Philosophy of Science Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Philosophy of Science - Coursework Example These research methods include philosophical assumptions such as ontology, epistemology, and philosophical assumptions. While ontology is the claim about what knowledge is, epistemology refers to how a researcher recognizes the knowledge (Creswell, 2013). Additionally, how investigators write the facts is referred to as rhetoric while the study procedure is the methodology. Dr. Patton explains epistemology as the investigation of learning taking a deep insight on how we distinguish what we know. The meaning of this is how human differentiate between what they know and what they do not know. On the other hand, ontology refers to the address of the issue that someone is examining, what makes up the world. Philosophy of science refers to the study of theoretical fundamentals of scientific investigation. It is important for a researcher to be familiar with the philosophy of science to study and offer disapprovals for scientific ideas.

What was important to women in the past Essay Example for Free

What was important to women in the past Essay In the early 20s, things like getting married at an early age while you were still at your prime, building a family, buying a house with a white picket fence were important. Then in the 30s, getting married and having a family was still the most important thing, but also perhaps becoming a socialite and presenting a good imaging. *NOTE: It may be important to note that women were always expected to keep up appearances or be perfect and project the right image. At this point, having a career was relatively not important In the 60s is when women started getting out there and looking for jobs. Although having a family/husband was still important, women started getting jobs. However, the jobs they were getting were not like the mens they mostly had jobs like secretaries, teachers, nurses (jobs that have become stereotypical. ) As time progressed, the importance of having a career and being independent grew among women. We definitely saw this in the early 80s with women starting to break into the business world. The importance of this to women was shown in movies and music of the 80s. Even in fashion, we started seeing women dressing like men I. e. blazers, pants instead of skirts, ties careers, independence, and equality became even more important. During the 90s and up until today, women still find family important, but they recognize that personal stability, independence, education and your career are #1. * NOTE We see this belief in magazines like Cosmopolitan magazine as images as successful working women are portrayed. -women dont care as much of the image they should portray as much as in the past even though the pressure to do so is still there. -now women look for things like pay equality. -in the future, I think career will be even more important, in addition to making money. -this ambition can, in turn, only be good for the economy because women will get into the usually male dominated fields that usually pay the most women will be able to generate more money for companies. Past/ Present/ Future opportunities women had/will have (edu. /jobs/to make money. ) In the past, definitely, women were not expected or encouraged to continue their education after high school; therefore, their opportunities were limited. Nonetheless, the chance to go to school was still available as far back as the 20s. Career-wise, even if a women did go to university, for example, she was expected to take the jobs for women, like a teacher. There were hardly any female doctors, scientists, lawyers In that sense, those opportunities were limited. Obviously more educational and career opportunities have risen over the decades. Now there are chances for everyone. BUT, some stereotypes still exist of, women not belonging in the tech world. That may limit possibilities of advancement. In the future though will change because weve already stared to see it happen slowly but surely. Progress Development Report When we first started our task list of the things we wanted to talk about in our I. S. U. we decided to include the following points: womens roles at home, their roles in society, what was important to them, how did they make money, their knowledge of the work force, education/opportunities, knowledge of innovations, and obstacles to overcome. However, as we thought about how we were going to organize this so that it would flow coherently and be interesting to read, we decided to focus on one task point and pull other ideas from our other points that would correlate. We decided to select the question, What was important to women then, what is important to them now, and what will be important to them in the future? By doing this, we can accurately create a comparison of how their roles at home and in society have changed by revealing womens changing priorities. Also through personal accounts, statistics, historical findings from books and the internet, we will set the stage, or describe what was going on at the time to answer the other questions like the obstacles women had to overcome ( ie.Unequal pay ), or education and opportunities (ie. The growth of their opportunities or lack their of. ) Our group decided to answer the question of what women find important to not only present the project in a more interesting way and not just report the information, but to make it more personal. So far, we have had success in our change in organization for we are finding it much easier to systematize the information and that is, in turn, making our assignment all the better.

Essays --

How Has Border Control Changed Since 9/11? By: Joey Zannotti Border patrol has changed since 9/11 by different ways such as More Agents, More Agencies, More Security Checks, and newer more advanced walls, and many more. I. The Numbers The number of Illegal Immigrants that enter the U.S and are living in the U.S illegally is around ten million people. The area that has the most Illegal Immigrants that come from there country to the U.S is Mexico with around five point nine million Illegal Immigrants that entered into the U.S illegally. Around four point five Illegal Immigrants come from other Latin American countries that come to the U.S Illegally. Around one thousand four hundred Immigrants enter the U.S Illegally every single week. The four states with the most Illegal Immigrant living in them are California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida. There are around one point two million temporary legal citizens living in the U.S. In nineteen ninety there were four hundred thousand Illegal Immigrants living in the U.S. In two thousand and four there were around three point nine Illegal Immigrants that were living in the U.S. There are around two point five refugee arrivals. There is about twenty one point seven legal arrivals that come to the U.S. Also there are around ten point three undocumented Illegal Immigrants in the U.S. The number of Illegal Immigrants in nine eleven was way lower than what the number is now its increased by about seven million people. The number of Border Patrol agencies and agents has increased. (which is a good thing.) The amount of Border Patrol agents during 9/11 was around nine thousand one hundred men and women and now there is about seventeen thousand seven hundred men and wo... ...s and all of the U.S’s citizens. Without the border patrol agencies, there would be chaos everyone would be an illegal citizen, and there would be a very high amount of people living in the U.S, and the population would have an effect on the amount of jobs there are for citizens and there would be a major amount of homeless people, and a lot of people who have lost their jobs because there are no jobs for everyone, because the population is so high and it would be a war on jobs. Bibliography (book) â€Å"The Closing of the American Border† By Edward Alden (book) â€Å"Immigration Wars† By Jeb Bush, and Clint Bolick. (book) â€Å"Websters Fourth Edition Dictionary† (book) â€Å"Websters Standard Thesaurus† (book) â€Å"Webster’s Encyclopedia† (website) www.ImmigrationPolicy.org (website) www.DHS.gov/security-and-managing-our-borders (website) www.webpages.UIdaho.edu/illegal-immigration Essays -- How Has Border Control Changed Since 9/11? By: Joey Zannotti Border patrol has changed since 9/11 by different ways such as More Agents, More Agencies, More Security Checks, and newer more advanced walls, and many more. I. The Numbers The number of Illegal Immigrants that enter the U.S and are living in the U.S illegally is around ten million people. The area that has the most Illegal Immigrants that come from there country to the U.S is Mexico with around five point nine million Illegal Immigrants that entered into the U.S illegally. Around four point five Illegal Immigrants come from other Latin American countries that come to the U.S Illegally. Around one thousand four hundred Immigrants enter the U.S Illegally every single week. The four states with the most Illegal Immigrant living in them are California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida. There are around one point two million temporary legal citizens living in the U.S. In nineteen ninety there were four hundred thousand Illegal Immigrants living in the U.S. In two thousand and four there were around three point nine Illegal Immigrants that were living in the U.S. There are around two point five refugee arrivals. There is about twenty one point seven legal arrivals that come to the U.S. Also there are around ten point three undocumented Illegal Immigrants in the U.S. The number of Illegal Immigrants in nine eleven was way lower than what the number is now its increased by about seven million people. The number of Border Patrol agencies and agents has increased. (which is a good thing.) The amount of Border Patrol agents during 9/11 was around nine thousand one hundred men and women and now there is about seventeen thousand seven hundred men and wo... ...s and all of the U.S’s citizens. Without the border patrol agencies, there would be chaos everyone would be an illegal citizen, and there would be a very high amount of people living in the U.S, and the population would have an effect on the amount of jobs there are for citizens and there would be a major amount of homeless people, and a lot of people who have lost their jobs because there are no jobs for everyone, because the population is so high and it would be a war on jobs. Bibliography (book) â€Å"The Closing of the American Border† By Edward Alden (book) â€Å"Immigration Wars† By Jeb Bush, and Clint Bolick. (book) â€Å"Websters Fourth Edition Dictionary† (book) â€Å"Websters Standard Thesaurus† (book) â€Å"Webster’s Encyclopedia† (website) www.ImmigrationPolicy.org (website) www.DHS.gov/security-and-managing-our-borders (website) www.webpages.UIdaho.edu/illegal-immigration

The Holocaust Was a Very Important Part of History

The Holocaust was a very important part of history. From this tragic happening that we can learn from our mistakes so it or anything close can never happen again. Also someone should have spoken up when they saw people being taken away and never returning. Last if someone you knew was hiding and you knew where how could you rat them out, when they did nothing wrong. Hitler was a master dictator that should have been stopped when people saw the wrong in him.Some things we can learn are, that if someone or thing is wrong speak up about it, killing should not go unnoticed, and just because someone is different does not mean they should be treated differently. If someone should have spoken up about what they thought was unfair this whole massacre may have never happened. Killing people is against the law and just because you are a leader doesn’t mean you can kill whoever whenever, that’s just not right. There are also many different races, religions, eye colors, hair colors , and so on.Last if you treat one unfair because of one of their features than everyone should have be treated unfair because no one person is the same. Learning is one of the greatest abilities god gave us and the Holocaust is something we can learn from. How can someone not say something when people they know are being taken away never to return when they have done nothing wrong? That is like robbing a house just because the door was unlocked. You just don’t do that. Even neighbors were taken away for what being different? I myself know that Hitler may have killed you, but it would be for a good cause.Everyone was just scared and selfish, they didn’t care what was happening to the â€Å"outsiders† (Jews, Gypsies, and Homosexuals) all they cared about was that their family was safe. Speaking up is just a little sacrifice you can take to safe peoples lives. Hiding was one of the ways the â€Å"outsiders† tried to protect themselves Gestapo and Naziâ€℠¢s. Say you know where your Jewish neighbor was hiding, would you tell where they are or would you help them get food? I would help even though it would be risking my own life for inset people that are all the same as you and I.They do not deserve to be treated differently than everyone else. It would be worth all pain and sacrifice to save millions of people. Hiding was one of the ways that Jews had some power in the time of the Holocaust. As you can see the Holocaust will and is a major part of history. There are so many more things that you can learn from this happening. If you see people rising to power and doing things wrong speak out. It would be good for you and the rest of us. Lets hope nothing like this will happen again. For the people, the world, and today no one needs such a tragic occurrence and never will.

