The effects of electromagnetic fields on human health

Introduction Abbreviated as EMF or EM field, an electromagnetic field can be described as a physical field mainly generated when electrically charged objects are moved. It usually affects the behavior of all charged particles within the neighborhood of the field. In general, electromagnetic field exists indefinitely in space and denotes scientific electromagnetic interaction, which is among nature’s fundamental forces. Others include strong and weak interaction and gravitational interaction.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The effects of electromagnetic fields on human health specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This field can therefore be considered as a combination of magnetic and electric fields, produced by currents and stationary charges respectively (Joe 1). These are described as the major sources of any electromagnetic field. It is important to note that electromagnetic fields have found an array of a pplications that have continued to be beneficial to mankind. Nevertheless, these electromagnetic fields have a wide range of effects on human health. This report gives an analysis of these effects and how human beings respond. Other segments synthesized include but not limited to types of electromagnetic fields, sources, solutions and recommendations. Types of electromagnetic fields Classification of electromagnetic fields is based on the wavelength, giving a unique type of radiation for a given emission. Despite the fact that this approach of classification has been proved to be effective and accurate, neighboring electromagnetic energies overlap. In some cases, classification of electromagnetic fields is based on sources of radiation, say when differentiating X-rays from gamma rays. The following segments describe different types of electromagnetic fields, commonly encountered through their significant applications. Radio frequency Appropriate antennas make use of radio waves as d escribed under the resonance principle, with an approximate wavelength range of between one millimeter and several hundreds of meters. Radio waves are common in data transmission through modulation. Common devices which use these waves include but not limited to television, wireless networking, amateur radio and mobile phones (Joe 1). The usage of this type of radiations is always government-regulated through allocation of frequencies. Microwaves This type of waves is short and able to make use of tubular metal waveguides, which have a realistic diameter. Microwave energy is principally produced by magnetron and klystron tubes coupled with solid diodes like IMPATT and Gunn equipment (Hinwood 123). Additionally, the waves can only be absorbed by particles that have a dipole moment while in their liquid state. They are applied in thermal heating, in Wi-Fi and in volumetric heating. Infrared Radiation Infrared spectrum occurs within a range of 300 GHz to 400 THz and can be broadly divi ded into three sections, namely, Far, Mid, and Near-infrared. Far-infrared ranges between 300 GHz to 30THz, with its lower part sometimes referred to as microwaves. It is absorbed by rotational modes in gaseous state, by phonons in solid state and by movement of molecules in the liquid phase.Advertising Looking for report on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On the other hand, mid-infrared occurs within a frequency of 30 to 120 THz (Hinwood 123). It is believed that heated objects effectively radiate in this region as it is absorbed by vibrations of molecules when they are at equilibrium positions. The region is sometimes referred to as fingerprint region. Lastly, the near-infrared spectrum falls within 120 and 400 THz. It exhibits physical processes that are identical to those observed under visible light. Visible radiation This includes the range in which most stars like the sun emit their radiations. Additio nally, the human eye is highly sensitive to this region. Visible light is principally absorbed and released by elections moving from one energy shell to another. It therefore follows that the light seen by human eyes represents a very minute portion of the electromagnetic field (Hinwood 124). Ultraviolet radiation The wavelength of this radiation falls below violet but higher than X-rays. Abbreviated as UV, these radiations have the ability to break chemical bonds, causing some molecules to be more reactive or alter their physical properties. UV radiations cause sunburns, which occur when skin cells are affected by rays. This has been found to be a major cause of skin cancer in most parts of the world. Besides these, UV may affect DNA molecules resulting into irreparable mutation problems. The sun is known to be a major source of UV rays, posing a threat to humanity as the risk of desertification heightens. However, these rays are usually absorbed by the ozone layer, which is threat ened by depletion due to emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. X-rays These rays also have the ionizing potential and interact with matter as a result of the Compton Effect. They are classified as either hard or soft X-rays. Because of their ability to pass through a range of materials, X-rays are commonly used to see through other objects. This has led to X-rays being adopted for radiography, a process that allows scanning of organs to facilitate diagnostic processes in medicine. They are also used in astronomy and high-energy physics (Attix 124). Gamma radiations These rays were discovered in 1900 by Paul Villard. Since their discovery, they have been widely applied in physics, medicine and general science. They are the strongest and most energetic radiations known to human beings. They can be produced from radioactive isotopes. Other applications include irradiation, and cancer imaging using PET scans (Attix 124). Through Compton scattering, the wavelength of these ra ys can be determined. As mentioned before, most electromagnetic fields exhibit overlap of energies. As a result, there are no distinct boundaries for various bands of magnetic radiations. Consequently, some radiations carry a mixture of properties.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The effects of electromagnetic fields on human health specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sources of electromagnetic radiations There are two major sources of electromagnetic fields known in history. These are natural sources and human made sources. The main natural source of electromagnetic sources is the sun, the largest star that has a lot of significance to human life. As mentioned above, Ultraviolet rays are emitted by the sun and have harmful effect on human health; they cause sunburns that lead to skin cancer and destruction of skin cells (Hinwood 121). UV rays are usually absorbed by the ozone layer prevent their full impact from reaching the earth. However, due to the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, there has been continuous depletion of the ozone, allowing these rays to hit the earth directly, a condition that exposes the earth to desertification and high prevalence of skin diseases. Apart from the sun as the main source of electromagnetic fields, human made sources have also become significant and of importance in the world. Under this category, electricity is believed to be the commonest source of electromagnetic fields. Being a major source of power around the world, this implies that human beings are prone to exposure of rays produced by electricity (Sources of Electromagnetic Radiation 1). These rays are mainly produced when electricity is transmitted through cables and machines. Importantly, electricity continues to produce electromagnetic fields even after it has been delivered to users. In other words, electricity emits radiations from generation to distribution through transmissi on. In its usage, people in offices, institutions, homes, factories and other structures are vulnerable to getting in contact with radiations produced by electricity (Hinwood 122). Beyond, electricity, almost every electrical appliance and equipment emit radiations that interact with the user or operator. In the understanding of electromagnetic fields, it is important to note that there are several generators of radiations at workplaces. These mainly include electric appliances and electronic devices like computers, printers, fax machines, fluorescent lights, scanners, copy machines, motors, telephone switching systems and other countless electrical devices. In most homes around the world, electromagnetic generators include electric blankets, television, electric water bed heaters, cell phones, clothes washers, blenders, coffee makers, microwave ovens, stereo systems and refrigerators among others (Hinwood 121). Notably, electromagnetic radiations are not only produced when applianc es use electricity, but it is the nature of these appliances like television, radio and other communication gadgets to emit radiations.Advertising Looking for report on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Aside from electricity and electric appliances, several transportation methods are also a source of electromagnetic radiations. These methods are magnetic trains, automobiles, subway systems, airplanes and trucks. It is worth noting that in the presence of two or more sources of electromagnetic fields at the same location, there is a likelihood of overlapping fields to be produced. This means that office and metropolitan homes are usually saturated with an array of electromagnetic fields from different sources within their vicinity (Sources of Electromagnetic Radiation 1). Effects electromagnetic radiations Although most electromagnetic fields have limitless applications in life, say in medicine, physics and astronomy among other disciplines, research has found out that there are countless effects caused by these radiations on human body and in general daily living. These effects can be classified into several categories like electrical hazards, fire hazards, biological effects and other long-term effects (Upton 65). Electrical and fire hazards The use of electricity exposes users to high risk levels associated with strong radiations that have the potential of releasing an electric shock to human beings or even animals. Electrical shocks have varying impact depending on the strength of the electric current flowing. Nevertheless, strong shocks are fatal and can cause death of human beings through electrocution. Overloading of these radiations can also lead to the destruction of electrical equipment if control measures are not taken. Another effect of electromagnetic radiations is explosions. This is common in cases where strong radiations are being used coupled with faulty transmission or connection errors. Electrical explosions are dangerous and the intensity of an explosion equally depends on the source of radiations and the nature of interruptions. These explosions lead to loss of lives and destruction of property (Blake and Henry 370). Fire hazards are also a common effect of electromagnetic radiations. This mainly occurs when induced voltage is higher than the breakdown voltage within a particular region. In extreme cases, sparks are common, resulting into fire accidents. This is a major cause of forest fires and other electricity-related fire accidents. Major adverse effects of such cases include loss of life and destruction of property (Sources of Electromagnetic Radiation 2). Biological hazards Exposure to electromagnetic radiations results into short and long-term biological effects. As a result, people are likely to experience the impact of radiations variedly depending on the type of radiation and degree of exposure. Although short term effects of electromagnetic fields in human beings are common, it is important to note some of the symptoms exhibited by victims may not be recognized easily. As such, many cases of electromagnetic exposure go unnoticed among many people around the world. What are some of these short-term effects ? They include physical changes on the human body, which could easily be associated with lack of certain nutrients in the body. Common effects include: hair loss, headaches, stress, nausea, chest pain, sunburns and hyperthermia among others. Importantly, some of these may turn into long-term effects like skin cancer resulting from simple sunburns (Upton 65). Long term effects One of the major long term effects of electromagnetic fields in human beings is brain tumors. Most cell phones used today emit radiations that cause excitation of some brain parts whereas others are inhibited. The brain’s cortex is the most vulnerable part as it is adjacent to the outside of the ear where phones are placed during communication (Blake and Henry 370). Apart from formation of tumors, exposure to radiations causes general damage of the brain. Cell phone frequencies also lead to aggressive growth of cells among Leukemia patients. This is common in both children and adults, although the impact depends on the level of exposure. Additionally, these fields result into high cases of miscarriage among pregnant women. Electric appliances known to emit such rays include food mixers, hairdryers and vacuum cleaners commonly used domestically. Another permanent impact of electromagnetic fields is the irreparable damage of the DNA. This results into birth defects and neurodegenerative diseases. As mentioned earlier, skin cancer is common due to sunburns caused by high exposure to UV radiations (Upton 65). Recommendation and conclusion As noted above, almost all electromagnetic fields have negative effects on human being. It is therefore important to consider ways of mitigating the effects of these rays or limiting human exposure. Government solutions include proper power lines and cell phone towers location to avoid disconnections and erroneous faults. The government should further educate the public on potential impact of EMF’s. Personal mitigation efforts include minimizin g phone usage and determination of EMF’s levels at home so as to take necessary measures. Works Cited Attix, Frank. Introduction to radiological physics and radiation dosimetry. Munich: Wiley-VCH, 1986. Print. Blake, Levitt, and Henry Lai. â€Å"Biological effects from exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted by cell tower base stations and other antenna arrays.† Environmental Reviews, 18.1 (2010): 369-395. Hinwood, Barry. A textbook of science for the health professions. United Kingdom: Nelson Thornes, 1992. Print. Joe, Hall. â€Å"The Negative Effects of Electromagnetic Fields.† Consumer Health 20.9 (1997): 1. Print. Sources of Electromagnetic Radiation. â€Å"What are Electromagnetic Fields?† Apple Mobile, 2011. Web. Upton, Arthur. Health effects of exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation: BEIR V. New York: National Academies, 1990. Print. This report on The effects of electromagnetic fields on human health was written and submitted by user Everett Cain to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Jay Z Story of O.J Professor Ramos Blog

