Diabetes Type II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Diabetes Type II - Essay Example Of the many strategies and approaches that have been initiated in caring for chronically diseased patients, the telehealth system is a relatively new addition to the field. With only a decade or so of its commencement, telehealth has established itself as the future of medical care. The results so far have been extremely satisfying for both the patients and the health care providers. However, researches still need to continue in order to assess the long-term effects telehealth systems will give. Chronically diseased patients at the present are one of the largest group of patients availing health care. The cost and time that this group takes is larger than other groups combined together. Many of the visits to the hospitals are emergency visits, which are a further increase in the burden of the health care services. It is these factors that demand that a new system be introduced where patient care can be done with lesser hospital admissions and lesser complications. Diabetes has established itself as one of the most cost demanding and debilitating diseases of the 21st century. The impact of the disease affects all age groups and is prevalent worldwide. In America the figures are high and continue to grow, making a huge impact in the overall health economy. ... Also, introduction of primary health care and home care management systems is also being promoted to reduce the incidences of diabetes and to promote healthier lifestyles among patients. The study is aimed to study one of these new innovations, the Health Buddy System. Chapter Two: Literature Review The literature review is basically concerned with reviewing previous research that has been conducted on the disease under discussion and its prevention and cure measures. This part will focus on the following aspects: 2.1 Situation and Statistics of Diabetes Diabetes has been reported to be the sixth leading cause of death in America in 1999. (CDC, 2002) 6 percent of the Americans among the seventeen million are diabetic. Where as sixteen percent suffer from prediabetes. (ADA, 2001) Of the statistics, 90 percent of the patients suffer from type II diabetes. the per capita costs of diabetic patients in 2002 was found to be $ 13,243 as opposed to $2560 for the non diabetic patients.(Scott,2005) The statistics have shown an exceptional increase in the incidences among the rural areas, where in the 1980s the prevalence jumped from the sixth position to the first among the diseases. (Dever, 1991) And these incidences have increased steadily over the last ten years. The situation is compounded by the increased number of patients aging and joining the risk. Based on the current information, it is estimated that the number of patients suffering from diabetes will double by the year 2050. (Boyle, 2001) The cost for the care is staggering. The treatment costs for diabetes and diabetes related diseases in the US are $132 billion a year. (Brewin, 2005) The prevalence of diabetes is present among all ethnic and racial groups. Some, however suffer more from

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT - Essay Example This is how a need for vertical integration springs in some businesses. The idea of vertical integration was made famous by Henry Ford. He wanted to make everything on his own without relying on any foreign trade. Vertical integration gives a firm monopoly power over other firms. A vertically integrated company has a flexible supply chain and therefore can afford to hold fewer inventories. Lowered costs and greater control are major advantages of vertical integration. The problem associated with vertical integration is that it is very hard and expensive to implement. It is also not easy to reverse vertical integration in a particular firm (The Economist, 2009). Horizontal integration, on the other hand, refers to a kind of ownership in which a firm merges or buys another company which is in the same business. For example an automobile company buying another automobile company will be an example of horizontal integration. It is the expansion or growth of the firm at the same level of the value chain. This means that an automobile company buying an investment firm will not come under horizontal integration. The merger should be between two firms involved in the same business activity. Horizontal integration also offers many advantages for a firm. It allows a firm to gain more market share by catering to more customers. It helps a company expand into newer markets. It also helps a company gain economies of scale and in turn increases the market power of the firm. The process of horizontal integration is also not easy to manage because there may be many differences between two firms that can cause problems. For example there can be a gap in technological expertise of firms or culture of the two firms can be different. These differences make... The intention of this study is Toyota as a good example of vertical integration as it works closely with its supplier to assist them in their production of raw materials that are eventually used by Toyota in its cars. Toyota is not a fully vertically integrated firm but it applies the concept to a great extent. The company owns shares and stakes in its suppliers business and by doing so Toyota can exert its influence on its suppliers which is the main aspect of vertical integration. The main focus of the company is to develop a supply chain that can eventually add value to the end users and at the same time can reduce costs related to inventory and supplies. Horizontal integration involves owning another business in the same industry. In the automobile industry, again, horizontal integration cannot work by the books. Toyota cannot buy other automobile companies because it is not feasible for Toyota. Instead horizontal integration works when firms in the similar business collaborate f or a joint venture. This gives the two companies opportunity to work together but at the same time does not take toll on the management system. Handling two companies especially in the automobile sector can be a cumbersome tasks therefore joint ventures and collaborations work well instead. Toyota owns equity stakes in its supplier which allows the firm to control its supply side. Toyota is also holding equity in electric car manufacturer Tesla and this is an example of horizontal integration.

Discuss the different types of love Essay Example for Free

Discuss the different types of love Essay In Act 3, Shakespeare portraits love in different characters point of views, also showing the different ways love can be expressed in. Orlando and Silvius both express their love openly, not fear of embarrassments. Touchstones love is very realistic; Phoebes way of express is very childish; and Rosalinds words are very self-contradicting. Touchstones point of view of a wife is a tool that can be replaced or thrown away at any time. Just from the excuse he gave from not having a proper wedding for he is not like to marry me well and, not being well married, it will be a good excuse for me hereafter to leave my wife, it can show that he doesnt really value this marriage and is already thinking about divorcing before they are even married. Also from the reason he gave about the marriage is just by so much is a horn more precious than to want, we can tell how he sees Audrey as a person. Audrey in Touchstones eyes can be seen as an object or just a releasing of sexual needs, he is not respecting her in any point. As a professional jester, people usually imagine them as very nai ve and stupid, but in a contrast to Orlando from a noble family, he acts more mature and is more realistic. By using big difference in status, Shakespeare shows that the way of thinking is actually not affected by the status and job of that person. Different from Orlando, Silvius pursues Phoebe day and night, and begs that she would accept him, while Orlando is just expressing his love without even the courage to go see Rosalind face to face. But the love between Silvius and Phoebe is one sided. We can tell this after Silvius said she is like the common executioner, whose heart thaccustomd sight of death makes hard begging her to go easy on him, but just in return receives Phoebes mocking. She mocks him about his hyperbolic language and says now show the wound mine eye hath made in thee. During the whole scene, she only said Siliviuss name once, showing that she does not even spare him a glance. Not only is their love one sided, Phoebe acts really irritated and is very cruel with the words she chose to use. Like if mine eyes can wound, now let them kill thee, suggests that she would rather kill him than to give him a little of her love. Although she says cruel things, but she never kicked Silvius or physically hurt him. She also never said anything like stay away, I think is because she likes to feeling of being popular, and the amount of attention Silvius is giving her. I think she mistook that every man is like Silvius, only crying for her love, and falling before her knees, thats why she acts like a queen. This shows that Phoebe actually has very little contacts with people outside even the others in the forest. Phoebe actually is very inexperienced with love. Although she didnt say openly, but saying I had rather hear you chide than this man woo to a man which she has just saw reveals her affections. Shakespeare here uses dramatic irony, because Phoebe doesnt know that Ganymede is actually a women in disguised. And denying her own love is just like the actions of a child towards his or her first love, so I think she is very inexperienced in love. The love Orlando holds for Rosalind is very inconsiderate. As Rosalind says, he haunts the forest that abuses out young plants with carving Rosalind on their bards; hangs odes upon hawthorns and elegies on brambles; all, forsooth, defying the name of Rosalind. He doesnt care how much trouble he is causing to the forest and other people that lives in the forest, just for the sake of his quotidian of love. He didnt care about Rosalinds feelings whose name is written by him all over the forest, which makes her widely known, just for the sake of his love. Orlando is very childish, naive, and venire. He wants the whole world to believe that he is in love with Rosalind, even the Ganymede for which he has only seen. He said, fair youth, I would I could make thee believe I love and I swear to thee, youth, by the white hand of Rosalind, I am that unfortunate he. From his urgent tone, we can tell that how much a strangers word weighs on his heart, in order for him to swear. White using to describe a persons skin can mean that he or she is ill, but I think Orlando mean no harm, but this is just the word he can find to describe Rosalind. So, again, we can see the big difference in education between Rosalind and Orlando. He said the verses above right after Rosalind (now as Ganymede) said he doesnt look like he is in love, so he reacted greatly from just a strangers words. Just from one side of the story, without questioning the truth, Orlando accepted the help of a stranger, without even knowing that person. If it was a trap, Orlando would be dead by now, so he is very nai ve. As a woman, Rosalind loves Orlando by heart. By the way she questions Celia about Orlando, answer me in one word shows that Rosalind is very urgent about everything that is about Orlando. Although she loves him, she doesnt show it very much, denying the love rule in Shakespeares plays, which when characters fall in love hard and fast, they would be desperate and reacts greatly. Rosalinds love is very self-contradicting. She says love is merely a madness when she also, is madly in love. She says as if she was very experienced with love, but actually she doesnt hold much experience than Orlando does. These contradictions only happen when she is dress as a man, showing the difference in gender can bring much difference in the way of talking and gestures. Rosalind is a very ironic character. She comments on love from two different points of views when she is having two different identities. She uses her identities to her greatest benefits, but in return receives a self-contradictory image about love. It is because in Shakespeares period, all actors were men. Imagine a man playing a woman who plays a man in order to win a mans love, the neat borders of gender becomes hopelessly muddled. I think Rosalinds Ganymede identity is use to show that men is actually not much better than women, because the things men can do, women can also do if they want. Shakespeare displays love in many different angles, showing to the audience that love cannot be too realistic like Touchstone, but cannot be too imaginative like Orlando; love is a poison that can bring suffer like Silvius and Phoebe, but can also bring sweetness. The love in As You Like It is far to unrealistic that they are not likely to happen, but this is just a hyperbolic play, suggesting that it might occur in another form. Like Rosalinds identities, love need to strike a balance; otherwise they would create problems for others and themselves.

