Local Area Networks Are Hampered By The Cost, Performance,...

VLANs In the past, companies were hampered by the cost, performance, and security issues that are associated with local area networks or LANs. LANs must be connected physically to switches which means that each LAN must have its own switch (prtl.uhcl.edu, 2016, para. 13). The virtualized version of the LANs, virtual local area networks (VLANs), allows users to invest in only one switch (prtl.uhcl.edu, 2016, para. 13). The VLAN is used in the virtual data center environment to separate a single LAN into more than one network while being physically connected to one switch. One advantage of VLANs is that network administrators can now sort devices by whatever criteria they require without physical location being an issue. Different VLANs can be set for different groups or departments within the same LAN. Performance is improved because, when the LAN is broken up into VLANs, it is not receiving broadcasts from all of the devices (certbros.com, 2015, para. 4). Cost is decreased bec ause separate switches are not required for VLANs. A security benefit is provided because VLANs can be configured to accommodate the different security levels needed, and the administrator can choose whether or not to allow the VLANs to communicate with each other (certbros.com, 2015, para. 6). VRFs Virtualization is also used in the data center to acquire more routing instances without acquiring more hardware (Santana, 2014. P. 90). This technology is known as Virtual Routing and ForwardingShow MoreRelatedNetwork, Virtual Local Area Networks ( Vlans )1518 Words   |  7 PagesIn the past, companies were hampered by the cost, performance, and security issues that are associated with local area networks or LANs. LANs must be connected physically to switches which means that each LAN must have its own switch (prtl.uhcl.edu, 2016, para. 13). The virtualized version of the LANs, virtual local area networks (VLANs), allows users to invest in only one switch (prtl.uhcl.edu, 2016, para. 13). The VLAN is used in a virtual data center environment to separate a single LAN intoRead MoreHomeland Security And The United States2106 Words   |  9 Pageswas called Homeland Security†. It went through the enactment of hundreds of statutes and regulations, substantial changes in pol icy initiatives, the most massive governmental reorganization since 1947, and brought the new business of homeland security to the face of American awareness. Soon after the terrorist attacks, Congress passed various new laws and enhanced some existing ones that introduced sweeping changes to homeland security provisions and to the existing security organizations. 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The facilities include 24-hour business services center as secretarial support and access to computers. At the same time, a ballroom, capable of sitting 550 people, andRead MoreE-Banking in Pakistan: Current Scenario9773 Words   |  40 PagesABSTRACT This is a research report and an attempt to look into the issues and concerns in the Banking Sector and tries to analyze the views of the consumers and the banking environment. We have analyzed the current offerings of E-Banking solutions offered by two major Pakistani banks and the consumers responses to these efforts. The overall research findings have been presented as objectively as possible and it points to the Security concerns hampering the growth of E-Banking within Pakistan. ThereRead MoreBusiness, Government and Society4777 Words   |  20 Pagesbetween firm and individuals, interest groups, government entities and the public that are intermediated not by markets but by public and private institutions. 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Ap World History Sugar Trade Dbq - 821 Words

The sugar trade was driven by its easy accessibility of slaves, land, and the sugar itself. Due to these characteristics the sugar trade flourished greatly through much of the world. Slaves were a main reason for the increase in sugar crops. The trading of slaves was already increasing at the time and therefore made obtaining them even easier. Document 10 show the correlation between slave population and sugar produced. It demonstrates how an increase in slaves produced an increase in sugar. Slaves provided a simple and easy way to maintain the sugar crops. Document 11 lists items that English merchants used to purchase slaves. The list includes ordinary things such as powder, toys, and brass pans that could be bought in markets.†¦show more content†¦Also, this far way land allowed owners of the plantations to perform their business easily by having other people do the work for them. Document 7 lists four of the largest plantation owners of the Caribbean. In each description it states that the owners were absentees, meaning they indeed performed their business from England rather than at the site. The lands of the Caribbean allowed sugarShow MoreRelatedBoyer Dbq Teacher Guide10764 Words   |  44 PagesUsing the DBQ Practice Questions from The Enduring Vision, Sixth Edition A Teachers’ Guide Ray Soderholm Minnetonka High School Minnetonka, Minnesota Using the DBQ Practice Questions from The Enduring Vision, 6th Edition A Teachers’ Guide This guide is intended to suggest some possible ways that students may organize essays related to the document-based questions in the Advanced Placement version of The Enduring Vision, 6th Edition, and to provide teachers with some information on each included

Managing And Preventing Venous Leg Ulcers †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Managing And Preventing Venous Leg Ulcers? Answer: Introducation Venous leg ulcer is a condition that is reportedly caused by wounds suffered by individuals and last over a long duration of time (Finlayson Edwards, 2015). Additionally, they claim that the disease can be controlled but the success of achieving this prevention is based on how the patient in question is willing and able to take precautions based on the information given by physicians. Also, they claim that success in managing the condition is dependent mainly on the ability of the patient to use to follow the right elevation angle to rest the leg as well as being active. However, they found that compression therapy that is a wide-spread treatment toll was not very effective in managing the condition. Finlayson and Edwards, (2015) claim that the physical environment, as well as the angle in which the affected leg is placed during rest, could also be significant in managing the disorder. Adderly and Thompson (2016) carried out a survey on the importance of education in handling cases related to venous ulcers. In their finding, they claim that trained nurses whether they deal with general hospital conditions or they have specialized in the field may not cause much difference in their ability to deal with the condition (Adderly Thompson, 2016). However, they insist that it is necessary for all individuals to carry out examinations at specific intervals and hospitals ability to invest in nurses who are able to handle the condition may play an important role in marketing that patients are taken care of in the manner they are supposed to (Adderly Thompson). Todd (2016) insists that although the condition has been spread across the population if specific strategies are employed, can be prevented. He credits the severity of the condition to the fact that only a small percentage of the affected individuals seek medical attention. Due to lack of proper mechanisms to diagnose the condition, many patients of the same may spend long durations in hospitals trying to remedy the condition which in turn has a negative impact on the patient when they grow impatient (Todd, 2016). They also claim due to demographic issues such as long live expectancy and poor lifestyle choices, chances of increase of the number of people affected raises. Hospitals should encourage their staff to familiarize themselves with the condition because they play a vital role in success in control of the same (Todd, 2016). Consequently, the patient should be part of the management process such that they are provided with the right information and tools to use during the journ ey to recovery which when correctly followed, there is a higher chance of recovery as opposed to those who do not follow the recommended self-medication procedures. In addition, they should be enlightened on a specific day to day activity that may slow down recovery (Todd, 2016). Engaging in physical leg activities as well as the already proven compression treatment is a sure method of controlling the disease (Heinen et al 2012). As such, staying active is one of the most crucial things people can practice to avoid or control the ailment. Given all the expected procedures are properly laid out to the participating parties, it is necessary to determine whether the participants follow them up as expected (Heinen et al). Report of this study showed that compliance to all the treatment recommendations such as wearing the right attire, exercising the legs and ensuring that wounds are treated within a short time has enhanced control of the condition (Heinen et al 2012) References Adderley, U. J., Thompson, C. (2016). A comparison of the management of venous leg ulceration by specialist and generalist community nurses: A judgment analysis. International journal of nursing studies, 53, 134-143. Finlayson, K., Wu, M. L., Edwards, H. E. (2015). Identifying risk factors and protective factors for venous leg ulcer recurrence using a theoretical approach: a longitudinal study. International journal of nursing studies, 52(6), 1042-1051. Heinen, M., Borm, G., Van der Vleuten, C., Evers, A., Oostendorp, R., Van Archterberg, T. (2012). The Lively LEGS Self-management program increased physical activity and reduced wound days in leg ulcer patients: Results from a randomized controlled trial. International Journal of nursing studies, 49(2), 151-161. Todd, Business. (2016). Managing venous leg ulcers. Nurse prescribing, 14(1), 16-23.

Organization of the educational process

Organizing the educational process in a class with diverse students is a very responsible task. It demands consideration of the separate groups’ interests and needs, including physical, social, psychological, etc. Another task in this case is making the students of different races, social statuses, and physical abilities work as a team. In addition, it is important to remember, that the process of education is interdependent with the process of upbringing, which makes the task more challenging.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Organization of the educational process specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The issue of educating diverse pupils is discussed by a number of authors. For instance, one of them argues that in such classes the standardized tests are unacceptable, as far as they â€Å"discourage us from seeing that [†¦] the point of education is ought to be to make the world better and more just† (Bigelow, 206). Such statement can be justified to some extent, as the universal tests are not suitable for the modern diverse society. However, in my opinion, the tests should not be excluded from the studying process. After all, they just summarize what the student remembers from the exercising. That is why, I think that the implementation of alternative assessment should be combined with tests. Another author, Grant, asked a rather topical question related to the topic. Specifically, he was concerned â€Å"to what extent is instruction available in the language of linguistic minorities, including American Sign Language?† (Grant, 215). This question seems to be provocative in the modern educational system, where the sign language is implemented only in some establishments. Indeed, this problem creates a bound between the normal and disabled students. Therefore, it is worth considering the development of sign language application in regular schools. One more author, Nie to, studies the issue of multicultural education. One of the mentioned idea surprised me; namely, the author states that â€Å"controversial topics such as power and inequality are rarely discussed in schools† (Nieto, 53). In my point of view, the modern schools are more democratic than the author treats them to be. These topics, for instance, were often discussed in my class. Having read the articles, and having reviewed my essay, I found out that my suggestions for diverse class work organization were not developed enough. For instance, in my essay I suggested implementing a more interactive method of teaching, aimed at involving all students and encouraging communication. However, this idea should correspond to the fact that the communication in a diversified class has a specific character. Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Some pupils may feel uncomfortable because of being special or different in some ways, and the task of a teacher is to make these students open and become more confident. With this purpose, a special policy can be implemented, based on the idea of being proud because of being different. In fact, while most of the scientists are trying to make pupils equal, it can be useful to make every of them feel special. This will make all of them equally confident. Another issue that I have reconsidered after the reading is the method of testing the students with different knowledge levels. I offered to provide some less advanced tasks for the students with learning difficulties; now I find it relevant to relate the studying process with the students’ will to study. This means that the studying program should consider the topics and spheres that the students are eager to discuss and explore. Reference List Grant, C. Sleeter, C. 2003 â€Å"Action research activity 5.2: Classroom and school assessment† Turning on learning: Five appr oaches for multicultural teaching plans for race, class, gender, and disability, John Wiley Sons, New York, pp. 213-215. Nieto, S. Bode, P. 2009 â€Å"Multicultural education and school reform† Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education, 5th edn, Pearson, Sydney, pp. 42-62. Bigelow, B, Harvey, B, Karp, H, Miller, 2001 â€Å"Failing out kids: What’s wrong with the testing craze’, Rethinking our classrooms Rethinking Schools Ltd): Teaching for equity and justice. Vol.2, pp.204-206. This essay on Organization of the educational process was written and submitted by user William Ferrell to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Once on this Island play essays

