Sociology of Law and Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sociology of Law and Punishment - Essay Example Norbert Elias suggests that civilisation transform human habitus so that violence in all forms is gradually subjected to greater and more sophisticated forms of management and control. 'Decivilisation' according to him, encompasses processes which produce an increase in violence and a breakdown in the stability and consistency of social relations. What remains unexplored is the extent to which attempts to bring about civilisation, have revolved around essentially violent policies and practices (Robert van Krieken, Abstract, The British Journal of Sociology, Volume 50 Issue 2). Nils Christie, in Crime Control as Industry, suggests that the spiralling prison populations, particularly in the United States, represent a move towards gulags western style, in much the same way that Zygmunt Bauman saw modernity itself as creating the possibility for the Holocaust. For Christie the current 'gulagisation' of the West is not an aberration of modern society, but something that occurs naturally within it. Pratt's book suggests that man may be moving into an area of penal control that takes one beyond the gulag. The gulag it says may not be a sufficient modality of punishment to absorb the punitive sentiments of modern societies. What we find is the supplementation of modern penal sanctions by new forms of legal and extra legal punishments. For Christie, there is hope, that at some point, good sense of the ordinary people will prevail and counter the trends that the forces of modernity made possible. It is argued that there is no goodness to human values and public sen timent: unleashing them may only add to the spiral of penal control (Beyond gulags western style A reconsideration of Nils Christie's crime control as industry, Abstract, Pratt. J). 2.0 Introspection Elias offers a particular paradigm for sociological thought which opposes both the structural-functionalist and methodological-individualist tendencies in sociology. The concept that he developed hoped to severe and expose many of the central dilemmas in sociology, especially the opponents of action and structure, individualism and society. Elias' 'Civilising Process' is contentious, and overlooked with suspicion. Elias deviates from the more fashionable trends in sociology to dig deep into retrospection and seek the unknown. His writing has been a source of ideas and has appealed the senses of those who crave for the unknown. Commentators have veered between two theological pointers; an uncompromising acceptance or ungenerous rejection. His work frequently is a contradiction between supposedly admiring 'followers' and critics. To appreciate Elias, one needs to steer a path between the lines. His handling of human issues; emotions, attitudes towards the body, sexuality, socialisation, and so on, reflected a balanced and systematic approach. His analysis of the human mind is of significant relevance in the context of his larger-scale processes in State formation, urbanisation and

Biometrics Voting System Essay Example for Free

Biometrics Voting System Essay Biometrics is the term given to the use of biological traits or behavioral characteristics to identify an individual. The traits may be fingerprints, hand geometry, facial geometry, retina patterns, voice recognition, and handwriting recognition. In this paper we have used thumb impression for the purpose of voter identification or authentication. As the thumb impression of every individual is unique, it helps in maximizing the accuracy. A database is created containing the thumb impressions of all the voters in the constituency. Illegal votes and repetition of votes is checked for in this system. Hence if this system is employed the elections would be fair and free from rigging. Thanks to this system that conducting elections would no longer be a tedious and expensive job. DESIGN The design of the system consists of the following important parameters. 1. Scanning- using DSP Processor 2. Searching- based on the principle of GOOGLE SEARCH 3. Networking- all the election booths are connected in a network 4. Data transfer– using telephone lines.. The only pre-requisite for the use of this finger print scanner is a personal identification card. We hope that this system proves to be efficient and enables the people to be smarter in choosing their leaders. SUMMARY OF DESIGN The main aim in designing this product is to provide the concept of the personal identity for each individual. This is extended to a special case of electronic voting machine concept. The summary of the design can be briefly explained diagrammatically as follows. Fig-1. 1 : Block Diagram of Design As initially at time of distributing voting cards. At the time of voting, the option of the voter is taken along with the finger print. The finger print taken by the scanner is sent to the DSP chip through an in-built A/D converter. The processed image is transferred to hard disk with biasing of SDRAM. The option entered by the voter is transferred to chip through DEMUX and is stored in the memory. If the transferred image is matched with any of the records in the data base, then the interrupt is given by the HARD DISK to DSP chip. Then the option is considered in the count. After the acquisition of the count this is transmitted to the HOST computer or central server using telephone lines. As the count of each party is transmitted to the HOST from all the VOTING MACHINES present in the constituency, the HOST will add parallel count of particular party and makes the final count of each party in ascending order. The final count is transferred to the main HOST (head quarters) using either telephone lines or radio waves. DESCRIPTION OF THE VOTING MACHINE Fig:1. 2- Description of voting machine BLOCK DIAGRAM FOR THE WHOLE PROCESS IN BRIEF Fig:1. 3-Block diagram of the process. VOTING SYSTEM The detailed description of each and every internal unit in the VOTING SYSTEM is given below. It can be divided in to the following main categories. FINGER PRINT SCANNER The finger print scanner consists of the following parts: 1. FINGER PRINT SENSOR: This is used to scan the thumb impression. The data obtained from this is analog in nature. This is transferred to the A/D converter for further processing. 2. A/D CONVERTER: This is used to convert the analog data from the SENSOR into the digital data and transfer it to the processor. 3. FLASH ROM: This is for the storage of the data temporarily in the DSP processor. This will work until the data is transferred to the main memory of the HOST. 4. DSP CHIP: This is used to receive the data and process it. This is connected to the USB port for further transfer of the data. 5. USB PORT: The sole purpose of the USB port is to establish a communication link between the DSP processor and the MEMORY (DATABASE). Fig:2. 1-Scanning Process EXTRACTION OF THUMB IMPRESSION Fig:2. 2-Extraction of thumb impression The next step in the process is the extraction of the thumb impression from the memory. The features of the finger print are stored in the form of pixels. This is further sent for pattern matching where the finger print is then compared with the records in the database. If the pattern matches with any one of he records then the vote is accepted. If the feature doesn’t match with any one of the finger prints stored in the data base then the vote is rejected. Fig:2. 3- Storage of Database FEATURE EXTRACTION AND COMPARISON SCANNING AND PROCESSING The biometric sensor scans the image. This so scanned data is in the analog form. This is converted into digital form by using an A/D converter. Since the image is to be transferred quickly to the converter, it is interfaced in parallel with the DSP chip. The data received from the parallel in ports is further processed in the chip. Parallel interfacing is done to have a quick performance. TRANSFER OF PROCESSED DATA TO THE HARD DISK The data which is processed in the DSP chip (finger print) is transferred in parallel to the HARD DISK for searching process. The BIOS language of the HARD DISK is stored in SDRAM which is also interfaced in parallel with the chip. This helps the chip to transfer the image to the HARD DISK for further process. The image transferred to the HARD DISK is compared with that of the DATA BASE. The circuit connections for the process explained are as shown below. A DE-MULTIPLEXER is connected to the inputs in parallel to the chip. The option which is given is transferred to the chip in binary form. Fig:2. 4-DE-MUX used in the process. E. g. : 1. Party one, 2. Party two, 3. Party three, 4. Party four. Suppose if the option is two then the binary data transfer to the ports is 0010. DE-MULTIPLEXER is designed according to the number of parties present in the constituency. The transferred data is stored in a 16-bit register according to their option. After counting takes place the count of each party is transferred to the transmitter. A transmitter is interfaced serially to the DSP chip. The transmitter data is transferred through the telephone lines to the HOST. The counts of similar parties are added at the host and the data is transferred to the STATE HEAD QUARTERS (main HOST) to display the result of the particular constituency. VERIFICATION VERIFICATION OF VOTERS Fig:3. 1-Verification of Voters Here the identity of a person is checked whether heshe belongs to the particular constituency or not. The machine which takes the finger print of the person checks it with the data base already stored in it. If the finger print matches it will give access to the person to cast his vote and if it doesn’t match any of the finger prints stored in the data base then it will reject the voter. Thus his method will enable the members of that particular constituency only to vote. This can be taken as the first step to avoid rigging. To have a faster performance the searching technique is implemented on the basis of GOOGLE SEARCH. The process in the form of a flow chart is as given below. PROCESSING AND COUNTING Fig:3. 2-Counting Process. After the person gets the PROCEED symbol from the voting machine, there appears a screen on which all the parties names along with the symbols are present. The person should select any one of the party by giving the number allotted to that particular party as input through the keypad. After the option is selected the voter is prompted for a confirmation. In case the voter enters an invalid number, the screen reappears and heshe is prompted to cast the vote again. Then according to the option selected, the vote count of the particular party gets incremented by one. Finally, at the end of the day, the position of the parties in terms of the total votes cast can be known. A very simple flow chart for the above process is as shown below: REJECTION OF VOTER REPETITION Fig:3. 3-Rejection block diagram After we have emerged out with a solution to check voter’s identity in a constituency, our next task is to see that a particular person cannot vote more than once i. e. to avoid multiple votes. This task can be accomplished by simple software technique employed. It consists of two folders namely searched and unsearched. Initially the searched folder consists of no images. The thumb impression images of all the voters of a constituency will be present in the unsearched folder. As and when a vote is cast, the image of the particular voter gets transferred to the searched folder. The searched folder is programmed such that an image cannot be present more than once in this folder. So when a voter casts multiple votes the exception is generated and an alarm is raised and even the police can be informed about the identity of the intruder indulging in this illegal activity. This is shown in the block diagram given belowThe scanned vote is first checked with he acceptability of the voter as explained in the first flow chart. If the finger print is accessible then the data of the specified person is taken into account. The voter’s thumb impression is verified with the previously cast votes. If there is no match then the vote is accepted and the count is increased by one. If the vote matches with any of the previous votes then the vote is rejected and th e person’s identity is stored and it is given to the police for further enquiry. There is a flash ROM in which these details can be stored. NETWORK FORMATION OF THE NETWORK The voting machines present in a town are interlinked in the form of a highly secure LAN. This network is formed with the help of the telephone lines. All the data collected in the voting system is first stored in the voting machine itself. Then it is sent to the HOST which will be located at headquarters of the town. All the data is collected there and it is transferred to the main HOST. The purpose of saving the data in the voting machine at first is that even if there is loss of data by some means then it can be easily retrieved from the machine again. In this way all the things are bought into a network. Fig:4. 1-Formation of the network These hosts are again grouped into network through radio waves or again telephone lines. Host is a device which consists of a PROCESSOR and a RAM. It will accept the data from all the voting machines through telephone lines and it will store the data in RAM (count of all parties). Then it will add the count of similar parties and store the count in ascending or descending order and display the result whenever it is necessary. Thus all the voting machines in the state can be formed into a network. The network can make use of RADIO waves or TELEPHONE lines for the data transfer. CONCLUSION ADVANTAGES 1. The system is highly reliable and secure. 2. In the long run the maintenance cost is very less when compared to the present systems. 3. Illegal practices like rigging in elections can be checked for. 4. It is possible to get instantaneous results and with high accuracy. CONCLUSION Thus the advent of this biometric thumb impression voting system would enable hosting of fair elections in India. This will preclude the illegal practices like rigging. The citizens can be sure that they alone can choose their leaders, thus exercising their right in the democracy.