The Issues Surrounding Disability Social Work Essay

The Issues Surrounding Disability Social Work Essay There is a lot of discussion of how disability is described. The literal meaning of disability is difficulty with ability. This implies some form of mental or physical impairment that can manifest problems with mobility or awareness. According to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, disability impairments can include sensory impairments such as hearing or sight, mental impairments such as depression or learning difficulties and physical impairments such as wheelchair users. People with disabilities may face problems, and not only because of their particular impairments but by social factors such as attitudes, stigma and physical obstructions, for example, ease of access to buildings or transport. The description of disability has varied over the years but the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 describes it as, he/she has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on his/her ability to carry out normal day to day activities Thompson and Thompson (2008) state that historically, people with disabilities were considered tragic, different or in some way devious. They were not allowed to work, mix with others or travel and many were placed in asylums. Ingstad and Reynolds, (1995) claims that, media representation of disability often relates to insanity and evil. This is evident in such things as super hero movies, where the bad character is often portrayed as physically deformed or mentally unstable. However, throughout history there have been people with impairments that in todays society would have been viewed as disabled, Franklin D Roosevelt, four times president of the United States, had polio. The poet Lord Byron (mad Lord Byron), who was born with talipes, known then as a club foot, and whose name today is still synonymous for someone dashing, Byronic. Admiral Nelson, known for his great naval victories against the Napoleonic French and particularly the battle of Trafalgar, he is not viewed as disabled although he was blind in one eye and only had one arm. In todays society he would have been seen as a disabled seaman. But when we look at these people we do not see their disabilities, we see heroes, great leaders and writers. Did society just look past their impairment and just see their achievements?. (Ingstad and Reynolds, 1995). According to Finkelstein (1980), people with disabilities have existed in comparatively large numbers throughout the world and in different societies for centuries. What is also evident is that the cultural understanding and responses to impairment and disability have varied and still do. There is a real cultural stigma towards people that have any sort of physical or mental difference to the norm. This can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman times. Finkelstein (1980) goes on to say that, all though the degree of bias has varied from time to time, peoples perceptions of impairment and disability have remained much the same since the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century. The start of the industrial revolution introduced the concepts of urbanization and paid labour. This brought new problems for people who were unable to compete for work. After being scrutinised and labelled by doctors and other professionals, these people were put in to hospitals or asylums where they remained for very long periods and sometimes indefinitely. This kind of treatment carried on throughout most of the western world and all through the first half of the twentieth century. Drake (1999), states that the Eugenic legacy, which looked at the assumptions of human mental characteristics, was in some way influential in forming a different outlook on impairments. Drake continues, the Eugenic legacy came to a logical conclusion during the systematic murders in the Nazi death camps of thousands of disabled people considered undeserving of life, worthless and a burden on society. In the 17th century impairments or disabilities were seen as punishments from God, and explained by using religion, superstition, or myths and legend. Some of these beliefs remain to this day such as the belief that a disabled person must have been evil in a previous life and is now being punished. (Campbell and Oliver 1995) I remember in 2003 former England manager, Glenn Hoddle was sacked from his position for saying that disabled people are paying for sins they committed in a previous life. But in other religious cultures in societies, disability may be seen as being chosen by god. (Campbell and Oliver 1995) Cultural values and Society can be responsible for imposing disability on someone with impairments. This is mostly done unintentionally or by misinterpretation but it results in excluding people with some form of impairment from participating in society. Therefore it is understandable that disabled people will see themselves, as an oppressed group. To understand this, there has to be a definition between the person with the impairment and the social construction, called disability. (Oliver 1996) What this means is that todays society defines the impairment as it is seen, i.e. the lack of a limb or limbs, organism or motor functions of the body that are not working properly, and the disability as the restrictions and disadvantages that go with it. Oliver, states that, We see disability as the disadvantage or restriction of activity caused by a contemporary social organisation which takes little or no account of people who have physical impairments and thus excludes them. (Oliver 1996, p22) The common view today, according to Campbell and Oliver (1995) is that a persons impairment is the cause of their disability and that their disability is a medical problem that has to be overcome. This refers to the medical model approach which focuses on prevention and cure. In many countries this has caused a growth of prosperous and costly industries involved with disability comprising voluntary organisations, drug companies, private businesses, charities and government institutions. These will be staffed by an army of professionals including support workers, doctors, nurses, occupational therapists and social workers. This attitude can have a negative effect on the way society see people with impairments and will result in stigmatisation. In addition to this, if society sees the impairment as the problem, surely it is logical to see that these problems must be cured or fixed in order for them to fit in to normal society. The outcome is that, people with disabilities are labelled as disabled people this may look like a play on words but what this shows is that the disability is seen before the person. Society sees people with disabilities as, not normal, this implies abnormal, and further reinforce the stigmatisation and stereotyping of people with disabilities being seen as inadequate and dependant. Are some people with disabilities more vulnerable than others According to Hales (1996, p152) Prejudice is a negative attitude towards particular groups of people based on negative traits assumed to be uniformly displayed by members of that group Hales uses the example, that it is commonly assumed, that younger people with learning disabilities have no interest in forming long term relationships, an adult sex life or having children. Hales describes this as issue as being social attitude rather than the physical disabilities faced by the people themselves. It is difficult to say if some people with disabilities are more vulnerable to discrimination than others as there are so many factors to consider. Cost for example. Barnardos (2011) state that, the costs involved in bringing up a child with a disability is much greater than raising non disabled children. Barnardos also state that, it may not just be the higher cost of living, no qualifications and unemployment that are causing discrimination. But the fact that living in deprived communities where the understanding of disability is lower than the more affluent areas. One fifth of children with disabilities live in poverty stricken areas, resulting in social exclusion, discrimination and causing multiple oppressions. (Barnardos (2011). Marginalisation and exclusion refers to people with disabilities not being included in everyday life. This includes non equality in the work place. (Barns and Mercer 2003) state that, while some benefits such as disability living allowance (DLA), are in place to help people cope financially with social and work factors, it can also have an adverse effect by highlighting a dependency on benefits. This again can lead to stigmatisation and oppression. New labour recognised this problem and developed the welfare to work policy in 1997. The government documented that unemployment for people with disabilities was far higher than it was with non disabled people. A high percentage of people with learning disabilities live in poverty. 24 % of working age people with disabilities do not have formal qualifications. (HM Government 2011) The government recognises a link between unemployment and social exclusion. In 1989 the government set up the social exclusion unit (SEU) to improve the educational prospects for children with disabilities. Although this was a step in the right direction, it is worth noting that the minister for education at this time was David Blunkett, who is classed as a person with a disability. (Dan 2005) When people think of disability they think of the obvious such as wheelchair users. There are some things put in place for people with physical disabilities. Examples of these are wider doors, ramps, higher power points, lower light switches, audio and visual aids, lowering busses and disabled parking (Hales 1996). But in my opinion people with learning disabilities seem to be less understood. Therefore, I feel that, it can be argued that people with learning disabilities are more vulnerable to discrimination than other. Why do some people reject the disability label and some accept it? According to Barnes (1991), some people will accept the disability label, feeling that they are not able to cope in society and they are in a sort of limbo, waiting for a cure and the hope that one day they may get fixed. This may be because they have been conditioned by a non disabled society to accept their lot in life; they are broken and need a cure. Some disabled people will obviously want a cure and will actively help in working to find one, thus giving their life some meaning and a reason to belong. Some need to succeed in order to belong, some need to belong in order to succeed. (Hill Country Disabled Group) According to Clapton Fitzgerald (1997) this stems back to the medical model of disability that perceives impairment as something that has to be fixed, i.e. a person is disabled because of their individual impairment so consequently they will require medical interventions to give them the skills to adapt in our non disabled society.   There are disadvantages to being labelled as disabled. But there can also be advantages. In my experience, in having dyslexia, (which was discovered while I was at university), I am classed as a disabled student. I do not see myself as being disabled as there are no physical signs of dyslexia and it is something I have lived with all my life without knowing. Initially, I resented the disability label, but in accepting it, I received the help I need to complete my course. Some of my fellow students see such a label as stigmatising, and even though they have similar pattern of difficulties, they did not want to seek help for fear of being labelled. There are the people who see disability as a social problem put on them by a non disabled society that impairs physically disabled people. It is argued that no one has made a specific distinction between biological impairment and social disability. (Clapton Fitzgerald (1997) This is seen as the key to the British social model of disability and was originally devised by disabled rights activists in the 1970s. This move forward was developed by disabled people and their own experiences of living with impairment in Western society (UPIAS 1976) The social model has been widely acknowledged and developed by disability rights groups all over the world. It is now the foundation and the principle way of thinking in regard to policy-making for countries as diverse as Japan, South Africa and the USA. The social model of disability is not complicated; it just highlights the cultural, economic and environmental barriers experienced by people who are seen by others as impaired. According to Barnes (1991), these barriers can include: education problems, communication issues, problems within the working environments, insufficient disability benefits, social support services, inaccessible transport, housing and public buildings and the devaluing of people labelled disabled by negative imagery and representation in the media such as films, television and newspapers. From this viewpoint it is easy to see why some people will reject the label of being disabled and see their disability as a failure by society to accommodate their personal and combined needs within the confines of conventional society. (Barnes 1991) What can be done to effectively counter discrimination? Oliver (1990).explains that, peoples perceptions of disability and rehabilitation are changing. The 1960s saw the start of this change with politicians, policy makers and social workers realising that the world can no longer look at the disability issue as an individualistic medical problem, (Barnes and Mercer 2003). One of the reasons for this is that people with any form of impairment, be it cognitive or physical, are seen as abnormal and labelled as disabled. The fact is, that these people represent a growing segment of the global population and must be treated as equals. In brief, this means that the social model of disability is a tool to help us recognise the disablement caused by societys preconceptions of people with disabilities and help improve policy making. (Oliver 2004) Ten years ago, Glasby and Littlechild (2002), stated that, what is needed to effectively counter discrimination is to move away from government run professional services. They foresaw a need for greater investment in user led initiatives, especially regarding direct payments. This should give thousands of disabled people across the UK a better chance of achieving real independent living. Glasby and Littlechild go on to say that this could be achieved by setting up a new national body working directly with the National Centre for Independent Living (NCIL). Along with the distribution of direct payments, this new organisation could produce a standardized assessment for direct payments, reducing mistakes and making it easier for service users. Barns (2004) explained that, such an organization could also monitor local user groups that provide services for direct payment users. This would also give this new organisation the opportunity to benefit from a wealth of experience and expertise that has been developed by disabled people for over twenty years. (Barns 2004) The problem at this time was that, the government authorities were reluctant to implement direct payment policy for a number of reasons. Nowadays, direct payments are offered as a matter of course. During my third year placement in social services, It was actively encouraged to offer this service, in fact, I could not complete a unified assessment without doing so. We also recognise organisations such as the Rowan. This is a registered charity that provides direct Payment and Personal Budget support for service users. The Rowan has a vision of, A society that is fully inclusive in which the barriers, whether environmental, attitudinal or institutional, that prevent disabled people from having equality of opportunity have been removed. (The Rowan Organization 2012) As social workers we have the training to act in a non discriminatory way. We follow guidelines in our codes of practice such as, upholding public trust in social services and not unlawfully discriminating service users. Anti discriminatory practice is fundamental to the practice of good social work. It is important not to assume what difficulties people have with their disabilities. This in itself is a form of oppression, as only people with disabilities will know what its like to face disability discrimination. I feel that one of the most important roles as a social worker is advocacy. This will ensure that the voices of peoples with disabilities are heard. Legislation is main area that can help fight discrimination and oppression. The Equality Act 2010 enforces a duty on employers to make adaptations that will aid disabled people in the work place. This act also makes it illegal to treat people differently because of their disability. According to Barns (2003), the equality movement and looking into the problems of disablement has brought forward the concept of independent living. This concept was first used in the United Kingdom during the 1970s, after being adopted by disability activists in the USA. These activists called themselves the ILM or independent living movement. This movement was partly developed within campuses of American universities and partly from the on-going efforts of the disability activists who were attempting to influence, not only US disability legislation in the 1960s. But also, peoples discriminating perceptions of disabled people. Disability Wales ran a campaign from April 2010 to March 2011. This was called independent living now. This highlighted six main calls to action that disabled people had deemed essential in further development of Independent Living. These are: 1. Improved access to information, advice, independent advocacy and peer support services for all 2. Availability of accessible and supported housing to meet individual requirements 3. A comprehensive range of options and genuine choice and control in how personalized care and support is delivered 4. Improved access to Person Centered Technology (aids equipment) 5. A barrier free transport system, including all modes of transport 6. Enabling access, involvement and social, economic and cultural inclusion for all disabled people. This concept of independent living is a broad one and is usually associated with younger and middle aged people with physical and sensory conditions. But this concept does apply to everyone in the disabled population. This includes people with high support needs and people with cognitive conditions such as learning disabilities and mental illness (Barnes 2003). Because of this, independent living does have some criticisms. My own experience of working with a young man who had learning disabilities was not very successful. This person was granted independent living and was given his own flat. The problem was that all his friends did not have any kind of impairment. This was causing real problems as they were encouraging him to spend his disability allowance on alcohol and having parties at his flat. In turn this was causing problems with the neighbours because of the constant noise. This also resulted in him not having any money for food and being drunk most of the time. This was caus ing him to have health problems, which resulted in him being returned home to his parents. Conclusion In concluding this assignment, I have discussed why there is disability discrimination both from an historic and societal point of view and how people are disabled by these views. I have also discussed the different levels of vulnerability and who I feel are the most vulnerable in our society. In addition, I have covered why some people accept the disability label whilst others reject it, and what can be done in the hope of effectively countering disability discrimination. 3249 words Acts Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Equality Act 2010

