Only The Mind Percives Essays - Epistemology, Ren Descartes

Only The Mind Percives Descartes overall objective in Meditations on First Philosophy is to question knowledge. To explore such issues as the existence of God and the separation of mind and body, it was important for him to distinguish what we can know as truth. He believed that reason as opposed to experience was the source for discovering what is of absolute certainty. In Meditation Two, Descartes embarks on his journey of truth. I find, in Meditation Two that Descartes has accomplished part of his journey, in that only the intellect perceives the material world. Attempting to affirm the idea that God exists, Descartes comes upon the notion that he exists. He discovers that if he can both persuade himself of something, and likewise, be deceived of something, then surely he must exist (17 18). This self-validating statement is known as the Cogito Argument. Simply, it implies that whatever thinks, exists. Having established his existence, Descartes now begins to explore his inner consciousness to find the essence of his being. Eventually, he focuses on the act of thinking and from this, he poses the question: But what am I? [I am] a thing that thinks. A thing that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, and that also imagines, and senses (20). To prove that perception, on the part of the mind, is more real than that of the senses, Descartes asks us to consider a piece of wax fresh from the comb (21). The qualities we attribute to the wax are those derived from the senses. When melted, the qualities that we attribute to the wax are altered and can only be known to the intellect. It is the intellect that determines that although the appearance of the wax has changed, it remains the same wax (21). Here Descartes demonstrates that the information from the senses give us only the observable. It is the intellect that perceives the physical ever-changing world. A scepitc might pose the argument that we could not be certain that the intellect alone perceives the material world. Let us look at the Wax Argument. If one were to place wax in its form, straight from the comb, and wax in its melted form side by side, a person not knowing this would not be able to perceive the melted form to be wax. It would take closer examination, with our senses, to determine the melted form to be wax. Such as touching the wax and feeling the sensation of it hardening on our fingertips and examining it more closely with our sight. One may also say that we might use our memories to remember the sensation of melted wax. On can remember the sensation of hot wax from a candle, when dropped on the skin and how the wax feels once it has hardened. Again, one might conclude that it is not the intellect alone that perceives the wax, but possibly a combination of the senses, memory, and the intellect. Someone being a scepitc might also say it is possible that the wax itse lf is sending us the idea. There is no way to be certain. Descartes demonstrates how the ideas of the mind are more attune to finding knowledge, than the senses. What is this piece of wax which is perceived only by the mind (22)? Descartes comes to the understanding that even though the wax has changed its form, that it is flexible and mutable, it is the same wax. Although he previously thought that the understanding of the wax came from the perceptions of seeing, touching or imagining, he now believes that to be false. Rather it is an inspection on the part of the mind alone (22). The inspection can be confused and imperfect at first, but on further investigation the mind arranges the data, coming to a clear and distinct understanding. Descartes believes that, this process depends on how closely I pay attention to the things (22). He poses the example of looking out the window and observing men walking across the street. His mind tells him they are men without him having to see their masculine physical features. This is done automatically and without thinking. Therefore, his eyes see human forms walking across the

Pressured vs. Pressurized

Pressured vs. Pressurized Pressured vs. Pressurized Pressured vs. Pressurized By Maeve Maddox Many American speakers, myself included, have the impulse to laugh at statements like the following: Mendendez and Ensign try to pressurize the White House Should parents pressurize their children to get high marks in exams? We laugh because we think that pressurize should apply only to things like airplane cabins and pressure cookers. Some people who object to the use of pressurize in the context of psychological pressure often become quite testy in their criticisms: â€Å"I was pressurized into attending a girls college. I dont think she meant she had an air hose hooked up to an orifice to inflate her. The idea is that pressurize should be reserved for technology, while pressure is the only acceptable verb to use when speaking of psychological pressure. Neither British nor American dictionaries support the distinction. The online Oxford Dictionaries site offers the following among their examples of correct usage: Don’t let anyone pressurize you into snap decisions. People had been pressurized to vote. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary gives this example: Don’t let them pressurize you to do anything you don’t want to do. The noun pressure has been in the language since the Middle Ages, but the verbs pressure and pressurize are fairly recent coinages. Both verb forms originated in North America. The earliest OED citation for pressure with the meaning, â€Å"to apply pressure to, to coerce or persuade by applying psychological or moral pressure,† is from a Canadian publication dated 1911: Extreme protection brought the formation of gigantic trusts, which pressured the consumers, who are now in open revolt against that regime. The verb form pressurize was coined to describe the process of producing artificial atmospheric pressure. Pressurizing appears in 1940; pressurized in 1944. The use of pressurize to mean â€Å"to apply psychological pressure† is first documented in 1945: Thus, selective service continues to ‘pressurize’ recalcitrant military unfits into war plants. The use of quotation marks around pressurize indicates that the word was being used in a novel way. The most that can be said about pressure vs pressurize is that American usage prefers to reserve pressurize for technical contexts and save pressure for psychological contexts. Speakers and writers of British English don’t seem to be aware of any such distinction: A spokesperson of General Musharraf’s party said that fresh petition is an attempt to pressurize him to leave the country. He [Pravin Togadia ]also said that this election is the best time to pressurize political parties to ensure safety of Hindus. Brown’s administration â€Å"considered that any attempts to pressurize or lobby the Scottish government could be counterproductive to achieving this outcome Bottom line: Americans can continue to laugh at the use of pressurize in a psychological context, but British speakers are not amused. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Does [sic] Mean?8 Writing Tips for BeginnersAppropriate vs. Apropos vs. Apt

Operations and Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Operations and Project Management - Essay Example Similar to any other departments in an organization, the operations management department of the organization plays the most important role in determining the overall organizational success (Slack & et. al., 2010). An effective operations management thus helps an organization in positioning the products and services in the right place and in the right way that would make the most effective utilization of time and cost considerations. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the operations manager to ensure effectiveness throughout the manufacturing process (Fort Lewis College, 2015). Henceforth, the discussion will emphasize the issues of operations management faced by Challinor’s, which is a small scale manufacturing establishment of actuators for the aerospace industry. It will also cover the opportunities and problems being faced by the organization. Furthermore, a suitable Risk Matrix and Work Breakdown Structure will be provided in order to underpin the success of the project and thereby create a better experience for the customers with respect to the proposed relocation of the factory. Challinor’s is a small-scale manufacturing enterprise located in West Midlands that deals with the manufacturing of actuators for aerospace industry. The company has been able to develop a good reputation in the field of aerospace industry, producing the best quality products to the customers. The company also has performed an effective management along with adequate workforce of experienced engineers, which is one of the major advantages of the company that allows the manufacturing of products to be more effective and ensures best quality with fault free deliverance of services. Altogether, these factors contribute to the successful operations along with the opportunity of the company to expand that would help it in maximizing the overall profit. As the company has been able to gain a significant position in the aerospace sector, various large

Joan of Arc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Joan of Arc - Essay Example She participated in various war affairs for the separation of France from the powers of the English. She had a very persuasive personality as she was quite determined towards her aims and objectives and she was able to gather support of several individuals to fight for her cause (Twain XII). She was quite obviously an inspiring leader who led from the front and she participated in battles with great bravery and fearlessness. She did not depend on taking measures that were manipulative in nature; rather she was blunt and believed in action that was quite direct in nature. She faced life and death like a strong rock; she did not turn her back against her own army and instead fought to death when she was burned (Bunkers 89). Another great achievement of this Saint was the liberation of the region of Paris from the control of the English rule. During the battle she was badly injured and taken as captive by the Burgundies who were from the French race but were in support of the English rule. Later she was sold by this race of France in exchange of huge amount of money. She was regarded by her contemporaries as a heroine for her heroic activities during war and with her heroic nature she was able to persuade and lead others into attaining her objective of freeing France from the control of the English. For example during the war she was very seriously injured as an arrow slit through her neck, still she continue to be the in charge of the field and she kept fighting. Saint Joan of Arc has proven to be of utmost importance in current society than she was during her era. She was quite high in integrity and was very truthful which quite a missing element of current society is. This part of her personality was clearly highlighted by several literatures as they stated that Joan of the Arc was a person who always used to speak in a truthful manner even if the people liked it or not (Peterfy 159). Meeting

