Releasing Protected Health Information Essay

When it comes to the handling of patient’s records and them being released, it is not an easy process. It is very important for each patient that opts to have their information released for whatever reason sign a release form stating that they authorize their information being released. There are times in which a patient’s records can be released without having their authorization. In this case, the records can be requested from government agencies, legal agencies or a representative, and a research that may subpoena a medical profession for this information. Every person that becomes a patient in a healthcare facility is protected by something called HIPAA. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law passed by Congress that amended â€Å"the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insuran ce and health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance, and for other purposes,† according to Essential of Healthcare Management (2011). HIPAA is a set of rules that address the use of privacy and confidentiality of an individual’s health records. Any facility that practices with the care of a patient is subject to the privacy rule of HIPAA. The covered entities would be considered privacy and disclosure of information as protected health information. The covered entity is required to obtain an individual’s authorization prior to disclosing any health information. Every patient when seen by a healthcare professional is made aware of their rights to how they want their medical information to be used. The reason for this is to keep patients information private and protected.  What it does allow is some information to be able to be transferred with the patient from physician to physician so that they the physician can know something about the patient to help them in the best way that they can. There are different circumstances by which agencies or covered entities have the right or legal obligation to access or obtain Patient’s Healthcare Information (PHI). PHI is under the HIPAA that gives the privacy regulation the privacy that should remain between the patient and doctor. Under some circumstances the gove rnment has the right or legal obligation to a patient’s medical records. Any health care data for analysis in support of policy, planning, regulatory or management functions, it is permitted to disclose information to other government agencies for health data systems (according to http://www.ncdhhs.gov/healthit/exchange/NCLaws_alignment.pdf). Any non-covered government entities may only maintain a limited amount of data sets of information. This is so that the identifiers (name, address and Social Security numbers) can be removed before the government agency receives them. When files are usually authorized to the law officials, it may be because the person can be a victim of domestic violence to a government authority, abuse, and neglect. In a case like the patient is informed that their information has been released unless the health facility believes that a serious harm will occur or the person may portray to themselves. Researchers may need to use files without being authorized to do so if they need to find a treatment for the person. Trying to receive the approval from a patient can be time consuming by which can getting a glimpse at the files and starting the job is much easier. I believe that no matter what kind of storage that is placed on medical records, it is secured and should be assessable when needed. Law official/ researchers are able to subpoena records due to research or something. I believe that they should be authorized to obtain records without a patient’s authority depending on the case. I believe that having records subpoena should go by a base-to-base case. I believe that privacy safeguards are adequate to support the law agencies, researchers, and government agencies of having them be able to obtain information about a patient even without their consent. I believe that in the long run, it makes it easier for some of these agencies to be able to do their job without any interruptions and debater. Before starting this class, I did not know as much as I do now. I believe that the HIPAA law  is something that protects patients from their PHI being exposed to the wrong people. It is something that is great that is in place! References Green, M. A., & Bowie, M. J. (2011). Essentials of Health Information Management (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning. Legal Requirements for Consent to Disclose Patient Information. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.ncdhhs.gov/healthit/exchange/NCLaws_alignment.pdf U.S. Department Health & Human Services. (2013). Retrieved from http://ww

Brave New World Essay

I am a drug user, as is the bulk of society. Whether it be coffee or cocaine, any mind altering substance is defined as a drug. Even food these days is designed with addictive properties to make us want more, and thus, buy more. Illicit drug dealers have the same aim. The product is filled with foul substances but as long as people find it enjoyable to consume they buy it. â€Å"Crack Addict†, â€Å"Chocoholic†, ultimately they are both just by-products of an individual trying to make a dollar. The difference lies in what is socially acceptable and what is not. In Aldeous Huxley’s ideal society portrayed in his novel Brave New World, mind-altering substances are perfectly acceptable due to the government playing the role of the drug dealer. The difference between the dealers of today and Huxley’s dealers of the future is that the ones of the future were more intelligent. The World State didn’t introduce the drug â€Å"Soma† to make a profit from the actual drug but rather they made it freely available to allow the occurrence of the â€Å"brave new world† where mass production has lead to the wealth of the nation, and human life has lost its value. No one is anything more than an easily replaceable cell in the social body. No one can show their resistance if their mind is constantly numb from excessive drug use. Soma is not bought but given out in rations, as if it were as essential as food. The Delta’s reaction to having their Soma rations throw out the window leads one to believe that Soma was even more important than food. People die without food, but the Delta’s seemed to want to die without their Soma. The inhabitants of the Brave New World were conditioned to like Soma from their birth. Hypnotically taught lessons such as â€Å"A gramme is always better than a damn†. This is not such a crazy concept to grasp for this modern world. Hypnosis has recently been used in advertising. Advertising itself is everywhere; on the television, the radio, the local bus stop, on the bus, in the bus, outside the bus, on street walls, on huge billboards towering over the metropolis that we call our home. If that’s not enough you can even buy magazines, newpapers, books, catalogues and pamphlets, to look at what you’re going to buy next. This overload of information is frequently used by the drug industry of today. As musical artist â€Å"Lazy Boy† preached; â€Å"†¦we have more prescription drugs now than ever. Every  commercial on TV is a prescription drug ad. I can’t watch TV for four  minutes without thinking I have five serious diseases. Like, â€Å"Do you  ever wake up tired in the mornings?† Oh my god, I have this, write  this down! Whatever this is, I have this! Half the time you don’t even  know what the commercial is, there’s people running through fields,  or flying kites, or swimming in the ocean. Like, that is the greatest  disease ever! How do you get that? That disease comes with a hot  chick and a puppy!† Oh the appeal of sickness! In the â€Å"Savage Reservation† Linda drank excessive Mescal because she was in denial of that world, despite the sickness it created she always went back for more because she enjoyed consuming it. Then upon her arrival to the World State she ironically couldn’t handle it their either and went on Soma holiday. Her socially acceptable escape inevitably lead to her demise. It’s worthy of note that Huxley left this world in similar fashion, famously taking 100 micrograms of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) on his deathbed. To emphasise my point I’ll write a story that I concocted; There once was a boy playing football with his sister when he spied a blue moose,  It was a peculiar moose, not like any moose he had seen before.  He walked over to it and joked to his sister â€Å"What a fucked up looking moose!†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"No, you’re the one that’s fucked up† the moose replied.  The boy protested; â€Å"You are a talking moose!†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"You are talking to a moose† satirised the blue moose.  And with that the moose gobbled up the boy and left his sister on the field crying. The moral behind the story of the blue moose was that if you take drugs, drugs will take you. I believe too many people are eaten alive by the desire to experiment with the subconscious. I suppose this more frequently applies to harder drugs such as methamphetamine’s and opiates. Huxley was a pioneer of self-directed psychedelic drug use â€Å"in a search for enlightenment†. The art of thinking is a valid one and should be explored but this should not require a mind altered from its natural state. To what point is thinking if thinking has no point? How could one express oneself when no one else understands your thoughts? I believe this styled search for enlightenment is futile. Hard drugs destroy people, not enlighten them. True self-revelation comes from individual thought, not experiencing what your brain can do when you mess up the balance. The inner self that one finds through drug use has no genuine authenticity to it. Anyone can taste good chocolate if they are fed it, just like how anyone can be â€Å"enlightened† if they inject the same shit. Karl Marx described religion as the opiate of the people. Huxley inversely comments in his text Brave New World Revisited that â€Å"†¦soma is the religion of the people†. Opiates are dominantly used for pain relief and to induce a state of calmness. Is this what religion is used for? I believe the answer to that would depend on the individual. Despite this modern worlds conditioning and discrimination against difference no two persons are identical and what one truly believes in is dependant on the individual. As for Huxely’s comment on the substitute for god being Soma; the truth behind the statement is evident in our own â€Å"brave new world†. Soma is a fictional substance and although it represents a drug in the story is could be used as a metaphor for a lot more. Money is just as addictive as the hardest methamphetamine. With the onset the Great Depression bankers jumped from the windows of their skyscrapers, I suppose that would be a side effect of greed and the dependence on materialist happiness. It’s ironic that the building their happiness was built from was also used for their suicide.  So ultimately, the consumerism of substance abuse leads to more than the demise of the individual. It was the consumers’ money that funded the World State; it’s our money that fuels the drug industry. This then backfires as we form a dependence on whatever they fed us.

