Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez

The book Harvest of Empire offers many examples of the factors leading to migration, which include economic and political persecution. The book has a direct connection between the hardships Latinos faced economically and military in their perspective countries. By reading this book it is clearly stated that Latinos are on the verge of becoming the largest minority group in America. Juan Gonzalez presents a devastating perspective on U. S. history rarely found in mainstream publishing aimed at a popular audience. Few of those countries were immigrants from Puerto Rico, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Central Americans.Gonzales develops his thesis by asserting that Latin American immigration and Latino presence in the United States are markedly different from European immigration history to this country in at least three main ways: Latino immigration is closely tied to the growth and needs of the U. S. empire; race and language attitudes in this country have had the effect of moving Lat in Americans not from immigrant to mainstream status, but rather from an immigrant to a racial caste status and how Latin Americans have arrived when the United States is already the dominant world power. Harvest of Empire† mentions how since the 1820’s Mexicans have migrated to the United States. They’re the second largest immigrant nationality in our history. Meixco is the most populous Spanish speaking country in the world. Most of the country’s wealth flows outside of Mexico, meaning the U. S. After the tragedy of World War II , the United States reached an agreement with Mexico to import Mexicans for a certain period of time and after their harvest was done they’ll go back to their country.This was the bracero program, which brought millions of immigrants into the United States only for seasonal work and once they were supposed to leave, they managed to stay illegally in order for them to provide to their families. World War II also made Mexica n Americans active in the U. S armed forces. â€Å"Santos Molina and Manuel Garza were two Canales family member who served in combat, in the same army so many of their ancestors had fought against.Nearly all his men were killed or wounded that day, and while Molina survived unscathed, he was severely wounded by machine gun fire later in Germany†. ( 103) Even after all this tragedy of people being killed Mexican Americans returned home and still faced racial discrimination. Tejano, Texans of Spanish and Mexican descent, formed several organizations in the early 20th century to protect themselves from official and private discrimination, but made only partial progress in addressing the worst forms of official ethnic discrimination.The movement to overturn the many forms of state-sponsored discrimination directed at Hispanic Americans was strongest in Texas during the first fifty years of the 20th century. It was just right after World War II that returning veterans joined the League of United Latin American citizens (LULAC) to end segregation. Their main goal was to have equal rights for Mexicans. â€Å"According to the U. S Census, tejanos comprised 32. 4 percent of the workers in the state and owned 33 percent of its wealth†. (102) Between 1961 and 1986 more than 400,000 people legally immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. More than 300,000 Dominicans lived in New York City by 1990, and the total was expected to reach 700,000 early in the millennium, making Dominican migration one of the largest to this country of the past forty years†. (117) The causes of the Dominican immigration are various and have changed over time. the first significant immigration from the Dominican Republic to the United States was in large part the product of political and social instability at home.Those who opposed or had reason to fear the new regime in 1965 and those who were fleeing violence throughout the 1960s came to the United State s in notable numbers. As time went on, however, and the political situation stabilized, Dominicans continued to emigrate, because of limited employment opportunities and poor economic conditions. Through the 1930s, 40's and 50’s, the Dominican Republic was ruled by the former cattle rustler and now dictator, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, better known in the United States as simply Trujillo. He surrounded himself with murderers who kept the public intimidated.The Dominicans who came at this time were usually more educated and more politically active. â€Å"One 1980 study revealed that 41 percent of New York City’s Dominican immigrants had completed ten years of high school or better, nearly twice the average of city dwellers in the Dominican Republic†. (125)Once they arrived, they started making their own business like owning their own bodegas and supermarkets. Most Dominicans work in nonunionized workplaces for wages that most â€Å"established† Americ ans would refuse. Many Dominicans have encountered race prejudice in the United States also.The mixed Afro-Hispanic heritage of many Dominicans has led them to be categorized as black by white Americans, they have encountered the same racial prejudice that African Americans have experienced for centuries. Despite the accusations by their compatriots that they have been assimilated into American culture, Dominicans have tended to be seen by Americans as especially resistant to assimilation and committed to their country, culture, and language of origin. Dominicans also joined political parties and even manage to start their own organization.Most Dominicans that arrived in the 1960’s began to settled themselves on the Upper West of Manhattan, Washington Heights. Dominican Americans are one of the newer national-cultural communities in the United States. They are still in process of creating a unique place for themselves here. Their relationships to the United States and its cul ture and to the Dominican Republic and Dominican culture are still evolving. However, the Dominican American community will find its own ways of living in the United States, and will make its own unique culture.Puerto Rico has been an unincorporated territory of the United States, they’re the onlyLatin Americans who once they arrived to the U. S they’re already U. S citizens, without the need of a resident card. The massive migration of Puerto Ricans to the United States was largest in the early and late 20th century. Between the 1950s and the 1980s, large numbers of Puerto Ricans migrated to New York, especially to the Bronx, and Spanish Harlem. Juan Gonzalez shares his story and the reason why his family and himself moved to the U.S and settled in â€Å"El Barrio† is due to the fact that jobs over there didn’t provide sufficient money to provide for his big family. â€Å"The 1930’s were the most turbulent in Puerto Rico’s modern history , and Ponce, where my family had settled, was the center of the storm. The Depression turned the island into a social inferno even more wretched than Haiti today†. (84) Meaning that they were facing hard times. There was a lot of violence and crime. By the 1960’s, more than a million Puerto Ricans were living in the United States with jobs like washing dishes in hotels, restaurants, maintenance in apartment buildings, factories or bodegas. 90) â€Å"The Puerto Rican community became dominated during the 1980’s by two different social classes, both highly dependent on government. † â€Å"Massive disinvestment by government in public schools and epidemics of drug and alcohol abuse, all tore up the quality of city life†. (95) They also faced identity and language problems. Juan Gonzalez throughout the whole book has a combination of historical analysis that led to immigration and racial discrimination.He describes in details the experiences of working c lass families from different countries like Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Central America and Dominicans and how they have approach to assimilate their new lifestyle once they get to the United States. The author gives out reasons of how immigrants really go through hardships in order to get to America and live â€Å"The American Dream†. Latinos don’t just come here to get on government programs like Section A, welfare, etc. They actually come here for a better prosperity for them and their families even though this may cause them to be far away from them.

My Life Plan Essay

My dream is to serve members of the community in the medical field as a Radiology Technician with care, compassion, and knowledge. I have had many influences from medicine, from past jobs as well as past experiences. I have worked in pharmacy as well as general medicine, internal medicine and orthopedics. My most significant influence to strive for a career in the medical field was by personal experience. My daughter was diagnosed with cancer at age 1. There were many, many doctors, nurses, radiologists, radiology technicians and medical personnel that assisted us in our long journey towards good health. Each of these had a huge impact on my life, now it is my turn to give back. In order to achieve my goal, my first challenge was to enroll in school. I have been out of college for over twenty years now; this was a huge decision, not just for me but for my whole family. My husband is also in medicine, he is a pharmacy technician and systems analyst at the hospital in the pharmacy department. Our girls, ages 17 and 9 are very active in school activities as well as sports and music; this meant they would have to take on more responsibilities at home. I am now in my first semester back in school. Just taking the first steps have been personally motivating as well as fulfilling. I know that any goals I set for myself are now within reach, regardless of whether they are long term or short term goals. I have set the bar high for myself, wanting to get A’s in all of my classes. Once my pre-requisites are complete, my next goal is to get into the Radiology Technician Program. Once I am there, I want to graduate with my Associates Degree as a Radiology Technician. I have my heart set on a career as a Radiology Technician. I want to help people as I have been helped by others. I want to be able to excel at my career, but also to provide the art of healing with compassion and care. I want to be able to help each patient with understanding, empathy, respect, kindness and thoughtfulness. I know that I can do this. I have confidence in myself that if I want this bad enough, I can complete all of the tasks in front of me to get there. I believe in myself and my family believes in me. I have support from friends that have gone back to college later in life that are now successful in their own careers. They are now a model to follow. Having my short term and long terms goals mapped out makes me aware of how important it is to achieve each goal. No matter how small or insignificant each goal is, each is a stepping stone to the next. If I miss a step, I can go back, but it will take me longer to get to my next goal. This â€Å"road map† will help me in all aspects of my life, school, family and career. I can keep adding goals to my list, keeping certain to achieve and master what lies ahead.

