Write a 1,000+ word comparative analysis of two poems Essay

Write a 1,000+ word comparative analysis of two poems - Essay Example In her writings in the Love in Place, she elaborates on some â€Å"love in place† which moves nowhere and is static against time. This love is not changing at all. From this point, a theme is already brought. This theme of â€Å"love† is shared by both the poems. Closer examination of both poems reveals to the audience some kind of mood that is used in the poem. In Love in Place, Nikki Giovanni says that â€Å"I know I must have fallen in love ones because I quite biting my cuticles and my hair is gray†. Yet in the poem from Love Poem Medley, Ruddy Francisco suggests such kind of love which is far away and yet it would still be there. This is the point that the two poems draw some contrast. Both the poets have been able to deliver their themes on the same topic, and yet they use different tones. Nikki Giovanni is quite straight and to the point with how she presents the persona. She delivers the feelings of the persona right within the poem. According to the Rudy ’s Poem, he, distances himself from the love by repeatedly insisting that what he is talking about is nothing to do with love. â€Å"I am not a love poet†. This statement he repeatedly makes, which sinks into the mind of the audience and reveals some sarcastic view on the matter of love. From what Nikki suggests, in her reiteration that she has stopped biting her fingers, it would be inferred that the poet is trying to relay to the audience the progress she has made and changes that have occurred in life since when she was in love. Both the poets try to present greater appreciation of love. Nikki Giovanni appreciates love by keeping things the same way as they used to be. She portrays the person as having not changed in her appearance. The natural changes in her body have remained the same including her gray hair. The Francisco equally appreciates love by complementing the lady, who she wishes would have been her lady, but yet must understand that love is a painful affair

Special Education Law Analysis Essay Example for Free

Special Education Law Analysis Essay Education in the United States has had a reputation of un-uniformity and mistreatment of certain groups especially students with disabilities. However, the recent past has yielded some advancement. Federal legislation has put into place three major laws that have lead to better treatment and higher quality education of students, especially those with disabilities. These laws are the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, and No Child Left Behind. Together these laws have formed the current education standard in the United States providing for better education for all students. Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act History Historically, children with disabilities have had few rights and little protection when it came to education. Before the mid 1970s, it was not unusual for children with disabilities to be turned away from public schools and if they were able to attend a school, there was nothing in place to assure that these children were receiving the attention and assistance that they needed. In the 1960s and 1970s parents of children with disabilities began to see that something had to change to allow their children to receive a quality education so families began suing state entities to gain access to educational services for their children (Smith, Polloway, Patton, Dowdy, 2012). Congress decided to take a step forward and attempted to persuade states to provide educational services to children with disabilities and this led to the passage of the Education for all Handicapped Children Act (EHA) in 1975. Education is a facet that is under the direct of state legislation; therefore, states were not required to comply with the new act. To persuade state governments to adopt the law, it was promised that forty percent of the funds used to educate children with disabilities would be reimbursed by the federal government (Smith et al. 2012). This forty percent was never actually realized; the federal government actually only reimburses less than  half the promised amount of funds. EHA was reevaluated by Congress in 1990. As a result, the law was changed to better suit the needs of children with disabilities and became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA. IDEA remained active until the law was due for another reauthorization in 2004. This lead to the current version of the law: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. Purpose  The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) was enacted to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education, to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and their parents are protected, to assist States, localities, educational service agencies, and Federal agencies to provide for the education of all children with disabilities, and to assess and ensure the effectiveness of efforts to educate children with disabilities (34 CFR  § 300-301). The law covers children with basically any disability that impedes on their ability to learn in an educational setting without special assistance. IDEIA covers children from birth until age 21 with separate parts for children two years old and younger (part C) and children ages 3-21 (part B). (34 CFR  § 300-301) Implications IDEIA was obviously written for children with disabilities, but there many forms and varying levels of disabilities. The act defines a child with a disability as a child evaluated has having mental retardation, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance, an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services (34 CFR  § 300-301). The act states that children that are included in this definition should receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). This law is the foundation for special education in the United States today. IDEIA sets the standard for how we educate children with disabilities. FAPE is the goal set forth for the educational systems. Children should receive an education that meets the standards of the state educational agency from preschool through secondary school by way of an individualized education program (IEP) that leads to the attainment of the same diploma offered to children without disabilities at no cost to the parents. FAPE does not exclude parents from expenses that are incurred by parents of children without disabilities, but it does protect them from extra expenses that arise from the services that their child requires. Also, for a state to meet the FAPE requirements, each student with a disability must have an individualized education program developed for them. An IEP is an extensive document developed by a team that includes the child, their parents, their teachers, the school administrators, and any other school personnel involved in the student’s education. IEPs address the child’s specific needs and how the school plans to meet those needs. Schools must also allow students with disabilities to work toward the same degree or diploma that students without disabilities are also working toward. IDEIA also states that children with disabilities should be educated in the least restrictive environment or LRE. This means that students with disabilities should be educated with students without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate (34 CFR  § 300-301). The LRE requirement has lead the emergence of inclusive classrooms. Inclusive classrooms are general education classrooms where students with disabilities and students without disabilities are taught together. This is usually accomplished through a co-teaching model where one general education teacher and one special education teacher, share the responsibilities of teaching all the children in the classroom. This allows for more direct attention and instruction for the students who need it most (Smith et al. 2012). Summary The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act is our country’s special education law. It defines for the states what classifies students as having a disability and also provides guidelines for developing educational services that meet their needs. The law frees parents of children with disabilities of the financial burden that comes with the individual care and assistance that their child needs by providing federal funds to help offset the expenses for the school systems. Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act. History The Vocational Rehabilitation Act was written during the fight for equality amongst people in the United States. It was enacted to protect people with disabilities from discrimination because of their disability. This law paved the way for fair and equal treatment for people with disabilities. This legislation lead to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. Even though this act reaches past the boundaries of education, section 504 of the act is of particular interest on this subject (Smith et al.2012). Purpose Section 504 states that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service. The act defines a person with a disability as someone who has a physical or mental impairment which for such individual constitutes or results in a substantial impediment to employment; and can benefit in terms of an employment outcome from vocational rehabilitation services provided (Vocational rehabilitation act of 1973). This section provides protection for people with disabilities from discrimination in any establishment that receives federal funding. This includes all public preschools, elementary schools, secondary schools, and colleges and universities. The law does not give individuals with disabilities more rights that those without disabilities, but it does protect them from discrimination based on their disability alone. Implications At first glance, it may seem that section 504 of this act and IDEIA overlap or are superfluous because of each other, but each holds its own purpose. Section 504 protects people without disabilities away from the educational setting as well. Section 504 also allows students with disabilities the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities, whereas IDEIA only serves to the child’s education. Section 504 gives people with disabilities the chance at living the life they want without the fear of discrimination. Summary The Vocational Rehabilitation Act protects people with disabilities from discrimination based solely on their disability. Section 504 of the act is particularly important to education because it provides discriminatory protection for an individual from any federally funded entity. This law laid the ground work for future laws for people with disabilities and for equal treatment for people with disabilities. No Child Left Behind History. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was proposed by President George W. Bush in 2001 and was passed into law in January of 2002 (Smith et al. 2012). The proposal received overwhelming support because of the increasing gap in academic achievement between groups of students in schools. NCLB acts on the premise that setting high and challenging standards for students and teachers will allow for great improvement in the classroom. The law provides that all students in the public school system will be proficient in core class subjects by the end of the 2014 school year. Much like IDEIA, NCLB offers federal funding to schools that align their curriculum with the provisions set forth in the act. Purpose The purpose of NCLB is to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments (No child left behind act of 2001). NCLB requires states to develop challenging performance standards for each grade level that are uniform across each district. The schools must also administer high-quality academic assessments that evaluate whether or not students are meeting these standards. Schools are also required to submit a plan of advancement showing the current plan to close the achievement gap among students (No child left behind act of 2001). Implications NCLB effects all students in the public education setting. The act is a plan to improve the education of every student. This law changed education in the United States in a big way. With schools implementing challenging standards for all students, there was and still is a tremendous pressure to advance. This pressure primarily falls on the administrators and teachers who, in turn, pass it to the students. NCLB also created accountability in the education system. The state performance assessment system gave teachers and administrators to see where they stand as compared to the standards that are set by the state (No child left behind act of 2001). It shows what areas need to be improved to allow more resources to be focused there. The pressure and accountability from NCLB raises the educational standard in the United States. Teachers know what is expected on them in the NCLB system, but because the standards seem to take away some creative freedom in classroom education. Schools are required to make adequate yearly progress every year under NCLB. This system is in place to help assure that funds received under NCLB are used toward academic advancement of students. Adequate yearly progress (AYP) is achieved by having more students scoring proficient in a content area standardized assessment as compared to the previous year’s scores. There is a system provided in the law for schools that do not make AYP and a plan to help them progress. If a school continually fails to make AYP it can be subject to a complete overhaul by the government. Summary NCLB is a federal plan to improve the education system in the United States. This law sets forth an accountability system of standards and assessments to close the academic achievement gap and bring all students up to grade level by the year 2014. Schools that align themselves with the requirements of NCLB can receive federal funding under the act. NCLB may have unrealistic goals, but it is a start in the right direction to providing a better, more complete education to our students. Conclusion Together, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, and No Child Left Behind have changed the educational system in the United States. Our current standards and expectations are far from perfect, but education is headed in the right direction; toward higher standards and accountability and better learning conditions for all students regardless of their level of ability. References Assistance to states for the education of children with disabilities and preschool grants for children with disabilities; final rule, 71 Fed. Reg. 46540 (2006) 34 CFR pt. 300-301. No child left behind act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-110, 115 Stat. 1425 (2002) Smith, T. E. , Polloway, E. A. , Patton, J. R. , Dowdy, C. A. (2012). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive settings (6th Ed. ). Boston: Pearson. Vocational rehabilitation act of 1973, Pub. L. No. 93-112, 93 Stat. 8070 (1973).