External factors affecting the fast food industry Essay

There are a number of external factors that have a deep impact on the sales and revenue earnings of the fast food chains. The changing demographics, shift in consumer taste and preference, eating habits, increase in cost of supplies and labor, economic condition of the geographical area in which the outlets are located – all these are some of the factors that affect the profitability of the business. Pricing strategy Families and individuals in the higher income group are most frequent visitors to the fast food restaurant. The disposable income plays an important role in determining consumerism in this sector. The prices on the menu card is not so important when it comes to catering to high disposable income group. But that restricts the customer base and may not be an ideal situation for the company. Today’s lifestyle has incorporated the fast food industry into its daily schedule. The Wendy’s or the McDonald’s have menu cards that suit the pocket of the low-income segment group too. Recently McDonald’s had introduced the Dollar Menu where all items cost $1 only. It was a runaway hit with the teenagers and youngsters. The variance in price has enabled McDonald’s to attract customers from all segments. In response to this pricing strategy Wendy’s and Burger King also introduced low priced meals to suit the pocket of all segments. Back Yard Burgers on the other hand have higher priced burgers at $3. 59. The premium priced menu card has not found acceptance with all consumer segments but the management does not want to compromise on the price of the products. It believes that in terms of quality of the food items the prices are reasonable. Back Yard Burgers wanted to distinguish itself from the cutthroat competition in the industry with premium quality products. The management strategy holds good in terms of quality and service but is it good enough for the survival of the company? A look at the sales figures for the past 3 years gives an indication of the sales and revenue trend. Consumer taste and preference The ever changing taste buds and increasing changes in lifestyle of the consumer has kept the fast food industry on their toes. Rising mobility, increasing number of women joining the workforce and hectic schedules leave very little time for a home cooked meal. The need for faster options in food and service was felt that led to the tremendous growth in the fast food industry. Quick serve burgers, pizzas and sandwiches accompanied by French fries and coke became the ideal meal for the average Americans. A diet rich in fat and sugar attracted the consumers in plenty. This resulted in obesity and a disease prone society. Diabetes, heart problems were some of the impacts that the cheesy diet had on the consumers. Lawsuits were filed against some major players in this field like McDonalds for the growing obesity among children and adolescents. This awakened the consumers of fast food and they realized the necessity for healthy alternatives. Health conscious consumers are more alert of what they eat and how it can affect them. The industry witnessed a radical change in consumer taste and preference. This brought about a sharp decline in revenues for the fast food industry. The fast food chain operators brought about a change in their strategy by adding salads, fruits, and soups to the menu cards. Low calorie burgers and sandwiches are offered in addition to the regular menu items. This offers the customers with choice to healthier meal options. Back Yard Burgers has also adapted to the changing consumer preference by adding nutritious salads and milkshakes to their menu card. Introduction of grilled charbroiled burgers that claim lesser fat and lower calories have attracted the consumer interest and taste. Healthier and tastier alternatives in food items prepared with fresh ingredients are the strategic point of Back Yard Burger’s customer service. This has not only earned it a good reputation among the loyal consumers who return for more of the great quality food and taste but has also strengthened its market position. But the fast food industry cannot ensure consumer loyalty since the interest of consumers is flickering. They always want to try something new and better variety of options in food that they consume. To serve the changing tastes of the consumer and maintain their interest the restaurant needs to constantly make changes to its menu card by adapting to their taste buds. Back Yard Burgers should keep this mind while formulating their operating strategy. With more fast food companies offering a wide range of products and services, Back Yard Burgers should also draft changes to its existing operating structure. One way of achieving this objective would be to combine the essential features of both fast food and full service restaurants. A menu card that features in a regular full service restaurant integrated with fast food service will work wonders for the company – boosting sales and revenue with an increasing consumer base. Event catering and home delivery service could also open newer avenues for the company.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 12

Assignment - Essay Example Also, he has not sharply brought the impression that the large mushroom of white smoke is not cloud, but smoke. Irrespective of the type of camera used, the focus of the image is clear. The photographer clearly aims and focuses on the tallest tower under fire attack. Other buildings surrounded by the tower are an addition to indicate the extent of damage brought about by the great explosion. The shallow depth of field used leaves every element out of focus except the buildings under attack, as well as the messy environment created by the impact. The purpose for using a shallow depth of field is to keep the viewer’s focus on the main subject (the tower), and to bring about a sense of mystery over where the event occurred. Additionally, crafting a monochromatic tone brings about a vintage feeling which further reminds the viewer that it is an historical event. When it comes to matters concerning the framing of the shot, the photographer intends to guide the viewer’s roaming eyes from the tower of focus, to the buildings surrounding it. The photojournalist also seeks to show the viewer the surrounding environments and buildings that have been literary blanketed by the mushroom of smoke coming from the tower. This adds extra interest on the picture. In the second picture, the photographer seeks to create an impression of a war-tone environment where there are casualties of war. He focuses on the dark, often unmentioned effects of war. The soldier pictured, is the subject of focus. The object he is trying to hold with his two hands, is probably a war victim, who might be a fellow soldier, or innocent non-combatants. The object that relays an impression of war includes the full combat outfit worn by the person under focus. The photo has an extremely sharp contrast which creates a blurring effect. The point of interest in this photo is the soldier. To distinguish them from other elements captured, the photographer captured a photo with a shallow depth of field,

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

420 - Essay Example In particular, almost 600 sea turtles, 100 dolphins, more than 6000 birds, and lots of other mammals were found dead. Besides, the oil spill increased mortality among whales. As ecologists report, the mortality rate among dolphins increased by 50 times. According to recent researches, however, the Gulf of Mexico is gradually recovering after the catastrophe. American oceanologists claim that reef-building corals, which cannot survive in contaminated water, are currently in quite good condition. They are reproducing and growing in the ordinary course. At the same time, biologists report insufficient increase in average water temperature. Some researchers, however, voice fears concerning the impact of the  BP oil spill over the Gulf Stream, which is known to be a powerful climate forcing factor. There is an opinion that its temperature has lowered by 10 °C. What is more, the stream tends to separate into several underflows. This may be one of the prime causes of certain weather anomalies which could be observed in Europe. Heavy winter frosts may be one of these examples. However, this is just one of the theories which needs to be proven. It is hard to say how much time nature will need in order to recover after the catastrophe. There is a hope that future generations will not feel its consequences, though there is no guarantee that similar incidents will not

Ethics exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethics exam - Essay Example n technology today have been beneficial, but it has also held its disadvantages as well as such advances have been made by the use of establishments such as factories and processing plants which have also been responsible for playing a large role in the pollution of the environment. To right this wrong the society cannot depend on the government alone as this will be too big a task to be handled by one institution and thus they will require the cooperation and help of every individual involved. It should be noted that one cannot easily thrive in a harsh environment and thus it can be said that the progress and achievement that has been realized by the society has been due partly to the environment and resources that it has had to offer. Knowing this it would not be right for the human population to then turn around and continue to indulge in activities that they are aware are affecting the environment in a negative manner. As a means of showing our appreciation, it should be every individual’s responsibility to take it upon themselves to play a part in cleaning up the environment no matter how small a role one might perceive it to be (De La Torre, 2004). Knowing that the environment is being destroyed and doing nothing about it equates to destroying the environment and thus it should be noted that one should not consider themselves innocent just because they are not involved in the pollution activities that are happening around them. The environment was also given to the human race by the Lord, and while doing so he put us in charge of its care and thus it is our responsibility. Just as one would not sit back and watch their child die we should not be unmoved by the plight of the environment (Pope Leo, 1890). Taking care of the environment will benefit every individual in the after all so the task should not be taken up by a few people, but by every single person present in the world. The alternatives at our disposal, as opposed to taking care of the

Higher Education Curriculum and Program Planning(Future Directions Research Paper

Higher Education Curriculum and Program Planning(Future Directions Question ) - Research Paper Example For a suitable professional in the current employment forum, graduates should uphold skills that will help them make informed decisions and possess significant communication, leadership, organizational, problem solving and technical skills. Therefore, the curriculum in place should be able to offer proper and required expertise in executing various tasks that a professional job demands and generally require (College Placement Council, 1994). Curriculum change has been fundamental in ensuring that it conquers with the major changing trends in the global business environment where these changes and late developments have significant implications for the reform of the professional education programs. This however has resulted to rising innovation, better organizational adaptability and flexibility, hence overall improved productivity (AACU, 2002). Future of curricular design Considering the changing business environment, the future of the curricular design is an evolving one that involv es considerations that are integrated in trainees’ deliberate decisions about education goals, content, instructional materials and methods, and assessment within social-cultural and organizational contexts. In examining these continuous changes, there is a reflection on various factors that influence these changes as explained as follows. Curriculum history Curriculum has been changing but its time past has been in question because students used to passively received information and acquired information that did not connect or conquer with the contexts where it would be used. For instance, in courses that require technical knowhow, the curriculum did not match with the demands of the career that requires trainees to posses certain skills that will help improve the productivity of the organization. In the chronology of a changing curriculum, assessment was mainly used to monitor the students learning, with the major criteria being articulation of the right answers. Students t ypically worked as individuals rather than organizing them in study groups and engages each other in discussions that would impove their understanding. The main objective of the colleges by then was just to transfer knowledge from the faculty to students as the curriculum provided through score sheets such as multiple choices. However, due to the upcoming requirements and changing environment, the curriculum has been reformed at a greater significance (Van, 1995). Forces influencing curriculum design The demands of a transforming society with varying needs and a competitive global market have greatly influenced design for the curriculum. Various innovations that are upcoming requiring specialized expertise have mostly affected the design for the curriculum to actually demonstrate what the trainees will be faced with in the market. An economy that is growing in a competitive region and latest inventions will need a form of learning that will equip graduates with necessary skill to co unter the challenges presented in these developments and even improve the innovations such us in engineering and medical fields. Currently, various faculties have embraced the learning centered paradigm as they create and implement major curriculum reforms. Accreditation also has played a pivotal

