Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Management Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Journal - Essay Example The big question will be how to allocate the available time, say twelve hours and the activities of the day. Theoretically, management can be a cheap course but it is more interesting in a real life situation as the application of the effective concepts of management to actual personal and societal needs and wants (Mejia & Cardy, 2008). We shall analyze management in real life and how proper management or mismanagement is a cost to both the individual and society at large. Management and Planning Our day to day lives involves a lot of activities from waking up, preparing breakfast, going to work, attending social functions etc. Considering the limitation of time in a day, that is, twenty four hours a day and you subtract the medically recommended resting hours, we are left with sixteen hours. The big puzzle is how to attend to all these functions and activities still maximizing their benefits and these calls for planning. This would involve listing down the activities of the day in t heir order of priority and try to allocate appropriate time and resources so as to achieve the desired objective. In real life situation, we will find that during the week some activities will not be of great importance on weekdays and can be scheduled for the weekends. Planning will be of a paramount goal so as rule in the objectivity of an activity and its corresponding returns to you as a person and to the society. Management and Organization After planning your activities and the functions of the day or week, how do you organize them for smooth transfer? As discussed above planning will curtail the order of priority of activities of the day. Organizing these activities is of the paramount importance so as save time and foresee the accomplishment of each one of them. For instance, if on a given day you are supposed to report to work, take your child to the school and visit your bank or financial broker, then you can organize these activities in relation to the length of time allo cated to each activity and the convenience involved. It will be prudent if you first report to work, and then finish our morning duties at work, take the child to the school and finally you can visit the broker in the evening or afternoon. At this juncture, reporting to work and taking the child to school will require the opportunity cost involved such that if the kid is supposed to be in school in the morning, then you can opt to be late to work for a few minutes but first take the child to school. Management and Control In real life situations we are faced with activities which tend to pull us away from the expected or targeted objective. These are short term positive and luring incidences which are too sweet to ignore but they carry a substantial drag of our objectives. For instance, you have a long term goal of saving one million dollars to finance the purchase of a house. After evaluating all of your income sources, factoring out the basic necessities and outsourcing the extra funds, your final plans shows a period of five months to achieve the objective. During this time period, unnecessary opportunities may arise which may require you to withdraw some of the saved income or at the same time divert the monthly saving to cater for â€Å"short- term† that opportunity which in most case they do not bring forth returns so you end up making losses in the venture. Effective management and a solid ground, will allow you to control your spending so as to achieve the intended goal. Management and

Monday, October 28, 2019

A Brief History of Operating Systems Essay Example for Free

A Brief History of Operating Systems Essay A History of Operating Systems To understand and to be prepared for the future of computer support it helps to know the history of operating systems. The operating system is the software that links the user to the computer’s hardware. Early mainframes (the predecessor of the personal computer) did not use an operating system. Programs were loaded onto the mainframe by paper punch cards, magnetic or paper tape. The user would start the program and wait for the program to complete, or crash. Debugging of the program was often done by adjusting banks of switches. With every new mainframe shipped, the operation and usability would change. There were no standards. As early operating systems were developed they were generally only designed to operate on that customer’s specific unit. With the development of mass produced microprocessors, computers become more common and more affordable. With the number of computers sold each year increasing there became a need for a standardized operating system. In the beginning there were many companies fighting to produce a viable operating system for the masses. The two most prominent were Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft’s first entry in the operating system foray was MS-Dos or Windows 1. 0 in 1985, a command line operating system that was not the simplest to use but for its time was pretty user friendly. Of course as computing power advanced so did Microsoft’s operating systems. In 1987 Windows 2. 0, then in 1990 there was Windows 3. 0, the first OS that had a desktop and icons to start programs. At this point Microsoft began to separate their operating systems into home user oriented and business oriented. In 1993 Microsoft released Windows NT 3. 1, the first fully 32 bit operating system, it featured better networking support and the NTFS file system. NT progressed through 4. 1 then to Windows 2000. These operating systems were geared toward corporate users and were slightly more robust. On the home front in 1995 Windows 95 was introduced and it was the first version to have the taskbar and the start button. The next version of the home OS was Windows 98, then 98SE followed by Windows ME. The next iteration of Windows was XP; this version of Windows was unique in a couple of ways. XP was the first OS to include activation, which linked the hardware in the pc where it was installed to a unique ID number. The other thing that made XP unique from previous versions of windows was that it came in several versions from home use to corporate use. Windows Vista followed Windows XP but was met with much scrutiny because of its lack of support for legacy devices and software and it’s lackluster performance. Windows 7 followed quickly behind and addressed most of these shortcomings. There are several other choices for operating systems, although none have been able to maintain a sizeable amount of the market share due to the compatibility and popularity of the operating systems offered by Microsoft. Some of the other offerings are Mac OS from Apple, UNIX, Linux (an open source OS based on Linux), Android and IOS just to name a few. While most of these do not offer the support and compatibility that you would find in operating systems from Microsoft, they are quickly gaining ground and acceptance in use from desktop pc’s to handheld devices.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

A Feminist Perspective of Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour Essay

A Feminist Perspective of Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour Kate Chopin employs the tool of irony in "The Story of an Hour" to carefully convey the problem inherent in women's unequal role in marital relationships. Chopin develops a careful plot in order to demonstrate this idea, one not socially acceptable at the end of the 19th century, and unfortunately, a concept that still does not appreciate widespread acceptance today, 100 years later as we near the end of the 20th century. Louise Mallard's death, foreshadowed in the initial line "Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble" takes on quite a different meaning when the plot twists and the context of her sudden death is presented unexpectedly, not upon her shock at her husband's death, but instead in her inability to endure the fact that he lives. While Chopin's employment of irony presents a socially unaccepted concept in a more acceptable format, it is the author's use of perspective that increases the impact of her message. Chopin's point might be lost, perhaps entirely, if the reader were not informed from Louise's viewpoint. While the other characters are oblivious to her actual joy in death, although it is described as such "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease - of joy that kills," their definition of this joy equates to her love for her husband. In contrast, because Chopin writes from the perspective of Louise, we understand that the intermittent love she feels for her husband, love itself dismissed as the "unsolved mystery," pales in comparison to the joy she feels upon the discovery that she can now live with the "possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being." .. ...for his wife Louise, Chopin writes to stress the problematic assumption inherent in an unequal relationship in which one individual exercises their "powerful will" to bend others. Louise Mallard finds personal strength in her husband's death, ready to face the world as a whole person "She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday (prior to her husband's death) she had thought with a shudder that life might be long." The strength conveyed in the image of Louise carrying "herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory" is unmistakable. However, the irony that her husband lives, and therefore, she cannot, conveys the limited options socially acceptable for women. Once Louise Mallard recognizes her desire to "live for herself," and the impossibility of doing so within the bounds of her marriage, her heart will not allow her to turn back.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Storytelling and its contribution to organizational theory

