Three Cups of Tea: Story of Courage, Empathy, and the Will to Make a Change

Three Cups of Tea presents a remarkable story of courage, empathy and most importantly the will to help out and make a change. It takes us through the journey of a lifetime that Greg Mortenson experienced while embarking through Pakistan and Afghanistan. His incredible character and motivation helped change the lives of thousands of Pakistani citizens, but mostly those women and children. He accomplished this through building 141 schools across Pakistan, as in his mind an education is the most important thing a person can receive. Mortenson put all his own needs and wants behind himself in order to fulfill those of others. The road to all his success was not an easy one though. He had to overcome many barriers in his final goal of educating a developing world like that of Pakistan. The author believes that the barriers to educating the poor are social issues, financial issues and cultural differences, this paper will prove that to be correct as I will highlight some of the major events and problems he had to work though on his pathway to success. The Will to Make a Change In our world of today many people want to help out those in need and really make a difference before they leave this world. It’s really nice to say that, and many people do but only a select few actually take action and do it. In my opinion a lot of people just don’t know how to get started. How can they, just one person, start something big enough to impact the lives of so many people? So to get some insight lets go back to the very start of Greg Mortenson’s journey to improving the world in his own way. Mortenson came from a family that loved to travel and also had a great passion for helping others. His upbringing was what really helped shape his character and personality. He was born in America, but when he was very young his family moved to Tanzania, Africa. His father, along with others helped to build a teaching medical centre in Kilimanjaro, and his mother helped to build a school in Moshi. His parent’s great acts to help out others really influenced the way he looked at the world. Mortenson was a very active and adventurous person and had a passion for mountaineering. In 1993 he planned out a trek to climb the world’s second high peak, K2 in Kenya, along with 4 others. He planned this trip as a memorial to his sister who he had lost a few years earlier. After spending 70 days on the mountain they had to make a dramatic 72 hour life saving rescue for one of the other climbers. This took a lot out of Mortenson, physically and mentally which prevented him from making it to the top. So he began his descent, but took a wrong turn along the way, getting lost from the group. He ended up in a small and very poor village called Korphe. He was suffering from fatigue, dehydration, altitude sickness and vertigo. The village people took him in and did everything they could to care for him and ensure his well being. As he recovered he was blown away at their amazing hospitality and loving nature towards him. The village had no school and the kids tried to learn by writing in the dirt with sticks. Mortenson was shocked that these people had no resources to learn and improve their quality of life, a thing that so many people take for granted back in America. While he regained strength he wanted to help out those who had so greatly helped him recover. Mortenson had lots of medical training and so he used what little supplies he had to treat as many people as he could. He left the village leaving anything that could be helpful to these people such as pens, flashlights, small containers and even any clothes he wasn’t wearing. Before he departed to return home he made a promise, one that would forever change his life. He promised the Balti people of Korphe that he would build them a school. In his eyes education is the biggest factor in being able to be successful. Education is the stepping stone to improving your quality of life and being able to prosper. While doing research for the country comparison assignment I noticed that the developed countries such as Canada, who had very high education rates for both genders, had less high percentages in categories such as infant mortality, population, poverty level and literacy rate. I think that a big link between these things is educating women. Women are just as capable in any position as men, they just need the same resources. So he to give these people the same opportunities that everyone was getting back in America. So off he set home, with inspiration in his mind and hope in his heart. His main goal was to educate and empower women. I think that this is so important because throughout this course we have learned many reasons why educating women is so crucial for solving many of the world’s big issues. For example we learned that educating women can be a big factor in reducing the problem of overpopulation. There have been studies shown that if women in third world countries are educated they are less likely to have as many children and they will be more successful in the long run. Mortenson wanted to give them a chance to learn and prosper in such a male dominated part of the world. Upon arriving home to California, Mortenson was brought to reality where he really realised what he had done. While on the plane home he felt empowered and ready for such a challenge but back in America he felt stuck. This is usually the part that most people get to. They have some inspiration and great ideas to help but they don’t know how to take action. Or they realise how much work and money will be involved in the process of making a change. All that he owned to his name was a small storage locker with some possessions in it. He looked around at fancy business people walking down the streets, only concerned with when their next Starbucks break would be. He was going through culture shock, jet lag and just plain confusion. How can these people think their problems are so important when people halfway across the world are struggling just to get a basic education? Mortenson suddenly felt lost in his previous home. He didn’t fit in with these people. He wanted to be back in Afghanistan with, what was in his eyes, his real family. So to get there he had to tackle one of his biggest obstacles, money. He knew that he could get a job at the local hospital, as he had healthcare degrees from university, but he knew that this would not be enough. Before he had left he roughly estimated how much it the whole thing would cost. His estimate came to about $12,000. How on earth was he supposed to come up with this money? So Mortenson came up with an idea, he would get sponsors. So first he needed to get his message out and get eople aware and interested. Being not very technologically advanced, even in the year 1993, he rented a typewriter to write out letters to several famous people explaining his situation and asking for any donations. The only problem with typewriters is that if you make any mistakes you have to start over. After 5 hours of work he had only completed 4 successful letters. Since the letters would take him a lot longer tha t he had predicted he was saving in every aspect that he could. He lived out of his car and worked as many shifts as he could as a registered nurse at the local hospital ER. Whenever he wasn’t working he painstakingly typed out more letters and mailed them off to every important person he could think of. One day one of his problems was dramatically solved though, as he was introduced to a computer for the first time. He got a tutorial from a friend and was now was able to print out as many letters as he could think of people to send them to. Slowly things were looking up for him. His first donation came from students from his mom’s class who had organised a penny fundraiser, bringing in $623. 45. Out of all 580 letters he had sent out he only got one reply, along with a cheque for $100 and a wish good luck. Although he had received a couple donations, Mortenson felt like he was making little to no progress. Other famous climbers had foundations that had people knocking on their doors to give them thousands of dollars. Things also got rocky as his current girlfriend was getting annoyed at all the nights spent in the car and the tightness of cash. His situation dramatically changed one day as a friend of his suggested he visit a man named Dr. Jean Hoerni, a successful physicist who had made quite the fortune in his work. Hoerni was a no nonsense man, who greatly intimidated Mortenson. After a short phone call with Hoerni, Mortenson walked away $12,000 richer towards his school. So he sold the rest of his possessions to get extra cash for any miscalculations or emergencies. Finally he painfully drove his car to the dealership and sold his home for the past year to buy a plane ticket. So far he had completed phase one of his plan, raising enough funds. So as he boarded the plane he embarked on a journey that would forever change the course of his life. Never an Easy Route Greg arrived back in Afghanistan, fully determined and ready to start building his school. He had exactly $12,800 dollars, $12,000 for the school and $800 to get him through while building the school. He was on a strict budget, every rupee counted and anything wasted, in his mind, was just taking away books or pencils that he could buy for the students. Greg had some friends to help him was ready to jump right into it, but the way people operate there is much more relaxed than the fast paced American society. So after a couple days he was finally able to get started and gather materials. Mortenson wanted only the best materials for his school; he didn’t want it to crumble to the ground after a long hard winter. Although this became the first of many problems for him, this one being more of a social issue more than anything. People who be bought from didn’t know him or what he was doing. They