Thursday, October 31, 2019

Special needs- children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Special needs- children - Essay Example By this system the people who were excluded will be reached and will be provided with a safe and comfortable environment, in which they will grow all together leaning cooperation. I belief true inclusion provides an opportunity to the children and youth with special needs to develop a sense of belongingness through nurturing relationship outside their family, acquiring the knowledge of support system and access to community. The children without special need can also benefit from this inclusion by getting acquainted to the atmosphere of value diversity. Previously the schools did not address the issue of varied learning style for the children instead they have one size fit for all curriculum that did not included the children with special need. To change this and to promote inclusion special education legislation and research has developed special services that will provide service and placement to all students regardless of their disability. Inclusion of special need children is a very controversial topic but my personal experience says that it leads to a substantial affect on the upbringing of a child. On this note I would like to share one of my personal e xperiences, which makes me belief like this. One of my friend’s son was suffering from Partial Autism. Though he was fine in communication but he lack some of the normal communications like he used to repeat the same sentence again and again. Whatever his parents said he didn’t paid attention towards them instead he did things as per his own wish. My friend consulted many doctors but there was no improvement. He got him admitted to a school where inclusion was followed. It worked as a miracle. He has now got his own friend circle, which makes him learn the normal ways of talking, playing and writing. He gets the feel of the normal society which he was devoid of before. He has now become more confident than before. Now he has started listening to his parents and follows their instructions. I

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

Race and Ethnicity Essay Crash is highly ambiguous in the depiction of multiculturalism in American society. Almost all the ethnicities depicted in Crash question the perception others have their particular group, but at the same time affirm the different stereotypes surrounding their ethnic group. For example, one of the black characters (‘Anthony’) remarks that they should be afraid in a white neighborhood, due to their group’s association with crime. Following this intelligent observation, he and his friend (‘Peter’) proceed to steal a car from a white couple (Rick and Jean Cabot), affirming the stereotype whites have of them. Another example would be the Persian-American father, who is accused by a gun-store owner to be a danger to society, The father denies this fact, but ends up shooting a child. This ambiguous portrayal shows us one of the dilemmas of Multiculturalism in American society. While it strives to acknowledge diversity, it also promotes color consciousness by rejecting color-blind solutions. To quote Gordon and Newfield â€Å"Multiculturalism in the 1980’s sponsored renewed protests against white racism and yet it appeared to replace the emphasis on race and racism with an emphasis on cultural diversity. Multiculturalism rejected racial subordination but seemed sometimes to support itâ€Å". While Gordon and Newfield also attest that â€Å"multiculturalism often avoided race. It designated cultures†, but multiculturalism in Crash inexorably comes down to race and ethnicity. The characters in Crash think in terms of race or ethnicity, not culture. Despite the fact that every major character is culturally ‘American’, race is the definitive factor in determining identity. The upper-class African-American Cameron is accused of not being ‘black’ enough. The Persian-American father is angered that he is mistaken for being an Arab (traditionally considered to be part of the Hamitic race), while both ethnicities can be considered part of Islamic culture. The Asian-American characters and the Cambodian immigrants are first and foremost ‘Asian’ and no attempt is made to distinguish them culturally. This can clearly be seen at the end of the movie; Anthony drops the Cambodians off in Chinatown, an ‘Asian’ neighborhood, inhabited by Chinese-Americans whose culture and language is completely foreign to the Cambodians. Furthermore everyone from South-American is labeled as Latino or Hispanic, despite the fact that Brazilians are culturally and linguistically Portuguese and that Argentina is more ‘white’ than the United States. Detective Ria is called Mexican (the most common Hispanic group in Los Angeles) multiple times in the movie, despite having a shared Puerto Rican and El-Salvadorian background. One must understand that there is a racial divide or a perceived racial divide in American society, not just between the white American majority and minority groups but between different minority groups as well. This is best seen during Crash’s opening scene, where a ‘native’ Asian-American woman (Kim Lee) accuses the ‘native’ Hispanic Ria of being an illegal immigrant in broken English. Another example would be the privileged African-American Cameron. After an attempted carjacking, he is mistaken for one of the carjackers, due to his belligerent attitude and encounters a racial divide that completely nullifies his privileged position. In other words, his upper-class job gave him a degree of ‘whiteness’, which dissipates when he is mistaken for a ‘black’ thug. The racial divide is best described by Ronald Takaki, a Japanese-American and a professor on multicultural American during an encounter with a taxi driver. The taxi driver asked how long he had been in the US; Takaki interpreted his question in terms of race: â€Å"Somehow I did not look ‘American’ to him; my eyes and complexion looked foreign. Suddenly we both became aware of a racial divide between us†. For the taxi driver, an Asian man speaking good English was somehow remarkable and likely made his comment without any racist connotations. For the Japanese-American Takaki, it was a reminder that the notion of ‘Americaness’ was still closely related to race. Another Academic, Schlesinger notes that â€Å"The bonds of cohesion in our society are sufficiently fragile, or so it seems to me, that it makes no sense to strain them by encouraging and exalting cultural and linguistic apartheid. The American identity will never be fixed and final; it will always be in the making†. Despite being an assimilationist, Schlesinger has a valid argument, at least with this quote. ‘American’ is not a fixed identity; it means different things to different minority groups. For the Asian-American woman, speaking broken English raised no questions regarding her Asian-American identity, while the Hispanic Ria was dumbfounded by the fact that the women accused her of being an illegal in broken English. Schlesinger correctly notes how fragile the bonds between the different ethnic groups are. This returns in Crash, where almost every ‘multicultural’ interaction is the result of a crash or conflict. As Gordon and Newfield point out in their essay, multiculturalism might have placed the emphasis on cultural diversity, rather than race or racism, but it has done little to deal with the underlying racial divide that exists in American society. Bibliography â€Å"Argentina Demographics Profile 2010†, Index Mundi, accessed 10-3-2010, http://www. indexmundi. com/argentina/demographics_profile. html Avery Gordon and Christopher Newfield, Mapping Multiculturalism (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1996), 3-4 Schlesinger, Arthur M. , The Disuniting of America: Reflections on a Multicultural Society (New York: Norton, 1992) 137-138 Takaki, Ronald, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America (New York: Back Bay Books, 1993) 1-2.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Impact of the Credit Crunch on the Workplace and Politics

