Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 8

Interview - Essay Example In this way, spirit of each epoch of the 20th century’s American history with its dynamics of a melting pot can be easily senses through musical legacy. Due to impact of social and cultural factors of modern days, our generation has come to give its affiliations mainly to contemporary popular music possessing easy-to-remember tunes, unpretentious lyrics and strong appealing dance rhythm and . Dynamic dance songs accompany us every day in many public places, even if we don’t listen to them willfully: shopping malls, cafà ©s or earphones of our fellow passengers in the underground. Development and popularization of such type of music has been gaining momentum for at least a decade. Pop music in this narrow sense has been a reflection of emotional state of the society and an imprint of its popular culture. On the other hand, each epoch of music history has its underground stage offering an alternative view on contemporary cultural values. However, it has been claimed by researchers, that modern society has become more prone to narcissism with all the more songs containing â€Å"me†, not â€Å"we† and all the more people living and feeling alone. In addition, modern songs contain more antisocial words than songs used to in 1980’s and even 1990’s. Personally, I have always valued various genres and trends in music, considering that they all pose some value for our culture – either supporting modern canons or denying them and adding a pitch of freshness and novelty. However, similar to the lion’s share of our generation, I prefer modern music, that is being â€Å"forged† in the present-day cultural and social environment – including both popular and underground music. However, my friend and interviewee called Tao Yi has a different type of affiliations, being a passionate fan of â€Å"old school† rock music that used to rock the world between mid-1970’s and late

Culture framework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Culture framework - Essay Example They have gained recognition for their special work towards the Mentawai people where they have helped them retain their culture and traditions despite the material aids provided to them and attempts made towards a behavioral change rather than cultural alteration. The organization markets itself with the help of its human values which they reveal in their activities. provision of education, training and support have helped the organization gain adequate recognition apart form the popularity of Jenkins’ corporate tactics amongst the donors. It shows a combination of careful strategic planning and rendering social service at the same time. Introduction Surf Aid is a â€Å"nonprofit humanitarian organization founded by Dr. Dave Jenkins, whose objective was to improve the health; well being and self reliance of people living in isolated communities connected to the rest of the world through surfing† (Surf Aid International, n.d.). ... Both the adult and the children of the region suffered from malnutrition and natural disasters like tsunami and earthquake was a harsh reality that the people of those regions were facing. (Annual Report, 2006-2007, p. 6) The goal of the company is to empower the community so that they can help themselves in building local capacity ensuring sustainable improved health resilience. The educational program initiated by the organization to bring in awareness among the people of the community involved educating the community in nutrition, hygiene and sanitation, clean and healthy environments and prevention of diseases which also includes the distribution of mosquito nets among the people of the community. The aim of the organization is to improve the health and well being of the people through an integrated approach of cost effectiveness and high-impact interventions without encroaching upon their culture, thereby not making an effort to urbanize them. The organization’s work was to bring in a change in the behavior of the community which were necessary to have a healthy living but not changing the culture of the whole community. The effort of the organization has resulted in measurable health improvement and decline in health inequality eventually (Roxburg, n.d.). The organization without working on the fact to urbanize the area has worked upon the healing of the community from diseases. It has in a way represented the community of the islander. Organizational Values and Culture Surf Aid advocates the organizational values of accountability to others, transparency of the organization and partnership. The organization goes by the principle and values of respecting colleagues, communities and social justice. The

The Utilitarian ethics and its impact on supply chain

The Utilitarian ethics and its impact on supply chain Introduction: Utilitarian ethics is considered as a theory which is considered significant in the perfect competitive business world. This theory emerged from the customer expectancy where they expect greatest happiness. According to example.com (2010) this theory is based on the principle-the greatest good for the greatest number. The pioneer of the utilitarianism theory was Jeremy Bentham. He lived from 1748-1832 and was brought up in a very intellectual family. The utilitarianism could be classified in three types. Without following any specific rule, if it deals with the consequences of individual acts, then it is nominated as Act Utilitarianism. Rule utilitarianism allows specific rule to be followed and preference Utilitarianism says that one should act in a way that the person involved prefer unless the preference is outweighed by others. On the other hand, Utilitarianism also defined negatively. Negative utilitarianism requires us to promote the least amount of evil or harm, or to prevent the greatest amount of suffering for the greatest number of people. The key words the greatest good for greatest number, in broader view reflects the consideration of sustainability of business resources in long term rather than short term profitability. In terms of supporting the supply chain, the utilitarian ethics keep or accelerate the flow of supply chain in long term and in this interest the immediate situation should be less evaluated than long term. As the requirement of this assignment, the study is going to present a comprehensive structure of using the utilitarian ethics in respect of supply chain of vegetable retailers. Retailers and other food sector companies to test and develop innovative business models, together with their supply chain partners, that will bring new and higher volumes of food products from Africa to the UK, at the same time delivering improved livelihoods for African producers (FRICH, 2010). Supply chain and its effectiveness with the use of Utilitarian ethics: Supply chain is a system that is responsible to reach the goods from farm to customer minimizing the waste and maximizing the assurance of availability of goods in the shelve for customer. Supply chains underlie value chain because, without them, no producer has the ability to give customer what they want, when and where they want, at the price they want. Producers compete with each other only through their supply chains, and no degree of improvement at the producers end can make up for the deficiencies in a supply chain which reduce the producers ability to compete (Business dictionary.com, 2010). The term vegetable supply chain is smooth normally in season. Thus, the behavior of supply chain management authority normally could be different with the supply chain partner as the availability of goods. In this case, utilitarian ethics suggest that the authority to judge the partners significantly in both times, in season and out of season. According to FRICH (2010) UK supermarkets have successfully developed African horticulture to meet year round demand for fresh fruit and vegetables, most produce is sourced from a few countries only and farmers find it hard to meet buyers exacting standards. Farther obstacles to these farmers can arise from concerns over food miles, environmental conservation, labor standards and food safety. Giving African farmers greater access for their food exports help reduce poverty and increase rural incomes, so the fund is designed to support projects that bring African farmers and their workers including poor small holder in their food supply chain. Th erefore, it is very specific from the acts of FRICH that, the practice of utilitarian ethics helps the people involved in vegetable supply chain in terms of their basic needs, improve the economic development that assure the flow of vegetable even in out of season. Not only supply chain partner become satisfied with the proper practice of utilitarian ethics but also the consumer, the god of a business become benefitted from this use which attract them to be loyal to the retailer. The benefitted supply chain partner influence the consumer directly. This is easy to realize that if the farmers become satisfied and can maintain the product with assurance of export and continue the flow of supply, then adequate supply of goods is visible in the shelve of retailers and consumer become happy to them. According to Accenture (2010), the challenge of supply chain is increasing day by day because of tremendous competition. It found out five preconditions of supply chain according to the mode of consumers choice. They are on-shelf availability, faster replacement- smaller quantities and changing customer requirement. In terms of on-shelf availability, supply chain has to maintain good relation with the farmers as though they are dedicated to the organizations fluctuating demand by customer. Excellent retail supply chain management revolves around understanding and balancing three key dimensions of availability, inventory and cost. Managing this trade-off sufficiently can result in supply chains that improve business through assurance the availability of goods for consumers satisfaction. Practice of Utilitarian ethics by consumer group and its impact on supply chain: It is not deniable that there are also some challenges to maintain the utilitarian ethics which increase the cost of supply chain. However, according to the principle of this ethics greatest good for greatest people should be maintained first because customers satisfaction is the primary goal of a business. As vegetable is a fundamental domain of customers demand and it is consumed every day, they are to demand it. Thus, in broader view, the ethics practice cost apparently may be perceived increased, the assurance of sufficient vegetable supply should be counted first. The use of utilitarian ethics in supply chain can provide adequate supply of vegetable. In terms of fresh vegetable supply, use of utilitarian ethics also helps maintaining the freshness of vegetable. If the supply chain authority can maintain the relation with the farmers in compromise aspect in season, then they will supply in out of season. If the labour working in farms get security of their job in out of season, then their dedication to farms become increased and farms can assure the importers the supply of vegetable according to demand. This practice also can minimize the waste of good. In the case of organic vegetable, the use of this ethics is more fruitful. Organic vegetable is produced in such a way that there is no use of chemical and pesticides. Vegetable is certified as organic by specific body of national government. The demand is increasing in the world is increasing gradually. In UK, the yearly increasing rate of organic food is around 30% which fluctuates according to the economic flow (FIRTH, C and SCHMUTZ, U,. 2004). If supply chain management evaluates the farmer, the supply chain partner, then the assurance of organic food will be more sustainable and organization can be able to present to the organic customers the organic vegetable. After carefully evaluation the correlation between the utilitarian ethics and its impacts on supply chain of vegetable retailers, it could be mentioned that in this perfect competitive market utilitarian ethics has a great impact to survival for a vegetable retailer. It satisfies the supply chain partner, their (farmers) internal and external stakeholders and overall sustainability of the farms can decrease the waste of goods, assure the supply in dull season and can decrease the major cost of supply chain management of organizations. Merits of Utilitarian ethics and critical analysis in food miles: In respect of extending the discussion of consideration of utilitarian ethics in terms of vegetable supply chain, author of this study intends to mention the food miles. Food miles is the idea that emerged from the travel of food from farms to dining table which indeed, says the environmental impact that happens in this travel time. Half of the vegetables and 95% of fruits are imported to UK from overseas countries. This food and vegetables arrive by air and water and truck. In the consideration of environmental impact, water, plane and road transport give off CO2 in different scale. In order to maintain the supply chain regarding business prospect, retailers have to use plane in vast cases. The food comes from overseas gives off 11% of the total CO2 emission from UK food transport where air-freighted travel produces 177 times more greenhouse gases than shipping. Though there is some national bodies and protest groups to watch the mode of using transport, the use of utilitarian ethic s will be more effective to reduce this emission and environmental harm. In this case, the merit of this ethics could be utilized in some aspects. Firstly, Utilitarianism cannot be faulted on its morals as it clearly seeks the happiness and fairness for the majority, which has always been an important consideration in the works of government and other major powers, as well as in everyones everyday life. If the supply chain authority of the food retailers shows and maintain the happiness and fairness as the part of following utilitarian ethics, then they will be interested to use water way to import food rather than air considering the green house effect. On the contrary, there is another argument is that using the shipping needs requires long time refrigerator, it also produce CO2. However that is very lower than plane. Another thing is that, the retailers are interested to maintain shorter life of food form farms to plate in order to present it to the consumer fresh and regarding the food and safety, they prefer quick travel than the slower. Secondly, Utilitarian ethics considers the consequences of all actions, which is key in building a civilised society. If people were not aware of consequences then there would be no deterrent to commit crime. Here awareness is the key point of using this ethics. As it has been mentioned that the food travel in UK emits 11% of CO2, the retailers could be interested to minimize the emission of greenhouse gases by influencing their self-motivation. In this case, they can be encouraged to produce vegetables and fruits in home. Though, some people argue that locally grown and organic food can be kept chilled for months which require energy because of maintain the supply chain out of season. In one hand, this chillers keeps the food fresh, on the other hand it act as culprit for our global warming. However, it is undeniable that home grown is better than using air. If the awareness could be build up, then newly sophisticated mechanism of reducing the CO2 emission may also innovated by supply chain expert. Finally, It encourages a democratic approach to decision making, and dangerous minorities are not allowed to dominate. Therefore, author can mention here again the organic food grown in home based cultivation. It food transport is responsible for 25% of the kilometres clocked up by HGVs on the congested roads in UK. Supermarkets have national distribution systems, so even food grown near a particular branch may have travelled by lorry to a central depot and back to its place of origin. This idea should be emphasised to implement to the food producers, then quarter of 25% emission could be reduced. This is also not beyond the controversialist because the congested road is not fully sufficient to avoid roads accident. It is perceived that in traffic jam the lorry has to wait on the road for a long time and that is why this lorry has to maintain chillers regarding food and safety issue. However, massive awareness and encouragement can increase this lorry user in democratic majority. Practice of ethics of virtue in supply chain: Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics. It may, initially, be identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach which emphasizes duties or rules (deontology) or that which emphasizes the consequences of actions (consequentialism). Suppose it is obvious that someone in need should be helped. A utilitarian will point to the fact that the consequences of doing so will maximize well-being, a deontologist to the fact that, in doing so the agent will be acting in accordance with a moral rule such as Do unto others as you would be done by and a virtue ethicist to the fact that helping the person would be charitable or benevolent (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2007). To some extent, ethics of virtue could be mentioned as that- the practice of normal ethical sense regarding the situation. In terms of vegetable retail supply chain, there are some primary things come to the account firstly. Maintaining the freshness of vegetable and food and safety are commercially an objective. Beyond the rules and regulation and consequences, the ethics of virtue will be more perfect in comparison. In addition, the evaluation of supply chain partners, more specifically the farmers should be dealt with utilitarian ethics, however the practice of ethics of virtue will be more effective to maintain the supply chain in the out of season. Practice of ethics of virtue, is indeed propelled from the moral ethics. Moreover, in terms of environmental issue, the use of virtual ethics will be fruitful to save this global warming. Virtual ethics is consequently related to the moral behavior to the globe. Thus, which sort of transport should be used to reduce CO2 emission regarding the situation like customers demand, scarcity of goods in shelves, assurance of availability of supply and so forth will be decided by proper use of ethics of virtue. Conclusions: In conclusion, it is to say that utilitarian ethics is considerably correlated to the business world. In respect of commercial goal, the supply chain management is the most expensive domains of business organization because the retention of customer, customer loyalty and flow of increasing sale depends on this section. Therefore, ultimately the farmers become significant to the retailers as they are the source of goods. For satisfy them, the price level, assurance of selling goods, and proper communication with them should be emphasized. Thus, use of utilitarian ethics is important to make them satisfied. In the case of global environmental issue, utilitarian ethical behavior also is must. Because of food miles concept, the emission of CO2 could be minimized as their supply chain dealings. If the supply chain management is used to maintain targeting less use of air way, then the global warming will be reduced. Using utilitarian ethics and ethics of virtue, the retailers will be motivated to produce home grown vegetable nearest to the distribution centre. In terms of organic food, supply chain partner should be motivated to maintain the characteristics of cultivation of organic food grains. As the demand of organic food is increasing day by day, the dependency on farmers is also increasing. Consequently, the retailers should encourage them to maintain the virtue of organic food growing through supply chain management.