Good Friends :: Friendship Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Randy and I met in fifth grade; he was the new kid in town and I was in the â€Å"cool group.† So naturally â€Å"the group† chose a person, me, to check out the new kid’s credentials. We talked about his other school and his hobbies, a baseball fan: right here he was a hit. One thing was different about him: he was African-American. I thought he was cool and so did some of the other â€Å"cool† kids, but some thought that he was too different. Right here, I knew that he was never going to make it in the popular crowd.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One day, my best friend and I decided to visit Randy; he lived right down the street from me so it was no big deal. We rang the doorbell and Randy let us in; his father worked at night, so he was there also. We were introduced to his dad, the coolest guy, and decided to go to the park. Randy told us that he had really appreciated us coming by, because he thought that no one liked him. I hate to say that it was true, but it was; of course, we completely lied and told him that everyone thought he was cool. I knew we couldn’t tell him the truth, it would break the poor kid. As time passed we became very good friends, and to my surprise he did become popular.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Randy was one of those kids who was good at everything, especially basketball; I, on the other hand, was not. So one day, I went to his house and we played basketball. Actually, we really didn’t play basketball at all, he taught me the game. He patiently taught me all the moves; the cool thing was I began to enjoy the game. Randy would not move on to a new skill unless I had completely perfected the one before. It was the first time someone actually forced me to learn a game, and because of this I grew to love it. As a matter of fact, I would go to his house after school every day and he would teach me a little more; I was anxious to learn what he would teach me next. I was becoming a real pro.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There was just one problem, I couldn’t really keep up with him, because I had very bad Asthma. It affected me in every way, I couldn’t run as quick and I would get Good Friends :: Friendship Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Randy and I met in fifth grade; he was the new kid in town and I was in the â€Å"cool group.† So naturally â€Å"the group† chose a person, me, to check out the new kid’s credentials. We talked about his other school and his hobbies, a baseball fan: right here he was a hit. One thing was different about him: he was African-American. I thought he was cool and so did some of the other â€Å"cool† kids, but some thought that he was too different. Right here, I knew that he was never going to make it in the popular crowd.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One day, my best friend and I decided to visit Randy; he lived right down the street from me so it was no big deal. We rang the doorbell and Randy let us in; his father worked at night, so he was there also. We were introduced to his dad, the coolest guy, and decided to go to the park. Randy told us that he had really appreciated us coming by, because he thought that no one liked him. I hate to say that it was true, but it was; of course, we completely lied and told him that everyone thought he was cool. I knew we couldn’t tell him the truth, it would break the poor kid. As time passed we became very good friends, and to my surprise he did become popular.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Randy was one of those kids who was good at everything, especially basketball; I, on the other hand, was not. So one day, I went to his house and we played basketball. Actually, we really didn’t play basketball at all, he taught me the game. He patiently taught me all the moves; the cool thing was I began to enjoy the game. Randy would not move on to a new skill unless I had completely perfected the one before. It was the first time someone actually forced me to learn a game, and because of this I grew to love it. As a matter of fact, I would go to his house after school every day and he would teach me a little more; I was anxious to learn what he would teach me next. I was becoming a real pro.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There was just one problem, I couldn’t really keep up with him, because I had very bad Asthma. It affected me in every way, I couldn’t run as quick and I would get

Dbq on the Medical Field During the 18th Century Essay

The medical field during the eighteenth century was comprised of unsanitary, heinous, and uncustomary practices, such as blood letting, trepanation, and the overcrowding of hospitals. Even though these practices didn’t help in the development of the medical field, there were auspicious practices that were beneficial, such as midwifery, ingrafting, and faith in God. Midwifery, during the 1700’s, was one of the most womanized practices of the century. To get the help of a male midwife was a belittlement to the female midwife and it was also a way of disparaging midwifery (Document 2). Also, midwives were expected to obtain the knowledge of caring for and to the skills for the well-being of women in labor(Document 2). While the conditions of a woman giving birth improved dramatically, so did the reputation of midwifery. Ingrafting was one of the most cogent inventions in medicine in the eighteenth century. Diseases as contagious and fatal as the smallpox were almost eliminated with the invention of ingrafting (Document 3). This procedure was so advantageous that Lady Montagu, an English writer, was â€Å"well satisfied of the safety of the experiment,† that she intended to try it on her own son (Document 3). Ingrafting has also evolved into vaccines that now can cure and treat malignant ailments like the flu and cowpox. Faith in God was a way for people to have mental support for their ailments, even though it didn’t cure or treat any ailment, people still turned to God for aspiration. Many people still believe in the power of prayer and in the power of faith to relieve them of illnesses. This is best stated by William Buchan, an Edinburgh physician, because his statement that the Christian religion teach that, â€Å"the sufferings of this life are designed to prepare us for a future state of happiness. †(Document 7) Medical practices, such as midwifery, ingrafting, and faith in God, of the eighteenth century not only advanced to the benefit of the overall health of the people, but also led to the more advanced practices used today. Although these practices were basic, they are the vital parts of the development of medicine.