Australia’s legal system

Australias legal system Disclaimer: This work has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work produced by our Law Essay Writing Service . You can view samples of our professional work here . Australia’s legal system Australia’s legal system also known as ‘Common law system’ is based on the model which was inherited by those countries whose development was influenced by British Colonialism in particular the commonwealth countries and the U.S. Under the Australian legal system all people whether domestic or international are treated equally before the law and safeguards to ensure the unfairly judgment by government or officials. Australian courts work on ‘adversarial’ system, which innate within the English legal system. This system comprise of two parties presenting their case against each other, where the third party known as judge or magistrate presides the case directly. Whereas in the adversarial system, witness is not handled by the judge directly. The judge listens to each side’s discussions and after the cross-examination of witnesses by both sides then only the judge makes the decision. But in other countries like France In France, ‘inquisitorial’ system of courts operate, where the judge plays an active role in examining evidence and questioning witnesses. The Australian Constitution Australia operates in a constitutional monarchy. At a federal (Commonwealth) level, the first institution of law in Australia is the Commonwealth Constitution. The Constitution comprise of rules which controls the power, authority and operation of a Parliament. In Australia, each State has its own constitution. The Commonwealth Constitution consists of federal government, the federal parliament, and the federal courts, the territories, and the creation of new states. Thus, the Commonwealth Constitution is the fundamental document of empowerment in the Australian political and legal systems. It establishes that, where the Commonwealth and a State pass conflicting laws, any valid Commonwealth law trumps (overpowers) the State legislation. States can pass laws on any subject matter. The federal govern ment has the power to enact legislation about certain areas given by the Constitution. In activities such as marriage, immigration and taxation the Commonwealth has the power to order the law. But in the buying and selling of property and criminal laws constitutional capacity of the Commonwealth Parliament could not do anything. Division of Powers â€Å"The law making powers which are not stated in the constitution as belonging to the commonwealth remains with the state†. A federation involves a division of powers between the constituent elements in Australia that is between the States and the federal body, the Commonwealth of Australia. One of the most important roles of the constitution is the division of powers between the Federal and state legislatures. The constitution confers a limited number of exclusive powers such as defence, foreign trade and immigration etc but most of the Commonwealth’s powers, granted under s. 51, are concurrent powers. These powers can be exercised by the Commonwealth and the states but, in the event of conflict, the Commonwealth law will prevail (s. 109). Powers which are not expressly mentioned in the Constitution, residual powers remain with the States. Seperation of powers Governing Australia needs lots of power. The Constitution says that this power is divided between three groups of people so they can balance each other. Each group checks the power of the other two. This division of power stops one person or group of people taking over all the power to govern Australia.

Essay ( stress ) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

( stress ) - Essay Example According to Vrijkotte and others, stress can be defined as the physical or emotional tension. It is a feeling that is experienced when an individual is of the view that the demands are far above the resources that they can mobilize to handle the situation. In their works, Vrijkotte, Van Doornen and De Geus, reasoned that modern life is more stressful than the past, which cause a lot of stress to the person’s health. (Vrijkotte, et. al, 2000). â€Å"The preset world is marked by increased cases of stress that is evident in nearly every activity that we undertake.† as they claimed. This work will show the causes and effects of stress to describe how stress levels have risen over the last three decades. It will expose the some of the underlying factors on stress and its impact on people with focus on China and United Kingdom. Miller said that some work are associated with excessive stress as opposed to the normal work stress. The things within a person’s ability to control include taking personal responsibility for the improvement of a one’s emotional and physical well-being, identifying the pitfalls and avoiding them (Miller, 2013). Others are avoiding negative attitude while at work and learning to communicate effectively with coworkers and other people at work. The WorkStress.net website indicates that work stress is likely to manifest by instability within the family. As a result of the stressing circumstances at the work place, people are likely to extend such at home by being very arrogant to the family members, uncontrolled anger, increased temper and communication barriers (WorkStress.net., 2014). Parents who are stressed at work are likely to abuse their children and unable to understand their needs leading to their poor growth and development. In their book, Vrijkotte and others said that wrong career choices can lead to a lot of stress as well as inability to perform at the work place. One can know if they made wrong career choices when

CAFE Standarsd Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CAFE Standarsd - Article Example They think that car manufacturers should be spared the painful task of spending a large amount of money to improve their cars’ design in order to make them more efficient. They think that because research has to be done, people have to be displaced, and profits will have to shrink, that the task of designing more fuel-efficient cars is not worth doing... just because it is too hard. I am a single mother, with a four-year-old son. I also have a physical disability which imposes upon me what other persons might call â€Å"limitations† or â€Å"constraints†. It is not easy for me to go about as able-bodied people do. I am not so rich as to hire people to do things for me. But I always find a way to get things done. In fact, I am pursuing my masters degree in counselling, something many â€Å"normal† people will hesitate to even attempt. Is it hard? Yes, it is. But that is not an excuse for me to just lay back and leave things as they are. I get up every day and do what has to be done, because it has to be done. Does Congress have what it takes to get things done, my dear Representative ? I am but one small voice among many, so I am counting on you to be my voice. What the big companies hesitate to do has already been done by other countries which have mustered the needed political will. Only we have hesitated, the most powerful country on earth, because we find it too hard to change. If despite all my disadvantages I can raise my son to be a good citizen of this earth, then I expect that our Congress will find a way to provide him with a portion of this earth in which to thrive that is safe and sustainable. I am , from . I am writing you today about the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFÉ, bill, which I understand is currently being considered in the House. I feel very strongly about this issue, so much so that I am taking the pains to make my sentiments known to the Congressman

Colonization and its impact on historical geography of north america Essay

Colonization and its impact on historical geography of north america - Essay Example American colonies also moved in and resolved on sharing the fishery with France, and after the cross-island railroad was built in the 1800’s, fishing had become the only industry in Newfoundland. Fishery impacted the island in many ways: economically, geographically, on the population, industry sector, transport and communication as well as its education sector during this historical time. The geography and ecosystem of Newfoundland has been credited to be a major contributor in the prosperity of fishery. Its climatic conditions had great impact on the marine ecosystem, especially around its central Grand Bank in comparison to other areas, such as the northeast Atlantic. The southward extension of the Island is covered with the Labrador currents that are responsible for the transportation of cold water in the southward direction from the Hudson Bay, Davis Strait and the Canadian Archipelago. The cold water offer conducive fishery conditions in these areas. The median extents s outherly of the sea ice towards the Grand bank with the temperatures at the water bottom falling bellow 0 degrees Celsius for most of the period. The cold conditions that extent southerly are implicated by the frequent polar cod presence along the Newfoundland coast. The fishery activity in the Newfoundland became so dominant that it impacted the geographical considitions of the Island in many adverse ways. This paper is going to look at how European fishery impacted the ecosystem, population and demography and climate of Newfoundland. Road Map 1. Impact on Ecosystem 2. Impact on Climate 3. Population and Demography 4. Conclusion Impact on Ecosystem Before the European interest in the Island, the ecosystem of Canada in general was characterized by very few species, and this was the case at Newfoundland. Among these few species, very few of them were in high abundance. The most dominant fish species included capelin and lance mostly found in the area around the Grand Bank plateau and the polar cod around the north (Lear 50). Herring species was only found in the adjacent waters or in some cases in the bays. The named species fed mostly on crustaceans and calanoid copepods. The fishery activities led to the discovery of more species that later became dominant and important in the Island. Such species include: Greenland halibut, Atlantic code and American plaice. Northern shrimp and snow crab were also later discovered and dominated benthic crustaceans (Lear 62). These species were not enough, considering fishery had turn out to be the main activity on the Island. This called for the need for species in the fishery changing the historical ecosystem of the area. The main introductions included hooded seals and harp seals that come from the north, but this was seasonal. The other species to be introduced were the whales that came into the Island from the south. This species was also seasonal. The most important species that were not naturally found in the Island in clude minke, humpback, pilot whales, fin, sei and sperm (NAFO 333). In addition to the fish species, there were other immigrants that came to the Island following the fishery activity, and they include: squid with short fins, bluefin tuna, mackerel and birds like sooty shearwater and greater shear water (NAFO 333). Overfishing was observed to have great impact on the ecosystem

Mosque on Ground Zero controversy Research Paper

Mosque on Ground Zero controversy - Research Paper Example Many have it that this Muslim community center constitutes a powerful stab to the parents and friends of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist bombings of the World Trade Center, while others view the possibilities of witnessing a mosque inaugural near the World Trade Center Site as a mere religious ritual that holds no threats or whatsoever to the pride of the 2752 patriots that fell on the day of September 11. Some have even went as far as to stipulate and say that this issue comes at a peculiar time to put in question the United states’ real sense of freedom and democracy, stating that this center is a true test that shall determine whether or not the Americans honor their amendments and whether or not they’re truly committed to the obligation of respecting freedom of thought and freedom of speech. As a matter of a fact, this â€Å"New York Mosque† if I might call it has, over the last few months, attracted a lot of political opinions and talks, the issue even erupted to huge demonstrations and even sometimes sporadic â€Å"skirmishes† might I call it between the supporters and the people opposing this project. This hot conflict climaxed at the tongue of the U.S president Barrack Obama, who, in a clear statement to national television advocated the Islamic population’s right to building this community centre anywhere in the city. The truth about this so-called mosque is that it is but a small room inside a larger complex which shall house an Islamic centre made up of 13 storeys, adding to that the fact that it’s a normal building, much like all buildings in Manhattan with no minarets of any kind and stripped of any Islamic paintings or special touches. And as far as the mayor of New York is concerned, consecrating a room for prayers needs no license of any kind let alone the President’s approval. So why all the commotion about erecting a building that’s only meant for prayer in the country of democracy and freedom of thought? Might some opposing Americans be implying that it’s the Islamic population the one to blame for the 9/11 terrorist attacks ? As reported by many arab and muslim media, the Islamic world is closely monitoring with much interest and thorough what’s happening in the United States, closely awaiting the final verdict that shall settle this controversial issue. Is the present-day United States the United Stated it once was ? The one built by our late forefathers, a land free of any racism of any sectarianism, a land that only judges people based solely on their person and their accomplishments, is this the America Martin Luther King pictured ? Or has the United States become a land only for a privileged few, a few of one unique race and of a distinct religion, why should we be even si nking so deep as to question one’s moral and religious beliefs in the country of democracy and liberty, in the land of opportunity, the land where every man is a man not based on the color of their skin or the tint of morality and beliefs but based on his human identity? Is this the same America they teach us about in the history books, or has it taken a turn ? A turn for the worst or for the better be it, I’d say Americans now stand at the crossroads of a sharp that is to affect their moralities and values. Do we still want the America that is mandated by no one except the constitution and the amendments? Or do we yearn for a newer America, one that is lead by the crossword games of a few politicians who’d stand at nothing to achieve their goals even if it means striding too close to the constitution and violating with their actions the sacredness of the text that were engraved in blood, sweat and tears by our founding fathers and the painful moments that encom passed. At the moment, it is now clear to everyone that republicans have used this issue

