The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Essay Example

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada Paper Stared (henceforth Three Burials) is a resonant pictorial, which deliberates upon male friendship, loss, retribution, crime, and cross- border contrasts that Incidentally, are lightly mirrored by the collaboration of director Jones and screenwriter Raging. The are subtle allusions of political commentary regarding the state of Mexican labor, border patrols and the lawless abuse Mexicans face when trying to make a new life for themselves. The film brings story elements and thematic details together, as any classical climax would, while continually revealing more. The journey, both literally (to Mexico) and the metaphorical so abruptly exposed in the tagging as one to redemption is palpable throughout the picture, but the audience might fail to notice that they themselves are taken on a journey of their own on, a journey on discovering the Why to the death of our Mexican hero. The story pivots upon the accidental shooting off Mexican ranch hand, Stared by a border patrolman Norton and the subsequent actions undertaken by Stratas loyal friend Perkins following his death. The nonlinear storytelling style is deliberate as Raging Wanted the character and everyone else to be confused about hat happened (Moore, 2005) and the narratives are a fusion of flashback and aftermath. Narratives, plural, Is used because Three Burials begins as two separate narrative elements which only collaborate when Norton and Perkins make their forced acquaintance. We will write a custom essay sample on The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer One of the narratives focuses on the present whereby Pete is searching for the Who involved in Stratas death and the second the story behind Norton and his Barbie-doll, former high school darling wife bored and trapped in a dreary marriage in an even drearier town. We know of Stratas death before understanding his friendship with Perkins and the account of Stratas burials is Rosen up and replayed thrice, the first time as a tragedy, the second as a farce and the third a combination of both (Quinn, 2006). The fractured account of Stratas demise did have the brilliant effect of putting this audience into a sleepy lull but ironically enough the film redeemed Itself throughout. As mentioned above, multiple perspectives centering the shooting occurred, with each angle revealing a little more to the Invariable Why. The various perspectives highlight the grey area, which makes defining the good and bad of any human character such an impossible ask. A mans death could be a mystery, a crime, an accident. The purpose of the first forty minutes is to set up the moral meaning of the journey and two things were established: the deep, loving friendship of Stared and Perkins which must be in place to validate Perkins later compulsion for Justice and Norton as a narrow- minded, dogmatic, bigoted character who should be tortured into redemption. The lack of dialogue is balanced out by the characters actions which speak loudly, and Three Burials might have even played better with less information and a certain critic ad a sneaking suspicion that the movie would be stronger if we never saw Stared alive (The Clumsy Din of Chance, 2007). The mall actors subtly build distinctive personalities. Perkins life Is largely Inscrutable yet It becomes Increasingly evident that his actions are not those out of self-righteousness but Instead the product of an honest devotion to his foreign friend as well as a means to his own total self- Telemeter Ana Napless. When, at ten Ana AT ten movie, Taller looms Tort Pete, you think you can see him trying to hold his crumbling worldview together (The Clumsy Din of Chance, 2007). Norton who comes off as the typical uneducated, unlikable, unworldly, ignorant American surprises this audience by his easy acceptance of punishment, which was far more interesting than the crudeness and belligerence expected. Understandably, he is obstinate and difficult initially, as seen in the scenes of multiple attempted and failed escapes but his quick reception of his kidnapped status leads this audience to believe that however distasteful and repulsive Norton is, he still maintains some semblance of decency and self-respect in wanting to find the road to redemption. The secondary characters namely a diner waitress, Rachel, and Norths wife, Lou Ann, are only featured on one side of the river, in the washed- out blue, sterile small Texas town where the overall atmosphere is so oppressive and bleak that the locals can only get their amusement by sleeping with each others wives since this dead-end border town with its trailer parks and pick-up trucks and lonesome diners has nothing better to offer. Rachel, who is later revealed to be Perkins ultimate happiness and hidden reason behind such an arduous undertaking, is married to the diner owner and befriends Lou Ann who otherwise loud not be caught dead with such a woman if she were still in her longed-for Cincinnati. Of all surprises exposed is the revelation that Perkins and Stared had a double date with Rachel and Lou Ann, with both parties respectively ending up in their respective sleazy motel rooms. Although Jones and Raging does not besmirch our view of Stratas goodness with vulgar sexual scenes with his murderers wife, instead choosing to depict Stared and Lou Ann.s afternoon delight with an innocent, almost endearing dance, the irony is that regardless of what the audience sees or not, Stared did have a cheap affair with Norths wife. Although Norton never discovers his wifes transgression, can Stratas death at Norths hand be warranted? Is there a restoration of some semblance of cosmic order? The invisible hand of God is as always, omnisciently present. The extent of Pets affiliation with Rachel is mostly emphasized in the cantina scene where Perkins awaits a long- distance connection to Rachel. At this stage in his Journey, he is exhausted, fixated on his role as kidnapper, while closely acquainted with a rotting corpse, and Perkins is beginning to lose his mind. Maybe its the miscellaneous mixture of the miss-en- scene that meets with his wavelength. Further echoing Norths wavelength is the bizarre sound of a radio dial, channels fading in and out, as though his mind were an antenna tuning in to remote frequency. Several characters have accused him of being crazy by now. Next comes the phone call and Perkins asks Rachel to leave her husband and come marry him in Mexico. She had previously told Perkins she loved him. Unfortunately, she denies him: Pete you dont understand, I have to go. He hangs up the phone and lurches out of the cantina and into a little shed. He slowly unwraps the coverings from his only friend, the long rotten Stared. Our disgust with the corpse is not reflected in Perkins face however. He can only utter, muff look like hell, son, as he proceeds to comb him with a horse brush, pulling the hair clean off his head with a dull scraping sound. Defeated, he slumps back against the shed wall, resigned to utter alienation. This could be the films centerpiece, expressing the culmination of two contradictory Impulses unmannerly ten entire Tall: ten romantic promise AT ten Western fable and the material denial of its possibility (Strange, 2009). Alas, gorgeous, refreshing Mexico does not fulfill its promise to this cowboy.

