London prepares for the Olympics

The photograph on the sheet was taken in early 2009 and presents a snapshot of the major development under way in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics. In the foreground one can see Stratford east railway station where key transport developments are taking place. In the background are a number of Olympic construction projects, including the Westfield Shopping Mall. In the past, the land shown in the photograph used to be mainly low industrial units, transport depots and railway sidings. It was relatively low-value land, which is one of the reasons that this site was chosen for the Olympics. The owners of the various industrial units have received support and compensation to enable them to relocate elsewhere. 1. What is the evidence that major redevelopments are taking place? It is evident that there is construction going on in the area, this can be seen particularly from the machinery but also because: -the Westfield Shopping Mall can be seen in the background, still under construction. – There are lots of buildings which can be seen in the background. -there is a large sign which says ‘Everyone's London 2012' which suggests that the developments taking place are on a large scale to attract large amounts of people. 2. The development at the railway station is part of an overall plan to provide a top quality public transport infrastructure for the Olympic Games. What are the benefits of this approach to transport management? -Well, the Olympic Games by nature are going to attract large amounts of people to come, and this is financially rewarding. However, public transport infrastructure must be carefully taken into consideration, because no matter how amazing the Olympic Games are, if people cannot reach there, then it may end up being a big problem (for example financially, if many people do not even bother to purchase tickets to attend the Olympic Games, as the destination is not accessible. -well thought out infrastructure is convenient for people when travelling. -Also, regarding long term benefits, it means that more people in the local area can travel after the Olympic Games to work in other areas (perhaps secure jobs with higher incomes). -the temporary workers on the Olympic Site can travel there conveniently. – The main benefit is that it will help to ensure the public gets to the venues in time and in some degree of comfort. 3. Notice that there is a slogan in the photograph, albeit partially obscured that reads ‘Everyone's London 2012'. A) What do you think is meant by this slogan?It means that all these developments which are taking place for the Olympic Games, when finished are for everyone to enjoy and experience, for example not just the athletes and tourist, but local people as well. Basically, the ambition of ‘everyone's 2012' is to inspire people of all ability, belief, postcode, and colour to participate fully in the Games – and it extends far beyond London and late summer 2012. B) How will the local community benefit from the building work taking place in preparation for the Olympics? -the area is hoped to be regenerated socially, economically and environmentally. -the sporting facilities can be used by the community; this can promote a healthy lifestyle in an area with high levels of obesity. -the community can enjoy more entertainment/recreation facilities such as the Westfield Shopping Mall. -improvements in transport infrastructure have the most long term benefits as local people can benefit from its convenience, also it means that local people could travel to other areas for job opportunities. -lots of temporary jobs will be needed, especially in the construction industry, so local people's skills can be used, and local people can be trained as well (e.g. apprenticeships). – Boosting social and economic prospects in Stratford and the Lower Lee Valley, an area of high unemployment and deprivation. – Bringing about the transformation of largely derelict, brown-field sites through comprehensive and co-ordinated development. -Improvements to transport infrastructure which would be of benefit to the wider Thames Gateway area. C) One critical element of London's winning Olympic bid was the so-called ‘legacy' of the games- the longer term benefits arising for the local community. Can you see from the photograph what some of these might be? Well, there are obviously a lot of developments going on, and it is likely that the sports facilities could be used in the future by local communities, as well as recreational uses such as the Westfield Shopping Mall, and generally the area will attract tourists, and therefore increase the economy of the area (e.g. prices going up such as hotels charging more money etc which will benefit the tourist industry). Other benefits include: * Sports facilities with a national and international profile. * The Olympic stadium itself, which could be used for an Athletic or Premiership football stadium. * 4,000-4,500 new residential units built to house teams in the Olympic village- could be used to provide affordable and key worker housing. * A 1,000,000 sq ft media centre would be created for the games, which would have the latest technology and could be used as a centre for media based organizations and creative industries in the future and would also encourage associated and complementary industries and lever in much needed private investment. * An increase in tourism linking into and complementing existing and planned regeneration in east London (people still go to Barcelona and Munich to visit the Olympic sites) * Wholesale environmental and landscaping improvements and new urban design concepts * Staging a major international event such as the Olympics would be a major cultural boost to east London, which has long suffered from the image of dereliction and unattractiveness. It would be an excellent chance to publicise the area's wide cultural diversity and create tourist attractions such as an Olympic Park. 4. If you were to visit the areas shown here one year after the photograph was taken, how do you think it would have changed? I think there would still be a high level of construction going on, and the area would look more developed e.g. the Westfield Shopping Mall might have more added to its exterior (such as the windows etc). There might also be more people there (e.g. working/just observing etc).

Dover Beach

George 1 Joshua George Instructor Sarah Poffenroth EN 115 23 October 2012 Essay Two: The theme of ‘Illusion versus Reality’ in Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach’ ‘Dover Beach’ is a poem by the English poet Matthew Arnold. The locale of the poem is the English ferry port of Dover Kent, facing Calais, France. This was the place where Matthew Arnold honeymooned in 1851 (Wikipedia Contributors).In Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach’, the speaker draws visual imagery to show that what is generally perceived is false and hence an illusion, and he contrasts it using aural imagery to show what is truly real, the bitter reality of losing faith in one’s tradition, culture, and religion. The poem is unevenly divided into four stanzas. The first stanza has fourteen lines, whereas the second, third, and fourth have six, eight, and nine lines, respectively. Ruth Pitman calls this poem a series of incomplete sonnets (109).The poem has no particular rhyme scheme except for stanza four which follows the rhyme scheme- abbacddcc. The events described in the poem allude to the Victorian Era (1837-1901) (Wikipedia Contributors), which was a time of industrialization and introduction of scientific theories and ideas such as the Theory of Evolution which questioned major principles of Christianity. Some critics say that the speaker in the poem is Matthew Arnold himself because the location where the events in the poem take place isGeorge 2 Dover beach, where Arnold went for honeymoon with his wife. The poem is thought to be composed in 1851 and that is the year when Arnold honeymooned (Wikipedia Contributors). The speaker paints visual imagery of the scene in lines 1-8. Words such as ‘calm’ and ‘tranquil’ create an image of stability whereas words such as ‘glimmering’ and ‘vast’ describe the visual beauty of the scene. The first stanza also uses words like ‘roarâ €™ and ‘tremulous cadence’ to draw an aural image of the scene.Notice the contrast Arnold draws by using visual and aural imagery; the former expresses illusion (calm, beautiful, tranquil, etc. ) and the latter expresses reality (tremulous cadence) which induces sadness. The beginning of the first stanza describes the beauty of ‘Dover beach’. Midway through the stanza, the speaker invites his love (mentioned in stanza four) to ‘come to the window’ (line 6) and listen to the grating roar of the pebbles. By saying ‘come to the window’ the speaker wants his love to see things from his perspective.Alternatively, it could also mean looking at things closely as implied by lines seven and eight where the speaker mentions that ‘only, from the long line of spray where the sea meets the moon-blanched land’ (the shore) can you hear the ‘grating roar of pebbles’. The sound made by the pebbles when it is drawn and flung by waves, creates a note of sadness in the speaker’s heart. The first stanza shows the incompatibility between what is perceived and what is truly real. The material things of the world are in a way an illusion created by the world but the truth can be only known when we closely inspect everything.By introducing Sophocles (Greek playwright) in the second stanza, the speaker wants to emphasize the fact that he is not the only one to experience sadness induces by the sound of pebbles tossed about by the waves which ‘brought into his (Sophocles’) mind the turbid ebb and George 3 flow of human misery’ (lines 17-18). The speaker feels the same. This poem was written in the Victorian Era. It was a time of industrialization, economic prosperity and introduction of scientific ideas such as ‘Darwin’s Evolution Theory’ which made people question tradition, culture, and religion.People lost all their faith; though on the outside they seemed calm, happy and in control, the speaker feels that deep down inside they all experienced sadness due to their lack of faith (stanza 3). In the third stanza, the speaker talks about faith. The speaker feels that people used to be full of faith but due to the modern age and its ideas, people have lost their faith in tradition, culture, and religion. The speaker illustrates this by using the image of clothes. When people had faith in religion, the world used to be clothed (Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled).Once they lost their faith, they were stripped of these clothes like ‘naked shingles of the earth’. Thus, the third stanza brings out the bitter reality of that time. Depressed by the condition of humans the speaker turns to his lover and wants them to be true to one another. Stanza four brings back the illusion presented in stanza one. The speaker says, â€Å"For the world, which seems to lie before us like a land of dreams, so various, so beautiful, so new , hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain† (lines 30-34).Here the word ‘seems’ implies that the world isn’t what it is normally perceived (it is an illusion) as (land of dreams, beautiful etc. ) but it has bitter reality attached to it. This melancholy awareness of the poet is put perfectly by Rodney Delasanta; he wrote, â€Å"The theme of the poem (the poet’s melancholy awareness of the terrible incompatibility between illusion and reality) is supported by the use of visual imagery to express illusion and auditory imagery to express reality† (1). George 4 H.Wayne Schow points out an interesting thing; the phraseology of the poem is similar to Romans 8:38-39, where Paul writes: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the l ove of God. This shows that Arnold knew the Bible well. He could have used it deliberately to contrast the piece of scripture from Romans to emphasize the current state of humankind (27).Arnold’s â€Å"Dover Beach† uses imagery, symbolism, and other poetic devices to reveal the theme of illusion versus reality. Throughout the poem we can see the speaker’s struggle which is well supported by the inconsistent rhythm and meter. The speaker beautifully describes it by using visual imagery to express illusions and aural imagery to express harsh reality. The speaker expresses his desire to have faith and be honest with his love but towards the end of the poem slides back to pessimism due to the realization of the reality. George 5 Works Cited Wikipedia contributors. â€Å"Victorian era.   Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. Wikipedia contributors. â€Å"Dover Beach. †Ã‚  Wikipedia, The Free Enc yclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 17 Sep. 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. Pitman, Ruth. â€Å"On Dover Beach. † Essays in Criticism. XXIII (1973): 109-136. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. Schow, H. Wayne. â€Å"Arnold’s Dover Beach. † The Explicator. (1998): 26-27. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. Delasanta, Rodney. Explicator. XVIII (1959): 1. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. Fain, John T. â€Å"Arnold’s Dover Beach. † (2002): 40-42. Web. 23 Oct. 2012.

