Family Rootedness and Racial Dynamics

Living in contemporary America is coupled with different challenges. The fast-paced industry, the cultural diversity, the financial crises, and the indifference among neighbors all cause to build up some form of alienation in most people. The Virginia Tech massacre and other cases of mad shooting illustrate the struggles of some people of different cultures to assimilate in the American society. In Barack Obama’s â€Å"Dreams from My Father,† the author provides some insights on the importance of rootedness to one’s family and culture in order to survive and attain success in Contemporary America. The experiences of the characters lead readers to realize that one can easily undertake struggles in life upon acceptance of family and racial origins. The author attempts to delineate a number of issues, among which is the problem caused by dysfunctional families, a common scenario in the contemporary American society. Children like Obama manage to survive despite the absence of their parents, in some cases both parents are absent, in others like Obama’s, the father figure is vague. Until after his death, Obama’s father â€Å"remained a myth† (8) to him. He left when Barack was barely two years old, to go back to Kenya, his homeland. The last time he and his son saw each other was when Obama was ten. Due to this, Obama grew up quiet, with some coldness in the way he deals with people, although he always bears respect for others. His acquaintance with an old man who lived in the same building he occupied near Harlem demonstrates this attitude. Never, the absence of Obama’s father made him what he is right now. Although not clearly emphasized, the role of the grandfather in Obama’s life, along with his grandmother Toot, compensated for the loss of his father. In a way, Obama lived in the comfort and care of his mother’s family. Basically, the importance of family is demonstrated in the way his grandfather compensated the absence of his father. The family dynamics that he grew up with, was basically composed of loving and caring grandparents who usually told him stories of the past in order for him to know his father well, and a mother who served as inspiration and guide through the social service she rendered. However, the importance of family is later more emphasized with the connectedness of his father’s family—the extended family relationships that exist among his relatives in Kenya. Obama witnessed this when he met and visited his cousins. Even though he did not know them as a child, he easily got along with them, owing to belongingness to one family. Aside from the importance of family connectedness, rootedness to one’s race and culture is also emphasized. When his father died, Obama had a chance to establish connection with his origins. Prior to this, he felt he felt some void within him, and enmity towards his father. He wished to understand a lot of things, and saw it timely to go back to his roots. Unexpectedly, he found the answers in Kenya as he listened to stories about his father—his childhood, his struggles to prove himself, the reason why he went to America, and why he went back to Kenya. In the end, he found himself crying over the struggles his father fought, and for losing the man who remained in his shadow. Finding the answers to his questions about origins made Obama whole. For a long time, he did not realize that his father shared the struggles he fought. Although they had different situations, he understood that what his father bore was a lot heavier than his. Specifically, his father’s struggle to prove himself to the grandfather and to the rest of the world was double that of Obama when he was younger. For his father, going back to Kenya was the only way to regain himself though it was also a way to face his childhood fears. Despite the pains he tried to leave behind in relation to his past, the older Barack still went back to his people and chose to serve them. Such rootedness to race and culture taught the son the importance of knowing one’s origins. Clearly, the efforts Obama made to get to know his origins led him to what he is now. As he suggests, survival in contemporary American society is difficult. Racial discrimination, although it did not totally affect him, was rampant. Nevertheless, it made him long for his past. The presence of his mother was definitely not enough to fill in the father figure he missed, not to mention his mother’s difficulty to raise him and his sister apart from Obama’s grandparents. At the end, he still needed to know both his father and the race that brought his father up in order to be whole. Knowing one’s past is further emphasized as Barack struggles to build his own family. Lacking the father figure, he himself found it difficult to be an ideal father and husband that he wanted to be. His struggles can be rooted from his own experience, mainly due to the dysfunctional family that he came from. Nevertheless, when he finally gained the opportunity to know his roots, he found the courage to continue and reunite with his family. Based on this, the author makes us realize the importance of rootedness to one’s past and race relations. The familiarity of his aunt Nairobi as she calls her nephew Barry to inform him of his father’s death demonstrates the connectedness of the Kenyans, which other cultures can learn from. For them, distance and unfamiliarity are not barriers to achieving unity and love. Rather, racial dynamics are too strong, enough to conquer physical and cultural boundaries.

My experience, role and learning support Essay

In accordance to the ethical guidelines written by The British Education Research Association (BERA, 2004), the names of the children and school, where used, have been changed in order to maintain confidentiality and anonymity. My role (Hancock et al. , 2013 p1) States that â€Å"the practice of learning support as carried out by teaching assistants has developed considerably in recent times†. In the nursery I work along side two higher level teaching assistants and the nursery teacher. At this stage of school life, the majority of learning is through play, so we encourage the use of structured, well thought out fun educational games and play either in small groups or on a one to one basis, I carry out structured activities i. e. drawing, writing, crafting and reading, either on a one to one basis or with a small group of usually 4-6 children. I help identify any child or children that may benefit from further one to one help, through keeping well informed observation notes (KU1. 1) (KS3. 1) (PPS4. 3) In my role as classroom assistant in year one, my role is very similar to that of the classroom assistant, Margaret Verrecchie, in reader book 1 (Hancock et al. , 2013, pg4) A classroom assistant) I work along side the teacher and one teaching assistant. I help the teacher in the classroom, prepare resources’ for the session and offer the children extra support with reading and writing, it depends on what the teacher wants and needs and on what she asks me to do. Each day is different, and my duties vary accordingly. (PPS4. 3) (KS3. 1) As a midday supervisor, I work along side 10 other midday supervisors, supervising the children in the dining area and other parts of the school during the lunch time break. I help the children with a variety of tasks such as cutting up food, unwrapping of pack lunches and help teach good eating habits, After the children finish eating, we go to the playground, or if it’s wet play, a classroom, where I supervise the children at play. I ensure pupils keep out of areas that are out of bounds, deal with misbehaviour, reporting any problems that I’m unable to resolve to my duty manager, I attend to all pupils who are sick or injured, ensuring they receive the appropriate medical attention, reporting all accidents in the accident report book, I am aware of my responsibilities under the child protection legislation, reporting any concerns I may have to my senior supervisor or child protection officer. I enjoy this role as it allows me to see the children in a more relaxed environment, giving me the invaluable opportunity to get to know the children, on a more personal level, getting to know their personalities outside of the classroom. As lunchtimes are a great opportunity for the children to burn of f some steam, I try to encourage the children to take part in lots of physical activities like skipping and hoopla hoops. (PPS4. 3) I can personally relate to the parent helper in the (The Open University, 2013) E111 DVD sequence –Pam Crawford is a parent helper with a son who is special needs statemented, In the sequence, Pam states that she originally started to volunteer mainly to support her son, but along the way she decided that being a teaching assistant was what she wanted to be, so started a college course to train to become a qualified teaching assistant, which is exactly the same as why I am doing this course. Framework I provide a varied and broad array of duties and tasks on a daily basis in support to the pupils, the teacher, the school and the curriculum, through performing activities on a one to one basis or as part of a team with my work colleagues. Although they do tend to regularly overlap each other, I offer the four levels of support as suggested in the DfEE framework. (PPS4. 3) To support the pupils I encourage them to act independently in an appropriate way, to interact with each other and engage enthusiastically in all the classroom activities. I try to establish a good relationship with all the pupils, acting as a good role model, being aware of and responding appropriately to all individual needs. I supervise and support all the pupils ensuring their safety and make sure they have access to learning at all times. I help them to develop their skills in listening, to express their feelings and ideas, help them to understand, describe, select and retrieve information, show them ways in which to help with problem solving, communication etc. I also attend to all pupils’ personal needs including social, health, physical, hygiene, minor first aid and general well being. To help support the teacher, I prepare the classroom as and when needed for the lessons then clear everything away at the end of the lesson. I also help display pupils work around the classroom; I keep records as and when asked to do so by the teacher. I also support the teacher by managing pupil behaviour, reporting all difficulties appropriately, to the relevant member of staff. I also gather and report and information to and from parents or careers at the end of the school day and I provide administration duties as and when the teacher requires. To support the school I participate in any training and learning activities and any performance development meetings as and when required, I contribute to the overall ethos of the school, I am aware of and support difference and ensure all pupils have equal access to opportunities to learn and discover and to be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person. To help support the curriculum I help prepare and maintain equipment/resources as directed by the teacher and assist the pupils in their use, also supporting the pupils in using basic ICT as directed by the teacher. I support the pupils in respect to national and local learning strategies e. g. literacy, numeracy, early years as directed by the teacher and help pupils understands instructions that have been given by the teacher. Previous interests and experiences I enjoyed school and took part in lots of school activities like the school productions and the school summer floats at carnival time, I also learnt to play the flute which gained me a place in the school orchestra. I was confident and never had problems making friends, although I did struggle with my school work, but I never let it beat me, I always strived to do my best. I have always been able to take the initiative and have a positive and adaptable personality. I find it easy to fit in with my surroundings and work well as part of a team or on my own. Since leaving school, I’ve worked for various companies, big and small. I’ve been a company administrator for a large company, which built up my confidence working as part of a team which encouraged me to be more efficient with my time as I had to work to strict deadlines, gaining knowledge on company policies and procedures and improving my ICT, and communication skills. I was also a care worker for a care agency where confidentiality was paramount; I went to client’s homes to perform various duties from personal care to shopping and housework. It’s through this job that I learnt skills to encourage people to be independent and carry out simple instructions/tasks. It’s also through this job that I learnt the importance of confidentiality and to keep completely accurate, up to date client observational records. I have three children of my own now and the experiences gained from being a mother, on top of the experiences gained from previous employment and my current employment, has enabled me to make the clear decision that I would like to pursue a career as a teaching assistant as I feel that the skills I’ve gained through life are all relevant to a teaching assistant’s role and skills that I have acquired for life. Key theories and concepts Both Piaget and Vygotsky were instrumental in forming a scientific approach on cognitive development in children. Jean Piaget was one of the first psychologists to reveal that children reason and think differently at different periods in their lives. Piaget considered development went through four stages: Sensori-motor: Pre-Operational: Concrete Operational and the formal Operational stage. The Sensori-motor period (0-2 yrs) is the first stage, as the infants interactions are based on exploring their environment through their senses and abilities, such as grasping and sucking, this also includes practice play as the infant is able to repeat actions continually, but with no intention. The pre-Operational stage (2-7 yrs) is where children’s language is rapidly developed, allowing them to express themselves. They start to use pretend play and parallel play which means children are talking but it is not directed at anyone in particular. The Concrete operation (7-11 yrs) and Formal Operational (11-adult) periods are the third and fourth stages. These are not usually considered in early childhood education but they are still equally important as they are able to think realistically and logically about situations and understand their world (Pulaski. 1980) Vygotsky believes children’s learning of new cognitive skills is guided by an adult or a more skilled child, such as an older sibling, who structures the child’s learning experience, a process Vygotsky called scaffolding. To create an appropriate scaffold, the adult must gain and keep the child’s attention, model the best strategy and adapt the whole process to the child’s developmental level. Vygotsky used this term to signify tasks that are too hard for the child to do alone, but can manage with guidance. Children do seem to follow a certain internal structure, for example grasping and touching, but not all children learn in the same way or at the same pace. A classic example of Vygotskys scaffolding theory can be seen with my two sons, the youngest that at the time was in nappies wanted to use the big toilet like his big brother, so as suggested by Vygotsky, my eldest son used the scaffolding technique. Vygotskys ideas have important educational applications, like Piagets, Vygotskys theory suggest the importance of opportunities for active exploration. But assisted discovery would play a greater role in a Vygotskian classroom than in a Piagetian class: The teacher would provide the scaffolding for children’s discovery, through questions, demonstrations and explanations. To be effective, the assisted discovery processes would have to be within the zone of proximal development of each child (Bee and Boyd, p38. (2009) Cognitive learning is not just internal but also external. Piaget believed that developmental growth was learned in stages. Vygotsky believed that learning was a social and progressive process that did not start or stop at a certain stage or age. A child’s activity plays a key role in the way they learn. I believe that both these theories go hand in hand and that the environmental factors do influence learning behaviours. Training needs My overall aim is to become a qualified teaching assistant, for primary school aged children, which I will gain through completing this course and with the ongoing training I am receiving at work. I aim to develop a better understanding of the ways in which children learn and be more involved in the planning and preparation of lessons. Even though I am a valued member of staff, I still feel that I need to develop my relationships further with professional bodies. I feel I also need to develop my leadership skills further, in order for me to improve my effectiveness in leading pupils through a class activity.