3three Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

3three - Case Study Example The student has spelling mistakes and grammatical error in the written response. The error is as a result of mixture of Spanish language and English. She does not know how to differentiate the correct English word from other Spanish language. The other issue is oral presentation among the group’s members. She speaks English that is mixtures of different languages which her fellow students could not understand even the teacher. Sentence construction also was a problem. She does not follow the order, she starts from any word. The words are not in a logical sequence which disobeys the order of grammar and sentence construction. The instructional strategy that could be challenging to the student is group discussion. The student could not interact with other student because of her oral presentation. She could not comprehend and give meaning as she interacted with other class member. The student could not interact with other students because of the difficulty in language. Interaction involves communication between and among the students. If she could not speak fluent English, others could not understand her. Group discussion becomes lively and appreciative if the entire student can speak and understand each other. The student could express herself but not fully because of inadequate vocabularies among her friends. The group discussion a strategy toward the student could be adjusted in order to accommodate the students. Before involvement in the group, the student could be taken through English vocabularies and how to arrange the sentence that could be used to guide the students before the group discussion. Close interaction with other students would give the student another opportunity to learn new language. Intensified written work would help to support. Learning vocabularies, written presentation and close interaction would give the student the opportunity to learn new ideas and words that would help her in interacting with other students

E-Commerce in Fashion

E-Commerce in Fashion Background E-commerce is in fashion so many companies of all sizes and types are reviewing their sales strategies.   Consideration is being given to either (or both) selling to other businesses electronically (B2B) or selling directly to individual customers over the Internet (B2C).   Many companies are failing to live up to expectations, with problems such as poor website design making ordering difficult, website failure (crashes) from overload or because they were incomplete, failure to confirm the order, subsequent out-of-stock, failure to deliver on time. The Project Brief You, as the project manager, are to plan a project for a Triangle software house to develop an online Hotel Management system for an international hotel chain.   The project is scheduled to start on6thof July 2010. The project should have the following options Guests: Room Reservations for guests Services: Adding other services use, restaurant use, bar use by guests Maintenance: To maintain records in the system Inquires: To know about availability of rooms, reservations, gust lists Four computers have to be supplied for the selected project and these computers needs to be networked. Required time schedule for the project is three months. From the Project Managers point of view, an e-commerce project is no different from any other project.   You need a framework to plan resources and budget; you must set the plan against an appropriate calendar; and you need to ensure that you include the managerial and quality-related tasks that will help the project manager succeed. You need to plan how the project should be initiated.   However, your initiation plan should be presented in sufficient detail for someone else to manage it.   You are not expected to have all the answers at this stage; part of the skill of project planning is to ensure that you put the tasks in place to find out what is unknown and to manage the obvious risks. Task 1 (a) As the Project Manager, you are expected to decide on the following: 1. The tasks required to carry out the project aim for at least 10-15 tasks.   Traditional File System (SDLC-System Development Life Cycle) Strategic Study Business study Feasibility study Requirement analysis Requirement Specification Logical system specification Logical Design Physical Design Coding Testing Implementation Maintenance Paste out Relate Traditional File System steps to Hotel management system Case Study. We use Traditional File System for Hotel management systemto develop their system. Strategic study: Project Manager goes to the Hotel study the current system; after he understood what the system that they need to develop is what they technology must use to develop the hotel. Business study:- Project Manager prepare a document project initiation document this will give the general   definition for the developing system   that document shown to the hotel managing director we get the approval to proceed the development the new system. Feasibility study: These step uses to traditional file system how to feasible for hotel computerizes Economical, Technical Operational, even the developing system is most modern if end users are working within difficulty that system isnt operational but this system is not difficulty use. Cost effective ways and ensuring that the investment can be recovered and realize the benefits with allocated budget. The technology needed is available and can be integrated with the other systems of the organization. Deciding how the new system going to fit the current operational system and whether its operationally acceptable. Checking whether the new project is violating law both local and international Requirement analysis: Firstly we interview Hotel managing Director asked question about the current system what they want to include their system to computerize ..,.   Investigating forms and documents which are very useful to determine system data flows and transactions Identifying the outputs by investigating below reports, Hourly report Daily report Monthly report Yearly report Then Checking latest updated procedure manuals and user manuals To study user activities and to concentrate on how it is being handle. Interviewing and supervisor level users to gather opinions about the efficiency about the system, determine the needs of the users that to be in the new system, more specific details about the system. Producing and arranging online Questionnaires for all operational users who are going to use the system. By this can gather information from all the people who are going to have direct contact with the system. Planning formal observation sessions at 3 main hotels, specially the reception area And closely observing the activities performed by the users. And observing customer inquiries reservation process etc Studying a subset documents or subset of the activity in the area in order to get an impression of the whole activity or document set .it is useful to verify findings from interviews or the above discussed techniques. Requirement Specification: How the new computer system should be working this is a kind of the document which clearly specifies the requirement of the users. Use :- Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)    Data Flow Diagram (DFD). Logical system specification:- This hotel computerize system   include several logical specification there are may be several technical option that could be adapted which are capable of delivering the requirement in this stage system analysis first design define what those technical options and then the help of manager select the most suitable option. Logical Design: This step we design a dialog design initial interface are design Update process that change on the line system data and Enquiry process concern the interaction of useful information from system data.(we should involve the hotel manager very strongly specially dialog design influence how to system looks and behave to its users) Physical Design: This step we design program design database design (ERD map into database components), this stage provides all the information required by the programmer. Coding: We use language is Visual Basic for coding.(First programmer code will be written in short pieces that outlines simple as well-defined program function.) Testing:- we tested correctness testing, performance testing ,reliability and recovery testing then security testing stress testing usability testing, unit and integration testing external function testing ,system testing, regression testing, acceptance testing, installation testing, completion testing, test documentation.(   discover and rectify errors below steps are planned to be done) Implementation:- This stage involve preparation of the target side and making the environment the network here the hotel new system to target environment will done and prepare in the user manual and training the hotel worker for the New system.| System will be installed shared in 4 computers which will be networked [LAN] (Configuration with I7 processors, 4 GB Ram..) With all required software. 2. Decide on appropriate task dependencies and state durations of them. Task Duration (1= 1 day)Reference Strategic study 1 A Business study 1   B Feasibility study 1 C Technical Feasibility2 Operational Feasibility1 Legal FeasibilityParallel with Op Feasibility(1) Economical Feasibility3 Requirement analysis D (Forms and documents)1 (Reports)1 (Procedureuser manuals)1 Interview-(Management level)3 Interview-(Supervisor level)3 (Questionnaires)1 (Observation)2 (Subset documentsactivity)1 Requirement specification 3 E Logical system specification 2F Logical design 10 G Physical design 20H Coding 5 I Testing J (Unit) 5 (Integrated) 1 (System)1 (User)2 DebuggingParallel with testing(8)K Implementation L (Installation)2 (User Training)2 (Parallel Running)7 MaintenanceContinues until phase out.M Total Duration81 -The explained tasks in task 1 are shortened and listed down above, under task name. -The Duration 1 is equals to 1 day. -Maintenance starts after implementing the project until phase out. -Total days for the project is 87-(81- planned days, and balances 6 days are to manage risks during the project period. (Table1.1) 3. Create an Activity Net work Diagram with respect to your identified tasks,AND must be given using a standard Tool such as MS Project or MS Visio Critical path- A   B C D E F G H I J   L MS Project Output (b)There are many elements in a typical project plan. One such element is the   Introduction which briefly describes the objectives of the project and the constraints, which affect project management. Prepare such introduction for this project using reasonable assumptions. List and explain with a sentence each other contents of a typical project plan. I am Nadeeshani and Im appointed as a project manager to develop this online hotel Management system for an international hotel chain by the triangle software house. The project is based on upgrading the existing system as an online system along with these main functions, Room reservations for guests The options to add other services like restaurant use, bar use, gym use, etc The system which has the ability to obtain inquires from the guests and the ability to give them an answer/feedback, for example for the customer queries like availability of rooms, reservations and guest list, etc. And to get all the above updates and inquiries from the parties and to maintain the records in the system We hope to start the project on 6Th of July 2010 and we were going to be finished in September 30th 2010 (3 month) period. On that project running period we are considering Saturdays Sundays as working days. We hope to finished this project 26Th of September 2010. The project has run 87 days but we are planning to be completed within 82 days rest 5 days we are planning to do collecting unanticipated problems complete the project report however we will make sure to complete this project in this 87 days period. This is the project plan how we are going to do the project. I hope the committee members will do their best to complete the project. The quality of the system will be maintained throughout the project by regular progress checking and progress monitoring. The project has been run through the 13 stages. Strategic study Business study Feasibility study Requirement analysis Requirement specification Logical system specification Logical design Physical design Coding, Testing Debugging Implementation Maintenance These stages are planned in a greater level of detail. (These plans are used to track progress on a week by week basis through regular progress monitoring.) These stages are also separated into sub tasks basically contains the lowest details. It will specify activities down to a daily level. This will be created in parallel with the above mentioned stage plans. And the monitoring and tracking will be on daily basis. As a project manager I hope we will be finished the project with less errors I believe you all are will be do your best. Clearly indicated whose responsible for what in the project, clearly shown what the project is to deliver, why and for whom and by making the project that can easily understand by everyone, mainly on time and within budget My motivation is to completely utilize my accumulated experience and knowledge to the fullest extent possible and making this projects a success. Task 2 (a) Explain what are your typical responsibilities as a Software Project   Manager in managing any type of software project and your typical tasks A software project manager has the overall responsibility for the successful initiation, planning, execution and closure of a project. A successful Project Manager must simultaneously manage the four basic elements of a project: resources, time, money, and most importantly, scope. All these elements are interrelated. Each must be managed effectively. All must be managed together if the project, and the project manager, is to be a success. Resources People, equipment, material Time Task durations, dependencies, critical path Money Costs, contingencies, profit Scope Project size, goals, requirements This title is used in the construction industry, architecture, information technology and many different occupations that are based on production of a product or service. The project manager must possess a combination of skills including an ability to ask penetrating questions, detect unstated assumptions and resolve interpersonal conflicts as well as more systematic management skills. The role of the project manager encompasses many activities including :-Planning and Defining Scope, Activity Planning and Sequencing, Resource Planning, Developing Schedules, Time Estimating, Cost Estimating, Developing a Budget, Controlling Quality, Managing Risks and Issues, Creating Charts and Schedules, Risk Analysis, Benefits Realization, Scalability, Interoperability and Portability Analysis,Documentation,Team Leadership, Strategic Influencing, Customer Liaison. As a software project manager my typical tasks in managing a software project will be below. Manage the production of the required product. Direct and motivate the project team. Plan and monitor the project. Manage business and project risks. Responsible for change control. Report the true progress report and stage assessment to the steering committee. Prepare the end project report. Responsible for project administration. Responsibility Matrix In a large project, there may be many people who have some role in the creation and approval of project deliverables. Sometimes this is pretty straightforward, such as one person writing a document and one person approving it. In other cases, there may be many people who have a hand in the creation, and others that need to have varying levels of approval. The Responsibility Matrix is a technique used to define the general responsibilities for each role on a project. The matrix can then be used to communicate the roles to the appropriate people associated with the team. This helps set expectations, and ensures people know what is expected from them. On the matrix, the different people, or roles, appear as columns, with the specific deliverables in question listed as rows. Then, use the intersecting points to describe each persons responsibility for each deliverable. Ex: (Table 2.1) A Approves the deliverable R Reviews the deliverable (and provides feedback). C Creates the deliverable (could be C (1) for primary, C (2) for backup). Usually there is only one person who is responsible for creating a deliverable, although many people may provide input. I Provides input N Is notified when a deliverable is complete M Manages the deliverables (such as a librarian, or person responsible for the document repository) In the table above, the Requirements Management Plan is created by the project manager, approved by the sponsor and client managers, and reviewed by the project team and analysts. The purpose of the matrix is to gain clarity and agreement on who does what, so you can define the columns with as much detail as makes sense. For instance, in the above example, the Project Team could have been broken into specific people or the person responsible for creating the Data Model could have been broken out into a separate column. After the matrix is completed, it should be circulated for approval. If it is done in the Project Charter process, it can be an addendum to the Project Charter. If it is created as a part of the initial Analysis Phase, it should be circulated as a separate document. Examples of responsibility codes are as follows. Our project may define different codes, as long as you explain what they mean so that people know what the expectations are for them. References http://www.lifecyclestep.com/open/407.0LifecycleRoles.htm (b) Briefly explain how you are going to manage the risk in the above project. Risk management is the process of analyzing exposure to risk and determining how to best handle such exposure. The project is planned to be a continuous process throughout the project until completion and considered in two main parts, the risk analysis part and the risk management part. I have planned to run risk management as below, At the start of the project, as a part of the decision of whether to undertake the project And at every end stage assessments Risk management includes the following activities Planning how risk management will be held in the particular project. Plan should include risk management tasks, responsibilities, activities and budget. Assigning risk officer a team member other than a project manager who is responsible for foreseeing potential project problems. Typical characteristic of risk officer is a healthy skepticism. Maintaining live project risk database. Each risk should have the following attributes: opening date, title, short description, probability and importance. Optionally risk can have assigned person responsible for its resolution and date till then risk still can be resolved. Creating anonymous risk reporting channel. Each team member should have possibility to report risk that he foresees in the project. Preparing mitigation plans for risks that are chosen to be mitigated. The purpose of the mitigation plan is to describe how this particular risk will be handled what, when, by who and how will be done to avoid it or minimize consequences if it becomes a liability. Summarizing planned and faced risks, effectiveness of mitigation activities and effort spend for the risk management. As an analyzing tool to assist in the risk management process, Decision tree is used to analyze the risks, Because the explanation for the result is easily described by simple graph in a simply understandable way which can be combined with other decision techniques as well. Important details can be generated based on its alternatives, probabilities, costs and their preferences for outcomes. First after analyzing the possible risks by identifying, Estimating the effectiveness by comparing the likelihood with the impact of a risk and finally evaluating by confirming that they are in correct sequence and the cross checking with the risk reduction options assessing the acceptable level of each other. We select the most suitable risk management approach for each risk and a detailed plan of action which confirms its goals will be prepared by discussing with members. The risk management consist four main activities and below tasks will be completed at the end of each part. Planning-: Most appropriate selection will be selected for each risk and a detailed plan of action which confirms its desirability and objectives will be developed. Sometimes this activity may proceed in parallel with risk evaluation.  §Resourcing-: This will identify and assign the necessary resources to do the work and will confirm that the revised plan is feasible and cost effective.  §Controlling-: This will make sure that the execution of the plan is having the desired effect on the risk. This will ensure the management of the risk process will apply effectively and it will modify the plan where it necessary.  §Monitoring-: This will check the stages of the risk and also check that the counted measures are happening effectively. During monitoring, if it feels that the risk management plan is ineffective, then we can go back to the risk analysis part. When managing the risks these below features will be considered mainly, Factors that need to continue correctly, threats, systemic risks for the successful delivery project and benefits, risks to the business, risks for the customers and suppliers, risks of unexpected outputs and success of the international hotel chain. This is how I have planned to manage the risk, which can happen during a process and which will effect with a negative result to the process in the project. Task 3 Configuration Management is an essential part of a project. In a large project Configuration librarian plays a major role. Configuration management (CM) is the detailed recording and updating of information that describes an enterprises hardware and software. Such information typically includes the versions and updates that have been applied to installed software packages and the locations and network addresses of hardware devices. Special configuration management software is available. When a system needs hardware or software upgrade, a computer technician can accesses the configuration management program and database to see what is currently installed. The technician can then make a more informed decision about the upgrade needed. An advantage of a configuration management application is that the entire collection of systems can be reviewed to make sure any changes made to one system do not adversely affect any of the other systems Configuration management is also used in software development, where it is called Unified Configuration Management (UCM). Using UCM, developers can keep track of the source code, documentation, problems, changes requested, and changes made. (a) Briefly out line some configuration items in the project given in the scenario. Manage the configuration: Hotel Management systemPlan what is required and how it will be achieved Guests: Room Reservations for guests Services: Adding other services use, restaurant use, bar use by guests Maintenance: To maintain records in the system Inquires: To know about availability of rooms, reservations, gust lists Four computers have to be supplied for the selected project and these computers needs to be networked. Required time schedule for the project is three months. (Use a Configuration Management Plan (Project Quality Plan) Identify components of the final product Use Defining and Analyzing Products (PL2) to create a Configuration Item Record Use unique identifiers for each product and each version: Project Product Type Product Name Product Version. Control changes to baseline products by using change authority Submit products to the Configuration Librarian to put under configuration control Release (issue) products and/or copiesS Product Status Account to record and report product information Report the status of products from the Configuration Librarian Verify product integrity Perform product configuration audits by the Configuration Librarian Perform project audits by Project Assurance. In the above hotel management system developing project at each stage end as an output as below final deliverables will be reported. 1st stage -Strategic study -information technology strategy will be produced. 2nd stage Business study -project initiation document. 3th stage Feasibility study- Feasibility report. 4th stage -Requirement analysis- the gathered exact requirements of the users to develop  Ã‚  Ã‚   the system will be produced as Requirement analysis report 5th stage -Requirement specifications-the requirements will be produced in a diagrammatic way and a wordy report. 6th stage Logical system specification -the mapped business and technical aspects of the system will be produced. 7th stage Logical design- interface design will be produced. 8th stage -Physical design -the database design and program design using miniature specifications like pseudo codes, flowcharts, structure diagrams, etc will be produced. 9th stage -Coding- the written program which is written with a programming language will be produced. 10th stage -Testing -testing report. 11th stage -Debugging-debugging report. 12th stage -Implementation- the released version of the system in the target environment. 13th stage -Maintenance-reports regarding the changes carried out throughout the system after the implementation. (b) Give a statement of the configuration librarians responsibilities. Configuration Librarian is the guardian of all the master copies of the projects products.   