A Cup of Hot Tea Essay

A cup Of Hot tea Tea is a kind of drink. We get It from leaves. Now-a-days it Is popular drink in the world. where grows: Tea grows well in the hilly places where rain water can not stand at all. It grows in Bangladesh, India, China and Japan. In Bangladesh it grows well in the hilly areas Sylhet and Chittagong. How grown: Tree plants grow seeds. Seeds are shown in March; seedlings are planted In rows five feet apart. They are regularly prunced and allowed to grow only four or five feet high. How gathered: When tree lants are four years of age, leaves are plucked three or four times a year. The leaves are first dried in the sun and roested in fire. Thus the leaves are ready for use and sale. How prepared: At firest water Is boiled in a pot. Tea leaves are put Into boiling water. After three or four minutes it Is poured into cups through a sieve. The suger and milk is mixed with it. Thus it becomes a good drink. usefulness: Tea is a useful drink to us. Refreshes body and mind. Gives us energy to work. It also helps us o keep awake. Taking tea three times a day Is healthy for healt While gossiping with our friends and relatives we can not heardly think without a cup of hot tea. It brings a new mood of gossiping And In our country it is an important crop also. Demerites: Tea is not always good for healt. Too much of it is bad for health. It kills our hunger. The Importance of tea In our national economy Is very great. It Conjunslon: brings a good deal of foreign money every year. So we should take care of better production of tea.

Insecurity in Nigeria

INSECURITY IN NIGERIA This essay is written to give information on the causes and solution to the insecurity in Nigeria. From this, we see that it is expressly stated in our Constitution that the Government(s) is ultimately responsible for the security of lives, property, etc of the people of Nigeria. Internal security, or IS, is the act of keeping peace within the  borders  of a  sovereign state  or other  self-governing territories. This is done generally by upholding the national  law  and defending against internal security threats.Responsibility for internal security may range from  police  to  paramilitary  forces, and in exceptional circumstances, the  military  itself. (Wikipedia) Threats to Internal security Threats to the general peace may range from low-level  civil disorder, large scale  violence, or even an armed  insurgency. Threats to internal security may be directed at either the state's citizens, or the organs and infrastructure of  the state  itself, and may range from petty  crime, serious  organized crime, political or industrial unrest, or even domestic  terrorism.Foreign powers may also act as a threat to internal security, by either committing or sponsoring terrorism or  rebellion, without actually  declaring war. Forces and Agencies Governmental responsibility for internal security will generally rest with an  interior ministry, as opposed to a  defense ministry. Depending on the state, a state's internal security will be maintained by either the ordinary  police or law enforcement  agencies or more militarized police forces (known as  Gendarmerie).Other specialized internal security agencies may exist to augment these main forces, such as  border guards,  special police units, or aspects of the state's  List of intelligence agencies. In some states, internal security may be the primary responsibility of a  secret police force. The level of authorized force used by agencies and forces responsible for maintaining internal security might range from unarmed  police  to fully armed  paramilitary  organizations, or employ some level of  less-lethal weaponry  in between.For violent situations, internal security forces may contain some element of military type equipment such as  non-military armored vehicles. But enough of definitions and insinuations. What we are talking about is not merely petty crimes, armed robberies, etc, but terrorism and bombings, armed insurgency, e. g. the Niger Delta problem, which seemed to have died down a bit of recent, after all the hullabaloo of Amnesty, Jos ethnic/religious killings, Boko Haram massacres and bombings in Abuja, Maiduguri and other northern cities, etc.What every Nigerian should be doing is asking and demanding answers on what has been done so far since October 1st, 2010 Independence Day Twin Bombing in Abuja FCT. Not to mention numerous bombings in Maiduguri, Bauchi and Adamawa. Mind you, these a re not the first instances of such insecurity. Insecurity has been with us probably since we became a Republic, only we decided to turn blind eyes to it. When the CIA report of 2005 predicted the collapse of Nigeria in about 15 years time, patriots and critics alike reacted differently to the report.For me, as much as I wanted to dismiss it, something kept niggling my mind that this might be a true prophetic scrutiny of the state of Nigeria. Not because the CIA is dependable in its security analysis, after all, they didn't get it right to prevent 9/11 2001 from happening, but events in Nigeria seemed to suggest that while other countries in the sub-region were developing, Nigeria was retrogressing despite its claim to democracy.People expected the then Government of Obasanjo to take this warning as a chance for Nigeria to look inwards, engage with the report, and work on those predictive indices that could lead to the predicted failure. But, inopportunely, the Obasanjo government di smissed the report in its totality. In a way, the dismissal is not entirely a surprise, since our leaders, over the years, are prone to such habits of shielding the truth from their people, not caring as long as it does not happen in their time; are actually very ignorant of what is going on around them, and are obstinate and tyrannical in their nature.The current general state of insecurity in Nigeria has now lent weight to the report. It must be recalled that while the report was released at the advent of the so-called Niger Delta crisis, since then several acts of bombings and killings by the extremist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, the carnage between ethnic Birom and the Hausa/Fulani in Jos, and the political violence that followed immediately after the 2011 Elections results, mostly in the northern part of the country, have further cemented the insecure state of the country.Starting with the usual religious/ethnic oriented conflicts, to the Jos ethnic/religious/political conflict o f 2008, regrettably, the northern states have shown that security of persons and properties is still far from being realizable. However, the current crisis which started in Bauchi and has engulfed other states in the north has elements of theocratic opinionated ambitions in it. While the fundamentalist group – Boko Haram's – demand for the jettisoning of a western behavioral pattern and the imposition of strict Sharia law can be described as absurd to say the least, we should equally view it with all the seriousness it deserves.What the current trend of violence is imprinting on the psyche of Nigerians is that the government security apparatus is incapable of guaranteeing the safety and security of its people. This would, therefore, impact on the general human security of the people as the situation promotes fear, while at the same time limiting the peoples' ability to develop economically. At the same time, the state's capacity to attract investors becomes limited as a result of the insecurity.For instance, states like Enugu and Bauchi that have huge tourism potential would be losing out on this front On different terrorist attacks, listen to what leaders with political will had to say: On 9/11: â€Å"This is an act of war against the United States. We'll hunt down the terrorists. They can run but they can't' hide†¦ † – George Bush London Bombing: â€Å"We'll track down the terrorists and bring them to justice† – Tony Blair UN House Bombing: â€Å"Terrorism is a global phenomenon. May be it is Nigeria's turn. † – Goodluck Jonathan So what our supreme leader is saying is that, â€Å"why not, it’s our turn to start getting blown up†.How much more should we expect? That shows you the depth of intelligence and care of our leaders. Security was a driving issue in the last Presidential campaign following bomb blast by Niger Delta militants and attacks of police by members of the extremist Is lamic group, Boko Haram in the northern part of the country. President Jonathan campaigned very hard to convince Nigerians that his government was meeting those security challenges. But the rioting, mostly in the North, that followed immediately after his election raised questions, which are still unanswered, about security preparedness.At least 800 people were said to have been killed in these Muslim-Christian electoral violence. â€Å"As president, it is my solemn duty to defend the constitution of this country. That includes the obligation to protect the lives and properties of every Nigerian wherever they choose to live,† he said Challenges ; Proposed Solutions: Mr. President should acknowledge the failure of the security agencies hence there should be a complete overhaul of the Security Agencies in the county to pre-empt these security breaches. In particular, the failure of the intelligence services to contain the recurring security breaches.The spate of bombings has on ce more brought to limelight the need for a Sovereign National Conference. Until these structural distortions and anomalies are addressed, the monster of insecurity will loom large and Nigeria will once more be listed as a terrorist nation. Mr. President has to act decisively to execute his Office, and this can be achieved by implementing the anti-terrorism law and punish culprits of such heinous crimes capable of causing instability in the nation. This will vitiate the implementation of Mr. President's transformational agenda.The long-term effect is that the on-going terrorism will discourage potential investors in Nigeria. At the speed Nigeria is deteriorating, there is a strong desire for a  SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE  so that all ethnic  nationalities  can make their stand known  this amalgamated country. The way forward is for us to keep laying emphasis on the need for the evolution of six regions. The federation should stay but let every region grow at its own pac e. The Western region has clearly set the  pace going by the result of the  last election.All the Western states voted massively for the Action Congress party (ACN), a party that  is not sufficiently  different  in programmes from the Action Party of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Each region should have their own police Force. MOPOL and Interpol  could be transformed into the only Federal Police crack elite team. The rest members of the police force should be dismembered and directed to return to their regions. It is  the duty of the regions to now retrain, equip and pay them. Second, the judiciary is not helping matters at all. This institution  is heavily  compounding our problems.It has got to really sit up. Cases of corruption are not  meant to be compromised at all, let alone adjourning them endlessly. The judiciary ought to have, at this stage in our development, evolved time scales  for cases. There  ought to have been  a time to determine a case; time to c lose that case; and time to deliver  judgment and pass sentences. In Nigeria, cases that bother on corruption and insecurity have most often been compromised thus the law is no longer acting as a deterrent. What is happening in Jos is too gory to narrate.The endless killing going on in that city has made the demand for regional governmentt more pertinent. The country cannot just continue to toe the line of extinction. Most Nigerians  do not value human lives. They debase them. Most  have become conditioned to act of carnages, brigandage, looting, massacre,  butchery and bestiality. Thirdly, the Federal government should always be decisive on issues that bother on insecurity. We have never had strong leaders. From Shagari to Yar ‘Adua and now to Jonathan, what we have heard were leaders handpicked and imposed on the people.We have over the years been denied leaders that would bring us out of the woods. First were Awo in 1979 and, controversially, Abiola in 1993. We have never had it so bad. OBJ was an imposition by the Northern oligarchy. Corruption was commonplace under OBJ. Now under Jonathan, what we have is intertwined corruption and insecurity. Ethnic and the foregoing problems and criminal activities individually and collectively create insecurity and breach of the peace that are likely to or indeed affect legitimate social and economic activities in the country.These problems also have the very damaging consequence of giving the signal to the rest of the international community that Nigeria is not a safe and secure place and as such not suitable for economic investment and activities. This is particularly important in view of the efforts being made to create the desired atmosphere to attract foreign investment. Beyond the effects of security concerns on the economic fortunes of the country, the nature of the security challenges facing the country also have implications for the country's political system.As mentioned earlier, social cohesion among various groups and interests is important in the process of national political development. Therefore, the constituent parts of the country must be and indeed feel that they are being carried along in the process of national governance. Experience has shown that widespread discontent and loss of confidence in the system have ways of affecting national political stability. Invariably continuing escalation of violence and crises across the country will impinge on the survival of our democracy.Accordingly, there is the challenge to rethink and improve on policy and institutional means of dealing with security concerns arising in the country. At the political level, the federal, state and local governments should evolve programmes of cultural and political education and orientation that seek to enthrone the fundamentals of democracy so that the political contestants as well as the generality of the citizens imbibe principles and practices essential for sustainable democracy.Such programmes must also address specific tendencies that create security breach and concerns in the country. In addition, a process of legislative and constitutional review should be initiated to assess the country's constitution and amend or expunge as necessary areas that have been found to give rise to conflicts and security problems. The process should also introduce new provisions and legislations that will ensure better and more effective interplay of interests among all groups and stakeholders in Nigeria.Such exercise should also embrace ways of making the country's democratic space more open, free, fair and tolerant as exists in other democracies around the world. Among specific lingering political issues that should be addressed are: the laws relating to political parties and their activities; the establishment, funding and activities of the electoral body; local and state government relationship; allocation of national resources and revenue; citizenship rights; devolution of security powers to states and local governments.In addition, the legislative and constitutional review should also embody security sector reforms that will make the security agencies and institutions more effective in combating crimes and other threats to national security and make them accountable to the democratic political system and structures. These democratic structures include the states and local governments. I believe that we need to give a more concrete understanding to the definition of governors as the chief security officers of the state.In all, what we need is a good government, no more no less. And a good government is possible in as much as people who are put in positions of authority are allowed and are committed to discharge their duties without fear or favors; are determined to serve with zeal and patriotism; are not ready to sell out to international capital and are ready to stand by the truth and die for it.In all, there is no mono cultural theory that is a cure -all to the diverse nature of insecurity in Nigeria but I believed and stand by the theory that Nigeria should evolve into six regions, each region having its Premier or Governor, each region has a right to retain its states or to abolish- the choice is theirs in the region to make; each region should be in charge of its Education,  Security, Health, Agriculture, Housing, Transport and Energy policies.The Central Government should be in charge of the Army, Central Bank, Customs, Prisons and Immigration services, MOPOL and Interpol, ALL WORKING at the same time IN THE INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY. The objections to this Soveriegn National Conference are coming significantly from the core north unbeknownst to the people from that region that the fallout from that conference would sufficiently be in their favour. Pessimism is a social disease but in a society of rights, it is right! Insecurity in Nigeria INSECURITY IN NIGERIA Underlying the quest for national security in Nigeria is the issue of political morality, which focuses on the question of defining the relationship between the state and the various groups in the society. Political morality properly construed seeks to establish and sustain the essential conditions for the smooth functioning of the state and society. It is in this light that we identify the problem of the moral basis of Nigeria’s security to be a vital imperative of national reconciliation, national survival and national development in the new millennium.Our examination of the moral foundations of national security is all the more significant when we examine the trend of events in the history of military and economic growth in Nigeria, especially under the erstwhile military regimes of Abacha and Babangida. This essay is particularly concerned with showing the pattern of ethical degeneration that led to the systematic and institutionalised erosion of pers onal and collective peace, safety, stability and harmony within the Nigerian society.Also, the need for an examination of the ethical basis of human social existence in Nigeria is further highlighted by president Obasanjo (1999: 8) who 245National Security, Social Order†¦ in the October 1999 national day speech emphasized that there is a need to examine the moral foundations of all our actions and to continue to search for the conditions that will make Nigeria a just, free and wealthy society. Obasanjo’sstatement clearly implies that the country is yet to achieve the much desired level of ethical conduct and respect for human dignity that can ensure the maintenance of security, peace and order in the society.Indeed, the history of Nigeria shows that the practice of genuine moral conduct and the guarantee of adequate personal and national security for all segments of the society has been an illusive and futile project. An examination of the spectrum of national life revea ls the incidence of corruption in high and low places, conflicts and confusion in various communities and regions, greed and selfishness as the guiding principles of human social interaction, as well as a situation of pervasive lawlessness in the conduct of daily life .As aconfirmation of the problem of national security in Nigeria the Nigerian Bar Association [NBA] has stated that there is increasing national decay and insecurity, which is seen in the regressing economy, unviable hospital facilities and health services, lack of good pipe borne water, transportation and fuel problems that have overwhelmed the society (Nwankpa 2000: 8). We may also add that the problem of national security is seen in the increasing situation of lawlessness, violence and criminality that have become endemic in the nation.The evidence of the dismal state national security is seen in what Onyegbula (2000: 24) describes as the diminishing standard of living and the deteriorating social infrastructures an d educational system. For instance, the roads, refineries,hospitals and schools have not been functioning at their optimum levels. More so, the existence of a poorly trained police force, has compelled the abdication of the security of lives and property of Nigerians to the ethnic militia groups and other dubious civil defense and vigilante associations.Together, these civil and institutional security agencies and groups participate in the institutionalized brutalization, extortion and repression of the people. Thus, our argument is that the erosion of both the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of the social order, has ensured that the establishment of genuine national security in the nation has not been adequately guaranteed.More importantly, the earlier approaches, which have been adopted in the attempt to provide national security in Nigeria, have not been successful. Hence, there is a need to seek a new approach to the resolution of the problem of national security in Nigeria and a good point to start the discussion is to attempt a conceptual analysis of social order as a prelude to the examination of national security. Oham Ugochukwu This day Journalist OHAM UGOCHUKWU YEAR 10 ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Economic Impact of Tourism