Answer the Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answer the Questions - Assignment Example In section 5, he suggests the date of the elections to be the same time as in 2003 (Taras & Waddell, 55). In addition, in 6, there is an introduction for the additional thoughts. In section 7, he gives hope to other Canadians who have cancer. In section 8, he thanks the members of his party for the support they accorded him and encouraged them not to be dissuaded by others. In 9, he talks of the fulfillment of national goals among other issues (Taras & Waddell, 59). In addition, in section 10, he thanks the members of the political class in parliament. He encourages them and acknowledges their working together. In 11, he thanks, Quebecers for making right decisions during elections. In 12, he encourages the young people and tells them to be always determined. In section 13, it is to all Canadians. He encourages them and tells them to make their decisions and not be swayed by anyone. In 14, he tells his friends to be loving and optimistic for them to change the world. Section 15 is the conclusion and with his name (Turk & Wahl, 80). The order of the topics and sections is in such a way that the previous topic leads to the next. In paragraph 2, parallel structure occurs when there is repletion of the word â€Å"my† in â€Å"my home†, â€Å"my spirit† and â€Å"my determination†. Climactic order has been achieved when arranging the words â€Å"notes†, â€Å"cards† and â€Å"gifts†. Parallel structure helps to achieve rhythm in the letter. In paragraph 7, an example of metaphor is â€Å"My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer†. An example of personification is, â€Å"To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The example of parallel structure is, â€Å"You have every reason to be optimistic, determined and focused†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Parallel structure also helps to achieve rhythm in the letter (Turk & Wahl,

Strategy Report ( FORD) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategy Report ( FORD) - Essay Example As part of the company’s business success, Ford UK managed to increase its car sales from 7,542 last February 2011 up to 8,957 last February 2012 (Ford, 2012b). One of the best strategies that made Ford become successful is its ability to expand its business through joint-venture programmes and acquisitions and close down the underperforming manufacturing plants. As part of the company’s global expansion strategies, Ford has been continuously entering into joint-venture with different foreign companies to improve and expand its production facilities. In 2008, Ford decided to acquire Automobile Craiova in Romania as its majority stake owner. After acquiring Automobile Craiova, Ford was able to operating its new vehicle production plant to serve the engine needs of its Ford B-Max (Ford Media, 2012a). Likewise, the company is also using this particular production plant to produce low-capacity engines for cars (de, 2009). Despite Ford’s continuous acquisition, the company is recently planning to close down its car plant in eastern Belgium (Associated Press, 2012). By doing so, the company can save a lot from its fixed operating cost. In response to the tight market competition in the world market of automobile products, Ford is being challenged to establish its production plant in another country. Through joint-venture and acquisition, the company was able to put up a new production plant within the earliest possible time. Since Ford is planning to close down its car plant in eastern Belgium, the company is expected to face serious problems with its employees and subcontractors. Therefore, future research will focus on Ford can enter into a win-win negotiation with the affected stakeholders. To investigate internal and external factors that can affect Ford’s strategy, a SWOT and PEST analysis will be conducted. Basically, the proposed research plan will make use of phenomenological approach to research. Since the main problem associated with

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Project Management - Essay Example Eurotunnel could not afford to delay the work as it had to incur huge loses of it. But the work got delayed due to the design problems of the Shuttle Wagons. The safety norms were very important as the channel tunnel was a 20 Km long enclosed tunnel under the sea. Fire accidents were very common in such situations. The IGC was responsible to evaluate the safety, security and environmental standards of the project. They found flaws in the design of the Shuttle wagon. Due to this fact, the project was getting delayed. The company had to again redesign its Shuttle by installing fire doors to secure the shuttle in times of fire accidents. The other changes in design led to modifications in other parts of the shuttle wagon. Eurotunnel, the owner of the channel tunnel had to incur extra cost and pay high interest due to such delays (Kirkland, n. d.). Project Background The Channel Tunnel was prepared keeping in mind the fire and the life safety issues. The designs of the channel tunnel and the shuttle wagon travelling through it were approved by the IGC. The channel tunnel comprised of two tunnels for shuttle wagons and in between these two tunnels there is a path or road mainly used for surveillance. These tunnels and the path are interconnected at three intervals and proper ventilation system was also there within the channel tunnel (Whitaker, n. d.).The shuttle wagon is the largest vehicle in the railway systems of the world. These shuttle wagons cover almost half of the tunnel space. The shuttle trains were about 776 m long and had 28 wagons and 2 locomotives. The shuttle wagons were manufactured by the Euroshuttle Wagons Consortium. These shuttle