The storytelling approach towards the knowledge sharing is explored in detail. The story telling can be used to elicit tacit knowledge and can be used to flow the knowledge about previous events in the organization and any other work related knowledge in an interesting and effective manner. Since emotions are attached to the stories, they narrate the much value to the listeners and the listeners tend to keep what they have heard. In this sense, organization memory is created by the anecdotes of the stories being told.The lessons learnt from the past experiences are label to the employees working now. It is also studied the negative stories have much impact on the listeners. The story telling has the potential to capture tacit knowledge and how it is done in the context of IBM is explained. Moreover, the story telling in the organizations can be enhanced by the use of IT tools like intranet, emails and other knowledge management systems which helps employees to create platform to shar e their stories and communicate the values of the organization.This values and the knowledge base of the organization helps to form the organization memory. Table of Contents Introduction Storytelling is one of the approaches towards knowledge capture and codification, the first phase of KM cycle. This is used to elicit tacit knowledge, towards creation of new knowledge and to organize the content in systematic manner. In knowledge capture phase, the distinction between the capture of existing knowledge and the creation of new knowledge has to be made. Mostly, only existing knowledge is set into the pattern, which only forms the explicit knowledge.There is huge pool of knowledge, which needs to be captured towards generating the new knowledge and that knowledge is mostly tacit in nature, which resides within the heads of knower. Every organization also has a memory. The embodiment of the organizational memory is the experience of its employees, tangible data and knowledge stores in the organization (Walsh and Unison, 1991). The value of knowledge is increased when it is transferred otherwise the uncultured knowledge is devalued and ignored with time. In today's fast-paced economy, an organization's knowledge base is quickly becoming its only sustainable competitive advantage.This competitive advantage is owned by utilizing the organizational knowledge, the individual skills, thoughts and ideas. So Tacit knowledge management is must to capture the experience and expertise of the individual in an organization and making it available to anyone who needs it. Once the tacit knowledge becomes explicit, it needs to be organized in a structured document that will enable multipurpose use. The KM tools help to create knowledge and then leverage it across multiple channels, including phone, email, discussion forums, Internet and any new channel that come online.Story telling is one of the best KM tools to capture tacit knowledge. Organizational story can be defined as pa st management actions, employee interactions or other key events that have occurred and that have been communicated informally (Swap et al, 2001). The stories provide a rich context making it interesting for the listeners and also remains in the conscious memory longer. Stories reinforce organizational learning and communicate common values. The core capabilities of an organization are built by critical skills of employees, management systems and organizational values.This capability can be transferred in formal and explicit way. However much knowledge articulacy knowledge with rich tacit dimensions is transferred internally through processes of colonization and initialization. Story telling is one such transfer mechanisms that can leverage the tacit knowledge of the organization. Literature Review The use of the stories and storytelling may provide a powerful practice as a part of efforts by individuals, groups or organizations to share what they know. It breaks away from the tradi tional means of communication and adds new dimension to the knowledge management tools.Deeding, in his article â€Å"Telling Tales† tries to convey hat the age-old practice of storytelling is an effective method to be used as knowledge management tools but the stories told should match the situation and conditions in the organization. Storyteller as a leader should influence the listeners and the story should have enough detail to be intelligible and credible. Different narrative patterns like Sparking Action, Communicating who you are, Transmitting value, Fostering collaboration and Taming the grapevine can be used.Snowman's article titled â€Å"The new simplicity-context, Narrative and Content† focuses on the need f knowledge management to go beyond the boundaries of using best practices into the realms of uncertainty. Since both the human behavior and system are complex, the cause and effect of the system and the interacting agents can't be separated; the contextual stimulation is needed to capture the knowledge. The decision making pattern is important. Narrative is emerging as one of the most exciting approaches to knowledge management.It involves going and finding a person to ask questions whenever faced with the new task or encounter a problem and get context-sensitive answers. In short, stories allow the communication of complex ideas in a simple, memorable form. Karakul Shaffer B Kali in his research on â€Å"Transfer knowledge Using Stories: A Malaysian University Case Study † attempts to explore the usage of knowledge-embedded stories in a Malaysian institute of higher learning and will consider the understanding of organization members concerning storytelling in the organization.It provides insights on the culture of storytelling as a method of knowledge transfer medium and explores the practicality of using stories in the organization and the employee's perception of the usage of stories to transfer knowledge. This case reveal s that story telling is regarded as an acceptable approach in knowledge transfer. Mostly gathering sessions in the university stimulated storytelling. The case also presented the factors that influence the KM storytelling.The factors are an extension of the existing knowledge transfer factors mentioned in literatures, which do influence KM storytelling. Walter Swap, Dorothy Leonard, Mimi Shields and Lisa Abram in their research â€Å"Using Mentoring and Storytelling to transfer knowledge in the Workplace† explains that the knowledge with rich tacit dimensions is transferred informally through processes of colonization and naturalization. They have focuses on two transfer mechanisms mentoring and storytelling.Most stories told informally in organizations are negative. Therefore managers interested in how knowledge accrues in the organization cannot ignore these important transmitters. Stories that dramatist or illustrate managerial systems, values, norms are more likely to be believed and acted upon than mere statements of policies and norms. Finally, the use of information technologies can enhance the story telling. The effect of verbal storytelling can be enhanced through the use of multimedia.Consistent with the elaboration effect, seeing and hearing the storyteller can add weight and detail to the story as can visual about the environment in which the story occurred. Story-telling-a technique to capture tacit knowledge In KM, the knowledge capture and creation may be done by the individuals who work for the organization or a group within that organization, by all members of a community of practice (COP), or by a dedicated COP individual.So the creation, capture and the codification of the information is done at the personal level while performing activities at Job. Within the firm, individuals share perceptions and Jointly interpret information events and experiences (Cohen and Leviathan, 1990) and at some point, knowledge acquisition extends beyond the individuals and is coded into corporate memory (Napkin, 1995; Spencer, 1996; Monika and Takeouts, 1995). Unless knowledge is embedded into corporate memory, the firm cannot leverage the knowledge held by individual members of the organization.Knowledge acquisition from individuals or groups can be characterized as the transfer and transformation of valuable expertise from a knowledge source (human expert, documents) to a knowledge repository (organizational memory, facts and rules). Explicit knowledge is already well described but we need to abstract and summarize this content. Tacit knowledge capturing needs various techniques of which story telling is the one. Stories involve the detailed narrative of management actions and decision-making styles, employee activities and interaction and other events within the division that are communicated informally within the organization.A story can be defined as telling of a happening or a connected series of happenings whether true or fi ctitious (Deeding, 2001). This involved the group interaction and collaboration for story telling. The SEC' model developed by Knock and Takeouts also supports that story telling or narratives can be used to bring out tacit knowledge. Fig 1 :SEC Model by Monika and Takeouts Here, colonization process is involve which emphasizes the tacit knowledge exchange through Joint activities such as gathering, spending time together, informal talks and living and working in the same environment rather than through written or verbal instructions.The process of transferring one's ideas or images directly to colleagues or subordinates means to share personal knowledge and create commonplace or Baa. During extrapolation process, an individual commits to the group and thus becomes one with the group. The individuals' intentions and ideas merge and become integrated with the group's mental world. This involves the expressing of ideas or images as communicable manner such as metaphors, analogies, eve nt description or narratives. A number of conditions must be in place, however, in order to ensure that storytelling in its various enacted forms creates value in a particular organization.Sole and Wilson (2002) argue that although all stories are narratives, not all narratives are good knowledge-sharing stories. As an example, they cite movies, which tell stories designed primarily to entertain and therefore need not necessarily be authentic-?or even believable. In contrast, in organizational storytelling, stories are often used to promote knowledge sharing, inform, and/or prompt a change in behavior, as well as communicate the organizational culture and create a sense of belonging.In order to achieve these organizational objectives, knowledge-sharing stories need to be authentic, believable, and compelling. Stories need to evoke some type of response, and, above all, they need to be concise Deeding, 2001), so that the moral of the story or the organizational lesson to be learned c an be easily understood, remembered, and acted upon. In other words, organizational stories should have an impact: they should prevent similar mistakes from being repeated, or they should promote organizational learning and adoption of best practices stemming from the collective organizational memory.Deeding (2001) describes the power of a springboard story, knowledge that has been captured in the form of a brief story that has the ability to create a strong impact on its audience. He outlines a number of key elements required to use stories to encapsulate valuable knowledge, such as: The explicit story should be relatively brief and detailed Just enough that the audience can understand it. The story must be intelligible to the specific audience so that they are â€Å"hooked.The story should be inherently interesting. The story should spring the listener to a new level of understanding. The story should have a happy ending. The story should embody the change message. The change mes sage should be implicit. The listeners should be encouraged to identify with the protagonist. The story should ell with a specific individual or organization. The protagonist should be prototypical of the organization's main business. Other things being equal, true is better than invented.One should test, test, and test again Story telling and KM processes involved in context of MM. IBM has leverage on the power of story telling at the daily work place to enhance the employees' performance. IBM has a four-stage storytelling approach. 1 . Anecdotal elicitation through interviews, observation and story circles 2. Anecdotal deconstruction to analyses cultural issues, ways of working, values, rules and beliefs to lied the story's key messages 3. Intervention / communication design with a story constructed or enhanced 4.Story deployment Story telling workshops can be run to elicit the knowledge and cultural values of an organization as well as both its best and inhibitors to sharing and identifies business issues. Values, rules and beliefs of organization were identified. Storytelling provides the platform to the employees to share experiences and build social capital and networks and most importantly it achieves agreement among the participants The knowledge management framework developed by Olivia and Lieder (2001 a) is based n the view of organizations as â€Å"knowledge systems†.According to this view, organization consists of four knowledge processes Creation Storage / Retrieval Transfer Application Here in case of MM, knowledge creation process takes place by the creation of anecdotes, which are captured as tacit knowledge, and they are stored in a repository and aligned with communities, processes and subject areas. This shows the knowledge storage process.Then the knowledge transfer takes place through support discussion forums (lunch and learn), databases, intellectual capital, management systems (training), document management systems, bulletin boa rds, inline chats, portals (community kick-off days) and intranets. Ultimately, the people who make communities do the knowledge application process. The effective communities have valuable stories. Practice of dedicated Story Telling Sessions The practice of dedicated story telling sessions in some organizations have proved the increased level of knowledge exchange among employees.For example, NASA, Deducted and Malaysian university have Km initiative in form of story telling sessions. The ITEMS (Information Services and Media Services) Department has its own storytelling sessions. There are two storytelling session ITEMS Sharing Session- It involves the staffs from whole ITEMS department and it is conducted once a week to share the stories on the problems encountered and the solutions. Toolbox Session-alt only involves the units in ITEMS department. It gathers the support unit employees to share their stories on the problems raised.They have one program to stimulate KM storytellin g called Buddy program. In Buddy program, two employees from different department are paired together to work as a single department. Junior staff is paired with senior academic acting as mentor. Conclusion Stories are powerful conveyors of meaning and tacit knowledge and been in use from ancient times. It helps to share knowledge with context and emotion. It triggers the listeners to respond with other stories building new understanding.Stories can capture and hold the attention increasing the likelihood of hearing and listening. Story telling is very valuable in story telling network. Any organization has a set of its memories embedded from the time of its inception. These memories are the skills and knowledge of its employees while in an organization over the years of operation. So, the organizational memory has its role on forming the knowledge base of the organization. Employees can use the organization memory to learn and improve the effectiveness of their work.Employee's know ledge can be stored and then information and knowledge can be shared by KM. Organizational memory is one of intangible assets of one organization; it stores past experiences and knowledge, supports organization strategy and improves organization effectiveness. Accordingly, it is important to establishment and development of organizational memory for KM. Organizational culture can be stored by story, and it is one of retention facilities of organizational memory.The idea, spirit, and culture of organizations can be passed down by storytelling. Through storytelling, organization members emotionally connect to their organization and then identify their organization. Storytelling can store organizational culture, convey experience and knowledge, and improve acquisition, retention, and maintenance of process of organizational memory management. Organization value and spirit can be conveyed effectively by storytelling.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Impact of Computer on Our Society

