Law and Bioethics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Law and Bioethics - Term Paper Example Findings The findings proceeding from the interview show clearly that the roles that bioethics committee dispense are very sacrosanct to the issuance of healthcare services and attention. Attending the meeting and carrying out the interview underscored the many roles that these committees meet. One of the functions that bioethics committees play is case review. Particularly, bioethics committees observe both spontaneous and regular meetings in order to provide a forum for analyzing ethical questions which emanate from treatment of patients. This is especially the case when ethical questions concerning appropriate care for patients with diminished capacity to make decisions concerning the healthcare services being discharged arise. In this light, bioethics committees may try to give counsel and support to healthcare professionals and providers, the patient, family members of the patients and surrogates. Specifically, a bioethics committee will carry out a case review when there is a s erious ethical perplexity or ambiguity, in which the case review will help provide an answer to the complex ethical dilemma. Case reviews may also be carried out by the committee when a decision that involves the withdrawal of life-supporting treatment and facilities is imminent. This is specifically the case when the treatment or the patient’s medical condition is not explicitly stated in healthcare policies and procedures. Case studies may also be done in instances where there is a disagreement on an ethical aspect surrounding the patient’s care, between healthcare providers on one hand and the patient and their families on the other hand. It is important to take stock of the fact that in respect to case review, the chief role of the committee is not to act as a decision-making organ, but as an organ that assists and accords support to the responsible party. Just as Dzur (2002) divulges, Bioethics committees also liaise with hospital administration, different departm ents and divisions of the hospital and the medical and nursing staff, in order to carry out educational programs or initiatives. In this case, clinical ethics is the most taught subject. Thus, bioethics committees help others also carry out lectures, workshop programs, seminars, in-service programs and rounds in clinical ethics. Providing participants with knowledge on ethical principles, concepts and language needed to tackle ethical aspects of contemporary medical or hospital practice stands as one of the most salient feature of this educational effort. From the interview and the meeting attendance, it also became clear that the committee also plays a pivotal role in reviewing and developing hospital policy. Specifically, the committee helps the professional staff to develop procedures and policies on recurrent ethical matters, problems and questions. These problems and questions mainly touch on recurrent ethical matters and ethical dilemma which arise as patients are being accord ed healthcare services. In order to dispense this role, the committee may have to issue an analysis of existing ethical matters or proposed policies. The committee may also have to help develop new institutional or organizational policies in important areas. It also emerged clearly that one of the factors that propels the effectiveness of a bioethics committe

The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 Essay Example for Free

The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 Essay The law officially named, â€Å"The Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act†, was passed into law in 2002 in wake of the numerous corporate scandals that rocked our financial markets. One in particular was the Enron scandal, which before its collapse; Enron was thought of as one of the best companies in the United States. However, it failed to follow Generally Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP) from as far back as 1997 through 2001. When the company suddenly collapsed in the latter part of 2001, it lost tens of billions of dollars of its shareholders money (Jickling 2003). The controls which were supposedly in place, neither internal nor external, did not uncover the financial masquerade. Because of the many corporate and accounting scandals to astonish the U. S. marketplace and its investor, shareholders organized and protested for tougher laws that required a greater degree of corporate accountability. The act is commonly referred to as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), named after Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley, who were its main sponsors. SOX is intended to raise the bar for integrity and competence for publicly traded companies and also to promote a greater degree of accountability within these companies. The act changed corporate governance, including the responsibilities of directors and officers, the regulation of accounting firms that audit public companies, corporate reporting and enforcement. It is organized into eleven categories, called â€Å"titles†. The first being the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PACOB), second, Auditors Independence, then, Corporate Responsibility, Enhanced Financial Disclosures, Analyst Conflicts of Interest, Commission Resources and Accountability, Supporting Studies and Reports, Corporate and Criminal Fraud Accountability Document preservation (Whistle-Blower Protection), White-Collar crime penalty, Corporate Tax Returns and Corporate Fraud Accountability. Title I of the Act establishes the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). It is an independent, non-governmental board that oversees the audits of publicly traded companies. The purpose was designed to protect the interest of the investors and to promote public confidence and transparency in the independent audit process. The powers of the PCAOB are to register public accounting firms that prepare audit reports for issuers; establish auditing, quality control, ethics, independence and other standards relating to the preparation of audit reports; and conduct inspections, investigations and disciplinary proceedings of, and take enforcement action against, public accounting firms (Clearly 2003). Titles II of the act have nine sections. It sets the standard in which the auditors must remain independent to limit their conflicts of interest. Under these sections the auditors have stricter requirements of reporting, they must rotate jobs and they are not allowed to perform other services to the same company they are auditing. Also, as stated in Title I the auditing company must be registered with the PCAOB to perform acceptable audits. Title III of this act speaks to the individual responsibility of the corporate leaders. Management must certify that the financial statements do not contain any material omissions or untrue statements and those they represent fairly the financial condition of the company. And that all of the internal controls are and have been operating effectively prior to the issuance of the reports. Title IV relates most closely with the accountants and the auditing process. It details the new requirements of the financial reporting process and the certification of the effectiveness of the companys internal control process. Section 404 which requires management to assess the internal control procedures and to sign off on its effectiveness and that the procedures are being followed. Section 404 highlights the critical importance of controls related to the financial reporting function of management information systems by requiring a regular assessment of the quality of the financial reporting, because management uses this to manage operations, monitor performance, create forecast and report results to stakeholders (Peters 2012). Title V, VI and VII are designed to help build the publics confidence in the markets by promoting transparency and by providing criminal sanctions and monetary penalties to perpetrators. Title VII can be considered a reflection piece, as it looks to examine different factors and how they affect the markets. The SOX act in Title VIII obligates companies to provide a documented whistle-blower protection policy. It is a means to collect, retain and resolve claims regarding accounting, internal accounting controls and auditing matters. This system must allow for such concerns to be submitted anonymously. SOX provides protection to whistle-blowers and severe penalties to those who retaliate against them. Under this provision violators who destroy, alter, or falsify documents or retaliate against employees who report such going-on are subject to lengthy prison terms. Title IX, X and XI outline the increase penalties for white-collar crimes, such as mail and wire fraud; the requirement that the CEO is responsible for the accuracy and certifying the corporations tax return and other financial reports. The last section institutes guidelines for failure to comply as a criminal offense and gives the SEC the right to freeze monetary transactions if they suspect fraud. Before SOX, the financial world was basically governed by the Securities Laws of 1933 and the establishment of the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in 1934. Corporations were only required to report the financial reports periodically to the public and the SEC. It was the publics responsibility to review the records and form an educated decision on the well-being of the company. The act also prohibited certain conduct such as insider trading and market manipulation. The exchanges, brokers, transfer agents were responsible for reporting any material changes in the holding of the companies to the SEC. However after the numerous financial scandals such as Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia to mention a few, in which the information presented to public, was fraudulent. They statements were misrepresented by millions and millions of dollars it was felt by the general public, investors and the federal government that there had to be stricter regulations to govern against such corporate behavior. SOX calls for greater accountability from everyone in charge. It implements rules and requirements from the top-down on accountability. CEO, CFO, directors must sign off on the reliability of the reports; auditors must maintain their independence and are prohibited from performing other services to the company they are auditing; managers and employees are responsible for the internal controls in their departments. And all these actions are punishable if not followed, as addressed in Title XI. Title XI provides authoritative powers for companies, its leaders, employees and/or auditors to be sued, sanctioned or criminally prosecuted if they are involved in any fraudulent behavior. It also provides the SEC the ability to seize funds and/or impose significant financial penalties for breaking the law. The most significant impact that SOX has had on the accounting world besides the increased criminal prosecution, is Section 404, which outlines the managements assessment of internal controls over financial reporting and the disclosure of such information. Internal control over financial reporting, is defined by Guy Lander, as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the companys principal executive and principal financial officers and implemented by the companys board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance for the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The independent auditor must also attest to and report on the managements assessment of the effectiveness of the companys internal control over financial reporting. Each fiscal year, companies must select audit committees to perform the assessment of internal controls. In section 404, the auditing requirements have changed drastically. Integrated within the law is now a Code of Ethics which was not there prior to the SOX act. Everyone is now accountable and required by law to do the right thing. With the implementation of SOX, the spirit of the law is being enforced. God calls us to a higher standard. We are to perform our job to best of our ability and we should maintain our integrity. No law is higher than the laws given to us by God. Management is now required to know more about the system of internal control so that he/she can make an accurate account of its effectiveness. Management must also include a written document in their end of the year managers report to attest to the effectiveness of their internal control. CEO and CFO are required to certify that the financial reports are accurate and they must discuss with the audit committee any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control in the financial reporting process. The audit committee is required to attest to the integrity of the companys financial statements; the companys compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; the qualifications and independence of the independent auditor and the performance of the companys internal audit function and independent auditor (Cleary 2003). The independent auditor has an increased responsibility to verify the financial information of the company. The audit firm must attest to the reliability of managements statement on the effectiveness of their internal control procedures and processes. The SOX act requires increased communication between the auditor and the companys audit committee. They must communication at least quarterly to discuss management, accounting and/or auditing adjustments, any difficulties or disagreements encountered, or any auditors concerns over the quality of the companys accounting practices or principles (Cleary 2003). The cost of implementing the required changes associated with SOX, Section 404, Internal Controls has had a significant effect on most small business. Auditing firms increased their fees by an average of 40% to recoup fees associated with the loss of business because of the new guidelines requiring independence. The SOX guidelines limit services allowed by auditing firms to perform for companies they are auditing. Internal costs associated with compliance jumped 62% for companies. In 2007, the SEC formed a committee to determine the impact on smaller businesses. Their guidelines were business with revenue under $100 million. The impact of compliance with section 404 internal controls were 3. 5 cents for every dollar earned (Michelson 2008). According to a SOX research study by Lord ;amp; Benoit, the average costs of complying with section 404(a) management assessment for all non-accelerated filers included in the study were $53,724(ranging from as low as $15,000 to as high as $162,000. The range of audit fee increases was from as low as $7,500 to as high as $86,000). Krishnan 2008). Armed with this information the SEC decided to admen its reporting and disclosure requirements for small businesses. In February 2008, the SEC adopted the amendments and issued the Smaller Reporting Company Regulatory Relief and Simplification to provide assistance for smaller firms (Michelson 2008). Smaller companies have received multiple extensions to become fully compliant. It was stated that more than half of all small companies say SOX has made it more diff icult to do business. They have had to make cutbacks in other areas, such as marketing, research and personnel to offset the increase in costs. Also, two-thirds of the small businesses favor a different set of guidelines for smaller companies (Swartz, 2006). Another significant impact on small businesses is the increased turnover of its board members. The new guidelines that require increased independence and conflicts of interest make it more difficult for smaller companies who have higher managerial ownership. Executive directors of companies are less likely to appointed to boards. KPMGs Audit committee took a survey and found that directors were concerned with two very important issues, the first being accountability reform and their legal exposure and the second being how management is responding to Section 404 of SOX(KPMG 2004). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is hailed as the most dramatic change and far-reaching act in the financial market place since the SEC was formed. The SOX act is here to stay and it is long overdue. There have been lists of companies and their improprieties for decades and decades that cheated others out if their fair shares. People who in charge of a companys finances and they succumbed to the temptations of greed. As humans we are fallen creatures, we need stipulations in place to keep us in check. We need laws to govern our actions. The SOX act represents a change in corporate accountability and corporate governing. Although it is still changing and adapting to the environment it has had a significant impact on the way people act. It takes into account the Spirit of the Law and not just the letter of the Law. Corporate leaders are being held to a higher standard, which is a step in the right direction. References Bedard, J. G. (2011). Detection and SEverity Classifications of Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 Internal Control Deficienies. The Accounting Review , 825-855. Green, E. S. (2003). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act. New York: Aspen Publishers. Jickling, M. (2003). The Enron Collapse. CRS Report for Congress . Krishnan, J. R. (2008). Cost to comply with SOX Section 404. Auditing: Journal of Practice and Theory , 169-186. KPMG Audit Committee Institute (2004), Oversight of Auditors, Audit Committee Roundtable Highlights, Spring, KPMG Audit Committee Institute, Kansas City, p. 2. Lander, G. (2004). What is Sarbanes-Oxley? New York: McGraw-Hill. Michelson, S. S. (2009). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002: What impact has it on small business firms. Managerial Auditing Journal , 743-766. Peters, G. F. (2012). The Consequences of Information Technology Control Weaknesses on Management Information Systems. MIS Quarterly , 179-203. Spending on SOX. (2008). Journal of Accountancy , 90-93. Swartz, N. (2 008). SOX costs socks small firms. Information Management Journal , 14.

