Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Comparison Of Articles About The Terrorist Attacks Assignment

Comparison Of Articles About The Terrorist Attacks - Assignment Example Indeed, the medium of each text may influence my response to the content because the medium significantly affects the relevance, reliability, and the authority of the information contained therein. Additionally, Nicholas Thompson is the renowned author of various literature and currently an editor at The New Yorker, at Bloomberg Television, and at CNN International. As such, he derives respect and authority in literature. On the other hand, Nina Berman has won numerous awards in American documentary photography. Notably, both writers use anecdotal evidence to lay their arguments and claims. Both texts are of the view that the true definition of the word hero lacks it initial significance.Nevertheless, the two articles agree that there are heroes in America and that the true meaning of American heroes only changed after the 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks where there was a general notion to refer to the victims, firefighters, and rescue workers as heroes. They find that the word h as become so popular, cultural, and psychologically common that nobody reserves any pride in it in the modern times.Nicholas Thompson claims that the victims the terrorist attacks deserve tremendous sympathy and referring to them as heroes will be a misplacement. He further reckons that the firefighters and rescue workers who suffered in the attacks do not amount to becoming heroes because they were doing their job. In fact, he claims that referring to them as such is demeaning the meaning and significance of the word hero.

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Global Hunt for Edward Snowden Essay Example for Free

The Global Hunt for Edward Snowden Essay The wild flight of the fugitive leaker — from Hong Kong to the transit area of Moscow’s Sherymetyvo Airport, and perhaps on to Ecuador — has turned into a public humiliation for the White House. U.S. officials publicly threatened â€Å"consequences† if Snowden wasn’t returned, only to be openly rebuffed by Chinese officials and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. This made embarrassingly clear how little leverage President Obama has in Moscow or Beijing (and how much wiser it would have been to request Snowden’s return in private). Most disturbing, the Snowden affair has enabled some of the world’s worst human rights offenders to portray themselves as champions of freedom by defending Snowden while denouncing America as a massive violator of rights. China’s Xinhua news agency branded the United States as â€Å"the biggest (cyber) villain in our age.† Russian parliamentarians did likewise. You might think that such self-righteous claims would be dismissed as political posturing. Yet in today’s world, with America’s image sullied by Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, and by our paralyzed politics, these charges can find a receptive audience, not only abroad but at home. So let’s look at the records of the countries that are offering Snowden the greatest support. For starters, there is something bizarre about the list. While Snowden claims to be defending personal freedoms, he has sought shelter from egregious violators of human rights, including China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela and Ecuador. Whatever his motives, this lends an air of hypocrisy to his claims. He took refuge in Hong Kong, which is part of China, whose leaders control the country’s Internet portals, block content and monitor individual access. The Chinese censor print and electronic media and have â€Å"the largest recorded number of imprisoned journalists and cyber-dissidents in the world,† according to Amnesty International. Chinese government hackers have conducted massive commercial and military espionage in the United States (and presumably elsewhere) and even breached Google’s computers. Beijing is obviously delighted that it can fend off U.S. complaints by claiming America does likewise. Such charges are bogus — and they know it. Whatever your opinion about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs, the fact is that Congress OK’d them and set up special courts to monitor them. The U.S. public can debate whether the controls should be tightened, and demand change. In China, no Congress or courts govern surveillance nor can Chinese citizens oppose it. Government hackers break into the software of international companies such as Apple to steal industrial secrets — on a massive scale. As Obama noted, that’s not normal intelligence gathering; â€Å"that’s theft.† Then there’s Russia, where the state controls all major newspapers and national TV networks, which are still the major news source for the bulk of the population. Journalists are beaten up or murdered, and the perpetrators, conveniently, are never found. Political dissenters are cowed, arrested, or driven into exile. So when Putin praises Snowden as a â€Å"human rights activist† who â€Å"struggles for freedom of information,† it’s hard not to gag. Any Russian who did similarly would wind up in the gulag or worse. Snowden’s final destination — possibly Ecuador via Venezuela — is equally odd for a defender of freedom. As pointed out by Bill Sweeney, editorial director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Venezuela has shut down independent broadcasters via a system of politicized regulations. As for Ecuador, its populist president, Rafael Correa, has criminalized reporting that is critical of his government — and prosecuted journalists who attempt it. That brings us to the heart of the matter. Snowden’s saviors have seized a delicious opportunity to deflect U.S. criticism of their own cyberattacks and rights violations by branding the United States as the real sinner. Dogged by images from Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, Washington has become an easy target. Even some allies have tired of America’s human rights demands (which are readily ignored when strategic concerns trump them, as in Syria). So, critics of American hubris may cheer when Putin praises Snowden — or when the People’s Daily proclaims that Snowden â€Å"tore off Washington’s sanctimonious mask.† It’s necessary to remind them: The countries helping Snowden aren’t doing so because they dislike spying. On the contrary. They don’t want limits on their own surveillance, just on ours.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

PATRIOT ACT :: essays research papers

1. Shannon, McCaffrey (2004, May 23). New laws to combat terrorism are working their way through Congress. Knight Ridder tribune Washington Bereau (D.C.) The Justice Department wants to find a way to expand its anti-terrorism powers by adding other methods such as a FBI subpoena power. Some may say that the changes in the bills are of the most significant since Congress passed the Patriot Act after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Some of the actions that were taken place have been recycled from a controversial Justice Department draft of a bill, called "Patriot II," which was discarded after details of its provisions were given to the media. Daniel Bryant, the assistant attorney general for legal policy, said the Patriot Act has helped law enforcement detect and disrupt terrorist plots. "But while Congress and the administration working together have made significant strides in improving the department's capacity to gather the intelligence necessary to prevent terrorist attacks, there is still more that needs to be done," Bryant told lawmakers at a May 18 hearing. Critics do not think giving law enforcement officials more power, complaining that there is not enough information has been made available about how the Justice Department is using the tools in the Patriot Act. There giving reasons why the patriot Act is being force and people complaining and telling why it not right to I am using this to show that the Partiot Act will help enforce certain rules and regulations that the government do not pay attention to. This article also talks about a new way to expand anti- terrorism powers by adding other methods. 2. Pike, George H. (2004, June 20) A Safer USA Patriot Act. Information Today. This article offers facts about the U.S. Patriot Act, which was ratified following the terrorist attacks in the country on September 11, 2001. It restructured several existing laws involving intelligence gathering, criminal law and procedure, and immigration practices. Though passed nearly unanimously by both houses of Congress, the act was controversial, particularly within the library and information communities in the U.S. The major initiatives of the Patriot Act is as follows: first, it expanded the type of information that could be obtained by

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Handling Interpersonal Conflicts Essay