System Development and Business Processes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

System Development and Business Processes - Essay Example Neither the storage of this information, nor the retrieval should be a time consuming exercise. All this should happen at the click of a button. YellowPen ushers in such a product. This should therefore bring in a great reengineering in the way the internet is used. Common shareable data helps in sharing research information across an organization. Knowledge Management is defined as availability of information for the right person at the right time. Information that one needs should be available when the person needs it. This is made possible by YellowPen. By using a common server, YellowPen is able to offer its services for any body who can log on to the system using Windows. It keeps the user posted as to what are the latest postings available which she has not read by having an online icon on their job tray. YellowPen provides a personalized Knowledge Management System for every user on the net. 1. Anywhere anytime accessible repository of all their information and the related information makes this methodology a unique and usable alternate to any other storage-retrieval mechanism that is in use. 2. Storage and retrieval is on the fly. When you need to store a specific information, all that we need to do is, drag and drop the specific page. The software captures the entire page with all its graphics and images into the YellowPen system. Along with this it also captures, who did the capturing, data and time stamps in addition to the location from which this was captured. YellowPen also captures a host of metadata along with this that helps in keeping the page updated and easily searchable for instant retrieval. 3. Being an encrypted and password protected database, it makes sure that the data is available on a single server and also is very well protected. It is also very well integrated with the current trends in piping XML data over RSS or Dublin Core. Do you believe that organizations will be better served by implementing YellowPen as an additional resource in a corporation Knowledge management in a company is very important. Nearly 60% of the information or knowledge in any company is in the minds of the people. Most of this knowledge gets transferred in the form of emails which are very difficult to search and locate when the need props up. A database with all the relevant information, easy to search option and a common repository where every body puts in relevant information is very useful and would bring out at least 20% of the dormant knowledge. If every company 'knows' what it 'knows' and could make use of that dormant knowledge residing in the emails and in the minds of the people, then certainly that company would be able to beat the competition. If a large company should need personal solution for these knowledge management systems, then they could create their own server with the software, which should be very valuable for their

Response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 21

Response paper - Essay Example The value of hemopure at $ 800 is justifiable based on the foundations of psychological pricing. It would be morally wrong to price the product like the Oxyglobin. Andy was wrong to consider first revenues to be obtained would greatly facilitate to the launch of Oxyglobin (Harvard Business School 1). As the president for veterinary Products, Andy Wright had the task of deciding how best the sale and distribution of Oxyglobin was to be conducted. Effective distribution was to be determined by existing distribution practices for products in the veterinary market. The distribution would be local, national or regional. In 1997, the sales team made sales worth $1.2 billion (Harvard Business School 11). The sales were made to 200 independent distributors, two of which were national in scope (within United States), eighteen were regional (New England) and 180 local distributors (e.g., Metropolitan Boston.). Sales representatives, trade publications and shows were also used to promote sales (Harvard Business School 11). These measures were expected to maximize the sales of Oxyglobin to the

Importance of accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Importance of accounting - Essay Example It is proved that accounting systems can highly influence the decision-making process and that the mode of intervention of these systems in the above process is not standardized. Under these terms, it can be assumed that the view of Thaler on accounting systems, as presented above, is justified. In order to understand the role of accounting system in the decision-making process it would be necessary to refer to the involvement of accounting information in critical decisions. Indeed, accounting systems affect the decision-making process through the data they incorporate, i.e. through the accounting information. Drury (2007) notes that accounting is used for ‘communicating information to people who have an interest in the organization, i.e. shareholders, employees or even the government’ (Drury 2007, p.4). It is assumed that the primary role of accounting is to provide to individuals critical information in regard to various business activities. Nikolai et al. (2009) note that accounting information has a different role in decision-making. For example, investors use accounting information, as incorporated in a company’s financial reports, in order to decide the level of their investment in the particular organization (Nikolai et al. 2009, p.7). Moreover, s tock exchanges also review the accounting information in order to take decisions related to ‘listings, cancellations or rule-making’ (Nikolai et al. 2009, p.7). Accounting information is also valuable in negotiations between employers and trade unions. The latter need accounting information in order to get informed on the financial status of the employer involved and decide on their position and their financial claims (Nikolai et al. 2009, p.7). According to Hall (2010) accounting information is quite critical in the development of strategic decisions. It is explained that strategic managers have to review their firm’s financial data before taking any decision (Hall

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Heart Rate Essay Example for Free

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Heart Rate Essay Introduction: Our bodies need to be in balance in order to function properly, and there are many ways the body maintains balance, or homeostasis. Homeostasis is the maintenance of nearly constant conditions in the internal environment. Our normal heart rate is an example of our body in homeostasis and any sort of change, or stimulus, can alter it. Exercise, adrenaline in the blood, and a low blood pH are all stimuli that increase the heart rate. Exercise, for example, stimulates stretch receptors in the muscles. These receptors then send a signal to a part of the brain called the medulla oblongata that receives the sensory input. It then in turn sends nerve impulses to the sinoatrial node in the heart. This node generates an impulse and initiates contraction of the heart at a quicker pace. Thus, the heart beats faster, which equals an increased heart rate. This is an example of a homeostasis imbalance. The heart reaches homeostasis again when exercise ceases and the heart rate drops down to its basal rate, or its rate at rest. This whole process is an example of a negative feedback cycle: a stimulus (increased heart rate) sends receptors to the control center (medulla oblongata), which then sends effectors (impulses by the vagus nerve, or the efferent pathway) to the heart to slow the heart contractions, thus reducing the heart rate and bringing it back to its basal rate. In our experiment we studied heart rate before and after a brief exercise session. Our hypothesis is exercise will increase the heart rate, and a negative feedback mechanism will occur to restore the heart rate back to its normal basal rate. Materials: Stop watch, metronome, stairs Methods: †¢Eight subjects took their own resting, or basal, heart rate for 15 seconds while standing up. Some subjects chose to take their heart rate at their carotid artery, and some took their pulse using their radial artery. This number was multiplied by 4 to get beats per minute. This is how all heart rate measurements were taken throughout the experiment. †¢Subjects did exercise session. They walked down 57 stairs and then back up those same 57 stairs for a total of 104 stair steps. This was done at a pace of 85 beats per minute. The whole session took 1 minute 45 seconds. †¢Subjects immediately took their heart rate after they completed the exercise. †¢After 1 minute of completing the exercise, subjects measured their heart rate again. This was done at 1 minute intervals for a total of 5 heart rate measurements after completing the exercise. †¢All together, subjects took 6 heart rate measurements: 1 before the exercise, and then 5 after the exercise. Data/Results: See attached graph and table. Conclusion/Discussion: The data shows that heart rate increases during and after exercise and begins to drop back down close to the basal rate after rest. The heart progressively decreases after each minute of rest. Our results show a negative feedback mechanism was used to control the heart rate after exercise. The increased heart rate stimulated the medulla oblongata which sent impulses to the sinoatrial node of the heart to slow down contractions and decrease the heart rate. Different subjects had differences in the time it took for their heart rate to drop after the exercise, but heart rate decreased nonetheless. Overall, our hypothesis was shown to be correct from the experiment. We chose the heart rate as our variable because it is easy to measure and gives clear results. We predicted that the heart would increase after a brief exercise session, and our results matched that prediction. As for other experiments, we could perform different activities or tasks and measure our hear t rate after those. We could even hold a serious/heated discussion and see if heart rate is affected in an intense conversation. There are many different things you could do to test heart rate, as exercise is just one example. Data: Each subject and their heart rate at certain time interval: SubjectBefore exercise0 minutes rest1 min. rest2 min. rest3 min. rest4 min. rest 1100 BPM120 BPM104 BPM104 BPM104 BPM104 BPM 2120160156156152148 37210076807672 47212080727272 596136124120100100 66812072727680 76011664646464 86816084888084 Summary statement: Heart rate increases during and after exercise and begins to drop back down close to the basal rate after rest. Citations Heart Rate Regulation in Humans. (2010, January 23). The Student Room. Retrieved August 24, 2013, from http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php%3Ft%3D1059551%26page%3D45q=esrc=sei=EEIuUtiHKMKUiQL86YDQDQusg=AFQjCNGj9jN4mV3pDlB7dF1yuUm0gn81gA