BonJours Basic Antifoundationalist Argument :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

BonJour's 'Basic Antifoundationalist Argument' ABSTRACT: BonJour argues that there can be no basic empirical beliefs. But premises three and four jointly entail ‘BonJour’s Rule’ — one’s belief that p is justified only if one justifiably believes the premises of an argument that makes p highly likely — which, given human psychology, entails global skepticism. His responses to the charge of skepticism, restricting premise three to basic beliefs and noting that the Rule does not require ‘explicit’ belief, fail. Moreover, the Rule does not express an epistemic duty. Finally, his argument against this fails since it is false that if an experiential state has representational content, then it is in need of justification. I venture the diagnosis that BonJour mistook the representational content of a cognitive state for the assertive functional role of a belief. Foundationalism may well be false, but not for BonJour’s reasons. Laurence BonJour observes that critics of foundationalism tend to argue against it by objecting to "relatively idiosyncratic" versions of it, a strategy which has "proven in the main to be superficial and ultimately ineffective" since answers immune to the objections emerge quickly. (1) BonJour aims to rectify this deficiency. Specifically, he argues that the very soul of foundationalism, "the concept of a basic empirical belief," is incoherent. (2) This is a bold strategy from which we can learn even if, in the end, as I shall argue, it fails. But, first, what is foundationalism? A person's belief is ‘nonbasic’ just in case it is justified in virtue of its relation to other justified beliefs; it is ‘basic’ just in case it is justified but not in virtue of its relation to other justified beliefs. Foundationalism is the view that if one has a nonbasic belief, then — in the final analysis — it is justified in virtue of its relation to a basic belief. Basic beliefs comprise the foundation of a person's network of justified beliefs. Now to BonJour's argument. 1. The Argument Stated BonJour summarizes it like this: 1. Suppose, for reductio, that there are basic empirical beliefs. 2. A belief is justified only if there is a reason why it is likely to be true. 3. A belief is justified for a person only if he is in cognitive possession of such a reason. 4. A person is in cognitive possession of such a reason only if he believes with justification the premises from which it follows that the belief is likely to be true.