Have you ever been involved in an interpersonal conflict that was not necessarily handled in the most effective manner? During that occurrence did you notice that you and the other individual seemed to be on different pages after the fact? Being able to handle an interpersonal conflict in the most effective manner could potentially keep you and your significant others relationship close as opposed to tearing it apart. In the movie â€Å"Hitch†, Will Smith states, â€Å"Sixty percent of all human communication is nonverbal body language; thirty percent is your tone, so that means ninety percent of what you’re saying isn’t coming out of your mouth† (Lassiter, 2005). With this being stated, body language, tone, and verbal language are all things that must be particularly paid close attention too and effectively utilized, whether you are the speaker or the listener. While watching the movie â€Å"Hitch†, there were a few interpersonal conflicts that were not handled effectively. One specific conflict that was not handled effectively was when Sarah found out about Hitch’s career as a â€Å"Professional Love Doctor†. This conflict was not handled effectively for a multitude of reasons. Previously Hitch and Sarah were really â€Å"falling† for each other, being sincere, genuine, and in the â€Å"honey moon† stage. After the conflict was initiated, Sarah’s body language started to change. She began to deny Hitch’s kisses by turning away, she ruined the romantic wine moment by tipping the bottle up as opposed to drinking out of the wine glass that Hitch had already prepared for her, Sarah began to snarl, both Hitch and Sarah began to become aggressive in their actions by throwing food at each other out of anger, and Hitch insulted Sarah by telling her that she had a crappy newspaper. All of these actions are considered to be ineffective ones. While trying to choose a more effective route of handling this conflict so that the relationship remains close, one must show ositive body language, positive tone, positive verbal language, as well as a few other effective solutions. Solutions such as empathizing with one another by putting themselves in each other’s shoes, evaluating the message by waiting for the speaker to finish speaking before evaluating the message, not becoming emotional at the speaker, and showing more self-disclosure at the beginning of their relationship so that each other could grasp more of an understanding of each other’s background and career. Sole states, â€Å"While emotions are normal and are to be expected in conversation, especially when information of a personal or sensitive nature is being shared, it is helpful to hear the speaker out and to try to control these emotions until the remarks are finished† (Sole, 2011). If both Sarah and Hitch had done this, their argument most likely would have been invisible. They may have understood where each one was coming from and actually taken the time to hear what each other were trying to get across. Doing all of these things could help eliminate the interpersonal conflict that both Hitch and Sarah encountered. All in all, interpersonal conflicts have the opportunity to happen on a daily basis; however, being able to handle them in the most effective manner could potentially keep you and your significant others relationship close instead of tearing it apart. Remember, whether you are the speaker or the listener, you must always try to pay close attention to body language, tone, and verbal language as well. Being able to come together as one, empathizing with one another, evaluating the message, not becoming emotional and showing more self-disclosure with one another are some key concepts to eliminating potential interpersonal conflict amongst you and your significant other.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave & Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. By Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs (Introduction by Kwame Anthony Appiah). (The Modern Library: New York. c. 2004. 434 pp. $6. 95). Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas, an American Slave is a firsthand account of the struggle of Fredrick Douglas who was born into slavery. The book hits on several main points of slavery from the brutal beatings that were inflicted upon slaves to the hypocrisy of Christian slave owners who used religious teachings as a justification for the treatment of their slaves. Douglas immediately immerses the reader in the atrocities of being a slave. The feel is very â€Å"matter of fact† but leaves the reader feeling compelled to be irate. Douglas is almost able to actually bring the reader into the life of a slave. The imagery that is used is so vivid that you can actually see the book play out in your mind. The ascription of meaning to the slave songs that Douglas heard in the pine woods is eye opening and the quote â€Å"The mere reoccurrence to those songs, even now, afflicts me; And while I am writing these lines, an expression of feeling has already found its way down my cheek. To those songs I trace my first glimmering conception of the dehumanizing character of slavery (pg 28) â€Å". The power of that quote alone is enough to open the heart and mind to the pain of the African American slave. The scope of this narrative is across the life of Fredrick Douglas, from his childhood as a slave to his role as an speaker on behalf of abolition in which he drew the courage to speak out even in front of his white counterparts. The purpose of the narrative is to inform the reader of the circumstances that the slaves had to deal with on a day to day basis and also as a public argument against slavery. I feel that he book is an exceptional piece of literature that by all standards envelops the reader into the world of a slave in the 1800s. The literature not only examines the life of Frederick Douglas but the ideas of the time in which he lived. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave & Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. By Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs (Introduction by Kwame Anthony Appiah). (The Modern Library: New York. c. 2004. 434 pp. $6. 95). Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs is exactly as the title says, an account of incidents that â€Å"Linda Brent† had went through in her life. It is important to note that â€Å"Linda Brent† is used as a pseudonym for Jacobs. Brent did not fully understand that she was a slave until around age six when her mother dies and she is now One thing that I liked about the this narrative was the emphasis on family. In â€Å"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave† family is not examined as much, due to the treatment of the slaves by their masters, their family lineage is mostly a secret. Jacob's goes into detail about the bond between her and her mother as well as her grandmother. The purpose of this book is to indulge the reader into several incidents that made Harriet Jacobs who she was. The motif of broken family cohesion is ever existing in the book as it is shown that black women are, most of the time, not allowed to raise their children, marriage is not allowed between slaves and if it is they do not live with one another, and mulatto children are sold and the white fathers feel no obligation to their children. The major conflict in the text between the need for freedom and the need to protect her children brings a very realness to the narrative. I do feel that Jacobs wants the reader to believe that all of the accounts or incidents in the book are in fact nonfiction, as stated, † Reader, be assured this narrative is no fiction. I am aware that some of my adventures may seem incredible; but they are, nevertheless, strictly true. I have not exaggerated the wrongs inflicted by Slavery; on the contrary, my descriptions fall far short of the facts (pg 1)† The horrific events that happened in the narrative are hard to understand or believe, that is why Jacobs inserts the previous adage. The juxtaposition I have chosen for the two slave narratives is family. In â€Å"narrative of the life of Frederick Douglas, an American Slave† family is not a prevalent theme. In fact the lack of family would be a more accurate depiction. Yet in â€Å"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl† family is one of the most important things to â€Å"Brent†, aside from freedom, and the argument could be made that family came before freedom. As a child family was very important to Brent and as a mother it remained just as strongly to her.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Essay Sample on Urban Grooves and Their Appreciation

Essay Sample on Urban Grooves and Their Appreciation Some say its rubbish and it wont get anywhere, others say its the new thing and the future, but judging by the recent events in it has urban grooves music reached the point of appreciation from the renowned musicians. Zimbabwe will one day stand up and applaud the fathers of the true Zimbabwean music. It is not long ago that the older and more experienced musicians where the ones at the forefront of scoffing at the urban grooves campaign that saw most of the young artists being castigated for their different ways of making new contemporary music. Oliver Mtukudzi was one of them and he always castigated the way the music of these youngsters was being done. Veteran Thomas Mapfumo has also been known to echo the same sentiments about this new genre of music. But in an about turn Mtukudzi has recorded a song with urban groover XQ whilst last year Macheso did the same with Mudiwa. Can this be the point of realisation and appreciation of urban grooves music from the seasoned musicians? Looking back at the beginning of the music industry in Zimbabwe, one can only applause the distance which these young musicians have come so far. The biggest criticisms being that they were performing with soundtrack CDs and were perceived as not being serious about music. To the renowned artists this one man show type of music meant no creativity at all. Even the audiences used to scoff at seeing an urban groover alone on stage with just a sound track in the back and lip singing. To a certain extend this criticism helped in sprucing up the act of these young artist as most are now turning to live instruments and even if they play backtracks, they now have dancers to entertain their audiences. Listening to the latest XQ album one gets to appreciate the depth of the urban groove artist who has come of age but it is only after listening to the song Pane Rudo that a familiar voice of Mtukudzi assures you that truly the young man has come of age. Now that older artists are teaming up with these young artists a point of appreciation has now been realised and finally heavens doors seem to have opened for urban grooves. We asked the artists what really is urban music is and the answer was one that was delivered with astute confidence by Stunner. This is a new type of music mostly spearheaded by youngsters in urban centers hence the name urban grooves. He went on to say that this is todays music, here to stay and going to be music for tomorrow. â€Å"Off course our elders in the music industry always try to do us down but the real factor is that our music is here to stay. Can you imagine Museve making it in the few years to come,† echoed Leonard Mapfumo another urban groover. He went on to say that this was not only in Zimbabwe but also in countries like Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Zambia where this music is called Urban Mondo. As stated by the website wikipedia.org this genre of music in Zimbabwe closely resembles American Rap, Hip Hop, RnB, Soul and other international music genres. The site goes on to say that this imitation of the West has resulted in Urban Grooves being unpopular with older listeners and artists who accuse the younger generation of shunning their cultural music and identity. Mapfumo had this to say again, We grew being made to listen to guys like Lionel Ritchie, Dolly parton and all those American and European artists by our parents. Later on we chose to have our own taste in music and hence we started liking urban American music because we had been exposed to such foreign music from young age. Now that we are doing it using local languages people see it wrong. Urban grooves is here to stay. Talking to another urban groover, Mudiwa, who recorded with Macheso last year he said its also a marvel for the youngsters to be able to record with big and established artists. My titles on my songs are all inspired by Macheso. I take his Shona titles for his albums and songs and I put them into English with his full support, he said. He went on to say that this means that urban music is now growing interest from adults. On my new album Macheso is going to be there as well. In actual fact he is my mentor, said Mudiwa. Tendai Chidarikire popularly as Sasamania says that it is unfair to box up these musicians and call them strictly urban groovers as this tends to make their music autonomous. â€Å"The moment you box an artist and label them a Museve artist or urban groover then there is no room for diversity. Look at R Kelly. He can sing in almost all genres be it RB, soul or hip-hop said Chidarikire. Some of us have been boxed for sure but then there are same of us who opt to go out of the box and then come back said Stunner Has urban grooves music now reached Heaven’s doors? Has it finally now achieved the so much needed recognition synonymous to the genres like Sungura, Contemporary and Ethnic in Zimbabwe? The answer lies only in the appreciation this music is going to get from the listeners as well as its appreciation from seasoned musicians.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Word Choice Coarse vs. Course