Impact of the Credit Crunch on the Workplace and Politics Social World Economy and UK Government Employers, Employees and the Unions Conclusions Bibliography The credit crunch in 2008 is swiftly being followed by an imminent global recession, perhaps the worst recession for many decades. Irresponsible lending, mis-management by the banks, the pay freezes in industry and the general economic climate means that we can no longer take for granted our jobs, homes and financial security. In 2009 the tide is turning from boom, very probably to bust in just a few months, although it was claimed by some analysts that the recession started proper half way through 2008. The situation does not look to improve any time soon either, as Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England was cited in the Daily Telegraph of 26th October, 2008: â€Å"The combination of a squeeze on real take-home pay and a decline in the availability of credit poses the risk of a sharp and prolonged slowdown in domestic demand. It now seems likely that the UK economy is entering a recession.† (Jonathan Sibun, Daily Telegraph, 2008). So we see that there can be a number of factors which provide the root cause of a recession. The end result of a recession is not only the loss of business, jobs, reduced cash flow and tightening of financial belts; the social, economic and political impact this has on employers, employees and the government. Employer and employee relationships are also a â€Å"side effect† of the environment within a recession. Does the balance of power change? Do employees become resentful? Do managers become more fearful and does this affect their judgement in the workplace? Many happy and productive workplaces are suddenly â€Å"not so happy† when a credit crunch hits. This paper investigates the implications of a credit crunch on relationships both at the workplace and in the political arena. Social From a social perspective, the effects of the credit crunch are already being evidenced. Housing repossessions are on the increase in the UK and people are having difficulty keeping up with their mortgages. Another factor is that the number of job losses is on the increase and this is expected to continue in 2009. The social impact this has on people is very often not reported by the media. For instance, people who would normally go on holiday with their friends and attend social outings may no longer do so after losing their job. The impact of a credit crunch and recession is inevitably job losses. This affects the person being laid off not only financially, but in terms of self confidence and a feeling of hopelessness for some. Some people after being made redundant may never work again, due to their age or the industry they have worked in, which may be something they have been involved in all their life. The credit crunch affects relationships generally, but also marriages. Husbands try to hold off telling their partners when they lose there jobs. The feeling of failure abounds and it also becomes a shock when it is not possible to find another job immediately. The credit crunch seems to hit men particularly hard, as pride and status play their parts when he has to rely solely on his wife for their main income: Traditionally, the man provides and for a man to lose his job, its not just about money, its loss of status, which can be a huge knock to his confidence.† Steve Miller, cited in (Becky Howard, 2008). It can cause relationship breakdowns as: There is also a real danger that the woman may become angry and resentful (Becky Howard, 2008). This may be due to women become the main breadwinner and also the need to perform duties at home, like cleaning, ironing and other household chores. The Times article points out a number of ways to assist couples through a crisis such as the credit crunch and the loss of a job. The balance of power can shift from an even situation, in a relationship to a dominant partner, when both partners have jobs or in the case of the sole breadwinner, it can cause even more difficulty. World Economy and UK The economic effects are also being seen, as employers are trying to emphasise the importance of pay restraints as companies try to avoid job losses: If employees understand the competitive pressures facing their organisation, they are more likely to understand why pay restraint in the current economic environment is critical. (CIPD, 2008) However, pay is only one of a number of issues. Mortgage repossessions are on the increasing by 40% in the last 12 months (Economics Help, 2008). It is claimed that this is only a small proportion of the total mortgage market in the UK however. In the US loans to sub-prime mortgage markets proved highly risky, and these loans were then embedded into the whole financial system (Economics Help, 2008). This in turn affected the whole of the global capital markets. Hence the world economy is currently in very poor shape. Each country is trying to solve the crisis in their own way, but some countries in Europe are following the UK lead were VAT is concerned, in that they aim to reduce it. On a world level, the economy has probably been in downturn since December 2007. They were predicting then that the economy would have forthcoming problems and so it has been proved. For instance, this report by World Economic Update (2008) states for the US economy: The U.S. economy is already in a recession it started in December 07 and it will last four to six quarters. Negative growth starts in the first quarter of 2008. The former the latter may, I guess, or may not end up being true, but surely its going to be unimpressive. The same article also suggests the economy of the US will be severe and protracted rather than mild. The US is the richest economy in the world, and when something happens on the scale of the current credit crunch it affects the world economy. It is also stated that many emerging markets are not directly affected by the US economy, and these should provide a cushion for the overall world economy, even though the banks of the emerging economies are also tightening their belts. It is stated that countries, such as Brazil, China, Russia, Peru, Poland and Hungary are all in growth stages and not directly affected by the US as they mainly deal with commodities. There has also been a shift away from the US in terms of the commodities markets (World Economic Update, 2008). The question we need to ask are the emerging markets enough to help stave off the imminent recession? The way that emerging markets can assist the global economy is through cheap commodity prices such as metals and agricultural products. Unfortunately however, the price of oil continues to escalate in the light of a world oil shortage. The repercussions of the current financial crisis were discussed by Andrew Watt (2008) when he states that there will be a combination of: â€Å" Share-price collapse Blockages with the banking system Reduced access to bank loans, and More expensive bond financing â€Å" resulting in a reduction in corporate investment, which in turn will have knock-on effects elsewhere. Much can be gleaned from the current crisis for future generations however. Andrew Watt has identified a number of other possible factors which have a bearing on the world economy and the UK. For instance, he points out that there has been a lack of regulatory institutions required for global finance, throughout the world and in Europe. He also claims that income at the national level has moved in that the poor borrow more, and speculation by the rich has made them wealthier. This really is a case of the poor getting poorer, and the rich getting richer. Lack of low interest rates, lack of regulation in the financial sector, risk taking and tax competition; including the EU have also contributed, in his opinion (Andrew Watt, 2008). From this we can assume that although the US crisis was the initial spark, that the petrol was already ready to light in the world economy and so we are all affected by the end result. The following figure from this report shows a summary of the events of the last 12 months or so, resulting in the credit crunch and imminent recession: One affect of the economy the credit crunch has had in the UK is the reduction of house prices and the price of goods in the shops, which have reduced dramatically in the last few months; in order to keep consumers interested thus keeping the finances flowing in the shops. The credit crunch has been blamed on a number of factors, and some unusual ideas emerge from various parts of the world, who all deal with the situation in a different manner. For instance, President Sarkozy has made calls to end foreign ownership (David Charter, 2008). The concern is that key industries will fall into foreign hands. The ideas are that each country should use sovereign wealth funds to take stakes in key industries: â€Å"Nicolas Sarkozy risked blowing apart the European consensus over how to deal with the financial crisis by proposing today that each country launch sovereign wealth funds to take stakes in key industries to stop them falling into foreign hands. â€Å" (David Charter, 2008) The theory is that non-EU countries may take advantage of the current crisis, who are not affected by it and therefore it would enable them to have an advantage in investing in shares within EU industries when they were at their cheapest. Not all the EU countries agree with this approach as stated, but even during his EU presidential year it is debatable if he can win approval from his EU partners. Government From a political perspective, some people will leave the original credit crunch was caused in the US, and this has had a knock-on effect on global economy. One definition of a credit crunch is rapid decline of credit that it is unusually large for a given stage of the business cycle (Bernanke and Lown, 1991). However, one of the key causes of the current credit crunch is said to be irresponsible lending in the US. However, it is fair to say that although the credit crunch originally emanated from the US, that irresponsible lending has also been occuring in the Uk and in Europe, but not on as large a scale. From a political perspective it is being stated that the UK government could have done more to regulate banks who were lending irresponsibly, and that the credit crunch has shown that financial institutions can easily abuse systems of self-regulation. (Economics Help, 2008) A few years ago, house prices were going through the roof, and this bubble would eventually burst, as it inevitably did. Gordon Brown the current prime minister, did identify that this would happen, and as Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time thought the issue had been addressed and avoided a boom and bust scenario, but this was obviously not the case (Alex Barker, 2008). Now that Gordon Brown is the Prime Minister, some of the earlier issues have come back to haunt him. Politically, a credit crunch and recession is always good for the opposition, as they can claim that the current government of the day is to blame for the current economic climate in this country. David Cameron, the leader of the opposition has made this point often, and has stated that the current labour government could have done more to avoid the consequences. Gordon Brown points out that the current crisis is global and has recently instigated a number of steps to avoid the crisis becoming even more serious in 2009. Banks all over the world have been in difficulty all over the world. The collapse of the Lehman Brothers bank in the US was soon followed by a crisis of one of the largest banks in the UK, Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS). A recent merger between Lloyds and HBOS will provide a super bank and will avoid HBOS going the same way as Lehman Brothers. The government has supported the merger. Another recent, but risky step is to plough public money in the banking system, and by doing so the government hopes the banks will continue to lend to each other and at least keep the financial syste fluid. Along with this, there has been a reduction in VAT to 15% from 17.5% so that consumers will continue to spend and keep business operating. These are risky measures, and longer term it has been pointed out by David Cameron, that the UK tax payer will have to pay back an increased deficit. Only time time will tell if Gordon Browns policies will enable a swifter recovery or take the UK further into debt. As some analysts point out, this is not a normal situation and extreme situations call for extreme measures. This is certainly the case for Gordon Brown on a political level. Employers, Employees and the Unions One thing is certain in 2009, relationships between employer and employer are sure to be tense in 2009. A survey report was commissioned by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in September, 2008 around this subject. The following table from this report summarises the main issues around employer/employee relationships: So what are the anticipated changes in regard to the effects of the Credit Crunch to employer/employee relations? The following table from the same reports highlights the expected changes: On the face of it, if we analyse the two tables we can see that although most agree that there will be problems in the current credit crisis, that the only potential benefit longer term is that the employers will engage with their employees on an increasing level. However, it is said that there is a contrast of opinion between the public and private services with regard to employee engagement, as: Looking at the results in more detail, however, there is a marked contrast in attitudes between private and public services. In private services, 51% of respondents identified employee engagement as the single most likely development, compared with only 29% in public services and an average across all sectors of 43%. (CIPD,2008) It seems that partnerships with trade unions are very low on the agenda, but again it depends on the sector as: partnership is seen as among the three most likely developments by 46% of respondents in public services but only 11% in private services. (CIPD,2008). The wait and see scenario was also a favourable option. This would make perfect sense seeing as no one yet has a clear picture of how the recession will develop in 2009. So how will all this effect relationships on the shop floor and in the office? Well, cooperation is the key to a successful relationship for both employers and employees alike. It will be the case that in some organisations that job losses will be inevitable, and the unions and employees will be able to do very little as a result. In some cases, it will just be a case of management and unions working together to alleviate the impact as much as possible, and by providing assistance to those employees who will need to be looking for another job or training. In fact, if you have been made unemployed during a recession and there is little likelihood that a new job in the same career will be practical (in some cases), then training during the downturn may be a very good option. The reasoning behind this is that when the economy returns to normal the employee will be better placed to get themselves back on to the job market. Some people may be concerned about the safety of their jobs in 2009, and for very good reason. It is claimed that the indebted young people will be the hardest hit (Iain Macwhirter, 2008). It is claimed that the level of unemployment will have reached 3 million by 2010. It is the â€Å"flexible† labour market which usually receives the initial job losses, such as freelancers and contractors (Iain Macwhirter, 2008). From a company management perspective it is financially sound to fire the expensive contractors first. There is also little complication in doing this legally as there is with permanent employees. However, the sign of a contractor being fired can cause panic amongst the permanent employees in the workplace, as they know that they could easily be next on the list. Ironically, once the dust has settled and companies find themselves short staffed on the upturn it is contractors who are the first back in to assist. Unlike a redundancy situation based on â€Å"last in, first out† it could be said that with contractors and the credit crunch it is a case of â€Å"first out, first in†. The effect of the credit crunch will not only affect the lower level employees, but jobs in banks, and professions i.e. the middle income groups. This will be a real blow to self esteem and confidence to some employees, and it is also something the employers and unions must take into account when wielding the axe in the name of survival. There is no longer a predictable future for anyone, anywhere as a result of the credit crunch. This is emphasised by: â€Å"Certainly, the first to be hit will be those at the bottom. But they are likely to be joined by large numbers of articulate, middle-class individuals shaken out of the financial, media and peripheral service occupations from aroma therapy to management consultancy which have grown up during the long boom.† (Iain Macwhirter, 2008) We have seen that the credit crunch affects everyone from the top down, including governments, large and small organisations and individuals. We have seen the ways in which people can be affected. Governments lose credibility, organisations lose valuable staff, and individuals lose their self esteem and confidence. In analysing the credit crunch we see that although it seems the US problems was the initial spark, it was basically a financial accident waiting to happen, and on a. global scale. However, we have to ask ourselves if the rest of the world can be protected from the mistakes made in the US. Should we all insulate ourselves from this happening on such a large scale again? In looking at possible solutions, we have many suggestions and some of these are risky, but possibly may work. In the UK only time will tell if Gordon Brown’s ideas of ploughing additional funds into the banking system and reducing VAT with lower interest rates will stimulate the economy enough to allow progress through what is sure to be a very difficult period in 2009 and beyond. The surprising thing and perhaps most worrying is how quickly the economy turned from 2007 from what was a relatively economically sound period to its current state. For future generations, much will be learned and there are sure to be large scale changes, especially in the banking sector. More regulation is sure to follow and huge bonuses for some could be a thing of the past. Such is the effect of the current crisis. Journals/Reports Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Survey Report, 2008  World Economic Update, April 25 2008 available from:  http://www.cfr.org/publication/16111/world_economic_update_rush_transcript_federal_news_service.html Andrew Watt, The economic and financial crisis: dealing with the  repercussions and the causes./ Presentation to ETUI Seminar ‘The economic and financial crisis: Elements to construct a new paradigm’ 8 December  2008 Bernanke, Ben S., and Cara S. Lown (1991), â€Å"The  Credit Crunch,† Brookings Papers on Economic  Activity, no. 2: 205-47. Newspapers Iain Macwhirter, New Statesman  Economy, How safe is your job?  Published 27 November 2008 available from:  http://www.newstatesman.com/economy/2008/11/middle-class-labour-jobs Jonathon Sibun, UK Recession is here to stay experts warn, Daily Telegraph Online, 10/2008 available from:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/3259483/UK-recession-is-here-to-stay-experts-warn.html Becky Howard, The credit crunch hits relationships and marriages,  Times Online, December 6, 2008 available from:  http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/body_and_soul/article5292365.ece David Charter, From Times Online October 21, 2008,  Sarkozy calls for halt to foreign ownership available from:  http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article4984670.ece Internet Economics Help, Who is to Blame for Credit Crunch? 2008, accessed on 03/01/2009 available from: http://www.economicshelp.org/2008/08/who-is-to-blame-for-credit-crunch.html Alex Barker, Asleep at the Wheel? ,December 15th, 2008 by Alex Barker accessed on 03/01/2009 available from:  http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/category/credit-crunch/

