George Alagiah’s Passage To Africa Essay

In a passage to Africa George Alagiah conveys his feelings about journalism during the course of his stay in Somalia through the use of various different language and literary devices. In a passage to Africa George Alagiah uses powerful and emotive language to show is views about journalism. An example of this is shown in the quotation: ‘that went beyond pity and revulsion’ , ‘revulsion’ has strong connotations of horror and disease so it marked the reader sympathise with the nature of the terrible scene that Alagiah is encountering in the village which he is observing. Another quotation that shows this is: ‘normally inured to stories of suffering, accustomed to the evidence of deprivation’, this quotation shows the way that Alagiah is hardened by the experiences that he has faced through the word ‘inured’ meaning immune to in conjunction with the words ‘suffering’ and ‘deprivation’, both of which have extensive connotations of evil and terrible hardship on those that it refers to, overall showing that Alagiah was steadfast to the other horrors that were unfolding around him and that the event he had just witnessed ahs managed to break his immunity of disconnection between him and the subject of his journalism. These quotations all show that Alagiah used emotive and powerfully connotated words to show the disconnection and connections with the journalist and subject. In the text Alagiah also uses a variety of sentence structures to show his views an observational journalist. An example of this is: ‘I saw that face for only a few seconds, a fleeting meeting of eyes’, the use of the above sentence structure shows that this very brief moment had deeply impacted Alagiah’s views on the way that he considered his role as a passive observer. Another example of this is the quote: ‘normally inured to stories of suffering, accustomed to the evidence of deprivation’, the way that the sentence is structured shows that Alagiah is meaning to portray a list to show how he feels about the way that a journalist can be susceptible to becoming accustomed to the terrible scenes that are unfolding before there eyes. In ‘a passage to Africa’ Alagiah uses a range of literary devices to show how he feels about journalism. An example of his use of literary devices on the following quotation: ‘If he was embarrassed to be weakened by conflict and ground down by hunger, how should I feel standing there so strong and confident?’, this reflective anecdote shows that as Alagiah is  there he is still reflecting on the way that he is so content and nourished while the people he is standing amongst are suffering terribly. Another example of literary devices in the quotation: ‘what was it about that smile?’, this rhetorical question shows how Alagiah is inquisitive into the thinking of the people he observes. These literary devices show his beliefs about journalism through the way he writes his reports. In conclusion is a passage to Africa George Alagiah uses a variety of language, sentence structures and literary devices to show his beliefs about journalism and the re lationship between him and the people he writes about.

In the 21st Century, How Important Is to Be Able to Read, Write and Speak English in Thailand?

At the present time, English is used widely around the world and also the most spoken official language. Being able to read, write and speak English becomes important for Thai people because of various reasons. English is used in education and in doing business. Firstly, it is important for Thai children because English is used in education. There are many sources of knowledge written in English such as textbooks or information on the internet. If Thai children can read and write English fluently, they will understand the content which is written in English. They can also express their point of view by writing down.Therefore, children will be able to access to more sources of knowledge. Nowadays, some Thai students go to study overseas. Living in a foreign country, English is very necessary since it is a language which used worldwide. Students must be able to speak English because they have to communicate with foreigners such as their classmates or their teachers. They are also requi red to read and write English in order to understand the information in textbooks and be able to finish their homework. Moreover, business opportunities for Thai people can be expanded by being able to read, write and speak English.Currently, many foreign companies are established in Thailand. They want the employees who can use English fluently. In foreign companies, they use English as an Interlingua. Companies’ employees have to interact with people in English. They have to read papers and write down everything in English as well. Thus, it is advantageous to Thai people who are able to read write and speak English. For Thai employers, if they are able to speak English, they will have an easier communication with their business counterparts without hiring employ translators.This will cut down the companies’ expenses. Employers can directly negotiate with their counterparts. They can clearly understand each other business deal. In conclusion, it can be seen that Engli sh is very essential in Thailand. English is used for educational purposes and expanding business opportunities. Therefore, Thai people should realize that the importance of being able to read, write and speak English in Thailand is very necessary. We should try harder and harder in practices these skills.

Our freedom to make ethical choices is only an apparent freedom Essay

Agent Smyth: Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you’re fighting for something? For more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constrects of a feeble human intellect trying to desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can’t win. It’s pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?! Neo: Because I choose to. In every person the most basic desire of all is to be free, being able to act at will, not under compulsion or restraint. As I democratic society, we like to think of ourselves of being 100% free, but we are not. In every choice we make there are compulsions and restraints inflicting on the choices we have ever made from the beginning. The older and more independent we appear to be the more of these constraints we are compelled with. These choices we make can be applied to morality. There are many ways in which our freedom, in reality, is limited. By law we are restricted to acts that systems of government deem acceptable. Social acceptance means the majority to act within a bracket of normality and within bounds of what is socially acceptable. If I wanted to go to school naked on every Friday I would socially and lawfully be unable to this. Therefore I am not free to express myself due to external laws forced upon me against my free will. However even though these laws are in place I still have the power to break them therefore making me free. Merovingian: Please Mon Cherie, I have told you, we are all victims of causality. I drank too much wine, I must take a piss. Cause, and effect. Au revoir. Causality also means that I a person can never truly become free. If I already know the consequences of an action then my choice has already confined. For example I would like to throw microwaves off motorway bridges but I know that this may cause innocent motorists to die therefore I don’t. The mind with which we make our decisions has been influenced by a whole range of external factors. These must reduce our moral responsibility and hence be restricting of true freedom. Personal and psychological differences within people will provide them with different abilities and hence different freedoms and limitations. People can only act in the way that their personalities allow them, by causing them to react to situations in a specific way. But what if free will is non-existent and we are only convinced we have self-control because devices in fact control us beyond our own perception. In this case everything is pre determined and the choices we face are pre decided for us leaving us with the illusion that we have chosen ourselves and decided our own fate; exercised free will. Morpheus: Everything begins with choice. Merovingian: No, wrong. Choice is an illusion created between those with power, and those without Hard determinism, considers everything in the present to be directly caused by events that preceded them. Everything including the actions we take and the choices we make are caused directly by another event. Each human mind is the product of its experiences and in every situation will react according to what it has learnt, in a similar way to a computer that has been programmed. However this links back with responsibility, if a human was already pre destined to perform a certain task they should receive no praise for correctness in taking the action, as what they have done was done not out of free will, but because they were programmed, or already decided. The action says nothing about the moral worth of the person as it had an external cause, and was not done through free will and intention. The hard determinist view that everything is decided by a constant line of causes, and that humans are not free simply because every thing we supposedly decide is already caused and so determined, ultimately means that human free will is an illusion. Free will is something we feel we experience when making decisions and choosing but is really non-existent, the actions we partake in are already set and what we feel we decide is irrelevant to anything that actually happens. For example if I sat down in a room I would be free to step out of until I realised the door was locked. I am free to make this choice but when but my choice is irrelevant as I unable to do anything about it. Determinism removes this moral responsibility and so removes ethical decisions. However with freedom comes responsibility. Libertarianism presents the opposite idea that we are completely free therefore giving people total moral responsibility. The existence of human free will are largely based on the defined different between ones personality and ones moral self. While we have a sense of freedom, a sense deliberating over our options. Because of this, they would argue that universal causation is not necessarily relevant to human actions. They do not deny any influence to the human mind that could have an effect on the way in which one might act, but they claim that there is still a large aspect of freedom of choice involved. Oracle: Bingo! It is a pickle, no doubt about it. Bad news is there’s no way if you can know whether I’m really here to help you or not. So it’s really up to you. You just have to make up your own dam mind to either accept what I’m going to tell you or reject it. Candy? Neo: Do you already know if I’m going to take it? Oracle: Wouldn’t be much of an Oracle if I didn’t. Neo: But if you already know, how can I make a choice? Oracle: Because you didn’t come here to make the choice, you’ve already made it. You’re here to understand why you made it. I thought you’d’ve figured that out by now. Neo: Why are you here? Oracle: Same reason. I love candy. Libertarians views are idealistic they provides to us with the ultimate goal of being totally free. But if take this freedom then we should also be prepared to accept the responsibility that comes hand to hand with. For example if I allow my son to watch pornography involving a 15 year old and he turns out to be a paedophile than I would be totally to blame for these consequences. As with all workable theories finding the right balance is essential. Soft determinism is the third deterministic view and one where determinism and free will are completely compatible. It describes that we are morally responsible for our action although some are determined. Therefore the decisions we are free and able to make in our own minds count as the causes by which everything is made to occur. The midway position suggests that some of our actions are conditioned while others have a complex number of causes. For example there could be a number of reason why someone does not eat food, whether it be a diet, religious beliefs, famine or lack of money. â€Å"Real freedom,† in the question seems to suggest the freedom to take these fully conscious, and reasoned ethical decisions without relying a higher power. To conclude I believe that as human beings we are not free. Our behaviour and morals will always be determined social acceptance, laws, causality, and upbringing. However we have the power in ourselves to break down these constraints and become free, if a door is locked then break it down, if I want to throw microwaves of motorways then I will do so. When we become totally free this leads to anarchy and chaos. When it comes down to it is not a case of whether we are free or not it is whether we choose to be. Architect: Precisely. As you are undoubtedly gathering, the anomaly is systemic, creating fluctuations in even the most simplistic equations. TV Screens: You can’t control me! I’m gonna smash you to f***ing bits, I’m gonna show you, you can’t make me do anything. Neo: Choice, the problem is choice