Functionalism, Conflict, Interactionism and Religion Essay

Religion is the worship of and the belief in a God or gods. Every individual in life is often entitled to a religion as part of the culture. Devotional and performance of specific rituals characterize religion among the people. Religion possesses moral codes that regulate the affairs of man in the society. The paper seeks to determine how the sociological theories impact religion of an individual (Lizardo, 2009). Functionalism is a sociological theory that was purposely established to try and explain social institutions and more so religion in this case, as a collective way to end individualism in the society, with focus on the conduct in which social institutions impede social needs. Functionalism is instituted in a way to create an understanding on how social institutions work. Religion for instance has got many roles that it plays in the society. It is the basis for the belief in a god in every society (Lizardo, 2009). Functionalism as a theory applies to the sociological institution of religion in a number of ways. Religion has been disintegrated to spirituality and then to Christianity. According to the believers of functionalist theory such as Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton there are many functions or rather roles that religion plays in the society. Staying holy is part of Christianity and thus religion. It is believed that holiness protects people from the dangers of the world. Religious people often try to lead a religious life, something that those who don’t have a religiously governed life, don’t really admire. Religion thus is seen to change the life and even culture of people, not only because of their own sake, but also for the sake of others. Religion offers solace to the believers and helps them overcome the challenges of life. Religion thus is instituted in the theory of functionalism to be of benefit to the society. Sometimes it is believed that religion offers basic need to the believers. This comes up due to the fact that since religion has been translated to groups of beliefs such as Christianity, individuals believe in God according to the teachings. As they believe in God, God grants them the desires of their heart (Lizardo, 2009). On the other hand, conflict theory applies in the sociological institution of religion in that; the theory suggests that the organization of religion was formed purposely to fulfill the basic human needs. This implies that all the needs of man could be granted with a belief in a god, who when praying to, grants the individual his or her needs. Basic needs can be food, shelter, clothing, and all those other things that man needs to lead a life that is not extreme poverty. However, religion has been destroyed in its organization and it has been left with one purpose, to safeguard the center of power. From the functionalism theory, religion does not, in its existence, fulfill the basic needs of an individual, but wholly in a different manner. Religion contributes to the equilibrium of the society through the provision of a structure within which the society functions in peace (Lizardo, 2009). Finally, the theory of interactionism applies to the sociological institution by viewing religion just like the functionalist theory of Durkheim. The two theories, functionalism and interactionism view religion as functional element that man applies to survive. This implies that in interactionism, the role of religion to the society and to an individual where he lives is regarded as of most importance. However, the interactionism theory has no clear definition or understanding on religion. Nevertheless, there have been several perspectives of the theory of interactionism in which many have been approved while others still remain with controversies. The main idea here is that interactionism theory is that it in a way supports the functionalism theory that regards religion as an important element that has roles to play in the society (Lizardo, 2009). In all the three theories, there are similarities and differences on their applications to the sociological institution of religion. It is evident that in all the three theories, their view point of religion is that of meaningful. This implies that they tend to view religion as something of importance in the society and to the people involved in it in general. Precisely, the theory of functionalism and that of interactionism give religion a functional role in the society. They bring out religion as something of importance to the society (Lizardo, 2009) The difference in these theories is that in the conflict theory, there are conditions that are attached to the role of religion. For instance, one has to pray to God so as to receive the need that he or she is really lacking. This is so unlike in the other two theories as they presume that religion is a functional institution and it should provide all the basic needs to man with or without asking. The conflict theory further draws lines of difference in that it deploys the concept of power. This is an implication that, there are some people in the society who are more powerful than others. It outlines concepts that religion brings about equilibrium by providing a structure whereby the society functions peacefully (Livesey, n. d). Each theory is seen to affect the views of every individual in the society. From the theory of functionalism, one can draw a conclusion that religion is not all about building temples and keeping shrines, but real religion is all about healing broken hearts and uniting people to God. Every Christian believes in a God, and every one prays to that God when in need and the needs are always granted. Staying close to God spiritually makes one have peace and lead a harmonious life. That is a belief that religious people have and they exploit the fact. It is crystal clear that believers lead holy lives, distant from evils of every kind. Therefore, the functionalism theory affects how every individual views religion by the emphasis that it is a functional concept. The conflict theory on the other hand, affects the views of individuals, as far as the sociological institution of religion is concerned. The conflict theory affects the view point of an individual in that; it makes a person think of religion to be functioning in a way to safeguard the powerful and the rich in their positions. This implies that, even if someone in a powerful position commits a crime, with religion it will be taken just as an accusation. Therefore it is possible to conclude that religion protects and preserves those who are powerful to remain in their positions and help them remain there. This has led to creation of conflicts in the society as criminals are being let to go free, something that the functionalism theory does not recommend and advise (Livesey, n. ). The interactionism theory affects the views of an individual in that it makes them belief that through religion, they are able to understand things in a better way. This is not approved, but it is a theory. Most interactionists have often argued that religion is a belief system that helps individuals to understand well all the things they come across with in their daily lives. This is achieved through making sense out of those things. People who are religious experience many things in their daily lives, some makes sense to them while others do not make sense. To those who are not religious, they may never have the capacity to understand anything that happens in nature. Some of these experiences include the mental and physical maps individuals make in their minds as they focus the life they have in the social and natural cycle. The three theories are also known to affect the approach to the social changes, which take place in religion, in a number of ways. For instance, in the functionalism theory, the social changes in religion as a sociological institution include the changes in the society that are religious. This includes religious marriages, offering of sacrifices to God, transformations from paganism to spirituality and many other changes. The theory of functionalism is known to affect the approach to these social changes. To be precise, religion is believed to transform life and this implies life transformation from bad to good. In every society there is existence of evil. People committing these evils do also exist. There are those bad characters in the society that no one admires, for instance people who rob others of their wealth, murderers, rapists, and many others are so much hated by the community. This is because they bring harm to the society and no benefit at all. Religion is believed to have the capacity to transform the life of an individual from this devastating state to something that people can admire. This can only be achieved if the victim believes in God and prays to Him. It is the only way to get transformation (Livesey, n. d). The conflict theory affects the approaches to social changes in the religion of individuals in a presumption that religion tends to be more lenient to its believers. The religions do this by supporting some institutions in the society for instance monogamy, family and marriage. Religion further encourages procreation and banning contraception religion in some cases as this can effectively bring new members that are born into the ideal world that one must produce and keep on the practice of producing as generations pass. Religion does this simply to have more members in their respective religions and keep teaching the new members the rules of the institution and the practices, for instance, children pass through rituals like baptism and confirmations. Religion further ensures that the new members Sunday school masses, Sabbath schools at the temple and festival gatherings (MacDonald, 2009). Interactionism theory affects the approach to the religious social changes in a similar manner as the functionalism and conflict theories. However, it tends to focus the traditional periods and tries to compare the sociological changes to the present times. Societies in the traditional times had a religious system that was very brief or rather very small. This was due to the fact that the traditional societies involved themselves to one universe of meaning simply because they were systems that were closed. This implies the fact that in those societies in which one religion is constantly highlighted and made sociable to persons, keeping out of all other religions. It is in these societies that the behavior code is written by the powerful actors in the society, simply because they possess positions in the society (Blumer, 1969). Each theory affects the views of the society. It is crystal clear that the society views religion in different ways. These sociological theories have been known to affect these views of the society in one way or another. The society for instance views religion as something sacred, that it should be respected simply because it is associated with a supreme being. But in functionalism theory, religion is believed to be the only way through which individuals can come up with an identity as far as the society in concerned. An individual’s faith can be measured through the way his or her religion is tied to the person’s heritage, family and culture. Religion of an individual gives individuals the capacity to endure all difficulties in life and all the individual tragedies that every one goes through in life. What remains a fact is that not everyone has faith in his or her religion. And this is as a result of the way functionalism theory affects the views of the society about religion (Blumer, 1969). The conflict theory also affects the way people view religion in the society. Religion is believed to give provisions of both power and ability to control people and also to give support in all means possible to those people. Religion achieves this through its forms and with all its mechanisms of authority and cohesion, comfort and confrontation. Most people in the society have put their trust and confidence on the religion that exists in their culture as it is evident that they have the will to do all that religion requires them to do for they believe it is something right that even their gods will be pleased to see it done. Clearly, this is as a result of the way the conflict theory affects the way individuals or rather the society’s view of religion (MacDonald, 2009). On the other hand, interactionism theory affects the views of the society from the concepts of relations amongst the people in the society. Every society is build up of relationships. Everyone is at least having a relationship with someone else, for instance relationships maybe fatherhood, brotherhood, sisterhood and many others. For all the studies that have been done, it is evident that religion makes people confident of their current locality. Individuals believe that religion offers optimum security and further still, religion brings a sense of certainty in the uncertain world. Most religious people believe that in this world you can never know what to expect in the near future, everything seems so uncertain. But with the belief in one person, having total faith in a God who exists, everything seems practical, real and true. In all cultures, there in a trend that is common of taking religion as the only true thing. This has been the result of the psychological, anthropological and sociological researches that have been made. From tradition, many people have believed in religion and it is evident that till now, people still regards religion as something that is real and that it gives people protection in all they do (McClelland, 2009) In conclusion, social institutions exist in almost all societies. There are the sociological theories that tend to make people in a society understand the sociological institutions. Every theory applies to each sociological institution, for instance the functionalism, conflict and interactionism theory affect religion as a sociological institution. The three theories affect the institution in different ways but at some point there is similarity on how they affect the sociological institution. The theories also affect religion in different ways and individuals view it in different ways too. Further still, all these sociological theories affect the views of the society in various ways.

