The World’s Most Understood Crop: Industrial Hemp and Its Economic Benefits

Ms. Bonner English 290 16 December 2011 The World’s Most Understood Crop: Industrial Hemp and its Economic Benefits When most people hear the word hemp the first thing that comes to mind is marijuana. While hemp and marijuana are of the same plant species, Cannabis Sativa, they are different plants with their own chemical makeup. Hemp has been known as one of the world’s greatest agricultural crops of all time with a wide variety of uses. Unfortunately the United States still sees hemp as drug and the manufacturing of hemp is still illegal today.The United States is outlawing one of the most economically beneficial and functional crops of all times because of its cousin marijuana. Hemp was the world’s greatest agricultural crop for more than 1000 years before Christ until 1883 AD (Herer). The manufacturing and cultivation of hemp has been used for thousands of products and many different industries including producing a majority of the world’s fabric, fibe r, oil, paper, and even food. The earliest known fabric was made of hemp around 8000 BC (Herer).Ninety percent of all ships' sails from at least the fifth century BC until long after the invention of the steam engines in the mid- to late-19th century were made from hemp (Herer). Many of the ships’ logs, maps, and charts were made on hemp paper from the time of Columbus to the early 1900s (Herer). In the first century AD, the Chinese found that hemp paper lasted 50 to 100 times longer than most preparations of papyrus and that it was 100 times easier and cheaper to make (Herer).Eighty percent of all humankind's textiles and fabrics for clothes, tents, linens, rugs, drapes, quilts, bed sheets, towels and diapers were made principally from cannabis fibers in much of the world until the 20th century (Herer). Presidents Washington and Jefferson both grew hemp and Americans were even legally bound to grow during the Colonial Era and Early Republic (Hemp Facts). With all these uses for hemp, from almost the beginning of the known world, why would hemp be illegal today? Marijuana and industrial hemp come from the same species of plant, Cannabis Sativa.The species can yield two different plants, marijuana and industrial hemp. Comparing marijuana and industrial hemp is like comparing field corn and sweet corn. While they are both from the same species, the chemical makeup and final product is very different. Cannabis produces two major cannabinoids-THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) (West, Hemp and Marijuana). THC is the one responsible for the psychoactive effect that you get from smoking marijuana. CBD, on the other hand, has been found to block the effect of THC in the nervous system (West, Hemp and Marijuana).Marijuana usually contains 3 to 15 percent THC, while industrial hemp being grown normally contains less than 1 percent THC (Industrial Hemp in the United States). Many people believe that if industrial hemp was allowed to be grown that many people would still try and smoke it, but if one was to smoke industrial hemp, which is high in CBD and low in THC, it would actually counter act the THC and block the effect of a marijuana high. This shows that not only is hemp not marijuana but could possibly even be called â€Å"anti-marijuana. Even with this scientific information and the United States continues to outlaw the manufacturing of hemp. Other countries have recognized the difference between marijuana and industrial hemp. Current hemp varieties being grown in Canada and Europe are certified to have THC levels below 0. 3 percent (West, Hemp and Marijuana). The certification system was originally developed in Europe to allow for the commercialization of industrial hemp and takes into consideration the ratio of CBD to THC as well as the absolute percent THC (West, Hemp and Marijuana).The original THC threshold was 0. 8 percent. When varieties with lower levels of THC were developed by French breeders, the breed ers were able to persuade the European Union to reduce the tolerance further (West, Hemp and Marijuana). In the United States, Cannabis with any measurable trace of THC is illegal, CBD concentration is not considered at all. The United States is outlawing this potentially economic beneficial crop with no just cause and they are completely overlooking all of its uses and benefits. The United States’ laws have not always treated marijuana and hemp the same.The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act outlawed marijuana. The 1937 Marihuana Tax Act defined marijuana as: â€Å"(A)ll parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L. , whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds, or resin; but shall not include the mature stalks of such plant, fiber produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture salt, derivative, mi xture, or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin xtracted there from), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of such plant which is incapable of germination. † The Act outlawed marijuana and punished people who grew it, without infringing on the rights of hemp growers. The act did not make hemp illegal but simply just put a tax on hemp. Dr. Andrew Wright, an agronomist with the University of Wisconsin's Agriculture Experiment Station and steward of the Wisconsin hemp industry during the first half of the twentieth century, wrote in 1918, â€Å"There are three fairly distinct types of hemp: that grown for fiber, that for birdseed and oil, and that for drugs. (West, Hemp and Marijuana). This shows that even in the early 1900s, we knew and understood there being a difference between hemp and marijuana. However, in 1970, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act repealed the Marihuana Tax Act and instead changed its definition: â€Å"The term â⠂¬Ëœmarihuana' means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa (L. ), whether growing or not, the seeds thereof, the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds or resin; . . † The key difference in this provision was that the 1937 Act used a system of taxation that allowed the government to punish the marijuana growers without punishing hemp growers. The 1970 Act abolished the taxation approach and effectively made all Cannabis cultivation illegal (West, Hemp and Marijuana). This act lumped marijuana and hemp into the same category. Why did the United States change their definition of the word and make hemp illegal? Why the United States changed its mind and decided to make hemp illegal is not really clear.There are not any definite answers. It could be that they realized that they couldn’t tax it anymore, the war on drugs, or that people that were growing hemp were abusin g their rights and also growing marijuana. It is up for anyone to speculate on. The only thing that is clear by hemp being illegal is that the United States is ignoring the economic benefits and uses of one of the most functional crops of all times. Hemp has been used for a wide variety of products for almost 3000 years.Overall, hemp is the strongest, most durable, and longest lasting natural soft fiber on the planet, which makes its fabric longer lasting, tougher, cheaper, cooler, and more absorbent than cotton (Herer). Hemp seed can be pressed into a healthy oil, which contains the highest amount of essential fatty acids of all plants. The byproduct of the pressed hemp seeds can be baked into cakes, breads, and casseroles and contains high quality protein (Hemp Facts). Another use for hemp is that it can be made into fuel.Hemp is the Earth’s number one biomass resource, capable of producing 10 tons of biomass per acre in only four months (Hemp Facts). This biomass can be co nverted into methane, methanol, or gasoline at a cost very similar to the cost petroleum (Hemp Facts). It can also produce 10 times more methanol than corn (Hemp Facts). Since hemp is a natural plant, the use of hemp as a fuel makes it better for the environment. It does not add to global warming. Not only is hemp as a fuel better for the environment, but using hemp fiber for paper is also better for the environment.One acre of hemp produces as much fiber as 4. 1 acres of trees (Herer). While trees cut down to make paper usually take about 50 years to grow, hemp is ready to be harvested in about 120 days (Hemp Facts). Since hemp takes less time to be ready to be harvested and it can produce more fiber per acre, hemp could possibly be the answer to the deforestation problem. Only eight out of about one hundred known pests cause problem to the plant so hemp is normally grown without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides (Hemp Facts).Hemp is also a natural weed suppressor due to the fa st growth of the canopy causing a blockage of the sun that does not allow for the weeds to grow (Hemp Facts). All of these things make hemp a cheaper, more environmentally friendly crop. Hemp has been one of the most widely used crops, all around the world, for more than 3000 years. With hemps thousands of uses, it could possibly save our country in this time of deficit. However, the United States still refuses to recognize it has being a potential economically beneficial crop because of a plant of the same species.Works Citied â€Å"Hemp Facts. † HempUSA. org. HempUSA. org, 1 June 2009. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. Web Herer, Jack. â€Å"The Forgotten History of Hemp. † Earth Island Journal 5. 4 (1990): 35. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. Web Industrial Hemp in the United States: Status and Market Potential. Rep. no. AGES-ERSAGES001. Ers. usda. gov, Jan. 2000. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. Web West, David P. Hemp and Marijuana: Myths and Realities. Prescott, Wisconsin: North American Indust rial Hemp Council, 27 Feb. 1998. PDF. The World’s Most Understood Crop: Industrial Hemp and Its Economic Benefits Ms. Bonner English 290 16 December 2011 The World’s Most Understood Crop: Industrial Hemp and its Economic Benefits When most people hear the word hemp the first thing that comes to mind is marijuana. While hemp and marijuana are of the same plant species, Cannabis Sativa, they are different plants with their own chemical makeup. Hemp has been known as one of the world’s greatest agricultural crops of all time with a wide variety of uses. Unfortunately the United States still sees hemp as drug and the manufacturing of hemp is still illegal today.The United States is outlawing one of the most economically beneficial and functional crops of all times because of its cousin marijuana. Hemp was the world’s greatest agricultural crop for more than 1000 years before Christ until 1883 AD (Herer). The manufacturing and cultivation of hemp has been used for thousands of products and many different industries including producing a majority of the world’s fabric, fibe r, oil, paper, and even food. The earliest known fabric was made of hemp around 8000 BC (Herer).Ninety percent of all ships' sails from at least the fifth century BC until long after the invention of the steam engines in the mid- to late-19th century were made from hemp (Herer). Many of the ships’ logs, maps, and charts were made on hemp paper from the time of Columbus to the early 1900s (Herer). In the first century AD, the Chinese found that hemp paper lasted 50 to 100 times longer than most preparations of papyrus and that it was 100 times easier and cheaper to make (Herer).Eighty percent of all humankind's textiles and fabrics for clothes, tents, linens, rugs, drapes, quilts, bed sheets, towels and diapers were made principally from cannabis fibers in much of the world until the 20th century (Herer). Presidents Washington and Jefferson both grew hemp and Americans were even legally bound to grow during the Colonial Era and Early Republic (Hemp Facts). With all these uses for hemp, from almost the beginning of the known world, why would hemp be illegal today? Marijuana and industrial hemp come from the same species of plant, Cannabis Sativa.The species can yield two different plants, marijuana and industrial hemp. Comparing marijuana and industrial hemp is like comparing field corn and sweet corn. While they are both from the same species, the chemical makeup and final product is very different. Cannabis produces two major cannabinoids-THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol) (West, Hemp and Marijuana). THC is the one responsible for the psychoactive effect that you get from smoking marijuana. CBD, on the other hand, has been found to block the effect of THC in the nervous system (West, Hemp and Marijuana).Marijuana usually contains 3 to 15 percent THC, while industrial hemp being grown normally contains less than 1 percent THC (Industrial Hemp in the United States). Many people believe that if industrial hemp was allowed to be grown that many people would still try and smoke it, but if one was to smoke industrial hemp, which is high in CBD and low in THC, it would actually counter act the THC and block the effect of a marijuana high. This shows that not only is hemp not marijuana but could possibly even be called â€Å"anti-marijuana. Even with this scientific information and the United States continues to outlaw the manufacturing of hemp. Other countries have recognized the difference between marijuana and industrial hemp. Current hemp varieties being grown in Canada and Europe are certified to have THC levels below 0. 3 percent (West, Hemp and Marijuana). The certification system was originally developed in Europe to allow for the commercialization of industrial hemp and takes into consideration the ratio of CBD to THC as well as the absolute percent THC (West, Hemp and Marijuana).The original THC threshold was 0. 8 percent. When varieties with lower levels of THC were developed by French breeders, the breed ers were able to persuade the European Union to reduce the tolerance further (West, Hemp and Marijuana). In the United States, Cannabis with any measurable trace of THC is illegal, CBD concentration is not considered at all. The United States is outlawing this potentially economic beneficial crop with no just cause and they are completely overlooking all of its uses and benefits. The United States’ laws have not always treated marijuana and hemp the same.The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act outlawed marijuana. The 1937 Marihuana Tax Act defined marijuana as: â€Å"(A)ll parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L. , whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; the resin extracted from any such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds, or resin; but shall not include the mature stalks of such plant, fiber produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture salt, derivative, mi xture, or preparation of such mature stalks (except the resin xtracted there from), fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of such plant which is incapable of germination. † The Act outlawed marijuana and punished people who grew it, without infringing on the rights of hemp growers. The act did not make hemp illegal but simply just put a tax on hemp. Dr. Andrew Wright, an agronomist with the University of Wisconsin's Agriculture Experiment Station and steward of the Wisconsin hemp industry during the first half of the twentieth century, wrote in 1918, â€Å"There are three fairly distinct types of hemp: that grown for fiber, that for birdseed and oil, and that for drugs. (West, Hemp and Marijuana). This shows that even in the early 1900s, we knew and understood there being a difference between hemp and marijuana. However, in 1970, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act repealed the Marihuana Tax Act and instead changed its definition: â€Å"The term â⠂¬Ëœmarihuana' means all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa (L. ), whether growing or not, the seeds thereof, the resin extracted from any part of such plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of such plant, its seeds or resin; . . † The key difference in this provision was that the 1937 Act used a system of taxation that allowed the government to punish the marijuana growers without punishing hemp growers. The 1970 Act abolished the taxation approach and effectively made all Cannabis cultivation illegal (West, Hemp and Marijuana). This act lumped marijuana and hemp into the same category. Why did the United States change their definition of the word and make hemp illegal? Why the United States changed its mind and decided to make hemp illegal is not really clear.There are not any definite answers. It could be that they realized that they couldn’t tax it anymore, the war on drugs, or that people that were growing hemp were abusin g their rights and also growing marijuana. It is up for anyone to speculate on. The only thing that is clear by hemp being illegal is that the United States is ignoring the economic benefits and uses of one of the most functional crops of all times. Hemp has been used for a wide variety of products for almost 3000 years.Overall, hemp is the strongest, most durable, and longest lasting natural soft fiber on the planet, which makes its fabric longer lasting, tougher, cheaper, cooler, and more absorbent than cotton (Herer). Hemp seed can be pressed into a healthy oil, which contains the highest amount of essential fatty acids of all plants. The byproduct of the pressed hemp seeds can be baked into cakes, breads, and casseroles and contains high quality protein (Hemp Facts). Another use for hemp is that it can be made into fuel.Hemp is the Earth’s number one biomass resource, capable of producing 10 tons of biomass per acre in only four months (Hemp Facts). This biomass can be co nverted into methane, methanol, or gasoline at a cost very similar to the cost petroleum (Hemp Facts). It can also produce 10 times more methanol than corn (Hemp Facts). Since hemp is a natural plant, the use of hemp as a fuel makes it better for the environment. It does not add to global warming. Not only is hemp as a fuel better for the environment, but using hemp fiber for paper is also better for the environment.One acre of hemp produces as much fiber as 4. 1 acres of trees (Herer). While trees cut down to make paper usually take about 50 years to grow, hemp is ready to be harvested in about 120 days (Hemp Facts). Since hemp takes less time to be ready to be harvested and it can produce more fiber per acre, hemp could possibly be the answer to the deforestation problem. Only eight out of about one hundred known pests cause problem to the plant so hemp is normally grown without herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides (Hemp Facts).Hemp is also a natural weed suppressor due to the fa st growth of the canopy causing a blockage of the sun that does not allow for the weeds to grow (Hemp Facts). All of these things make hemp a cheaper, more environmentally friendly crop. Hemp has been one of the most widely used crops, all around the world, for more than 3000 years. With hemps thousands of uses, it could possibly save our country in this time of deficit. However, the United States still refuses to recognize it has being a potential economically beneficial crop because of a plant of the same species.Works Citied â€Å"Hemp Facts. † HempUSA. org. HempUSA. org, 1 June 2009. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. Web Herer, Jack. â€Å"The Forgotten History of Hemp. † Earth Island Journal 5. 4 (1990): 35. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. Web Industrial Hemp in the United States: Status and Market Potential. Rep. no. AGES-ERSAGES001. Ers. usda. gov, Jan. 2000. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. Web West, David P. Hemp and Marijuana: Myths and Realities. Prescott, Wisconsin: North American Indust rial Hemp Council, 27 Feb. 1998. PDF.

