Definition and Examples of Textspeak

Textspeak is an informal term for the abbreviated language used in text messaging  and other forms of electronic communication. The term textspeak was coined by linguist David Crystal in Language and the Internet (2001). Crystal argues that texting is one of the most innovative linguistic phenomena of modern times (Txtng: the Gr8 Db8, 2008).  Not everyone shares his enthusiasm. Examples and Observations [I]n 2003 a story was widely circulated that a teenager had written an essay entirely in textspeak, which her teacher was totally unable to understand. As no one was ever able to track down the entire essay, it may well have been a hoax . . .. The reported extract began like this: My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF thr 3 :- kids FTF. ILNY, its a gr8 plc. And it was translated like this: My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. Its a great place. If Id been the teacher, I would have given the student 10 out of 10 for her linguistic ingenuity, and 0 out of 10 for her sense of appropriateness (or alternatively, 10 out of 10 for cheek). . . .[I]t is worth noting that the sentences use (informal) standard English grammar. The second sentence is really quite complex, with its careful use of tense forms, coordination, and word o rder. -(David Crystal, Txtng: the Gr8 Db8. Oxford University Press, 2008)Instant messaging and texting condense language to its lowest common denominator; these forms misuse grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation for the sake of brevity.But this is still communication. We need to understand textspeak in all kinds of situations, because it is one of the languages our students use daily. -(Judy Green, How Bullets Saved My Life: Fun Ways to Teach Some Serious Writing Skills. Pembroke, 2010)I wish you wd tell me how u.r. when u. write. -(Thomas Hardy, letter to Mary Hardy, 1862; quoted by Michael Millgate in  Thomas Hardy: A Biography Revisited. Oxford University Press, 2004) Cons and Pros Some observers are decrying textspeak as a product of modern-day inertia and laziness-inducing technologies. Helprin ([Digital Barbarism,] 2009), for instance, cautions that such forms of communication, and the internet generally, produce an addictive effect on how people process information, rendering them much less pensive and less inclined to appreciate artistic and literary greatness. Others respond that textspeak is no more than an efficient way to create written messages for informal communication. People use textspeak, not to generate thoughtfulness and literary communication, but to keep in contact and to facilitate communication. In no way does this imply that people have lost the desire to read and reflect upon the world. -(Marcel Danesi,   Language, Society, and New Media: Sociolinguistics Today. Routledge, 2016) Textspeak Baby Names Yes, were all getting stupider, or at least some of us are. This is the clear message behind the story of text-speak baby names appearing on birth certificates. Britons have become so addicted to abbreviation, it is claimed, that names such as Anne, Connor and Laura have been rendered An, Conna and Lora. Six baby boys have been christened Camron rather than Cameron. There are, apparently, several Samiuls on the list. The online parenting club Bounty lists a Flicity. Given the unstoppable rise of text language, says the Daily Mail, it was only a matter of time before childrens names went the way of traditional English. -(Tim Dowling, Is Text Speak Really Shaping Baby Names? The Guardian, April 1, 2008) Textspeak in a Business Setting Write Like youre Texting!Apologies--I should have written, Wrt lk yr txting! The proliferation of texting has created a brave new world of incompetence. Does textspeak get the point across? Almost always. Does textspeak in a business setting make the writer look like a semi-literate 12-year old? You betcha! -(Jeff Havens, How to Get Fired!: The New Employees Guide to Perpetual Unemployment, 2010) The Lighter Side of Textspeak Youre saying LOL. Youre verbal texting. . . . If you’re going to ‘laugh out loud,’ why aren’t you laughing out loud? Why say it? Why not just laugh? -(Larry David, Palestinian Chicken. Curb Your Enthusiasm, 2011) Alternate Spellings: text speak, text-speak

Book Report On The Book Le Gai Savoir - 1421 Words

I remember the first time I heard about Nietzsche was a few years ago, in my chemistry class. I had a friend who spent all his time, in science classes, reading books about philosophy. His nonconformity caught my attention. I started to be interested by the big mustache of the author on the cover page of his book Le Gai Savoir, because I knew, of course, that all authors with big mustache – such as Victor Hugo and Albert Einstein – wrote about great things! So I started to read Nietzsche s works. Then, one day, my dad caught me reading Le Gai Savoir and he told me that this philosopher, born in a town near Leipzig on 15 October 1844 (Wotling 797), had changed the way he perceived his life. He told me that when he was eighteen in China, he was very poor and due to his stressful condition, he failed the final admission exam for a university. Because of the high amount of population and competition in China, the final exam decides unfortunately the fate of a person. He had developed depression. However, one day, he bought a Nietzsche s book and started to read it. He told me that Nietzsche s poetry and positive ideas motivated him to change his life, to be greater, and to become who [he really is] (Nietzsche, Le Gai Savoir 251). And this is why he wasn t afraid of immigrating to Canada with my mother. In this essay, I will introduce this great philosopher and I will show that he agrees with the point of view of Socrates that an unexamined life is not worth living,Show MoreRelatedHomosexuality and University Press5666 Words   |  23 Pageshow unreliable such data often are. Hirschfeld also came with the first urban geography, â€Å"Berlin’s Third Gender† (1904) in which he described the city’s gay subculture of bars and parks and the elaborate world of male prostitution. Mainly German books on the history of sexual morality (â€Å"Sittengeschichte†) that often included chapters on homosexuality, preceded and influenced the work of later sociologists and historians, like Norbert Elias and Michel Foucault. The work of these psychiatrists who