The Augustan Transformation of the Forum Romanum Essay

The Augustan Transformation of the Forum Romanum - Essay Example The noblest of them all was his transformation of the new forum of Augustus at the roman forum and the Julius forum. At this place, a temple of mars the avenger was erected. This was built by Augustus for his commemoration of the war that he had waged to avenge the killing of Caesar. Forum Romanum is a piece of architecture that is both monumental and an envy of many from time immemorial. It became almost as a symbol of unity and Rome. One of the major contributions made by Augustus was the preservation of architecture or buildings that had been built by his predecessors instead of destroying them and building his own to mark his reign. Much credit has been given to Augustus for transforming Rome and preserving the social, cultural, and roman values at his time of rule. The kind of cultural and religious beliefs expressed by the Forum Romanum are immense (Marucchi 1–2). This paper looks at the Forum Romanum’s transformation by Augustus and how this monument is interwove n with the politics, cultures, religious, and other social values held by the roman people. Discussion The Forum Romanum is a plaza that is rectangular in shape and is surrounded by numerous ruins that represent quite a number of important ancient roman government houses that are located in the middle of the city, Rome. This place was initially a place for buying and selling of goods by the roman people and the people originally referred to it as forum magnum. In the roman life, this place served as their central location and marked their public life. This is attributed to the fact that it was the site where all processions of triumph, elections, political speeches, trials of criminals, and matches of gladiators were organized and took place. It was also the commercial nucleus of the roman people (Galinsky 23-56). When looking at these activities, one would be able to understand why the Forum Romanum was such an important location to the romans and why it received so much fame durin g the reign of kings and even in the present day’s history. The statues and monuments that were erected here did commemorate the great men of the city who got fame and favor from the kings, nobles, and the public. It was basically the teeming heart of what could be referred to as the ancient Rome. Historians call this place as the most celebrated meeting place in the whole world and recognized through history. This Forum Romanum is found between the Capitoline Hills and the Palatine. However, currently the Forum Romanum stands out as sprawling ruins made of architectural fragments and has exhibited very intermittent excavations from archeologists (Grant 11-18). The reign of Augustus was extraordinary and left Rome with a new order in government, personal and social identity. His transformations did redefine what Rome was and changed the perceptions of people about what being roman symbolized. Traditions and values that found their roots to new mythology of nationalism were fu lly expressed. The new ideology found its manifestation in architectural designs and art. The political buildings like this Forum Romanum were planned carefully and took into consideration the programs that had been designed for urban renewal and the boosting of the public (Galinsky 23-56). This Forum Roman

Special Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Special Education - Research Paper Example Special education is a very important field of study as it seeks to integrate the special needs child into the mainstream society and empower them to grow into autonomous citizens, despite their personal exceptionalities (Farrell, 2010). Essentially, special education seeks to find avenues through which to shun the victimization and discrimination against exceptional individuals in the society. This can be achieved through the enhancement of active learning and recognition of chief learning experiences for learners with special needs. The historical development of special education Special education has a history filled with challenges, breakthroughs, and disputes. According to Rotatori, Obiakor, &Bakken (2011) the period before the 16th century was characterized by inhumane treatment of people with exceptionalities. The society viewed such individuals as cursed people who had to be isolated from the conventional society. In line with this mindset, individuals with special needs were treated inhumanely and sometimes even killed to rid the society of curses. In the 16th and 17th centuries, however, there were rising philosophical campaigns on human dignity and the right of every individual to be treated equally and fairly, in spite of their exceptionalities. This period also witnessed the premier educators of special education who came up with different philosophies of educating individuals with exceptionalities

2-1-4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

2-1-4 - Essay Example Two major fiscal policy tools are government spending and taxation. Government, through its fiscal policy changes the composition of taxation in order to maintain sustainable growth of the economy. Taxation system is the main source of earning of any government. As a result it is very important to control the system in accordance to the requirement of the economy. Governments control the taxation system through its fiscal policy. Another tool is government spending. It is also important in the context of the economy of the country. Importance and applicability of government spending has become clearer during the period of current global financial meltdown when governments have spent millions of dollars to save their respective economies and important organizations who were in trouble. It is found that the budget deficit of United Kingdom in the period of 2008-09 was around 90 billion Euro. It is also found that the difference between the tax receipts and government spending was almost 12 billion euro (Seager, A. 22 April 2009). According to EU Business, budget deficit of Germany will be more than 4% of total GDP in 2010 (EU Business, 14 January 2009). According to European Union’s growth and stability pact, each and every EU members must maintain its public deficits lower than 3% of GDP. Member countries must also keep their public debt below 60% of total GDP. US fiscal policy is found to be very much aggressive as compared to the fiscal policies adopted by the EU members. According Timothy Geithner who is the Treasury Secretary of U.S., the country will see more aggressive fiscal policy in future (Reuters, Feb 3,

Lincoln Presidency against that of Johnson Essay

Lincoln Presidency against that of Johnson - Essay Example Precisely the paper will argue out if the Lincoln administration was worthy of more praise than Johnson’s presidency. The first crucial policy enforcement that Lincoln is highly accredited for over his predecessors and successors was the Emancipation of Slaves who hugely consisted of African Americans. President Buchman, Lincoln, and Johnson all believed that the Constitution protected the institution of slavery (Jones, 1999). However, Lincoln alone understood that the constitution and the union that it had created would be preserved only by redefining the principles on which the country was cemented upon, such as all men are created equal. This led to the passing of the second confiscation act in 1862 in a move to weaken the rebellion that opposed Lincoln by freeing the slaves since most of the rebel leaders were slave owners. Furthermore, the emancipation declaration that Lincoln brought into effect was to free slaves even in states that were not under the union control. As one of Lincoln’s officials pointed out Lincoln was the first great man, who talked in the United States in a manner th at suggestively deemed that there was no difference between any two people, especially on the differences of color (Jones, 1999). In respect to domestic policies, Lincoln led to a myriad of substantial changes in the government policies that faced an impetus force of resistance. Lincoln created the first income tax in an attempt to finance the war and implemented military drafts that led to huge uproar and riots in the New York City. These and many other policies that Lincoln incorporated during his rule were meant to restore the union, which happened to be an overwhelming priority during his term. On the other hand, Johnson’s first priority was the restoration of the state and some of his notable contributions include, the halting of the construction of Bozeman trail.

Que Onda Urban Youth Culture and Border Identity Essay - 1

Que Onda Urban Youth Culture and Border Identity - Essay Example There are also the issues of changing economic conditions where Mexicans are seen as the main economic contributors yet; they do menial and inferior jobs. There is also lack of upward mobility by the inferior ethnic groups, who immigrate across the border. The history and geopolitics of the groups determine the social capital each group is going to enjoy, and whether the group is going to assimilate easily. For instance, Chicanas/os are adapted to youth experimentation and popular culture in the United States and their parents put â€Å"fewer restrictions to them† than the Mexicanas/os parents do to their youths (45). The other lines of politics are projected along the legal and policy context of their immigration status (14). This way, the Mexicanas/os and Chicanas/os are made to feel inferior based on their ethnic grouping and social hierarchies (46). These politics is also perpetrated by the issue of whiteness as the top hierarchy and the fact that â€Å"without the social capital and social networks and English skills, immigrant youths cannot succeed in the United States education† (14). This also triggers identity politics where Chicanos use English, the language of America, while Mexicans use Spanish but at their own detriment. The teaching of different languages leads to a division in these two ethnic groups, which share the same ethnicity. In this case, the politics are too heavy for them as students from both sides â€Å"harbor ill feeling towards each other† because of border politics as â€Å"bantering over each other’s style, language, class, and gender and citizens status† (119). The political Chicano movement does not bar the youths from identifying themselves with inferior ascriptions, as opposed to the perpetrated positive proscriptions (46). Therefore, the book bounds all these issues among others to show the value of each aspect in the lives of Mexicanas/os and Chicanas/os in a way that can be viewed non-hege monically. It is because of the bonder politics and race wars that saturate our society that Mexicanas and Chicanas experience discriminations from one another and others (45). What factors influence identity development for Latinas/os along the border region? Many factors have been established, by the book, as influencing identity development for Latinos along the border region. For instance, Latino youths use â€Å"aspects of Mexicana/os, Chicana/os and American culture to create their alternative youth cultures† (96). In this case, the identity of Latinas/os is influenced by the Mexicana/o and Chicana/o youth who share many characteristics. There is also the factor of language where English is considered to be the dominant class language. For this case, the Latinos are influenced to identify with American culture by learning English language. Even though the American pop culture has appropriated Latino culture, this does not bar it from identifying itself with top social c lass in the hierarchies (96). There is also the issue of boundary or geographical position of the Latinos. This is closely linked to their immigration status and proximity to the Mexican border. Those who are close to the border experience extreme discrimination and less social property than those who are far away. On the other hand, those who migrated to the United States earlier have