Jay Z Story of O.J Hip hop has been known for decades to have hidden meaning in its song. Recently due to the rise of trap and mumble rap, the meanings have changed to Drugs, Money, and Degrading women. The rise of trap and mumble rap caused some older rapping to either adapt or fall off. A veteran rapper like Jay z, who always stay true to his own style would not succumb to this problem. In most peoples eyes, Jay Z is considered a rap legend, He is respected by his peers and either inspired or paved the way for others. From songs like 99 Problems to Empire state of mind, Jay Z has been nominated 77 times and has won 22 Grammy awards. Jay Z has many hidden messages in his songs, He can give a clear message and deliver sick flows to the listener understanding. In one of his more recent projects called 4:44 in which he won a grammy. On there he has a song called The Story of Oj. The song and its music video have deep cultural meanings with a tone of awareness. The story of Oj makes the black community as k what should our priorities really be and how we should approach them. The Story of O.J. shows the viewer the darker side of American history through images and wordplay. How the Dark past has affected their identity.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The starts off with the person singing skin black, my skin is black this chores was sampled from the late Nina Simone, an African American Singer and civil rights activist. The Song Jay Z sampled is Nina Simone Four Women the Song is about empowering black beauty.   The animation style is based on the old early 1900s of black facing and monkey-like imagery to depict black people, also known as minstrelsy. It was America number 1 form of entertainment around the 19th century white men would put pitch-black oil and white gloves to perform their acts. The acts would use black stereotypes like eating watermelon for the jokes and loudly exaggerate black voices; this was not only degrading but racist.   An early example of minstrelsy is with Warner Brothers Looney Toons and old Disney animations Disney. In looney tunes, characters would wear white gloves, fake black voices there was even an episode where Bugs Bunny uses oil to blend in with black people.   The chores Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga, Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga, Still nigga, still nigga I like that second one, Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga, Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga, Still nigga, still nigga (Jay Z). The chores came from the idea that since black people came from nothing which is understandable,   that when we get success and money, we forget about our culture and where we come from. Another idea came from a Malcolm X speech, X said back during slavery there were two kinds of Negroes. The house Negro who always looked out for his master because of the better treatment, and then you had the field Negroes they hated their master because of there treatment. These lyrics parallel to Kanye west lyrics in his hit song All Falls Down Even if you in a Benz, you still a nigga in a coupe, most interpret no matter how much money and success you accumulate youre still black in their eyes. In the music v ideo during the first chores, they show all the types of Black people Jay z was referring too and lastly showing O.J. who the song is named after. Oj Simpson was an American football player from San Francisco California. He went to college at USC, where he would win the Heisman trophy the most prestigious award in college football. He got drafted by the buffalo bills, there Oj rushed for over 2000 yards in a season. Since Oj was so successful and accomplished as a   football player, he thought he was above the racial conflict. In 1994, Simpson was arrested and charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her boyfriend, Ron Goldman. He would be found not guilty of the crimes, during the trial he uttered the famous quote Im Not Black, Im O.J. this is where Jay Z gets his famous one-liner Im not Black, Im O.J., Okay in his song Story Of O.J.   His verse rap verse starts with House nigga, dont fuck with me, Im a field nigga, with shined cutlery, Gold-plated quarters, where the butlers be, I ma play the corners where the hustlers be (Jay Z) while during the scene it goes to Jay Z cartoon style picking up cotton this goes back to the Malcolm Xs reference to the African slaves who worked in the house. They often grew fond of their master since they were treated better than field slaves. This dynamic caused some house slaves to preserve and protect the slave institute. House slaves believed their lives were optimum, while field slaves hated their masters and wanted to escape. Then switches to Jay Z on the counter of a new york street which probably references his hard beginning where he had to sell drugs on the corner to get by, this contrast to him being a field negro when he was a drug dealer.     Still In verse one the line I told him, Please dont die over the neighborhood, That your mama rentin, Take your drug money and buy the neighborhood, Thats how you rinse it ( Jay Z). This refers to how violent gang neighborhoods are and how gang members die over a counter or block that the government owns. Mostly all drug dealers dont have happy endings staying in the game or profession, so instead Jay Z believes you would use your drug money and by the neighborhood rent it out and make it a better place. This goes into Jay Z talking about financial literacy. The Next verse and scene start off with jay talking to his psychiatrist about the better financial decision. The lyrics go I bought every V12 engine Wish I could take it back to the beginning I coulda bought a place in DUMBO before it was DUMBO. For like 2 million That same building today is worth 25 million. Guess how Im feelin? Dumbo (Jay Z). Hip hop has created a lot of harmful ideals. One of those ideals is about forging whips. Typically when black rapper or athlete get their first big payday, they spend it on an expensive car instead of buying a piece of property. Jay Z trying to teach the viewer that instead of using the money to buy an expensive that depreciate quickly, buy a piece of property that gains value over time. The music video then goes to a stripper dance with Jay tells us, you wanna know whats more important than throwing away money at a strip club? Credit. Jay giving us more financial advice this time about credit, which in fact it may be just as important or more valuable than money. If you have a bad credit score getting a loan from a bank, its almost impossible. Then he givens us a lesson on how Jewish people own all properties in America. The music video show how he bought artwork for 1 million and each year it when up in value. Jay Z, according to Forbes, is the first billion-dollar rapper most of his wealth was accumulated in artwork and rea l-estate. The last scene shows Jay Z coming out from below the deck of the slave ship with the white sailor saluting him. The scene represents that he made it out of the struggle and now own the boat. The song goes to its chorus and shows all the historical black figures rapping along, finally once again showing a dark past. Since early America, it took African American over one hundred years to find their self meaning and identity because of all the set back they have faced. Jay Z Story of O.J   masterfully shows this struggle.