Standardized Testing for Homeschoolers

Standardized Testing for Homeschoolers Nearly half of all states in the U.S. either require standardized testing for homeschoolers  or offer testing as one of the options for demonstrating academic progress. Many parents who arent required to do so utilize standardized testing to objectively assess their childrens progress. If either of those scenarios describe you,  but your child hasn’t tested before, you may be unsure what your  options are or how to get started. Your state or local homeschool support group should be able to answer most questions specific to your state or county. However, the general information and  guidelines to consider are fairly universal.   Types of Tests There are several options for standardized testing. You may want to check your state’s homeschool laws  to be sure that the  test you’re considering satisfies your state’s laws. You may also wish to compare testing options for your state. Some of the more well-known testing options include: 1. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills is a nationally standardized test for children in grades  K-12. It covers language arts, math, science, social studies, and study skills. It is a timed test that can  be administered any time during the school year, but it must be administered by someone with at least a  B.A. degree.   2. The Stanford Achievement Test is a nationally standardized test for children in grades K-12 covering language arts, math, science, social studies, and reading comprehension. It is an untimed test that must be administered by someone with at least  B.A. degree. There is now an online version that may allow in-home testing since the online source is considered the test administrator. 3. The California Achievement Test is a nationally standardized test for children in grades 2-12 that can be administered by parents and returned to the testing supplier for scoring.The CAT is a timed test that can be administered any time during the year and an online testing option is available.  Many homeschooling families prefer the CAT, an older version of the current CAT/5 test. The updated version can be used for grades K-12.   4. The Personalized Achievement Summary Survey (PASS) is a standardized test developed specifically for homeschoolers that meets the standardized testing requirements in some, but not all states. PASS is an untimed test that covers reading, language, and math for students in grades 3-12. It can be administered by parents and no degree is required. How to choose the right standardized test Just as with curriculum, scheduling, or any other aspect of homeschooling, choosing the right test for your students is very subjective. Some questions to consider are: Will your child do better with a timed or untimed test? Some kids get very stressed when using a timed test.Do you want to be able to administer the test yourself? If so, do you meet the qualification requirements for the test you’re considering?If you are not qualified to administer the test yourself, do you have a friend, relative, or homeschool contact who can administer the test for you?Does the test have restrictions or guidelines regarding testing your own children?What subjects does the test cover? Is it comprehensive enough to meet your needs?Is the test considered to be appropriately challenging for your child? Some standardized tests have a reputation for being more rigorous than others. You may want to ask around to ensure that you’re choosing a test that thoroughly assesses your child’s ability without reaching frustration level. Regardless of which  you choose, it’s often wise to  administer the same test each year in order to provide an accurate view of your child’s progress from year to year. Where to take tests There are many options for where students can be tested, though the choices may be limited by factors such as the guidelines of the particular test or  your state’s homeschool laws. Many homeschooling families prefer to administer tests themselves at home. There are several sources for ordering testing materials or taking standardized tests online. You may want to check your state homeschool support group’s website for information specific to your state. Some popular testing supply options include: Seton Testing ServicesBJU PressABeka TestingHewitt Homeschooling Some other testing location options may include: Co-op. Many homeschooling co-ops offer testing for their member families, and some open testing to non-member  homeschooling families, as well.Homeschool support groupsUmbrella or church-related schools Regardless of whether  you’re testing to fulfill your state’s homeschool  laws or  to monitor  your child’s academic progress,  these basic facts can help you choose  the standardized testing options to best  meet your family’s needs.

GIS Acquisition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

GIS Acquisition - Essay Example The main objective of implementing GIS in an organization is to construct a business case for the proposal of GIS acquisition. Network dictionary defined a geographical information system as â€Å"a computer system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced information, that is, data identified according to location. Practitioners also define a GIS as including the procedures, operating personnel, and spatial data that go into the system†. For acquiring GIS, cost, risks, benefits, and impacts associated with the GIS are calculated, in order to continue with the current data and information products. If fundamental different approaches are included in the preliminary design models, for instance, centralized systems versus distributed systems, analyzing cost benefit analysis are essential. The activities that are involved in cost benefit analysis are: Estimating all the cost Identification of all benefits Evaluation of economic value for i rrefutable profit Evaluating impact on the staff and organization Evaluating Risk Examining results The implementation cost for the GIS includes acquisition and maintenance for software, hardware, maintenance, data capture, and training. The highly qualified staff is required for management of systems, programming, support, operation of applications, and preparation for the site with all related expenses along with an acquisition cost. Discounted on the present value, recurrent cost needs to be analyzed for five years over an insignificant system life. As identified in the preliminary stages, the cost associated with software, hardware, maintenance and training cost needs to be obtained from more than two vendors. If it is achievable, than the validation of these cost will be achieved by discussions by existing agencies. Moreover, the data capture cost will be significant and vary from 10 to 1000 times from the software and hardware cost. The benefits related to efficiency are assoc iated with time and cost via robust data processing and eliminating the duplication processes. On the other hand, effectiveness benefits are linked with improvements in the decision-making processes via new data in a timely manner. Moreover, the intangible benefits consist of an advanced image of the public for the organization. The ambiguous data reduce the confusion enables superior communication between users via enhanced staff professionalism and morale, superior co-operation between the users by data sharing, capability to handle unexpected events. In addition, unanticipated applications and enhanced data analysis will provide new knowledge. The definition of economic value is available at ‘www.investorwords.com’ that states as â€Å"The value of an asset deriving from its ability to generate income† (, what is economic value? Definition and Meaning). Economic value enthusiastically can be allocated to efficiency benefits. The usefulness, value and benefits are not easy to calculate. There may be key impacts of the proposed GIS on the staff and organization, and may have a considerable comportment on the cost benefit analysis. From the user requirement analysis, the impacts for the data processing, decision making and data collection can be accessed. The management and organizational structure linked with the new technology, new procedures, new roles and new necessities for co-operation and consultation will contribute to make an impact on the organization. These issues may contribution towards the successful GIS as compared to technical issues. Discussions and consultations of impacts with the staff in the early states facilitate to eliminate disputes during the deployment. Moreover, eyeing on authority, responsibility and undertaking related to propagation of information products and data maintenance, there are legal and political connotation for the organizations. The inclusion of risk assessment defining that the project will not b e able to