Once on this Island play essays My overall opinion of viewing Once on This Island was that the actors did a good job in their parts but the play selection was poor. For the nature of the play it was done I possibly as well as it could have been. The lead female singer, older Timoon, was very good in my opinion but it was just a tough play to really make that great. The young girl also did well especially for her age, she seemed very comfortable. The set was very nice and I especially liked how the gate doors went directly into the stage. I also thought it was cool looking how the back screen would show the storm with lightning strikes across it. It would also show when clouds were rolling in and when accompanied by the sound it wind it depicted a nice storm scene. Also it was clever how the car was an actor holding two flashlights while acting like he was driving around. Once on This Island starts out with a poverty stricken family telling the folk tale of their people. It tells of a little girl who was ship wrecked and was the only survivor. She was in a tree screaming because she was afraid, lost, and alone. A family who didnt have any kids, heard her screams and helped her from the tree and began to raise her as their own child. They named her Timoon. She grew up with the family and the village and was well known to everyone. She was very cheery and curious on what life was like out of her village. One day she found a man who had wrecked his car. He was Daniel the son of the king of the island. There was a legend about Daniels family because his grandfather had cheated on his wife with a woman of poverty. His son grew up and threw him out of power so he cursed his bloodline so no one could leave the island and had to stay in the city. Timoon had everyone bring him back to her house so she could take care of him. Her parents were worried because t hey could get in trouble for having him there. But Timoon was persistent ...

Foot Binding in China

Foot Binding in China For centuries, young girls in China were subjected to an extremely painful and debilitating procedure called foot binding.  Their feet were bound tightly with cloth strips, with the toes bent down under the sole of the foot, and the foot tied front-to-back so that the grew into an exaggerated high curve. The ideal adult female foot would be only three to four inches in length. These tiny, deformed feet were known as lotus feet. The fashion for bound feet began in the upper classes of Han Chinese society, but it spread to all but the poorest families.  Having a daughter with bound feet signified that the family was wealthy enough to forgo having her work in the fields- women with their feet bound could not walk well enough to do any sort of labor that involved standing for any length of time.  Because bound feet were considered beautiful and sensual, and because they signified relative wealth, girls with lotus feet were more likely to marry well. As a result, even some farming families that could not really afford to lose a childs labor would bind their eldest daughters feet in hopes of attracting rich husbands for the girls. Origins of Foot Binding Various myths and folktales relate to the origin of foot-binding in China. In one version, the practice goes back to the earliest documented dynasty, the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BCE–1046 BCE). Supposedly, the corrupt last emperor of the Shang, King Zhou, had a favorite concubine named Daji who was born with clubfoot. According to the legend, the sadistic Daji ordered court ladies to bind their daughters feet so that they would be tiny and beautiful like her own. Since Daji was later discredited and executed, and the Shang Dynasty soon fell, it seems unlikely that her practices would have survived her by 3,000 years. A somewhat more plausible story states that the emperor Li Yu (reign 961–976 CE) of the Southern Tang Dynasty had a concubine named Yao Niang who performed a lotus dance, similar to en pointe ballet.  She bound her feet into a crescent shape with strips of white silk before dancing, and her grace inspired other courtesans and upper-class women to follow suit. Soon, girls of six to eight years had their feet bound into permanent crescents. How Foot Binding  Spread During the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279), foot-binding became an established custom and spread throughout eastern China.  Soon, every ethnic Han Chinese woman of any social standing was expected to have lotus feet.  Beautifully embroidered and jeweled shoes for bound feet became popular, and men sometimes drank wine from the dainty little footwear of their lovers. When the Mongols overthrew the Song and established the Yuan Dynasty in 1279, they adopted many Chinese traditions- but not foot-binding. The far more politically influential and independent Mongol women were completely uninterested in permanently disabling their daughters to conform with Chinese standards of beauty. Thus, womens feet became an instant marker of ethnic identity, differentiating Han Chinese from Mongol women. The same would be true when the ethnic Manchus conquered Ming China in 1644 and established the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).  Manchu women were legally barred from binding their feet. Yet the tradition continued strong among their Han subjects.   Banning the Practice In the latter half of the nineteenth century, western missionaries and Chinese feminists began to call for an end to foot-binding.  Chinese thinkers influenced by Social Darwinism fretted that disabled women would produce feeble sons, endangering the Chinese as a people. To appease the foreigners, the Manchu Empress Dowager Cixi outlawed the practice in a 1902 edict, following the failure of the anti-foreigner Boxer Rebellion. This ban was soon repealed. When the Qing Dynasty fell in 1911 and 1912, the new Nationalist government banned foot-binding again.  The ban was reasonably effective in the coastal cities, but foot-binding continued unabated in much of the countryside. The practice wasnt more or less completely stamped out until the Communists finally won the Chinese Civil War in 1949.  Mao Zedong and his government treated women as much more equal partners in the revolution and immediately outlawed foot-binding throughout the country because it significantly diminished womens value as workers.  This was despite the fact that several women with bound feet had made the Long March with the Communist troops, walking 4,000 miles through rugged terrain and fording rivers on their deformed, 3-inch long feet. Of course, when Mao issued the ban there were already hundreds of millions of women with bound feet in China.  As the decades have passed, there are fewer and fewer. Today, there are only a handful of women living out in the countryside in their 90s or older who still have bound feet.

Building Sector and Energy Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Building Sector and Energy Consumption - Essay Example From this essay it is clear tha the ‘average’ building implements materials with relatively low embodied energy and a limited amount of HVAC equipment. The energy ‘efficient’ building achieves an 80% reduction in heating energy demand and 40% reduction in cooling energy demand. The LCA shows how, even with a very significant reduction in operating energy consumption, the energy ‘efficient’ building may consume more energy than the ‘average’ one in relatively short life times if no care is taken about its embodied energy.This paper stresses that the effect of transportation energy requirement becomes also evident in this case, being the highest energy contribution for the ‘average’ building, and the second one, after the embodied energy, for the energy ‘efficient’ building. From a building energy point of view, these distributed urbanization schemes offer more chances for energy efficiency measures and appli cation of renewable energy technologies than centralized urbanization schemes. It is just through transportation energy requirements that sustainable building considerations interact with the higher structure sustainable urbanization approach.  Building energy assessment, extended to its design, construction, and useful life, allows for a proper quantification of the building's energy implications, and hence provides the basis for appropriate planning in the sector.  Energy regulation has a perceptive character, and its objective should be to establish and limit the upper bound for the buildings energy consumption.... ows how, even with a long analysis period (100 years), the energy 'efficient' building may consume more energy than the 'average' one if care is not taken about its EE. Evolution of accumulated energy consumption for two 150 m2 dwellings, an average one and another with pretensions of energy efficiency on basis of its reduced operating energy demand. (Laustsen, 2003) The results presented in Fig. 1 assumed a rather low increase in operational energy efficiency, but even with higher energy efficiency improvements we may find similar results with lower life cycle periods. The 'average' building implements materials with relatively low embodied energy and a limited amount of HVAC equipment. The energy 'efficient' building achieves an 80% reduction in heating energy demand and 40% reduction in cooling energy demand. The LCA shows how, even with a very significant reduction in operating energy consumption, the energy 'efficient' building may consume more energy than the 'average' one in relatively short life times if no care is taken about its embodied energy. Life cycle analysis for two 150 m2 dwellings, an average one and another with pretensions of energy efficiency on basis of its reduced operating energy demand, for a life time of 30 years. (Addis, 2002) The effect of transportation energy requirement becomes also evident in this case, being the highest energy contribution for the 'average' building, and the second one, after the embodied energy, for the energy 'efficient' building. From a building energy point of view, these distributed urbanization schemes offer more chances for energy efficiency measures and application of renewable energy technologies than centralized urbanization schemes. It is just through transportation energy requirements that sustainable

Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln - Essay Example Apart that the two leaders were well respected in their time and beyond; they also share a similarity in the sense that they were both assassinated. They both lost their parents at very young ages and both left a child behind after their death. This paper will analyze and compare the lives Abraham Lincoln and Julius Cesar. Firstly the creation of America by its forefathers can be likened to the Roman Republic. The American forefathers aimed to create a nation with liberty, life and happiness. The comparison between the two nations dates back to the very beginning with Gorge Washington possessing similar qualities to Lucius Junius Brutus whilst King George portrayed the tyrant role played by King Tarquinius (Wineburg, 488-499). Julius Cesar was assassinated differently to Abraham Lincoln; however, the two events are comparable to certain a extent. One similarity between the two is that they were both assassinated by individuals, who were concerned about their leadership and what they would do with their power. In more simplistic words, the two were just simply killed due to the position they occupied. The two leaders both accumulated a larger following and more power as their term in office grew longer. As Julius Cesar began to implement certain policies, his senators began to feel threatened as they were of the opinion that their positions were under threat. However the difference between Cesar and Lincoln in terms of their attitudes towards power is that Cesar was power hungry and aimed to control as much territory as possible. Whilst in office he extended his term to five years rue in IIIyricum and Cispine Paul. However, Lincoln on the other hand was the exact opposite and did not want to control a larger territory (Wineburg, 488-499). Despite Cesar’s hunger for power, he felt it not for his own benefit but for Rome. Cesar frequently stated that if he was to step down from power, it would lead to a civil war in Rome. Cesar is quoted to have said, †Å"I have long been sated with glory and power, however, it is more important for Rome than myself that I survive. If I was to be removed from my position, Rome will never know any peace. A civil war is likely to break out, one far worse than the last. In essence, Julius Cesar was an advocate for peace, a trait similar to that of Abraham Lincoln. Cesar fought for peace which led him to the accumulation of more enemies and his fight for change is similar to that of Abraham Lincoln. Despite the different positions they occupied, Abraham Lincoln and Julius Cesar were both military men. Lincoln enlisted in the army to be a member of the force fighting the Black Hawk war. While he was enrolled he quickly gained a promotion to the position of Captain for a wing of volunteers. Julius Cesar joined the Roman army with great ambition and quickly rose to the rank of military Commander. Their rise to political power was also different as Lincoln was required to perform a series of debates agains t his opponent. The two were both emulated and respected in their time. Both leaders wanted to make changes in their areas and they both gained enemies in the areas which they implemented their policies. Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in the year 1862 (Wineburg, 488-499). This act was intended to free all people and eradicate slavery in the Southern part of the country. Cesar gained enemies from the senate due to his advocation for peace whilst Lincoln was eventually assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, who shouted, â€Å"This is for the South!† before he shot him in the hea (Wineburg, 488-499). In fact, prior to being assassinated the emancipation proclamation led to a civil war in

