Your guide on how to become an electrician

Your guide on how to become an electrician There will always be a need for tradespeople who work with wiring, machines, and other electrical equipment. Electricians keep us powered up, and they possess specialized skills to do work that could be dangerous in the hands of an amateur. If you are considering joining the ranks of these essential professionals, there are several things you need to know about becoming an electrician. What do electricians do?This seems like a no-brainer: electricians work with electrical equipment. That job description is both accurate and completely inadequate because the term â€Å"electrical equipment† includes so much and the work is so varied. Electricians perform repairs, installations, and maintenance. We are probably most used to having electricians visit our homes to install new outlets or repair faulty wiring, but they also perform their work in factories, construction sites, shops, and businesses. They work indoors and out, and the equipment on which they work stretches well beyond household appliances and wiring. Electricians may also decide to specialize in wiring airplanes, ships, cable and data systems.As for the less-specialized electrician, there are four common types:Residential wiremen, who install and repair household wiring.Inside wiremen, who install and repair wiring in non-residential structures, such as factories, arenas, airports, schools, and office buildings.Outside linemen, who lay the cables that connect power plants to residences and buildings.Telecommunications electricians, who install television, telephone, and Internet cables.What skills do electricians have?Electricians do a lot more than connecting cables from one power source to another. They possess a large quantity of skills, both general and specific to their particular areas of specialization.General skills include:Understanding the National Electric Code, which is the regional standard for electrical safety requirementsProblem solvingElectrical safetyWorking with tools such as amp meters, digital multimeters, pliers, measuring devices, drills, saws, etc.Reading blueprintsPlotting the installation of wiring throughout buildingsLocating and replacing faulty wiresWorking with circuit breakers and fusesLocating the energy flow to transformers and circuit breakersAssessing the work of other electriciansEnsuring that electrical work is up to safety standardsManaging electrical crewsMentoring apprenticesMore specialized skills may include installing factory equipment, fiber optic cable, alarm systems, and intercom systems.What education do electricians need?Electrical work is not the kind of thing you need a master’s degree or even a bachelor’s degree to do. You will, however, need a high school diploma or GED. That’s because electricians need a solid foundation in reading comprehension, algebra, physics, trigonometry, and ideally, electronics. Shop and mechanical drawing classes can also be very relevant to the kind of work electricians per form, though these courses are not offered by all high schools. Therefore, it might be useful to seek out extracurricular courses in these areas. They will help you to work with the equipment, understand the technical documents, and comprehend the scientific concepts involved in electrical work.What training do electricians need?While electricians are not expected to earn higher education degrees, they are expected to undergo formal training and earn licenses. This begins with a pre-apprenticeship training program. Such programs are often offered at trade and vocational schools. Although it is possible to find work as an apprentice without having already gone through a pre-apprenticeship program, such a program will make learning a lot easier.Following the pre-apprenticeship program, you will apply for an apprenticeship. The earlier you apply the better, because there will likely be a lot of candidates vying for available apprenticeships.As an apprentice, the goal is to learn the sk ills you need on the job- acting under high-pressure circumstances, trying to perform a service for a customer, and making your supervisor happy. In a pre-apprenticeship program, there’s more room to make the kinds of mistakes that all new students make. You would also get plenty of hands on training in the classroom and a firm understanding of the National Electric Code.There are several organizations that offer apprenticeships:The International Brotherhood of Electrical WorkersIndependent Electrical ContractorsThe National Electrical Contractors AssociationThe National Joint Apprenticeship and Training CommitteeWhen you apply for an apprenticeship, you may have to take an aptitude test that examines your basic reading comprehension, arithmetic, and algebra skills. Certain states have other requirements, such as becoming registered, that may include paying a fee.While apprenticing, you get on-the-job training from a licensed electrician and an hourly salary for your work. Yo u usually start out performing simple tasks, but these will get more and more complex as your training continues.What certification do electricians need?Once you have completed your apprenticeship, you will need to earn a license and/or certification depending on the state in which you plan to work. Each state has its own requirements. For example, some states only require licenses if you plan to start your own business, while others do not require licenses at all. In states that do require licenses, you will earn yours by passing an exam. The exam tests your knowledge of such concepts as how electricity works, job safety, regional laws, and the National Electric Code. Most states require some formal education and practical electrical training.How much do electricians earn?Electricians’ salaries can vary greatly, depending on factors like location, years of experience, and the specific company salary structure. On average, an electrician earns $25 per hour- about $13 per hour at the lower end of the scale and $35 per hour at the upper end. However, taking overtime, bonuses, tips, and profit sharing into account, the average annual salary is $52,720 and an electrician can earn as much as $82k per year. According to PayScale.com, two-thirds of electricians working in the United States also receive medical coverage.How is the job market for electricians?Short answer: great! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the electrical industry is a fast growing one. With a 14% increase in jobs projected from 2014 to 2024, growth is happening much faster than it is in most other fields. This is due to a burst in construction of new homes and buildings. All of those structures need new wiring, and if you earn your electrician certification, that will be where you come in!