Assessment task 6.1, guidance,this module is assessed by the Essay

Assessment task 6.1, guidance,this module is assessed by the completion of 3,500 words assessment - Essay Example The role of the social worker with regard to the assessment, decision making and planning in this backdrop is analysed based on the data or information available in respect of the case. 1. Residential Care for Older Patients in Hospital Facts of the case in brief Mr. Harris was admitted to hospital having been found on the floor with a slight head injury. Mr. Harris was happily married for 53 years, had an active social life and many friends before his wife died unexpectedly less than a year ago. He has been diagnosed as having Parkinson’s disease. His daughter Beatrice, Mr. Harris’ only child, has two children. Her younger son is 10 years old and has a form of autism. She lives in the town and has been visiting twice a week. Assessment of the Case For the assessment of the cases, collecting complete information is necessary  to develop interventions and treatment planning. ... Proper assessment is very essential for taking various decisions involved in the treatment and for planning and coordination. Perception of inadequacies in the set-up is very important to take corrective measures to improve the situation. Parkinson’s Disease â€Å"Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system resulting in a lack of dopamine in the brain, among other changes. Dopamine, a chemical produced by cells in the brain, is necessary for smooth, controlled movement of muscles...researchers do not know what causes Parkinson’s disease at this time... â€Å"(The Parkinson’s Institute and Clinical Center, 2008) Confusion and lack of motivation on the part of Harris can be attributed to the disease. According to the Institute, in addition to the well-known symptoms of tremor, slowness and imbalance, other problems such as excessive saliva, a soft voice, as well as hand and foot cramps may occur. Depression, anxiety and a nu mber of sleep disorders are quite common.   The observation of the physiotherapist â€Å"uncooperative with exercise programmes and lacking motivation† is understandable. Local authorities where the patient ordinarily resides reimburse the charges to the hospital if they are responsible for any delay in discharge from the hospitals due to lack of arrangements for community care. Notice has been issued under the Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) Act, 2003. Also, Community health care centre is ideal for treatment to Harris, rather than a hospital set-up. The statement made by The National Council for Palliative Care (2009) â€Å"â€Å"NCPC’s Neurological Conditions Policy Group has been

Write free writing on the tsunami using the listing words in class Essay

Write free writing on the tsunami using the listing words in class - Essay Example A major explosion hit a petrochemical plant in Sendai and in northeastern Fukushima prefecture, a dam burst which swept away hundreds of homes. The tsunami resulted in a massive destruction of infrastructure and thousands of innocent lives lost. Survivors were rescued on top of roofs. They took refuge at makeshift shelters in various parts of Northern Japan. Days after the earthquake and tsunami, the survivors went back to their homes to look through the rubbles and debris, desperate to find some things which they can still salvage. Hundreds of bodies were found in the northeastern coastal area of Japan, particularly in Sendai city. The Fukushima power plant was damaged by the huge floods which resulted in a nuclear disaster in Japan. Some evacuees and tourists who were afraid of a possible nuclear power plant meltdown trooped to the airport hoping to get the first flight out of Japan. The tsunami caused immense damage to Japan. But it also proved that the Japanese people are very resilient. Today, after seven months since the tsunami hit the country, Japan has started to rebuild, the trauma remains but for the Japanese life has to go

Deregulation of Aviation in the Commercial Airline Industry Research Paper

Deregulation of Aviation in the Commercial Airline Industry - Research Paper Example Later, airline safety regulation was passed together with 1958 Federal Aviation Act that bore Federal Aviation Administration. By 1938, US government was regulating much commercial aviation in terms of routes, schedules and fare. The three main functions of CAB are regulating airline route, limiting new market entrances by air carriers, and regulation of passenger carriers. CAB report shows typical regulatory thinking. Without certain circumstances that give sound reasons for new carriers, inherent desirability to increase the airline industry was not valid. The 1978 Airline Deregulation Act deregulated many of these controls and completely changed the civil aviation face in the United States. In order to serve any given route, an airline was required to seek permission which led to many barriers in the permission granting. Consequently, the system was removed by airline deregulation including the dismantling of the flag carrier notion. However, this caused a new problem because many civil suits were filed in state or federal court against an airline. While the court handled breaches of contract and personal injury claims the transportation department had neither the facilities nor authority to mediate or try many disputes between airline and consumers (Johnson, 2008). Therefore, many consumers have been left to search for themselves legal justice with their claims. This is enhanced by the Open Skies Agreements between United States and other nations which have opened the aviation market to foreigners and removed competition barriers. This allows airlines to operate their air services to any point of other countries from any point in United States. These agreements have successfully removed competition barriers as well as allowing... The researcher states that in 1978, the United States signed an airline deregulation Act, and later developed a new regulation form, to deal with allocation of scarce availability of slot numbers in the airports and other problems that may be as a result of this scarcity. With cost and price competition views, various solutions were proposed, in order to control the routes served and the prices charged by major airlines. Airline deregulation has yielded and continues to yield uncountable benefits to travelers who fall in the average category. The positive deregulation consequences were significant drop in fare prices, improvement of security, service and programs, among others. Reduction of fare helped passengers to increase their savings, where it is estimated that they saved up to $ 100 billions. It also allowed smaller airlines to proliferate into the big carriers market. Generally, the larger airlines suffered negative consequences of airlines deregulation like bankruptcy, collap se high operating losses more than the smaller airlines. However, millions of flying passengers and smaller airlines gained the better benefits of airlines deregulation. Though smaller markets were not affected by service erosion as predicted by deregulation opponents, larger airlines had nothing to small to smile at, as competition exposure made them suffer heavy losses through labor union’s conflicts. As a result, many of them were liquidated, especially those that were founded in the after deregulation.

Truth in Literature Essay Example for Free

Truth in Literature Essay The truth provides different functions to different people. Truth to some people is simply boring so they choose to alter it as much as possible. This is also known as lying. Others try to run away from it, they simply cannot deal with reality. Some even go to the extreme by living their while life as a lie, while trying to deceive others. The truth in literature, as I perceive it, is something that only the reader can decide as being fact or fiction. There is neither right nor wrong to the information you obtain. The option is in your hands, and you are the one who should decide eventually if what you read or hear is fact, fiction, valuable, important, or useful for your future. Marta Martin may have omitted certain emotions or occurrences in order to appear stronger and more heroic to a reader. Richard Rodriguez lied to himself throughout his life in order to make himself believe he was better than his past. Finally, W. D. Snodgrass lied to everyone around him and even to himself, while chasing female students, in order to maintain an appearance of an upstanding professor. The story of Marta Martin can be very strange to some, but others can see her as a hero. Marta Martin was a pregnant woman who found herself caught in a terrible storm in the middle of Alaska. She was forced to survive on her own and there was no one else to help her. Marta kept a diary where she described how she managed to survive. In her diary she described a day when she killed a sea otter with an ax, peeled his skin, and ate his liver and heart. When you read her story you try to imagine a woman doing all that, but it gets harder when you realize that most pregnant women find even the smallest chores difficult. I tried to imagine a woman, but all I could invision was a man. What is even more interesting is that there was no emotion mentioned in the diary. There were no complaints, or pain, and she never mentioned the fact that she might be scared staying at the house all alone with her baby due very soon. She wrote about events that required emotional strength and physical characteristics not common to a young pregnant woman. Marta never once mentioned fear or apprehension that I feel even a man might feel in those circumstances. Many who read her story would be astonished to think that she accomplished all that alone. Many others will consider her a liar. In the beginning of her story she mentioned the reason as to why she choose to tell her story I can hardly write, but I must. For two reasons: first I am afraid I may never live to tell my story, and second, I must do something to keep my sanity. (martin,301) I believe she wrote the story not because she wanted to keep her sanity. Clearly she had plenty of work to do before the baby came, but she chose to write her story so that no one will forget her, so that everyone who will read this story sees her as a hero. A woman who did what would be impossible for most women out there. I dont know Marta Martin, though somewhere in my heart I believe that the truth is quite different. The truth is, that as a woman, she must have been scared and lonely. Im sure that she had many nights she found herself crying and praying for help. The truth, as I see it , is that there is no woman in this world who can kill an animal , get trapped in snow storm, live all by herself pregnant, and not mention a word of fear . However, it is not up to me to tell the truth. I’m simply the person who read it, and chooses to accept it, or interpret it differently. Marta Martin wanted to remain a hero. She wanted everyone to remember her as a hero. And with all that she did, that woman is a hero with or without mentioning a word or two of fear. The truth might be far different than what she chose to portray in her diary, but the fact is that she did survive, she did kill the sea otter and peel his skin, and she did have her baby. Thats the truth. What happened in between is her choice to tell us, and it is our responsibility to accept it or not. Richard Rodriguez altered the truth in a different way than Marta Martin and for a different purpose. Rodriguez was boy who wanted to be different from his middle class immigrant family. As a child Richard read as many books as he could, he used to always be the one to answer teacher’s questions and soon became smarter then his siblings and even his parents. His family couldnt really understand why he was so fascinated in reading books all the time and his brothers and sisters used to make fun of him. Even the other pupils in the class did not like him since he was the smart one. Later on, when it came time to choose a college, he chose the one far from home, far from his family. By then, he was embarrassed by his family’s lack of education and attempted to isolate himself as much as possible. In college he did very well and when he used to come back home he had nothing to share with his family. He thought that they would not understand anyhow, so why even bother. In the end the author wrote the truth about the typical school boy, in the end Rodriguez came to face the painful truth. He realized that in attempting to run from the past, run from his family, he lost something so profound and important that no matter how hard he would attempt to restore it, he would not succeed. He became more nostalgic for what was never really there, and for the thoughts of what might have been. Rodriguez was attempting to escape his family, but in doing so he faced the truth that in his heart he actually desired to be closer to his family. His goal was to become educated and felt that educated people were more admired. What he learned was all memorized; he did not learn intuition, creativity, interpretation, or how to solve complex problems. â€Å"Faithfully I wrote down all that they said. I memorized it:† I heard it all. But there was no way for any of it to mean very much to me. † (Rodriguez,670) W. D. Snodgrass lied to everyone around him and even to himself and reflects on this in a poem called â€Å"April inventory†, where an old man give the reader a glance of his life as a teacher. Through that window we discover information that some will consider as inappropriate, or even disturbing. His reality is far from been normal to me, yet he consider it as been of his everyday life. Through his poem, he demonstrates how he becomes older. He loose his hair at some point and also his teeth. At the same time he describe the way he sees the girls he is teaching . to him they are always young and slender and pinker every year. He also, creates a big scandal in our society, which he hides from the authorities. I have not learned there is a lie Love shall be blonder, slimmer, younger: That my equivocating eye Loves only by my bodies hunger That I have forced true to feel Or that the lovely world is real Eventually when I read the poem more carefully I discover that the truth is far more disturbing that just the way he sees himself comparison to the girls he is teaching. I realized that by saying† †¦love should be blonder slimmer younger â€Å" he implies that his goal is to sleep with the girls in his class. His only goal was sexual and not educational in purpose, and teaching was the last thing on his ‘to do list’. Therefore, he was lying and deceiving everyone into believing he was a teacher who was concerned about the education his students receive. While the awful truth is that he cared more about his looks and that fact that he is getting old and not the education. The truth is that he cared more to the fact that he can not sleep with them anymore for he is too old now. The truth as I see it in this poem is that he knows the truth but he choose to live a fantasy. â€Å"I have not learned how often I can win, can love, but choose to die. † (Snodgrass, 7) . He as an adult, authority figure knows very well the consequence to his actions. He is well aware of what he has done; he can part from right and wrong, yet he chooses a life of a lie. I feel he was also lying to himself to ignore that he was growing old; he was trying to convince himself he was still young and attractive by sleeping with younger girls. From these stories, and many others, truth can mean different things to different people. Truth can be very hard to deal with and is part of personal growth, as we see in Rodriguez’s story. Truth may be simply boring or make a person appear less heroic as in Marta Martin’s story. In other cases the truth is extremely exaggerated to the point when the author is living his whole life as a lie, as seen in the poem â€Å"April Inventory†. Truth, to me, is essentially the most important virtue in our life. But I won’t judge those who choose to change it for literature. I won’t point a finger and call them liars, for I might embellish the truth sometimes too.

