Thursday, October 31, 2019

Book Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Book Questions - Essay Example The implication is that the world’s beautiful, precious and beautiful biodiversity get destroyed virtually every 20 minute. Since the trend of consumerism and therefore energy use is ever on the increase, biodiversity preservation measures must be taken to protect potential loss and extinction. Preservation of biodiversity, according to Friedman, is a duty that calls for multi-sectoral and multi-party approach, involving nations, corporations and individuals. World nations, led by the US have got a duty to reduce the use of carbon based fuels. In particular, they should construct an entirely new system of fuels that is clean, in the sense that they have no or little carbon emission, such as wind, solar and nuclear energy. These should be supplied to homes. The corporations have a duty to put measures calculated to minimize the use of carbon-based fuels, ensure efficient systems that do not blow much carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Individuals should also operate under minimu m energy use along reverting to environment friendly energy sources. Other than the loss of biodiversity, hot, flat and crowded world raise other ethical issues. ... In the long run, their (petrodicataors) pockets are unjustly enriched. Secondly, the energy crisis that characterizes the hot, flat and crowded eventually leads to wider gap between the rich (energy haves) and the poor (energy have nots) as the poor have their operations and daily life grounded due to escalated costs and energy scarcity. Finally, hot, flat and crowded world also disrupts sustainability of the environment for the future generation. As various corporations use carbon fuels, they emit more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thereby raising the global temperature to greater heights. It means that the future generations will find the environment generally hostile for their living. And we are opening an ever wider gap between the energy haves and the energy have-nots, those who cannot take part in the â€Å"flat† world because they cannot switch on a light bulb, let alone a laptop. Friedman makes various arguments and suggestions to emphasize the importance of regu lation in reducing USA’s oil dependency. Freidman asserts that green-revolutionary regulations will be of essential to catalyze funding and development of petroleum free energy sources, such as wind, nuclear and solar. By adopting heavy carbon taxation or ensuring higher taxation of petroleum products, corporation that are responsible for heavy carbon emission will strive to revert to less carbon fuels. Individuals will also minimize energy use as they revert to using environment friendly fuels. Regulation would ensure that such desirable energy uses are fairly priced and affordable to many. Friedman’s suggestion is important considering that there are so many individuals who consume energy and if everyone was to cut-down energy use or lean much towards using

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Managing Human Resource in Large Organisations Essay

Managing Human Resource in Large Organisations - Essay Example The researcher states that managing such large organizations as Boeing and Airbus with employee base ranging up to 18, 000 employees is a complex endeavor. Due to the diversity of the organisation, many employees come from different cultural and ethnic background and therefore have different personal values, which must be respected. Construction industries such as Boeing and airbus involve assembly of millions of parts. This calls for a wide variety of expertise. Some may be low as workshop attendants, cleaners, and drivers while others may be highly qualified personnel such as engineers, analysts, and quality inspectors. Each class have different needs, values, hierarchy of needs and issues to be addressed. This makes handling such a complex work base a difficult effort. Heavy construction industries require a very diverse pool of skills. This implies that the workforce will consist of old and experienced experts who have been in such industries for years. Such workers are of high v alue to any organisation. On the other hand, young, enthusiastic, and highly skilled workers are also required to inject new ideas, and introduce recent advancements in technology into the production process. Indeed, most large manufacturing industries invest heavily in developing young workforce. Most of the young generation are often employed in research facilities of such organizations. The needs, gratifications, and issues affecting these diverse groups are different and handling them increases the complexity of the human resource management problem. ... Managing and handling issues from an international perspective demands a very wide dimensional approach. Teamwork in manufacturing organizations such as Boeing and Airbus is of utmost importance. At times, the companies have to organise up to 200 work teams, which must work in harmony towards achieving the desired production goals. Organising such teams from a pool of varied professionals, different age, cultural and religious background presents a complex puzzle for human resource management. The gravity of the issue is increased by the sensitivity of the manufacturing process, which demands a synchronised approach to work (Lam, 2009). Compensation of different workers presents one of the most complex problems for large manufacturing organizations. Different expertise demand different pay grades. However, similar expertise from different nationality may require different compensation in terms of remunerations and other work benefits. Minimising compensation expenses whilst addressin g different hierarchical needs of every single employee is truly a complex task for human resource management. Despite the complexities, human resource has different methods of approach to ensure that all the staff members feel as part of the design and production process. First, human resource must understand the different patterns of personal values and gratification. Different employees must be treated differently depending on personal motivation factors. For instance, some workers may value achievement, affiliation, power, and responsibility while others may prefer promotion and growth. There are two primary types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. Most of the employees will fall in either category and it is the role of human resource to

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Media and Public Perceptions of crime