Joffrey Ballet Essay Example for Free

Joffrey Ballet Essay When school is out, dance students have more time to dedicate to training. Choosing a summer intensive program of study can be a challenge, though. How do you know if the program you are considering is a good fit for you? Dance Informa spoke with faculty from The Joffrey Academy, Cary Ballet Conservatory, Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts’ Next Generation and Patel Conservatory’s Dance Department to learn more about what constitutes a great summer program and how you can be prepared to get the most from your experience. What should a student look for in a summer intensive program? Deanna Seay, Ballet Mistress, Cary Ballet Conservatory In looking at a summer intensive, each student needs to evaluate his or her own goals. Does the student want a program where the focus will be on improving technique? Is the student at an age when he/she wants to be considered potential company material? Does the student want an experience focused on one discipline, or does he/she want to use the summer to broaden his/her horizons? Defining these goals can help to narrow the possibilities. A student wanting to improve a lot can look for smaller programs where they will be able to receive personal attention as well as a place that provides many hours of instruction. Those on the verge of professional careers will want to find company related programs. Students wishing to broaden their horizons can look for programs that offer classes in a wide number of dance styles. Students enjoy Patel Conservatory’s Next Generation Ballet Summer Intensive. Photo by Bill Kraulter. Peter Stark, Artistic Director of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts’ Next Generation and chair of thePatel Conservatory‘s Dance Department Students should look for: 1. Training. The school should demonstrate a history of training dancers well. Check on their website for recent graduates that are dancing professionally. 2. A schedule that keeps a young dancer busy and working hard. More classes will increase strength and technique. 3. A focus on the type of dance a student wants to study (ballet, modern, jazz) with a sampling of other styles for diversity. 4. A performing and/or rehearsing opportunity. As a performance art, in dance it is important to learn new dances and to get on stage. Alexei Kremnev, Artistic Director, and Amanda McAlpine, Communications Associate, Joffrey Academy and Community Engagement, The Joffrey Ballet Students should assess the quality of a summer intensive program by it’s faculty members (their experience and background), brand recognition (affiliation with professional company), variety of classes provided, performance opportunities, location and length of program. What are the advantages to training locally or going out of state? Peter Stark A family must decide how far they want to travel for a summer program. There is an expense with increased distance. Summer programs can offer a great sampling of an area for future employment. There are many excellent programs worldwide that will improve a young dancer both near and far. Do check out the security of the city, school and dormitory to determine if it meets the family needs. Also, ask about transportation for the students during the program. Students at the Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive Deanna Seay The most obvious advantage to staying local is the possibility of staying at home while attending the session, or at least being close to home, which can be comforting to both parents and students attending boarding programs the first time. As long as students have access to local programs that provide the number of classes they need, there isn’t really a need to travel far at a young age. Once students reach high school age and are more mature, going out of state becomes an option parents might feel more comfortable with. That being said, there will always be those young students who have the talent and maturity for an out-of-state experience at eleven or twelve. What advice do you have for those taking summer intensive auditions? Alexei Kremnev and Amanda McAlpine It is important to be as prepared as possible. Check the program’s website for any headshots or photos needed, audition fee and attire requirements. If it is possible to pre-register online, it will save you time during the day of the audition. During the audition, do your best and keep a positive attitude. If you excel in a particular area or step, be sure to stand in front or go in the first group. If you are not as strong in other areas, you may want to wait to go in the second group. Regardless, always look pleasant and smile. The judges may not realize that you may have made a mistake because they are concentrating on watching many other dancers too. Peter Stark Always dress neat in a dress code. Do not wear any warm-up shorts, skirts or jewelry. Have a head shot and dance photo (arabesque is good) available even if not specifically requested in the audition announcement. Have a positive attitude and try your best. Often schools are looking for potential, not accomplishment. If a combination isn’t perfect, that’s okay as long as you gave it a good try with a happy demeanor. Try to also pick up any nuance when the teacher is demonstrating the combination. What accents are they using in the music? How are they holding their hands and head? Be open to change and to trying something new. Deanna Seay PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS! Watch everything the teacher does when demonstrating a combination and listen to everything the teacher may say. These details are part of what the teacher will be trying to teach the student, so the students need to prove that they are responsive, receptive and truly interested. Some teachers will be very specific about where students stand and how they enter or exit the dancing space and it is important to understand and adhere to their wishes. When changing groups, students need to walk into formation quickly and place themselves immediately in the starting position. Students should appear neatly dressed. Female ballet students need to wear pink tights and a conservatively colored leotard. Black is traditional and the best choice. Men need to wear the traditional black tights and white t-shirt, which needs to be tucked in. Absolutely under no circumstances should the student wear any sort of cover-ups. Shoes, whether flat shoes or pointe shoes, need to be properly sewn and all drawstrings, ribbons and elastics should be tied and tucked out of sight. Hair should be securely pulled away from the face in a bun, French twist or other practical, yet attractive, shape. What does a summer intensive cost? Students at Cary Ballet Conservatory’s Intensive Summer Training Program. Deanna Seay Families with students wishing to attend a five-week summer ballet intensive will need to prepare to spend about $5,000 for tuition, room and board. A few smaller programs may cost $1,000-2,000 less. Many programs offer financial aid and scholarships, so it is good to ask. Peter Stark. On average most ballet summer intensive programs run about $1,000 per week, including tuition, room and board. However, this can vary greatly and many full and partial scholarships can offset some of that cost. What benefits, aside from technical and artistic, are there to attending a summer dance intensive? Peter Stark Hearing the same correction from a different teacher can open a young dancers’ perspective greatly. Of course, each teacher also has new information that can improve a dancer technically and artistically. Summer programs also pool talent from smaller schools. Students learn from each other and being surrounded by talent can be motivational and create lasting connections through one’s performance career. Many dancers enter the field professionally at 18 and it is a big adjustment to be away from home. A summer program can start to prepare a dancer to be self-sufficient and strong in a new setting. Deanna Seay Aside from the artistic and technical improvement that is often seen during intense summer ballet sessions (attributed to the concentration of class hours), students have a chance to meet other like-minded students and make new friends. The student can become re-inspired by seeing himself/herself in a new setting. These summer programs also expose the student to other students from other schools, and can help the student identify where she stands in relation to her peers. Alexei Kremnev and Amanda McAlpine Attending a summer dance intensive helps a dancer grow and mature in many ways. Often times, students form lasting friendships, make valuable connections, gain confidence and widen their perspectives. Taken from the Dance Magazine.

Depression in Teenagers: A Growing Problem Essay -- Essays Papers

Depression in Teenagers: A Growing Problem Who has not, at some time or another, said, â€Å"I am depressed?† It is a line that slips off the tongue of people all too readily when they are bored or unhappy. But most people, when they say that, do not mean that they are clinically depressed, possibly wanting or needing treatment. Sadness is unpleasant but it is not as bad as depression. When people are sad, they keep their self-respect and they feel better after a good cry or a talk with a friend. When people are depressed, self-respect fades, crying does not help at all, and people who are depressed feel alienated around others because they feel like no one understands what they are going through (Brenton 67). Depression is a serious, life-threatening illness that affects approximately thirty million Americans (Brenton 3). Age, race, religion, or educational background is not a factor. Depression strikes anyone at anytime. However, the biggest rise in depression today is in teenagers. Depression in adults is a sad, lonely, and sometimes tragic experience (Cytryn & McKnew, 17). In teenagers it can be even more devastating. Depression gets in the way of teenager’s daily lives. The years of adolescence are supposed to be the â€Å"best years of their lives† and depression robs them of those years. How can life be fun when problems interfere with social life or schoolwork? Teenagers need to know that they cannot simply ignore their symptoms. They need to get help because without the proper help, depression leads to suicide (Bender 70). There are two sides in the current controversy over depression. Some experts believe that depression is an illness while others believe that teenagers are simply making themselves fee... ...talk to. It always helps to discuss problems with someone else. I believe that if a person knows someone who has two or more of the symptoms of depression they should get that person help, before it is too late. Today’s teenagers are the future of our world. Teenagers that are depressed find everything in life to be more complicated and that is simply no way to live. Works Cited Bender, David L. Suicide: Opposing Viewpoints. 1999. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Brenton, Sue. Depression. 1996. Rockport: Element Books, 2000 Cohen-Sandler, Roni, Ph.D. â€Å"Do you need a therapist?† Seventeen Dec. 2004: 95. Cytryn, Leon M.D., and Donald McKnew M.D. Growing Up Sad. 1996. Washington: Norton & Company, 1999. Depression in Teenagers. November 2003. Hearts and Minds Network. 8 November 2004 http://www.heartsandminds.org/self/depression.html>.

Helping Students Find a Purpose for Their Education Essay

It has been my observation that many of my best students became intrinsically motivated to put more effort into their education after they have decided on a career purpose. A work or career purpose or mission answers the following question: How do I want my career to benefit others? It is also important to identify who (the population) we want to benefit. An example of a work purpose statement is, â€Å"I want to help those who are sick or injured to heal and rehabilitate. † This statement does not contain a career title, but it provides guidance for exploring a variety of careers that can fulfill this purpose. For example a student with this purpose could explore a variety of careers such as nurse, doctor, physical therapist, nutritionist, athletic trainer, fitness trainer, engineer or inventor of products for persons with disabilities, etc. The career that they choose will depend on their capability and willingness to acquire the necessary skills, education, training and credentials. Ideally the career choice will be one that uses their best talents and is one they will enjoy doing. Do you ever share with students why you chose to work in the field of education? Students need to learn about different careers from adults who work in different career fields and to hear what motivated them to make their career choices. I teach college success courses and I used to wait until the end of my courses to get into career development, exploration and planning. Students did not think about a career purpose until the last week or two of my courses. Recently I started covering these ideas in the second week of my courses so that students would have a clear direction for their education much sooner. Having a career purpose can make their education relevant and is likely to generate the intrinsic motivation to study and learn. Students need to be provided with opportunities for career guidance from counselors, teachers and professors in high school and college. You do not need to be teaching college or career success courses to do this, but can weave in a few questions and ideas into other courses. Here are a few questions you can ask your students so that they can begin a process of self-reflection about their career purpose: 1. What purpose do you want to accomplish in your career? 2. What benefits do you want others to receive as a result of the work you do? 3. What specific populations of people do you want to help? 4. How do you want to contribute and make a positive difference for others? 5. If you were wealthy and chose to work what would you do? 6. What problem or need in the world would you most like to fill or solve? 7. If you knew you could not fail what type of work would you do? 8. What are some natural talents you would like to develop and use in a career to fulfill your work purpose? When we expect students who lack self-knowledge and a work purpose to choose a major and career, we are putting the cart before the horse. Identifying a purpose first will guide students into best career choices. If we help students to determine an appropriate career goal then they will also have a purpose for pursuing a good education