Experience of China Silence Essay

â€Å"Should the experience of China silence those who think that democracy is good for growth?† A democracy is ‘a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.’ In this case it can be said that China does not qualify as a democratic country, however it is the world’s fastest growing economy in the world and has been described as the second industrial revolution. This therefore suggests that the argument for democracy being the only solution to economic growth isn’t correct yet perhaps it was other factors other than political state of China which led to its boom economy. For the purpose of this argument, it can be assumed that China is a planned economy yet in reality, although limited, regional governments have limited democracy e.g. Hong Kong. China is the world’s leading exporter which would indicate to China’s prosperity as it refers to their industrial revolution, this is due to China having an enormous pool of cheap labour, large scopes of land in which manufacturing can be fully accommodated and too, on large scales it also has a long sea border which facilitates exporting. Factors such as these, give testimony to the idea of in fact China having mass economic growth which doesn’t involve political reasoning and economic growth was almost naturally occurring to China. However, it could be argued that it is due to the political system of the country, the government is able to direct people into areas of work where economic growth is most pronounced and therefore, labour is used to maximum efficiency. If economic growth is to continue in the way it has done especially in the last 20 years, it cannot continue to rely solely on trade exports; this is because other countries can’t continue to im port more goods from China as they will eventually be faced with financial struggles. A problem that perhaps needs to be remedied is the domestic demand within China, if the people of China continue to save money on the whole and don’t spend as much typical to a developed country such as Britain, predictably they will stop having economic growth. Another significant drawback is to mention the GDP per capita, this measures the real economic power of the average citizen in China. This is very low in China which indicates a very low standard of living, so to measure the level of economic growth in China is not necessarily the right measure to address the recent economic successes. In recent years, the currency of China has increased but still not to the extent that America believes it should have. An increase of 2.1% does not seem to totally honour or reflect the extent of economic growth China has actually experienced. It is by speculation that perhaps due to financial strategies such as by having low value Renminbi cheaper exports are therefore made possible, America has repeatedly brought this up at the WTO as it leads to unemployment in America. The currency leaves in China leaves other countries with the cheaper option to import goods rather than manufacture them their selves and so is in a sense very tactical government control, potentially. It is only in a planned economy such as China’s is that such control over currency would be made possible to allow efficient trade. Due to China not having a democratic government which in turn entails stop-start policies they are able to plan for the long term which allows structure and not just short term political fixes such as in a democratic politics. However the down side to this is the corruption, governments which remains in power for years allows corruption which Is currently big problem in China, so as much as it can be said that economic growth has been a notion coupled with a change in government away from Mao’s communist society, problems such as corruption have also arisen.