Hewlett Packard Company | Analysis

Hewlett Packard Company | Analysis Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) is one of the worlds largest information and technology (IT) companies. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in 1939. Both of them established Hewlett-Packard (HP) in Packards garage which located in Palo Alto, California, USA. First and the foremost, HP is a worlds leading PC manufacturer. The creation of these new technologies had brings us a more meaningful impact for the community. This company had offered many products, technologies, software, solution and service for customers, small and medium size of businesses (SMBs) and large enterprises which encompass those customers in the education, government and health sectors. Besides, HP also famous in manufacturing and developing computers, data storage, networking hardware and designing software and sending service. The major product line for the company include those personal computing devices, related storage devices, enterprise servers and also a number of printers and other imaging which was related to the products and services. Moreover, the company also makes their profits by markets their products via online distribution, consumer-electronics and office-supply retailers to the household, small to medium size business and enterprise. Planning process is very important step for HP Company in order to achieve their goal. They had clarified their strength, weakness, opportunities and threat to reinforce their company as well. One of the strategies that used by the company is growth strategy. They expand their markets served and products offered by absorbed others company technologies to enhance their own products. For example, HP has added a Palm and a mobile operating which known as webOS to its electric device. These technologies had brought HP products become a much better and quality products. Therefore, HP had successfully build an extra value compare to others manufacturer because they had cooperated with the popular branded speakers company which are ALTEC LANSING and BEATS studio. Furthermore, they also used some of the competitive strategy in their company to compete their business with other organization. For example, although HP Company has many competitors such as Acer, Dell, Asus and more, but they still can survive until nowadays. One of the factors is because they have their own competitive strategy among each of their organization. Hence, this reason which had made the HP Company becomes a worldwide information and technology company. Content Definition of SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT analysis is a most useful of business analysis. SWOT analysis is an instrument for assessing an organization and its environment. SWOT analysis is a usually used technique through which managers produce a quick impression of an organizations strategic situation. SWOT analysis is the first step of planning; it helps managers to focus on key issues. A SWOT surveys and measures the influences of internal and external on the success of the subject of analysis. SWOT stands for strengths (S), weaknesses (W), opportunities (O), and threats (T). In SWOT, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors, opportunities and threats are external factors. A good SWOT can maximize a firms strengths and opportunities; and also can minimize its weaknesses and threats. SWOT Analysis of Hewlett-Packard Company The HP or Hewlett-Packard Company is one of the biggest computer companies in the world. In 1939, it was established by William Hewlett and David Packard. Hewlett-Packard Company delivers hardware, software, solutions and services. Hewlett Packard also has a strong market position in the IT market. The biggest competitor of Hewlett-Packard Company is Dell Company. Hewlett-Packard wrested market leadership from Dell Company in the global PC market in 2006 and managed to sustain it in 2007.Higher market position in different market sections increase the brand image of the company and also offers economies of scale in attaining. The company faces intense competition across all business segments in terms of price, brand, quality, character, technology, range and distribution of their products. Strengths of HP Company One of the strengths of HP is it has a strong market position. After HP and Compaq announced to merger On September 3, 2001, HP became the worlds most big computer hardware and peripheral company all around the world. There have many benefits to HP being a large company such as leading positions in market of IT services, management software, PCs, storage and printers. Especially printer market, 40% market share of HP proofed that its domination the global printer market. This merger also helps HP made a high profit $87 Billion of Global Technology Leader. The other strength is that it provides its products and service into more than 170 countries including the undeveloped and the developed nations. In 2008 HP is acquiring EDS Inc. The next strength of HP is always having excellent products portfolio diversification. Furthermore, in this decade HP has been focused on the customer service market. HP Enterprise Customer Services provides efficient, effective services to customers all around the world. For instance HP Enterprise Customer Services having Consumer Direct Service, Customer Engagement Management Services- Contact Central, Customer Engagement Management Services- Transformation and Warranty Service. This might benefit to recruit, retain and reward customer.   Moreover, HP in recently years is performed on Environmental Programs to reduce the environment impact of its technology products. The Environmental Programs have include SmartWay, HPs Eco Highlights Labeling system, Design for Environment (DfE), HPs Planet Partners Recycler Program, HPs Hardware Return and Recycling Program, Change the World campaign, and Unlock your Energy. For instance, HPs Planet Partners Recycling Program is used to recycle printing supplies, computer equipment, batteries, and other items. Due to the program above HP have provide HPs computer take back service in some countries such as United State, Canada, Brazil, Australia, most of the Europe countries, some Asia Pacific and Latin America countries. In 2010, HP successfully manufactured over 310 million HP LaserJet and ink cartridges that contained content from their closed-loop recycling process. Furthermore, the other strength of HP is their business culture. They highlight innovation (Silicon Valleys innovation model- Top executives mingled with lower-level employees to discover fresh ideas) as a key element of its business culture and as a driver of its success. HP put more effort on research and development to design and developing products, solutions and services that foresee the market changing needs, desires, and emerging technological trends. HP Labs is one of their Corporate Investments segment. HP also spending a larger amount of financial plan on the research and development than others competitors. For instance, in fiscal 2011HP expenditures $3.3 billion for research and development. Weaknesses of HP Company One of the weaknesses of HP is high debt level. In this decade, HP has a high risk of debt level compare to the others competitive company like Dell. From the HP debt to equity ratio data shown that HP was reached the highest value 0.9292 in this July 31, 2012. Debt to equity ratio is a leverage ratio to indicate the comparative amount of shareholders equity and debt used to finance a companys property. It shows how the company has financed its property. A high debt equity ratio express that the company has been aggressive in their financing growth with debt and it results in volatile earning. HP made wrong decide on acquisition for the company. In the first decade of the millennium, HP had made some acquisitions like merger with Compaq, Mercury Interactive, Electronic Data Systems Corp and more recently, Autonomy, the enterprise software company. Since 2001 HP has been spent more than $67 billion on acquisitions, which data according to Jayson Noland, a Robert W. Baird and Company analyst. That was approximately double HP current market value of $38 billion. They buy at least a company a month, and they have struggled to get this right, Mr. Noland said. For example, in 2010 HP was purchased Palm with $1.2 billion. One year later, HP announced to close up its webOS device business which is Palms mobile operating system. Opportunities of HP Company Focusing on emerging technologies-In this modern world, Hewlett Packard Company has introduced new digital printing technologies on the part of its graphic arts offering. There is a full wireless HP Photosmart printer line-up. There are HP Indigo presses, HP Inkjet Web Press and HP Latex Inks. In 2010, Since Hewlett Packard launched this technology, theirs sales is rapidly increasing because the digital printing technologies are suitable for students or officers using. It also provides the consumer to print out the picture and information in the less time. Developed imaging and printing solutions segments- Hewlett Packard has launched more 150 products and services in the IT market. After that, Hewlett also has created some strategic to purchase competitor and introduced new products in the imaging solutions segment. The imaging and printing solutions provides consumers to print out and personalize their picture. There are industrial applications, outdoor signage and graphic arts. Hewlett Packard also purchases Tabblo, Logoworks, MacDermid and ColorSpan as their acquisitions. After they purchased the competitor, they would improve theirs products and services from the benefits of the acquisitions. The imaging and printing solutions strategy enter to the commercial markets from print services solutions to new growth opportunities in commercial printing and focusing high-value pages in some regions. Higher