Humorist Essay

Humor is all about a person making an amusing observation that in result creates laughter and provides entertainment for the audience. In the book titled Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton, the author makes a statement that the role of humor in society is to allow people to say things that other people cannot or will not say because of their role in the community.I agree with de Botton’s statement because humor secretly allows people to get a message across without having to worry about others looking down upon you because of what you said, as well as providing people with more awareness of the wrongdoing in society by making them easier to understand through the use of humor. In basic comedy, humor is effectively used to bring forth a message that is possibly serious or controversial by making it amusing and easier to understand.De Botton clearly makes a stand that humorists are not only here to amuse and amaze, but are here â€Å"to convey with impunity messages that might b e dangerous or impossible to state directly†. In this quotation, de Botton states that comedy can and is frequently used as a secret method to give thoughts and observations that may be thought of as insulting if brought up in a serious manner. Steven Colbert for example, uses humor to make serious comments about our country. He states his opinions about the government and major news stories however does so with comedy to back him up.When talking about the war in Syria, Colbert said that â€Å"Only 29% of Americans want the U. S. to attack Syria — which on the plus side means that 29% of Americans know there is a place called Syria†. Colbert uses humor to convey a message about how ill-informed people in our country are. He says this with a tone that also implies that the vast majority of people who are â€Å"ill-informed† simply don’t care at all. The basic component of what makes humor and comedy an essential factor in a society is that although t he presentation is not necessarily taken seriously, the message and ideas behind the material are always easy to recognize.In regards to humor, humorists don’t have to worry about being polite or caring for their audience. They are allowed and accepted as being funny for having quality material that contains offensive and explicit language. Their notable reputation for being indiscreet to its own audience is what makes humor an effective tool in society. For one, humorists have the ability and responsibility of making its audience laugh. But it also has the capability to allow the audience to relate the humorist's material to their own thoughts, thus allowing them to openly express themselves through laughter and enjoyment.It also has the potential to inspire people to think in a different sense. Through comedy, a humorist can quickly change one's views or opinions of a certain subject or argument by making that argument more entertaining and funny. By making an underlying me ssage laughable, it makes it easier for the audience to understand what the message of the material is actually conveying. De Botton's opinion of the vitality of humor in a society is true in that it is necessary, because it helps not only fulfill people's entertainment and expressive needs, but it also serves a purpose as an instrument of spreading a message to its audience.

Lady Macbeth In The Tragedy Of Macbeth; The Iron Butterfly Essays

Lady Macbeth In The Tragedy Of Macbeth; The Iron Butterfly Essays Lady Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth; the "Iron Butterfly" In William Shakespeare's, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the dominator of the play. Lady Macbeth's character is not as eclectic as her husband's but it is just as dramatic. Lady Macbeth has a rich and fascinating combination of qualities. She is not a monster without feeling; her husband adores her, for example, "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck," (III, ii, 45). Macbeth also refers to Lady Macbeth as his dear partner. Lady Macbeth is horrified by blood and during her sleepwalking soliloquy she refers to her little hand suggesting a delicate nature and stature by uttering this: "All the perfumes / of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." (V, i, 43-44). All of this, however, does very little to soften her true nature. She is sly and artful as she urges Macbeth to kill Duncan and she is particularly treacherous when she continually urges him to shake off his torments. For example, in this scene from the play, Shakespeare gives the reader an idea of the twist that he gives her personality and how ruthless she can be: I have given suck, and know How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums, And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you Have done to this. (I, vii, 54-59). In the next examples you can see how she persuades Macbeth to ignore his torments of his guilt of the murder: "These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us mad. " (II, ii, 33-34), and "Why, worthy thane, / You do unbend your noble strength, to think / So brainsickly of things?" (II, ii, 43-45). Seemingly, she suffers no pangs of conscience. It is easy for her to be "bright" and "merry" and it seems second nature for her to play at being the most gracious of hostesses. Duncan is completely deceived by her "thoughtfulness." Also, take in consideration that in the midst of her chaotic dinner party, she retains her composure and saves her husband from added embarrassment. In today's vernacular, she might accurately be characterized as being an "iron butterfly"-delicate but invincible. She is impatient and absolute when her husband cannot carry out the details of their assassination plot. Although it is Macbeth who commits the actual deed of murder, it is Lady Macbeth who returns to Duncan's chamber and smears the blood upon the grooms. Her self-control is superhuman; in fact, Macbeth is terrified of it and her unfailing resourcefulness. In this example, Shakespeare demonstrates how much self control she has over the evil deed: "A little water clears us of this deed: / How easy it is then!" (II, ii, 66-67). In fact, Lady Macbeth tried to murder Duncan herself, but he appeared to look like her father while he was sleeping so she could not. Selfishly, she fastens her husband's attention on the throne of Scotland. It is she who sees to the details of the crime: "Only look up clear. / To alter favor ever is to fear. / Leave all the rest to me." (I, vi, 69-71). It is she who is more concerned that Macbeth has failed to kill Duncan, when he reconsiders the murder, than the possibility that their plans have been exposed. It is she, rather than Macbeth, who says, Go get some water, And wash this filthy witness from your hand. Why did you bring these daggers from the place? They must lie there: go carry them, and smear The sleepy grooms with blood. (II, ii, 45-49). She immediately perceives that the blood and the daggers are incriminating and admonishes Macbeth for being so foolish. Throughout the play, her courage and her practicality work together successfully. It is only in private that Lady Macbeth shows her weariness. Almost naively, she urges Macbeth to sleep and, here, her faith in sleep is deeply ironical. It is only after she has suffered a mental breakdown, that you realize how deeply her crimes have haunted her. This is an quotation from the play from the

The 25 Best Engineering Schools in the US (and How to Get In)

The 25 Best Engineering Schools in the US (and How to Get In) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Do you dream of building driverless cars or a space elevator? You should check out the best engineering schools in the US! But with so many different engineering schools out there and intense competition for the top programs, how can you figure out where should you apply? To help you decide, we’ve compiled a list of the best engineering schools in the US. We’ll explain a little bit about each school on the list as well as provide rankings within specific subfields of engineering. What Is an Engineering School? Engineering schools are colleges with a majority of majors and courses in applied sciences and mathematics. Rather than providing students with a broad liberal arts experience (of which science and math are just a small part), engineering programs center around taking the scientific and mathematical knowledge we have and applying it to real-world problems. There’s also a difference between schools of engineering (which exclusively focus on engineering fields like mechanical and computer engineering) and larger universities that have strong engineering programs within them (like Cornell University’s College of Engineering). We’ve considered both types of schools in our rankings. How We Ranked the Best Engineering Schools In deciding which schools to include in our rankings, we focused only on the quality of undergraduate engineering programs. We did this by aggregating and comparing rankings from several different sources, including the US News World Reports (weighted 2x the others because of their dominance), Niche (a student satisfaction-heavy ranking), and College Factual. These rankings take into account factors like students’ salaries (both immediately after graduating and projected gains in the future), how popular that degree is at that school, student satisfaction, and how peers in the field view the program (mainly professors from other schools). The Top 25 Engineering Schools in the US And now (drumroll please), our list of the best engineering schools in the US. Note: All acceptance rates listed are for the school as a whole and are meant to give you a general idea of the schools’ selectivity. For more details on admissions for a specific program, you should contact the school directly. Rank School Name (Nickname) Location Admissions Rate 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge, MA 7% 2 Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) Atlanta, GA 23% 3 California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Pasadena, CA 8% 4 Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering (Olin) Needham, MA 13% 5 University of Michigan- Ann Arbor (UMich) Ann Arbor, MI 27% 6 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Terre Haute, IN 61% 7 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 13% 8 University of California- Berkeley (UC Berkeley) Berkeley, CA 17% 9 Stanford University Stanford, CA 5% 10 Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA 15% 11 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 22% 12 University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 62% 13 Purdue UniversityWest Lafayette West Lafayette, IN 57% 14 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 6% 15 Harvard University Cambridge, MA 5% 16 US Naval Academy Annapolis, MD 8% 17 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg, VA 70% 18 The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art (Cooper Union) New York, NY 13% 19 Texas AM University- College Station College Station, Texas 70% 20 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 12% 21 Northwestern University Evanston, IL 9% 22 Columbia University New York, NY 6% 23 Rice University Houston, TX 16% 24 University of TexasAustin Austin, TX 36% 25 California Polytechnic State InstituteSan Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) San Luis Obispo, CA 34% Best Specialized Engineering Programs While all of the schools on our list are highly ranked overall, certain specialties are stronger at certain schools. We’ve chosen the gold, silver, and bronze medalists for five different subfields: Aerospace engineering Chemical engineering Civil engineering Computer engineering Mechanical engineering The rankings here are based on specialty rankings from US News World Report and College Factual, again for undergraduate programs only (not including the quality of masters or doctorate programs at the school). You’ll notice some overlap over different fields (for instance, MIT, Georgia Tech, and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology rank for most of them), but there are still clear differences in which schools are best for which specialty. Best Aerospace Engineering Schools in the US Aerospace engineering is the field you go into if you’re interested in studying flight of any kind (whether that’s aircraft or spacecraft). The best aerospace engineering programs can be found in the following four schools: Gold medal: MIT and Georgia Tech (tie) Silver medal: UMich Bronze medal: Cal Poly Best Chemical Engineering Schools in the US Chemical engineering is at the intersection of chemistry, biology, math, and even some physics. The following three programs all do an outstanding job at turning out graduates skilled in chemical engineering. Gold medal: MIT Silver medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Bronze medal: Georgia Tech Best Civil Engineering Schools in the US Students in civil engineering programs learn about designing, building, and maintaining physical structures like bridges, buildings, and roads. The following three schools have leading programs in civil engineering for undergraduates. Gold medal: Georgia Tech Silver medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Bronze medal: MIT Best Computer Engineering Schools in the US Computer engineering programs focus on teaching students computer science and electrical engineering. The three schools we’ve listed below have the best undergraduate computer engineering programs in the US (if you're looking for top information technology programs, check out this article instead). Gold medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Silver medal: UMich Bronze medal: Princeton Bonus: Want a preview of what sorts of tools you'll be using as a computer engineer? Read our article on the JavaScript TypeOf function here. Best Mechanical Engineering Schools in the US Mechanical engineering programs teach students the theory and practicalities behind machine design, construction, and use. Of all the top engineering schools, the following four are known for their strong mechanical engineering programs. Gold medal: MIT Silver medal: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Georgia Tech (tie) Bronze medal: Caltech 3 Top Tips for Applying to Engineering Schools Now that you know what the best engineering schools in the US are, the next step is to make sure your high school transcript and application show that you’re a strong engineering candidate. We’ll go over three useful tips for planning your standardized testing, coursework, and extracurriculars to have the best chance of getting into top engineering schools. #1: Ace SAT/ACT Math If you want to get into a top engineering school, you need to get a perfect or near-perfect score on SAT or ACT Math. Getting an 800 or a 36 is best, especially for schools like MIT where only 25% of students got below a 780 or a 34 on the SAT or ACT Math sections. For engineering schools in general, it’s way better to get 800 on SAT Math and 550 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (for a total SAT score of 1350) than it would be to get a 700 on Math and 700 on EBRW (total of 1400). Extremely high math scores (and mediocre reading/writing scores) are always, always preferred over medium-high math scores and medium-high reading/writing scores. At a minimum, you’ll need to get at least a 700 on SAT Math or a 30 on ACT Math to have a chance of getting into a good engineering school. If you take any SAT Subject Tests, it’s important to take and get a perfect 800 on a SAT Math Subject Test (preferably Math 2) to show you’re strong in Math beyond what’s covered on the SAT or ACT. Getting a perfect or high score on SAT II Physics or any other science Subject Test as well isn’t required, but it also will help your application. #2: Take Lots of Science and Math If you want to get into top engineering schools, it's less important to be well rounded than to show that you have a solid foundation in math. Showing that you’re strong in science, too, is a nice bonus, particularly if your strength is in a field closely related to the type of engineering you’re interested in (e.g. bio or chem for chemical engineering). Demonstrate your strengths to colleges by taking (and excelling) in advanced math and science classes. This means taking honors-level, AP, or IB courses and putting as much effort as you can into getting top grades in them, even if it means you end up with relatively lower grades in other subjects. #3: Excel in Math and Science Extracurriculars As PrepScholar co-founder Allen Cheng discusses in his guide to getting into Harvard and the Ivy League, the key to getting accepted to the most selective institutions is to build up a â€Å"spike† in a certain area. For engineering schools, this area is (you guessed it) math and/or science. Taking part and scoring highly on Math or Science Olympiads and participating in competitions like Intel or Siemens Westinghouse are crucial to building your engineering extracurricular creds. PrepScholar co-founder Fred Zhang particularly recommends going to the RSI science and math camp and scoring highly on the AIME to boost your chances of acceptance to top engineering schools in the US. What’s Next? Where can you get the most money to study engineering? Find out with our compilation of the best engineering scholarships. Not sure if engineering is the right subject for you? We go into what some of the other highest-paying college majors are in this article. Liked this list of schools? Check out some of our other best-of-specialty-school lists, including the best film schools, best video game design schools, best journalism schools, and best creative writing schools. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in Recent Conflicts Essay