Analyzing professional reports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analyzing professional reports - Essay Example In as much as the international community has been on a mission to degrade Al-Qaida’s core leadership, acts of terrorism continue to evolve. The report quickly points out how leadership losses in Pakistan, weak governance and Middle East instability play a significant role in accelerating the decentralization of the Al-Qaida movement and networks across the globe. On a different perspective, the government report states how AQ leadership tends to have trouble in the maintenance of cohesion within the group’s network. Therefore, the group became operational from core Al-Qaida and instead focused on both regional and local objectives. Finally, the government report states how the past years there has been an emergence of various aggressive Al-Qaida affiliates from Syria, Yemen, Somalia and Northwest Africa. Terrorist violence in recent years has been fueled by various sectarian motivations, which marks a trend that is worrisome especially in countries such as Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan. In these nations, the terrorism acts mostly befall the civilian populations. From the government report on acts of terrorism in 2013, the rhetorical style is a bit straightforward in that, the report has few but long sentences. The government report starts by the general description of how acts of terrorism across the globe have been on the rise. The use of this technique immediately shows how this particular report is informal not only to the United States of America citizens but also to the entire globe. Alternatively, the report knows exactly how to capture and engage the interests of the readers. This particular report is generally used as a background data from the beginning of the report when the Bureau of Counterterrorism makes in this in the particular paragraph-Al-Qaida and some of its affiliates are the main groups behind the acts of terrorism across the globe. Another statement in the report that

People in Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

People in Organisations - Essay Example   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"A process in which leader and followers interact in a way that enables the leader to influence the actions of the followers in a non-coercive way, towards the achievement of certain aims or objectives.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. To inspire team members into attaining higher levels of teamwork, there are certain attributes that the team leader must have, certain things he should know, and, certain functions that he should perform. These do not come naturally to most of them, but are acquired through continuous analysis and study. Only those become good leaders who are continually WORKING and STUDYING to improve their leadership skills; they are NOT resting on their laurels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The present essay focuses on a team that has been consistently performing for some time now. Any organization’s management including the top-rung leadership and the individual teams must strive to achieve better results and aim for achieving higher objectives. No matter how well the team has been performing, it is necessary for any team to adopt such an approach because it helps in the development of a team in terms of both the performance as well as increased revenues for the company in the long run. .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Two basic things are necessary for any performing team, which is looking to improve its performance- Strategy and Tactics. Tom Peters in his book Thriving on Chaos, had said-â€Å"What have you done today to enhance (or at least insure against the decline of) the relative overall useful-skill level of your work force vis-à  -vis competitors†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With reference to a performing team, when Peters mentioned, "enhancing", he was speaking of the strategic plans that will help the team members

Designing, Developing an Evaluation g Educational Technology Essay

Designing, Developing an Evaluation g Educational Technology - Essay Example The process of using technological evaluation also assists in setting objectives. Every institution involved in education must have set objectives that must be achieved. It is only through evaluation that the extent at which objectives are being achieved can be identified. It is therefore necessary for learning institutions to adopt technological evaluation tool since it will assist in setting and achieving objectives. According to John Dewey, a teacher should not be a sole figure in the process of education but rather as a guide to the process of education and learning (Howland, 2012). Learning is a continuous process that has no end. Most importantly in order to learn one should have the knowledge. Knowledge comes from the daily interaction with the environment. It is therefore not right to conclude that pedagogical knowledge is enough and complete for the process of learning. Although possession of content is very important for learning, it is not also complete for the whole process of learning. In order for complete learning to take place, there must be a good learning environment, which is required by leaners. Learners have different needs and have different capacities to learn. Possession of content alone cannot be used to determine whether learning has taken place. There is also need to test the psychomotor domains of learning in addition to affective domain of learning in order to accompli sh a satisfactory process of learning. Some of the skills proposed by NETS are improving high thinking skills for students such as problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. For a thorough learning process to occur in a lesson a teacher should find a way of testing these skills. The teacher posing questions that requires critical thinking and reasoning can do this. Allowing group discussions can also help learners in coming up with solutions for their problems hence

