Saturday, November 30, 2019

The Leadership Moment Essays - Composition, Fiction,

The Leadership Moment The Leadership Moment is a collection of nine true stories of triumph and disaster and their lessons for us all. The stories are familiar: Eugene Kranz and Apollo 13; John Gutfreund and Salomon Brothers; Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the Civil War, to name a few. The stories are drawn from the past and present, represent a wide-range of challenges that include both natural and man-made disasters, and illustrate lessons of success and failure. The author, Michael Useem, is the director of the Wharton School's Center for Leadership and Change Management. He does a superb job of relating the events and definitive moments of each narrative. Events unfold with the right mix of facts and drama to keep the reader interested. Lessons, or implications as Useem calls them, are woven throughout the narratives. Charts and pictures supplement the text where appropriate. The nine stories are sandwiched by an introduction and conclusion. All the implications presented in the book, about 40, are summarized in a final chapter called A Leader's Guide. The book assumes that much can be learned about leadership by the successes and failures of others. The author's concluding chapter extracts nine leadership principles from the nine leadership moments: know yourself, explain yourself, expect much, gain commitment, build now, prepare yourself, move fast, find yourself, and remain steadfast. The Leadership Moment reads like an adventure novel. Even the book's cover, mountain climbers trudging up a foreboding slope, promotes a sense of intrigue and danger. Useem is a great storyteller. His selection of narratives provokes many thoughts about leadership triumphs and disasters. My only real frustrations with the book stem from the implications and the nine leadership principles. The 40 implications that Useem introduces across the nine chapters can overwhelm a reader. Even though he summarizes them in the Leadership Guide, I doubt most people will remember more than about five once they put the book away. Readers will more likely remember the nine short-and-simple principles. Unfortunately, their introduction at the end of the book gives the appearance that they are an afterthought. Useem should introduce them at the beginning and help the reader understand the context for selecting each narrative. The Leadership Moment is easy reading. I kept the book in my car and read it during the 10-15 minutes I often spend waiting to pick up my daughter at school or the bus stop. The short-story format is perfect for the person with lots of fragmented time. The Leadership Moment is a great addition to your reading list. Lynn Heinrichs is associate dean of the College of Business and associate professor of computer information systems. Her interests include data communications, networks, and information technology management Book Reports

Monday, November 25, 2019

Job Recommendation Letter Sample for a Student Intern

Job Recommendation Letter Sample for a Student Intern SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Did you know there are over 1.5 million internships in the U.S. each year? If you work in supervisory role in a company, chances are you might find yourself writing a letter of recommendation for an intern. While you may have gotten to know an intern on a part-time, temporary basis, you can still write a personal and detailed letter of recommendation to help her through the job search. The following sample letter of recommendation is written by an editor at a publishing company for a recent intern. Read on for the reference letter and an analysis of what it does well. Sample Letter #6: Written by a Supervisor for an Intern Rita BookmanEditor-in-ChiefCooper Books Publishing House74 Reading StreetNew York, New York 10020 Dear Rita Bookman, I’m writing to express my wholehearted support for Adam’s application to the position of Editorial Assistant with Cooper Books Publishing House. As Adam’s supervisor during his student internship with Bibliophile Publishing in the fall of 2015, I met with him frequently to assign responsibilities and discuss the industry. I was impressed with Adam’s writing skills, initiative, and ability to meet deadlines. Adam became a valued member of the Bibliophile team, and I’m confident that he has a successful career in publishing ahead of him. As an intern in our Editorial Department, Adam had a number of responsibilities. He worked with members of the editorial staff on various projects, including reading and reporting on manuscript submissions, editing promotional materials, and completing fact checks. Adam was especially skilled at seeking out new authors on online journals and blogs, even introducing us to a new writer with whom we have started to collaborate! It’s clear that Adam has a passion for the written word and a great eye for promising young authors. As an English major at NYU, Adam brought a rich knowledge of historical and contemporary literature. He’s also a skilled editor and proofreader and has an understanding of the Chicago Manual of Style. He prepared threesocial science works with CMS citations to publication-ready form during the course of his internship. After just a week or two in the office, furthermore, Adam was working independently on manuscript reviews and other projects. He’s self-motivated, attentive to detail, and skilled at both independent and collaborative work. Beyond his editorial skills, Adam left a mark with his open, thoughtful personality. He is well-spoken and intellectual, and he lights up when talking about ideas and literary trends. On his first day, we had a great conversation about Karen Russell and Adam Johnson, a couple of his favorite contemporary novelists. A community of fellow book-lovers is exactly where Adam belongs. Not only can he hold his own in a discussion about great books, but he can also communicate in a multilingual setting with his fluent Spanish and intermediate French. Adam’s charming personality and language skills will be another boon to his success in an editorial role. In closing, I’d like to reiterate my strong support for Adam’s application to the Editorial Assistant position with Cooper Books. Adam is a talented young man driven by a passion for literature and contemporary publishing. Please don’t hesitate to contact me for any further information. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Seymour PagesEditor-in-ChiefBibliophile Publishingspages@bibliopub.com555-555-5555 Seymour Page's personalized recommendation letter shows that he does know his intern from Adam. Recommendation Letter #6: The Breakdown While writing for an intern can be challenging due to the part-time, temporary nature of thework, it’s still possible to effectively support the intern’s application to his next job. In this example, Editor Seymour Pages is plugging for Adam, a student who interned in the editorial department for his fall semester. By describing Adam’s responsibilities, accomplishments, and strengths, just as a writer of any other recommendation letter would, Seymour helps show that Adam’s the right person for the job of Editorial Assistant. Seymour states his strong support at the beginning of the letter and explains who he is and why he’s qualified to assess Adam’s work performance. As an editor at a publishing company, Seymour demonstrates an understanding of the Editorial Assistant role. He details Adam’s projects as an intern and particularly highlights his initiative in discovering promising new authors. Seymour also mentions specific qualifications, such as his proofreading and CMS citations, to demonstrate that Adam has relevant skills. Finally, he gives insight into Adam’s personality, describing him as thoughtful, intellectual, and well-spoken, before concluding with another statement of support. Even though he’s writing for an intern, Seymour is able to produce a strong letter that gives specific examples of Adam’s accomplishments, including his discovery of a new writer and preparation of works using the Chicago Manual of Style. As an editor who oversaw Adam in a role similar to the one for which he’s applying, Seymour provides a meaningful letter of recommendation. What's Next? Care to read another? Check out this sample recommendation letter written by the candidate's coworker. Would you like to learn more about recommendation letters? Check out the full list of sample references, along with some tips on how to write a great letter of recommendation for your employees, coworkers, or friends. Want to provide a strong recommendation for your employee, but don't have the time to craft the perfect letter? PrepScholar's new recommendation tool, SimpleRec, takes you from good intentions and a blank page to a fully written and formatted letter of recommendation in under 5 minutes. All you need to do is give us some simple pieces of information about your employee and your experience working with them, and we'll do the rest. Try out SimpleRec risk-free today:

Friday, November 22, 2019

Can low fee schools successfully mimic the language policies of their elite counterparts

Can low fee schools successfully mimic the language policies of their elite counterparts 1.Abstract: In the Pakistani society, the English language has earned a prestigious place more in the minds of the people than it is in effect. The ability to speak English is what a layman would use to differentiate between educated and uneducated citizens. As much as learning English is a matter of earning respect at your workplace or the society in general, over time it has become the most important language in Pakistan taking over as the official language and the means for all or most business correspondences. Acting accordingly, the government made English language learning compulsory in all schools. This escalated to the point when English became the medium of examination at intermediate levels and above for most subjects. What this implied was that basic knowledge of the English language or more accurately, the ability to read, write and comprehend English is a basic necessity for students. This, however, did not go well with schooling structure at primary and secondary levels as governm ent schools could not afford or provide quality English teachers. It is arguable that this was one of the major reasons why the private schooling systems received a massive bloom in the society. With their relatively much higher fees, they could fill up that vacuum and provide what could be considered a quality education – an English based education. The Pakistani society now faced a new dilemma. Private schools were too expensive but government schools were not good enough. For the underprivileged, who still wanted what in their minds was a necessary quality education, the next venue that opened up was of the low-fee private schools. Mimicking the structure and curricular setup of â€Å"high-fee† private schools on a low profile, these schools promised to bring the same quality and standard of education and English learning at a much lower price, instantly attracting a large economic class of customers. The delusion that both these institutions and their customers ind ulge themselves in is that anything cheap can match up in quality. Low fees mean low salaries for teachers which consequently mean sub-standard teaching. The best way to describe these schools would be a blend where the problem with government schools is not entirely solved, but they managed to cover it up to an extent where there customers could be satisfied. What was completely overlooked by local schooling systems was the social lives of children and exactly how much their interaction with English was going to be. The popular culture introduced by the high-fee schools and later copied into the low fee schools was to begin the child’s schooling with the English language i.e. the first thing he has to learn at school is English. Considering how English is always going to be a second language, this approach is highly questionable. An alternate approach that is rarely practiced in Pakistan would have been to begin education in the children’s mother tongue and after a ce rtain level of proficiency in that language – or more precisely, after they have passed their critical periods, they could have been introduced to English. This of course comes with public displeasure as the views on English described above are hard fastened. Parents and teachers alike seem unwilling to try out the new strategy as in their minds the basic or foremost purpose of education is to learn English and what better way than to get right into it from the beginning. In this research, we aimed to see exactly how fruitful the current approach to learning English has been in two distinct socio-economic classes. For this purpose, a test that would examine the child’s basic understanding of and expression in the English language was devised. Students of grades 3 to 5 were given a series of pictures, and they were asked to describe and explain them in English Key-Words: Elite Schools, Low-Fee schools, Proficiency in English, Mother-tongue, Urdu, Middle-Class Families, Upper-Class Environment, Alien Language, Language Policy, Schools in Pakistan, English. 2.Theoretical Framework This research focuses on the effectiveness of School Policy in the development of proficiency in English; and the impact the budget of said schools has on the implementation of the said policies. It also considers feasibility of low-tier schools mimicking the policies of their elite counterparts, and whether these policies sit in with the socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds of students. 3.Case Study 1: High-fee private schools: 3.1 Introduction We’re not defining what we classify exactly as a â€Å"high fees†, but schools examined generally charged a total of between 18000 and 30000 for a quarter with four quarters of schooling. Target customers for these schools include a wide range of households from wealthy businessmen to the settled working class – and economically speaking, middle-class and all above. This range includes what one would call the â€Å"elite† schools and those that generally aspire to be so. Considering again the families that avail these institutions, in the urban areas of Punjab where this research was targeted, one could say that the children are orphaned in the heritage of their mother tongue. The parents normally themselves educated will not use said language in their household instead opting for the more â€Å"civilized† Urdu. At the same time, parents make as best of an effort as they can to indulge the child in the use of English since an ear ly age. Among the first words the child learns in these households would be common nouns, verbs and counting in English. Conveniently enough for these children, the two languages taught in all schools at primary level and the basic medium of instruction are English and Urdu. Another factor in the child’s development in the use of English outside of school would be the television. For said households and economic classes, the provision of a television set is a basic necessity. Not only does it become the main source of entertainment, it also becomes the growing child’s friend and teacher. With much of this source of entertainment i.e. cartoons being in English, it is deducible that the average child from these households is well equipped in the use and understanding of English; much to the delight of the educational institutions under consideration. What this means is that English being a medium of instruction since day one does not become a big issue as a second langua ge for these children and with the right curriculum, schools can capitalize on these grounds to fulfil their promise of â€Å"a quality education† – an English-medium education. Still, it must not be forgotten that the above scenario has used a lot of generalizations and has painted the picture with a thick brush. Even among these institutions, there would be students who would not grasp a second language so early in their life, and eventually suffer. Not only do they fail to use or understand the English, they inadvertently suffer in all their subjects as the examinations as with the medium of instruction are in English. Of course, under the pressure of their parents and the school, what this means is that they will eventually resort to wrote learning until a much later stage of their life when they can finally get a grasp of the language they had been subjugated to their whole lives. The policy of adopting English language teaching from nursery or kindergarten would have then failed. So while the institution lives up to its promise of providing quality English based learning to some or most of its students, it would have failed to do so equally and create a distinct education barrier among its generation which would define these children for the rest of their lives. In this part of the research, three high-fee private schools in the cities of Lahore and Sargodha were examined. The test described on the abstract above was conducted and some teachers and principals were interviewed to obtain their opinions in the matter. 3.2 English teaching policies and methodology English language teaching begins the day the child enters the school. While the curriculum may be restricted to alphabets and numbers or the written script, a lot of focus goes into the spoken prospect. Teachers encourage students to speak in English, while they themselves use it as much as possible to enhance the students’ understanding. Storytelling and reading picture books has become part of the curriculum. The child learns to say common words and general sentences in his first year or so. Slowly, he would have to conduct all communication on campus in English and mostly this is part of school’s education policy—discourage the use of any language other than English in the school. At the primary level, the curriculum includes stories for reading practices and creative writings are introduced as early as grade one to get the child to be able to express himself. This of course will now go hand in hand with lessons on grammar, sentence structure and such all the way till the end of the students’ secondary level schooling. By the time the students reach the first grade, it is imperative though that they can at least read, write and understand English to some extent, as every other subject in his course will now be in English. So by making it a necessity to virtually attend school beyond this point, these schools make English language learning the most important part of their curriculum, especially before this point in time. Realizing this, both teachers and parents put the most of their efforts in this subject in the child’s grooming years – the critical period. 3.3 Teachers and School Principals We asked two principals and one English teacher from these high-fee schools about how they teach their students an alien language and what they think about the alternate approach – not teaching a second language until a child has crossed their critical period. Some excerpts are included below: â€Å"It’s a commendable theory, but looking at our students, I don’t feel like we need to change anything. Most of our students in 8th grade and onwards in fact feel more comfortable with English than with Urdu when it comes to writing. I think this is a sign that things are going the right way and our approach in their primary schooling has paid off. Yes, maybe it undermines their abilities in their mother tongue, but objectively speaking, these children will need English a lot more later on in their lives and as a teacher, I’d want my students to be out there with the best. Make a name for themselves and achieve great things and in the global world that we are today, English is the most basic tool for success no matter what field these students go to.