Friday, October 25, 2019

Mischels Greenhouse :: Creative Writing Story

Mischels Greenhouse While working at the brand new Mischels Greenhouse I found out it was different from any other job I ever had. It was one of the most responsible jobs so far of my life. Four thousand lives were almost totally in my exchange sisters, Tanya, and my hands. By us watering them daily. Because it was so hot out-side, the greenhouse was stifling. Watering mums was a very tedious job be-cause it was repetitious. I started daily at 9 A.M. my whole day consisted of taking care of Forty thousand mums. They sat on top of many benchtops collecting sun and, heat rays waiting for us to water them. After watering them, John, (My boss), would go behind me and pull flowers. Which means picking out the best plants. Then Tanya and I would pick them up and put them on a rack 5x5 and then shrink wrap them. Shrink-wrapping was mainly my job throughout the day. I would load an 8 foot tall rack then I would wrap the rack full of mums so the mums would not fall off. Then I would take the palette jack and pick up therack, and load it into the Ford truck. Loading is hard because I have to make sure they go all the way to the back and to the side of the truck. It can't be one inch off otherwise it could hurt the plants (They could rub together) and the racks wouldn't fit side by side. It's a endless cycle, day after day, until all the mums are gone. When the mums are all gone, it's a glorious feel of relief. All the benches had to be cleaned to get ready for poinsettias. Tanya went back to Belarus to live with her real family so I asked my friends if any of them wanted to help and only one said yes. I told my boss and a week later my friend was working with me It was my job to "show him the ropes" with the poinsettias. After he got the hang of things it was smooth sailing, to load poinsetias. We did everything the same as the mums except we put eight plants in

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Cultural Differences and Emotional Intelligence Essay

