International & Regional Financial Regulators Research Paper

International & Regional Financial Regulators - Research Paper Example 12). The operations are put at a level playing field which ensures that banking institutions contribute an equal amount of capital. It also ensures that some set of standards are complied to. Different countries and economies are affiliated to different regional central banks and international financial regulatory institutions. Some operate at a lower cost while some at a higher cost. Depositors prefer regulatory institutions which offer services at a lower cost as compared to the ones which offer services at a higher cost. It is also evident on this extract that regulatory bodies experience a cascading effect on their financial systems depending on their policies. It can be seen that the regulatory institutions with stringent policies have their market share eroded (Quintyn & Taylor 2004, pg. 6). Financial regulation is a form of supervision, monitoring, or offering of guidelines that subject financial institutions or any other financial elements within a financial system to restriction in order to maintain the integrity of the financial system. Governments and regional financial institutions regulate financial elements for safety. Financial safety protects the depositors and share holders of all financial institutions within a financial system. Financial safety prevents financial insolvency which might in turn lead to an economic, political, banking and a social crisis. International and regional financial regulation has its own pros and cons. Regional financial regulations impose restrictions to member financial elements which in turn force them to comply with the expected standards of performance in order to achieve the set objectives (Quintyn & Taylor 2004, pg. 26). These standards at times affect the member elements negatively or positively. For instance, a regional central bank might issue orders to the member elements to sell bonds to their account holders or shareholders in an effort to regulate a looming

Globalization & Getting a handle Essay Example for Free

Globalization Getting a handle Essay We cannot overstate the effects of the trend of globalization on our thinking, culture and the media. From the television ads and shows, our style of dressing and the way we converse and communicate with each other in our own country and people from overseas. What is this phenom that we call globalization? How does it affect us now and in the future? What are its benefits as well as its drawbacks? This paper will try to put a body, a face if you will, on the globalization trend. II. DEFINITIONS: Globalization refers to† increasing global connectivity, integration and interdependence in the social, economic, technological cultural, political and ecological spheres. † It can also be defined as a â€Å"comprehensive term for the emergence of a global society in which economic, political, environmental and cultural events in one part of the world quickly come to have significance in other parts of the world†. Now basing from the definitions given, it can mean that globalization can come to mean a trend toward the interconnectivity or interdependence on one another even if we are in two different places. This is its basic concept that is to establish more and better lines by which the world can be bought together in ever increasing ways and means. Now for the questions on how this trend affects the media industry, we can just take a look at the Internet. This system is ready at hand to connect different peoples and cultures with the touch of a button, as it can connect us more swiftly rather than the traditional modes of communication. III. THE EFFECTS ON THE FILM, RADIO AND TELEVISION INDUSTRIES: The entertainment industry have focused their energies on the larger overseas markets for the sale and the promotion of their current offerings, movies, radio shows, television shows have already become a staple in some countries that these have seemed to replace the local industries for the share for the slice of the local market in that country. At the core of the entertainment industry-film, music, television-there is a growing dominance of U. S. products. It can be seen in most parts of the world, products such as KFC, McDonalds or Coca- Cola just to name a few of the transnational companies doing business in other nations aside form the local market. These companies shop around other countries that have lower costs for doing business, thus spurring the local employment and talent pool from those countries to adapt their educational and training pools to the needs of the incoming foreign investors. Some companies, for example, America Online and Time Warner merged to form AOL Time, matching AOLs Internet businesses and Times massive holdings in media, entertainment and news concerns. More and more of these companies ten to look overseas to promote their products and services abroad. But while the trend is focusing on global interconnectivity, that in our modern day environment, time and distance are a negligible factor in terms of dispensing media to other parts of the world. According to Professor Kalyani Chadha at the Philip Merill College of Journalism; â€Å"While popular rhetoric suggest that we live in an increasingly interconnected globalized world in which time and space have collapsed and media experiences are increasingly uniform, the reality is often different Media systems in different countries continue to be characterized by significant differences in press and broadcasting laws, business and economic structure, access to technology and to nature of journalistic practices, resulting often in variations in both content and perspective. † In a nutshell, it is saying that what may be true and acceptable in other countries and regions might not be acceptable, even palatable in some others. The difference may stem from the traditional as well as the cultural background in the country itself or in some belief system that this particular society holds. But in the discussion of the trend of globalization, the problem herein lies in the fact that in the march for interconnectivity, some of these traditions might have to give way. IV. EFFECTS ON CULTURE: The Webster’s Third New International Dictionary defines culture as the â€Å"the total pattern of human behavior and its products embodied in speech, action and artifacts and dependent upon man’s capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations† Thus, cultural globalization can thus be defined as the worldwide cultural standardization. Also, it can refer to the postcolonial culture, cultural pluralism and â€Å"hybridization†, or bringing two or more cultures together to create a new one. In the picture of globalization, we must recognize that the global view will effect the change in the cultural standings of some nations. In the long run of things, we must be resigned to the fact that some of these traditions must give way. Remember that globalization is linked to affecting the global community concept, a â€Å"global village†, if you permit the phrase. ( Marshall McLuhan popularized this belief to highlight his observations that an electronic nervous system ( the media) was rapidly integrating the planet—events in one part of the world could be experienced from other parts in real-time, which is the human experience was like when we lived in small villages). In this â€Å"village†, everybody was with the same beliefs and held to the same traditions, at least most of the time. But in the set up of the globalization concept, those beliefs and traditions sometimes, if not most of the time, have to give way to the establishment of a unified set of beliefs from a strong or stronger source. That is cultural hegemony, wherein the stronger or predominant influence will produce ways of thinking and seeing, and especially eliminating alternative views to reinforce the status quo, meaning the status quo of the more predominant influence. Some people fear a loss of cultural diversity as U. S. companies become dominant. Such companies tend to â€Å"bundle† their products, meaning they ship their products in wholesale form. Movies, television shows audio products all come into the local market and compete with the local industry, thus competing for the attention of that market. These tend to replace local alternatives. This would explain in part the prevalence of the media especially the visual media to promote their advertisements in other countries without thinking of the sensibilities that the ad might be offending. Video games and television games flash ever more violent images that seem to engross kids from many nations that were not ready to absorb these kinds of media. All day long, hey would sit in front of the television and just either stare at the monitor watching these violent shows and absorb the values of the characters of the shows’ characters or sit endlessly at video games and get in to the violence that these game icons display. Local culture and social culture are now shaped by large and powerful commercial interests that earlier anthropologists could not have imagined. Early anthropologists thought of societies and their cultures as fully independent systems. But today, many nations are multicultural societies, composed of numerous subcultures. These subcultures are present and very visible to us, in the forms of food, clothes and even in the places that we often frequent. Rarely do we don’t see that in any of the places that we go, there is not one member of these subcultures that we don’t come across. And we tend to borrow these things, if you will, in the way that we prepare our food, the way we buy our clothes and shoes and other accessories, in our choice of products that seem to satisfy our craving to be what the television stars portray on camera. The values that seem to be displayed out there want to look like them, that we can somehow imitate the way they look to be what these companies want us to believe to be acceptable. People are therefore more biased in the products that they purchase or services that they get for themselves so the image that is bought in to them are to look like the people they see. The transnational companies can manipulate the way that people think of themselves also by making us think that standards have to be met in order for us to be acceptable, or part of what is acceptable in the eyes of the global society as a whole. In short, they dictate what constitutes the â€Å"good life†. For example, if you don’t have a certain kind of piece of clothing such a shirt or pair of sneakers, you’re supposed to feel left out of the loop. Or, in the case that you still wear a shirt that is not in fashion, and this is still dictated by the multinational companies abroad, you’re still going to be left out. Or if you don’t drive a certain brand of car or model of that car, it’s an antique they’ll say. In many instances, this trend of cultural globalization tends to make us want these companies say that we have to be to be happy. From whatever the products or producers say, is what we have been conditioned to think, that these are the keys to be living it up. It is argued that one of the consequences of globalization will be the end of cultural diversity, and the triumph of uni-polar culture serving the needs of transnational corporations. Hence, the world drinks Coca-Cola, watches American movies and eats American junk food.

Bowling For Columbine :: Michael Moore Film Review

1. I think media has a great impact on how people behave. The media is defined as listening to music, watching TV, movies, reading magazines, and searching the internet. I think when people here about certain things in songs, or see things in movies or on television it has an effect on them. If there is violence in a TV show or on the news kids can think that's cool to do and do it. A lot of movies show fighting and violence and it effects people and they may do what they see. Television in the home is the greatest source of visual violence for children. Video games expose young children to a level of violence unimaginable. The news also creates fear . 2. I agree with Michael Moore's message in the documentary. I think there is way to much violence in our society, I also think there should be a restriction on guns. Children in our society today, see violence in their schools, on TV , their neighborhoods, and their homes. The daily new is rife with reports of child molestations and abductions. War in foreign lands along with daily reports of murder, rape and robberies also heighten a child's perception of potential violence. 3. I don't think the documentary was biased at all . I think Michael Moore showed both to sides every story he told about . He focused on both sides of the story rather than just one. 4. The NRA Civil Rights Defense fund was established by the NRA board of directors in 1978 to become involved in court cases establishing legal precedents in favor of gun owners. To accomplish this the fund provides legal and financial assistance to selected individuals and organizations defending their right to keep and bear arms. 5. I do not think it was appropriate fir the NRA to arrive in Denver for a convention after the Columbine massacre occurred. I think people were still in mourning and alls they wanted was to be left alone. The people in Denver probably wanted nothing but to ban guns, and here comes the N R A thinking everyone should have the right to have a gun in order to protect themselves. I think the N R A should have waited a great deal of time before going to Denver for a convention. 6. States with the largest increases in gun ownership also have the largest drops in violent crimes.

