Wednesday, October 30, 2019

The Barnes Collection As A Cultural Jewel Of Extraordinary Nature Essay

The Barnes Collection As A Cultural Jewel Of Extraordinary Nature - Essay Example The Barnes Foundation was formed in Merion, PA as an educational facility by Barnes and John Dewey, an educational philosopher. However, unlike the majority of art collections, this was neither a public museum nor a private museum and was primarily used to teach adult and youth students. While the foundation allowed public visitors at least twice a week, these were treated as second-class citizens in comparison to students. Barnes’ vision for the entire collection was contained in his will, which stated that the art could not be loaned, reproduced, sold, or traveled and that the school was to continue (Kennicott 1). However, leaders in Philadelphia clamored for the collection to be made more accessible by moving it to the city, which was finally achieved by Pew Charitable Trusts, Annenberg Foundation, and Lenfest Foundation. The documentary identifies various ways in which Barnes’ will have been subverted, as well as the development of a highly public and new home for Barnes’ collection, which the film states Barnes sought to avoid and despised. In successfully challenging the will of Mr. Barnes and its original intent, Pew Charitable Trusts, Annenberg Foundation, and Lenfest Foundation used two basic arguments. First, they argued that the Barnes Foundation was financially struggling and that a move to a venue that was more accessible in Philadelphia would help in dramatically increasing attendance, bolstering the Foundation’s finances (Steinberg 1). Secondly, they also argued that the collection was an incredible artifact of culture that should be accessed by more people. In this case, they posited that demand exceeded availability in Merion for public hours, as well as the fact that demand was a valid concern for the public that the foundations found necessary to address (Steinberg 1). However, these arguments do not stand under close scrutiny as will be seen.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Is Mass Surveillance Unethical?