The impact of ICT on the local community Essay Example for Free

The impact of ICT on the local community Essay Introduction I live in the borough of Waltham Forest. Waltham Forest is quite an advanced community in terms of technology. Technology is used for various things, whether to make them more efficient or to provide a better service. Walthamstow is a small town located within Waltham Forest, which also harbours Leyton and Leytonstone. It is located to the North East of London and bordered to the north by Chingford, to the south by Leyton and Leytonstone, to the east by Epping Forest, to the west by Tottenham and the River Lea valley. Walthamstow is identified by the London plan as one of the 35 major centres in Greater London. Walthamstows market is one of the longest daily outdoor markets in Europe and dominates the High Street. There are various shops lined along the high street with some high-end chain brands to several individually opened stalls that specialise in food, fabrics, household goods and other such stuff. The Mall in Selborne Walk is the largest place in the area to find lots of different brand shops selling high-end goods manufactured and produced to the mass public via corporations instead of individual businesses. The individual businesses tend to be all located outside on the high street. The central library has also recently been refurbished and modernised. It was expanded from 2006-2007 to hold a wider range of books to serve to the public and provide a much better service. Walthamstow also contains other things such as post offices, arcades, funfairs, charity events and a variety of different schools. These include the Frederick Bremer School (a coalition formed in 2008 of the two schools Aveling Park and Warwick School for Boys), Forest School, The Holy Family Technology College, Kelmscott School, Walthamstow Academy, Walthamstow School for Girls, Willowfield School and Sir George Monoux College. There is also the Walthamstow Town Hall. The town hall is used for a variety of things, from important council meeting to being rented for other reasons of necessity e.g. during the Muslim holiday, Eid, the Town hall was used as a place of mass prayer. The National Rail and London Underground Stations include Walthamstow Central Underground and National Rail station, Blackhorse Road Underground and National Rail station, Walthamstow Queens Road, Wood Street, Highams Park and St James Street. The biggest would be the Walthamstow Central Underground and National Rail station which is, as the name states, in the central of the town. It is located near the location of the main bus stations that go around the whole town and near the Selborne Walk Mall. This makes it quite an efficient place as people can travel throughout the town simply after arriving at the station. The station in particular is located on the East end of the Victoria Line, being the last stop. The bus services are also quite complex. There exists a full infrastructure Hopper Service and a multi point-to-point network which is serviced to and from the main bus terminal in Walthamstow Central to a cross network passing through the centre and the outskirts. The five pieces of technology I will be investigating, assessing and evaluating will be the following: * Oyster-card/Travel system * Librarian system * ATM machines * Waltham Forest Council website * CCTV/Metropolitan website Oyster card/Travel system The Oyster card system is a system that functions throughout all of London, within the Tube and Bus services. It is a form of electronic ticketing which uses a database system to track travel information, linking it back to the owner of the corresponding oyster card, and charges them to the appropriate degree for the travelling expenses of the services they used. Oyster cards generally need to be topped-up to be used and works similar in this function to a debit card. The following travel systems incorporate the Oyster card: London Underground, buses, the Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, trams, certain river boat services and the majority of National Rail Services within the London Fare Zones. The Oyster card generally appears as the blue card seen above. It can be used as a single-ticket, period tickets and travel permit. It is also integrated with a Smart card system which uses certain data in the Oyster card to be able to, without using contact, be detected by Oyster card machines. Buses and train platforms use Oyster card machines to scan the card. Once the beep is identified, the person is let through. However, there are also different versions of Oyster cards which also come with different prices and a different appearance. For example, the card to the right is an example of an 11-15 age group Oyster Card and is what all Oyster card holders in that age period hold. In this card, a photographic identification is needed. How the Oyster card and London travel system meets the communitys needs The Oyster card is a small, portable, easy to carry card that carries on it the data of all your travelling expenses and money stored on the Oyster card system. Not only this, but it also holds the advantage over tickets of being cheaper and providing discounts, with buses being completely free for 11-15 year olds. All of these provide the incentive to switch from the out-dated ticket method to the modernised Oyster card system. What this does for the community is provides them with a much more efficient and cheaper system. An oyster card can be topped up to a maximum of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½90. This would be equal to about 45 single tickets but the oyster card is capable of carrying this all in one simple card that stores data inside it. People can be much more organised with this system and save a lot of money in the long run. They can keep track of their travels and how much they are spending. Its portability is another thing that is extremely valuable to people who use the Oyster card system. People dont need to go and purchase a ticket and sort it all out. All they need to do is get their oyster card, tap it on the system and their travelling business is sorted! It makes travelling using public services much more simple for anyone using it. The smart card feature instils a small bit of data into the card, meaning that its data can be detected with the oyster card readers the government installs. People dont have to take their oyster card out of their wallets as the card reader can detect the card through wallets. This makes things easier, especially in crowded buses. The hassle of taking everything out, locating the card and removing it can overcomplicate things and waste time. The smart card feature takes away this long process and gives people the ability to simply tap and move on. The travel system incorporates a countdown system on trains and buses to allow people to approximately see when the bus/train will arrive, whether itd be late, early or on time. People can use this to know when to be present at the station so they can have time to do other things and know when to be back at the station. This gives people the chance to spend their time wisely instead of waiting at a station not knowing how long left to wait and not wanting to miss the train or bus, either. The countdown system on the train is more accurate as its all computerised but on buses, most of them are used via a time schedule on paper. The countdown system essentially allows people to organise their time, plan out much more thoroughly their journey and avoid being late to appointments. Theres a site created by the government that goes along with the travel system called Transport for London, accessed from www.tfl.gov.uk. This site has information about everything regarding the oyster card system, the train system and in general, any public transport facility in all of London. But other than information, it also has a travel planner allowing you to plan a journey, avoiding any problems such as closed lines or to be aware of any accidents that have currently took place. This allows you to plan a safe, fast journey with no obstacles delaying you. This helps people to be punctual on their journey. The site also allows you to log on and view your information. Using this, you can check the money on your Oyster Card and top it up using a credit card. This means that you can pre-plan your journey to make sure you have enough money preventing any problems when travelling. You can also find other information on the site regarding oyster cards, e.g. losing the card, replacing the card, benefits and many more. Buses have the ability to be manually stopped at certain stops but also have the choice to go past the stops. This means that unnecessary stops where no one needs to get off or no one needs to get on can be skipped thus saving time and allowing people to get to their desired destination faster. People can plan where they want to stop or skip the stop if need be. There is also the emergency stop which stops at any location in case something dangerous happens. This allows people to get off the bus in case of a casualty of some sort. As mentioned in the countdown system, buses have quite a strict schedule they need to follow. The schedules are all listed in each bus stop or on the tfl.gov site so people know when a certain bus will arrive. This can be more useful than the countdown system as the schedules stay the same every day. This means that people can plan their journey right to the dot and get to the station right when the bus arrives. People know when exactly to arrive, so they arent too early or too late. This saves them time. Summary * While not completely necessary to use public transport in Waltham Forest, it provides the incentive of discounted use of trains and buses, with buses being completely free with an 11-15 Oyster card * Easy to carry and easy to handle on buses and trains * Smart card feature allows a much easier contact/purchase of transport service, only needing a touch of the Oyster card and nothing more * Countdown system in buses and trains give people a lot more preparation and organisation to their daily schedule * Transport system has its own website-Transport for London-that displays all kinds of information and latest news regarding the transport system * Buses can be manually stopped and requested to stop at certain stops and if no requests are made, no stops happen thus saving time and helping people get where they want to faster * Buses all follow a strict schedule so people know when to expect a bus to arrive and at exactly what minute of the hour How it fails to meet the communitys needs A lot of times, you naturally assume that the bus will stop. However, if there is no one needing to be picked up or no one who has pressed the button to stop the bus, then the bus would simply carry on. This can cause a lot of people to be late due to carelessness which happens quite a lot. People have to stay alert when their stops are coming by otherwise the bus might simply pass it before they realise. Oyster cards are small and can be lost quite easily. They also cost quite a bit to replace and take up to a week for a new one to arrive. This can put a halt to travelling plans or force you to spend extra on buying tickets. Oyster cards, when lost or stolen, can still be used unless reported stolen. As a lot of buses or trains dont generally check if the ID/photograph matches, someone can easily just use your oyster card for their own travelling needs and use up your own money supplies topped up on the oyster card. While buses have a schedule, they can ruin it by coming late. This can be due to an emergency, an accident or just simple traffic. They can also come early causing some people to miss the bus and theyd have to wait for the next one. This can cause a few problems for people in terms of punctuality. Summary * Manual stops cause you to miss yours and ruin your schedule * Oyster cards cost a lot of money to replace and are quite easy to lose * Oyster cards can easily be used by a thief using your own money without being detected * Buses can ruin schedules by coming late due to an accident of sorts Conclusion The Oyster card/travelling system is extremely useful for a citizen in London. Its an extremely advantageous system to have and people benefit tremendously. It saves a lot of money for people in contrast to the previous ticket system and makes peoples travel much more organised and safe. People can premeditate their plans and journeys and plan through any foreseeable interruptions. The community find it much more beneficial in terms of arriving on time. Walthamstow Library/Librarian system A library is essentially a building or room containing books, periodicals and occasionally DVDs or CDs ranging from music to movies for people to loan for a period of time. It can also be a place to study, access computers, access a WiFi connection and lots more, depending on the library. The library in Walthamstow is called the Walthamstow Library. It is located on the Walthamstow High Street, one of the biggest high streets in the country. This means it is easily accessible to a large range of people as the high street is linked to a lot of transport facilities. Its area is extremely efficient as it can take advantage of the large amount of shoppers and shops in the area. It is open every day apart from Thursdays and Fridays. As well as providing the usual functions a library would, it also provides events to kids and even adults in the area such as specialty classes (computer, reading etc.). But the most beneficial thing a library provides to its community would be the loaning of books, DVDs and other such things which is essentially controlled by the librarian system. The library system in Walthamstow also connects with the library systems in other towns in London. They all share one database. Having worked in Leytonstone Library, I had access and in-depth experience to how exactly the librarian system works in the community. The library system works in correspondence with a library card which links to a database called OpenGalaxy. This database contains information of all the people who signed up to any of the libraries in all of London, unless they use another database. It also contains information of all the books in London that have been sent to the library. These books are then linked to each person in the database when they either loan or return it. The library can easily track each book and who it is currently loaned to using this system. How Walthamstow Library and the Librarian system meets the communitys needs The OpenGalaxy system essentially allows anyone, as long as they have simply signed up for a free library card, to loan a book, CD or DVD. Books are free to loan and CDs and DVDs come at a small charge. This allows people who cant afford to buy such things to simply borrow them and give them back. People have free or cheap access to things they usually would have to pay for. People of all kinds are allowed to enjoy books due to the library. People can use this system to reserve books from libraries not just in their local one, i.e. Newham Library and such as the system is connected between all the branches. This means that it is much easier to track a book you might not be able to find elsewhere as there is a large source in which you are searching in. People can also have internet access via laptops due to the public WiFi connection in the library. People who dont usually have access to such privilege can do so via the library. They can do all sorts of things to the internet e.g. research, study or even play games. There is also a quiet room where these people can go so they wont be disturbed in any way. People can find a place to go to where they can focus and not be distracted. The library also gives people free access to computers as long as they have a library card. People are given the chance to work on these computers if they dont have one themselves and its all a free service. This means that people who cant maintain their own computer or internet are given the chance to via a library. The library becomes an important place for people like this. The library also offers children/adult sessions on various things like singing groups, computer classes etc. These can be extremely helpful for busy parents who can simply leave their children here where they would be looked after and socialise with other kids. Adult sessions also mean that uneducated people can be taught how to do certain things that are necessary in this modern age e.g. use a computer which is an essential skill to keep up with the fast modernisation of the world. People who dont have access to a printer or photocopier at home can use the library. This means that people save money on not having to purchase their own printer and photocopier as they can simply use the library. People can print out work or photocopy posters and such using the library. Summary * People can loan a large variety of books, CDs and DVDs * People can use this system to reserve books not limited to their local branch * People can use the library to connect to WiFi * People can use the computers free of charge as long as they have a library card * People can use the quiet room to study in the library * People can take advantage of the librarys children or adult sessions * People can take advantage of the photocopying/printing privileges How it fails to meet the communitys needs The library has a minimal amount of faults as they are a funded public service to the community and do well in serving and providing to the general public. However, there are a few. For example, a library card has your library identity in it. If it gets lost or stolen and goes unreported, people can take books and not return them all under your name, thus giving you the blame. Also, the library card is extremely harsh with overdue books. If a book goes overdue, you have to pay a large fine or you cannot use the loaning system any longer. This fee soon increases if you dont pay and eventually becomes impossible to pay for some people as they would either refuse or just not bother with such a high amount. People would also have to pay an exaggerated amount if they lose the book. This can be a problem to people who cannot afford to simply pay this money, stopping them from loaning any more books. Summary * Library cards can be easily lost or stolen and used to steal books under your name * Pay a large fine for books you have lost or not returned within the due date Conclusion The library is a place with many uses and helps the needy who cant afford their own resources. It is an extremely valuable asset to the community as it provides a place to gain knowledge, finish work and study in peace. ATM machines ATM machines, also known as the automated teller machines, are public and easily accessible machines that give you the ability to access your bank account without the need of going to a banker, cashier or any kind of human interaction. They generally work via a pin number and an insertion of the credit card into the ATM. It then displays your credit card credentials, balance and gives you the option to withdraw and deposit your desired amount. How ATM machines meet the communitys needs With the ATM machine, people save the time by not having to go to a bank and wait in a long queue. An ATM machine simply does all these things for you. You can check your balance and withdraw plus deposit money. Its a very efficient method of transferring money from your bank account. Its a quick, fast and simple method to use. The ATM machine has easy instructions to follow to use it so even the most novice person can use it just by following the instructions given. You simply have to enter your credit card, pin number and then the action you want to take. This makes it easy for a lot of people to transfer money and saves a lot of time. Its located in a lot of ideal and efficient areas, such as outside a supermarket. This allows people to use them when theyre in a dire need of money without having to do something elongated such as going to a bank to withdraw a simple amount of money. If you forget some money you need, you can simply go to one of the easily accessible ATMs which are located in a wide area. This saves people a lot of hassle. The ATM machine can print receipts so if there are any errors due to a technical difficulty, you have proof that the transfer did take place. This saves a lot of problems that occur with the ATM machine and allows the transfer to be much more secure. If people stole your credit card, they could just take it to an ATM machine; steal all the money, leave the credit card and run away. The need of a pin number, which should only be known by the owner of the card, prevents this. A lot of credit card fraud is negated this way. Summary * Negates the need of the prolonged method of going to a banker * Quick, fast and simple to use * Located in a lot of areas allowing you to withdraw money in a large variety of places * Allows you to get money out when you most need it, meaning you dont have to carry large amounts of money wherever you go and put yourself at risk * Printable receipts so you can have proof of withdrawal or deposit in-case a problem occurs * Need of pin number prevents a lot of fraud How it fails to meet the communitys needs However, credit card fraud still takes place even with the need of a pin. It is easy to peek over and see what exactly the pin number is. This can also work with fake ATM machines to steal a lot of money from people. ATM machines are located in a lot of different places so itd be hard to tell if an ATM machine is fake or real. People can easily be taken advantage of in this way. Con artists can place ATM machines and use it to steal or copy a credit card and take a pin number and use it to steal lots of money from the credit card. People can easily be stolen from in this way. People are also easy targets to being mugged. If you are seen coming from an ATM machine, people assume you are carrying a mystery amount of money on you. This puts you as an ideal target for thieves who see you coming from an ATM machine. Thats why it is very dangerous to use one in a secluded area. The efficient, easy use of an ATM machine to withdraw cash can also be a big downside. With the ease of money transfer which is supposed to be securely stored, it might tempt you to withdraw too much for personal needs. ATM machines are strategically located outside casinos so when people gamble, they might be tempted to withdraw more money, especially with how easy it would be. Summary * Easy to fraud despite the need for a pin * Fake ATM machines placed in random locations by thieves and con artists might be used * Easy target for theft if seen coming from an ATM machine * Can tempt you to spend too much, especially if placed outside something such as a casino Conclusion ATM machines can be seen as being essential to a community as they allow the community to transfer money much faster and stops banks from being overcrowded. However, a lot of ATM machines in unsecure locations may put you at the risk of credit card fraud. So, while using them might be useful in terms of saving time and practicality, you are also put at the risk of being a target of criminals. Waltham Forest Council website The Waltham Forest council website is an extremely useful website that can easily be accessed from any computer, as long as they have internet. It provides help with living in the community and information regarding lots of things, such as education, jobs, leisure, information on services in the community e.g. timetables, open dates, events, and many more. People can access a feature called My services where they can do many things such as apply for housing, jobs, parking permits etc. to paying council tax and checking business rates and paying off parking fines. It provides a lot for this community and supports the whole communitys needs in lots of different ways. How the Walthamstow Forest Council website meets the communitys needs The vast amount of information which the site holds involving the borough is staggering. Anything you need to know is located on this site. You can learn about events, shops, clubs, schools and many more. People can use the site to find out all they want about the area they live in. People have access via this site to do things related to fines, taxes and other such things. This means that people wont have to get out of their house to do such things. It can all be paid via the website. This is extremely efficient and saves the community a lot of time. People can use the site to find any vacancies in the area in different areas of the job market. They can have up to date information on when a vacancy opens and do all they can to try and find a job, whether it be part time or full time. This is extremely useful to the large amount of unemployed who can simply find any open jobs using this site without having to go to job centres and such. Parents can look up education and find the best schools to go to in the area for their children using the site. They can find which school would fit their exact location and needs. This is extremely useful and helpful to children as parents can choose which school would suit their child best. You can find any current events or news that happen in the borough via the site. You can keep up to date with anything that happens. This beats the need for newspapers and makes sure people dont miss any community events. Summary * A large amount of information pertaining to the borough * Access to services and ability to do things such as pay fines and taxes which saves time doing it in real life * Find jobs in your area * Look up schools in your area * Find out any current events happening in the borough How it fails to meet the communitys needs The website does not necessarily have any disadvantages. But it does need an internet access which a lot of people still dont have or know how to use. Summary * Needs internet access Conclusion People, living in not just Walthamstow, but the whole of Waltham Forest benefit greatly from this site. They can keep up to date with their lives and know everything going on in the surrounding area. They can find out about jobs, education and other important factors of life. CCTV/Metropolitan website The CCTV system and the metropolitan website both work in keeping finding and keeping crime off the streets. CCTV, which stands for closed circuit television, is a system which uses video cameras to monitor a certain location which happens by sending the footage to the corresponding office it is connected to where it is viewed by the security of that particular place. For example, they could be cameras showing footage of a school, a supermarket or any other office environments. CCTV is generally used for surveillance. They are generally in places where there are risks of crime taking place. The metropolitan site is used to help capture crimes not seen by CCTV cameras or lacking evidence. People can report crimes and also stay confidential. This can allow people to supposedly snitch without the fear of being caught for snitching. How CCTV and the Metropolitan website meets the communitys needs When a criminal sees that a CCTV is in the area, they think twice about committing a crime. This is the first step CCTVs do in reducing crime. The fear of being caught on camera stops the crime from happening in the first place. If a crime is captured, then it can be used as evidence in a court case. It can be shown to prove that a person did commit a crime and help put the criminals behind a bar. This makes the community much safer not only knowing that CCTV would capture the crime if it took place but also that the criminal is locked up behind bars. The method of sending the video feed captured on a video camera back to where its being monitored is quite efficient in that its effective and fast at sending the information back. This makes it easier to capture criminals as the system works in a speedy way. Places such as schools where kids are most vulnerable are kept safe. If a stranger appears or something extremely dangerous happens, CCTV can be used to find the culprit. Dangerous people such as child molesters are found and arrested making school safer and making the kids feel much more secure being in school. The most effective use of the CCTV is that it can be placed in a large variety of places, watching crime from even the most dangerous areas. This allows it to be able to reduce crime no matter where it takes place. The metropolitan website aims to make London a much safer place. This provides reassurance in the community and they have access to a lot of the resources located in the site. People are able to confide in crimes while keeping their identity a secret. This stops people from being scared of being caught for snitching which can provide harsh consequences for the snitch in relation with his friends. The anonymity provides reassurance and a sense of security. Summary * The simple presence of CCTV deters criminals * If it captures a crime, it can be used as evidence * Efficient method of sending camera feed to the corresponding connection where it is being monitored * Keeps places such as schools safe * Can be placed wherever it needs to be * The website aims to keep London safe * Allows people to confide in crimes theyve witnessed while staying anonymous * Provides reassurance to people who are having from witnessing a crime How it fails to meet the communitys needs However, people do complain that CCTV makes for a lack of privacy for people. People feel that it invades what should be personal space. It is also quite expensive and advanced to set up as a whole. The CCTV system requires skill and knowledge of ICT to be able to set up properly and also a lot of money. Summary * Invasion of privacy * Expensive to set up * Can be quite advanced to set up Conclusion Overall, CCTV and the Metropolitan website work extremely well in keeping London secure and crime free. People are less worried about crime wherever they go and it adds an assurance to people knowing they are being protected.