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Review - Article Example Job levels limit allied health practitioners to fulfill the staff-level clinical roles. Professional growth in hospital-based employment is slow; thus, employees seek new jobs. As a result, hospitals become understaff and experienced personnel are loss, leading to increase hospital costs laid on training of new employees. To increase job satisfaction and employee retention, intrinsic satisfiers such as work itself, achievement, recognition, responsibility, and opportunities for growth and advancement must be addressed; therefore, sense of autonomy, responsibility, and authority will retain the allied health practitioners (Bender, 2005, 365). Most of the health care providers mistakenly thought that one’s clinical expertise is enough to achieve professional growth and development without even analyzing that other factors such as patient’s appreciation or promotion might contribute to job satisfaction. Experienced allied health professionals have the capacity to transcend into administrative positions. In addition, they could also help in other hospital tasks such as risk management or quality improvement. Climbing the ladder is not easy; allied health professionals must take the step to go beyond the box and enter the administrative and policy-making positions. This can be done by conducting an annual review performance, opportunities analysis, threats analysis, and planning for a career direction. Aside from professional skills preparation, networking or developing an interpersonal relationship with other people from non-clinical field will also help in achieving administrative roles as this will emphasize administrative roles as a distinct area of specialization. Aspiring for an administrative or managerial position may not interests most of the clinicians; however, this type of marketing strategy will help the hospitals and other allied institutions in attracting new staff or employees that will help in providing quality care. Purpose and Intend ed Audience. The purpose of the article is to encourage members of the allied health professions to aspire for managerial or administrative positions. Furthermore, the article also aims to address the different factors that may enhance job satisfaction and employee retention. The article’s intended audiences are the members of the allied health professions and different hospitals. Review/Reflection The article relates to the allied health by stating that most of the problems in terms of realizing one’s maximum potential are observed in allied health professions. Slow progressions make these allied health professions dissatisfied and later on seek new employment. Clinical experience is related to the article as the article emphasized clinical experience as one of the motivating factors for clinician in achieving professional growth and development. The mastery of skills increases employee satisfaction which culminates skills from novice to expert position and creates op portunities for administrative training that enhanced autonomy, authority, and sense of responsibility. The strengths of the author’s main points include: the lack of opportunities for allied health professions for professional growth in most of the hospitals because they are typically hired for clinical staff positions but career development is slow; innovative staff developments will be able to retain experienced employees;

Change and culture case study Part ONE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Change and culture case study Part ONE - Essay Example But the fact remains that many such mergers and acquisitions (M&A) do not go as planned and have either failed or did not achieve the desired results. One primary reason (among many others) is the clash of diverse organizational cultures that exist within individual organization that were merger or acquired) making its presence felt in the new entity. This paper is a report with regard to the management of organizational culture in ABC Healthcare, an organization formed through the merger of two similar healthcare providers, namely XYZ Healthcare and ABC Dental Services. The problems faced, soon after the merger and, the steps taken to solve them (organizational change) will be discussed after which the end results of the effort will be provided in the concluding section. The organizational structure of the new entity is also provided in the appendix. ABC Dental Care, a highly efficient and well run organization is now being merged with XYZ Healthcare to form a new entity called ABC Healthcare. The latter company is much larger and has three departments, namely cardiology, nephrology, and urology. Threats of a new hospital coming up in the neighborhood resulted in the above mentioned merger. The employees of ABC Healthcare have no practical experience in handling outpatients, while those of the latter had no experiencing in dental care and hygiene. But ABC Healthcare was proud about its quality of service and felt that it was superior to those given by other healthcare units. They were also a little apprehensive about their lack of experience in handling inpatients. The merger was a cultural disaster since both groups kept to themselves except in case of emergencies. This issue was solved though the practical applications of theory as given in the following sections. It would be pertinent to mention a few facts about mergers and acquisitions in this context. According to a Bouno the main motive

Nanotechnology and microfabrication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nanotechnology and microfabrication - Essay Example Due to carbon’s wide applications, it is not surprising that it is also a key component in the rising field of nanotechnology. Beside its natural occurrence in the form of graphite and diamond, carbon exists in the nanostructured forms of fullerenes or buckyballs and in carbon nanotubes. The beauty of carbon nanotubes formed by carbon atoms is that they are twofold stronger than steel but weigh six times less. Carbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon that have been first constructed by S. Iijima in 1991. These are significantly extended thin cylinders and large macromolecules of carbon with unique features in their shape, size and physical properties as well as having the highest ratio up to 28,000,000 between length and diameter (Zheng, 2004). This is larger than any other material in the world. They can be envisioned by taking a mass of graphite into consideration that is rolled into a cylinder shown as Appendix-I figure (i) on page 6. These fascinating structures have flashed world wide great excitement and appraisal during last few years. Currently a huge amount of money is being spent on these carbon nanotubes to improve the understanding of their properties. Still its physical characteristics are being discovered and controversial results are being obtained. The development and research on synthesis methods is considered as a vital step to the future outlook of carbon nanotechnolog y. The structure of a carbon nanotube can be envisioned by taking a mass of graphite into consideration that is rolled into a cylinder as shown in figure (i) on page 6. Nanotubes, on the basis of the direction of hexagons, are classified as zigzag, armchair or chiral and are shown as Appendix-I figure (ii) on page 6. There are two types of carbon nanotube i.e. single-walled nanotubes (SWNT) and multi-walled nanotubes (MWNT). Generally SWNT are composed of a diameter close to1 nanometer while the tube length that can have a length millions of times longer and are excellent

Vice advertising - cont Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Vice advertising - cont - Essay Example This paper analyses the problems associated with unhealthy advertising to children and teens and proposes certain solutions to avoid it. Tobacco companies exploit the hero-worshipping attitudes of younger generation cleverly with the help of beautiful ads and children and teens become the victims of such misleading ads. Smoking often causes lung cancer, heart diseases, asthma, cough etc. Instead of revealing these health problems of smoking, tobacco companies in their advertisements describe smoking as a pleasant act which gives immense satisfaction and pleasure to the smoker. Majority of the tobacco companies have celebrities as their brand ambassador. For example, tobacco companies often utilize film stars for advertising their cigarettes. The mannerisms and the body languages of the film stars in the tobacco advertisements will encourage the hero-worshipping teen generation to imitate their heartthrobs blindly. Children and teens have the inherited trait to imitate others. They learn life lessons from parents, teachers and celebrities. They are not much aware of the consequences of smoking. Only thing they know is that their hero is smoking and therefore they can also smoke. Thank You for Smoking is a 2005 comedy film which portrays the efforts of a person to promote cigarettes using heavy spin tactics while also trying to remain a role model in front of his child (Thank You for Smoking). People usually demonstrate many faces in their social, personal, family and professional lives. A loyal husband in personal life need not be the same in his social life. Same way, a good parent in family life need not be the same in his professional life. People usually forced to do many things even though they are not much interested in it. Circumstances force people to engage in unpleasant behaviors. For example, even nonsmoking film stars forced to act like a smoker in many films. This is because