The Market for Online Education The WritePass Journal

The Market for Online Education Introduction The Market for Online Education ). In addition to this, most universities are run by non-profit trusts or governments, where there is little pressure to innovate and fully utilize the physical and intellectual resources of the institution. With this backdrop, online courses are offering low-cost learning alternatives, which are customized for needs of customers, and are available without regard to space and time for different groups of customers worldwide. Over time, attitudes of students and employers towards online education are also improving. Finally, new private companies are coming up to offer customized solutions often backed by cloud computing platforms, though they still lack the brand recognition of traditional universities. This paper will examine the limitations of traditional educational methods and explore sources of demand and supply of online education with a view towards how innovative business models such as crowdsourcing and technology infrastructures such as cloud computing are creating change in online education (Weld et al., 2012). Evolution of Online Education Traditional education delivery in thousands of universities globally is designed around transfer of knowledge from teachers to students via face-to-face, lecture based interaction in physical classrooms. At the outset, this imposes the limit of physical capacity of the classroom on the number of individuals who can enrol in the class. In comparison, recent advances in information and communication technologies have enabled alternative online education delivery mechanisms, which can optimize educational delivery in a cost-efficient manner for a large number of users. Online education can be defined as a new social process which utilizes digital technology to partially or fully substitute traditional classroom learning methods, optimized for learners without the barriers of a traditional educational setup (Hiltz Turoff, 2006). Allen and Seaman (2013) define online education to include courses where at least 80% of the course content is delivered online. These courses are delivered ove r the Internet and include significant use of digital media, data storage and communication technologies such as computer-assisted instruction, group communications, use of immersive simulations, gaming and asynchronous learning networks, collaborative knowledge systems and use of wireless and handheld devices. Online education offers different sets of opportunities to different organisations and individuals. For existing educational institutions, it offers a way to increase enrolment or reach a different type of audience such as corporate training. For start-ups looking to shake up the education ‘industry’, it offers the opportunity to compete with traditional universities on different bases of competition, such as price, program duration or class timing. For others, it offers the opportunity for lifelong learning or the opportunity to learn from professors of top universities. Surveys show that the number of students taking online learning courses is on the rise. Allen and Seaman (2013) report that the total number of students in the U.S. taking at least 1 online course during 2012 has increased to 6.7 million, representing 32% of the total student population of 21 million students. In an endorsement of the online learning platform, 77% of academic leaders believe that online learning leads to better learning outcomes than face-to-face instruction. On the major obstacles that are holding back the growth of online education, the authors believe that most faculty members still do not have a positive view about online learning. 40% believe employers have reservations about online degrees. Product Offerings Online education is influencing different tiers of the market in different ways. Firstly, in traditional universities, more and more fully online classes are being developed, and technology is finding its way into more traditional classes as well. Many universities now offer online only classes for their students. In addition, universities such as Georgia Tech are creating tailor made degrees for corporations such as ATT. This setup benefits the university which gets an extra revenue stream and also ATT which gets high-end skills training for its employees on the job (Kitroeff, 2014).   In addition, some new, non-traditional universities have also been set up. These online universities, such as the University of Phoenix, replicate the existing university model but without a physical campus, utilizing online content delivery. A different model has also been developed by some traditional universities such as MIT and Stanford. In partnership with private start-up companies such as Coursera and EdX, these institutions are putting together free classes open to global masses known as massive open online courses (MOOC). These courses are available to all the students in the world who have Internet access and some of these classes boast registrations in hundreds of thousands. Currently, nearly 3% of institutions of higher education in the US are offering MOOCs while another 10% are in the planning process of offering MOOCs (Allen Seaman, 2013). Coursera is also expanding into China with its more than 1 million online learners (Larson, 2014). However, it is not clear how MOOC offerings will be financed (Anderson, 2012). The author points out that giving away content for free usually never turns out to be good business model. Suggestions for revenue generation include subscription and charging employers who want to hire successful students. Another issue is how to ascertain the identity and actual completion of work by a given individual. Udacity, another start-up has devised a solution by offering physical testing facilities in different countries where students can take certification exams in a supervised environment. While they are becoming increasingly popular, MOOCs offer limited customization. In comparison, some start-up education companies are exploring the idea of customized learning enabled by ‘crowdsourcing’. Crowdsourcing is a term which defines the development of an online community whose physically dispersed members may be called upon to provide results online to a given problem. One limitation of MOOCs is that grading assignments of hundreds of thousands of students requires using automated software, which can only grade multiple choice problems. This solution does not work very well in the humanities and social sciences. A crowdsourcing-based solution is to use peer evaluation for this purpose. These learning environments also deploy other technology enabled learning techniques such as using software to analyse common mistakes made by large groups with the highest frequency. Significant insights can be gained into human learning from observing such errors and analyzing their causes. Other automated software agents can crawl the web for useful resources pertaining to the course and collect it on a new website. Additional functionalities that can be offered by machine learning systems include services that link students with particular needs with tutors with skills suitable for teaching those subjects. Role of technology in the online education ecosystem Central to this paradigm shift in education is the Internet and technology revolution. A key enabling innovation in this regard is the development of a low-cost services model known as cloud computing. Cloud computing is an umbrella terms which describes how computers, servers, and applications and processes on those servers can be networked together in a distributed computing platform to create scalable infrastructure which enables users to connect from anywhere and using any device. Cloud computing may be considered an extension of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), which is a software design which makes it easy for computers on a network to cooperate. An institution or group of institutions that gets together to develop a cloud computing based platform needs to develop content and services that can reside inside the cloud since not all applications are cloud enabled (Mircea Andreescu, 2011). Cloud computing is a way of designing a network in blocks, not all of which need to be owned or operated by one university. Instead some components of infrastructure, or the platform or the software or even the computing power itself may be owned and managed by service providers who allow the university to pay for them on an ongoing, pay-per-use basis (Matthew, 2012). Cloud enabled service delivery enables access to educational content by anyone, anywhere on a pay-per-use basis, thus enabling deployment of scalable educational services. If a substantial number of users exist, the cost per user and thus the fee charged to the user can be lowered substantially compared to traditional educational institutions (Moore, 2011). This can have several other advantages for institutions as well. For example, institutions can combine resources with others to share a cloud, and then focus on content creation to focus on their strength and outsourcing the IT services to a large degree. The new business models will begin with market need identification, and then deploying a solution to meet that need, offering a high return on investment (ROI). A major university offering a global MOOC would need a very different platform than a commercial service offering English as Second Language in China and cloud computing would allow each to have the right cost and infrastructure for the size of the opportunity. A lot of effort is going into the development of each of the elements of online education. These include digital books, grading software, intelligent software agents, cloud computing infrastructure and tablets. Amazon is also selling more digital books than paper books and it is now even possible for students taking online classes to rent their textbooks for limited time (Schuetze, 2011). Through its success, online education seems to be substituting traditional education (Mehaffy, 2012). This phenomenon has been labelled by Christensen Eyring (2011) as the process of ‘disruption’. ‘Disruptive technologies’ are championed by new companies which do not compete with the incumbents along the existing bases of competition, but offer new and often low-cost product to a previously underserved group of consumers. Once successful in their niches, they increase volume, improve product quality and unseat incumbents in the high end of the market. Alternatively, disruption forces incumbents to change their business models. One of the reasons the education market seems ripe for disruption is the high cost of university education which makes the high-end of the market out of reach for many students. Some of the new business models in online education offer lower cost alternatives for those average students. In response, several mainstream universities are already considering lowering the residency requirement of their degrees to lower the total cost of earning them, while considering how to improve their online courses. While it may be too early to predict how successful they will be, for now the online education market seems set to grow globally. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be said that online education is a powerful business model because it can service large underserved segments of the education market at low average cost (Gaytan, 2007). It is a solution for those who could previously not afford the high cost of education or may only need to develop certain job related skills or they may be lifelong learners. Deployment of digital content and software over a cloud enabled distributed computing network is the first step towards infrastructure development required for online learning platforms. More high-quality content is required together with ingenious business models to take online education to the next level of success. Recommendations While they do not face any immediate threats, existing educational institutions will need to adapt their business models in order to not become obsolete. At a minimum, they should consider ways of reducing their cost without diluting the experience. Traditional universities have a strong competitive advantage – they offer a period of residence in an academic community. This is difficult to replicate for online institutions. Online universities should consider partnerships for revenue and content sharing with traditional institutions in order to build their brands quicker. Without brand acceptance, they will never be able to compete with traditional universities. Start-ups should focus on helping develop those innovations that increase the return on investment in new business models for educational service providers to encourage innovation and investment in technology supporting online education. Bibliography Allen, I. E., Seaman, J. 2013.  Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States. Sloan Consortium. PO Box 1238, Newburyport, MA 01950. Anderson, N. 2012. Elite education for the masses.  The Washington Post,  4. Christensen, C. M., Eyring, H. J. 2011.  The innovative university: Changing the DNA of higher education from the inside out. John Wiley Sons. Conn, S. S., Reichgelt, H. 2012. Cloud Computing in Support of Applied Learning: A Baseline Study of Infrastructure Design at Southern Polytechnic State University. In  Proceedings of the Information Systems Educators Conference ISSN  (Vol. 2167, p. 1435). Gaytan, J. 2007. Visions shaping the future of online education: Understanding its historical evolution, implications, and assumptions.  Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration,  10(2). Hiltz, S. R., Turoff, M. 2005. Education goes digital: The evolution of online learning and the revolution in higher education.  Communications of the ACM,48(10), 59-64. Larson, C. 2014. Coursera’s plan for online education: Expansion in China. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved on 28 October, 2014 from businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-27/coursera-ceo-richard-levin-plans-to-expand-the-company-in-china. Kitroeff, N. 2014. Why ATT is investing in virtual school. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved on 28 October, 2014 from businessweek.com/articles/2014-10-24/at-and-t-and-former-google-vp-back-georgia-tech-online-degree-program. Mathew, S. 2012. Implementation of Cloud Computing in Education A Revolution. International Journal of Computer Theory and Engineering, 4(3), 473 – 475. Mehaffy, G. L. 2012. Challenge and change.  Educause Review,  47(5), 25-42. Mircea, M., Andreescu, A. I. 2011. Using cloud computing in higher education: A strategy to improve agility in the current financial crisis. Communications of the IBIMA,  2011, 1-15. Moore, J. C. 2012. A Synthesis of Sloan-C Effective Practices, December 2011.  Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks,  16(1), 91-115. Schuetze, C. F. 2011. Textbooks finally take a big leap to digital.  The New York Times. Vella, M. (2012). Is higher education doomed? Fortune. Retrieved on October 28, 2014 from http://fortune.com/2012/07/18/is-higher-education-doomed/. Yuan, L., Powell, S., CETIS, J. 2013. MOOCs and open education: Implications for higher education.  Cetis White Paper. Weld, D. S., Adar, E., Chilton, L., Hoffmann, R., Horvitz, E., Koch, M., Mausam, M. 2012. Personalized online education- a crowdsourcing challenge. In  Workshops at the Twenty-Sixth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence.

Organizations That Certify Productive Forests

Organizations That Certify Productive Forests The words sustainable forest or sustained yield comes to us from foresters of the 18th and 19th century in Europe. At the time, much of Europe was being deforested, and foresters became increasingly concerned since wood was one of the driving forces in the European economy. Wood used for heat became necessary to build homes and factories. Wood then was turned into furniture and other articles of manufacture and the forests that provided the wood were central to economic security. The idea of sustainability became popular and the idea was brought to the United States to be popularized by foresters including Fernow, Pinchot and Schenck. Modern efforts to define sustainable development and sustainable forest management have met with confusion and argument. A debate over criteria and indicators to be used to measure forest sustainability is at the heart of the issue. Any attempt to define sustainability in a sentence, or a paragraph, or even several pages can be limiting. I think you will see the complexity of the issue if you study the content and links provided here. Doug MacCleery, forest expert with the United States Forest Service, concedes that forest sustainability issues are very complicated and very much depends on agenda. MacCleery says, To define sustainability in the abstract is likely to be nigh on to impossible...before one can define it, one must ask, sustainability: for whom and for what? One of the best definitions Ive found comes from the British Columbia Forest Service - Sustainability: A state or process that can be maintained indefinitely. The principles of sustainability integrate three closely interlined elements-the environment, the economy and the social system-into a system that can be maintained in a healthy state indefinitely. Forest certification is based on the principle of sustainability and in the authority of the certificate to back up a chain of custody scheme. There have to be documented actions, demanded by each certification scheme, assuring a sustained and healthy forest in perpetuity. A worldwide leader in the certification effort is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) who has developed widely accepted sustainable forest schemes or principles. FSC is a certification system that provides internationally recognized standard-setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations, and communities interested in responsible forestry. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) has made worldwide strides in the certification of smaller non-industrial forest ownerships.PEFC promotes itself as the worlds largest forest certification system...remains the certification system of choice for small, non-industrial private forests, with hundreds of thousands of family forest owners certified to comply with our internationally recognized Sustainability Benchmark. Another forest certification organization, called Sustainable Forest Initiative (SFI), was developed by the American Forest and Paper Association (AFPA) and represents a North American industrial developed attempt to deal with forest sustainability. SFI presents an alternative approach that may be a bit more realistic for North American forests. The organization is no longer affiliated with AFPA. SFIs collection of sustainable forestry principles were developed to achieve a much broader practice of sustainable forestry throughout the United States without higher cost to the consumer. SFI suggests that sustainable forestry is a dynamic concept that will evolve with experience. New knowledge provided through research will be used in the evolution of United States industrial forestry practices. Having a Sustainable Forestry Initiative ® (SFI ®) label on wood products suggests that their forest certification process assures consumers that they are buying wood and paper products from a responsible source, backed by a rigorous, third-party certification audit.

Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and Church Architecture

Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and Church Architecture American architect Bertram G. Goodhue (born April 28, 1869 in Pomfret, Connecticut) was an innovator who combined Gothic and Hispanic designs with modern ideas. He revolutionized church (ecclesiastical) architecture by reawakening Medieval traditions, with a focus on modern detailing within traditional designs. His fanciful Spanish Churrigueresque buildings for the Panama-California Exposition brought new energy to Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in the United States. Later in his career, Goodhue moved beyond Gothic ornamentation to explore classical forms, designing landmark buildings such as the Nebraska State Capitol. Goodhue could not afford to attend college, although he was a known sketch artist throughout the New Haven military academy he attended. Instead of college, at age fifteen he went to work in the New York office of Renwick, Aspinwall and Russell. For six years he studied under James Renwick, Jr., architect of many public buildings and churches, including Smithsonian Institute Castle in Washington, DC and Grace Church and St. Patricks Cathedral in New York City. In 1891, he joined Ralph Adams Cram and Charles Wentworth in a Boston partnership that later became Cram, Goodhue Ferguson. The firm opened a branch in New York City, which by 1913 Goodhue had made his own. Although Goodhues early works were noted for their high Gothic style, he later adopted a Romanesque style. By the end of his career, his work tended toward simple, classical lines. The Los Angeles Central Library, completed after his death, has elements of Art Deco design. Today Goodhue is considered an American modernist. Youve probably seen his work, without knowing it. Goodhue is said to have invented two font styles: Merrymount, designed for the Merrymount Press of Boston; and Cheltenham, designed for the Cheltenham Press in New York City; Cheltenham was adopted by The New York Times for their headline typeface and by the L.L. Bean company for their distinctive logo. Goodhue died in New York City on April 23, 1924. Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Architectural Drawings and Papers, 1882-1980 are archived at Columbia University in New York. Selected Projects Attributed to Goodhue: Bertram G. Goodhue was a known collaborator in architectural projects. The 1910 Cadet Chapel at West Point in New York is attributed to Cram, Goodhue, and Ferguson, although Goodhue was the lead architect. Projects from his own New York City office took advantage of a growing United States market of public and ecclesiastic architecture from coast to coast. His most notable works include the First Baptist Church (1912) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Church of the Intercession (1915) and St. Bartholomews Church (St. Barts, 1918) both in New York City. California works include the 1915 Panama-California Exposition Buildings in San Diego, the 1926 Los Angeles Central Public Library (LAPL), and the 1924Â  Master Plan for the California Institute of Technology. In between New York and California look for the 1922 Nebraska State Capitol building in Lincoln, Nebraska and the 1924 National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, DC. In the Words of Goodhue: ...the trouble in our houses today is that we want everything to seem rich and extravagant- we want money, and then we want to show it in our surroundings. - from The New York Times, A Renowned Architects Home of His Own by Christopher Gray, January 22, 2006 [accessed April 8, 2014] Learn More: Bertram Goodhue: His Life And Residential Architecture by Romy Wyllie (2007)Buy on AmazonBertram Grosvenor Goodhue by Richard Oliver, MIT Press, 1983Buy on AmazonAlice in Wonderland - A Play With Illustrations by Bertram GoodhueBuy on AmazonA book of architectural and decorative drawings by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, 1924Buy on Amazon Source: The Alexander S. Lawson Archive, Ithaca Typothetae at www.lawsonarchive.com/april-23/ [accessed April 26, 2012]

The Problem Of Sweatshops - A Necessary Evil Research Paper

The Problem Of Sweatshops - A Necessary Evil - Research Paper Example The truth is, that the world’s economy encourages the development of industries in regions where a desirable commodity is plentiful. In some countries, there is a valuable natural resource like oil or minerals, and in others, there is good land for agriculture. The one thing that many poor countries have in abundance is labor. Countries like India and China which have huge populations are therefore attractive places for inward investment by companies who want to keep their wage costs low. Some kinds of manufacturing, like the clothing and toy industry, requires a great many workers to finish the goods with hand work like sewing and painting. In China, there is also much less regulation in terms of building regulations, and sourcing of raw materials. This is because China has the policy to expand its industrial base and modernize its economy to compete in the world. It is only natural that such a country will exploit its main advantage of cheap and plentiful labor in this early expansion phase. Labor regulation is expensive, and Chinese factories want to continue being the most cost-effective places to produce mass products for the global market. They are only following the same path that more developed nations already had to follow many decades before. Generally, people have been deceived by the idea that sweatshops were made as a way to exploit labor. However, they often forget that sweatshops have actually provided job opportunities, capital investment, and economic growth for developing countries. ... untries like India and China which have huge populations are therefore attractive places for inward investment by companies who want to keep their wage costs low. Some kinds of manufacturing, like the clothing and toy industry, requires a great many workers to finish the goods with hand work like sewing and painting. In China there is also much less regulation in terms of building regulations, and sourcing of raw materials. This is because China has a policy to expand its industrial base and modernize its economy to compete in the world. It is only natural that such a country will exploit its main advantage of cheap and plentiful labor in this early expansion phase. Labor regulation is expensive, and Chinese factories want to continue being the most cost-effective places to produce mass products for the global market. They are only following the same path that more developed nations already had to follow many decades before. The Role of Sweatshops in a Developing Economy Generally, p eople have been deceived by the idea that sweatshops were made as a way to exploit labor. However, they often forget that sweatshops have actually provided job opportunities, capital investment, and economic growth for developing countries. Stereotypically, we believe by the definition that sweatshop factories usually pay low wages, have poor working conditions, and require long deadly hours. On the contrary, although this is partially true, what’s more important is that sweatshops still provide job opportunities and pay minimum wages according to the country’s law. Oftentimes, American corporations are put to blame for exploiting this field, but our focus should be upon enforcing international labor regulation. For example, Apple, Nike, Gap, Wal-Mart, and GE are famously known for

Macroeconomics. US markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macroeconomics. US markets - Essay Example Given all of these statistics and the facts that the USA is the land of opportunity, how is it possible to witness in our lifetime, an economic period rarely ever seen before, both in the US and the world All of this has led the big companies of America and of around the world to counter these crises by increasing the shareholder's value and increasing the investor's drive. This will enable these companies to stop the spiral where no investment and severity of the crises are going to lead the world to bigger problems. By providing incentives to shareholders in terms of shareholder's value and increasing the investor's drive, some money is going to be pumped into the economy that will have the convalescing effect on the injured economy of the world. (Allbusiness, 2010). Shareholder's value is a broad term depicting more than what is being shown in the financial statements of a business. In the earlier years, many people used financial results of a company as a measure of Shareholder's value. However, this approach had plenty of loopholes and due the fact that there was no widely acknowledged definition of shareholder's value. Many people changed the way they used to measure the shareholder's value. ... This crisis continued till 2008, matured and gnawed the world economy. Many arguments were given about how this financial crunch started. Many people argued that it was started by the booming oil prices, whereas other people stated that this crisis is a result of poor economic policies of IMF and World Bank which overheated the global economy and resulted in the financial crunch. Whatever the reason of this crisis, one can almost be sure that this crisis has affected subprime mortgages, declining house prices and caused investor bankruptcy. Although global financial crisis result in more problem than those stated above. How is this related to shareholder's value and investor's drive First of all investors usually invest in a company where they see they can earn reasonable return on their investments. However, due to reckless lending by banks and other financial institutions (DFIs), many potential investors in the banking sector became worried about their returns. They predicted that these lending by the banks are risky and hence they could lose a big deal of money if they invest in the banking sector. Hence, they decided not to invest in this sector. Many organizational psychologists predicted that this is a result of value delivery system which was very low in the banking system at that time. In other words, potentials investors could see more harm if they invest than if they do not. The reasons behind this behavior of the investor's were that they see little or no drive to invest. As a result, there was a shortage of investments in the banking sectors. The banking firms who had lent the money found themselves in the liquidity crises and many of these institutions filed bankruptcy.

Trafficking in Illegal Drugs and Persons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Trafficking in Illegal Drugs and Persons - Essay Example Controling and minimizing cross-border terrorism and illegal trafficking of humans and drugs are the most challenging aspects of transnational crimes. An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 (the numbers are increasing every year) humans in the form of children, teenagers and women and men are the annual victims of this modern-day slavery of human trafficking. These victims of modern-day slavery are subjected to fraud, force or coercion to sexual exploitation and labor. (U.S Dept. of State, 2008) Othe illegal trafficking of humans, today, terrorism together with illegal trafficking of drugs is on the rise. To be able to tackle these issues that pose serious threat to the individual nations and mankind as a whole, a good strategy in terms of policy making is required. Polices that will be able to sufficiently express the predicament of transnational crimes in broader terms, and which will later help stretch the limited budget for the purpose. So in order to put across the urgent need to tackle with these crimes of transnational nature, that can cripple the country from its' inside in much extensive terms, the President decided to focus on three countries. The three countries are- Canada, Iran and France. The focus on these three countries will not provide only with the invaluable insights on how these countries engage in dealing with the three transnational forms of crimes, but also help in gaining the individual countries cooperation. On a global scale the industry of illegal drugs has grown to $400 billion (US $) approximately (Riley D.,1998). This rise in the illegal drugs industry has acted as fuel for organized crime; it has lead to the corruption of governments, violence and distortion of economic markets. Illegal drug trades and drug abuse has always been a crippling feature of the international as well as national scenes. For years attempts have been and are being made to combat the trafficking of illegal drugs and its' abuse, individually and bilaterally. However, these attempts have not been as successful as expected, but it has made the nations realize that the only through which this issue can be effectively handled is internationally coordinated action. The international cooperation to combat against drug abuse and illegal drug trade started in 1961, with the, Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, followed by Convention of Psychotropic Substances in 1971 and the Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988. (Ludec D. and Lee J., 2003) Canada as a nation is not so much harsh in its, 'war on drugs'. The state has assigned much of its resources and energy to treatment rather than on enforcement. The nation's National Drug Strategy that was first launched in 1987 and renewed after every 5 years stresses demand reduction and increase in efficient treatment programs. In 1990, after it sanctioned the third UN convention of 1988, it made major changes and revisions in its drugs and narcotics related legislations- as to fulfill the international obligations as per the conventions. On 20th June 1996, it adopted the new legislation, Bill C-8, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). The main purpose of CDSA that forms the integral part of Canada's National Drug Strategy is, "to provide a framework for the control of import, production, export, distribution and use of mind-altering

