“In Reification and Utopia in Mass Culture” by Frederick Jameson Essay

It is true that manipulation theory sometimes finds a special place in its scheme for those rare cultural objects which can be said to have overt political and social content: thus, 60s protest songs, The Salt of the Earth, Clancey Segals novels or Sol Yuricks, chicano murals, and the San Francisco Mime Troop. This is not the place to raise the complicated problem of political art today, except to say that our business as culture critics requires us to raise it, and to rethink what are still essentially 30s categories in some new and more satisfactory contemporary way. (Jameson 139)I initially read this quote as a praise of political art as so worthy an object of study that its complexities could not be fully addressed within the scope of Jamesons work. In other words, Jameson was humbly admitting that political art is deserving of its own lengthy analysis. Why, though, is Jameson incapable of addressing political art (and implicitly counter culture) for more than a page in his ninet een page essay describing modern culture?As I reread the quote, I began to hear a dismissive tone in the words special place and rare. How rare is overt political and social content? How rare are 60s protest songs? While the historicity of the category 60s can be appreciated, and indeed Jamesons use of it appears to be grounded in skepticism towards the authenticity of political art emerging outside of collective life, it seems as if Jameson is using it to contain a threat to his argument. The threat, that is, that overt political art and action have been present and overt since before the 1960s, and continue to persist now. I feel that, to a significant extent, his position as academic shields him from and allows him to theorize away a counterculture that has been very much alive and struggling. Or, as Hakim Bey opens his TAZ: The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism, CHAOS NEVER DIED.The production or assumption of a limited period of the 60s tends to perpetuate a nostalgic distance from a period of political art, counterculture, and resistance that never really ended (or began). In man y ways the 60s have come to resemble a safe countercultural commodity. One can easily find coffee table books on the collective rebellious phase of the baby boomers youth, or one can watch the Wonder Years or Forest Gump and recall a period before choosing to turn off, tune out, drop in. If these experiences are too lonely, one can visit my home town of Cleveland, Ohio with family and peruse the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to study Beatles  artifacts or Jimi Hendrix guitars behind glass for a $10 fee. All of these commodities appear to recuperate political art and counterculture except for that they only do so in retrospect, and in a fashion that uses physical/spatial distance to construct a sense of historical distance that must be willfully believed. Just a few blocks away museum visitors, were they to instead choose to visit the Tower City Mall at public square on a Sunday, would likely encounter middle class kids and homeless people dissolving cultural boundaries at Cleveland Food Not Bombs. I dont propose, in response, a hasty rejection of some mythically totalitarian historical metanarrative, but rather I propose a more complete and honest history that dissolves the nostalgic distance between political art then and recuperated art now. Unfortunately for Jameso n, who has chosen to ignore the reality of such a history for the sake of a commentary on his own constructed meta-society, many post-60s examples easily come to mind. The punk rock movement, certainly with a strong collective component, produced material easily accessible to mass culture. The Sex Pistols Anarchy in the U.K. was released in 1976, and Crass was releasing agitating songs like Do They Owe Us A Living?, Punk is Dead, and Fight War Not Wars in 1978. Rage Against the Machine, arguably one of the more important alternative bands of the 1990s, initiated a radical Axis of Justice with System of a Down and donated all of its proceeds from a tour with U2 to organizations as overtly resistant as EZLN. Any middle class adolescent who frequented Ozzfest or other metal festivals in the 1990s and 2000s is likely aware of System of a Downs Steal This Album, or the lyrics to their politically charged Prison Song. Someone interested in hip hop enough to scratch the surface will likely encounter KRS-1s Sound of da Police released in 1993. And Radiohead, now international superstars, have just released their latest album essentially for free, bypassing the music industry entirely. Jameson might respond to me with a question like, yes, but why havent they worked?, expecting an answer affirming their status as commodities which could be subject to his ideology/utopia dialectic. My answer to such a question would be precisely my historical point: its in the works. Jameson cannot escape his own position within consumer capitalism in that it is his choice to perceive a large body of political art as contained within a diluted dialectic that imposes itself upon consumers. Perhaps a radically engaged and tactical  patience can be counterpoised against the image of the passive consumer. And besides, this is not to mention the countless DIY zines circulating around Infoshops, in radical circles, and across the hipster-radical bridge in trendy coffee shops. A nice account of post-60s anarchist praxis can be found in criminologist Jeff Ferrells Tearing Down the Streets: Adventures in Urban Anarchy, where he discusses his own experiences with collective activities as obverse as pirate radio, graffiti, and biking in critical masses. But are these practices rare? Perhaps only to those who continue to ignore, dismiss, and keep a distance from them. Are they exclusive? Well, this is not the place to raise the complicated problem of countercultural elitism and exclusion. For the rest of the items on Jamesons list, it appears as if he has chosen examples that fit his argument of rarity. When I searched for Clancey Segal on Google, for example, the only matching result I could find was Jamesons article! Perhaps my own ignorance is to blame for my unfamiliarity with the rest of the items on Jamesons list. If this is the case, how is it that I was able to come up with several examples of my own? Are they simply inauthentic, easily recuperated, or not overt enough? Am I a crazy radical detached from the revolutionary potentiality of mass culture? Or are my examples invalidated and recuperated precisely at the moment that Jamesons attitude of disengagement and struggle for theoretical security reposition them inside of some abstract near-omnipresent nightmare?Indeed, it often seems, provided one accepts the omnipresent nightmare situation, that any disbelief or skepticism towards such a macrocosm is analogous to falling back into the Matrix and being reint egrated into the naà ¯ve consumerist masses. But does the myth of the rarity of genuine and overt political art- and resistance in general- honestly acknowledge a totalizing or nearly totalizing condition like Guy Debords spectacle or Lewis Mumfords megamachine, or does it merely reveal its proponents inability or refusal to engage with political art and action of their contemporary milieu? To what extent does a fear of recuperation reproduce precisely the distance required for recuperation? The ideological component of Jamesons writing comes to bear in his own language: to rethink what are still essentially 30s categories in some new and more satisfactory contemporary way. I think Jameson redeems himself when his ideology/utopia dialectic of consumerism is pointed at criticism itself. Just as capital must re-create and recuperate a  utopian component in its commodities, Jameson and his perceived brotherhood of culture critics must re-think a rare and fetishized collection of genuine political art and acts to continue to theorize a hegemonic modern culture. If we directly engage in overt political art or action, however, the University can only have us, as rare historical events, in retrospect. Bey, Hakim. TAZ: The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism. Autonomedia. 2003. Brooklyn, New York. Ferrell, Jeff. Tearing Down The Streets: Adventures in Urban Anarchy. Palgrave. New York, New York. 2001. Song release dates gathered from www.allmusic.com

The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States

This year, it was estimated that at least 500,000 people in the United States have already died of AIDS since the disease first surfaced in the 1980s. This figure was said to be the equivalent of the entire population of Las Vegas. In 2008, meanwhile, there were at least 1 million people in the US who are living with HIV/AIDS.What is dangerous is that about a fifth of them do not know they have the disease. Such ignorance worsens the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US by greatly increasing the risk of onward transmission (AVERT n. pag.).Experts pointed out that despite these alarming statistics, the US government’s efforts towards HIV prevention and treatment remained unsuccessful. For one, stigma and discrimination towards HIV-positive individuals continue to persist.In addition, thousands of uninsured Americans still do not have access to necessary health services such as antiretroviral therapy. As a result, the country’s HIV/AIDS epidemic keeps on claiming more lives â€⠀œ approximately 56,000 Americans are infected with HIV every year (AVERT n. pag.).Contrary to stereotypes, HIV/AIDS affects all sectors of American society. The misconception that the disease affects only homosexuals and drug dependents stemmed from the fact that in the early years of the epidemic, majority of HIV-positive individuals in the US were homosexuals, intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs and Haitian immigrants.However, the demographics of people living with HIV/AIDS have changed over the succeeding years. At present, sectors including heterosexual whites, African-Americans and Hispanics are already vulnerable to the ailment (AVERT n. pag.).As of 2007, African-Americans constituted about 12% of the total population of the US. But an estimated 49% of them were diagnosed with HIV in the same year. Health experts consider this to be very ironic, given that several well-known African-Americans such as anchorman Max Robinson, tennis player Arthur Ashe and rapper Eazy-E died of AIDS in the 1980s and the 1990s.But neither are they surprised – denial of the existence of HIV/AIDS still persists among African-Americans. This forswearing stems from the fact that among African-Americans, openly talking about sensitive subjects like sexuality, premarital sex and drug use are still seen as taboo (AVERT n. pag.).Although there has been a decline in the overall number of AIDS-related deaths in the US at the start of the 21st century, AIDS-related deaths among Hispanics during this period remained relatively stable. Hispanics made up about 19% of the country’s total population in 2007, but around 15% of this figure is believed to be living with AIDS.Health experts attribute this situation to language barriers, social structures, migration patterns and lack of regular health care services (AVERT n. pag.). These factors expose Hispanics to high-risk behaviors that will ultimately lead to AIDS, such as unprotected sex and drug abuse.Despite the fact that no sector of American society is safe from HIV/AIDS, homosexuals remain to be one of the most vulnerable groups. In 2007, about two-thirds of male adolescents and adults who were diagnosed with HIV were homosexuals.This figure was said to be the result of unprotected sex among an increasing number of homosexuals. According to experts, most homosexuals are complacent about condom use because they believe in the misconception that antiretroviral drugs cure HIV/AIDS.This erroneous belief is not without fatal consequences – it was estimated in 2008 that HIV/AIDS diagnoses among homosexuals between 2001 and 2006 increased by 8.6% (AVERT n. pag.).Critics pointed out that the US government did not spend enough money on HIV/AIDS prevention measures. In October 2007, Congress reduced the country’s federal AIDS prevention budget for the 2008 fiscal year by $692 million (the reduction was initially announced as $3 million) – a move that would further keep cheap and or free antiretroviral drugs out of reach of indigent AIDS patients (AVERT n. pag.).Furthermore, the US refused to cooperate with the United Nations in the latter’s programs to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. The US, for instance, blocked the UN’s anti-HIV/AIDS program of providing drug dependents access to clean needles.Officials at the US State Department justified this decision by arguing that this program might be misinterpreted as an endorsement of drug abuse by providing dependents with a place to inject drugs (GlobalHealthReporting.org n. pag.).Simply put, the US believes that the only way for drug dependents to avoid HIV/AIDS is to completely abstain from drugs. But studies show that a drug dependent will undergo relapse at least four times before becoming fully rehabilitated (DrugLibrary.org n. pag.).The UN’s point in launching the anti-HIV/AIDS program is that while drug dependents are ridding themselves of their habit, steps might as well be taken to ensure tha t they are healthy. After all, what is the point of getting rehabilitated from drug abuse when one ends up HIV-positive afterwards?How is the US currently dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in its own turf? For one, not all schools in the country provide HIV/AIDS education. Those that do adopt a curriculum that falls into one of the following categories – abstinence-only, abstinence-plus or comprehensive.As a result, students are provided incomplete and even inaccurate information about HIV/AIDS. Even schools that provide the most comprehensive HIV/AIDS education reportedly fail to provide or gloss over important information (AVERT n. pag.).In the end, it is still the young people who pay the heaviest price for such errors. Their ignorance about HIV/AIDS renders them vulnerable to the disease when they start having sexual relations later in life as adults.It also doesn’t help that whatever information they will learn about HIV/AIDS are mostly in the form of myths †“ HIV could be transmitted from kissing, HIV is small enough to pass through the pores in latex condoms, only homosexuals could acquire the disease, etc. (AVERT n. pag.)In addition, the US government focused so much on encouraging as many people as possible to undergo HIV testing that they failed to inform people regarding guidelines surrounding the procedure. In busy clinics and hospitals, for instance, patients â€Å"may not be properly informed that they are being tested for HIV or that they have the right to refuse the test† (AVERT n. pag.).Formalities such as the need for written consent and lengthy pre-test prevention counseling also discourage people from taking HIV testing (AVERT n. pag.). Furthermore, health experts failed to recognize social and cultural factors behind a patient’s reluctance to undergo HIV testing.Ethnic minorities in the US must be educated about HIV/AIDS in such a manner that their religious and or cultural sensibilities are recognized â €“ before lecturing African-Americans about practicing safe sex, for instance, they must first be given the assurance that openly discussing sex is not shameful as their culture dictates.If the US wants to put a stop to its HIV/AIDS epidemic, it must first put an end to its inconsistent and shortsighted anti-HIV/AIDS measures. All schools must be required to provide comprehensive HIV/AIDS education to its students. â€Å"Comprehensive HIV/AIDS education,† however, means complete and objective information about the disease.Students are provided options on how to avoid HIV/AIDS, whether through abstinence or through condoms.Second, the US government must spend more money on health care services for AIDS patients and for HIV/AIDS research. Studies show that as long as they have consistent access to proper health care services, AIDS patients can still live long and healthy lives despite their illness.Lastly, public health and social workers must educate people about HIV/AIDS in such a manner that their personal, religious and or cultural concerns about the disease are addressed. People must be given the assurance that openly discussing HIV/AIDS, sexuality and other related topics does not make them promiscuous.Indeed, what makes HIV/AIDS a very sensitive subject is that discussing it touches other taboo subjects such as drug use and sex. But in the context of the disease, ignorance kills. People may hide in stereotypes, but HIV/AIDS does not. HIV/AIDS asks only one thing: â€Å"Are you human?†

