Primary Education Essay

The Government of India in 2001 launched the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), a nationwide programme to provide universal primary education, thereby encouraging secondary education also. The Center passed The Right to Education Act in 1 April 2010, which guarantees free and compulsory education to every child in the 6-14 age groups. But, the lack of awareness on the requirement of pre-school education & operational challenges including the availability of quality teachers are some of the issues that still limit the widespread benefits from the government act. Though the number of institutes has gone up significantly since then, but most of them provide an average education. Many state-funded schools in India lack even the basic infrastructure. In fact the quality of education, especially in remote villages, is very dismal. The quality of teaching in elementary schools is not up to the mark. Teacher absenteeism is widespread, teachers are not adequately trained and the quality of pedagogy is poor. One of the major challenges is the diminishing inclination of youth towards the teaching profession. The low salary base, lack of incentives and a lethargic job with less of dynamism have made the profession a last resort for the youth. Also, the profession has lost the level of respect that it deserved. Nowadays, it is only been seen as a supplementary income, and they keep trying to enhance their qualification, till they get into a better job. While there is immense shortage of primary and upper primary schools, there are some schools in many parts of the district where a single teacher is taking all classes from 1-5. As per RTE Act norms, the ratio of teacher and students should be 1:30 in primary schools and 1: 35 in upper primary schools. But, past 2 years since the enactment of the RTE act, there is a shortage of 1. 2 million teachers in India. This gap has led to lack of interest in the students too, which led to decline in the enrolment and also shift towards tuitions. Key national highlights by ASER report 2009 * The percentage of all rural children in Std 5 reading text at Std 2 level shows a decline from 56. 2 percent in 2008 to 52. 8 percent in 2009. This means around 40% of all rural children in Std 5 in India are at least three grade levels behind based on their level of learning * In math, for children in Std 5, the ability to do division problems has hardly increased. From 2007-09, for children in government schools the ability has actually declined from 41 percent to 36% * In Government Schools, 17. 1 percent students take private tuitions, and it rises to 30. 8 percent by the time they reach standard 8th * In private schools more than 25 percent students take private tuitions from standard 1 itself. Some of these challenges can be overcome by adopting Innovative teaching/ learning methods to achieve the desired quality: For high quality education throughout, India needs to focus on strengthening nation wide network, which would provide equal quality education to all students, including the students from the rural areas and villages, irrespective of the type of school. New methods of delivery would enable to augment access, quality and improve delivery at various levels of education and also to bridge the gap between the faculty requirements and their availability. Information, Communication and technology (ICT) tools such as videos, television and multimedia computer software that combine text, sound, and colourful, moving images can be used to provide challenging and authentic content that would engage the students in the learning process. ICTs can also be used to improve access to and the quality of teacher training. Some international examples in this regard are: * Cyber Teacher Training Center (CTTC) in South Korea is leveraging on Internet to provide better teacher professional development opportunities to in service teachers. The government-funded CTTC, offers self-directed, self-paced web-based courses for primary and secondary school teachers * In China, large-scale radio and television-based teacher education has for many years been conducted by the China Central Radio and TV, University, the Shanghai Radio and TV University (RTVU) and many other RTVUs in the country. Some progressive approaches the Indian education sector has adopted * Eight hundred and fifty schools in India use Tata Sky Active. Besides over a million Tata Sky homes spend more than INR 30 every month to buy services such as Active English, Active Learning and Active Wizkids. * Activity based learning – * Katha: A Initiative involving Amar Chitra Katha characters to impart education to school children * Hey Math: Content providers are selling different school fundamentals as a learning package to children. Initiatives are now in place to sell science packages * Campus-Connect Programs – Governments are having partnerships with training schools for vocational training, like Government of Delhi and IndiaCan have partnered to impart English education to bus drivers * Voucher Schools – * A school voucher or education voucher is a certificate issued by the government which parents can apply toward tuition at a school * The government of Rajasthan has announced two schemes that use school vouchers- Gyanodaya for classes 6-12 and Shikshak ka Apna Vidyalaya for classes 1-5. Trends in Education Sector in Pre-school: Trends| Examples:| Entry of Big Corporate| * Many corporate houses have / are planning to set up their own chain of pre-schools – Pre schools are viewed as attractive investment opportunities due to the growth potential. * For e.g. Alphakids set up by Camlin group and Globe Tot’ers by Yash Birla Group, P&G’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility Program Shiksha. | Joint Ventures with Builders| * Increasingly preschools are forming joint ventures with builders. Partnering with builders helps in imparting flexibility in the business against high lease rentals * AEZ group and Mothers Pride entered into a JV for a Preschool| Upgrade to K 12| * Preschool chains are moving up the value chain by upgrading to K-12 schools to ensure scalability  for preschool firms * Kidzee, Euro Kids and Kangaroo Kids are upgrading to K-12 school and a large majority of their preschool population is expected to be the potential customers for K-12| Expansion to Tier I & Tier II Cities| * Demand and affordability is increasing in small towns with the growing awareness among people about the need to send children to preschools. * Euro kids plans to add 1000 pre schools in medium term with Tier II and Tier III cities as growth drivers| Leveraging Infrastructure foreconomic viability| * In order to maximize space utilization, preschools are leveraging the existing infrastructure to generate additional revenues * Additional programmes are being offered in the same premise in order to allow higher utilization of the infrastructure|.

How does Islamic architecture reflect Muslim beliefs? Essay

One of the most overlooked topics about the Muslim religion is its architecture; often times, Islam is always associated with the Koran, the Ramadan and such and most people are oblivious to the fact that these people also have been able to impact the world of architecture. Their structures are patterned such that the buildings and structures they create represent their religious beliefs. One style in architecture that reflects the belief of the Islamic people is their architectural decoration. The Islam religion dislike figurative representation; in turn, their architectural designs consists primarily of calligraphy and abstract ornaments and are often times coupled by colorful designs. (Farlex Encyclopedia) These calligraphic designs are often times based on the Koran. One other important thing in the Islam architecture is the design of their mosques. Basically, the Islamic mosque is a simple structure designed as a square structure with colonnades placed along the qibla wall. The design and function of this structure is said to allow the Muslims to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder in rows facing the Ka’ba when they pray. This style of architecture also creates a sense of space evoking spirituality of the environment, a feeling of peace, and the feeling of harmony and humbleness evoked in the individual during times of worship. (Hilal Plaza) These simple and oftentimes overlooked style of the Muslims in their architectural designs in reality hold more meaning than the contemporary architectures of our time, their style stresses the importance of the meaning of a structure over its aesthetic value.

Traditional Way and Agile Way of Management Essay

Traditional Way and Agile Way of Management - Essay Example Iterative or agile method involves incremental development. The system and the process is gradually built and has an advantage over other methods. For instance, if there is a need to modify the management process or the direction of the system needs to go through sudden abrupt changes; agile management system has a better chance to cater for the change then other methods. One relatively rigid method is ‘waterfall method’.In comparison with the agile project management, the waterfall method uses clearly (or with less flexibility) defined deliverables for the life cycle of the project. The higher management of a company performs a complete audit of the system before it is incorporated into the project management. Agile project management method cuts the processing time considerably. Projects that took months to complete in the past are being accomplished within weeks or days. This project managing method modifies the conventional iteration processes waterfall and makes the m more flexible and advanced.Despite the fact that agile management is rarely used to manage a mega project, it is no less crucial than the conventional of traditional project management methods and tools. A mega project can be divided into several parts and then these small parts can then be governed and managed by agile management. That is why a collage of management methods and tactics are incorporated in one project. The core difference between agile and traditional project management rests in their estimating techniques.

HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 3

HRM - Essay Example ntage situations last only a few weeks and it is up to the firm’s management to find new and innovative ways which they can use to stay on top of the competition. For a company to gain competitive advantage there has to be some form of collective effort from all the stakeholders. The employees of a company are some of the most important of these stakeholders, and they can do a lot to uplift their firm’s competitive advantage (Needle 2010). One way that a company can ensure that it has competitive advantage is by making use of its existing work force to the full. However, the employees themselves need to be in a position whereby they can be as productive as possible if the company is to achieve competitive advantage. They have to be equipped with everything it takes for the company to rise above the crowd (Cartwright and Cooper 2009). Training and development for employees is one way of ensuring that they have all the skills that are needed for the success of the firm (Carroll, 2006). Managing absence is another way that a company can ensure that its workforce is in a position to contribute towards high levels of productivity and profitability (Evans, Waters and Palmer, 2002). Training and development is one of the key functions of any Human Resource Department in any organization. In Human Resource Management, training is a term used to describe the process whereby employees gain abilities that will help them achieve the organizational goals. Development on the other hand is the process by which employees gain skills over a specific period of time (Schuler and MacMillan, 1994). The end game of employee training and development is aimed at improving a company’s profitability. Well trained employees are normally motivated to be more productive. This translates to an overall in crease in the company’s output and service delivery, which in turn leads to an increase in revenues (Olian et al., 1998). When an organization is able to fulfill its objectives in

Analysis of Bosch Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 112

Analysis of Bosch Company - Essay Example Consequently, it has also employed over 306,000 employees who work tirelessly for the success of this company (Savitz 12-56). The company has a clear vision and mission statements that motivate all employees to work harder in ensuring that it progresses positively. The company started as a workshop for engineering but later opened other branches in London, Paris, and New York due to its speedy growth. The company majors on specific technological business sectors, which include the Industrial Technology, Automotive Technology, Automation Technology, and the Packaging Technological sector (De Tolnay). Bosch Company's vision is to improve the lives of all people through technological advancement and development. Robert Bosch main intention was to promote the moral and physical development of the society so that individuals may endure all kinds of hardship and become productive members later in their lives. The vision of Bosch Company was to ensure that most of the society members lived with dignity, consequently leading a quality life and enhancing sustainable advancement in the future through industrial-technological advancement (Savitz 12-56). Consequently, the company aims at improving the economic development of the nation by enhancing financial interdependence and cultural diversification. Additionally, it promotes economic development with the intention of overcoming its challenges and improving the strength of the company. The vision of the company guides it and directs it towards achieving success in the end (De Tolnay). It also acts as a foundation to structural changes in the company consequently resulting in its growth and development. The company's mission steers it towards achieving success since it directs its efforts towards reaching its goals and objectives.  

