Drug profiling assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Drug profiling assignment - Essay Example Forensic scientists employ several tests and techniques to provide evidence needed for the case. Analysis of samples is necessary to identify, quantify and drug profiling. The materials previously collected, 100 grams of white powder, the trace samples from the clothing of the suspects, the cling film and the mirror will all be subjected to analysis. Prior to the presumptive tests, physical description and sampling will be done. The physical characteristics such as texture, powder particle size, color, odor, taste and weight will be physically defined before a sample for analysis will be secured. It will be weighed and thoroughly homogenised, before a sample was taken. Presumptive analysis will provide the identification of the white powder collected from the table. Trace samples from the suspects’ clothing can directly be analyzed using confirmatory tests. Colour test will bring initial data for the powder’s identity. Specific color changes give the positive result for the powder’s identity. An intense blue-violet color when the powder is made to react with 1% cobalt acetate, and 5% isopropylamine in methanol of Dillie-Koppanyi test will identify it as a barbiturate. Marquis test using dilute solution of methanal in sulphuric acid can give two types of results; if the colour changed to purple, the powder is heroin-based, if the test however yields an orange-brown colour, the powder is an amphetamine. Treating it with a Duquenois-Levine test reagent and a purple colour resulted, the powder is positive as marijuana. In Scott test, in which a solution of cobalt chloride is added in a 50:50 mixture of water and glycerol, a blue c olour positively identifies cocaine. This positive result can be confirmed by adding concentrated hydrochloric acid, liquid goes pink and then adding chloroform the blue reappears in the chloroform layer. Blue-purple in reaction with

orld Trade Organization Essay Example for Free

orld Trade Organization Essay On November 30, 1999, major governments met at a World Trade Organization (WTO), ministerial meeting at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington. During this meeting an enormous public protest took place in the streets of Seattle. The protestors were representing human rights groups, students, environmental groups, religious leaders, labor rights activists and members of numerous other groups. The groups were not only from the United States, but had come from all over the world. All of these people were peacefully protesting the practices of the WTO in the name of free trade. The protestors stated that the WTO upheld trade practices that allowed child labor, low wages and environmental destruction. The WTO justified these practices in the name of free trade. Tens of thousands of people were in Seattle to protest peacefully, and the protests did start peacefully, but they did not end that way. A small number of anarchist groups were in Seattle to cause civil disobedience and acts of vandalism and property damage. These groups conducted deliberate acts of vandalism on corporate offices in Seattle. The Seattle Police Department did not have the number of officers, even with help from other departments, to handle the number of protestors. The officers used pepper spray, tear gas, stun grenades and eventually rubber bullets to try to unblock congested city streets. Some of the anarchists fought back by breaking windows and vandalizing storefronts. Dumpsters were pushed out into intersections and they were lit on fire and tires on police cars were deflated. The National Guard was finally called in, but did not get to Seattle until the next morning. Once the WTO packed up and went home, the protestors packed up and went on their way. When the meeting finished, businesses had suffered millions of dollars in damage and lost sales, over 500 people were arrested. No deaths were attributed to the protest and no one was seriously injured. There was controversy over city response and the Seattle police chief resigned. The anarchist protestors felt the protest was a success. Before the Seattle Protest, there was almost no mention of anti-globalization in the U. S. media but the protest had forced the media to report on why anyone would oppose the WTO. Good or bad, the message of the protestors was broadcast to the world.

An Economic Analysis of Oregon’s 2007 Road User Fee Pilot Program Essay

I. Introduction and Background The gasoline tax has provided revenue for the Federal and State Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for decades; however, the tax rates have remained stagnate leading to the funds depletion. The HTF is responsible for funding highway and mass transit projects and also maintenance of those projects at the Federal and State level. In 2005 around 80 percent of funding for all projects came from the gasoline tax (Kim, Porter, Whitty, Svadlenak Lareson, Capps, Imholt & Person 2008, pg. 37). Thus, it is vital for the HTF to be a revenue collecting system that can replace the gasoline tax. Oregon has recently begun testing an alternative revenue collection program to fund their HTF. Currently, State gasoline tax is set at 24 cents per-gallon and that is on top of the Federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents, which only, 18.3 cents is used for roads, the total tax equals to 42.4 cents per-gallon (McMullen, Zhang, & Nakahara, 2010, pg. 360) (Austin & Dinan, 2012 pg.2). The gasoline tax has not been raised in years and is unable to keep up with fuel-efficient technologies. Consequently, the Federal government has had to allocate funds to States HTF for projects along with States having to borrow money form their other accounts. Therefore Oregon proposed the 2007 Road User Fee Pilot Program to test if a vehicle mileage traveled (VMT) tax is a feasible solution to the gasoline tax. Oregon’s propose program is in response to new fuel-efficient vehicles and corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards that have forced the automotive industry to rise miles-per-gallon in new vehicles to help combat climate change. It is estimated that CAFE standards have lower the gasoline tax revenue around twenty percent (Austi... ... Evaluation of Oregon's Vehicle-Miles-Traveled Revenue Collection System." Transportation Research Board 2079: 37-44. Print. McMullen, Starr, Lei Zhang, and Kyle Nakahara. "Distributional impacts of changing from a gasoline tax to a vehicle-mile tax for light vehicles: A case study of Oregon." Transport Policy 17: 359-366. Print. Rufolo, Anthony, and Thomas Kimpel. "Responses to Oregon's Experiment in Road Pricing ." Transportation Research Board 2079: 1-7. Print. Thomas, Michael , and Kevin Heaslip. "Technological Change and the Lowest Common Denominator Problem: an Analysis of Oregon's Vehicle Miles Travelled Fee Experiment ." Journal of City and Town Management 2: 1-23. Web. 6 May 2014. Whitty, James. "Oregon's Mileage Fee Concept and Road User Fee Pilot Program: Final Report ." Oregon Department of Transportation 1 Nov. 2007: iv-92. Print.

Internship Paper Essay

My role with the _____ County circuit courts varies pretty much daily. Originally I was assigned to circuit court three. As it turns out though, they have had a high school intern coming since the beginning of the semester also, who is interning for a class she has. I believe she comes in three times a week. In addition to this, they have a â€Å"floater† who rotates through all of the courts, there are seven, so they have more than enough help in their court. Most days when I go in, I start in court three, and then end up going to court services to help the ladies out there. When I am in court three, I basically do the filing that has accumulated throughout the day. Depending on the day, and if the other intern or the floater has been there, there might be anywhere from ten minutes to an hour’s worth of filing to do. After this is done, I might â€Å"pull the mail,† meaning pull any files that correspond with mail the court has received. These might be warrants, certified mail, requests to continue, follow up letters referencing a court case, etc. A few times, when there has been a computer available, I have been able to enter information into the JUSTIS system, mostly through certified mail cards. Sometimes I would enter information for small claims cases, and then if the attorney or plaintiff/defendant would need copies of the information, I would mail those out. I would say the majority of my time spent at the courts was spent in court services though. Here I would do a lot of work for Mary, who is in charge of juvenile cases. A few weeks ago, I did many spreadsheets with data about juveniles who were either in detention centers, or placed in treatment centers, ranging from 1998-2002. She has to have record of this and needed the material in an organized data format, so I did a lot of that. I’ve also made many calls to agencies to see their â€Å"per diem† rates, or rates for those placed in those facilities per day that they stay. Another project I have done for Mary was tracking her mileage as she has traveled from facility to facility to visit the juveniles placed there. These facilities are located in various other places around the state, so  she often has to travel long distances to make these trips, and needs to track her mileage for record and compensation. These records also went back to I believe 1998 or 1999, and were recorded to the present date, so there was much tracking I had to do to figure out her total mileage per day, and then per year. I’ve also worked several times with Lisa helping her. She is in charge of jurors and jury duty. She sends out notices once a month to those who are being called for jury duty for that month. I have helped her sort these names, put together the notices, and get them sent out to the potential jurors. This is a big job, as when it comes time to do it, she usually has boxes and boxes of notices needing to be sent out. Something else I have done for court services would be to take their daily outgoing mail and run it through the postage machine to be sent out. This must happen about 5-6 times a day would be my guess. I have only done this a few times, but each time I have gone back, there was a replenished supply to be sent out. Also, sometimes I would take documents that needed to be mailed out from circuit court three to court services and put them in their corresponding lawyer’s mail slots, or send them out with the outgoing mail. Also, a few times I have had to take packages or documents for someone in court services down to the courthouse. I have really enjoyed working in the court system, both in circuit court three and in court services. As a criminal justice major I think it has been a really good experience for me. I plan on graduating in December, and am hoping to go into Federal Investigations. Another interesting aspect of the internship where I did it was that I got to work somewhat along side of a fellow criminal justice major that I have known since our freshman year. She and I have had every criminal justice class together except for P100. We both applied for the internship, but never knew we would end up in the same place, since there were quite a few options of places to work! Also, my resident assistant from freshman year also works part time in the court system, so I was kind of â€Å"reunited† with  her, which was quite a coincidence, considering how big this campus is! Last page: The last page of the paper is supposed to be additional comments about our good experiences and shortcomings of the internship. My good experiences would definitely be the people that I met and worked with there. They are a wonderful group of people, from the few I already knew, my fellow CJUS major and my R.A from freshman year, to everyone that I got to know and work with there. And Mary was wonderful especially. I felt like I could talk to her about â€Å"school stuff† since she graduated from IU also, whether it be to gripe about classes or get advice about the major/future plans. I think the shortcoming I can think of would be that I ended up being an intern for circuit court three, not because I didn’t like it, just for the fact that they already had a high school intern and a floater, so there really was not much for me to do there at all. I literally would go in court three for about a half hour or so and then spend the rest of my time in court services. Honestly I wish I could have been a general intern for court services or a second intern to Mary. Court services was where I spent the majority of my time and I loved it. I also was told when I did my orientation that I would probably get to sit in on court a few times and observe. To date I have not been able to do that. I don’t know if the time hasn’t worked out for when I’ve been working, or if there just hasn’t been much I’d be able to sit in on. I remember Mary telling me that court three did have drug court, which I have heard them talk about a few times, and I would have loved to sit in on this, because the Drug Enforcement Agency is one of the Federal agencies I’m very interested in. I would have definitely liked to participate in this aspect more than I was able to. I would say this has definitely been my toughest semester. I ended up dropping a class early in the semester because I was trying to take 19 hours, including the internship, so it was really even more since I had to  dedicate 10 hours a week to being there. At the beginning of the semester I thought I could handle all 19 hours and the internship, but I really felt like I didn’t have time to even sleep, let alone study, so something had to go. I was literally booked solid all week as I worked most of the day Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays I had class from 8-5 and then Wednesdays I would work all day also. And while I didn’t have classes on Fridays, I worked in my hometown at the job I have been working at for the past few summers; they let me come in part time and holidays so I can make some money. It was hard to juggle school, the internship, and my family situation this semester, but I’m glad I was given the opportunity for the internship, I really do believe it was beneficial.