Electronic Commerce and Internet Law in Canada Assignment - 1

Electronic Commerce and Internet Law in Canada - Assignment Example The researcher states that under Canadian law, a copyright owner has the right to choose between actual damages or statutory damages under the Copyright Act. Actual damages will be the amount lost as a result of infringement and statutory damages can expose Jane to liability for $20,000 for each individual program that has been illegally copied. Online contracting in Novia Scotia is regulated by the Electronic Commerce Act, which adopts the Uniform Electronic Commerce Act of Canada (UECA). Additionally, the UECA adopts the United Nations 1996 Model Law on Electronic Commerce and the Novia Scotia’s Electronic Commerce Act (2000) is nearly identical to the UECA model. In the current scenario, the central issue of contention is whether Melvin is bound by the contract. The fundamental issues impacting online contracting are the common law concepts of offer, acceptance, and jurisdiction. Indeed Scassa & Deturbide highlight the central questions in online contracting being as follow s: â€Å"Is an owner of a web site merely soliciting offers, or is an offer being made that is capable of being accepted? When and where is acceptance made? What impact do electronic agents have on the offer and acceptance paradigm?†. Additionally, Section 20(1) of the UECA as embodied in the Electronic Commerce Act (2000) acknowledges that online interactive forms of communication constitute binding contracts. Moreover, online contracts are now completely recognized by Canadian courts in contractual disputes.

Math Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Math - Speech or Presentation Example longer  than the shortest side and 2 in. longer than the remaining side. Find the dimensions of this triangle. What is the length of the shortest side (in inches)?   38. The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 16 in. longer  than the shortest side and 2 in. longer than the remaining side. Find the dimensions of this triangle. What is the length of the hypotenuse (in inches)?   39. The hypotenuse of a right triangle is 16 in. longer than the shortest side and 2 in. longer than the remaining side. Find the dimensions of this triangle. What is the length of the remaining side (in inches)? (Format: Whole number such as 45 45. At depths of more than 1000 m (a kilometer), water temperature T (in degrees Celsius) in the Pacific Ocean varies inversely as the water depth d (in meters). If the water temperature at 4000 m is 1 °C, what would it be at 8000 m in degrees Celsius (state your answer in decimal format, rounded to the nearest hundredth)?   46. A woman has a 28-in. waist and 34-in. hips. Write the waist-to-hip ratio as a decimal, rounded to the nearest hundredth. (If the waist-to-hip ratio is over 1.0 for men or over 0.8 for women, the risk of heart attack or stroke is five to ten times greater than for persons with a  lower

Wind Power generation station in England Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Wind Power generation station in England - Essay Example Project Management refers to the various types of activities that involved in Planning, Categorizing, Securing and organizing various resources to accomplish a specific aim. The primary challenge of project management is to accomplish all of these aims and goals of the project, taking into consideration of known and unexpected contingencies. So that it is the duty of the project manager to study about the environmental aspects of area before launching a project. Here our company is planning to build a new Wind Power generation station in England. The United Kingdom is the 8th biggest manufacturer of wind power in the world. The current installed capability is over 5.9 gigawatts. And also after biogas UK is the 2nd highest source of renewable energy. As of 2012, there are in excess of 300 wind farms working in the UK, with installed capability of 5953 MW and 3956 turbines. In a sustainable atmosphere, the rate of use of natural sources of energy by person activity is below the capabil ity of natural world to replace them. Environmental sustainability plays most significant role in the overall accomplishment of the project. It facilitates companies to be able to accomplish energy effectiveness and obey with environmental policy governing carbon emissions. Environmental sustainability helps to reduce the production cost so that it will help to increased financial gains. The ability to recognize the key sustainability associated knowledge plays a significant position in leading change in the directions of sustainability. â€Å"In today’s fast-paced economy, an organization’s knowledge base is quickly becoming its only sustainable competitive advantage. As such, this resource must be protected, cultivated, and shared among organizational members .Knowledge is required for more effective and efficient management decision-making regarding sustainability issues† (Egbu & Renukappa n.d., p. 290). To develop organizational sustainability- associated pe rformance, project manager have to make out and better comprehend the key sustainability- associated knowledge assets obtainable in and across companies. It is significant for companies to recognize the key drivers previous to executing sustainability- associated knowledge management programs. If companies do not completely understand what drives the requirement for organizing sustainability- associated knowledge, they may fall into the trap of generating an incompetent knowledge management policy and operational plans. The study includes aim, objective, methodology, discussion and various key issues and challenges faced to start the wind power station. Managing change associated with environmental sustainability initiatives, leading and managing change in sustainability, and also some challenges -impact of initiatives on competitiveness also incorporated in this study. Background of the Study: A growing stream of study demonstrates that the adoption of environmental and communally sustainable skills and practices are, at a smallest amount, cost neutral and frequently put aside public agencies and private organizations substantial sums of cash at the same time as rising market share, decreasing risk, increasing worker productivity and stakeholder dedication. It is no surprise then that a rising number of companies have embraced the thought of sustainability in the last decade. Environmental sustainability must be a key consideration in the organization of every government buildings. And also agencies have a key position to supporting this plan for the period of the planning, operation, manufacture, preservation and removal of government buildings by decreasing negative environmental impacts and guaranteeing services to the society are resistant to environment change. â€Å"Using environmentally sustainable practices for the management of government bui

International Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Law - Assignment Example States may also uphold the principle of international law, even when national interests do not benefit from it, in order to protect universal and common human values. Treaties and their effectiveness can be measured using their success in ensuring all parties abide by the agreement (Chayes & Chayes, 2008). Nations enter into international treaties with other states because of the need. Nation states enter into treaties for political and military alliances, territorial exchanges, international violence control, creation of new states, and peacemaking. Treaties set out the rules  in a clear version, compared to other forms of international law. Nation states also find it to be easier to achieve the consent with treaties, as compared to other international laws. Question # 2 2. With regard to the 2009 military coup in Honduras, it appears that the national Congress, Supreme Court, attorney-general and military supported the detention or removal of an elected leader on constitutional g rounds. In such a case, does the "international community†, or outside States have the right to condemn the coup? How does UN Charter Article 2(7) fit into the picture? No foreign authority or power recognized the coup leader’s presidency. ... Despite the widespread condemnation of the Honduran coup, and suspension of the country from receiving aid from the EU and the US, efforts to reinstate Zelaya to power have failed. President Zelaya’s removal and replacement was an interruption of the country's constitutional democratic order (Halperin, 2011). If this coup were to stand, it would portend a dangerous democratic precedent for other countries. Thus, the international community needed to act to protect themselves from the possibility of a recurrence in their own country. Article 2(7) of the UN charter states that the UN can not intervene in matters within an individual state’s domestic jurisdiction. Since the Honduran coup did not breach chapter Vii of the UN charter, the article stands. Despite the precedent the coup set, the international community could not intervene in the matter. Question # 3 3. What sorts of reservations do signatories insist on in, for example, an agreement such as CEDAW? A reservatio n is a unilateral statement made by a nation state when ratifying or approving a treaty, whereby they purport to vary or exclude certain provisions and their legal effects in that state’s application (Blanchfield, 2009). The reservation must be rejected or accepted by other states for it to be valid. In the case of the reservation's rejection, that the state must first withdraw its reservation to be part of the treaty. Article 19 of the Vienna Convention allows reservations unless the treaty impliedly or expressly prohibits reservations. If the reservations requested are not compatible with the purpose and object of the treaty, then the reservation is invalid. In CEDAW, the United States signed, but did not ratify the multilateral convention. CEDAW defines women discrimination as: Any