JAPANESE CIVILIZATION PowerPoint Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

JAPANESE CIVILIZATION - PowerPoint Presentation Example According to the historical background of the Kamakura, religion was their center of governance and all their decisions were also to run in accordance with their religious rules. Hover much they tried to keep and safeguard their religious beliefs and policies, they still faced some challenges that almost messed up their religion (Kimura 206). The monks were to give directions as they follow but due to the high rate of women seduction, they could not make it as the monks fell into women trap hence leading to direction loss. As per my perception, the development of the Kamakura was mainly based on the stability of Buddhism as a religion. This is so because they had strong belief in their religion hence giving all the powers to their religious leaders. It can therefore be assumed that at one time, the Kamakura faced a lot of difficulties in relation to governance after the parting of some monks. The adulterous also lead to religion break up and this further in turn led to group split out. The Kamakura was therefore separated into different groups based on their beliefs and trust hence leading to the formation or re-establishment of religious beliefs and policies that were to be maintained at all

Autobiographical Transformation as a Child to an Adult Essay

Autobiographical Transformation as a Child to an Adult - Essay Example My transformation as a child to an adult was in a Toronto suburb as an only son in a family of eight. What made me grow up differently from my siblings was that I always had a carefree and, sometimes, quite reckless mindset towards life. While my seven sisters were either doing their homework or doing house chores, there I was, running up and down my neighborhood searching for stray dogs to terrorize and play football with the neighborhood children. My father, who had waited patiently for a son until I was born, always referred to me as a waste of life, although my mother always defended me. My father was adamant that I was the family’s hope but, at nine, you rarely see yourself as anyone’s hope, so our relationship was a mess. In the summer of 1996, I arrived home from school to a rude shock. My father, finally fed up, had made a decision of leaving my mother and marrying his black mistress who already had his son. When my mother refused to grant him custody of any of us, he seemed quite relieved. I could tell this because, by then, I had begun looking at people and observing their facial expressions. My father could not bear to look at us, but I always knew my mother’s housewife routine had gotten to him. This is an autobiographical paper that discussing the people, places, events, and experiences that have influenced my culture, social class, gender, religion and sexual orientation. Race Growing up as a child, my neighborhood, was predominantly white. However, some of my friends were not white; for example, my best friend’s family had emigrated from Papua New Guinea. My feelings towards racial minorities were non-existent during my childhood, as I even went to my friend’s house for dinner and â€Å"homework†. As I became older, however, I began to have a different outlook towards other races, especially African Canadians. While my attitude was not racist, I had a hard time convincing myself that not all black people were like the woman who took my father away from my mother. I met her once during a school trip to the zoo, as she clung to my father’s arm and I was afraid of talking my black friends after that. However, when I joined high school, my attitude took another turn when I met a black girl who had emigrated from Tanzania. I was amazed at how different she was from what I had envisioned black women to be growing up, and watching my mother struggle as a single mum. When I met my father’s new partner at the zoo, she had sneered at me, which had given me the impression that this was a â€Å"black thing†. However, with Aisha, she had the most loving face I had ever seen. Going to college saw me meet more black people and my attitude by then had changed to one of inclusiveness. This was brought on by my comprehension that we were all after the same things in life. Social Class When I was growing up in a middle-class suburb, my interaction with lower class citizens was lim ited to the mall and school. I remember I always had a â€Å"keep away† attitude towards them. This was informed by an incident where my sister was robbed and almost raped coming from her boyfriend’s house across the rail tracks. I remember my mother being livid that her boyfriend had not even had the courtesy to come and explain the situation. From that day, she forbids us from mixing with those â€Å"uncivilized folk†. When I was ten, my friends and I came up against a gang of youth from the ghetto as we scurried after a stray dog. While they did not beat us as they took our clothes and the little money we had, I still remember their â€Å"rich kids† taunts. I did not consider myself a rich kid at that point since my parents had to take care of eight siblings, so I began to wonder what these rich kids could have done to deserve this kind of treatment. When I joined High School, I came to the realization that the rich kids were not very different from us .

Organizational Environment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organizational Environment - Case Study Example The link between innovation and the competitiveness of a business depends on the ability of the business to adapt strategically to the market it is in. Adaptation to a particular market is a dynamic process and can only be achieved as a long-term project and must consider other factors that may be external in nature and may also be affected by previous decisions on strategic positioning in the market. The ability to innovate is one key factor that dictates whether a business will be able to survive in the market and its performance. Therefore, a business must be able to conceptualize an adaptation strategy by having the correct strategy, structure and internal alignment that will position it competitively in the market both through the internal and the external environment (Eunni, Post and Berger 2003). HKM can develop can develop a functional structure as its organizational structure as the company is set to grow into a larger company but is interested in the economies of scale thro ugh the production of large quantities of the products but at a lower cost. This can be achieved by having highly efficient and specific divisions with specialized tasks, in this case the production of designs. Being dependent on the environment or the market to dictate the sale of the designs, HKM must adopt the open system in order to know what is going on in the business market especially concerning the customers, the suppliers and the competitors. The fact that the market seems stable for HKM in that he is assured of constant market for the designs; he can adopt a mechanist management system in the organization structure. In this kind of arrangement, HKM will consider the specialized differentiation of the functional tasks facing the partnership and break them down. He will also have to distinguish the abstract nature of each task that may be pursued with techniques or purposes that are different from those of the business as well as reconcile each level in the hierarchy. This f orm of structure that applies to HKM must also determine the precise definition of the rights and obligations attached to each party and how they transit to responsibilities of a functional position (Burns and Stalker, 1961). Harold and his partners must therefore be aware of the environment they operate in so as to survive as well as to know its domain or field of action. Daft (2010) states that this will be dependent on the products, services and the markets that the business is intending to serve as compared to its business objectives. Assuming that the product and the market that are to be produced by Harold and his new partners are perfectively competitive, the price is one of the most important factors that are to be considered. The price should be set at the market level through the interaction of supply and demand in that all the organizational structures put in place must consider the demand and the supply of the targeted market. Further before increasing the quantities of the goods in the market, the firm must decide how much labor that will be required for the business that will ensure that there is maximization of the profits in line with the objectives of the business (Plantes and Finrock, 2009). Before increasing the quantities of production of the products, Harold must identify and evaluate the competition, their number, size, location, strengths and weaknesses and how the business can overcome the

Emergency preparedness Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Emergency preparedness - Assignment Example Risk and vulnerability assessment is the process of investigating whether or not there is a risk or threat that poses danger to a specific institution. This is done by security personnel who look at a threat, vulnerability, and consequences of a suspected risk (Threat/Vulnerability Assessments and Risk Analysis, n.d.). Some of the major needs of a Healthcare Organization would be a complete set of medical equipments, tools, drugs; enough space to accommodate people; and most especially a group of knowledgeable and skilled nurses and doctors. On the other hand, a healthcare organization’s major responsibility during an emergency would be to be able to provide initial treatment to ease the pain or even save a life during the most crucial time, before a patient’s condition is stabilized. Emergency preparedness is all about foreseeing all the possible risks or threats that could happen with regard to a certain activity, event, or in a certain location. On the other hand, disasters are damages that could be caused by nature or man. However, though there are disasters we cannot contemplate such as some earthquakes, there are also some natural disasters that we can contemplate such as tsunamis being caused by an earthquake aftershock or a typhoon caused by global warming. Man-made caused disasters, for me, are a result of carelessness or irresponsibility which we can totally

Education Is Life Iself Essay Example for Free

Education Is Life Iself Essay Once John Dewey said, â€Å"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.† It is quite difficult, even impossible to contend for the statement. We should clearly understand that education is a long process which lasts for the whole life. More than that life is the best teacher we might ever have. In other words, we can denote that we live educating ourselves and educate ourselves for living. First of all, it is interesting to note that the notions â€Å"education† and â€Å"life† can be regarded as identical ones. The matter is that speaking about education we keep in mind that it is not just a period of life but a lifelong process of learning. As Albert Einstein once noticed, â€Å"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at growth.† Keeping to the point it should be also mentioned that education can be given and taken anywhere – at school, university or home. It doesn’t matter. However, there is no better teacher than life itself. Nobody can dispute it. People learn much deeper and more effectively through their own actions and mistakes. Life motivates, directs, controls and evaluates us. Life teaches us. What is more important, life is always fair towards us. That is why we consider life to be the best teacher. To sum up, it should be said that every person has his own attitude towards education. For some people education seems to be an obligation, even a burden, for others it is the meaning of life, for the rest it can be a means to achieve some higher goals†¦ but there is no doubt, education is the most powerful tool that has a certain impact on our lives. The other question is how to use this tool. Nukhayeva Kamila

