A Comparison between the Hindu Gods of Good and Evil Essay

In Hinduism, the primary goal of an individual is to achieve the so-called Nirvana or â€Å"becoming one with God. † Nirvana connotes the transcendence of the human spirit to the Oneness of the Divine Spirit (Hemenway, 2003). Hence, many Hindus practice a variety of evolved rituals and esoteric practices to enable their spirit to adapt to the divine essence. The hope of spiritual transcendence given by Nirvana became the basis for creation or conceptualization of many gods in the Hindu religion. These gods are basically derivatives of the â€Å"One God†; the â€Å"One God’ being represented in all aspects of nature (Hemenway, 2003). Thus, in order to simulate the specific characteristics of this God, Hindus focus on worshipping all the representations of this God. In general, the Hindu religion speaks of about 300 major and lesser gods. The primary three gods are known as the Holy Trinity. Brahma is the creator; Vishnu is the preserver (pattern-maker); and Shiva, the destroyer. The three are inseparable from each other. In order for creation to proceed, there must be a period of destruction. In order for destruction to occur, a period of preservation must happen (prior). Thus, the existence of the three gods presents a vivid description of the Hindu’s belief on the existence of man. If man is to be born, he must be preserved from the impediments of bad life and evil, and he must face the reality of death. To be born is to be created; to be preserved is to be rectified from the evils of daily living; to die is to acknowledge the origin of the human spirit. Only in this way that the human spirit would be able to achieve Nirvana (transcendence of the human spirit to the divine essence). Thus, Hindus hold on the assumption that once man is born (and reborn) in this world, there are powers who would guide and misguide him to attain Nirvana. The guiding powers are essentially the gods of good. The powers misguiding man to his true purpose are the gods of evil. This is though unlike the Christian conception of good and evil. Evil here is not seen as non-functional. Rather it serves as a manifest of test during the preservation period of man’s being; that is, the necessity to achieve Nirvana. Good here is seen something as an end; that is, the representation of Nirvana on earth. We can therefore assume that the conception of good and evil is a rectification of ideological misconceptions in the Hindu religion. The first clarification is concerning the source of good and evil. It is quite clear in Hindu religion that both good and evil gods came from the same source. Evil is the perversion of good. In order for evil to exist, good must first come into existence. The second clarification states â€Å"good gods are often transformed into evil gods as they experience strange circumstances. † The conception connotes the existence of One Divine Essence represented as both good and evil in nature. Evil is not a natural phenomenon, it springs from the Divine Essence serving as a test to humanity. Thus, when we compare Hindu gods of good and evil, take note that we are essentially talking of functional difference. This functional difference is manifested in the perceived roles of the gods in nature. The Hindu gods of good are represented in things â€Å"perceived† by the Hindus as rudiments of a â€Å"good life. † For example, Ganesha is often described as a god of good because he bestows good fortune to those seeking his favor. Specifically, he is considered the source of prosperity and wealth for Hindus. Some call Ganesha the Lord of Good Fortune and the Destroyer of Obstacles. Often, Hindus attribute their economic and social well-being to the hands of Ganesha. Added to that, because man is located in a physical world full of dangers and obstacles, he continuously provide his divine guidance to man. Hence, he is sometimes called the god of wisdom and intellect in Hinduism. Ganesha is seen as a good god who bestows his wisdom and divine intellect to man in order for him (man) to attain Nirvana. Frankly speaking, he is seen by many Hindus as the source of hope and aspiration. Besides Ganesha, there are three other gods considered to be good by many Hindus. Durga is a goddess representing the power of the Supreme Being who maintains moral order (Hindu Gods, 2005). In Sanskrit, her name means a â€Å"fort or a place that is protected. † Thus, Durga is known as the Divine Mother. In her arms, she protects the human race from evil by destroying the sources of evil. Like Ganesha, Lakshmi is considered a goddess of good-living and prosperity. In Sanskrit, her name literally means â€Å"goal† (Hindu Gods, 2005). Thus, she signifies the goals of life. These goals of life can be achieved either in the physical or spiritual realm. Most Hindus pray to her for guidance. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, and wisdom. She is often associated with Brahma, the creator of the universe. In Sanskrit, her name means â€Å"the essence of the self† (Hindu Gods, 2005). Hinduism puts knowledge on a higher pedestal, being the prerequisite for creation. To the Hindu worshipper, Saraswati provides guidance to humanity in accomplishing their daily tasks. Hindus believe that Saraswati, during the early part of creation, provided man with practical knowledge. This practical knowledge allowed man to create civilizations, far greater than any in the animal kingdom. In Hinduism, there are gods considered to be the source of evil in this world. In Pauranic traditions, Asuras and Devas are the step sons of Kasyapa, an unknown god considered to be the primordial source of evil. They are considered to be demon gods projected as enemies of humanity. The Asuras (this is a group of demon gods) became too proud of their ancestry and power. Thus, the Devas became enraged over the war mongering of the Asuras and decided to punish them. The punishment though was self-serving. The Devas thought by forcing the Asuras to serve them, they would be able to project themselves as rulers of the physical world. This view of the Asuras and Devas was expanded in Iranian mythology. Iranian mythology presented Asur Mazda as the embodiment of good in this world and Devas as the villain. It should be noted though that in Hindu mythology, both the Asuras and the Devas are perceived as demon gods; that is, gods that would take all hope from humanity in the attainment of the Nirvana. The term Asuras, unlike the terminological evolution in Iranian mythology, came to signify in later times (in Hinduism) as the representation of evil; demon itself. In Hinduism, there are gods considered evil precisely because they are perceived to be enemies of the â€Å"good gods† and humanity in general. Vritra, for example, is a serpent god often called as the â€Å"enemy of the gods† (The Complete Book of Devils and Demons, 2005). His favorite animal, the serpent, carries the scent of death to those who would call his name. Yama is a Hindu god considered to be the lord of death. His two dogs drag humanity into the fervor of spiritual death; the essence of which is the loss of spiritual transcendence to the Divine Essence. The same is true for Ravana, the Demon King (The Complete Book of Devils and Demons, 2005). He is seen as the incarnation of evil in this world. At times, he would lure humans into his trap, forcing them to pledge loyalty to his evil will. There are also evil creatures considered to be the direct descendants of the evil gods. Kasyapa, the primordial source of evil (and the father of both the Asuras and the Devas) gave birth to the Daityas. These are unpleasant demons who roamed the physical world to destroy man’s sacrifices to the good gods. The good gods are therefore their natural enemies. Kasyapa also gave birth to the Danavas (The Complete Book of Devils and Demons, 2005). These are creatures often disguised as man to motivate man to rebel against the good gods. These creatures (who at times became demon gods) possessed powers of persuasion and bad luck. They often seduce man to covet the properties of the gods and to stop offering sacrifices. Added to that, they also offer their services to the primary â€Å"evil gods† in their fight against the good gods. The good gods are sometimes forced to seek refuge to other places in order to avoid the rage of these demonic creatures. In the end, however, the good gods succeed in defeating these evil creatures (in alliance with the evil gods). There are also other â€Å"entities† described as evil in the Hindu religion. The Darbas are destructive that â€Å"tears† human flesh (hence the name, â€Å"tearers†). The Rakshasas are goblins and ghouls which descended from the foot of Brahma. They can be titans or as little as a cat that haunt cemeteries and other religious places. They disturb sacrifices, animate the dead, eat people, and spread disease and disorder. These creatures often serve the evil gods in their fight against the good gods. In sum, evil goods in the Hindu religion are either the enemies of the gods and humanity or those which prevent humanity from attaining Nirvana. These gods descended from the three primary gods (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva). At times, they trace their ancestry to good gods. This explains the proposition stated earlier that the â€Å"good is the prerequisite of evil. Added to that, some evil Hindu gods (like the Asuras and the Devas) in Hinduism present their identity as the result of perversion on the part of the good gods. Take note that the â€Å"good gods† are not by nature good. Like in Greek mythology, Hindu gods are often involved in intrigues that affect their functions as gods. At times, even the good gods struggle against each other for supremacy. Only when the threat of evil becomes preeminent, the good Hindu gods join forces to defeat the evil gods. Most of the time, they achieve success. At some time, they flee from the hordes of the evil gods. We come now to the discussion of the primary differences of Hindu gods of good and evil. As stated earlier, the main difference between these gods can be derived from the concept of functionality. Hindu gods of good are represented as the â€Å"good rudiments† of nature (and man’s guidance in attaining Nirvana). Hindu gods of evil are essentially the symbols of a corrupt humanity. This corruption is the ultimate obstacle (and often irreversible) of man in attaining Nirvana. There are though specific differences between these sets of deities. Here are as follows: ) Culturally speaking, the Hindu gods of good are often associated with the mystical founders of Hindu civilization (Hemenway, 2003). For example, in the Vedic manuscripts the ancient founders of the Indus civilization are often given divine attributes. These gods are the progenitors of practical and divine knowledge to the people. The evil gods are often associated with the invaders; that is, the barbarians who destroyed the Indus civilization and established the caste system (note that the caste system is functional in the eyes of a Hindu – this connotes that evil itself is functional in some ways); ) The good gods are often represented as the symbols of perpetuity and healthy living (Hemenway, 2003). Animals such as the elephant, cow, and rat are associated with the good gods because of their dual symbol of power and humility: the very virtues that humanity adheres to. The evil gods are represented by serpent, monkey (symbol of arrogance and maliciousness), and in some cases the vulture: symbols of decay and corruption of the human spirit. Take note however that these creatures are respected in the Hindu religion because evil is seen as a manifest test of humanity in achieving Nirvana; ) Lastly, the good gods are usually are represented as bringers of justice and love to humanity. The eight arms of Ganesha symbolize love for humanity. The swords loaded to arms of Ganesha symbolize justice and his will to protect humanity from evil powers. The evil gods carry weapons that aim to destroy and misguide humanity. We must though take note that there is no sharp demarcation between good and evil (Abhedananda and Math, 2007). In Vedanta philosophy, there is no such thing as a natural good. Any action can be viewed as either good or bad depending on the one who views it. Thus, it can be said that â€Å"every action, whether backed by good or bad motives, is covered with its opposite, as fire is enveloped with smoke† (Abhedananda and Math, 2007). Thus to assume that the good gods in the Hindu religion are naturally good is a misconception. It is often noted some â€Å"good gods† gave birth to evil ones. This instance indicate that evil is the offspring of good.