The implication of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in China's Essay

The implication of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in China's Economy - Essay Example entury, most of the countries in the world used to view FDI as a major threat to the local industries, a factor that led to adoption of liberalized policies that strongly discouraged foreign inflows into their countries (Huang 31). On the other hand, some other countries like China adopted an open door policy that promoted foreign investments, a factor that can be attributed to the intense growth the country’s economy has been experiencing in the past few decades. Many studies have shown that China is currently the major destination of foreign direct investment from many parts of the world. However, Chinese have also been aggressive in making investments in other foreign countries with African region being their major target (Huang 25). This research paper is going to explore the impact of FDIs in Chinese Economy, point out the key determinants of FDIs as well as highlight the future expectation of FDIs in China. Effects of FDI on the recipient countries have been a touchy area of research in commerce, economics and politics (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Staff 56). In this particular area, there are two approaches that are commonly applied namely the macro approach and the micro approach. Macro approach encompasses empirical scrutiny of effects of FDI on the general economic evolution in areas related to creation of employment, business and industry as well as international relationships. On the other hand, micro economic approach focuses on the impacts of FDI on the grass root economy in various sectors like skills development and employment generation specifically establishment of small businesses being highly emphasized on (Huang 40). FDI has helped China a lot in creating good and reliable networks with other major countries and corporates. It has played a major role in creation of employment and enablement of utilization of local resources (Chen 96). Relatively well paying jobs have been created in the country as business

Personal Statement for Graduate Diploma in Law Essay

Personal Statement for Graduate Diploma in Law - Essay Example Third, the institution’s proximity to law firms and courts within London will give me the experience to learn and observe qualified attorneys’ approaches and skills. I believe I will fit into this institution because I am hard working and driven and I like to be exposed to both an academic as well as professional atmosphere. My educational background is diverse, as I studied psychology and sociology at Barnard College, Columbia University. Subsequently I went to London and by now have completed two masters’ programs in Business Psychology at Kingston University, and in International Business at Regents College. Currently, I am working as an assistant to our in-house lawyer at Doyen Capital, a private firm. This experience has exposed me to business contracts and legal issues on a corporate level, and I look forward to expanding my overall knowledge in the legal career. In order to achieve my goal, I strive to complete the Graduate Diploma in Law. Then I strive to complete the Legal Practice training course, and afterwards work under a two-year contract as a trainee in the corporate law field. My final career goal is to become a solicitor and I hope to achieve my goal by first joining an institution that will provide me with a strong foundation in my legal career. ... I appreciate that the basis for wanting to study law and eventually become a solicitor may have been superficial to me, but when I participated in a legal awareness campaign organized by the London Bar Association, I quickly made up my mind to be a lawyer. Thereafter I joined the firm of Leigh Day Solicitors where I worked in the Human Rights and Constitutional Law department. Occasionally, I would accompany the managing partner to courts or tribunals to find out how the courts operated. In addition to this, I was incorporated in the University of London’s Law Faculty Annual Legal Awareness Week where we attended circuit meetings offering legal aid to the less-privileged. These awareness programs and retreats gave me some insight into university life and the moot lectures and debates increased my passion for law. Since I commenced my educational career, I have always been a studious and strong-minded individual, hence I knew that a degree in law at the University that would cu lminate into being a solicitor was the correct decision to make. Initially, I had broad interests in other fields or careers but I have recently become drawn to a career in law due to its complex and intriguing nature in solving daily issues. Law is an area that has interested me since childhood due to the extensive reading that is integral in solving legal issues and I therefore consider myself to be well suited to a career in law, as I do pay much attention to detail and take pleasure in solving social issues that affect the daily lives of human beings. The studies I have had previously have also aided me in observing the actions of others and how their opinions are dictated by external factors and the confidence I gained is important in wading

BFS 3440-07B BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR FIRE PROTECTION (BFS3440-07B) Essay - 7

BFS 3440-07B BUILDING CONSTRUCTION FOR FIRE PROTECTION (BFS3440-07B) - Essay Example When high rise structures unfortunately catch a fire, both the residents/occupants and the crew face a number of challenges. Some of them are discussed below. 1- The most common challenge is to cope with the smoke. In a high rise structure building, the smoke circulates differently from that of the low rise building. The greater height of the building having a low air pressure allows the smoke to move briskly. Most of the deaths during the fire occur due to the suffocation created by the smoke. When the smoke is inhaled, it can burn the lungs. The smoke obscures the eyesight of the occupants as well as the fire fighters. Both of them can not coordinate and the delay results in the death of the occupants or collapse of the building on its occupants. 2- In the high rise structures the exit ways are very few. The scarcity of the exits is a serious challenge for the occupants as well as relievers, because removal of a great number of people through a few exits is very difficult. This lea ds to a greater death rate. 3- The high rise structures are availed by mixed types of occupancies like residences and commercials etc. which is again a challenge. The fire fighters are supposed to adopt different strategies for different occupancies. This is a time consuming procedure and encompasses great risks. 4- Fighting the fire in high rise structures is not an easy task. It requires a greater number of crew and equipments to extinguish the fire as compared in the low rise buildings. (U.S. Fire Administration,

Emotional Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Emotional Intelligence Essay There are various ways in which the government can punish the criminal offenders or the civil offenders. This includes, fines, imprisonment, or corporal punishment. In punishing the offenders, the society aims at revenging, correcting the wrong doers, and acting as deterrence for others to commit same offence. The current preferred mode of punishment is aimed at correcting the offender rather than punishing them Due to the changing situations, many societies have changed the mode of traditional punishment that were imposed on offenders and opted for better humane terms, for instance, compensation. There are various kinds of compensation that can be imposed on an offender. These are, fines, restitution, and community service. Fines have been imposed in the United States and the Canadian courts as provided in the statutes (Encarta Library). The fines are widely used because many criminals do not have the money for the fines. Furthermore, fines imposed on criminals would not deter them from committing other criminal activities as they know that they can just pay fines and be let free. In restitution, the court will order the offender to compensate the offended for the crime that was committed against them. The damage might have been in form of psychological damage, physical or monetary. For the judge to pass restitution, the offended must initiate the process, for instance through providing such things as medical bills or any other forms of prove for the restitution to be passed. This sentence is important because it is considered to restore the offended back to the original position before the offence. Community service on the other hand is when an offender is sentenced to performed some duty in the society. The state can then use some of the funds saved due to community service to compensate the victims. This method is important in that it helps the administrative to save the amounts that would be used in prosecution, and gives the offender time to reform rather than being punished. Emotional intelligence  According to the initial definition given by Salovery and Mayer in 1989/90, emotional intelligence is â€Å"the ability to monitor one’s own feelings and emotions, the ability to monitor the feelings and emotions of others, and to use this information to guide future thinking and action†, (Stone, Parker and Wood, 2004). To cope with emotional uncertainties, an individual relies on the competency of emotional intelligence. To cope with environmental uncertainties, an individual relies on the competency of emotional intelligence. The components of emotional intelligence are Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation and Empathy Social Skills. Emotional Intelligence in an organization. The current manager of the team is a nice, welcoming and harming person. He has been able to give room for the team members to air their different views and allow for each person’s views to be accommodated. This kind of democracy has given members of the team room to participate in all organizational matters. One of the weaknesses with the manager is that he is not able to build a strong teamwork spirit. This has been contributed with the fact that he has not put in place principles that can enable people to put aside their personal interest and concentrate on teamwork spirit. This has allowed many people to mix their personal matters with organizational matters. To be able to connect my team members to act as one team, the five principles of emotional intelligence are very important. First of all by self-awareness I will be able to know exactly my strength and weakness. I will have to try as much as possible to use my strength to achieve teamwork and control my weaknesses, it means having full self-regulation. Different situations leads to different mood, but as a team leader, personal moods should not prevail over the team sprit. Most of the goals of the team will only be achieved only if as a leader am motivated by building a strong organizational team and put aside such things as endeavor for money and prestige status. This will play an important role in motivating other employees to follow the example. It is also important put my self in other employee’s position so as to understand their emotions and help them to grow in the organization. This can all be achieved if as a leader in treat all the employees equally and develop a good communication with them. A team leader needs to have the ability to sway everyone’s emotions. â€Å"If people’s emotions are pushed towards the range of enthusiasm, performance can soar, if people are driven toward rancor and anxiety, they will be thrown off stride†, (Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee, 2004, pg5). this implies that the effect of a leadership role will go beyond only having a job well done. Therefore to apply the principles of emotional intelligence to achieve the organizational goals are important. For instance, the development of collective goals and objectives is important in an organization. This will enable all team members to put aside their personal endeavors to achieve organizational goals. Leaders can also be encouraged to instill â€Å"in others an appreciation of the importance of work activities; generating and maintaining enthusiasm, confidence, optimism, cooperation and trustencouraging flexibility in decision making and change; and establishing and maintaining a meaningful identity of the organization (Eintel Organization, N. d).