Careers in Mathematics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Careers in Mathematics - Essay Example In recent trends, students are able to have several opportunities to develop their career in mathematics. Mathematics provides wide range career opportunities for the students in several departments such as science department and engineering department among others. This subject provides statics as well as calculation knowledge to the students (LaLonde, Leedy and Runk 285-292). The paper intends to explain about the rewards of selecting a career in math along with the contribution of teachers to the American child to overcome their difficulties in learning mathematics. It also deals with the procedure based on which teachers can help the students to develop a competitive career and they become the next genius in mathematics. Mathematics is one the major subjects through which students can develop their career in several sectors and fulfill their aims in their professional life. Mathematics is majorly associated with science as well as engineering department. The students who have a greater knowledge about mathematics are able to enhance their talent and can easily have an understanding about statistical knowledge, which is presented in demand in the job market. It is a subject, which is required in every step of study and by selecting the subject for building a career; students can develop their career in different fields that include engineering, doctor and scientist among others. By choosing a career in mathematics, students are able to have excellent job opportunities in their professional life (Byrnes and Miller 599-629). In recent trends, it can be observed that most of the students want to grow their career in mathematics based on the job competition in the market. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduate students are essential for the American economy to maintain superiority in the STEM field. Mathematics has own field of career opportunity for the students. However, the students

The Persuasive Research Paper (You have the liberty of choosing the

The Persuasive (You have the liberty of choosing the specific topic) - Research Paper Example For the past many years, the internet has enhanced the capabilities of a common person to attain information on an international level. As the World Wide Web industry flourishes and broadens almost daily, new problems of censorship and free will of expression are mounting. Issues like the revelation of pornography to kids as well as the restricting the content to students have arisen huge controversies. Yet, these issues are just a handful of problems with the content accessible over the World Wide Web (Crystal 90). With the advent immense penetration of internet among the people, the potential of its material increases quickly, at an irrepressible rate. Why out of control? Because in a few cases there no censorship to that can be placed on the world wide web, what can sighted on the internet, and who can see what is uploaded on the internet. Hence, with the increasing number of users, the material uploaded on the internet grows too. Various people utilize the internet for various purposes without any worries, since they have the authority to. However, should everyone have access to these privileges? With all these masses employing the internet, shouldn’t there be a censorship of the content? The answer to these queries is debatable. For numerous reasons, there is no rigid determination of which consent is right, whether internet censorship is right or wrong   (Deibert 300). However, it is quite intricate to take unpretentious measures in this sensitive matter of internet censorship. Few people may think that specific content on the internet, which might be considered as indecent, are in fact beneficial to mature minds. Although younger audience is not prepared to attain access to such material that may cause immorality, however mature minds do not come across the same dilemma. Although, they may be prohibited from achieving what they require from the internet because of the possible presence of state

Gentrifying Gay Heaven Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gentrifying Gay Heaven - Research Paper Example This has led them to face social, economic and political problems for the gay in San-Francisco. Gentrification is a process of re-constructing or regeneration of a society due to inflow of high- income people in an under-developed country. Gentrification was mostly seen in the cases of gay community that possesses high income shifting to low income country in-habituated by black people. For example San-Francisco which constitutes about 17% of population as gay-community. This is done mainly to develop a Gay community with a gay neighbourhood having access to all political, social and economic rights. Due to high income and new big buildings, they had to get huge property rights. This leads to cultural development of the society, lesser crime and reduction in the sexuality differences between the â€Å"actual† men and LGBT people causing lesser crime and confusion between people about their identity (Castells 138). In the urban society the gay community set up their own organizations or institutional places for their benefits in every section of life. The gay community also improved their quality of life by having good buildings, property rights, renovation of old houses and so on. They were also provided with job offers in their area and also leisure time in their livelihood. These people enjoyed freedom of rights, protection and identification in the social class or society. Moreover the development of gay community has given them a safe life without harassment and embarrassment where same gender people can roam around with hand in hand or can openly kiss in the streets. This has helped them to like other normal human beings who are stated as â€Å"actual† men by some researchers. The gay community is restricted in their area had been enjoying life and also can express their thoughts. (Sibalis). Moreover, gentrification has helped the gay and lesbian community gain freedom, rights and identification. They should be provided with sexuality and sexual

The Persuasive Research Paper (You have the liberty of choosing the

The Persuasive (You have the liberty of choosing the specific topic) - Research Paper Example For the past many years, the internet has enhanced the capabilities of a common person to attain information on an international level. As the World Wide Web industry flourishes and broadens almost daily, new problems of censorship and free will of expression are mounting. Issues like the revelation of pornography to kids as well as the restricting the content to students have arisen huge controversies. Yet, these issues are just a handful of problems with the content accessible over the World Wide Web (Crystal 90). With the advent immense penetration of internet among the people, the potential of its material increases quickly, at an irrepressible rate. Why out of control? Because in a few cases there no censorship to that can be placed on the world wide web, what can sighted on the internet, and who can see what is uploaded on the internet. Hence, with the increasing number of users, the material uploaded on the internet grows too. Various people utilize the internet for various purposes without any worries, since they have the authority to. However, should everyone have access to these privileges? With all these masses employing the internet, shouldn’t there be a censorship of the content? The answer to these queries is debatable. For numerous reasons, there is no rigid determination of which consent is right, whether internet censorship is right or wrong   (Deibert 300). However, it is quite intricate to take unpretentious measures in this sensitive matter of internet censorship. Few people may think that specific content on the internet, which might be considered as indecent, are in fact beneficial to mature minds. Although younger audience is not prepared to attain access to such material that may cause immorality, however mature minds do not come across the same dilemma. Although, they may be prohibited from achieving what they require from the internet because of the possible presence of state

Chemical Regulation Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Chemical Regulation Policies - Essay Example This is precisely the case with the Kyoto Protocol and the supposedly universal or global policy on the use of chemicals and their disposal, it gave rise to. Focusing on the mentioned, this research paper will undertake a comparative analysis of chemical policies in both the EU and the United States, highlighting, not just the extent to which divergent national interests and goals directed both negotiations and their outcomes but the extent to which the aforementioned ultimately lends to differing degrees of commitment to international agreements and, accordingly, different implementation methods. Growing concern over global warming and the impact of chemical waste on environmental conditions was one of the factors which incited the Kyoto Protocol and which the mentioned agreement supposedly dealt with. As Litfin (1997) notes, negotiations, although contentious, ultimately led to agreement between the variant parties, as an immediate outcome of the realization that, irrespective of national boundaries which effectively imposed national sovereignty upon different segments of the environment, the latter was, in essence, a global common. Accordingly, negotiations over chemical regulations, or any such threat to the environment, had to unfold from within the parameters of that realization; and needed to be founded on an awareness of the transnational nature of environmental issues and the associate imperatives of, not just trans-Atlantic environmental policy agreements but, on global environmental policy agreements (Litfin, 1997). The United States, as did the member states of the European Union, ultimately conceded to the Kyoto Protocols and declared that it would adhere to its chemical regulation policy recommendations. Prior to implementation, however, the United States, in direct comparison to the European union member states, withdrew its agreement through a refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocols and a subsequent declaration to the effect that it would not adhere to it (Bierman and Dingwerth, 2004). Even as it officially denied the phenomenon of global warming and the role of chemical emissions and waste played therein, the United States determined that the cost of adherence to chemical regulation policies, as defined and designed by the Kyoto Protocol, carried an economically unsustainable cost (Stoett, 2004; Bierman and Dingwerth, 2004. Given the marked, even remarkable difference between the stance adopted by the United States versus that adopted by the European Union, a comparative and critical analysi s of the forces which motivated and governed either position is important. The Nature of Policies In any given policy area there is a range of choices and instruments which policy makers use to design the policy is most suited to their country, their economy and the policy's target group- in this case, the chemical industry. As Elliott (2001) explains, this means that environmental policies which are designed and negotiated on the international level are not binding treaties, equivalent to international law. Instead, they are recommendations and objectives. Moreover, because