Select a small to medium size town and explain the economic impact the tourists have had on this place. Introduction The potential of tourism as a development strategy for small towns is a very important issue for local economic development. Many small towns have benefited from tourist development all over the world . I have decided to choose the town of Jurmala in Latvia as the focus of this assessment. Background information about Jurmala Jurmala – the medium size resort town in Latvia and is well known for its natural treasures- the mild climate, sea, healthy air, curative mud and mineral water. Its strcture consists of three former villages that were united in 1959. The attraction of Jurmala hides in its almost 33 km of long white sand beach, large pine forests and the natual border of the city – the river Lielupe. In Jurmala you can discover the combination of harming wooden houses built in the beginning of the last century and modern resort buildings. The unique combination of these components makes Jurmala very attractive to the tourists and makes the town an attractive relaxation and cure place for many tourists. Since 1871 the main means of transportation is train, remaining the station buildings of the late 19th century and early 20th century. The territory of Jurmala is proposed for inclusion in the World Heritage Tentative list is the Eastern part of the town -from the mouth of the river Lielupe till the territory of former fishermen village in Dubulti that for the first time was mentioned in historical sources in 16th century. This place is very interesting because here the distance between the river Lielupe and the sea is only 500 metres. Modern town of Jurmala Jurmala has grown as a tourist destination over the past decade with its main walking street Jomas and different shops which include gift shops, art galleries, quaint buildings, modern spa hotels, coffee shops, etc. The unique features of the area and the geographical location of Jurmala make the area boating, fishing, bird-watching, sunbathing, camping, etc. The entrepreneurs of Jurmala offers new possibilities for tourists every year – hotels and guesthouses and various entertainments. They cantaste delicious and healthy food in Jurmala's restaurants and cafes, walk along the central promenade of Jomas ideal for a variety of recreational activities such as river rafting, biking, hiking, street, explore the eco-trails in Kemeri National park  and Ragakapa Nature Park, enjoy the water attractions in the biggest aquapark in Northern Europe â€Å"Livu Akvaparks† and â€Å"Nemo†, visit the famous concert hall Dzintari or simply watch the sunset on Jurmala beach! | | | | | | ‘’According to data provided by the Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of tourists in the first quarter of 2009 has decreased, and adds up to 15 530 persons, that is by 28% less than in the according period in 2008. The highest load in this period was in resort rehabilitation centres and sanatorium – 31%, but the average load of hotels and resort hotels was 13%† www. jurmala. lvâ€Å"Division of guests by the country: Latvia (51%) – 6145 Russia (12%) – 1841 Byelorussia (8%) – 1191 ( + 7%) Estonia (7%) – 1100 Lithuania (5%) – 846 Norway (4%) – 689 Sweden (2%) – 376 Finland (2%) – 266 Germany (2%) – 164 Denmark (1%) – 111 ( + 50%)United Kingdom-1311(+10%)† www. jurmala. lv  Looking at the statistics by the division of guests by countries, we can see that the greatest increase is for tourists from Denmark – increase by 50%. During winter and spring months guests chose to stay in Jurmala city resort rehabilitation centres and sanatorium as they provide wide choice of rehabilitation, health and medical treatments of high quality, but for lower prices than in other EU countries. The average length of stay in Jurmala is 5 days, and that is by 2 days more than it was in the corresponding periods in 2008. Byelorussian guests have stayed in Jurmala longer than other guests – in average 18 days, then comes the guests from Germany. To show the economic impact the tourism has on Jurmala more precisely, I would like to stop at the economic impact analysis of Dzintari concert hall which is situated in the very centre of Jurmala and has an international significance. This place attracts more and more tourists and visitors every year because of different events such as like pop and rock band concerts and various entertainment events which are being held there every season from May till September. The concert hall also supports youth festivals, chamber music concerts and always gives priority to orchestra concerts. Tourists all over the Europe and especially from Russia come here each year to see the international contest of young singers, called â€Å"New Wave†. During the hot season the concert hall generates more than LVL 8. million turnover. It can easily show the economic usefulness and an important contribution to Jurmala economic development as well as to the development of state economics. Dzintari concert hall became a limited company in 2004 and started to attract more tourists. The audience of the concert hall per season since year 2003 till 2004 increased from 100  000 till 200  000 customers and now the number is still growi ng till 250  000 tourists. Due to the fact that the number of customers is growing the concert hall can provide more employment to the local people. Customers not only watch the event, they spend money on transport and it allows the transportation system become more economical as well, they also spend money on food to dine in Jurmala’s cafes and restaurants that gives them an opportunity to stay open longer and earn more. The tourists have some extra expenses during the event too such as tea, coffees, juices, alcoholic drinks, ice-creams, flowers for artists, etc. â€Å"According to the statistics o Dzintari concert hall, 76% of Dzintari hall audience spend on related goods and services more than LVL 30 per event. Only 24% buy the cheapest tickets, go to the event by public transport(when you go to Jurmala by your own car you have to buy a pass which costs LVL 1 and the money also goes to the development of the town of Jurmala), during the event take only tea, coffee or beer and go home for dinner â€Å"(see the table below) www. su. lt/filemanagerThe expenses of Dzintari concert hall customers SUM PER EVENT| PERCENTAGE OF CUSTOMERS | TOTAL EXPENSES| LVL 10-16| 24%| LVL 5940. 00| LVL 30| 30%| LVL 24300. 00| LVL 40| 15%| LVL 12000. 00| LVL 60| 15%| LVL 18300. 0| Up to LVL 100| 6%| LVL 18600. 00| | 100%| LVL 74140. 00| There were 90 events in Dzintari concert hall in 2007. We can see from the table that despite short event season, customers spent more than 6. 5 million Lats(Latvian currency , 1Ls is about ? 0. 83 ). Jurmala in the past. Telling about the economic impact of tourism on Jurmala nowadays, it would be also essential to mention the Soviet Union times when Jurmala was one of the bigge st rehabilitation centres and health resorts for the working people from the whole entire Soviet Union. To understand the economic impact of tourism on Jurmala those times I would like to provide some data. J Jurmala in the past had about 70 health centres with about 12,000 tourists all year round. Today, there are about 30 recreation facilities in the recreation business, able to accommodate no more than 4,000 guests. Earlier as many as 232,000 people came to Jurmala for holidays every year, now this figure is down to 62,000, which is a very big difference and certainly it has a negative impact on Jurmala’s economy in comparison with the Soviet times. As for the number of foreign visitors, it shrank four times after the introduction of visa requirements for Russia, for example. T Let us have a look at some objective reasons for the decline. During the Soviet times, Jurmala was very popular resort for the people all over the Soviet Union. And the region of Jurmala experienced constant growth since 1969. The situation changed dramatically since the early 1990s when Latvia re-gained independence. Latvia hasn’t been able to attract local or Western tourists to compensate for the reduced number of holiday–makers at its rehabilitation centres. In the last two years some positive trends emerged, however. Firstly, the annual number of tourist visitors has grown up to 12-15%; it’s much higher than an average figure for Latvia in general (5-6%), or the global rate of 9 percent. In the given situation (the survival of the fittest) the strongest will survive, i. e. those, who managed to preserve rehabilitation facilities, keep skilled personnel, and do qualitative marketing. Secondly, a new trend emerged, i. e. he opening of small pensions, boarding houses (bread ; breakfast), and small hotels with 5 to 30 rooms† Dainis Urbanovich, www. baltic-course. com Conclusion Looking at the information provided in the essay, we can see that the tourism has a great impact on the development of Jurmala as a resort town and the more tourists(consumers) that can be attracted by Jurmala’s beautiful nature, climate, hotels and, of course, the events in the Dzintari concert hall and different other places of entertainment in Jurmala, the higher the economic impact. Words 1527 Bibliography Books Book 1- The understanding of the travel and tourism industry Websites www. jurmala. lv www. baltic-course. com www. su. lt www. riga-hotel-guide. com Learners Declaration: I certify that the work submitted in this assignment is my own. Full Name Viktorija Chesnovicka†¦Address 2 Pavasara gatve , flat 21, Riga, Latvia LV-1082.. |