Ukrainian Language and Culture

Every day we use, transmit and sometimes learn both language and culture. We are most likely oblivious to it, but our language is inevitably influenced by the culture we live in – e. . the way we are taught to treat people and speak are connected. We are also most likely to have the same traditions and customs as the people speaking the same language. In this essay I will briefly define language and culture and present some examples of the influence on each other from my own Ukrainian culture. What is culture? Found in Oxford Dictionary Online, culture means â€Å"the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group†¦ † The word itself comes from the Latin word cultura – meaning growing, cultivation.Edward Tylor (1871) summarized it the following way: Culture †¦ is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. We practice what we learn throughout life and transmit to our children what we have been taught – the basic behaviour, such as greeting, table manners and dressing but inevitably also traditions, such as birthday and Christmas celebration. Without investigating we know that this type of behaviour was taught and found in many generations before us, and will be long after we die.The culture – the way we do things – is transgenerational – it continues beyond lifetimes (Rosman&Rubel 2001). Neither does culture stand still – it changes and develops over time (Ferraro, 1998). What is language? Language, or speech, is the primary human communication tool which conveys ideas, transfers messages and makes people interact. Apart from the verbal communication we find the other two – written and non-verbal (body language). Languages are made out of devises like grammar, syntax, phonemes and mordhenics (Ferraro, 1998). Language is also one of the things that differs us from animals (Rosman&Rubel 2001).Just the same way as we experience and practice culture, we do with language. The dictionary definition of the word is â€Å"1. the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured way 2. †¦ used by a particular country or community† (Oxford Dictionaries Online, 2012). Here it is evident that language is, apart from being a body of words and systems and speech, tightly connected to a specific group of people and consequently a culture. How does language influence culture and vice versa?Based on the information above, we see a very clear pattern – the ways humans speak and behave are connected. Language is the tool through which cultural ideas can be conveyed, transmitted and kept, and â€Å"when a group begins to lose its language, its cultural tapestry begins to unravel† (Rosman&Rubel, 2001, pp. 41). Som examples of language and c ulture going hand in hand, can be found in my Ukrainian culture: In addition to your name, you also carry a middle name – a patronymic. According to Oxford Online Dictionary, it is â€Å"a name derived from the name of a father or ancestor, typically by the addition of a prefix or suffix†.For instance, my full name is Anastasia Oleksandrivna Semenova. My fathers name is Oleksandr and being a female, the ending is -ivna. Males’ endings are typically -ov or -ich. Culturally this links the father being highly honored in the typical Ukrainian family – he is the head of the house and the provider. The patronymic is kept for life. This is also essential when addressing to eachother. In everyday life people typically use the first name and the fathers name, if not being family or very close friends, e. g. Anastasia Oleksandrivna. When addressing someone formally, different types of ‘you’ is used – e. . a friend would be addressed as â€Å"ty † () but a teacher, a boss or, in a childs case, everyone that is older would be addressed as â€Å"vy† (). Showing respect this way is a strict rule, but is a habit since it is taught from infancy. Culturally, this links with the politeness taught from a very young age – to respect the older, non-familiar and higher-educated people than you. Changing the â€Å"vy† to â€Å"ty† is a sign of entering into the friend circle. Conclusion The broad term culture includes behaviour, customs, traditions, cuisine, law and morals of a specific group of people.It is taught, transmitted, transgenerational and changed over time. Language is the primary tool of interaction and communication of man. It is shared by a community or a group of people and is tightly connected to the culture of the group – by language culture is taught and transmitted. The Ukrainian culture values and teaches respect when addressing one another. Two good examples are the use of patronymics as a middle name (links to high position of the father) and a formal and informal ‘you’ (links to respect toward older and unfamiliar people). Bibliography&references

Personal Experience with Ageism and Adultism Essay

Personal Experience with Ageism and Adultism - Essay Example The essay "Personal Experience with Ageism and Adultism" talks about the age as a factor that distinguishes individuals in the society. To begin with, when I was young, during my third-grade year, my elder brother, who was in twelfth grade at the time, and his friends once discussed an issue which all of them seemed quite unaware of. Their discussion was mainly marred by speculation and imagination of what a new education policy was about and the implication it would have on the education system. Even though I was not part of the discussion, I was sitting with them in the living room, and had an upper hand over them, having watched the broadcast about the policy and its implication on national television. They kept arguing speculatively with one of them particularly explaining a completely distorted version of the policy to the rest. At some point, I joined in the discussion, giving the true version of the policy and its implication just as I had watched on television. They took it t o another side of the argument, giving it little attention, maybe because it did not come from one of their peers, and more so, it had come from a younger person whom they did not seem to believe had the command on such matters. Even after I had told them that I had watched it on national television, they still ignored my version and continued with the argument using their own speculated versions. As the debate continued and after I had given up on convincing them, my father arrived in the house and found the debate raging on.

Critical Thinking in the Classroom Management Bloom's Taxonomy as a Essay

Critical Thinking in the Classroom Management Bloom's Taxonomy as a Learning Tool - Essay Example (Athanassiou et al, 2003). In the context of learning new matters and finding out early benefits to be derived from it, it is necessary to organize the required operation into sequences, in order that this is laid out and gained in capabilities or derivation of information, and also evaluating the results repeatedly, so that they could be used effectively to measure results and make necessary needed corrections, if need be. The systematic instruction designs in terms of what the students need to know, or should be able to do, when the rendering of instructions are completed. The necessary links needs to be established between the mode of instruction and the perceived results that would be derived. It is seen that over the years, the fundamental model of systematic instruction design has changed over time, but the basic element of ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate) remains intact. (Business Performance, 2008). In the first stage, the problem is defined in its proper context, and the areas in which it would be used are delineated. In the present study, it is seen that the main area of focus is correctly and cogently defined, in that this aspect would form the core of the undertaken work and would have an important bearing on the course of the proceedings. (Holland, 2005). The solution for the issues would have direct bearing on the scope of its definition and purpose: (Holland, 2005). Next, the ADDIE method analysis would be considered at later stage. It is seen that according to this Bloom classification, cognitive is the most simplest and result evaluation is the most difficult aspect. (Malachowski, 2002). Further, it could be said that the Addie Model mainly concerns itself with the following five aspects: 1. What are the main objectives that need to be achieved 2. What kind of skill sets, information systems and attitudes need to be developed and honed 3. The usage of resources and strategies 4. Structure of content of learning materials 5. Assessment of the evaluation and feedbacks that the learner's comprehension have met with the key objectives needed (Strickland, n.d.). The aspects of analysis in the context of this strategy could be seen in terms of the following: 1. How organizations and training program objectives could impact upon the classifications of the management of classroom and the use of learning tools for critical thinking. 2. Confirm regarding the operational efficacy of training to suit these requirements 3. Contextually, it is also necessary to speak out the administrative requirement of training. 4. Determine strategies for the shifting of learned skills into work processes 5. Preparation of a complete evaluation of project risks, assumptions and opportunities available. 6. Compile the significant factors of training vendors/trainers 7. Determine the target members, program entry and its requirements and the special requirements of participants and their special needs. 8. Assess extent of knowledge and training of participants a