Word Choice Coarse vs. Course Word Choice: Coarse vs. Course The words â€Å"coarse† and â€Å"course† sound exactly the same. They’re also similar written down. And as such, we understand why people get these terms confused. But these words also have very different meanings. So to make sure you use them correctly, check out our guide to what they mean. Coarse (Rough or Harsh) The word â€Å"coarse† is an adjective that means â€Å"rough† or â€Å"harsh.† We therefore use it to describe the texture or feeling of something: The coarse fabric rubbed against his skin. We also say that something is â€Å"coarse† when it is made of large, loose particles. If we say that soil is â€Å"coarse,† for instance, we mean that it is loosely packed and made up of larger clumps. We also say that language or behavior is â€Å"coarse† when it is rude or impolite: Her coarse language caused uproar at the funeral. This is a bit old-fashioned, but you will still see it used like this sometimes. Course as a Noun The word â€Å"course† is usually a noun (i.e., a word that names or stands for something). This term can actually have a few different meanings, including: A process of development (e.g., The course of history†¦) A route or path of movement (e.g., The blimp changed course†¦) An ongoing medical treatment (e.g., A course of painkillers†¦) A set of classes (e.g., A college course†¦) Part of a meal (e.g., A three-course meal†¦) An area over which something extends (e.g., Water course†¦) And while these definitions are quite varied, â€Å"course† is a noun in each case. Course as a Verb â€Å"Course† can also be a verb (i.e., an action word). In this case, it usually means â€Å"flow quickly.† For example, we may say a river â€Å"courses† through a valley. A river coursing. It can also be used to mean â€Å"chase,† particularly to hunt something with dogs. These uses are rare compared to the noun definitions above, but they are still worth remembering. Coarse or Course? The trick here is to focus on â€Å"coarse,† which has one main meaning (i.e., â€Å"rough† or â€Å"harsh†). Importantly, this means â€Å"coarse† is always an adjective. As such, if you need a word that modifies a noun, it will always be â€Å"coarse.† â€Å"Course,† meanwhile, can be either a noun or a verb. So if you need a word for a thing or an action, it will be â€Å"course.† Remember: Coarse is an adjective meaning â€Å"harsh† or â€Å"rough.† As a noun, course can be many things, including a process, a route, an ongoing medical treatment, a set of classes, or part of a meal. As a verb, course means to flow quickly. And if you’d like anyone to check the word usage in your writing, let us know.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Top tips for smart email - Emphasis

Top tips for smart email Top tips for smart email Its easy to think of email as an electronic form chatting, but to do so can be dangerous. For instance, you may say something in email that you would never put in a letter. Yet in law they may amount to the same thing. At the very least, email has a permanence that a chance remark made over a cup of coffee never would. Email is also easy to misinterpret, lacking the visual clues (a smile, a wink) of face-to-face conversations. And you may never know if what you write provokes a strong emotional and potentially damaging response. For this reason, email is best suited for simple communications, such as: scheduling meetings updates easy-to-solve problems minutes. It is not suitable for: emotive issues complicated issues criticism. Anything that is likely to get an emotive response is best done face-to-face (difficult though that may be), or at least with a memo or letter. Why? Well just imagine youre giving someone bad news. The last thing you want to do is provoke them to blow their top in a counter email or even to send an angry email to other people. Cut the clutter Most people complain of getting too many emails. But there are ways to cut down on the number of messages you and your colleagues receive. Here are some tips: Distribute each message only to people who really must see it avoid copying to other people for information. Unsubscribe to e-zines and email newsletters if you never read them. (NB. Dont do this with spam see below.) Set up filters to file or delete particular types of email automatically. Never reply to unsolicited spam to ask to be removed from a mailing list: many unscrupulous companies use this to verify email addresses before spamming them even more. Never use email for complex issues pick up the phone instead. Likewise, avoid emotive topics like appraisals or requests for a pay rise. These are far better dealt with face-to-face.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

City Government Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

City Government - Research Paper Example Either of these statements makes Greater Los Angeles area the second biggest metropolitan area in the United States of America. The US Census Bureau indicated that the Los Angeles Metropolitan region covers 4,850 square miles, while the broader joined statistical region has 33,954 square miles thus making it the biggest metropolitan area in the US by land mass. However, almost three quarters of this region lies in sparsely populated Eastern region of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Additional, Greater Los Angeles Area is an international center of education, tourism, trade, sports, transportation, fashion, and media (Haughton and Collin 56). Urbanization form of the Great Los Angeles Area Historically, the Greater Los Angeles has a reputation of spreading out in the sense that it has densely populated urbanized region with a population of 5,309 per square mile. The rapid sprawl in Greater Los Angeles is attributed to the decentralization structure of the area. It is known for its strong financial, cultural, and commercial institutions that are dispersed geographically rather than being confined in one central area. Within the urbanized areas of the Greater Los Angeles area, it has low-buildings due to regulations in Zoning. The urban form of the Greater Los Angeles is attributed to the first early years of the twentieth century when the region was marked by dense but split cities that were connected by rail. The emergence of automobile aided in closing the gaps between commuter towns with less dense populations. Development in Greater Los Angeles Area continues to take place in both the urbanized and central areas. For instance, there is a vigorous residential house development in downtown places with both renovation and construction of new building take shape. Greater Los Angeles identity The term Southland or Greater Los Angeles are used to refer to the metropolitan region. Employment is not enshrined in one area but it is widespread in the entire regi on. As such, people travel throughout Greater Los Angeles and its suburbs in diverse directions for the tasks and daily chores, with majority of these people going to the municipalities in the city outskirts of Los Angeles. Regional identity in the area is evident in that most residents do not acknowledge interacting and associating with the region in its entirety. For instance, orange county residents like to be recognized different from Los Angeles despite the fact that they share same metropolitan area with Los Angeles County (Census Bureau 41). Greater Los Angeles Boundaries Orange County Orange County in conjunction with Los Angeles County makes up Los Angeles Metropolitan area, a major region of the Greater Los Angeles Area. The development and change in Los Angeles influenced rapid growth in population in Orange County. The creation of tourism permitted it to become a significant economic area. Currently, Orange County is recognized for tourism attraction like Knott’s Berry Farm and its different beautiful coastline and beaches. Some cities such as Irvine and Anaheim developed because of cultural and business attractions in the area. Orange County is divided into the South and the North. The North is dominantly whites demographically and developed than the South. The division in Orange County is a result of demographic and cultural differences that has been there for many decades

The Travel and Tourism Sector in the UK in Response to Changes in the Assignment

The Travel and Tourism Sector in the UK in Response to Changes in the Industry and Society - Assignment Example The paper tells that in 2012, the United Nations World Tourism Organization reported that 1.035 billion international visits were made in 2011, resulting in expenditure in excess of $1 trillion.In the UK, 134 billion Sterling pounds were spent on tourism. This figure represented an increase of 6.9% in 2011. Demand for tourist goods and services in the UK has increased substantially during the past few decades. The growth has been so steady that even in the aftermath of the worldwide economic downturn of 2008, tourism earning grew by 6.9% to reach 134 billion Sterling pounds in 2012, compared to 2011 earnings. In absolute terms, the sector earned 9 billion pounds more than it did in 2011. This amount of money is enough to create 180,000 new jobs in the UK. The following paragraphs explain the factors behind this growth. Growing disposable incomes: The disposable of the average British worker has grown tremendously since the Second World War. Disposable income is the income that an ind ividual or a household is left after paying taxes and meeting their basic needs. With more disposable incomes, more and more people can now afford a vacation once in a while. Changing perceptions: Until recently, many citizens of the UK saw tourism as a luxury product that was reserved for the rich in society. This perception has since changed. More and more Britons are coming to appreciate tourism as a basic necessity of today's life. Of course, tourism has not reached the same level of necessity as food, shelter, education, and healthcare. Nevertheless, increasingly more Britons are embracing tourism. Government tourism policy: In 2011, the government of the United Kingdom enacted a tourism policy. The policy seeks to promote domestic tourism. The goal was pursued out of the realization that most Britons are more likely to travel abroad for a holiday rather than spend it in the country.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Visual and Cultural Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Visual and Cultural Theory - Essay Example This essay analyses and determines the main ideas and historical and cultural contexts of the prologue of McLuhan’s The Gutenberg Galaxy, while using studio practices to explain McLuhan’s key ideas. Two secondary materials are also used to explore McLuhan’s text, Morrison’s (2001) article, â€Å"The Place of Marshall McLuhan in the Learning of His Time† and Scannell’s (2007) book, Media and Communication. The main ideas of McLuhan’s (1995) The Gutenberg Galaxy emphasise the importance of the medium as the message, while Morrison (2001) asserts the role of technology in expanding human functions. Scannell (2007) supports the cultural transitions that occurred, using McLuhan’s idea of a â€Å"global village† (p.135). McLuhan describes the effects of transitioning from an oral to a writing society wherein he argues that literacy expands important human functions, but with limitations, and that the electronic age has produced the retribalisation of human society, and these ideas have a connection to the transition from soundless to sound films, where the latter films exhibit both opportunities and limitations for expressing and extending human thoughts and practices. McLuhan (1995) criticises the devaluation of oral societies, including their oral practices. His text responds to the historical underestimation of the value of oral practices and the vitality of oral societies. He cites the work of Albert B. Lord, The Singer of Tales, who continued the work of Milman Parry. Parry hypothesised that his Homeric studies could prove that oral and written poetry did not share similar patterns and uses (McLuhan, 1995, p.90). Parry’s work had been initially snubbed by the academe because of the prevailing belief that literacy is the basis of civilisation. Morrison (2001) describes the difficulties of Parry in getting his study approved in Berkeley during the 1920s. See Appendix A for research notes on the primary and secondary texts used. The Berkeley faculty represents the general belief that literacy and civilisation are directly related: The notion that high literacy is the normative state of language and civilization, and that its only alternative is the fallen state of illiteracy, and hence darkness and ignorance, seems to occupy the vital center of humanistic studies with remarkable energy and intensity. (Morrison 2001, para.6). The key idea is that by assuming that literacy is the most important sign of civilisation, it automatically discriminates against studies on oral practices and societies that would suggest otherwise. McLuhan responds to the historical underrepresentation of oral studies in the humanities and history in general. He wants to address this underrepresentation through his own analysis of the electronic age, and how it goes back to oral traditions of earlier times. McLuhan demonstrates that history is incomplete when it does not provide enough space for the d escription and analysis of oral societies and practices. Aside from filling the gap of literature on oral practices, McLuhan (1995) supports the idea that oral societies have a richer connection with all of their senses, while the written text has produced a limited visual society because it suppresses auditory functions. He highlights literature that explores the vitality of oral practices, where oral societies are rich civilisations, perhaps even richer than writing