Investigation into Chair Design Essay examples -- essays papers

Investigation into Chair Design For my Investigation into chair designs I choose to investigate how simplistic and basic the chairs have become. From Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who was renowned for his style and applied decoration to Philippe Stark who has taken simplistic to another level. I have investigated how the designers have used applied decoration to enhance the look of their chair, to how functional the pieces are (or in some cases un-functional! ). HIGH BACKED CHAIR - CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH - 1902 Mackintosh produced designs on a whole range of furnishings as well as his architectural designs. Many of these were purely functional but he also produced many ‘artistic’ pieces throughout his life. Because of the large amount of applied decoration on Macintosh’s pieces that it could be argued that each piece is a finely detailed work of art itself. Probably the most famous of such pieces are his famous high backed chairs. The high backed chair I have chosen to study was made for the International Exhibition of modern Decorative Art, held in Turin in Italy in 1902 The chair appears to have a very low seat, being only a quarter of the height of the actual chair, this also may perhaps be due to the fact the seat is fairly broad at the front, widening out from a fairly narrow back. The back of the chair is as wide as the back of the seat but tapers towards the top. This main support is framed with two tall slim struts. The construction of the low seat and tapering back makes the chair look almost abstract because of these bizarre proportions. In the photograph it looks as if the picture has been taken from a strange angle which has distorted the shape. There is little in the way of applied decoration on the chair except for the back, which on a portion is padded and covered in a light blue-grey colour. On this is a painted stylised rose bush design that fills the width of the padded portion. Beneath this is what appears to be wilting petals falling from the bush. At the top of the chair carved into a piece of wood is an organic form of sorts with the typical Art Nouveau whiplash stretching the length of it. Mackintosh was renowned for his stylised design - taking the natural form of something, for example a flower, and altering it to fit his style - this could possibly be a very developed stylised design Against the white wood work of this desi... ...d in adds plentiful character to the chair. The function of this chair is to be ‘fun’, to add character to someone’s dining room and I think that this chair would look good in any room regardless of the decor. From this investigation I was surprised by the range of different styles and forms that a chair could take. I enjoyed the form of the God Raysse, but my favourite would have to be the Pepe Chair by far due to its larger than life personality. From the ‘classic’, ‘traditional’ designers like Macintosh who revolutionised and popularised the style of Art Nouveau and to this day still has an impact and influence on designers world wide whether it be on furniture, windows or clothes, to modern designers who have also revolutionised the ‘simplistic’ style making it take many forms from ‘drips’ to ‘giraffes’. For instance the Pepe Chair took the high backed chair and gave it a modern day simplistic twist. Who knows where our rears shall sit in years to come? Shall we be sitting on more simplistic designs than the ones I have used as examples in this investigation or pieces complex beyond the imagination. Who knows? We shall just have to wait and see where our bums shall lead us! Investigation into Chair Design Essay examples -- essays papers Investigation into Chair Design For my Investigation into chair designs I choose to investigate how simplistic and basic the chairs have become. From Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who was renowned for his style and applied decoration to Philippe Stark who has taken simplistic to another level. I have investigated how the designers have used applied decoration to enhance the look of their chair, to how functional the pieces are (or in some cases un-functional! ). HIGH BACKED CHAIR - CHARLES RENNIE MACKINTOSH - 1902 Mackintosh produced designs on a whole range of furnishings as well as his architectural designs. Many of these were purely functional but he also produced many ‘artistic’ pieces throughout his life. Because of the large amount of applied decoration on Macintosh’s pieces that it could be argued that each piece is a finely detailed work of art itself. Probably the most famous of such pieces are his famous high backed chairs. The high backed chair I have chosen to study was made for the International Exhibition of modern Decorative Art, held in Turin in Italy in 1902 The chair appears to have a very low seat, being only a quarter of the height of the actual chair, this also may perhaps be due to the fact the seat is fairly broad at the front, widening out from a fairly narrow back. The back of the chair is as wide as the back of the seat but tapers towards the top. This main support is framed with two tall slim struts. The construction of the low seat and tapering back makes the chair look almost abstract because of these bizarre proportions. In the photograph it looks as if the picture has been taken from a strange angle which has distorted the shape. There is little in the way of applied decoration on the chair except for the back, which on a portion is padded and covered in a light blue-grey colour. On this is a painted stylised rose bush design that fills the width of the padded portion. Beneath this is what appears to be wilting petals falling from the bush. At the top of the chair carved into a piece of wood is an organic form of sorts with the typical Art Nouveau whiplash stretching the length of it. Mackintosh was renowned for his stylised design - taking the natural form of something, for example a flower, and altering it to fit his style - this could possibly be a very developed stylised design Against the white wood work of this desi... ...d in adds plentiful character to the chair. The function of this chair is to be ‘fun’, to add character to someone’s dining room and I think that this chair would look good in any room regardless of the decor. From this investigation I was surprised by the range of different styles and forms that a chair could take. I enjoyed the form of the God Raysse, but my favourite would have to be the Pepe Chair by far due to its larger than life personality. From the ‘classic’, ‘traditional’ designers like Macintosh who revolutionised and popularised the style of Art Nouveau and to this day still has an impact and influence on designers world wide whether it be on furniture, windows or clothes, to modern designers who have also revolutionised the ‘simplistic’ style making it take many forms from ‘drips’ to ‘giraffes’. For instance the Pepe Chair took the high backed chair and gave it a modern day simplistic twist. Who knows where our rears shall sit in years to come? Shall we be sitting on more simplistic designs than the ones I have used as examples in this investigation or pieces complex beyond the imagination. Who knows? We shall just have to wait and see where our bums shall lead us!