Ilorin Being a paper presented at the closing ceremony of the 1st computer training and issuance of certificate by Ascetic Computer Centre on the 15th September 2007 Introduction At this closing ceremony of the 1st computer training and issuance of certificate by Ascetic Computer Centre, let us lift our eyes toward the challenges that await us in the years to come.It is our great good fortune, as organisers, that time and chance have put us not only at the edge of a chapter in the lives of these graduands, but on the edge of a bright new prospect in their affairs —a moment that will define their course, and their character, for many years to come. Guided by the ancient vision of a promised future, let us set our sights upon a set of graduands of new promise. However, our march to this new future seemed less certain than it did yesterday. We must vow to set a clear course to renew our generation.We should thank the organisers for their vision towards the creation of new Nigeria ns who will appreciate problems, exhilarated by challenges, and strengthened by achievements, Nigerians with better employment opportunities, who will be job creators. Computer is gaining vast popularity globally in recent years. Its use, which extended information-processing capabilities, are influencing organizations of all types and sizes bringing about changes in institutional goals, relations and operations.A large percentage of the activities in any institution or organisation comprise the processing of communicating information in the production and distribution processes. In the developing countries, computers are becoming part of everyday activities because of the kind of information they generate and their speed of delivery (Award 1988). 1 What is a Computer A computer is an electronic device, which accepts and processes data by following a set of instructions (PROGRAM) to produce an accurate and efficient result (INFORMATION). Since the ultimate aim of computer is to prod uce information, the art if computing is often referred o as information processing. The values of the computer lie solely on its high speed (due to its electronic nature), ability to store large amount of data, the unfailing accuracy and precision. These account for its supremacy over manual computation. The computer industry began in the late forties with a very small initial investment, and has been increasing both in strength and importance. When one looks back with analytical mind, we can conclude that computer technology keeps on advancing with remarkable increase in speed, accuracy and reliability.Computing in whatever field, science, business, and industry is reaching directly or indirectly into various aspects of our society thereby, without loss of generality has shrunk the world into such a compactness that no part can afford to lack behind or live in isolation. The advent of electronic computer was hailed by the world as a great revolution, like any industrial revolution , it promised to free man from simple routine jobs of repetitive nature by providing computing power. The first to have exploited this facility was the search for scientific enquiries.This was not unconnected with the fact that the designers of these systems were scientists themselves. Several problems have been eluding satisfactory solutions, though numerical methods of solutions exist but involved a very huge accomplished. Not only did computer make reliable solutions possible it equally opened new application methods or areas. To quote but a few are the optimization techniques of Operations Research (OR), the awe-stricken field of space research, the molecular restructuring in Biochemistry etc. It would have been tedious inexhaustible, incomplete and inaccurate to list all the possible applications of computer. There is no limit tot he uses and applications of computer; hence there is hardly a branch of science that can resist computer invasion.After science was business. Because of the natural conservatism, oppressive and exploitative nature of this class coupled with their cautions approach to things, did not deem the computing machine fit until its worth and capabilities had been proved. What came to be recognized and embraced by this class was the importance of computer for decision aking and data processing, for these reasons, elaborate mathematical tools like Operations Research (OR), Critical Path Method (CPM), and Program Evaluation and Review Techniques (PERT) which were developed in the early fifties attained respectable height in the eyes of this class. Common examples of data processing are payroll, accounting, inventory management, banking, airline seat reservation etc. These required a lot of input and output and relatively little computing. Hence the costs of computing in such areas tend to be closely bound by inputting the data and outputting the results.Some applications like airlines seat reservation, banking business and inventory control , call for real-time systems, which are dedicated to a particular application. They furnish â€Å"immediate† responses to input signals. For examples, it is easier today for one to know his statement of account in a bank the moment signals for such requests are sent to the computer. Similarly debited or credited accounts are updated almost immediately for further transactions. The Need for Computer Most of our national projects could better be accomplished with the use of computers.Consider the registration of voters for election, common entrance examination into Nigeria Secondary Schools and conducting head counts (census) to mention only a few. These involve a huge volume of data, and would naturally be unwise if accomplished manually as it would be tiring, inaccurate and full of errors. 3 Going through the history/evolution of computers, the search for a realistic head count by the United States census bureau in 1890 led to the development of an electro-mechanical machine that helped greatly during the census by cutting down the man-hour required for the processing of the census data.The accuracy of computer cannot be over-emphasized and it conforms to the objective of using the computer. A cashier in a departmental store would definitely find life boring if all calculations, issuance of receipts and giving of change would be done manually for each customer after each transaction. But with the aid of an adding machine the job is done accurately and he feels relieved. Going from the adding machine to the computer itself, the ability of the computer to perform repetitive tasks makes things easier.Once the computer is programmed using the adequate software the whole job is done with ease. The need for computer in our banking system cannot be underrated because of the huge amount of transactions and the accuracy desired. Similarly in the data processing environment where the bulk of the job is either sorting, merging files, updating information, searchin g for a particular key in a pile of data etc. , all these the computer does with ease and accurately too. In a developing economy like ours, the speed of the computer is again one of the distinguishing factors that make it inevitable.From the saying that â€Å"Time is Money†, speed is equally synonymous to time, and since computers work as a phenomenal speed coupled with its ability to access records or information directly from remote locations, efforts should be directed towards introducing computer into every facets of human endeavour. Computer and Unemployment The extent to which the computer has come to permeate all levels of our society is immeasurable. In fact, it does not matter, what you plan to do for a living, you will encounter the computer.Its impact is analogous to that of the automobile and television. Things could be quite different with computers, but it has become part 4 of our society. The automobile is largely responsible for the air pollution and congesti on of our cities today. The television has been accused of literally â€Å"rotting our minds†. Technology is usually a bit of mixed blessing and the computer is no exception. There is a popular slogan and fear that computer causes unemployment. From a professional point of view, it is untrue.The problem therefore is the ability to distinguish between unemployment and job displacement. Hence with a thorough distinction between the two, computer should be seen as a saviour from slavery. Before considering the question of displacement and unemployment, it might be necessary once again to define computer. Computer as earlier defined, is an electronic device or machine, which accepts data, following some sets of logical instructions to produce the needed results. Therefore we have to ask ourselves, can this so-called computer operate without the full assistance of human being?Can we just go to the computer for a complaint and have our problems solved without having to call on some pre-written programs meant for specific assignments, and written by programmers of course? The answer to these questions is NO. It is true that behind every successful man there is a woman, also behind the successful operations of computers there is a brain (the man). Computer on its own is just an empty box or a junk, and can in no way do any intelligent job, but with programs written the jobs are done.Therefore if a computer is given a job with the logical step to follow, it can do it better, faster and more accurately than human beings and these are some of the advantages. Consider the developed countries like Japan, USA, UK etc. , where their industries are filled with Robots. The word Robot means labour. Robots are no human beings but rather are machines that can be programmed to carry out complex and tedious task without getting bored or tired. Robots are blind, deaf and have no sense of touch. Therefore jobs that are hazardous, tedious, that could be left undone are done by these Robots.Considering an assembly plant where the 5 only thing a man does in such a plant is just to take the assembled goods out of the plant to give chance for the Robots to start assembling another. What a miracle it is to know that if a Robot breaks down in the course of its duty, almost immediately a fellow Robot (Doctor Robot) will attend to it to put it back to work. Think of the most dangerous tasks, which for the love of our dear lives we cannot do, these Robots do them. Ample examples are, blast furnace, disaster area (caused by poisonous gas) marshy areas etc. of course Robots do these jobs not thinking of any relations or parents and in fact, at a faster speed enhancing productivity. How does computer displace people and who are those displaced? As earlier mentioned, computer can only do a routine job and cannot think in any form. Now come to think of some well-structured organizations, UAC, SCOA and Leventis etc. , there are skilled personnel and unskilled workers/cl erks. The daily job of these unskilled workers are mere routine jobs like accounting procedures, oading and assembling goods which can be taken over by computers that will do it better, faster and in fact, more reliable thereby enhancing greater productivity. These labourers so displaced by computer can be taken to such areas as sales since more articles are produced. These workers should go out soliciting for markets. While the managers, engineers and technician can not be displaced because they as skilled in their job, they do real thinking. Therefore to supplement these greater efficiency and productivity of the computer, these skilled workers should be kept in an airconditioned office, and in fact, think of things yet to happen.No wonder the United States of American sees nothing left on earth again and hence proceeded to exploit the outer space. With these productive forces in operation, the prices of goods and the workers conditions of service would be improved. 6 Recently, th ese big time companies embarked on agriculture. These unskilled workers could be better utilized there, and more of them is needed for such jobs. In Africa, there are popular terms like laziness, redundancy, unproductively, etc. These are happening because there are no challenges to face.What we do mostly are routine jobs which could be boring thereby creating unhappiness and in such a situation we become less productive. The routine jobs should be given to computers while a conducive atmosphere be created for the skilled workers to think of ways of making the continent self reliant. Computer and Job Creation Let us consider a particular case study of an information system, the effect of computer and how it helps creating jobs. An information system means the collection and processing of data to yield useful information for decision making.To collect data, enumerators are needed to actually go to the field for data collection, typist are needed too and other people employed in the c ourse of recording the data and finally statisticians computer operators use the computer for processing the data to give useful results (information). Again think of the case of our consultancy services. Any company going into such ventures like agricultural business needs a consultant having in his service Agricultural scientists, soil scientists and host of other professionals in allied discipline to perform the feasibility studies.They give useful information to customers are regards the type of crops to plant, the planting seasons, the fertilizers to apply and when, the type of pests attracted by such plants etc. , all these lead to greater productivity and this is one of the things the attention of our professionals should be directed to. Come to think of the perennial problems of Cancer, AIDS and some other deadly diseases, which we have no solutions to. Our scientist and medical personnel should use most of their time addressing their minds through intensive research towards providing a remedy to such ills of the society while the computer is left to do their routine jobs for them. History has it that the early jobs where computers were employed were in accounting, payroll, ledger etc. , all of which had fixed procedures or routine hence it was easier to computerize these systems to enhance productivity and save workers from boredom. However, it must be recognized that computer requires lesser number of personnel, it can produce more and it is not likely to go on maternity leave, nor go on strikes, nor demand overtime or old age pension etc.Also the use of computer creates more jobs such as consultancy, developing and selling of software and hardware while the displaced workers could be trained as salesmen to market the goods or taken to such areas like agriculture where they can serve humanity. Therefore computer will lead to re-arrangement in the organizational set up and this will lead to greater productivity. Conclusions Computer offer innumerable benefits in enriching the quality and quantity of goods and services in any organisation.Despite the prevalent nature of computer in virtually every aspect of human endeavours, it has not been widely integrated into the production and distribution processes in Nigeria. Its integration will not only revolutionize the economy, it will engender the development of individual’ innate scientific inquiry mind and their critical thinking abilities. COMPUTER PROVIDES LONGER LIFE, REDUCES WORKING HOURS AND GREATER REMUNERATION IN RETURN.REFERENCES Ayo, C, K. (1994). Computer literacy: Operations and appreciation. Egbe: Alanukitan Press Walton, D. (1984). Blob (Computer Program): Applied system knowledge (ASK). London: Unwin Ltd 8