just looked at him by his appearance, an American. To them he came from far away and did not know their culture and ways of life. So they could rip him off. Charge him high prices for cheaply made materials. Another problem with this part of the world is that everyone wants their share. If you’re paying me to transport the wood for you I get to keep some. This frustrated Mortenson as he had worked so hard and was on a very tight budget. He needed to remind himself though that this way just the way their world worked. Mortenson really wanted to connect with these people and was eager to learn about their culture and religious beliefs. Religion plays a huge role in the everyday lives of Muslims. They have several prayer times throughout the day where the whole city stops, no matter where they are, to pray. Mortenson knew this could be a touchy subject, but he finally asked one of his friends to show him how to pray. He struggled through it, not fully understanding the process but hoped to improve and really immerse into their culture. He wanted to be respected and wanted to be able to understand these people. Finally about a week after arriving, Mortenson was finally ready with all his materials to make the 3 day trek to the small, isolated village of Korphe to build his school. After purchasing all his materials his financial situation was even lower than he had expected, which posed as a possible big problem, leaving small room for error. The journey to Korphe was in itself a whole story. Upon arriving in Korphe he was very kindly greeted by hundreds of village people. They were surprised yet happy to see him. Many climbers come through their villages and make promises to them that rarely get fulfilled. Here before them was Greg, who was ready to build them a school, to give them the gift of education. As he discussed plans with the village leaders, he was presented with what would be the biggest problem to date. They wanted the school to be built inside the village of Korphe. Mortenson had planned for it to be built just outside the village as the only way into the village was across a small rickety pulley system that went over a large ravine with the Braldu River running through it at the bottom. The village leaders thought it would be most beneficial for them to be able to be connected with the outside world if they were to build a bridge, and that way they would also be able to transport all the materials across the bridge into the village. This would cause Mortenson a lot more work and a lot more funding. He also agreed that it would be a good idea to connect them with the outside world a bit more though, as they were very isolated. Almost a full year later Mortenson had finally succeeded in building a school, and a bridge for the village of Korphe. He felt amazing. He really knew how much this would help their people and how much it would impact their lives. Mortenson didn’t want to stop here though. So with the financial help of his close friend Jean Hoerni he was able to start a foundation called Central Asia Institute or CAI. Hoerni gave him a large donation to start off, but that wouldn’t last forever. So whenever Mortenson was back in America he would travel around to give presentations in hopes of getting some donations. This was another barrier for him, as it was difficult to get people interested and he has quite the fear of public speaking. Sometimes he would be in a venue with 500 chairs set up and he would be presenting to only 3 people. It became even more difficult to get people interested after 9/11 happened. No one wanted to help him. Everyone questioned why he wanted to help these people. Mortenson received hate letters and even death threats constantly. This greatly frustrated him as they didn’t know the individual hardworking and kind people that he knew. They were judging a whole population off one extremist group. It was unfair to these people who did nothing wrong. He lost a lot of the support that he previously had from his own country. This was a huge social issue for him as now his own people didn’t understand what he was doing. Even today in 2013, 12 years after the 9/11 attacks people still judge Islamic people and look down upon them. I think when most people hear the term terrorist the associate it with an Islamic person, which is extremely racist and unfair towards these people. What Mortenson was able to realize was that at the end of the day, they are just the same as us. They want the best for their kids. They want to enjoy life, family and friends. Yes, there are cultural differences but when it comes down to it we are all humans on the same Earth. There are extremist groups in any culture, and it is unjust to blame a whole society of people for a small groups actions. Regardless of this Mortenson was still able to keep going with his projects in Pakistan and was building schools at a very fast rate. People were contacting him from all over wanting him to build schools in their villages. Along with building schools he also built community centers for people to go, with resources like sports and libraries. He gave special donations to certain people who contacted him personally who wanted money for further studies. In one particular case he funded a young woman who went on to do a 4 month medical course. With this she was able to return to her village and help out so many people. People there no longer had to worry of death from something as small as a cold. The women even said that there is not a single person in the area that believes that women should not be educated. People were starting to realize the importance and great benefits of educating women. She couldn’t believe the progress and improvement it had made for her own life and the lives of so many people she was able to save because of it. She wants to pass on her training and education to other women in hope that it can benefit them as well. There were a couple personal stories like this throughout the story which gave a great perspective on the actual effect of Mortenson’s work and how it really helped. His project to educate the poor was really working, and had successful examples of people that it helped out significantly. In the long run I think that what Mortenson is doing can greatly help out their economy. He has set them on a pathway for a more bright and prosperous future by giving them so many resources to succeed. Impact for the Future Greg Mortenson had so far successfully built 141 schools across Pakistan. He started as a small organization of one person typing out letters in hopes to get donations and build one school. That has turned into so much more. The impact that he has made is just incredible. Without him so many kids would grow up with no bright future and living in extreme levels of poverty. He gave them purpose and reason to keep going. His motivation and great attitude can serve as an inspiration everyone. He encountered so many barriers, whether it be social, financial, political or religious. Mortenson did so much more than just build schools. He really changed the opinions of so many Pakistani people. Before he came, they had a preconceived idea of Americans. In a country so corrupt like Pakistan the people have little opportunities to learn. Most people, especially in rural areas don`t have access to the internet or incoming media. All their beliefs come from word of mouth, and higher powers within their government. The Taliban gave a horrible impression of Americans. They painted a picture of evil people who were someone that they should hate. The people believed them, having no other sources for information. When Mortenson first came in, there were many social and political barriers he had to overcome. He was even captured at one point and held hostage for several days before being released. People saw him and immediately didn`t like him. They judged him on the sole fact of what he looked like, an American. After a while, when word got around of what he was doing, this slowly started to change. People got wind of the fact than an American was here, in their own country to help them out. This confused them. Weren`t Americans bad? Slowly their opinions were changed. The Taliban wasn’t building schools for them and educating their people. All they were doing was causing more conflict and stress to their lives. The American was here helping them and improving their lives. People gained more respect for Americans and less for the corrupt power that was doing nothing for them. He changed the lives of many, changed their impressions and gave people hope. He managed his whole foundation with very little help. He didn’t have a secretary for the longest time, and he made all arrangements himself. He has almost single handily created a movement for educating and inspiring people in such a corrupt, developing nation. He is a true hero of our century. Conclusion Reading the novel Three Cups of Tea has really given me a better perspective on different types of culture and ways of life. I feel more educated and enlightened on many topics now. I feel as though I have a much better understand on many of the conflicts occurring in the Middle East. It really gave an unbiased view rather than what we hear from the media daily. I feel as though I really know both sides of the story now when I hear different stories published in the news. Greg Mortenson was brave to publish his story, but I’m glad that he did as it is an incredible one that should be praised. I would even go so far as to say that I think he would be a deserving candidate of a Nobel Peace Prize. Throughout reading the novel and writing the report I was able to connect it to many stories we read about in class and different discussions that we had. I could compare it to many different social, political, economic and environmental issues that occurred throughout the novel. It was interesting to get an insider view on their ways of life and how they live their daily lives.