Belonging Definition Essay Example for Free

Belonging Definition Essay When an individual’s beliefs or values are contradicted by that of their society, they must make a choice as to whether belonging to themselves or to the group is more important. Miller explores the reactions of many characters to this dilemma, in particular Reverend Hale. Initially Hale is strongly respected and connected to the town, being described as â€Å"an expert†. He uses the metaphor of â€Å"Theology sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress can be accounted small†, to indicate his strong belief in the value of a theocratic society. Hale struggles to come to terms with the failings of this system as indicated by the juxtaposition of Miller’s stage direction â€Å"Hale in a fever of guilt and uncertainty† with his words â€Å"Proctor, the court is just†. This demonstrates that he was not able to instantly relinquish his connection to the Salem community, despite the moral ramifications. He loses all sense of self-respect as he encourages Proctor to â€Å"give his lie†, which directly contradicts one of the Ten Commandments reiterated throughout the play â€Å"Thou shalt not bear false witness†. The disintegration of both Hale’s connection to the community and to God is clearly demonstrated by the contrast of Hale’s joyful analogy of his former self â€Å"I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion†, with his new perception of his role, â€Å"I come to do the Devil’s work.† Thus by examining the character of Reverend Hale one can see how the value an individual places on being respected and connected to others and how this affects their integrity and perception of self. Whilst The Crucible presents an extreme contradiction between the values of the individual and their society, Woolf’s novel explores the relationship between the two in a less polarised way. The title character, Clarissa Dalloway, is depicted as a British socialite preparing to â€Å"throw yet another party†. Her husband Richard’s comment that â€Å"she did it genuinely; it was a natural instinct† is l ater contrasted with her comment that â€Å"Every time she gave a party she had this feeling of being something not herself†. The novel is permeated by her questioning whether this socially acceptable lifestyle was worth the lack of fulfilment and identity associated with it. This is demonstrated by her choice to marry the upper class, yet impassionate, Richard instead of consummating her relationship with Peter. However there were both social and personal reasons for this choice, as Peter â€Å"wished to know everything†, which was more than she was willing to give. Thus whilst her identity is subjugated by her husband, â€Å"This being Mrs Dalloway, not even Clarissa anymore; this being Mrs Richard Dalloway†, she does not have to share too much of herself, â€Å"she alone knew†. However, it is this choice to be connected superficially to many but deeply to none that leaves her feeling â€Å"far out, out to sea†. Thus whilst Clarissa’s choice allows her to belong to her society, ultimately it comes at the cost of a deeper personal connection. For some individuals, the dem ands of being part of a society are too great, as they place higher value upon their integrity than upon being accepted. This is the case with The Crucible’s protagonist, John Proctor, as refuses to conform to the corrupt theocracy of Salem. His perspective is emphasised by his ironic comment that he rarely attends Church – the core element of the Puritan society because Reverend Parris â€Å"hardly ever mention[s] God anymore†. This is a choice which instantly isolates him from the community. Though he initially chooses to avoid becoming involved in the witch hunts, once the level of persecution becomes clear he swears to â€Å"fall like an ocean upon the court†. In an attempt to end the chaos he even confesses his lechery, â€Å"I have known her†, which he knew would instantly isolate him from the townspeople. Though he is by no means an unflawed man, he is depicted by Miller as having a higher moral standard, â€Å"he is a sinnerbut against his own vision of decent conduct†. This is emphasised by his self-deprecation â€Å"I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint; I am not that man†, however he eventually comes to understand that his defiance showed courage and integrity and is able to â€Å"see some shred of goodness in John Proctor†. Thus through examining Proctor’s relationship with his society, one can see that when one rejects their society in favour of their personal values, their connection to others may be weakened, but they will retain a stronger sense of belonging to self. [Insert summary of points and conclusion here]. Thus, as Fleishman stated, it is the â€Å"dialectic of individuation and communion† that presents the ultimate challenge to belonging.