Is Mass Surveillance Unethical? Surveillance is no different from the casual practice of people watching, but instead of being a casual practice that might occur at one park, or at one restaurant, mass surveillance is sustained over time, and is done on a significant number of people. This practice was put in place to pay attention not just to any random person that roams the streets, but to pay attention to a specific group of people and for a specified reason. This is what raises much controversy about the issue of mass surveillance. It does not have to involve watching, sometimes it can also be done by listening, smelling, or detective hardware. When a cellphone conversation is bugged, this is mass surveillance. When a dog is used to sniff out drugs at the border, this is mass surveillance. The ethics behind this issue have been debated time and again, but whichever point wins, it still remains to be seen that surveillance is a neutral activity whose application can be geared towards good or bad (Cohen, p25). Ye t most continue to argue over the morality of the issue. As we delve into this matter, there will be specific questions that logically need to be answered in order create a proper analysis that has the capability to be brought to a final conclusion and answer. Whose responsibility is it to spy on the masses? And under which circumstances is it right to listen is? Is mass surveillance right at all? These are the questions that thus paper will explore—analyzing the two sides to the sharp edged sword that is mass surveillance. The History of Mass Surveillance Ethics Jeremy Bentham came up with the idea of The Panopticon- an idea that was considered among the first to contribute to the ethical debate on mass surveillance (Bentham 1995). The proposed the concept of The Panopticon – a circular prison whose cells were adjacent to the outside walls and whose center had a tower that hosted the prison manager. The work of this manager would be to watch the inmates as they went about their daily business. It would be built in such a way that the supervisor would see the inmates, but the watched could not see this supervisor at any point in time. There would also be a means of communication that allowed the supervisor on top of the tower to shout out their demands to the prisoners. The principle of the system was that these prisoners would not know they were under surveillance, but seeing as the supervisor would somehow have access to all their secrets, they would, eventually, come to assume that they were being watched and listened to at all times (Cropf, Cropf & Bagwell, p65). This would, in turn, encourage them to behave in the required manner, and in case they had visitors over, these visitors would also be discouraged from committing crimes on the behalf of the inmates. The concept of the Panopticon does not end there. In his book, 1984, George Orwell takes this concept to a whole new level (Orwell 2004). Orwell magnified this concept to reach way beyond the inmates in Bentham’s idea. In 1984, the Panopticon took the shape of a two-way television that gave the government visual and audio access to the homes and work offices of its citizens. In the case of prisoners, these citizens would always be reminded that they were being watched. Orwell discusses both the reasons and the impact of doing something like this. Further exploring this issue is Michel Foucault in the book Discipline and Punish (Foucault 1991). The book explores the obvious use and abuse of power that is behind the idea of mass surveillance. He analyzes how prisons have grown from a means of punishment, to a way of punishing and disciplining offenders for their wrongs. With something like the Panopticon, Foucault argues that prisoners became like social experiments- denied their very basic freedoms in an attempt to punish and discipline them. These three references in history raised fundamental questions on the ethics of surveillance, and although their text mostly revolves around a prison setting, one cannot help but equate this concept to society such that the general population in a country become the prisoners, and the supervisor watching from the tower at the center of the Panopticon becomes the government. Modern Surveillance Surveillance has evolved from a primitive and a careless procedure to a carefully planned out scheme that involves more than a few parties. The technological advancements that the contemporary society so enjoys has become the very tool to be used against them. This realization has made people question the role of mass surveillance. This debate has spilled over to the field of academics where fields of study like Surveillance Studies have come up, brining jurists, sociologists, philosophers, and scientists together to examine the ethics, the science, and the reasons behind mass surveillance (Cropf, Cropf & Bagwell, p80). Today, thanks to technology, mass surveillance has become very complex, both as a social subject and as a science. Now, people can be watched with discreteness thanks to the mobility and small size of freshly invented mass surveillance devices. Surveillance is like a wide, wild wave from the ocean that no one ever sees coming. Take the instance of CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) cameras. These devices are there to gaze and stare as people mover about daily. On the other side is an anonymous viewer that is slowly making conclusions about the way we walk, the way we talk, and the way we live. Unlike the centralized Panopticon, this type of mass surveillance is watching people on an unimaginable scale. The network behind this system transfers magnitude of information back and forth every passing minute (Fuchs, p46). The computerized society is practically exposing itself to be watched and followed around. But surveillance is here for two reasons- to stalk and probe into the private affairs of other people, or to bring forth justice. In some cases, surveillance has even been known to be accepted by the people being watched. This makes it a very ethnically neutral subject, and hence very hard to be explored. The only things left to be analyzed are the proportionality of surveillance, or the methods used to surveil, or the justification of the cause. With such concepts in mind, other smaller but equally significant issues like autonomy, trust and privacy come up in relation to ethics. Forms of Mass Surveillance CCTVs and databases are still used to monitor people today, but for the most part, mass surveillance is done on the internet. Communications are what are monitored these days, including the activity on our mobile devices and computers (Fuchs, p64). Phone spying is done by geography. People in a specific area using a specific cell tower are surveilled together. There are also some cases when the government can set up fake mobile base stations so as to listen in on all the communication ongoing in a specific area, for instance, during a riot that is likely to turn violent. The limitations of mass surveillance devices are virtually disappearing and the government can now access more information than ever. Cell phone conversations are saved by phone companies to be retrieved incase the government needs it. All this information comes with immense power. Even in our homes there is surveillance. The invention of smart devices enables companies to monitor our electricity usage, and smart cities track vehicles for miles on end using sensors and cameras (Babcock & Freivogel, p34). The legality of these devices has been documented, so the only thing that is left for us to debate on is their ethicality. What is the Problem of Mass Surveillance? Governments have tried to sugarcoat the situation by calling mass surveillance ‘bulk collection of communications’, but however it is phrased, it is still just mass surveillance.   The problem is that mass surveillance interferes with privacy. This point cannot be stressed enough because all surveillance devices are bent on one goal- record it all. They are created specifically to mine data, to exploit data, to draw conclusions from this data, and to try and create patters from the information if provides (Babcock & Freivogel, p53). Systems are made specifically to filter out suspicious words and to determine relationships between suspicious persons. Mass surveillance, at the very beginning, assumes that each and every person is a suspect. Slowly but surely, most of the population is eliminated from this bracket. People are correlated on the basis of what many be nothing more than a coincidence. Visiting the same website at the same time, or going to the same restaurant every morning for coffee- conclusions are made from the little connections that can be made. With the little details, patterns can be created and the government can have a whole idea of what an individual’s life is like. By listening to what they do, what they say, what they buy, what they eat, and where they go, law enforcement agencies can create 100 percent accurate profiled on people without these people ever knowing. With this kind of information, there is always risk. In as much as there might be very strong guidelines put in place to protect the information from abuse, there will always be the few cases that slip through the cracks (Babcock & Freivogel, p74). Mass surveillance therefore becomes a danger to the very people that it is meant to protect. Those who end up as victims of such abuses suffer the worst mistakes of mass surveillance as the attacker usually has all the personal information anyone would need to cause harm. This is called the ‘chilling effect’ of surveillance. Sure, it is meant to protect and it does protect, but generally, mass surveillance puts people on alert. There is a difference between being watched and not being watched, most people are just too used to it to even notice, but take mass surveillance away and people will be freer to commit all sorts of acts- not necessarily criminal acts, but acts nevertheless. Ultimately, we believe that mass surveillance is there to protect us, but before we can be protected, how much do we have to give up? Our innovation? Our free imagination and free speech? Do we have to succumb to conformity just to be safe? Do we have to stand something so unethical? The Ethics of Privacy, Autonomy and Trust Privacy is an important this to society- it makes us feel safe, makes us feel in control again, even if just for a while. Mass surveillance is a threat to this privacy, or at least that is what most people use to make their arguments against it. Especially at the individual level, privacy is an important thing. It is called the right to privacy for a reason- it is not in the place of anyone, not even the state, to take it away from people without their consent. This right is really a blanket policy that incorporates other minor rights within itself. There is a right to privacy of property, and there is a right to personal privacy. This right, apart from consisting of other sub-rights, does not stand on its own. The right to privacy, in this respect, ceases to be a distinct right at all. It is consisted of the right to autonomy, and other such rights. For instance, when a person disposes their diary, it is violation of their right to pick up this diary and read it. This is a violation of the right to dispose of property privately. Torturing a person so as to get certain information from them is a violation of their right not to be physically hurt (Baxi, McCrudden & Paliwala, p56).   Yet in both these examples, there is still a violation of privacy among other rights. The definition of the right to privacy is therefore not definite. Mass surveillance cannot violate something that is not even definitely explained in the first. We are therefore forced to come up with our own definition of this right so that we can survive with the idea that we are being watched and listened to at all moments of the day. Privacy gives us some control and some dignity. As we interact with other people, a large amount of our security and our confidence comes from our privacy. Even though we know nothing about the strangers we meet each day, we feel safe with the notion that these people don’t know anything about us. If strangers knew our weaknesses, then they might use them against us, so we feel safe knowing that no one knows anything about our private lives. But mass surveillance violates this safe zone. In mass surveillance, we are exposed to an all-seeing eye and in a way, we are made to feel as though our secrets are out in the open. But the public has a level of dependency on the government, and in this way, it becomes okay for the state to violate our privacy for the greater good. But the more surveillance is used as an excuse to violate the privacy of the public, the more that people lose their sense of autonomy(Baxi, McCrudden & Paliwala, p76). Mass surveillance makes it so that we are not as confidence to speak in public. It entices fear because we know that any and everything we do has severe consequences. Using mass surveillance to make sure people don’t commit any crimes is like forcing them to be good, and this just increases their need for rebellion. So if the population becomes better because they are being watched, it can be argued that these actions are only pretentious, and if the mass surveillance equipment is taken away, then the public will back to its true colors. In this way, the government is also dependent on mass surveillance, and therefore it becomes unethical in such a way that it is used as a crutch for the state to control the behavior of its citizens. Why Surveillance? So many people jump straight to the impact that mass surveillance has on people- no one ever really stops to ask why surveillance is installed all around them. It is a basic assumption that surveillance is for security purposes, and while this might be true, this question still needs to be explored is the ethical foundation of mass surveillance is to be determined   (Cohen, p37). Yet even as we jump to security reasons as the obvious answer this question, the degree of security devices around us is a bit too much. There is also the question of who is monitoring the footage that is recorded on all the cameras. Take the example of political insurgents- is surveilling them really going to improve the security of the state? The first thing we need to understand is that their more than a few forms of surveillance. This practice extends far beyond the CCTV cameras on our streets and in our offices- mass surveillance has roots in each and every sector of the country. But security is not the only reason for mass surveillance. Retail stores and other companies get information on the kinds of goods that customers buy from the information on their loyalty cards- this is also a form of mass surveillance. The customers, in exchange of some discount deals of similar promotions, gladly participate in such forms of surveillance (Cohen, p57). Is this to be considered unethical? How can it be unethical when the shopping experience of these customers will be improved through their participation? Looking at transportation, especially public transit, people can now use the subway even with no money on them. This is as a result of the invention of smart cards. Using these cards, a person’s spending can be tracked and if they get into some medical trouble when far away from home, the cards can be used to identify who they are and provide their medical history. If police officers need to establish the credibility of a suspect’s alibi, then they can simply track their credit card movements and build a profile from there. These forms of surveillance are not only beneficial, they can sometimes be essential to the well-being of people. This is in no way unethical. Mass surveillance can be used for individual needs as well. A financially unstable computer genius might decide to use their skills to hack into a credit card company server and steal the numbers, hence taking other people’s money (Cohen, p81). The hacker is unethical, but the credit card company is not unethical for monitoring the spending of their customers. This makes mass surveillance both ethical and unethical- it all depends on how the issue is approached. For personal reasons, people might choose to exploit the mass surveillance equipment already in place to invade the privacy of others. These systems have a lot of personal information about many different people, and for this reason, they are sensitive. If used for good, mass surveillance can benefit millions, but is allowed into the wrong hands, then an unlucky few will suffer for it. Is it ethical, therefore, to allow the few to suffer for the well-being of the many? This brings up a whole other division of ethics that will take time and research to explore, but mass surveillance is not a subject to be approached in black and white. There are issues of distribution- who gets to suffer and who gets to live if a specific instance of mass surveillance goes wrong? There is the issue of consent. Supermarket customers have to agree to participate in promotions that monitor their spending and the kind of goods they buy, but criminals being investigated are denied to right to consent to privacy intrusion, and the law has no obligation to them as long as they are suspects (Cohen, p87). There is a concept of the greater good involved here, and for the few that have to fall victim to the dark side of mass surveillance, one million others get to live. Is this justified? No. but neither is it unjustified. Who is in Charge? As the party being watched loses autonomy and power, the surveilling party gains more power and control. The information that most people would rather keep to themselves is known- it is out there in the public and the chances of it circulating even further are higher. There is a power imbalance between the masses and the people that are in charge of mass surveillance. In this context, surveillance becomes wrong, almost like a primitive form of intimidation. It becomes unethical and very dangerous for all the parties involved. Everyone, no matter how insignificant, is entitled to certain basic rights. These are such as the right to freely speak, the right to interact with other people, and the right to freely protest against that which one finds distasteful. These rights are law and are preached to all citizens every waking day, but with mass surveillance, they become less equated to human rights and become more equated to evidence (Pandey, p24). If there is a record of a person speaking freely for or against certain beliefs they have, then thus record can be used against them if they are ever suspected of committing a crime. People, therefore, decide to stay low and only speak in the shadows, for the state holds all the power. When it comes to a point when a person’s rights are no longer their own, then mass surveillance is considered to have crossed the ethical line. The simplest democratic practices are hindered by cameras and such monitoring devices. What is the point of giving away privileges only to use them against the very people that are supposed to be protected by these privileges? There is also the question of distance. The surveilling team is literally on the other side of the screen- adding to the power imbalance between the authorities and the masses (Pandey, p32). This gives a sense of two very different parties where one in pulling the strings and the other party has to adhere to all the rules or there will be consequences. People are spied upon, denied basic rights, and made to feel powerless. In this way, mass surveillance becomes unethical, even though it is used to protect these very people. Nothing to Hide There is a famous statement, â€Å"if you haven’t done anything wrong, then there is nothing to fear.† This statement has long been used to justify the ethics of surveillance. If the public has nothing to hide, then they have nothing to fear even if the government pricks and probes at the most private details of their lives. Looking at it carefully, however, it does make sense. Majority of the people have no criminal records, nor do they have any intention of committing any crimes in the future. In this sense, mass surveillance does not affect them in any way. Surveillance is only meant to catch the bad few and make the lives of others safer in the process. In this reasoning, the government has installed cameras, wiretaps, and record checks almost everywhere. Citizens are convinced that all this effort is for their own good, and once the terrorists have been eliminated, it will have been worth it. But the bad guys never quit, and every waking morning, the government finds new ways to get more information- both in quantity and in depth. It is true that mass surveillance makes it safer for the majority, but this does not make it ethical (Bishop, Miloslavskaya & Theocharidou,   p51). If the government mandated every citizen to walk around with a tracking device in an effort to advance mass surveillance, then it would make sense that anyone who refused to do so has something to hide and should be investigated further. But it can also be argued that such measures are simply wrong and in violation of most forms of privacy. So if most people refuse to willingly submit to the will of government and give themselves up to be examined, then it does not necessarily mean that these people are criminals, it just means that they value their privacy more than their security- or something like that. Yet, with the modern advancements in technology, the government can already track people even when they are not carrying any tracking devices on them. People can be tracked using their credit card actions, or using cameras that are lodged on every street corner(Bishop, Miloslavskaya & Theocharidou,   p74). These movements, however, can only be tracked to a certain extent. In this way, a person is able to be kept safe and they are also able to maintain their privacy. Yet this is not any better that if the government forcefully implemented a law that mandated everyone to carry around a tracking device. Both actions are invasive, and thus both actions are wrong, and just because one is more invasive than the other does not make the latter action any less unethical. There is also the issue of storage. After the information has been collected from the public, it is stored in archives that are vulnerable to hackers. There are people capable of accessing this information and using it to harm and not to protect. This puts the whole argument against the use of mass surveillance to watch the public. For instance, back in 2007, a worker from the Department of Commerce, Benjamin Robinson, accessed a government database and used the information within it to track the movements of his former girlfriend. He accessed this system at least 163 times before he was discovered, an if it had continued for any longer, then the girl that was being tracked could have ended up in real danger (Bishop, Miloslavskaya & Theocharidou,   p85). This man was unethical in his actions, but so was the government for collecting personal information and storing it in such a way that it could be accessed more than 100 times before any red flags were raised. When to use Mass Surveillance So when exactly is mass surveillance ethical? Would it be ethical when we are invaded and it is the only way that the invaders can be flushed out? Would it be ethical if the data collected in the devices is not used against the people that are supposed to be protected by the surveillance systems? There are lines that should not be crossed, the only problem is that these lines are not clear. According to M.I.T. Professor Gary Marx, there are a number of questions that need to be answered before mass surveillance can be implemented anywhere. Means The first issue that needs to be explored is the means of mass surveillance being used. Does it cause any sort of harm to the public, be it physical or psychological? Does the surveillance method have boundaries? The technique used should not be allowed to cross a certain line without consent of the party being surveilled. The techniques being used also needs to be trustworthy. The personal information of the people being surveilled should be kept safe and it should not be used against them. Is the method invasive to personal relationships? Lastly, the means used to enforce mass surveillance needs to produce results as they were- the results should be valid and not doctored in any way (Berleur & Whitehouse. P42). Context The second issue that has to be explored to justify mass surveillance is that of data collection context. Those being surveilled need to be aware that personal information is being collected on them, and they need to know who is collecting this information and why they are collecting it. These individuals need to agree to be surveilled- consent is a key issue. And then comes the golden rule- those that are responsible to setting up and implementing surveillance also need to be its subjects. In short, everyone, even government officials, need to agree to the same conditions that everyone else agrees to. Mass surveillance should indeed look out for the masses- no exceptions. For it to be ethically justifiable at all, then a certain principle of minimization needs to be enforced. Mass surveillance also has to be decided by the public. To come to the decision of setting up surveillance, a discussion has to be held publicly and people have to decide for or against it. If they decide to go through with it, then there needs to be a human review of the machines and the equipment that are to be used. The people that decide to be surveilled are also entitled to inspect the results of this surveillance and question how the results were created and how they are going to be used. They also have a right to challenge the records in case any obvious errors are made with the surveillance results (Berleur & Whitehouse. P62). Before mass surveillance can be allowed to function in society, then there needs to be a means of redress. In case any individual is treated unjustly because of surveillance, then there should be appropriate punishments in place for the perpetrator of the crime so as to phase out unethical surveillance behavior. The data collected needs to be protected adequately so as to avoid any unethical use of this information in the first place. Mass surveillance methods need to have very minimal negative effects, or preferable, no negative effects at all. Lastly, mass surveillance needs to be equal. The same methods used on the middle class need to be used on the upper class, and is there is a way of resisting mass surveillance, then the government needs to make sure that these methods are available to the privileged as well as to the less privileged (Berleur & Whitehouse. P69). If even one person can escape mass surveillance, then all the other members of the public have no business being watched by the government. Uses The final issue that has to be analyzed is that of the uses of the data that is collected from mass surveillance devices. Surveillance needs to have a certain goal- whether it is to improve the shopping experience of customers, or to reduce crime rate. The data collected needs to be useful in fulfilling this goal, otherwise, there is no point. In as much as the goal needs to be fulfilled, there also needs to be a perfect balance between fulfilling this goal and spending just the right amount of money- not too much for it to be wasteful, and not too little for the surveillance to bear worthless results. Before surveillance is implemented, the responsible party needs to make sure there is no other means that will cost less money and fulfill the same duties (Berleur & Whitehouse. P87). If it is too costly, then are there any consequences of not installing surveillance equipment, and if so, to what extent will these consequences affect society? How can the cost and the risk be minimized? The information collected needs to be used only for its intended purposes only and nothing more. Therefore, mass surveillance can be ethical, but it also has a large capacity to be unethical. Following this guideline, mass surveillance should be installed with no problems and with no major violations of any kind. However this issue is approached, there will always be a basic violation of privacy that is associated with surveillance, but the damage is controllable as long as the public consents to it. there needs to be appropriate measures and guidelines put in place before using any form of mass surveillance on a population, and these guidelines need to be adhered to by all the involved parties- be it the party surveilling, or the party being surveilled. How do we make Surveillance Ethical? There is a lot of fuss about mass surveillance. We should never stop discussing the underlying issues on mass surveillance, but we should also give the government a chance to prove that mass surveillance is truly for the good of the public and not just some scheme to keep citizens in check. Mass surveillance attempts to do the impossible- keep people safe while also maintaining an open and free society with people who are not afraid to express their views. Amidst all these issues, the question of how to make mass surveillance more ethical is often overlooked, but there is truly a way in which we can make sure that mass surveillance is justified and only in the best interest of the masses. For mass surveillance to be ethical, there needs to be a reason for it. Secretively spying on people without them knowing why or how is why surveillance is considered unethical, but approaching these people from a logical standpoint and explaining to them why mass surveillance is necessary is in every way ethical (Duquenoy, Jones & Blundell, p38). For surveillance to be ethical, there also needs to be transparency. This means that there should be integrity of motive- no secret agendas. Right from the way the data is collected to the way it is handled and used, there needs to complete honesty between the parties involved. The methods used need to be analyzed for proportionality, there must be laws put in place to protect the interests of those being surveilled, and lastly, there needs to be a clear prospect for success if mass surveillance is to be carried on for a long period of time (Duquenoy, Jones & Blundell, p78). Conclusion So, is mass surveillance unethical? Yes it is, and no, it is not. This is one of those issues that has to be examined in context. If a criminal hacks into the surveillance system of a particular government and uses it to commit a major crime, then this criminal is wrong, but this still does not make mass surveillance unethical. The justification and ethicality of mass surveillance are often treated as one subject, and in as much as they may overlap, they are quite different. For instance, it is justified for a government to put up cameras to protect the many while they focus on the few bad apples that are likely to commit crimes, but it is unethical that this same government is intruding the privacy of so many people just to catch a few criminals. In the same way, it is unethical to listen in on a cell phone conversation of a suspect in a criminal investigation, but if this person ends up being convicted because of the conversation, then it becomes justified, and to some extent, also ethical. If we go back to the basics, parents have to monitor their children in order for these infants to survive. In this context, the infants are viewed as powerless, helpless, and in need of constant care and attention. It is therefore the parent’s responsibility, both ethically and morally, to be there for their child. After these children grow, they become independent and are no longer in need of constant attention. These children start to pull away from their parents and seek out their own privacy. The same knowledge can be applied to the issue of mass surveillance. The public can be seen as children who have grown over time and earned the right to their own privacy, and yet the government persists on monitoring them constantly (Cohen, p85). In the public consents to this surveillance, then it becomes ethically justifiable for mass surveillance to continue, but without the public’s consent to surveillance, then it becomes wrong and an intrusion of privacy. Work cited Cropf, Robert A, Robert A Cropf, and Timothy C Bagwell. Ethical Issues And Citizen Rights In The Era Of Digital Government Surveillance. 1st ed. Print. Cohen, E.  Mass Surveillance And State Control. 1st ed. [Place of publication not identified]: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. Print. Gamino Garcia, Arkaitz et al.  Mass Surveillance. 1st ed. [Brussels]: [European Commission], 2015. Print. Pandey, Archit.  An Introduction To Mass Surveillance And International Law. 1st ed. Print. Baxi, Upendra, Christopher McCrudden, and Abdul Paliwala. Laws Ethical, Global And Theoretical Contexts. Essays In Honour Of William Twining. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2016. Print. Babcock, William A, and William H Freivogel. The SAGE Guide To Key Issues In Mass Media Ethics And Law. 1st ed. Print. Berleur, J, and Diane Whitehouse. An Ethical Global Information Society. 1st ed. London: New York, 1997. Print. Laws Ethical, Global, And Theoretical Contexts. 1st ed. Cambridge University Press, 2015. Print. Bishop, Matt, Natalia Miloslavskaya, and Marianthi Theocharidou.  Information Security Education Across The Curriculum. 1st ed. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2015. Print. Duquenoy, Penny, Simon Jones, and Barry Blundell. Ethical, Legal And Professional Issues In Computing. 1st ed. Australia: Thomson, 2008. Print. Fuchs, Christian.  Internet And Surveillance: The Challenges Of Web 2.0 And Social Media. 1st ed. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Social Organization and Adaptation in Alpine Environments Essay