Face the Music

File Sharing By Ehtisham Malik The company Napsterâ„ ¢ made headlines in the music file sharing revolution by letting people share music for free. ) Napsterâ„ ¢ and other services like it soon attracted the attention of the record companies. Lawsuits were filed to stop illegal music file sharing, and Napster was forced to stop. After these lawsuits, the Apple iPod  ® music player changed the way people listened to music. The iPod player was small and portable. It allowed people to carry their music with them wherever they went. Apple then introduced ITunes ® on the Internet.Their reasoning was that many people who were downloading music illegally would be willing to pay a small fee to get the music legally. Apple ® saw people were interested, and was the first to market a new music player and a legal music download service. About 70 percent of music downloaders use ITunes ®. Competitors have been slow to catch up, but there are new sites popping up everyday. Companies s uch as Wal-Mart ®, Musicmatch ®, Real Networks’ Rhapsodyâ„ ¢, and BuyMusic all have music-sharing Web sites. Napsterâ„ ¢ reemerged as a pay-for-music site. This well-known music site hopes that their brand name will lead to instant market sales and success.If you download music from the Internet, make sure to use a legal download site, such as those from the companies above. Always follow copyright guidelines to make sure that you are downloading music properly. Copyright Guidelines Can you legally download music for free? Yes, but only you can play or burn the music to a CD. Can you legally download music and then sell it? No, because you are unauthorized to distribute that music. Can you copy a store-bought CD from a friend? No, due to the copyright on the CD, you need to pay for it to burn a copy, or else you are stealing. All products names are trademarks of their respective companies.