Water and Quality Contamination Essay Example for Free

Water and Quality Contamination Essay Introduction. Background: According to the Millennium Development Goals Report 2012, 783 million people, or 11 per cent of the global population, remain without access to an improved source of drinking water. Also the United Nations has long been addressing the global crisis caused by insufficient water supply to satisfy basic human needs and growing demands on the world’s water resources to meet human, commercial and agricultural needs (un.org). In this experiment water quality and contamination of groundwater was investigated. First, I observed the effects that many pollutants have on groundwater. I predict that in this experiment the oil and vinegar will create the large amount of contamination in the water, while the laundry detergent will just create an aroma smell to it. Considering the smells and color to these ingredients I think that it will cause the water quality to have a bad smell and cause the water to be very cloudy. Once filtering the contaminated water, the water will be clear and purified. Second, I will experiment water treatment and filtering. I predict that once the contaminated water is treated and filtered that it will leave me with less contamination or none at all. Then for the last experiment, I will determine the difference between bottled water and tap water to discover any contamination. I predict that the tap water will be the most contaminated and with the most chemicals in it, while the bottled waters; Dasani and Fiji will be completely filtered and free of any chemicals. Objective: The objective of groundwater sampling is to determine whether or  not the quality of the water is poor or valuable enough to drink, and then it leads to decontamination and filtering. Contaminants can move from food, soil, air and water. It is important to note that groundwater and surface water may act both as pathways. Evaluation of surface and ground waters as part of contaminated site investigation studies is, therefore, a major concern. Hypothesis: There were three different steps to this investigation to determine the final hypothesis. The first experiment was the effects of groundwater contamination, second was water treatment and third was drinking water quality. There are a variety of portable sampling devices available for the collection of groundwater, however, each application has different standards and is dependent on the contaminants. A number of different sampling devices and their being able to be used are used to determine the contamination. Techniques for the preservation and analysis of samples and quality assurance and quality control are also presented. Materials and Methods: Experiment #1: In order to determine my final hypothesis I had to experiment many different methods. The first method was to experiment the effects of groundwater contamination. My first step to this method was to gather all the proper materials, which included water, vegetable oil, vinegar, laundry detergent, and 240 mL of soil, cheesecloth and beakers. I started by labeling all the beakers 1-8, so that I can do comparisons and so forth. Then, I carried on to filling the beakers with water. Once adding water I then put oil, vinegar and laundry detergent into three different beakers, then mixed them and recorded my observations. After this objective was complete I drained the contaminated water into cheesecloth and recorded my observations from that as well. Experiment #2: In the second experiment, I filtered the water as to how water is properly filtered in order to purify it to drink it. The materials used in this experiment were 100 mL potting soil, beakers, 40 mL sand, 20 mL acti vated charcoal, 60 mL Gravel, alum, bleach, cheesecloth, funnel and graduated cylinder. The first step I took was adding 100 mL of soil to a beaker and adding 200 mL of water to it. Then, with two beakers I went back and forth between the two with the soil  and the sand. Once the solution was created I placed the newly contaminated water into another beaker. Once I completed that I added 10 grams of alum to the contaminated water, stirred it slowly for 2 minutes and waited 15 minutes for results, then recorded them. Meanwhile, I continued to experiment by putting a piece of cheesecloth into a funnel and the funnel into a beaker. On top of the cheesecloth 20 mL of sand, then 20 mL of activated charcoal, then 40 mL of gravel was added. Tap water was then ran through the mixture and waited five minutes to filter and see results. A few drops of bleach were then added to the water to create the filtered water. Then the two results were compared. Experiment #3: In the third experiment, tap water and bottled water were tested and compared to determine if there are health benefits in drinking bottled water. The materials used for this experiment were Dasani and Fiji bottled water, ammonia test strips, chloride test strips, 4-in-1 test strips, phosphate test strips, iron test strips, beakers, Para film, pipettes, and foil packets of reducing powder. First, all three types of water were placed into three separate beakers for further testing. The first test ammonia test strips were used, and then I recorded my results, this process continued with all the other testing strips for my final hypothesis. Hypothesis: My hypothesis was confirmed. At first I did not get much of a good response from the treatment because it was still filled with dirt. The tap water had higher levels of everything during the experiment while the treated water had none. The smell of tap was the smell of city public water while the treated water smelt like bleach. It is better the go through the filtration process. What are the steps to this process are as filtration and disinfection. In this lab I used all these steps to perform water treatment. After this experiment my hypothesis was denied. I thought that the tap water would be the only contaminated water when it was just the most contaminated while the bottled water was indeed clear and filtered, but it was not 100% clear of all contaminants. The major differences are that tap water definitely with holds much more contaminants than bottled or filtered water. My tap water seems as if it isn’t to badly contaminated and is drinkable. I definitely believe that bottled water is a better drinking water and you cant be to safe to consume tap water. Context: Bottled water can come from wells, springs, artesian wells, or the municipal water supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate it as a food product. It is important to note that the FDAs standards are essentially the same as those set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which regulates public water supplies. In some states, however, bottled water requirements are stricter than those for tap water are (people.chem.duke). Overall, the experiments went really well and it was good to learn about the water that we intake. Discovering the effects of groundwater contamination and the quality of water was a huge success. In these processes I discovered the importance to having filtrated water. The  process in this involves many different steps, but after taking all the required steps it leads to have clean and purified water, which is benefits society health. Variables and Futures Experiments: The point of experiment one is for us to get an understanding of the difference substances that are affected on ground water. Conclusions The threat of harmful contaminants in drinking water can no longer be reasonably ignored. The correlation between contaminated drinking water and many significant diseases and health problems is far too strong to discount ( historyofwaterfilters). At the end of the day we as people need water to survive. Millions of Americans receive high quality drinking water every day from their public water systems, (which may be publicly or privately owned). Nonetheless, drinking water safety cannot be taken for granted. SDWA applies to every public water system in the United States. There are currently more than 160,000 public water systems providing water to almost all Americans at some time in their lives(water.epa.gov). It is important to know that the water you are drinking in safe and it is healthy it doesn’t matter if the water is from the bottle or the tap. References http://www.historyofwaterfilters.com/conclusion.html http://people.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/water/wattap.html http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/water/ http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/index.cfm

Wal-Mart is a Menace to Society Essay example -- Argumentative Persuas

"Paying your employees well is not only the right thing to do but it makes for good business." -- Jim Sinegal, CEO, Costco Throughout the history of America, there have been many businesses that come and go. Success is not guaranteed to everyone. But in the case of Sam Walton, it was different. Sam Walton was the founder the most controversial supermarket chain in existence: Wal-Mart. From the buyer's perspective, Wal-Mart is just a generous business chain which has extremely low prices. But upon closer inspection, the wickedness of Wal-Mart and the company practices become apparent. I think Wal-Mart has a negative impact on society. Wal-Mart mistreats employees, follows unfair business practices, and hurts small businesses. First, Wal-Mart mistreats their employees. Wal-Mart is known to have the lowest prices out of any other store. A consumer never realizes how Wal-Mart manages to have such low prices. One may think that Wal-Mart goes into a loss for the sake of their customers, but I beg to differ. Wal-Mart buys all of their products from other countries. They have warehouses and production plants in other poor countries such as China. These warehouses are often referred to as "sweatshops", often due to the terrible conditions that the workers have to bare. This saves a lot of money when it comes to wages, since countries like China have no minimum wage laws. The workers range from every age possible. It would be hard making a living when a person only gets paid a dime a day. Also, Wal-Mart does not have to provide benefits or insurance to any of these out-of-country workers. If Wal-Mart was such a great company as people think it was, they should instead make production plants over in the United S tates. Havin... ...ety and has a negative impact on everyone. Mistreating employees, unfair business practices, and hurting small businesses are just some of the vicious activities that Wal-Mart participates in.Wal-Mart is not a business, but a tyrant. This tyrant must be stopped before it is too late. Wal-Mart may have started out with good intentions, but it is not that way anymore. Now they are just another company who cares about their money rather than worrying about customers, employees, and society itself. Wal-Mart will learn its lesson, even if it is at the expense of others. Works Cited De Coster, Karen., and Brad Edmonds. "The Case for Wal-Mart." Kirszner and Mandell 631-36. Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, eds. Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide. 11th ed. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. New York: Bedford, 2010.

The History and Importance of Personal Hygiene Essay -- Health, Wellne

Personal hygiene is a major part of your everyday life. It includes brushing your teeth, taking a shower, applying deodorant, wearing clean clothes, cooking your food properly, and washing your hands when necessary. There are many different types of hygiene and different ways of doing them. The types of hygiene are food and cooking hygiene, medical hygiene, and personal hygiene, there is even such a thing as excessive hygiene. Excessive hygiene may cause allergic diseases. Some parts of the body like the ear canal, or inside of the vagina are mostly better left alone for the body's own cleaning systems. Also, excessive application of soaps, creams, and ointments can adversely affect certain of the body's natural processes. For example, soaps and ointments can reduce the skins natural protective oils, and some substances can be absorbed and, even in trace amounts, disturb natural hormonal balances. The ear canals are an example of a self cleaning part of your body. So they have a per fectly functioning cleaning system of their own, and don't normally need assistance. Actually, attempt...