Petroleum and Supply Chain Free Essays

A Report On Castrol India Ltd. , Mumbai Assignment: Supply Chain Executive Summary Castrol India LTD. Castrol India Limited is a Public Limited Company with 70. We will write a custom essay sample on Petroleum and Supply Chain or any similar topic only for you Order Now 92% of the equity held by Castrol Limited UK (part of BP Group). From a minor oil company, with a share of about 6% in 1991, Castrol India has grown to become the second largest lubricant company in India with a market share of around 28%. Castrol India manufactures and markets a range of automotive and industrial lubricants. It markets its automotive lubricants under two brands – Castrol and BP. The company has leadership positions in most of the segments in which it operates including passenger car engine oils, premium 2-stroke and 4-stroke oils and multigrade diesel engine oils. Castrol India has the largest manufacturing and marketing network amongst the lubricant companies in India. The company has 5 manufacturing Plants across the country, including a state-of-the-art plant in Silvassa. The company reaches its consumers through a distribution network of 270 distributors, servicing over 70,000. retail outlets. From a minor oil company, with a share of about 6% in 1991, Castrol India has now grown upto a market share of around 28%. Product and services * Passenger car oil * Gear Oil * Diesel Engine oil * Two wheeler engine oil * Grease * Coolant * Castrol Supply Chain Network Overview * Manufacturing facilities : In India there are 12 production facilities with major ones at Patalganga, Silvassa, Tondiarpet, Paharpur. Each production plant has its own capacity in terms of different packing lines and not SKU. | * Plant and capacity data Daily available filling capacities across current locations(in KL) – Single | Shift w/o overtime*Data taken by project Report | | | Distribution: Inbound Logistics: The base oil for Castrol is centrally purchased by British Petroleum. Some of the Indian refineries also provide base oil to Castrol India Limited. The oil is brought to the plants by tankers from offshore tanks. Castrol India Limited has four plants-Patalganga, Silvassa, Paharpur and Tondiarpet and in total 12 filling stations. Outbound Logistics: Castrol has three tier distributor structure-distributor hubs (CDC/RDC), carrying Forwarding Agents (CFA) and Distributors. The transportation from manufacturing plant to distributor hub is called Primary Transportation (P0). Transportation from distribution centre to carrying forwarding agency (CFA) (P1), from warehouse to warehouse (P2) and warehouse to customer and distributors is called Secondary transportation. The entire country is divided into four zones North, East, West and South. There are 30 CFA,2 DC and 4 Marine warehouses in India. The diagram below shows the supply chain distribution structure at Castrol India. There are five layers – Supplier, Plants, Distribution Hubs, Warehouses and Distributors. Castrol has recently implemented DRM in which demand is generated at the CFA level once the inventory at the distributor level falls below an established norm. * The diagram below shows the supply chain distribution structure at Castrol India. There are five layers – Supplier, Plants, Distribution Hubs, Warehouses and Distributors. Castrol has recently implemented DReaM in which demand is generated at the CFA level once the inventory at the distributor level falls below an established norm. Global Reach: The global reach of British Petroleum is shown in the below mentioned figure. Castrol is a subsidiary of that. Planning Process: Forecasting: Generating production forecasts is a key business process in the oil and gas industry. Production foreca sts are used to calculate cash flow using economic models and to assess reserves in the corporate portfolio. These forecasts impact the financial health of the company and its market value. To generate forecasts, the super majors use in-house reservoir simulators and commercial simulation products, several of which exist on the market. Generally, companies use a variety of methods for production forecasting. Production forecasts for brown fields, i. e. fields currently in production, are regularly updated with production data acquired with off-take volumes. Many production forecasting software products on the market are generally applied on a fit-for-purpose basis. Reservoir simulation is a standard part of the reservoir engineer’s toolkit for generating production forecasts. The reservoir models have become more sophisticated over the years, due to the increasing computing power available, with the creation of earth models and use of high-technology tools to acquire data for history matching. For brown fields it is common practice to use a reservoir simulation model and history to match the model with new reservoir data on a regular basis and run the model in forward prediction mode to generate forecasts of oil, gas and water production volumes. Use of 3-D seismic data acquisition became widespread in the 1980s and 1990s. This has allowed construction of detailed reservoir models of the subsurface architecture and identification of additional oil (new zones, bypassed oil, etc. ). Increasing use of geostatistical models during the 1990s has raised the awareness of risk and uncertainty and their impact on decision-making. The driving force has been to reduce the bandwidth of uncertainty, i. e. to narrow the range of uncertainty by using multiple realisations. Systematic application of statistical techniques may be used to understand the predicted reservoir behaviour and the range of production forecasts. Production forecasts can also be generated using traditional methods, such as decline curves. Classical reservoir engineering methods, such as material balance, should also be in the reservoir engineer’s toolbox. It is important to recognise that the reservoir simulator should not be used as a ‘black box’. For history matching, the production data has to be quality-checked to ensure good quality control and validity. The forecasts generated by a reservoir simulator should be consistent with other reservoir engineering methods that are used, for example, in gas field P/Z plots (i. . the visual image of the gas material balance, where the original gas volume equals the remaining gas volume plus the volume of gas produced). Future trends in real time production forecasting with automatic history matching will include production data and 4-D seismic data, the creation of geo statistical models and multi-realization simulation models for forward prediction. This will s till require reservoir engineering intervention to assure and control the quality of the output. With the advent of the e-field, an executive might be directly linked to the same computer as the reservoir engineer and can view, on a screen at his desk, the corporate production forecasts and the corporate reserves being updated in real time. Oil industry (Castrol) forecasts are generated using the best-practice techniques of time-series modeling. The precise form of time-series model used varies from industry to industry, in each case being determined, as per standard practice, by the prevailing features of the industry data being examined. For example, data for some industries may be particularly prone to seasonality, i. e. seasonal trends. In other industries, there may be pronounced non-linearity, whereby large recessions, for example, may occur more frequently than cyclical booms. Approach varies from industry to industry. Common to analysis of every industry, however, is the use of vector auto regressions. Vector auto regressions allow us to forecast a variable using more than the variable’s own history as explanatory information. For example, when forecasting oil prices, we can include information about oil consumption, supply and capacity. When forecasting for some of our industry sub-component variables, however, using a variable’s own history is often the most desirable method of analysis. Such single-variable analysis is called univariate modeling. We use the most common and versatile form of univariate models: the autoregressive moving average model (ARMA). In some cases, ARMA techniques are inappropriate because there is insufficient historic data or data quality is poor. In such cases, we use either traditional decomposition methods or smoothing methods as a basis for analysis and forecasting. It must be remembered that human intervention plays a necessary and desirable part in all our industry forecasting techniques. Intimate knowledge of the data and industry ensures we spot structural breaks, anomalous data, turning points and seasonal features where a purely mechanical forecasting process would not. Inventory Planning: The company recently had implemented an inventory optimization application from Tools Group, Amsterdam, called DPM (formerly, Distribution Planning Model). But Tenaglia knew that technology was only part of the solution. After gaining some experience with the software to understand its capabilities, the European division of Castrol undertook the hard work of organizational change, creating a supply-chain planning department that was totally separate from execution functions. Aggregate Planning Methodology: Castrol initiated a program to improve their Sales and Operations Planning (SOP) processes. The team was faced with reactive supply chains caused by forecasts that were inaccurate, unreliable and incomplete. The forecast did not extend to all SKUs and calculations required intensive manual work. The supply chain was still widely order-driven and structured to be reactive, rather than proactive. The demand forecast was carried out by sales and marketing, so the supply chain people reworked the forecast in order to trigger replenishments. We had a lot of uncertainty due to poor forecast practices. † The inventory side was also challenging. Most slow moving products had excess inventory. Fast moving products were often out-of-stock. Safety stocks had been set manually, based largely on personal experience. In the calculations, there was little formal sense of supply and demand uncertainty. Safety stocks were infrequently adjusted, and when they were, it was often in reaction to a single event. For instance, an under stock situation would often trigger an increase in safety stock levels. addition, planners were expediting to constantly to overcome the poorly derived inventory targets. This expediting was triggering production reschedules and urgent deliveries, increasing costs and amplifying supply chain noise. â€Å"We’ve seen dramatic increases in our service level with significant reductions In inventory across Europe†. Castrol identified the need to build an effective SOP planning process which they would implement in one country and then roll out across Europe. The resulting system would coordinate ten independent systems into one global and unified coherent planning process, encompassing the â€Å"downstream† portion of Castrol’s supply chain, from blended oils and packaging through to the end user customer. The system would insure high service levels to customers, reduce stock-outs and cut back on manual expediting. BP Castrol quickly came to the conclusion that to accomplish the above, they needed to include nventory in their SOP process. Improving the forecasting process was clearly required, but alone it would not achieve the high customer-service levels they wanted. A Castrol uses software that analyzes demand history across multiple dimensions so you can obtain the best possible forecasts and inventory targets for driving your supply chain. Innovative and advanced technologies enable Castrol to improve and automate planning processes. Solutions span key supply chain planning areas such as Demand Planning, Demand Sensing, Promotion forecasting and Inventory Optimization. BP Castrol’s resulting system delivered the target service levels, reduced out of stocks, and largely eliminated the expediting. Over a two year period, KPIs improved dramatically. Aggregate forecast accuracy improved by 15% on average and channel forecast accuracy* improved to 90% for retail. (* % of SKUs demand within 20% of a 2 months aged forecast) Total network inventories were reduced by 35%, 20% in the first year after implementation and then 20% again in the following year. Despite the lower inventories, service levels to customers, as defined by â€Å"line fill rates†, were up by 9% overall. The system has become a unique company standard for excellence in forecasting, customer service level planning and inventory optimization. The system now spans 29 installations, 25 countries and has been expanded to two continents. The Payoff: Reduced Inventory and Higher Service Levels The replenishment flows had to be synchronized with the demand signal through optimized inventories. They improved demand sensing by generating more robust and reliable forecasts. They implemented an improved and standardized monthly demand forecast process cycle. A single point of accountability was instituted. Promotion planning and monitoring was also improved. They improved demand response by improving safety stocks using a solution provided by Tools Group. Reliable statistical modeling accurately measured demand and supply chain volatility. Reliable inventory modeling and mix optimization techniques accommodated this volatility and accurately set the inventory targets required to achieve a responsive inventory mix. The Payoff: Reduced Inventory and Higher Service Levels BP Castrol’s resulting system delivered the target service levels, reduced ut of stocks, and largely eliminated the expediting. Over a two year period, KPIs improved dramatically. Aggregate forecast accuracy improved by 15% on average and channel forecast accuracy* improved to 90% for retail. (* % of SKUs demand within 20% of a 2 months aged forecast) Total network inventories were reduced by 35%, 20% in the first year after implementation and then 20% again in the following year. Despite the lower inventories, service levels to customers, as defined by â€Å"line fill rates†, were up by 9% overall. The system has become a unique company standard for excellence in forecasting, customer service level planning and inventory optimization. The system now spans 29 installations, 25 countries and has been expanded to two continents. Pricing: The rising crude prices caused severe Base-oil supply imbalances. The shortage of raw material also severely impacted many of the small-scale players in the Indian lubricant market. (Castrol) Further, the supply uncertainty triggered rapid Base oil price increases. This in turn caused most lubricant players, including Castrol, to take multiple price increases during the year. . Economic slowdown the global financial crisis in the second half of 2008 severely impacted the Indian stock market and caused the rupee to depreciate by about 20% with respect to the US Dollar. The rupee depreciation offset benefits of softening Base-oil prices during the latter half of the year. The lower overall economic activity level and restricted availability of finan ce also impacted automotive sales and trucking activity in the second half of 2008. a slow-down in the construction sector earlier in the year due to the high interest rate regime was further affected by lack of credit in the second half. This has caused an overall slackening of demand in the lubricant market, particularly in the industrial, mining, off-road and fleet-operators segment, in the last quarter of the year. The lubricant channel partners reacted to this period of uncertainty by tightening their inventory levels, causing a one-off impact on lubricant volume in the second half of 2008. 2. Crude oil Crude prices continued to remain an important cost input element to Base-oil in addition to supply demand economics. In 2008, crude prices rapidly increased and crossed US$145 a barrel in July. This triggered steep increases on various crude derivatives including Base-oils across the globe. In the second half of the year the crude prices collapsed but the depreciation of the rupee against the US Dollar offset some of the increases. Refiners also carried inventory of high priced crude procured earlier and as a result, the benefits of the falling crude prices were not passed on by refiners to industrial customers in tandem with the crude prices. The following graph indicates the trend of crude prices 3. Base-Oils and Additives The steep rise in crude prices severely impacted the Base-oil prices with multiple price increases charged by the Base-oil refiners. At its peak, the Base-oil price touched uS$1800 per ton in the second half of the year, almost doubling from 2007 exit levels. The increases were regular and quick until September 2008. Supply situation had further deteriorated due to refinery closures, production issues and turnaround at domestic and international sources. Due to limited availability, customers were put on allocation by major refineries. Post the crude prices falling from the high of over uS$145 a barrel and the economic slowdown, the availability of Base-oils witnessed strong improvement. However, there was very little reduction in prices till the last quarter due to the depreciation of the rupee against the US Dollar and the high inventory of Base oils held by refiners in anticipation of demand. Input costs of additive manufacturers witnessed a rapid increase and with the expectation of higher demand, the pricing balance tilted in favor of additive manufacturing companies. Additive prices witnessed an increase of circa 25% over the 2007 levels. However, Castrol has managed the volatile input prices by ensuring effective procurement and inventory management. Productivity of purchasing spends and working capital management has been an area of focus. Tight control of Base-oils and additives inventory has ensured higher inventory turnaround and release of cash in a timely manner for the business. EXCECUTION: Checking and Controlling of Inventory Plan: The management conducts physical verification of inventory at reasonable intervals during the year. b) The procedures of physical verification of inventory followed by the management are reasonable and adequate in relation to the size of the Company and the nature of its business. (c) The Company is maintaining proper records of inventory and no material discrepancies were Noticed on physical verification. Performance Evaluation Parameters: †¢ Facilitate planning, execution, and management †¢ Enhanc e visibility †¢ Reduced inventory and demurrage cost †¢ Improve productivity and operational efficiency †¢ Respond quickly and synchronize changes †¢ Reduced costs †¢ Improve decision making Increase customer satisfaction †¢ Build strategic relationships †¢ Improve agility, competitiveness, and business performance Information Technology : In the oil and gas industry, knowing where and what product is being produced or delivered is essential to an efficient and effective organization. The use of IT to offer possible remote control of equipment and facilities, transaction services monitoring, and even transportation management service is important. Firms like British Petroleum have developed new systems to aid in their business operations by using these technologies. Past and present methods of communication in the oil and gas industry have included satellite communications (on a limited basis), Cellular and Specialized Mobile Radio, fiber-optics, and general offshore telephone service using radio frequencies consisted of a radiotelephone based antenna/transmitter that would allow communications between any offshore oil platforms and land-based telephone networks. These systems required a team of employees to monitor and report to management on a continuing basis. Currently, cellular and specialized mobile radio services are in the process of providing better services to the offshore drilling platforms and are generally expected to replace the older offshore radiotelephone systems found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico region. Such systems make use of these technologies to reduce and/or eliminate on site monitoring by a team of employees. With respect to labor costs, the organization could save substantial amounts of money because there is no need to have personnel continuously on location to inspect, monitor, maintain, and/or report conditions. Wireless data provided by implemented wireless technology would automatically produce reports on processes. Adjustments could be made at appropriate times reducing any overtime payments. The benefits of IT integration to the Castrol as a whole could be substantial. Supply Chain Collaborations, Coordination, And Cooperation Supply-chain management requires an oil and gas company to integrate its decisions with those made within its chain of customers and suppliers. This process involves relationship management by the company. Both customer relations and supplier relations are key to effective coordination of supply-chains. Often, the interaction between suppliers and their customers are adversarial in nature, based on a negotiated contract that spells out all the terms and conditions by which all parties are required to comply. Instead, a firm can create long-term strategic relationships with their suppliers. In most cases, it is a collaboration process between the oil and gas operating company and its suppliers. One of the weaknesses of a supply-chain is that each company is likely to act in its best interests to optimize its profit. The goal of satisfying the ultimate customer is easily lost and opportunities that could arise from some coordination of decisions across stages of the supply-chain could also be lost. If suppliers could be made more reliable, there would be less need for inventories of raw materials, quality inspection systems, rework, and other non-value adding activities, resulting in lean production. Coordination from the perspective of British Petroleum Company involves the following issues: * ensuring supplier effectiveness n cost, timeliness and quality * setting appropriate targets for inventory, capacity, and lead time * monitoring demand and supply conditions * Communicating market and performance results to customers and suppliers. A typical challenge in the petroleum industry supply chain is the attitude and anxiety regarding collaboration and information sharing between supply chain partners. While collaboration and information sharing rep-resent a crucial factor for supply chain efficie ncy. Improved supply chain efficiency in the petroleum industry, therefore, needs a new philosophy in collaboration, even if this means working with competitors. How to cite Petroleum and Supply Chain, Papers