Religion: God and Moral Standards Essay

The topic that I have chosen to discuss for my final argumentative paper is â€Å"Religion†. I chose this topic because it plays a major role in my everyday life. During this paper I will discuss the most important part about religion, God. I will discuss whether the proof of the existence of God is necessary. I will then talk about the argument for the existence of God that I feel is the strongest and why I feel that it is. Then I will discuss the foundations of the Universe and where it emerged from. Another topic that I discuss is whether or not one can be moral and not believe in God. Next I will discuss whether or not science and religion are in conflict. God’s omniscience and human free will is another topic that will be covered during this paper. The last important topic that I will discuss during this paper is whether or not there is a rational argument for atheism. I believe that this paper will be interesting for me to write. I believe that God will always be real in my heart, whether or not any physical proof is ever found of him. Reading about the various proofs of the existence of God was very interesting for me. I say this because I am a firm believer in God and to think about how some people rationalize his non-existence to them is hard for me to understand. The argument that seems to be the best to me is the â€Å"Cosmological argument†. The argument states that â€Å"if something exists something else had to bring it into existence†. It goes on to talk about how things that exist do so because something else caused it to exist. It calls the something that brought I into existence â€Å"a first cause†. The only thing or being that could qualify as the first cause is God. Therefore, God would be the originating source of the universe, which I truly believe. I believe that philosopher’s have always sought proof of God’s existence because it was hard for them to believe that the world just happen one day. I think that they have always questioned the complexity of the world and knew there had to be some type of designer. I agree with this because the world is just too amazing and complex to just appear one day. Even if you believe in evolution, you still would have to question where the first being or animal came from. Everything has an origin and I believe that God is the origin of the universe. So the next topic to be discussed is the foundation of the universe and from where did the universe emerge. It has been said many times that â€Å"scientists believe that our universe began with one enormous explosion of energy and light, which is called the Big Bang†. This is considered to be the start of space and of time itself. However, it is believed that something that is outside of space, time and matter that caused this to come into existence. This theory was proven by astronomer Edwin Hubble in the late 1920’s. The way that the Big Bang theory is described parallels what the bible says about the beginning of life. The bible states â€Å"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth†¦and God said ‘let there be light and there was light†. I believe that this could be considered proof regarding the existence of God. I know that some scientists disagree and want to say that the universe came from the laws of physics, but none of these things existed before the initial blast. Another part of religion is being a moral person. So a question that has been asked is â€Å"can one be moral and not believe in God†? There are some people in today’s society that believe that you don’t need God to be moral, but I don’t necessarily believe that. They believe that people can set their own rules for life, and have their own personal values. I don’t believe that this would be a good idea considering the fact that everyone’s values are different, so there would be no standard for us to live by. In order for us to judge whether or not something moral or good then we should have a set of certain values that you would judge them by. It is said that to believe in God means that you believe in moral standards. Philosopher Immanuel Kant pointed out â€Å"we need an omnipotent God to enforce moral standards to make sure that everyone is properly rewarded and punished†. He stated this because he believed that â€Å"moral standards without moral sanctions don’t mean much†. I believe that people live a more meaningful life when they believe in the morals created by God and not by man. I say this because I believe that man will come up with moral standards that will only benefit him, but God comes up with morals that will benefit everyone. However, I don’t think this means that everyone that does not believe in God is immoral. There are some that still do good and behave responsibly without believing in him. I think that it just depends on the person and how they chose to live their lives. We will now go on to discuss whether or not science and religion are in conflict. It is said that most of the time science and religion are not in conflict, and that they only conflict on certain topics. One example of their conflict would be whether or not the Earth is the center of the universe, or the sun the center of the universe. The church teaches that the Earth is the center and that the Sun, Moon and other planets revolve around it. However, some scientists have taught that the Sun is the center of the universe and that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. Another example of conflict between science and religion is regarding the creation of man and Earth and evolution. Cosmologists believe that the universe is about 13. 7 billion years old, but the Earth is only 4. 5 billion years old. So this would mean that the universe was here long before the Earth, so therefore the universe could not revolve around the Earth. I still don’t fully understand how they came up with their calculation, so I don’t believe them. I still believe that God created the Earth and the universe at the same time. It has been stated that the conflict exist because â€Å"science is based on observation of nature†, and religion is â€Å"largely based on faith†. I am more of a faith based person, so that is why I believe the God created the universe. We will now discuss whether or not God’s omniscience and human free will can be reconciled. Personally I don’t think they can be reconciled. Free will is defined as â€Å"the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one’s own discretion†. It was said that because God’s foreknowledge determines all human choice and activity, then God’s omniscience conflicts with human free will. I am a believer in human free will, but I also believe in God’s omniscience. I believe that God does predetermine how he wants our lives to be, but he also gives us choices that will decide which path our lives will take. I have always believed that God has put certain people in our lives for a reason, and we are also sometimes put into certain situations for a reason. I believe that this is done in order to teach us a lesson and so we can learn to make better decisions on our own. So I believe that ultimately the two can work together perfectly. The final topic I will discuss is whether or not there is a rational argument for Atheism. Personally I don’t agree with atheism, but I do understand that everyone has right to their own beliefs. It has been stated that people believe in atheism for a number of reasons. One example that is given is that they get tired of â€Å"watching the multitude of bad things happening to good people in the world†. As far as this statement goes, I was taught in church that â€Å"it rains on the just (good), just like it rains on the unjust (bad), so you should not use this as an excuse to not believe in God. Another example is the people will say â€Å"look at how some â€Å"so-called† Christians live and behave. I lead a better life than most of them do†. However, just because a person is a Christian and believes in God doesn’t mean they will do no wrong. I was taught that there is no big sin or little sin, but as long as you repent and ask for forgiveness then you will be saved by the grace of God. I simply just don’t believe that there is a rational argument for atheism, because I have been blessed too many times without a rational explanation for me not to believe in God. I say this because about fifteen years ago I was told by a doctor that I had a mass on my brain that looked like a tumor and that I would need to see a specialist in see if it was cancer. I went home upset and crying, but I pray all night. I went to church that Sunday and asked for prayer, the congregation prayed for me. I went to see the specialist the next week, who stated that there was not mass and that it was just part of my brain and there was no cancer. So I know personally what prayer can do, and nobody can make me feel different. In conclusion, I would like to rein irate how important religion is in my life. I actually enjoyed writing this paper because it made me realize why I truly believe in God. There is no scientist or atheist that can make me stop believing in God. I never realized how much Philosophy deals with God until I took this course. It was interesting to read about the different Philosophers, and how they try to prove that existence and non-existence of God. I hope that after reading this paper you can get a better understanding of my position on religion, and why I am a firm believer in God.

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B2B Marketing - Situation analysis for Trafalgar fire Australia Essay

B2B Marketing - Situation analysis for Trafalgar fire Australia - Essay Example Currently, Trafalgar manufactures two broad categories of products: the Trafalgar products composed of general building fire protection products and the Trafalgar Passive Fire solutions which includes passive fire containment and access panel products / systems for the building and construction industries. Trafalgar products, both for the passive fire solutions and general fire security products can be purchased from the Trafalgar main outlets and Fire Containment. With the new change, no notable developments are observed yet although the two companies are hopeful that the collaboration will bring forth exciting and dynamic range of fire protection products. The company has the luxury of targeting two spectrums of the market: the Class A with their passive fire resistant technology and the general market of builders with their Trafalgar products. The company boasts of its long history of existence and excellence in the business. It has been in operation for the last 60 years. The company’s products are proven to be effective and customer-friendly. One of the latest developments in the company is the provision of product testing and customer support. â€Å"Continuous fire and acoustic testing of our products at various testing authorities to Australia, New Zealand and other world-wide standards is a philosophy of Trafalgar† that enables the company â€Å"to offer the most advanced in technology to our customers and continuously improve and develop our products further to satisfy the current market demands† (Trafalgar). The company positions itself as a socially responsible corporation, committed to both sustainability and excellence. It has such strong corporate values, making it more appealing to the customers. What is more interesting is they do this without compromising quality. One of the competitors of Trafalgar is Rondo. â€Å"Rondo Building

The Theories of the Job Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Theories of the Job Design - Essay Example The various elements that consideration entails include job enlargement, job enrichment, job rotation and activities to be perfromed. Successful companies according to organizational psychology are companies which takes human capital as a critical and fundamental asset. As such, there is needed to come up with a management team whose role is to manage human captial with an intention of achieving competitive advantage and success in the organization. The human response tries to identify and exploit the employees’ talent in the organization through motivation and training. It also rewards the employees who have shown significant growth and development. The overal approach to management of human resource in a strategically is defined as strategic human resource management. The management is in line with the organization’s intention and its future projecction. It entails issues affecting the employees in long term basis and big isssues about quality, culture, structure, val ues and commitments that supports the organization’s futureachievments. The definition of culture according to hofdtede (2010) is a cummulative mind programming which identify a set of people from a group. It entials people’s way of understaning and their behaviours. Elements of job design There are three key elements of job design that affects any organizations ability to laverage its human resource. These are the task analysis, employee analysis amd environmental analysis. Task analysis The element entails all the tasks in the organization that needs to be done, hoiw each task will be performed and the connection of the task with the aim of forming a job. In the given case, it is evident that task anlysis is one of the factors that... This essya stresses that job enrichment- the element aims at enhancing a job position through opportunity addition meant for higher ranks of recognition and responsibilities via development of personal skills and acheivement. To ease the difficulties related to task management, Legacy Leisure Centre management need to implement planning and control features assignment to the workers. This report makes a conclusion that every organization’s aim is to constantly improve the business with a view of achieving competitive advantage. The neture of job design contributes significantly to achieving this goal since it has critical influence on maintaining organizational culture and corporate employees. The organization should take job design theory as a critical tool of achieving the business goals through employee satisfaction and elimination of boredom. When ther is stiff competition between different firms, the key assset of the company is the employees. It is therefore improtant to have in place a well established job design whose key responsibility is to embrace employee satisfaction by developing and motivating employees. In the modern, the culture that an organization has developed is an inherent aspect of an organization. The way a business firm organize itself to create a competitive advantage in a particular field very improtant int the company. The repor t has clearly potrayed how the relationship between human resource management, corporate culture and strategic objectives and goal in an organization.

Is our election process fair Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is our election process fair - Essay Example This paper will highlight the unfairness that exists in the election process citing examples. The college vote is one of the critical aspects that determine whether a presidential candidate clinches the top seat or not. Contrary to many emerging democratic nations that rely on the popular vote, the American nation decides the president using the college vote. Apparently, all citizens participate in the popular vote of the president and vice president, but also elect a representative of each state to the Electoral College (Ryden 56). Usually, the individuals chosen as electors in the college are people who express allegiance to a certain party. In other cases, they operate under state laws that vary from state to state. It is worth noting that each of the 52 states has a different number of representatives in the Electoral College depending on their population. The Electoral College then determines who wins the presidential race. The candidate who secures a majority of the 538 college votes becomes the designated president. There is limited fairness in this process as will be discussed below. The popular vote is of little regard in the United States. However, it is of essence to highlight that the popular vote represents the opinion of each American who is eligible and chooses to vote. Despite the fact that the popular vote represents the voice of the majority, the elections system disregards it and relies on the college votes to determine the president. This is an indirect implication that an individual’s vote is irrelevant. Considering the 2000 presidential elections where Gore and Bush were competing for the top seat and Gore won the popular vote. However, the popular vote decided that Bush had won. The irony in this is that the majority voice represented by the popular vote had proved less significant. For the many people who voted in this election, this was unfair (Ryden 56). The Electoral College does not adequately represent the voice of the majori ty of the Americans. The electors are highly partial, and their opinion does not have to reflect the pledges they made to parties. This leaves them with the opportunity to vote according to individual preference. This compromises the level of democracy because 538 people shoulder the responsibility of electing a president for everyone. With the advancing level of understanding and participation in presidential debates, the defense that the electoral colleges serves as a fair opinion because of the level of information that the electors have is no longer valid. Majority of Americans exhibit the potential to hold an independent opinion contrary to buying the opinion of the national media. Although the media expresses its opinion on the preferred candidates, Americans know better than blindly buying the waves on popular media. This explains why the opinion expressed in the popular vote when electing the president needs consideration. The popular vote represents the opinion of 315,000,0 00 votes. Each of the electors in the college does not necessarily vote in conformity to the popular vote in their state (Rush, and Engstrom 66). It would be fair if the United States scrapped off the Electoral College. This would leave the popular vote to determine the candidate who wins the presidential race. The Electoral College superiority denies the people the free will of choice expected in a nation that claims to be a mature