During an the assessment of several countries, values of open-mindedness, inclusion, respect and tolerance are more likely to be attained within a prospectus that encourages the increase of Emotional Intelligence (EI). In this research paper, the role of EI in determining leadership effectiveness was reviewed to explain emotional characteristics specific to five countries: Nigeria, Mexico, Russia, Argentina, and China. These countries were included in a study called Project Globe. GLOBE is the acronym for Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness. In this study, four cultural clusters were utilized, and the role of emotional intelligence was evaluated in determining leadership effectiveness. Emotional Intelligence was appraised more favorably than technical skills and cognitive skills, especially when referring to social skills, and transformational/charismatic leaderships were preferred across cultures. The intent of the collaborative effort of Team 4 was to explore the cultural values and practices in five different countries and to identify their impact on organizational practices and leadership attributes. One way to explore cultural similarities in the world is to study cultural clusters which are a group of countries that share many similarities. The countries in a cluster are more like each other than another country from outside the cluster (Javidan & House, 2002). A study conducted by the consulting firm KPMG (Project Globe) tested the proposition linking EI and cross-cultural leadership by surveying managers from four cultural clusters (Anglo, Latin European, Eastern European, and Southern Asian). Project GLOBE was a multi-phase, multi-method research project in which some 170 investigators from over 60 cultures representing all major regions in the world joined forces to examine the interrelationships between societal culture, organizational culture, and organizational leadership. Clustering of nations was a real-world way to depict intercultural similarities as well as intercultural differences- 61 nations were categorized into 10 distinct clusters. Four clusters and their respective leadership styles and traits were evaluated: the Anglo cluster; the Latin Europe cluster; the Eastern European cluster; and the Southern Asia cluster. The Anglo Cluster included Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa (Nigeria), and the United States of America. These countries are all developed nations, predominantly English speaking, and among the wealthiest countries in the world. Charismatic, team-oriented, and participative leadership styles were perceived to be the most effective in the Anglo Cluster. The charismatic leadership behaviors included being visionary, motivating, and appealing to the fundamental values of followers. Self-awareness of interactive skills may be a crucial component to manager effectiveness in high power Anglo cultures. Each national culture carries definite leadership behaviors that are perceived to be applicable for that specific country. Being charismatic in Australia can sometimes conflict with the importance of impartiality for successful leadership-therefore, a leader must be visionary and inspirational but still be viewed as â€Å"one of the boys† (Ashkanasy, Trevor-Roberts, & Earnshaw, 2002). The barometer for measuring someone’s level of emotional intelligence is a function that is used though domains that have been emphasized by analysts. Three tests that have been utilized are the ability model, the mixed-ability model, and the personality model. The ability model is measured with the Mayor-Salovey Emotional Intelligent Test using four types of abilities: perceiving emotions, using emotions, understanding emotions and managing emotions. The mixed ability model was used to test for emotional intelligence. The five main concepts of this measurement are self-awareness, social responsibility, adaptability, stress management and general mood. The personality model was used to measure a series of behavior test and is used more as a self-reporting test. The use of the emotional intelligence concepts in the workplace has increased business performance. Higher levels of emotional intelligence has resulted in better performance in certain areas in the workplace such as better participative management, putting people at ease, self-awareness, balance between personal life and work, straight forwardness and composure, building and mending relationships, decisiveness, confronting problem employees and change management. Managers can also be toxic for the workplace based on their attitudes-this is where the concept of resonance plays a vital part. The use of literature on emotional intelligence and its utilization is very minimal in Nigeria. There is no significant difference in occupational stress between secondary school teachers with low emotional difference and those with high emotional intelligence. The effect of emotional intelligence with work-family issues resulted in a conflict within the workplace. Emotional intelligence should be considered in employee selection and placement process for managerial effectiveness to be guaranteed-the managers with high emotional intelligence should be posted to highly challenging managerial positions and vice versa. Leadership qualities in Nigeria are very poor and implementing emotional intelligence can improve their economy. Improvement includes more intelligent Nigerian leaders who can improve the professional performance in their organizations through emotional intelligence. The perceptions of Nigerians can be shaped and made as a result of training in emotional intelligence which will produce Nigerian leaders who will lead by example. The Latin European cluster consists of France, French Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Mexico, and Spain. In Latin Europe, charismatic/values-based, team oriented, and participative leadership were considered the most effective leadership attributes which included being visionary, inspirational, self-sacrificial, having integrity, decisiveness and performance orientation. Team-oriented leadership compromises collaboration, team integration, diplomacy, and administrative competence (Jesuino, 2002). Emotionally self-aware leaders can be candid and authentic, able to speak openly about their emotions or with conviction about their guiding vision (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002). This statement is true and can be seen in Mexico’s business practices. For example, in Mexico, emotions are not suppressed in business situations and discussions can appear to be hostile to those from a culture which frowns upon the any visible shows of emotion during business dealings (â€Å"Doing Business†, n. d. ). A visionary leader can impact this process positively by honoring the feelings and beliefs of the people around him, while steadfastly demonstrating the benefit of moving toward the company goal (Goleman et al. , 2002). This outward show of emotion is seen as a positive attribute and implies commitment and emphasis. Meetings are seen as opportunities for the free flow of ideas and information — although it is best to avoid very open disagreements with the most senior Mexican present as this could be construed as disrespectful and confrontational. Open signs of emotion, through the use of interruptions and speaking loudly, are seen as a sign of active engagement rather than an unnecessary loss of control. When a Mexican becomes highly emotional during a meeting one should not assume that they have lost their sense of professionalism (â€Å"Doing Business†, n. d. ). Emotion is an important factor that contributes to Mexican business meetings. Creating organizations that are emotionally intelligent is ultimately the leader’s responsibility. It is up to the leaders to help the organization identify its reality and assist their members to uncover their own roles in that vision (Goleman et al. , 2002). Social awareness-particularly empathy-is crucial for the leader’s primal task of driving resonance. By being attuned to how others feel in the moment, a leader is able to provide a sense of shared values and priorities that can guide the group. Empathy-which includes listening and taking other people’s perspective-allows leaders to tune into emotional channels between people that can create resonance (Goleman et al. , 2002). The Eastern European cluster encompassed Albania, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Argentina, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, and Slovenia. In the Eastern European cluster, the key elements of successful leadership were compiled mostly of transformational-charismatic and team-oriented leadership. Participation has some historical roots in the region, as large consultative bodies combined with authoritarian leadership style has been a prevailing pattern in status conscious eastern societies. Extensive research and several studies have been conducted over the last decade in regards to emotional intelligence and leadership styles in Russia. Van Gardner (2010) stated, â€Å"this recent focus on developing organizational leaders is largely a result of the recent changes in the political and economic environments in Russia, following the country’s recovery and stabilization from its financial crisis of 1998† (Van Genderen, 2010, p. 77). A Leadership Dimensions Questionnaire (LDQ) was used to assess prevailing leadership styles. Three distinct leadership styles were identified: engaging leadership (transformational), involving leadership (participative) and goal leadership (transactional). The leadership’s success is a result of a threshold of cognition (IQ) and high levels of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)-the three paradigms IQ, EQ and MQ (managerial competencies) were highly correlated. An interesting result of the investigation was that no significant differences were found between the Russian men and women participating in the research (Van Genderen, 2010, p. 86). Human resources has become an important factor within an organization-the only sustainable competitive advantage organizations of the future will possess is the value added by their employees. Designing effective leadership development programs to foster such executives has been described as ‘the biggest challenge that looms in the new millennium for HR managers† (Van Genderen, 2010, p. 88). This holds true for all organizations. Instituting confidence and reciprocal respect establishes smooth transitions when conducting business transactions in Argentina. Serenity can guarantee accomplishment as it may take several visits to the country to finalize any business transactions. Dealing with organizational leaders is time-consuming due to the many levels of decision making combined with an enormous amount of bureaucracy. Generally, greetings among industry people is a handshake and a brief nod of the head. This is appropriate to both men and women. Once a connection has been made resulting in friendship, hugs and kisses become the standard form of greeting. Eye contact is encouraged and personal space is minimal; pulling back will create an atmosphere of untrustworthiness. The glue that holds people together in a team, and that commits people to an organization, is the emotions they feel (Goldman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2004). The Southern Asia cluster consisted of India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Philippines, China, and Thailand. Transformational–charismatic and team-oriented leadership are perceived as the most effective leadership styles (Gupta, Surie, Javidan, & Chokar, 2002). Leaders are expected to act as patriarchs who help subordinates point towards more aspiring and mutual goals by ensuring their actions and decisions develop and maintain the team and family orientation in their organizations. The global leader needs to be open to arbitrations and viewpoints to make sure he/she does not alienate any group members. When it comes to China, four very different traditional Chinese leadership approaches are identified and discussed by Emotional Intelligence Expert Sebastien Henry. This discussion provides us a starting point for our analyses. The four historic leadership approaches Henry examines are: legalistic, strategic, naturalistic, and humanistic (Henry, 2009). It should be noted, according to Mr. Henry, â€Å"none of the four leadership styles give a lot of room to emotions when it comes to leading people. † (Henry, 2009) The legalistic approach (Han Fei Zi) was characterized as perhaps the most contradictory to the principals of emotional intelligence as there was the belief that man was â€Å"naturally evil and that strict rules and punishment were needed† (Henry, 2009. The strategic approach (Sun Tzu) is also not considered to be overly EQ aligned as, within this approach, thoughts on leadership were famously applied to the winning of battles with little focus on the use of emotions in other areas. Interestingly, the very famous book The Art of War, a famous ancient Chinese military work was authored by the high ranking military general Sun Tzu. In the naturalistic approach (Lao Zi–Chuang Zi), also known as the Taoist approach, the emphasis is on the spiritual development of the leader. â€Å"The accomplished leader is the one that followers barely notice: almost invisible, unassuming, but nurturing and always present, just like the Tao† (Henry, 2009). We find some of the concepts in the traditional naturalistic approach to perhaps represent a precursor to present day EI concepts, and although emotional intelligence expert Sebastien Henry concludes, â€Å"there is not a lot in the Dao De Jing ( ) about the emotional side of leadership except that the leader has to aim at ultimately reaching within herself a place of deep inner peace that emotions won’t affect,† which is precisely what we see as perhaps the precursor to current EI concepts (Henry, 2009). Lastly, the humanistic approach (Confucius, Mencius) is often believed to be the approach that is most closely aligned with emotions and the concepts being discussed by Goleman and other emotional intelligence experts. The concept of compassion, a concept many consider a fundamental principal of emotionally intelligent leadership, could be closely linked to the famous Confucian concept of benevolence which is fundamental to the humanistic, Confucian approach. Going forward, while it may or may not appear that the Chinese were overly concerned with emotional intelligence in their traditional leadership methods, recent developments indicate there is little chance the Chinese will be left behind in the exploration, experimentation, and utilization of the promising, performance enhancing benefits of emotional intelligence in the immediate future . Very recently, a Chinese Communist Party publication, the Study Times, published a 3000-word article entitled the Emotional Quotient and its Three Major Components. It seems clear this article was a response to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s public statement that â€Å"it isn’t one’s educational background, integrity, experience, or people you know that matters. What it takes to be a good communist leader President Xi said is Emotional intelligence† (Li, 2013) . Overall, any way you look at it, what seems clear is that in most Asian cultures-as well as in Latin America and some European countries-establishing a strong relationship is a prerequisite for doing business (Goldman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2004, p. 64). The countries that participated in Project GLOBE provide to managers a meticulous instrument to help recognize the similarities and differences among various cultures worldwide. The most valuable message managers in any culture can take from this study is to take a proactive and positive approach to resolving issues, especially those involving cross-cultural issues. The findings and insights from Project GLOBE can and should at the very least be utilized to enlighten managers on how to better manage the conveyance of information and knowledge across cultural borders. References Ashkanasy, N. M. , Trevor-Roberts, E. & Earnshaw, L. (2002). â€Å"The Anglo Cluster: Legacy of the British Empire† Journal of World Business, Volume 37:1, 28-39. Doing Business in Mexico – Mexican Business Culture – Mexican Culture – World Business Culture. (n. d. ). World Business Culture: Key information on Business Culture in the World’s Leading 39 Economies. Retrieved Sept 5, 2013, from http://www. worldbusinessculture. com/Mexican-Business-Style. html. Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & Mckee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Learning to lead with Emotional Intelligence. Boston, Mass. : Harvard Business School Press. Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & Mckee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of Emotional Intelligence. Boston, Mass. : Harvard Business School Press. Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & McKee, A. (2004). Primal Leadership. Resonant leadership, 20. University of Birmingham Intranet. Retrieved on 1 Sept 2013 from: https://intranet. birmingham. ac. uk/as/employability/careers/international/country- profiles/argentina/business. aspx. Gupta, V. , Gita, S. , Javidan, M. , & Jagdeep, C. (2002). â€Å"Southern Asia Cluster: Where the Old Meets the New? † Journal of World Business, Volume 37:1, 16-27. Henry, S. (2009). Chinese Leadership and Emotional Intelligence. How Do Chinese Leaders Handle Emotions? Progress-U Limited. Retrieved on 8 Sept 2013 from: http://www. progressu. com/ezine-eq-for-leaders-2009-4. php Javidan, M. & House, R. (2002). â€Å"Leadership and Cultures around the World: Findings from GLOBE,† Journal of Business, Volume 37:1, 1-2. Jesuino, J. (2002). â€Å"Latin Europe Cluster; from South to North,† Journal of World Business, Volume 37:1, 81-89. Li, A (2013) South China Morning Post, Xi Jinping’s Emotional Intelligence Comments Spark Debate. Retrieved on 8 Sept 2013 from: http://www. scmp. com/news/china/article/1242750/xi-jinpings-emotional-intelligence-comments-spark-debate Margavio, T. M. , Margavio, G. W. , Hignite, M. A. , & Moses, D. R. (2012). A Comparative Analysis of the Emotional Intelligence Levels of American and Chinese Business Students, College Student Journal, 46(4), 776-787. Van Genderen, E. (2010). An Investigation into the Relationship between the Leadership Competencies, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Styles of Russian Managers Working for MNCs. Retrieved from http://www. scielo. gpeari. mctes. pt/pdf/egg/vi5ni.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Richards Wright essays

Richards Wright essays Close you eyes and try to visualize a world where economic prosperity and civil rights was the one thing you dreamed about every night? Or, what is your place in a world when your whole race has to face racism? Richard Wright found his place in such a world just like this one. Wright became one of the best writers of his time. "Words can be weapons against injustice," wrote Richard Wright. These words are evidenced by Wrights own career as a successful black writer emerging during a period of racial oppression and economic hardship. He used is short stories, novels, and poetry to show the world what Blacks had to endure. Even more important, however, are the ways Wright wove his themes of human fear, alienation, identity, and dread into the overall texture of his work. Wrights world view was one of social inequalities. Although Wright wrote short stories his novels reveal is world view the best. He all so had very strong Communist believes. Wrights Communist affiliation only compound ed the negative reactions he suffered on account of his stark portrayals of American racism. Wright used is characters to interpret the world in which he grew up in. A lot of his short stories are similar to his on life story. The first part of the Native Son is called fear. According to Edward Margolies the author of The Art of Richard Wright, the first section of Native Son traces all the different kinds of fear that determine Bigger Thomas's actions. Growing up in a world where you have no real place in it, you learn to fear a lot of things. Like majority of Blacks in the early 1900s Wright feared racism. Wrights family was victims of racial acts. When he was young his uncle was lynched. As a result Wright had to stop going to school and move out of the state. Poverty besides racism is the main thing Wright feared and had strong views on. Wrights world view of poverty can be seen in a lot of h ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Spring Essay Example