Emerging Technologies: Business And Society

Emerging Technologies: Business And Society Over the last decade, emerging technologies have no doubt influenced almost every sector of society and business. Whether by their promise of better society and business or by the curse of disquiet etched in their wings; Robotics and Nanotechnology, among a few other emerging technologies, have certainly played a part in shaping todays business and society for tomorrow. The emergence of Nanotechnology and Robotics was, to some extent, instigated and inspired by certain fundamental needs and pursuits of society and business. The business desire for cost-efficiency and societys pursuit of sustainability in the form of better health care, a cleaner environment, security, etc are just a glimpse of what may have triggered the emergence of these among other technologies. However, the technologies success, or lack of it, is to a large extent dependent on, the overall short and long term, how well they respond to the primary needs and pursuits of businesses and society. This report focuses on Nanotechnology and Robotics discussing some of their varied range of practical, theoretical and experimental applications. The report, in essence, draws from the diverse applications of these two technologies, their implications and impacts on businesses and society hitherto and perhaps in the near future. The analysis, also acknowledges and draws from lessons learnt in preceding and contemporary technologies such as genetic engineering and nuclear energy. The analysis shows that the success of the technologies depends on their close evolutionary interaction with their resident businesses and society which are also changing in response albeit at a different pace. Introduction The influence of emerging technologies on almost every sector of business and society cannot be overstated over the last decade. Whether by their promise of better society and business or by the curse of disquiet etched in their wings; Robotics and Nanotechnology, among other emerging technologies in the frontline, have certainly played a part in shaping todays business and society for tomorrow. The emergence of Nanotechnology and Robotics may, to some extent, have been instigated and inspired by certain fundamental needs and pursuits of society and business. The desire for greater efficiency cost or otherwise in business, better health care, a cleaner environment, security and etc for sustainable society are just a glimpse of pursuits that may have triggered the emergence of these two among other technologies. However, just as their preceding or contemporary counterparts such as genetic engineering, their success, or lack of it, is to a large extent dependent on the overall short and long term impact they portend for business and society. Robotics and Nanotechnology are two among the foremost of countless emerging technologies ushered into the new century whose impact on society and business is yet to be fully realised or determined. Determining the impacts of these two is no simple task. The range of applications for these two technologies, whether already practical or still theoretical, is quite enormous and diverse making it even more difficult for one to establish the full extent of their impact. There is however no doubt that these two have had their share of both positive and negative impacts on business and society and will continue to during their evolution. Whatever the impacts, their measure may be drawn from how businesses and society have responded so far. Many studies done on these technologies indicate enormous initial investments by businesses and more recently, measured but nonetheless important investments by society. Nano-scale technology or Nanotechnology has been defined generally as the creation of functional materials, devices, and systems through control of matter on the nanometer (1 to 100+ nm) length scale and the exploitation of novel properties and phenomena developed at that scale. [1] Nanotechnology, just as many other technologies before, has especially pledged enormous benefits for businesses and society. Many studies indicate enormous initial investments by businesses and more recently, measured but nonetheless important investments by society anticipating mostly the benefits it promises. Nonetheless the studies also show that it bears its own brand of curses or threats alike especially for society. Some of the threats may well be known, anticipated and resolved in good time. Others may only be revealed later on in its evolution. Either way, it is imperative that its benefits and identifiable threats be reasonably considered and embedded in their evolution if these two, among others related, are going to succeed. On the other hand, a robot is generally defined as a reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks (Robot Institute of America, 1979)[15]. Robotics is thus concerned mainly with the study, design, building and operation of robot systems for certain specialised tasks [14]. Business and societys desire for greater efficiency cost and better health care, a cleaner environment, security etc respectively also continue to inspire heavy investments in more cost-efficient technologies. Achieving these either by automation, miniaturisation or by the use of better building blocks or materials for technology and products are among the main approaches that converge research and development of Robotics and Nano-scale technology or Nanotechnology among other related technologies. Apart from the brief introduction above, this report is organized into two main sections. The first section covers a brief description on the fundamentals of Nanotechnology. This section is followed by discussions on some of the principle practical, theoretical and experimental applications tracing and focusing on their impact on business and society. The second section deals with robotics and likewise describing the fundamentals of robot systems. This section too is followed by an examination of the major applications of robotics with a focus on their impact on society and business. Nanotechnology As mentioned in the introduction, Nanotechnology generally involves engineering at the nano-scale level (1 to100nm) leveraging novel properties and phenomena of matter at this scale. The concept of engineering at this scale may well be attributed to Feyman (1959) [2]. Modern understanding of Nanotechnology as defined above was built on the initial concept by other eminent scholars like Drexler (1992) [3]. Merkle (1997) [4] also went on to propose additional concepts like building materials by specifically positioning each atom and cost effective mass-assembly of the atoms At the close of the last century in 2000, presented with the anticipated advances and subsequent benefits of Nanotechnology by proponents such as Drexler (1992)[3], Merkle (1997)[4] among others, galvanized leaders in technological research and development, cutting edge innovation and business to converge and discuss extensively the implications of engineering at this scale. At a workshop organized by the United States National Science Foundation (NSF), leading experts gathered and to present their views on Nanotechnology and its implications focusing its potential applications in business and society. A resulting report on the proceedings of the workshop presents rather varied views and perpectives, perhaps due to the diverse applications of the technology or backgrounds of the participants. However, the urgent need for a foundational and comprehensive analysis of the technology and its implications seems to be the leading theme. This was a defining moment in the evolution of Nanote chnology. Below is a summary of nanotechnologys focus and principle applications as reported in the NSF (2001) [5] workshop and are being refined with time as shown in the National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic Plan (2007) [6]: Industrial Manufacturing Materials and products, Chemical Processing Electronics application in Information Technologies and Communications Medicine and Health applications in Medicine and Pharmaceuticals. Aerospace For aerospace and planetary exploratory applications. Transportation and civil infrastructure Lighter Materials Sustainability in Energy, Water, Agriculture Food, Materials, Clean environment Defence and Security applications. Even though the current and potential applications of nanotechnology reach deeper than revealed by the above summary, there is no doubt that the above applications have impacted both businesses and society over the last decade in one way or another. Some researchers have even suggested at the emergence of Nanotechnology signalling the entry into the Age of Transitions [6] [7] there would be profound waves of change whether in society or business. Impact of Nanotechnology on business Every category of application highlighted above is representative of a range of industries and businesses that have already responded to, or must soon do so, to the diverse and vast influences, potential or practical, wielded by Nanotechnology. Some of these influences are certainly not unique to nanotechnology and may have been wielded by contemporary and preceding technologies. Others, however, such as the rapid parallel advances in research and development hardly witnessed by preceding technologies have compelled many a business in any of the application categories to reconfigure itself and its approach. These cycles of reconfiguration will even be more rapid when Nanotechnology converges with other emerging technologies that portend similar characteristics. Good examples are traffic on the internet; wireless capacity and computing performance which are said to double every 6, 9 and 18 months respectively [7]. Industrial Manufacturing: Nanoscale engineering of materials and products forms the bulk of current and perhaps even future applications of nanotechnology in industrial manufacturing. This has witnessed the introduction of new materials and products and thus new markets for businesses over the last 10 years. The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) forecasted the 2010 2015 Nanotechnology market at over 1 trillion US dollars as shown in the chart below. Chart 1: Estimates of the nanotechnology market by 2010-2015 USD trillions: 1.1 Source: National Science Foundation Subsequent research (RNCOS research) [8] has upwardly revised estimates within half the period settling at 1.6 trillion USD by the year 2013. The market estimates probably continue to inspire a steady increase in investment. Cientifica estimated the global government funding stood at a little less than 9.75 billion USD for nanotechnology. The US government alone invested 1.6 billion USD a steady increase from about 500 billion in 2001. [8] Apart from specialized materials such as nano-composite polymers and other nanoscale structured materials and chemicals; the inventory list of consumer products with a nanotech component currently stands at over 800 and will obviously continue to grow [9]. With this kind of diversity in terms of products and an expanding market, businesses, especially those in manufacturing, will do well to quickly adapt continue their success. Electronics: The potential application of nanotechnology in electronics is set to take the miniaturisation of computers to the next level. It is also set to improve the cost-efficiency and performance of electronic products even introducing product variation that have been hitherto unrealistic. [10] Figure 1: Manufacturing cost projection for logic at silicon-area and transistor levels as illustrated by Doering (2000) [5] As shown in Figure 1, the cost of achieving electronic function is on the decline thus inspiring the continued introduction of new electronic products and business and a consequent the market for the products. This will no doubt also augment advances in related areas such as telecommunications further opening up opportunities for business as illustrated in Doerings (2000) [5] projections in Figure 2 below. Figure 2: Illustrates projected growth of electronic market place with decreasing feature sizes and function cost. Doering (2000) [5] Medicine and Health: Nanotechnology has been applied in medicine, healthcare and pharmaceuticals to introduce better drug delivery and diagnosis mechanisms (targeted) [10] [11]. The resulting advances achieved hitherto continue to attract, not just government funding, but private businesses and organizations are also joining the fray investing themselves in nanotech medicine and healthcare. Of course theres the prospect, albeit some of it being still experimental, of resolving age old problems like cancer. Figure 3: An illustration of Nanotech funding Adapted from ETC Nanotech Report (2006) [11] There is also the prospect of making viable, products that