Technology: Killing Our Ability Of Writing

Technology: Killing Our Ability Of Writing As the technology advanced, people have changed the way of how they write. Haimran Julka, an article writer of The Economic Times mentions that there are about 245 million of Internet users in US. The number of Internet users is growing at an extraordinary pace. It can somewhat show how much the people like to write on the social media. The new generation is given much more opportunities than the old generation to write by social media. The social media provides an open platform to all people. We can broadcast our views to the world, potentially reaching millions of readers. As long as we are able to connect to the Internet, we are able to write on the social media at anytime and anywhere. Although the social media benefits us in some ways, we should concern to how the social media harms our ability on writing. Because of the everyday usage of social media, the social media has changed our writing style unknowingly. People start to adapt to the short writing style which is created by the social media and the new generation is writing much more words than the old generation. Since we are used to write short sentences on the social media, we change the way of formulate or express our thoughts. We have started to ignore what the basic requirements of writing a formal essay is. As time goes by, our ability of writing long and organized essays has been weakened. The first reminder is what the basic requirements of writing a formal essay are. Complete sentences, correct spelling, well organized and proper grammar should be the necessities. However, none of the above we can learn from writing on the social media. It is common that people would never write complex sentences on social media such as on Facebook status and on article comment. We never try to write a hundred words sharing on our opinions and feelings because no one is going to read that. Everyone prefers looking something short and easy to understand on the screen of technology; no one is going to concern about the spelling or grammar. If I feel sad today, probably I am going to write Bad Day or just put a crying face on my Facebook status. After few minutes, my friends will start to like my status. So, I never need to write a well-organized paragraph to explain what has happened, which makes me sad because no one actually cares. It is not surprising that the short writing style which is created by the social media can be discovered in many other places. When we are reading news on The Wall Street Journal, there are many different short issue summaries and articles for us to read. Once we finish reading an article, we can click the comments button to view the other readers comments and know how they think about the issue. The comments are usually short and not in complete sentences or sometimes even in point form. It cannot be denied that the short articles and comments can reduce our reading time and we can obtain the largest amount of information we need in the shortest time. However, we may feel difficult to elaborate our points or thoughts and write long essays since we are used to this kind of short writing style. Here is another example of short writing style on the social media. According to the New Media Writing, it says college students are fairly accustomed to the course blog, where they are expecte d to summarize responses to require readings, link to related articles, and comment on other students course blogs. It shows that we like to read and write summaries on the social media. Our time can greatly be saved because of the short writing style. On the other hand, our sense of writing long and organized essays is weakened unknowingly. Besides on website article, we also can find another good example of short writing style on the social media. Text messages often have limitation on the number of characters, so shortcuts are commonly used. Some educators think that the shortcuts damage the students ability of writing English. Jacquie Ream writes this on his book to support the educators: The kids arent learning to spell. Theyre learning acronyms and shorthand. Text messaging is destroying the written word. Students arent writing letters; theyre typing into their cell phones one line at a time. Feelings arent communicated with words when youre texting; emotions are sideways smiley faces. Kids are typing shorthand jargon that isnt even a complete thought (8). Everything we use on the social media is short: short forms, short summaries, short sentences and short opinions. We have greatly advanced in the technology of the internet and the technology helps us to save our time. Most of the information appears on the social media is short and it helps us to achieve the goal of time saving. The short writings on the social media help us to share information in a faster way. However, there is always give and take: we are now able to obtain faster communication and the information we want from the social media as soon as possible, on the other hand we are giving up our ability of writing long essays. Besides the short writing style, the massive amount of words which we have written on the social media also harms our writing skill. I find a saying which is mentioned in the Studies Explore Whether the Internet Makes Students Better Writers very impressive to me, why is it that with young people reading and writing more words than ever before in human history, we find no gains in reading and writing scores? (Keller). Here comes a question: we are writing far more words than the old generation, however, is our writing improving at the same time? Why do people write so much on the social media? Josh Keller has suggested a reason for that, since we have to communicate with others on the social media, it forces us to write more and more on the social media. Since the explosion of social networking service, our daily life has been connected to the Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and the other social media. On condition that there is accessible Wi-Fi, we can write every minute and every moment. There is free Wi-Fi everywhere now. No matter we are having our lunch at McDonald or we are doing window shopping in a mall, we can write on the social media with our smart phones. Besides the easy connection to the Internet, we like to write on the social media because there are no restrictions like sentence structure, spelling and grammar on the social media. In the past, once the people had graduated, they would not like to write unless their jobs demanded them to write (Thompson). We can discover an obvious change on our writing attitude. We are writing a lot of things on the social media but none of them is formal writing. Keep writing informal writings all the time cannot help us to produce a better official writing. The sharing we post on our Facebook or Blogs may look fine in our peers eyes but our professor may have no idea what we are talking about. The technology does a great effort on making writing easier by providing software to detect spelling and grammatical error. The technology brings us many conveniences but it also distracts our attention on the usage of words. We do not have to worry about the spelling because of the great invention of the spelling checker. The spelling checker helps us to correct our spelling by providing us similar vocabularies. We may find out that spelling has become a piece of cake. However, have you ever chosen the wrong word for your essay? Here is an example from Does Digital Media Makes Us Bad Writers?, I feel so necrotic, writes a college student. Well maybe he does have a bad case of dead tissue. Whats more likely is that he means neurotic, but his spelling checker insists on necrotic, so whats a student to do? (Karp). Suppose you are now in a similar situation, are you going to trust your spelling checker or are you going to believe in yourself? Choosing the wrong words has become a common writing mistake nowadays. A grammar checker functions in a similar manner. We are depending on too much on the technology and it weakens our awareness of word usage. From my point of view, this is why we are writing massive amount of words on the social media but our writing is not improving at the same time. Our writing quality cannot be improved by writing more words on the social media. Josh Keller mentions the condition when we are writing to our friends on the social media in his article, youre writing to other 17-year-old, so your vocabulary is going to be the conventional vocabulary of the 17-year-old idiom. We are using the same vocabulary to communicate with our friends on the social media every day, how can we practice our writing if we write just for fun but not for learning new items? Sometimes we may make mistake on our sentence structure, spelling or grammar when we are writing to our friends on the social media. However, our friends are not going to correct us. We will keep making the mistakes and it does not help us to improve our writing skill. According to Bad Student Writing? Not so Fast!, some people may argue that the new generation has developed a new style to share their feelings clearly on the social media while the old generation is still worrying the quality of the new generation (Fendrich). From my point of view, our writing quality has become worse because we are using the short writing style and writing too much on the social media. Its true that the social media provides us a greater opportunity to write: Facebook, simply blogging or e-mail. Also the technology makes the writing process much easier. We can now ignore the spelling and the usage of grammar with the help of the spelling checker and the grammar checker. However, the social media contributes no benefits on our writing skill but weakens our ability of writing long formal writings and word usage. We may think that it doesnt matter to have bad writing skill. As long as we are not going to become a writer, everything will be good. The fact is that bad writing skill can affect our job opportunity and job performance. It is because good writing skill can build up a good first impression to the hiring managers, show our communication skill and enhance our credibility. How do the hiring managers give the first impressions to the job seekers? The managers obtain the first impressions by reading the job seekers application letters. Our ability to write complete sentences, spell correct words, and use the proper grammar plays an important role in building our personal brand. We can build up a good image to our potential employers if we have strong writing skill. Imagine you are now a job seeker. If you receive an e-mail which asks you to attend a job interview, are you going to answer the e-mail in this way #1: Dear Ms. Simko: Thank you for contacting me. Friday at 2:30 P.M. will work well for me. I appreciate your interest in me as a candidate and I look forward to meeting you on Friday! Best Regards, Bob or in this way #2: Sounds great! See you then (Simko). The short writing style #2 is always not suitable for communicating with someone professionally. Besides affecting our image, our writing skill can also reflect our communication skill. In Why Writing Matters, it shows the relationship between our writing skill and communication skill: Good students must be able to understand and then synthesize the information from a variety of sources, both primary and secondary. Once they synthesize information, they must spread it to others effectively. With new forms of communication in our changing society, we must adapt. Web pages, e-mail and text messaging now exist alongside traditional forms of communication such as print journalism and books. It becomes more important to learn good writing skills in order to compose effective web pages, cover letters and even e-mails. These new forms of communication require foundational skills in writing (Thomas). Writing is one of the main ways we communicate with each other at work. Businesses produce many documents: contracts, proposals, and employee handbooks. We have to make sure every party understands the same thing. The construction of the sentences, the choice of the vocabulary, and the usage of grammar that we made help us to clarify the documents. If our documents are well written, we can prevent misunderstanding among different parties and our working performance can be improved. Good writing skill can enhance our credibility. Customer confidence is a key factor of getting success. We all want our customers to think that we are credible. In order to gain our customers trust, we have to show that we are willing to communicate with them with good writing quality. Although good writing doesnt increase the reliability of our products or services, it shows that we are making efforts to communicate with our customers (Rose). Judy Rose, in her article, says, when letters and documents are thoughtfully written and well executed, they say several things about your company: (1) we strive toward excellence in all things; (2) we know what were talking about; (3) you can be confident in our abilities. If you can make that kind of an impression on the people you do business with, youve done your company a valuable service. It shows clearly how good writing skill works on businesses. Bad writing skill does not only damage our academic score but also damage our future job opportunity and performance. People always think of the positive side of the social media. As what I have mentioned in this paper, it is no doubt that the social media benefits us in some ways. The social media provides an open platform to everyone, people can write as much as they want at anytime and anywhere. However we should pay really close attention to how the new media harms our ability on writing. As a business student, I really care about how my writing skill may affect my future career. I thought bad writing skill might only harm my academic score. I was totally wrong. While I was doing my researches, I realized how important the writing skill was. My writing skill doesnt only affect the score of my English classes. It also reflects my image, communication skill and credibility and it can make negative impacts on my future career. I dont mean that we shouldnt write on the social media anymore. While we are writing on the social media, we should also keep an eye on how the social media affects our writi ng skill. We should not allow the social media makes us become unskilled writers and harms our future life.