Thomas Jefferson and His Contradictions free essay sample

Thomas Jefferson was very aware of the contradiction between slavery and the ideas he, along with others, expressed in the Declaration. It was twice that he mentioned how the enslavement of African Americans goes against the most sacred rights of life and liberty. As well as, enslavement amounts to crimes committed against the Liberties of one people. Thomas Jefferson as well was born to a slave owning family and he himself owned slaves. Many people found it mysterious that Jefferson owned so many slaves but yet was o open in saying that slavery was immoral and it should be abolished.Even after admitting he was wrong; Jefferson still blamed the king for slavery and the slave trade. In the first paragraph of the draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson condemned the king for supporting the importation of slavery to the colonies, stating that the crown has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating and carrying hem into slavery in another hemisphere. We will write a custom essay sample on Thomas Jefferson and His Contradictions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Still, this small section was asked to be dropped from the Declaration of Independence by the delegates from South Carolina and Georgia. Jefferson also based his charge due to the fact that several times during the 1 8th century, Virginians legislature passed a tariff made to put a stop on the importation of slaves. The lawmakers did otherwise, because the colony slave population was expanding rapidly and importing too many Africans would lower the price of domestic slaves whom Virginia planters wanted to sell.

The International Rescue Committee, Inc.

The international Rescue Committee, Inc. (IRC) is an organization based in the US and is normally obligated with the duty of helping refugees in ensuring their welfare is as stated in the policies. IRC acts in response to the humanitarian crises and helps people stay alive, recuperate, and restructure their lives.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The International Rescue Committee, Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The United States thinks about the problem of refugees as an exceptional humanitarian concern that can be subjected to discrimination because of race, belief, ethnic group, membership in a particular social group, and biased opinion. The IRC provides refugee resettlement services to all people and before a displaced person receives refugee status and becomes eligible for resettlement in the US, one has to pass through pre-arrival procedures for verification. There are three categories of re ception and placement of refugees that enter the US. These categories include Geographic (Geo) case, which involves refugees that have a friend or a relative in the US, but who do not have a prior agency relationship or a family or friend who has sponsorship links (Prebish, 2003). The second category is the free case. These are the individuals without family links in the US, but placed by a resettlement agency. The final category are the pre-marked or interest-based refugees. This category involves refugees who are joining family members already living in the US, the people who have formally applied for reunification on behalf of their overseas family members. The US government has developed procedures for applying for refugee status globally or seeking asylum in the country. Until 1982, there was a numerical limitation on the admission of refugees in the financial year, but thereafter, the law provided that the president, after consultation with the Congress, set refugee admission levels and allocated regional resources for the upcoming fiscal year based on the humanitarian concerns and the national interests of the nation (Chan, 2006). ICR guides the refugee or the asylum seekers in filling the processing forms, which include the Affidavit of Relationship (AOR). The AOR offers a means for people with permission admitted as immigrants or asylum to ask for refugee processing. ICR is knowledgeable about who may file an AOR under current circumstances, which vary year to year according to the US government policies. ICR guides the refugees through the whole process ensuring that it is in line with the set laws of the state. The Verification of Placement forms allocates the overseas family members to the IRC by the Refugee Processing Center upon approval of the AOR. The organization supervises and guides the anchor relative who filed the AOR to complete the Verification of Placement (VOP) and an individual assures the IRC that he or she is still living in the are a and is suitable to act as a sponsor.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition to the VOP, the anchor completes and signs a Statement of Responsibility (SOR) and the Anchor Relative Assessment. An SOR is an agreement between the IRC and the anchor relative, it explains the different responsibilities of the IRC and gives information on the IRC’s partnership with the anchor relatives (Khamis, 2005). The primary role of ICR is to provide the core resettlement services. These services are outlined in the IRC’s Cooperative Agreement with the Department of State and the operational guidelines are clearly stated. Once the refugee or the asylum arrives in the US, IRC is charged with the obligation of picking up the visitor and arranging for the meeting with the anchor relatives. Housing and safety orientation policy ensures that ICR provides additional informa tion about housing and renting in the United States, including information on the client/tenant relationship and the responsibilities of renters. Safety orientations depend on family size or the living situation of the family, but it is important for all refugees to receive information about safety procedures during these orientation sessions. Within five working days, ICR arranges for refugees and asylums to get cash assistance. Several programs provide the service namely Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), which is a federal assistance program designed to provide cash assistance to working and low-income families. Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), which is accessible to all migrants and asylums within eight months of arrival, is an extra program. Another program is the Supplementary Security Income (SSI). This helps refugees and asylums who are elderly or disabled. The regulations of giving funds are similar in all states since the Social Security Administration administer s this program. Among the scope of work of the ICR is to provide job training and employment services to at least 60 adults receiving TANF benefits. This helps the refugees settle down until they become independent financially. ICR also assists medically needy clients such as children, pregnant women, disabled and physically impaired clients in obtaining medical care within the seven days of arrival. Employment is usually the most common source of health care in the US, but since most of the refugees and asylums are not employed by then, ICR arranges medical assistance from organizations such as Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA), which is the only program open to clients within 8 months of arrival. The Federal Government funds the benefits (Weissbrodt, Danielson, 2005). Medicaid program also offers support to the aged, disabled, families with children, and low-income citizens. These programs are aimed at improving the health situations of the refugees and asylums by ensuring that th e medically needed are attended to. According to the US government, Social Security cards are required for work authorization in the US. Therefore, ICR helps their clients to obtain this important document. Social Security Administration must verify the refugee’s status before approving a social security card. State Department and the SSA have agreed that verification can take place at the Refugee Processing Center.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The International Rescue Committee, Inc. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More ICR has many responsibilities among the social ones, ICR ensures that school-age children are enrolled or are in the process of enrolling in the education system within 30 days of arrival. Enrollment in the US can be very complex at times and hence ICR helps ensure the requirements and regulations for joining school are met. ICR also makes sure that all its clients receive health screening within 30 days of arrival. Each state develops its own protocols of screening and ICR has to guarantee regulations of screening according to every state regulation. The social responsibility of ICR is to establish the issues affecting single parents and work with them and their families to come up with solutions and alternatives that permit single parents to achieve economic and cultural sufficiency. The elderly also require additional care. ICR makes sure that elderly refugees have adequate access to health care services. It mobilizes family and friends to provide support to these people. This will help them overcome challenges, such as isolation and loneliness. Providing employment opportunities for the elderly refugees reinforces a sense of self-esteem and well-being. ICR assesses the overall emotional health of a child and makes appropriate referrals to services and activities. Youths are normally faced with numerous challenges as refugees and hence ICR help them overc ome them. Language barriers and cultural differences are some of the challenges affecting the refugee youths. ICR uses cultural practices and leaders to assist the children. ICR is an open resource to the refugee children. This ascertains and upholds a good association with them. The organization provides the family unit with care for its children through resuming educational, recreational, and cultural activities in their daily lives through referrals to MAAs, community groups, and religious organizations. It takes into consideration people living with disabilities. When it comes to housing, ICR finds a home that accommodates the physically and psychologically challenged. Appropriate accommodations may include accessible building entrances (common and public), wide doorways (routes into the home), accommodations for the blind and hearing-impaired. When it comes to transportation, ICR makes referrals to accessible transportation. ICR helps clients with mental health disfunctions ove rcome these traumas. Refugees may suffer mental health problems resulting from rape and sexual assault, loss of property, death, and separation from loved ones, displacement, and resettlement (Sundquist, Johansson, DeMarinis, Sundquist, 2007).Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The organization plays a critical role in counseling its clients, advising them, and encouraging them to ensure that their refugee status does not affect them. In severe cases, the clients are referred to medical experts, such as psychiatrists. This helps them recover from the damages hence improving their living conditions. References Chan, S. (2006). The Vietnamese American 1.5 Generation: Stories of War, Revolution, Flight, and New Beginnings. New York: Penguin. Khamis, V. (2005). Post-traumatic stress disorder among school age Palestinian children. Child Abuse Neglect, 29(1), 81–95. Prebish, C. S. (2003). Buddhism—the American Experience. London: JBE Online Books. Sundquist, K., Johansson, L.M., DeMarinis, V., Sundquist, J. (2007). Posttraumatic stress disorder and psychiatric co-morbidity: symptoms in a random sample of female Bosnian refugees. European Journal of Psychiatry, 20(2), 158–64. Weissbrodt, D. Danielson, L. (2005). Immigration Law and Procedur e. New York: West Group Publishing. This research paper on The International Rescue Committee, Inc. was written and submitted by user Shania Kerr to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Learn How to Properly Apply Gel Coat