“Wine of Astonishment” Analysis

Setting In  The Wine of Astonishment, the setting is very significant as it gives the reader a better understanding of the background and atmosphere of the story. The story is set over a twenty year period somewhere between nineteen thirty two and nineteen fifty one. It is in a small, remote village in Trinidad called Bonasse where everything takes place. The setting is one of the best techniques in a story, as it has the power to make us feel like we are actually in the story and watching everything take place right before our eyes.The village setting is surrounded by African folk culture which is seen by the stick fighting and chantwell traditions, the communal pride in Bolo's prowess over Ivan Morton's achievements. By this rural setting the reader has to consider their way of life seen by Eva's plantain crushing to the calypsos by light of the flambeau outside Buntin's shop as well as their economic background which at that time was predominantly agricultural with the plating o f cocoa and sugar. It also makes the characterization more intimate where we see love between Joyce and Clyde.The events more symbolic such as the Spiritual Baptist religion which plays a pivotal part in the story. Characterization EVA Eva is the narrator of the story ‘Wine of Astonishment’. She is the wife of Bee and the mother of five. Eva lives in the village of Bonasse with Bee and the three younger of her children. She is of African descent and is of the Shouter Baptist faith. She is a very religious woman and she believes all things happen for a reason. She believes that God gives them all their trials and tribulations because they can bear them.She is a loving mother as she tells her son Reggie that even though he failed his examination, he still had his life in front of him. Her motherly nature is also shown when she was worried about Joyce, her daughter, and Clyde’s relationship. Eva and Bee have been married for twenty-three years and are very close to each other. Eva tries to help Bee by convincing him that they could bear their burdens and convincing him that Ivan Morton would help them. She also tells him that while they do not have as much as others, they have the necessities, and need no more. BEE Bee is the leader of the Shouter Baptist Church in Bonasse.He is married to Eva and has five children, three of which lives with him and his wife in Bonasse. He is of African descent. He is often burdened by his position, yet he cannot simply leave, he must go on, as seen when Eva narrates in page 3, â€Å"†¦and maybe he want to say to hell with the church, to hell with Ivan Morton, to hell with everything, but he can’t get out the web, he must go on hoping. † Ivan Morton was in the Council for Bonasse and Bee sacrificed for him to be there, however Ivan Morton was doing nothing to help the Shouter Baptists and that frustrated Bee greatly.He is very religious and hates the fact that they could not worship God in t heir own way but had to abide to the laws. He relies on his wife, Eva, as his confident and supporter. She helps him to get back up when he is down. Bee seems to be very wary of letting his last son, Reggie, to go to high school because he fears what it may make him. Narrative Technique The story is told in first person, as the narrator is known to be Eva a main character of the play.The first person narrative, captures the attention of the reader in an early stage of the piece of literature, understanding and wanting to understand the situation that the narrator would currently be involved in . We look at the story through her point of view and see the turn of events as they occur through her eyes. Most of the story is written in dialect, as it would be the way that Eva, the story teller would commonly be speaking. It also encourages the readers to be in favor of one party(s) in the story, not having the input of another narrator or that of an omniscient narrator, who would not giv e the story only one point of view.This narrative technique is very useful in capturing the reader’s attention as it helps him/her (as the case may be) get a better grasp into what’s going on within that person’s life and having full access to that person’s most private thoughts and feelings. As it is in Eva’s case, we see her life and struggles within herself, causing the reader to take a special interest in Eva and to empathize for her in whatever situation she is facing, as she describes it to the reader(s).

Educational leaders in a globalising world

IntroductionThis study shall analyze and depict the extent to which leading is shared in an educational environment such as a higher educational establishment. It shall place and discourse some concerns and jobs in this country, which consequence pupils, such as myself, go toing such establishments. The treatment will be with mention to a suited literature reappraisal and based on my ain experience.DiscussionLeithwood and Riehl ( 2003 ) highlight that in these times school leaders are being held accountable for how well instructors teach and how much pupils learn. They ask the undermentioned inquiry. How does leading work within a high quality educational establishment? Leithwood and Riehl provide two maps of effectual leading, viz. supplying way and exerting influence. While it is frequently difficult to trap point good leading it is frequently easier to see hapless leading in action. Summarizing the major findings from research on school leading techniques, Leithwood and Riehl list five chief claims. First leading straight influences pupil acquisition, either by assisting to advance vision and ensuring resources and procedures are in topographic point. Second there are other of import leaders apart from instructors and decision makers. School principals have been found to assist instructors embrace ends and work together towards continual betterment. Third identifying and undermentioned leading patterns are important in developing the organisation as a whole. Fourthly, school squad leaders when held accountable to orientated school policies respond more fruitfully. Finally school staff respond fruitfully to educating diverse groups of pupils. Their study finds that school leading is most successful when it is focused oninstruction and acquisition. Problems may happen if leading maps are distributed across many informal functions in a school. Responsibility should be coordinated and clear about who takes duty and for what. From a pupil position this is besides really of import since as pupils we need to cognize who to turn to for equal learning support and if there is a job who to turn to. Bottery ( 2006 ) argues that a globalising universe is now the context within which educational leaders need to border their work proposing that an apprehension of the planetary nature of policy issues, and of their impact upon educational work, needs to be incorporated into a re construct of school functions and duties. Economic, political, demographic, cultural, technological, American, lingual and environmental globalisation factors are all countries that need to be considered for effectual educational leading. Gale and Densmore ( 2003 ) identify parametric quantities for how educational leaders might react to the economic and societal conditions presently being experienced. One chief concern for educational leaders at the minute is that instructor groups often do non hold the power to make up one's mind what the budget of their establishment will be. They may merely apportion the financess that are assigned to them from higher direction, and merely so as the last measure in the procedure. As pupils we are frequently frustrated by this every bit frequently we and our immediate educational instructor and or leader are frequently in the best place to see where financess would straight and most usefully better our larning experience. Hence leading as a shared squad frequently brings penetration at assorted degrees that upper direction may non hold the grasp of. Timperley ( 2005 ) besides agrees that the thought of leading should be distributed across multiple people and state of affairss. This proves to be the most utile model for understanding the worlds of schools and how they might be improved. This alternate involves believing of leading in footings of activities and interactions that are distributed across multiple people and state of affairss. He besides notes that leading has ever been distributed within good organisations. Lambert ( 2002 ) recommends that leading capacity among all members of the school community should be encouraged instead that merely looking to the principal entirely for instructional leading. Leadership is the professional work of everyone in the school. Out of that changed civilization will originate a new vision of professional pattern associating taking and larning. Burford ( 2001 ) wants us to see leading as truly a challenge to make and keep, ethical, reliable relevant and joyful relationships within a acquisition community. Education should non be seen as a concern. Burford challenges current leaders to be â€Å" ethically fit † leaders, committed bonders and theoretical accounts of beliefs and values for kids in a context that is about tolerance, understanding and joy. As our current intelligence is dominated by wars, such as those in Iraq and Afganistan, we need it now more than any clip in the last 20 old ages if we are to be true to our vision of a better universe for our kids and their communities. As a pupil we do look up to our educational leaders so this accomplishment is indispensable in harbouring an effectual and actuating larning environment. West-Burnham ( 2004 ) argues that our current thought about leading development is excessively to a great extent focused on the calling of the person. Leadership needs to set greater accent on constructions, procedures and relationships from a more corporate capacity. In add-on he highlights that trust is the â€Å"social glue† of organisational life and that frequently organizations that are high on the trust list tend to surpass other schools that are non. This alteration nevertheless may necessitate to come from the initial leader concerned, which shall in the terminal benefit both the leader and the administration. As a pupil we frequently see educational leaders constrained by their instruction duties where the instruction falls 2nd topographic point to their research activities. In this respect greater clip for both activities should be managed so that the leader concerned can stand out in both countries. From surveies in Australia, Gurr, Lawrie and Mulford ( 2006 ) showed important parts from principals in the countries of capacity edifice and instruction and acquisition. They farther concluded that principals remain an of import and important figure in finding the success of a school. The importance of the principals ‘ values and beliefs as a subject is found in both surveies, as is their of import parts in the countries of capacity edifice and instruction and acquisition. In footings of mentoring and teaming, Drago-Severson and Pinto ( 2006 ) conclude that a school ‘s human resources and puting more grownups in the schoolroom, supply chances for instructor acquisition by cut downing isolation and edifice a more collegial environment. Cranston & A ; Ehrich ( 2004 ) look into the effectivity of Senior Management squads within the direction of Australian schools. They find that the direction squads can offers educational leaders a tool by which they can reply how effectual a squad is and besides how might it be made more effectual. They besides facilitate the development of constructive schemes to better those facets of the squads deemed, by the squad, to be necessitating attending. Duignan and Bezzina ( 2006 ) highlight that the more instructors know and the more skilled they are in learning, the more successful schools will be in progressing acquisition. Whether instructors will cognize more and go more skilled, he suggested, depends on the support they get from policies and context. They point out that in many topographic points, instruction is undervalued, and the conditions for back uping instructors are developing. This state of affairs has effects for the life calling of instructors and schools. Foster ( 2005 ) investigates the ways school betterments, intending the sweetening of pupil acquisition, is generated by principals and other school members. The findings are that competent administrative and teacher leading contribute to school success. In add-on leading is found to be a shared societal influence procedure. As a pupil myself we frequently feel excluded from taking in the school betterment. By giving us pupils greater input in our acquisition waies frequently greater larning efficiency can be achieved. Slater ( 2005 ) draws on the consequences of a larger qualitative, self-contained focal point group study that identified effectual behaviours for school principals to join forces successfully. He asks what are the ways in which the principal influences coaction? Collaboration has the potency to better pupil results and to back up school-wide determination devising. The collaborative behavior of principals in the survey by Slater have been shown to be linked to the affectional sphere. Hence a challenge for principals who wish to work in collaborative ways involves recognizing, apprehension, and pull offing the emotional facets of the collaborative procedure. In add-on Slater points out that more educational leaders must larn to pull off emotionally every bit good as rationally.DecisionMost surveies on educational leading agree that while holding strong leaders, such as a principal is indispensable to the efficient running of an educational school, the leading is most effectual when d istributed across multiple leaders and shared. While a strong direction squad can supply indispensable support for ever inquiring how the school may be made more effectual, a stronger and more effectual learning experience can ensue if the leading is shared down the line, nevertheless the duty for these functions should be good defined within the organisation. In add-on educational establishments should non be seen as a concern and school leading is most successful when it is focused on instruction and acquisition.MentionsBottery, M. ( 2006 ) . Educational leaders in a globalising universe: a new set of precedences? School Leadership & A ; Management, 26 ( 1 ) :5-22 Burford, C. ( 2001 ) . Future Catholic School Leadership: The Search For Joy and Justice. Presentation: Twin Towers Services Club, Coolangatta 2 Cranston, N. & A ; Ehrich, L. ( 2004 ) Leading with, and through, effectual squads, Rehearsing Administrator, 26 ( 4 ) :24-27. Duignan, P. , Bezzina, M. ( 2006 ) . Constructing a capacity for shared leading in schools – Teachers as leaders of educational alteration. Retrieved on 24th August 2009 fromhypertext transfer protocol: //www.uow.edu.au/educ/research/CEL/conferenceproceedings/2006/DUIGNAN % 20P % 20Paper % 2006.pdf Drago-Severson, E. Pinto, K, C. ( 2006 ) . School leading for cut downing teacher isolation: Drawing from the well of human resources. : International Journal of Leadership in Education, 9 ( 2 ) :129-155 Foster, R. ( 2005 ) Leadership and secondary school betterment: instance surveies of tensenesss and possibilities, International Journal of Leadership in Education, 8 ( 1 ) :35-52 Gale, T. , Densmore, K. ( 2003 ) . Democratic educational leading in modern-day times Journal of Leadership in Education, 6 ( 2 ) :119-136 Gurr, D. , Lawrie, D. , Mulford, B. ( 2006 ) . Models of successful chief leading Journal of Leadership & A ; Management, 26 ( 4 ) :371-395 Slater, L. ( 2005 ) . Leadership for coaction: An affectional procedure. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 8 ( 4 ) :321-333 Timperley, H, S. ( 2005 ) . Distributed leading: developing theory from pattern. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 37 ( 4 ) :395-420 Lambert, L. ( 2002 ) . A Model for Shared Leadership. Educational Leadership, 59 ( 8 ) :37-40 Leithwood, K. , Riehl, C. , ( 2003 ) . What We Know about Successful School Leadership. Retrieved on 24th August 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ncsl.org.uk/media/F7B/98/randd-leithwood-successful-leadership.pdf West-Burnham, J. ( 2004 ) . Constructing leading capacity: Helping leaders learn. National College for School Leadership. England: NCSL. Retrieved on 24th August 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leading-change/Strategic-leadership/Building-Leadership-Capacity-Helping-Leaders-Learn

