Deception Point Page 106

As Tolland's hand felt the sides of the tank, he encountered dozens of bullet holes. He could feel the water rushing in. The Triton was preparing to dive, whether Tolland liked it or not. The sub was now three feet beneath the surface. Moving to the bow, Tolland pressed his face against the glass and peered through the dome. Rachel was banging on the glass and shouting. The fear in her voice made him feel powerless. For an instant he was back in a cold hospital, watching the woman he loved die and knowing there was nothing he could do. Hovering underwater in front of the sinking sub, Tolland told himself he could not endure this again. You're a survivor, Celia had told him, but Tolland did not want to survive alone†¦ not again. Tolland's lungs ached for air and yet he stayed right there with her. Every time Rachel pounded on the glass, Tolland heard air bubbles gurgling up and the sub sank deeper. Rachel was yelling something about water coming in around the window. The viewing window was leaking. A bullet hole in the window? It seemed doubtful. His lungs ready to burst, Tolland prepared to surface. As he palmed upward across the huge acrylic window, his fingers hit a piece of loose rubber caulking. A peripheral seal had apparently been jarred in the fall. This was the reason the cockpit was leaking. More bad news. Clambering to the surface, Tolland sucked in three deep breaths, trying to clear his thoughts. Water flowing into the cockpit would only accelerate the Triton's descent. The sub was already five feet underwater, and Tolland could barely touch it with his feet. He could feel Rachel pounding desperately on the hull. Tolland could think of only one thing to do. If he dove down to the Triton's engine box and located the high-pressure air cylinder, he could use it to blow the negative ballast tank. Although blowing the damaged tank would be an exercise in futility, it might keep the Triton near the surface for another minute or so before the perforated tanks flooded again. Then what? With no other immediate option, Tolland prepared to dive. Pulling in an exceptionally deep breath, he expanded his lungs well beyond their natural state, almost to the point of pain. More lung capacity. More oxygen. Longer dive. But as he felt his lungs expand, pressuring his rib cage, a strange thought hit him. What if he increased the pressure inside the sub? The viewing dome had a damaged seal. Maybe if Tolland could increase the pressure inside the cockpit, he could blow the entire viewing dome off the sub and get Rachel out. He exhaled his breath, treading water on the surface a moment, trying to picture the feasibility. It was perfectly logical, wasn't it? After all, a submarine was built to be strong in only one direction. They had to withstand enormous pressure from the outside, but almost none from within. Moreover, the Triton used uniform regulator valves to decrease the number of spare parts the Goya had to carry. Tolland could simply unsnap the high pressure cylinder's charging hose and reroute it into an emergency ventilation supply regulator on the port side of the sub! Pressurizing the cabin would cause Rachel substantial physical pain, but it might just give her a way out. Tolland inhaled and dove. The sub was a good eight feet down now, and the currents and darkness made orienting himself difficult. Once he found the pressurized tank, Tolland quickly rerouted the hose and prepared to pump air into the cockpit. As he gripped the stopcock, the reflective yellow paint on the side of the tank reminded him just how dangerous this maneuver was: Caution: Compressed Air – 3,000 PSI Three thousand pounds per square inch, Tolland thought. The hope was that the Triton's viewing dome would pop off the sub before the pressure in the cabin crushed Rachel's lungs. Tolland was essentially sticking a high-powered fire hose into a water balloon and praying the balloon would break in a hurry. He grabbed the stopcock and made up his mind. Suspended there on the back of the sinking Triton, Tolland turned the stopcock, opening the valve. The hose went rigid immediately, and Tolland could hear the air flooding the cockpit with enormous force. Inside the Triton, Rachel felt a sudden searing pain slice into her head. She opened her mouth to scream, but the air forced itself into her lungs with such painful pressure that she thought her chest would explode. Her eyes felt like they were being rammed backward into her skull. A deafening rumble tore through her eardrums, pushing her toward unconsciousness. Instinctively, she clenched her eyes tight and pressed her hands over her ears. The pain was increasing now. Rachel heard a pounding directly in front of her. She forced her eyes open just long enough to see the watery silhouette of Michael Tolland in the darkness. His face was against the glass. He was motioning for her to do something. But what? She could barely see him in the darkness. Her vision was blurred, her eyeballs distorted from the pressure. Even so, she could tell the sub had sunk beyond the last flickering fingers of the Goya's underwater lights. Around her was only an endless inky abyss. Tolland spread himself against the window of the Triton and kept banging. His chest burned for air, and he knew he would have to return to the surface in a matter of seconds. Push on the glass! he willed her. He could hear pressurized air escaping around the glass, bubbling up. Somewhere, the seal was loose. Tolland's hands groped for an edge, something to get his fingers under. Nothing. As his oxygen ran out, tunnel vision closed in, and he banged on the glass one last time. He could not even see her anymore. It was too dark. With the last of the air in his lungs, he yelled out underwater. â€Å"Rachel†¦ push†¦ on†¦ the†¦ glass!† His words came out as a bubbling, muted garble. 129 Inside the Triton, Rachel's head felt like it was being compressed in some kind of medieval torture vise. Half-standing, stooped beside the cockpit chair, she could feel death closing in around her. Directly in front of her, the hemispherical viewing dome was empty. Dark. The banging had stopped. Tolland was gone. He had left her. The hiss of pressurized air blasting in overhead reminded her of the deafening katabatic wind on Milne. The floor of the sub had a foot of water on it now. Let me out! Thousands of thoughts and memories began streaming through her mind like flashes of violet light. In the darkness, the sub began to list, and Rachel staggered, losing her balance. Stumbling over the seat, she fell forward, colliding hard with the inside of the hemispherical dome. A sharp pain erupted in her shoulder. She landed in a heap against the window, and as she did, she felt an unexpected sensation-a sudden decrease in the pressure inside the sub. The tightened drum of Rachel's ears loosened perceptibly, and she actually heard a gurgle of air escape the sub. It took her an instant to realize what had just happened. When she'd fallen against the dome, her weight had somehow forced the bulbous sheet outward enough for some of the internal pressure to be released around a seal. Obviously, the dome glass was loose! Rachel suddenly realized what Tolland had been trying to do by increasing the pressure inside. He's trying to blow out the window! Overhead, the Triton's pressure cylinder continued to pump. Even as she lay there, she felt the pressure increasing again. This time she almost welcomed it, although she felt the suffocating grip pushing her dangerously close to unconsciousness. Scrambling to her feet, Rachel pressed outward with all her force on the inside of the glass. This time, there was no gurgle. The glass barely moved. She threw her weight against the window again. Nothing. Her shoulder wound ached, and she looked down at it. The blood was dry. She prepared to try again, but she did not have time. Without warning, the crippled sub began to tip-backward. As its heavy engine box overcame the flooded trim tanks, the Triton rolled onto its back, sinking rear-first now.

Conoco Report Essay

Last week I attended Forrester’s Content & Collaboration Forum 2011. Forrester notes that in five years, almost half of US workers — about 63 million people — will work virtually. I am already one of them. This will change everything in workplace IT support from designing workplace information strategies for collaboration, to delivering content experiences tothe firm. For this international, integrated energy company with thousands of job sites (often quite remote) spread across 30 countries, the challenge of sharing knowledge was very real — and the potential payoff was large. Facing fierce competition on all fronts, ConocoPhillips knew that to continue on its success trajectory, it needed to rapidly and effectively harness the knowledge of its highly skilled but geographically distributed workforce. Instead of assuming that technology either was the solution or was irrelevant when creating online communities, senior managers understood that effective glo bal communities required new processes, roles, cultures, and technologies. Moreover, they recognized that each had to be focused on solving difficult business challenges. Seven years later, the ConocoPhillips’ knowledge-sharing program is ranked as best-in-class across industries.† Dan mentioned that Conoco Phillips is fourth largest traded company in US with 30,000 employees around the world and many contractors who also participate in their knowledge sharing. They have been many changes in the last 12 years as a number of companies were acquired, along with the merger of Conoco and Phillips. This activity has triggered a big need for knowledge sharing. He likes the term knowledge sharing rather than knowledge management. I completely agree. Dan said it is about getting people to talk to each other. Trust is important for this. They are now going to reorganize and the solid state of their knowledge assets will help with this effort. Dan said that more than 70% of their good ideas have come from their employees. Good things happen when employees talk to each other. Dan said that his boss is the SVP of Planning and Strategy and he reports to the CEO so people listen to him as where you sit in the org chart matters within his firm. I think this is true for most firms. The most successful KM efforts I have seen all have a senior sponsor of rank and respect in the organization. Most KM groups are placed too far down the hierarchy to be effective. Their KM effort started when a senior executive felt they were re-inventing things too much. The focus was always connecting people more than collecting  documents. They grew by sharing success stories. Sharing these success stories was connected to their variable compensation plan and this really triggered response. They started the Archimedes Awards to knowledge sharing. Categories are: Give, Grab, Gather, and Guts. Dan gave some examples about safety improvements that also led to big financial returns. They have documented over 9 billion dollars in gains through the program. Dan said that they have functional excellence models that give specifics for improvements. They promote purposeful collaboration. Dan said serendipity can be useful at times but being purposeful works best in their firm. He said that knowledge accumulates in networks and their firm has a matrix organization. Leadership behavior is important for knowledge to flow and manager support for knowledge sharing is critical. They now have 150 networks of excellence. The first few were launched in 2005. They had 20 by the end of the year. These networks were built on trust and relationships, not technology. Prior efforts failed because they were technology focused. He showed an example covering upstream rotating equipment. A big problem is lost production opportunity. There is a group that addresses this issue to keep equipment running safely. Networks are open to all employees, not just group members. Related networks are connected because issues are related across networks. Their Ask and Discuss component has led to 100,000 exchanges. He does not believe in formal lessons learned. It takes too much time. Informal connections work better. I would agree and add the formal lessons learned become out of date very quickly and talking with people gives the most current ideas. People want to help each other but they also want answers quickly. Dan showed a diagram of all the cross-connections. They are massive. Knowledge silos do not seem to an issue for them. They have three main tools: Ask and Discuss, Knowledge Library, and One Wiki. The wiki is the first place to look for content. Ask and Discuss was covered above. All of their success stories have an economic impact. One had 87 million dollars of benefits. Sharing this is important. Giving credit to the employees is critical. Getting middle managers on board was done through conveying business value of knowledge sharing. It was fun for me to hear about a successful knowledge management effort as I used to be involved with many in the 90s and early 2000s.