Learn How to Properly Apply Gel Coat Applying gel coat correctly is of utmost importance to making aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting end products. If gel coat is not applied properly it ultimately can increase the cost of the product made, as often is the case, cutting corners in this process will not prove to be worth it. How Do Improperly Applied Gel Coats Increase Cost? It depends on a number of parts that get rejected and the work required to fix them. The amount of work and material saved by investing in a proper gel coat application process will pay off in the end. Proper gel coat application includes: Material preparationEquipment calibrationUse of trained spray operatorsAppropriate spray methods Gel coats should be sprayed and not brushed. The equipment used for spraying must be selected carefully and maintained well. Catalyst levels are important to the curing of the gel coat and dependent upon shop conditions. Most gel coats’ ideal catalyst level is 1.8 percent at 77Â °F (25Â °C), however, specific shop conditions may require this number to vary between 1.2 and 3 percent. Environmental factors that may require an adjustment in catalyst levels are: TemperatureHumidityMaterial ageCatalyst brand or type A catalyst level below 1.2 percent or above 3 percent should not be used because the cure of the gel coated can be affected permanently. Product data sheets can give specific catalyst recommendations. There are many catalysts for use in resins and gel coats. Proper catalyst selection is vital. In gel coats, only MEKP-based catalysts should be used. The three active ingredients in a MEKP-based catalyst are: Hydrogen peroxideMEKP monomerMEKP dimmer Each component helps the curing of unsaturated polyesters. The following is each chemical’s specific role: Hydrogen peroxide: starts gelation phase, though does little for a cureMEKP monomer: plays roles in initial cure and overall cureMEKP dimer: active during file cure stage of polymerization, high MEKP dimer typically causes porosity (air entrapping) in gel coats Achieving the correct thickness of a gel coat is imperative as well. A gel coat should be sprayed in three passes for a total wet film thickness of 18 /- 2 mils thickness. Too thin a coating can result in undercure of the gel coat. Too thick a coat can crack when flexed. Spraying gel coat onto vertical surfaces will not cause sag because of its’ thixotropic characteristics. Gel coats will also not entrap air when applied according to instructions. Lamination With all other factors normal, gel coats are ready for laminating within 45 to 60 minutes after catalyzation. The time is dependent upon: TemperatureHumidityCatalyst typeCatalyst concentrationAir movement A slowing of gel and cure occurs with low temperatures, low catalyst concentrations, and high humidity. To test whether a gel coat is ready for lamination touch the film at the lowest part of the mold. It is ready if no material transfers. Always monitor equipment and application procedures to ensure proper application and cure of the gel coat. Material Preparation Gel coat materials come as complete products and not other materials other than catalysts should be added. For product consistency, gel coats should be mixed for 10 minutes before use. Agitation should be enough to allow the product to move all the way to the container walls while preventing as much turbulence as possible. It is imperative not to over-mix. This can decrease thixotropy, which increases sag. Overmixing may also result in styrene loss that can add to porosity. Air bubbling for mixing is not advised. It is ineffective and adds for potential water or oil contamination.

Most Valuable Provisions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Most Valuable Provisions - Research Paper Example This is only possible if the nurses are aware of the specific health needs of the patients, as well as other concerns that affect health such as environmental pollution, violation of the human rights, inaccess to healthcare amongst others (Lachman, 2009). The provision also involves the public in ensuring that the health needs of a people are met (Lachman, 2009). The public is expected to work closely with the nurses in making the community responsive to the circumstances that contribute to illness, and how they can modify their lifestyle to promote fit lifestyles. The nurse must also incorporate all the cultures in an attempt to proffer health services to the public. In the thought of Sasso, et. al. (2008), provision 9 is accountable for expressing nursing values that uphold integrity for the nursing profession, and its involvement to shaping the nursing policy. According to the provision, the profession organization is expected to be in touch with and avow the values to its members; hence, encourage self assessment and reflection within the profession. This leads to the public holding the opinion that nursing plays a crucial role to social change that improves health. It is in this argument that the profession ensures that they ensure collective liability through the concerned professional associations. This provision also checks for principles of practice. Additionally, Lachman (2009) indicates that the provision scrutinizes the mechanisms of assessing the efficacy of professional nursing. The provision also makes sure that inter-professional uprightness is attained through the proviso. Educational requirements for official recognition and practice of nursing are well scrutinized by the provision (Lachman, 2009).The nursing profession and practice, in this case, is evaluated for effectiveness, all for the benefit of the public. In the course of my nursing profession, these provisions have been of fundamental nature as

Encouraging the Growth of a Young Artist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Encouraging the Growth of a Young Artist - Essay Example Pente (in Grauer,Irwin & Emme, 2011) contends that developmental models can guide teachers in understanding ways children make art and to understand the broad differences among the various ages, however, many other factors can influence a child’s art development such as the materials to be used, socio-cultural considerations, and contemporary contexts in the child’s life. These can either advance or hinder a child’s art development, no matter what developmental stage he belongs to. Although it is important for teachers to know the developmental level of the children they teach so they are aware of the skills they can already learn and do, it is still essential for a teacher to be a keen observer of children’s interests and learning styles. Marne-Thompson (2009) argues that this is the best way for teachers to learn how children use art to learn and express meaning into it. Eisner (2002) offers five principles that guide teachers in art education. He enumer ates: Art education should give pride of place to what is distinctive about the arts†¦ foster the growth of artistic intelligence, help students how to create satisfying visual images, help students recognize what is personal, distinctive and even unique about themselves and their work.. and make special efforts to enable students to secure aesthetic forms of experience in everyday life (Grauer,Irwin & Emme, 2011, p. 13). In following these guidelines, teachers of young children will gain enough confidence to teach Art. Teaching Art to a Six-year old Boy I had the pleasure of working one-on-one with a creative little boy of six. In observing him, I learned that he was quite adept in using some art materials, as he exhibited good fine motor skills in drawing, cutting, pasting, molding and pasting. My objectives for our art sessions were: To inspire him to express his creativity through art To engage him in the process of collage-making, clay-molding and painting as art forms To motivate him to use art as a creative expression of himself And to simply enjoy the art activities. The first activity was creating a a big black spider with different coloured thick cardboard paper. We first discussed how spiders looked and he described that it looks like a bug but with eight legs. Then, to encourage his imaginative thinking, I asked him how he would want his own spider to look if he was to design it. He said he wanted it big and scary, but happy with a lot of colors in order to â€Å"attract friends who’d think he’s scary, but when they get to know him, is actually a friendly guy†. This verbalization about his planned art work corresponds to the talk as art criticism as referred to by Feldman (1994) when he says â€Å"Art criticism has become the storytelling aspect of art and aesthetics and transforms visual experiences into verbal expressions that can be shared with others (Cromer, 1990, p. 9 as mentioned in Grauer, Irwin & Emme, 2011, p.10 9). He started to cut an oval out of thick black cardboard and eight long rectangular â€Å"legs† and attached these around the oval. He also cut a smaller oval to attach as the head. Next, he chose different colors of construction paper and began cutting them in different shapes. For some, he tore, leaving some fibers of the paper exposed at the edges. Then, he carefully pasted the different colors randomly on the big oval, covering all the