BUS 207 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BUS 207 - Essay Example ision making process is hugely helpful in recognizing the need for making decision and selecting the best course of action for achieving desired goals (Jones & George, 2010). The decision process involves: recognize the need for decisions; generating alternatives; assess alternatives; choose among alternatives; implement chose alternative; and learn from feedback. I have found these steps of making decisions very useful both at my workplace and in my personal life. Recently at my workplace, management was having problems with its field staff. The people at the field could not provide satisfactory services to the customers because of lack of coordination with the warehouse and the office. Getting information about the availability of spare parts for servicing the products at the customers’ place was delaying the work. As a sales and marketing manager, I called a meeting to resolve the issue. Decisions had to be made for improving the services and marketing. We looked at different options of communication devices that would be cost effective and at the same time, highly efficient and which could provide constant and fast communication across different departments like inventory, administration, sales etc. From the various alternatives, we decided to provide the field workers with smart phones that could be connected to the warehouses to find out the availability of required accessory that might be needed at the service location. The smart phones were thought to be the best option as they would greatly facilitate online connectivity with the various departments including experts who could advise field staff when they come across difficult situation. Implementation of the decisions made was immediately started. It took two months to get the approval from the management committee and buy the necessary things like phone and getting internet installed etc. Once the initial training of field staff in using the smartphones was completed, we all awaited eagerly for the

The PROS and CONS ofImplantingInformation Chips in Humans Essay

The PROS and CONS ofImplantingInformation Chips in Humans - Essay Example Due to reason, several eras has come in healthcare practice to improve the medical record system of patients to the highest logical point. As the debate rages on how medical record system can be improved, scientists have been swift in incorporating technology into the whole system. With something that started with the need to switch from paper records of patients to computer database software in keeping records of patients, we today have proposals on implanting chips in people to keep their medical records. The device is known as the implantable medical ID. Stein (2004) explains that the device is â€Å"a microchip that can be implanted under the skin to give doctors instant access to a patient's records.† Already, the proposal to implement the implantable medical records has won government approval. For now, the best thing to do is to continue detain on the pros and cons of the device and technology to come to a logical conclusion on whether or not the system would be helpful in the discharge of medical duties. Pros Already, there are health gurus who have approved of the use of the implantable medical ID and have started using them already. ... Therefore if there is the need to switch hospital at any point in time or travel inter-state, the records of the user will be ready as and when they are needed. The second point has to do with the safety of the system. Clearly, papers get burn or soaked with water and computer software gets corrupted or crashed. Any of these situations temper with the safety of records. With the implantable medical ID however, the records remain intact as long as the patient is alive. Yet again, the implantable medical ID is very reliable in emergency situations. Indeed medical emergencies come unannounced and therefore make the need to going to get a person’s records in times of medical emergencies very difficult. With the implantable medical ID however, a patient does not have to worry about emergencies because the device caters for that. It is always available and reliable. These points are supported by Merrill (2009) who states that the implantable medical ID â€Å"was designed to provide his identification and immediate access to his medical history in the event of an emergency.† Cons The beautiful advantages discussed above notwithstanding, the implantable medical ID come with a number of cons or disadvantages. There are commentators who argue as to whether or not the implantation and its removal themselves do not pose health risks and threats. There are many critics who are of the view that even though it is easier implanting the chip, removing it can be very complicated. John Halamka, MD, CIO at Harvard Medical School and CareGroup in Massachusetts, for instance laments that â€Å"it’s easy to insert but challenging to remove. I have no plan to have mine removed† (Merrill, 2009). The second demerit has to do with the cost involved in

Action plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Action plan - Essay Example According to the text, the relative advantage of this type of technology solution is that â€Å"attention-getting displays, immediate feedback, and interaction combine to create motivating practice† (Roblyer, 2005, pg. 54). For Phase 1 of the checklist, the aim is to determine relative advantage. In addition to what was noted above regarding the relative advantage, the teacher has noted that she has difficulty teaching these basic math skills to her students as they become bored and their minds drift elsewhere. This is certainly a good area for technology-based software to help out. The relative advantage of this software choice justifies any effort and expense that may be involved in acquiring basic drill-and-practice mathematics software (Roblyer, 2005). For Phase 2 of the checklist, the goal is to decide on objectives and assessments. The teacher expects for her students to quickly be able to make basic multiplication and division calculations in their head quickly after the new technology has been implemented. The best way to assess student learning would be through two angles: the feedback that is provided instantly by the technology and through traditional paper tests that contain the same kinds of problems. No additional testing instruments will need to be developed in this case (Roblyer, 2005). For Phase 3 of the checklist, the goal is to design integration strategies. The instruction in this case will be single-subject. Students will work individually with the software, and activities should be directed. In order to encourage females and minority children to participate, they will be shown the benefits and interesting features of the game. The games should alternate between multiplication and division drills. Students will have plenty of time to learn the material via this method before it is graded, but the school will need to

LEGAL ASPECT OF CONSENT IN NURSING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

LEGAL ASPECT OF CONSENT IN NURSING - Essay Example In case that explicit consent is not available, implied consent or authorisation by primary care givers can be utilised. Legal stipulations require that nurses need to acquire consent before any major medical procedures are carried out. Legally, a person should be in senses, of the legal age of consent and able to form decisions if they are to provide consent. However, it may not be possible for the patient to make decisions if they are not of the legal age of consent, are out of senses or are affected enough not to make sane decision. In such cases, the next of kin are responsible for providing explicit consent for medical procedures. In any of these scenarios, it is the nurse’s responsibility to ensure total confidentiality as a part of essential ethical practice. Confidential information available to nurses may be used against the subject individual who was gained consent from. A breach of confidentiality may occur if the nurse provides information on the patient wi llingly or unwillingly to any unconcerned party without the patient’s consent. Nursing entails a number of different ethical and moral responsibilities much like other professions. One of the key ethical responsibilities of nurses is to ensure that consent is obtained prior to performing any routines on a patient as described by Gallagher and Hodge (2012, p38). Carvalho et al. (2011, p12) detail that it is the responsibility of nurses involved to ensure that all stakeholders including the patient and his care givers are on board in terms of consent to avoid problematic situations later. In addition to the conventional roles of nurses as carers of patients, the roles of nurses and their ethical responsibilities have been on the increase. Parahoo (2006, p469) outlines how consent is also involved in nursing research, where it is essential to obtain the patient’s or their care giver’s consent after being properly informed on how the obtained information will be ut ilised. The Royal College of Nursing (2011, p5) mandates that it must also be taken to note that the ethical dimensions of informed consent in nursing have given way in certain areas to legal principles and codes. Healthcare has required extensive ethical involvement since various procedures are risky, invasive as well as needless at times. Informed consent has been an increasing part of the healthcare sector given the need to protect the interests of the patients. The initial development as ethical guidelines has given way over time to legal practices. This has ensured that patients get to choose what kind of treatment they want to undertake for any medical condition. However, informed consent is not without its complications. Bosek and Savage (2006) relate instances where the patient is unable to express himself or herself such as in the state of a coma or in an emergency where the patient is unconscious. In such cases, legal guidelines and practices exist to ensure that the patie nt’s rights are not encroached upon in the name of necessary and indispensable action. Dimond (2009, p140) provides that this ensures that patients who are unable to speak for themselves still have their rights looked after in the realm of healthcare. Essentially informed consent and its legal and professional aspects tend to protect the interests and rights of both the nurse and the patient alike. The patient is provided with rights to choose treatment and following the applicable laws allows the nurses to avoid professional as well as legal ramifications. It is the primary responsibility of the nurse under the law to ensure that the patient is fully informed before any medical procedures begin. Wood and Wainright (2007, p35) explain that the nurse is under