Black Market Activities And Corruption In Pakistan Politics Essay

Black Market Activities And Corruption In Pakistan Politics Essay The relationship of corruption and Governance is integrated from a long time back. In case of Pakistan, the root of the relationship runs back since the Independence Day. Corruption as an attribute in the system in the sub-continent, has affected the level of Governance to the extent of creating extremities of positive and negative. Governance which measures the effectiveness of institutions in a society has only been a theoretical concept in case of Pakistan. Several factors that lead to the level of corruption to reach where it is now are ignored conveniently and the direct effect is on the masses. A number of activities are performed below the radar in Pakistan and are reported to as the â€Å"black market activities†. They are referred so as because of their capability to deceive the purposeful boundaries of the system present, which holds them liable to the tax structure of the country. The case is not a new one for the world, let alone for Pakistan, and this is a common practice in the country. All these activities are concealed from the authorities with regard to the tax structure in Pakistan, and are thus reported as the under-ground economy in macro terms. This is a consequence of a complex tax system, frequent cash transactions in terms of construction, smuggling etc. and that of a negative public perception. Pakistan has experienced a relatively below par appreciation when it comes to the structure of the taxing system present, and the flexibility in it. Unemployment and recessionary trend also contribute towards a most common phenomenon as part of black activities known as â€Å"tax evasion†. This concept has given birth to corruption on a wide scale. Tax evasion is when one skips the underlying rules of the system and is not officially recorded in the tax net. Some sectors of the economy in Pakistan have been exempted from taxes right from the independence till date, and hence they are also recorded as the underground economy. The ot hers, who happen to be the industrialists in some cases, have taken refuge under the same exemption by reporting their income either as under the exempted sectors or by understatement altogether. This has given rise to corruption not only by these means, but also by persistently supporting and influencing the policy making process so that loop holes remain to be exploited. The theoretical side of this aspect has confirmed that the persistent non-compliance towards tax laws have allowed a major portion of the economy to remain below the radar so that they can skip the measurement as per the economy’s activities. The graph relates to the overall black economy as a percentage of GDP and then tax evasion as part of the GDP Source: Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad (PIDE Research series) The increasing trend in the black market activities from as early as year 1974 till the start of the 21st century is in line with the theory and also points out towards the fa ct that in Pakistan, the complex and flawed policies to account for a major chunk of the economy have decreased on standards year by year. The tax evasion figures also shed light upon the loop holes of the tax policy

President Nelson Mandela was seen by people from various political, Research Paper

President Nelson Mandela was seen by people from various political, economic, social, religious, cultural, ethnic and racial bac - Research Paper Example The legislation led to the fleeing of Africans from the rural areas where they owned farms to the towns to find jobs1. Nelson Mandela a black leader of ANC led to the end of the oppression and discrimination of the black, the colored people, and Indians in 1994. Mandela became the president of South Africa under the party in the same year, and since then, ANC has ruled the country up to date (Mandela, Van, and Bouma 30)2. Background Nelson Mandela led the black people in the country to opposing apartheid from 1948 to 1994 when he was sworn in as the head of state. Mandela became a leader of ANC in 1948 when the government introduced the segregation of the citizens based on race and color. The racial classes that the Afrikaner government included whites, blacks, colored, and Indians. The colored people were the non-white and non-Indian such as the Italians (Claasens and Cousins 67). The whites were considered respectable and greater than all other races3. Mandela and other members of ANC struggled to negotiate with the government to end racial discrimination and oppression. The oppression that the black people underwent included serving the Dutch at low or no cost, being hindered from accessing education, and being blocked from leadership positions (Muiui 79). Mandela underwent several imprisonments as an ANC leader with the last one ending in 1990. The leader’s defeat of apartheid in South Afric

Corporate strategy case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Corporate strategy case study - Essay Example In those days, cross-Channel travel was not dominated by the leisure business as it is today. It was used for military action and primarily for trade. Even at that time, around 100 years ago there was no dearth of proposals. Many people especially the French suggested highly sophisticated and technical ideas for the new link. However, because this was before invention of railways these tunnels were not surprisingly road tunnels. The Treaty of Canterbury which set the original ambitious objectives for the Tunnel stated that the Tunnel should "greatly improve communications between the United Kingdom and France and give fresh impetus to relations between the two countries, contribute to the development of relations and exchanges between the Member states of the European Communities and more generally between European States."2 2007 marked the completion of 13 years of an epic tale that has continued to shock, delight and confuse many. This is the story of the Euro tunnel which was a dream come true for many and many knew back then that it would be history in the making. The company is currently on a route to restructuring and revitalisation of the Eurotunnel. 2004 saw the company sink in its profits and revenues. Richard Shirrefs, chief executive of Eurotunnel, said that the cross-channel rail industry was working on a "failed business model" and that you can't have a 25bn infrastructure which is not generating enough traffic - this is a big structural problem' The Eurotunnel has disappointed its shareholders and owners. The debt crises have been alarming and the fact that the Eurotunnel has not been able to generate traffic is also hard on shareholders. Since debts amount to over 6 billion pounds it is difficult to see what the future of the company will look like. 4 Industry and Competitor Analysis The Eurotunnel is part of the Cross Channel Rail Industry. This industry is currently plagued with a lot of problems. One of these is overcapitalisation. There is a pound 10 billion Eurotunnel investment and pound 15 billion public investment. Secondly it has also been under utilised. It is suffering from under utilisation of expensive infrastructure and financial losses. The high access charge paid by vehicles using the Eurotunnel is limiting traffic. It is a highly fragmented channel because of a possibility of rail; ferry or air travels on this route and in conflict. Competition is set to soar by 2010. However, great opportunities abound this new invention. This is because it has been found that people prefer travelling by rail than plane across the channel. On the other hand there is a huge global opportunity for the cross channel rail industry as people find this medium increasingly convenient and fast. Current Strategy It was observed that the Eurotunnel has lost 25% of volume since 2000 and approximately 5 points of decline in market share. Secondly, the company has lost share even in the truck market with a fall in revenue as well as average yield per truck. Initially the Eurotunnel believed in premium pricing and established that if it keeps prices above its competition it will create a premium image and will thereby able to reap profits accordingly. This backfired. The competitors' low pricing strategy

Long term debt alternatives for hospitals Article

Long term debt alternatives for hospitals - Article Example Hospital financing has never been so easy. With lots of options to choose from and government’s encouraging policies to back upon, the financing part of the hospital has become organized and comfortable for all the involved parties.Once the proposed hospital’s capital has been decided, the desired method of the capital funding needs to be determined. In the US hospital industry, approximately 50% of the assets are financed through equity and 50% through debt. Long term debt financing is available from at least four major sources: tax-exempt revenue bonds, Federal Housing Administration insured mortgages, public taxable bonds, and conventional mortgage financing.To obtain debt financing, hospitals must maintain a certain level of financial performance as measured by various ratios of assets to liabilities or income to expenses.The two prominent long term debt alternatives for hospital are:1. Conventional mortgage: A mortgage in which the interest rate does not change during the entire term of the loan and that is not insured or guaranteed by the government. Interest rate is the rate which is charged or paid for the use of money. An interest rat e is often expressed as an annual percentage of the principal. It is calculated by dividing the amount of interest by the amount of principal. Interest rates often change as a result of inflation and Federal Reserve policies. For example, if a lender (such as a bank) charges a customer $90 in a year on a loan of $1000, then the interest rate would be 90/1000 *100% = 9%. 90/1000 *100% = 9%. Lenders typically require a down payment of at least 20 percent on a conventional loan, although you can get a loan with a down payment of 3 percent or even less if you are willing to pay private mortgage insurance (PMI). PMI protects the lender if the owner defaults on the loan. Conventional mortgage loans are typically fully amortizing, meaning that the regular principal and interest payment will pay off the loan in the number of payments stipulated on the note. Most conventional mortgages have time frames of 15-to-30 years and may be either fixed-rate or adjustable. While most mortgages require monthly payments of principal and interest, some lenders also offer interest-only and biweekly payment options. 2. Taxable bonds Over the past 15 years, hospitals have invested large sums of money in physician practices and various joint ventures with physician groups. However, these funds come with a catch: control over whatever the hospital has invested in typically is required to stay with the hospital. In many cases, this has created a lot of tension between the two entities -- and this is where bond financing comes in to play. Bonds carry lower rates of interest than bank loans and permit physicians to retain control over their operations. Bonds are a form of debt which has a principal amount (or par value) payable at maturity and bears interest (the coupon rate) payable at certain intervals. Bonds are similar to loans from a bank, except that bonds are typically longer in maturity (20 to 30 years) and are usually sold to third-party investors. Bonds can be taxable or tax-exempt depending on the tax status of the borrowing entity. A not-for-profit 501(c)(3) hospital can borrow on a tax-exempt basis (which affords lower interest rates) due to its nonprofit tax status, whereas, for-profit, private physician groups borrow on a taxable basis. Taxable bonds are issued by a physician group and sold to investors (by the group's investment banker) based on the promise of the group to repay the principal of the bonds and all interest. Since third-party investors will probably not be familiar with the particular physician group, a commercial bank with a good credit rating serves as an intermediary to provide a credit and liquidity guaranty to the investors. The bank then