Media and Public Perceptions of crime Crime stories and representations are, and have always been, a popular focus of the mass media. The percentage of media content that is constituted by crime images and stories obviously will depend on the definitions of crime used. A glimpse at the television guide, the movies listings in the cinema, or press headlines, will highlight both the interest the general population has in crime and criminals, and the key role the media play in describing all features of criminal behaviour. People are excited with crime and justice (Howitt, 1998). From films, books, newspapers, magazines, television broadcasts, to everyday talks, we are continuously participating in crime talk. A large amount of this crime will be fictional, others, real life, and our enthusiasm for reading and watching about both seems to be evident. Television documentaries, news programmes and local or national newspapers emphasise and discuss crime and criminal justice issues on an everyday basis. Stories about crime are a more limited proportion of news, varying according to medium (e.g. radio, television, or print journalism) and market (e.g. quality or popular journalism). In this chapter we will analyse how the media influence public opinion through social cognitive theory and information processing theory. The publics knowledge and understanding of crime, criminal justice, police forces and police investigations, is often derived from the media and is greatly based on what they have watched or heard through various media forms (Jewkes, 2011). More generally, it is not feasible for people to know everything about society through their own experience thus the media has the role of informing and entertaining people. It is important to say that several studies have found a correlation between people views about crime and the criminal justice system, and the media. Dorfman (2001) found that 76 percent of the public said they modulated their opinions about crime from what they see or read in the news compared to those who get their primary information on crime from personal experience at 22 percent. It is not surprising that the academic interest in the field of criminology and criminal justice is growing as studies showed the popular media and general public interest in this area has the hi ghest percentage (Jewkes ,2011). Heath and Gilbert (1996) initiated that the association among media productions and offence is contingent on the features of the communication and the viewers. Production of great amounts of neighbourhood offence news creates enlarged fear between the outsized public, (Brillon, 1987; Sheley and Ashkins, 1981) whilst the presentation of great sums of non-local offence news has the contradictory result by construction the local audience feel safer (Liska and Baccaglini, 1990). Also, Chiricos et al (2000) found out that local and nationwide news are connected to fear of felony. The result of neighbouring news on fear of crime is stronger for people in elevated offence locations and persons who have passed through victimisation. Public perspectives toward police are in general positive (Huang and Vaughn, 1996). Nevertheless, there are a small number of studies that considered the medias control on peoples ratings of police force efficiency. A large amoun t of the literature concentrates on media depictions of police officers and results expose two contradictory views. Some researchers suggest that the police are displayed positively in the media, whilst other study argues that the police are unenthusiastically portrayed in the media (Pollak and Kubrin, 2007). Police presentations are often over-dramatised and romanticised by imaginary television felony dramas while the news media display the police as daring, qualified crime fighters (Surette, 1998; Reiner, 1985). In television crime dramas, the mainstreams of crimes are solved and unlawful suspects are successfully detained (Dominick, 1973; Estep and MacDonald, 1984; Carlson, 1985; Kooistra et al. 1998, Zillman and Wakshlag, 1985). Likewise, news presentations have a tendency to overstate the percentage of crimes that consequence in catch which projects a representation that police are more successful than official statistics show (Sacco and Fair, 1988; Skogan and Maxfield, 1981; Marsh, 1991; Roshier, 1973). The sympathetic vision of policing is partially a result of a police forces people relations scheme. Coverage of practical police actions creates a representation of the police as effectual and well-organised investigators of crime (Christensen, Schmidt and Henderson, 1982). Therefor e, a constructive police display strengthens usual opinions to law and order that engage enlarged police attendance, cruel penalties and rising police power (Sacco, 1995). Modern offences-solving shows like CSI, Law Order and a range of spin-offs has obviously increased public cognition of the function that science can take part in solving crimes and gathering proof which may be used to help convict the criminals. Also, numerals of researchers suggest that a symbiotic association subsists among news media workers and the police. It is argued that the police and the media involve in a commonly advantageous connection (Jewkes, 2011). The media wants the police to give them with rapid, trustworthy sources of offence information, while the police have a vested attention in retaining a constructive public image (Ericson, Baranek, and Chan, 1987; Fishman, 1981; Hall et al, 1978). Nonetheless, other researchers suggest that the police are not displayed completely positive in the news media. For example, Surette (1998) argues that docu-dramas and news small programs symbolise the police as heroes that fight bad people, up till now publish and broadcast news exemplify the police as unproductive and useless. Likewise, Graber (1980) argues that the wide-ranging public appreciates police presentation more positively compared with judges and alteration. In English courtrooms media coverage and the use of m icrophones or videos are not allowed (Howitt, 1998). However, Graber (1980) suggests that the media gives tiny information to critic police and that the news media centre on unhelpful criticism rather than helpful or triumphant crime prevention exertions. Basically, most media crime is penalised, but policemen are infrequently the heroes (Lichter and Lichter, 1983). Research examining the agenda-setting function of the news media has undergone a dramatic re-conceptualisation in recent years. No longer is research based on the nation noted by Cohen that the press may not be successful in telling us what to think but is stunningly successful in telling us what to think about (Cohen, 1963, p.13). Indeed, researchers now argue that, under certain circumstances, the news media do tell people what to think by providing the public with an agenda of attributes a list of characteristics of important newsmakers. Individuals mentally link these mediated attributes to the newsmakers to a simila r degree in which the attributes are mentioned in the media (Marsh, Ian, Melville and Gaynor, 2008). The Social Cognitive Theory is also called social learning, observational learning, or Modelling. This theory has its roots in psychology. This communication theory was developed by Albert Bandura in the 1960s. His idea was that people watch and learn by others, specifically they perform and imitate behaviours through observation by other people. In todays days increasingly media- society, the mass media communication becomes the basis of observational learning. In order to appropriately learn from the media a person must be exhibited to the media, then be able to encode and memorise the event, and finally be able to decode their view of the media into a suitable reply. This theory deals partly with media and how it affects behaviours. The modelling theory is mostly applied to the consequences of aggressive media on behaviour, but it can be applied to other variables like sex, pro social, or purchasing behaviour. Because of the powerful role the mass media get in the world, considera te the psychosocial mechanisms throughout representative communication effects human thought, affect, and action is of importance. Social cognitive theory provides an agentic conceptual framework in which to examine the decisive factors and mechanisms of such effects. Human behaviour has often been explicated in terms of unidirectional causation, in which behaviour is formed and forced either by ecological influences or by inside moods. Social cognitive theory explains psychosocial operations in terms of triadic reciprocal causation (Bandura, 1986). In this alternative view of self and society, individual factors in the figure of cognitive, affective, and biological events; behavioural patterns; and environmental events all function as interacting factors that influence each other (Bandura, 1986, 2001a). People are self-organizing, proactive, self-reflecting, and self-determining, not just reactive organisms formed by ecological events or inside forces. Human self-development and al teration are enclosed in social systems. Furthermore, personal organisation functions within a wide system of socio-structural influences. In these agentic communications, people are producers and also products of societal regimes. Private group and social arrangement function as co determinants in an included causal structure rather than as an intangible duality. Seen from the socio-cognitive viewpoint, peoples nature is a huge capability that can be shaped by straight and observational experience into a range of shapes within natural limits. To say that a main distinctive mark of people is their exceptional elasticity is does not to mean that they have no character or that they appear structure- less (Midgley, 1978). The flexibility, which is inherent to the nature of humans, depends on neurophysiological mechanisms and structures that have developed over time. These higher neural systems specialised for dealing out, remaining, and employing coded information give the ability for the very abilities that are noticeably human-genital symbolisation, foresight, axiological self-arrangement, pensive self-consciousness, and symbolic message (Bryant, Jennings, Zillmann and Dolf, 2002). Humans have developed a higher capability for observational learning that gives them the opportunity to enlarge their knowledge and skills quickly through information transferred by the rich range of models. Indeed, practically all behavioural, cognitive, and influencing learning from straight experience can be succeed representatively by observing peoples actions and its results for them (Bandura, 1986; Rosenthal Zimmerman, 1978). A large amount of social learning derives either knowingly or unknowingly from models in ones direct surroundings. However, a large amount of information about people values, ways of thinking, and behaviour norms is acquired from the lengthy modelling in the symbolic setting of the mass media (Bryant, Jennings, Zillmann and Dolf, 2002). The effects of media on the public can also be explained through information processing models which have been developed by cognitive psychologists (Graber, 1984; Kraus and Perloff, 1985). Information-processing research suggests that people have cognitive constructions, called schemas, which organise peoples thinking (see chapter 2). A persons system of schemas stores independent faiths, attitudes, principles, and choices (Rokeach, 1973). The schemas are straight concentration to related information, driven its understanding and assessment, provide conclusions when information is absent or vague, and make easy its memory (Fiske and Kinder, 1981, p. 173). Schemas do not select out all unknown or rough information, there are not filter of memory, they just help peoples mind to organise their thoughts. As Bennett (1981) argues, that information process, substantially fabricates parts of recognition and idealistic accusations and new Scholars have used many terms such as scripts, infere ntial sets, frames and prototypes to explain this situation. Information-processing theory identifies and assists clarify how stances derive from a dynamic interaction of new information with peoples pre-existing beliefs. (Entman, 1989) The explicit model of thinking that cognitive psychologists have been putting together thus interferes with the implied model in much of the media research. People are vulnerable to considerable media effects, according to the information processing theory, despite of the autonomy model suggestions which support that people ignore the most new or dissonant media reports. In the information-processing viewpoint, a person first values a media report for salience. If salient, the person works out the news according to rotes established in the schema system. Processing may drive the person either to store the information or abandon it; if the information stored, people may adopt new beliefs or change old beliefs (Entman, 1989). Social Psychology and Media effects Social psychologists talk about conformity and they argue that people act as group and define things and form their opinions as group, as the majority do. It is possible that a person has a different opinion from the group but the influence that he or she receives is much more dynamic. Thus, people change their opinion about a subject to suit to groups opinion (Gross, 2010) People modify their opinion in response the information that they receive from others, also when people do not feel that they have the accurate perception about a subject they look to others to perceive the stimulus situation accurately. This is called informational social influence (Bordens and Horowitz, 2000) But sometimes people change perception in response to pressure to conform to a norm or in order to gain social approval and avoid rejection they agree with the group because of their power (Wren, 1999)

Friday, October 25, 2019

Uncle Toms Cabin: Stowes Paradoxical Christian Message Essay

Uncle Tom's Cabin: Stowe's Paradoxical Christian Message Perhaps the greatest criticism levied against Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is that it comprises of nothing more than Victorian sentimentality, and that the death of its two moral exemplars, Tom and Little Eva, do little which actually remedies the injustices of slavery. Critic Ann Douglas sees the novel as emblematic of the "feminization of American culture," which in religious terms figures as "a move away from the morally forceful Calvinism to the sloppiness of the humanistic cult of gentle Jesus" (Rachel Bowlby's paraphrase, 205). In order to recoup the novel from such charges, critics such as Jane Tompkins have attempted to demonstrate that the novel's coupling of sentimentality and Christianity results in far more than a luxuriating in lachrymose emotions. For Tompkins, the force behind the novel's sentimental Christianity is its subversion of the power hierarchy. Incidents like the deaths of Tom and Little Eva enact a "theory of power" in which "the powerless die to save the power ful and corrupt, and thereby show themselves more powerful than those they save" (128). Thus, the traditional locus of power, is in effect, decentered, and religious faith gives marginalized figures like slaves, children, and women a power, to which in strictly secular terms, they have no access. One problem with readings which stress the salvific function of the deaths of Tom and Little Eva is their failure to account for the novel's self-conscious acknowledgment of the social forces which constantly challenge the brand of Christianity which it advocates. The Christian message of Uncle Tom's Cabin is ultimately paradoxical. On the one hand, the examples of Tom and Little Eva demonstrate ... ...f sustaining one's Christianity within the context of slavery, as well as the limitations of the individual's power to challenge such a large institution. George, in deferring his acceptance of Christianity until he reaches a place of freedom, ultimately comes closest to Stowe's agenda of establishing a true Christian nation, uncorrupted by slavery, on earth. Works Cited: Bowlby, Rachel. "Breakfast in America--Uncle Tom's Cultural Histories." Nation and Narration. Ed. Homi K. Bhabha. New York, NY: Routledge Press, 1990, 197-212. O'Connel, Catherine E. "`The Magic of the Real Presence of Distress': Sentimentality and Competing Rhetorics of Authority." The Stowe Debate. Eds. Mason I. Lowance, Jr., Ellen E Westbrook, R.C. De Prospo. Amherst, MA: U. Massachusetts Press, 1994, 13-36. Tompkins, Jane. Sensational Designs. New York, NY: Oxford U. Press, 1985.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Family life in To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