Merchandising in sports marketing.

Merchandising in sports marketing. Merchandising is defined as all the activities having to do with the right merchandise at the right price at the right quantities at the right time in the right place with the proper controls. Marketing is the commercial functions involved in transferring goods from producer to consumer. By combining the aspects of merchandising and marketing into a sports spectrum, sports merchandising is the way professional sports teams and organizations market and deliver their products to the consumer. The vast majority of the marketing effort for sports team is accomplished through the playing of the teams' games. Professional sports are able to create an incredible amount of exposure during their games because their uniforms, team colors, and logos are on display for the course of the game to both those in attendance, and the people watching the game on television. Teams use different tactics and marketing maneuvers to increase interest and sales in their apparel.English: A sample NFL schedule We will focus on the merchandising efforts of the National Football league (NFL), the leader in professional sports organizations in merchandising. We will look at the overall merchandising effort as well as how the league markets itself through various different avenues.When looking at the merchandising effort of professional sports teams, you must look at the top dog in this, the National Football League (NFL). Football is king in the industry for many reasons, none larger than the vast popularity and viewing of the sport. In a survey by ESPN/Chilton sports, two-thirds of all Americans consider themselves to be football fans. Maybe even more shocking is the fact that forty-three percent of all women consider themselves to football fans. When looking at the definition for merchandising, we can evaluate the NFL using the 5 "right" of merchandising. In looking at the 5 "rights," we begin...

The Meiji Period of Restoration †Japanese History Paper

The Meiji Period of Restoration – Japanese History Paper Free Online Research Papers The Meiji Period of Restoration Japanese History Paper The Meiji period brought about the rapid modernization of Japanese politics, culture, and foreign relations which resulted in Japans attaining the status of the leading country in Asia and a world economic and political power. However, looking back on the Meiji Restoration, it becomes unclear as to whether it was a smooth transition, or a dramatic breaking point in Japanese history. (In order to determine the significance of the Meiji Restoration, an examination of the proceeding system of governance, culture and foreign relations is necessary.) The first part of this essay will discuss the Tokugawa period; the second will examine the Meiji Restoration. The last will analyze the Restoration itself and the changes that were made politically, culturally, and in foreign relations and conclusions on the nature of the Restoration will be drawn based on the given information. The political structure of the Tokugawa period was quite simple. At the head of the government was the Shogun, who was the main executive power. Under the shogun were the daimyo, who were very similar to governors. There were three â€Å"sections† of daimyo, family of the Tokugawa were called Shinpan, allies were called fudai, and enemies of the Tokugawa were called tozama. The last level of government was the samurai, who were leading men in the society who were traditionally military fighters, but formed the main bureaucracy of the Tokugawa government. This form of government is commonly referred to as the bakuhan, and shaped the culture of Japan during the Tokugawa Period. It should be noted that the Tokugawa government was quite strict. In his journals, Perry noted this and wrote, â€Å"It is evident that nothing but the fear of punishment deterred them from entering into free intercourse with us, but they were closely watched; and it may be inferred that he higher class would be equally inclined to greater intimacy if they in their turn were not also watched.† (Commodore Perry’s Journal, pg 180) The culture of Tokugawa Japan was very different from the culture after the Meiji Restoration. The Japanese were a proud people, and regarded their nation very highly. However, the people were very traditional, and really knew little about change and participation in the government. In the Tokugawa Period, social class was very important, and was determined by a person’s heredity. There were four main social groups: samurai, farmers, merchants, and artisans. Outside of these four main classes, there were other people in society, such as priests, imperial workers, and sex workers. The largest group was the farmers, who made up about 80 percent of the population. Most Japanese people lived in the country, with only 5-6 percent living on the larger cities. Besides the confines of heredity, the culture of Tokugawa was lively. The people did not concern themselves in politics, so in their free time, there was art and music, plays and religions parties, entertainment, and the Licensed Quarters for the adventurous. Buddhism was the prominent religion. Inside of their circumscribed world, the people enjoyed considerable autonomy as long as they paid their taxes. Women had their place in the culture; they were very important in the home and to their husbands and were generally treated with respect. They were not on the same level as the men however. Overall, Tokugawa culture created a peaceful Japan. The people were content, the government was stable, the economy was strong, and these aspects led to a positive culture in Japan, at least till the early 1800’s. The last aspect of the Tokugawa Period related to politics, government, and culture: foreign relations. The government in Japan, before 1850, had no desire to interact with any foreign countries. This isolationist policy was called Sakoku. The reasons for this policy are unclear, but Japan clearly did not want to have anything to do with the world. The Tokugawa government did not attempt to have relationships with any surrounding nations, and discouraged other Asian nations from interacting with Japan. This policy of the government was enforced from the top down. When foreigners, such as the Dutch, came to Japan, the people were forbidden to interact with them. This was because the government resented having the Dutch, or any other foreign power, in their country. So, during the Tokugawa period, Japan strove to be isolated from the World, both politically and culturally. In the mid 1800’s, the rule of the Tokugawa started to crumble. The political structure was growing weak and outdated, as was Japan’s social structure, and its foreign relations. In 1868, the Tokugawa rule officially collapsed and the Meiji took over power. The Meiji Restoration was headed by discontented samurai who were not satisfied with their position under the Tokugawa. After studying the politics, culture, and foreign relations of the Tokugawa period, these same aspects of the Meiji Period need to be examined to determine the whether the Meiji Restoration was a dramatic break point, or merely a transition. The first changes made were in the political structure and government. The Meiji decided that the politically fragmented system of the daimyo had to be completely overhauled. So immediately (after coming into power) in 1868, prefectures were established to replace the daimyo. The main goal in establishing the prefects was (to create) a national and bureaucratic state. All of the leaders of the prefects would report directly to the emperor in Tokyo, and would collect taxes to pay the samurai and the central government. These prefects extended the power and reach of the central government. A Genroin (senate) was also established. The second major political change was the rise of the emperor. In Tokugawa Japan, the emperor was more of a figurehead, but under the Meiji, the emperor held extensive executive power. The rise of the emperor gave the government legitimacy in the eyes of the people. The creation of this new bureaucratic state was a very important step in the history of modern Japan. The Meiji leaders inherited and modified the Tokugawa bureaucratic rule of the samurai. The (final) success of the Meiji Restoration of the government came in 1889 when a Constitution was written and ratified. The Constitution gave Japanese people rights they didn’t have before. In Chapter II of the Constitution I has laws such as, â€Å"No Japanese subject shall be arrested†¦unless according the law.† (Meiji Constitution, Chapter II, Article 23) There were more laws that protected the people, this (being but) is only one example. Japan was now under an ordered and stable rule, one that was modern and centralized with the holy emperor at its head. The culture of Japan also underwent major changes during the Meiji Restoration. The first, and most significant change that was made was the abolishment of the class system in Japan. With the abolishment of the class system, the Japanese emphasis on heredity was destroyed. Ones family line no longer determined what social class they would belong too, but rather, social standing was determined by ambition, education, and wealth. So, personal ability became extremely important for the first time. The second significant change in culture related to the emperor. With the rise of the prestige and importance of the emperor and empress, Japan’s culture changed to one (of) loyal to the royal family. Nationalism grew exponentially among the common people, who now had someone to look (up) to in their government. Shinmin No Michi wrote, â€Å"The Imperial family is the fountain source of the Japanese nation, and the national and private lives issue from this.† (Sources of Japanese Traditions, pg. 1001) Popular rights and freedoms also became very important. Under Tokugawa rule, individuals did not have very much personal freedom, but under the Meiji, commoners had freedom. The third significant cultural change was a move away from traditionalism and into modernity. During the Tokugawa period, the people thought little of change and progress, but the Meiji Restoration changed that completely. Once the rigid social structures were abolished, the people before to flex their cultural muscles. They moved into the large cities where they enjoyed markets and shopping. Cafes appeared that offered good food, conversation, and also the Jokyu (modern prostitute). These were a classier alterative to the relatively poor Licensed Quarter. After the change in culture and government came significant changes to foreign relations we well Previously, Japan had been very isolated. But after the Meiji restoration, Japan became more and more exposed to Western culture, and realized that it was falling behind the world. So, Japan began taking huge steps to learn about the West. The most important was the Iwakura Embassy (1871-1873). In this, the Japanese reformed treaties it held with other countries, and also sent people to other countries to study them in detail and report back to Japan. Basically, Japan opened itself up to the influence of the world, everything from fashion to government and imperialism. Based on (a careful analysis of )this information on Japan before the Meiji Restoration (Tokugawa Rule) and after, the answer to the question of whether it was a â€Å"dramatic break point’ in Japanese history is no. (Not sure if this is the conclusion that you are supporting. All of your example and analysis show a significant contrast between the Tokugawa Rule and the Meiji rule. If all of these differences and contrast are true then the conclusion should be, yes, this was a breakpoint in Japanese history. ) History shows the Tokugawa rule set many of the foundations needed by the Meiji for their Restoration. Tokugawa politics were becoming outdated and ineffective, the culture was suppressive and not malleable, and Japan could not remain isolated from the world for very long in the dramatic global changes in the mid-1850’s. Japan was ripe for change, and it seems that the Meiji Restoration should be called a dramatic change, and not a breaking point in the his tory of Japan. The reasons the Restoration was so sudden was because Japan had held off on change for many years during the Tokugawa rule. And when it collapsed and the Meiji took over, Japan was ready for something new. The Meiji Restoration would not have been so easy had Japan not been ready for significant changes in their government, culture, and foreign relations. So, based on the facts given, the Meiji Restoration was not a break in Japanese culture, but merely a culmination of circumstances that warranted and encouraged drastic changes in Japan in 1868 and the years following. Research Papers on The Meiji Period of Restoration - Japanese History PaperAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraQuebec and CanadaPETSTEL analysis of IndiaBringing Democracy to AfricaWhere Wild and West MeetCapital PunishmentNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2