Factors That Influence The Selection Process Commerce Essay

Factors That Influence The Selection Process Commerce Essay When Herbert Chong and wife Michelle, founders of Honey Bun, purchased a small bakery in Spanish Court, New Kingston in 1982, their vision was opportunity, growth and family. 29 years later the philosophy still holds true, and is the foundation which has characterised the companys operation. This has enabled Honey Bun to develop into an immensely valued, recognized and loved Jamaican brand, known for freshly baked, premium quality products. Having outgrown a number of locations, the Chongs identified a larger manufacturing space on East Street, redirecting their focus and strategies to serving the mass market. The effort resulted in the development of a comprehensive line of packaged snacks, ranging from donuts and cupcakes to cinnamon rolls, and the brand being recognised as a Jamaican household staple. By 2005, it was clear that Honey Bun had the potential to become one of the leading brands in the market, and the Chongs were again on the move, this time to the companys present location at 26 Retirement Crescent to meet the growing demand. With a modern factory space, retro-fitted with upgraded bakery equipment and a highly specialised team, the company expanded their portfolio with the introduction of another brand, Buccaneer Jamaica. Product development was also a major focus, with Honey Bun being widely recognized as driving the trend for innovative specialty value-added products such as cheese and raisin breads. What had been a small retail bakery with a handful of staff, had evolved into a vibrant 24-hour, 7-day a week wholesale bakery, employing over 200 Jamaicans delivering the brand daily, practicing world class standards throughout its operation. Honey Buns commitment does not end on its production floor, but extends to its strong socially responsible initiatives which include investments in education through its annual School Dayz Campaign, athletic sponsorships and consistent support of the indigent and less fortunate with scheduled meal support. Today the brand is still synonymous with superior quality, superior convenience and superior value. It is widely regarded as Jamaicas number one for taste in baked snack products, as is evidenced by the company being chosen for the National Quality Awards in both 2007 and 2008. With distribution spanning key supermarkets chains, gas stations and small retail outlets locally, and select outlets in the Caribbean, North America and Europe, the company is destined for international growth having been awarded the Jamaica Exporters Association coveted Chairmans Award for Growing Exporters in 2008. Honey Bun is ultimately known in the baked goods market as a little love in every bite and recognized locally and internationally as an example of a strong, world class, brand of Jamaica. Over the last 29 years, Honey Bun has been challenged, and in every situation has risen to the occasion through tremendous growth. Introduction Selection of an individual for a given role is not an easy task. It does not only consist of the communication skills or technical expertise of an individual but a lot of many other parameters such as relevant experience, cultural fitment, personality traits of an individual, education and industry background and etc. After a certain level in an organizational hierarchy companies stop experimenting with people possessing irrelevant or unwanted skills and experiences. At that level, one cannot go and ask for, just one chance or say, if given a chance I can do it. Getting a wrong person in that level can cost an organization much more than the total salary paid to that particular individual. Hence, one must be very careful in selecting an individual and letting him or her cross organizational borders. In this article, we are trying to discuss various factors that affect the selection process. We have tried to cover as many factors as possible but we are afraid that we might not have covered all parameters. Most of the factors and parameters discussed in this article are relevant for experienced professionals and for middle and senior level positions in mid-size to large size local or multi-national and multi-cultured organizations. We have not covered domain specific and industry specific factors and to that extent this article is generic in nature and can be applied across various industries, domains and professions with little modification. Glossary of Key terms Human Resource, Business, Employment, Recruitment, Selection, Assessment. Human resource: 1. The personnel of a business or organization, esp. when regarded as a significant asset. 2. The department of a business or organization that deals with the administration, management, and training of personnel. Business: 1. a persons regular occupation, profession, or trade. 2. An activity that someone is engaged in. Employment: the act or practice of employing something for a particular purpose Recruitment: The act of getting recruits; enlisting people for the army (or for a job or a cause etc.). Selection: 1. The action or fact of carefully choosing someone or something as being the best or most suitable. 2. A number of carefully chosen things. Assessment: The evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something: the assessment of educational needs. Factors that influence the Selection Process Relevant Experience Relevant work experience is likely the most important factor that influences the HR selection method. The relevant work experience required by an employer depends largely on the available job position and the level of skills required to carry out the duties of the position. HR personnel initially look at job candidates relevant work experience by reviewing their resumes. Applicants without relevant work experience are typically eliminated from the job-selection process. Employers desire to hire candidates with relevant experience because it saves the company time and money in training an employee. Employers also seek to reduce employee turnover by hiring qualified applicants. Do you think that you are a master of your profession and can do anything within the preview of that domain? I am sorry but you are wrong in your interpretation. Earlier in this article we mentioned about various roles that falls under the umbrella of HR profession. Let me take one example from that. XYZ which is a multi-national IT company is looking for a HR Manager (Generalist) and they are looking for someone with at least 7 years of experience in the same role of which at least 2 years of experience at the same level and within the industry of their operation. You have 12 years of experience. Three years in Recruitment, before completing your MBA. Post MBA you worked in the training and development department of ABC Company, which is a BPO, for 6 years before moving into the role of employee relations with a mid-size telecom company and you are in this role for the last 3 years. Though you have more experience than the required experience for the role, but neither do you have r elevant experience nor you belong to the same industry. Although you are a qualified HR professional but that doesnt mean you can handle every role and job that fall within the preview of this profession. Requirement of relevant experience is not only a critical requirement for HR profession but in every profession and role. There is little doubt that given a chance you might be able to handle the role of HR-Generalist but no one likes to take any risk or gamble for such a senior role. It will be wastage of time and money, both for you as well as the company. From the companys perspective, they do not like to take any risk and will only hire a person with Education Educational achievements also play a role in a companys hiring decisions. Some job positions require certain industry knowledge that is often obtained through the completion of a degree program. For example, a company desiring to hire a registered nurse will most likely require that candidates possess a nursing degree for employment consideration by the HR department. Educational achievement not only acts as a factor in making hiring decisions, but for some employers, the mode of education is also a factor. Some companies prefer to hire candidates who graduated from certain top-ranking institutions, or a company may prefer not to hire candidates who earned degrees through online-degree. In countries like India and China, education plays an important role in the selection process for all types of white and blue collar jobs. In addition to that, as one moves up in the organizational hierarchy, relevant education, type and mode of education and relevant certifications becomes critical in the selection process. Many people are of the view that although right type of education is required for any role but the type and mode of education is irrelevant. They also feel that companies are discriminating and rejecting their candidature purely for the reason that they earned their degree or diploma through distance mode of education. People also argued that those who have done their MBA through regular mode of education are less experienced or knowledgeable than their counterparts with Distance Mode of Education, who obtained their qualifications in spite of working full-time. Let us expand this argument and provide a logical explanation. In this fast paced world and cut throat competition, no company likes to take any chance or experiment with the required skills, experience level and competence. The order of preference that is followed in many companies at the time of sourcing and screening is as follows: Æ’ËÅ" Full Time MBAs from top 10 institutes in the country or top 25 institutes in the world and with good CGPA and relevant experience. Æ’ËÅ" Full Time MBAs from next 50 ranked institutes in the country but with good CGPA and slightly more experience. Æ’ËÅ" Executive MBA or Part-time MBA (evening classes or weekend classes) from top 25 institutes in the country supported by relevant experience. Æ’ËÅ" Lastly, correspondence MBA or MBA obtained by distance mode of education with good CGPA supported by relevant experience. Secondly, here I am making an attempt to clarify as to why regular (full-time) education gets more value than distance or correspondence mode of education. Obtaining relevant qualification is not about gaining knowledge. It is about grooming you for the right type of role and installing skills that are required for getting success in your profession. It is about, programs. Relocation One of the factors that influence the selection process for the human resource department is the geographical location of the job candidate. Most employees prefer to hire employees living in the local area. Employers prefer to hire local candidates because it hastens the hiring process and saves the employer money on the interviewing process and on relocation fees. Although most employers look to hire local candidates to save time and money, some employers choose to make the application process open to individuals living in other states. If local candidates fail to meet the employers qualifications for the job, HR typically seeks regional candidates next before widening the search to national and global candidates. Whenever there is an open position in any company, the company prefer to source candidates and applicants from the local market. This is done for simple reasons such as; 1. Fasten the selection process and will facilitate face-to-face interviews 2. An individual who is already settled in that particular place, city or state will not face any difficulty in joining the company 3. This saves the company a few extra costs such as excessive interview cost (getting the individual to travel to company site for interview), relocation cost and etc and thereby will minimize the cost per hire, and 4. This also defuses any anxiety or fear in an individual. On the contrary, if a company plans to source an applicant from another city in a state or country, they might need to make arrangements for the following: 1. Travel and hotel arrangements for candidates or selection panel to facilitate face-to-face interview(s); 2. Travel and hotel arrangements for selected candidate (s) to facilitate their relocation; 3. Provide them with suitable relocation cost 4. Process their work permits (if applicable) 5. Assist them in assimilating with new location and culture Hence, hiring a person from the local market surely saves the time and money of the company. But, we are in a global market where the talent market is very volatile yet competitive and hence any company that decides to compromise with skills and talent may lag in the competition. Having the right people available for the right role at a right place and time is not leisure or matter of choice but a perquisite and need to be competitive in the market not only to win the competition but to survive in the competition. Hence, these days companies are open to search for suitable talent in the global talent market. Salary Requirements The salary requirements of a job candidate influence the HR employment-selection process. Employers typically set a maximum salary for an open job position. Candidates who require a salary greater than what the employer offers are typically eliminated from the selection process. Some companies choose to negotiate the salary with attractive candidates because they desire to retain their talents and skills. HR managers also consider the present salary of a job candidate. If the candidates current or previous salary is not competitive enough, an employer may not consider the candidate for the job. Among all the factors that you may consider while accepting or rejecting an offer is the compensation and benefits package in offering. You look for a CTC package that is higher than your current package. But what increase is acceptable to you? Is it 10% or 25% or 50% or 100% or 200% or even more? Have you ever wondered that many times, in spite of having right skills and competence and having performed well in the selection process, they reject your candidature because your present salary is not competitive enough to get you the salary in offering? Although sad and shocking but this is a fact. This is applicable in those job markets where companies hire from the local talent market. However, when hiring nationals of other countries there are many other factors that plays an important role such as cost-of-living, tax structure and etc (we will discuss about those factors at another place and in a different article). Offering substantial increase over the current package or offering a package lesser than the approved salary-band disturbs the internal equity of the company and effects retention strategies of the company. Factors that influence the Recruitment Process Factors Affecting Recruitment General factors that affect recruitment in an organization: Personnel Utilization A company can avoid having to hire new employees by monitoring the skill sets of existing employees. For example, if you are opening a new sales division that focuses on a new family of products, then you may be able to utilize your current sales staff to provide the startup sales professionals the new group will need. The success of the new department will necessitate the need for recruiting outside representatives at some point in the future, but you can save on startup costs by utilizing existing personnel. Outsourcing The concept of outsourcing activities that are not a companys core competency is an internal business practice that affects recruiting. For example, an food processing company would hire an outside IT firm to install and administer the companys computer network because computers are not the food processing companys core competency. When companies outsource, that reduces the need for recruiting new employees. The human resources department will have to shift resources away from recruiting for the outsourced functions, and focus on supplying employment candidates for the companys core business units. Talent Pool A company reaches into its local community to satisfy employment recruiting needs. If the local talent pool changes, then the company may find it more difficult to recruit qualified candidates. For example, if other businesses start to leave the region, then the availability of jobs drops and qualified candidates begin looking for work in other parts of the country. The company is then faced with decisions that involve paying to relocate new employees or opening new locations to access new talent pools. Competition Companies within the same industry are competing for qualified candidates to ensure future growth. There is competition in the recruiting end of your business just as there is in selling products. You need to analyze what your competition is offering new employees, and try to develop a competitive package to lure in the talent that you need. Strategies to reduce the cost of Honey Buns Human Resource First priority Honey Bun could use to cut costs on its human resource, though it is somewhat of a new development for many managers and HR staff personnel, particularly if they had seen laying off staff as the only feasible means to cut cost on human resource would be, is reducing turnover. Turnover is very burdensome on the financial resources of any given company, and if management does not have sound knowledge of the actual cost of turnover, the organization may be in a situation where it is inescapable to reduce it. Another way Honey Bun could improve their human resource management and to cut cost on labour is to ensure that the HR manager designated for recruitment is efficiently trained and certified with the necessary experience in a similar scope of position in a similar company model. A database of CVs of prospective employees could be kept thus ensuring that the HR Manager spends a portion of his or her time on a weekly basis emailing prospective candidates from the searchable CV databases available on job boards. The searchable databases are what HR managers and job recruiters use every day. The company could also institute a referral / finders fee asking their own workers of prospective employees, in the manner as job agencies do. Another strategy they could utilize is to pay key staff 15% above market rates to their star employee this is a nominal strategy seeing that replacing them is 40-50% of their annual salary if you include agency fees possible lost days in training and the employee who has contributed heavily to the overall development of the company walking through the door, probably to the competition. The company could also Reduce Healthcare Costs. Of course, the most intuitive method of reducing healthcare costs involves shopping around for healthcare insurance. For example if they are using an old fashioned broker for years, the current provider of such services will be costly compared to a newer less expensive healthcare company. Before the company cuts down on healthcare offerings for its employees, they must first consider eliminating dental and vision plans. Then after they have right healthcare provider for the company, they can make adjustments to their plan to minimize costs. They should ask direct and concise information that will in turn pose to be beneficial to the company. Switching to a higher deductible health plan is not always the most popular plan amongst the companys employees but striking the right balance between deductible cost and premiums can save the company money while satisfying the needs of its employees without any lost on both parties; Honey Bun on whole should analyze who they are covering under their medical plans especially if the company is providing full insurance coverage for spouses and family members this might just be saving such expenses from competitors and driving a hole in the companies pockets by taking in unnecessary expenses of their own. A strategy most companies are utilizing is they are beginning to demand higher employee contributions for the coverage of their family members who can receive general medical coverage from through the company. Another strategy the company could use is to have the employee pay the full premium for their spouse who can receive coverage at their place of work; this will go a long way to reduce healthcare expenses. Health and Wellness programs are now becoming popular in various business organizations; today most medium and large size businesses with backgrounds in various sectors and employing between 50-85 workers are drifting towards this focus. Implementing the right wellness program for Honey Buns employees can increase employee health and happiness while decreasing costs on pending healthcare cost. Most employers are now seeing the evidence of the success of wellness programs improving their employees happiness and productivity in the workplace and the favorable reduction in money wasted dealing with various health related sicknesses of their staff thus health insurance costs can be documented and proven. Honey Bun can also reduce its cost on human resource by creating a healthy social atmosphere at the workplace as this strategy is shown to increase morale, camaraderie and increase the productivity of the employee. Many companies do this by hosting a number of social events where the employees come together to bask in each others company and share in various activities. Hosting competitive events such as sports competitions for employees can be a defining tool. This allows employees to get to know each other and have a deeper understanding of each others roles and responsibilities and have a deeper appreciation for each others welfare, a team building approach in the work environment, and overall a sense of loyalty for the company this will make them proud they work for a company that encourages its employees to have a friendly and collective approach to their work rather being individualistic in their work relations. This can be the key factor in determining whether an employee joins the company, stays grounded in a team oriented setting, or moving on the competitors company. Improving the hiring practices of Honey Bun through the HR department can save the company much money and time. This would involve analyzing all CVs for a particular candidate who will maximize his or her strengths for the overall development of the company, the first time around, the long-term relationship of the potential employee should be the most vital factor whether he or she is added to the staff at Honey Bun. A detailed, comprehensive job description should be drawn out to highlight the important aspects of the position, as well as all activities that will be under their auspices; add additional requirements for the post including activities not relevant to the post available in order to test the flexibility of the potential candidate . This will ensure that the potential employee is informed of all of their responsibilities before the interview is even conducted. By working strategically at creating a well defined job listing that quantifies the scope of the position it will most definitely yield candidates with higher quality, and thus ensures a job skill match as well. Offering competitive salaries will inevitably draw in higher quality human resource and thus rids the company of the unskilled talents and the pending cost of replacing such. Optimizing HR operations and company policies can reduce costs while increasing employee satisfaction. By offering flexible work schedules for its employees this will increase morale and productivity. If employees are working too many hours, their level of productivity will decrease throughout the day. Allowing them to switch up their hours and come in at different periods of the day will ensure that they are working at their optimum levels and are properly rested. They must be offered competitive salaries as well. If a salary offered is way below industry standards for the same level of responsibility, potential star employees will be lost to the competition. Honey Bun could also provide their employees incentives to boost productivity and encourage employees to take the extra step when trying to make a sale or ensuring quality in their work this will make every employee think twice before slacking off. Another way Honey Bun could cut cost on its human resource is by integrating HR Technology this will save time and money by eliminating costly mistakes and introducing automation to manual processes. It is important to find competent, up to date, and fully integrated software to implement. Implementing integrated time and attendance and employee scheduling software is low-hanging fruit in this department. Time and attendance software in particular has been shown to provide organizations with a significant return on investment (ROI). Reducing the risk of expensive litigation can save Honey Buns financial assets in the long run. The last thing the company would need in a recession type climate is to be sued by a former employee. The company should know the risks, and plan ahead to rid the company of legal pitfalls. Know all of the laws and regulations for the companys industry and following them rigorously. A number of people will jump at the opportunity to sue the company for large amounts of money. To avoid lawsuits, documentation must be a key player in determining the company is caught in a litigation trap; record its defenses, such as warnings given to an employee or the fact that guidelines were given and broken one should not cite concerns, criticisms, or introspects on any particular employee. Honey Bun could also reduce its cost on human resource by not allowing employees to work overtime. The workloads must be objectively and critically analyzed to evaluate the time that is required for tasks to be completed efficiently, identify streamlining opportunities, and improve proficiency amongst individual staff members. Honey Bun could also adhere to a economical phenom most companies are familiarizing themselves with which is the use of contingent workers (people who are hired, as needed, to perform specific tasks, but are not employed by the company) in other words contracted staff, Honey Bun could utilize this as a means cutting cost on human resource seeing that the level of income being paid to contracted staff is way below the market value and at the same time contracted workers are not open to benefits as fulltime staff members.