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

Arab Culture - Essay Example Arabic culture traces its roots from the Arabian Peninsula next to the Sabaens where they ended up migrating the near east that consists of the ancient cities of Mesopotamia and Lavant. In order to understand better the Arabic culture, it is important to look at several key factors that define the great culture. Language factors, religious viewpoint and practices, fashion and architecture are some vital areas that shape the great Arabic culture. My essay analyses the Arab culture in depth looking at the very important factors that drives its existence. Arabic language having a close relation to Aramaic and Hebrew is evidently the chief language in the Semitic category of Afro-Asiatic language (Young). All the Arabian nations including some Islamic communities have adopted the Arabic language as their own making it the vernacular language and the most holy in their life. Qur’an, the Islamic holy book, written in Arabic shows this great culture’s contribution to the Islamic religion where they find it difficult to translate it into any other language and fail to lose the teachings of the Holy book. Classical Arabic is the name given to the language that is used in The Holy Qur’an, having some distinction from the modern day Arabic language. The book contains chapters and verses written in various parables, verses and narratives that are an inspiration by Allah. This holy book is the major source of inspiration and teachings among the Islam religion, guiding their morals and behavior in the larger society. Most Arabs are Muslims embracing the Islamic religion. Islam being the second most popular world religion Christianity coming first is a monotheist type of religion believing in the existence of one God whom they refer to as Allah (Mikenola). The scriptures that govern the Islamic religion are all included in the holy Qur’an that was revealed to the Muslim faith through their prophet Muhammad.

Ford Motor Company SWOT Analysis

Ford Motor Company SWOT Analysis (S)trengths Ford is a well-known brand in the automobile industry and global markets, due to huge amounts of marketing and advertising. Ford is the one of the best known brands in the world. Ford has a greater amount of customer loyalty, and its individual brands have been enjoying the benefits of the good reputation. Ford has brands and models of cars that appeal to every kind of demographic group and cater for the needs and wants of consumers. Ford uses a unique concept of virtual assembly lines in their models through which they are able to reuse the same spare in their diversified model of cars. This enables Ford to lessen cost on production of new spares and competition market price. Ford provides the consumer more variety of cars and commercial vehicles, so consumer has more choices. Ford also supports racing teams which include NASCAR, Formula One and others. Through online marketing, Ford has the capability to provide the online consumer a selection of cars. Online, the consumer can customize the engine, colour, interiors and exteriors. Furthermore, Ford is maintaining the relations with high profiled companies like Suzuki and Isuzu to develop quality vehicles, in the part due to technological alliances between the companies. Ford is rich in operations and distribution efficiency. This is because manufacturing facilities operate its business in more than thirty countries and it enhances its manufacturing process in around 90 plants and facilities worldwide. The company always develops cars on standardized procedures and invest heavily in alternate fuel sources. Ford recruits qualified and skilled employees, maintaining a good relationship with them, by offering better work environments and competitive wages. Ford is more concerned about the working environment and safety aspects of the employees. (W)eaknesses The company has a lot of suffered due to product recalls, harming Fords brand image. This has  been a huge cost to the company, tarnishing the brand image and damaging Fords sales. Large unfunded pensions and various obligations are termed as the weakness of Ford automobile company. Ford takes more responsibilities in unfunded pensions, health care and life insurance obligations of the employee. Ford invests more money on maintaining a good working environment. Ford expanded its business operations in diversified geographical areas, so management is missing focus on performance and struggles with low productivity. Ford has kept increasing the productivity, while decreasing the cost and simultaneously counting the number of employees exit, decreasing employee loyalty towards the company. Ford does not have an effective cost management system and have not taken considerable efforts to overcome this, since they believed paying premiums in single supplier model. Ford does not concentrate and invest much for design phase and lack innovative design structures on their new paddle of cars. (O)pportunities The current Ford automobile company is producing the cars with low mileage and pick up. Ford has a great opportunity to produce fuel efficient cars and commercial vehicles. For example, the company produced vehicles that run on different forms of energy outside the petrol and diesel whereas cars can run on renewable energies like solar power and bio fuels. This can help the company to become pioneers in the industry. Ford has to expand more options in designing the cars and commercial vehicles are expected to switch toward the hybrid electric engines due to the limited petroleum. If the cars are designed based on electricity engines the consumers will show more interest to buy the cars, this is because when the car is run on electricity, the car repair charge will cheaper. Besides this, Ford has a chance to become more environment friendly company with cleaner engine emissions because hybrid engines are more fuel efficient and less polluting than conventional gasoline and diesel engines. Ford tried to diversify their market towards India and China in order to diversify their revenues because the two countries are well-known countries with large geographical markets and high populations. Most people in these two countries are interested in owning a four wheeler for their family. Ford launched a restructuring plan to improve the performance of its automotive business in North America. This plan aims to make the North American business more customer-focused, product-driven and efficient. The North American capacity is likely to be realigned to match demand, with 14 manufacturing facilities to be idled, resulting in significant cost savings and reduced employment. The way forward plan focuses on restoring Fords North American automotive operations to profitability. (T)hreats Increase the raw material like hard steel price and roll steel coil price will affect the margin price of the car. As a whole it will obviously affect the companys profit margin of the ford because of low margin price. Ford growth and development may effected by rapid growth in number of competitors in the automobile company. From the beginning America demanded automobile industry. Fords main competitors are General motors, Toyota, Honda, BMW, etc. Ford capital spending low on its operations and research development expenditure which could influence the company from going forward when compared to its competitors. The competitors are spending big amount on RD programmes. Although global warning turning out to be greatest threat and individual use of automobile vehicle increase the risk of further, the cars and other private vehicle are the part of basic necessity on a common mans view. Therefore this is believed that no real threat of substitutes exits today, but it is believed that choosing other forms of transport such as bicycles, public transports and sharing mobility would soon be imported in to the mind of people.

Social Justice - Measure For Measure, Animal Farm, American History X :: essays research papers

Social justice is a topic known all to well in today's society. Such issues as social heirarchial structure and unjust representatives of citizens of nations are issues in need of attention by those in power. Corruption, lies and greed by those in power however stand in the way of this form of justice from occurring, leaving many with little or no social status open to prejudice on race, religious and sexual grounds. Outlined by William Shakespeare in Measure for Measure and George Orwell in Animal Farm is the ease in which power can corrupt. A utopian society is created once a farmer is overthrown from his position in charge of all the animals on "Manor Farm". A set of rules to govern the citizens of the revolutionary society was decided upon and these were to be the fairest and least controversial rules for the citizens of "Animal Farm" to abide by: "The Commandments were written on the tarred wall in great white letters that could be read thirty yards away. They ran thus: THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a freind 3. No animal shall wear clothes 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed 5. No animal shall drink alcohol 6. No animal shall kill any other animal 7. All animals are equal. It was very neatly written, and except that "friend" was written "freind" and one of the "S's" was the wrong way round, the spelling was correct all the way through. Snowball read it aloud for the benefit of the others. All the animals nodded in complete agreement, and the cleverer ones at once began to learn the Commandments by heart." As months passed on Animal Farm, the pigs, who thought they were the dominant force in the running of the animal farm, became more and more in control. Animal Farm, had now become the fairest it would ever be. Word of what had happened to Manor Farm had spread across all of Ireland and England. Animals all over the country were following in their paths led by pigs Napoleon and Snowball. However, as this was happening, Animal Farm was heading to ruin as the pigs became selfish and ignorant. They would now consider themselves above the laws and commandments they had set, as they believed they had set the way for the new society. To a greater extent, leaders Snowball and Napoleon would control and decide the fate of the farm, setting rations, "In January food fell short.