Discuss whether private policing can ever ensure public security

Not only is policing conveyed by an escalating array of public bodies organized at a diversity of geographical levels, but the private and municipal parts are themselves becoming more perceptible in this arena. It is far from clear, though to what degree the growth of policing services delivered by agencies other than the state police symbolizes the filling of a gap left by the incapability or disinclination of the state police to give services the public wants.It may represent changes in the nature of modern life and institutions in which the growth of these services lies along, is complementary to, the steady growth in spending on the state police and other public policing services like Environmental Health Officers or the Post Office Investigation Department.Nor is it obvious that there has been the immense growth in non-police ‘policing' which is often claimed. surely there has been a huge increase in the employment of uniformed private security personnel. owever if ‘ policing' in its broadest sense is construed to include those people who, like wardens, caretakers, park-keepers, and gamekeepers, have always been employed to guard, protect, and manage both public and private property and locations, then much of this growth may simply imitate changes in the way the task is done. What is clear is that, for a diversity of reasons, the respective roles of the police and private security organizations now increasingly be related. The boundaries between them are becoming less well defined.This is the consequence, in part at least, of a process referred to as the ‘decreasing equivalence between private property and private space'. The subsequent half of the twentieth century has seen a rapid growth in property which is privately owned but to which the public typically has access. This property includes shopping centers, built-up estates, educational institutions, parks, offices, and leisure centers. More and more public life is being performed on private property.Thus the protection of private property, a fundamental aim of private security-has increasingly come to take in the maintenance of public order as while, for example, there are demonstrations against new road construction. Private security services have intruded more and more on what used to be considered the restricted domain of the state police. The boundaries between public and private policing have further were indistinct because of the operations of an escalating number of agencies whose formal status and functional activities are hard to classify.These have most usually been referred to as ‘hybrid' or ‘grey' policing bodies. They take in, for example, the surveillance, investigative, and dogmatic sections attached to central and local government departments. The place of some of these bodies has been made even more ‘grey' by the privatization programme the government has practiced. For example the British Transport Police will persist to poli ce our railway network: they will, for the foreseeable future, give a contract service that the new railway companies have been given no option but to accept.Johsnton (1999) asserts that private policing consists of two components. ‘Commercial’ policing involves the purchase and sale of security commodities in the market place. ‘Civil’ policing consists of those voluntary policing activities undertaken by individuals and groups in civil society. The history of commercial policing in Britain is a long one, McMullan’s (1987) account of crime control in sixteenth and seventeenth century London pointing to the systematic recruitment of paid informers and thief-takers by a state unable to control unregulated areas.This is an early example of what South (1984) has referred to as ‘the commercial compromise of the state’, an invariable feature of all systems in which the commercial sector has a policing role, though one whose precise character v aries with circumstances. The private security industry is a large, lucrative, and growing part of the UK economy. Different estimates of the annual turnover of the industry are obtainable.A 1979 Home Office Green Paper suggested an annual turnover in 1976 of ?135 million and, according to the marketing consultancy Jordan and Sons, total annual sales during the early 1980s were in excess of 400 million. Jordan's 1989 and 1993 reports suggest respectively that the yearly turnover of the industry increased from ?476. 4 million in 1983 to ?807. 6 million in 1987 and ?1, 225. 6 million in 1990. One recent estimate by one of the regulatory bodies in the private security industry has put the turnover for 1994 at ?2, 827 million (Daily Telegraph, 15 August 1996).Because private security firms take up a position of trust for those who utilize them to protect their persons and property, as the evidence suggests that individuals and groups put off to people who wear uniforms intended to conju re the authority of the police, and as those who provide security services are in a position to abuse that reverence and trust, we do not think it is any longer defensible to allow the private security industry to continue unregulated. There is proof of abuse.There are undoubted cowboys on the loose and there is nothing at present to prevent disreputable and criminally-minded operators from proffering any security service they wish. Indeed, even a Government ideologically committed to reducing the amount of directive has recently come round to the view that some type of control of the private security industry is now essential. In August 1996, the Home Office announced that a statutory body to vet people wanting to work in private security was to be recognized, and that new criminal offences of utilizing an unlicensed guard and working as an unlicensed guard would be introduced.Given that these plans are both indistinct and not accompanied by any schedule for implementation. There i s currently no constitutional licensing or regulative system of any kind for the private security industry in Britain. This distinction with almost all other European countries. Britain stands practically alone in not having admission requirements for firms offering security services and, together with Germany, not setting performance rations for private security operatives. Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands.Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland all have some form of governmental control over their private security industries (de Waard J. 1993). Estimates of the size of the industry in Britain have been notoriously inaccurate. However, recent research by Jones & Newburn (1998), based on data drawn from the Yellow Pages Business Classification and the Labour Force Survey, has produced far more reliable figures. Total employment in the British contract security industry now exceeds one third of a million (333,631), with emplo yment in the ‘services and equipment sector’ (which includes guarding) standing at 182,596.This latter figure, alone, is equivalent to the total number of police and civilians employed in the 43 constabularies in England and Wales. As is the case in other countries, the most rapid area of expansion is in electronic security. Indeed, out of the total of 6,899 security companies identified in the research, no fewer than 2,547 are in the electronics sector, the remainder being in services and equipment (2,281), the provision of locks and safes (864), detective services (767) and bailiff services (440).In the case of Britain, for example, the estimation of private security employees (70,000) appears to include only those working for member companies of the British Security Industry Association, the main trade body. On the basis of these figures, Britain ranks sixth in terms of private security employees (123 per 100,000 inhabitants) and has a private security to public poli ce ratio of 0. 39:1. By using Jones & Newburn’s (1998) data, however, these estimates are transformed dramatically.This happens whether one bases calculation on guard numbers alone, or upon the total number of personnel employed in the security industry. In the first case, the figure of 182,596 guards identified in the research generates 321 security personnel per 100,000 inhabitants and a private security to public police ratio of 1:1. In the second case, 333,631 security employees generates a private security to public police ratio of 1. 85:1, a figure far in excess of the estimate for Germany, the highest ranked country in the sample.In effect, two conclusions can be drawn from Jones & Newburn’s (1998) research: that Britain has roughly one private security guard for every public police officer, a figure comparable to that found in the USA during the early 1980s (Cunningham & Taylor 1985:106); and that Britain has almost two private security employees for each polic e officer. Although there are diverse estimates of the number of organizations trading in the private security sector, and the numbers of people working, few of them emerge to be reliable.The best accessible figures suggest that, in broad terms, the number of private security employees, including those persons concerned in the manufacture and installation of security devices, is as a minimum the equivalent of the total complement of the forty-three constabularies in England and Wales; data from the government's Labour Force Survey propose that there are almost surely over 162,000 people working in the private security industry, but the actual total can be at least half as many again (Jones T. , and Newburn T. 1995).This rapid growth in private security gives a vivid image that policing involves much more than the police and what the police do. The point is made all the more obvious if one thinks that most symbolic of all police tasks, mobile patrol. It is momentarily worth consideri ng two instances where a ‘police patrol' presence is provided by personnel other than police constables. First is the Sedgefield Community Force. For several years local councils have employed in-house security operations to keep council property and employees.The Sedgefield Community Force, a local authority police force in County Durham, became operational in January 1994. The force provides a 24-hour patrolling service within the geographical confines of the District an area of 85 square miles and a population of 90,000 people. The ten patrol officers wear uniforms similar to those worn by police officers. They travel mostly in cars, though they are encouraged to leave them to patrol on foot. They received 1,284 calls from the public in their first year.Johsnton (1999) asserts that Private policing resolves the tension within that relationship: maximizing consumption by restricting access to those who might undermine the commercial imperative—drunks, beggars and the like. In most western societies—though particularly in North America—there is an increased tendency for residential space to adopt the form of mass private property, people living in private apartment blocks and gated communities, rather than in traditional streets.Though this is undoubtedly a global tendency, however, there may be variations in the speed and scope of its development. Jones & Newburn (1998) note that, in Britain, locations which would be archetypal forms of mass private property in North America (such as educational institutions, leisure complexes and hospital sites) have either been owned and run by the state or by non-market ‘hybrid’ organizations (Johnston 1992). For that reason, they suggest, ‘mass hybrid property’, rather than mass private property, may be of greater relevance to the future development of commercial policing in Britain.Though the Sedgefield Community Force provides a noticeable patrol it was set up as a n on-confrontational force and has a strategy of ‘observing and reporting' based on a presupposition of not using officers' citizen's powers of arrest. A small-scale piece of research on the Sedgefield Community Force carried out concerning six months after it was set up found that just under two-thirds of local residents said without any prompting that they had heard of the Force (I'Anson J. , and Wiles P. 1995).This part of respondents increased to three-quarters after the force was portrayed to them. There is some indication from the survey that the public feels safer as the Force was introduced, and a considerable proportion of those questioned felt that the Community Force would act to put off criminal activity. There was obvious evidence that local residents saw the Force as setting off what the local constabulary was doing.Generally respondents said they would not be happy to have the members of the Force as the sole deferrers of crime. owever when asked who they would be contented to have patrolling their streets: 91 per cent said police specials or a new rank of police patroller; 83 per cent said a council-employed community force; 43 per cent said common citizens; and 33 per cent said private security guards. A further survey of residents who had asked for help from the Sedgefield Force discovered that the immense majority of calls concerned vandalism, anti-social behavior, and nuisance — incivilities concerning which all the research evidence shows the public is usually concerned though a large minority, about a fifth, concerned straight-forward crime (Wiles P. 996).Moreover those persons calling for help were extremely appreciative of the service they received. Though direct comparisons cannot simply be made, the residents who call the Sedgefield Community Force are as a minimum as appreciative of the service they receive, conceivably more so, than are people who call the police (Bucke, 1996). The second example is the Wands worth Parks Constabulary. Under the Public Health (Amendment) Act 1907, all local authorities in England and Wales can affirm in park employees as special constables though there are few instances of any doing so.Legislation, bearing upon London only, has though been used by several boroughs in the capital to set up Parks Constabularies. in the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation (Greater London Parks and Open Spaces) Act 1967, Wands worth recognized its Parks Constabulary in 1985. There are thirty full-time uniformed officers and twenty-five part-timers (effectively ‘specials') in the Wands worth Parks Constabulary.They patrol the parks and open spaces in the borough — about 850 acres in all — and give security services in council premises, particularly the branch libraries, leisure centers, and youth and recreation facilities. The constables aim to act mainly as a restriction rather than an enforcement body. The problems with which they deal emerge to be similar to those dealt with in Sedgefield. They comprise incivilities linked with drunkenness, the control of dogs, the use of bicycles, and the like. however they also deal with crime.In 1994 and 1995 the Wands worth Parks Police made 105 and 134 arrests correspondingly: these included supposed offences of dishonesty (including burglary, theft, and robbery), criminal damage, gross coarseness, and drugs offences. They took their arrestees to Metropolitan Police stations where there appears to have been little complexity in getting the majority of their charges accepted. Certainly the research proof is that the relationship between the Parks Police and the Metropolitan Police is an optimistic and close one (Jones T. , and Newburn T. 998).In addition the constables monitor the CCTV cameras that are positioned in Wandsworth's parks, act as key holders in relation to a large number of local power buildings, provide a cash-in transit service for some local authority fun ctions, and accompany some local authority employees. Similar, although generally less wide-ranging, parks police also operate in Kensington and Chelsea, Barking and Dagenham and in Greenwich. The public is ever more engaged in activities in areas where policing is undertaken by private organizations.Progressively households, neighborhoods, and institutions (both public and private) are becoming dependent on commercially provided surveillance technology and patrols for their sense of security. As, demands on the police have prolonged, so the police have become reliant on skills available in, and services provided by, the private sector. This is mainly to be welcomed, and positive collaboration between the public and private sectors needs to be encouraged.There are several benefits to be gained from constructive partnership. But it is fundamental that this partnership be based on integrity. The public, pass up the police, must have confidence that the very highest standards are being uphold in any agency with which the police are affianced in partnership. For these reasons we conclude that the time has come to bring in a system of official or statutory directive of the private security industry.There is no case for granting private security personnel powers not accessible to the ordinary citizen and, as far as it is been competent to discover, there is no demand from either within or without the industry that such powers must be granted, except in very particular situation. One such circumstance is given by the contracted-out management of prisons. The Criminal Justice Act gives that the prisoner custody officers employed by the security companies now running five prisons are authorized to search prisoners and their visitors and to use such force as is essential to avert prisoners from escaping.But this kind of exception apart we can see no motive why citizens' powers are insufficient for dealing with the type of situations with which private security personnel are expected to be confronted while guarding or on patrol. Indeed, quite opposing. The fact that security personnel have no powers beyond those accessible to the ordinary citizen itself gives a desirable check on their activities and evidently demarcates, both in law and in the eyes of the public in general, what is otherwise becoming an increasingly fuzzy border between the police and private ‘policing' enterprises.The realism of private security is that their personnel are not like usual citizens. They may not have extra powers, but they have precise responsibilities, they are organized, they are usually recruited as of their physical suitability, they are dressed in a way to emphasize their capacity to coerce, they might be trained in self-defense or have experience in how to ‘handle themselves' in circumstances thought to rationalize reasonable force, they are more expected to employ force, and so on.All these influencing conditions suggest, given the extensive conc erns ‘about the de facto power exerted by private security personnel whose reliability is uncertain, whose public liability is non-existent, and whose allegiance is by definition to whomsoever pays the piper, that there is a very well-built case for ensuring that in law they exercise no more right to use force than the rest of us. We conclude that no transform in citizens' powers of arrest is reasonable.The key area, is where private security staff are concerned in the policing of space which is public -streets, housing estates, and so on — or which the public thinks to be public, although it is actually private, that is places like shopping malls, football grounds, hospitals, and so on. We believe any new form of regulation must certainly cover the work of private security guards, together with contract and in-house guards. The Home Affairs Select Committee excluded in-house staff from its commendations for regulation.However, though the evidence signifies that there a re fewer complaints concerning in house security services, the fact that there is considerable mobility between the contract and the in-house sectors leads us to believe that any new system of licensing must cover both. Moreover, given their role concerning either private property or private space to which the public have access, equally nightclub door staff and installers of electronic surveillance and security equipment ought, in our finding, also to come within a new system of directive.

I will be able to provide you with more info once we get started Research Paper

I will be able to provide you with more info once we get started - Research Paper Example Language particularly the mother tongue is probably sensitive index for exploring the ethnic composition of the populations. Statistics based on the ability to speak a specified language or languages are perhaps the least useful measures for identifying the ethnic groups but they have a utility in connecting with the problems of educating and communicating with linguistic minorities and they are means of pointing out heterogeneity of languages within the country and measuring their individual strength. Such data are specially important in countries where more than one official language is being spoken. Two major types of errors in census data leads to over and under enumeration of the population in census the first one being the coverage errors and the second one being the content errors which affect the accuracy of the information collected for the covered population. Since coverage errors occurs most frequently in a population or subgroup than others it may affect not only the abso lute number of persons in a given category but also their relative distribution. Levels and patterns of coverage and content errors differs widely across countries and even from census to census in a given country. Data on mother tongue are designed to identify the cultural or ethnic groups in population by languages reported to have been spoken in early childhood presumably before immigration. Objective and Aim of the Study In this study I wanted to test the hypothesis the relation of languages spoken ( first and second languages) in country by the population in relation to birth in that country or may be an immigrant. Methodology We randomly collected data from a population called R and interviewed them on the languages spoken( first and second languages) and were also asked whether they were born in that country or not. While making this study we wanted to minimize the predicted errors of missing data, coverage errors and content errors. We simply left out the missing data while doing our analysis. Results Fig 1 reflects the data collected in the percentage of the population( valid data country born and preference of language spoken) versus the missing data percentage of population which was left out from the survey Fig 2: Series one reflects the frequency of population speaking language in the country versus the series 2 whether born or not born in that country. The correlation coefficient was calculated about the percentages of population surveyed and language spoken found that the correlation co-efficient was 1 which indicated that the language spoken is definitely related to the birth in a country that means the more the population born in a particular country more he speaks the first or native language of that