In order to appreciate To Kill A Mockingbird fully, we should be familiar with some of the background of its setting. The South in the colonial times grew into an area with large cotton plantations and small cities. Because of the necessity for cheap labour to pick and seed the cotton, Negro slavery took a strong hold there. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, there were over 500,000 slaves in this country, with by far the greatest number in the South. As time passed, plantation owners formed a landed aristocracy. The Negroes, though slaves, gained a measure of economic security. On the perimeter of this were the poorer white farmers who either owned small pieces of land or worked as sharecroppers. To Kill a Mockingbird is set against this background of 1930 Southern life. The Finches are a family who once had a large, successful plantation. Their ancestors had been aristocratic ladies and gentlemen of the South. Now they have been reduced to gentile poverty. They are better off by far than the Cunningham’s, for example, who have nothing but their land. Atticus Finch is highly respected throughout the community mainly due to his law career. There are many different kinds of family life in â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird†. There are white families who are higher and lower class and then black families. I think that Harper Lee exaggerates the family hierarchy, i.e. the lower class families are shown as being very poor while the higher-class families are shown to be almost ideal. This makes it clearer to us how different the families are. The Finch family would be an example of an ideal family, which is ironic considering that there is no mother. They are a poor family although better off than most and stand near the top of Maycomb’s social hierarchy. There is a lot of love, trust and security within the family. Atticus is a very good father and has brought Scout and Jem up to be very mature and respectful. He devotes himself to his children despite criticism from family and neighbors who think his children lack discipline and proper guidance. Atticus is a wise man, committed to justice and equality, and his parenting style is based on fostering these virtues in his children – he even encourages Jem and Scout to call him ‘Atticus’ so that they can interact on terms as equal as possible. Throughout the novel, Atticus works to develop Scout and Jem’s respective consciences. He tells Scout to put herself in a person’s shoes  before she judges them. Calpernia acts as a mother figure and is treated as one of the family. She is also their ‘bridge’ between the white world and her own black community. Calpernia’s own family may be black, but they are respectful and clean, good Christian people, who are better than some of the white families. Again, Tom Robinson and his family are black but he is honest and respectable. However they are still inferior to the extremely lower class white folk. The Ewell family is known as ‘white trash’. They would be at the very bottom of the hierarchy. They represent the dark side of the South: ignorance, poverty, filth, and hate-filled racial prejudice. In contrast with the Finch family they show poor parental care. Bob Ewell is a father of eight who is a drunken, permanently unemployed member of Maycomb’s poorest family. The attitude and actions of the father influence the children’s behavior and attitude. i.e., they are renound for attending only the first day of school. Like the Ewells, the Cunningham family is very poor. They are uneducated country farmers but are honest and hardworking. They take nothing unless they can pay it back in their own way, for example leaving Atticus stove wood, hickory nuts and holly to pay for his services. The Radley family is a very good example of parental failure. Their son Boo is an intelligent child emotionally damaged by his cruel father. The parent’s mistreatment of Boo has resulted in his life being totally ruined. They are also the centre of Maycomb’s gossip and from this, we get the impression that Boo is a violent and nasty man, when actually he is kind and befriends and protects Jem and Scout. We don’t hear very much about Dill’s family, but from what we do hear, we can see that he has a very difficult situation where he comes from a broken family. Dill spins grand tales about his father but runs away from home later in the book because he feels his mother and stepfather don’t care about him. Harper Lee makes it very clear to us that parents influence children so much so that we can see the enormous difference between the Finches and The Ewells. We are introduced to a good black family that is  destroyed by a drunken bum who is unfortunately white. This complicates us to show the intricacy of the moral values that were unjust at the time.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Information Sysems

Use of Video Conferencing to gain competitive advantage in New Bank New bank can make use of video technology to connect customers with the right experts in a short span of time to provide quick and personalized service on-demand. Most banks worldwide are in a nascent stage of using video to carry on various businesses with their customers remotely; hence New Bank can take advantage of this. Through video-enabled web conferencing or branch office video conferencing the bank can conduct high risk, high return businesses of discussing purchase and sell of stock, selling mortgages, structuring investment portfolios and advising on loans.Advantages of adopting video conferencing in New Bank (Drivers) * Optimization of the cost/lemon ratio Cost income ratio is the standard benchmark of bank efficiency. In some cases, bank balance sheets and cost income/ratio are in an unhealthy state such that reducing cost whilst increasing revenues becomes critical. In this regard, video banking will he lp in reducing cost/income by decreasing branch banking headcount and improving revenues effectively. * Integration of disparate business processes Video technology paves way to integrate the disparate processes in the enterprise ND bring synergies between business teams across geographies. Real-time remote access Video conferencing enables real-time access to expert bankers located remotely. This then improves the quality of interoffice interactions. * Value to customers Video technology implemented in retail branches can provide high value product information to customers. This decreases turnaround times for closure of customer queries. * Enhancement of branch banking interactions Video conferencing allows expansion of video across branch networks helps information dissemination and cross selling. Visual Connect Video conferencing is used to connect customers with product experts when selling higher margin products.This then allows wealth management experts to maintain visual cont act with clients spread across the branch network. Examples of real life scenarios of video conferencing * Video teller technology in retail banking This is ideal where financial organizations seek to offer personalized transactional services to customers more flexibly and its benefit is that, it optimizes branch resources by focusing on higher value, non transactional advisory work and permits a eider range of services at branches and unstained locations. Social Media Innovation This is ideal to support a virtual branch online to support enquiries regarding advice on mortgages, foreign exchange and setting up payments. The merit of this is that it helps in providing personalized services to the customer and enhancing customer relationship. 2. Use of automated call centers in New Bank to capture competitive forces New Bank can adopt automated call centers as a meaner for cutting costs and improving transactions from high touch, high cost, traditional branch banking channel.This then allows branch employees to concentrate on revenue generating activities. Additional benefits for using automated call centers include: * The creation off comprehensive view of each customer's profile to understand his or her needs. * The standardization of the sales process to maximize the use of customer information in sales. * The upgrading of the personnel's skills so they can satisfy the customer by offering the right products and services. This allows the recognition of productive staff with the facility to monitor operator productivity.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The book Wind, Sand and Stars written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery essay

The book Wind, Sand and Stars written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery essay The book Wind, Sand and Stars written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery essay The book Wind, Sand and Stars written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery essayThe book Wind, Sand and Stars written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery in the late 1930s was first published in France in 1939. In the 1940s, the book was translated into English and published in the United States. The author of the book, Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944), was an outstanding French aristocrat, talented writer and poet, and a legendary pioneering aviator. Antoine de Saint-Exupery gained nominations as a laureate of several literary awards. In addition, he was the winner of the U.S. National Book Award. The book Wind, Sand and Stars is considered to be an impressive lyrical aviation writing produced in the form of a memoir. In this book, Saint-Exupà ©ry provides much important information on aviation, evoking a series of significant events in his life. Special attention is placed on the period when Antoine de Saint-Exupery was employed by the airmail carrier Aà ©ropostale. The author of the book des cribes his experiences as an aviator who performed mail routes across the African Sahara and the South American Andes. The major themes revealed by the author of the book are friendship, life and death, heroism and the search for meaning in life. The major purpose of the book is to illustrate how the author views the meaning of life and what makes life worth living. The book is aimed at a general audience. My reaction to the book is positive. The book is well-organized and easy to read and understand. The evidence provided by the author is convincing. This book is worth reading and analyzing. Thesis statement: Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s book Wind, Sand and Stars tells much about aviation and man’s place in the world, promoting the feeling of love of life and encouraging the reader to start searching for meaning in life.The meaning of the title of the book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The title of the book is Wind, Sand and Stars reflects the author†™s attitudes toward the spiritual dimension of flying. Antoine de Saint-Exupery used his experiences to highlight the role of â€Å"wind, sand and stars† which are part of the Universe. The author wrote this book in order to reflect his individual experiences and feelings as a pilot. He demonstrates his love of flying and flight, which has become an obsession for him. The title of the book gives the reader an opportunity to assess the author’s imagination and his philosophy of life.Summary of the book  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book consists of 10 chapters. Chapter 1 â€Å"The Craft†, Chapter 2 â€Å"The Men†, Chapter 3 â€Å"The Tool†, Chapter 4 â€Å"The Elements†, Chapter 5 ‘The Plane and The Planet†, Chapter 6 â€Å"Oasis†, Chapter 7 â€Å"Men and the Desert†, Chapter 8 â€Å"Prisoner of the Sand†, Chapter 9 â€Å"Barcelona and Madrid 1936† and Chapter 10 â€Å"Conclusionâ⠂¬ . In general, each of the chapters contributed to the revealing of the major themes of the book. The laconic chapter titles point out to the simplicity of the author’s language, which allows any reader to evaluate the book’s significance.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The narrator of the story described in the book is the author himself; therefore, this writing can be called the autobiographical work. It is first-person narration. The narrator is considered to be a reliable source of information because his personal experience as a pilot is huge. In 1926, he was â€Å"enrolled as a student airline pilot by the Latecoere Company† (Saint-Exupery, 1992, p. 1). His career was successful because he became a pioneer of international postal flight services and continued his professional growth as a pilot. In addition, his writing career was successful. Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote many literary works, including hi novella LAviateur (The Aviator), hi s book Courrier Sud (Southern Mail), his novella The Little Prince and other works.The central incident described by the author in his book is the plane crash that occurred in 1935 in the Sahara Desert between Benghazi and Cairo. Antoine de Saint-Exupery and his mechanic, Andrà © Prà ©vot, could survive, but they were without food and water in the desert. Actually, there were practically no chances to find an oasis or get help from the air. Hungry and thirsty, Antoine de Saint-Exupery and his partner nearly died before being saved by a man on a camel. That man was a Bedouin from Libya. The author of the book gives an amazing description of his own experience and feeling of love for life he had when a Bedouin gave him water:Water though hast no taste, no color, no odor; canst not be defined art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself, thou fillest us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses. By thy might, there return into us treasures that we had abandoned (Saint-Exupery, 1992, p. 172).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The time period described in the book and the location the book is set in refers to the author’s real life events. The setting has a strong impact on the plot of the book. The analysis of the narrative plot of the book demonstrates the well-organized structure, which ensures coherence of the whole literary work. Dialogues, descriptions, monologues are integrated into the literary work through effective plot structure. Each chapter of the book presents new facts from the life experience of the author. In addition, the author demonstrates how his feeling of flight and his love of aviation helped him to discover the meaning of life. He is focused on his philosophy of life and applies his beliefs which are based on his revelations regarding his own life experience. In the book, he provides many details of his life experience, which contribute to the progression of his chara cter. Thus, the overall theme or message of the book is to impress the reader and make him/her ponder over the meaning of life.The genre of literature chosen by the author is a memoir. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s memoir is represented in the form of an autobiographical writing that reprocesses the past experience. In other words, the author describes real events and human interactions that require evaluation.Evaluation of the book In his book, Antoine de Saint-Exupery has achieved his goals. The author of the book gives the reader an opportunity to feel the significance of the role of nature in human life. He describes how he was flying alone in a single engine airplane and experienced the power of nature. Massive possibilities are suggested by the book as the reader has a chance to find the meaning of life due to the author’s experience. It is necessary to understand the significance of the power of nature, the beauty of Earth and the role of machines in assessing this power. Antoine de Saint-Exupery became part of nature due to his small single-engine airplane.The book can be compared to other books on the subject of adventures, including the book Things Are Different in Africa: A Memoir of Dangers and Adventures in the Congo by Frederick Edward Pitts or the book Flying Adventures and Memoirs of a US Air Force Pilot by Edward E. Skipper. Actually, these memoirs provide an honest account of a man’s experiences, which help to find the meaning in life. Practically all specific points provided by the author of the book are convincing.I really like the book because the themes reveled the author are very important for me. I love the way he describes his challenges and find solutions. I love to read about strong personalities who never give up. Antoine de Saint-Exupery is one of them. I would read more about the author of the book because he is an interesting writer and philosopher. Moreover, I would encourage others to read this book because th ere is much important information regarding the role of aviation in developing a strong personality. The National Geography magazine named Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s book is Wind, Sand and Stars as one of the most appealing adventure books of the 20-th century.Conclusion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, it is necessary to conclude that the book Wind, Sand and Stars is based on the author’s reflection upon his own adventures, which helped him to develop his sense of imagination, love of life and curiosity. The book reveals the author’s encounters with different people and challenges caused by these encounters. In general, Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s amazing stories help to assess the meaning of life and the role of friendship, the relationship between life and death, the impact of heroism in one’s search for meaning in life. Of all the stories discussed by the author, the major one is the story revolves around Antoine de Saint-Exuper y’s experience of flying across Sahara desert and the detailed description of the accidents that occurred while he executed the flight. The book can make the reader want to start searching for the meaning in life. It can make the reader love our planet, nature, flights and airplanes.