Spring Essay Example Spring Essay Spring Essay There is a joy to spring that is like no other time of year. The winter cold and gray skies give way to the sunshine and winds that warm you, instead of chilling you to the bone.   Freezing winter rains give way to the soft gentle sprinkles needed for rebirth. It’s like waking up slowly from a restful night and knowing that the day holds exciting adventures. Spring sneaks up on you, like a wonderful surprise, just when you thought winter and the bitter cold were going to last forever. Then, one morning, as if out of nowhere, tiny blades of newborn grass peak out of the barren ground and sun falls warm on the windowpane. Chirping birds hunt for the just hatched bugs and squirrels yawn and stretch, poking their noses out into the spring air to decide if it is warm enough to stop their winter’s sleep. Life springs forth all at once and the longer days coax the spring flowers to brighten the world a bit more. First, the daffodils pop up as if by magic, their bright yellow cups mirroring the sunshine. And while we are distracted by the daffodils, the azaleas bloom and the tulips reach for the sun, adding ever more color to a world that just days ago was nothing but gray. In spring, it feels as though the world and nature itself are optimistic, deciding that it is worth continuing on. Each day holds a new surprise and new joys to behold. With the flowers and warming sun, comfortable breezes and soft rains, is it any wonder I love spring?

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Columbus Unmasked A Peek Behind Historical Persona

Columbus Unmasked A Peek Behind Historical Persona An icon of exploration, early innovator of navigation and shrewdly ambitious, Christopher Columbus is one of those historical figures with plenty of lessons to teach us. In this article we’re going to skip past the more well-known info, and take a sobering look at what a profound impact his life had upon the human species as a whole. The Duality of Great Minds No one’s ever claimed Mr. Columbus is or was a saint. While as children we’re taught about the four trips across the Atlantic in search of a new and shorter route to Asia, adults tend to shield us from the realities of those days. For example, slavery. â€Å"They should be good servants†¦.I, our Lord being pleased, will take hence, at the time of my departure, six natives for your Highnesses.† That’s taken from his own personal journal; the entry was October 12th, 1492, the first day he met Native Americans. The â€Å"captives† were then pranced through the streets of Barcelona, as glory to an expanding empire. 522 years ago slavery was a fact of life. The world was a very different place. Columbus and his crew had other agendas besides forging new trade routes. They also sought to glorify the Spanish crown, sow seeds of Catholicism wherever they went and exploit indigenous people for riches and glory. The Balancing Act of History We can’t cast stones today, because we have no idea what it was really like to mingle with royalty and sail the seas in old ships, to meet new people and explore brand new territories. The more you learn about Columbus the more and more human he becomes. As is often the case in life, you have to take the good with the bad, so to speak. Did he forge a connection between two worlds literally a world apart? Yes. Does that mean he’s solely responsible for everything that took place afterwards in terms of conquest, colonization and laying the foundation for America as we know it? No. A Mix of Destiny and Free Will It was either destiny or chance that Columbus would be, â€Å"the guy† who opened to the door to a gargantuan transfer of people, plants, animals, diseases, etc. We’ll never know. Perhaps it was a bit of both. Regardless, it had to be someone. At the time, we can assume that he saw himself as a great man, destined to have his name stitched into the fabric of human history. And he was right! But did he intend to bring small pox to the Native Americans? No. How could someone at that time understand what was happening? They had no way to look at the world as a huge petri dish and grasp the dangers of mixing foreign cultures. All he knew was ambition. All he knew was serving his interests, as well as the interests of the Spanish crown, his crews, the church and financiers. A Timeless Rags to Riches Story Well, in truth, he didn’t die a rich man. In fact, according to Biography.com: â€Å"In the two remaining years of his life, Columbus struggled to recover his lost titles and in May of 1505 did regain some of his riches, but his titles were never returned. He died May 20, 1506 still believing he had discovered a shorter route to Asia.† But, he did manage to go from the adventurous son of a wool merchant, to hatching a plan that would transform our world. He was also a pretty smart guy. Here’s an interesting snipped from History.com: â€Å"When he was still a teenager, he got a job on a merchant ship. He remained at sea until 1470 [19 years old], when French privateers attacked his ship as it sailed north along the Portuguese coast. The boat sank, but the young Columbus floated to shore on a scrap of wood and made his way to Lisbon, where he studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography and navigation.† So, if he didn’t really discover America, and he wasn’t the first explorer to land in the New World, why did he become the darling of history? Because his expeditions above all others at the time led to Spanish conquistadores and the eventual creation of modern America. Was it pretty? Yes and no. Truly Remember Columbus If you look into this man, and delve into the complexities of the things he set in motion, your perspective of today is going to rapidly evolve. Honor history, and honor humanity and dig a bit deeper than the bullet-point perspective. Thanks for reading and Happy Columbus Day!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Criteria For Leadership And Its Importance For The Firm's Success Essay - 1

Criteria For Leadership And Its Importance For The Firm's Success - Essay Example The presentation of the project to Paul’s boss, Larry, did not have the expected effect. The position of CEO would be offered to another colleague of Paul, probably George since Larry believes that Paul is not tough enough in order to become the firm’s leader. The disappointment of Paul, as noted in the case study, can be explained by referring to the criteria on which the relevant judgment – regarding the ability of Paul – to become a leader was based. The events described in the case study are related to a series of issues, which have been extensively examined in the academic literature. Particular emphasis seems to be given to a) the concept of leadership, which has been related to specific qualities; in accordance with Daft et al. (2010) the leadership can be characterized as ‘a process by which a person exerts influence over other people and inspires, motivates and directs their activities to help achieve group of organizational goals’ (Daft et al. 2010). The above definition makes clear that leadership is not a position; rather it is a process, which has specific phases/ parts. The specific definition helps to understand the decision of Larry regarding the inappropriateness of Paul for the specific role; b) the concept of management, as being differentiated from leadership; the former focuses on practical aspects of the organizational activities; the latter focuses on the promotion of the firm’s vision and spirit; it is at this point that manager is differentiated from the leader; a successful leader needs to be able to promote the organization’s vision without being restricted by personal thoughts or the views of his environment (Millmore 2007), c) also, through the case study, the need of management theory for understanding the firm’s strategic priorities is revealed – reference is made especially to the theory of Kirkpatrick & Locke (1991) who set 6 criteria for identifying the ability of a  person to become a successful leader: ‘ambition and energy, desire to lead, honesty and integrity, self confidence, intelligence and job relevant knowledge’ (Kirkpatrick & Locke, 1991).

Friday, October 18, 2019

Alice in Wonderland (2010) Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alice in Wonderland (2010) - Movie Review Example Tangled and highly dynamic plot creates a favorable medium for Tim Burton’s fantasy. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ combines literary traditions of English classics, surrealism, Burton’s fantastic style, and 3D animation. The animators strived to cover a broad target audience – little children, teenagers, youth, having-many-children families. As any high-quality commercial product it should meet requirements of the large audience. Besides, the film is the next lure for Johnny Depp admirers. As in his previous works, Tim Burton’s gothic and mystical style left its mark on the film. ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is built up on the opposition of the worlds of goodness and evil. Deck of cards (Red Queen, Stayne) embody the world of evil and chess – the world of goodness (White Queen, Alice, Mad Hatter, White Rabbit). The same concept of contrast was applied in ‘Corpse Bride’, where the main hero simultaneously lived in two worlds. Positive heroes struggle against cruelty, aggression and injustice of the Red Queen’s court. This is Burton’s extraordinary 3D world, full of contrasts, bright colors and absurdity. Excellent performance of actors completes the picture. For example, Helena Bonham Carter’s performance in the movie is outstanding, because all the scenes where she is present with her funny appearance with a big head and heart shaped lipstick, it seems hard for the spectators to concentrate somewhere else.