Decision Support System (DSS) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Decision Support System (DSS) - Research Paper Example Data on an organization's external operating environment, as well as internal operational information, is included and an interactive interface allows managers to retrieve and manipulate data. Modeling techniques are used to examine the results of alternative courses of action† (Decision support system.2007). Later on, DSS contributed to several domains, one of them is the healthcare sector. The Armed Forces Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA) is an internationally recognized medical and dental information management system that provides a safe and secure online accessibility to the military health systems (MHS) reports of beneficiary. Medical clinicians, who are deployed in various medical treatment facilities worldwide, access the system (DHIMS, 2011). They are provisioned with complete and appropriate health data in order to take informed decisions regardless of location and time. Moreover, AHLTA also facilitates central storage of electronic health records (EHR) dat a used to retrieve patients overall history of injuries and diseases (DHIMS, 2011). AHLTA Functionality The information flow and sharing of information on various levels of the AHLTA system are illustrated below (How data travels through AHLTA, n.d): The flow of information does not cover all aspects of the system and only prioritize on nontechnical aspects. As there are four primary components of the system including: Client Workstations: The workstations that will be used by the clinical staff Local Cache Database: The local cache database stores all the retrieved information, in order to provide information much faster as compared to a normal request of patient information from the system. Clinical Data Repository: The clinical data repository hosts the primary database and includes all the patient and clinical data connected to all the military treatment facilities worldwide. CHCS: Composite Health Care System is a legacy system that is performing the task of maintaining informa tion and information retrieval related to results, appointments and vice versa. Moreover, the AHLTA system operates on two modes i.e. the normal mode and the Failover mode. The normal mode provides provision of all the available information related to patient’s history. The CHCS retrieves and demonstrates demographics, appointment information and results from the clinical data repository that displays all the information to the computer of the client (How data travels through AHLTA, n.d). The fail over mode also operates on the same four components excluding the clinical database repository. In this scenario, the clinical team can have access to document encounters related to patients. Nevertheless, they cannot access the complete record of the patients and historical records i.e. they cannot access CDR. If CDR is not accessible, CHCS sends all the information related to patient appointments, demographics along with all the relevant information to local database cache (LDC) ( How data travels through AHLTA, n.d). Furthermore, the fail over mode supports: Scheduling of appointment information Last four encounters of scheduling patients Information related to patient and family history for patients that are scheduled Inventory information related to stores User Configuration The client server architecture of an AHLTA system were illustrated by â€Å"

'At the end of the day, competition is the only thing that motivates - Essay

'At the end of the day, competition is the only thing that motivates - the theories revisited' - Essay Example The responsibility of a manager lies in lifting employees from on level to the next one. The approval of primary or the basic needs does not create contentment; the denial of which however unleashes new phase of discontent. At this time the secondary requirements begin to take the control. Physiological needs are the basic needs which a human being requires for his or her survival. This is the most powerful of all needs. This group includes need for oxygen, food, drink, protection from extreme temperature etc. In an organizational context the basic needs of an employee is represented by his concern for remuneration and fundamental working conditions. It is the responsibility of a manager to ensure the fulfillment of basic needs of the employees, so that the latter can strive to attain the next level in hierarchy. Once the primary needs are satisfied, safety needs arise as motivators. This set of needs correlate to factors like job security, safe working environment, salary increment etc. Managerial practices to ensure employees’ safety needs include insurance, pension scheme, provident fund, secured work conditions and many more. The needs for the sense of belonging and love comprise the third phase in the pyramid of needs. This type of needs manifests itself i n the craving for compatible task group, acceptance from the peers, professional friendship and more on. Effective supervision with friendly behavior pays off. In an organizational environment self esteem comes from job title, challenging work, responsibility, and recognition from peers and supervisors. Self actualization is associated with the desire for excellence and scope for innovation in the job place. This theory has been highly appreciated for providing an effective tool to the managers in motivating their subordinates to strive towards excellence and innovation (Learning Southwest, n.d). The dual factor theory was based on the survey conducted on approximately

English Composition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English Composition - Essay Example ding to Segell, the traditional standards of masculinity and femininity has overridden over society and therefore these standards have to be altered to think beyond it and find new concepts which retains the basic positive differences between men and women (Segell 298). Segell discussed that in the current race, the concept of masculinity and femininity is nothing more than a man who wants to find women / partner who had their sense of success dependent on their husbands. While natural aggressiveness, the want to dominate, and taking risks are other qualities of masculinity in our society. Femininity on the other hand has been defined as a very disastrous tool. They first identified and assured what men criticized in women, which is their expressiveness and empathy then by surpassing their self-confidence they got a foothold in the corporate sector (Segell 300). Psychological potency for the aspiring alpha male according to Segell is his tendency of a man who belief that their masculinity can actually help them to turn down their levels of self-absorption regarding practical problem solving. They can expand the understanding of themselves and can increase the respect for her mate / women bringing back the old traditional glory that was shared by women in husbands. In my very own opinion agreeing with the aforementioned proposal is not surprising and should be brought into consideration. Segell, Michael. "The Second Coming of the Alpha Male: A Prescription for Righteous Masculinity at the Millenium." Chaffee, John. Thinking Critically. Boston: Wadsworth/Clengage Learning, 2012.

A Male from Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Male from Saudi Arabia - Essay Example In effect, I have decided to become effective in learning the language through writing. In this case, writing will not only help me in the pronunciation of the words, but it will also help me improve my grammar. As a writer, one strength area is in my choice of words during the process of writing. In this case, I ensure clarity in work and avoid wordiness, which is requisite for a good writer since it helps me avoid clichà ©s. On the other hand, my main weakness area lies in the area of evaluating the information to include in my writing. In this case, deciding on which information will help support my thesis statement proves to be a challenge although I am improving on this weakness through research. On the other hand, my approach to writing involves the handling of all writing as a process of creative work that requires time to complete the work and the provision of feedback from an instructor in order to avoid similar mistakes in the future. Finally, I like writing since I am able to learn a lot due to the process of research involved when developing the

Management decisions & control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management decisions & control - Essay Example In this line, performance will mean how efficient the school is in using the provided resources, both human and material to produce results that are to be considered closely related to the expected results. The close relationship will result to high performance of the school. In such an environment, the performance will be measured by how well the students are trained to become business professionals and how well they are prepared to face the business environment outside school. Additionally, the use of the available resources and the individual performance of each of the players that makeup the schools determines its performance (Lin & Lee 2011, pp 85-96). Performance of the business school can be brought about by a combination of several factors. It is first important to note that not a single player in the business school is capable of making impressive performance alone. There should be cooperation and collaboration in performance for the overall results to be considered a success. This, therefore, implies that one of the causes of performance in business school is cooperation. According to Berkeley (2007), Cooperation must be present between the administration and the students as well among the managers and the students separately. When there is effective teamwork, each performs at his or her capacity in the institution leading to achievement of a common goal (Berkeley 2007, p 384). Similarly, all operations in the school must be geared towards a common goal that should be emphasized for all to understand. When everyone understands his or her roles and the common goal performance is enhanced. Monitoring and evaluation with a perspective ready to effect change is also necessary to cause performance enhancement. There are various other drivers to performance besides cooperation. First, the business school and all the players in it must be committed towards the achievement of the common goals. Lack of commitment leads to failure in some pillars that

Sports and Leisure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sports and Leisure - Essay Example There can be concerns among customers or local people over issues of, crime, violence, disorderliness, and general safety in and around leisure or leisure sports sites. Due to the combined efforts of organizations like, Institute of Sport and Leisure Management, The Fitness Industry Association, Sport England and The Institute of Sport and Recreation Management leisure and sports is considered to be a professional industry with highly trained, educated and conscientious individuals. With increase in the quality of professional standard employment in the sports and leisure industry is considered competitive, prestigious as well as fun oriented. This perception has contributed towards drawing in a lot of young people, and towards integration of sports and leisure as part of higher education. It has also lead to the creation of greater employment opportunity, with greater investment in the public sector by both local governmental and private players. Sports England has implemented various schemes for various project objectives successfully. PRIDE is concerned with establishing professionalism in the leisure industry, providing equal employment opportunity to blacks and ethnic minorities. Community Network Alliance is driven towards supporting new organizations within the "community sports network. Social Issues like equality and integration through sports; issues of racism in sport's scenario; social responsibility of Sports (by employing the youth's productively and reducing the rates of drug abuse, juvenile delinquents etc); unequal representation of gender in sports; leisure as a sort of splurge by a consumption driven society and it's environmental implication are some other contemporary and future issues in sports and leisure that have gained momentum. With growing competitiveness and professionalism as well as popularity there have been concerns over the issues of sports governance. An example of this can be found in the campaingn spear headed by an association of football supporters the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association (IMUSA) as well as its sister concern, shareholders United (SU),protesting against the projected takeover of Manchester United by BSkyB satellite television company. With increasing consciousness among the people about health and the benefits of exercise, individuals are displaying a proclivity towards fitness and health clubs. Regular exercise like running, leisure and hobby sports has increased. Fitness Industry Association (FIA) is one among the many group of lobbyist who are campaigning for the incorporation of USA type benefits for people joining health clubs. They base their logic on the fact that healthier people mean less spending by the national Health Services. Leisure includes a gamut of activities including sports, leisure trips and tours. Within the frame work of leisure, the direction of issues is multifarious including the analysis of the social and environmental impact of tourism. While conceding that tourism offers great employment avenues and is revenue generating industry there is increasing concerns about its effect on the eco-system and environment. Hence the move is towards sustainable development and eco-tourism. Many individuals and organization have

O Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

O - Essay Example Different countries have jail criminals on less complex possession of illegal drugs such as marijuana, when found guilty, these offenders are given harsh punishment and jail sentences (Sandro 45). In the last 30 years, there have been international rise in the criminalization of improper use of drugs. Criminalization has led to the rise on the application of disciplinary authorizations executed on illegal drug offenders; in addition there have been an increase in the rates of imprisonment. However, it is vital to note that these policies have had a limited effect in reducing and controlling the abuse of illegal drugs in the streets. In the recent years, the have been some advancement on the fact that another effective approach needs to be implemented in order to combat the use of illegal drugs, addiction of these drugs has come out to be a health problem that needs treatment, medical intervention and counseling instead of imprisonment. In the United States, the population in the prisons has amplified from 300,000 to 2.3 million inmates in the last four decades. Among these inmates, only one in 3 adults in the United States prisons in on the system of parole or probation. This has proved to be expensive as the government at present expends more than 68 billion dollars annually on the prison sector. Therefore, jailing of offenders on use of illegal drugs is one of the main of the mass imprisonment in the United States prisons. There are also substantial signs that drug execution has averted resources from law application of violent offenses and other dangers to public well-being (Sandro 44). Drug offenders who show no previous history of drug abuse or any type of violence and no prior arrests usually face compulsory minimum sentences in excess of 25 years behind bars. A high total of drug low level offenders who have been found guilty end up receiving harsh sentences such as life imprisonment without the option of parole, this is due to the

Librarian PHP Essay Example for Free

Librarian PHP Essay A. Introduction A Library System is a software use to catalog, to track circulation and to have an inventory of the library’s assets. It often contains many thousands of books that are available in the library. This uses computer-based system to keep a record of the books and the transaction that took place. A computer- based library system allows for: * Quick and easy searching for books * Easy printing out of book list/ labels * Automatic warning letters for borrowers who have not yet returned books. The major goal of this study is to create an effective Library System that will meet the needs of the users. The researchers selected the Pasig City Elementary School Library as its subject for system proposal. An interview is conducted to observe transactions happening in that library. During gathering period, the group noticed that they are still using logbooks for filing and recording. It reaches to our knowledge that a one librarian suffers much without a computer- based system. In fact, a librarian stated that if there will be a system to be created for the library, it has to be something with swipe feature so it will display all information immediately. Furthermore, with this information gathered, a computer- based library system will be generated with the use of all the data disclosed to the researchers. B. Objective of the Study General Objective: * To create an effective system out of all information gathered during interview at Pasig City Elementary School Library Specific Objectives: * To be able to make a system that will lessen the work of the librarian * To be able to make a system that will help users for a quick and easy access with the needed information in the library * To be able to meet the needs of the users * To have an easy access with the library * To have a smooth transaction in the library * To avoid miscomputations of penalties for late book returnees C. Statement of the Problem The researchers found out that the library doesn’t have a Computer-Based System. They use logbooks to file all information needed in the library. The librarian is having a hard time cataloging and filing the books every now and then adding to the burdens is the utilization of different and separate logbooks for borrowers, visitors and attendees. Without computer-Based System, the one in-charge is having a hardship organizing borrowing transactions especially, when it comes to accommodating many students at a time. It was further revealed that there are times they lose some information of the students because of not having a system. These are the problems of the current system that would be addressed by our proposed system. D. Scope and Limitation Scopes The researchers will generate a system with the following scopes: * A system with a swipe feature that can display all information needed * A system that can organize/catalog books * A system with password for security * A system with that will give quick and easy access for the users * It has a comprehensible interface. Limitations * It cannot accommodate many users at a time. * This is slight time consuming in encoding/ cataloging. E. Importance of the Study The necessity of using the Library System is to help a lot more the librarians. It will lessen the time of librarian in writing all information of the students in the logbooks. All he had to do is to create a database that supports the system. This will also lessen his time printing out booklist/labels, receipt, etc. This also gives an automatic warning letters for borrowers who forgot to returned books on time. It will also avoid miscomputations of penalties for late book returnees. This study will improve the skills of the researchers in generating a system. F. Conceptual Framework The researchers will create a computer-based library system to meet the needs of the librarians. The group will try their very best to come up with the best system with the help of their instructors using PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) as the programming language and Wampserver as the database. Through the information gathered the proponent will try its o G. Definition of terms * Computer- based Library System It is the software used to catalog, track circulation (where appropriate) and inventory a librarys assets. * PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) It is a server-side scripting language designed for web development but also used as a general-purpose programming language. * Wampserver It is a web development platform on Windows allowing you to create dynamic web applications with Apache2, PHP and MySQL. * Software It is a general term for the various kinds of programs used to operate computers and related devices. * Inventory It’s an itemized catalog or list of tangible goods or property, or the intangible attributes or qualities * Catalog It also serves as an inventory or bookkeeping of whats in the library. * Database It is a collection of data that is organized so that its contents can easily be accessed, managed, and updated.