Monday, October 21, 2019

How to Write a Personality Profile Essays

How to Write a Personality Profile Essays How to Write a Personality Profile Essay How to Write a Personality Profile Essay Get straight into the narrative by picking a polar point in the narrative. Find something newsworthy ( something that will be of involvement to an mean reader ) . When questioning listen for a far-out narrative. something uneven. interesting. surprising or surprisingly ordinary as this could supply the starting point for your narrative. For illustration: if you are composing about a lollipop lady who has merely retired. you can get down by stating your readers how she spent her last twenty-four hours assisting kids to and from school. What was the last thing she did as a ice lolly lady? What do people who know her say about her? Following 150 words Now give context and the necessary background item. You have hooked the reader with an entertaining and surprising gap. now give a bigger image. Why is she worth cognizing? Include her background – where she was born. where she grew up and what she did before going a lollipop lady. And how did she go a lollipop lady? What do friends. household members and parents have to state about her. Make your readers want to run into her. Following 300 words This is the chief organic structure of your narrative. Paint in the inside informations of her experience as a ice lolly lady. Take the reader through the high spots and low points of her occupation. Highlight the most memorable experiences and brushs. Did anyone of all time threaten to run her down? What are her happy minutes. most painful? What do the people she worked with remember? What’s their favorite memory of her as a ice lolly lady? What difference has she made to their life? Ending: 50 words Round things up either by looping back to the beginning or with another stating point. Is she be aftering to ship on another escapade or has she had plenty. If you have a good quotation mark. you can allow her or another individual have the last word.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

SAT Percentiles and Score Rankings (Updated 2018)

SAT Percentiles and Score Rankings (Updated 2018) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you taken the SAT recently and need help deciding whether you should retake the test? Or maybe you haven’t taken the SAT yet but want to develop a target score. One of the best ways to understand your SAT scores is to understand your SAT score percentiles. You can learn to maximize your study time, find the biggest score gains, and impress your dream school by understanding percentile rankings. Read on for a guide to maximizing your SAT score- and your college admissions chances- by using SAT score percentiles. Bonus: Want to get a perfect SAT score? Read our famous guide on how to score a perfect 1600 on the SAT. You'll learn top strategies from the country's leading expert on the SAT, Allen Cheng, a Harvard grad and perfect scorer. No matter your level, you'll find useful advice here - this strategy guide has been read by over 500,000 people. Read the 1600 SAT guide today and start improving your score. What Are SAT Score Percentiles? In addition to the composite score you get on the SAT (i.e., that number between 400 and 1600), you'll get a percentile ranking, ranging from 1 to 99. The SAT gives you a percentile ranking for your overall composite score as well as for each of the twosection scores: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and Math. Your percentile tells you how you did on the SAT compared with everyone else who took the test. For example, if you got a composite percentile of 76, this means you scored higher than 76% of students on the whole test. If you got a percentile of 47 on the Math section, you did better than 47% of students on SAT Math. An example of an SAT score report with percentiles. Your percentile score is not like a grade out of 100.For instance, if you get a percentile of 90, this doesn't mean you got exactly 90% of the questions right. It just means that compared with everyone who took the SAT, you scored higher than 90% of them. (For more info on how the SAT is scored, see our scoring guide.) So, why do percentiles matter? Colleges use percentiles to compare you with other students. If you got, say, an SAT score in the 90thpercentile, this would make you competitive for many schools since you scored better than 90% of students nationwide. Paying attention to your percentile ranking, as well as your composite score, can give you the best idea of your performance and help you make strategic choices about which colleges to apply to. What Are the Percentile Ranges for the SAT? OK, so you get that percentile rankings are important. But if you haven’t taken the SAT yet or have taken it and plan to retake it, what composite SAT score should you shoot for in order to get a certain percentile ranking? Luckily, the College Board releases data about composite scores and matching percentile rankings to help you figure this out. These numbers change slightly from year to year, but we have the most recent info from 2018. We've summarized the SAT percentile ranges here in a percentile chart. Just find your score to see your estimated percentile. SAT Composite Score Range Percentile Score 1550-1600 99+ 1500-1550 99 to 99+ 1450-1500 97 to 99 1400-1450 94 to 97 1350-1400 91 to 94 1300-1350 87 to 91 1250-1300 81 to 87 1200-1250 74 to 81 1150-1200 67 to 74 1100-1150 58 to 67 1050-1100 49 to 58 1000-1050 39 to 49 950-1000 31 to 39 900-950 23 to 31 850-900 15 to 23 800-850 10 to 15 750-800 5 to 10 700-750 2 to 5 650-700 1 to 2 600-650 1- to 1 550-600 1- 500-550 1- 450-500 1- 400-450 1- Something to note about these percentile ranks is that they change the fastest with the middle scores. For example, the difference between 1450 and 1600- the highest possible score- is only 3 percentile points, 98 to 99. However, the same point gap between 1100 and 1250 has a vast percentile difference- 58 to 81. This means that if you scored 1100 or lower, increasing your overall composite by just 150 points would give a vast boost to your percentile rank and your admissions competitiveness! Did you know boosting your SAT score by 160 points can dramatically change your chances of getting into your dream school?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: SAT Percentile Charts by Section We also have data on percentile rankings for score ranges in EBRW and Math. Check out the chart below to see how your scores stack up. Section Score Range SAT EBRW Percentiles SAT Math Percentiles 780-800 99+ 98 to 99+ 760-780 99 to 99+ 97 to 98 740-760 98 to 99 96 to 97 720-740 97 to 98 94 to 96 700-720 94 to 97 92 to 94 680-700 92 to 94 89 to 92 660-680 88 to 92 86 to 89 640-660 84 to 88 83 to 86 620-640 78 to 84 79 to 83 600-620 72 to 78 75 to 79 580-600 66 to 72 69 to 75 560-580 59 to 66 64 to 69 540-560 52 to 59 57 to 64 520-540 45 to 52 49 to 57 500-520 38 to 45 40 to 49 480-500 31 to 38 34 to 40 460-480 25 to 31 28 to 34 440-460 19 to 25 22 to 28 420-440 14 to 19 17 to 22 400-420 9 to 14 13 to 17 380-400 6to 9 9 to 13 360-380 3 to 6 6 to 9 340-360 2 to 3 3 to 6 320-340 1 to 2 1 to 3 300-320 1- to 1 1 280-300 1- 1- to 1 260-280 1- 1- 240-260 1- 1- 220-240 1- 1- 200-220 1- 1- Source:SAT Understanding Scores 2018 Again, note that the percentile ranks change dramatically toward the middle scores: 500 in EBRW is only 38%, but 600 is 72%. In other words, a 100-point improvement- which is very manageable with some smart studying- could transform your score from poorto good. Note that the Math curve is more competitive near the top than the EBRW curve is. A 750 is in the 96thpercentile on Math but in the 99thpercentile on EBRW, and a 700 is in the 92ndpercentile on Math but in the 94thpercentile on EBRW. This means that if you were aiming for the same percentile on both sections, you'd have to get a higher score on Math than you would on EBRW. For more info on SAT scores and rankings, check out our guide to average SAT scoresin which we also look at score breakdowns by gender and ethnic group. How Can Knowing Your SAT Percentile Help You? We know that percentiles are important and that, in some cases, a relatively small composite score increase can have a huge effect on your percentile ranking. However, your target composite score for the colleges you want to apply to is the most important. While percentiles help college admissions officers compare your scores, schools also have their own score ranges that typically don’t change much from year to year. To find a college’s SAT score ranges, search â€Å"[School Name] SAT scores PrepScholar† on Google to find our Admission Requirements page with its SAT/ACT score ranges and info on GPA ranges and overall competitiveness. For more tips on how to use this strategy (and for a table you can fill out for your specific colleges), see our guide onwhat a good SAT score is. Maximize your study time by setting a personal SAT target score. Finally, SAT percentile rankings can be a useful tool for you. Especially if you’re deciding whether or not to retake the SAT, percentiles really help put your SAT scores in context. For example, the difference between your 700 in EBRW and 600 in Math might not seem enormous, but that EBRW score is in the 94th percentile, while that Math score is in the 75th percentile. A huge difference! This means you can get more bang for your buck if you focus on the Math section for your retake. Increasing your Math score by 100 points can raise your percentile from 75 to 92. However, raising your EBRW score from 700 to 800, though super impressive, only improves your percentile ranking by 5%. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should ignore EBRW- in fact, a gain of just 50 points would put you in the 99th percentile! But recognizing that you stand to gain more with Math can ultimately help you prioritize your study time better. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Tired of wasting time prepping in ways that don't work? We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. It's the best prep program available right now. Best of all, we guarantee your money back if you don't improve your score by 160 points or more. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Improve Your SAT Score by 160+ Points, Guaranteed What’s Next? Now that you know the ins and outs of national SAT percentiles, check out what the average SAT scores are, and take a look at the average SAT scores in your state. Trying to figure out your SAT target score? Or maybe you took the SAT but aren't sure whether your score is competitive. Our guide can help you develop a personal SAT target score based on the colleges you're applying to. Reaching for the stars? Check out what a good SAT score for the Ivy League looks like. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Sub-Saharan Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sub-Saharan Africa - Essay Example The Serengeti mammal population is considered the largest one in the world, which makes it a perennial visiting site for tourists from across the whole world (Partridge, 2006, May 20). From the purely aesthetic point of view, Serengeti is one of the most picturesque territories in the whole African continent. Topographically, Serengeti encompasses a stretch of wide plains and open woodlands in southern Kenya, northern Tanzania, with the Olduvai Gorge, famous site where the fossils of first prehistoric hominid species were found, cutting across its territory (Sinclair & Norton-Griffiths, 1979, p. vii). Serengeti’s nature is its main treasure, with the host of certain mammalian species being more prevalent there than elsewhere in the continent. The migrant herbivore mammals are the most likely encounters for any tourist or traveler wishing to cross the Serengeti. The ecosystem of Serengeti, covering more than 25,000 sq. km, possess the well-defined natural boundaries that restri ct these grazing animals’ migratory movements and effectively explain the abundance of their various species there. To the north, the Loita plains of Kenya, with their dry conditions, limit the possible northward movements of the mammal herds, while to the east and south the Gol Mountains present further complications for any would-be migrant grazers (Sinclair & Norton-Griffiths, 1979, p.31). The only part of geographical surroundings that allow relatively safe connection to the external environment is the south-east crater highlands, with the Ngorongoro Crater hosting a variety of resident mammal population due to its abundant grass vegetation (p.32). The animal world of the Serengeti region is extremely diverse. When passing through the area, I encountered large herds of Blue Wildebeests, zebras and Thomson’s gazelles, in addition to less prominent, but not less diverse, herds of various lesser wildebeests and gazelles. The wildebeests of all types are the special at traction for all the visitors of Serengeti area, as they are increasingly involved in gargantuan-scale migrations that may encompass up to one million animals in them. The Serengeti region is one of the most picturesque and interesting areas of East Africa. It represents the best example of the still flourishing fauna of this part of the continent and, as such, can be recommended for further visits by the curious travelers. Ngorongoro Crater Area The next sight to be visited in the course of my travels across the Sub-Saharan Africa was the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which presents an example of combination of the geologically complex landscape and the lively and diverse ecosystem. The history of the Ngorongoro area is rather interesting, as this region was one of the most ancient places of human settlement, as well as of the highly volatile relations between different local peoples and tribes. Nonetheless, the main attraction of the Ngorongoro region lies in its spectacular geolo gical features, as well as in its rich variety of fauna. From the geological standpoint, the Ngorongoro Crater attests to the volatile processes of mountain building that used to occur in this area millions years ago. Judging from the data produced by modern geologists, about 2 million years ago, the Ngorongoro Peak may