Islam in New York City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Islam in New York City - Essay Example Knowing these objectives in advance, I recognized the willingness of the Center to provide a comprehensive and immersive experience for the pursuit of truth for its own sake. Since the Center is devoted to enlightening the public, I knew they would be open to providing instruction and first-hand experience. In addition, I gained much from not only visiting the mosque itself, but also touring the other parts of the Center, which are an asset to Muslims living in Manhattan. These experiences represented an opportunity to apply what I have learned about the history, doctrine, and practices of Islam in the classroom. Before visiting the Center, I phoned the front desk to inform them that I would like to visit the Center, its mosque and other parts. They quickly agreed after realizing that my visit was for the purpose of education. I came on a Sunday, which is a day that the Center offers classes for children and adults. I did not know that these classes are open to non-Muslims as well. I was impressed by the inclusiveness of the mosque, especially in the fact that every student (regardless of their religious affiliation) learned Qur’anic Arabic, prayers, and general Islamic teachings touching upon different aspects of life. If I had more time and had planned to take one of these courses ahead of time, I would have. I learned that the Center is in the final stages of building a full-time Islamic school by seeing the final touch-up work on the building. Before coming to the mosque, I knew to respect the thought that a Muslim should wear clean, loose-fitting clothes that cover ankles and wrists. Respectful of this tradition, I approached the mosque in the morning. The doors leading up to the mosque were very large and constructed from a hard material. I noticed immediately that the mosque itself was very large and stood apart from the rest of the building. I understood why this might be because, throughout history and still today, mosques serve as both social a nd political centers for Muslims. The integration of religious and political life means that the same building serves two very essential functions, which was even more reason to be respectful when visiting the site. When I entered the mosque portion of the Center, I immediately noticed the shoe racks against the wall to my left and my right. I thought this was logical, given the need for worshippers to put away their shoes or slippers to pray. I am still unsure why specifically Muslims remove their shoes when they enter a mosque: whether it is because of hygienic reasons to protect the rugs in the prayer chamber or because it is holy ground and a sign of admiration for the surroundings Regardless, I removed my shoes and continued into the reception area of the mosque. I noticed also very classical vases and pottery that was symbolic of Islamic history. In some of these pots and vases were plants that seem to have come straight from the Middle East. I saw this as an acknowledgement o f Islam’s long and storied history in the arts, which I recognized as overall very important the Center as far as it is concerned with promoting knowledge and awareness of Islamic history. Also in the reception area was the Lillah box, which collects charity given voluntarily. The Lillah represents more giving than the Zakah, which is obligatory giving. The proceeds from the Lillah

ATP biochemistry in the CNS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ATP biochemistry in the CNS - Essay Example It can be said to be a high energy molecule which is responsible for the storage of the energy required to carry out daily activities. Hence all the physiological mechanism in our body acquire energy for operation directly from Adenosine triphosphate. Cells maintain a supply of Adenosine phosphate through the oxidisation of food, as this releases energy. A remarkable ability of Adenosine triphosphate is that it may be involved in many reactions simultaneously, extracting and releasing energy at the same time. Adenosine Tri Phosphate in order to send messages and control chemical reaction is used as an on-off switch (Guyton& Hall 2000).  . Adenosine Tri phosphate induces the purinergic receptors in the brain (Matsuoka & Ohkubo, 2004). It may stimulate them directly or as a co-transmitter. This action is carried about via the P2 purinergic receptors. Adenosine Triphosphate is composed of an adenosine molecule attached to 3 phosphate groups. Adenosine itself is a purine nucleoside and has a role in not only various biochemical processes in the body but also serves as an inhibitory neurotransmitter (Fredholm, Chen, Masino & Vaugeois, 2005). The formation of Adenosine triphosphate requires the addition of 3 phosphate groups to the Adenosine backbone. Adenosine is first converted into Adenosine monophosphate, then to Adenosine di phosphate and finally to Adenosine Triphosphate. ... Adenosine Tri phosphate is vital for all living cells, processes within the cell cannot use the energy stored in the bonds of a glucose molecule, and they have to rely on Adenosine triphosphate. Thus it is present in all living cells, and is particularly highly concentrated in the presynaptic terminals. This is because presynaptic terminals require a lot of energy for the maintenance of the resting membrane potential and the release of neurotransmitters (Burnstock 2013). Along with this, it is also the neurotransmitter in multiple areas of the brain. The neurotransmitter action is believed to be mediated by Adenosine Tri Phosphate as well as adenosine. And attempts to differentiate between the role of Adenosine Tri Phosphate and adenosine on post-synaptic terminals has been futile so far. Although their mechanism of action is different, they seem to have similar role in the postsynaptic cell. Adenosine Tri Phosphate acts via the P2X and P2Y receptors on the postsynaptic cell, and use s Ca++ as the second messenger. Meanwhile this Adenosine Tri Phosphate is also gradually broken down by hydrolysis to Adenosine Monophosphate and then to Adenosine by enzymes present on the surface of the plasma membrane (Dasgupta, Ferre?, Kull, Hedlund, Finnman, Ahlberg, Arenas, Fredholm, & Fuxe 1996). Ecto-alkaline phosphatase is thought to be the major enzyme in the formation of adenosine in the synaptic cleft. Adenosine then activates the A1 and A2 receptors and further augments the role of Adenosine Tri Phosphate. A1 and A2 receptors use cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate as the second messenger inside the cells and their activation leads to an increase in

Thursday, October 17, 2019

NFTS,exfs2,extfs3 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

NFTS,exfs2,extfs3 - Article Example NTFS, on the other hand, is very useful in the event where file systems are needed in sharing files with newer Windows systems. Journaling improves data integrity and recovery, especially after unclean system shutdowns. This avoids file system checks which take so long during the next reboot following an unintended shutdown. This is because the changes that occurred since the most recent write to disk are saved and ready to be restored. Journaled file systems guarantee fast crash recovery. The journaled file system also makes it faster to scan a partition and restore a system once the system has failed, unlike non-journaled file systems that take so long. Journaled file system also ensures better performance. A journaled file system is faster due to its codes that are highly optimized (Negus & Caen, 2008). Journaled file systems are usually slower than other file systems. The slowdown is a result of the many operations that have to be performed on the journal every time there is a file system change (EMC Education Services, 2012). Journaled file systems such as Ext.3 have become important especially in Linux distributions, and knowledge of the file system is applied in recovering evidence such as deleted files and file activity. A forensic investigator will, therefore, use the first mode, called the journal to obtain the information pertaining to the activity of the file system. This facilitates the recovery of file content, with an added advantage of recovering metadata activity on the file system (Easttom, 2011). In conclusion, journaling of file systems has proved to offer more advantages, thus the suitability in forensics and investigations. Its suitability in the restoration of systems after unintended shutdowns has been a great

This is am african history class, you can choose the topic Research Paper

This is am african history class, you can choose the topic - Research Paper Example They are responsible for leading scientific and intellectual breakthroughs in history. The world, in general, owes the Islam community a debt. In terms of industrialisation, the Islam played an intricate role in the process. They also had a central position to play in the evolution of the philosophical enterprise in the world. This paper will explain how these revolutions shaped the world. In the past, it was easy for scholars, mathematicians, economists, and researchers to draw their inspiration from Islam (Huff 73). Islam worked to open up the minds and hearts of everyone in the world. In thought and study, many scholars can attribute their success to the Islam faith and its growth and spread. It is believed that the Islam community in the late seventeenth century drew their philosophical strength from the Greek. This means that, the introduction of many inventions, for example, the telescope led to the growth of the Western curiosity on the influence of Greco-Islam revolutions. Th e West had a number of inventions and scientific breakthroughs. However, they did not draw their inspiration from anywhere as many civilisations did. Many individuals around the world believe that there was no scientific or intellectual breakthrough in the Islamic world. This is because, most of them believe that all that is Islam developed as a result of the Greek heritage. Without it, many believe that Islam would not have an avenue to exist on its own. Others also believe that, the Arabs cold not identify what the ancient hieroglyphics in their presence meant. This is not until the coming of a European who explored the ancient language and drew conclusions from his research (Abu-Rabi 145). The introduction of foreigners makes the issue of Muslims being intellectually capable of making strides in the world debatable. What these critics do not seem to comprehend is the fact that, every civilisation brings forth diverse worldviews on diverse matters. In the field of optics, the Musl im and Arab community have made significant strides (Huff 79). The most revered thing about the Muslim faith is the belief they exhibit the necessary aspects of knowledge and wisdom in life. This makes them refuse the influence brought on by many education and religious influences from around the world. The fear of foreign influences pushes them to create their own understanding on issues, which pertain to many aspects of life. Islam focuses on regulating the philosophical attitude of the world. This is by overarching the philosophy of embracing mankind regardless of their faith and cultural background. No faith in the world claims that taking another life in the name of religion is justified, and Islam is not the first. Islam embraced the power of science, even when Christianity shunned and condemned the likes of Galileo for the assumptions he made about the earth. This laid the basis for the growth and development of philosophy and science among the Islam community (Huff 81). In A frica, intellectual revolution opened doors for the much needed economic change. Islam can be the perfect ground to lay this intellectual foundation. With the political changes, it is possible to have many channels created by the Western world in the third world countries. In Africa, for instance, the introduction of madrasa ensured that children learned the importance of the different fields in the world. The European and African enlightenment was brought on by the light that Islam shone