Functions of Input Controls Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Functions of Input Controls - Assignment Example The main significance of these controls is that they are easy to manage: with input controls, database administrators are required to possess only specific skills to manage the outsourced data. The minimum knowledge of database administrators allows for flexibility, especially in the evolving nature of computer technology; higher turnover of employees; and outsourcing of data input (Lee, Chen, & Ilie, 2012). In light of these reasons, it behoves system administrators to make the system free from unnecessary data as much as possible by going the input control way. Types of input controls File input controls allow users to attach specific documents from the personal computer; for example, an outsourced data-entry may be achieved by enabling the user to select and upload copies of his or her personal documents during application for a job. Such documents may include; curriculum vitae, passport size photo etcetera. File input controls often support different file formats such as .doc, .jpeg, and .pdf, among others. A checkbox is a small box that enables end-users to check or uncheck predefined options by ticking the values they want by clicking the mouse (Lee, Chen, & Ilie, 2012). A checkbox allows the user to send the value that is attached to it, as the right choice. Radio buttons are selected by a mouse click on the widget, or by striking a keyboard shortcut to this effect, in which case, the checked button relays the value to the database, when the form is submitted. Submit input control enables users to send the correct form after filling an HTML form of structure d query variables. In most cases, a â€Å"submit† button is found at the end of the query variables, and usually after the use of the other input controls. Transcription errors Input controls are very important in data-entry because they limit data entry integrity errors. Failure to use input controls could open a floodgate to transcription errors. A transcription error is a particular type of data entry error that is usually made by end-users (Murray, & Haubl, 2011). Human transcription errors are usually caused by typographical faults: that is, typing incorrect characters during touch typing. Input controls, oftentimes limit data transcription errors resulting from improper entries; for example, the typing of â€Å"1th,† rather than â€Å"1st† in outsourced data-entry. In this case, datetime input control or number input control, would easily eliminate the chances of the transcription error and eases the work of database administrators, sorting and checking th e data for any inconsistency. Advantages and disadvantages of restricting user interfaces The rapid development of new technologies in the twenty-first century has resulted in the growth of human-machine interactions. Tech-savvy developers are usually guilty of creating user interfaces that are largely restricted and difficult to comprehend and use, assuming that machine operators can think and use them as they do (Hearst, 2011). They are usually quite ignorant of the extent of prior understanding of the user, which according to them seems to be easily discerned on the monitor, and are incapable of being aware of the needs of users, who do not have enough technological knowhow. This is often compounded by the lack of incorporating the user contributions or the lack of human

Physical Restraint Use on People with Dementia Essay

Physical Restraint Use on People with Dementia - Essay Example (Koch Susan and Lyon Cheryl, 2001) Purely clinical emergency necessitating medical care on dementia patients does not pose any problem for the attending health staff and nurses. Dementia patients at this juncture are either passive or unconscious. Use of physical restraints on these types of patients does not arise. When the patients turn aggressive, the progress of medical attendance is blocked. This prompts the nursing staff to use physical restraints on the patients. Immediate attention towards reducing the aggression of the dementia patients dilutes the emergency in the atmosphere. Dementia patients suddenly turn hostile towards the attending nurses and agitate for reasons not known to the staff and not expressible by the patients. Agitation refers to a range of behaviors associated with dementia, including irritability, sleeplessness and verbal or physical aggressions. Often these types of behavior problems progress with stages of dementia, from mild to more severe. Pilot resear ch studies designed to measure how agitation manifested, to measure the severity of agitation and to identify the nursing practices used to manage and their outcome revealed in the past that nurse actions triggered the majority of most highly rated episodes of agitated behavior in dementia patients. Three databases CINHAL, PROQUEST, AMERICAN JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC SOCIETY and BLACKWELL SYNERGY were searched using search terms 'dementia', 'physical restraints', and 'emergency'. On viewing the guidelines for using the physical restraints a book by Noreen Cavan Frisch is also found apt. Findings: On pressing the contents of the papers through the sieve of two main views extracted it is found that emergency arising out of aggressions of dementia patients is differently perceived by nurses and other beholders and safety related dilemma in nursing staff is due to the double sided pressure from both statutory enforcement and clinical guidelines for procedural therapy. EMERGENCY ARISING OUT OF AGGRESSIONS IN DEMENTIA PATIENTS: Gerry Farrel (2005) analyzed 28 aggression management-training programs and found that use of restraints on patients of mental health department is obligatory. Since the concentration of the research was mainly on industrial and other professional fields wherein aggression management programs are conducted, the stress of the same in mental health area is minimal although the authors made a mention that many of the AMPs did not address psychological aspects. (Gerry Farrell, Katrina Cubit, 2005) Some of the greatest challenges of nursing staff with the dementia patients are the personality and behavior changes that often occur. The nurses are given training to meet these challenges by using creativity, flexibility, patience and compassion. Before thinking of the decision to use physical restraints on the dementia patients so that treatment can take its smooth course, it is obligatory on the part of attending nurses to tactfully handle the troubling behavior of the patients. Trying to change the person

Project 2 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project 2 - Case Study Example Salient features of the statement would have included concise project plan, amount of funding to be required, a flexible but well defined timetable for completion of the project and success criteria set beforehand. A prudent thing would have been to match payments with milestones agreed beforehand- this would have provided greater incentive for the workforce to give proper time and attention to the project. Information about the means to generate funding for the project and cooperation between different utilities department should have been included in the SOW to provide an idea about the supporting elements of the metro project and the requirement that any problems which arose because of them should be handled properly and quickly. Ans.2 The problems faced by the project were serious enough to have lengthened the time of completion by almost 2 decades. The problems were manifold; from the unexpected bureaucracy of the labors and the shopkeeper’s demands to the utility lines proving to be a hindrance in construction. However, these were only to be expected from a project of this scope and it was the poor management that was at fault for being unable to anticipate these problems. While it may not have been possible to be have been prepared to handle these problems from the start the project should have included the possibility that they might happen and how the teams would deal with them. The lack of information about the utilities and poor forecast of traffic needs were one of the basic failings of the project design which led to these problems and it seems the designers were unaware of the exact scope. Problems in a project which affects the daily life of millions of people are not bad luck; they are to be expected. Ans.1 The most important thing for the organization is to form an action plan to help their project managers with the client problems they are facing. The project managers all state the same kind of problems with having to