Social Organization and Adaptation in Alpine Environments Adaptive Strategies in Alpine Environments: Beyond Ecological Particularism, is an article that evaluates the similarities and differences of two alpine environments. The author’s main point of the article is to identify the consistencies of social organization and adaptation throughout communities existing in high altitudes. The mountain chains used to investigate these regularities were the Swiss Alps and the Himalayan Mountains. Along with finding the consistencies of the communities with in the mountains, they also wanted to discover whether adaptation was created though the mountain environment or outside influences. Rhoades and Thompson, through researching these different mountain ranges, find many similarities throughout the alpine communities. The authors have clear points as to why they believe that the Himalayans and the Alps are so similar. What they bring up first is the fact that they are both immense mountain ranges, and because of the size special adaptations are necessary for survival. Throughout the article though, Rhoades and Thompson do not forget the differences of the ranges. The main thing to be aware of, they point out, is the fact that the Alps are surrounded by a technological advanced and wealthy society. Compared to the Alps the Sherpas of the Himalayans are only a herding society that are not affluent, and the only wealth made in the surrounding areas are from the tourism of the mountains. Putting that aside, the similarities are abundant, considering the location and climate of the two ranges. The authors look to subsistence techniques, regulatory devices, ownership patterns, and sociopolitical forms to find the paralle... ...s of similarities from yet another alpine community of the Andes Mountains. In ending, the authors find that they cannot explain the evolution of alpine areas, but they have found that throughout world mountain communities adapt in similar ways to deal with the mountain environment. The authors also wish to expand on this research but hope to further look in to the adaptations as well as the cultures of the groups. Looking throughout the article it seems as if it has completely different intents than our text. Though the article discusses the Sherpas of Nepal, our text has a completely different idea when talking about the Sherpas of Melemchi. Bishop’s text is overall a more comprehensive study of the Sherpa, and gives more detail on their lives. If anything the article adds to the Bishop text and puts the Sherpa of Nepal in the bigger picture of the world.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Harriet Jacob’s “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” Essay