The History of the World in Six Glasses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The History of the World in Six Glasses - Essay Example â€Å"Factory workers had to function like parts in a well-oiled machine, and tea was the lubricant that kept the factories running smoothly.† (p.200) Tea-break or tea-time became part of the sports activities and entertainment programs. Solid trade connections were established with the tea-producing countries like India and China, by some of the western countries, prominent amongst them was UK. The author has linked the thirst of the human throat to the thirst for material progress. He has unveiled the hidden agenda behind these drinks that have taken the commercial world by storm! When one makes an analysis, what all factors contributed to the concept of ‘world is one family,’ tea will be one of the top-contenders. The prime necessity to quench thirst needs no elaboration, appreciation, or explanation. Many thousands of years ago humans made their habitation near the rivers and lakes, precisely for his reason—to get adequate fresh water! Drinks shaped human history and growth and continue to have impact on the modern civilization. Tea, soon after it was introduced in UK, became a global drink! But there was always a storm in the cup of tea of the imperialists. The British people saw great potential in the tea trade, and exploited the business opportunity to the maximum extent. â€Å"Tea drinking is not the cause, but the consequences of the distresses of the poor. The drink of queens had also become the drink of last resort†¦ Tea had reached around the world from the world’s oldest empire and planted itself at the heart of the newest.† (p. 196) Tea cures, as well as creates problems for the human constitution and aggravates certain conditions of diseases. Those suffering from neuralgia and blood pressure should not drink tea. If one takes tea on empty stomach, it affects digestion and its consumption at bed-time, causes sleepless nights. It stimulates the nervous system and the urine

Employment Law Issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employment Law Issue - Essay Example Sexual harassment usually involves males who are at higher positions and they harass their subordinate women in order to get sexual favors by threatening them of getting fired from the job. It is not only a form of unlawful employment discrimination that is based on sex but also it violates title VII of the civil rights act 1964. If we talk about harasser, we can say that at any specific workplace, the harasser and the victim can be an employee, an employer, supervisor, a person from the management staff, and even the boss. Some cases of sexual harassment may involve such homosexual men who are at higher positions and they harass their subordinate heterosexual men in order to get sexual favors. Conte (2000) found that in some cases, the victims of sexual harassment make complaint to the higher officials regarding offenses and in some cases they don’t want to expose the situation because of the society and the relatives. In such cases, sexual harassment gets increased and the victim sometimes gets in more trouble instead of coming out of the unwanted situation. The strategy which our company’s manager has implemented regarding the prevention of sexual harassment involves privacy of the victim. If a case of sexual harassment occurs in our company, the victim writes the incident on a paper and submits it to the manager instead of telling him by words. Then the manager calls the offender and the victim in a separate room in order to settle down the issue and take the required action against the offender. â€Å"It is the organizations responsibility to encourage staff to report incidents of sexual harassment by making the process accessible to all and by being approachable and dealing allegations in a sensitive and confidential manner† (Dawkins, 2007). At present, the management of the companies focuses on the privacy of the victim in order to

Construction, operation and associated circuitry of common Assignment

Construction, operation and associated circuitry of common - Assignment Example Even so, this should not be applied in the spaces such as courtroom and conference hall, which find instantaneous controls to be important. The dimming characteritisc could be achieved through the fixing with fluorescent and incandescent as well as with HID. One of the forms of lighting is alcove lighting. It is ordinary in that it is indirect. This finds a lot of application in the fluorescent lighting, neon lighting or even rope. This can also be described as a form of backlighting. There are other approaches that could be utilized to compelement this form of lighting. For example, close-to-wall lighting, or soffit, could be utilized to bring out an appealing texture, although this has its limitations. More often than not, the effect is dependent upon the specification of the light that has been used. Recessed lighting is the widely applied feature and has fixtures that are attached to the ceiling to look appealing. The forms of lighting can utilize the narrow spotlight beams and c ould even be made with reflectors. There are also the cases when the downlights comprising internal reflector could be designed to accommodate the A-lamps. Furthermore, the downlights could be LED, fluorescent, high density discharge or indecadent (Theraj, 2001). Another form of lighting is track lighting. This form of lighting earned popularity because it was easy to install, compared to the recessed form of lighting. Its fixtures are now also made decorative and can also be attached to the walls. The current popularity of these forms of lighting rests upon its ability to use low voltage, yet they assure safety in addition to the fact that they are decorative. Their circuits are fed by master transformers through the fixtures on the rod, as opposed to the approach where even light is fed by a set of transformers.The third form of lighting is cable lighting, which is simply a modified form of track lighting. Here, the lights hang from clipped cables that rest on tension. Nevertheles s, illuminated ceiling is also another form of lighting that was popular in the 1970s. This form of lighting relied on the panels of diffusers that were suspended below the fluorescent lights. It finds a lot of application in all the general forms of lighting. Lastly, neon lighting could also be considered as a form of lighting, which mainly served an artistic function. Cul-de-sac Street lighting. Here, one of the requirement is that the luminaries should be designed so that they are in compliance with the local zoning laws. The IES Lighting Handbook offes comprehensive insights regarding the values that should be accorded to the exterior spaces. If the building program makes specifications of a flood lighting, they should be provided while the exterior lighting should be such that it blends with the external features of the buildings. Roadway and Parking Lighting. The roadway and parking lighting should be integrated with HD sources of light but should not go beyond the recommded v alues of 4 to 10 and 10 to 1 ratios. The parking areas should have luminaries that are not only efficient but also mounted on the poles. Sodium lamps may be preferable, but their impact should blend well with the environment. TASK 2 The Principles of Good Lighting Design There are various principles that have been developed regarding efficient lighting and lighting systems. The widely adopted

Internet Cafes Essay Example for Free

Internet Cafes Essay WITHIN a few months China will overtake America as the country with the worlds largest number of internet users. Even when you factor in (include s/t as a relevant element when making a decision) Chinas size and its astonishing rate of GDP growth, this will be a remarkable achievement for what remains a poor economy. For the past three years China has also been the worlds largest exporter of information and communications technology (ICT). It already has the same number of mobile-phone users (500m) as the whole of Europe. China is by no means the only emerging economy in which new technology is being eagerly embraced. In frenetic (fast and energetic) Mumbai, everyone seems to be jabbering (talk rapidly and excitedly) non-stop on their mobile phones: according to Indias telecoms regulator, half of all urban dwellers have mobile- or fixed-telephone subscriptions and the number is growing by 8m a month. The India of internet cafà ©s and internet tycoons produces more engineering graduates than America, makes software for racing cars and jet engines and is one of the top four pharmaceutical producers in the world. In a different manifestation of technological progress, the countrys largest private enterprise, Tata, recently unveiled the â€Å"one lakh car†; priced at the equivalent of $2,500, it is the worlds cheapest. Meanwhile, in Africa, people who live in mud huts use mobile phones to pay bills or to check fish prices and find the best market for their catch. Yet this picture of emerging-market technarcadia (ideal techno paradise) is belied (fail to give a true notion) by parallel accounts of misery and incompetence. Last year ants ate the hard drive of a photographer in Thailand. Last week internet usage from Cairo to Kolkata was disrupted after something—probably an earthquake—sliced through two undersea cables. Personal computers have spread slowly in most emerging economies: three-quarters of low-income countries have fewer than 15 PCs per 1,000 people—and many of those computers are gathering dust (1). And the feting (celebration) of prominent technology projects in emerging economies is sometimes premature. Nicholas Negroponte, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has long been championing a $100 laptop computer, presented with most fanfare at the World Economic Forum in Davos two years ago. The laptop was supposed to sweep through poor countries, scattering knowledge and connectivity all around (2). But the project is behind schedule, the computer does not work properly and one prominent backer, Intel, a  chipmaker, has pulled out. So how well are emerging economies using new technology, really? Hitherto, judgments have had to be based largely on anecdotes. Now the World Bank has supplemented the snapshot evidence with more comprehensive measures.