Proof That Publishing More Content Wont Grow Blog Traffic

Proof That Publishing More Content Wont Grow Blog Traffic Its a little bold to say that publishing more content wont grow your blog traffic. I mean, more content + more social shares = more blog traffic Right? But this comes  from experience of what happened to us at when we published more content recently. Our social shares dropped  and our blog traffic wasnt too impressive either. And thats happened to us twice after we increased our publishing frequency. So I had to ask myself, Hey Nathan, could there really be a sweet spot for how many posts we should  publish a week to get the most social shares and blog traffic? After all, the answer may not be a lot of blog posts a week, but only a couple. And thats exactly what I found out. How To Publish More Content (And Get Less Blog Traffic) #blogging #contentmarketingWhy Publishing More Content Wont (Necessarily) Grow Your Blog Traffic Well- to be clear- it might but it also might not be worth your effort. Four weeks ago, we switched from publishing two posts a week to three. Thats a lot more content to create (especially considering our posts average 2,000 words and have about 8 graphics in them). So we really wanted to make sure the payoff was worth our time. This is what publishing 2 posts a week looked like. Before we made the switch to publish more content, 4 blog posts (2 a week)  averaged these stats within 2 weeks of being published: Social shares averaged 561 per post. Pageviews averaged 6,074 per post. Comments from readers averaged 6.5 per post. Not bad. So we should have been  able to get a  lot more results with 3  posts a week, right? This is what publishing 3 posts a week looked like. This is what our stats looks like for 6 blog posts (3 a week) within 2 weeks of being published: Social shares averaged 325  per post. Pageviews averaged 4,367  per post. Comments from readers averaged 3 per post. Not so good. This is what it looks like when you compare the  data. So whatever, right? I mean, thats not so bad. In fact, didnt blog traffic increase because we published more content? When you compare the data, switching from publishing 2  blog posts a week to 3: Decreased social shares an average of 236 per post. Thats a grand total of 1,950  which was 294  less than the previous average of 2,244. Yikes. Increased pageviews by 317.5 per post. Yes, that is an increase. It makes a total of 26,204 pageviews compared to 24,299. Thats an increase of only 1,905 pageviews to publish 2 more blog posts in a 2-week period. Decreased comments by 4 per post. So thats 17 compared to the previous 26. So Im kind of full of crap, right? I mean, we did increase our blog traffic. But to me, its not worth publishing two more posts to get fewer than a thousand pageviews per post. But was it really the publishing frequency? Now, there are a ton of outliers to consider into this: Who were the authors and did they have lots of followers? Were the topics we chose to cover not quite right for our audience? Should  we have experimented more with different publish days and times? Should we have shared our content differently with social media? Did we mess up when we emailed our subscribers (aka, you guys)? Did we give this study enough time for our audience to get used to the change? Not to mention: All of these posts target specific keywords that should help us grow our blog traffic in the long term. The posts published in the 3-a-week periods have been gaining a lot of  social shares just this week. Blog traffic has increased for all 10 posts in this study. And Im sure there were a billion other things on my mind once I realized our posts werent performing as well as they used to. Proof That Publishing More Content Wont Grow Your #Blog Traffic (And How To Do That)So I became Sherlock Holmes. The thing was our samples from each data set (2 posts a week,  3 posts a week) were very average for our content (no outliers to throw off the data I analyzed). I even looked at our email open rates: They were nearly the same as always. And during the testing time when we published 3 blog posts a week, we grew our  number of email subscribers. But the moment  our social media shares dropped, so did our blog traffic. My biggest conjecture on this: We gave our audience (you guys) so much content to share that you had to pick and choose what was worthy enough for you to share.  Even if we published 3  awesome posts a week, you needed a little diversity in your social shares- not all from one source. So when social shares drop, so does blog traffic. And that, my dear  Watson, is a complete guess. What do you think? Id love to hear your thoughts about this in the comments. 10 Things You Should Learn From Publishing More Content Honestly, it could have been a dozen things that led to a bit less blog traffic than I was hoping for. So here are my lessons learned from this experiment that will help you choose the right publishing frequency for your blog: 1. Dont be afraid to try new things. While this analysis is a bit young (it happened with content we published in February), I learned a lot by publishing more content. The entire team here at worked hard to mature our processes to create content super efficiently. That is a huge win well keep with us as we continue to create content our readers should really love. And we would have never known that publishing more might not be what our audience wants until we did it. And you can bet that Ill continue to look at the results of those posts to see if my thoughts about this change in a couple months. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. - Warren Bennis Should the drop in blog traffic prevent us from publishing more content? This experiment- though ultimately not resulting in  the blog traffic I wanted- didnt impact our email subscribers, let alone product signups. Both of those figures were the highest theyve ever been at this time. So that is definitely something to consider for this: Should we really publish less content if stats like new signups are so high? Never be satisfied with status quo. Youll never know if you could be doing something that ends with much higher results. 2. Base your publishing decisions on data. I mentioned that weve bounced around with our publishing frequency a lot at . Thats a little funny coming from the guys who preach how to publish more consistent content, right? This is what our publishing frequency looked like for a couple months in 2014: The point is, we were testing to figure out what would work best for us. We were publishing the content we had. And we werent afraid to get scrappy to get things done. But in the end, we started focusing on publishing the right amount of times to get the most out of our content. By the time November rolled around last year, that right amount for us was twice a week. And hey, at the time, we saw blog traffic increase as we published less content. We published that way to create our own data. But, whats really ironic about this, is that theres already some data that basically says companies  that increase their publishing frequency from 3–5 times a month to 6–8 nearly double their leads.  So while this data is about leads and not blog traffic, publishing 2 posts a week should be a sweet spot. If there isnt any data, make your own. #contentmarketingIt would have been cool to know that information before we started just to measure that even better! 3. Plan  your publishing frequency to  achieve your marketing goals. I would have never cared about these slight changes- or added up the totals for this study- if I wasnt counting on every single blog post to contribute to a much larger goal. For every post we publish at , I measure initial success by the number of social shares and pageviews. For the special posts when we create free blog giveaways, I also monitor how many times you guys download those resources (infographics, checklists, templates, e-books, and more). Every post must contribute to our overall marketing goals to increase: Social media shares. Traffic in general. Email subscribers. signups. Doing the math, its easy to see how publishing more content may help us achieve our goals: Just divide your metrics goal by what an average blog post contributes to that goal. Thats a really rough estimate of how many posts you need to write to hit that goal. 4. Build momentum as you establish your publishing frequency. You shouldnt just rush in to publishing  more content. When we went from publishing 2 posts a week to publishing 3, we just switched to 3 and kept going. In hindsight, I wish I had given the team a bit of breathing room to build up our momentum by staggering several weeks  of publishing 2 posts then 3 posts. That would have helped us work through our processes with a bit less runaround.  But we  got it done because the entire team  had the ambition  to do it (and thanks for helping me out, Ashton and Krista!). Even for the pros, we still need to understand that running a marathon without training ends in fatigue. 5. Test the best days and times for publishing and sharing. A year ago,  we would literally publish new posts every single day of the work week. Then wed publish 3  posts the next week, and 4  the following. Were no strangers to testing what will work for us to achieve our marketing goals. But we needed to do that to know what would work for us. So when we decided to bump our frequency up to 3 posts a week, we used data from the best times to publish and  chose Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday since blog posts published later in the week tend to perform a bit lower. We also bounced this idea off a few of our friends in a content marketing community to get their opinions on the best times to publish. Sometimes its worth it to publish on different days and times to understand how that impacts your blogs performance. 6. Analyze your data to actually know if youre reaching your goals. There is no way Id be writing this post if I didnt plan time to analyze our data. You write every post for a reason. Measure its success against that metric. Here is an easy way to do it: Divide your overarching goal by the number of posts you want to publish. That will give you a rough estimate for your goal per post. Tip: This is  similar to what you did in lesson #3. But its not the same. If you want to hit a marketing goal by maintaining the amount your  current posts contribute to that goal, go with lesson #3. The algorithm shared here actually gives you something to shoot for to  improve every post to hit your goal. From here, you can determine new ways to promote your content to get the blog traffic (among other goals) your content deserves. You write every post for a reason. Measure every posts  success. #blogging7. Dont believe what they say about vanity metrics. unless they say that vanity metrics like social shares matter. There is so much to learn by understanding how people share your content. For example: People read what they know is popular. People share what they know is popular. People subscribe to what they know is popular. And beyond that- social shares provide a solid gauge on how your content is performing. I noticed something was strange with our content when we started publishing 3 posts a week because our social shares count was lower than it had been in a long time. From there, I completely analyzed our blog traffic patterns to gather the data in this post. And that ultimately helped me make the decision to publish only 2 posts a week. 8. Understand the trade-off for quality versus quantity (and go for quality). Yeah, yeah. You already know this. But here is what we did to be able to publish more content: Free blog giveaways dropped from being in 3 of 4 posts to 2 of 6 posts. Thats a bit of a hit for additional resources that we know you guys find super helpful. And thats how we also get a lot of new email subscribers for our content. Graphics per post on average fell from an average of 7.5 to 6. Content length also dropped slightly  (with a couple outliers). While we made sure the topics were awesome- and the content was  great stuff you should have really liked- we did sacrifice a few bonuses we usually had in our content to be able to publish more. So, once again, someone just told  you that sacrificing content quality for quantity takes a hit on your social shares and blog traffic. But this time you  can actually see the data that backs up that claim.