Black Status: Post Civil War America :: American America History

Black Status: Post Civil War America After the emancipation of slaves in 1862, the status of African-Americans in post civil war America up until the beginning of the twentieth century did not go through a great deal of change. Much legislation was passed to help blacks in this period. The Civil Rights act of 1875 prohibited segregation in public facilities and various government amendments gave African-Americans even more guaranteed rights. Even with this government legislation, the newly dubbed 'freedmen' were still discriminated against by most people and, ironically, they were soon to be restricted and segregated once again under government rulings in important court cases of the era. Reconstruction was intended to give African-Americans the chance for a new and better life. Many of them stayed with their old masters after being freed, while others left in search of opportunity through education as well as land ownership. However this was not exactly an easy task. There were many things standing in their way, chiefly white supremacists and the laws and restrictions they placed upon African-Americans. Beginning with the 'black codes' established by President Johnson's reconstruction plan, blacks were required to have a curfew as well as carry identification. Labor contracts established under Johnson's Reconstruction even bound the 'freedmen' to their respective plantations. A few years later, another set of laws known as the 'Jim Crow' laws directly undermined the status of blacks by placing unfair restrictions on everything from voting rights all the way to the segregation of water fountains. Besides these restrictions, the blacks had to deal with the Democratic P arty whose northern wing even denounced racial equality. As a result of democratic hostility and the Republican Party's support of Black suffrage, freedmen greatly supported the Republican Party. As a result of the failure of Johnson's Reconstruction, Congress proposed its own plan. The 14th amendment was one of the many things implemented under this plan. Among other things, this amendment forbade ex-Confederate leaders from holding political office, and gave freedmen their citizenship. The Southern rejection of this amendment, largely as a result of the actions of their former Confederate leaders then in state office, paved the way for the Reconstruction Act of 1867. This dismantled all Southern governments and established military control over the South. It guaranteed freedmen the right to vote under new state constitutions, and required the Southern states to ratify the 14th amendment. With the inclusion of African-American votes in southern elections, and with the help of Northerners known as "Carpet Baggers" and other white Southerners known as "Scalawags," the Republican Party gained almost complete control over the American South.

Consider the poems Dreaming Black Boy and Epitaph Essay

a) Compare the ways in which these two poems deal with the experience of oppression and racism. b) State which of the two poems you find more disturbing, and give reasons to support your answer. c) Identify and comment on TWO poetic devices used in each poem to highlight the workings of oppression or racism. â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy† and â€Å"Epitaph† are two poems which address the issues of oppression and racism. though they both deal with the same problem, it is handled and discussed differently. In † Dreaming Black Boy†, the persona, a young black boy in school, talks about his aspirations and dreams. He hopes for an end to racism. The persona tries to use his education to try to escape the harsh reality of racism. He not only mentions what is going on around him now, but also the past and even how he would like things to be in the future. He longs for acceptance, a good education, success, to travel and a break from mental slavery. He fails to grasp that despite his intelligence and physical maturity, the racist treatment will continue. Thinking that what he experiences as a young boy is the worst, he has yet to find out how it is in the future. On the other hand, â€Å"Epitaph†, a significantly shorter poem, is about a black slave who was hanged. People stop what they are doing to watch the sight, yet the rest of the world continues to go on. the sugar cane continues to grow. Unlike in â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy†, the persona in â€Å"Epitaph† is an adult, looking on a past occurrence and commenting on how these types of events have impacted on our lives today. â€Å"Epitaph† appears to be the most disturbing as it suggests that many of these slaves’ deaths are forgotten. The idea or notion that life goes on after you die and all you are awarded is a â€Å"pause†. The images in â€Å"Epitaph† are also more graphic. In â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy†, the poet uses euphemism to down play the harsh reality of the young black boy. For example, â€Å"plotters in pajamas† is used to refer to the klu klux klan, a group infamous for the terror they caused on the black race. The main literary device used in â€Å"Dreaming Black Boy† is allusion. The persona alludes to white supremacy groups, a famous singer etcetera, to express the things he would like to change about his reality. â€Å"Epitaph† uses the â€Å"apostrophe† to give a visual image of the black slave hanging and swinging as he is hanged. This metaphor is effective in showing also how the slave has taken on the problems of the black race as his own. And his death belongs to the blacks. It is their history. Racism and slavery are two of the most controversial and oppressive elements in human history. Though both poems differ in style and technique, both successfully describe the physical and emotional effects of racism and oppression (slavery). This success is achieved through the use of allusions, vivid images, symbolic language and even euphemism.

United States Coast Guard

The last ten years has seen substantial changes in the ways the oceans are being used. Incidences of smuggling, piracy, illegal immigration and the growth in global terrorism have risen dramatically. This report studies how the role of the United States Coast Guard has been refined to deal with these issues and, in particular, their recently emphasised role in security. We look at the key issues facing this force, which include the recently formed Homeland Security project and evaluate their activities in the fight against terrorism and use in foreign campaigns.Our conclusion is that there has been a significant change in the Coast Guard role but that this is a necessary response to the changing face of crime and terrorism on the oceans. United States Coast Guard Their Role in Border Security What is the role of the U. S. Coast Guard in terms of border security and how does it carry out that role? This is the question that we shall be studying within this report. Having studied and r esearched we the changes to the Coast Guards mission and, in particular the reasons and causes that have led to their current role in and duties with regard to border security.Amongst the oldest government organization, the U. S. Coast Guard was formed originally under the name of â€Å"Revenue Marine†. Its history dates back to 1740. Initially its main task was collecting revenue for the government and to stop smuggling. Over the years its duties and responsibilities have expanded to include assisting in distress and rescue, dealing with incidence of slavery and charting the coastline. Before the U. S. Navy was formed in 1798, it also was the only seabourne-armed force.Over recent years it has become part of the Department of Homeland, were it is responsible for enforcing the nations laws of the sea and ensuring safety of both vessels and persons. However in wartime its line of command transfers responsibility to the Navy Department. (United States Coast Guard, website 2006) . The growing globalization in terms of politics and commercialization has brought with it an international expansion of crime and terrorist groups.In recent times the Coast Guard’s role has changed to meet this, with an increased focus on a number of key security areas including smuggling, illegal immigration and, more importantly, the perceived and actual threat from terrorism. As Admiral Allen (2006) points out in his statement on the Coast Guard website, this change is an ongoing situation and they have to remain flexible in their approach to maintain a positive and effective proactive and reactionary response to the constantly changing demands of the issues within their remit.Within this document we are concentrating upon four key issues, theft and smuggling, illegal immigration, terrorism and a brief look at the services they have provided overseas. Theft and Smuggling Since the first moment human beings invented a form of sea transport, there have been those who have s een and seized the opportunity for ill-gotten gains. Indeed, as previous stated, smuggling was one of the original reasons for the formation of the Coast Guard.Due to the vast coastline enjoyed by the United States, theft, smuggling and the task of its prevention, has always played an important part of the Coast Guard duty. With the increase in globalization smuggling of commercial goods has become a more significant problem. It has been reported that the theft of merchandise cargo in the United States is a staggering $25 billion a year, fifty percent of the world’s total thefts. The lost revenue from smuggled cigarettes alone is estimated to cost the U. S. approaching $2 billion.The problem is exacerbated by the diverse nature of the groups and syndicate behind the thefts. These not only include local geographical groups such as the Los Angeles street gangs, but those from South America, the Orient and, with the democratization of much of the Eastern Bloc countries, Russian Crime gangs as well. (Mario Possamai 2001) In addition to the theft, the Coast Guards also have to deal with the growing problem of counterfeit branded merchandise, among the most popular of which are computer software, fashion goods and cosmetics.With the increase in skills and technology in Asia, the Far East and other nations, there has been a proliferation of the importation of counterfeit products and the modern quality of reproduction is so high that detection is becoming more and more difficult. It is estimated that the cost to United States industry from this source was in the region of $200 million per annum in 2001 and the figure has grown steadily from then. The following (figure 1) shows the total number of intellectual property right seizures for the five years to 2000. Table 1 Mario Possamai (2001)By far the worse incidence of smuggling is that involving drugs, across the whole spectrum of the industry. Globally this is adding to the pressures of addiction and other, i ncluding drug related problem, and in the United States, due to the sheer size of population it is an extremely large and difficult problem to deal with. This is one particular area where the Coast Guard can be particularly pleased with their efforts as there seizures during 2002 accounted for 52% of all government seizures in that year, and took off the streets drugs estimated to have a retail value of nearly $4 billion.Another area of responsibility, which because of their more high profile activities, tends to be somewhat overlooked, is the Coast Guards responsibility for protecting their nations fishery industry. With falling stocks world-wide, illegal fishing and theft of catches is on the increase, and the U. S. has not been immune from this problem. Illegal Immigration Although an integral part of the fight against smuggling, because of it’s human connotations, the part of the trade involving illegal immigrants has taken on a unique significance of it’s own.As a result of its â€Å"super-power† status and the world-wide held perception that the United States is the wealthiest country, it acts as a magnet for people from poorer nations wishing to improve their fortunes and, as a result of this there has followed a growth of crime syndicates who operate in this area, seizing the opportunity for substantial financial rewards. Such gangs have used the income generated to form themselves into extremely well organized, sophisticated and effective organizations.Although the influx of illegal immigrants is a national problem, with the longest border between the world’s richest nation and one of the poorer being the U. S. Mexico divide, by far the largest concentration of activity takes place in this area. The efficiency of the operating gangs and syndicates operating in this business serves to tax the Coast Guards capability to the limit. Many believe that, partially as a result of the demands placed upon it in terms of other securit y duties, the Coast Guard is failing to win this particular struggle.In his book, Peter Andreas (2001) observes that, despite setting up a military type operation in order to concentrate the efforts of border enforcement this 1990’s initiative is not achieving its target, which is to reaffirm control over the area. Terrorism Since the dramatic and catastrophic results of the September â€Å"9/11† attacks, the Coast Guard has been charged with the additional responsibilities of focusing a reasonable amount of resources to the fight against terrorism. Their duties and responsibilities here are to defend the United States against any repetition of the September 11th tragedies.(Carolyn and Kit Bonner 2004) Despite the fact that that particular attack was airborne in nature, a seabourne attack is all too possible. For example it is estimated, although as a result of the problems involved with ascertaining positive evidence, that Al Qaeda has an operating fleet of between 15 and 300 vessels. It is already suspected that this terrorist group have been responsible for at least two major seabourne attacks on other vessels, Dr John Daly (2003), each capable of inflicting massive damage on United States seaways or delivery of weapons of mass destruction through its ports.Following on from the successes of Al Qaeda, the fear is that other international terrorist groups will consider this method as an extension to their armory of effective attacks against the U. S. In John Leaning’s report (2001), the Coast Guard stated that the service was operating on a much higher state of security alert, even to the extent of preventing public access to facilities that, pre 9/11 would have welcomed them. The terrorist threat is not only restricted to groups like Al Qaeda, but can be extended to include those countries with which the United States have serious disputes such as Iran and the insurgents in Iraq.Services overseas Despite being primarily a service dedica ted to the protection of it’s nations own shores and waters, the United States Coast Guard, have ventured further a field when there is a need to and duty calls. In addition it has also worked in collaboration with other nations in the pursuance of its security obligations. With regard to the latter, the recent joint operation with Canada is a case in point. Here the two Coast Guard service worked in unison on a regular basis. This cooperation has extended along both the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines and other mutually important stretches of seaway and lakes.Both of the participating services have said that this operation has been of great value to them and that they have learnt a lot from working together, all of which they hope to put towards their joint and individual security role programs. As a trial operation it was a success in terms of showing how such cooperation could be an effective weapon in the fight against any security incident that arises on the high seas. ( Phil Jenkins 2005) Service in Iraq. In addition to working with neighboring countries the U. S. Coast Guard has also been called into action with security conflicts in other parts of the world.The most important of these, and certainly the one with the highest profile, occurred during the recent Middle East conflicts with the Gulf Wars. Working under the jurisdiction of the Navy department, it was part of the Coast Guards responsibilities to guard and protect the oil terminals from attack, a duty that has also become part of their responsibilities in their homeland. With the United States Navy occupied in more direct action in the Middle East operations of war, it was a huge responsibility for the service. ConclusionAs our research has shown, the United States Coast Guard has an extremely important role to play in the area of security. This responsibility stretches across the whole spectrum of the American way of life. In protecting the countries commercial organizations from the ef fects of mechanized theft and incidences of counterfeiting it is contributing to the safeguard of the economic position. With its actions against smuggling, and in particular the human kind, its job it to protect the social conditions and human rights, not only of its own citizens, but also of many of those who are being smuggled into the country.However, by far the most important role that the service plays at this moment in time relates to its activities in the field of terrorism. The attacks of â€Å"9/11† graphically showed the scale of human lives that can be lost and the significant damage to the nations info structure and the affect on a nations moral that such an incidence can have. This task is taking on every increasing importance as both the growth of terrorist groups, and of unstable nations access to nuclear facilities, grows. The difficulties that face both the Coast Guard service and the U.S. government that operates it, is one of funding, facilities and deploy ment. With terrorists seeming to possess almost unlimited funds just who much of the nations taxes should be committed to this area of operations. Whilst the nation is very conscious of the need for it, there is a limit to the amount that a citizen either can or is willing to invest. Even with the funds available, there comes next the problem of exactly what facilities should those funds be utilized for. Seabourne terrorism is not the only concern.There are other forms of terrorism that need protection and need funds as has been clearly demonstrated. Added to this is the almost impossible task of deployment. The United States has such a large expanse of coastline that it would be impossible to cover that area effectively. With the fiscal restraints, together with the limitations in terms of manpower, equipment and other resources, the United States Coast Guard services perform their remit with a great deal of efficiency and, despite isolated incidences of failure, not inconsiderable success. ReferencesAllen, Admiral Thad. (May 2006). Commandants intent. Retrieved from http://www. uscg. mil/USCG. shtm. Andreas Peter. (2001). Border Games: Policing the U. S. Mexico Divide. Cornell University Press. Collins, T (Forward). Bonner, Carolyn & Kit. (2004) Always Ready: Today’s US Coast Guard. Motorbooks International, Powerpro series. Daly, Dr John, C, Kay. (2003) Al Qaeda and Maritime Terrorism [Part 1], The Jameson Institute, Terrorism Monitor Jenkins, Phil. (2005). U. S. and Canadian Coast Guards working together to strengthen partnerships. CNN News release.