Short Story Analysis/ Civil Peace

â€Å"Once you allow your foundation to be restored, not a small or quick task, you will be able, with God's help, to build the life He always intended you to have† (Sandra Celeste). Chinua Achebe, the author of â€Å"Civil Peace,† writes about a stereotypical life in Africa, from struggles to miracles, the story is focused around the main character, Jonathan Iwegbu's, point of view. The main conflict is the bittersweet fact that Civil War has come to an end, but many African families have lost everything they have ever known. Jonathan, is surprised to see that his house is still standing when other structures around it are demolished.The author uses motifs, characterization and plot to further echo conflict through the entire piece. A quote that is repeated throughout â€Å"Civil Peace† is that, â€Å"Nothing Puzzles God† (Achebe 359). This motif helps support the characters, which further helps support the conflict. This recurring quote helps support the theme by giving characteristics to Jonathan. He is being blessed over and over again, and remains humble. At the end of the Civil War, his bike is kept safe and he is able to sell, and then afford a taxi drive back to Enugu to search for his home.In that whole experience, he does nothing but say that God is limitless, â€Å"But, needless to say, even that monumental blessing must be accounted also totally inferior to the five heads in the family. This newest miracle was his little house in Ogui Overside. Indeed nothing puzzles God! † (Achebe 359). This quote gives support to the motif, which then is portrayed as the theme. The motif is also the main supportation for the main character, Jonathan. In the â€Å"Civil Peace,† Achebe describes the main character, Jonathan, as a humble African man, who experiences difficulties after the Civil War.He is directly supported by the theme that, â€Å"Nothing Puzzles God,† because of the amount of times he is heard saying it. Characterization is a big part in this story, and it is used to support the theme, which is the direct backbone to the main conflict. The conflict is based around Jonathan and his struggle to rebuild his home and his life. Through Jonathan the journey is not hard to read, due to the complete humble nature of him and his life. â€Å"I count it as nothing,' he told his sympathizers, his eyes on the rope he was tying.‘What is _egg-rasher_? Did I depend on it last week? Or is it greater than other things that went with the war? I say, let _egg-rasher_ perish in the flames! Let it go where everything else has gone. Nothing puzzles God† (Achebe 364). Even in his worst times, when all he had earned for his family after the war was taken away, he still praised God and put it into a completely different viewpoint. Jonathans character is a great use of conflict supportation, but his character also enhances the plot, which in the end directly reflects the main theme.The plot o f any story is the foundation and the base for all characters, themes, or motifs. Plot is used to portray action throughout the story. In the â€Å"Civil Peace,† the author uses the plot to intensify Jonathans character and magnify the main conflict. The two most important conflicts that happen throughout the story are when Jonathan travels to Enugu and discovers that him and his family will be forced to work and rebuild their home and lives, and when Jonathan has worked and earned money but gets robbed and is left with nothing once again.The plot emphasizes these points when, â€Å"Jonathan and his family were now completely paralysed by terror. Maria and the children sobbed inaudibly like lost souls. Jonathan groaned continuously† (Achebe 362). The author uses syntax and diction in this excerpt, to support the plot. He used words like, â€Å"inaudibly† and, â€Å"paralyzed with terror,† which is called imagery and helps the readers have a direct connect ion to the plot. In many ways plot is used to further the conflict.In many ways the author, Chinua Achebe, uses a motif, theme, characterization through the main character Jonathan, and plot, to support the main conflicts. These literary devices are key factors in the story of the â€Å"Civil Peace. † By examining the authors purpose of writing this piece, it is made clear that the intended theme is that, â€Å"Nothing Puzzles God. † Knowing that this is the theme and the authors purpose is important in determining the conflict and the reasoning behind it. In this case, the author uses the literary devices to further and extend upon the conflict.

Turning a Lifes Work into a Book †By Sallyann Della Casa

Turning a Lifes Work into a Book - By Sallyann Della Casa Turning a Life's Work into a Book - An Interview with Sallyann Della Casa Literary pursuits and social action come together naturally  in  Sallyann Della Casa's world. Being a pioneer in using the written word to draw attention to her entrepreneurial work, she has unique lessons to share. We were very excited to find out more about her decision to work with Reedsy editors while being associated with a traditional publishing house. Whether you're a writer or a business leader looking for interesting ways to talk about what you do, there's a lot here for everyone.  Hi Sallyann, thanks for being with us today! You are the author of Who Will I Become, and the founder of the Growing Leaders Foundation. Can you tell us a bit about the book,  and its link to the foundation?The book, WHO WILL I BECOME, is a visual roadmap of the Foundation’s leadership work to  date. This first edition focuses on the Caribbean region where the Foundation started (my place  of birth). The 2nd edition will focus on the Middle East region. The photography and inspi ring  words are meant to incite storytelling between youths and adults as they explore instances  where the directed and thought provoking words may apply or could apply to their own lives,  past and future.The concept of the book has existed since 2010 when I created the Foundation. I wrote the  Love Letter to a Leader of Tomorrow back then, and it has never changed, meaning the entire  book is designed around this love letter we all deserve to receive in our lifetime.Books have always been my most reliable, consistent mentor. I wanted to create one that  could give the wisdom of generations to youths and adults who may have lost their way, from all  cultures. This is why there will be 7 versions of the book to represent various regions of the  world as I explore their cultures and what leadership feels and looks like for each. "Books have always been my most reliable, consistent mentor."@SallyannDC Author Sallyann Della Casa holding her book Who Will I BecomeComing from a tiny Caribbean island, Trinidad and Tobago, with only 1.3 million people and a  limited budget, a book is a terrific way to create a legacy for the Foundation, secure an income  stream (we are a social enterprise and not donor dependent) and also continue our impact -   each book gives the reader access to our leadership lessons through a unique code which they  can utilize on their own to help us grow leaders in their own communities.You’ve embraced the concept of a â€Å"book as a business card†, how did it work out for  you? What impact has the book had so far on your foundation?I recently wrote an article about this in Arabian Business, i.e. a book being the new business  card. I think in the world we live in today, we are super keen to learn more about the texture of  others; their worldview, their value system, etc. It is for this reason that we have such a huge  infatuation with each other’s content through social media, blogs and all. There is no better way to transfer your knowledge, experiences and/or diverse content other than through a book. There is just something about a book that gives roots to what you need to say to the world, how  you feel, who you are and what you stand for. I think everyone is a biography and a book waiting to happen and if we live our lives knowing this... just imagine the possibilities for each  and every one of us.With regards to me personally, the fact that I am now a published author is rewarding on so  many levels. As a lover of books, having my own is mind boggling. I also get photos and emails  from all over the world about how my book has changed someone’s life or impacted someone  else. You cannot even imagine what that feels like to read one of those emails. "I think everyone is a biography and a book waiting to happen" @SallyannDC Recently, I went on a book tour and visited classrooms in the Caribbean using the book and the  kids went berzerk, asking me for autographs not only on their books, but all over their clothing  and school bags, sweaters etc. It truly is the most powerful feeling ever to spark something  deep within another that awakens their potential. How blessed am I really to be the chosen  vehicle for a book that does this really magical thing?In terms of the Foundation, the book not only generated steady income but I have literally now  allowed anyone who purchases the book to access our leadership lessons for youths and  adults. This allows them to light their own candles in the world and allows the Foundation to  increase the outcome of our work tenfold by empowering others with our tools.What would be your top tips for other business or foundation owners when it comes to  writing a book (or having it ghostwritten) and publishing it?We all have something to teach and/or a story to tell... so share it out loud in a book. I say this  especially to those of us in the area of making this world a better place. You simply do not know how what you are doing or what you know can lift up another, give knowledge or inspire courage. In today’s publishing world, you can easily design, write and publish a book on your own. The traditional publishing way of needing an agent and a publisher has been turned on its head There are so many resources to help you do it right.I am now working on my second book, a 50,000+ word full manuscript which is very different  from my first book. To say it is hard, especially given I have no writing experience whatsoever,  would be an understatement. But I was really fortunate in that a publisher, Jaico Books, noticed  my work and approached me to write an adult audience leadership book. So I encourage you to  keep writing and putting your content out there in the world since you never know who may  notice.So you’re with a traditional publisher, but you still came to Reedsy to find an  independent editor to work with. What was the reason for that?Yes, normally a traditional publisher does all the editorial reviews for a book; especially if they  approached you to write it. In my case I came to Reedsy for three reasons.First I wanted a different persp ective on my book. My publisher is focused on the Indian market  but I want my book to have international appeal, so I was looking for diverse feedback.  Also, I have to admit I was a bit insecure about some of my writing. Before submitting some  chapters to my publisher, I chose to get a lot of help and feedback from my Reedsy editors. It was super affordable and I figured I had nothing to lose to get a next set of eyes on my work.I was very open to my publisher about having outside editors looking at my work. And they  actually noticed and complimented me on the huge difference in the chapters being submitted;  so it really worked out for me.Most importantly, my confidence is up and I have found my mojo and grit to keep writing away  to complete this second book within the next month so we can see it on bookshelves in 2017. "The three reasons why I came to Reedsy while working with a traditional publisher" @SallyannDC You’ve hired two editors through Reedsy: Maria D’Marco and Dick Hill: did you notice  any differences in their methods, or in the things they picked up?Dick and Maria are both wonderful and different as night and day in their approaches. Dick is  very methodical doing word ­-for-word editing. He does not touch the shape of the work but he  cleans up the grammar so it all makes perfect sense i.e. he has been super helpful in clearing  up what I want to say without disturbing my work. He is also very professor- ­like and I almost feel  like I have a babysitter that keeps me writing.Maria is extremely different in that she confidently pokes holes in the work and makes  suggestions or asks questions. She causes you to wonder if the shape of your work is correct or  if it should be round or square in certain parts. She forces you to think through what you are  writing or meaning to say. This is super helpful to me since she adds light and allows air into the  work. I am saving a lot of her comments for my final manuscript where I will have the full  editorial review from my publisher. I have a feeling this is where I will get a full appreciation of  how brilliant Maria actually is. Maria is also so positive and encouraging... she actually made me feel like I am writing a bestseller of sorts!We know you cannot wait, get yourself a copy of  Who Will I Become here.Did Sallyann's experiences seem familiar to you? Let her know, join the conversation by leaving your  thoughts, comments, or questions below.