The Primary Function of Human Resource Management Term Paper

The Primary Function of Human Resource Management - Term Paper Example Programs such as those that rotate employees between different kinds of units within the organization and those that encourage directed learning as well as promoting inter-agency communication across the entire company are being increasingly viewed as having paramount importance. Furthermore, Human Resource department must develop a system of recognition and reward for the staff in regards to their contributions to the agency. While there is still some truth to the image of the HR department as keeping track of birthdays and other events for the betterment of the morale of the staff, HR is now developing into a much more sophisticated part of the overall business network. In fact there is bound to eventually be a complete split between the duties of the â€Å"file clerk† aspect and the duties of the director of the department. †¦the Society for HR Management (SHRM) Global Forum report on "The Maturing Profession of Human Resources Worldwide" (2004) showed that over half ( 54.8%) of HR professionals say the most frequently encountered obstacle to career advancement is HR's not being held in high esteem by the organization. One thing is certain, HR is evolving and the profession will either be driven reactively by external changes or will more proactively define its own future. (Vosburgh, 2007, p. Talent, for lack of a better term, is one of the most strategic parts that HR is playing in the current business model. â€Å"Talentship† is a term being used to describe this new paradigm in the creation.... One of the first steps in bringing HR into a more productive and strategic part of the business model is to make the same type of paradigm shift in separation of functions. While many HR professionals today still struggle to get a seat at the business table, the HR profession in the future should continue to evolve and take more responsibility for overall organizational effectiveness. To do this the HR professional will need to become better at utilizing systems thinking and systems measurement. (Jamrog, and Overholt, 2004, p. 54) Talent, for lack of a better term, is one of the most strategic parts that HR is playing in the current business model. â€Å"Talentship† is a term being used to describe this new paradigm in the creation of a more far-reaching strategy for Human Resource Planning. Similar to the roles between finance and marketing, HR is now also being asked to help companies’ research and locate another critical component, the market for talent. Using the sa me analogy, a company cannot succeed if their finance and accounting team is not successfully pared with their sales and marketing team. In fact over time there have been regulatory and best practice applications that have helped to further cement this finance-marketing relationship. However, in HR the guidelines are a little fuzzier, and in fact are usually only to be found in individual policies and procedures and certainly in some academic and business journals. â€Å"Organizational decision processes and tools employed in the talent market are far less mature and refined than those used in finance or marketing† (Boudreau, 2005, p. 18). Now more than ever companies need professional practices in place in order to align their business needs with greater

Engineering Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Engineering Strategy - Essay Example Having won National Bed Federations "Bed Manufacturer of the Year - 2011/2012" award and the prestigious Manufacturing Guild Mark (MGM) accreditation, this entity is engaged in producing customized and handcrafted comfortable beds, using sustainable materials of high quality. It is a British company originated within UK and operating in various territories outside it (Hypnosbeds.com, 2013). This paper is based on facts, figures and data of this company and provides a detailed critical analysis of its corporate objectives and manufacturing strategies. The paper provides the complete process of developing and designing an appropriate manufacturing strategy of the company, considering its overall corporate goals and coordination with other functions supporting its manufacturing. After proposing strategy, it is compared to the existing strategy and thorough evaluated for planned outcomes. Finally, dissertation focuses on the obstacles that the company might face during implementation pha ses, implications of communication and coordination of the entire plan and strategy across the organization and measurement techniques that management can deploy in order to assess the extent of achievement of planned objectives and identify any departures from initially forecasted results. A manufacturing strategy is a collaborative process of production, reformulation and utilization of inputs and factors of production, supporting overall corporate strategy and giving a competitive advantage to organization (Marucheck et al., 1990). This definition depicts the vitality of manufacturing strategy in ensuring success of business and achievement of manufacturing excellence. Manufacturing excellence is dynamic value adding process that enables satisfaction of customers and suppliers through continuous improvements that are compatible with overall corporate objectives (Roth et al., 1992). An optimal manufacturing strategy is capable of creating

Business Law and Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Business Law and Ethics - Assignment Example The implementation of professional boards in Kuwait has already started, and will not be a hard task, as Kuwait-based companies have already worked on realizing compliance with the standards required from professional boards. These standards include that the boards should only have seven members. One example of a compliant company’s professional board is that of Kuwait Finance & Investment Company which has implemented the seven-member professional board standard (Kuwait Finance & Investment Company 1). The company has also met the standard that the board members should be highly experienced in the business areas of the company. For instance, from the case of KF & IC, the different members were selected on the basis of their knowledge of the Kuwait business environs, and their experience in the financial and investment business (KF & IC 1). Compliance with the professional board standards is also demonstrated from the case of Kuwait and Middle East Financial Investment Company (KMEFIC), which has implemented the seven board member system (KMEFIC 1). Further, the board members were selected on the basis of their experience in the finance and investment business environment of Kuwait and the Middle East. The new system has been working in Kuwait, mainly because the Kuwait-based companies share in the needs to downsize the number of board members, as well as to prioritize the capacity of the members, towards contributing to the effective oversight of the company.  ... Compliance to the professional board standards is also demonstrated from the case of Kuwait and Middle East Financial Investment Company (KMEFIC), which has implemented the seven board member system (KMEFIC 1). Further, the board members were selected on the basis of their experience in the finance and investment business environment of Kuwait and the Middle East. The new system has been working in Kuwait, mainly because the Kuwait-based companies share in the needs to down-size the number of board members, as well as to prioritize the capacity of the members, towards contributing to the effective oversight of the company. Qn. 2. The gatekeepers are economic players affiliated to senior regime leaders and players (Hertog 290). The gatekeepers are the brokers that are best studied and documented in popular writings and western press, as actors that played a critical role around the senior figures in the regimes – ordinarily sheikhs and prices. The gatekeepers control the access of the VIPs of the region to high-level individuals, and also to the resources that the senior regime members could dispose (Hertog 291). Gatekeepers already existed during the pre-oil time, at Kuwait and other nations like Arabia, although their relevance increased with increase in the administrative complexity, the centralization and the riches of the gulf nations. Among the famous gatekeepers of the 1970s, which was an oil-boom time include Ghaith Pharaoh of Saudi Arabia (Hertog 291). They acted as the mediators between royal personalities like King Fadh, who was a Prince before, and Sultan, who was a prince in charge of the defense ministry. The gatekeepers addressed the finer details of national contracts, and scooped a very large share – allowing Western contractors to engage the

The impact of Multi-Tasking on Performance Research Paper

The impact of Multi-Tasking on Performance - Research Paper Example The objective of this research is the term multitasking has been commonly used in business and project management to describe the act of putting one’s focus on more than one projects at a given time. Multitasking is taken by many as a survival tactic that some adopt to cope with the flood of information going their way. Generally, multitasking is a skill everyone has to have as life can impose on an individual numerous things needing their attention. Project management is no different from these real- life situations. Actually project managers are at times considered to be the key individuals who considering the amount of time they have to dedicate to multiple projects in their firms and their employees. Human beings have always possessed the ability to multitask and attend to a number of things at once, since the ancient times. However, the phenomenon of multitasking has without a doubt reached a new level with the introduction and innovation of technology. Although many face ts of an individual’s networked life have remained untouched by scientific research, there is enough evidence from scientific studies on how the brain manages multitasking; and basically, a lot of this evidence indicates that the brain does not have enough capacity to effectively manage and cope with more than one task. As it follows, when one thinks that they are multitasking just because they can burn a cd and listen to music at the same time they are wrong, because all they are really doing toggling among these tasks other than processing them simultaneously. (Adcock, et al.,2008). The toggling of actions or the switching of one’s attention between tasks occurs in the area of the brain located behind the forehead and it is referred to as the Brodmann’s area in the anterior prefrontal cortex of the brain. According to functional magnetic resonance imaging done by Grafman and