Area 51 essays

Area 51 essays Groom Lake, Dreamland, and Area 51 are all names describing different portions of a top-secret military base securely hidden in central Nevada. When the name Area 51 is spoken, extraterrestrial life, atomic bombs, and stealthy aircraft are all things that come to mind. The real question is what goes on at Area 51? There are many rumors and speculations about what goes on there, but nobody really knows for sure. Area 51 was built to the south of a dry lakebed named Groom. The landmass of Area 51 takes up an area of sixty square miles. Nellis is an Air Force Base near Las Vegas, Nevada. The restricted part of the Range totals three million acres. To give you an idea of how big it is, it's slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut, but larger than Lebanon. Nellis Air Force Base comprises more than a third of the whole Military Operating Area, and as a total, the Nellis Range is eight million acres and is larger than both the country of Belgium and the state of Maryland (UFO Mind.) Driving along Highway 375 in central Nevada, the desert landscape stretches out as far as the eye can see. This is the typical American West, consisting of wide-open harsh conditions, where only the most rugged can survive. There are no cities here. Towns, if you can call them that, are few and far between. The only sounds that disturb this serene wilderness are coyotes, rattle snakes, and jet aircraft flying overhead. This region is one of the least densely populated in the United States. It has the largest military range in the US, and is close enough to a major city to commute workers to and from its location by air. For these reasons, Area 51s location was chosen. There was one location that one could get a good view of the military base. This is called Freedom Ridge, approximately 12 miles from the core of Area 51 (Area 51 Research Center.) Many people used to drive to Freedom Ridge...

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley I am going to compare and contrast the reactions of Arthur Birling and Sheila Birling to the interrogation in which they received by the Inspector. Both of which reacted in completely different ways.I feel that the inspector makes a bigger impression on the younger characters then he does on the older characters this is shown by looking at the two characters, Mr.Arthur Birling and Sheila Birling. Arthur Birling is the father of the Birling family. 'He is a heavy- looking, rather portentous man in his middle fifties with fairly easy manners but rather provincial in his speech'. Sheila, the only daughter of Mr and Mrs Birling, 'is a pretty girl in her early twenties, who is very pleased with life' and rather excited about her early engagement to Gerald Croft, who is the son of Lady and Lord Croft, a very wealthy businessman.At the time of the inspectors entrance Mr Birling is in the room with Gerald and Eric, it is only when the inspector has finished interviewing Mr Birling that Sheli a enters.English: Car park at Birling Gap

Definitions and Examples of Anthypophora in Rhetoric

Definitions and Examples of Anthypophora in Rhetoric Definition Anthypophora is a  rhetorical term for the practice of asking oneself a question and then immediately answering it. Also called (or at least closely related to) the  figure of response (Puttenham) and  hypophora. The relationship between anthypophora and hypophora is confusing, says Gregory Howard. Hypophora is seen as the statement or question. Anthypophora as the immediate reply (Dictionary Of Rhetorical Terms, 2010). In Dictionary of Poetic Terms (2003), Jack Myers and Don Charles Wukasch define anthypophora as a figure of argumentation in which the speaker acts as his own foil by arguing with himself. In Garners Modern American Usage (2009), Bryan A. Garner defines anthypophora as a rhetorical tactic of refuting an objection with a contrary inference or allegation. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: ErotesisFigurative LanguageRhetoricRhetorical QuestionTwelve Types of Questions in Casablanca EtymologyFrom the Greek, against allegation Examples and Observations What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage!(The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, 1939)Is our species crazy?Plenty of evidence.(Saul Bellow, Mr. Sammlers Planet. Viking Press, 1970)In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.(Orson Welles as Harry Lime in The Third Man, 1949) Sir Winston Churchills Use of AnthypophoraYou ask, what is our policy? I will say it is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalog of human crime. That is our policy.You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror; victory, however long and hard the r oad may be, for without victory, there is no survival.(Winston Churchill, address to Parliament, May 13, 1940) President Barack Obamas Use of AnthypophoraThis is our first task, caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we’re meeting our obligations?Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm?Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know they are loved and teaching them to love in return?Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer’s no. We’re not doing enough. And we will have to change.(U.S. President Barack Obama, speech at a memorial service in Newtown, Connectic ut, on December 16, 2012, two days after the massacre of 26 children and adults in an elementary school) Governor Andrew Cuomos Use of AnthypophoraDuring his two years in office, [New York Governor Andrew] Cuomo has developed a habit of answering reporters queries by asking his own questions. He sometimes engages in a lengthy back-and-forth, asking four or five questions and replying in a single response.For instance, at a news conference in October, Mr. Cuomo was asked about the plight of financially strapped upstate cities. The Democratic governor reframed the question to show how he had set a budgetary example that others could follow.The days of wine and roses are over? No, Mr. Cuomo said about upstate cities before a segue into his own accomplishments. Can you close a $10 billion deficit? Yes. Does the place operate? I think better than before. Did the walls crumble? No. Was it hard? Yes. Was it unsettling? Yes. But did we do it? Yes. I think you can bring costs in line with revenue.It was an expansive example of Mr. Cuomos frequent Socratic soliloquies, which he has employed to m ake points on issues ranging from overhauling Medicaid to changing how teacher performance is judged to passing new gun-control laws. Sometimes they take the form of question-and-answer sessions, while other times Mr. Cuomo holds a mock debate, taking both sides of an issue.It is a classic rhetorical tactic known as anthypophora, a device found in Shakespeare, the Bible and the speeches of former presidents, linguistic scholars say. . . .Philip Dalton, an assistant political communications professor at Hofstra University, called Mr. Cuomos approach smart rhetorically. Sometimes questions are posed to you with built-in assumptions that you dont want to affirm by answering them, Prof. Dalton said. You can bypass the whole question by asking the question yourself, and it allows you to frame the answer in way thats advantageous to yourself.(Laura Nahmias, Got Questions for Cuomo? So Does He. The Wall Street Journal, February 18, 2013) Falstaffs Use of AnthypophoraWhat is honor? A word. What is in that word honor? What is that honor? Air. A trim reckoning! Who hath it? He that died o’ Wednesday. Doth he feel it? No. Doth he hear it? No. ‘Tis insensible, then? Yea, to the dead. But will it not live with the living? No. Why? Detraction will not suffer it. Therefore, I’ll none of it. Honor is a mere scutcheon. And so ends my catechism.(Falstaff in Act V, scene 1 of Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare) Guillaume Budà © in Defense of AnthypophoraAnother most unfair attack I had almost forgotten to mention: in quoting the words of my letter, you make out that I put you say in the present tense instead of you will say, as though I had actually invented words from some earlier letter of yours. This is what you complain of, although in fact I was using the figure anthypophora, maintaining not that you did but that you might have said so; for everywhere in my draft it has the future tense you will s ay. So you have begun to attack me not merely with rhetorical subtleties, as your custom was, but with fabrications.(Letter from Guillaume Budà © to Desiderius Erasmus, 1519. Correspondence of Erasmus: Letters 842-992, 1518-1519. University of Toronto Press, 1982) The Lighter Side of AnthypophoraDo I get annoyed when people ask themselves their own questions and answer them (rendering the interviewer irrelevant)? Yes I do. Should we allow this virus in the paper? No we shouldnt.(Kevin Mitchell, quoted by David Marsh and Amelia Hodsdon in Guardian Style, 3rd ed. Guardian Books, 2010) Pronunciation: ant-hi-POF-era or an-thi-PO-for-a