† –Principal 1 â€Å"We try to make learning as fun we can. I mean, these children are no older than my kids so I know what this age means for children. And I tell you, I feel happy when I see these kids actually excited to come to school. That’s how it should be. And they enjoy their time with English as well. I tell them they have to speak in English even when it is not English class because they have to try to actually be comfortable with it. It’ll take time, and every class they make a ruckus telling me â€Å"Ma’am, Bashir spoke in Urdu yesterday. Ma’am Saira doesn’t speak in English. Ma’am he just said a word in Urdu.† It’s amusing. I help them of course, telling them how to communicate and such. They tell me what they want to say or write and I help them translate that to English. Thes e children are quick learners by the way. I think they’ll get a good hang of it by the end of the year. I hope (chuckles).† –Teacher â€Å"It would be too late by then. I mean, first off there’s no definite time when you can say that, â€Å"Okay, now they’re proficient enough in Urdu, let’s start teaching them English.† Even if we do, that would be about sixth or fifth grade right? It’s too late and it would be too chaotic. All this time they’re studying subjects in Urdu, giving exams in Urdu, then we introduce a new language, teach it to them first, then convert all their knowledge in English, make them take all examinations in English, because at the end, whenever they sit in centralized examinations, they need to be able to do that. Maybe if you change the whole educational structure, it’s possible, but that’s too much work and too much risk really. I wouldn’t take that.† –Principal 2 3.4 Observation of Results—Questionnaire: In general, students showed a good understanding of the pictures given to them, and even managed to produce creative responses to them. Errors in spelling, sentence structure and grammar were common, but most students were able to convey their thoughts properly. As mentioned in the introduction, there were clear distinctions among these students of those were lagging far behind the rest of their peers, especially towards the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum within this category. 4.Case Study 2: Low-fee private schools 4.1 Introduction Similar to earlier case study, the range of fee for these schools was taken to be less than Rs. 18,000 per quarter year of education. Most of Pakistan’s student body falls into these schools, as government institutes also lie within this fee range. The family backgrounds of the students here are very similar—where there is little to no use of English outside the school. The daily life of students heavily feature the use of mother tongue, even that in the regional dialect. Similarly, the fee structure of these schools restricts the talent they can hire for their students; ultimately reducing the efficiency of the environment built inside the campus. The requirements that the families demand from these schools are very different than those of elite schools. Here education is seen as means to a job and eventually setting up a new earning source for the house. Considering the relatively milder diversity in the students of schools falling into this tier, the ir non-productive and productive hobbies also tend to be alike. This means that almost the entirety of media consumed is in non-English format including, but not limited to movies, dramas, and music. Ultimately, it means that both inside and outside school environment lack the need and actual use of English Language. It then, unfortunately, becomes a status symbol and is rejected sometimes on the basis of, â€Å"It’s not for us, leave it for the people with money†. 4.2 English Teaching Policies and Interviews Copying the structure and curricula from their elite counterparts, these schools introduce English language as a subject as early as grade 1, but pre-school and nursery level classes as well teach the language. Likewise, the official medium of instruction and hence most basic courses are taught in English. But unlike the students in our previous case study, these are not well equipped with English beforehand and even as part of schooling will find little interaction with the new language. Coupled with the quality of teachers available, the schooling is eventually done entirely in the child’s mother tongue, and these students have a much harder time getting a grip on the English language. 4.3 Teachers and School Principals We asked two principals from these low-fee schools about their English policies and what they think about the alternate approach – not teaching a second language until a child has crossed their critical period. They are included below: â€Å"Our schools are trying to compete with all these other elites out there (names a few schools for effect). I think you’re underestimating the abilities of these common children. They are as capable of learning English as the more privileged class. And I think to learn anything you have to give maximum exposure to the children in this age – this is their learning age. I know it’s hard but that’s why we’re here; to give them the same opportunities as those who God gave more status in this world. We are the ones who are trying to bring this society back to level grounds. You need English to study at prestigious institutions, to learn the computer, use the internet, even rea d instruction papers on products you use. Not knowing English from an early stage in your life renders you handicapped.† It will be appropriate to mention that the below interview was translated from Urdu and that the interviewee has qualifications in and has been a former teacher in Urdu and Islamiyat for intermediate level students before becoming principal. â€Å"All the schools need to do this actually (not teach English in the child’s critical period). Our children are forgetting the value and prestige of their local languages. It’s tear-jerking to see our youth so profound in a foreign language and yet they can’t hold even a proper conversation in Urdu? And I’ve been telling the committee that they need to do something about this as well. It’s just rotten how we’re forcing things they don’t understand down their throat. This isn’t learning. I tell my staff to communicate with them in Urdu or Punjabi when explaining so at least they’ll keep track of what they’re learning. Then maybe someday when they can properly understand English it can all fall into place. But even if this wasn’t the case even if they do perfectly understand English maybe some now or some generations later, the problem is that we need to teach them to be proud of their culture and heritage, and we can’t do that unless we make it hold some importance in their lives. If our government and society make our local languages completely irrelevant outside of homes, these education boards and committees will continue to give English more importance† 4.4 Observation of Results: When the questionnaires were given to the elite school students, the response was quite up to the mark. These children had a very good understanding of the language and its correct usage. They were able to answer the questionnaires themselves with little or no help from the faculty members or our team. On the other hand, most students belonging to low-tier schools, showed a huge amount dependency on teachers or us to even attempt the given tests. With this it was evident that despite passing through the primary phase of their education, they had not developed enough proficiency or confidence in English to be independent in its use. Moreover, the results that we did finally obtain painted a worse picture. Mistakes in spelling, vocabulary and general use of words, phrases and sentences were overwhelming to the point where it made most answers impossible to comprehend. Another distinctive feature was the attention paid to handwriting. Unlike their counter-par ts in this research, students from low-fee schools were a lot more conscious about their handwriting and even rewrote answers by tracing over a rough erasable draft. Students of high-fee schools had relatively free reigns in this regard and consequently, generally poorer handwriting. 5.Conclusion: Should low tier schools provide their English education as the elite schools? The question is still a hot debate in terms of education standards all over the country. Where the elite, high tier schools clam to provide a very good standard English education, they charge a fee that is not affordable to every family in the country. Most of the families are middle class and consequently are unable to pay the high fees of these schools due to which they turn to low tier schools which promise the same standard education as the elite schools, but in affordable fees. But how is such an educational equality even possible? When the budget of such schools is not as high as the elite schools so are their services. Less fees means less pay for teachers and so a lower English standard. The teachers are less qualified, less interested in teaching the students and so are the results. The students therefore are not as good as those of the high-level schools. When we checked the results, we came to a clear conclusion that even for the same grade and age groups, the response of children in elite schools was far better than those in these low fees affordable schools. While the students in elite schools were proficient in both oral and written usage of the English much better than what is expected from a second language, their counterparts studying in less privileged school systems had responses full of errors and mistakes. Apart from the standard the schools are providing, the children in low level schools usually come from a social class that is less concerned with the standard of education and more with the job acquiring ambitions. This ultimately leads to the low standard of education of such students. All in all, we have reached a conclusion that schools that try to mimic the education standards of high level schools are not in the least bit providing the education standard that they promise. Their students are receiving a low standard education and are less inclined to perfec t their English as their counterparts that are studying in more privileged environments.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Tackling the Incidence of Cardiovascular Diseases Essay