Class,but not race Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Class,but not race - Essay Example story of hardship, slavery, and Jim Crow laws within the South, legislators within the United States government sought to implement what came to be known as â€Å"Affirmative Action†. Effectively, this particular approach was one that sought to consider race as a determining factor and necessary requirements for organizations and firms, as well as educational institutions, when selecting an individual for a job position or in other organizational settings. Although this federally and legislatively mandated program has created a great deal of fairness within the system, many detractors point to the fact that it is inherently unfair due to the fact that it still continues to perpetuate a system in which an individual’s overall worth is predicated upon racial characteristics. Furthermore, individuals that are specifically against affirmative action have pointed to the fact that at its core, it is not much different than the racial interpretations of an individual’s worth that were perpetrated during the Jim Crow era of the Deep South; albeit somewhat in reverse. One of the authors that specifically finds the issue with affirmative action is Richard Kahlenberg. Kahlenberg’s viewpoint is that the practice of Affirmative Action has in fact been more unfair than it has been fair. The rationale behind this seemingly extreme statement is predicated upon the fact that affirmative action only considers racial characteristics with respect to making determinations within the public sphere. However, according to Kahlenberg, a more root cause of disparity that exists between blacks and whites is not predicated upon skin color alone; rather, Kahlenberg argues that it is predicated upon class. Said Kahlenberg, â€Å"Race-based affirmative action tells the most disadvantaged whites that you have very little in common with African Americans, because you have white skin privilege†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"If the goal is to unite people of all races, this policy is a disaster† (Judis 1).

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Advanced Corporate Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Advanced Corporate Reporting - Essay Example This is in particular for the companies that issue public bonds on a regulated European market. These accounting standards have shown a significant impact on the potential influence on the behaviour of economic agents. Accounting standards caused the financial institutions to behave in a certain way that enhances the financial stability in the long run.1.2 Arguments of European Commission/ Union on IFRS: It was opined by analysts that the core of the financial mismanagement lies within the commission and due to the fact that structure is opaque. The problems of financial mismanagement are the basic enforcements weaknesses. The court of auditors of European union admitted that the 80 percent of taxpayers money was never accounted properly. The responsibility for combating fraud has been considered by European commission. It was observed that the EU's financial regulation 2342/2002, article 87(4) claims that there I no need to attempt the recovery of any sum less than million euros and this has been ruthlessly exploited. By eliminating the loop hole, the European commission resulted in shared responsibility instead of separation of the responsibilities. As the improvement is not possible if each EU institution or department works with different standards and criteria, the common standards for the accounting were considered. Due to the erroneous accounting the debtors of European commission simply disappeared in 2002-03. ... Another problem with the old system is potential mismanagement of cash due to lack of principles in cash flow analysis. The maintenance of huge cash suggests the deliberate retention of member states and companies surpluses against EU rules, the establishment of own resources by the tax payers money. These huge funds are used to maximize the public funds. This should be avoided as the cash in hand by any company should be reported and the use of it can be restricted. To avoid these issues, the credit rating of the companies should be true and fair and must be based on accounting statements. This should be regulated by EU. The implementation of IFRS auditing on EU and the companies in the EU states resulted in overcoming the problems regarding the financial mismanagement and misuse of cash. The action on fundamentals and injection of commercial reality was made possible by the introduction of IFRS. The commercial organizations will ask themselves the questions regarding their performa nce and they should be reflected in the financial statements. The IFRS made it possible and the transparency has been resulted in the use of the money of the investors. This needs a creation of financial infrastructure and that was taken by the lesson from New Zealand that will audit fully singed annual accounts within three months. The auditors were made independent in assessing and auditing the company's financial statements and strict guidelines have been imposed according to IFRS. This made possible good financial management in the company's possible and gave the required security for investor's money in the company. This gave chance to investor to estimate the

Values Portrayed In Popular Media Research Paper

Values Portrayed In Popular Media - Research Paper Example The internet sphere is one that is witness to phenomenal growth which dynamically evolves to simplify things and complicate them almost simultaneously. Social networking on the internet has revolutionized the way people communicate and interact with their fellow beings wherein every facet of modern life is documented and reflected in the online medium via the social networks. The problem of random child molestation, pornography, stalking and even grievous crimes as murder have also found origin in the information gathered from the social networking websites. Thus this would be the best area for research that leads us to understand the current internet culture and its malignant effects with universal impact. Bard Williams credits the internet to be a culturally, racially, physically and sexually blind medium that facilitates the broadest exchange of ideas (Williams, 1999; p: 9) and yet after the euphoria over internet and its possibilities normalized the questions on values, ethics portrayed by the modern technological culture found light. The research shall take into consideration the broad aspects of development of internet sphere into a super-medium which has considerable influence in the way of shaping a modern internet culture that contributes to the value system of individuals. It narrows down the focus to contemplate on the value probabilities of networking websites and their impact on young minds who are seen as perpetrators of cyber-bullying and peer harassment.(Diem & Berson, 2010,p; 136) The paper shall emphasize on the emergence of a radical social culture via online networking which creates a paradoxical situation of degenerating social fabric while increasing the scope of interactions as a whole. Lovnik notes that internet idealism is difficult to attain as it calls for synthesis of critical micro practises and the vista of macro- sized speculative theory. (Lovnik, 2003; p5)Thus this paper

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Advanced Corporate Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Advanced Corporate Reporting - Essay Example This is in particular for the companies that issue public bonds on a regulated European market. These accounting standards have shown a significant impact on the potential influence on the behaviour of economic agents. Accounting standards caused the financial institutions to behave in a certain way that enhances the financial stability in the long run.1.2 Arguments of European Commission/ Union on IFRS: It was opined by analysts that the core of the financial mismanagement lies within the commission and due to the fact that structure is opaque. The problems of financial mismanagement are the basic enforcements weaknesses. The court of auditors of European union admitted that the 80 percent of taxpayers money was never accounted properly. The responsibility for combating fraud has been considered by European commission. It was observed that the EU's financial regulation 2342/2002, article 87(4) claims that there I no need to attempt the recovery of any sum less than million euros and this has been ruthlessly exploited. By eliminating the loop hole, the European commission resulted in shared responsibility instead of separation of the responsibilities. As the improvement is not possible if each EU institution or department works with different standards and criteria, the common standards for the accounting were considered. Due to the erroneous accounting the debtors of European commission simply disappeared in 2002-03. ... Another problem with the old system is potential mismanagement of cash due to lack of principles in cash flow analysis. The maintenance of huge cash suggests the deliberate retention of member states and companies surpluses against EU rules, the establishment of own resources by the tax payers money. These huge funds are used to maximize the public funds. This should be avoided as the cash in hand by any company should be reported and the use of it can be restricted. To avoid these issues, the credit rating of the companies should be true and fair and must be based on accounting statements. This should be regulated by EU. The implementation of IFRS auditing on EU and the companies in the EU states resulted in overcoming the problems regarding the financial mismanagement and misuse of cash. The action on fundamentals and injection of commercial reality was made possible by the introduction of IFRS. The commercial organizations will ask themselves the questions regarding their performa nce and they should be reflected in the financial statements. The IFRS made it possible and the transparency has been resulted in the use of the money of the investors. This needs a creation of financial infrastructure and that was taken by the lesson from New Zealand that will audit fully singed annual accounts within three months. The auditors were made independent in assessing and auditing the company's financial statements and strict guidelines have been imposed according to IFRS. This made possible good financial management in the company's possible and gave the required security for investor's money in the company. This gave chance to investor to estimate the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Review the United States v. Lopez case, and write a case brief Study

Review the United States v. Lopez , and write a brief - Case Study Example Later on, Lopez was arrested and charged for possessing a gun in a school. Issue – The impact of the 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act, which forbids individuals from knowingly carrying a gun in a school zone, on the Commerce Clause. Is the Act unconstitutional? Does the Congress exceed its power to legislate under the Commerce Clause? Holding – Yes, the Congress is exceeding its power. Caring a gun in a school is an offence under criminal law, and does not interfere interstate commerce or any other economic activity. Lopez’s conviction has been reversed by the Court of Appeal, and affirmed by the United States Supreme Court. Rationale – The Court found that there was no obvious and direct connection between the act of possessing a gun in a school and commerce as an economic activity. The court found no connection between 18 U.S.C. Â § 922(q) and the Commerce Clause, which does have limits.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Debate whether downloading of music through the internet is ethical or not Essay Example for Free