Slavery and Identity Among the Cherokee

Slavery and Identity Among the Cherokee The institution of slavery in the United States long pre-dates the African slave trade. But by the late 1700’s the practice of slaveholding by southern Indian nations- the Cherokee in particular- had taken hold as their interactions with Euro-Americans increased. Today’s Cherokee still grapple with the troubling legacy of slavery in their nation with the Freedman dispute. Scholarship on slavery in the Cherokee nation typically focuses on analyzing the circumstances that help to explain it, often describing a less brutal form of slavery (an idea some scholars debate). Nevertheless, the practice of African slaveholding forever changed the way Cherokees view race which they continue to reconcile today. The Roots of Slavery in the Cherokee Nation The slave trade on US soil has its roots in the arrival of the first Europeans who developed an extensive transatlantic business in the trafficking of Indians. Indian slavery would last well into the mid-to-late 1700s before it was outlawed, by which time the African slave trade was well established. Until that time, the Cherokee had a long history of being subject to capture and then exported to foreign lands as slaves. But while the Cherokee, like many Indian tribes who also had histories of inter-tribal raiding which sometimes included the taking of captives who could be killed, traded, or eventually adopted into the tribe, the continual incursion of European immigrants into their lands would expose them to foreign ideas of racial hierarchies that reinforced the idea of black inferiority. In 1730 a dubious delegation of Cherokee signed a treaty with the British (the Treaty of Dover) committing them to return runaway slaves (for which they would be rewarded), the first â€Å"official† act of complicity in the African slave trade. However, an apparent sense of ambivalence toward the treaty would manifest among the Cherokee who sometimes aided runaways, kept them for themselves, or adopted them. Scholars like Tiya Miles note that Cherokees valued slaves not just for their labor, but also for their intellectual skills like their knowledge of English and Euro-American customs, and sometimes married them. Influence of Euro-American Slavery One significant influence on the Cherokee to adopt slavery came at the behest of the United States government. After the Americans’ defeat of the British (with whom the Cherokee sided), the Cherokee signed the Treaty of Holston in 1791 which called for Cherokee to adopt a sedentary farming and ranching-based life, with the US agreeing to supply them with the â€Å"implements of husbandry.† The idea was in keeping with George Washington’s desire to assimilate Indians into white culture rather than exterminate them, but inherent in this new way of life, particularly in the South, was the practice of slaveholding. In general, slaveholding in the Cherokee nation was limited to a wealthy minority of mixed-blood Euro-Cherokees (although some full blood Cherokees did own slaves). Records indicate that the proportion of Cherokee slave owners was slightly higher than white southerners, 7.4% and 5% respectively. Oral history narratives from the 1930s indicate that slaves were often treated with greater mercy by Cherokee slave owners. This is reinforced by the records of an early Indian agent of the US government who, after advising that the Cherokee take up slave owning in 1796 as part of their â€Å"civilizing† process, found them to be lacking in their ability to work their slaves hard enough. Other records, on the other hand, reveal that Cherokee slave owners could be just as brutal as their white southern counterparts. Slavery in any form was resisted, but the cruelty of Cherokee slave owners like the notorious Joseph Vann would contribute to uprisings like the Cherokee Slave Revolt of 184 2. Complicated Relations and Identities The history of Cherokee slavery points to the ways relationships between slaves and their Cherokee owners were not always clear cut relationships of domination and subjugation. The Cherokee, like the Seminole, Chickasaw, Creek and Choctaw came to be known as the â€Å"Five Civilized Tribes† because of their willingness to adopt the ways of white culture (like slavery). Motivated by the effort to protect their lands, only to be betrayed with their forced removal by the US government, removal subjected African slaves of the Cherokee to the additional trauma of yet another dislocation. Those who were the product of mixed parentage would straddle a complex and fine line between an identity of Indian or black which could mean the difference between freedom and bondage. But even freedom would mean persecution of the type experienced by Indians who were losing their lands and cultures, coupled with the social stigma of being â€Å"mulatto.† The story of the Cherokee warrior and slave owner Shoe Boots and his family exemplifies these struggles. Shoe Boots, a prosperous Cherokee landowner, acquired a slave named Dolly around the turn of the 18th century, with whom he had an intimate relationship and three children. Because the children were born to a slave and children by white law followed the condition of the mother, the children were considered slaves until Shoe Boots was able to have them emancipated by the Cherokee nation. After his death, however, they would later be captured and forced into servitude, and even after a sister was able to secure their freedom, they would experience further disruption when they along with thousands of other Cherokees would be pushed out of their country on the Trail of Tears. The descendants of Shoe Boots would find themselves at the crossroads of identity not only as Freedman denied the benefits of citizenship in the Cherokee nation, but as people who have at times denied their black ness in favor of their Indianness. Sources Miles, Tiya. Ties That Bind: The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery and Freedom. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005.Miles, Tiya. â€Å"The Narrative of Nancy, A Cherokee Woman.† Frontiers: A Journal of Women’s Studies. Vol. 29, Nos. 2 3., pp. 59-80.Naylor, Celia. African Cherokees in Indian Territory: From Chattel to Citizens. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008.