We grieve that the innocent have suffered but we are satisfied that evil has been defeated

In the play ‘Othello' by William Shakespeare it could be said that in the end, despite the killing of Desdemona, Othello and Emilia that, â€Å"we grieve that the innocent have suffered but we are satisfied that evil has been defeated†, but to what extent is this actually true? There is no doubt that ‘Othello' is full of the suffering of innocence. None more so than the suffering of Desdemona who can be described in no other way than pure and virtuous. At no point in the play can it be said that she shows anything other than these qualities and there really can be no justification for the fate that befalls her. ‘She is indeed perfection', which is stated by Cassio, is the perfect description of this woman and yet she arguably suffers most within the text. Not only is her integrity questioned, the man she loves and has given her soul to, denounces her as a ‘whore' and a ‘strumpet' and in the end murders her. There is no doubt either that Othello suffers within the play. He is driven to kill Desdemona, the woman he loves, due to the notion that she has lied, cheated and is ultimately a lustful adulteress. His innocence however, could be questioned. The only proof that Desdemona has done the things she had been accused of is that which is in Othellos imagination. He never really has any real proof, just suggestions. It is in fact his jealousy and imagination that makes him believe that Desdemona is an adulteress. Without his jealous tendencies, the seed of suspicion could never have been planted. As well as the circumstances it is a personal failing within Othello himself that leads to the murder of his wife and so therefore he is not completely innocent in his suffering, or that of Desdemona. Despite Othellos already jealous personality playing an important role in the events, it cannot be denied that Iago is the character who initiates, and through exploiting Othellos jealous nature and the naivety of Desdemona, brings about the suffering of all. The blame, to a great extent, lies with Iago. His character is nasty, crude and disrespectful. This is shown in the scene where he encourages Roderigo to inform Brabantio (Desdemonas father) of her where abouts. He says, ‘an old black ram, is tupping your white ewe', which is an altogether crude and animalistic way to describe the act of love making between two people who are clearly in love. He again uses a vulgar description of the pair when he says, ‘your daughter covered with a Barbary horse'. Despite talking about Othello in this derogatory way he pretends to be his friend throughout the play. He clearly states that ‘I follow him to serve my turn upon him' and ‘I must show out a flag and sign of love, which is indeed but a sign', which shows his vindictive and scheming nature. Although he pretends to be a friend to Othello, he is actually only doing it in order to let him suggest that his wife isn't the women he thought she was. With this in mind, the most truthful words that Iago says are, ‘I am not what I am'. Iago never actually does anything, he doesn't kill or hurt anyone physically and yet he undoubtedly lies behind the suffering within the play. This makes what he's doing all the more sinister. His evil nature is unquestionable and so when he is found out at the end of the play it could be said that evil has been defeated. However, Iagos true colours being shown and him being punished hasn't stopped him doing what he set out to. He has after all still made Othello suffer significantly and in turn got his revenge. In conclusion I feel that although it is true that innocence has suffered a great deal throughout the play, the fact that Othello played a role in his own suffering cannot be over looked. Nor can the question of to what extent he really was innocent in the whole scenario. In addition to this there is the question of, has evil (Iago) really been defeated? I don't believe that it has, as in my opinion, evil has done what it set out to do and has in fact won.