Loss and Gain of the Reformation Essay

During and following the Protestant Reformation, an innumerable measure of dignitaries lost, as well as gained a great deal due to the Reformation. Dignitaries or authority figures during this time period consisted of highly ranked members of the Church and Government. As a result of this 16th century movement, both were affected negatively and positively. The authority figure that lost the most was the Pope. It was established that the Bible held more authority than the Church in the 1400’s by John Wycliffe of England and Jan Hus of Bohemia. Furthermore, they taught that the pope did not have the right to worldly power. At the start of the Reformation, many political leaders questioned his control and power. New ideas from the Renaissance had begun to challenge the Catholic Church. Individualism and secularism went against the Church’s beliefs. Not only did the pope lose all of his power, but the other church leaders did as well. When people didn’t believe in what the pope did, they founded new Christian churches that went against the pope’s decisions and wrongdoings. Consequently, the Pope and the rest of the catholic church’s leaders lost their authority and wealth. Just as the Catholic Church and the Pope lost a substantial amount of power and authority, the King and the Protestants gained what they lost. Since most people had nearly forgotten about Catholicism by now and reverted to Protestantism, the Protestant Church gained a lot of money through donations to reform the church past what had already been changed. Since the pope no longer ruled, it was left to the king to do what the pope no longer could. The king took control over the churches and established new churches, which they also regulated. Accordingly, the king gained the most out of the Reformation. As a result of the Reformation, the pope lost all of his power and the king gained it. There are vast differences from the beginning of the Reformation to its conclusion. If you were to look at the two periods in time, you would be able to tell how to pope went corrupt and how the king gained respect and held power over the churches.

Human Rights Violation of Biharis in Bangladesh Essay

Statement of the problem : Bangladesh is an impoverished country of over 160 million people. In its short history as an independent nation, Bangladesh has faced a major civil war, massive internal displacement, famines and frequent natural disasters. In addition, Bangladesh is hosting over 500,000 Biharis and in recent years it recognized the nationality rights of large numbers of Urdu-speaking minority. About half a million Urdu speaking people known as in Bangladesh as ‘Bihari’ or ‘Stranded Pakistanis’ currently live in 66 camps spread all over the country. They have become a marginally displaced community since 1971. The creation of Bangladesh in 1971 put these people in a stateless situation. Although they are residing in â€Å"refugee camps,† the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) does not recognize them as refugees. Therefore, they are deprived of the benefits and opportunities extended to the refugees by the UNHCR. As a consequence, the stranded Biharis in Bangladesh face multiple problems. Despite this recent progress, however, 37 years of non-recognition have left the Biharis living in abject poverty and vulnerable to discrimination. Human rights violation of stranded Biharis in our country is common scenery. These people are in the museum of exploitation. The Bihari camps are mainly in urban areas and are beset by severe overcrowding, poor sanitation and lack of basic facilities. The slum like conditions in these settlements have worsened over the years as the population has grown. With inadequate provision for clean water, waste disposal and sewage systems, they are chronic hygiene problems. Camp residents face discrimination in the job market and a severe lack of education and health- care facilities hampers community development. Read more:  Essay About Bangladesh Liberation War Discrimination and poverty are the key elements that lead to anti social activities They are still denied access to a Bangladeshi passport. No NGOs or UN agencies have taken the initiative to collect comprehensive baseline data from which to develop both short- and long term programmes for the social and economic rehabilitation of this community. In spite of getting citizenship document no changes have been made in the everyday life of camps as well as strategy and the policy of the government seems to be unchanged. What does it mean; are Biharis non citizens in the process of Digital Bangladesh that their national ID card and citizenship documents are not enough to prove them citizen? As a conscious citizen of Bangladesh and also as a student of Peace and Conflict Studies Department, I am very much interested in this field for doing a fruitful research. Because, I think at present time, this stranded Biharis is a great national concerning issue. If they remain marginal for a long time, our national security might be hampered and they can pose a serious threat to our socio- economic development. So in my research, I would like to focus that their current situation must be improved through the various initiatives of state Government, NGOs and other International Organizations. 1.1 Background of the Study: The case of the Biharis in Bangladesh is different from other cases of denial of citizenship because the government considered them as a foreign group of individuals that ought to return to Pakistan. In fact Biharis never resided in Pakistan, but originally entered East Pakistan as refugees fleeing India at the time of its accession to independence. Their movement to East Pakistan was due to a desire to escape from communal bloodshed and â€Å"to preserve their Islamic way of life†. They also saw Hijrat (migration) as an escape from the possibility of living in a Hindu majority India. Actually, the history of the Bihari goes back to the partition of India in 1947. During the period of united Pakistan (1947-1971), the Urdu-speaking Biharis were not incorporated with in the society of East Pakistan and remained as a distinct cultural-linguistic group. They generally associated and identified themselves with the West Pakistani society because of their cultural similarity and shared linguistic heritage. They supported the West Pakistani governing leaders in the process of capturing the economic and political power in East Pakistan. The Biharis consequently, enjoyed government patronage and preferential treatment in various sectors of the East Pakistan economy. Initially the arrival of Biharis and the positive discrimination of the Pakistan Government in terms of refugee rehabilitation were not resented by the Bengalis. But, the positive attitude of the Bengalis towards the Biharis was short-lived. During the Language Movement, the Biharis instead of supporting the Bengalis sided with the West Pakistani ruling elite. Further, in the 1954 provincial elections and in the 1970 general elections, they extended their support to the Muslim League, which symbolized the domination of the West Pakistanis over the Bengalis. They also opposed the Bengalis’ freedom struggle and many of them actively participated in the military actions against the Bengalis in the 1971 Bangladesh Independence War. The exclusive attitude of the Biharis and their pro-West Pakistani political activities culminated with the growth of an anti-Bihari sentiment among the Bengalis.The Bihari community never assimilated with the local people and maintained alliance with the West Pakistani regime against the interest of the Bengali people. When Bangladesh finally achieved independence, Bihari people wanted to go to West Pakistan, but could not do so immediately due to complication in repatriation process. This situation left them stranded in Bangladesh. They were promised of repatriation to Pakistan, but this promise was never fully materialized. After the war, thousands of Biharis were willingly deported to Pakistan. The 300,000 who remained in Bangladesh moved into refugee camps set up by the International Red Cross, awaiting flights to Pakistan that never came because of diplomatic wrangling. Today 40 years later the stranded Biharis and their descendents are still living in these camps. In 2008, a Supreme Court decision recognized their nationality rights. A large percentage of the adults were registered to vote in the 2009 election. But after decades of isolation and discrimination, they are still out from the fundamental rights for which they have been passing their days under sub-human condition in 66 shelter camps in the country. There we see that 94% are illiterate, almost double the national rate. Despite being registered as voters and recognized as citizens, many Urdu speakers still are also unable to obtain government jobs, access credit, get passports or obtain compensation for their property confiscated during the war. They do not have freedom of movement. 1.2 Rationale of the Research: Study of human rights is considered as one of the interesting and important courses of our Department of Peace and Conflict Studies. On the other hand, various social problems are main discussed phenomena for social researchers. In the context, the inhuman situation of Bihari people which they are experiencing in their daily lives is a matter of serious concern. There is very little research findings on this field. Some NGOs and individuals have worked on this topic; such as BRAC, RMMRU (Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit) etc but it is very poor comparing the importance and intensity of the problems they face. So I believe that my research on this issue will be able to add a holistic and incomparable introduction in the research field. In this regard, I think it is very much important and rationale to identify the root cause, and find solution to their problems of human rights violation. 1.3 Objective of the Study: The main and broader objective of the study is * To depict the human rights situation of the stranded Biharis and find out the root causes of various problems faced by them. Other Objectives: * To present a realistic solution of the problem regarding both Government and non-Government initiatives and also Biharis’ opinion on solution to their problem. So this paper tries to explore the socio-economic condition of the Bihari people, the problems they are facing now and their opinion about their resentments. 1.4 Research Question: The questions of the study are: * What are the rights, Biharis are yet to get as human being? * What types of human rights violation they face? * What initiatives are taken by national and international community for the better improvement of their miserable condition 1.5 Study Area: Biharis are a minority community who live in 66 camps in different districts of Bangladesh. All these camps are located in the urban areas. Bihari people are Muslims. Maximum Bihari live together at Geneva Camp, Mohammadpur in Dhaka. In Bangladesh Geneva Camp is the biggest place for them. For my study I have chosen Mohammedpur Geneva Camp which is located within Dhaka City Corporation Ward No. 45 in Dhaka city for data collection. I have visited the Geneva Camp to collect data from the residence in that camp. There are nine blocks in Geneva camp, which are alphabetically named. The camp is divided into two parts. Block A and B are located in one part and from block C to block I are in second part. The largest block is â€Å"C† and the smallest is â€Å"I†. I have visited almost every block for the collection of data and also visited the SPGRC office, the school named shurovi and the al-Falah Clinic. 1.6 Operational Definition of the Study : Bihari: Bihari, originally a Hindi word, literally means a person belonging to the Indian State of Bihar. In Bangladesh, ‘Bihari’ is a word usually considerd offensive for a non-local, speaking Urdu. Biharis did not come from the Indian State of Bihar alone. They came from other parts of India as well, and were largely distinguishable by their life-style that bound these people from their former homelands into an identifiable minority group with the commonly spoken and understood language of Urdu. In today’s Bangladesh, Biharis are the descendents of those optees and emigrants, who came to East Bengal after the great divide of India in 1947, many government employees under the British administration, were deputed to places in East Bengal. Among them, a large number of people came from the province of Bihar to serve in the railways, in the police, judiciaries and other civil departments (Ilias, Ahmed; 2003). The International Convention on Biharis held in Geneva in 1982 referred to them as non-Bangladeshi or stranded Pakistanis. The â€Å"Bihari† are such people who opposed the independence of Bangladesh, wanted to go to Pakistan but could not do so due to complication in the repatriation process. (Farzana, 2008). Stranded Pakistani: This title was given to the Urdu-speaking community after Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971. During the War, many members of this community sided with West Pakistan, and after losing the War they opted for repatriation to what is currently known as Pakistan rather than staying in the newly formed nation of Bangladesh, former East Pakistan. While waiting for repatriation, they were interned in camps. Many never made it to Pakistan, however, and were stranded in the camps. As a result, those who were left behind were labeled as â€Å"Stranded Pakistanis†. Human Rights: By Human rights, we mean a basic freedom and dignity that every person is entitled to. This entitlement is derived simply from the person’s status as a human being. Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) gives recognition to the inherent dignity and to the equal and inalienable rights of every human. The 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees elaborates on Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which provides that â€Å"Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.† The Convention was the first in a series of treaties which turned the ideals of the Declaration into legally binding obligations. The language of the Convention is clear and compelling, defining a refugee as someone with a ‘well founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.† Refugee: The term ‘refugee’ is a term of art, that is, a term with a continent verifiable according to principles of general international law. In the legal sense, the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951, whose scope of applicability was extended by the Protocol Relating to the status of Refugees, 1967, is the most important document on the definition of Refugee. According to Article 1 (a) (2) of the Convention, the term ‘refugee’ shall apply to any person who, owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country, Such refugees are usually mentioned as convention refugees (Malik, Tuhin, 1998). According to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees 1951, and Statute of the Office of the UNHCR 1950 a person shall cease to be a refugee if; 1) He has voluntarily re-availed himself of the protection of the country of his nationality; 2) Having lost his nationality he has voluntarily re0acquired it; 3) He has acquired a new nationality, and enjoys the protection of the country of his new nationality; 4) He has voluntarily re-established himself in the country which he left or outside which he remained owing to fear of persecution. 5) He can no longer, because the circumstances in connection with which he has been recognized as a refugee have ceased to exist, continue to refuse to avail himself of the protection of the country of his nationality. The case of the Biharis comes under clause (III), for firstly many of them migrated to East Pakistan in 1947 using their option for Pakistan and secondly they were full-fledged citizens of Pakistan after 1951; But the UNHCR doesn`t recognize them as refugee. Therefore, they were deprived of the benefits and opportunities extended to the refugees by the UNHCR. As a consequence, the stranded Biharis in Bangladesh faced multiple problems. Geneva Camp: After the partition of India and Pakistan the Indian Muslims were entering into Pakistan. Some went to West Pakistan and some went to East Pakistan (Bangladesh). Then about 8 million refugees came here from India and Bihari were 2 million in number. After the liberation war of 1971 they lost their houses. On 10 March, 1971 the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said addressing to nation, â€Å"Non-Bengali who live in Bangladesh are the son of this soil. Our supreme responsibility is to save the life and the property of all citizens whether he is Bengali or Non-Bengali.† The act of January1, 1972 by the government order no.1 and the act of February 28, 1972 made extreme damage to them. They become helpless and shelter less. At that time International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC) came forward and made several camps in different places and brought them in camps for their safety. With this perspective the ICRC s the biggest camp ‘New Geneva Colony’ locally known as ‘Geneva Camp’ was formed at Mohammadpur in Dhaka. Since then a new movement of Bihari’s life starts without having fundamentals rights. The house given to each family by Red Cross was only 8 feet in wide and 8 feet in length. More than 25000 people started living in just only 44000 square feet area. Human Security: According to UNDP (1994) report, there are seven specific values of human security, such as economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, and political security. Economic security refers to an individual’s enjoyment of a basic income, either through gainful employment or from a social safety net. Food security refers to an individual’s access to food via his or her assets, employment, or income. Health security refers to an individual’s freedom from various diseases and debilitating illnesses and his or her access to health care. Environmental security refers to the integrity of land, air, and water, which make human habitation possible. Personal security refers to an individual’s freedom from crime and violence, especially women and children who are more vulnerable. Community security refers to cultural dignity and to inter-community peace within which an individual lives and grows. Finally, political security refers to protection against human rights violations. The Bihari community in Bangladesh is deprived of all the above-mentioned seven specific values. 1.7 Limitations of the Study : As this research is a part of academic course so the sample size was small. Therefore, generalization of the findings is not logical. The research is confined only to Geneva Camp due to financial and time constraints. Better information can be achieved if the research could be conducted in other camps too. Due to internal clashes in these camps, the investigators may encounter some difficulties while interviewing. Non cooperation from the respondents was another problem that the researcher had to suffer most during the period of data collection. I was not behaved cordially and cooperation was not offered from the respondents as they were tired of answering such types of interviews on several occasions. Hearing the fact that the study will solely meet up the academic purposes, they were much unwilling to respondent deliberately.