The future of haute couture Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The future of haute couture - Research Proposal Example Sull and Turconi (2008), for example, identified one particular pattern, which is the recent focus of fashion houses to implement the so-called fast fashion, a concept typified by democratized fashion. There is a growing literature on emerging influences, studies offering empirical and theoretical evidences, that could collectively help identify future trends and practices. This researcher believes that it is possible to gain insight on the future of haute couture based on a description and analysis of what has been found today and what are expected in the near future. By identifying current and future variables that influence fashion, meaningful insights will be obtained. The body of literature on haute couture is comprehensive. There are several studies that could serve to demonstrate specific relevance to this research. A case in point is the investigation of Joy et al. (2012), which reported the role of sustainability and ethics in haute couture. These variables are recent phenomenon that emerged with the recent attention given to sustainability, climate change and environmental issues. There is also Claudios research on the environmental impact of the clothing industry. While it evaluated the environmental footprint of the clothing industry, the study also highlighted increasing concern for sustainability and the focus on lessening environmental damage. This researcher also intends to examine works (i.e. Magnenat-Thalmann & Volino, 2005) that detail the processes in high-fashion such as design and marketing. The study’s outcomes are expected to benefit researchers, fashion designers, entrepreneurs, academics and others who are interested in the subject. The primary importance is based on the projected outlook that could help identify trends and practices or launch new design, marketing, management and operational philosophies in the haute couture

Policy-making in the Federal System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Policy-making in the Federal System - Essay Example The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, was signed into law by President Obama in March 23, 2010 and is considered to be a major overhaul in the U.S healthcare since 1965. This paper explores how Obamacare works, the program’s pros and cons, if it is achieving its objectives and federalism issues raised by the program. Summary of the History of Obamacare The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was introduced as a bill in 2009 during 111th Congress session and passed on November 7, 2009. John Dingell of Michigan, who was also the House Dean, sponsored the bill. President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law on March 31, 2010 (Tate, 2012). The ACA is aimed expanding insurance access to approximately 32 million uninsured Americans, emphasizing prevention and wellness, increasing consumer protections, improving quality and system performance, increasing the workforce in health care and curbing escalating cost of health ca re in the United States (Tate, 2012). The individual mandate, which is a major component of the ACA, is perceived by many to be unconstitutional. The individual mandate of the ACA â€Å"requires millions of Americans to purchase health insurance from a private company for the rest of their lives or face annual penalties† (Sekulow, 2012, Para 10). ... The Constitution of the United States protects the liberty of the citizens (Benedict, 2006). Historically, the ACA presents the very first incident where the U.S Congress mandated American citizens to buy a private company product. According to Sekulow (2012), under the Commerce Clause, the Congress has no jurisdiction to compel any individual to purchase any product from a private company. Therefore, the mandated ACA has raised issues of â€Å"federalism† because the provisions of the Act are deemed unconstitutional. The Main Pros and Cons of Obamacare Despite the fact that the Obamacare has been under intense criticism, it comes with numerous benefits, particularly for low and middle income earners. However, it also has some cons, but these should not be the cause for its rejection as it was purely made out of good intent for Americans. Pros of Obamacare Increased accessibility to affordable health care insurance to millions of uninsured Americans More than half of uninsured individuals will obtain free or low cost health insurance via state Health Insurance Marketplace. Expansion of CHIP to cover a maximum of 9 million children Expansion of Medicaid to 15.9 million females, males and children who are 138 percent below poverty line Small businesses stand the chance benefit from tax credits of up to 50 percent of health insurance costs on their employees Obamacare curbs high cost of health care Cons of Obamacare Making insurance available and affordable to millions of uninsured individuals involves increase in taxes, especially for high-income earners. Individual mandate demands that every American must obtain health coverage by January 2014. The expansion of Medicaid is done using Federal

Does the rotation of auditors improve the quality of auditing Essay - 3

Does the rotation of auditors improve the quality of auditing - Essay Example ntial advantages of MAR fail to outweigh costs incurred and other associated risks. 3 In this context, the essay will review the available literature that analyses whether rotation of auditors improve quality of auditing. It will use deductive reasoning to derive that while there are not much empirical data that prove MAR significantly improves audit quality, at the same time, there is not much conclusive evidence that shows MAR has an adverse effect on audit quality, thus keeping the debate open. Discussion Audit, audit quality and auditor rotation In the UK, it is mandatory for all public sector organisations and large business firms to produce an annual, audited financial report. In this context, the term auditing refers to â€Å"a systematic process of objectively gathering and evaluating evidence relating to assertions about economic actions and events in which the individual or organisation making the assertions has been engaged, to ascertain the degrees of correspondence betw een these assertions and established criteria.†4 The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) had recently published a report asking for public suggestions on the improvement of audit quality and auditor independence, wherein auditor rotation was taken into consideration.5 There are varying opinions on the effects of auditor rotation, and researches have revealed that existing literature fails to derive conclusively on the effects of audit rotation, hence researchers must be careful when analysing audit rotation reports from the past.6 Supporters for auditor rotation claimed that a long-term relationship between an auditor and a company develops a feeling of dependency that in turn diminishes audit quality.7 However, those against auditor rotation claimed that auditor rotation is an expensive process and the costs far exceed any derived advantages.8 Furthermore, they also claimed that auditor rotation is a hurdle, in regard developing a relationship between the firmâ €™s managers and auditors based on confidence and trust, and social exposures between the two often lead to improved audit quality, without hampering auditor independence.9 The theoretical debate on the issue of auditor rotation is based on how one views the auditor. If the auditor is seen as a medium for wealth optimisation, there are various theories that support the concept that there is an improvement of audit quality due to rotation.10 However, if one viewed the auditor as an agent for the principals, rotation is deemed disadvantageous, and a long-term relationship would allow the auditor to get a better understanding of the principals’ objectives, thus making him/her a better auditor.11 The term ‘audit quality’ denotes the probability that an auditor will find shortcomings within a firm’s accounting system (competence), and will report on them (independence).12