In the arms of sleep

It happened again last night. Just like before. It began slowly, with little things. Then it got worse. Much worse. I suppose this is your way of punishing me. If it is, it's working. If it's not when I'm awake, it's when I'm asleep. Mad isn't it? That's what most people think anyway. Sometimes I think I'm going mad. Am I? No. I can't be. It's so real. I can feel it. It is more than a nightmare. Trapped. Trapped under the hideous black carpet that chokes the sky. Darkness complete. Shadows begin to move, writhing, with an eerie shrill sound of the sucking of the air. Unmoving, I watch. Without breathing. Without thinking. The wind pounds against my face like a thundering waterfall. My breath illuminates the sky in a vivid cloud of white smoke. A trail of ivy cradles gravestones like newborn babies. An ominous feeling of dread seeps through my bones. I am in a churchyard. This is no ordinary churchyard. This is where it happened. He was standing over there. I remember now. Right next to that cross. I shouldn't have done it should I? But I had no choice. There was no way out at the time. I can feel him now. Watching me like a hawk. His hot breath creeping up my neck. Hark! What was that? Did you hear it? There it is again. I turn my head slowly to locate the sound. It's coming from the church. The sound is distant and musical – almost menacing. The organ! It plays on like an instrument of torture. I hold my breath. It stops. One . . . two . . . three. There it is again. Calling me. Calling me so softly at first; so softly it could be the blood rushing to my ears. I can hear the words. Katherine . . . Katherine. Come and find me. You know you want to. I'm walking. Walking. My feet have a mind of their own. Uncontrollable. Eyes glued in front of me. I feel like a ventriloquist's dummy. The church door lies in front of me, like the gateway to hell. My hand trembles violently as I push the heavy iron handle forward. Then the door slams behind me with a metallic slice, like a falling guillotine. Silence. Nothing can be heard except the soft pit-pat of rain. The stillness is worse than noise. I know he's in here. I can feel his eyes – watching me. Stalking me. I can smell him. The smell of decay and dried blood wafts up my nose like rotten eggs. I feel sick. A thin hot trail of sweat runs down my temple. I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here now! But where is the door? It was behind me. That noise. There it is again. That faint tune. Sheer black terror is sweeping though me, every hair on my body erected. It is dark. So dark. Too dark. My entire body goes cold with terror. Something is watching me. Something is hunched over the organ. Something is there. No. It can't be. Can it? Just one yard away from me. On my feet, skin crawling and body washed with adrenaline. He plays on. Back turned, but I know he is aware of my presence. My neck prickles as I edge away. The music stops. I walk backwards. Away. Going nowhere. My eyes afraid too – open painfully wide, then narrow – struggling to focus. My eyes close in the terrifying reality of it, lips mouthing frantic prayers, teeth clenched. I dare not look upon his face. I can smell his breath; making me feel nauseated. Heart banging like a drum. I can't stand much more of this. I've got to get out of here. I must open my eyes. I must go. He breathes hard, and a raging movement disturbs his limbs. His yellow skin has sunk into his body, showing the crevices of his bones. His hair, of a lustrous black, reminds me of a beetle. These features only form a more revolting contrast of his eyes. They glow in their own light, like fire fox. They are cold, ravenous. So different. Every shred of decency, kindness, forgiveness and passion, is gone. Replaced by the unmistakable look of a predator. His jaw opens, saliva dripping down his chin. He breaks into a fiendish grin. He cackles loudly, echoing across the hollow room. Stop! Make him stop. Make it go away. Make him disappear. I never could've imagined . . .never dreamed of such a foul creature. The devil of devils. I've never looked him directly in the face before. His gaze is hypnotic, mesmerizing. He lifts his arm up, his long knifelike fingers pointing towards the ceiling – clenches his fists, so tight – a trail of blood slowly trickles down, like a falling raindrop. He thrusts his arm down in anger; causing a sickening crack as it hits the organ. I shudder violently. He wants to punish me. He's going to do it properly. Whimpering, I move away. I can't watch this wretch lead me to my merciless death. I'd rather die with my dignity left alone. A scorched, rotting smell fills my lungs. I can't breathe. Gagged. I am going to die. No! I will run. I will save myself. I can't. He is too strong. He throws back his demon head, and lets out a howl of laughter. I look away. Trying not to look upon his face. I can feel fear ripping; opening my chest. Can he not see that I have suffered enough? Can he not see I am sorry? I can feel a surge of dizziness rush through me as my eyes rush in and out of focus. I stand still, very straight, as if paralysed. He rests his cold, lifeless hands on my cheek. My heart contracts with sorrow and pain. My knees buckle. I grab the organ to stop me from falling. This is not happening, I'm thinking. Why? Why are you doing this? Have you no heart? No soul? You did . . . once. But now it is long gone. Buried forever. Now leaning over, to kiss me goodbye – lips purple and cracked, flesh peeling off his face like the petals of a rose. His eyes glittering. A gust of wind whips my hair, stinging some feeling back into my cheeks – some coherence back into my brain. He puts his hands round my neck. Gasping for breath. I feel like a stuffed animal. Like a balloon about to pop. He is angry. He is not going to let go. Please . . .God no! I wake up. Neck throbbing with pain. Sucking in every ounce of air. Relieved. The wind wails as it bangs against the cold glass window. A faint knocking on the door, a gentle rattle of the knob. My door creaks. I stare into oblivion as my life flashes before me. I can feel him. Watching me. Trapped.

Good and Evil Hand-In-Hand

Characters such as Wolverine from the X-men, Batman from The Dark Knight, and Shrek from Shrek the movie are great examples of people who seemly are evil, but really do good for others around them. These characters are very similar to Jean Valjean in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. People, in general, have both good and evil in them. Hugo proves this by showing that characters that do bad can still be a good person, that they use their conscience to make decisions, and that if they try they can make bad situations, good. In Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Hugo proves that people that do bad things can still be a good person. When you first learn about Jean Valjean, he seems to be this criminal up to no good. When he entered a town unknown to him, people â€Å"regarded this traveler with a sort of distrust† (7), which means he seem deceitful and mysterious. But throughout the book, Jean Valjean becomes a much kinder, nice person. At one point, he saves a young girl, named Cosette, from the abuse she was enduring from the Thenardiess. Before he leaves the Inn that the Thenardiess were running, when he is talking to the lady innkeeper, he asks if he can take Cosette with him. All he says is, â€Å"suppose you were relieved of her? † (174) and she was his. He did a lot for this young girl. One major thing he did was risk his life to save the man that she was in love with. After a big fight, Marius becomes greatly wounded, and Jean tries to save him. Marius was helped from â€Å"the hand which had seized him from behind at the moment he was falling†¦ was the hand of Jean Valjean† (505). Jean tried to help everyone, even though he did badly when he was younger. In Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Hugo shows that characters use their conscience to make decisions. Everyone has choices to make on a daily basis and they can choose to do good or bad. In the book, the characters had the attempt to make the good choice in their decisions. When Jean Valjean stole from the bishop and got caught, he busted himself out even when the bishop covered for him. When the gendarme brought him back to the bishop, Jean â€Å"raised his head with stupefied air† (33) because he knew he had to face the kind people after he had stolen. After this bad choice, he made the choice to do better, which theoretically his conscience is telling him to do good things. Javert also made the better choice by, at the end, letting Jean Valjean free. Throughout the whole book, it’s been a wild goose chase for Javert to catch Jean and finally he does. While Javert, he went on a walk. There he realizes that â€Å"there was matter for self-examination† (529) and he revaluates his situation. During his â€Å"self-examination† he realizes that Jean was good and that now Jean has saved him from death, he couldn’t send him to jail. That self-examination is like having a conversation with your conscience and thinking of if you should do good or bad. And in the end, he did good and let Jean go. In Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, Hugo shows that anyone can make a bad situation, good. If you’re stuck in a bad condition, you need to think fast and get yourself out of that bad situation. Most people would do that by doing well. When Fantine gave up her daughter because she knew she couldn’t take care of her alone, she was trying to make a bad situation, better for someone else. She even cut her hair off, so that her daughter had money. Towards the end of her life, she goes a tad crazy. She would say to herself, â€Å"When I am rich, I shall have my cosette with me, â€Å"(64) and she laughed, like she knew what she was saying was totally insane, but she kept telling herself that anyways. When Jean Valjean first took Cosette, he had to hide from Javert and the others with him. He was in a bad situation, but he tried to remember that he had a young girl with him and tried to make it a good situation. When they were running and finally gave up, Jean heard voices. And â€Å"while these voices were singing Jean Valjean was entirely absorbed in them. He no longer saw the night, he saw a blue sky† (200). So even though he was in pain and struggling to go on, he let his religion over take him and he knew he had to go on to have Cosette. No matter how bad a person is, there is always some good in them. Hugo has proved this by conveying that characters that do bad can still be a good person, that they use their conscience to make decisions, and that if they try they can make bad situations, good.