Debate whether downloading of music through the internet is ethical or not Essay Music is one of the countless arts that represent the world as it is and sometimes much better- what it should be. Aside from this cliche, the world of music is being torn between legal issues of piracy and what others claim to be the inherent natural rights of individuals who would want to listen to music- free access. The internet provides one of the most free access portals for those who would want to have the music of their choice, but the question remains- is it ethical to get something for free when it is legally established to have a tendering value? In more simple terms- is it ethical to steal music online? Joseph, Francis, Angelo, Kairos, Karina and Angelina have been friends for almost a decade now. They met in their high school years, now they have decided to pursue different paths for their college education. Joseph entered college under a program of business administration; Kairos pursued a similar course under the program of economics. Karina and Angelina who both shared undying passion specialized in two major art subjects. Karina studied arts and letters; while Angelina enrolled in a program of music. Angelo, the techno savvy of the group enrolled to be an information technology specialist someday. And lastly, Francis the most authoritative of them all enlisted in the police academy to become a member of the police force someday. All of them are happy in their pursued lives, but there are things that remain the same –their friendship and their enthusiasm to listen to music. It became a habit for them to meet up during weekends to catch up over dinner, share a couple of laughs and go back to their mishaps and fun times when they are still in high school. In one of their dinner at Kairos’ place, they chose to play a concert video of Alicia Keys; but then something happened to Angelina†¦ (against) Angelina: Kairos, this is a nice DVD where did you get it? I did not know that they have already released this one. (pro) Kairos: They already have that one in Danton’s record bar down the street, but it is pretty expensive. I did not bought it, Angelo got it, (joking) it is no secret†¦our friend has pretty cool tricks in front of a computer. (pro) Angelo: Hey man, stop bragging about it. I might end up downloading whole day for these guys. It is pretty boring man, if it’s not free, I won’t bother at all. (pro) Kairos: Hey Angelina, are you ok? Do you feel something wrong? Or are you just too mesmerized with the glories of downloading? (against) Angelina: You’re unbelievable†¦ (pro) Karina: Hey Kairos, I think you hit a wrong†¦very wrong button. (pro) Kairos: huh? (against) Angelina: You are unbelievable! You are to busy computing how much you can save you became a common thief. (pro) Kairos: Are you serious? What did I do? (against) Angelina: You have practically stolen something and yet you act as if nothing happened. You and Angelo you both favor convenience without its obligations. (pro) Kairos: I did not steal anything; do not put that on me. Angelo is the one who downloaded. But still, I cannot see your point why you are overacting. (against) Angelina: Ok, I will indulge you and downloading accomplice in the implications of what you have done, shall I get started? Downloading is stealing because- (Angelo interrupts). (pro) Angelo: It’s free, get a computer and link it to the internet. You will find there it’s free; you cannot steal something which is free. That’s the glory of it, free downloading it is FREE and logically it will be free even from your so- called obligations . (against) Angelina: That is not the point, the point is just like any other form of art Alicia Keys’ concert is the result of her hard work and even painstaking attempts to create something exemplary beautiful. You stole that from her by not buying the original copy of her concert and opting to download a mere duplicate of her work. (pro) Kairos: Last time I checked recording companies, reap off a lot from the original copies, not the artist. The competition between record labels is too superficial for ordinary citizens, just like me and Angelo to purchase the original copy. Original copies are too expensive; it is like a monopoly of record labels, prices do not compete . And with what I learned, the recording industry without competition is no longer viable as a form of market. (against) Joseph: Excuse me, but I think the likes of you and Angelo are the reason for the increase in the prices of original copies. Companies compensate for their losses from free downloads and other forms of piracies . Kairos, above everyone else in this room you should know that, your studying economics right? (pro) Kairos: Yes I am, what you are saying is profit making. I am standing on the notion of free. (against) Francis: Come one man, what you claim to be free as contested by Angelina is not free at all; I think, you are using the word in a wrong way. (against) Angelina: You cannot financially categorize the works of others for your benefit. It is true that the music industry is highly privatized. And it has a very good reason to do so; music is private in the sense that it is the fruit of the musician and singer. The prices are high simply because music is an innovation in its simplicity . The creation of an innovation is one thing, but guarding and protecting it from the likes of you and Angelo is another thing. (pro) Karina: I don’t know for music which is highly commercialized, I think individuals who want to access into a form of art should be allowed to do so as long as it is permitted by the artist. I doubt that a real artist would deny such privilege. (against) Angelina: Karina, you are an artist yourself or at least someone who is aspiring to be. How can you reach your dreams if your early first steps are being trampled by piracy such as that experienced by starting out musicians in free music downloading? (pro) Karina: Pirated works are usually that of already â€Å"made† stars, free downloading has minimal effects to starting musicians since their works are not there in the first place . Websites do not host unpopular music files. As a matter of fact, only 1% of websites have more than 50% of the general traffic in the internet . In short, starting bands are usually and probably exempted. (pro)Angelo: What Karina told is true in both statistics and even in logic. Angelina, some starting bands even welcome the idea of being pirated simply because it is a good venue to be established in the music industry which is dominated by bigger music labels . (against) Angelina: No matter what statistics you would use, it is unethical because it is stealing in the first place and will forever be stealing. (against) Francis: It is true that it is stealing but only through a different way such as the internet . That difference makes some individuals assume that they are doing nothing wrong, but actually they are. (pro)Kairos: Well, we can look at this issue through multi perspectives and that what makes it problematic. We can argue regarding this issue for a long time, but nonetheless we will never arrive at a common ground. (against) Angelina: So guys, since the topic can be debated indefinitely can we just leave the topic alone and continue to live according to our principles and promise to compromise in the presence of another contradicting principle? (against) Angelo: Hey, what friends are for? All agreed to give up on the debate and just enjoy the rest of the night with stories that would allow them to catch up with each other. Their circle of friendship grew stronger after such a healthy debate; all of them without exemption learned to compromise. Impact Statement: The issue of free downloading music through the internet can be debated on different point of views and starting points. Due to this nature, up to date the debate whether music should be a free enterprise at some levels is still questionable. Issues on it being ethical are not solely debatable in the light of being a free enterprise or a private intellectual property; it can also be debated on the perspectives of economics and profiteering. There are countries that allow free downloading of music such as China, so in terms of citizenship in relation to the issues on ethics behind free downloading of music the countries ruling are still the end of it all. No matter how long debates can be, it can only affect public opinion; nonetheless the law will still hold. After watching this group of friends argued on the topic. It can be said that the main question is wrong and prejudicial. â€Å"Is it ethical to STEAL music online? † should be replaced by â€Å"Is it ethical to DOWNLOAD music online? † Bibliography 123HelpMe. com. Copyright Laws, Napster and Personal Ethics. www. 123HelpMe. com. 30 April 2010 http://www. 123helpme. com/view. asp? id=21092. Albert, Pete. Music Piracy: Is downloading music ethical? 2010. 30 April 2010 http://www. helium. com/debates/68480-music-piracy-is-downloading-music-ethical/side_by_side? page=42. Arrington, Michael. Stealing Music: Is It Wrong Or Isnt It? 31 March 2009. Techcrunch. com. 30 April 2010 http://techcrunch. com/2009/03/31/stealing-music-is-it-wrong-or-isnt-it/. Easley, Robert. Ethical Issues in the Music Industry Response to Innovation and Piracy. Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 62, No. 2 (2005): 163-168. Johnson, Eric J. , et al. On the Depth and Dynamics of Online Search Behavior. Management Science, Vol. 50, No. 3 (2004): 299-308. Storey, Michael. Music Piracy: Is downloading music ethical? 2010. 30 April 2010 http://www. helium. com/debates/68480-music-piracy-is-downloading-music-ethical/side_by_side? page=42.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Cluster Computing: History, Applications and Benefits