In this paper I argue that slavery is an essential part of life and, as such, should be cared for to ensure the continuation of the lives of the slaves so that they serve their purpose. Slavery is referred to as an â€Å"unhappy condition†, one that should be relieved and which can only be relieved by the enslaved. Harriet Jacob’s â€Å"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl† reveals the story of a slave girl and her misfortunes through out her life. The writing is among the feminist literature narrating the humiliations and sufferings of black slave females. Slave Black women didn’t have any such protection to voice their rights against their white masters. They were considered as â€Å"property† of their masters. And those masters have full authority over their female slaves to rape them at any time for the gain of sexual desire, for having stock of more slave children and for keeping such slaves below standards and disdain them. Therefore, there wasn’t any law that would apply to Linda’s case. In that era, woman, in general, were subject to man’s superiority and specifically slave woman were the victim of their masters, even in the enactment of law she had no right to voice her opinions, likes, dislikes or to live her life according to her own wishes. She was subject to any type of violent and abusive behavior by her masters. Lack of protection to their rights by law enforcement gave much bravery and authority to white males over their female slaves. Such deficiencies in law at that time surrounded the female slaves with fetters and disabilities, her very basic and natural rights were unguarded, and her liberty was unacknowledged. She was not allowed to process her separate interest. Not realizing the existence of these slave women as an individual or their own, the law gave her no independent possession. Law being supportive for the supremacy of white masters, and black female slaves were the victim of sexual assault, abusive, violent and unjust attitude. It was the law of the strongest. Though, abusing slaves were not considered as good and there was a universal disdain regarding this issue, no one was willing to help those helpless females against their sexual assault. There was wide spread use of female slaves as sex without any prohibition. Everyone was afraid of helping such women because no one wanted to go against slaveholders who were very rich and held much authority at that time. Most of the blacks were dependent on these slaveholders, and majority of them were proprietors and nurturing most of the Black slaves’ family for labor. Other poor whites were dependent on agriculture and feared to loose their property if they would be of any help to Black female slaves. Therefore, no one dared to voice against such slave owners, even including the family members of the female slave would remain quiet. However, there was general opinion among white females that the abuse of Black slaves was acceptable and that males and white masters are the dominant gender. Most white women were also quiet because not only that they thought slavery was an acceptable thing but they were receiving a lot benefits like money, food and free labor. Daughters or wives were solely dependent on their fathers and husbands. To voice against them meant to deprive themselves of all those benefits they were receiving. To help slave women for their sexual and autonomic identity was to worsen the situation prevailing at that time. The story is essentially a moral code for the slave owners as to how to properly care for the slaves and their overseers. Initially the slaves are spoken of as though they are children who need to be watched over for their own safety and discipline. Slave’s behavior is seen as something unchangeably infantile, no amount of education on morals will change their behavior and they will always succumb to the temptations of thievery and malice toward their masters. It is not a function of the desire to be free, rather it is a function of their immature nature in the eyes of the masters and something to be controlled. These masters viewed themselves as benevolent, as though they were doing a service to the slaves in their charge by taking charge of their lives and keeping their souls out of the trouble to which they would be tempted. The care taken of the slaves is only so that they will be comfortable enough to continue to work and reproduce, not out of care for them as humans. To care for them as humans would require thinking of them as such, doing so would bring up the idea that as humans they deserve the freedom that the masters enjoyed. Masters of the slaves expect obedience and respect from their slaves. However, in return masters must also show their good attitude towards their slaves. They must be honest and truthful with their slaves. Slaves are after all humans who need to be cared off. The way masters will treat their slaves, the same they will get in return. Masters should show firmness and kindness towards their slaves to get their trust. And they must control their temper when dealing with them. In addition, slaves should be given their complete food and diet to keep them healthy and fulfill their needs of the daily work. It is clear, however, that the masters view their slaves as nothing higher than any farm animal. Something to be taken care of for its usefulness, to be cared for so that it will serve its purpose without trouble in the same category as a horse or a cow. Slavery is understood by the slaves to be an oppressive system inflicted by one group of humans upon another, and oppression of any type should not be tolerated. Freedom is a God-given right to all humans and to voluntarily submit to having that freedom taken away is an abomination against God, an enormous sin. Garnet, freed men and slaves believed that slavery set all the laws given by God aside and caused the slaves to make reverence to their masters before God and to submit themselves other than to Him, which is against the first commandment of their Christian belief. This made it necessary to revolt against slavery and endeavor for freedom in any way, even if it meant death because death itself was preferable to oppression. They were willing to sacrifice their lives rather than live as slaves, treated no better than animals rather than with the respect of men. What is most interesting about the story is that it is not an incitement to violence, rather it is an order for those enslaved to demand their freedom. If they were to recognize that their numbers made such a demand possible without violence there could be some resolution to slavery without bloodshed. There is clearly the awareness that a peaceful end to slavery would not be possible, but at least the idea was put forth that it should be considered first. Works Cited Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the life of a slave girl.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Square Textile Ltd. started its operation in 1997. It was enlisted in Dhaka Stock Exchange & Chittagong Stock Exchange in 2002. The business lines of Square Textile Ltd. are manufacturing and marketing of yarn. Its factory is located in Gazipur , Dhaka. The manufactures 100% Cotton Ring Span Yarn or Hosiery , 100% Cotton OE Rotor For Hosiery and Knit Fabrics for 100% export oriented readymade Garments Industry. The strategic Goals and Objectives of the Company are to strive hard to optimize profit though conduction and transparent business operations and to create more competitive in the internal and external market. In home, customer of Square Textile Limited are export oriented readymade Garments Industry. The Company also exports its products to the market of Europe & USA . The export sells increased by 19% in 2003 over the previous year. Competition level is increasing both in local and abroad market . Competition will be more stiff after 2005 when multifiber agreement will be phaced out. Among the other foreign competitors Srilanka , China Pakistan and India are prominent. Square is one of the biggest employees in Bangladesh. It has a personnel and administrative department . The total number of employees are 1223. For the employees there are systematic in house training in home and abroad . The managing director, the CEO is the head of the executive management team . Below in there are directors , executive directors and general manager. Under the direct super vision of the general manager a number of departments are controlled. The Company is going through continuous growth in production . The total production increased year on year basis at the rates of 0. 43% and 1. 467% during 2002 and 2003 respectively . The Company’s operations are out on a aggregate basis and are managed as a single opportunity segment . The Company uses Computer Aided Design (CAD) , Computer Aides Spreading (CAS) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) in its plant to increase the overall efficiency and productivity. OBJECTIVE: The broad objective of this report is to provide an overview of HRM practice of Square Textiles Ltd. The specific objectives of this report are : †¢ To provide Company overview †¢ To provide market overview and analysis †¢ To reveal operational, management and HRM planning. †¢ Discuss all HRM practice METHOLODGY: To prepare this report we have collected data from different published materials. Then we have conducted a secondary study. After that we have prepared a questionnaire and took interview one of the executive serving in this Company. We also collect data from internet . This way we collected primary data. Thus we have used both primary and secondary report to prepare this report. INTRODUCTION: This report is prepared as a requirement of the course â€Å"Seminar in Human Resource Management. † We selected Square Textiles Ltd. Working on this organization we came to know various Kind of HRM practice which are use here. Though it is a textile, it has proved itself in the related industry s a major competitor. In this report we have followed the guidelines provided by the teacher. Here we have tasked not only the HRM practice but also the marketing, management, finance and operational area of the Company. 5. Human resource management 5. 1. Human resource planning Square has a personal and administrative Department . Square is one of the biggest employers in Bang ladesh. The total number of employers in Bangladesh . The total number of employees is 1,223. For the employees there are systematic in house training in home and abroad . To motivate the employees, along with salary and benefits the company provides various facilities like free meals , free transportation , 24 hour medical center , on site sports . Production and accommodation facilities includes full time supply of safe drinking water, adequate lighting and ventilation facilities from sheet. 5. 2 HR Practices of SQUARE textile Recruitment Training Performance Management Labor relation Employee relation Job analysis Job design Selection Development Incentives Benefits 5. 2. 1 Recruitment and Selection process in SQUARE Recruitment is the process trough which the organization seeks applicants for potential employment. Selection refers to the process by which it attempts to identify applicants with the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics that will help the company achieve its goals, companies engaging in different strategies need different types and numbers of employees. The strategy a company is pursuing will have a direct impact on the types of employees that it seeks to recruit and selection. Source of recruitment There are two kinds of source SQUARE uses for recruitment . They are 1. External source 2. Internal source. We try to discuss all relative sources which are used for recruitment in SQUARE. 1. Internal source SQUARE thinks that current employees are a major source of recruits for all but entry-level positions. Whether for promotions or for ‘Lateral’ job transfers, internal candidates already know the informal organization and have detailed information about its formal policies and procedures. Promotions and transfer are typically decided by operating managers with little involvement by HR department. 1. 1Job-posting programs HR departments become involved when internal job openings are publicized to employees through job positioning programs, which informs employees about opening and required qualifications and invite qualify employees to apply. The notices usually are posted on company bulletin boards or are placed in the company newspaper. Qualification and other facts typically are drawn from the job analysis information. The purpose of job posting is to encourage employees to seek promotion and transfers the help the HR department fill internal opening and meet employee’s personal objectives. Not all jobs openings are posted . Besides entry level positions, senior management and top stuff positions may be filled by merit or with external recruiting. Job posting is most common for lower level clerical, technical and supervisory positions. 1. 2 Departing Employees An often overlooked source of recruiters consists of departing employees. Many employees leave because they can no longer work the traditional 40 hours work week . School, child care needs and other commitments are the common reason. Some might gladly stay if they could rearrange their hours of work or their responsibilities . Instead, they quit when a transfer to a part-time job may retain their valuable skill and training. Even if part-time work is not a solution, a temporary leave of absence may satisfy the employee and some future recruiting need of the employer. 2. External source When job opening cannot be filled internally, the HR department of SQUARE must look outside the organization for applicants. We discuss all the external source of recruitment at bellow: 2. 1 Walk-ins and Write-ins: Walk-ins are some seekers who arrived at the HR department of SQUARE in search of a job; Write-ins are those who send a written enquire . both groups normally are ask to complete and application blank to determine their interest and abilities. Usable application is kept in an active file until a suitable opening occurs or until an application is too old to be considered valid, usually six months. 2. 2 Employee referrals: Employees may refer job seekers to the HR department . Employee referrals have several advantages . Employees with hard –to –find job skill may no others who do the same work. Employees referrals are excellent and legal recruitment technique, but they tend to maintain the status quo of the work force in term of raise , religions , sex and other characteristics , possibly leading to charges of discrimination. 2. 3 Advertising Want ads describe the job and the benefits, identify the employer, and tell those who are interested how to apply . They are most familiar form of employment advertising . for highly specialist requites, ads may be placed in professional journal or out of town newspaper in areas with high concentration of the desired skills Example: General Manager- production (ref: PM) Age: 28-35 years; Graduate with specialization in garment mfg technology from NIFT or equiv. -Minimum 10 years experience in similar position of a unit with a minimum of 1000machines. -Must have detailed hands on knowledge of industrial engineering. We offer competitive salary which is commensurate with experience and qualification. If you aspire to an exiting and rewar ding career , send your detailed resume, quoting your present and expected salaries to jobs. 2. 4 Internet Now today no body thinks anything without internet. So SQUARE give their advertise at internet. Example: WWW. bdjobs. com www. square. bd. com Executive summary The highly anticipated and much celebrated release of the newest and perhaps hippest cellular phone on the market has spurred a number of discussions on the applicability of these devices to other forums.   An important change which has revolutionized not only the way people interact and do business with one another but also the way relationships are formed in this world is the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell could never have imagined that phones today allow people to surf the internet and also watch movies.   The telephone has become such an integral part of the everyday lives of people.   This role is even expected to only become more and more important as the next generation of cellular phones will allow users to watch videos and talk to each other onscreen. This short discourse will therefore discuss the different marketing strategies for mobile phone providers.   This includes the features that are offered in the market for current cellular phones such as the WAP access and even the video or camera quality.   As shown in other pertinent marketing studies that will be discussed in this discourse, there are also other important considerations that consumers take into their decision making process with regard to the purchase of a mobile phone unit.   Using projective techniques and perceptual mapping techniques, this study will attempt to show which of these new features and marketing strategies have the greatest impact on the mobile phone industry.    Executive summary The highly anticipated and much celebrated release of the newest and perhaps hippest cellular phone on the market has spurred a number of discussions on the applicability of these devices to other forums.   An important change which has revolutionized not only the way people interact and do business with one another but also the way relationships are formed in this world is the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell could never have imagined that phones today allow people to surf the internet and also watch movies.   The telephone has become such an integral part of the everyday lives of people.   This role is even expected to only become more and more important as the next generation of cellular phones will allow users to watch videos and talk to each other onscreen. This short discourse will therefore discuss the different marketing strategies for mobile phone providers.   This includes the features that are offered in the market for current cellular phones such as the WAP access and even the video or camera quality.   As shown in other pertinent marketing studies that will be discussed in this discourse, there are also other important considerations that consumers take into their decision making process with regard to the purchase of a mobile phone unit.   Using projective techniques and perceptual mapping techniques, this study will attempt to show which of these new features and marketing strategies have the greatest impact on the mobile phone industry.   