market position in the global-There are many competitor started to enter the IT market. In addition, Hewlett Packard started to expand theirs business to other countries, for examples, BRIC countries. They set up many contact centres in others countries because they can easy control their product lines and get closer to the consumer. In July 2008, Hewlett Packard, Intel Company and Yahoo produced a worldwide, multi-data centre, open source test bed on cloud computing study and training. Cloud computing is a new delivery model for IT services. The achievement of the projects is to remove the financial and logistical problem and build up the relationship of manufacturing, government and college. In this coming years, the growing demand for cloud computing is expected to build demand for HPs solutions. Threats of HP Company Higher competitive in the market share-The biggest competitor of Hewlett Packard is Dell. In this few years, the sales of Hewlett Packard are more than Dell. However, Hewlett Packard also kept fully to expand theirs business. Hewlett also obtain the most up to date company information available. In addition, there are also some competitors for example Toshiba, Lenova Group and Aver. This all competitor in IT market competes in terms of quality, brand, price, technology, reputation, distribution and range of product. In addition, the competitors also face competition from local companies and from generically-branded or white box manufacturers.The printing and computing markets are hyper-competitive. Some nimble competitor will offer lower prices than Hewlett Packard; it will direct affect the sales products of Hewlett Packard. Demands of Hewlett Packard decreases and Economic problem- Since many competitors enter to IT market, the sales of Hewlett Packard Company started to decrease. Shortage of the product sales will cause Hewlett Packard get low profitability. Some forecasters also predict there have a decrease in the worldwide demand for some IT products offered by Hewlett Packard Company. In addition, there are many market segments has affected by the economic recession. It also affected the information technology. Not only in the U.S has been affected, Hewlett Packard also has experienced this decline in its global markets. In 2009, worldwide spending of IT market also decreased by 4% and above. Threats of cloud computing-Cybercriminals always are the first to capture the latest internet innovation. Cloud computing also becomes their main target. The threat lies in cybercriminals ability to penetrate cloud providers webs and run bot-nets that can inflict destruction within a cloud service. So that, shared technologies mean shared risk. The greatest case of shared technologies used in cloud computing is Virtualisation technologies. It provides multiple companies to shares assets and information across a piece of hardware, thereby decrease the costs. Unfortunately, it also become a way of data can get into the wrong hand. Question A. In May, 2002, Hewlett-Packard merger with Compaq Computer Corporation to increase their asset and then on May, 2008 HP take acquisition of EDS (Electronic Data System). This acquisition leads to HP having the combined revenues of 118.4 billion US dollars in 2008 and became rank 9 in Fortune 500 in 2009. At November 2009, HP announced that they had purchase 3Com Inc. This acquisition said to be large in term of takeovers and acquisitions of technology giants to help them become one-stop series shops. After that, in 2010, HP won in a bidding war for 3PAR Inc. which their competitor declined to match. 3PAR Inc. is a manufacturer of systems and software for data storage and information management. This manufacturer helps HP develop and modify their IT products. In the same year, HP announced the buyout of Palm Inc. The Palm Inc. originally was bidding by HTC, Dell, RIM and HP. Finally, HP won the bidding by using 1.2 billion in cash and debt. This addition of Palm brings HP library of valuable patents such as the webOS operating platform and it also. This operating platform has enable HP to develop tablet devices. HP TouchPad, HP first developed tablet had launched at 1 July 2011. This TouchPad is using the webOS as the operating platform and tablet had been said that it works beautifully, and conveys far more information than the iPad 2, in the magazine of The New York Times. This tablet had brought a new challenge to Apples product. B. According to the annual financial reports of HP, their profit decline 31% in the second quarter of 2012. The decline of the profit is because of the growing of the tablet and smart phones or others mobile devices. HP has limited types or series of product and their product is less creativity due to their stability strategy. Their sales will continuous to drop if they still do not develop and launch some new products. Somehow, their main competitors Samsung electronics will replace their places in the computer industry and Greenpeaces Guide. This 2 list ranks the electronics manufacturers according to their policies on sustainability, energy and climate and green products. Samsung electronics grows rapidly and they develop their product in a very vigorous speed, for example their smart phones Galaxy S2 and SIII. Samsung has also established a prominent position in the tablet market, by release the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab. Furthermore, nowadays, the material prices becom e unstable all the times, HP would face the problem thats they need to purchase expensive material to manufacture their products. Once they using more expensive material to manufacture their product, they will be forced to mark up their products prices in order to cover back their cost as well. They would facing their market share would be decrease and their sales will be decreases also, they will not making many profit and at last they would face their company going bankrupt like Nokia now. Findings After HP merger with Compaq, HP became the world largest computer hardware and has a strong market position. This proves that the decision of merging is correct. The method HP used to make decision is known as Decision-Accelerator, which speeds up strategy implementation (i.e. execution) process. (M.Z. Deone, 2007). Decision-accelerator would emphasis on speed and efficiency. Minimizing waste and drive toward outcomes are always reviewed by the facilitators during meeting. The objective is union of ideas with least divergence instead of having deep and durable commitment. Therefore, it is suitable for those senior level or top-level manager when resolving differences and implementing large, complicated strategic initiatives. However, there are the bad side of Decision-Accelerator. It deals with hard-core decisions and involves limited creativity. Due to acquisitions with other company and improving operations in laptop PCs, Mark Hurd, the CEO of HP, need to cut down 10% of workforce. But at the end, HP did dominate the global printer market successfully.Top of ForBottom of Form HP Company has its own unique culture which is known as HP way. It is a standard of manners that emphasized innovation and most of the engineers would like to work on it. This is because HP respect and trust each individual who are working within the organization. (D.E Kimberly, 2012)Furthermore, flat management hierarchy is used by the company. By using this hierarchy, layers of middle management that give slow productivity can be eliminated and speed up the work. Employees are also allowed to decide how to their own work based on their creativity. Therefore, this culture enables HP to compete with other competitor such as Dell. In 2011, HP wiped off $3.3 billion to cover the closing up of the webOS business which is used on mobile operating system. This is because there is less customer and developer interest. WebOS was developed in about nine month and claimed that company took some shortcut from the concept to creation. According to Mr. Mercer who is recruited by Palm from Apple, fewer programmers are willing to understand webKit and most of the top talent are snatched up by Apple and Google. [1] (X.C Brian, 2012) Therefore, a detailed planning is very important for a business. A company should know the market trend and the real usage of the IT product before launching. WebOS is an operating system built on the same technology used by many web browsers. Instead of applying it on mobile, it is advised to be applied on forensic tools. Large amount of information can be extracted from the system partition of webOS devices. This information includes call logs, SMS, e-mail communications, and other Web browsin g activities. Besides, deleted items could be recovered through this operating system. (C.Eoghan, 2011) As recommendation, HP can increase their sales or profit by decreasing their advertising investments. As we known, advertising would increase their company expanses and hence they need to increase their cost for their product. When they increased their cost of the product, they need to mark up the market price to cover back the cost or they will have low profit. This is because large amounts of advertising investments will lead up with the drastic decrease in the size of the domestic market and it further increase the company dependency on the home market depend on the crisis. (Harrigan, 2001) HP would increase their risk when they mark up their marketing price because their competitor will sales out their product which having the same spec with HPs product with lower price. Somehow, they will increase their competitor fame because of the low selling price of the product. Although HP decreases the advertising investments, it is not represent that their sales would drop. They could us e some low cost advertising ways such like advertise through facebook or electronic devices. By this way, they could advertise their product and also wont increase their products cost.