Cluster Computing: History, Applications and Benefits Abstract This report will provide a detailed review of the cluster computing. In this report we look at the birth of cluster computing till the present and the future direction the technology is headed. After the literature review, we move on to the explanation of theories involved from the author’s point of view. The final section of the report covers the current trends and future evolution of the technology as perceived from the author’s point of view. The essence of the report would be a better understanding of the cluster computing and its many uses in today’s world. Introduction A computer cluster consists of a set of loosely connected or tightly connected computers that work together so that in many respects they can be viewed as a single system. The components of a cluster are usually connected to each other through fast local area networks (LAN), with each node (computer used as a server) running its own instance of an operating system. Computer clusters emerged as a result of convergence of a number of computing trends including the availability of low cost microprocessors, high speed networks, and software for high performance distributed computing. Clusters are usually deployed to improve performance and availability over that of a single computer, while typically being much more cost-effective than single computers of comparable speed or availability.[1] Computer clusters have a wide range of applicability and deployment, ranging from small business clusters with a handful of nodes to some of the fastest supercomputers in the world such as IBMs Sequoia. [2] Literature review In 1967 a paper published by Gene Amdahl of IBM, formally invented the basis of cluster computing as a way of doing parallel work. It is now known as Amdahl’s Law. It is a model for correlation between the expected speedup of parallelized implementations of an algorithm relative to the serial algorithm, assuming the problem size remains the same. [3] Types of Clusters Computer clusters are used in many organizations to increase processing time, faster data storing and retrieval time, etc. These computer clusters can be classified in three main types of clusters but these can be mixed to achieve higher performance or reliability. High performance clusters High availability clusters Load Balancing clusters High Performance Cluster: High performance computing sometimes refer to as high performance computing are used for computation-intensive applications, rather than handling IO-oriented applications such as web service or databases.[4] examples of HPCs can include the computational simulations of vehicle crashes or weather. Very tightly coupled computer clusters are designed for work that may approach supercomputing. The worlds fastest machine in 2011 was the K computer which has a distributed memory, cluster architecture.[5] High Availability Cluster: High availability clusters are commonly known as failover clusters. They are used to improve the availability of the cluster approach. In high availability clusters, redundant nodes are used which take over in case of component failure. It is used to eliminate single point of failure by having redundant cluster components.[6] High Availability clusters are often used for critical databases, file sharing on a network, business applications, and customer services such as electronic commerce websites. Load Balancing Cluster: Load balancing clusters, as the name suggests are the cluster configurations where the computational workload is shared between the nodes for better overall performance. One of the best examples of load balancing cluster is a web server cluster. It may use a round robin method to assign each new request to a different node for overall increase in performance. [7] Benefits of Clusters: There are numerous advantages to using cluster computing. Some of these are detailed below. Cost: Cluster technique is cost effective compared to other techniques in terms of the amount of power and processing speed being produced due to the fact that it used off the shelf hardware and software components as compare to the mainframe computers, which use custom build proprietary hardware and software components. Processing speed: In a cluster, multiple computers work together to provide unified processing, which in turn provides faster processing. Flexibility: In contrast to a mainframe computer, a computer cluster can be upgraded to a higher specification or expanded by adding extra nodes. Higher availability: Single component failure is mitigated by redundant machines taking over the processing uninterrupted. This type of redundancy is lacking in mainframe systems. Cluster Management: Message passing and communication The two most often used approaches for cluster communications are PVM and MPI. PVM stands for parallel virtual machine. It was developed around 1989 by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It is directly installed on every node and it provides a set of libraries that make the node a â€Å"parallel virtual machine†. It provides a run time environment for resource task management, fault notification and message passing. User programs written in C, C++ or Fortran can use PVM.[8][9] MPI stands for message passing interface. It emerged in 1990s and supersedes PVM. MPI design is based on various commercially available systems of the time. Its implementation typically uses TCP/IP and socket connection. Currently it’s the most widely used communication system enabling parallel programming in C, Fortran, Python etc.[9][10] Task scheduling Task scheduling becomes a challenge, when a large multiuser cluster needs access to huge amounts of data. In a heterogeneous CPU-GPU cluster, mapping tasks onto CPU cores and GPU devices provide quite a challenge because it’s a complex application environment and the performance of each job depends on the abilities of the underlying technologies. Task scheduling is an active area of ongoing research and there have been proposals to build an algorithms which combine and extend MapReduce and Hadoop. [11] Node failure management Node failure management is a technique used to handle a failed node in a cluster using strategies such as â€Å"fencing†. It isolates the node or a shared resource when it detects a malfunction. There are two types of fencing. First is to disable the node and the second is to prevent access to resources like shared disks. [12] The first method uses STONITH. Which stands for â€Å"Shoot The Other Node In The Head†. This method disables or power off the malfunctioning node. For example, power fencing uses a power controller to turn off the faulty node. [12] The second method uses the resource fencing approach, which prevents access to resources rather than to turn off the node. For example, fiber channel fencing can be used to disable the fiber channel port. [12] 1137395 Muhammad Khurram Shehzad Trends The demand for powerful computers that can be used for simulation and prediction are of great interest to both the public and private sector. Last decade, was the most exciting periods in computer development. As a result of Moore’s law, microprocessors have become smaller, denser, and more powerful. The result is that microprocessor based supercomputing is rapidly becoming the technology of preference in attacking some of the most important problems of science and engineering. A recent report from Intersect360 Research highlighted some interesting trends in HPC. Below are a few of the highlights. [13] More Memory with Multi-core: While memory usage per core is nearly constant in years past, the broader adoption of multi-core systems is creating a demand for more memory. This can be expected but the report also warns of additional system costs as the need for more memory rises.[13] Processors per Nodes: According to summary of the report, two-processors per node is still the preferred configuration with 60% of the market, with just 14% opting for four-processor nodes. These ratios have stayed about the same over the past five years.[13] Future Outlook High Performance Computing (HPC) is expected to increase with which Big Data is analyzed to address variety of scientific, environmental and social challenges, especially on very large and small scales. In order of magnitude more powerful than laptop computers, HPC processes information using parallel computing, allowing for many simultaneous computations to occur concurrently. These integrated machines are measured in â€Å"flops† which stands for â€Å"floating point operations per second.† [14] As of June 2013, Tianhe-2 (or, Milky Way-2), a supercomputer developed by China’s National University of Defense Technology, is the world’s fastest system with a performance of 33.86 petaflop/s. [15] HPC is expected to move into â€Å"exascale† capacity by 2020, developing computing capacities 50 times greater than today’s most advanced supercomputers. Exascale feasibility rests on the rise of energy efficient technology: the processing power exists but the energy to run it, and cool it, does not. Currently, the American supercomputer MIRA, [16] while not the fastest, is the most energy efficient thanks to circulating water-chilled air around the processors inside the machine rather than merely using fans. Applications of the technology High-performance computing (HPC) is a broad term that in essence represents compute intensive applications that need acceleration. Users of application acceleration systems range from medical imaging, financial trading, oil and gas expiration, to bioscience, data warehousing, data security, and many more. In the information age, the need for acceleration of data processing is growing exponentially and the markets deploying HPC for their applications are growing every day. The HPC expansion is being fueled by the coprocessor, which is fundamental to the future of HPC. 1137784 Samra Mohammad 8Future trends, outlook and applications of cluster computing: Computer plays an important role in the information age. Different countries have undertaken thorough studies on computing to improve the information level. I may observe some current trends and speculate a bit about the future of parallel programming models. As far as we can foresee today, the future of computing is parallel computing, dictated by physical and technical necessity. 8.1New trends in cluster computing: These days, there is a new computing paradigm as computer networks called the Grid. It becomes very cheap and very fast .What is a Grid? It is a big system of computing resources that provides to users a single point of access and performs tasks. It is based on the WWW (World Wide Web) interface, to these distributed resources[17] The Grid technology is currently in progress intensive development. The Grid is also the first tools which are already available for developers. In this type of application, we can use a high-speed network in regarding the interconnection between the parts of the grid via internet. Nowadays , the Grid is agree to enable for scientific collaborations to share resources on an unprecedented level and geographically distributed groups to collaborate together in a manner that were previously impossible by using scalable, secure, high performance mechanisms for discovering and negotiating access to remote resources. 8.2Future: In the future, the increase of industry support for low latency clusters will help in availability and performance, but restrictions may require a departure from the current multicast-oriented data distribution strategies. However, latency and bandwidth performance will continue to improve in the Ethernet with a very low cluster with multicast support. 8.3Application and outlook: Obviously, cluster computing is quickly becoming the architecture of choice. One of the categories of applications is called Grand Challenge Applications (GCA). It are defined as fundamental problems in science and engineering with broad economic and scientific impact whose solution can be advanced by applying high performance computing and communication technologies. The high scale of complexity in GCAs demands enormous amount of resources needs, such as processing time, memory space and communication bandwidth. A common characteristic of GCAs is that they involve simulations that are computationally intensive. Examples of GCAs are applied fluid dynamics, environmental modeling, ecosystem simulation, biomedical imaging, biomechanics, molecular biology, and computational sciences. [17] Other than GCAs, cluster computing is also being applied in other applications that demand high availability, scalability and performance. Clusters are being used as replicated storage and backup servers that provide the essential fault tolerance and reliability for critical applications. For example, the internet, search engine, Google uses cluster computing to provide reliable and efficient internet search services. Conclusion Cluster computing offers a comparatively cheap, alternative to large server or mainframe computer solutions. New trends in hardware and software technologies are likely to make clusters more promising. Statement of contribution Member 1: Muhammad Khurram Shehzad (1137395), Abstract, Introduction, Literature review Conclusion as a Group and Trends, Future Outlook applications as individual. Member 2: Samra Mohammad (1137784), Abstract, Introduction, Literature review Conclusion as a Group and Trends, Future Outlook applications as individual. Member 3: Muhammad Faheem Abbas (1137391), Abstract, Introduction, Literature review Conclusion as a Group and Trends, Future Outlook applications as individual. References: [1] Bader, David; Robert Pennington (June 1996). Cluster Computing: Applications. Georgia Tech College of Computing. Retrieved 2007-07-13. [2] Nuclear weapons supercomputer reclaims world speed record for US. The Telegraph. 18 Jun 2012. Retrieved 18 Jun 2012. [3] Amdahl, Gene M. (1967).Validity of the Single Processor Approach to Achieving Large-Scale Computing Capabilities.AFIPS Conference Proceedings(30): 483–485.doi:10.1145/1465482.1465560 [4] High Performance Computing for Computational Science VECPAR 2004 by Michel Daydà ©, Jack Dongarra 2005 ISBN 3-540-25424-2 pages 120-121 [5] M. Yokokawa et al The K Computer, in International Symposium on Low Power Electronics and Design (ISLPED) 1-3 Aug. 2011, pages 371-372 [6] Evan Marcus, Hal Stern: Blueprints for High Availability: Designing Resilient Distributed Systems, John Wiley Sons, ISBN 0-471-35601-8 [7] High Performance Linux Clusters by Joseph D. Sloan 2004 ISBN 0-596-00570-9 page [8] Distributed services with OpenAFS: for enterprise and education by Franco Milicchio, Wolfgang Alexander Gehrke 2007, ISBN pages 339-341 [9] Grid and Cluster Computing by Prabhu 2008 8120334280 pages 109-112 [10] Gropp, William; Lusk, Ewing; Skjellum, Anthony (1996). A High-Performance, Portable Implementation of the MPI Message Passing Interface. Parallel Computing. CiteSeerX: 10.1.1.102.9485 [11] K. Shirahata, et al Hybrid Map Task Scheduling for GPU-Based Heterogeneous Clusters in: Cloud Computing Technology and Science (CloudCom), 2010 Nov. 30 2010-Dec. 3 2010 pages 733 740 ISBN 978-1-4244-9405-7 [12] Alan Robertson Resource fencing using STONITH. IBM Linux Research Center, 2010 [13] http://www.intersect360.com/industry/reports.php?id=67 (Accessed 12/05/2014) [14] http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/futurium/en/content/future-high-performance-computing-supercomputers-rescue (Accessed 12/05/2014) [15] http://www.top500.org/system/177999#.U3ORpPmSzDs (Accessed 12/05/2014) [16] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Mira (Accessed 12/05/2014) [17] http://www.slideshare.net/shivakrishnashekar/computer-cluster (Accessed 14th May 2014)