Motorcycle Boy Essays - English-language Films, Films, Rumble Fish

Motorcycle Boy Essays - English-language Films, Films, Rumble Fish Motorcycle Boy Number of Pages:122 I believe that the story "Rumble Fish" has a very plausible plot because it's about a boy who is a former gang member and always gets into fights. The boy's name is Russel James, he is fourteen, he likes to fight, he always gets in trouble, and isn't very smart. The boy gets into trouble by fighting, getting drunk, and stealing, throughout the story, but instead of realizing he has got to stop and change his life around, he get in more and more trouble. In my opinion the story is plausible because the boy is telling the story and he mentions things such as drugs, fights, stealing, gangs, and drinking and smoking. Which is very present in our society today. I would have to say that if anything this story was sad, because at the end of the story Russel's older brother, the Motorcycle Boy, was shot when he tried freeing the Rumble Fish from the pet store. That would probably be the main reason the story was sad, besides the fact that Russel's friend Steve had his mother put in the hospital after she became ill. I didn't really like the book because of the fact that there was no real big action in the story. Not to mention, that the Motorcycle Boy was one of the strangest characters I had ever read about. He was so weird that no one in the story really understood the way he thought. He was like an outsider. I think there was good character development in the story because the author wrote the story so that the main character (Russel) often explained to the reader about things that happened in the past to both him, and the other characters. There was realistic character action in the story because the characters didn't do things like fly around in the clouds, or see through walls, they did normal stuff that anyone I know could do. If you don't like or don't care if there's alot of action in a book then I would recommend this book to you. On the other hand , if you like a lot of action, and don't like book without action, then I would not recommend this book for you. i think the most effective port of the story was when the Motorcycle Boy was shot. This event shocked me and totally caught me off guard. If anything I would expect Russell to get shot. Probably because Russell seems to be more of a trouble maker than Motorcycle Boy. I thought the book was alright but the one thing I didn't like about the book was that the action wasn't there. I like books with a lot of action, but this book didn't have it.

