Religious and Ethnic Groups Essay

Buddhism is a religious group as depicted from the world’s history that began in the 6th century BCE, in today’s Northern India. Buddhism was founded by a wealthy man of Indian dysentery called Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha Gautama’s main concern was to teach people how to realize great spiritual development. These teachings focus on areas like tradition/customs, beliefs, ethics, meditation and philosophy and making people more enlightened; Buddha means ‘to awaken’. To the religious group boast of a huge following of about 300million across the world including 0. 7 percent of U. S. A’s religious composition based on U. S’s Census Bureau Document (Seager, 2012). Buddhism is a religious group that differs broadly from other groups in America. The difference is eminent in the way they carry out various practice. Some examples are worship, beliefs, culture, doctrines, and in other routine practices. Buddhism, unlike other religious groups, believes in the existence of only one Supreme Being ‘God’. In contrast to most groups, Buddhism spirituality is of personal discipline rather than faith in ‘God’. A lot of differences may be present when attempting to draw a comparison between Buddhism and the other religious groups in America. Buddhists Experience in America Buddhism has received its fair deal of mixed reception from other religious avenue. Some people have good perception and understand their teachings seek to uphold good morals and values. Buddhism also seeks a harmonious co-existence with other people in society even if they are not practicing the same religion. Others have perceived them as having a bizarre view deeming its operation as being mysterious. Buddhism is unique in conducting their routine religious practices and beliefs. Some religious groups have upheld Buddhism, not as a religion but merely a philosophy (Seager, 2012). They have even incorporated some practices like meditation as an art of realization physical and emotional well being as yoga in pursuit of reliving off stress. They have also sorted in some Buddhism cultural element and used them to perfect their own religions. Contribution and Discrimination of Buddhism Historically in American culture Buddhism has contributed adversely in development of America’s culture. Many Buddhists doctrine and daily routine practices are borrowed and used to blend America’s culture. Example of such practice teachings of how people perceive life and attitude, changed Buddhism has mentored Great America’s scientists and philosophers (Seager, 2012). They borrow ideas from Buddhism teachings. Some of the ways in which Buddhism is practiced in America include stress reduction treatment. In addition, famous movies and songs based on Buddhism, such as Seven Years in Tibet, Little Buddha, The Matrix, and Star Wars, has helped the advertisement industry. Another instance is the Master Card commercial that shows an image of Woman Meditating. There is an increasing number of Americans who visit the Buddhist temples and also practice meditation in privacy. Buddhist Fellowship organization is a very large group that promotes peace, environmental advocacy, and conducts homeless and prison outreach. Buddhism has experienced discrimination minimally compared to other religious groups. Discrimination happens within its own religion and culture primarily against Buddhist women. All Buddhist women are ordained to follow laws and disciplines such as bhikkhunis. However, Buddhist nuns have come together to fight for their rights. The source of this prejudice was because the Buddhist nuns have increased in number and they want to eliminate them from the religion. Buddhism has helped me learn about meditation which can be used in reducing stress and as a way of relaxing. Asian Ethnic Group The Asian American comprises of a 5% of the American population (Espiritu, 2011). In the recent years, the Asian ethnic group is considered among the fastest growing group in America. The Americans refer to subgroups such as the Chinese, Filipino, Indians, Koreans, Japanese and Vietnamese. Most Asian Americans were born in America while others have been the immigrants who have settled in America. Asian differs from the other ethnic groups because from history Asians have continued to follow their religions, unlike many other groups. The Asian Americans are known for their diligence, strong family values and their respect for education, authority, and discipline unlike any other ethnic group in America. Asian American Contribution and Discrimination The Asian American has contributed greatly in the formation of American society. These contributions include constructions of railway, joining the military and protecting the Americans. Asians have also contributed in creating internet sites such as youtube and yahoo. The Asians have influenced other areas like fashion, religion, science and culture. For instance, the kung fu culture of the Chinese is greatly employed in Hollywood while creating action movies. Acts of discrimination towards Asian Americans in America are similar to other minority group. This racial discrimination bars the Asian American from participating in politics (Espiritu, 2011). The reason Asian Americans are discriminated against is Americans consider them foreigners. In conclusion, Buddhism is an Asian practice which the Asian have practiced almost all their lives, but this practice came to be known only in recent years. Discrimination of Asian Americans means that their religion, cultures, and practices are discriminated against. Buddhism is different from Asian Ethnic group because Buddhism is a practice done by the Asian communities. Discrimination should never be practiced in America because America is a multicultural society and the majority of people in America are citizens by birth. References Espiritu, Y. L. (2011). Asian American pan ethnicity: Bridging institutions and identities. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Seager, R. H. (2012). Buddhism in America. New York: Columbia University Press.

Fahrenheit 451 Christ Figure Essay

If any character in the novel represents a Christ figure it has to be Montag. Even though he does not share all the same traits as Christ that does not mean that he is not a Christ figure. Traits of Christ that are applicable to Montag is that he’s around his 30’s, self-sacrificing, good with children, came to redeem an unworthy world, in agony, in a way is unmarried, and is in a type of wilderness with an encounter with the devil. Just like Christ, Montag was sacrificing himself and his life to redeem his society of its unworthiness. For example even though many were opposed to him, thought he was crazy, and wanted him under control, he knew what was right for the people by sacrificing his own life to try to get more books printed for them. He is good with children such as Clarisse (even though she’s not typically a child but an adolescent) by not treating her as if she’s an inferior but like as a friend; which is not how most adult figures in this novel would treat her. Montag himself is in pure agony, even though he may not be physically but mentally. His soul is in torment with so much unanswered to him and he feels the only way to redeem it is through books which holds such vast amounts of information. Even though he is supposedly ‘married’ to Mildred they do not even have love and compassion for one another, just only making them seem like housemates sharing a home. One can assume that his own town can be seen as a wilderness and that the mechanical hound could be seen as the devil. The mechanical hound could be seen as the devil for it shows no sign of positivity but negativity. For example all the hound is programed to do is kill and torture people like Montag, or in this instance Christ. There are some ways Montag could be in opposition of representing a Christ figure such as killing Captain Beatty, but he being a Christ figure does not mean you have to represent Christ in every aspect. It could be seen as more favorable that Montag does represent a Christ figure depending on the viewpoint one choses to look at through.

Diversity – Gender and education Factors such as ethnicity, economic status and gender can affect educational outcomes