Sunny Cottage Holidays (SCH) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sunny Cottage Holidays (SCH) - Assignment Example Cottage owners on the other hand advertise with SCH based on the brand image of the agent, trust and comfort levels they enjoy with the company. The agency requires that marketing and communication strategies be employed keeping the following criteria in view. Short term communication objectives †¢The target segment of SCH is in various stages of hierarchical responses. Communication strategy must be employed to first create and increase awareness about cottage holidays rather than general holidays and brand awareness on the SCH package. This must be done through attractive advertising strategy, good media planning and promotional exercises. Differentiation between SCH and its competitors must be clearly specified. †¢Next the agency must focus on providing more information on SCH to the customer. The ‘comprehension’ phase should allow development of website, direct mailers etc that provides information about the holiday packages. †¢Endorsements by experts or feedback photos and comments from satisfied SCH customers are other tools that the agency can explore to convince customers. Conviction must be the third important stage of the exercise. †¢Desire to purchase must be generated through a strong promotional mix that includes good publicity and irresistible offers for the target segment. †¢Finally the campaign must motivate customers into action which can be measured by number of phone calls/ emails querying about the packages. Feedback forms and lucky coupons are other options. The market and competition The market for independent family holidays in cottages is fast growing, as many prefer 'their space' rather than being part of a group. A growing 58% people prefer the getaway to the countryside for relaxing weekends and planned vacations. The competition can be classified as, Local specialists: Most cottage agents are local specialists who focus on tourists coming to specific parts of UK. For example, the Wales cottage holidays agency in Wales has a comprehensive listing of holiday cottages in all parts of Wales. Its website and brochure are its main advertising arsenal. Other such area specific cottage agents include Cumbria cottages (the Lake district), Classic Cottages (for Devon and Cornwall), Mann's Holidays (North West Wales), Nefyn Holidays (Lleyn Peninsula and Snowdonia National Park), Marsdens Cottage Holidays (North Devon) and Holiday Homes & Cottages (South West). Their main medium is a coloured brochure which is often mailed to customers. General specialists: A small segment of general specialists offer holidays across UK. For example, Recommended cottage holidays agency offers a range of cottages across UK. It has a colored brochure that lists the various cottages and a website that allows customers to check availability and make reservations. Its main target market is large families and focuses on family/corporate reunions. It promotes itself as an economical holiday provider that offers a good range. Other UK cottage holiday providers include names of Hoseasons Holidays (well established and offers a great range) and Sykes cottages. The target market: customers Instead of opting for mass marketing, the company must undertake target marketing and must form one or more market segments relevant to buying behaviour. The sub groups or niche markets within its identified target segments can be identified as under. Geographic and Demographic segmentation: Customers are usually couples aged 25 onwards

Citi Bank Launching The Credit Card In Asia Pacific Essay

Citi Bank Launching The Credit Card In Asia Pacific - Essay Example The feasibility of launching the product in Singapore would become clear in the light of the following analysis: Income and Standard of Living: Singapore is a country of rich and affluent people with an average per capita income of $8,817 that is continuously growing at a higher rate than other countries in the region and a standard of living much better as compared to most of its neighbouring countries. Most of the population can conveniently afford a credit card therefore this country offers great opportunity to the Citi corp. in launching its product for the first time in the whole region. Therefore, the land of Singapore offers more opportunities than risk for the Citi Bank credit card launch. Although risks are there, but the country having 100% urban population, higher per capita income and much better standard of living offer less country risks to the launch of a product like credit card. Although the country profile of Singapore offers has great attractiveness for the launch of Citi Bank credit card, yet the market ... Although the country profile of Singapore offers has great attractiveness for the launch of Citi Bank credit card, yet the market profile suggests a great number of risks associated with it. The credit card market has been already captured by major international players such as American Express Bank, Hong Kong Bank, Chase, Standard Chartered and local banks such as UOB, DBS, OUB, and OCBC, which make it very difficult for a bank to successfully enter the market and remain profitably in business for long. In order to enter the Singapore market and successfully launch the product, Citi Bank could either purchase an existing already established business, or launch a rigorous marketing campaign to attract a great number of customers or can even both the options simultaneously as suggested by the case given. However it is recommendable for the Citi Bank to go for the development of its product's own market. The bank should adopt a number of possible marketing strategies that could help it achieve the objective of customer awareness and customer acceptance. Initially, the customers should be made acquainted to the product and then the product must be positioned in a way to win the customer acceptance. Competitive Advantage Singapore is a market where people enjoy a high standard of living and therefore, enjoy the products that are associated with image, status and recognition. Citi Bank can take advantage of this attitude by positioning the credit card and associate its image with high status, prestige, affluence and style. The bank should use its "international identity" and offer its product to the people with maximum international usage and recognition. This can be the most visible competitive advantage readily available to be

Evaluate an existing information management system within healthcare Case Study

Evaluate an existing information management system within healthcare organization in the Abudhabi hospitals - Case Study Example It is evident from the argument of research scholars that implementation of IMS in hospitals is a pertinent but hotly debated topic. Hence, the researcher has decided to dig deep in this topic by shedding light on existing IMS in hospitals of UK. Description and Functional Evaluation In UK, majority of hospitals are covered under the supervision of National Health Service Estate hence these hospitals show the common tendency while implementing a new IT application. Puig-Junoy (2000) and Tsai and Molinero (2002) have pointed out that in most of the cases, hospitals implement a new system in order to decrease the patient management cost. However, these researchers have suggested that hospitals should implant those systems which can save money and time of patients and deliver service in profitable manner. E-Prescribing has been selected by the researcher as the IMS to study in this paper. Hospitals like Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust has already been implemented the e-Pres cribing in order to manage cost of servicing patients (European Commission, 2012). Although e-Prescribing might sound like it’s the electronic version of formal prescription but in real scenario it’s much more than prescribing. E-Prescribing is the modified version of patient management facilities which requires active involvement of stakeholders such as doctors, nurses, patients and many others. Generally hospitals such as Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS use e-Prescribing as packaged software but there examples, where hospitals use customized version of e-Prescribing. Now, the study will try to understand what exactly meant by e-Prescribing. NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CFH) (2009) has defined E-Prescribing as the information management system which is created in order to facilitate and enhance the communication of medicine order or prescription, increasing the options for administration of hospitals to provide medicine to patients in accordance with their pr escription, creating decision support and audit support system for the hospital to manage medicines used throughout the treatment of patients. In simple words, objective of e-prescribing is to manage patient information in efficient manner and help the hospital to audit its medicines used per patients. Many of the UK hospitals create the link between e-Prescribing and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in order to help audit section of the hospital to conduct the cost-benefit analysis of its patient service. Implementation of e-Prescribing system is stepwise process which involves the engagement of various clinical stakeholders such as doctors, patient care division in the hospital, Information Management and Technology (IM&T) professionals, senior clinicians, senior managers etc. Specifically, IM&T is responsible for providing technical and infrastructural support to e-Prescribing (NHS CFH, 2009). E-Prescribing cannot be viewed as simple automation of manual task function for presc ribing medicines rather than it should be viewed as transformative process. For example, using e-Prescribing empowers doctor and nurses can change the traditional prescribing process and indicate the