Robin Hood Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Robin Hood Case Analysis Essay Robin Hood Case Analysis BY JAZZY08 In the Robin Hood case, we can easily apply the principles of a business organization. Robin was the CEO of the Merrymen. He made all important decisions and a few lieutenants serve in roles that have been delegated such as information gathering, discipline, finances and provisioning. These make up the top management in the organization. This is associated with the Fayolism theory developed by Henri Fayol who proposed that managers perform particular functions for the growth and success of the organization. The four tasks that have been delegated as well as Robin Hoods personal vendetta against the Sheriff serve as the basis for many problems encountered by the Merrymen. First year, did well because they were a small organization experiencing little problems, growth was steady, revenues were consistent due to stealing from the rich, no major competitive forces were established in the industry and Robin Hood and the Merry men had the support of the stakeholders (peasants and farmers) because the men saw to it that the people were taken care of as well as their equal hate for the Sheriff . According to Henri Mintzberg what is expected of a manager is described through management roles. Robin as the CEO possesses the decisional roles which entails the important decision making and choices. The Merrymen acquire informational roles through information gathering and finances as a few of their delegated tasks and finally, the peasants and farmers possess the interpersonal skills that are very symbolic in nature because of their absolute interest and support in the efforts made by Robin and the Merrymen. Their peasants and farmers are the main reason for their formation rob the rich-give to the poor). Over the years, Robin Hood was faced with many issues that needs to be addressed. He believed that the strength and manpower of any army was in its numbers and so the band is growing too large with insufficient resources to sustain it. There is also a decline in the Merrymens vigilance as it is so hard to keep track with the larger numbers which may cause them to be unprepared if the Sheriff were to place a surprise attack on them and discipline is hard to enforce resulting in less control. This issue needs to be resolved in order for the men to work well with one another before a case of mutiny outbreaks (Robert. L. Katz; human skills). The Sheriff is growing stronger and becoming better organized because of his owerful allies as well as the support of the evil Prince John. Just as the numbers of Merrymen are growing, travelers are beginning to find alternate routes through the forest to avoid apprehension, causing a decline in the bands revenue stream. This is the major problem that Robin Hood needs to overcome. If he cannot steal the rich peoples money, he has nothing to give to the poor which can cause a strain in the relationship with his stakeholders. Also, with no money, Mr. Hood will not be able to maintain his group of Merrymen, and they will become weaker making themselves susceptible to attacks from the Sheriff. The two satellite problems facing Robin Hood are the intensive threat of competitive rivals and threats to suppliers. The core problem is rivalry, Prince John and the Sherriff are Robins main rivals and pose a definite threat to his operation. They are in direct competition with each other, and their actions have to constantly be monitored which is going to be difficult due to the their persistent efforts to capture Robin Hood and his Merrymen. Suppliers are a high level threat, because at any point those who support Robin Hood could be captured by Prince John and the Sherriff, thus cutting off supplies. Also, the bargaining power of suppliers is high simply because of the business Robin is involved in(robbing). His business is illegal and therefore a high level threat to anyone who supplies to him. Threat from buyers is currently a low level threat because an objective of Robins is to give to the poor. They have no reason to pose any threat unless at some time Robin Hood begins to tax them. The threat of new entry is also low given the legality of this endeavor. Individuals will likely be more willing to Join Robin Hood as opposed to forming their own faction. Although it is bviously more common to have a threat of new entry when in control of the market while making a profit, in this particular situation it is relatively low given Robin Hoods rapport within the forest. The threat of substitute products has been identified as a low to moderate threat. The residents of the forest are assumed to be the customers. The variable that make them a threat include: the perceived possibility that Robin may fail. In the event of this transpiring, the most probable alternative would be the majority of the people leaving the forest. This is a low to moderate threat because lthough Robins current status is relatively stable; his customers face the real possibility of being forced into making alternative decisions. This, along with the changes in the external environment is making the bands business model obsolete. These changes must be addressed along with the structuring and training of the ever-growing band of Merrymen. In short, Robin needs to select a new strategy and rally the Merrymen behind the cause because the current strategy is becoming timeworn at a hurried pace. Robin Hood and his men need a new mission, objectives, and strategy. Their vision is belonging to a kingdom with an honourable King who treats everyone fairly. His new mission should be to free the people from Prince John and return King Richard to the throne. Robin Hood and his band are in need of a fresh strategy in response to external happenings. For instance in the situation where the travelers are beginning to avoid the forest, despite added cost and inconvenience, to protect their belongings. Also, Robins plan to force the Sheriff out of Nottingham by causing unrest is not working. Indeed, the Sheriff is using powerful connections to apply added pressure to Robin and the Merrymen. To further complicate matters, some of the barons that appointed Prince John to the throne are now campaigning to clandestinely raise the ransom to free King Richard. These barons have offered Robin Hood the chance to help in this mission in exchange for future amnesty. While the return of King Richard and the ousting of Prince John is what Robin wants, the risks involved in such a deal are very high. The mission of the gang is rob from the rich and give to the poor. However, the true goal of the organization is to remove the amoral Sheriff from office, as evidenced by the consideration of Robin to institute a fixed transit tax. A more appropriate mission would be rid Nottingham of the corrupt King John and Sheriff. The gang also needs to outline some objectives, as this has not been done in the past. For example, each Merryman shall produce enough loot each day to pay for his own food. The band does need a new organizational structure as a result of the lead for change in structure would possibly be promoting more lieutenants in order to monitor the men more effectively and keep the men clear of their strategy. Maybe the group could form smaller camps that are part of the whole for organizational stability and spread across the entire forest of Nottingham. Robin Hood could Join with the barons to collect the ransom to release King Richard, receive amnesty and a resolution to the campaign against the Sheriff. It is risky because the barons could offset his efforts and if the plan proves to be unsuccessful, Prince John will unleash his vicious and volatile side to ensure Robin Hoods demise, but it is less risky than doing what he is presently doing which is nothing. In assisting them, he has more support against the Sheriff. If he continues to do nothing he will eventually end up caught by the sheriff, run out of supplies or mutiny will break out among his men. Robin Hood must weigh the benefits and risks of the following : forming a strategic alliance with the barons to rescue King Richard , expanding the organization into areas outside Sherwood Forest ,killing the Sheriff as a defensive strategic move or switching to a fixed transit tax as an offensive strategy move. A SWOT analysis will help determine some strategic alternatives and how the band can attempt to fulfill its mission and achieve its goals. Robin Hood can use the SWOT analysis to identify where he is strong and vulnerable, where he should defend and attack by scanning both internal and external environments. The group has grown spontaneously in its numbers. Manpower is the largest resource any group can have and the number of the Merrymen is formidable. Robin Hood is also a strong leader. For any one-single man to organize a group of this caliber, strong leadership skills must be present. The brand recognition the Merrymen posses has also been a strength. Because the group is so popular, it has allowed them to make a difference in their community. This popularity has also gained the group access to the resources of the surrounding towns and communities. The cost of training and producing their product is also a trength as well as their skills of being well trained fghting men. According to Robert. L. Katz, managers need three essential skills, in being well trained men, they must acquire Job- specific knowledge and technigues needed to proficiently perform work tasks (technical skills) They simply steal to obtain the capital they need and training costs are small outside the capital needed to supply the arms and feed the Merrymen. Most of the combat supplies are probably stolen as well. Moreover, new recruits are coming in and the men are being reunited in the enmity against the Sheriff. The first major weakness I have identified is Robin Hoods personal grudge with the sheriff. This has a great potential to cloud his overall view and influence judgments that may otherwise may not be for the good of the group. Even though the group was born from this idea, it has seemingly surpassed Just over-throwing the sheriff and transformed to a scope much larger. This personal vendetta may not take this into account and cause ill-formed decisions. The second major weakness I have identified is the alliances Robin Hood has made. This problem encompasses a few of the other weaknesses the Merrymen have. At first, the recruitment looked for viable candidates that fit a certain criteria. Now, the Merrymen will accept anyone who is willing to serve the cause hence there is a lack in familiarity with all the organizational members. Because of this single change in recruitment procedures, the now laxed recruitment process, another issue has arisen; exceeding the food capacity of the surrounding lands. This is simply a numerical problem that is encountered when you let anyone Join a group that relies so heavily on natural resources. The food shortage has also resulted in a depletion of the Merrymens financial reserves. Since the land can no longer provide the resources the group needs, they have turned to trade and purchasing. The large number of the group has also caused a space problem. The next major sets of weaknesses I have identified are a result of the looting and raids the Merrymen participate in. This raised the question to Robin Hood of what alternatives are available to help the group raise funds. Robin Hood favored taxation of the travelers and local towns people rather than looting and raiding but this concept was met with much resistance. His lower management argued that taxation would turn their closest allies against them and ould virtually put them in the same category as the Sheriff. A major opportunity present that is not coupled with the weaknesses the Merrymen have is the proposition of freeing King Richard. Securing the release of King Richard, if successful, would be very beneficial to the Merrymen. This is potentially another source of income for the Merrymen and would shine beneficial political light on the group. If the group were to fail, the retribution would be detrimental. Instead of fghting Just one sheriff and his men, the band would potentially have to take on the entire army commanded by Prince John. The opportunities present are forming an alliance with the barons in order to bring King Richard back to Nottingham and expanding the Merryman into the forest spreading revenue base. The sheriff, of course, was the source of the major threats to the Merrymen. At first the campaign was successful but over time the sheriff and his forces are growing larger and better organized causing increased direct competition. They have received the funding they need to disrupt the Merrymens operations. The plan the group first used forecasted that a perpetual state of unrest would cause the Sheriff to be removed from his osition, however the opposite happened and the sheriff used the unrest to secure reinforcements and funding for the campaign. This was a result of his close strategic alliance with Prince John. Moreover, Prince John is very paranoid and could act irrationally by sending his spies to offset the Merrymen. Additionally, aligning with the barons is very risky as they could deceive Robin. Several recommendations have been developed for the Merrymen to aid in the success of the group. It is the belief that the current strategy is one that can again be successful but many changes need o be implemented to ensure this strategys success. I recommend that Robin Hood align with the barons. He should help them collect the ransom that would free King Richard. In order for this to work, Robin Hood would have to sell this idea to the Merrymen and the farmers and the townspeople and change the policy of outright confiscation of goods. He has to convince them that the fixed transit tax will go towards their Kings ransom. Robin acquires the conceptual skills required of any manager to perform proficiently according to Katz, he is looking at the bigger picture which he believes everyone will benefit from. conceptual skills). This will help everyone feel loyal and patriotic to one common cause. The citizens already do not like the Prince John and they would likely unite together and support any strategy lieutenants to help the already overworked ones that he has, given the state of discipline and other problems. Robin has considered killing the Sheriff but it would not end the campaign because it has grown beyond the scope of Just the Sheriff, but decided against it because it would only satisfy his thirst for revenge without improving the matter. The next Sheriff would undoubtedly be Just as bad if not worse ecause the Sheriffs association is devoid of values. Also, with the Sheriffs high- powered friends and increasing resources, the chances of succeeding in the slaying are dim because this would more than likely anger Prince John into dealing out very harsh punishment that could terminate Robin Hood and his men. If there is an unsuccessful attempt on the life of the Sheriff, retribution will be fierce. The Merrymen need to build off the strengths it has. The quality of the manpower is an area of concern. Implementation of the original recruitment process or an advanced recruitment process is the first necessary fix. Just letting anyone be a participant of the group has been the source to several of the issues plaguing the Merrymen. Candidates should have a particular set of skills to allow entry. If there is a food shortage, pre-screen candidates for skills such as farming. Discipline has been identified as another issue. This can be eliminated through the better screening process and better training. For this all to work, there must be a better management system put in place. The external threats, weaknesses and opportunities the Merrymen have are formidable but proper action can be used to manage these. The ack of food and provisions can first be solved by recruiting farmers and hunter/ gathers to the group who solely focus on these issues as well as enforcing that the men produce enough loot each day for his own food. This would also help eliminate the expenses the group incurs as trading and bartering for provision could be gradually eliminated. Since revenues are in decline, any money-saving action is beneficial. Concurrent with this issue, expansion of the raiding area is a must. Though Robin feels as though he is losing control of the band, he admits to not knowing half of the men and is finding it hard to enforce discipline. They have the opportunity of limiting the size of the band which maintains discipline and solves food scarcity which basically curtails growth. This strategic move will deem them weak and powerless against the Sheriff and Prince John. The more manpower they have, the greater chance they have of carrying out the mission. The band should extend their operations throughout Sherwood Forest in order to rejuvenate revenues, which at present are in decline. They may also be able to access supplies more readily which previously would have been obtained from outlying villages, thus reducing costs. This also allows them the opportunity to continue robbing in an adjacent region which is consistent with the original organization and its growing size. The part of the group that conducts raids should also work very closely with the intelligence gathering portion. Once again, proper recruitment and training will result in a part of the group who can focus on this important aspect. The intelligence can be used to know when and where raids are conducted and what moves the sheriff is making. However, all the groups need to be properly trained in combat for when the need arises. These groups should continue to be managed separately.. In this instance, time is of the essence. As the Sheriff of Nottingham and his men learn Sherwood Forests resources have been depleted by the large amounts of recruits that inhabit the area, and this has seriously drained the bands financial reserves, however, this does give the men a greater asset in their numbers. The case seems unclear about where the Merrymen see themselves over the next few years, but one thing is clear, if they wish to survive, they will have to take immediate action. If the band is successful overthrowing Prince John, they will have to work in close onjunction with King Richard to shape a society which functions equally for members of all socio-economic classes (assuming this is their goal). The central issue faced by Robin Hood and his Merrymen is how to win their fght against the Sheriff of Nottingham. We recommend partaking in this venture though because we see the benefits outweighing the risks. However, this must be a carefully planned and executed venture. Robin Hood and his band should organize an attack on Prince John in order to eliminate the Sheriffs authority over Nottingham and its occupants. If successful, the Merrymen will return to their law abiding life.