Analysis of how Joint Warfare was applied during Operation Just Cause Research Paper

Analysis of how Joint Warfare was applied during Operation Just Cause in Panama - Research Paper Example In order to tackle the future political challenges, there is a need for developing an army which is prepared for not only offensive and defensive activities, but also to maintain stability and to conduct supporting functions. The military operations in Haiti, Bosnia and Middle East demonstrate the requirement of joint forces in order to ensure better cooperation. The trends of joint operation in 21st century evidently reveal the fact that single military operations have become history. In order to rule in the rapidly changing environment, joint approach of military planning is considered as a critical success factor for any nation . The research paper provides an in-depth analysis on application of joint warfare during ‘Operation Just Cause’ in Panama. The objective of the research is to analyze how joint operations were implemented during Operation Just Cause. Besides, the paper also aims at understanding how Goldwater-Nichols Act had affected the planning of Operation Just Cause. Basic Description about Joint Operation The term, ‘Joint Operation’ denotes military movements which are undertaken by joint military forces. Joint operation principle is established on a sound foundation of war philosophy, concept and practical knowledge. Joint operation principles identify the basic and the advantageous impacts of ‘unity in command’ and the cooperation which results from integration and harmonization of military operations. This cooperation can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of military force. The benefits of joint operation are spread beyond the operational background across the array of military actions2. ‘Joint Warfare’ is often used by the military forces of the US in conjunction with other countries and agencies. Joint warfare is required in order to create a decisive and a combined combat strength. In joint warfare philosophy, the military organizations incorporate and synchronize their air forces, land forces, navy forces and the special operation forces in order to accomplish strategic and operational objectives. The objective of joint warfare is to enhance the effectiveness of military assault3. The Origin of Joint Concepts The history of the US reveals the significance of joint operations. The war of 1812 in between the US and Great Britain provides a great example with regard to success of joint operation. However, the operation was criticized due to misperceptions, low level of cooperation and coordination. The first joint military board in the US was established in the year 1903. The joint board was aimed at planning joint military operations and resolving issues on common concerns. Yet, the joint board was provided with little right to solve

Can be chose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Can be chose - Essay Example Being a wife entails many things, and this has largely been constructed by different civilisations over the years. Recent decades, however, have seen these traditional being challenged in great detail for the first time in quite a long time as women attempt to gain more solid footing in society. One way to accomplish is to slowly recreated the homemaker role into one that is more balanced between the sexes, more accommodating to the desires of the women, and one that is more is open and accepting of sexual minorities. It has recently been said that â€Å"many women want to have weeding: few of them want to be wives† (Spender, 1994). This statement is quite profound in terms of the reality that shifting demographics, in addition to renewed feminist attitudes, are reshaping the tradition concept of marriage and family. While Splender’s comment may, on the surface, appear to be absurd, there is certainly an element of truth to you. This can be stated because one has to con sider the western construct of the concept ‘wife’. Historically, a wife has been commonly viewed as a homemaker and child-bearer. If that continues to be the reality, then women today have moved beyond that and are not desiring of the tradition definition utilised by society for generations. The very concept of ‘wife’, therefore, is shifting. Until that mindset is complete, however, women will likely hesitate to be viewed as a wife, but will still look forward to and long for their dream wedding. This paper explores the playing out of gender in terms of socialisation and coupling, with a particular focus on the role that weddings will likely play in Western society moving forward. 2. Theoretical Context Feminism is really about questioning the societal roles that attempt to define and confine the place that women have in our culture. In essence, as Judith Butler continually points out, it is about stepping out from the commonly conceived notions of gender a nd reconstructing an entirely new identity. Her groundbreaking 1990 book and theoretical expose on gender issues, â€Å"Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity† reinvigorates the discussion of women and their role in society by demonstrating the even those on the sexual margins should be gradually more accepted into the society’s fold. Butler herself, through this book, begins to question the very definition of woman. She effectively does this by looking at the masculine and feminine constructs existent in society today, and how those have changed over the years. While Butler moves far out into theory relating to sexual minorities in this book, her focus is primarily on the feminist thought process. This theoretical construct relates well to the theory in question for this essay. She talks at length, for example, about a women’s desire to dress, sometimes provocatively, in order to show off the feminine form. At the same time, however, the modern feminist wants to challenge the masculine nature of our society, making it in almost universal subject open for debate. This relates well to the institution of marriage. With the traditional mindset that there are definite masculine and feminine roles to be carried out by husbands and wives respectively, Butler would contend that today’s woman has the right to challenge these concepts.