Andy Goldsworthy: Concepts of the Landscape

Andy Goldsworthy: Concepts of the Landscape Title: ‘Travel constructs a fictional relationship between gaze and landscape’ (M. Auge, â€Å"Non-Places,† 1995; p86). Does this statement seem to you to express a central insight about landscape and travel in the 20th century? Please discuss in relation to the work of Andy Goldsworthy. The Earthworks art of Andy Goldsworthy challenges, firstly, a classical art-historical conception of the landscape, and can also be implicitly responsive to the ‘supermodern’ sense of landscape and place, theorised by Marc Auge, in which â€Å"Vocabulary†¦ educates the gaze, informs the landscape[1].†. Goldsworthy captures the essence of place through texture, allusion to process and a mutual dependability on nature, as if to transform both the materials of the objects and the meaning of their often banal contexts. It is immediately evident that Goldsworthy’s works, in general, strongly accentuate texture and shape. Goldsworthy describes the working process as a tactile expression, implying the involvement of a multi-sensory extension of the body, a recurring artistic intention, especially through cues signifying touch and vision. â€Å"For me, looking, touching, material, place and form are all inseparable from the resulting work. It is difficult to say where one stops and another begins[2].† This obsession with recurring forms in nature using different materials has a ritualistic edge, where the earthworks have lost the purpose and functionalism of the commercial product. This tactile gaze, used as the central way of identifying the object, is further evoked through the use of text. For example, in a photograph of a spherical ice ball positioned aside a bleak Autumn bridge, his texts connotes the image not only in terms of its visual impact but also the texture implied by its aural qualities: â€Å"Stacked ice – sound of cracking.[3]† The shape and texture of the river in the 1988-9 Leadgate and Lambton Earthworks[4] symbolizes its sensual form in a way which still identifies it as relating to a river, but without the non-abstracted seamless visual art representation of a river. Goldsworthy describes this process: â€Å"The snake has evolved through a need to move close to the ground, sometimes below and sometimes above, an expression of the space it occupies[5].† Similarly, rather than use the language of signposts to designate a river (in its non-place), the use of more tactile cues reclaims the spectator’s newness of vision: in Auge’s words, the traveller (AG) is recapturing the landscape like it is â€Å"the first journey of birth†¦the primal experience of differentiation[6].†While Auge asserts that non-places â€Å" exist only through the words that evoke them,[7]† AG’s words work to clarify the gaze rather than condense it to a unified vision. But what constitutes this gaze? When we refer to his earthworks, are we referring only to the symbolic object, or the whole space inside the photo frame? Like a travel writer, a heightened perception or rediscovery of the landscape is the central tenet of Goldsworthy’s working process: â€Å"Some places I return to over and over again, going deeper- a relationship made in layers over a long time.[8]† There is a suggestion by AG that site or context affects and, to an extent, has a significant role in generating the features of his objects: When I work with a leaf, rock, stick, it is not just that material in itself, it is an opening into the processes of life within and around it†¦The energy and space around a material are as important as the energy and space within[9] While the train, for Auge, is one of the greatest culprits behind the spectator’s fleeting vision of space, Goldsworthy’s immobilization and transposition of the train track and its practical function to a snaking †¦in the Lambton earthworks?, is a way for AG to recapture the essence of the landscape, to shift its perceptual status from non-place to place: â€Å"Staying in one place makes me more aware of change[10].† However, part of this awareness is awareness that the land itself is fleeting and transforming according to environmental ‘whim,’ and that the photograph merely represents a certain moment in a process. His emphasis on spontaneity and change according to environmental and climactic conditions, as well as his own sense of navigation, is significant because he is able to evoke the history of the object through capturing a synchronic moment in its processes. If we look at several of his works in which piles of material are neatly centred with a hollow hole[11], we sense their impermanence and a foreboding decay from seeing their present formal cohesion. A Cambridge earthwork with leaves is accompanied by this awareness in text, where a materialistic description of the object is transformed into a narrative of it: â€Å"Torn Hole/horse chestnut leaves stitched with stalks around the rim/moving in the wind[12].† Perhaps more than these smaller-scale earthworks, the earthworks in County Durham most forcefully use the concept of environmental process to allude to the movement of travel, not only through their obvious association with trains, but through the movement implied by the object, as â€Å" ripples from a thrown stone[13]†. Freezing these processes is a way of reawakening the senses, by both seeing the object statically without moving too fast and by being aware of its continuing narrative, rather than being driven by the â€Å"perpetual series of presents[14]† of those unrecognised non-places, exaggerated in Thomas Gursky’s digital photos . According to Auge, the language of signposts etc. does not heighten the spectator’s perception of a place, but merely substitutes their relationship to it as a mere passing acknowledgement.[15] Goldsworthy’s works seem to reclaim that historicity of the natural object that is lost in the immediacy of the commercial product[16], including the signs that describe and name features and punctuations in the land, trying to give it a sense of place. Challenging the prescriptions of discourse on our subjectivity, however, has always been a preoccupation in landscape art. Constable’s landscape paintings, for example, could represent a different challenge to the supermodern construction of landscape into a fleeting ‘non-place,’ through his holistic, static, formalist and panoramic vision of the land. While Goldsworthy reconfigures the landscape’s gaze beyond the static to an awareness of its morphology, materiality, unpredictability and precariousness, Constable and the landscape painters of the 18th century synchronized these natural irregularities, painting the clouds and sun simultaneously and consciously at different periods and freezing the movement of the Hay wain into a stance.[17] In Goldsworthy’s work, therefore, landscape is no longer a site, implying static, but a process, implying diachronic, in which the object and its place are interdependent. Throughout the earthworks photographs and their accompanying text, two main interconnected subjectivities emerge, both of which seem threatened by the dislocation through the â€Å"non-place:† organic nature and Goldsworthy, who is simultaneously a conscious manipulator of nature’s autonomous processes as well as driven by the manipulations of nature itself. The larger scope of his County Durham Leadgate and Lambton Earthworks, encourages a more structural and slightly cartographic gaze. A disused railway track becomes the site for a snaking sand track photographed aerially alongside rows of monotonous houses. Their juxtaposition, their mutual encroachment on one another and the snaking imprint’s echo of movement, in one sense seem to re-establish the inter-dependency of urban structures and nature, and the similarities in the way we perceive them despite serving different functions. In this sense, it allows greater insight to its organic qualities by its association. In a technical sense, it could be argued that there is a tension between Goldsworthy’s organic creations and their technological control by the intrinsic features of the photograph. However, any hint of the artist’s exploitation, evoked in works such as â€Å"Snowball in trees†[18] or in references to the name of the excavator driver in the Leadgate and Lambton Earthworks, is balanced out, in exchange, by their precarious existence in nature, where a rock could be precariously balanced on a boulder.[19] This relationship between nature and its manipulations is significant because it represents a reappropriation of our relationship with those places, designated by the artist’s symbols rather than the symbols of industry with which â€Å"individuals are supposed to interact only with texts, whose proponents are not individuals but ‘moral entities’ or institutions[20]†. Goldsworthy navigates and finds his non-prescribed place, by being led by climactic and environmental factors rather than such ‘moral entities.[21] Auge defines non-place in detail against the anthropological concept of place, where the traveller occupies a non-communicative, solitary space with the language of ticket machines and train timetables.[22] Accordingly, these public facilities and structures give the spectator an image of their individuality, or a ‘distanced’ simulated familiarity,[23] by discursively framing and displacing the ‘gaze’ and the individual ‘essence’ towards a simultaneous collective individuality, through the â€Å"individualization of references[24].† In contrast, by allowing the serendipitous influence of nature to produce a unique result on each object, each of the processes in the Earthworks produces individual objects, which, not over-prescribed by images and signs, evolve in partial autonomy. BIBLIOGRAPHY Auge, Marc, Non-Places: introduction to an anthropology of supermodernity, London: Verso, 1995. Baudrillard, Jean, The ecstasy of communication, trans. Bernard Caroline Schutze, ed. Slyvere Lotringer, Brooklyn, N.Y. : Autonomedia, 1988 Goldsworthy, Andy, Andy Goldsworthy, London: Penguin Group, 1990. Hand to Earth, Ed. Andy Goldsworthy. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1993. Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Post-Contemporary Interventions. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1991. Rosenthal, Michael, Constable, London Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1987 Rosenthal, Michael, â€Å"The Victorians and Beyond,† British Landscape Painting, Oxford: Phaidon Press Ltd., 1982 Footnotes [1]Marc Auge, Non-Places:introduction to an anthropology of supermodernity, 1995: Verso, London , p108 [2]Andy Goldsworthy, Andy Goldsworthy, 1990:Penguin Group, London , p1 [3]Andy Goldsworthy, â€Å"Stacked ice sound of cracking,† Hampstead Heath, 28 December 1985 [4] Andy Goldsworthy, â€Å"Leadgate and Lambton earthworks,† County Durham, Winter-Spring 1988-9 [5] Goldsworthy, p3 [6] Auge, p84 [7] opcit, p95 [8] Goldsworthy, p1 [9] ibid [10] ibid [11] For example, â€Å"Bracken,† Borrowdale, Cumbria, 13 February 1988; â€Å"Slate,† Stonewood, Dumfriesshire, Summer 1987, â€Å"Plane Leaves,† Castres, France, 19 October 1988. [12] Cambridge, 24 July 19886 [13] AG, p4 [14] Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Post-Contemporary Interventions. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1991. [15] Auges, p97 [16] Jean Baudrillard, The ecstasy of communication, trans. Bernard Caroline Schutze, ed. Slyvere Lotringer, Brooklyn, N.Y. : Autonomedia, 1988 [17]Michael Rosenthal, Constable, London Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1987 [18] [19] Rock on boulder work [20] Auge, p96 [21] AG, p1 [22] Auge, p107-8 [23] Auge, p106 [24] Auge, p109

Abortion Essay -- essays research papers

Abortion: A Controversial Issue One of the major controversial issues confronting the society today is abortion. I choose abortion as the topic of discussion since it contradicts my values and beliefs. Abortion is the extraction of the human fetus from the mother’s womb with an intention to end the life of that fetus prior to its natural birth. The controversy surrounding abortion is whether it should be legalized or not? In my opinion, abortion is morally and ethically wrong because it leads to violation of human rights. Life is precious and only it’s Creator has the right to take it away. I chose this issue for discussion to bring to light many of the hidden facts and arguments, of which people are unaware and not very sensitive today. Three of the many aspects of abortion can be taken into consideration 1) Motives behind abortion 2) Pro life v/s pro choice. 2) The growth of the â€Å"Dead Baby Industry.† Abortion is an issue lacking of humanity and moral value because of the various motives behind it. Abortion is the most extreme, permanent and devastatingly violent solution, for an unborn child. As said by former Surgeon General and a pediatrician Dr. C. Everett Koop, the most common reason for abortion is convenience. Only three to five percent of all abortions performed are for reasons of rape, incest, the possibility of a deformed child, or severe threat to the life of the mother. As Dr. Koop, has pointed out, the majority of partial birth abortions are not required by medical emergency. According to researchers at the Alan Guttmacher Institute, of those obtaining abortions in 1980, 30 percent were under age 20 and 79 percent were unmarried, which shows that abortions in the United States are most often sought as a "solution" to the problem of pregnancy outside of marriage. The major reason behind most of the abortions is mere inconvenience or unwantedness of the baby seems mean, insensitive and unreasonable. Pro-life vs. pro choice is a leading fundamental concern regarding the abortion controversy. The main argument of the pro-choice view for legalized abortions has to do with a woman's right to privacy and her right to control her body. The pro-choice viewers do not approve of governmental interference in personal matters like abortion. Certainly this right of p... ... in society. The worldly materialization and sophistication has made the abortionists so insensitive towards morality that life has lost its true worth. The main point is not the price that an eye, a brain or heart is sold for, but that a helpless child had to be killed in order to obtain these parts. Thus legalizing abortions would not mean giving the opponents a right to privacy and choice, but would in turn give a boost to their multimillion dollar biotechnology industry (Crutcher,M). I’m the defender of the right to life in America and an issue like abortion should light a fire in the hearts of all who respect this nation’s founding principles. The strength of the pro-life position is not because of some clever definition of life. Rather the facts force us to admit that this is a unique individual human life, whose helplessness in the womb can either motivate us to compassion, nurturing and protection or be used as an excuse and opportunity to exercise our deadly power and earn millions. As a result, legalizing abortion would open doors for plenty different sinful industries. This in turn would not lead to progress.

Health :: science

Health Twenty-five years ago, the great Athenian doctor Hippocrates believed that balance is health and that imbalance is the cause of all illness and pain. For more than three hundred years, this concept has been in disfavour. Now, clinical experiences with Phen/Fen suggest that Hippocrates was right. While both phentermine and fenfluramine have been available since the mid-seventies, patients were generally reluctant to use them because of the always present fear of addiction. During many instances when people did try either one of these new drugs, they could not tolerate the side effects. The pills in fact do work, because they trick the brain into thinking that the stomach is full. But they also seem to affect the brain in other, less desirable ways. The thought process behind creating a ‘superdrug’ such as Phen/Fen, was that by combining the two medications, one could take advantage of their different pharmacologic actions getting, in essence, better effectiveness while hopefully minimizing the "mild" side effects (Michael D. Myers. 1997). Despite the side effects that are still present, drug companies are making lots of money off of Phen/Fen. It is the second fastest growing drug in the country. In 1996, it earned about $191 million for its maker, Wyath-Ayerst (CNN. 1997). Obesity, poor nutrition, and inactivity are estimated to contribute to about 300,000 deaths a year (National Institution of Health. 1996), thus there is an increased demand for such pills as Phen/Fen. In this paper, I will discuss the two drugs that make up Phen/Fen, Fenfulramine and Phentermine, and discuss the side effects for each of the pills. I will introduce Serotonin and Dopamine, two of the brain’s neurotransmitters and the effect of Phen/Fen on them. I will also discuss who should and who shouldn’t use this potentially dangerous diet. Finally, I will look at a case study from Michael D. Myers which makes some very important conclusions about the diet. Fenfluramine Fenfluramine was discovered at approximately the same time as it’s cousin, Phentermine. Fenfluramine has always been strongly associated with many side effects. The most prominent of it’s side effects is Primary Pulmonary Hypertension which is a life threatening complication (Michael D. Myers. 1997). An estimated 1 in 17,000 patients that are treated for longer than 3 months will develop this condition (New England Journal of Medicine. 1996). The symptoms may be vague chest discomfort of development of an insidious feeling of shortness of breath (Abenhaim, L.