The EU as a Diplomatic Actor in Recent Conflicts - Essay Example When America appeared to disregard even a consensus on the matter, EU came out with a view that, 'the European Union does not support a war on Iraq without the backing of the United Nations' (Reuters, 2003). A team of weapon inspectors was on a 'fact finding mission in Iraq', but America appeared to eager to strike and was in no mood to wait for their report. On the other hand the European Union together with governments from other parts of the world wanted to have a firm proof for punishing Iraq. After the 9/11 attacks, US appeared desperate to take on the terror outfits. Iraq and Afghanistan were the first in the firing line. UK, an important partner of EU, having good relations with US as well, formed the backbone of support for US policies. The official stand of European Union on the other hand was to start off the attacks after debating the issue and seeking a sanction from UN. But the moot point is, to what extent the European diplomacy was in action. The Maastricht Treaty of 1 992 was instrumental in coming out with a common foreign and security policy (CFSP) for the European Union (Bruter, 1999). This implied that the 'Union' will have a unanimous opinion about an issue. But the factual position has been somewhat different. The CFSP appeared in some common declarations only and not on issues involving diplomatic rows. It is worthwhile here to mention that the European Union and CFSP appeared to provide a semblance of unanimity on paper, but on the surface, the interests of nations forming part of the union forces them to take different stand on a range of issues. Anderson (2001) lists out factors like, lack of participation or concern by the Member States; perceived competition between the Commission and the Member States; inconsistent Member State positions; and slowness as the reasons for the EU not being able to come out with effective and unanimous stands. The Iraq war happened to be one such issue on which the EU could not come out with a strong and unanimous view. The official statement from EU on Iraq is that1, "The EU is committed to working with Iraq and international partners in order to bring about a secure, stable, unified, democratic and prosperous Iraq." But the actual implementation of this commitment is yet to be seen. While on a visit to Greece after the war started in Iraq, the UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan also called upon the EU leaders to come out with a common stand on the issue of Iraq (Barringer and Bruni, 2003). Once the war on Iraq was declared by the US and allied forces, on the basis of 'concrete proof', it appeared irreversible. But as days went by, it was all too apparent that the 'proof' that were being used as an alibi for initiating the attacks were nowhere visible on the surface. Even the so-called 'weapons of mass-destructions' were nowhere to be seen. This resulted in protests in UK and USA against the excesses being committed in Iraq. Today, even after executing Saddam Husain and thousands of deaths the WMDs are still proving to be illusionary. On the other hand the war has become a trap for US and allied forces; now they are finding it difficult to come out of it. Realising the differences in opinions of world leaders in general, UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan said, "No issue has so divided the world since the end of the Cold

Democracies around the World Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Democracies around the World - Coursework Example & Nishikawa, 2006), a combination of the two can be used to create harmony between different sections of the society and represent a greater number of the people. Different sectors of the economy and the government have been proved to be dependent on each other through the complex processes that link a government to its governed (John & Cole, 2000). In a similar fashion, the different forms of the government are linked to each other. This can help in greater coordination between the different sectors of the governments and better distribution of responsibilities. With a greater number of people to look into affairs of the state, it would be possible for them to be dealt with in a better way. In the model of government that exists in South Africa, the parliament and the president have different sets of responsibilities. The parliament assumes the legislative function f the government and makes laws regarding the functioning of the state. It consists of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. The legislature is thus, a bicameral one that provides representation to the different parts of South Africa (Chapter 4 – Parliament, 2009). The president and other members of the cabinet are members of the legislature and need to be elected members. The president is usually the leader of the party that is able to win a majority of the seats in the parliament. The importance of the election is thus, paramount. This reveals to one the democratic nature of the governments that have come up in South Africa after the era of apartheid was over. The president has the powers to ask of the parliament to reconsider certain decisions that it has made. He or she also possesses the power to implement the acts and the decisions that are made by the parliament and thus, the president assumes the executive power of the government. The president, along with the other members of the cabinet, is the connecting link between the executive and the legislative (Chapter 5 -

Contamination and remediation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contamination and remediation - Essay Example The contaminated land may be contaminated either by low or high concentrates hazardous wastes or pollution but are potential enough to be reused after remediation processes. But the land which is severely contaminated by such contaminants does not come under brownfield classification. It has also been seen that there are few cases where the owners are â€Å"not willing to transfer the brownfield or put it into productive reuse†, as those of Mothballed brownfields in United States. It is because these may cause blight, threaten public health and the environment and even hold back economic development and revitalization i.e. staking social, economic as well as environmental wellbeing.2 The extent of cleaning and the costs involved in the remediation process wholly depends upon the type, amount and area of contamination. The standards of cleanup adopted also influence the cleanup process. For example the clean up standards would be more stringent if the property or land is to be used for residential purposes and less strict if to be used for industrial purposes as the exposure to the contaminants would be quite less in this case. And the types of the contaminants too determine the cost while clean up process. For example if the groundwater of the site is found contaminated the cost of remediation process will be much higher than if just the soil is found contaminated. The costs of the cleanup to the property owner can also be contributed by other parties such as previous owners if they too are found responsible for contributing towards the contamination. (footnote 1) It has been seen that due to costs involved in the safe standards of cleaning processes of contaminated sites, most of them usually sit idle and unused for huge number of years. It is because the even the worth of the property after cleanup is much less than the costs of