Comparison of Genetic Information In Eukaryotes And Prokaryotes Essay

Comparison of Genetic Information In Eukaryotes And Prokaryotes As for organisms in the world from humans to the smallest microbe, they directly reflect upon biodiversity, in respect to the appearance, size and expression. The reason behind this is caused by the genetic material found in each and every cell that composes each organism. Given that there are two types of cell organizations found in life, comparison of both ‘eukaryote’ and ‘prokaryote’ genomes will provide a better understanding for such diversity. ‘karyote’ refers to the nucleus, and also ‘pro’ means ‘absence’ and ‘eu’ means ‘presence’. Therefore the words prokaryote and eukaryote reflect upon the individual cell organization. In contrast, the both organizations show discrepancies as well as similarities which ultimately make them unique to one and other. The aim of this essay is to compare and contrast the genomes in eukaryotes and prokaryotes according to the perspective of Cell biology (The science that studies about cells). This comparison is conducted on genetic material, in respect to their location, size, expression, structure, architecture as well as number. Genome Location The location of genomes in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes show major discrepancies because they have different levels of cell organization. Due to the simplicity of the prokaryotes, they lack membrane bound organelles such the nucleus. Therefore, genomes of the prokaryotes reside as irregular Protein and deoxyribos nucleic acid (DNA) complex in cytosol (liquid portion of cytoplasm). This area of the cytoplasm is defined as the ‘nucleoid’ (Bauman.R 2004). Unlike Eukaryotes, it does not possess a nuclear envelope. On the... ... In conclusion, the above comparison draws out few facts that should be taken into account for a better understanding of the genomes of the two organizations. Above all, the fact that the eukaryotes show similarities to prokaryotes could mean that they derived from prokaryotes initially, and then became more complex as they advanced. This fact also supports the Endosymbiosis theory. And the eukaryotic genomes are larger and more repetitive, which makes them less productive than the prokaryotic genes. But considering by the quantity of the genes, eukaryotes are effective. In the perspective of expression, the complex eukaryotes have to go through physical borders and take more time and energy to express its genes. Due to the simplicity of the prokaryotes, their genomes highly efficient much more simple and they are stronger than what people think.