Part Four Chapter IX

IX The Yarvil and District Gazette erred on the side of caution in reporting what had been said during the most acrimonious Pagford Parish Council meeting in living memory. It made little difference; the bowdlerized report, augmented by the vivid eye-witness descriptions offered by all who had attended, still created widespread gossip. To make matters worse, a front-page story detailed the anonymous internet attacks in the dead man's name that had, to quote Alison Jenkins, 'caused considerable speculation and anger. See page four for full report.' While the names of the accused and the details of their supposed misdemeanours were not given, the sight of ‘serious allegations' and ‘criminal activity' in newsprint disturbed Howard even more than the original posts. ‘We should have beefed up security on the site as soon as that first post appeared,' he said, addressing his wife and business partner from in front of his gas fire. Silent spring rain sprinkled the window, and the back lawn glistened with tiny red pinpricks of light. Howard was feeling shivery, and was hogging all the heat emanating from the fake coal. For several days, nearly every visitor to the delicatessen and the cafe had been gossiping about the anonymous posts, about the Ghost of Barry Fairbrother and about Parminder Jawanda's outburst at the council meeting. Howard hated the things that she had shouted being bandied about in public. For the first time in his life, he felt uncomfortable in his own shop, and concerned about his previously unassailable position in Pagford. The election for the replacement of Barry Fairbrother would take place the following day, and where Howard had felt sanguine and excited, he was worried and twitchy. ‘This has done a lot of damage. A lot of damage,' he repeated. His hand strayed to his belly to scratch, but he pulled it away, enduring the itch with a martyr's expression. He would not soon forget what Dr Jawanda had screamed to the council and the press. He and Shirley had already checked the details of the General Medical Council, gone to see Dr Crawford, and made a formal complaint. Parminder had not been seen at work since, so no doubt she was already regretting her outburst. Nevertheless, Howard could not rid himself of the sight of her expression as she screamed at him. It had shaken him to see such hatred on another human's face. ‘It'll all blow over,' said Shirley reassuringly. ‘I'm not so sure,' said Howard. ‘I'm not so sure. It doesn't make us look good. The council. Rows in front of the press. We look divided. Aubrey says they're not happy, at District level. This whole thing's undermined our statement about the Fields. Squabbling in public, everything getting dirty †¦ it doesn't look like the council's speaking for the town.' ‘But we are,' said Shirley, with a little laugh. ‘Nobody in Pagford wants the Fields – hardly anyone.' ‘The article makes it look like our side went after pro-Fielders. Tried to intimidate them,' said Howard, succumbing to the temptation to scratch, and doing it fiercely. ‘All right, Aubrey knows it wasn't any of our side, but that's not how that journalist made it look. And I'll tell you this: if Yarvil makes us look inept or dirty †¦ they've been looking for a chance to take us over for years.' ‘That won't happen,' said Shirley at once. ‘That couldn't happen.' ‘I thought it was over,' said Howard, ignoring his wife, and thinking of the Fields. ‘I thought we'd done it. I thought we'd got rid of them.' The article over which he had spent so much time, explaining why the estate and the Bellchapel Addiction Clinic were drains and blots on Pagford, had been completely overshadowed by the scandals of Parminder's outburst, and the Ghost of Barry Fairbrother. Howard had completely forgotten now how much pleasure the accusations against Simon Price had given him, and that it had not occurred to him to remove them until Price's wife had asked. ‘District Council's emailed me,' he told Maureen, ‘with a bunch of questions about the website. They want to hear what steps we've taken against defamation. They think the security's lax.' Shirley, who detected a personal reproof in all of this, said coldly, ‘I've told you, I've taken care of it, Howard.' The nephew of friends of Howard and Shirley's had come round the previous day, while Howard was at work. The boy was halfway through a degree in computing. His recommendation to Shirley had been that they take down the immensely hackable website, bring in ‘someone who knows what they're doing' and set up a new one. Shirley had understood barely one word in ten of the technical jargon that the young man had spewed at her. She knew that ‘hack' meant to breach illegally, and when the student stopped talking his gibberish, she was left with the confused impression that the Ghost had somehow managed to find out people's passwords, maybe by questioning them cunningly in casual conversation. She had therefore emailed everybody to request that they change their password and make sure not to share the new one with anybody. This was what she meant by ‘I've taken care of it'. As to the suggestion of closing down the site, of which she was guardian and curator, she had taken no steps, nor had she mentioned the idea to Howard. Shirley was afraid that a site containing all the security measures that the superior young man had suggested would be way beyond the scope of her managerial and technical skills. She was already stretched to the limits of her abilities, and she was determined to cling to the post of administrator. ‘If Miles is elected – ‘ Shirley began, but Maureen interrupted, in her deep voice. ‘Let's hope it hasn't hurt him, this nasty stuff. Let's hope there isn't a backlash against him.' ‘People will know Miles had nothing to do with it,' said Shirley coolly. ‘Will they, though?' said Maureen, and Shirley simply hated her. How dare she sit in Shirley's lounge and contradict her? And what was worse, Howard was nodding his agreement with Maureen. ‘That's my worry,' he said, ‘and we need Miles more than ever now. Get some cohesion back on the council. After Bends-Your-Ear said what she said – after all the uproar – we didn't even take the vote on Bellchapel. We need Miles.' Shirley had already walked out of the room in silent protest at Howard's siding with Maureen. She busied herself with the teacups in the kitchen, silently fuming, wondering why she did not set out only two cups to give Maureen the hint that she so richly deserved. Shirley continued to feel nothing but defiant admiration for the Ghost. His accusations had exposed the truth about people whom she disliked and despised, people who were destructive and wrong-headed. She was sure that the electorate of Pagford would see things her way and vote for Miles, rather than that disgusting man, Colin Wall. ‘When shall we go and vote?' Shirley asked Howard, re-entering the room with the tinkling tea tray, and pointedly ignoring Maureen (for it was their son whose name they would tick on the ballot). But to her intense irritation, Howard suggested that all three of them go after closing time. Miles Mollison was quite as concerned as his father that the unprecedented ill-humour surrounding next day's vote would affect his electoral chances. That very morning he had entered the newsagent's behind the Square and caught a snatch of conversation between the woman behind the till and her elderly customer. ‘†¦ Mollison's always thought he was king of Pagford,' the old man was saying, oblivious to the wooden expression on the shopkeeper's face. ‘I liked Barry Fairbrother. Tragedy, that was. Tragedy. The Mollison boy did our wills and I thought he was very pleased with himself.' Miles had lost his nerve at that and slipped back out of the shop, his face glowing like a schoolboy's. He wondered whether the well-spoken old man was the originator of that anonymous letter. Miles' comfortable belief in his own likeability was shaken, and he kept trying to imagine how it would feel if nobody voted for him the following day. As he undressed for bed that night, he watched his silent wife's reflection in the dressing-table mirror. For days, Samantha had been nothing but sarcastic if he mentioned the election. He could have done with some support, some comfort, this evening. He also felt randy. It had been a long time. Thinking back, he supposed that it had been the night before Barry Fairbrother dropped dead. She had been a little bit drunk. It often took a little bit of drink, these days. ‘How was work?' he asked, watching her undo her bra in the mirror. Samantha did not answer immediately. She rubbed the deep red grooves in the flesh beneath her arms left by the tight bra, then said, without looking at Miles, ‘I've been meaning to talk to you about that, actually.' She hated having to say it. She had been trying to avoid doing so for several weeks. ‘Roy thinks I ought to close the shop. It's not doing well.' Exactly how badly the shop was doing would be a shock to Miles. It had been a shock to her, when her accountant had laid out the position in the baldest terms. She had both known and not known. It was strange how your brain could know what your heart refused to accept. ‘Oh,' said Miles. ‘But you'd keep the website?' ‘Yeah,' she said. ‘We'd keep the website.' ‘Well, that's good,' said Miles encouragingly. He waited for almost a minute, out of respect for the death of her shop. Then he said, ‘I don't suppose you saw the Gazette today?' She reached over for the nightdress on her pillow and he had a satisfying glimpse of her breasts. Sex would definitely help relax him. ‘It's a real shame, Sam,' he said, crawling across the bed behind her, and waiting to put his arms around her as she wriggled into the nightdress. ‘About the shop. It was a great little place. And you've had it, what – ten years?' ‘Fourteen,' said Samantha. She knew what he wanted. She considered telling him to go and screw himself, and decamping to the spare room, but the trouble was that there would then be a row and an atmosphere, and what she wanted more than anything in the world was to be able to head off to London with Libby in two days' time, wearing the T-shirts that she had bought them both, and to be within close proximity of Jake and his band mates for a whole evening. This excursion constituted the entire sum of Samantha's current happiness. What was more, sex might assuage Miles' continuing annoyance that she was missing Howard's birthday party. So she let him embrace and then kiss her. She closed her eyes, climbed on top of him, and imagined herself riding Jake on a deserted white beach, nineteen years old to his twenty-one. She came while imagining Miles watching them, furiously, through binoculars, from a distant pedalo.