Tackling the Incidence of Cardiovascular Diseases - Essay Example According to statistics obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO), CVDs are the primary cause of deaths worldwide. It is estimated that more people die from CVDs annually than from any other disease. The WHO further reports that in 2004, CVD was responsible for 17.1 million deaths globally. This represented 29% deaths worldwide. Of these, 7.2 million deaths were due to coronary heart disease, while stroke was associated with 5.7 million deaths. The WHO estimates that by 2030, deaths due to CVD would amount to 23.6 million, most of which will have resulted from stroke and heart disease (â€Å"WHO Fact Sheet†). In sight of this grim reality, it is high time that scientists explore beyond conventional medicine. Current treatment of CVD involves balloon angioplasty, heart transplantation, coronary artery bypass surgery, and repair or replacement of valves. Though widespread, there are always implications and setbacks to these methods. In most cases of heart failure, congen ital cardiac anomalies and post-myocardial infarctions, the only possible cure is heart transplantation because â€Å"the ischemically injured failing heart lacks contractile myocardium, functional vasculature, and electrical integrity, which has made treatment of the underlying injury untenable† (Ott, Davis and Taylor, 2005). However, due to a severe scarcity of organ donors and the fear of organ rejection, transplantation science needs a full-blown transformation. Therefore, in this proposal, I put forth possible areas of research in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine that are emerging as promising frontiers in transplantation technology, and how they can be used in tackling the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. Here, I wish to explore new technologies in tissue engineering and discuss how I will approach my research objectives for postdoctoral studies in this field. Context and literature review Most of the current research is focused on tissue engineering to reproduce functional myocardium, heart valves and even the entire heart from the cells of the patient. In the treatment and prevention of heart failure, technologies that induce cardiac repair are being sought after. Therefore, â€Å"cell-based† regenerative medicine is the first step in this direction (Ott and Taylor, 2006). â€Å"By combining stem and progenitor cells with increasingly complex scaffold materials and culture conditions†, it is possible to create an entirely new organ derived from the patient’s own cells (Song and Ott, 2011). Studies have been done on cardiac stem cells isolated from â€Å"uncommitted cardiac progenitor cells† of ventricles. These cells can mature into smooth muscle, endothelial and cardiomyocyte cells that can be used to produce organs or parts of an organ (Ott et al, 2007). In another approach, skeletal myoblasts, myogenic or angiogenic precursors, hematopoietic progenitor cells and blood-derived or bone marrow mesench ymal cells can be used for cardiovascular repair (Ott, McCue and Taylor, 2005). Using cardiac derived stem cells, progenitor cells or cardiomyocytes, a functional and contractile myocardium can be engineered using â€Å"biocompatible scaffold materials† (Tee et al, 2010, p. 683). Scaffold materials are required to guide the division of cells to enable the development of an organ just like an extracellular matrix. Attempts are being made to make patient specific scaffolds through bio manufacturing (Bartolo et al, 2009, p. 212). Failed cardiovascular components can be replaced with â€Å"biocompatible tissues that have the potential to rapidly restore the lost function and slowly regenerate by remodeling†