Oscar Wilde Art Essay -- Oscar Wilde Writer Papers

Oscar Wilde Art We begin another chapter in the life of Oscar Wilde, the year 1888, many things have taken place, Oscar has been married and bore two children, Vyvyan and Cyril and his touring of the United States and other countries have brought forth success to the literary giant. Some of his successful writings are "The Picture of Dorian Gray"(1891), "A Woman of No Importance"(1894) and his most resent essay known "The Decay of Lying". Is it true that lying has fallen to its deepest shadow of shame? In the words of Wilde it is shamefully true. How could this type of atrocity take place, it seems that the Victorian society is still under the belief that the Romanticism of life is still coursing through their veins, dead veins as Wilde might best put it. Oscar views romanticism as crude and childlike, and something that should remain in the past. Wilde has criticized the likes of Wordsworth and other writers of the Romantic Era, if they had their way they would continue to send us into nature and recommend the following advice: "The solutions to societies problems can best be remedied here, within the confines of nature, this is where you should be. Walking, talking, and embracing the great outdoors and receiving all that nature has to offer. Here is where you can find yourself." Wilde's view of this remedy is outlandish, extreme and insane. It was Wilde’s observation that the literary works of the day no longer offered the reader a source of delightful fiction, there was a cry out for a change and it was, Wilde who answered that call in the form of an essay called "The Decay of Lying". This essay was a wake up call to the present day writers about their failure in their Art. There needs to be a clear explanation of ... ... his fellow writers to will follow in his path, this form which is to see art for the simple purpose of being art. Works Cited Page Abrams, Donaldson, David, Smith, Lewalski, Adams, Logan, Monk, Lipking, Stillinger, Ford, Christ, Daiches, Stallyworthy. Norton Anthology of English Literature, New York and London Published 1993. Laver, James. Oscar Wilde, Great Britain, Published in 1954 Sullivan, Kevin. Columbia Essays on Modern Writers, Ocsar Wilde New York & London Published 1972 The Victorian Web. Oscar Wilde ,<http://landow.stg.brown.edu/victorian/victov.html> 10/28/99, <www.google.com><Internet Explorer Browser> <http://www.nyu.edu.library/bobst/research/fales/exhibits/Wilde/00main.htm> <http://www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/genlinfo.htm> www.google.com 10/28/99 Wilde, Oscar. Poems and Essays, Great Britain Published in 1956 Oscar Wilde Art Essay -- Oscar Wilde Writer Papers Oscar Wilde Art We begin another chapter in the life of Oscar Wilde, the year 1888, many things have taken place, Oscar has been married and bore two children, Vyvyan and Cyril and his touring of the United States and other countries have brought forth success to the literary giant. Some of his successful writings are "The Picture of Dorian Gray"(1891), "A Woman of No Importance"(1894) and his most resent essay known "The Decay of Lying". Is it true that lying has fallen to its deepest shadow of shame? In the words of Wilde it is shamefully true. How could this type of atrocity take place, it seems that the Victorian society is still under the belief that the Romanticism of life is still coursing through their veins, dead veins as Wilde might best put it. Oscar views romanticism as crude and childlike, and something that should remain in the past. Wilde has criticized the likes of Wordsworth and other writers of the Romantic Era, if they had their way they would continue to send us into nature and recommend the following advice: "The solutions to societies problems can best be remedied here, within the confines of nature, this is where you should be. Walking, talking, and embracing the great outdoors and receiving all that nature has to offer. Here is where you can find yourself." Wilde's view of this remedy is outlandish, extreme and insane. It was Wilde’s observation that the literary works of the day no longer offered the reader a source of delightful fiction, there was a cry out for a change and it was, Wilde who answered that call in the form of an essay called "The Decay of Lying". This essay was a wake up call to the present day writers about their failure in their Art. There needs to be a clear explanation of ... ... his fellow writers to will follow in his path, this form which is to see art for the simple purpose of being art. Works Cited Page Abrams, Donaldson, David, Smith, Lewalski, Adams, Logan, Monk, Lipking, Stillinger, Ford, Christ, Daiches, Stallyworthy. Norton Anthology of English Literature, New York and London Published 1993. Laver, James. Oscar Wilde, Great Britain, Published in 1954 Sullivan, Kevin. Columbia Essays on Modern Writers, Ocsar Wilde New York & London Published 1972 The Victorian Web. Oscar Wilde ,<http://landow.stg.brown.edu/victorian/victov.html> 10/28/99, <www.google.com><Internet Explorer Browser> <http://www.nyu.edu.library/bobst/research/fales/exhibits/Wilde/00main.htm> <http://www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/genlinfo.htm> www.google.com 10/28/99 Wilde, Oscar. Poems and Essays, Great Britain Published in 1956

John D. Rockefeller Essay -- American History, Philanthropist

John D. Rockefeller, born on July 8, 1839, has had a huge impact on the course of American history, his reputation spans from being a ruthless businessperson to a thoughtful philanthropist (Tarbell 41). He came from a family with not much and lived the American dream, rising to success through his own wit and cunning, riding on the backs of none. His legacy is huge, amassing the greatest private wealth of any American in history. Rockefeller’s influence on our country has been both a positive and a negative one, he donated huge sums of money to various public institutions and revolutionized the petroleum industry. Along with all the positives to the country, Rockefeller also had many negative affects as well, including, by gaining his riches by means of a monopoly, often using illegal methods, by giving others a reason to frown upon capitalism, and by hurting smaller businesses. The first positive affect of John D. Rockefeller was his donations of large sums of money to public institutions. During his lifetime, Rockefeller gave away 540 million dollars (Sicilia 2006). Almost all of his philanthropies occurred after his retirement from Standard Oil. Donations varied from colleges, to churches, to hospitals. With the help of his son and Frederick Gates, the man Rockefeller put in charge of his philanthropies, he was able to help improve the lives of many (Poole 2000). Rockefeller stayed loyal to his religion throughout his entire life, not forgetting where he came from and how it helped him. Raised as a Baptist from birth, religion always played a large role in Rockefeller’s life and was a part of his upbringing. From the very start of Rockefeller’s working life, he tithed ten percent of his earnings to his church. La... ...o chance of competing with Standard Oil due to all the tactics they employed to keep their prices low. This ravished small town families and had a similar effect as to what Wal-Mart does to family run shops nowadays. Numerous families living in small town America lost their income because of Standard Oil and forced hardship upon many. The legacy of John D. Rockefeller shall always live on as he has permanently shaped how this country looks. He has funded huge advancements in the fields of education and medicine along with starting the events to end lassiez-faire economics. The petroleum industry changed greatly during his career thanks to his research and completely new business methods were thought up of by him, some still in practice today. Although the personal opinions of Rockefeller vary greatly, it is a sure thing that he changed the course of America.