Artificial Intelligence In Military Application Information Technology Essay

Artificial Intelligence In Military Application Information Technology Essay Since the dawn of civilizations, humans have endeavored to be in control of their environments and surroundings. This quest resulted in many discoveries and inventions, most notably among them are machines. Human used machines as an aid to make ones life comfortable, effective and efficient and aimed to develop machines capable of working like human beings, if possible. Computer is one of the most important machines which has not only raised hopes in this regard but has also contributed significantly in every sphere of human endeavor. Human approach to problem solving is one of its kinds. It is based on abstract thought, logic, reasoning and recognizing of pattern. Computers and humans are different. A computer is yet to understand all situations and simultaneously adapt to an evolving situations. The military systems including weapons will be smart; too fast, too small, too many, and will create a complex environment for humans to monitor, control and direct them. Information-based systems will lead to a data overload that will make it a challenge for humans to directly intervene in decision making. Weapons and other military systems already under development will function at increasingly higher levels of complexity and responsibility, without meaningful human intervention and control. In future military conflicts, norm of engagement will be to act rapidly. The military architectures of tomorrow will consist of a new array of sea, ground and space based sensors, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV), and missile defence technologies. These will take advantage of directed energy weapons. Military forces will be both faster and agile. Opponents will take advantage by operating faster than a defender can observe, orient, decide how to respond and act on that decision. The attacker will thus place himself inside the defenders Observe, Orient, Decide and Act (OODA) loop, destroying an adversarys ability to conduct an active defence  [1]  . To execute the OODA process faster than the enemy is at the core concept of future digital and information warfare. Automated systems, assisted by artificial intelligence in some form or the other, may be a way out for this problem. The advances gained in the field of artificial intelligence technology can be utilized by unmanned systems to be able to assess operational and tactical situations and decide an appropriate action. Information will drive success of command and control. These systems will collect data, have the ability to analyze data and provide recommendations to the commander. The difference between providing a recommendation and acting on a recommendation may be only a software twist. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the branch of computer science focusing on creating machines that can engage on behaviour that humans consider intelligent. AI aims to improve machine behaviour in tackling complex tasks. Smart machines have now become a reality and researchers are creating systems which can mimic human thought, understand speech, beat the best human chess player, and achieve many other advantages. With the introduction of web-enabled infrastructure rapid developments have been made in the application of Artificial Intelligence techniques in the recent past. AI is the key technology in many of todays applications in all field including military. AI methodologies are being applied to support decision making at all levels of military operations such as assessment of force readiness, reliability and capability, complex missions planning and integration of data from multiple sources  [2]  . Research in the field of AI is also addressing the challenges presented by supporting such decision making in rapidly changing environments. The use of such technology opens up endless possibilities in the military. This paper aims to trace the contours of AI, examine current efforts to utilise Artificial Intelligence and explore its potential applications in military. Genesis and Recent Past   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   The first Electronics computer was developed in 1941; however, the field of AI research was formally founded at a conference at Dartmouth College in 1956 only. Early work in AI focused on using cognitive and biological models to simulate and explain human information processing skills. In the 1990s and early 21st century, AI achieved its greatest successes. AI has advanced rapidly in the past decade. This happened due to greater use of the scientific method in experimenting with and comparing approaches that systematises and automates intellectual tasks. Thus it is relevant to any sphere of intellectual activities of human. The success can be attributed to the incredible power of modern computers, a greater emphasis on solving specific sub-problems, the creation of new ties between AI and other fields working on similar problems. AI is seen and perceived by different people or groups of people differently. The definitions of artificial intelligence can be broadly put into two approaches: one centred around humans and other centred on rationality  [3]  . The human centred approach must be an empirical science involving hypothesis and experimental confirmation while a rationalist approach involves a combination of mathematics and engineering. There have been efforts to introduce new creative approaches and refine the best one. Recent progress in understanding the theoretical basis for intelligence has gone hand in hand with improvements in the capabilities of real systems. Various subfields of AI have become more integrated. AI has found some common ground with other disciplines. A better understanding of the problems and their complex properties, combined with increased mathematical sophistication has led to workable research agendas. Fields of AI In AI the problem of intelligence simulation is generally divided into a number of specific sub-problems. These consist of particular capabilities that researchers like an intelligent system to display. For difficult problems, most of the algorithms require large computational resources and the amount of memory or computer time required become very high. With rapid strides in computer technology, research and utilization, the field of AI witnessed new frontiers. Russell and Norvig explains, AI encompasses a large variety of subfields ranging from general purpose area such as learning and perception to such specific tasks as playing chess, proving mathematical theorems, writing poetry, and diagnosing diseases. AI systematises and automates intellectual tasks and is therefore potentially relevant to any sphere of human intellectual activity. In a sense, it is a truly universal field  [4]  The various fields and subfields that received more attention in order to solve larger problem s are: Learning The centrality of learning was discussed by Turing in 1950. From the beginning itself machine learning has been central to AI research. The ability to find a pattern in a stream of input is called unsupervised learning where as supervised learning includes classification and numerical regression both. Classification is used to determine what category something belongs in. This is done after seeing a number of examples of things from several categories. Regression takes a set of numerical input and output examples and attempts to discover a continuous function that would generate the outputs from the inputs. In case of reinforcement learning, the agent is rewarded or punished based on good or bad responses. Natural Language Processing It gives machines the ability to read and understand the languages spoken by human beings. Text mining and machine translation are example of some basic applications of natural language processing. Perception Perception provides agents with information about the world in which they exist. Perception is initiated by sensors. Machine perception is the ability to use input from various sensors such as cameras, microphones, sonar etc to deduce aspects of the world. Computer vision is the ability to analyse visual input. Facial recognition, object recognition and speech recognition are some of the selected sub-problems Social Intelligence In order to obtain social intelligence capability, Artificial intelligence has to establish able human interaction and also possess the emotions that people have during their everyday lives. Social skills and emotion play two important roles for an intelligent agent. First, it should be able to foresee the actions of others, by knowing their motives and state of emotions. This involves elements of game theory, decision theory, as well as the ability to model human emotions and also the perceptual skills to detect emotions. Also, it is expected that for good human-computer interaction, emotions need to be displayed by an intelligent machine also. It must appear polite and sensitive to the humans it interacts with. At best, it should have normal emotions and at least it should appear polite. Creativity Artificial Intelligence that deals with the development and exploration of systems that exhibit creativity. It includes systems capable of such things as scientific invention, visual artistry, music composition and story generation etc. A section of AI addresses creativity both theoretically from a psychological perspective and practically via specific implementations of systems that generate outputs that can be considered creative. Artificial Intuition and Artificial Imagination are the areas related with computational research. General Intelligence Many of the researchers hope that their work will finally be included into a machine with general intelligence, combining all the other skills and exceeding human abilities at most of them. Knowledge Representation knowledge representation is one of the important and most familiar concepts in AI. Most of the problems that machines are expected to solve will require extensive knowledge about the world. Among the things that AI needs to represent are objects, properties, categories and relations between objects, situations, events, states and time, causes and effects, and many other less well researched domains. Knowledge representation and knowledge engineering are central to AI research Planning Planning are the subfields of AI devoted to finding action sequences that achieve the agents goals. Intelligent agents should be able to lay down goals and accomplish them. They need a way to imagine the future and be able to select choices that maximize the value of the available choices. They should have a representation of the state of the world and be able to make predictions about how their actions will change it. Multi-agent planning uses the cooperation and competition of many agents to achieve a given goal. Tools Used to Solve Problems of AI In the course of years of research, AI has developed a large number of tools to solve the difficult problems in computer science. A few of the most common of these methods are mentioned: Search and Optimisation Search is the subfield of AI devoted to finding action sequences that achieve the agents goal. Several problems in AI can be solved in theory by intelligently searching through many possible solutions. Reasoning can be reduced to simply perform a search operation. Planning algorithms search through trees of goals and sub-goals, attempting to find a path to a target goal. This process is called means-ends analysis. Robotics algorithms for moving limbs and grasping objects use local searches in configuration space. Several learning algorithms use search algorithms based on optimization. In case of most of the real world problems, simple exhaustive searches are rarely sufficient. Therefore, heuristics supply the program with a best guess for the path on which the solution lies on.   Also in case of many problems, it is possible to begin the search with some form of a guess and then incrementally refine the guess until no more refinements can be made. Logic Logic is the primary vehicle for representing knowledge. It is used for knowledge representation and problem solving. However, it can be applied to other problems also. AI uses several different forms of logic research. Propositional or sentential logic is the logic of statements which can be true or false. There is well developed technology for reasoning in proportional logic First-order logic also permits the use of quantifiers and predicates. It can express details about objects, their properties, and their relations with each other. Fuzzy logic is a version of first-order logic. It allows the truth of a statement to be represented as a value between 0 and 1, rather than simply True or False. Fuzzy systems have been widely used in modern industrial and consumer product control systems and can be used for uncertain reasoning. Several extensions of logic have been intended to handle many domains of knowledge. Other forms of logic designed to help with default reasoning and the qualification problem include default logics, non-monotonic logics and circumscription Probabilistic Methods For Uncertain Reasoning A large number of problems in AI such as learning, reasoning, planning, perception and robotics call for the agent to operate either with uncertain or incomplete information. A number of powerful tools using methods from probability theory and economics have devised by AI researchers to solve these problems. Bayesian networks are a very common tool that can be used for a large number of problems likes learning, reasoning, planning and perception etc. Probabilistic algorithms can also be used for filtering, prediction and finding explanations for streams of data, helping perception systems to analyse processes that occur over time. Mathematical tools have been developed that analyse how an agent can make choices and plan, using decision theory, decision analysis, information value theory. Classifiers and Statistical Learning Methods Classifiers and Controllers are two types of AI applications. Classification forms a central part of many AI systems however, controllers do also classify conditions before inferring actions. Classifiers are functions that make use of pattern matching to determine a closest match. They can be tuned as per examples, making them very attractive for use in AI. These examples are known as patterns or observations. Each pattern belongs to a certain predefined class in case of supervised learning. All the observations combined with their class labels are known as a data set. When a new observation is received, that observation is classified based on earlier experience. A classifier can be trained in many ways. Neural networks A neuron is a cell in the brain whose principal function is the collection, processing, and dissemination of electrical signals. The brains image processing capacity is considered to emerge mainly from network of neurons. A neural network is an interconnected group of nodes, similar to the large network of neurons in the human brain. Neural networks are designed to distinguish patterns in data and forecast an output from a given set of data. Neural networks need to be trained on the data before it can predict or learn. In this way they learn from examples similar to the way a child learns. Computer learning skills that are developed for neural networks are used in a class of computer programs called expert