The Empowerment Of Civil Society By Using Technology Media Essay

The Empowerment Of Civil Society By Using Technology Media Essay The use of Information technology over the years has become a means of political and social change resulting in the empowerment of civil society and also effecting public opinion though sharing information via internet blogging, informative websites, etc. It has also been very successful in exposing violations of human rights, civil liberties, corruption, and misuse of power by various international organisations and governments. One such website which has created an international uproar between officials of states and civil society is Wikileaks. In my essay I shall discuss the impact of information technology on civil society following which I shall discuss the positive and negative activist and legal effects Wikileaks has on civil society and states. I shall also discuss the effect of Information technology and Wikileaks on democracy, fundamental human rights, secrecy and transparency. Over the years many people around the world have become increasingly aware of the expanding use of information technology, which has become a tool for social and political change globally. The use of internet all over the world has empowered civil society and many social activists to share information instantly with one another. Technologies such as internet websites, electronic mail, mobile phones, etc., have given more power to activists to communicate effectively with more people around the world than ever before. The internet increases access to publications, news stories, reports and gives opportunities to discover information that is normally suppressed (e.g. Wikileaks). The internet can be used as a medium or tool for whistle blowers and journalists to publish information concerning unethical behaviour of governments and corporations which can be difficult to trace and censor. Due to the advancement of information technology and as a result the age of the internet, there is ve ry little that is really secret these days.  [1]  However the drawbacks to such information technology is that it is also misused for wrongful purposes, such as terrorism, sex-trafficking, cyber hacking, as well as spreading information which can be false or dangerous and as a result harmful to others etc. The internet has showed that it is a useful space in which citizens can debate, discuss or negotiate on many social, political and economic issues. Such discussion has a profound effect on public opinion around the world and encourages society towards a true democratic system. It is also an effective tool for civil rights organisations to communicate to people and to groups in different parts of the world through email, websites and forums. Moreover, due to the advancement of information technology civil activists can keep in touch with supporters and campaigners effectively and effortlessly.  [2]   Wikileaks is a website which describes itself as an activist organisation or in other words the intelligence agency of the people.  [3]  Wikileaks is an international non-profit organisation that works for transparency and publishes submissions of private or secret, classified information from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers.  [4]  The website relies on Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states, Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.  [5]  The website works towards uncovering government, individual and corporate corruption though leaked sources and bringing it to the attention of civil society. In 2006 Wikileaks won many awards from organizations such as Amnesty International and the Economist for exposing issues around the world.  [6]   The advancement of information technology allows the internet and so as to say Wikileaks the ability to receive and publish leaked information cheaply and quickly. In addition the website has the ability to bypass the legal framework that would otherwise have to go though courts and officials to consider before being disclosed. Wikileaks has been successful in uncovering many illegal activities and corruption scandals starting from 2006 when it published information concerning assassination details of government officials by Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, corruption by the family of the former Kenyan leader Daniel arap Moi, allegations of illegal activities at the Cayman Islands branch of the Swiss Bank Julius Baer and the revelation of involvement of politicians and businessmen in the 2008 Peru oil scandal.  [7]  Wikileaks has been successful in uncovering many human rights violations and civil liberties. Some of the most famous revelations that it uncovered were the documents regarding hidden war crimes or prisoner abuse. In March 2007 Wikileaks published a leaked manual of the US military for the Guantanamo prison camp. In July 2010, Wikileaks published the Afghan War diary, which was a compilation of more than 76,900 documents concerning the war in Afghanistan. The documents stated the number of innocen t deaths of civilians that had been covered up by the international forces. Also in October 2010 Wikileaks, along with some media organisations, released the Iraq War logs which included almost 400,000 documents. The documents revealed evidence of torture and more than 109,000 violent deaths between 2004 and 2009 including 66,081 civilians. This was considered one of the biggest leaks in US military history.  [8]  In November 2010 Wikileaks started to publish US state department diplomatic cables. Many of these cables were labelled confidential, secret or top secret by the US state department. This further antagonised governments, more so than the leak of previous documents. The US government therefore suggested that the revelation of such documents put at risk lives of several of its people and allies around the world.  [9]   A number of civil rights activists were divided over the actions taken by Wikileaks. Many activists supported Wikileaks and the importance of uncovering and exposing such documents which revealed and brought to the attention of the world violations of human rights, civil liberties, corruption, and misuse of power by various international organisations and governments. Activists believed that this would support and justify the idea of a fair, functional and democratic civil society. Many civil activists believed that such misuse of power to cover such violations needed to be addressed openly though legal means in order to protect citizens from arbitrary government authority.  [10]  In addition it can also be said that due to the popularity that Wikileaks has gained over the years, documents published on the website could also have an effect on potential political reform. Also documents published on the website could have either a positive or a negative effect on civil society incl uding political or economic decisions made by states, as well as international relations and policy decisions. In such cases one can argue that information technology has been successful in uniting people all over the world by sharing knowledge, debating political and economic issues, revealing human rights violations and civil liberties thereby bringing change to public opinion and encouraging a free transparent democratic society. On the other hand several activists did not agree to the actions taken by Wikileaks particularly in the case of the Afghan War Diary. They believed that the exposure of such documents led to the revelation of identities of many people who had collaborated with the coalition in Afghanistan, which endangered such people to further violence. Press freedom groups, many human rights groups including Amnesty International, accused Wikileaks of being irresponsible for the publication of the afghan war logs.  [11]  The criticism of Wikileaks gave rise to the public opinion that it was doing more harm than good. Many argued that this would most probably increase internet surveillance, more secrecy and further restrictions. In addition it encouraged people to believe that the publication of classified secret government information would make it more difficult to support and protect people and sources after such information is disclosed. Furthermore, the consequences of publishing such docu ments on Wikileaks would result in the loss of protection of the sources mentioned within the documents and sources from where the information was retrieved. The outcome of such revelations could therefore lead to an extreme kind of transparency which would result in the loss of jobs, reputation or lives, etc., for such sources, which questions the fact of how this would positively support democracy and civil society. Therefore one can also argue that information technology can be used to leak confidential information which can result in stricter laws, regulation and increased internet surveillance. Whilst Wikileaks brought to light many issues concerning corruption and violations of human rights and civil liberties through the publication of documents and diplomatic cables, this release of classified information angered governments throughout the world, especially the United States which was associated with many of the of leaks. As a result governments pressured many online companies to limit or block their association with Wikileaks. Amazon dropped Wikileaks from its servers, which temporarily caused Wikileaks to be inaccessible. Later, Swiss bank PostFinance froze the Director of Wikileaks website Julian Assanges assets, while PayPal, a money transfer website, disabled Wikileaks account which it used to collect donations. MasterCard and Visa also followed suit by refusing donations to Wikileaks.  [12]  Hence it can be argued that governments and corporations are also activists and use information technology to promote their own agenda for instance in the case of Wikileaks , clamping down on activities which they do not consent to or which are not beneficial to them economically or politically. When financial services were denied to Wikileaks, a group of anonymous activists under the name of Anonymous carried out decentralised attacks on many corporations websites such as MasterCard and Visa. Around the world thousands of online protesters got together to form a virtual internet attack under the name of Operation Payback. Operation Payback used denial of service (DDoS) attacks to temporarily close down the websites which had opposed Wikileaks. This way such websites cannot handle the level of web traffic and are temporarily inaccessible to users around the world. DDoS attacks are internet piracy actions and not hacking but are nevertheless illegal and traceable. It is believed that through such a system of online attacks, Wikileaks produced one of the first global internet civil-disobedience movements.  [13]  Thus one can say that internet activists can also use information technology to rebel and forcefully further their cause against individuals, corporations or the s tate through the internet. While many online activists admit that the attack was illegal they disagree on it being malicious criminal hacking since they believe that they did not intend to bring any collateral damage to the public. Online activists believed this would raise awareness of internet censorship and protect freedom of expression. They argued that that the internet should be free and not controlled by governments. Many of these activists believed that the grounds for stoppage of donations though corporations was more politically motivated than legally towards the Wikileaks website. On the other hand, these corporations argued that Wikileaks violated the companies terms of service concerning illegal behaviour. Furthermore activists pointed out that while many leading newspapers such as the New York Times and the Guardian, etc. also published parts of classified documents from Wikileaks, no action was taken against them.  [14]  The Wikileaks case therefore raises several questions on popular partic ipation of civil society using the internet and information technology to disseminate information in an effort to voice their opinions and bring about social and political awareness to instigate changes in a society. The Wikileaks saga has created many future legal concerns over the use of information technology and the internet in particular. There are concerns over increased forms of internet censorship and surveillance. The US has introduced a bill called the Securing Human Intelligence and Enforcing Lawful Dissemination Act which is aimed at preventing websites such as Wikileaks publishing classified information which could result in the compromise of national security. The US is also in the process of introducing the wiretapping bill which is currently under discussion. The bill is aimed at wiretapping all kinds of online communication and internet traffic which includes foreign based service providers and will require software developers to enable peer-to-peer communication, redesign their service and allow interception.  [15]  However many information technology advocates have argued that by implementing so many restrictions over the internet would create holes that could be exploited by hackers and undermine the right to freedom of speech. The US furious over the leak of confidential diplomatic cables, tried to invoke the Espionage Act 1917 to prosecute the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for the leak of classified government documents. Under the Act, it a crime to disclose classified information unlawfully however it does not state any distinction on who discloses such classified information. Activists have argued that this would be complicated since the founder is technically the publisher and not the one who revealed the classified information. The man who did reveal the classified information Bradley Manning is currently being prosecuted for leaking the confidential government documents. Thus by arresting Julian Assange, or any of the leading newspapers that were involved, would further mean that any citizen who addresses or discusses classified information can be arrested on national security grounds.  [16]  Assange being a foreign citizen he would have to be extradited to the US to stand trial for espionage (if a country is prepared to hand him over). The US first amendment of the Constitution provides a lot of protection for publishers of state secrets, not including government officials. If the government is successful to get around the Constitution and charge Assange, it may end up damaging the press freedoms enjoyed by every publisher. It would result in Wikileaks paying the price for freedom of the press in the US and many parts of the world.  [17]  Many journalist activists have argued that to criminalise what Wikileaks is doing is to criminalise investigative journalism. They argue that the media is responsible to report material that comes within its possession and any pressure to shutdown Wikileaks or prosecute those who publish official leaks or companies that are doing business with it, is a threat to democracy, which relies on a free and fearless press.  [18]   However criminalising Wikileaks will not be an easy task. Wikileaks has multiple servers in many jurisdictions with generous whistleblower-protection laws. These servers are all subject to the laws of the state, where they are each connected in. The laws in these states protect the safety of such information being passed on from the servers. Currently Wikileaks is protected by the laws of different jurisdictions to pass information freely, however it is unsure whether these laws will continue to favour Wikileaks in the future if there is any pressures from other states to change or limit them.  [19]  Critics argue that the legal impact of Wikileaks on information technology will create a borderless nature of the internet. They say that Wikileaks has encouraged the fact that the internet can also be used to undermine the relationship between legally significant (online) phenomena and physical location. That the increase in the use of computer network all over the world is destroyi ng the link between geographical location and (i) the authority of local government to assert control over internet behaviour (ii) the effects of internet behaviour on people or things (iii) the legality of the efforts of a local government to enforce rules applicable to worldwide phenomena; and (iv) the ability of geographical location to give notice of which sets of rules can apply. This could make online organisations or individuals absent themselves or even exploit legal or social norms of any country by the use of multiple servers, mirrors or other information technology tools.  [20]   The legal impact of Wikileaks will have a negative effect on information technology. Due to much legislation in the pipeline in the US aiming to increase restrictions on the use of internet; censorship and blocking of websites would affect users, organizations and library associations around the world. The consequence of Wikileaks will be used as a case to support such new bills, surveillance practices and use of information technologies which extend capabilities of censorship and data surveillance, thereafter resulting in less transparency and freedom of speech.  [21]  If Wikileaks is shut down permanently then most probably a new Wikileaks will appear anytime in the future. Information security is never a single security measure since it is always more of them together meaning the measures are not only information technology related, but also involve organizational issues, human resources management, physical security and legal protection. The problem with information technolog y and the internet is that it is advancing day by day. The internet has the power for information to be quickly copied, duplicated, published and spread around the world. If Wikileaks is closed down, then new websites similar to Wikileaks will spring up or new technological ways to publish information will spring up. In other words, the threat of leaking information to the public is constantly increasing. Therefore making it harder and harder to regulate and waiting for new legislation /laws for trying to curb it. It is very difficult to draft a law that targets Wikileaks and websites alike at the same time also leaving intact many legal systems concerning press freedoms.  [22]   Information technology has become a tool for social and political change worldwide. The use of internet has globally empowered civil society and many social activists to share information instantly with one another thereby effecting public opinion around the world and encourage society towards a true democratic system. Wikileaks has been successful in exposing violations of human rights, civil liberties, corruption, and misuse of power by various international organisations and governments. On the whole I believe that citizens of a functioning democracy should be able to know what the state is saying and doing in their name and not engaging in acts of counter-democracy.  [23]  Information technology such as Wikileaks plainly improves those abilities. However I also believe that there should be equilibrium, where democracy and fundamental rights are not undermined by too much secrecy or too much transparency. The right to publish should be equal to the citizens right to know. Neve rtheless a balance should be kept for the need of personal privacy, confidentiality and disclosure in the interest of the public at the same time guaranteeing liberty, accountability and true democratic choice. (2998 words)