Activity Based Costing – Essay 4

Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing Activity Based Costing Topic Gateway Series No. 1 1 Prepared by Stephanie Edwards and Technical Information Service Revised November 2008 Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing About Topic Gateways Topic Gateways are intended as a refresher or introduction to topics of interest to CIMA members. They include a basic definition, a brief overview and a fuller explanation of practical application. Finally they signpost some further resources for detailed understanding and research. Topic Gateways are available electronically to CIMA Members only in the CPD Centre on the CIMA website, along with a number of electronic resources. About the Technical Information Service CIMA supports its members and students with its Technical Information Service (TIS) for their work and CPD needs. Our information specialists and accounting specialists work closely together to identify or create authoritative resources to help members resolve their work related information needs. Additionally, our accounting specialists can help CIMA members and students with the interpretation of guidance on financial reporting, financial management and performance management, as defined in the CIMA Official Terminology 2005 edition. CIMA members and students should sign into My CIMA to access these services and resources. The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants 26 Chapter Street London SW1P 4NP United Kingdom T. +44 (0)20 8849 2259 F. +44 (0)20 8849 2468 E. [email  protected] com www. cimaglobal. com 2 Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing Activity based costing Definition and concept ‘An approach to the costing and monitoring of activities which involves tracing resource consumption and costing final outputs. Resources are assigned to activities, and activities to cost objects based on consumption estimates. The latter utilise cost drivers to attach activity costs to outputs. ’ CIMA Official Terminology, 2005 A development of the principles of activity based costing (ABC) is activity based management (ABM). Operational ABM is defined as: ‘Actions, based on activity driver analysis, that increase efficiency, lower costs and/or improve asset utilisation. CIMA Official Terminology, 2005 Strategic ABM is defined as: ‘Actions, based on activity based cost analysis, that aim to change the demand for activities so as to improve profitability. ’ CIMA Official Terminology, 2005 The main focus of this topic gateway is ABC. However, the development of ABC into ABM will be discussed further under Application. Context In the current syllabus, CIMA students will learn and may be examined on this topic in Paper P1, Management Accounting Performance Evaluation, Chapter 8, Developments in management accounting, and Paper P2, Management Accounting Decision Management, Chapter 10, Activity based approaches. Study systems for these papers are available from CIMA Publishing. Related concepts Activity based management; activity based budgeting; time driven activity based costing. Alternative approaches Traditional costing approaches. 3 Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing Overview The concept of ABC was first defined in the late 1980s by Robert Kaplan and William Burns. Initially ABC focused on manufacturing industry where technological developments and productivity improvements had reduced the proportion of direct labour and material costs, but increased the proportion of indirect or overhead costs. Comparison of traditional costing and ABC The traditional method of costing relied on the arbitrary addition of a proportion of overhead costs on to direct costs to attain a total product cost. The traditional approach to cost allocation relies on three basic steps. 1. Accumulate costs within a production or non-production department. 2. Allocate non-production costs to production departments. 3. Allocate the resulting production department costs to various products, services or customers. This type of costing system usually allocates costs based on a single volume measure, such as direct labour hours or machine hours. While using such a simplistic volume measure to allocate overheads as an overall cost driver, this approach seldom meets the cause-and-effect criteria desired in accurate cost allocation. This method of costing has become increasing inaccurate as the relative proportion of overhead costs has risen. This distortion of costs can result in inappropriate decision making. ABC is therefore an alternative approach to the traditional method or arbitrary allocation of overheads to product, services and customers. Stage 1. Activity cost pools Material Handling Stage 1. Activity cost pools Cost per material movement OVERHEAD COSTS Procurement Cost per purchase order Product lines Set-up Cost per set-up Figure 1. Framework of activity based costing 4 Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing Application In contrast to traditional cost accounting systems, ABC systems first accumulate overheads for each organisational activity. They then assign the costs of these activities to products, services or customers (referred to as cost objects) causing that activity. The initial activity analysis is clearly the most difficult aspect of ABC. Activity analysis is the process of identifying appropriate output measures of activities and resources (cost drivers) and their effects on the costs of making a product or providing a service. ABC systems have the flexibility to provide special reports so that management can take decisions about the costs of designing, selling and delivering a product or service. The key aspect is that ABC focuses on accumulating costs via activities, whereas traditional cost allocation focuses on accumulating costs within functional areas. The main advantage of ABC is that it minimises or avoids distortions on product costs that might occur from arbitrary allocation of overhead costs. Steps in development of an ABC System ABC uses cost drivers to assign the costs of resources to activities and unit cost as a way of measuring an output. There are four steps to implementing ABC. 1. Identify activities The organisation needs to undertake an in-depth analysis of the operating processes of each responsibility centre. Each process might consist of one or more activities required to produce an output. 2. Assign resource costs to activities This involves tracing costs to cost objects to determine why the cost occurred. Costs can be categorised in three ways: i. Direct – costs that can be traced directly to one output. For example, the wood and paint that it takes to make a chair. Indirect – costs that cannot be allocated to an individual output, that is, they benefit two or more outputs, but not all outputs. For example, maintenance costs or storage costs. ii. 5 Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing iii. General/administration – costs that cannot be associated with any product or service. These costs are likely to remain unchanged, whatever output is produced. For example, salaries of administration staff, security costs or depreciation. 3. Identify outputs Identify all of the output for which an activity segment performs activities and consumes resources. Outputs might be products, services or customers. 4. Assign activity costs to outputs This is done using activity drivers. Activity drivers assign activity costs to outputs (cost objects) based on the consumption or demand for activities. ABC in practice ABC activities have been around for nearly 20 years and many companies in a variety of sectors have implemented activity based thinking. ABC and ABM have brought about radical changes in cost management systems. The principles and philosophies of activity based thinking apply equally to service companies, government agencies, process and manufacturing industries. Management practices and methods have changed over the last decade and will continue to change. Organisations have moved from managing vertically to managing horizontally. There has also been a move from a function orientation to a process orientation. However, management information systems to track and provide information about the horizontal aspects of business have lagged significantly behind managers’ needs. ABC and ABM fill this information gap by providing cost and operation information that mirrors a horizontal view. ABC focuses on accurate information about the true cost of products, services, processes, activities and customers. Using ABC, organisations gain a thorough understanding of their business processes and cost behaviour during ABC analysis. Management then applies this insight to improve decision making at operating and strategic levels. This is then known as ABM. Simply, ABM is ABC in action. 6 Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing Better management activity based costing survey: how ABC is used in the organisation This detailed study of how organisations are practically applying ABC can be found on the BetterManagement. com website (to access this study you must register, and then click on the link to activity based management in the top left hand corner of the home page). Available from: www. bettermanagement. om [Accessed 4 November 2008] The study was carried out in July 2005 to determine the state of ABC within over 500 organisations across numerous industries of different sizes and locations. It provides a useful and interesting insight into how ABC is used in organisations. Reported benefits †¢ †¢ ABC provides a more accurate method of costing of products and services. It allows for a better and more comprehensive understanding of overheads and what causes them to occur. It makes costly and non-value adding activities more visible, so allowing managers to focus on these areas to reduce or eliminate them. It supports other management techniques such as continuous improvement, scorecards and performance management. †¢ †¢ Reported drawbacks †¢ ABC can be difficult and time consuming to collect the data about activities and cost drivers. It can be costly to implement, run and manage an ABC system. Even in ABC some overhead costs are difficult to assign to products and customers. These costs still have to be arbitrarily applied to products and customers. †¢ †¢ Case studies Technical Matters: Activity-based costing. (PDF 99KB). This article, published in Financial Management (March 2005), provides a case study of implementation of an activity based costing system in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Available from: www. cimaglobal. com/financialmanagement [Accessed 8 November 2007]. 7 Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing The Value Creation Group website provides a comprehensive range of examples of case studies within different sectors where ABC has been implemented, including financial services and social services. Available from: www. valuecreationgroup. com [Accessed 4 November 2008] References Barrett, R. Getting a better view of business with activity based costing. CIMA Insight, February 2005. Available from: www. cimaglobal. com/insight [Accessed 4 November 2008]. CIMA Technical Services. (2001). Activity-based management – an overview. (PDF 69KB). CIMA Technical Briefing. Available from: www. cimaglobal. com/technicalreports [Accessed 4 November 2008]. Friedman, A. L. and Lyne, S. R. (1995). Activity-based techniques: the real life consequences. London: CIMA Publishing. Further information Articles Full text from Business Source Corporate through My CIMA www. cimaglobal. om/mycima [Accessed 4 November 2008] Allott, A. Activity Based Management can work for your company. CIMA Insight, January 2004. Available from: www. cimaglobal. com/insight [Accessed 4 November 2008]. Barrett, R. How ABC can make shared services work. CIMA Insight, March 2005. Available from: www. cimaglobal. com/insight [Accessed 4 November 2008]. Barrett, R. Get a better view of business with activity-based costing. CIMA Insight, February 2005. Available from: www. cimaglobal. com/insight [Accessed 4 November 2008]. Cleland, K. As easy as CBA? Financial Management, September 2004, pp 28-32 Available from: www. imaglobal. com/financialmanagement 8 Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing [Accessed 4 November 2008]. Johnson, B. and Glad, E. Spring chicken or dead lunch? Chartered Accountants Journal, March 2006, Volume 85, Issue 2, pp 35-36 Kaplan, R. S. and Anderson, S. R. Time-driven activity-based costing. Harvard Business Review, November 2004, Volume 82, Issue 11, p. 131 Larson, P. and Kerr, S. Integration of process management tools to support TQM implementation: ISO 9000 and activity-based costing. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, January-March 2007, Volume 18, Issue 1-2, pp 201-207 Leahy, T. Where are you on the ABC learning curve? Business Finance, December 2004, Volume 10, Issue 12, p. 47 Liu, L. Activity-based costing. Financial Management, March 2005, pp 25-29 Max, M. Leveraging process documentation for time-driven activity based costing. Journal of Performance Management, November 2007, Volume 20, Issue 3, pp 16-28 Meelah, R. and Ibraham, D. N. Factors influencing activity based costing (ABC) adoption in manufacturing industry. Investment Management & Financial Innovations, 2007, Volume 4, Issue 2, pp 113-124 Plowman, B. Activity based management driving profitability. Accountancy Ireland, April 2007, Volume 39, Issue 2, pp 23-25 Abstract only from Business Source Corporate through My CIMA www. cimaglobal. com/mycima [Accessed 4 November 2008] Sandison, D. , Hansen, S. C. and Torok, R. G. Activity-based planning and budgeting: a new approach. Journal of Cost Management, March/April 2003, pp 16-22 Liu, L. Activity-based costing. Financial Management, March 2005, p. 29 Available from: www. cimaglobal. com/financialmanagement [Accessed 4 November 2008]. The competitive advantage of management accounting. Journal of Management Accounting Research, 2006, Volume 18, pp 127-135 Books Friedman, A. and Lyne, S. Success and failure of activity-based techniques: a long-term perspective. London: CIMA Publishing. (CIMA Research Series) 9 Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing Hansen, D. and Mowen, M. (2006). Cost management: accounting and control. Mason, OH: London: Thomson/South-Western Kaplan, R. and Anderson, S. (2007). Time-driven activity-based costing: a simpler and more powerful path to higher profits. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Turney, P. (2005). Common cents: how to succeed with activity-based costing and activity-based management. New York: London: McGraw-Hill CIMA Publications CIMA Technical Services. (2001). Activity-based management – an overview. (PDF 69KB). CIMA Technical Briefing. Available from: www. cimaglobal. com/technicalreports [Accessed 4 November 2008]. Websites University of Pittsburgh: Introduction to ABC An online presentation on ABC, by Narcyz Roztocki of Pittsburgh University. Includes links to further sources of information on ABC. Available from: http://digbig. com/4xtmc [Accessed 4 November 2008] The Activity Based Costing Portal Global community portal explaining all aspects of Activity Based Costing. Available from: www. offtech. com. au/abc/Home. asp [Accessed 23 March 2009] The Value Creation Group – Activity Based Costing Gateway site on Activity Based Costing. Available from: http://digbig. com/4xtmg [Accessed 4 November 2008] Where are you on the ABC learning curve? An article by Tad Leahy in Business Finance Magazine. Business Finance Magazine and ALG Software recently surveyed more than 250 finance executives from companies of all sizes and types about the scope and current status of their organisation’s ABC efforts. Available from: www. businessfinancemag. com [Accessed 4 November 2008] 10 Topic Gateway Series Activity Based Costing Bain and Company's 2005 Management Tools and Trends Survey. Shows that usage of ABM is slightly below the mean, but satisfaction with it is considerably below the mean. Available from: http://digbig. com/4xtmk [Accessed 4 November 2008] Copyright  ©CIMA 2006 First published in 2006 by: The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants 26 Chapter Street London SW1P 4NP United Kingdom Printed in Great Britain No responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action as a result of any material in this publication can be accepted by the authors or the publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means method or device, electronic (whether now or hereafter known or developed), mechanical, photocopying, recorded or otherwise, without the prior 11 permission of the publishers. Permission requests should be submitted to CIMA at [email  protected] com