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The Cuban Missile Crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Cuban Missile Crisis - Research Paper Example 253) By January, the decision seemed to have been made to remove Castro (Freedman 2002). In the spring and summer of 1960, Richard Bissell, the Deputy Director (of Plans) of the CIA, planned various assassination schemes for Castro, and started training a group of anti ­ Castro fighters. In the beginning, the plan was to send in small groups of guerrillas that were being trained in Guatemala, which could infiltrate the island nation and start uprisings and eventually a counter-revolution. Bissell and the CIA had used similar covert operations (though on a smaller scale) to overthrow governments successfully in Guatemala and Iran, and not so successfully in Indonesia (Freedman 2002; Blum, 1986). However, by the Fall the plan had evolved from inserting small bands of guerillas to a conventional amphibious invasion, and by November the group swelled to a l500-man paramilitary force of anti ­Castro Cubans that even had their own "air force" of B-26 bombers (Andrew 1995; Blum, 1986). Given the sheer size of this force, it did not remain covert for long. By 10 January 1961, The New York Times ran a full story on the training camp with a detailed map (Andrew 1995; Blum, 1986). Moreover, in his last State of the Union address, Eisenhower warned Castro that, "Although, unhappily, Communist penetration of Cuba is real and poses a serious threat, Communist dominated regimes have been deposed in Guatemala and Iran." (Andrew 1995: p. 255). This overt and covert pressure against Cuba continued under the Kennedy administration. The earlier plans to assassinate Castro, including subcontracting with the Mafia, continued in the spring of 1961 (Andrew, 1995; Blum, 1986). In April, Kennedy authorized Operation ZAPATA, which became the Bay of Pigs fiasco. After the failed invasion, the debate within the administration was between the overthrow or the containment of Castro (Freedman, 2002). The difficulty was that though the administration agreed that Castro should go, Kennedy w as not interested in a direct American invasion. Instead President Kennedy, with the enthusiastic urging of his brother Robert Kennedy, decided upon a mixed policy of economic warfare and covert operations. The combination of these, it was thought, would produce some sort of anti-Castro uprising (Freedman, 2002). On the covert action side of the policy, in June 1961, Kennedy set up the Special Group (5412) - consisting of John McCone (the new Director of Central Intelligence, or DCI), the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the JCS), and the undersecretaries of the State and Defense Departments, to plan more covert action against Castro. Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General, became a supporter and advocate of covert action to eliminate Castro during his time overseeing the reorganization ofthe CIA after the Bay of Pigs. As Robert Kennedy wrote, "My idea is to stir things up on island with espionage, sabotage, general disorder, run [and] operated by Cubans themselves with every gr oup but Batistas [and] Cornmunists" (Freedman, 2002: p. 158). American covert action against Castro's regime continued and intensified in the spring of 1962 under the code name Operation MONGOOSE (The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962).