Gender Inequality Essay Example for Free

Gender Inequality Essay The issue of gender inequality or discrimination has existed in the financial industry of the United States. This paper aims to present the existence of such practice in the financial world of some of the famous yet lawsuit-stricken Wall Street firms. In particular, a book written by Roth, which has studied and presented the many incidents of gender prejudices, will be critically analyzed. To make the public realize the need for such harmful organizational practice to be stopped is the ultimate goal of this paper. A Critical Analysis of â€Å"Selling Women Short: Gender Inequality on Wall Street† Many literary writings have presented gender inequalities in work settings. Each work has revealed to the public the many damaging implications of gender discrimination. These kinds of prejudices have been manifested in several forms, notable of which are the famous sexual harassment and unfair labor practice cases. Almost always in such lawsuits, the women employees of big business organizations always fall prey or are subjected to various gender-related unfair practices. Several factors are taken into consideration when gender biases occur in work places. While it is worthy to note that modern working women have slowly achieved a sense of work fairness based from their significant contributions in their respective industries, the ghost of the past sill haunts the society. These are evident with the unsettled labor cases having women as the aggrieved parties. These are but some of the main issues presented in many books. Despite the efforts, however, to clearly present the realities within an organization setting, the fact remains that there are still no appropriate responses which may address the issues concerning women employees. One of the many books which concretely depicted the said condition is the 2006 book of Louise Marie Roth entitled â€Å"Selling Women Short: Gender and Money on Wall Street. † In fact, a literary work such as the Roth book is a clear proof that gender inequalities, which beset powerful Wall Street companies almost two decades ago, have destructively affected contemporary work environments. This is because of the idea that only a few of high-profile gender discrimination cases are resolved in favor of the women victims while majority of these lawsuits are decided favoring the managements where the supposed injustices emanate or where the suspected male offenders acquired their influences. These celebrated criminal cases and the eventual out of court settlements have clearly indicated the previous existence of discrimination and continued practice of gender inequality in the professional environment. Despite the efforts of the Roth book to enlighten and rectify the perspective that women in Wall Street nonetheless have their fair share of success, the reality that women in work places are likely to be shortchanged or are â€Å"sold short† of their respective powers and potentials will never cease to exist. This situation will continue unless concrete actions and sincere efforts are made in order to alleviate, if not stop, gender discrimination in work places. â€Å"Selling Women Short,† an Overview As an educator, Roth presented the book in a manner of self-realization. The author learned how Wall Street companies, such as Smith Barney, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch, all of Citigroup, have provided and continued hostile work settings for their women employees despite the existence of many legal limitations. Based from a methodology using research questions and aimed at achieving an investigative design, â€Å"Selling Women Short† matched the male and female employees of Wall Street firms during the period of 1990s and at time when the market and chances were rich. In an era where the work setting was supposedly advantageous to women workers, Roth discovered the many forms of gender discriminations which hampered the female workforce to progress. In short, using thorough study procedures, the authors as presented by her book examined sex inequality on Wall Street and realized that deceitful prejudice is the outcome of people’s ignorant inclinations and injustices which manipulate how they regard other employees and their respective performances (Roth, 2006). The book specifically identified the Wall Street’s practice of performance appraisal system as the apparent cause of gender discrimination (Roth, 2006, pp. 36-37). The book further presented the various manners in which women employees of the said Wall Street firms have attained their respective success. In particular, the triumphs of women working in the security businesses involved searching for an influential male adviser but in the process, ultimately prevent them from joining team efforts where their inputs matter most. The book concluded by manifesting that work and family concerns do not go hand in hand. This is because of the reality that family-related issues could be the most difficult hindrances to gender fairness on Wall Street due to the fact that women workers desire and ultimately have their respective families. Appealing Components The book is most notable for its comprehensive and clear focus on gender-related emphasis, particularly the degrading reality of discrimination against women which was introduced by the Wall Street work settings and which has continued to harm the modern work place. Stunned by an outbreak of celebrated gender or sex inequality cases more than two decades ago, it was expected from Wall Street to sanitize its industries and the activities of its workforce. Interestingly for â€Å"Selling Women Short,† it has thoroughly and powerfully reflected on how Wall Street’s financial companies have cleared continuing discriminatory lawsuits. Roth is to be acclaimed for this fearless ability to research on the particular cases of gender inequalities and eventually share to the readers the results of her study as well as the appalling yet actual situations of discrimination involving women employees of the firms located at the financial capital of the United States. It is also interesting to discover from the book that Wall Street, which is regarded to be a fortress of untainted or wholesome economics as well as supposedly compensating employees according to their accomplishments and assessing their jobs impartially, is in reality nothing but deceptions. It was both an enlightening and enjoyable discovery that Wall Street was amiss with its supposed intention to equally pay employees, regardless of gender but who have the same qualities and achievements. The comparison made by Roth about the work experiences of the people who started their jobs at various Wall Street firms in the later period of the 1990s was truly appealing. This is because the author was able to unearth that aside from the reality that women employees are paid at a standard of 29 percent less than their male colleagues, they are likewise pushed to less rewarding career options as well as were deprived of promotion and worthwhile customers (Roth, 2006). Aside from the mentioned interesting points, the book has remarkably exposed the devious gender inequality in the Wall Street structure. Roth is again to be praised for her explicit revelation of gender discrimination when she wrote on the unwitting prejudices of the members of the management, colleagues of the women employees and the manipulation of the customers on the performance assessments, task allocation, and eventually compensation (Roth, 2006, p. 62). Simply put, the book, through the words of Roth, has effectively presented how employees behind Wall Street companies have portrayed realistically damaging components such as their penchant to relate with those of similar sex and how they have a say to the system of gender discrimination. Ultimately, the author is to be credited with her proposals to limit the practice of all gender-related inequalities. Though the suggestions seem to fall short of being real, such attempt by Roth implied her earnest intention for the public to realize the harms of discrimination. Conclusion Despite the above mentioned interesting attributes of â€Å"Selling Women Short,† the book itself is unfortunately similarly short of its suggestions on how gender inequality could have been addressed, if not stopped, even from its start of existence. While Roth’s writing job was generally appealing and informative primarily because of her efforts to deal with the issue of gender discrimination, it may be in a way perceived that the public was shortchanged of more concrete solutions. Nonetheless, what Roth has ultimately achieved was for the book to eventually sink into the organizational set-up of Wall Street firms where it is aimed at influencing the people who build the practice of gender discrimination to finally put an end to such prejudice. Reference Roth, L. M (2006). Selling Women Short: Gender Inequality on Wall Street. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

How did Television Sitcoms Change Gender Roles?

How did Television Sitcoms Change Gender Roles? How did television sitcoms change gender roles from late 50s to 60s? Television started to become a popular piece of entertainment for the family in the 50s. Television was one of the most important entertainment forms of device that entertained the family at home rather than going out[1]. As television got popular over the years, more and more people started to buy them for their house. Television took the place for piano, radio and phonograph[2]. Television was placed in the center of the family, where they would spend family time watching news to sitcoms. Television was the great family entertainer that brought mom, dad, and the kids together; while portraying different gender roles and social functions in a society[3]. Sitcoms in 1950s portrayed of having a perfect family, husband was the bread winner and the women was the house wife. Women were often showed in sitcoms as the family care of the family and also not expected to have a job. Sitcoms played a major role in the American society and played a biggest influence role on women throughout the years .1960s was the era where the perfect family construct was changed, where both men and women were shown of having jobs in sitcoms, which was different from 1950s. There was a big shift in the sitcoms, once it was shown to have a perfect family of one male worker in the family to showing both gender having a job. Television and sitcoms played a huge role into shaping up the future of the society. The American suburb was growing postwar era, a nuclear family was a basic social construct [4]. Sitcoms such as father knows best and leave it to beaver showed a perfect nuclear family construct. A womens job was to stay at home, take care of the family, cook, and make husband happy. In an episode from I love Lucy; Lucy was portrayed to follow her husbands commands. Where the man is the master, and the woman does what shes told (equal rights).ÂÂ   Usually women had to be obedient to their husbands, respect their opinion and always agree with their opinion.ÂÂ   Most of the sitcoms would show women at home taking care of the house instead of pursuing a career. A womans place is in home (leave it to beaver, Beavers house guest).ÂÂ   Sitcoms such as father knows best, Jane the mother, was always at home taking care of the children, cleaning, and making food; While the man had a different role A husband was the bread winner of the family[5]. In an episode from Father knows best, a young engineer had the ideal family vision of a hardworking man that worked hard all day that would come home to pretty wife. So when the day is over he can come home to some nice pretty wife (Betty, Girl Engineer).ÂÂ   There are many things that sitcoms portrayed about a suburban culture from Father knows best, I love Lucy, and Leave it to beaver that showed predominantly common gender role, where the husband was the bread winner and women was the home wife. Sitcom such as father knows the best played a perfect nuclear family that Americans dreamed of having. Jim played the role of the husband. He came home after work every day expecting dinner and the house to be clean. Since the men were the money provider for the family, they realized that supporting the family was hard at times. For example: in an episode Jim told the family Time has come for us to tighten our bills (The Mink Coat). This shows that Jim was the only money provider for the whole family, while the rest of the family did not know how to control their expenses. It got harder for Jim to balance the checks, since he was the only money provider for the house. In a way, Jim as a husband and father has to make his family happy but since he is the only worker of the family, sitcoms showed that man would work hard all day and come home to nice family, which was a stress reliever. While women on sitcoms had a different thinking that earning money was same as working in the home. Lucys character was mainly showed as naÃÆ'Â ¯ve, dumb, and careless with money. For example, in I love Lucy whats so tough about earning a living (Job Switching). Lucy thought that earning money was not hard, and it could be done by women as well. Sitcoms often showed that women were not mature when it came to money decision and work, while on the other had men were shown to be the mature responsible earner of the family. Sitcoms often showed women only doing the house work. They were not shown intelligent and were not encouraged to pursue any career.ÂÂ   For example: In an episode from fathers knows best in which betty signed up as wanting to be an engineer, one of bettys guy friend said but youre a girl (Betty, Girl Engineer) referring it to how men thought girls were not capable to do jobs like men. Even mothers would train their daughters to do house work and be a good wife. Youre joking (Betty, an engineer) Jane, mother of Betty took it as a joke that Betty was going to be an engineer. Sitcoms often showed that women were not expected to do big things in life such as work and earn a living. In an episode from I love Lucy, Ricky said Anybody can cook and do house work (Job Switching). Ricky the husband works in the kitchen and Lucy works in a chocolate factory. It showed in the episode how it was miserable for both the man and women to struggle for job switching. It referenced that women were better in the kitchen and man were better at earning a living. Sitcoms also showed that women were shown non intelligent even if they were working in a chocolate factory. In 1960s, there was a change in sitcoms, where women were not always shown working in the kitchen but they held some type of job on the side. Shows such as That Girl played an important role in the 1960s showing women were more than capable to work and handle house work. Ann was portrayed as a strong woman who is focused on her career. You got the job (Help Wanted) it was when Ann got a job as a secretary job. It was an important scene because it showed the viewers that women should advance in their careers instead of being a full time house wife.ÂÂ   Ann was a main character in the show, where she was portrayed as a hard working woman. Shows like That Girl, made women realize that they can be more independent. Sitcom such as That Girl tried to show that women should pursue their career instead of being rushed to their marriage and raising a family. Finally, Television played an important role in social life and gender life. Television transitioned the whole idea of gender roles. 1950s was a period of time where nuclear family was known as the dream family. In 1950s, men were the bread winner of the family and the women were the home taker of the house. The idea of nuclear family started to transition as time progressed. 1960s had a revolutionary change in sitcoms, women were shown having a job and taking care of the family, but before it was different where they were not shown to be working. Father knows best, I love Lucy, and Leave it to beaver showed how a typical family construct and showed the gender responsibility. Shows like that girl started to change the idea of a dream family and men and women were shown to be equal. Bibliography Primary sources: Father Knows the best. Betty, Girl Engineer April 11, 1956. Television Father Knows the best. The Mink Coat. April 11, 1956. Television Leave it to beaver, Beavers house guest. October 8, 1960. Television I love Lucy, job switching. September 15, 1952. Television I love Lucy, Equal Rights. October 26,1953. Television That girl, help wanted. October 20, 1966. Television Second Sources: Bogart, Leo. The Age of Television. 3rd ed., New York: Ungar, 1972. Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1992. Print. [1] Bogart, Leo. The Age of Television. 3rd ed., New York: Ungar, 1972. [2] Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1992. Print. [3] Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1992. Print. [4] Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1992. Print. [5] Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1992. Print.