Chikankari of Lucknow

Chikan is one of the prides of the city of Nawabs that is Luknow. Although chikankari is an ancient form of white floral embroidery it has become synonym of nazakat and nafasat of the tehzeeb of Lucknow . For centuries this fine white tracery on transparent white fabric has delighted the hearts of the kings and commoners alike. The profession has always been respected that it is one vocation that affluent families have taken up without any perceived loss of societal acceptance. It is a complex and elegant craft that has come down to us, evolving over the years into an aesthetic form of great beauty . Chikankary has been practiced in Lucknow for more than two hundred years but it did not originate here. It flourished in the Mughal courts in the seventeenth centuries. When the Mughal courts disintegrated the artisans scattered across the country. Some of them came and settled in Avadh. They brought their craft with them and paved the way for the artisans of Luknow. Some historians opinion that chikan is a Persian word `Chikin’ or `Chikeen’ kind of embroidered fabric. It is believed that the craft was brought to the Mughal court of Jahangir by his talented consort Nurjahan. There are however other opinions on the origin of Chikankari. According to one historian , there is evidence of embroidered muslin apparel depicted in the famous paintings of Ajanta caves dating back to the fifth century A. D. This could be early trace of the presence of chikan. As per another version chikan can be dated back to king Harsh who is said to have a great fondness for white embroidered muslin garments without any embellish it. Bana a contemporary of king Harsh refers to this skillfully embroidered white muslin. Megasthenes also mentions the use of flowered muslin by Indians. The history of chikankary is richly anecdotal. It is said that one of the wives of a Nawab belonged to Murshidabad in Bengal where chikankary was established and popular at that time. She once embroidered a cap for the Nawab with chikankary. The other begums also picked up this craft to please the Nawab. Thus this became a trend setter among the ladies . Another interesting story says that a once a traveler was passing through a village in Lucknow. He stopped and requested a poor peasant for water. Delighted at this hospitality of the peasant,the traveler taught him the art of Chikankari. The slight cultural variation has distinct impact upon chikankary. Thus there is a difference between the chikankari of Bengal and that of Lucknow. It is said that exceptionally good Lucknow chikankari could get in those days a worker enough money to feed his family for a year. The chikan workers of Bengal used muslin or mulmul for embroidery,very much liked in Greece and Rome . These delicate fabrics known as gossamer were so prized that the Romans romantically called it â€Å"textilli venti† or woven winds . Lucknow has also earned name and fame for producing some very fine muslin . Rosy Llewellyn Jones in her book, A Fatal Friendship has written, â€Å"During the seventeenth century the East India Company decided to send two employees to live in Lucknow and buy bales of ‘dereabauds’ a kind of muslin which was made in Hassanganj area of Lucknow on the northern bank of the Gomti. † Later this muslin became the base material for good chikankary. Addhi,Tanzeeb and Girant were the traditional chikan fabrics. Several Europeans prominent among whom being Madec and Gentil settled in the court of Nawab Shuja-ud-daulah in the middle of the 18th century and it seems possible that French white embroidery had some influence on chikan of Lucknow. Apart from the muslin,another kind of white cotton fabric was produced in lucknow & Faizabad in those days. This fabric was called Jamdani. It bore a unique blend of regular and irregular floral motifs. The only difference being that Jamdani is woven & chikan is pure embroidery. Chikankari was used primarily to embellish garments. Long flowing angarkhas, ,achkans, kurtas were for men. For ladies chikankari was used to adorn lehengas,odhnis,kurtas,veils etc. Chikancraft was not confined to dress alone and it soon became a part of domestic life. The Lucknowasis use chikan to grace their homes in the form of bedsheets, palanquin curtains and drapes. It’s also used in table covers,mats,napkins, tea-cozy covers. The chikan industry received a setback after the dissolution of the royal courts of Avadh. It lost its greatest patron with the deposition of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. Soon it became a commercial activity & reduced to a domestic economic activity practiced largely by Muslim women. With the passage of time there has been a qualitative degeneration in chikan craft of lucknow in the fabric as well as stitches partly because of dearness and partly because of commercialization. Neverthless it is a way of life for its people and is very much woven into their culture which is distinctly called ‘Lucknowi’. Chikankari has a global presence. It is a great tribute to the skill and technique of the craftpersons of Lucknow. Sonakshi srivastava La Martiniere Girls College Lucknow

Mercury

Mercury International, Ltd is already at the forefront of the shoe manufacturing industry being in direct competition with the world’s biggest names in shoes manufacturing. These include Nike, Reebok and Puma. Thus, what they have to do is to sustain there marketing output, yet continue enhancing the way they compete with the present market. Relative to other leaders in the industry, they are very near behind, although Mercury shoes are unheard yet in other parts of the world. Having the same technological edge with other brands, there is a possibility that it can surpass others given the chance to maximize its potential using new marketing techniques. Several factors have contributed to Mercury International, Ltd’s performance. Although some of these are technological in nature, still the key factor to its growth is adhering to tested marketing principles. Some of these are; product innovations, making the most of market trend information, market expansion, and relying on concrete statistical data. But, to sustain the growth of a company, one has to remedy first the aspects or areas which keep the company grounded and not able to grow at the rate that it should be. Hence, an analysis on the factors prejudicial to the company and need to be improved is imperative. On the operational side of things, we cannot see much of a problem because it expanded its market to other countries, and having also product-development centers in China, Taiwan and Indonesia. The combined production capacity of these centers can very well meet consumer demands, at least in Asia alone. So there is a need to put up production centers in Europe and Latin American countries alone, so that Mercury’s products will be well distributed, and at the same time gain exposure to new markets. European and Latin American countries composed a very big share the shoe industry market, thus there’s a need for the company to capture these areas of the market. Its expenses can be further reduced by using technology. The fact that the company is at par with other company regarding the technology used in its production, it can reduced its expenses by mass-producing their products in a single period of time and later on put emphasis on its marketing, doing the production and marketing in phases. Eventually, all marketing processes could be covered, yet there would be no waste in effort and energy by doing different processes in a given time, thus big expenses can be avoided. On the financial side of its operations, an analysis on its financial and management reports gives a picture as to how the company is faring in the worldwide market. By the end of the year 2005, its total market share was only 9.1%; this information explains that there is still a huge chunk of the market that needs to be covered. Seeing this in the negative, it seems that the company is far from other companies in terms of market covered. But profitability cannot be measured by the size of the market covered alone, but through the actual profit made. A closer analysis of its income statement showed that there was a deficit of $10.13 million incurred during 2003 alone, and the succeeding combined income for the years 2004 and 2005 was barely able to compensate the 2003 deficit, the combined income being only $13.08 million. A growth of only $3.05 million was realized over the past three years. In essence, the company is not doing well financially. Â  Mercury Shoes, Ltd. can do much better that this. Yet, on the brighter side, we can glimpse from the financial reports that, at the least, there was a recorded growth between 2004 and 2005. This is enough for the management to persevere even harder to raise this notch to higher level. Perhaps, the company should put emphasis on the development of its operational system, because when its operations are exemplary, a good performance relating to its income will follow later. A complete operational overhaul is not needed. The company excels in other areas far better than other companies do. It has a technological edge over others, and its research and development is exemplary providing products to consumers with innovative technology. Almost 98% of human labor in the actual production of shoes and apparel has already been eliminated by robotic technology. Manufacturing is in an automated mode. These factors alone don’t justify the need to overhaul the operational system of the company completely. If changes are to be made, it should be done in the human resource and marketing divisions of the company. The brain of a particular organization lies in the management officials that lead the company. It is, therefore, logical to surmise that the failure of a company can be attributed to the leaders’ incapability. The marketing department also has the power to attract consumers to buy the company’s products, failure to do so justify their incompetence. The technological advantage, R & D programs, and the manufacturing process of the company should be retained. The rest should be change and improved for the benefit of the whole company. Generally, Mercury International, Ltd. has a potential in being a leader of the shoe and apparel manufacturing industry. What is has to do is to align its operations and processes into a single output force looking at a single objective. Although, the company hasn’t yet reached this stage of organizational development, with patience, cooperation, and continuous development of its product with the use of cutting-edge technology, it will eventually. What the management has to do is to sustain the over-all output to maintain its position yet continue to strive and develop further. The backbone of the company’s product line, the Boost Technology, TrailStep, and the Sweatless Training Apparel should further be strengthened, so that the company will have security on where to get its money for expenses when changes are to be made in other areas of the company. With the managerial officers having already the skills to effectuate changes on the company, what they have to do only is to use their skills at the utmost and steer the company to where it grows the most.