The Famous Poll at Jodys Bar essays

The Famous Poll at Jodys Bar essays The theme of the story, The Famous Poll at Jodys Bar, is the different mindset about the relationship of man and woman. There come two couples, Nora Jane and Sandy; Prescott and Emily Anne. Nora Jane met Sandy at a record shop where she worked and fell in love with him at the first sight. Sandy was her dream man who was like Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid. The author describes Sandy as a handsome and attractive thief by using the Sundance Kid. After 14 months of living together without a marriage, Sandy left her saying that he would call her again when he settled which was a lie. He just left her in an indifferent way when he earned enough money robbing with her. He didnt value the relationship as much as she did. However, Nora Jane devoted her life to meet and hold the relationship with him. It says, To the source of all water. It means that Sandy was a reason for living for her. The other couple, Prescott and Emily Anne, also lived together for years without getting married. Even though Prescott didnt care about her much, Emily Anne continued the relationship with him. Two couples in the story describe the reality of men and womens view about love and relationship so well. Men dont consider a relationship with women and a marriage as much as women do. Whereas, women value every relationship with men importantly, and they are ready to devote their lives for their love. The description about a marriage by Prescott was very realistic and fun but disappointed that there are some men who think a marriage so miserably and negatively. The author used the third point of view in the story to be objective about two different views about love. Therefore, the story is not biased to either side. The author used several similes and exaggeration, which created strong images about characters and their thoughts. The story was the comparison of two different min...

How Much Advice Should You Give Away For Free With Matt Snodgrass

How Much Advice Should You Give Away For Free With Matt Snodgrass How much should you give away for free? Should you solve every problem for your audience, even when they do not buy your product or service? Determining how much content to give out for free can be challenging. Whether it is free or fee-based, make sure your content is valuable and helpful to users. Today, we’re talking to Matt Snodgrass, Director of Marketing at MarketingProfs which is all about learning. Whether it is for blogs, podcasts, or seminars, learn how to attract amazingly talented subject matter experts (SMEs) that contribute content to your business. Discover how to plan themes and content months in advance. Join us for a pack of actionable takeaways! Some of the highlights of the show include: When it comes to marketing, you may play many roles and do a little bit of everything. MarketingProfs focus on various types of content because people respond differently to types of content, depending on whether they prefer to read, watch, or listen to content. Developing a process for prioritizing content to educate others and identifying SMEs/potential influencers and topics you need to focus on to guide your business. Make different types of content available on-demand. Let the users learn on their schedule. Compile a backlog of content, so you can tailor and customize it to some degree. For example, you can have one month focus on one topic, and then the next month, focus on a different topic. MarketingProfs’ product is content. Courses, Webinars, seminars everything the company does revolves around content. It can be difficult to determine how much content to give away for free. MarketingProfs’ Website contains mostly free content. But for a fee, users can subscribe to additional in-depth content. Avoid junk by making sure the content you offer has value. Convey the principles of good marketing. Learn how to become an authority for your niche by not being afraid. Let go of worrying that people do not care about what you have to say. Powered by PodcastMotor Actionable Content Marketing powered by By AMP073: Matt Snodgrass How Much Advice Should You Give Away For Free? With Matt Snodgrass From MarketingProfs 00:00/00:00 1x 100 > Download file Subscribe on iTunes Leave Review Share Links:   HubSpot   iTunes review and email to podcast@.com If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Matt: â€Å"Our goal here is to help people learn and, in the end, to create smarter marketers.† â€Å"We know that for each person, there’s going to be a different way of learning that works best for them.† â€Å"We believe in our heart of hearts that learning is transformative. We know learning can change lives. Honestly, learning has the power to change the world.† â€Å"Learning really can change you as a marketer, can change your role in your company, can change you as a person.†