Friday, October 18, 2019

Gastroesophageal Reflux disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gastroesophageal Reflux disease - Essay Example Other factors that are involved in pathogenesis of GERD included the reflux of gastric acid and pancreatic enzyme that lead to injury of the oesophageal mucosa. In essence, the defence mechanism of the oesophagus are in two ways i.e. clearance and resistance of the oesophageal mucosa. Oesophageal clearance plays a significant role in neutralising the acid that is refluxed through the LES. Enhanced clearance reduces the time that oesophagus is exposed to the corroding effect of gastric acid mixtures. The mucosal resistance of the oesophagus offers a protective mechanism and if these defences fail then oesophagitis ensues as a complication of GERD. The Lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) has a significant role in causing GERD. Dysfunction of LES may occur due to transient relaxation of LES and increase of intra-abdominal pressure that exceed the pressure of LES. Delay in gastric emptying may cause GERD because of the increased pressure in the stomach that may overcome the pressure of LES . A Hiatal hernia may cause GERD because it may push LES to move proximally into the chest making it lose its high-pressure area in the abdomen (Kahrilas, 2010). Management of GERD involves lifestyle modification as well as the use of medication to reduce gastric acid. The lifestyle modifications include weight loss, elevating head of bed if experiencing nocturnal symptoms and avoidance of food that worsen the symptoms. Proton pump inhibitors, for example, Omeprazole, Lansoprazole and rabeprazole are the drug of choice in managing GERD. These drugs inhibit the secretion of gastric acid from the gastric parietal cells. H2-receptor antagonists are used in mild cases, which act by competitively blocking histamine receptors specifically those of gastric parietal cells. These drugs include ranitidine, cimetidine and nizatidine among others, they are also used as maintenance therapy to prevent relapse of

Rise of fascism and communism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rise of fascism and communism - Essay Example In many different ways, fascism and communism possessed quite a number of contradicting principles, but at long last they became authoritative political frameworks that were controlled by one person in charge (Merriman, 2010, Pg. 56). Communism was concerned with ensuring that there is equality in the economy, fascism is concerned with the magnificence of the nation and the power that depicted through conquest and violent behavior. Both political systems begun from Europe and gradually but steadily became popular during the early times of the 20th century. The countries that witnessed fascism were: Italy during the reign of Mussolini, Germany under the leadership of Hitler, Hungary between the years 1944 – 1945, Spain under the leadership of Franco and Romania between the year 1940 -1941 under the leadership of the Iron Guard. The start of this century witnessed a different form of the political environment in the nations of the West. The past century, the 19th century, had wi tnessed the industrial uprising substitute farming. This change was accompanied by dynamic changes in political, social, and shifts in the demography. People who were concentrated in rural areas seriously busy with agriculture whereby they grew crops and reared animals changed their lifestyles and migrated to urban centers and towns. In the urban centers, they got employment in the industries and factories. The industrial movement generated a lot of capital and consequently propagated cultural alienation and divisions among community members in regard to wealth. Some of the revolutions aiming at better living standards and improved working environments were witnessed in many countries. Many of these revolutions were initiated by leaders who pursued deep-seated visions on what the community should be (Merriman, John M, 2010, Pg. 45). In the year 1930, when fascism and communism arose in the Western countries, and the spreading out of the empires of Italy and Germany and the extension of the empire of Japan in Asia show the United States of America shift from isolationism policy to support local partners and protect democracy. The United States of America openly got involved in World War 2 immediately after Japan attacked the harbor of Pearl. The fascism of Europe, which started when Germany turned to Hitler who was an extremist, turned to be more powerful in the 1930s under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. Mussolini had the capability and ability to unite the country with a vision of gaining their territories they had lost. Communism had commenced rising during the time of Joseph Stalin when he succeeded the Soviet Communist. In the year 1939, under the governance of Joseph Stalin, the union of Soviet and Germany signed a deal of aggression. From this time, Germany did not fear of fighting. Communism and fascism were portrayed as a system of governance that was posing threats to democracy. Later on, Italy, Germany collaborated with Japan to form an alliance (Merriman, 2010, Pg. 63). Their empire was greatly expanded by the year 1941. Germany had attacked Poland and the same time Italy conquered Sudan, Egypt and the entire North of Africa. Japan succeeded in her conquest and expanded its territory into China. This revolution did not only create threats to democracy but also countries like Holland, United States of America, France and Britain were also threatened. At this particular point, the involvement of the United States