Virigina Henderson Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Virigina Henderson - Research Paper Example To facilitate patient care, the paper employs Virginia Henderson’s nursing theory as a profession. The theory of Henderson is significant in nursing profession and it states that nursing is rooted from the needs of human beings (Sitzman and Eichelberger, 2010). This theory is relevant to the personal philosophy of nursing practices because it deals with the role of nursing practice of helping patients to restore or improve their health. The purpose of the research project is to draw one’s attention into the subject of nursing philosophy thoughtfully in order to create awareness of the significance of nursing education. Personal Philosophy The personal philosophy of nursing is to promote the well-being of patients and facilitating patient care; thus improving the quality of life of human beings. The professional values and characteristics that are reflected in the personal philosophy are personal values which should play significant roles in the professionalization of nu rsing with an aim of improving the quality of patients. Therefore, one of the qualities reflected in the personal philosophy is nursing philosophy of superior leadership, which guides one’s actions, behaviors and thoughts; thus, these philosophies are influenced by internal and external forces. One can change who he or she is by simply changing his or her philosophy of leadership with an aim of delivering the best quality of services within the nursing spectrum. The major meta-paradigm concept of nursing as it is incorporated in the personal philosophy involves person, environment, health and nursing practices. First, the concept of the personal philosophy describes a person as an individual and a community who receives health care; thus, their needs should be met. Secondly, it takes into considerations the surrounding environment and this is where the concept emphasizes the need to keep the environment clean and safe in order to improve the health status of human beings. Thi rdly, the concept also focuses the health issues and this is where it emphasizes on the need for maintaining a healthy living through educating the public on the importance of living a healthy life. Lastly, the concept focuses on nursing practices of facilitating a patient care and improving the well-being of patients through proper treatment; thus improving the quality of human beings. Nursing Theorist Nursing care takes varied forms and sometimes it is the function of the nurse to offer proper medication in order to enable the patient to feel physically well. It is also the ability to improve or maintain the health of an individual or perform varied activities that contributes to the health of an individual. For many decades, nurses have made significant efforts of defining nursing; thus from these efforts, varied nursing theories have been developed. One of the nursing theorists is that one which was developed by Virginia Henderson who was also named as Florence Nightingale, the first nursing theorists to note that nursing knowledge is separate and distinctive from therapeutic knowledge (George, 2011). Virginia Henderson’s Nursing theory focused on offering fresh air, proper nutrition, light, maintaining cleanliness in the surrounding environment. In this theory, the domain of nursing describes the subject of nursing profession, concepts, its values and beliefs, as well as, offers the means through which the nurses can promote the health of clients across the spectrum. The maj

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics Research Paper - 1

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics - Research Paper Example So, perfect work ethics mainly initiated and managed by the leaders and management will only ensure smooth functioning for the organization and elevate its image. A foolproof and effective ethical program should be given top most priority and should be incorporated in every aspect of organizational functioning, without exception. So, this article will evaluate the ethical program in the one of the largest corporations of the world, Shell Oil Company In 1833, Marcus Samuel, a London Shopkeeper, decided to introduce oriental shells as fashion in interior design. Till 1886, the demand for oil was restricted to lighting and lubricants. With the invention of internal combustion engine and the first automobiles, the demand for gasoline arrived. By then the business was taken over by Marcus Samuel Junior and Sam Samuel. In the 1880’s, oil was being exported from Russia to other countries from the ports at Black Sea. Oil was transported in barrels and it consumed a lot of space in the hold of the ship. The Samuel brothers commissioned a fleet of bulk oil tankers for transporting oil. The Samuel brothers achieved a revolution in oil transporting with the maiden voyage of the first tanker the â€Å"Murex† through the Suez Canal in 1892. The brothers initially called their company the Tank Syndicate but later renamed it to Shell Transport and Trading Company in 1897. Petroleum was also being produced in the East Indies, whic h was a Dutch colony, by the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company. With stiff competition from Standard Oil, the two companies joined together to form Asiatic petroleum Company in 1903. The full merger of the two companies into Royal Dutch Shell Group came in 1907. Today, Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies. As per Forbes report (2009), in the year 2009, the Royal Dutch Shell was ranked 2nd largest company in the world, with assets worth US $ 278.44