have previously not been viable for business. The overall positive impact of nanotechnology on business related to medicine and health care is that it introduces a new range of products subsequently expanding the existing markets or even reconfiguring them all together [5], [10]. Some studies estimated the world markets expansion for these products from 1 billion USD in 2005 to be tenfold at 10billion USD by 2010 [11]. On the flipside, an expanding product base also means the introduction of products that carry along with them originally unintended effects or even products that are downright harmful to the business side of medicine and healthcare [10] [11]. Aerospace: Businesses and organizations in aerospace research and development have also invested themselves quite heavily with the intention of reaping some of the benefits of Nanotech application over the last decade or so. The introduction or potential introduction of lighter, stronger nanostructured materials or building blocks for aerospace equipment can only portend a positive outlook for this business since this ultimately implies an eventual reduction in costs e.g. in fuelling as well as wholesome aerospace projects [10]. Transportation and civil infrastructure: Lighter high-strength materials developed through nanotechnology implies a reduction of costs; whether in fuelling or maintenance in transportation and infrastructural developments. Impact of Nanotechnology on society The almost definitive nature of business, at least in objective makes much simpler the exercise of nanotechnologies impacts on business. This however, is not the case when it comes to determining societal implications and impacts brought about by technologies; nano or otherwise. Many attempted studies at this exercise acknowledge this difficulty [5] [10]. The period of time required for one to actually determine a certain technologys impact on society as well as the often unpredictable nature of society have been cited in the studies among major challenges to the accuracy of determining societal implication of technology; nanotechnology in this case. The impact of nanotechnology and its related advances on society hinges on certain major areas of life that are important to the makeup of that society. Below are some of the major areas cited by some studies like the NSF (2001) [5] report on Societal Implications of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and the Royal Society Royal Academy of Engineering (2004) [10] report on Nanoscience and nanotechnologies: opportunities and uncertainties: Health care: Among the benefits pledged by nanotechnology, certain applications are meant to improve the quality of health care. Society at an individual level desires health and long life. New products and technologies such as targeted drug delivery mechanisms and diagnostics introduced by nanoscale engineering for health care promise a healthy and quality for individuals and society as a whole. [11] On the flipside, some products developed through nanotechnology also pose a threat to health. Some nanomaterials and particles have presented hazardous characteristics to human health and performance. Analyses and studies on some of the nano products and technologies which present unintended health hazards recommend responsible research and application of nanotechnologies [5]. Sustainability: Society looks for the sustainability of the resources that are its lifeblood. The current application and potential of Nanotechnology focusing on sustainable energy, water supply, agriculture food, materials and clean environment directly impact on the societys quality of life. Energy applications of nanotechnology pursue a parallel advance in achieving sustainable energy building on existing technologies. The threesome approach deals with: efficient energy conversion from primary form using a number of nanotech mechanisms e.g, nano-engineered solar cells, efficient storage energy storage through the use of supercapacitors developed through nanotechnology, and efficient energy saving mechanisms e.g. through the use of better thermoinsulators created using by nanomaterials [12] Sustainable energy is tightly bound with a clean environment. Achieving the former dramatically improves the later. Water supply is also an issue of concern for society where nanotech products and approaches are being used to improve the level of water supply either e.g. using nanotech for desalination. Agriculture and food production are also set to benefit from sustained research and development of nanotech application to agriculture. Defence and Security applications: Defence and security have long inspired the emergence of technologies perhaps because societies have often been reconfigured by conflict. The practical or even just the potential applications of nanotechnology to defence and security either in military weaponry and equipment or in intelligence continue to profoundly affect society. [5] A fundamental concern for society is who controls the resulting advances of nanotechnology thus raising legal and ethical issues. Studies show that society needs to respond at a quicker pace by being involved right from the get-go, putting in place and redefining policy mechanisms, regulation and control of these technologies [10]. Education and Culture: A combination of nanotechnology and other contemporary technologies such as Biotechnology and Information Technology portends a true Age of Transitions for society as has been argued by some experts [7]; a time when social structures and cultures are rapidly reconfigured and reengineered by a rapid technological evolution and eventual revolution. Robotics Robotics is area of emerging technologies that involves the study, design, construction and operation of robot system(s). Slightly variable definitions of a robot to encompass humanlike characteristics describe a broadened modern concept of robotics [13]. The application of Robotics, since the first practical realization of the concept in the early 60s, has increasingly worked its way into many sectors of todays business and society. The primary application of robotics has mostly to do with tasks that are either too dangerous or those that are too repetitive and too precise for humans. In essence, robotics seeks to enhance human performance. The general areas in business and society that continue to benefit from application of robotics in include [14]: Industrial, mainly in manufacturing either in precise or repetitive assembly repair among others so far the most established application of robotics. Healthcare performing complex and precise surgical procedures such as Radiosurgery, Tele-robotic surgery among other medical procedures. Aerospace, Military and security performance of dangerous and precise tasks relating to defence and security example of practical applications include the unmanned aerials and ground vehicles for surveillance, reconnaissance and exploration of hazardous environment. Agriculture Disaster Recovery and Infrastructure again, the use of robotics for the recovery and sometime repair of dangerous environments and difficult to reach areas of infrastructure respectively. Consumer Robotics for day-to-day tasks and service provision the least developed area of robotics but picking up pace. Impact of Robotics on business The robotics principle inspiration of enhancing human performance and the fundamental objectives of increasing productivity and quality in business foreshadow the impact of robotics in business. The application of advancing robotics to various areas of traditional business has and continues to compel change in business design and approach. Business and organizations trading in the primary areas of robotics application have had to reconfigure themselves inspired by this change. In many ways, the impact of robotics on manufacturing business foreshadows the impact of robotics on almost all other areas of industrial robotics application. Manufacturing thus may well be viewed as representative of other areas Infrastructure development, Agriculture and healthcare. Manufacturing: the extensive industrial application of robotics has, to a large extent, improved the efficiency of manufacturing businesses that have properly invested themselves in the potency of robotics. Case studies on some of these businesses show marked improvements in their performance, quality. Chrysler, for example, a leading automobile manufacturer was able to cut cost and improve its flexibility by remodelling its business for the market and by leveraging advanced robotics. Their application of robotics enabled them to cost-efficiently produce a wider range of products [16]. The increasing need for application of robotics in other manufacturing areas like packaging and processing is also opening up new business opportunities for robotics. The trend in manufacturing now is that more and more businesses are inclined to robotics and related automation for their existence. However, although the benefits of applying robotics are worthwhile on the long term for business, the initial investments are, more often than not, prohibitive. This has been the case and will probably continue to hound business into the next generation. Parallel advances in complimentary technologies however likely to mitigate problem. In healthcare, apart from the performance of repetitive tasks, the cutting edge application of robotics is mostly towards the performance of highly complex surgical procedures. However, robotics application here is tightly bound to the human in the sense that robots are not autonomous. Consumer robotics is a fairly new application area that involves a much smaller scale of applications compared to industrial. This might be at the product distribution level like dispensing machines Military and security: investments in robotics for military and security use are leading the advance in robotics as a technology through research and development. Often, the output of these advances translates to new business opportunities when converted or modified for civilian applications. Contemporary technologies such the internet and wireless telecommunication were first military and defence technologies before they became commercialized for business. Aerospace applications: Robotics application in exploratory research and development like aerospace are also contributing to the advancement of robotics and in turn inspiring fresh business area applications such as infrastructure maintenance and transport. Impact of Robotics on society As mentioned above, robotics portends to improve and enhance human performance. To some extent, this does impact society positively. A societys health and safety is improved for instance by the use of robots to perform dangerous and hazardous tasks. However, large scale industrial robotics application may mean job losses especially when robots begin to replace human workers. The implications here are far reaching. Apart from the short term effects of conflict, there is the long term reconfiguration of society to accommodate the changes. In the long term, education and training and other related areas have to be reviewed. There are also broader societal issues such as the need for environment sustainability where robotics portends both positive and negative impacts. The application of robotics in military defence, weaponry and security such as the use unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance revisits the concern of who controls technologies thus raising legal and ethical issues. Robotics and other complimentary technologies continue to influence social evolution by directly effecting change in education and social culture. In other worlds robotics has contributed to the change in the way we live our lives. There is an increasing societal dependence on technologies even though they dont resolve age old societal challenges such as poverty and justice. Conclusion Emerging of technologies often invite scrutiny in the interest of business and society the ultimate consumers of technology. Nanotechnology and Robotics are no different. This scrutiny, as has been illustrated in this report, often takes the form of assessments on the impacts of these technologies on business and society. Again, as shown, assessing and articulating the impacts of technologies is not a simple exercise especially when they are just emerging. It is often a process informed by diverse and sometimes opposing views from leading experts and representatives from society and business. In the end, the impacts identified, positive or negative, define the viability of an emerging technology. The assessment of Nanotechnology and Robotics in this report, perhaps because of the width and depth of their potential applications, yields an overall positive outlook for business and society and in turn for their success as emerging technologies.