Analysis of the Film Reader Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysis of the Film Reader - Research Paper Example The circumstances which surround this affair are what make the situation more complex. The affair lasts for a while but when things begin to get complicated – like the boy becoming more demanding, and the mutual emotional attachment getting deeper, etc. – the woman decides to end the relationship abruptly, not knowing that this would have a deep impact on the boy’s life later on. The woman disappears from the boy’s life and he feels betrayed, but guilty for driving her away, partly blaming himself for allowing their special relationship to just slip away. The story, simply put, is divided into 3 parts – the lead character’s youth, young adulthood, and adulthood. It builds up with flashbacks interspersed in about two-thirds of the film. This is how the viewer is acquainted with the man who is now a lawyer, who was once the boy who figured in the sizzling affair years before. Somehow, at first, it is quite confusing to see the lead character, Michael Berg, looking out the window and then staring at a boy riding the tram. The eye-to-eye connection pointed to the linkage between the older man and his past, and how he cherished the memories he had as a young man. The complexity in the relationship comes out several years later, when, as a law student at Harvard, Michael gets to see the older woman he had a short-lived affair with – Hanna Schmitz – among the defendants in a case who was charged with the deaths of 300 prisoner Jews burned to death in a church. As the case unfolds, Michael gets to deduce the reason Hanna had wanted him to read for her during the time they were together – it was because of her illiteracy. Hanna’s companions connived against her and pointed to her as the one in charge when the case took place, and although she was merely one of the guards, they said it was her who made the report about the incident.

Surveillance Soceity (pro and cons) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Surveillance Soceity (pro and cons) - Essay Example This essay therefore looks at two sides of an argument about the pros and cons of having surveillance society based on the theory of surveillance and privacy. On the whole, those who argue for surveillance society are those who take the moral side of the debate, having the main conclusion that the guarantee for having the right thing done should come ahead of any personal and individual rights and privileges.4 The major reason that is cited to back this argument is that the world becomes safer and get criminals accounting for their deeds when there is maximum surveillance.5 Typical evidence that can be used to support this is the case of Trayvon Martin who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman. Indeed in the course of the trial, evidence from eye witnesses could not prove credible enough for the eventual judgment to be accepted by both sides. This is because there were variations in accounts given as to what happened.6 In such a case, a person reasoning from a moral perspective would just wish there was a means to hit rewind, something that can only be made possible if any of the two people involved wore a personal recording device.7 From the above, the premise stated is that a surveillance society is one that guarantees the safety of the people and protects them from the hands of evil people who would want to commit crimes and have their ways with them. With the example give, an unstated assumption is that should all people wear personal recording devices, the issue of evidence in court would be more credible. By inference, our current society will become more secure and most forms of legal tussles that take years to hear in court would become a thing of the past.8 As the legal process functions largely on evidence, it is expected that such forms of evidence that come through surveillance equipment in society would set the pace for having a better evidence based judgment.9 The other side of the argument which is against surveillance society is commonly upheld by

Service quality of Fine Dining Restaurant Essay

Service quality of Fine Dining Restaurant - Essay Example From the collected data, it was evident that the main factors considered by the customers in terms of service quality revolved around four subjects. These areas of concern are the physical appearance of the place, the kind of food offered, the variety of foods in the menu, the type of service provided by the staff, and the pricing of the food. Most of the respondents found something positive about the physical appearance, considering it was a fine dining restaurant. On the other hand, the service of the staff and the quality of the food served received a lot of criticism from the customers as they did not meet their expectations. As such, appropriate recommendations were made at the end of the research that would assist the restaurant in meeting customer expectations and retaining its economic competitiveness. A lot of research has been carried out in the field of hospitality (Lane, 2014). According to Rush (2008), it has been noted that many industry players are no longer concentrating on the speed at which they expand their hospitality companies and businesses, but at the rate at which they meet customer expectations. There has been a great need for maintaining customers in restaurants following the rapid increase of fine dining restaurants, and the key winner is the level of service quality. It is important to identify the fact that customers’ perception of the service quality of a business determines the level to which they are satisfied. Therefore, a business should be careful in setting the customer perceptions as they affect their expectations. The level to which these expectations are met determines the service quality of a place through either satisfaction or dissatisfaction of a customer. These two states are quantified from the experience of a client in the business through incidents that they undergo (Ford, Sturman, & Heaton, 2012). The critical incidents technique is used to identify these experiences for individual customers. It is

Does Pre-maintenance Save Machines from Risks Essay

Does Pre-maintenance Save Machines from Risks - Essay Example hine in factories, profound evidence and empirical results have been identified to support the thesis that consistent pre-maintenance of machines lowers machine related risks. Pre-maintenance is associated with highly reduced production down periods due to fewer unexpected tool or equipment breakdowns. However, concerns have been raised over the impact of preventive maintenance of machines with regards to plants and equipment related risks. The paper seeks to demonstrate that the implementation of comprehensive and consistent pre-maintenance practices saves machines from risks. Bloch et al. (277) noted that the negative impact on production schedules due to equipment shutdowns could be pre-emptively projected, and service events conducted through the implementation of production planning. As a result of strict pre-maintenance activities, suitably serviced equipment will last longer thus resulting in the minimization of the costs connected with replacement of damaged machines (Bloch et al. 277.) The authors added that part substitution costs are abridged as repairs are made on a well-scheduled basis as compared to part damage control or response to a part or a total failure. The reworking is reduced due to frequent equipment maintenance and good operating condition. Pre-maintenance means that there is less time spent on supplementary equipment setup and corresponding adjustments that become indispensable to compensate for frequent wearing components. Timely identification of equipment with elevated maintenance costs that may demonstrate the need for remedia l actions such as skilful training or even timely replacement of the equipment is an imperative precautionary measure that reduces machine related risks in the long term. (Bloch et al. 270) Das et al. also reiterated that common preventive maintenance is a premeditated maintenance activity that is calculated to improve the entire life of machines or entailed equipment and thus leading to the avoidance of any

Born For Liberty by Sara M. Evans Essay Example for Free

Born For Liberty by Sara M. Evans Essay The Introduction part of the book Born for Liberty by Sara M. Evans is the written path of being informed of the History of Women in America. As it is mentioned in the first few pages of this book, there is a lack of information that we need to fill in ourselves. We have all heard from many historians specially, that our World cannot take the right direction if it finds its past obscured and hard to be seen! I believe a lot of things are connected to each other, and history is one of the most relevant part of our globe and the reason being is because we depend on what our ancestors had been through! The fact that I am using the word depend might confuse you by giving you the wrong idea! In the past, there have been a lot of wonderful, but without forgetting to mention the not so pretty moments that people have lived years ago! Historians are the ones who are willing to examine and study the roots of out life in order to offer us the opportunity to improve our chances of the event that might happen again as it usually does when there are pieces of the puzzle missing! We learn from what had happened to our ancestors, and this way we figure out something else that should improve our life, and diminishing the chances of something ugly to happen again! I guess, all of us know that there has been an abundance of distinct wars in many different countries, and as the years are going by we are reducing the numbers of wars around the world and that is because we learned from the others mistakes! Now going back to the main topic, the history of Women in America, there is a great deal to talk about! Everybody, even my little sister can notice that women are kind of excluded from our History and it has always been that way till now! There was always this vision we had in our minds, that there was always a HE rather than a SHE! We always viewed women as weak creatures designed only for housework, and offering pleasure to the man she stands by! If you have noticed, the fairy tails and the other old stories we have heard during the years we grew, there was always the prince, the hero, the superman, etc! Well, I think it is time for us to have a look at the female part of the world and try to accept their accomplishments during the years that have passed! Women were always excluded from most formal public roles, and as the years passed they learned how to be heard and Sara M. Evans  supports really well this idea by giving a good example of this that is mentioned in the introduction part of the book when it says: The most extreme example is the women of Salem, Massachusetts; as accused witches, accusers, and witnesses, these women held an entire colony in thrall for months (Evans 4). There have also been feminist historians who have dedicated their lives primarily to clear the bad opinion people saved relating to women. Now it is more than obvious and lucid that women have really shaped the broader history and they have given it the flavor it lacked back then! They were the ones who helped to solve the uncountable problems the government had with the immigrants, the ethnic problems and the other ones that would still be present if it wasnt for the intellectual women who set goals to themselves! This is what Sara M. Evans is trying to explain in her book Born For Liberty!