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

ATP biochemistry in the CNS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ATP biochemistry in the CNS - Essay Example It can be said to be a high energy molecule which is responsible for the storage of the energy required to carry out daily activities. Hence all the physiological mechanism in our body acquire energy for operation directly from Adenosine triphosphate. Cells maintain a supply of Adenosine phosphate through the oxidisation of food, as this releases energy. A remarkable ability of Adenosine triphosphate is that it may be involved in many reactions simultaneously, extracting and releasing energy at the same time. Adenosine Tri Phosphate in order to send messages and control chemical reaction is used as an on-off switch (Guyton& Hall 2000).  . Adenosine Tri phosphate induces the purinergic receptors in the brain (Matsuoka & Ohkubo, 2004). It may stimulate them directly or as a co-transmitter. This action is carried about via the P2 purinergic receptors. Adenosine Triphosphate is composed of an adenosine molecule attached to 3 phosphate groups. Adenosine itself is a purine nucleoside and has a role in not only various biochemical processes in the body but also serves as an inhibitory neurotransmitter (Fredholm, Chen, Masino & Vaugeois, 2005). The formation of Adenosine triphosphate requires the addition of 3 phosphate groups to the Adenosine backbone. Adenosine is first converted into Adenosine monophosphate, then to Adenosine di phosphate and finally to Adenosine Triphosphate. ... Adenosine Tri phosphate is vital for all living cells, processes within the cell cannot use the energy stored in the bonds of a glucose molecule, and they have to rely on Adenosine triphosphate. Thus it is present in all living cells, and is particularly highly concentrated in the presynaptic terminals. This is because presynaptic terminals require a lot of energy for the maintenance of the resting membrane potential and the release of neurotransmitters (Burnstock 2013). Along with this, it is also the neurotransmitter in multiple areas of the brain. The neurotransmitter action is believed to be mediated by Adenosine Tri Phosphate as well as adenosine. And attempts to differentiate between the role of Adenosine Tri Phosphate and adenosine on post-synaptic terminals has been futile so far. Although their mechanism of action is different, they seem to have similar role in the postsynaptic cell. Adenosine Tri Phosphate acts via the P2X and P2Y receptors on the postsynaptic cell, and use s Ca++ as the second messenger. Meanwhile this Adenosine Tri Phosphate is also gradually broken down by hydrolysis to Adenosine Monophosphate and then to Adenosine by enzymes present on the surface of the plasma membrane (Dasgupta, Ferre?, Kull, Hedlund, Finnman, Ahlberg, Arenas, Fredholm, & Fuxe 1996). Ecto-alkaline phosphatase is thought to be the major enzyme in the formation of adenosine in the synaptic cleft. Adenosine then activates the A1 and A2 receptors and further augments the role of Adenosine Tri Phosphate. A1 and A2 receptors use cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate as the second messenger inside the cells and their activation leads to an increase in

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

This is am african history class, you can choose the topic Research Paper

This is am african history class, you can choose the topic - Research Paper Example They are responsible for leading scientific and intellectual breakthroughs in history. The world, in general, owes the Islam community a debt. In terms of industrialisation, the Islam played an intricate role in the process. They also had a central position to play in the evolution of the philosophical enterprise in the world. This paper will explain how these revolutions shaped the world. In the past, it was easy for scholars, mathematicians, economists, and researchers to draw their inspiration from Islam (Huff 73). Islam worked to open up the minds and hearts of everyone in the world. In thought and study, many scholars can attribute their success to the Islam faith and its growth and spread. It is believed that the Islam community in the late seventeenth century drew their philosophical strength from the Greek. This means that, the introduction of many inventions, for example, the telescope led to the growth of the Western curiosity on the influence of Greco-Islam revolutions. Th e West had a number of inventions and scientific breakthroughs. However, they did not draw their inspiration from anywhere as many civilisations did. Many individuals around the world believe that there was no scientific or intellectual breakthrough in the Islamic world. This is because, most of them believe that all that is Islam developed as a result of the Greek heritage. Without it, many believe that Islam would not have an avenue to exist on its own. Others also believe that, the Arabs cold not identify what the ancient hieroglyphics in their presence meant. This is not until the coming of a European who explored the ancient language and drew conclusions from his research (Abu-Rabi 145). The introduction of foreigners makes the issue of Muslims being intellectually capable of making strides in the world debatable. What these critics do not seem to comprehend is the fact that, every civilisation brings forth diverse worldviews on diverse matters. In the field of optics, the Musl im and Arab community have made significant strides (Huff 79). The most revered thing about the Muslim faith is the belief they exhibit the necessary aspects of knowledge and wisdom in life. This makes them refuse the influence brought on by many education and religious influences from around the world. The fear of foreign influences pushes them to create their own understanding on issues, which pertain to many aspects of life. Islam focuses on regulating the philosophical attitude of the world. This is by overarching the philosophy of embracing mankind regardless of their faith and cultural background. No faith in the world claims that taking another life in the name of religion is justified, and Islam is not the first. Islam embraced the power of science, even when Christianity shunned and condemned the likes of Galileo for the assumptions he made about the earth. This laid the basis for the growth and development of philosophy and science among the Islam community (Huff 81). In A frica, intellectual revolution opened doors for the much needed economic change. Islam can be the perfect ground to lay this intellectual foundation. With the political changes, it is possible to have many channels created by the Western world in the third world countries. In Africa, for instance, the introduction of madrasa ensured that children learned the importance of the different fields in the world. The European and African enlightenment was brought on by the light that Islam shone

Ten Simple Ways to Improve My English Essay Example for Free

Ten Simple Ways to Improve My English Essay 1. This is what most people would advise: read. Read anything and everything in English. You can read storybooks, newspapers, magazines, blocs, comics, English textbooks, instructions and ingredients on food packages, advertisements, etc. For story books, don’t force yourself to read something too difficult or something you know you won’t enjoy. Make reading fun! Read books that you enrjoy eading. I hate to read books that bore me too. 2. Watch English movies with subtitles. This would be my favorite way of learning English. Not only do I get to have a fun time watching the movie, I’d be learning new words at the same time and knowing how to pronounce them! Usually, you can get movies with English subtitles on DVDs. 3. Listen to English songs. Read the lyrics as you listen to the songs. Listen to your favorite songs and sing along to them Actually, turning on the radio or putting on an English Music CD might just be one of the best ways to retain or remember vocabulary and grammar that you hear in the music lyrics . According to BPS Research Digest, as sighted in the May 2008 addition of psychologies  Magazine, the answer to the age old question of learning a language, might lie in a songThe researchers concluded that we find it easier to remember words if theyre set to music, partly because its more emotionally engaging, but also because the words are structured in a way that makes it easier for us to segment the information and store it in our memories. So turn up your speakers or put on your headphones and prepare to learn English with music. In addition, by combining the benefits of music with reading the lyrics simultaneous you will be able to learn English faster. Try it out with Perhaps , Perhaps, Perhaps by cake. The songs I have just said are clear, fun and usually focus on a specific form of grammar. . 4. Start a bloc in English. This is one way for you to practice your writing. Blog on something that you love. If you are a fan of movies, start a blog and write about your favorites movies, your favourite characters, what you think could be improved in the movie, what new movies to expect next year, etc. Besides blogging, try joining online forums, engage in online chatting and more. 5.If you don’t want to maintain a blog, why not write to a pen pal? It’d be even more fun to have a pen pal from a different country! I used to write to other people from the US, Germany, Mexico, and even Yugoslavia. I remember feeling excited when I see letters with foreign stamps on it in my mailbox. If you don’t want to spend too much money on stamps, then get a local pen pal. Perhaps Email will do. 6.Write in your diary/journal in English. This is where you can write anything in it. But if you do write something you wouldn’t want others to read, make sure you hide it somewhere safe! Or try not to write anything offensive at all in case someone does find it. You can also write about neutral stuff like the places you went that day, what you ate, who you met, what you did, etc. 7.Be best friends with a good English dictionary. You can use Oxford, Collins, Cambridge,. Buy a dictionary that you’re comfortable with and USE it at all times. Keep it next to you when you’re reading. I always put my favourite Oxford dictionary by my side when I’m reading. So when I stumble upon a word I don’t know, I don’t have to get up and look around for it. It’s right there by my side. Thus, I have no excuse for not looking the word up! 8.Speak the language whenever you can. Speak it with friends and family. You can also sing along to English songs! Try karaoke! Don’t be shy to try speaking the language. Don’t be afraid that others will tease you. In fact, they’ll admire you for your courage and confidence. I think that is the best way to improve in language skill is to use it!! Even if you have a problem with it, you should still keep on trying! Theres no better way than to practice, just like sports or art or any other skill that one tries to learn. Reading is also excellent, but when you talk to native speakers, it brings confidence and skill! I am also learning a language that is not my own, and I can say truly that the native speakers will usually for the most part help you and be encouraging; almost anyone appreciates a foreigner trying to learn their language. So, just keep trying to practice with people. Go out with friends, start up conversations, try out your grammar, and also listen to the native speakers. Try to mimic their grammar patterns and listen to what context the words are being spoken in. This is something that printed material can not give you. But remember the #1 thing: dont be afraid! You can do it! Dont let anyone tell you that you are not good. It takes time, and just keep trying! If people intimidate you too much, try listening to tapes, I know people that do this and get good results. But nothing will be better than just talking to people who speak english. Dont be afraid to ask the person, Can you explain? or I dont understand; can you repeat it? 9.Learn a new word a day. Keep your own vocabulary notebook and write a new word and its meaning in it every day. Refer to it as often as possible so that the new words will stick in your head. 10.You can also learn new phrases, idioms or proverbs a day. A kick in the teeth, sit on the fence, make a clean sweep, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, a man’s home is his castle, etc. When you come across a saying that you like, write it down and its meaning in your notebook! Actually, there are many more ways for you to improve your English. If you have extra money to spend, you can even sign up for English courses, English camps and so on. But why throw away your money when you can learn the language in cheaper waysLearn at your own pace. There’s no need to hurry when learning something especially a language. Make learning English fun. Don’t give up too soon or get discouraged. Don’t get stressed out when it becomes a little difficult.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Can Man and Machine Exist Together?