Ã‚   The role will be also to look after change control on behalf of the project manager. Purpose   : Custodian and guardian of all master copies of the projects products Receives, baselines and releases (issues) products Updates the product status and informs the Project Manager Maintains the Issue Log. The major tasks of the configuration librarian are summarized as follows:- To control the receipt, identification, storage and issues of all project products To provide information on the status of all products To number, record, store and distribute change control documents The specific responsibilities of the configuration librarian are as follows:- Assist the project manager to prepare the configuration management plan Create libraries at other storage areas to hold products Assist in the identification of products Create configuration item description records Hold the master copies of all project products Maintain the change control records Assist in conducting configuration audits Liaise with other configuration librarians where products required by the project are common to other systems (c) Briefly outline what are the things that we must consider in change control of Project Management. In this hotel management system development, will develop several documents that include all the importance issues regarding to   the development but sometime these document may need to be changed due to various reasons, when doing this changers it has to be done by stranded procedures its called ChangeControl . The change control document is the formal way into this projects any enquiry of a complaint or request, it can be raised by anyone associated with hotel project about anything such as:- A new function occurrence A frailer of a product In meeting some aspect of the user requirement Because of a possible misunderstand A problem with the planning A frailer of communication The change control mainly it has recharge control document such as:- Question document (when a question occurs about a change) It will be submitted to the configuration library and the configuration librar E-Commerce in Fashion E-Commerce in Fashion Background E-commerce is in fashion so many companies of all sizes and types are reviewing their sales strategies.   Consideration is being given to either (or both) selling to other businesses electronically (B2B) or selling directly to individual customers over the Internet (B2C).   Many companies are failing to live up to expectations, with problems such as poor website design making ordering difficult, website failure (crashes) from overload or because they were incomplete, failure to confirm the order, subsequent out-of-stock, failure to deliver on time. The Project Brief You, as the project manager, are to plan a project for a Triangle software house to develop an online Hotel Management system for an international hotel chain.   The project is scheduled to start on6thof July 2010. The project should have the following options Guests: Room Reservations for guests Services: Adding other services use, restaurant use, bar use by guests Maintenance: To maintain records in the system Inquires: To know about availability of rooms, reservations, gust lists Four computers have to be supplied for the selected project and these computers needs to be networked. Required time schedule for the project is three months. From the Project Managers point of view, an e-commerce project is no different from any other project.   You need a framework to plan resources and budget; you must set the plan against an appropriate calendar; and you need to ensure that you include the managerial and quality-related tasks that will help the project manager succeed. You need to plan how the project should be initiated.   However, your initiation plan should be presented in sufficient detail for someone else to manage it.   You are not expected to have all the answers at this stage; part of the skill of project planning is to ensure that you put the tasks in place to find out what is unknown and to manage the obvious risks. Task 1 (a) As the Project Manager, you are expected to decide on the following: 1. The tasks required to carry out the project aim for at least 10-15 tasks.   Traditional File System (SDLC-System Development Life Cycle) Strategic Study Business study Feasibility study Requirement analysis Requirement Specification Logical system specification Logical Design Physical Design Coding Testing Implementation Maintenance Paste out Relate Traditional File System steps to Hotel management system Case Study. We use Traditional File System for Hotel management systemto develop their system. Strategic study: Project Manager goes to the Hotel study the current system; after he understood what the system that they need to develop is what they technology must use to develop the hotel. Business study:- Project Manager prepare a document project initiation document this will give the general   definition for the developing system   that document shown to the hotel managing director we get the approval to proceed the development the new system. Feasibility study: These step uses to traditional file system how to feasible for hotel computerizes Economical, Technical Operational, even the developing system is most modern if end users are working within difficulty that system isnt operational but this system is not difficulty use. Cost effective ways and ensuring that the investment can be recovered and realize the benefits with allocated budget. The technology needed is available and can be integrated with the other systems of the organization. Deciding how the new system going to fit the current operational system and whether its operationally acceptable. Checking whether the new project is violating law both local and international Requirement analysis: Firstly we interview Hotel managing Director asked question about the current system what they want to include their system to computerize ..,.   Investigating forms and documents which are very useful to determine system data flows and transactions Identifying the outputs by investigating below reports, Hourly report Daily report Monthly report Yearly report Then Checking latest updated procedure manuals and user manuals To study user activities and to concentrate on how it is being handle. Interviewing and supervisor level users to gather opinions about the efficiency about the system, determine the needs of the users that to be in the new system, more specific details about the system. Producing and arranging online Questionnaires for all operational users who are going to use the system. By this can gather information from all the people who are going to have direct contact with the system. Planning formal observation sessions at 3 main hotels, specially the reception area And closely observing the activities performed by the users. And observing customer inquiries reservation process etc Studying a subset documents or subset of the activity in the area in order to get an impression of the whole activity or document set .it is useful to verify findings from interviews or the above discussed techniques. Requirement Specification: How the new computer system should be working this is a kind of the document which clearly specifies the requirement of the users. Use :- Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)    Data Flow Diagram (DFD). Logical system specification:- This hotel computerize system   include several logical specification there are may be several technical option that could be adapted which are capable of delivering the requirement in this stage system analysis first design define what those technical options and then the help of manager select the most suitable option. Logical Design: This step we design a dialog design initial interface are design Update process that change on the line system data and Enquiry process concern the interaction of useful information from system data.(we should involve the hotel manager very strongly specially dialog design influence how to system looks and behave to its users) Physical Design: This step we design program design database design (ERD map into database components), this stage provides all the information required by the programmer. Coding: We use language is Visual Basic for coding.(First programmer code will be written in short pieces that outlines simple as well-defined program function.) Testing:- we tested correctness testing, performance testing ,reliability and recovery testing then security testing stress testing usability testing, unit and integration testing external function testing ,system testing, regression testing, acceptance testing, installation testing, completion testing, test documentation.(   discover and rectify errors below steps are planned to be done) Implementation:- This stage involve preparation of the target side and making the environment the network here the hotel new system to target environment will done and prepare in the user manual and training the hotel worker for the New system.| System will be installed shared in 4 computers which will be networked [LAN] (Configuration with I7 processors, 4 GB Ram..) With all required software. 2. Decide on appropriate task dependencies and state durations of them. Task Duration (1= 1 day)Reference Strategic study 1 A Business study 1   B Feasibility study 1 C Technical Feasibility2 Operational Feasibility1 Legal FeasibilityParallel with Op Feasibility(1) Economical Feasibility3 Requirement analysis D (Forms and documents)1 (Reports)1 (Procedureuser manuals)1 Interview-(Management level)3 Interview-(Supervisor level)3 (Questionnaires)1 (Observation)2 (Subset documentsactivity)1 Requirement specification 3 E Logical system specification 2F Logical design 10 G Physical design 20H Coding 5 I Testing J (Unit) 5 (Integrated) 1 (System)1 (User)2 DebuggingParallel with testing(8)K Implementation L (Installation)2 (User Training)2 (Parallel Running)7 MaintenanceContinues until phase out.M Total Duration81 -The explained tasks in task 1 are shortened and listed down above, under task name. -The Duration 1 is equals to 1 day. -Maintenance starts after implementing the project until phase out. -Total days for the project is 87-(81- planned days, and balances 6 days are to manage risks during the project period. (Table1.1) 3. Create an Activity Net work Diagram with respect to your identified tasks,AND must be given using a standard Tool such as MS Project or MS Visio Critical path- A   B C D E F G H I J   L MS Project Output (b)There are many elements in a typical project plan. One such element is the   Introduction which briefly describes the objectives of the project and the constraints, which affect project management. Prepare such introduction for this project using reasonable assumptions. List and explain with a sentence each other contents of a typical project plan. I am Nadeeshani and Im appointed as a project manager to develop this online hotel Management system for an international hotel chain by the triangle software house. The project is based on upgrading the existing system as an online system along with these main functions, Room reservations for guests The options to add other services like restaurant use, bar use, gym use, etc The system which has the ability to obtain inquires from the guests and the ability to give them an answer/feedback, for example for the customer queries like availability of rooms, reservations and guest list, etc. And to get all the above updates and inquiries from the parties and to maintain the records in the system We hope to start the project on 6Th of July 2010 and we were going to be finished in September 30th 2010 (3 month) period. On that project running period we are considering Saturdays Sundays as working days. We hope to finished this project 26Th of September 2010. The project has run 87 days but we are planning to be completed within 82 days rest 5 days we are planning to do collecting unanticipated problems complete the project report however we will make sure to complete this project in this 87 days period. This is the project plan how we are going to do the project. I hope the committee members will do their best to complete the project. The quality of the system will be maintained throughout the project by regular progress checking and progress monitoring. The project has been run through the 13 stages. Strategic study Business study Feasibility study Requirement analysis Requirement specification Logical system specification Logical design Physical design Coding, Testing Debugging Implementation Maintenance These stages are planned in a greater level of detail. (These plans are used to track progress on a week by week basis through regular progress monitoring.) These stages are also separated into sub tasks basically contains the lowest details. It will specify activities down to a daily level. This will be created in parallel with the above mentioned stage plans. And the monitoring and tracking will be on daily basis. As a project manager I hope we will be finished the project with less errors I believe you all are will be do your best. Clearly indicated whose responsible for what in the project, clearly shown what the project is to deliver, why and for whom and by making the project that can easily understand by everyone, mainly on time and within budget My motivation is to completely utilize my accumulated experience and knowledge to the fullest extent possible and making this projects a success. Task 2 (a) Explain what are your typical responsibilities as a Software Project   Manager in managing any type of software project and your typical tasks A software project manager has the overall responsibility for the successful initiation, planning, execution and closure of a project. A successful Project Manager must simultaneously manage the four basic elements of a project: resources, time, money, and most importantly, scope. All these elements are interrelated. Each must be managed effectively. All must be managed together if the project, and the project manager, is to be a success. Resources People, equipment, material Time Task durations, dependencies, critical path Money Costs, contingencies, profit Scope Project size, goals, requirements This title is used in the construction industry, architecture, information technology and many different occupations that are based on production of a product or service. The project manager must possess a combination of skills including an ability to ask penetrating questions, detect