A Brief History of Chinese Opera

A Brief History of Chinese Opera Since the time of the Tang Dynastys Emperor Xuanzong from 712 to 755- who created the first national opera troupe called the Pear Garden- Chinese opera has been one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the country, but it actually started nearly a millennium before in the Yellow River Valley during the Qin Dynasty.   Now, more than a millennium after Xuanzongs death, it is enjoyed by political leaders and commoners alike in many fascinating and innovative ways, and Chinese opera performers are still referred to as Disciples of the Pear Garden, continuing to perform an astonishing 368 different forms of Chinese opera. Early Development Many of the features that characterize modern Chinese opera developed in northern China, particularly in the Shanxi and Gansu Provinces, including the use of certain set characters like Sheng (the man), Dan (the woman), Hua (the painted face) and Chou (the clown). In Yuan Dynasty times- from 1279 to 1368- opera performers began to use the vernacular language of the common people rather than Classical Chinese. During the Ming Dynasty- from 1368 to 1644- and the Qing Dynasty- from 1644 to 1911- the northern traditional singing and drama style from Shanxi was combined with melodies from a southern form of Chinese opera called Kunqu. This form was created in the Wu region, along the Yangtze River. Kunqu Opera revolves around the Kunshan melody, created in the coastal city of Kunshan. Many of the most famous operas that are still performed today are from the Kunqu repertoire, including The Peony Pavilion, The Peach Blossom Fan, and adaptations of the older Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West. However, the stories have been rendered into various local dialects, including Mandarin for audiences in Beijing and other northern cities. The acting and singing techniques, as well as costumes and makeup conventions, also owe much to the northern Qinqiang or Shanxi tradition. Hundred Flowers Campaign This rich operatic heritage was almost lost during Chinas dark days in the mid-twentieth century. The Communist regime of the Peoples Republic of China- from 1949 to present- initially encouraged the production and performance of operas old and new. During the Hundred Flowers Campaign in 1956 and 57- in which the authorities under Mao encouraged intellectualism, the arts and even criticism of the government- Chinese opera blossomed anew. However, the Hundred Flowers Campaign may have been a trap. Beginning in July of 1957, the intellectuals and artists who had put themselves forward during Hundred Flowers period were purged. By December of that same year, a stunning 300,000 people had been  labeled  rightists and were subjected to punishments from informal criticism to internment in labor camps or even execution. This was a preview of the horrors of the Cultural Revolution of 1966 through 1976, which would imperil the very existence of Chinese opera and other traditional arts. Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution was the regimes attempt to destroy old ways of thinking by outlawing such traditions as fortune telling, paper-making, traditional Chinese dress and the study of classic literature and arts. An attack on one Beijing opera piece and its composer signaled the start of the Cultural Revolution. In 1960, Maos government had commissioned Professor Wu Han to write an opera about Hai Rui, a minister of the Ming Dynasty who was fired for criticizing the Emperor to his face. Audiences saw the play as a critique of the Emperor- and thus Mao- rather than of Hai Rui representing disgraced Minister of Defense Peng Dehuai. In reaction, Mao performed an about-face in 1965, publishing harsh criticism of the opera and of composer Wu Han, who was eventually fired. This was the opening salvo of the Cultural Revolution. For the next decade, opera troupes were disbanded, other composers and scriptwriters were purged and performances were banned. Until the fall of the Gang of Four in 1976, only eight model operas were allowed. These model operas were personally vetted by Madame Jiang Qing and were entirely politically innocuous. In essence, Chinese opera was dead. Modern Chinese Opera After 1976, Beijing opera and the other forms were revived, and once more placed within the national repertoire. Older performers who had survived the purges were allowed to pass on their knowledge to new students again. Traditional operas have been freely performed since 1976, though some newer works have been censored and new composers criticized as the political winds have shifted over the intervening decades. Chinese opera makeup is particularly fascinating and rich in meaning. A character with mostly red makeup or a red mask is brave and loyal. Black symbolizes boldness and impartiality. Yellow denotes ambition, while pink stands for sophistication and cool-headedness. Characters with primarily blue faces are fierce and far-seeing, while green faces show wild and impulsive behaviors. Those with white faces are treacherous and cunning- the villains of the show. Finally, an actor with only a small section of makeup in the center of the face, connecting the eyes and nose, is a clown. This is called xiaohualian, or the little  painted  face. Today, more than thirty forms of Chinese opera continue to be performed regularly throughout the country. Some of the most prominent of which are the Peking opera of Beijing, Huju opera of Shanghai, the Qinqiang of Shanxi, and Cantonese opera.   Beijing (Peking) Opera The dramatic art form known as Beijing opera- or Peking opera- has been a staple of Chinese entertainment for more than two centuries. It was founded in  1790 when the Four Great Anhui Troupes went to Beijing to perform for the Imperial Court. Some 40 years later, well-known opera troupes from Hubei joined the Anhui performers, melding their regional styles. Both the Hubei and Anhui opera troupes used two primary melodies adapted from the Shanxi musical tradition: Xipi and Erhuang. From this amalgam of local styles, the new Peking or Beijing opera developed. Today, Beijing Opera is considered  Chinas  national art form. Beijing Opera is famous for convoluted plots, vivid makeup, beautiful costumes and sets and the unique vocal style used by performers. Many of the 1,000 plots- perhaps not surprisingly- revolve around political and military strife, rather than romance. The basic stories are often hundreds or even thousands of years old involving historic and even supernatural beings.   Many fans of Beijing Opera are worried about the fate of this art form. The traditional plays make reference to many facts of pre-Cultural Revolution  life and history that are unfamiliar to young people. Furthermore, many of the stylized movements have particular meanings that can be lost on uninitiated audiences. Most troubling of all, operas must now compete with films, TV shows, computer games, and the internet for attention. The Chinese government is using grants and contests to encourage young artists to participate in Beijing Opera. Shanghai (Huju) Opera Shanghai opera (Huju) originated at about the same time as Beijing opera, around 200 years ago. However, the Shanghai version of opera is based on local folk-songs of the Huangpu River region rather than deriving from Anhui and Shanxi.  Huju  is performed in the Shanghainese dialect of Wu Chinese, which is not mutually intelligible with  Mandarin. In other words, a person from Beijing would not understand the lyrics of a  Huju  piece. Due to the relatively recent nature of the stories and songs that make up  Huju, the costumes and makeup are comparatively simple and modern. Shanghai opera performers wear costumes that resemble the street clothing of ordinary people from the pre-communist era. Their makeup is not much more elaborate than that worn by western stage actors, in stark contrast to the heavy and significant grease-paint used in the other Chinese Opera forms. Huju  had its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of the stories and songs of the Shanghai region show a definite western influence. This is not surprising, given that the major European powers maintained trading concessions and consular offices in the thriving port city, prior to World War II. Like many of the other regional opera styles,  Huju  is in danger of disappearing forever. Few young actors take up the art form since there is much greater fame and fortune to be had in movies, TV, or even Beijing Opera. Unlike Beijing Opera, which is now considered a national art form, Shanghai Opera is performed in a local dialect and thus does not translate well to other provinces. Nevertheless, the city of Shanghai has millions of residents, with tens of millions more in the near vicinity. If a concerted effort is made to introduce younger audiences to this interesting art form,  Huju  may survive to delight theater-goers for centuries to come. Shanxi Opera (Qinqiang) Most forms of Chinese opera owe their singing and acting styles, some of their melodies, and their plot-lines to the musically fertile Shanxi province, with its thousand-year-old Qinqiang  or  Luantan  folk melodies. This ancient form of art first appeared in the  Yellow River  Valley during the  Qin Dynasty  from B.C. 221 to 206 and was popularized at the Imperial Court at modern-day  Xian during the  Tang Era, which spanned from 618 to 907 A.D. The repertoire and symbolic movements continued to develop in Shanxi Province throughout the  Yuan Era  (1271-1368) and the Ming Era (1368-1644). During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Shanxi Opera was introduced to the court at Beijing. The Imperial audiences so enjoyed Shanxi singing that the form was incorporated into Beijing Opera, which is now a national artistic style. At one time, the repertoire of Qinqiang included over 10,000 operas; today, only about 4,700 of them are remembered. The  arias  in Qinqiang Opera are divided into two types:  huan  yin, or joyous tune, and  ku  yin, or sorrowful tune. Plots in Shanxi Opera often deal with fighting oppression, wars against the northern barbarians, and issues of loyalty. Some Shanxi Opera productions include special effects such as fire-breathing or acrobatic twirling, in addition to the standard operatic acting and singing. Cantonese Opera Cantonese Opera, based in southern China and overseas ethnic Chinese communities, is a very formalized operatic form that emphasizes gymnastic and martial arts skills. This form of Chinese Opera predominates in Guangdong,  Hong Kong, Macau,  Singapore,  Malaysia, and in Chinese-influenced areas in western countries. Cantonese Opera was first performed during the reign of the Ming Dynasty Jiajing Emperor from 152 to 1567. Originally based on the older forms of Chinese Opera, Cantonese Opera began to add local folk melodies, Cantonese instrumentation, and eventually even Western popular tunes. In addition to traditional Chinese instruments such as the  pipa,  erhu, and percussion, modern Cantonese Opera productions may include such Western instruments as the violin, cello, or even saxophone. Two different types of plays make up the Cantonese Opera repertoire- Mo, meaning martial arts, and  Mun, or intellectual- wherein the melodies are entirely secondary to the lyrics.  Mo performances are fast-paced, involving stories of warfare,  bravery  and betrayal. The actors often carry weapons as props, and the elaborate costumes may be as heavy as actual armor. Mun, on the other hand, tends to be a slower, more polite art form. The actors use their vocal tones, facial expressions, and long flowing water sleeves to express complex emotions. Most of the Mun stories are romances, morality tales, ghost stories, or famous Chinese classic tales or myths. One notable feature of Cantonese Opera is the makeup. It is among the most elaborate makeup systems in all of Chinese Opera, with different shades of color and shapes, particularly on the forehead, indicating the mental state, trustworthiness, and physical health of the characters. For example, sickly characters have a thin red line drawn between the eyebrows, while comic or clownish characters have a large white spot  on  the bridge of the nose. Some Cantonese Operas also involve actors in open face makeup, which is so intricate and complicated that it resembles a painted mask more than a living face. Today, Hong Kong is at the center of efforts to keep Cantonese Opera alive and thriving. The Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts offers two-year degrees in Cantonese Opera performance, and the Arts Development Council sponsors opera classes for the citys children. Through such concerted effort, this unique and intricate form of Chinese Opera may continue to find an audience for decades to come.

Risk Management in Panama Canal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Risk Management in Panama Canal - Essay Example The papers highlight different risk analysis techniques that are applicable in analyzing risk, in Panama Canal. Risk analysis techniques used in forecasting are categorized in either qualitative or quantitative method. Qualitative techniques base their finds and conclusions on opinions and feelings of individuals. These include opinions and judgments of experts, consumers or scholars. Quantitative methods of risk analysis are based on numerical records over in the period. Quantitative analysis of different categories of project requirements and resources are recorded in the paper. The analysis includes meaning, standard deviation and means of all categories of resources, possible risks, costs, and conditions necessary for the Panama Canal project.The paper comprises of different steps and procedures taken in the development of the Panama Canal as highlighted by Kendrick (2006). Identification of the work and deliverables was the first step carried out in Panama Canal. Secondly, there was the organization of project work and clear determination of work breakdown structure on the Panama Canal project. Most of Stevens’s effects were utilized in the preparation of the initial work on the canal. Work breakdown structure is then decomposed into lower-level components that would be functional. These components are assigned identification codes. Lastly, examination of decomposition is carried out to assess whether the decomposed components are complete and clear.

Innovative business Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Innovative business - Research Proposal Example This research topic is important in motivating communities not to rely on normal day-to-day transactions but to stimulate specific innovation opportunities in the society. Creation of wealth from innovation in technology management encompasses a number of perspectives that include generation of revenues, profits, returns on investment, return on equity, and return on assets. Wealth creation may also constitute earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. In this project, I will study how wealth creation in these varied contexts depends on the intended needs to innovation and even government legislations and controls with regards to technology management. This is in consideration of the fact that revenues may have been generated and yet, on the other hand, loses having come to play considering the costs incurred. This research seeks to establish that net cash flow in managing technology remains the innovation basis of wealth creation. However, this can only be relevant in the long run, since positive cash flows may be generated in the short run and negative cash flows that offset the gains in the long run. Thus, for an innovation to be termed to have created wealth there must be positive real net cash flow in the long run, probably per year as the ideal financial period. Positive real net cash flow in this case entails products of revenues and profit margins being more than sum of investments and fixed costs. The research will engage cash flow estimation and tracking by individuals and organization that commit their energy, time, and resources to technology innovation. Cash flow tracking and estimation in this case includes buyer adoption of cash flow after introduction into the field for application. Once this has ascertained that there would surely be positive real net cash flow, the technology innovation

The War on Drugs and the War on Terrorism Research Paper

The War on Drugs and the War on Terrorism - Research Paper Example Some scholars perceive these two issues as results of poor leadership styles and poor leadership characters, suggesting eradication may be possible with quality and ideal leadership. This paper seeks to examine the war on terrorism and the war on drugs, as well as analyze the importance of leadership in avoiding these issues. Introduction Terrorism and drugs are among the social issues that negatively affects a nation and the universal society as a whole. The two issues destroy the pillars of the society, potentially destroying inter community and intra community relations. For several decades, the fight against these two issues has been of concern to media. This war on drugs and terrorism began actively in the twentieth century when the two issues began significantly affecting the societal setup in various communities (Richman, 2002). Some scholars perceive these two issues as results of poor leadership styles and poor leadership characters, suggesting eradication may be possible with quality and ideal leadership. Essentially, societal problems such as use of drugs within a community or involvement in terror attacks often occur because of poor leadership or the exclusion of these groups from leadership decisions. In societies experiencing terrorism and drug issues, the leaders of that society have the responsibilitie s to ensure that these issues diminish from these issues. The challenges facing these leaders including designing strategies, and implementing them, as well as enforcing them to advocate for drug and terrorism eradication from the society. Regardless of the capabilities of leaders, they need a team to lead a society against such wars. The problem is designing a team and administration that is competent enough (Schopp and Hill, 2009). Additionally, an effective communication system flowing mutually within the administration is a great challenge. Great leaders have strong personalities, policies, will, and vision that promote the general good of the society. The war on both drugs and terrorism is far from over, at least with the current leaders occupying the relevant offices that combat these issues. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of leadership in the global society, especially on the war against terrorism and drugs. Drug Abuse History and Legislations Terrorism and drugs have been a persistent issue in countries all over the world, especially in Western nations such as the United States of America. The war on drugs, a term coined in 1971 by US President Richard Nixon, in the US is a controversial policy seeking to define and reduce illegal drug trade. At the frontline of the war are policies that discourage consumption, production, and distribution of illegal psychoactive drugs in the US and the rest of the world. In the early years of the twentieth century, most of the drug market was significantly unregulated. Medication remedies containing derivatives of heroin and cocaine were distributed freely without awareness or prescription, thus majority of consumers were unaware of the potent of the drugs (Lal, 2008). In 1886, the Supreme Court ruled against regulation of commerce by state governments, unfortunately leaving the skimpy federal government to enforce existing drug