Factors such as ethnicity, economic status and gender can affect educational outcomes (Hughes, 1991). The 1944 Education Act promotes equality for children in school. In spite of this, it has been suggested that girls persistently tend to have different educational outcomes from boys (Hughes, 1991). There are many complex explanations linked not only to the educational process throughout history but additionally to social influence. The way in which children create their gender roles has an impact on the way they identify themselves and others. Stereotyping can impact on the way practitioners view children and can lead to discriminatory practice. It is vital to consider the hidden curriculum for unintentional signs of discrimination. Knowledge of legislation and initiatives that protect children's rights to an education irrespective of difference is of significance. As is the ways in which practitioners can promote equality. Through the use of key texts and the theories of experts it is possible to comprehend the impact that gender can have on learning and development. In the nineteenth century characteristics such as class, race and gender were detrimental factors which decided the form of education a child received. Hughes (1991) suggests this is due to the educator's role being to ensure each individual would be equipped to fulfil their predetermined role. Early attempts at access to education for all were frowned upon by those in power, fearing that the ‘the masses would get ideas above their station' (Hughes, 1991, P. 9). Schooling for girls was seen in relation to their domestic role. It was also considered that girls needed to conserve their energy for childrearing rather than mental activity (Hughes, 1991). Upper-class males attended private and independent schools, where they were moulded to become the elite. Their sisters however, though still received an education, were taught at home. Society's views on education differed for boys and girls at all social levels (Hughes, 1991). According to Charles (2002) the education system was designed to prepare children for adult life, which was gender as well as class segregated. The 1944 Education Act was centred on equality of opportunity. This involved for the first time, compulsory education for all that was free until the age of fourteen. However, inequality referred heavily to class disadvantage (Charles, 2002). The curriculum became gendered with the view that girls would concentrate on the ‘domestic subjects' while boys would practice the ‘technical subjects' (Charles, 2002). However, there has been much debate as to the reason for suggested differences in educational outcomes relating to gender. Yeo and Lovell (1998) suggest that females attain better outcomes in primary education, with emphasis in literacy and language. They state that research conducted in the 1990's suggests girls are motivated, ambitious and interested in long term education. In contrast boys were seen as low in motivation, self-esteem and concentration. One suggested explanation being the introduction of equal opportunity initiatives to encourage girls to pursue subjects previously associated as ‘male dominated'. Practitioners were also encouraged to increase awareness of methods to enhance girl's interest in education. According to Yeo and Lovell (1998) these changes were directly influenced by the transformation in the labour market, from being male dominated to increasingly more equal. As a consequence, it seems that boys are now underachieving in school. However, Skelton and Francis (2003) suggest the cause for this apparent difference in attainment is not straightforward. According to Charles there is evidence to suggest that this is not a new theory. Relating back to the 11+ exam, in which girls needed a higher score than boys to gain entry into grammar school. Skelton and Francis (2003) suggest that the view that ‘boys are underachieving' is now being challenged. They suggest the gap between boys and girls in standards of literacy, english and modern languages remains large. Nevertheless, SAT's (Standardised Assessment Tests) results show that boys and girls are showing increased performance on a yearly basis (Skelton and Francis, 2003). However, it is not only a case of boys versus girls. Not all boys ‘underachieve' and not all girls are ‘high flyers' (Skelton and Francis, 2003). There are class and ethnicity influences to consider (See Appendix One). Feminist research claims that it is the way boys construct their gender roles that ultimately leads to their dissociation from subjects traditionally determined as feminine such as literacy. However, many non-feminist commentators suggest that the high proportion of female teachers at primary level is responsible for boys learning needs being overlooked. Their suggested solution to the gender gap is to increase the number of male primary school teachers to provide positive role models linked with education. According to Skelton and Francis (2003) there appears to be no evidence to suggest that boys will perceive male teachers in a positive light, or that this will impact on their achievement. It has only been since 1975 when education was included in the Sex Discrimination Act that gender equality in schools has been highlighted (Nixon, 2005). However, the process in which children construct their gender roles is thought to be highly complex suggesting that equality between boys and girls is still being considered (Skelton and Francis, 2003). The nature, nurture debate surrounding individual differences in areas such as gender has affected equality in education (Hughes, 1991). It is fundamental to distinguish between ‘sex' and ‘gender'. According to Cole (2005) a persons ‘sex' is related their biological make up. Gross (2005) states that sex and ethnicity are viewed by some as biological factors which can determine levels of intelligence and attainment in school. However, there are environmental issues to consider with reference to socialisation leading to ‘gender' roles (Charles, 2002). Numerous surveys have suggested that boys and girls are treated differently from the day they are born (Hughes, 1991). Oakley (1972, as cited in Charles, 2002) argues that there are too many variations in gender roles for the social differences between males and females to be innate. According to Charles (2002) parenting in Britain is still gendered, with fatherhood being associated with the role of supporting the family financially and motherhood with caring. As a consequence Hughes (1991) believes that many children have a clear understanding of what it may mean to be a boy or a girl, and the expectations which are attached to this. For example, Belotti (1975, as cited in Hughes, 1991) suggests that boys learn to suppress their emotions, a consequence of believing that it is not acceptable for boys to cry. This power over construction of values and beliefs has a direct influence on how children identify themselves and others. Siraj-Blatchford (2001, P. 96) suggests ‘every adult and other child has the power to affect each child's behaviour, actions, interactions, learning outcomes and beliefs'. Therefore, influences can come from parents, siblings, peers, educational settings but also the media. This view is backed by Bronfenbrenner's (1979) ecological model which shows how the environment can influence a child's development (Feinstein et al, 2004). Feinstein et al (2004) suggests education has a significant role to play in influencing the factors which can affect children's attainment. Bandura's (1977) social learning theory suggests that children can learn indirectly through observation and imitation of others (Walkup, 2004). Therefore, children may relate to the way others whom they identify with are treated in society. In the process of developing an identity, children can distance themselves from others they deem as different to them or their ‘group' (Siraj-Blatchford, 2001). Kenway (date unknown, as cited in Bond, 2000) suggests that it is not until the age of seven that children view their gender as fixed. Younger children can believe certain activities or behaviour will dictate their gender (Bond, 2000). Siraj-Blatchford (2001) believes without challenge to this way of thinking, children may carry on believing in stereotypes such as, ‘only boys play football and only girls read books'. If children are left to believe in negative images which they relate to their identity, they can become self-fulfilling (Siraj-Blatchford, 2001). Willan at al (2004) suggests it is the practitioner's responsibility to understand and implement legislation to promote equality. The Humans Rights Act 1998 prohibits discrimination in the United Kingdom under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Children Act 1989 (2004) also emphasises the rights of children in society to equal opportunities and protection from unfair treatment through discriminatory practice (Wilan et al, 2004). Internationally, these rights are addressed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). The Education Act (1988) then provides the legal framework for equality in schools. This protection for children must be implemented appropriately to provide equality and inclusion (Wilan et al, 2004). There has been an increased awareness in gender stereotyping since the Sex Discrimination Act was updated in 1986. The National Curriculum states that practitioners ‘should be aware of the requirements of equal opportunities legislation that covers race, gender and disability' (DfEE/QCA, 1999, P31). Malik (2003) suggests that without equality of opportunity there cannot be provision of quality early childhood education. To ensure that discriminatory practice does not transpire it is essential for practitioners to consider their own beliefs and values (Willan et al, 2004). In order to promote equal opportunities practitioners need to become aware of and deconstruct their own stereotypical thinking (Wilan et al, 2004). Malik (2003) suggests that stereotyping in a negative way can damage children's perceptions of themselves and others, denying them the chance to fulfil their potential. Stereotyping can lead to prejudice through preconceived ideas, it is this type of attitude that that often results in discriminatory practice (Malik, 2003). Haberman (1995, as cited in Cole, 2005) suggests that practitioners can follow five concepts order to overcome prejudice (See Appendix Two). It is through awareness of differences in people or groups that stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination can occur. However, it is also through valuing difference that inclusion and equality can be promoted (Malik, 2003). Malik (2003) suggests all children are different, not just through gender, social class or ethnicity but in every way. Individuality must be valued and encouraged. It is through developing this ethos in an educational setting that children can be taught to perceive difference as their own uniqueness but not their value (Malik, 2003). The National Curriculum details the promotion of self-esteem and emotional well-being as significant for children to value and respect themselves and others (DfEE/QCA, 1999). According to Maslow (1954, as cited in Bentham, 2002) self esteem is required before the process of learning can develop. Jean Piaget (1886-1980) states that children learn from their environment and through their own experiences (Walkrup, 2004). Therefore, the environment can be used to provide positive images of role models to children, through books, posters, equipment, role play areas, dressing up clothes and other resources. Children should be offered a wide range of activities and organisation for group activities by sex should be avoided (Skelton and Francis, 2003). Adults in the environment must be aware of appropriate communication to promote inclusion, but can also provide challenges to discriminatory behaviour in children by providing examples of equality. Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) believed that children learn through social interactions, and Bruner (1983) suggests learning can be developed through scaffolding (Walkrup, 2004). Therefore, it may be useful to invite visitors into the setting, to show diversity in the community, and to promote partnerships with parents(Rice, 2005). The Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE, 2000 as cited in Rice, 2005, P. 76) suggests that educational settings should not see diversity as a problem but as ‘a rich resource to support the learning of all'. However, practitioners should be aware of conflict between anti-discriminatory practice and the beliefs and values of the family (Hughes, 1991). According to Hughes (1991) it is important to incorporate equal opportunities and inclusion in planning the curriculum to ensure that it is fully integrated. The National Curriculum states that inclusion should be implemented right across the curriculum, guaranteeing a full and rounded entitlement to learning for all children (DfEE/QCA, 1999). However, not all discrimination is intentional. The ethos of a setting can influence equality through the hidden curriculum. Policies setting out strategies and practice that reflects the aim of the setting as a whole to promote inclusion will assist in creating and equal ethos (Jones, 2004). Principles of good practice should be considered as a fundamental aspect of working with young children (Malik, 2003). The Key Elements of Effective Practice (KEEP) as outlined in the Primary National Strategy suggests practitioners can work with children and their families in a sensitive, positive and non-judgemental way (DfES, 2005). This can be achieved through knowledge of six areas considered key for effective practice (See Appendix Three). Clark et al (1990, as cited in Jones, 2004) suggests learning and growth can aspire through an interaction between policy and practice. CSIE (1999, as cited in Jones, 2004) suggests policies can be developed through six key areas (See Appendix Four). In providing children with an environment which promotes understanding, acceptance and respect for others, practitioners are creating a more tolerant and positive society for the future. Therefore, directly challenging inequalities that are prevalent today (Malik, 2003). According to Malik (2003) good practice means providing equal opportunities through applying responsibilities as a practitioner to support legislation, policy and codes of practice. The National Curriculum sets out clear guidelines for inclusion by giving all children the opportunities they need to achieve. The Foundation Stage Curriculum for three to five year olds also regards equal opportunities as highly significant (QCA, 2000). Providing constructive gender role models at the earliest opportunity will promote positive images for children. The importance of equal opportunities is a top priority for early years education therefore it is not left to chance. Ofstead (Office for Standards in Education) is the regulatory body for early years provision, care and education in England. It is their duty to enforce legislation and to guarantee that children are safe well and cared for in their setting. Ofstead also to ensure that children are offered activities which will provide them with learning opportunities (Kay and MacLeod-Brudenell, 2004). Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships (EYDCP) work with agencies providing care and education for children from birth to five years. Their role is to ensure that all children have positive opportunities to fulfil their potential. The Every Child Matters initiative is seen as key by EYDCP in ensuring that all children have the chance to be happy, healthy and successful (Walker, 2006). The view that girls achieve higher in education than boys is much debated. The way in which gender roles are constructed and the process of socialisation is highly complex and is still being considered. In view of this, it is fundamental to understand that differences in educational outcomes focused on gender also have class and ethnicity elements to consider. However, it is understood that in order for practitioners to promote equality and challenge discriminatory ideology, it is first imperative to identify and deconstruct any negative stereotypical thinking. All children are at risk of inequality, intervention is necessary to promote inclusion and provide equal opportunities and chances for all children. Equality can be promoted through the curriculum hidden and overt and should be included within planning. The environment can be used as a resource for providing positive role models. However, it is important to understand the conflict between challenging discrimination and family values so as not to undermine the role of parents and carers. Supporting self-esteem through valuing and encouraging diversity can lead to better educational outcomes and will challenge discriminatory practice in society. It is the practitioner's role to implement legislation and equal opportunity initiatives to protect children's rights. It is through incorporating elements of good practice and legislation that equality can be promoted in an educational setting. Therefore ensuring that access to quality education is not determined by gender, class or ethnicity.