Geographical and Cultural Overview of the US

Geographical and Cultural Overview of the US Stephanie Cheah Introduction: The USA plays a very big role in our daily lives. Everything that we do is somehow connected to the United States, from our smartphones, to the value of money in our wallets, and even the laptop this project is being typed on. In this paper, all aspects of the United States will be explored. Its physical geography, population, industry, role as a superpower, and issues that they are facing. The USA is a very prominent country not only in the areas mentioned above, but in its physical size and population. Being the third largest country in the world in land mass and the third largest country in population, the USA has a very diverse society. They are also the leaders in many aspects of our lives, practically controlling our lives across the globe. 1. The physical features of the USA The USA covers 3.806 million sq miles (9.857 million km ²). It is the third largest country in the world, after Russia and its neighbours Canada. Relief The eastern part of the USA is low and flat, excluding the Appalachian Mountains, which are low rounded highlands. The western half is much higher, with more mountain ranges running down from Alaska to Mexico. The Central Plains are gently rolling plains, and the Great Plains are slightly higher. Both combined form an important farming region for cattle and crops such as wheat, corn and soyabean. Mountains There are four major mountains in the United States: the Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Cascade Range, and the Sierra Nevada. The Rocky Mountains: They run 3000 miles from western Canada to the state of New Mexico. They also include numerous sub ranges, such as the Wasatch, Bitterroots, Big Horn, and Front Ranges. The Appalachian Mountains: Situated in the eastern United States, they stretch from Alabama northeast across New England, and extending up to Canada. The Cascades: The Cascade Range along the West Coast of the United States extend from Canada into the US states of Washington, Oregon, and California. These mountains were formed as part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and have volcanoes, including Mount St. Helens and Lassen. Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada mountains, located in the states of California and Nevada, are about 400 miles long. The name Sierra Nevada is Spanish for snowy mountains, because of the snow-capped peaks of the range. Many of the mountains are formed of granite, and shaped by glaciers. The tallest mountain in the United States in Mt McKinley, at 20,320 feet, in the Alaska range. Rivers There are approximately 250,000 rivers, adding up to about 3,500,000 miles (or 5,632,704km) of rivers. The Missouri (a tributary of the Mississippi River) is the longest river in the USA which is 2540 miles (4088km) long. In terms of volume, the Mississippi River is largest. Together they form the fourth longest river in the world, which is almost 7000km long. The longest undammed river is the Yellowstone river, which is 692 miles (1113km) long. Lakes The Great Lakes are the largest group of lakes in the world. Four of them are shared with Canada. 2. USA’s climate As USA has a large land mass, it has a wide range of climates. In Alaska, much of the land is tundra, and where it is not, it is cold and drier. At the south as well as Hawaii, there is tropical climate, meaning that it has warm summers and mild winters. In the south west, it is mostly desert, which are made out of stony soil and low shrubs. The Sonoran is the hottest, but it has cool winters. Large land masses heat up fast in summer and cool fast in winter. The further inland you go, the more drastic the temperature difference will be between summer and winter. Climate Regions There are nine climate regions in the USA: Central, East North Central, Northeast, Northwest, South, Southeast, Southwest, West and West North Central. Below is a diagram of the average temperatures: The west side of the country is the coldest, while the south is much warmer. The hottest states are in the South and East North Central. 2. Population of USA The USA has a population of approximately 324,490,000 people. There has been a fast but steady increase in the population of the USA over 25 years. This is comprised out of many diverse ethnicities which are shown in the diagrams below. Racial/Ethnic Mix Over 25 years, there has been an increase of approximately 53,000 people in the total population. The USA has seen a rise the general non-white population, with the exception of the Indian population, which has remained constant throughout the 25 years, and the â€Å"Other† category, which saw a decrease from 2005 to 2015. White remains the ethnicity with the largest population, while the Hispanic population is the second largest. For the convenience of the reader, a pie chart has been created to illustrate the above statistics. 3. Population Distribution The Eastern side of the USA is more densely populated compared to the west. However, it is rather densely populated along the west coast, as shown in the diagram above. The most densely populated cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia. Possible reasons to why these cities are more densely populated are: Their geographic locations make it a suitable place to trade and live comfortably. The most populous cities in the US are located near a body of water, have a (preferably) mild climate and easy access to natural resources. Water was the easiest way to transport goods before the Industrial Revolution, and it also allowed the movement of ideas. It also made it easier for immigrants to arrive there, considering their mode of transport was also water. 4. The automotive industry Henry Ford was the man who started up America’s automotive industry. Although he did not invent the motor car, he was the first to set up a factory producing low-cost cars that virtually anyone could afford. His first fatory was in Detroit, Michigan. He picked a good pace to set up his first factory. Detroit is located in an area known as the ‘manufacturing belt’. This place had lots of steel works, an abundance of workers, and a large number of nearby customers. He started with the Ford Model T, which was launched on 1 October 1908. It soon gained popularity, and sold 15 million Model Ts across the world. Mr Henry Ford was keen on globalisation as well. Within 20 years of opening his first factory, he set up plants in the UK, Canada, France, India, Germany and Australia. However, the American car industry is not experiencing the same success it did years ago. The Big Three American companies: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, are selling less and less cars, mostly due to competition from other foreign car companies. The downfall started in the 1970s, when there were too many cars and the USA’s oil deposits were being used up and oil had to be imported. US car companies continues to lose money when Japan began to export smaller and cheaper cars to the USA. Now with even more cars on the road, it increases the air pollution and there is pressure to come up with cars that limit carbon emissions, by creating cars that run on fuel other than petrol. 5. Agriculture industry The USA is the world’s top exporter and the most productive in the history of the world. Thanks to the USA’s large land mass and range of climates, many crops are able to grow there. The two main crops grown there are wheat and corn, and rearing livestock also brings a lot of business. What makes the American farmers so productive is the fact that they have plenty of fertile flat land, which is suitable for growing crops and the usage of large machinery. Apart from this, there are large mechanised farms which often specialise in only one type of crop. They also use chemicals such as fertilisers to aid the plant’s growth. increase the yield and pesticides to protect the crops. They also lead in crop research. Through genetic modification, scientists have developed plants that can grow in a hostile environment. Lastly, the US government pays subsidies to farmers to encourage them. California is also famous for farming. It produces all types of fruit and vegetables, including grapes. Rearing cattle and selling milk is also big business, as well as growing rice and cotton. However, there is a huge debate going on about what America’s limited water should be used for. As 11% of America’s cropland depends on irrigation, it means that it takes up a lot of water. In fact, it takes up half of the USA’s water consumption. 6. The American Dream The American Dream is a belief that everyone in the USA has an equal chance to succeed regardless of their ethnicity or their background. This is what has led thousands of people over to the USA. Many people are drawn to the USA as there is not only the belief of the American Dream, but there is opportunity there. They go there for better education for their children. Most go there to find work, whether they are highly-skilled, or if they lack education and are willing to work hard and build a better life. Here is an example of an American Dream that did come true: â€Å"Ursula Burns The CEO ofXeroxfaced numerous struggles to arrive atop that company. Raised by a single mother a Panamanian immigrant in a New York City housing project, she attended parochial school and discovered an aptitude for math and figures. While she was pointed by teachers toward a traditional womans career such as nursing, she made another calculation: What high-paying work was available with the degree she knew she could get in math or science? She attended Polytechnic Institute of New York and Columbia University with that in mind.† Unfortunately, while the American Dream does come true for some, others aren’t as lucky. Thousands who arrive from their native countries migrate in the hopes of getting a better education or occupation, but the only thing they are met with is homelessness. To quote the New York Times: â€Å"Oscar was a shy 15-year-old when his parents hired a local ‘coyote’ in July 2008 to help him leave Veracruz, Mexico, and cross the border to seek work in the United States. Jorge, gregarious, bright-eyed and also 15, gathered up his 6-year-old cousin six months later and left Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in the middle of the night, to escape abuse that he said had escalated into fistfights with his father. He also planned to work and send money back to his mother. Without knowing it, both were headed toward homelessness. In that, they joined thousands of other immigrant children who have left their native country — for work, family reunification or refuge — crossed into the United States and wound up alone.† Is the American Dream just a fantasy? Or is it something that is real, and we know will definitely come to us? I find that both statements are wrong. The Dream is very much alive, but like it is, after all, still a dream. Not all dreams will come true. 7. Physical Geography of California The state of California covers a land area of 163,973 square miles and 7,734 square miles of water. California is the third largest state in the US and has over 1,200 miles of coastline. There are three major mountain ranges in California: the Klamath Mountains, Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. To the south-east extreme of California is the Mojave Desert which covers over 25,000 square miles of Californian territory. Vegetation is sparse and most of the region is at an elevation of more than 2,000 feet above sea level. The Central Valley is long, flat and sheltered, and the Death Valley is the hottest part of the Mojave Desert, which can reach temperatures up to 50 °C in the summer. Most of California enjoys mild climate and equitable rainfall. The coastal regions can get rather cold in winter months. The desert regions are low on rainfall and the temperature soars up to 130 °F (54 °C). The cities of Los Angeles and San Diego have average temperatures ranging between 50 °F (10 °C)and 60 °F (15 °C) and are very pleasant. This area is also affected by the presence of many earthquake causing fault lines. The San Andreas Fault, running through California, is a major fault line. 8. Issues the USA is facing Environmental Issues Due to the USA being located where two plates meet, the west coast is prone to earthquakes and volcano eruptions. On the south east side, hurricanes often occur, as it is near to the Atlantic Ocean. Tornadoes are also a frequent occurrence, especially in spring and summer. In addition to this, droughts are common throughout the whole of the USA. This is caused by low rainfall, which also leads to wildfires. To make matters worse, people have been pumping too much water from rivers and aquifers. Social issues While the American Dream is based on the idea that everyone has an equal chance, one aspect is certainly false. According to the statistics, far more non-whites have been arrested and persecuted. Studies have shown that a non-white person (eg. Black, Hispanic) was more likely to be stopped and frisked. In New York City, 80% of the stops made were blacks and Latinos, and 85% of those people were frisked, compared to a mere 8% of white people stopped. In the year 2010, it was reported by the US Sentencing Commission that whites faced a 10% shorter sentence compared to their black counterparts. While these numbers could possibly be justified as the non-white community happening to commit more crime, it should not be that a survey in 2011 revealed that 52% of non-Hispanic whites expressed anti-Hispanic attitudes. Although one may argue that the first black president, Barack Obama, was elected in 2009, this does nothing to disguise the fact that coloured people are still facing discrimination against them. Economic Issues The US no longer produce what we need to sustain themselves. Instead, they import much more than they export. As they are not making enough profit, they take on colossal debts to maintain their high standard of living. The US does not acknowledge that other countries are undermining them. For example, China’s currency manipulation has cost the U.S. millions of jobs. Instead we encourage U.S. manufacturers to design, engineer, and produce in third world markets like Mexico and China, making the problem even worse. 9. The USA as a superpower Why is it a superpower? The United States of America is not only a powerful nation economically; it is also one in the fields of science and technology. The USA receives the highest number of immigrants per year (approximately 1 million), a leader in technology, business, movies and tertiary education. It has the highest GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the entire world, almost twice that of the next highest. However, the United States of America is a huge spender, particularly on their military. They also spend the most of the world’s military spending, almost half of the total. The USA’s powerful military contributes largely to them being a superpower. During the two World Wars, there was a struggle for power, initially with the European â€Å"great powers† such as the United Kingdom, Russians, Austria-Hungary to name a few, then to one global empire (Great Britain), Japan, and currently the United States. After World War II, two superpowers emerged: the United States and the Soviet Union. They were both so heavily armed that engaging in direct war with each other could possibly destroy our civilisation. They also have a huge influence on our modern culture. They are the leaders for entertainment such as television shows, movies, music, food, fashion and plenty other things. Almost everything we do today, from what clothes we wear, to what music we listen to, or what digital device we use is all influenced by the US. References: US Rivers EnchantedLearning.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2015. Gallagher, R., Parish, R. (2009). Geog 3 (3rd ed., pp. 52-68). Oxford: Oxford University Press. US Population by Year. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 31, 2015, from http://www.multpl.com/united-states-population/table United States Mountain Ranges Map. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2015, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/usa-maps/united-states-mountain-ranges-maps.html Economic Overview. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/printeconomics.html Economic Problems Facing the U.S. | Economy In Crisis. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://economyincrisis.org/content/major-economic-problems-facing-united-states United States Mountain Ranges Map. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/usa-maps/united-states-mountain-ranges-maps.html Chudyniv, B., Burnham, L. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/domestic_trends.pdf California Geography. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/states/california/geography.html U.S. Climate Regions. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-references/maps/us-climate-regions.php Knight, M. (2012, February 25). Far From Family, Alone, Homeless and Still Just 18. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/us/of-young-immigrants-who-arrive-alone-many-end-up-homeless-in-chicago.html 11 Facts About Racial Discrimination. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-racial-discrimination Adelman, J. (2013, November 24). Why The U.S. Remains The Worlds Unchallenged Superpower. Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/11/24/why-the-u-s-remains-the-worlds-unchallenged-superpower/ Largest Countries in the World by Area. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/world-top-ten-largest-countries-in-area-map.html Why New York City keeps getting bigger Per Square Mile. (2012, January 26). Retrieved April 16, 2015, from http://persquaremile.com/2012/01/26/why-new-york-city-keeps-getting-bigger/