Ethical Analysis of Citigroup

Company Assessment: An Analysis of CitiGroup 1 Company Assessment: An Analysis of CitiGroup Introduction With origins dating back to 1812, Citigroup (Citi) is a global diversified financial services holding company providing both individuals and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services. These services include; consumer banking and credit; corporate and investment banking; securities brokerage; transaction services; and wealth management.Headquartered in Manhattan, NY, Citi currently has over 260,000 employees servicing 200 million customer accounts in more than 160 countries around the globe. Citi is organized into two divisions; Citicorp and Citi Holdings. Citicorp manages the consumer and institutional core client business, while Citi Holdings manages the brokerage and asset management divisions. Based on financial data obtained from the Citi website, the core st business (i. e. Citicorp), represents 92. 9% of the $19. 4 billion ($US) of the 1 quarter 2012 revenue.The total revenues of Citicorp are geographically diversified across the globe with North America representing 40% of the total, Asia at 22%, Latin America at 20% and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) accounting for the remaining 18% (Citi Financials, 2012) Over its 200 year history, Citi has been a leading innovator in financial services starting in the 1920’s by becoming the first major U. S. bank to offer compound interest on savings accounts. Also, through the acquisition of Second National Bank, Citi has the distinction of being the first bank in New York to provide separate banking services for women.Further innovations include; offering unsecured personal loans and customer checking accounts in 1928 and 1936 respectively (Citi Timeline, 2012). Citi’s original mission of offering traditional banking services evolved as they grew, however, since the financial crisis of 2008, Citi has been selling off many of the non-core operations to refocus on the t raditional banking model. The refocused mission as stated on the corporate website is: â€Å"We strive to create the best outcomes for our clients and customers with financial solutions that are simple, creative and responsible. (Citi, 2012) The purpose of this paper is to conduct a review and overall ethical assessment of Citi which will include an overview of the mission, vision and values, ethics and compliance codes, leadership, corporate social responsibility as well as the corporate governance structure. Mission, Vision and Values Clicking on the â€Å"Our Company† link of the Citi website, you are immediately drawn to the bolded text stating the corporate vision: â€Å"160 Countries. 1 Vision. Citi works tirelessly to provide consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services.We strive to create the best outcomes for our clients and customers with financial solutions that are simple, creative and responsible. à ¢â‚¬  (Citi, 2012) It is clear that Citi has a vision that places them as the global bank focused on client service, innovation and financial responsibility. Expanding upon the vision statement is the mission statement of Citi and the principles that guide them. The Mission statement is: â€Å"Meeting the World’s Challenges. Seizing its Greatest Opportunities† (Citi Mission, 2012).The four key principles that guide the company as they endeavor to deliver on their vision and mission are; Common Purpose; Ingenuity; Leadership; and Responsible Finance. Based on the stated vision, mission and principles, in my opinion, Citi can be described as a focused team, rewarded based on talent and merit, operating in an innovative culture with one clear goal to deliver transparent and prudent financial products globally. I consider the written vision, mission and guiding principles of Citi to be quite inspiring.Ethics and Compliance Codes In early 2005, Charles Prince, then CEO of Citi announced a bold strategy to transform the financial giant that was Citi. His plan, known as the â€Å"Five Point Ethics Plan†, was designed to; improve ethical training; focus on talent and development; integrate ethics into performance appraisals and compensation; improve communications; and strengthen ethical controls. (Restoring Ethics, 2012) As the successor of Sandy Weill, who, Johnson (2012) suggests typifies the ethically neutral leader (p. 19), Prince faced considerable skepticism on whether his plan could work in such a large and complex organization that had a history of significant regulatory scrutiny, and was linked to some of the biggest scandals in corporate history (e. g. Worldcom). While Prince had some critics, he also had some support. In the January 28, 2005 edition of BusinessWeek Online, Prince was described as a smart, logical thinker and another quote made by an analyst was†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"I believe that non-charismatic Prince is going to be a more p ositive force at Citigroup than the other three charismatic CEOs going back to the 1960s. (Restoring Ethics, 2012) I believe he vision that Prince delivered after taking over from Weill, continues to be embraced by the current Citi CEO, Vikram Pandit as well as the Board of Directors. One of the key responsibilities of the Citi Board of Directors is to review and approve the Citi Code of Conduct (the â€Å"Code†). The Code outlines Citi’s principles, values and standards of practice for all employees of 2 Citi and as such can be viewed as Citi’s ethics code. Employees are expected to read and sign the Code, not necessarily as a condition of employment, but as a formalized agreement to abide by the standards of behavior outlined therein.Although not a formal contract of employment, the formal approach to signing the Code can be viewed as being integrated into HR practices. A point of interest is that Citi also strengthens the employee requirement to abide by the code by stating that even if an employee doesn’t return a signed copy, they are still bound by its terms and conditions. In fact, in the introduction to the Code, Citi is clear that failure to adhere to the Code can result in immediate termination of employment. The latest revision to the Code was made in 2011.The code is available in 26 different languages. While in the past, employees had periodic training on the Code, it appears that the training was ad hoc, but according to the Corporate Citizenship Report, in early 2012, Citi rolled out a formalized ethics training program for all employees. In addition to the Code that exists for all employees, there is an additional Code of Ethics that applies solely to the senior financial executives (CEO, CFO, etc†¦) and financial administrative staff.While it may appear that this is a sign of a higher ethical standard at Citi, as with the NYSE requirement for a firm-wide code of ethics, Sarbanes Oxley mandates a requirement for a separate Code of Ethics for senior executives. In reading both the firm-wide Code as well as the Code of Ethics for the senior executives, it’s interesting to note that the Code of Ethics reads like a very compliance based document, while the firm-wide Code reads more like a call to action for all employees to act with the utmost integrity. In fact, the word integrity appears 9 times in a relatively short document.In all fairness to Citi, they do specify that the Code of Ethics should be considered a supplement to the firm-wide Code and they provide a link to the Code as part of the document. Citi also has a set of ethical principles that applies to suppliers. In short, Citi expects that suppliers adhere to the same high standards of practice that governs Citi. The key areas that the principles apply to are; ethical business practices (Integrity, transparency and community engagement); human rights in the workplace; environmental sustainability; and management systems and implementation.Further information on these principles is available at http://www. citigroup. com/citi/citizen/people/diversity/supplierprinciples. htm. One final point regarding the ethical policies of Citi would be that they operate a 24/7 ethics hotline where employees can report ethical concerns and remain anonymous to the extent that the law will allow. While it is unclear if the hotline is operated independently of Citi, (it appears as if it is not) there is a strong focus on confidentiality and although I was unable to identify the name of the individual, the Code identifies that Citi has an ethics officer.Leadership It is the responsibility of a leader to establish and foster the organizational climate. The leader’s ability to cast shadow or shed light will permeate throughout an organization and ultimately shape the culture. In short, regardless of who is named the formal ethics officer, the leader of the organization is charged with that duty. Citi is managed by an executive team of 24 senior leaders from key regions and divisions across Citigroup's global network. While the ethnic origins of the executive are not specifically mentioned, there appears to be a wide range of ethnic backgrounds on the executive committee.Unlike the Board of Directors however, the executive committee has only 1 woman, Cece Stewart who is the president of US, Consumer and Commercial Banking. Citi maintains a compensation philosophy that attempts to align compensation with their overall Mission statement. The key objectives of this philosophy are to; enhance shareholder value; attract talent; recognize contributions; manage risk; provide independent oversight; and transparency to all stakeholders. You can visit http://www. citigroup. com/citi/investor/data/comp_phil_policy. df? ieNocache=340 for further information on Citi’s compensation policy. Some evidence to support the integrity of Citi’s compensation practices would be that, according to the 2011 Proxy Statement, as part of the process for making incentive awards for 2011, the Personal and Compensation committee considered the April 2011 â€Å"say on pay† vote which received as 92. 9% favorable. Perhaps the vote was biased upwards as a result of Pandit’s decision to only accept a â€Å"total† compensation package of $1 for 2010, and most of 2009?While I was unable to find any concise data that represents the pay gap between the top executives and the front line employees, I am pretty confident that for all of 2010, and the better part of 2009, the CEO was the lowest paid employee of Citi. The table on the following page provides some compensation data for the past 3 years for the key senior executives of Citi. 3 Change in Value of Deferred All Other Compensation Compenstion ($) ($) 0 0 0 73,047 51,995 49,117 0 0 0 0 14,700 0 3,750 14,700 9,800 14,700 14,700 9,800 14,700 14,700 Executive Member Year Salary ($) 1,671,370 1 125,001 500,000 500,000 416,667 500,000 500,000 500,000 500,000Bonus ($) 5,331,452 0 0 2,200,000 Stock Awards ($) 0 0 0 Option Awards ($) 7,839,581 0 0 Total ($) 14,857,103 1 128,751 7,160,916 4,728,462 5,063,817 12,984,481 9,509,800 11,276,454 11,354,536 0 0 11,446,900 10,116,895 10,400,007 Vikram Pandit CEO John Gerspach CFO John Havens COO Brian Leach Chief Risk Officer Manuel Medina-Mora CEO Latin America 2011 2010 2009 2011 2010 2009 2011 2010 2009 2011 2,333,333 2,039,836 4,166,667 4,583,333 4,750,000 2,719,781 9,000,000 10,327,374 434,380 5,400,000 2,039,836 5,000,000 3,400,000 2011 2010 2009 546,966 546,966 546,966 4,181,214 0 0 3,998,939 2,719,781 7,450,911 0 9,328,010 361,984 2,119,018 163,047 0 0 0 Source: taken from the 2011 Citi Proxy Report While on the surface, multimillion dollar compensation packages may appear egregious, however, for each of the executives above, approximately 50% of the total compensation package is deferred and/or exists under a multiyear vesting provision that is not only tied to tenure at Citi, it is directly tied to the performance of the organization. For 2011, there does appear to be a â€Å"traditional† pay gap between the CEO and the other â€Å"C’s† and I suspect that the gap widens significantly as you move down to the front line workers.By looking at just the total cash (salary and bonus) component of the compensation packages that range from a low of $2. 5 million to a high of $7 million, many people will undoubtedly feel several of the other condemning emotions. But to add a little perspective, for 2011, Citi’s charitable giving was more than 2 times the value of the total (cash and deferred) executive compensation of the individuals above. Also, at a total of $6. 