Computers Are Valuable Tools To Motivate Students Education Essay

As stated in the Literature Review, many developed states are seeing ICT as a possible tool for alteration and invention in the instruction field and they are therefore, puting massively in the proviso of ICT tools in the schools. Likewise, Kozma and Anderson ( 2002 ) wrote in their paper â€Å" ICT and Educational Reform in Developed and Developing States † that for an economic system to be knowing, instruction should be its primary necessity. Simultaneously, the instruction schemes in schools are flexing towards ICT. And every bit far as the consequence from our study in concerned, the same instance is deduced in the Mauritanian context whereby we can see that all of the secondary Mathematicss pedagogues do hold a computing machine in their ownership every bit good as an cyberspace connexion. They are invariably doing usage of the computing machine every bit good as are connected to the cyberspace on a day-to-day footing. The Mauritanian Government besides is lending in the integrating of ICT in the instruction sector by presenting the synergistic whiteboard in the schools which is an efficient instruction tool for the pedagogues to learn in an advanced manner and convey about a alteration in the accustomed chalk-and-talk procedure of instruction. However, a full integrating of the instruction tools have non yet been made in all the Mauritian secondary schools since it can be noted from the consequence of the study that most of the province and private pedagogues are non in ownership of an synergistic whiteboard to their instruction pattern. They are so obliged to carry on their categories in the computing machine lab as and when required but unluckily, this is non possible for all pedagogues ; they are therefore left behind to transport on with their usual chalk-and-talk manner of learning Mathematicss without doing the usage of any ICT tool in their schoolroom. One of the chief grounds that may be advocated is the deficiency of fiscal resources by the schools to buy these ICT instruction tools, peculiarly those from the private schools who have to self-finance themselves to a certain extent and have the staying financess from the Private Secondary School Authority, which is once more to an extent non sufficient to transport out the necessary outgos of the schools. Additionally, the province schools are limited to a certain budget provided by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources at every interval of the budget exercising. As explained by Hepp, Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein ( 2004 ) that there is no cosmopolitan truth for using ICT in instruction ; it all depends on every state ‘s world, precedences and long-run budgetary chances and committedness. Accessibility is hence non considered merely by holding entree to a computing machine and the cyberspace but besides, the other factors which influence the success to the integrating of ICT in the instruction sector whereby it is a complex procedure which can be eased with the followup of the four phases as proposed in the Literature Review chapter.5.2 Use OF ICTICT can be used in three ways at schools: for pedagogues to show, buttocks and proctor cognition ; to heighten administrative work ; as â€Å" larning content in relationship to pupils ‘ information literacy † ( Myungnghee Kang et al. , 2011 ) . Sing merely the usage of ICT by the secondary Mathematics pedagogues, they are expected to do the usage of this advanced instruction tool in their day-to-day instruction pattern. The pedagogues are therefore viewed as facilitators to the pupils instead than doing the pupils dependent on them for their surveies. On the other manus, from the in-depth analysis of the study, it is deduced that most of the secondary Mathematics pedagogues of Mauritius used ICT for personal usage instead than a teaching tool at the degree of the schools. They are chiefly engaged in surfing the cyberspace or on e-mail and chatting exercisings ; they are therefore tagged largely as entertainers instead than facilitators by the pupils. However, it besides depends on the willingness of the pedagogues to do usage of ICT in his or her instruction and acquisition pattern. For this ground, many surveies on engineering credence have been conducted over the old ages and it appeared that these surveies had focused on the designation of factors that influenced engineering credence among pedagogues and pupils. One of the chief factors that can be seen to act upon these pedagogues can be the deficiency of preparation provided to them for the proper integrating of ICT in their instruction pattern. It is noted from the study that 80 % of the respondents have ne'er made usage of any Mathematics-specific package in their instruction pattern since they have ne'er been trained for the usage of these package like Graphmatica or Maths Blaster. Nevertheless, some pedagogues have made usage of other package like the Scientific Notebook but they keep off from doing farther usage of these package since the secondary Mathematicss course of study is besides non decently designed for the usage of ICT in the procedure of learning as seen by 62.2 % of the respondents. As discussed in the Literature Review chapter on the benefits of utilizing ICT in instruction of the topic Mathematics whereby both the chance to learn Mathematics better and to learn better Mathematicss should be considered in school engineering programs and teacher professional development. Therefore, holding a proper reviewed course of study for the secondary degree for the Mathematics topic will heighten the integrating of ICT in the instruction of the topic. Furthermore, besides the betterment in the course of study, the pedagogues are invariably seen to be actuating the pupils to do heavy usage of ICT in their acquisition of Mathematics. 138 of the respondents have agreed to be giving a assisting manus in the integrating of ICT in the instruction and learning procedure but however, it all depends on the willingness of the pupils every bit good to accept this alteration. As depicted from the study, there exists a relationship between the encouragement done by the pedagogues and the willingness of the pupils but it is tested to be rather a weak relation which can be influenced by other factors. Therefore, it is noted that really few of the pupils are willing to utilize ICT in their learning procedure of the topic Mathematics. Although the assorted advantages discussed in the Literature Review chapter by Papert ( 1997 ) , really few of the twenty-first century pupils are rather acute to look for replies to their mathematical inquiries on t he cyberspace in Mauritius.5.3 PerceptStatement ( a ) – Computers are really helpful to me in executing my responsibilities.As discussed in the Literature Review on the fact that with the usage of ICT in the instruction and acquisition procedure, pupils become more independent of the pedagogues and hence, let the pedagogues to acquire an first-class opportunity to larn from the pupils every bit good as to pattern being an information-seeker, womb-to-tomb scholar and risk-taker. The same state of affairs is applied to secondary Mauritanian Mathematics pedagogues whereby from the study, it is found that 60.6 % of the respondents do accept to the statement that computing machines are really helpful to them in executing their responsibilities. Therefore, the integrating of ICT in their instruction pattern makes their undertaking of learning a challenge in bettering and conveying about invention in their instruction accomplishments. Added to this, it is noted from the crosstabulation of the first statement as respects to the old ages of experience of the respondents that most of the people who agree to this statement have a teaching experience of 6-10 old ages which demonstrate that these respondents are really good cognizant of the old state of affairs whereby ICT was non being used and how the instruction sector is altering with the integrating of ICT whereby it will be of great aid to all the histrions of the instruction field which consists chiefly of the pedagogues, the pupils and the disposal.Statement ( B ) – It is really of import to maintain in touch with ICT.Similarly the first statement, the 2nd statement which is to show the importance to maintain in touch with ICT by the secondary Mathematics pedagogues, it is found that 66.4 % of them do hold with the statement since computing machine is seen to be a really of import tool for the respondents in executing their responsibilities decently. With the fast enlargement in the technological universe, it is hence really of import to maintain in touch with ICT to be cognizant of the different developments go oning all about, for illustration, the usage of societal webs like Facebook in the instruction and acquisition procedure. Following this statement, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources has already included this consciousness in its Education and Human Resources Plan 2008-2020 ( 2009 ) whereby it is stated that for the proviso of quality instruction to all, the reappraisal and development of instructional stuffs that are antiphonal to altering technological demands will be carried out. Furthermore, it is besides noted from the crosstabulation of the 2nd statement and the age group of the respondents that most of them are of the age group of 31-35 old ages old. They are therefore classified as being really familiar with the usage of engineering in the day-to-day life and can see the importance and benefits ICT is conveying about to different undertakings. Hence, they are really acute to maintain in touch with the technological promotion to assist in their instruction procedure.Statement ( degree Celsius ) – The cyberspace provides me with valuable information to fix lessons.It is stated in the chapter of Analysis that 55.6 % of the respondents agreed to the statement that the cyberspace provides them with valuable information to fix lessons while 10.8 % disagree with this fact. It can be farther discussed that those who have agreed with the statement are acute to be information searcher, womb-to-tomb scholar and hazard taker as discussed antecedently. They ar e ready to accept the engineering integrating in their day-to-day pattern as a challenge and run into the demands. However, this is non the instance for all respondents whereby the proportion of 10.8 % who disagreed are loath to do usage of ICT in their day-to-day pattern. As stated by Teo ( 2011 ) , with the impact of engineering on the instruction and acquisition procedure, outlooks on pedagogues to work technological advantages will lift, therefore taking them to see the force per unit areas of holding to toggle between teaching method and engineering in a seamless manner. Bing chiefly in the age group of +45 old ages old, these pedagogues are unwilling to convey about a alteration in their instruction pattern by doing usage of the cyberspace to fix their lessons as they already have their long clip experience in the readying of their ain notes.Statement ( vitamin D ) – Computer can assist me to be advanced in my attack to learn.As stated in the Literature Review that many states see ICT as a possible tool for alteration and invention in the instruction field ( Erdogan, 2009, adapted fr om Eurydice, 2001 ; Papanastasiou & A ; Angeli, 2008 ) , the tendency is being followed by Mauritius besides whereby it is noted from the study conducted that 56.4 % of the secondary Mathematicss pedagogues do accept to the fact that computing machine can assist them to be more advanced in their attack to learn. It besides coincides with one of the strategic ends of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius which is the proviso of quality instruction to all and therefore, the usage of ICT as a tool for the instruction and larning procedure in the schoolroom is emphasized. On the other manus, a proportion of 16.6 % of the respondents have disagreed to the statement which comprises largely those pedagogues form the province schools instead than the private 1s. This is so because although the Ministry of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius has integrated the thought of presenting ICT in the instruction sector in the Education and Human Resources Plan 2008-2020, it has non yet been to the full operational with the non-availability of adequate ICT resources to the province schools. Therefore, the pedagogues have to restrict themselves to what they are being provided with to convey about an advanced attack in their instruction.Statement ( vitamin E ) – Computers are valuable tools to actuate pupils.twenty-first century kids choose to look for replies to their inquiries on the cyberspace ( Myungnghee Kang et al. , 2011 ) . Besides, pupils who had followed ICT classs had more possibilities of being employed as most of the occupations today requi re a good cognition of ICT. Therefore, as respect to the respondents, 74.9 % of them have agreed that computing machines are valuable tools to actuate pupils in their acquisition procedure. Following this fact, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius has been advancing the survey of ICT in lower signifiers of the secondary schools along with the upper signifiers. Added to this, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development has late included in its budget for the twelvemonth 2013 the proviso of one tablet computing machine to each and every pupil in Form IV categories, thereby actuating the pupils in utilizing ICT in their acquisition procedure. However, a farther analysis of these informations every bit respect to the willingness of the pupils responded to quite a negative attack from the pupils ‘ side as really few of them are willing to do usage of ICT in their learning attack of the topic of Mathematics particularly ; they are more likely to larn the topic as was directed antecedently instead than making research work in the capable affair.Statement ( degree Fahrenheit ) – I need more preparation for the proper execution of ICT in my instruction.With the analysis of this statement in the old chapter, it has been noted that 4.36 % of the respondents have agreed to the fact that they are in demand of more preparation for the proper execution of ICT in their instruction procedure. As such, the Ministry of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius has made this proviso every bit good in its Education and Human Resources Plan 2008-2020 ( 2009 ) , that is, the preparation of the pedagogues in the usage of ICT in the instruction and acquisition procedure. This is to be done with the strategic end of implanting engineering in the instruction system of Mauritius. A farther analysis of this statement was done harmonizing to the different age group of the respondents which revealed that all those who have agreed to the statement are from the group age of 36-40 old ages old and above and they are therefore in demand of extra preparation as they have non been exposed to much usage of ICT before. Whereas, a proportion of 16.2 % of the respondents have disagreed to this statement whereby they form portion of the age group of 36-40 old ages old and below and they may therefore be considered to be from the digital age as the pedagogues that are being recruited presents have a full background of the usage of ICT in the instruction profession as per their capable affair. These respondents may hold followed classs from the Mauritius Institute of Education or from different universities whereby they emphasize on the usage of engineering along with the teaching method accomplishments in the instruction sector.Statement ( g ) – Adequate resources ar e available for usage in my schoolroom.The Ministry of Education and Human Resources of Mauritius has included in its Education and Human Resources Plan 2008-2020 ( 2009 ) the proviso of ICT installations to guarantee that all pedagogues make usage of these ICT installations on a regular footing for the instruction and acquisition procedure and this undertaking was to be implemented by the twelvemonth 2015. However, this does non reflect the aim to be met by the ministry as at the twelvemonth 2012 whereby it is noted from the study conducted that merely 8.1 % of the respondents have accepted that they have adequate resources for usage in their schoolroom while the remainder have disagree or strongly disagree with the statement. This dissension can be noted from both the province pedagogues and the private pedagogues upon a farther analysis carried out. The grounds that can be exploited from the province schools can be the limited budget provided to each school ‘s fund and that of the private 1s, the addition in the outgos of the schools. Nevertheless, Hepp, Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein ( 2004 ) have been really explicitly explained that there is no cosmopolitan truth for using ICT in instruction. It all depends on every state ‘s world, precedences and long-run budgetary chances and committedness.Statement ( H ) – Performance of students can be improved through the usage of ICT in the instruction and acquisition of Mathematicss.As discussed in the Literature Review, research surveies have brought frontward the fact that the usage of ICT every bit good as other learning schemes have enabled pupils to travel to higher-order thought ( Jonassen & A ; Carr, 2000 ; Kearney & A ; Treagust, 2001 ; Oliver & A ; Hannafin, 2000 ) . Therefore, pupils develop constructive thought accomplishments. As a consequence the pupils are larning in order to fix themselves for the hereafter information age ( Salomon, 1993 ) . Harmonizing to Kozma ( 2005 ) , ICT can be used to heighten pupil apprehension, therefore increasing the quality of instruction. This statement has been agreed by 55.6 % of the respondents as good whereby they do believe that the public presentation of the pupils can be improved through the usage of ICT in the instruction and acquisition of Mathematicss. On the other manus, after analyzing the information of this statement in conformity of the course of study of Mathematicss, it is to be noted that these respondents have besides agreed to the fact that the course of study of Mathematicss for the secondary degree is non decently designed for the integrating of ICT in the procedure of learning the topic. This demands a close follow-up along with the subject on course of study design discussed antecedently.Extent to which ICT is being used and accepted in the schoolroom.Over the past few old ages, several large-scale international surveies have documented the successful integrating of ICT in schools ( Lim & A ; Hang, 2003, adapted from Mann, Shakeshaft, Becker & A ; Kottkamp, 1999 ; Sivin-Kachala, 1998 ; Wenglinsky, 1998 ) . However, this does non look to be the instance for Mauritius whereby most of the respondents have stated that ICT is being used and accepted in their several schoolroom to some extent or non at all. This maximal fig ure of respondents signifiers portion of both the class of province and private schools. It can be confirmed that the whole instruction system of Mauritius is non working at 100 % with the usage of ICT in the instruction and larning procedure of the Mathematics topic. Although, Hepp, Hinostroza, Laval and Rehbein ( 2004 ) have been really explicitly explained that there is no cosmopolitan truth for using ICT in instruction and that it all depends on every state ‘s world, precedences and long-run budgetary chances and committedness, it should be taken into consideration that ICT instruction was already identified as an of import pre-requisite for the economic development of Mauritius since The Master Plan on instruction was prepared in 1991. As at day of the month, ICT integrating in the instruction and acquisition of Mathematics has non been able to accomplish a 100 % success as compared to other states.