James Joyces Araby - Loss of Innocence in Araby Essays -- Joyce Dubli

Loss of Innocence in Araby In her story, "Araby," James Joyce concentrates on character rather than on plot to reveal the ironies inherent in self-deception. On one level "Araby" is a story of initiation, of a boy’s quest for the ideal. The quest ends in failure but results in an inner awareness and a first step into manhood. On another level the story consists of a grown man's remembered experience, for the story is told in retrospect by a man who looks back to a particular moment of intense meaning and insight. As such, the boy's experience is not restricted to youth's encounter with first love. Rather, it is a portrayal of a continuing problem all through life: the incompatibility of the ideal, of the dream as one wishes it to be, with the bleakness of reality. This double focus-the boy who first experiences, and the man who has not forgotten-provides for the dramatic rendering of a story of first love told by a narrator who, with his wider, adult vision, can employ the sophisticated use of irony and symbolic imagery necessary to reveal the story's meaning. The boy's character is indirectly suggested in the opening scenes of the story. He has grown up in the backwash of a dying city. Symbolic images show him to be an individu... ...ossibility. That sense of loss is intensified, for its dimension grows as we realize that the desire to, live the dream will continue through adulthood. At no other point in the story is characterization as brilliant as at the end. Joyce draws his protagonist with strokes designed to let us recognize in "the creature driven and derided by vanity" both a boy who is initiated into knowledge through a loss of innocence and a man who fully realizes the incompatibility between the beautiful and innocent world of the imagination and the very real world of fact. In "Araby," Joyce uses character to embody the theme of his story.

Charles Dickens The Signalman :: charles Dickens signalman Essays

Charles Dickens' The Signalman Introduction I have studied pre-1900 short stories by different authors, which all follow a similar format and historical content of their time. In my essay I will discuss and describe what necessary ingredients are needed to make these murder mystery short stories effective and successful. Short stories became an extremely favoured form of fiction and entertainment during the nineteenth century... In the days before electrical advantages for entertainment, (e.g:-radio, television, films and videos) adventure was generally only discovered/only existed within the imagination of mystery and supernatural stories, and were especially popular in the Victorian age, where people would escape into the mystifying worlds the words described in the stories. (Perhaps these authors’ fulfilled the need for excitement in this relatively oppressed society...). It was during this era that many writers began to capture readers’ curiosity about death, vengeance, trickery, imprisonment, hanging, ghosts and fear... A first impression may affect/ determine the way the words will communicate with its reader throughout a story. So I feel it important that the begining of a mystery story must be (engaging, compelling, intriguing, appealing, capture the imagination/ attentions of the audience) immediately for it to be successful. Mystery= arcane, baffling, curious, enigmatic, incomprehesible, inexplicable, insoluable, magical, miraculous, mystifying, obscure, perplexing, puzzling, secret, strange, uncanny, unexplained, unfathomable, unknown, wierd, bizarre, puzzle, problem, riddle, abnormal, supernatural. Murderous= barbaric, bloodthirsty, brutal, cruel, dangerous, deadly, ferocious, fierce, homocidal, pitiless, ruthless, savage, vicious, violent, assassin. The overall effect of the above ingredients, if successfully combined, will ensure the reader is first drawn in, by capturing their imagination, and they are then compelled to keep reading until the end. Beginings In the begining of our first story The Adventure of the Engineers Thumb by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1892) (who is the creator of the famous characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson’s detective adventures) He tells this strange, dramatic story, which he believes, had been told more than once in the newspapers - to stress how significant this mysterious account was. The following quotation is the paragraph introducing the story:- ‘One morning, at a little before seven o’clock, I was awakened by the maid tapping at the door, to announce that two men had come from Paddington, and were waiting in the consulting room. I dressed hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway cases were seldom trivial, and hastened downstairs. As I descended, my old ally, the guard, came out of the room, and closed the door tightly behind him. ‘I’ve got him here,’ he whispered, jerking his thumbs over his shoulder, ‘He’s all right.’ ‘What is it then?’ I asked, for his manner suggested that it was some strange creature which he had caged up in

It’s Time to Crack Down on Police Brutality Essay -- Argumentative Per

It’s Time to Crack Down on Police Brutality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Police brutality has become a widespread and persistent problem in the United States.   Police brutality occurs when a law enforcement officers use excessive or unlawful force while on or off duty.   "Established: A Pattern of Abuse" is an article in The Humanist, written by Barbara Dority.   She states, "Thousands of individual complaints are reported each year and local authorities pay out millions of dollars to vicitms in damages and lawsuits" (5).   Dority also describes some of the types of abuse that officers have done.   "[They] have beaten and shot unresisting suspects; they have misused batons, chemicals sprays, and electro-shock weapons; [and] they have injured or killed people by placing them in dangerous restraint holds" (5).   There have been many cases throughout the country where police officers have been far too brutal and someone has been injured or killed.   There have been many hundreds of cases like this and many peop le are wondering when it will end or even if it will end.   Most citizens of the United States agree that it is wrong and needs to be reduced if not eliminated.   So it all comes down to one question: what can be done about it?   Unfortunately, prosecution has not been sufficiently effective in stopping the brutality.   Police forces throughout the U.S. should be made more accountable for their actions. The greatest problem that has developed from police brutality is that the guilty officers are not punished, which leads to another incident of abuse.   Authorities should give more effective punishment to officers who abuse citizens.   Such punishment would help prevent abuse from happening again and again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In an anonymous Economist article c... ...gainst New York cops since 1993, only 180 officers have been disciplined, most of them with just a lecture or the loss of a vacation day" (26).   Officers need to be treated like citizens when it comes to that type of crime.   They should be sent to jail and just saying sorry should not let them off the hook.   They may be law officers, but they are not gods and they should have to face the consequences of their actions as all good citizens must.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sources Cited    Dority, Barbara.   "Established: A Pattern of Abuse."   The Humanist. 59.1 (Jan. 1999):5. Lacayo, Richard.   "Good Cop, Bad Cop."   Time.   150.9 (1 Sept. 1997):26-31. Lewis, Edward.   " Policing the Police."   Essence.   28.7 (Nov. 1997):14. Anonymous.   "Excessive Force."   The Economist 348.8076 (11 July 1998): 32.   