Case Analysis Paper #2 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis Paper #2 - Case Study Example Therefore, based on my reasonable experience, I would support the innovation as an effective approach for heart surgery in view of extended application of minimally invasive techniques. The case study provides the progress, which Cardio Thoracic Systems have gone in the past two decades. From the analysis I have done of the progression of the systems, I would admit most innovators in this field have done impressive work. Despite that, not everything they did is perfect for some innovations have yielded to complications that are more severe. The CABG procedure was the initial approach used for heart surgery during that period (before 1996). This system proved effective in most cases though during surgery system would not give surgeons accessibility to some vessels, which they entailed to replace. Additionally, it resulted to severe complications such as trauma, complications associated with sternotomy and threats of chest infection among others. Moreover, the system was costly and resulted to a patient staying in hospital for so long (43days) after surgery (Chang 3). Certainly, these loopholes presented by the CABG system called for innovation of another system. Hence, this led to the contraption of Balloon Angioplasty and Stenting. The system, according to the case study, intrigued many surgeons for it was a less-invasive method as a remedy for coronary artery disease. Additionally, it did not require incision in the chest, thereby making it a perfect alternative for CABG system. Despite all the advantages, the innovators failed to control re-narrowing of the arteries (restenosis). Its worse state emerges after 6 months of surgery whereby restenosis would occur resulting to the formation of a similar plaque in the artery (Chang 4). Fortunately, physicians developed the stent, which significantly reduced restenosis occurrence though it did eliminate the

Gun Control in the United States Research Paper

Gun Control in the United States - Research Paper Example In short, more thorough background checks of those people who wish to buy guns is a necessity for stricter gun control due to the increased level of crimes involving guns in our communities. However, as DeConde (2001) notes, ‘no social issue of recent decades has produced more distorted data and contention among Americans than the struggle to control gun violence’ (p. 3), and so the issue is far from simple. There are well over 200 million guns in the United States (far more than in other developed countries) while the gun laws are comparatively weak. Canter ( 2006) found that when the US is compared to other economically-developed and democratically-governed countries, the age-adjusted rate of death by firearms is eight times as high as the average of the other countries pooled together. It is obvious that current background checks are not good enough. The massacre at Virginia Tech in April 2007, which left 32 staff and students dead, was carried out using two weapons, both of which was purchased completely legally at local stores. The killer had, two years earlier, been declared mentally ill and a danger to himself by a judge. This alone should surely have disqualified him from purchasing firearms, but he was never placed on a list banning him from buying guns in Virginia. The issue here was surely the vastly-different state laws on gun controls. What is needed is strong national laws, and checks conducted using nationwide databases. Fig. 1. The Geography of Gun Deaths in America. Source: atangledweb.org [Accessed January 27 2011] Background checks as a feature of the gun control debates in the United States date all the way back to the 1930s, when the District of Columbia introduced a 48-hour cooling off period for the purchase of firearms. Indeed, until the 1970s, the National Rifle Assocation (NRA) – the leading group in the pro-gun lobby, actually supported such policies. From 1986, there was a nationwide campaign for the introduction of a waiting period on all gun purchases, and in 1993, the passage of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act established a 5-day waiting period, during which time background checks were to be conducted to ascertain whether a gun could responsibly be sold to the applicant. Spitzer (2002) produced a list of the reasons for which a gun purchase could be blocked: if the applicant had been convicted of a crime carrying a sentence of more than a year, if a restraining order had been placed against them for violence, if they had been convicted of domestic abuse, if they had been arrested for using or selling banned substances, if they were deemed to be mentally unstable, or if they were an illegal alien (p. 51).The Brady Act is held to have had some effect on firearm-related violence. Canter (2006) noted that the number of deaths by guns fell from 37,776 in 1992 to 32,436 in 1997 (p. 3). Nevertheless, this can scarcely be hailed as the major breakthrough in tackling gun crime which is n eeded in the United States. While the Supreme Court struck down the requirement for police to conduct background checks in 1997, handgun background checks have largely continued. In theory, all this should have done much to ensure that only those who could safely be sold a handgun would be able to procure one. However, there have been major issues. In 1998, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) set up its National Instant Criminal Background

Case Analysis Paper #2 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis Paper #2 - Case Study Example Therefore, based on my reasonable experience, I would support the innovation as an effective approach for heart surgery in view of extended application of minimally invasive techniques. The case study provides the progress, which Cardio Thoracic Systems have gone in the past two decades. From the analysis I have done of the progression of the systems, I would admit most innovators in this field have done impressive work. Despite that, not everything they did is perfect for some innovations have yielded to complications that are more severe. The CABG procedure was the initial approach used for heart surgery during that period (before 1996). This system proved effective in most cases though during surgery system would not give surgeons accessibility to some vessels, which they entailed to replace. Additionally, it resulted to severe complications such as trauma, complications associated with sternotomy and threats of chest infection among others. Moreover, the system was costly and resulted to a patient staying in hospital for so long (43days) after surgery (Chang 3). Certainly, these loopholes presented by the CABG system called for innovation of another system. Hence, this led to the contraption of Balloon Angioplasty and Stenting. The system, according to the case study, intrigued many surgeons for it was a less-invasive method as a remedy for coronary artery disease. Additionally, it did not require incision in the chest, thereby making it a perfect alternative for CABG system. Despite all the advantages, the innovators failed to control re-narrowing of the arteries (restenosis). Its worse state emerges after 6 months of surgery whereby restenosis would occur resulting to the formation of a similar plaque in the artery (Chang 4). Fortunately, physicians developed the stent, which significantly reduced restenosis occurrence though it did eliminate the

Miss Representation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Miss Representation - Essay Example In addition to this, only 16% are writers, directors, producers, cinematographers and editors. Patriarchy has played a big role about women representation. This paper is going to analyze the power of the media. The paper further analyzes the effects of the negative identity created by the media on the female fraternity hence affecting their roles in the society. The media has been used to portray a negative effect about women and this has further influenced their roles and positions in the world. This is because you can’t be what you can’t see. ‘The media is the message and the messenger’ these were the opening remarks in this documentary by Pat Mitchell who is the president and CEO of Paley Center for Media. The author of The Macho Paradox Jackson Katz argues that people learn a lot from the media that in any other source. On the other hand Jim Steyer the CEO of Common sense Media argues that the media is delivering the content that is shaping our society. Even though women make 51% of the total US population the number that makes it to elite positions in the US is very minimal. The media is to blame for this. The media makes and delivers the news and for this reason most of the things we watch and see is as a result of the trends liked by the media. The media has portrayed the males as dominant over the females. Patriarchy is evident and the female identity has been blurred. Nude pictures are used all over as a way of attraction. The director of this film reveals that despite the 51% female population only 1 7 comprises the congress. To prove that patriarchy is evident the first woman made it in the congress during the 2010 mid-term elections since 1979. Most of the youths are spending most of their times in the media especially through the social sites and they learn a lot from the media which shapes their lives. More especially, the girls are getting the message from a tender age just by watching

The Pursuit of Happyness Essay Example for Free

The Pursuit of Happyness Essay America is a land of great hope and opportunity, but with its many benefits, there are also flaws, such as a large homeless population. The Pursuit of Happyness is a movie based on a true story about a man named Chris Gardner, and his struggle to live a happy life. Jonathan Kozol’s essay, â€Å"The Homeless and Their Children† is about Laura and her struggle to maintain a good life for herself and her family. Will Smith, as Chris Gardner, in The Pursuit of Happyness is very similar to Laura from â€Å"The Homeless and Their Children† because they both are unable to provide for themselves or for their families, and do not have a stable place to live thus, supporting Kozols picture of homelessness. Both have different causes for being homeless, but share similar effects. Chris Gardner’s story starts in 1981, in San Francisco. He is a very smart and hard worker who deeply cares about his wife, Linda, and son, Christopher. Gardner takes a chance and invests his life savings into a device called a bone-density scanner. He goes around selling these from door to door. Soon the people stop buying it, due to it being expensive. This leaves Chris on his knees, with his wife leaving him and moving to New York, with very little money, and being kicked out of his apartment. His wife tries to take her son, but Gardner refuses. He then applies for a stockbroker position at Dean Witter, but in order to get that position he has to go through training for six months without pay. At the same time, the government takes what little money he has left in his bank account for his taxes. This makes him unable to pay for the rent, leaving him and his son homeless. From this point on, Gardner goes through numerous hardships such as sleeping in a bathroom, searching for a job day by day, and finding a way to feed himself and his son. Chris does not give up at all, but rather works even harder for that one and only position, which is also being pursued by nineteen other people. In one scene, he tells his son â€Å"Hey! Dont ever let somebody tell you You cant do something. Not even me. All right†? Chris finally gets the job, goes to his son, and embraces him. In â€Å"The Homeless and Their Children,† Jonathan Kozol visits the Martinique hotel and interviews one of the homeless families. He decides to call the mother Laura. She has four children and they face many difficulties. Her oldest son has been diagnosed with lead poison, and the youngest daughter with scabies. The hospital keeps sending letters to her, but due to her illiteracy, she is not able to read them, thus preventing her from helping her children. She also has many problems with her home. Her room’s radiator is broken, and the bathroom plumbing has overflowed. Laura has four rooms in her apartment and each is more dangerous than the other one. The screws are loose in the crib; the corners of the beds are sharp and unprotected. Just by being homeless, she has enough problems, but also being illiterate only adds more. Her apartment also has big rats that come out at night and bite sometimes. Laura has gotten into many arguments with the manager of the building and complained to him about fixing the problems â€Å"Why you give my son lead poison and you didn’t care?†(Kozol, p.308) of her apartment, but he just ignores her and says that she is causing trouble for him. On Christmas, her children complain that they did not get any presents, but Laura tells them you will get something soon. Laura faces many numbers of problems each day, but she does not give up. She says â€Å"I figure: Go to church. Pray God. Ask him to help. I go on, my knees, I ask Him from my heart†. (Kozol, p. 309). Chris Gardner and Laura are similar in that they have both made wrong decisions in their lives. Gardener invested in the bone density machine, Laura, being young, got drunk with a boy, and that lead to her having a child. Laura did not believe in abortion so she kept the child however; she should n ot have had any more children since she was not capable of taking care of them by herself. Gardner on the other hand had to only worry about his one son and his son become a motivation for him to exceed in life and be a good father. Another similarity is that both individuals tried to make things better for there families. Laura did her best to read and since she could not read, she tried to understand the pictures she saw in the newspapers, grocery store etc, to help better her life. Gardner was capable of reading but he had a changed in career even though he did not poses the right education for the job that he was going for, he taught himself many things and ended up getting the job. The cause of Gardners ending up homeless was a bad financial decision. The effect of his homelessness was that he was unable to find a suitable place to operate from. He had to bounce around from motels after motels and eventually homeless shelters, which made his life more difficult. Laura ends up being homeless because she never got a chance to be educated, and then she got married very early and had kids, and this became a burden for her. The cause and effect on the society are that people can appreciate the little things they take for granted just by imagining themselves in Laura’s situation, and learn how harsh a life of a homeless person is. The society can learn from this, and thus, choose to help people like Laura by volunteering. The effect of Gardner’s story is that his patience and perseverance became an inspiration to the society. The Pursuit of Happyness portrayal of a homeless person is very similar to Kozol’s portrayal of homelessness. They both are unable to support their families, Gardner cannot find a job, due to Laura’s illiteracy she is unable to reply to the hospital or the welfare department. In this situation for both characters, many things can be done to improve their lives. First of Laura should have done something to keep her childrens father around all the time. When a family supports each other, they are successful and are able to prosper through many hardships. In case of Mr. Gardner, he should have made his early decisions carefully and through consulting family members and other who might have knowledge in the product that he was investing in. These two stories are very similar but with very different endings. In the end, people should not blame problem on themselves or others, instead they should come together and find a solution.