4 billion, the 2011 commitment to climate change initiatives represented over 8% of Citi’s 2011 revenues, and almost 60% of net income.I must admit, besides a little wallet envy, I feel mostly admiration for the work, both social and economic that t he leadership of Citi has done that started in 2005, was derailed during the financial crisis, and has continued over the past few years. Based on this evidence, I would challenge an assertion that the current management is hoarding rewards at the expense of all other stakeholders. When Prince took over leadership of Citi in 2005, his calm, intellectual demeanor was quite the opposite of the â€Å"larger than life† charismatic CEO that preceded him.Since taking over from Prince in 2007, Pandit appears to have followed by example and has demonstrated some remarkable unselfish actions as he navigated Citi through the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Despite the critics of the financial industry, Citi, through sound leadership, ranks well on the triple bottom line accounting metrics that forms the foundation of Corporate Social Responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) One of the biggest criticisms of CSR reporting is that it is simply a public re lations tool designed as window dressing to improve image.After the financial crisis of 2008, no other industry would have as many critics as the financial industry. To provide a little evidence of the integrity of an organization’s CSR claims may help st soothe the critics. Since the early part of the 21 century, Citi has been consistently been a constituent company of the Dow Jones World and North America Sustainability Indexes as well as the FTSE 4Good Index, and in 2011, Citi also became a component of the STOXX Global ESG Leaders indices. It is clear that the CSR activities of Citi are being recognized outside the organization and may have a little more credibility than window dressing.Citi defines its Corporate Social Responsibility framework as Global Citizenship. The three key focus areas of their citizenship efforts are; delivering financial solutions at affordable costs, sustaining the environment 4 and valuing Citi employees. Progress towards these three focus area s are provided as a summary page within the Global Citizenship report, but also as separate publication (attached as Appendix A). There are four key metrics for Financial Inclusion performance indicator. First, they provide charitable contributions (Strategic Giving), which at $121. 9 million for 2011 (1. % of net income), and represents an average annual growth rate of 13% since the end of the financial crisis in 2008. Second, is Small Business Lending, which at almost $8 billion for 2011, has grown by 75% since 2009, and actually surpassed the 2011 goal of $7 billion. nd The third metric is the provision of affordable housing lending, which at $2. 0 billion, places Citi, for the 2 consecutive year, the top affordable housing lender in the US. The final metric under Financial Inclusion is Global Microfinance. In 2011, Citi has provided microloans to almost one million lenders of which 92% of loans where to women.Under sustaining the environment performance indicator, Citi includes metrics for e-communications, clean energy, greenhouse gas emissions and using ESRM screening criteria for financial transactions. As one of the world’s leading credit card companies, Citi’s movement towards paperless statements has, at 29% penetration (2011), doubled since 2008. Under the clean energy metric, in 2007, Citi announced a 10 year, $50 billion commitment to activities directed at mitigating climate change. As of the end of 2011, 5 years in to the program, 73% of the total has been committed.Under the greenhouse gas emissions metric, in 2005, Citi announced a 10 year plan for a 25% reducing in greenhouse gas emissions. As of 2011, there has been a 13. 6% percent reduction since the 2005 baseline. In 2011, the integration of environmental and social factors into the traditional risk management screens for project financing covered over 400 projects globally. Citi appears to have a significant focus on environmental concerns through written policies and state ments as well as real action. Further information on Citi’s position on the environment and their ESRM polices can be found at http://www. itigroup. com/citi/environment/ The final area covered under the report card is the metrics that cover the way Citi values their employees. The key metrics are; training; satisfaction; diversity; and employee volunteering. Citi has a very diverse workforce, and though 61 network groups consisting of 15,000 employee members in 18 locations around the world, Citi encourages employee diversity and support. Employee satisfaction has been increasing since the end of the financial crisis and at 73% satisfaction for 2011; it represents an overall 10% increase since 2009.It is unclear whether the increase in a result of simply happy to have a job in a tough economy, or true job satisfaction, in any event, Citi appears to have a more satisfied workforce. Employee training has seen a remarkable increase since the 2008 financial crises. Training acti vities cover areas such as, leadership, management, product and compliance and since 2008; training hours have increased by over 80% at 38. 4 hours per year per employee. Employees of Citi provided almost 800,000 hours of volunteering activities during 2011, almost 30% growth over 2010.It seems that giving back to the community not only is evidenced by financial metrics but also by the employee’s action. Although Citi’s key performance indicators focus on; Financial Inclusion; Environmental Sustainability; and Valuing our Employees, the Global Citizenship report is quite extensive and can be viewed as a supplement to the Citi Annual Report. In addition to the three key focus areas covered above, the report also covers corporate governance, which is covered in the section that follows, as well as, how Citi serves the customer and maintains sustainable and diverse supply chain relationships.The report outlines both Citi’s achievements as well as the challenges the y face and breaks down Citizenship on a regional basis. In guiding their citizenship activities, Citi uses a stakeholder engagement approach to and list their stakeholders as; Customers; Investors; Employees; Regulators; Suppliers; Community Leaders; Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s); Socially Responsible Investors; Media; and Competitors. The communication channel used for each stakeholder and examples are included as Appendix B.Corporate Governance Corporate Governance has been defined as â€Å"The framework of rules and practices by which a board of directors ensures accountability, fairness, and transparency in a company's relationship with its stakeholders (financiers, customers, management, employees, government, and the community). † (Governance, 2012). As an appendix to the annual proxy statement, Citi provides the Citigroup Inc. Corporate Governance Guidelines. Consistent with the overall corporate mission, the corporate governance mission is†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Citigroup Inc. the â€Å"Company†) aspires to the highest standards of corporate governance and ethical conduct: doing what we say; reporting results with accuracy and transparency; and maintaining full compliance with the laws, rules and regulations that govern the Company’s businesses. † (Citi Governance, 2012). This comprehensive document outlines the guidelines and policies with respect to the responsibilities, term, expected qualifications, and compensation of the Board and the committees thereof.Of notable mention in the governance policy would be the restriction against interlocking directorates, the requirement for personal stock ownership, and the annual review and assessment of board performance conducted by the Nomination, Governance and Public Affairs Committee. 5 One shortfall of the policy would be the lack of any set term for a board member. While there are two schools of thought with respect to fixed term appointments, in my opinion, the advantag e of bringing in fresh ideas with new board members would outweigh any potential loss of knowledge that would exit with an entrenched board member.I believe staggered board appointments with fixed term would be an enhancement to the Citi corporate governance policy. As mentioned in the Ethics and Compliance Codes section above, as a requirement to list on the NYSE, a company is required to have a formal code of ethics. In addition to this requirement, the NYSE also requires a minimum standard for the independence of directors. To meet the regulation, Citi would need a minimum of 9 independent directors. At the end of 2011, 11 of the 13 member board were independent. The two connected members were Pandit, and the Citi Chairman, Michael O’Neill.The remaining board members consist of a diverse group of active and retired business professionals, a philanthropic foundation president, a former state federal reserve bank official, a leader from the investment management community as well as Ivey league academics. Although only 3 of the board members are women, almost 40% of the members are visible minorities which also includes the Chairman and the CEO of Citi. Simply put, the Board of Directors of Citi is comprised of a very comprehensive representation of their stakeholder groups as identified in Appendix B.As of 2011, there are 5 standing committees of the Board: Audit; Risk Management and Finance; Executive; Personnel and Compensation; and Nomination, Governance and Public Affairs. A separate Charter exists for each committee that outlines the mission, duties and requirements regarding independence of the committee members. The Audit and Risk management committee is comprised of all independent directors. O’Neill is the current Chair of the Executive as well as the Personnel and Compensation Committees (non-voting) and he sits as a voting member of theNomination, Governance and Public Affairs Committee. Among other roles, the Nomination, Governance and Public Affairs Committee is responsible for the environmental sustainability and stakeholder engagement activities of Citi. Since 2005, non-employee directors receive $75,000 per year plus a deferred stock award valued at $150,000 on the date of issuance with a 2 year vesting period. With the requirement to own stock of Citi, as well as the deferred vesting of the majority of the compensation they will receive, directors of Citi are incented to act in the best interest of the organization.SEC Investigations As a publicly traded, multinational, diversified financial services organization, incorporated in the U. S. , it should not come as any surprise that in the course of their business dealings, both the organization and the individual staff of Citi will be subject to SEC litigations and investigations on a frequent basis. In fact, a search on the SEC website (http://www. sec. gov/litigation. shtml), and filtering the search parameters to include only â€Å"Litigation† an d â€Å"Regulatory Actions† you will actually find too many to list.In fact, since January 1, 2005, there have been a total of 284 Regulatory Actions and 140 Litigations that has Citi named. It would be quite misleading to state that all litigations listed Citi as the defendant, however from my brief review of some of the search results there appears to be complaints related to the accounting treatment of credit derivatives, fair value misstatements of sub-prime mortgage exposure, many of which listed most of the financial services industry. There was however one interesting investigation made in 2008 that questioned the independence of the Board of Directors.While I can’t comment too much on the ethical leadership of the firm leading up to the financial crisis, evidence such as the highly publicized investigations, along with the involvement in Worldcom and other major financial collapses, certainly cast a shadow on the past activities. However, during the tenure of t he current CEO, as well as his predecessor, the Board of Directors appear to have addressed many of the high level governance ethical shortcomings that were past investigations by the SEC.Conclusion Perhaps the most difficult aspect of conducting a review of an organization is coming to a definitive stance, based on concrete evidence, on the degree of ethical culture that exists inside the organization. Without living inside an organization, how can you state that ethical conduct permeates across all aspects of the firm activities? Operating in an industry that has undoubtedly has the highest level of public cynicism regarding ethical conduct, how could anyone take the stance that any financial services company scores well from any ethical standpoint?Despite this challenge, my impression from this review is that Citi does indeed rank well. Since taking over the firm in 2007, carrying on from Prince’s â€Å"Five Point Ethics Plan†, Pandit, has lead the firm back on firm er financial ground by shedding much of the troubled assets and refocusing the operation more towards a traditional banking model. Despite participating in the TARP and subsequently paying back all funds borrowed, under Pandit’s leadership, Citi has become one of the best capitalized banks in the U.S. He won high 6 praise from public opinion by accepting a total compensation package of $1 for most of 2009 and all of 2010, becoming undoubtedly, the lowest paid employee of Citi. Those types of unselfish acts, despite his personal net worth, should be viewed as a sign of an admirable leadership style. The critics statement that he doesn’t need/deserve the money is, in my opinion, ludicrous and shouldn’t overshadow what is a truly admirable action.An ethical culture starts with an ethical leader posed ready to lead by example and in my opinion, by his example, Mr. Pandit ranks very well. In addition to the profit motive, Citi approaches it business with a demonstrat ed commitment to environmental and social key performance metrics, engaging with all stakeholders, going above and beyond the simple legal requirements and acting as an agent of moral influence with suppliers.Adding to this ethical framework a very committed CEO, a strong board representing stakeholders, and ethics training, it’s hard to argue that the firm lacks a robust ethical framework. It appears as if the vision of Prince continues to be embraced by Pandit and Citi’s current leadership. While it may be a long road ahead in the court of public opinion, Citi appears to be on the right track to shed the degree of cynicism the financial industry has, but like most future outcomes, only time will tell. 7 References