Essay on Myth of the Fortunate Fall in John Milton’s Paradise Lost

Myth of the Fortunate Fall in Paradise Lost  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   From this descent / Celestial Virtues rising, will appear / More glorious . . . than from no fall. (ii. 14-16)1These are Satan's words to the fallen angels in Paradise Lost. Satan claims that their fall from Heaven will seem like a "fortunate fall," in that their new rise to power will actually be "more glorious" than if they had stayed in Heaven all the while. Can we, as fallen humans, possibly make Satan's words our own, even if it is not our own work but God's that causes our "rising"; or, if we do claim a "fortunate fall," have we been beguiled by Satan to rejoice in our fallen state? While it is common among beguiled critics to claim that Paradise Lost presents the Fall as fortunate, in fact the Fall is much less fortunate than these critics presume.    Millicent Bell is among the beguiled, but he starts off with a vital point that is too easily forgotten. What does the narrative make explicit about the Fall? "The bare story makes no mystery of it. It was infinite disaster."2 From the beginning of the epic we learn that the Fall "Brought death into the world, and all our woe" (i. 3). It "brought into this world a world of woe,/Sin and her shadow Death, and misery/Death's harbinger" (ix. 11-13). We learn that Eve, after leaving Adam to go her own way in Eden (just before the Fall) "never from that hour in Paradise/Found'st either sweet repast, or sound repose" (ix. 406-07). Eve's Fall is a great calamity for the world (ix. 782-84); so is Adam's, completing the original sin (ix. 1003). The couple's early reactions to their sin include disgust, shame, lust, and scorn for the earth (ix. 1010 ff.). The woe of Satan, too, is "perpetual" (ii. 861) and "eternal" (iv... ...s that Paradise is where she and Adam are together, so that an Eden without Adam would be no Paradise at all (xii. 615-17). 15. Bell (878-79) asserts that Milton could not have understood Raphael's words about education and spiritual uplift without tying them to the harshness of error and suffering; though I disagree, Bell's general point stands: as a fallen human the life of righteous suffering is the only good one that Milton could have had true sympathy for. On the other hand, in the context of the epic, Frank Kermode and Barbara Lewalski recognize that in Paradise Lost we yet know nothing of this inner paradise with which to compare it to Eden (we have only Michael's word): "The paradise of Milton's poem is the lost, the only true paradise, we confuse ourselves . . . if we believe otherwise" (Kermode, "Adam Unparadised," Elledge 603-04; cf. Lewalski 270).

Preserving the Fall :: Personal Narrative Nature Seasons Papers

Preserving the Fall Starts with a photograph, a frame of reference. Steve seems deeply meditative, sitting cross-legged, hands exploring some invisible blade of grass, plucking some wildflower blossom from its stem. Eyes downcast, content, absorbed in this task of dissecting nature, shredding it. Curved back, sunlight painted onto the sleeve of his sweater, the sweater I borrowed to go hiking in the Sierras, both of our knobby joints contributing to its decay around the elbows, gray, true to its color even in black and white. He was warm that day, I imagine. The background: Middle Run–the largely unexplored natural area of Newark, DE–again. It is a field here, used in some months to grow straw, but is flanked by forest, contained by it. I would always come here on Sunday afternoons, looking for adventure, recruiting one or two friends to be the subject of my photography. I never tired of this game, of making the hike to that hidden field, of placing people in that context, nestled among bales of hay, stiff grass, those horizons, sudden leaps from sky to straw, straw to trees. Transitions. Changes. Weekend to weekday, human to nature, past to future. The cornfields there remain unexplored territory. I understand that they are part of an experiment, that the University of Delaware agricultural science department studies these plants’ genes, breeds them, cross-pollinates. They hope to find the perfect stalk of corn, the highest yielding, the most nutritious kernels. I too must experiment, must search out something of greater quality. Certain seasons find the corn healthy, tall and strong. Productive. They give this place a sense of life, hope. At other times, only wilted stalks remain, consumed by the threat of decay, crackling the sounds of death, of loss and cold beneath heavily traipsing feet. This many dead plants are arresting, an assault to the visual sense and sense of gravity, of time, one I would like to capture in a photograph. I have come to this place in all seasons, have thrown snowballs, run barefoot in the grass here. But I always picture it in Fall, associate it with cyclical death. It is strange to love, to come back to this time the most, strange to find solace in the thoughts of leaves falling, disintegrating, of declining temperatures, shortening days, and the stark emptiness of the suddenly and awkwardly naked forest.

Coral Reefs Essay -- Environment, Global Degradation

Coral reefs have been undergoing global degradation due to increasing natural and anthropogenic impacts for at least the last half-century. The intensity and frequency of stressors, including global climate change, have rapidly increased in number over recent years (Hughes & Connell 1999; Hoegh-Guldberg et al. 2007; Pandolfi et al. 2011). Frequent disturbances such as hurricanes/cyclones, predation outbreaks, diseases and mass bleaching events eat-away at the percent of living coral cover and without recovery, the available space is colonized by sponges, soft corals, and macroalgae. These alternative organisms are often competitive dominants in less than ideal conditions (Norstrà ¶m et al. 2009). The transition is termed a phase-shift from a coral-dominated landscape to one that is dominated by other benthic organisms. Phase-shifts are also often associated with low-herbivory (from disease and/or overfishing) and nutrient enrichment (from run-off and coastal eutrophication)(see Re lative Dominance Model in Littler et al. 2006; 2009). The resilience of particular coral species to recover and/or resist disturbance and subsequent phase-shifts may be indicative of which coral reefs are more or less imperiled. Macroalgae are frequently the competitive dominant driving phase-shifts, thus â€Å"coral-macroalgal phase-shifts† is widely used to describe unusually low-levels of coral cover and a persistent state of high macroalgal cover. There have been a number of studies and reviews describing the negative effects of macroalgae and phase-shifts on coral reefs (Done 1992; Hughes & Connell 1999; Hughes et al. 2003; Hughes et al. 2007; McCook et al. 2001; McManus & Polsenberg 2004; Birrell et al. 2008; Bruno et al. 2009). Potential competitive... ...(SML) microbial samples were collected in Belize, the Florida Keys, and St. Thomas U.S.V.I. along interaction gradients between two ubiquitous Caribbean corals (Montastraea faveolata and Porites astreoides), and their interaction with foliose brown macroalgae (Dictyota menstrualis), and calcareous green macroalgae (Halimeda opuntia). These macroalgae were chosen because they are known to reduce coral growth rates, increase coral tissue mortality, and produce potent allelochemicals that are active against coral reef microorganisms (Ballantine et al. 1987; Lirman 2001; Beach et al. 2003; Rashar & Hay 2010; Morrow et al. 2011). We show that macroalgae can shift M. faveolata microbial assemblages more readily than P. astreoides. We also found that coral microbial assemablages of both species were less stable in Florida than at Belize or St. Thomas sampling sites.

The Effects of Colonization in Africa

While Africans were deprived of basic human rights in some regions and lost many of their cultural aspects, these characteristics were overridden by industrialization, more job opportunities, and improved political structure during the European colonization of Africa from late 19th to mid-20th century. In document 5, it states â€Å"when the whites came to our country, we had the land and they had the Bible; now we have the Bible and they have the land,† an African proverb regarding the Europeans. Through missionaries, Africans gained the trade network and interracial relations, and Europeans expanded their territories as a result.The cheap labor force and raw materials were sent back to the mainland to be finished. The surplus goods from Europe were then sold in higher prices to Africans who could afford it (doc. 2). However, the natives were not always guaranteed equality (doc. 8), thus creating tension. Furthermore, there was friction among different tribes within a colony, due to the fact they were in the same location (doc. 11). Yet, it had a positive impact on economics as well. In some parts of Africa, one woman stated that the people were fortunate to be treated well compared to other parts.They were rewarded goods for their work, and the word â€Å"slavery† was abolished (doc. 6). The railroad was constructed for transporting the materials. Also, different tribes developed irrigation systems, and learned the use of the domestic animals, manure, and mechanical work (doc. 3). Additionally, people were taught different skills such as mining and blacksmithing. Some argued that this is forced, but it is rationalized that the natives are savages, therefore it was for their own good (doc. 1). In addition to economics, Europe brought political stability.From the Europeans’ perspective, the new government implemented by Europeans guaranteed the protection of people and their possessions (doc. 9). The tug-of-war (doc. 4) between the nations shows how it affected a colony’s political system. Thanks to the railroad, the government can oversee their colonies efficiently (doc. 7) while using militarism when needed (doc. 10), protecting their own colonies. Documents that would be helpful are from the ruling class for better understanding of its influence on the social hierarchy.

The pros and cons in combating hiv/aids among its south african workforce

Anglo Americans constitute a highly recognized and profitable mining company in the world, operating in more than 50 countries including South Africa. Other than its objective of high financial goals the company has developed five development principles sustainably and one of these is creating a meaningful and safe environment for a healthy working atmosphere, for instance the effort in HIV/AIDS prevention program (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc 2007).Due to a high number of the company workers (about 62%) being based in South Africa mining fields (a place with high rate of HIV infections), it became then significant because HIV infection became a serious health and operation stress threat in this mining area.Due to high infections within the strong working forces, sick individuals are usually absent from duties, cost of treatment and hospitalization increases and this leads to the general decline in the productivity.Necessity for a business action was made more critical on the i dea that there is failure of the African governments to arrest HIV virus spread due to poor and infective national prevention programs such as anti-retro viral (ART) usage for infected individuals of whom a very low percentage (about 23%) receives it according to world Health Organization estimates.Anglo Americans strategies in combating HIV/AIDS in the South African working forceThe company developed policies in the HIV infection control program and this was targeted on zero rating of three functions; new HIV infections, zero / any sickness or death of its employees from AIDS and Zero chances of employees giving birth to HIV positive children.To achieve these targets a framework was laid and this suggested that, there will be no tolerance to discrimination, stigmatization or human rights breach on the basis of HIV/AIDS infections within its workers.This follows dynamic HIV prevention programs, including voluntary counseling and testing, provision of free Anti-retro viral drugs to t he infected, involvement of the other partners in their programs for instance non-governmental organizations, the government and international sponsors and by lastly doing an evaluation and monitoring program on the achievement of these laid targets.