As a policy matter, should the government be able to restrict the sale Essay

As a policy matter, should the government be able to restrict the sale of video games with violent content, and if so, what rest - Essay Example The students were reported to have played the video game â€Å"Doom,† and were inspired by it. This led to heated debates between two opposing sides. While advocates argued in favor of a restriction in sales of violent video games, groups of opponents led by the game developers argued against such move. They explained that correlation between the violent video games and the acts of the two students were incidental and could not be used as a justification (IDEA, 2012). While proponents argued about a link between violence and increased watching of violent games, the opponents denied any link between violent behaviors and watching of violent videos. Therefore despite the efforts the government has undertaken to restrict violent video games, the government is not able to regulate them as required due to legal implications and high demand of such games in the market. In 2011, the Supreme Court struck down a ban on selling violent games to minors. The Supreme Court found the Califo rnian law that sought to restrict the sale of violent games to minors to be in contradiction with the free speech rights and was overturned. The judgment was overwhelming in a 7 to 2 decision and declared that the Californian statute against the sale of violent games was in serious violation of the rights protection under the First Amendment (Richey, 2011). The Californian State as the judges agreed had the right to protect children against harm by such violent games. However, the judges noted that such powers cannot be free floating to restrict all ideas to which children have possibilities of being exposed to (Richey, 2011). This was the first ruling on violent materials restriction, which was a huge setback to the California state in its bid to protect children against harm caused by such violent games. It implies that the government is not able to restrict or control such video games as required. The government has weak laws and statutes aimed at limiting such sale of violent ga mes to minors. In 1968 the Supreme Court upheld a New York statute that sought to restrict and ban any sale of nude and obscene materials to underage children. The court found that the government indeed had the right and the power to regulate and restrict sale of such sexual materials to children without violating the protection of free speech as stated under the First Amendment (Mcmahan 2013). However, the Supreme Court on the Californian case rejected any application of the same principles by arguing speech of violence is not obscene; thus the 1968 ruling could not be applied in the ban of violent materials. This revealed a serious anomaly under the First Amendment. As one of the 2 dissenting judges, Stephen Breyer noted, there was no sense of preventing a child from accessing a nude picture of a woman, while in the same violent games children are allowed to view such women and even go further to strangle them to death virtually (Mcmahan 2013) . The law in this case is contradicto ry and needs a more elaborate evaluation of the First Amendment to include violent materials under the same category with obscene materials to facilitate the government to use the, law in protecting children against such violent materials. Psychiatrists and research suggest that offering blanket blame to violent games would e missing the point behind violence in children, which would hugely impact on efforts by the government to restrict such games. Kathy Royer a clinical nurse specialist at 4Kid Help Center for Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Ohio

Lab report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Lab Report Example The second set of images showed the same trend as the first. An original image with noise added can be smoothed through the moving average filter and the noise reduced. As in the first set of images, the greater the span, the smoother the image, but there is also a greater of loss of detail. With this increased span, the (20 span) image (figure 1.1) was almost indistinguishable from the original image. When EDGE_TRUNCATE is applied to a noisy image using the moving average filter, the noise in the image decreases. However, as the span is increased, the image becomes smoother and loses definition. Without EDGE_TRUNCATE, a narrow band of noise remains around the image, this band increases as the span increases. The middle of this image has less definition than the image with EDGE_TRUNCATE. An original image had noise applied to it. The noisy image was then manipulated by applying the moving average filter with 5 span and median filter with med width 5 with shot strength 3000 to the image. The image that resulted had the noise reduced, but the image was blurry, it was smoother than the noisy image and had lost a great deal of detail. When the noisy image had the median filter applied to it, there was a narrow band around the image edge that retained the noise, but the objects in the image had no noise. The image that resulted using the median filter (figure 2.1) was smoother, with indistinguishable noise, and there was a sharper edge on the objects in the image than the moving average filter image. A shot strength of 3000 was used on an image, noise was added. The image was examined using the average filter with a span of 5. This image showed a minor reduction in noise and smoother objects. The median filter image was then compared to the moving average filter image. The objects in this image were sharper and more distinguishable (figure 2.2A), the noise in the image

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 33

Case Study - Essay Example This essay focuses on the advantages of making use of networking based system in the company. Moreover, the steps into which the formulation of the project should through are discussed. A cost estimation of the project is also put into consideration. Transforming JAMS manufacturing company to a networking based system, replacing the older machines with new ones and inclusion of additional servers for the networks, will give the company a wide variety of advantages. Replacing the older machines with new ones and upgrading the computers will make transformation to the networked system an easier task. For instance, Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98 will be limited to using peer-to-peer network. Upgrading the computers with Windows such as NetWare or Windows NT will allow configuration of the computers to a server-based network which have lots of pros compared to peer-to-peer network (Entrepreneur Media, 2015). Networks allow connection of computers and users of the computers in a premise (Kozierok, 2005). In this case, JAM Company can make use of Wide Area Networks (WAN) which will make it possible for network users to communicate to each other. This will make transmission of business information more efficient, easier and less ex pensive than it would be without the network. Moreover, networking allows for sharing of data (Kozierok, 2005). Before, employees would make use of â€Å"shoe-based network† which meant transmission of data physically. For this reason, work was hectic and tiresome. Networking allows thousands of employees in the company to share data much more easily and quickly. The use of internet has become a must thing for every organization. Small computer networks allow multiple users to share a single internet connection. This makes connection easier to allocate to various individuals as they need it and allow the organization

Lab report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Lab Report Example The second set of images showed the same trend as the first. An original image with noise added can be smoothed through the moving average filter and the noise reduced. As in the first set of images, the greater the span, the smoother the image, but there is also a greater of loss of detail. With this increased span, the (20 span) image (figure 1.1) was almost indistinguishable from the original image. When EDGE_TRUNCATE is applied to a noisy image using the moving average filter, the noise in the image decreases. However, as the span is increased, the image becomes smoother and loses definition. Without EDGE_TRUNCATE, a narrow band of noise remains around the image, this band increases as the span increases. The middle of this image has less definition than the image with EDGE_TRUNCATE. An original image had noise applied to it. The noisy image was then manipulated by applying the moving average filter with 5 span and median filter with med width 5 with shot strength 3000 to the image. The image that resulted had the noise reduced, but the image was blurry, it was smoother than the noisy image and had lost a great deal of detail. When the noisy image had the median filter applied to it, there was a narrow band around the image edge that retained the noise, but the objects in the image had no noise. The image that resulted using the median filter (figure 2.1) was smoother, with indistinguishable noise, and there was a sharper edge on the objects in the image than the moving average filter image. A shot strength of 3000 was used on an image, noise was added. The image was examined using the average filter with a span of 5. This image showed a minor reduction in noise and smoother objects. The median filter image was then compared to the moving average filter image. The objects in this image were sharper and more distinguishable (figure 2.2A), the noise in the image

Ebay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ebay - Essay Example Their CEO has also described eBay as one of the leaders in the consumer-driven goal to ensure that e-commerce is faster and more convenient for the users. They have managed to capitalize on this trend in the knowledge that most people have easy access to the internet through their smartphones which allows them to shop and pay anywhere and anytime (Sage, 2010). Technology is shaping e-commerce and changing the behavior of consumers. These changes are giving new worldwide opportunities for eBay and are driving the next generation of e-commerce users (Sage, 2010). There is an expected change in mobile transactions with almost double their numbers from the inception of PayPal. It is estimated that the mobile industry is set to increase to $4 billion in gross merchandise in the next year (Sage, 2010). eBay was a leader in the internet boom, however, it has since met with major competition from businesses which already offered online options for their products. However, eBay now highlights PayPal’s role in making improvements in its company transactions and in stabilizing marketplaces linking in well with all consumers (Sage, 2010). PayPal is utilized by about 59 percent of the major inline merchants in the US and up to 40 percent in the UK (Sage, 2010). Their revenue is expected to reach $6-7 billion by the end of 2013, representing a growth of about 76 to 105 percent. PayPal revenues also rose by 23 percent from 2009 to 2010 (Sage, 2010). The payments set off on two areas – from the buyers and the sellers; and the number of sellers is set to increase by the year 2013 – almost double the current PayPal traders. The company has become highly aware that mobile products and services can evolve and can actually add value to the company and the best thing for the company to do is to improve the consumer’s execution of its transactions (Sage, 2010). eBay investors are very much concerned about seeing the stability and growth of the company mark etplace. It is important to note however that they are still lagging behind Amazon.com which is still the leader in e-commerce. eBay has managed to increase the trust and safety of its site while also trying to update its e-commerce experts in reference to its outdated search technology (Sage, 2010). Most of their online buyers have now fixed-prices for their products and the company has tried to increase the mobile applications of their products. Consequently, the consumers have been able to use scan technology in order to compare prices on their smartphones while scanning the internet market (Sage, 2010). These improvements have managed to strengthen the company and improve consumer confidence – helping them improve their profits in the past few years. Despite these improvements, issues in the market and in the general economy have kept eBay shares at half their value of their largest gain in 2004 (Sage, 2010). eBay is still valued below other web-based companies at 16.7 ti mes based on 2010 earnings. Google and Yahoo, on the other hand have been valued at 18 and 21.6 times in earnings respectively (Sage, 2010). Social networking has also been considered as one of the major driving factors of eBay. Facebook and other social networking sites have created a market for many consumers and many sellers (Duryee, 2011). Social networking has fast replaced mobile access in its thrust toward consumerism. And still this trend will again see more changes in the next few years. Nevertheless, the point has been