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Start of experiment Heat Essay Example for Free

Start of experiment Heat Essay Prediction I predict that whenever there is a temperature difference , ehat energy will be transferred by conduction, convection or radiation fro the hotter to the cooler place. This increases the internal enrgy , which is the sum of the kinetic energy and the molecular potential energy of each molecule in an object, of the cooler atoms raising the temperature , and dreases the energy of the hotter atoms , lowering theirs. It continues until the temperature is the same across the region. Conductivity or thermal conductivity is a measure of how good a conductor a material is. The rate of heat energy transfer through an object depends on the conductivity of the material and the temperature gradient. Temperature = t2 -t Gradient X t1, t2+ temps at point 1 and 2 X=distance This is the temperature change with distance along the material . The higher the conductivity and the steeper the gradient, the faster the energy transfer. Heat transfer to polystyrene cup Convection is a way in which heat energy is transferred in liquids and gases. If a liquid or a gas is heated it expands, becomes less dense and rises. Cooler, denser liquid or gas then sinks to take its place. Thus convection current is set up. Coastal breezes used to explain convection currents We use leslies cube in my preliminary work to measure radiation, radiation is a way in which heat energy is transferred from a hotter to a cooler place without the medium, ehich is any substance through which a physical effect is transmitted. This can occur through a vacuum unlike the other two forms of heat transfer. Leslies cube is used to compare powers of radiation We did our own test with the Leslie cube in class here are our results. Start of experiment Heat lost during experiment. Matt black 92 degrees 34 degrees 68 degrees 26 degrees Shiny black 92 degrees 32 degrees 68 degrees 23 degrees Shiny white 92 degrees 29 degrees 68 degrees 19 degrees These results sow that the side, which retains the most heat radiation energy, is the shiny white side and then the shiny black and then the matt black. This is why we will be using a shiny white polystyrene cup for the actual and preliminary work. Factors which affect different types of heat flow are, with radiation and conduction the type of material it is trying to transfer its heat energy to. This is because they all have different atom arrangements which affects how well they are able to conduct heat energy, e. g. Metal conduct heat better than stone does. Convection can be affected by what types of material it is convecting through . e. g. Oil would convect differently with water. Different gases would also be differenyt and affect the rate of convection. To help make the table clearer and to finalise the actual test I decided to do some preliminary testing which would help me to understand things like if the cup I am using would work better with or without a lid. Equipment used Polstyrene cup,thermometer, card board lid ( second test only ),kettle , stop watch and measuring cylinder. I measured out 100cm cubed of water , made sure that the thermometer was at the correct temperature therefore making sure that the water was. I used a polystyrene cup with out a lid on in my first test and with a lid on in my second, this was to see if I would get better results with or without it. These are the rwaults which I gained. Heat energy lost Heat energy lost With out lid With out lid With lid With lid 70 degrees and above 25. 5 degrees. Average 21. 33 degrees 18. 0 degrees Average 18. 0 degrees 16. 0 degrees 18. 5 degrees 22. 5 degrees 17. 5 degrees 50 degrees and above 8. 0 degrees Average 17. 25 degrees 10. 0 degrees Average 10. 5 degrees 10 degrees 10. 0 degrees 16. 5 degrees 11 degrees 30 degrees and above 8. 0 degrees Average 7. 33 degrees 5. 5 degrees Average 5. 5 degrees 11. 0 degrees 5. 0 degrees 3. 0 degrees 6. 0 degrees From this chart you can see that without the cardboard lid the results atre very random and this means that the heat is able to fluctuate greatly as you can tell from my results. I have therefore decided to have a lid on the cup as the results with the lid on seem a lot more constant and the heat isnt allowed to fluctuate as much. I suspect that I will find that heat energy will be lost mostly conductivity and convection rather than radiation as I have tried to reduce the effects of this to as little as possible . For my acual test I will change the integers at which heat is lost from e. g. instead of going 70 degrees and above to 50 degrees and above I will try to have exactly 70 degrees and exactly 65degrees, I will then be able to draw more accurate results from this.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Comparing the Unique Characters of 1984, Animal Farm and Burmese Days :: compare and contrast essay examples

The Unique Characters of 1984 and Animal Farm and Burmese Days      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   George Orwell, an alias of Eric Arthur Blair, is know for the books 1984 and Animal Farm. In both of these, as well as in most of his others, he seems to delight in using vivid and wholly believable characters, easily believable because of their obvious and tragic faults. Another similarity seems to be the consistent use of irony, a stylistic choice which plays big in Burmese Days and in several other works. Also, Blair enjoyed placing his characters in situations and settings that were out-of-the- ordinary, constantly reversing or switching roles. It is a mark of talent that he is able to use all of these so effectively, making us believe the unbelievable and accept the incredible at the same time that he makes us emphasize with the characters and see similarities between them and ourselves, long after they were written.    Blair's penchant for extremely well-done characters, entirely believable and understandable, is shown by both his major works as well as his lesser known first fiction piece, Burmese Days. In 1984, the main focus of the story is Winston Smith, an Normal Party member living in the year 1984 except for his dislike of all that the Party stands for and distrust of its message. Of course, these qualities, questioning of authority and subtle disloyalty to unfair persecutors, are considered good by the public today. In the book however, these abilities were destroyed, smothered, and obliterated through careful means, and anyone having them was branded insane, dangerous, and antisocial. Thus, the author creates an immediate bond between us and the suffering main character by showing a little person vs. Big Brother (Blair being the first person to use the word). "The Thought Police would get him just the same. He had committed, even if he had never set pen to paper, the essential crime that c ontained all others in itself. Thoughtcrime, they called it. Thoughtcrime could not be concealed forever. You might dodge successfully for a while, even for years, but sooner or later they ware bound to get you" (Orwell 166).    This passage, particularly the final sentence, slowly builds up the reader's bond with Winston. He is being persecuted for being innocent, for thinking, and this persecution makes him seem all the more likable. The final, and perhaps most interesting part of Winston's development in 1984 is near the end of the novel.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Socratic Seminar Questions (Medea)