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Blood makes it all go away essays

Blood makes it all go away essays Enraged, sad, lonely, stupid, worthless, irrational, crazy. I can't stand what I think because I sound like such a whiner, so self-involved. During I feel very focused and full of anticipation. I purposely hold my breath as I cut and let it out when I'm through, so I breathe out as the blood runs out. I feel so calm. All the noise and stupidity in my head is gone, I feel like I'm floating... I feel stupid because I feel like I don't have a reason to do it. That's why I keep it to myself. [female, age 15, 1 yr SIB, HS] (Martinson). In a world where stress is relieved by simple things like screaming, and crying lays another form of relief. This form helps the people who do it detach from everything else, and really feel. Self mutilation is a form of addiction just like drugs and alcoholism, and like all others stems from a variety of cultural and psychological factors. Although the aspect of self mutilation makes some cringe, some are pleased at the sight of their own blood. To fully understand this, is too know what self mutilation really is. Its defined by Deb Martinson as the act of attempting to alter a mood state by inflicting physical harm serious enough to cause tissue damage to your body. This can include cutting (with knives, razors, glass, pins, any sharp object), burning, hitting your body with an object or your fists, hitting a heavy object (like a wall), picking at skin until it bleeds, biting yourself, pulling your hair out, etc. By doing this brings their levels of psychological and physiological tension and arousal back to a bearable baseline level almost immediately (Martinson). People who self injure could be anyone, male, female, gay, straight, a high school student, rich, poor, teachers, or anyone around the world. The incidence of self-injury is about the same as that of eating disorders, but because it's so highly stigma tized, most people hide their scars, burns, and bru...

Monday, October 21, 2019

7 Research-Based Learning Tricks for Lefties

7 Research-Based Learning Tricks for Lefties As a left-handed person, you’ve probably got used to the many annoyances that living in a right-handed world has created for you. You are used to bumping elbows at dinner, smudging your writing, and awkwardly using scissors that don’t quite work. But, did you know that your unique brain also means that you learn in a different way? In fact, there are several tricks that you can learn now that will give you an advantage in your college setting. Focus on Location In a 2010 study in Pediatrics, researchers found that those with mixed-handedness or left-handedness are more likely to suffer from ADHD or dyslexia. And, even if you are not diagnosed with either of these, your brains ability to quickly shift from brain hemisphere allows for attention gaps that could make it harder to focus. Be proactive by choosing seats at the front of the class where you’re less likely to be distracted by other students. Also, you can choose a study area that is free from additional distractors like music, or side conversations. Manage Your Fear The research by Queen Margaret’s University described in an article by Jennifer Hong showed left-handed individuals are more mentally compromised by fearful or highly stressful situations. Participants were asked to watch a terrifying video and recall their experience. Left-handed participants misremembered details twice as often as their right-handed counterparts. What that means for you is that being afraid of your first days at college might make it much more difficult for you to keep up with your new classes. In order to mitigate your fear, take a few minutes at the beginning of each day (especially before big tests) to do some relaxation exercises. You’ll feel better and have a better chance of remembering important information. Use Your Creativity In a study by the Georgetown University Medical Center, left-handed learners were shown to be able to hear and understand rapid speech more distinctly than right-handers. Because of this ability, sitting in lecture halls with a slow-talking professor might make you bored and tuned out. Instead of randomly doodling during your classes, take this time to creatively organize new information. You might write a song about what your teacher shares in class, making sure to highlight the most important points. Or, take notes graphically, drawing pictures of the concepts, ideas, and vocabulary you will need to know later. This keeps you engaged in class and uses your natural left-handed inclination towards creativity. Grab Memories In a left-handed person’s brain, the right side of the brain encodes new memories, while the left side of the brain reactivates those memories. In the article for TIME Maia Szalavitz mentions the interesting research study by Montclair State University, which proves that clenching your fist while learning a new fact allows you to better â€Å"grab† the information. Then, clenching your right fist activates your left brain, making it easier to recall the information you previously â€Å"grabbed.† Make Connections One thing that lefties are incredibly good at is making unique connections. Studies from the University of Michigan show that, while right-handed students’ brains are more likely to specialize or compartmentalize information, left-handed students’ brains easily shift from logical to creative. This means that when you’re learning new information, your brain is much more likely to make random connections that might help you to learn and remember. In order to maximize this natural gift, don’t just write down the notes from your classes, write down the unique connections that your brain makes with that new information. You’ll be much more likely to remember how the information impacted you, which makes it easier to recall for a test. Get Enough Sleep Although you may not know it, you need more rest than a right-handed person. As published in Chronobiol, a study was conducted that showed left-handed people slept an average of 30 minutes longer than right-handers. What this means for you is that rest is a vital part of your brain makeup. In order to do the best on your exams, you need to wake refreshed and with your brain in good working order. Plan on getting a good eight hours of sleep in order to be at your mental peak. Color Coding Scientists from the University of Abertay found that lefties are less likely to engage in risky behavior. Although this was a broad finding, lead researcher Lynn Wright also found several study techniques that helped these individuals make good choices. She said, â€Å"They [left-handers] like to color-code things, they like to write lists. It’s almost a way to alleviate their stress.† So, if you’re feeling stressed out about a particular class or study topic, create a color-coding system to help you organize your material. Or, write a list of the things you need to know that you can easily check off as you study. You’ll feel more in control and be more focused on success.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

8 Principles of Stoicism

8 Principles of Stoicism The Stoics were people who followed a realistic but morally idealistic way of living, a philosophy of life developed by Hellenistic Greeks and eagerly embraced by the Romans. The Stoic philosophy had a strong appeal to Christian theologians of the early 20th century, which echoes in our own modern culture. I believe that [Stoicism] represents a way of looking at the world and the practical problems of life which possesses still a permanent interest for the human race, and a permanent power of inspiration. I shall approach it, therefore, rather as a psychologist than as a philosopher or historian.... I shall merely try as best I can to make intelligible its great central principles and the almost irresistible appeal which they made to so many of the best minds of antiquity. Knapp 1926 Stoics: From Greek to Roman Philosophy The philosophers who followed Aristotle (384-322 BC) were known as the Peripatetics, named for their walking around the colonnades of the Athenian Lyceum. The Stoics, on the other hand, were named for the Athenian Stoa Poikile or painted porch, where one of the founders of the Stoic philosophy, Zeno of Citium (on Cyprus) (344-262 BC), taught. While the Greeks may have developed the philosophy of Stoicism from the earlier philosophies, we only have fragments of their teachings. Their philosophy is often divided into three parts, logic, physics, and ethics. Many Romans adopted the philosophy as a way of life or art of living (tà ©chnà ª peri tà ³n bion in the ancient Greek)as it was intended by the Greeksand it is from the complete documents of imperial period Romans, especially the writings of Seneca (4 BC-65 AD), Epictetus (c. 55-135) and Marcus Aurelius (121-180) that we gain most of our information about the ethical system of the original Stoics. Stoic Principles Today, Stoic principles have found their way into accepted popular wisdom, as goals to which we should aspireas in the Serenity Prayer of Twelve Step programs. Below are eight of the main ideas in the area of ethics that were held by the Stoic philosophers. Nature - Nature is rational. Law of Reason - The universe is governed by the law of reason. Man cant actually escape its inexorable force, but he can, uniquely, follow the law deliberately. Virtue - A life led according to rational nature is virtuous. Wisdom - Wisdom is the the root virtue. From it spring the cardinal virtues: insight, bravery, self-control, and justice. Apathea - Since passion is irrational, life should be waged as a battle against it. Intense feeling should be avoided. Pleasure - Pleasure is not good. (Nor is it bad. It is only acceptable if it doesnt interfere with our quest for virtue.) Evil - Poverty, illness, and death are not evil. Duty - Virtue should be sought, not for the sake of pleasure, but for duty. Briefly, their notion of morality is stern, involving a life in accordance with nature and controlled by virtue. It is an ascetic system, teaching perfect indifference (APATHEA) to everything external, for nothing external could be either good or evil. Hence to the Stoics both pain and pleasure, poverty and riches, sickness and health, were supposed to be equally unimportant. Source: Internet Encylcopedia of Stoicism Serenity Prayer and Stoic Philosophy The Serenity Prayer, attributed to the Christian theologist Reinhold Niebuhr [1892-1971], and published by Alcoholics Anonymous in several similar forms, could have come straight from the principles of Stoicism as this side-by-side comparison of the Serenity Prayer and the Stoic Agenda shows: Serenity Prayer Stoic Agenda God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. (Alcoholics Anonymous)God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. (Reinhold Niebuhr) To avoid unhappiness, frustration, and disappointment, we, therefore, need to do two things: control those things that are within our power (namely our beliefs, judgments, desires, and attitudes) and be indifferent or apathetic to those things which are not in our power (namely, things external to us). (William R. Connolly) It has been suggested that the main difference between the two passages is that the Niebuhrs version includes a bit about knowing the difference between the two. While that may be, the Stoic version states those which are within our powerthe personal things like our own beliefs, our judgments, and our desires. Those are the things we should have the power to change. Read more about The Stoic Philosophers Sources Updated by K. Kris Hirst Annas, J. 2007. Ethics in Stoic Philosophy. Phronesis 52(1):58-87.Ierodiakonou, K. 1993. The Stoic Division of Philosophy. Phronesis 38(1):57-74.Internet Encyclopedia of StoicismKnapp, C. 1926. Professor Gilbert Murray on the Stoic Philosophy (Religion). The Classical Weekly 19(13): 99-100.McAfee Brown, R. (ed) 1986. The Essential Reinhold Niebuhr: Selected Essays and Addresses. New Haven: Yale University Press.Sellars, J. 2007. Stoic Practical Philosophy in the Imperial Period. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies: Supplement 94: 115-140.Remple M. 2014. Stoic Philosophy and AA: The Enduring Wisdom of the Serenity Prayer. In: Miller JA, and Plants N, editors. Sobering Wisdom: Philosophical Explorations of Twelve Step Spirituality: University of Virginia Press. p 205-217.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Business plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business plan - Assignment Example The majority of Canadian customers are not ready to accept reduced quality of commercial ice creams. Hence the potential for specialized ice creams is high in this market. By combining beverages as ice coffee, milk shakes, hot cappuccino and hot coco, with the desserts and ice creams, the SW&D offers a year round reason for customers to visit the outlet. The business model that would be used in the SW&D venture would be a Differentiated Value experience where even through the pricing would be up-market and above market averages, the exotic varieties of deserts, the freshness and natural ingredients will deliver a value package that will differentiate the company. The products will be exclusive and exotic in nature but reasonably priced to maintain affordability. The expectations is that SW&D’s premium image will offer a low price elasticity in terms of economic considerations and make customers willing to pay additional money to experience the SW&D quality. Combined expertise of the two partnering entrepreneurs, Neil and Susan Shucroft will offer culinary expertise in dessert making which Neil acquired in qualifications and experience during the years in Europe as well as Susan’s service management experience in food service field. The initial financial analysis points to a highly lucrative venture and the capital funding to be invested can be recovered within 2 years period of time. This is a relatively low investment venture with high profitability returns of around 50% GP margins and 15% average NP margins. Such profitability is common to Food service industry, if the venture’s operations are managed stringently and with cost and quality consciousness. This business report provides a comprehensive market analysis and prose the business and functional level strategies as well as a preliminary financial analysis for the review of prospective investors of this