Graph Theory: The Four Coloring Theorem Essay -- Graph Geography Essay

Graph Theory: The Four Coloring Theorem "Every planar map is four colorable," seems like a pretty basic and easily provable statement. However, this simple concept took over one hundred years and involved more than a dozen mathematicians to finally prove it. Throughout the century that many men pondered this idea, many other problems, solutions, and mathematical concepts were created. I find the Four Coloring Theorem to be very interesting because of it's apparent simplicity paired with it's long, laborious struggle to be proved. There is a very long and eventful history that accompanies this theorem. The concept of the Four Coloring Theorem was born in 1852 when Francis Guthrie noticed that he only needed four different colors to color in a map of England. Through his brother, Frederick, Francis communicated his discovery to De Morgan. Francis wondered if De Morgan would be able to tell him if it was true or not. De Morgan was unsure, so he asked the same question to Hamilton in Dublin. Hamilton was unable to help, so De Morgan continued to ask other prominent mathematicians. In the US, Charles Peirce attempted to prove the Four Color Conjecture in the 1860's and continued to for the remainder of his life. In 1879, Cayley wrote a paper to the Royal Geographical Society explaining the difficulties in attempting to prove the Conjecture. On July 17, 1879, a mathematician by the name of Kempe announced a proof for the Four Color Conjecture. However, eleven years later Heawood, a lecturer at Durham England, pointed out that Kempe's proof was incorrect. Along with proving Kempe wrong, Heawood was able to prove that every planar map is five colorable. In 1898, Heawood also proved that if the number of edges around a region is... ...actually quite fun as well. They don't really have a real importance in the real world. The Four Color Theorem isn't going to save any lives or make life that much easier. However, it does make map coloring more simple by requiring only four colors. Bibliography (1) Fritsh, Rudolf and Gerda, The Four-Color Theorem, Springer-Verlag, New York, Inc., 1998. (2) Harary, Frank, Graph Theory, Adison-Wesley Publishing Co., Redding, MA, 1972, p.130-131. (3) Kainen, Paul, and Saaty, Thomas, The Four Color Problem, McGraw-Hill, Inc., Great Britain, 1977. (4) The Four Color Theorem, http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/The_four_colour_theorem.html, December 10, 1999. (5) The Four Color Theorem, Neil Robertson, Daniel P. Sanders, Paul Seymour, and Robin Thomas, http://www.math.gatech.edu/~thomas/FC/fourcolor.html, December 10, 1999.

A Wrinkle In Time :: Wrinkle in Time Essays

A Wrinkle In Time A Wrinkle In Time is an example of great American literature. It is a plot-based novel with something always happening while an obstacle is standing in the way. Most of the conflict occurring in this book is person versus self and person versus supernatural. A certain aspect that is very prevalent in this book is love. This love takes the characters on the trip of a lifetime, for the sole purpose of finding her father. This love in the background is not known by the reader until the last few pages, and ends up encompassing and explaining the whole novel. Meg Murray, the protagonist and the person from whom the reader gets their point of view, is the main character. She has a little brother, Charles Wallace, and two twin brothers, Sandy and Denny. Her mother is a guiding figure within the story, and serves as her daughter Meg's source of ambition. We learn from reading the story that Meg's father disappears from an extremely secret scientific project, and is expected to return, but hasn't for several years. Meg can see the pain that her mother feels and the rest of the family also about the loss of their father, and wants to help find him. All the while, feelings are mutual that their father is living, but nobody knows for sure. Characters begin to develop, and we learn that Charles Wallace and Meg Murray are very close siblings, and Charles seems to have the ability to know whenever Meg or her mother is upset. He can also answer questions directed at him by his sister, but were not actually spoken, almost as if he can read their minds. None other than little Charles Wallace demonstrates the first example of love being expressed in this novel. During the dark and stormy night that starts the book, Meg becomes afraid of the wind and the thunder, and decides to go downstairs for a cup of cocoa. Charles Wallace is already awake and has warmed the milk for the chocolate. However, this is not the only thing done by little Charles Wallace. ""You put in more than twice enough milk." Meg peered into the saucepan. Charles Wallace nodded serenely. "I thought Mother might like some"" (L'Engle 8). He even makes sandwiches for both Mrs. Murray and Meg. Charles Wallace is only five years old, yet he knows when his sister is in need of companionship, and is happy to do things for Mrs.

oF MICE AND MEN :: essays research papers

Of Mice and Men is a novel of defeated hope and harsh reality of the American Dream. However, regardless of how much one may hope and strive to reach it, the American Dream does not always provide complete fulfillment. Of Mice and Men takes place in America during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Formerly known as the land of opportunity and fortune, America had soon earned the label of being the complete opposite. It was during this time that many migrant workers moved their family west in search for the â€Å"American Dream.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American Dream; there are similarities that are in most people’s dreams regardless of when they lived or who they are. Most peoples dream includes being happy, healthy, and surrounded by loved ones. However, dreams often differ in the aspect that some people may want to work hard, be healthy and have great financial success, while others dream of living off the land they work on and doing enough work to survive, while still remaining healthy and happy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being the best of friends, George and Lennie are different in many aspects yet they both seem to share one common goal; to purchase a few acres of land they can call their own, â€Å"an’ live off the fatta the lan’† ( Steinbeck, pg. 14). Being able to own a humble home, where they can work for themselves and be free of the torment and scrutiny of society. A place away from all the ignorance of the outside world, where it seems Lennie was not meant to live.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George and Lennie’s struggle for their tiny piece of the American Dream is best summed up by Crooks when he said that he’s â€Å"seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their hands. Hundreds of them. They come, an’ they quit an’ go on; an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head.