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Total Domination

Total Domination Introduction Total dominance is described as totalitarianism in the book ‘The Origins of Totalitarianism† by Hannah Arendt. She described totalitarianism as a system of total dominance by state over its citizens. Totalitarianism was seen as a destructive movement that dehumanized human beings.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Total Domination specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Arendt concentrated on the Nazi regime of Hitler and Stalin’s Soviet Union. The totalitarian movement was as a result of disoriented people because the world that they lived was destroyed by inflation, revolution and unemployment. Jews were the most affected by the bad regime (Arendt 25). Total domination is a major theme in the book of Hannah Arendt. The book has the following subjects: Totalitarianism, Nazism and Stalinism. The book is written in English and it’s a non-fiction. It was written in 2006 and the publisher i s Bedford/St Martin. Hannah Arendt was born on October 1906 and died on December 1975. She was a political theorist and her works dealt with totalitarianism and power. She was an American who came from Germany. The book is of interest to people because it is an indirect study of totalitarianism by the Nazi regime. There are other authors with the theme of totalitarianism. In 1923, Giovanni Gentile described totalitarianism as the control of citizens by the states. The states had goals that they used to guide their citizens. Richard Pipes argued that totalitarianism aimed at mobilizing people to support the state’s ideology and activities. He further argued that totalitarianism did not support activities that were not the state’s goals like religion, labor unions etc. Totalitarianism Arendt described totalitarianism as a system which was governed by ideologies and employed its powers on its citizen. Totalitarianism was caused by radical and ambitious people. Arendt conc entrated on the Nazi regime of Hitler and Stalin’s Soviet Union. Totalitarianism was seen as a destructive movement that dehumanized human beings. Totalitarianism was a system of total dominance by state over its citizens (Arendt 27).Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There were experiments done in concentration camps. The concentration camps were termed as laboratories to exercise total domination. The totalitarianism of the Nazi regime was aimed at making human beings gain the characteristics of animal species. Nazism practiced total terror mostly inside the camps so as to intimidate people and make them feel less human. This facilitated total dominance. Nazism also believed that human beings could only be totally dominated if they were converted into animal species. Stalin and Hitler were both racists. They believed that a certain race had to die. The Nazism movement believed in racial supremacy. Totalitarianism was practiced politically, economically and socially. It also aimed at making human beings superfluous (Arendt 32). People followed receptive ideologies of the Nazism and Stalinism regime. Causes of Totalitarianism Arendt argued that imperialism led to totalitarianism. The military, political upheaval and economic status of Germany led it to conquer other countries for capitalist expansion. This led to a country that was not stabilized both politically and socially. Therefore, the totalitarian movement resulted from disoriented people as the world that they lived in was destroyed by inflation, revolution and unemployment. The Jews lack of citizenship was another factor that promoted their killing. The author explained that this was a totalitarian way of approach. Jews were not German citizens and, hence, could not claim any rights. They were seen as a nuisance and had to be killed. Racism and lack of citizenship of the Jews was a major factor that contributed to Nazism (Arendt 42). The Lessons of Totalitarianism Arendt described totalitarianism as futile and destructive. She also said that it could not last for long due to its dictatorial nature. Unemployment, political upheaval and overpopulation led to totalitarianism. Both Stalinism and Nazism committed same crimes and their activities were horrifying. They also practiced communism. Totalitarianism should not be practiced because it is ridiculous. People were tortured so as to be kept in line. The totalitarian governments could not exercise their control without the concentration camps. This is mentioned by Arendt when she said that the camps were centers for totalitarian regimes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Total Domination specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One controversial thing is Arendt’s view of murder in concentration camps. She argued that the murderer did not take so meone’s existence with them even if they took his or her life. Murder was murder even if the Nazi people did not take away someone’s existence with them or they just killed one person. There were also exterminations at the concentration camps in the Soviet Union (Armstrong 29). They used these camps as laboratories for research in their totalitarianism belief of anything is possible. The Nazi in Germany and the Communist Russia were different from monarchical regimes. Arendt described autocratic regimes as wanting to have political power only over their citizens while totalitarian regimes wanted to take control of every dimension of people’s lives. Totalitarianism was mostly marked by a single party, personality cultism, restrictions in giving speeches and use of mass surveillance. Conclusion In conclusion, totalitarianism was a system of total dominance by the state over its citizens. Nazism practiced total terror mostly inside the camps where the Jews were sec luded. It was practiced politically, economically and socially. It also aimed at making human beings superfluous. Arendt, Hannah. The Origins of Totalitarianism. New York: Schocken Books, 1951. Print. Arendt, Hannah. Total Domination.7th ed. New York: Bedford/St Martin, 2006. Print. Armstrong, John. The Politics of Totalitarianism New York: Random House, 1961. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