Western Australia Dhufish Management

The dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) is a demersal fish species endemic to Western Australia. They populate the coastal region, about 20-50 meters deep, from Shark Bay to the Recherche Archipelago but are most abundant between Kalbarri and Augusta (West Coast Bioregion, 2005, p.2). Because of their superb taste and large size, the dhufish is a prized catch for recreational and commercial fishers who have elevated the species to its current iconic status.The maximum lifespan of the dhufish is estimated at 40 years. Maximum length can reach one meter or more and weight can exceed 25 kilograms. They grow relatively fast before they reach 12 years old afterwhich growth rates slow down noticeably. The minimum legal size of dhufish is 500mm which they reach within 6-7 years (FMP No. 225, 2007, p.23)Female dhufish are ready to spawn once they are 3 or 4 years old, having reached an average length of 33 centimeters (Factsheet 3, 2007). However, female dhufish spawn the most eggs when they are older. The spawning season occurs between November to March when the waters get warm but is at its peak from December to March. Here, dhufish aggregations can be spotted in the waters.Dhufish Habitat and Current Status  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The dhufish habitat is in the waters of the West Coast bioregion considered to be a temperate oceanic zone (West Coast Bioregion, 2005, p.2). During their early life stages, dhufish occupy the hard-bottom seabed where there are plenty of sponges but as they mature, they move to low-lying reefs and then to major reefs where they are observed to be sedentary (Hesp, Potter and Hall as cited in Pagano and Fuller, 2006, p.7). This environment has been relatively invariable so that drastic changes would cause severe adaptation problems for dhufish.Current research reveals that the temperature of ocean waters and food sufficiency are crucial factors that affect the percentage of young dhufish survival or recruitment (Factsheet 3, 2 007). When conditions in the environment are at its best, dhufish recruitment is also at its highest resulting in a remarkable increase in fish population described as the â€Å"boom years†.During the past 2 decades however, boom years have been minimal. This phenomenon compounded by the increase in fishing activity due to population and tourism factors and the technological advances in fishing methods have worked together to severely reduce the local dhufish stock (Factsheet 3, 2007).The decrease in in-shore dhufish populations is especially marked in the metropolitan   coasts (i.e. Lancelin to Mandurah) where fishers now have to go farther out to sea in order to land fish. The concern over the depletion of dhufish stock grew within the past 10 years leading to the conduct of various researches and management efforts. Currently, the dhufish is classified by the Fisheries Board as Category One or highest risk (Recreational Fishing Guide, 2007).The natural mortality rate of 10% per annum has been exceeded by the fishing mortality rate of 11% per annum, objectively indicating that the dhufish are already being overexploited (Gaughan as cited in Pagano and Fuller, 2006, p.13). Because fishing mortality is based on annual fish catch, it does not even factor in the mortality due to release. A study has shown that most dhufish released die from deephooking or barotrauma (Gaughan and St. John, as cited in Pagano and Fuller, 2006, p.17). Fishing mortality has to be decreased by 50% in order to assure dhufish sustainability (FMP No. 225, 2007, p.6)Factors Affecting Dhufish StockFishing for recreation is part of the average Australian’s lifetime passions. Aside from the benefits of sport, Cribb (as cited in Pagano and Fuller, 2006) elucidates that â€Å"there is a strong cultural element of communal food gathering and sharing in Western Australia, with many recreational fishers specifically seeking fish for the consumption, rather than for non-consumpti ve sport† (p.34). Currently, it ranks fifth among 50 other recreational activities in terms of number of individuals participating.Recreational fishing, specifically angling, is practiced in areas where human populations are concentrated and mainly target inshore waters. Of the more than 2 million Western Australia population today, 34% engage in it representing a 7% increase since 1987 (Recfishwest, 2008). Frequency has increased to 311,400 fishing days a year with a 200% increase in the number of anglers per day within the past decade (Cribb as cited in Pagano and Fuller, 2006, p.38).Urbanization as well as land and sea transport infrastructure has made much of the coasts and near-shore waters accessible. At present, dhufish fishing has become more extensive with the prevalent use of boats that can go as far out as 50 miles. In 2006, there were 81,417 registered recreational fishing boats and 138 charter fishing boats for tours, with majority in the Metropolitan Area (FMP No . 225, 2007, p. 33).The promotion of recreational fishing in the media and internet, as well as the landing of dhufish as the ultimate symbol of fishing success, has also further increased the interest of people in dhufish fishing. Anglers traditionally used two lines and simply fish by hand but today, there have also been marked improvements in angling gear. The use of Global Positioning Systems and acoustic technology has also gained popularity among fishers and has made recreational fishing activities more efficient and productive.Modern commercial fishing now also employ DPS fishing machines and methods such as trawling and dredging can severely disrupt the food chain in the marine ecosystem and cause damage which affects the well-being of its species and reduces the availability of marine resources for human consumption (Cribb as cited in Pagano and Fuller, 2006, p.29).Of the estimated 409 tonnes of dhufish caught in the past year, recreational fishing accounted for 45%, commer cial fishing landed 44% while 5% was from chartered fishers (FMP No. 225, 2007, p.12-17). Recreational fishing provides $570M to the Western Australia economy annually (Recreational Fishing Guide, 2007, p.2).Commercial fishing or wetlining is regarded today as an expensive economic endeavor with its reliance on costly equipment which greatly increases overhead expenses. Coupled with the lower catch rate in recent years and a steady dhufish price in the market, dhufish catch restrictions on one hand and the need to increase fish catch on the other poses a dilemma for commercial fishers (Shinnick as cited in Pagano and Fuller, 2006, p.24).Charter boat fishing involves recreational fishers/tourists who go fishing together and share the expenses of the trip. In this way, they can fish in deeper waters and minimize cost. The dream catch of charter boat fishers is the prized dhufish and although they tend to land other species instead, it does not translate to a fishing experience that is worth their money. As such, charter boat operators are pressured to enable their customers to land their dhufish (Beva as cited in Pagano and Fuller, 2006, p.29).Dhufish ManagementMuch of management relies on accurate information and research and an effective conceptual framework. Historically, much of dhufish fishing regulation has targeted commercial fishing because of the view that recreational fishing does not impact significantly on fish stock. Hence, varying bag and other restrictions were enforced on wetliners while anglers were generally unrestricted.However, as the problem of dhufish overfishing became more pronounced in the mid 1990’s, the state began to consider the range of management practices that can be adopted for mitigation. This included whether to target dhufish as a specific species and focus on its habitat (biological conservation) or adopt a broader ecosystem-based management (Cribb as cited in Pagano and Fuller, 2008, p.34)Interest in dhufish research by academic institutions, the fishing industry, recreational groups and the Department of Fisheries has been sparked within the past decade encouraged with significant funding from stake-holder sectors and the state. The current research available still poses a lot of data gaps and with regards to statistical information, there is a general clamor for a more accurate method of data generation, particularly with catch data and release data (McGlennon, 2004).Deeper research enables the formulation of appropriate management strategies. However, the urgency of the problem forced policy makers to rely on the available preliminary information and research. This led to extensive stakeholders’ consultations geared towards developing a management plan acceptable to all and later, to legislations as can be evidenced in the latest Western Australia fishing guidelines and restrictions.ResearchMembers of the Western Australia fishing industry have initiated efforts in raising dhufish in a ttempts to sustain or increase stock for current and future use but were highly unsuccessful. In 1995, the Aquaculture Development Unit of Challenger TAFE conducted a research on dhufish breeding and declared that although possible, it was not feasible commercially (Jenkins as cited in Fuller and Pagano, 2006, p.5-6). This was because some biological characteristics of the dhufish hinder their unproblematic adaptation to aquaculture environments.Release methods pertain to the return of live undersize dhufish into the water. Because of the high mortality of released dhufish due to barotrauma, the Australian National Sportfishing Association (ANSA), with support from the Recfishwest and the Australian Anglers Association (AAA), developed the release weight method to reduce its incidence (Recfishwest, 2008).Research also showed that the lower the depth of water in which dhufish is caught, the more likely it would suffer barotrauma. The speed of bringing in the fish also determines its probability to die of it so that it is being advocated that fishers should bring in their dhufish more slowly, handle it with wet hands and support its belly during handling.Further and continuous research needs to be done on the life cycle of the dhufish, its behaviors, the crucial factors in its habitat as well as exploring and developing methods of conservation such as stock enhancement (FMP No. 176, 2004). With regards to surveys for monitoring stock, mortality, etc. similar surveys with minimal probabilities for bias should be done on a regular basis.LegislationSetting bag limits and other restrictions in recreational Dhufish fishing is an attempt to redefine its cultural norms as a social activity. This means changing people’s perceptions regarding their rights to fish and established measures of fishing success towards responsible fishing. This also means reconciling the welfare of the fish with current and long term human benefits.Major change in practice needs educat ion and enforcement before it becomes the norm. The consultation process was instrumental in gaining the cooperation of all sectors involved. The partnerships among stakeholders should be maintained in order to make dhufish management participatory and with less intensive state regulatory measures.The new fishing guidelines are intended to permit the dhufish to breed a few years after sexual maturity before being caught, allow them to spawn during the whole duration of the spawning season through imposing closed seasons (Recreational Fishing Guide, 2007). It also intended to lower fishing mortality through restrictions in fishing gear and the number of fish that can be landed by individuals as well as prescribe appropriate release methods and appropriate fishing areas (Hesp, Potter and Hall, p.8 and Recreational Fishing Guide, 2007).Community EducationThe advocacy for dhufish management should be widely supported and sustained in the coming years. Aside from research and legislation , community education is also very important. The commercial, charter and recreational fishing sectors have a lot to contribute in this aspect. Fishing and recreational associations and clubs should be involved in order to reach out to greater numbers of operators, fishers, tourists and other individuals and facilitate both research and legislation. Public education and information campaigns through the media should also be maximized including the internet as equally important channels.

Over The Last Few Years Essay

Over the last few years, social networking has become the newest trend. There are few main ideas that people take social net seriously. At first social networking at school and colleges help students and teachers play an important role in order to improve their abilities. Then it helps us to with reconnecting with people and finally it offers some useful services among friends and families as we create good environment by text messaging, games among others etc. The invention of the social networking has everyone running towards the technology. It has become so popular that really everyone is using whether it is the new generation who know everything about technology or the people who are barely starting to use the internet. People are attached to it because you can communicate with people from all over the world at any time of the day to anywhere you are, you can connect thru the internet. But the internet is not so great; there are many advantages and disadvantages of social networking. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram help people share their feelings, thoughts and find out more about their friends’ interests, as well as their personal lives. At the same time putting your personal information such as your name, age, location, gender and many other types of information that you may not want to let others know can be insecure. Also these networking sites can get addiction that often users’ hours and troubles their performance in other grounds. Therefore social networking can be part of everyday life because it has brought revolutionary changes among people. Knowing how to use it wisely and effectively utilize will only enhance our social lives and change for the better.