Introduction of Information system in Organisation Essay

Introduction of Information system in Organisation - Essay Example Nowadays, high level of competition and other environmental impacts can be observed in fast food restaurant business all over the world and Nigeria is not an exception. For fast food organisations, it is apparent that there is an increasing focus on accomplishing better customer satisfaction and also to augment the organisational value. Several fast food organisations have now realised the significance of customer focused and customer based business services (Iwarere & Fakokunde, 2011). Due to rising demands and expectations of customers and enhanced competition from several multinationals, maintaining strong performances has become a challenging task for TFC. In years ahead, TFC will strive to improve the operational efficiencies as one of the main concerns of business. TFC seeks to develop in the areas of improved service delivery and enhance customer services (De Tastee Fried Chicken Limited, 2010). In this context, it can be stated that Information Systems (IS) can provide opport unities for TFC to enhance efficiency and improve the operational competency in the long run. Implementation of Mobile Point of Sale (POS) can provide an invaluable opportunity for TFC to enhance its overall performance. This essay describes about development of a new information system in TFC. The objective of the essay is to highlight different technical aspects which must be considered and the procedure for developing new information system i.e. mobile POS. Like other fast food organisations, TFC also uses the fixed POS system. Although fixed POS system is effective but mobile POS system in TFC can help to keep up with the increasing competition in fast food segment. The principal business of the organisation is to provide fast food services to the customers (Goodlife, 2012). Customers are the key stakeholders of TFC. Any kind of changes in business operations due to implementation of new information system can

Enivromental impact of a product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Enivromental impact of a product - Essay Example Accordingly, Frank E. Lindsay’s strap handle consumes more resources and produces more waste. Our strap handle carries a weight meter unlike the strap handle of Frank E. Lindsay. The weight meter attached to our strap handle saves the users the cost and time otherwise consumed in weighing the box every time they have to transport the luggage from one place to another whereas the users of Frank E. Lindsay’s strap handle have to first weigh the box and then transport it. Weighing the luggage using external weighing machines might also involve the use of power which is thus avoided in our design. Concluding, the environmental impact of our strap handle design is positive in that not only it saves the natural resources but helps to preserve them by using recycled materials in the making of the strap handle whereas the environmental impact of the strap handle design of Frank E. Lindsay is not as positive since it requires manufacturing of the film as well as weighing the

Healthy People 2010--Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Healthy People 2010--Obesity - Essay Example But it also is the cause of many other diseases like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and some types of cancer. Because of its growing trend and dangers, it is extremely important to make it one of the most important health issues of the people of North Carolina. Obesity is the result of unhealthy food habits, lack of physical activity and lack of awareness of how it can be dangerous in the future. Out of the 27 nutrition objectives in the program Healthy People 2010, overweight and obesity are the two movements that are observed to be getting away from the targets. In particular, it has been noted that the proportion of adults and children who are obese has increased substantially, and this represents one of the biggest challenges for Healthy People 2010. This worrisome trend has led to set a goal to promote knowledge about healthy habits and reduce chronic disease associated with diet and weight. The study of the obesity issue from the past does not show a positive picture. It was noted that between 1976 and 1994, the number of cases of obesity alone have increased by more than 50 percent—from 14.5 percent of the adult population to 22.5 percent. Approximately 25 percent of U.S. adult females and 20 percent of U.S. adult males are obese ( Healthy People 2010). Overweight and obesity occurs when a person consumes more calories from food (energy) than he or she expends through physical activity. And looking at the fast paced mechanical life, where most of the work is done on computer and machines, there are no chances of people getting involved

Evolution of Purchasing in Supply Chain Research Paper

Evolution of Purchasing in Supply Chain - Research Paper Example This technique gave many business organizations the motive to venture into diverse money-oriented activities that aim at simplifying arbitrage, reducing agency cost, improving the price-to-value relationship, leveraging the money spent in an organization and implementing contracts that homogenize terms and condition across the company or organization. As a result of strategic sourcing, customers could get their products at the right time, at right quantity, at the right quality, at the right price, in the right place from the right supplier. Although strategic sourcing provided almost everything that an organization requires for quick and higher profit gain, other values were not obtained, and supplier relationship management (SRM) become the succeeding evolution in purchasing. This concept involved the supplier and the customer establishing an interpersonal relationship with middle persons. The companies would then use the relationship or any organization involved to maximize their benefit from that interaction. It requires careful collaboration with the primary suppliers to realize and uncover new benefits while reducing all the risk involved in the operation. With all these concept being embraced in business strategies, the current activities is being supplied with integrated innovation and business intelligence capabilities that aim at addressing the changing continues customer demands. In conclusion, purchasing in the supply chain has evolved even more to a greater level.

Why Nevada Should Follow Colorado's Model for Marijuana Legalization Research Paper

Why Nevada Should Follow Colorado's Model for Marijuana Legalization - Research Paper Example ubsequent legalization of the use of the herb has been a topic under heated controversy in Nevada as more pro-marijuana groups organize the movement of advocate for legalized marijuana use for not only the medical use but also for recreational use for adults above twenty one years. The legalization of marijuana is advocated for due to the benefits that are enjoyed by states such as Colorado that have already legalized fully the use and possession of marijuana. Legalization of marijuana in Nevada will lead to a positive impact in the state socially, economically and medically. The major arguments supporting the legalization movement is based on the improvement of the medical application, reduction in crime, economic benefits, revenue on the government, and saving the budgetary costs of institutions such as correctional facilities, rehabilitation and the judiciary. Colorado and Washington were the pioneer states of legalizing marijuana and in 2016, Nevada is expected to follow suit as various complains are underway for the coming year of reforms. Full Legalization of marijuana will help Nevada to explore the many health and medicinal uses of marijuana. In Nevada, medical application of marijuana has been decriminalized although mostly regulated. Fully legalization of marijuana will lead to medical exploration of all the potential used of marijuana in the treatment of various diseases and health conditions. The successful use of marijuana and the rationale for is legalization is due to the fact that it is safe for human use especially where controlled for medical use. The herb has minimal toxicity thereby presenting no threat of lethal overdose. As such, the patient’s health is secured with no reported cases of end-organ failure or the need for routine laboratory monitoring. First, the herb has great therapeutic benefits. When applied in patients with certain psychiatric conditions, they enhance therapeutic effects on the patient by producing anti-inflammatory,

Islamic banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Islamic banking - Essay Example The authorship would remain anonymous. (4) I agree to my Project being submitted to a plagiarism detection service, where it will be stored in a database and compared against work submitted from this or any other School or from other institutions using the service. In the event of the service detecting a high degree of similarity between content within the service this will be reported back to my supervisor and second marker, who may decide to undertake further investigation which may ultimately lead to disciplinary actions, should instances of plagiarism be detected. (5) I have read the University Policy Statement on Ethics in Research and Consultancy and the Policy for Informed Consent in Research and Consultancy and I declare that ethical issues have been considered and taken into account in this research. People should be flexible enough to learn new things and this is the only key of trying new things. People, who tend to learn and try new things, bring all significant and productive change in environment. That can only save the world from repeating past mistake in future. People learn and try things in their own way and styles. VARK stands for Visual, Aural, Read/Write and Kinesthetic learning styles. The literature review highlights the nature of Islamic Banking, showing it to be more moral and justice based as against the misconception of it being religion based. This by itself augurs well for world communities that have been cheated of their investments through high risk securities that were based on speculation rather than healthy investments. The research carried out, though limited in nature, also points to the fact that due to its sharing of risk methods and high collaterals, the Islamic Banking system may be restrictive in a sense, yet it offers means of consolidations of investments as against throwing it away in speculative practices. Therefore, I really

What evidences supports the idea that a relatively recent catastrophic Essay

What evidences supports the idea that a relatively recent catastrophic event was responsible for Saturn's rings - Essay Example As a result, a mass of debris was formed hence making up the ring (Hetcht 18). In 1852, Otto Struve discovered that there were changes in the width of the ring and there was a continuous decrease of the gap between the edge of inner ring B and the surface of the planet. The rings were approaching the surface of the planet rapidly. According to modern scientists, the deteriorating nature of rings is attributed to rains of microscopic meteorites that pelt the rings thus eroding them rapidly (Hetcht 19). Modern astronomers believe that Saturn rings contain water that evaporates from their surfaces when the micrometeorites hit them. Natural water molecules fall back on the rings while charges ions move along the magnetic field lines formed near the surface of the rings. As a result, there is presence of water precipitate adjacent to the rings. The scientific explanation behind the water molecules and its ionization show that there are real meteorites which strike the rings causing ionization of water particles. The fast evaporation and ionization of the water show that the ring was formed relatively few years ago compared to what others astronomers believe that it was formed billion years ago after a comer or moon crashed on its surface. If the rings had been formed billion years ago, there wouldn’t have been water precipitate on the surface of the rings (Hetcht

Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark Essay Example for Free

Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark Essay Much of the dramatic irony and dramatic tension in Shakespeares Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark derives from the interplay between the characters public and private personas. The face that each of the characters shows to the public contrasts with, in most cases, the private persona of the same character. Similarly, the private face or motives of the characters usually stands in diametric opposition to their public persona. The most obvious examples of this dynamic is, are course, the characters of Claudius and Gertrude who must, by necessity, keep up a fraudulent set of public perceptions to cover their crimes of infidelity and murder. These obvious examples, however, are no more profound or integral to the plays thematic impact than the likewise hypocrisies which afflict nearly every other character of the play. The almost universal nature of social mendacity is represented in Hamlet as being,in fact, the source of what is rotten in Denmark. The brilliance of the play exists, in part, in Shakespeares ability to demonstrate the way in which hypocrisy and being two-faced can impact all levels of society and corrupt even friendship and love. In many ways, the cast of characters in Hamlet reflect a social microcosm, with Hamlet, the young Prince, and Ophelia, representing the youth of society and the ghost of Hamlets father, Gertrude, Claudius, and Polonius representing the social establishment and cultural traditions which have fostered ongoing mendacity. From the very opening scene of the play, Shakespeare, with a knack for amazing subtlety, writes the following exchange between Bernardo and Horatio: BERNARDO Say, What, is Horatio there? HORATIO A piece of him. (Hamlet, 1. 1 25-28) Horatios reply indicates, according to critics of the play, that he is referring to the cold night air which has reduced him to a shivering semblance of his former self. However, the line can also be read as a subtle extension of the theme of mendacity adn meant to indicate that even Horatio, who will be revealed throughout the course of the play as a true friend to Hamlet, has been impacted by the rottenness in Denmark, the social hypocrisy which holds all in its sway. Similarly, Polonius, who represents the religious and spiritual aspects of society in the social microcosm of the play, dispenses words of wisdom to Laertes, acting the part of the wise and compassionate patriarch, a man of morals and God. Among his words of wisdom in Act One, Scene Three are the following observations: Beware/ Of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,/ Beart that the opposed may beware of thee. / Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice;/ Take each mans censure, but reserve thy judgment (Hamlet 1. 3, 69-73). Obviously, Polonius fails to live by his own words. He openly intrigues against Hamlet, immersing himself into a quarrel which was not his own, and after doing so, fails to Beart that the opposed may beware of thee (Hamlet 1. 3, 71), but ends up being killed by Hamlet on accident. Key to all of the ironies which are associated with Shakespeares them of social mendacity is the character of Hamlet himself. If the reader or audience member who is experiencing Hamlet believes in the heart that Hamlet is, indeed, mad, then much of Hamlets behavior can be explained by madness. If, on the other hand, the reader or audience member believes that Hamlet is simply presenting yet another social face this one in order to disrupt the hypocrisy of society then Hamlets behavior becomes a method by which Shakespeare examines the heavy toll which is exacted on the individual in a hypocritical society. There is every reason to believe that the latter context is the one which Shakespeare hope to achieve in the play. One good bit of evidence for this supposition is in Act 2, Scene One, when Ophelia, stricken by the state which Hamlet has allowed himself to get into, she voices her concerns to her father, Polonius. Ophelia describes Hamlet with his doublet all unbraced (Shakespeare, 2. 1, 85) and No hat upon his head (Shakespeare 2. 1, 86). His appearance is taken to be an indication of his inner-state, propelling the sense of social facade as serving in place of truth in society. Ophelia concludes that Hamlet appeared as though he had been loosed out of hell/ To speak of horrors,he comes before me (Shakespeare 2. 1, 90-91). The implication is that Hamlets disheveled state must indicate that he is, in fact, mad. Obviously, while Hamlet appears mad to others, he is plotting with great, rational precision to expose what he fears is the crime committed by his mother and his uncle. The sub-text of this is that Hamlet should be mad given the reality of the dilemma he faces. The great irony is, in fact, that he is not mad, but sane which will not allow him to live in a world of lies and hypocrisy. When Claudius and Gertrude react with horror to the play within a play Hamlets response is What, frighted with false fire! (Shakespeare 3. 2, 262) indicating his very rational understanding of the situation and of the reality of social mendacity. At this point, it seems that merely knowing of the hypocrisy is enough for Hamlet because when Claudius responds Give me some light: away! (Shakespeare 3. 2, 265) it is an admission that he, the King, and by association the whole of Denmark exists in darkness which is the darkness of social hypocrisy. Although hypocrisy is never actually justified in Hamlet, there is an interesting reason which is given in Act 4 of the play as to why people may be so easily led into hypocrisy and self-deception and that reason is: human mortality. When Hamlet observes of the dead that Theres another: why may not that be the skull of a / lawyer? Where be his quiddities now, his quillets,/ his cases, his tenures, and his tricks? (Shakespeare, 4. 1, 94-98) the reader or audience member realizes that the human hypocrisy portrayed throughout the play represents not only the lies and deceit necessary to facilitate human ambition in a corrupted society, but the human tendency to reject cosmic issues such as life and death and human spirituality in favor of materialism and worldly power. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The Works of William Shakespeare Gathered into One Volume. New York: Oxford University Press, 1938.