Financial Assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Assignment - Research Paper Example The pay back period for project 1 is 2 years and 2 months while the payback period for project 2 is 3 years and 8 months. Judging from the payback period, project 1 is more favorable as there is less risk involved when compared with the risks of project 2. The initial outlay is recovered earlier by project 1. Moreover, the ARR also favors Project 1, therefore the expected profitability of the project is higher than the profitability of project 2. TASK 2: UNDISCOUNTED CASH FLOW - PAY BACK PERIOD YEARS PROJECT 1 CASH INFLOW/ OUTFLOW BALANCE PROJECT 2 CASH INFLOW/ OUTFLOW BALANCE 0 (90,000) (90000) (90000) (90000) 1 20000 (70000) 10000 (80000) 2 80000 10000 40000 (40000) 3 45000 55000 40000 0 4 40000 40000 5 20000 20000 The payback period for Project 1 is 1 year and 11 months. [Working: 70000 80000 12 months]. The payback period for Project 2 is 2 years. If the time value of money is ignored, Project 1 is again more profitable as it involves less risk as compared to the undertaken of Project 2 which has a higher payback period. TASK 3: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES: DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW: The method takes into the account the time value of money. It produces more meaningful results than the payback period. It is more complicated than ARR and Payback and requires a number of calculations if solved manually. PAYBACK: It is simple to calculate. Calculation of net cash flows is more objective than calculation of profitability. It indicates the project with the least risk. It ignores the life expectancy of a project. Two projects may have a similar payback period even though the pattern of cash inflows may be different. It ignores the time value of money. ACCOUNTING RATE OF RETURN It is easy to calculate. It can be used to compare the expected profitability of a project with the present profitability of the business. It is based on average annual profit which may not be similar for each year. The timing of cash flows is ignored. It also ignores the time value of money. There is no commonly accepted method of calculating capital employed. It takes no account of the duration of the project. References: Discounted cash flow. (2007). Retrieved August 17, 2007, from Investopedia Web site: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dcf.asp Payback Period. (2007). Retrieved August 17, 2007, from 12 manage: http://www.12manage.com/methods_payback_period.html Randall, H. (1996). Capital Expenditure Appraisal.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Empowering People through Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Empowering People through Education - Essay Example Universal education has been on the global agenda since the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed free and compulsory education to be a basic human right. The 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed by all but two of the world's governments, reaffirmed this right as a legally binding obligation. Since then, there have been many high-level international commitments to education for all (Bloom & Cohen, 2002). Indeed, education is a tool for human beings to push them to advance their goals in life. This is the reason why education was inculcated in the Declaration of Human Rights. This is also why, of all American institutions, the educational system has perhaps the greatest impact on the lives of ordinary people. Children gain knowledge about a standard range of subjects from English and history to mathematics and science. They also learn social skills and are exposed to different people and ideas. Educational achievement is the single largest influence on an individual's future earning power. More than anything else, in fact, it is education that shapes a person's future. Professor Stephen Heyneman of Vanderbilt University, in his article "Are We Our Brothers' Keeper", pointed out that that economic development depends on educational progress. The evidence supporting this claim emerged from multiple sources and common intuitive judgment: nations with an educated population are economically adaptable, healthy, and innovative. But the challenges to providing education in low-income countries are daunting. Generally, they can be divided into three categories: schooling's access, quality, and purpose. This is why world leaders are thinking how greater educational opportunity can be provided to low-income countries, how the quality of that opportunity can be improved, and how the international community should guide these schools to reduce extremist nationalist and religious curricula (The World and I, 2003, p. 18). So if "ignorance is bliss", why do we still pursue to educate ourselves and our children It may be true, but no individual wants to become ignorant. If a person is not educated, he or she is susceptible to being taken advantage of. Holmes (1981) offered a more viable answer to this question by expounding the aims of education. According to Holmes (1981), these aims are often expressed in general terms in order to induce widespread public appeal. Aims such as the holistic development of children and the acquisition of skills and knowledge deemed desirable for societal well-being are often palatable to a variety of stakeholders, including governments, businesses, parents, educators, and students (Holmes, 1981). Thus, the intentions of education, as Holmes has argued, are often described in terms of their intrinsic value (knowledge for knowledge's sake), their social value (process of initiation into acceptable social standards), and their intended outcomes (all-around individual devel opment). The aims of education, therefore, represent a society's idealized hopes and visions for its citizens: In so far as aims are statements of what "ought to be the case" and represent man's hopes and aspirations not only for himself but for future generations, they are part of our socially constructed world and can be accepted or rejected according to taste. (p. 114) Thus, the aims of educa

Professional identity Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Professional identity - Term Paper Example Nonetheless, the theory requires the nurse to employ both professional and generic knowledge and means to fit such varied thoughts into nursing care actions and objectives. In this scenario, care skill and knowledge are frequently redesigned for the best interest of the patients (Shaw & Timmons, 2010). Therefore, all care modalities in Hennepin County Medical Center will need the participation of both the nurse and patients working together to recognize, plan, execute, and assess every care mode for culturally fitting nursing care. These modes will stimulate the nurse to develop nursing decisions and actions using cultural based ways and new ways to offer satisfying and meaningful inclusive care to the large diverse population in downtown Minneapolis. If this nurse values and understands the practice of culturally proficient care, she will have the ability to encourage positive changes in health care activities for patients of diverse population at Hennepin County Medical Center in d owntown Minneapolis. In addition, for the nurse to share a cultural identity with the large population of diverse individuals, she will need knowledge of transcultural nursing principles and ideas together with an understanding of existing research findings. It is significant for the nurse to note that culturally proficient nursing care can only take place when the values and beliefs of patients are skillfully and thoughtfully included into the nursing care plans of Hennepin County Medical Center. Caring is the central focus of nursing. Therefore, culturally proficient nursing will guide the nurse to offer optimal inclusive, culturally centered care. Part B Out of the three primary roles for the baccalaureate-prepared registered nurse identified by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the role the writer is most interested in exploring is that of a case manager. A case manager is a health care expert, particularly a registered nurse, who dedicates himself or herself in a ssisting patients with their health care needs and services. This is from the period the patients are admitted to the medical institution to the period they are discharged (Lai & Lim, 2012). Also, case managers are referred to by more general terms, as medical case managers or nurse case managers. In addition, nurse case managers work hand in hand with patients and their relatives or loved ones to examine the needs of the patient and come up with an ample health care plan that highlights their preferences and objectives (Baldwin, 2012). There are also certain education requirements that need to be met for a person to become a nurse case manager. Nurse case managers characteristically possess an associate’s degree in nursing as the lowest educational requirement. However, some have a master’s or bachelor’s degree to signify an advanced level of training and knowledge. In addition to certification and educational achievement, registered nurses can augment their ch ances of becoming nurse case managers if they have shown immense attention to detail, have significant connection with patients and their loved ones, and are terrific supervisors of their nursing staff. It also helps to have a specified amount of years of experience in the field of nursing. The writer has had a concentration, a segment of the patient population on which she has focused her greatest interest.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Empowering People through Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Empowering People through Education - Essay Example Universal education has been on the global agenda since the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights proclaimed free and compulsory education to be a basic human right. The 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed by all but two of the world's governments, reaffirmed this right as a legally binding obligation. Since then, there have been many high-level international commitments to education for all (Bloom & Cohen, 2002). Indeed, education is a tool for human beings to push them to advance their goals in life. This is the reason why education was inculcated in the Declaration of Human Rights. This is also why, of all American institutions, the educational system has perhaps the greatest impact on the lives of ordinary people. Children gain knowledge about a standard range of subjects from English and history to mathematics and science. They also learn social skills and are exposed to different people and ideas. Educational achievement is the single largest influence on an individual's future earning power. More than anything else, in fact, it is education that shapes a person's future. Professor Stephen Heyneman of Vanderbilt University, in his article "Are We Our Brothers' Keeper", pointed out that that economic development depends on educational progress. The evidence supporting this claim emerged from multiple sources and common intuitive judgment: nations with an educated population are economically adaptable, healthy, and innovative. But the challenges to providing education in low-income countries are daunting. Generally, they can be divided into three categories: schooling's access, quality, and purpose. This is why world leaders are thinking how greater educational opportunity can be provided to low-income countries, how the quality of that opportunity can be improved, and how the international community should guide these schools to reduce extremist nationalist and religious curricula (The World and I, 2003, p. 18). So if "ignorance is bliss", why do we still pursue to educate ourselves and our children It may be true, but no individual wants to become ignorant. If a person is not educated, he or she is susceptible to being taken advantage of. Holmes (1981) offered a more viable answer to this question by expounding the aims of education. According to Holmes (1981), these aims are often expressed in general terms in order to induce widespread public appeal. Aims such as the holistic development of children and the acquisition of skills and knowledge deemed desirable for societal well-being are often palatable to a variety of stakeholders, including governments, businesses, parents, educators, and students (Holmes, 1981). Thus, the intentions of education, as Holmes has argued, are often described in terms of their intrinsic value (knowledge for knowledge's sake), their social value (process of initiation into acceptable social standards), and their intended outcomes (all-around individual devel opment). The aims of education, therefore, represent a society's idealized hopes and visions for its citizens: In so far as aims are statements of what "ought to be the case" and represent man's hopes and aspirations not only for himself but for future generations, they are part of our socially constructed world and can be accepted or rejected according to taste. (p. 114) Thus, the aims of educa

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Latinos Illegal Immigration Essay Example for Free