Hepatitis E Virus Infection in HIV-Infected Persons

Hepatitis E Virus Infection in HIV-Infected Persons Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a global disease (1,2). HEV infection represents a major global public health issue especially in developing countries, where the global death rate is 1-15% and up to 30% in pregnant women (3). Every year there are an estimated 20 million hepatitis E infection (HEV) are registered over the world. it is known that chronic liver disease by hepatitis E develops in persons who are undergoing immunosuppression, including individuals infected with HIV(4). Recently, many studies have demonstrated cases of chronic HEV infection (characterized by detection of HEV RNA greater than or equal to 6 months in plasma) and cirrhosis in immunocompromised patients, including organ transplant recipients(5) patients with lymphoma and haematological malignancies (4,6 ) and in persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (7). A number of studies have suggested that In persons infected with HIV may acquire HEV infection more often than individuals without HIV (8,9). The first verified case of chronic infection E in 2008 (10), which can to lead to liver damage and develops of hepatic fibrosis and even cirrhosis in immunosuppressed patients such as Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and solid organ transplant recipients (11-14). Immunosuppression has been shown that facilitates chronicity of HEV infection, Therefore HIV infection is one of the possible causes for HEV persistence (15) and there are published reports of high HIV/HEV co-infection rates for particular regions (16,17). There are some data that suggest that HEV may promote the progression of liver disease due to other causes (18). There are only a few reports regarding HEV seroprevalence in Individuals who are immunocompromised. The seroprevalence of anti- HEV IgG in HIV-positive cohorts ranges varies from one geographic location to another from 1.5% to 11.2% (19,20). Incidence of infections caused by HEV, defined by detecting HEV RNA in the serum, i s low, ranging from 0 to 1.3% (21-23). However, studies regarding co-infection of HIV and HEV and HEV associated chronic liver disease in HIV-infected patients are limited in IRAN. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of HEV RNA in HIV infected patients in Iran a country with moderately high prevalence of both infections. Therefore, in order to better understand the clinical impact of HEV infection in these populations we have conducted a study determining HEV RNA in HIV-infected patients. In the present study, we determined whether HEV RNA were present in serum samples obtained from HIV-infected patients to investigate the prevalence of, and factors associated with, HEV infection in HIV-infected individuals. In addition, epidemiological, clinical and analytical factors were analyzed in order to identify potential risk factors associated with HEV seropositivity. The aim of this study was to define the degree of prevalence of HEV RNA in the group of HIV infected patients in Iran. For this study real-time RT-PCR assays targeting ..genes have been developed. We report 6 cases of hepatitis E infection in HIV-infected patients that   none of our patients received ribavirin treatment. Methods and materials:       Study population and samplecollection: A total of 80 Iranian patients with HIV-1 infection attending the Tehrans hospitals were enrolled in this study from February 2015 to April 2016. The exclusion criteria considered as patients who had been received anti-retroviral therapy. This study followed the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and study has been approved by a local research ethics committee of the Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The participants were informed all aspects of the current study, and Informed consent was obtained from all of the participants prior to their enrollment for current study. About 5 ml of peripheral whole blood Sample from each participant was collected into a sterile EDTA-containing Vacutainer tube and plasma was separated from blood via centrifugation and frozen at -70 oC until analysis. HEV RNA Extraction: Efficient HEV RNA extraction using the High Pure Viral Nucleic Acid Kit generates purified HEV RNA was extracted from 200 ml of plasma (Roche Diagnostics, Germany). RNA pellets eluted with the provided elution buffer and stored at -70 °C until analysis. cDNA Synthesis: For detection HEV RNA, Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rReal Time PCR) was was performed by using the first strand cDNA synthesis kit by Revert AidcDNA synthesis kit from RNA templates (Thermoscientific, USA). In a nutshell, RNA samples were heated in 65 °C for 10 minutes, then chilled on ice. The uniform suspension of bulk first-strand cDNA reaction mix was added according to the manufacturers protocol, then One ÃŽ ¼l of DTT solution, and 1 ÃŽ ¼l of random hexamer (24) primer (0.2 ÃŽ ¼g) were added to the RNA After heat denaturation and RNA and RT primers were mixed properly by pipetting up and down for several times, then incubated for an hour at 42 °C. For Real time PCR, the QuantiTect Probe PCR Kit (Qiagen, Germany) was used, based on its instruction kit. HIV-1 viral load quantification: Measurement of blood plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration performed by COBAS TaqMan 48 (Roche Diagnostics, Hacienda Drive Pleasanton, CA, USA) kit in the patients plasma samples (500 ÃŽ ¼l) and high pure extraction was used according to the manufactures recommendation. This method is a Real-Time PCR based on dual-labeled hybridization probe which targets the highly conserved region of HIV-1 gag gene. Limit of Detection of the COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 Test is 48 to 107 copies/mL. Hepatitis E Virus real time PCR assay: A Real Time PCR assay was developed for detection of HEV RNA. The primers amplify a bp region containing the . variable regions of the .. Primers sequences and their position with melting temperature are shown in . So, after alignment of complete genomes, HEV consist of Nucleotide sequences based on pubmed database. Reactions contained 5 µl of cDNA, 2.5 mmol/L MgCl2, 800 mmol/L of dNTPs, 100 ng of each primer,30 ng of probe and 1.5 units of QuantiTect Probe PCR Kit (Qiagen, Germany) to a total volume of 15  µL. Thermal cycling conditions were as follows: 95 °C for 10 min; 40 cycles of 95 °C for 15 sec, 60 °C for 40 sec, Quantitative determination of the amplified products have done by the BioRad CFX-96 instrument (BioRad, USA). In order to synthesis our ideal genes, tests should be done by two pairs of forward and reveres primers. Our specific probes were designed by different fluorescent labels to track our targets separately. Statistical analysis:The statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 21 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). Categorical variables were compared by Fishers exact test or the chi-square test as appropriate. Continuous variables was analyzed using Students t test. Data are presented as absolute counts, proportions [95% binomial exact confidence intervals (CI)], medians [interquartile range (IQR)], and means [standard deviation (SD)]. For all comparisons, p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The study population consisted of 80 participants with HIV-1 infection that were enrolled in the current study . The mean age of the patients was 36.51  ± 12.75 (range 4-64) years. Among 150 participants, 95 (63.3 %) were male and 53 (35.3 %) were female. . Real-Time PCR assay for HEV nucleic acid detection results in 6 (.%) positive samples out of 80 subjects, including . males (69/2%) and .. females (30/8%). Based on the analysis by Fisher exact test, no significant association was observed between HEV and gender of the patients (p value= 0.79) (Table 2). In our study, half of the HIV-1 infected patients were over 30 years of age, while the other half were under 30 years. The mean age for 6 HEV positive patients and 74 HEV negative ones was 40.9 and 35.8 years respectively. There was no significant correlation between age and HEV s RNA positivity (p value= 0.18) (Table 3). By measuring the viral load, we could examine the relationship between HIV viral load and HEV infection. The average HIV viral load in positive and negative HEV patients was 14471.92 and 17016.66 respectively but t-test analysis showed no association between HEV -positive RNA and HIV Viral Load (p value= 0.61) (Table 4).   Discussion: The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of HEV RNA in blood samples which have been collected from HIV-1-infected patients in Tehran, Iran. In current study we used Real-Time PCR method mainly because it has been shown to be more sensitive and reliable than other methods for identify the infection. Since HEV could be potentially inhibited by anti-retroviral therapy (ART), especially ribavirin (25), none of our HIV-1-infected patients received ribavirin treatment. Thus, our data is not influenced by the viral suppression of antiretroviral therapy. immunosuppressive agents have been shown to facilitate severity or risk of chronicity of hepatitis E infection, HIV infection being one of the possible causes that may lead to HEV persistence (15), and there are Studies of high prevalence of HEV/ HIV co-infection for particular regions (16,17). Moreover, an relationship between exposure to HEV and cirrhosis has been reported in patients with cirrhosis (26), and chronic HEV infection is a leading cause of chronic liver disease in an HIV co-infection patient has been recently described (15). The presence of HEV RNA indicates current infection. This study is the first report to show HEV RNA in HIV-1-infected patients in Tehran, Iran. In this cross-sectional analysis, the overall HEV molecular infection was 7.5% (6/80). The seroprevalence of anti- HEV IgG in HIV-positive cohorts ranges varies from one geographic location to another from 1.5% to 11.2% (19, 20). Incidence of infections caused by HEV, defined by detecting HEV RNA in the serum, is low, ranging from 0 to 1.3% (21-23). In our study, we find HEV-RNA in 6 HIV patients, Unlike studies by Amitis Ramezani et al did not identify any case of HEV-RNA. An explanation for this finding could be the viral suppression observed in HIV-1-infected patients with antiretroviral therapy in their study. our results adapted with results of studies by Madejon et al., (27) Renou et al. (28) and Pischke et al. (29)Therefore, our data also support HEV infection as a viral hepatitis among HIV patients with With relatively moderate prevalence. Hepatitis E virus infection recently has been described as an emerging infection among patients with immunosuppressing conditions of such human immunodeficiency infection (30-32). In current study we found a moderate prevalence (7.5%) of HEV RNA among HIV positive individuals attending the Tehrans hospitals in Iran. Although this rate is higher than the previous studies among Similar patient population in the industrialized countries (33-35), it is lower than the rates of HEV infection reported among some population groups HEV endemic areas of Africa (36) and Asia (15). Carry et al. (39) and Keane et al. (40) have also suggested that the chronic HEV infection may be averted by use of highly active antiretroviral. A sufficiently large sample size is also necessary to establish this finding. The main conclusion of our study is that HEV infection important to consider in the differential diagnosis of otherwise unexplained chronic hepatitis in Iranian HIV-1-infected patients. Furthermore, our study revealed that HEV infection has moderate prevalence in the HIV-infected population of Tehran. Due to the HEV infection that may cause rapidly progressing chronic hepatitis in immunosuppressed HIV co-infection patients, with development of cirrhosis in the short term, Screening for HEV in HIV-infected individuals presenting Symptoms of Hepatitis or with hepatic fibrosis of unknown origin is warranted.