Essay --

Ernst & Young was the auditing firm of HealthSouth from 1984 to 2002. Due to financial hardship Healthshore grew desperate and developed a scheme to deceive not only shareholders but Ernst and Young. Inevitably whistleblowers came forth and a lawsuit ensued. The shareholder’s lawsuit against Ernst and Young never went to trial. However, the lawsuit against Healthshore ended in settlement. Though a travesty to the shareholders and employees not involved with the fraud, this fraudulent activity was necessary for it forced the SEC to hinder these types of events to occur in the future. There may still be cases similar to HealthShore going on today had it not been for the Sarbanes Oxley act enforcing stricter requirements for auditing firms. 1.) Ordinary negligence is defined as the absence of reasonable care that can be expected of a person in a set of circumstances. For an auditor, it is what another component auditor would have done given the same scenario. Gross negligence is a step further than ordinary negligence and is that is absence of even slight care that can be expected of an independent, competent auditor. Some states do not distinguish the difference between both of these term but the main difference is ordinary negligence is an accidently mistake and the gross negligence is a mistake caused by a reckless act or decision. Constructive negligence is a more extreme negligence than gross negligence. This negligence is unusual but was committed without intend to deceive or harm. Negligence of this magnitude occurs when an inadequate audit was done but an opinion was issued anyway. For instance, if HealthSouth employees kept a factious account that was above the auditor’s materiality threshold but did not test this account... ...ds being committed so they were not a prudent person in performing due diligence in their audit. 3c. The auditors did their due diligence in that they questioned internal controls and found them to be acceptable if it were not for the deliberate collusion among management they would have been able to detect the fraud and therefor i would not be able to find them negligent in there assertion of the effectiveness of internal controls. 4. A disclaimer of opinion should be issued if the scope of the audit is limited because of management hindrance uness the evaluation during preplanning established that the section of the business being hindered was immaterial in respect to the overall fair presentation of the financial statements in that case if the audit was performed in accordance ewith GAAS the auaidotr should not be considered negligent if a fraud had occurred.

Marche shoe district

Logistics Is simplified by the geographical concentration of firms in the district and the personal knowledge and trust that characterizes relationships amongst district entrepreneurs. Flexibility by the small firms' supply network enables the ups or downs of fashions to be met. Since asses, however, the district network has had to come to terms with an outsourcing trend to low labor-cost countries that is always a threat to mature and labor-intensive industries in developed countries. As a result, production of low-cost shoes has been outsourced almost fully, first to Eastern Europe and then to the Far East.In low-price product ranges, district companies retain only high-value activities of design, marketing and distribution in the Macerate district. Outsourcing has also affected the core district products In medium- to high- quality footwear. Here, however, foreign partners are Involved In only less complex tasks to preserve Italian style and quality. The result Is an Increasingly widespread network. Processed leather is brought into the district after initial processing in Asia eastern Europe for further processing (mainly to Romania and Albania for sewing and hemming).Prepared leather is returned to the district for finishing and assembly. Such partial outsourcing – called outward processing traffic – preserves he high-quality standards of district shoes, whilst cutting down on costs. This makes logistics a critical activity. Transportation costs per unit have increased, and responsiveness has been put at risk. This is of particular concern to a business that is linked to fashion, where season collections and sales campaign deadlines cannot be missed.Whilst offshore sourcing has led to significantly longer lead times, increasing inventories and lot sizes are not an effective answer. Most district firms offer differentiated products based on fashion trends, and therefore loud face a high risk of markdowns at the end of season. Therefore, firms normally order only 25-30 % of requirements for a seasonal collection from their suppliers and the basis of forecasts, and these are mainly carry-over models and â€Å"classic† leather. Orders for the rest of the collection are made in line with incoming orders from fashion fairs, distributors and boutiques.The new international network (including a sales network that is extending progressively towards Asia) has become so complex that even large companies find it difficult to manage. Leading district firms are tackling logistics issues through increased information processing capabilities and through advanced services from logistics service providers. In order to manage a production network spanning from nearby district suppliers to Eastern Europe (mainly for shoes) and China (for clothing), Forward has installed SAP-OAFS (Apparel and Footwear Solution).This new ERP system has allowed the company to improve visibility over production planning an tighten control over suppliers . Forward has outsourced outbound logistics, and is considering a logistics platform to handle information exchange for districts abstractors and foreign suppliers to reduce costs, an RIFF system to improve responsiveness to European customers and a logistics network to support its strong selling presence in China.However, most district companies are not large enough to become attractive propositions for IT or logistics service providers. Whilst they can't afford to lose outsourcing opportunities, theses small firms risk being unable to manage the more complex networks that result. Moreover, most district entrepreneurs do not fully support the potential advantages of sharing outsourced services. Since they lack the accounting tools for getting a complete picture of logistic costs, the do not perceive logistics as a competitive weapon.They care only about emergencies when a rush order is required or when a planned delivery is late, but dealing with such emergencies becomes more diffi cult when distant foreign partners are involved. Developing the infrastructure, the skills and the mind-sets, in order to manage such a radical change in international supply chain management, is probably the biggest challenge district companies will face in the next 5-10 years.