Week4A4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Week4A4 - Essay Example Confidentiality will allow the authorized user to access the company information. Integrity will allow the safe transmission of data and information from the sender to the receiver. In this business scenario, the focus is on safe relay of company information such as emails and safe consumer transaction over the internet such as online purchases. Availability deals with the timely and secure access of requested information to the company and customer (Habiyaremye, 2011). All these three components are interlinked together in a system. Systems are vulnerable to threats and vulnerabilities. A vulnerability is defined as a weakness in the system which is not necessarily known by the user and the attacker. A threat is a possible attack directed to the system. However, the system is not necessarily vulnerable. Our website will be made invulnerable to threats through preventive measures that will be provided below. Because a system cannot be 100% secure, we anticipate building a security system that will address all the security issues as and guarantee safe transaction. In order to attain this, we categorise security features into four and deal with them separately. A standard client server model contains three components; the server system, the network and the client system. In order to secure the transaction between the client and the business, we are going to use the firewall in our internal systems. A firewall is a combination of softwares and hardwares that allow only external trusted users to bypass a protected network. By installing a firewall, unwanted users and programmes are prevented from accessing the system. We shall employ demilitarized zone technology using two firewalls, the outer and the inner firewall. The outer firewall will contain open ports that will allow incoming and outgoing HTTP requests. The shoppers browser will thus be allowed to communicate

The Homeless Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Homeless - Essay Example Some debates continue on whether the homeless should keep living in such conditions or not and whether the governments of their respective countries have put any effort to alleviate and improve the conditions of the people. The issue is difficult to determine if the homeless should be assisted or the government or other welfare organizations should advance their efforts to address the problem since various factors are important in decision-making. The contributions of the government or non-government organizations are subjected to serious scrutiny and from that, people have come up with their own perspective where any side of the arguments does not support the other, and each provides valid justifications for its position (Lowe 18-22). According to the facts presented by various sides of view of the current problems facing the homeless, it is not easy to decide in favor of any side a person can take in the debate. Those who support the view that homeless individuals should be assiste d argue that it is not a personal choice to be homeless, but it is a matter of circumstances that are beyond their abilities. This is because the income that these people earn does not support their bid to build or rent and sustain themselves in good houses and have enough for their daily consumption. Those who advocate for the assistance of the homeless argue that some circumstances that these people face can only be alleviated by external power that is not from within them because they cannot have enough for that purpose. Getting enough amount of money to support their well-being becomes a struggle for these people and therefore, the government and potential organizations should cooperate to implement the desired changes in the society. Having a home is the provision of basic need to the people who need it and it facilitates good living for all the people who access a place to stay (Robinson 83-84). People who have homes within a context with the homeless to psychological pressure curtail their participation in activities that can alleviate their economic conditions. This means that homelessness does not only affect the victims in the physical ways but also facilitates deterioration of their potential to exploit resources to attain their livelihood. This implies that assisting the homeless to secure homes can improve the condition of the people in the society and enhance the stability of the people in the process of their development (Robinson 85). The proponents for assistance of the homeless argue that the local authority of the areas which have homeless individuals has a legal obligation to provide places to stay and live. This implies that according to the proponents of the debate, if local authorities do not do anything to alleviate the condition, they fail to do their responsibilities to the people in an equitable way. Through fulfilling the mandate of the local authorities, it is possible to conclude that it is legal to provide homes to the people who have none and to facilitate their stay in such places. Neglecting the duty to guarantee shelter to the homeless by the local authority amounts to failure to do the responsibilities that are supposed to be done for the society (Robinson 96). On the other hand, there are other people who are opposed to provision of shelters to any

Top-down model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Top-down model - Essay Example Each of these layers will be discussed keeping in mind the example of Intertex Corporation and its processes (Turban, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2004). Firstly Business Layer is this level of the top – down approach, Intertex Corporation requires to work on the basic areas of the business which include the strategic business plans, process reengineering, and also the identification of the major business functions, processes and opportunities (Goldman & Rawles, 2004). These basically include the need to focus on areas like the need for the networking within the organization and also implementation of WAN and LAN which helps standardizing the overall processes. Applications Layer: is the second step which involves using the WAN and LAN to pass on all information more simply to all employees within the company and to use this as an excellent opportunity to identify the needs for all information and knowledge within the company (Goldman & Rawles, 2004). Here this can be used to also essential information from the headquarters both locally as well as to the remote locations as well. Data Layer is the third step and this section is also an essential part of the approach. Here factors like the database analysis and design are looked into along with other areas for the organization which include the Data modeling, Data distribution analysis and also aspects of Client/server architecture design (Goldman & Rawles, 2004). In the case of companies for instance Intertex this is an important stage and this forms the major part of the overall top down approach. This stage is essential in the overall determination of requirements for the Top down approach and this area focuses on all data collection and distribution for the business needs and information. Network Layer as explained by Goldman and Rawles 2004 deals with, a) Network analysis and design, b) Logical network design (what), c) Network implementation planning, d) Network