Gangs of Youth Essay Example for Free

Gangs of Youth Essay Tattoos, graffiti in the walls, foul language, drugs, guns and violence are the most popular notions for â€Å"street gangs†. Street gangs are prevalent ever since the 19th century, when there was a surge of immigrants in the United States. They are an identity, a fearful group of people who organizes a variety of delinquent activities. Though gangs have been widely used in popular culture, as observed in the invention of slang words, baggy pants, hip-hop and rap music, they are a threat to society. Gangs are not really cool as what is being portrayed in our television sets. The following questions, which were taken from GWC, Inc. [1997], provide us some ideas on how to assess whether our community or school is suffering from severe gang activity. 1. Do you have graffiti on or near your school? 2. Do you have crossed out graffiti on or near your school grounds? 3. Do your students wear colors, jewelry, clothing; flash hand signals; or display other behavior that may be gang related? 4. Are drugs available in or near your school? 5. Has there been an increase in physical confrontations or incidents of threats, abuse, or intimidation in or near your school? 6. Is there an increasing presence of weapons in your community? 7. Do students use beepers, pagers and cellular phones? 8. Has there been a drive-by shooting in your neighborhood? 9. Have you had a show-by or a display of weapons near your schools? 10. Has there been an increase in the truancy rate and/or daytime burglaries? 11. Are there an increasing number of racial incidents in your community or school? 12. Does your community have a history of gangs? 13. Is there an increasing presence of informal social groups with unusual names? If most of the answers are yes, then your community or school is definitely in need for an effective gang prevention program. But before doing so, I will first discuss about the proliferation of street gangs, its history and its impact to the society especially to the youth. I will also provide recent reports on the current statistics in some areas; then I can now dwell on the useful measures on how to fight and avoid gang activity. What are gangs? The Children’s Health Encyclopedia [n. d. ] mentioned that there are a couple of definitions of gangs, specifically, youth gangs. In general, they are a â€Å"loosely-organized association† who were formerly alienated by the society. They are headed informally by a leader. The members are usually between ages 12 to 24 and they have a gang name to identify themselves. The members of the gang share something in common in them. Usually they have the same race or ethnicity, same social class or some characteristic that are usually defined by some form of a symbol, usually represented by tattoos, graffiti, clothing or even hand signals. According to Safe Youth [2007], gangs are most of the time male-dominated and have their own territory. Such male members have experienced a loss of a male figure at home. For females, they often participate in gang activity during family crisis or drug addiction. They have been characterized to be run-away-from-home youths. Moreover, another characteristic of these gangs is that they may either be a subsidiary of a larger group of gangs. Some gang organizations have their respective mother groups whom they share similar attributes and culture. It is also common for such gangs to have their own set of rules and codes of conduct. Some even have weird rituals of their own. They treat each other as kin or family; since in the first place, they were formed because they felt some kind of alienation with their respective lives. Gangs can compensate and nurture the members a sense of belongingness. They also can gain power and influence especially when they cooperate to fight for their own endeavors. They gain confidence and self-worth especially when gang members are promised to be given protection or better yet a higher social status. They do organized crime activities in order to get what they want. These activities are violent and nature and such can threaten a lot of lives. According to the U. S. Department of Justice, groups must be involved in criminal acts before they are deemed to be called as gangs. Such acts, according to Johnson and Muhlhausen [2005], can vary from extortion, robbery, smuggling, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and defending their territory. Basically, there a two types of gangs, city and urban/rural gangs [Green, 1999]. In cities, gangs are situated in a particular â€Å"turf† or â€Å"hood†, unlike in urban/rural areas, gangs are dispersed and some needed to travel in order to be with their members. According to Green [1999], there three indicators of gangs: saggin’, flaggin’, and braggin’. Sagging is manner of dressing. Gangsters are usually wearing loose clothes like baggy pants and caps that are tilted in a different manner. Some gangs have a unique style, which makes them distinct from other gangs like hairdos and leather jackets. Flagging is the show of colors. Gangs have a branding color which represents them. Last is bragging, which is self-explanatory. They brag about being gangsters though they are very secretive about their activities. History Johnson and Muhlhausen [2005] stated in their paper, â€Å"North American Transnational Youth Gangs: Breaking the Chain of Violence† that youth gangs can be traced even as far as the end of American Revolution. They said that such violence was heightened during the immigration and population shifts during the early 1800s, 1920s, 1960s and in the latter 1990s. Though in Europe, gangs are already popular in the 14th Century. It was reported in the 1999 National Youth Gang Survey that gangs in the United States are composed of 47 percent Hispanic members, 31 percent African-Americans, 13 percent Caucasian, 7 percent Asian and 3 percent others. These can traced from the 10 to 12 million undocumented Hispanic aliens in 1970s and 1990s. The most popular Hispanic groups are Calle 18 and Mara Salvatrucha. They were the first gangs to accept members from other nationalities as well as recruit outside their own territory. Outside means that even the youth, as young as elementary and middle schools are involved in the use of weapons, stealing money and selling drugs. The GWC, Inc. [1997] believed that gangs use children because if ever they are caught, they will not go to jail. It was also said by Johnson and Muhlhausen [2005] that during the 19th century, Irish and Italian street gangs were greatly concentrated in the East Coast cities, while African-American gangs were mostly in Los Angeles especially during the 1960s and 1970s. When you migrate, most probably the neighborhood the family is exposed are much disorganized, thus leading to exposure to crimes and gang activities. Statistics As shown by the GWC, Inc. ’s Gang Guide [1997], the FBI thinks that there are around 400,000 youths who are members of gangs in the United States. Moreover, the Journal of American Medical Association believes that 94 percent are active gangs in the cities. Such cities according to the American Street Gang can include up to 40 different gangs. In the Children’s Health Encyclopedia, in between the years 1996and 2001, over 90 percent of the largest cities in America are reported to have gang activities in their area. Between 1998 and 1999, it was studied that there was a 27 percent increase in gang membership in the suburban areas while 29 percent in rural areas. Gangs do not only involve the minorities like the Latinos or the African-American, all nationalities or ethnic groups, despite economic class and geographical setting are highly involved in gangs. Earlier we said that males dominate that gangs and females are only involved usually when she experiences family problems and had run away from home. It was discovered by A. Campbell in his research that female gang members have experience a larger risk in gang membership. According to Johnson and Muhlhausen [2005], the reported gang activity in 1970 was 270, by 1998, it increased by whopping 800 percent with 2,500 cities. In a comparative study of gang members and youths-at-risk in Cleveland, it was found that 44. 7 percent of gang members were reported to committing auto theft, as compared to 4. 1 percent of non-members. Moreover, 40. 4 percent of gang members said that they have participated in â€Å"drive-by shootings†, while only 2. 0 percent of non-members have done so. Furthermore, 34. 0 of gang members have been reported to intimidate or assault crime victims or witnesses, compared to none from the non-members. 72. 3 percent of gang members acknowledged that they have assaulted rivals, compared to 16. 3 percent. More so, 17. 0 percent of gang members have committed robbery compared to 2. 0 percent of non-members. We can conclude in this study that being involved in gangs exposes one to be more at-risk even greater than those who are already at-risk yet non-members of gangs. According to Safe Youth [2007], recent studies reveal that member of youth gangs join before they reach 18 years old. In contrast to the notion of the public, such members do not commit to a long-term membership. In a span of one year, only one-half to two-thirds remain in their gang. To heighten our claim earlier that gang members are more at-risk than at-risk non-members, Howell and Decker [1999] revealed that youth gang members have higher drug usage rate than non-gang members. Moreover, Battin-Pearson, et al. [1998] said that delinquency rates are higher for gang members, which includes the use of illegal drugs, display of violent behavior and even the rate of being arrested. Between 1989 and 1995, it was reported by the United States Departments of Education and Justice that the percentage of gang activity doubled. This heightens the strong correlation of gangs with the proliferation of guns and drugs inside the school campuses. However, there is contradiction with the study. Chandler, et al. [1996] believed that gangs have not been the cause of victimization inside the schools although it was found to contribute to the dangerous atmosphere. Presence of gangs in school has even brought protection to students who are part of the minority groups. It was reported in the 2002 and 2003 National Youth Gang Surveys that 4 out of 10 large cities in the United States have experienced 10 or more gang homicides [Egley, 2005]. In Los Angeles and Chicaga, half of the reported 1,000 homicides were gang related. This also implies a frequent use of firearms. Risk Factors In the study of Johnson and Muhlhausen [2005], if the following risk factors increase, it was believed that the youth has higher probability of joining a gang: marginal neighborhoods, family, academic problems, peer groups, drugs and violence. Marginal Neighborhoods involve a more dangerous environment and most of these neighborhoods are highly exposed to drugs. Johnson and Muhlhausen [2005] said that those who are living in these neighborhood are thrice more likely to join gangs. More so, such neighborhoods who are highly exposed to drugs like Marijuana, youths are 3. 6 likely to join a gang. Youths with families headed by a single-parent are 2. 4 more likely to join gangs than those families who are headed by a complete set of parents. As mentioned earlier, those males who missed a father figure will seek out such companionship in gangs. More so, with a broken family, it is much easier for a child to acquire belongingness and love from a gang. However, as long as families promote violence, and there is low parental care and love in the family, a youth will be highly misguided, leading to gang membership. Academic problems lead to higher gang membership because as already mentioned earlier; gangs can lift low self-esteem individuals. Since academic failure contributes to low self-esteem, such youth are 3. 6 times more prone to join the gangs. When there is low commitment to study in school, a child is more likely to join a gang, since it can mean that he or she prefers other activities. Such activities as we know can be more violent in nature, and may or may not be done within the school premises. Peer groups are great motivators for the youth to join a gang. When you have friends who are members of such gangs, you are also twice as likely to join too. Peer pressure is sometimes very hard to resist because friendships are broken if you cannot do a favor for a friend. We know that people do need companionship especially in school and it is difficult if we do not have friends around. They are a source of protection as well. Drugs and violence can evidently trigger gang membership. Youths who already use Marijuana, are 3. 