Lesson Planning and Teacher Chat Rooms :: Education Technology Internet Papers

Lesson Planning and Teacher Chat Rooms The nature of research and discovery of a topic at one time used to be complicated. Going to the library, searching through piles of cards that were categorized and confusing in itself. Trying to find the various sections of material and checking out the material (books, periodicals, etc.) I just thought, thank God for the library course offered through the University! How would I have ever found what I was looking for! I could brows through the high school, junior high school library, but when I got to college and saw the different library buildings. I thought to myself, "I hope I can get through this!" I did, but it took time and patience. Time and patience is one thing I always seem to run short of. This is the reason why I am in favor of technology and most of all, the Internet. I believe the age of information has brought a lot of good things and bad things, but we won't go into this because that is another topic in itself. When I began using the Internet I did not find it as difficult as going to the library and learning how to search for a book or a required material. Again, I was exposed to the computer and the Internet through my college classes. Therefore, I did not find it so complex when I got a computer of my own to use at home. As a matter of fact, the only problem that I had was waiting for the pages to load and for me to view the information. Throughout my life my only purpose for using the Internet was to communicate with friends through e-mail and find information for my well being and amusement. It was not until later that I found it a little more difficult in using the Internet. I was asked to do rese arch on the Internet in my English class, I thought, "Piece of cake!" Yeah, right! "Web sites are not organized like books in a library and it would be impossible to catalog all of its sites," Branham says. I knew that, but what I didn't know was that it would not be as simple as I thought, looking for a resource that pertained to my topic specifically. Garcia 2 I was excited when I first heard about doing research on the Internet. I thought to myself, "This is great! Now, I really get to spend the time and get the kind of information that I have been wanting to get for a long time.

Micheal Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) in Gary, Indiana, U. S. was an American singer. He was the 7th of nine children in the family. He went Gardner Elementary School in California 1969 to study, then he was home schooled. By the early 1960s, his brother had begun performing around the city; by 1964, Michael and Marlon had joined in the band called The Jackson 5.In his life, he had contributed to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for many year. Micheal Jackson Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. Michael began his musical career at the age of 5. In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine.Jackson later began performing backup vocals and dancing. When he was eight, Jackson began sharing the lead vocals with his older brother Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to The Jackson 5. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana. Soon he will be discover by the world. In Micheal Jackson life, there are many thing made him famous.. In his carrer, there are many thing made him famous.He won seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards thank the ablum called the Thriller released in late 1982, which was 1983's best-selling album worldwide. On March 25, 1983, Michael Jackson reunited with his brothers for a legendary live performance which was taped for a Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special. It is best remembered for Jackson's solo performance of â€Å"Billie Jean† which gave him his first Emmy nomination. In the show, he performed â€Å"The Moonwalk† that made his famous in his carrer and show.Beside his carrer he had time for other things. Michael like d to read books. He had more than 10,000 books in his Neverland library. He enjoyed helping other people especially ill children because he didn't have a normal childhood. He gave more than 500 million dollars to more than 40 charities with different causes. He liked shopping, traveling, arts, rare collections, music, climbing trees, animals. Even through he gone, he still an idol to everyone and will remenber forever. Micheal Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) in Gary, Indiana, U. S. was an American singer. He was the 7th of nine children in the family. He went Gardner Elementary School in California 1969 to study, then he was home schooled. By the early 1960s, his brother had begun performing around the city; by 1964, Michael and Marlon had joined in the band called The Jackson 5.In his life, he had contributed to music, dance, and fashion, along with a much-publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for many year. Micheal Jackson Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. Michael began his musical career at the age of 5. In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine.Jackson later began performing backup vocals and dancing. When he was eight, Jackson began sharing the lead vocals with his older brother Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to The Jackson 5. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana. Soon he will be discover by the world. In Micheal Jackson life, there are many thing made him famous.. In his carrer, there are many thing made him famous.He won seven Grammys and eight American Music Awards thank the ablum called the Thriller released in late 1982, which was 1983's best-selling album worldwide. On March 25, 1983, Michael Jackson reunited with his brothers for a legendary live performance which was taped for a Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special. It is best remembered for Jackson's solo performance of â€Å"Billie Jean† which gave him his first Emmy nomination. In the show, he performed â€Å"The Moonwalk† that made his famous in his carrer and show.Beside his carrer he had time for other things. Michael like d to read books. He had more than 10,000 books in his Neverland library. He enjoyed helping other people especially ill children because he didn't have a normal childhood. He gave more than 500 million dollars to more than 40 charities with different causes. He liked shopping, traveling, arts, rare collections, music, climbing trees, animals. Even through he gone, he still an idol to everyone and will remenber forever.

I am Legend Essay

When thinking of horror films, simple features come to mind for what you need to produce a good movie. Monsters are always a big plus in order to get a good scare factor. A good horror film will have drama that usually leads to the death of a main character or other supporting characters. I believe I Am Legend is a good contender for a low-key horror film. Under the direction of Francis Lawrence was a film written by Mark Protosevich. In 2007 this movie was a big hit in the theaters, for its incredibly gritty and strong story line. Actor Will Smith played the part of the Main character Robert Neville, who thought he found the cure for cancer but in fact spread a disease out through the world. The whole movie is played in New York City, were David a scientist announces he has a cure for cancer when in fact it is a plague that turn the people into monsters. So the plot of the movie is David Surviving in New York by himself, trying to test rats for the cure to the virus. That catch to the movie is that all the monsters are contagious and only come out at sun down to find other humans to spread the virus. In this movie you had a lot of glimpses and scenes that would show that this movie could be a horror film. The two examples of horror films I used in the first paragraph are shown in many scenes of I Am Legend. The virus that spread through the people made them monsters and in a good horror film you need a scary, deadly, nasty monster to be the antagonist. The monsters in I Am Legend are the typical creature for a horror film. They are not easy to look at which gives into a scarier character. They are very mean and ruthless and show no mercy. The last feature that is a main feature is that they will kill with no questions. The drama part of a horror film usually ends with death and the scene usually has a lot of anticipation on it to put you on the edge of your seat. In I Am Legend when David is out doing his rounds and gets baited into a booby trap he gets knocked out and wakes up in the trap a little too late. The monsters are waiting for the sun to come down to attack and infect David. In a showing of great effort but significant downfall David’s dog Sam) is attacked and becomes infected. Almost turning on its own owner David is forced to kill his only sort of companionship and is left alone for the time being. The director did a good job with this movie because he produced a good storyline built with a lot of anticipation. I believe that he did try and put in that scary horror effect with the darkness of the movie and the frightening creatures. Even though I Am Legend is characterized as a â€Å"dramatic thriller†, in most instances it can definitely be considered a horror film.

Magaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher: Optimism, self-confidence, honesty, integrity and drive are just a few traits that portray Margaret Thatcher. Her leadership style may be defined as a combination of an autocratic, transformational and charismatic leader. Nevertheless, her leadership style was mainly task oriented. What are her values? Margaret Thatcher considered herself to be a conviction politician. Her leadership was based on clear firmly held principles. Margaret Thatcher’s family and early education in Grantham played a major part in shaping her political beliefs. She was taught strong traditions of self-help, charitable work, and ethics. What make her a great leader? Margaret Thatcher was very influential in her leadership role. She had been tough, forthright, consistent and inspiring. She had empowered and motivated the citizens of Britain to purchase their homes in which they lived at a discounted price. Additionally, companies that the state initially owned were now owned by the community. Her intent was to change Britain from a dependent to a self-reliant society. Margaret Thatcher success of implementing the privatization policy of government assets had improved influential internationally. Moreover, Margaret Thatcher had a firm approached to policy making and exuded self confidence, which gained her the nickname â€Å"Iron Lady†. She was willing to act on her intuition and trusted her judgments. She accomplished her goals and was never afraid to stand up for her beliefs even if it made her unpopular. Despite her colleagues and experts objections, Margaret Thatcher was very confident in her decision making. In Britain, she was an autocratic leader who governed decision making. For instance, while the recession of the early 1980s intensified, she increased taxes, despite concerns expressed in a statement signed by 364 leading economists issued towards the end of March 1981. Margaret Thatcher prided herself of being in charge and winning the majority of her debates. She was very combative; fighting for what she believed was the right way to direct her country. Margaret Thatcher was committed to lessening the power of the trade unions, whose leadership she blamed for weakening parliamentary democracy and economic performance during industrial action. BBC news reported that, Margaret Thatcher â€Å"managed to destroy the power of the trade unions for almost a generation†. She demonstrated courage and positive attitude during the face of adversity. In 1984, Margaret Thatcher barely escaped injury in a PIRA assassination attempt at a Brighton hotel. However, she was adamant about delivering her speech the next day as scheduled, at the Conservative Party Conference. Margaret Thatcher was a transformational leader who inspired others and brought about significant change. Her intention was to lead Britain to greatness by overcoming the country’s economic and financial challenges. She privatized some nationalized industries and social programs, including education, housing, and health care. Britain’s economic upturn in the 1980s was due to Margaret Thatcher’s leadership. She also regained the Falkland Island from Argentina. She took a strong stand against the trade unions during the miner’s strike (1984-85), and moved Britain toward privatization, selling minor interest s in public utilities to the business interests. She also introduced â€Å"rate capping† which effectively took control of expenditures out of the hands of city councils, part of her policies aimed at reducing the influence of local governments. In 1989 she introduced the community poll tax. Where possible, sale of state assets took place through offering shares to the public, with generous terms for small investors. The Thatcher Governments presided over a great increase in the number of people saving through the stock market. They also encourage people to buy their own homes and to make private pension provision, policies which over time have greatly increased the personal wealth of the British population. Conclusion Margaret Thatcher was the first British Prime Minister in the twentieth century to win three consecutive terms. Serving as a transformational change agent, Ms. Thatcher tackle distorted public opinion and braved daunting unpopularity to implement reform. Showing an adept touch at choosing her issues carefully, and fighting battles that could be won, Ms. Thatcher established urgency, formed a strong vision backed by a guiding coalition and planned for short-term wins. Her greatest legacy is the degree to which she institutionalized her reform policies. Ms. Thatcher represented such a unique, decisive, unflinching character, with the ability to capitalize on circumstances and energy. _____________________________________ Bibliography Margaret Thatcher Foundation –margaretthatcher. org Wikipedia

Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes Essay

The Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One’s Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences is one of the most influential works in the history of modern philosophy, and important to the evolution of natural sciences. In this work, Descartes tackles the problem of skepticism. Descartes modified it to account for a truth he found to be incontrovertible. Descartes started his line of reasoning by doubting everything, so as to assess the world from a fresh perspective, clear of any preconceived notions. Whereas Francis Bacon’s Scientific Method wanted to replace the deductive reasoning by inductive reasoning. The important concept in this reformed thought is about discovering truth rather than establishing the beliefs by deduction. The scientific and philosophical contributions that Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon helped form a single concept of the scientific method. The scientific method was a new way to reach a conclusion about anything and refers to a way one should acquire knowledge, or investigate a phenomenon or to correct and refine previous unproven knowledge. It is a five step method; the inquiry, initial hypothesis, action of investigation, results and conclusion. Rene Descartes was born in France at La Haye near the city of Tours in 1596. He went to school at the age of eight at La Fleche in France; he was a student there until the age of sixteen, in which he studied scholastic philosophy and mathematics. Later he was educated at the Jesuit College of La Fleche between 1606 and 1614. When he was nineteen he left Jesuit College for the University of Poitiers, where he studied law for two years and graduated in the year 1616. He got a degree in law but developed a passion for mathematics because he saw it as one field where absolute certainty could be found. Descartes also saw it as a means for achieving greater progress in both science and philosophy. He later claimed that his education gave him little of substance and that only mathematics had given him certain knowledge. In 1618-1621 he enlisted in the army, military service was tradition in his family, and when the Thirty Years’ War began he was encouraged to volunteer under the Count de Bucquoy in the Bavarian army. In his leisure time he studied mathematics, having been influenced by the Dutch mathematician and scientist Beeckman. He left the army in 1621 he dedicated his life to the study of science and philosophy (1621-1649). During which time he published his most influential works, by 1650 his health was depleting and he passed away in Stockholm of pneumonia at the age of fifty-three. Francis Bacon was born in London. He entered Trinity College, Cambridge, at the age of twelve. He studied law and became a barrister in 1582; two years later he took a seat in the House of Commons. Bacon’s opposition, in 1584, to Queen Elizabeth’s tax program delayed his political advancement. While in the earlier days he supported the Earl of Essex, Bacon, in 1601, was involved in his prosecution. With the accession of James I (1566-1625) and thereafter, a number of honours were bestowed on Bacon: he was knighted in 1603, made Solicitor General in 1604, Attorney General in 1613, and Lord Chancellor in 1618. He was an English lawyer, statesman, essayist, historian, intellectual reformer, philosopher, and supporter of modern science. Early in his career he claimed â€Å"all knowledge as his province† and afterwards dedicated himself to an extensive revaluation and re-structuring of traditional learning. To take the place of the established tradition a miscellany of Scholasticism, humanism, and natural magic, he proposed an entirely new system based on empirical and inductive principles and the active development of new arts and inventions, a system whose ultimate goal would be the production of practical knowledge. Descartes and Bacon were influenced by 16th century society. What does the situation look like in Europe in terms of science and philosophy in 1500’s? Scholasticism is over in terms of being a philosophical point of view. It is still practiced in some universities and will be practiced up until the 18th century at least. Three fundamental changes have occurred during the Renaissance; Aristotle portrayed the understanding of the universe, Galen described the importance of medicine and to understand astronomy Ptolemy described it. In 200 years there has been a revolutionary change, Rene Descartes and Isaac Newton have replaced Ptolemy in astronomy. Galileo has replaced Aristotle in physics. Harvey has replaced Galen in medicine. The three ancient authorities have been over thrown. In Rene Descartes’ Discourse on Method he expresses his disappointment with traditional philosophy and with the limitations of theology; only logic, geometry and algebra hold his respect, because of the utter certainty which they can offer us. Unfortunately, because they depend on hypotheses, they cannot tell us what is real, i. . what the world is really like. Therefore Descartes suggests a method of thought combining the consistency of mathematics but based on natural truths about what is real, basic knowledge which could not be wrong (like the axioms of geometry). He calls into question everything that he thinks he has learned through his senses but rests his entire system on the one truth that he cannot doubt, namely, the reality of his own mind and the radical difference between the mental and the physical aspects of the world. What is crucial to Descartes is reason because he wants to establish a foundation for the sciences. Reason is a constant for Descartes; he is given credit as starting the modern rationalist school. Rationalists were people who philosophers who felt that every human being possessed ideas about the world that each of us was born with and they were the bases of much of our knowledge. Descartes does tend to rationalism. â€Å"Thus our convictions result from custom and example very much more than from any knowledge that is certain. Look at how we operate as human beings in society. Our beliefs and convictions come from tradition, we believe certain things and act in certain ways, and we are interested in certain things because of the traditions that preceded us. Descartes apposes this to knowledge that is certain, in other words basically he does not have much time for tradition. Beliefs and convictions are not knowledge. Knowledge is something that you can be certain of. When Descartes says knowledge, he means no possibility of doubt at all. Absolute certainty is knowledge and this is what he wanted for his new foundation for the sciences. Certainty is everything, not gut certainty, gut feeling is purely psychological subject feeling. Feeling is not included when referring to certainty, object certainty is certainty is there no matter what your feeling is it is a state of affairs that is there if you like it or not and you know it in such a way that you cannot possibly be mistaken and you cannot possibly doubt it. Descartes criticizes tradition; he says we can’t rely on tradition for true knowledge. In terms of the contemporary world you cannot rely on the point of view of the masses of people when we are trying to deal with or discover new knowledge that might be somewhat difficult to get a handle on. Descartes only relies on one thing mainly and that is his reason. â€Å"I decided to go slowly and to be so careful about everything that, even if I made very little progress, I would at least prevent myself from falling. I did not even wish to begin rejecting completely any of the views that may have slipped among my beliefs previously without having been introduced there by reason. He wants to go slowly and not make mistakes because he is dealing with his own mind and thoughts. When Descartes is considering beliefs he wants only those beliefs that have been checked out by his reason. â€Å"Everything that I accepted as being most true up to now I acquired from the senses or through the senses. However, I have occasionally found that they deceive me, and it is prudent never to trust those who have deceived us, even if only once. † Descartes tries to undermine his beliefs by considering the fact that he remembers that his senses have deceived him before. Descartes’s goal is to suspend judgment about any of his beliefs which are even slightly doubtful. Descartes talks about the three disciplines of mathematics, logic, geometric analysis and algebra. In logic a form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion is called a syllogism. Example, Major premise: All men are mortal. Minor premise: Socrates is a man. Conclusion: Therefore Socrates is mortal. The key thing about a syllogism for Descartes is that as an argument form it does not help us learn anything new. Individuals use arguments to establish aspects that are new, that are different from the premises, the example above does not tell an individual something new because all the information is provided within the premises. In deductive logic when all the premises are true and the argument is valid it goes by the rules of logic, than the argument is a sound argument and the truth of the conclusion is guaranteed. Descartes wants a logic that is going to help discover new truths. In the case of syllogisms and most of its other rules are more useful for explaining to someone else what one already knows or even, for speaking uncritically about things that one does not know, rather than for learning them. † Descartes says this logic does not help with discovering a new scientific method and he cannot rely on logic alone to generate a new method. Regarding geometry â€Å"is always so tied to the discussion of shapes that it cannot exercise the understanding without greatly tiring the im agination. † He is happy with the understanding, which for Descartes also means reason. Descartes does not agree with imagination because imagination can get tired while it is conjuring up various images. He is pro understanding and reason but is suspicious of imagination and unfortunately geometry is reliant on imagination and therefore he cannot rely completely on geometry for his new method. Algebra is so constrained by certain rules and symbols that it has become a confused art that hinders the mind rather than a science that assists it. Descartes decides to do it by himself and develop a method on his own. He assembles four basic rules for his method and they also reflect what goes on in basic science in modern day. The first was never to accept anything as true if I did not clearly that it was so. † No subjection bias and jumping to conclusions. Jumping to conclusions is one of the criticisms he makes of some forms of reasoning and jumping to conclusions simply means on the bases of very little data I make a conclusion beyond that data. A modern day example supporting Descartes first rule is to go buy a new car, take the car out for a test drive and drive it for about 10- 20 minutes than decide to buy the car because it is fabulous and it will never have any problems. Descartes says this is hasty reasoning that is drawing a hasty conclusion, in other words you haven’t driven that car enough to make that kind of conclusion about the quality of that car. Analytical is the second rule, the problem that you are dealing with as a scientist. The first thing you do when you confront a problem is to break it down into its parts. In other words what are the elements of this problem? Descartes is saying the best way to solve a problem is to first break it down to analyze it into its smallest sub parts and then attack it. The third rule was reconstruction/reduction. Reduction refers to subject matter, â€Å"to guide my thoughts in an orderly way by beginning with the objects that are the simplest and easiest to know. † In other words you break down the objects to their simplest part which is the reduction and then you reconstruct from the parts of the object. When you are reconstructing you are looking for the internal order of the subject matter. Comprehensiveness is the fourth rule for Descartes’ method. Means to make sure nothing relevant has been left out of consideration. That you have dealt with the entire object and all of its parts and not just some of the object and some of its parts. The bases of his method is that if all inferences that if they result from an argument that has all true premises and follows the rules of logic than the conclusion is necessarily true. This is the possibility of the perfect argument, if one every time someone criticizes you was able to devise an argument that had all true premises and followed the rules of logic one could be assured that the truth of your conclusion every time out was true. At the beginning of his adult life, Francis Bacon aimed at a revision of natural philosophy; he wanted a new system which emphasized empirical methods and laying the foundation for applied science. The apparent difference between Descartes and Bacon, Descartes emphasis was on deduction and reason; Bacon is caught more by empiricisms which mean he believes all our knowledge comes from sense experience. In 1603 Bacon writes the interpretation of nature. Here he opposes Aristotelian thought and purposes a new outline for a new method. Like Descartes he has no use for tradition, for the philosophical tradition and the scientific tradition he has no use for it what so ever. Bacon is saying we need a new start.

Journalism and Publicity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journalism and Publicity - Essay Example To ensure that it effectively reaches out to its target audiences MTV Base broadcasts, music that the target audience can relate to or rather understand, for instance, in South Africa the channel will air music either in English or Zulu which is a predominant indigenous language there. In Nigeria, it will broadcast music in English or Igbo as these are the traditional languages there. In the East Africa region, the standard music that is played is either in English or Swahili with Buganda being common in Uganda (Haig, 2007). Culture is yet another aspect that is commonly emphasized to ensure the target audiences get programs or rather music that they can relate. Case in point the Afro genre of music is predominant in Nigeria thus a significant amount of airplay will be dedicated to artists from that genre likewise in South Africa Kwaito is the type of music that aligns with the local culture thus it will receive massive airplay than any other type in that country. That notwithstanding, the interest of the audience plays a significant role in determining the kind of programs that are aired, for instance the Hip-hop genre of music that is Western by origin and cultures tends to have a huge following in Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania thus the program airs this kind of music to appease the interests of the people that are huge followers of that genre (McLeod and Kuenzli, 2011). Free to air channels can be accessed by the general public without any form of subscriptions thus they entirely depend on the commercials that they run to foot their bills. I’ll choose NTV in Kenya as an example of a free to air channel for the purpose of this analysis. Evidently, most free to air channels have a substantial fan base given the fact that they can be accessed without paying any amount of money (Cramerotti, 2009). These channels tend to come up with all sorts of innovative programs so as to command a huge following to entice more companies to advertising with them based on the fact that they have a vast audience.  