The First Sino-Japanese War of 1894 to 1895

The First Sino-Japanese War of 1894 to 1895 From August 1, 1894, to April 17, 1895, the Qing Dynasty of China fought against the Meiji Japanese Empire over who should control late Joseon-era Korea, ending in a decisive Japanese victory. As a result, Japan added the Korean Peninsula to its sphere of influences and gained Formosa (Taiwan), the Penghu Island, and the Liaodong Peninsula outright.   However, this did not come without loss. Approximately 35,000 Chinese soldiers were killed or wounded in the battle while Japan only lost 5,000 of its fighters and service people. Worse yet, this would not be the end of tensions - the Second Sino-Japanese War started in 1937, part of the first actions of World War II. An Era of Conflict In the second half of the 19th century, the American Commodore Matthew Perry forced open ultra-traditional and secluded Tokugawa Japan. As an indirect result, the power of the shoguns ended and Japan went through the 1868 Meiji Restoration, with the island nation quickly modernizing and militarizing as a result. Meanwhile, the traditional heavy-weight champion of East Asia, Qing China, failed to update its own military and bureaucracy, losing two Opium Wars to the western powers. As the preeminent power in the region, China had for centuries enjoyed a measure of control over neighboring tributary states, including Joseon Korea, Vietnam, and even sometimes Japan. However, Chinas humiliation by the British and French exposed its weakness, and as the 19th century drew to a close, Japan decided to exploit this opening. Japans goal was to seize the Korean Peninsula, which military thinkers considered a dagger pointed at the heart of Japan. Certainly, Korea had been the staging ground for earlier invasions by both China and Japan against one another - for example, Kublai Khans  invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281  or Toyotomi Hideyoshis attempts to invade Ming China via Korea in 1592 and 1597. The First Sino-Japanese War After a couple of decades of jockeying for position over Korea, Japan and China began outright hostilities on July 28, 1894, at the Battle of Asan. On July 23, the Japanese entered Seoul and seized the Joseon King Gojong, who was retitled the Gwangmu Emperor of Korea to emphasize his new independence from China. Five days later, fighting began at Asan. Much of the First Sino-Japanese War was fought at sea, where the Japanese navy had an advantage over its antiquated Chinese counterpart, mostly due to the Empress Dowager Cixi reportedly siphoned off some of the funds meant to update the Chinese navy in order to rebuild the Summer Palace in Beijing. In any case, Japan cut the Chinese supply lines for its garrison at Asan by a naval blockade, then Japanese and Korean land troops overran the 3,500-strong Chinese force on July 28, killing 500 of them and capturing the rest - the two sides officially declared war on August 1. Surviving Chinese forces retreated to the northern city of Pyongyang and dug in while the Qing government sent reinforcements, bringing the total Chinese garrison at Pyongyang to about 15,000 troops. Under cover of darkness, the Japanese encircled the city early in the morning of September 15, 1894, and launched a simultaneous attack from all directions. After approximately 24 hours of stiff fighting, the Japanese took Pyongyang, leaving around 2,000 Chinese dead and 4,000 injured or missing while the Japanese Imperial Army only reported 568 men injured, dead, or missing.   After the Fall of Pyongyang With the loss of Pyongyang, plus a naval defeat in the Battle of Yalu River, China decided to withdraw from Korea and fortify its border. On October 24, 1894, the Japanese built bridges across the Yalu River and marched into Manchuria. Meanwhile, Japans navy landed troops on the strategic Liaodong Peninsula, which juts out into the Yellow Sea between North Korea and Beijing. Japan soon seized the Chinese cities of Mukden, Xiuyan, Talienwan, and Lushunkou (Port Arthur). Beginning on November 21, Japanese troops rampaged through Lushunkou in the infamous Port Arthur Massacre, killing thousands of unarmed Chinese civilians. The outclassed Qing fleet retreated to supposed safety at the fortified harbor of Weihaiwei. However, the Japanese land and sea forces laid siege to the city on January 20, 1895. Weihaiwei held out until February 12, and in March, China lost Yingkou, Manchuria, and the Pescadores Islands near Taiwan. By April, the Qing government realized that Japanese forces were approaching Beijing. The Chinese decided to sue for peace. The Treaty of Shimonoseki On April 17, 1895, Qing China and Meiji Japan signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which ended the First Sino-Japanese War. China relinquished all claims to influence over Korea, which became a Japanese protectorate until it was annexed outright in 1910. Japan also took control of Taiwan, the Penghu Islands, and the Liaodong Peninsula. In addition to the territorial gains, Japan received war reparations of 200 million taels of silver from China. The Qing government also had to grant Japan trade favors, including permission for Japanese ships to sail up the Yangtze River, manufacturing grants for Japanese companies to operate in Chinese treaty ports, and the opening of four additional treaty ports to Japanese trading vessels. Alarmed by the quick rise of Meiji Japan, three of the European powers intervened after the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed. Russia, Germany, and France particularly objected to Japans seizure of the Liaodong Peninsula, which Russia also coveted. The three powers pressured Japan into relinquishing the peninsula to Russia, in exchange for an addition 30 million taels of silver. Japans victorious military leaders saw this European intervention as a humiliating slight, which helped spark the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 to 1905.