Effect of IT Industry on Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Effect of IT Industry on Literacy - Essay Example For example a manual may require at least a week with a man power of ten to fifteen people whereas when it comes to an automation the same work can be finished off within a day with an employee of one o two who knows how to operate it. A number of examples can be cited where Information Technology has played a considerable role. We can take the banks before they were automated. There used to be a lot of difficulty and lot of time consumption for performing transactions. Cashing a check involved a lot of time as the balance had to be calculated manually. But Information Technology has revolutionized banking sectors. Any kind of transaction can be performed within seconds from creating an account to withdrawing cash. And the introduction of ATMs(Automated Teller machines) has made the work even much more simpler in which the user can take money whenever he or she likes and need nor carry the exact amount of money. The IT industry has created a lot of opportunities as well in terms of employment and also with special incentives and packages which no other fields are offering. And also IT sector had a lot of influence of the education sector. Computer education is being provided from early years of education itself. This helps children to cope up with the coming years since they would have firm foundation in computers. Also special emphasis is being given in terms of application programming and also to games. Games help children to improve creativity and also form a kind of entertainment and refreshment. Similarly exposure to internet has also helped since internet is considered to be the largest storage of knowledge and the child can get any sort of information on whatever topic or subject he or she is interested in. It also makes learning easy and interesting. Information technology provides for students to develop and exercise their critical thinking abilities. Information conveyed through advanced information technology such as computers and the World Wide Web can appear more convincing than the same information conveyed through a conversation with a stranger or the newspaper, despite the fact that it may have equiva lent accuracy and validity. Students must evaluate all information critically. Their ability to present information using information technology can aid in developing an ability to separate form from content in all information, and in assessing its accuracy and validity. The result is a more critical evaluation of all information. Such critical ability helps individuals to evaluate information technology-mediated claims for alternative medicines, advertisements for energy-efficient homes, and homework advice from peers. Hence it can be observed that the IT industry has many positive aspects on literacy and education. One of the reasons is that IT has been made to reach even the remote places these days. In the past computers were only subjected to large offices and sectors. Even the internet was limitedly available. But slowly due to advancement in technology an attempt has been made to reach technology to every one and everywhere. This had been dome mainly due to the benefits which this particular field has got. These are the advantages of the IT field. But there are many negative aspects of IT sector as well. IT has definitely promoted literacy. But it has

Toyota 2010 Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Toyota 2010 - Term Paper Example This meant that the driver would not always be able to stop the car when he pulled the brakes consequently causing serious accidents (Jackwin, 2010). The second recall was made on January 21, 2010. Numerous crashes were reported which could not be explained by the floor mat incursion. Research indicated problems with the mechanical sticking of the accelerator pedal which Toyota labels sticking accelerator pedal. After a series of research findings Toyota recalled approximately 5.2 million vehicles with regards to the floor mat problem and an additional 2.3 million with regards to the accelerator problem (Stewart, 2010). These decisions were a result of numerous investigations carried out by Toyota along with the U.S. NHTSA and Japanese transport ministry. After numerous complaints being filed, US safety regulators carried out an investigation into Corolla steering complaints on Feb 17, 2010. The biggest challenge facing the investigators was to differentiate between accidents caused by mechanical or technical faults in the vehicles and those that were merely a result of driver error. Both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today suggested that even when the dealers and automakers realized the cause was driver error it was not always possible for them to say it explicitly, so as to avoid appearing insensitive to their customers (United States, 2010). Investigations were also carried out by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The MLIT investigated on the sudden acceleration complaints and released its findings in February 2010. Revealing that out of the 134 cases logged by the ministry between 2007 and 2009, Toyota accounted for 38 cases. However it also stated that since Toyota’s market share was huge approximately 28% the rate found was not unusual. When confronted with the issue the president and CEO of Toyota Akio Toyoda issued a statement

Division of Labour - Now and then Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Division of Labour - Now and then - Essay Example Its importance is analogous to the various organs, muscles, tendons, veins and cells of the body – that each must play its part and coordinate in order for the entire human body to function and live normally. Adam Smith (2003) explained this by positing how division of labor is the foundation of the wealth of nations. In his book, Wealth of Nations, he underscored this by immediately discussing its merits in the very first chapter of his work, which essentially pointed to the fact that such division of work is the reason for the increase in productiveness of labor and, henceforth, a country’s wealth. Division of Labor in History There are so many explanations that seek to define the roots of division of labor. For example, Karl Marx (2007)in the Capital, stated: The foundation of every division of labor which has attained a certain level of development, and has been brought about by exchange of commodities, is the separation of town from country. One might say that the whole history of society is summed up by this antithesis. (p. 287) Marx’s theory emphasizes a sociological characteristic wherein an economy is portioned into independent firms and industries. Perelman (2000) demonstrated this further by commenting that for Marx, â€Å"the conventional social division of labor concerns the organization within the factory [for instance], where the employer divides the work among the employees,† hence it describes hoe work is actually divided up between different workplaces that are, in turn, coordinated by market relations instead of an authority figure within the workplace. (p. 59) Marx’s theory implies that the phenomenon a little bit later than the antiquity and was only fully realized during the modern period when machinery and capitalism had been invented. Other thinkers posit different opinions. Smith, for instance, was bent on the contrasting idea of division of labor as simply the organization and specialization of work w ithin the workplace. If one is to follow this thinking, then division of labor has existed in the ancient times. As previously mentioned, some semblance to it could be identified in the ancient Egyptian and Indian societies. Perhaps the simplest example that could be provided in this regard is that of the family. Since time immemorial, gender or sexual differences had played key roles in the division of labor within it. In ancient China, for instance, this division is considered as an ideal virtue, crucial in maintaining harmonious family relationship. (Gamble 1963, p. 245) Here, husbands dealt with external matters while the wives managed the affairs within the family. Also, figurines from the Classic Maya island site of Jaina in the Yucatan peninsula suggest division of labor based on gender as well. They showed variety of activities, showing women grinding corn, weaving and using pots while men’s were focused on activities that require strength. (McKillop 2004, p. 123) The family also played an important part in the division of labor outside of the domestic realm. One can turn to the example provided by ancient American metalworking. Bruhns and Stothert (1999) recounted that Peruvian smelters were worked by family groups: Men and adolescents would have supplied the lung power for smelting, while other members of the family could break up the ore for charging furnace and later extract the

Visual Arts And Literature Essay Example for Free