Friday, October 18, 2019

Concrete mix design and compression tests Assignment

Concrete mix design and compression tests - Assignment Example The results for the two materials were compared with special attention to the behaviors of each of them during loading. Testing of the two specimen metals preceded until fracture was realized. During the laboratory experimentation of the specimen metals, aluminum and steel were subjected to tensile tests in order to measure the tensile strengths. It was necessary to conduct the tests for Tensile strength for aluminum and steel, taking into consideration the fact that steel and aluminum are the most used materials during constructions and Engineering works. Ductility enables these two metal specimens to give extra tensile strengths. The tensile test helped in the determination of the elastic properties available in the specimen materials. The performances of the materials were measured by the behaviors that were observed on the materials and the conditions that support their performance. During this time, the challenges and failures of the experiment were observed. After the observation, emphasis shifted to the analysis of the information. The tests are expected to provide the framework on which Engineers can draw their conclusion and recommendation for reinforcing the bui lding materials and constructions in progress. The project is involves fundamental elasticity tests such as static tension test whereby the specimens of the two distinct materials are passed prepared and placed under weight which increasing becomes heavy. This is observed until the specimen attains the failure position. The measure of elasticity as one of the physical characteristics of the material determines whether the material will regain its original shape or will experience permanent deformation. The observation is meant to establish the proportional limit. This is the highest limit of stress, which the specimen material can produce and withstand while maintaining its position in the

Educational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Educational Change - Essay Example The value and effectiveness of education can only be realized by changing the entire system. Although current education is important in developing the society, it is not sufficient. In addition, contemporary education does not cover the cost that its beneficiaries pay to acquire it. Complexity of modern education in relation to the expectation of the real world is the main cause of low value in modern education. Current education needs to be changed in order to increase its value by eliminating complexity, improve application and to improve its ability to measure the intelligence and knowledge of an individual. Current schooling has many weaknesses that deny its beneficiaries the value for their investments in education. Although the flaws in existing education have been in existence for a long time, their impacts have not yet been analyzed. The education system was structured long time ago but the needs of the society have changed with time hence necessitating an overhaul change in the education system. (Hallinger, 2003). Effective changes on the current education can only be realized from a transformation of the entire educational system. Partial changes will leave loopholes or weakness on the resultant education system. It is worth noting that education is a multivariate concept and therefore, all facets should be given appropriate attention. Effectiveness of an education system lies in the ability to transform its beneficiaries and the entire society. Notably, education system focuses too much on theoretical aspects whereas the world has become more practical. Therefore, it is important to incorporate practical aspect in the education system in order to enable students handle practical life experiences once they leave the school. This is evident with most college graduates who never apply their education after completing their courses from various colleges (Hargreaves, 2004). The purpose of schooling is realized through application of acquired knowledge to solve real-world problems. Significance of education can therefore, be established by determining the rate of application of knowledge outside educational institutions (Hallinger, 2003). However, it has been found out that modern education system discourage application of knowledge in solving real-world problems. A lot of evidence supports that education system does not offer adequate skills needed for practical life experience. Most of the principles taught in school are either too complicated and complex to be applied in real life or are not adequate at all. This is particularly ironical since many resources have been applied to acquire these skills. It can be agreed that learning complicated skills is a waste of valuable time for students. This is because students spend their prime age in life acquiring life skills in school. If students are not able to apply the skills learned in school in real life, then it becomes a waste of time, energy, and resources. Changing the current ed ucation is important in order to incorporate the application aspect in contemporary education. Value of education can only be realized through application of the knowledge acquired through education. It is possible to view education as an investment since students will have to get returns once they start using the skills learned in school. With the rising economic crisis in many countries, investment in education becomes expensive both to the government and to individuals as well. Since beneficiaries of education use little if any of the skills gained from education in real life, then education becomes even more expensive. Simply put, return on investment on educations is not justified. The cost of education and the actual

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Population Density reserach paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Population Density reserach - Research Paper Example They choose a leader unanimously and look for guidance towards that group that they have chosen. The limited resources are not even much of a problem, as people will willingly give up a part of their share so as to help their own counterparts. The situation is quite under control in this case. The homogeneity makes it a gelling factor for the whole community to stick together even in adverse circumstances. If the population belongs to the same culture then comparably life becomes easier for people living there. In contrast if the population contains people of different culture there is always a war going on in which each culture is trying to supersede the other. There is constant conflict and each group strives to get power over the other. It has been seen that such groups have continuous struggle to gain the top position. Even there are constant fights and tussle for the resources. People tend to take more than required just so that the other person doesn’t get it. There is a constant war like situation and people try to get the better of each other and dominate the others to gain full authority. If there are many poor in the society then the situation worsens and people start worshipping some false person even to have their own selfish desires filled. This way they become more disoriented and lose the real purpose of their existence. It is really difficult to survive in a society that has a non-homogenous mix of people and majority of the people are poor. People tend to believe that life is a mess and the only way to survive is to fight their way through life. Survival of the fittest is the main concept here. While if there is a homogenous environment and the people are not poor at all, then again there are huge chances that peace will prevail (Baldassare, 1979). Today in AMERICA there are many minorities living. There is so much diversity in the culture that they are losing their own traditions. It has been observed that in areas where two to three di fferent minorities live strife is a norm. Some of the areas have become so dangerous those even policemen are scared to go there. At night the neighborhoods become small war stripes that people fear to tread. Even the areas near the neighborhoods are considered a difficult place to live. It has been seen that people who generally have low incomes live n these areas, but they face many troubles like small thefts, occasional muggings and sometime one or two knife fights. Usually the white kids also mix up with the kids from these areas and end up ruining their own lives (Baldassare, 1979). Sharing a living place with quite a lot many people and having limited resources is a difficult situation, it has happened quite many times with kids who have lost their parents, or ran away from their homes or even ran from their foster homes. There are many hygiene issues that come up with this kind of living and drug problems also arise. When I had to live in a college dorm, there were in total 7 people who were sharing it with me. They all belonged to different cultures so earlier there were quite a lot of hesitation among us, but gradually the barriers broke and we understood each other perfectly fine. We even started to cover for each other. It became a norm among us that once a month each one of us had to give others a treat. There were unspoken rules for never talking about your own roommate to others. Americans usually try to avoid such areas, and they try to move out of such areas as

School's Pastoral Structure and Pupil Achievement Essay

School's Pastoral Structure and Pupil Achievement - Essay Example According to the report findings  Pastoral Care, rather than the aggregate of actions or exercises that employ its practitioners over time, in essence is the underlying impetus for the care in its implementation. Effective Pastoral Care facilitates optimal education by cultivating open communication between students and practitioners as well as carers and parents. Through discrete consultation and positive attention to the student's personal learning style, pastoral care serves to augment the greatest prospects for quality realisation of each pupil's best. When a pastoral curriculum   succeeds in promoting good relations and feedback in the academic process among all participants, it is an operative element of successful education of the whole person.From this discussion it is clear that  significant research currently indicates that academic structures operating under the auspices of pastoral care can quite easily relapse into an academic exercise less focused on aspects of st udent welfare than issues of social management and organizational expediency, carving a considerable gap between lip-service and actuality.  Distortions of pastoral care transpire when perfunctory notions of education seize control of the comprehensive discipline. The upshot is a dichotomy between pastoral care and the academic curriculum where the educational ambience, frustrated by an obsession with control, intensifies an instinctive power struggle on the part of young people who on the whole are naturally prone to test the limits of independence.   A study of student attitudes toward pastoral care shows that on average pupils mistrust its nuances basically as a further assertion of school authority over their lives (Power 75). When government mandates hold teachers accountable for pupil performance the temptation is to assert more control in the classroom. The National Literacy Strategy intervention may authoritatively approve interactive whole-class teaching but by all indications such policies drive practitioners to more autocratic styles of instruction with little occasion for student discovery and development of intellectual insights. Legislative impositions, deliberated from the inside, tend to repeat time-worn educational models from sheer precedent (Watkins 3). A survey of pastoral curricula across schools in a single London borough distinguished four diverse types: tutorial-centred, tutorial aimed at individual and communal learning, the pastoral curriculum integrated into the responsibilities of the faculties, and, finally, a pastoral curriculum strongly established as the academic culture (Best 19). In his article "Pastoral Care and the Millennium," Ron Best regrets that the 1988 Education Act ironically discourages any real progress on a pastoral outlook for the National Curriculum that might have been designed to advance the very expertise and competence that furthers individual initiative in the context of social accountability (Collins and McNiff 27). In terms of evaluating academic merit, intangible values whose worth is easily ascertained, are cast into doubt and abandoned with neglect. Instead