The Roles And Responsibilities Of The Design Team Construction Essay

The Roles And Responsibilities Of The Design Team Construction Essay Interior Designer Interior designers are sometimes used on contracts where the internal finish and dà ©cor is important or of a prestigious nature. Some high-profile house building projects or city-centre apartment conversions have been developers in conjunction with interior designers who can add considerable value to a project. Quantity Surveyor Quantity surveyors accurately determine the amount of materials needed to build the project. They prepare a bill of quantities establishing a record of all the materials needed and identify all the information necessary to draft out a specification of the works. The quantity surveyor can then advise and guide the architect or the client on the cost of the job, check tenders and evaluate any costs as work proceeds. Landscape Architect The landscape architect is sometimes contracted to design the external environment of the project. As with interior design, the landscape can be enhanced by a specialist to improve the completed project. Resident Engineer Resident Engineers are based close to the construction works, on the construction site itself. They report back to the structural engineer and the architect on the matters relating to the structure and the load-bearing components that have been designed by the structural engineer. Structural Engineer Structural Engineers determine the design of loadbearing elements of the building and ensure that each component is designed to safely withstand the loads that are imposed on the building. Structural engineers typically work for the client but are frequently engaged by the architect to inform and supervise the design and installation of structural elements as work proceeds. They work very closely with the architectural technologist and the principal contractor. Building Services Engineer Building services engineers design and implement a range of items into the project that dont improve the resources and the quality of the building. Building services and the effective use of heat, light, acoustics and other electrical appliances have seen significant improvements in recent years and many of these items, such as lifts, escalators, air conditioning and heating and ventilation systems, need to be integrated into the contract drawings at an early stage to avoid conflicts of space or to ensure that the design can accommodate machinery, plant and equipment. Clerk of Works The clerk of works is employed directly by the client, who will want assurance that a contractor is producing a building that meets specification in terms of both materials and workmanship. The clerk of works also reports to the architect on progress of the construction works. Clerks of works do not issue instructions and do not have authority to impose variations or changes to the design but will need to inspect the works as it proceeds and hence need to visit the site frequently. On some larger sites, a clerk of works will have a resident office and spend their entire working time there. Contractor Contractors perform many duties on site and thus they are in the best position to ensure that site activities are carried out safely. Contractors must ensure that subcontractors have information about risks on the site and that all workers and operatives working on the project have adequate training and a suitable induction to site procedures. Task 3 Explain the roles and responsibilities of the production team. (Identify then describe the members of a production team, this is the team that will produce the building from the design) The Production Team Projects Manager Site Manager Quantity Surveyor Site Engineer Task 4 Describe the legal implications that could arise from miscommunication Legal implications that could arise from miscommunication include- In terms of legal position The client is put at the top of any hierarchical chain. However, the client usually tends to place the responsibilities on the architect, the design team and the contractors. To prevent any legal implications, architects are required by law to hold qualifications that show that they completely understand the principles of design and can build a sufficiently strong structure. They must also comply with the legislations such as planning, building regulations and management regulations and the disabled and disabilities act. Furthermore, architects are required to have adequate public liability insurance to protect any third parties from any defects or problems related with their work. Task 5 Changes made are window size have been increased (communicate this to the production team) Write letter to (proof and backup needed, when communication has taken place) Paragraph on the different communications Produce a written communication between design and production team- Write sample letter to product team about change in window size Tell building to leave gaps for the windows (bigger gaps) Who needs to be told? QS Because specification will change Task 6 Describe a modern method of construction look for a sustainable method employing timber or a technological product. Describe what methods and components could be used to construct each type of building- Why is there a need for these different methods and components? Merit Criteria Task 7- Obtain a copy of RIBA current plan of works, how does it work? What are its merits? The benefits of using the RIBA plan of work are that it is easily understood, it is a well-planned, coordinated structured approach. What are all the stages? How will the team members be coordinated to complete the project? RIBA Plan of works Feasibility phase- Inception Feasibility At this stage of the plan, the architect will work closely with the client to determine and prepare the requirements of the building project. Architects will provide clients with an appraisal and recommendation so that they can determine the form in which the project is to proceed, ensuring that it is feasible both in technical and financial terms. Pre-construction phase- Outline proposals Scheme design At this stage, the architect will usually have determined through sketch plans the layout, design and construction in order to obtain approval of the client on the outline proposals and accompanying report. To complete the brief and decide on particular proposals, including planning arrangements and appearance, constructional method, outline specification and cost, the architect will then draft plans and drawings for submission to the local authority to obtain all approvals such as building control and planning consent. Detail design At this stage, the architect will have to obtain final decisions on all matters related to design, specification, construction and cost. BVy creating working drawings and finalising the full designs of every part and component of the building, the architect draws together the construction team. Meetingds of the team will take place to discuss and decide materials, finishings, services, contributions by specialist firms and a range of other matters relating to the finalising of the building. It is important that any changes or modifications to the scheme are noted and accommodated so that everyone can be updated and work from the latest drawings. Changes can be accommodates at this stage, although they may result in increased costs due to the scheme being planned on an early proposal. Production information This part of the plan includes the preparation of product information used in the building, the drafting of bills of quantities, tender documents and project planning materials such as the programme of works showing duration of activities and the time taken to create the building itself. This is a very important stage in the process and particular care must be taken to ensure accuracy of the work involved in drawings and specifications so that the contractors undertaking the building work have all the necessary information to hand to complete the work to the appropriate standard. Drawings require at this stage include a location plan of where the work is found, a layout drawing of the construction site itself and a general arrangement drawing that shows the layout of the work to be done. From these drawings, a series of schedules and specifications will be drafted to provide any necessary additional information. Bills of quantity Specifications are dealt with in more detail later on, but their link with the bills of quantities is important. Bills of quantities are prepared by a quantity surveyor who reads the drawings and determines the quantities and amounts of materials needed to complete the constructions work. Any part of the building that is not yet finalised or has missing information can be allocated a provisional or prime cost so that there is an amount for the work to take place is allocated even when the actual cost or amount to do this work may be finalised some time later. If the architect has not yet appointed a construction contractor or team to complete the works onsite, discussions at this stage will begin to determine an appropriate company or contractor to appoint who is capable of undertaking the work. Tender The idea of tendering is to allow the client an opportunity to present a batch of work or a construction contract to contractors who learn about the complexity, the stages of construction, the limits and the constraints anticipated within the work so that a realistic and accurate price can be calculated by the contractors. The contractors then identify the price of the works and the client chooses the contractor best suited and able to do the work. Frequently, the cheapest tender or quote is selected as this can represent best value for the client. For some work selective tendering may take place, where a architect and quantity surveyor invite contractors that are either known to them or have an established reputation for completing work similar to the one they are working on, to tender. Again, the cheapest quote is most commonly selected in this process. Contractors may be approached so that they tender an interest in the work. Sometimes a pre-tender meeting may be held with contractors and the complexity and the details of the work can be communicated to the contractors so that the contractors, the architect and he client can satisfy themselves that they are all capable of completing the work within the appointed timescale and budget. A letter of invitation to tender can then be issued together with all relevant drawings, specifications and bills the contractors can then visit the site of works and the contractor will determine and cost the project. Tenders are returned to the architect at an agreed date and time. Initial comparison of the tenders received from different contractors takes place by the architect and sometimes this includes the client or their representative. This analysis of the tenders usually results in the lowest priced tender winning the contract and being appointed as the contractor. Construction phase- Project planning This is where the work to produce the building starts on the building itself. Contract documents are prepared and signed. At a project planning meeting, the architect will usually clarify any points undecided at this stage and agree anyfurther contractual points. Contractors draft a programme of works that illustrates the milestones and the total duration of the work. Key milestones include taking possession of the site, dates of the project progress meeting and other key dates that are achieved during the lifetime of the contract. The contractor is expected to sign the contract documents at this stage, which include: A copy of the contract A full set of construction drawings Bills of quantities Specifications A register of drawings Site diary and associated report forms Site operations The site is officially handed over to the contractor who can begin construction-related operations. The site is now the responsibility of the contractor who has to comply with all the legislative requirements and legal constraints. The contractor should be informed of any rights of way, preservation orders, protection requirements and any other environmental issues that need to be considered in terms of the work and the activities on site in the months ahead. the contractor has a duty to ensure the appropriate site supervision of all those involved in activities onsite. a clerk of works will check on behalf of the client and the architect that the contractor is complying and building the project to the appropriate standards of materials and workmanship. samples are taken of various materials, sometimes by a specific request from the architect and other times by established practice in some cases, such as the sampling of concrete which is regularly tested by way of a slump test to ensure workability when it arrives on site, and its strength assessed by testing to destruction samples at regular intervals after the concrete has been placed. brickwork panels are sometimes erected to enable the architect and the client to see what the brickwork will eventually look like. tiles, blocks, panels, etc. may also be subject to a request that the contractor builds a mock-up or sample panel for viewing by the architect and the client so that the quality and the desired finish of the work can be ascertained and ensured. The contractors duties at this stage of the plan are to work diligently on the construction works adhering to all relevant health, safety and welfare legislation. the contractor is also expected to maintain a site diary to record relevant information about the progress of the construction works. typically, a site diary will include information on: weather conditions visitors on site for the period any deliveries of materials to site progress of work to date personnel onsite including subcontractors any comments and notes taken about the work undertaken Discrepancies and any inconsistencies in contract documents. Completion as the building starts to take shape, the contractor may be required to hand over part of the building to the client. the actual date of handover is planned and any outstanding issues relating to the construction works can be determined and a solution found. the period of notice required varies from site to site, but usually adequate notice is required in order to prepare the area and any other supporting documentation. the client should be in a position to accept the building for its proper use so the architect will usually insist on inspecting the area and determining for themselves that the work is to the appropriate standard of materials and workmanship, that all services and equipment are functioning appropriately and effectively and that the as-built record drawings are a true record of the actual building. the building manual which in the case of a simple domestic dwelling or house will be simple could extend to a complex and detailed manual of several volumes for an industrial or more intricate commercial building. a certificate of practical completion can be issued by the architect to the contractor which then enables the contractor to claim monies due for the construction work and address any defects and snags that have arisen so far. at this stage, the contractor has effectively completed the construction stage and has no responsibilities for the insurance of the building or its works. When all defects or amendments or outstanding issues are addressed, the architect will issue a final certificate and the account will be adjusted for variations, subsequent instructions and fluctuations in labour and materials prices and/or costs Feedback the final part of the riba plan is to analyse and evaluate the progress of what was expected with what was actually delivered. architects will need to determine what has happened in order to achieve better performance in the future. typically, an analysis and evaluation could include the following: what does the client think of the completed building? Does the building function effectively? What parts of the design were particularly successful or problematic? Could this design process have been undertaken differently and have provided a better service to the contractor or the client? What relationship and communication existed between the design team and the construction team? How could these be improved in the future? Did the contractor meet all the performance targets in a timely and effective manner? Did the design process run smoothly? If not, why? Was the job profitable and was the contract fulfilled? Why will my company use RIBA and what happens if it is altered or not adhered to. Why the company will use RIBA The riba plan is usually accepted as the most suitable plan, although many other types of plan are acceptable for smaller building projects or for instances where the riba plan may be too inflexible when conditions change frequently. The RIBA plan of work is known for being well planned, coordinated, and known for having a structured approach. Task 8- Compare the methods available for communication, for example, advantages and disadvantages of each. Explain why the contractor must implement these changes Distinction Criteria Task 9 Analyse and discuss in detail the RIBA plan of work in terms of handling a design change after work has started. Evaluate the effectiveness of the plan from design to construction phase and provide examples of the plans flexibility to resolve changes of design quickly. Include how these changes are quantified.