Public International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Public International Law - Essay Example Jus cogens symbolizes principles of international law that are considered to be so fundamental that no nation can ignore them. In particular, where international crimes are alleged to have been committed by a former head of State, it is even more important that justice is not executed by local authorities but by the application of the principles of international law, which can ensure that justice is done through the application of impartial principles that are universally valid. In the context of the trail against Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity, the Iraqi ruler was guilty of crimes against humanity, which by application of the principle of jus cogens would involve the fundamental application of international criminal law. According to Michael Sharf, the Saddam Hussein trial can be classed as one of the most important cases in international law because (a) the scale of atrocities was high (b) Hussein was a top ranking leader (c) interest of the international community due to the coalition led against Iraq (d) sets a legal precedent for international crimes and (e) effect of the trial and whether it was perceived as fair.

Strategic Analysis of Lush Cosmetics UK Subsidiary Term Paper - 1

Strategic Analysis of Lush Cosmetics UK Subsidiary - Term Paper Example VRIO analysis is one of such tools that help any organization to analyze their core competencies (Wiklund and Shepherd, 2003). The tangible resources of Lush Cosmetics include their employees, production laboratories, and product packaging ingredients. The employees of the organization are well trained and highly efficient to produce innovative products as per the requirement of the market. Their technologically developed production laboratories give them a competitive advantage. Lush Cosmetic is following green policy in their product packaging procedure by using recycled and environmentally friendly products. Their intangible resources are the innovative product formulas and brand recognition (Marketline, 2008). The products of the organization follow a unique and innovative formulation that helps them to stand out in the market. The uniqueness of their products has earned customer loyalty and positive market reputation for their brands. The ability to recognize consumer preference over the freshness of product and recognize the limitations of natural products in the earth can be counted as their core capa bilities (Ku, 2014). These resources and capabilities provide help to identify their core competencies which include innovative products, environment-friendly business approach, and trustworthiness. The organization has utilized their unique product formulas and the state of the art production facilities to develop natural personal care products for health conscious customers.

Sexuality in Todays Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sexuality in Todays Society - Essay Example This report stresses that today many teens are engaging in sexual promiscuity thus resulting to many of them falling for unwanted pregnancies. This has been encouraged by the many writings on sex, sex films and plays which depict sexual matters without a distinct coverage. For instance today pornography is being watched by people across all ages, young children who cannot even define their sexuality included. Thus the openness of sex may be said as having positive impact but it is largely negative. In today’s society parents have also been reluctant to control their children sexual habits thus worsening the situation. This is partly due to the increasing number of working class parents who end up having less time with their children. Therefore it is a high time that parents realized their role in teaching their children in relation to their sexual habits. This paper makes a conclusion that the society today is obsessed with sex and the question that comes to the fore relates to how the society should behave in relation to the issue of sexuality. In this aspect religion is an important tool for fighting unfavorable sexuality issues. This is because religious groups mostly advocate for sexual purity which ought to be of great importance in the society today. However it has proved difficult to maintain sexual purity today considering that many cultures are obsessed with sex and permissiveness in all types of sexual expressions.

Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Story - Essay Example However, upon arrival in America in 1855, Fernando directed Chilam to the city of California in the gold mines. The journey took 10 months since they were new to America and pretended to be cow boys. Their lifestyle in America was pathetic since they were immigrants in America. Therefore, they had to obey and withstand all the frustrations at the gold mines. Chilam survived the invasion of the intruders who killed his Chinese friends and left him hopeless. All was not lost since he remained with a good amount of gold when his friends were murdered. Over time, he opened a gold refinery firm that grew to larger heights attracting the American government into his business in San Francisco. After some years, Chilam’s gold mines grew into a larger investment and became popular in the West coast side of America. He signed an agreement with the government to incorporate him as part of the Golden Spike ceremony that involved the railroad project. This involved creation of last four spikes of gold in America. This meant that two golden spikes would come from San Francisco, silvered spike from Nevada and one from Arizona full of iron, silver and gold. Chilam opted for the last golden spike that was placed into the railroad that connected Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad (California digital Newspaper collection, 34). In conclusion, it is evident hat the journey of Chilam to richness was tough but had a soft landing. This is evident from displacement of their family and friend s in Mexico to a new land of opportunities in

The Quality Improvement Program in the X-rays Department Research Paper

The Quality Improvement Program in the X-rays Department - Research Paper Example Various hospitals today use X-rays to diagnose different diseases among the patients. However, there is still a need for improvement in this area in order to ensure that the quality of health is improved. As such, this project paper seeks to assess the quality improvement program that can be implemented in the X-ray department in Rashid Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The paper starts by defining the project and this is followed by an outline of the data collection methods that can be implemented in order to outline the organizational aspect of the program as well as its implementation details with regards to performance measures used, health core frequency of data collection, data analysis, and reporting mechanisms Basically, epidemiology is a sector in the medical field that specifically deals with diagnosing as well as controlling of diseases. Of notable concern is the fact that the term disease can be said to have a wide connotation to the healthcare practitioners such as the nurses and doctors compared to ordinary people who often think that it only refers to an infection on the body. Most patients have little knowledge about the nature of their illnesses as well as their cure or control. On the other hand, it can be noted that the quality of healthcare services offered can only be enhanced through the use of sophisticated equipment such as x-rays. Colmer (3) posts to the effect that without a high order of technical competence and anatomical knowledge in surgeon and nurse alike, no operation could be a success. Usually, many people from different disciplines are involved in the delivery of healthcare and treatment of patients. However, before a treatment is administered to a patient, it can the noted that a diagnosis of the disease has to be carried out. In some instances, some illnesses cannot be diagnosed by a naked eye and this is where x-rays are needed.

Automobile Assembly Line Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Automobile Assembly Line - Essay Example Technology has made many tasks easier if not eliminated them all together. And, technology has redefined what 'work' is too many people. From farm operations to processing of the products the farms produce evidence of the impact of technology is clear. The technology available has change the way society operates. Society, in turn, has been reshaped by this technology. Society has then continued to develop technology to support its changes in the way it lives. 2. History and Development of the Moving Assembly Line. Many different versions of the assembly line were used throughout history. In recent history the assembly line was used to move meat from one station to another in the meat packing plants of Cincinnati, Ohio (USA). The meat packing plants in Chicago followed with suit by installing the system in their plants. These assembly lines were powered by overhead trolleys with chains. But, the most notable use of the assembly line occurred at Ford Motor Company in Michigan (USA). Ford first began using the assembly line in 1913. It allowed workers to learn one task in production of the auto and complete that task repeatedly as autos passed their station. The assembly line greatly increased the number of autos made at one time. Specialization of the workers meant that workers knew one part of the assembly really well and could repeat the task over and over with great speed. Ford's competition was left behind as Ford could produce more ve hicles at a lower price than its competitors. Ford also did not need as many employees to build an auto because the auto was no longer made all at one station but moved between stations with specialized assemblers at those stations. Ford had successfully implemented the use of the assembly line and created mass production of its product: the automobile. "Ford's famous Model T was assembled in ninety-three minutes."(About, History of Cars) Previously Ford had used a team approach that had a group all working at one station building the auto from beginning to end. Development of the assembly line continued and it became a widely used technology to build different products. The skills needed to build products were gradually transferred to mechanical devices on the assembly line. This skills transfer allowed the industry to hire lower skilled workers that were paid less than their skilled counterparts. This automation of the assembly line required less and less workers who controlled more and more specialized equipment along the assembly line. In essence, the assembly line and automation eliminated the need for most workers. 3. The Social Shaping of Technology. The social shaping of technology (SST) can best be explained as the development of technology to satisfy social needs. These are not needs in the sense of social relationships but rather the social needs to work, be profitable, live at a comfortable socio-economic level, etc. Using assembly line development as an example, this social shaping of technology began with an idea. Ford wanted to produce more cars but make them affordable so that people could, and would, buy them. Ford needed to remain profitable with an affordable product. Producing a car a day vs. a car every ninety-three minutes can have a big effect on profits. The assembly line gave Ford this opportunity. SST is all about choices that shape outcomes. SST offers negotiability to the technological process

The Quality Improvement Program in the X-rays Department Research Paper

The Quality Improvement Program in the X-rays Department - Research Paper Example Various hospitals today use X-rays to diagnose different diseases among the patients. However, there is still a need for improvement in this area in order to ensure that the quality of health is improved. As such, this project paper seeks to assess the quality improvement program that can be implemented in the X-ray department in Rashid Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The paper starts by defining the project and this is followed by an outline of the data collection methods that can be implemented in order to outline the organizational aspect of the program as well as its implementation details with regards to performance measures used, health core frequency of data collection, data analysis, and reporting mechanisms Basically, epidemiology is a sector in the medical field that specifically deals with diagnosing as well as controlling of diseases. Of notable concern is the fact that the term disease can be said to have a wide connotation to the healthcare practitioners such as the nurses and doctors compared to ordinary people who often think that it only refers to an infection on the body. Most patients have little knowledge about the nature of their illnesses as well as their cure or control. On the other hand, it can be noted that the quality of healthcare services offered can only be enhanced through the use of sophisticated equipment such as x-rays. Colmer (3) posts to the effect that without a high order of technical competence and anatomical knowledge in surgeon and nurse alike, no operation could be a success. Usually, many people from different disciplines are involved in the delivery of healthcare and treatment of patients. However, before a treatment is administered to a patient, it can the noted that a diagnosis of the disease has to be carried out. In some instances, some illnesses cannot be diagnosed by a naked eye and this is where x-rays are needed.