How to Improve Services

Jonathan Swift’s poem, The Lady’s Dressing Room, is a comic satire that seeks to show readers the inescapable humanity – and its flaws and gory ugliness – that women have to live with no matter how hard they try to make themselves appear immaculately beautiful on the outside. It could be read as a criticism of the extreme efforts women do to make themselves beautiful, and as a criticism of the beholder, the man, who is enamored by the physical beauty only to realize the imperfections being hidden underneath that flawless exterior in the lady’s dressing room. The dressing room is where the transformation takes place – this is where the lady goes in simple and when she comes out she is a radiant beauty and men cannot help themselves. That is what the poem implies that is why the poem begins with a man, Strephon, who is enamored by Celia who takes at least five hours to prepare herself, sneaking in the dressing room to find out why, and discovers the horrors that goes on not only inside the room but also with his beloved Celia’s body beneath those laces and brocades. He discovers: first a dirty Smock appear'd, Beneath the Arm-pits well besmear'd. Strephon, the Rogue, display'd it wide, And turn'd it round on every Side. On such a Point few Words are best, And Strephon bids us guess the rest; But swears how damnably the Men lie, In calling Celia sweet and cleanly. That in fact, Celia is not as perfect as she seems – her clothes have perspiration and bad smell on them. hat follows next is a series of finding other items Celia uses to prepare herself – combs with dirt, dandruff and sweat, a piece of cloth with oil used to cover wrinkles, gloves made from Celia’s dog’s skin when it died, and various little jars filled with pomade, paint, ointments, all these used to cover her imperfections. Strephon even finds the discarded stockings that reveal stinking toes. No wonder that at the end of the poem, Strephon could no longer look straight at any woman, for his imagination always conjures the images he saw in the dressing roo m and saw their stinks, their flaws that they try so hard to hide. The narrator of the poem says that this is vengeance for his peeping, for if Strephon did no such thing then he could still be blessed when he sees beautiful women without knowing â€Å"such gaudy Tulips rais’d from Dung†. Hence this is the curse of the lady’s dressing room, that it took the magic and wonder for the beholder and made him see the woman as the imperfect creature masquerading to be a work of art. However, the dressing room is also a curse for Celia and all women, as it is the chamber where they feed their obsession to make themselves beautiful for men. In the poem the narrator mentioned â€Å"Celia’s magnifying Glass†, which is simply a mirror, but in this mirror everything was enlarged, that it can †¦to Sight disclose, The smallest Worm in Celia's Nose, And faithfully direct her Nail To squeeze it out from Head to Tail; For catch it nicely by the Head, It must come out alive or dead. — that it makes her so insecure to make her spend time to look for even the minutest flaws that no one would see anyway. The woman spends a minimum of five hours (perhaps an exaggerated figure, but the point is that women spend a large amount of time preening) and fails to see that real beauty comes from within, not on what is reflected by a piece of glass. The poem shows the readers an image of the preparation taken to make one look good outside but in so doing shows that perhaps it is nature’s way that makes it so difficult – that we should learn to appreciate each other and ourselves, flaws included, for we all have them. This is not to say to forgo hygiene, but merely to examine what activities we spend time on. The curse of the dressing room is that it makes us believe in the illusion that media sells us: the dream of that perfect skin, that Barbie body, that photoshopped face, that if we make up ourselves as long as we need to we can transcend our human bodies’ flaws. But we cannot, because all these are parts of what makes us who we are.

Physical Education and Nutrition Legislation Essay

In order to make the younger generation capable enough to face the upcoming challenges in sports and physical involvement in extra curricular activities, there is a need to think seriously about the growing trend of eating disorders due to obesity and lack of physical education. Measures have been taken, steps forwarded but still obesity is the main cause for which over 15 percent adolescents aged 12 to 19 and at present 10 percent of kids aged 2 to 6 have been found overweight or underweight. According to NASBE (National Association of State Boards of Education) learning must be based upon healthy environment and surrounding for which school cafeterias, sports programs and community involvement is responsible. Parents’ Concern about being â€Å"Overweight† Surveys that try to gauge the level of parental concern about childhood obesity reveal a mixed picture about the degree to which parents are concerned about their kids’ weight. Concern certainly exists, but many parents simply do not consider weight among the top challenges facing kids. When asked from the parents, â€Å"How concerned are you about your child’s weight? † 15 percent of the 1,500 parents in a nationwide survey in 2000 said â€Å"very† while 15 percent said â€Å"somewhat†. Because nearly 30 percent of children are overweight or at risk for it, the concern of these parents roughly matches the reported national prevalence of overweight children. What’s more, those who answered â€Å"very† or â€Å"somewhat† spanned all income levels; nearly 40 percent earned less than $30,000 annually, 46 percent were middle-income earners, and 14 percent earned above $75,000. Yet all parents especially low-income viewed other risks to their child’s long-term health and quality of life as more pressing. Only 5 percent of the people in the same survey identified being overweight as the greatest risk to their child’s health and quality of life. How Children view their weight Teenagers perceive their weight inaccurately as well even more so than their parents do. A national study in 2000 involving more than 15,000 adolescents looked at the accuracy of teen and parental reports of obesity. It found that 44 percent of the overweight teenage children and their parents did not accurately report them to be overweight. Only 20 percent of both the teens and parents accurately reported that the teen was overweight while 30 percent of the parents, but not their teenage child, accurately recognized the teen as overweight. In the same study it was revealed that among adolescents with obesity, 47 percent reported that they were overweight. (Dalton, 2004, p. 34) As for younger children, plenty of evidence shows that they are aware of social standards for size and shape by age three or four. Many already judge body size as good or bad in kindergarten, whether a child applies these notions of â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† to his or her own body size that early is questionable. When friendships begin to form, body size may be a factor, like other characteristics that distinguish one child from another as reasons for friendship or for discrimination. But above all, it is the â€Å"overweight† and careless attitude towards obesity which causes many diseases even in children like cholesterol, eating disorders, diabetes, depression etc. Causes Overeating, irregular meals, lack of physical movement and short of having proper sports activity is a major cause of the obesity epidemic. Teaching overweight children to eat less and work more therefore is essential. But modifying behavior is no simple task, and eating too much is not the sole cause of obesity. Other factors play a role and must be well understood in order to reverse the epidemic and produce a healthier generation of children. Children are sensitive enough to feel the difference between regular meals and daily timings. The daily schedules usually determine what time we consume these meals each day, and we learn to associate the eating experience with that particular time. If mealtime is earlier or later than usual, some of our body functions that depend on circadian rhythms can be temporarily disturbed and cause irritability or fatigue, as in the state known as â€Å"jet lag†. For a kindergarten child whose biologic clock has taught him that school lunch is always served at 11:48 A. M. , a delay of 45 minutes can be catastrophic. (Smith, 1999, p. 40) The government and medical community have minimized the possible differences by establishing guidelines to indicate when a child is â€Å"overweight† and when an adult is â€Å"obese†, however the main notion is to classify and consider obesity as a disease among children in America. If it were a disease, then almost everyone would agree that finding a cure for a disease affecting one out of three children should be a national priority. Yet there is heated controversy over its status that depicts various positions of several key agencies and groups which are summarized below. National Institutes of Health: Obesity is a disease with enormous negative effects on health and survival; also, health-care costs for treating diseases caused by obesity are estimated at $100 billion a year. American Obesity Association: Obesity is a disease; insurance plans should cover weight management services and tax deductions should be given for the costs of obesity treatments, as they are allowed for smoking cessation treatments. American Dietetic Association: Obesity should be classified as a disease; it is a significant risk factor for poor health. The goal of obesity interventions is health improvement that should be measured in terms of heart and lung performance, rates of admission to hospitals, and reduction in medication use. (Dausch, 2001) National Association for Acceptance of Fat People: It is not necessary that fat people always suffer from a disease as it is not their weight that causes problems, but society’s discrimination against fat people. They can do the same jobs and have the same abilities as thin people despite pervasive stereotypes to the contrary. (Solovay, 2000) Physical activity Matters! Young children who see their parents engaging in physical labor or regular exercise programs are likely to follow their examples. According to study children who are fostered by active parents (engaged in physical exercise) are 5. – 6 times more active than if both parents were inactive, but the dilemma is that generations are getting inactive. So there is no concept of â€Å"active parents†. Some children, particularly those in low-income families, have less opportunity for physical activity; therefore there is still a need for the Government must to take appropriate measures for such children. Children living in unsafe or unreliable neighborhoods, for example, may not be able to play outside after they come home from school. (Smith, 1999, p. 71) As children get older, they become much less likely to engage in regular and vigorous exercise for reasons including increased academic, work, and social commitments or school situations such as lack of physical education classes due to insufficient funds or substitution of nonphysical activities (for example, classroom or study hall sessions) for physical ones. Schools also may place greater emphasis on academic achievement than on physical activity or fitness, and may delegate responsibility for physical development to families. But just like food concern, often parents do not realize the importance of physical exercise to their children’s well-being, as well as to their own. Other families may recognize the value of regular exercise, but feel helpless to create community or school programs that guarantee it. While there is some evidence that pilot studies in schools can make a small difference in children’s activity levels, there have been few reports of widespread adoption of health education curricula by school districts to extend the benefits of physical activity to all who are enrolled. In this context schools have often been a victim of critique which Hiatt & Klerman (2002) quotes in the following words: â€Å"On the one hand, healthy living habits may be taught in the classroom, while at the same time students are served fat-laden meals or placed in physical education programs which may stress competitive sports rather than participation based on the student’s developmental stage†. (Hiatt & Klerman, 2002, p. 6) In some U. S. chools emphasis is placed on winning at games rather than on the physical development of all students, therefore, only those who are the best at physical activities are selected for sports competition, leaving the rest of the average students behind. School Meals Initiative The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) which was established in 1946 by the National School Lunch Act (NSLA) requires from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) to review each state regularly in context with the nutritional content of food served by each School Food Authority (SFA) as part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The legislation is intended to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other food, thereby working along the U. S government and providing help in granting-in-aids and all other means. The legislation is also aimed at providing adequate supply of fresh foods including vegetables and fruits for maintaining and operating nonprofit school lunch programs. (NSLP, 2007a) Through subsequent amendments and increased funding, the program has expanded to 95,000 public and private schools and residential child care institutions. More than 26 million children receive free or reduced-price lunches every day and according to a rough estimation 92 percent of schoolchildren in the United States are in schools with lunch programs, and about 58 percent participate in the program on an average school day. NSLP has helped in working in collaboration of legislation, thereby protecting and safeguarding the health and well-being of the Nation’s children, (NSLP, 2007b) since 1996, when the program’s nutritional focus was on broad food groups and total calories. In those fifty years, the nutritional status of Americans and scientific understanding of proper nutrition and a balanced diet both changed. These changes were reflected in a series of Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) beginning in 1980 and most recently in 1995. The 1990 DGA and the Food Pyramid that was developed to publicize them reflected significant changes in the content of the guidelines which were more positive; more goal oriented towards the total diet, and provided more specific information regarding food selection, particularly among young school generation. 1992 was the year when School Nutrition Dietary Assessment (SNDA) started a concern about the content of school meals and their role in promoting the nutrition of children by initiating school meals research. Therefore it was revealed on SNDA that many school meals did not meet the then-current 1990 DGA. The study showed that the average school lunch had 27 percent more calories from fat, twice as much as sodium, and 50 percent more calories from saturated fat than the recommendations. In addition, SNDA found that children who ate local school lunch bought from cafeterias were consuming significantly higher numbers of calories from fat than children who obtained their lunches from other sources like home. (Hiatt & Klerman, 2002, p. 3) Legislation Enacted Recently, Arkansas in context with the legislative overview (2005) created a comprehensive program to combat childhood obesity, thereby increasing awareness among nutritional foods and factors. The provisions included conducting and maintaining regular annual BMI screenings for all public school children with results directly reported to the parents so that the results could be discussed in context with the advisory committees in parent teacher meetings. The provision also imposed restriction on any king of vending in elementary schools along with the disclosure of contracts with local food companies. Beverages (like cold drinks) were also banned other than milk, juice or water. The provision therefore aimed at establishing a Child Health Advisory Committee to update the parents’ and local bodies about the nutrition standards for elementary schools. (James, 2005) The NSLP authorizing legislation proposed computerized nutrient analysis to verify that the proposed menu was in compliance with the DGA. If trial menus were not in compliance, SFAs could iteratively make adjustments to the trial menu until it was in compliance. The proposed rule recognized that not all SFAs would have the capability to do nutrient analysis and therefore provided for a variation on this system. That variation, called Assisted NuMenus, allowed the SFA to have a third party perform the nutrient analysis. Finally, the proposed regulation required the state agencies to assess the nutrient analyses being performed by the SFAs and to take appropriate actions if either the analyses were not being performed correctly or the meals were not in compliance with the DGA. Thus, through NuMenus or Assisted NuMenus, the proposed rule included a mechanism through which school meals could plausibly be expected to be in compliance with the DGA by the 1998–1999 school year. However, before the rule could be finalized, PL 103-448, the Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act of 1994, was passed. (Hiatt & Klerman, 2002, p. 5) Responding to widespread complaints about the burden of nutrient analysis, the legislation instructed USDA to allow SFAs to continue using a food-based system of menu planning, in addition to NuMenus or Assisted NuMenus. The legislation also required that school meals be in compliance with the nutrient requirements by the 1996–1997 school year (two years earlier than under the proposed rule), however, since the legislation allowed menu planning systems that did not automatically involve nutrient analysis, there was no direct mechanism through which food-based SFAs could be expected to verify that their meals were indeed in compliance with the DGA. On January 27, 1995, USDA published a revised proposed rule which supplemented the June 10, 1994 proposed rule. It incorporated the shorter timeline and the inclusion of food-based menu planning systems from PL 103-448. In the January rule, USDA proposed a food-based system, called Enhanced Food-Based menu planning, that was very similar to the previous food-based system. However, the only difference between the two was the inclusion of more fruits and vegetables to school meals. To implement the requirement that NLSP meals meet the DGA, but in the absence of a requirement that every SFA perform a computerized nutrient analysis for every menu, the revised proposed regulation required each State Agency to monitor those SFAs using food-based systems. That monitoring was to consist of a nutrient analysis of each SFA at least every five years. (Hiatt & Klerman, 2002, p. 6) In May 1996, Congress enacted the Healthy Meals for Children Act (PL 104-149), which added two additional menu planning systems the system that had been in place since 1946 (Traditional Food-Based) and another called â€Å"Any Reasonable Approach†. (Smith, 1999, p. 65) Under the latter option, states could develop their own menu planning system as long as it met the requirements laid out by FNS for school meals and nutrition. Since the final regulations allowed for five different menu planning systems, several of which did not include having the SFA perform nutrient analysis, it required much more work for the State Agency than the June 1994 version of the rule would have. While the final rule and the mandates under the Healthy Meals for Children Act allowed the SFAs more flexibility, they also gave the SFAs the opportunity to choose menu planning systems that did not require them to perform their own analyses. Therefore, the states were required to put a system in place that would allow state staff or contractors to perform the analyses. Therefore, in 2004 Illinois started conducting analyses along with the contribution of State Department of Health to conduct mandatory health exam for students. In 2005 legislation was officially followed by West Virginia, Tennessee, and New York enacted legislation requiring student BMI reports. (July 11, 2005) Still there is lot of involvement required by the government at elementary schooling level which may directly or indirectly help prevent obesity. In this context governments can provide funds for obesity related research and education, can present facts about obesity to the public through publications and other media initiatives, can better recognize the proper development of American youth by placing increased emphasis on school physical education programs, and can help create incentives for the private sector, such as the food industry, to use the Dietary Guidelines and thus contribute to the better health of Americans. Above all government can help legislation to reshape the guidelines to help with our newer generation.