Someone Special :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

Someone Special When I first saw him, I was sitting in an auditorium complaining to my mother about how cold it was in there. We and hundreds of other student-parent pairs were lined up in rows of the large room waiting to be told what to do by upper-class college students in matching tee shirts. I was scanning, like always, for any interesting guys. Upon finding any that appealed to me, whether by genuine attractiveness, unique clothing or just a pleasant aura, I would watch, study, and try to figure out everything about him, like his attitude, views on the world, and his favorite color. I had been sitting there wondering (probably unlike all of the other kids who were at State University Orientation) what kind of guy I was going to look for when I arrived a month later to attend classes. Everyone else was talking with their parents about their class choices and housing contracts. Some were even asking the experts at the podium questions about the university. But this was way beyond me because I had more important things on my mind. I remember seeing him rise a few rows in front of me with his mother. I'm not sure exactly what caught my eye first, but his light brown hair and rosy complexion kept my stare. He had on a blue shirt that hung un-tucked from his khaki shorts, clothing that intrigued my eyes to follow him, as he squeezed through the metal chairs that someone had set up a little too close. He politely said, "Excuse me," and smiled with seemingly complete confidence. I nudged my mother, "Right there," I said signaling her to notice his strut. "Cute," she said shortly which translated to, "I guess I agree Whitney, but I don't look anymore." It was the usual answer I got when I asked for her opinion. I would sometimes badger her to elaborate, but the answer always lacked in enthusiasm. We watched him disappear behind a big red curtain that separated the students with and without name-tags, and I began formulating his life story. He looked like the I-played-a-few-sports-in-high-school type, pretty normal to me compared to all of the different types of people in the room. He wasn't preppy enough to be the guy that came to college for the sole reason of joining a fraternity, but nowhere close to being the guy that nobody wanted in a fraternity.