Monday, October 21, 2019

Battle of Agincourt - Hundred Years War

Battle of Agincourt - Hundred Years' War Battle of Agincourt: Date Conflict: The Battle of Agincourt was fought October 25, 1415, during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). Armies Commanders: English King Henry Vapprox. 6,000-8,500 men French Constable of France Charles dAlbretMarshal Boucicautapprox. 24,000-36,000 men Battle of Agincourt - Background: In 1414, King Henry V of England began discussions with his nobles regarding renewing the war with France to assert his claim on the French throne. He held this claim through his grandfather, Edward III who begun the Hundred Years War in 1337. Initially reluctant, they encouraged the king to negotiate with the French. In doing so, Henry was willing to renounce his claim to the French throne in exchange for 1.6 million crowns (the outstanding ransom on French King John II - captured at Poitiers in 1356), as well as French recognition of English dominion over occupied lands in France. These included Touraine, Normandy, Anjou, Flanders, Brittany, and Aquitaine. To seal the deal, Henry was willing to marry the young daughter of the chronically insane King Charles VI, Princess Catherine, if he received a dowry of 2 million crowns.  Believing these demands too high, the French countered with a dowry of 600,000 crowns and an offer to cede lands in Aquitaine.  Negotiations quickly stalled as the French refused to increase the dowry. With talks deadlocked and feeling personally insulted by French actions, Henry successfully asked for war on April 19, 1415. Assembling an army of around, Henry crossed the Channel with around 10,500 men and landed near Harfleur on August 13/14. Battle of Agincourt - Moving to Battle: Quickly investing Harfleur, Henry hoped to take the city as a base before advancing east to Paris and then south to Bordeaux. Meeting a determined defense, the siege lasted longer than the English had initially hoped and Henrys army was beset by a variety of diseases such as dysentery. When the city finally fell on September 22, the majority of the campaigning season had passed. Assessing his situation, Henry elected to move northeast to his stronghold at Calais where the army could winter in safety. The march was also intended to demonstrate his right to rule Normandy. Leaving a garrison at Harfleur, his forces departed on October 8. Hoping to move quickly, the English army left their artillery and much of the baggage train as well as carried limited provisions. While the English were occupied at Harfleur, the French struggled to raise an army to oppose them. Gathering forces at Rouen, they were not ready by the time the city fell. Pursuing Henry, the French sought to blockade the English along the River Somme. These maneuvers proved somewhat successful as Henry was forced to turn southeast to seek an uncontested crossing. As a result, food became scarce in the English ranks. Finally crossing the river at Bellencourt and Voyenes on October 19, Henry pressed on towards Calais. The English advance was shadowed by the growing French army under the nominal command of Constable Charles dAlbret and Marshal Boucicaut. On October 24, Henrys scouts reported that the French army had moved across their path and was blocking the road to Calais. Though his men were starving and suffering from disease, he halted and formed for battle along a ridge between the woods of Agincourt and Tramecourt. In a strong position, his archers drove stakes into the ground to protect against cavalry attack. Battle of Agincourt - Formations: Though Henry did not desire battle due to being badly outnumbered, he understood that the French would only grow stronger. In deploying, men under the Duke of York formed the English right, while Henry led the center and Lord Camoys commanded the left.  Occupying the open ground between the two woods, the English line of men at arms was four ranks deep. The archers assumed positions on the flanks with another group possibly being located in the center. Conversely the French were eager for battle and anticipated victory. Their army formed in three lines with dAlbret and Boucicault leading the first with the Dukes of Orleans and Bourbon. The second line was led by the Dukes of Bar and Alenà §on and the Count of Nevers. Battle of Agincourt - The Armies Clash: The night of October 24/25 was marked by heavy rain which turned the newly plowed fields in the area into a muddy quagmire. As the sun rose, the terrain favored the English as the narrow space between the two woods worked to negate the French numerical advantage. Three hours passed and the French, awaiting reinforcements and perhaps having learned from their defeat at Crà ©cy, did not attack. Forced to make the first move, Henry took a risk and advanced between the woods to within extreme range for his archers. The French failed to strike with the English were vulnerable (Map). As a result, Henry was able to establish a new defensive position and his archers were able to fortify their lines with stakes. This done, they unleashed a barrage with their longbows. With the English archers filling the sky with arrows, the French cavalry began a disorganized charge against the English position with the first line of men-at-arms following. Cut down by the archers, the cavalry failed to breach the English line and succeeded in doing little more than churning the mud between the two armies. Hemmed in by the woods, they retreated through the first line weakening its formation. Slogging forward through the mud, the French infantry was exhausted by the exertion while also taking losses from the English archers. Reaching the English men-at-arms, they were able to initially push them back. Rallying, the English soon began inflicting heavy losses as the terrain prevented the greater French numbers from telling. The French were also hampered by the press of numbers from the side and behind which limited their ability to attack or defend effectively. As the English archers expended their arrows, they drew swords and other weapons and began attacking the French flanks. As a melee developed, the second French line joined the fray. As the battle raged, dAlbret was killed and sources indicate that Henry played an active role at the front. Having defeated the first two French lines, Henry remained wary as the third line, led by the Counts of Dammartin and Fauconberg, remained a threat. The only French success during the fighting came when Ysembart dAzincourt led a small force in a successful raid on the English baggage train. This, along with the menacing actions of the remaining French troops, led Henry to order the killing of the majority of his prisoners to prevent them from attacking should the battle resume. Though criticized by modern scholars, this action was accepted as necessary at the time. Assessing the massive losses already sustained, the remaining French troops departed the area. Battle of Agincourt - Aftermath: Casualties for the Battle of Agincourt are not known with certainty, though many scholars estimate the French suffered 7,000-10,000 with another 1,500 nobles taken prisoner. English losses are generally accepted to be around 100 and perhaps as high as 500. Though he had won a stunning victory, Henry was unable to press home his advantage due to the weakened state of his army. Reaching Calais on October 29, Henry returned to England the following month where he was greeted as a hero. Though it would take several more years of campaigning to achieve his goals, the devastation wrought upon the French nobility at Agincourt made Henrys later efforts easier. In 1420, he was able to conclude the Treaty of Troyes which recognized him as the regent and heir to the French throne. Selected Sources History of War: Battle of Agincourt

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Clean a Dorm Room in Under 20 Minutes

How to Clean a Dorm Room in Under 20 Minutes Your parents may be coming over, your partner may be stopping by, or you simply may want to pick up your room in order to have more space to work or study. Sometimes, however, even the smallest area can seem to contain a humongous mess. So just how can you clean your dorm room quickly and effectively? Fortunately for you, youre in college because youre smart. So take that educated brain of yours and put it to work! Put Clothes Away First things first: Put clothes and large items where they belong. If you have clothes on your bed, a jacket on the back of your chair, a blanket spilling onto the floor, and a scarf or two hanging off the lamp, your room can look incredibly messy. Spend a few minutes picking up clothes and large items and putting them where they should be (closet, hamper,  hook on the back of the door). And if you dont have an assigned place for the large items in your room, make one; that way, in the future, you can simply put it there to begin with and have one less thing making your room look messy. (Five-minute cheater fix: Throw everything in the closet.) Make Your Bed Sure, you dont live at home anymore, but making your bed will instantly transform your room from slovenly to stellar. Its amazing the way a clean bed can improve the look of a room. Make sure to make it nicely, too; it only takes a few extra seconds to smooth out the sheets, straighten the pillows, and make sure the comforter is evenly covering the whole bed (i.e, not touching the ground on one side and barely covering the mattress on the other). If one side of your bed is touching a wall, spend the extra 10 seconds to push the blankets down between the wall and the mattress so that the top surface still looks smooth. (Five-minute cheater fix: Dont smooth anything down or worry about the pillows; just fix the comforter or top blanket.) Put Other Things Away Put things away whenever possible. If you have a bunch of pens out on your desk and shoes collecting by the door, for example, get them out of sight. Put the pens in a little cup or a desk drawer; put your shoes back in your closet. Take a moment to stand still and look at what is still left out after youve made the bed and put the big things away. What can go into drawers? What can go into a closet? What can slide under your bed? (Five-minute cheater fix: Throw things into the closet or drawers and deal with them later.) Deal With Trash Fill up and then empty the trash. The key to emptying your trash is to fill it up first. Grab your trash can (or pull one from down the hallway to the front of your door) and walk around your room. Start in one corner and go in a spiral around the room, ending up in the center. What can be tossed? What dont you need? Be ruthless, too: That pen that only kinda works only some of the time needs to go, for example. You just might surprise yourself by seeing how much you can throw away in a few minutes and how much doing so will improve the look of your room. Once youve put things in your room trash can, take 30 seconds to empty it into a larger trash can down the hall or in the bathroom. (Five-minute cheater fix: There isnt one. Trash is trash and should be tossed pronto.) Tidy Up Tidy up the small things that are left. Close your eyes for a moment, take a deep breath (yes, even though youre in a hurry), and then open them again. Repeat the spiral you did with the trash can, this time organizing things as you move along. That pile of papers on your desk? Make the edges of it a little neater; you dont have time to go through it, but you can make it look a little tidier. Line up books so their edges are even. Close your laptop, straighten up pictures and other decorations, and make sure nothing is sticking out from under your bed. (Five-minute fix: Make sure things are relatively organized and try to put things at right angles or parallel to each other. Turn things with labels facing forward.) Take a Fresh Look Exit and re-enter your room as if you were a guest. Take a step out of your room, walk away for 10 seconds, and then re-enter your room as if you were a guest. Do the lights need to be turned on? The window opened? Room freshener sprayed? Chairs cleaned off so theres somewhere to sit? Walking into your room like youre doing so for the first time is a great way to notice any small details that might still need to be taken care of. (Five-minute fix: Spray your room with a room freshener. After all, whens the last time someones room smelled too good? Assume a little spritz will help and do it automatically.) Relax! Last but not least: Take a deep breath! After zipping around trying to clean and pick up your room, youll want to spend a moment calming down. Get a glass of water or something else to refresh yourself so that your visitors see not only a great-looking room but also a calm, collected friend or family member casually relaxing inside of it!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Willy from Death of a Salesman, and Hickey from The Iceman Cometh Essay