Coulumbs Law Lab Report Essays

Coulumbs Law Lab Report Essays Coulumbs Law Lab Report Paper Coulumbs Law Lab Report Paper This relationship is described by the following equation: Equation 1: In this equation, and are the charges on point charges 1 and 2 and r is the distance between the two charges. The direction of the force in this special case is always along a straight line drawn between the two charges. Additionally, it is important to note that charge is conserved; it can be moved but cannot be created or destroyed. Specifically, in this lab, we will move the charges around to setup a test of Coulombs law on a simple electroscope. As mentioned above, he experiment will be split into two parts, first measuring the force as a function of distance and then we will look at how the magnitude and sign of the charges affects the force. Lastly, we will use Equation 1 above to determine the amount of charge (in Coulombs) that we can generate with static electricity. 3. Experimental Setup The apparatus used in this experiment included: an electroscope chamber with suspended sphere and top cover, 2 guide blocks with spheres, cotton and wool squares, plastic rods, and a white vinyl strip. It is crudely drawn below. Figure 1 Electroscope Setup 4. Reoccurred Part 1 Charging a Sphere 1. Began by removing the right side guide block and setting it aside. 2. Inductively charged the sphere attached to the left side guide block by doing the following: a. Rubbed the wool square on the vinyl strip to transfer charge to the strip b. Brought the sphere on the guide block near to the charged strip but do not touch them together. Wi th the sphere close to the strip, I touched the sphere with my finger and then removed my finger. C. After the finger was removed from the sphere, I pulled the sphere away from the charged strip. The sphere on the guide block was then charged. Recharged the sphere again for the next part 4. Slowly slid the guide block with the charged sphere into the left side of the chamber and carefully observed the two spheres as they approached each other and just before they touch. Recorded observations. Part 2 Dependence of Force on Distance 1 . Now we wanted to add charge to the suspended sphere by charging our guide block sphere as before and then sliding it into the chamber until the two spheres touch. 2. When the two spheres touch, the charge becomes equally distributed among them. We repeated this charge transfer and kept increasing the charge n the suspended sphere. Repeated this charging process until we had sufficient repulsive force to cause a separation of at least 1 CM to 2 CM. 3. Measured the displacement of the suspended sphere from equilibrium d for several different separation distances r. Took 5 different data points spread out over as wide a range as possible. Part 3 Dependence of Force on Charge 1 . Recharge the spheres, and after the two spheres have shared their charge, position the left guide block sphere such that you have a large displacement. Record the separation of the two charges r and the distance d. This is the first ATA point 2. Reduced the charge on the left guide sphere by half. To do this, grab the unused right guide block sphere and ground it using your finger, then remove your finger and touch the two spheres together. They now each have half the initial charge. 3. Now reposition the left guide guide block sphere to the previous value of r and record the new value of d. 4. Repeat this process two more times with 1/4 and 1/8 the original charge. 5. Experimental Results Part 2 Fee Calculation: Graph 1 Force vs Sphere Separation Graph 2- Force vs 1/raw Graph 3 Log of Force vs Log of 1/raw Part 3 Graph 4- Fee/Of vs Q/q Charge calculation 6. Questions part 1. A. What would happen if in step 2-c, you remove the charged strip from the vicinity of the sphere before your remove your finger from the sphere? B. What we have just done is charging by induction. In your own words describe what is happening in panels a through e in figure 2. C. The gray spheres are Styrofoam with a conductive coating. Why do we need the spheres to be conducting? D. Does the suspended force experience a force? Can you explain why the suspended sphere would experience a force even though it has no net charge? Doesnt this contradict Coulombs Law which says that you need two charged objects to have a force? E. Notice in the left panel of figure 3 that the size of the spheres is important the unlike charges are much closer to the charged sphere than the like charges. What is the consequence of this? Part 2- a. Plot a graph of the force as a function of the separation of the two spheres. Comment on the general trend of the data: does it look as you would expect? Why or why not? B. Is the graph linear? What would a linear dependence between Fix and 1/raw tell you? What does the slope of this plot represent physically?

Dichotomies in Toni Morrisons Recitatif

Dichotomies in Toni Morrisons Recitatif The short story, Recitatif, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison appeared in 1983 in Confirmation: An Anthology of African American Women. It is Morrisons only published short story, though excerpts of her novels have sometimes been published as stand-alone pieces in magazines. For instance, Sweetness, was excerpted from her 2015 novel God Help the Child. The two main characters of the story, Twyla, and Roberta, come from different races. One is black, the other white. Morrison allows us to see the intermittent conflicts between them, from the time theyre children to the time theyre adults. Some of those conflicts seem to be influenced by their racial differences, but interestingly, Morrison never identifies which girl is black and which is white. It can be tempting, at first, to read this story as a sort of brain teaser challenging us to determine the secret of each girls race. But to do so is to miss the point and to reduce a complex and powerful story into nothing more than a gimmick. Because if we dont know each characters race, were forced to consider other sources of the conflict between the characters, including, for example, socioeconomic differences and each girls lack of familial support. And to the extent that the conflicts do seem to involve race, they raise questions about how people perceive differences rather than suggesting anything intrinsic about one race or another. A Whole Other Race When she first arrives at the shelter, Twyla is disturbed by being moving to a strange place, but she is more disturbed by being placed with a girl from a whole other race. Her mother has taught her racist ideas, and those ideas seem to loom larger for her than the more serious aspects of her abandonment. But she and Roberta, it turns out, has a lot in common. Neither does well in school. They respect each others privacy and dont pry. Unlike the other state kids in the shelter, they dont have beautiful dead parents in the sky. Instead, theyve been dumped Twyla because her mother dances all night and Roberta because her mother is sick. Because of this, they are ostracized by all the other children, regardless of race. Other Sources of Conflict When Twyla sees that her roommate is from a whole other race, she says, My mother wouldnt like you putting me in here. So when Robertas mother refuses to meet Twylas mother, its easy to imagine her reaction as a comment on race as well. But Robertas mother is wearing a cross and carrying a Bible. Twylas mother, in contrast, is wearing tight slacks and an old fur jacket. Robertas mother might very well recognize her as a woman who dances all night. Roberta hates the shelter food, and when we see the generous lunch her mother packs, we can imagine that shes accustomed to better food at home. Twyla, on the other hand, loves the shelter food because her mothers idea of supper was popcorn and a can of Yoo-Hoo. Her mother packs no lunch at all, so they eat jellybeans from Twylas basket. So, while the two mothers may differ in their racial background, we can also conclude that they differ in their religious values, their morals, and their philosophy on parenting. Struggling with an illness, Robertas mother may be particularly appalled that Twylas healthy mother would squander a chance to take care of her daughter. All of these differences are perhaps more salient because Morrison refuses to give the reader any certainty regarding race. As young adults, when Robert and Twyla encounter each other at the Howard Johnsons, Roberta is glamorous in her skimpy make-up, big earrings, and heavy make-up that makes the big girls look like nuns. Twyla, on the other hand, is the opposite in her opaque stockings and shapeless hairnet. Years later, Roberta tries to excuse her behavior by blaming it on race. Oh, Twyla, she says, you know how it was in those days: black-white. You know how everything was. But Twyla remembers blacks and whites mixing freely at the Howard Johnsons during that time period. The real conflict with Roberta seems to come from the contrast between a small-town country waitress and a free spirit on her way to see Hendrix and determined to appear sophisticated. Finally, the gentrification of Newburgh highlights the characters class conflict. Their meeting comes in a new grocery store designed to capitalize on the recent influx of wealthy residents. Twyla is shopping there just to see, but Roberta is clearly part of the stores intended demographic. No Clear Black and White When racial strife comes to Newburgh over proposed bussing, it drives the biggest wedge yet between Twyla and Roberta. Roberta watches, immovable, as the protestors rock Twylas car. Gone are the old days, when Roberta and Twyla would reach for each other, pull each other up, and defend each other from the gar girls in the orchard. But the personal and the political become hopelessly entwined when Twyla insists on making protest posters that depend entirely on Robertas. AND SO DO CHILDREN, she writes, which makes sense only in light of Robertas sign, MOTHERS HAVE RIGHTS TOO! Finally, Twylas protests become painfully cruel and directed solely at Roberta. IS YOUR MOTHER WELL? her sign asks one day. Its a terrible jab at a state kid whose mother never recovered from her illness. Yet its also a reminder of the way Roberta snubbed Twyla at the Howard Johnsons, where Twyla inquired sincerely about Robertas mother, and Roberta cavalierly lied that her mother was fine. Was desegregation about race? Well, obviously. And is this story about race? Id say yes. But with the racial identifiers purposely indeterminate, readers have to reject Robertas oversimplified excuse that thats how everything was and dig a little deeper to the causes of conflict.