Visual Arts And Literature Essay In visual arts and literature, the sacred and the secular, separate entities in themselves meld into one another, frequently producing a hybrid which gives rise to a new seculo-religious genre. Despite of the doctrine of separation of the church and state, most times it was the priests who were in charge of many other areas outside the religious realm such as education and politics. The far-reaching influence of the church had caused artists, musicians, architects, and authors to incorporate elements of the sacred in their work. Also these practitioners had fervent, deeply-rooted convictions which consciously and unconsciously pervaded their work. In the text Culture and Values: Survey of the Humanities, the dual presence of both sacred and secular represents the union of two major spheres. Cunningham observes that â€Å"the intermingling of secular with religious elements is thoroughly in accordance with Renaissance ideals† (Cunningham 291). Tiziano Vecelli (1473-1576) was a Renaissance artist who mingled the sacred and secular in his art pieces. His major masterpieces include The Assumption of the Virgin (1516), The Pesaro Madonna (1519-1526), Venus of Urbino (1538), Danae with Nursemaid (1553-1556), Presentation of the Blessed Virgin (1539), and St. Peter the Martyr (1530). His artistic life is characterized by the mixture, in one way or another, of Christian religious aspects with secular (and pagan) aspects. On one hand, one attests to Vecelli’s Marian devotion in his portraits such as The Assumption of the Virgin (1516-1518), which stands proudly in the Venetian Basilica of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and The Pesaro Madonna (1519-1526), placed at the Frari Basilica Chapel. The paintings laud Mary as a holy human intercessor and deity with the Child Jesus. Enmeshed in the words are the worship of the saints, heavenly glory, and apostles, all in a posture of solemn and sacred reverence At the same time his voluptuous painting of Venus is Venus of Urbino (1538) exhibits the nude body of a woman poised in a supine position on her bed, with seductive airs. Venus is the pagan goddess of love, fertility, and sex often depicted as a prostitute. Danae with Nursemaid also derives from Greco-Roman mythology. The art work demonstrates the naked Danae lying on a bed with her eyes heavenward and her maid Abbot Suger (1081-1151) is the one responsible for the rise of Gothic architecture and its popularity within the Christian church in the early ninth and tenth centuries. In the interpretation and construction of gothic buildings â€Å"(secular) builders and theologians worked closely together† (Cunningham 218). The collaboration of both secular and sacred perspectives gives birth to gothic architecture which began in Paris and which celebrated â€Å"the philosophical and theological traditions known as scholasticism† (Cunningham 209). Suger functioned as the Abbey of Saint Denis and therefore the architecture served both for religious uplift and secular admiration. The fusion of the secular and the sacred is evidenced in the proliferation of literature in the medieval and renascent times. The Summa Theologica, a literary and theological masterpiece, â€Å"represents †¦ the hierarchical and synthetic religious humanism of the middle ages† (Cunningham 232). Written by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), the Summa Theologica sets forth the primary beliefs and dogma of the church explaining and confirming arguments for theocentrism and also containing humanism’s doctrines. The scriptorium was the designated writing room within monasteries. Cunningham documents that â€Å"from the seventh century on monastic scriptoria were busily engaged copying a wealth of material, both sacred and profane† (Cunningham 193). Priests and friars wrote several essays, poems, and theses. Moreover in the Islamic tradition, one sees the merger of the secular and the sacred. Islamic literature became a classic art form where calligraphic depictions of sacred writings are etched on Muslim mosques. The art work symbolizes the Muslim concept of their God, Allah, who encompasses everything. These writings were often extracted from passages in the Qu’ran. Observers in classic renaissance mosque bear witness to â€Å"elaborate mosaics and geometric decoration† (Cunningham 311). One major example of the Islamic artistic accomplishment is the Arabic script. The beautiful Arabic script was originally sacred as it read the holy words of the Muslim faith, however it soon became both sacred and secular, as fine art. â€Å"The Kufic script is one of the most beautiful earliest and most beautiful of Arabic calligraphy styles† (Cunningham 176). The geometric lines of the Kufic script are distinctive since they boast vertical lines and shapes. The Catholic Church endorsed â€Å"the double usage for humanist learning for secularist and spiritual reform† (Cunningham 289). Humanistic and theological principles were unified in order to reconcile two divergent views where philosophy became spiritualized. Another artist who believed in the seculo-religious merger was Wassily Kandinsky who composed Concerning the Spiritual in Art (1911) and â€Å"claimed that the source of all true art was the human soul† (Cunningham 307). This view is in accordance with humanism where man is at the center of the universe (often represented as a man, centralized within a circle). A characteristic of Kandinsky’s work is his obsession with geometry, triangles, and circles. Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Kandinsky likens man’s life as a triangular pyramid where the ultimate goal is to achieve ascendancy at the top. Man’s soul can either be base (at the bottom of the triangle or exalted at the zenith. This art system hearkens back to Leonardo da Vinci’s classical Vitruvian Man (1490) where the man is his own universe. This double dimensioned painting shows a naked man simultaneously with his legs apart and his legs together, and his arms apart in two positions. The homocentrtic man stands as his own measure enclosed in a circle and square. Kalinsky also saw the spirituality of color for in his work he expressed the joyful, spiritually ecstasy in vivid and bright color versus the dark, melancholic color. However, there were opponents to the union of secular and sacred who held that both should be kept separate. The unity between sacred and secular was not a smooth transition nor was it a unanimous movement, â€Å"the culture of the fifteenth century often was in fact a dialectical struggle at times classical ideals clashed with biblical ideals; at other times the two managed to live in harmony or in a temporary marriage of convenience. The strains of Classicism and Christianity interacted in complex and subtle ways† (291). Catholic Emperor Justinian I was a fan of secular and sacred architecture. He personally directed the erection of several, elaborate cathedrals with Byzantine designs. He helped construct many churches, convents, and palaces, namely, The Great Palace of Constantinople, Basilica Cistern, Church of St. Sophia, and Saint Apollinaire Nuovo. During the reign of Justinian, after the conquest of the old tribe, the Goths (from which one gets the word gothic), the art works of the conquered tribe became ornaments which were positioned within the churches. Cunningham testifies that gothic â€Å"mosaics were added to the church when the building passed from the Goths into Byzantine hands† (Cunningham 161). In Justinian’s time saw a marked proliferation of icon paintings which featured images of Christ and which commenced an iconic style. However, opponents to the incorporation of these icons rebelled to the new wave of art and thus became iconoclastic (thus the origin of the word). Justinian also had mosaics crafted of him and his wife, Theodora, called the Ravenna Mosaics. They portray the royal couple with divine auras around their heads which explain their religio-political views of divine right to rule. Movements within the church and religion rose up to keep the secular and the sacred separate. One such ardent critic of the seculo-religious combination is Girolamo Savonarola (1542-1498) who in an attempt to reform the church who embraced the secular, implemented book burning to expunge the decadent material from the holy writings. As a passionate Dominican friar, his radical views were vehemently anti-Renaissance and anti-humanist. He disagreed with the secular literary that was gaining ground within the church. However, he was condemned a heretic, excommunicated, and martyred. Savonarola wrote spiritual meditations based on Psalms 50 and Psalms 51. The Church also proscribed certain writings and did not tolerate heretical teachings such as Galileo’s Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632). Galileo Galilei wrote Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632) and following Copernicus, concluded that the sun was at the center of the universe. Galileo’s â€Å"discoveries brought ecclesiastical censure and he was forced to recant before the inquisition. Facing a possible excommunication and martyrdom, Galileo chose to renounce his beliefs to preserve his life while the Catholic Church bans his book as a forbidden text. Two branches of Buddhism emerge in the thesis and antithesis of the secular and the sacred. The Hinayana is a more rigid form of Chinese Buddhism whereas Mahayana is more worldly and was attractive to Confucians. On the ascetic side, Hinayana appreciated â€Å"Buddhist art (which) aimed to inspire spiritual meditation and a rejection of worldly values† (Cunningham 129). The art work that emblemized the adherent’s austerity is the Fasting Buddha. The image of the Fasting Buddha embodied â€Å"the command to renounce all worldly pleasures† (Cunningham 120). This sculpture forms an essential part of Gandhara Art which represents a thin, gaunt man in a cross-legged seated position with a halo about his head, symbolizing the resultant enlightenment. This antique shows Siddhartha who fasted for three months, denying himself and meditating. The monasteries which supported Mahayana grew faster and were patronized by the wealthy elite classes. Hinduism also contains a hybrid literature which included Hindu sacred text as well as secular tastes. The Gitanjali is an anthology of poems translated into English from the original Vedic manuscripts where its author, Rabindranath Tagore wrote the anthology which signifies â€Å"an offering of songs. † The poetry still retains its strong religious connotations nevertheless, it speaks of and brings together both worlds of the secular and the sacred. â€Å"in 1913, Tagore won the Nobel Prize for literature for Gitanjali, a collection of poems based upon traditional Hindu themes† (Cunningham 314). The work typifies a drawing together of two bodies the male and the female and at the same time uses this sexual imagery to relay information about the ultimate mystery of man’s spiritual union with the divine. In sum the joining of the secular and the sacred tells that although disparate in nature these dichotomies manage to combine and form a powerful force in art and literature. One cannot deny that in order to not lose its peculiar characteristics and identity, strategies of separation between the secular and the sacred have been executed. Holiness ought to be preserved as holy and the secular as its worldly self. Difference can be necessary in order to prevent dilution and weakening of core principles which can be misplaced with frequent mixture. Works Cited: Cunningham, Lawrence S. John J Reich. Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities, Wadsworth, Boston, 2006.