Nutrition and Junk Food Essay Example for Free

Nutrition and Junk Food Essay Tired, crabby, or unfocused in class? It could be the food you are eating. The lack of Introduction hooks the reader with a question. Thesis presented as last sentence of introductory paragraph. healthy and tasty school lunch selections has recently become a problem in almost every elementary, middle and high school across the nation. Most schools sell junk food to students and I think this is wrong. There are many good reasons to remove junk food from school lunch menus, and creating a healthier student body is number one. Junk foods should be taken out of school lunch menus because they affect your body and mind in negative ways. Junk food is a major cause of childhood obesity. 32% of youth are overweight and nearly 74% are unfit. The bad food offered in public schools contributes to this unacceptable Writer takes a clear position Authoritative position supported by citing research and using statistics. Details and facts support position. problem. A single 12-ounce can of soda has as Many of these sodas much as 13 teaspoons of sugar in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. are available to kids in school at low prices as well as many other completely unhealthy foods like chips and cookies. School lunches have a very high fat content and the USDA supplies schools with the same commodity foods as prisons. Due to the lack of fresh and flavorful food, many students will choose to buy the cheap junk food offered instead. If we could stock vending machines and cafeterias Language is precise and lively. Sentence structures are varied. with healthier foods, it would definitely make a dent in the childhood obesity rate. Another reason cafeterias should start serving healthier food is that junk food does Second body paragraph present another fully developed reason for position. ot give kids the energy needed to stay focused in school or the power to participate in sports. Lunch is right in the middle of the day; if you eat fatty or sugary foods, it could cause you to get tired and not pay attention in your afternoon classes. In addition, junk food zaps your energy, which affects your physical activity. You cannot perform your best if you don’t have any energy. practice. Many people on my swim team used to snack on chips and soda before When some of us complained about Appropriate anecdote used to support argument. etting tired and not being able to make it through practice, our coach asked us what we were eating beforehand. When he heard about our diet, he told us that we shouldn’t be consuming fried, fatty foods before we exercise. We should be eating healthy, natural foods because these give us energy and are good for our bodies. Many people may argue that banning junk food in schools is not a good idea. Concession and thorough response to counterargument. Students Sentence styles and structures are varied. say that junk food just tastes better than healthy food and they prefer it. There is no rule that says healthy food can’t taste good! Many junk foods can be replaced by similar tasting, healthier substitutes. Instead of fried chips, provide baked. Instead of soda, offer carbonated fruit juice. If substituting all of the unhealthy foods does not work, what about reducing the amount that we serve? Have a healthy main portion for lunch and a small dessert; sweets are not bad as long as they are consumed in moderation. There are multiple ways to solve the problem of people’s taste buds craving tasty foods. We just have to enforce this change. Providing junk food in school cafeterias is just an all-around bad idea. academic and physical potential. We need to eat The food we Call to action concludes essay. healthy food so we can reach our fullest eat affects our body and mind and we need to take advantage of that! Now that we understand the problem, it’s time to fix it by banning the sale of junk food in schools. Writing demonstrates proficient use of standard and academic English. Commentary This essay is an example of 7th grade advanced persuasive essay writing. The essay presents a clear position and does so in an original and engaging fashion. Support for the position is developed well with facts and anecdotes. Though insufficient research is cited to support some assertions, overall, this 7th grader has presented a compelling and convincing argument and used an authoritative tone and strategic language to convince readers of her position. The writer uses lively and specific language, which also helps to persuade readers. There is significant sentence variety in the essay along with clear control of writing conventions and spelling.