Natural Language - Definition and Examples

Natural Language s A natural language is a human language, such as English or Standard Mandarin, as opposed to a  constructed language, an artificial language, a machine language, or the language of formal logic. Also called  ordinary language. The theory of universal grammar proposes that all natural languages have certain underlying rules that shape and limit the structure of the specific grammar for any given language.Natural language processing (also known as computational linguistics) is the scientific study of language from a computational perspective, with a focus on the interactions between natural (human) languages and computers. Observations The term natural language is used in opposition to the terms formal language and artificial language, but the important difference is that natural languages are not actually constructed as artificial languages and they do not actually appear as formal languages. But they are considered and studied as though they were formal languages in principle. Behind the complex and the seemingly chaotic surface of natural languages there areaccording to this way of thinkingrules and principles that determine their constitution and functions. . . .(Sà ¶ren Stenlund, Language and Philosophical Problems. Routledge, 1990)Essential Concepts- All languages are systematic. They are governed by a set of interrelated systems that include phonology, graphics (usually), morphology, syntax, lexicon, and semantics.- All natural languages are conventional and arbitrary. They obey rules, such as assigning a particular word to a particular thing or concept. But there is no reason that this particular word was originally assigned to this particular thing or concept.- All natural languages are redundant, meaning that the information in a sentence is signaled in more than one way.- All natural languages change. There are various ways a language can change and various reasons for this change.(C. M. Millward and Mary Hayes, A Biography of the English Language, 3rd ed. Wadsworth, 2011) Creativity and EfficiencyThe apparent fact that the number of utterances in  a natural language is  unbounded is one of its more widely remarked upon properties and a core tenet of modern linguistic theory. The classic argument for creativity uses the idea that one can continually add further adjuncts to sentences to establish that there can be no longest sentence and therefore no finite number of sentences (see Chomsky, 1957). . . .This conventional argument for the creativity of natural language is overly strained: who has actually heard a 500-word sentence? In contrast, anyone who studies [natural language] generation has available a far more reasonable and commonsense account of creativity, namely that one continually uses new utterances because one is continually faced with new situations . . .. The counterbalance to creativity is the efficiency of language (Barwise Perry, 1983): the fact that many utterances do reoccur countless times (e.g., Where did you go for dinner las t night?).(David D. McDonald, et al., Factors Contributing to Efficiency in Natural Language Generation.  Natural Language Generation, ed. by  Gerard Kempen. Kluwer, 1987) Natural ImprecisionNatural language is the embodiment of human cognition and human intelligence. It is very evident that natural language includes an abundance of vague and indefinite phrases and statements that correspond to imprecision in the underlying cognitive concepts. Terms such as tall, short, hot, and well are extremely difficult to translate into knowledge representation, as required for the reasoning systems under discussion. Without such precision, symbolic manipulation within the computer is bleak, to say the least. However, without the richness of meaning inherent in such phrases, human communication would be severely limited, and it is therefore incumbent on us (to attempt) to include such facility within reasoning systems . . ..(Jay Friedenberg and Gordon Silverman, Cognitive Science: An Introduction to the Study of Mind. SAGE, 2006) See also CommunicationWhat Is Language?

SLICK SALES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SLICK SALES - Essay Example This paper will provide a theoretical analysis of three different centers that designed according to three different theories of justice. The first center that will be examined will be structured according to the Utilitarian theory of justice. Thus, this model fits the Utilitarian theory of justice in the following way: it provides opportunity to earn a lot to those who are able to benefit from it the most and it also advocated the necessity to take care of the staff in general. With this in mind, it is important to note that health insurance benefits will be provided for all employees since according to the Utilitarian concept, social welfare should be seen as a moral policy that should be implemented (Shaw, 2013). The Libertarian theory of justice advocated the notion that people should be held responsible for their success and failure, so the government or the company should not interfere into their affairs and only make sure that the conventional rules are not broken. According to the theory of Egalitarianism, every person should be treated equally and without any differences, regardless of one’s talent and ability. In spite of the fact that at first this seems as a perfect model, the number of people who are not satisfied with it will be at least two thirds. Indeed, those employees who will generate the money will be paid as much as those who will generate nothing. Since the model of payment should be regarded as the characteristic feature of each, it may be logical to analyze it first. Thus, the model that will be used in this center combined Reduced Flat Rate and Small Commission. As one can easily seen from the very name of it, the financial funds will be distributed in the following manner: all employees will receive a certain moderate amount of money, but they will also be able to increase with the help of bonuses. It should not come as a surprise that the Libertarian center will be organized in a completely different way.

Governing the Uk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Governing the Uk - Essay Example Political power has been devolved to new ranks of government, the judiciary has been mandated to review the government actions with a lot of powers, introduction of new systems of electing representatives have been devised, second chamber membership has been reorganized, authority over monetary control has been delegated to an independent body, access to formal information has been slackened and the way political parties are being funded has been reviewed. There are some consequences that have been observed as a result of these reforms on Britain’s political structure, though they endure silence regarding their impacts. Some are devoted to impacts of reforms, but pay attention to individual bodies or institutions, instead of looking at the impacts of several reforms realized jointly. Even though these tremendous changes have been witnessed, there are several reforms that need to be tackled due to everyday emergence of new political shifts. This stands to be the right time to a sk some questions regarding institutions and policies that need changes to sustain development in the United Kingdom for the next reasonable century. This latter will try to outline some few changes needed in some institutions to foster growth. The United Kingdom has several structural flaws, witnessed in years of insufficient durable skills investment, innovation and infrastructure. Investment failure is firmly grounded as a result of inability to acquire even planning, tactical vision and partisan consensus on the required policy outline to support development and growth. Radical changes are needed especially in the parliamentary sectors. Britain parliament has always been mandated to oversee most of infrastructural developments geared towards Britain realizing its economic development. At the same time, Parliament also steers infrastructural development in Africa especially to African countries who are members of the European Union. According to parliamentary reports, economic in frastructure responsible for water, communications transport and power is the main engine to kick out poverty. It supports economic development and significant economic growth. Accessing necessary infrastructure still remains a challenge with a reasonable number of Africans still in dire need for these infrastructures. United Kingdom government through its parliament spend billions of dollars in funding these developments of which is appropriate since Africa is also a major business partner; the question procedures involved in undertaking these transactions. It is not breaking news to hear of funds embezzlement set for such projects, this triggers a lot of question in a common citizen’s mind on how tax pay is being spent. The parliament has been awarded power to oversee these projects but they still do face a lot of challenges. For parliament to realize effective outcome, one of my major recommendations is the formation of an infrastructure commission and board management. Th is board’s strategy is to give independent skilled intelligence to parliament to aid it in prioritizing infrastructure development. Stronger support can be fostered through the infrastructure management commission whose mandate would be to ensure implementations of these priorities. At the same time the commission should have authority to share these benefits with those who stand a chance of losing from these

Leadership Self-Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership Self-Assessment - Essay Example Of importance to me has been to find time after reading for reflection. This way, I am able to gain insights and understanding to what I have read. However, I still face limitations in certain crucial areas. I seem to be more focused on developing relationships; seeking to please my followers at the expense of exuding the legitimate power and authority of being a leader. My leadership style would best fit the style approach of the 1940s as documented by Buchbinder and Shanks (2012). Therefore, I would have to work on the use of leadership legitimate power to influence action on my followers. This would be crucial for leading followers to delivering organisational goals without being compromised. Different situations would call for different strategies. This, perhaps, follows the situational theory documented by Rubino et al. (2014) which postulates that leaders adopt different styles for different situations. I do not evade from responsibility and would accept the consequences of my action. Where I lack knowledge, I always consult other sources, accepting ideas from others. In case of undesirable situations, my guide would be to seek the necessary change to realize the desired outcomes. However, there are crucial circumstances when I seek to hide behind vocabularies. Such are the times when I am faced with a need to immediately respond to certain concerns whereas I do not have ready response. By using complex vocabularies, I leave my audience perplexed and get away with the issue. Just as in other organisations, conflicts are also bound to occur in healthcare. As a leader, it would be important to appreciate the argument by Rigolosi (2013) that conflict resolution has no single static approach. Even so, I appreciate that as a leader, I am compromising, accommodating and avoiding, key aspects of conflict resolution cited by the scholar. I take responsibility for my actions and would always be open to ideas from other people.

Relevant Information for Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Relevant Information for Decision Making - Essay Example packing with this eventual end in mind would be something that the company would be losing money on in the short run; yet something that it was willing to doing order to both see to the needs of the environment as well as engage the customer with the idea that it was a primary focus of the brand to seek to develop a degree of sustainability. Naturally, as with any key decision, relevant and non-relevant costs both factors into such an implementation. As such, this brief analysis will consider the relevant and non-relevant costs associated with management’s decision with regards to aforementioned issue. The change mechanism which will be discussed herein took place over a period of two weeks during the beginning of September 2012. Of course the relevant costs associated with such a change will necessarily be those associated with the differential between the cost of continuing to provide the old form of packaging as opposed to the new. With respect to this differential, as has been noted, it will be more expensive for the firm to engage in the new form of packaging due to the fact that it will require new and emergent technology to be utilized in seeking to reduce the overall amount of waste generated as well as seeking to ensure that the waste that is generated is both photosynthetically degradable as well as biodegradable in enhanced ways. Similarly, the key non-relevant cost associated with this decision is the manner and degree to which the customer will readily embrace the new packaging and/or find themselves unhappy with the changes that have been wrought. This concern is of course highly relevant and important in an industry that is oftentimes subject to the dissatisfaction of consumers based on no other rational than a key component of expected value that they have grown accustomed to has changed or is slightly differentiated than before (Argawal et al 2011). Implementing such a change was not especially difficult from the employee approach as

The Tutankhamens Curse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Tutankhamens Curse - Essay Example Numerous scholars became interested in this case and started searching for rational explanation of the phenomenon. And here, too, various theories have emerged. One of the most likely theories suggested by many scientists as a result of scrutinous researches is that the key role in deaths was played by the environment of the burial chamber that actually affected health of those who entered the newly unlocked tomb. This theory originates in the first half of the 20th century when it was also supported by Sir Arthur Conan Dole who considered the fungi to have been put into the tomb deliberately to punish robbers. In 1986, Dr. Caroline Stenger-Phillip suggested that it was an ancient mould existing in the tomb. Modern researches prove that there are indeed specimens of pathogenic moulds and bacteria that can cause allergic reactions varying from congestion to bleeding in lungs. An Egyptologist from Philadelphia, food placed into the tombs intended for afterlife, could have attracted ins ects, moulds and bacteria. On the other hand, this theory has its flaws as if all entering the tomb were exposed to the deadly fungi, they probably would have died much sooner that many months and years later. The theory that appears to be more plausible was offered by Mark Nelson in 2002 and involves statistical methods as a basis for the explanation. According to the theory, average life expectancy of those members of the expedition who were exposed to the curse and those who were not differs little.