Definition And Characteristics Of Cluster Computing

Definition And Characteristics Of Cluster Computing The evolution of networks and especially the Internet is that nowadays, they need more resources to process data more quickly. Given that the use of a machine could not meet these requirements, it appeared that the act of distributing the spots over several machines to run simultaneously would remedy this problem. In what follows, we describe the different characteristics of a cluster and its various categories. Then we will look networks (architecture, topologies, components ,). Then finally we will discuss how communications are in clusters. 2 Definition and characteristics of a cluster Were talking about clustering, server cluster or farm Computing Technologies for designer consolidate multiple independent computers (called nodes) to enable management comprehensive and go beyond the limitations of a computer to: Increase availability Facilitating the scalability Enable load balancing Facilitate management of resources (CPU, RAM, hard disks, network bandwidth). Clusters of servers are an inexpensive method, residing in the establishment of multiple computers apparatre network that will be a single computer with more capabilities (more powerful, etc..), they are widely used for parallel computing. This maximizes use of resources enables the distribution of different treatments on nodes. A major advantage of a cluster is he no longer need to buy expensive multiprocessor servers but it is now possible to settle for smaller systems that can connect to the following one to other according to changing needs. There are different types of cluster: Extended distance cluster: This is a cluster with nodes located in different data centers separated by distance. Extended distance clusters are connected through a cable which guarantees high-speed network access between nodes until all the guidelines for the fault tolerant architecture are followed. The maximum distance between nodes in a cluster distance scope is defined by the limits of technology and data replication limits networking. Metropolitan Cluster: This cluster geographically distributed within the confines of a metropolitan area requiring authorization for filing of cabling and network components for data replication redundant. Continental Cluster: This is a group of clusters that use networks of roads and service networks public data replication and cluster communication to support failover package between different clusters in different data centers. Continental clusters are often located in different cities or countries and may extend over hundreds or thousands of kilometer. 3 General architecture of a cluster A cluster is essentialy composed by more than one machine (PC, server ), operating system, interconexion technologies, parallel programming environment, middleware and application- cation. Fig 1 : General architecture of a cluster 4 Differents classes of Cluster 4.1 High availibility cluster 4.1.1 Architecture Fig 2 : Architecture of a hight availibility cluster 4.1.2 Definition High availability clusters are used to protect one or more sensitive applications. To do this, the application and all the resources necessary for it will be controlled permanently. For powerful protection application, include this protection in the hardware, the network and operating system. Generally, several products are used to protect multiple applications on a same node but there are solutions that can protect as many applications as you want. With these solutions, we are not obliged to raise all applications and can be made case by case basis. If the cluster software reconnat failure then, initially, it will try to restart the X resource both locally on the same node. Then, if this resource does not restart, the software will start the application switch to another node. In any case, the customer will notice that the application is located on another node in the cluster and their access APPLICATION as before. The typical high availability clusters contain only a few nodes but can use clusters involving 32 or 64 knots. If a cluster contains more than two nodes, so we can define different switching planes. This can be useful to decrease the reduction of performance after a seesaw. 4.2 High Performance cluster 4.2.1 Architecture Fig 3 : Architecture of a hight performance cluster 4.2.2 Definition The main function of a high performance cluster (also called High Performance Technical Clustering HPC) is to increase the power of a PC. To perform this, it is necessary to cut the stain that has been carried out into sub-tasks. The result is the total sub-tasks. The Management Unit to coordinate all the sub tasks and the node that receives the result are the only critical points (single point of failure). These components can be protected via a high availability cluster. The crash of one of the nodes is not a disaster because the work of this node can be done by another. The performance of the cluster but it will weaken the cluster always work. 4.3 Load balancing cluster Architecture Fig 4 : Architecture of a load balancing cluster Definition A Cluster is a load balancing server farm with the same function. A splitter is required to distribute the requests of users each node, it verifies that each node has the same workload. The application will be sent to the node that has the fastest time in response to it. This algorithm can provide better performance at anytime. The performance of the cluster depend on the dispatcher. It will choose the node that has the opportunity to address the application of the user as quickly as possible. Without any protection the cluster load balancing can be a SPOF (single point of failure). Best is to add redundancy to this cluster. If one node is no longer in working condition, the cluster will work as same. The dispatcher will identify the dead node and does include more in its calculations, the overall performance of the cluster then it will decrease. The web-server farms (Google. ..) represent an example of cluster load balancing. 5 Inteconnexion technologies Today, improved network technologies help achieve more efficient cluster. These must integrate the speed interconnect technologies to support the wide bandwidth and low latency communication between nodes in the cluster. Because these two indicators measure the performance of interconnects. The selection of a technology cluster interconnect network depends several factors, such as compatibility with the hardware in the cluster, the operating system, price and performance. In what follows, we will detail some of the most used technologies. 5.1 Myrinet Myrinet (ANSI / VITA 26-1998) is a high-speed network protocol designed by Myricom to be used as system interconnect multiple machines forming a cluster. Myrinet causes much less overhead network on its own communication protocol that most used protocols such as Ethernet, and then offers a higher bandwidth, less interference and less latency when using the system processor. Although it can be used as a traditional network protocol, Myrinet is often used by programs that know how to use it directly, negating the need for system calls. Physically, Myrinet uses two fiber optic cables, one for sending data and one for reception, each connected to a machine via a single connector. The machines in question are connected to each other through routers and switches with low latency (the machines are not directly connected to each other). Myrinet also offers some features that improve tolerance to errors, mostly managed by the switches. These features include flow control, error control and st atus monitoring of each physical connection. The fourth and final version of Myrinet, also named Myri-10G supports a throughput of 10 Gbps and is interoperable in terms of physics with 10 Gbps Ethernet standard (cables, connectors, distance, type of signal). 5.2 Infiniband It is a computer bus has high-speed. It is intended to both internal and external communications. It is the result of the merger of two competing technologies, Future I / O, developed by Compaq, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard, with Next Generation I / O (ngio), developed by Intel, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems. InfiniBand uses a bi-directional bus with low cost, and enjoying a low latency. But he will remain very rapid, as it provides a throughput of 10 Gbps in each direction. InfiniBand uses a technology that allows multiple devices to simultaneously access the network. Data are transmitted as packets, which together form messages. The InfiniBand is now widely used in the world of HPC (High Performance Computing) as a PCI-X or PCI-Express APPOINTED HCA (Host Channel Adapter) operating at 10 Gbit / s (SDR, Single Data Rate), 20 Gbps (DDR, Double Data Rate) or 40 Gbit / s (QDR Quad Data Rate). It also requires specialized network using switches (or switches) and InfiniBand copper cables o r type CX4 Fiber for long distances (using an adapter to Fiber CX4). The protocol allows the use of InfiniBand these cards natively by making use of the protocol VERBS or software overlays: IPoIB (IP over InfiniBand) that presents an Ethernet layer on top of Infiniband and thus the possibility to configure an IP over InfiniBand ports. SDP (Sockets Direct Protocol), which presents a socket layer over InfiniBand. SRP (SCSI RDMA Protocol) which allows frames to encapsulate SCSI over InfiniBand. Some manufacturers offer windows InfiniBand attached storage rather than Fibre Channel. These overlays offer lower performance in the native protocol, but are easier to use because they not require the redevelopment of applications to use the InfiniBand network. In the world of HPC libraries MPI (Message Passing Interface) generally use the native layer to deliver directly VERBS best possible performance. Gigabit Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) is a term used to describe a variety of technologies used to implement the Ethernet standard has a data transfer rate of one gigabit per second (or 1000 megabits per second). These technologies are based on twisted pair copper cable or fiber optics. They are defined by the IEEE 802.3z and 802.3ab. Unlike other Ethernet technologies, Gigabit Ethernet provides flow control. The networks on which they are located will be more reliable. They are equipped with FDR, or Full-Duplex Repeaters that allow multiplex lines, using buffers and localized flow control to improve performance. Most of its switches are constructed as new modules for different models of compatible Gigabit switches already exist. 5.4 SCI (Scalable Coherent Interface) SCI Scalable Coherent Interface, IEEE Standard 1596-1992 is a providing a shared memory system has low latency across a cluster. SCI can use a memory extending to the set of the cluster, thus ridding the programmer to manage this complex. This can be seen as a kind of BUS INPUT / Output processor-memory via a LAN. The facilities of programming it offers and the fact that SCI is an IEEE standard has made it a fairly popular choice for the interconnection of machines in a high performance cluster. 6 Comparison of Interconnect technologies This comparison includes the main criteria for judging the performance of a cluster and by needs and resources of each organization technologies will vary. Gigabit Ethernet Infiniband Myrinet SCI Bandwidth 850 230 Latency (Â µs) 10 01/02/10 Max nods 1000 > 1000 1000 1000 Table 1 : Comparison of Interconnects technologies 7 Performing test A group of authors Pourreza, Eskicioglu and Graham led the ratings performance of a number of technologies we have presented above. The parameter they have taken into account is the timing of the execution of the same applications on cluster nodes identical. They tested a number of standard algorithms namely NAS Parallel Benchmark and the Pallas Benchmark and some applications of parallel computing the real world on the first and second generation Myrinet, SCI, but also on FastEthernet (100Mbps) and Gigabit Ethernet (1000Mbps). The results obtained are presented below. These tests were performed on a cluster has eight nodes under RedHat 9.0 with kernel 3.2.2 and gcc 2.4.18smp. Each node has: A dual Pentium III; a 550 MHz processor with 512 MB of SDRAM memory shared; local disks (all activities of entry-exit in the experiments are performed on local disks to eliminate the effects of access to NFS). Each node also has the first and second generations of Myrinet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet network interface card and point-to-point SCI (Dolphin WulfKit). All interfaces of network cards are connected to dedicated switches except those of SCI which are connected to a mesh configuration (24). 7.1 Bandwidth Fig 6 : Bandwith of four interconnects H. Pourreza,Graham,Eskicioglu Latency Fig 7 : Latency of four interconnects H. Pourreza,Graham,Eskicioglu The basic performance of different interconnect technologies in terms of bandwidth and latency are presented respectively in Figures 1 and 2. This indicates that Fast Ethernet is significantly lower than all the others, and Gigabit Ethernet is visibly lower than SCI and Myrinet shows that despite a bandwidth substantially similar. From these results, it is clear that Fast Ethernet is probably only suitable for applications related to the calculation. Conclusion The competitive nature of business and progress of research fields have created a need for computer systems scalable, flexible and reliable. Advanced applications now require a large computing power. Clusters provide a solution to his problems. Clusters represent a promising future for this new concept provides scalability in the world of data processing. Thanks to the different technologies we use to implement them, there are networks that are becoming performants. Because these new technologies can have high bandwidth and low latency. Performance tests carried out have demonstrated that some technologies were more efficient than others. When setting up the cluster, it should choose an architecture and an appropriate network topology to avoid excessively reducing network performance. The use of cluster is less expensive than buying a supercomputer, since it uses the resources of several machines on which the spots are distributed and most of the clusters using the Linux operating system which is a powerful system around because of its flexibility, workability and low cost. Sources : The essence of Distributed Systems : Joel M. Crichlow Parallel Computing , Theory and Comparisons : G. Jack Lipovski, Miroslaw Malek Parallel Computers : Hockney Jesshope Parallel and Distributed Computation, Numerical Methods :Dimitri P. Bertsekas, John N.Tsitsilklis. Practical Parallel Processing, An introduction to problem solvin in Parallel : Alan Chalmers and Jonathan Tidmus.