A Profile in Composition

A Profile in Composition A profile is a  biographical essay, usually developed through a combination of anecdote, interview, incident, and description. James McGuinness, a staff member at  The New Yorker  magazine in the 1920s, suggested the term profile (from the Latin, to draw a line) to the magazines editor, Harold Ross. By the time the magazine got around to copyrighting the term, says David Remnick, it had entered the language of American journalism (Life Stories, 2000). Observations on Profiles A Profile is a short exercise in biographya tight form in which interview, anecdote, observation, description, and analysis are brought to bear on the public and private self. The literary pedigree of the profile can be traced from Plutarch to Dr. Johnson to Strachey; its popular modern reinvention is owed to The New Yorker, which set up shop in 1925 and which encouraged its reporters to get beyond ballyhoo to something more probing and ironic. Since then, with the wacky proliferation of media, the genre has been debased; even the word itself has been hijacked for all kinds of shallow and intrusive journalistic endeavors.(John Lahr, Show and Tell: New Yorker Profiles. University of California Press, 2002)In 1925, when [Harold] Ross launched the magazine he liked to call his comic weekly [The New Yorker], he wanted something differentsomething sidelong and ironical, a form that prized intimacy and wit over biographical completeness or, God forbid, unabashed hero worship.  Ross told his writers and editors that, above all, he wanted to get away from what he was reading in other magazinesall the Horatio Alger stuff. . . .The New Yorker Profile has expanded in many ways since Rosss time. What had been conceived of as a form to describe Manhattan personalities now travels widely in the world and all along the emotional and occupational registers. . . . One quality that runs through nearly all the best Profiles . . . is a sense of obsession. So many of these pieces are about people who reveal an obsession with one corner of human experience or another.  Richard Prestons Chudnovsky brothers  are obsessed with the number pi and finding the pattern in randomness; Calvin Trillins Edna Buchanan is an obsessive crime reporter in Miami who visits the scenes of disaster four, five times a day; . . . Mark Singers Ricky Jay is obsessed with magic and the history of magic. In every great Profile, too, the writer is equally obsessed. Its often the case that a writer will t ake months, even years, to get to know a subject and bring him or her to life in prose.(David Remnick, Life Stories: Profiles From The New Yorker. Random House, 2000) The Parts of a Profile One major reason writers create profiles is to let others know more about the people who are important to them or who shape the world in which we live. . . . [T]he introduction  to a profile needs to show readers that the subject is someone they need to know more aboutright now. . . . Writers also use the introduction of a profile to highlight some key feature of the subjects personality, character, or values . . ..The body of a profile . . . includes descriptive details that help readers visualize the subjects actions and hear the subjects words. . . .Writers also use the body of a profile to provide logical appeals in the form of numerous examples that show that the subject is indeed making a difference in the community. . . .Finally, the conclusion of a profile often contains one final quote or anecdote that nicely captures the essence of the individual.(Cheryl Glenn,  The Harbrace Guide to Writing, concise 2nd ed. Wadsworth, Cengage, 201) Expanding the Metaphor In the classic Profile under [St. Clair] McKelway, the edges were smoothed out, and all effectsthe comic, the startling, the interesting, and occasionally, the poignantwere achieved by the choreography, in characteristically longer and longer (but never rambling) paragraphs filled with declarative sentences, of the extraordinary number of facts the writer had collected. The Profile metaphor, with its implicit acknowledgment of limited perspective, was no longer appropriate. Instead, it was as if the writer were continually circling around the subject, taking snapshots all the way, until finally emerging with a three-dimensional hologram.(Ben Yagoda, The New Yorker and the World It Made. Scribner, 2000)

FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS, METHODS, & MODES IN THE HUMANITIES Essay - 3

FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS, METHODS, & MODES IN THE HUMANITIES - Essay Example Impressionist works include fairly small, slender, yet clear brush strokes, clear composition, stress on precise depiction of light in its varying qualities (frequently stressing the impacts of the passage of time), usual themes, insertion of movement as a vital factor of human insight and experience, as well as unusual visual angles. Post-Impressionism, on the other hand, describes the evolvement of French art after Manet. The movement extended impressionism whereas declining its limitations: they still maintained vivid colors, frequently thick use of paint and real-life theme or subject matter (Halsall, 2005). However, they were more prone to highlight geometric forms, bend form for a rich and open effect, and use arbitrary or unnatural color (Gowing, 2005). This paper will offer a wide-ranging assessment of these two art movements (impressionism and post-impressionism) by describing the characteristics of the two styles and social conditions that may have contributed to the advent of the style, the relationship between the periods, stylistic and historical similarities or differences between the periods, compare one specific work from the earlier period with one specific work from the later period and finally explain the stylistic influence that the later art period had on the future art world. Some of the vital traits of impressionism include clear brush strokes, day lighting, clear lines and less deep colors. Impressionist artists applied large and visible brush strokes to assist in portraying an abstract mood (Gowing, 2005). They developed diverse textures, both physically and visually, with different colors put together. Impressionist painters dedicated their entire works to a single object seen during diverse times of the day. The lines from this movement were normally subtle and blurry (Gowing, 2005). Finally, the colors from this movement were imaginary, though not essentially romanticized. Impressionism was the launch of a

Building Cost Estimation and Calculation of Construction Profit Essay

Building Cost Estimation and Calculation of Construction Profit - Essay Example Item rate contracts Sources of profit specific to item rate contracts: 1. Profit as a percentage of each executed item from tender. Contractors try to reduce low-margin items and increase high-margin items. 2. Profit from sub-contractors. 3. Profit from administrative reimbursable expenses borne by client. 4. Profit from delays caused due to client, or design changes. Cost plus fee or Cost plus percentage contracts Sources of profit in cost plus fee contracts: 1. Profit as a percentage of expenditure. Higher the project cost, higher the profit. 2. Profit from efficient material purchase. Material is bought low and contractor's fee is calculated as a percentage of a higher material cost. Profit from material and from administrative charges. Not possible if material bought by client. Labour contracts 1. Profit from labour. 2. Profit from administration, site office and other reimbursable expenses. Design-Build Contracts. Sources of profit in Design-build contracts: 1. Profit on design services. 2. Ability to maximise profit through influencing the design process. 3. Reduction in costs through better coordination and streamlining of execution. 4. Control of costs through easy and efficient tracking of changes and adaptability to change. PFI (Private Finance Initiative) or BOT (Build Operate Transfer) contracts: The only way for contractors executing such projects it to maximise revenue by operating the project for a specified period of time that is deemed to be sufficient for the contractor to recoup expenses and a reasonable profit. Such contracts are given for large public projects like roads or power plants. In conclusion, a contractor has two avenues of maximizing profit from a project; direct and indirect methods. Direct methods are...Material is bought low and contractor's fee is calculated as a percentage of a higher material cost. Profit from material and from administrative charges. Not possible if material bought by client. The only way for contractors executing such projects it to maximise revenue by operating the project for a specified period of time that is deemed to be sufficient for the contractor to recoup expenses and a reasonable profit. Such contracts are given for large public projects like roads or power plants. In conclusion, a contractor has two avenues of maximizing profit from a project; direct and indirect methods. Direct methods are those that are built into the contract, and indirect are those profits that accrue due to an efficient and well managed project team.

Macroeconomic Theory ECON302 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macroeconomic Theory ECON302 - Essay Example The effects of government intervention, primarily in the form of fiscal policy, works towards stabilizing the business cycle, through government spending (G) or flat rate tax (t). This helps to avert the effect of either recession or inflation. According to The Keynesian Income Model, the effect of government spending (G), is to stimulate economic activities through increasing the money available in circulation, which enhances the purchase of goods offered by businesses and thus uplifts the business cycle from recession back to boom (Salant, 69). On the other hand, the effect of a flat rate tax (t) is to reduce the rate of inflation, through the government reducing the money that is in circulation. This serves to reduce the prices charged for goods, since there is not much money circulating in the economy. The marginal propensity to import (f) is yet another factor that can play a role in correcting the imbalance on the business cycle. While there is much income within an income, an increased marginal propensity to import takes away income from the domestic economy to a different country, thus reducing the income. Alternatively, where there is low monetary circulation within an economy, a reduced propensity to import will serve to reduce e the money moved out of the economy, and thus increases the money circulating domestically (Carbaugh, 204). Question 2 The concept of short analysis refers to the economic aspect of analyzing the likely outcome of the production decisions by a firm in the near future, with the intention of explaining the likely future firm supply and its implications (Salant, 63). This analysis is pitched fundamentally on the law of diminishing marginal returns, where a firm experiences a decrease in marginal returns, on the event that variable inputs are added in larger amounts to a fixed variable (Carbaugh, 144). In this case, a short run analysis can take the form of assessing the impact of adding large amounts of variable inputs such as la bor, which can be added to a fixed variable such as capital. The effect is that the productivity of that firm will continue increasing as the quantity of labor is increased, until after a certain level of productivity, when any additional unit of labor to the fixed capital will result to corresponding reduced production units (Carbaugh, 236). The effect of expansionary fiscal and monetary policy is to increase the money that is circulating in the economy. Thus, the Impact of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policy in the SR under a closed economy is to lower the interest rates, increase the money supply and thus increase the quantity of goods and services demanded at a given price (Salant, 79). Question 3: The relationship between Balance of payments (BOP) and the foreign exchange markets There exists a relationship between the Balance of payments (BOP) and the foreign exchange markets in that; it is the foreign exchange rates that affect the prices at which a country trades its commodities (Carbaugh, 491). The Balance of payments accounts for the transactions that are made between a country and the rest of the world. The exports that a country makes to the rest of the world form the credit of the BOP, since they increase the mone