The Affordable Care Act and Primary Care Essay Example for Free

The Affordable Care Act and Primary Care Essay The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of providing increased access to primary care and the expected impact of the 2010 Affordable Care Act on the delivery of primary care in the United States, extending current trends through the year 2023. Addressed topics will include a brief overview of the Affordable Care Act, current state of primary care and the impact of the Affordable Care Act upon primary care patients, providers and payers. The Affordable Care Act In March 2010, President Obama signed comprehensive health reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. This law makes preventive care, including primary care, family planning and other services more accessible and affordable for many Americans. According to the Center on Budget an Policy Priorities , the ACA would expand health care coverage to 32 million citizens who are currently uninsured. Expanded coverage of Medicaid and Medicare allows for increased inclusion of individuals who previously were not eligible for state and federal health insurance programs. The Medicaid expansion is 100% federally funded for the first three years (2014-2016) and at least 90% federally funded through 2022 and beyond (CBO, 2013). Included in the law is health insurance reform that makes illegal preexisting condition clauses in health insurance coverage and provides coverage for young adults under a family health insurance plan. Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 3 The uninsured and self employed would be able to purchase health insurance through state-based â€Å"exchanges†. Subsidies would be available to those who cannot afford to purchase insurance if they meet income requirements. Primary Care in the United States In the United States medical practice was not regulated until the 20th Century. Medical care was provided by a â€Å"doctor† who may or may not have been trained at a medical school. Many doctors received no formal training, learning as apprentices. These early practitioners provided a multitude of medical services to an entire family including delivering babies, setting fractures, surgeries, diagnosing and dispensing medications. Through organizations such as the American Medical Association the practice of medicine became regulated. These early pioneers were the early practitioners of primary care. Influenced by American ideals and desire for technology and wealth, the number of medical students choosing a path in primary care diminished in favor of specialty practice such as surgery, cardiology, radiology, etc. For several years there has been a decline in the United States primary care workforce. Primary care providers include general practitioners, general internal medicine practitioners, family physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The United States healthcare system has been facing a decline in its primary care Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 4 workforce, infrastructure and access to primary care services for several years. According to research (Petterson,2013) a number of factors, including poor reimbursements to primary care providers, low comparative income, and poor quality of work life due to high patient loads, have contributed to more providers choosing to train and practice in specialty medicine. This trend has led to a shortage of primary care providers across the country, likely contributing to fragmented care, inappropriate use of specialists, and less emphasis on prevention. Patients People who have access to a regular primary care physician are more likely  than those who do not, to receive recommended preventive services and timely care for medical condi ­tions before they become more serious and more costly to treat by visiting the emergency room instead of a primary care provider (Abrams, 2011). Patients are more likely to adhere to physician recommendations when seen by a primary care provider. Among low-income patients, access to primary care is associated with better preventive care, better management of chronic conditions, and reduced mortality. Preventing illness is as much a part of primary care as is the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions. The Affordable Care Act provides positive incentives to encourage people to obtain preventive primary care services. Through provisions in the act, applying to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, as well as the privately insured, the law eliminates coinsurance, deductibles, and co payments for approved preventive services Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 5 and tests, such as blood-pressure and cancer screenings, mammograms and Pap tests, and immunizations. Studies have shown full coverage of preventive services with no patient cost, increases use of preventive screening services over time (Abrams, 2011). In a study of low-income patients, researchers found that even small incremental changes in co-payments had a substantial impact on the afford ­ability and utilization of care. Included in the ACA is the concept of a patient â€Å"medical home.† This is a pri ­mary care site that provides patients with timely access to care, including availability of appointments after regular office hours with patients to manage health conditions and prevent complications, coordinates all care, and engages in continuous quality improvement (Abrams, 2011). Primary care providers will be the coordinators of the medical home. These medical homes will also ensure greater coordina ­tion between the primary care site and local emergency departments. Primary Care Providers With the ACA the total number of primary care office visits is expected to increase from the 462 million visits in 2008, to 565 million in 2015. Also  expected is the need for an additional 52,000 primary care providers by 2025 due to insurance coverage expansion (Hofer, 2011). The ACA will entice primary care providers to accept more of the newly covered by increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments for primary care services. There are two Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 6 provisions in the ACA that augment payments to primary care providers, one provides a bonus to providers whom participate in Medicare, the second increases reimbursements for Medicaid participation. The goal of these financial incentives is to stabilize and expand the existing primary care workforce. The Affordable Care Act invests an estimated $3.5 billion in the primary care provider bonus program from 2011 to 2016. As a result, Medicaid primary care phy ­sicians are estimated to gain an additional $8.3 billion in reimbursement between 2013 and 2019 (Abrams, 2011). To address this growing shortage of primary care providers, the Affordable Care Act provides support of education and training for primary care providers and community health centers. The Affordable Care Act includes $1.5 billion authorized over 2011 to 2015 for the National Health Service Corps to provide scholarships and loan forgiveness for primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants practicing in health professional shortage areas (Abrams, 2011). Other provisions that offer financial support for training new primary care physicians include more favorable loan repayment require ­ments for the federally supported Primary Care Loan Program and a loan repayment pro ­gram for pediatric sub specialists and child or adoles ­cent mental or behavioral health providers working in underserved areas. The necessary midlevel primary care practi ­tioner is recognized through scholarships, loans, and loan repayment programs, as well as through the creation and expansion of training opportunities. Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 7 Payer The Affordable Care Act brings an unprecedented level of scrutiny and transparency to health insurance companies. The concept of an insurance exchange is a major component of the federal Affordable Care Act. An important component of the federal law is that individuals must have health insurance with federal subsidies to help them pay for it. To improve access and protect patient rights, ACA introduces new commercial insurance standards, such as the removal of medical underwriting, elimination of lifetime limits, prohibition of pre-existing condition exclusions, and removal of cost-sharing for preventive services. Insurance plans will be required to cover essential health benefits which are defined under the ACA (Rosenbaum, 2011). Insurance companies expect significant changes in enrollment, demographics, and plan types. Economic, behavioral, political, and strategic influences are expected to shape the changing insurance coverage landscape, according to a Department of Health and Human Services Report. Implications for insurance industry stakeholders are considerable, due to being regulated by state and federal government. Insurance companies and insurance trade publications are stating they will be forced to raise premiums due to ACA requirements, fess and taxes forced upon them ( DHHS,2013). The ACA imposes an annual fee or excise tax on most businesses that provide health insurance, starting in 2014. The fee will be raised proportionately each year among Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 8 insurance providers based on their share of the health insurance market (DHHS, 2013). Certain insurers are exempt from federal excise tax, including public charities and social welfare organizations. In addition, nonprofit insurers that receive more than 80 percent of their gross revenue from government programs that target low-income individuals, seniors, and people with disabilities (including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program) are not subject to the tax. Supply and demand will determine how the excise tax is ultimately split between insurance companies and purchasers. Insurers have recently turned in strong financial results and thus are well positioned to bear some of the tax (DHHS, 2013). It is speculated they will pass a portion on to consumers. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that premiums subject to the fee will be 2 to 2 ½ percent higher than they would otherwise be. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that ACA will slightly reduce premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance in the near future. For employers with more than 50 workers, CBO estimates that the law will reduce average premiums by up to 3 percent in 2016. For small employers, the estimated change in premiums ranges from an increase of 1 percent to a reduction of 2 percent . It is important to note that the health insurance industry will gain millions of new enrollees in the next few years as a result of ACA. Insurance plans providing preventative health coverage will benefit financially by providing less expensive care for treatable Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 9 chronic conditions and early diagnosis on other medical conditions. Summary  With the oncoming implementation of the Affordable Care Act the benefits of the plan encourage the active role of the primary care provider. The uninsured patient now has access to health care that will afford him a better quality of life and address the financial implications of a poorly managed health care system in the United States. The ACA provides a means to entice more into the field of primary care. While it is in the early stages of scrutiny, the health insurance industry is a growing industry and is positioned to be profitable as a result of ACA, even with increased regulation. Conclusion With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the United States is positioned to provide a more sustainable and stronger health care system, due in part to the primary care provisions provided with the ACA. The health care system outlined would provide expanded service for patients, improve outcomes and quality and reduce future health care spending for the nation. References Abrams, M., Nuzum, R., Mika, S. and Lawlor, G. (2011, January). Realizing Health Reform’s Potential. The Commonwealth Fund. 1, 1-8. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Issue-Briefs/2011/Jan/Strengthen-Primary-Care.aspx Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2013, July). Status of the ACA Medicaid Expansion After Supreme Court Ruling. Retrieved from http://www.cbpp.org Congressional Budget Office. (2013). CBO’s Estimate of the Net Budgetary Impact of the Affordable care Act’s Health Insurance Coverage Provisions Has Not Changed Much Over Time. (CBO Publication No. 144176). Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office. http://www.cbo.gov/publication/44176. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013, February). Health Insurance Premium Increases in the Individual Market Since the Passage of the Affordable Care Act. (DHHS. Research Brief). Washington, D.C. http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/RateIncreaseIndvMkt/rb.cfm Hofer, A., Abraham, J., Moscovice, I. (2011, March). Expansion of Coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Primary Care Utilization. Milbank Quarterly. 89(1): 69-89. http://www.milbank.org/publications/the-milbank-quarterly Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 42 U.S.C.  § 18001 (2010). Petterson, S., Liaw, W., Phillips, R., Rabin, D., Meyers, D. and Bazemore, A. (2013). Projecting US Primary Care Physician Workforce Needs: 2010-2025. Annuals of Medicine. 6, 503-509. http://annfammed.org/content/10/6/503.full Rosenbaum, Sara. (2013, February). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Implications for Public Health Policy and Practice. Public Health Reports. 126, 130-135. http://www.publichealthreports.org/