Conflict Resolution Essay Example for Free

Conflict Resolution Essay Leaders must learn how to deal with issues that may arise among their followers. Some of these issues may consist of the leader managing conflicts, handling communication challenges among team members, or addressing organizational communication needs. The communication process is important step for the transfer and understanding of meaning between individuals when working toward a goal together (Robbins Judge, 2013). With the correct style of communication utilized leaders can help to avoid conflicts among groups. Storybook #1 How would you react when a team member is being vague and trying to spin bad news to sound more positive, thereby making it harder for the team to actually approach and resolve the issue? Communication is an essential tool for the group’s success when working together as a team. When a team member chooses to be evasive or sugar coat issues or problems with a project can result in a missed deadline or complete failure depending on how bad the problem is. If a problem arises, the best thing to do is discuss it with the entire team as soon as possible to allow time to address the issue and come up with an alternative plan. How could you encourage someone to continue to voice his or her opinion or to share an idea when you know he or she is hesitant to do so? For someone who is hesitant to share his or her opinion or idea, leaders should encourage their participation by offering some their own opinions and ideas on the matter and asking a question or two regarding his or her thoughts. Through back and forth dialogue, slowly the leader would obtain the individuals ideas and opinions on the project. By obtaining everyone on the teams thoughts, a well-informed final decision can be made on how to proceed. By doing this, the reluctant team member will believe that they have contributed to the project. Storybook #2 As a manager, how would you relay an important negative message with as little impact on your team as possible? Why would you choose this method?  As a manager, delivering any negative message is a hard thing to do. It is even harder when you are trying to do it with little impact on your team.  Communicating a negative message is a difficult task and must be handled delicately to minimize the demotivating impact of the message. Negative message routinely pop up in the business world and can impact personal relationships. It is important for managers to determine the most appropriate way to deliver a negative message to employees. Managers can deliver bad news either with the direct approach or the indirect approach. The direct approach seems to be the best used when managers want to get to the point quickly and when the bad news is not too serious. When individuals compromise they are using a direct approach to resolving conflict by giving up something to gain something (Duggan Media, n.d.). The indirect approach is best used when you need to prepare the audience for what he or she is about to discover. This method is an excellent approach because it shows compassion and shows that the leader is actually making an effort to provide options. What is the best way to handle gossip before it spreads? The best way to handle gossip before it spreads it to try to catch it as it happens. Gossip usually spreads fast therefore; I would try to capture the gossip before it gets out of hand. As a manager, gossip is the negatively spreading of rumors about someone or something so by capturing the event is a great way to establish a nice working environment for everyone. How might you handle your team’s feelings after a negative situation has occurred that does not directly affect your team but affects others around them? There are several ways to handle a team’s feelings after a negative situation has occurred. As a manager, you have to know all your team’s personalities because everyone in a negative situation handles things differently. Some may need to be left alone whereas others need more of an explanation further on the negative situation. Handling negative feelings with a team depends on the team’s individual personalities. Storybook #3: What strategies would you use to help your team alleviate stress caused by deadlines before any conflict arises? Each day managers are confronted with scenarios that require attention. These can range from balancing a budget, customer service, and conflicts within teams. Managers must determine the best way to handle these situations on a case-by-case basis.  Managers must choose the best option based upon corporate culture, persons affected, and the nature of the scenario. Conflict in the workplace is inevitable and healthy. It breeds new ideas and creativity when handled properly. Conflict among teams that disrupts productivity and risks deadlines should be handled immediately. Allowing disruptive conflict in the workplace to linger, presents a threat of missed deadlines, which results in decreased revenue. This can devalue the company and the manager’s reputation, and cause the company to miss out on future opportunities for revenue in the marketplace. An important leadership responsibility is to interpret confusing events and build consensus around. Reacting to a disruptive conflict in the workplace immediately would demonstrate the manager taking on this important role. A leader immediately stepping in willing to meet with the individual’s one-on-one and as a whole to come to an agreement demonstrates what an effective leader he or she is. A manager could easily spend minutes, hours or even days trying to figure out what is standing in the way of a team coming together and successfully meeting their deadlines, but a great leader intervenes and help everybody come together to resolve conflicts to meet his or her deadlines. Multiple perspectives often conflict with one another and it is difficult to determine the best solution. Actions sometimes support one perspective. When faced with a dilemma the leader needs clarity in identifying varying perspectives to make the best decision. Opening a communication channel between emp loyees and management is a key step in establishing a comfortable environment. Conclusion Each of the Storybook scenarios demonstrates how leaders must use different methods of communication to avoid conflicts. Leaders must analyze the situation to determine which principle or style of communication is best suited for the particular circumstance. It is the leader’s responsibility to avoid conflicts among the group and to ensure that communication is being exchanged in the correct matter among team members. References Duggan, T., Media, D. (n.d.). Indirect Direct Approaches to Conflict. Retrieved from http://www.smallbusiness.chron.com Robbins, S. R., Judge, T. A. (2013). Organizational Behavior (15th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

National Transportation Safety Board Aircraft Accident Brief

National Transportation Safety Board Aircraft Accident Brief Accident Summary The Hendricks Motorsport plane crash occurred on 24 October 2001.   The airplane crashed in the mountainous regions in Stuart Virginia killing the crew and passengers aboard. The plane crash occurred after a missed landing on the runway 30 of the Martinsville Blue Ridge Airport (NTSB, 2006).   The plane contained two crewmembers and eight passengers who were part of the Hendricks Motorsport Racing team.   All the people on the aircraft died in the accident.   The plane crashed and exploded into flames after impact.   The team was traveling from Concord airport in North Carolina for a racing event. Information from the FAA records of communications and operations of the flight shows that the plane followed all the right procedures including altitude and headings.   However, the problem arose while approaching the Martinsville airport runway (NTSB, 2006).   The plane scheduled a landing on runway thirty but failed to do so under the advisement of the controller tower.   The controller informed the crew that they were second in line for the runway and initiated a holding pattern that extended to 28 minutes.   The flight crew received the message and started 5-mile legs to wait. The team undertook a five-mile holding pattern by making a right turn and ascent to 4000 ft.   The team went on with the holding pattern until the controller cleared them for landing and instructed them to announce their approach to the runway (NTSB, 2006).   The crew followed instructions, informed the controller of the inbound approach, and began their descent to the runway.   The controller confirmed the approached through the radio frequency and the crew proceeded with the approach by descending from 3900ft to 1400ft.   The plane maintained this attitude for approximately over one minute.   It was then that the team announced a missed approach was prompting the controller to ask for confirmation.   The crewmembers ceased all communications after confirming the missed approach.   The Controller further advised the flight crew to ascend to 4400ft but received no response and lost the radar. The Bull Mountains of Stuart Virginia were the scene of the crash about 2400ft away from the landing site.   Eyewitness reports indicated that the aircraft was operating efficiently before the accident.   The engine produced a smooth continuous sound that may have meant idling (NTSB, 2006).   Further reports showed that the plane was flying extremely low at a slow velocity.   There did not seem to be any challenges to the aircrafts performance at the time. However, it is important to note that there was fog in the atmosphere at the date of the crash.   The fog was a factor limiting visibility as it covered the Bull Mountains.   Reports indicate the visibility was up to a quarter mile. A review of the pilots credentials presented him as qualified. He had an estimated 10,733 hours of flight with almost 2000 in the Beech aircraft.   He was 51 years of age and had a significant amount of experience as a pilot.   He had also undergone rigorous training and passed his previous reviews.   The first officer had less experience totaling to 2090 hours of flight (NTSB, 2006).   However, she was qualified evidenced by her qualifications and past performance.   The multiengine plane had passed inspection a few months later with an accumulated flight time of 8079 hours.   The plane had a GPS system with an old database.   It also lacked ground proximity detectors that would have warned the pilot when flying at low altitudes.   The plane was scheduled for a systems upgrade later in the year.   The weather report during the accident indicated cloudy atmosphere with high humidity and patchy fog.   A pilot for the plane ahead of the Hendrickss Motorsports plane claimed that the climate under the clouds had relatively high visibility up to 2 miles.   However, the weather kept on shifting during the flight. Reference NTSB, (2006). Accident Investigations NTSB National Transportation Safety Board. App.ntsb.gov. Retrieved 15 February 2017, from https://app.ntsb.gov/investigations/fulltext/AAB0601.html