Summary of How diversity works Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of How diversity works - Essay Example It has been shown to be crucial in enhancing creativity. It also gives rise to more information and perspectives and hence proper decision making and solution to the problems. Likewise, diversity has been shown to help one change ways of thinking. There are various ways in which diversity is linked to information and innovation. This is seen as different people are brought together. Such people bring different things like information, ideas, and perspectives. It is noted that people differing in terms of issues such as race and gender when brought together bring with them unique information and knowledge. The attributes help in solving a task at hand or easy achievement of the goal. The diversity of gender and racial has been shown through research to enhance innovation and a hence boost of various organizations. Secondly, diversity is shown to have an effect on studies and education. Concern for diversity in this area has been based on productivity and equity. As it exists, gender and culture is said to have a significant influence on science. The influence is seen on what one chooses to study. For example, the male and females may choose to take a different direction of a particular study to generate results that are favorable to their view. Culture, on the other hand, may take a different approach to particular study. The result is good as it led to the development of different insight in a particular field of study. Thirdly, diversity has been shown to lead to an exchange of a wider range of information. Social diversity is said to increased difference in perspective. Members that are less diverse are more likely to agree as compared to socially diverse people. The disagreement in diverse people makes members work hard both cognitively and socially to build a consensus at ease. Such level of concentration has shown to lead to better results. Diversity is also seen in the field of science. Opening science to public participation has led

Strain Gauges Experiment Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strain Gauges Experiment - Lab Report Example Wheatstone bridge and amplifier method It must be noted at first that the 3rd method is a recommended on and no actual experiments have been done on it. It has nevertheless been included here because a combination of the Wheatstone bridge and an amplifier is a very efficient method for measuring voltages as the amplifier maximizes it and makes measurement easier. Also occurrence of electrical noise and fluctuations in instrument resolutions can be better revealed by it.Theory & Apparatus In this section of the report the justifications for the three measurement methods as well as circuit diagrams of the three measurement apparatus are provided. Basic current and voltage measurement method: The experimental rig shown in Figure 1 has a cantilever beam with a pair of 120 strain gauges attached one on the upper and one on the lower beam surfaces. The strain-setting device is a bolt with a metric thread. The strain produced at the surface of a deflected cantilever beam varies along its length. Close to the gripping point (where the strain gauges are mounted) it has a maximum value of: (Eq.1) where: - deflection of the end of the beam (max of 45 mm), d - beam thickness (0.8mm in the rig) and L - beam length (250 mm in the rig). Figure 1: The experimental rig. Wheatstone bridge measurement method: The purpose of this experiment is to improve the results obtained in experiment 1 by the previous measurement method by using a Wheatstone bridge (Figure 2) that comprises of four nominally identical 120 strain gauges. Figure 2: Wheatstone bridge Ideally, if the bridge resistors are identical no voltage will be registered at the meter but this is not...It is envisaged that this would be the most efficient method of all. It must be noted at first that the 3rd method is a recommended on and no actual experiments have been done on it. It has nevertheless been included here because a combination of the Wheatstone bridge and an amplifier is a very efficient method for measuring voltages as the amplifier maximizes it and makes measurement easier. Also occurrence of electrical noise and fluctuations in instrument resolutions can be better revealed by it. The experimental rig shown in Figure 1 has a cantilever beam with a pair of 120 strain gauges attached one on the upper and one on the lower beam surfaces. The strain-setting device is a bolt with a metric thread. The purpose of this experiment is to improve the results obtained in experiment 1 by the previous measurement method by using a Wheatstone bridge (Figure 2) that comprises of four nominally identical 120 strain gauges. Ideally, if the bridge resistors are identical no voltage will be registered at the meter but this is not so practically and a small voltage of about 2 mV is detectable. This is because the resistors are not exactly identical. The amplifier needs to be able to amplify differential signals of up to about 3mV and produce an output in the range of about 1V to 5V.

Criminal Justice and the Crime Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal Justice and the Crime Problem - Essay Example For instance, there may be higher numbers of tourist during the summer season and chances are that crime will escalate at that time. Additionally, rural records may experience higher cases of crime given the fact that planting seasons attract high numbers of workers. It is also very likely to find higher reports of crime during the summer season rather than any other season. One explanation for this is the fact that townships normally have higher alcoholic drinkers in the summer than in the winter. These and many other factors explain the variance in crime patterns recorded over time. (Field, 1990) Economic factors are quite crucial in the process of analyzing crime patterns. This is because persons who feel the pinch of an economic downturn are the marginalized individuals. They are the ones who react sharply to these changes by committing crimes. For example, research has shown that when the economy recedes, consumption patterns are also adversely affected. When the economy is doing well, people's consumption tendencies increase. (Hirsh & Goldthorpe, 1978) Consequently, potential criminals also increase consumption patterns because they have the ability to meet their needs. On the other hand, when consumption tendencies reduce, then higher there will be higher cases of crime; this is especially in relation to property crimes. The reason for this is that the economically marginalized need to meet their expenses but economic pressures may deter them from doing this. Consequently, they end up choosing illegal methods of acquiring property. (Field, 1999) Additionally, one must not ignore the link between crime and the availability of goods. Some research in this area shows that there is a link between crime and stock available. The two factors re directly affected in that when stores record high amounts of stock, then crime prevalence also increase. Home Office (1999) came up with a direct relationship between these two issues. They asserted the ratio of burglaries/theft to increases in stock is 2:1. This means that whenever stock levels increase by on percent, crime prevalence increases by double this amount. Burglaries and theft can also be associated with gender. Surveys conducted by the Home Office (1999) indicate that crime prevalence tends to increase when the number of males increases. This is especially so when these youth belong to the masculine gender. Their statistics show that when males older than fifteen and younger than twenty increase by one percent, then crime prevalence in the region increases by a similar percentage. However, some criminologists have argued that the converse is also true. When there is a rose in the number of older people within any one region, then chances are that there will be greater levels of crime again. This is because an older generation is quite venerable to attack and they provide fertile grounds for crime victimization. Social factors that effect crime It is important to note that the most important features here include; Technology Lifestyles Popular culture Society's drug patterns are constantly changing. In the past psychologists used the drug popularly called ecstasy during marriage counselling. However, society has changed all these. Young people now take the drug as a form of recreation. One can make the same assumption about the drug Viagra. This means that many young people no

Strain Gauges Experiment Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strain Gauges Experiment - Lab Report Example Wheatstone bridge and amplifier method It must be noted at first that the 3rd method is a recommended on and no actual experiments have been done on it. It has nevertheless been included here because a combination of the Wheatstone bridge and an amplifier is a very efficient method for measuring voltages as the amplifier maximizes it and makes measurement easier. Also occurrence of electrical noise and fluctuations in instrument resolutions can be better revealed by it.Theory & Apparatus In this section of the report the justifications for the three measurement methods as well as circuit diagrams of the three measurement apparatus are provided. Basic current and voltage measurement method: The experimental rig shown in Figure 1 has a cantilever beam with a pair of 120 strain gauges attached one on the upper and one on the lower beam surfaces. The strain-setting device is a bolt with a metric thread. The strain produced at the surface of a deflected cantilever beam varies along its length. Close to the gripping point (where the strain gauges are mounted) it has a maximum value of: (Eq.1) where: - deflection of the end of the beam (max of 45 mm), d - beam thickness (0.8mm in the rig) and L - beam length (250 mm in the rig). Figure 1: The experimental rig. Wheatstone bridge measurement method: The purpose of this experiment is to improve the results obtained in experiment 1 by the previous measurement method by using a Wheatstone bridge (Figure 2) that comprises of four nominally identical 120 strain gauges. Figure 2: Wheatstone bridge Ideally, if the bridge resistors are identical no voltage will be registered at the meter but this is not...It is envisaged that this would be the most efficient method of all. It must be noted at first that the 3rd method is a recommended on and no actual experiments have been done on it. It has nevertheless been included here because a combination of the Wheatstone bridge and an amplifier is a very efficient method for measuring voltages as the amplifier maximizes it and makes measurement easier. Also occurrence of electrical noise and fluctuations in instrument resolutions can be better revealed by it. The experimental rig shown in Figure 1 has a cantilever beam with a pair of 120 strain gauges attached one on the upper and one on the lower beam surfaces. The strain-setting device is a bolt with a metric thread. The purpose of this experiment is to improve the results obtained in experiment 1 by the previous measurement method by using a Wheatstone bridge (Figure 2) that comprises of four nominally identical 120 strain gauges. Ideally, if the bridge resistors are identical no voltage will be registered at the meter but this is not so practically and a small voltage of about 2 mV is detectable. This is because the resistors are not exactly identical. The amplifier needs to be able to amplify differential signals of up to about 3mV and produce an output in the range of about 1V to 5V.

