally and Becker, seek to achieve their constance through the manipulation, exploitation and dependence on other people in their lives. Hodgin’s novel traces the journey of these characters and evokes consideration of the effects of our choices on the long-term equilibrium of our existence and self-enlightenment. From the beginning of the tale, the motif of travel predominates. As Becker â€Å"[waves] your car down the ramp onto the government ferry...† (vii) we are not only introduced to the setting, but also the idea that Becker has a certain authority and inclination to control that journey. As Becker researches, documents and attempts to quantify the tale of Donal Keneally and his rise as founder of the â€Å"Colony of the Revelation of Truth†, we learn of his dissonance and inability to find contentment. Becker’s energy on the pilgrimage â€Å"[was] wild with trying to take eve... ...17). With Wade’s turbulent waters eventually settled by Maggie, this resonating re-birth enables both characters to realize a happiness that can only be found within. To conclude, Hodgins’s entrancing tale merges fact with fiction, magic with reality, and chaos with romance. While Becker and Keneally ultimately fail in their attempts to create, using pride and ambition as fuel towards constancy, Hodgins creates a poetic final scene in which Wade and Maggie Powers symbolically unite in matrimony, ironically wed by Horseman, Wade’s sagely nemesis, amongst the chaos of thrown insults, wielded chainsaws, food fights and terrible music, Maggie is, significantly, able to â€Å"[stand up, beside her husband, ready† (353). Through the magic of myth, Hodgins teaches us to find a place where we can be satisfied, enjoy who we are, and appreciate the important people around us.

Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club Essay -- Amy Tan Joy Luck Club Essays

Amy Tan's â€Å"The Joy Luck Club† The â€Å"Joy Luck Club,† by Amy Tan, is a collection of short stories about the relationships between Chinese born mothers and their American born daughters. The story called â€Å"Four Directions† is about a woman named Waverly Jong. The story is about Waverly trying to tell her mother that she is getting married to a American man named Richard. Waverly was a chess champion as while she was a young girl and she remembers the strategy that she used in her matches, and in her life, as she tries to tell her mother about a marriage to an American man. Waverly’s mother was raised in China under Chinese traditions. Waverly’s mother wants Waverly to marry a Chinese man and dos not want Waverly to marry an American man. As Waverly brings us through her decision making process, she questions the Chinese traditions that her mother strictly follows. Since Waverly grew up in an American society, she has lost the Chinese traditions that her mother has tried to teach her and therefore has weakened the bond between Waverly and her mother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As Waverly brings her mother through her house, Waverly lets her mom see the male items that are around to hint to her mother that she is living with a man, like his clothes around the bedroom and his barbells on the floor. Waverly goes to her closet and shows her mother the fur coat that Richard had given to her. After seeing the coat, Waverly’s mom says: â€Å"This is not so good,’ she said at last. ‘It is just leftover...

Controlling employee health care cost Essay

1.) What do you think about Hagedorn’s approach to controlling employee health care cost? Do you agree with it? Why or why not? Mr. Hagedorn’s approach to control employee health care cost is through providing a wellness facility program for their employees and also creating rules concerning on health and monetary punishments to those who don’t want to follow these rules. From the 20% of the company’s net profits for the health care and health risk assessments, the goal is to limit health care insurance costs. First, Mr. Hagedorn made a companywide wellness program which is called the LiveTotal Health program and hired a third party, Whole Health Management to run it. Next, he started encouraging his employees to take health-risk assessments and for those who don’t take the health risk-assessments to pay $40 per month more in premiums. And for those employees who found to be moderate to high risk through the assessments and will not comply will pay an additional $67 per month on top of the $40. As we see it, Mr. Hagedorn’s approach is both intrusive and forceful. The employees cannot argue and are forced to comply with his requirements but his company has some rights since they are the one paying the bulk of amount for the premiums. Employees who surrender to his wellness program facility are forced to do monthly check ups and also quit smoking, drinking and other bad health habits. His approach is also very sudden, he only thought about it overnight and his type of approach needs a lot of adjustments especially for those employees who had already incorporated certain unhealthy habits into their lifestyle. His approach in controlling employee health care cost through making a wellness program facility and also letting his employees quit smoking and other bad health habits may also lead to certain losses in their organization in terms of the work/ labor force because there is a possibility that efficient and effective workers are going to be terminated because they can’t cope with this type of approach or they can’t change their habits and lifestyles and also because of the high monetary penalty if the employee can’t abide with his rules/approach. However, our group agrees with his approach b ecause his plan to lower health care cost through providing a wellness program facility is a win-win situation, not only can the company be able to cut costs, but also making employees live a healthier life leads to a more productive performance, improved mobility in doing their jobs and also a happier state. Being healthy means cutting  healthier care spending in the long run. Employees could be more confident and competent in building and interacting with their customers and various stakeholders. His approach is also a motivation for the employees to be engaged in healthy living. Furthermore, they become loyal to the company, as they feel that the company considers them as an important asset to operations, values and cares for them. Mr. Hagedorn’s approach may also attract new competent and potential employees because of the benefits they will get; because a good work environment and a healthy way of living await them in the company. Also, the program Mr. Hagedorn is offering ranges from offering information to employee’s fitness education and company’s fitness centers. These modes of helping and assessing the employee’s health contribute positive impacts on both, the company and its employees. After all, the welfare of the employee has a direct impact on the success of the company. 