Dorian Gray And Death In Venice Analysis English Literature Essay

Dorian Gray And Death In Venice Analysis English Literature Essay In chapter one I have shown that both Aestheticism and Nietzsche promote art for arts sake and believe that art justifies itself and does not need to have a purpose since art is purpose in itself, the purpose of life. Nietzsche urges artists to look inside themselves and give importance to both the Apollonian, that is, the rational and the Dionysian, that is, the passionate side of their personality. According to him, only by achieving equilibrium between these two opposite and, in the meantime, complementary forces will artists be able to create authentic works of art. This chapter centers on the analysis of The Picture of Dorian Gray and Death in Venice from the Aesthetic and Nietzschean perspective. In both novels, the protagonists are artists that cultivate beauty in their works and lives and that oscillate between the Apollonian and Dionysian. Since Nietzsche points out that both the Apollonian and the Dionysian govern the human existence, I will show how these two forces compet e in each character in their search for beauty. Both Oscar Wilde and Thomas Mann struggled against what was prevalent and what was expected of an artist in their eras. They fought against becoming what Lord Henry criticises in The Picture of Dorian Gray: Modern morality consists in accepting the standard of ones age. I consider that for any man of culture to accept the standard of his age is a form of the grossest immorality (Wilde 92). Wildes new version of the old aestheticism deploys subjectivity, individuality, and the autonomy of art against the supposed objectivity and professionalism of nineteenth century science and its offshoot in literature, that is, realism. In Oscar Wilde, Thomas Mann discovered much of the essential Nietzsche, his furious war on morality and his transvaluation of moral into aesthetic values. As affirmed in The Decay of Lying, Oscar Wildes philosophy on art insists on the fact that art should find perfection in itself, that it has as its object not simple truth, as Victorians expected it to express, but complex beauty. As he points out in the preface of the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, the artist is the creator of beautiful things and those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated (Wilde 5). A common feature of The Portrait of Dorian Gray and Death in Venice is their celebration of beauty in artistic creation. Thus, Lord Henry Wotton believes that Beauty is of the great facts of the world, like sunlight, or spring-time, or the reflection in dark waters of that silver shell we call the moon. It has its divine right of sovereignty (Wilde 29) and Aschenbach thinks that nature itself shivers with ecstasy when the mind bows down in homage before beauty (Mann 460). The artists pursuit of beauty constitutes both their inspiration, the purpose of th eir creation and their perdition. Through their celebration of art as a main theme, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Death in Venice share some common points in their analysis of the artist. In his work, The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche affirms that artistic creation depends on a collaboration between two opposite forces which he terms the Apollonian and the Dionysian. He believed that true artistic creations have to be generated by people that were not only highly civilised and cultured, but also passionate. According to him, only in the balance of these forces could art arise. Nietzsche described the good artists as maintaining a balance between two forces, the Dionysian, or those associated with the god Dionysus and the Apollonian, those associated with the god Apollo. While Dionysus was the god of fecund nature, spring, regeneration, wine, and intoxication, and orgiastic extravagance, Apollo was the god of light, of form which shapes drives and instincts into clarity and order. While Dionysus was often associated wi th music, a passionate, engrossing art form, Apollo was associated with sculpture, a rigid, detached art form. Like Nietzsche, Oscar Wilde and Thomas Mann believe that the conflict between conscious will and uncontrolled passion, between rationality or morality and passionate art represents a very serious struggle in human existence. This is the reason why the artists trajectory towards death in both fictional works is a descent to either extreme and a failure to maintain equilibrium between these two opposite forces. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, the three major characters, Basil Hallward, Lord Hnry Wotton, and Dorian Gray are at the same time different aesthetes and parts of the same self. In Death in Venice, the poet Gustav von Aschenbach is the only protagonist and artist in the novella, but he has common features with all three different characters from Oscar Wildes novel. Each of these artists, unique in their mode of thinking and personality, undergoes serious changes provoked by factors beyond their control. Aschenbachs resemblance to Basil is manifested in his Apollonian concern with exhausting work. They both believe that hard work leads to perfection and that perfection is the key to the artistic talent. They both reject passion because they think it blocks the pursuit of excellence. Hallwards aestheticism is manifested in his complete devotion to exclusive artistic creations. His ambition and struggle is to become one with his art. He searches in the outside world for the perfect manifestations of his soul and when he finds them, he can create masterpieces by painting them. His fatal misake is that in creating the portrait of Dorian Gray, Basil puts too much of himself into it, (Wilde 18), which Lord Henry criticises for at some point in the novel, by arguing that an artist should create beautiful things, but should nothing of his own life into them (Wilde 25). Gustave von Aschenbach is introduced as the extreme case of the civilised Apollonian, neoclassical artist who becomes a hero of the times given his self-controlled manner of labouring on the edge of exhaustion: Gustave Aschenbach was the poet-spokesman of all those who labour at the edge of exhaustion; of the overburdened, of those who are already worn out but still hold themselves upright; of all our modern moralizers of accomplishment with stunted growth and scanty resources. (Mann 426) He is, thus, the prototypical modern artist. However, the fact that he has spent his entire life without acknowledging his passions and desires foreshadows possible problems in the future because, according to Freud, repressed passions will sooner or later rise to the surface. Thus, he gradually abandons his commitment to Apollo when he first journeys to Venice and, later, when he decides to remain there. He passes beyond balance and reason, substituting beauty for morality, even though the cost of such a choice is death. Far from being fruitful to the artistic purpose of their lives, their vulnerability to the perfect classic beauty of both Dorian Gray and Tadzio overshadows the resulting art itself. Both Basil and Gustaves worlds start revolving around their muses and, unawares, they grow dependent on their presence. Thus, Hallward admits that: I couldnt be happy if I didnt see [Dorian] every day. He is absolutely necessary to me (Wilde 18) and Gustave, once he meets Tadzio, can no longer leave Venice, even though the city does him serious harm: He felt the rapture of his blood, the poignant pleasure, and realized that it was for Tadzios sake the leavetaking had been so hard (Mann 455). The obsessive admiration for the perfect physical beauty is what binds Basil Hallward and Gustave Aschenbach and what leads them towards destruction. Once they discover perfect beauty, the Dionysian force is unleashed and it can hardly be controlled. Both artists worship beauty in their creations. As Aschenbach declares, in almost every artists nature is inborn a wonton and treacherous proneness to side with the beauty that breaks hearts, to single out aristocratic pretensions and pay them homage (Mann 441). The ideal of beauty is represented in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Death in Venice by the youthful Dorian and Tadzio. Basil confesses that Dorian is all my art to me now (Wilde 16) and Gustave decides that [Tadzio] should be in a sense his model, his style should follow the lines of this figure that seemed to him divine (Mann 461). However, the beauty of the two young men is not only a source of artistic inspiration, it very soon starts exerting influence on the artists. Basil argues that [Dorians] personality has suggested me an entirely new manner in art, an entirely new mode of style. I see things differently, I think of them differently. I can now recreate life in a way that was hidden from me before (Wilde 17) and in Aschenbachs case, [Tadzios lovely apparition] was that filled him with content, with joy in life, enriched his stay, and lingered out the row of sunny days that fell into place so pleasantly one behind the other (Mann 457). Once conscious of the serious role beauty plays in their lives, Basil Hallward and Gustave Aschenbach become concerned to hide it, fearful that if they reveal it, they will in fact, unveil their souls. Thus, Basil tells his friend, Lord Henry, that he will not exhibit the portrait, his grand masterpiece, because I will not bare my soul to [the worlds] shallow prying eyes. My heart shall never be put under their microscope. There is too much of myself in the thing, too much of myself (Wilde 18). Aschenbach, too, feels a strange relief because the world sees only the beauty of the completed work and not its origins nor the conditions whence it sprang; since knowledge of the artists inspiration might often but confuse and alarm and so prevent the full effect of its excellence (Mann 461). The tragic ending of Basil and Gustave is a consequence of their inability to find a balance between the Apollonian and the Dionysian sides of their lives. Lord Henry warns the artist that the only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful (Wilde 26). Accustomed to resist any other thoughts than those related to artistic creation, Hallward and Aschenbach find themselves incapable to control their excessive admiration for beauty and they are, therefore, destroyed by it. Lord Henry Wotton is an aesthete of the mind. If Basil is an artist who uses the brush, Lord Henry is an artist who uses words. Lord Henrys philosophy on life and art resembles in a great measure that of Nietzsche, in that they both celebrate the primacy of individual senses and feelings over reason and morality. Lord Henry, like Nietzsche, urges the artist to accept his Dionysian, dark and mysterious world of the instinct, to live his life fully and take advantage of its pleasures, for art is a form of exaggeration, the product of spontaneity: I believe that if one man were to live out his life fully and completely, were to give form to every feeling, expression to every thought, reality to every dream, I believe that the world would gain such a fresh impulse of joy that we would forget all the maladies of medievalism and return to the Hellenic ideal, to something finer, richer than the Hellenic ideal, as it may be. (Wilde 25) Lord Henry, like Nietzsche, believes that the unsatisfactory status of modern art is due to the individuals fear to acknowledge their passions, that is, the Dionysian side of their own selves, and turn them into something beautiful and authentic: The mutilation of the savage has its tragic survival in the self-denial that mars our lives. We are punished for our refusals. Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind and poison us (Wilde 25). The influence that Lord Henrys philosophy exerts on Dorian Gray can be compared to the influence that the trip to Venice has on Gustave Aschenbach. Both Lord Henry and Venice represent the voice that alerts the repressed side of Dorian and Aschenbach. Both Dorian Gray and Aschenbach change completely when they come in contact with the delightful influence of Lord Henrys magic words and the exoticism of Venice. When he meets Henry Wotton, Dorian feels that the few words that Basils friend had said to him had touched some secret chord that had never been touched before, but that he felt was now vibrating and throbbing to curious pulses (Wilde 26). The perspective of travelling to Venice unleashed in Aschenbach a craving for freedom, release, forgetfulness which the artist admitted to be an impulse towards flight, flight from the spot which was the daily theatre of a rigid, cold and passionate service (Mann 420-421).