systems. Expert systems also learn from experience and get better at their job, the longer they are doing it. Control Theory Control theory is the foundation of AI and deals with designing devices that act optimally on the basis of feedback from the environment. Initially, the mathematical tools of control theory were quite different from AI, but the fields are coming closer together. Control theory, has many important applications, especially in robotics. Languages AI researchers have developed several specialized languages for AI research, including Lisp and Prolog. In AI, the automation or programming of all aspects of human cognition is considered from its foundations in cognitive science through approaches to symbolic and sub-symbolic AI, natural language processing, computer vision, and evolutionary or adaptive systems. It is inherent to this very complex problem domain that in the initial phase of programming a speci ¬Ã‚ c AI problem, it can only be speci ¬Ã‚ ed poorly. Only through interactive and incremental re ¬Ã‚ nement does more precise speci ¬Ã‚ cation become possible. This is also due to the fact that typical AI problems tend to be very domain speci ¬Ã‚ c therefore, heuristic strategies have to be developed.. Applications of AI General The probable applications of Artificial Intelligence are plenty. Application of AI is possible in all fields, requiring intelligent analysis, precision and automation. They stretch from the military to the entertainment industry, to big establishments dealing with large amount of information such as banks, hospital and insurances. AI can also be used to predict customer behavior and detect the trends. There are many general fields where AI can be very usefully utilized for Autonomous planning and Scheduling, Autonomous Control, Medical Diagnosis, Logistics Planning, and Language Understanding, Problem Solving, Game Playing  [5]  . Some of the important applications are appended below: Pattern Recognition Pattern recognition is the area of research that studies the operation and design of systems that identify patterns in data. When a program makes observations of some kind, it is often programmed to compare what it sees with pattern e.g face, fingerprint or handwriting recognition. Important application areas are image analysis, character recognition, speech analysis, man and machine diagnostics and person identification. Bio-Informatics Bioinformatics is the application of computer technology for the management of biological information. AI provides several powerful algorithms and techniques for solving important problems in bioinformatics. Approaches like Neural Networks, Hidden Markov Models, Bayesian Networks and Kernel Methods are ideal for areas with more data but very less theory. The goal in applying AI to bioinformatics is to extract useful information from the wealth of available data by building good probabilistic models. Data Mining An AI powered tool that can discover useful information within a database that can then be used to improve actions. Data mining  is the process of extracting patterns from  data. Data mining is seen as an increasingly important tool by modern business to transform data into business intelligence giving an informational advantage. It is currently used in a wide range of profiling practices such as marketing,  surveillance,  fraud  detection, and scientific discovery. Expert Systems An expert system is a computer program that represents the reason with knowledge of some specialist subject with a view to solve problems or give advice  [6]  . It is the knowledge-based applications of artificial intelligence that have enhanced productivity in almost all fields such as business, science, engineering, and the military. With advances in the last decade, todays expert systems clients can choose from dozens of commercial software packages with easy-to-use interfaces. Diagnosis and Trouble-shooting explain the development and testing of a condition-monitoring sub-module of an integrated plant maintenance management application based on AI techniques. It is mainly knowledge-based systems, having several modules, sub-modules and sections. Computer Vision It is essential for computer to perceive the objects. Vision includes the acquisition and processing of visual information both. AI enabled technologies have made possible many amazing achievements. Vehicles that are able to steer themselves safely along highways, and computers that can recognize and interpret speech or facial expressions. AI supported vision technology has made many applications possible. Some of them are like 3D modeling, image stabilization, image synthesis, surgical navigation, handwritten document recognition, and vision based computer interfaces. While explaining success of an autonomous system trial supported by computer vision Russel and Norvig mentioned: The ALVIN computer vision system was trained to steer a car to keep it following a lane.   It was tried in the Carnegie Melon University (CMU) NAVLAB computer controlled minivan and used to navigate across the United States for 2850 miles it was in control of steering the vehicle 98% of the time. A human took over the other 2% mostly at the exit ramps. NAVLAB has video cameras that transmit road images to ALVIN, which then computes the best direction to steer, based on experience from previous training runs.  [7]   Image Processing Perception appears to be an effortless activity for humans however, it requires significant amount of sophisticated computation. The team associated with image formation and processing is concerned with research issues related to the acquisition, manipulation, and synthesis and distribution of images. In AI, applications include video phone, video conferencing, teleconferencing, and multimedia databases. Progressively, this research has combined image or vision with audio or speech. For example in the video indexing project, the group is using both visual and audio cues to derive semantic labels for video shots. Robotics Robots are physical agents that perform tasks by manipulating the physical world. Robots are comprised of several systems working together as a whole. Robots are widely used in assembly plants, space stations, and hospitals and now in homes also. Other type of mobile robots includes unmanned land vehicle, unmanned aerial vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicle. Knowledge Representation and Reasoning The representation of knowledge and the reasoning processes that bring knowledge to life are the two concepts, central to the field of AI. The knowledge representation means encoding real world, commonsense etc in a format that is both readable and understandable by the computer. Logical Agents is the representation of knowledge and the reasoning processes that bring knowledge to life. Logic is the primary vehicle for representing the knowledge throughout and Semantic webs describe things in a way that computer applications understand. Gaming Game playing was one of the first tasks taken by AI. Games, unlike other problems, are interesting because they are too difficult to solve. Games like the real world require the ability to make some decisions even when calculating the optimal decision is not feasible. Games also penalize inefficiency severely. Game playing research has contributed in many ideas on how to make best possible use of time. AI techniques are used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behaviour of non-player characters. The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from fields that include control theory, robotics etc. IBMs Deep Blue became the first computer programme to defeat the world champion in a chess match when it performed better than Garry Kasparov in an exhibition match. Military Applications The military applications of Artificial Intelligence are spread over large areas of military functions. Some of the military functions where AI techniques are being used or have potential use are given below. Operations Command and Control Command and Control is considered as one of the most important functions of military operations. In a networked centered scenario of battlefield with host of sensors deployed at different stages and the amount of data flowing between various centres, the time available for decision making is at premium. The information overload sometimes can impair the decision making hence require intelligent filtering of information to take timely and appropriate decisions. AI is used in playing a decisive role in reducing the load on the human beings in the loop and at times taking autonomous decisions as and when warranted. Navigation The availability of Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) and autopilot along with host of sensors and On-board computers has helped in overcoming certain human limitations and resulted in safe and efficient management of flying aircrafts. ISR Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance are the key elements of battlefield management. Over time the battlefield scenario has undergone dramatic change and so as the means of identification, surveillance and reconnaissance. Advancement in technology in many spheres has offered sensors with high sensitivity, small sizes and better visibility. AI has contributed significantly in this regard in terms of ground, aerial, space and underwater ISR capabilities.   Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) using AI offer tremendous potential as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms for early detection of security threats and for acquisition and maintenance of situational awareness in the crisis condition. Using their capabilities effectively requires addressing a range of practical and theoretical problems. Developments in the field of hardware and software technologies, as well as economies of scale, make UAVs feasible for increasingly diverse airborne observation mission s. Expert systems are promising technologies that manage information demands and provide required expertise. Thus they are well suited to many of the tasks associated with environmental impact assessment. While highlighting the contribution of artificial intelligence in battlefield surveillance using geographical information system, Maj Jagmohan Singh of Project Management organization, Battlefield surveillance system , Army HQ concludes: Transparency of the battlefield is a critical factor influencing the outcome of future battles. Battlefield transparency would provide a framework for `scientific and deliberate decision making. The dependence of commanders on paper maps and sand models for operational planning will have to be replaced by the latest GIS tools. These tools permit dynamic visualization of a 3D terrain model for seamless access, query and analysis across multiple types of military geographical data. Mapping and analysis is done using various GIS technologies incorporating satellites and aerial imagery, and photography of the target area. The future technologies would further enhance the visualization techniques and enable the commanders to take timely decisions to defeat the adversaries. However, emphasis needs to focus on refinement of some critical technologies such as Multi Sensor Data Fusion (MSDF), Artificial Intelligence and Interoperability issues.   [8]   Weapon System The weapon technology has seen constant change and has gained more lethality and effectiveness in its evolution. A host of modern weapons are in use or in process of development which can change the landscape of the battlefield. Missiles, Directed energy weapons, Standoff weapons, autonomous weapons etc are few examples of intelligent weapons and have even greater potential in future. Communications and Computers Communication is the core of all activities. In the age of modern communication, the geographical boundaries have come closer and visibility has improved to a great extent. The advent of satellite and availability of internet has revolutionized the communication. In future the success of battlefield will depend on maintenance of network connectivity and management of information from a large variety of sources. This will also made real time communication more important. The non availability of real time information can hamper the decision making ability of soldiers fighting the war. It may result in the failure of mission and even danger to personal survival. Wren, Ichalkaranje and Jain commented on the contribution and maturity of AI: Intelligent Decision Support Systems have the potential to transform human decision making by combining research in artificial intelligence, information technology, and systems engineering. The field of intelligent decision making is expanding rapidly partly due to advances in artificial intelligence and network-centric environments that can deliver the technology. Communication and coordination between dispersed systems can deliver just-in-time information, real-time processing, collaborative environments, and globally up-to-date information to a human decision maker. At the same time, artificial intelligence techniques have demonstrated that they have matured sufficiently to provide computational assistance to humans in practical applications.  [9]   Network centric environment facilitates leveraging Artificial Intelligence to allow soldiers to access and share information throughout the entire network. Network centric environment provides coordination, where each node in the network helps provide a flawless, decentralized organization of intelligent resources. Maintenance Repair and Overhaul The fighting capability of the forces depends upon the serviceability and availability of the range of equipment held in its inventory. Most of the modern days equipments used for military application have certain defined life span. Also the demand of battlefield has ensured that highly sophisticated equipments should be made available for combat. This demands a system with quick fault diagnostic capability, easy maintainability and highly trained human resources along with modern ground facilities. Presently the expert systems are in use to analyze the faulty Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) of Radars or aircraft avionics using Automatic Test Equipments (ATE). Built-in Test systems are encouragingly being used with modern development of weapons. The techniques such as expert system and robotics are fairly in use in military application however has the potential to be exploited at much greater scale to expedite automation. Logistics Logistics is the life line in case of military operations. The various models of operations research have been employed in effective management of the logistics operation. The system of simulation has helped in optimizing the operation and AI has a great potential in assisting in planning and keeping the supply chain effective and efficient. Russell and Norvig highlighted that: During the Persian Gulf crisis of 1991, US forces deployed a Dynamic Analysis and Replanning Tool (DART) to do automated logistics planning and scheduling for transportation. This involved up to 50000 vehicles, cargo and people at a time and had to account for starting point, destinations, routes, and conflict resolution among all parameters. The AI planning techniques allowed a plan to be generated in hours that would have taken weeks with older methods. The Defence Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) stated that this single application more than paid back its 30 year inv