Project On NCO Essay

INTRODUCTION I have worked for the army as an NCO for the last 13 years and I have always tried to be accountable as much as I can, to live up to the standards of this base and carry out all my responsibilities abiding in the set out rules and regulations. As an Non Commissioned Officer I must be empathetic and positive.   And, as always, must set the standard for integrity and character. However in the recent past I found myself on the wrong side of the matter when over speeded in the base. ABSTRACT The script uses a global array to filter, consolidate, and sort the timing violations. The contents of the global array are then presented in a report of consolidated timing violations. There is illustrated a block of an exemplary global array. The global array includes a plurality of records. Each record includes fields for warning type, time of event, data events, setup time limit, hold time limit, amount of violation, time of last warning. Because experience teaches us that there are some people that only learn by stripping them of their funds. There are others that the mere threat of that loss will keep them on the straight and narrow for 20years to come. And the officers that I know that are the biggest benefactors of professional courtesy deliberately disobey laws because they believe they can do so with impunity. A warning isn’t going to do it for them. An example is a Passaic County Sheriff’s Office incident. The Virginia deputy stopped them, advised them of the applicable law, asked them to obey it, and did not cite anyone. Everyone agreed that he was polite in doing this. The guys pulled back onto the highway resumed doing exactly what they were doing before, and then tried to get the deputy fired when they got home. I hereby submit my Post Violation Report due to my misconduct. Over speeding is the main cause of so many accidents in the army base and other areas in the United States of America. I strongly believe that I was not supposed to go against the ethics, rules and regulations in the base. As an NCO am supposed to set out a good example to all other ground men. However in every day world, we sometimes find ourselves in such situations. In most cases it is not due to our own will but we accidentally find ourselves between a rock and a hard place and therefore try to get ourselves out of it. This being the first time I have done this, I know I have not done such a big criminal activity. I never said that I don’t commit traffic violations. I think I’m pretty careful, but I have missed stop signs, exceeded the speed limit, failed to signal a turn, etc., like everyone else. So far, either I have been lucky or my violations were not so flagrant that they merited a stop. But after pushing a patrol car around for 13 years, I have to say that I can’t remember even once forgetting which car I was in, the patrol car or my personal car. And even in the patrol car, if I committed an intentional traffic violation, it was to accomplish some job-related task, like get turned around to chase a violator or in the field and have to ignore some rules to in order to hit the target. It has never occurred to me to try this in the field of work nor in my private missions without a good reason. If your situational awareness is so poor that you can’t remember whether you’re on or off duty or which car you’re driving, your problems go way past an officers’ discretionary decision making, and your head is definitely â€Å"in the clouds.† I think it’s interesting that you claim that you would have no problem with ignoring a lawful direct order from a superior officer, but you would fear retaliation and would decline to take enforcement action on a clear violation of the law if an officer was involved. If this is truly the situation you’re working in, your agency is in serious trouble. Maybe so, but so what? You never had a brain fart, or were on automatic pilot, you unfortunately can’t control all this. I admit however that on several occasion, when driving off duty in my private vehicle I have driven in the midnight hours because I forgot I was driving in my personal vehicle. Missed to obey the signs and instructions to the drivers. I am not advocating for over speeding in any way, and never have advocated for the same, writing every Amy officer you stop. That is just as much an abuse of discretion as not writing anyone who is an NCO. RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN NON COMMISSIONED OFFICER The duties and responsibilities of NCOs has remained the same for quite a longtime.As an NCO I should be responsible for the following:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Should know where your soldiers live and how to contact them Use the unit to accomplish, as many missions as possible and at all cost never give out volunteer troops. Managing a specific launch vehicle System administration with decision-making authority. Training new Operations Safety Technicians In fact sometimes it has never been a prudent thing to do some of the following: Sending food back to the kitchen. Telling your significant other you have had better. Commenting in front of your boss â€Å"I can find a better job tomorrow!† Dating a co-worker/boss/bosses daughter. At one point I found myself over speeding just because I could not let it go or because I needed to hit some deadlines. Because most of the violations were not all that grave and my impression was that I had a wake-up call from the stop itself. Was I driving safely? Mission accomplished. But the guy that clearly knows what I was doing got me stopped, and who will resume that same activity as soon as we’re done because we thought he had the right to do that, if not a ride in the back seat. As I qualified many times prior, anyone can talk themselves into a ticket. Just because you are military or physician does not mean I don’t run your driving license. I never said that every one of these members gets a pass, I have written military, physicians and other army officers. Here are the facts, I would like to assume that a member of our armed forces is a reasonably decent individual service that few would undertake and regardless of station they deserve my respect and appreciation. Discression is a funny thing. Where you might exercise it, I might not. Where you think me lax, I might think you unnecessarily harsh. Though you are correct in the spirit of your argument, its execution is not so easy. If this were easy, anyone could do it. I made discretionary decisions every day, and I don’t think I was harsh with them. The difference is that I used criteria that were relevant to the situation and that I could defend to anyone that questioned why I had done what I did. You want to bring in criteria of your own choosing that are based on your fears and biases. Overcoming fear and bias is something every one of us has to do in order to be an army officer. , or you get out. I could have shined on any or all of these people, and no one would have known except them and me. As for is Fort Jackson SC cop that I didn’t know was a cop until after I had issued the ticket, he probably deserved a warning, as he was an out-of-towner who was unfamiliar with the intersection and turned left in violation of a posted sign. The cop part of it had nothing to do with whether it was a bad decision or not. One of the sergeants tried to condemn me within the department for comforting another ground officer and that upset me very much. One more thing: say you’re driving around tomorrow in your private vehicle running errands, and you run a red light. No intent to break the law; you just got distracted for a second, make decision without influence, and accept whatever consequences follow your conduct. Some examples where premeditation discretion, in and of itself, doesn’t make sense: there comes a time when you have to attend to an emergency, and here is where our perspectives diverge. All of those applications of premeditated discretion to use your term are enacted pursuant to due process of law and legislation, formulated in compliance with the set out rules and regulations in the base, and is promulgated to the citizenry. As noted above, a large number of substantially contemporaneous timing violations in a particular module can be the result of a single cause. The violation time is the difference between the given speed limit and speed you have exceeded, and is calculated from the limits (setup or hold) and the difference in time between the clock and data events. The first warnings are used by the script to report consolidated information regarding multiple timing violations that occur at a particular module. ACCOUNTABILITY OF AN NCO Senior leaders, must afford these to junior troops: Responsibility, to instill a sense of worth, pride and accomplishment; Authority, to effectively carry out tasks they are responsible for; Accountability, for actions right and wrong; and Assistance, to help junior troops learn from leaders’ experience and expertise. Such actions by leaders are vital to developing junior troops who will be tomorrow’s leaders. Senior leaders must â€Å"coach, teach, mentor and train† subordinates to effectively replace the leaders in the future. EXPECTATIONS Looking at what American military officers expect from their senior NCOs and vice versa. Officers in the U.S. military expect their senior enlisted leaders to be tactically, technically and strategically proficient; to be â€Å"professional beyond reproach†; and to be â€Å"the eyes and the ears for the commander† – the voice of service members and their families. Senior NCO leaders should expect several things from their commanders and carry out the following: Trust and accord respect. Direct and open communication. â€Å"No one has permission to stop me from seeing General Pace These are not a right, but must be earned through consistently professional and proficient actions. Freedom of movement throughout the command. â€Å"You need to tell that commander, ‘Sir, I need to have freedom of moment throughout my area of responsibility. The only way I can advise you is if I see it, Senior U.S. NCOs are empowered in many ways. However, empowerment is not about having power per se, but about influencing junior troops to do the right things. Infact power is not an issue; the big concern is how leaders exercise influence over their subordinates. Maintaining good order A person assigned as an NCO should be responsible for a defined common area within the barracks, e.g., hallways, laundry rooms, dayrooms etc., in writing and post this NCOs name. Conspicuously in the vicinity of the assigned area. This NCO will, at a minimum, be responsible for reporting common area deficiencies to the Battalion R&U NCO. This person will sign for any furnishings and other accountable property located outside of individual soldier rooms. Maintain room assignment rosters for the barracks. Assign soldiers to barracks by requesting that the FMO issue barracks furniture to occupants. Units may appoint a barracks manager or similar person to assist in managing this function. Non-commissioned Officers (NCOs). NCOs have the primary duty of maintaining the health, safety, welfare and discipline of the soldiers assigned to them. These duties extend to: Ensuring that their soldiers have a healthy and safe living environment that complies with the Army values and enhances unit readiness and discipline. NCOs are the key element of command. Presence in the barracks. NCOs may exercise this leadership as common area NCOIC, SDNCO, And CQ. NCOs will also exercise this leadership as first line and higher supervisors of soldier’s Living in the barracks. At a minimum, NCOs will: Conduct inspections IAW Chapter 4 below. Monitor all barracks activities to ensure compliance with the letter of this regulation and the spirit of the Army values. Ensure the barracks are the safe, healthy environment for soldiers and other NCOs. Inspect barracks furnishings for accountability and serviceability. Barracks Commanding Common areas. Assign an NCO to be responsible for a defined common area within the barracks, e.g., hallways, laundry rooms, dayrooms etc., in writing and post this NCO’s name conspicuously in the vicinity of the assigned area. This NCO will, at a minimum, be responsible for reporting common area deficiencies to the Battalion R&U NCO. This person will sign for any furnishings and other accountable property located outside of individual soldier rooms. Maintain room assignment rosters for the barracks. Assign soldiers to barracks by requesting that the FMO issue barracks furniture to occupants. Units may appoint a barracks manager or similar person to assist in managing this function. Supervision Under supervision the NCO is required to motivate and control the following: Counsel soldiers and maintain counseling records. Conduct corrective training when required Keep soldiers informed during their work and events taking place and exercises. Enforcing the equal opportunity program in the forces CONCLUSION As a Non Commissioned officer I understand that by over speeding in the base posed a srious danger to me and also to the other officers on duty. This was actually putting my life at risk. Also as an officer who is supposed to be a good example to my subordinates, I acted in a manner trying to suggest that is not a good example. I strongly  believe that this was a great mistake and am determined to rectify any harm that may have been caused by my misconduct    REFERENCES. Robert Sterling Rush (2006) Non Commissioned Officer Guide Stackpole Books, United States. 2. United States Court of Claims, (1988) Federal Reporter, West Pub. Co 3.Braham Clark Freeman, The American states report,   Ã‚   Published 1895, Bancroft-Whitney Co. Publishers 4.By Lawyers Co-operative, (1905) Lawyers’ Reports Annotated, Publishing Company Lawyers’ Co-operative Pub. Co.