Factors Affecting Reading Habits

Factors Affecting Reading Habits Reading is a process of decoding, understanding and interoperating information from pictures, signs, codes and written letters Leedy, 1956; Smith and Robinson, 1980; Devarajan, 1989; and Irwin 1998. Reading has numerous benefits that improve a persons language acquisition, cultural enrichment, critical thinking and social skills. However, literature has shown that young adults in Malaysia seem to have poor reading habits. Kaur and Thivagarajah, 1999 confirmed that most of their Malaysian undergraduate respondents read very little and this showed a major decline in reading English Materials. Another researcher, Pandian (2000) found that majority of university students stated that they were not willing to read English Language Material or any other second language. There are many problems faced by undergraduates in reading such as lack of interest, undergraduates are forced to read and insufficient time to read. The purpose of this study is to identify factors affecting reading habits among undergraduates in University of Malaya. The respondents of this study are undergraduates from different faculties in University of Malaya. The objective of the study is twofold; The first is investigate the reading habits of undergraduates in University of Malaya and the second is to identify the factors affecting reading habits among undergraduates in University of Malaya. The instruments used in this study is a questionnaire consisting of 30 items adopted from various instruments including instruments from of Christina Clark and Amelia Foster from the National Literacy Trust (2003), Kumar Ansari (2010), Oyeronke (2009) and Lone (2011). Twenty University Malaya undergraduates were selected to participate in this study. After the data was analysed it was found that there were four factors that affected the reading habits among undergraduates in University of Malaya. There four factors are enjoyment of reading, reading interest, time factor and influence of media and peers. INTRODUCTION Reading is a process of decoding, understanding and interoperating information from pictures, signs, codes and written letters (Leedy, 1956; Smith and Robinson 1980, Devarajan, 1989; and Irwin 1998).This process has been around since humans started interacting with each other. Reading is also seen as a process of communicating between the writer and the reader. Reading started as interpretation symbols and picture as this can be proven by the vast drawings found in ancient artefacts and in caves. As humans evolved so did language and this brought to the development of the alphabets. By recognising individual alphabets, humans were able to read. One the oldest definition can be found from Leedy (1956) who mentioned that reading is an attempt to absorb the thought of the author and know what the author is conveying. Smith Robinson (1980) defined reading as an active attempt on the part of reader to understand a writers meaning. Devarajan (1989) defined reading as the art of interoperating printed and written words. According to Goodman (1995), reading begins with a linguistic surface expression encoded by a writer and ends with meaning which the reader decoded. In other words, Goodman says reading is seen as the receptive process of written communication. In 1998, Allen and Burton cited in Goodman mentioned that reading is a complex process of making meaning from pictures, diagrams or written text and finally interoperating it by its context. Irwin (1998) said that reading is the ability to recognise words, understand its meaning and interoperating the meaning base on our comprehension and background knowledge. There are man y definitions of reading from many researchers, yet the simplest definition agree by many is reading is a complex process of understanding and interoperating a text composed of written signs. Readers make use of background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with text and other strategies to help them understand a written text Reading not only improves the reading achievements and language acquisition but also improves social skills. Reading improves general knowledge and communication skills and this leads to more participation in the community. A person is able to share the ideas, opinions and feeling with those around him especially with the other gender (Cunningham and Stanovich, 1997) However, literature has shown that young adults in Malaysia seem to have poor reading habits. Kaur and Thivagarajah, 1999 confirmed that most of their Malaysian Undergraduate respondents read very little and this showed a major decline in reading English Materials. Another researcher, Pandian (2000) found that majority of university students stated that they were not willing to read English Language Material or any other second language Problem Statement Reading is a necessary skill when it comes to acquiring a second language. Reading has a lot of benefits including improving the language acquisition, improving the structure of the knowledge and grammar and improving fluency and accuracy. The benefits of reading are well known but there are still a large number of people with poor reading habits especially undergraduate students. The purpose of this study is to identify factors affecting reading habits among undergraduate in University of Malaya. The respondents of this study are undergraduates from different faculties in University of Malaya. It is hoped that with this study, a better understanding of reading habits will be obtained and will help in the pedagogy of teaching reading to undergraduates. Research Objective The objective of the study is twofold; The first is investigate the reading habits of undergraduates in University of Malaya and the second is to identify the factors affecting reading habits among undergraduates in University of Malaya. Significant of the Study This research will be carried out to identify the factors affecting reading habits among undergraduates in UM. This is important as it tells us the different factors affecting reading habits. By understanding the factors, appropriate measures can be taken to increase reading habits of the next generation of undergraduates. The information obtained through this study can benefit various parties who are involved in tertiary level reading. Such parties are the parents, teachers of primary and secondary schools, teachers in Pre University, lecturers in undergraduates, students and the curriculum developers. The first party to benefit from this study would be the parents of the child. By knowing the childs reading habits, parents are able to introduce the benefits of reading at an early stage of life, change the ways of encouraging the childs reading. Parents can increase the level of the childs reading by providing rewards. A correct reading habit exposure may lead to better acquisition of the second language. Teachers from both primary and secondary schools can use the information gathered to strengthen reading among their students. Since reading starts from young it is hoped that the findings of this study could help incubate good reading habits from a young age as good reading habits are important tools for the development of personalities and mental capacities LITERATURE REVIEW Reading is a process of decoding, understanding and interoperating information from pictures, signs, codes and written letters (Leedy, 1956; Smith and Robinson 1980, Devarajan, 1989; and Irwin 1998).This process has been around since humans started interacting with each other One the oldest definition can be found from Leedy (1956) who mentioned that reading is an attempt to absorb the thought of the author and know what the author is conveying. Smith Robinson (1980) defined reading as an active attempt on the part of reader to understand a writers meaning. Devarajan (1989) defined reading as the art of interoperating printed and written words. According to Goodman (1995), reading begins with a linguistic surface expression encoded by a writer and ends with meaning which the reader decoded. In other words, Goodman says reading is seen as the receptive process of written communication. In 1998, Allen and Burton cited Goodman and mentioned that reading is a complex process of making meaning from pictures, diagrams or written text and finally interoperating it by its. Irwin (1998) said that reading is the ability to recognise words, understand its meaning and interoperating the meaning base on our comprehension and background knowledge. There are many defin itions of reading from many researchers, yet the simplest definition agree by many is reading is a complex process of understanding and interoperating a text composed of written signs. Readers make use of background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with text and other strategies to help them understand a written text Reading has numerous benefits to young adults who are pursuing the degree. According to Cunningham and Stanovich (1998), reading improves ones ability to improve vocabulary, and, writing skills. Elley (1992) mentioned from her study that the more frequent a young adult independently reads, the reading achievement of that person increases. Elley also explained that the persons health improves as reading leads to lower stress levels and thus the happier the person gets. In their research, Magubhai Elley (1983) concluded that the more ESL books read leads to better understanding of second language usage and improves the first language. Reading ESL books frequently help to further strengthen fluency, pronunciation, word choices and linkage of ideas. Reading not only improves the reading achievements and language acquisition but also improves in social skills. Reading improves general knowledge and communication skills and this leads to more participation in the community. A person is able to share the ideas, opinions and feeling with those around him especially with the other gender (Cunningham and Stanovich, 1997) Listed below are explanations on how readings are beneficial to the readers. Reading helps to improve a persons vocabulary, spelling, writing skills, fluency, proficiency, language enrichment, cultural enrichment, critical thinking, personal involvement, sociolinguistic and pragmatic knowledge and emotional intelligent Vocabulary According to the studies carried out by Magubhai and Elley (1983), Cunningham and Stanovich (1998), and Elley (1992), reading helps to improve an ESL learners vocabulary list. By reading a book or any printed text, a person is exposure to new words he has not encounter before. The reader will be tempted to know the meaning of the word by referring to the context of the text or by referring to a dictionary. The reader will then be tempted to use the particular word in his oral or written communication. Saragi et al. (1978) carried out research on the merits of reading in acquiring second language. They found that extensive reading results in a substantial increase in the vocabulary of the learner which is acquired by grasping the meanings of words in context. They mentioned reading is vital for increasing learners selection of vocabulary in context, which cannot be acquired even by referring to the dictionary. Classroom activities do not provide enough scope for the acquiring of vocab ulary in context, therefore the reader has to read extensively to acquire a usable level of vocabulary in context. Spelling According to Walpole (2009), reading improves ones phonological awareness, knowledge of phonology, grapheme, phoneme and morpheme. By reading a person can blend the word sound together, matching other sound together and then categorise the two sounds together to form meaning. This means the person is aware how the grapheme, morpheme and phoneme are combined phonologically. This leads to understanding the word, knowledge of the meaning from the contexts and the spelling of the word. The more frequent that particular word appears, the more familiarised the person be with the spelling Writing Skills Reading has a special relationship with writing. Whatever is read is remembered and this helps in writing. Reading has many genres that help us to learn the structure of a particular language. By reading a lot, the reader will be more familiar with the targeted language. Vocabulary will be expended and so will the grammatical structures. Rules of grammar wil be automatically acquired. Reading again and again will lead to the curiosity of trying to combine sentences of words together and writing them down Fluency Wolfe and Katzir-Cohen (2001) mentioned that fluency is an important part of reading comprehension. Samuel (2002) defined fluency as the ability to read connected text rapidly, smoothly, effortlessly, and automatically with little attention to the mechanics of reading. Dowhower (1987) has proven through his research that fluent readers are able to read a text faster, more accurately, and better understanding. In another word, fluent reading allows readers to make connections among the ideas in the text and between the text and their background knowledge. In the end, fluent readers can recognise words and comprehend at the same time. By fluently reading, the readers can automatically recognise the meaning of the word with the help of the background knowledge and link it to the context of the text. Proficiency By frequently reading books in a target language, a person can improve his proficiency. Reading again and again helps a reader to be familiar with the language structure and the rules of the grammar. Reading materials from other genres, helps the reader to comprehend the situations from different contexts. For example what do you say during a funeral or what to say in a shopping complex? The reader will be tempted to use the phrases found in the books or reading materials, and when the phrase is repeated, the reader will then be proficient. Language Enrichment Reading provides learners with a huge range of the various lexical or syntactic items. Readers will become familiar with the features of the written language. They learn about the syntax and discourse functions of sentences, the target language structures, the different ways of connecting ideas, which develop and enrich their own writing skills. Readers also become more productive and adventurous when they begin to perceive the richness and diversity of the language they are trying to learn and begin to make use of some of that potential themselves. Thus, they improve their communicative and cultural competence in the authentic richness, naturalness of the authentic texts. On top of that, reading helps to develop the grammatical aspects of the language. Literature involves a profound range of vocabulary, dialogues and prose (Truong Thi My Van, 2009). Though poetry is usually criticized for its complex and far-fetched syntactic structures, it can simultaneously be a good source for pr acticing grammatical structures. Cultural Enrichment Literary texts such as poems, short stories, plays and novels facilitate understanding on how communication takes place in certain cultures in different parts of the world. Although the worlds of literary texts are imaginary one, it presents a full and colourful setting in which characters from many social and regional backgrounds can be described (Collie, and Slater. 1990). By reading, the reader will be able to experience the characters feelings, thoughts, customs and behaviours. This colourful created world can quickly help Malaysian Undergraduates to feel for the norms that shape a society through written forms. Literature can complement other materials used to develop the Malaysian learners understanding into the English language. As a conclusion literature can provide students with access to the culture of the people whose language they are studying. Critical Thinking In his 2009 paper Truong Thi My Van, literature is a good medium for critical thinking enhancement among language learners. The author also states that reading can bring about changes in the attitudes of the learners. According to Langer (1997), reading allows SLA readers to reflect on their lives, learning, and language. In page 607, Langer said that by reading literature text it helps to open horizons of possibility. This allows students to question, interpret, connect, and explore. Literature therefore helps in the development of higher order thinking skills. Today, critical thinking is extremely important for education especially at advanced levels of education or in order words Undergraduates. Critical thinking prepares us not to take things for granted and to attempt to unravel the hidden agenda of texts. Personal Involvement Reading can be useful in the acquisition of second language as it actively involves the reader to the text. Once any SLA reader begins to read, he or she will be drawn to the text. The longer the reader reads the more captive he or she becomes and when this happens, the purpose of reading changes from understanding the meaning to finding out what happens next in the plot (Hismanoglu 2005). The reader then becomes so involved that nothing else matter. When this happens, the reader the reader feels closer to the characters or a particular character and shares their emotional responses. This is beneficial to language acquisition. At this juncture, the prominence of the selection of a reading text in relation to the needs, expectations, and interests, language level of the students is evident (Elliot, 1990). Sociolinguistic and Pragmatic Knowledge As mentioned by Hismanoglu (2005), literature is an example of authentic material land this can help with the development of the English Language among Malaysian Secondary School Students. Due to its authenticity, literature can develop sociolinguistic and pragmatic knowledge as manifested in communicative competence models (McKay, 2001). Sociolinguistic and Pragmatic competence are two of the main components of the communicative language. Literature due to its authenticity is equipped with sociolinguistic and pragmatic information. These two features are more related to appropriateness in language which can be found only in contextualized language such as literary texts especially dramas and plays. Readers can get firsthand experience as how to use the real language situations. Emotional Intelligent Reading literary texts foster emotional intelligence. Emotional Quotient is specifically related to human ability to control and manage their emotions and feelings in difficult situations. Students learn to control their anxiety affection, feeling and emotion through reading (Gajdusek, and van Dommelen, 1993). Therefore literature is a good source for nurturing Emotional Quotient. Problems in Reading among Undergraduates of a Second Language There are many problems in reading faced by undergraduate readers of a second language. The main problem is the lack of interest in reading books in English or other second language. Readers prefer to read book or any printed or online material in their mother tongue. They are familiar with the language structure and have been reading in their mother tongue since young. Many readers have difficulties in understanding what they read as the words are alienated to them. This may be caused by their unfamiliarity with the spelling of the word and sometimes the word may have two different meanings. They are no able to understand the context of the text and therefore lose interest in the book. Another major problem is readers are forced to read. Dowhower (1987) has proven through his research that when a person is forced to read something, then the person will not enjoy the book and this leads to hating the book. The information from the book will not be absorbed into the persons mind. Smith Robinson (1980) defined reading as an active attempt on the part of reader to understand a writers meaning and when you are forced to read nothing is understood. Reading for pleasure or in other words reading for the fun of it will improves ones language acquisition, critical thinking skills and pragmatic knowledge. Frustration of readers towards text is frequent problem to reading. Frustration happens when the reader is unable to understand the meaning of the sentence in the first two times of reading Hismanoglu (2005). Readers will then take time to decode the text and if they still cant understand they will leave the book. Another reason according to Hismanoglu is the reader is unable to connect with the context of the test. Readers of academic books find it difficult to comprehend the meaning because of the long explanations and the blend mood of the text. When there are too many unknown words, reader tend to skip those unknown words and this leads to not understanding the context of the reading material. Time is another problem faced by undergraduates. With a hectic schedule, undergraduates are able to spend sufficient time reading. Hismanoglu 2005 stated that the reader will be more familiar with the language structure as reading material are authentic material and this can help with the development of the English Language or other second language. Due to its authenticity, literature can develop sociolinguistic and pragmatic knowledge as manifested in communicative competence models (McKay, 2001) If a reader doesnt have enough time to read, he or she will miss out in improving themselves. METHODOLOGY Research Design This study uses a quantitative research approach. Quantitative research is the precise count of behaviour, knowledge, opinions, or attitudes (Cooper and Schindler, 2006, p.716). There are several reasons why a quantitative questionnaire survey was chosen. According to Sekaran (2003), a questionnaire survey will ensure comparability of data, increase speed and accuracy of recording and facilitating data processing. Many relevant studies relating to perceptions have used the quantitative survey approach. Quantitative method can elicit information from a larger number of subjects in a short period time and it is cost effective Research Instrument The instruments used in this study is a questionnaire consisting of 30 items adopted from various instruments including instruments from of Christina Clark and Amelia Foster from the National Literacy Trust (2003), Kumar and Ansari (2010), Oyeronke (2009) and Lone (2011). The questionnaire has three sections. The first section had 8 questions regarding the respondents personal information, questions in this section ranged from gender to the spoken language at home. Section B consists of 10 questions regarding the respondents reading preferences. The final section consisted of 10 questions that focused on reading and two questions on problems in reading. The questions in all three sections were choice base questions. Sampling Twenty undergraduates from five faculties which are Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics and Faculty of Science participated in this study. They were conveniently selected. The researcher administered the questionnaire to those who were in University of Malaya Main Library and the parking lot Data Analysis The questionnaires were collected and the data was entered in a template using Microsoft Office Excel 2007.The data was cleaned and analysed. As this is a pilot study with 20 subjects, it was easier and faster to analyse the data without using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science. Descriptive statistics was used to summarise the undergraduate students responses. RESULTS The Demography of the Respondents The demographic profile of the respondents is given in Table 1 Table 1 Demography of the Respondents Variable Frequency Percentage Gender Male 6 30% Female 14 70% Age 18-20 3 15% 21-23 13 65% 23 above 4 20% MUET Band 1 1 6% 2 13 76% 3 0 0% 4 3 18% Undergraduate Year 1 5 25% 2 10 50% 3 4 20% 4 1 5% Mother Tongue Malay 7 35% Mandarin 5 25% Tamil 7 35% Arabic 1 5% Spoken Language Malay 7 35% Mandarin 5 25% Tamil 7 35% Arabic 1 5% Base on Table 1, majority of the students are females (70%), aged 21-23 (65%), have obtained Band 2 in MUET (76%) and are in the second year of study (50%). The percentage of students with the Mother Tongue and their Spoken language correspond to each other. Reading Preferences The reading preferences among undergraduates in University of Malaya are summarized in Table 2 Table 2 The Reading Preferences Variable Frequency Percentage Enjoy Reading Books Yes 16 80% No 4 20% Read Books In? English 5 25% Mother Tongue 15 75% Number Of Books Read In The Past 6 Months One 2 10% Two 3 15% Three 3 15% Four 3 15% Five 1 5% Six And Above 8 40% Frequently Of Reading In A Month Once A Week 4 20% Two To Three Times A Week 8 40% Four Times A Week 2 10% Everyday 6 30% Time Spend Reading In One Session Less Than 30 Minutes 1 5% 30 Minutes To One Hour 4 20% One And A Half Hour 2 10% Two Hours 2 10% More Than Three Hours 4 20% Time Of The Day Morning 4 20% Afternoon 2 10% Evening 4 20% Night 14 40% Table 2 shows majority of the students (80%) enjoy reading books while most of them (75%) prefer to read in their own Mother Tongue. 40% of the students read more than five books in the past six months. Eight of the students (40%), read two to three times per week. The time spent per reading session is distributed evenly over less than 30 minutes and more than three hours where both are 20%. Out of 20 students, only 40% or 14 students prefer to read at night Reading Materials The reading materials of undergraduates in University of Malaya is given in Table 3 Table 3 Reading Materials Variable Frequency Percentage Reading Material Printed Material 7 35% On-Line Material 4 20% Both 11 55% On-Line Devices Computer 2 10% Laptop 17 85% Tablet 3 15% Smart Phone 2 10% Reading Genres Thriller 7 35% Classic 3 15% Horror 4 20% Crime 5 25% Romance 9 45% Fantasy 7 35% History 6 30% Biography 2 10% Sports 4 20% Politics 1 5% Education 7 35% Academic 3 15% Religious 7 35% Magazine 6 30% Health 7 35% Cookery 5 25% Science Fiction 6 30% Source Of Material Bookstore 14 70% Library 11 55% Friends 7 35% Photostatted 3 15% Free On-Line 14 70% Amazon 1 5% Other On-line Store 1 5% Table 3 describes that 11 students (55%) like to read both printed and on-line material. The most often used on-line device for reading on-line material is the laptop (85%). The Romance Genre was reported to be the most preferred reading genre with a total of 11 students (45%). Only one student (5%) preferred the political genre. The major source for printed material was the bookstore. This can be seen with 70% of the students said they bought they reading material from the bookstore. For on-line materials, 70% of the students mentioned that they read the material on-line for free Reading Influence The current reading influence of the undergraduates in University of Malaya is given in Table 4 Table 4 Reading Habit Variable Frequency Percentage Current Influence Parents 4 20% Siblings 2 10% Friends 8 40% Lectures 8 40% Media 7 35% Prefer To Read At: Home 12 60% Library 8 40% Alone 17 85% Selection Of Reading Material Author 6 30% Title 11 55% Summary 8 40% Price 2 10% Illustration 3 15% Genre 6 30% Pages 4 20% Cover 2 10% Suggestion From Others 3 15% Base on Table 4, most of the students cited that their friends (40%), their lectures (40%) and the media (35%) influence their current reading. 85% of the students (17) reported that they prefer to read alone and their preferred place to read is either at home (60%) or in the library (40%) 11 students or 55% select their reading material based on the title, while only 2 students, 10% choose their material based on the price of cover. Reading Purpose of undergraduates The reading purpose among undergraduates in University of Malaya is provided in Table 5. Table 5 Reading Purpose of undergraduates in University of Malaya Variable Frequency Percentage Purpose Of Reading Get Information 16 80% Reference 6 30% To Pass The Time 6 30% To Complete A Course 3