Computational modeling of cerebellar model articulation controller Dissertation

Computational modeling of cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC) and it's application - Dissertation Example It will address simulations of the cerebellum and neural networks to accomplish biped robot leg and control leg swing in environments with obstacles, in multi output, non-linear systems. According to Miller, Glanz, & Kraft, the cerebellar mode articulation controller (CMAC) can serve as a substitute method to back propagation (Miller, Glanz, & Kraft, 1990). The method includes a footstep planning strategy that is based on the Q-learning concept for biped robot control in dynamical environments. The effectiveness of major problem solving methods in control robot technology research is also of central focus. Predictable and unpredictable dynamic obstacles encountered in the system, such as memory usage, are discussed and a strategy to overcome these obstacles is presented. The empirical analysis includes identification of likely Cerebellum Model Articulation Controller (CMAC) problems in specific environments, inputs and outputs, and viable solutions. The aim of this research is to pre sent a HCAQ-CMAC model that provides memory size and footstep planning solutions for the biped robot in a dynamic environment. Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...2 ABSTRACT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦....3 Contents†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.4 List of Figures†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦6 List of Tables†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦..9 Chapter 1 Overview†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..10 SECTION 1.1 Timeline of development†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦10 Section 1.2 The cerebellum†¦...12 subsection 1.2.1 INPUTS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ .14 subsection 1.2.2 OUTPUTS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.14 subsection 1.2.3 CEREBELLAR CORTEX†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.15 CHAPTER 2 Brain Computer Interface (BCI) INPUT AND OUTPUT†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...16 Section 2.1 Neural Networks †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦19 Section 2.2 Q-Learning AND FUZZY CMAC†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.22 Chapter 3 theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦. 28 Section 3.1 The cerebellar mode articulation controller (CMAC)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 28 Section 3.2 CMAC Hierarchically Clustered Adaptive Quantization†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.34 subsection 3.2.1 Mossy Fibers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.36 Section 3.3 CMAC for design of Biped Robot†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 38 subsection 3.3.2 heuristics†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦40 CHAPTER 4 fOOTSEP pLANNING; fUZZY q†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦44 section 4.1 Control Strategy for obstacle Avoidance †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦

On Distance Learning Essay Example for Free

On Distance Learning Essay Distance education represents a way of teaching with geographically dispersed individuals and groups. Moore related that as early as 1978, regular mail service was used to aid distance education, but the advent of the internet brought new and exceptional dimensions to the world of distance education (10). It offered access to geographically and physically separated individuals to courses and instruction in a more interactive manner through increased education, interactivity among participants, and incorporation of collaborative pedagogical models. But even with the increasing number of courses and degrees delivered entirely online, and the number of supporters this type of education has gained, many still express opposition to it as against the traditional classroom education. Former college teacher James Barszcz’s is one well-known critic of distance education. He strongly asserts in his essay that distance learning cannot fulfill the true purpose of education. The diffusion of the Internet worldwide has literally changed the traditional structure of the school, and, as it can be noticed from the previous examples, it is doing in many different ways that are more and more interesting. It must not be forgotten, of course, that parents keep on worrying about the fact their children’s opinions are circulating all over the world and that this could mean danger and repression for them. These anxieties, however, cannot erase the advantages coming from the introduction of this new technology into the educational are, most importantly, of bringing education to everyone. But what is the true purpose of education, really? In its most basic sense, I strongly believe that the essence of education is to instill in an individual the capability to make out at the world for oneself, to generate one’s own choices, to declare what is black or what is white. In whatever manner this education may come from, it is still learning and discovering about new things that help shape a person into what he is. Distance learning has brought a remarkable means of delivering this education to students in rural or remote areas, so that they make take advantage of continuing learning and give them the ability to schedule learning at times convenient to them. Not only that, a great number of distance education programs cater to the requirements of a lot of diverse people of all ages, sexes, occupations, learning backgrounds and health conditions. Granted that personal contact which is very important in effective education is missing with this kind of education, but as is the situation with all new technologies, there are negative and positive aspects to distance learning. Many instructors, as well as students of distance education miss this. Distance learning can admittedly be lonely sometimes. There is always a price to pay, whether it be big or small. Although this is the case, steps could be done to assuage this drawback. Encouraging students to share something about themselves is one activity that can at least give all participants the feeling that they know something about their colleague and the professor. Additionally, many courses are well supported and, for students who are unable to attend residential events, there are usually opportunities for students to participate in online discussion groups, clubs and societies. It would be noteworthy to point out that for distance learning to be effective, a conducive learning environment needs to be created and maintained. Considerable thought and effort should go into the criteria required for setting-up learning centers and how these criteria would be put into practice and monitored. If this would be followed, distance education, with an extensive record of providing learning to out-of-the-way and distant learners, will become the effective, mainstream method of education and training that advocates claim it to be. In a world where continuous learning is a must, distance education has paved the way for everyone to have access to the educational system without having to physically go to school. Discipline is needed, of course, but it is one value that even traditional schooling teaches students to have. In the end, distance education can only provide a win-win situation for everyone involved in it.

Family Values and The Status of The Traditional American Family Essay

When one thinks of the term family values, many different ideas can come to mind. Morals, religion, beliefs, tradition, expectation, controversy, and misuse are some things that may come to mind when the term â€Å"family values† is mentioned. The true definition and meaning of family values can most likely never be directly pinpointed, but it is always going to be a known fact that family values are always going to have different meanings to different people. It is the common misunderstanding that family values are just simply the things that shape a growing persons values and morals. From a the beginning of a child’s life, they are instilled with values to go by in the life that lies ahead of them by either their own family or the people that are going to be in charge of raising them. A child is corrected on the mistakes that they make, and taught what is right and wrong. Following this tough process of teaching a child what is right and wrong, moreover how to tell the difference on there own. Family values are not necessarily always taught within the limits of the family. For those families that hold strong religious beliefs, values can also be taught in church through lectures, Sunday school, and other religious gatherings. In this situation, it is usually told to the child that the values learned in church are directly related to the values taught and practiced within the family and that the two should both be taken with the same token and used the same in real-world situations. It is always a true test of the strength of an individual’s values when situations are presented to them that go against their values but also seem like a good idea at the time. It is then that a person has to make a decision to either d... ...mily. For example, families could drop their young off at Sunday school every week expecting them to absorb proper values from people that may not even be that familiar. Media such as movies and television can also be overly relied on to teach good values and morals to young. Parents will sometimes stick their children in front of what they consider an â€Å"educational† program and expect that they will be instilled with positive traits which they themselves may not even possess. Family values are definitely things commonly misunderstood by American culture today. The true definition of family values are the morals passed through generations of a particular family that are considered to be correct. The true meaning of the term may differ from family to family but the root idea is always going to be the same: family values are the things that make us who we are.

Ideal Family: Defining the Ideal Family Throughout American History Es

The ideal American family was transformed in the 19th century in large part due to the great changes taking place in the American society. Many family groups fit this changing mold while some did not. In this essay I will show how this concept of the ideal American family changed. I will also try to explain which groups of Americans followed this concept and why. The end of the 18th century was a turbulent time in American history. The country had just won its independence from Great Britain and was attempting to find an identity for itself. Up to this point families in America were similar to British families. The father was the head of the household, but lived in harmony with his wife. The children were seen as part of the family’s labor force, helping to produce food and supplies for the family. The church ruled the family as much as colonial law in the late 18th. A change in the general economy paved the way for the emergence of a new type of family. The market economy arose in the 1800’s in America. Goods were no longer being produced solely for family consumption. The families of this period were producing goods in excess to sell at markets. Goods able to be purchased at a market as well as the slave trade in the south helped to lessen the amount of household production for the average American family. With a market economy now in place in America, the door was open for the factory system and industrialization. This factory system created two main types of families in America: Middle Class and Working Class. Middle class families were better off economically than their working class counterparts. In these families men worked in jobs considered to be middle class white-collar occupations. Women were therefore staying home and surviving on the man’s salary. With these middle class women staying home along with the smaller amounts of household production, a new type of labor arises. Women in this early 19th century time period become more and more involved in child rearing. The household work for these middle class women is task-oriented and unwaged. This makes them more and more dependent on their husband’s salary and more responsible for the children who were also out of the labor force. Working class families were different in some ways from middle class families. Often in a marriage, the man’s wages were not enough... ...y are allowed to do. Although the Irish were oppressed in this country I feel that they were proud to be Irish. Possibly more so in relation to the surrounding social order. The two cultures, Irish and Protestant, held such different ideals that I believe that the Irish were as proud to be who they were as the Protestants were sure of the virtue of their own ways. The idea of an ideal American family seems ridiculous today. Two hundred years ago many Americans may not have thought twice about the idea that there was a correct form that a family should follow. In the 19th century our country was young and was one of a few to have to come up with its own national identity in such a short period of time. In hindsight and with a bit of anachronism one could say that America dealt with its immigrant population with a great deal of hypocrisy. Instead of being a haven for immigrants America was almost a factory, attempting to take in different people and create a melting pot in which everything becomes alike. Every ingredient eventually loses its uniqueness. Bibliography: christine stansell "women children and the uses of the streets" Femenists studies 8 (sep.82)