Psychological Impact Paper Essay Example for Free

Psychological Impact Paper Essay Cultural diversity is a bonus in the society today. The ability to interact or network with other cultures gives you an opportunity to understand different cultures and how they live their life on a daily basis. Although being culturally diverse may be a positive aspect. It may have complications depending on your race. For example, Racism, Discrimination, and Civil rights are factors that may cause a psychological development, distress, or behavior problem. In my paper I will discuss the potential impact of racism, discrimination, and civil rights on the psychological development, distress and behavior on a cultural diverse African American. Racism â€Å"Racism consists of beliefs, attitudes, institutional arrangements, and acts that tend to denigrate individuals or groups because of phenotype characteristics or ethnic group affiliation,† (Hall, 2010. Pg 88). African Americans faced racism on a daily basis in the 1900s. Lynch mobs and burnings terrorized African Americans, causing them to be skeptical or in fear of leaving their own home. They were denied industry jobs and were forced to work low end jobs. This resulted in to poor living conditions which affected their mental health. Picking cotton was their main source of income. African Americans began to question their self worth because as of minorities they were not able to express their intelligence or communication skills they used to be culturally diverse. African Americans began to think they were useless only because they could not provide more for their families. â€Å"Categorical beliefs about the biological and/or cultural inferiority of some racial groups can attack the self-worth of at least some members of stigmatized racial groups and undermine the importance of their very existence† (Williams and Morris, 2000. Pg 255). African Americans self esteem became to drop, causing them not to be able to function mentally. Racism may have decreased compared to the 1900s but it still exists in present day. Discrimination Discrimination has been known to have an impact on the  psychological development, distress and behavior on African Americans. Discrimination is (Define). â€Å"Recent qualitive studies and journalistic accounts reveal that black experience discrimination in a broad range of contexts in society and that these incidents can induce considerable distress† (Williams and Morris, 2000. Pg 251). Treated unfairly impacted the health of African Americans, causing anxiety or anger. African Americans thought that they were overly qualified for jobs that they were denied. After being denied African Americans would become angry or frustrated because of not being treated equally. African Americans were prideful of their culture and the only way to show people of other cultures is by showing they were inferior. African Americans were inferior but still suffered from mental health problems. â€Å"Racist discrimination is associated with anxiety, anger frustration, resentment, somatization, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, interpersonal hypersentivity, fear, paranoia, helplessness-hopelessness, and depression among African Americans† (Hall, 2010. Pg 91). Discrimination caused African Americans to lack interactions amongst other races in schools. â€Å"Afrocentrism espouses African ideals at the center of ones approach to problem solving† (Hall, 2010. Pg 92). This was an important factor in the multicultural research. Civil Rights African Americans struggled for years for freedom form slavery. After being free fought for equality and a voice. Movements began to form on behalf of African Americans continued to struggle mentally, only because they felt their voice was not heard. In 1875 the Civil Rights Act was passed giving them the right to equal treatment in public settings. Followed by the 1896 decision to legalize racial segregation of schools. Although the schools were segregated African Americans parents and children feared for their lives. They were afraid that European Americans would hurt their children all because they were attending schools that where made for whites. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 created the opportunity for African Americans to have constitutionals rights without discrimination or segregation. The Civil Rights Act was passed but Racism still exist, causing African Americans to feel hopeless. African Americans then began to search  for another outcome which lead to Affirmative Action. The Black Muslims created opportunities and had a goal of diversity. Goals of Black Muslims were to replace the negative effects of slavery with positive values and behavior and to develop independence from the dominant culture,†(Hall, 2010. Pg90). Hope for understanding African American identity and multicultural relation was offered by psychological theory and research despite political and legal setbacks. Although African Americans were faced with adversities, they managed to overcome them. Africans struggled mentally as well as facing distress and behavior problems all because the way they were treated. African Americans tried to form bonds amongst other cultures, giving them the opportunity to become diverse individuals. Learning other cultures was common for African Americans, like for instance adapting to the American culture after being slaved. African Americans have put the past behind them and continue to become more diverse as well teaching other cultures there values and traditions. Barnes, J. (2004). Unequal Education. U.S. News World Report, 136(10), 66. Hall, G. C. N. (2010). Multicultural Psychology (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall

Ford Motor Company :: Business Management Marketing Essays

Ford Motor Company is the world's largest producer of trucks, and the second largest producer of cars and trucks combined. Ford has manufacturing, assembly or sales affiliates in 34 countries and Ford companies employed 337,800 people world-wide in 1996. Ford has manufacturing facilities in 22 countries on 5 continents, with 87 plants in North America and 41 in Europe. In Europe, in 1995, Ford's combined vehicle market share, at 12.2%, was the highest for eleven years, with three of the eight best-selling cars. In 1995, in the United States, five of the ten top- selling vehicles were Ford, including the best-selling car (Ford Taurus) and best-selling truck (F-series). On January 1, 1995, Ford merged its North American Automotive Operations and its European Automotive Operations into a single organization, Ford Automotive Operations. Instead of being organized by geographic regions, the Company is now realigned by product line, with five Vehicle Centers, each responsible for one group of products worldwide. At the same time, Ford is reducing the time taken to develop a new vehicle from 48 to 24 months and reducing engines, transmissions, and basic vehicle platforms by 30% worldwide. Ford hopes that by pooling global skills and resources will result in more variations on each vehicle platform, increasing the number of vehicles introduced over the next five years by 50%. One of the key strategies behind the realignment has been growth. Ford has launched a variety of new initiatives throughout the world, with joint ventures for the assembly of vehicles in countries as diverse as China, India, Thailand and Vietnam. In China, Ford expects to begin production of light trucks with a company named Jiangling Motors in the near future. In India, Mahindra Ford India Ltd. will begin manufacture and distribution of Ford products, beginning with the Ford Escort, in mid-1996 and Fiesta in 1998. In Thailand, Ford has a joint venture to produce pick-up trucks and in Vietnam, Ford plans to build a vehicle assembly plant at Hanoi, together with partners Song Cong Diesel. In Poland, the Plonsk plant has begun to build Escorts and Transits. Joint ventures are establishing a presence for Ford all over the globe. Ford is working with two companies in Korea, one to supply automotive air conditioning units and the second as a new joint venture to produce electronic components later this year. In addition to the 20% of Jiangling Motors, China, acquired by Ford in 1995, four further manufacturing joint ventures in China have been set up to produce radiators, glass, plastic and electronic components. Ford has also acquired a 45% equity in South African company, Samcor, for the assembly of Ford

Performance Enhancing Supplements Essay -- Steroids Illegal Drugs Heal

Performance Enhancing Supplements Northeastern junior Colin Magee is like other athletic students around campus. He played sports in high school and now lifts weights at the Marino Center, Northeastern’s multi-million dollar workout center, several times a week. Also like many other weight-lifting students, Magee takes performance-enhancing supplements. Performance-enhancing supplements are nutrients that, unlike anabolic steroids, are available over the counter at countless supermarkets and nutrition stores nationwide. Supplements such as androstenedione (andro), creatine, tetrahydrogestrinone (THG), and NO2 are the most popular in today’s market, and are used to improve muscle gain. They are taken to coincide with a weight-lifting program. The supplements, though all similar, differ in the way each works once inside the body. "Creatine is the most moderate of the supplements out there," says Magee, an amateur expert on supplement and steroid use. Magee's sister is a professional bodybuilder. "Creatine creates water retention in muscles, basically bloating the muscles to increase strength...NO2, nitric oxide, is what they call a hemo-dialator, which is a blood widener. NO2 creates more blood flow in the body, makes the blood pump harder, which creates increased strength... Andro tricks the body into thinking it is not producing enough testosterone, so it causes the body to overproduce the testosterone hormone." While supplements are sold over the counter, anabolic steroids, which are illegal in the United States, are not. Despite this, anabolic steroid use has been rising in recent years. A 1989 study by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) showed that roughly one in every 20 collegiate student-athlet... ...ds, and more and more teenagers are seeing their idols admit to taking supplements and steroids and think it’s okay if they did too. In today’s world, where skinny girls are prettier and bulky guys are more handsome, teenagers and college students are under more pressure to conform to these social norms, and if someone is under pressure, they are more apt to turn to other unnatural methods to better their results and appearance. The answer to this problem is an increase of awareness. If people were aware of the real risks of these supplements or the long term effects of taking steroids, then maybe, just maybe, today’s youth will turn away from these supplements and steroids. Maybe, just maybe, today’s youth will realize that maybe taking those supplements isn’t really worth it after all. Maybe, just maybe, they will choose their health over their appearance.