The Nist Definition of Cloud Computing Essays

The Nist Definition of Cloud Computing Essays The Nist Definition of Cloud Computing Paper The Nist Definition of Cloud Computing Paper Special Publication 800-145 (Draft) The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing (Draft) Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Peter Mell Timothy Grance NIST Special Publication 800-145 (Draft) The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing (Draft) Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Peter Mell Timothy Grance C O M P U T E R S E C U R I T Y Computer Security Division Information Technology Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930 January 2011 U. S. Department of Commerce Gary Locke, Secretary National Institute of Standards and Technology Dr. Patrick D. Gallagher, Director Reports on Computer Systems Technology The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes the U. S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analysis to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL’s responsibilities include the development of technical, physical, administrative, and management standards and guidelines for the cost-effective security and privacy of sensitive unclassified information in Federal computer systems. This Special Publication 800-series reports on ITL’s research, guidance, and outreach efforts in computer security and its collaborative activities with industry, government, and academic organizations. National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-145 (Draft) 7 pages (January. 2011) Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose. ii Acknowledgements The authors Peter Mell and Timothy Grance of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) would like to thank the many experts in industry and government who contributed their thoughts to the creation and review of this definition. We especially acknowledge Murugiah Souppaya and Lee Badger, also of NIST, whose advice and technical insight assisted this effort. Additional acknowledgements will be added upon the final publication of this guideline. iii 1. 1. 1 Introduction Authority The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed this document in furtherance of its statutory responsibilities under the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) of 2002, Public Law 107-347. NIST is responsible for developing standards and guidelines, including minimum requirements, for providing adequate information security for all agency operations and assets; but such standards and guidelines shall not apply to national security systems. This guideline is consistent with the requirements of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Section 8b(3), â€Å"Securing Agency Information Systems,† as analyzed in A-130, Appendix IV: Analysis of Key Sections. Supplemental information is provided in A-130, Appendix III. This guideline has been prepared for use by Federal agencies. It may be used by nongovernmental organizations on a voluntary basis and is not subject to copyright, though attribution is desired. Nothing in this document should be taken to contradict standards and guidelines made mandatory and binding on Federal agencies by the Secretary of Commerce under statutory authority, nor should these guidelines be interpreted as altering or superseding the existing authorities of the Secretary of Commerce, Director of the OMB, or any other Federal official. 1. 2 Purpose and Scope The purpose of this publication is to provide the NIST definition of cloud computing. NIST intends this informal definition to enhance and inform the public debate on cloud computing. Cloud computing is still an evolving paradigm. Its definition, use cases, underlying technologies, issues, risks, and benefits will be refined and better understood with a spirited debate by the public and private sectors. This definition, its attributes, characteristics, and underlying rationale will evolve over time. 1. 3 Audience The intended audience is people adopting the cloud computing model or providing cloud services. 2. The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e. g. , networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models. Essential Characteristics: On-demand self-service. A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service’s provider. Broad network access. Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e. g. , mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs). Resource pooling. The provider’s computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. There is a sense of location independence in that the customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e. g. , country, state, or datacenter). Examples of resources include storage, processing, memory, network bandwidth, and virtual machines. Rapid elasticity. Capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out, and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time. Measured Service. Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability1 at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e. g. , storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service. Service Models: Cloud Software as a Service (SaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider’s applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (e. g. , web-based email). The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings. Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting environment configurations. 1 Typically through a pay-per-use business model. Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control of s elect networking components (e. g. , host firewalls). Deployment Models: Private cloud. The cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on premise or off premise. Community cloud. The cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns (e. g. , mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third party and may exist on premise or off premise. Public cloud. The cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization selling cloud services. Hybrid cloud. The cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e. g. , cloud bursting for load balancing between clouds). 3

Critique of Les Miserables essays

Critique of Les Miserables essays The story begins with a convict named Jean Valjean searching for food and shelter after working in a prison camp. No one would let them into their house because he was a convict. I felt bad for him through this because people judged him right away and he didnt seem like such a bad person. He finally found shelter in Bishops house, but through the night he left and stole all of their silverware. He escapes, but is caught by some police. He explained to them that he was given all of this by the Bishop. Naturally they didnt believe him, so they brought him back to the Bishops house. Once they got there the Bishop backed up what he said and told the police to let him go. So Valjean is free to go. You get the feeling from this that he is going to be a totally different person. To hide away from his past convict life, he created a new identity and was a wealthy mayor in a small town. He hid out there for a longtime. Then he met a prostitute named Fantine who he started to fall i n love with. She got very sick and was trying to support her young daughter so he helped her out. During this time an officer, named Javert, who knew Valjean when he was in the camp recognized him. Then he was brought in the clear when another man was brought in. Everyone thought that was Valjean. Around this time Fantine dies and Valjean promises to go get her daughter and take care of her. This part was really sad knowing how hard she worked to support her daughter. Valjean heard about this innocent guy being put into jail and decided to go tell the court the truth. He went and told everyone that he was in fact Valjean. I found this part to be very noble, but somewhat unbelievable. He threw his whole new life away after working so hard to bury his past. After he told the court he ran for his life and while fleeing he picked up Fantines daughter, Cosette. In the musical version of this movie Coset ...

Apush Dbq 3 Essays

Apush Dbq 3 Essays Apush Dbq 3 Paper Apush Dbq 3 Paper Carson Mayes DBQ APUSH During the election of 1800, Jefferson ran for the Democratic-Republic party. His philosophy on government had always been to have a strict interpretation of the Constitution along with the strong belief in state rights over a strong central government that his opposing Federalist party wanted. His beliefs on a frugal and limited government, reduced army and navy, and the repeal of taxes were all issues that helped maintain his philosophy of government as well as alter it. One way Thomas Jefferson was able to keep his beliefs in tact was by the repealing of the excise tax. Jefferson’s view on the excise tax of whiskey (Doc A) was that it was an infernal one and will break apart the Union. This excise tax on whiskey had already caused much trouble during the time of George Washington’s presidency. When Alexander Hamilton first established the tax, farmers in Pennsylvania were not happy. The result was the Whiskey Rebellion. Outraged by the tax they had to pay on whiskey, a group of people in Pennsylvania formed a rebellion to prevent from having to pay any tax collectors. George Washington and his men were able to stop the rebellion quickly and prove to colonists the power of the federal government. Another way Thomas Jefferson portrayed his values as an anti-federalists was his opposition to a National Bank. He thought that all the powers that were not reserved for the federal government in the Constitution were reserved to the States (Doc G). Despite what his opinion was, Alexander Hamilton succeeded in the creation of a National Bank for the better of America’s economy. Jefferson supported his ideas of a Republic government with the creation of the Kentucky Resolutions (Doc A). In order to get rid of the Alien and Sedition Acts that, pro federalist, John Adams created, Jefferson developed these resolutions to restore self-government to each state itself. The Compact Theory was the main basis for the Kentucky Resolutions. This theory stated that the individual states were the final judge of the federal governments actions. In Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address, held in Washington D. C (Doc H), he stated, â€Å"We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists. † This shows that no matter what your opinion was, America was still one country with the same principles. Jefferson knew that despite the Federalist opinions, everyone possesses the same equal rights. Not only was he able to change the presidency from a strong Federalist party to a Republic-Democratic party, he also demonstrated new ways to act as president. For example, instead of bowing to guests he introduced the custom of shaking hands with one another. He placed his guests at a round table to show that there was no seat more important than the other. Also, instead of addressing Congress in person, he simply sent a message. He strived to get as far away from acting like a monarch as possible. Although Jefferson for the most part applied his values to his presidency, there were also times where he grew farther away from these beliefs of his. Before becoming president, Jefferson’s philosophy on the Constitution was to have strict interpretation rather than loose, which allowed it to be amended at any time. By purchasing the Louisiana Territory ( Doc E and F), he was going against his first beliefs on strict interpretation. Nowhere in the Constitution did it state that the United States could seize foreign territory. By purchasing this territory Jefferson had to deal with foreign affairs with both France and Britain. Jefferson went against his earlier philosophy of a small army and navy with the Barbary Coast War (Doc D). During 1805, pirates from North Africa attacked American ships in attempt to take all of their goods on board. Because of this, Jefferson expands the US Navy to prevent any more attacks from happening. This was a major federalist view to expand the army and against Jefferson’s initial view on 3,000 soldiers and 172 officers. The Embargo Act (Doc J) was a low point for Jefferson in his presidency. The cause of this act was Impressment, which is when the British would take Americans from their ships and force them into joining their Navy. The Embargo Act restricted all foreign trade for the United States. This led to a major downfall In America’s economy and ruined New England’s trading system. In the end it proved to be more beneficial for France and England whom we were stopping all trading with. While being in the White House, Jefferson proved himself to both maintain and alter his philosophy of government. With issues of a decreased navy, limited government, and repeal of taxes, Jefferson was able to realize that some of his initial beliefs might not work out when the time came that he would become president. Many of his philosophies were easier said than done. Being on the outside of the White House made his anti-federalists beliefs much more strong than his time spent inside of it. Jefferson may be looked to people as someone who completely altered all of his beliefs about government but in the end he was able to do it for the better of his country.