2.) What benefits and drawbacks are there to this type of wellness program? (a)employees (b)company (A.1) the benefits of this type of wellness program for employees are: †¢Reduce Medical Cost Through their wellness program facilities, their employees would be able to live a healthier and happier lifestyle which in turn reduces medical expenses for the employees, thus, they can cut off their company’s health care cost in the long run. †¢Built sense of camaraderie with co-workers They will have the chance of doing activities unrelated to the job such spending time together in assessments and physical workouts. Such activities would also encourage them for the possible results of others. The feeling of being part of the team will be emphasized more in this type of program. †¢Live healthy while they work. Employees tend to be healthy while doing the things they need to do at work. It’s more likely, hitting two birds with one stone. Being healthy means being able to do a wide range of activities most especially it relates to work. †¢More productivity (Happier) Being healthy is giving your body the strength and your mind the positive outlooks. Healthy employees tend to accomplish the jobs they were expected  efficiently and effectively and they can even engage themselves more in the organization’ activities though it’s not part of their jobs anymore. It can also lower their levels of stress and help them increase their self-esteem and confidence. †¢Stays more loyal to the company that treasures them Wellness programs make the employees feel that they are visible in the eyes of the employer and that they are cared. Also the employees can see that their needs and feelings are met. When they feel these, they are more likely stay in the company because it gives them importance. †¢Their life expectancy improves A healthy employee has a lesser chance of getting sick and probable health problems but with exception to hereditary factors. When you eat healthy foods and do corresponding exercises, you are revitalizing your body and mind and you can also live longer. (A.2) the drawbacks of this type of wellness program towards employees are: †¢Invasion of personal space and Health privacy Since health records are required to strengthen the wellness program facility, the person’s assigned to these areas have to look through the records of each employee and that may breach the health privacy of the employees. The employees might feel unsecured because of the fear that their health privacy might be leak amongst others. †¢Health Discrimination A High possibility of health discrimination could occur since some health information might be leaked and that people now are not only concerned about their health but also about the health of others. So, some employees may feel more discriminated than being cared. †¢Limited lifestyle freedom There will be lots of activities that employees need to engage themselves. They will have certain limitations and constraints on what they would eat, what habits they would have to eliminate and the type of activities they have to avoid with concern to their health. †¢Having a Change in Lifestyle needs a lot of Adjustments Employees really need to cope with the changes in the office. They need to adjust to having regular health check-ups, daily exercises and activities that are offered within the health program and also they need to adjust and try to change their bad health habits to continue working in their workplace. For Employees who refuse to join the program, their salaries would be lessened Because some employees would probably refuse in joining this program, they would be required to pay monetary penalty. The more these employees refuse to join the program, the more they would have to pay to stay in the company and also to avoid conflict within the company they are working. (B.1)The benefits for the company in this type of program are: †¢Lower health insurance cost Because of the new wellness program facility, the cost of the expenses will lower down due to the healthy lifestyle of the employees which results to the reduction of healthcare insurance premiums. †¢Raising reflection rates Attracts more future talented and competent employees because of the program that they offer (Recruiting tools) Reducing Absenteeism Because of the healthy lifestyle of the employees, the factor of employees being absent due to might be lessened or eliminated. Reduction in turn-over In Mr. Hagedorn’s approach, there is a possibility that employee turn-over would occur, either voluntary or involuntary. Some would quit because they couldn’t adjust to the changes while others would simply be fired because of the same reason. Healthier employees make for a Stronger association and Productivity It is already a fact that one of the key factors that affect employee production is their health. Meaning to say, that the healthier the employees the more possibility that their production would improve and that would benefit the company greatly. An improved production results in stronger association and more gained profits. Employees life expectancy improves There will be less injuries and illnesses in the workforce. Employee relations will improve, thus helping the organization achieve their goal. (B.2)The drawbacks for the company in this type of program are: †¢Deal with  the resistance of the employees It is inevitable that some employees would not agree right away for the said program. Each has his or her own opinion