Investigation into Virtual Organisation facilities Coursework

Investigation into Virtual Organisation facilities - Coursework Example Growing complexity in the business environment makes "business as usual" ineffective. (Keen, 1991) Globalization calls for communication and synchronization across diverse time zones and locations. Time constraints require reduction in reaction time, driving businesses to just-in-time inventory, orders, scheduling, payments, manufacturing, distribution, etc. Change has become the norm, an unpredictable basic reality. The fresh economic cutting edge is the knowledge economy, and right now about 97% of all employment expansion is coming from knowledge work. Wealth today is generated principally by the value people add through new ideas. (Moyer, 1994) What members of these workgroups do is called collaborative work and they must often overcome barriers of time zones and geography to document what has been accomplished. (Stuck, 1995) To stay aggressive in today's business atmosphere requires new levels of collaboration and dexterity, both within and between organizations. Communications networks and IT are the tools that make possible this "working together apart," and telecommuting (or home working) is making workgroups more productive. (Stuck, 1995) IT plays a fundamental role in supporting critical activities, enabling organizations to make efficient and effective changes in the manner in which work is performed (Turban, 1996) and offering real potential for changing the way in which people work (Daniels, 1995). For example, the Internet provides a way for small businesses to create a virtual organization to complete projects (Blotzer, 1995). Companies are forming worldwide mutual provisions as the basis for developing a competitive advantage from technology (Bailetti, 1993). Coordination of IT management presents a real challenge to these firms which have to deal with detached, decentralized IT practices (DeSanctis, 1994). While decentralization may bring litheness and fast response to changing needs, it also makes systems integration difficult, presents' obstruction to standardization, and acts as a disincentive for achieving economies of scale (DeSanctis, 1994). In juxtaposition with rapid changes in the business environment, the way in which business is conducted is also changing at a rapid pace. Groups, not individuals, have become the fundamental unit of work in modern organizations, with non-routine and new work most often being accomplished through teams, committees, or ad hoc workgroups (Finholt, 1990). Groups and group behavior are momentous for both organizational performance and individual group members. Computer-based technology may affect these groups and their behavior. At least some electronic groups behave

Jacobite opposition to the Whig Oligarchy Essay Example for Free

Jacobite opposition to the Whig Oligarchy Essay Why was Jacobite opposition to the Whig Oligarchy so unsuccessful between 1714-60 The Jacobites were a British group who repeatedly tried to reinstate the old Stuart kings onto the English throne, as opposed to the Protestant monarchy that began in 1689. From 1714-60 parliament was dominated by the Whig party, to the detriment of the pro-Jacobite Tories. There were many Jacobite attempts in this period to overthrow this Whig oligarchy and the kings that supported it. P Monod attributes the failure of the Jacobites to a lack of leadership and inadequate military forces. J Stephenson, on the other hand, argues that a lack of foreign and domestic support for the old stuart monarchy is the predominant reason for the lack of success of the Jacobites. This essay will examine the four main factors that are cited as the reasons for the failure of Jacobites poor leadership, weak military, little foreign support, declining domestic support and will evaluate which one of them is the most important. The Jacobites that they never had adept leaders. Jacobite officers were normally of Scottish brethren, with little experience of warfare. Furthermore, as they were Scottish, they did not know the territory when they entered England. This is considered by Monod as one of the reasons for their failure to sustain themselves upon exit of Scotland. The best attempts at Stuart restoration were the rebellions of 1715 and 1745. However, both of these are characterised by poor leadership. In the 15 the commander of the Jacobite army was the Earl of Mar. He raised the Jacobite flag too early, before the army was prepared and, at the Battle of Sherifmuir, failed to take advantage of his victory and the 3:1 ratio of forces, instead allowing the British battalions to retreat and regroup. On top of this, James Francis Stuart, the Pretender King, was absent from the rebellion. Thus, the Jacobites were without their inspirational figurehead. The rebellion of the 45 endured similar problems, despite having their true leader, Bonnie Prince Charlie present. Having successfully driven down to Derby, instead of marching for London, the Jacobites fled to Scotland, allowing the British to regroup and pursue them. The issue of poor leadership was compounded by the inherent weakness of the Jacobite forces. They were predominantly comprised of Scottish highlanders, and anyone else that wished to join them, normally farmers. The men had little, if any, fighting experience and had never been trained in combat. Furthermore, they were poorly equiped, relying on homemade and captured weapons. The force was usually small, at its largest during the 45 when it reached 12 000 men. This is contrast to the British armies that were defending London. Although, they were slow to react to both rebellions, they were far superior when they engaged the Jacobites in combat. In 1715, the British army had just emerged victorious from the War of Spanish Succession. After famous victories, such as Blenhim, it became known as one of the most formidable fighting forces in Europe. It was large and well trained. Moreover, the Jacobite armies were hampered by internal divisions. The bulk of their men came from highland clans which were historically opposed. Many refused to fight with each other. This problem was particularly present in the rebellion of 45. The Jacobite cause had little hope when it was so weak in the face of such strong opposition. In Britain and Scotland the Jacobites support for the Jacobites was slight, waning further during the period. While Scotland may have been very pro-Jacobite in 1714, the Jacobite influence influence decreased radically until 1760. This is largely down to the fact that the people were forgetting the reasons for their hatred of the British crown. The Glencoe Massacre of 1690 was soon moved into oblivion. Memories of the stuart kings faded as Britain enjoyed peace and prosperity under Hanoverian rule. Lastly, the benefits of Union with England became more apparent as Scotland grew economically and was less heavily taxed than before. In England itself, followers of the Jacobites were always few and far between, only decreasing in the period until 1760. England had always been very anti-Stuart, accusing James II and his predecessors of despotism. Thus, the Glorious Revolution of 1689 was welcomed by the majority of the population. The support that had come from the Tory party also wavered. This was because, after their defeat in the 1714 election, they were keener to rebuild politically than waste time on what was considered a hopeless task. This was compounded by the fact that two Tory leaders, Oxford and Bolingbroke were impeached in the run up to the Jacobite rebellion of 1715 and because Jacobitism grew to be associated with treason. The Jacobites could never rely on foreign support. Louis XIV had originally pledged his allegiance to James Francis Stuart, proclaiming him as King of England and promising resources. However, the loss of the War of Spanish Succession, and the subsequent acknowledgement of the Hanoverian succession, esnsured France would not, and could not, fund the Jacobites for a very long time. This was reinforced by the Anglo-French Entente of the 1720s, whereby Walpole and Fleury were keen to maintain the peace. The French did promote the Jacobites in the run-up to the 45, with a 15 000 invasion force at Dunkirk ready to embark for England. However, poor weather and the War of Austrian Succession diverted the troops. Similarly in 1719, a Spanish fleet was ready to set sail for England, in support of the Jacobites, only to be stopped by a storm. Few other European nations were willing to fund the Jacobites. Seeing it as an worthless cause that would just bring unnecessary aggression from Britain, the pre-eminent power in Europe. The lack of foreign support was no doubt significant, as a large, well-supplied army was never received in Britain. However, even with the absence of this, the Jacobite rebellions drove deep into Britain. Similarly, the claim that Jacobite leaders were inept, while maybe true, does not fully explain the failure of the rebellions. The armies still enjoyed many victories and the British were often commanded by similarly worthless men. The inadequacy of the troops and the lack of domestic support are the most significant explanations for the failure of the Jacobites. Against such a strong British army, the Jacobites had little hope of victory. Linked to this, is the lack of pro-Jacobite people in Britain. This was an underlying reason for the small number of people that would join the rebellion and further ensured that both times the revolts extended into England, they petered out due to the prevalent hostility of the people.

Free College Admissions Essays: Describe A Person who has Influenced You :: College Admissions Essays

College Admissions : Describe A Person who has Influenced You Everyone is affected by certain events or individuals that greatly change their life. Many people have influenced me during my life. Three wonderful friends that have had a special effect on me are Robert, Tiffany and Ashley. In the four years that I have known them well, they have been my best friends, and have helped to transform me from a lonely middle school scholar into a happy senior with a decent social life. Popular wisdom has it that, "You judge a man by his friends." Earlier in my life, that would have been difficult, because I had few friends other than my cousins. I concentrated mostly on school and sports, paying little attention to life outside my studies. My high grades made me the target of torment during elementary school, the name calling: nerd, geek, and worse, was so bad that I was ostracized by some of the class, and I shielded myself by further isolation. My Middle School experience was no different. I was still a loner. All the dances passed by, and I found other, solitary ways to occupy myself. I rarely took time to hang out with fellow students during weekends or vacation time. Then came high school, and in Mrs. Krawet's Global Studies I class I sat next to this energetic guy named Robert, who joked about the no-brained teenagers working in 7-11's, made fun of the way our teacher dramatized the pronunciation of the Huang-Ho and Yangtze Rivers, and satirized the teacher's methodology of hand-signals for facts, generalizations, and cause/effect. Finding common ground in our senses of humor, and love of the TV Simpson's, we grew acquainted with each other. Later in the year we teamed up as the defense lawyers in a class mock trial in which Mao Zedong was charged with crimes against the people of China. To Mrs. Krawet's dismay, "legal wrangling" caused the mock trial to last two weeks, even though she had planned for it to take three days, until it was resolved by a split decision, with the jury voting 6 guilty and 6 innocent. More important than the result was the experience of friendship and shared learning. We each had a great deal of fun preparing questions for the witnesses and planning our cross examinations, and after the trial we remained good friends.

Comparing Middletons A Chaste Maid in Cheapside and Beaumonts Knight

Upturning Social Tradition in Middleton's A Chaste Maid in Cheapside and Beaumont's Knight of the Burning Pestle Satirical dramatic works from early seventeenth-century England provide invaluable information about the society that spawned them through their comical and critical insights. Recurring themes from these works enhance one's knowledge of the culture in which they first appeared. The ascension of the lower and middle classes into social prestige and nobility emerges among the most prevalent dramatic themes of the time. Capitalizing upon the subsequent social confusion, seventeenth-century playwrights convey the uncertainty of whether to follow the dictum of flagging traditions or to purchase a higher place in society. To understand the nuances of how social change affected England, one needs only to glance at Thomas Middleton's A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, which illustrates the struggle of the English aristocracy to survive as lower-born citizens triumphantly rise into its ranks. A Chaste Maid in Cheapside's sister drama, Francis Beaumont's The Knight of the Burning Pestle, also depicts this situation in England despite its differing plot and structure. Moreover, both plays feature similar resolutions that subtly contribute to the aura of social confusion. To emphasize the prevalence of upward mobility, Middleton's A Chaste Maid in Cheapside and Beaumont's The Knight of the Burning Pestle feature women who overcome sexually-motivated male suitors by feigning death, an action that symbolically exemplifies the quavering social boundaries and the diminishing... ...h works. One inconspicuous ripple of the numerous social shock waves appears as women overcome their insolent suitors by feigning death: a figurative upheaval of orthodox social values. In addition, the unfulfilled eroticism of the suitors suggests the future deterioration of their belief that they must marry a woman for propagation and not for love. After the women escape subjection to this lifestyle by faking their deaths, the consequences of their resurrection demonstrate the inconstancy of cultural certainties in their society. Works Cited Beaumont, Francis. The Knight of the Burning Pestle. Ed. John Doebler. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1967. Middleton, Thomas. A Chaste Maid in Cheapside. Ed. Alan Brissenden. New York: WW Norton & Company, Inc., 1997.