7 times more prone to join gangs. This is definitely true since where else can you get such drugs but from those gangs. To be able to get it easier, one should join them. Moreover, it was revealed that if the youth has been engaged in a violent behavior before, they are 3. 1 time more prone to join the gangs. Lonnie Jackson [1998], the author of Gangbusters: Strategies for prevention and intervention also provided a list of risk factors. It includes again the exposure to crime and violence during the â€Å"formative years†. Role models from a particular ethnic group can also increase the likelihood to gang involvement. It also includes lack of parental control. Moreover, the lack of equal economic opportunities can also be the reason for gang involvement. The lack of â€Å"social and recreational activities† for the children, few employment opportunities and unmet employment qualifications and skills can trigger gang involvement. Youth enticed to power, money and drugs are evidently more likely to join these gangs. Immediate gratification is very attractive for some youths and this encourages them to join the gangs. Moreover the lack of sense of belongingness and security, as well as powerlessness will lead the youth to those gangs. Another source of gang influence would be the popular media. Though there is no substantive evidence, violence seen in films, even song lyrics from hip-hop or rap music can increase pressure in joining gangs since gang life are usually being portrayed with such glamour and power that even kids imitate them. Kids these days are dressing up like gangsters even though they are not, and it can be reason why they join gangs. They think it so cool. Impact of Gangs in Schools Gangs in school will obviously increase the violence in schools, though we cannot directly blame the gang members for them. According to Trump [1993], students enrolled in schools with evident gang presence are twice more likely to fear of being victims of violence, than those whose schools without gangs. In an interview of Boyle [1992], he said that gang members perceive schools as evils and forms of incarceration. They see school as a place for gathering and hosting violent activities. What is worse is that, even gang members who are already suspended or kicked out from school can be found in the campus with their fellow gang mates. They use school as a form of a hang-out place rather than a place for learning. Burnett and Walz [1994] said that gangs can broaden its reach even influencing the youth in gang-free schools, causing a wider influence and greater involvement in criminal activities. According to Chandler et al. [1998], youth gangs are correlated with issues in delinquency especially during elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics [2005] have reported that most students in urban schools are most probably report the existence of street gangs in their school with 31 percent, compared to suburban students and rural students with 18 percent and 12 percent respectively. According to Thompkins [2000], security officers, security cameras, and even metal detectors can serve as a means of deterrence, yet these causes fear among the people on school, knowing that such security was brought about by the heightening of gang activity in the school. Impact of Gangs on its Participants Most of the gang members are already involved in delinquent acts even during the time that they are not still members of the gang [Burnett and Walz, 1994]. Most likely, such delinquent acts will be heightened. They will be frequently involved in drug abuse, as well as violence against their neighbor and a lot more. There are many consequences of being involved in such gangs. If ever they do not follow the rules of their gang leaders, most likely they will be victims as well, facing more punishments than those who are non-members. Also, if the gangs were discovered, they can be arrested and put into detention. When they grow up, they can be put into prison. Gang life distorts a lot of healthy relationships especially if it is for long term. The gangs have so much power over their members and can limit their own capacities. It can deprive them their own ambitions and aspirations. They bring chaos to the community and it can break families. It is more likely to happen that a youth can be dropped out early in school. When this happens, there is less chance for the child to be employable in the future, thus increasing unemployment rate together with crime rate. Moreover, it can also bring about early pregnancy or teen motherhood, which brings about an unstable family and lack of parental care. We already discussed earlier that such families are more likely to produce delinquent children. Thus, we see a cycle going on in here. If you expose your child to an unstable environment, most likely, he or she will carry it in the future. Economic impact of youth gangs There are in fact economic costs associated to youth gangs just like any other crimes. Medical expenses are actually large, especially to those who were victimized. In a year, $655 billion are spent in the United States because of crimes and it was believed that a huge amount can be attributed to gangs [Fight Crime: Invest in kids, 2004]. In Los Angeles Hospital trauma center, it was revealed that $5 million was spent to the 272 gang-related gunshot victims. It was also reported that youth gangs turned to be entrepreneurial organizations, involving hard core drug operations in various numbers of states. An example of which is the Black Gangster Disciples Nation [Burnett and Walz, 1994]. It actually has a hierarchy with several officers with specialized jobs. They have a chairman, with board of directors who are in charge in the drug trafficking in their areas. They have regents, who are in charge in the drug supply as well as in overseeing the â€Å"drug† stores. They also have area coordinators, who are in charge in collecting revenues from several spots. They have enforcers who are like their police and punish members who cheat. Last are the shorties, or the â€Å"interns† who composes the staff in the drugs selling spots. So evidently, such gang is already very organized and they have climbed their way up because of their wider influence and power. How to fight gang activity Gang activities are very serious issues that need to be addressed. A lot of youths are being misled to another path, damages their lives, the lives of the people around them as well as their future. But, it’s never too late to pull them out of their misery and prevent those kids who are about to be victimized. The National Education Association developed a â€Å"Safe Schools Framework† in order to aid schools and communities to pinpoint the gangs in their areas [Safe Youth, 2007]. They are recommending cooperation among schools, families and communities in developing strategies in alleviating gangs in their areas, as well as promoting safety and security in the campus. We adopt three components of the framework: prevention, intervention and suppression. Under prevention, we should aim to prevent the youth in getting involved in gangs, as well as in gang-related activities. This includes heightened awareness and education of the negative consequences of joining gangs, and testimonials from former gang members discouraging them to be involved. By intervention, we mean that we create possible alternatives for the youth in terms of their after-school or extra-curricular activities. More so, we provide counseling for those who are already in trouble, and promote part-time jobs for students. By suppression, we should use adequate measures in identifying, isolation, punishing and rehabilitating criminal offenders [Safe Youth, 2007]. In order to fight the existence of gangs in the schools, we should promote policies like adapting a school uniform, implementing curfews to discourage delinquent activities at night, encouraging students to be punctual, as well as enforcing strict policies on underage drinking and bring of deadly weapons in schools. During the 1930s, the Chicago Area Project has already started in bringing about recreational activities and self-improvement campaigns in order to convert gang members [Johnson and Muhlhausen, 2005]. However, it only increased crime since they treated as gangs as a group. In other states, they have strict anti-gang laws but were not effective in enforcing laws. In states like California, Minnesota and Virginia, they have established gang task forces but it was observed that their success greatly relies on the sustainability of their efforts, a variety of strategies and strong political will. It is very difficult to do that for all the states. The U. S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has recommended several strategies like after-school activities, dropout prevention, parent-training programs, efficient tracking of former offenders, job programs and many others. However, many failed to reduce delinquency [Johnson and Muhlhausen, 2005]. Other programs were also seen to be ineffective, like the GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training) which used police as instructors in schools on the dangers of gang participation. During their evaluation, the program has no significant effect on gang membership [Johnson and Muhlhausen, 2005]. Moreover, the on-the-job training provided by the Department of Labor had produced counterintuitive results. Instead of preventing the disadvantaged youth, it actually increased the arrests related to gang activity. It was suggested by Johnson and Muhlhausen [2005] that the following strategies must be used. First, they should foster stable neighborhoods. It is very important for the government to ensure the safety of the environment of the people. They know that an unstable neighborhood produces delinquent activities, thus by enforcing policies that could enable a more secure neighborhood will be of great help in reducing gang membership. Second, they need to reduce illegal immigration. We know for a fact that gangs were formed due to alienation and a sense of discrimination from the society. By requiring stricter requirements for labor and immigration, we are also ensuring the safety of these people and help the rise of gangs in the country. Third, there should be strategies to â€Å"deny time for gang activities†. Parents should be aware that they play a great role in forming the behavior of their children. They should help their children in avoiding being influenced by those groups by telling the possible dangers of gang membership. Fourth, there should also be an emphasis on the prevention on the individual. Counseling programs must be strengthened, helping students to overcome their family problems and encourage them to find happiness in other things, instead of resulting to drugs and violence. Last is to ensure that the suppression is a product of collaborative efforts of several different agencies. An enforcement of a policy will not be successful if people do not have a general consensus about it, or do not cooperate. Strategies must also be simultaneously be implemented in order to make the campaigns against gang violence to be systematic. We still have a long way to go in eliminating gang violence. However, if we start now at our own homes, we can prevent these children from being involved in such gang activities. There are various tools to assist them. We need to focus on the sustainability and effectiveness of those tools in order to ensure success. Bibliography Gang. (n. d. ). Encyclopedia of Childrens Health. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from Answers. com Web site: http://www. answers. com/topic/gang Howell, J. (2006). The Impact of Gangs on Communities. NYGC Bulletin. Retrieved April 22, from IIGC Website: www. iir. com/nygc/publications/NYGCbulletin_0806. pdf. Green, F. (1999). Street Gangs in School. Retrieved April 20, 2008 at Keys to Safer Schools Website: http://www. keystosaferschools. com/Newsletter%20Vol. %208%20pg%203. htm. Safe Youth. (2007). Gangs fact sheet. Retrieved April 20, 2008 at National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center Website: http://www. safeyouth. org/scripts/facts/gangs. asp. Burnett, G. and G. Walz. (1994). Gangs in the Schools. Retrieved April 20, 2008 at Eric Digests Website: http://www. ericdigests. org/1995-1/gangs. htm. Johnson, S. and D. Muhlhausen. (2005). North American Transnational Youth Gangs: Breaking the Chain of Violence. Retrieved April 20, 2008 at Heritage Website: http://www. heritage. org/research/urbanissues/bg1834. cfm.