Bristol Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb was formed in 1887 when McLaren Bristol and John Ripley Myers bought the Clinton pharmaceutical Company in Clinton New York. In 1900 Bristol-Myers broke through into the black — it has remained there ever since. In 1924, gross profits topped $1 million for the first time in Bristol-Myers’ history. The company’s products were then sold in 26 countries. At this point, the shares held by John Myers’s heirs became available for sale, triggering a series of moves that in 1929 turned Bristol-Myers into a publicly held company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange.The postwar depression prompted Bristol-Myers to jettison its pharmaceutical business and devote itself entirely to its specialties: Sal Hepatica and Ipana, its two big winners, and a dozen or so assorted toiletries, antiseptics and cough syrups. By the end of the war, it was clear that penicillin and other antibiotics represented an immense opportunity for Bristol-Myers. In 1921 t he Squibb Company coined its slogan: â€Å"The priceless ingredient in every product is the honor and integrity of its maker†, which is now the corporate slogan of Bristol Myers Squibb.In 1989 Bristol-Myers merged with Squibb, creating a global leader in the health care industry. The merger created what was then the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical enterprise. BMS is now ranked #8 in the pharma sector. Current Drugs, Issues and Interests The Company operates in three segments: Pharmaceuticals, Nutritionals and Other Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment is made up of the global pharmaceutical and international consumer medicines business. The Nutritionals segment consists of Mead Johnson Nutritionals (Mead Johnson), primarily an infant formula and children's nutritional business.The Other Healthcare segment consists of ConvaTec, Medical Imaging and Consumer Medicines (United States and Canada) businesses. In 1991, the company received U. S. Food and Drug Adminis tration (FDA) approval in the U. S. for Videx ® (didanosine) also known as ddI, making it the second medicine available for treating HIV infection (the other being AZT). Other approvals that year included an antibiotic, Cefzil ® (cefprozil); two cardiovascular agents, Pravachol ® (pravastatin sodium) Tablets and Monopril ® (fosinopril sodium) Tablets; and a central nervous system drug, Stadol NS ® (butorphanol tartrate) C-IV.In that same year, the companies signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the National Cancer Institute to research and develop a new compound for treating certain types of cancer. This compound, TAXOL ® (paclitaxel) Injection, immediately was established as the company’s top research priority. Bristol-Myers Squibb invested hundreds of millions of dollars to supply TAXOL in sufficient quantities for clinical trials, to prepare data for regulatory submission and to develop alternative sources of TAXOL (which originally was d erived from the bark of an endangered tree, the Pacific Yew).TAXOL launched in 1993 and quickly became one of the world’s most widely used cancer treatments. For a few years BMS held the exclusive rights to harvest the bark of the endangered yew trees on US soil, the tree’s bark is used in making TAXOL. By the end of 1995, the company had over 60 product lines with $50 million or more in annual sales worldwide. At the beginning of 1998, the FDA granted clearance to market Excedrin ® Migraine for the relief of migraine headache pain and associated symptoms. Excedrin Migraine became the first migraine headache medication available to consumers without a prescription.In 1999, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced SECURE THE FUTUREâ„ ¢, a $100 million commitment to advance HIV/AIDS research and community outreach programs in five southern African countries: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland. And in 2000, Bristol-Myers Squibb, together with four other pha rmaceutical companies and international agencies, joined the UNAIDS Drug ACCESS Initiative. The ACCESS program aims to make antiretroviral medicines and therapies to treat opportunistic infections more widely available in African countries that have developed a coherent national AIDS strategy.As part of the program, the company offered to lower the prices of HIV/AIDS medicines in those countries by 90 percent. More recently, Bristol-Myers Squibb took its access efforts a step further, offering HIV/AIDS drugs below cost in Africa and committing an additional $15 million for extending SECURE THE FUTURE to four Western African countries — Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Senegal. The company is also ensuring that its patents do not prevent inexpensive HIV/AIDS therapy in Africa.The patent for Zerit, rights to which are owned by Yale University and Bristol-Myers Squibb, is now available at no cost to treat AIDS in southern Africa. However, issues like losing patents l ike this and a few more in South Africa has caused many problems for drug companies and BMS is not immune to them. In September 2000, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced a new strategy that includes a sharpened focus on medicines and an aggressive external development program. As part of this new strategy, the company announced its intention to divest its Clairol and Zimmer businesses.The company announced in June 2001 that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company for $7. 8 billion; an acquisition intended to further strengthen Bristol-Myers Squibb’s medicines business. With the DuPont acquisition, Bristol-Myers Squibb added Sustiva ® (efavirenz) Capsules to its HIV portfolio and also gained products such as Coumadin ® (warfarin sodium tablets, USP) Crystalline, the U. S. leading prescribed anti-coagulant and Cardiolite ® (Kit for the preparation of Technetium Tc99m Sestamibi for Injection), a medical imaging agent.In November 2002, the FDA approved Abilify ® (aripiprazole) for the treatment of schizophrenia. In 2003, the company teamed up with cancer survivor and Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong to sponsor the Bristol-Myers Squibb TOUR OF HOPEâ„ ¢, an unprecedented week-long coast-to-coast cycling event. En route, the 26-member team of cancer survivors, caregivers, physicians, nurses and researchers raised awareness of cancer research and the importance of clinical trials in developing new treatments.Reyataz ® (atazanavir sulfate), the first protease inhibitor for the treatment of HIV/AIDS with once-a-day dosing, was introduced in the U. S. in July 2003 and approved for marketing in Europe in March 2004. On March 29, 2005, the FDA approved Baraclude ® (entecavir). Baraclude, discovered by Bristol-Myers Squibb scientists, is indicated for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection. Bristol-Myers Squibb announced the FDA approval of Orencia ® (abatacept) for the treatment of rheumatoi d arthritis on December 23, 2005. Orencia is the first in a new class of medications for this disease.On February 28, 2006, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Somerset Pharmaceuticals announced FDA approval of EMSAM ® (selegiline trasdermal system), the first transdermal patch for the treatment of major depressive disorder. SPRYCEL ® (dasatinib), discovered by Bristol-Myers Squibb scientists, was approved by the FDA on June 28, 2006, for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences announced the FDA approval of ATRIPLAâ„ ¢ (efavirenz 600 mg/ emtricitabine 200 mg/ tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg) on July 12, 2006. ATRIPLA is the first-ever once-daily single tablet regimen for HIV.As a strategy they are focusing on ten diseases, these are affective (psychiatric) disorders, Alzheimer’s/dementia, atherosclerosis/thrombosis, diabetes, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, obesity, oncology, rheumatoid arthritis and related diseases, and solid organ transpla nt. Current Financials The current financial information of the company from MSN Central is as below. The revenues have not been growing in spite of all the successful products that have been launched and that is an area for change. The company needs to improve its revenues and have a positive trend in profits too.The profits are almost 16%, however, that looks pale when compared to GSK and Merck – both in the 20- 22% range (Fortune 500 list). In fact at 15%, the company is ranked 10 out of 12 in the pharma sector and the revenues are 8 out of 12. That for a company that is going to be 120 years in 2007 is poor. As discussed in the current drugs, issues and interests section, the company is focusing on some key diseases and getting some fantastic drugs in the market. However, all this is somehow not improving the revenue. In fact in the last 5 years, revenue has grown at less than 2% year on year.On the current price ($24), the share gives a 6% return on investment (EPS is $1 . 43). Currently, they are benefiting from the effects of letting go of their CEO Peter Dolan and the company is touted as a takeover target. Their major problem is the failure to prevent Apotex from manufacturing Plavix. Although BMS tried to stop Apotex by getting into a deal that would give Apotex $40 million for not manufacturing the drug, the US State Attorney Generals however didn’t let the deal go through and instead the company got into an investigation because of the whole mess that the deal created.From the BMS perspective, they were doing the right thing; Plavix generates revenues of $5. 9 Billion. $3. 8 Billion are BMS and the rest is Sanofi-Aventis. $3. 8Billion is almost 20% of BMS’s revenue and Plavix gives approximately 40% of the profits in their US business. All this has a big impact on the dividend given by the company and most analysts have suggested that the dividend payout will have to be cut by almost 30-40 cents; it was $1. 12 the previous year. BMS has a good line up of drugs that are in the pipeline and would be a good takeover for any pharma company that has strong cash flow but weak pipeline. These are rumors but looking at the current scenario, it is a good possibility. The interim CEO James Cornelius headed Guidant and helped its sell-off. Vision, Mission and Goals The current vision mission and goals of BMS are referred as a pledge. The pledges are to different stakeholders and are as follows: The BMS Pledge Our company’s mission is to extend and enhance human life by providing the highest-quality pharmaceutical and related health care products.We pledge — to our patients and customers, to our employees and partners, to our shareholders and neighbors, and to the world we serve — to act on our belief that the priceless ingredient of every product is the honor and integrity of its maker. To Customers We pledge excellence in everything we make and market, providing the safest, most effective and hig hest-quality medicines and health care products. We promise to continually improve our products through innovation, diligent research and development, and an unyielding commitment to be the very best. To ShareholdersWe pledge our dedication to responsibly increasing the shareholder value of your company based upon continued growth, strong finances, productive collaborations and innovation in research and development. To Communities We pledge conscientious citizenship, a helping hand for worthwhile causes and constructive action that supports a clean and healthy environment. We pledge Bristol-Myers Squibb to the highest standard of moral and ethical behavior and to policies and practices that fully embody the responsibility, integrity and decency required of free enterprise if it is to merit and maintain the confidence of our society.The new era for BMS must ensure that the pledge to the shareholders is held more firmly than it has been in the last few years. The company must improve revenues and margins. The stagnant revenues and profits are a cause for worry in the longer run. All pharma companies are fighting against smaller companies that want to make generics and Pfizer itself has been fighting for the patent of Lipitor, the world’s best selling drug with $12. 9 Billion in revenues. BMS needs to ensure that the scandals that have been hitting it in the last 5 years never happen again and the company needs to have a higher standard of governance.Shareholder value erodes very quickly for many reasons, but off the last 3-5 years, corporate governance has been a major issue. Companies with tens of billions of dollars of revenue have disappeared and stockholders have suddenly seen their investment disappear with them. BMS has serious corporate governance issues. The company was hit by financial scandals when it was caught pushing inventories and showing them as sales. They have a court appointed overseer because of showing higher revenues and now with th e Plavix issue they are in an even bigger mess as far as corporate governance goes.Apart from that, according to IMS health, a pharmaceutical information and consulting company, sales of prescription medicines worldwide rose 7% to $602 billion,. The United States still accounts for the lion's share of that, with $252 billion in annual sales, but sales in it and the other nine biggest markets grew by only 5. 7%. But emerging markets such as China, Russia, South Korea and Mexico outpaced those markets, growing a whopping 81%. However, when we look at the overall picture 10 -20 years from now we see that the population of the developed world is going to fall and there will be more and more people who will be retired.This also means there will be more medicines required. I do not see myself dying at the age of 70 in the year 2040; medical technology will be so advanced in the next 30 years that it will probably keep me alive till I reach 80 or 90. This is great news for the pharma compa nies. However, the question beckons that the people who can afford expensive medicines for diseases that BMS is targeting are only in the developed countries where the growth has stagnated or is less than 10%. The growth is in the developing world, but the diseases that BMS is targeting are all that need lots of medicines and very expensive medicines.Taxol for example, is used for cancer patients. The medicine is now made by other companies too, and yet the prices for Taxol in the developing world are really high and people find it hard to afford Taxol. In my opinion, BMS has to handle 2 issues: First is Corporate Governance and the second is to crack the developing markets and increase market share in those countries, this will automatically increase its stagnant revenues and breathe some life into its ailing business. The markets are stagnant in the developed world.New Vision Statement I am making a few changes to the current pledges that BMS has to customers and shareholders. The changes reflect what the company needs to do in order to transform itself. To Customers We pledge excellence in everything we make and market, providing the safest, most effective, and cost effective and highest-quality medicines and health care products. We promise to continually improve our products through innovation, diligent research and development, and an unyielding commitment to be the very best. To ShareholdersWe pledge our dedication to responsibly increasing the shareholder value of your company based upon continued growth, strong finances, productive collaborations and innovation in research and development. We pledge to be extremely careful in all governance issues and not succumb to the pressures of the market. We pledge to conduct our business with utmost fairness. Key Change Issues Lack of Corporate Governance is something that no company will admit, but that is the major problem facing BMS right now. Having an overseer is a bad indicator. The key change issues that we will face while changing the attitude towards corporate governance are:1. The first issue is to change the behavior of bosses who force employees to act in ways that will be against any corporate governance policy. 2. The second change will be to create an atmosphere where an employee can raise an integrity or corporate governance concern. This is critical right now as it seems that over the last few years many things were not raised. 3. The third change will be in terms of managing the markets and expectations of all stakeholders, ultimately it is the expectations of the markets or other stakeholders that push the employees to cover up things or show a bright picture when there is none.It is important to manage the expectations. The next key change after corporate governance is to ensure that we can capture the growing markets. To capture the new markets, we will have to make a couple of changes in the way we do business. These changes are likely to be as follows: 1. Lower the cost of drugs – most of the money goes into research. The drugs that conquer markets cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make. So the cost of developing drugs has to be lowered, once this cost is lowered, the cost of the drug per se can also be lowered accordingly.2. Come with products that cater to the growing segments there – it is likely that the people in the developing countries will be using medicines that are generic. For a branded product to conquer that market, the companies have to give an added value to their product. This might mean, reworking some of the old compounds and coming up with ‘extra strong versions’ or other versions that would differentiate the medicines BMS could come up with a line of medication aimed at women with PMS or aimed at people over 70.This might be the normal medicines, but with a different potency or properties so that they would be ‘better suited’ to a different age group. 3. Newer gene types  œ this might mean that there will be opportunities as people from different races might have different problems or might need different treatments. It is possible that the genes or body types in different races might respond differently to different molecules and thus would require modifications to the current molecules. Depending on the cost of doing this modification, BMS can decide to modify certain molecules to better suit different races.How will these areas be changed? What are the broad sets of proposals for change? The Critical Change requirement is Corporate Governance. Corporate Governance is something that every company talks and boasts about but as we can see in case of BMS, this has failed grossly. The company actively needs to change the situation within its departments and especially in the higher ranks to improve the Corporate Governance scenario and educate people about the problems that are caused because of bad governance.Before I dwell into how to combat corporat e governance, I would like to talk about why officials higher up in the ranks and even some in the lower ranks resort to concealing information that might be damaging to the company. The first reason is to ensure that their jobs are secure. If a person conceals information it is because they feel that the particular piece of information will be damaging to their job, their department or their interest. This is the basic level and it is very individualistic. However, it is this same thing that drives even the bigger corporate information scandals.The second reason for concealing information or reporting wrong figures is to ensure that the company meets its goals. To take an example from an IT company, it is one thing to not report a data theft because it might compromise the jobs of the IT security personnel, but quite another not to report the bugs that might exist in the new software that a company is making. Different projects have different timelines and it is critical for compan ies to meet those timelines as revenues and profits are based on the sales of that new product.If we take windows Vista for example, vista has been delayed numerous times and because of that many partners of Microsoft are suffering, especially Intel. Microsoft has in public announced about the delays; however a smaller company might choose to not mention a delay in their quarterly update. For the officials in the company it is something that protects the shareholders and other partners from the value perspective, but what they fail to see is the long term damage that their actions are causing.Concealing information today will have its repercussions in the next two quarters and eventually if someone finds out the true picture, the stock market will kill the script and the valuation will suffer enormously. However, a public announcement about the delay will cause temporary drop in the stock valuation (till the product is back on track or launched in the market) but on a personal level , it will affect the persons’ bonus (for sure) and the growth prospects of the higher ranks who were responsible for not delivering the results.The cost of revealing the truth means jobs and immediate losses in the stock markets. Many of the higher ranking officials have stock options and this makes it even more lucrative from a personal perspective to ensure that the company is shown in good light and seen as an entity that meets its goals and beats the market predictions. The corporate governance scenario gets worse because of the stock options but it can be much better if every one looked at the picture from a long term perspective. In the longer term, the company will deliver the products and make the profits.What every individual must realize is that a company will survive beyond every employee and every leader. One employee or a leader cannot make the company, there is always a team. However, a leader can easily break the company and corporate governance is one way of d oing it with much ease. Coming to ways on how BMS can change the corporate governance culture within the organization; I would recommend the following 3 changes: 1. Top down pressure to conceal information 2. Protective climate for whistle blowers 3. Managing the expectations of the stock market and other stakeholdersTop down pressure to conceal information Driving the first one seems to be the toughest one, but this is where the board members have to set the rules and deal facts with an iron hand. All directors and Country Heads must be responsible towards Corporate Governance and the Finance people especially should run their reports through the board. The board must appoint an independent third party evaluator and auditor to ensure that the reports being presented are correct and any discrepancy must be dealt by terminating the country head and seizing all stock options that the person may have.Termination with seizure of stock options at all levels will mean that the lure of a h igh stock price will not be a motivating factor in concealing information and we can expect people to take a long term view of the situation instead of a short term view based on when their stock options might be due. With a personal lure of money gone, the top management would be forced to look at share value in the longer term and hence won’t be pushing their direct reports to fudge information.In addition to this, I recommend that one board member be assigned the task of being an auditor and also the point of contact for all kind of tip-offs or corporate governance whistle blowers. This will give the employees all over the company more faith in the system. The biggest problem for whistle blowers or people who have issues with corporate governance is that they fear for their jobs and they fear that if they still have their jobs, they will be treated will disgust in the office for going against what might be termed as ‘normal practice’ in that division.The prese nce of a board member as a person who can look into corporate governance issues ensures that people can raise concerns in confidence without the fear or being outcastes at their jobs. This board member of course needs to have a team of people who will investigate the issues that are raised. At the middle management level or at the level where people head departments at country levels, the country head must tighten the leash and implement all corporate policies.The country heads must have audits from outside parties to ensure the authenticity of the financial statements and the systems within the company. At the lower management levels the managers should be responsible for their business. However; the ultimate responsibility would be with the middle management. The board member however, should be contactable by everyone within the organization. The organization change needed is to re-align the salary packages of the people who have stock options.This would entail the compensation an d benefits team to look at the packages again and set up a new corporate policy about rewarding and retaining employees. The major change is only for the upper management to ensure that they don’t abuse their power to increase the value of their shares. The stock option change will also weed out the people who do not have a longing for working with BMS. It is very important for a company to ensure that their top management is a group of people who take the company close to their heart, and of course these people are there for the long term.Protective climate for whistle blowers The next issue we need to cover is about protecting the whistle blowers. The appointment of a board member to look after the corporate governance issues should quell any fears that a person might have about corporate governance. In addition to this, a very small step that might go a long way is to bring up issues with a pseudo identity, where people can write in and give information without being oblig ated to divulge their identity even to the board member.The whistle blowers biggest fear is that their job and career gets jeopardized if it is found out that they were the ones who raised concerns that brought down the whole unit and the jobs of several people. People take it against them and they are outcaste. I also recommend that these people have help from outside sources such as counseling etc that may be needed as they grapple with the effects of being whistle blowers or as they continue to live without talking to anyone about being the whistle blowers.In addition to this, the company should actually owe these people an incentive for doing the company a favor by helping it exposing thing internally and managing the fall out and taking corrective actions. Such revelations by outsiders can be far more damaging and bring the company into disrepute apart from all the lawsuits and the hassles of the law. The board is always responsible for ensuring that things are going on smoothl y within the company and ultimate beneficiary of having an internal system that exposes the corporate governance problems within the company actually helps the board save the company and their own reputations.