Time to Rethink the Portfolio Essay Example for Free

Time to Rethink the Portfolio Essay Summary statement of the problem: Church Dwight Co. Inc. is a 160 years old company that has been working to build a market share on a brand name that is rarely associated with its name. In spite of having this status in the eye of consumers its product can still be found among several consumer products in 95% of all U. S. households. Because of its rapid growth brought by its several acquisitions it is now facing new challenges. It must now rationalize the firms expanded consumer products portfolio of 80 brands into the existing corporate structure while continuously seeking new opportunity for growth. Another issue that is evident is how will the company’s small size be able to compete for market share with its giant competitors both domestic and international market. 2. Summary statement of the recommended solution: The issues that the Church Dwight Corporation face is not an easy task for its board and management. The expanded consumer products should contribute to the continuous and steady growth of the company by retaining products that generates more revenues. Penetrating international market and removing barriers such as transportation cost will gain a competitive edge against the giant players in the market. The Church Dwight Corporation a was founded 160 years ago and became the world’s largest producer and marketer of sodium bicarbonate-based products in United States. Although its name was not popular one, its products can be found in variety of consumer products 95% of all U. S. households (Wheelen Hunger, pp. 35-2). The injection of key decision makers with extensive marketing experience abroad would be the key in penetrating the global market. This weakness would become its strength if the right people will be handling it. Right key personnel will surely make a better decision for the success of the company. International market could be jungle for company who has no experience but having somebody to handle wild encounters would be a key to its survival. The consumer products will surely be here to stay for the need of the consumer is endless. Therefore the fight for market share will always be present. The strength of Church Dwight will be continuously challenged all through out by newcomers. They should always be ahead all the time. Environmental issues will also be a major factor for them. Comply with existing environmental bill while promoting its products is a very good strategy. Nothing is more important in the mind of the consumer if you can show the usefulness of your product while taking care or the environment where he lives in. This is the same as hitting two birds as one.