Healthy Eating Companion App

Healthy Eating Companion App 1.INTRODUCTION Healthy eating is the most important factor in maintaining health. It is considered as most important means of promoting health. Healthy eating is an overall sense of well being and also helps in preventing many chronic diseases. Healthy and unhealthy eating are both influenced by variety of factors. The application allows users to specify their dietary requirements, based on which the application makes suggestions as to how much exercise the user needs to do that day. It also suggests healthy meals to the user based on their dietary plan. It is very important that we follow a good nutritious diet for our bodies to function properly and stay healthy Foods are made up of six classes of nutrients. These nutrients are macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and water. If you neglect to have the right combination of these six items, it will be very difficult to live a healthy lifestyle. 2.BACKGROUND Rapid developments have encouraged using smartphones in health promotion research. Although many applications which are related to diet and health are available from major smartphone platforms. The few have been tested in research studies in order to determine the apps effectiveness in promoting health. Healthy eating helps us to maintain a healthy weight and also avoid certain health problems. Diet can have profound effect on sense of wellbeing. Studies have shown that eating Western diet with processed meats, packaged meals, takeout food, and sugary snacks will result in high rate of stress, depression, and anxiety. Eating an unhealthy diet may cause mental health disorders such as Alzheimers disease, schizophrenia, and increased risk of suicide in young people. Eating vegetables and fruits, cooking meals at home, reducing intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates may help to improve health and lower your risk for mental health problems. 3.TEAM ROLES Name:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   RUCHITA BHAGAT Roles:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Project Manager Description:   Ruchita will be responsible for leading the project and managing contact and feedback from stakeholders.   The project manager will be checking to make sure tasks are completed by time. The manager will also be in charger of making sure the different area of the project are communicating with each other. Name:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   STACY LLOYD Roles:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Graphical User Interface Design Description:  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stacy will be responsible for designing the graphical user interfaces for the application and the graphical assets for the interface for the application for all platforms. They will be expected to update there designs from testing feedback and giving the new designs to the application development.   They are also expected to help with testing when there is no graphical work is required. Name:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MANASA KOMPELLI Roles:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Application Development Description:  Ã‚  Ã‚   Manasa will be responsible for developing the application, implementing the graphical user interface with the graphical assets. They will be expected to implement the logical code and fixing software bugs. If no work for the application is currently needed they are expected to help with the service/ database development or testing the application. Name:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TYRONE BRAMWELL Roles:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Service/ Database Development Description:  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tyrone will be responsible for designing and developing the sever side software and the database required for the proposed system. They will also be expected to look at hosting solutions for storing the database and running the server software.   They will be expected to fix software bugs and help with the application development and testing. Name:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   JOHN SMITH Roles:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Testing/ Quality assurance Description:  Ã‚  Ã‚   John will be responsible for designing test suits for the application and service/ database, creating automated testing for both part of the software. They will be expected to find bugs and problems with the software and verifying the solution meets the specification. They will also be expected to investigate bugs and ways to replicate them so they can be tested for on the next build. 4.SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE 4.1 SCOPE The scope of the project is to build and design a cross platform application which links to services. The application helps the people to live healthy life and it also helps the people to keep the fat off and stay toned. It is the healthy meal planner combined with quick workout routines. The application allows users to specify their own dietary requirements so that application makes suggestions on healthy meals and also how much exercise the user needs to do that particular day. Healthy Eating Companion App is like coach in your pocket, always ready to help. The App analyses your food diary, calculates your targets and guides you with personalized advice and diet tips. The users will start using the application by selecting an appropriate plan in the application or by designing their own. The application estimates the intake of carbohydrates, fats and proteins based on users input, and suggest meals based on their daily allowance estimated from their dietary plan.   The app provides the users with optional information about the activity required to burn the calories consumed per meal in various forms (walking, cycling, swimming, cardio, etc.). The goal of application is to lose weight, get fit and gain weight with sustainable happy and healthier lifestyle 4.2 OBJECTIVE Healthy Eating Companion App is an application which helps people to follow their dietary plan and stay on track towards their goal. Its helps to follow meal plans and workouts created by experts trainers. It helps how to gain or lose weight with healthy diets and workout routines. It is a personalized step-by-step guide accommodating everyone,from beginners to advanced fitness enthusiasts, providing Workout plans to challenge you and make you progress. Customized healthy meals and diet plans Foods to eat and foods to avoid Healthy recipes Healthy eating companion app improves your nutrition and provides you with the healthy eating tools you need to reach your health and weight goals by Organizing your week with a healthy meal plan Providing you with over 300 healthy recipes customized to your personal tastes. Keeping track of users daily calorie burn. Accommodating dietary preferences vegetarian,vegan,pescatarian diets. 5.REQUIREMENTS Req Code Details R01 Build a companion app R02 Store users diet requirements R03 Provide an exercise plan to users R04 Meal plans based on diet requirements R05 Exercise plans based on food intake R06 Suggest health meal plans and alternatives R07 Allow user to input honest intake R08 Allow users to design own meal plans R09 Provide optional information on exercises R10 Show alternative Exercise R11 Show calories burned by exercise R12 Estimate Fats, carbohydrates and proteins from user input 6.SPECIFICATION Spec Code Req Code Details S01 R01 Use C# with .Mono to create a cross platform app for windows, Windows Mobile, android, iOS, mac OSX and linux S02 R02 R07 R08 Use MySQL for the database technology as its one of the recommend database technologies to uses with mono (External Database). SQLite for storing information if using an internal database (Internal Database). Could use CSV and other data files for storing data S03 R02 R07 R08 Design a database to store information S04 R02 R07 R08 Create a database to store user information S05 R02 Design a GUI to input and edit diet requirements S06 R02 Create a GUI to input and edit diet requirements S07 R02 Create code to store diet requirements input and allow editing them into database S08 R03 Store possible exercise plans in database S09 R03 Design a GUI to view possible exercise plans S10 R03 Code GUI and code retrieving exercise plans S11 R04 Store possible meal plans in database S12 R04 Design a GUI to view possible meal plans S13 R04 Code GUI and code retrieving meal plans S14 R05 Code recommending exercise plans from food intake S15 R05 Design and Code GUI for recommending exercise plan S16 R06 Code recommending healthier meal plans and alternative meal plans S17 R07 Create and design a GUI for inputting users honest intake S18 R07 Store and retrieve user honest intake from database. S19 R08 Create and Code GUI for allowing user to input own meal plan S20 R08 Store and retrieve user meal plans from database. S21 R09 Store optional information on exercises S22 R09 Design and create a GUI for viewing optional exercises information. S23 R10 Create and design a GUI showing alternative exercises. S24 R10 Store alternative exercises in database S25 R11 Display user information on how many calories an exercise burns S26 R12 Write code which works out from the user honest inputs and Estimate Fats, carbohydrates and proteins S27 R12 Store Estimate Fats, carbohydrates and proteins in a database 7.TIMELINE AND WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE 7.1 Timeline 7.2 WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.1 PLANNING   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.1.1 PROJECT OBJEVTIVE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.1.2 PROJECT MOTIVATION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.1.3 PROJECT MANAGEMENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.2 ANALIZING PROJECT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.2.1 PROJECT SCHEDULE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.2.2 REQUIRED DOCUMENTS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.3 TIME MANAGEMENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.3.1 TIME SCALE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.4 PERFORM QUALITY ATTRIBUTES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.4.1 MEETING SCHEDULE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.4.2 MEETING AGENDAS   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.5 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.6 STEERING COMMITTEE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2 DESIGN   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.1 PREPARING DESIGN   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.1.1 DESIGN DOCUMENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.1.2 DESIGN OVERVIEW   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.2 PREPARING DESIGN SPECIFICATION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.2.1 DESIGN INTERFACE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.2.2 DESIGN FOR SCREEN   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.3 REVIEW DESIGN   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.4 TECHNICAL DESIGN   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.4.1 INTERFACES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3 DEVELOPMENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.1 DEVELOPING SOFTWARE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.2 BACKEND SOFTWARE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.2.1 DATABASE IMPLEMENTATION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.2.2 MIDDLEWARE DEVELOPMENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.2.3 GRAPHICS AND INTERFACE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.2.4 CONTENT CREATION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3.3 PROCURING SOFTWARE PACKAGES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4 TESTING   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4.1 INTEGRATION TESTING   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4.2 DEVELOPING TESTS REPORT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4.3 ACCEPTANCE TESTING   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5 MAINTENANCE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.1 HARDWARE MAINTENANCE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5.2 SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE 8.LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES 8.1 legal issues Copy right The images for developing healthy eating companion app should be copyright free to use in designing. Copyright arises automatically and is owned by the author of a work. Source code is classified as a literary work and attracts copyright protection immediately upon creation, although protection also extends to images and animations Trade marks Developers look to the future to establish themselves in a highly competitive market and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   setting themselves apart. Trade marks are not necessarily complex and gained a reputation for dealing with matters quickly and efficiently ensuring costs do not escalate unnecessarily. Data protection issues Many apps not only run on mobile devices and also access to other data, such as details of the users social media account stored on the device. The users profile data in the application should not be shared with other people. It must also not be kept for any longer than necessary. Unauthorised access The data or information is used by another Unauthorized access and disclosure of health information can result in insurance and employment discrimination, as well as embarrassment and other dignitary harms Legal Uncertainity The information regarding users profile regarding his diet plans in application deleted ,edited or modified   led to a law making it a criminal offence to do certain things. 8.2 Ethical issues Honesty and Integrity This means we need to work honestly which applies to methods ,data and results. we should always keep to any agreements and act sincerely when working with others. Objectivity we should aim to avoid prejudice against one person or group in any aspect of project which include data analysis,design, interpretation, and review. And also you need to disclose any financial or personal interests that may affect project. Carefulness Care should be taken in carrying out project to avoid mistakes. The work should be reviewed properly to ensure results are credible. It is also very important to keep full records of project regarding users profile. Confidentiality Respect should be given to anything that has been provided in confidence. You should also follow guidelines on protection of sensitive information such as users profiles in the application. Legality Aware of laws and regulations that govern your work, and be sure that you conform to them. 8.3 Social Issues Privacy Personal health records and applications record sensitive personal information of the users across a variety of devices, including mobile devices. Ensuring both robust security and ease of use is a challenge for the designers of personal health applications. 9. PRODUCT/SERVICE DESCRIPTION This project is to create food intake app which can recommend exercise plans from the users honest input. The application is developed with C# with .Mono to create a cross platform app for windows, Windows Mobile, android, iOS, mac OSX and linux. 10. RISK ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION L Likelihood, S Severity, D Detectablescore: 1 10 Risk Details L S D Total Score Mitigation Data Loss Code, Database or other work done could be lost during development stages or afterwards 4 8 3 96 Keep multiple backups of data storing them in different location. Version controlling the data reduces the chances of data being corrupted and overwriting the file in the back ups. Lack of communication with stakeholders A lack of communication with stakeholders could lead to the project being built which is not what the stakeholders wanted. 3 6 4 72 Making regular meetings with stakeholders and show deliverables and documentation would help get feedback and make sure everyone has the same idea of the project. Illness Staff could become ill which could delay the project or require new staff brought to the project and trained increasing the costs. 4 7 5 140 Staff becoming ill should not work so they dont spread the illness. If long term then a temporary replacement will need to be found Hardware Failure Computer hardware could be broken or break causing repair costs and time. Could cause data failures 3 8 2 48 Hardware like computers and servers might break. Replacement hardware should be kept and funding to buy replacement hardware should be kept. Legal Issues Parts of the project may come into legal issues over copyright materials and data protection 3 8 5 120 Make sure all material used we have rights to uses or own the copyright. Make sure we follow laws to best of our ability. Data being stolen Data stored in the database may be personal to people and could cause harm if stolen 4 8 8 256 Make sure we use best practises. Keep software up to date and encrypt all identifiable and private data. Hosting Services going down The database and the server side software is going to be stored on a hosting server if it goes down then the app wouldnt work. 3 7 2 42 Use a hosting services with a low down time and keep a copy of all data so it be easy to move to a different hosting services Staff leaving Staff leaving would cause staff shortages and they may take the knowledge base they have with them. 4 6 1 24 A replacement would need to found and training provided. All staff should document everything they do so new staff and old staff know how software works. KEY ELEMENT OF RISK MANAGEMENT 11. References 1. Niva M. All foods which affects health: understanding of functional foods and healthy eating among health oriented tips. Appetite. 2007;384-93. 2. Shepherd J, Harden A, Rees R, Brunton G, Garcia J, Oliver S. Young people and their healthy eating: a systematic review of research on barriers and facilitators. Health Education Res. 2006;21:239-57. 3. Join WHO/FAO expert consultation. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2003. p. 149. 4. Polivy J, Herman CP. Mental health and eating behaviours: a bi-directional relation. Can J Public Health. 2005;96(Suppl 3):S43-6. S49-53. 5.Morgan Leslie Segal,Harvard school of Public Health;best food sources.health benefits.1939-2017. 6. Anthony Alayon Posted in: Diet and Nutrition;Health-Reporter-Daily. 101 Toxic Food Ingredients They Never Told You About. 2005 p.278 7. Aasim Durrani- Legal-issues-for-mobile-app-developers;2013 p.346 8.Resnick,D,B.What is Ethics in Research and Why is it important:List adapted from ShamooA and Resnik D.2015,3rd ed.

Knowledge Essay -- essays research papers

Knowledge   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Knowledge can be interpreted in many different ways. Some may see knowledge as learned education. Others may see education as intelligence. None of these perspectives of knowledge are right or wrong. Every person is entitled to their own definition, source, and use of knowledge in their lives. I view knowledge as the wisdom and insight that one may acquire over time, by personal experiences and influences in life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of the basic knowledge acquired by people starting at a young age is in school. As young children, we learn elementary facts such as our numbers and the alphabet. The older we become, the more facts we are taught, and the more complex these facts become. The knowledge one may learn in school is what I think of as worldly knowledge that will get people into the colleges and jobs that they may desire. The people that are abundant in educational knowledge are the people who dominate our economy and run our country. Certainly, this is one of the more important types of knowledge there are and definitely one that we could not do without, but it is not quite as important as some of the others. Education is vital in life, but mere facts cannot aid in the solution to all problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another source of knowledge is entertainment, such as in television, movies, books, or even music. Certain types of entertainment can even be education. For example, television shows such as â€Å"20/20† or â€Å"DateLine† are both very informative shows, but interesting e...

Influences on Soil Nitrogen Mineralization: Implications for Soil Resto

Influences on Soil Nitrogen Mineralization: Implications for Soil Restoration and Revegetation Introduction Nitrogen is a macronutrient essential to the growth of plants and is also one of the most deficient nutrients in most soils. Insufficient levels of available soil nitrogen limit microbial growth and decay and growth of the plants themselves. Because site disturbance adversely affects the flow of nitrogen through soil-plant-microbial systems, the re-establishment of the cycle of nitrogen flow in the soil is crucial to revegetation attempts. Mineralizable nitrogen--nitrogen in forms readily usable by plants--is dependent upon a number of factors. According to Stanford and Smith (1972), those factors include soil moisture, pH level, temperature, microbial biomass, and amounts of other nutrients. Three of the more significant and interrelated influences--microbial biomass, temperature, and moisture--are discussed here. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of factors influencing soil nitrogen mineralization, but instead, a general overview of the more significant considerations. Microbial Processes Microbial decay of organic material is the main release process of soil nitrogen. Nitrogen is released from microbial decay in the form of ammonium, but can also be immobilized by microbes which take up nitrate and ammonium to satisfy their own requirements. The mobilization or immobilization of nitrogen is dependent upon the amount of N the decomposing material itself provides; insufficient nitrogen released from decaying organic matter will result in the absorption of ammonium and nitrate by the microbes. An excess of N will satisfy the requirements of the microbes and provide a surplus to be released into the soil... ...6-100. Campbell, C.A., V.O. Biederbeck, and F.G. Warder. 1971. Influence of simulated fall and spring conditions on the soil system: Effect on soil nitrogen. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 35:480-483. Cassman, K.G., and D.N. Munns. 1980. Nitrogen mineralization as affected by soil moisture, temperature, and depth. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 44:1233-1237. Myrold, David D. 1987. Relationship between microbial biomass nitrogen and a nitrogen availability index. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 51:1047-1049. Powers, Robert F. 1980. Mineralizable soil nitrogen as an index of nitrogen availability to forest trees. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 44:1314-1320. Singer, Michael J. and Donald N. Munns, 1986, Soils: An Introduction: New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 480 p. Stanford, George and S.J. Smith. 1972. Nitrogen mineralization potentials of soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 36:465-472.