Did Hurricane Katrina Expose Racism in America

Adolph Reed is a professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania and Stephen Steinberg is a professor of sociology at Queens College in New York City. Both Reed and Steinberg challenge the tendency of policy makers and other commentators to focus on African-Americans as the source of the problems faced by New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and emphasize the need to address race and poverty concerns effectively. In Reed and Steinbergs argument they expose the â€Å"moving to opportunity† policy. The supposed goal of the program is to â€Å"break up the concentrations of poverty, to break up the federal enclaves of poverty which existed in the city and to really give those low income residents more choice and opportunity. † Reed and Steinberg look at the â€Å"moving to opportunity†policy as a false theory and an empty slogan. When the â€Å"moving to opportunity† policy is stripped of all its varnish it is just a program that will result in a â€Å"smaller† New Orleans that is depleted of its poverty population. Despite the 200 plus signatories of well known individuals in American social science, the secret agenda of the program was evidently overshadowed. Reed and Steinberg state how the federal Government is solely focusing on the drug dealers and gang members of the ghettos and poverty struck neighborhoods overlooking the industrious single mothers and infamous heroic grandmothers that also stay in those same communities; leaving a majority of them to fend for themselves. Reed and Steinberg provide information that show the true colors of the â€Å"moving to opportunity† policy. Providing quotes from citizens in powerful positions. A politically connected white lawyer in the city remarked that Katrina provided the perfect opportunity to rebuild New Orleans into a city much like Charleston. Keep in mind that Charleston has only ample black servant class for its tourist economy but a white electoral majority. Which leads to another point made by Reed and Steinberg, if the â€Å"moving to opportunity† policy is passed and everything pans out as planned than Louisiana will than be a Republican state. And somehow out of all the evident flaws in the â€Å"moving to opportunity† policy the 200 plus signatories failed to realize them or at least recognize them. Reed and Steinberg did a wonderful job in supporting their clause, it would have been a tad bit better if they had included another example other than the â€Å"moving to opportunity† policy. Shelby Steele is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and political commentator argues that the African-Americans of New Orleans and other African-Americans should focus on meaningful methods for overcoming their underdevelopment as revealed by Hurricane Katrina rather than emphasizing the shame of White racism as the cause of their phlight. Steele states the single greatest problem in America is African-Americans and Whites are forever blaming one another for each others great shames. Steele expresses her opinion of how this despair is not something that was just formulated among the poverty stricken but a feeling that has always been there, harvesting below the surface of our culture. A state of being in which is just now in the new millennium being discovered. Black inferiority can not be overcame by white responsibility. Blacks most also take responsibility for the change they want to see. Steele is saying each race is equally at guilt and how much of a shame it is that it takes a natural disaster such as Hurricane Katrina for the nation to take notice of this social issue. Steele had a good thesis, the idea just needed more detail and elaboration. Vincetta Ashley Dunnell November 18, 2010 5:30 P. M On that note my personal opinion lies with Reed and Steinberg in that I do believe Hurricane Katrina exposed racism in America. How could a force of nature have racial preferences and prejudice? It can't. It just so happened that Hurricane Katrina was the perfect excuse to play the racial blame game. It was a great reason to release years of built of racial tension. And the perfect opportunity to push low class,poverty stricken blacks out of a infamous city because of racial stigmas. The federal government is using the â€Å"moving to opportunity† policy as a coverup to deceive the public into accepting the policy as a beneficial program but failing to truthful tell who the policy is benefiting. Somehow this terrible scheme slipped by the eyes of 200 plus prominent individuals of the American social science community. They failed to recognize that if this policy is passed yes there will be no gang patrolled, drug infested New Orleans but there will also be no essence in New Orleans, all the history and pride will be wiped away. All the kind-hearted, working Blacks just attempting to make a better day for their families will be left in a worse position than they began in. All for the sake of America trying to perceive the ideal of a perfect nation; thinking that they can sweep all the dirt under the rug, forgetting that when you do so the lump of dirt is still there. Ignoring the problem that our nation has forever had is not going to help any. Trying to push the low class blacks out of New Orleans just to build suburbs and tourist attractions will help the economy but the social status will not change. While poverty still exists so does the main problem in America. Did Hurricane Katrina Expose Racism in America? Did Hurricane Katrina Expose Racism in America? (A Case Study) Before beginning this case study, Hurricane Katrina was a force of nature that ravaged the city of New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005 leaving thousands of African Americans homeless and impoverished. Assuming the affirmative position of the debate in question is Adolph Reed and Stephen Steinberg. They argue that Hurricane Katrina did, in fact expose racism in America. They want to emphasize the need to address race and poverty concerns and focus more on blacks.Opposing them is Shelby Steele. He believes that blacks should begin focusing more on ways to overcome their underdevelopment instead of blaming whites for their predicament. Reed and Steinberg begin their argument with a quoted statement from Barbara Bush. â€Å"So many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them. † This quote already shows the attitude of white America towards the situation of those suffering at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.They also mention the â€Å"Move to Opportunity† program that basically only addresses a miniscule percentage of the poverty stricken homeless GIVEN if they were qualified. Needless to say the majority of them did not participate in this program; as a result, they were to fend for themselves. The extent of white racism was best illustrated by the signing of a government-sponsored resettlement program by 200-plus of the nation’s most renowned social science names.This program is a classified by Reed and Steinberg as a â€Å"relocation scheme† disguised as a voluntary program designed to remove impoverished and unemployed blacks out of the area in attempts to blot out some of the nation’s more darker areas. â€Å"Move to Opportunity became a perverse euphemism for policy abdication of the poor people left behind who are in desperate need of programs, services, and jobs. † Steele dispels the ac cusation placed on Hurricane Katrina in regards to exposing racism in America by sourcing the cause in blacks themselves.Steele explains that whites have in a sense, owned up to their responsibilities and made themselves witness to racism. That we as blacks blame our inferiority on white racism therefore increasing white shame. Subsequently, for whites to admit that black inferiority is a product of white shame, they are admitting racism. Steele advocates that both races, especially blacks accept responsibility for their shames as each race constantly tries to usurp power from the other. We are attributing our underdevelopment to whites in order to shame them instead of claiming responsibility for our own progress or lack thereof.The progression of blacks in America is undermined by the constant irresponsibility of the race as a whole. From things to not taking care of our children to crimes, we essentially placed ourselves into this predicament. We are not living up to our end of t he bargain. Black responsibility needs to be acknowledged by us in order for us to progress. Were we to do this, our open acknowledgment of our own underdevelopment will allow whites to hold witness over us; however they will have to acknowledge our overcoming of our underdevelopment.In a nutshell Steele is saying we must hold ourselves accountable for our own underdevelopment and by doing so we can finally achieve the long awaited progression that we have been looking for. After evaluating both sides of the debate, I chose to identify with Shelby Steele’s argument. Not only does his argument directly answer the question, it allows for more personal questioning among blacks. Are we really using whites as a clutch as to why we have not progressed? Is it more of clutch or more of an innate bitterness between blacks and whites that has developed and evolved over centuries of conflict?Blacks have been at the bottom of the totem pole of society for centuries by the hands of whites . Although I believe that whites in fact do impede black progression in society due to concealed racism among other things, I do not agree however that it is entirely their fault. Both races are in a power struggle; straining to take control and to make the other look inferior. It is this childish nature of these two races that halt the progression of our country as a whole. When both races accept responsibility for their shames then proper progress can be possible.Until then, racism will always be a factor of white shame and inferiority will always be a factor of black shame. I believe that Hurricane Katrina played a part in exposing racism. I feel as if Hurricane Katrina forced racism out into the open. No white person would have expressed any racist concerns prior to Katrina. Katrina basically served as a mental agent for white America, effectively expressing their attitudes towards black America. Also, I believe that if the majority of the population ravaged by Katrina were whit e they would have been rescued almost immediately if not sooner.The painstakingly long response time to the crisis was evidently showed the amount of concern and sympathy the government had for the blacks of New Orleans. Racism is still alive they are just concealing it. Thousands of blacks in New Orleans depended on the government to rescue them from a travesty that they could not control. And additionally the government attempted to relocate the survivors of the incident to remove the poor blacks and replace the area with whites. This illustrated the true intentions of the government.The strife that exists between whites and blacks are so low-key that it takes an act of God to bring it out of the shadows. There is no doubt that racism is still alive in America; however the extent of racism has definitely lessened over time. I chose to side with Steele’s argument because I identify with the argument that blacks and whites have a complex that won’t allow them to accept responsibility for their shames. If it were not for Hurricane Katrina, racism may have never been brought into the light.

“Enduring Love”: How appropriate is the title of the novel?