Concerns in Implementing Biometric Technology

Concerns in Implementing Biometric Technology Though this seems to be an advantage, the integration of this system into the existing system is tedious. Some of the major concerns in implementing biometric technology are as follows, The system relies on complex data processing algorithms which consumes considerable amount of time. Lack of manufacturing and integration of special purpose hardware in the existing system. Adoption of biometric technology in the day-to-day life is slow. A new approach that is gaining attention in the field of biometrics is referred as behavioral biometrics, also referred as behaviometrics. The behaviometrics concentrate on analysis the behavior of the user while interacting with the computer and try to authenticate him. The hardware Mouse capable of monitor the movements of the user and analyzing them to extract a signature, which is unique for every individuals [4]–[6]. Generally there two kinds of authentication mode available in the mouse dynamics, Static authentication Dynamic authentication The main strength of mouse dynamics biometric technology is in its ability to continuously monitor the legitimate and illegitimate users based on their session usage of a computer system. This is referred to as continuous authentication. Continuous authentication, or identity confirmation based on mouse dynamics, is very useful for continuous monitoring applications such as intrusion detection [5]–[8]. II. RELATED WORK Extensive research has been made in the field of utilising the oe of the computer input devices, Mouse, towards the development of user interface design structure [10]. Only in the recent times, the mouse dynamics is further improvised as behaviour biometric technology. The previous attempt ware made to study the user’s identity based on the mouse gesture analysis . Initially, the number of participants for this prgramme is around 48[12].The system is focused on both static and dynamic mode of authentication, but later the system exclusively tried to develop the continuous authentication because for static authentication where in the need of special purpose design of GUI and usage of certain predefined form of signature. Gamboa et al conducted similar experiments to learn the user’s movements while playing a memory game. They are 50 participants involved in the experiment. A sequential forward selection technique based on the greedy algorithm was simply used to find the best single feature later add one feature at a time to the feature vector. Gamboa et al[5] proved that increase in the movements (interactions), the more accurate the identification process would be. But, we cant use this approach to the static authentication type becau se Gamboa et al[5] reported that the memory game took 10-15 min in average. The main issues with these studies are the minimum amount of mouse movements required to authenticate an user was improbable. This method holds well for user reauthentication or continuous authentication but failed in static authentication. So, further work has to be done in the field of Mouse gesture dynamics: a behavior biometric [18], [19]. Our work is to identify the user based on their handwriting patterns. There are considerable amount of research work was made in the field of identifying the user based on his handwriting. The entire work process has been divided into two processes: signature verification and user identification. The pilot experiment where the 50 ample users are allowed to sign and their signature is later used to identify them. The participants are requested to draw eight different gesture and each of them twenty times. The same eight gestures are used throughout the entire process and the users are advised to draw the strokes in a single stroke. By studying pilot experiment meticulously, we can perceive following facts which play crucial role in our work and they are as follows. The average gesture size drawn was made up of 64 data points in a single stroke. Some participant tends to sign faster as they time goes and this cause departure from their normal behavior. The raw data contained noises that must be filtered before processing. The users were advised to be as consistent with the variability in shape and size. These variations were clearly a major source of inconsistency. In our paper, we provide security against shoulder surfing by toggling between the visibilities of the signature and also we provide additional security features like anonymous password feature. III. PROPOSED SYSTEM Based on the facts, we obtained from pilot experiment, we divided our entire work into following modules. Input gesture and sample modules Gesture processing Extraction and acquisition of data points Anonymous Password feature A. Input gesture and Sample modules The input gesture creation module and sample module is simple drawing screen that used to ask the participant to freely draw a set of predefined gestures. The main purpose of this module is to make the participant experienced with the system and to draw them in his own way which is to replicate them later on. So, the gestures are not bound to any specified language and they do not necessarily have a meaning. The input gesture creation and sample module helps the user in two different ways. First, it moves the input drawing to the center of the area. Though the shifting of the drawn gesture is done, the data points are collected without saving these changes. Second, the module moves the gesture spacing to achieve a size of 64 data points. These 64 data points were based on the pilot experiment. As mentioned earlier, we were able to determine the average size of drawing the predefined set of gestures in one stroke. B. Gesture Processing Once, the data is collected how these signatures are modified for further use. What are the steps involved in the process of converting the user signature into their corresponding data points are well briefed in this section. The signature collected from the drawing area consists of three main components, the horizontal coordinate (x-axis), vertical coordinate (y-axis), and the elapsed time in milliseconds at each pixel. Each gesture replication for a given gesture can be identified as the sequence of data points and each of them is represented by a triple consisting of the X-coordinate, Y-coordinate, and elapsed time, respectively. For example, the jth replication of a gesture G can be represented as a sequence Gj = {, , }, where n is referred to as the gesture size (GS) and each where (1≠¤ i ≠¤ n) is a data point. C. Extraction and acquisition of datapoints The extraction and acquisition of data points module involves three main components, namely, data acquisition, data preparation, and data storage and authentication. 1) Data Acquisition: This module presents the gestures, which was created initially by the user in the input gesture creation module, and displays them to the user to replicate. The module records the user’s drawing while he interact with the computer. This module essentially records the signature in three components, horizontal coordinates denoted by xij, vertical coordinates denoted by yij, and the elapsed time in milliseconds starting from the origin of the gesture tij, as explained in the input gesture module. For each user, the application creates individual folder containing all the replication of different gestures. Each gesture must be replicated a specific number of times (eg., 20 times). The user has to wait for minimum 3 s between each replication which is to prevent the user from drawing the gesture too fast. We believed that the wait time and mouse release will force the users back to his normal speed and behavior each time they replicate the gesture. 2) Data Preprocessing: This module is to process the collected data points in such a way it reduces to noise in it. The user’s signature may be shakened or jagged during drawing. They may lead to inconsistencies in the process of data point collections. There are two kinds of normalization techniques which should be applid first before reducing the noise patterns. The first is center normalization which shifts the gesture to the center of the drawing area. The idea behind this tranisition is that the user may tend to draw his signature at any corner of the drawing area so we need to process the signature from any any part of the area. So, it is advisable to move all the gestures to the center of drawing area. The second is size normalization which alters the size of the gesture so that the final size is equal to the size of the template gesture in order to compare the two gestures later. If the size of gesture is larger than the template size then k means algorithm is used to reduce its size. The k means algorithm forms 64 clusters of data points initially, take the centroids of each cluster as the datapoints. To remove the outliners and noise in each replication, data smoothing techniques are introduced. The user cant draw same signature without changing its size and shape under multiple occasions. So, the data smoothing removes the variations in the signature. We use the standard weighted least-squares regression (WLSR) method to smooth the data and Peirce’s criterion [21] to eliminate the outliers. 3) Data Storage and authentication: The collected data points are further stored in the database for each use. The database is capable of storing all the replication of gestures of the user which he entered during the input gesture and sample module. When the user entered the signature during the authentication time, all the replication gesture would be compared. is one of the imminent disaster in these modern technical world. Information extortion occurs when an attacker took the password and other authentication information from the user forcibly. Neither the traditional text-based password system nor biometric systems provide easy way-out of this. No matter the password is a text, fingerprint or iris movements it can be taken by force.