Movie the Bucket List

The Bucket List is a movie all about two men who live their lives as if they are going to be gone tomorrow. It’s a movie about two men with cancer that share a hospital room from both having cancer. When finding out they do not have much longer to live, decide that they are going to pursue a bucket list that one of the men had made. The two men Edward and Carter are complete opposites. Carter is a mechanic that has been married for forty-five years and has two children. Edward has tons of money and has been divorced four times, with a daughter that no longer talks to him. He owns the hospital that the two men end up in with the motto he stands by â€Å"Two beds to a room, no exceptions. † This motto is what caused him ending up in a room with Carter which he did not like at all at first. The one thing that brings them together is knowing they have to live their lives up and do what they have always wanted to do before dying. They became best friends unexpectedly and did more in their last few months before dying then some people can say they have done in their entire lifetime. You should always live your life as if you are going to die tomorrow. Not in the sense that you should be miserable thinking your never going to be able to see the next day, but you should make your life the best it can be. This is what I have learned from The Bucket List, that you need to live each moment like it is your last. Some people never get the chance to find out when they will die and they do not always get to accomplish things in their life that they would like to do. However, some people would not like to know the date that they will no longer be around. Dieing is scary, and when you know when your going to, some people take it hard and instead of making the best of it, they get depressed and do nothing else with their life. This movie in a sense shows you need to make the best of it. Making a bucket list would be a good idea, so you know what you would like to get accomplished before you do â€Å"kick the bucket. † Making your life as joyful, fun and enjoyable as you can is important. The Bucket List was not made just to be about two men that are dying from cancer, but to set an example to live your life to its highest potential. Yes, the men do have cancer and are not going to live for years, but they get to accomplish what they would like to do. They go to Egypt, traveling the world, skydiving, race fast cars and eventually Edward meets up with his daughter again and granddaughter. Do not hold grudges with anyone, because you never know when something might happen and you do not have a chance to fix it. When you get a chance to do something fun, do it. Travel the country, see places and things you have never seen. Do not just lay around dying trying to comfort everyone around you when at the time you cannot even find it in you to comfort yourself. Cancer, of course is sad, painful and a tragic experience no one wants to have to deal with in their family. But the hidden meaning in the movie would be that even though you know your going to die, do not just lay around waiting for it to happen. You can still find it in yourself to have a little more fun. I do not believe I have found as much joy in my life as I would like. My childhood has been great and my family is more amazing than I would be able to ask for. However, I am only eighteen, I would like to get married, have children of my own, finish college, and travel the world. If I was to pass today, I would not think that my life would have been complete. There is still huge areas of my life that I would like to go through before I never get the chance to again. These two men make a great bucket list, one that has some things I would personally like to accomplish as well. My life has brought joy to my family, I know my parents were ecstatic when I was born, but I want to bring joy to my own family. My kids, my husband, hopefully even my grandchildren, will eventually be brought joy by myself. This is something I could only hope to have happen. The Bucket List, although is a sad movie, has its joyful and funny moments. It sets a life example to get out and do some exciting things with your life. And a deadline is the perfect way to get your butt out to do them.

Mergers and Joint Mergers Essay

The following paragraphs will discuss week four’s readings that covered vertical mergers, horizontal mergers, conglomerates, and joint ventures. Companies use mergers and joint ventures to increase profitability and efficiency. The following paper will go over the three alliances as well as a joint venture and how it differs from the mergers. Each business arrangement is used to attempt an improvement for the company, the important thing to remember is which will be most beneficial and why. A horizontal merger occurs when two competing companies in the same market joins together to become one firm or one identity. The two companies could have an influence on the competitive market if the companies have a large percentage of that market. The result of the two companies combine will be an increased advantage over their competitors. If the two groups are joining together are small businesses, they could have little to no advantage over their competitors in the market. For example, if two unknown mobile cellular companies merge to increase their services and products, the affect on the existing market could be minimal. If two well-known mobile providers such as â€Å"Apple and Samsung† combine in the market of mobile cellular phones and different accessories, it would give them an advantage over their competitors because of their popularity. The companies have a larger impact on the market at this time with the latest IPhone and Samsung Galaxy.  Therefore; a competitor has a large percentage in the market would decrease barriers of entry for new competitors. A vertical merger occurs when two companies that are next to each other on the supply-chain decide to become one entity and use it as a way to gain a competitive advantage within the marketplace. For instance, a manufacturer merging with a supplier of essential components or raw materials or with a distributor or retailer that sells its products. The goal of vertical mergers is to improve efficiency or reduce costs. Vertical mergers can help to secure access to critical supplies and help to reduce overall costs by eliminating the costs of finding suppliers, negotiating deals, and paying full market prices. It can improve efficiency by synchronizing production and supply between the two groups and ensuring that supplies are available when you need them. A vertical merger can help deal with competitors by making it difficult for competitors to obtain vital supplies, therefore, weakening existing competitors and increasing barriers to the entry of new competitors. Let’s take a look at the technology advancement implemented for the creation of a new iPhone. Apple will merge with the suppliers and distributors for the benefit of having the production accessible for the company when manufacturing and distributing the product. In the world of business, there are times when companies can merge in order to expand their operations in other markets, and possibly lower the risk of the company by doing so. Combining activities, which in turn, will increase their efficiency, can eliminate redundancy between the two organizations. At times, this merger can involve corporations that offer entirely different services or products. These types of mergers are referred to as conglomerate mergers. A conglomerate is â€Å"a corporation that is made up of a number of different, seemingly unrelated activities. In a conglomerate, one company owns a controlling stake in a number of smaller companies, which conduct business separately. Each of a conglomerate’s subsidiary companies runs independently of the other business divisions, but the subsidiaries’ management reports to senior management at the parent company.† (investopedia.com). Some examples of conglomerate mergers viewed between Proctor & Gamble and Gillette, Walt Disney and the American Broadcasting  Company, and ITT, Avis Rent-a-Car, Sheraton Hotels and Continental Baking. To the typical consumer, mergers like the ones listed above do not make sense, but it the world of business; there are positive benefits for all parties involved. Unlike a merger, a joint venture does not require dissolution of their original business or change the organizational structure, but rather two business entities join forces to undertake a single project or aspect of business. The only similarity between the two is that they both include two business entities joining together. A joint merger is a short-term partnership in which the persons jointly undertake a transaction for mutual profit as well as each person contributes assets and share risks. Joint ventures can also be used by companies to gain entrance into foreign markets. Microsoft entered into a joint venture with NBC to create MSNBC. The two companies ventured to bring business news to the television and online. While the two are joins as one for MSNBC, Microsoft and NBC have their companies. Microsoft has their business market in online products and technology. NBC has their television broadcasting network. The two businesses do not affect each other. The two companies maintain ownership of the entity. When two or more companies agree to combine into one entity, it will be referred to as a horizontal, vertical, or conglomerate merger. On the other hand, when two or more businesses enter into a joint venture for a specific object will not incorporate the companies as one. The companies will be able to work together for the new entity, but their overall concept of their business will remain the same. Meaning the companies can perform their business separately from the joint venture. References: Joint venture, (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/joint_venture Mergers vs. Joint Ventures: What’s the Difference? (2012). Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/office/entrepreneurs/articles/82448.aspx Kim, E. (2012), CNNMoney: Retrieved by http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/16/technology/microsoft-nbc-split/index.htm Scilly, M. (2014), Houston Chronicle: Difference between Mergers and Joint Ventures, Retrieved from:www.smallbusiness.chron.com

Why US should keep sugar quotas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why US should keep sugar quotas - Essay Example This agreement came to benefit most countries, as they could readily export their sugar to the US where sugar price was higher than in the world market. When sugar from other countries flooded the US market, the availability was higher than the demand and the result was a drastic fall in the prices of sugar. To redress the situation, the government had to intervene to reduce the quotas to be imported from each country. Taking such a measure was to protect the sugar industry as well as the farmers and producers of sugar. The government also ensured that if sugar falls below a set price per pound, it would by the sugar so that farmers are guaranteed a minimum price. With the NAFTA agreement reached in 19942, there have been a number of analyses to show that if care is not taking, then the US would witness dumping in the sugar market. Particularly worrying about this is issue is Mexico. It has been shown that as trade barriers fell with the creation of the NAFTA, U.S. exports of high-fructose corn syrup would flow into Mexico, and soft-drink makers in Mexico would start using high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener instead of sugar.

Military Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Military Strategy - Essay Example In the case of the War on Terror by the United States and its allies, non-state actors refer to organisations actively pursuing or having war with the United States. There are a number of these organisations which involve themselves in terrorism in trying to attain their objectives, for example Hezbollah and al-Qaeda. These two are called non-state actors because they are organisations whose aims are far higher than the aims of normally recognized nation-states. And they pursue their goals through terrorism like suicide bombings, sabotage and all sorts of creating panic and fear against their enemies. In the current controversy over Iran’s nuclear programme in which Iran categorically denies that it is building nuclear weapons, various scenarios can happen. As a deterrent, the United States wants to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities. Now Iran is trying to close the Strait of Hormuz, to block the flow of commerce in the region. But when the United States stops Iranâ€⠄¢s blockage of this important sea channel, it can push through and go as far as bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities. As the US bombs Iran, Iran will instruct Hezbollah to conduct suicide bombing against Israel but US bombing will force Iran to stop Hezbollah from retaliating. Hezbollah, a militant organisation whose aims are for the advancement of the Palestinian people who are living along the Gaza Strip in Israel, may or may not provoke Israel. This is because Iran can stop it to continue attacking Israel through suicide bombing while at the same time convincing the US to stop the bombing. But it is a different story with Hezbollah in the field of battle. Hezbollah can be deterred only when it concerns the Palestinians. On the other hand, if groups like the al Qaeda were given the chance to possess nuclear weapons, they won’t hesitate to use these weapons against America or the United Kingdom, and Israel. Terrorist groups may not anymore be content of killing thousand s of Americans or the enemies they call ‘infidels’, but millions, and they use the Quran to justify their murderous desire. Deterrence is the only way wherein the United States and its allies can stop these terrorists. And deterrence means looking after every terrorist ‘cell’, which is just waiting for the right time to move and pull the trigger. Iran and other terrorist groups have long desired to manufacture nuclear weapons. The only way this can be stopped is through deterrent actions. Al-Qaeda has been stopped – at least temporarily – with the killing of their leader Osama bin Laden. An example of deterrent is denying rights to suspected terrorists. Rosenberg cites an instance wherein Homeland Security denied suspected terrorists entry into the U.S. and that action actually saved lives. There was this guy who was stopped from entering the U.S. border because an agent didn’t feel that he was legitimate. The U.S. Homeland Security fou nd, two years later, that he was a suicide bomber. His hands were found attached to the steering wheel after a suicide truck bombing in Iraq. The U.S. authorities in Iraq took the fingerprints from those hands and ran them through the Homeland Security database to see who he was. They identified the man and confirmed that he had tried to enter U.S. territories but had been refused (Rosenberg 137). 2. War Termination   It s said that when a war ends, there are no victors, only losers. The metaphor to this saying is that both sides are