Effects of Divorce on Children's Achievements in School Research Proposal

Effects of Divorce on Children's Achievements in School - Research Proposal Example The present study makes an attempt to study the consequences of divorce on the child's education and academic achievement as compared to their previous academic records. The present study is a descriptive study because it involves comparison of previous existing academic records about the students and comparing the same with the latest records which will help to analyze the effect of divorce on their academic brilliance. The development of society has led to many changes in the lives of people. The new age of information has resulted in changing attitudes with regard to their approach towards life and relationship which was earlier a bonding of different lives. The approach, the present paper highlights is about divorce which is ever increasing in developed countries, but developing nations are not left behind as the trend is followed over there too. Divorce is technically the formal dissolution of marriage which is more often conceived as the catalyst for the increasing family fragmentation characterizing contemporary western societies. It is further important to mention that divorce reflects the changing societal values and norms concerning marriage, gender, children, parenting and care giving (David Clarke, 2007). According to Bane (cited in Hetherington, Cox and Cox, 1982) high rate of divorce per se is not a matter for concern in a society that values individual choice, even though some of the consequences may warrant societal attention. Divorce, in legal terms, is an end to marriage but the separation has greater impact on various factors which also includes children's welfare, education and their academic and social development. According to Bumpass (cited in Keith and Finlay, 1988), the increasing prevalence of divorce involving children is an important topic which needs to be studied over the period of time so as to ascertain the effects of divorce on their academic achievements. Some of the previous studies with regard to effects of divorce on children's education have led to a conclusion that there is no significant effect once adequate controls for social class are introduced. In a longitudinal study carried out by Cherlin, Furstenberg, Chase-Lansdale, Kiernan, Robins, Morrison and Teitler (1991) it was revealed that the academic performance of the children, both boys and girls, has reduced as compared to their previous performance when their parents didn't separat ed. However it is pertinent to mention here that the effect of divorce in girls was minimal as compared to that of boys. An early research into the effects of divorce on young minds by Judith Wallerstein and her colleagues which included 60 divorced couples and their 131 children, it was revealed that almost half of the participants were characterized as worried, underachieving, self deprecating and sometimes angry young man and women (Weiten, Lloyd, Dunn and Hammer, 2008). Research Methodology Research is a way of thinking, critically examining the various aspects of the subject being studied, understanding and formulating guiding principles that govern a particular procedure; and developing and testing new theories (Kumar, 2005).

Analyze the Current Presidential Campaign Essay

Analyze the Current Presidential Campaign - Essay Example The USA administers general elections for its highest official post of the president of the country after every four years on 4th of November in the leap year. These elections are watched and observed with great curiosity all over the world, and people from different regions of the globe remain well informed regarding the latest developments being made during the election campaign. Problems are discussed, issues are raised and promises are made, according to the prevailing situation, with the people by the presidential candidates. There was a time, when the election campaign of the country was determined by targeting the growing Russian threat, though it has become quite a stalemate during the contemporary era, and the candidates have to set other targets in order to capture the attention of the subjects. â€Å"The United States†, Rice submits, â€Å"has found it exceedingly difficult to define its "national interest" in the absence of Soviet power. That we do not know how to think about what follows the U.S.-Soviet confrontation is clear from the continued references to the "post-Cold War period." Yet such periods of transition are important, because they offer strategic opportunities. During these fluid times, one can affect the shape of the world to come.† (Rice, 2000: retrieved in the Council of Foreign Affairs) Now terrorism, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, price hike of oil products, globalization, the unabated unemployment and widening gulf between the USA and Iran have become the moot point especially during the present campaign for the presidency of the USA. Since this year 2008 is also the election year, many candidates appeared during the election campaign to participate the elections, and arranged demonstration in order to introduce themselves in public. The public listened to the points raised by these candidates and analyzed them in the perspective of the existing uncertain state of

Business ideas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business ideas - Essay Example Imam (Muslim priest) or a Muslim scholar who would serve as a Consultant to ensure that the clothing style that will be made by the company is appropriate for Muslim women. This is critical because the competitive advantage of the company is its ability to serve a certain niche with a cultural and religious overtone. The company cannot afford to make a mistake especially during its initial phase because when it will lose its credibility in that segment either by mistake or ignorance, it is already doom to fail because Muslim women are its sole market. Know-how on what are appropriate clothing designs for Muslim women. Fabrics to sew or create such design. Employees who have knowledge and expertise in sewing Islamic high fashion clothes. Capital to start and operate a business. Being culturally and religiously correct does not mean that people has to dress dull. The Islamic high fashion clothing line that will be introduced by the company in the market will be stylish but culturally and religiously aligned with the dressing prescription of Islam for women. Customers will the center of the business. Such, the business will take the pain to consult Muslim scholars about the appropriateness of the clothing line in addition to the effort of making the clothing line stylish and comfortable. The channel of establishing customer relationships and distribution shall be highly selective since the target market is highly specialized. Marketing efforts in establishing customer relationship will only be limited to Islamic communities where the target markets are concentrated. Since the proposed business is targeted towards a market with a high disposable income, the channel of distribution will also be situated in high street fashion retail stores to make the product appropriate to the status of its market. The idea of putting up a clothing business that caters to a specific market has a very good chance of success provided that it will be done right. The

Learning Strategies Rely Heavily on Employee Involvement Essay

Learning Strategies Rely Heavily on Employee Involvement - Essay Example The generally practiced HR policies of Equipos included regular training, communication, setting of lucid and consistent objectives, high wages, acknowledgment for accomplishments, team works, flat organization structure, in addition to a learning-oriented organizational culture. These factors motivated the employees to perform and adhere to the management practices, which enabled Equipos to develop into a learning organization. Contribution This study can be beneficial for comprehending how in spite of cultural differences between the parent company and the subsidiary, the organization can efficiently accomplish its business strategies with the help of its employees’ participation by motivating them. Keywords Motivation, Culture, Employee Participation, HR Practices, Management Practices. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 5 Discussion 6 Conclusion 12 References 13 Introduction The modern day organizations are striving hard to sustain their market position in the preva lent competitive business circumstances and gain a competitive advantage over their peers. In doing so, a large number of business organizations are shifting their orientation towards management approaches that encourage organizational learning. It had been observed that multinational corporations (MNCs) that are focused towards global learning have attained competitiveness and agility to handle the escalating intricacies of the global business environment (Bartlett & Ghoshal, 1989). However, when the MNCs employ learning approaches in their subsidiaries that are located in foreign lands, it is important for these MNCs to comprehend the issues that could impact the execution of various management practices that assist learning. Some of the major issues that could impact the execution of the management practices are difference in culture, and other environmental aspects such as socioeconomic, political, educational, and legal issues (Adler, 1997; Farmer & Richman, 1970; Negandhi & Pr asad, 1971). Hence, while spreading the learning practices to their subsidiaries, it is essential for the management of the MNCs to recognize the extent to which miscellaneous issues together with, but not restricted to the domestic cultural principles, have an effect on the transferability of diverse management practices. Managers should be aware of what issues might aid the accomplishment of learning strategies that initially seem to be contrary and mismatched with the culture of a nation. Gomez (2004:3) had stated that â€Å"Learning strategies rely heavily on employee involvement†. Gomez (2004) had stated so in his article, where he discussed the case of an American MNC and its Mexican subsidiary ‘Equipos’. Equipos had effectively taken up the attributes of a learning organization from its US based parent organization. This is in contrast to the widely perceived notion that the employee participation and other management practices that are related to a learni ng strategy are generally incompatible in the cross-cultural context. The paper essentially accentuates on how the employees were encouraged to involve themselves in the learning organisation atmosphere of Equipos. In the process of discussing the strategies employed by the management of Equipos, the paper also draws on the theories of motivation as well as cross-culture. Discussion It is

How Nintendo is left brained Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How Nintendo is left brained - Essay Example This part of the brain controls the right side of the body. (Edward) CERTAIN FEATURES OF NINTENDO GAMES WITH EXAMPLES: A number of Nintendo games are available for purchase in the market. These games incorporate techniques that require analytical and logical approaches to be embedded by the player. Examples of Nintendo games involving the brain activity of the player from the left side of the brain include Donkey Kong, numerous puzzle related games such as Repton, Knights Lore, Cantlequest. Puzzle solving games involve the embedding of decision making techniques. Thompson writes about traditional puzzle games in his book â€Å"Video Games Design Revealed† in the following words: â€Å"The general format for traditional puzzle games often includes a problem that needs to be solved, followed by some kind of subtle scenario change, followed by another puzzle that needs to be solved in order to gain points or move up a hierarchy of levels.† (31). Each puzzle game introduced by the Nintendo game introduces a different decision making perspective to the player. This results in even more brainstorming on the Player’s end. In addition to puzzle solving games there are also few brain games in the Nintendo Series of video games. These games are named as the ‘Brain Training Series’ by their developer Professor Kawashima and Nintendo.

To what extent does the Wal-Mart motivation mode inspire employees Essay

To what extent does the Wal-Mart motivation mode inspire employees - Essay Example the development of business in the modern society requires that high consideration be given to motivation, which must be directed to the individuals that are responsible for the business decision making. In order to provide a clear framework for the scholars interested in this area of study, we will need to discuss the major forms of motivations as suggested by earlier researchers and outline clearly how they influence the growth of business. We will also see how they affect the employees in a diverse way. In addition, we will make suggestions of more forms of motivation that are not covered in this area of study. Apart from merely stating the major reasons for the exploration of these forms of motivation, we will identify the major weaknesses that have lead to the limitation of the power of prediction by the previously conducted researches on the same topic. This is rooted from the basic principle of continuity as should be exhibited by research. We therefore offer explicit outcomes for any future research adoption to clear the industry

Managing User Accounts In Linux Essay Example for Free

Managing User Accounts In Linux Essay Linuxs most notable advantage over other operating systems such as Windows and Mac is security and in order for a user to modify critical components of the system, such as user accounts, is to have access rights of a ROOT. The root is at the top level of Linuxs user hierarchy and has all the privileges to access all resources. To login as root, a user must use the command su username. After pressing the ENTER key, the system will prompt the user to type in the corresponding password. After entering the correct password, the user will inherit full access privileges including the right to modify other users account information. Attempting to enter the correct password will deny the user from inheriting the roots privileges. # su [screenshot] Let us now attempt to create a new user called bozo. But first, let us check if that username is not yet taken. # id bozo [screenshot] Since username bozo is still available we can now create his user account. # useradd bozo -d /home/bozo -u 600 We have just created a username called bozo and makes his default folder under /home/bozo and gave him the UID of 600. by the way, UIDs are unique identifiers of users. Users can be a representation of both human users and services running in the Linux system. UIDs are used by Linux in relation to his password and privilege information stored in the /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow and /etc/group. One of the very first thing Linux does when creating a new user is to copy the files from the skeleton folder, which contains whatever files the admin wants to give to new users, into the newly created users folder. Now, let us try to take a look at those files by displaying a detailed listing of files including hidden ones. # ls –la /home/skel/ So far so good. Now let us try creating another user and call her bozoette. # useradd bozo -d /home/bozo -u 600 We had an error. As stated earlier, UIDs are unique. Since we attempted to create a user and assigned the same UID with bozo, the system denied our request. But what if we do want give bozoete the UID #600? One of the many ways to do it is to first change bozos UID, say 601 and then create bozoettes user account using the newly-vacant UID of 600. Change bozos UID from 600 to 601. # id bozo # usermod -u 601 bozo # id bozo Then create bozoettes new account with UID 600. # useradd bozoette -d /home/bozoette -u 600 Now we have two new users bozo(uid:601) and bozoette(uid:600) with user directories /home/bozo and /home/bozoette, respectively. Note that user accounts remain inactive until a password is assigned to them. Let us now activate the two new user accounts by assigning passwords to them. # passwd bozo # passwd bozoette Users bozo and bozoette are now active and users can now login to the system using the correct username and password combinations for the accounts. REFERENCES Linux Headquarters. Adduser: Adding A New User. http://www. linuxheadquarters. com/howto/basic/adduser. shtml Advanced Horizons. Linux Users. http://www. ahinc. com/linux101/users. htm Mario P. Free November 28, 2007. Tutorial @HowTo. fm. Command Line User Management. http://howto. fm/e/a/title/Command-Line-User-Management-in-Linux/ Notaras, George. 6 November 2005. G-Loaded! User management from the command line http://www. g-loaded. eu/2005/11/06/manage-users-from-the-command-line/