Payment security Essay

A business going online can face many diffuculties. These problems include payment security; unfamiliar markets; errors in ordering; loss of personal information; hostile attacks; keeping the website up-to-date; language problems/issues; hardware failure; staffing issues and financial issues. Payment Security When a customer buys a product by either debt or credit card they are be trusting the business with their personal details to be kept safe and confidentioal. Sellers are also not safe because they could be a victim of Card Not Present (CNP) fraud, this is where someone is using someone else’s card details to buy goods online. They may not have the card physically on them, but all they need is just the details of the card to be able to purchase. This can be kept safe by specific security standards. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) this encrypts the information in a browser eg: Internet Explorer which protects the consumers who can see a padlock symbol and also a ‘https’ on the address bar.SET (Secure Electronic Transfer) also protects the seller since the credit card company authorises the card to prove that the person using the card is legitimate. The seller does not know the card number, only to the card’s issuing bank. Unfamiliar Markets This is where a website is available everywhere and the company could be dealing with consumers in unfamiliar markets. Also with different cultural expectations, accuring with unfamiliar regulations and also legal requirements should be dealt with. The business may not understand the popularity of its website, or the number of orders it will receive or even the costs of running the online operations or more so the distributing goods. If the business doesn’t meet orders promptly it will rapidly lose customers and may even be left with unsold stock or even struggle to repay money borrowed to be able to finance the website development. Errors in ordering Order forms online are to be designed to automatically check fot any errors by questioning unexpected entries and boxes left blank. Also they should be designed to remind the consumer if they leave out any information Loss of personal information An online compay is not allowed to put private information on its website or reveal customer details to other customers or viewers. This is why websites include a privacy policy which says how customer information is used by only the business. All companys that keep and also process private information must register with the Information Commissioner’s Office and have to follow with the Data Protection Act 1998 which means that the data must be all accurate, secure and should not be kept for longer than necessary. There are manu aways data can be lost like through human error, hardware failure, or loss or theft and software corruption as well as computer virus. A daily system back-ups a business to enable the reinstall in its system within 24 hours of any problem occurring. Hostile attacks Business are vulnerable to hackers or other types of cybercrime. Financial fraud occurs when a customer or business is denied of money that is theirs. Keeping the website up-to-date Businessess need to update their website from time to time to make sure that the information they have is accurate and reliable eg: product descriptions and prices. All companies have a legal requirement to provide pricise and up to date information. Most websites have a disclaimer clause to protect the problem if a customer takes action based on wrong information. Language problems/issues Some buyers from multinational online business may not understand. These can be fixed by the firms using a local agent who specialises in overseas sales or they can have enquiries translated by an expert. Hardware failure All people who use computers depend on their Internet Service Provider. If that is lost, then it can cause many problems for the business especially if it’s offline for long. Many businesses have back-up servers that they can switch if one server goes down. Software problems may be caused by programming errors or through a virus. To stop this the, business installs an anti-virus software and network security. Staffing Issues Staff may be concerned that their jobs could be changed or disappear. Most companises have a call centre to answer customer queries. The staff now may feel that they may not have much personal contact with consumers as they now can order things online or email the company if they want information or they could contact a call centre if they have a question. Financial Issues Having to set up a small website can be done not very high priced but companies who like to carry out big amounts of companies online or use their website as a extreamly important way of promoting their business can be expensive. Also, having to calculate the estimated financial benefits is hard. The set-up expenses includes having to register the domain name, to be able to arrang for an ISP to host the site (if not being done in-house), having to pay the agency having specialists to design the website, the marketing and promotional costs (so that potential customers can acknowledge the website) and is nessary any staff training requirements. All companies go online to make more trade. There may be a problem if there is a massive flow of interest in the business. This could cause the site to crash or can make it run slowly and if there is not much stock or very few staff to process them, then the orders and enquiries may not be dealt with. Just simply by buying more stock or even employing more staff could result in a bad cash-flow problems. If the business gets a bad reputation online, it will lose customers rather than gain any. Task 2 (P6, M2) Business benefits The market research information from online enquires are all obtained and looked over for many different reasons. The logs and cookies collect all the information on site usage; eventhough users can see their browsers to close the cookies and also many sites don’t use them. Logs, however, are made by all websites this is because they are the records that are created by the web server. Records include the number of hits it has made, the number of visitors it had or even unique users to a website, and how long they have stayed on the site. Some ISPs look at their log file data for consumers while others provide a software and the compnay produces its own reports. Registration forms also allowe the business to find out about the who is  visiting their site, where the peson lives and also what they need. The onnline market research can go from small pop-up questionnaires (which assess a user’s online experience) to produce longer customer service questionnaires which is sent by email and then once they are completed, they are looked at to provide more market information. The website activity software finds which search engines get customers onto the website; also which pages are popular and also which landing pages result in users going off the website eg: a lengthy form or even registration page. Having access to a whole new markets can include having a remote locations such as rural areas or even Highlands and the Islands of Scotland (if they have Internet access). A new markets could also have customers which have disabilities who may have problems(mobility) or customers who are recovering from surgery or who camt go out as they are ill with a cold or flu. So having the internet provides easy and quicker access to a large range of information and fine priced products from their own homes. Under the Disability Discrimination Act, people in charge of websites are to have legal duty to make sure that the services they give on the Internet is available for disabled people. Customers which have travel difficulties e.g. mothers with young babies, the elderly. Meaning that the customers will not be able to go the shops physically as to the inconvenience it would cause them so it would be suitable for them to buy online. It would also be quicker and easier to buy things online and also receive information from the Internet. Having access from a wide range of devices can also make site be viewed from anywhere. Phones with internet accses, laptops and a Wi-Fi hotspot when they are not at home. Customer Benefits Having a wider choice is a great benefit for people who live in small town or even rural areas as they are able to view information online and they can also see what goods are available in store as they don’t live in places the stores aren’t available. Convenience is a massive benefit because having the internet, it is more easier to search and to order online than to have to travel to the shop. All online businesses are also very beneficial to the people who come home late from their work or those who are simply too busy in the day to shop. Websites that are available 24/7 helps those who are  busy as it would be easier for them to order online to make their life less stress. It also benefits busy families as all they need to so is simply sit with their computer/phone/laptop and just shop there and then. People with disabilities or special needs can also benefit from the online businesses as they also don’t have to go to the shops for hours just to look for one thing as they may get tired, so online businesses make their life easier. There are several ways to pay securely eg: over the internet, through log details and PayPal. Task 3 (D2) Risks Solutions Payment security Improving the security of the cardholder – they have entered the correct pin number, also asking them what their last payment on the card was to make sure it is the actual cardholder before any confirmations Unfamiliar markets Having an option where your website is available in many different languages . Also having the currency of different countries. Errors in ordering Having a database where you can store all the customers’ details eg: name, address, order and shipping date this will prevent any mix up with the orders. Making sure all the correct orders are going to the right address, the staff should always double check before they ship goods and also after the delivery; staff should alwaysa ask the customer if they ordered the goods. Loss of personal information Websites should never put personal information on the website as other users can see. All personal deatils should be kept confidential. Do not give personal information in emails and all customer details should be all kept in a secure files or database. Not keeping the website up to date If there is a new offer, or even price reduction, websites should include or change it in their website. In order for them to achieve this, the owner of  the website will have to check up on the website everyday for atleast a few hours to sort any latest information out and to also keep customers update to their products. If they do this, websites will become known for its reliability. Hardware failure Backup server is when the main server is down it can help prevent any hardware failure. Also making sure you have antivirus on the website and a network security which helps because there could be programming errors or even viruses that could potentionally change or delete information. Staffing issues In call centres, the staff can offer a call centre in which it support people and also trained staff can talk to customers so they can resolve any faults or connection problems. To get aways from having not much of personal contact with customers, staff should always stay and help the customers out. If they start off helping at first they then can build a better trust with them. Staff can also keep in touch with the customers and also stay with them until all their purchase is complete. To avoid any staff being unable to work with the technology, you can make sure all staff are capable with all the latest technology. Financial issues Having a small business can be a good thing as you won’t have to be spending as much money and you would also have a bigger income in which it can help you expand your business and it can also prevent you from having any financial issues in the future. If you start with a big business, you may not be getting much interaction and instead of making any profit, you’ll be making a loss instead. Therefore, starting out as a small business is the best way to avoid any financial issues. The business may think to much for their stock where there is not much for it this can impact on the company as it then will be making a loss. To prevent any of this, you may want to estimate very logically and sensibly. Payment Security This method help as you are able to know for sure who you are actually dealing with the real cardholder and to also avoid any fraud. The  likeliness of the problem going down is high as you will need a pin number as well as a security question if you are to forget it. Unfamiliar markets This method helps as it is available to different people all around the world. The likeliness of the problem going down is likely as you are sure that you have the option available just in case you do get someone not from the country that is viewing website. Errors in ordering The solution to having errors in ordering will decrease the risk as having a database with the customer’s name, an order and a order number and address will reduce the risk. This will make sure that the staff will know exactly who is ordering and what they have bought. Loss of personal information From having anything lost it should be be stored somewhere private where it’s not available for the public eye. It can be reduced and also the effectiveness of the method is good as long as information on the business website has nothing personal and is kept private. Not keeping the website up to date Customers will know always know the latest information and changes in your business. This is very important as it will help in the success of the business going online as the customers will feel that the business is reliable and up-to-date. Hardware failure Having a hardware and protecting it well and also a back up system will be a very good way of reducing the risks from hardware. Using these methods to solve the problem is effective for a business. This will effect as having a back up copy of all the information if it gets lost or deleted. Staffing issues The method for staffing issues are that the staff are able to communicate better with the customers and also have more of a personal approach with them, e.g. emailing requesting orders or deliveries. With the solution it is likely that the risk will reduce if staff has a personal email in which they are able to contact customers individually. Financial issues To not have problems of facing financial issues, by starting a small business instead of a large one can still be very beneficial. It is very likely that a business will not go into financial issues and will also not have to suffer from.