Relevant Information for Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Relevant Information for Decision Making - Essay Example packing with this eventual end in mind would be something that the company would be losing money on in the short run; yet something that it was willing to doing order to both see to the needs of the environment as well as engage the customer with the idea that it was a primary focus of the brand to seek to develop a degree of sustainability. Naturally, as with any key decision, relevant and non-relevant costs both factors into such an implementation. As such, this brief analysis will consider the relevant and non-relevant costs associated with management’s decision with regards to aforementioned issue. The change mechanism which will be discussed herein took place over a period of two weeks during the beginning of September 2012. Of course the relevant costs associated with such a change will necessarily be those associated with the differential between the cost of continuing to provide the old form of packaging as opposed to the new. With respect to this differential, as has been noted, it will be more expensive for the firm to engage in the new form of packaging due to the fact that it will require new and emergent technology to be utilized in seeking to reduce the overall amount of waste generated as well as seeking to ensure that the waste that is generated is both photosynthetically degradable as well as biodegradable in enhanced ways. Similarly, the key non-relevant cost associated with this decision is the manner and degree to which the customer will readily embrace the new packaging and/or find themselves unhappy with the changes that have been wrought. This concern is of course highly relevant and important in an industry that is oftentimes subject to the dissatisfaction of consumers based on no other rational than a key component of expected value that they have grown accustomed to has changed or is slightly differentiated than before (Argawal et al 2011). Implementing such a change was not especially difficult from the employee approach as

Country with High Mortality Rates- Angola Term Paper

Country with High Mortality Rates- Angola - Term Paper Example Location/geography It has an area of 481,321 square miles making it the twenty-third largest country in the world. It lies between latitudes 4 degrees and 18 degrees south and longitudes 12 degrees and 24 degrees east (Staeger, 2012). It gets bordered by Democratic Republic of Congo on the North, Zambia on the east and to the south is Namibia. The country’s west coast lies on the Atlantic Ocean and capital and largest city is Luanda. The country has experienced an intense civil war which lasted for close to 40 years. The country’s official language is Portuguese but it has various recognized national languages; Kikongo, Chokwe, Umbundu, Ganguela and Kwanyama (Staeger, 2012). Population Population in Angola gets estimated to be around 18,056,072 as of July 2012 (Staeger, 2012). 37% of the population consists of the Ovimbundu tribe, 25% the Ambundu, 13% bakongo and 32% the other ethnic groups including Asians and Europeans (Staeger, 2012). As at the end of 2007, Angola ha d an estimated population of 12,100 refugees and in 2008 it is estimated 400,000 had moved to Angola as migrant workers from Congo (Staeger, 2012). Statistics also shows that there are 30,000 Portuguese and more than 259,000 Chinese people in Angola. The fertility rate of Angola according to the 2012 estimates is 5.5 making it the eleventh highest in the world. The Angolan population grows by 2.2% annually as there are 44.5 births and 24.8 deaths in every one thousand citizens (Staeger, 2012). The infant mortality rate is 184 deaths in every one thousand live births and their life expectancy is 37.63 years (Staeger, 2012). Government Angola’s government is based on the constitution that got amended and passed in 2010 (Staeger, 2012). They have the executive branch which gets headed by the president who serves as both the head of state and the government. The president is the commander in chief of the armed forces. One gets to become the president only if he or she receives th e majority votes in the national assembly and they are allowed to serve for a maximum of two five year terms. The country has a unicameral National Assembly which has two hundred and twenty elected members (Staeger, 2012). The country is administratively divided into eighteen provinces each headed by a governor who in turn answer to the president. The National assembly is responsible for making and amending the constitution. The country enjoys a nominally multi party democracy after intense civil war between individual leaders who wanted to have absolute power. The executive is made up of the president and a council of ministers since the position of the prime minister was abolished (Staeger, 2012). The council of ministers entails all ministers and assistant ministers who regulate policy issues. Their constitution has broad outlines which define the government structure and also protect the rights of the citizens and at the same time it outlines the duties of the citizens (Staeger, 2012). Their legal system is mainly based on the Portuguese and customary law making it to be fragmented and weak. The Supreme Court acts as the appellate tribunal. The country has no court with judicial review powers despite the statutory authorization by the constitution. Economy The countries financial operation and system gets regulated by the National Bank of Angola. The country is rich in diamonds, gold, copper, oil and wildlife which significantly boost the economy of the country (Staeger, 2012).