Building Cyborgs in He She and It Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Mo

Building Cyborgs in He She and It Wouldn't you love to create your perfect man or woman? How about if they were a machine built only for you? The idea of artificial intelligence and cyborgs (human-like machines which can think) is not as far away as we might think. In the novel, He She and It, Marge Piercy brings this interesting aspect of future technology to the forefront. The hero of this exciting novel is a cyborg named Yod. He was built with the hope of protecting a small independent Jewish town from being destroyed by the surrounding large corporation cities. He was built by a man but programmed by a woman. This dynamic is shown even in the title, He She and It. Yod is built biologically like a man, programmed by a woman, and not actually human. Although Yod was programmed for protection, he was also given the ability to learn, think, and feel. Because of these abilities he thought like a human would. He had human-like qualities and emotions but none of the rights that go along with being human. Because Yod was built for protection this is the only job he was expected to do. No one thought about him falling in love, wanting to be a husband and a father, and wanting a life for himself; "I had only been fully engaged or bored. I had been puzzled. I had been frightened. I had been angry. But I had never been happy until we came back here with Ari and you told him I was his stepfather."(pg 364) Yod said this to his lover in a passionate moment in the novel. Does this sound like a being that thinks and feels? It sure does. So the real question that this novel brings up is now that artificial intelligence is on its way, how far should we go with it and if we do create a sentient being what rights does it have. Piercy sho... ... personal cyborg, I think I would program it to be compassionate and with a thorough knowledge of message. This way I could come home at the end of a long day and tell it all of my worries while having the stress massaged out. (I hope my husband doesn’t get jealous!) Ah, the simple dreams of a middle class American. Again, however, the issue becomes if they are more then robots programmed to do our bidding and they have human-like qualities, then they deserve more then a slave’s life. If we create a being able to make choices it is then unfair to place them in a position of servitude. Until we are able to truly say that any being with a conscious deserves rights and are willing to give them those rights, we need to stick to our computers and robots. Artificial intelligence is more then creating a technology, it is creating a being and that is an awesome thought.

Books and e-books Essay

Some people believe that printed books are no longer necessary in this digital era, as all writings can be stored electronically. Others think print books till play important role. Discuss both views and give your opinion.  In the past few years, e-books have been sold or downloaded for free in large numbers on the internet. These books and e-readers are challenging convention reading habits making the sales of traditional books decreased. But it still needs much consideration before eliminating altogether the need for printed books. There is no doubt that e-books are able to offer huge amount of information with feather like weight. Readers do not have to face the difficult choice of which book should be taken with on vacation, as one single e-reader like kindle or Nook would hold all the books you might want to read on the trip with no extra space in suitcase being wasted. E-books are also strong contenders when it comes to pricing. Because they are delivered in digital format, a part of the overhead including printing, storing and distribution can be avoided. And many classic books are free online, which is a boon to readers who only need a partly review or reference from those books. However, we cannot ignore a fact that the popularity of digital books can be a bit daunting for many readers who are used to going to the local book store, browsing the aisles and perhaps reading any chapter before purchasing. Or, there still are some senior readers who are reluctant to buy and learn to use an e-reader instead of holding a real book and making note wherever they want. Then when we talk about personal book collections, electronic ones can hardly be involved. Privately owned printed books can typically be displayed neatly as part of the household collection. These books may build up a reader’s spirit world and be good company as having friends being around. The bottom line is that both printed books and e-books have something to offer. We cannot simply eliminate the use of any single format because they are needed in different situation by various kinds of readers. They are all  making life better.

Immanuel Kant †Philosophy Essay

Immanuel Kant was a German Philosopher who was born on April 22, 1724 in Kaliningrad, Russia. At age 16, he enrolled at the University of Konigsberg where he studied philosophy. Kant is best known for his work in the philosophy of ethics and metaphysics, but he made significant contributions to other disciplines. He made an important astronomical discovery, namely a discovery about the nature of the Earth’s rotation, for which he won the Berlin Academy Prize in 1754. Kant developed his moral philosophy in three works: Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, Critique of Practical Reason, and Metaphysics of Morals. Immanuel Kant’s contribution to our study of business ethics is mainly noted in Chapter 4 of the textbook: Moral Duty, Rights, and Justice. Kent talks about the Categorical Imperative. Categorical imperatives are principles that are intrinsically valid; they are good in and of themselves; they must be obeyed by all, in all situations and circumstances, if our behavior is to observe the moral law. Kant stated that the moral means and ends can be applied to the categorical imperative, that rational beings can pursue certain â€Å"ends† using the appropriate â€Å"means†. The categorical imperative may be based only on something that is an â€Å"end in itself†. That is, an end that is a means only to itself and not to some other need, desire, or purpose. Kant believed that if an action is not done with the motive of duty, then it is without moral value. Every action should have pure intention behind it; otherwise it was meaningless. The categorical imperative has three formulations that Kant enumerated about moral. These stated the three formal conditions that an action must have if it is to be a moral action. The first formulation states that for an action to be a moral action, it must be amenable to being made consistently universal. The second formulation states that for an action to be a moral action, it must respect rational beings as ends in themselves. The third formulation states that for an action to be a moral action, it must stem from, and respect, the autonomy of rational beings. These three formulations explains to us what it means to be a rational being. Kant also talks about the hypothetical imperative. It states that an action should be done if, one wishes to achieve a certain end. An example would be if you want to do well in sports, then you must practice! If you want to get promoted in your job, then you must work hard! Kant thinks our actions only have moral worth and deserve esteem when they are motivated by duty. Kant also believed that an action from duty has its moral worth not in the purpose to be attained by it but in the maxim in accordance with which it is decided upon, and therefore does not depend upon the realization of the object of the action but merely upon the principle of volition in accordance with which the action is done without regard for any object of the faculty of desire. References: 1. DeGeorge, Richard T. , 2010 Business Ethics, 63-64 2. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant#Moral_philosophy.