How the President Is Elected - The Electoral Process

How the President Is Elected - The Electoral Process So you want to be president of the United States. You should know: Making it to the White House is a daunting task, logistically speaking. Understanding how the president is elected should be your first priority. There are volumes of campaign finance rules to navigate, thousands of signatures to gather across all 50 states, delegates of the pledged and unpledged varieties to glad-hand, and the dreaded Electoral College to deal with. If you’re ready to jump into the fray, let’s walk through the 11  key milestones  of how the president is elected in the United States. Step 1: Meeting the Eligibility Requirements Presidential candidates must be able to prove they are a â€Å"natural born citizen† of the U.S., have lived in the country for at least 14 years and are at least 35 years old. Being â€Å"natural born† doesn’t mean you have to have been born on American soil, either. If one of your parents is an American citizen, that’s good enough. Children whose parents are American citizens are considered â€Å"are natural born citizens,† regardless of whether they’re born in Canada, Mexico or Russia. If you meet those three basic requirements for being president, you can move on to the next step. Step. 2: Declaring Your Candidacy and Forming a Political Action Committee It’s time to get with the Federal Election Commission, which regulates elections in the United States. Presidential candidates must complete a â€Å"statement of candidacy† by stating their party affiliation, the office they’re seeking and some personal information such as where they live. Dozens of candidates complete these forms in every presidential election - candidates most Americans never hear and who are from obscure, lesser-known and unorganized political parties. That statement of candidacy also requires presidential hopefuls to designate a political action committee, an entity that solicits money from supporters to spend on television ads and other methods of electioneering, as their â€Å"principal campaign committee.† All that means is the candidate is authorizing one or more PACs to receive contributions and make expenditures on their behalf. Presidential candidates spend much of their time trying to raise money. In the 2016 presidential election, for example, Republican Donald Trump’s principal campaign committee - Donald J. Trump for President Inc. - raised about $351 million, according to Federal Election Commission records. Democrat Hillary Clinton’s principal campaign committee - Hillary for America - raised $586 million.    Step 3:  Getting on the Primary Ballot  In As Many States As Possible This is one of the most little-known details of of how the president is elected: To become a major party’s presidential nominee, candidates must go through the primary process in every state. Primaries are elections held by political parties in most states to narrow the field of candidates seeking the nomination to one. A few states hold more informal elections called caucuses. Taking part in primaries is essential to winning delegates, which is necessary to winning the presidential nomination. And to take part in the primaries, you’ve got to get on the ballots in each state. The entails presidential candidates collecting a specific number of signatures in each state - in bigger states they need hundreds of thousands of signatures - if they want their names to appear on the ballot. So the point is: every legitimate presidential campaign must have a solid organization of supporters in each that will work to meet these ballot-access requirements.  If they come up short in even one state, theyre leaving potential delegates on the table. Step 4:  Winning Delegates to the Convention Delegates are the people who attend their parties’ presidential nomination conventions to cast votes on behalf of the candidates who won the primaries in their states. Thousands of delegates attend both the Republican and Democratic national conventions to perform this arcane task. Delegates are often political insiders, elected officials or grassroots activists. Some delegates are â€Å"committed† or â€Å"pledged† to a particular candidate, meaning they must vote for the winner of the state primaries; others are uncommitted and can cast their ballots however they choose. There are also â€Å"superdelegates,† high-ranking elected officials, who get to support the candidates of their choice. Republicans seeking the presidential nomination in the 2016 primaries, for example, needed to secure 1,144 delegates. Trump crossed the threshold when he won the North Dakota primary in May 2016. Democrats seeking the presidential nomination that year needed 2,383. Hillary Clinton reached the goal in June 2016 following the Puerto Rico primary. Step 5:  Picking a Running-Mate    Before the nominating convention takes place, most presidential candidates have chosen a vice presidential candidate, the person who will appear on the November ballot with them. Only twice in modern history have the presidential nominees waited until the conventions to break the news to the public and their parties. The party’s presidential nominee has typically chosen his running mate in July or August of a presidential election years. Step 6:  Doing the Debates The Commission on Presidential Debates holds three presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate after the primaries and before the November election. While the debates typically don’t influence the outcome of elections or cause major shifts in voter preferences, they are critical to understanding where candidates stand on important issues and evaluating their ability to perform under pressure. A bad performance can sink a candidacy, though it rarely happens anymore because politicians are coached on their answers and have become skilled at skirting controversy. The exception was the first-ever televised presidential debate, between  Vice President  Richard M. Nixon,  a Republican,  and U.S. Sen.  John F. Kennedy, a Democrat, during the 1960 campaign. Nixons appearance was described as being green, sallow and he appeared to be  need of a clean shave. Nixon believed the first televised presidential debate to be just another campaign appearance and did not take it seriously; he was   Ã¢â‚¬â€¹pale, sickly looking and sweaty, an appearance the helped to seal his demise.  Kennedy knew the event was momentous and rested beforehand. He won the election. Step 7:  Understanding  Election Day What happens on that  Tuesday after the first Monday of November in a presidential election year is one of the most misunderstood facets of how the president is elected. The bottom line is this: voters do not directly elect the president of the United States. They instead choose electors who meet later to vote for a president. Electors are people chosen by the political parties in each state. There are 538 of them. A candidate needs a simple majority - votes from 270 of those electors - to win. States are allotted electors based on their population. The larger a states population is, the more electors is is allocated. For example, California is the most populous state with about 38 million residents. It also holds the most electors at 55. Wyoming, on the other hand, is the least populous state with fewer than 600,000 residents; it gets only three electors. According to the National Archives and Records Administration: â€Å"Political parties often choose electors for the slate to recognize their service and dedication to that political party. They may be state elected officials, state party leaders, or people in the state who have a personal or political affiliation with their partys presidential candidate.† Step 8: Picking Up Electors and Electoral Votes When a presidential candidate wins the popular vote in a state, he wins electoral votes from that state. In 48 out of 50 states, the successful candidates collects all electoral votes from that state. This method of awarding electoral votes is commonly known as winner-take-all. In two states, Nebraska and Maine, the electoral votes are distributed proportionally; they allocate their electoral votes to the presidential candidates based on which did better in each congressional district. While those electors are not legally bound to vote for the candidate who won the popular vote in their state, it is rare for them to go rogue and disregard the will of voters. â€Å"Electors generally hold a leadership position in their party or were chosen to recognize years of loyal service to the party,† according to the National Archives and Records Administration. â€Å"Throughout our history as a nation, more than 99 percent of electors have voted as pledged.† Step 9:  Understanding the Role of the Electoral College Presidential candidates who win 270 or more electoral votes are called the president-elect. They don’t actually take office that day. And they can’t take office until the 538 members of the Electoral College gets together to cast votes. The meeting of the Electoral College takes place in December, after the election, and after state governors receive the â€Å"certified† election results and prepares   Certificates of Ascertainment for the federal government. The electors meet in their own states and then deliver the tallies to the vice president; the secretary of the Department of State in each state; the national archivist; and the presiding judge in the districts where the electors held their meetings. Then, in late December or early January after the presidential election, the federal archivist and representatives from the Office of the Federal Register meet with the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House to verify the results. Congress then meets in a joint session to announce the results. Step 10: Getting Through Inauguration Day Jan. 20 is the day every aspiring president looks forward to. It is the day and time prescribed in the U.S. Constitution for the peaceful transition of power from one administration to another. It is tradition for the outgoing president and his family to attend the swearing-in of the incoming president, even if they are from different parties. There are other traditions, too. The president leaving office often write a note to the incoming president offering encouraging words and well wishes. Congratulations on a remarkable run, Obama wrote in a letter to Trump. Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure. 11. Taking Office This, of course, is the final step. And then the hard part begins.

Free Essays on Disabilities And Society

Final Response Throughout my life, I have not been the most comfortable around people with disabilities. I have always had a sort of fear of these people, probably mostly because I didn’t know or understand anything about them. My â€Å"individual comfort level† around people with disabilities was not very high going into this semester, and I can’t say that is extremely high now. However, I do feel far more secure in interacting with people with disabilities after completing the Disability and Society course. When I was in elementary school I was exposed to many children with disabilities my school had a special program for children with disabilities. Though these children were always around, I had somewhat of a fear for them because I didn’t understand the way the acted, and only real interaction I had with them was watching them, because they were segregated from the â€Å"normies†, or when one of them would run away from their teacher and mix in with the rest of the kids at the school. We never learned anything about the children with disabilities, so I had no idea why they acted the way they did and I had an uneasiness about them. My high school also had a program for people with disabilities, but again they were separated and I was never taught anything about their disorders. My early experiences with people with disabilities sort of set the way I thought about these people until I went through Disability and Society. In our class, we had many guest speakers, videos and class discussions that helped me increase my â€Å"individual comfort level† around people with disabilities. The most recent speaker we had, and the one that affected me the most was Sean Stephenson. Sean really helped my comfort level regarding people with disabilities because of the way he spoke to us. Though he is a little different than us in appearance, Sean is very intelligent and has accomplished a lot in spite of his hardships. Sea... Free Essays on Disabilities And Society Free Essays on Disabilities And Society Final Response Throughout my life, I have not been the most comfortable around people with disabilities. I have always had a sort of fear of these people, probably mostly because I didn’t know or understand anything about them. My â€Å"individual comfort level† around people with disabilities was not very high going into this semester, and I can’t say that is extremely high now. However, I do feel far more secure in interacting with people with disabilities after completing the Disability and Society course. When I was in elementary school I was exposed to many children with disabilities my school had a special program for children with disabilities. Though these children were always around, I had somewhat of a fear for them because I didn’t understand the way the acted, and only real interaction I had with them was watching them, because they were segregated from the â€Å"normies†, or when one of them would run away from their teacher and mix in with the rest of the kids at the school. We never learned anything about the children with disabilities, so I had no idea why they acted the way they did and I had an uneasiness about them. My high school also had a program for people with disabilities, but again they were separated and I was never taught anything about their disorders. My early experiences with people with disabilities sort of set the way I thought about these people until I went through Disability and Society. In our class, we had many guest speakers, videos and class discussions that helped me increase my â€Å"individual comfort level† around people with disabilities. The most recent speaker we had, and the one that affected me the most was Sean Stephenson. Sean really helped my comfort level regarding people with disabilities because of the way he spoke to us. Though he is a little different than us in appearance, Sean is very intelligent and has accomplished a lot in spite of his hardships. Sea...