unstated assumptions and resolve interpersonal conflicts as well as more systematic management skills. The role of the project manager encompasses many activities including :-Planning and Defining Scope, Activity Planning and Sequencing, Resource Planning, Developing Schedules, Time Estimating, Cost Estimating, Developing a Budget, Controlling Quality, Managing Risks and Issues, Creating Charts and Schedules, Risk Analysis, Benefits Realization, Scalability, Interoperability and Portability Analysis,Documentation,Team Leadership, Strategic Influencing, Customer Liaison. As a software project manager my typical tasks in managing a software project will be below. Manage the production of the required product. Direct and motivate the project team. Plan and monitor the project. Manage business and project risks. Responsible for change control. Report the true progress report and stage assessment to the steering committee. Prepare the end project report. Responsible for project administration. Responsibility Matrix In a large project, there may be many people who have some role in the creation and approval of project deliverables. Sometimes this is pretty straightforward, such as one person writing a document and one person approving it. In other cases, there may be many people who have a hand in the creation, and others that need to have varying levels of approval. The Responsibility Matrix is a technique used to define the general responsibilities for each role on a project. The matrix can then be used to communicate the roles to the appropriate people associated with the team. This helps set expectations, and ensures people know what is expected from them. On the matrix, the different people, or roles, appear as columns, with the specific deliverables in question listed as rows. Then, use the intersecting points to describe each persons responsibility for each deliverable. Ex: (Table 2.1) A Approves the deliverable R Reviews the deliverable (and provides feedback). C Creates the deliverable (could be C (1) for primary, C (2) for backup). Usually there is only one person who is responsible for creating a deliverable, although many people may provide input. I Provides input N Is notified when a deliverable is complete M Manages the deliverables (such as a librarian, or person responsible for the document repository) In the table above, the Requirements Management Plan is created by the project manager, approved by the sponsor and client managers, and reviewed by the project team and analysts. The purpose of the matrix is to gain clarity and agreement on who does what, so you can define the columns with as much detail as makes sense. For instance, in the above example, the Project Team could have been broken into specific people or the person responsible for creating the Data Model could have been broken out into a separate column. After the matrix is completed, it should be circulated for approval. If it is done in the Project Charter process, it can be an addendum to the Project Charter. If it is created as a part of the initial Analysis Phase, it should be circulated as a separate document. Examples of responsibility codes are as follows. Our project may define different codes, as long as you explain what they mean so that people know what the expectations are for them. References http://www.lifecyclestep.com/open/407.0LifecycleRoles.htm (b) Briefly explain how you are going to manage the risk in the above project. Risk management is the process of analyzing exposure to risk and determining how to best handle such exposure. The project is planned to be a continuous process throughout the project until completion and considered in two main parts, the risk analysis part and the risk management part. I have planned to run risk management as below, At the start of the project, as a part of the decision of whether to undertake the project And at every end stage assessments Risk management includes the following activities Planning how risk management will be held in the particular project. Plan should include risk management tasks, responsibilities, activities and budget. Assigning risk officer a team member other than a project manager who is responsible for foreseeing potential project problems. Typical characteristic of risk officer is a healthy skepticism. Maintaining live project risk database. Each risk should have the following attributes: opening date, title, short description, probability and importance. Optionally risk can have assigned person responsible for its resolution and date till then risk still can be resolved. Creating anonymous risk reporting channel. Each team member should have possibility to report risk that he foresees in the project. Preparing mitigation plans for risks that are chosen to be mitigated. The purpose of the mitigation plan is to describe how this particular risk will be handled what, when, by who and how will be done to avoid it or minimize consequences if it becomes a liability. Summarizing planned and faced risks, effectiveness of mitigation activities and effort spend for the risk management. As an analyzing tool to assist in the risk management process, Decision tree is used to analyze the risks, Because the explanation for the result is easily described by simple graph in a simply understandable way which can be combined with other decision techniques as well. Important details can be generated based on its alternatives, probabilities, costs and their preferences for outcomes. First after analyzing the possible risks by identifying, Estimating the effectiveness by comparing the likelihood with the impact of a risk and finally evaluating by confirming that they are in correct sequence and the cross checking with the risk reduction options assessing the acceptable level of each other. We select the most suitable risk management approach for each risk and a detailed plan of action which confirms its goals will be prepared by discussing with members. The risk management consist four main activities and below tasks will be completed at the end of each part. Planning-: Most appropriate selection will be selected for each risk and a detailed plan of action which confirms its desirability and objectives will be developed. Sometimes this activity may proceed in parallel with risk evaluation.  §Resourcing-: This will identify and assign the necessary resources to do the work and will confirm that the revised plan is feasible and cost effective.  §Controlling-: This will make sure that the execution of the plan is having the desired effect on the risk. This will ensure the management of the risk process will apply effectively and it will modify the plan where it necessary.  §Monitoring-: This will check the stages of the risk and also check that the counted measures are happening effectively. During monitoring, if it feels that the risk management plan is ineffective, then we can go back to the risk analysis part. When managing the risks these below features will be considered mainly, Factors that need to continue correctly, threats, systemic risks for the successful delivery project and benefits, risks to the business, risks for the customers and suppliers, risks of unexpected outputs and success of the international hotel chain. This is how I have planned to manage the risk, which can happen during a process and which will effect with a negative result to the process in the project. Task 3 Configuration Management is an essential part of a project. In a large project Configuration librarian plays a major role. Configuration management (CM) is the detailed recording and updating of information that describes an enterprises hardware and software. Such information typically includes the versions and updates that have been applied to installed software packages and the locations and network addresses of hardware devices. Special configuration management software is available. When a system needs hardware or software upgrade, a computer technician can accesses the configuration management program and database to see what is currently installed. The technician can then make a more informed decision about the upgrade needed. An advantage of a configuration management application is that the entire collection of systems can be reviewed to make sure any changes made to one system do not adversely affect any of the other systems Configuration management is also used in software development, where it is called Unified Configuration Management (UCM). Using UCM, developers can keep track of the source code, documentation, problems, changes requested, and changes made. (a) Briefly out line some configuration items in the project given in the scenario. Manage the configuration: Hotel Management systemPlan what is required and how it will be achieved Guests: Room Reservations for guests Services: Adding other services use, restaurant use, bar use by guests Maintenance: To maintain records in the system Inquires: To know about availability of rooms, reservations, gust lists Four computers have to be supplied for the selected project and these computers needs to be networked. Required time schedule for the project is three months. (Use a Configuration Management Plan (Project Quality Plan) Identify components of the final product Use Defining and Analyzing Products (PL2) to create a Configuration Item Record Use unique identifiers for each product and each version: Project Product Type Product Name Product Version. Control changes to baseline products by using change authority Submit products to the Configuration Librarian to put under configuration control Release (issue) products and/or copiesS Product Status Account to record and report product information Report the status of products from the Configuration Librarian Verify product integrity Perform product configuration audits by the Configuration Librarian Perform project audits by Project Assurance. In the above hotel management system developing project at each stage end as an output as below final deliverables will be reported. 1st stage -Strategic study -information technology strategy will be produced. 2nd stage Business study -project initiation document. 3th stage Feasibility study- Feasibility report. 4th stage -Requirement analysis- the gathered exact requirements of the users to develop  Ã‚  Ã‚   the system will be produced as Requirement analysis report 5th stage -Requirement specifications-the requirements will be produced in a diagrammatic way and a wordy report. 6th stage Logical system specification -the mapped business and technical aspects of the system will be produced. 7th stage Logical design- interface design will be produced. 8th stage -Physical design -the database design and program design using miniature specifications like pseudo codes, flowcharts, structure diagrams, etc will be produced. 9th stage -Coding- the written program which is written with a programming language will be produced. 10th stage -Testing -testing report. 11th stage -Debugging-debugging report. 12th stage -Implementation- the released version of the system in the target environment. 13th stage -Maintenance-reports regarding the changes carried out throughout the system after the implementation. (b) Give a statement of the configuration librarians responsibilities. Configuration Librarian is the guardian of all the master copies of the projects products.   Ã‚   The role will be also to look after change control on behalf of the project manager. Purpose   : Custodian and guardian of all master copies of the projects products Receives, baselines and releases (issues) products Updates the product status and informs the Project Manager Maintains the Issue Log. The major tasks of the configuration librarian are summarized as follows:- To control the receipt, identification, storage and issues of all project products To provide information on the status of all products To number, record, store and distribute change control documents The specific responsibilities of the configuration librarian are as follows:- Assist the project manager to prepare the configuration management plan Create libraries at other storage areas to hold products Assist in the identification of products Create configuration item description records Hold the master copies of all project products Maintain the change control records Assist in conducting configuration audits Liaise with other configuration librarians where products required by the project are common to other systems (c) Briefly outline what are the things that we must consider in change control of Project Management. In this hotel management system development, will develop several documents that include all the importance issues regarding to   the development but sometime these document may need to be changed due to various reasons, when doing this changers it has to be done by stranded procedures its called ChangeControl . The change control document is the formal way into this projects any enquiry of a complaint or request, it can be raised by anyone associated with hotel project about anything such as:- A new function occurrence A frailer of a product In meeting some aspect of the user requirement Because of a possible misunderstand A problem with the planning A frailer of communication The change control mainly it has recharge control document such as:- Question document (when a question occurs about a change) It will be submitted to the configuration library and the configuration librar