Students stress Essay Example for Free

Students stress Essay ?Introduction paragraph: As we know going to college has a huge importance for every student. Obviously students gain different experiences from each other. Becoming a student has advantages and disadvantages. This essay introduces us with one of the disadvantages which is students stress. Financial problems , time management , changing sleeping or food habits and social activities are some effects and causes that induce students stress. Body paragraphs Topic sentence : Time management is an effect that induces students stress. Connecting explanation: When students don’t manage their time appropriately they find it difficult to study. Detail / Evidence 1 : Not being able to arrange their time ,they find it difficult to find the right time to study or work (or any other activity) Detail / Evidence 2 : The more time spent at work (or different activities), the less time a student spends studying. Example 1: Having to hold down a job and still be a college student is a constant source of stress (Calderon , Hey Seabert , 2001). Connecting explanation : The students that work or attend to social activities find it hard to manage their time so they can achieve what they want. Concluding sentence : As we see from the example above students that don’t manage their time have lots of stress. Time management is an effect that induces students stress. Being regular attendees to different activities makes them to have less time to study. Having a work also complicates the ability to manage their time appropriately. It is important for every student to have at least a guide that explains how they can handle this stress. Being able to manage our time helps us a lot to achieve in the appropriate way our studies , work and social activities. Topic sentence : An important cause that leads to students stress is financial problem. Connecting explanation : Having financial problems it is surely the best way to distract students from their studies. Detail / Evidence 1 : Financial support is a tremendous factor in the success of a college student. Detail / Evidence 2 : The need for financial support leads students to take care of job responsibilities. Example 1 : If the student has a family that involves his or her own children, the support of everyone is needed even more to achieve the goal of graduation (Trockel et al , 2000). Connecting explanation : Not having a financial support leads students to take job responsibilities which causes lots of stress. Concluding sentence : As we see in the example above the support of the family is a huge importance. Having financial problems it is surely the best way to distract students from their studies. Finding how to manage their costs is obviously very stressful. The reason that obligates students to take care of job responsibilities is the lack of a financial support. Being free of financial responsibilities is a relief for them. According to the example , to achieve the goal of graduation the students families must give them support. Topic sentence : Changing sleeping habits its another cause that creates students stress. Connecting explanation: When students go to college change their sleeping habits because of job responsibilities or social activities. Detail / Evidence 1 : Sleep deprivation causes shortened attention span. Detail / Evidence 2 : Increased number of errors that students make on a test. Example 1 : Sleeping shorter amounts of time has shown to increase factors such as anxiety and stress which have been associated with academics performance (Celly et al 2001). Connecting explanation: Usually students that change their sleeping habits for different reasons tend to lose their attention which reduces their grades. Concluding sentence : According to the example above , sleeping less causes much more stress which lowers the academic performance. Changing sleeping habits its another cause that creates students stress. Most of the students when they go to college start a work or attend to social activities which makes them sleep less. A low attention its obviously a lack of sleep. Not being careful to their courses makes them lose lots of information and increases the errors in their tests. According to Celly (2001) Anxiety and stress come from a low amount of sleep and that’s what leads to a reduced academic performance. Topic sentence : Being part of social activities is another cause that induces students stress. Connecting explanation : Following social activities spends the students time more than it should. Detail / Evidence 1 : Taking time out of frequent study hours to work out pulls away from grades. Detail/ Evidence 2 : Exercising too much or not at all can influence academic performance. Example 1 : Students who exercised seven or more hours a week obtain significantly lower grades than students who exercised 6 or fewer hours weekly or not at all. Connecting explanation : Exercising too much reduces students academic performance which leads to lower grades. Concluding sentence : According to the example above , we can see the importance of not spending too much time in different activities. Being part of social activities is another cause that induces students stress. We all know that following social activities is good when its not exaggerated. It is obvious that spending lots of time in activities doesn’t give us the opportunity to study enough. Not studying enough surely reduces students grades. According to the example above , students should understand the importance of spending appropriate hours on social activities. Topic sentence : Another cause that induces students stress is changing food habits. Connecting explanation : Because of different things that students might have during their college they don’t have enough time to cook so they change their eating habits. Detail / Evidence 1 : Having an unhealthy diet is an important detail that leads to students stress. Detail / Evidence 2 : Learning to cook is a new challenge for students. Example 1: Little storage space is available in the average dorm room , and food storage may not be possible at all (Trockel et al , 2000). Connecting explanations : Many students consider learning to cook as a challenge so they choose to have an unhealthy diet which causes stress for them. Concluding sentence : According to Trockel (2000) the reason that students choose to have an unhealthy diet is because of the little storage space available in the average dorm room , or the food storage might not be possible at all. Another cause that induces students stress is changing food habits. Students before going to college were used with moms cooking. Now they have to do everything on their own , concluding cooking. Because of many students consider cooking as a challenge they go to the supermarket to buy something to eat. Having an unhealthy diet its proved that lowers the capacity to study and this causes students stress. According to Trockel (2000) the reason that students choose to have an unhealthy diet is because of the little storage space available in the average dorm room , or the food storage might not be possible at all. Concluding paragraph : As we see there are lots of causes and effects that induce students stress. Last year I was a freshman in an Italian university and I can say from my experience that is very difficult to handle a stress that college induces. I think that those causes and effects are parts of every students life that is why they shouldn’t freak out. Knowing how financial problems , social activities , time management , the change of sleep and food habits effect students should also be a good priority for studiers to find a way how we can handle it. Capable students obviously will be an important step that will lead us to a better future.