Socratic Seminar Questions 1. Do you think Medea should’ve let the children live? If so, who do you think she would’ve chosen and why? If not, why do you think Medea killed the children? I think it was right for Medea to kill the children. The children are a â€Å"product† during Medea and Jason’s relationship. Since Medea feels like Jason betrayed and tainted their relationship, she feels like letting the children not live is like destroying every last remnant of their relationship.She also feels that killing the children would punish Jason and as a mother, she doesn’t want anyone else to harm her own children, so she kills them as a sacrifice. Personally, it was a dour scene of killing the children, but it had a hidden reason into killing the children. 2. What are some major complaints Medea pleas about the treatment of women? Do you think women around the world are still facing these problems? Some of the major complaints Medea pleas about are th at women cannot reject marriage because of the over dominance of men that women don’t have the power to reject or deny marriage.I believe not only Greece, but other countries around the whole world face the over dominance of men over women. Another complaint Medea states is how women are â€Å"bought and sold† by men. Women weren’t slaves back in Greece but Medea emphasizes the point that women are treated like property, being bought and sold. In the present world, there are very few or not even any countries that sell women but are treated like slaves, having limited rights than men. Lastly, she points out women are the â€Å"most unfortunate creatures†. I think the hidden message Euripides is explaining is the deplorable state of females in Greece.I think that there are still countries worldwide, facing the same situations Medea points out to the readers. In addition, I think Euripides wants readers to sympathize the state of women and how they’r e treated. 3. What do you think is the difference between justice and revenge? Did Medea achieve justice or revenge? Why? There is a key difference between the definition of justice and revenge. Justice I think brings termination, an end to something, while revenge results in personal satisfaction and pleasure. Another key difference between both is that justice is what should be done while revenge is what you believe should be done.To sum everything up, justice is selfless and revenge is selfish. I think Medea achieved more of revenge because it was her personal satisfaction and plotting out, punishing Jason for his wrongdoings. In addition, her crave for revenge adulterates her life and her desire for revenge makes her a merciless character. 4. What ways does Medea bring her banishment on herself? There are many signs of how Medea creates banishment for herself. She made herself an exile out of love, leaving her land and killing her father and brother to help Jason in his quest fo r the Golden Fleece. Ironically thought, his betrayal leads her into banishment once more.During many scenes in the play, Medea expresses deep anguish as making herself an exile. She seems especially remorseful about leaving home and killing her father. This distance from Medea to her father is probably the worst feeling of exile she has to withstand. 5. If all people are created equal, then why do you think men have more authority than women according to Medea? One reason I think men would want more authority than women is men want to feel powerful themselves and they want a feel of playing a crucial role to society or a matriarch in a family by obtaining power.Another reason men have more authority than women is how much pressure they can take. Yes, women are smart and have intelligence, but the main problem is that women can’t take as much criticism or types of pressure as men can. That could be why men are mostly leaders of countries, they can take more pressure from soci ety or media than women can. Lastly, I think men have more authority than women is because men are more recognized in creativity. Microsoft, Apple, Google and YouTube are examples of technological inventions by men. Men feel more recognized into their creativity.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Demography, Epidemiology, Health Essay

Public health is the science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts of society. Beryl S, 2007, BTEC National health and Social Care Book 2, page 116. Public health helps to improve peoples health and well-being in all communities across the nation. This is through improving quality in life, which has prolonged Britains life expectancy, decreased infant and child mortality and reduction of many diseases. There are seven main key aspects to public health in the UK today: monitoring health status; Changes in health patterns are monitored and tracked to detect if there may be any potential problems for the population. Data is collected from different health professionals to monitor the health status of the community, which are then used to inform policy and the planning of health services. Identifying health needs; This is done through gathering data to find out the populations illness trends, the statistics can then be used to improve health and then the area concerned can be highlighted and effects of that illness can be prevented or reduced. Other factors are also included, such as age, genetics, environment, lifestyle and education, as they may relate to the patterns concerning illnesses and diseases. Developing programmes to reduce risk/screen for disease early on; New programmes are introduced to attempt to reduce ill health that can help to identify certain people who may be at risk of certain illnesses or conditions. Once identified the programmes help the preventation of the condition continuing, For example if someone has been told they may develop diabetes due to their weight, then they would be refered to someone who could help lower their weight and therefore lower the risk of developing diabetes.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Evidence-Based Practice Project Example

Evidence Evidence Evidence-Based Practice Project al Affiliation Evidence-Based Practice Project It is important to incorporate a theory of model related to change when implementing practice changes because theories offer assumptions or blueprint of the manner in which a change can be implemented. A theory provides a coherent framework to make sense of why the change is required. One should have a clear reason for implementing a change initiative. A theory provides an explanation for this reason and helps provide a framework on how such a change can be implemented. It also allows those managing the change process to articulate the underlying assumptions about change and be able to test and measure such assumptions on change. Theory also helps by providing a strategic map that shows the current situation, determining the starting point of a change, where the change process should be initiated and where to end the change process (Burke, 2013).The benefit of incorporating a change model does not outweigh the time and effort it took to include it. The time, effort and benefit of including a change model are all important because without one of these aspects, a change model becomes useless in a change process. A change theory or model must be well thought out. This means that time and effort must be used to ensure that the change model fits within the change required. This will ensure that the change model can guide the change through to completion and that the change can yield the results for which it was intended. Therefore, this means that the effort, time and the benefit of the change model equally important (Basford & Slevin, 2003).ReferencesBasford, L. & Slevin, O. (2003). Theory and Practice of Nursing: An Integrated Approach to Caring Practice. New York: Nelson ThornesBurke, W. W. (2013). Organization change: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Evaluating the Effects of Regulatory Agencies on the LIMS ( Laboratory Essay - 1