Race in Down These Mean Streets

Qing Xu HCOM 345 Prof. Nava 5/2/12 Race in Down These Mean Streets â€Å"Este es un mundo brillante, estas son mis calles, mi barrio de noche, con sus miles de luces, cientos de millones de colores mezclados con los ruidos, un sonido vibrante de carros, maldiciones, murmullos de alegria y de llantos, formando un gran concierto musical (Thomas, Down These Mean Streets, 1998, p. 3)†, is how Piri Thomas describes his birthplace, East Harlem. The diversity of cultures, the vibrant street life, the passion and conflicts of everyday life and media portrayal in movies such as West Side Story make East Harlem an exciting and mysterious place.But hidden under the dirty faces of the children is the struggle in the search for acceptance and belong, as painfully narrated by Thomas in Down These Mean Streets. In this essay I will analyze how racial identity is constructed through his story and the relationship between racism and social problems such as gangs and crime in a place like East Harlem. Piri Thomas’ parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico during the 1920s before he was born in 1928.Piri reflects upon a hard childhood of growing up in a lower class family at the time of the Great Depression, through the cold winters of New York City, a place whose people Piri’s mother described as having snow in their hearts. But the most difficult thing of all was the racial prejudice that he had to endure because of his black skin and the confusion of his own racial identity caused by his family’s denial of their Afro-Latino heritage. One day, Piri confronted his younger brother Jose, pointing out the hypocrisy of his family’s claim to Whiteness: Jose’s face got whiter and his voice angrier at my attempt to take away his white status.He screamed out strong: â€Å"I aint’t no nigger! You can be if you want to be†¦. But—I—am—white! And you can go to hell! † â€Å"And James is blanco, too? † I asked quietly. â€Å"You’re damn right. † â€Å"And Poppa? † †¦ â€Å"Poppa’s the same as you,† he said, avoiding my eyes, â€Å"Indian. † â€Å"What kind of Indian,† I said bitterly. â€Å"Caribe? Or maybe Borinquen? Say, Jose, didn’t you know the Negro made the scene in Puerto Rico way back? And when the Spanish spics ran outta Indian coolies, they brought them big blacks from you know where. Poppa’s got moyeto blood. I got it. Sis got it. James got it. And, mah deah brudder, you-all got it†¦.It’s a played-out lie about me-us-being white (Thomas, Down These Mean Streets, 1998, p. 145). Piri had always felt that he was being treated differently in the family because of his skin color. He wanted to find a racial identity with which he could feel a sense of belonging. Hoping to find out whether his skin color, his face, his hair made him a black in America even though he’s a Puerto Rican, he joi ned the merchant marines and traveled to the South. He came to accept that he was black after experiencing racism everywhere: on the ship, in restaurants, even in prostitution (Thomas, Down These Mean Streets, 1998, pp. 20-87). Piri’s world came crashing down when his mother died while his father was having an affair with a white woman, whose whiteness fed his father’s insecurity about his own blackness, according to Piri. Piri’s rejection toward whites came to a boiling point and he left home, joined gangs where his companions were black and took drugs. Eventually he went to prison for shooting a policeman. â€Å"Jesus, I thought, I finally shot me some Mr. Charlies. I shot ‘em in my mind often enough (Thomas, Down These Mean Streets, 1998, p. 259),† he wrote.It was the years in prison that gave him time to really reflect and think about who he was and his own worth. In the end of the book he came out of prison back into the neighborhood that he mi ssed so much. He fought hard to resist drugs and violence. Eventually he became a famed writer and a lecturer, and worked to steer troubled kids away from gangs and crimes. Puerto Ricans have historically been discriminated by U. S. institutions. As Angel Oquendo explains in â€Å"Re-imagining the Latino/a Race†, Puerto Ricans arrived in the U. S. as a result of U. S. mperial invasion and colonization of the island. They became one of the most impoverished groups and were â€Å"systematically perceived and treated as a conquered people (Oquendo, 1998, p. 70)† Puerto Ricans could sometimes pass as whites, like Piri’s family did. However, Piri was treated badly by the school, public transportation, workplace and the government. In an interview conducted by Ilan Stavans, he recalled that in the classroom the â€Å"teacher came roaring upon me and said ‘listen, stop talking in that language [Spanish],’ and I said ‘well, I am speaking my motherâ⠂¬â„¢s language.My mother’s from Puerto Rico, I was born in this country,’ and she says ‘well you stop talking that, you have to learn English, you are in America now. ’ (Thomas, Race and Mercy: A Conversation with Piri Thomas, 1996, p. 345)† He also recalled going to the South with his friend Billy on a bus. The driver ordered all colored people to go sit in the back. When Piri tried to tell the driver that he was Puerto Rican, the driver said, â€Å"I don’t care what kind of nigger you are† and reached his hand into his side pocket.To avoid the risk of being killed, he quietly went to the back of the bus (Thomas, Race and Mercy: A Conversation with Piri Thomas, 1996, p. 351). In a chapter of his book titled â€Å"How to Be a Negro without Really Trying,† Piri recalls another occasion where he and his fair skinned friend Louie went to a job interview for a sales position. The company hired Louie instead of him. â€Å"I didnâ₠¬â„¢t feel so much angry as I did sick, like throwing-up sick,† Piri’s hatred started growing and he started to think of himself as black. â€Å"Later, when I told this story to my buddy, a colored cat, he said, ‘Hell, Piri†¦ a Negro faces that all the time. ‘I know that,’ I said, ‘but I wasn’t a Negro then. I was still only a Puerto Rican. ’ (Thomas, Down These Mean Streets, 1998, p. 108)† When Piri and his mother applied for Home Relief, he hated the condescending and suspicious attitude of the government officials. The fact that Piri was perceived as black even though he was a Latino and that he was the only that received all the prejudice out of all his siblings, shows that U. S. society perceives all races in Black-White terms. According to Oquendo, this racial dualism is due to the prominent history of slavery and discrimination of people of African ancestry.He explains that the division of white Puerto Ricans and black Puerto Ricans is non-existent in Puerto Rico. Modern Puerto Rican society emphasizes its African heritage (Oquendo, 1998, p. 63). Berta E. Hernandez-Truyol explains that all Puerto Ricans share the same identity: â€Å"I grew up in Puerto Rico†¦ We were big and small, brown-eyed and blue-eyed, blondes and brunettes, but one significant factor we shared was that we were all de Borinquen. Sure, we were diverse peoples, but we were all united—we were all boricua (Hernandez-Truyol, 1998, p. 381). Because of the different social context in the U. S. , Piri were perceived differently from his siblings, which dramatically altered the course of his life. Perhaps the process of Piri becoming black can be best explained by Ian F. Haney Lopez’s theory on the social construction of race. He argues that an individual’s racial identity is constructed by interplay of chance, context, and choice. By chance he means the morphology and ancestry of a person which are not chosen by the person, i. e. skin color. Piri’s morphology is the foundation of his search of racial identity.When his family moved to Long Island, the white children at his school taunted him for trying to pass as Puerto Rican because he couldn’t pass as white. By context, Lopez means â€Å"the social setting in which races are recognized, constructed, and contested (Lopez, 1998, pp. 9-11). † Piri has ancestral ties to three continents: Europe, Africa, and America. Therefore to conclude that Piri is Black is unreasonable. However, in the social context of America, skin color is mostly directed associated with race. President Obama, Tiger Woods are both widely perceived to be Blacks, even though only a portion of their blood is Black.Same thing happened to Piri. Lopez further explains that morphology and ancestry are constant, but context is inconstant and unstable and shifts in time and space. Nevertheless, context gives interpretation to morphology and ance stry, such as a person’s dark skin makes him/her Black. In Puerto Rico, Piri’s family was neither Black nor White; they suffered no prejudice based on their skin colors. But the social structure of race in New York in the 1930s is based on the racial dualism, which forced Piri and his family to define them as either Black or White.As a result, Piri believed that he and his family were black biologically. However, he was not black because of his features but because of the interpretation of these features by the racial ideology of his society. Moreover, social ideology of race changes from place to place, as evident in his travel from â€Å"Spanish Harlem, where he was Puerto Rican, to Long Island, where he was accused of trying to pass, to the South, where he was Black (Lopez, 1998, p. 12). † Finally, the last component of racial construction is choice, which means whether a person accepts the meanings of his morphology and ancestry given by the context.Piriâ₠¬â„¢s father not only shared the same social context with Piri, he also shared the same skin color and features. However, he chose to be white, like his son Jose. Lopez explains that choices about racial identity are heavily influenced by racial prejudice and hatred, as revealed in Jose’s claim to be White: â€Å"I ain’t black, damn you! Look at my hair. It’s almost blond. My eyes are blue, my nose is straight. My motherfuckin’ lips are not like a baboon’s ass. My skin is white. White, goddamit! White (Lopez, 1998, p. 14)! † The social problems that Puerto Ricans face include poverty, gangs and crimes.The â€Å"presumed solutions† to these social problems would be welfare programs, education, more law enforcement patrolling the Barrio, etc. However, new problems will arise with each of these solutions. If we provide more welfare to the Puerto Ricans, it would further drain the national budget, which is already tight in the current eco nomic situation. It would also anger many nativists who are opposed to immigration, especially whites with lower economic status, because they might fear that the Puerto Ricans are taking their resources.There are already many voices accusing the Latino immigrants of coming to their country and sucking up all their welfare. Education definitely helps prepare a more skilled work force, which means more income for the Puerto Rican households. However, with the current budget cuts, increased financial aid to Puerto Rican students will likely be met with opposition from the rest of the population. The DREAM act which allows alien students to obtain financial aid in college has already been met with opposition arguing that the aliens would take away educational funds that could be awarded to native students.Granting more aid to Puerto Rican students will probably be met with the same opposition. However, education does serve as an important tool to pull a community out of poverty. Gangs not only create violence and crime in a community, but their culture is harmful to the vital institutions of society such as the family, the church, the school, and the government. In â€Å"Beating the Barrio: Piri Thomas and Down These Mean Streets†, James B. Lane states that â€Å"The social disorganization of the ghetto bred cynicism, hatred of authority, confused identity, inability to defer pleasure, and violent impulsiveness (Lane, 1972, p. 17). † Piri, tormented by racial prejudice and confused identity, leaved his family to be on the streets because he found a stronger sense of belonging there. So do countless number of kids in the present. To Piri religion seemed an obligation. He hated school and resented government. Although gangs like the ones Piri was in are harmful to the society, villanizing them will only make matters worse. MS-13, the biggest gang in the world, started with a couple persons but grew so much partly because police cracked down on them an d sent them back to El Salvador; many of them were born and raised in the U. S. which made them more organized and bigger. That policy only aimed to remedy the problem but failed to address the root of the problem: how the kids joined the gang. We need to recognize that criminals weren’t born criminals. Many gang members are victims of racism and oppression. Racism plants a seed of hatred in each of its victim, as in Piri’s case: â€Å"A big hate of everything white grew inside of me. I was scared of the whole fucking world (Robinson). † This hatred eventually led him to shoot a white cop. It is also no surprise that he had no interest in school and government, where he encountered racism.Gangs also provide protection for the oppressed, give them strength to fight back the authority that oppresses them, and give them a sense of belonging. In order for there to be no gangs, racism must be eliminated. In order for racism to be eliminated, everyone, kids and adults , need to be educated about racism in contemporary society, because racism starts in the mind. Schools need to make it mandatory for students to learn how racism starts, the social structures that breed racism in our society and all the ways that racism affect different ethnic groups today.Piri Thomas had a good idea of what needed to be taught to children: Children become what they are taught or not taught. For thousands of years we have heard propaganda about white supremacy and â€Å"might makes right. † Because if you conquer people by might, strip away their education, their beliefs, their culture, and their land, then in two or three generations their children will be in the dark ages again. We had very bright minds when we first went into their schools, because children are not born stupid.The world has no right to judge intelligence by the color of one’s skin†¦ this is the struggle that we have had to wage, to allow all the colors to express their humanity through literature and the other arts to learn from each other, as a people, for we are not only geographic locations, colors, sexes, or preferences. We are earthlings who share a common bond—our humanity (Thomas, Race and Mercy: A Conversation with Piri Thomas, 1996, p. 352). It’s because of the lack of awareness and ignorance that racism is still so prevalent today.There needs to be more representatives for under-represented groups such as Puerto Ricans in the political arena who could voice their needs. Puerto Ricans should be given voting rights in the general elections, since they are citizens of the United States. Puerto Ricans can also empower themselves through strengthening their identity as a whole. Oquendo suggests that â€Å"just as African Americans seek to base their self-understanding on their resurrection from slavery, Latino/as should trace their identity back to their resurrection from imperialist conquest (Oquendo, 1998, p. 70). Indeed, Puerto Rica ns and other Latino groups have proven to be resilient peoples with a great deal of stamina to live in their harsh environments while keeping their dignity. Oquendo also suggests that Latino/as should use Spanish as a source of support for Latino/a identity, since Spanish is their shared heritage. I agree with Oquendo. Language is the central part of a cultural heritage, if they all speak the language that their mother and grandmother speak, they can be closer to their roots and thus secure a sense of belonging. It is important for Puerto Ricans in the U. S. o know their homeland and its culture in order to have a stronger identity. Piri said in the interview that he was not recognized in Puerto Rico because he didn’t write in Spanish, and â€Å"the only reason why I knew of Puerto Rico is because I sat in the corner and listened to the grown-ups speaking about places like Fajardo, Bayamon†¦ I finally went to Puerto Rico when I got out of prison at the age of thirty-two . My God, as that wall of green humidity enveloped me, it was like I was entering into my mother’s arms (Thomas, Race and Mercy: A Conversation with Piri Thomas, 1996, p. 347). Through speaking Spanish, different Latino groups can relate to each other, which can be a source of support. He suggests that Spanish be brought to adult schools, unions, church organization, prisons and rehabilitation programs, so that the adult population can learn, too (Oquendo, 1998, pp. 70-71). It’s also vital that children living in the Barrio know their own value and realize their potential. In the video Every Child is born a Poet: Life and Work of Piri Thomas, it shows Piri working with teenagers in a juvenile hall inspiring them to express themselves and find their values through poetry.It also shows testimonials from local youths telling stories of how Down These Mean Streets had helped them find their identities and connect with their neighborhood (Robinson). There should be social w ork agencies and after-school programs geared towards teenagers helping kids find passion in learning and keep them away from the streets. Piri Thomas’ memoir is not only a testament to the harsh life of immigrants growing up in the United States and the dangers of racism; its wisdom teaches us all of the importance of identity and heritage.Its lessons will benefit generations to come. Works Cited Hernandez-Truyol, B. E. (1998). Bringing International Human Rights Home. In R. Delgado, & J. Stefancic, The Latino/a Condition (p. 381). New York and London: New York University Press. Lane, J. B. (1972). Beating the Barrio: Piri Thomas and â€Å"Down These Mean Streets†. The English Journal. Lopez, I. F. (1998). Chance, Context, and Choice in the Social Construction of Race. In R. Delgado, & J. Stefancic, The Latino/a Condition (pp. -11). New York and London: New York University Press. Oquendo. (1998). Re-imaginning the Latino/a Race. In R. Delgado, & J. Stefancic, The Lati no/a Condition (p. 70). New York and London: New York University Press. Robinson, J. (Director). (n. d. ). Every Child is Born a Poet: Life and Work of Piri Thomas [Motion Picture]. Thomas, P. (1996, Autumn). Race and Mercy: A Conversation with Piri Thomas. (I. Stavans, Interviewer) Thomas, P. (1998). Down These Mean Streets. New York: Vintage Books.