Who are the People rating movies? Essays -- Essays Papers

Who are the People rating movies? Parents can determine if they want to allow their children to watch certain movies by using the film rating system. The film rating system went into effect on November 1, 1968. Even though the decision of whether or not to use the film rating system is voluntary, the vast majority of theaters in The United States enforce the Classification and Rating Administration’s guidelines. This was a voluntary system sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) was founded in 1922 as membership-based business association of the American film industry. At first, the Motion Picture Association of America had the responsibility of combating the waves of criticism of American movies. In addition, the Association worked to reestablish a positive view from the public for the motion picture business. Since the 1920s, the Motion Picture Association of America has grown to reflect the change of the expanding industry. The film rating system was also sponsored by the National Association of Theatre Owners. This association is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world. It represents 26,000 movie screens in all 50 states and in more than 20 countries worldwide. The National Association of Theatre Owners’ purpose is â€Å"to preserve, enhance, and promote the magic of going to the movies.† The Film Rating Board of the Classification and Rating Administration are the individuals who rate films. They view each film and discuss how it should be rated. They attempt to rate a film according to how they believe parents would rate the movie. Written by Aaro... ...Entertainment Group. (2003). Who enforces the ratings? Movie Ratings Q&A. Retrieved February 10, 2004, http://www.regalcinemas. com/movies/ratings.html The Associated Press (2003, July 7). K.C. movie theater starts enforcing new age policies: Cinemark palace bans children younger than six. Retrieved February 20, 2004, from http://www.lawrence.com/news/ entertainment/story/123581 The birth of the ratings. (2000). Retrieved March 26, 2004, from http://www.mpaa.org The Classification & Rating Administration (2000). Reasons for movie ratings. Retrieved March 3, 2004, from http://www.filmratings.com Topher composite godzilla movie ratings. (1998-2000). Retrieved February 13, 2004, from www.lavasurfer.com/godzilla/topher-zilla-ratings.html What do ratings mean & who applies them. (2004). Retrieved February 13, 2004, from http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com

Abortion in context: What was the fate of an unwanted or orphaned child in the nineteenth century? :: Essays Papers

Abortion in context: What was the fate of an unwanted or orphaned child in the nineteenth century? For as much as has been written about the crime of abortion and infanticide, equally much as been said against forced maternity, marital rape, and woman’s lack of control over her own body, all circumstances resulting in unwanted pregnancy and unwanted children. Such circumstances all stemmed from unique family, social, or health issues, with no one cause resulting in the abandonment of a child. A lack of knowledge about both sanitation and about women’s health resulted in the deaths of mothers during birth. General poverty and migration from farms to city centers made large families more difficult to support financially. Giving up a child because it could not be economically supported by its family was a common occurrence. As abortion became more stigmatized and criminalized, children who were the product of rape or wedlock were also abandoned. Deaths related to the Civil War also dramatically increased the numbers of orphaned children. Within the pages of The Revoluti on, it is asked: â€Å"Women who are in the last stages of consumption, who know that their offspring must be puny, suffering, neglected orphans, are still compelled to submit to maternity, and dying in childbirth, are their husbands ever condemned? Oh, no!† (2) Stemming from models developed in Rome under Marcus Aurelius and Florence’s Innocenti, orphans were first nursed by peasant women, then adopted or apprenticed by the time they were seven or eight years old (Simpson 136). Care of the orphans (and also the sick, the poor, the elderly, and the mentally ill) was first the responsibility of the church, but with increased legislation, the responsibility gradually fell under the state (Simpson 137). Pennsylvania passed such a â€Å"poor law† in 1705, establishing an â€Å"Overseer of the Poor† for each township. Each overseer was responsible for finding funds for children and more commonly, for finding positions of servitude or apprenticeship (7). Such a model of short-term care followed by adoption, apprenticeship, or indentured servitude became the standard for dealing with orphaned children. The development of specific orphanages or child asylums, however, did not come until later in the nineteenth century. Orphaned children were first treated in almshouses, first established in Philadelphia in 1731 (7). Poorhouses, workhouses, and almshouses, all essentially the same institution, housed both adults and children without homes. Residents were seen as nearly free sources of labor, working in sweatshops or nearby mines in the case of several British poorhouses (5).

Conformity Vs individuality Essay

Though many struggle to be there own person. Many struggle to decide things on there own.We are all different, but most of us are the same, because of conformity. Conformity is the easy way of things. Following the leader is the natural way of humans. For an example take Germany during World War II. There was little hate towards Jew or Jipsys or the mentally disabled but because one man was such a persuasive and strong leader a whole country conformed to killing millions. We see the nonconformity in Thoreau, the strive to conform in Gatsby and the struggle to do become an individual in a place of discor in Fahrenheit 451. Thoreau wanted to be his own man and live his own life without, the influence of government or society. He did not want to follow in the american dream of a white picket fence, instead he wanted to create his own dream. A dream that was his and his alone. To accomplish this unorthodox dream he cut his life off from society and from the government. He strove to creat e his own person, to be different from the average. To be unique. Thoreau isolated himself in the woods, did not pay taxes, and lived off the wild so he would be without influence from the government. Thoreau did not feel a part of america. He saw how the american people were conforming and thinking more about self image than which was truly important. So he decided instead of conforming to the american way he would create his own little society. Thoreau tried which most would not even considered he tried to be an individual. Gatsby on the other hand tried to conform to impress his loved one. Is conformity attractive? To most they would say yes. Few want someone who thinks differently . Few want a unique person. People want safeness and people find that in the norm. Gatsby tried to reach the white picket fence not because he wanted it forsay but because he wanted to attract his loved one, Daisy. Daisy was attracted to the american dream. Though because of her situation she was not able to achieve the dream for herself she wanted to marry and be with someone who had achieved it. So Gatsby tried his best to get to the White picket fence. Though the ways he ended up getting to the white picket fence was a little unorthodox . He did conform to the american dream and the american way. We see the struggle of doing what one wants to do even when it is against the norm in fahrenheit 451 by the character Guy Montag. Montag feels the emptiness of conformity and wants to read which is illegal. Instead of  listening to those around him or to his wife or even the government he starts to read. And in doing this he becomes an individual. Becoming an individual causes him to lose his wife lose his job and makes him a fugitive but his emptiness vanishes. The government had become tyranny controlling what each individual did. We see throughout the book people conforming like they conformed in War World II to this tyranny. The outcome was the same as in WWII the government fell and the ones who had not conformed were regarded as heroes. To be unique is a great thing but society continues to look down its nose at those who want something different. When you start to think for yourself you are no longer â€Å"Part of any country.† Most people when they think of a country they think of the leaders or the people who control the things. But in itself that its wrong. A country is a mass of people that follows the laws and and silent laws dictated by the people. Inside the Unite d States of America there are thousands of countries each of them have slightly different silent laws. To become an individual you obey the laws but you create your own silent laws. When Thoreau made that choice to leave the masses and make his own country, a country of one then he became a individual. A country of one is infinitely better than a country of two for one reason, freedom. When you create your own country you are granted more freedom than ever before. No longer do you have to follow the normality or silent laws of the other countries The difference between a Non-conformist and a criminal is silent laws verses laws. Thoreau gave up on all the silent laws so he is no longer a part of â€Å"America.† Gatsby gave up on the enforced laws but kept the silent laws so he is part of america. Guy montag gave up on the silent laws which were enforced so he became a individual.