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Population Density reserach paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Population Density reserach - Research Paper Example They choose a leader unanimously and look for guidance towards that group that they have chosen. The limited resources are not even much of a problem, as people will willingly give up a part of their share so as to help their own counterparts. The situation is quite under control in this case. The homogeneity makes it a gelling factor for the whole community to stick together even in adverse circumstances. If the population belongs to the same culture then comparably life becomes easier for people living there. In contrast if the population contains people of different culture there is always a war going on in which each culture is trying to supersede the other. There is constant conflict and each group strives to get power over the other. It has been seen that such groups have continuous struggle to gain the top position. Even there are constant fights and tussle for the resources. People tend to take more than required just so that the other person doesn’t get it. There is a constant war like situation and people try to get the better of each other and dominate the others to gain full authority. If there are many poor in the society then the situation worsens and people start worshipping some false person even to have their own selfish desires filled. This way they become more disoriented and lose the real purpose of their existence. It is really difficult to survive in a society that has a non-homogenous mix of people and majority of the people are poor. People tend to believe that life is a mess and the only way to survive is to fight their way through life. Survival of the fittest is the main concept here. While if there is a homogenous environment and the people are not poor at all, then again there are huge chances that peace will prevail (Baldassare, 1979). Today in AMERICA there are many minorities living. There is so much diversity in the culture that they are losing their own traditions. It has been observed that in areas where two to three di fferent minorities live strife is a norm. Some of the areas have become so dangerous those even policemen are scared to go there. At night the neighborhoods become small war stripes that people fear to tread. Even the areas near the neighborhoods are considered a difficult place to live. It has been seen that people who generally have low incomes live n these areas, but they face many troubles like small thefts, occasional muggings and sometime one or two knife fights. Usually the white kids also mix up with the kids from these areas and end up ruining their own lives (Baldassare, 1979). Sharing a living place with quite a lot many people and having limited resources is a difficult situation, it has happened quite many times with kids who have lost their parents, or ran away from their homes or even ran from their foster homes. There are many hygiene issues that come up with this kind of living and drug problems also arise. When I had to live in a college dorm, there were in total 7 people who were sharing it with me. They all belonged to different cultures so earlier there were quite a lot of hesitation among us, but gradually the barriers broke and we understood each other perfectly fine. We even started to cover for each other. It became a norm among us that once a month each one of us had to give others a treat. There were unspoken rules for never talking about your own roommate to others. Americans usually try to avoid such areas, and they try to move out of such areas as

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Toyotas Decision to Undertake FDI in Australia Case Study - 25

Toyotas Decision to Undertake FDI in Australia - Case Study Example ll also face challenges in the future, they will not affect the FDI that Toyota Company made since it is able to deal with competitiveness and financial crises that may arise. Japan’s economy is the second largest in the world but this would still not favor the hybrid of Toyota since its growth rate is slow. On the other hand, Australian’s economy is smaller compared to that of Japan but it experiences rapid growth. In addition, Japan’s purchasing power is high and thus building hybrids in Japan would have cost more than undertaking FDI in Australia. Australia has a framework that supports foreign direct investment and thus it will be possible for Toyota to monitor and analyze how the investment grows (Ghemawat, 2012). The FDI in Australia has several liabilities that ensure reinvestment. Carrying out a hybrid in Japan would have been a poor decision since Japan is facing a critical issue because of its allocative efficiency. There is very high competition among manufacturers who are well distributed and highly productive. Â  I think Toyota decided to adapt the existing plant in Melbourne instead of building a new one from the ground for several reasons. One of the reasons is because using the already existing plant was going to cut down on the cost of establishing themselves in Australia. Whenever a company is entering a new market, it is easier to use an existing plant than when it starts from the ground. Starting from the ground will mean that time for building has to be allocated whereas in an already existing plant the sales start immediately (Dadzie, 2012). By using an already existing plant, the production is higher than starting from the ground. In taking the already existing plant the Toyota Company is able to be in an area where the economy is already diversified opposed to setting up a new plant in an area where the economy is not yet diversified.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Dream Vacation Essay Example for Free

Dream Vacation Essay While some people may be quite content to lounge around the city of Karnak all summer as the mosquitoes suck away at their skin, a more perfect spot than this does exist. Pack every suitcase in the house because for the perfect summer time getaway for one who has limited time to head out of Pulaski County, Austin, Texas is the place to be. (64) A traveler on a short schedule will appreciate the time conscious travel plans that can be to arrive in Austin. Flying out of St. Louis on June 7 you can find yourself on Texas soil in just three hours. An added advantage to choosing to stay in the mid-west is the avoidance of high travel costs. With advance planning a round trip ticket to Austin will cost as little as $198.00. (68) Upon landing in Austin, you may rent a car from Avis. They maintain an office on the grounds of Austin Bergstrom International Airport so their facilities are extremely convenient. Their rates are comparable to other car rental agencies. The rate for your state, June 7 through June 10, is just $73.14 a day and that includes the standard rental rate, all surcharges, and local taxes. You will be able to travel in Austin comfortable in a Grand Am or similar style vehicle. (82) Read more: Dream vacation essay At the heart of Austin you will find many hotel accommodations. A highly recommended choice is The Driskell Hotel because of its antique treasures, stunning rooms and soaring ceilings. Adding to the charm of the hotel is a legend that tells of the top floor of the Driskill Hotel being haunted by a playful ghost. As posted on the Internet by an anonymous guest of the hotel, The Driskill Hotel is a must see when coming to the Austin area. From the grandest of suites, to the astonishing lobby, to the ever-so-tasteful Driskill Grill and Bar, The Driskill Hotel is a well rounded hotel and ranks with some of the best in the world! Staying in elegance comes with a cost. The beautiful suites that place you high above the streets of Austin where you can nearly reach out and touch the clouds from the balcony will empty your wallets at a rate of $250.00 a night. The numerous amenities that accompany the room make the price reasonable. Not only will you have a balcony from which you can look out over the city of Austin to see the  bright night lights, you will sleep cozily in a queen size bed, enjoy the open-air feeling with the 19 foot ceilings, and be able to stay in touch through email with the T1 connection. (223) To relieve the stress that has built up during the school year, a visit to the Aziz Salon and Day Spa would be the high point of one of your days. At Aziz you will receive a one-hour therapeutic massage or 30 minute body scrub and 30 minute massage, deep pore cleansing facial, a light lunch, a full manicure and pedicure followed by a warm paraffin treatment, hair and scalp stress relieving oil treatment, shampoo and blow dry, and a personal consultation and makeover with make-up artist. Your skin will feel as soft as a fuzzy peach and will radiate like a gold medallion. The cost, $300, is small in comparison to all of the wonderful treatments you will experience. (120) Taking in some of the country atmosphere of Texas wont be hard to do even after a day of elegance at Aziz and a luxurious night sleep at The Driskell Hotel. On Friday, June 8 you can catch a great performance by the BR5-49. The name of the band doesnt give away any hints as to their style of performing, but a quick background search on the Internet reveals all a listener needs to know. As stated by Craig Shelburne, These guys are hugely entertaining, and their most enthusiastic fans arent afraid of the hillbilly factor. Listening to their music will make you feel as though you are on the range herding cattle abroad a beautiful appaloosa. As the notes from their guitars leave the strings and tickle your ears, you will feel gratification for having spent the $35.00 to purchase a ticket to this event. (146) Many people would think of Tex-Mex when selecting restaurants, but one restaurant that deserves to be considered is the Chinese restaurant Tien Hong. This restaurant has more than just the sweet and sour pork that is stereotyped as the main Chinese dish. A fantastic mouth watering treat is the dim sum they serve. The taste will leave you wanting more even after you find out you are eating chicken feet. The price is quite inexpensive for a fest of Chinese food. Most meals can be purchased for under $15.00. (89) Any further attractions and time fillers are left up to the imagination. If the hotel pool doesnt do the trick for a quick swim, theres Barton Springs Pool. The downtown streets are lined with quaint shops such as Elegante, which specializes in Latin American imports, and Cantus Mexican Hierberia Imports, which sells herbs and healing ointments of all varieties and for all occasions. The locals are friendly and can point you in the right direction if something specific comes to mind during your stay. (84) Austin, Texas may not hit the list of many vacation planners as the ideal dream vacation, but for a short, relaxing get-a-way from the daily grind of teaching, Austin can be a pleasurable vacation that wont break your bank account while rewarding you with the enjoyments of life that often get placed on the back burner during the school year. (60)

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Custodial Deaths and Human Rights Issues