Google Effects on Memory Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Google Effects on Memory - Article Example For instance, they start by introducing information about how a long-time relationship makes people typically develop a transactive memory, which is discussed in the introduction part. Regarding the conclusion and the summary, the authors review literature that confirms vast information available regarding the issue, and also acknowledging the fact that the negative impacts are still under debate. Nevertheless, the literature review was distributed, and did not come mostly from the primary sources. The research question is, has the internet become a primary source of transactive memory where information is collectively stored outside us? Another research question is, do we think about flags or immediately think to go online to find out? The research questions correlates with the purpose of the study. The hypothesis of this study is that people will forget information that they know is externally available, but remember information that they know is not available externally. This matches the purpose of the study because it proves reliance on external sources of information, rather than memory. As a result, it is easier to remember where information is stored than the information

Using SAP in Electronic Government Research Paper

Using SAP in Electronic Government - Research Paper Example and Europe and will address the various challenges at "The Impact of E-Government in Europe" conference next month in Helsinki, said Ian Swann, vice president of SAP's public sector unit. Last year, SAP joined a program headed by the Center for Technology in Government at Albany State University in New York to help address the challenge of calculating return on investment for public sector IT initiatives. The center has conducted five case studies of organizations that have sought to assess the impact of the IT investments and has drafted a document offering a methodology for measuring ROI. Swann will present the findings of the five case studies and the ROI white paper. SAP is also participating in the European Union's E-Government Action Plan, aimed at helping Europe's sprawling public sector improve the efficiency of its internal operations and external services to citizens. The company is a contributor to the E.U.-funded Picture Project, a Web-based system that lets government officials measure the impact of information and communication technologies on organizational processes, enabling informed choices for long-term technology investments. While pointing to SAP's software expertise in areas such as accounting, human resources and logistics, Swann acknowledged an eagerness on the part of many governments, such as Germany and France, to create applications on "open architectures.†... ing, human resources and logistics, Swann acknowledged an eagerness on the part of many governments, such as Germany and France, to create applications on "open architectures.† Public-sector organizations will use "open source where it is appropriate and where it works," Swann said. But Swann was quick to use the word "open" in the context of SAP's new service-oriented architecture platform. The platform, he said, "opens up the delivery of services" and opportunities to work with independent software vendors. "All of this is about building more agile applications and creating more value out of existing investments," he said. Currently, sales to the public sector account for roughly 10 percent of SAP's total revenue and are growing, according to Swann. But selling to governments, which "are and will remain under severe financial constraints," will continue to be a challenge, he said: â€Å"That’s why we have to deliver value to what they're doing." E- Government complian ce We've seen the news reports with carloads of FBI agents, windbreakers and all, rushing into a business to seize paper records and servers. The evidence is analyzed later to prove a crime using computer forensics. However, the more likely use of computer forensics will be requirements around lawsuits: accounting records, emails, transaction data, and so on, all used to tell a story that will benefit either the plaintiff or the defense. The problem comes when we move data to the public clouds. How do we deal with legal issues, such as lawsuits and law enforcement? For the most part, organizations moving to the cloud have not even considered this issue. Indeed, according to Network World, "Any business that anticipates using cloud-based services should be asking the question: What can my cloud provider