A culture of my own :: essays research papers

A Culture of My Own   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The smell of the ocean, palm trees, and the sound of the salsa beats in the distance, characteristics of a beautiful culture. But is that really what My culture is. As a Cuban in America, culture is much different than that of a island native. My culture, or should I say, the culture that my family has molded into our own, is a spectacular one. It may not be the same as it was one-hundred years ago, or even twenty years ago for that matter. But one things makes that okay, culture is not written, nor are you born with in. We humans are taught culture. And what I’ve learned and discovered on my own is that being Cuban means many things to me; it means music and loudness, A lot of family memories, and most definitely pride.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To begin with, the Cuban culture is one of much loudness and joyous music. Growing up, there was never a day that I did not wake up to the sound of loud salsa music blaring. Or to the loud voices of my mother or grandmother talking. To anyone else this â€Å"talking† would surely be mistaken for an argument or fight. Cuba is where salsa music and the conga drum originated so we tend to be very prideful of this. One of the greatest salsa singer/writer was the late Celia Cruz. She was somewhat of a hero to Cuban people; seeing as though she had been a Cuban refugee, and became a great success in the U.S. Her recent passing was a devastation, not only to the Cuban society but to all Latinos and many Americans as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Which brings me to family. My Mother and Aunts had grown up listening to and admiring Celia Cruz so you can only imagine their reaction to her death. Our entire family was in mourning. Sound kind of silly, but it was as if one of our on had passed. Like many Latin families, mine is huge! And what does a huge family mean; a lot of parties, weddings, and holidays. Holidays with a Cuban family is a one of a kind experience. There is drinking, music, fun, and of course fights. It is certainly somewhat of a comforting chaos. This past Christmas, I spent alone with my Mother and Step- Father, and it was just not the same.