Greek And Roman Influence On Western Civilization Essay -- greek roman

Western civilization is what we call modern society that mainly includes North America and Western Europe. But how did this western way of life come to be? Their are many different ways but mainly through ancient cultures. The two main ones are the Greek and Roman. Greece with their golden age and Rome with its great Empire and Republic and also together. Their are many ways in which western civilization is like the ancient Greek civilization. They started the Olympic games. Greeks come up with the idea of an alphabet that it still used today. They were the first to think of the idea of democracy. They had common people participate in their government and to elect a leader. Their trials had an actual jury made up of commoners. Greece was the first to think of paying people for their labor. It also had the initial philosophers and thought up of the way we now write literature. Including the idea of putting on a play. One of historyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s greatest writes, Homer, thought up of poems that are story size that we now call epic poems. But it was mainly through government that Greeks influenced the world. The other greatest influence on western civilization is the one of Ancient Rome. They formed a law code much like the ones used now a day in many countries. First to believe someone was innocent tell proven guilty. Had a Senate much like the ones used today, with both upper class and lower class in it. And also had other assemblies. Rome spread the Lat...

Emotions And Decision Making Essay -- essays research papers

A recently published article seems to lend new information as to the way in which emotions influence our decision-making process. While emotions and reasoning are considered inherently separate by some, new experiments are challenging that perception. A series of studies done by experimental psychologists now show us that emotion plays a very natural role in decision-making situations. The experiments, ranging in type from neuroimaging to simple classical conditioning, suggest that emotions can affect everything from simple judgments of other people to severe behavioral disabilities seen for example in sociopathic individuals. Emotion is now acknowledged as possibly the most basic of human operations and the basis for personal judgments. Fear especially has been studied extensively and is proving to be a very unconscious and automatic cognitive reaction. One fear-related study was conducted using simple classical conditioning: subjects were shown a picture of a person exhibiting stereotypical properties along with a frown used to convey a feeling of social threat (Mineka, 2002). Once the subjects were adequately conditioned, simply seeing that type of person would cause an increase in heart rate, suggesting fear, as well as provoke responses attributed to anger. The experimenters used these findings to infer that social fears are easily instilled in people simply because they for some reason have a negative image of them implanted in their head. Extensive studies of the rela...