Teen Peer Pressure Causes Drinking and Driving Essay -- Peer Pressure

An average of one teen dies each hour in a car crash in the United States, and nearly 50 percent of those crashes involve alcohol, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHSTA). Alcohol is the drug most widely abused by teens. Alcohol abuse occurs among all geographic, ethnic and racial groups. Teens easily succumb to peer pressure when deciding whether or not to use alcohol. Unfortunately, they lack the coping and judgment skills necessary to handle alcohol wisely. There are an estimated 3.3 million teen-age alcoholics in the United States. Adolescents who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin drinking at age 21. Youth who drink alcohol are five times more likely to smoke cigarettes, four times more likely to smoke marijuana and three times more likely to use an illicit drug. Teens that use alcohol tend to become sexually active at earlier ages. Teens who use alcohol are more likely to be victims of violent crimes such as aggravated assault, robbery or rape. The use of alcohol by adolescen... Teen Peer Pressure Causes Drinking and Driving Essay -- Peer Pressure An average of one teen dies each hour in a car crash in the United States, and nearly 50 percent of those crashes involve alcohol, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHSTA). Alcohol is the drug most widely abused by teens. Alcohol abuse occurs among all geographic, ethnic and racial groups. Teens easily succumb to peer pressure when deciding whether or not to use alcohol. Unfortunately, they lack the coping and judgment skills necessary to handle alcohol wisely. There are an estimated 3.3 million teen-age alcoholics in the United States. Adolescents who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcoholism than those who begin drinking at age 21. Youth who drink alcohol are five times more likely to smoke cigarettes, four times more likely to smoke marijuana and three times more likely to use an illicit drug. Teens that use alcohol tend to become sexually active at earlier ages. Teens who use alcohol are more likely to be victims of violent crimes such as aggravated assault, robbery or rape. The use of alcohol by adolescen...

1984 †Big Brother Essay

Our world is actually growing closer to the world of 1984 because of the use of technology. America is turning into oceania because we are starting to lose privacy. For example, Big Brother is the ruler of oceania. He is the name of the govenment not a person. Big Brother could represent america’s government. One of the books element that can be compared to todays society is the telescreen. The telescreens in 1984 were everywhere and never turned off. It Picked up everything you did in your apartment. It even picked any noise you made. It was Winstons fear of being over heard or seen. See more: Strategic Management Process Essay Surveillance is frightening to some people. Most of the palces we go to is full of camera’s. There is cameras in the mall, schools, and even on the streets ATM machine. Phone lines are also a way of spying on you. It is also east to tap a phone call. Mostly everytime you call a store or a bussiness your phone call is being recorded. The excuse that they make is that your phone call is being monitered for your protection. If televisions in todays society had a chip that is called the â€Å"V Chip†, The government would be able to control what you watch on your televison. The chip does actually exsist in todays world. Even without the chip the govenment could still control all the media on televison. A computer called the â€Å"The Pentium III† by Intel is able to note everywhere you go online in order to get feedback of what people like to see in the internet. The govenment tracks what people do and see on daily basis. A lot of people have a Easy-Pass. This keeps track of how many times you go through a bridge. Who knows if they could track it by satelite.

Program Planning and Evaluation

Program planning is the starting blue prints or structure of a new program or even used to improve a program already in place. Program planning involves research, making goals, setting up objectives in order to meet goals and gathering information. Program planning also includes information about the budget such as how much it will cost in order to provide the services intended by the program. Program planning tells us what the problem is, who the program targeted population is, where are the targeted population demographically located, and why there is a problem. Program planning involves a lot of thought and information collected by the staff and where available the clients as well. Program planning determines what obstacles the program may encounter along the way and plans to work around the obstacles. Program planning should be done carefully and thoroughly because as a blue print for a program we would like the finishing product to be very well built and organized with a great finished product. Program evaluation is the ongoing collection of data which the staff of the program can take into consideration when making changes for necessary improvements or for future planning of the program. Program evaluations show the staff the strong points of the program they may wish to leave alone and also the weak points of the program they may need to make stronger. Program evaluation is important because it helps to keep the program running smoothly in order to meet their goals and provide sufficient services to the community and clients that the program serves. Program planning and program evaluations work together in order to make a program effective and efficient. Program planning does not stop just because a program is up and running since there will always be changes that need to be made as the program grows and needs to meet the demands of more clients and becomes a bigger part of the community it serves. Therefore program evaluations continue to help keep the program planning on a proper level and help the staff make decisions needed in order to meet demands and still plan goals and objectives successfully. The scenario I have chosen to work with this year is the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency. I believe that both program planning and program evaluation interrelate in this scenario because there is a growing problem with violence in the city of Portland and without action it will probably become worse. There needs to be a program in place in order to give any means of help to the community that can be offered and that will require program planning. The continuous changes of needs, and the need to ensure effectiveness is going to require the implementation of program evaluations in order to help measure the success and continue make the success rates higher. The technical aspects of program planning should consist of inputs to outputs that would in turn provide the community the social justice needed. I believe that the technical aspects are to make a crisis hotline available which would provide 24 hour access to a staff member who can help. I believe that there should be qualified counselors staffed within the program in order to help the individual to identify needs and also to obtain protection orders if necessary. I think that having a shelter or an affiliated shelter would be helpful because some clients are going to need a place to stay and receive a chance at a fresh start through transitional housing. Further I believe that technical aspects would be to also get some community awareness started about violence and ways to prevent it. This can be a fun community activity during which individuals learn to look out for one another instead of hurting one another or turning the other way while someone else is hurt. On the other hand there needs to be rehabilitation for the individuals who act violently. Enabling them to lead a better life and teaching them to protect others instead of causing harm. Aspects that can affect the program planning and evaluation process are that there might be some people still too afraid to come forward and fight for the changes that benefit them. They might have their doubts that the program will work because the violence rates are so high and so many people have failed to fully help them. A person who has been a victim might be inclined to move on but become victim again. A person hurting others may be inclined to feel there is no need for them to get help. The way these aspects can affect the program planning and program evaluation are because they are obstacles that would prevent the program from becoming successful and promoting a better outcome for individuals and the community. In order to prevent hindering the program we have to find other ways to get through and rebuttal the situations. Political aspect of the program planning and evaluation would be to ask for harder punishment for those who are on the violent side of the fence. I would also ask for more police involvement in the community and if needed be the hiring of more police authority in the area to help in lowering the amount of time it takes to get to a situation involving violence. I would ask for education about violence to be implemented through school systems and jail or prison facilities to raise the possibility of positive changes. I would ask for cameras to be placed at stop lights and in other areas where road rage was the worst in order to help in providing proper apprehending of drivers who have a problem. These aspects could affect planning and evaluation of the program because political authorities might not feel there is enough violence to take action. It also could affect the planning and evaluation because the political authorities might not have the funds to provide the help needed. The political authorities might agree to the needs but on lesser terms. This would mean that in order to have success rates we are looking for we need to find other ways to get the help needed.