Computer History and Development Essay Example for Free

Computer History and Development Essay The dictionary defines a computer as an electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program. Primarily created to compute; however, modern day computers do much more today: supermarket scanners calculate consumers groceries bill, while keeping track of store inventory; computerized telephone switching centers play traffic cop to millions of calls, keeping lines of communication untangled; and automatic teller machines let’s banking transactions to be conducted from virtually anywhere in the world. Technology has been around for a centuries; growing rapidly year by year. One of the most important items Technology has produced is computers. The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer also known as ENIAC was regarded as the first general purpose electronic computer. What came before the ENIAC; well, there is the abacas which some consider the first computer. Created over 5000 years ago in Asia and is still in use today. Using a system of sliding beads arranged on a rack, users are allowed to make computations. In early times, the abaca was used to keep trading transactions; until, this became obsolete with the introduction of pencil and paper. Within the next twelve centuries emerged a significant advancement in computer technology. The year was 1642, when Blaise Pascal, the 18 year-old son of a French tax collector, invented the numerical wheel calculator, also known as the â€Å"Pascaline. † Pascaline was a brass rectangular box that used eight movable dials to add sums up to eight figures long. This device was great and became popular in Europe; the only drawback was the limits to addition (Pascals calculator, 2010, para. ). Another event that epitomizes the Pascaline machine came from an inventor by the name of Gottfried Wilhem von Leibniz; a German mathematician and philosopher in the 1600’s. Gottfried Wilhem von Leibniz added to Pascline by creating a machine that could also multiply. Like its predecessor, Leibnizs mechanical multiplier worked by a system of gears and dials. Original notes and drawings from the Pascline machine were used to help refine his machine. The core of the machine was its stepped-drum gear design. However, mechanical calculators did not gain widespread use until the early 1800’s. Shortly after, a Frenchman, Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar invented a machine that could perform the four basic arithmetic functions. The arithometer, Colmars mechanical calculator, presented a more practical approach to computing because it could add, subtract, multiply and divide. The arithometer was widely used up until the First World War. Although later inventors refined Colmars calculator, together with fellow inventors Pascal and Leibniz, he helped define the age of mechanical computation. The real beginnings of computers that we use today came in the late 1700’s, thanks to Charles Babbage with the invention of the Analytical Engine. Babbage machine was a steam powered machine; although, it was never constructed it outlined basic elements of a modern general computer. Several more inventors added to machines that were out in the late 1800’s to help pave the way for the first generation of computers (1945-1956) (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 4). Wars had a great deal in the advancement of modern computers; the Second World War governments sought out to develop computers to exploit potential strategic importance. Therefore, in 1941 a German engineer Konrad Zuse had developed the Z3. The Z3 was created to design airplanes and missiles (Computer History Museum Timeline of Computer History, 2010, para. 3). Another computer that was created for war times was the ENIAC, first commissioned for the use in World War II, but not completed until one year after the war had ended. It was installed at the University of Pennsylvania, with a partnership alongside the U. S. government, its 40 separate eight-foot-high racks and 18,000 vacuum tubes were intended to help calculate ballistic trajectories. There was also 70,000 resistors and more than 4 million soldered joints; truly a massive piece of machinery that consumed around 160 kilowatts of electrical power. This is enough energy to dim the lights in an entire section of Philadelphia. This computer was a major development with speeds 1000 times faster than the current Mark I. For the next 40 years John von Neumann along with the University of Pennsylvania team kept on initiating new concepts into the computer design. With the combined genius of all the personnel they continued with new products such as the central processing unit (CPU) and also the UNIVAC. The Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC) became one of the first commercially available computers to take advantage of the CPU. This helped out the U. S. Census bureau. First generation computers were characterized by the fact that operating instructions were made-to-order for the specific task for which the computers were to be used. Computers had different binary-coded program called a machine language that told it how to operate. This made the computer difficult to program and limited its versatility and speed. Other distinctive features of first generation computers were the use of vacuum tubes, which were known for their breathtaking size, and magnetic drums for data storage (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 10). The second generation of computers, from 1956-1963, began the age of smaller computers. With the invention of the transistor in 1948, bulky vacuum tube in televisions, radios and computers were all replaced. The transistor became available in a working computer in 1956, and the size of computers has been shrinking ever since (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 13). Along with smaller computers the transistors paved the way for faster, more reliable and more energy-efficient products; thanks in part to the advances made to the magnetic-core memory. The first to take advantage of this new found technology was the early supercomputer, from IBM and LARC. These supercomputers were in demand by atomic scientist because the enormous amount of data that these computers could handle. By 1965, most big business processed financial information using second generation computers. With the second generation computer came new career opportunities such as programmer, analyst, and computer systems expert. Although, transistors was and improvement over the vacuum tube, they still generated a lot of heat, which damaged sensitive internal parts of the computer; the quartz rock eliminated this problem (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 16). Third generation computers (1964-1971) began with Engineer Jack Kilby, with Texas Instruments, developing the IC (Integrated Circuit) in the mid 1900’s. The IC combined three components onto a small silicon disc, which was mad from the quartz. Later on scientist were able to fit even more electronic components onto a single chip, called a semiconductor. As a result, computers became smaller as more components were fitted on these chips. The third generation computer gave birth to the operating system. This allowed machines to run different programs all at once with a central program that coordinated and monitored the computer’s memory (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 16). With the fourth generation of computer’s (1971-2000) only thing to do was to go down in size. There were three major chips that helped with computer downsizing the LSI, VLSI, and ULSI. Large scale integration (LSI) could fit hundreds of components onto one chip. Very large integration (VLSI) could fit hundreds of thousands of components onto one chip. Ultra-large scale integration (ULSI) could fit millions of components onto chips (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 17). The size and prices of computers went down due to the fact, that so much was able to be put into an a area about half the size of a U. S. dime. Intel, which was founded in 1968, developed the Intel 4004 chip in 1971, which would become standard in everyday house hold items such as microwaves, television sets and automobiles. With such condensed power allowed for a new market, everyday people. Computers were no longer just developed exclusively for large business or government contracts. It was the late 1900’s, when computer manufacturers sought to bring computers to a more general consumer. These smaller and sleek computers came with a more user-friendly software packages such as word processing and spreadsheet programs. Early company who took advantage of selling these more user friendly computers was Commodore, Radio Shack, and Apple Computers. In 1981, IBM launched its personal computer for multi-purpose use in the home, office, and schools. IBM made the personal computer even more affordable and the numbers increased rapidly within the next year. Personal computer usage more than doubled, going from 2 million in 1981 to 5. 5 million in 1982. Fast forward 10 years later, there are 65 million PC’s owned by general consumers. With the introduction of Human Computer Interface (HCI), users could now control the screen cursor using a mouse mimicking one hands movement instead of typing every instruction. Smaller computers became more powerful, especially in the workplace, were they could be linked together to share memory space, software, and communicate with each other. This was achieved using telephone lines or direct wiring called a Local Area Network (LAN) (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 20). The fifth generation of computers (Present and Beyond) is a generation that is in the works of some great advancements in computer technology with the utilization of computer chips. One of the major components of a computer is the chip; these are conducted of semiconductor materials and semiconductors that eventually wear out. A semiconductor is a material that is typically made of silicon and germanium; both of them are neither a good conductor of electricity nor a good insulator. These materials are then fixed to create an excess or lack of electrons (Semiconductor, 2010, para. 2). Integrated circuits grow old and die or are discontinued. This process can happen in many ways; modern chips as used in computers have millions of transistors printed on a small chip of silicon no bigger than a fingernail. Each microscopically transistor is connected to the others, on the surface of the chip, with even smaller aluminum or copper wires. Over the years, the thermal stress of turning the computer on and off can cause tiny cracks in the wires. As the computer warms up the wires can part and cause the computer to stop working. Even a few seconds of off-time can cool the system enough to allow the wires to re-connect, so your computer may work just fine for a few minutes, or hours, then after it warms up, it may fail, letting it cool off can bring it back to life for a few minutes or more (Computer Freezes and Crashes, 2010, para. 16). Of course, some chips are much more inclined to failure than others. The competition tries to gain an advantage on the market by building cheaper or faster chips; cheaper and faster means hotter and shorter-lived parts. Better quality equals higher prices; when the price goes up and nobody buys the products. Low quality products die of old age too early and they get a bad names, this causes products to not be sold. Most modern computers are constructed from the cheapest parts available. With this information being known, Intel, one of the best chip manufactures, designs their parts to be very vigorous and endure heat and malfunction. Intel was founded on July 18, 968, as Integrated Electronics Corporation. Intel Corporation is a worldwide semiconductor chip maker corporation based in Santa Clara, California, and is the worlds largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. They invented the series x86 microprocessors; these processors are found in most personal computers (Intel, 2010, para. 20). Intel along with other competing companies is predicting no more mouse or keyboards by 2020. Right now with Intel-developed sensor and brain waves scientist are hoping they can find ways to harness brain waves to operate computers. This all would be done of course with consumer’s permission. Scientists believe that consumers would want the freedom gained by using the implant. The idea may be far-fetched now but 20 years ago tell a person that it would become almost necessary to carry a computer around; that idea would have been rebutted. Look around now, people cannot leave a computer or computer device home or even in a vehicle without feeling like something is missing, an almost naked feeling. Scientists believe that consumers will grow tired of dependence of computer interface. Whether it’s fishing out accessories or even just using the hands to interact, Scientists think consumers would prefer to manipulate various devices with their brains. Currently a research team from Intel is working on decoding human brain activity. The team has used Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI), these are machines that determine blood flow changes in certain areas of the brain based on what word or image the consumer is thinking of. This idea sounds farfetched but almost two years ago, scientist in the U. S. and japan announced that a monkey’s brain was used to control a humanoid robot. Scientist and the Intel team are currently working on getting to a point where it is possible to mentally type words by thinking about letters (Intel Chips in brains will control computers by 2020, 2010, para. 4). The story of the computer is amazing; to see how far technology has come is almost unreal. Evolving from the first computer the ENAIC, a huge machine that had thousands of tubes everywhere; computers are now small enough to be placed in a brief case for on the go use. Furthermore, with the everyday advancement of technology it won’t be long before farfetched ideas become a reality.