Biological Terrorism Essay -- Terror Terrorists Science Essays

Biological Terrorism I. CATASTROPHIC TERRORISM The date is April 24, 2005. The time is approximately 8:30 am. Somewhere on the New York City subway system a briefcase sits, apparently forgotten. Inside the briefcase, an electronic oscillator flips over, marking the passage of thirtieth minute since its owner abdicated. In the busy subway station no one notices the small hissing noise that is produced as an odorless, tasteless aerosol is slowly released into the air. Within minutes, the pathogen contained in the gas has spread throughout the station, and New York has unwittingly played host to the first recorded incidence of bioterrorism. The first symptoms appear nearly a week later. At first, victims believe they are suffering from the flu, but symptoms quickly progress from fever, rigors and headache to severe chest pain, irregular heartbeat and pustular eruptions. In the absence of treatment, nearly all those infected die within two weeks of the onset of symptoms. 1 Could this really happen? In the above case, glanders (Burkholderia mallei), a pathogen which normally strikes horses and mules, is released by a terroristic individual or group. Glanders was specifically chosen because of its virulence, high mortality rate, stability in aerosol, and ease of cultivation. When symptomatic individuals first arrive, accurate diagnosis will be unlikely; glanders is extremely rare in humans, and it is unlikely that medical personnel will have experience with the disease. Further complicating diagnosis, the pathogen does not appear in blood cultures until the victim is near death. Once diagnosed, medical personnel must take precautions to prevent person-to-person transmissio... ...st accessed 20 November 2000 Clinton, William J. Executive Order 12938: Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, 14 November, 1994 COL Eitzen and others, eds. Medical Management of Biological Casualties Handbook, Third Edition, Maryland:U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 1998. Available from: http://jeffrense.com/political/weapons/biowardoc.htm, April 1999. Last accessed 4 December 2000 Hoffman, Bruce, Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Analysis of Trends and Motivations, California:RAND, 1999 Schelling, Thomas C. Arms and Influence. Virginia: BookCrafters, Inc. 1966 Segaller, Stephen, Invisible Armies, London:Michael Joseph Ltd.:1986 Fyodor Kondrashov, Research Scientist for the National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, interview by author, 5 December 2000

Can governments correct market failures? Essay

Whatever economic system a country adopts, there is always a role for the government due to market failures. Can governments correct market failures? Illustrate your answers with example. Part One Adam Smith who proclaimed the principle of the â€Å"invisible hand† that holds every individual is led, as if by an invisible hand, to achieve selfishly the best good for all. Smith saw harmony between private interest and public interest. In his view, any government interference with free competition is almost certain to be injurious in the economic world. He recognized that the virtues of the market mechanism are fully realized only when the checks and balances of perfect competition are present. Under the perfect competition and with no market failures, markets will squeeze as many useful goods and services out of the available resources as is possible. However, in reality, markets may fail to function well under numerous reasons. According to Wolf1, there are two kinds of failures which are i) insufficient allocation of resources in terms of the quality of products and prices and ii) inequitable distribution of income or wealth. To be more specific, it includes the following: the inability to provide public goods, negative externalities, imperfect information and increasing returns to scale and monopoly. Public Goods â€Å"A public good is a commodity or service whose benefits are not depleted by an additional user, and for which it is generally difficult or impossible to exclude people from its benefits, even if they are unwilling to pay for them. In contrast, a private good is characterized by both excludability and depletability† 2. Some examples of public goods are provision of national defense, the building of highway network or the support of basic science. Adequate private production of these public goods will not occur as the benefits are so widely dispersed across the population that no single firm or consumer has an economic incentive to provide them. Since private provision of public goods is insufficient, government must step in to provide public goods. PA302 (1) CHAN Sau-fung (S05012153) Externality This is another type of inefficiency arises when there are spillovers or externalities. These effects occur when firms or people impose costs or benefits on others outside the marketplace. The phenomenon of externalities is universal. Since our society has become more densely populated and as the volume of production of energy and other material increases, negative spillover effects will be generated. This is where governments come in. Government regulations are designed to control externalities like air and water pollution, hazardous wastes, unsafe drugs and etc. Imperfect Information It is idealist to assume that producers/sellers and consumers/buyers to have all information before they make their decisions. In reality, producers, providers or sellers have more information about their products than their customers. The decision behavior of customers, to a certain extent, is relying on the information they obtain from their friends or mass media. An optimal decision can never be made as it is impossible for the consumers to obtain adequate or perfect information. In this connection, governments in developed countries have to step in to enact legislation to protect consumers. Increasing Returns to scale Increasing returns to scale arise when a balanced increase in all inputs leads to a more-than-proportional increase in the level of output. For example, when doubling inputs leads to greater than double the quantity of output, we have increasing returns to scale. As firms become larger and larger, difficulties of control and management may eventually produce decreasing returns to scale. Monopoly Perfect competition in a market arises when there is a sufficient number of firms or degree of rivalry such that no one firm can affect the price of that good. Imperfect competition, on the other hand, is a serious deviation from perfect competition. An imperfect competitor is one whose actions can affect a good’s price. PA302 (1) CHAN Sau-fung (S05012153) At the extreme of imperfect competition is the monopolist, hence, a single supplier who determines alone the price of a particular good. Monopoly power leads to prices that rise above cost and consumer purchases that are reduced below efficient levels. The pattern of too high price and too low output is the hallmark of the inefficiencies associated with monopoly power. In some cases, the government has to take steps to curb monopoly power. The government regulates the prices and profits of monopolies, as is now the case for local utilities. Part Two Even though the market mechanism is an admirable way of producing and allocating goods, sometimes market failures lead to deficiencies in the economic outcomes. Government steps in to correct these failures in order to make the economy function more efficiency, maintain the equitably and to promote economic growth and stability. Direct Regulations Direct regulation is where most of a good people are allowed to use is directly limited by government. The purpose of the regulations is to stabilize the running of the national economy. For instance, governments attempt to correct monopoly and pollution (externalities) to encourage efficiency by introducing legal antitrust constraints on business behavior or antipollution laws. Incentive Policies Incentive programs are more efficient than direct regulatory policies. The two types of incentive policies are either taxes or market incentives. A tax incentive program uses a tax to redistribute income so as to lessen the situation of unacceptable inequalities of income and wealth. In fact, the tax often yields the desired end more efficiently than straight regulation as this solution embodies a measure of fairness about it, i.e. the person who conserves the most pays the least tax. An alternative to direct regulation is some type of market incentive PA302 (1) CHAN Sau-fung (S05012153) program that is a plan requiring market participants to certify total consumption. For example, when there is high inflation and unemployment rate, the government introduces monetary policies, hence, the changes in money supply and interest rates with a view to stabilizing through macroeconomic policies. Or, during slow economic growth, the government will reduce budget deficit and raise national savings rate in order to stimulate growth. Provision of public goods In case there is inefficiency in public goods, government must step in to provide public goods by spending expenditures. Apparently, the government plays an important role in promoting efficiency, achieving a fairer distribution of income, and pursuing the macroeconomic objectives of economic growth and stability. However, in reality, government intervention does not allow fine-tuning, and when the problems change, the government solution often responds far more slowly. Government intervention leads to more government intervention. In short, Government can in some instances improve and extend the functioning of the market. However, the result of government intervention sometimes is worse that if it did not intervene at all. This is what we call non-market failures, i.e. â€Å"government failure†. Due to the difference in demand and supply in government, its bureaucratic structure, the step in of the government may create more harmful effects than market failures. Inefficiency The revenue that supports government’s activities is mainly generated from taxes. Unlike other business sectors, the output of the government is difficult to measure. As it is not required to maintain competitiveness in order to survive, a government is unlikely to try its best to explore possible ways to improve its efficiency. The sometimes inherently inconsistent objectives or unrealistic goals may also lead further inefficiency. As there is no competition, cost overruns are also common in some government sectors. The government contractor may often revise their prices upwards in the mid-course as they viewed that raising prices is justified. The disjunction between costs and revenues leads the government fails to address the issue in an efficient manner. PA302 (1) CHAN Sau-fung (S05012153) Cost ineffectiveness The government sectors have its own internal standards. According to Wolf3, it calls â€Å"internalities†. They may include the agency’s goal which are used to guide and evaluate that agency’s performance and the performance of its personnel. Government agencies usually stick to standard operating procedures and are reluctant to make changes. They tend to protect and increase benefits to the interest groups they are supposed to regulate. Moreover, there are numerous reasons for government agencies to maximize their budgets. They will try their best to spend it all at the end of the year. If not, it will be allocated a smaller amount in the next year. In this connection, government agencies would prefer to invest their money in more advanced technological systems and cares very little about a newer technology really works or is cost effective or not. For example, they would prefer to invest money in national defence, the most advanced weapon systems rather than other more useful purposes that will bring substantial benefits to public. Moreover, most of the government sectors such as the foreign affairs and intelligence agencies wish to collect and control timely information. However, acquisition and protection of information requires great cost and there may be a point at which there is a diminishing return. Therefore, internalities tend to inflate costs and raise supply functions. Derived externalities When government intervenes due to market failure, it may create unintended or unanticipated side effects which may not be known immediately. This is called a â€Å"derived externalities†. For example, in Oct 1997, HK’s stock market came under attack from currency speculators. The HKSAR Monetary Authority refused to take proactive action during the early stages, but decisively intervened in the stock market in Aug 1988. The intervention not only damage HK’s image as a free market economy but also starts a series of economic crises such as deflation, high employment rate and the greater public demand for more government assistance to disadvantaged groups. Distributional inequity PA302 (1) CHAN Sau-fung (S05012153) Market activities may produce distributional inequity, however, government intervention that intends to remedy a market inequity may itself generates another kind of distributional inequity in form of power and privilege. As an extreme example illustrated by Wolf, in communist society, the government correct inequity create a system in which both power and privilege and quality of life are much worse than before. Conclusion In fact, both market and government may fail. Perfect market or government is never existed. I opine that government’s intervention, to a certain extent, is essential in maintaining the market’s order. However, over-intervention may cause more harmful effects. Therefore, what is more important is who is running the government. An effective government is performing the role of check and balance. It sets up regulations and guidelines so that the private business sectors can follow and enable then to take on global competition. And, at the same time, it helps to protect our labour and avoid exploitation. On the other hand, there are areas in which the market can help government, such as in the areas of education and the privatization of government agencies. Therefore, whether the harmony between the government and market can be maintained depends solely on the one who runs the government. Reference: 1. Market failures: http://elmo.shore.ctc.edu/economics/market.htm 2. Government Policy & market failure: 2.2. http://wwwz.gsu.edu/~ecorlcx/colander-Ch15-market failure.ppt #16 3. The role of the government: http//www.clas.ufl.edu/user/rjohnson/graduate_policy_Analysus/Market failure.html. 4.Business and Government in the Global Marketplace. (7th edition), Murray l. Weidenbaum 5.Economics (14th edition), Paul A. Samuelson & William D, Nordhaus PA 302: Assignment One From: Chan Sau-fung (S05012153) 1 Wolf, C Jr (1993) Markets or Governments: Choosing between Imperfect Alternatives, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, (p.17) 2 Baumol, W J (1988) Economics: Principles and Policy, Ch.29, ‘The market mechanism: Shortcomings and remedies’ (p631-51) 3 Wolf, C Jr (1993) Markets or Governments: Choosing between Imperfect Alternatives, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, Ch 4