Spanish culture Essays

Spanish culture Essays Spanish culture Paper Spanish culture Paper Essay Topic: Aint I a Woman Black Women and Feminism In general, it is always very advantageous to speak the countrys language you intend to do business with, and particularly if you intend to live there on a permanent basis. This is true for every culture but even more for Spain, as the Spaniards do not, on average, speak English as well as a Northern European. Many companies in Spain have staff with good English language skills, but an initial approach in Spanish is more effective and it is inevitable on a non-corporate level. However, to succeed in Spain or any other culture in general, good language skills alone are in most cases simply not sufficient. Cultural differences and customs can cause more difficulties and stress than one might expect. As a consequence, it is always wise to enquire about the cultural particularities and the way one is expected to respond to them beforehand. Those soft skills might not decide upon success or failure, but what is quite certain is that they create comfort, be it in the business environment or in your private life in Spain. The cross-cultural competence comprises aspects related to verbal and non-verbal communication, social behaviour and appearance. In order to prevent culture shock and not to drop a clanger you should be aware of the following: GREETING and ADDRESSING a PERSON In Spain there are distinct differences in the greeting customs between males and females or in a formal or informal meeting. When introduced expect to shake hands; do so again when leaving. Many Spaniards will meet each other with a kiss on both cheeks, mostly close female friends. However, this is not common in business relationships where it is wisest to offer just a handshake. Once a relationship is established, men may exchange a hug and pat each other on the shoulder. Spaniards have two first names and two surnames, constituted of their fathers first surname and their mothers first surname. People are often referred to as Don or Dona and their first name when in formal occasion, or use Sei or or Sei ora as you would Mr. or Mrs. COMMUNICATION Spaniards are very talkative and are very energetic while talking. This energy becomes apparent in the pace of their speech, the tone of their voice as well as in their body language. So if several people speak at once dont be surprised and be prepared that your Spanish counterparts could, and he/she usually will, interrupt you. This is not a sign of disrespect but the way to show how interested they are in what you are saying. Vice versa you feel free do it, too. Spaniards also speak a lot with their hands; you should not mistake it for anger and what is also very important, never mimic them. Generally, people stand very close when talking, what might be intimidating or uncomfortable for you but stepping back from them will likely be seen as offensive. Even though Spaniards require less personal/physical space while communicating you should never touch, hug or back slap a Spaniard you do not know well, unless a friendly Spaniard touches you first. As far as the conversation topics are concerned you might talk about sports, your home country, Spanish traditions and history and your family but you should avoid discussing religion, feminism, Civil War and World War II. You should be polite at all times in Spain. On entering a shop or a bar a general buenos dias (good morning) or buenas tardes (good afternoon), and adios (good buy) on leaving is expected. A popular trap for foreigners is the similarity between the words services and servicios; so if you commend someone for his good servicios, you are basically praising his toilet. Also be aware of your body language which might lead to misunderstandings and offence. While crossing your fingers has several meanings, usually things such as protection or good luck, and is a nice gesture to be friendly, the forming of a circle using your thumb and index finger (American symbol for ok) constitutes a deep insult in Spain as it refers to certain body parts. You should also refrain from yawning or stretching in public as it is considered vulgar. If you want to indicate that you are alert you could pull down on your eyelid. If you are a woman be prepared for lengthy gazes from admiring males and whistles, although it is now considered to be rude doing so. MEETINGS and NEGOTIATIONS Spaniards prefer doing business with people they know and trust. As a consequence, it is important for your success to spend sufficient time with your potential business partners and let them to get to know you. This will usually happen during meetings, as face-to-face communication is the preferred way to establish business relationships and doing business in general. Meetings are often held over lunches and dinners. Nevertheless, they are yet formal and follow rules of protocol but those are not always too strict. Furthermore, you should ensure that your partner knows about your intention to talk about business. The first meeting is usually all about getting to know each other, so do not be surprised if it does not lead to a conclusion of the contract. In general, meetings are for discussion and exchanging ideas rather than making decisions. In addition, most Spaniards do not give their opinions at meetings, therefore you are advised to watch their non-verbal communication. Doing so will also help you to ensure your partners understand you, as Spaniards do not like to lose their face and try to avoid looking foolish at all times they will rarely admit that they do not understand something. This is more the case if you are not speaking Spanish. In Spain it is of crucial importance how you present yourself. Along your immaculate outward appearance your character and personality will play a big role. It is best for you to display modesty, e. g. when describing your achievements and accomplishments. Furthermore, play safe avoiding confrontations and particularly avoid insulting the Spanish ego at all costs. Honour and personal pride mean everything in Spanish culture and Spaniards do not like to publicly admit that they are wrong thus, it is better to agree that you disagree rather than maintaining your ground. In addition, always try to build rapport with your colleagues as feelings are as important as evidence in making a decision to the Spanish. Appointments are binding and should be made in advance, preferably by telephone or fax and reconfirmed the week before. Even though Spain is one of the least punctual countries in the whole Europe make sure you arrive on time and be prepared to keep waiting for some 15-30 minutes on your business colleagues rather than keep them waiting for you. Present your business card, best if it is two-sided, to your partner upon arriving, handing it with the Spanish side facing the recipient. Although, many Spanish business people speak English, not all do so. Thus, it is wise to check it beforehand and if needed to hire an interpreter. It is recommended to bring plenty of literature about your company, samples of your products or demonstrations of your services. Moreover, it is a very good idea to have all of your materials printed in two languages, Spanish and your own. Hand out a paper summary of your presentation in Spanish to make sure that your audience understands what you are saying. Negotiations are normally extremely long and arduous but if succeed they will usually result in a long-term relationship for your company and particularly for you as a person. Even if you switch companies your Spanish colleagues allegiances will be to you rather than the company you represent. So remaining patient in business transactions can be very rewarding. During business negotiations, rules and systems are only used as a last resort to solving a problem, and you should be prepared for a chaotic atmosphere. Often several people will be talking simultaneously and interrupting you. In the Spanish business culture, at the conclusion of a successful negotiation it is common to offer gifts . You should ensure that it is a high-quality item and that it is finely wrapped. If you are offered a gift, you should open it immediately and in front of the giver to show him respect. DINING ETIQUETTE and ENTERTAINMENT In the south of Spain it is acceptable to be late by 30 minutes for social meetings. If you are invited to a Spanish persons house you can bring chocolates, or cake; wine, liqueur, or brandy; flowers for the hostess, or a small gift for the children, which is always appreciated. Meals in Spain are a great opportunity for establishing personal relationships and developing trust, even with the business partners. Business colleagues often dine together, but different ranks within a company do not mix. Spanish men normally accept a meal invitation form a businesswoman although she must remain purely professional at all times. Generally meal time in Spain is considered as time for relaxation. Unless an arrangement was made for discussing business in a restaurant, deals are normally closed in the office. However, after a successful negotiation you all go to a restaurant to celebrate. Attempt to give a toast in Spanish (toast from females also acceptable) but let the host do the first toast. You are only to bring a spouse, if you know that the others are bringing their spouses, too. Also smoking during dinners is much more acceptable in Spain than in other countries. It is better to decline food rather than not finishing it, as in Spain it is considered rude to waste food. Tipping everybody is very common in Spanish culture; a tip of 5% in restaurants will be appreciated. DRESS ETIQUETTE Appearance is extremely important to Spaniards. They place greater value on formal dressing than many other Europeans. In Spain it is necessary to project good taste in apparel. If you want to leave a lasting impression, look fashionable and smart; dress conservatively and try to avoid bright or flashy colours, for it is not favoured to stand out. Business attire includes suits and ties, even in warm weather, as shorts are rarely worn in public. However, the jacket can be taken off during a meeting, if the senior person may do so. Female business travellers are best off in well-cut suits, dresses, blouses and skirts, and they should accentuate their femininity through impeccable hair. Elegant accessories are significant for both male and female. If you get a formal invitation to a party, you should wear a black tuxedo for men and a cocktail dress for women, always in conservative colours. Business casual usually means a clean and fashionable designer cotton shirt and good pants, and of course, no tie.