The Dangers Of Cell Phones For Human Health Essay

The Dangers Of Cell Phones For Human Health - Essay Example Supporters of cell phones say that cell phones provide us with a number of facilities, such as ease of communication, neighborhood crime watch, use in emergencies, and use as reminders. However, there also exist some risks regarding the use of cell phones. Some of the risks include road accidents, increased number of crimes, and weakening of eardrums. Today, almost every person keeps a cell phone in the car while traveling because a cell phone has become one of the major necessities of life. Use of cell phone while driving may result in slower braking reactions, slower reactions to traffic signals, and difficulties in making quick decisions. If we compare the ratio of road accidents that used to occur in a year before the 2000s with today, we come to know that the ratio of road accidents due to use of cell phones during driving has been increased by 75 to 80 percent approximately. â€Å"In a study done in April 2006, it was found that 80% of car crashes involved the driver not paying attention right before the accident† (Russell). The reason is that cell phones distract the driver’s attention, which results in road accidents. â€Å"According to several resources, every year, about 21% critical vehicle crashes happen due to cellphone use and require teens among age party 16 to 19 ages† (He). Supporters of cell phones say that cell phones do not take much attention of the users; rather they make people more responsible as they have to take care of themselves and other people while on road. However, this viewpoint is very illogical because accidents just need a little negligence to occur and that negligence can take place at any stage of cell phone use. Cell phones also create risks for health. Excessive use of cell phones can affect our eardrums and can cause skin cancer as well. Today, a large number of young adults use a hands-free system to hear songs from their cell phones.

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 99

Case Study Example Resistance is likely, as was the case of Cisco, and unless an organization has an effective leader who can initiate and influence implementation of the organizational structure, emulation is likely to fail. The organizational structure allows for exchange of ideas among employees and executives and therefore offers opportunities for developments into competitive advantage. Product differentiation and low cost products are some of the advantages that the organizational structure may initiate. Innovation into new â€Å"product design,† product reengineering, â€Å"product innovation,† and new operational procedures for cost effectiveness are some the strategies to competitive advantages that the organizational structure aids (Lamb, Hair, and McDaniel 41). Development of models for product differentiation and niche definition are other positive effects of the innovative environment, which the organizational structure facilitate, and aid competitive advantage. With its organizational structure, Cisco is likely to attract team players as employees. Such type of employees demonstrates qualities such as reliability, communication skills, proactive, cooperative, committed, respectful, and supportive (Brounstein n.p.). This prediction does not bode well with the future, as the new generation of workers prefers independence in

Healthcare finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Healthcare finance - Assignment Example Variability in contribution further implies variability in marginal cost equation because contribution is an element of the equation. In addition, contribution has direct impact on profit and change in the environment, with volume remaining constant, means lower profit to volume ration because of lower contribution. Further, reduced marginal cost, due to discount the discounted fee for service environment shifts the break-even point. Consequently, contribution influences change in the other three elements of the analysis (Gapenski, 2008). Ability to identify factors to cost is one of the important attributes of cost drivers. This allows for cost determination and ability to control costs. Another important attribute of an effective cost driver, which transcends to effectiveness of cost allocation, is the ability to identify the level at which cost occur, a feature that facilitate understanding of costs and their control (Gapenski, 2008; Kinney and Raiborn,

Economic Indicator Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic Indicator Paper - Essay Example For instance, the prevailing value of the American Real GDP, when calculated in relation to the year 2000 is approximately 12,000 billion dollars. GDP is a leading economic indicator and it usually rises before an upturn in real GDP and falls before a downturn in real GDP. Real GDP is also quite handy when it comes to predicting changes in the housing industry in the immediate future. Alongside such indicators as stock prices, average weekly hours worked in industries and housing starts, the trends set by real GDP can have a bearing on the overall health of the housing industry. Housing starts are defined as the number of residential units on which construction is started every month. Housing starts are a key economic indicator that determines the health and future direction of the Housing industry. Usually though, an increase in housing starts indicates an increase in economic growth. The following chart published by the U.S.Bureau of the Census gives a historical perspective of housing starts. According to a credible industry expert, â€Å"housing starts fell to six percent in August of 2007 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.665 million, while permits fell 2.3 percent from July and for the seventh consecutive month to a 1.722 million level. The August 2006 permit level was the lowest in 4 years. The month-over-month August starts decline occurred in both the single-family (-5.9%) and multifamily (-6.7%) sectors and in three out of the 4 Census regions, the exception being the Northeast†. These statistics mean that the housing industry is slated for a slowdown in the near future. Furthermore, with fears of an impending recession of the general economy, housing industry is also set to suffer to the extent. Mortgage is a loan given to an individual or a corporation on the basis of the value of a house, building or any other

Riordan Manufacturing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Riordan Manufacturing - Essay Example The first and the foremost requirement is to keep track of the information regarding past sales and this is deemed important as it helps keep track of the income and sales in addition to enabling the company to provide better services to the customer. Another important aspect is that the migration towards the CRM system will reduce the storage costs by huge margins. In addition to storing information concerning past sales, the company is also desirous of having all details concerned with market surveys to be stored in the new information system that is proposed to be developed as it enabled the company to refer past trends with ease and accuracy thereby enabling it to take the appropriate decisions. A major requirement of the new software system is that it must provide an integrated environment wherein all salespersons would be able to maintain their individual information, but the data would always be available so that need of the customer can be better anticipated. The company is also desirous of using the new system that is

My chosen product Essay Example for Free

My chosen product Essay My chosen product is a Philips Plasma Screen TV. This is my SWOT analysis for this electronic product. Strengths: Flat screen plasma TVs are becoming increasingly popular and as this certain product includes stand and speakers as standard meaning its a bargain. Weakness: There are a large range of different plasma screens available meaning customers are spoilt for choice. This includes competition with rival plasma producers all competing to be sold. Opportunities: Philips are continually producing new quality stands and screens allowing them to offer more products to potential buyers. Threats: Competition posed to Philips by other large organisations such as Sony are the biggest threat. This is due to them both competing for a large share of the same market. Section 4: Stakeholders Richer sounds main stakeholders are: Customers are existing customers. They have a relationship with the organisation as their link is that they buy the products or the services. Employees rely on the business for employment so therefore have a relationship with the business. Suppliers take orders from the business making sales, this they are stakeholders. Sponsors (of the organisation) pay money to associate the name of their product or business with an event or person. The bankers of the business lend money to company therefore making them an important stakeholder within the organisation. All the above stakeholders are interested in the business as they rely on their activities and trades to keep their organisation running. An example of this is suppliers, without taking orders from the business; they will not make any profit, which may lead the organisation to shut down. [M2] When businesses are faced with concerned stakeholders, they have a choice of either taking action, or not. The decision taken will usually depend on the power of the stakeholder group, the issue the group has raised, or the effect of any action taken upon other stakeholder groups. As every business has a main aim to survive, its usually sensible for businesss to respond to stakeholders concerns. Lack of consideration may lead to boycotts, which will decrease profits. An example of this is when Greenpeace called for a boycott of Shell petrol with the result of sales falling by approximately 50%. This is also a problem for Richer Sounds as its part of the large sound and vision market, meaning loss of profit may cause Richer Sounds to fall and become bottom of the market. If this happened Richer Sounds competitors would have an increased profit, making it harder for Richer Sounds to recover. However if the organisation chooses to do nothing about the issue it may at times damage the business by boycotts which eventually lead to profit lose. Taking action against these concerns may benefit the business, however bearing that no business will ever be able to please all its stakeholders all the time. If Richer Sounds was faced with this problem, they could choose to either face or sort the problem, or to ignore it. In my opinion, Richer Sounds should tackle and face the problem, because consequences could be fatal (such as boycotts). An example of this was when Greenpeace boycotted Shells Fuel organisation, resulting in loss of approximately 50% in profit. Richer Sounds keeps up very well with changing technology thus it must also keep up with all other external influences such as, economical factors. Richer sounds are affected by a range of economical factors including exchange rates. This is due to the fact that Richer Sounds buys a large share of their stock abroad. When Richer Sounds makes purchases form Europe, the price usually depends on the value of the pound relating in relation to the euro. Richer Sounds always benefits if the pound is stronger, thus the goods cost less. However if the pound is falling in value, Richer sounds then have to take this into consideration as the goods are then more expensive. Richer sounds might successfully adapt its activities, by simply watching the changes in money rates and the strength of the pound to the euro. Another factor that also affects Richer sounds is the level of prices. If the general level of prices increases, then Richer sounds will be forced to increase there prices as well. When prices are increased then competition also gets heated. However, the prices of electrical goods have fallen over the last few years, thus allowing Richer sounds to become more competitive then ever. To help combat these problems Richer Sounds may choose to keep record of the prices and sales, as it may help them predict whether the prices of certain products may increase or decrease.