Latinos Illegal Immigration Essay â€Å"The contribution of immigrants can be seen in every aspect of our national life. We see it in religion, in politics, in business, in arts, in education, even in athletics and in entertainment. There is no part of our nation that has not been touch by our immigrant’s background† As we all know, John F. Kennedy was passionate about emigrational issues, throughout his presidency. He always said that America is a nation of people with values and traditions. He believes everybody deserves the freedom to build better lives for themselves as well as for their family members in their adopted homeland. Throughout the years, numerous folks have immigrated from all around the world to the United States. Today, Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States. â€Å"About 44 million Latinos have been officially tallied; another 9 million Latinos are living here illegally. † The Latinos substantial Illegal immigration into the United State has provoked a mayor concern. There are many concerns about Latinos illegal immigration such as, the impact on the United States economy, as well as for their motherland, also the physical danger they have to experience on their journey, and the psychological sufferings they have to live with in order to live the American dream. To begin with, going back to the 1800’s, before the Europeans immigrated into the United States, Latinos had already established settlements in New Mexico and Florida, And have contribute to the development of this country. According to the statistical abstract of the United States about 43 million people can trace back to their Hispanic origin. Even after all of the history of Latinos in America, U. S. officials begun to build a 670 miles-long-wall on the U. S. borders to control the illegal immigration. Despising protest from environmental groups and the Mexican government, the U. S. government continues work on keeping Latino illegal immigrant away from the U. S borders, but then again about 300,000 people elude detention and make it to the United States each year, and about million get arrested and return to their native land. Despite walls and border patrol official as long as there is poverty in third world countries, undocumented immigrant will continue to find a way to fight for the American dream. Then again â€Å"what is the American dream? † The American dream is to come to the United States and work hard. Their goal is not to get rich and make millions of dollar but instead all they want to do is to provide their families a better life style. Many travel the journey alone, because they know how dangerous and risky this experience can be. Some people try over and over if they were not successful the first time. Once they finally make it across; they live in the worst conditions and share their living space with 8 other people just to be able to save as much as they can so one day they can return to their motherland, and enjoy the fruit of their hard work with their loved ones. One of the biggest controversies about illegal immigration for many Americans is that if more illegal immigrant crossed the border, the jobs availability will decrease. That is understandable. Many Latinos that work in the United States work hard and have more than one job at the same time. The irony of all is that the jobs these illegal immigrants do are those ones no one wants to put their hands on, because either those jobs are difficult to do or because the pay is not enough. I do not think any of the protestants groups against Latinos illegal immigration have ever think that these people had never had the chance to go to school and educate themselves. Every American in this country had the privileged to get education. But instead there are many that chose not to take advantage of that. They rather live of welfare and social security. I do not know who is worst, us hypocrites citizens that are always trying to eat the smallest fish or these companionate people that all they care about is the wellbeing of the people they love. This type of egoism and greed is what has brought biggest empires down. Furthermore, another concern is that millions of dollars being send throughout Latino America without being tax. This concern affect us all, since must of the money from taxes is use to run public schools, hospitals, public transportation, etc. n my opinion, I agree with this concern, but in the other hand I am sure that if they were given a chance to contribute to the growth of this country; they will take care of their responsibilities. In addition to the effect of immigrants in the United states economy. I would like to talk about the physical and emotional impact of have to go through after they make the decision of fulfilling their American dreams. While doing this research I stumble upon a short article by James M. Henslin call â€Å"The Illegal Travel Guide† this article explains the experience from a different point of view. Manuel was a drinking buddy of Jose, a man I had met in Colima, Mexico. At 45, Manuel was friendly, outgoing, and enterprising. Manuel, who had lived in the United States for seven years, spoke fluent English. Preferring to live in his hometown in Colima, where he palled around with his childhood friends, Manuel always seemed to have money and free time. When Manuel invited me to go on a business trip with him, I accepted. I never could figure out what he did for a living or how he could afford a car, a luxury that none of his friends had. As we traveled from one remote village to another, Manuel would sell used clothing that he had heaped in the back of his older-model Ford station wagon. ? At one stop, Manuel took me into a dirt-floored, thatched-roof hut. While chickens ran in and out, Manuel whispered to a slender man who was about 23 years old. The poverty was overwhelming. Juan, as his name turned out to be, had a partial grade school education. He also had a wife, four hungry children under the age of 5, and two pigs his main food supply. Although eager to work, Juan had no job, for there was simply no work available in this remote village. As we were drinking a Coke, which seems to be the national beverage of Mexicos poor, Manuel ex ­plained to me that he was not only selling clothing he was also lining up migrants to the United States. For a fee, he would take a man to the border and in ­troduce him to a wolf, who would help him cross into the promised land. When I saw the hope in Juans face, I knew nothing would stop him. He was borrowing every cent he could from every friend and relative to scrape the money together. Although he risked losing everything if apprehended and he would be facing unknown risks, Juan would make the trip, for wealth beckoned on the other side. He knew people who had been to the United States and spoke glowingly of its opportunities. Manuel, of course, the salesman he was, stoked the fires of hope. Looking up from the children playing on the dirt floor with chickens pecking about them, I saw a man who loved his family. In order to make the desperate bid for a better life, he would suffer an enforced absence, as well as the uncertainties of a foreign culture whose language he did not know. Juan opened his billfold, took something out, and slowly handed it to me. I looked at it curiously. I felt tears as I saw the tenderness with which he handled this piece of paper. It was his passport to the land of opportunity: A social security card made with his name, sent by a friend who had already made the trip and who was waiting for Juan on the other side of the border. It was then that I realized that the thousands of Manuels scurrying about Mexico and the millions of Juans they are transporting can never be stopped, for only the United States can fulfill their dreams of a better life. Henslin, The Illegal Travel Guide) ? In conclusion, I believe that the illegal immigration to the United States makes a big impact on our country’s economy and Latino America’s. Nevertheless, I cannot even imaging how hard is for this people to make a life changing decision without any warranty. Crossing the borders is not easy. Many people have lost their live trying; many others are still traumatized about their journey, some have vanished in desert; their family members never heard from ever again. The psychological impact for these individuals is almost insufferable. Even knowing what the consequences might be, they leave everything behind and spend every penny they have to travel to the United States, just to offer their families a better life style. They believe this is the country of freedom, progress and opportunity, just what our founding fathers stood for. A society of immigrants, each of whom had begun life anew, on an equal footing. This is the secret of America: a nation of people with the fresh memory of old traditions who dare to explore new frontiers. â€Å"(Kennedy)

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Preservation Of Heritage Properties History Essay