Conflict of Interests in Public-Private Partnership Essay

Conflict of Interests in Public-Private Partnership - Essay Example The growingly complex societal problems and processes have heightened the reliance of the public sector on private groups so as to attain its goals and accomplish its duties. These societal problems, as well as the inherent conflict of interests between the public and the private sector are typified by a great extent of wickedness. Wicked problems are those conflicting matters confronting the public sector that demand a consolidated partnership by public and private sectors. The civil society, industries, and governments are not capable of addressing these problems independently (Dewulf, Blanken, & Bult-Spiering 2012). This essay analyzes the assumption that the conflict of interests within public-private partnership (PPP) is a wicked problem. Public-Private Partnership: A Wicked Problem Keith Grint, exploring the social framework of leadership, defined a ‘wicked problem’ as follows (Grint 2007, p. 11): A wicked problem is complex, rather than just complicated, it is oft en intractable, there is no unilinear solution, moreover, there is no ‘stopping’ point, it is novel, any apparent ‘solution’ often generates other ‘problems,’ and there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer, but there are better or worse alternatives. Wicked problems within public-private partnership are characterized as recurrent or persistent problems, often defined by indecision and conflict over interests or purposes that could influence the process of decision-making (Hodge & Greve 2005). According to Grint (2005), there are no simple solutions to these wicked problems confronted by PPP. Remarkable progress can be achieved in mitigating them, but they will not be totally eradicated. But the question is, why are PPP problems considered wicked problems? First of all, organizing or forming PPP is complex due to the challenge of bringing together the objective and interests of the numerous stakeholders— the private s ector is composed of lenders, investors, and firms supplying operational and construction services; on the other hand, the private sector is made up of public officials developing and enforcing PPP guidelines, those acquiring the PPP, and the public or citizens who utilize the infrastructures that a PPP offers (Biggs & Helms 2007). Practically all of these stakeholders need to have essential knowledge of the monetary and policy matters, and how their role in the project is connected to and influenced by them. There is a clear agreement in the literature implying that the private sector performs some things excellently, the public sector other things. Theoretically, and ideally, PPP could unite the best of both worlds, but the question is, is this really happening in the actual world? All wicked problems are basically specific and unique. In other words, they are context-specific (Harris, Brown, & Russell 2012). The conflict of interests within PPP is context-specific. The public sec tor focuses on shared aims, management, and public interests. It is well-adjusted to public criticism, employment issues, â€Å"policy management, regulation, ensuring equity, preventing discrimination or exploitation, ensuring continuity and stability of services, and ensuring social cohesion (through the mixing of races and classes for example, in the public schools)† (Rosenau 2000, p. 218). In other words, the context of the public sector is directed at social responsibility. It possesses local awareness and familiarity with demanding and challenging populations.

Is police brutality still an issue in todays society Essay

Is police brutality still an issue in todays society - Essay Example This paper discusses the manifestation of police brutality in today’s society. During the civil rights movement of the 1960’s there were lots of protests and at times violent incidents which led to cases of police brutality. â€Å"The 1960’s civil rights movement in the United States was also accompanied with police brutality, especially in the cases of mixed race marches†¦.† (Wisegeek, 2009). During such marches the police utilized tactics such as pain holds, pepper spray, and batons to intimidate the protesters which many times resulted in physical injury. One of the most famous cases of policy brutality occurred in 1991. That year a black man named Rodney King was physically abused by a gang of cops who almost beat this man to death during a routine traffic stop. A citizen caught the hold incident on video tape and the person turned the evidence over to the justice department. The case went to trial and despite the clear evidence of police brutality the policemen were declared innocent. In the aftermath of the court decision the bl ack community was outraged and riots spread out through Los Angeles. The infamous incident is commonly referred to as the L.A. riots of 1991. The police claimed it would make changes to prevent police brutality from manifesting itself, but the results of their efforts to clean up the police departments across America have not been too effective. Police brutality is not only a problem in the United States it is also a problem in other parts of the world. In 1996 over 5,000 students from Yunsei University in Seoul were involved in a protest. The police intervened to stop the protesters. Their tactics were both abusive and illegal. â€Å"Two helicopters hovered over the two buildings, pouring liquidized and colored tear gas, and the 3,400 policemen blocking the entrance to the building fired tear gas grenades toward the students in

Complete a poetry analysis for Whispers in the Wind Assignment

Complete a poetry analysis for Whispers in the Wind - Assignment Example A reflective poem about her married life with a husband who was ashamed of her Cherokee blood. She wrote â€Å"Whispers in the Wind† as an ode to her ancestors. The poem was a message from her to them. Putting into words the sentiments that her family have long held dear about the way the Cherokee Indian tribes were mistreated and massacred by the White colonialists. In deep pain she declares: Evidently the poem is all about the cultural context of her words. Through this poem she declares that their Cherokee bloodline shall not die, nor shall the remaining tribe members be ashamed of it. Instead, their generation will accept the mission set before them. That of making peace and amends between the White man and the Red Skins. What was taken from them can never be returned indeed. But, it is never too late to make amends in order to bring a sense of forgiveness and satisfaction towards the lost lives of their ancestors who fought valiantly to preserve what was originally their land. She personifies the voice of her ancestors through the whispers that she hears in the wind. The messages that she receives from them as she sits alone on some nights, contemplating her heritage and her present, trying to find a common ground between the two. Hers is a difficult life for she has to be both White and Indian at the same time. Through the poem, she declares that her heritage is valuable to her and she shall never let it fall to the wayside. Rather, she calls upon the others in her tribe to find a way to keep their noble heritage alive in a world where it has lost its relevance. Whispers in the Wind is a tribute to her ancestors and their gallant bravery in the face of hardship and abuse. Through her poem, she managed to bring them back to life even if only on paper. The poem was written for them as way for her to honor and love those ancestors from the past. As she tells her readers: That she has done with this particular poem. She has managed to remind

The Underground Railroad Essay Example for Free

The Underground Railroad Essay The Underground Railroad was an important element in the fight for and promotion of freedom for blacks enslaved within the United States during the 19th century. However, in order to understand its importance to the development of U. S. society it is necessary to understand its historical and contextual basis. Leading off from the Mexican-American war which ended in 1848 there was increasing tension between Americans living in the northern section of the United States and those living in the south particularly over the issue of slavery (Epps, 2004). Those in the North had long demonstrated their intolerance for the continuance of slave practices in the Union and those in the South had long expressed sentiments that the practice of slavery would continue. This variance in viewpoint soon led to the North-South divide which also took on a strongly political aspect. Blacks in the South, jealous of their counterparts in the North and craving freedom from a lifetime of slavery, had long been exploiting this variance in viewpoint with regard to slave since the 1780s by finding opportunities to escape their plantations in the South and find refuge in the North or in Canada. This practice kept increasing as the divide between the North and South widened. Run-away slaves were often quite welcomed in the North and some sympathizers, beginning with the Quakers, assisted them in their escape. The practice of helping slaves cross over into the North and Canada was figuratively referred to as the Underground Railroad or the Liberty line. The literal Underground Railroad was a network of safe havens (Hicks, Montequin Hicks, 2000, p. 27) in the form of safe houses, churches and shelters (Anonymous, 2003, p. 10) to which safes running away could turn to facilitating their onward progress to the North, which represented freedom. The network of safe havens stretched from the states in the South to as far as Canada (Hicks, Montequin Hicks, 2000). The concept of this network as a railroad is evident in the codes that those involved used to refer to various components of the movement. Slaves that were running away were referred to as passengers, persons who were guiding them along the different routes were called conductors and the places at which they stopped were named stations. Thus the Underground Railroad was not a physical place or space but a movement aimed at liberating blacks from slavery. Numerous individuals collaborated in making this movement into the success it is now proclaimed to have had. Some estimates are that about 30, 000 blacks were able to escape via the Underground Railroad (Anonymous, 2000, p. 10) and still others put the figure at twice as much. Though the precise numbers are not known it is still very evident that the work of the individuals involved in the Underground Railroad movement was quite effective in bringing many blacks out of a lifetime of slavery. As has been noted before the movement began with the work of the Quakers. Over the lifetime of the Underground Railroad countless other individuals, the majority of whom were black but including whites and women, were involved in the process. One of the names most notably associated with the Underground Railroad is Harriet Tubman. She had herself been a slave when she took the opportunity, in 1849, to head north along the Underground Railroad. She subsequently became actively involved in helping other blacks escape slavery. It is reported that she made a total of nineteen round trips between the North and South bringing to freedom approximately 300 African slaves (Chism, 2005, p. 47). The persons who facilitated the slaves moving between safe houses on the Underground Railroad, were putting themselves at considerable legal risks and thus activities had to be carried out as clandestinely as possible. There were laws designed and implemented specifically to curb the rate of assistance that escaped slaves were given in the North. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 gave owners the power to retrieve their slaves from whatever state they escape to, even in the North. This act proved to be unsuccessful so it was later reinforced with additional provisions in 1850. Under the new act persons were obligated to return runaway slaves to their owners and law officials in all states were mandated to upkeep this law and participate in active slave recovery (Williams-Myers, 2005). With these stringent legal conditions it was indeed with fear and trepidation that many slaves took on the challenge of running for the North. The efforts made by the conductors, the keepers in the safe houses and all who facilitated the journey, are indeed commendable since they reached out to humanity without regarding person safety. Several states northern states, as a result of the large genesis of African Americans into the North, soon became de jure slave settlements. In Mid-West states such as Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan as well as in Northeast states such as Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine (Sayers, 2004, p. 437) large numbers of newly escaped blacks took up permanent residence and began to make a life in freedom. The Underground Railroad indeed represents not only the struggles towards emancipation but also, according to Williams-Myers (2005) â€Å"a moral challenge to an immoral mindset† References Epps, Garrett. (2004, Summer). The Antebellum Political Background of the Fourteenth Amendment. Law and Contemporary Problems, 67(3), 175-211. Williams-Myers, A.J. (2005, Jul). Some notes on the extent of New York Citys involvement in the Underground Railroad.  Afro-Americans in New York Life and History, 29(2), 73. Sayers, D. O. (2004). The Underground Railroad Reconsidered. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 28(3), 435-443. Hicks, B., Montequin, L. Hicks, J. (2000, Jan). Learning about our community: From the underground railroad to school lunch. Primary Voices K – 6, 8(3), 26-33. Chism, K. (2005, Mar). Harriet Tubman: Spy, veteran, and widow. OAH Magazine of History, 47-51. Anonymous. (2003, Feb 13). Researchers to study Natchezs role in Underground Railroad. Black Issues in Higher Education, 19(26), 10.