Learning Through Games

Learning Through Games Learning through Games Every parent and teacher out there can attest to the fact that no matter how smart a child is getting them to study is quite a difficult task, simply because of all the distractions out there. So why not take one major distraction – video games and put it to good use? There are so many good educational tools available many of them cleverly disguised as games. The kids and some adults too will get captivated by the storyline and learn tons along the way. Here are a few of the best ones covering topics like Physics, Engineering, Art and English. Ogre Academy Math Ogre Academy Math is an educational game created to enhance the basic math skills in children. This game caters to a slightly younger audience of ages 5-6 years by default, but can be customized to appeal to those at a higher grade level as well. The game takes place in an ogre filled classroom part of a player avatar’s dream. The player is given a series of questions in the form of math problems that he must solve. Most of these problems are simplistic but the difficulty increases as you go on. They can be addition, subtraction or counting problems. With each correct answer you get a candy bar which is used to feed the ogres. While some students may object to having to give away the candy, it is used to keep the ogres at bay so it must be done. After ten or more wrong answers the candy deprived ogres come and carry the avatar away from their bedroom. Ogre Academy Math promotes quick thinking and the flexibility to switch between different types for questions. Players have to think strategically and learn when and how to use shortcuts like rounding off since they do not have pen and paper at hand and have to rely on quick thinking. Ogre Academy Math will have special appeal to teachers as they can use it to create unique lesson plans. They can customize the problems for any grade level. The kids will enjoy doing something different and will learn tons in the process. As an added bonus the teachers receive detailed reports on the children’s progress as they go along. Platform: iOS Keep the ogres at bay by feeding them treats Kerbal Space Program The Kerbal Space Program is a PC based game that emulates a space flight simulator. Basically you can build virtual rocket ships and blast them off the planet. Gameplay takes place on a planet called Kerbin, home to little green humanoids called Kerbals. These comical little characters build very good spacecraft parts. It is up to the player to construct and assemble the components into rockets or spacecrafts in the most efficient way possible. There is a lot of physics involved in building the rocket ship. If not constructed properly it could fall off the launch pad while taking off or explode mid flight. After building a good spacecraft you have to learn to achieve orbit and then finally land your spacecraft on other planets. There are three game modes – Sandbox Mode, Science Mode and Career mode. As you can imagine the difficulty increases with each of them. In the Sandbox Mode players learn the basics. Players can pick any of inventory and building mistakes are forgiven. In the science mode part picking is restricted. You have to complete scientific experiments on Kerbin and other parts of the solar system before you can unlock them. Career mode adds funds reputation and contracts. Players have to complete contracts so that they can earn money to pay for the parts. Contracts can include tasks like testing rocket parts under certain conditions or exploring places and reporting back. Historical spacecrafts like the Apollo Program or the Mars Rover can be recreated. Children with an aptitude for physics and an interest in aerospace will find this a very enriching learning experience. Platform: PC Build and launch rockets using the kerbal space program Amazing Alex Amazing Alex was created by the developers of angry birds Rovio Entertainment, and is a physics-based puzzle game. Alex is a curious boy who likes to build things with household objects. Players are given goals to complete and supplies they can use to achieve these goals. Players have to create chain reactions which are simply sequences of events that achieve the goals. For example you can set off a line of dominoes which will push a ball off a ledge into a basket below. Stars are scattered all over the place and your event sequence should try and pass through them for a higher score. The nice thing about the game is that it uses household and play objects that children are already familiar with. These objects react realistically with one another. Kids learn short term planning by adjusting to changing conditions and requirements. It puts their planning, flexibility and focus skills to work. They can even create and share their own puzzles for others to solve. There are over a hundred levels spread across four locations. You start off in ‘The Classroom’, and then move onto ‘The Backyard’, ‘Alex’s Bedroom’ and finally ‘The Tree House’ depending on the stars collected in the previous levels. The graphics are high quality, fun and engaging. Kids can try recreating the challenges in the real world using Legos and building kits. They can then compare how actual physics works as compared to the gameplay and what additional factors contribute to making things tick. Amazing Alex is often used to help children with ADHD gain focus. Following directions and planning ahead are tasks that these kids have difficulty with. Amazing Alex helps them focus and plan strategies in a fun way which they respond to much better than regular classroom activities. They get a hands-on introduction into physics concepts like inertia, gravity and friction. Platform: Android,iOS Help Alex create chain reactions with these objects QuizUp QuizUp is for the slightly older kids. It is a fun filled trivia game based on the popular board game Trivial Pursuit. It has over 250 categories and is highly competitive. Players are matched with other players from across the world. Each quiz is exactly 7 questions long, each lasting 10 seconds. This is long enough and short enough so that no one gets bored, and those with sketchy internet connections don’t have to forfeit midway. You can play as many categories as you like and the more you play the higher your skill level in that category goes. QuizUp is fantastic for learning time management and general knowledge. Sometimes questions repeat which helps you commit them to memory. Children can opt for challenging categories such as Math and English and then take a break and do a fun quiz like a Harry Potter themed one. It is also very exciting because you are playing with real people rather than just a computer interface. Quiz up is not only informative but also highly addictive. Kids can spend hours playing and come away with lots of new trivia facts learned and math skills mastered. Platform: Android, iOS Spoilt for choice with Quiz Up Google Art Project The Google Art Project is a collection of over 30000 works of art from collections all over the world. From Impressionist Artworks at the Art Institute of Chicago to modern artwork from the Tate at London, the Google Art Project amasses all periods of art. The high resolution images allow kids to get closer to the images and examine every detail. Each museum has nominated one piece as a ‘Gigapixel Artwork’ which means that Google has captured it using gigapixel photo capturing technology. It produces an image containing 7 billion pixels, so viewers can view the piece in microscopic detail. Be advised, kids could see violence or nudity in these pictures so it is necessary for guidance of some sort while perusing. Browsing the artwork can be done either on the webpage or by browsing through the museum in the form of a map. Some international museums that are included in the project are The National Gallery in London, The Met in New York, the Uffizi in Florence and The Hermitage in St Petersburg. Such a vast collection might be daunting at first but kids will soon enjoy exploring the museums from all over the world. It forms a kind of virtual meta-museum with many thoughtfully designed features by Google as always. The FAQ section has a video Visitor’s Guide for first time users and the site can be translated in to as many as 19 languages. There are lessons, quizzes and project ideas. Users can create their own collections and share them with friends. The Google Art Project allows children interested in art to take their first steps in art appreciation and history. They can explore museums at their own pace, stop and ask questions, compare works from museums across the world and develop their creative abilities. Platform: PC Google Art Project World of Goo World of Goo is a game kids will take an instant interest in simply because of the name. The game revolves around building large structures using balls of goo. The game is divided into multiple chapters each containing several levels. Levels come with their individual music and graphic theme keeping things interesting. To play the game the little balls of goo provided to you have to be stretched out into structures forming ladders, bridges or buildings toward strategically positioned pipes. These pipes then suck the goo and take it to the World of Goo Corporation where it is made into various products. These structures have to be built well enough to overcome gravity and some physical terrain difficulties like hills, cliffs, spikes and windmills. Different goo balls have different properties that make them unique. There is also a bonus meta-game called the ‘World of Goo Corporation’ where the challenge is to build the highest Goo Tower. The game subtly draws parallels between the World of Goo Corporation and real world companies that make similar products in an attempt to get kids thinking on modern world consumerism. Teachers can use World of Goo as a fun way of explaining geometry. There is an open sandbox mode in which teachers can set challenges and competitions. Platforms: PC, iOS, Android, WiiWare, BlackBerry, OnLive Get creative at the World of Goo SpaceChem SpaceChem is a puzzle game based on the principles of chemistry and chemical bonding. In the game you play the role of a Reactor Engineer working for a company called SpaceChem. As a Reactor Engineer you have to create circuits through which atoms and molecules flow. You do this with the help of waldos which are remote manipulators. While you don’t have to have any prior chemistry knowledge to play the game, all the reactions and chemical constructions are based on real chemical and atomic science so you will definitely learn something each time you play. Each level provides you with elements that need to be assembled and disassembled to create new chemical molecules. There are pairs of circuits along which your elements need to travel to the target output areas. Unnecessary collision of the waldos must be prevented. Initially the puzzle consists of only a single reactor but in larger puzzles the player can guide the chemicals through multiple reactors to get the final product. SpaceChem is a mental workout and an excellent puzzle game. It forces you to look at the bigger picture and get multiple tasks working at once. Platforms: PC, Android, iOS Create new elements with Space Chem Fantastic Contraption Fantastic Contraption is a Flash based game played in a web browser. The object of each level is to move the red objects into a rectangular shaped goal area. You are given different materials and a blue ‘building area’ to help you build your ‘fantastic’ contraption. You must be able to move the red objects past certain obstacles into the goal area. It takes a while to get used to the game but there is a very helpful tutorial at the beginning that smoothens out the process. There is no one correct solution. Each player can come up with his or her unique solution to the level. By creating an account the developers allow you to design your own levels or share your solutions with others. There are over 40 different built in puzzles and 16000 downloadable ones. You can play for free on the Fantastic Contraptions website or download the app for $1.99. All you need is an active imagination and some basic problem solving skills. There was a Fantastic Contraptions 2 released in 2010. Platforms: PC, iOS Build fun things with Fantastic Contraption Minecraft Minecraft is a computer, tablet and Xbox video game that has been around for ages and is still very popular by both educators and hard core gamers. It allows you to build your own world from scratch. Gameplay is mostly building and destroying structures using blocks – 3D cubes. There are different kinds of materials to be put to use like various ores, stone, dirt, water, tree trunks. Some of these materials have to be mined others are freely available. The game has three modes – survival, educational and adventure. You can play at different difficulty modes with or without the hostile creatures that threaten your creations. Minecraft has numerous educational benefits. It teaches about various subjects with or without parent/teacher involvement. While playing Minecraft players have to figure out how to best use their resources. For example for paper you require 3 units of sugarcane. This way the game also improves basic math and manipulation skills. Minecraft only uses cubes to build structures. But these structures take on different geometrical shapes like cuboids, tesseracts, square based pyramids. In this way kids get a quick lesson in 3D geometry. Setting up circuits teaches kids the basics of logic circuits. Feed back is immediate and safe. You can build switches without electrocuting yourself. You can even construct weapons to guard against attacks. By contributing to the Minecraft wiki children can learn how to write informative articles for multimedia. Most of all Minecraft promotes out of the box thinking and will give children the freedom to express themselves creatively. Setting up a server allows parents to give their children a safe environment to develop social skills and teamwork. Platforms: PC, iOS, Android, Xbox, Playstation Build 3D cities with Minecraft NASA’s Space Place NASA’s Space Place is a website developed by NASA in 1998 and is complete with interactive games, projects and facts about Earth and Space. The collection of games offered is complex and interesting each teaching you something new. The games each offer a new topic to be learnt like for example how a black hole works. The activities have detailed information on the solar system and other science topics. Kids can freely ask questions and get audio responses in return. There are instructions for at-home experiments. Space Place Prime is a spin off from NASA’s Space Place. This contains most of the educational content like articles and imagery as well as educational movies. The Space Place program has also released several mobile games mostly for iOS. These include Comet Quest and Satellite Insight. Comet Quest is a game about the Rosetta Mission. You are given a spacecraft and learn how scientists use Rosetta to explore comets. Satellite Insight has a more complex background story. You have to save the GOES-R satellite from losing any of the data it is collecting by safe guarding the data grid. Platorm: PC (web) Apps available on Android and iOS The Specatular Space Place by NASA Scribblenauts Scribblenauts is an action and puzzle video game. The objective of the game is to help the game’s hero, Maxwell collect little yellow stars called ‘Starites’. The player can summon anything just by writing its name on the screen. Scribble nauts is an example of ‘Emergent Gameplay’ which means that the difficulty changes according to the choices you make in the game. You can have infinite gaming experiences with this dynamic methodology. Kids are at their creative best using logic, language and problem solving. The tasks can be as simply as collecting a Starite from a tree or difficult like rescuing it from a bunch of bears in the forest. All you have to do is write out the tools you need. For example to get the ‘Starite’ out of the tree, write the word rope and a rope will appear. You can write the craziest things you can think of. If you think a dinosaur is going to help you write dinosaur and the game will present you with one. It’s almost like magic. Summoned objects can be weapons, animals, forces of nature or even famous people.This is because the Scribblenauts Dictionary contains over 22,000 words. As you play more your imagination grows and the solutions get more and more inventive. There are 220 levels over 10 areas each of a different theme. Scribblenauts has won two Parent’s Choice Awards and is suitable for children ages 8 and above. Scibblenauts Remix is available for iOS. Platforms: Nintendo DS Scribblenauts- Let your imagination go wild The Professor Layton Series The Professor Layton Series consists of 6 puzzle games plus a film. It is built around the adventures of two characters Professor Layton and Luke Trinton and is based in contemporary London. Each game is a series of puzzles and mysteries in towns Professor Layton and Luke visit. As part of the game you go along with them on their eventful journeys and help them solve mysteries. The puzzle solving teaches math, logic, spatial orientation and math. The storyline keeps kids thoroughly entertained and engrossed. It is aimed at kids eleven years and above. The games are divided into two trilogies. One set tells you of the Professor and Trinton’s many adventures together. The other is more about how they met and began their journey. The third part of the series, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future won a Parent’s Choice Silver Honors Award from the Parents Choice Foundation. Join Prof. Layton and Trinton on their captivating adventures