Free Essays on Lupus

Systemic lupus erythematosus, or simply lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease or immune system malfunction. A person's immune system normally protects the person from viruses, bacteria and other foreign materials. When a person has an autoimmune diseases like lupus, the immune system turns against itself and attacks itself. Lupus does not have a known cause, and because of that it has no known cure. The exact cause of lupus is unknown, but scientists suspect that it is likely to be a combination of factors, people who contract lupus are probably genetically predisposed to lupus, and know that environmental factors such as infections, antibodies, ultraviolet light, extreme stress and certain drugs play a critical role in triggering lupus. Managing lupus is different from person to person. Individuals with lupus can usually live a normal life span. Medications are usually prescribed to patients, although treatment is not required at all times, but most patients will undergo some treatment. Some medications that are often prescribed for people with lupus are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, corticosteroids, antimalarials and immunomodulating drugs. The treatment goal for lupus is to stop the immune system from attacking & destroying vital organs. Another popular treatment for lupus is simply exercising and eating right. Since we have no known cause of lupus, you cannot prevent it. It is sometimes referred to as a chronic disease because there in no cure at the moment and if a person experiences lupus’ symptoms that person will have lupus forever. One complication about lupus, is the flares that individuals will experience. People with this disease must have blood tests to predict these flares. When a lupus flare occurs, people will usually notice a return of the symptoms they experienced previously, but sometimes they will notice new symptoms. Some may be fever, swollen joints, increase in fatigue, ra... Free Essays on Lupus Free Essays on Lupus Systemic lupus erythematosus, or simply lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease or immune system malfunction. A person's immune system normally protects the person from viruses, bacteria and other foreign materials. When a person has an autoimmune diseases like lupus, the immune system turns against itself and attacks itself. Lupus does not have a known cause, and because of that it has no known cure. The exact cause of lupus is unknown, but scientists suspect that it is likely to be a combination of factors, people who contract lupus are probably genetically predisposed to lupus, and know that environmental factors such as infections, antibodies, ultraviolet light, extreme stress and certain drugs play a critical role in triggering lupus. Managing lupus is different from person to person. Individuals with lupus can usually live a normal life span. Medications are usually prescribed to patients, although treatment is not required at all times, but most patients will undergo some treatment. Some medications that are often prescribed for people with lupus are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, corticosteroids, antimalarials and immunomodulating drugs. The treatment goal for lupus is to stop the immune system from attacking & destroying vital organs. Another popular treatment for lupus is simply exercising and eating right. Since we have no known cause of lupus, you cannot prevent it. It is sometimes referred to as a chronic disease because there in no cure at the moment and if a person experiences lupus’ symptoms that person will have lupus forever. One complication about lupus, is the flares that individuals will experience. People with this disease must have blood tests to predict these flares. When a lupus flare occurs, people will usually notice a return of the symptoms they experienced previously, but sometimes they will notice new symptoms. Some may be fever, swollen joints, increase in fatigue, ra...

Premise Of Hume Essays - Epistemologists, Moral Philosophers

Premise Of Hume Essays - Epistemologists, Moral Philosophers Premise Of Hume In his Treatise of Human Nature, David Hume outlines his theory of human morality. Humes argument is the notion that human morality is not based on rational thought and reason, but rather is a consequence of our passions. Because passions themselves can never present themselves as the product of any sort of reasoning, it would be illogical to ever judge a moral action as rational or irrational. This, therefore, raises the question, what is the role of reason in moral thinking? This paper will outline Humes arguments on morality and attempt to discern the role of reason in morality. Additionally, it will explore the ultimate motivating factors of passionate thinking in an attempt to discern what sort of philosopher Hume really is. The basic premise of Humes arguments on morality is simply that our actions are not governed by reason, but rather by passion or as Hume states, that reason alone can never be a motive to any action of the will; and secondly, that it can never oppose passion in the direction of the will.(413) Reason to Hume, is the discovery of truth or falshood. Truth or falshood consists in an agreement or disagreement either to the real relations of ideas, or to real existence and matter of fact.(458) It is Humes understanding that rational thinking can only apply in ascertaining relationship between objects in the real world, as in an example of a scientist who uses reason to conclude that apples fall from trees because of a force called gravity. However, because reason does not apply to ideas and thoughts of the mind itself, it followed from this assertion that reason cannot move anyone to action. As Hume states, Abstract or demonstrative reasoning, therefore, never influences any of our actions , but only as it directs our judgment concerning causes and effects; which leads us to the second operation of the understanding.(414) Passions, on the other hand, are not subject to an understanding of truth or falshood. They are internal thoughts, original motivations in the mind separate from the outside world. As Hume writes, Now tis evident our passions, volitions, and actions, are not susceptible of any such agreement or disagreement; being original facts and realities, complete in themselves, and implying no reference to other passions, volitions, and actions. Tis impossible, therefore, they can be pronounced either true or false, and be either contrary or conformable to reason. (458) If this is the case, then the ultimate conclusion is that we can never judge our own motivating passions as rational or irrational. This notion of passions being neither reasonable nor unreasonable is important because it is Humes belief that it is our passions that ultimately motivate our behavior. For Hume, the underlying motivations in humans arise from the notions of pleasure and pain. Tis obvious, that when we have the prospect of pain or pleasure from any object, we feel a consequent emotion of aversion or propensity, and are carryd to avoid or embrace what will give us this uneasiness or satisfaction.(414) Thus, it is our internal desire, or passion, to limit suffering and maximize pleasure, and thus this is ultimately the founding motivator for our actions. Morality has an obvious influence on our actions. We as humans perceive the scenarios that surround us and act on them either in accordance or in specific opposition to our morality. Morals, therefore, have a definitive influence on the actions we take. As Hume states, Since morals, therefore, have an influence on the actions and affections, it follows, that they cannot be derivd from reason; and that because reason alone, as we have already provd, can never have any such influence. Morals excite passions, and produce or prevent actions. Reason of itself is utterly impotent in this particular. The rules of morality; therefore, are not conclusions of our reason.(457) It is Humes conclusion that since morality motivates us towards actions and reason does not, then morality cannot be a result of some rational decision making that occurs in our minds, and instead due to our internal passions and desires. This philosophy raises a few questions. First of all, what is the place of reason in Humes philosophy? At a certain point in the text,

5 Ways to Handle a Racist Family Member

5 Ways to Handle a Racist Family Member It’s no secret that family gatherings can cause stress and lead to conflict, especially if some family members have racial views that youre staunchly against. What’s the best way to proceed when a loved one seems not only small-minded but outright racist? Don’t suffer in silence through one family gathering after another. You can take several steps to stop the Archie Bunker of the family in his tracks. These strategies include setting boundaries and calling attention to the racist behavior. Be Direct Confrontations are never easy. That said, if you don’t want to listen to your parents or siblings rattle off racial stereotypes every Thanksgiving, the direct approach is necessary. How will your family members understand that you find their behavior offensive unless you tell them? The moment your sister makes a racial joke or uses a racial stereotype, tell her that you’d appreciate it if she didn’t make such jokes or racial generalizations in front of you. If you believe that calling out your relative in front of others will make her more defensive, ask to speak to her privately and then make your feelings known. If your family member uses a racial slur in front of you, request that she doesn’t use such epithets in your presence. Do so in a calm, firm voice. Make your request short and then move on. Don’t attack your family member’s character. Just let her know that her comments make you uncomfortable. Get Help What if this family member intimidates you if he’s an elder or an in-law and you aren’t comfortable calling attention to the behavior you find inappropriate? Find a relative you feel more comfortable with and request that he accompany you as you confront the family member you believe is offensive. Tell the insensitive family member that you love and appreciate him but find his views on race hurtful. Alternatively, if your grandfather has made remarks you consider racially insensitive, you might want to ask your parent to speak with him about his behavior. If your father-in-law is the party in question, ask your spouse to confront him about his language and attitudes concerning race. If no one else in your family will serve as an ally, consider taking a less direct approach to confronting your relative. Write a brief letter or email informing him that you find his comments hurtful and asking him to refrain from such remarks in the future. Don’t Argue Whatever you do, don’t get into a debate with your relative. Agree to disagree with this family member about race rather than listening to her argument about why her racial stereotypes are valid and you’re too politically correct. Stick to the following script: â€Å"I find your comments hurtful. Please don’t make these remarks in front of me again.† Arguing with the relative will likely be a waste of time. The family member will be on the defensive and you will be on the offensive. Meanwhile, you will have convinced her of little or nothing about racial sensitivity. Focus on your feelings about the relative’s comments rather than on the validity of her beliefs. Set Consequences Depending on your situation, you might have to set guidelines with your relative. Say, for example, that you have children. Do you want your children to hear the comments by your family member? If not, let your relatives know that if they make bigoted remarks in your children’s presence you will leave the family gathering at once. If your relatives routinely make such comments, let them know that you will skip family gatherings with them altogether. This is an especially important move if you’re in an interracial relationship or have multiracial children who will feel targeted by your family members’ comments. Try Outside Influences You probably wont open your relatives’ eyes about race by arguing with them about the issue, but you can take steps to influence them that they might go along with. Organize a family trip to a museum with a social justice focus. Have a movie night at your house and screen films addressing issues of racial inequity or showing minority groups in a positive light. Start a family book club and select anti-racist literature.