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Teaching Literature Essays -- Literature Education Educating Essays

Teaching Literature My own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we *can* suppose. - J.B.S. Haldane, "On Being the Right Size" in the book _Possible Worlds_ (courtesy of The Quotations Page) The inclusion of gay and lesbian authors in high school and college curricula can only help to expose students to things which they will more than likely face in their adult lives. The traditional readings should be read in conjunction with gay and lesbian authors in many schools’ English curricula, simply because most modern students cannot relate to the speech or themes of the traditionally taught works by usually straight British and American writers or by authors who were gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender (GLBT), but their sexual orientation was never mentioned. These students come from varied backgrounds, and thusly should be exposed to works to which they can more appropriately relate. Exploration into the GLBT literature canon brings us to the argument that many GLBT theorists are bringing to that table: â€Å"Should writing be marketed as gay because the author is, or does it have to deal with gay-related themes?† as presented in the article â€Å"Of Genders and Genres.† by Avril McDonald. She poses a good question, one that many high school and college administrators should ask instead of simply ignoring the entire genre of literature. Some authors, such as Langston Hughes and Emily Dickinson, are usually taught without any mention of their sexual orientation, while others, such as Audre Lorde and Alice Walker, who were openly lesbian, have been wholly excluded from the high school curricula and are barely read in many college settings either. Before one can suggest an alternat... ...2004): 151-. Project Muse. Westfield State College, MA. 19 April 2005. Martinez-Aleman, Ana M. â€Å"Multiculturalism and the Mission of Liberal Education.† The Journal of General Education 50.2 (2001): 102-. Project Muse. Westfield State College, MA. 19 April 2005. McDonald, Avril. â€Å"Of Genders and Genres.† Publishers Weekly 241.26 (1994): 25-. Expanded Academic ASAP. Westfield State College, MA. 27 April 2005. Powell, Timothy B. â€Å"All Colors Flow into Rainbows and Nooses: The Struggle to Define Academic Multiculturalism.† Cultural Critique 55 (2003): 152-. Project Muse. Westfield State College, MA. 27 April 2005. Rankin, Susan R. â€Å"Differing Perceptions: How Students of Color and White Students Perceive Campus Climate for Underrepresented Groups.† Journal of College Student Development 46.1 (2005): 43-. Project Muse. Westfield State College, MA. 19 April 2005.