Custodial Deaths and Human Rights Issues Whenever we go through daily newspapers or news on broadcast media or internet, one of the most common topics we can find is deaths in custody. This is something that we get to hear about most often from people surrounding us, and it has been happening for quite a long time, not only in a particular country or region, but in the whole world. However, many people is dying in custody each year. The deaths while in custody remains a very controversial topic as it is believed that the main reasons of these deaths are kept in darkness from the world.  [1]  These deaths could be a regular subject for the ones in charge of the custody, but bring a major issue in the limelight which is the gross violation of human rights. According to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), When the state takes away a persons liberty, it assumes full responsibility for protecting their human rights. The most fundamental of these is the right to life.  [2]  As we go through this paper, we will dis cuss more about custodial deaths and its impact on international law and human rights. Custodial deaths are referred to those deaths, while in custody of the police, prison service, or other authorities. The causes of these deaths or we can say that the custody authorities are often accused of abuse, cover-ups, racism and neglect.  [3]  Some examples of custodial deaths are Operation Clean Heart by the government of Bangladesh where a minimum of 32 people died; death of about 100 prisoners in United States custody in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002; and at least 650 people were killed in Jamaica by the police officers in 1999 which were all unlawful killings, but none of them were convicted since then.  [4]   Human Rights: Human rights are rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled.  [5]  These rights protect us from severe political, legal, and social abuses. A few examples of human rights are the right to freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial when charged with a crime, the right not to be tortured, the right to engage in political activity, and the right to life.  [6]  All these rights are protected by law for the wellbeing of a society. These rights, if violated, can lead to severe consequences or penalties if proved guilty to the sovereign authority. Human Rights against Custodial Deaths: The most fundamental part of human rights is the right to life.  [7]  This type of human rights which protect people detained by the State falls under the law of Human Rights Act 1998. A death penalty or even custodial deaths violate these rights according to many human rights activists from around the world. A state ensures protection of its people enforced by law. They have more responsibility about a persons protection when they take them into custody in doubts of unlawful acts. Therefore, whenever a person dies in custody, it raises a major human rights issue. Besides people who are serving whole-life sentences, many others die in custody. These custodial deaths maybe caused due to natural causes or diseases, attacks by other prisoners, self-infliction, third-degree tortures while in remand, and many other reasons. Many of those people who die in custody are held on remand in either police custody or prison for doubts of unlawful acts, and are convicted of no criminal offence. These are serious violations of human rights as every individual has the right to life, which is protected by the State and these deaths are not enforced by law. Custodial Death and Human Rights Concerns around the World: In Bangladesh, a huge battalion of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) killed more than seventy army officers and others dead in February 25 and 26, 2009. After that, most soldiers of Bangladesh Rifles were held in prisons as suspects for the massacre. More than a thousand soldiers including twenty civilians were detained, and the others are still in the police custody. From a statement of the Bangladesh Rifles on April 23, 2009, it was said that Sixteen detainees have died in custody four from suicide, six from heart attacks, and six from other diseases.  [8]  But Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch  [9]  , said that he couldnt find a solid reason for which the detainees have committed suicide, and thus, he has urged the government to take immediate actions to stop such deaths in custody. From credible sources in Bangladesh, reports were found by the Human Rights Watch on torture of detainees while they were in custody. One of the suspects told that he was tortured with electric shocks for seven days by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)  [10]  . After the death of another suspect, a family member said that he was in good health before taken into custody and has no reason of sudden death. In a medical report of a dead suspect, wounds of torture were inflicted, which the authority denied by saying that the wounds may have been caused while they were trying to escape following the rebellion. Adams said that these explanations are not credible and that torture is a regular investigation technique in Bangladesh and killing of detainees in custody is an endemic problem. The detained suspects have been denied access to family and lawyers in most cases. In Vietnam, Human Rights Watch reported that they have received nineteen documents of brutality cases in twelve months till September 2010, which resulted in deaths of fifteen people. Deaths in custody were reported from major cities in Vietnam which has provoked the public protestant in the country and raised serious concerns. In a few cases, the detainees died due to massive beatings while in custody of the police or civil defense force, and in other cases, people died in public areas where the police used excessive forces. In many cases, detainees are taken into custody and killed for minor violations of law. In June 30, 2010, a person died in police custody after being detained following a dispute with his mother. In another case, which was on July 23, 2010, a man was arrested for riding a motorbike without a helmet. He was then taken is custody for questioning and hours later, it was reported that he died. This has raised serious concerns in Vietnam for such a custodial death. In all these nineteen incidents in just twelve months time, not a single involved police officer was convicted by the local court for their actions. There have been major protests by the media as the government has high restrictions and control over their local press. Only a few police officers have been detained or suspended, which was caused due to media exposure of the incidents and severe protests from the public. Unless the government shows serious concerns regarding such human rights issues, it is very uncertain that such killings can ever be stopped. In Afghanistan, a soldier named Jamal Nasser died in March 16, 2003 while in custody of the United States Army.  [11]  After eighteen months of his death, it was reported that his death attributed to a kidney infection. Later on, investigations found that the cause was just a fiction. According to Senator Patrick Leahy, The detainee, Jamal Naseer, died in March 2003, allegedly after weeks of torture by American soldiers. Because the  Special Forces  unit that reportedly controlled the detention facility failed to report the death, it was never investigated. This incident is very troubling on its own, but, like so many other incidents we have discovered, it points to a much larger problem. The  U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command  received a tip about Naseers death earlier this year, but could not investigate the matter due to a lack of information.  [12]  An army detective at Bagram Airbase told the LA Times that there are no records for which they werent able to conclude the investigation process. Human Rights Law: There are many human rights law assigned by the sovereign authority for the well being of a society by ensuring the safety of every individual. The law which concerns with the deaths in custody is Article 2 of The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), The Human Rights Act 1998, which states that: 1. Everyones right to life shall be protected by law. No one shall be deprived of his life intentionally save in the execution of a sentence of a court following his conviction of a crime for which this penalty is provided by law. 2. Deprivation of life shall not be regarded as inflicted in contravention of this Article when it results from the use of force which is no more than absolutely necessary: (a) in defence of any person from unlawful violence; (b) in order to effect a lawful arrest or to prevent the escape of a person lawfully detained; (c) in action lawfully taken for the purpose of quelling a riot or insurrection.  [13]   Article 2 clearly provides that the state should not deprive you of your life, except in very limited circumstances.  [14]  According to the article, whenever someone is killed by a police, army or prison officer, the incident will always link to right to life. In such a circumstance, investigations will be called and a failure in the investigation at the hands of a state official is likely to be a breach of Article 2. Conclusion: Many people have been killed and are still being killed while in custody of the state officials in almost every country. The state is responsible for the protection of its each and every single individual and the ones violating laws shall be detained or punished after the consequences has been sanctioned by the higher authority. But any kind of custodial deaths are unlawful as every human has the right to life, and they cannot be punished unless they are proved guilty. Custodial deaths fall under the Human Rights Act 1998, Article 2 which states that custodial deaths should be investigated and if not done, then it would be a breach of law. After studying this paper, we are able to conclude that custodial deaths have become a global human rights issue and these deaths are gross violation of Human Rights. The state must take all necessary steps in order to prevent deaths in custody, ensure that every individual is well protected by law, and only the ones proved guilty are punished or d etained. Success in preventing will lead to the well being of the society.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Essay --

Evan Smeenge Professor Stabler HST 303 01/31/14 From Ideal to Destruction John Gast’s painting titled American Progress perfectly portrays the idea of manifest destiny that engulfed the minds of Americans. Portrayed in the right side of the painting is indubitable western influence with boats, a bridge in the distance, and trains with little or no track in front of them which allows the mind to conclude the newcomers are pushing west. In the middle of the landscape are horses, buggies, and covered wagons, showing a slight increase in modernity compared to what is shown in the far left of the painting, Indians or better known by 18th and 19th century Europeans as savages. Gast also places the portrayal of western influence in the light portion of the piece, and the old primitive way of live portrayed by savages on the dark side of the piece. This is not coincidence, primitive behavior was viewed as improper and it needed enlightenment this is precisely what Gast presents in American Progress. In the bottom left corner an animal shows its teeth, which could be a signal of the dangers to moving west. What is probably noticed first however is the woman in the center of the painting. The angel, the guiding light of Manifest Destiny the one who is bringing the light that you see so prominently in the right side of the painting. Manifest Destiny was thought of as God’s call to bring western enlightenment to the west. Those who were enlightened and civilizations created by those who were enlightened were viewed as utopian. However, eleven years before Gast painted American Progress was the start of a war that rattled America. Westward expansion and subsequent acquisition of the west was fought over and the utopian ideal Gast portrays was... ...h and the South wanted the territory for themselves. The North wanted to expand its industrial fingers to better their economy, but the South wanted more land for plantations to also better their economy. First, the Wilmot Proviso established popular sovereignty as the new factor that decided what side was going to obtain the land. This angered the South because they were frightened that their voice would be lost, and subsequently slavery would be demolished. However, the North felt anger after Stephen Douglass proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allowed any white male settler to decide if the new territory would be slave or free. With Southern white men trying to make the territories slave territories, the North were furious and started bleeding Kansas, which arguably was the spark that ignited the Civil War.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Social Reformers of India