Human Trafficking In The United States Criminology Essay

Human Trafficking In The United States Criminology Essay In 2006, Shaun Newell was seventeen when she was deceived by a friend that she had just known for a few days. Shaun slept at that girls house somewhere in Pensacola, Florida. Shauns nightmare began after that day. She was drugged, molested, and assaulted. Sadly, she became a victim of human trafficking. She was held for only four days, but they were the most devastating days that Newell will have to live with for the rest of her life (The Jammed True Stories of Human Trafficking Blog). Cbsnews.com sources states, the U.S. government says human trafficking is one of the largest criminal industries in the world-second only to drugs-and the fastest growing (Smith). Yet many people nowadays misunderstand that they are safe and protected when they are living in the U.S. It is because the U.S. has one of the best security systems around the world. However, many people do not know about human trafficking. It is a serious crime that takes place in America. Every day, there are people who are kidnapped, abused, and raped in America. Also, they become victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking is actually a different form of slavery. According to an overview about human trafficking issues from the website acf.hhs.gov, victims of human trafficking are young children, teenagers, men, and women. Additionally, the victims are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. In the website UN.org, it reveals some facts: More than 2.4 million have been trafficked into forced labor worldwide. 600,000 to 800,000 are trafficked across borders each year. 12,000 children are working as slaves on cocoa plantations in West Africa. That is a big number. In addition, human trafficking takes place in almost every country around the world, more particularly in developing countries. Young women are brought for prostitution or pornography, and others are brought for labor. http://notenoughgood.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/us_human_trafficking_chart-752955.jpg A statistic points out that a number between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States every year. Tracy Smith from CBS news claims that a lot of women were deceived for promised jobs, but then they were sold from $10,000 to $300,000, or they were brought for labor or prostitution. That just explains why many human traffickers bring their employees to the United States. It is because they can sell their employees for a high price that they never had at other countries. It seems that they gain more profit from doing that. In the article Okla. Women Shares Human Trafficking Story, Darrell Weaver, the agencys executive  director states, Someone told me years ago that human trafficking could be larger than drug trafficking. I didnt want to believe them. But now, its surely more troubling because of the  victims. Indeed, human trafficking has become a huge business. According to Pbs.org, the profits of human trafficking industry are estimated to be eight to ten billion dollars a year. This profit of human trafficking is increasing since there are more people who are deceived and trafficked. This is a good deal for a business. Getting ten billion dollars a year sounds unacceptable and strange because it is not very easy for a business to get that big number in a year. Moreover, Pbs.org strongly emphasizes, Players in this industry vary significantly in size, geographical range, and organizational structure. That means the human traffickers could be anyone, and even someone that we know. The human traff ickers could be everywhere. It seems that the human trafficking industry has so much power. It must have support. However, who supports it? There are a lot of groups and organizations that are committing this crime. Nonetheless, there are a few main organizations that have been really popular for doing this. One of them is Fuk Ching, an Asian gang that was formed in New York in 1980s. It is estimated that the organization has 35 members right now, not including the other 20 who are in the prison at the time. Even the number of the group seems not a big quantity. It has been involved in a lot of kidnapping, smuggling, etc (James O. Finckenauer, Ph.D). Furthermore, based on the article Italian Organized Crime, the FBI notes that the Italian Mafia is a really huge crime organization with approximately 25,000 members over the world. They even have several active affiliates in America with over 3,000 members. They are known for doing a lot of criminal acts, for example, weapon trades, trafficking, bombing, fraud, ga mbling, real estate, etc. Besides, they are high-profile for human trafficking as well. Based on the reports of the BBC, one in five Italian businesses was controlled by organized criminal groups in 2000 and had $900 billion in their assets. In addition, Italy is an important transit and destination country for the poor in Eastern Europe and the affluent West, particularly for migrants from Albania. Italian gangs cooperated with Albanian gangs to smuggle women and girls for prostitution. According to PBS, it states that this is a good road for crime business for countries such as Italy, France, and Germany. It also adds that Albanian Gangs are extremely violent and well-armed. Kidnapping young girls and bringing them to prostitution are their jobs. Out of many organizations, this is just three sample organizations that are involved in the Human Trafficking all over the globe. Nevertheless, there are still other human-trafficking organizations. Japanese Yakuza, The Chinese Snakeheads, The Russian Mafia, Thai Lans Jao Pho and Red Wa, Taiwanese group Heijin, Hong Kongs Triads, and so on are a few examples (L L Keene). Each of them has their own methods of doing human-trafficking business, and they always modify better and different ways every time they work. Abcnews.go.com shares a story of a fifteen-year-old named Debbie. She was a victim of human trafficking, and it changed her life forever. One evening in September, one of her friends named Blanca kidnapped Debbie. Blanca and two men took her into an apartment and started threatening her. Debbie was scared and fainted when one of the guys pointed a gun to her head. After she woke up, the captors raped her. Though, it was not the worst. For over 40 days, Debbie was forced to have sex with at least 50 men in different places every night. Debbie was put into a kennel, and that was her bed every day and night when she was not serving any customers. Debbie was afraid if she escaped, they would go after her family and kill them. Hence, she decided to stay. Police failed to find her in the apartment that she was held captive the first time they searched because she was put into a drawer under the bed and was too scared to scream. However, the police found Debbie in the same apartment the sec ond time. After the tragic event, Debbies family moved to another place. Debbies story was tremendously terrifying, yet this is just one of over thousand stories that could be easily found on the internet. How about the stories of people who were kidnapped and trafficked to be sex slaves or labor slaves? And their stories were never exposed to the public for some reasons which are horrible? Debbie was lucky that she was eventually rescued, but how about other people who had situations like Debbie? They never came back to their family or their loved ones. They may have died or may continue to suffer now. Human trafficking is harmful and horrific, yet not many people know its potential danger until they experience it. It is harmful because it damages victims physically. Based on the research of PecanGroup, Alexis Aronowitz writes, The use of sexual protection is negligible in this industry, leaving the exploited at a high risk of contracting various sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS that they further pass on to the men and their partners. That means the victims of human trafficking are forced to have sex with other men without using any protection. And that means they may have a high chance to get HIV/AIDS. That is so horrible. The author also addresses that the victims are forced to take drugs and have poor living conditions. They eat meals with lack of nutritious food that causes malnourishment and they are not given any medical aid or pills when they have various diseases (PecanGroup/ Alexis Aronowitz). Moreover, it is horrible because it damages victims psychologically, m ore particularly children. The children suffer from lack of self-esteem, emotional disturbance, disorientation, and depression and are scarred for life, the U.S. Department of State claims. Moreover, it also addresses that the children develop deep psychological disorders that they struggle with the rest of their lives even if they have been rescued. Of course, the U.S. Department of State believes that the rates of suicide of the children are very high. It does not matter how much medicine they take, or how many times per week they see therapists, or even how much their families are willing to help them. What happened to them will always come back and haunt them. Although the victims may escape from the human traffickers, they may live a life of fear. Law enforcement has difficulty dealing with human trafficking because of the embarrassment and fear of the victims, language barriers, or maybe sophisticated traffickers. However, law enforcement agencies ignore these challenges to bring human traffickers to justice. The FBI is an example. According to Fbi.gov: The FBI has stepped up its efforts to disrupt human trafficking operations worldwide and to free its victims. These efforts are focused on combating the exploitation of individuals who work in labor industries, such as agriculture and domestic service, and who are forced into prostitution and slave labor. This clearly shows that the government really takes this crime seriously and demonstrates that they care about the safety of their people. The FBI initiatives started in 2004, and has been co-operating with local police department, agencies, and other human trafficking victim advocacy organizations together to fight for this crime. So far, they have investigated almost 100 cases, and have solved most of them. The FBI infinitives goal for the future is that they will plan ahead future plan for the possible cases. In the meantime, they will connect to the residents and the community to get more information about this type crime so that the residents and the community groups will be more aware of it. While FBI is doing their jobs, good news comes out. President Obama decides to get involved in this issue since the human trafficking has become a bigger issue. In the article Obama Steps to Fight Human Trafficking, the author Ken Thomas and Matthew Daly writes that the White House orders prohibitions against human trafficking for federal contracts and subcontracts, including large oversea contracts. The author also notes the administration will provide more training for federal prosecutors, law enforcement officials, immigration judges and others to combat human trafficking. Human trafficking is a serious problem that the White House has stepped in. It is good news to hear because it shows how the Government cares for us. They do not ignore what is happening. And it gives a new hope for us and the victims of human trafficking. I think that the Government is trying as best as they could to help people. However, human trafficking is still happening. The only possible answer that I could come up with is maybe people who commit this crime always create different methods every time they act. It will be different than previous methods. The process will be cleverer, trickier, and more sophisticated. In addition, it has driven the police insane to figure out their agenda and how to solve it as well. Everybody has a responsibility. Every nation can take action, Obama spoke at Clinton Global Initiative (Rubenfeld, Samuel). I think that community is the powerful solution. That means we, the residents, should not always lean on the Government all the time. In a research Human Trafficking and Florida Law Enforcement, the author Sonide Simon writes, a policing philosophy that promotes and supports organizational strategies to address the causes and reduce the fear of crime and social disorder through problem-solving tac tics and police-community partnership. I think that we have to be careful, especially those who have kids. Parents should never allow their children go out at night. Teenagers should be warned about this issue. Educators should remind their students about this kind of crime as well as the methods to stay away from it. Furthermore, in each neighborhood, the residents should have meetings to discuss the safety of the area. Hence, neighborhood watches can be formed. As a result, I think it will be hard for human traffickers to commit their crimes. And there are other many ways that we could do to prevent kidnapping. The thing is that we have to step up and do it. In addition, building more websites about the harms of human trafficking is another solution. There are many websites on the internet. The website of U.S. Department of State (http://www.state.gov/j/tip/) is an example. The website updates the news or tips that the Government is doing to fight against human trafficking. Another example is the website humantrafficking.org. It was also built to combat human trafficking. This website is different from the previous website. It connects with many different countries like Australia, Vietnam, United States, etc. It is like a big alliance to fight against the human trafficking in the world. It mentions the plans of each government in different country do. It is a good idea for students like me to know more what the Government is doing to stop a serious crime-human trafficking. Because it is a website, it can rapidly disseminate the information to other people living in the world. That means I can share with other people, and they may share w ith others, too. As a result, many people will have a background of knowledge and awareness of this issue to teach their kids or to find better ways to prevent human traffickers. In conclusion, human trafficking is a serious crime because it is a different form of slavery. More and more people are trafficked every year. The victims are forced into heavy labors, prostitution, etc. In addition, criminal organizations are making good profit from human trafficking. Furthermore, human trafficking damages victims physically and psychologically, leaving them a chance to get HIV and fearful lives. Knowing the serious issue, the government has involved in combating human trafficking. Additionally, residents can also join the government to help fighting against human trafficking. The U.S. and international community need to step up efforts to help more than 20 million victims of human trafficking around the globe, Obama spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative (Ken Thomas and Matthew Daly). This is time for us to think of the human rights. We are human and we do not accept any slavery in this country or even the globe. We must fight against this crime. This is time for u s to wake up. We have to team up, step in, and do it. As a result, we can help reduce or wipe out human trafficking on this planet.