Evaluating the Effects of Regulatory Agencies on the LIMS ( Laboratory Information Management System ) - Essay Example ongoing mechanism to monitor, assess, and, when indicated, correct problems identified in the general laboratory systems requirements specified in all relevant Paragraphs within CMS Regulations Part 493 Subpart K that apply to the laboratory in question. This means that the LIMS implementation will need to provide a Quality Assessment (QA) module that provides functions, that must, when requested by the CMS and other U.S. Federal Medical Regulators, provide Verifiable Demonstrable Evidence (VDS) in the following areas. An ongoing review process that encompasses all facets of the laboratory’s technical and non-technical functions and all locations/sites where testing is performed. QA also extends to the laboratory’s interactions with responsibilities to patients, physicians, and other laboratories ordering tests, and the other non-laboratory areas or departments of the facility of which it is a part. When the laboratory discovers an error or identifies a potential problem, LIMS must allow strong remedial actions to be taken to correct the situation. This correction process must involve identification and resolution of the problem, and development of policies that will prevent recurrence. Policies for preventing problems that have been identified must be formally recorded as well as communicated to the laboratory personnel and other staff, clients, etc., as appropriate. The LIMS implementation should (that is to say, good practice, but not a legal requirement) provide a facility to monitor the type and number of complaints received by the laboratory such as, for example, a particular client continuously complaining about the laboratory’s failure to promptly respond to STAT test requests. The laboratory must possess and be able to demonstrate to CMS etc, inspectors A facility to review of the effectiveness of corrective actions taken to resolve problems, revision of policies

Saturday, November 2, 2019

CourseWork (the dead line is on the 26 of march ) i will be able to

(the dead line is on the 26 of march ) i will be able to give more time if needed - Coursework Example 2009). In the context of business planning, the factors associated with cost and benefits are critical and must be understood. Similarly, cost benefit analysis is also critical in the context of projects associated with GIS engineering and management. Scenarios This report is associated with cost / benefit analysis for two scenarios. The first scenario includes an interest rate of 4%, which indicates it as a best-case scenario, while the other scenario is the worst-case scenario with the interest rate of 10%. Specification for Costing Cost of five workstations with minimum configuration of Quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and 250GB Hard Disk is illustrated below: Cost of single Workstation * 5 = ? 1300 * 5 = ?6500 Cost of upgrades in Year 3 and 6 = 2 *?650 * 5 = 2 * ?3000 = ?6000 Licensing Cost for GIS Software Cost for Year 1,2,4,6 = ?10000, Cost for Year 3, 5, 7 = ?3000 Data Purchasing Cost Total cost of Map Purchase = ?19500 Employment Cost Total costs of Salaries increasing at 3.5% p er annum are as follows: Year 1 = ?195,000, Year 2 = ?202,000, Year 3 = ?209,000, Year 4 = ?216,000, Year 5 = ?224,000, Year 6 = ?231,000 and for Year 7 = ?239,000 Conversion and Miscellaneous Cost Conversion Cost (1 time) = ?5000 (Given) Miscellaneous Cost = ?3000 (Given) Benefit Total Savings in the context of employments as salaries are as follows: Year 1 = ?195,000, Year 2 = ?202, 000, Year 3 = ?209,000, Year 4 = ?216,000, Year 5 = ?224,000, Year 6 = ?231,000, Year 7 = ?239,000. Efficiency Savings (Increasing at the rate of 4.5%) For Year 1 = ?15000, Year 2 = ?15675, Year 3 = ?16380, Year 4 = ?17117, Year 5 = ?17887, Year 6 = ?18691 and Year 7 = ?19532. Scenario 1 ( Interest Rate 4%) The first scenario demonstrates the implementation of a GIS project with the interest rate of 4% which is considered as lowest when compared to normal. The interest rate of 4% (0.04), Fig 1.1 illustrates similarity for both cost and benefits in the graph over the period of 7 years , with the cost be nefit ratio of 1. Moreover, the net present value is also demonstrating 1st and 4th year of implementation is negative for the projects.In comparision with both the cases, consequent years 2 and 5 are highlighting recovery and constant positivity for the net present value. Figures for implemtation of the net present value over 7 years are calcuated as 16.54. Moreover, the profitibality month starts from the 2nd year till the 5th year with implementation outweigh is cost that conludes to benefit. Both the implementation present value and the net present value at the end of 5 years are positive. For this reason, productivity does not requires icrement as the net present value is already shoiwng healthy progress at the end of year 7. Scenario 2 (Interest Rate 10%) This is the scond scenario in which the worst case has been considered. The interest rate allocated for the worst scenario is at 10% (0.1), which is considerably high as compared to normal interest rates for worst case scenar ios. In figure 1.2, the demonstration of the graph is reflecting cost and benefit worms are close and following in the same direction, while it is also showing that cost overruns arises in 1st and 4th years . Whereas, the reaminder for cost and benefits