The Effect Of Third Party Candidates In Presidental Elections Essay exa

The Effect of Third Party Candidates in Presidental Elections Although citizens of the United States have the opportunity to vote for many different offices at the national, state, and local levels, the election of the president of the United States every four years is the focal point of the American political process. The American political system has maintained a two- party system since its inception. Political scientists argue that a two-party system is the most stable and efficient means of running a democratic nation as a mono-party system leads toward tyranny, and a multi-party system creates over- diversification and gridlock (Mazmanian 6). The Constitution of the United States does not in any way limit the structure of the political system to two parties. In fact, there has been no presidential election where there were only two candidates; however, third-party candidates are rarely represented in a majority of the states, and those that were on the ballot in a majority of states have never been successful. However, on a few occasions, third party candidates have been able to make a significant impact on the presidential election process such as George Wallace in 1968 and H. Ross Perot in 1992. Through nineteenth century there was little deviation from the traditional two-party system. Until then, political candidates were utterly dependant upon the political infrastructure of an established party for their campaigns. Until the development of mass media technologies, including radio and television, political candidates had no direct means of communicating with the public and were thus dependant on the communications systems of the major parties. Thus, third party movements lacked the capabilities to run an effective campaign against the major parties. However, mass media has changed the scope of the election process and brought about the demise of the major political parties (Robinson 147). Candidates who run a television dominated campaign have hurt their parties in a number of ways. The media specialists who manage such campaigns tend to be loyal to a candidate rather than to the candidate's party; as a result, the campaign supports a single candidate and not the entire ticket of the party. In addition, the heavy reliance on television allows a candidate to reach voters directly, thereby weakening the traditional function of the party as an info... ...eed, Ross Perot and George Wallace had a profound effect on the outcome of the elections they participated in, but Perot had a more lasting effect. Ross Perot proved to the world that it is quite plausible for a completely independent candidate to "walk into center stage and steal the show" (Robinson 141). With the decline of the political parties and their role in the campaign process, the possibilities for more successful independent candidates can only increase. Eventually an independent will go farther than swaying the outcome. One day an independent will win. Works Cited Brown, Gene. H. Ross Perot: Texas Billionaire. Vero Beach: Rourke Enterprises, Inc, 1993. Goldman, Peter and Tom Mathews. "The Manhattan Project". Newsweek (Special Election Issue) November/December, 1992. pp.40-57 Jackson, David. "3rd party chances gauged" Dallas Morning News. November 5, 1992. Mazmanian, Daniel A. Third Parties in Presidential Elections. New York: Franklin Watts, 1974. Murr, Andrew. "Superhero". Newsweek (Special Election Issue) November/December, 1992. pp.70-77. Robinson, James W., ed. Ross Perot Speaks Out. Rocklin: Prima Publishing, 1992. .