Free Essays on Racial Experiment

and people combined. IT is hard and very tricky when it is constantly being switched around. You can easily forget that ... Free Essays on Racial Experiment Free Essays on Racial Experiment I took the racial experiment, and I did not like it at all. I was told to hit the â€Å"e† or â€Å"i† keys if the word was either good or bad, or if it was a white or black face. At first faces popped up and white was on the left (I would hit the â€Å"e† button) side and black was on the right side (I would hit the â€Å"i† button). Then words like love, peace, joy (good words) and envy, jealousy, and other bad words would pop up. A word would pop up and I would either hit â€Å"e† or â€Å"I† depending upon which side good, or bad was on. After assigning each by just faces or just words, it started to get harder. Both faces and words would pop up and each was given their own corner. For example one corner might have been black, and good, and the other white and bad, and depending on what popped up, depended on whether you hit â€Å"e or â€Å"I†. Controlled and automatic processes both play a dominant role in this experiment. Te controlled process is a process in which the individual is completely actively focusing their efforts toward a goal. An automatic process is a state that requires almost no attention and does not interfere with the activity. In this experiment the controlled process was the pictures of the African Americans, or the white faces, and also the bad and good words. The automatic process was the labeled black or bad, or white or good in the corners. Although while your mind is racing which side to click you are thinking about which side is which again. Especially when you mess up then you have to look into the corner to re-remind yourself which corner is which. But all at the same time you are completely focused on the faces or words that u just try to click the one that you react to fastest. My results were completely ridiculous. It came to the conclusion that I was some what bias on bad black words and people combined. IT is hard and very tricky when it is constantly being switched around. You can easily forget that ...

MARKETING PLANNING; The international market place Case Study

MARKETING PLANNING; The international market place - Case Study Example This has been through given customers value for their money and offering cheaper products. Since it was established the company set out goals of becoming strong food and nonfood earlier in the UK market. Since then it has grown to be the largest online retailer in the world with more that 1 millions customer in the word. The company also set goal of diversifying its operations in the external market and a 30% of the stores are found out side the UK. The company also set out a goal of having the more loyal a committed staff in all its operation. In the international market the company has been using same strategies as it has been using in the domestic market although it has not tended to be more personal than in the domestic market. The company has been using direct marketing approach in the internal market same as it has been done in the local market. What have been the features of the international marketing strategy First it has been implementing direct marketing strategy with the aim of reaching the consumers in their homes. This has been enabled through the implementation of on line marketing in all its stores. This strategy has been focused on ensuring that consumers have access to the products of the company from their homes and that the process is simple and easy. Online marketing has been one of the most effective ways that has been used by the company to reach all customers in the international market. Through the strategy, the company can sell its products to all the consumers in the world. This strategy was first tested in the local market and has been extended in the international market. Tesco has been able to rise to become the leading online retailer in the UK. After a success initial start, the company has been able to expand its operation to all its new branches. Therefore the international marketing approach that has been used by the company has been direct marketing with a special focus to providing consumer with quality products in order to meet the basic aim of marketing. The company has been opening shops in different places in order to make sure that it meets the needs of the consumers. The company has also been using personal selling strategy to reach all the potential market. Through the strategy the company has been selling directly to the consumers. Though it has not been carrying out persons to person communication, the company has been engaging in promotion activities that are aimed at reaching all consumers.Q2. A comparison of the international and domestic marketing mix decisions within the organization There has been no much difference between the company domestic market and international market approaches. The same approaches that the company has been carrying out in the domestic market have also been employed in the international market as well. This has been due to the fact that there is similarity in all the market according to its line of operation. In this regard the company has been carrying out marketing approaches which have been aimed at selling the same products to the consumers. The company has been using a marketing approach which has been aimed at reaching its customer in the extern market. The similarity in the approaches used by the company in both market is because it has been using similar trend as has been observed in the market. Based on its

HR management journal summary and analysis Research Paper

HR management journal summary and analysis - Research Paper Example In addition, these articles tries to demonstrate how these issues relate to human resource and how they influence the functions in the department. There is also an attempt to provide solutions and recommendations on how these issues can be implemented. This is an article about a company called Michelin North America, where the author explains how the company brings employees onboard and how it introduces them to the operations of the workplace. She explains that early interventions such as on boarding are important if an organization want to keep employees for a long time. The author also explains that the employees should be trained on the job from the first day at work until they achieve efficiency (Jusko, 2013). In addition, the author demonstrates the importance of effective communication within the organization, and immediate feedback as core to maintaining good relations with the employees Job satisfaction and competence is one of the most critical issues in the success of a business. The employees have to acquire enough training in order to carry out their functions effectively. The author asserts that employees should start training from the first day they join the workforce. The first impression gives the employees an insight on whether to sign long term contracts with the employer or not. Therefore, a human resource manager should be able to provide immediate information to the employee on career development right from the onboard. This information motivates the employee to learn and develop interest in the organization (Jusko, 2013). Communication is also an important factor in an organization. Communication is not necessarily about the pay package but also the feeling that as employees, they play a role in the organization. In addition, employees have to understand their role in the company’s success (Jusko, 2013). This therefore, means that the employee would enjoy working