Use Of Timber In Projects Construction Essay

Use Of Timber In Projects Construction Essay The informal interviews revealed some additional factors, not discussed in the literature review, which may have helped to shape the position of timber within the marketplace in the UK. These factors were included in the formal questionnaire and are discussed below. Time to complete timber construction projects Discussion with timber engineers revealed that the time taken to build on site with timber is longer than typical steel structures. Though we would not wish to suggest that careful engineering of steel structures is any less important, it must be accepted that the steel construction in the UK has a very well established track record for single storey non domestic use. Steel sheds for commercial and industrial use are ubiquitous the length and breadth of the UK and, by association, the engineering and site skills which produced them must be very well established in the UK construction industry. How long history of steel construction manifests itself in a construction project can be quite subtle. The bolt length in steel is 30mm but timber can be 300mm so tolerance to fit them on site is far narrower with timber. Timber engineer, Peter Steer remarked that to get the bolt into its fixing can be highly problematic and can cause delay for inexperienced fabricators. Such delay simply wouldnt happen for steel fabrication as the skill involved in fitting a 30m bolt is commonplace compared to a 300mm bolt. There are very many more steel fabricators with the skills to deliver the former but far fewer timber site specialists who can comfortably deliver the latter. So the tendency is for delay on site. It is difficult to compare timber projects with an exact match for a steel frame project but timber structural engineer Frank Werling said that engineered timber structures can require 3 weeks to engineer versus 1 week for steel. Price differential between steel and engineered timber sections Nick Milestone, MD of B K Timber Structures said that the rising price of steel during the period 2000-2008 saw the price of engineered timber draw closer to comparable steel sections. This gave greater price competitiveness to timber suppliers and the use of timber gradually became more widespread in the UK. The word gradually must be emphasised there because long span timber structures were still quite rare until very recently when supermarkets and their architects led the way in demanding timber for these low rise, long span timber structures. Even though steel prices were climbing rapidly there was such a weight of expertise, of established supply chains and comfort of architects and clients in steel structures that steel retained its hegemony in the market. However since 2008 steel has crashed from circa 1400euro to 1000euro a tonne. This has coincided with a drop in the value of the pound relative to the euro. (European Central Bank statistics www.ecb.europa.eu/stats) The result is that, although the disparity between steel and Glulam sections had narrowed to approximately 10% in 2008, it is now over 40%. However demand at BK timber structures hasnt fallen while the price differential has widened during the past 2 years. This may be because there are other drivers such as the high aesthetic of Glulam beams and the sustainability of using timber structures that are keeping timber buoyant in the marketplace. Supply of engineered timber for large framed structures Tim Reynolds of BRE explained that UK timber eg Sitka spruce has a strength grade of C16. That grown in the drier EU countries is C24 or better. Glulam requires at least C24 timber. Therefore, here in the UK we must accept a situation where our own forests cannot produce timber of adequate strength grades. Either the timber is imported from other countries for UK factories to produce the Glulam, or Glulam sections are bought ready made from factories overseas. If the former situation were to take place then a company would need to find enormous start-up costs to procure the right machinery and train the workforce necessary to begin producing large Glulam sections. This would need to take place against a growing but still relatively minor market share for engineered timber frame construction in the UK. Furthermore, this hypothetical new UK Glulam factory would still be competing against established European competitors who have developed their expertise and can use locally sourced timber. In fact, often the large forestry and sawmilling companies in EU nations have sufficient scale and turnover to be able to afford the capital investment necessary to develop their own Glulam manufactories. This could not realistically take place in the UK where, not only do our forests produce insuffici ently strong softwood for Glulam manufacture, but the forestry industry is diffuse. Small UK forestry firms with modest turnover are content to sell their lumber for fence posts and other lower grade uses. They would be unlikely to find the capital necessary to establish their own Glulam manufactories. Where timber buildings, such as grid-shell structures, can be built with lower strength UK grown timber there has traditionally been a problem with the supply from the UK forestry industry, according to Peter Wilson of the centre for Timber Engineering at Napier University. The Scottish enterprise centre identified this as a key barrier to development of UK forestry into higher value added markets. It came to the conclusion that the barrier to using UK grown timber was a lack of qualified engineers who understood the potential of the material. For this reason the centre for timber engineering was set up. Peter Wilson says there has been a significant improvement in the skill base in the UK but there is still no culture of building with timber in the UK. Also, here the forestry sector is fragmented and, apart from isolated examples such as the magnificent Savills Grid-shell building, earns its living at the bottom of the value chain with fence posts and pallet manufacture. Due to this fragmented and low earning forestry sector there is little capital to invest in plant and sawmill machinery. By contrast, Scandinavian, Austrian and German forestry companies are large economic concerns with the capital to set up Glulam manufactories where start-up costs can be 20 million euro or more, almost as a secondary concern. No UK timber company or forestry company would be able to set up such a facility. This is likely to remain a structural reason why high strength structural engineered timber must be imported into the UK. This may have implications for surety of supply and cost differentials due to exchange rates. UK traditional procurement methods According to survey respondents the UK has, to some extent, lagged behind mainland Europe in the adoption of Project Management procurement methods, or Novated design and build, where a site structural engineer can be part of the design team at an early stage. There are fewer architects experienced and skilled enough in designing the connection details of large span timber structures in the UK due to the relative scarcity of such projects. By contrast architects who can design and work with steel connections in relative comfort are far more common and all stages of the design process for steel structures are so well established in the UK that the plans are efficiently realised on site by the steel fabricators. The relative lack of recent project experience from UK architects with timber means that the involvement of a site structural engineer is of great importance. The connection details can be complex and often need to be prefabricated to specific design tolerances before they can be assembled on site. A traditional procurement process would tend to leave these connection details until later in the process when there is a pressing and critical need for erection of the structure on site. As the site engineers in this traditional process will be unlikely to have been involved in the design team then there will be inevitable delay as they attempt to interpret the plans of the design engineer. At this point, the costs incurred by the site fabricators are higher as they are devoting more resources into carrying out plans that they have not been involved in. This lack of communication or cohesion in the design of the engineering element of the building can have cost implications and act as a d isincentive to design timber structures. If we look at the example of the Savill building at Windsor great park Green Oak Carpentrys Site Manager, Steve Corbett, said there were genuinely no real problems with the construction, which he attributed to the architect commissioning Buro Happold and Green Oak Carpentry early in the design phase so that engineering issues were addressed as part of the design from the start. Mark Feely, a chartered architectural technologist, who worked on a recent RICS award submitted design for an ASDA timber store in Oldham told me that his client pushed for a sustainable green store and Finn Forest UK Ltd were employed before the architect. It was a design and build contract so it was unusual to go straight for a technical supplier without competitive tender. Mark explained that sometimes this unusual sequence of procurement happens when a contractor is persuasive with a client and can demonstrate a technical mastery of a structure that suits their needs. This possibly lends weight to an argument that both clients and architects lack the experience of working with these timber structures and are looking for technical leadership from contractors who, as we have discussed, are few in UK construction. This ASDA store was also deemed to be time critical as there was a clear marketing strategy to keep pace with Tesco who had recently procured a timber framed store buildin g. Fire risk, perception of risk and insurance implications Suppliers of timber structural products said that they faced a perception from clients that their building insurance would be higher due to a perceived high risk of fire. Discussions with fire engineers at insurance companies have suggested that there is no price difference fixed for timber structures and it depends on the overall building design and detailing. Skills and training in design and assembly of timber structures There are fewer carpentries in the UK than in other EU countries where there is a tradition and a demand for timber building in non domestic settings. For timber contractors such as BK structures, the demand for their services can outstrip their capacity and as there are few competing companies the order books become full and projects may struggle to find contractors without booking well in advance of the project. This would also suggest that the price of carpentry is kept buoyant by a relative lack of competition. At the Napier school for Timber engineering there has been a recent surge in applicants for courses in timber engineering to Eurocode 5 on 31st March 2010. The courses were oversubscribed and, while this represents a positive demand from qualified timber engineers for developing their skills, there will be an inevitable lag effect. Engineers will need to familiarise themselves with EC5 and to become proficient with putting the new code into practise. Dr Julie Bregulla of the BRE told me that this is quite a significant barrier for the UK timber industry and stems from the almost cottage-industry nature of the sector. In other countries the timber sector has more resources to employ people to lobby and negotiate to have the code structured in a way that suits their industry. Analysis of structured questionnaire The table on (page) shows the full data set from the respondents to the questionnaire. The statements listed were put forward to a range of leading figures from all parts of the supply chain in timber construction. Suppliers, clients, timber engineers, architects and academic research professionals were asked to rank these statements from 0 to 10 with 0 at the end of the continuum where there was profound disagreement and 10 at the end where there was strongest agreement. This data is expressed in the chart below, where the bars represent the highest, lowest and mean ranking for each question.

Essays --

Recently, one little girl managed to light up national news and melt the heart of the public. A video of a kindergarten Christmas program has gone viral due to 5 year old Claire Koch of Clearwater, Florida. Instead of just singing along with the other kids, Claire did something else; she also signed the entire program in American Sign Language so her parents, who are deaf, could enjoy the program as well. Claire is a CODA, or child of deaf adult. Her parents have used ASL in the home since before she was born, and the little girl can now sign fluently. (Jernigan) As we learned in class, CODA is a term used in the hearing community; in the Deaf community, they are more likely to be referred to as â€Å"Mother Father Deaf.† 90% of deaf parents have hearing children (Moore & Levitan). A large percentage of CODAs have both deaf parents, because approximately 90% of Deaf people marry another Deaf person. (Filer, and Filer) When a hearing child is born to deaf parents, they are considered to be part of both hearing culture and deaf culture. They also are viewed as bilingual usually (if the deaf parents indeed use sign language). However, there are times where Deaf parents will not sign with their child. The reasons vary; some do it so they will not rely on their child later in life to be an interpreter for them, others may actually view sign language negatively. (Singleton & Tittle) Deaf parents raising hearing children can sometimes be thought of as them raising "foreign" children. The idea behind this is the fact that just because they were born to Deaf parents does not mean they will automatically inherit the Deaf culture. The children will grow up to know that, technically speaking, they would be share more with the hearing world. T... ...unity. (Preston) To those who were not previously fully immersed to a large degree in the hearing community, it can be a real shock. Being a child of Deaf adults is by no means easy. From the short time I spent talking to Jeremy back in October, I can tell that there is some definite frustrations sometimes. The idea that young children are sometimes the one link that Deaf parents have to the hearing world can be challenging to grasp. I myself probably would have gone along with having a child interpret for me if a situation warranted. Now that I have looked into the life of CODAs and know enough American Sign Language to have basic conversations, hopefully it will never come to that. I think if there was a little more effort by both the hearing community and Deaf community to come to a better understanding of the other, there might be less strain on these children.

Software Piracy Essay -- Illegal Computer Software Program Distributio

Software Piracy Software piracy is the illegal reproduction and distribution of software applications, whether it is for personal use or business. In society today, Internet users are obtaining millions of dollars in software illegally. Piracy includes the illegal copying of programs, counterfeiting and distributing software, and even sharing a program with a friend. Software has become such an important productivity tool, the illegal copying and distribution of software piracy persists globally. In fact, in the United States is one in four software programs that is unlicensed. According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA), more than 800,000 web sites illegally sell or distribute software (Microsoft.com). There are many types of software piracy such as uploading and downloading, softlifting, counterfeiting, OEM bundling, hard disk loading and renting. By having familiarity with them can protect you from any connection. Softlifting is purchasing a licensed copy of software and uploading it on several computers against the license terms. Some examples of softlifting are sharing software with friends, co-workers and others. Uploading and downloading is another form of piracy, such as when making unauthorized copies of copyrighted software available to end users connected by a modem to online service providers and or the Internet. Another one is software counterfeiting which is illegal duplicating and selling copyrighted software and a form designed to make it appear legitimate. OEM bundling is selling stand alone software that was intended to be bundled with specific accompanying hardware. Hard disk loading is installing unauthorized copies of software onto the hard disks of personal com puters, often as an incentive for th... ...t the economic implications of software piracy and software copyrights. Other analysts feel that copyright enforcement should be increased by implementing more efforts to prosecute pirates ( Parsons 165). Survey about Software Piracy Survey questions on Software Piracy YES NO 1. Do you know what software piracy actually is? 15 10 2. Do you know the negative effects of software piracy? 8 12 3. Do you even care about software piracy? 16 9 4. Do you feel that the media discusses the issue of software piracy? 7 13 Works Cited www.microsoft.com www.aladdin.com Computer Concepts. New Perspectives. June Parsons. Course Technology. 5 Feb 2003.