Dams :: essays research papers

Many people have already dammed a small stream using sticks and mud by the time they become adults. Humans have used dams since early civilization, because four-thousand years ago they became aware that floods and droughts affected their well-being and so they began to build dams to protect themselves from these effects.1 The basic principles of dams still apply today as they did before; a dam must prevent water from being passed. Since then, people have been continuing to build and perfect these structures, not knowing the full intensity of their side effects. The hindering effects of dams on humans and their environment heavily outweigh the beneficial ones. The paragraphs below will prove that the construction and presence of dams always has and will continue to leave devastating effects on the environment around them. Firstly, to understand the thesis people must know what dams are. A dam is a barrier built across a water course to hold back or control water flow. Dams are classified as either storage, diversion or detention. As you could probably notice from it's name, storage dams are created to collect or hold water for periods of time when there is a surplus supply. The water is then used when there is a lack of supply. For example many small dams impound water in the spring, for use in the summer dry months. Storage dams also supply a water supply, or an improved habitat for fish and wildlife; they may store water for hydroelectricity as well.2 A diversion dam is a generation of a commonly constructed dam which is built to provide sufficient water pressure for pushing water into ditches, canals or other systems. These dams, which are normally shorter than storage dams are used for irrigation developments and for diversion the of water from a stream to a reservoir. Diversion dams are mainly built to lessen the effects of floods and to trap sediment.3 Overflow dams are designed to carry water which flow over thier crests, because of this they must be made of materials which do not erode. Non- overflow dams are built not to be overtopped, and they may include earth or rock in their body. Often, two types of these dams are combined to form a composite structure consisting of for example an overflow concrete gravity dam, the water that overflows into dikes of earthfill construction.4 A dam's primary function is to trap water for irrigation. Dams help to decrease the severity of droughts, increase agricultural production, and create new lands for agricultural use. Farmland, however, has it's price; river bottomlands flooded, defacing the fertility of the soil. This agricultural land may also result in a loss of natural artifacts. Recently in Tasmania where has been pressure

Deception Point Page 109

A few of the reporters laughed. With his daughter bearing down fast from his right, Sexton had no doubt this father-daughter reunion would best be held in private. Unfortunately, privacy was scarce at the moment. Sexton's eyes darted to the large partition on his right. Still smiling calmly, Sexton waved to his daughter and stepped away from the microphone. Moving toward her at an angle, he maneuvered such that Rachel had to pass behind the partition to get to him. Sexton met her halfway, hidden from the eyes and ears of the press. â€Å"Honey?† he said, smiling and opening his arms as Rachel came toward him. â€Å"What a surprise!† Rachel walked up and slapped his face. Alone with her father now, ensconced behind the partition, Rachel glared with loathing. She had slapped him hard, but he barely flinched. With chilling control, his phony smile melted away, mutating into an admonishing glower. His voice turned to a demonic whisper. â€Å"You should not be here.† Rachel saw wrath in his eyes and for the first time in her life felt unafraid. â€Å"I turned to you for help, and you sold me out! I was almost killed!† â€Å"You're obviously fine.† His tone was almost disappointed. â€Å"NASA is innocent!† she said. â€Å"The President told you that! What are you doing here?† Rachel's short flight to Washington aboard the Coast Guard Osprey had been punctuated by a flurry of phone calls between herself, the White House, her father, and even a distraught Gabrielle Ashe. â€Å"You promised Zach Herney you were going to the White House!† â€Å"I am.† He smirked. â€Å"On election day.† Rachel felt sickened to think this man was her father. â€Å"What you're about to do is madness.† â€Å"Oh?† Sexton chuckled. He turned and motioned behind him to the podium, which was visible at the end of the partition. On the podium, a stack of white envelopes sat waiting. â€Å"Those envelopes contain information you sent me, Rachel. You. The President's blood is on your hands.† â€Å"I faxed you that information when I needed your help! When I thought the President and NASA were guilty!† â€Å"Considering the evidence, NASA certainly appears guilty.† â€Å"But they are not! They deserve a chance to admit their own mistakes. You've already won this election. Zach Herney is finished! You know that. Let the man retain some dignity.† Sexton groaned. â€Å"So naive. It's not about winning the election, Rachel, it's about power. It's about decisive victory, acts of greatness, crushing opposition, and controlling the forces in Washington so you can get something done.† â€Å"At what cost?† â€Å"Don't be so self-righteous. I'm simply presenting the evidence. The people can draw their own conclusions as to who is guilty.† â€Å"You know how this will look.† He shrugged. â€Å"Maybe NASA's time has come.† Senator Sexton sensed the press was getting restless beyond the partition, and he had no intention of standing here all morning and being lectured by his daughter. His moment of glory was waiting. â€Å"We're through here,† he said. â€Å"I have a press conference to give.† â€Å"I'm asking you as your daughter,† Rachel pleaded. â€Å"Don't do this. Think about what you're about to do. There's a better way.† â€Å"Not for me.† A howl of feedback echoed out of the PA system behind him, and Sexton wheeled to see a late-arriving female reporter, huddled over his podium, attempting to attach a network microphone to one of the goose-neck clips. Why can't these idiots arrive on time? Sexton fumed. In her haste, the reporter knocked Sexton's stack of envelopes to the ground. Goddamn it! Sexton marched over, cursing his daughter for distracting him. When he arrived, the woman was on her hands and knees, collecting the envelopes off the ground. Sexton couldn't see her face, but she was obviously â€Å"network†-wearing a full-length cashmere coat, matching scarf, and low-slung mohair beret with an ABC press pass clipped to it. Stupid bitch, Sexton thought. â€Å"I'll take those,† he snapped, holding out his hand for the envelopes. The woman scraped up the last of the envelopes and handed them up to Sexton without looking up. â€Å"Sorry†¦,† she muttered, obviously embarrassed. Hunkering low in shame, she scurried off into the crowd. Sexton quickly counted the envelopes. Ten. Good. Nobody was going to steal his thunder today. Regrouping, he adjusted the microphones and gave a joking smile to the crowd. â€Å"I guess I'd better hand these out before someone gets hurt!† The crowd laughed, looking eager. Sexton sensed his daughter nearby, standing just off-stage behind the partition. â€Å"Don't do this,† Rachel said to him. â€Å"You'll regret it.† Sexton ignored her. â€Å"I'm asking you to trust me,† Rachel said, her voice growing louder. â€Å"It's a mistake.† Sexton picked up his envelopes, straightening the edges. â€Å"Dad,† Rachel said, intense and pleading now. â€Å"This is your last chance to do what's right.† Do what's right? Sexton covered the microphone and turned as if clearing his throat. He glanced discreetly over at his daughter. â€Å"You're just like your mother-idealistic and small. Women simply do not understand the true nature of power.† Sedgewick Sexton had already forgotten his daughter by the time he turned back toward the jostling media. Head held high, he walked around the podium and handed the stack of envelopes into the hands of the waiting press. He watched the envelopes disseminate rapidly through the crowd. He could hear the seals being broken, the envelopes being torn apart like Christmas presents. A sudden hush came over the crowd. In the silence, Sexton could hear the defining moment of his career. The meteorite is a fraud. And I am the man who revealed it. Sexton knew it would take the press a moment to understand the true implications of what they were looking at: GPR images of an insertion shaft in the ice; a living ocean species almost identical to the NASA fossils; evidence of chondrules that formed on earth. It all led to one shocking conclusion. â€Å"Sir?† one reporter stammered, sounding stunned as he looked in his envelope. â€Å"Is this for real?† Sexton gave a somber sigh. â€Å"Yes, I'm afraid it's very real indeed.† Murmurs of confusion now spread through the crowd. â€Å"I'll give everyone a moment to look through these pages,† Sexton said, â€Å"and then I'll take questions and attempt to shed some light on what you're looking at.† â€Å"Senator?† another reporter asked, sounding utterly bewildered. â€Å"Are these images authentic?†¦ Unretouched?† â€Å"One hundred percent,† Sexton said, speaking more firmly now. â€Å"I would not present the evidence to you otherwise.† The confusion in the crowd seemed to deepen, and Sexton thought he even heard some laughter-not at all the reaction he had expected. He was starting to fear he had overestimated the media's ability to connect the obvious dots. â€Å"Um, senator?† someone said, sounding oddly amused. â€Å"For the record, you stand behind the authenticity of these images?† Sexton was getting frustrated. â€Å"My friends, I will say this one last time, the evidence in your hands is one-hundred-percent accurate. And if anyone can prove otherwise, I'll eat my hat!† Sexton waited for the laugh, but it never came. Dead silence. Blank stares. The reporter who had just spoken walked toward Sexton, shuffling through his photocopies as he came forward. â€Å"You're right, senator. This is scandalous data.† The reporter paused, scratching his head. â€Å"So I guess we're puzzled as to why you've decided to share it with us like this, especially after denying it so vehemently earlier.†