Circuit Switching and Packet Switching Essay

Circuit switching, although more reliable than packet-switching because it is able to get your message across without any hiccups, is old and expensive. Circuit switching is based on having a dedicated line or session between two stations and thus, you are able to get the full message across without congestion or interruptions. An example of circuit switching hardware is PBX. In addition, with circuit switching, a path to the destination is already decided upon before the transmission starts and it only terminates once the session is complete and sends its message through. A disadvantage of circuit switching is that you are only able to use the line or transmit one session at a time because of its dedicated circuit. Another disadvantage is its cost. Packet switching is more modern and transmits voice data. Although, as compared to circuit switching, the quality may be lower because of the ability to use lines or sessions at the same time and thus, creating congestion or even data loss. With packet switching there is no circuit dedication like circuit switching. However, unlike circuit switching where the path to the destination is already decided upon before transmission, with packet switching, each packet has to find its own route to the destination. The disadvantage of packet switching is the potential for low quality transmissions and even data loss. In my opinion, these days, packet switching is more commonly used because it is used in LAN technologies or set ups. I would think that circuit switching is used for analog lines and networks, but during these days where most organizations are changing to digital and especially VoIP, packet switching would be more common.

Employment Relations Essay

â€Å"Parliament, in the last 100 years or so, has a lot to say about conditions of work and the relationship between employers and their employees† (Deeks & Rasmussen, 2006). There have been many industrial disputes regarding the arbitration system between 1894 and 1991 which has influenced changes to New Zealand Employment Relations. One of the many industrial disputes was the waterfront industrial dispute 1951. This dispute in New Zealand’s labour history is the biggest industrial dispute that has influenced changes to Employment Relations legislation. Although it was not as violent as the great strike of 1913, it lasted longer-151 days, from February 15th to July 15, and involved more workers (Scott, 2001). The 1951 dispute pitted the government and public against the Watersiders after they decided to work to rule in protest at their employers’ refusal to award them a 15 per cent pay rise (Kay, 2008). At its peak, 22000 waterside workers (wharfies) and other unionists were off the job out of the population of just under two million (Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Today in History, 2007). This essay will discuss the effects, outcomes and influences of the 1951 waterfront industrial dispute thus how it turned the New Zealand Employment Relations around in order to avoid disputes as such from happening and also create a better relationship between the employers and the employees today. The historical events regarding New Zealand employment relations are really quite wide spread. Many events such as strikes and lockouts have happened regards to compulsory arbitration. In 1894 Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act (IC ;A Act 1894) was designed to replace industrial action with conciliation ; arbitration. This was implemented to bring negotiation and disputing sides together to solve industrial conflicts. ‘Unions registering under the act effectively got exclusive organising and bargaining rights’, (Rasmussen ; Deeks, 2006, pg 52). Unions played important interest groups during this time. They helped to promote employee interests to satisfy work goals such as better wages thus they became the legally recognised voice of the workers in a particular industry.

Marketing in the business world.

IntroductionWith competition so intense, many businesses is forced to find innovative ways to increase the quality and sales of their products, from manufacturing to inventory to marketing, using advance technology that is now readily available for anyone willing to adopt it. This is exactly why over the last few years’ information technology has taken a firm grasp and continues to gain momentum. The business world is competitive and everyday presents new and difficult challenges.   Companies must rely on the most effective marketing and sales strategy in order to remain in front of their competition.   In the business world, most companies nowadays use the web technology and Internet to ensure these goals are both surpassed and met. This paper discusses in detail the approach of companies to marketing in the business world.Marketing in the Business WorldIn the business world, effective marketing becomes increasingly tied up with the Internet and other electronic media, ma king the most of the Internet and other new technologies is important to a business success — from the brand image portrayed on its Web site to the development, maintenance and enhancement of customer relationships. In these increasingly uncertain and cynical times, marketing in the business world unpicks the challenges of e-marketing for many types of business.The Web is very information concentrated environment. Extensive amounts of information can be integrated, collected, presented, processed, and accessed through the Web by both consumers and marketers. Marketers now can track comprehensive information for all consumer interactions, not just select examples. On the other hand, soft market qualities, such as reliability and reputation, maybe more difficult to evaluate and gather.Consumers can increase more market information for criteria evaluation; however possible problems of information excess may increase recognised searching costs (Head et al. 2000). Marketers may pr ovide tools to facilitate consumer information collection, but may have to restructure their marketing strategies since competitors can also gather market information and match price differences.Peterson et al. (1997) argues that the Web will have major effect on communication, will influence transactions, but will have no effect on distribution unless the good is based on digital assets. Businesses, which consider the Web as a marketing instrument, primarily utilise it as a communication means to take advantage of its benefits in lower costs, personalisation, interactivity, digitisation, automation, and constant communication. Most businesses who do not currently sell their products/services through their web sites hold this view. Many businesses create their site to foster better communication and public relations. Consumers can obtain corporate information, and may be encouraged to subscribe to customised electronic flyers/newsletters.Mahajan and Wind (1989) explained that Web is a market discontinuity. Companies, which deal with the Web channel as a promising new marketplace that helps a complete range of interaction, may find that it co competes and -exists with traditional markets. New importance must be identified and valued by consumers to compete and participate with existing market channels. For instance, customers must value the ease and flexibility of using Web. Companies need to deal with market positions/boundaries to fit the new value with customers' needs, and look for proper business models in order to achieve these needs. Customer base will be new and existing groups with unique value principle, which may be difficult to attain through traditional channels.In addition to using the Web as a marketing tool and for information searching, consumers can increase their market power through high involvement in business processes and virtual communities. These are new Web-centered strategies, which are restricted in traditional markets by fixed physi cal assets and slow transfer of information (Werbach 2000). Some researchers have noted the commercial effects of Web groups (Kozinets 1999). Communication convenience allows consumers to form communities outside their traditional work or family groups.Such communities accumulate information or knowledge by learning from the experiences of individual community members. Information collection costs and times are often reduced for individuals within a community. Opinions from other consumers are often more valued than messages from marketers, especially in a Web market, where trust is critical and more difficult to build. Not only do groups have a strong effect on purchasers' decision-making, but they may also affect market variables such as products and prices.For example, stocks that capture the attention of participants in chat rooms can move noticeably in price (Bruce 1997). The Web, as an interactive marketplace, also gives the consumer data selection and personalisation power. C ustomers can select information of interest and personalise presentation forms for their own use. Personalized Web pages, which can be constructed fairly easily, increase customer power. Customers on the Web have greater control over what they view and examine. They can select their own path through the information network, process the data, or initiate communication with marketers.There is a general consensus that the industrial organisational impacts of using e-commerce as marketing tool will reflect two developments: 1) the expansion of relevant geographical markets, and 2) increased competition in those markets. The two changes are related (Globerman et al. 2001). However, E-commerce businesses are characterised by high market capitalisations, which are reflected in the perception of their business models by investors (Venkatraman 2000). Primarily, businesses in the Internet carry a 30% marketing budget in order to reach more customers.Specifically, as electronic commerce makes it less costly to identify beneficial transactions across a wider range of potential transactors, it should lead to an increased integration of markets that are currently segmented by high transactions costs across geographical space. In addition, geographically larger markets are ordinarily more contestable than smaller markets. In this perspective, one well-known international business professional stated that electronic commerce implies the end of borders and geography as industrial organisation constructs (Kobrin, 1995).Decision to include international buyers as part of the customer base for a business's Web site, changes must be made to the site in order to promote global consumers to buy products. Internationalising the Web site will aid in the attraction and retention of foreign users by allowing them easier access to the information and functions it presents in a standardised, more simplified manner.Most businesses lack the expertise and resources to create separate Web sit es along with the independent channels of marketing, distribution and production facilities needed for each target market they intend to enter. As a result, these businesses are expected to enter into the business world on a smaller scale, sticking to stages one and two when redesigning their Web sites with a global focus.ConclusionThe Internet has made an outstanding impact within its first decade of business use. Marketing professionals have been quick to realise the opportunities provided by the Internet. Particularly, they recognised that business could be improved by integrating the Internet with direct marketing practices such as database marketing. The challenge for information systems practitioners and professionals is to understand these opportunities with the accessible technologies in the relative constraints of an organisation.It is included that e-commerce which is driven by the exponential growth of the Web is the most common marketing practices taking advantage of the Web by utilising information technology to sell large quantities of products and to become more responsive to the individual. The role of the Internet, in particular, of the electronic commerce web sites, has been recognised as a marketing tool for attracting and maintaining customers.ReferenceBruce, C. (1997). Welcome to my parlor. Marketing Management, 5 (4), 11-24.Globerman, S., Roehl, T. and Standfird. (2001) Globalization and Electronic Commerce: Inferences from Retail Brokering. Journal of International Business Studies. Volume: 32. Issue: 4.Head, M., Archer, N.P., & Yuan, Y. (2000). World wide web navigation aid. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 53 (2), 301-330.Kobrin, S.J. 1995. Regional Integration in a Globally Networked Economy. Transnational Corporations, 4 (2): 15-33.Kozinets, R.V. (1999). E-tribalized marketing?: The strategic implications of virtual communities of consumption. European Management Journal, 17 (3), 252-264.Mahajan, V., & Wind, J. (1989) . Market discontinuities and strategic planning: A research agenda. Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 36 (August), 185-199.Peterson, R., Balasubramanian, S., & Bronnenberg, B.J. (1997). Exploring the implications of the internet for consumer marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25 (4), 329-346.Venkatraman, N. (2000) Five steps to a dot.com strategy: How to find your footing on the Web, Sloan Management Review, 41(3), 15-28.Werbach, K. (2000). Syndication: The emerging model for business in the Internet era. Harvard Business Review 78 (3), 85-93.