United States Cuba Relations And The Economies Politics Essay

United States Cuba Relations And The Economies Politics Essay Economic sanctions can be and are a valuable tool for enforcing international norms and protecting our national interests. The U.S. Policy of applying economic pressure in Cuba originated soon after Fidel Castro came into power in 1959. The United States first imposed a full trade embargo on Cuba on February 3, 1962, after the Kennedy Administration became convinced that Castro was moving rapidly toward the establishment of a totalitarian regime in alliance with the Soviet Union. Castro had not only confiscated U.S. and other Cuban and foreign-owned properties on the island, but had been providing indiscriminate support for violent revolution throughout the Americas as part of his efforts to carry on the continental struggle against the Yankees, which he considers to be his true destiny. The embargo was formally begun by President, John F. Kennedy, and has been supported by all successive Presidents. The U.S. embargo has had a major impact on the Cuban economy involving trade, wages, and jobs; and in addition, it has affected many United States businesses both directly and indirectly. The Helms-Burton Act is one of the major bills regarding trade with Cuba, and it has encountered much opposition and controversy both in the United States and abroad. Only recently was the news media ban in Cuba lifted allowing American journalists to get news from within Cuba. Health care in Cuba is also a major concern and is strongly affected by the Cuban Embargo. Our policy on Cuba is illustrative of one of the principal goals of economic sanctions-to encourage our friends and allies to adopt policies that can advance our common interests. Our allies and trading partners disagree with our embargo and have urged us to alter the provisions of the Libertad Act, also known as the Helms-Burton Act named after its principal sponsors. Cubas economy is in complete disarray as a direct result of Castros insistence on adhering to a discredited economic model-that of communism. The impact of the U.S. embargo was offset during the Cold War years by five to six billion dollars in subsidies a year from Russia. The economic problems in Cuba were exacerbated by the demise of the Soviet Union. The U.S.S.R. annually gave nearly five billion dollars in subsidies to the Castro government. However, the communist regime dedicated a bulk of these funds to maintaining an over-sized military machine and to a massive internal security apparatus. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba suffered a 35% decline in its gross domestic product between 1989 and 1993 (see chart), revealing an inherently dysfunctional economy. Food shortages and failure to provide basic public services incited disturbances that began to threaten the regime. In order for the communist government to survive, they had to undertake certain limited economic reforms because of these problems coupled with the continuing embargo. In the mid-1990s, the Cuban government began to allow private citizens to offer certain services under strict government scrutiny. Then in 1997, they introduced heavy taxes that forced many of these people out of business. In this sector, employment peaked at 206,000 in 1996, and then fell to 170,000 in 1997. The Cuban government has actively encouraged foreign investment, but forbids private investment by Cuban citizens, leaving it hostile to private enterprise. Not until 1993, did the Cuban government make it legal for Cubans to possess U.S. dollars. Since then, it has become the major currency. Failure by the communists to launch major economic reforms has fostered the development of a large black market and vividly growing corruption. Those with access to dollars can purchase imported goods at government-run dollar stores. To earn dollar tips, many skilled persons, such as doctors, teachers, engineers, and scientists are working in more remedial jobs in restaurants or as taxi drivers. Nevertheless, the Cuban government has not employed any credible effort to adopt market-based policies and continues to keep tight control over the highly centralized economy. Over 80% of the work force are employed by the state. To encourage a democratic transition in Cuba, Congress passed the Cuban Democracy Act (CDA) in 1992, which tightened the embargo by prohibiting American owned or controlled subsidiaries located abroad from doing business with Cuba. The sanctions will also have an unanticipated indirect effect on the American economy too. In addition to the immediate impact of sanctions on trade with the target, Cuba, many American businesses will suffer. American businessmen claim that the effects of even limited unilateral trade sanctions will go well beyond the targeted sectors. They also argue that the effects of such action will tend to linger long after the embargo is lifted because U.S. forms will come to be regarded as unreliable suppliers. Exports lost today may mean lower exports after the sanctions are lifted because U.S. firms will not be able to supply complementary parts, replacement parts, or related technologies. These indirect effects may extend beyond the sanctioned products and even beyond the time period in which the sanctions are imposed. Jobs in the export sector of the economy tend to pay better than the average wages. Thus even in the full employment economy that the U.S. is enjoying now, the loss of exports still means a loss in wages-the export wage sector premium. The export sector wage premium is about 12 to 15 percent, taking into account both direct and indirect employment. In 1995, the average salary in the manufacturing sector was about $34,020, so the premium paid by the export sector was about $4080 per worker (12% of $34,020). What these figures mean is that, as a consequence of U.S. sanctions, workers probably lost between $800 million and $1 billion in export sector wage premiums in 1995. In some periods in the last two decades, when the U.S. economy was not flourishing with full employment, and when jobs were not readily available, the loss of these exports may have added to the unemployment rolls. But even if the loss of exports had a zero effect on unemployment, it certainly reduced the number of good paying jobs. If the next twenty years see similar applications of sanctions in the United States, the cumulative loss of wage premiums could be around $20 billion (20 years times roughly $1billion a year). This is a heavy cost for us, and does not even take into account less tangible costs like making U.S. companies seem unreliable as suppliers and handing over business to foreign competitors. U.S. businesses are alarmed by the proliferation of trade sanctions by federal, state, and local governments and are pushing for legislation making it harder to use commerce as a weapon in international disputes. USA*Engage and its 632 businesses and organization members argue that unilateral trade sanctions rarely work, and often, they do backfire and have a bad affect ion American interests. Most of the analysis of the effectiveness of economic sanctions suggests they have limited utility for changing the behavior or governments of target countries. Previous research at the Institute for International Economics concluded that US sanctions had positive outcomes in fewer than one in five cases in the 1970s and 1980s. Much less is known about the costs of economic sanctions for the U.S. economy. Foreign investment in Cuba has failed abysmally to meet the regimes own expectations. Many of the countries that had committed investment hardly reached what they had actually promised (see chart below). Originally targeted at $500 million per year when new measures to attract foreign investment were introduced in 1990, the three-year investment total (FY 90-91 to 92-93) barely reached $500 million. For thirty years, the United States had a media ban restricting the media from having outposts in Cuba. American news bureaus were closed down in Cuba in 1969 when Castros government expelled the last members of the Associated Press who had been operating in the country. Almost thirty years later, in February 1997, President Clinton stated that ten news organizations would receive licenses allowing them to resume operations in Cuba. The decision to lift the news media restrictions came at a time when questions concerning relations with Cuba began to cause policy rifts between the United States and our European allies. Despite this minor concession made by the White House concerning the media networks, the policies of the Clinton Administration remained avidly anti-Castro. Clintons main intentions concerning Cuba are to promulgate democratic reforms in the government and bring an end to four decades of communism in Cuba. During Clintons first term in office, he signed into law, a bill that imposed sanctions on any country that chose to do business with the Castro government, the Helms-Burton Act. Our European allies argued that the law was an attempt by the United States to control the foreign policies of other countries. And they vowed to challenge the law before the newly formed World Trade Organization (WTO). After Cuban fighter jets shot down two passenger planes without warning in February 1996, President Clinton showed no hesitation in signing this bill into law. Part of his intentions were to send Cuba a powerful message that the United States will not tolerate further loss of American life, as Clinton stated himself. The bill targets companies doing business in Cuba in an attempt to block crucial international investment sought by the Cuban government. It allows Americans to sue companies that profit from the property the Cuban government has confiscated in the past 35 years, a stipulation many U.S. allies have shown opposition for. One of the major reasons for the imposition of the embargo was the Cuban Governments failure to compensate thousands of U.S. companies and individuals whose properties, large and small, were confiscated after the revolution. They specifically targeted and took property owned by U.S. nationals. Under the Cuba claims programs in the 1960s, the U.S. Foreign Claims Settlement Commission certified 5,911 valid claims by U.S. nationals against the Government of Cuba. The Castro government also took property from thousands of Cubans, some of whom have since become U.S. citizens. Under the law, any person who makes use of property confiscated from Americans by Castros government can be denied entry into the United States. Cuban-American Representative Ileana Ros-Lechtin, R-Florida, said the bill will penalize those who have become Castros new patron saints: the foreign investors who callously traffic in American confiscated property in Cuba to profit from the misery of the Cuban worker. The bill also urges the president to seek an international embargo against Cuba, but currently, no other economic power observes an embargo. Cuba doesnt seem very concerned though. The main victim of this law will be the United States itself, said Paul Taladrid, Cubas deputy minister for foreign investment, because it will have to face the opposition of the r est of the world, or its closest allies. Although many U.S. allies oppose parts of the policy, they have said that they agree with us on the key goal of encouraging democracy and human rights in Cuba. Even when supporting Cubas resolution at the UN General Assembly against the U.S. embargo of Cuba, The European Union made clear its opposition to Cubas human rights policies. The best known and most controversial parts of the Act are Title III and Title IV which created a private cause of action in U.S. Courts and prohibits visas and entry into the United States to those who traffic in confiscated property claimed by a U.S. national. The provisions extend well beyond Americas legal reach. These provisions prompted the European Union to initiate a complaint against the U.S. in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Canada and Mexico called for consultations under the provisions of NAFTA. Many think that the Act is a misguided principle; critics claim that it attempts to undermine the regime of Castro by depriving him of hard currency. This is futile, not only because the U.S. finds itself alone in its policy of isolating Cuba; although sometimes a lonely policy may be the right one. Both Canada, the biggest investor in the island country, and the European Union are still poised to retaliate against the United States. American allies reject the idea of making foreign policy under threat of lawsuit. Although the United States has such a problem with other countries not backing the embargo, an embarrassing example is still extant. After the foundation of the state of Israel, an Arab boycott penalized foreign firms for doing business with the new state. America rightly opposed this policy; now it must prepare to reverse itself. U.S. allies in Europe and Latin-America are livid over Helms-Burton; by what right, they ask, do U.S. Courts presume to impose sanctions against foreigners doing their own business in Cuba? Several of these countries have passed counteracting laws allowing their citizens to sue in their courts if Helms-Burton cases are brought against them in the United States. All this does is leave a potential legal rats nest benefiting nobody but the lawyers. Helms-Burton in section 306(b) gives the President authority to suspend the provisions allowing lawsuits against traffickers for successive periods of six months if he finds that such a step is necessary to the national interests of the United States and will expedite the transition to democracy in Cuba. President Clinton has already exercised this option several times to appease the dissention from our allies. We have been able to manage this serious disagreement with our close allies and trading partners and advance the promotion of democracy in Cuba. Under Secretary Eizenstat reached an Understanding with the EU in April 1997 under which the EU agreed to suspend its WTO case and step up its efforts to promote democracy in Cuba. The parties also agreed to negotiate disciplines on property confiscated in contravention of international law, including property in Cuba, and principles on conflicting jurisdictions. These discussions are in a crucial phase and, if an agreement is reached, the Administration will discuss with Congress the possibility of obtaining authority to waive Title IV of the Act. There is a large body of misconceptions about the present state of health care in Cuba, including the false accusation that it is the U.S. policy to deny medicine or medical supplies and equipment to the Cuban people. The end of Soviet subsidies forced Cuba to face the real costs of its health care system. Unwilling to adopt the economic changes necessary to reform its dysfunctional economy, the Castro government quickly faced a large budget deficit. In response, the Cuban Government made a deliberate decision to continue to spend money to maintain its military and internal security apparatus at the expense of other priorities including health care. In 1995, Cubas imports totaled $2.8 billion dollars, yet only $46 million dollars only 1.5% of overall foreign purchaseson medical imports for its 11 million people. By comparison, Cubas neighbor, the Dominican Republic, spent $208 million dollars on medical imports for its 7.5 million citizens in 1995. The US embargo does NOT deny medicines and medical supplies to the Cuban people. As stipulated in Section 1705 of the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the U.S. Government routinely issues licenses for the sale of medicine and medical supplies to Cuba. The only requirement for obtaining a license is to arrange for end-use monitoring to ensure that there is no reasonable likelihood that these items could be diverted to the Cuban military, used in acts of torture or other human rights abuses, or re-exported or used in the production of biotechnological products. Independent non-governmental organizations, international organizations, or foreign diplomats can perform monitoring of sales. Since 1992, 36 of 38 license requests have been approved to U.S. companies and their subsidiaries to sell medicine and medical equipment to Cuba. Sales have included such items as thalamonal, depo-provera, pediatric solutions, syringes, and other items. The Department of Commerce declined the other two requests for licenses it received for failure to meet legal standards. Both of these exceptions to the general policy of approving commercial medical sales occurred in 1994. Moreover, the U.S. embargo on Cuba affects only U.S. companies and their subsidiaries. Other nations and companies are free to trade with Cuba. Should Cuba choose not to purchase from the U.S., it can purchase any medicine or medical equipment it needs from other countries. Such third-country transactions only cost an estimated 2%-3% more than purchases from the U.S. as a result of higher shipping costs. In closing, the essential element of the tragedy of the Cuban people is not the United States-Cuba conflict; rather, it is the struggle of eleven million people who seek to assert their human dignity and reclaim the inalienable political, economic and civil rights that were taken away from them by the Castro regime. The Cuban people have been victims of one of the most oppressive regimes of the twentieth century. The systematic violation in Cuba of each and every human right recognized in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been faithfully documented in recent years at the UN Human Rights Commission and by respected human rights organizations throughout the world. The truth is there for all that wish to see. Impervious to the deplorable living conditions of the people, the asphyxiating lack of liberty, and to repeated international calls for democratic change, Castro staunchly clings onto the reins of absolute power. Yet, despite the regimes relentless repres sion, those on the island are courageously demonstrating their commitment to change with increasing resolve. The U.S. economic embargo against the Castro regime has weakened its capability to repress this universal desire for freedom and is an expression of moral support that strengthens the will of those who seek to wrestle from the hands of a dictator the destiny of a whole nation.