Disney College Program †Magical Internship or Mousecatraz Essay

A year and a half ago I packed my bags and drove the stretch to Orlando to officially begin my term in the Disney College Program. Since then I have experienced the behind the scenes side of Disney World, and I have learned what I would consider to be the pros and cons of becoming a Disney cast member. While I would love to believe that life as a Disney employee is nothing but a dream, spending a semester there has opened my eyes to both the magical benefits and also the hard work that it takes to live there. Today I’m going tell you more of what life at Disney consists of and what you can expect in the Disney College Program. Imagine this: You wake up early in your Orlando hotel room; you’re too excited and nervous to eat because today your program starts. You make your way over to Vista Way Apartments to get a good spot in line, anxious because you’re only hours away from meeting your future roommates and receiving the one thing that has been eating you alive for months – your job assignment! Your semester has barely started, and it’s already nerve-wracking. A term in Disney of course will hold some high expectations. According to the official Disney College program website, As a Disney College Program participant, you’ll become part of the magic that is known worldwide. You’ll get valuable, on-the-job experience in the parks and resorts, and expand your knowledge in a classroom with international students. Discover new worlds and create long-lasting memories. All of these statements have truth to them, but what you may not know is that the slightest tweak of your expectations can make or break your time there. By the end of the first day, I had 5 new roommates, and I was a new merchandise cast member at one of Disney’s Resorts. The time I spent from August to December in Orlando was full to the brim with great and incredible memories. These times were the pros of the experience. When you first arrive, Disney requires each of their cast members to go through an orientation class called ‘traditions’ where you learn about the exceptional value Disney places on their famous customer service. Even though it was orientation, I have to admit it was pretty exciting. They really know how to get you pumped about being part of creating that Disney magic. Having the opportunity to assist in making those moments that last a lifetime for other families is absolutely amazing. The friends that you will make there will also last a lifetime. I made friends from all over the world while I was there. That’s something that I wouldn’t trade for anything. And what’s better than spending time with those friends in the Disney parks†¦ for free! This must be the ultimate perk, but there are countless others. To top of all of that, working for Disney is an excellent addition to your resume. Unfortunately, along with the pros come the cons. The number one complaint that I have heard would be the problems you will encounter with roommates. If you opt to stay on Disney property, which has many benefits, you will be required to share a bedroom with one other person and most likely your apartment with several others. While I lived in an apartment of six including myself, you could end up with a total of eight. With that many people under one roof, it would be a miracle if everyone got along. On top of the stress of your living space, you are required to wear your goofy looking uniform to a job that you played no part in the selection of. Being a college program cast member, you are automatically considered temporary or expendable, and because of that you automatically take lowest priority. You will work hard hours, and out of the multiple managers in your area, you will most likely not enjoy all of them to say the least. Working for a company with such demanding guests will take a toll on you. Despite the lower points that you will come across while you are there, the Disney College program is an excellent overall experience. You will learn much more than you could possibly expect. You can even take courses that can apply for college credit if you choose. Your patience and tolerance will increase significantly, trust me. The months you spend there will stay with you forever. In conclusion, I hope that I have been able to give you more insight on the program. There are some very heavy pros and cons in this program, but whether or not the good outweighs the bad is left up to you. If you are considering taking this journey yourself, I would recommend that you take the leap. You’ll most likely have bad days, but you will treasure the memories and friends you make there forever.

How Movies Portray History

I’ve always watched movies for the sole purpose of entertainment. Thinking about the historical backgrounds they entail never really crossed my mind. The way Hollywood portrays historical events in films isn’t very accurate, which some people see as a problem. After listening to both James Wermers & Dr. Chiltons presentations and reading The Art of War article my train of thought has changed on how films portray history. First, let’s consider the three perspective on the issue of how movies portray history.James Wermers had many opinions on filmography and history. According to him, producers have full rights to using history in fims. He believes that even though history is fair game to the film industry, movies don’t always portray historical events as accurate as they occur. He spoke about film producers use of CGI in movies and how it adds to a movies over all look. Even though CGI is a very clever use of computerized effects, it is not always used as i t should be.He stated, â€Å" CGI is no longer used for a certain effect, it is no longer the question of should we use it but how. † The reality of historical events isn’t always as accurate as it could be says Wermer but it is a good basis to a movie. Dr. Chilton had a political opinion on the matter. She stated that â€Å"filmmakers frequently use films to make statements, whether political or economic, or social, therefore, movies and their makers are protected by the First Amendment. † Whether or not we like how filmmakers are or portraying a specific event. they are entitled to portray it as they please. As Dr. Chilton reminds us, freedom of speech does not only refer to actually speech, it involves writing, sculptures, murals, and of course movies. In the Art of War article we see the artistic aspect of using CGI in films . Even though it states that a lot of the effects in the movie were very unrealistic that is also what made the movie so beautiful. It created this gorgeous scenery that could only be imagined but CGI made it possible to see.Even though the process of filming with CGI is a bit strange and hard to picture until the final product is shown, once you see everything put together it is amazing. After watching 300 and taking in all three of these aspects on movies portrayal of historical events my train of thought has changed immensely. I will now be more cautious as to what I’m actually watching. Is it actually true, is this really how things happened, and is that a real back drop or is it just CGI. I also now question the message movies contain. Instead of just watching to be entertained, I will now watch films with a lot of questions in mind.