Friday, October 11, 2019

The Formation and Development of the Fujian Tulou

Abstraction Tulou is alone among all ancient residential architecture because of its alone signifier, expansive graduated table, abundant cultural connotation. More and more domestic and foreign bookmans are analyzing Tulou particularly after Tulou became World Cultural Heritage in 2008. Most surveies focused on the Tulou artistic value and cultural value. However this article tries to construe the development of traditional homes from another facet. First, this paper introduces the basic information of Tulou: clip of Tulou visual aspect, architectural image of Tulou and grounds behind the signifier. Second, research in different periods of Chinese historical background including political relations, policies and large events. Try to happen out how these factors influence the formation of Hakka civilization and Tulou edifice. Tulou, as Chinese traditional local-style homes, foremost appeared in 11th century along with Hakka people migrating to Fujian state. Architectural manner and Hakka civilization reached extremum in the terminal of the nineteenth century, so started to worsen in twentieth century. After 2008, Tulou began to reconstruct verve with roar in touristry industry in Fujian. During this whole period, China besides suffered several different historical alterations: the terminal of the Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China epo ch, World War II period, civil war epoch, 10 old ages of the Great Cultural Revolution in China, the new period of reform and opening-up. So in this essay I will research: 1. Whether the formation and development of Tulou are associated with these historical background? 2. How did these political relations and policies affect Tulou development on architectural and cultural degree? 3. By roll uping and forming elaborate charts and informations which could explicate each large historical events clearly, I could utilize them as my research tools to analyse and come to my ain decisions. Third, the authorities has formulated a series of Tulou protection and renovation policies after it became World Cultural Heritage. The purpose of policies is to recognize protection and renovation of Tulou by developing cultural touristry industry. Taking Er & A ; apos ; yi Tulou for illustration, I will detailed explicate what alterations happened to it because of these protection policies. Cardinal words:Tulou, World Cultural Heritage, Traditional homes, Politicss, Policy Contentss Chapter 1: Introduction— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -1 1.1 Background and motive — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 1.2 Research end — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -1 1.3 Literature reappraisal — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 Chapter2:Rheniumhunt on The formation of Tulou— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 3 2.1 The clip of Tulou formation — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 3 2.2 The topographic point of Tulou formation — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -3 2.3 Tulou formation of ground — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -3 Chapter3: Research on Thedevelopmentof theThymineuloufrom from 1900 to 1949— — — — -5 3.1 the status of Tulou from 1900 to 1949 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 5 3.2 the societal and historical background from 1900 to 1949 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -6 3.3 Analyze on Tulou development harmonizing to historical and societal background — — — — – -11 Chapter4:Research on Thedevelopmentof Tuloufrom from 1949 to 2008— — — — — — -13 4.1 the status of Tulou from 1949 to 2008 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 13 4.2 the societal and historical background from 1949 to 2008 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -13 4.3 Analyze on Tulou development harmonizing to Chinese political policy from 1949 to 2008 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 17 Chapter 5: Research on Theprotection and renovationofThymineuloufrom 2008 until now— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -20 5.1 policy of heritages protection in China and development scheme of Fujian Tulou touristry — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -20 5.2 Development of Tulou Building Heritage — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -22 5.3 Factors act uponing the development of Tulou touristry — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 32 Chapter 6: Conclustion— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 36 Bibliographies:— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -37 Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Background and motive Fujian Tulou is the alone local-style home house. It has been hailed as an alone big rammed earth home in the universe. Tulou caused the roar of academic treatment particularly after it became World Cultural Heritage Heritage. Tulou is deserving researching non merely because its alone signifier, particular layout among mountains but besides because it represents civilization of Hakka people. Now research on aesthetic value and architectural value has been already really deep. At the same clip China has ne'er been a state deficiency of history. Since the visual aspect of Tulou until now, China has experienced vagaries of historical events and wholly different manners of policies such as National Protection Movement, Warlords Wars, World War II, Great Leap Forward, Great Cultural Revolution, the reform and opening-up policy†¦ All these policies and events have great influence on our state. So what I want to analyse is that how these historical events and policies could influent t he development of traditional homes and are at that place any particular marks left on all these homes belonged to history. At the same clip more and more heritages became World Cultural Heritage in China. In the facet of touristry development and heritage protection, heritage touristry industry could be a chief manner to protect cultural heritage, set up regional ecology and cultural environment, advance local economic system. I choose Fujian Tulou, local homes as the object of survey chiefly sing the particular dependant relationship between Tulou edifice and Hakka people. Try to explicate the procedure of Tulou development harmonizing to historical events and policies so find a manner that could fit Tulou touristry development and sustainable development. 1.2 Research end The intent of this paper is to analyze the relationship between different policies of China, historical background of China and the whole procedure of Tulou development as typical local home house. Discuss are at that place any other factors could hold a important impact on the signifier and the destiny of heritage edifices except design itself. Even in the procedure of heritage protection and renovation, which factors have the most influence. On the one manus so far domestic research of historical heritage protection and renovation chiefly concentrate on celebrated traditional brooding edifice such as Beijing Hutong, quadrangle courtyard†¦ So I choose Fujian Tulou as my object of survey in order to rich historical relics empirical instances. On the other manus, research of Tulou chiefly focus on construction, local civilization of Tulou. There are few research documents of Tulou edifices on policy, political relations, historical background facets. Tourism industry of historica l heritage could be a manner to protect and redevelop Tulou edifice. So this subject could besides rich the content of Tulou research. 1.3Literature reappraisal This thesis is written utilizing three series of research tools. The first series is that about modern history of China and Chinese architecture history. These books includes & A ; apos ; From the opium war to the may 4th motion & A ; apos ; by Hu Sheng which elaborates on the full development of China in that period. & A ; apos ; Modern History of China & A ; apos ; by Lin Zengping which I used particularly for composing chapter two about large events happened during that epoch. & A ; apos ; the turbulent times & A ; apos ; by Wang Nianyi which I used for chapter three to explicate influence of the Great Cultural Revolution. & A ; apos ; Chinese Architecture History & A ; apos ; by Liang Sicheng which helps me better understand traditional homes. The 2nd series of books are all that about Tulou. The book I used particularly for debut and chapter two was & A ; apos ; Fujian Tulou & A ; apos ; by Huang Hanmin which introduced history of Fujian Tulou in item. & A ; apos ; The Living Style Chang of Eryi Tower in Hua & A ; apos ; an Country & A ; apos ; by Yang Lin was besides used for an instance survey of Tulou protection and renovation. The 3rd series of research tools I used the most. These are many maps in different epochs, charts and informations of large historical events. These resources include maps of warlords distribution, charts of Tulou distribution, charts of Fujian development status after the reform and opening-up policy, traffic maps of Fujian and Yongding state which is celebrated for Tulou in 1990,1999,2014, maps of tourer propaganda of Tulou. All these information can be used as my research tool to analyse the status of Tulou and background of society seeking to happen out deep relationship between homes and policies. Chapter2:Rheniumhunt on The formation of Tulou 2.1 The clip of Tulou formation It is a common stating that Tulou foremost appeared in 11centuries. However there is no evidents ( historical paperss, bing edifices ) to turn out this guess. Harmonizing to the historical papers called household tree of Guo, the first Tulou edifice was constructed in 1371 which is validated by historical experts and the bing oldest Tulou was in Hua & A ; apos ; an state now called Qiyun Tulou which was recorded on the plaque in the edifice. [ 1 ] From fourteenth century, Hakka people had been modifying Tulou to do it more and more suited for people populating together harmonizing to natural environment, stuffs and societal background. 2.2 The topographic point of Tulou formation Most of Tulou edifices are located in Yong Ding City harmonizing to informations and literatures. [ 2 ] Since Chinese economic system chiefly depended on agribusiness at that clip, small low and smooth lands could be used as Big Dippers because there are many mountains in this country. Peoples had to utilize as less countries as possible to make more living infinites. Hakka people chose to populate in large household groups and construct higher edifices than traditional houses. ( At that clip, traditional houses were merely two-story such as quadrilaterals, cave homes†¦ but Tulou was more than four-story. ) [ 3 ] 2.3 Tulou formationof ground Tulou is celebrated for its alone roundness signifier. Shigeki Keiichiro, Nipponese designer marveled at Tulou, said: It looks like UFO landed in the mountains. So we can see the roundness signifier is the chiefly individuality of Tulou. However, why Hakka people designed it as rotundity is ever questioned by tourers. The common position is that the demand of defense mechanism map. However there & A ; apos ; s a batch of historical edifices in the universe hadn & A ; apos ; t been designed in roundness signifier but they besides had perfect defensive consequence and survived until now. Another position is that Chinese traditional civilization & A ; apos ; round Eden and square Earth & A ; apos ; influenced Tulou signifier. But it is besides flimsy, quadrilaterals, cave homes, Yunnan Yikeyin†¦ they are non in roundness signifier but all derived from Chinese traditional civilization. So after comparing the square constructing with rotundity edifice, There are several advantages of unit of ammunition edifice: 1. corner suites in square edifice have no daytime and are disturbed by stepss, no corner suites in unit of ammunition edifice. 2. no differences between each unit in unit of ammunition edifice, it is easy for equal distribution. 3. wood constituents in unit of ammunition edifice are more incorporate. 4. building method of roof in unit of ammunition edifice is much easier than square edifice. 5. unit of ammunition edifice has better temblor immune behaviour than square edifice. 6. circular edifices fit the form of mountains really good, so they have broader position for supporting. They are non merely easy for building besides save stuffs ( stuffs in the mountains are rather cherished ) .Local people made decisions from practical work. That & A ; apos ; s why they chose unit of ammunition edifice as their place. [ 4 ] However, it is an evolutive procedure from square edifices to round edifices that construction and maps tended to be sensible. Survey of Y ong Ding metropolis besides proved that square Tulou edifices came out foremost, so after about 1 century Hakka people started to construct unit of ammunition Tulou edifice. [ 5 ] So we can see at that place & A ; apos ; s no uncertainty that unit of ammunition Tulou edifices were really likely to be the continuance of Tulou development.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Intrusion and Prevention Essay

1.0Abstract The wide spread proliferation of Internet Technology has led to the incorporation of Computer in each and every field of life. From education to Business, Information Technology has now become an indispensable element in our life. Computers have reached homes, offices, schools and even churches . The wide spread use of computers is accompanied by an exponential growth in e-crimes ,in which unscrupulous elements try to gain access to other’s computers to steal valuable information like credit card   numbers , personal identification codes etc. Owing to this the development and deployment of sophisticated Intrusion detection systems that can detect and thwart such malicious attempts becomes highly important.   2.0 Intrusion Detection Systems(IDS) In order to safeguard a computer from being intruded by malicious code, System/Network Administrators deploy Intrusion Detection Systems .These systems are nothing but software applications that monitor the inbound Internet packets for malicious or susceptible activity and alert the Administrator whenever such an activity is detected. They often respond to such intrusions by either blocking the source computer from accessing the hosted computer or by restricting the actions of source computer on destination. There are many types of IDS software available in the market and they differ in the way they detect the suspicious activity. Examples of IDS include Shadows, Snort, Dragon, RealSecure and NetProwler. 3.0 Snort IDS There are many products available in the market for intrusion detection, out of these Snort gains a unique market proposition because of its free download availability and it’s at par performance in its field with any other commercial product. Snort is an Open source IDS Software which was originally designed for UNIX platform, but now is available for Windows based systems also. It provides basic network monitoring purpose and also can also be configured for rule based IDS functionality. 4.0 Functionalities of Snort   Snort can be installed very easily on any Windows or UNIX based system with the help of its friendly graphical user friendly interface. It is a Network bases Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) that can be used in two modes, â€Å"sniffer† and logger mode. In basic sniffer mode it just reports what is happening on the system console, while in the logger mode, it can log the network traffic details in the log file directory. Both sniffer and logger modes are passive and just give system administrator an information about the network traffic without actually taking any action to prevent the intrusion. However it can be used in IDS mode to be able to act upon certain rules, pre-defined by system administrator to prevent intrusion. Snort is open sourced and comes with a well-developed API that can be used to add new functionalities to the IDS. The only pit-fall of Snort IDS is that, it does not have Customer support and a user has to rely on self-help books and internet forums for any troubleshooting and problems. However its download comes with a very elaborate documentation. Also some of the functionalities that are their in its UNIX version might be missing in its Windows version. 5.0 Evaluation: Snort is the most widely used IDS software with more than 225,000 registered users. It provides user with features like signature detection, protocol inspection and anomaly based detection. Its open source nature makes it the most favored IDS system by developers .They are constantly in pursuit to add new and sophisticated functionality to existing systems. There is lot of literature available about Snort due to its wide reach and influence on user community. It can be used to detect all kind of intrusions ranging from buffer overflows, CGI attacks, SMB probes, OS fingerprinting attempts to stealth port scans. From its initially light weight edition that was used only to log the intrusion attempts to the current sophisticated and fully developed IDS edition, Snort has truly come a long way to provide user with an inexpensive, sophisticated and cutting edge technology that could secure their systems from malicious attacks from unscrupulous elements.