Essay on Faith in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown -- Young Goodman Bro

Faith in Young Goodman Brown  Ã‚        Ã‚   For those who have not studied the Puritans or their beliefs, Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" is not much more than a story of lost (or maybe just confused) faith. Hawthone, a man of puritan descent, had some oppositions to the ideals that Puritans followed. Some of these ideals are discussed in his "Young Goodman Brown".   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The basic impression that most people have of Puritans "describes them as dour, irascible, self-righteous, hypocritical people who hated sex, joy, and life. They dressed in black, they hated nature, they burned witches, and they repressed all natural desires,". This is the view that influences most people when Puritans appear in literature. We see the stereotypical hatred of the forest (the Devil's playground), the fear of Indians (the Devil's spawn) and the extreme fear of the Devil himself run rampant in "Young Goodman Brown". Hawthorne's description of the forest is very disheartening. "He had taken a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest..." (p 375) This is a rather depressing and f... ... not be so blindly relied upon. However, after a bit more delving, that the story speaks not only of faith and it's hazards, but of the flaws in the puritan system.    1.) Roberts, Trish. Background to the American Puritans.  Ã‚  http://www.missouri.edu/~engpat/purs.html. (accessed 2-1-02) 2.) Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown". printed in: A Handbook of Critical  Approaches to Literature: Fourth Edition. Editors Wilfred L. Guerin, Earle Labor, Lee Morgan, Jeanne C. Reesman, John R. Willingham. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 1999.

Book Review on Chinese Cinderella: the Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter

1 Book review on Chinese Cinderella: The Secret Story of an Unwanted Daughter By Caren Shin In wealthy families, babies are born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Not quite for Adeline. In fact, the recount of Adeline Yen Mah’s childhood is a relatively sad one even though her father was a millionaire. She was seen as bad luck to the family as her mother died after giving birth to her. She is always frowned upon by her older and younger siblings, neglected by her father and scolded by her stepmother. She has to learn to depend on herself as there was often no one to help her. The story reveals the two sides of her family: on the surface it is friendly and caring, while inside one can realize how the children are really treated by their stepmother Niang. As the youngest of five children from her father’s first marriage, Adeline has to suffer many blows because every one looks down on her especially when she receives her father’s praise. Adeline’s main reason for her love of school was to be away from her stepmother so that she could become a different person that was admired by her peers as she topped her class regularly. Her whole personality changed when she was away from her Niang and with someone that knew her from the heart; her friend Wu Chung-Mei, her Ye Ye and Aunt Baba. At age eight, Adeline was given a duckling, the only one left after all her siblings had picked their choice. Although it was not the best duckling, she still loved it dearly and treasured every opportunity that she could get with it. She named it Precious Little Duckling (PLT). I think this illustrates her love for her pet and that she was pleased that her siblings had left her one. It also gives a comparison of how each sibling is treated by their parents. Since she was the youngest and the least likely to make a fuss, her big brother took her duckling when her father ordered him to test the obedience training of his dog Jackie. Adeline immediately sensed her duckling’s fate; she knew that PLT was going to die. When Jackie’s demonstration of obedience was over, PLT was bleeding and passed away next morning. Adeline and her third brother buried PLT under a magnolia tree. Adeline was saddened by the above incidence and recalled every time when she sensed the presence of a magnolia, she would remember PLT. I feel this demonstrates the love she felt for PLT and how heartbreaking the experience as. Throughout this passage of the story, I envision there are many emotions often shown as colours that were being pressed into Adeline’s mind: white, yellow, black and brown. I have chosen these colours because white represents the magnolias, yellow symbolizes the feathers of PLT, black for the grim horror that happened, and br own for the eyes of PLT and the earth on top of PLT’s grave. When Adeline became a sixth former at Sheng Xin (Sacred Heart) Primary School, a democratic election was held in their class to see who would be their class president and head girl of the whole school. She teamed up with her friend Wu Chun-Mei who won the election for her. On her triumphant day, many of her supporters went to her house to give her presents. Her father and Niang were very upset and annoyed at the fact that Adeline’s friends were at their house, disturbing them. When she was called to her father’s room for the cause for all her friends to be there, Adeline did not know. Niang did not believe her and slapped her making her nose bleed. In front of all her friends (with blood still dripping down her face) she told them to go away because her father was sleeping. Then she was told to open all her presents in front of her parents and throw them all in the rubbish bin. I experience the sadness she has felt when she was 2 humiliated by her stepmother. Adeline must have had a determination not to show her weakness by crying. After this incident, Niang ordered her to pack all her things as Adeline, Niang and her father were going to Tianjin on an airplane. As she was on the plane, they had to fill out landing cards. Adeline’s father forgot Adeline’s Chinese name and her date of birth. Since her father had forgotten her Chinese name, Adeline felt deeply hurt as her father confused her name with her little sister’s. This meant that her father had forgotten all about her and had only remembered her little sister, even though she was his real daughter. I feel dreadful at the thought that her father could forget her name. Her date of birth became her father’s; November 30 because her date of birth was unknown. In this story of Adeline Yen Mah’s childhood life, I felt many ups and downs and how she might have felt. It was surprising to see a girl like Adeline being humiliated in front of her friends who wanted to support her. If I were in her shoes, I would feel scared and frightened because the supporters might not support me anymore because they had known of the family ugliness. I think that this family ugliness was hidden from other people seeing it by Niang and Adeline’s father. To prove this point, when Niang met other people, she wanted them to know that the family only had her two children. She kept the five children from her husband’s first marriage in the dark, thus swerving Adeline’s father into forgetting his former wife’s younger children including Adeline. Her father and Niang went with Adeline to Tianjin and left her as a border in St Joseph’s School. At first, there were many people attending the school but soon Adeline was the only student left in the whole school. All of them fled from the communist army. I feel how she must have felt in these circumstances as no one was bothered to look after her while she was the only student. She would feel bewildered and frightened at the same time as she was being punished from negligence by her father and stepmother. During this story I feel Adeline’s sadness, despair and happy moments. I feel very grateful that I am in a different family and that I did not have to go through what Adeline had to undergo. The story of her childhood is a very sad one, but I hope that other children do not have to suffer the same case as she did. Her life had many hopeful and downhearted moments she had and only determination helped her live through this dark period. Encouragement from her Aunt Baba and her Ye Ye was the only source to give her the strength to be a good scholar and prove her Niang wrong. In this story, Adeline has a message to neglected and unloved children of the world – within every one there is something precious and unique. Her childhood experience brings out the importance of perseverance in life. One must persist to do one’s best when one is hopeless, to have the faith when one’s spirit is down, and to change fears into courage and strength. Everyone of us can be Cinderella and successful as Adeline if we hold her belief that â€Å"one single positive dream is more important than a thousand negative realities. † END

The Bowen Reaction Series in Geology

The Bowen Reaction Series in Geology The Bowen reaction series is a description of how magmas minerals change  as they cool. The petrologist Norman Bowen (1887-1956) carried out decades of melting experiments in the early 1900s in support of his theory of granite. He found that as a basaltic melt slowly cooled, minerals formed crystals in a definite order. Bowen worked out two sets of these, which he named the discontinuous and continuous series in his 1922 paper The Reaction Principle in Petrogenesis. The Bowen's Reaction Series The discontinuous series starts with olivine, then pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. What makes this a reaction series rather than an ordinary series is that each mineral in the series is replaced by the next one as the melt cools. As Bowen put it, The disappearance of minerals in the order in which they appear ... is of the very essence of the reaction series. Olivine forms crystals, then it reacts with the rest of the magma as pyroxene forms at its expense. At a certain point, all the olivine is resorbed, and only pyroxene exists. Then pyroxene reacts with the liquid as amphibole crystals replace it, and then biotite replaces amphibole. The continuous series is plagioclase feldspar. At high temperatures, the high-calcium variety anorthite forms. Then as temperatures fall it is replaced by more sodium-rich varieties: bytownite, labradorite, andesine, oligoclase, and albite. As the temperature continues to fall, these two series merge, and more minerals crystallize in this order: Alkali feldspar, muscovite, and quartz. A minor reaction series involves the spinel group of minerals: chromite, magnetite, ilmenite, and titanite. Bowen placed them between the two main series. Other Portions of the Series The complete series is not found in nature, but many igneous rocks display portions of the series. The main limitations are the state of the liquid, the speed of cooling and the tendency of mineral crystals to settle under gravity: If the liquid runs out of an element needed for a particular mineral, the series with that mineral gets interrupted.If the magma cools faster than the reaction can proceed, early minerals can persist in partly resorbed form. That changes the evolution of the magma.If crystals can rise or sink, they stop reacting with the liquid and pile up somewhere else. All of these factors affect the course of a magmas evolution- its differentiation. Bowen was confident that he could start with basalt magma, the most common type, and build any magma from the right combination of the three. But mechanisms that he discounted- magma mixing, assimilation of country rock and remelting of crustal rocks- not to mention the whole system of plate tectonics he did not foresee, are much more important than he thought. Today we know that not even the largest bodies of basaltic magma sit still long enough differentiate all the way to granite.