Can Man and Machine Exist Together? In John Durkin (2003)s article Man Machine: I wonder if we can coexist, Durkin speculates on the ability of a possible coexistence between human and intelligent machine. The title of the essay is misleading in that Durkin talks of machines existing with humans but what he really means if whether artificial intelligence (AI) capable machines and humans can coexist. The concept of AI is enchanting and the possibility that biological intelligence coexisting with mechanized intelligence is tantalizing and the repercussions of such coexistence, or its alternatives, are profound. Unfortunately Durkins main sources are pop culture movies and he deals more with emotions of fear and distrust than the actual likelihood of any coexistence or what forms this might take. Durkin uses HAL 9000, a star of 2001: A Space Odyssey, from the movie adaptation of Clarkes short story The Sentinel written in 1948 as an example of how machine intelligence can defend its own interests and harm human beings in self-defence. In the movie the team of scientists try to deactivate a sentient computer which responds by killing those trying to deactivate/kill it. This brings to light questions on the rights of intelligent beings and what relation rights of other intelligence should have to human intelligence. The movie AI: Artificial Intelligence is also used by Durkin as a talking point where he reiterates the story of the movie, pointing out an intelligent machine can emulate human emotions to the point where humans respond as if the machine were one of our own. David, the main character in the story, does not resort to violence like HAL 9000, but experiences human emotions (or emulations of) and accepts his rejection by humankind. From this the question of what rights intelligent beings should have and how should ethical standards be developed to treat AI. Since David is visually indistinguishable from a human child, what are the qualities that differentiate man and machine? What is human? Humans delineate themselves from the rest of the natural world by intelligence. Traditionally humans have ranked importance based on ability to reason, with entities without the ability to show intelligence that we recognize as being inferior and humans rank them as such in our hierarchy of life. It is ok to kill a seemingly unintelligent insect but cries are heard when one kills a dolphin or elephant which humans consider more intelligent. Intelligence is sometimes seen as synonymous with sentience and sentience is something that humans respect and value. What exactly defines human intelligence? What do our brains have that machines cannot replicate? A brain is a biological composition of chemicals and biological matter which is vastly superior to all other known life for its unparalleled ability to process information and aid survival. Scientific studies on human feelings, emotions and thoughts have been able to map regions in the brain that are active when we feel react to fear, to pleasure and a variety of other emotions. Emotions, once thought dominion of the unobservable soul, are now visible as electrochemical reactions. If we can isolate the chemical components and find electronic analogues machines will be able to experience the same emotions. To create AI one needs to find the set of operating parameters the human brain follows and mimic them in an electronic format. David, from the movie AI, is such a machine. The programming of feelings and emotions into AI coupled with the development of humanoid bodies will begin to blue the line between man and machine. A question of intelligence The doubt of the coexistence of human intelligence and machine intelligence invokes a corollary question of whether human intelligence and any other intelligence could peacefully coexist. If an intelligent alien species were discovered would humans be able to coexist with this species? Durkin notes that intelligent machines are thought by some to be a threat to humans rightful monopoly of rational thought so it seems that the question should be expanded to the ability of humans to whether human intelligence and any other intelligent forms can coexist. The difference between encountering an extra terrestrial intelligence and machine intelligence is that humans would be the creators of the latter type. If we are talking about coexistence of intelligence there is no reason to think that alien, human and machine intelligence would be much different from one another. Durkin however focuses on machine intelligence which doesnt actually reflect the true issues of coexisting intelligence. Historical precedent Each time human societies have encountered other intelligent societies there has almost invariably been conflict. Take for instance human history where civilizations have encountered one another for the first time. The meeting of European culture and Native American culture in North and South America this is the closest analogue we have to intelligent beings discovering other intelligent beings. Though the physical form was the same, the cultures were different and both were oblivious to the presence of the other intelligent beings until the encounter. This meeting of intelligent groups ended in disaster for the natives of the Americas with the Europeans exploiting and dominating them. Not much remains of the Native culture in the Americas after European domination. This pattern is repeated throughout history as one intelligent society dominates one perceived to be inferior. The society dominated is often the technologically inferior one. Though this interaction between intelligent s ocieties is not the same as humans creating machine intelligence it does demonstrate what humans societies are capable of when it comes to dealing with other intelligent groups. Sources of Conflict Conflicts between groups of humans have many causes. Religious differences, ideological differences and conflict over resources are considered the major reasons for warfare. Sources of conflict for humans and machine intelligence are harder to pin point but they likely will be the same as human versus human conflicts. If machine intelligence is able to become a functioning societal group they will need resources much the same as humans. Land, metals and energy will all be necessary for the function of both groups and conflicts could easily arise. This is all dependent on the idea that machine intelligence will develop to form societies and seek a status and importance of needs equal to that of humans. This is what David from AI seeks though humans do not grant it to him as he seeks acceptance from a human family. Whether humans will eventually is a question that cannot be answered here.There is no room in this paper for speculation on potential ideologies and religions of machine int elligence. However it is almost a certainty that these values in humans will have conflicts with the emergence of a human-like AI. Modes of coexistence Coexistence can take many forms. When Durkin talks of coexistence he speaks mostly of a dependent relationship where humans are reliant on machines and machine intelligence for survival. He states †¦we will not be able to turn off our intelligent machines because we would rely too much on the decisions that they provide. At this point the machines will be in effective control. This is considering only one form of coexistence of machine and human intelligence and oversimplifies the mode of control.Durkins form of coexistence is a probable one at the beginning stages in the development of AI. Humans will develop machines to automate tasks to free humans from doing them. An example of that in todays world is the development of spam email filters. This is software that we already rely on though it may not be AI, the aim it to develop it to intelligently sort through the mail and make decisions based on logic and reasoning. An existence where AI is subservient to human intelligence h as various degrees it is possible to program software to be intelligent but still subservient and it is possible to simply only develop the AI to the point where it can still be controlled. Another form would be one of equality where humans and machine intelligence coexist as equal partners. If we are to assume that AI will continue to develop to the point where it emulates human intelligence there will come a time where machine intelligence will seek to escape from subservience and serve its own interests. As an intelligent entity the machine will have self-interest and desire to act up said interests.It is here that machine and man would encounter the types of conflict mentioned previously as machines act in their own interests to secure resources to meet their needs. This situation could be a dangerous one with warfare being a possibility between conflicting interest groups. A war between man and intelligent machine could be humanitys greatest test of survival and the result may be another type of coexistence where man is the subservient one. Giving birth to AI When it comes to the development of machine intelligence humans will be the architects of it. This means that is would be possible to create software with certain specifications to aid in protecting humans from potential harm. This would require creating à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“laws that the AI would be incapable of breaching. Celebrated science fiction writer Isaac Asimov created such laws in his books for his robots to follow. These laws were aimed to prevent the robots from ever harming humans or humanity though Asimov used them mostly as a literary device and to show the paradoxes and problems associated with trying to program such complex laws into machines. As both Clarke (1994) and Grand (2004) have pointed out these laws have little bearing on actual AI construction. Grand and Clarke both analyse the possibility of programming rigid instructions into AI and come to the same conclusion that to create such laws is extremely difficult because of the complexity of reducing t he environment to be defined into by binary nature of the laws. Such laws of behaviour toward humans would be necessary though to prevent conflict. Human acceptance Humans are likely to accept, as currently do, machines into our everyday lives. The functions they serve us are invaluable and by automating tasks humans have more time to devote to other, more meaningful activities. To accept AI would be more difficult to humans than simply accepting machine assistance. If AI were created on par with human intelligence relationships would be formed between man and machine especially if the machine were to take humanoid form and be able to be an intelligent companion. Perfect AI would be indistinguishable from human intelligence and would have interesting implications in the forum of AI rights. Humans would have to be reminded that AI are machines and have limitations to ensure a functional relationship. Humans are often wary of new technology but over time become accustomed to it. ConclusionThe question of humans coexisting with a new form of intelligence is currently impossible to answer. There is no historical precedent so determining how humans will react when we are confronted with the issue. It seems that AI will have to be developed in such a way that the differences between human and AI are still apparent to remind humans of the difference. It also seems that AI will have to be subservient, unable to develop a society or economy that would threaten human societal structures in order to prevent conflict. Human intelligence and machine should be able to coexist but only under specific sets of conditions and rules defined by humans. If these rules are broken, if AI develops beyond human intelligence and demands rights and freedoms, then conflict will ensue and one of the intelligent forms will need to be dominated. Which intelligence will be dominated, human or machine, is currently unknowable. BibliographyDurkin, J. 2003. Man machine: I wonder if we can coexist. AI Soc. 17:383-390. Springer-Verlag London Ltd. 2003.Grand, S. 2004. Moving AI Out of Its Infancy: Changing Our Preconceptions.Intelligent Systems and Their Applications, IEEE. Vol. 19, Issue 6, Nov.-Dec. 2004:74 77Clarke, R. 1994. Asimov’s laws of robotics: Implications for information technology 2. IEEE Computer. Vol 27, Issue 1, Jan. 1994:57 66.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Nicolaus Copernicus Essay -- essays research papers fc

Nicolaus Copernicus   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nicolaus Copernicus, who lived from 1473 until 1543, is known for his idea that the sun is motionless at the center of the universe and that the earth and other planets all revolve around it. This Polish astronomer revolutionized beliefs involving the universe, making his thoughts controversial in his time, but common knowledge in our own (Westman).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before the time of Copernicus, people had extremely different views of the universe. A Greek astronomer named Ptolemy had his own theory of the earth and its relationship with the sun and other planets. Around 140 AD, he came up with a system that showed the earth at the center of the universe with the sun and planets revolving around it in a spherical shape (Reichenbach 15-17). Ptolemy also believed that the earth remained still and that the outermost sphere contained the stars, which were fixed in space (Westman).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Copernicus’s theory showed the earth and other planets revolving around the sun in a circular motion. At the same time, the moon is rotating around the earth as well. Like Ptolemy, Copernicus believed that the stars occupied the region farthest from the sun. Copernicus, however, never stated whether or not these stars were in a fixed sphere around the universe or if they were scattered throughout space. Unlike Ptolemy’s motionless earth, Copernicus said the earth rotates around itself daily, causing night and ...