Willy from Death of a Salesman, and Hickey from The Iceman Cometh - Essay Example Willy becomes entrenched in a quagmire of lies, delusions and self-deception, which ultimately leads him to commit suicide. Theodore Hickman (Hickey), the principal character in Eugene O’Neill’s â€Å"The Iceman Cometh† is a smooth-talking salesman. He comes to Harry Hope’s saloon preaching the gospel of salvation, exhorting his drunken friends to divest themselves of their â€Å"pipe dreams† of tomorrow and make peace with themselves. Hickey’s murder of the tomorrow dreams will bring ruin to the bar, thus Hickey’s advent is the advent of the â€Å"Iceman† or Death. We learn later that Hickey has brought death to his own house, murdering his wife. When he confesses to the murder, Hickey’s gospel of salvation reveals itself as its own pipe dream, a delusion that lets him evade his guilt over his crime. While both characters are salesmen, they differ in temperament and outlook. Willy Loman is an insecure, self-deluded salesman who desperately believes in the American Dream but never achieves it. The fact that he uses gardening as a metaphor for success and failure indicates that he subconsciously acknowledges that his chosen profession is a poor choice, given his natural inclinations (Willy tells Stanley in Act II: â€Å"Nothing’s planted. I don’t have a thing in the ground.†). Here, the garden functions as a substitute for his failed career and his son Biff’s wayward career. Willy Loman is a dreamer, dreaming of a better life as promised by the American Dream. He dreams about being a super salesman like his hero Dave Singleman, a mythic salesman who achieved great fame and popularity. Willy visualizes having people remember and love him, considering it the ultimate satisfaction (Willy tells Howard Wagner in Act II: â€Å"And when I saw that, I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want. ‘Cause what could be more satisfying than to be able to go, at the age of

Friday, October 18, 2019

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 20

Philosophy - Essay Example Although it is not possible to say he describes the absolute truth in his works, the lens he uses to look at history—realism—is one of the most valuable and significant. What was Thucydides’ political philosophy? Simply put, people are not perfect and rarely have the best intentions of the human race in mind when they act, in particular if they are leaders of various countries. Thucydides looked at the characters and conflicts and his time and tried to understand why events happened the way they did. He didn’t act in a hardcore ideological way and he did let his curiosity motivate him, but he had decided views about politics. Although he admired Pericles, he hated demagogues who would rile up the masses and force the country and its leaders to act out of the basest of instincts. All of the issues and problems of politics that this great man came up with and first observed thousands of years ago are with us to this day. We can see the philosophical legacy of Thucydides present in today’s world amongst analysts who look at the world from a position of realism. These people would look, for example, at Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, and they would say that Russia’s motives in invading Afghanistan were rooted in self-interests, vested interests, the desire to perpetrate the communist ideology in the whole world, the amassing of more powers that would tilt the balance of power in its favor and against the interests of its Cold War adversary, the United States. To the realist and to Thucydides, expansion of power is often a nation or person’s motivating force and ambition. States and people compete for economic resources and the highest degree of security possible. States value military and economic strength and they are stopped in its tracks only when the level of power of opposing claimants are stronger or just as equal. When analyzing a war—Thucydides

Physics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Physics - Assignment Example The universe comprises of millions of super clusters. These super clusters consist of hundreds of different sized galaxies. Of such a super cluster is our earth a part of. The super cluster consists of galaxies in the form of groups. The galaxy in which earth is situated is called Milky Way and is situated in a group called the local group which comprises of more than 30 galaxies (Caprara & Harris, 2003). The Milky Way is made up of a number of stars and constellations of stars, planets, rocks, sun, gaseous elements and other such similar things. Our earth is the part of a solar system which lies in the Milky Way galaxy. Our earth is the third planet from the sun. The Milky Way galaxy is extended in a number of directions and these extensions have been named as arms. The name of the arms has been given by the name of the constellation which can be observed in that particular direction. Orion spur is the name of one its minor arm in which our solar system is situated. It is placed at the far edge of the galaxy. The sun is approximately at a distance of 26,000 to 28,000 light years from the center of the Milky Way galaxy. 2. Electromagnetic Spectrum has been divided into different regions according to the difference in the values of the frequency and wavelength. Following are the types of waves comprising of the electromagnetic spectrum and their applications: 1.

Ajax Minerals and Perrier Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ajax Minerals and Perrier - Essay Example Communications is highly necessary in regard to change management because it helps in creating mutual trust. The first way that communication to employees and the middle level management will help is in creating trust by the employees. This can be seen in the history of Ajax. In the past, Ajax failed to communicate to employees, and this led to the employees being suspicious any time the firm is about to make any changes. Communication is seen as a way to create trust because through good communication, it helps in making sure that the employees understand the need for change rather than leave the employees to speculate. The same kind of speculation has been the cause of resistance to change because the employees are extremely suspicious that any change process will affect the negatively. Involvement Involving the employee and the middle level managers is essential in helping to smooth out the process of change. When communication and involvement is used in concert, the best result will be achieved. Ajax is trying to involve the employees in the development of the solution and this will be necessary due to a number of reasons. The first reason is the fact that the involving the employees and the middle level managers will result in a change solution that will be accepted by the employees. Involvement will create minimal resistance from the employees. It will also be good in creating a solution that is most holistic in the way the firm deals with future problems. Will it succeed? Although Ajax has chosen to use this particularly valuable strategy to change management, there cannot be a guarantee that the strategy will succeed. This is because Ajax failed to use this strategy right from the beginning and there is a lot of suspicion in among the employees. Perrier case Perrier has a t least two sources of resistance. The first source of resistance is from the worker union CGT, which believes that Nestle does not have the right to cut off the number of workers in Perrier. The second source of resistance is definitely from the employees who feel that they need to protect their jobs. Nestle has tried to cut down employees in order to salvage the Perrier brand. When the employees could not allow the firm to cut the employees, the management placed the product of another brand in their cafeterias as a way to have the employees see the sense in trying to change. This method of trying to deal with the issue of change resistance did not help the firm to do away with resistance. If anything, this method of dealing with the issue made things between the management and the employees worse. Comparison There are a number of differences in the way the managers in both of these cases handled the case. Although the Perrier case was more complicated by the issue of the worker u nion that was

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Intervention and Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intervention and Evaluation - Essay Example It is imperative that intervention and evaluation measures must be taken to deal with these issues. Research data states that obesity has taken a form of epidemic in United States and there is a remarkable increase in the obese and overweight individuals since 1999- 2006, owing to increase BMI (Body Mass Index). If BMI is >40.0 an individual is said to be extremely obese and this accounts to 6% of the US population, on the other hand if the BMI of individual is >30.0, then he is under the category of obese and accounts for 34% of US population while individuals with BMI in the range of 25.0 – 29.0 are considered to be overweight and accounts for 33% of the US population. This segment of population are liable for chronic diseases related to heart viz. hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cancers and stroke (Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States; The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta). Identified Problems: Reasons paving the way for obesity followed by hypertension are formulated they encompass life styles, eating habits and diet, exercise, environmental factors including , lack of space to play and exercise and stress both at personal and professional levels. It is essential that states and communities must intervene to generate an atmosphere that sustain healthy eating and energetic living. Considering this as crucial issue, CDC instigated Common Community Measures for Obesity Prevention Project to formulate obesity prevention strategies and monitor its implementation for prevention of obesity followed by hypertension (Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States; The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta). Interventions: In order to create an awareness to combat with issues like obesity and hypertension, communities should come forward to enhance the availability of healthier food and beverages in public service venues including schools, parks,