Dance Team :: Argumentative Persuasive Dance School Essays

Dance Team The Twin Cedars Community School District Board of Directors should decide in favor of funding a school dance team. Twin Cedars, a small country based school of approximately 500 students K-12, has never had the benefit of having a dance team. Two years ago, three Twin Cedars students got together with their dance instructor, Shannon Smith, an alumnist of Twin Cedars, and suggested that the school should have a dance team. Smith volunteered her time to coach and choreograph for a new dance team. Smith took this idea to the principal of Twin Cedars, Mike Helle. Helle agreed to allow Smith to start a dance team that could practice at school, but refused to fund the program as an extracurricular activity. This meant that if there was to be a dance team, all funds would have to be raised by the dance team members alone and Smith would have to volunteer all of her time and effort without being paid. Despite these two points Smith agreed to start the dance team. Auditions were held, a team was formed, and the team members began choreography for their first routine. The new TC dance team had their own fundraisers and went asking for donations from local businesses, to help support the new team and help pay for dance team costumes. The team managed to raise enough to buy cheap costumes for all of the members. The new dance team had practice two days a week at 7:00 a.m. all year. They performed at a few football and basketball games throughout the year. The next school year came around and the whole process was repeated. During this year the dance team even managed to put together a Saturday night show at the school, that included other surrounding school’s drill and dance teams. In the two years of the team’s existence the school administrators allowed for the use of the building for practice, they allowed the team to perform at sporting events, and they allowed the the team to have shows. On top of that, they announced the dance team as the Twin Cedars dance team and even added a new spot in the Twin Cedars Yearbook to allow for pictures of the dance team. The school took all the privileges of having a school dance team, yet took none of the responsibilities a school has for an extracurricular activity.

My Favourite Vacation Spot is St. Martin Essay -- Personal Narrative,

I got dazzled once again by the beauty of St. Martin. St. Martin is undoubted a special place for vacation and one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Among all the places I have visited, it is the most unique. If anybody asks me about a vacation spot, the first thing that comes up in my mind is St. Martin. This is not for it is in my country but for its explicit natural beauty, social environment and the facilities available there. Natural has its own world in St. Martin. The island is about two kilometres long and the deep blue water all around it is outstanding to watch. Rocks of different sizes and types are all around the beach, some of which are with razor sharp spikes that can cut your foot into pieces if you step on them. Moreover, different coloured sea weeds and live corals can be seen on the rocks which are submerged in the water. St. Martin is the only Island in the world with live corals. There are more than thousands of different types of coral in this island. Scientists say that this island actually grew from this coral by the metamorphosis of different c...

Race and Ethnicity: Introduction to Sociology Essay

The terms stereotype, prejudice, discrimination, and racism are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation. But when discussing these terms from a sociological perspective, it is important to define them: stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about groups of people, prejudice refers to thoughts and feelings about those groups, while discrimination refers to actions toward them. Racism is a type of prejudice that involves set beliefs about a specific racial group. As stated above, stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about groups of people. Stereotypes can be based on race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation—almost anyc haracteristic. They may be positive (usually about one’s own group, such as when women suggest they are less likely to complain about physical pain) but are often negative (usually toward other groups, such as when members of a dominant racial group suggest that a subordinate racial group is stupid or lazy). In either case, the stereotype is a generalization that doesn’t take individual differences into account. Where do stereotypes come from? In fact new stereotypes are rarely created; rather, they are recycled from subordinate groups that have assimilated into society and are reused to describe newly subordinate groups. For example, many stereotypes that are currently used to characterize black people were used earlier in American history to characterize Irish and Eastern European immigrants. Prejudicesarefueledbystereotypes,anexaggeratedordistortedbelieforimageabouta person or group. Stereotypes assume that everyone in a group the same characteristics, leading people to falsely believe that â€Å"they† are all alike. Even when the stereotype suggests positive traits (for example, that women are nurturing), everyone is hurt because these images leave no room for individual differences. No one is born believing stereotypes — they are learned from media, or parents, peers and many other sources. Social scientists believe that children begin to learn prejudices and stereotypes as early as two or three years old. Even though they don’t fully understand what prejudice is, young children may repeat racial slurs or act out stereotypes they see in the media. For example, a group of girls may tell a boy that he can’t play house because it’s a girl’s game. As they are exposed to more stereotypes, young children tend to form attachments to their own group and develop negative attitudes about other groups. As these attitudes deepen over a person’s lifetime, they are difficult to change. As they get older, people tend to see the things that support their views and disregard or ignore experiences that challenge them. I do not think this that if we promote only positive stereotype, then it will be helpful for the society as whole to react positively all the time. However, I think positive stereotype does not necessarily stop racial discrimination, because there are some positive stereotypes that can make other people feel uncomfortable. One of the examples of positive stereotype is that Chinese people are good at mathematics. What can we assume from this perspective that except Chinese, all other groups are bad at mathematics? This positive stereotype underestimates the power of other racial groups too. Besides that, I think people should not pay heed to such generalization about any group, because if someone gets involved in these things, then it’s even harder to come out of; because that really affects your mind completely. As it is mentioned above that we are not born with having stereotypical thinking, but learn them from parents, peers, school. Then, I really think we should terminate this concept of stereotype from its roots by not teaching our children about such things. Teaching about stereotype promotes negative and positive stereotype forms. Positive teaching can lead us to the right path that includes no discrimination and other negative principles. Question 4 Today people of color continue to be disproportionately incarcerated, policed, and sentenced to death at significantly higher rates than their white counterparts. Further, racial disparities in the criminal-justice system threaten communities of color disenfranchising thousands by limiting voting rights and denying equal access to employment, housing, public benefits, and education to millions more. In light of these disparities, it is imperative that criminal-justice reform evolves as the civil rights issue of the 21st century. Racism is an ongoing force that negatively impacts the lives of Americans every day. Also, the race is determine by color skins. The racist mindset in America stems from the times of slavery, where blacks were thought to be inferior to whites. Throughout history, the ideas of race and racism has evolved and developed several different meanings. Today, we can still see the devastating effects of racism on people of color, as well as whites. â€Å"Racism, like other forms of oppression, is not only a personal ideology based on racial prejudice, but a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as beliefs and actions of individual† (Tatum, pg. 9). As a result of this system, it leaves the oppressed at a great disadvantage in society. This includes access to social, cultural, and economic resources and decision-making. . From the time of slavery, to the present, racism has had many destructive and negative effects on the people in our society. White people have more opportunities than black, such as in education and employment, etc. The United States has chased violent law implementation strategies to limit the use and distribution of illegal drugs. Relative to their numbers in the general population and among drug offenders, Black Americans are excessively arrested, convicted, and imprisoned on drug charges. According to reading 26 by David Cole, in Baltimore, blacks are five times more likely than white to be arrested for drug offenses. In Columbus, black males are less than 11 percent of the population, but account for 90 percent drug arrests; they are arrested at a rate eighteen times greater than white males. Similar racial gap are found in confinement rates for drug offenses. From 1986 to 1991, the number of white drug offenders jailed in state prisons increased by 110 percent, but the number of black drug offenders by 465 percent. Thus, the victims of the war on drugs have been overly black. Some argue that this is neither surprising nor problematic, but simply reflects the unfortunate fact that the drug problem itself extremely burdens the black community. If more blacks are using and selling drugs, equal enforcement of the drug law will lead to unreasonable arrest and incarceration of African Americans. As a result, the imprisonment of such a high proportion of young African American males for drug crimes will have significant adverse long term effects on the black community. A criminal record makes it much more difficult to find a legitimate job and disable thousands of young black men at the beginning of their careers. I do not agree with this because, although whites are relatively untouched by anti-drug efforts compared to blacks, supporters of the drug war may not see a problem of race discrimination. Because they do not believe the purpose of drug law enforcement is to harm blacks if anything, drug law enforcement is seen as protecting minority communities from addiction, harassment, and violence. According toDevah Pager, acriminal record has asignificant negative impacton hiring outcomes, which even for applicants with otherwise appealing characteristics. Yet, a criminal record reduces the likelihood of a callback or job offer. Besides, the negative effect of a criminal conviction is substantially larger for blacks than for whites. The ratio of the criminal record penalty suffered by black applicants is roughly double the size of the penalty for whites with a record. This interaction between race and criminal record is large and statistically important, which indicates that the penalty of a criminal record is more restricting for black job seekers than whites. The number of crimes enhances the chances of suspicion against black people, because of racial discrimination black people have been faced many problems. Furthermore, employers hesitate to hire any black person due to the criminal history regarding blacks. Some employers might fail some black based on the criminal background that is not directly related to them, but they face consequences indirectly. The effect of race was very large, equal to or greater than the effect of a criminal record. For example, the survey audited 350 employers, 150 by white and 200 by black team (pg. 232). Only 14 percent of black men without criminal record were called back, a proportion equal to or less than even than the number of whites with a criminal background. This research shows that this discrimination is based on race, every illegal and illegitimate activity intentionally or unintentionally involves blacks, because of their historical notoriety. However, people neglect the history of blacks being slaves of white, when they were ruled over by whites and were being unjust. Despite that fact, people today do not hesitate to think of blacks first when any crime is committed, because somewhere in the past, blacks had committed some crimes. Thus, the discrimination between whites and blacks is somehow lesser than before, but there are still some places where racial discrimination exists and deprives blacks of their rights being the lawful citizen if this country.