Widespread Use Of Digital Media Media Essay

Widespread Use Of Digital Media Media Essay This essay will critically asses the impact that widespread use of digital media has on broader culture and society. For me, this is questioning whether digital media, the technological revolution and the rise of the internet can be seen as a blessing or a curse on culture and society. According to Castells (2002) who writes avidly on this topic, new media technologies simultaneously reinforce relations of cultural capital, hierarchy and distinction, while enabling social movements to publicise campaigns and connect with distant others. Technology, the internet and the digital media has created unimaginable wealth yet also encouraged millions to work for nothing. Digital media Challenges authority yet allowed regimes to spy and censor as never before. The internet opens up new realms of knowledge and Al Gore (former vice president) states that its an empowering tool with more potential than any other tool developed by mankind. Digital media is very much a double edged sword and has b oth positive and negative aspects to it. This essay will explore these different aspects and look to given a definitive answers as to whether the digital media and the internet has overall had a good or bad impact on broader culture and society. Positive impact on culture and society There are a significant number of ways in which the use of digital media has facilitated democracy and pluralism in worldwide society and culture. Supporters of this view include the likes of Goodwin, Jenkins and Burrows. The inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, saw the internet as a tool that connected humanity. W ith 35 million people using the internet every day in the UK alone, he sees the internet as a platform for equal access to voice, opportunity and information, having originally been designed as a rebellion against hierarchy and authority. Wikipedia is definitely a product of the digital media that has had a positive impact on culture and society. Every month 65 million people use this site, with the original idea being that instead of information being handed down by experts and the elite above, it instead slowly emerges from the masses from below. This is a good example of the democratisation of society and culture that the digital media brings, as Wikipedia allow people to shape knowledge together on one platform. Twitter is a social media site that has had a strong positive effect on culture and society. This digital media platform can be used to campaign for fundamental freedoms in culture and society across the globe. For example Twitter was used to campaign for fundamental civil rights Kenya during the violence in the Kenyan election of 2008. Witnesses used Twitter to report the violence and corruption that the worlds media was not reporting accurately. Twitter represents a new form of democracy in society and culture, meaning that countries hierarchy in effect has flipped from vertical to horizontal. Another example can be found in Iran; when riots occurred the government banned world media from the area, however the public used Twitter to alert the world of what was occurring. Napster is a digital media site that advanced culture and society by undermining centuries of copyrighting and property. This site allowed music to be listened to for free, making it equally accessable and shared for free. This demonstrated digital media and the internets power to destroy established business models. While this site was completely illegal, the issue was that because the usage of this site became so widespread, lawsuits would have been needs for everyone between the ages of 18 and 30 at the time. As a result of Napster, 95% of all music exchange online in now unpaid for, showing how digital media has helped create added cultural equality and democracy over the last decade. YouTube is another strong example of how the digital media and the internet has had a positive effect on the global culture and society. YouTube was first created in 2005, and is now viewed 1 billion times a day, with 1/5 of all content on the internet itself being created by amateurs. The attraction to this site is that it provides and platform for self-promotion and takes control away from the middleman such as agents of publishers. These older hierarchies are still at large today, however their power is dwindling as they struggle to adapt to the digital medias democratisation and equalization effect on society and culture. Having first been created to protect the USA in the 1960s to link information between the government, the armed forces and institutions of science and universities, the internet has now become a de-centralizing power to the state. The internet is now seen as a threat to the state, de-centralizing power in single nations by merging their individual economies into a global economy. The rise of the digital media and the internet is accelerating globalisation which in turn provides new developments in culture that cross historic and traditional borders. Old centres of power are crumbling, meaning a huge scramble to fill the vacuum left behind. An example of this can be seen in Wikileaks, which allows people to anomalously publish information on governments such as classified US army documents on Guatanamo Bay, which helps challenge censorship. Suppressing information has become increasingly difficult, with the digital media and the internet helping make traditional censored countries suc h as China become far more democratic. When one part of the internet becomes controlled and colonised, a new frontier will always spring up in its place elsewhere. This certainly shows how the digital media benefits society and culture in a broad sense globally. Negative impact on culture and society There are many negative aspects that the rise of the internet and digital media has brought to culture and society. The digital media can be seen as a source of control and homogenisation, with supporters of this view including the likes of Schiller and Virilio. Around 25% of the global population has access to the internet, which can be seen to show another form of control by the MEDCs over LEDCs. It is in human nature to have the desire for both profit and control. If you can control what people believe in you control what people have access to, hence the internet and the digital media is a powerful tool that can create this control if harnessed by the appropriate people in society. The internet and digital media has allowed elite megabrands to gain power with no competition. The idealistic view (steming from 1970s hippie culture) that the world wide web should be a creative space where all people can share information for free, which went against those who wanted use the web as a place to buy and sell, use the web as a market place. Some people, such as Bill Gates, saw the internet as the biggest business opportunity ever. In 1995 Microsoft launched Internet Explorer and ended up with more than 90% of the market globablly. This is just an example of how the world dominated by just a handful of mega brands. In Britain 1/3 of the population has Facebook, Ebay has 21 million visits a month while Amazon get 16 million visits per month. There is one search engine (Google), one marketplace (Ebay), one bookshop (Amazon), one cinema (YouTube) and one social network (Facebook) that matter. This means there is a new massive wealth and power in the hands of a tiny elite t hanks to the internet. It is a huge historic anomolie in the fact that there are no competitors (Coke and Pepsi, Honda and Toyota)that would usually reflect a capitalist society. Hence this is a pure manifestation of way in which power works, landing itself to a very narrow oligarchy and elite in society. The digital media and the internet can be seen as a tool of control and oppression. Increasingly it mirrors hierarchy and inequalities with its originally idealistic beginnings fading over time. It is a powerful tool the state can use to access information and control the masses. An example of this is seen in China (one party state) that has 250 million of it population currently using the internet. Technology has helped drive Chinas economic growth and the government is now worried about their communist culture and society due to the rise of digital media and the internet. The government has employed 30,000 people to police the web full-time in China, developing a firewall around the country preventing many western media sites from entering and influencing public opinion. Their surveillance of social network sites is essential to their state control, hence the government has hired bloggers 300, 000 people to post communist support on digital media sites and blogs. The digital media can be seen to be narrowing identity. The internet can link and connect extremists, which has given them new tools of terrorism. Al Qaeda try to implement control through fear via the internet through hatefull messages and shocking images. This is very difficult to prevent as there is no central control centre of base on the internet. Digital media removes national borders and therefore these extremists have a virtual reality nation to spread their message. The internet and digital media can be see as eroding the concept of privacy. Private information is now exploited for highly targeted advertising and profit. For example Google gathers billions of search terms that help them sell highly targeted advertising. Its turned human curiosity into a goldmine, as Google now makes $200 per second for this scheme. Internet cookies now track our interests and website history. This can even Facebook, a company that increasingly uses technology to recognise pictures and send targeted adverts. Today, after purchasing an item, you are constantly emailed with updates. This is a manifestation of the attempt by big businesses and coorperations to colonise the online marketplace . It homogenises consumers with messages such as people who bought this also bought this. Almost without realising it, our search history is stored on a database of the companies that give us access to internet. Its suprising how much all the searches can be pieced together, and give a picture of who may have made these searchs. Hence this potentially could be used against individuals, as blackmail in the future. While this is an extreme view, this is a distinct possibility, and means corporations such as Google and Facebook have a huge amount of power they could utilize in the future. Analysis The positive aspects of digital media and the internet currently and always will outweigh the negatives aspects of digital media and the internet. It is irrational for anyone to claim that we were better off in an era of information poverty and un-empowered masses. One would rather have information overload than information poverty in society and culture. The internet is a true digital and electronic frontier where everyone is on his or her own; all manuscripts are accepted for publication, they remain in virtual print forever, and no one can tell writers what to do. The rise of the internet and digital media has empowered the masses and given everyone a platform on which to speak to the world. Of course, that doesnt necessarily mean all of the internet users will have something informed or valid to broadcast to across the world wide web. But such vast human empowerment is worth celebrating, despite its occasional downsides. Abundance in information is better than the old analog world of fewer choices and fewer voices. However, criticisms can be made against the internet and the digital media, as there are some very legitimate concerns regarding how the passing of the old order might leave society absent of some important cultural and order aspects. For example, one need not endorse bailouts for a dying newspaper industry to nonetheless worry about the important public service provided by investigative journalists: Who will take up those efforts if large media institutions go under because of digital disintermediation? The skeptics are also certainly correct that each of us should think about how to better balance new technologies and assimilate them into our lives and the lives of our families and communities. For example, children need to learn new digital literacy and cyber-citizenship skills to be savvy users of the world wide web. Conclusion This essay has critically assessed the impact that widespread use of digital media has on broader culture and society. For me, this was questioning whether digital media, the technological revolution and the rise of the internet can be seen as a blessing or a curse on culture and society. According to Castells (2002) who wrote a lot on this topic, new media technologies simultaneously reinforced relations of cultural capital, hierarchy and distinction, while enabling social movements to publicise campaigns and connect with distant others. Technology, the internet and the digital media has created unimaginable wealth yet also encouraged millions to work for nothing. Digital media Challenges authority yet allowed regimes to spy and censor as never before. The internet opens up new realms of knowledge and Al Gore (former vice president) states that its an empowering tool with more potential than any other tool developed by mankind. Digital media is very much a double edged sword and has both positive and negative aspects to it. This essay explored these different aspects and can now give a definitive answer as to whether digital media and the internet has overall had a good or bad impact on broader culture and society. Overall, the internet and the digital media is a positive phenomenon for humanity, society and culture. There are a significant number of ways in which the use of digital media has facilitated democracy and pluralism in worldwide society and culture. Strong examples in the physical form of digital media sites on the internet can be used to show this. Firstly Wikipedia is definitely a product of the digital media that has had a positive impact on culture and society. Secondly Twitter is a social media site that has had a strong positive effect on culture and society. Thirdly Napster is a digital media site that advanced culture and society by undermining centuries of copyrighting and property. YouTube is another strong example of how the digital media and the internet has had a positive effect on the global culture and society. These websites are contributing to rise of the digital media and the internet is accelerating globalisation which in turn provides new developments in culture that cross historic and traditional borders. The rise of the internet and digital media has empowered the masses and given everyone a platform on which to share information and dissolve old forms of hierarchy. However, to a smaller extent, the internet and digital media has caused a negative affect on society and culture. The digital media can be seen as a source of control and homogenisation by MEDCs over LEDCs. The internet and digital media has allowed elite megabrands to gain power with no competition. Again, the digital media and the internet can be seen as a tool of control and oppression. Increasingly it mirrors hierarchy and inequalities with its originally idealistic beginnings fading over time. The digital media can be seen to be narrowing identity while the internet can also link and connect extremists, which has given them new tools of terrorism. Finally, the internet and digital media can be see as eroding the concept of privacy. Private information is now exploited for highly targeted advertising and profit.