and for the company to create this type of program, they have to deal first with those employees who try to resist against this type of program. They have to find ways to change the minds of their employees or control their resistance. †¢Initial cost for starting the Wellness Program Wellness program facilities are very expensive nowadays; you have to hire a team for that area, buy gym materials and etc†¦ This would be the risky part of creating this type of program, you have to spend a lot of money at first before you can achieve your goal which is to have healthier employees and cut the cost of health insurance premiums in the long run. †¢Deal with other people’s backlash Everyone, especially people outside the company have their own opinions whether positive or negative about this wellness program. Some might say it is a breach to one’s right to health privacy and the right one person in living in his own lifestyle while some would agree with this type of program because it would help both the employees and the company. The company has to deal with the negative opinions of the people as to not influence the reputation of their company; they may find ways for other people to see their goals in another light and to make people understand what their program is for. †¢Without extensive employee participation investment may not pay off The biggest risk in this type of program is not only the expense but also the employees. If most of the employees tend to not participate in this type of program then the company would either fire these employees or remove the program. For Mr. Hagedorn, he found another way for employees to participate which is through monetary punishment/exchange, meaning to say if you do not participate in the program then you would be forced to pay or quit your work. †¢Deal with the changes in terms of food being offered in cafeterias The company must also adjust and deal with the changes in the workplace. Because of this type of workplace program, they would have to change the food being served in the cafeteria, their daily activities, how  they do things around now that there is also a wellness program provided and also their work schedule, when would they allocate the time for the program and what would they do. 3.) Research company wellness programs. What types of things are companies doing to encourage employee wellness? Are there any things that you found that you might recommend that Hagedorn implement? Describe. Some type of things that companies are doing to encourage employee wellness are adding community bikes all around the workplace areas when you move from one building to another like what Google has done. Google had also made it easier for their employees to make healthier food decisions in the dozens of cafeterias and small cafes with a simple color-coded label (green for healthy, red for unhealthy) on all offerings. Google has even hacked its 48,584 employees’ eating habits—smaller plates encourage portion control, and putting the salad bar at the entrance and the dessert spread in the far corner makes reaching for the greens a no-brainer. Another is to provide a â€Å"Tobacco Quitline† which gives individual counselling over the phone, and the â€Å"Ask Mayo Clinic† hotline is a 24/7 medical resource staffed by nurses ready to assess and give advice on health matters for the employees of Mayo Clinic. Companies like Blue Cross and Union Pacific offer smok ing cessation especially breathe therapy to their employees to help them stop smoking. Discounts up to full payment at health clubs is also offered by both Del Monte Foods’ regional headquarters and H.J. Heinz Co. to encourage their employees to live healthier for free. Chesapeake Energy had also made a wellness program where each of its employees is required to smile bright; through smiling bright you can brighten up the mood and also encourage more customers. WELCOA is also providing in-house facilities for their employees. For Union Pacific Railroads, they offer companywide wellness benefits like stop-smoking plans and health risk assessments and also they have regional walking contests. The wellness program in Pepsi Co. has several parts; they have health risk assessments, fitness and diet programs and helping people manage chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. In the Philippines, Unilab provides six months lifestyle modification program to improve their employee’s wellness. Also, the Maxicare and ABS-CBN partnership has created the â€Å"Kapamilya Health and Wellness Fair 2014† which  aims to improve the health and lifestyles of their employees through Zumba dances and fun runs. TELUS International Philippines (TIP), a top call center and business process outsourcing services provider, created a wellness and healthy living program for its employees. They held a Healthy Living Sports fest last June 18, 2011. The group recommend these wellness programs that Hagedorn also implement in assessing more of its subordinates health. Like the Union Pacific Railroads, they should offer a walking contest, health and wellness fair like what the Maxicare and ABS-CBN did. This would emphasize more of what the organization really wants in the employees’ health. This fun fairs would improve the health and lifestyles of their employees. They would also give the employees the change to be engaged in activities unrelated in their job. Like Pepsi Co.’s diet program. Offering healthy yet gastronomic dishes encourages employees to eat and indulge themselves with such foods. Like what the TELUS International Philippines’ sports fest. These activities not only provide an opportunity for the employees to showcase their talent in sports but also help promote teamwork, camaraderie, and sportsmanship. References: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/crazy-corporate-wellness-programs-that-work/ http://greatist.com/health/healthiest-companies http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20081006-164932/Benefiting-from-office-wellness-programs https://www.maxicare.com.ph/4082/maxicare-and-abs-cbn-present-the-kapamilya-health-wellness-fair-2014-3/ http://greatist.com/health/healthiest-companies http://www.telusinternational.com.ph/?q=node%2F32