The Torpedoes :: essays research papers

The Torpedoes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The pre-war issue torpedo had the disadvantage of leaving a visible trail of bubbles on the surface on its way to the target.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The standard torpedo of the war suffered from early problems with its internal depth-keeping equipment, and its firing pistol, but these were solved after the Norwegian Campaign. In mid 1942 an improved version was introduced with an increased battery capacity. The increased battery capacity increased the range 50%. Falke, the first homing torpedo, was fitted with a passive acoustic homing device. It was introduced in March, 1943 and used by U-603,U-758, and U-221 against convoys HX-229 and SC-122. Few were used, as it was replace by the T5, which was faster, had a greater range and could be used with either magnetic or contact detonators. The Zaunkà ¶ning (Gnat) came into service during the autumn of 1943. Intended to be an escort-killer, it achieved some early minor success only to be countered by the allied Foxer noise-making decoy. It was scoring hits against escort and merchants to the end of the war though. The weapon was designed to lock onto the loudest noise after a run of 400m from its launch. This often proved to be the U-boat itself and standard issue-orders were to dive immediately to depth of 60m after launch from a bow tube while a stern shot was to be followed by a complete silence in the boat. Two U-boats were almost certainly lost when hit by one of their own T5 torpedoes, U-972 in Dec 1943 and U-377 in Jan 1944.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Variants All the German U-boat torpedoes were 53.3cm (21 inch) in diameter and had a warhead of 280kg. (The T5 had two important pattern-running devices, which could be applied to various torpedo types.

Good Girls Gone Bad :: essays research papers

Good Girls Gone Bad   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bars slammed against the cold metal; the sound of screaming and chaos filled the cell. I could hear a young girl crying in the cell next to mine and it made me sigh with sadness. As a former inmate of the State of Texas women’s prison facility, the echoes of the sounds I heard daily, still remain fresh in the back of my mind. Coming to terms with my sentence and trying to figure out what had landed me there sparked a curios interest. The increasing rate of women in prison and the factors leading them behind bars was clearly becoming more obvious as I spoke and lived with the ladies in white jumpsuits. To prevent and help these women and to also help those who have yet to make their same mistakes we need to better understand and evaluate some causes for their imprisonment. There are three main factors that I believe to be a major contributor to our daughters, mothers and children living behind bars: family status or situation, drug abuse and criminal activit ies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Family status and situations are important to our daily balance in life. We often depend on and care for those who we are closest to. A woman who had had an unstable or hostile living environment, whether it be rape, incest or molestation, will be more likely to end up living in prison for part or all of her life. Our family or caregiver(s) plays a vital role in determining our future success. If we are brought up with morals and Leslie McEntire Page 2 Respect towards others, we are less likely to want to be involved in criminal activity or drug use. As humans we also like to be hugged and kissed by those who call us their Own. If that affection and love is violated or destroyed all together, there is little chance for a normal recovery without expensive counseling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drug abuse was evident in almost every face I saw while at Plane State Jail. Although I was only 25 years old, I was aware of what drug use was doing to our beautiful women. It was written on their faces, scarred on their body and forever etched into their minds and souls. Although deadly and unrewarding consequences emerge from drug use, women continue to use and abuse hundreds of illegal substances. In many cases, women were using drugs because of pressures from their boyfriend. Good Girls Gone Bad :: essays research papers Good Girls Gone Bad   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bars slammed against the cold metal; the sound of screaming and chaos filled the cell. I could hear a young girl crying in the cell next to mine and it made me sigh with sadness. As a former inmate of the State of Texas women’s prison facility, the echoes of the sounds I heard daily, still remain fresh in the back of my mind. Coming to terms with my sentence and trying to figure out what had landed me there sparked a curios interest. The increasing rate of women in prison and the factors leading them behind bars was clearly becoming more obvious as I spoke and lived with the ladies in white jumpsuits. To prevent and help these women and to also help those who have yet to make their same mistakes we need to better understand and evaluate some causes for their imprisonment. There are three main factors that I believe to be a major contributor to our daughters, mothers and children living behind bars: family status or situation, drug abuse and criminal activit ies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Family status and situations are important to our daily balance in life. We often depend on and care for those who we are closest to. A woman who had had an unstable or hostile living environment, whether it be rape, incest or molestation, will be more likely to end up living in prison for part or all of her life. Our family or caregiver(s) plays a vital role in determining our future success. If we are brought up with morals and Leslie McEntire Page 2 Respect towards others, we are less likely to want to be involved in criminal activity or drug use. As humans we also like to be hugged and kissed by those who call us their Own. If that affection and love is violated or destroyed all together, there is little chance for a normal recovery without expensive counseling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drug abuse was evident in almost every face I saw while at Plane State Jail. Although I was only 25 years old, I was aware of what drug use was doing to our beautiful women. It was written on their faces, scarred on their body and forever etched into their minds and souls. Although deadly and unrewarding consequences emerge from drug use, women continue to use and abuse hundreds of illegal substances. In many cases, women were using drugs because of pressures from their boyfriend.

Global Challenges in Economics

â€Å"Take a look at this,† a coworker of mine said, tossing a pamphlet on my desk. It was the first thing in the morning. Sipping my coffee, I logged on to the network and leafed through the Excellence in Government publication. A few moments later the man returned and said, â€Å"Did you look that over? I think you†ll be perfect for it; give it a shot!† Already an employee with the Department of Veterans Affairs and a retired United States Army officer, I didn†t give the Excellence in Government Fellow program was for me. However, about a year ago I discovered that the Department of Veterans Affairs was suffering financially and structurally. Anyone who has worked within a governmental organization knows that effective management skills are requisite: such skills can often best be acquired through interfacing the knowledge of the business world with the particular needs of government organizations. Moreover, as our public service bureaucracies increasingly take on the character of corporations, departments like the Department of Veterans Affairs must be restructured and analyzed so that they can meet the standards of a demanding economic and political environment. Having recently become keenly aware of and concerned about the changes in our government services and to their fundamental structures, I am seeking a challenging professional position with the American government. As global economic and political affairs become more complex, the United States government will need new leaders and visionaries to rise to the fore. Like me, many of these new leaders will have dedicated their time and energy in service to the United States Army. Also like me, many aspiring new leaders will have worked in volunteer or professional capacities for the government. I offer years of varied and dedicated service for both the United States Army and the Department of Veteran†s Affairs. Therefore, I have already proven that I possess the skills and talents to be an effective public servant. Years of experience working in service to the government illustrates my level of passion, commitment, and drive. However, in order to participate fully, I will need the networking and experiential opportunities I can acquire through the Excellence in Government Fellow program. Thank you for your consideration.

Discuss issues of reliability and validity associated

Discuss issues of reliability and validity associated with the classification and diagnosis of phobic disorders. ( 8+16) A phobia Is an irrational fear which Interferes with daily life. For a phobia to be diagnosed It must meet the criterion set by the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Reliability and validity are two Important factors when considering classification of mental disorders; they must be present for an accurate classification to be made. Rellablllty and valldlty are linked because a diagnosis that Is not reliable Is not valid.Rellablllty refers to the consistency, such as questionnaires or scales to assess how fearful a person Is about something. Reliability of questionnaires or scales can be measured In terms of whether the test items are consistent, which Is called test-retest reliability. Another way of assessing reliability is whether two independent assessors give similar scores, which is called interrater reliability. Test re-test refers to how consistent results are when the specific interview/questionnaire is repeated.Brown et al (2001) conducted study which involved interviewing 1400 patients twice, the second interview occurred within 2 weeks of the first one. The interviews were based on criteria for various disorders in DSM -IV. Brown found that reliability in inter-rater agreement was excellent for specific phobia, social phobia and panic disorder wit agoraphobia. Reliability could have been higher for the various phobias than for other mental disorders because all phobias are associated with clear behavioural symptoms (avoidance of feared stimulus) which makes them easy to diagnose.This suggests hat diagnosis of phobic disorders according to the DSM is reliable however largely because phobic disorders are easy to diagnose . Brown et al also examined factors associated with disagreement between 2 interviewers. He found that inter-rater unreliability was caused by interviewers disagreeing whether the fear was causin g sufficient distress/interference to a person's life to warrant a phobia diagnosis. It was also caused by patient's reports of symptoms changing between interviews which could have been genuine.Another cause of difference between the two interviewers as that they made errors, as the same symptoms were presented to interviewers however different diagnosis given however this could be because they missed Important information. Skyre et al (1991) also found high Inter-rater reliability, 3 cllnlclans assessed 54 patients using SCID-I. He found +72 Inter-rater agreement which shows that phobia diagnosis Is reliable. Diagnosis of phobic disorders ld also reliable as Hiller et al (1990) found satisfactory – excellent diagnostic agreement In a test- retest study using MDC.Valldlty Is the extent to which a classification system easures what It claims to measure. We can assess the valldlty associated with phobic disorders by looking at content valldlty. Content validity means how much the diagnostic system addresses all of the symptoms In a given disorder. Seml structured interviews have high content validity because they were made to the classification system is vaild is to look at criterion validity. This looks into if individual receiving a diagnosis e. g. social phobia are any different to the people who have not been given the diagnosis in predictable way .