Creating a Suitable Braking Assembly

Creating a Suitable Braking Assembly To understand the advanced material and processing technologies specifically to study the interaction between different materials and the design process to create a suitable braking assembly consisting of disc, caliper and brake pads. Disc A disc brake or rotor is used to stop or slow down a moving vehicle. There are two types of disc brakes namely solid and ventilated disc .The rotating disc is connected to the axle and rotates with the wheel. When brake is applies the kinetic energy is converted to thermal energy. The temperature range of a disc braking under braking is 400C-600C. The weight if the disc also matters. For better braking and longer disc life. The disc should have grooves to disperse water to give maximum performance under wet conditions. Disc which are likely to corrosion are coated with anti rust paint. It should be resistant to wear and tear. The reliability of the disc increases when it responses fast and gives safety in all situations. Caliper The main function of the caliper is to hold the brake pads and to hub the brake fluid. The caliper is the actuator in braking and is attached to the steering knuckle. The pistons inside the calipers push against the brake pads which rub against the disc. There are two types of caliper-floating and fixed calipers. Fixed type does not rotate and are fixed. Floating type rotates in relation with the disc on an axis. The caliper should be clean and dirt free for maximum performance. It should also be corrosion resistant. Since calipers are actuators, they have to be made for maximum safety. Need to check if all the pistons are working or if they are engaged. Calipers should also dissipative heat produced. The calipers should provide complete safety in all conditions. Brake pads Brake pads are friction materials mounted on the caliper. They have high friction and help stop the vehicle. They wear out and have to be replaced for better braking. Brake pads or friction pads are the most important part in a brake assembly as this is the part that stops the vehicle. The most important property of the pad is the have a constant high coefficient of friction in a wide range of temperature. The pads should have enough surface area. Heat produces during braking should be dissipated or absorbed. It should have high melting point or the pads could face a phenomenon called brake fade. The brake pads must not wear out rapidly neither should it wear the disc. All the braking action should be quiet, even and stable. Disc Since the disc is thin, the material should be high compressive strength and should not deform under pressure or stress. Therefore the disc rotors need to have high melting point, high dynamic and thermal stability. Rotors should also be wear and rust resistant. The material should also have high dampening to absorb all the vibrations and noise when braking. It should also high have high thermal conductivity and should dissipate heat quickly. It should be able to minimize thermal expansion and should also be hard enough to withstand cracking. Finally the material should have superior machineability and castability. Caliper Material selection for caliper is crucial as it takes in high pressure and stress. It should be light and should have high tensile strength. The pistons should be made of high strength materials to transfer the force from the hydraulic fluid to the brake pads for effective braking. The material should not deform under high stress. Caliper design can get complicated so it should be easy to machine. The material should help in absorption and dissipation of heat and vibrations. Moreover it ought to be rust and dirt resistant. It should also exhibit high dynamic and thermal stability. Brake Pads The material selection for brake pads must have high coefficient of friction for a wide range of temperature and high melting point. Moreover it should withstand heat and dissipate quickly. Another desirable quality of the material is low dust and also low NVH which gives brakes a quiet operation. The material should provide a fade free operation and help eliminate rotor squeal. Pads should have long life but should be rotor friendly also. Since the pads are replaced frequently the pads should be easily machineable and the materials should be easily available. Disc and Caliper The material selected for Disc rotors and caliper is Cast Iron. Cast iron is an alloy of iron and carbon, where the carbon presence is about 3%-4.5% by weight. It is popular because of its low cost and ability to take complicated shapes and ease of machineability. The mechanical properties can be divided into the following Tensile strength-Cast Irons have comparatively less tensile strength but it serves the purpose in disc brakes. The strength is of the magnitude of 7 tonnes per square inch. Hence making the disc brake safe under tensile loading. Compressive strength-Cast iron is popular for its high compressive strength and can take the high compression from the friction material under braking. Consequently brake caliper can take in high load and resist bending or crack. High melting point-The melting ranges from 1140C to 1200C, which is more than sufficient for disc rotors. This helps in removing the disc fade phenomenon and helps braking more efficient at high temperature. Resistances to deformation-Cast irons resist any form of deformation and give a very rigid frame. Hence any form of cracking or breaking is eliminated by careful manufacturing methods. Resistance to Corrosion-Cast iron provides resistance to rust as it inhibits the oxidation of iron. But any part subjected to rust is coated with paint for extra protection. Wear and tear The chosen material is known for its hardness. Wearing out or eroding cast iron is incredibly difficult. Cast iron has proved its excellent abrasion resistance for years. For this reason, cast iron has been selected for disc rotors and caliper for excellent braking performance. Durability and Environment Issues Cast Iron are known to have high durability against fuels where the disc and caliper are often in attendance. The hydraulic fluids used in calipers cause no harm to the metal and hence provide good braking. Cast irons are environmentally friendly material which can be recycled and also doesnt require high energy in machining which reduces cost and pollution. Therefore Cast Iron proves to be the suitable material for disc rotors and brake caliper as it serves the entire design requirement. Adding to the qualities is the dampening ability which helps in NVH free running. It even has an extremely low coefficient of expansion .moreover it also has low sound emission level and also dissipates heat quickly. All these qualities add up to make the cast iron the suitable material. Pads The material selected for brake pad is Asbestos because of its high coefficient of friction. It mainly found in silicate minerals and usually found as long, thin fibrous crystals. Asbestos became popular with its physical properties and came to be used widely in spite of its health hazards. The physical properties are divided below. Tensile Strength Asbestos is known to have very high tensile strength which makes it perfect for use as brake pads. As the brakes are applied at high speed, the pads are rubbed against the disc at high speed producing high tensile force. Therefore asbestos provides the require strength to counter it. High Melting point Asbestos has melting point in the order of 1200C-1500C.This helps in removing the fear of brake fade giving high performance even at high temperatures. Resistance to deformation Asbestos is found to be flexible material. The flexibility of the material helps it to change angle and help increase the braking as the surface of the pads will be evenly run over the disc generating excellent braking. Adding to flexibility is its high tensile strength. Wear and tear Asbestos has high coefficient of friction which makes it perfect but since asbestos are fibers, they tend to wear out but on a reduced or controlled rate according to the manufacturing method. They are designed to wear out eventually. But asbestos are durable material resistant to a number of elements. Environmental issues Asbestos are not environment friendly material neither is it safe for humans. Its fibers often cause health risk which makes it quiet dangerous to use. Asbestos has a number of outstanding abilities such as heat, fire, chemical, friction, electrical, acoustical resistance. All these qualities help in providing a smooth braking feat. It insulates heat and helps dissipate heat quickly. The acoustical properties help absorb the noise and sound and give a quieter operation. Since its chemically inert, it helps in operation in any conditions. Moreover it is insoluble in water and corrosion has no effect. All these qualities add up to prove that asbestos is a good material for brake pads. Disc Disc brake rotors are made using a simple process of casting. Casting is a manufacturing process where the selected material is poured into a mold which has the shape and geometry of the design and then allowed to solidify. Once the metal is solidified, the finished product is taken out by ejection or breakage of mold. Casting is also helpful in mixing two or more materials.The current manufacturing route for the disc brake rotor is casting as cast iron has excellent cast ability and machineability. Since casting has been used for a very long time, it has been developed over the years too. Its economical because of the low equipment cost and tooling cost which helps keep cost down. Disc rotors are made using sand mold. The disc shape is made in a sand cavity and molten cast iron is poured into the cavity. The liquid metal flows to all the space and empty crease in the cavity and takes the shape of the mold. Once the mold shape is taken, it is allowed to cool. After the mold has been cooled to a temp where it can be taken out of the mold, the product can be ejected or the mold can be broken to take the product. Once it is casted, the shape of the disc rotor has been created. It then goes for machining where it is trimmed to final dimensions and level the surface for critical surfaces/dimensions. After machining, the disc is taken over to surface abrasive section where all the rough edges and surface are made clean and smoothen to increase smoothness. After all the work has been done it might be given a coat of anti rust or left over for packaging. Many disc manufacturers drill holes and mill the disc rotors for better air flow and heat dissipation. Casting is a low cost process but often it come with flaws. The rotors would have sand inclusions, bubbles, porosities and usually end up in one piece which can induce really high stress. This can cause uneven cooling or heating and produce cracks in the rotor. Once a crack is formed in a disc, it can lead to the destruction of the whole disc. Therefore the cracks should be taken care of beforehand. To counter this problem, many companies resort to what is called ASTM high temperature cast iron. They use vacuum assist degassed to eliminate the pososite to help stop cracking. Caliper The selected material for caliper is cast iron. Since cast iron have good castability, calipers are also made from casting. But since calipers take a very complex shape and have minute detailing, a high pressure casting is used. High pressure casting is similar to sand casting except that very high pressure of the order 14-140MPa is used to force the liquid to the mould giving good surface finish and also production of very thin sections. The process involves the cast iron melted to be flowing liquid. A mold of the caliper is made and the liquid is injected to the die using a plunger. The liquid fills the die cavity and since high pressure is used, the liquid goes to the smallest creases and takes the whole of the die space leaving less room for inclusions or porosity. Once the liquid is cooled, the die is opened and the product is taken out for further processing. Since the surface finish is good, there is less need to machining. It may be treated with chemicals and all the complicated shapes are cleaned. The caliper is given a protective paint coating for anti rust property. The major advantage is of the high pressure casting is the high production rate compared to sand cast. This is the current route of the manufacturing of calipers using cast irons. Pads Pads are manufactured rather traditionally. Basic process involves cutting of 2 metals one with a friction lining and then sticking them together to make the brake pad. The process starts with cutting two sheets metal. One metal will have the friction material and the other metal will act as a carrier. Once the sheet metals are cut, the two metals are bonded together by a damping layer. The damping layer is an adhesive that sticks both the metals together. Its a layer is a peroxide-cross linked polyacrylate adhesive of a thickness of about 75 ÃŽ ¼m or a peroxide-cross linked silicone adhesive of a thickness of about 100 ÃŽ ¼m. First the damping layer is applied onto one material and then the metal is pressed to the other metal. Few individual supports are punched out from the metal bonded together, providing support on one side and friction on the other. Thus the brake pad is manufactured and the process is very simple. d) Alternate Material Disc The alternate material that can be used is Carbon Ceramic rotors. Carbon ceramics rotors were into application in high performance cars because it called in for high performance.CC rotors are very heat resistant and much more durable than cast iron brake. Advantages of Ceramic Brakes over Cast iron Carbon Ceramic s rotors have more frictional force which helps in stopping the car quickly. They dissipate heat quickly which helps reduce brake fade which is the loss of friction at high temperature Since the heat buildup is lesser, the wear and tear is also reduced The overall weight of the rotors are reduced which help in reducing the weight of the car especially the unsprung mass which helps in handling. CC rotors can withstand 2.5 times the heat steel can withstand which enables it to work in extreme heat. Ceramics have found their place in most of the high performance cars. Ceramics are still under the development stage. Disadvantages of Ceramic Brakes over Cast Iron CC rotors are limited to open wheel configuration because of the high temperature generated. The major disadvantage is the low coefficient of friction in wet or damp condition. CC rotors phenomenally expensive They cannot be repaired if cracked or damaged The production process is very complicated too. Ceramic Rotors are perfect selection for sports car and high performance cars but they seem to be inefficient for normal passenger cars. There are many researches going on in ceramics as they seem to give the best of all the worlds. The potential for ceramics are immense in automotive industry. They are widely used in aerospace now. The manufacturing process is also being refined which are moderating the cost which enables ceramics in a wider driving spectrum.CC rotors help reduce the weight of the vehicle as it is 4 times lighter than cast iron which increases fuel efficiency and help reduce the unsprung mass of the vehicles which gives better handling.CC rotors are made from a carbon reinforcement impregnated with a carbon matrix which is subjected to long and expensive process. There is new ceramics under development and this field is expanding. Caliper The alternate material used in caliper is aluminum. Aluminum is a very light material and can be cast without much expense. Aluminum is used because it is light weight, stiff and non corrosive. Advantages Light weight material comparing to cast iron which helps reduce the upsprung mass of car It can be manufactured easily and tooling is inexpensive. It can be anodized for better look and protection Stiff material and gives sufficient strength Non corrosive and is not affected by water under most conditions. Disadvantages over cast iron Material not strong enough and have lesser compressive and tensile strength. Aluminum has low damping and doesnt absorb vibrations More expensive than cast iron, more manufacturing process Poor ability to transfer heat, aluminum is a poor thermal insulator. Aluminum is widely used to make calipers in modern cars due to its properties and charactertics. More research is being carried out to make aluminum stiffer and harder. Many new aluminum alloys are being produced and tested. Aluminum calipers are larger in size when compared to cast iron calipers; this is due to the fact that the required stiffness is reached only within a certain size. The pistons used in the caliper vary from steel to titanium. The caliper needs good surfaces finish and should also take high stress and shape. Aluminum delivers all the required design specification and making aluminum the best alternate material to be used in calipers. Pads As the increasing rate of technology, brake pads have improved over the years. Asbestos were replaced by semi metallic and now replaced by ceramic pads. Asbestos pad caused health issues and semi metallic pad were noisy and eroded the rotors. Ceramic brakes have been selected as the alternate material for brake pads. Advantages The major advantage is low dust formed when braking. Improved braking over semi metallic and asbestos Stable and even friction available at all temperature range Extremely quiet performance and provide comfort to the passenger The pad life has also been extended also the rotor life as the pads dont erode the rotors. Disadvantages The only disadvantage till now is the rather expensiveness of the brake pads, but with constant manufacturing up gradation, the prices will come down. Ceramic brake pads are found to be an ultimate product, but research is continuing in the process of making it more efficient and cheaper. The dusts produced by ceramics are minimal and are not noticeable making the disc more cleanly in appearance. The ceramic pads are made up of a carbon-ceramic mostly with carbon fibers within silicon carbide matrix(C/SiC).This gives all the qualities to the brake pads according to the design requirement. e) Manufacturing Route for Alternate material Disc The manufacturing process of a ceramic disc rotor is complex and involves a number of steps. Rotors are expensive because of the expensive manufacturing process. The process starts with the preparation and arrangement of multiple layers of fiber fabric. Forming a material in with all the properties involves complex manufacturing process and the properties depend on the selection and densification process. The fibers are taken and heated to a point where they dont melt or burn. Fiber arrangement range from random chopped mat to woven fabric. Then the fiber material is formed in mould to produce the disc shape and then heated to eliminate non carbon elements. After this a process known as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used. In CVD porous product is heated in vacuum and then hydrocarbon gas is supplied in to diffuse all the cracks. In isothermal CVD, densification occurs at uniform temperature. Once the specific density and porosity is obtained, the disc is taken out and mach ined, drilled and treated with an antioxidant or special paint for protection. The process is a very length one and takes about 30 to 40 days. The manufacturing process increases the cost of the brakes. Research is being done to reduce the process while maintaining the property of the ceramic disc rotors. Caliper The manufacturing process used to make calipers out aluminum is Gravity Die Casting (GDC).This is different from High pressure die casting used for cast iron. This involves pouring the liquid gently into a reusable metal die. In this process the cores make the difference, the cavity formed due to the cores help the movement of liquid through the core. It includes two cores where one is moveable. The liquid is poured into the die and due to gravity it flows to the cavity and fills the gaps. Once it is solid and set, the die is removed and the finished is removed. After that it is machined to give it a surface finish. The main advantage of gravity die casting over sand casting is the production speed. The same die can be used for hundreds of casting. This process also gives a dimensional accuracy and surface finish. This process is widely used in cast aluminum alloy calipers. Pad Ceramic brake pads are manufactured similar to the cast iron brake pads. The ceramic material is cut into the shape and another metal piece is taken and the both are cold pressed into green compact. Sintering is carried out in vacuum where the organic binding agent concentrations get pyrolized and the metal particles bonded by reaction to carbon. Several binding agents are suited for pyrolysis.eg silicon carbide. One side of the pad will have the friction material and the other will have the support. Thus the manufacturing process for brake pad for alternate material uses expensive materials and process making it more expensive than conventional brake pads.