Llano Estacado in the U.S. and Around the World

Llano Estacado in the U.S. and Around the World Llano Estacado literally translated from Spanish-to-English means Staked Plain, and it is a region at the southern end of the American Great Plains in the southwestern United States. The Geographical Region The Llano Estacado region  encompasses parts of  eastern New Mexico  and northwestern  Texas. It is marked by large mesas at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 feet. One of its most popular landmarks is the Caprock Escarpment in Texas. Possible Historical Reference The settling of the western United States in the 1800s was known for its land runs with settlers on foot and horseback racing to claim lands by driving a stake into the ground. Llano Estacado may be a historical nod to the stakes or posts driven  into the ground in this region that were used as landmarks delineating property. Some suggest the plain was called Llano Estacado because it is surrounded by cliffs resembling palisades or stockades, which explains the definitions of palisaded plain or stockaded plain. The Caprock Escarpment is a 200-mile long cliff or palisade that delineates the border of the Llano Estacado region from the high plains.   Spanish Translation   Llano Estacado  can be translated to mean palisaded plain, stockaded plain, or staked plain. Llano is a direct translation for the word plain or prairie.  Estacado  is the past  participle  of  estacar. Estacar  is the verb meaning to tie to a post. Of the three possible translations, the three have very similar meanings. Many words in English are derived from Spanish words. The English word stockade comes from the Spanish word  estaca, so originally stockade and staked meant basically the same thing. The same can be said for palisade, it comes from the French word  palissade, meaning stake. The word palisade is related to the Spanish word  palo, meaning stick, which may be a close relation to the word stake. Non-American Spanish Speakers What does a native Spanish speaker not from the United States assume as the meaning for the term Llano Estacado? A native Spanish speaker would approach the term in the same way an English speaker would understand staked plain. As in English, it is not a common term, but it does evoke a certain meaning when you give the term some thought. The understanding of the term would likely be different for someone living in suburban Madrid than it would be for someone living on the plains of Argentina.

Use of Quasiconcave Utility Functions in Economics

Use of Quasiconcave Utility Functions in Economics Quasiconcave is a mathematical concept that has several applications in economics. To understand the significance of the  terms applications in economics, it is useful to begin with a brief consideration of the origins and  meaning of the term in mathematics. Origins of the Term The term quasiconcave was introduced in the early part of the 20th century in the work of John von Neumann, Werner Fenchel and Bruno de Finetti, all prominent mathematicians with interests in both theoretical and applied mathematics, Their research in  fields such as probability theory, game theory and topology eventually laid the groundwork for an independent research field known as generalized convexity.  While the term quasiconcave: has applications in many areas, including economics, it originates in the field of generalized convexity as a topological concept. Definition of Topology Wayne State Mathematics Professor Robert Bruners brief and readable explanation of topology  begins with the understanding that topology is a special form of geometry. What distinguishes topology from other geometrical studies is that topology treats geometric figures as being essentially (topologically) equivalent if by bending, twisting and otherwise distorting them you can turn one into the other. This sounds a little strange, but consider that if you take a circle and begin squashing from four directions, with careful squashing you can produce a square. Thus, a square and a circle are topologically equivalent. Similarly, if you bend one side of a triangle until youve created  another corner somewhere along that side, with more bending, pushing and pulling, you can turn a triangle into a square. Again, a triangle and a square are topologically equivalent.   Quasiconcave as a Topological Property Quasiconcave is a topological property that includes concavity. If you graph a mathematical function and the graph looks more or less like a badly made bowl with a few bumps in it but still has a depression in the center and two ends that tilt upward, that is a quasiconcave function. It turns out that a concave function is just a specific instance of a quasiconcave function- one without the bumps. From a laypersons perspective (a mathematician has a more rigorous way of expressing it), a quasiconcave function includes all concave functions and also all functions that overall are concave but that may have sections that are actually convex. Again, picture a badly made bowl with a few bumps and protrusions in it.   Applications in Economics One way of mathematically representing consumer preferences (as well as  many other behaviors) is with a utility function. If, for example, consumers prefer good A to good B, the utility function U expresses that preference as:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  U(A)U(B) If you graph out this function for a real-world set of consumers and goods, you may find that the graph looks a bit like a bowl- rather than a straight line, theres a sag in the middle. This sag generally represents consumers aversion to risk. Again, in the real world, this aversion isnt consistent: the graph of consumer preferences looks a bit like an imperfect bowl, one with a number of bumps in it. Instead of being concave, then, its generally concave but not perfectly so at every point in the graph, which may have minor sections of convexity. In other words, our example graph of consumer preferences (much like many real-world examples) is quasiconcave.  They tell anyone wanting to know more about consumer behavior- economists and corporations selling consumer goods, for instance- where and how customers  respond to changes in good amounts or cost.