The Age of Reformation Essay -- essays research papers

The Age of Reformation The Age of Reformation - religious revolution in Western Europe in the 16th cent. Beginning as a reform movement within the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformation ultimately led to freedom of dissent. The preparation for the movement was long and there had been earlier calls for reform, e.g., by John WYCLIF and John HUSS. Desire for change within the church was increased by the RENAISSANCE, with its study of ancient texts and emphasis on the individual. Other factors that aided the movement were the invention of printing, the rise of commerce and a middle class, and political conflicts between German princes and the Holy Roman emperor. The Reformation began suddenly when Martin LUTHER posted 95 theses on the church door at Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. Open attack on the doctrines and authority of the church followed and led to Luther's breach with the church (1520), which the Diet of Worms (1521) failed to heal. His doctrine was of justification by faith alone instead of by sacram ents, good works, and meditation, and it placed a person in direct communication with God. Luther's insistence on reading the Bible placed on the individual a greater responsibility for his own salvation. The new church spread in Germany and Scandinavia, especially among princes and people who hoped for a greater degree of freedom. The conflict between the Lutherans and the Catholic Emperor CHARLES V was long and bitter. A temporary settlement was reached at the Peace of Augsburg (1555), but continued discord contributed later to the THIRTY YEARS WAR. Outside Germany, a different type of dissent developed under Huldreich ZWINGLI in Zurich, and within Protestantism differences arose, such as doctrinal arguments on the Lord's Supper. These were debated, inconclusively, at the Colloquy of Marburg (1529) by Luther and Philip MELANCHTHON on one side and Zwingli and Johannes Oecolampadius on the other. More radical ideas were spread, particularly among the lower classes, by such leaders a s CARLSTADT, Thomas MUNZER, and JOHN OF LEIDEN. In 1536 Geneva became the center for the teachings of John CALVIN, perhaps the greatest theologian of Protestantism. In France the HUGUENOTS, fired by Calvin's doctrine, resisted the Catholic majority in the Wars of RELIGION (1562-98). Calvinism superseded Lutheranism in the Netherlands, and it spread to Scotland through the eff... ...ermany and Switzerland, but his views, particularly about the TRINITY, were condemned by both Roman Catholics and Protestants. He fled to France, where he gained fame in medicine. After he had a work on theology secretly printed (1553), the INQUISITION moved against him. He escaped from prison, but he was seized in Geneva, on John Calvin’s order, and tried and burned there. Peace of Augsburg - September 1555- made the division of Christendom permanent. This agreement recognized a law that had already been well established and in practice: cuius regio, eius religio, meaning that the ruler of the land would determine the religion of the land. Mary I – ( r. 1553-1558) became Queen of England- procceded to restore Catholic doctrine and practice with a singlemindedness that rivaled that of her father. Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Theresa - Bernini (1598-1680) Italian sculptor and architect, the dominant figure of the Italian BAROQUE. His Roman works include the Churches of Santa Maria della Vittoria which houses his great sculpture the Ecstasy of St. Theresa. The "Black Legend" - (Bartolome de Las Casas) portrayed all Spanish treatment to Indians as unprincipled and inhumane.

Technological Diversification of College Students Essay -- Technology

Technological Diversification of College Students Writing takes on many faces, from personal stories to make believe places. College writing however, has a completely different designation. Furthermore, computer intensive college writing looks further into the depths of writing, focusing on technology and the writers behind the computer screens. With the unbound horizons of technology, students are exposed to a vast amount of culture, much more than the traditional pen and paper courses. Computer intensive college writing courses teardown roadblocks, allowing students to become aware of surrounding cultures, therefore diversifying their minds while exposing them to the current technology. Exposure to technology is key not only to succeed in a computer intensive college writing class, but also to succeed in the future. Technology has become more prevalent in today's society. From cell phones in purses, to email stations located all around college campuses. Technology is cropping up in business and industry; those without the skills to be able to interface with technology are pushed aside. As Kathy Camper wrote in her article "A Note from the Future," published in Wired magazine, "How do you think, see a system analysis job and I don't even no enough numbers to punch in and get inside the door" (Camper). This excerpt from Camper's article displays a prime example of a person who is shunned outside because lack of technological skills. Computers are the gateway to diversity, opening the doors to worlds thousands of miles away. These gateways allow students to understand and respect opinions not originally of their own. Maxine Hairston, a professor of rhetoric and composition at the University of Texas, holds views of how... ...hink, to generate ideas, and to present themselves effectively to the university and the community" (Hairston). Not only will the ideas learned by the students help them succeed in other courses, but also it will carry on with them into the future. From advancements in technology to the idea of cultural acceptance, college writing class is the starting point of creating diversified thinking and problem solving. Works Cited Camper, Kathy. "A Note from the Future." Wired. January 1995. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/3.01/camper.if.html. Calice, Corrine, Marshall Kitchens, and Richard Marback. "An Introduction to Reading, Thinking, and Writing in a Digital World." Writing Cultures in a Digital Age. Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2001. Hairston, Maxine. "Diversity, Ideology, and Teaching Writing." College Compostion and Communication. May 1992: 179-195.

Willie Stark as Huey Long Essay -- Literary Analysis, Robert Penn War

Robert Penn Warren’s novel, All the King’s Men depicts the tale of the rise of a political leader named Willie Stark. Many readers have speculated that Warren based Willie Stark’s character on Huey Long, a controversial, political leader from Louisiana who was prominent during the early 1900s. Although Robert Penn Warren has â€Å"repeatedly denied that Willie Stark is a fictional portrait of Huey Long,† many aspects of the novel directly correlate to the political career and personal life of Huey Long (Payne). Robert Penn Warren creates a character whose experiences and political career directly correlate to the events in Huey Long’s life. The speculations that Willie Stark is a fictional representation of Huey Long are indisputable due to the events in the novel and the characterization of Willie Stark, Huey Long came from a humble background. His father, Huey Pierce Long, Sr. was a â€Å"livestock farmer† from Winn Parish, one of the â€Å"poorest parishes in a very poor state† (Hueylong.com). Willie Stark also hailed from a modest background. Penn describes Willie as a â€Å"red-faced and red-necked farm boy† demonstrating humble roots similar to those of Huey Long (7, Warren). Willie also comes from a low class family, which enables him to identify with the common man of society. For example, during his impromptu speech in front of the convenient store, Willie uses Germanic diction and speaks to the â€Å"folks† in the town of his being called to â€Å"come home† and the importance of roots (16-17). Huey and Willie’s upbringings are clearly a connection between the two men and directly impact their personalities and decisions that they make throughout their lives. Perhaps a more concrete example of the association between the fictional Will... ... described as a man whoâ€Å"bathes daily in a swamp of corruption, including casual infidelity† (Keller). Willie Stark’s actual death in the novel symbolizes Huey Long’s â€Å"death† in the election for mayor following the unveiling of his less than acceptable actions. Although Robert Penn Warren denies the assumptions that Willie Stark was created as a fictional representation of Huey Long, the correlations between the novel, All the King’s Men and Huey Long’s life are indisputable. Warren’s development of Willie Stark’s character perfectly mimics Huey Long through his political advances, his sexual indiscretions, his personality, and his assassination in the Capital building. The historical parallels shine clearly throughout the plot of the novel, but the internal detail of All the King’s Men clearly demonstrates the connections between Huey Long and Willie Stark. Willie Stark as Huey Long Essay -- Literary Analysis, Robert Penn War Robert Penn Warren’s novel, All the King’s Men depicts the tale of the rise of a political leader named Willie Stark. Many readers have speculated that Warren based Willie Stark’s character on Huey Long, a controversial, political leader from Louisiana who was prominent during the early 1900s. Although Robert Penn Warren has â€Å"repeatedly denied that Willie Stark is a fictional portrait of Huey Long,† many aspects of the novel directly correlate to the political career and personal life of Huey Long (Payne). Robert Penn Warren creates a character whose experiences and political career directly correlate to the events in Huey Long’s life. The speculations that Willie Stark is a fictional representation of Huey Long are indisputable due to the events in the novel and the characterization of Willie Stark, Huey Long came from a humble background. His father, Huey Pierce Long, Sr. was a â€Å"livestock farmer† from Winn Parish, one of the â€Å"poorest parishes in a very poor state† (Hueylong.com). Willie Stark also hailed from a modest background. Penn describes Willie as a â€Å"red-faced and red-necked farm boy† demonstrating humble roots similar to those of Huey Long (7, Warren). Willie also comes from a low class family, which enables him to identify with the common man of society. For example, during his impromptu speech in front of the convenient store, Willie uses Germanic diction and speaks to the â€Å"folks† in the town of his being called to â€Å"come home† and the importance of roots (16-17). Huey and Willie’s upbringings are clearly a connection between the two men and directly impact their personalities and decisions that they make throughout their lives. Perhaps a more concrete example of the association between the fictional Will... ... described as a man whoâ€Å"bathes daily in a swamp of corruption, including casual infidelity† (Keller). Willie Stark’s actual death in the novel symbolizes Huey Long’s â€Å"death† in the election for mayor following the unveiling of his less than acceptable actions. Although Robert Penn Warren denies the assumptions that Willie Stark was created as a fictional representation of Huey Long, the correlations between the novel, All the King’s Men and Huey Long’s life are indisputable. Warren’s development of Willie Stark’s character perfectly mimics Huey Long through his political advances, his sexual indiscretions, his personality, and his assassination in the Capital building. The historical parallels shine clearly throughout the plot of the novel, but the internal detail of All the King’s Men clearly demonstrates the connections between Huey Long and Willie Stark.