At first glance, â€Å"Enduring Love† may seem a simple title for a novel, not one that invokes serious thought for the reader. Although we expect a story of love, we are presented with a much more complicated array of events revolving around three people, all with their own version of â€Å"Enduring Love†. Ultimately the story revolves around the somewhat content relationship between Joe Rose, an accomplished and well-respected science writer and his partner Clarissa Mellon, a Keats scholar and university lecturer that is until the intrusion by Jed Parry. Brought together by a ballooning accident, Joe and Jed momentarily exchange words, but this moment is the catalyst for a fixation by the younger man, Jed Parry, for the protagonist of the story, Joe Rose. Clarissa also witnesses the accident but she, like Joe, misses the moment that spawns the obsession, which rips their lives apart and in due course, breaks apart their relationship. There are two types of love themes running through this novel, one of obsession and one of pure love. The one of obsession is obviously the love Jed feels for Joe and the pure love is that of Clarissa and Joe. As Jed becomes more and more fixated on Joe, Joes relationship with Clarissa increasingly dwindles until the point where they call it a day and end their relationship. Early on in the novel Joe says â€Å"Lately I'd had the idea that Clarissa's interest in these hypothetical letters [of Keats] had something to do with our own situation, and with her conviction that love that did not find its expression in a letter was not perfect. Every word of this comes true but not in a way Joe had first believed. The title and the events throughout the novel rouse questions on love itself, how to define love, the nature of love, obsession, sanity and insanity. It is very difficult to decipher between love and obsession. If we look at the love Jed feels for Joe, its zealous, crazy and passionate but we could also argue that the love between Joe and Clarissa is all of these things too. So, where do you draw the line? Enduring Love tells the story of a love that is endured and of a story that endures (Joe and Clarissa). It challenges what is defined as a normal relationship and a love that is pathological. We later find out that indeed Joe and Clarissa relationship did endure the intense strain and disturbing fascination of Jed Parry as they are later reunited and go on to adopt a child, so in this sense the title is very appropriate to the novel. There are also a number of other occurrences of love to be endured throughout the novel. There is the story of Jean Logan and her frustration and also obsession at her attempts to uncover her dead husbands secret affair. She turns to Joe for help to find this mystery woman who has caused her so much pain. In this modest sub plot of the novel, it is later proven that John Logan was in fact not having an affair, that is was all an innocent mistake. So all along Jean had been cursing her dead husband, whom she had loved so much. This is another love that needs to endure as Jean seeks forgiveness but she will never truly get that forgiveness as her only hope lies in a grave. Will their love be strong enough to endure this doubting on Jeans part, even if one partner is beyond the grave? It is important to note that seeing Jeans agony and grief over her dead husband, made Joe realise just how much he really loved Clarissa. Joe says, â€Å"It was urgent that I return to London and save our love†. He also realises â€Å"when it's gone you'll know what a gift love was†. A relationship that did not endure their love was that of Clarissa's brother Luke and his wife. Joe calls Luke the â€Å"adulterous brother† and we learn that they are going through a divorce. After this meeting with her brother, Clarissa is evidently anxious as the first thing she says to Joe â€Å"I love you and I've had such a terrible evening with Luke. We discover that Luke is leaving his beautiful wife and two daughters for an actress whom he had met three months before. Clearly Luke is not prepared to give the commitment pure love requires and sees fit to go live in a room over a hairdressers, with this new woman. This relationship provides a stark contrast to Joe and Clarissa's love as it highlights just how deeply in love Joe and Clarissa truly are. Now this new love shall be tested, will their love endure? Once again this is relevant to the title of the novel. The most explicable interpretation of the title of this novel would have to be of Joe enduring Jed's pathological love. Jed Parry's strange homo-erotic religious obsession with Joe in turn leads Joe to almost breaking point. So in this sense Joe is enduring Jed's love, yet this love Jed feels for Joe will never end. We learn that from the appendices, Jed, whilst in a secure mental hospital still writes letters to Joe everyday. The letter we are shown demonstrates that Jed's love is just as strong and passionate as ever. I believe that at the conclusion of the novel, Joe has indeed endured Jed's love as he has survived the bombardment of phone calls, eccentric letters, incessant stalking, an assassination attempt and total intrusion of his private life. The style and techniques implored by Mc Ewan provide us with an engrossing, swift novel, and his unpredictable style further enhances the chilling factor that plays a part in this novel. His style can be deemed as moderately complicated, for example chapter nine when he narrates the chapter from Clarissa's perspective, yet I believe his style is somewhat simple. Joe, being the average science writer not overly interesting or riveting, would initially have been a quite boring protagonist until the obsession begins, that is Joes obsession. In watching Joe become obsessed with being obsessed, whilst everyone else doubts him, this is where the entertainment lays. His techniques of writing make us truly question love and how much love a person can really endure. Jed is prepared to endure Joe's love with his continuity of writing letters and constant thinking and obsessing over Joe. Yet Joe was not prepared to endure this love and in order to end it, he purchased a gun. Clarissa at first was not prepared to endure the love yet she had to endure both her love for Joe and Jed's love for Joe. But we later find out Joe and Clarissa are reconciled. In conclusion, I believe the title â€Å"Enduring Love† is a very appropriate for this novel, not instantly recognisable as a great title but at the closing stages of the novel, it becomes vividly apparent just how satisfying it truly is.

Comparative Schools

This school is characterized by the formation of strategy as an open process of influence, which puts the emphasis on the use of power and politics in the negotiation. The formation of strategy depends on the power and policy, internal and external. As a result, they tend to be emerging. There are two elements of this SOT: â€Å"Micro† and â€Å"Macro†. The micro elements deal with internal political games and the macro elements relate to those who play the organization.The â€Å"micro† is power in action; it sees strategy as a game within the organization. The â€Å"macro† reflects the interdependence between the Organization and its environment. It discusses the ways in which the organization promotes their own well-being, through control or cooperation. Learning: â€Å"Of all the descriptive schools, the learning school grew Into a veritable wave and challenged the always dominant prescriptive schools† (Mintzberg et al, 1998). According to this s chool, strategies emerge as people come to learn about a situation as well as their organization's capability of dealing with It.This SOT began with the publication of â€Å"The Science of Muddling Through† (Llndblom, 1959). Llndblom uggested that the design of public policies was not a neat controlled process but a messy one, whereby officials try to manage a world they know Is too complex for them. However, James B. Quinn, with â€Å"Strategies for Change: Logical Incrementallsm† gave the actual kick-off to this SOT. According to Llndblom only 10% of the conceived strategies are Implemented. The problem Is the split between formulation and Implementation.For a strategy to be effective there has to be a sum of small actions and Individual decisions. In other words, Individuals contribute to the strategic process from all positions In the organization. In dlsJolnted Incrementallsm by Lindblom, decisions are made to solve problems rather than to exploit opportunities, w ithout the slightest attention to the final objectives or the connection with the rest of the decisions. There Is no central authority that coordinates the mutual adjustments. Whereas logical Incrementallsm by Quinn suggests that organizations see the strategy as an Integrated approach. The real strategy evolves as the Internal decision-making and external facts converge to create a new consensus to act, widely shared by the members of the management team† (Quinn, 1980). He defined It as a ontinuous and dynamic process. Strategic Tools: There are two main strategic tools, which fall under from Power SOT. One of these is Force Field Analysis proposed by Lewin (1947). According to this tool there are two forces that drive change in a business, the Driving Forces and the Restraining Forces.The Driving Forces push and promote change e. g. executive mandate, customer demand and increased efficiency whereas the Restraining forces try to prevent change from happening which can be in the form of fear, lack of training and incentives. The main criticism of this theory is that the method does not have nough sophistication or complexity to measure the dynamic forces that affect a business (Cronshaw, 2008). The second strategic tool is proposed by Kleiner (1996), called the Core Group Theory.The Core Group Theory looks at leader-member dynamic within a firm. In his theory, Kleiner argues that the customers along with employee's satisfaction are considered to be secondary to the ‘core group' (top executives) and how some core groups can be ‘parasitic' to a firm based of the willingness of organizational members to comply. The main weakness observed is similar to that of the Force Field Analysis, that is this heory has not quite ‘developed thematically, the theory does not base itself on measurement (Bokeno, 2003).

Module 3 Productive Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Module 3 Productive Assessment - Essay Example They still employ competency testing to establish minimum competency standards for graduation or promotion to the next grade to show for improvement. In some states even, the law requires that students pass tests in reading, math skills and other academic areas to show they can perform daily tasks. For those who hold non-traditional values at heart, emphasizing the acquisition of knowledge and personal development through informal means is encouraged. Involvement in social issues outside the school curriculum is deemed to be the best way to garner an education stressing that it is in the students' best interest to respond to what the student's need and want to study. Most of the schools that employ these methods allow the students to participate in the decision-making activities of the schools. Only then can we fully appreciate the extent to which equitable assessment can be used to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and achievement. Teachers also are able to make inferences about student performance and how they must refine their instruction to increase or maintain high performance without calling into question the technical adequacy of the assessment (Jones, 1990). However, when school... student retention, promotion, or graduation), the importance of understanding ways to maximize equity while not compromising the technical quality of alternative assessments should be looked into. The validity of inferences made affects the technical adequacy of the assessment made regarding the performance of all students (Jones, 1990). It is then when alternative tests are used for high-stakes purposes, schools--in addition to being concerned about equity when selecting or developing assessments--must take advantage of methods for maximizing fairness in administering and scoring them. Of utmost importance is ensuring that students have had adequate opportunity to learn the material on which they are being tested. These assessments, authentic, traditional and equitable, are just tools themselves and are just as responsible as the curriculum and the educators. Regardless of the level of the assessment effort, equity will never be achieved as long as everyone involved in educating children sees these assessment tools as responsible for ensuring fairness. It is not just the tools, but also the curriculum, instruction, professional development, parent and community involvement, and leadership practices that affect the fairness of assessments and the inferences based on them. As education is more important today that it was ever before, the choice of whether employing authentic/productive assessment over conventional assessment is becoming more widespread largely because of the power of the internet. Western culture and influence has spread to every part of the world, and the ideal of the free and compulsory education has taken root in almost every country. For much of history, people's social and vocational status had been largely ascribed - that is, determined by the