Theoretical Perspectives of Race and Ethnicity

Theoretical Perspectives of Race and Ethnicity Rebecca Spain ETH/125 April 4th, 2010 Melissa Terrell The three sociological theoretical perspectives of race and ethnicity are the functionalist, conflict, and labeling perspectives. The functionalist perspective is the perspective that shows how parts of society work in a structured manner to keep the survival of a society. The belief is that if a certain part does not contribute to society’s survival in an effective manner that it will not move form one generation to the next. (Schaefer, 2006). The conflict perspective is the perspective that society thrives on the conflict and struggles between social groups that compete against one another. The struggles and disputes mainly pertain to the dominant groups against the subordinate groups. (Schaefer, 2006). The final perspective is the labeling perspective which is the perspective that shows why one person’s accountability can be different from another person even though they are engaging in the same behaviors. (Schaefer, 2006). The three perspectives are all quite different in their theories. The labeling perspective stereotypes a group by gender, religion, race, or ethnic group instead of the actual behavior that takes place. For instance two people commit the same crime but one is wealthy and white and the other is poor and African American. The wealthy white person is to be given another chance based on their status and the dominant group that they belong to. The African American should be punished based on their status and the subordinate group they belong to. The conflict perspective is way more extreme than the functionalist and labeling perspectives. In the conflict perspective the dominant and subordinate groups are in a constant battle for power. The dominant group ignores and exploits the minority groups and continually will be able to get away with doing so because of the status of the dominant group versus the status of the minority group. The functionalist perspective is not as extreme as the conflict perspective and wants to understand why certain functions and systems continue in spite of opposition. The functionalist perspectives seem to have the theory that if ne group does not contribute to society’s survival that they will not proceed to carry on to the next generation. Functionalists do believe that some negative can be positive such as discrimination between races and ethnic groups. However these dysfunctions can cause conflict and instability in a set society. (Schaefer, 2006). The minorities in the labeling perspective seem to be stereotyped and discriminated against. The dominant group has the upper hand a nd will persevere when conflict arises because of their social status, racial and ethnic group. These certain groups that are being discriminated against may lose out on participating in certain events, activities, or jobs. These negative stereotypes can eventually lead to the social norm and can have a negative effect on society as a whole. The dominant group establishes too much power and that their stereotyping in correct and valid so they will proceed to do it. (Schaefer, 2006). The minorities in the conflict perspective become ignored and exploited by the dominant group. They are left fighting for certain social, political, and economical powers that they do not have but the dominant group has control of. The dominant group has power and control over certain political, economical, and social aspects and of more importance than the minority group and their subordiation is ignored by society. (Schaefer, 2006). The minorities in the functionalist perspective will not continue into the next generations if they can not contribute to society’s survival in an effective manner. According to this perspective that is how it should operate however there are still plenty of minorities and racial discrimination that still occurs. The dominant group can survive even though there is still discrimination even if it is negative because the belief is that the negative and can be a positive for both the minority and the dominant groups. The dominant groups believe they are not responsible for problems faced by the minorities and they also will not allow minorities to question their own status because that would be questioning society itself. However these dysfunctions can cause strife between classes and minorities as well as tension, disputes and disrupts the peace of society. In theory all of these perspectives can keep the minorities from achieving possibly high status, jobs, or respect because they have been considered inferior for so long. (Schaefer, 2006). References Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Racial and Ethnic Groups: Understanding Race and Ethnicity. Prentice-Hall: Pearson Education Inc.

A Strategic Empty Container Logistics Optimization Essay

A Strategic Empty Container Logistics Optimization - Essay Example Therefore, they get limited in other regions that export more than they import. The other problem is that it is unknown when demand will rise for containers and return date for containers is uncertain. Also, Epstein et al., says that capacity for ships returning empty containers is not known, and a lot of information needs to be processed hence at times delay decision making that would help decrease stocks of empty containers. Another problem is of ensuring communication of interrelated decisions around all countries that CSAV operates; this was to ensure making decisions at a worldwide level to get rid of empty container challenge. Alternative Solutions to the Empty Container Problem. Different shipping companies have come up with solutions to overcome the problem of empty containers by use of advanced technologies. Among the technologies is the use of foldable containers. Taking containers to nearby ports with equipment necessary to fold the containers follows emptying them. The co ntainers on folding are space-saving hence can be shipped back to where they came from so that they can be used in moving more goods to other various destinations instead of staying where they had been taken waiting when they will be used to ship goods, which may never happen. It is clear that some regions are high importers but export fewer goods hence the containers may never leave that region. Therefore, incurrence of storage costs and lowering efficient in regions the containers are in need by customers.

PhIP can accurately identify known and previously unreported Coursework

PhIP can accurately identify known and previously unreported autoantigens - Coursework Example The paper "PhIP can accurately identify known and previously unreported autoantigens" seeks to affirm the hypothesis that â€Å"PhIP can accurately identify known and previously unreported autoantigens† figure 3 shows seven figure that represent various experimental processes. Key technical issues in the program of work include the accurate and PhIP sequencing and T7 cloning, verifying and analyzing results from human samples with different consenting PND patients. Firstly the human protein and cDNA sequences available are downloaded from the database at build 35.1 of the human genome. Then this cDNA and the proteins are used to construct the library. This procedure involved the proteome wide library and the N/C terminal libraries that were PCR amplified as 23 independent pools with common primer sequences. This process was conducted in a controlled thermal profile. The polymerase chain reaction was then digested and cloned into the T7FNS2 making numerous copies of each peptid e.the cloning process involved the inserting a peptide in the required ORF sequence selected using restriction enzymes. This part is an a explanation of the processes involved in fig 3.d, g, f, c, e Patient A, B and C samples are collected from willing patients approved by relevant medical authorities. The samples of cerebrospinal fluids were kept at temperatures of - 80 degrees Celsius before being used. Before the collection of sample the patients have to undergo various neurological evaluations before the samples.

Econometrics ; GDP growth in US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Econometrics ; GDP growth in US - Essay Example When evaluated using the Yuan as a reference, the Chinese economy now stands two-thirds larger than its position in 2004. Of this, over half of the contribution to the growth can be attributed to the GDP increase while the remainder is from statistical factors including the currency exchange fluctuations between the US Dollar and the Chinese Yuan. The Dollar has moved by 23% between 2004 and 2008 (The Economist, 2010). Economists indicate that a repeat of this 4-year trend with moves of over 34% would allow China to surpass the US economy between 2025-2-2028. This further signals that the US Dollar will stabilize at the existing exchange rates. A comparison of the performances of both the economies during the previous decade would put a comparative GDP growth change at 51% amongst both economies. This predicts 2021 as the passing date for the Chinese economy (David Greenaway, 2009). The recent global financial meltdown has however halted the tremendous growth of most economies in the world. While overturning the recent fortunes of the US economy, the crisis has provided enough glimpses into the highly interlinked global economy and demonstrated that even China is not an exception during such periods. The US economy is slowly coming out of a recession and China’s GDP growth dipped below the 10% annual mark for the first time in over a decade. Further, the Chinese government seems to have taken several important steps to continue a strengthening of its currency, helping its exports and the home industry against western competitors (OECD, 2009). The US economy grew by 5.9% during the fourth quarter of 2009, providing a strong impression that the world’s largest economy was on the path to recovery (The Economist, 2010). However, experts have been quick to point out that this growth was largely contributed inventory rebuilding, indicating that such an expansion may not be consistent in the

Two Familiar Brands Competing in the local Marketplace Essay

Two Familiar Brands Competing in the local Marketplace - Essay Example This paper will make a comparison between two competing brands Tide and Gain which have strong presence in the local market of USA. Each brand of P&G is affected by globalization which also includes Tide & Gain. The marketing programs are different and both brands have different price levels depending on the consumer demand. The price levels range from super premium for top selling products to lower priced products that offer basic advantages only. Tide and Gain are available in majority of retail stores of USA. Tide has international presence while Gain is served only in the local market of USA. Thus, the prices of Tide vary according to the high and low concentration of global market. Tide and Gain has competitive relationship with other detergent brands of P&G. Proctor & Gamble (P&G) is recognized as one of the leading multinational organizations dealing with consumer products in various segments from beauty to house-keeping. It is an Ohio based company headquartered in USA. The p arent company is engaged with the marketing of above 300 brands which include beauty products like shampoo, soaps and household products like detergent, toothpaste etc. P&G has strong market share in the segment comprising of detergent and laundry products. Under detergent category, P&G has six sub-brands which operate in the local market of USA. Around 99% customers use minimum of one P&G brand regularly. Hence, it can be stated that P&G does not focus on one brand. Rather, it emphasizes on many brands under the detergent segment. The reason is that customers’ motives for purchasing detergent brands are different and P&G incorporates different functions for their brands. In one brand, bleaching might be the main priority where in other brands cleaning might be the chief priority. Thus, though parent company is same but Tide and Gain both have their unique identities (Pearson Education, 2011). Segmentation Market includes customers and they differ in several ways for example needs, resources, locations, buying activities, and

PEST-C and marketing stratgy for Appl company Research Paper

PEST-C and marketing stratgy for Appl company - Research Paper Example In a video titled, â€Å"What makes Apple’s marketing Unique†, it emerges that Apple Company designs products with outstanding features (Integra Global Solutions, 2012). For example, when other companies conceived the possibility of developing desktops, Apple moved a step further and conceived the possibility of having a computer in the pocket. Currently, Apple’s MacBook Air is the thinnest computer in existence developed through an amazing product design and detail. Unlike other companies, Apple highlights only one outstanding feature of its products in its advertisements. Although the MacBook Air has remarkable functionality, the Apple Company utilized a unique marketing strategy and placed emphasis on the fact that the MacBook Air was the thinnest computer (OReilly, 2012). The focus on the most outstanding aspects makes Apple’s marketing unique, simple, and straightforward. The focus on a single aspect instead of numerous aspects sets a new standard for Apple product a factor that motivates potential consumers to buy the products. The video uploaded on YouTube by the Integra Global Solutions, who are experts in marketing reveals the uniqueness of Apple’s marketing strategies. Moreover, Apple Company has adopted digital marketing, which has created a buzz on the sleek design of the company’s products. Similar to its products, Apple’s online advertisements and its website focus on high levels of navigability making it easy to use for customers. Through digital marketing, the Apple Company has been able to interact with its customers and focus on highlighting the value added by its premium products. The company does not need to confuse its customers by highlighting numerous features in its advertisements (Montgomerie & Roscoe, 2013). On the contrary, its marketing strategies highlight one outstanding feature that should motivate and convince a customer that the Apple product is worth buying. Irrespective of