Free Essays on Beyond Border

of my aunt. My cousin and I were sitting in the backseat, headphones blaring, totally ignoring everything. We were on our first, annual, all girls, trip to sunny, Rosarito Beach, Mexico. My mom was asleep in the front with my aunt, who was driving, while my sister and the rest of the girls in my family were in two other cars. We were on the freeway, just past the border. The song on my CD ended and a new one was about to begin, when my aunt spoke. I turned off my CD player and looked at my cousin. She just turned hers up and started to read a magazine. So I looked out my window by myself. Abruptly, I felt like I was drowning in a pool of desolation and sorrow. I was looking at a hillside covered with what were supposed to be houses, but in reality the could barely be called shacks. They were pieces of plastic, bits of cardboard and parts of wood and it seemed held together only because of some crazy glue. They reminded me of the projects that I used to make in kindergarten. I couldn’t tell whether the hill had any grass or trees or flowers because shacks and trash covered the ground. Everything from smelly, used, baby diapers to old, beat up, rotten couches littered the entire area. It looked like the hill was a volcano and all this waste was the lava just spewing from the top and coming down the hill, overflowing onto the street. Where was my sunny Mexico beach? We exited the freeway and came to a stop at the light. A bunch of traffic in front of us rendered our car immobile. About 25 people wondered around that little exit. They were knocking on car windows, standing off to the side with signs, and sleeping on the dirt to the side of the road. Out of the 25 people roaming around, more then half of them were under the age of 10. It reminded me of a scene from a war movie, just ... Free Essays on Beyond Border Free Essays on Beyond Border Beyond the Border â€Å"Now, I want you both to look out your windows and take everything in, realize just how lucky you are.† Those were the words of my aunt. My cousin and I were sitting in the backseat, headphones blaring, totally ignoring everything. We were on our first, annual, all girls, trip to sunny, Rosarito Beach, Mexico. My mom was asleep in the front with my aunt, who was driving, while my sister and the rest of the girls in my family were in two other cars. We were on the freeway, just past the border. The song on my CD ended and a new one was about to begin, when my aunt spoke. I turned off my CD player and looked at my cousin. She just turned hers up and started to read a magazine. So I looked out my window by myself. Abruptly, I felt like I was drowning in a pool of desolation and sorrow. I was looking at a hillside covered with what were supposed to be houses, but in reality the could barely be called shacks. They were pieces of plastic, bits of cardboard and parts of wood and it seemed held together only because of some crazy glue. They reminded me of the projects that I used to make in kindergarten. I couldn’t tell whether the hill had any grass or trees or flowers because shacks and trash covered the ground. Everything from smelly, used, baby diapers to old, beat up, rotten couches littered the entire area. It looked like the hill was a volcano and all this waste was the lava just spewing from the top and coming down the hill, overflowing onto the street. Where was my sunny Mexico beach? We exited the freeway and came to a stop at the light. A bunch of traffic in front of us rendered our car immobile. About 25 people wondered around that little exit. They were knocking on car windows, standing off to the side with signs, and sleeping on the dirt to the side of the road. Out of the 25 people roaming around, more then half of them were under the age of 10. It reminded me of a scene from a war movie, just ...

Process of How Trees Absorb and Evaporate Water

Process of How Trees Absorb and Evaporate Water Water mostly enters a tree through the roots by osmosis and any dissolved mineral nutrients will travel with it upward through the inner barks xylem (using capillary action) and into the leaves. These traveling nutrients then feed the tree through the process of leaf photosynthesis. This  is a process that converts light energy, usually from the Sun, into chemical energy that can be later released to fuel an organisms activities including growth.   Trees supply leaves with water because of a decrease in hydrostatic or water pressure into upper, leaf-bearing parts called crowns or canopies. This hydrostatic pressure difference lifts the water to the leaves. Ninety percent of the  trees water is eventually dispersed and released from leaf stomata. This stoma is an  opening or pore that is used for gas exchange. They are mostly found on the under-surface of plant leaves. Air also enters the plant through these openings. The carbon dioxide in the air entering the stoma is used in photosynthesis. Some of the oxygen produced is used in respiration through evaporation, into the atmosphere. That beneficial loss of water from plants is called transpiration. Amounts of Water Trees Use A fully grown tree may lose several hundred gallons of water through its leaves on a hot, dry day. The same tree will lose nearly no water on wet, cold, winter days, so water loss is directly related to temperature and humidity. Another way to say this is that almost all water that enters a trees roots is lost to the atmosphere but the 10% that remains keeps the living tree system healthy and maintains growth. Evaporation of water from the upper parts of trees  especially leaves but also stems, flowers and roots can add to a trees water loss. Certain tree species are more efficient in managing their rate of water loss and are normally found naturally on drier sites. Volumes of Water Trees Use An average maturing tree under optimal conditions can transport up to 10,000 gallons of water only to capture about 1,000 usable gallons for the production of food and adding to its biomass. This is called the transpiration ratio, the ratio of the mass of water transpired to the mass of dry matter produced. Depending on the efficiency of the plant or tree species, it may take as little as 200 pounds (24 gallons) of water to 1,000 pounds (120 gallons) to make a pound of dry matter. A single acre of forest land, during the course of a growing season, can add 4 tons of biomass but uses 4,000 tons of water to do so. Osmosis and Hydrostatic Pressure Roots take advantage of pressures when water and its solutions are unequal. The key to remember about osmosis is that water flows from the solution with the lower solute concentration (the soil) into the solution with higher solute concentration (the root). Water tends to move to regions of negative hydrostatic pressure gradients. Water uptake by plant root osmosis creates a more negative hydrostatic pressure potential near the root surface. Tree roots sense water (less negative water potential) and growth is directed towards water (hydrotropism). Transpiration Runs the Show Transpiration is the evaporation of water from trees out and into the Earths atmosphere. Leaf transpiration occurs through pores called stomata, and at a necessary cost, displaces of much of its valuable water into the atmosphere. These stomata are designed to allow the carbon dioxide gas to exchange from air to assist in photosynthesis  that then creates the fuel for growth. We need to remember that transpiration cools trees and every organism around it. Transpiration also helps to cause that massive flow of mineral nutrients and water from roots to shoots which is caused by a decrease in hydrostatic (water) pressure. This loss of pressure is caused by water evaporating from the stomata into the atmosphere and the beat goes on.

Corporate Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate Reporting - Essay Example "Usually mergers occur in a consensual setting where executives from the target Company help those from the purchaser in a due diligence process to ensure that the deal is beneficial to both parties." (Wikipedia) Goodwill is defined as the present value of future earnings in excess of the normal return on net identifiable assets. According to the acquisition events it's defined as the excess of the cost of acquisition over a group's interest in the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities of a subsidiary, associate or jointly controlled entity at the date of acquisition. Goodwill is treated as an asset in the balance sheet of a company. The reduction in the goodwill needs to be calculated at annual basis and the decrease should be written off in the profit and loss account. Due to the replacement of IAS22 by the IFRS3 the treatment of goodwill changed to the defacement-only practice in January 2005. The US GAAP has the same treatment of Goodwill and defines it as the surplus acquisition price paid in addition to the fair value of the net identifiable assets. The change in treatment was first undertaken after the imposition of the SFAS142 which transformed the goodwill accounting from changed accounting for goodwill from a paying-off method to defacement-only method in July 1, 2001. As the standard was affecting international groups many of them preferred using US GAAP standards which could minimize the adverse effects of goodwill amortization and was beneficial for the groups The acquiring company should make sure that the value in excess to the fair value of the net assets should not be reduced and hence this difference should be treated as an asset that's not really identifiable. The standard addresses all the issues regarding the disclosure of the information regarding the acquisition and the management can play an important role in making the most of this information. It suggests that an effective business report must have More forward looking information Have more coverage of non-financial value creating information. Should align internal and external information. The model includes different components of business reporting, which are: 1) financial and non financial data regarding the acquisition 2) Management's analysis of financial and non-financial data. 3) Future forecasting information regarding the goodwill. 4) Shareholders and management related information. 5) Background information. 6) Proper disclosure of information 7) Proper information regarding each business segment. The model provides the shareholders and investors with the case of proper information regarding the securities in order to save them from being misallocated. IFRS3 puts more emphasis on stakeholders' relationship rather than on financial measures. Heavy reliance on financial measures has damaged most of the company's reputation. The financial performance does not represent the overall performance of the business. The position of the company in the market and the performance cannot be judge by only addressing the financial measures. The standard recommends that the role of the intangible assets is growing in determining the future performance of a company. The standard provides the solution in shape of focusing more on qualitative measures rather than