The Preservation Of Heritage Properties History Essay The preservation of heritage properties is an important undertaking. It is so important that even the United Nations has set up a subsidiary responsible for this purpose called the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This organization declares cultural sites from around the world as being protected in order to preserve global heritage. Similarly, Canada has organizations that are dedicated to the preserving national heritage. This function is important because this helps foster a strong sense of national identity. Another reason these sites are preserved are to encourage tourism. Canadian history is important to all Canadians and all the other nationalities that live in Canada. The stories that are told by these structures do not always depict Canada in a positive light, but that is not the point. They are important because they are the reason we are where we are and without them we would lose a critical element of our identity. Heritage sites need to ac tively be preserved so that they do not fall into disrepair, this means that funds need to be allocated towards this and the money for these programs come from Canadian tax dollars. As we all pay for the maintenance of these structures, we all has a financial vested interest in their maintenance in addition to our national pride. Organizations that have the specific purpose of maintaining heritage sites are needed because these sites need to be protected from incursion, in the same fashion that natural preserves need to be protected from human encroachment. As a citys population density increases so too does the threat that these heritage sites may be erased to cope with the expanding population. Exacerbating the issue of space is the fact that many of these structures are on prime real estate. This must cause conflicts with city developers who would much rather have buildings that foster economic growth built in the place of these culturally significant structures. Politics The political impetus that lead to the creation of Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada was initially given by Canadas first commissioner of national parks James Bernard Harkin. In addition to preventing corporations mining resources from national parks, it was his recommendation that lead to the creation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 1919. The organizations role was to advise the Canadian Minister of the Environment about sites that are of national interest. The current political landscape with respect to Canadian heritage is very diverse. The organizations that are responsible for preserving these heritage sites are differentiated on the level of government that they represent. The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC) is the federal organization that is responsible for promoting and showcasing Canadian heritage sites. Their mandate is very narrow, unlike other Canadian organizations (mainly provincial and municipal), the HSMBC is no t provided the power that would allow it to preserve the national sites in question. The HSMBC plays more of an advisory role in this respect; they take a more laissez fair approach to the problem. The HSMBC itself says that they are there to bring cultural sites to the attention of the Canadian public and to the provincial and municipal authorities that have the legal power to preserve these sites. The aforementioned body of the United Nations UNESCO, plays a similar role in Canada. There are sites in Canada that have been declared as belonging to a group of world heritage sites and while the United Nations has very limited powers pertaining to the preservation of these sites. At the municipal level there are public organizations like the city of Torontos Heritage Preservation Services whose mandate is to advise the city council on matters that are important to the citys historic cultural sites. On the provincial level there are organizations like the Ontario Heritage Foundation w hich is tasked with identifying, preserving and promoting sites of cultural importance in Ontario. The Ontario Heritage Act is the legal framework that empowers Heritage organizations in Ontario to preserve the sites that are deemed to be culturally and historically important. This Act gave the power to provincial and municipal governmental bodies the right to designate specific areas as being culturally integral to Canadas identity. The act limits the rights of the owners of the properties that are designated as heritage sites. They are only able to alter the site or demolish it with the appropriate permission from the local municipality. This is the highly controversial part of the Act. In a democracy where property rights are for the most part assured it is unconventional to prevent an individual from doing what they like to their own property within reason. The Act seems to mirror the notwithstanding clause in the Canadian constitution. This clause is used by the government to infringe upon the rights given to Canadian citizens by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms when doing so will serve the greatest good. Similarly, the Ontario Heritage Act inconveniences and limits the rights of the owners of historic structures so that they may be of the most benefit to all Canadian citizens. It is because of this that all Canadians have an interest in the preservation of these structures. The individuals against these policies are typically the individuals who own the properties that fall under the restrictive laws. One of the groups that have arisen to encourage the preservation of sites in Toronto is the Toronto Historical Association. They are composed entirely of volunteers and serve to educate the public about their efforts and to showcase the areas that are of interest. They also claim to provide mayoral candidates with a public forum which helps the organization lobby its case. The volunteer organization is only able to influence events because of its fundraising abilities; it provides workshops for its members that teach them how to perform this essential role. Workshops are also held to train members on how to organize their efforts and on how to communicate to their community to garner support. The organization also teaches its members to leverage their political position by writing letters, meeting with local politicians, resident groups and scheduling appearances before government committees. The Toronto Historical Association encourages their members to help mobilize the public by i nforming them and helping them find information about their family history and issues about land registration. Members also perform a number of volunteer services for the community, including but not limited to tours and heritage walks. The law was on side of the individuals who owned the heritage sites designated by the municipality or province. The law initially was not as severe towards these people as it is now. In its original form the law did not require a property owner to abide by the municipalitys or provinces wishes. The law only required the individual with the property rights to wait for six months and attend meetings with city representatives so that everyone could come to an amicable solution. The laws was created with the best of intentions as the government did not seek to snatch the rights away from these individuals so they only created a period within which the owners would be required to listen to reason. Instead of having its intended effect all the law did was to postpone the destruction or alteration of heritage sites. The proprietors would just have to wait out the 180 days and they would be free to legally do whatever they wanted with their property. On observing this the provincial governme nt of Ontario decided that they needed to give the law teeth. They made it so that the proprietor would not be allowed to do as they wished once the time had lapsed and that a settlement needed to be reached for the owner to make modifications to the protected building. It is difficult for these individuals because they are placed in a precarious position by the law and because of the unwanted attention such a position would bring. Intergovernmental Relations The federal government is responsible for the overall direction that the heritage organizations in Canada take. Heading the Canadian position on heritage sites is the Minister of Canadian Heritage. His job is to support Canadian media, arts, heritage and sport. These responsibilities are somewhat overlapped with the Minister of the Environment who is also responsible for the maintenance of heritage sites. They are the ones who are able to designate sites as being culturally or historically sensitive. Following this the government gives the power to the province in the form of acts that are designed to give the provinces the power they need to deal with these problems themselves. The provinces in turn give their municipalities powers not dissimilar from those at the federal level. At the municipal level the municipal government has bodies that are able to assign sites of interest as being heritage sites; they typically follow the direction set out by the ministers but are able to actu ally stop an individual from modifying or destroying a site of cultural heritage. Once this is done the provincial department is the one that has the ultimate say in the matter. When the proprietor of the property in question appeals the decision made by the municipal board they are appealing to the provincial board. When this committee makes their decision, it is ultimately this decision that is enforced. Federal policies set the stage for the provincial and municipal authorities to act. It would be foolish to think that the federal level of influence would end here, there is undoubtedly a significant amount of political pressure exerted from the ministers and their offices and this must make it to the top of the priority list on the provincial and municipal levels. While this may seem odd, it would be a very practical measure as losing some of the more important sites could become a source of national embarrassment. Both the Toronto and Ontario Heritage conservation bodies are des igned to make full use of the laws that are made available to them, the most notable of which is the Ontario Heritage Act. Case Analysis Toronto is a city that is known for its cosmopolitan nature and its deep rooted artistic culture. It is home to the Toronto Opera House, innumerable other vocal artist studios, painting galleries, dance studios and even a plethora of restaurants. The Heritage Preservation Services (HPS) are responsible for the preservation of buildings that are important to Torontonian and Canadian heritage. It is part of the citys planning division and is responsible for the preservation of over 8,000 different properties. This organization is even empowered by the Ontario Heritage Act enough that it is able to designate entire areas as being Heritage Conservation Districts. In an effort to be more amenable to the property owner affected by HPS decisions, Heritage Easement Agreements are made between property owners and the city. These contracts identify parts of a building that are to be retained undamaged regardless of the owners improvements or alterations to the property. In addition the laws th at designate that a certain building need be conserved do not affect the title of the property. The owners are free to sell the property according to their wishes regardless of the status of their building. The city does provide grants for the owners of these historic properties that can pay for up to half the upkeep of said property. In addition to this, the owners are also eligible for a for tax benefits that can provide up to 40% relief from municipal taxes. These funds are set up to mitigate the negative and authoritarian impact of having property that the Heritage Preservation Services is interested in. An example of a structure that is protected by Torontos Heritage Preservation Services is the MacLean House located on 7 Austin Terrace. This house is a ten part rental unit that has been designated as a heritage site by HPS. The owner o the site wanted to demolish the building and sent an application to do so to the city. Upon the advice of HPS the city council denied the acquiescing to the owners wishes. John Bayne Maclean  lived in this home until his death, he was responsible for founding Canadas MacLeans magazine and the Financial Post. City staff was employed to ensure that the house did not suffer from neglect after the rulings that ensured the structure stayed in good condition. The importance given to the house is mainly due to the people that were involved in the history of the building. The publishing company founded by John Bayne Maclean  was the largest of its kind, not only in Canada, but in the entire commonwealth. John M. Lyle was the architect of this building an d he was responsible for the building of notable structures, including the Royal Alexandra Theatre. In 1922 He won the Gold Medal of Honor from the Ontario Association of Architects on account of the design he made for the Thornton-Smith Building. Thornton went on to become the president of the Art Gallery of Ontario. MacLean and Lyle were two of Toronto societys key figures. Their efforts have helped to make indelible marks on Toronto culture and even Canada itself. The building itself was constructed in 1910 making the building over a hundred years old. The notice declaring 7 Austin Terrace a heritage site came on January 27th last year. The notice informed the landlord that if they objected to the buildings designation as a heritage site that they should appeal this within thirty days of the notice. Despite having rejected the owners application for demolition, neither the city council nor the Heritage Preservation Services have the absolute right to deny all landlords the right to demolish heritage sites. They have to comply with applications depending on the owners proposal for the structure that will replace the building to be demolished and have to be in line with city bylaws. In the case of the MacLean house the application was to build a smaller housing unit and this was rejected by the city council as it was not in keeping with the neighborhood. This was in addition to the status given to the site by the HPS. Recommendations While the Toronto procedure for maintaining its cultural integrity is well thought out, there are still problems with this system. The first problem that comes to mind is the authoritarian nature of the current system. Under the current management, the owner is told that the building is a heritage site and has thirty days to appeal this label. Following that the owner has to file for permission by the city council to make modifications to this property. Instead of telling the owner what the situation is through a letter the government should have to send a representative to meet with the individual and discuss the issue with them. Following this if an agreement cannot be reached then more authoritarian measures should be taken. The point of this change would be to place the onus of change solely on the shoulders of the city. The owner is a single individual and should not be expected to carry the burden of having to appeal to the city to change the designation of the property that wa s legally bought. The owner should be able to meet with a city representative and explain to them that they want to appeal the citys classification of the property and the representative should be the one who has the responsibility to file the appeal. This would ensure that the proprietor wouldnt have the additional expense of requiring a lawyer to draft a letter or the inconvenience of having to waste time pushing the paperwork through the system. The city has provisions by which they are able to give certain monetary allowances to the owners of the homes that are inconvenienced by the city. In the interests of evenhandedness the city council should readily make this financial relief available for those that are inconvenienced by the city instead of having them apply for it. The province did well to retain the final authority on the matter as this prevents individual interests from competing on a level playing field with the interests of the nation as a whole. While it is true that the maintenance of an individuals rights are critically important for the functioning of any democratic nation, it is also true that there are times (not often) when these rights need to be set aside for the greater good. an example of this would be in the building of a bridge, if there are owners of the houses that are in the way of such a construction then they are compensated but for all practical purposes forcefully evicted from their homes so that society can benefit from the construction of the bridge. It is the same concept when it comes to heritage and cultural identity. When the presence of a building or even district serves a cultural and historic purpose, it would be ill advised to squander this based on the whims of the individual who owns the property. Any municipality would benefit from adopting many of the policies set in place by the Toronto municipality as they try to balance the individuals rights alongside those of the nation. While the nation should ultimately preserve its physical history, it should not trample the rights of its citizens in the process. The few alterations that should be made to these rules are to placate the injured party, which in this case always happens to be the individual who owns the property whose rights are being narrowed. If the municipality wishes for a structure to be maintained against the wishes of its rightful owner, the city should have to bear a significant portion of the costs associated with the upkeep of the property it has set its eyes on. The money that is required for this should come from donations and tax dollars as is the current arrangement made by the city of Toronto. History is important because it brings us all together and this is a cornerstone of nationhood that should be pro tected by every country and culture. http://www.toronto.ca/heritage-preservation/index.htm http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/clmhc-hsmbc/ressources-resources/protection.aspx http://www.heritagefdn.on.ca/ http://www.nationalpost.com/Fight+stop+Hearn+demolition/3978609/story.html http://www.toronto.ca/involved/statutorynotices/archive2010/jan/hl_012710.htm is to preserve structures and monuments that are important to the history of the Canadian nation, these monuments would otherwise be neglected, or even worse, they would be destroyed to make way for housing or other building projects.