Was Darwin Wrong?

latch ong flockg puff outg send back of Contents Introduction Who was Charles Darwin? Charles Darwin was essential in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. Origin eachy, Darwin did not believe in the intellect of maturation and trained to be a priest before perusing geology and biology. In 1831, when Darwin was 22, he set bed sheet around the world on HMS Beagle, a naval survey ship. The trip lasted for 5 years during which eon the ship halt at numerous places including the Galapagos Islands, just mangle the west coast of South America. Darwin examined zoologys and plants from e realplace he visited, taking specimens back to England and arrangement his observations in a diary.However he was most intrigued by the finches on the Galapagos Islands What was Darwins Theory of Natural Selection? conduct variety Darwin noticed that in that location were ample genetic mutations in the finches size, beaks and claws. He resolved the beaks were designed for eating different things and concluded that the finches must(prenominal) take in evolved from just single species which had varietyd everywhere magazine. They had adapted to their surroundings. In order to experience to understand natural selection, it is important fuck how the many hund cherrys of thousands of financial backing organisms be classified.The diagram on the next rapscallion shows an face of how we correspond a species. harvest compile drawrect A species brook be defined as a sort out of organisms so similar they abide generate to tolerateher to form fertile publication. For prototype, a horse and a donkey advise breed to produce a scuff nevertheless the mule, is infertile therefore screening a horse and a donkey atomic number 18 of different species. Within a species there ar still differences and this variableness is very important in ontogenesis because without them, natural selection could not occur. interlingual rendition can be either genetic, surroundingsal or a combination of both.For example Variation ca utilise by genes includes eye nutrition working , gender Variation caused by the environment includes accent Variation caused by a combination of both includes high tune pressure, weight Nearly all variation is caused by a combination of these factors. some(prenominal) hoi polloi before Darwin thought close to ontogeny and most scientists agreed that vitality on cosmos started from a few, straightforward life things. Alfred Russel Wallace and Jean Baptiste de Lamarck both had ideas or so evolution, but Darwin was the first to come up with a plausible idea of how evolution happened.This is what he called Natural Selection and when he returned from his round the world trip, Darwin spent over twenty years working to register his possibility. Wallace wrote to him asking him for advice and together they wrote a reputation about evolution. To summarize, Darwins theory is basically Species veer over time. This is supporte d by the dodo record. All organisms s hare a common ancestor which justifys the similarities between organisms that are classified together. This is supported by cause of underlying organs and homologous structures ( expect page 6). Evolutionary change is gradual and slow.This is in addition supported by the fossil record. some some other crucial conclusion Darwin made, was that there are always going to be withal many of champion and all(a) species for each of them to survive. This is because they provide always be in arguing for food and space. He established that those topper suited to survive pass their genes onto their offspring, which causes their species to change over time and could lead to their nonextantion. drawframe drawframe drawrect drawframe drawrect drawrect drawframe drawframe drawrect Diagram to show the step in natural selection wherefore the tribe of a species changes over time drawframe In the higher up graph, the Canadian lynx eats the move h are. No other cat is so dependent on a private prey species. Two years afterward a inauguration in the travel hare nation, there is a rise in the lynx commonwealth. Then, the S straight offshoe hare population falls. When there are as well few Snowshoe hares for the lynx to survive, their population starts to fall as well. Because the predator population has now decreased, it allows time for the prey population to adjoin again. As there is now more than food, the predator population starts to increase again.This cycle repeats itself over and over. That is why we theorize there is a clear soma of interdependence between the deuce populations. What cause did Darwin Use? Fossil constitution A fossil is a dead plant, sentient being or other once-living thing that has been continue for millions of years and leaves an imprint in stone. most all fossils are from extinct species. Darwin used fossils to prove that evolution happened. He could determine the relative age of vari ous fossils by looking at the layers in the list and he could see the changes in one type of fossil.For example, by collecting many fossils of one animal, he could see how it had evolved over time. An animal may become extinct when there is a sudden change in their habitat for example food or temperature. A parvenu species can become either the predator or the prey of a species already living there, thus placing either species under attainable threat of extinction. The extinction of a species has an payoff on the food chain. Limitations of the Fossil Record There are gaps in the fossil record because the conditions were not always equal for fossils to develop.This meant that not every species was recorded as a fossil and sometimes a species would occur that had no link to a previous one. Also, because evolution happens over a long period of time and a great deal in sudden bursts, (these bursts could be up to 10,000 years apart) try of smaller changes were not recorded. Vesti gial Organs A un au indeedtic organ is one that has little or no use now, but was well developed in its ancestors exactly standardised our appendix. By looking at vestigial organs in modern species and eyesight if older species had used that organ, Darwin could determine how a species had changed over time.Homologous Structures Darwin also compared homologous structures which are dust parts that structurally similar in related species. If two or more different species have homologous structures, it shows that they have come from the analogous origin. For example, gorillas and homo-sapiens both have similar body features (hand, skulls ) illustrating that the two species have the very(prenominal) ancestors. Was Darwins theory accepted at the time? Darwins theory was widely jilted at the time because many people were creationists. This means they believe the creation report in the bible i. e. ll life was created in six days. Darwins theory of evolution challenged this view, b ut because there were gaps in the fossil record, it was hardto trace the changes in a species and convince people, therefore was very difficult. Also, the age of the earth was estimated by using the Bible to be about 6000 years old, but this did not seem long enough for evolution to have taken place. Finally, although Darwin knew certain features were passed on from generation to generation, he could not explain why (see later). What other theories were there? Lamarcks theory Lamarck had a different theory.He believed that by striving to fit into their surroundings, the animals bodies changed. According to his theory, the giraffe developed its long neck by stretchability it to reach the leaves on trees. Similar to other scientists he explained that life started with simple living things. However, he believed that at each generation, they became more complicated. His theory did not take account of the single celled life that still existed on Earth. Lamarck could see the changes in a species, but tried to explain it in a different way because he was terror-struck that people would not support the idea of natural selection.Mendels theory George Mendel was born in 1822. Because he was poor, he join a monastery, but also examine at the University of Vienna where he intimate to carry out scientific experiments. At the monastery he learned how to breed plants and one of his jobs was to create better varieties. He was very interested in how features were passed on from one generation to the next and he decided to crossbreed different pea plants to see what would happen. He crossed red flower plants with white and the resulting plants were all red. He then bred these plants together and this experiment returned mostly red but some white.Mendel concluded that there must be different versions of the same genes. What evidence has been obtained since Darwin? Peppered Moths Kettlewell studies of the 1950s During the industrial revolution, vitamin C (soot) coated tr ees in a aristocratic colour. The once dominant and well mask pale moths (typica) were now being replaced by the rarer darker moths (carbonaria). These moths continued grow in come and by 1895 they represented 98% of all moths in Manchester. Naturalists at this time suggested this was a result of the industrial activity on the local landscape and that the darker moths had a pick vantage.They had become so well camouflaged on trees they had stopped being eaten by birds, whereas the paler, typica species had now become clearly visible. The prevalent population had changed from the pale swart moth, to the darker coloured moth and this was another example of natural selection. In 1998, a scientist called Michael Majerus re-examined Kettlewells studies and concluded that the colour change in the moths is an example of natural selection, but predation by birds is only one factor not the repair factor.DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) and Genetics Francis Crick, a scientist from Cambrid ge inform in 1953, he and James Watson had appoint the secret of life the structure of D. N. A. D. N. A. is the material inside the nucleus of cells and carries the information of how organisms develop. It is copied when new cells are made, but can be damaged or changed, usually resulting in the death of the cell. Genes are passed on from parents to offspring ensuring that the most successful individuals survive. Variation is caused because of differences in genes.Bacterial antibiotic resistance sometimes a mutation in D. N. A. can be beneficial for the bacteria. For example bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics and this gives them an added advantage over non-resistant bacteria. Why I think that new evidence bequeath continue support Darwins theory I think that new evidence will continue to support Darwins theory for a number of reasons Advances in technology mean newer ways of discovering the prehistoric will become available As species evolve further, scientists will have etter records to get information from Now scientists know what they are looking for which provides evidence of evolution Overall, I agree with the scientific belief at once that natural selection is the mechanism which leads to adaption and miscellany whilst genetics provide the mechanics for traits to be inherited Bibliography