Education in Nazi Germany – History Change

Education in national socialist Ger umteen Change and Continuity Assess homophilepowert When Hitler became chancellor of national socialist Germany, in 1935, he proposed many flip-flops in raising and through discover the country. He believed that these changes would influence commonwealth and indigenise them of his beliefs and reforms that should happen in the country to praise his glory and unclutter Germany the about powerful country and its persist to continue forever. One of these integral changes was instruction.Hitler powerfully believed that, younger minds were easier to infiltrate and indoctrinate, as they were evolution and imposed this sudden change amongst schoolchildren to set up stronger national socialistsm in the future contemporaries of Germans. Older propagations, could stone and carry opinions to winnow out Hitlers whims. So, the Nazis changed study drastically to put to work these children for the future of Germany. However, some(a) parts of program line were vital for basic human call for and could non be changed.In contrast, they were continued exactly they were portrayed in much(prenominal) a focussing, which would influence the way a German child thought, in that time. They introduced a raft of changes to genteelness, from the days of inst poorly(predicate)ing to the subjects that had to be taught or tacklen out of the computer program which to a fault had a disperse of Nazi indoctrination in them. All of the changes that were introduced had a major jolt on children, as Dr Bernhard deplete pointed out that, The whole gamingction of genteelness is to take Nazis which highlighted that indoctrination was a key fundamentality in education to induce Nazism.One major change was first school at 800 am sharply and a higher speech pattern on sport and keeping fit. This is because, Hitler treasured to draw a future propagations of roughneck and strong soldiers, that would cope for his country so unfo rtunately for to the highest degree boys, this would be the crack in the phalanx and Hitler exactly cherished then to be trained for the host. Hitler had endlessly state that, boys had to be as swift as a greyhound which highlights the creative judgeer of leadership, strength and power amongst boys. moreover, boys had to crook football, rugby, and slugfest to toughen them up.PE was withal hard apply upon girls, as they were the future m other(a)s and wives of the future generation of soldiers. Also, they needed to be fertile and to be able to have the strength to pass along birth to healthy children. Furthermore, PE took up 15% of the education and boys who failed to pass fitness tests were to be expelled from schools and could be discriminated by the older students as a laughing stock. This attitude, inspired children to be tough and strong to serve their fatherland (Germany) and in a way sc atomic number 18 them. Also, it foot be interpreted that this also invoke d discrimination against the Jews.Further evidence to support the idea of keeping fit, is a line from a German spick-and-spanspaper which suggests that the ultimate ingest of sport was to have enough men fit for the the States. This deploys the idea of that Hitler purely wanted the future generation to fight for him. We smokeister trust the provenance of the rootage, as its from a German teachers overboldspaper and we know that, Hitler arranged teachers into the federation of Teachers so this is a valid flake of evidence. Exceedingly, a picture from a childrens textbook in the 1930s from Nazi Germany denotes a sk etc.tera of children in army uniform with weapons.This is clearly a heavily signified indoctrination, as it connects with the sports and inspires children to become analogous that. It can be interpreted that, Hitler and the Nazi party knew that children could be infiltrated through play and education and visual development so included subliminal messages in the ir learning to become Nazi. In addition, another change that the Nazis introduced was a change to the lessons itself and the days of education to supply enough deployment of persuadeing that would project their character. New lessons were introduced and lessons that were thought of unnecessary were removed.Eugenics, washables Studies, political orientation and P. E were some of the new lessons introduced. These lessons had a surge of Nazism in them, such(prenominal) as Eugenics and Race Studies which taught children that German (pseudo Aryan race) were master copy than others, and how others were inferior Jews, Gypsies, Black, Czech, Slavs etc. Moreover, R. E was removed and replaced by Ideology as Dr deplete and Hitler had pointed out that the of import thing was to focus of patriotism and the ideas of Hitler, to be reinforced amongst students. Evidence to support this is, is a German speaking about her tone story and said it was really thudding to learn about Hitlers i deals.This source is useful, as it supplies information of experiences however it can be said that they may have difficulties remembering and often the German tidy sum dont want to take the blame for Hitlers tyranny, so this is a source worth considering. Also, to reiterate, religion amongst German children was changed as in a girls timetable vocalizing is a lesson that is taught a lot. In singing, Dr Rust enforced prayers and songs of praise that highlighted Hitlers glory. Also, the step of time on religion was bring down and attendance at school prayers was optional.This suggests that, the doctor purpose was to only strive for Hitler. These songs, such as a German man remembered, were praises to Hitler and gave a goal to the children to ultimately fight for Hitler. To point out, women were also considered inferior to men, as they couldnt continue their further education to obtain jobs. Also, the girls timetable confronts the attri onlyes of a housewife such as domestic scie nce, hygiene, sex education, childcare eugenics and biology were heavily taught for the purpose of selective breeding amongst all races the perfect Aryan match.Similarly, Dr Rust was called unstable as he employ to immediately change school-days and curriculum to pressurise propaganda and Nazi attributes on children. For example, he made Saturday as a callowness Day, where children from the Hitler Youth went for school tests, army camping, and fun activities where the main idea was to completely brainwash children to become robot-soldiers for Hitler. Moreover, some evidence suggests that children used to turn in their own parents if they said anything against Hitler.According to interpretations, this would more likely to be received as they were mostly propagandised by their education and became like soldiers to fight for vindicatoryice. Moreover, many teachers that argue were sacked and others were in the League of Teachers. or so opposing teachers stood in that respect in the tranquillity however, they couldnt do anything. Dr Schuster, a geographics teacher (1938) highlighted that he wanted to teach real geography and create non-Nazis with other similar teachers however Nazi soldiers were in the way.He also said that they cannot have a newspaper or a conference. This denotes the close security of the Nazis in the school as they didnt want anything to get in their way. In my opinion, children would be heavily indoctrinated that they index not have the willingness to oppose or might be in the affright of persecution by the Nazis. Notwithstanding, not all lessons could not be changed but the way they were delivered had a lot of strike. Such as, the clip on indoctrination of Nazi Germany shows that Maths was taught by cadence the angles of shooting and had a lot of troops twist.Similarly, chemistry and physics were taught constructing the efficiency of state of war weaponry and devising new guerrilla, legions aviation science and chemicals. Also, geography and record talked more about Germanys first-class past and it needed a lot of living space (Lebensraum) by subjection nearby countries as they were a superior race. This would be conditioned in a childs mind and they would think it is right to invade other countries for Germany as theyre highest of all. This is source is more useful, as it is itself a recording from an actual lesson with photographs of textbooks.So, there was continuity in the lessons however, with a large(p) impact of the way Hitler wanted it. Also, some lessons were taught more of to reiterate the greatness of Nazism. In my opinion the questions to ask the pupils are- why were you against your parents and turned on them? Why didnt you oppose and protest you were the future generation, so your generation with the help of other voices couldve protested. However, this was not possible, as children wanted to join the Hitler Youth as there were activities and enough influence was done, to proce ss them.Moreover, antisemitism, hatred towards Germanys infidels was forever show in textbooks. Further evidence suggests that, textbooks such as maths textbooks contained the right theory, but had a twist. For example, a question would be written to discriminate Jews and mentally ill heap as a commit in society. In addition, textbooks would show these infidels as sinners i. e. a German textbook of1935 showed Jews universe laughed at and bullying the Aryans. This would gradually lace in a childs mind to show hatred towards them and join on their dedication on Hitler and the Aryans.Moreover, a modern textbook on Nazi Germany explains that children having contrastive opinions on Jews from home put a family in trouble. A quote My soda says not all Jews are vile. His tonic was put into prison. This was practiced to reinforce anti-Semitism in all and so that people notice this and are possibly in fear to support Hitler. This can be trusted, as we know that the Nazis were mental ly dehumanize and so persistently cruel, that they would do this. The Jews wouldve been importantly affected, as there was a lot of adverse discrimination on them, and with the maturement indoctrination of children, the hatred would increase.Finally, change and continuity of education in Nazi Germany aimed to literally create a sense of discrimination, an acceptance of Hitlers ideas, and to create willing soldiers to fight for Hitler. From 1933-1945 Nazi Germany changed a lot, from increasing its empire and destroying Jews, to the release of the war. This education had a big impact on how children thought, and how they would think. In my opinion, P. E. was not an trend that gave a major impact, as children are meant to be active and they have to play. However, the most significant change was the continuity with a lot of military impact and the way it was taught differently.Logical subjects such as maths and science, would already impact people to think logically, so the addition of Nazism would have a greater impact on the children reservation them think more about this. More to the point, the introduction of the new subjects would also massively impact the children, as they have not thoroughly studied the older ones so they couldnt differentiate between item and opinion or truth and false. The most significant evidence is of the textbooks as they were in truth written and directed by Dr Rust and his quotes support the idea of Nazism so that is reliable. Also, the filming is actual evidence of what happened.Despite of the technology, we cannot always rely on the filming. The anti-Semitism indoctrinated people the most, and influenced them a lot having hatred and dehumanisation sense against the Jews to become blindly faithful towards Hitler and to fight for him. Germanys population at the runner of WWII was approximately 70 million -, 12. 5 million served in the German Army. This just shows that, how many men were selected and joined the army after so much indoctrination. We can see the result of the teaching which created Germans with new inventions such as the Blitzkrieg, new weapons etc.