Reconstruction of African Americans Dbq Essay

African Americans were given the opportunity to vote. There opinion began to matter. As Alfred H. Ward expresses in his art black men waiting in a line, it means much more than a single file. Displaying the men dressed in different outfits and uniforms waiting to put in their opinion, their vote (Document A). Negroes were now being viewed as another person and another opinion needed. It was even expressed that one shall not be denied a vote for their race (Document C). This is yet again another prime example of the African Americans new progress in a political aspect. Though it may seem a simple and smooth change it wasn’t a golden path through the transformation, some still could not accept the fact that black deserve to have the right to vote. Dramatic words and publication were existent during the late 19-century, even a cartoon was published of an African American man dying, and reason of death being he used his right to vote (document F). Soon the African Americans had their heads soaring high, some people were finally giving them some social respect. Along with the 14th amendment supporting their new freedom things seemed to be changing. Simply re stated â€Å" no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States† just with the first statement, African Americans are entitled to even more rights (Document B). Again, the civil rights act of 1875, this enacted that all persons of the U. S. shall be entitled to full enjoyment of accommodations, advantages, and privileges of inns, public water and entertainment. Also stating that this is applicable to every citizen of every race (Document D). Though yet again things were not always so positive and equal. â€Å"Jim crow laws of the deep south† created many restrictions and much un fair treatment. To the extent of marriages between white and blacks were prohibited in Florida (Document H). In Georgia one could not burry an African American where whites were buried (Document H). Also, in Mississippi, discussion of or defending for social equality would immediately be guilty of a misdemeanor (Document H). Some cases so harsh that blacks who would assert their rights would face unemployment, eviction, and sometimes physical harm. From evidence shown the African Americans had dramatic reconstruction stages in both political views along with social views. They received some respect and rights of being created equal. They also received their right to vote. Though, it didn’t all become easy and perfect they had much progress of reconstruction. Many changes were made. As many lives were transformed.

Underground Hiphop

Michelle Godinho Anthropology 3 MW May 21, 2012 Underground Hip-Hop Introduction: After participating in an event known as â€Å"Paid Dues† (a music festival where artists whose music genre which is underground hip-hop), I will study through an Anthropological perspective, the subculture of underground hip-hop in the USA. Underground Hip-hop is a broad term for rappers and artists who avoid the mainstream. Hip-Hop as a music arose in the late 1970's, exclusively from black culture, which came from block parties in New York, specifically the Bronx, but underground hip-hop originated in the late 80s; in the midst of the golden age of hip-hop.Through an anthropological view, by using a holistic approach, I will explain the major components of the underground hip-hop culture. The major components entail everything people in a society have, think, and do. Also I will talk about their ideology which can fall in the category of the way they think and the symbolism in their lyrics. Ju st some more facts about the underground hip-hop culture; Underground hip-hop encompasses several different styles of music, though it is often politically themed and socially conscious.Numerous acts are described as being both underground and politically or socially aware, these include – A Tribe Called Quest, Brother Ali, Murs, Immortal Technique, Binary Star, and People under the Stairs. Definitions of terms that will be used in my paper: Mainstream – Music that's usually on the radio, that is commercialized and is extremely popular among people. Culture – everything that people have, think and do as members of a society. Ideology – ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or cultureSymbolism – The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. Have: One of the three major components of culture is â€Å"have†. Have refers to the material possessions and tangible objects within a society. In underg round hip-hop we can call this part of their culture the â€Å"have not’s†. As underground artists they do not like the fortune and fame as the mainstream artists. To further explain this I will use social stratification between underground hip-hop and mainstream hip-hop rappers.

The purpose of doing this is to analyze the disease history

Like all little children whenever I saw my weak mother suffering from ill health I had dreams of being a doctor. But adulthood brought some self realization and I knew that this was not the chosen profession for me. I was scared of blood and the sight of it brought nausea and giddiness in me. Dreams of taking a knife or an injection died a natural death.As I had an aptitude for numbers and was confident of my logical thinking, I opted for Mathematics and statistics as my undergraduate major and computer science as minor. For the past five years I have been studying mathematics and statistics in University I have been involved in some projects related to the medical field.In these projects, I used SPSS, MiniTab, SAS to generate meaningful statistical information including the comparison of means and proportions and investigation of relationships between variables using regression. Currently I am involved in a project focusing on historical census records. The purpose of doing this is to analyze the disease history of the family that would enable doctors to adopt preventive measures for future generations.The summer of 2007, when I met a girl from the CH&E department in the course of my work in a Diabetes program reinforced the idea that I should pursue this MSc CH&E program and base my future career on this. That was the first reason for my choice of this program and Dalhousie University.The MSc Program in Community Health and Epidemiology would enhance my knowledge, analytical skills and formal evaluative methods with application to disease prevention, health promotion and assessment of community health service and system needs. After successful completion of this program I would have honed my skills in a broad range of community health and epidemiology research studies, intervention programs and policy development efforts.Faculty members in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology in Dalhousie have backgrounds in a number of disciplines and have con tributed tremendously to Health Research and Health Promotion.The associate professors who are the fulltime faculty here have a reputation that has added to my reasons for the choice of this school. One of my desires is to be under the expert guidance of Associate Professor Judith Guernsey. Her Ph.D. Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, her research interests and activities where there is a heavy focus on the health of rural communities have particularly appealed to me because I feel that this is an indication of true social awareness.My interests are in the areas of addiction and health of women and when I read thatThe research interests of Associate professor Susan Kirkland include Women's Health, Aging, Health Services and Osteoporosis I consider this as a great opportunity to interact with her, and I have heard a lot about her lectures. I look forward to gaining admission in this school and be benefited by her lectures on Advanced Epidemiology. I have also read about th e research activities of George Kephart and I would be fortunate to be exposed to professional caliber of such superior kind.I also look forward to taking the course on Biostatistics which would be handled by Associate Professor Gordon Flowerdew. I would like to further enhance my training in Mathematics and statistics because I have been doing well in these subjects and am confident of rising up to the standards of all these seasoned expertsModern population-based health management is complex, requiring a multiple set of medical, political, technological, mathematical skills of which epidemiological practice and analysis is a core component that is unified with management science to provide efficient and effective health care and health guidance to a population.This task requires the forward looking ability of modern risk management approaches that transform health risk factors, incidence, prevalence and mortality statistics (derived from epidemiological analysis) into management m etrics that not only guide how a health system responds to current population health issues, but also how a health system can be managed to better respond to future potential population health issues.My diligent work in this educational program where I intend to make full use of the opportunity given by the course curriculum would enable me to pursue a longstanding career in the field of community health.The field of epidemiology would allow me to contribute to the medical profession, in a way that would suit my temperament too, because this is in the medical field, but without going through the tough first hands on experience of a doctor or a nurse.My interest and grounding in statistics would come in handy because the program enables the student to critically appraise, evaluate and design community health and epidemiological research studies and programs through the use of appropriate research methodologies and sources of information.After successful completion of this program I w ould be competent enough to effectively communicate my knowledge to the public and other health professionals and this would help my career objectiveMy short term is to get into CH&E program, then get the master’s degree; long term plan is to work as a researcher and analyst in the medical field area. I would also try to become a health protection practitioner, working in different settings and combating outbreaks of disease.