Posture Recognition Based Fall Detection System

Posture Recognition Based Fall Detection System A POSTURE RECOGNITION BASED FALL DETECTION SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AN ELDERLY PERSON IN A SMART HOME ENVIRONMENT ABSTRACT The mobile application is capable of detecting possible falls for elderly, through the use of special sensors. The alert messages contain useful information about the people in danger, such as his/her geo location and also corresponding directions on a map. In occasions of false alerts, the supervised person is given the ability to estimate the value of importance of a possible alert and to stop it before being transmitted. This paper describes system for monitoring and fall detection of ELDERLY PEOPLE using triaxial accelerometer together with ZigBee transceiver to detect fall of ELDERLY PEOPLE. The system is composed of data acquisition, fall detection and database for analysis. Triaxial accelerometer is used for human position tracking and fall detection. The system is capable of monitoring ELDERLY PEOPLE in real time and on the basis of results another important parameters of patient can be deducted: the quality of therapy, the time spent on different activities, the joint moveme nt, etc. The system, including calibration of accelerometers and measurement is explained in detail. The Accidental Fall Detection System will be able to assist carriers as well as the elderly, as the carriers will be notified immediately to the intended person. This fall detection system is designed to detect the accidental fall of the elderly and alert the carriers or their loved ones via Smart-Messaging Services (SMS) immediately. This fall detection is created using microcontroller technology as the heart of the system, the accelerometer as to detect the sudden movement or fall and the Global System for Mobile (GSM) modem, to send out SMS to the receiver. INTRODUCTION The leading health problems in the elderly community. They can occur in home as well as in hospitals or in the long-term care institutions [1]. Falls increase risk for serious injuries, chronic pain, long-term disability, and loss of independence, psychological and social limitations due to institutionalization. Nearly 50% of older adults hospitalized for fall- related injuries are discharged to nursing homes or long-term care facilities [2]. A fall can cause psychological damage even if the person did not suffer a physical injury. Those who fall often experience decrease activities of daily living and self-care due to fear of falling again. This behavior decreases their mobility, balance and fitness and leads to reduced social interactions and increased depression. The mortality rate for falls increases progressively with age. Falls caused 57% of deaths due to injuries among females and 36% of deaths among males, age 65 and older [3]. Majority of falls result from an interaction between multiple long-term and short-term factors in person’s environment [4]. Common risk factors include problems with balance and stability, arthritis, muscle weakness, multiple medications therapy, depressive symptoms, cardiac disorders, stroke, impairment in cognition and vision Detection of a fall possibly leading to injury in timely manner is crucial for providing adequate medical response and care. Present fall detection systems can be categorized [7, 8, 9] under one of the following groups: User activated alarm systems (wireless tags), Floor vibration-based fall detection, Wearable sensors (contact sensors and switches, sensors for heart rate and temperature, accelerometers and gyroscopes ), Acoustic fall detection, Visual fall detection. The most common method for fall detection is using a triaxial accelerometers or bi-axial gyroscopes. Accelerometer is a device for measuring acceleration, but is also used to detect free fall and shock, movement, speed and vibration. Using the threshold algorithms while measuring changes in acceleration in each direction, it is possible do detect falls with very high accuracy. Using two or more tri-axial accelerometers and combining them with gyroscopes at different body locations it is possible to recognize several kinds of postures (sitting, standing, etc.) and movements, thereby detecting falls with much better accuracy. An easy and simple method to detect fall detection of ELDERLY PEOPLE is using accelerometer together with ZigBee transceiver to communicate with Monitoring System through wireless network, and in this paper a system for monitoring and fall detection of ELDERLY PEOPLE using mobile MEMS accelerometers will be presented. . The first three functions provide recording in a database, and also a text message is sent to the supervisor with latitude, longitude and other useful data. Afterwards, you can detect the elder person through Google maps. Additionally, an application was implemented for the attending physician, which is connected with the database, through which s/he can obtain a complete picture of the patients’ status, to draw useful conclusions and proceed to possible change in medical treatment. EXISTING SYSTEM: An application for Apple IOS by using an accelerometer to detect falls. A possible drawback is that the development platform Apple IOS is not accessible to the average user. An application in Symbian s60 using machine learning algorithm takes 64 samples every two seconds from the accelerometer and decides whether there is a fall. PROPOSED SYSTEM: In this paper, we designed an application with the ability of automatic fall detection, by using the mobile sensors, warning signal by pressing a button in cases of emergency, detection and automatic notification to supervisors as well as visual display to passerbies. The application uses basically two incorporated mobile sensors, namely the accelerometer and the gyroscope sensor.A counter starts counting loudly on the screen from 30 to 0. If the counter reaches 0, then an SMS message is sent to the caregiver or relative and an entry is made to the Database. The first service detects the patient’s position and calculates whether the patient is further away than a set distance. When activated can give directions to the patient what route to follow to return back to home. APPLICATIONS: Automatic fall detection. Warning if the elder moves away from the place of residence directions given on the map. ADVANTAGES: Elder’s safety can be assured. Fast First aid or medical treatment can be guaranteed. DISADVANTAGES: Device Sensor should be carried out whenever the person moves over. SYSTEM DESIGN Architecture Diagram SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND FALL DETECTION The whole system consists of a set of sensors (two or more sensors on the patient, usually MEMS sensors) which the patient wears on himself, local units to collect data that are placed in patient vicinity and systems for collecting. The tiny sensors in the strap are capable of measuring user orientation and motion in three-dimensions and it is constantly monitoring and analyzing the signals in real-time looking for movement indicating a fall. From the comparison Table Error! No text of specified style in document. .1, it shows that the system maybe a hindrance to the consumer in terms of price over the years. The aim of this project is to be able to provide equal standard of care at an affordable cost. The system is shown in Figure 1 the space is divided into sections which are defined by interior and exterior of the institution in which a system is operated. Each room is stocked with local receivers. Local receivers collect data from sensors that the ELDERLY PEOPLE are wearing on the clothes. The sensors are small and lightweight. One sensor is located in the upper garment and the other at the bottom. This is not limited to two sensors, if necessary, there may be more, but for the detection of falls to the back the system must have at least 2 sensors Local receivers pass information to the server. The server information is processed local health care service. Personal computers are used to browse the database collected a t the server. The database contains information about the mobility of ELDERLY PEOPLE, treatment efficacy, joints. All these data can be analyzed offline and used to adjust patient therapy. This has served a double function of the system Real-time patient monitoring and early detection of the fall in order to deliver medical assistance as soon as possible. In this application Free scale TM ZSTAR wireless sensing triple axis board is used (Fig. 2). It is very practical because of low power consumption, portability, and the ability to be mounted in small pockets inside the clothes of ELDERLY PEOPLE. Board is divided into sensory and receiver part. The sensor is placed at the patient and is equipped with an accelerometer, microprocessor, and transceiver with the antenna which sends the measurement data to the receiver. The receiver also has a microprocessor that adjusts the signals received through the antenna to send with the USB protocol. These data are sent to the server. The server collects process and stores the data. Each sensor that is connected to the patient is personalized, and its data are stored in a file under persons name to get an overview of all activities and physical stress of the patient FALL DETECTION USING TWO ACCELEROMETERS In this chapter the operation of the system through one of its functions and to the detection of fall will be described. The figures have been simplified for better understanding of the system. The algorithm used is improved algorithm given in, with better detection of backwards falls. Setup for accelerometer fall detection, consists of the measuring sensors with transmitter, receiver and server for data processing and fall detection. The fall is detected by the algorithm described in. It can be seen that fall detection algorithm uses data from both sensors that are monitored at the same time. This algorithm is able to distinguish between falls (forward, back word fall into a sitting position) and the normal daily activity, such as walking, mastering stairs, sitting in a chair, lying walking is also detecting by the sensors. However, these impacts are not isolated, and after them there is no significant change in orientation between the two sensors. Vectors are in the area that will call common zone .if an isolated stoke which causes a change in orientation of the body is detected, or the orientation of certain body parts in relation to the situation before the stroke, then with some certainty it can be said that the fall had occurred. Dataflow Diagram SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION Modules details Phase 1 Modules Fall Detection Location Tracking Phase 2 Modules Communication Route Map Integration Fall Detection: The FALL DETECTION is something that we have developed at Alert1 so you can be safe at all times. Whether you are a senior citizen and want to maintain your independence, a concerned family member looking for peace of mind, or a caregiver with patients, this tool has been developed for you. Prevention is key. Use it to inspect and detect hazardous areas in your home that could result in a fall. If you answer no to the questions, you have already taken action to reduce your risk of falling. If you answer yes to any of the questions, consider making the recommended change or adaptation to reduce your risk of falling. Location Tracking: Real-time locating systems (RTLS)are used to automatically identify and track the location of objects or people in real time, usually within a building or other contained area. Wireless RTLS tags are attached to objects or worn by people, and in most RTLS, fixed reference points receive wireless signals from tags to determine their location. The physical layer of RTLS technology is usually some form ofradio frequency(RF) communication, but some systems use optical (usuallyinfrared) or acoustic (usuallyultrasound) technology instead of or in addition to RF. Tags and fixed reference points can be transmitters, receivers, or both, resulting in numerous possible technology combinations. RTLS are a form oflocal positioning system, and do not usually refer to GPS,mobile phone tracking, or systems that use only passiveRFIDtracking. Location information usually does not include speed, direction, or spatial orientation. Communication: The table that maintained the mapping between the agent’s name and the landmark location is shared and updated by the agents who were on nodes within the landmark’s coverage. When the node is not a landmark node, the table is used as a cache table. If communication with the other agent succeeds, the locations and the agent names are registered in this cache table. It is possible for the agent to periodically get the location of the target agent and store it in the cache table. The use of a cache table enables agents to initiate direct communication with each other and reduce the communication overhead to landmarks. When the cache misses, the agent sends a request to the landmark to get updated information. Agents can also delete the information from the cache table. The communication between landmarks is implemented, however we only use this communication to call the target agent when there is no target agent within the coverage area. This primitive is used when the pro grammer deploys agents and makes deployment of agents easy. Routemap Integration: The integration of spatial maps in mobile was investigated using a spatial analog to sensory preconditioning. The GPS chip outputs the positioning information which is transferred over a GPRS link to the mobile operator’s GGSN (Gateway GPRS Support Node) and then to a remote server over a TCP connection. The TCP server stores the incoming positional data in a mySQL database. When a user clicks on the tracking page., Zope, which is an open source web application server, serves up an HTML page with an embedded javascript code. The javascript would run in the users browser and has instructions to retrieve the positional information from the mySQL database every second. It then integrates this information into Google Maps through Google Maps API which displays the position on a map. Since the positional information is retrieved every second and the maps updated at the same frequency, a real time GPS tracking effect is achieved. CONCLUSION Triaxial accelerometers can be used for detecting fall of ELDERLY PEOPLE. They offer low cost solution, and together with wireless connectivity solutions such as ZigBee provide efficient solution for both ELDERLY PEOPLE and medical personnel l. In this paper I have presented an intelligent mobile multimedia application that can be incorporated into modern mobile smartphones in order to be used for the needs of the elderly. It is in our future plans to evaluate this system in order to test its efficiency in actually helping these people sufficiently. It is also in our future plans to extend the system’s capabilities by incorporating new services. These services include the following: Embed a belt measuring heart rate as an external sensor Integrate a gyroscope sensor instead of an orientation sensor, for more accurate results Integration of social networks to alert senders Integrate public agency to alert senders Add a system administrator feature. References: A. Chan and N. Vasconcelos, â€Å"Counting people with low-level features and Bayesian regression,† IEEE Trans. Image Process., vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 2160–2177, Apr. 2012. E.Auvinet, F. Multon, A. Saint-Arnaud, J. Rousseau, and J. Meunier, â€Å"Fall detection with multiple cameras: An occlusion-resistant method based on 3-d silhouette vertical distribution,† IEEE Trans. Inf. Technol. Biomed., vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 290–300, Mar. 2011. Y. Hou and G. Pang, â€Å"People counting and human detection in a challenging situation,† IEEE Trans. Syst. Man, Cybern. Part A: Syst. Humans, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 24–33, Jan. 2011 Y. Chen, L. Zhu, A. Yuille, and H. Zhang, â€Å"Unsupervised learning of probabilistic object models (POMs) for object classification, segmentation, and recognition using knowledge propagation,† IEEE Trans. PatternAnal. Mach. Intell., vol. 31, no. 10, pp. 1747–1761, Oct. 2009 F. Lecumberry, A. Pardo, and G. Sapiro, â€Å"Simultaneous object classification and segmentation with high-order multiple shape models,† IEEETrans. Image Process., vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 625–635, Mar. 2010