Impact of Environment on Child Development

Impact of Environment on Child Development Free Online Research Papers In my report I’m going to touch on several topics pertaining to how genetic, environment, and what parents teach the child effects the development of the child. I also will discuss my views on parenting styles. I will discuss the consequences of parents working. I feel that the benefits of both parents working are not worth the consequences. If both parents most work their should be at least one home with the kids when they get in from school. In my opinion efforts to accelerate early development doesn’t work. If anything it slows down the process. Each child is different and will learn and do things on their own time. I never used a walker for my children because I felt they were to dangerous. I have seen babies fall off of porches and pull things down onto themselves. Without a walker or any extra encouragement my son walked at 10 months. As for my daughter she toke her time crawling, walking, and talking. With her the more we pushed the longer it toke her. Once we allowed her to do on her own we couldn’t stop her from talking or get her to sit still. Just like with anything else it is a mind thing. Once they get it in their heads to do it then and only then, they will walk. My advise for new parents is don’t waste your money on a walker. The interaction of genetic and environment do influence the development of a child. In my experience with raising a child that was not raised by their mother or father and they still have similar habits. I am raising three of my sister children and they all have some of her ways, even though she never really raised them. For example her oldest daughter, by the way she never raised her but they act just alike. That is were I feel her environment comes into play. You see my grandparents raised them both so I figure it must have something to do with how my grandparents choose to discipline them. Because my grandparents are what we call upper middle class. So they had the best of everything. Even so, the children still choose to be wild and crazy. Unlike me, who was raised by my mother along with three brothers and did not get the best of everything I chose a different path. Just like myself, my sister’s other three daughters were raised by my mother, and they are total opposite of their older sister. Now, don’t get me wrong, they still have some of their mothers ways. They just are not as bad as their sister. My sister’s father family has a history of depression, so that gene was past down to my sister who passed it on to her daughter. I’m sure that one of the ones I have my have it too, but it just has not presented itself yet. Taking this class and learning about the interaction of genetics and environment has only further my belief in this theory. A child is a product of their environment too. Children that I know who parents fight each other or other people are in more fights themselves then a child that is not exposed to such violence. I don’t believe that violence on television is the reason for children being so violent. We as parents are our children first influence. So what we do around them will determine what they do. Which brings me to my next issue. I feel that parents should be the ones teaching their children life values not the teacher or latest super star. If you start when they are young teaching them about respect. Once the child is old enough to talk and understand right from wrong is when you should start teaching them and working on building self-esteem. In this world today a child is never to young to learn the truth about the world. If we do not teach them before someone else does they my end up being miss lead. Parents that depend on others to teach their children the important things in life are setting them up for failure. We must start at home teaching them about sex, loving others, and not to hate people or bring them harm. We must show them love at home so they don’t go out looking for it in the streets. Even though kids will still do what they want if you teach them right from wrong then they will not stray far. Especially these days when so many children are raising children. I feel that this is an affect of parents working and also being single parents. Which causes parents to have to work to provide for their kids on their own. Which in turn leaves the children raising themselves because there is no one home to teach them. That is when children are easily miss lead and to do things that are not right. So even though some parents my have to work, they need to still take out the time to be there for their children to teach and love them. I believe that parenting styles and temperaments go hand in hand. The reason I feel this way is because parents that were to hard on their children grow up get out from their parents and rebel. Parents that are not so hard or not so easy either, children grow up to be good people. And those parents that were to easy on their children turned out to some of the worst kids you come across. For example my aunt is what we call an authoritarian and both of her children started rebelling in their teenage years. Right now, she has a teenage son that is giving her problems and her daughter did the same around the same age. Now my mother on the other hand was totally opposite and she never had any problems out of me. I never ran away like my cousins and I completed High School on time. My mother taught me when I was young so once I became a teenager she let me make my own chooses in certain situations. I feel her style of raising us was pretty good for the most part because I feel I t urned out just fine. It toke my cousin going away to college and away from her mother, to settle down and make something of her self so she would not have to depend on them anymore. Even now with my cousin, being on her own and has a child of her own, her mother is still that way with her. I think that being that way does not build a health and open relationship between parents and their children. When you don’t allow them to express their feelings then that is how we end up with kids shooting up schools. Parents must start treating children like they have brains and be open to them to talk to them about things that go on in their lives without fear of repercussion. Instead of telling teens not to have sex, educate them and let them know that you are always their for them when it comes down to them thinking about having sex. That would be a start at trying to cut down on teen pregnancy. So in the end parents are really the ones that determine what kind of person their kids turn out to be. In my report I talked about several topics that I feel are all linked together. The link of them all is the parents part in children development. The parents genetics, what parenting styles they choose, and where they choose to live all play a part in a child’s development. I also talked about the effects that parents working have on their children. Temperaments of a child are effected by the parenting styles that parents choose to use. I also touch on the acceleration efforts used to speed up development such as walkers. They do not help the process, but slow it down if anything. Parents must be positive and first influences on a child. Parents can’t expect for the schools, teachers, or preachers to be the ones to teach their children. And being too hard on your children can have a negative affect on how they act as teens. Parents most be more open and honest with their children these days, because there are so many other elements out there to teach your c hildren the wrong things. Basically I chose topics that I felt that I could relate to since I am a parent myself and come from such a big family where so many of us act a lot alike. While going over these topics it gave me proof of what I already believed. That parents and they interact with their child effect child’s development and life chooses. Research Papers on Impact of Environment on Child DevelopmentPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenStandardized TestingGenetic EngineeringHip-Hop is ArtComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseThe Spring and AutumnRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Wast Management in Construction and Demolition Research Paper

Wast Management in Construction and Demolition - Research Paper Example C&D waste would typically include most construction materials, such as concrete, wood, metals, gypsum wallboard, asphalt, and roofing materials; some have the opinion, however, that land-clearing debris that includes soil, tree stumps, and rocks should be included among C&D waste. Some would not consider these waste as they are materials that naturally occur in such form in nature, and are merely being relocated from the construction site. Some consider them as within the scope of C&D waste that must be addressed, because in the course of construction they would normally be hauled away for disposal (EPA, 2000, p. 2-1). 1.1. Historical background of C&D waste management and recycling industry There was a time when buildings were made to last, and it was not unusual to plan for structures to last for a hundred years or more. More recently, however, the â€Å"throwaway society† made it a practice to regularly demolish relative new buildings in order to build new ones in its place , which were deemed better suited to the changing tastes and needs of society. The forecast is that between 2000 and 2030, about 50% of all buildings at present shall be reconstructed, and 27% will be completely replaced. According to Priesnitz (2007:21), this practice is now viewed as wasteful and environmentally unsustainable. As a consequence, the green building industry focuses on creating structures that will last a long time, consistent with former practices. However, unlike the earlier practices, the new state of the art is aimed at creating structure that easily adapt and may be completely recycled if need be, instead of just being made to endure in the same state forever. The C&D recycling industry in the U.S. began to take shape in the 1990s, when â€Å"green† construction philosophies became the norm among companies in line with efforts to promote their corporate citizenship and social responsibility thrusts. In order to keep up with the competition, there likewise emerged the need to acquire Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for renovations as well as new structures. LEED points are awarded construction firms which have effectively implemented C&D waste management programs (Fickes, 2011). Aside from internal industry competitive pressures, government regulation had a lot to do with the furtherance of systematic C&D waste recycling. Many localities, including several counties in California, Oregon, and Washington, and the state of Massachusetts, had banned outright the disposal of C&D waste in landfills. Furthermore, landfill fees have steadily increased, increasing the costs to construction companies and fuelling the incentive to recycle C&D wastes. By 2009, the industry has grown to the point that Waste Management Inc. of Houston and McGraw Hill Construction of Massachusetts collaborated in profiling the fledgling C&D recycling industry, with some 200 building contractors surveyed and growth projections draw n until 2014. Their study shows that presently, contractors generate as much as 143 million tons of C&D waste yearly; roughly one-fourth of this (approximately 35 million tons) is recycled (Fickes, 2011:78). 1.2 Description and classification of C&D wastes The definition of C&D waste is a matter of importance, because the nature of the waste matter and the degree to which it is not contaminated by other waste materials determines the manner

Research Proposal on the topic Effects of substance abuse on prisoners Assignment

Research Proposal on the topic Effects of substance abuse on prisoners in Austin, Texas - Assignment Example The qualitative data shall be coded, enumerated and listed. Averages, percentages and chi square testing shall be used to analyze quantitative data. Photographs and matrix maps shall be used in the presentation of qualitative data. The quantitative data shall be presented in tables and graphs. Introduction Substance abuse among the prisoners in Texas has been on the rise in the recent past. The detrimental impacts that substance abuse has on prisoners cannot be underestimated since they present challenges to the victims and other stakeholders such as the society and correctional institutions. The high rate of consumption of drugs by inmates in prisons, impact negatively on their health, and in the extreme cases leads to death. Substance abuse in Austin prisons is not a new trend, and it requires maximum attention, as the effects on the inmates are severe. Prisons are places meant to rehabilitate and reform the inmates, rather than to destroy them, in one way or the other. Therefore, the high incidences of substance abuse in correctional facilities have led to questions raised about the effectiveness of criminal justice systems in Austin, Texas. The high numbers of prisoners in Texas and the increasing cases of substance is a major cause of concern. Hence, there is a need for close attention to avert negative effects. Purpose Statement The study focuses on impacts of substance abuse to prisoners and the society. A major focus was on establishing reasons behind the high incidences of substance abuse in the correctional facilities. Through the study, negative impacts of substance abuse on prisoners and the community as well as other stakeholders would be determined. The effectiveness of mechanisms put in place to treat substance abuse and rehabilitate victims is examined. This would help in identification of loopholes, which result in negative outcomes. Literature Review Literature Review The number of inmates in the US prisons has continued to increase with about 2 million people imprisoned (Neubauer, 2012). The issue of incarceration in the United States is faced with a number of challenges due to the high numbers of Blacks, Latin Americans, and Native Americans. According to Stuntz, (2011), this has been met with many questions concerning the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in the US. Texas has the highest prison population. This being the case, Austin its capital City is of major concern. According to Jennifer et al. (2012), there are many problems faced by inmates in most prisons in Austin, ranging from social to psychological problems. Some of these problems arise because of under-provision of programs and policies by the criminal justice system. Substance abuse in prisons is widely spread among many inmates (Texas Statistical Report, 2012). Despite the negative impacts that it brings, some inmates continue to abuse drugs for personal or other reasons. This has been associated with under-provision of treatment for drug abu sers in prisons, which make them, engage in this activity that deteriorates their health ,as well as their social lives. It has been noted that approximately 85% of prisoners in the US meet the criteria for diagnosis in drug abuse (Frakt, 2012). This is because this population has a problem of substance abuse. Texas has a wide range of correctional facilities, and this are meant to change the individual’s behavior as well as attitudes towards actions that may have led him or her to engage in criminal