Nato and United Nation on the Conflict in Kosovo Essay

Nato and United Nation on the Conflict in Kosovo - Essay Example Kosovo is located in Southern Serbia and has a population of majority Albanians. Until 1989, the region was autonomous within Yugoslavia. Kosovo conflict refers to armed struggles in Kosovo province, Yugoslavia. From 1998 to 1999, there was an armed clashes caused by the Kosovo Liberation Army who wanted independence from the Yugoslav Military and Serbian police (Singh 2009). Between March and June 1999, NATO launched an air strikes and patrols on FR Yugoslavia while the KLA continued with their wars with Yugoslav Security Forces. This led to a large population displacement. NATO’s intervention in Kosovo was to stop the humanitarian crisis and restore peace stability in the region. Despite numerous challenges during 78 days of aerial strikes, more than 37,000 excursions occurred and 10,484 of the strike attacks happened without any fatalities. NATO’s objectives were to help for the achievement of a peaceful resolution to the crisis at hand and to promote security in nei ghboring nations especially in Albania and Macedonia. The involvement of NATO's was to settle the war in the most peaceful way. Their involvement, however, brought more problems than solutions. Albanians not only fought amongst each other but also NATO soldier (Kaplan 2010). The world's involvement in the conflict angered both sides of the conflict. Other objectives of NATO and the UN in Kosovo were; to stop to all military action and end repression, the withdrawal of the military and paramilitary forces from Kosovo, the setting up of international military in Kosovo, the unconditional return of all refugees and displaced persons and unstoppable access to them by humanitarian organizations and the establishment of a political agreement in conformity the Charter of the United Nations and international law. To show that NATO and UN did not act objectively in the conflict, in Kosovo, there were claims by Yugoslavia that NATO raids caused between 1,000 and 6000 civilian casualties. NATO 's secretary general, Lord Robertson, admitted after the conflict that the exact human lives claimed will never be known. Figures in Human Rights Watch reports estimate between 490 and 530 civilian demises, 80 to 140 resulting from cluster bombing. Kosovo attacks were deadly due to many confused refugee movements. On the ground, there was ethnic cleansing by the Serbians that led to 300,000 Kosovo Albanians fleeing to Albania and Macedonia with thousands more internally displaced in Kosovo. The United Nations reported that 850,000 people had fled their homes. The choice of targets to hit was highly controversial. The destruction of bridges at the Danube disrupted shipping on the river after the war causing economic challenges to countries along the river. The attack on industrial facilities damaged the economies of many local towns. These examples show that the organization did not act objectively in pursing their objectives. Moreover, the Serbian government and a numerous internati onal pressure groups accused NATO of carrying out war crimes during the war. For instance, the bombing of a Serbian television headquarters in Belgrade on April 1999 led to 16 deaths and numerous injuries. This was a deliberate attack on a civilian property hence constituting war crimes. The argument for NATO’

Coconut Groove Fire Incident Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coconut Groove Fire Incident - Research Paper Example This, among other design flaws and failures to take safety measures into consideration, led to the tragic incident. This paper seeks to give an in depth analysis of the events that led to the fire, and changes executed by fire and safety departments across America to avoid a repeat of the tragedy. The Cocoanut Grove Fire and Potential Causes To understand why the Cocoanut Grove fire was not easily contained, and why it claimed so many lives, it is imperative to get an idea of its original layout. This facility had three exits, on the Shawmut, Piedmont and Broadway sides (Boston Fire Historical Society, n.d). The building’s main entrance comprised of a single revolving door on the Piedmont Street side. The entrance opened into Cocoanut Grove’s lobby, while the way into the Melody Lounge, in the lower level, was through a single stairwell from the reception area. There were no other entrances or exits from this part of the Night Club. The exit to Shawmut Street was positi oned centrally along the main club area’s wall. Another entrance along this wall, and bordering the performance stage was closed at all times. The third exit was on the side of the new Broadway Cocktail Lounge. This exit comprised of just one door, which unfortunately opened inward. Another contributory factor, to the massive loss of life, was that all other exits that could have enabled patrons to escape were either obscured or locked. For instance, had the door on the side of Piedmont Street been open during the incident, Melody lounge patrons could have exited without having to go back to the reception area (Beller & Sapochetti, 2000). Another imperative safety flaw noted was that, exit points from the upper level dressing areas were through stairs, which ended at the Shawmut side door that was always locked. Additionally, windows on the Shawmut and Piedmont building sides were obscured, making them virtually invisible for patrons inside the facility. Further, the night cl ub’s interior had numerous decorations, made of flammable materials. Some of these materials included fabrics on the ceiling as well as artificial leather used on bars and walls. To make matters worse, the facility had false walls and suspended ceilings throughout, covering the building initial fixtures. There were also artificial palms, for decorative purposes and these were not only in the night club, but also in the Melody Lounge at the basement level. The palm trees’ capacity to burn was accentuated by incorporation of electrical lighting and its affiliated wiring. The lower leveled Melody Parlor also had highly flammable rattan wood coverings on the walls, and most of the furniture in the entire facility had artificial leather covering (Beller & Sapochetti, 2000). Allegedly, a mere eight days prior to the tragic fire, inspectors from Boston’s fire department had scrutinized the facility. In their report, these inspectors indicated that there were sufficient exits, no combustible decorations and enough fire extinguishers to put out a fire, in case of one. Apparently, the only deficit found by the inspectors was the absence of a steel fire barrier between the dining area and the Broadway Lounge. It is crucial to note that, following the facility expansion through inclusion of the Broadway Lounge, the club’s management sent an application for a restaurant license to the town council. Under the new terms of operation, the Cocoanut

Patient's Right Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Patient's Right - Assignment Example Patients should consent to care independently without the influence of the caregiver. However, in some instances, consent to care may be hard to realize. This occurs in the case of an emergency. Incompetent patients who cannot make informed decisions on whether to accept or reject treatment calls for a third party; that consents on behalf of the patient. Parents, close relatives or court-appointed guardians are involved in this case (Council of Ethical and Judicial Affairs, 1995). Mr. X who suffers from a GI disorder expresses dissatisfaction, anger or bad feelings towards a nurse who wants to administer enema to him. As earlier pointed out, patients have the right to accept or reject treatment. This patient is termed depressed and uncooperative. However, the fact that he expresses his concern towards the treatment sets him in a position where he can make a sound decision in regard to the treatment. Mr. X is uncooperative, meaning that he fails to practice or put into action what the nurses require of him. Therefore, the patient is a state that allows him to make independent choices on the treatment offered to him. He can choose whether to take it or leave it. The nurse disregards the patient’s concern and goes ahead to administer the enema. Although the nurse has a legal responsibility to take care of the patient, it is the patient’s decision to accept or reject the care. When the patient tells the nurse that he does not want the enema administered, the nurse should have made a consideration of the patient’s protests before going ahead to administer it. A consideration was important in this context because patients have a right to refuse treatment (Council of Ethical and Judicial Affairs, 1995). The nurse may have disregarded the patient’s protests on the basis that he was depressed and uncooperative. However, if the nurse made her decision based on this factor, her decision would not be binding until a third party is involved. A cl ose family member to Mr. X would have been involved in the decision of whether to administer the enema or not. Therefore, the patient has a legal case against the nurse. The nurse fails to listen to the patient, and therefore goes ahead and does what she thinks is best for the patient. Failure to listen to the patient and the fact that the nurse ignored the role of a third party in the care giving decision results in an intentional tort. Since the nurse has a legal responsibility to take care of the patient, the nurse should have taken time to explain the benefits of enema to the patient. On the same note, the nurse should have highlighted the relative risks of refusing the enema. It is important to consider that the patient is said to be depressed and uncooperative. In this regard, the role of a close member comes in. The nurse should have consulted Mr. X’s family before administering the enema if she thought that Mr. X was only being stubborn. Although the patient is termed to be uncooperative, he takes his time to explain what happened to his son. In this case, the relationship between the father and the son can be defined to be a good one. The nurse should have waited for a family member like Mr. X’s son to decide and consent on whether the enema should be administered or not. This way, the nurse could not have

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management Essay - 1

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management - Essay Example Adequate staffing is the solution to reduce the workload on nurses that is how a seasoned manager will look at it. Nurses usually leave due to excessive work pressures and that will be eased to a certain extent through this action. On other issues raised by the nurses, the top management of the organization must formulate a strong retention policy and for that the company needs to pay nurses generously. McConnell (2010) emphasizes on proper reward system to recognize the work of employees and that is where effective and appropriate leadership style is necessary. The issues that concern nurses and raised so far are mostly tangible and needs to be tackled by the top management of the organization where nothing much can be done at intermediate levels such as supervisors or managers because number of nurses in the healthcare unit and their salary structures are largely governed by the corporate recruitment and compensation policies (managerial decisions); however, even a well-formulated retention policy may fail if it is not supported by staff motivation and recognition efforts. It is precisely here that effective leadership is necessary at all levels. Issues That Need an Effective Leadership Approach In CareerBuilder (2010)’s survey on nurses, many issues raised by nursing staffs fall in the category of work culture, lack of training, and poor fit with boss. Yukl (2006) argues that effective leaders are usually transformational leaders. They do not hesitate to delegate authority to others, help create self-managed teams, eliminate unwanted controls; helps develop skills and self-confidence of staff so as to create self-managed teams and work toward staff... As the report states efficient managers assess the situation before resorting to any solution. Many of the issues that come out in the survey are interrelated such as fewer staff and high workload issue. Lower staff will obviously lead to the situation of high workload on nursing staff in any healthcare setting. Adequate staffing is the solution to reduce the workload on nurses that is how a seasoned manager will look at it. Nurses usually leave due to excessive work pressures and that will be eased to a certain extent through this action. On other issues raised by the nurses, the top management of the organization must formulate a strong retention policy and for that the company needs to pay nurses generously. According to the paper stresses concern nurses and raised so far are mostly tangible and needs to be tackled by the top management of the organization where nothing much can be done at intermediate levels such as supervisors or managers because number of nurses in the healthcare unit and their salary structures are largely governed by the corporate recruitment and compensation policies (managerial decisions); however, even a well-formulated retention policy may fail if it is not supported by staff motivation and recognition efforts. It is precisely here that effective leadership is necessary at all levels. Several transformational leadership frameworks are in operation and one of them is engaging leadership model.