The Critical Race Theory: Examination of Minority Involvement in the C

The Critical Race Theory: Examination of Minority Involvement in the Canadian Criminal Justice System The Canadian population can be characterized as a multicultural and diverse system of individuals. There is little doubt that certain minority groups posses a lifestyle and pattern of behavior inviting conflict or confrontation with the police (Fleras & Elliot, 1996). In light of this confrontation, an increase can be seen in the number of Black individuals killed in comparison to Caucasian individuals by Canadian police officers. Specifically, in 1996 the Black Action Defence Committee of Toronto noted that there were more shootings of Black civilians in Toronto than in some larger American cities such as Los Angles (Aylward, A.C. 1999). The Critical Race Theory, employed in the R.D.S case, allows Professor Glasbeek to establish a history of poor relations between the police and minorities in Nova Scotia, and also across Canada. In five cited cases, the Glasbeek article demonstrates that the criminal justice system is uniform in condoning the use of force by police officers. Further, in the event that a white male officer commits manslaughter while on duty, acquittal is likely without further appeal in almost all Canadian trials . In many cases, a jury will be selected and will consist of all Caucasian members. This is not proportional to the number of minority members of any given community, town or city. Specifically, five cases are cited to show that after a white police officer shoots an individual criminal charges are generally dismissed. However, the fact remains that visible minorities are likely to be shot more often, and to be killed more often by white police officers. Further, at each trial no jury memb... ...mination and racism have decreased in recent years, in reality, many minority individuals are negatively effected by the actions of the police, and the miscarriages of justice carried out in the Canadian court system even today (Fleras & Elliot, 1996). Even though stringent guidelines are in place in the selection of juries for trial, it still remains that less minorities actually serve on Canadian juries despite efforts to counterbalance this blatant inequality. The outcome of this imbalance is an even larger gap, or imbalance in dealing with police officers accused of and charged for killing unarmed civilians. References Aylward, A.C., The Canadian Critical Race Theory, 1999. Halifax: Ferneuld. Fleras, A., & Elliott, J. L., Unequal Relations: An Introduction to Race, Ethnic and Aboriginal Dynamics in Canada.1996. Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice Hall.

Willy Loman as Tragic Hero in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman :: Death Salesman essays

Willy Loman as Tragic Hero in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman    The business world of today isn't all `peaches and cream'. The harsh reality of the business world is people are mostly interested in one thing, money. This reoccurring trait we have seen has plagued the business world for a millennia. As seen in the play Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman, the main-character, falls victim to this evil trait. Willy always a hard-worker was fired for his lack of profit for the company he worked for. The injustices dealt to people everyday in the business world can be seen through the experiences of Willy Loman. The business world has no room for compassion, specifically for the individual. Most companies cut loose those members of their community whom hurt their profits however what about those who do neither? Howard, the boss of Willy, fires Willy on the basis that he isn't being productive. Willy having worked for the company 34 years had gone from making a salary to working for commission. This slump of Willy's is due to the exhaustion of his job on the road. At the age of 63 Willy would have to get up at 3 in the morning, and drive hundreds of miles to places such as Florida from his home in Manhattan to try to make a sale. However, more often then not he wouldn't make one. Howard knew that the road job for Willy was very tiring as shown when he put Willy on commission. However, when Willy went in to see Howard about getting a desk job, Willy was met with disrespect and greed. Howard's explanation to his reason is .".. you gotta admit, business is business." (Act II 60) This quote shows clearly that because Willy wasn't producing anything he was of no worth to the company. However, we know that Howard has the means by which to employee Willy through his references such has having a maid and his recent purchase of the tape recorder. Howard's greed leads him to ignore the fact that Willy has worked for this company for 34 years and has never asked for a favor before. Thus the individual, Willy, was shown no compassion because of Howard's greed and was fired because of it.

The Peary Expedition as Allegory in Ragtime Essay -- Ragtime

The Peary Expedition as Allegory in Ragtime  Ã‚   E.L. Doctorow’s novel Ragtime is primarily concerned with the illustration of broken dreams. Drawing on the tradition of the Muckraker novels of such authors as Upton Sinclair, Doctorow shows the shadow side of the Jazz Age. The beginning of the novel deals with Father’s preparation for and participation in William Peary’s expedition to the North Pole. The theme of disillusionment that runs throughout the novel is foreshadowed and represented by the Peary expedition. Peary’s expedition, like the American Dream and the Socialist vision, is based on grand hopes. The expedition is however, marked with disappointment and results in the destruction of dreams and people. In Doctorow’s treatment, the American Dream as well as the Socialist vision share this fate. In this way, Peary’s polar expedition serves as an allegory for the entire novel. The novel is filled with great dreams, sweeping visions and grand hopes. The general tone of the era and the American Dream are represented in the exploration of the Arctic. The North Pole represents the seemingly unattainable, and the search for it the great striving for dreams. The hardship and great difficulty of arctic exploration exemplify the romantic ideal of infinite striving. Even the accomplished Houdini is impressed with the grand scale of Father’s trip. This magnificent undertaking serves as preparation for the hopes and dreams expressed throughout the novel. The American Dream of prosperity is demonstrated throughout in the deification of industrialists and the fact that "there were no Negroes. There were no immigrants" (4). While Father’s ship is departing for the arctic, he sees not immigrants coming into New York Harbor, but "... ... the ambiguous victory of the Peary expedition through the various social visions expressed and in the lives of his characters, Doctorow presents a vision of the Jazz Age which both presents and deconstructs the values and dreams of the period. At the end of the novel, as the narrator notes "the era of Ragtime had run out" and the hopes and dreams of a generation have come to nought. Only the characters who have adapted to the world by abandoning their initial visions survive and prosper. Ragtime, is a narrative, like the Peary expedition, of lost hopes, dashed dreams and the struggle to cope with the ambiguities of life. Like the blurred and darkened photograph of the explorers at the pole, the dreams described in the novel have developed into faded representations of themselves. Works Cited: Doctorow, E.L. Ragtime. New York: Bantom/ Random House, Inc., 1976 The Peary Expedition as Allegory in Ragtime Essay -- Ragtime The Peary Expedition as Allegory in Ragtime  Ã‚   E.L. Doctorow’s novel Ragtime is primarily concerned with the illustration of broken dreams. Drawing on the tradition of the Muckraker novels of such authors as Upton Sinclair, Doctorow shows the shadow side of the Jazz Age. The beginning of the novel deals with Father’s preparation for and participation in William Peary’s expedition to the North Pole. The theme of disillusionment that runs throughout the novel is foreshadowed and represented by the Peary expedition. Peary’s expedition, like the American Dream and the Socialist vision, is based on grand hopes. The expedition is however, marked with disappointment and results in the destruction of dreams and people. In Doctorow’s treatment, the American Dream as well as the Socialist vision share this fate. In this way, Peary’s polar expedition serves as an allegory for the entire novel. The novel is filled with great dreams, sweeping visions and grand hopes. The general tone of the era and the American Dream are represented in the exploration of the Arctic. The North Pole represents the seemingly unattainable, and the search for it the great striving for dreams. The hardship and great difficulty of arctic exploration exemplify the romantic ideal of infinite striving. Even the accomplished Houdini is impressed with the grand scale of Father’s trip. This magnificent undertaking serves as preparation for the hopes and dreams expressed throughout the novel. The American Dream of prosperity is demonstrated throughout in the deification of industrialists and the fact that "there were no Negroes. There were no immigrants" (4). While Father’s ship is departing for the arctic, he sees not immigrants coming into New York Harbor, but "... ... the ambiguous victory of the Peary expedition through the various social visions expressed and in the lives of his characters, Doctorow presents a vision of the Jazz Age which both presents and deconstructs the values and dreams of the period. At the end of the novel, as the narrator notes "the era of Ragtime had run out" and the hopes and dreams of a generation have come to nought. Only the characters who have adapted to the world by abandoning their initial visions survive and prosper. Ragtime, is a narrative, like the Peary expedition, of lost hopes, dashed dreams and the struggle to cope with the ambiguities of life. Like the blurred and darkened photograph of the explorers at the pole, the dreams described in the novel have developed into faded representations of themselves. Works Cited: Doctorow, E.L. Ragtime. New York: Bantom/ Random House, Inc., 1976