How the theme of servant and master in the Tempest is connected to the Essay

How the theme of servant and master in the Tempest is connected to the scenic progression - Essay Example ..' however further on lines 348 and 349 we learn that Caliban tried to rape Miranda and was not sorry for it. He wished he could have succeeded as he says, 'Thou didst prevent me - I had peopled else/This isle with Calibans.' This seems to be the reason for Prospero treating Caliban this way and shows Calibans savage, vindictive nature. This quote shows they have exploited him by making him work for them and treating him as an inferior by relating him to an animal by calling him names such as 'tortoise'. However Prospero also says, 'we cannot miss him' which shows how Prospero and Miranda rely on him and should treat him with a little bit more respect. Other ways in which we see Prospero as the colonizer are he forced Caliban to learn his language and Miranda calls Calibans language 'gabble'. He also insults Calibans mother and refers to Calibans race as 'vile'. This is how colonizers would have behaved. They would see their race as far superior. Prospero is also viewed as a colonizer because he uses force to control Caliban. He says, '...I'll rack thee with old cramps/Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar...' This shows that if Caliban is not willing to obey and do things for Prospero he will make him do it by inflicting pain upon him. This is how some f the colonizers would have behaved because they wanted control. This shows Caliban is paying fo... This is how some f the colonizers would have behaved because they wanted control. We see Caliban as the colonized native because he was stupid enough to show Prospero all the resources f the island and then he lost his island to Prospero. Caliban tells us this by saying, '...And then I loved thee And showed thee all the qualities o' the 'sle, The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place... Cursed be I that did so!...' This shows Caliban is paying for his actions and wishes he had never have shown Prospero the good qualities f the island. This mirrors how the natives behaved. They genuinely welcomed the colonizers and treated them well. Again in Act 2 Scene 2 Caliban the same mistake again when he says to Stephano, ' I'll show thee every fertile inch o' th'island. And I will/kiss thy foot - I prithee be my god.' Here we can see that Caliban is making the same mistake again which leads us to believe he really is dumb and fits into the category f the stereotypical native. However here Caliban can be seen as quite intelligent as he sees Stephano as a softer master and an easier way to eventually be free. We know this because Caliban sings, 'No more dams I'll make for fish, Nor fetch in firing At requiring, Nor scrape trenchering, nor wash dish, ....Has a new master-get a new man. Freedom, high-day, high-day freedom' Although Caliban appears to be smart here he says in his song he will no longer have to do these tough tasks Prospero makes him do even though he promised to do them for Stephano. When Prospero first came to the island he was nice to Caliban they way Stephano is being but that could change when Caliban does not do what he promised and Stephano could end up being a harder master. Evidence that Caliban was colonised by Prospero is that he is

Manipulating Data Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Manipulating Data - Essay Example It is the result of an old code that is modified over the years plenty of times. Another aspect is that changing one part of the code would have unpredictable effects on all the other parts of the program, just as a bowl of spaghetti where pulling one can affect all the other strands. Thus the complex structure is named after spaghetti. Spaghetti code is caused mainly by inexperienced programmers following their mandates and creating a complex program which is being modified by several other people previously. Structured programming however decreases the chance of spaghetti code (Dixit, 2007, p. 92). The structured programming was a method formed in 1966 as a logical programming method which is a precursor to the object-oriented programming. This programming method is aimed to improve the quality, clarity, and development time of computer programs through the extensive use of block structures and subroutines instead of simple tests such as GOTO statements resulting in spaghetti code which makes it difficult to maintain and follow (Agarwal, 2009, p. 253). Modular programming has been functioning since the 1970s as a technique which subdivides a computer program in various other sub-programs. It separates the computer programs into individual and independent modules. It is a separate software component which is used with many other applications and functions in the system. The functions which are similar are grouped together while the separate functions are grouped as separate units. Object-oriented programming can be used with modular programming as it allows multiple programmers to work on divided programs independently (Mitchell, 2003, p. 239). Object-oriented programming is the method which is most commonly used today. It provides a programming model based on objects as it integrates the code and data by using objects. An object can be the abstract data type which has a state and behavior both. These objects can also be like real

Risk Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Risk Assessment - Essay Example Pesticides sprayed on plants are not just sprayed on plants, but soak into the soil on which we walk and get into the underground water supply, contaminating it so that it becomes unsafe to drink. I also do not want to put anything into my body that I cannot read on a label and pronounce and understand, and speaking from the heart, I cannot understand the name of any pesticide, except to tell you that anything ending in â€Å"zine† is bad. Pesticides and herbicides should be tested for their potential to harm humans by putting them into a controlled sample of water and observing changes over time. If the water were to turn an unnatural color, such as brown or gray, the pesticide would then be deemed unsafe. It should also be tested on samples of soil by placing the controlled pesticide sample into the soil and monitoring plant growth throughout the sample. For further testing, we should introduce fish into a larger, yet still controlled sample of water, and if the pesticide sample introduced to that environment caused any harm to the fish, then we would know it would be unsafe for humans. As a consumer, we have a responsibility to not only read labels on the food that we purchase, but to know where our food comes from. Simply choosing to buy organic is not enough. We must know, at all times, if the can of corn or the bag of onions that we are about to pick up in the grocery store came from a place where chemicals are used on the food. This is our responsibility as a consumer, to make sure that we are aware of what is going into our

Social Responsibility and Financial Performance Literature review

Social Responsibility and Financial Performance - Literature review Example In order to conduct a literature review, two main themes are being highlighted including the relationship of CSR and financial performance and the relationship of CSR and Shareholders Value (Aras et al., 2010). A literature review is carried out by incorporating conceptual and theoretical frameworks (Aupperle et al., 1985). The theoretical framework provides relevant theories and models associated with corporate social responsibility and its impact on financial performances and shareholders’ value. The conceptual framework would improvise the need for research on the basis of previous researchers by various scholars and be examining their objectives, the methodology adopted and research findings. This provides insight on how different variables identified in themes chosen are linked together and are a significant part of in the corporate sector. The emergence of corporate scandals, financial responsibilities, and environmental threats has sensitized the society to be concerned with the social and ethically responsible behavior of companies. The concept of Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to the role of businesses towards the society. Cane and Matten (2010) in their study highlights, ‘it is by now fairly widely accepted that businesses do indeed have responsibilities beyond simply making a profit’ (Crane & Matten, 2010). A number of concepts such as Corporate Citizenship, Corporate Sustainability, and Corporate Social Responsibility are listed with regard to social responsibilities.  

Contemporary Issues in Financial Services Essay

Contemporary Issues in Financial Services - Essay Example These factors can be consumed in the present time or utilized with an aim of producing in the future. Economic activity is taken as real because real resources are utilized to come up with new products that can be bought and used. On the other hand, the financial system mainly focuses on either circulating funds around to enable people buy goods and services or assist people exchange ownership of resources vital for production purposes. It is worth mentioning that activities of the real economy are vital for human survival. The real economy is responsible for the production of consumer goods, food, lighting, heating, and entertainment to mention but a few (Mankiw 2008, p.162). The role of the financial system is to facilitate the production of such goods by ensuring that funds are available when needed. Therefore, the structure of the financial system comes to the fore since it would offer alternative financing windows. These institutions provide an avenue through which large or smal l manufacturing sectors can access finance, which would boost production. The role undertaken by the financial system in coordinating economic activities, which includes the cost of finance, profitable investment outlets, and availability of investment funds, has a direct relationship with the structure of the financial system. ... However, it appears that most economists are in agreement that a link exists between the financial system and the real economy (Burton & Brown 2009, p317). The structure and role of the financial system The financial system is made of financial institutions and financial markets. Examples of the financial institutions include the banking system (banking institutions and the central bank), and non-bank financial institutions (insurance and pension funds). The financial markets are made of foreign exchange markets and money markets, capital markets, which include bond markets, private debt securities, public debt securities, and equity markets, and the derivatives markets. The current literature work has not fully addressed the issue of the role and structure of the financial system essential in facilitating and sustaining growth. There are two general agreements in relation to the role and structure of financial systems; first, countries with good working banks and financial markets c an increase their growth pace. Secondly, better functioning financial systems reduce the burden on external financing, which hinder firm and industrial expansion (Mordi 2010, p.8). Role played by the financial sector in the economy A crucial role that the financial sector plays within an economy in the facilitation of growth is the reduction of enforcement, information, and transaction costs. This function is achieved through a number of unique functions performed by the financial sector. Therefore, the financial sector has some basic functions that include provision of efficient modes of payment for the whole economy, and intermediary between lenders and borrowers. The