Article Summary

Article Summary With the increase in online courses, along came an increase in the drop out rates versus the traditional sit-in environment. During this study, valuable information was offered to increase student success and minimize drop out rates. There needs to be communication among peers and instructor to have success in online courses. A group of students from the University of Pretoria, were enrolled in a Masters program, and their online activities were tracked for 8 weeks, by a program called Learning management (LMS) track.The LMS tracking tool was able to offer nformation on â€Å"students' blog postings, 161 5 discussions posts, an online quiz, and examination essays† (Nagel, Blignaut, & Cronje, 2009, p, 41). Through their examination, they were able to categorize â€Å"three stratifications of students† (Nagel, et al, 2009, 45) and their traits. The first stratification group was the fail grade, which rarely posted, hardly collaborated with their peers, sea rched very little, rarely replied to his online community, or provided no feedback. This caused frustration among other peers that were assigned to their group project, because they never articipated. ARTICLE SUMMARY This articles looks at movies with the same patterns and show the same disaster and apocalyptic genre as the movies that are leased in the late sass. The point of doing this is to track the four theme elements that are seen in films that are released before and after the 9/1 1 attack and how they are transacted into films. These four themes are: the representation of the apocalypse; the role of human agency; the role of religion; and the using of rhetorical means to provide commentary for the films.By doing this, we are saying that the movie representations of the apocalypse are much more pessimistic after the attack on 9/11 , which I think wows that science fiction, or â€Å"sic-if,† displays wider socio-political concerns and at the same time provides the expected awesome, audio-visual displays which can be labeled as entertainment. Representations fall into two broad categories: direct and indirect.Direct representation has the benefit of being easy to evaluate and are used to solving. This article uses images that we associate with 9/1 1 to describe something traumatizing that happens and cause people to look for a reason to control and to look for something or someone to place blame. Before 9/11 , films showed to have apocalyptic themes but in the end there is always some sort of solution.For example the article talks about the movie Armageddon and how the main character detonates the bomb exactly at the deadline, causing the asteroid to split in two and miss the earth saving everyone and everything. Looking post 9/1 1 , we see that after a traumatic event, people's ideologies change, films no longer have a person save the day, the main character is very flawed, there is no happy ending and salvation is not guaranteed. The one question that stands out to me as a reader is that if humans can cause this much damage, do we deserve a second chance?No, because: â€Å"cinematic representations of the apocalypse both jettisoned overt references to Biblica l sources and shifted the etiology of the destruction away from supernatural forces and towards natural phenomena and/or the con- sequences of human action. † (Gaston and Wallis 55) As the article progresses, I notice the abundance or religious references but at the same time: â€Å"effectively removes the u preternatural as an agent of either destruction or salvation†. (Gaston and Wallis 58) .After reading this article, I came to the conclusion that anything that humans have set up in order to live comfortably like federal and local government, protection or even technology cannot be relied upon because these things could be the ones that could ultimately end us. Take for example the movie that the article refers to, V is for Vendetta. This movies is about a government that releases a virus and then turns around and comes out with a cure. Either way we look at it humans are responsible and salvation is not guaranteed. Article Summary In this article, the author, Debra Barrow, talks about how customer service has changed from the good old days of full service gas stations and face to face communication to today's self-serve, pre-recorded society. Customers back then were fiercely loyal to your business when you gave them good service in virtually any type of businesses. She examines if the downturn in the economy has something to do with the lowering of the level of customer service or if it has Just been happening for a while.The suggestions the author gives are very good and center on being empathetic to your customer. Making yourself or a representative available for face to face communication of issues and questions is also mentioned. She finishes with reminding us that competition is fierce customers have a wide choice of alternatives. The customer usually goes with the best value that they see. This does not dismiss the importance of customer service as people do remember those that treat them well.I feel th at the article is very good despite being perhaps a little obvious. But that in itself is the problem. Much of what is talked about In the article is no longer obvious to many people and they are not mindful of the Importance of giving or even achieving great customer service. As my career choice is in the information technology field, I can use the Information presented In this article to make sure that I keep both internal and external customers happy and that In turn will not only keep me happy, but will make my Job much more bearable.Ten years In customer service has taught me that while the customer may not always be right, the least that you can do Is make sure that they come away from your Interaction with a smile and feeling that their problem has been solved. Work Cited Barrow, Debra. â€Å"Customer Service Back In the Day' CustomerServlceManager. 2012. Web. Septa. 2014 Article Summary By muskellunges â€Å"Customer Service Back in the Day' that in itself is the problem.M uch of what is talked about in the article is no longer obvious to many people and they are not mindful of the importance of giving or even technology field, I can use the information presented in this article to make sure that I keep both internal and external customers happy and that in turn will not only keep me happy, but will make my Job much more bearable. Ten years in customer service can do is make sure that they come away from your interaction with a smile and Barrow, Debra. Article summary As the immigration population increases in the united States so does the New York workforce according to this article. Nonetheless this is not a very positive thing once the article goes in depth about why this is so. Sample says that in a time of widespread Joblessness, Mexicans, specifically in New York. Have proved to be skilled at finding and keeping work. The article focuses on Mexican because they are the it's largest immigrant group.They have the highest rate of employment and are more likely to hold a Job compared to the typical New Work's native-born population. This data was In accordance with an analysis of the most recently available census data. Surprisingly statistics show that Mexicans In New York are even employed at a greater rate than Mexicans nationwide. Sadly, these statistics do not happen without out the consequences of workplace abuse. There are several reasons why illegal immigrants are the targets and ideal workers for most employers.This is true for the fact that most employers are interested in hiring people who are willing to overlook some labor laws. Most of these workers said they had never been paid overtime compensation almost always were given the dirty Jobs and were sometimes forced to work on their only day off. As one of these employees said in the article, there is not much that they can do to even stand up for their right because they are too scared of either being fired or deported. The employment rate Just for New Work's working-age Mexican men is even higher at n astounding 97 percent.Some analysts believe that the census underestimates employment rates for populations with high numbers of Illegal Immigrants, Like Mexicans, because those without legal documentation fear revealing their employment status. Response: Sample addresses a lot of issues that emerge from hiring immigrants. There is not just the abuse of their rights and labor laws but, emotional or psychological abuse on these employees. This is a very helpful a rticle for those who do not understand or are angered by immigrants taking over American Jobs.It is not very appealing to the average American citizen to work long hours with a pay less than minimum wage. It is no surprise that in New York most Mexican immigrants are heavily concentrated in jobs that involve food preparation. Another area that they are not surprisingly hired in is construction. These are occupations that require a lot of hours on the Job and I know for a fact that Is can and most likely causes emotional stress particularly when hey are being extremely under paid. Article Summary One of the world’s biggest insurance companies has experienced a major setback that urged the U.S. government to take the necessary procedures in acquiring and managing the firm – AIG. The $85 million deal has spared the American International Group, Inc. or AIG to an imminent bankruptcy, which could create bigger problems for the holistic financial system.Obviously, AIG’s SOS is one of the many repercussions of the recent meltdown in Wall Street. Unlike the Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., the federal government cannot afford AIG to hit the bankruptcy pavement. AIG already was clamouring for financial aid from the government in order to prevent the firm from going bankrupt.Not until the recent Wall Street Meltdown, The federal government finally came into terms with AIG regarding the substantial loan that will spare the insurance firm from apparent bankruptcy.With this in tow, the government has acted accordingly upon its legal authority, which allows the governm ent to lend non-bank firms under â€Å"unusual and exigent† circumstances that is stated in the Federal Reserve Act.AIG’s assets secure the said loan, which gives the government the security it needs even if markets continue to hit the ground (Karnitschnig et al, 2008). The height of AIG’s financial crisis reached critical levels when the credit rating was eventually downgraded. The insurance firm was compelled to place a $14.5 in collateral.However, AIG cannot seem to acquire funds in a wink of an eye in order to sustain collateral demands even though it has enough assets to sell. Eventually, AIG’s board approved the deal that spared the firm from hitting the bankruptcy pavement. The firm’s decision will secure all AIG policyholders and the firm itself to initiate and conduct assets sales in an apt manner.The federal government was more than aware that AIG’s possible bankruptcy will create repercussions, and it will result to a domino effec t of catastrophic proportions. Considering that most mutual funds and major banks are crucial holders of the firm’s debts, AIG would be the linchpin of setbacks for these firms as well (Karnitschnig et al, 2008). As AIG’s futile attempts to garner funds from private-sector banks in order to raise as much as $75 billions in order to prevent bankruptcy, abrupt financial aid given by the government secures AIG’s finances even if its insurance operations are stable and healthy. The federal government speculates that AIG’s financial woes will beget more problems for the firm, if ever it won’t lend the much-needed finances the firm needs to spare itself from bankruptcy.AIG’s shares have plummeted 21% ($3.75) due to the fact that most investors have replenished stocks due to the insurance firm’s financial woes (Karnitschnig et al, 2008). Most insurance companies perceive that AIG is one of a kind, considering that former CEO Hank Greenberg f ounded AIG into the insurance giant that it is today. Industry pundits expect AIG to liquidate its assets in the Asian market in order to compensate for the loan it has from the federal government.However, AIG’s expansion to other emerging markets continues, as its insurance operations can result to substantial acquisition of firms in Asia as well (Karnitschnig et al, 2008).References Karnitschnig,M. et al. (2008). U.S. to Take Over AIG in $85 Billion Bailout; Central Banks Inject Cash as Credit Dries Up. Retrieved October 9, 2008, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122156561931242905.html