Ethnographic Methods in Qualitative Research

Ethnographic Methods in Qualitative Research Firstly, this essay outlines a definition of both qualitative and ethnography methods. It will then explain how four articles of qualitative research have used the ethnographic method. It will discuss each article then compare and contrast them. Finally, the essay will look at a critical analysis of ethnography by linking the articles to the data written. They are as follows: Impact of financial incentives on clinical autonomy and internal motivation in primary care: ethnographic study is article one; Assessing the promise of user involvement in health service development: ethnographic study is article two; Receptionist input to quality and safety in repeat prescribing in UK general practice: ethnographic case study is article three; and Role of ethnographic research for assessing behavior of employees during cleaning and sanitation in food preparation areas is article four. And finally, it will look at different perspectives on ethnography such as feminist and postmodernist. Qualitative research collects data that usually diary accounts, open-ended questionnaires, unstructured interviews and unstructured observations (Jamshed, 2004). This kind of research is hard to measure. It includes things such as eye colour or characteristics of something that are obtained by in-depth research through collecting rich data. Therefore, qualitative research can be described, rather than measurable data (quantitative) (Patton and Cochran, 2002). Ethnography is used to represent the study of realism through knowledge and experiences, and the understanding of human behaviour, and in addition It consists of debates on the emergence of todays society. Max Weber definition embraces the explanation and understanding by using the interpretive understanding of social action, where interpretivism is subjective meaning to social action. Schutz (1962) suggest it is observation on the experiences of everyday lives (Schutz, 1962, p. 59 cited in Bryman, 2008, p.16). Ethnography is a study of observation and interviews, and developing an understanding of the society and individuals behaviour. According to Sarsby (1984) every field is different and it is being at the right place at the right time (Bryman, 2008, p. 401) and building a relationship with partcipants. Article one is a study that was done using observations and interviews. The research explores the attitudes and patterns of behaviour of the staff. The researchers had interviews that were both formal and informal conversations with most of the staff. To get the details it was requested that the partcipants described their job roles. They were asked what their views were on how it affected their jobs with new contracts (MacDonald, 2007). The methods they used were interviews and observations of involvement within the practice. They stated that the data of these methods helped to compare the behaviour of the staff (MacDonald, 2007). With the interviews, they transcribed and coded to recognise the developing areas. They conversed with the research team frequently to assess expectations and also to categorise ways for more study (MacDonald, 2007). There are limitations to this study, as the researchers conducted insignificant samples and there were no views from the staff within the practices. Besides that, they found that they could not observe the motivation of the staff. This is because it might delay observations of their behaviour and the writing up of their findings (MacDonald, 2007). The research shows the early stages and there is a need for further research (MacDonald, 2007). The outline of the study where the structural deviations linked with the implementation of the quality and outcomes has shown the ways that doctors and staff relate to each other. In addition, it shows the difficulty in predicting the long-term costs of the changes (MacDonald, 2007). Article two used participants observations and interviews, and collections of documentary evidence. It was led by professionals that determined the areas that needed improvement where partcipants users could take part (Fudge, 2008). It was hard to identify the effect on the services. Indeed, the study highlighted there was further knowledge of the personal gains for the staff who were involved (Fudge, 2008). By doing this research it gave increased knowledge about strokes and the services available for patients and specialists, and administrative staff (Fudge, 2008). There was not much evidence of direct user involvement of improving quality of services. In addition, there a lack of skilled staff was noticed (Fudge, 2008). The study has limitations because the programme is not directly generalisable to modernisation. Another limitation was that the study was only carried out two years of the three years that was predicted. It only provided part of the study where the user involvement continues to progress (Fudge, 2008). One strength of this research is that, by using the ethnography method, they are able to include participant observations. They can see what the staff actually do instead of what they say (Fudge, 2008). The objective of the research in article three was to describe, explore and to compare organisational routines for repeat prescriptions in doctors surgeries. (Swinglehurst, 2011). The investigation involved mapping the prescribing service by building on a rich description of the organisational doctors surgeries, and also connecting them through combination reports on the repeat prescriptions (Swinglehurst, 2011). The research showed that the receptionists and administrative staff regarded themselves responsible to the patients when repeating prescriptions. It requires a high degree of modifying and the decision of receptionists where there is a need for an updated study for patient protection (Swinglehurst, 2011). It was found by researchers that the doctors were oblivious of the input of their receptionists and administrative staff, indeed, within the article there was no information in the policy documents and previous research. However, the staff were occasionally criticised for n ot getting work done and their indirect ways of safeguarding patients (Swinglehurst, 2011). The research discovered the relationship and pressures of the work they do daily, and to find ways of the issues within the surgeries, and to find a better way for the procedure of repeat prescriptions. They found their research was bigger than any other UK practice. Furthermore, the willingness of the staff being observed could have replicated features of the practice. This is common when observing, as using electronic patient records are combined with pharmacy systems (Swinglehurst, 2011). Article four is a study that observes and undertakes interviews in the workplace. This is to see how they understand and explore practices of food handling and provide measures for the effectiveness of workplace training. The research shows that the results help to identify areas of improvement, by allowing the progress of training with the right tools. This is where the training is inputted from primary production through to food handling by the consumer (Crandell et al., 2015). This study used an ethnography method to collect the data of employees who did the cleaning and sanitation jobs (Crandell et al., 2015). Many tasks were identified while doing an observation interview procedure (Crandell et al., 2015). The study showed that there was a need for improvement and to provide training and materials, and also to regulate whether the SOP and SSOP procedures were being followed as written and if not, why not? (Crandell et al., 2015). The research found that there is a need for new a nd modified work flow, and with new tools and training (Crandell et al., 2015). The researchers used interviews with open-ended questions to fill the gaps that observations cannot pick up. However, there are limitations with open-ended questions that can give diverse information; the answer could be irrelevant to the research, and also the question can be too complex and the interviewee could lose their way in the interview. Another problem is that the person who is being interviewed could be intimidated by the questions. It can be time consuming and the interviews take a long time to transcribe and code. Strengths of open-ended questions interviews include that they can allow for unlimited possible answers and can be answered in detail. Some findings could be gained that the interviewer had not thought of using before. This essay will now use critical analysis of the ethnography method, and it will discuss the findings within the study. An example of ethnography is the Chicago School of Social Research. Robert Park encouraged students to study and observe the continuous changes of social occurrences of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s. The research was extensive in areas such as crime and deviance, race relations and urbanism (May, 2001, p.147; Bulmer, 1984a; Kurtz, 1984). It is claimed that the researcher was part of the study in order to get an understanding of changes by participating and recording their experiences (May, 2001, p.148). However, it can be argued that individuals act on principles from their environments. This is because they can understand the actions of individuals who occupy and produce cultures, defined as symbolic and learned aspects of human behaviour. Becker (1979) states that there is a need to recognise the difficulties and concepts in order to determine the information within the study (May, 2001, p148). Ethnography leads to an empathetic understanding of a social setting. Glaser and Strauss (1967) state that it should be related to the behaviour of the study. As the researcher is exposed to each social setting it acts as a control on reaching rushed conclusions (May, 2001, pp. 150-151). It is possible that researchers will omit a whole range of data in order to confirm their own pre-established beliefs, leaving the method open to the charge of bias. Furthermore, the observation of small-scale setting leaves it open to the charge that its findings are local, specific and not generalisable. It therefore lacks external validity. This may be challenged by arguing that the observed social setting is typical, by adopting the perspective of realism and examining the generative mechanisms of human interaction (May, 2001, pp. 170 171, Porter, 1993), or using a variety of data sources (May, 2001, p.171). This essay will now compare the four articles. All articles used an ethnography method with interviews and observations. Article one and two did a small amount of research. It is clear if the study was done over a longer term it would have been more accurate. This is because the researchers would have rich and more detailed data. Article two is an example of this statement. It was smaller than the researchers predicted à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ they only researched for two years instead of the three years they predicted. Article one had no mention of the views from the staff and in article three the doctors were unaware of what administrative staff do within the practice. However, they were often asked what they have done within the day. Article four used open-ended questions to fill in the gaps that observation could not identify. However, it can be argued that the questions can be complex and all the answers are not recorded. The first research only used a small group of researchers; the study does not show the views and the outcomes of observation in the study. There were many consequences and it was difficult to recognise the impact of the services. The research found that there is a lack of technical knowledge. However, other studies have shown it helps with the running of the surgery. The third undertook an investigation by charting the services to build a rich description. It showed it is essential for quality and services on repeat prescriptions. Also, it highlights the work that the receptionists and administrative staff do in the background. Indeed, teamwork is essential for patient safety. Finally, the fourth study identifies areas of improvement and training with the right tools. The study evaluates the cleaning process of working with food. Documents were observed and identified the need for improvements in employee training with the right tools, and training for improvement. This kind of research has proved to be first-rate and it seems to be an ideal way to study. Even though there are differences among areas of study, it has delivered an in-depth collection of data. It also often determines more research that needs to done. There are limitations too; time is an issue for ethnographic studies and there are costs with doing full in-depth research. Another example would be funding à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ to do an in-depth research will cost money to do. It will be cheaper to do a survey then an investigation over a long time. However, the main challenge would be acceptance from the people they are studying. They need to be accepted in the area of a study to get the best results. The progress is important to find out the key informants to conduct this kind of research. This is because they would undertake regular reviews and the researchers need to have a good rapport with them. When conducting research participant observation involves looking and listening. The objective is to see individuals in their usual background; the investigator should not interrupt the setting. Blending into the background is usually recommended. However, it can be impossible, for example, when observing in a classroom will be out of place. This can result in an artificial setting (Taylor et al., 1995, p621). However, it can be difficult to observe sometimes a participant observer and interviewers are unclear because researchers usually write up the days finding on the day while they are still fresh in their minds. However, even d oing it on the same day information can be left out due to the fact that the researcher cannot remember everything that has be spoken in the interview. Feminist approach suggests that issues concerning women are often overlooked. Looking through the feminist lens they believe that it is how we think, such as what is the truth and what is false, (epistemology) and it is the reflection of the researcher understanding of what is fact(ontology). According to Marcus (1992) realist ethnographers believe in coherence, community, historical determination and structure (Skeggs, Nd, p.431). In addition, there is a reality out there which can be discovered and identified.(Skeggs,Nd, p.431). Marcus also suggest that it is the question of who or what controls and defines the identity of individuals, social groups, nations and cultures (Skeggs, Nd, p.431). http://reinhardmeyers.uni-muenster.de/docs/Postmodernism5.htm Postmodernists ethnographers focuses on the pressures of issues of globalisation, and the movement of people, and the everyday relations of the world (Weiss and Wesley, Nd). Therefore, different perspectives see ethnography in a different way, and also do their study in various differences of their research. They argue that the nature of knowledge has changed to a new radical theories. The theory of knowledge (epistemology) claims that the truth can be discovered by the use of the correct techniques. In addition, it used to evaluate what is true and what is not, however, postmodernist believe it is possible to rule out the knowledge as being untrue (har Hol, yr, pp. 904/5). In conclusion, this essay has looked at how qualitative research and ethnography methods are used in four different articles. It has sought to identify similarities and differences of using ethnography within research. All four used ethnography with observation and interviews. In the studies, they all highlighted that there is a need for further research and training is needed in all areas of these works of research. Each work of research was done in different areas; however, they have similar aspects in what they covered. However, they have used the study in different ways. It has shown that, when using the qualitative research and ethnographic method, there are strengths and weaknesses. Before starting the research, these have to be examined before deciding on what method to use. By looking at different views on ethnography, it highlights that they look at it in different perspectives of the work of ethnography method.