SHORT STORY ESSAY

SHORT STORY ESSAY SHORT STORY ESSAY Dhesi 1 Ranvir Dhesi Mr.Depew ENG3U November 10th , 2014 Initiation Symbolism and Conflict In the short story Initiation written by Sylvia Plath the protagonist Millicent Arnold is undergoing a long and difficult set of trials and tribulations with the hopes of being accepted into the most elite sorority at her high school. One of the challenges has Millicent asking people on the bus what they had eaten for breakfast. While doing this she learns about the Heather birds which essentially do whatever they want to. The Heather birds becomes a symbol of freedom and independence that helps develop the internal conflict that Millicent has on whether or not she should join the sorority. Millicent questions whether or not she should be joining the sorority shortly after her conversation with the man on the bus. The man explains to Millicent that Heather birds â€Å"...live on the mythological moors and fly about all day long singing wild and sweet in the sun†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Vi ewpoints, 205). This quote shows how free and independent the Heather birds are as they are living wild and free with no worries. Millicent now thinks about becoming more like the Heather bird in terms of independance and does not see herself wanting to be a part of the sorority as much as she had previously wanted to. However, her mind is not completely made up yet and she continues to participate in the sororities challenges. She contemplates her future and Dhesi 2 knows that her friendship with her friend Tracy would be put in jeopardy if she joins the sorority because she would be at the top of the high school hierarchy and would not be allowed to associate with people below her. At this point Millicent is completely torn between what she wants to do and has very limited time to make up her mind. She wants to be part of the popular group but at the same time does not want to lose her friend Tracy in the progress. As the day of judgement comes closer and closer Millicent makes up her mind. She realizes that the sorority was not all what she thought it would be like. Millicent now sees the sorority as an exclusive social group that gives girls a false sense of superiority over everybody else and no longer wants anything to do with it. She realizes now that because of this label that was put on her it may have been the only reason Herb even talked to her in the first place. Millicent questions if Herb actually likes her for he rself or if it was just to benefit from her soon being a part of the sorority. This leads Millicent to think about the Heather birds that live care free and far from any drama created by the other birds. She sees the sorority girls as â€Å"...pale grey ­brown birds in a flock , Short Story Essay Short Story Essay Imaginative Text – Short Story Unit: The Gold Watch Hope on the Battlefield By Sarah Ryland As the evening skies embraced hints of aqua and cobalt, Mark strode through the raw deserted grounds and reminisced about what had once been. Not a day below 60, Mark was rather feeble in his stance, with a house full of memoirs as old as the scars upon his skin. Burying his old, nimble fingers into his trouser pockets, he breathed in the fresh, clean air and turned his head towards the wide stretch of ocean accompanying him. Such tranquil, such serenity – it allowed a feeling of gratitude, or even synchronization between what the shallow shores had seen, and what Mark could remember. But his thoughts were stolen. A glimmer had caught his eye, at the moment where the almost-dead grass met the sandy shore. Walking over and carefully uprooting the object from the soil, Mark became enthralled by what resembled a pocket watch - revealing shades of chestnut, and tiny flecks of gold as he scratched off earth from the ornament. There was no clock on the watch – just a circle f ull of dirt and grass. Buried in the middle of the Gallipoli battlefield, the watch brought memories of what had happened in that exact spot on that exact day many years ago, and softly brought a tear to his eye. *** â€Å"Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!† As Mark covered his face, he turned around to see some men still yelling and stumbling – floundering ecstatically through the misty panes and thick olive light. Under a green sea, the brave men choked and drowned. Looking up, the sky was swallowed in shadows of burgundy and copper – or maybe that was just his imagination. War on the Western front had sunk into stalemate. Both sides were peering at each other from fortified trenches as machine guns fired, forced to spill precious blood in futile frontal attacks. The battlefield was a living hell – the inescapable groans were heartrending. The soldiers were constantly the unavoidable victims of the growing fear that they would never see their homes or families again, while fatigue and psychological trauma ruined the brave souls for life just as badly as the mutilation from the gunshot wounds. There were so many gunshots that Mark could not tell where each was coming from. While looking to the left, he could be struck from the right and vice versa. There was a reason they called the ground between trenches ‘No Man’s Land’. A young man who played ‘footer’ was shot when running out. He started trying to crawl back to our lines and was so close, when he was hit again. He was dead within a few minutes. Mark had a gut feeling it was not safe to be where he was. He knew that he had to move. Shouting out to his fellows to stop firing to allow him to travel, he lifted his weapon from his side and prayed to God he would survive. Chaos and confusion menaced his mind as he imagined the possible fate of his actions. Stepping out of his harbor, he made a mad dash to the next trench. As he slid into the dirt and watched dust rise past his face, an excruciating burn encompassed his left side – pulling all thoughts to an abrupt halt as blood spilled out and clung to the material of his uniform. He suffered a splinter of a bullet in the side – deeply slicing his torso. Breathing through the seamless agony, Mark turned around to see he was joined by another solider by the name of Lex. From what Mark could see, he was suffering horribly with open wounds, blood-stained bandages falling from his head, leg and shoulder and a struggle for air. Mark knew he had to help, or else Lex could be just another number for the death count to feast on. No one else was there, and no stretch- bearers of any sort, so he threw the poor soldier’s arm around his neck and helped him down the ridge. With a swollen knee – either another splinter of a bullet, or cut by the rocks, Mark could hardly walk. He passed Lex on, to other soldiers, as he wiped the sweat

Monteverde Cloud Forest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Monteverde Cloud Forest - Essay Example The Center also makes concerted efforts to create awareness that earth has a finite size and therefore, the organisms residing on it must ensure that the eco system of the earth is not disturbed drastically. The wild life sanctuary is known as Cloud Forest rather than rain forest because of its altitude where clouds can be seen passing through the trees. Situated at a height of 1440 meters, it is also known as green forest and comprises of eight ecological zones and shelters more than 400 species of birds and 100 species of mammals (monteverde.com). It has 120 species of reptilians and amphibians and thousands of insects. The forest with its tall trees help protects the species from natural catastrophes like storms and hurricanes. Many endangered species like Quetzals, Emerald Toucanet, Bellbird, golden toad and rare variety of hummingbirds can be found here. The reserve is a favorite destination for nature lovers across the globe. ‘In 1988, the organization began the International Children’s Rainforest project, which has raised money for the reserve ever since. With the help of children from around the world, the Monteverde Cloud Forest has increased in size to over 26,000 acres. Together with several other forests in the area, it forms almost 70,000 acres of privately owned cloud forest’ (CostaRica). The preserve is an ongoing project for the awareness creation that contributes towards sustainable development. This nature paradise draws more than 70,000 tourists per annum. With its impressive landscape and biodiversity, ‘Monteverde is considered one of the Costa Ricas Seven Wonders, along with Cocos Island, Tortuguero, Arenal Volcano, Chirripo Mountain, Celeste River and Poas Volcano (Monteverde Forest). The sanctuary has more than 2500 species of plants and more than 420 different types of orchids. The stupendous range of biodiversity in the forest makes it one of the most outstanding nature reserves of the

Mid Course Exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mid Course Exercise - Essay Example This is the real case in which firms try to differentiate their product or service offerings just to be able to gain considerable market share in the midst of an ongoing competition. The threat of new entrants on the other hand is alarming to the existing firms of the same industry. This is because the new entrants try to remarkably prove themselves and share something new that will create a significant impact in the market (Porter, 1980). Threats of substitute products or services bring forward the opportunity for customers to have various choices. As a result, customers have strong market power because of their chance to choose for the best price, quality and other intrinsic features of a product or service offering (Porter, 1980). Bargaining power of buyers may happen if there are various product or service offerings to choose from. This happens in a highly diversified market where there are existing competition trying to diversify their product or service offerings resulting to b etter substitutes at remarkably lower prices or even higher quality, the bottom line is to extend market power (George, Joll, & Lynk, 1992). Bargaining power of sellers on the other hand can affect the level of competitive intensity within an industry by taking advantage of maximizing their opportunities. They could either monopolize the industry under a monopolistic competition (McEachern, 2011). This is evident in the case of Philippine Petroleum Industry and other third world countries which are under the bargaining power of multinational corporations on petroleum products. Relative power of other stakeholders is also influential on the competitive level of an industry. One basic example is the ability of Apple Incorporated to successfully penetrate the mobile phone industry with its innovative smart phone technology (Apple Incorporated, 2011). This happened because Apple is supported by various stakeholders for the successful promotion of its breakthrough technology. As noticed, the market today is bombarded with different styles and options for smart phone technology. 2. What information is needed for effective strategy formulation? Why? Answer: An organization must be able to measure the level of commitment of its top personnel such as the managers or supervisors in order to be able to understand how well they would want to continue its vision (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2010; Zanini, 2007; Hitchcock & Willard, 2009). In fact, it is found that a strong commitment among top managers in an organization is associated with effective strategy implementation outside the bound of environmental dynamism (Willauer, 2005). This only implies that an effective strategy formulation does not only ensure finding the right information about the competitors’ strategic moves or the external environment in general, but more so, there is a need to understand the internal environment because it definitely affects how the entire organization would function in great detail in the midst of its entire business operation. For instance, we know how the economic downturn in 2008 affected the United States and the business firms. However, such external factor sometimes may be overlooked but one thing that could not be missed out is the information about employee commitment. In times of crisis like this, employees would most likely to consider many issues and on top of them it might be about their concern on sustainability. How they could feed their family, or ensure making both ends