Mahatma Gandhi: (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) (Father of the Nation, Rashtrapita, ) was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer of satyagraha—resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non violence—which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women's rights, build religious and ethnic amity, end untouchability, and increase economic self-reliance. Above all, he aimed to achieve Swaraj or the independence of India from foreign domination. for main article go to Virchand Gandhi Virchand Gandhi:Virachand Raghav Gandhi (Gujarati: ; VRG 1864–1901) was from Mahuva . He is 19th Century Indian patriot who was friend of Mahatma Gandhi and contemporary to Swami Vivekanand. He and swami vivekananda drew equal attention at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 . He won a silver medal in same . His statue still stands at the Jain temple in Chicago. He was key member of Indian National Congress . And as a reformer established a] Gandhi Philosophical Society, b] Society for the Education of Women in India (SEWI). Under the banner of SEWI, several Indian women came to U. S. A. for higher studies. c] School of Oriental Philosophy, d] Jain Literature Society in London. . And he delivered 535 lectures in USA and europe. He also died at young age of 37 alike Swami Vivekanand. Today Govt. of India has recognised his service by issuing Postal Stamp in his memory. for main article go to Swami Vivekanand Swami Vivekanand: (January 12, 1863–July 4, 1902) He was the founder of Ramakrishna Mission. Vivekananda is considered to be a major force in the revival of Hinduism in modern India. He is considered a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga in Europe and America. He introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions at Chicago in 1893. for main article go to Swami Dayanand Saraswati Swami Dayanand Saraswati: (February 12, 1824 – October 31, 1883) was an important Hindu religious scholar and the founder of the Arya Samaj, â€Å"Society of Nobles†, a Hindu reform movement, founded in 1875. He was the first man who gave the call for Swarajay in 1876 which was later furthered by Lokmanya Tilak. Himanshu Mishra Is also a Social Reformer Born in January 23, 1976 in Pilibhit District for main article go to Raja Ram Mohan Roy Raja Ram Mohan Roy: (August 14, 1774 – September 27, 1833) was a founder of the Brahma Sabha in 1828 which engendered the Brahmo Samaj, an influential Indian socio-religious reform movement. He is best known for his efforts to abolish the practice of sati, the Hindu funeral practice in which the widow was compelled to sacrifice herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. It was he who first introduced the word â€Å"Hinduism† into the English language in 1816. For his diverse contributions to society, Raja Ram Mohan Roy is regarded as one of the most important figures in the Indian Renaissance. Ram Mohan Roy's impact on modern Indian history was a revival of the pure and ethical principles of the Vedanta school of philosophy as found in the Upanishads. for main article go to Jamnalal Bajaj Jamnalal Bajaj: (4 November 1884 – 11 February 1942) was an industrialist, a philanthropist, and Indian independence fighter. Gandhi is known to have adopted him as his son. He is known for this efforts of promoting Khadi and village Industries in India. With the intent of eradicating untouchability, he fought the non admission of Harijans into Hindu temples. He began a campaign by eating a meal with Harijans and opening public wells to them. He opened several wells in his fields and gardens. Jamanalal dedicated much of his wealth to the poor. He felt this inherited wealth was a sacred trust to be used for the benefit of the people. In honour of his social initiatives a well known national and international award called Jamnalal Bajaj Award has been instituted by the Bajaj Foundation. for main article go to Vinoba Bhave Vinoba Bhave: (September 11, 1895 – November 15 1982) was an Indian advocate of Nonviolence and human rights. He is considered as the spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi. Vinoba Bhave was a scholar, thinker, writer who produced numerous books, translator who made Sanskrit texts accessible to common man, orator, linguist who had excellent command of several languages (Marathi, Hindi, Urdu, English, Sanskrit), and a social reformer. He wrote brief introductions to, and criticisms of, several religious and philosophical works like the Bhagavad Gita,works of Adi Shankaracharya, the Bible and Quran. His criticism of Dnyaneshwar's poetry as also the output by other Marathi saints is quite brilliant and a testimony to the breadth of his intellect. A university named after him Vinoba Bhave University is still there in the state of Jharkhand spreading knowledge even after his death. for main article go to Baba Amte Baba Amte: (December 26, 1914 – February 9, 2008) was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of poor people suffering from leprosy. He spent some time at Sevagram ashram of Mahatma Gandhi, and became a follower of Gandhism for the rest of his life. He believed in Gandhi's concept of a self-sufficient village industry that empowers seemingly helpless people, and successfully brought his ideas into practice at Anandwan. He practiced various aspects of Gandhism, including yarn spinning using a charkha and wearing khadi. Amte founded three ashrams for treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, disabled people, and people from marginalized sections of the society in Maharashtra, India. for main article go to Shriram Sharma Acharya Shriram Sharma Acharya: (September 20, 1911 – June 2, 1990) was an Indian seer, sage, Indian social worker, a philanthropist, a visionary of the New Golden Era and the Founder of the All World Gayatri Pariwar. He devoted his life to the welfare of people and the refinement of the moral and cultural environment. He pioneered the revival of spirituality, creative integration of the modern and ancient sciences and religion relevant in the challenging circumstances of the present times. To help people, his aim was to diagnose the root cause of the ailing state of the world today and enable the upliftment of society. Acharyaji recognized the crisis of faith, people’s ignorance of the powers of the inner self, and the lack of righteous attitude and conduct. During 1984-1986, he carried out the unique spiritual experiment of sukshmikarana, meaning sublimation of vital force and physical, mental and spiritual energies. for main article go to Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: (1820-1891) Vidyasagar was a philosopher, academic, educator, writer, translator, printer, publisher, entrepreneur, reformer, and philanthropist. His efforts to simplify and modernize Bangla prose were significant. He was a Bengali polymath and a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance. Vidyasagar championed the uplift of the status of women in India, particularly in his native Bengal. Unlike some other reformers who sought to set up alternative societies or systems, he sought, however, to transform orthodox Hindu society from within. Vidyasagar introduced the practice of widow remarriages to mainstream Hindu society. In earlier times, remarriages of widows would occur sporadically only among progressive members of the Brahmo Samaj. for main article go to Dhondo Keshav Karve Dhondo Keshav Karve: (April 18, 1858 – November 9, 1962) was a preeminent social reformer of his time in India in the field of women's welfare. Karve was one of the pioneers of promoting women's education and the right for widows to remarry in India. The Government of India recognized his reform work by awarding him its highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, in 1958 (Incidentally his centennial year). The appellation Maharshi, which the Indian public often assigned to Karve, means †a great sage†. Those who knew Karve affectionately called him as Anna Karve. In Marathi-speaking community, to which Karve belonged, the appellation Anna is often used to address either one's father or an elder brother. ) for main article go to Balshastri Jambhekar Balshastri Jambhekar: (January 6, 1812– May 18, 1846) is known as Father of Marathi journalism for his efforts in starting journalism in Marathi language with the first newspaper in the language named ‘Darpan' in t he early days of British Rule in India. He founded Darpan as the first Marathi newspaper. He was editor of this newspaper during the British rule in India. This turned out to be the beginning of Marathi journalism. He had mastery in many languages including Marathi, Sanskrit, English and Hindi. Apart from that he also had a good grasp of Greek, Latin, French, Gujarati and Bengali. for main article go to Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar B. R. Ambedkar: (14 April 1891 — 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, political leader, Buddhist activist, philosopher, thinker, anthropologist, historian, orator, prolific writer, economist, scholar, editor, revolutionary and the revivalist of Buddhism in India. He was also the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Ambedkar spent his whole life fighting against social discrimination, the system of Chaturvarna — the Hindu categorization of human society into four varnas — and the Hindu caste system. He is also credited with having sparked the bloodless revolution with his most remarkable and innovative Buddhist movement. Ambedkar has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award. for main article go to Annie Besant Annie Besant: (October 1 , 1847 – September 20, 1933) was a prominent Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule. In 1908 Annie Besant became President of the Theosophical Society and began to steer the society away from Buddhism and towards Hinduism. She also became involved in politics in India, joining the Indian National Congress. When war broke out in Europe in 1914 she helped launch the Home Rule League to campaign for democracy in India and dominion status within the Empire which culminated in her election as president of the India National Congress in late 1917. After the war she continued to campaign for Indian independence until her death in 1933. for main article go to Vitthal Ramji Shinde Vitthal Ramji Shinde: (April 23, 1873 – January 2, 1944) He was a prominent campaigner on behalf of the Dalit movement in Maharashtra and established the Depressed Classes Mission to provide education to the Dalits in Maharashtra. for main article go to Gopal Hari Deshmukh Gopal Hari Deshmukh: (1823-1892) was a social reformer in Maharashtra. Deshmukh started writing articles aimed at social reform in Maharashtra in the weekly Prabhakarunder the pen name Lokhitwadi. In the first two years, he penned 108 articles on social reform. That group of articles has come to be known in Marathi literature as Lokhitwadinchi Shatapatre. or main article go to Pandurang Shastri Athavale Pandurang Shastri Athavale: (October 19, 1920–October 25, 2003) was an Indian philosopher, spiritual leader, social reformer [2] and Hinduism reformist, who founded the Swadhyay Movement and the Swadhyay Parivar organization (Swadhyay Family) in 1954 [3], a self-knowledge movement based on the Bhagavad Gita, which has spread across nearly 100,000 villages in India [4][5], with over 5 million members [6]. He was also noted for his discourses or â€Å"pravachans† on Srimad Bhagawad Gita and Upanishads. for main article go to Kandukuri Veeresalingam Kandukuri Veeresalingam: (16 April 1848 – 27 May 1919) was a social reformer who first brought about a renaissance in Telugu people and Telugu literature. He was influenced by the ideals of Brahmo Samaj particularly those of Keshub Chunder Sen. He got involved in the cause of social reforms. In 1876 he started a Telugu journal and wrote the first prose for women. He encouraged education for women, and started a school in Dowlaiswaram in 1874. He started a social organisation called Hitakarini (Benefactor). for main article go to Swami Ramdev Swami Ramdev: Ramkishan Yadav popularly known as Swami Ramdev (Hindi: ), is an Indian Hindu swami. He is known for his efforts in popularizing yoga as it is enunciated in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. He is also one of the founders of the Divya Yog Mandir Trust headquartered in Haridwar, that aims to popularize Yoga and offer Ayurvedic treatments. The New York Times calls him an â€Å"Indian who built Yoga Empire†, â€Å"a product and symbol of the New India, a yogic fusion of Richard Simmons, Dr. Oz and Oprah Winfrey, irrepressible and bursting with Vedic wisdom†. for main article go to Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru:Jawaharlal Nehru (Hindi/Kashmiri: , pronounced [d a r? la? l ? ne ru]; 14 November 1889–27 May 1964[4]) was an Indian statesman who was the first (and to date the longest-serving) prime minister of India, from 1947 until 1964. One of the leading figures in the Indian independence movement, Nehru was elected by the Congress Party to assume office as independent India's first Prime Minister, and re-elected when the Congress Party won India's first general election in 1952. As one of the founders of the Non-aligned Movement, he was also an important figure in the international politics of the post-war era. He is frequently referred to as Pandit Nehru (â€Å"pandit† being a Sanskrit and Hindi honorific meaning â€Å"scholar† or â€Å"teacher†) and, specifically in India, as Panditji (with â€Å"-ji† being a honorific suffix). Periyar E. V. Ramasamy Thanthai Periyar or E. V. R. , was a businessman, politician, Indian independence and social activist, who started the Self-Respect Movement or the Dravidian Movement and proposed the creation of an independent state called Dravidasthan comprising South India. He is also the founder of the socio-cultural organisation, Dravidar Kazhagam. [1][2][3]