Different Leadership Styles in the Public Service

There are several different leadership styles used within the public services. Therefore there are many varied suggestions that define someone as being a strong leader. However a ‘leadership style’ is a unique style that people recognise to encourage or influence other people in a way others do not so that they admire and want to be like. A team leader’s role in the public services is to provide instruction and direction and guidance and leadership this is to help inspire and encourage the team to reach their goals and aims.They have to keep the team focused on there current task or tasks and be able to communicate within their group effectively. Team spirit needs to be kept positive so that this ensures that tasks assigned are completed on time and that the group’s standards are always kept high. The three main Leadership styles used in the public services: AuthoritarianThe Authoritarian leader makes quick, clear and precise independent decisions without a ny input. Even if there was, it wouldn’t affect the overall decision making as it needs to be decided quickly. The appropriate leader that would use the common traits of an authoritarian leader would be an officer in the army because usually they are loud and demanding. DemocraticThe democratic leader involves the whole team having an input in the decision-making. The team members can give opinions that may affect or influence the final decision. The team leader is still responsible for the final decision but after listening, taking in account all the opinions and weighing them up. The appropriate way this style can be used is in the fire service, for example, rescuing a person or people in a burning building therefore it needs more than one person to help decide the best decision. Laissez faireThe laissez faire leader more of an independent off hands approach. This style is only used if the leader has a lot of trust in the team and relies on them to get on with the task in h and with high standards and little direction. However the team has a lot more freedom to achieve because they are highly motivated and feel empowered. For example the most effective way  this style could be used is if you gave a police forensic team to go out and complete a task.Other leadership styles used in public servicesTransactionalThe transactional style of leadership is pretty straight forward but it uses rewards and punishments to motivate the team. This is a style of leadership that is similar but not as extreme as the autocratic style. The transactional styles are direct and dominant and spend a great amount of time saying what is expected from the team as a whole. The leaders monitor the work and each and everyone’s individual performance, there is also a clear chain of command. Transactional leaders are very commonly found within businesses where people are given rewards such as bonuses, training or time off if they show a good demonstration.TransformationalThe transformational style of leadership focuses on the team’s performance as a whole, it encourages everyone to think of the group as a whole and rather not just themselves. Transformational leaders aim to make their team members better people by encouraging their self-awareness, it’s all about moving forward in a team and not just several individuals in one group. An example of transformational leadership would be within the army where as a team you all have to move forward and stick together in a group ‘’never leave a man behind’’.BureaucraticThe bureaucratic style of leadership is a style of leadership that focuses on rules and procedures to manage teams and projects. This is a classic style of leadership that is used quite a lot in organisations that don’t encourage innovation and change by leaders who maybe insecure and uncertain in what their role maybe. It is defused among a number of departments or people where there is a strict set of rules. This approach to leadership is commonly used in uniformed and non-uniformed public services. Bureaucratic  leadership is common in jobs were safety and efficiency is very important. Occupations would include fire-fighters, police, nursing, and the armed forces. People orientatedPeople Orientated is slightly similar but a bit different to the task-orientated leadership. Within this style of leadership, this style focuses on participation of all the team members, clear communication, supporting and developing the individual in order to improve their skills. The members of this team inspire other people by unlocking their own potential, this style is participative and encourages good team work. As an example in the police if a woman has kids the leader would let her go home and ask others to stay behind. Task OrientatedIn this style of leadership it’s all about getting the job done. It’s all about the key of the task rather than about everyone else in the team. Their main focus is just to get the task done weather it is instructed or unstructed. This style can have many difficulties such as difficulties of the lack of motivating and the retaining the team as a whole. An example a police inspector organising crowd control at a football match may use a task-cantered approach.Comparing and Evaluating the three main styles of leadership The three main types of leadership styles are Autocratic, Democratic, and Laissez-faire. Autocratic is when the leader has complete control, and no one else gets to make decisions. Despite that they get many tasks completed, morale is low. Democratic is considered to be the best. Everyone has a voice on how things are done. People who are then the leader have better morale, and get better quality of work done. Laissez Faire is when the leader plays no role in completing objectives. Very little is achieved under a Laissez Faire rule. If a civilian was trapped inside a vehicle after an accident collision th e fire brigade would be called to assist within the accident.The type of leadership style I would use in this scenario would be the democratic approach, my reasons for this are that the team need time to consider the best possible option/decision to bring about the best result. In my opinion I would not use the Autocratic approach as this is where a leader needs to  think and act fast without no input from their team. In this situation thinking and acting fast might not bring about the best result as you need to consider if the victim trapped in the vehicle has any injuries that might affect his removal from the vehicle, or any problems with the vehicle it’s self such as a dangerous leak that could potentially cause an explosion or a fire.

Defining Marriage

Defining Marriage Words are a part of everyday life. Without them people would have a very hard time conveying a message or showing their feelings to the people around them. Words also provide the groundwork on how we interpret what is expectable and what is not. Although only eight letters, the word marriage carries a lot of meaning for millions of people across the world. Depending on who ask, they might also have a definition of what they think marriage means. I myself define a marriage as a formal relationship between a man and a woman that last until death.The Merriam Webster dictionary on the other hand would define marriage as â€Å"the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband and wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law. † On the other hand, thousands of men and women are set out to redefine marriage to also include same sex relationships as well. For myself and I’m sure millions of others across the world they do not think that a simple definition can confine someone from living in a regular recognized marriage like everyone else.How we define a particular word can have lasting effects and for the gay and lesbian community restricting them from the same basic rights that everyday couples take advantage of. In this exploratory essay I am dedicated to exploring the contested term â€Å"marriage† between the gay and lesbian community and many other people that have their own definition of marriage as well. Because the age we live in now, the commonly accepted definition of marriage between a man and a woman is keeping tens of thousands of same-sex couples by being federally recognized in a union.So what is marriage and why does it matter how people define it? I first started with Peter Pothan who wrote an article called â€Å"The Christian Concept of Marriage†. Pothan is a theological teacher and is currently the Assistant Director of the Distance Learning Department of Souther n Asia Bible College in Bangalore. He wastes no time clearly stating that he gets the definition of marriage from the bible. By referencing different parts of the Bible he is able to define what a Christian Marriage is and additional context as well. The first section that he references from the Bible is in Genesis 2:24.It states, â€Å"Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. † By this Pathan concludes that a Marriage is between one man and one woman. Although he breaks the verse down into four parts, for this exploratory essay I want to focus the marriage portion on which I am better trying to understand. During Gods initial creation he only created one wife for Adam. Pothan uses this as a backbone that it is not only a relationship between a man and a woman, but it is also a monogamous relationship that must be maintained as well.Additionally, he uses biblical context to further go to say that marriage is only per manent as long as life last. Overall, Peter Pothan does not try to impose this Christian definition of marriage onto anyone, but merely uses evidence from the Bible to extract the definition of marriage. Several times during the article he consistently uses the Christian definition of marriage evoking that he is clearly not trying to impose a singular definition for the word. As a Christian myself I did find how he defined marriage very persuasive.He put very little opinion into interpreting what the Bible was saying and just tried to state the facts. I feel that most Christians would have a hard time disagreeing with what Pothan has to say. I also like he was not trying to impose the definition on anyone. Several times throughout the article he consistently use â€Å"Christian Marriage†. By this I felt that he clearly recognized that there is a dispute between what the definition of marriage truly is. On the other hand, I can also see one big hole is this definition. Althoug h the Bible is very widely used and accepted across the world not everyone is a Christian.Many of those who are not of the Christians faith can easily discredit this definition. Just like many words over time they can slowly evolve and continue to mean more things. It would only make sense to some that the definition of marriage would do the same as well. Many gays and lesbians would also clearly have a hard time accepting this as a definition of marriage. To them this would imply that they are not capable of leaving their mothers and fathers and cleaving to their partner. Overall, I am still very much caught in the crossfire of what marriage should or should not include.By going with the Christian definition of marriage I am essentially supporting the idea of taking away freedoms that many same-sex couple are not able to enjoy like regular couples. This I have a hard time accepting. My next article, â€Å"GOP’s Rob Portman announces support for same-sex marriage† by M atthew DeLuca is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it views the definition of marriage. Matthey Deluca, a writer for NBC News writes about Rob Portman’s view on marriage. The Ohio Senator Portman’s once hard stance that marriage is defined as a between a man and a women now has a change of views.At one point he even supported the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, which limits marriage specifically to one man and one woman. In this article, the Ohio Senator states that â€Å"I have come to believe that if two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married. † He describes his change of views based on his 21-year-old son. In a talk with his son in 2011, his son, Will, told his father that he was gay.Portman not only said that his change of heart was due to his son, but also his Christian faith. He says the message of love and c ompassion from the Bible is also what swayed him to change his mind on this particular issue. This article shows how the definition of marriage can be based on equal rights that many feel everyone should have. As a result, the definition of marriage would have to be extended. Looking at this article, I feel somewhat drawn into Senator Portman’s view of marriage and how the definition should evolve to reflect the culture of America.It is more than just about a definition, but a way to make everyone equal under the law. With the way marriage is right now that is not possible. Same-sex couples that want to take the next step to a recognized marriage are not given the same rights that others couples receive. Portman, a Christian like myself, did choose to take a different angle on how he looks at the Bible. That just goes to show that there are people that are Christians that also support same-sex marriages and essentially want to change the definition of marriage to reflect a gr eater assortment of couples wanted to seek a civil union.Although I do understand where Senator is coming from I can’t say I fully agree that you can just change the definition of a word because of personal experience that was experienced. My last source I chose was an article called â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage and Equality† by Reginald William. This scholarly source was published on December 21, 2010. Williams is an affiliate of Bakersfield College that contests the views that many have that same-sex marriage is not an equal rights issue. I came across this article using the University of Oklahoma online library.William talks about several individuals and their views in particular that same-sex marriage is a not an equality issue. He describes that many claim this because both heterosexuals and homosexuals are not allowed to get married to the same gender. They are on the other hand â€Å"both† allowed to marry someone of the opposite sex. Williams describes this i dea as a basis for many that say this is not an equality issue. William on the other hand disagrees and fully thinks this is still very much about the lack of equality and supports same-sex marriage.Throughout his article he goes into painstaking detail to support his claim. In short, he says although the same rights are available to everyone, the rights available are only truly for heterosexuals couples. Although his claim is somewhat hard to grasp, I feel he overall makes some very important points that support the fact that there is a lack a social equality for same-sex couples. The question that is of real concern though is should this constitute us to redefine the term marriage so that same-sex couples can get married and be federally recognized.I have definitely learned that the definition of marriage matters greatly to the people you ask and it is more than a word that is used in a sentence. It not only has a strong definition that lasted through time, but as of right now is keeping many same-sex couples from being able to be apart of a civil union recognized by our government. Reviewing all of these sources and really letting the point the writers have sink in has made me consider many thoughts that I have not considered before.Although I do strongly believe that the definition of marriage should not change, I do feel that the people affected by the definition of marriage, such as same-sex couples, should have the same rights as a regular marriage if they choose. To me this is not about definitions at all by equal rights. Although I am sure many same-sex couples would like to be included in the definition of marriage, what they really want is to have the same benefits in their relationship as a heterosexual couple does.Even though many states have already started this journey for same-sex couples they are still far from putting them on the same playing field as a traditional definition of marriage and the rights they receive at the federal level. Work Cited Williams, Reginald. â€Å"Same-Sex Marriage and Equality. † Ethical Theory and Moral Practice14. 5 (2011): 589-95. Web. DeLuca, Matthew. â€Å"GOP's Rob Portman Announces Support for Same-sex Marriage. † NBCNews. N. p. , 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. Pothan, Peters S. â€Å"The Christian Concept of Marriage. † 2miles. org. N. p. , Sept. 2009. Web. 21Mar. 2013.