Wireless Network Active Attacks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wireless Network Active Attacks - Essay Example The best solution to this problem is RF proofing the nearby atmosphere. The use of Wireless technologies is increasing rapidly and Wireless technology is much admired. So companies are exchanging their usual wired networks with wireless - even for non-mobile functions. There have been several warnings from security advisors regarding wireless protocols, Especially for WEP, being disgustingly insecure. Unauthorized access to wireless network can occur from different ways for example, when a user turns on a computer and it latches on to a wireless admittance point from a neighboring company’s overlapping network, the user may not even know that this has occurred. But, it is a security violate in that proprietary company information is exposed and now there could exist a link from one company to the other. A denial-of-service attack is an effort to make computer resources unavailable to its intended users. It is the malicious efforts of a persons or number of persons to stop a web site or service from carrying out proficiently or at all. One general way of attack involves saturating the target machine with external communications requests, such that it cannot react to legitimate traffic, or responds so slowly as to be rendered effectively unavailable. It normally slows down the network performance. For example speed of opening files and closing files slow down. System will also be unable to access any web site. The bandwidth of a router linking the Internet and a local area network may be consumed by DoS. There are also other types of attack that may include a denial of service as a module, but the denial of service may be a part of a larger attack. Illegal utilization of resources may also result in denial of service. For instance, an interloper can use someone’s secret ftp ar ea as a place to store illegal copies of commercial software, overwhelming disk space and generating network

Culture Expos Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Culture Expos Project - Research Paper Example market. In assessing the Filipino culture, the study hopes to suggest some strategies to attract and fulfill the needs of this particular market. Filipinos are natives of the Philippines, a country in the Asia Pacific region near Hong Kong and Malaysia. Historians have noted that the Filipinos have a mixed culture due to their mixed ancestry. The earliest generations of this culture are Malays who came to the Philippine islands for settlement (Halili, 2004). They scattered all over the country, and because the Philippines is an archipelago, the Filipinos speak different dialects or local languages (Agoncillo, 1974) but like their Chinese neighbor, manage to maintain a national language also called Filipino. Chinese inhabitants are also all over the country but they settled in the Philippines merely for business, hence the Filipino of today also bears some Chinese ancestry. In 1521, the Philippines was discovered by Spanish colonizers led by Magellan (Halili, 2004). This started the c olonization of the Philippines by the Spaniards whose settlement lasted for more than three centuries (ibid.). This long history of colonization has a great impact on the Filipino culture. Nevertheless, the cruelty of the colonizers kept a distance between the natives and the former. Rizal, the Philippine’s national hero whose name is acclaimed in some Western countries like Germany, noted in his writings how the Spaniards, especially the rulers of the Church treated the Filipinos with lambasting words, unjust imprisonment and disappearance, denial of property, among many other acts of injustice (Capino, Gonzales, and Pineda, 2005). The Philippines was liberated from the Spanish regime when the Americans came in 1901. Unlike the Spaniards who did not teach their language for fear of being overpowered, the Americans, through the Thomasites taught English to the Filipinos and promoted education, especially free elementary education. The Thomasites were the first American teache rs who came to the Philippines to teach the Filipinos (Halili, 2004). The Americans noted the lack of education and the poverty that loomed in the Philippines after the Spanish regime. They attempted to improve the living conditions of the Filipino by sending some scholars in the U.S. to study (ibid.). Those Filipinos may have inspired others to come to America, thus explaining the wide population of Filipinos in the U.S. at present. When the WWII broke up, the Philippines was invaded by Japan and along with Filipino soldiers, some American soldiers were tortured by the Japanese to march several miles from Bataan Province to Manila (ibid.). This is known today as the Bataan Death March, in which some soldiers died of hunger and thirst. After four days, when additional American troops were sent to the Philippines, the Japanese invaders were ousted, making the Filipinos free from another threat of colonization. The different settlers in the Philippines impacted the Filipino culture, m aking it a combination of the Spanish, American, and Japanese culture superimposed by the Malay ancestry it has. Filipinos nowadays have healed from their past and seen on American television, for instance, Charice Pempengco, ultimately project easy adaptability with other cultures. Their clothes are a cross between Western and Asian influences. They have developed a cultural adaptability style that tends to accept differences and unify