7 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

7 - Research Paper Example In order to develop such a system, the software development team should make use of different design patterns because these patterns help them detect problems that arise during the development. It also provides an effective solution of problems (Martin, 2000). â€Å"In object oriented architectures, a design repeats the same structures over and over again. These repeating structures of design and architecture are known as design patterns† (Martin, 2000). Additionally, there are many design patterns that are used in different scenarios. In addition, each pattern is aimed at solving a specific problem (Hauck, 2014). The objective of this paper is to discuss the pattern that can be used for an automatic health monitoring system. In the scenario of an automatic health monitoring system the behavioral pattern is best suited because behavioral patterns are useful for supporting communication between different objects. In software engineering, behavioral design patterns are typical design patterns, which are required for identifying common communication patterns and connecting different objects. In this manner behavioral patterns are helpful in increasing flexibility in carrying out any sort of communication between objects. In fact, this pattern offers much greater flexibility than other patterns because this pattern allows software developers to decouple objects from each other. Due to this coupling and decoupling facilities, they can be easily configured to make dynamic algorithms and methods (Schatten, 2013; Morandi, et al., 2013). In the scenario of an automatic health monitoring system there are different objects, which have various relationships and can demonstrate different results in response to different inputs. The pattern that we will use for an automatic health monitoring system is known as behavioral pattern. The working of this pattern is discussed

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Intervention and Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intervention and Evaluation - Essay Example It is imperative that intervention and evaluation measures must be taken to deal with these issues. Research data states that obesity has taken a form of epidemic in United States and there is a remarkable increase in the obese and overweight individuals since 1999- 2006, owing to increase BMI (Body Mass Index). If BMI is >40.0 an individual is said to be extremely obese and this accounts to 6% of the US population, on the other hand if the BMI of individual is >30.0, then he is under the category of obese and accounts for 34% of US population while individuals with BMI in the range of 25.0 – 29.0 are considered to be overweight and accounts for 33% of the US population. This segment of population are liable for chronic diseases related to heart viz. hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cancers and stroke (Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States; The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta). Identified Problems: Reasons paving the way for obesity followed by hypertension are formulated they encompass life styles, eating habits and diet, exercise, environmental factors including , lack of space to play and exercise and stress both at personal and professional levels. It is essential that states and communities must intervene to generate an atmosphere that sustain healthy eating and energetic living. Considering this as crucial issue, CDC instigated Common Community Measures for Obesity Prevention Project to formulate obesity prevention strategies and monitor its implementation for prevention of obesity followed by hypertension (Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States; The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta). Interventions: In order to create an awareness to combat with issues like obesity and hypertension, communities should come forward to enhance the availability of healthier food and beverages in public service venues including schools, parks,

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Construction Technology and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Construction Technology and Innovation - Essay Example More of this advancement has been geared too towards the conservation of the environment (FLICHY 2007, pg19). There are various building forms in the UK which are mostly dependent on their respective uses. The various designs of the building forms are done taking into account their occupancy and the use to which they are subjected (FLICHY 2007, pg37). Such forms include; residential buildings mostly permanent houses and/or low-rise buildings constructed with a view to provide housing; Institutional buildings constructed for various institutional purposes (these could include larger engineering buildings, high rise buildings); and Industrial buildings and commercial buildings. The building construction methods should conform to the various standard and codes provided for their regulation. This should undergo careful planning so as to avoid possible wastes and to ensure that they are secure and safe. In addition, the materials used for construction should be carefully evaluated to avoid constructing bulky houses with poor architectural outlooks (AKINTOYE, GOULDING & ZAWDIE 2012, pg36). Most of these materials should be considered to relation to their costs, structural soundness and their availability. As a general rule in most civil and building constructions, the availability of materials would to a large extent dictate the construction materials to be utilized for the constructions. In the UK, the various construction methods available have been utilized with a view of reducing the time for construction and costs. In addition, the construction methods help in improving the quality of buildings produced i.e. relating to the types of finishes required. The in situ construction of buildings has been used for decades and provided the most conventional building procedures (AKINTOYE, GOULDING & ZAWDIE 2012, pg56). Construction is done on

Monday, October 14, 2019

Methods of Risk Analysis and Management

Methods of Risk Analysis and Management RISK ANALYSIS METHODS Risk management can be divided into four steps: risk identification, risk assessment, risk control, and risk records. In recent years, studies have mostly focused on the risk assessment. Risk assessment is to analyze and measure the size of risks in order to provide information to risk control. Four steps are included in the risk assessment. According to the results of risk identification and build an appropriate mathematical model. through expert surveys, historical records, extrapolation, etc. to obtain the necessary, basic information or data available, and then choose the appropriate mathematical methods to quantify the information. Choose proper models and analysis methods to deal with the data and adjust the models according to the specific circumstances. Determine the size of risks according to certain criteria. In the risk assessment extrapolation, subjective estimation, probability distribution analysis and other methods are used to obtain some basic data or information. Further data analysis often use following basic theory and methods: layer analysis method, mode cangue logical analysis method, Monte Carlo simulation, the gray system theory, artificial neural network method, fault tree analysis, Bayesian theory, an influence diagram method and Markov process theory. We can divide the methods into qualitative analysis and Quantitative Analysis. Qualitative analysis: 1. Fault Tree Analysis Fault Tree Analysis Fault Tree Analysis (Fault Tree Analysis, FTA) can be used for qualitative analysis of risk and can also be used for quantitative analysis. It is mainly used for large-scale complicated system reliability and safety analysis. It is also an effective method to Unification reliability and safety analysis, through hardware, software, environment, human factors.FTA is drawing a variety of possibilities of failure in system failure analysis, from whole to part, according to the tree structure. Fault tree analysis using tree form, the system The failure of components and composition of the fault system are connected. We are always using fault tree in qualitative or quantitative risk analysis. The difference in them is that the quantitative fault tree is good in structure and it requires use of the same rigorous logic as the formal fault tree, but qualitative fault tree is not. Fault tree analysis system is based on the target which event is not hoped to happen (called the top event), one level down from the top event analysis of the direct cause of their own events (call low event), according to the logical relationship between the upper and lower case, the analysis results are obtained. 2. Event Tree Analysis Event tree analysis (event tree analysis, ETA) also known as decision tree analysis, is another important method of risk analysis. It is the events of a given system, the analysis of the events may cause a series of results, and thus evaluates the possibility of the system. Event tree is given an initial event all possible ways and means of development, every aspect of the event tree events (except the top incidents) are the implementation of certain functions of measures to prevent accidents, and all have binary outcomes (success or failure). While the event tree illustrates the various incidents causes of the accident sequence group. Through various intermediate steps in the accident sequence group can organize the complexity of the relationship between the initial incident and the probability of systemic risk reduction measurement, and identify the accident sequence group. So we can calculate the probability of each of the key sequence of events occurred. 3. Cause-Consequence Analysis Cause and consequence analysis is a combination of fault tree analysis and event tree analysis. It uses the cause analysis (fault tree analysis) and the result analysis (event tree analysis), CCA aims to identify the chain of events leading to unexpected consequences, according to the probability of occurrence of different events from CCA diagram to calculate the probability of different results, then the risk level of the system can be determined. 4. Preliminary Risk Analysis Preliminary risk analysis or hazard analysis is a qualitative technique which involves a disciplined analysis of the event sequences which could transform a potential hazard into an accident. In this technique, the possible undesirable events are identified first and then analyzed separately. 2 For each undesirable events or hazards, possible improvements, or preventive measures are then formulated. This method provides a basis for determining hazard categories and which analysis methods are most suitable. It is proved valuable in the working surrounding to which activities lacking safety measures can be readily identified. 5. Hazard and Operability studies (HAZOP) The HAZOP technique was origined in the early 1970s by Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd. HAZOP is firstly defined as the application of a formal systematic critical examination of the process and engineering intentions of new or existing facilities to assess the hazard potential that arise from deviation in design specifications and the consequential effects on the facilities as a whole.2 This technique is usually performed using a set of guidewords: NO/NOT, MORE OR/LESS OF, AS WELL AS, PART OF REVERSE, AND OTHER THAN. These guidewords, a scenario that may result in a hazard or an operational problem is identified. Consider the possible flow problems in a process line, the guide word MORE OF will correspond to high flow rate, while that for LESS THAN, low flow rate. The consequences of the hazard and measures to reduce the frequency with which the hazard will occur are then discussed. This technique is accepted widely in the process industries. It is mostly regarded as an effective tool for plant safety and operability improvements. Detailed procedures on how to perform the technique are available in some relevant literatures. Quantitative Analysis: Fault Tree Analysis It is explained in the Qualitative analysis. Expected value Expected value is the possible outcome times the probability of its occurrence. An expected value shows the percentage of yielding a target in a business. Sensitivity analysis In sensitivity analysis shows how the outcome changes in response of a particular variable change. One can get result from optimistic, most likely and pessimistic values. An example of inputs for sensitivity analysis is the material and labor cost that can be much fluctuated.