White Privilege in Politics Essay Example for Free

White Privilege in Politics Essay What is White Privilege one may ask? White Privilege is the ideological assumption and belief based in political practices placing white people and communities in position of privilege financially, politically, socially and educationally. In the book Race, Class, and Gender in the United States, written by Paula S. Rothenberg, it focuses on the time that white privilege came about politically. Donald G. Baker, in his book Politics of Race, talks about the restrictions against the Blacks. Manning Marable, in his book Beyond Black White, he focuses on elected Black officials over the years. With the help from these three books the reader will be able to see the huge amount of white privilege in political issues over the years to the present, where there are still an insufficient amount of African-Americans in politics. Rothenberg introduces white privilege when it is first of a political fashion. It was first used in a political way when White servants were given their freedom at the end of their indenture, but the Black servants were not. Whites but not Africans had to be given their freedom dues at the end of their indenture (p. 33). Whites were given more rights then Blacks. They had the right to bear arms and the right of self-defense. White servants could own livestock, while the Black servants could not. The White servants were also given the easier things to do. Blacks were not allowed to have their own family, while Whites had the right to control their wives. White men were given the right to control their women without elite interference; Blacks as slaves were denied the right to family at all since family would mean that slave husbands, not owners, controlled wives (p. 33). All of the African women were considered laborers, while the White women were just considered the keeper of mens homes. It was illegal to whip naked White men, but a person may inflict as much pain as they want onto a Black man. So, a person can see how white privilege in politics was first used, and that Blacks had basically no rights. Baker focuses on when the black slaves were given their freedom. They were free, but there were laws and restrictions basically stating that they werent a citizen. As the number of free blacks grew, there were more restrictions set for them. Many cities didnt want to have anything to do with the free blacks and some banned blacks from entering their cities: Many colonies during the eighteenth century took steps to prevent the manumission of slaves, to force out any free blacks who might be in residence, and to bar any other free blacks from entering (p. 54). Baker states that some blacks were active in politics, but none could vote: Blacks were politically active, but restrictions were usually placed on their voting privileges (p. 54). Also blacks werent able to testify against whites: Blacks, including free blacks, were generally barred from testifying against whites (p.54). So, blacks werent given any rights back then and werent seen as equals. Marable first points out that thirty years ago there were barely one hundred black officials and only five African-Americans served in Congress. Also he states that the number of black mayors of U. S. towns and cities was zero. the number of elected black officials nationwide was barely one hundred; the number of African-Americans in Congress was five; and the number of blacks serving as mayors of US cities and towns of all sizes was zero (p.205). Marable then says that today there is over forty African-Americans serving in the U. S. Congress and over another eight thousand have government positions. Today, forty African-Americans sit in the US Congress; more than forty African-Americans are mayors; and over eight thousand blacks have been elected to government positions (p. 205). Although there has been a major increase of black representation, African-American officials, elected and appointed, only make up 2 per cent throughout the nation. Even in areas with a high population of African-Americans, there are few or no elected black officials. In dozens of counties with substantial black constituencies, there are few or no African-American elected officials (p. 205). Blacks are underrepresented within the electoral structure of power and decision making in the U. S. Marable then states that many of the African-American elected officials have what he calls responsibility without authority. His example is that many of the black mayors have little control or authority over local governmental bureaucracies. This can lead to a decline in voter registration and political participation rates. So, over the years the numbers of black officials has risen, but still isnt too high. In conclusion, white privilege in politics has come a long way, through years of slavery and the African-Americans trying to gain their freedom to become equals with the Whites. There is still white privilege in politics to this day and the Blacks are slowly making there way to becoming more involved in the U. S. Congress and the government. People need to understand that this is a very diverse country of many ethnic backgrounds and cultures, and that one day white privilege in politics will be abolished and an African-American is going to be President. Works Cited Baker, Donald G. Politics of Race. Lexington, Mass. : Lexington Books. 1975. Marable, Manning. Beyond Black and White. New York, NY: Verso. 1995. Rothenberg, Paula S. Race, Class, and Gender in the United States. 6th edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers, 2001.

Jacques Cousteau And The Ocean Film Studies Essay

Jacques Cousteau And The Ocean Film Studies Essay Imagine a world without oxygen. A dangerous world few have seen and few will ever see. A world filled with colors as bright as a rainbow and blackness as dark as any cave. A world with strange, never before seen creatures everywhere, waiting to be discovered. This is the Ocean. This is the world of Jacques Cousteau. Cousteau worked hard to make this ocean world more accessible to the world. He created movies, books, and films to allow everyone to see what lies beneath the oceans surface. He even invented new devices to allow people to go there. Making major advances in scuba diving and raising the publics awareness are just two of the ways Jacques Cousteau revolutionized ocean exploration. Jacques Cousteau made major advancements in scuba diving. Of his advances, his greatest was the invention of the Aqua-Lung. Before Cousteaus invention, diving gear consisted of airtight suits with lead boots, steel helmets, and an air hose that was attached to a ship at the surface (King). With this setup, divers had very little freedom of movement. Cousteau wanted to create a new system that would allow divers to move freely and allow divers to stay underwater for longer periods of time. He soon attempted this project and was unsuccessful. He tried using a gas mask, rubber tubes, and bottles of oxygen. Cousteau learned the hard way that pure oxygen becomes toxic to the human body at great depths. Cousteau had a seizure on a dive after breathing the pure oxygen for only four minutes. He decided that compressed air was a better choice, and went to his father for more advice (Cullen). Regular compressed air consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% other gasses (Cullen). His father was an executive for a company that sold gasses, and Cousteau knew his father would be able to help. Cousteaus father said that a self-regulating valve would work best. The valve would allow divers to inhale and exhale through one mouthpiece without exhaling into their fresh air supply (Cullen). After hearing his fathers advice, Cousteau met with an engineer from his fathers gas company named Émile Gagnan in December, 1942. Together, they modified a self-regulating valve. They traveled to the Marne River and tested the valve with compressed air. At first, the valve did not quite work right. The valve only worked when the diver was horizontal. Within a few weeks, the pair finished their project. They called it the Aqua-Lung, and applied for a patent. Their finished Aqua-Lung weighed about 50 lbs., but still allowed divers to move freely in the water (Cullen). This invention changed the sport of diving forever, and Cousteau knew his invention could change the world as well. Soon after his invention of the Aqua-Lung, Jacques Cousteau began to set the limits for safe diving. Cousteaus First dive with his finished Aqua-Lung took him to a depth of about 60 feet (Charton). He knew that his new invention would bring many new dangers with it, so he soon began to set the limits for safe diving. Cousteau also tried using different gas mixtures with different ascension rates to find what worked best (Cullen). Soon, Cousteau began to push the limits of his Aqua-Lung. He wanted to see how deep he could safely dive. In 1947, Cousteau was able to reach a depth of 297 feet (Cullen). Cousteau began to discover new dangers that could threaten divers. Cousteau soon began feeling the symptoms of nitrogen narcosis. Nitrogen narcosis affects divers on deep dives and has many effects on the mind. One of its main effects is not allowing a diver to think clearly and could cause the diver to make mistakes while diving that could be fatal (Cullen). He also learned of decompressi on sickness when a man diving with Cousteau died while he was ascending. Cousteau set the safe diving limit at 300 feet after this event (Cullen). These guidelines for safe diving would protect the lives of thousands of divers for many years to come. Cousteaus invention of the Aqua-Lung in 1942 created many new possibilities for divers. The Aqua-Lung made it possible for divers to explore parts of the ocean that had never before been seen, such as underwater caves. Marine scientists were also able to study ecosystems in deeper parts of the ocean more efficiently. They saw things they could never before see (Cullen). The Aqua-Lung also had many more uses. These include finding and disarming German mines during WWII, clearing debris from ports, underwater photography, exploring caves and shipwrecks, and ocean research (Cullen). Cousteau even thought that the Aqua-Lung could be used as a way for specially trained soldiers to swim into enemy harbors and plant explosives on the hulls of ships (Madsen). The Aqua-Lung gave divers many more possibilities in the underwater world. Jacques Cousteau played a major part in raising public awareness for the ocean. He created many books, films, and T.V. programs throughout his life. All of these were used by Cousteau to make the world more aware of the oceans and showed how important ocean conservation was. Cousteau became interested in moviemaking when he was very young. He was amazed by the way cameras worked and also enjoyed taking them apart and rebuilding them. This interest followed Cousteau throughout his life, and he went on to make many award-winning films and movies (Cullen). Cousteau began to waterproof his cameras and began taking cameras with him on his dives. He soon released his first film, Eighteen Meters Down, which was very popular at the Cannes Film Festival in 1943 (Cullen). Cousteau began to improve his cameras. He built them to withstand the water pressure they would have to take during deeper dives. Using his improved cameras, he created many new films. He also tried color film and artificial light in his films for the first time (Cullen). The later years of Cousteaus life were spent creating film series and television specials. These include The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, Cousteau Odyssey, and Cousteau Amazon. Viewers were amazed by the images in these new films, and Cousteau received over 40 Emmy nominations (Cullen). By publishing The Silent World in 1953, Cousteau continued to educate the public about the ocean. The book was made popular because of its color photos and stories from Cousteaus dives (King). It also included Cousteaus first explorations of shipwrecks and underwater caves. The Silent World was instantly successful and became a best-seller (Cullen). The book was so successful that it was published in 22 languages and sold worldwide (King). A film version of The Silent World was released three years later, in 1956 (Cullen). The year of its release, the film won the highest award at the Cannes Film Festival, the Palme dOr. It was the first document ary to win this award, and only one documentary has won the award since (Collins). The following year, in 1957, the film also won an Oscar award (Cullen). Cousteau knew that in order to continue his research, he needed a research vessel. He soon found what he needed. Cousteau purchased the Calypso, a 400-ton minesweeper. The ship was converted into a floating laboratory filled with modern equipment and underwater television cameras (OLeary and OMeara). The Calypsos first expedition started on November 24, 1951. The mission was to research the Red sea. The Calypso was used to create many of Cousteaus films and documentaries. While researching the Red sea, the Calypsos crew filmed coral reefs, islands, volcanic basins, new plant and animal species, and recorded a new record depth of 16,500 feet. The new films created from the Calypso expedition amazed scientists, naturalists, and most importantly, the National Geographic Society, who agreed to finance one of Cousteaus future expeditions aboard the Calypso (Cullen). While onboard the Calypso, Cousteau created over 70 films and television specials (Cullen). The Calypso was also used as a w ay to document and record pollution and other human caused problems affection the ocean (OLeary and OMeara). At this time, few people were aware of how their pollution was affecting the ocean. Cousteau dedicated a large part of his life to promoting ocean conservation. He knew the importance of the ocean as a source of food, water, and minerals. In 1973 he founded the Cousteau Society. The society was created to teach public the importance of ocean conservation. The mission of the Cousteau Society is to understand, defend, and communicate about the Water Planet, and in doing so, protect the rights of future generations,(Jacques-Yves Cousteau). The Cousteau Society continues its mission, and still teaches ocean conservation today. Jacques Cousteau worked hard and put a lot of effort into raising support for the organization (Cullen). He gave his entire life to speaking out for the ocean, and convinced people around the world to take better care of the ocean. Cousteau achieved this goal through his films, books, and the Cousteau Society (OLeary and OMeara). In an interview for a magazine, Cousteau said, Our way of managing the Earth is wrongà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the oceans are sic k, but theyre not going to die. There is no death possible in the oceans there will always be life but theyre getting sicker every yearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ We need to outline what is possible and what is impossible with the nonrenewable resources on Earth, ( ).