Symbolic Learning Methods Essay Example for Free

Symbolic Learning Methods Essay Abstract In this paper, performance of symbolic learning algorithms and neural learning algorithms on different kinds of datasets has been evaluated. Experimental results on the datasets indicate that in the absence of noise, the performances of symbolic and neural learning methods were comparable in most of the cases. For datasets containing only symbolic attributes, in the presence of noise, the performance of neural learning methods was superior to symbolic learning methods. But for datasets containing mixed attributes (few numeric and few nominal), the recent versions of the symbolic learning algorithms performed better when noise was introduced into the datasets. 1. Introduction The problem most often addressed by both neural network and symbolic learning systems is the inductive acquisition of concepts from examples [1]. This problem can be briefly defined as follows: given descriptions of a set of examples each labeled as belonging to a particular class, determine a procedure for correctly assigning new examples to these classes. In the neural network literature, this problem is frequently referred to as supervised or associative learning. For supervised learning, both the symbolic and neural learning methods require the same input data, which is a set of classified examples represented as feature vectors. The performance of both types of learning systems is evaluated by testing how well these systems can accurately classify new examples. Symbolic learning algorithms have been tested on problems ranging from soybean disease diagnosis [2] to classifying chess end games [3]. Neural learning algorithms have been tested on problems ranging from converting text to speech [4] to evaluating moves in backgammon [5]. In this paper, the current problem is to do a comparative evaluation of the performances of the symbolic learning methods which use decision trees such as ID3 [6] and its revised versions like C4.5 [7] against neural learning methods like Multilayer perceptrons [8] which implements a feed-forward neural network with error back propagation. Since the late 1980s, several studies have been done that compared the performance of symbolic learning approaches to the neural network techniques. Fisher and McKusick [9] compared ID3 and Backpropagation on the basis of both prediction accuracy and the length of training. According to their conclusions, Backpropagation attained a slightly higher accuracy. Mooney et al., [10] found that ID3 was faster than a Backpropagation network, but the Backpropagation network was more adaptive to noisy data sets. Shavlik et al., [1] compared ID3 algorithm with perceptron and backpropagation neural learning algorithms. They found that in all cases, backpropagation took much longer to train but the accuracies varied slightly depending on the type of dataset. Besides accuracy and learning time, this paper investigated three additional aspects of empirical learning, namely, the dependence on the amount of training data, the ability to handle imperfect data of various types and the ability to utilize distributed output encodings. Depending upon the type of datasets they worked on, some authors claimed that symbolic learning methods were quite superior to neural nets while some others claimed that accuracies predicted by neural nets were far better than symbolic learning methods. The hypothesis being made is that in case of noise free data, ID3 gives faster results whose accuracy will be comparable to that of back propagation techniques. But in case of noisy data, neural networks will perform better than ID3 though the time taken will be more in case of neural networks. Also, in the case of noisy data, performance of C4.5 and neural nets will be comparable since C4.5 too is resistant to noise to an extent due to pruning. 2. Symbolic Learning Methods In ID3, the system constructs a decision tree from a set of training objects. At each node of the tree the training objects are partitioned by their value along a single attribute. An information theoretic measure is used to select the attribute whose values improve prediction of class membership above the accuracy expected from a random guess. The training set is recursively decomposed in this manner until no remaining attribute improves prediction in a statistically significant manner when the confidence factor is supplied by the user. So, ID3 method uses Information Gain heuristic which is based on Shannon’s entropy to build efficient decision trees. But one dis advantage with ID3 is that it overfits the training data. So, it gives rise to decision trees which are too specific and hence this approach is not noise resistant when tested on novel examples. Another disadvantage is that it cannot deal with missing attributes and requires all attributes to have nominal values. C4.5 is an improved version of ID3 which prevents over-fitting of training data by pruning the decision tree when required, thus making it more noise resistant. 3. Neural Network Learning Methods Multilayer perceptron is a layered network comprising of input nodes, hidden nodes and output nodes [11]. The error values are back propagated from the output nodes to the input nodes via the hidden nodes. Considerable time is required to build a neural network but once it is done, classification is quite fast. Neural networks are robust to noisy data as long as too many epochs are not considered since they do not overfit the training data. 4. Evaluation Design For the evaluation purposes, a free and popular software tool called Weka (Waikato Environment for Knowledge Acquisition) is used. This software has the implementations of several machine learning algorithms made easily accessible to the user with the help of graphical user interfaces. The training and the test datasets have been taken from the UCI machine learning repository. Two different types of datasets will be used for the evaluation purposes. One type of datasets contain only symbolic attributes (Symbolic Datasets) and the other type contain mixed attributes (Numeric Datasets). Performance of the different learning methods will be evaluated using the original datasets which do not contain any noise and after introducing noise into them. Noise is introduced in the class attributes of the datasets by using the ‘AddNoise’ filter option in Weka which adds the specified percentage of noise randomly into the datasets. Symbolic Datasets are those which contain only symbolic attributes. Symbolic learning methods like ID3 and its recent developments can be run only on datasets where all the attributes are nominal. In Weka, these nominal attributes are automatically converted to numeric ones for neural network learning methods. So, preprocessing is not required in this type of datasets. Numeric Datasets are those which contain few nominal and few numeric attributes. Since symbolic learning methods like ID3 and its recent developments can be run only on datasets where all the attributes are nominal, these datasets first need to be preprocessed. A ‘Discretize’ filter option available in Weka is used to discretize all the non-symbolic attribute values into individual intervals so that each attribute can now be treated as a symbolic one. Initially, the entire data being considered is randomized. Two types of evaluation techniques are being used to analyze the data. (a) Percentage Split: In general, the data will be split up randomly into training data and test data. In the experiments conducted, the data will be split such that training data comprises 66% of the entire data and the rest is used for testing. (b) K-fold Cross-validation: In general, the data is split into k disjoint subsets and one of it is used as testing data and the rest of them are used as training data. This is continued till every subset has been used once as a testing dataset. In the experiments conducted, 5-fold cross validation was done. 5. Experimental Results Experiments were conducted on two symbolic datasets and two numeric datasets. The two symbolic datasets are tic-tac-toe and chess. The two numeric datasets are segment and teacher’s assistant evaluation (tae). DataSet 1 : TIC-TAC-TOE (a) 5-fold cross validation (i)Without any noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.03 6.16 0.02 0.06 0.01 % correct 67.4322 81.8372 75.8873 73.5908 71.2944 % incorrect 28.0793 18.1628 24.1127 26.4092 28.7056 % not classified 4.4885 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.06 6.35 0.06 0.01 0.02 % correct 86.1169 97.4948 85.8038 87.5783 83.1942 % incorrect 11.691 2.5052 14.1962 12.4217 16.8058 % not classified 2.1921 0 0 0 0 (b) Percentage split with training data being 66% and the rest is testing data (i)Without Noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii)Percentage of Noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.05 6.5 0.01 0.01 0.02 % correct 85.5828 97.546 83.1288 88.0368 82.2086 % incorrect 11.0429 2.454 16.8712 11.9632 17.7914 % not classified 3.3742 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.04 6.15 0.02 0.02 0.01 % correct 68.4049 80.6748 73.9264 72.3926 71.4724 % incorrect 28.2209 19.3252 26.0736 27.6074 28.5276 % not classified 3.3742 0 0 0 0 For the tic-tac-toe dataset, in the presence of noise, neural nets had better prediction accuracies than all the other algorithms as expected. Though C4.5 gives better accuracy than ID3, its accuracy is still lower in comparison to Neural Nets. If the pruning factor (confidence factor was lowered) was increased, the prediction accuracies of C4.5 dropped a little. But in the absence of noise, the performances of ID3 and Multilayer Perceptron should have been comparable. But the performance of Multilayer Perceptron is quite superior to ID3. DataSet 2 : CHESS (a) 5-fold cross validation (i)Without any noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.36 47.75 0.21 0.18 0.19 % correct 81.1952 86.796 89.0488 84.6683 88.4856 % incorrect 18.8048 13.204 10.9512 15.3317 11.5144 % not classified 0 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.21 47.67 0.15 0.05 0.1 % correct 99.562 97.4656 99.3742 99.3116 99.2178 % incorrect 0.438 2.5344 0.6258 0.6884 0.7822 % not classified 0 0 0 0 0 (b) Percentage split with training data being 66% and the rest is testing data (i)Without Noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii)Percentage of Noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.33 41.73 0.24 0.19 0.19 % correct 80.1288 85.7406 87.5805 82.6127 87.6725 % incorrect 19.8712 14.2594 12.4195 17.3873 12.3275 % not classified 0 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.13 43.55 0.06 0.06 0.08 % correct 99.448 97.1481 99.08 98.988 99.08 % incorrect 0.552 2.8519 0.92 1.012 0.92 % not classified 0 0 0 0 0 For the chess dataset, in the absence of noise, the performance of ID3 is better than that of Multilayer perceptron and takes lesser time. For the noisy data, back propagation predicts better accuracies than that of ID3 as expected, but the performance of C4.5 is slightly higher than back propagation. The reason for this could be that the feature space in this dataset is more relevant. So, C4.5 builds a tree and prunes it to get a more efficient tree. DataSet 3 : SEGMENT (a) 5-fold cross validation (i) Without any noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.07 9.64 0.04 0.04 0.03 % correct 68.9333 80.8667 81.2667 79.6 80.5333 % incorrect 21.3333 19.1333 18.7333 20.4 19.4667 % not classified 9.7333 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.05 10.3 0.02 0.23 0.12 % correct 88.0667 90.6 91.6 94 94.3333 % incorrect 5.2 9.4 8.4 6 5.6667 % not classified 6.7333 0 0 0 0 (b) Percentage split with training data being 66% and the rest is testing data (i) Without Noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of Noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.07 11.73 0.03 0.04 0.03 % correct 72.9412 82.549 82.1569 82.549 81.3725 % incorrect 19.6078 17.451 17.8431 17.451 18.6275 % not classified 7.451 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.06 9.87 0.03 0.02 0.03 % correct 89.8039 87.6471 92.1569 93.7255 90.1961 % incorrect 4.1176 12.3529 7.8431 6.2745 9.8039 % not classified 6.0784 0 0 0 0 Segment, being a numeric dataset, all the attribute values had to be discretized before running the algorithms. In the absence of noise, ID3 performs slightly better than back propagation and the performance of J48 (implementation of C4.5 in Weka) is much better than ID3 and backpropagation. But a very interesting observation was found. In the absence of noise, the performance of an unpruned tree generated by C4.5 was quite superior to the rest. In the presence of noise, the performances of back propagation and C4.5 were comparable. DataSet 4 : TAE (a) 5-fold cross validation (i) Without any noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of noisy data = 10% Time to % % build correct incorrect ID3 0.02 53.6424 37.0861 Multilayer Perceptron 0.16 38.4106 61.5894 J48 0.02 52.9801 47.0199 C4.5 unpruned 0.01 56.2914 43.7086 C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 0.01 54.3046 45.6954 (b) Percentage split with training data being 66% and the rest is testing data (i) Without Noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of Noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.01 0.17 0.01 0.01 0.01 % correct 38.4615 44.2308 44.2308 50 44.2308 % incorrect 40.3846 55.7692 55.7692 50 55.7692 % not classified 21.1538 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.02 2.23 0.03 0.02 0.01 % correct 44.2308 57.6923 51.9231 55.7692 42.3077 % incorrect 34.6154 42.3077 48.0769 44.2308 57.6923 % not classified 21.1538 0 0 0 0 Classifiers % not classified 0 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.02 0.18 0.02 0.01 0.01 % correct 54.3046 54.9669 48.3444 50.9934 47.0199 % incorrect 35.0993 45.0331 51.6556 49.0066 52.9801 % not classified 10.596 0 0 0 0 TAE, being a numeric dataset, its attribute values had to be discretized too before running the algorithms. But after observing the results, it is very clear that the random discretization provided by Weka did not generate good intervals due to which the overall accuracy predicted by all the methods is quite poor. Again, interestingly an unpruned tree built by C4.5 seems to give high prediction accuracies relative to the rest in most of the cases. In this case, for cross-validation approach and noisy data, surprisingly the performance of back-propagation was very poor. One reason for this could be that only few epochs of the training data were run to build the neural network. In the absence of noise, accuracy prediction of Multilayer perceptron was either comparable or greater than that of ID3. 6. Conclusion No single machine learning algorithm can be considered superior to the rest. The performance of each algorithm depends on what type of dataset is being considered, whether the f eature space is relevant and whether the data contains noise. In the absence of noise, in some cases, the performance of ID3 was comparable or sometimes better than back-propagation and was faster but in some cases Multilayer perceptron performed better. When noisy datasets were considered, back propagation definitely did better than ID3 though it took more time to build the neural network. But in the presence of noise, in some cases, C4.5 gave faster and better results when the attributes being considered were relevant. But some surprising observations were made when the attribute values of the numeric datasets were discretized, the prediction accuracy of an unpruned tree generated by C4.5 algorithm was much higher than the rest. This shows that the unpruned tree generated by C4.5 is not the same as that generated by ID3. References: 1.Mooney, R., Shalvik, J., and Towell, G. (1991): Symbolic and Neural Learning Algorithms An experimental comparison, in Machine Learning 6, pp. 111-143. 2. Michalski, R.S., Chilausky, R.L. 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