Assignment 11Chapter10 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

11Chapter10 - Assignment Example Routine reports are supposed to be primed and submitted on issues required by the organization for the purpose of helping the organization management to take actions in the issues that are related to daily affairs of the business. The main aim of routine report is to make the management aware of the happenings within the organization, progress where there might be a deviation, and what kind of resolutions made in conjunction with solving the problem. There are few problems associated with routine reporting; one is that data collected and submitted within the organization is neither complete nor accurate for the purpose of tracking outcomes or process performance across the entire organization. Secondly, systematic evaluation of data may be hit with challenges as a result of inconsistencies (Meredith & Mantel, 2012). The main purpose of earned value measures the entire organization performance by use of an aggregate performance measure which is the earned value. The earned value of performed work for any task in progress is obtained by multiplying the estimated percent physical completion of task for each task by the planned cost for those particular tasks. The result should be the amount that may have been spent on the activity thus far; this can then be paralleled with the actual amount that has been spent (Meredith & Mantel, 2012). Having a summarized estimate of the percent completion of any project without keen study of every of its work and tasks units is not sensible in a

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management Essay - 1

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management - Essay Example Adequate staffing is the solution to reduce the workload on nurses that is how a seasoned manager will look at it. Nurses usually leave due to excessive work pressures and that will be eased to a certain extent through this action. On other issues raised by the nurses, the top management of the organization must formulate a strong retention policy and for that the company needs to pay nurses generously. McConnell (2010) emphasizes on proper reward system to recognize the work of employees and that is where effective and appropriate leadership style is necessary. The issues that concern nurses and raised so far are mostly tangible and needs to be tackled by the top management of the organization where nothing much can be done at intermediate levels such as supervisors or managers because number of nurses in the healthcare unit and their salary structures are largely governed by the corporate recruitment and compensation policies (managerial decisions); however, even a well-formulated retention policy may fail if it is not supported by staff motivation and recognition efforts. It is precisely here that effective leadership is necessary at all levels. Issues That Need an Effective Leadership Approach In CareerBuilder (2010)’s survey on nurses, many issues raised by nursing staffs fall in the category of work culture, lack of training, and poor fit with boss. Yukl (2006) argues that effective leaders are usually transformational leaders. They do not hesitate to delegate authority to others, help create self-managed teams, eliminate unwanted controls; helps develop skills and self-confidence of staff so as to create self-managed teams and work toward staff... As the report states efficient managers assess the situation before resorting to any solution. Many of the issues that come out in the survey are interrelated such as fewer staff and high workload issue. Lower staff will obviously lead to the situation of high workload on nursing staff in any healthcare setting. Adequate staffing is the solution to reduce the workload on nurses that is how a seasoned manager will look at it. Nurses usually leave due to excessive work pressures and that will be eased to a certain extent through this action. On other issues raised by the nurses, the top management of the organization must formulate a strong retention policy and for that the company needs to pay nurses generously. According to the paper stresses concern nurses and raised so far are mostly tangible and needs to be tackled by the top management of the organization where nothing much can be done at intermediate levels such as supervisors or managers because number of nurses in the healthcare unit and their salary structures are largely governed by the corporate recruitment and compensation policies (managerial decisions); however, even a well-formulated retention policy may fail if it is not supported by staff motivation and recognition efforts. It is precisely here that effective leadership is necessary at all levels. Several transformational leadership frameworks are in operation and one of them is engaging leadership model.

Robotic Mission vs Manned Mission Essay Example for Free

Robotic Mission vs Manned Mission Essay It is my opinion that if given a choice between a robotic and a manned space based exploration, it is better to execute a robotic mission. It is not worth the cost and risk for humans to simply explore space, except when the goal is specifically colonization. First, a manned mission would be much more technically complicated than a robotic one outweighing any incremental benefit resulting from a human presence. Second, the financial cost of manned missions to overcome the complications is not worth the projected costs. Third, funding robotic missions are indirect investments in aiding the current human condition. That is, the cost saving from robot missions could help relieve current issues here on earth. Lastly, pushing the boundaries of the unknown will always be fascinating to humans, but we would be pushing current human boundaries to explore much further past the moon, with our current technology. Advancements in robot technology can allow us to take the next step in advanced space missions. Some would argue the opposite; some would say that manned missions are essential to quench our curiosity and thirst for uncovering the unknown, our desperate search for answers about the universe, and to find life beyond our planet. There are specific advantages to robotic exploration over human space missions. Space is a dangerous place for humans in many ways; there are many factors working against long term human space travel. There is harsh radiation, zero gravity and the element of time to consider. Radiation, in form of cosmic rays (high energy particles) and other high-energy radiation emitted from our sun, breaks down DNA in our bodies (0), leads to major complications, and poses the largest threat to human space travel. Extended zero gravity exposure leads to bone destiny loss and weakened organs because our physiology evolved having gravity. Time is also a factor against human space travel; we simply cannot go fast enough and live long enough to make it. If we went 123,000 mph with current plasma engines (1) to the closest star, Proxima Centauri – 4. 22 light years away (2), it would take 23 thousands years (2. 1). We cant live that long but robots could possibly go faster and need no protection from anything except sensitive equipment. Robots don’t need to come back, they have no families and we can build new ones. As questions are asked about the cosmos we develop new detectors, telescopes, and probes to answer those questions safely, quickly, and with accuracy. Human space missions are extremely expensive, unsafe, and inefficient(3) compared to robotic ones. A manned mission would most likely involve advanced life support systems, ample social interaction that means more people, food, oxygen, radiation protection, constant exercise, etc. with all systems being mostly self-sustaining or replenishing. This is all equals to weight, cost, time, and research. Also, the effects of zero-gravity and cosmic radiation have not been studied in depth and the long term exposure, could be detrimental(4). Also, the effects on the mind, in the long term, we know little about. (5) Constant isolation and confinement could drive any crew mad. (5. 1) We currently don’t even have spacesuits that protect against radiation. (6) Dennis Bushnell, NASA Langley’s chief scientist said, â€Å"What’s affordable is not safe; what’s safe is not affordable. †(7). A robotic mission would not encounter any of these problems and risks. The space shuttle had a price tag of about $450 million per mission and today unmanned payload cost about $12,000 per pound. (8) Most of this cost is associated with the fuel it takes to escape Earth’s orbit which is burned upon take off. The less weight expended the less fuel is required for takeoff, thus saving money to make it worth these endeavors. Assuming we do not colonize the location we plan on exploring, we would want our fellow space explorers to return home to their families safely. This would require a mission plan home, this is more than one mission, an increase in cost and preparation, making a returning virtually impossible. (8. 1) Robotic space missions could directly address and change human conditions on Earth. The possibilities of immediate results on Earth are enticing, new technologies found through the research of problems encountered could lead to advanced propulsion technologies that could give us more efficient methods of travel here on Earth and possibly end our use of fossil fuels. Reaching and exploring asteroids could lead the way to learning how to divert one here on Earth(9). Possible colonization of new worlds can first be explored by robots, giving us an understanding of our true environment and helps us expand, as the human race; not any specific nation or country but for humankind as a whole. Finding new resources from asteroids, moons, and worlds in our solar system could give us a new era of economic stimulus, growth, and hopefully peace. By 2030 we human on Earth will be consuming the resources of two planets annually (10), this is a scary thought and we must prepare for the possibility of expanding our horizons to the new frontier, united as one people for the common good. Some opposing cases have been argued that it is essential for manned missions to be funded. It is very possible for us to reach Mars in one month (11) with a proposed 123,000 MPH plasma engine. This makes it imperative to do so immediately. With less and less standing in our way to colonizing our solar system, we must see these new frontiers with our eyes. New technologies researched for the survival of colonies in space, could bring many positive effects on Earth, such as closed-loop sustainable habitats would give the poor around the world, enough food. 12) This would not be possible, if we sent robots, since they don’t eat. The necessity for manned missions could inadvertently allow us to discover new technologies that will, assuredly help us on Earth. There even is the possibility of a one-way journey for a single candidate to colonize Mars. (13) This would reduce risk, cost, and the lives of other potential settlers. Since, there is no longer the competition of nations to reach space, like the space-race between USA and Russia, but today we work together, â€Å"Like a club of developers. (14) In conclusion, I feel that a robotic mission is the way to explore space. The cost, risk, and benefits gained from a manned mission are just not worth it, when compared to a robotic one. Although, the possibility of many technologies arising from the research aimed toward at solving current hurdles of successful manned missions, we should not to bear the risks associated with them since, robots are extension of ourselves. Endnotes 0: http://schoolworkhelper. net/2011/02/nasa-mission-to-mars-probes-design-dangers/ 1,11,14.